Shop 'til you drop

This card is not my usual style of card, but I did enjoy doing it and made a change from getting inky and messy

I used an A5 pink card and some black and pink dotty papers and the lady, hat, gifts and umbrella are decoupaged - this is a set I bought from DAISE. A very girly card I think.

The challenge over on My Time to Craft was Tickled Pink so this card is definately pink LOL


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I'm a Lady

This card I made for Hels Sunday Stampers challenge. This weeks challenge was to make something using a stamp that has a woman, laydee, female image.


I used an A5 white card and stamped all over it using an Anna Griffin background stamp in worn lipstick distress ink and I also edged around the card. The main stamped image is one I stamped a while ago at craft class. I coloured it using Marvey Le Plume pens and a waterbrush. Then I matted it onto gold mirror card and then red card. I simply added a few little red flowers, which I attached using gold brads and them a piece of ribbon and a bow to finish it off.

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What a Week

I have finally managed to make these two tags for a monthly tag swap I am in. I cut some white thick card to 6" x 3" and made it into a tag. I used a new technique on these tags which Hels showed on her technique blog - the technique is called "batik".

I used a rose stamp and a sunflower stamp and stamped randomly onto the white tags using versamark ink and then covered with clear embossing powder and heated. When it was cooled I used my distress ink pads and covered the tags using shabby shutters and pine needles ink. I then covered the tags with some kitchen roll and ironed over them. This melted and lifted off the embossing powder and so left a lovely white image. I then used slide mounts and dabbed some distress inks on them. I stamped a small rose and a small flower onto some white card and coloured them using my sakura glitter pens. I then put these into the slide mounts and used sticky pads to raise them off the tag. I stamped "in bloom" onto a piece of green vellum and attached it to the tag with small flower brads. For the backs of both tags I just stamped in rusty brown stazon using one of my Anna Griffin background stamps.

Sunday Stampers Challenge Week 7

Thank you Hels for setting another great Sunday Stampers Challenge. This week the theme is Oriental. Same rules as usual, inky, stamping and whatever media you would like to use; cards, ATCs, Tags, whatever you want to make".

Well I had so much fun making this tag. I used a red 6" x 3" tag and then made a slightly smaller tag in black. I used an oriental background stamp to stamp on the black card with a versamark ink pad and then I put on gold embossing powder and heated it. I stamped a very large oriental lady in stazon onto a piece of white shrink plastic and coloured it using sakura glitter gel pens, painted on with a waterbrush, to get a very soft finish. I then punched a hole in the shrink plastic before heating it to shrink it. The main image I stamped onto a piece of white card using versamark and again used gold embossing powder. I coloured the image using the sakura glitter pens and waterbrush. I then gently rubbed over the image and the white card with some distress inks, to give it a slightly aged look. I decided to have a go at triple embossing, so I inked the distressed piece of card with versamark ink and dipped it in to some UTEE and then heated with the heat tool and then repeated again twice. I matted this on to black card and then gold card and mounted it onto the tag. I attached the shrink plastic piece with a little piece of red and gold thread to the bottom of the main image - so the shrink plastic piece "swings".

Sunday Stampers Challenge Week 6

Well I have finally managed to complete last weeks Sunday Stampers Challenge, set by Hels. "Make a card, ATC, Fat Page, Moo, Skinny, tag...in fact, just whatever you wish....but you must use an image of a man or of men." Unfortunately this one didn't photograph very well at all. I used distress inks for the background on the tag and then I stamped the image using a black ink pad. I had trouble getting it to dry, so after heating it with my heat gun I sprinkled a little gold embossing powder over the image and then heated it again. This is definately a "looks better in the flesh" one LOL.

Me to You Swap Project 1

I joined in a monthly swap, along with about 14 other people. The object of this swap is to create mini projects of your choice to send to others on the list. The general idea is that once you have received a piece of craft, then you could use it for inspiration or interpret in your own way. This is the first project I have made.

I used a blank wooden picture frame and covered it with aluminium foil tape and then dabbed alcohol inks over it. I then added 6 small paper flowers, each with a touch of gold glitter in the centre. The rose picture is from one of Joanna Sheen's CD's. I printed the design out and then decoupaged it up. I also printed "Sammy" on the inner frame.

Please click on picture to view larger

What are Fat Book Pages?

A few people have asked what are fat book pages, so I will try to explain. A fat book page has to be 4" x 4" and like ATC's, you can decorate/embellish it however you want to.

When you have several pages, you can make them into a little book and put a front and back cover on if you wish to. I am involved in a couple of different fat book swaps:- flowers, winter and distressed pages. In the swap there are approx 20 people who all make a page and physically post it - so for each list/swap I am on I will receive 20 pages and then I have enough to make a gorgeous little book. So I should end up with a book full of winter pages, another with flower pages and also one with distressed pages.

I hope this makes sense, as I am not very good at explaining things.

More Fat Book Pages

These are a few I've made this evening .... well I mean these are a few of the different ones, I made about 10, but most are variations of these three. For all of them I used distressed ink to make the backgrounds and then I used various things off Tim Holtz Elements CD.

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Mona Lisa Fat Book Pages

These are two fat book pages which I have made. I used distressing inks for the backgrounds. The stamped images of Mona Lisa were sent to me by a friend and I coloured those using distressing inks and added them to the background. I then cut out the crowns from the Tim Holtz Elements CD and used silicone glue to attach them to the page.

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Mother's Day Gift

This is a little box which my 3 1/2 year old son made at nursery school for me for Mother's Day. It had a little chocolate inside.

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Been playing with ink again

I've had a very crafty morning. I've started on 20 Fat Book Pages - I've done all the background using distressed inks and I am now just waiting for them to dry.

I have also altered another frame. I used a cheap wooden frame and covered it with aluminium foil tape and then used my alcohol inks on it. I added a picture of my youngest son and we are giving this to his great nan.

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What a Charley

This card I made using Cuddly Buddly papers and rubber stamp - the stamp is called Charley and is soooo cute. I stamped the image in versamark and embossed it with gold embossing powder on white cardstock and then I did the same on some patterend paper. I cut the dress out of the patterend paper and placed it on top of the stamped image. I used marvey le plume pens for the colouring of the rest of the image. I matted the image onto some peach card and then gold card and I added a strip of the background paper with a strip of gold underneath and added a few flowers, held in place with little gold brads.


This card is for a challenge on My Time to Craft, this weeks challenge is to use flowers on your project.


To view larger, click on picture.

I've got an award

I got a "you've made my day" award from Hels and She - thank you both :-)

The rules of the award are simple, pass it on to ten people who have made your day in Blogland! Pop a message by email or on their blog and then they pass on the award. If you receive the award back again it means that you are a very nice person and you have made their day too.

So I need to pass this on to another 10 people who have made my day so here goes:-

Hels, She, Ann, Craftyc, Shaz, Shazza, Andrea, Jacky, Vanessa and Claireabelle

I've Been Tagged

Well I have been tagged three times in one day, by Nessy, Shaz and Shazza - so here goes:-

What were you doing 10 years ago? Working full time

What were you dong a year ago? Worrying alot as my daughter had gone travelling for a year - good for me she came back home after only 3 months.

Name your 5 favourite snacks Crisps, pies, chocolate, toast and sweets .... all not very healthy I know LOL

Name 5 things you would do if you were a millionaire Pay off all my debts, buy another house, buy a car, give the kids some money and move to Cyprus

Name 5 things you like doing Crafting, eating, chatting to my friends online, nosing at all the wonderful blogs and staying in the house where I am nice and warm.

Name 5 things you will never wear again All my clothes I've grown out of, a wedding dress, a duffle coat, contact lenses and high heeled shoes

Name your 5 favourite things All my internet friends, my pc, my children, my bed and my hubby who is also my soul-mate

Now I need to tag 5 people so here goes:-

Jane
Lesley
Ann
Jozza
Heidi

Happy Mothers Day

Well it's mothers day here in UK and I got some lovely crafty bits and bobs off the boys today, some DCWV paper stack - Once Upon a Time, some lovely brads and some chocolates too.
I've still not made anything - I coloured some Tilda's and some Cuddly Buddly Charlie's yesterday, but that's about it. I think I will stick with altered things and tags for a while as cards just aren't happening for me now.

It's the weekend

Well this week has flown by and it's the weekend again. My hubby just took the boys out to get something for Mother's day and he also brought me a little present from him

Mojo Gone AWOL - Things with Wings

Well I've had a rough few days with my card making - my inspiration has totally gone. So I decided today to make a few very simple cards. The background on this card is printed out and the fairy is decoupaged with a little glitter added here and there.

This card fits in with the challenge on My Time to Craft - which this week was "Things with Wings"

I made another tag tonight - I love making tags. I used distress inks for the background and some Cats Life Press and Tim Holtz stamps.

This card is a Penny Black stamped image which a friend sent me and I coloured it and cut it out. I mounted it using sticky pads onto a small card which I firstly covered with green card with flecks of gold and some Cuddly Buddly swirly papers. I just added a dark green ribbon where the two papers met.

Di Hickman Sketch #3

This is the sketch for the challenge on Di Hickmans challenge blog. I used papers from cuddly buddly and covered an A5 card with the two papers. I used a friendship rub on for the sentiment and simply layered the pink card onto some blue card and added four little heart gems. I used a big bloomer flower with a small button flower embellishment in the centre. Not really my style of card, and I'm not that keen on it to be honest - but at least I had a go :-)

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Funky Fairys Challenge 9

It hasn't been a bad day here today, dull but dry. I managed to get a little crafting done.
I made this tag for the challenge on Funky Fairys "Create a tag, something tag-shaped or including one or more tags, and your tags can be any shape or size"
I used Tim Holtz Distress ink for the background and then stamped the Tim Holtz sentiment/saying randomly over the tag. I used some DCVW paper and stamped the sentiment again and also stamped the Tim Holtz bird and then I tore the papers to get a nice rough edge on them and then inked the edges using old paper distress ink. I then just added some ribbon and fibres.


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Time Flies

I bought some cheap 4" x 6" frames to alter and I really like the effect I got. This is the frame before and after.



I cut out the letters "Time Flies" on my Craft Robo and stuck them onto the bottom of the frame using a little glue. I covered the frame with Aluminium Foil Tape and then used Ginger, Butterscotch, Caramel and Latte alcohol inks to colour the frame. I used an adirondack ink pad and tapped it over where the letters were and then wiped off the alcohol ink so the words stood out against the coloured frame. I took two pieces of DCVW Far East paper and tore the edge off the blue piece and then I inked the edge using Old Paper distress inks and I also distressed parts of the paper to make it look older. I printed an old photograph onto photo paper and then distressed it using the Old Paper distress ink and I went around the edges with a distressing tool and then inked them with the distress ink. I used a watch stamp, which I got from The Artistic Stamper, and using a versamark ink pad I stamped it onto some white pearlescent card and then covered it with Gold Tinsel embossing powder and heated it. I cut out the stamped watch image and put some German Scrap gold wings behind it. The photograph I put flat on the background and I raised the watch with wings using foam pads.

The weekly challenge on Sunday Stampers this week is "Time" so I thought this would be ideal.

The weekly challenge on Funky Fairys this week is to use a photograph on your card, scrapbook page or brag book etc etc - so this also qualifies for that challenge too.

Addicted to Tags

I think I'm addicted to making tags - I just love doing them. I got a new set or should I say my first set of Tim Holtz stamps, so I had to try them out.

Lace Friendship Card

This card I made for two challenges:- Daring Cardmakers challenge is to make a Love and Friendship card and My Time to Craft challenge is to use lace on your card. I used cream cardstock and a penny black stamped image which I was sent by a friend. I simply coloured the image with watercolour pencils and then matted it onto some pink patterend paper. I stamped the Friendship sentiment onto white card and again matted it onto pink patterned paper. I then added some lace down the left and right hand side of the card.



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Another Tag

Good morning, it's quite a nice morning here - cold but no frost. Hope everyone has a good day.

I made this tag for a friend, hopefully Royal Mail have delivered it by now. I used distress inks for the background of the tag. I put some of the ink onto a craft sheet and spritzed it with water and then laid my tag down on it - I love the effect from this technique and you always get something different each time. I used Cats Life Press stamps and stamped them using Broken China distress ink and sprinkled them with clear embossing powder and heated them. I then stamped the "Butterfly Fairy" onto a piece of blue patterned paper and then cut her out. I cut off her wings and replaced them with a pair of gold German Scrap wings. On the back of the tag I stamped using rusty brown and black stazon and also edged the tag with the rusty brown stazon.


Click on the image to view it larger

Penny Black Green Card

Green isn't a colour that I would normally use, but I made this simple card for a friends Birthday and also for the Arty Girlz Challenge #22 The challenge this week was to use green on your card. I used some dark green cardstock and then added yellow paper which I punched down the side using a border punch and then on top of that I put Anna Griffin scrapbook paper, again which I punched down the side. I then used one of my Penny Black stamps and stamped onto a piece of white cardstock and watercoloured using pencils. I then matted and layered the image and also did another set of matting and layering and used a Happy Birthday peel off. I will have to get some green ribbon and attach it on the left hand side

Mothers Day Star Card

I made this star card for my Mother in Law for Mother's Day. I used mainly K & Co papers and some rub ons, peel offs and other bits of embellishments. I have also entered it in the Papertake weekly challenge as the theme is "Spring has Sprung". Hope you like it.
Click on an image to view it larger.

Some Domino's

I also managed to alter some domino's today. I used alcohol inks on the domino's, cranberry, plumb and latte. I then used adirondack black ink and stamped onto the domino's with some Cats Life Press stamps.

Sunday Stampers Challenge week 4

The theme for this weeks challenge was birds, so we had to use inky techniques and it had to have a bird on it somewhere- I decided to make a tag.
On the front of the tag I used an Adirondack ink pad (wild flower) and a brayer to make the background and then I spritzed it with a little water. I used 3 Cats Life Press stamps and stamped 2 of them directly onto the tag using jet black stazon and the third one, the bird I stamped onto some DCWV paper in black stazon.
For the back of the tag, again I used the wild flower ink pad and the brayer - the colours were alot darker this time as I didn't add water to it. Again I used a Cats Life Press stamp and stamped in jet black stazon onto a piece of DCWV paper. I then used a large tree stamp and a small owl stamp (both Anna Griffin) and stamped them in versamark ink and put gold embossing powder over them. To finish off the tag, I outlined it with gold krylon pen and added some fibres.

Some tags I have made

These are 3 tags which I have made for Hels Angels Tag Swap. The theme for this month is Paper Artsy - so we had to use Paper Artsy stamps. These are the first tags I've ever made! I hope that they are okay for the swap.

Initially I cut some cream cardstock into to 6" x 3" rectangles then cut off the corners to make the tag shape.
To get the effect for the background I rubbed distress inks onto a craft mat and spritzed them with water before dropping my tag into the inks.
I took some DCWV paper and stamped in black ink, though on one I also stamped in white acrylic paint, before using some glossy accents to highlight parts of the stamped images.
I attached a large butterfly which I had cut on my Robo and inked using Alcohol inks.
Using some gold thread I attached a small butterfly charm.
As a finishing touch I added some fibres, and outlined the tags with a gold krylon pen.

I hope you like them - any comments, good or bad, most welcome

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My Paper World Sketch #4

This card I made for the Challenge on My Paper World. I used cream cardstock, some blue papers and yellow card for matting and layering. I used a Crafty Individuals stamp and stamped it on glossy card, in versamark ink and added clear embossing powder. I then used some cut n dry foam and some distress ink to colour the image. I then simply added a couple of layered flowers and attached them with a brad.

Frame Card

This is a slider style card - the little blue ribbon tabs on the side of the frame pull out to reveal a message (Happy Birthday). I used white hammered card and made a square frame from some thick card and covered it with scrapbook paper. I stamped the little flowers and added some blue ribbon and a little dragonfly charm. I made this card for the Arty Girlz Challenge - the challenge was to use a frame on your project

Fat Book Pages

It has been another nice day here today, sunny and fairly warm for this time of year. I have made 12 Fat Book Pages today for the Craft Swap Forum swaps (Winter and also Flowers). I made 3 different designs, but made 4 of each.

The first two are Winter ones and I used Joanna Sheen's Victorian Christmas CD for the images. The angel one, I just added some Glamour Dust on the fairy's wings, the little star and I wrote the word winter with glue and glittered that also - I then outlined the image with Silver krylon pen and added it to the page and finished it off by adding some white fibres down the sides. The orange fbp I just put some glamour dust around the oval.

The last ones I made are decoupaged pink roses which I downloaded off one of the free sites a while ago. They have 5 layers to them, but it doesn't show too well in the photo - I just added them onto the cardstock which was covered with a matching backing paper and added some pink fibres.

Sunday Stampers Week 3 and Arty Girlz Challenge #21

Well I haven't done much crafting at all this past week I think I must have misplaced my mojo. On a good point, I found out very late that it was someone's Birthday on Sunday so I needed to make a card. I didn't have a clue what to make - anyway, Hels set the new Sunday Stampers Challenge so I combined ideas and came up with this. The rules for this weeks challenge was that you had to stamp and also decoupage part of the stamped image. This card also meets the criteria for the Arty Girlz Challenge 21 which is "stamping"

I used a Crafty Individuals stamp and stamped it on cream cardstock and I then stamped a Paper Artsy stamp twice and decoupaged the butterfly. I stamped Happy Birthday and matted and layered using cream and dark blue card and then to finish it off I added some ribbon down the side. Hope you like what I made - I thought it was a very busy card when I'd finished it, but I do like it, hope you do to.

Happy Friday

Hi, I thought I had best make a post as I have neglected my blog this week. I've not done any crafting the past few days, but have lots of things I need to get done. Hopefully I will be able to post some new projects tomorrow.

Have a good weekend all :-)

Some Goodies Arrived Today

I'm a happy bunny today as some of my new stash arrived :-) Just need to find some time to play. I got some very large Heiddi Swapp flowers - they measure about 5", 8 gorgeous distress ink pads, a free packet of rub ons and 14 Cats Life Press stamps - I bought 12, but they sent me two extra free:-).

Pinkle's Challege Week 2

This is the card I made for the Sunday Stampers Challenge set by Pinkle. This weeks challenge was "make a card, tag, ATC or even alter something but keep the colours black & white or cream & white". The actual card layout is one which was in March Craft Stamper Magazine and as I really liked it, I thought I'd give it a go. I used white cardstock and stamped the front of the card randomly with an Anna Griffin stamp in black ink. I then cut two strips of black card and two strips of white card to put on the inside of the front of the card and I again stamped them using the same AG stamp. I then cut a piece of black paper to make an insert for the card and I stamped a Dovecraft flower/swirl stamp randomly in versamark ink and embossed it with white embossing powder. Finally I added two white eyelets to the front of the card and threaded some black fibres so the card could be closed. Hope you like this as much as I do :-)

Valentine Card

It is a nice bright day here today - no snow as yet, but it is very cold outside.

I was inspired to make this card as a challenge on Daring Cardmakers The card had to have red and white on it, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to make Hubby's valentine card :-) I used Carol Ann's Romance & Roses cd to print off the backing paper and also the hearts and the sentiment I printed from my pc. I matted and layered onto red and white cardstock and decoupaged the main hearts then added a couple of red heart gems on the sentiment.

This card also qualifies for the challenge on Scrummy Stash Cafe, which was to make a valentine card.

Di Hickman Challenge

Happy Thursday to all :-)

This card I made for the Di Hickman Card Sketch Jan #5. Another first for me as it is the first time of joining in with the challenge.

I used Pink Petticoat Blooming Doodles paper (putty & black). I put some silver & black rose ribbon down the right hand side of the card which I matted and layered onto silver, putty and black cardstock. I put a strip of black card, mounted onto silver card running along the lower card and added two little silver heart peel offs and a black ribbon bow.

I'm not sure if I like the end result as it is quite a "busy" card - not my usual style at all - but it is growing on me LOL

Foil Card with Ribbon

This card I made for Daring Cardmakers challenge - the first time I've joined in. The dare this week was to use kitchen aluminium foil some where on your card.

This card also meets the criteria for the Scrummy Stash Cafe challenge which is to use ribbons.

I covered a piece of card with kitchen foil and embossed it with a cuttlebug embossing folder. I added this to a black card and then stamped a DMD butterfly stamp in black ink onto white card and matted and layered it onto black and silver card. I then added a black ribbon and a buckle cut on my Wizard.