I'm Back - What a Stinker

It seems like ages since I was here!  I had a really stinker of a cold last week and I wasn't up to doing anything craftwise.  I still have a lot of pain in my sinuses, which I've never suffered from before, but feel better generally! 

Luckily I have this week off work to try and catch up with my badly behind Christmas cards! Here are some I've done today. I have set myself a daily target... There's a bit of a theme going on as you will see.

Sorry about the scanning, doesn't seem to have worked too well tonight.

Awww - another award!

This one is from Kay - thanks, Kay. I have a really bad cold at the moment so this was nice to find. 

I have to answer a whole heap of questions with one word answers - yikes.

1. Where is your cell phone?  handbag
2. Your hair?  highlighted
3. Your mother ? missing dad
4. Your father?  missed
5. Your favorite food? steak
6. Your dream last night?: none
7. Your favorite drink? g&t
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. What room are you in? lounge
10. Your hobby? crafting
11. Your fear? illness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? healthy
13. Where were you last night? bed
14. Something that you aren't? rich!
15. Muffins?  cherry
16. Wish list item? more room
17. Where did you grow up? Norbury (SW London)
18. Last thing you did? sneezed
19. What are you wearing? joggers
20. Your TV? on
21. Your Pets? none
22. Friends?  few
23. Your life? boring
24. Your mood?  sorry for myself
25. Missing Someone?  sister
26. Vehicle?  bus
27. Something you’re not wearing? watch
28. Your favorite store? craft (any!)
29. Your favorite colour?  red
30. When was the last time you laughed?  last night
31. Last time you cried?  not sure
32. Your best friend? Claire
33. One place that I go to over and over? work
34. Facebook? sometimes
35. Favorite place to eat?  home

Now I have to pass this on to 5 people so I can find out lots about them too! I choose Linda; Lori; Julie; Brenda; and Jacqui

Shimmer that fairy!

The idea behind this card started from the tag - I sprayed it directly with my reinker/perfect pearl mixes - broken china/pearl and mustard seed/copper drying in between each colour mix.  The colours just seemed to mingle nicely whilst they were drying!  I've since tried to repeat it but just got a mess lol!  The sentiment is from the same paperartsy plate as the fairy.

I thought the fairy would sit nicely on this card, coloured with gel pens and glitter, and added some similarly coloured prima flowers that I have covered in rock candy distress stickles (thanks to Tim  - the god - Holtz for that tip on his blog a few days back) They look fab - I've got a whole load done ready to use in projects.

I found a flower trinket - no idea where it came from,  because they're not in the original packing - I've had a pack of them for years and never used any before!! for the centre of the green flower.

The flower top left is grungepaper (a Wendy Vecchi stamp) coloured with distress ink, over inked in gel pen because the colour wasn't bright enough, and then glitter (well it is Christmas, lol!)  I seem to be using all non traditional colours this year, maybe next time I'll get out some red!!

Reindeer

I only got one card made last night - slacking!! Again, I used the Studio 490 background in sepia on a cream card, then I painted a chipboard piece with butterscotch paint dabber. I quite like this colour - it reminds me of Caramac chocolate bars..... yum, lol.   A never used before stamp from Ally Pally (Tim Holtz) is stamped in sepia on the chip and Tim's reindeer stamped in black on grungepaper and sprayed with a mustard seed/copper perfect pearl mix finishes it off. The time I took trying to get the angle of the reindeer to my satisfaction shall not be divulged!

I didn't actually get this ready to post last night, but at the crack of dawn before I left for the office I uploaded the image so I could do it now!

O Christmas Tree!

Hels' challenge this week over at Sunday Stamper is "Christmas Trees" and although I could have used either of the cards I posted earlier this week, I decided to do a new one, based on the theme of my previous post for the Play Date challenge. I've smudged a bit of ink under the trees to ground them and not having them hanging in mid-air!

Once again, it uses grungepaper for the trees, covered in Ferro paste in golden green and iron for the tree trurnks. Another one off the "to do" pile... it's not getting much shorter though.

Play Date Challenge

This weeks Play Date Cafe Challenge is to use blue or green, chocolate brown,tan and cream.  I struggled with how to interpret this for my ongoing personal Christmas cards only challenge, but this is what I came up with.  The ink for the background (WV's Studio 490) is a new achival ink in sepia, stamped straight onto a scalloped cream card blank.  The grungepaper flowers (WV of course!)are coloured with distress inks in a variety of faded jeans, brushed corduroy and shabby shutters.  I used some rock candy distress stickles in the middle of the smallest flower and held them all together with a blue brad.  To offset the flowers I found a small tag which I stamped in faded jeans with a Paperartsy greeting and added some glitter and blue fibres.  Now it's finished, I quite like it, lol!

Christmas Trees

Managed to dodge the downpours this morning when I went to the Craft Barn (spent FAR too much of course - but it WAS all - mostly - on a list.....) but it was sooo windy...

When I got home (after I burnt the lunch as mentioned earlier) I got down and crafting - kind of - I was cutting out some more grunge flowers - had my first go at "the" rose - it seems ok-ish, - can't show you as it won't fit in the scanner, lol! 

I then thought "I must do Christmas cards" so here is one I finished - the arch is the piece that wouldn't go right last time - but a fresh look at it today (in the gloom, anyhow!) and it looks ok I think.  The tree is Wendy Vecchi of course, pearl metal, sprayed with a couple of distress reinker/perfect pearl combo's. Fortunately you can't see in the scan, but the bottom harlequin paper trim went on wonky (sorry, whoever gets the card!) but it was a bit late to start again....

Got to stop here, or dinner will burn too, lol!

An Award

I got this award today from Craftytrog and have to share 5 facts about myself with you and pass it on to 5 more people - so here goes.

1. I love crisp, sunny - dry - autumn days (not wet ones like today, lol)
2. I just burnt my lunch blog hopping
3. I can't believe I'm 50!
4.  I am scared of the dentist
5.  I really really want Liverpool to win the Premiership soon.

I am passing this award on the these inspiring people:  Linda, Lin, Leandra,Hels and Kay.

I have just read this back and seen I haven't thanked Crafttrog for the award, so thank you, I am touched and honoured.

Christmas - Buttons

The new Gingersnap Creations  spicy supply challenge is "buttons" and because I am trying to be strict and only make Christmas cards at the moment I have combined the two.  The stamps are Studio 490 - did I say I love those stamps, lol!  (Just got my Dimensional Rose Art today - I can make roses, yayyyyy )

Sorry, where was I?  I was trying to create a piece using Terra and Viva paints on some chipboard but wasn't happy with how it was turning out, so I mopped up the spare Viva paint (olive) from my craft mat onto a tag and added some gold viva, overstamped it with the Studio 490 "happy christmas" background, added the tree (pearl metal, decorated with some scribbles from the teflon tip, sanded lightly and sprayed with a couple of perfect pearl/reinker mixes) and some buttons (for the challenge) and another tree - this one is grungepaper, covered with golden green Ferro for texture and some gold viva paint for contrast.   I couldn't find any buttons the right colour so I painted them with olive viva paint again. Fiddly, messy but worked great!

I mounted it on some (new- also arrived today!) dotty embossed vellum (Craftwork Cards) and added a couple of Studio 490 messages. The whole thing is on a DL-sized card blank. Because this new emobssed vellum is quite thick, the doublesided tape I used to mount it, doesn't show through - result!

Back to the Christmas Fairy

I've got a few more Christmas cards made today, using the Paperartsy Nut and Meg stamps; here is the one I am best pleased with.  The background is shabby shutters and broken china, with a very fine mist of broken china/perfect pearl/water mix (the first background I did is still uncurling, it got too wet!!).

The arch is covered with Rum and Raisin paper (in truth I cut it a bit too close to cover perfectly, didn't want to waste any...) and the fairy is coloured with pencils, and just Stardust glitter for the wings. Add some snowflakes (Craftwork cards) and away you go.

A Challenging Day - part 3

So here is the third challenge I saw that I wanted to have a go at - Tag It On 22 - Fruits of My Labour - you have to do a tag using fruit in appropriate colours.  Like Frankie, challenge host, I have used a Stamp in the Hand stamp - apples. And I know it's still not a Christmas card, lol.

The tag is coloured with shabby shutters and scattered straw distress inks, then sprayed with mini misters holding mustard seed ink/copper perfect pearl, and then shabby shutters ink/gold perfect pearl. 

I stamped the apples in all sorts of colours but settled for pine green Memories on paper, cut them out (they're in a row of 3 on the stamp) and added some green trim.

I seem to be quite tired now, so am going to have a rest - at least dinner is a takeaway Chinese (M&S) so no cooking to do tonight!

A Challenging Day - part 2

I've really got the bug for challenges!!  This card is a double entry for the Alphabet Challenge - "D is for Decoupage" & the Gingersnap Creations "Cozy Home" challenge.

The background is from a Basic Grey pad I have until today not been able to bear using - you should see the papers i've bought that I can't bear to use, lol, but the colours seemed to be right for this.  The stamp is a Paperbag Studios one, called "home" and it leapt out of its box at me to use for these challenges!  The sentiment is Penny Black - I LOVE their sentiment stamps (need some more, lol!) 

I know it's not a Christmas card, but there's time left yet!  I've got one more challenge I want to try today..

A Challenging Day

I am making some cards for various challenges today, this is the first one for the Play Date Cafe Challenge "Red, white and black" and have also managed to cross another Christmas card off the "to do" list, lol. Everything is Craftwork Cards apart from the "joy and peace" which is from a Hero set.

Nature Tag

I was going to make up some grunge flowers tonight (one of two new sets of WV stamps arrived the other day- yippeee!!) - they are cut out and coloured, ready to go, but I had a surprise call from an old friend (actually of my ex's) so haven't got them done yet. (George, if you've come to visit the blog, it was great to talk!) 

In the meantime here's one I made earlier!!  It looks a bit wonky, blame the scanner, I promise I haven't been drinking.

I did this a few days ago and can't remember now what colours I used on the base tag, looks like scattered straw and brushed corduroy then sprayed with a perfect pearls/reinker mix whch I used on the grunge flower too.

C is for Circles

I promise this is the last post from me today, but wanted to get this done so I don't miss the challenge, like I did last week with B is for blue.  You can find the challenge here.  I have used the tiny bubbles cuttlebug folder and a paperartsy clock (I love those clocks) - I think I am still trying to convince myself I was on the recent Artsycraft weekend.

Sunday Stampers Challenge - Snowmen

This week's Sunday Stamper's challenge is "snowmen" so we can all crack on with our Christmas cards - so here is my entry.  The stamp is a Hero Arts one I've had a while, and I usually just use it to make a fairly simple card. This time I stamped the image twice and cut out the snowmen on the second to 3d them.  I've coloured them with watercolour pencils.

I have got another one on the go for this challenge, but the glue isn't dry yet so will have to post it later.

EDIT - here it is!  This is a Paperartsy snowman on pearl metal.  I love this snowman!

Oh, my poor legs!

Well, as I thought,yesterday was HARD work!  We moved files and other boxes of "stuff" upstairs and downstairs all day - what a workout!!!  I didn't leave till nearly 5 so it was a full day - and then to find Liverpool lost - again- what a disaster.  This morning I can hardly move - my calves ache like no-one's business despite a soak in the bath last night and I am covered in bruises and papercuts...   I hope to be back with some art later, but need another lie down for a bit first, lol!