Happy New Year

Well, I didn't get down and inky after all today, maybe tomorrow!  I just want to take the time to wish you al a very happy, healthy, crafty New Year!  I've been catching up on my blog list since I got home from my week at Mum's, and looks like everyone had a great time. 

Thank you for following my blog this year, it is one of the best things I ever did, after resisiting it so long! 

I also want to say - YAYYYY  I was picked by Jennie for some of her Tagtastic Candy for the 12 Tags of Christmas - what a great start to 2010.

Have a great time if you go out tonight and I can't wait to see all your great craft projects next (but nearly this) year!!

Happy Christmas To Everyone

I just want to wish everyone in Blogland a very Happy Christmas and Healthy  & Prosperous New Year!  I shall be away at my Mum's (weather and train service permitting - if I'd been going today, I wouldn't have, if you see what I mean, lol, as they stopped the trains on part of my route!) from tomorrow for a few days and out of touch with my computer - gulp! I am having withdrawal symptons already!

I hope you all stay safe with your loved ones and if you have to get anywhere for the holidays, get there in good time and without incident!

This is one of the Christmas cards I made this year, Tim's reindeer is stamped on pearl metal and lightly sponged to match the tag on the card.

(Edit) Sorry, I should have also said, a huge thank you to all the comments and messages left since I started my blog.  It really does mean a lot.

Lots of love, see you all soon. xxx

Stay Safe!

Well, I hope you are all safe and well and not stuck in some awful traffic jam!  I had a bad day yesterday - slipped on the ice on my way TO work - cut lip where I tried to bounce off the pavement!!  and a big bruise is developing nicely on one thigh!!  And yes, I WAS wearing sensible boots!

Then the journey home was bad - it started to snow (having rained earlier) around 4 so they said we could leave work early -around 4.30 - I got a bus almost straight away and then it crawled through horrendous traffic (it had at leasted stopped snowing) for 2 and a half hours (a 20 minute journey, mind you....) back to Sutton.  If I hadn't fallen in the morning, I'd have got off and walked, but I have to admit, I was scared!!

I was going to get a taxi back from the train station home so I didn't fall again - of course everyone else had the same idea, so I braved it and walked - lots of slushy wet snow but luckily enough grip this time, made it home at 7.40... (I did have to do some grocery shopping on the way so I could eat!!)
The journey back to work this morning - in my wellies this time - was 15 minutes on the bus - think everyone is staying inside!

So I hope you are all safe and well and not having too much trouble with your journeys here there and everywhere!  Take care, all.

Play Date Cafe Challenge 09

The latest  Play Date Cafe Challenge is Blue, Gold and Cream.  I have coloured a piece of Maya Road chipboard with Claudine Hellmuth paint in Traditional Tan which is really a pale cream, stamped Tim Holtz "Rock Star" with a gold dabber and the "Life" quote is Wendy Vecchi. The flowers are prima, the leaves are Wendy Vecchi on grungepaper.  I have added picket fence distress stickles to the flower and rock candy distress stickles to the centre of the heart and its banner, and added some blue fibres to finish.

I Believe

Hel's Sunday Stamper challenge for this and next week - is "Believe" - to use the word believe and stamping, in a project.  I had a Santa background prepared but it was very similar to Hel's own entry, so have done another one with scattered straw and dusty concord distress, then used "wine and roses" glimmer mist which I toned down with "marshmallow".  I stamped "believe" from the Tim Holtz Mini Holidays set (where Santa comes from too) on a piece of metal I had left over from my Day 10 tag and decorated it with a couple of Ten Second Studio wheels. The "Christmas Carols" from the same Tim stamp set was stamped on a piece of music background paper and spritzed with various perfect pearl/reinker mixes.

Finally, because Santa wasn't looking very Christmassy, I added some fired brick distress ink round his edges, and a green gel pen on his holly leaves on his hat, which I've covered in rock candy distress stickles., as I don't have a green distress stickles.

There is some great blog candy to one lucky entrant to this challenge - so go take a look!

2nd post of the day - Play Date Cafe Challenge

When I saw this week's colours on the Play Date Cafe Challenge, I didn't think I could do it - they are not colours I would normally put together.  However I was sitting looking at the piles of stash all over my living room floor and my eye alighted on this handbag shape (Craftwork Cards) and my imagination started to hum... slowly!! In fact apart from the ribbons (they're from Paperartsy), everything is Craftwork Cards.

There won't be any more - Liverpool are playing and on TV!

Don't Stop - Tagging

To borrow a song title from Fleetwood Mac (one of my fave bands) - Don't Stop!!  Following Hel's Sunday Stampers Challenge "Christmas" I decided also to have another go at one of Tim's 12 Day Tags - this one is Day 7 which I was least happy with first time round.

This time I was able to use the Santa from my Mini Holidays plate that I ordered from The Stamp Attic (psst, there is a special offer on today)  when I saw Day 7 go up! (well, I have to buy myself a present don't I!!) and also the small snowflakes on it.  Because I used the snowflakes with the Snow Cap dabber (used more paint this time, so although it looked a mess when I stamped them, when it was dry and finished, it works!!) I didn't overstamp the tag with black snowflakes but used the small pine branch from the same set of stamps (see how useful it is!!)  in Pine Needles and added some Picket Fence distress stickles - I thought it may look like the branches were frosty.

I also had a piece of the music stamped on vellum left from Day 8 that I didn't use - it looked too dark - so I rolled this up to make a scroll to add to continue the music theme on the tag, I tied it with some glittery fibre and stuck it on with glossy accents (none on my fingers this time!)

As I have used all sorts of ink here, I am also putting this in the Alphabet Challenge - I is for Ink challenge this week.

Day 12 - Grunge Roses

Well, I am just waiting for the roses to dry (I am so messy!) I have NO idea how I am going to post them - I am sure they won't go in the scanner....

Ok, well the red rose kept falling apart and I had to cover the scanner because the lid woudn't shut properly, but here it is!  And the red rose has fallen apart again as I took it off the scanner. hey ho, get the glossy accents out again, good job my fingers are still filthy!

I did do the Christmas shopping though - in just under 2 hours. (I didn't have that much to get, to be honest, but I had NO ideas before I went out, what I was getting for whom....) Now just need to get them wrapped so the ones that need to, can go in the post... at least I posted my cards this morning; so am feeling quite smug at the moment!

(Day) 11 Reinders-a-Leaping

I had fun with today's tag despite not having the gizmo to make brads.  I also couldn't find enough large enough pale Prima flowers, (most of mine - I have lots - are quite dark/bright) so have also used some fabric ones (the distress stickles haven't worked very well on this one) which I centred with a coloured glass bead.  I did have a go at a brad-a-like by stamping a snowflake on a piece of sticky back canvas and using it to cover a button.  In fact looking now at all of the flowers, the distress stickles is hardly apparent at all - I haven't used enough.

I don't have any white/Christmassy rub ons so stamped "believe" on another piece of sticky back canvas.

What I can't believe is that there is only one day left to play - which I won't be doing till I have done some Christmas present shopping first, in the morning.. wish me luck with the shops.

Day 10 - Alphabet Challenge!

A huge thanks to Hels for getting her tag done early and posting some extra tips - like her I didn't have the sticky metal tape Tim used, so had to stick some humungo tape to some metal and use that.  Got some lumps and bumps along the way, and I didn't plan my colours very well on the tag, but I got there - when I first saw Tim's this morning I thought - no way, I'm going to fail the 12 tags challenge!   I haven't got any of the alcohol ink pens, so used the original applicator and foam strips.  I'm not too happy with how the sanding of the letters has gone - nowhere near as neat as the Maestro Tim's, and I decided I wouldn't risk ruining it by distressing it further with black dabber.

It's also a good job I had some huge tags - otherwise on the size I've been using, I'd have only had half the words I needed.  The snowflake is a Heidi Swapp clear one that I've coloured with Snow Cap paint dabber.

Tag 9 - Torres!

Ok, so I got delayed making today's tag by the Liverpool match on tv. (the eagle-eyed fellow Liverpool fans who check out my blog may also recognise the photo on the tag - although to be fair the title of the post may give it away) but I got there in the end.  Once again I have had a nightmare trying to scan it - this is about go 5!!

I didn't have the right metal flowers to attach so, have made a grungepaper one! I didn't have any film strip so I made my own with a black marker pen and some overhead projector film I found in a box - thank goodness for the grid on my cutting mat!  My new "mini holidays" Tim plate of stamps arrived today just in time to use some here. (the others are Paperartsy)

If you could see the mess I have made this week "looking" for things to use on my tags, well....... but it is amazing what I have found that I forgot I ever bought....

Day 8 - Sing it Loud

I love Tim's tag for today - I think it may be my favourite so far.  I had trouble scanning it again as you see, the key is too bulky for the scanner really, I had to hold the lid down so it registered the image!

My lamppost is already decorated so I just added one grunge holly leaf. (I had trouble finding any holly stamps in my drawers, if you get my drift!) Anyhow, I am fairly pleased with the final result.

Tag 7 - two attempts!

I had more trouble with this one that I thought I would.  My first attempt (on the left) is too dark - and I don't think I used enough paint as it hasn't shown through enough when I've cleaned off the distress ink.  The second attempt is a little better, but not much.... Looking forward to Tag 8!

Sunday Stampers - Angels

Hels' Sunday Stamper challenge this week is on the theme of Angels and I took the opportunity to make a spare card in case I've counted wrong!  I inked a Maya Road chipboard frame with fired brick distress ink and covered it in red glitter.  I stamped the angel (Denami) on acetate and covered with some multi-coloured gold leaf.  Got in an inky gluey glittery mess at this stage because I couldn't find the ready-prepared sticky adhesive, I know it's here somewhere, lol..

Sticking to the red theme I stamped a small greeting for the bottom of the card.  I haven't used this angel for a couple of years, I used to do something like this a lot when I first got it.... so thanks to Hels for making me use her again!

Carry on Tagging - half way already!

Had fun doing today's tag, although I'm not happy with the flocking - I had a good rummage around my drawers and found some old Fun Flock - which is plain  although I threw some glitter at it - but I am not really  pleased with how it's come out. 

It's back to work tomorrow, so I hope to have time in the evenings now to Carry On Tagging!!

Tag 5 of Christmas

Ok, so having caught up with day 1, I have now had a go at today's.  I didn't have all the necessary items so improvised - the white happy holidays I originally tried on acetate - but the pack wasn't marked and it wasn't embossable so it melted, lol! instead I used white stazon and white powder to emboss straight on the tag.

The wire I have isn;t heavy enough gauge so it's moving all over the place!  When I was looking for my black embossing powder for the day 1 tag, I came across some tapestry powder, so they have a bit of the texture the pine branches require - even had a brown and green, yay!!

I know, I know, it's late - but it IS Tag 1

Ok, so here belatedly is tag 1.  Badly scanned again, I blame the flourishes!!  And now after a week kneeling on the floor (my "studio") making my Christmas cards, I'm having the night off.

See you tomorrow for the next tag (I hope!)

Tag 4 - tick!

I didn't have the right sized stamps Tim used today (but the order went in before 9am here ) - but I did have the ATC sized one, and I filled in the gaps with some of his snowflakes and a Paperartsy row of parcels. I couldn't for the life of me work out how the swivel clasps are meant to open, even going close-up on the photo on Tim's blog - so improvised with a fancy safety pin and some wire (I always meant to learn how to work with wire, lol)   I didn't have a memory frame the right size so have just stuck the image (part of the mini flourish to follow Tim's theme) to a fragment wtih glossy accents and - very badly - edged it with some scalloped silver tape and some distress stickles. Don't tell anyone but I picked it up before it was dry and smudged it....

In real life I think the tag needs a bit of gloss actually, so I may go over it with some glaze later.... or some rock candy crackle paint.

I really don't want to go back to work next week, I've so enjoyed having time to play this week (and yes, the Christmas cards are finished - apart from writing them, of course!) - so I am glad there is the weekend's tags to come first.

Tag 3 - well one anyway

I just loved today's tags from Tim!  I haven't got a cute enough Santa to try his second one but this is the trees one - I didn't intend to copy it so closely but that's how it seems to have come out. I had the trees out already as you'll see from my first blog today.  It's a long time since I did plaids and my lines are decidedly wonky - this is the best of the lot, lol! (Bit like the scanning!)

I couldn't find any string thin enough - the stuff I had is toooo thick, and I can't tie knots for toffee - so I found some raffia that I have had for donkeys and used that instead. I don't have any of the pin things Tim used to tie the philosophy tag on so used some glitzy fibre.  Good job I went to B&Q a couple of weeks ago and got some washers - didn't get flat ones in the right size or colour, but these ones fitted the brass fasteners.

Red White and Green

This week's Play Date Cafe Challenge is to use Red, White and Green - and as I am still striving to make all my cards before I go back to work on Monday, here's one for the list! 
I've used perfect pearls (pearl)  to create a snow shower over the tag.

T!m's Tag 2 of Christmas

I had quite a productive day target wise so this evening allowed myself a play.  I haven't had a go at Day 1 yet, but this is my - hugely improvised - Day 2 tag.  I couldn't find an oval shaped frame and for some reason don't have ANY distress embossing powders - not sure how or why that is! and as for that fab metal flower, didn't have anything remotely close, and had to make my own corners.  Still, it's better to try than not.....
Am off to bed now so I can be up ready for Day 3's launch (and to refresh for tomorrow's Christmas card target... Night night!

Winter Wonderland

I was doing a spot of blog-hopping before starting today's target of Christmas cards and saw the new Gingersnap Creations - Chestnut Challenge - Winter Wonderland - so combined this with one of today's efforts.  My liquid applique looked very yellow before I blasted it with the heat gun (far too impatient to let it dry on its own!) but a sprinkling of glitter hides all sorts!

Check out T!m's tag 2 of Christmas -if you haven't already - another wonder creation from the Maestro.

On with the day's "work" now, back soon....!!