Play Date Cafe Challenge 14

This week's Play Date challenge has 5 colours - dark green, white, lilac, orange and dusky pink; inspired by Sarah's sister's garden design.  GULP!  So most people probably thought straight of flowers, right?! But I wanted to do something different. 

When I was reading the Saturday paper, there was an article about the artist Mondrian who uses bright bold blocks of colour and whose work I love.  So I thought maybe I could do something  - very very vaguely - along those lines - in the challenge colours.  I have several Hero Arts shadow stamps of various sizes but decided on just two - an oblong and a small square.  I rummaged around in my drawers of ink pads and found the green, orange and lilac but was really struggling for a dusky pink.  I decided the gaps I'd leave would count for the white.   I took a piece of thickish white card and played around with the inks, adding a few black for some contrast (not sure whose stamp that is, there isn't a label).  I left it overnight, not sure how to finish it for the challenge.

Until a few hours ago the piece didn't have any pink in at all and I was going to throw in the towel, then I found a Rangers Antiquities inkpad called Chinese Red - which isn't red at all, but pinkish. It's a bit tenuous, but I hope it will do.  Then I had to decide what to do with it - it measured just slightly over 8 inches by 6 and a half,  I overstamped the "may all your dreams" by Penny Black randomly over the card and spent some time trying to find something to put on top - I couldn't just enter a piece of home-made background paper!!  Eventually I decided to trim it to fit an 8x8 inch card (yes, another one) which I covered with a piece of white/black spotty paper.  I found some retro bloom chips (Craftwork cards) which I painted with Claudine Helmuth purple palette paint and when they were dry, stuck on some lilac buttons that I had threaded with lilac glittery thread, added a bit of glitter and "done" as Gordon Ramsay would say.

I've turned it into a birthday card for my best friend Claire for later this week. I hope she - and the Play Date Cafe - like it!!

Sunday Stampers - Hearts - Two Hearts in fact!

As Hels used the Tim Holtz Rock Star heart in her fab shadow box for her challenge post, I thought I'd better find a different one - this is from Impression Obsession and looked like it had never been inked before.... I wonder how many more stamps I've got that have never been used...... best not think too hard!)

I started with fired brick and spiced marmalade inks on the craft sheet and spritzed with one of my perfect pearls/distress re-inker shimmers, and covered the tag - the larger square tag first, but because there was so much ink left I used some of the leftovers on the smaller tag.  I've dug out some sequin waste to overprint a pattern with the same colour inks. I've seen this used a lot recently and again, had some in my stash.   I stamped the heart in black versafine on some scrap card -this is about the 3rd attempt at colouring it to my satisfaction (used a variety of pens/gel pens before going back to coloured pencils)  At this stage I couldn't decide which of the tags to use - I only intended to use one, really.  Then I saw some red velvet gathering dust (literally!) in a box next to the computer and wondered what the stamp would look like on that.... stuck it to the smaller tag with glossy accents.

Still couldn't decide which to use so tried sticking them together for a bit of "tag on tag" action (hope I'm allowed to use a phrase like that!).  Stamped some text to each tag and edged both hearts with star dust glitter from stickles.
Now I've got to try and finish my Play Date entry - am stuck part way through this week (check out the link on the side bar for this week's colour challenge. I didn't want to do flowers.... check back later, in case I have had success...

Big Tag

Well, I said yesterday this was going to be a bit different for me, but looking at the component parts, it doesn't seem it turned out that way!!.  This is the finished article. Once again, I've had trouble scanning it (my trick learned from Hels seems to have stopped working!)  And, damn, you can see where bits of the sparkly stuff have come off on the scanner when I've moved it trying to get it to scan properly.... yikes, too late now! (too impatient to wait for the glossy accents to dry).

I started with the mask.   I stamped Judikins "lion mask" stamp on barn red metal, emobssed, refined and sanded, added some black dabber paint to age/distress. its stuck on a piece of card with humungo tape.  I have been meaning to try this stamp on metal for months...

I punched a couple of holes and tied various ribbons and fibres through them. I painted the eyes white with Claudine Helmuth paint and when it was dry (just, I was getting impatient!) I used a black gel pen for the pupils.

I cut a large tag from grungeboard, coloured it with fired brick distress and walnut stain round the edges, added a couple of text stamps (Paperartsy and Tim!)  That's where I got to last night, and it looked like this.  (This is the new bit for me!  I haven't cut my own tag shape before - although I cheated, I have a template...)  You can see bits of the fibres from the mask clinging to the ferro where I kept checking my positioning!! Oh, well - call it ART.

Then today, I sprayed some perfect pearls/distress reinker mixes over for a bit of shimmer, stuck some glitzy bits from a pot I hadn't even opened - but must have had well over 5 years - called Stamp Art Confections. The Wendy Vecchi leaf and flower are of course grungepaper - I've had the flower made up for ages and not been sure what to put it on, and  there's a small Maya Road flower at the top to hide the tag hole. (I know, I know, I could have not bothered punching it out as it's custom made... wasn't sure yesterday what I was going to do with the tag bit though.  That's my answer and I'm sticking to it!!)

Heck, this is a long long post. Hope you're all still awake. Thanks for looking!

Coming soon - Monday!!

No, silly, I mean something special is coming soon - I know Monday is coming!

Brenda has a special blog hop/challenge on 1st February - click on the picture in the side bar for full details, this is sponsored by Sir Stampalot and there is a very grand sounding, (still-mysterious prize!) up for grabs.

I'll be back with a proper post later (I hope)
(EDIT)  Didn't finish what I was working on, (got distracted by the football on tv) and I've got to go to bed now, so I will try and get it sorted tomorrow.... it's something a bit different for me... hope I've got you intrigued, please come back to find out!!

18th Birthday card

My late sister's middle son Peter is 18 on Monday - where does time go!! I always struggle with boy's and men's cards, despite having 4 nephews and a brother!  Anyhow, I hope he likes it - my sister would be proud of him - he is at catering college (the same one Jamie Oliver went to no less) - happy birthday, Peter.

I had a couple of near disasters with this card - first of all I traced round the 8 the wrong way round on the patterned paper - spent ages trying to decide if it looked totally wrong before covering the other (right) side. Then when I embossed the "celebrate" the card curled up badly - must be the paper I covered the base card with, I've not embossed on it before. Luckily it seems to have flattened out now!  It also looks a more girly colour on the scan than it does in the flesh - its quite a dark dusky colour; not pink really, honest!

Then I had to decide what else to fill the card with - the numbers were just too big to fit on a 6x6 inch card so this is 8x8 - first time I've done one this big!  I had the champagne bottle, cork and glasses (Hobby Art) which I embossed on scrap card and coloured with tombow pens, and trusty gold krylon pen for the label. . Eventually I decided on the swirly "happy day" stamp (Stampendous) which I use a lot. I drew round the numbers with star dust stickles, cos you can't have an 18th birthday card without a bit of sparkle, can you?!

Sunday Stamper - Squares

This week's Sunday Stamper challenge from Hels, is "squares".  A few days ago I came across this set of squares (Block It) that I'd stamped out years ago but not done anything with- must be fate!! I masked the edges and filled the squares with Paperartsy clock/time images from the Clocks and Ding and Dong ranges. I stamped the middle square again on its own to layer over the top.

All I did then was add a bit of glitter to some of the images, sponged some dusty concord and scattered straw inks on the base card and the squares, although I left the middle one white so it "popped" and stamped the words at the bottom (also paperartsy)

Alphabet Challenge - M is for Mouse

I love the House Mouse designs and have several so immediately knew I could fulfil this week's Alphabet Challenge! - it was just deciding which to use.  In the end I couldn't, so made two birthday cards.

I've stamped and embossed this one and coloured it with pencils.

This one is stamped on the base cardstock and then I have stamped and embossed the balloon and mouse separately and layered it with 3d foam dots, again it's coloured with pencils and I've added glitter to the balloon.

One of my nephews is 18 soon and I need to make a suitable card, but am stuck for boy ideas! If all else fails I may use the fishing mice!

Gingersnap - Colour Challenge - Metallics

There is a new colour challenge over on Gingersnaps - metallics, either to use metalic colours or metal in the art work.  Had I not already posted the previous apple chip, that would have done nicely!  However, I have submitted this piece

I cut a piece of TSS metal in barn red, and ran it through the cuttlebug with the numbers folder, and stuck it to a round coaster shape.  I had to use some grungepaper and my new Wendy Vecchi stamp set - love those leaves - and made a flower with two of the flower shapes,the largest of which I stamped with the splatter-style background on the same new set, added some bling to the small flower before covering it and the leaves with stickles (normal ones).  I painted the leaves with Claudine Helmuth paint and the flower is fired brick distress ink.

I got this far with it yesterday and was stumped how to finish it until today when I was rummaging around and found the metal butterfly which I've coloured with alcohol ink and then spritzed with some perfect pearl/distress reinker mix.  I wanted some sort of wording to attach, and used a Wendy stamp on a tiny tag and added a couple of Maya Road flowers - I was amazed I could bend the petals easily by hand!

On a completely different - kind of - subject - have you SEEN the fab new stamps Wendy is launching - not to mention Tim, along with loads of new idea-ology etc etc - I don't know HOW I am going to afford everything I've seen I want - and that's without seeing them in the flesh, lol.!  Maybe my lottery numbers will come up tomorrow.. fingers crossed!

An Apple A Day....

This was what I was making to blog today.  I started it yesterday evening as I wanted to let everything dry on its own!

I love these Maya apple chip pieces. I got totally carried away with the silver theme - using some silver metal and  Lin's "controlled squish" method, silver ferra and croco .  When I got home from work today (I didn't have time to check it this morning, I leave at 6.30 a.m!) I loved how the croco had air dried overnight - I think it's my best effort yet (must have used a decent layer of it!  Anyhow, it needed a highlight of colour and I was rooting around in various boxes of stash, like you do - when I found this magenta (well it was called magenta when I was a kid, lol) knitted wire that I bought a couple of years ago and hadn't even opened the packet.... which I tied in a bow round the "apple stem".  You can tweak and pull this stuff into all sorts of shapes...I added a couple of raised washers which I stuck on with glossy accents and filled the hole with silver glitter to hide the excess glue!!.  (Most of it has fallen out on the scanner bed so need to clear that up now)
It still needed something else, and I came across a spare "Marcie" that I'd stamped when I used her first (see here ) and roughly coloured her with aged mahogany/fired brick/dusty concord till I got a colour remotely resembling the wire.

Thank you, Lori

I can post this now as Lori has blogged that she received this in the post at the weekend.  In December I won a giveaway from her blog and when it arrived (see her blog for the details, bit of a story there!) I had to send her a thank you card as there was so much more in the parcel than I was expecting.

The base card is covered with patterned paper from Craftwork cards and them I stamped "flying stars" by Penny Black using versamark on a pre-cut scallop piece also from Craftwork Cards and coloured it with pearlescent chalks (Pebbles inc) in a colour to match the background paper.  I managed to tie a small ribbon (for once it worked ok) and stamped "thank you" which is is also Penny Black.
I am glad the card got to Lori quicker than the parcel got to me (she won't mind me saying this if you check out the story on her blog today!) Thanks again, Lori, and glad you liked the card.

Take One Stamp....

Here as promised, are a couple of the birthday cards I've also made this weekend.  After using the Stampington stamp for the Play Date challenge the other day, I was inspired to use another of their great images, and this time I've used it twice to make two different cards - a kind of challenge to myself!  Initially, I was just playing with colour combinations and used the two I liked most.

On the first one I have stamped it with fired brick and dried marigold distress, spritzed and stamped on watercolour paper again.  I used the same colours to stamp Wendy Vecchi images on the card and added some bling.

On the second, I have used fired brick and dusty concord and spritzed again before stamping.  I have used a script stamp (Just for Fun) on the card and some hand-made paper and prima flowers. On a separate scrap of watercolour paper I have stamped this great sentiment by Penny Black (I love them!!)

Challenges - Sunday Stampers/Gingersnap

I'm on a bit of a run with some birthday cards to put by and this one fits two challenges today - Hels'  Sunday Stampers challenge is 2 years old this week, so she has chosen the theme of birthdays (with a prize up for grabs) and Gingersnap Spicy Supply challenge open until 7th February is "embossing powder" (also with a prize from their sponsors).  Now I've not used embossing powder on cards for some time, having been concentrating on other types of crafting, but thought it a great idea to go back to basics and it was really great!

The stamp I used is a brand new one - the second Stampotique I recently purchased and this is the first time I've used her.  She stamped absolutely beautifully (I used versafine black ink) and embossed beautifully too.  I have covered a tall card with a piece of paper I've had for ages (but not so long it made it into a storage box, lol) and have been not wanting to cut (it's a 12x12 scrapbooking paper really) but took the plunge - I buy tons of beautiful paper that I can't bear to actually cut up for projects!  I used fired brick distress to lightly colour the stamped images. It matches the patterned paper quite nicely, which is what drew me to using the paper really.

I'll post the other cards I've made later, as they are "just for me" rather than a specific challenge.

Play Date Cafe Challenge 12 - Shades of Blue

This week's challenge at the Play Date Cafe is shades of blue - inspired by the recent freezing temperatures. I decided to make a birthday card, using "Elegant Stems" from the fab Stampington range - here stamped on watercolour paper, using faded jeans distress ink, and by spritzing the stamp before stamping, rather than the paper as I always seem to get better results that way.  I have torn the edges which I've also swiped with faded jeans, and mounted it on a DL size card which I covered with some paper from my stash.  I've just added some prima flowers which I've pinned together with a flower shaped brad and the "dream" is from impression obsession.

A big thanks to Hels for some scanning tips (not that I needed them for this card as it's nice and flat) - have re-scanned one of the previous images with much better results. Cheers.

Welcome back Archie

Well, in the end I had a complete change of direction this evening - back to the ferro/terra/metallic paints and metal! I was re-reading a post Hels did based on an earlier one of Lin's where you can find detailed instructions for most of the techniques I've done here.  I didn't want to get my melt pot out tonight so I went for Archie who I painted with a mixture of blue azure viva paint (which I also used over the terra) and Claudine Hellmuth dab of yellow acrylic paint.  I think it needs some sort of sentiment on it but I couldn't pick the right one.  I may add something later if I can make my mind up - any ideas??

At least it's more or less flat so it's scanned a lot better than the recent pieces. However, looking at it now its posted, the painting doesn't look too neat, may have to try and sort that tomorrow!

I Told You I Was Hooked

Well, what can I say?  More Maya Road chips and flower (blossom elements), WV stamps - with some of Tim's stash thrown in too. 
The chip is coloured with scattered straw and the checked background is frayed burlap.  Back to trusty old dusty concord and fired brick on the flower before covering it with rock candy crackle. The tim stamp is another one from the mystery grab bag from Stamp Attic (wish I'd got more than one before they all went now, lol)

I actually did this piece yesterday evening but didn't have time to get it posted.  Looking forward to spending some more time playing later and over the weekend. Wonder what I'll use next...?? Although I really must get round to decorating my Studio 490 binder....

The snow has all gone now (apart from a few stubborn patches) so at last I'll be able to get back to wearing normal footwear to work next week (til the next bout they're forecasting I suppose...) Wellies may be safe, but they don't really do it for me!

More Wendy Delights

After yesterday's post, I have got right back into my love for all things Wendy Vecchi  and today I have done this - I coloured a Maya Road chip piece with (I think - I only did it a couple of hours ago and already can't remember!) walnut stain distress, then overstamped one of the background stamps, and made a grungepaper flower with the "pumpkin/flower" stamp.  I've coloured it with broken china and faded jeans.  After I had coloured it, I re-read the instructions in Wendy's book which say to stamp the backgrond on the flower before colouring it - hey ho - next time!!  I had the small orange (spiced marmalade I expect) flower already cut ready and stamped the sentiment on a piece of scrap that I coloured with brushed corduroy. I have scuffed the edges with Tim's paper distresser and swiped some walnut stain along the edges. The butterfly is stamped on a scrap of copper metal I had hanging around - just the right size!!

Find Delight with Wendy

I was reading Linda's blog yesterday and it encouraged me to have another look at Wendy's book which I've neglected of late and I realised I had hardly used the flower Linda was playing with - so I had a go.  I actually got the flowers cut and coloured yesterday (spiced marmalade, dried marigold, touch of aged mahogany) before deciding what to do with it.  I have layered up the flower and curled the petals, and added rock candy stickles to the centre.  I've finished it with some ribbons and some rainbow drops by Craftynotions that I picked up at a show last year (from LB Crafts I think).  So thanks to Linda and Wendy for the inspiration.    I just wish my scanner would only scan the image, not half the scanner bed as well!

I got my Tagtastic candy that I won through from Jennie today so have got something else new to play with soon - watch this space!

Meet - Marci

I recently got a couple of the Stampotique stamps and this is Marci.  I've covered a tag with some "rum and raisin" paper from Paperartsy (using both sides of the same piece), added some ribbon and a grungepaper flower.  The stamp in the middle of the purple one is a Tim Holtz one I got in a mystery grab bag from the Stamp Attic just before Christmas and looks like peacock feathers to me.  I covered the flower in glossy accents - partly for the smooth finish but partly because my rock candy crackle paint is running low!  the plasma M is for Marci, who I've just stamped out and stuck on to the tag. The "dream" and "art" are from Claritystamps.

Ahh, sweet baby feet!

Hel's Sunday Stamper Challenge  is "Feet".  I've made a couple of really simple things for this.  The first one is a piece of patterned paper and I cut a frame from a piece of thin card whch I stuck on top of the patterned paper.  I stamped the baby feet (Judikins) up each side with worn lipstick distress ink.  The other stamps are from an unmounted sheet by Paperbag Studio, I haven't got many of their stamps, but I just adore them.

When I was looking through the stamp drawers for the baby feet stamp I wanted, I came across a stamp I bought years ago - it's got a copyright date of 1991 - one of my earliest purchases, which I don't think I can have used more than once and certainly not for years.  It's by Mostly Animals and is called "duplicating penguins".  The reason I used it is because just before Christmas at work, we found a couple of those "stress-buster" things that you're supposed to squeeze to relieve tension - and they were in the form of penguins.  At the time I said that I wanted to bring one home and ink the feet to stamp with - so here it is!! I haven't done anything else to the tag as it was only a bit of fun that I couldn't resist when I saw the name of Hels' challenge today. I've used black soot distress ink.

Play Date Cafe Challenge 11

This week's Play Date challenge  is Black, White,Gold and Silver and with the weather we've all been having I decided to have a bit of fun with this one.  I am watching it snow again now... or would be if it was still light enough to see.

I used as the base a piece of card that came as packing round something in the post, painted it white and stamped some Tim Holtz snowflakes.  I took some plasma letters and painted them with paint dabbers in the challenge colours, apart from the S which I had trouble with - originally the white just disappeared into the base piece ( before I'd thought about stamping the snowflakes) so I went over it in black, then didn't like two letters in black, painted it white again, only it didn't cover the black properly and then decided on picket fence crackle paint.  I added a couple of silver snowflakes and some cute snowmen pieces I've had for years without using... like I say, it's just meant to be a bit of fun.

Fab Candy Up for Grabs

Over on Floral Fantasies there is some great candy up for grabs - you just need to add a Mr Linky or a comment and become (or already be) a follower. Go check it out and spread the word.

I hope to get inky later cos Mr Postie made it through the snow and ice with some new stamps from The Stamp Attic   (and Wendy's doing free postage till Sunday for UK shoppers) so I may be back !

Time - Gingersnap Challenge

The new Gingersnap challenge is "Time" and there are some lovely examples from their DT, but I have created this tag.  The tag is coloured with fired brick, dusty concord and a touch of aged mahogany DI's and a spritz of some perfect pearls/reinker combi's.  The stamps are two Paperartsy stamps from the fab Clocks range, and I added a Maya Road clear clock face and some grungepaper flowers which I've inked in the same colours as the tag and blinged it up (blung? lol) with some rock candy distress stickles - I love that stuff! - and a clear gem.

I had "time" to start this this afternoon as I got allowed home from work early so I could navigate the icy streets before dark - thanks boss!

Play Date Cafe Challenge 10

This week's Play Date Cafe Challenge is to use dusky pink, turquoise and brown.  I have made a card using pink metal (cuttlebugged), stuck on some white cardstock trimmed to fit the size of the metal, and stamped some Tim Holtz butterflies and the numbers in turquoise (well broken china distress but don't tell) and espresso adirondack dye inks.  I've added some gel pen to the butterflies in a sparkly turquoise too.

First work of the year

It's my brother's birthday next week so I've made this card for him using this stamp from Tim's Rock Star set which I love.  I've stamped the heart/banner a second time and 3D'd it after adding some rock candy crackle paint and letting it dry.  I used a mix of dusty concord and fired brick inks on the stamp and background. The sentiment is from a paperartsy clock plate. (Lynne, if he's reading this over your shoulder - hide it!)

Richard and my sister were twins so it's hard for us all when the 6th comes round. Thinking about you too, Maggie!