Break out the Art Parts!

Well, just for those of you who mentioned the Art Parts in the Ally Pally Stash pictures, I decided to break open the pack!!

I spent some time after my hairdresser left this afternoon (re-done highlights and a haircut) reading Wendy Vecchi's 3rd book that I got at Ally Pally.  I didn't want to read it too closely straight off, as I wanted to glean some ideas without copying one of Wendy's designs completely.

So, after dinner and whilst Liverpool were only drawing again, I got to work:


I started by covering one of the square frames with tissue tape. It's a bit more fiddly to do neatly than it sounds (or maybe, I'm just ham-fisted!)
I sealed it with a thin layer of matte medium (and then proceeded to get it stuck against a piece of paper towel while the glue dried....

At the same time, I covered the base to the frame with a piece of paper from Tim's Lost and Found paper stack (this is the back of one of the alphabet pages - or is it the front, lol?) and stamped a Wendy sentiment on it in black archival.   you can see in the top corner a butterfly - I stamped this (Wendy V) onto a reject piece of a tag from my Monday Compendium challenge (wasn't happy with the colour but here I like it!)

The finished piece. As I can never cut the antennae out from these butterflies very well, I decided to make them with some thin wire. (wire work isn't my strong point, so they're not twisted very well!)

The flower is also from one of my new Wendy sets, stamped in black stazon on grungepaper and then just sprayed with a DI reinker (spiced marmalade) and some perfect pearl powder. Finally I added a type charm from my idea-ology stash.   I couldn't get any close ups because the flash is bouncing too much off the tissue tape!

You get 3 of these square frames (these are about 3 1/2 inches square) and 3 rectangular ones in a pack - I paid just under £7 which at the time I thought quite a lot, but maybe not when you think about it, it's only just over £1 each - and they are quite sturdy and great fun to use!

What On YOUR workdesk? What's on mine? Tags...

Been busy making some tags again (Tuesday, as I have to prep this the evening before) so they are on my craft mat.

I am so NOT going to say "how is it Wednesday again" honestly!

The tag on the left is my entry to Tag Tuesday and the one on the right is just for fun, stamped with Paperartsy stamps.
Since we last met (over at Julia's for the gorgeousness that is WOYWW (what's on your workdesk Wednesday, in case you didn't know) I have spent a small (i.e. large) amount of money at Ally Pally and bought a huge amount of stash - I can't resist showing it here again in case you missed it!

I've managed to play with some of it already, and almost found a home for most of it around the living room!

You missed a great day, or, if you were there, wasn't it packed?! I met Cardarian who must have won the prize for travelling furthest to be there! It was lovely to see you, hope you enjoyed Ally Pally!  There were some great demo's - most of them by fellow WOYWWers!!

Hop on over to Julia's to catch up on all the other great workspaces on show.

Tag Tuesday - Calendars/Dates

This week's Tag Tuesday challenge is to use calendars or dates on your tag.  I took a small tag and coloured it with tea dye and old paper distress inks, added a piece of Tim's Lost and Found paper stack (which I distressed with the tonic paper distresser) some Tim's stamps and tissue tape.

CCC meets SSSS - wrinkles are distressing

Once again, my fave Monday challenges have allowed me to combine a piece of work - and, don't all faint but it's NOT a tag....

Linda's Compendium challenge is set on page 33, and this is one of my favourites and one I use a lot. Simon Says Show us your Distressing/Sanding, so I've done both.

I started with the compendium challenge which I can't tell you how I did it, but I used chipped sapphire and fired brick inks and in the top 'layer' of colour I added some perfect pearl/di reinker mix for a bit of shimmer.
I used part of a large tag (oh, I said it wasn't a tag, didn't I!!) as the base for this. Stamped some Wendy stamps and a Tim text on the card.

I hope this doesn't give away too much from the technique, but you can see it better here before it's behind the glass in the frame!!








For the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge - and I have had this in my head all day at work, trying not to forget my idea!! - I took a frame, gesso'd it, covered it in a thinnish layer of terra in a neutral colour, which I heated quite close to get some bubbles; then added some ferro (I used steel) to partly cover the terra, and some Inka Gold paint (goop as Lin B and Leandra call it) in steel blue, which I applied watered down with a paint brush, again leaving a patchy (distressed!) finish.

Think it may be time to get a new craft sheet soon!

I used an ornate plate from my idea-ology stash that I sanded down to expose the base metal and placed this over an adage ticket which I coloured with fired brick distress ink, tying in with the CCC piece.  Finally I used a word stick and some foliage to which I added some alcohol ink straight from the bottle (thanks for the tip, Linda, on Saturday!)

I'm not 100% happy with the "picture" in the frame so may change that another time, not sure that it really matches the frame.  Sorry, the photos seem a bit wonky!

Once again, both challenges have some fab prizes on offer, so make sure you check them out. They should be linked above, and also in my side bar.

Sunday Stampers - Black

Hels left us a challenge of just "black" for the Sunday Stampers challenge today. Wide open theme. Where to start?  With some of my new stash??? Hmmm.

I have had one of those post-show days (got too much new stash to play with, don't know where to start days) and in the end I decided to go totally monochrome and just use black, so took a small tag, black soot distress ink which I then sprayed with the black star copper crafty notions spray.

When that dried, I added some tissue tape and a Paperartsy flourish (though it doesn't really show up) and two of the Paperbag Studio stamps from a couple of weeks ago. The only colour is a yellow gel pen to represent the light shining out from the window. (hoping it will shine on my lost mojo).
If I can, I will do a "proper" entry later this week, Hels!

Whilst I was thinking about the Sunday Stamper challenge, I had a go at a Lin-style tag (see yesterday's post from Ally Pally for the real deal!)  with the TSS dress form mould I bought yesterday - I didn't like it at all when I first did it, but it's kind of growing on me now. In fact it looks better on here than it does next to me!

I had the devil of a job with my spray bottles, they wouldn't pump at all for ages, and then the ink just dripped out of the nozzle (I bought them a few months ago, and they were ok when I first got them, so I don't know!!)  I've used raspberrilicious and kingerfisherliscous.

I also forgot to refine the metal round the dress form before I made the "tape sandwich" and wasn't going to blog it at all. The ruler (tape measure?) came out ok though!

I was going to use a green spray I have, but couldn't get it to work at all (and still have the remnants in a paper cut on one finger that still won't wash out....)

Oops, I did it again!!

Oh dear. I have had a lovely day at Ally Pally at the Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show, but - as if you didn't know - I spent quite a lot (ahem, always been good at understatement!) and bought LOTS of fab fab goodies.

So many that I couldn't get them all in one shot to show you. I was up and out early to get there for the doors opening at 10 - in fact got there so early (boy was it COLD this morning!) I had to stand in queue an hour - mind, it meant I was 4 from the front of the queue.

I made straight for LB Crafts cos I wanted to get one of the "Lin Pins" (available to the first 15 if you spent £25 on Paperartsy or Ten Second Studio products) and if possible, some of the Tim Holtz bead chain (£25 on Tim products). So that was already going to be £50......  Ok so steady yourselves.  It DOES look quite a lot, I admit!

Some canvasses, metal, papers and card blanks, Studio extra time.

On to shot 2.
LOTS of stamps, Art Parts (yay) Wendy's new book, a gorgeous shadow box to alter/fill and  all sorts of bits and bobs. Hope you can see them ok. Maybe I should have split it into 3 piles....
That TSS mould is amazing.  The dress form is to die for (and there are some fab patterns - including the ruler, see below) on the other side. (double sided, see - so it's good value for money.....)

There was so much more I wanted, but I did show SOME restraint, honest!

Here is that tag that Lin made me using it (and a 2nd one on a piece of grey board stuff (like the backing to paper packs)

The background is done with the Craftynotions sprays including that new one I bought. (black star copper - yum yum).

Are they fab or WHAT!  I can't wait to play with this.

At the bottom you can see the Lin Pin and Paperartsy badge I got.

I also met Cardarian one of our WOYWWer's  who had come from Slovenia.... it was lovely to meet you. Hope you have a safe journey home!
And it was lovely to meet Alison and Kay  again too.

I also took a couple of pictures around Ally Pally itself. This is the view from outside across London - it is on the top of a very high/steep hill (hence it's use in the early days of television for the BBC transmission)

And this is inside, of the Palm Court at the entrance to the show. Stunning building!
It was such a bright sunny day, (after the cold of first thing) - lovely.

Ok, I've refuelled, so I may try and have a play with some of this new loveliness!
Have a good evening, peeps and thanks for indulging me with my shopping!

Life's a b ....no! - a Garden,

Been playing with my jumbo tag that was on my workdesk yesterday.  Coloured it with dusty concord and tumbled glass, spritzed with some reinker/pearl mixes first, (one with dusty concord, one with broken china) then took out my Paperartsy stamps from Hotpick 9.

I love these flowers. I stamped it several times onto the tag using black archival, then a couple onto a scrap piece of card which I cut single flowers from and coloured using victorian velvet, before sticking onto the tag images, purely for a bit of interest - I didn't want to hide too much of the shimmery background!

Used the distressed looking background stamp - the broken lines - in dusty concord, and a couple of sentiments - Life's a Garden comes from the Hotpick set, the other you probably recognise as a Wendy Vecchi.

Now I'll let you into a secret. The first flowers I stamped and stuck on, I coloured in yellow. Thought it would be a good contrast - NO NO NO. Tried to cover the yellow with purple. You guessed it, MUD.  So went for mark 2!!

Not sure if it needs a ribbon or something?  What do you think?

I had trouble scanning this one!

Challenges - Two for One`

So. whilst I was eating my dinner before getting back round the Workdesks, it came to me! (also helped by catching an interview with Julia Roberts -that's the real one, not Linda E!) - Banners, film stars, movies - red carpet. So:

Using the tag from my workdesk (victorian velvet, pumice stone, coloured using the smoosh with water on the craft mat technique) I added two bits of the banner (cut from a sheet of paper by Craftwork cards) that I had trimmed down already.

Stamped coloured and cut out the two Stampotique peeps and made a red carpet with a piece of red velvet that was just lying around (as it does!) Can't remember where I came by this, but it's quite a large piece and I'd forgotten all about it.  What a couple of movie stars they are!

Used my dymo labeller to write "the red carpet" - what a palarver that was too, when I got to the 'red' bit, I didn't press hard enough so the letters didn't come out - I had to take the roll out, re-thread it and hope I'd got back to the right place to re-write it!!   typically for today, I then also stuck it very slightly too low on the tag.....  it can only get better from here!

Stamped a couple of tickets (Tim Holtz) to finish.
So, Sunday Stampers - at the movies - and Tag Tuesday - banners.

WOYWW - 22.9.10

So, here we all are again! Time to meet at Julia's to catch up on the workspaces of the world!

My patch on the floor is pretty bare tonight (I am writing this on Tuesday night as normal) because I can't decide what to do for 2 challenges, so neither have got off far the ground! (well, obviously neither have, cos of me working on the floor, but you know what I mean.  I think I was trying too hard to make one thing do for both and my brain went into meltdown!

The top one is meant to be for Tag Tuesday "banners" but I know not what I'm doing. And the big one - well, I haven't done Sunday Stampers "at the movies" yet.... I give up for today.

So instead I have some pics of the 'creative' mess around me as I kneel on the floor, which I know many of you still can't believe I do.... Shame I can't prove it, but there's no-one to take the pic of me doing so!

One day I will replace the old video recorder (in the background) with a dvd, but I wouldn't be without my cable tv for sky sports!
Anyhow, this is my now full craft spinner with my DI blender tools, (need another one sometime) The little wire pot holds my mini misters with my DI reinker/perfect pearl mixes. There are some empty ones in there too that I haven't got round to making up yet

Boxes of stash all around me!! No spare surfaces in MY living room! Behind my WOYWWAC and my box of terra/croco is a cardboard box lid (it sits on top of my paint dabbers) that holds my "bits and pieces" of cut off paper, grungepaper etc that "will be useful one day". The box for my eco green paints is now too small for them, hence the heap on top!
And that orange ribbon is tumbling out of it's little plastic packet. Must put that in the box with all the other ribbons...

And to the left is a little pile of stamps (that is growing) that haven't made it to any box/drawer/overflow system yet. Some of them are still unused, some of them are new favourites...
The plastic boxes (more of the business card boxes like the ones I rescued a few weeks ago) hold buttons, washers, some bits of grungepaper flowers etc etc!  The copper wire is the roll I 'borrowed' from my dad's shed last time I went to see my mum - she says, the more I can take from the shed, the better!  He must have wound it round this stick himself. Kind of nice, having something of Dad's close by!

It looks SO messy in the photos - it kind of brings it home to me just how MUCH stuff there is here....ah well, when I win the lottery I can buy a big crafting house..... yeh, right! (but I can hope!)
Anyhow,  blogger is playing up so I think I'll call it a day for this week.
Off to Ally Pally on Saturday (hurrah!) hope to meet up with some of you there. Have a great Wednesday.

Monday night is challenge night

Monday evenings - one of my favourite times of the week. It's the Simon Says challenge AND the Compendium challenge. 

This week, both of them involve grunge. Check out the links for all the details. I have managed to combine both in one tonight, which given what else I need to get done this week, is a plus! 

Linda has us on page 53 this week, under the terms of the challenge I can't tell you how I did this technique but I can say I cut the shape out of grungepaper with my alterations die and the movers and shakers to make hangy holes!

Simon says this week, "show your grunge" and most of what I have used tonight is grungepaper, the base shape, the lion (from Tim's mini classics set- never stamped him before - he's CUTE!) - and the sentiment (wendy V) is stamped on grungepaper and attached with the tiny attacher (mainly cos the glue won't stick, lol)    It's probably time I showed you what I made, instead of burbling on, sorry!

I finished it with a memo pin holding an adage ticket, grunged up with the paper distresser (and my fingers!) and glued it into the lion's hands - sorry, paws! Used a couple of swivel clasps for the hangy mechanism.

I had more trouble photographing it with the flash bouncing off the ink, than I did making it!!  This is the best I could get - look at the one I tried without flash.... just for a laugh!

Linda was right, I LOVE this week's compendium technique - so much I think I'm going to go and make something else!! 

Both challenges are offering some great prizes from their sponsors, so thanks to them for their generosity.

Thanks Lin!

Saw a fab canvas by Lin  on her blog yesterday using the tattered leaves alterations. She has used all metal but apart from not wanting to copy her beautiful work too closely, I didn't have enough, especially in the colours I wanted/needed .

Anyhow, I cut some leaves using a mixture of metal, plain and textured cardstock and some of Tim's Lost and Found stack.
The circle is a piece of chip which I coloured with tea dye and a little walnut stain distress inks, then stamped the Wendy script from one of my new sets, in black.

Put some of the leaves through a texture fade and whilst Liverpool where first losing, then drawing and then finally losing (damn them and more so damn Man U!) I put them together round the circle.

Used a philosophy tag (that's an empty packet, but I have a new one ready....) and my paper pen that I got at the Craft Barn, to make some pearls round the edges of the leaves.

Forgot to tie some ribbon through the hole in the chip before I stuck the leaves on, so have to work out another way to hang it, if that's what I decide to do....!!!

Had fun with this, and yes, Lori as you pointed out, you'll see lots of leaves this weekend.
Got some challenges I want to catch up on, but no ideas for them, so it's football again on the TV!

Play Date 47 with PBS

Well, after I got my new Paperbag Studio set yesterday and seeing as PBS are sponsoring this week's Play Date challenge, I decided it would be rude to use anything else!  The colour inspiration this week was chosen by the soooo talented Sarah Anderson this picture:

and as you can see, is to use (true) red, turquoise, leaf green and black and white.  Had a bit of trouble finding what I would call leaf green, but hope I'm forgiven!

In my stash, (one of my boxes of stash!) I have a pack of "gang tags" - 4 tags joined together - which I've had years and which I've never even opened till today.

I coloured the tags with distress inks (weathered wood, tumbled glass, and - yikes, can't remember what I used for the green. I think it's crushed olive, for the grass.

I stamped the houses from the PBS 'Doodles and Daters' rubber sheet that I got yesterday on some white card; cut them out and coloured them with distress inks - barn door, shabby shutters and broken china - for the challenge colours. I stamped the PBS balloons from my other set of PBS stamps, in black straight to the tag and added some picket fence distress stickles.  Stuck the houses on, and used one of the Doodles to make a sun. 

Still thought it looked a bit bare, so stamped Marcie (stampotique) on some scrap and added her - she obviously lives in the red house, cos she's left the door open lol!, some clumps of grass (art impressions) and a flock of birds (stampscapes). The sentiment is from the other PBS set too.




It's been too long since I found time to enter the Play Date challenge, it's good to be back!

Falling Leaves

Imagine my delight when I got home from work tonight to find not one - but TWO jiffy bags on the mat, from the Stamp Attic!!  Racing upstairs, I ripped them open - oh sorry, sounding like a novel...

Here's what was inside :
A fabby Paperbag Studios sheet of rubber called  "doodles and daters" - check out the Stamp Attic blog for some stunning samples using these.


AND Tim's Tattered Leaves alterations die. Oh yum, I have died and gone to heaven.

Now, you will say, "more shopping" - but no, these don't count cos they were on pre-order so... no?  Not a valid excuse?  OK, shopping then!!

So, after dinner (tuna pasta bake, also yum, if I say so myself!) I set to play.

I did something I have been building myself up to for some time - found an old paperback book on one of the shelves that I could use the pages from - and tore out some pages.  I can justify it by knowing it was one of my ex husband's (yes, books got left behind as well as the wine in the dining room, lol).

I stuck a page to some grungepaper and when it was dry, put it through the die and coloured it with distress inks. I used crushed olive and wild honey on the tag, round a paper leaf (I cut some extras from ordinary paper) to create a mask effect. Curled the grungepaper leaves and stuck them to the tag with some foliage idea-ology, for some contrasting texture. The leaf stamped round the edges of the tag, in rusty hinge is by Wendy V.

In between doing bits to the tag, I also cut out and mounted the Paperbag Studio stamp set (yucky job, hate it, and haven't done this lot particularly well) I hope to get to play with THEM tomorrow!!
Night night!

All Blue for You.

Had another chance to use some of the new Wendy stamps today. I used the bubble background again, this time in blue - tumbled glass and chipped sapphire. If I had some fish stamps it would be perfect for an underwater picture.....  OK, focus!

Inked the tag with the two blues, stamped the bubbles in chipped sapphire, then the flower twice onto the tag in the same colour and once on a scrap of white card, cut out and stuck on.  Stamped the Isasc Newton quote on a scrap and foam mounted. Used some blue 'goop' (inka gold paint, in steel blue) round the edges of the tag and a small clear drop for the middle of the middle flower.

Shame about the flash glare!



Welcome Old, Young, Wednesday Wanderers (aka WOYWW!)

Anyone else ever have trouble thinking up post titles?!!   Time to pop over to Lady Julia's for the best blog hop in town! Check it out here .

This week sees some new Wendy Vecchi stamps on my floor. I had them on pre-order from The Stamp Attic and they arrived on Monday.  So far I've inked up a couple but not used them properly.** (if you were around here on Saturday you'll have seen my other new stash for this week!)

I wanted so many of the new release, eventually "allowed myself" to order two sets - but am sure it won't be long before I buy some others (after all, it's Ally Pally in a fortnight....)


**broke off typing this post to play!!  Here's a tag I've made using some of these new stamps.

Tag is coloured with my new fave DI - Tea Dye (see earlier posts this week) and I've used the bubble wrap background (also in tea dye) then made some grungepaper flowers using the two new smaller flowers which match the big one from the  'be inspired - make art' set. I decided as I was going to hide the middle of the flower, to use my 'tiny attacher' (i.e. the Tim stapler) to fix the 3 flower layers together - it may be tiny, but it packs a punch through 3 layers of grungepaper, no problem! I used one of the type charms for the flower centre.

The butterfly is coloured with barn door DI. (the flowers are wild honey and crushed olive)

Not sure when I'll get to visit you all tomorrow, got an early meeting at work and may not have time at lunchtime to start my rounds!! Anyhow, I will get there, sometime.  Sorry I couldn't leave comments on all your blogs last week, I tried - but blogger wasn't having it!  Have a great Wednesday.
(This was meant to schedule for 6.30 but failed....)

Compendium 14 - mask basics

Happy Monday! Linda has sent us to page 58 this week to use masks. Check out the other entries on Studio L3   Thanks once again to this week's challenge sponsors for the great candy on offer.

I have several of Tim's masks and so have used some of them this week with a tongue in cheek kind of tag.

The alphabet mask I've never used (where have you heard that before!) and decided to christen them for the challenge!

Here's what I did - I used my new Tea Dye ink - the last one of the set that until Saturday I hadn't got - don't ask me why, but I thought I had enough browny kind of DI's - but what a GORGEOUS colour....

As you can see I spelt out the name of the challenge and used a couple of other Timmy masks, and some stamping (chipped sapphire and walnut stain)

Added a couple of sprockets with a game spinner and some washers from the hardware store stash, (only bought them to craft with, I don't do DIY!) and some tissue tape to tone down some of the stamping.  I think I've gone a bit OTT!

I think this angle shows the masking a bit better.
I love those letters - you get a really crisp effect with them. They won't go unused now, that's for sure (especially since I spent ages outlining round them on the sheet so I can see what letter is where... if you have this mask set, you know what I mean!)

I used some white glossy accents in the middle of the clock stamps. Not sure how well it shows up.

Sunday Stampers - Blue (or red)

Hels has set a challenge today for Sunday Stampers to use red or blue - in fact, she hasn't, at all, her friend Dan has. Hels, I hope your back is better!   We were even allowed to omit stamping this time, as Hels had shown us something without stamping.  I thought, no chance!

But looking at this when I took the photo, I did nearly manage it.

Anyhow, as Liverpool are doing their current normal frustrating thing by not winning or even playing particularly well, I have had a bit of a play.

Some time ago (again!) I bought some jigsaw pieces which have been sitting in a box, unused.....) On a blog surf somewhere I saw some used to great effect and so today pulled one out of the pack.

I started by painting it black with a paint dabber, splodging some Terra in a couple of corners and then stamped a small script stamp into it, (this is all the stamping there is!) Once dry, coloured it blue (a Nick Bantock ink this - though it's come out a bit greeny) spritzed some blue DI/perfect pearl mix over it, and some blue goop (inka gold paint in steel blue)

it sat there a while, during the Grand Prix whilst I pretended to decide what to do next.   In the end I decided to cut out the bird and cage alterations die on a piece of Lost and Found paper - it has a lovely flower pattern on one side, plain bluey-green the other. Punched a few flowers out of the leftover piece of paper and stuck them to the birdcage.

Used some tissue tape, an adage ticket and memo pin for final accents, and some walnut stain distress stickles on the birdcage - probably should have let it dry properly before trying to photograph it and blog it!

Craft Barn stash

Ok, so I didn't come away empty handed. Which of you believed me when I said I wouldn't spend much? Oh, that'll be none of you then.

Well, I came away with this little pile - my final DI - tea dye - have the full set now. Some more eco green paints, some paper soft paints from viva (that's the sample bottom right Jane who was demo'ing it gave me - gorgeous or what?) some wooden bits to alter, some paper (Graphic 45  - Steampunk Debutante - seriously fab.) And another blender tool - my spinner is now full!

Hope to get to play with this tomorrow.

I met up with some non-blogging friends on the train, and once there soon bumped into Kay (Making Things from Stuff) and Alison (Craftytrog).  Girls, it was lovely to see you again.

Next stop, Ally Pally!

....and breathe!

Wow!! Did you see the announcement from Lin and Leandra?  The one and onlyTim Holtz is teaching a masterclass for an Artsycraft day in February!!!

Booking opens Monday night - I shouldn't be telling you cos you may take my place, lol!!!

I made this tag - the flowers are smiling, the music is playing and.... take a deep breath!!

inks are fired brick and rusty hinge. The flower is one of the free cover stamps from the Craft Stamper and the words from a self-inking box set (no idea who makes them, got them from LB Crafts ages ago)

I also had a chance to play with one of the Lost Coast Design dress form stamps and made this tag - not sure about this, was really only messing about, but think it may need something else.

Used bundled sage and crushed olive, splashed some water on it.  The dress is blended with tumbled glass and victorian velvet.

The Wendy flower on the tag has been rock candied!

The 'style is eternal' is by Hero Arts.

Off to the Craft Barn extravanganza tomorrow - although really shouldn't - I should be saving in case I get on the Tim/Artsycraft day in February.......

Simon Says - Blog Hop and Show

The SSSS challenge this week is slightly different - check out all the deets here

You need to make a piece of Holiday themed art (Thanksgiving, Halloween or Christmas) and take part in a blog hop.

On my travels round the DT's art in the hop, I came across some great Christmas art amongst other things, and was inspired to make a Christmas card - one off the list, yay!!

All stamps are by Tim Holtz ( a Christmas present from last year, which I haven't been able to use till now!) and paper are by Paperartsy. I coloured the Santa with fired brick distress ink, lightly blending from the edges. The Pine Needles stamp are inked in - get this - pine needles DI.

Now I have just got to find the right place to link my card to and enter the challenge/hop.  Check it out, there is a fab main prize as well as other ones along the way. Start at Simon Says Stamp and Show and have fun.
You have a week, until 15th.

WOYWW 8.9.10

Hello, fellow WOYWWers.  Hope you've all had a good week?  It's time for another meeting of minds at Julia's for show and tell day!  

Since we last met, my blog has had a birthday! (see Friday's post ) It's now a year I've been prattling on to you all and showing you my 'art'.   I won't gush on again here, but thanks!  (And I've bought some more books too..... well, they had a BOGOF deal ......)  I went to Kew Gardens again on Saturday (see side bar for the link to my photo blog if you like planty pics!)

Anyhow, that apart, I seem to have been shopping again -  I bought these Lost Coast Designs dress form stamps - though you can't really see them very well from this shot.  I'll use them soon..... I think it was Carmen's blog I saw them on (not that I'm blaming you, Carmen, of course)

And then I decided I needed another Alterations die so got this one - I can't praise Cuttingedgecrafts enough, free p and p, (in the UK anyhow) lower than normal prices and next day delivery.....

There is the normal muddle of 'stuff' around my workspace here on the floor (and the fringe on the rug is again all over the place, lol)

The Tag Tuesday challenge that I take part in, is on a holiday this week but I made a tag anyhow - I don't think it's finished properly but it's sat in my easel posing anyway!

In fact, since I photographed it, I've put some tissue tape on the tag, but I think it looked better without it so may have to try and peel it off .......

I have been having blogger problems in the last few days, been getting error messages when I try and leave comments, so hopefully I will be round to see you all some time - but if I don't leave a comment, that's why, not because I wasn't there!
Have a lovely Wednesday, see you soon.