Grungy Monday 09

For today's second challenge - it's Grungy Monday with Linda where we are using Tim's technique from the first year of 12 Tags 2007 - shabby chic.  Linda and her guest designers this week have surpassed themselves - check them out.

I took a fancy shaped coaster style piece and covered it in sailboat blue, then used the Tim small butterfly for the technique, and the top colours are cool peri, pearl and aqua.  Used stickles in waterfall which is a watery (doh!) kind of blue-green colour.

My dabbers are soooo dried out - thick, solid, I had to add loads of water again to try and get them dabberable!

Anyhow, this is a great technique and despite my problems with the paint, I had fun, which is the main thing!

Simon Says - show your favourite stamp

Yikes - this is a challenge and a half - ONE favourite stamp?? Who is Linda trying to kid... lol! Anyhow, Simon Says Show your Favourite Stamp is indeed this week's theme so I had to try and decide which it was.... it changes regularly.  I know lots of you will be surprised I didn't choose a Wendy or a Tim stamp!! (So am I...)

 However, I love flourishes and this Paperartsy one is gorgeous (from the Hotpicks 5 set)

I painted a canvas (5x7inches) with Paperartsy Fresco Finish paint (LOVE that paint!) in Honey Dew and a light brushing with Guacamole .

Stamped the flourish 4 times in the corners with black archival ink.

I die cut (paperartsy again!) some flowers out of Clearly for Art in white and clear and painted them with the same colours of paint as the canvas.  Stamped the flourish on the CFA and heated it to bend the petals.

Added some strips of tissue tape and 'dream' - stamp by Impression Obsession  - on the canvas.  Fixed the flowers to the canvas with silicone glue (which is what I used to stick the layers - and the pearls - with).

OK - now for Grungy Monday!!

Sunday Stampers - Red Red Wine - meets EVW 14

Morning. I am amazed to find that this is my 500th blog post!!!! So firstly let me say to you all - thank you for coming back (blogger permitting, lol!) and encouraging me to keep going.

So, down to business - I managed to make a piece for Hels' Sunday Stamper on the theme "red" that also fitted the latest EWV yahoo group challenge where Lori briefed us to use an atc sideways and a chipboard circle. (book one, page 26 if you have Wendy's's book)

I coloured the atc with fired brick, red barn and aged mahagony & walnut stain round the edges. I used one of my other (favourite) script stamps - this cursive alphabet by a Stamp in the Hand - on the atc. I painted the circle centre from one of my maya road scallop frames with white paint and then had huge trouble getting the red distress ink to adhere to it!! Painted the boarder silver and finished the atc with the grungepaper flowers / butterfly.
I had a sort out of my stamp drawers yesterday afternoon and whilst I will keep some of the pictures for WOYWW next week, here is a sneak peak of the start....

I admit, after I got the stamps out of the boxes that I wanted to reorganise, it looked a much harder task than I had envisaged.... still 3 hours later I had finished! I found all kinds of things I had forgotten - even though I have them all catalogued!  Come back Wednesday to see more...
**Edit** having published the post and linked it at Hels' I have spotted my deliberate error in the title - should of course be EWV not EVW... hey ho!

Tag it On - Fishes

Welcome to another Dragons Dream Tag it On Challenge - thanks for playing last week - but we'd love to see more of you taking part. Click the link and take part with us!!  This week's theme was chosen by Janet, and is "fishes"

As it happens, before the theme was set, I had received the Crafters Workshop fish template and made a start to this one!

I used a thin layer of broken china distress stain on the tag, then used the fish template and more distress inks to add some fish, and the weeds at the bottom.

I rummaged through my drawers of stamps to find the fish stamps (that was a struggle!!) and added the little groups of fish and what I think is meant to be an Angel fish. Some shimmer was added with the viva gold paste 'steel blue' and some toning ribbon.

I had a little bit of an 'oops' moment, bet you can guess where.... and how I disguised it...

WOYWW 103 - one week to go

Well, hopefully we will  be here today becuase blogger is playing up again!! And I am having other problems with my computer too, I installed an upgrade to my AVG antivirus programme at the weekend (I only have the free version) and since then it has been soooooooo slow doing anything!!

However, you are here to see my desk - the patch on the floor I kneel at that you all know so well now, after very nearly 2 years of this fun way to spend a Wednesday hosted by the lovely Julia.

My latest reading matter!! Although I should probably cut back on some of my American publications - they do rather take over the place!!

My PIF is all ready for next week, it's come round very quickly - so for now, be off with you, over to the stamping ground and check some interesting desks!!

Monday - two great challenges!

Mondays mean challenges to me - first up is Linda's great Grungy Monday challenge for all things Tim. Week 8 today sees us using a Tim technique from September 2008 - check out the Maestro who is having a well deserved break on a Disney cruise to Alaska!

Anyhow, the technique calls for adirondack inks and water - though other inks work just as well.

I made a card and used a Rubber Stampede stamp called solidago sprig, with eggplant and meadow inks.

I backed it on a piece of Tim's paperstack and a piece of plain cardstock.  Don't forget to check out Linda's blog for loads more fantastic entries.

Monday also means Simon Says Stamp and Show - and this week the challenge is to "show some Wendy Vecchi style" - well, that's going to be a hard one for me (not!) isn't it.... just off to create now...

Ok, back! took a chip tag, painted it with gesso, then coloured with adirondack sunset orange pigment ink.
Added some Wendy stamps and some clearly for art Wendy flowers.

A Sunday double challenge

Managed to complete a piece for the Play Date Cafe Challenge 82 this week combining it with Hels' Sunday Stampers challenge - diamonds and pearls.  the PDCC was inspired by this photo - and to use cream, light brown and light blue.

I took a circular piece of chip, painted it with Traditional Tan pain (Claudine Hellmuth) and stamped Wendy's bubble background using brushed corduroy ink.

I inked a piece of white cardstock with tumbled glass ink, stamped the Wendy face and the crown a second time, coloured that brushed corduroy. 3d'd the second crown and added diamonds to the edge and added the sentiment.

Finished with a couple of butterflies stamped in brushed corduroy on some scraps of a leftove piece from one of Tim's paperstacks.



EWV challenge 13

This week's Yahoo group challenge (Everything Wendy Vecchi) is "brushless watercolouring" and takes it's bow from book one page 22.
Wendy's card used one of her amazing flowers that I don't have (honestly, I really don't have them all!) and I tried with a different flower but couldn't quite decide how to finish it - so went for the hearts instead!  I'll probably use the flower some other time... waste not, want not!

Took the photo above last night, with flash but it's bleached it out a bit, so this morning at 6 am I took these without flash, as it is nice and sunny this morning..... Uploaded them quickly and came to work where I am now....

Used fired brick for the large, and victorian velvet for the smaller hearts, on which I used the technique - spritz the inked stamp with water before stamping - and a Wendy sentiment in archival.

Added some pinky prima flowers and a clear rainbow drop to the centre, edged the watercolour paper with victorian velvet (undiluted, lol!)  and bam, done!

The small heart on the left side is a second generation stamp so it's come out very pale, but I kind of like that.   A cool technique, this one and one I have used before but not for a while. Thanks, Lori for setting this one.    Pop over to the group to see what everyone else is up to - it's easy to join and even easier then to join in the challenges!

Dragons Dream - All the Write Postage

This week's theme at Tag it On is "all the write postage" and is hosted by Zoe. 

For some reason I couldn't get my mind into gear on this one; however this is what I've come up with. (In truth, this is the second tag as I really didn't like the first one AT ALL!)

I did know that somewhere in my piles of stuff I had some postage stamps that I saved years and years ago (still stuck to the envelopes so some speedy soaking off was called for....)

I lightly inked the tag with tumbled glass distess ink, then sprayed it with forever blue perfect pearls mist, and another misting of a concoction  of my own (broken china reinker and pearl perfect pearl powder - as the forever blue was too pale over the base ink)

From there I added some stamps - all Tim Holtz apart from the larger post mark to the right, which is Paperartsy.  Pulled the postage stamps of the rejected tag and placed them on this one and added some blue fibres. 


NB This may still be pulled and a third tag submitted, depends on time and 'proper' inspiration striking in time!!!

Please come and join us this week on Dragons Dream Tag it On, we'd love to see more of you joining in. Threats may have to be issued, lol!

WOYWW 102

It can't be Wednesday again already, surely? Check out Julia's new look blog here  for this week's instalment of "what's on your workdesk Wednesday" - week 102 and nearly the 2nd anniversary.

There isn't much on my patch of carpet this week either, a couple of cards I made for the Grungy Monday  challenge on Monday (obviously) only I made them on Tuesday so they're still hanging around, together with some new stamps that arrived since you were here snooping last!!

So here is a pile of what to non crafters looks like a load of rubbish, but to us is that pile of scraps that really, truly, honestly we WILL use one day!!  Not to mention doing "something" with that mannekin/dummy thing  - next to the tubes of paint (the round bit is the base) that I bought a couple of years ago!! 

So, what have you all been up to?  Hope you get time to stop by Dragons Dream Tag it On today - shameless plug - we'd love to see you visit and join in.

Speedy Grungy Monday 7

Linda has kindly (as time is tight this week, how did she know?!) set us an easy challenge on Grungy Monday this week - click here to go to Tim's demo for distress ink block printing. All you need is some ink, some card and an applicator of your choice!

So why did I have two goes?  Well check them out:

Well, like a complete Dumbo I started (after applying the inks to the card) in the top left corner of card 1, with my sentiment.  Added the flourishes to the other corners  before realising, that of course, it would look better if the sentiment was in the middle and the flourishes in all 4 corners.  So I started again...
And got the flourishes wonky..... and the card scanned wonky too... is it still Friday the 13th?!
So, you pays your money and takes your choice. You can have whichever one you like, ok!!  I probably should have done a third....  Blowed if I don't think I prefer the first one now!
Inks I used were wild honey, crushed olive, tumbled glass and spun sugar.

Sunday Stamper 154 - Camouflage

Hels' Sunday Stamper challenge is Camouflage - or greens, khaki's.  I started this earlier this morning and have been doing it in dribs and drabs all day.

I started with a canvas (5x7ish) which I painted with a mixture of birch and zucchini eco green paints, mixed on my craft mat.  Whilst that dried, I stamped a load of flowers (a small and a large 5 petal flower stamp from Hobby Art - one of my earliest purchases) on a sheet of paper from Tim's Retro Grunge stack, in a kind of sludgy green colour.

This is with the flash so the butterflies show up more but it isn't a true representation of the green (see below)

I used two fragments coloured with various green alcohol inks for the flower centres, and backed the sentiment with the same paper I used for the flowers.

 Layered them up to make two flowers, fixed them together using the tiny attacher under the fragments.

Used some Roxx (Judikins - bottle unopened!) - black beady things for the butterfly bodies.

And a word stick coloured with meadow alcohol ink.

The butterflies are Tim's die, coloured wild honey grungepaper and overstamped with background stamps. Sprayed with heirloom Gold perfect pearl for some sparkle.

Everything Wendy Vecchi - yahoo challenge 12

How glad am I that blogger is back - I lost a post for a while but it's back now - some of the comments have gone, but I think I had read them all before the problem happened, so thanks if you left one that has now gone!

This week, our list leader Lori set the yahoo group a challenge to make a piece of art based on Wendy's first book, page 32 - but if you don't have the book that's ok - as long as you're a group member (click here to join) - make something using stamping on patterned paper and a bookplate.

Well, I kind of cheated with the bookplate as I am nearly out of Tim's idea-ology bookplates but the substitute is from his early Distressables range (how long must I have had that!!) and technically it's probably a frame but I punched some holes in it and hope it will pass muster. Necessity is the mother of invention, and all that!

Oh, suppose I'd better show you the card.....

I started with a black base card, approx 5x5. I took a piece of Basic Grey paper - had to find something in the paper stash boxes that matched the "bookplate" for colour - and stamped a Wendy flourish in coffee archival along the bottom. Stamped 'dream' from part of one of Wendy's sentiments on a white scrap and stuck it behind the bookplate.  It was a bit shiny, so I sanded it down and inked it with antique linen and crushed olive distress inks. Added some Wendy dots randomly (without mounting it on a block for a bit of freedom of movement!)
The other sentiment is Wendy's too, and I added one of Tim's flowers from his trimmings, inked with some distress - it was crushed olive to start with but after the first photo I took it blended in to the background too much, so I added some tea dye, and now it shows up better!

So, hope you like it - come over and have a look round the group - join, why don't you!! Last week there was a randomly drawn prize for the challenge and I was lucky enough to win, so thanks again to Lori for that and this week's challenge too.

I have burbled on too long and am missing Dr Who so I must go.  Later on it's the bad music fest that is Eurovision so that's my evening's viewing sorted!

Grungy Monday 6 & Simon Says

Hi, I forced myself to stay awake after dinner to crack a twofer challenge -Linda's Grungy Monday is using a neat technique of Tim's from 2008 - check out the original here - weathered wood with paint dabbers.

And Simon Says - 'anything goes' - this week, so this must count!!

 I settled for a tag - used juniper dabber and bundled sage & tea dye distress inks on the tag; juniper dabber and weathered wood distress on the scrap, following the Tim technique.


Then I stamped the Eiffel Tower and the leaf (that's one of Wendy's) using the clover paint dabber - my dabbers are very thick and gunged up, I watered this down a bit, but it still won't come through the applicator so I scooped some out onto the craft mat and swooshed the stamp through that instead .

And because this set of stamps "just happened" to come through my letterbox tonight, it would have been rude not to use some of them on the tag!

Finished it off with some toning fibres.

Go check out both Linda's blog and Simon Says for some incredible entries.

WOYWW 101 & Dragons Dream

Hi, morning (afternoon/evening) all - here we are again. Week 101 of this amazing club hosted by the lovely Julia at The Stamping Ground.  There isn;'t a great deal on my craft mat today - haven't done anything crafty since the weekend; I have been faling asleep on the sofa in front of the TV.  So head over to Julia's to check out some interesting places people craft!

Just before you go though -  Wednesday now means, not only What's on your Workdesk Wednesday? but also Dragon's Dream challenges, for which I am proudly on the Design Team!

This week on Dragon's Dream Tag It On we are challenging you to texturise your tag. Come play along - we'd love to see some new faces!

 I have used all sorts of goodies on my tag - Paperartsy fabulous Fresco paints - with a  layer of crackle paint in between - it is such great stuff - it you haven't tried them yet - DO!

Then I added some Viva terra paste which I stamped into (wet the stamp first so it doesn't stick) before drying it - I painted it with the fresco paint to match the other side of the tag.

I used a Paperartsy flower on some white clearly for art (which I painted to match the tag) before heating it to curl it and stuck it to the tag, stamping another flower off centre and a text at the bottom.  Clearly for Art is great - it's a moldable product which you heat and bend to the shape you want. It doesn't shrink (as someone asked last week).

The silver charm in the middle is from a cheapo necklace I bought to use the bits from and I used a piece of the Tim Holtz flower trim for the second flower, touched with a bit of worn lipstick ink.

Stars and Stripes - Sunday Stamper

This week Hels' has challenged us to use stars and/or stripes to celebrate her trip to Ranger U and to see the talented Ellen.

I have some birthday cards to make so sprung straight into action with this stripey number:

 the paper is from Making Memories, except for the HB banner (uptown rubber) stamps are Wendy Vecchi's - I have seen several people, including Hels' herself, using the stars "upside down" as well as the right way up and think they look great; so I 'borrowed' that idea.

Stamped the text on a scrap of card, 3d popped it after wrapping some fibres round it.

EWV says - take a ticket

I've been a bit slow getting something fixed for this challenge on the Everything Wendy Vecchi yahoo group - to use a ticket - not really sure why!   We are working on book 2, page 11 but you don't need the book to play - just join the group.

I woke really early today, (I hate that, on a Saturday!!) but after I'd done the food shopping and some washing, it was time to get down and inky.

 First I had to do some prep - die cut some of Tim's butterflies in a mixture of grungepaper, glassline paper and patterned papers and then stuck them together.

Worked on a chipboard shape, gesso'd and inked with shabby shutters.  I stuck some ball chain to the chip with glossy accents at the back.
All stamps are by Wendy, all idea-ology is of course Tim's.

Hmmm my butterfly sandwich making doesn't look very good.... I was trying to save paper and not glue loads to the grunge before die cutting but the paper wasn't all double sided and the butterflies aren't symmetrical... next time I'll do it right.

 Couple of close ups.

If you want to join in, click here - all you need is to join the group. It's lots of fun.

Simon Says - show us Hands

I have to admit I have been stumped since Monday when this week's Simon Says challenge was announced -  stamp and show - hands.....Several half - nay, quarter - ideas - nothing was germinating!

I have always wished for neat handwriting,  but my school reports always made mention of untidy writing (I write very quickly and I think that is to blame) and decided to go down the writing road for my hands theme.
I took a maya road chipboard coaster and covered it with some paper from Tim's Crowded Attic stack. Nt sure if you can see, but it's the page with letters!

The man's hand (stamp by Wendy) is writing a love letter to the lady in the frame (picture from a Crafty Individuals pad) and I used one of the pen nibs from the idea-ology pack, and Tim's old fashioned pen nibs stamp to invoke the seemingly forgotten time of hand written love letters!  Somehow, texting just isn't the same, is it!  The quote is from Wendy.

Sorry about the flash probems - it's bouncing off the silver I used for the frame but I hope you can see it ok. I'll try and take another one in daylight tomorrow.

Till then, check out the rest of the amazing entries and DT art, at SimonSays.

TIO #77 - colouring my world - purple!

Welcome to another Tag it On challenge for DragonsDream.  This week it is my choice of theme, and I chose a colour challenge.

Which sounded easy until I had to decide on my colour - and if I was going to impose any restrictions!! So, after a lot of soul searching, I decided on purple, with one accent colour of your choice. I had in mind this set of stamps as soon as I decided on a colour choice, and my accent was to be white.

I started by spritzing the tag with water, then sprayed it with purple twilight colour wash (it was quite by chance that I saw a link to Tim's video he did a while ago for Ranger promoting these sprays when he used this method to lessen the intensity of the wash, just after I set my theme!)   I have to say, it is a good tip!

Anyhow, after I dried the tag, I stamped the Papillon background in white (snow cap, adirondack pigment) and embossed it with white embossing powder, I absolotely love how this pops on the background.

The butterflies are new, they are the movers and shakers from Tim's new alterations dies (can you spot a bit of a theme here!) die cut using my new Clearly for Art from Wendy Vecchi - one in the clear, one in the white version. I used alcohol inks (pitch black and cool peri, with silver) and a Wendy dotty background in dusty concord respectively.

Finished the tag with some purple and white fibres.


I have always loved purple - my late sister and I had some wonderful ponchos when we were kids - knitted by our Mum, and my Dad always called my sister the "purple people eater" in hers - hers was shades of purple and white, mine had emerald green in it as well, I think.... so this has made me remember happy times!!  Well, it WAS the early 70's and ponchos were trendy then!

WOYWW 100

May already and week 100 of WOYWW - HOW?? 

I spent all day Friday in front of the TV - what a beautiful wedding, and how stunning did Kate and William look - what a dress!   On Saturday I went to Kew again (the photos are here) and after that - nothing! I fully intended to craft craft craft - but didn't!!  All that free time - couldn't think of a thing to create!

So my desk  floor is looking very bare.  I did a spot of shopping again - got some gorgeous brass charms (the intention is to use them when I eventually decorate my configurations box, that still hasn't been started...)

Although some may appear elsewhere too!

I wanted to try out the Clearly for Art - what fun stuff that is! I started by colouring my tag - this is first sprayed with water till it's wet and then I used sunset orange colourwash - love the way it puddles! it curls a lot too, but luckily dries flat too.

Took my new fave background stamp - from Tim's Paipillon set - white ink, white embossed
Stamped one of Wendy's flower stamps (my favourite) in black, on the clear clearly for art, (there is a black one and a white one too)-  cut it out and then heated it to soften and then you mold it as you want. FUN FUN FUN!. Going to use this a lot....  This isn't finished off yet, still thinking about that!

Anyhow, off you go - there are lots of desks to visit. Have fun and hope to see you soon. Tell Julia I sent you!

Something for a Sunday

By all accounts, Hels' is having a fantastic time at Ranger U - well, of course she would be - wouldn't we all!! Anyhow, she has set the theme of "men" for today's Sunday Stamper challenge, so like her, I had only one place to go -

Umbrella Man!! I made a card for my entry. I had some trouble getting a decent photo for some reason, sorry!

Working on a piece of white card, I used a couple of Tim's masks and scattered straw ink, and the small matching stamp which is from the 'mini classics' set.
Die cut umbrella man on black metal and put it through a texture fade, wiped it with pesto alochol ink.

Stamped the text on a scrap of card, sprayed it with a perfect pearl/reinker mix (the label has fallen off so I can't remember what colours I used) and cut it in strips.

Close up of Umbrella man.







It's been a good Sunday so far - picked up my photos from Kew where I went yesterday, you can see them here and Liverpool had a good win against Newcastle, so I'm happy!

Talking of being happy, how fantastic was the Royal Wedding on Friday?!  Didn't Kate (sorry, the Duchess of Cambridge!) look amazing! I watched it all day long - and then watched the highlights too... with a tear in my eye!  I wish them a long and happy life together.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.