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.