Ooh, crush a grape

Thought I'd leave you a tag I made on Sunday whilst I'm away.  Sorry about the post title, I couldn't think of anything sensible.
I used my new crushed olive and forest moss inks - oh, they are so gorgeous,especially the crushed olive -.
and a new set of Wendy stamps, from my new stashpile. 

I stamped the flower from Be Inspired ..Make Art in crushed olive on the tag and again on a piece of white card to cut out and overlap the tagged flower.  I used the leaf from the same set in crushed olive and the text  and the leaf (which curls the other way) from Love to Make Art in forest moss.
I finished it off with a grunge paper flower (it's two of the half flowers from the Make Mine Mini Art overlapped and stuck together, with a prima paper flower coloured with crushed olive and a raised washer from the hardware store.

Play Date Cafe Challenge - PDCC 24

Some stunning colours for this week's challenge in the play date cafe, which is my second challenge of the day.

I have used some more new stamps from Ally Pally - both Penny Black and both half price so I figured I was saving money, yes??  I stamped "letters and flowers" on a piece of white card which I then coloured with dusty concord distress ink, tied a plum coloured ribbon round it and added it to some cream handmade paper and a stripey patterned paper by Making Memories which I stuck to a square card.  The other PennyBlack stamp I coloured with milled lavender distress ink, but I think there was more dusty concord still on the blending tool!  A couple of plum (or dark lavender if you like!) flowers finished it off.

Off to watch the rest of the golf now and get ready to go down to see my Mum tomorrow.

Sunday Stampers - Silver (Hammers?)

Good job Hels was only joking when she mentioned hammers as her theme this Sunday - but I do have silver!

I made this little card for my sister in law Lynne who I went to Ally Pally with yesterday using some of my new stash - well one - a Paperartsy stamp from the Hot Picks 1 plate.

The base card is an "elegant rectangle" in silver from Craftwork Cards, which I bought at a previous show and not used before (!) which I stamped with a fine script stamp (A Stamp in the Hand) that I've had for ages and LOVE!

I stamped the paperartsy flower (?) on the silver back of some TSS metal and puffed up some of the areas but didn't fill it so it will probably flatten in the post - I stuck it to a piece of card using the tape sandwich method and cut through some of the petals to allow it to be curled a little.  I painted a white prima flower silver with viva precious metal paint and used a heart shaped brad for the centre.

It's on it's way to Lynne with some grungepaper butterflies I've stamped for her as she loved the little butterfly (Wendy V) that Linda was demo'ing yesterday. I also made a spare flower for my niece who also came, so she doesn't feel left out (OK, Rach?!!) I haven't got any brooch pins but if you find some you can turn them into brooches, because the one on the card is stuck on with 3d foam and should if you're careful, peel off....

Sorry the light of the scanner has reflected on the silver metal, hope you can see - this really is a gorgeous stamp plate - check out Paperartsy if you haven't seen this set before, there are some cracking images on it (I spent ages mounting my new buys on EZ mount last night, a job I hate - and ran out with one stamp left to mount up!!)

I had a really late start this morning - I didn't wake up till 9 - mainly because at 3 in the morning a car alarm went off outside in the street seemingly caused by a girl kicking a car to raise some attention and the resulting argument went on some time, so I had a very disturbed night.

I am off to my Mum's for a couple of days tomorrow so will probably be late getting my desk posted this week, but see you then!  In the meantime I want to play with some more of ny new stash!

Ally Pally - what a lot I got...

Well, I had a great time at the Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show at Ally Pally today - I spent far too much money - as this shot of my stash pile shows...

It's falling off the box I balanced it on to photograph it... There were a few extra bits like some tags and a pack of white card, which I just couldn't fit in.

You can see, I bought plenty of stamps - Paperartsy, Wendy Vecchi, Penny Black, B Line.. lots more idea-ology, including one of the packs of paper Tim's designed - OMG beautiful or what!! (not sure how I'll be able to actually USE them, lol!) some Maya Road chip pieces, ribbons, the remaining distress inks from the new set (the only one I don't have at all now, is tea dye...) and some craftynotions shimmery sprays which Hels convinced me (not that it took much once I saw them, lol) I needed. They are soooo bright and beautiful (let's all sing together!) - really intense colours, much more so than glimmer mists (and cheaper too, so really, I saved money, didn't I!!)
It was really lovely to meet Linda, and several other ladies I feel I know from our WOYWW excursions - Alison and Carmen it was great to meet you too. Linda was great demo'ing and if you're reading this, Linda, you did great!   I got my picture taken with Linda, but I am sorry, I'm not blogging it until I can find a Photoshop programme (thought I had it installed) as I look completely dreadful. I never like photos of myself and can't bear to put this one up as it's really not a good look!
The weather was beautiful, my sister-in-law and niece and I had lunch outside in the park

(sorry, Lynne and Rachael, but you look ok in this so it's going up!)
and as I never have my camera with me normally (the big 35mm camera is too big and heavy to take) I took a couple of shots of the view across London and of Ally Pally itself .

The view was taken when I got there around 9am and it's still a bity hazy.
This is the entrance hall to the Palm Court where they hold the show.  It is a lovely building - some of you may know that this is where the BBC first starting their television broadcasting - the reception was good because it is right at the top of a very steep hill.

Ok, I need another cup of tea then I need to log my new stamps in my book (I have to keep a list of them all, there are so many - I take them with me, stored in a big ring binder, to make sure I don't duplicate!!) and then hopefully - make art!

Oh yes, knew there was something else - this is the lovely badge that Lin from LB Crafts made as a giveaway - the first 15 people to spend £25 on Paperartsy products got one - and the second piece is a metal embossed tree (cuttlebug or similar)  on black metal, coloured with stream alcohol ink and the little picture is made by placing some black metal over a style stone and embossing the patten onto the metal with a paper stump.

Poor Lin was still feeling pretty poorly having been ill all week, so I think she did absolutely great to keep going all day - so thanks, Lin for this lovely piece of art. Hope you are ok for tomorrow, too!

ATC's

I decided to make a few ATC's to take to Ally Pally today - not for the general swap they usually host, but for Linda -to wish her luck with her demo'ing for Lin -and then thought I'd do one for Lin herself, so she didn't feel left out!  and for Hels - for hosting the UK end of the recent Gingersnap Art Exchange.  Obviously I'm having to schedule this as I'll be out (spending money...!!) and I don't want the girls to see them before I give them to them on Saturday.

I did all three with the same stamp - Tim's atc sized "urban tattoo" which has a small sized version of that scrummy heart at it's centre - but in different colourways. I know Lin is a green kind of girl but have taken a chance for Linda, whom I'll be meeting for the first time on Saturday - and Hels, so I hope they like them!!

Anyhow, enough waffling and rambling, here are the ATC's

Linda's is stamped in walnut stain and the heart I stamped on a separate scrap in wild honey and attached it to the main ATC.  Well, I had to do a Timmy stamp for Linda, didn't I!!

I filled the heart with glossy accents and covered it with some fine glitter, then stamped a couple of Wendy flowers (well, ditto Wendy stamps....!!) which I coloured with wild honey and pine needles, I overstamped the green flower with the Wendy numbers background for a bit of added interest.  I made a small hole in both flowers and pinned them together with a co-ordinating brad before glossy accenting them to the ATC's.

To finish it off, I stamped "art" - Wendy obviously - on another scrap and wrote "make" at the top in gel pen as I don't (yet....?? have the stamp set that does say make art, in true Wendy style)

So, that was Linda's. 

This is Lin's  - same method, different colours - tumbled - bundled (I told you I keep wanting to call it wrong!) sage and the cut out heart is tumbled (!) glass. Same colours for the flowers as on Linda's but reversed.

And Hels.  Tumbled glass and chipped sapphire here, the second flower is ???? I've forgotten.  pine needles I think, sorry!

Anyhow, I hope they all like them.


Thanks for your inspiration, girls., and no doubt I will have bankrupted myself on Lin's stand, so she'll be happy!!!

A new challenge

I was catching up on a few blogs tonight when I got in from work and came across Craftytrog's ATC's that she's made to take to Ally Pally tomorrow for the swap- and decided I'd make a few to take too - this is the first time I've ever taken in any to swap, so we'll see how it goes.  Here they are:

Scattered straw on the ATC, wild honey on the scrap, all stamps are by Paperartsy.

You'll see I'm still using up little bits and bobs (the copper clock pieces are left from something or other!



And these two:

These two are tumbled glass and the swirl has been accented with some glitter.  The text is Wendy V's and the flowers Prima.

Not sure if I'll get time to make anything else tonight, there is lots on TV I want to watch, but we'll see.  Now, I'm going to watch Tim's new videos he's uploaded on the use of his alterations dies.

Have a good weekend.

Now it's a guitar...

A couple of Wednesdays ago, I had a rusty hinge on my workdesk which I'd made using the "drunken scotch" technique (check back for the link to the "how to") and I have been at a loss to use it ever since...

For a while, I've been thinking... it looks like a guitar if you stand it upright (no?  oh, only me then....) and all it needed was something musical to attach it to. So tonight, during the football (AND it's Liverpool, I should be WATCHING...) I have dashed off this quick tag.  Bet you can't guess what colour I've used.... oh, you guessed - wild honey ...lol...

I did use some aged mahogany too. The stamp is by (goes to drawer to check...) Wordsworth - and I love it. I deliberately stamped (and scanned...) it slightly crooked,to match the "waves" between the words.  If you believe that, you'll believe anything.

Added some sponging through some sequin waste in the same inks and some matching ribbon, and it's done.

I have been working on something else for a couple of days, too, but I can't show you until Saturday.

As a side note, I would just like to say thanks to all the lovely peeps who came looking at my workspace this Wednesday - I had a record number of comments made, and each and every one made me smile.  I wish you could all come rummage in my drawers too!!!!

Now, off to watch the second half of the football properly, and I've just made another cup of tea which I am determined to drink before it gets cold - see you soon!