WICKED WEDNESDAY #56 - HEAD COVERINGS

A bit of magic for this week's WW challenge. What better than to find a gorgeous cuddly rabbit in your top hat?? I stuck lengths of satin ribbon to the base card, found a top hat image on the web which I printed off and cut out, added a bit of glitter for some bling, swiped a red Stazon ink pad over some silver mirri card to make it pink, rubbed a 'magic' rub on over it then clipped a little rabbit peg behind the hat which I stuck down with 3D foam.
What fun.

WW #48 - BLACK & WHITE & ONE OTHER COLOUR

I had such fun with last week's card, 'back to school'. Not only did I win a top 3 place from Wicked Wednesday, but I also won one from Just Some Lines too. How chuffed am I. Thank you to both challenge blogs.
This week's theme can be interpreted in so many ways. I decided to go along with something I saw in Craft Stamper magazine where different layers and Gesso formed the background.

I used a piece of mount board (for my US pals, mount board is used to frame pictures etc) and covered it with a thin layer of Gesso. Whilst drying, I managed to cut the orange oval from card. Not an easy task when the dies you have are all the wrong size!! I then arranged a torn piece of white doily, a torn piece of water colour paper - just the bit that was fastening it to the spine - and stuck them all down with glue and seal from Ranger. I stamped the flowers at the top right using black Archival and then stamped some tiny flowers and swirls onto 1 layer of tissue paper using black Stazon. I roughly cut these out and carefully stuck them to the card using more glue and seal. The tissue simply disappears leaving the stamped images. A quick squirt of Perfect Pearls copper and a black marker around the edge to form a frame - done. This technique is a great way of using up tiny left overs and can make some rather appealing results.
Right, I'm off to await the sun and then I have to paint some wood preserve on my greenhouse before the winter comes, although in the UK, we are still waiting for summer!!!

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY SUSANNA???????

How many have you had now??? What - 37!!!! Wow!

I suppose I'm going to get trouble for that but hopefully not for this:

This is a very special card, so I really hope Susi likes it. It's all the colours she now loves but more importantly, the inked background was given to me by Lindsay Mason following a demo on using the Stazon spray cleaner on alcohol ink to 'bleach' out a splattering of the ink. I think the effect is spectacular.

I used a Martha Stewart all around the page punch which - this time- worked perfectly. The flowers are coloured with paint dabbers and are the ones I was working on in the sunshine the other day.

It all came together really easily because it was made - WITH LOVE.

YELLOW & GREEN at SCD

Another week, another colour combo over at SCD. This Friday's choice is yellow and green.
Some of you may remember how I tried and tried to purchase a back issue of Craft Stamper magazine just to get the free stamp. In the end they actually sent me the stamp but the magazine was no longer available. Well this little ATC is made with that very stamp.

I made some green miri card by dragging a green Stazon pad over some silver miri then once dry, I stamped the image using pearlescence lime Brilliance. I cannot take credit for the wonderful spun background though, as it was a little pressie from Heather as part of one of her monthly swaps.
I used some 3D foam pads to mount the image on top of some yellow fibres and finished it off with some green bugle beads, yellow and green gems and a memo pin - which looks like a wand from a bottle of childs bubbles - a few drops of green stickles on the image and yellow stickles on the spun art.

I know I made this a while ago, but I've never entered it in any challenges so I hope it's acceptable.

SCD - OF THE SEA

I have had a good time this month joining in with the SCD challenges.
All have had the basic theme - Torso - with a twist to it each week. This weeks is the last and is 'of the sea'.
I thought this may be easy until I started. Not one single stamp with anything like a sea theme in my drawers.
However, not to be beaten, I came up with this.

Again, my camera is not responding to close ups, sorry.

The wording at the top is covered in glossy accents ans a few beadazzles so is not easily made out but is a torn piece of dictionary definition re. ocean, a large section of sea.

The 'sea angel mermaid' is stamped with teal Stazon onto card and then cut out. (and you thought she was just a fairy didn't you?) The whole of the base mountboard is coloured with various alcohol inks which I tapped on. I then went to town with sticking my gorgeous Brixham mini shells, moss, seed beads, beadazzles and stickles to the base. The little 'mermaid' is sitting amongst them trying to have a rest!!

I had my jiffy bag ready to send off my swaps after having completed this one, but will have to look for a box now 'cos this won't fit. Thank you SCD for this months fun. I wonder what September will bring.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE............

You know how sometimes you get an idea for a card, or something similar, and just have to make it even though it's seasonal and not that time of year? Well, I just had to make this Halloween tag yesterday.

I was looking through my Tim stamps and found the saying and that just set me off. Can you imagine a skeleton wanting to be a ballet dancer. I think his little tutu is lovely!!

I've just been onto the Something Completely Different challenge blog and found that my tag satisfies todays challenge - ORANGE, BLUE and BROWN, so I am entering it.

I really had fun with this one. I scrunched up the tag, then added walnut stain ink before spritzing it with water. I have a new/old iron, if that makes sense, which I then used to iron the tag dry. The rest is obvious I think.

I then just had to have a go with my new cover stamp kindly sent to me from Traplet. So this is what I made. I think it needs a word or something yet and backing onto mountboard, but it's nearly done. Another ATC inspired by the amazing Heather

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I used a 'spun' background that was a freebie from Heather on one of her ATC swaps. I stamped the face image on acetate using lime brilliance ink then I matted it onto green miri card which I had coloured myself using stazon ink. All I did then was to add fibres, glitter, bugle beads and some sticky gems all over. I love the colours on this.

Just wondered if you may like to see my sunflowers. The tallest are over 13'!!!!!! The bees are loving them and I hope they go to seed for the birds through the winter.

I would just also like to thank all my followers for taking the time to look at my blog. There are 33 of you now. I feel very honoured. Infact, I am going to put all your names into a box and get 'peg leg' to pick a couple out for some blog candy giveaway.
He's just busy installing a new bi-fold door on the front room, so I'll get him to do it later today.
Watch this space then. xx

LAST MAY WOYWW

Can you believe that May has nearly gone now? I can't. Where did the other 4 months go? There's even Christmas crafting on QVC today!!!!! I wonder how many WOYWWs there have been.

Whilst we were away, I found a storage solution for my ink pads. What do you think?


I had a stash of Brilliance and Stazon in a drawer, and could never get to them. My distress inks were piled high, and again, I had difficulty getting the one I wanted. However, I would still like to win one of Tim's storage tins that he is giving away this week. That would make life so much easier when I take craft away with me.


Also thought I would show you my latest 'star' photo. This time it's Lindsay Mason, who is a very popular and talented designer of stamps for Personal Impressions aswell as being an official Ranger tutor. I just love Lindsay's demos and workshops and honestly learn something new every single time I see her. This photo sits proudly next to the King of Craft himself, Mr Holtz and the tag he made for me at Lindsay's request.

Enjoy your hopping around other work desks and areas. I'm hopping off myself now.

A MEASURED CHRISTMAS

This is a picture of one of the six ATCs I've made, all the same. One to swap at workshops, demos etc. and the other 5 are for my swapping buddies.

I found an old Craft Stamper magazine which had some lovely card examples made using Stazon ink pads and vaious rubber stamps. I liked the colour combination so much that I 'shuffled' things about a bit and came up with this ATC.

I used distress ink pads, a Hero Art Flourish Wave stamp, inkassentials white gel pen, peel offs, Adirondak pitch black paint dabber, Paper Artsy Christmas stamp and a number stencil.