Nursery Rhymes.........

Today the electrician has fitted some new energy saving lights in the kitchen and the hall hopefully they will help to reduce the electricity bill!!!!!!! So this is a quick post as I have all the cleaning up to do now ........yuk!  So in between making tea for the electrician.....you have to keep them sweet lol.....I have also been catching up on some crafting and  have managed to make some ATC's, some are for a forum swap and one for the challenge over at Wicked Wednesday #16 Fairy Tales/ Nursery Rhymes I have chosen Nursery Rhymes and have used a Free Stamp with Craft Stamper Magazine..... to make Cock-a-doodle-doo.

Cock-a-doodle-do my dame
has lost her shoe
my master has lost his fiddling stick
and doesn't know what to do
Background was a piece I had already in my ATC box and it looks like  I used a cosmic shimmer spray
I stamped the Cockerel in versamark and embossed with black EP stamped him out again and coloured using DI's wild honey, fired brick, pine needles, the shoe was cut from a magazine....can you believe I didn't have one shoe stamp that was suitable!... violin charm was in my stash mounted onto a dark blue piece of card.
  I am a bit late with this challenge but was determined to play especially as I was the lucky winner last week.....thanks Jenn.

Thanks for all the lovely comments left on my first Chunky ATC here

Bye for now

Love Me Do..........

You know when your browsing blogland or perusing magazines for inspiration and you find something that you know you must make and you add it to your to do list and there it stays........yeah I know you are all with me here.......well, I did just that a few months ago and while looking through the challenges I would like to enter the other day, one being My Mojo Monthly challenge- Play Petite where I have wanted to play for sometime, Sarah had made a Chunky ATC and yes you've guessed it this  was at the top of my to do list to make.....so DH was given his orders to come back with ATC (blank look from DH) sized pieces of wood from his workshop... after giving him the measurements (now I had his attention) I needed he returned home that same day with a bag full......yes imagine how excited I was.....he definitely has earned some brownie points....rofl.......sorry I'm rambling again.........Off I went to my room of craft to make my very first Chunky ATC. 

I started by painting the wooden block with gesso when dry I painted red acrylic paint all over and stencilled small dots on front and back with black acrylic, when dry I dry brushed white acrylic randomly over all surfaces  and lastly added Viva Inca Gold cream in places and all edges, I also rubbed this over embossed heart and round edges of the word Love.  I rummaged in my bits and bobs box for most of the card for the embellishments, hearts and the word Love were cut with the slice machine.

Strips of music paper were painted with white acrylic and a lacy design punched on one edge, I added ribbon and buttons and bakers twine (both sides are the same).

For the back I stamped hearts onto music paper as before and card with free stamp from Craftstamper Magazine. I stamped the words to the song, well the only ones I could remember rofl....onto the hearts and added more buttons and twine.  The base foot is a bottle top as is the top decoration with an added pearl.

Sarah from My Mojo Monthly asked that we said a few words about what gives us inspiration - for me that is easy I take inspiration from everything it maybe a colour a shape or just something pops into my head....its a bit of a jumble in their....also I get inspired by other blogs and magazines, I was truly inspired to make this chunky ATC as soon as I saw Sarah's, pop over and take a look and you may be inspired too.  I have really enjoyed making my first Chunky ATC be warned these are as addictive as card ATC's and I'm sure I will be making more.......

I will joining in several other challenges too they are The Stampman - Use Red;  Happy Daze - Try Something New (first Chunky ATC); Simon Says Show - A song Title - Love Me Do- The Beatles; It isn't often I enter this many challenges with 1 make but they all seemed to click together as I was crafting.....result and another first..rofl!!

Long post hope you didn't drop off until next time Happy Crafting

Pretty in Peach....

Birthday Card
If you read my post yesterday you will know I attempted to make some birthday cards I need this week and my Mojo didn't want to play so I made an ATC instead, well this Morning I still needed a birthday card urgently so with Mojo still awol I used the challenge at LIM #51 Theme Cut it Out! for my inspiration.

After a rummage through my card I found this lovely shade of peach card blank I cut the Spellbinders die Butterfly Circles in white card  which I then stencilled through the die after cutting with Distress Ink Wild Honey, the butterflies are from the die which I then stuck around the circle, I added Cosmic Shimmer Coloured Pearlescent PVA (love this stuff) to the centre of the butterflies and around the inner circle. Inside I attached the circle cut from the centre of the card and a smaller one in white card which I inked again with DI and stamped the greeting here is a close up

Stamps are from SU Whimsical Words and butterfly from Hello Again sets, the best wishes was loose and I'm not sure which set that has escaped from...lol

Another Photo from another angle so hard to get the inside to show up well, I was pleased with the end result and a refreshing change to use spring colours.  As my friend is only a week younger than me I thought the sentiment was apt......I'm sure she will have something to say though....lol.

I will also like to play along at the Joanna Sheen Challenge blog the theme is " Celebrations"

Thanks for looking

Bye for now

Sewing Room

Hellooooo long time no blog I have not been able to shake off this bug I caught at the beginning of January.....but I think at last I have got rid of it....shhhhh won't say that too loud...
So today I went into my room of craft and had a little play I had some birthday cards to make but they did not go well.......... so instead I made an ATC for Wicked Wednesday #15 ~Dress/Dress Forms as soon as I read the challenge my brain went down the path of sewing rooms and Dress Forms....must be because in a younger life I used to make all my clothes.... I dug out my Tim Holtz stamps Seamless Experience from Visual Artistry collection and this is what I made...

Background was cut from TH Kraft Resist Paper Pad, I used the one with vintage sewing patterns on.  The dressform was stamped and embossed with Distress Embossing Powder I love the texture, I stamped part of the tape measure onto some binding , the spool circle which is so like the top of a cotton reel was stamped and embossed in black and Distress Stain broken china was used to colour the card I then crumpled it up before attaching.
 So glad I was able to play this week I have missed joining in these challenges hope I will be back soon with some more crafting......

Bye for now

Colour Purple

I haven't had the chance to play for a while  at Less is More where the current challenge #49 is colour - Predominantly Purple
Mmmmmmm although I love the colour I find it really hard to craft with so armed with a large stamp I made a CAS card using just the stamp and purple ink, added a bit of glitter for bling and a jeweled gem brad - Purple of course.....

Stamp I used is SU Medallion a very large stamp, I really don't use this stamp often enough and it gets left on the shelf , so  I am determined that I will use it much more in 2012, this said I thought it was ideal for this type of card, I used SU  elegant eggplant ink to stamp image off the page, I then stamped the middle only with versamark and added Heat and Stick powder then added SU glitter, not sure what the colour is as I bought it about 2 years ago and its not marked on tub.  This was then punched out and a jewel brad added to centre then circle was mounted with foam pads, greeting was added with same ink.
The light wasn't good today and photo has made the glitter look a different shade which is a shame as in real life the colour match is really good.  I am pleased with the result and like the little bit of bling which lifts the design.  Another Birthday card made..... I have so many Birthdays this month including mine at least I don't have to make that one!!! lol

Products used all Stampin' Up!
Medallion and Cheers and Wishes stamp sets, Ink Elegant Eggplant, Glitter and jewel brad, Whisper White Card blank and A4 sheet. Heat and Stick Powder.

Thanks for looking

Art Journal........

My first page.......

I decided last year that I would try an Art Journal in 2012 and was very pleased that The Craft Barn Blog are running a challenge with plenty of inspiration. 

The theme  is Buildings and I doodled in my sketch book........ I warn you now that I cannot draw I can doodle a bit but this is why I love my Stamps...........the buildings that came into my head and used this as the inspiration for my page.  As this is my first page I underestimated the drying times and my indecision what......where.......etc rofl......so this page seemed to take ages to do and then everything slotted into place and I really enjoyed the journey.... I welcome comments but please be gentle with me....this is my first time!!

My Journal is a pad of watercolour paper again wasn't sure what to use but though the watercolour paper may be more forgiving for the different product I will be using for the backgrounds.   Background was made with Cosmic Shimmer Mists .  The Houses were doodled onto book pages which I had coated with gesso, I then went over these with Distress inks using direct to paper technique.  The road was made using bottle topps dipped in Denim Acyrlic paint. Stamps are Tim Holtz.

Thanks Izzy and Craft Barn for this challenge now I have dipped my toes in I can't wait to see what the next challenge is!!

Also thanks for the get well wishes, seem to be on the mend now cough is going and have more energy lately just as well as we have a month of birthdays in this family including mine...... there is one a week until the 21st soooo have lots of cards to make and DH birthday is tomorrow..... yikes........ at least I don't have to make one for me........


Products used Cosmic Shimmer Mists Aqua Lagoon, Bilbury Crush, Midnight Blue
Paint Adirondack dabbers Denim and pink sherbet, Inks Archival Black, Distress Inks Old Paper adn spun sugar; Stamps Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous; shabby french plate and going somewhere plate;
Old book pages; gesso

Bye for now

Flower Power....................

..................Child of the 60's

Still trying to shake off this awful flu bug so haven't felt like crafting or anything else much this last week but today the theme for Wicked Wednesday Challenge #13 the 60's has been running through these mushy flu ridden grey cells of mine so after searching for inspiration in my papers and stamps I finally came up with this ATC.

Papers from My Minds Eye and Stamp Free with Craft Stamper Magazine, I doodled over the flowers on the background paper with gel pens and stamped the girl onto one of the papers placing stamp over a flower so it is  on her cheek which I doodled over again with gel pens, also did same with the circles.
Great challenge Jenn so glad I managed to play!

bye for now

Altered Frame.......Sewing Room

A Happy New Year to you all, unfortunately the new year has not started well here as I have been really poorly with a heavy cold/flu so today I thought I would look around blogland as I haven't been near the computer since Christmas and found  The Stampman  are running their 3rd Annual Award.  All you need to do is present you favourite crafting project of 2011, this was an easy choice for me as my fav project is an altered frame Vintage Sewing Room click here for full details.  This project is hanging proudly on my wall.

Hope to be back soon if I can shake this awful bug

Bye for now