Dream............

....................of Chocolate................who doesn't...................lol.

Another post from me today as I suddenly realised I started making a tag for Sunday Stamper  and didn't finish it! Hels has a brilliant giveaway this week as it is Challenge 300  Dream so pop over and have a look better hurry though only a few hours to go so quick post here from me.

Background is wrinkle free distress picked raspberry old paper (I think) did this at the beginning of the week and I've forgotten!!  All the stamps are the free stamps from Craft Stamper Magazine tissue tape Tim Holtz. I stamped in coffee Adirondack ,girl and small flowers, picked raspberry, vintage photo for background stamping.
Thanks for looking

'till next time

Live The Life

Hello bloggers over at Craft Stamper Mag  The New Take It  Make It monthly challenge which follows a technique by Trish Latimer on page 6 of the April issue. Now  I love playing with my gelli plate and so I couldn't wait to have a go using an acrylic block with paints and got very messy indeed also I couldn't stop so now have lots of prints to play with later.  I used test pots which I have had for ages in pink, beige, green and white I followed Trish's step by step.

I applied the paint quite thickly which made some lovely texture when I lifted the print also I managed three from  one paint application each one different as the paint was used. Only snag with this was it took a while to dry........and you know I'm don't do waiting very well........but I managed to leave them over night lol!!
Firstly I used two stencils with distress ink over the paint and then I stamped  the tag using a selection of Tim Holtz stamps in black archival ink, panel edges were distressed and inked with black  soot distress ink also tag edges, lastly I added tissue tape.  Great fun and so glad I managed to join in with the first challenge over at my all time favourite Magazine.

I would also like to play at

A Vintage Journey challenge #2 = Say it with Words
The Artistic Stamper  - Letters words and numbers
Anything but a Card  - Mini Challenge use two stencils or more

Ingredients used
Inks Black Archival, distress inks black soot, picked raspberry, mowed lawn,
Paints test pots
Tim Holtz  - stamps various and tissue tape
ribbon Stampin Up

Thanks for looking
'till next time

I love Trees

Another post from me again today as I have had a lovely crafty day  cosy in my little room of crafts and the rain has been beating against the window with  howling winds ....where did summer go!   Anyway I lost my bookmark which I made while I was away on my travels  so fed up with a scrap of paper to mark my pages I made another today and it fits the challenge over at Craft room challenge ~Trees and/or Leaves.

I used distress inks for the background wild honey and mustard seed sprayed with water and dried before stamping this gorgeous Fir Tree stamp set by Sheena Douglass in vintage photo and then I used pine needles for painting in the green leaves, sentiment stamped in black archival, the edges were given a layer of vintage photo and sprayed again with water, I mounted onto black card, finishing with a brown ribbon.  A simple make but so useful and much better than a scrap of paper!

Thanks for looking 'till next time




Ingredients
Distress Inks, Stamps Sheena Douglas

Bird Tag

Hi I really enjoyed making my altered block (my last posting) Here while I was away with bits and pieces I had taken with me, I am home now and as I was unpacking my limited crafty stash I took
with me I spied some more interesting bits in the bag  and hurried off to my crafty room and created this tag..........everything except the ticket and pearl eye are from the bits bag.....

The tag in the bag is what caught my eye and was already embossed so I lightly dusted this with pan pastels, flower TH tattered flowers the book print petals was only half a flower which I placed at the side of the tag and added a smaller flower cut from purple paper scraps of music paper were inked in Dusty Concorde, netting added and small flower  (from my Alpha dictionary challenge HERE) Bird had been cut in craft card and I also inked with dusty concord (bottom) and vintage photo around edges I also found an embossed wing in brown which really pleased me, ticket was stamped(creative expressions) in dusty concord and inked with vintage photo.  I am really pleased again with the finished project and had great fun, it really didn't take me very long to make................ it just shows you really shouldn't throw anything away..........put it in the bit box lol!!

I will be joining the following challenges with my tag

Out of a Hat Creations - challenge 63 tickets

PanPastels UK challenge Blog - challenge 23 anything goes

Country ViewCrafts - challenge #4  Die Cuts    ( 2nd entry)

Sunday Stamper week 261 Purple Haze

Thanks for looking 'till next time

Happy Easter to you all, hope you are having a good holiday break and doing the things that
make you happy..............Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate!!!!

I have had a lovely chill day today and with nothing in mind I drifted into my little room of craft and started to play the end result was this tag

Distress inks salty ocean, picked raspberry mown lawn were on my desk so I used these colours for the background I stamped and embossed in silver with stamps from Creative Expressions set British Wild Flowers also in the set are little background stamps and phrases which I have also used, ribbon was dyed with picked raspberry distress ink and dryed crumpled, lastly I distressed the edges of my tag with scissors and using versa mark plenty was applied to the distressing and then dipped in silver embossing powder sometimes the quickest and easiest projects are the ones we don't plan........
I would like to enter this tag into the folowwing challenges

Country View Crafts (new challenge blog)   Anything goes
Sunday Stamper                                             Shiny
Tando Creative                                               Flowers
Artistic Stamper                                             Tags

Thanks for popping in and having a look I will be back later with another altered dictionary page

'till later



Ingredients
Distress Inks; Embossing powder; Creative Expressions Stamps; Versafine Black Ink

Wise Owl......

October already I must have blinked and someone stole September. We are still clearing and sorting so not much crafting time for me over the last few weeks but hopefully I will be back crafting and blogging more this month ......today I sneaked into the room of crafty -mess......yes it is still untidy but my desk is cleared......and I made this tag with a new Stamp Set from IndigoBlu Hocus Pocus which I bought mainly for the Owl Image.....

 

Edited photo Tuesday morning although dull and raining a much better result.....flash altered the colours in the original one I posted

Photo colours could be better.......it was dark and the flash seems to have changed the colours a little....sorry. 
Background Distress Inks  Rusty Hinge, peeled paint, vintage photo . I stamped images in Adirondak Ink Esspresso, when dry I added splashes of DI rusty hinge and vintage photo with ink left on sponge, ribbon was coloured using rusty hinge and vintage photo.
Over at Sunday Stamper Hels is asking us to make something that makes us happy.........tags make me happy as they give me quick fix crafting when I don't have much time but want to craft, I also love Owls and New Stamps so making this tag made me very happy lol.

I will also be playing at The Cupboard Trilogy - Challenge #4 -Things with Wings

'till next time thanks for dropping in at my blog

CHRISTMAS TAG!!!!

On a rainy wednesday what better way to spend  the morning than playing in the room of craft and getting inky.......I had a great time making this tag.

I was inspired by Studio L3 Challenge 19 - Kraft Resist  which is following Tim Holtz book CC2 pop over to Linda's and take a look at Tim's Video there.
Sunday Stampers challenge - Green.  Yep I think I can safely say my tag is green lol
 I haven't played at either challenges in a long time so it has been great to be able to join in again.

Tag photo was taken this way as it was the only angle that showed up the resisit on the paper, light isn't great as weather so dull

you can just make out the words down the side which say Christmas Carol. I cut the festive greenery with a selection of papers from the colorcore Distress Collection and sanded, lace from my stash.

 

A fun technique to do and I have now officially made my first item for Christmas 2012......yikes!!!!

Products used Tim Holtz Kraft Resist card;Distress Inks vintage photo, peeled paint, crushed olive, Dies, Festive Greenery, Candlelight Fright, Distress Stickles rock candy, frayed burlap, white and orange acrylic paint

'till next time

HOLIDAYS and TRAVEL..........

.................and a TAG!!!

Hi everyone it has been a while since I posted anything crafty here, I have been having a break enjoying catching up with family and friends, reading  lots..........yes including the trilogy of Basic Grey and several more books. Also spending time in my crafty room making inky mess with inks and sprays I now have backgrounds ready to go, wish I could say I have also been enjoying the summer weather......best not mention that............

With the latter 2 in mind I have made a Tag and will be sharing with

The Artistic Stamper Challenge Blog - Holidays
Happy Daze Design Team - Circling the World
Tando Creative Challenge Blog - Travel

On my Tag I have used a new (to me) Tim Holtz Die one of my favs Umbrella Man he has been on his Holidays Traveling around the world , good job he had is umbrella with him......he needed it as soon as he got back to the UK lol!

Umbrella Man was cut using TH co-ordinations paper sanded to make him look well traveled, background was made using distress inks stromy sky, mustard seed, weathered wood, stamps used TH in  black soot and vintage photo also as background colours, added embelishments and mounted my die cut onto foam.

Thanks for looking  until next time

ACT butterflies and things.....

Hi everyone just realised how long since my last blog.......Life has been sooooo busy just lately, I have been crating but nothing I can share at the moment, so today I thought I would share some ATC and Tag swaps I have completed lately for a forum I belong to.

The brief for this swap was butterflies I love how a little piece of lace an bakers twine turned into a lovely butterfly .... Distress inks and Tim Holtz ATC stamps in the background.

The brief for this ATC was using the free stamp from Craft Stamper Magazine for April.... I have used Kraft card and white distress stain stamped the hare in black and embossed with clear, the grasses are stamped in black with Stampin' Up! stamp set.

The brief was for Ribbon

My tag was Kraft card Tim Holtz Stamps the background is stamped in distress stain, main image stamped and embossed in black and highlighted with white pen.  I added gingham Kraft ribbon(Stampin' Up!)

I am also linking this post with The Stampman Challenge which is Favourite Technique.....mine is Distress using Distress Inks and Tim Holtz products....

I would also like to welcome my new followers and also thank my followers for their lovely comments

Bye for now

Maggie

Marbled Tag... CC2C

I have finally got my Tim Holtz Compendium of Curiosities book 2 it was delivered on Saturday I read it from cover to cover. Now I have this little gem in my inky little fingers I can join in with the CC2C over at  Studio L3 Technique 3: Marbled Stains..... check this out on Page 46.

Here is my tag I used Tim's stamps and Distress stains  picket fence and barn door and vintage photo.

I finished tag with TH tissue tape and bakers twine, this technique needs more practice me thinks......
had fun though!

Will also link this tag to Sunday Stampers Challenge - Red ( it certainly is) rofl!

Thanks for looking

Vintage Shabby Tag

A very wet and windy day here today the rain is beating against the windows and the wind is howling around the house.....not nice so nothing for it but to spend the day in my little room of craft....Yeh  I have been getting inky and messy  and my room now looks like a disaster zone but I have had a great morning. :-()

The piece I want to share with you today is inspired by the challenge My Mojo Monthly  and  my fabulous tin of buttons rescued from Mums house as described in the last post HERE (click if you want to read the last post), so I won't go over the story again but just to say after another search in amongst the buttons I was inspired to make this tag complete with 3 gorgeous buttons, and some lace which is also old, not sure where I got it has been living with me for so long. 
The Challenge at MMM for April is Tagology....now I love tags and have not been around to play here for sooooo long and I know the deadline is soon so I just had to play today, pop over to the blog...... the interview with Dan is fab and Sarah has some amazing art to show you.

Firstly I apologise for the photo .......it is so dark here like winter!
To make my tag I went rummaging in my bits and pieces box of saved treasures, you know bits of card and stamping that never quite made it and also card I save from packaging because I just can't throw it away......(now you know why my room is a mess!!) and of course "the button tin" throw in some Tim Holtz products and hey presto my tag was born. The dress part of the form was cut from Sticky Back Canvas (Claudine Hellmuth) which I painted with Pink dabber and smeared some White Distress stain over the top when dry lastly distressed the edges,  the stand was inked with Tea Dye DI strips of cream and brown lace were gathered around the form for the dress, I added some bakers twine to the waist and a button..... The Tag base was made with recycled packaging which I swiped pink dabber over and also white distress stains, stamped over with a script  and other stamps from TH, I will confess to a mistake at this point.......well more like a near disaster, for the corner I stamped in versamark and instead of picking up the embossing ink I poured over perfect pearls instead......well a happy accident because I loved the sparkle....shame the photo doesn't show it up.....believe me its there ..rofl. The oval background was a piece of embossed brown card (in my box) I swiped over DS white (can you tell yet that I love this stuff) and distressed the edges. White flower button is mounted on top of a brown one inside the stamp from TH sewing plate. Lastly ribbon and lace were added to the top of the tag.

I am also linking this tag to..............The Stampman Challenge Sabby Chic or Distressed this is the second piece for this challenge but I havn't played there either for so long and I love the challenge theme lol hope it is alright to enter again, also at The Artistic Stamper blog the Challenge is Ribbon and Lace so I am linking there again too... these challenge are right up my street ......and I have missed playing.....Pop over to all the blogs there is some lovely art to see.

If you are still with me....Thanks for looking, 'till next time

Romance tag

Another Tag -  Dragons Dream Tag It On Challenge 104 Letters to Juliet - Romance. 
I have been making Christmas tags and things so this was a nice change, I don't always get chance to play here at TIO but as I was in the process of making tags it seemed I could just make one more.........lol
I will also join in at Simon Says Stamp and Show  Some Women Only Challenge (hope this counts)!!

The background was made using Distress Inks over a stamped image which I stamped in versamark if you look closely in the photo below you may see  it is quite subtle and the fact that I stamped over it and kept adding to the tag there's not a lot of space left to see it......lol.

Using Stampin' Up! set Artistic Etchings I stamped in frayed burlip distress inks, then next layer in black soot, postage stamp was stamped on separate piece inked with tattered rose and cut out, pen nib was also cut out this stamp and sentiment are Tim Holtz. Lastly I added lace from my stash to the bottom edge, string from the tag and lace and fibres at the top,  flower which is three layered together and the tiny one already had a bead in the centre, these were inked also but sorry they don't show up in photo as it was so subtle!!

Hope you like my interpretation of the challenge

Bye for now

Christmas Tags.....

Grungy Monday 26
and
Sunday Stampers week 180
 2 posts in one today, I had some time to myself so off I went to the little room of craft and got inky and had a fabulous time...... talking of time I have only just made GM with hours to spare I missed last weeks and was determined to play this week so while I was inky I got another tag made for Sunday Stamper challenge.

Firstly GM 26 Linda asked us to follow Tim's 12 tags of Christmas Tags 2009, day 7  how could I refuse.... now I did make a few adjustments but really I followed Tim's  except for the paint dabber in a different colour as I have run out of white.  Great technique and I really love the way the background just pops.  Thanks again Linda for a fab week....... hope Tim is doing his 12 tags again this year as I actually did all 12 last year  Yayhee !!!

I made my mask with a post it note and used paint dabber lake mist instead of the white everything else is more or less the same as in the video oh yes nearly forgot I used a holly sprig stamp instead of the snowflakes....can't really see them  in the photo but they are there.

sorry close up seems a little blurry.

Sunday Stamper challenge set by Hels has the title "Trail of the Lonesome Pine" to use Pine Colours/Pine Trees/Branches, so while humming this tune as by now it has stuck in my little grey cells trouble is I only know a few bars...........less said the better so onto tag,

I used TH embossing folder with Pine trees and inked over in peeled paint and pine needles DI and walnut stain around the edges, pine sprig was stamped in pine needles and vintage photo, I went around the edges of trees and branches with white pen as it had been snowing, by the look of the splashes I made I think a blizzard would be more apt....think I was a bit to heavy handed with the water!!  Tim's tape was added to the bottom edge and top corner, also a bell as before with some bakers twine in green.
Long post I know hope you made it to the end  with me..........thanks for looking

bye till next time

A Little bit Spooky!

Hellooooooo
A few months ago I decided to move from blogger as I was having so much trouble as I know so many have been, well I missed you all over here and have decided to try again - sorry for the swapping around - I also have had a little break from blogging due to life, I have done a little crafting but nothing much to shout about my mojo went on hols and took a very long time to return,  In the meantime I have updated my blog with a new look and hopefully I am now back with you all sharing and catching up with all the fab art that is in blog land.
Soooooooooooo to kick start me off I have made this tag to fit in with the a few challenges over  Studio L3 Grungy Monday challenge 22  Halloween where we can use our fav Tim Holtz stash and Sunday Stamper challenge where Hels has asked for the colours blue and orange, well these colours shouted Halloween to me - I'm not big on Halloween and don't really have specific stamps so I went to my trusty Tim Holtz Stash and used Stamps and  Salvage stickers and built my tag around two of the stickers using blue and orange.

Stamps used from Tim Holtz collection, using the Alterations Die ~  Hanging Sign I cut bracket in grunge paper and cut to fit my tag, Distress Inks chipped saphire and dried marigold were used for the background and the bracket, the  pumpkin and black cat were found in my stash where they have lived since who knows when!! :-).

I am also going to play over at Crafty Calender Challenge  where the theme this week is "spooky".   Hope you like  my tag
till next time

My favourite things.....

I'm so pleased to be able to be back with my first creation in such a long time,  I have missed crafting and blogging so hopefully I'm back to normal now - well normal for me that is!!!!

I have made a Tag to fit in with the Sunday Stamper challenge - A Reason to be Cheerful , I always reach for my stamps and distress inks and of course my fav die cut at the moment is Tim Holtz Dress Form so that is what I have based my tag on and  I have used Tea Dye distress ink and Sage to fit in with The Artistic Stamper - Monochrome plus1 colour challenge. I have only limited supplies with me as I am away in the Scottish Borders on holiday and today it is raining cats and dogs!!! Friday we sweltered in temps of 79F - phew, and so far no scottish midges in site !!!!! lol

Stamps used Vintage Sewing - Creative Expressions and Flower from Paperartsy HP1009.
Tag was covered using Tea Die and the waste from the dress form die, the dress form was inked in bundled sage and stamped with water and then over stamped in same ink.

Sorry picture not very good not sure why, and for the rushed post as this is the third attempt at posting due to weak signal where I am.

Easter Tag

Chocolates...............

Grungy Monday Week #4 at Studio L3
and
Simon Says Stamp and Show a Lord Tim of Holtz Technique!

Which means I get to play at two challenges again for the price of one - result as I don't have very much time this week and was wondering how to fit everything in and get some time to craft. 
Linda at Studio L3 has given us a link for Texture Fades and Distress Technique video for week#4 of Grungy Monday so off I popped to have a look (should have been ironing!!!) and this is what I made.

This technique is new to me so I followed the video, I stamped diamonds onto the texture fades tall trees folder in DI Victorian velvet and wild honey, I just love how the diamonds are now behind the trees! A really great fun technique and I will definitely be using it again.
 For the rest of my tag I inked over the trees with crushed olive and vintage photo DI , the stickers are from Tim Holtz idea-ology Salvage Stickers Seasonal, I of course chose the word chocolate..... after all is it the time of year!!
Flower was cut from brown paper  left over from my spraying last week with the TH Tattered Flowers die, I used the smallest and next size up, put them all together with a brad and scrunched them sprayed with water and left to dry, the bow is linen tape and the little bits are string you know the bit that goes through the top of the luggage tag which I cut into pieces I also frayed the ends of the tape.
Picture is showing flower darker much darker than it really is not sure why but tried in vain to get a truer colour.


 In the close up you can see the diamonds behind the trees - such fun to do.

Hope you all have a Happy Easter and enjoy the holidays.

Bye for now and thanks for looking

Fly Free

Hello everyone in blogging land it has been nearly a week since I have made anything crafty, we were away last weekend making the most of the lovely sunshine but the bubble soon popped as we returned to the sad news our dear friend had lost his courageous battle with cancer, it was such an unexpected turn of events.

 Last night however I just felt the need to craft so with nothing in mind I went to the room of craftymess!!! and this piece evolved. Everything I used was to hand on my very messy desk after I had cleared a space big enough to craft in hence the size of the project I suppose!!! lol. So today I would like to share this piece with you,
 I used TH DI victorian velvet wild honey scattered straw and milled lavender for the background and Alterations caged bird die, also Tim Holtz stamp plate, flowers were paper ones which I inked and spritzed with water and crumpled them left to dry and this gives the shabby look to them which I am liking very much at the moment it seems to be my thing!!! for now anyway.

I will be entering this piece into the following challenges
Simon says Stamp and Show a Word
The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog - Spring
Sunday Stampers - Die cuts




Thanks for stopping off to read my blog

 Today we say goodbye to a dear dear friend with a service to celebrate his life.


Bye for now

Distress Misting Masks

CCC Week #27

Phew I have made this weeks challenge, missed last week (I was gutted) as I have bad back still on going but I managed to sit in short burst to make this tag sooooooooooooo frustrating!

This weeks challenge posted by  Linda at Studio L3 is on page 60.  I used TH mask for the background and DI stormy skies shabby shutters and perfect pearls. Stamp from plate by Creative Expressions I just love the Saxophone, old music sheet torn......still have problems tearing pages from books..... from old music book donated from DH as one he didn't need from his large collection salvaged from charity shops. I stamped the sentiment onto background and cut out.

Sentiment reads just in case you can't read it..........: Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.

Over at Simon Says Stamp and Show this weeks is show some masking so I will be joing in there too with this tag.

Bye for now

Happy New Year!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge Week #24

CCC week #24 posted by the lovely Linda at Studio L3 has only a few days to run so last night with my brain still like mush and no mojo at all ...... think it has got thrown out with the rubbish over the holidays...... I made this tag  after a lot of practise backgrounds being thrown in the bin I managed  to come up with two tags backgrounds which I thought were passable for this technique, DI used barn door, pine needles and peeled paint, stamps TH, those eagle crafters eyes out there will spot techniques from the twelve tags posted by Tim Holtz the tape rosette turned out a lot better this time and I didn't get all stuck up with it either ...  Hope you like my effort and roll on the next CCC  not long to go when hopefully my brain will be back in crafting mojo.

Hope you all have a fantastic New Years Eve and I wish you all

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!!!!!!





Bye for now

Week 23 CC Challenge

Double Distress!

CC Challenge is here again and this week Linda over at Studio L3 has said turn to page 40 so I did and this is what I made yes another tag, I seem to only think tags at the moment with everything else thats going on they are quick to make. 

I used DI tumbled glass, broken china, chipped sapphire. Stamps are TH Mini Holidays stamped and embossed in white.

I had a great time tonight getting all inky my finger tips are blue - not with the cold although it is freezing outside snow has been forecast for later in the week we will wait and see! Brrrrrrr .

Bye for now