Hide.....and Seek!!!

I've had such a busy week or so, that I wasn't sure I would manage to enter this weeks Stampotique Designers Challenge. So glad I managed it.......the theme has been set by Valerie and is 'Use Up Your Scraps'.

Now I am a scrap-saver extraordinaire...when I first started paper crafting I kept the tiniest of offcuts...'just in case'!! However, I like new sheets of paper and am REALLY bad at using up scraps, even though I'm very good at collecting them!! So this challenge made me think a little...I spread some bits and pieces out to see what I had...

...and decided there must be SOMETHING useful amongst it!! Then I got my favourite box of stamps out (HONESTLY, it is!!) and that had lots or pre-stamped figures in it.... so they are sort of scraps, right??

I found a piece of paper that I'd hacked a flower off at some time and cut out the rest to make a border (forgot to take 'before' photo, but you get the idea?

I then found a piece of old book paper which had been previously sprayed with yellowy, orange inks and noticed that the words were rather appropriate to be made into a bright sunshine!!!

I chose images of Head and Olivia and when I placed them on the card they looked like they may have been enjoying a game of 'Hide & seek' in the tall flowers, so I found some apt words in an old dictionary!

 A bit of doodling (you know I can never resist!) completed my card.

When I showed it to Bethany she said, "It's lovely, but it doesn't really look like you used scraps!" I think I may have been a little grumpy when I assured her that I had!!

Hope you like it too....off now to complete preps for a small family gathering we are holding tomorrow to celebrate my lovely parents Emerald (55th) Wedding Anniversary!!

We are off on holiday on Friday, but I will try and update before we go...if not see you when I get back!

xxx

Hats off to....the colour of money!!

Been on a bit of a challenge blog hop to see what was going on out there and decided I could enter '2-for-the-price-of-1'!! If I'd put my mind to it I probably could have done more, but...hey, they'll have to be a separate post!!
Anyway over on The Sunday Stamper the theme is Hats and on Gingersnap Creations the colour challenge theme is The Colour of Money. Here is my entry.....which I think satisfies both lots of requirements!!

I opted for a purple theme to link in nicely with all those crisp £20 notes I was supposed to win on the lottery last night!!! (They pulled the wrong numbers out...AGAIN!). I created the background using acrylic paints and some spray inks, then distressed the edge and inked it with Dusty Concorde DI. I stamped Stampotique's Twinkie onto white card, cut him out and painted him with acrylics. The hat is a Dylusions stamp stamped onto some glossy card coloured with StazOn which I found in my off-cuts box. I finished off with a definition of 'hat' from an old dictionary, a computer generated quote....and a rather large bow!!

Thanks for looking and for leaving a comment...they really make my day!

xxx

Cards...and cats!!

I got my inspiration for my entry to this weeks Stampotique Designers Challenge from a small cushion I keep on my bed. The challenge this week has been set by Joanne Wardle and is 'Clean and Simple'. I'd been having a bit of a sub-conscious think about what I could do, but have never been  inspired by making the bed before!!! First time for everything, I suppose!! Anyway, here's the cushion that started it all....

.....and here is my 'clean and simple' creation!

I started by stamping Kitty onto white card, then masked her and stamped Daisy Daisy over the top. I added a touch of colour to the flowers and grass with Dylusions spray inks. I finished off with the typed sentiment and, of course, a touch of doodling!!

Couldn't finish without letting you see the REAL inspiration.....

....Charlie.....

...and Daisy!

Thanks for looking...and for leaving your lovely comments! I really do appreciate them....

xxx

Stampotique Acetate Challenge.....

I know....I know!!!! But I did tell you I'd be back sooner than you thought!!! I made this tag on Saturday as well as my pen pot, but as they were for two separate challenges, they needed their own blog entries! So this one is for the Stampotique Designers Challenge 31: Acetate.
The challenge was to create a project using acetate and Stampotique only stamps. The second part was easy, but I'm not a huge acetate fan....anyway, have to say, I quite enjoyed it!!

I started by cutting a tag using the Tim Holtz die with the 'Dream' inlay and coloured this with Broken China Distress Ink. The stars were made using a template and Wild Honey DI. I finished off by inking the edges with Black Soot and a bit of doodling (naturally!). I used the Tiny Star from Text stars to randomly stamp over the whole tag. The lovely Moon Girl is stamped onto an acetate tag...and this is where I discovered that acetate was so useful!! I had wanted her to sit on something, but the right way round she just didn't look right on the star....but when I flipped the acetate over to colour her heart I realised she fitted perfectly the other way round...RESULT!!! I stamped three Text Stars onto white card...one is on the original tag and is Moon Girls perch and the other two are stuck onto the acetate.

.....the acetate 'bit'!

I still had a bit of a gap on the right hand side and Moon Girl looks so 'dreamy' that I thought the 'Dream a little dream' words were just right!! I finished by tying the two tags together and sticking some black card behind the open word.

Hope you like......

xxx

Back to Crafting Heaven.....

I really don't know where the last 2 weeks have gone to, but there certainly wasn't much crafting done!! I had a lovely long weekend in Scotland with hubby, who was taking part in a charity cycle....and have spent some time assisting mum with the garden, in between the horrendous weather!!
When I have taken a crafting break I find it quite hard to 'get going' again, so I had a look for some likely challenges to get me up and running, and found this one at The Play Date Cafe. Their Challenge 83 is another 'Splash of Colour' one, and I love these, so it was a good place to start! Black and white, with a splash of green...
On our recent trip to London mum bought these chocolates for Ian and Sam, and the tubes looked just too useful to throw away...

...so I decided to turn it into 'something useful'!! Here is my finished pen pot....complete with the required black, white and green!

I covered the tube with Doodlebug Black Paisley paper. then added some green bunting using offcuts. I love Stampotique's Spider Girl and she has lovely stripey legs which were just asking to become green. I coloured them with water colour pencils. Her little sign is computer generated...and I finished with an extra 'splash' in the form of green ribbon!

Thanks for looking.....and I'll be back (even sooner than you think!!)

xxx

Not one, not two....but three!!!

Had a great day on Wednesday at Art from the Heart in Harrogate. Was nice to catch up with friends I've not seen for a while and we made three fabulous canvasses. Everyone at home was amazed that I had done all that in 5 hours...and had time for lunch!! There was time for plenty of laughing and talking too, but I've not mentioned that!!!
First of all we made our canvas 'in the style of Tim Holtz'.....

We used the new Kraft resist paper, which was great...I resisted (pardon the pun!) the urge to buy some, then regretted it as soon as I got home!! Oh, well...an excuse for another visit soon!!!

The next one was 'in the style of Claudine Helmuth' and looks deceptively easy!! We had more problems with this one than the other two put together...I think poor Dyan came pretty close to tearing her hair out!!! That woman has the patience of a Saint!!

...and finally we made one 'in the style of Dyan'...this one was nice and relaxing after the previous one!!

This class followed the brilliant day I had with mum on Tuesday. We went off to London to have afternoon tea at The Ritz!! Here's mum waiting to go into the Palm Court..

...someone has already commented to me that she looks quite at home!!

...at the table..

..the stunning flower arrangement..

...and I have to finish with the 'Powder Room' which I think would have suited Barbie perfectly!!!!

...a pink paradise!!..

Be back soon...

xx

Another Stampotique Challenge.......

There's just no stopping me now!!! The Stampotique Designers Challenge 29  is Sketch. I wasn't too sure about this one at first,as I've never used a sketch before, but decided to give it a go anyway. I'm really glad I did as I'm quite pleased with my finished card!

It is a Stampotique only challenge, so I chose the lovely Olivia as my main focus. Her head looked just in need of a pretty hat and so she chose Carol's Flower for the purpose! I don't think she would have looked out of place at the Royal Wedding wearing that!!! ........Philip Treacy eat your heart out!!!

The papers are from the Sweet Branch Collection by Crate, and Olivia herself is coloured using Distress Inks. A bit of doodling and a 'tongue-in-cheek' sentiment completed my card...

Thanks for looking!

xx