Health & Safety?!!

Welcome one and all, some really good crafty friends and new followers alike. It's good to have you along.

This week has been a complete blur and I feel like a taxi service! There are at least another two trips to complete before the night is out so this will be short and sweet.

I have a number of deadlines looming (including crafty ones - ha! that'll teach me to be ever so slightly smug at the beginning of the year). However, PMA required so here goes with the first one - have created another of OH's birthday project and it fits the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge 'A Little Bit of Brown'

This is like my warm up for TH's tag but also works for this project. The image is OH's great-grandfather sitting on his uncle's horse - NOTE: huge horse, no reins/stirrups/harnesses of any kind, no riding hat or protective clothing!!! The HSE would have a field day these days, but it looks like he is just enjoying it!

The background paper is Basic Grey which has futher flourishes stamped on it, a stamped acetate filmstrip has been coloured with Butterscotch alcohol ink, and the photo has been aged with a touch of brown ink. The photo has been coloured with Wild Honey and Pine Needles, and the sentiment is from Sam Poole's Art Sayings (another must have in my humble opinion).

Apologies at this point - this photo is slightly fuzzy but hopefully you get the gist: there is a piece of faux material textured wallpaper (inked as ever); a strip from K&Co Life's Journey tape measures paper; a lock and key, stamped on antique gold card with 'Morris Dance' Metal Flakes and black archival ink and Crackle Accents on the key; buttons stamped from Sam Poole's Vintage Sewing set and coloured with Versa style inks; and the word Journey has been stamped and embossed in black which has been blurred  slightly deliberately. And there you have it. The collection continues to grow - more to come - but in the meantime I want to end by showing you an ATC I received from my crafting buddy Anne.

I can't tell you how she created it but I can say I was blown away to receive it. It is going to have pride of place on my new crafting memo board (when I get round to creating it) as a reminder of the friends made through blogging and crafting. I am one lucky girl. Hugs, Buttons x

Frilly Flower

Wow! Warmer weather, an England win and I'm managing (just) to meet my various deadlines!! Woo hoo!!

So, another challenge entry - this time it's for Linda Ledbetter's Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities 2; Tissue Wrap Flowers, which this week is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie's Boutique.

This began with a revisit of Sue Carrington's stamping technique (uber talented crafter) posted on the Frilly and Funkie blog (on a smaller scale/tag) . I used Archival black ink and white acrylic paint as my resist medium (a Creative Expressions stamp from their Christmas flower set). This was covered with a mix of Wild Honey DI and gold ink; I dabbed off the excess with a damp cloth to reveal the lighter image.

At this point I deliberated about whether to add some script stamping, but decided against it as the tag was small and I wanted the flower to be the focus.

I made the flower following TH's instructions in the CC2 - no tissue wrap available, so greaseproof paper came out of the kitchen cupboard!! Needs must you know?! I coloured a couple of the layers with Wild Honey and used black ink and the same stamp on the other layers. Having scrunched it I added tiny gold beads with Golden CS pearlescent PVA. Finally some wool scraps added a touch of interest.

The tag was finished with some cotton lace (from my stash) a HOTP sentiment on textured gold card and some faux pearls using the Golden CS pearlescent PVA again. Now I will say the flower took some fiddling with, especially as I made mine slightly smaller to fit the tag dimensions, but it was worth it.

I'm going to head off now - policy documents to rewrite and other exciting life stuff to do. Promise I will make my rounds of everyone's blogs tonight to catch up on your wonderful crafty worlds. I really appreciate the comments I get and it is important to return that compliment wherever possible so you'll be hearing from me later no doubt!! Have a lovely day whether it be summer or winter for you. Hugs, Buttons x

Wild About My Honey

Good evening all. Another day, another post (though not as many piccies as yesterday!) The next instalment in my OH's inspirational birthday ATC collection - which continues to grow apace as his big day gets ever closer. I plan to enter this into the following challenges;

Fashionable Stamping Challenges  - Nature - sponsored by Marina from Cottage Crafts

J & C Creations Challenge - Animal Antics - sponsored by J & C Creations themselves

This one was inspired by the purchase of my Wild Honey and Pine Needles distress markers. The background started life as a piece of white card which got covered in Wild Honey and a touch of Walnut Stain blended with a bit of water - well ok then, a lot of water! Infact so much that the background went quite pale. So I ran my marker diagonally across the background again and a stripey texture appeared! The edges got distressed with the Walnut Stain - of course!

The images and sentiment all came from a Creative Expressions set. A vintage sage ink was used to add leaves to the top edge and the sentiment used Walnut Stain covered in clear embossing ink.

At the bottom the trees and wild grasses were stamped in a combination of the vintage sage and Pine Needles, including a spot of second generation stamping to add the illusion of depth.

 The lion worked really well, although I don't think my photographic skills do it justice at all. Stamped in black onto mustard coloured Bazzill cardstock, with the eyes, nose and whiskers emphasised with black marker, and the edges once again distressed with Walnut Stain,  I covered the whole lot in one layer of clear embossing powder. It produced a mottled effect which added real texture to this magnificant beast.

So there you have it. Wow! Has she shut up already? Well, yes. Some work awaits and I may get a little crafting in as the sun has decided to pay a long overdue visit at the back end of this evening. Thanks for stopping by and thank you for your lovely comments. They add sunshine even on the darkest day.

Hugs, Buttons x

The Travelling Man

Good evening everyone and welcome followers old and new. It's been a busy day here at the madhouse, but I've squeezed in some crafting time and managed to create 3 pieces for entry into 3 challenges (oooh, feeling slightly smug right now - that usually means I've forgotten to do something important!)

One card, one card topper and one more ATC for the OH's birthday project (well, I was on a roll and fell in love with the colours! what can I say?!)

Many thanks to the following challenges who have co-ordinated their themes beautifully (though undoubtedly unintentionally);

• The Sunday Stamper Challenge - This Boy (is there anyone out there on the crafty planet that doesn't enter this one? I think not!)
• The Stamp Man Challenge  Blog - Time/Travel (some outstanding entries every time and so worth checking out)
• Scrapology - Vintage Card (a new challenge to me, but as it's sponsored by Hels Sheridan that's good enough for me)



Loads of techniques to these, so I'll start with the background: white card with Laurel Leaf, Split Pea and Mountain Lake Versa Color smooched around and rubbed together; text and postmarks embossed on top using Snowflake tinsel powder with green and gold mica powder; quick run through with a postcard embossing folder and the resultant impressions highlighted lightly with copper ink. The background paper is from the K&Co Life's Journey set.

You know how sometimes it just works? That's why I did two smaller versions of the background too.

The tag got covered in a mix of walnut vintage ink and Umber Versa Color - love the way that stuff makes everything chalky and soft. You can then restamp over it with the original ink (in this case with my old favourite manuscript background stamp) and it gives a subtle texture. The black embossed sentiment is a Sam Poole Arty Phrase - these are a must.

I'm quite proud of the fact I matched the stamping on the tag with that on the main card - it took some doing, I can tell you! To finish - a couple of strands of blue baker's twine (thanks Anne!) coloured with Pine Needles, Wild Honey and water.

The 'faux suede' was fun: take the non-shiny side of some thick brown paper, scrunch it up and then reflatten, rub over first with that Umber Versa Color and then with copper ink to highlight the raised areas and hey presto! a perfect vintage surface for stamping on with black Archival ink (feels good and tears well too). Had to use my Stampendous steampunk balloon from The Stamp Man for the card.

The card topper and ATC used a mix of Kanban, Dimension Fourth and freebie stamps on the 'faux suede'.

The filmstrip (Dimension Fourth) was stamped with black Archival several times on acetate, coloured with black Promarker and further stamped with various travel/time elements.

Finally, for both the card topper and the ATC another Sam Poole Arty Phrase stamped onto K&Co Life's Journey paper, distressed with walnut vintage in and mounted on antique gold card. Really enjoyed doing these and (believe it or not!) I resisted the temptation to throw more embellies at all of them. So it's now time to sign off as my bed calls. Thanks for visiting. Hope to see you again soon, hugs Buttons x

Male Adventures

Hi all. Hope this finds you well. A quick post (promise) to share a male travel/adventure card for entry into this week's Make My Monday challenge (Fathers Day) and the Artful Times Challenge (Men).

This started with the blue background: playing with the resist technique using Picket Fence on the swirls; lashings of Memento Paris Dusk stamped and sponged; more stamping with black Archival for the cogs; embossing using a Creative Expressions time folder; a sprinkle of CS Arctic Blue UTEE on the raised elements; and finally a slight distressing with Dark Walnut vintage ink.

The steampunk balloon and airship were stamped onto Kanban paper and further backed on black card, roughened at the edges.

The cogs and mini stamp were cut using SB and copper pearlescent card, and the mini postcards cut from antique gold card stamped with a Dimension Fourth image.

The bunting is metal tape on white card, coloured with White and Copper mixatives and Butterscotch alcohol ink, and 'riveted' with an embossing tool. Finally the sentiment is a Sam Poole Arty Phrase (LOVE 'EM!!) which I highlighted with a silver Uni-ball pen to make it stand out. The whole lot is mounted on a piece of K&Co Life's Journey paper from my stash. Hope you like. Thanks for all the wonderful comments.

Have a great weekend, hugs Buttons x

In The Pink

I'm back!! There are times when I wish I was a 'cyborg' from Star Trek that could screw on a replacement head when mine is playing up. Enough winging. Still, time for the first post, my entry into Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stampers 209 - Pretty in Pink. One of my fav films this - I remember Molly Ringwald knocking up her own creation for the prom because it was about the same time I busy was sewing my own clothes (Top Shop wasn't always up to much at that time!!) Coincidentally the colours seem to me to fit with the mood board on the latest Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Joy's Summer Inspiration.

This all started with the background. I have been looking at Sue C.'s Saturday Step X Step on the Frilly and Funkie Challenge blog, trying to work out what I could do without any matte medium. I've had a play with my Picket Fence marker (more of that soon) but then it struck me - white acrylic paint!!

I used the cogs stamp from my new Stampendous set on white uncoated card a couple of times (steampunk lace border methinks?) Over the tope went lashings of Spun Sugar and Desert Sand ink DTP. A quick squirt of water over the paint and a dab with kitchen towel and hey presto! Over the top of this went CS Enchanted Gold and Pearlescent mica powder (another spot of water/dabbing - doesn't show up so well on camera) and finally some smaller Kanban cogs with Flitter Glue and Morris Dance flakes.

The whole lot got embossed with an Indentz folder.Then to make it more lacy I trimmed both ends and added punched white paper underneath. The pattern and tape measure are both Andy Skinner stamps on 'lemon juiced' paper with Spun Sugar colouring and a healthy dose of gold embossing powder.

The final image - my 'prom dress' is a Kanban stamp, coloured with Promarkers, highlighted in small areas with gold, clear, and black embossing powders. The skirt had some Snowflake Tinsel embossing powder added too - a tiny bit of bling and texture.

Finally some gold chain and flower/bead embellies from my stash (and charity shop necklace purchase) were attached to complete the look. Do you know, after all that I looked up Molly's prom dress on line and it wasn't anywhere near as glam as I remember. Oh, the memory can play tricks on you! Right, time to disappear and sort out the next few posts. Thanks for dropping by and leaving such lovely comments. I will always try to return the compliment as we all need a little crafty love in our lives. Hugs, Buttons x

It's A Mystery

If you are my age you will now possibly be singing a Toyah Wilcox song in your head! If not, don't panic! There's no audio link with this blog (phew!!) And so may I firstly welcome my new followers to this little corner of crafty heaven, where the dog has been brushed (Malamute undercoat now litters half of the county!!) the garden has been tidied up (courteousy of my OH) and I have finished a double project as my entry for the Fashionable Stamping Challenges 'Mystical and Very Magical' challenge. If you've not yet had the chance to check out this site I can recommend it highly.

I don't have any witches or wizards lurking in my stamping stash but I happen to think butterflies are magical creatures who flutter in and out of our lives bringing a smile and a splash of colour wherever they go (not quite Shakespeare! - I'll stick to crafting!) Now you are going to have to bear with me - it's an image heavy post, so get a cuppa/glass of something depending on the time of day and personal preference.

 

They were inspired by a couple of pieces created by Hels Sheridan recently using Dovecraft papers that I bought on a whim in a sale and then went off. A selection of 6x6 sheets got chopped up and patchworked onto plain card. This was then covered in a thin layer of white gesso and CS Enchanted Gold mica powder.

Next came a spot of stamping - small butterflies in Brilliance Pearlescent Crimson - well at least that happened on the second card (hence the reason for their being two cards as I thought I had messed up the first, attempted a rescue, ummed and ahhed and finally got it done). The first card got stamped after the masking stage. This was achieved by using a TH mini mask covered in a mix of white acrylic, Ranger Snowflake embossing tinsel, and CS mica powders in Pink Ultra, Violet Frost and Tropic Blue. Once dry extra mica was rubbed over the top to strengthen the colour.

Then card one got stamped when I realised I'd forgotten this stage! Card one (above) got a SB Twisted Metal Accent with silver mirror card outer and the inner cut from one of the papers, embossed with a Texture Fades folder, highlighted with the Brilliance ink again and a sentiment added in Black Archival ink.

The butterfly was stamped onto another of the papers, but as it didn't stand out I went over it with silver Uni-Ball pen by hand and cut it out.

Card two was the one where I got the background right (although on reflection I should have eased back on the Enchanted Gold as it made it paler than the first.

The sentiment layer consisted of a SB Fleur de Lis square in black card that had been triple embossed with black embossing powder and had the mica powders mentioned above heated into it as well. The sentiment was stamped into the hot glaze and further highlighted with silver Uni-Ball pen.

The larger Fleur de Lis square was cut in antique gold card, embossed with the same Texture Fades folder (covered in Perfect Medium) with a sprinkle of the same mica powders dusted over the top.  Finally the butterfly was created using TH's mosaic effect with papers from the same set, Snowflake embossing tinsel coloured with Mulberry Promarker and Silver Lustre mica paint, and Glossy Accents.

Both pieces got layered onto white square cards with matching papers distressed at the edges (of course!) Et voila. Tons of shine and sparkle (although somewhat difficult for someone with limited photography skills to impart). If you haven't dropped off by now congrats for reaching the end of this epic!! I hope you've enjoyed it and now feel free to reward yourself - you've earned it!! It is time for me to go (the World breathes a sigh of relief) for Euro 2012, F1 and a turkey wrap await - what an exciting life I lead. Thanks for dropping by, hope to see you again soon. Hugs, Buttons x