I Am All Loved Out Now... no more hearts/romance

This is my entry for 3 different challenges this week. The first is Dans Ma Maison il y a - love. The second is Daring Cardmakers who are feeling green, and the third is Tag You're it - love and romance. Ok now!! Enough love and romance. I will be pleased when this Valentine's Day is over!!! (I know, I am a kill joy, but too much of a good thing gets ???)

I am LOVING so much stamping. ALL the elements here are stamped, except for the brad and tassel, of course... From the top down, the roof is a huge one called bead curtain, from Stamp Addicts. The oriental writing is also from them and the other script is my new UMount. The cloudy moon is another Stamp Addicts, as is the star. The agapanthus is from Stampendous, embossed with clear ep. The dots are done with my Cuttlebug swiss dots and the main image is one of the first plates I bought, from The StampMan. I painted it with Cosmic Shimmers + water brush. There is a bamboo stamp too, which is a fav, but I can't conjure up from where it came... The whole piece is displayed on a sheet from the wonderful Far East Stack , from DCWV.

It won't be my fault if people looking at my blog don't get hooked on STAMPING!!!

Silly Moo - They can have My Cake...

This was fun... a moo made for this week's challenge at Make a Moo or Two, Marie Antoinette. Ok!!! I KNOW the Eiffel Tower was not built yet, but I am being an artist!! The cake was a small Cuttlebug folder and the stamps are my new set from UMount - they only came today... The frame around the picture, from Google, was made in My Craft Studio. It is just a bit of silliness, hence, "Silly Moo" - well she was, apparently...

Peony Fairy in her Magical Cave

This was an interesting challenge. I know a lot of you out there are expert at photo manipulation... that was my husband's passion, not mine. Now I wish I had taken more notice on the how, instead of the finished article!!! So, I set out to make this background, physically, by printing it and cutting it in various ways. It was given to us by Wil, for the challenge at Art Creations Friday. I am reasonably happy with the way it turned out. The central image is from Joanna Sheen's Victorian CD, and a Chinese peony flower, I have in my collection. I have highlighted her bodice and wing-eyes by adding a layer of Crystal Lacquer - a great medium I have just discovered!

A Card from The Pink Twinchie - 2x2

I have made the Pink twinchie into a card. Just added a square of more paper weaving with wider stips, and rotated + a little ribbon and bow, from my stash. The back of the card - below - has an oblong of "proper" weaving and is finished off with the three butterfly border, from Kodomo.

This is the back of the same card.

3 in 1 Solutions...Hearts and Flowers

My hearts and flowers are made to cover 3 challenges - Wednesday Stamper, Tanda Teaser and Arty Girlz. All were to use hearts and / or flowers. I will tell you I am disappointed about the scan, as it is so washed out. The piece is much prettier in colour than it appears.

I used 3 ink pads here, gumdrop from Big n Juicy, Encore Ultimate Metallic (sweet dream) and good old versamark. I used the brayer quite a lot, for the background, and inking up the UMount plate stamps. I used clear ep and covered the whole background with it too. The white hearts made into a doily shape, are printed on to vellum and embossed in white ep. This stamp was a freebie, from a magazine. I cut out the circle with my new cutter from "The Craft Room"

Will I get Skinny with this Recipe?

This is a skinny - 3"x5", a nice little size. It is an entry for Simply Skinnies this week, which is recipes. I wrote a craftholic recipe and used stamps from Elusive Images, stamped on to fantasy film, and the background card. I brayered the embossing powdered print, with Big n Juicy gumdrop, and aged the photographic paper recipe image with chalk ink in wisteria. The fantasy fibres are mixed and ironed (Oh!!! SO sorry to use this horrid word!!!LOL) flat, leaving just a few loose ones on the edge. The mounting area is dark, rich, purple mirri card. A soupcon of ribbon and 2 pinches of dragonfly brads finish this dish of the day... ENJOY!!!

Alchemy - GOLD!!! 2 Challenges

Back to where I began - this is what started me crafting / stamping. I saw Carol from Stamp Addicts, doing triple embossing and thought it was MAGIC... it really is alchemy. In making this 4x4, I have used gold and Moonglow two toned golds, which make rose and green gold colours. I stamped into the hot melted mixture with an Aspect of Design stamp, which Ali reminded me of, when she used it. I also used a flourish from a UMount plate, plus some text from AofD, and a few dots of gold Pearlidoodles. It is scrummy and golden, in real life, rich and textural (is that a new word??!!)

I am entering it into 2 challenges today, at My Time to Craft, Go for Gold and Created by Hand, Gold.

Just a Few Lines

I have made the challenge ATC into a card for the RFs card swap, in February. I hope my partner likes it!! I have added a Bazzill basics crease card, in a lovely soft lime colour and some peel-off swirls (the swap is swirls and flourishes) I have also used my Cuttle Bug on the backer, with a little tag from an oriental kit, and another tiny postcard from the Graphics Fairy.

This is the back of the same card above.

The Fairy and the Unicorn

I have entered this creation into the challenge pool at SoArtful Challenges. I thought it would really tax me, and it did!!! I brought out some fairies (don't do them often) and other bits, and collaged them. I am really quite pleased with the effect. Have a look at this site, because it looks good, but she is struggling to get takers - quote



"I am not sure if this challenge blog will be kept on as it seems it doesnt get much response so i shall see how things go for a couple more challenges and then work out if it needs to go."



So come on... let's support it and see if we can get more folks to enter!!

Think Monday, Think ATC - you have mail

This ATC was made using various stamps from an Egyptian plate by Non Sequitur and Kodomo fanning lady. The main postcard image was from The Graphics Fairy, who has some WONDERFUL images, so thanks to her!! The other papers are from Joanna Sheen pads. I have made it for a challenge at Think Monday, Think ATC, you have mail. I used my fav distress inks, and a new-to-me pad from Adirondack, called pitch black. Not used this brand before, and I like it. I also used some chalks in browns, to age the ATC itself, as well as the display background sheet.

Dans Ma Maison Il Y A - sweets /candies

This piece is done completely with cut up photos... I think there is a lot of depth in it. I created it for Dans ma maison il y a - sweets/candies - the house here IS sweets, so I hope it fits the bill - beware it can rot your teeth!!!! It came straight from Hansel and Gretal!!

Pink - Small World of Inchies & Twinchies

More printing/stamping... I have done a twinchie -2x2, which is a lovely small thingyto do!! The theme at SWIT is pink, so I decided to do some paper weaving, using several Joanna Sheen ODCD backing papers. One of them had roses so I cut one out for the centre then did an inchie in triple embossing. The powders are Moonglow two tones, and the butterfly stamp is one of the set from Kodomo. I think this might finish up as a topper for a card, perhaps with more, larger paper weaving background and a pink crease card - watch this blog/space...

Hurrah - Stamping...Hearts Gothic Arches & MMM

Hurrah, some stamping, late in the day!!! It's snowing outside, but Valentine's Day is coming up next week - traditionally the day when birds pair up for the spring mating season... So, here are my two love birds, from Joanna Sheen's ODCD, surrounded by hearts stamped in blending blox shades of green, using an Hero Arts stamp heart. The text is from an Aspects of Design plate, and the large, swirly, leafy image is one from Elusive Images. I have prepared this one for the latest Gothic Arches challenge, hearts... It also fits Mixed Media Monday, romance, so I have shown it there too.

Blog Candy!!! - Elusive Images New Plates

Well, I decided NOT to fuss about so-called "blog candy" but I really can't let THIS one go, can I?? I LOVE Glenda's Elusive Images stamps, and have many of them... so I would like these plates. I have added a card I made with the peacock plate, just to show it off!!! Have a look at the new plates, they are really lovely, and just up my collage street, at the moment...

The card uses Starburst Stains, and Joanna Sheen's ODCD. I used a feather from my stash

This is the back of the card.

I'm Dreaming of a Masked Ball - TGIF

NO stamping what-so-ever again!! boo hoo!! But I did enjoy making this little 4x4. Did some alcohol inks and fluffy stuff for this TGIF challenge - masked ball.

Sunday Postcard Art - chair

Needed / wanted to practise with my 3D decoupage CD for making backing papers, so I decided to have a go at the Sunday Postcard Art challenge - chair. This was SUCH a difficult one, and I had no ideas or stamps, so I found an image of a chair and manipulated it to make the paper. Other bits are from my stash. It's a pathetic offering but I can't be fantastic ALL the time (tee hee!!!)