T!m Holtz Birdcage Swap

Corr... is this lady excited or what??!! I have been looking forward to launching this for so long, and now it's here... I have hinted at something for a while, then tentatively floated the idea on WOYWW and loads of peeps said they are interested... wooo!!! So what is "IT" you are now asking... well... get a cuppa and sit a while so I can run through it...

VERY soon, it will be my 300th post on this blog, and so my lovely followers, I want to celebrate with a swap... now I adore the TH birdage die, and would like to have that as the theme... some gals have asked if they are ok to join as they are international... and I shout HELL YES!!! Some have also asked if they could use some other birdcage, and I don't see why not, but I don't know of one, do you??? (Actually I have found a couple of mariane dies which would fit the bill, since writing that!!)

I have popped a couple of my cagey makes here to pretty-up this post... some are bigger and more grand than others, and that makes me think of an important rule... size - well it DOES matter in this case!!! so we all have a similar starting point...

 Both of these are quite large at 81/2" square, and I think that would be excessive for postage!!! don't you?? In both cases, the cages were cut from thick card and triple embossed...

This card was made for a Stampman floral challenge, and this size is not too bad, what say you?? The cage was cut from gold cardstock...

 This was a retirement card for one of Freddie's friends, so not much bigger than the height of the cage cut out... that's more like it methinks... the cage was cut from very thin wood...

 And this little chappie is a #8 tag made for my daughter's Inspiration Album... is that too small??? The cage was cut from white shiny cardstock...

Well, this one got EVEN smaller because it is made from shrink plastic, and is very teeny tinyness!!! Tee hee... so how big then? I think the optimum is about #8 tag or postcard 6"x4"... but I'm sure many of you will find ways to be creative with your space!!!

So to the rules of the swap - please only commit if you intend to follow through. I had a horrid experience with the WOYWW birthday swap at first, where my partner did not make anything tangible, but fortunately some lovely people took pity and I got nice gifts after all. Another decision to make here, about who will you all swap with?? Well, I think I will put you in two hats and get the fragrant Freddie to pull out partners a la footie thingie, ok?? Here's hoping we are an even number... and I think we should deffo keep them secret until the day, what do you think??

What to do
1) make your birdcage piece by 7th September 2011
2) size to be #8 tag or postcard 6"x4"... but, if you fancy being 3D, that's up to you!! it's your postage!!
3) take note of your swap partner then get their address on 7th September
4) send to your partner as SOON as possible after the closing date - 7th September
5) sit back and wait for your loveliness to arrive, and try not to get too excited!!!

However, I am SO excited already cos I know of some VERY lovely crafters out there who have already said they want to join in... you can spy them on my blog here... YES, her, and her and him and her...... wooo, fabulous eh??!! So come on and say you too will join in - btw, if you have already said yes, no need to do so again, as I have started a list and you will be on it... We can then post our swaps on my blog through an inlinkz thingie, so all can see all...

Coming to an end now, with a plea to join in and also to say whether I have forgotten anything, or could make anything different, like choosing the partners , size etc... I want you ALL to be comfortable and really happy with this swap, so shout up if I am talking through my hat again!!! tee hee wouldn't be the first time eh?? I think this will be awesome and am really looking forward to making something for my lovely partner, whoever he or she may be!!! Thanks for getting through this marathon post -
Love and light
Frankie
xx

 Other possibilities if you don't have the TH die...

Stampman Challenge - Anything Goes in Summer Colours DT Piece

The new challenge over at the Stampman is all about summer colours and you can do whatever you want... so I made a card - don't faint... it doesn't happen often, but here it is...

 I knew I wanted to make some flowers, cos I am mad about them... I used the TH tattered florals die to cut my blanks, then did the cutting smaller and smaller thingie... They came out well I think...

 This central image is an Aspect of Design piece from the 06 nature collection... I stamped it in black archival over a smoochy distress ink/stain background... then stamped again and layered alternate ones in darker coloured stains...

 Here is the whole topper... I stamped two framies and cut them in half so I could attach them to my main piece, top, bottom and sides... I like the effect...

Here is the photo which shows the 3D effects of the card... the punched paper is done with a Martha Stewart punch, and the crease card is distress core'dinations...

 And finally, the finished card, ready for a friend's birthday later this month... I don't often do pinky colours like this, let's face it!!! so all round, this is quite a change for me... I do like a challenge and I am going back to my "crafty 'oom" as my grandson used to call it (so we all do now!!) to TRY to get stuff sorted... I think after 4 years, I am entitled to take over all the drawers etc, and Pete's stuff will finally have to move over!!! Phew... that's quite a move forward...

So there you are... why not join in with the challenge? You have a fortnight to do it and don't forget that Jill gives a great prize for the overall winner... the others get the blinkie for their sidebar...

Thanks for looking and commenting...but most of all, ENJOY!!
Love and light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #114 - A Win, Two Tags, a Desk and a Future Swap

 OMG... it's that day again... where has the week gone...??? I swear someone came in during the night and stole my whole week at once!!! ... It's only a mo since we were last chez Julia...  Now what do you spy here above and below??? Tis my winnings -YEY!!! I said I won something... I never win, but I did at Artistic Stamper, in their July hot hot hot competition... and WHAT a winning... it's only one of Hels Sheridan's ATC makings!!!

 Yes... it's an ickle ATC from THE hels Sheridan and I am LOVING the roses, isn't it just yummy?? Oh yes, and I also won the adage tickets too... great stuff...

 Tada!!! Here it is then, a little more tidy than usual. Looking closely, you can see my two tags for this week, which I will show you close up below... for more detailed spying, you can look here and here for them both... and my growing set of punches... MS and EK S ones... The other treasure is the set of Viva Inca Gold pastes in gold, purple, red, blue, haematitie etc... fabulous stuff - the tag below used the gold and the haematite...

 This is my entry for Simon Says Stamp and Show a TH technique and Grungy Monday #19... great technique so check it out ... and

this tag is for TIO... my challenge blog, where Zoe's theme is It's a Horse's Life... pop over and join in, it's great fun...

And Finally... announcing a swap... It will soon be my 300th posting, and to mark the occasion, I would like to do a swap with you all and my followers. I adore the Tim Holtz birdcage dies and would like to challenge you to make something with a birdcage on it... If you want to join in, just let me know and I can then organize it for you all... woo I am so excited... I do hope lots of you will take part, and then we can swap some great birdies!!!

Thanks for coming along to look and comment... and PLEASE say you will make that birdcage ... you will have 4weeks from today to be ready to swap... (7th September)
Love and light
Frankie
xx

TIO #91 - It's a Horse's Life (equestrian)

Another week and another challenge over on my DragonsDream Tag It On blog... This time it's Zoe's turn, and she has chosen to do "It's a DogsX Horse's Life!" .. tee hee... I have absolutely NO, nil, zilch, nada stamps with horses on, so I had to get crafty again - literally gang!!!! I had a thought of a journey in my head, the journey of the horse from ancient times to now... from cave horse drawings to my wonderful 11.3 hands pony Rosie Posie.... so that's what I attempted... life from then to now...

 So here they are... galloping over the cave walls, intent on getting ready to be useful and beautiful, strong and virile... happy to be our partners and friends and healers...

 This is the full view of my horsey tag, a cave wall, a sadle shape and an almost rosette, with dreams of cantering over fields and jumps, roads and grass... I printed the image from the internet, then added it to the coloured, gessoed tag... the spots are made from a stamp which is called field of sky, and just help to belnd the picture into the tag...

 I thought this was inspired and came out really well!!!! - a leather strap?? Well, yes of course, for helping to ride my horse, but in fact it is coloured grunge paper, with holes punched and eyeletted... I am right proud of myself with this... -oh calm down dear!!!! it's good but not THAT good!!!

 The sadle-shaped sentiment is stamped from an Elusive Images sheet, and exclaims the beginning of the life from cave to me, in the present day...

 As I neared finishing the piece, I realised that rosettes are a large part of our competing and the boys love the red ones best - because mostly, they are for 1st place!!!! So I had to have a rudamentory tag here in the picture, red but not red... so I cut one down and coloured it red but not red...

So there it is, my tag for a horse's life. I hope Zoe feels I have done her theme justice. Why not pop over and join in? It's a wonderful challenge and it's just for fun really. The only rule is that you have to use at least one real stamp... ENJOY!!
Love and light
Frankie
xx

Grungy Monday #19 and Simon Says Stamp and Show a TH Technique

Great stuff again this week... opportunities to get inky and get out the paints. I have done a tag for Simon Says Stamp and Show a Tim Holtz technique and for Grungy Monday #19, Tim Holtz Christmas tag here... ooo, so exciting... so sit tight and here we go!!

 Yippee... lots of opportunities here to use my new Victor Vagabond... for the plastic tag and texture folder and the umbrella man die. Holding breath, I tiptoed up to VV and prepped for him cutting and texturizing... and it worked!!! Hurrah!!

I decided to use the TH technique but to substitute my own ingredients... The background was painted with trad tan, then distressed with Viva gold and haematite, to give this grungy feel. The stamp is double stamped in weathered wood and black soot, then embossed with clear ep - well THAT is very unusual for me!!! tee hee...

 The piece was finished off with a double crystal bauble from TH and two phillips screw head brads... T!m used washers etc here...

 The umbrella man was coloured with Viva haematite, a wonderfully shiny, grey paste, then he was printed with words from a TH stamp... this picture shows the great dots pressed into the plastic packaging tag, meant to look like rain... no!!! you would never have guessed eh!!?

 The bow was seam binding, dyed with weathered wood distress ink. I stood the tag up for these two shots and the reflections were very interesting...

So there we have my latest tag - not sure how many I have made this year, but it IS a very lot!!! tee hee... Thanks for looking and leaving your wonderful comments... off to do a bit more tidying and crafting
Love and light
Frankie
xx