TMTA Challenge - Peacock

Here is my ATC entry for the TMTA challenge this week, peacock. I really enjoyed this one, as I got to use my Starburst Stains and the Elusive Image peacock plate stamps. Favs all!!!

I enjoyed the triple embossing too, as always, and added a few jewels from my stash. Unfortunately, the thick embellies made the bakground a little out of focus, and, as usual, the shimmery nature of the inks just does not show to best advantage. But the colours are deep and shiny, and the piece has pleasing texture. Thanks for looking.

DragonsDream Header / Sidebar Strap

Have had fun working on my header and little strap image for the sidebar on my DragonsDream TIO challenge site. The crafting was fine, but it was the re-sizing of the image. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to where the writing appears when you make the header, and the shrinking plays havoc when you make the strap for the sidebar... it will do for now, but I would welcome any advice from you seasoned blogger friends out there!!

Please feel free to have my little pet for your own sidebar, and I would be honoured if you linked back to my DragonsDream site... Thanks for looking.

TIO Challenge "Time and Tide"

Here is my tag, which I made for the challenge over on my TIO blog. I coloured it with Cosmic shimmer and Glimmer mists in blues and greens. The stamps are UMount, Kodomo and Dimension Fourth. I used clear embossing powder over versafine black and smokey, as well as some distress inks and printworks pads. I just kept adding "stuff" until it had the look I had dreamed!!

I love collage stamps, and find them so useful for this kind of work. This tag is quite large, at 6x3.5 + "wings"... It is shiny and very vibrant, but this does not show well on the screen. Thanks for looking.

Tag It On Challenge

Here is my entry for the pre-opening challenge over on my NEW BLOG, called DragonsDream. Since I started blogging, earlier in the year, I have wanted to start a challenge of my own. Well there it is. It will be on a Wednesday and it will be in the form of a tag, of any shape and size. The challenge will be called Tag it On (TIO) and I am SO looking forward to seeing you all, over there, to join me with your wonderful creativity.

The theme for this pre-opening week is blossom, and you are MORE than welcome to try it out. I shall start, officially, next week, on Wednesday 29th April.

Altered Postcard

This is my entry for Wednesday Stamper's challenge, alter the back of a postcard. I printed out one I had saved from The Graphics Fairy, as shown above. I used distress inks, spritzed on my heat pad, then overprinted with several different stamps, in the same inks. The main image was printed in stazon. I added a little paper butterfly and mounted on to music paper. The stamps are from Lavinia, Butterfly kisses and UMount, basically. I really enjoyed the freedom of this piece after the more traditional work of my sample cards!!

Numero 4 - as seen on TV

This is the fourth in the series for Jenny of Hobby Arts, for her show on Thursday 16th April. She has all the samples now, and said they are "as shown on TV" lol!!! She will have them there on display, so I am pleased she likes them. This is a lovely stamp. So pretty and swirly. The story goes that they were drawn by a lady called Jean, and taken to Jenny by Jean's daughter, because her mum is very ill now, in a nursing home. Unfortunately she will never know the pleasure she gives to us stampers, but here is my "thank you" to Jean. The background on front and backer is made with another of her stamps, printed with a shades of blue Blending Blox pad. The main image is coloured using watercolour pencils. Thanks to Jenny for the opportunity, and Jean for the inspiration...

New Stamps - another sample

Here is another sample made for the Hobby Arts show. Jenny should have them in her sticky mitt now, so I hope she likes and them, and wants to use them in her show... if not, I like them anyway, and enjoyed using the stamps!! This one is really lovely, but I wanted to use some of my other stamps with it... frustrating!! So I kept it so simple, printing it out and embossing it in different colours, as you can see. The top is the front, the lower image is the backer. A few peel-offs, a piece of ribbon and a circle punch complete this small piece.

Daisy Medley - sample for show

This is another in the series of samples made for Hobby Art Show on Ideal World/Create & Craft Thursday 16th April at 11.00am GMT+1. The top image is the front and the bottom image is the backer.

I used the best wishes stamp to print a background in versamark ink, embossed with clear ep. When it was cool, I sponged dried marigold and shabby shutters, then sprayed with clear water to mottle the effect. I overprinted again using the shabby shutters ink pad. The main stamp is quite large, and is coloured in the same inks as the background paper, with a few strokes of matching Sakura pens for stronger accents. The three centres are picked out with perlidoodles 3D splodges. The backer uses the orange cardstock, overprinted with the small butterfly, in the same two inks, and coloured with the same pens. A single image, printed on white, finishes off the piece.

New Stamps - preview

This card is made as a sample, with new stamps from Hobby Art. They are lovely, and print out so well. The top image is the front and the lower image is the back of the card. I used violent violet stazon and coloured in with Sakura pens. I used the swiss dots folder for the Cuttlebug and stroked over with the violet pad, to highlight the dots, in order to echo those on the images. The card front is purple mirri board, (which is why it looks so dark in the scan) and I used the insert paper for the backer to the triple embossed piece. Do hope Jenny likes it when I send it to her. She has a new show, on Ideal World/Create&Craft, on 16th April at 11am, so I hope you will support her by watching, if you are able...

It also fits in nicely with the challenge at MMM - to use stripes or dots.!!

Oriental "Thank You" 谢谢 xièxie Cards

This trio was done for a commission. They are "Thank You" cards for 3 young men who do Taiji Quan with me. I enjoyed doing them, using my new stamps from Lavinia, which I bought at the NEC recently. I used Adirondack Earthtones in butterscotch, red pepper and terracotta. The sun is by Hero Arts. I stamped the trees etc with versafine onyx black - a new pad colour to me, which I LOVE at the moment... it is just so juicy and black!! The sky is good old gum drop from Big 'n juicy. I really like the texture which comes from using the brayer, rollered over the torn paper hills. I think they will go down well with the lads!!