WOYWW #108 - Home Again, Home Again

Can it really be time for this I-spy playtime again?? Visit Julia to see what I mean... This time last week I was in Venice, but life is very different now!!! Mum has been in hospital and I have been up and down to Yorkshire trying to sort things out... quite distressing, and not enough time for much crafting!!!

 So I am trying to make some time for a bit at least, and here is an element from a tag for this week's TIO challenge, "by the seaside"... she is a lovely oriental lady with a lantern...

 I actually don't have any stamps to do with the seaside, so I took a different tack and decided to print out a Kodomo sea stamp several times and layer up... here I was practising the best way to tackle the layers.. in the final tag, I printed several times and cut out the waves...

So here is my desk this week as I was making the TIO tag. All the usual suspects are there... distress inks, tonic scissors, matt for a moon etc... so here is a little sneaky peak at what it looks like - please pop to my TIO blog for a full view, and to see the work of my talented team...

And finally, I would like to show you a couple of photos from Venice... arty ones and a fabulous steampunk piece... It was huge, and I LOVED it... I would have really wanted to bring it home for my wall, if I could have carried it!!! Sorry about the shiny strip, but the sun was bright and shining on the shop front opposite. There was no way I could get the image without the reflection!!!

 Many of the masks in Venice, were commonplace, but the ones in this shop were out of the ordinary...

 And what about this fabulous gown... it makes me wonder how on earth they got through doorways and went to the loo, etc!!! Where on earth could you tuck all that fabric out of the way!!!?? LOL...

So that's my space and interests for another week. I hope to get round to see many more of you this time, as I won't have dodgy wifi (I hope!!) so not missing that, but I AM missing all that sunshine... still, I did get a nice tan, especially as I sat near the Rialto and did some painting - yes I got out the watercolours and THOROUGHLY enjoyed 3 hours with toes in the canal (well not quite, but nearly!!) ... Freddie walked and explored and took video. I did not finish, but will show you when it's done!!

Thanks so much for visiting, reading and commenting - I LOVE to hear what you have to say, and value your opinions
Love and light
Frankie
xx

Stamp Addicts Cards and News

 Aww, isn't he a sweetie??. I LOVE elephants and this one is so nice to use. The sheet comes with a smaller version too and some sentiments... I just simply stamped him with a distress ink then pulled in the colour with a water brush... Nigel really seemed to like this card, on Sunday's show...

 This birdie stamp is quite large and very easy to use... you can cut the bird separately, and the flowers for decoupage, which is what I did here. I printed on to a glossy cardstock and embossed with clear ep.  The background paper is created by stamping one of the very useful circles stamps and smooching china blue distress ink over it.

The third card is from another cutie set of birds. I put several of the images together to make a scene. I think Nigel really liked this one on the show too, as he asked how it had been done... I printed in black archieval and used clear ep as always, but the images have large areas filled in, so the ep really stands out... Hope you like these cards, and if so, pop to Stamp Addicts to buy the rubber, or get them from Create and Craft.

Well, followers will know I have been to Venice, and I will share photos soon. However, my mum has broken her arm and has finished up in hospital!!! I rushed up there this weekend and tried to sort things out, but nothing happens on a ward on a weekend!!! She is often a bit confused, and is even more so when out of her normal surroundings... she was heartbraking and I am powerless to do more than have our views recorded in the notes... I hope I am getting somewhere today, by phone, because I  had to come home yesterday, obviously, as I have a my own house and life to run... So hopefully, I should have better news soon... meanwhile, much of my time is spent trying to keep abreast of things by phone, and being passed around!! Frustrating...
Thanks for looking
Love and light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW - With a Difference!!!

Hi all... a bit like our lovely Julia last week, there is absolutely NO desk, workspace or even floor to see this week chez moi!!! Because I am not all there!!! - opps let me re-phrase that, I mean to say I am from home... I am actually in VENICE!!!! Yes, you read it right, so no craftyness or inky fingers from me today, or all week until we are home again ...

I will share picture next week here but until then, the sun is blazing down in blue skies and I am having a wonderful time with the fragrant Freddie, for our 1st anniversary... If you want to see photos of our handfasting, pop down one post and see what we got up to last year... Have a great week
Love and light bright sunshine
Frankie
xx

One Year On + Almost 25,000 Visitations!!

It is our 1st anniversary today!!! This day last year, Freddie and I had our Handfasting Wedding in my wonderful garden... And where are we celebrating this great day?? Well in one of the world's most romantic cities.... Venice... I will share pictures when we come back, but meanwhile here is a link to our photos from last year..

I do hope this works as I am blogging with intermittent wifi on my iPad, lying in bed with a great cup of tea brought to me by the fragrant Freddie himself... And I am fast approaching 25,000 on my counter.... Wooo that's totally fab

Love and light bright sunshine
Frankie
xx
PS here is the album I made to keep the photos in... Thanks for looking

Two Tags - TIO and Stampman

 This first tag is my DT piece for my TIO challenge. I LOVE stamp layering, as my followers will know, so I stamped the klimpt ladies from the Judikins cube, first... they are four corners around the Leda face in the middle... subtle but there...

 I just continued to stamp and emboss with clear ep., all the faces I could find... I thought it was great fun to add the Tim Holtz steampunk men to the ladies here!!! tee hee... I added oriental faces and even a pharaoh...

 You might even  spy Nefertiti!!! It was great fun to do and I love the colour scheme, which is quite different from many I have done recently.

 This tag is my DT piece for the Stampman challenge of butterflies and dragonflies...  I smooched the card through three different layers of distress inks and dried it... then stamped the large dragonfly as a background...

 Then I stamped the tile in the corner. Using one of the single insects, I flew it to the top of the tag.. It is a very graceful image, I think... I have always loved these plates by Kay Carley... all were painted in the distress inks...

I cut four butterflies from the TH movers and shapers mini set, and smooched them through the same set of inks... a bit of distressing through some punchinella, some lace to top and bottom, and Bob was my male relative, so to speak!!!

So, this week, I have gone really simple - well you all knew that already!!! tee hee... but craftily - not sure that's a word - I have done some quite elaborate stuff recently, so I needed to see if I could just make a tag!! Well, I think they both work, so thanks for looking... please leave me a comment, as I really appreciate your coming and telling me what you think...
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #106 - Well Just Don't be Judgemental!!!

 Well this is what is on my desk just now, stamps for making cards for Stamp Addicts on Sunday... and that fab new gun that I am just getting used to... they are quite a thing to master eh??? Anyone got any tips on how to stop it delivering the tape when you want to stop??? !!!

 Here is a more open view of my desk - still the same old, same old stuff about!!! Tiny attacher... what a great tool that is too, don't you agree??  What tool do you find really useful???

This is a close up of one of the main image stamps... it's a ickle birdie and some lovely flowers. Deeply etched, it printed very well, and I was pleased with the card I made...

I like it but it's not my usual style so it was a great challenge. It is quite a large card and it was fun to use the lace in this way... I made two other cards but they will be for another day...

If you are interested in the Mini Album PiF I made, I have posted a whole set of photos of it here, so you can have a look... I loved all the layering stamping...

The other bits around the desk were concerned with a challenge piece I have made for TIO - Numbers Game, Simon Says Stamp and Show some torn/distressed edges, and Ink on My Fingers - Steampunk
It is a larger piece again, with a tag attached, and it is quite good fun... below is one view nut you can see more of it here....

So there you have it, another little selection from my deskie this week... if you have enjoyed this post, please have a look at the others I have linked for you, and don't forget to leave me a comment each time, cos I love hearing what you think... and if you are wondering why I have shown you my tatty desk, pop over to the magnificent Stamping Ground from whence all good looky opportunity things come...tee hee...

Thanks for looking and visiting again
Love and light
Frankie
xx

PS... Just found I have won Top Three at Simon Says Stamp and Show last week!!! Woo Hoo, I am SO chuffed!!

Three Challenges Again...

Well, the subject matter is from TIO - Numbers Game... the technique is from Simon Says Stamp and Show some torn/distressed edges, and the style is Steampunk from Ink on my Fingers, the challenge of Hels Sheridan... I had great fun making it...

 I started with a frame and added some torn and distressed lost and found paper from TH stash... choosing numbers, of course...

 This little birdcage is so sweet... it is hanging from some TH idea-ology...

 Here is the whole thing.. I have never used the numbers tape before, so I attached it to the frame with the Tiny attacher. It was fun to try and find as many different types of numbers as possible.

 This was also a newbie for me... I have used the background stamp from the Steampunk sheet, but not stamped the men before... they came out fabulously.. they really are dapper. I cut them out and attached them with staples again...you can also see a great ickle pocket watch... love it!!!

 It is really quite dimensional. Here is a gear with a game piece and some pointers... yes folks, it ALL came out for this one!!!

This is a close up of the tag slipped in behind the torn and distressed numbers paper. The gear and the chain just add a finishing touch, don't you think??? Anyway, I am off to post it now and hope it is appreciated... Have done well a couple of times in the SSSS challenge, and I hope this one rings a bell - opps, didn't put one on, ah well!!!! tee hee...

Thanks for looking and leaving your fabulous comments... very soon, I will launch the idea I have for my followers and friends, so watch out for when I am back from Venice!!!!!
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

That Faux Paper Bag Mini - PiF Gift Swap

Well, as promised here is the faux paper bag mini I made for the Stamping Ground WOYWW PiF... It went to Sue, who saiys she really likes it, so that's all that matters... I liked it and had great fun making it... ALL THAT STAMPING folks, I was in my element!!!

This is inside the front cover, gears, wheels, keys etc all to unlock the book ready to use... The backs of all the front pocket tags have an inspirational saying on them... the inside bag tags are bigger (we will see those later) and are for pictures or journeling etc

This picture shows a front tag inside it's pocket. As you can see, the bags were made from a TH paper stash called lost and found...

This pic shows the cut away piece for the paper bag pockets, with a circle pull out piece, so the inside large tag can be put in and out. There are two large tags in each bag, one in each gusset ( of the bag... not your knickers, don't be silly!!!)

Woo I LURVE this set of stamps... papillon by TH, who else!!! They always look fantastic whatever colour they are stamped on to...

Tee hee... don't look now, but here comes umbrella man - stamped!!! Some of you might remember me making foam stamps from my dies??? Yesh you do!!! Anyway, here is one, and the beauty is you can decide what way round to print him!!

This tag was made from a set of stamps by Elusive Images, as was, now Chocolate Baroque...  down the left hand side (pass the duchy, remember that song??? Oh well, showing my age again perhaps??) I have printed the iron railings from my foam stamp... they are coming in useful... if you enlarge the pic you will see what I mean...

This tag is a bit steampunk, with some great images on it, and a UTEE charm I made from a mould of a brass piece... there's a close up lower down the page...

Again, there are many layers of stamps here, some UMount,  and the largest clock is my foam one from the die... told you they keep cropping up!!

This sewing one uses UMount stamps, and I just LOVE the little pair of scissors dangling as a charm... 

 This is the inside back cover, quite oriental in feel... the saying on the back is fun... it says
"keep a green tree in your heart and a singing bird will come"... and there he is... right on cue!!!

 So this is how the double pages look together, when the front tags are in their  pockets... I added some TH tissue tape down the middle of each double spread for even more interest... love that stuff!!

 Well here is that steampunk charm I made from UTEE, poured into a mould I made from a brass piece... I made it with pearl UTEE, then brushed it over with perfect pearls powders, yumminess...

 Here are the gusseted bags in all their glory, and so simple to do really... I am going to make one for myself when I get round to it...

 Almost there now!!! These are a couple of the larger, paper bag large tags that live in each gusset of the book.

 These two shots show the lace on the front of the mini... I think it is very pretty!!

And finally, the back cover, with another piece of TH paper, more tissue tape over the joins, and the Claudine Hellmuth sticky back canvas, coloured with colorwash stains, sprayed over and through TH masks... quite striking, even though I says it myself as shouldn't!!!

So there you have it, lots of views of the faux paper bag mini, made from a design from Laura from Follow the Paper Trail.  She is so inventive and has such splendid ideas..have a look here to see some remarkable projects, such as a suitcase!!! AMAZINGLY TALENTED lady...

Off now to try to sleep... my back is improving well, so Venice should be a goer!!! HURRAH!!!

Thanks so much for visiting and for your wonderfully encouraging comments.

Love and Light

Frankie

xx