TIO #7 Challenge - Treasure - Dragon's Hoard

Here is my tag for the TIO #7 challenge at DragonsDream, this week. The theme is Treasure. I wanted to use my lovely dragon stamp, which I have reclaimed from it's wooden block, that had warped, I think. I printed him on to shiny card and embossed with a copper ep. I used my wonderful starburst stains to bodge colour on to his body, and then to the background, after stamping with various texture stamps. Some of the scales have been further enhanced by adding Sakura colour. I cut several "coins" from embossed card and used 3 small Chinese coins from my stash. His treasure includes a golden pear and a blood-red casket, which held my broken heart!! **(thereby hangs a tale) Above the symbol "long" (with a rising inflection) which means "dragon", I have used one of my treasured knots as the tie. I have given this tag to Fred, who is my lovely, lovely new man!!! Woo. Thanks for looking!!!

** see above the poem I have written, to tell this story, if you are interested....

TIO #6 - Dragonflies and Butterflies

Here is my tag for the TIO #6 Challenge Butterflies and Dragonflies. I have really enjoyed this one, the colours and thinking about the symbolism. Living by the canal, we often get Dragonflies in the garden, and this year, I have already seen more butterflies than almost the whole of last year!!

So, a wonderful collage stamp by Creative Stamping, and a great UMount corner stamp are combined for this tag. I have overstamped with various leaves and words. The backgound was made by swirling the shiny card through the distress inks and spraying with Starburst stains and Glimmer mists - it's always a source of disappointment that the glimmer and shine does not show up on the screen!! A simple purple bow completes the piece. Thanks for looking...

Babes... better late than never!!

This card is for my partner in the Rainbows Swap... I have been really naughty and not finished it soon enough. Do hope she likes it. Problem was it was a challenge to do cute... and I just don't!!!

The image is one I have used before from my childhood - Mabel Lucie Attwell and the stamps are from Aspects Of Design from the StampMan, by Kay Carley... they are lovely plates - you NEED them!!! Thanks for looking.

TIO #5 - Walk Like an Egyptian

I really enjoyed thinking about this one, for the challenge on my DragonsDream blog - Walk Like an Egyptian. I wanted to finish up with something different this week, and I was pleased with the result. I used a duo of stamps from a Non Sequetur sheet, available from The StampMan. They complement each other with the echo of the column. They were stamped with black onyx, on to white card, and embossed with clear ep. I then splodged them with lots of icy primrose gold starburst stain, with a brushing only of ramblin rose pink. Small details were picked out with various Sakura pens.

The lotus image is one from my computer set and the metal charms are from my stash. The whole lot is set off by the beautifully figured mirror board. So a collage with a difference. Thanks for looking...

Bubble Challenge Chez Lilibulle - Coins

Well... I am obviously in a mood for blue and oriental!! This piece is for the bubble challenge at the blog of lilibulle - coins. You have to create a bubble with altered coins on it. So here is mine.

I stuck white tissue to the circle of card, for great texture, and then used my starburst stains to colour it... It is actually very shiny in places but not showing here. I printed in blue ink on the dry piece, with a bamboo and tree stamp from Stamp Addicts, by Judikins.The lady has stains on her too. The coins and flowers are from my stash, the coins being special ancient Chinese ones - so pretty. Thanks so much for looking...

TIO #4 - Oriental ... China Blue

Here is my entry for the TIO challenge #4, Oriental - China Blue. It is a subject dear to my heart, oriental... so could not resist making a tag with that theme.

I used a shades of blue Blending Blox pad, on my heat sheet, and smooshed the card about a bit!! Then over printed with the fan shape in the same pad. Think both these stamps came from QVC - they were the ones that peeled off their wood too easily, so I stuck them to Easimount...

The bamboo is from an Aspect of Design sheet from The StampMan, by Kay Carley. It's a fantastic stamp for all sorts of reasons. It was stamped in black onyx and embossed with clear ep (when is it not!!??) The lady and the fan were done in the same way, but on really dark card for contrast. Ribbons and flowers, from my stash... job done!! Thanks for looking.

Listen to the Song of my Heart

This is a piece for love...

The colours are significant to me, created by using shimmers and starburst stains. The woman is me, playing in my garden... singing a song of my heart because I am really happy for the first time in a LONG time.

Thanks, sweetheart
xx

Guan Yin - my special goddess

I made this card for the friend who is opening her new shop tomorrow. It is just to wish her well, so I hope she likes it. It is a shop about spiritual things, incense, crystals, healing arts etc. So, I thought Guan Yin might help her get off to a good start.

The central image , and the first layer backing paper, are from Joanna Sheen's Oriental Dreams CD - an all-time fav for me!! For the other backing piece, I started with a sheet of semi-gloss paper and printed the Hobby Arts circular best wishes with versamark. I embossed with clear ep then began adding colour. I used dried marigold, old paper, shabby shutters and brushed corduroy, onto my heat sheet, spritzed with water and swooshed the paper through the inks. The overprinting was done using the same colours. Some white peel-offs and a Chinese coin, from my stash, complete the piece. Thanks for looking...

Bubble Challenge Chez Lilibulle - Inchies

Front
Back

I enjoyed this different format. It is a piece made for the challenge by Lilibulle, Bulle d'artiste Ateiler. They do a bubble challenge and this week it is to use inchies. Those eagle-eyed amongst you will recognise some of the ones I made for the InchyByInchy challenge, when I was the guest hostess.

I stamped the leaves and such, and embossed with clear ep. Then I over-printed with some shimmers and glimmers on to the circle, using a piece of bubble wrap. I had masked off the honesty with some dimensional glue, to keep it the right colour. On the back, I used distress inks in peeled paint and shabby shutters in the direct to paper technique, then over stamped with the various images, such as agapanthus by Stampendous, and some pieces from an Elusive Images plate. I thoroughly enjoyed the different shape, and it's contraints. Lilibulle invited me to have a go, so I hope she likes it!! Thanks for looking.

TIO #3 Challenge - Rhubarb Crumble & Custard

Here is my entry for the TIO challenge this week over on DragonsDream, set by my friend AliMayes - Rhubarb Crumble & Custard . I really enjoyed doing this one as it was such a different concept!! Anyway, I created the background with Lava Red Cosmic Shimmer and then put it through my swiss dots Cuttlebug folder, dots inverted. The stamp is a part of a larger collage from Stamp Addicts, Life is in Bloom, printed in onyx versafine embossed with clear ep. I used butterscotch alcohol ink for the vase and flower, then cut them and stuck them to another stamping of the image. I added pink dots to the vase and yellow souffle pen to the daisy. Two yellow flowers and a pink brad complete the front.

I am selling my tags now, so I do the backs too... I had a great serendipity moment as I swiped the back with alcohol inks, and the colour flooded through the little indents on the front... even more texture, Ali!!

Below is my second embellishment (oh she is so extravagant that Ali - her stash is SO big, she can put 2 extras on!!!). I went on a bead making course on Sunday morning, and these are the very ones I made... needless to say I bought tons of clay and will be doing beads a lot more ... I was SO excited by the diferent colours etc. They will fasten on to the beaded chain of my tag, but did not want to be on there in the scanner!! - Well, if Ali can have 2 images on the challenge, so can I!!! Thanks for looking.

UPDATE
I have now got out the camera in order to photograph the way the beads sit on the tag. This is the shot below. However, the colour of the scanned picture, above, is actually more like real life. I will also do a tutorial on making the beads, as a few people have asked me about them. I will try to get some photos as I make them.

WOO HOO - I sold this one folks!!!