Pandoras box

Good morning everyone......scheduled ahead so it should be when this pops up........ it's time for this weeks challenge at Allsorts where Helene would like us to make a gift box.

I really enjoyed making the box which I created using a scoring tool and ruler, covered with some DP from stash, ribbon, lace and decorated the top with flowers.

By coincidence, my Pandora bracelet fits inside a treat although that was not the original plan. Not many charms on it as yet, but only had it at Christmas so time to fill it a bit more and there certainly are some pretty ones I have my eye on.

My second share is my last but one DT peice for Stamptacular Sunday where the them is "Are you Talking to Me". I embossed a panel with a Cuttlebug folder after stamping with Penny Black 2695J and then lightly inked with distress inks to emphasise the embossing. The poppy is Hero Arts coloured with Copics.

Love is all around us

It' love all around this week, at Allsorts my teamie Debs says "it must be love, love, love".......well it is nearly Valentines isn't it........ and our new theme at Stamptaculr Sunday is "Hearts gone Wild", all a bit outside my comfort zone as I'm not really a love and hearts person, but have given it my best shot.

First up the one at the top and an easel card created on the Cricut using the DS so I could weld the elements together. The smaller heart is cut with a Nestie, with I shaded using TH linen whilst still in the die then stamped randomly with Penny Black 3322D Je t'aime using Brilliance gold.

The main image is Penny Black 3865K Gossamer which I stamped several times onto DP from stash which I also used on the base card again cutting on the Cricut and decoupaged the flowers. The heart border is a Martha Stewart punch and I used the little waste hears to decorate here and there and ruched some red and gold ribbon.

My second share is the first outing for Penny Black 4023K Love is the Message.......I've actually had the stamp for ages but never quite sure if it's me or not. I decided on the colours but took ages to find an ink that matched the purple bazzil and the only one close was Memento which dries really quick, but I managed to get some detail clear embossing powder on it in time so I got a nice shiny finish.....but thanks to the rotten weather and light it looks more like black than purple in my picture.

The mat is punched with Martha Stewart double loop round the page and I stamped directly onto the Fancy Pants DP which has a pretty delicate pattern that does not overpower the image. Flowers coloured with Copics, feathers, punched leaves, a border punched with Martha Stewart hearts punch and some pearls to finish.

Whateva !

"Whateva !" is the theme at Stamptacular Sunday this week, so of course it's no surprise that I have gone floral.

A pretty mat punched with Martha Stewart Eyelet Lace around the page set, some DP from stash and the flowers are Hero Arts S5362 Dogwood.......I make no excuse for using this one over and again as it is so versatile and lends itself to decoupage beautifully. After stamping with versamark back and embossing with detail clear, I coloured with Aquamarkers, cut out the three flower heads, inked with versamark and spritzed with Glimmer Mist dazzling diamonds. The combination of the two blends the colours and allows you to shape the flowers which become quite rigid as they dry. Finally I added orange stickles.

Fairy time again

Good Morning evenyone, hope you are all having a great weekend.

Before I move on to my share for today, can I say a great big thank you to all the guys over at the Crafty Pad for selecting my Venetian Mask as one of their Top 3. I was really not sure about it as it's not my normal style of crafting and the peeloffs were so alien to me and a faff to work with, so that makes it all the more special.

On to my share which is my DT work for this weeks new challenge at Stamptacular Sunday where the theme is "Who said three was a crowd ?".......use 3DP's, 3 ribbons and 3 flowers.

A chance for me to use one of my latest Sweet Pea fairies.....whose name I seem to have lost temporarily. Anyhow, I can tell you what I did to create my card which was to stamp the image with Adirondack black, then mask her and a moon and brayer over with Big and Juicy Hydrangea. I then coloured the image with Copics, glittered her wings and framed her using a Nestie. The DP is American Crafts from a pack I had for Christmas.....they are gorgeous and most are glittered and foiled. The border and corners were punched using Martha Stewart doubler loop, then ribbons, flowers and a swirl cut with a TH die. This is also for the following challenges:

Moving Along with the Times - Sketch and flowers

Glitterbabes - Sparkle and pink gems

Lets Ink it Up - Anything Goes

Crafty Emma's - Angels or Fairies

More new Hero

There's a new challenge today at Stamptacular Sunday and the theme is 'Anything but Square'.

So the perfect opportunity to use one of the cards I created with a set of the new Grand Nesties and new Hero Arts stamp releases. The card itself was made by running the nesties through the Big Shot, then layered with bazzil. The image is stamped with Hero Arts CL477 and G4917 using Tim Holtz chipped sapphire, spun sugar and olive. Plus some ribbon and a sentiment to finish.

Colour Create - Pink, blue, white
Stamping for the Weekend - New and blue (nesties and stamps)

CES - No designer papers

One more quick share with brayering using Big and Juicy Soothing Sunset and Magenta CS053 Botanical....this really is such a great set if you like your florals and butterflies. Not a lot more I can add really other than a nice messy session was had ! This is for the following challenges:

Fairytale - Flowers
Lots to Do - Brayering
Two Sisters - Flowers

Finally I want to show you the beautiful embellishments I received from Geraldine of Little Snippets......isn't her work beautiful.......even the hearts have little butterflies in the centre. This was a prize I won at By the Cute and Girly and could not have been a more apt prize for me with my addiction to wings and fantasy. Do go and check out the lovely work Geraldine has for sale at her store.

I will share some made up projects using these embellishments just as soon as my shoulder is sorted and normal service resumes in my craft room.

Penny Black Fireworks

We have a great sketch for you at Stamptacular Sunday this week so please do pop over and join in the fun.

I have gone with a PB favourite Penny Black 3948K Fireworks stamped and embossed with detail clear and coloured with Copics, set into an aperture cut with Nesties. The DP is My Minds Eye, some lace, a flower, leaves which I glitzed up with some iridescent glitter and pearls. This is also for the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - Out with the Old (DP's and lace)

Secret Crafter - Tons of Texture
Lets Ink it Up - Anything Goes

CYDA - Anything Goes

Marks Finest - Embossing

Shades of white

Hello everyone, we have a new challenge for you at Stamptacular Sunday so please do pop over and check it out.

The theme is photo inspiration and I confess I tend to struggle a bit with these themes as I am never sure if I should follow the colours or the picture. Anyhow, I decided to go with the colours which to me pop out as being cream with a hint of blue round the edge.

My main image is Penny Black 4031J Purple Folds which I simply stamped and embossed and coloured with Aquamarkers. I stamped Hero Arts K5058 Friendship Writing over the background with Tim Holtz pumice stone, then decoupages the flower head. I stamped and embossed the flower hear again, coloured in the same way then inked all over with Versamark frost and spritzed with Glimmer Mist marshmallow and shaped the flower whilst still wet.

The DP is Magnolia distressed round the edges with TH stormy sky which I also used to add a little colour to the edges of the lace, flower and Martha Stewart punched leaves. This card is also for the following challenges:

Lots to do - New (pearl swirly embellies)

Paper Sundaes - As above

Charizma Cardz - Pearls and lace

Incy Wincy - Distressing

Cupcake - White is White

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Wedgie for passing me on this lovely award, what a fabulous start to the New Year. Do pop over and visit her, as well as making great cards, she's an ace cook.

More snow ?

Our new challenge at Stampacular Sunday this week is 'Snow Much Fun'..create a card of project that has snow on it.

I have uses this lovely image from Simply Stamps 102K Winter Scene, which I stamped with vesamark back, embossed with detail clear and simply watercoloured with Aquamarkers, adding Judikins snow glitter to the the fences and here and there on the ground. The DP is October Afternoon, a Tim Holtz tattered die swirl, Martha Stewart embossed scallop border, ribbon and gems and a pretty quick card. This card is for the following challenges:

Ladybug - Song title (Walking in a winter wonderland)

Crafts and Me - Anything goes

Moving Along with the Times - as above

Scrapbook Sisters - It's a man's world

TREEmendous

'TREEmendous' is the theme for this weeks new challenge at Stamptacular Sunday, do pop over and join in the fun.

For my DT piece I created a background using Tim Holtz peeled paint, stormy sky, broken china and fired brick which I dabbed onto my craft sheet and spritzing with water and then placed a piece of watercolour card into the wet inks....I find it helps to agitate the card just a little to get a soft blend of colours.

I stamped Art Impression U3095....don't know the name of the image but it's the park bench and trees all in one......using versafine black and embossed with detail clear. The sentiment is from a Sheena Douglas set as is the flower which I stamped twice to decoupage, colouring with Aquamarkers before inking with Versamark frost and spritzing with Glimmer Mist pearl and shaping whilst still wet. The border is Martha Stewart double loop punch around the page.

This card is for the following challenge:

CES Challenge - Anything goes

Crafty Sentiments - Anything goes

Patties Creations - Punches

My second share again has a background created with TH distress inks, this time with a masked sun, then stamped with Hero Arts S5316 Silhouette Grass using versafine sepia and embossed with detail clear. The sentiment is an unmounted one which needless to say I have no idea of the origin........that's why I prefer wood mounted as I always lose the packaging. My friend Tracy Mouse told me she stamps all her images, labels them and keeps them in a folder for reference.......what a great idea.........so when are you coming to catalogue my stamps Tracy ?

This card is for the following challenges:

Gingerloft - Distressing

Paper Pretties - Male card

Crafty Catz - Your choice

I Did It - Anything goes

A chilly walk in the park

Happy Sunday everyone, hope your weekend is going well and you are all busy with those last minute Christmas activities.

I have been very luck to receive this award from two lovely blog buddies, thank you so much Heidi and Sandra.......I feel a bit of a fraud when I'm being such a bad blogger. I have tried to get round most of you this week, but I'm sure it won't have escaped the eagle eyed that it's a bit 'cut and paste' here and there. I decided best to do that and maximise my 'eye time' on the computer, so at least I am spreading a bit if love. What's most frustrating is that I feel just fine and am itching to get on with things, just the eyes don't play to game.

Lots of you will know I am dresful passing awards on plus it's so hard to choose, so I am passing this on to all of you and will be deighted if you will accept it. I know that's not quite what the rules intend, but when did I ever play by the rules.....where's the fun in that ?

We have a new challenge for you at Stamptacular Sunday today and he theme is “WINTER WISHES! create a WINTER SCENE".

My couple are resting after their walk in the snowy misty park.........humour me, you know I live in a fantasy world.......... the stamps are all Art Impressions, about ten in all so I won't list them but please do mail me if you want details of any specifics.

I masked a moon, then created a misty feel by swirling Adirondack black with a very large soft make up brush in circles round the masked moon. Next I stamped the scene starting from the park bench (the couple are part of the stamp), masked that and the people, then stamped the lamppost, trees and so on. I brayered the pathway using the same ink and sponged a glow round the lamppost and a flame inside. I stamped the bench seat twice more onto scraps of DP and cut out the clothes for the couple and coloured their faces and hands with Copics. Finally, I added snow to the pathway, frost to the bushes and trees here and there and a 'glow' of glitter round the moon.

A peek at the decorating and Stamptacular DT news

Good morning peeps, hope everyone is having a good weekend and more importantly keeping warm if your weather is anything like ours.

We had a great day at Stampalot yesterday, I've still got the inky fingers to prove it despite repeated washing and showering. I saw lots of friendly faces both old and new and want to thank you all for making the effort to come despite the iffy weather.

Now some exctiting news, you all know I am a stamper first and foremost, so you can imagine my delight when I received a mail last weekend inviting me to join the Staptacular Sunday Design Team. I had a little think about it, something like 60 seconds and here I am with my first DT piece.

The theme this week is Blue…Blue…Christmas! So for this first week I opted to stay very much in my comfort zone which means Penny Black and distress inks. My main image is Penny Black 3768K Christmas Montage inked with Tim Holtz stormy sky and highlighted here and there with Aquamarkers and spritzed with water before stamping onto a piece of linen cardstock.

The music down the side is Hero Arts CG222 Music Background stamped with the same TH ink. A border punched with Martha Stewart cornice edging, some lace, cord, pearls, a flower and punched leaves to embellish.

And as promised........eventually, some picture of the decorating in the dining room, was waiting for the curtains to arrive from John Lewis, there's a problem with the pelmet as it's not been cut deep enough so they are coming our Wednesday to re-measure. But it looks OK for the time being and the room is usable.

I am really pleased with the furniture, I just love the sideboard and the table as it fits six chairs comfortably but extends to fit ten chairs which will be useful at Christmas and when the family descend.

Elegant fairy

Hello peeps, hope your all well. Just a quick post with a couple of cards.

The first a touch of indulgence........you know me, any excuse to use a fairy and this one is such a beautiful one from Crafts and Me called Eternity. I brayered a backround using a mask for the moon with Tim Holtz Victorian velvet and vintage photo. I coloured the image with the same inks and glittered her wings. Stamped a few leaves round the top with an Art Impressions stamp, some flowers and punched butterfly. The DP is Basic Grey and My Minds Eye. This is for the following challenges:

Cupcake - Pink and Brown

Paper Sundaes - Things with Wings

Creative Card Crew - Bloomin' Marvelous

Oldie but a Goodie - Pink and Girly

My second card is my anniversary card for my hubby later this week. He always says he needs to check my blog to know what I'm up to, but he's so busy at work this weeks that's unlikely so think I'm safe to share. Not your conventional anniversary card, but he's not a hearts and flowers sort of guy and will love the colours of this one as yellow is his favourite colour and all things Nature. I masked a section to create the background and inked with TH rusty hings, mustard seed and barn door with a spritz of Glimmer Mist iridescent gold. The tree from Creative Expressions, the border Martha Stewart cornice edging and the sentiment computer generated. It is for the following challenges:

Stamp Something - Fall colours

Cards for Men - Autumn

Stamptacular Sunday - Seasons Change/Fall

Tuesday Taggers - Here Comes Autumn