The Stamp Man Challenge # 19 - Recipe

Hi Everyone - it's Friday, and time for the next Stamp Man challenge. This week Lisa S has a recipe for us to follow, but it's in the form of a bingo card and you can choose which line you would like to use.

I have included all the things on the bottom left to top right diagonal line and so I have a die-cut, ribbon and stitching. I drew additional inspiration from the Simon Says Stamp challenge of sparkle and shine, The Shabby Tea Room with monochromatic and Sketch Saturday.

This card is for my good friend Sue who has a mile-stone birthday next week and we are joining her tomorrow for her celebrations.
The stamped image is one of Jill's Framies which she has designed and sells exclusively at the Stamp Man shop. This one fits perfectly with the Nestabilities Labels 4 set.
I stamped the image twice then diecut the image with a slightly smaller die than the background one so it provided a different colour mount but with the stamped edging. I also used the faux nestie technique by drawing round the largest one and cutting it out to give me a further mount.

You can just see some butterflies along the bottom of the TH backing paper which were embossed with a glittery embossing powder.

I also used a glaze pen on the 50 embellishment to give it some shine.

My butterflies are made using 2 different sized MS punches and then I added distress stains and DI before covering them with distress stickles. Some pink hessian, ribbon, pearls and tiny tag handwritten with happy Birthday add the finishing touches.
Supplies -
TH paper stash - vintage shabby
Stamps - The Stamp Man Framies, TH Papillon and City Central
Distress stickles - rock candy
DIs - aged mahogany, victorian velvet, vintage photo, pumice stone
Nestabilities - labels 4
Sakura glaze pen - clear

Do go take a look at the fabulous designs made by the DT, you will see how this great challenge can be interpreted in so many ways and is completely versatile for anyone to enter.

Other challenges to have fun with -
Crafty Purple Frog - Mono moments
Paperplay - Sparkle galore
Creative Craft - Distress/vintage
Sweet Stamps - Birthday card
Crafty Cardmakers - Embossing
Paper Sundaes - Birthday

Have a great Friday and thank you for stopping by to take a look.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

MAWTT Challenge 99 - Sketch

HI Blogging Buddies  - how is the world with you today?

This week at MAWTT our fabulous teamie Hazel has given us a sketch to work with. I set about using the image and made it into a transparent ping file so that I could print it onto distressed paper, made by myself with DIs and sprinkled water - you know the technique. I used some TH text paper and Graphic 45 Steampunk card and bought some ribbon from a craft shop local to my sister when I went to see her on Wednesday. Great - made the tag to go with it added some lace, finished them all off and went to draft my post (actually I couldn't because Blogger had gone down) - but I tried to remember the theme - what was it? No. I had to go and check the DT blog to remind me - hey ho guess what? I hadn't followed the theme (sketch) at all - duh!!!! Where had my brain gone???? So then had to set about making another one. But that gives me even more to show you today.

First my Steampunk Vintage Vamp. I love this image from Stitchy Bear.

Supplies used -
DIs - frayed burlap, antique linen, vintage photo, walnut stain
DSs - forest green, wild honey
Papers - G45 steampunk, DCWV naturals, TH
Stickles - diamond
Sakura glaze pens - green and white
Sizzlits architectural accents #4 die
Steampunk embellishments

So to show you the first card and tag I made where I just got carried away in my own little world. (But that's good isn't it - shows I was in a creative and thinking mood).

Supplies used
Provo Craft corner die
Graphic 45 and TH papers
Stitchy bear image with added text

Challenges to have fun with
The Rubber Cafe - Vintage



I am also really pleased that my shabby recipe card was chosen as card of the week at Sugar Creek Hollow. Thank you girls for choosing my card, I am delighted and feel very honoured. Isn't this a cool badge?

Well I hope to see you over at MAWTT this week.

Take care.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Divas by Design - Challenge 2 - For the Girls

Good morning one and all

Well the Divas by Design challenges are well under way now and the last fortnights inspiration pieces by Team A were fabulous and I am know you will get the same for this next challenge by Team B. We have had an excellent response so thankyou if you have been taking part. I hope you are going to like this challenge with the girly theme.

I really wanted to do something completely different for this one, and I wanted it to be really 'Girly' and shabby chic in style. So here is my contribution. Different eh???? An altered clothes hanger. I have seen there is a 'wood' challenge at Alter it Monthly, so I was keen to get this one in for that too.

This photo shows the hanger as it started out, just a plain wooden one, but with that lovely heart on it.

I covered it with white acrylic paint.

Then I added some texture by applying wood filler through a mask. After letting it dry for a couple of hours or more, I then sanded the textured part and added pink household emulsion with an almost dry brush to get that shabby effect.

When it was dry, I sanded it again.

Lastly I added the lace and ribbon bow and the little hooks to hold some necklaces.

I am really pleased with the outcome and think I will be making some more altered things using the same technique.

So come on over to Divas by Design and join in our challenge this week. Remember it is open to everyone whatever your style or project, we would love to see you join in and there is a chance of winning a prize from Crafty Sentiments.

So if you feel like making something really girly, please show us, we are all so looking forward to coming and seeing what you have made.
Take care and thanks for taking at look at my work.


Other challenges to have fun with -
Bunny Zoe's - Lace
By the cute and girly - Anything Goes

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Mystical Worlds

Good Evening one and all

I have made this piece for Jacque at Scroll's Work Stamps as so sadly she is having to close the store. If you click the link and go over you will see that she currently has 40% off the whole range and more reductions through June and July. She had arranged for me to be a GD for June, so I am just squeezing this in.

I have used the SW Pegasus stamp and created a magical and mystical world as a background for it using a free digital download from Gaby Cajubrasil and a castle from The Graphic Fairy. I used the challenge at Sir Stampalot as inspiration, which runs for the whole of May.

Supplies-
White acrylic paint
DIs - aged mahogany, walnut stain, pumice stone, scattered straw
Stickles - star dust
Promarkers
Glamour dust
Hessian and lint
Stamps - Scrolls Work, Le Blanche

The background edges were inked with walnut stain lightly and then stamped over with a flourish stamp using white acrylic paint and DI mixed together, then edged again with pumice stone.

Hessian and lint with edged torn music sheet added next, and then the castle picture, edged with aged mahogany and stickles, mounted and stuck to the top.

Pegasus was stamped with DI watercoloured with DIs and then went over with promarkers in places to give more depth. Glamour dust was added to the wings.

I finished off by adding some little strips of vellum, lace and distressed paper with a pearl.

Thanks for taking a look and I hope to see you again soon.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Guest Designer for My Partner in Crafting Crime - Jute/twine/string

Well my blogging buddies, I was asked to be a guest designer for My Partners in Crafting Crime, how cool is that? I also provided an 'interview' - oh how funny it reads to me. They have a most fabulous challenge this week and all you have to do is add some stringy bits to your project. My inspiration also comes from the Spicy Supply Challenge at Gingersnap Creations, which is also to use twine and Stampotique which is to recycle (my string, button and brown paper).

For my card I glued two pieces of DP together and tore some brown paper left over from an unwrapped parcel and masked it with a plastic holey piece which came from a Chinese meal container, then inked with vintage photo and misted with Tattered Angels vanilla breeze. Next I inked the edges with peeled paint and fired brick and stamped over that with walnut stain. The vintage image was downloaded from The Graphics Fairy and I left a white border round it to make it stand out more and used a distressing tool on it. To finish the layers I used a dark brown paper mount and edged it with diamond stickles.

As you can see the flower goes with the theme - I used two different types of string (I found both in the greenhouse - I must buy a roll so I have some in my craft room) and crocheted two flowers then added a button to the middle of them with more string tied in a bow.

The edges of the DPs have been sewn to a backing paper and again the edges distressed, slightly differently this time.

The butterfly is one of my downloads, cut out and tattered rose distress stickles patted over it.

More string, a few more embellishments and a sentiment ... eh voila. I really like it.

I hope you will pop over to MPICC to see the DT inspiration and hopefully join in this week.

Other challenges to have fun with -
Desert Island Crafts - 3 from a list (button, flower, patterned paper, bling)
Frosted Designs - Ribbon or twine

Take care and please stop by again.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Cowboys and Cowgirls at Gingersnap Creations and Give-Away Post

Howdy Partners

Well this has been one darn hell of a week with Blogger and it sure aint sorted yet. I hope you will go and look at my post for Thursday 12th May HERE and in my side-bar to see that I have a Give-Away linked to the MAWTT challenge I am hosting this week. TWO great chances to win yourself some good, clean stash to play with.

On to some mighty fine business now. (Ya gotta have a John Wayne accent in your head to read this ya know).

This week the theme at Gingersnap Creations, as part of their Wild West month, is Cowboys and Cowgirls. Now I don't have any rootin tootin stamps that fit this challenge so I have downloaded some images from the internet and used them to make a journal page. (Are you really getting the feel of this one???).

'Young fella if you're lookin for trouble, I'll accommodate ya'. John Wayne in True Grit - great film

Firstly I stamped the background with 2 different stamps using Claudie Hellmuth's Studio paint and this gave me background colour and texture. Over those I washed some distress stains, mixing with water to get a lighter effect in places. The next layer the images were stuck on with multi matte medium and then over that I used gesso and stamps to create an overall blended look. Lastly I added some more stamping, a gold pen border, some faux stitching and edge decorations round the photos in pen and then some embellishments.

This shows some of the texture created by the first layer stamping in paint.

Well I have to say this is the most 'mixed media' page I have in my journal and I thoroughly enjoyed the paint and inkiness and I am really pleased with the colours. I just love the old photos and thought the map helped with the feel of the wild west area. Do ya recognise any of these fellas or gals as being on the 'Wanted' list?

Supplies -
DIs - peeled paint, barn door, wild honey, walnut stain
Sudio - multi matte medium, gesso, semi gloss acrylic paints in landscape green, dab of yellow, modern red
DSs - wild honey, fired brick, forest moss

Right so saddle on up and mozy on over to see more fabby wild west creations.

And remember - Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction

Other challenges to have fun with -
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
The Paper Variety - Movie Inspiration - True Grit
Crafts 4 Eternity - Colour Challenge
Stamp Something - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday _ Distressing

Have a great weekend.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

The Craft Barn Blog Candy and my 'give-away' post.

HI All
This is to let you know that the Craft Barn have got a fabulous blog candy on offer. Go take a look, leave a comment and post the candy to enter.

It's a fabulous chance to gain some extra stash don't you think? And if you take a look at the amazing range of goodies they sell, you will get a flavour of what might be included.

Just to let you know that the post for my blog candy and my MAWTT challenge still hasn't been returned by Mr Blogger - I hope it comes back soon. Although I still have the draft version it isn't complete.

See you tomorrow, have a good night.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

My shabby recipe

HI blogging friends - just where are the weeks slipping to? If you are in the UK have you noticed how light it still is at 9 pm? I just wish we had some balmy evenings to sit outside.

I keep a close eye on some of my most favourite challenge sites and today I have bought you a card where I have made up my own recipe of challenge themes to inspire me and I chose -
Stampin' Sisters in Christ - Beautiful things
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Girls with curls
Creative inspirations - Glitz and bling
Sugar Creek Hollow - Sketch
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - punches / die cuts
My colour combo comes from the image itself

I had this real desire to try printing an image from the computer onto Claudine Hellmuth's tacky back canvas - and it worked just brillintly - I was amazed at the quality. I cut it out with a nesties die and used the faux nestie technique to get my blue mount for it. The background is another of my own digital makes using a free music score from the Technique Zone and free children vintage clip art from Vintage Holiday Crafts. If you think it would be useful to you, leave me a message below and I will offer it as a freebie if enough people can use it.

I have photographed the steps I took to build this one as I thought you might like to see the digital background before it had everything layered over it.

Background has been inked and stamped, splashed with water to get a more distressed look.

Next layers added.

I overstamped the pink border with white paint, then added DI over the top of that.

The image has been edged with DI and the blue mount painted with crackle paint.

All the embellishments added.

A close up of the shabby flower made with fabric.

Supplies -
DIs milled lavender, worn lipstick, tumbled galss, antique linen, walnut stain (this has to be my most favouritr at the moment, I use to edge nearly everything).
White acrylic paint.
Distress crackle paint - picket fence
MS punches
TH Tattered Florals die
Stamps - la Blanche, B Line Designs
Blamour dust, distress sticles - rock candy, stickles - star dust
Pink gems and gem brad
Other swirls and leaves and a button.
Fabric for the flower
Mmmm not bad, I enjoy making the shabby chic style cards and this is a large one 8 x 8 inches.

Enjoy the end of the week.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

MAWTT challenge 98 - 2 B's ...................... and a give-away

Saturday Edit - I am very annoyed and very sorry that Blogger didn't get this post back up after the catastrophe on Thursday and Friday. All the lovely comments and entries into my blog candy have completely disapperared. I am now extending this Give-Away till the 28th May - all details for entering are below. Thank you for your patience.


Hi Everyone, it's my turn to host the challenge at MAWTT this week and I have chosen the theme of 2B's. Now let me interpret this -  my initials are BB (2B's) so I thought I would make this the challenge for the week. So your entry must have at least 2 things beginning with B on them, ie brad, button, bow, blue, bling etc etc.

I bought four LOTV stamps at Farnborough back in February and this is the first time I have inked one up - what am I like? I stamped the image with walnut stain and painted it with DIs. Cut with a nesties circle, embossed and coloured the outside with bundled sage and stream and painted the image with DIs listed below. Mounted on another circle and then the lacey circle.

The paper from the Mariposa stack was not big enough, so I cut it and inserted some other paperstock and added text paper. I have edged the papers with stickles and white paint to create a shabby vintage look.

My 'B's include - beads, bow, button, blue, bird and butterfly.

Supplies

LOTV stamp
DIs - frayed burlap, weathered wood, scattered straw, dried marigold, walnut stain, bundled sage, barn door
Adirondack dye ink pad - stream
Nestabilities - circles, lacey circles
Stickles - star dust
Papers - Mariposa, DCWV

Vintage ribbon

MS butterfly punch

  Our sponsor this week is Crafty Emma's Store so go take a look at all the lovely goodies available - I am sure you'll find something you like.





Now for a little surprise, I didn't get round to having a birthday blog candy back in March and I have now reached 201 followers so I thought I would combine this challenge with a give-away.

I have asked that MAWTT entries have at least 2 things beginning with B on them BUT if any of you can show me 3 or more,  then link your work in the comments section below and I will use Random Org thingumy to choose a winner. (You do not need to have entered the MAWTT challenge to take part in this give-away but it would be lovely if you do). Your work cannot be posted before today's date to enter.

Now if anyone has been able to match or better my 6 B's then they will be in a second draw for another little prize - so Random Org thingumy will be choosing another number.

Please this isn't a guessing game for me, so kindly let me know on your comment below what number of 'B's there are and name them. All compliant entries will get one chance to win in each give-away and if any of my followers enter they will get an additional chance to win (please put an F by your name). I will come and visit everyone who leaves an entry.

This will stay open for two weeks, it will close at 8 pm on the 28th May and I will announce the winner on the 29th. What could you win? How about some stash all beginning with 'B'?

For 3 - 5 B's I have got  -

Two Books and a Box for altering

Blue, Brown and Black papers
Black (and white) Buttons and Bows
Bling - to include adhesive stones and glamour dust
chipboard Buttons
Butterfly 3D stickers
Beads



For 6 (or more) B's you will also be entered to win -

Butterfly stamps (papermania)
Bare chipboard album
A Box canvas
A Book for altering
Black and white tags
Chipboard Buttons

Wow that was a long post but I look forward to seeing your entries and Good Luck. Don't forget this is open to everyone - just follow the guidelines above to be eligible to win.   (I hope it isn't too complicated)

Challenges to have fun with -
Fab 'n' Funky - Buttons and bows
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Gingersnap Creations, Stampotique and Blog Candy Give-Away

I just had to blog and let you know that I am the Home Page Artist this week at Gingersnap Creations. I am so pleased to add this to my previous 2 Ginger Gems.

This was the winning piece -

EDIT - ALSO

I have won at the Stampotique challenge this week with this creation.

Isn't it funny how you don't see a win for ages and suddenly 2 come at once?

I also have some news for June - but I am sworn to secrecy at the moment - ooh can't wait!!!!!

Well after all that excitement -

I am so looking forward to the start of my blog candy give-away later today. The photos are now posted in my side bar. I hope you will come take a look and hopefully join in.

Thanks for looking.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox