Woo Hoo - Simon Says Stamp and Show Top 3

Hi Everyone    

I can't believe that I have got a Top 3 place at Simon Says Stamp and Show, this was for my steampunk alcohol inks card. I am sooo excited and am waiting for the blinkie to put on my blog, but I feel it is a great achievement and a huge thanks to Linda and the team.

I haven't been about in blogland much this week, in fact I haven't been making much either. Two reasons - firstly I am really pleased to say that I have got some work for the autumn term. I have been approached by some of the schools I have been working with over the past 4 years and will be doing some work with them, but I have also taken on a short term contract for 3 days a week to be the interim headteacher of a small primary school in Oxfordshire. I have been to visit a couple of times and spent some time with the staff and meeting parents. I just need to meet the children now. It is a school I know so I am very much looking forward to being there. So I am going to be very busy with work after August and probably won't have the time to create, make and blog, but I will pop in and see people as often as I can. Where I am on design teams I am already trying to get ahead of myself to keep them going, but I may be asking for a sabbatical - we will see!!!!      The second reason for not being around is that somehow I got a stomach upset which laid me low and in fact I spent one day in bed which is really not like me - but I feel better again today and had the grandchildren yesterday which didn't wear me out too much.

So this morning I have spent a bit of time at my workbench and made this for this week's challenge at SSSS and it is ready and will be entered with only a few hours to go. But I am glad I got there.

A different shaped tag for a change, inked and stamped over. I then added the 13 red card made from a TH stamp and added a TH flourish using one from the grungeboard stripes elements. I also used the playing cards stamp from Art Impressions using stazon on tissue paper sprayed with adirondack colour wash stains. the little black plate is a plastic one and I used a white pen to write on LUCKY (cos 13 is my lucky number) and stamped over it with a text stamp and fresco finish old gold paint. Other little bits added to finish it off and eh voila.

 I hope you are manaing to find a bit of crafting time and enjoying the weekend. Thanks for stopping by today.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Chocolate and Cream for C4E

Hi Everyone

This is my second card as Guest Designer for July for Crafts 4 Eternity. The theme this week is Chocolate and Cream and I went for the colours using my Kanban papers again, but this time I used an image that I downloaded sometime ago (and sorry I can't remember where from).

I followed the sketch at Create4fun and used the Cricut and a MS edge punch. I used one of those very mini tags you can buy in large stationers and wrote 'Someone Special' on it myself.

I hope you like this simple vintage card.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Workshop Frame

Good evening Everyone

Just a quick post from me before the family come round for dinner. Firstly I wanted to show you  the fabulous frame I made at LBCrafts yesterday where my sister and I went and I also met up with the lovely Sue who is a teamie on The Stamp Man DT. Mine is the green one and the pink one belongs to Chris, my sister. We had a great day with Lin, who coached us through all the work needed to produce these gorgeous creations.

This was the group, minus me of course as I was taking the photo. Sue is in the top right hand corner, Chris is in the middle.

My frame.

Chris's frame.

We all had the same elements to use but came up with something slightly different.

Secondly I have been to the stamp show at Newbury racecourse today and both Kathy and Lucy wanted to know what it is like as they are off tomorrow to visit it. I have to say as a stamp show it was ok, nothing brilliant. There are a wide range of stamps that will suit a wide range of interests
 and lots of other bits and pieces to pick up as well. I bought some Crafty Individuals stamps, some scalloped cards, some smooth card for stamping and inking on and some little bits like metal corners and feathers. So it is likely that everyone will find something and there were a few demonstrations happening as well. Don't forget there is a very small amount upstairs too. Lucy - the Craft Stamper deal was a free gift with a choice of either one of 2 different sets of Sheena Douglas stamps or cosmic shimmer chalk mists which looked quite interesting, so you may be tempted by one of them. Hope you all have a good time and find something to make your trip worthwhile.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Simon says Stamp and Show - A word - on this piece it is PLAY
Sunday stamper - Words

GDT for Crafts 4 Eternity

Yay my second post for today and it is my first contribution to Crafts 4 Eternity where I am Guest Designer for the month of July. It's fabulous to be creating alongside these different teams and learning from their styles. Thanks girls for having me.

The theme this week is a sketch recipe. I have flipped it on it's side and taken a seaside theme. Well it is summer isn't it?

I stamped the image twice, once on the 'sea' paper and once on white card. I painted the lady with DIs and paper pieced it onto the background and also stamped the seagulls. White acrylic was then painted around the edge and on the seagulls to make them look more realistic. The watercolour paper was made using DIs and sea salt and the final backing paper is a collage of sea shells I made using images from the Graphics Fairy. Other elements added are a self generated saying and a sentiment from Crafts 4 Eternity. The shells and bits I have collected from the Isle of Wight and Swanage.

Supplies used -

Stamps - Crafty Individuals
DIs - walnut stain, chipped sapphire, tattered rose, antique linen, black soot
Ranger Inks - lettuce, cranberry, eggplant
Paper - from box of bits
Acrylic paint - white
Sentiment - Crafts 4 Eternity and computer generated
Shell images - Graphics Fairy

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Alcohol Inks with The Stamp man

Ooooh I have been trying to catch up with myself this week and I got right behind, mainly because at last I am in negotiations for some work next term. Having not been in paid work since the end of March, I am really quite excited. I'll tell you more once it has been organised.

This is a scheduled post as I should be at LB Crafts today with my sister where Lin has a workshop on making a frame and small canvasses. Also my Stamp Man teamie, Sue should be there as well - so we will get to meet - looking forward to seeing you Sue.

So on to business. At the Stamp Man it is my turn to host and my challenge is to use alcohol inks. I have also provided an optional sketch for those who would like it, but it's not compulsory. Sadly the Stamp Man store is closing but Jill is staying on-line and continuing with her internet sales - yay, thank goodness for that. There are sales items that are very good value - so go take a look.

I have decided to use a steampunk theme this week, mainly because I wanted to enter the Just for Fun challenge but knew I wouldn't have time, but their steampunk work inspired me. So you can imagine I was pleasantly surprised to see yesterday they have an 'Anything Goes' challenge this week, so I can still enter this.

I have also used the sketch, which has been kept very simple on purpose so that it can be embellished in any way you like.

Adirondack alcohol inks are the inspiration of the great Tim Holtz - check out his blog and this video to see how to use them and for more inspiration.

I have used -
Papers - TH crowded attic
TH embossing folder - collage
TH dies - gadget gears, ticket strip
TH stamps - steampunk
Alcohol Inks (AIs) - sunshine yellow, ginger, raisin, copper
DIs - vintage photo, walnut stain, tea dye
Walnut Hollow metal roll - aluminium, copper
ranger embossing ink and clear embossing powder
Ideaology embellishments and bakers twine
Coloured drawing pencils

Quick recipe
Stamp edges of paper and clear emboss - ink over.
Run metal sheet through embossing folder and use alcohol inks and TH dabber to cover.
Blend DI and then AIs and blending solution over paper strip.
Die cut gears from metal, texturise and again alcohol ink over them.
Stamp small tag, blend with DI, sprinkle with water, heat dry and colour with drawing pencils.
Edge piece of gold card with AIs.
Create wording in Word, distress with DIs and AIs, glue on.
Colour the bakers twinr with walnut stain DI.
Distress edges, mount pieces and add metal embellishments.
Assemble all pieces together.

 You can see the alcohol inks on the gold card here which edges the whole piece.

I also made this to enter the following challenges -
Simon says Stamp and Show - A word - mine is Inventors
Grungy Monday - Alcohol Inks.
Ink on my Fingers - Words

If I haven't got to see you recently hopefully I will get to catch up with you sometime over the weekend, but I am also off to the Stamp Show at Newbury tomorrow. Maybe I will see you there?

Take care and hopefully you have got some lovely things planned for the weekend.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Gingersnap Creations Visiting Artist - week 5

Happy Wednesday

This is my last piece for Gingersnap Creations as one of their visiting artists for June. I have thoroughly enjoyed having the freedom to create projects to a fabulous theme and to be able to use the materials and resources that inspire me to experiment, learn new things and to create projects that otherwise I might not have attempted. Thanks Sharon for giving me the opportunity, I have loved every minute of it.

The overall theme of shopping  has included a variety of types of challenges and this week is a Blue Moon challenge and Shar is challenging us to use 3 words, 3 papers and 3 buttons. I have chosen to keep to the shopping theme and I have altered a note book and pen that can be used for shopping lists. I love this book, it is one I pixked up when I was shopping in Basingstoke with Lucy last week at a shop called Tiger.

This picture shows the before and after.

My three papers are all from my bits box - coloured paper that I stamped with Fresco paint after smooching distress stains over it and edging with gesso. I also inked over that with DI. The image I found on the internet and resized it in PE to fit inside a nesties lacey circle. I dotted some metallic red paint on some of the cherries just to highlight them.

The green dotty and black papers make me to 3 and the cherries are buttons I found in my button box.

 The words are generated in word to show it is a shopping list. Don't you just love that the pages and original covers are made of kraft coloured paper? And there is a matching pen as well. Cool.

Is anyone into real blues music. I like some of it - not too heavy you mind, but Ken loves it. So last night Ken and I and a couple of friends went to the Albert Hall in London to see BB King. I don't really listen to his music but I know he has been a huge influence on many of the rock and blues artists like Eric Clapton. But I have to say it was a brilliant show. BB didn't do too much himself, but his band are great, and he also had some amazing guests. There were a couple from America and I didn't catch their names, a husband and wife who played guitar brilliantly and she sang. But also appeared Ronnie Wood (old Faces and Rolling Stones fame), Slash from Guns and Roses and Mick Hucknall from Simply Red. They all played together on stage, much of it seemed to be spontaneous blues playing and singing - but it was incredible. There was a standing ovation at the end and everyone crowded to the front of the stage.

Well I will be back to entering the weekly challenges at Gingersnaps in the future - see you there.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Dress Form card - Kanban

What a beautiful day again yesterday, but nothing like it today. We had a great BBQ on Sunday with friends and the family here, sitting outside in the garden. It was gorgeous.
I have made a couple of cards using a Kanban set I bought from QVC a little while ago. Now normally I hate toppers and won't use them unless I have to, but these images really took me and I love them. The patterns, colours and images can all be intermixed from the set and of course I have added some distressing to go with them.

This is the second card I have made, and it's using the sketch this week from Simon Says Stamp. The other card  is sitting on a draft blog in Windows Live Writer on my now defunct PC, so I will need to photograph it again and show it to you at some point.

On this one I used the TH dress form die and added gold foiling round the edge using a Zig pen and a roll of gold foil also from QVC. The other things that have come from my stash are some green, brown and gold backing card, all the other elements are from Kanban.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

liuv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Grungy Monday 12

Here is my contribution to Linda's Tim Holtz challenge at her blog, Studio L3. This week she has searched into the archives and found a technique of Tims that he showed in April 2008. It's his 'shabby chic' technique but this time using printed paper and made much more grungy. Click the link if you would like to see how to do it.

I have used  Tims Crowded Attic paper stash and focused on the buttons and sewing parts of it. You don't always have exactly the same resources as the inspiration piece and this is one of those times where I have had to substitute things. For instance I didn't have the papers he used (but that's good as it makes you stretch your creativity and come up with something totally personal to yourself) and I haven't got the dymo, espresso paint dabber, grunge pieces, nor the same harlequin stamp, but I improvised and I think it has worked ok.

I love that this has a little tag attached to it.

Hope your weekend has gone well. Our BBQ went well this afternoon and we have just finished cleatring up after everyone went home.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Other challenges to have fun with -
CYDA - Vintage
Ink on my Fingers - Words (Thanks Hels this fitted perfectly this week - just luck I know!!!!)

Altered Mirror Frame

This is my entry for Simon Says Stamp and Show this week which is to use metal on your project.

I had started this frame by sanding it and priming it a few weeks ago but just hadn't got round to using it, but this week I have had great fun making the embellishments and covering the frame itself.

Supplies used -

10 Second Studio - metal sheets and tools
TH dies - tattered florals, tattered leaves, caged bird
TH Embossing folder - damask
Grungeboard letters - alphabet soup
PaperArtsy dies - grunge flower large and small
Marianne die - small flower
alcohol inks, fresco finish paint,
Distress Inks - spun sugar stormy sky, milled lavender, dusty concord, bundled sage
Distress Stains - spun sugar, weathered wood, peeled paint
Cosmic Shimmer - mallow blush
TH stamps - nature's moments, fairytale frenzy
Graphics Fairy download butterflies

TH paper stash - shabby vintage

Crafters Workshop mask - Mini Birds of a Featherr

Hardware - ideaology, chain and other bits from my collection

Texture paint, fabric

The flowers are made from the 10 second studio metal and I followed Lyn Brown's tutorial at Yours Artfully. (Next week my sister and I are going to one of her workshops at LBCrafts which is a frame with small canvases - sooooo looking forward to it.) The leaves have been die cut then run through an embossing folder, inked and also some paint lightly rubbed over.

Tim's bird cage was also made from metal and I stuck it to card to give it some strength. I added some alcohol inks and also used blender to take off some of the colour on the edges to give it a more shabby look. I made the butterflies by downloading the image from the Graphics Fairy, changing it to a ping file, extracting some of the colour and then printing it onto the pink paper from Tim's shabby vintage stash.  The bird is a TH stamp - this and the butterflies have been heat embossed. Originally I was going to add a mini canvas but that is ready now to use on another project. Instead I have added grungeboard letters painted with crackle paint and inked and added distress stickles over the top.

Have a fabulous Sunday, as predicted the weather is looking very good, so it's a BBQ in the garden with family and friends today. So see you later.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Other challenges to have fun with -
Sugar Creek Hollow - glitter, flowers, pearls (stickles for the glitter, metal flowers and a pearl added in the centre of the pink flower)
Bloggers challenge - Things with wings
Simply Create - Things with wings
Art Impressions - handmade flowers
CCEE Stampers - use pink
Ruby's Rainbow - Flowers
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Things with wings

Gingersnap Creations Visiting Artist - Week 4

Happy Friday everyone - the weekend starts here. The weather in the UK seems to be improving and Sunday is supposed to be hot, hot, hot.

I still haven't got my PC back and my post for the Gingersnap VA piece is sitting in Windows Live Writer on it. As I found the photos are still on my camera I thought I would create a new post today to show you what I have done.

This week is a colour challenge at Gingersnaps and following with the shopping theme Shar is challenging us to use the colours of our money - so I chose blue, purple and brown - yes you guessed it, the £20, £10 and £5 notes in the UK. This is also for Scrolls Work as a GDT piece. Don't forget to head over and see what is left in their sale where everything is reduced by 60%, they have some fabulous Steampunk stamps.

This is a rather arty piece which again I used as a piece of homework for the course I am doing with Claudine Hellmuth which was to create a collage with a horizon line. For the blue background I used dishwasher rinse aid to create the streaks in paint. The main stamped image is from Scrolls Work, the castle image is from Crafty Individuals and the birdcage and car are downloads.

Claudine's comment for this piece was - "beautiful horizon line, great colours and nice dominant focal point", so I was pleased with that.

Right off to do a bit more to a larger project I am working on this week and I also want to get something made for Grungy Monday. I am also 'working' this afternoon, well it's not exactly paid work today but a meeting to arrange some dates for for next term. Slowly I am getting a few dates in the diary so I will be working a bit in the autumn.

My two children have been working at the Paris Air Show this week, I picked Maddie up last night and Ben comes home tonight - the girls have missed him and are looking forward to seeing him back.

Have a great day and a fab weekend whatever you have planned.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox