It's Your Day

I needed a quick card the other day so I got out those lovely Kanban dress forms with card to match. But this time I chose to use the Desert Blooms paper pack for the background.

So you can see it didn't take long to put this together with the decoupaged dress form, bought flowers and a handmade sentiment and butterfly stamped onto acetate and cut out.

Et voilà. Not like some of my projects that take days and days - but good to see something finished in lightning time for a change.

A quick card and a quick post.

Hope you are all well and see you soon.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

SSSS Top 3

Just a very short post tonight but I had to post that I have been given another Top 3 place at Simon Says Stamp and Show. I receive this amazing accolade for my 'Sew Special' canvas. How fabulous is that?

Many thanks to the team at SSSS for choosing me, I feel it is for me and my dear Mum. She would have felt very proud for me.

Enjoy the rest of the week everyone.

Luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Tag for two challenges

Well I hope the two Lindas don't mind that nearly everyone will combine both the Grungy Monday and the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenges this week as we have a fabulous Tim Holtz 12 tags of Christmas to follow and make a tag at the same time. What luck.

To see what techniques were used in the making of this tag, take a look at Tim's tutorial and why not have a go yourself - if you haven't already that is.

Supplies used -
Stamps - TH - papillon and artful flight; La Blanche leafy flourish; Rubber Stampede text.
DIs - worn lipstick, weathered wood, stormy sky, vintage photo.
Black, green and burgundy embossing powders.
Vellum and archival ink.

I have the perfect present for this tag and hopefully I will show you some pictures of it - the wedding book project I have been making. I am nearly there.

Just a little reminder that there is an 'Anything Goes' theme over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges, unfortunately it hasn't been advertised so we would appreciate anything you could do to get the word out as there are two prizes this fortnight. I hope I will see you there.

Have a fabulous week.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

The Ocean ATC

This is an ATC for the Stamp Man ATC swap and the theme for August is The Ocean.

I created this by colouring the card with watercolour pencils and giving it a wash. Over that I used distress inks and some sequin waste to create some 'bubble' effects. Over the top of that layer I brushed some gesso to give it a more cloudy and watery feel to it then at the bottom I pooled some green, white and blue inks and blew them with a straw to create an organic shape to be my seaweed. I used a sakura glaze pen to give it some highlights and shadow. The stamps are all from Crafty Individuals and the little seahorse was stamped and pieced onto the ATC. I added some real little shells.

Supplies -
Watercolour pencils.
DIs - faded jeans, chipped sapphire, vintage photo and walnut stain.
White drawing ink
Blue and green inks.
Gesso

Well we are now into August so I hope you have a lovely holiday if you are away this month.

Take care.

luv and hugs {brenda] xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Take a word - Song - Swallowed in the Sea by Coldplay
Come and Get It - Anything goes
Stampin Sisters in Christ - Use any creature
Crafty Calendar Challenge - Under the sea
Paper Cutz - Under the sea
By the Cute and Girly - The Sea
Alter It Monthly - The Ocean

Sew Special - New challenge blog called Fashionable Stamping

Good morning everyone and what a great day to be telling you about the start of a new challenge blog dedicated to the rubber/clear stamper. Please go take a look at the new challenge blog and also my amazing teamies and their incredible DT pieces. Sorry those of you who love to work with your digis this one is about getting messy with inks and sprays and all that glorious mess one makes when using real stamps.

First though I must wish my dear hubbie Ken a Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary. Yes we got married on his birthday 37 years ago, I can't believe it is such a long time ago and we had been together 4 years before that !!!!

This is my piece to introduce this new challenge which for this fortnight is 'Anything Goes'. I am not going to give a blow by blow account of how I made this only through photos and captions, so pull up a coffee and take a look. I warn you though this is really photo heavy - but the detail has to be shown through the photos and can't be done in words.

This is a 40 x 15 cm canvas.

I stamped over a piece of dressmakers pattern and glued it to the canvas.

Love the crinkled look.

When the glue was dry I covered it in gesso.

Then added some neutral acrylic paint.

Then some darker acrylics. After this I sprayed with glimmer mists.

Woops - messy table, but started to position the elements I wanted to include.

There are 3 main sections and I used alot of DI.

The little tray was primed then painted with Leandra's Fresco Paint and I glued in some more of the paper pattern. The sewing machine and the mini dress form are some of my moulds. Notice the little bottle with beads in it?

The pins came from Mum's collection of bits and the scissors were a gift from Lisa - thanks Lisa. The background paper has been inked and glimmer misted.

Here are the four little individual sections of the tray. The little silver button is from Mum's box, I am so glad I kept it all when she passed away.

Moulded sewing machine and a charm given to me by Lucy - thanks Lucy.

The sewing machine spool came from my dear Mum's sewing box.

I got this little bird charm from Ebay this week. It was an old gold colour so I used inka gold on it - both haematite and gold.

The buckle is from a carboot and they told me it was vintage.

Wooden letters. Dress mould made in clay made when I went to Lucys.

An old(ish) button tab from Mum's box, as there were only 2 buttons left I glued on some snaps. The charm was given to me by my sister - thanks Chris.

The wings I made from clay using a mould of some jewellery I got last week at a carboot sale. Painted lightly with Haematite inka gold and the rubbed with gold inka gold - cor what a mouthful - I think it will be IG in future!!! The pink rose is off an earing.

The spool tops are courtesy of the duke of distress, Mr TH himself.

Supplies used -
Stamps - TH haberdashery
DIs - vintage photo, walnut stain
Paint - white acrylic, Fresco Finish vintage lace and london night.
Inka Gold - gold, rose, haematite
Glimmer Mists - coffee shop, vanilla breeze
Dressmaking pattern, small 4 section tray, sewing embellishments (including some of my moulds)
Lace and hessian.
Beads in a bottle.
Vintage buckle.
Paper and coloured dress form from Kanban.
Wings - more of my moulds.

I have now started putting a bee somewhere on my larger pieces - did you spot it?

We would love to see how you use stamps in your projects so please join in with us. You have until the 13th August for this challenge. So what are you waiting for? There are 2 prizes for this challenge - so will that spur you on more?

Enjoy some inky craft time.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes
Just for Fun - Fabric or fiber

Show some stitching at The Stamp Man

Well this next challenge at The Stamp Man is hosted by the lovely Sue and she wants you to show us some stitching on your project. Sue makes some beautiful pieces and I was very lucky to meet up with her when we did the workshop at LB Crafts. Please pop over to the Stamp Man main challenge blog to see all the fabulous inspiration from the design team and don't forget if you enter you stand a chance of winning £10.00 to spend at the Stamp Man on-line store.

I have to say I have kept my piece a bit more simple this time as with the holidays looming fast I am trying to get ahead of myself with all my DT work. With work becoming full time in September even more reason to get well ahead if I can.

So this is a card for a change.

For this project I have used -
Die - Sewing Room by Tim Holtz.
Papers - Tim Holtz shabby vintage.
Distress Inks - vintage photo, victorian velvet
Shrink plastic.
The button is made of clay covered with rose inka gold and is from one of my moulds.
Hessian, fabric and threads.
Sentiment - my own.

 Tiny thread holders cut from the TH die in shrink plastic and then alcohol inked.

 Button made of clay with a mould made when I was at Lucy's. She has the most fabulous work including moulds she makes herself and is doing an on-line course if you are interested in how she makes them. Pop over to see her here. We had a great day together yesterday when she came to visit me and we made more moulds, cut dies and stamped images. Lucy also gave me a very special gift - a wonderful steampunk frame she had made. Pop HERE to see it. Isn't it fabulous?

 The sentiment is not mine, I found it on the internet and just loved it. But I typed and printed it onto inked paper using PE.

I hope you like something a bit different from me again. Sewing is definitely the theme I love best at the moment. (You wait till you see what comes up on Sunday!!!)

Take care and have fun.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Altered book for C4E

Today this is my last guest designer piece for Crafts4Eternity. I have had a great time being on the team, so thanks Michele for having me, I have really enjoyed this last month.

Today the theme is 'Anything but a card' and I warned you last week it was right up my street. But this is my first altered book. It is a mini book and one from a set of children's stories, it is one of those with the thick pages. The girls don't really look at them any more so I decided to use one and see how it came out as a photo album so that I can give it to my youngest grandaughter Maddison.

These are photos of her. She is only just 3 but likes to try and keep up with her sisters so she is loud, but very funny. She speaks very clearly and has a wide vocabulary putting good sentences together and she is such a lovable character.

 This is a set of books the children keep here at our house.

 As you can see 2 are missing - one has been altered so I have no idea where the other one is.

In one of their boxes of toys no doubt.

To make my book, I cut sections out of some of the pages to frame the photos and then gessoed and painted them including the cover. It took several coats of paint to coverup the pictures underneath and even now a little shows through but it all adds to the collage look.

 

 

Once dried I added some glimmer mist, shimmer and texture spray to get different effects.

Then I added inks by masking and stamping. 

 

I stuck in the pictures, glued two pages together through the book and then added the embellishments and journalling.

 

It sounds simple doesn't it, but actually took quite a long time as there are so many different sections to the making of it. But I am very pleased with the outcome.

Although I had started to make this book when my friend Kathy at Purple Princess Diaries was inspired to start some collage work, I took inspiration from her posts as she made some ATCs after watching Kate Crane's DVD. Thanks Kathy.

I have another post coming up later today for the Stamp Man so I hope you'll come back and see my card for that challenge.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -

Sugar Creek Hollow - Let's Play Tag

Try It On Tuesday - Alter something for a gift

Deep Ocean Challenge - Ribbon

Wedding Book pages for the bride and groom

Hi All

Did you like my Frozen Charlotte Dolls - scroll down to the previous post if you haven't seen them yet.

A big welcome to Debbi who has joined in this creative journey with me - welcome Debbi hope you like my eclectic styles.

I have made another 2 pages for the wedding book I am making. If you have seen the other pages you will know that this is a wooden book and the idea is to make lots of tags for the wedding guests to sign and for the bride and groom to add some photos and journalling later. I am using Graphic 45 Le Romantique papers and Hampton Art stamps to match.

This page is specifically for Helen and Jamie as the B&G to write something to each other on the special day. They have a tag each and a mini tag for them to write something to each other on. These will be tied together with some ribbon when they have been completed.

The images were downloaded from the internet and cut out and stuck to tags on which I had used distress stains, starburst stains and perfect pearls, then stamped over the top with a TH stamp.

The flower was made by Suzanne Klezcar and I used the butterfly wings from the fanciful flight die and embossed it with glittery embossing powder.

Do you like the idea of the mini tags to match the larger ones - I thought that was quite neat?

The second page is very simple - A sheet from the Le Romantique paper pad.

I hope you can see some subtle colouring.

I used white pencil, coloured watercolour pencils, pearl pen and inka gold. I think it lifts it a bit and maintains that vintage look.

Inside are two blank pages for photographs to be added.

Slotted behind the pages are 2 tags.

One for the parents of the bride to write something and one for the parents of the groom.

Off to get some more of this done, still only about half way through it.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox