Steampunk in red - The Stamp Man

It's Friday and the weekend starts here everyone. Hope all is well with you today.

When Jill told us that Vixx had chosen the colour red for the Stamp Man challenge this fortnight, my attention immediately turned to Valentine's,  but I have been hankering to go back to T!m's tags of Christmas to try the techniques as I didn't get to make them (maybe 2??) - and Grungy Monday this week is about his fabulous tags, so I knew this would fit perfectly - sorry I have been awol Linda, but here I am and hope to take part more often again.

So off I go to T!m's blog, find the tags and start at number one. But of course Christmas is over, I don't want to replicate them so I get the little grey cells working (do you like the touch of Poirot here?), and gather a new embossing folder - steampunk, gadget gears die and tattered leaves die. An embryo of an idea starts to emerge.

Tag 1 used embossing resist - a fabulous technique. 

I've got coredinations but no kraft core for the tag, so having used red card, the steampunk embossing folder and after the silver satin pearl ep has cooled I sand the top and then rub walnut stain over it. I die cut the word 'treasure' and tattered leaves from different red coredinations and the gears from silver embossed card. 

 I sanded the word treasure then added a glittery ep and I alcohol inked the gears. The leaves didn't look right at all, so out came the ideaology sprockets and gears, some beads and a heart, so more a 

Valentine feel after all eh?

So what are you making with the colour red at the moment? Come join us at The Stamp Man challenge to show us and you could be in with that chance of a £10.00 voucher for Jill's on-line store. What are you waiting for? - Let's go and I will see you there.

Supplies used -

Tim Holtz dies - tag, gadget gears

Sissiz die - treasure
Embossing folder - steampunk

Idealogy - sprokets and gears, heart, pin

Beads and ribbons from stash

Coredinations red card

Alcohol inks - raisin and cranberry

Have a wonderful weekend.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Try it on Tuesday - Resistance
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Red letter day - I am focused on the colour red
Stampalot - Monochrome
Grungy Monday - Tim's Christmas tags

New Year Cards

Happy Sunday All

I have seen a number of blogging friends who are talking about new year resolutions and not buying any more craft materials for 6 months unless they are staple basics that are needed. Now I don't think I will be able to make that sort of resolution but there are a couple of things I would like to try and do.

1. Is make more family scrapbook pages for a couple of albums that I have got on the go, 

and need to do more to. 

These will need to be 12 x 12 and will therefore use up some of my supplies that I have got lots of!!!!

2. Is use even more of my endless boxes of supplies and make some quick cards.

So with this in mind I decided to make a start whilst I was sitting in my craft room New Years Day evening. Here are some quick(ish) cards, they have been completed over the past week when I have been able to catch a bit of time in the evenings.

 Whilst I was collecting paper pads and images together I thought that I would make 2 of the same design, that way using even more of my bits and not taking that much longer. You know with me it is always the thinking and designing time that I spend hours on.

What did I decide to make?  Happy New Year cards!! Only because I found the images in a box and they looked so appealing.

These next two are not the same design.

No stamping, just images from a pack and collage backgrounds. But I soooooo loved making them all for a change. There is ink and acrylic paint on them, buttons, gems, corners and torn paper.

Very simple designs, but I am happy with them.

Hope you like them too.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with.

Paper Play - Happy New Year

Papertake Weekly - 'New' theme

By the Cute and Girly - Happy New Year

Joanna Sheen - Celebrations

Truly Scrumptious - shabby pastels and paint

The Shabby Tea Room - Time Flies - something with wings

Another shabby vintage card.

I have been wanting to get out the bees wax for ages and have been trying to find the time to enter the wax Spicy Supple challenge at Gingersnap Creations. 

So whilst I was playing with vintage images this week I decided to add some wax to this card. You can just make out the wax stamped area which has been brushed with interference red perfect pearls and below enlarged so you can see the detail.

A small wooden piece, painted with white acrylic, adorns the little rosette.

Enjoy.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Stamp Man Recycled ATC

This is my second post for today - to see my New Year wishes scroll down to the previous 2 posts

It's not the actual ATC that I am recycling, but all the elements on it. So if you've still got lots of bits and pieces left on your craft desk why not use them up on an ATC of your own and enter it into the Stamp Man ATC swap for the new year.

I have several ATCs already covered with bits of paper left from projects and given a wash of watered down gesso. So I chose one of those that went with bits of paper, a small rosette not used at Christmas. a TH banner, a butterfly and some leaves just sitting around and feeling very lonely. Put them together and this is the result. The only new thing I used was my Zutter distresser that was a Christmas present from my son and DiL. It really distresses the edges of paper, card, grungeboard, chipboard, in fact you name it, it will probably do it.

Supplies used -

Stamps - small flourish from TH mini classics

TH Rosette die

TH banner die

Crealies leaf die and butterfly die

Happy New Year to one all and I hope 2012 will be a year full of love, happiness and peace.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

New Year - New Stash

HAPPY NEW YEAR

To All my Dear Friends I wish you a happy, peaceful and healthy 2012.

Today is a new year and a new challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenges and we want you to play with all the new goodies you hopefully received over Christmas or that you have bought for yourself.

I have used several new things for this project, - new stamp set from The Artistic Stamper, a new book by La Blanche and new metal and tools following my metal master-class with Lin last November.

I followed the first workshop design in my book to make a new year card - and yes time certainly does fly doesn't it?

I have also used some muslin fabric, Graphic 45 paper, TH Heart Wings die and Regal Flourishes texture fade, black acrylic paint, brads and foil for the edge of the card.

Please come join us on the catwalk to show us your new designs and new tools and materials. You never know you might be the first winner of 2012 and receive a fabulous stamp from our sponsor Marina at Cottage Crafts. Also come over and take a look at the Stampettes inspiration for you, they are an incredibly talented group of ladies.

Have a wonderful year ahead.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Sunday Stamper - Anything  If anyone hasn't found Hels blog you must go take a look.
Bloggers Challenge - Celebrate Good Times
Creative Stamp Friends - New Year Cards
Crafts and Me - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Stampin' for the Weekend - Anything Goes
The Artistic Stamper - Vintage
Happy Daze - Try something new

New Years Eve - An Angel

Welcome to New Year's Eve, I hope you have a great day and enjoy some celebrations this evening with loved ones and friends. We are having a few neighbours in and the family round to celebrate, but there is a sting in the tail for me today as it is the first anniversary of my dear Mum passing away and of course there are bitter sweet memories that this day holds for me.

However we must look forward to another new year and I wish for the world to become a more peaceful place and that humankind learns to live with one another more happily; with a focus of improving the environment and ensuring our planet stays safe for our future and our grandchildren's future.

I was playing the other day (as you do) and decided to try out another workshop activity from the La Blanche book. A simple piece, I had fun doing it and I used  a La Blanche stamp.

Dedicated to my Mum who was always an 'angel' in oh so many ways. I love you Mum.

I wish each and everyone of you a wonderful new year's eve and a happy, healthy and peaceful new year ahead. Thank you for being a follower, a friend and a blogging buddy. Thank you for your supportive and encouraging comments and messages and thank you for being a part of my life. I am grateful to each and every one of you for visiting me.

New Year's Reflections

Looking back on the months gone by,

As a new year starts and an old one ends,

We contemplate what bought us joy,

And we think of our loved ones and our friends.

Recalling all the happy times,

Remembering how they enriched our lives,

We reflect upon who really counts,

As the fresh and bright new year arrives.

And when I ponder those who do,

I immediately think of you.

Thanks for being one of the reasons I'll have another Happy New Year!

By Joanna Fuchs

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

The Stamp Man 3rd Annual Awards!!!

Hi Everyone 

At the Stamp Man today we are announcing our third annual Awards Challenge. This is the opportunity for you to choose your favourite project of the year and show us what that is. It doesn't have to be something you entered into a Stamp Man challenge, but something you are very proud of and want to share again. Jill has very kindly offered a first prize of £30 gift voucher for her on-line shop and 4 runner up prizes as well, so please pop over and take a look at what the DT have offered as their favourite project.

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There are lots of things that I am very proud of making this year and I can see how my art has changed and grown. I still enjoy experimenting with new techniques and products but I seem to have 2 main styles, vintage and shabby chic and I love making all sorts of different things, particularly cards and altered art. So I have chosen to show you again a tag I made in August that I gave to a friend as part of her 60th birthday present, she loved it and so did I.

I hope you will join us in celebrating our art and show to the world what wonderful creations and inspiration we can find from our blogging friends and these great challenges. If you join us please take the Stamp Man Award - here and on my sidebar or on the challenge blog to show you you have presented your project.

Enjoy your day.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

When you wish upon a star

Happy Boxing Day. We are off to my son's today to go and see what Santa brought the grandchildren - they always seem to get far too much.

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas Day with your loved ones. Santa was very kind to me and bought me lots of wonderful goodies, including some great crafting pressies. How lucky I am.

 I have been inspired by the Gingersnap Creations Chestnut Theme Challenge - 'Starry Night'.  It is ages since I have had the chance to enter any challenges and am enjoying the opportunity to do so.

 Experimenting with PPs and Stazon ink I got a very clear definition from a Kanban stamp on a PP background. Once I had applied the colour for the background, I rubbed it over with a clean, dry wipe to get any excess powder off first.

The stars were created using some sequin waste and Versamark with several different colours of PP dabbed over the top, the star was made cutting two stars using the Cricut and then adding a star gem to the middle. The 'wish' sentiment is a Sizzix die and embossed with glittery embossing powder.

I think I will put this piece in my art journal and start a section for PP techniques.

Here are my other 'Stars'. This was the day before Christmas Eve and I had the girls for the afternoon whilst Mum went shopping and then both Mum and Dad and their other helper wrapped presents.

This is Ella (showing her gappy teeth) and Maddison baking cakes and decorating with .........

...... of course - stars. This is one of Ellas -

.... and these were Maddisons.

Do you know Santa must have been very hungry when he got to their house - he ate one of their cakes as well as a biscuit and mince-pie and he drank a cup of milk!!!

Enjoy your day.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Sledging Vintage Christmas card.

I thought I had finished all my Christmas cards but here is just one more to show you which is using a vintage image and MME papers. There are three different DPs in the background and the image has been mounted onto plain green paper and the scalloped edge painted with white acrylic paint.  The poinsettia has been made using a Crealies die and some lace and a sentiment have been added to the finished product.

Not long to go now, 'what' I hear you say two more sleeps till Santa comes - oh boy.

Just a few last minute things to do in the morning and then the family come round for a late afternoon dinner and some neighbours are coming in for drinks in the evening. 

Have a fun time with your family and friends.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

My last Christmas card

Here it is my last card for this year and of course it is for my dear hubbie. I had great fun making it at my sister's yesterday - good isn't it when you can go visiting and get stuck in creating and making something.

It is an 8 x 8 card. The stamp is Kanban, which I painted with distress inks and vintage mica paints. I stamped the image twice and decoupaged the bird and berries to give them some 'lift'.

I foiled the edge of the card and the backing paper and also added a few bits to the image itself. The letters for his name were embossed die-cut in gold mirri card and I added alcohol inks over it.

The backing paper (source unknown) not only had the holly on but recipes too, which is perfect for Ken as he is the cook in the house (aren't I the lucky one?)

I hope he will like it. Just got to buy a couple more bits and finish wrapping, then I am there. 

Enjoy the last few days getting ready. The weekend will be upon us before we know it.

Take care.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox