New beginnings, new stamp and COCC #26

Hello everyone and welcome

I have been itching to play with this new stamp that my husband bought me for Christmas. I had been looking at the Stampotique stamps all last year and wasn't sure how I would use them, yet they intrigued me and at last I have plucked up courage to experiment with them. I am pleased with the simplicity of this and the effect I have achieved. I had several challenges in mind,

Stampotique - to use punches/die cuts

Studio L3 - Rusted Grunge

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Your newest stamp

Unscripted Sketches -  old sketch #13     

Prom Queen by Jill Penney and Daniel Torrente has been stamped onto patterned paper and coloured using promarkers. Diecut and stamped pieces have been given the rusted grunge technique (see P45 of TH Compendium of Curiosities for how to do it) and stickles added to edges and crown. The sentiment is my own created in Word.

 

Other challenges to have fun with -

Creative Inspirations - Use something new

Mark's finest papers - Use something new

One Stop Craft - New beginnings

Paper Sundaes - Something new

Pile It On - Brand spankin' new

Creative Card Crew - New beginnings

Try it on Tuesday - New beginnings

Creative Cottage - Something new

Simon Says Stamp - New beginnings

Dutch Dare Card Challenges - Something New

Hope your week is going well - take care and have fun.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

MAWTT Challenge 80 - Ring out the old - ring in the new

Hi Everyone

I am really pleased to be back this week and the lovely Lisa is starting the first challenge of the new year with ring out the old, ring in the new, which is a great opportunity for you to show us some of your new stash that maybe you got for Christmas or maybe you have treated yourselves to in the sales along with some oldies that are maybe your tried and tested and love things.

We are being sponsored this week by Ladybug Crafts Ink and we were lucky to play with some of Kerry's images (and many thanks to Lisa who sent me this one to play with). But first more about Kerry and what she does.

"Hi there! My name is Kerry and I'm owner/designer/general dogs body of Ladybug Crafts Ink. I started crafting just over 11 years ago. I wanted to take a calligraphy course which was full but managed to get the last space for a beginners stamping class. I can't say I fell in love with it...all that huffing and puffing on the stamp wasn't what I had in mind...but for the last 10 minutes of the class we were taught how to heat emboss and that's when the love affair began! Eighteen months ago I was bored with all the stamps on the market. There was nothing new...just slight variations on old stamps so after having a light bulb moment Nikki & Friends was born. Since Nikki came along there has been Buttercup, Ruby Fairy, Magnum & Lily, Robyn, Jack and Nikki's boyfriend Ben. Next week sees the launch of a new stamp set which I'm so excited about!

I am delighted to be sponsoring MAWTT Challenge this week and hope you enjoy the design team's cards and projects."

So here is my card. I have used my new aquamarkers for the first time but realised I have not used a good paper for them, so I am going to experiment to see what works best. (Plus they were dried out a bit so I think I may have used too much water) I haven't put a sentiment on yet but will when I decide who I am sending it to. All other things used are 'oldies'. So come and ring out the old and ring in the new with us - I am sure looking forward to coming and see what delights you have got to use.

Supplies-
Kraft card.
striped paper - Papermania Rose Garden
pink spotty paper from my oddments box
Diamond Stickles

The design was from a sketch at Sketch and Stash.

Other  challenges to have fun with -
Kaboodle Doodles - Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Fab 'n' Funky - Anything goes
Gingersnap Creations - Hot beverages
Whoopsi Daisy - Free and easy
Craft your days away - Use punches / die cuts
Cute card Thursday - Out with the old
Crafty Sentiments - Anything goes

Thanks for stopping by.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Art Journal Day 2

This is Day 2 -  to Zendoodle a Zebra Mandela and then cut it up mixed media style.

Another day and more fun with my art journal and following the inspiration for January from Milliande.
If you've never tried something like this before why don't you pop over and have a look to see if it's something for you. You are not left to your own devices, Milliande videos her creative take to give you inspiration and even helps out by providing you with a drawn mandela for you to doodle on.

 Here is my take on the theme.

Sketchy things like this certainly free your inhibitions, allow your creativity to flow and allow you to let go of some of that 'control' that we often feel we need to have when creating and making. Maddie will be proud of me.

I am now a couple of days behind, but that doesn't matter. I will do bits when I can.

Have fun and thanks for taking a look.

luv {brenda} xoxox

Art Journal Day 1

I haven't kept a journal before but I used to keep a sketchbook going when I was at college (OMG how long ago was that???) So today I was going to google to find something to help me get started when I read Sarah's blog and she is following Milliande and her journalling inspiration. So off I went and had a look, I joined the community and watched the video for the inspiration. So we are "Starting out from the end - z for zebras".

Here is my piece and page 1 in a new journal. I haven't really drawn or sketched for quite a while and it's gonna take time to get back into practice but I had a go.

I used pencil for the zebra and pen for the zebra pattern lines filled in with a water brush using black soot DI.

I hope I keep it going some of the time during the year. I know it certainly won't be everyday.

I hope you enjoy your Bank Holiday Monday.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Compendium of Curiosities week 25

I just had to have a go at this today - need to keep myself busy and I hate missing Linda's fabulous challenges over at Studio L3. This one is 'scribble stain distress' and you can find the deets on P.34 of the great book itself (The Compendium of Curiosities).

For some reason I still have rhymes and poems as a theme in my head (see The Stamp Man ATC blog) and 'This is the house that Jack built' seemed most appropriate.

Supplies used -

TH dies - Rickety House and On The Fence

Crealies die for foliage.

Flowers from stash.

DIs - stormy sky, bundled sage, chipped sapphire, vintage photo, fired brick.

Re-inker - vintage photo

TH stamp - birds

Cosmic shimmer mist - rich gold and red firefly

TH embossing folders - branch tree and notebook

The backing paper for the main piece is where I have used the scribble stain distress technique.

Hope all is well with you. Thanks for stopping by.

Luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

For Mum

Those of you who know me have been aware that Mum (Mary) has been in hospital since the end of November and I have been visiting her every day, (except for a couple that couldn't be helped).

I started making this heart the day before yesterday - inspired by Claudine Hellmuth - as I had seen Mum's Consultant in the morning and knew that she was very poorly and deteriorating. I went up to the hospital again at 4 pm because she was being moved ward and she sadly passed away very peacefully just after 6.00 pm on New Year's Eve. Ken and I were with her.

I will miss her dreadfully as will my sister, my husband and my children - she was a wonderfully warm and giving person and there is now a big gap in my life but her place in my heart and my memories will always be there.

For Mum.

Her favourite colours were always the autumn colours of orange, yellow, beige and brown with some lilac, mauves and blues.

I used stamps and elements that have real meaning for her. Flowers because she loved her garden and growing flowers in the summer. Butterflies - these always remind me of her. Music paper because she loved listening to the radio and musicals on CD. Text print to show her love of reading. I secured the heart as a pouch and have started to print onto a piece of muslin and will go on and embellish it as I feel like it. I hope to use this as a book cover and add photos of her.

Supplies
Grungepaper
Claudine Hellmuth sticky back canvas
Basic Grey paper
Text, flowers and dots background stamps
Distress inks - Rusty Hinge, spiced marmalade
Distress stickles - antique linen
shabby ribbon

Thanks for stopping by to read this.

Big hugs and love to you all. {brenda} xoxox

The Stamp Man ATC January Swap - Rhymes and Tales

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my friends, design team members and readers.

Today the Stamp Man ATC challenge starts 2011 with a swap around the theme of rhymes and tales. This opens up a whole world of fun for you. I went with children's rhymes and actually it is very apt for me for today (those of you who know me will see my post tomorrow for my Mum whose name is Mary).

Mary had a little lamb, his fleece as white as snow,

and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.

I inked the background using torn paper and DIs, overstamped using the pine trees, misted with PPs and added the image and title from Crafty Individuals.

Supplies used -

Distress Inks - Pine Needles, Bundled Sage, Antique Linen and Spun Sugar.

TH Mini Holidays 2 stamps

Perfect Pearls - Heirloom Gold and Interference Red

Image - Crafty Individuals Miniatures 'People and places 2'

I wish you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful 2011 and hope it is everything you would wish for yourselves.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Hi Everyone and before the bells ring at midnight I would like to wish you ALL a very happy, healthy and peaceful new year. I really hope it is a good one for you.

This week at the Stamp Man we have a challenge and the 2nd annual blog awards event. The challenge is to show us your best or most favourite project for 2010. Go on have a look back at what you have created over the past year and decide which piece you would like to use for your entry.
This is mine - A Family memories Tag Book (click to see the original post and more photos)

Now join in the challenge and link it to the Stamp Man challenge blog. Then go a-wandering to see what all the DT have chosen as their favourite pieces - there is some beautiful and inspiring work to look at and take part in the blog hop. Start at The Stamp Man Main Blog. If you have arrived here with me from Michelle, then you are well on your way and collecting letters as you go round. My letter for you to collect is E and you should now hop over to the ATC blog HERE for the next letter. Leave a comment on all the blogs you visit and once you have followed your way around and collected all the letters you will find on each blog, work out the answer and email it to: thestampman@btconnect.com by 9pm (GMT) on Thursday 13th January 2011. Please put BLOGHOP ANSWER as the title of the message.
Please post our event blinkie onto your blog or write a post about the event with your best/favourite project.

We are really looking forward to seeing your choices and having some fun. There will be some prizes on offer and you can see these on the main blog at the start of the blog hop. The winners will be randomly selected and everyone is welcome to join in.

Take care and have a fabulous evening and a great 2011.

Luv {brenda} xoxox

MAWTT Challenge 78 - Anything Goes but not Christmas

Good morning Everyone

I hope that all is well with you and your families as we are fast approaching Christmas Day.

This week our lovely Hazel at has set the theme at MAWTT and we are looking for anything but Christmas projects.

We are being sponsored by Stitchy Bear Stamps this week and the winner will receive $10.00 To spend instore!!!!!   Pop over to the Store to see what they have got - there is such a range of images and papers.

I got to play with 'Babe' and Stitchy, if you read this my friend, I hope you don't mind how I have used her.

I have experimented with using digital images to create a piece of art and I did not set out to make a card. I use Adobe Photoshop Elements but have a very limited understanding of what it can do (so I must get myself on a course to learn how to use it properly). Firstly I coloured Babe, put wings on her as well as goggles and a top-hat (I know very Steampunk!!) and then added her and other elements to Panda Bear Designs Garden Fairies Paper. I added more shading and colour to the image with Promarkers and then I used layers, inks, stickles, stamps and embellishments to give it a more 3D look - eh voila.

Only 2 more sleeps now.

Take care, luv {brenda} xoxox



12 Tags of Christmas - Day 9

Hello Everyone

How's your Sunday going? Still got snow on the ground? We have, even though we have had some very fine rainy sleet here today, but I guess the temperature hasn't really got much above freezing, if at all.

I have been trying to finish off bits and pieces that I have started over the weeks and just have to fit a little time in here and there. This is one of the tags I was doing whilst following Tim's 12 tags of Christmas, so as I have just completed it I thought I would share it.

 

Several people have asked me for the link to these tags, so here it is -  http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/ 

There is a list of the individual tags down the right hand side of Tim's blog and also links to the tags he has made for the previous 3 years.

I have a raging sore throat so I daren't go up to visit Mum today, she wasn't too good herself this morning and needed the doctor to see her. I certainly don't want to give her anything else to cause problems. She will be very disappointed though.

Well, one week today and it will all be over won't it? I hope you have done all your shopping and got everything sorted. 

Have a good week, thanks for stopping by.

luv {brenda} xoxox