My Christmas Angel

I just had to share these tonight. I went to the Nativity Play at our local school this morning (where I am a governor), not expecting to see my granddaughter, Ella, as she is really quite poorly with a cough and cold. But I got a text from Bev saying she wanted to go in as she was in the play as an angel, so I just couldn't resist posting these pics. You can see she looks very peaky but she did everything she was supposed to do so beautifully.

How lovely to have your own Christmas angel. She brought a tear to my eye watching her.

Thanks for letting me share my angel with you.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Memory Box dies on Vintage Christmas card.

When I was teaching at the Art of Craft, I was shown some Memory Box dies, well I just loved them and bought several (ahem oh dear).

 I used this lovely family of deer on some shiny metallic card and laid it over a stamped and painted snowy scene. The papers are from MME - a Signature Christmas by Jen Wilson and what fabulous colours and designs each 12x12 is. I have used three of them on this card, added a border punch strip, a bow and snowflakes (also by Memory Box) to achieve this vintage look.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Tim's Tags of Christmas 2011

Well I have managed to make 2 so far.

Please excuse the photography -  didn't manage to get them finished in time to take them in the daylight. But I hope you can see the similarities.

I don't have any kraft resist paper so I made my own with a piece of brown wrapping paper, music stamp and embossing. In the top left corner is a Poinsettia, but you can't see that now. I also don't have the edge die and again improvised using a spellbinders border and using the cut away.

I am quite pleased with the outcome though.

I loved making the background for this one - great technique, but more improvisation as I don't have the coredinations. I also have to admit that the pinecones are off of an old decoration.

Maybe I will be able to make some more soon, but I will certainly try when both school and Christmas preparations are finished.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by to take a peek.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Grandma's Sewing Room

Hello there. Welcome to another Sunday and a new Fashionable Stamping Challenge. Our entrants are showing us some of the most amazing art ........... we're definitely having to work hard to keep up with the superb quality.

Today we are asking you to show us some dressmaking, corsets and/or accessories on your work, and as most of you know this is one of my favourite themes. I have gone the altered art route and changed a wooden box shelf into Grandma's sewing room. Would it have been like this do you think?

I picked up some of these great box shelves at a carboot recently. It started life looking like this

so you can see the great change in it now.

I have given the wood numerous coats of gesso and white acrylic paint and finished off with picket fence crackle paint. It has been sanded down, edges exposed and inka gold applied over it to give it an even more shabby look.

The background is where I did most of my stamping, using stamps by Wendy Vecchi, Andy Skinner and Hampton Art. I printed the main shapes onto fabric, masked them off and added collage text and other stamps over them. I painted in the larger items using distress inks.

The table (made from Wendy Vecchi Art Parts) has miniatures on it and there are other bits and pieces strewn across the floor.  The wooden hanger is hooked to an old zipper that has been stuck to the ceiling. The set of rickety shelves I made from greyboard and painted, cutting fabric to go on them.

 I also used numerous moulds which I covered in Panpastels and then sprayed with 'spray and shine'.

 The frame has three dress forms all covered with tissue paper stamped with the TH Haberdashery set.

I hope you like my piece of altered art - please go over to the challenge blog to see the team's fabulous interpretations,

This is a great opportunity to make something very feminine and as long as you show us some stamping (not digis) you are in for a chance to win a great prize from Marina at Cottage Crafts.

I can't believe 3 weeks and we will be celebrating Christmas Day. I hope your preparations are gong well. I feel as though I have still got lots to do but I did get the living room decorated yesterday and we will get our trees next weekend.

Enjoy your day.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Stamps and Fun- Distressing
Sunday Stamper - Love and/or life    As this theme is a real love of mine does that count Hels?
Craft Your days away - buttons or bows

Vintage Reindeer

You know about my love for PanPastels and much of it stems from the art course I did when I was in college and the teaching of art to my pupils when I was in the classroom. So I couldn't resist another Christmas card using the PanPastels Challenge Blog theme of Animals.

I used the reindeer flight die with coredinations card to cut this gorgeous animal out, sanded him down to get that 2 tone effect and added antique linen distress stickles to him.

The mount he is sitting on was covered with some PPs sponged lightly with lots of white to keep it toned down then music score stamped with walnut stain.

The background paper is from this gorgeous stack of MME papers I bought last year and I love the way the design of the deer reflect the die-cut. So some distress edgiing, inking and little embellishments and done.

I am only just going to make this by the skin of my teeth this week and I haven't been able to make any of Tim's tags yet. Oh well I still love looking at them and being inspired by his creativity.

Have a wonderful day whatever you are doing and thanks for visiting me.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Other challenges to have fun with -
Artistic Stamper - Christmas
Christmas cards all year round - Anything goes
Joanna Sheen - Christmas
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

A Christmas Ornament

Well Jill has truly challenged us today, her theme at The Stamp Man is to make an ornament. It can be altered art made from shrink plastic, metal or any other material, perhaps an ornament shaped card. use your imagination, but it must be an ornament.

So here we are. A piece of greyboard covered with blue copy paper and inked with weathered wood and stormy sky DIs. 

Next splashed with water and splattered with white acrylic paint, then stamped in said paint using a TH snowflake stamp from his Mini Holidays set 2. 

When dry I die cut it using  a Sizzix die, edged it with walnut stain DI and Stickles then added Viva pearl pen down the middle sections. After putting it together I added a bow to hang it with.


So I was able to use my favourite techniques and grungy style to make this great little tree ornament.  hope you like it too.


I am looking forward to seeing you at The Stamp Man for this challenge and don't forget you always have a chance of winning a £10 voucher towards goodies from the on-line shop.


Happy Friday, enjoy your day and thank you for coming over to see me, I so appreciate it.


luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

My work has been published

Hi Everyone

I am just soooo excited and had to tell you that  I have a card published in the new January 2012 Craft Stamper magazine. If you have it, please look at P.58 to see one of my summer cards that I made for the Stamp Man DT.

Woo hoo happy me.

Thanks for coming and taking a look.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Vintage Christmas Greetings

Greetings Everyone - today the new challenge at Divas by Design is anything goes, so pop right over to see what my fabulous teamies have made for your inspiration.

As you can imaging, I haven't made very much in the way of Christmas cards and seeing as I bought a gorgeous MME 12x12 pack in the QVC sale last year, I have just been dying to use it. The designs and colours are stunning (well I think they are), so I have challenged myself to use these papers and vintage images to get a few cards made.

I have used 3 of the DPs with some plain colours, vintage photo distress ink and white acrylic paint. A border punch, a few embellishments and some ribbon and it didn't take too long at all.

I am looking forward to see what you might be entering. Only another two and a half weeks and we break up for the Christmas holidays. I am looking forward to having the break and the time to get back to crafting.

Take care.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
The Crazy Challenge - Stars or Snowflakes
The Ribbon Reel - Anything Goes
Victorine Stamps - Use ribbon
Gingerloft - Christmas or Winter
Paper Sundaes -Winter Wonderland
Sparkles Forum - Vintage Christmas

Shabby and Vintage Tags 2

A little while ago I showed you two of the tags I made while I was away for a few days over half term. We found a fabulous B&B and went out during the day, but when we got back late afternoon, I sat in our room and made these tags before we got ready and went out for an evening meal.

First though I haven't welcomed any of my new followers for ages, so a big hello to Nigel, romantyczka, Sue, Lindsay, Sara, Sara, Susan, Tee, Caroline, Ginger, Gypsy Purple, Tammy, Debby, Ozmunchkin, Caroline, Marlene, Judith, Trace, Cath, Suzanne, Sandra, Marie, Michelle, Wendy and Renee. I find it so amazing that people want to follow my creative journey and feel so blessed that you leave wonderful comments for me.

So onto tag number three. This has a mix of elements on it that I had taken with me, the rosette had already been cut for another project and not used, but was very useful on this tag to lift the butterfly. The words come from an old book I bought at an antique store we found at the side of the road on one of our days out, and it's one I will use when I finish Ken's bird album.

Tag four's image I think is from a Debbie Moore set I bought ages ago and again all the other elements I had in envelopes in my bag,  except the little lace rose which I had bought whilst out on my travels that weekend.

I hope you like my little collection.

I have actually got the Christmas decorations down from the loft and decorated the conservatory and dining room.  want to get the living room and hallway done next weekend and the trees can be bought and decorated the weekend after that. Now just gotta get cards and pressies sorted.

I hope you are enjoying your Sunday, it is beautifully sunny here after a most miserable day yesterday.

Thanks for stopping by to see me.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Inspire me Fridays - Anything goes
Lily Pad - Use buttons
Crafty Ribbons - Tags
Dutch Dare Card Challenge - Recipe include at least 3 of - ribbon, image, patterned paper, layers, brads etc.
Sarah Hurley Challenge - Buttons
Crafts and Me - Shabby Chic/Vintage

Fancy Folds at Sugar Creek Hollow

Hi Everyone

I am really pleased and proud today to be a guest design team member for Sugar Creek Hollow. They want to see a vintage, shabby chic or primitive card with fancy folds. Now I have to admit with being in the run up to Christmas at school I really didn't have the time to get into something really exotic and fancy, but I have got more than one fold, so I hope that counts. I apologise for the quality of the photographs today, they were taken at night in ordinary house light, so not the best I am afraid.

I have used an arch triptych card that I bought a pack of a long time ago and it comes with the panels already cut and embossed. I covered these panels with distress stains and shabbied and inked the edges, then decorating them with vintage photos from Crafty Individuals and other bits and pieces. I really enjoyed just finding things from my stash rather than starting from scratch and creating everything I need as I go along. I really must do this more often so as to use up more of my supplies.

I hope you are having a good weekend. I should really get myself organised with finishing off Christmas present buying and getting cards written and in the post. I have been really lucky this year as my sister Chris has made alot, and I mean alot, of cards for me knowing I wouldn't have the time, so I have no excuse. Anyway enjoy your day whatever you are doing.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

PS - tune in for next Sunday's fabulous challenge at FSC and if you are getting fed up with the Christmas themes, I will give you a clue, we have a challenge on my most favourite topic at the moment. Can you guess?