By Royal Decree

Well here I am with a tag for CoC and too late again. The week has just run away from me, but it hasn't helped that I have had to go to the dentist twice and have a temporary filling whilst waiting for root canal treatment. But hey ho.

My tag has been made using the 'Faded Layers' technique which can be found on P.43 of Tim's new book.

I have combined this with a few challenges -

Creative Craft Challenge - Anything Goes

Cheerful Stamp Pad - Tags

Happy Daze - May Queen

Stampalot Challenge - Medals and Monarchs
Sugar Creek Hollow - tags

For the background I used a metal stencil to create the design and stamped crowns in both black archival and Flitter Glue with gilding flake added.

To finish off I stamped the queen and banner using Paper Relics stamps and the Fleur de Lis are spellbinders die-cuts. I coloured the Queen in with distress markers, but have to day I am really disappointed with the colours. So many of them are different to their DI colour.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, looks like we are going to have a bit of sun for a change.

Take care and enjoy whatever you have planned.

hugs {brenda} xox

Shabby Vintage

I saw a quilted card on the internet some time ago and have been wanting to make something similar. So here it is.

Sewing done directly onto the card .......

A lace flower, handmade, and a rolled fabric flower also handmade with a couple of shop bought ribbon roses.

A pin with beads on and a sentiment, computer generated.

A couple of other quick cards made using the Tilda Gardenparty paper pad. Just love those vibrant designs.

I have some birthdays coming up and need some 'flat' cards to get in the post and this one is embellishment free and very flat.

This last card I am entering into Ali's Vintage Page Designs Birds challenge.

hugs {brenda} xox

Tuesday Treasures

Do you have something special this week which is a treasure to you? If so, please link it below so we can share in each other's wonderful things. Be it something you have made, a photograph of something special or things you have collected like me.

Look at the treasures I picked up last week at a charity shop.

A book of music, a hard backed rounded bag which opens a bit like a shell and .....

a fabric frame which was only £1.99. A bargain eh?

This is how I have altered it. A vintage bird as the central image, a big shabby bow and lots of little embellishments. I would like to add this to Ali's blog Vintage Page Designs where she has a challenge theme of Birds.

A lace butterfly from the Funkie Junkie's Boutique, old buttons, another of my frozen Charlotte dolls.

The bluebird and flower is off a piece of jewellery, there is also some trim and charms.

I am looking forward to seeing your special treasures.

hugs {brenda} xox

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - A capital city

I am definitely flying the flag for Fashionable Stamping Challenges today and "London Calling" is my theme. I am so lucky that I can get a train locally and be in the heart of London in 40 minutes, whether that's for a show and meal, an exhibition or gallery; or just mooching around the shops and places like Covent Garden.

This is my piece depicting my capital city where you can find so many famous places, wonderful buildings, architecture and beautiful walks. Some of these things are shown here.

I started with paper from the docrafts papermania range called bookprint. This was inked and spritzed to give it colour and an aged feel. I have stamped using Indigo Blu Pomp and Pageantry set, made the title and added some bunting and other little bits.

Show us your capital city at FSC this fortnight and you could be in the running for a prize or place on the catwalk.

My lovely teamies have made some fabulous creations and of course from around the world.

hugs {brenda} xox

PanPastels - Anything Goes

So today at PanPastels UK challenges you can enter whatever you are working on and show us your wonderful creations.

I have made a shabby sewing/dress card using a TH embossing folder and the B Line Cinderella stamp. The embossed background was covered with PanPastels as is the image and both were then embossed with clear EP.

The mini frame is covered with glamour dust and I made a shabby flower with the addition of PPs so is the tag. The backing paper is from my bits box.

We look forward to you joining us over at the PanPastels UK challenge blog and when you enter you will be in with a chance of winning 3 digital images from LEJ Designs, which just happens to be Lindsay, one of the design team members.

Thanks for stopping by today and thank you even more if you leave me a comment, I so appreciate it.

Enjoy your Sunday.

hugs {brenda} xox

The Stamp Man - Your Favourite Technique

Today the lovely Angela is challenging us to make something using our favourite technique. Now if you are anything like me I took one look at that and thought where do I start? I love so many techniques. Shall I write them all out and pull one out of a hat? No not really. But I decided that although I use blend and flick and masking alot with DIs and sprays I decided to go with a favourite that I don't use so often and that is T!m's Rusted Enamel technique.

So here is my Stamp Man DT piece, I hope you like it. If you want to see how to do this technique in more detail it is in the Compendium of Curiosities Volume 1.

Supplies -

Distress Inks - Bundled Sage, Shabby Shutters, Walnut Stain

Archival Inks - Coffee, Rose Madder, Olive

Stamps - Tim Holtz - Mini Classics,     Stampendous - Pensive Portrait,    Artemio - Butterfly Collage

Distress Stains - Victorian Velvet, Dusty Concord, Weathered Wood

The Rusted Enamel background.

We look forward to you joining is at The Stamp Man and if you do you will be in with a chance of winning a £10 voucher to the On-line store.

Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend.

hugs {brenda} xox

Challenges to have fun with -

Snazzys - Spring Colours

Tuesday Treasures

Just a reminder that if you have any special treasures on your projects or blogs this week ie special embellishments, photos, vintage ephemera, treasures you have made or altered etc, I would love it if you would link them to my blog TUESDAY TREASURES post which is about 3 posts below this one or click HERE to be transported there.

Thanks to Lynn and Gerri who have already shown us their fabulous creations and photos.

My aim is that we can all share our special treasures with each other and be able to hop around and see new inspiration from a wide variety of art and craft genres.

Come and join me and have some fun.

hugs {brenda} xox

Wedding Wonders for UPA RAQ

Did you enjoy the first issue of Unruly PaperArts (UPA)? Wow, so much inspiration from the Columnists and guests and fabulous entries from the readers too. It's my turn this month to contribute. A sample for the Reader's Art Quest (RAQ) today and my very first column coming later in the month.

My focus for the RAQ is anything but a card (but could fit in with the lace theme too LOL), and is for the 'Wedding Wonders' overall theme.

I chose to re-cycle a small jar and make a small table light which could be used anywhere for decoration on the big day.

I forgot to take a photo before I started but here is the jar after the first couple of layers. Firstly I used paper lace on the jar as a mask and sprayed it with glass frosting. 

I added lace, vintage paper and little stamps (from the G45 Romantique pad).

The lid was sprayed with antique white paint and when dry I added more vintage paper, cut out part of a Cheery Lyn doily and added some little embellishments, the ribbon rose and paper and lace horn were hand made. Jewellery comes in really useful for adding some sparkle.

I completed the jar by adding keys and a lock on chain, ribbon and pearl-twisted ribbon to complete the wedding look.

We hope you are enjoying the new Blogozine and are able to dip into the articles for some fabulous inspiration from the team. There are two RAQs every month and the FAQ section will answer all your questions about what and how you can enter. I do so hope to see you over there with your wedding wonders this month. The last dates for adding are clearly laid out on the blog. Just look for the labels under the blog header to find where you submit your piece.

I am hoping to see you over on the blog, let us know what you have enjoyed so far.

Have fun creating and making this month.

hugs {brenda} xox

The Stamp Man ATC Swap

This month the swap theme at The Stamp Man is Shabby Chic or Distressed and I am trying to make up for being MIA last month and have made 3 ATCs for Janet.

These are simple blended backgrounds using DIs and spritzed and blotted to create a gentle mottled look. I lightly stamped some TH stamps to give some depth and then stamped these gorgeous Artemio images in black archival which gives such a crisp look.

I have added some lace and ric-rac, buttons and tags and finished with some rubbings.

Supplies -

Distress Inks - Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, Victorian Velvet, Walnut Stain

Ranger Black Archival ink

Artemio clear stamp set - Sewing

Tim Holtz stamps - Shabby French

Embellishments and rubbings from stash

If you love to take part in swaps then this one is for you.

Tuesday Treasures

This is the first of 3 posts today - very rare that.

Later today you will find ATCs for The Stamp Man swap and the early evening will see my first contribution to the Unruly PaperArts Blogozine, so I hope you will come back again to see me.

Those who know me will often see little 'treasures' on my creations. These may be bits of jewellery, small pieces picked up from ebay, car-boot sales or charity shop finds, and I have a couple of small boxes filled with old watch pieces, game pieces, vintage sewing things, vintage ephemera, keys, frozen charlotte dolls, bottle tops as well as new things like the TH Idea-ology range. 

I have needed some new inspiration lately and am not stamping quite as much as I was. I just love the shabby vintage creations that can be found out there in blog-land and find myself playing with all the ephemera that I have been gathering.

Here are some frames I picked up at a car-boot sale last year, which have been sitting waiting for me to alter.

Originally there were three of them, but I have taken one off and created this. The frame was painted with Fresco Finish snowflake. The back piece was also painted then stamped  and I have added another of my treasures bought last year off Ebay - a Frozen Charlotte Doll. I have used crackle accents and alcohol inks on it which for some reason has made it appear blurred in this photo. 

You can see I also added some glitter EP over the frame to give it some more dimension.

I re-photographed the frame on a dark background and got a better image of the Charlotte Doll.

I find it so inspiring looking at other people's treasures so I would love it if you would leave a link to this post. Just tell me what is your special treasure this week and we can share with each other.

Have a very treasured week.

hugs {brenda} xox

Mr Inlinkz is below.