Out of the mouths of babes and Stamper mag win

No card today just a quick catch up of news

Ella, my 4 year old grandaughter,        
"I don't know why the children have to do all the work at school Granny, instead of the adults".               Both she and Maddison, the 2 year old, stayed on saturday night for a 'sleep-over'. Oh how blessed I am with my girls.

Just before Christmas I sent off an entry to the freebies section for the December Stamper Magazine and guess what?????? I won some stamps - woo hoo. Really nice steampunk Christmas stamps from The Artisrtic Stamper. Aren't I the lucky girl? Only problem is I haven't had my next magazine as they have had printing problems. All the ones for the shops are out, but not for those who have a subscription, pain.

It's the funeral tomorrow, all arrangements have been made and errands run. Just hope it goes smoothly now.

I'll be back soon.

Take care, one and all, and thanks for stopping to read this.

Have a good week.


luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Compendium of Curiosities week 27 - Distress Misting Masks

Good evening Everyone
The lovely Linda is hosting CoC challenge 27 over at Studio L3 and you can find all the details of how to do the masking technique on P60 of the Compendium of Curiosities. I used the sketch from Simon Says Stamp (flipped 90 degrees to the right) and also included the theme of masking at Simon Says Stamp and Show and Stampotique. The colour palette of brown, blue and white at Creative Inspiration, use coffee filters at Gingersnap Creations and use lace at ABC challenge and Shelly's Images.

I am really pleased with how this turned out. This will be another page for Mum's book when I get to make it. Butterflies were her favourite flying mini beast, so this piece is dedicated to her.
Supplies Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Chipped Sapphire, Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo
TH Flourish Mask
Tattered Angels butterfly stencil
Heidi Swapp butterfly mini mask

Papermania butterfly vinyl

TH dies - Fanciful Flight, Tattered Florals
Martha Stewart  border punch and butterfly punches
Cosmic Shimmer Mist - Aqua lagoon
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Creme de Cocoa and Coffee Shop
Dovecraft Funky Vintage paper
Shabby flower made from coffee filter papers, DIs and glitter
Lace, papers and glitter card from stash
Sakura glitter pens

Other challenges to have fun with -
Ooh La La Creations - Bling
Polly Craft - New things (I have had Fanciful Flight for a little while but it is the first time I have used in on a project)
Stampin B's - Die cut
Fairytale - Flowers
Delicious Doodles - Use 3 colours
Stampin for the weekend - New and Blue
2 sisters - Flowers
Allsorts - Teal Blue and Brown
CES - No DPs

Have fun and thankyou for stopping by to take a peek.

Luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

The Stamp Man - Challenge 14 Distress

Well here is something a little more different from me this week. I am hosting the challenge at the Stamp Man for this fortnight and the theme is 'Distress', so I have had great fun for nearly a week putting this one together (in between other things that is). I began, thinking I was going to make a card, but like many ideas things change as you go along and I ended up with a framed picture. Couldn't be more different could it?

I wanted to incorporate the "sketch" at Totally Gorjuss which is simple and elegant and  "Wings" from Sentimental Sundays and Stampin Sisters.

I have layered papers where I have embossed, stamped, inked, foiled and stickled to my hearts delight. Distressed did I hear someone say? Not me! Once I had chosen my elements to embellish, that's when I decided to make this into a framed piece and so I carried on.  I took an old frame apart, I shabbied the card inner piece and used the Vaseline paint resist technique with acrylic paint and distress inks. Again I stamped, made die cuts and flowers and cut out vintage pieces to add. I even bought a new music stamp to play with on it.

Supplies

Tim Holtz stamps - Weathered Textiles, Mini Classics, Shabby French

Paper Relics stamps - Fairy Jar
Distress inks - Victorian Velvet, Tattered Rose, Fired Brick, Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Vintage Photo, Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood, Tumbled Glass.
Alcohol Inks - Cranberry and Gold.
Embossing folders -
TH dies Elegant Flourishes and Heart Wings
USArtQuest - Mica Tiles
Gold foil
Perfect pearls - Heirloom Gold
Crackle Accents
Sakura Glitter pens
Papers - Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby stack and oddment from stash
Vintage images from downloads

Other challenges to have fun with -
Ann's Creative Nook - Hearts
Die Cut Dreams - Quote
Oooh La la Creations - Bling it on
Totally Stampalicious - Mix it up
My Partner in Crafting Crime - Something New
Crafts and Me - Paper tearing
AIF - Anything Goes
Stampinsanity - Let it all hang out

Have a wonderful weekend and hopefully some crafty/artsy time.

Luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

The Magician's Helper - Dezinaworld

Hi everyone, it's almost the weekend - yeh.

Firstly a big hello to Tonya, Marlou and Liz who have joined my creative world recently. It's lovely to see you and if I haven't visited you yet I will soon.

Those of you who read my posts fairly regularly know that I love many different styles but particularly vintage and I have been itching to play with Photoshop Elements more. I still need to do some training with it but playing helps.

I have made this using a background, frame and image that has come from the lovely June at Dezinaworld and I have had fun experimenting with light and colours to make this simple piece.

I am entering it into June's Spotlight challenge which runs weekly starting on a Thursday. You do not have to use her images and the challenge is open for any kind of art. The theme this week is 'Magic', so my framed lady is called The Magician's Helper.

Just to let my regular reader's know that Mum's funeral is next Tuesday, so I am busy making arrangements and clearing her flat with the help of all my family. How lovely it is to have such a close knit family and to have them and dear friends to fall back on. I have to say that my team mates at MAWTT have been fabulous and keep sending me messages of support and keeping a close eye on me - thankyou girls for your cards, messages, kind words, love and help through all of this. My thanks also to those of you who have been thinking of me and leaving me messages that also give me strength and a feeling that the world can be such a wonderful place where people you have never met can still make you feel cared for and loved. It really is an amazing feeling.

Lastly to finish on a brighter note - it is my first blogaverary at the end of this month and I am busy gathering together a small blog give-away. Stay tuned for more info during the next week.

I am back tomorrow with my Stamp Man post which I am hosting for the first time.

Sleep well.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

MAWTT Challenge 81 - Dream

Hello Everyone I hope your week is going well.

It is my turn to host the challenge over at MAWTT this week and did you know that it is "Make your dreams come true day" today. So I chose the theme of DREAMS this week which can be interpreted in any way you like.

I have this fabulous TH stamp that I hadn't used and it fitted perfectly, I just love the sentiment of it.

I made this using ribbed kraft card for the main background and used a Tattered Angels mask and text stamp, edged it with DIs and stickles and overstamped the TH birds on a wire. The sentiment has DIs over it and mounted onto black card. I have included a glossy accents covered butterfly, TH Dream ticket which I mounted and ink distressed, a ribbon flower I made with a button added and a pin and beads behind it and attached a glossy accents covered heart with a small pin. The last little element was cut on the cricut. I found out how to do the flower on the internet with wired edge ribbon and it is great fun and so easy to make.

Supplies-
Stamps - TH Visual Artistry Life's Possibilities
DIs - crushed olive, peeled paint, forest moss, frayed burlap and barn door.

Diamond stickles.

Thanks for stopping by and thankyou for all the lovely comments you give me, they are soooo appreciated.

Have a great Thursday.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Sweet Stampin - Try something different  (the ribbon flower and using ribbed kraft card to stamp and ink up)
Sentimental Sundays - Anything with wings
Stamoin Sisters - Wings
Whoopsi Daisy - No DPs
Die Cut Dreams - Quotes
Tuesday Throwdown - Background Stamping

Stampotique again

Welcome.

I have loved playing with my new Stampotique stamp and had to ink her up again. I used the sketch from Sketch Saturday and themes from Stampin' for the weekend - new and blue, Basic Grey - dots and spots, Creative Inspiration - Use something New,  Craft Your Days Away - Anything Goes, and Paper Cutz - metal.

The result.

Image stamped on TH paper edged with sparlky embossing powder and over inked. Dark blue papers were run through embossing folder and the bottom one had blue foil added to some of the spots. The sentiment is a digi from Scrap n Fonts.

Supplies
Prom Queen stamp (Stampotique)
TH paper Vintage/Shabby Chic set
Basic Grey background paper
Miscellaneous embellishments from my stash












Other challenges to have fun with-
Tuesday Throwdown - Embossing
Creative Cottage - Something New
Stampin' B's - Old and New (New stamp for Christmas, papers and embellishments old)
Stamp Insanity - Metal
Simple Doodles - Embossing
Mark's Finest papers - Embossing
Scrapbook Sisters - Anything Goes
Rainbow Lady - It's all new to me
Cute card Thursday - Out with the old
Crafty purple Frog - New Goodies
Delicious Doodles - New
Anything Goes - The letter C  CROWN

Thanks for looking and have a great week ahead.

Luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Art Journal Day 3

Make a zebra pattern print block then play in your journal. Milliande Day 3.

Oh boy am I loving playing with 'art' again. I've kept this fairly simple compared to what Milliande has produced (see link above). She made her print block using rubber and lino cutting tools, and yes I have got some tools somewhere - and I mean somewhere - but I don't think I've got lino or anything like that. So brainwave!!!! Remember that TH tag before Christmas where he showed us how to make our own stamps using foam???? Well that's what I did. I have just bought some funky foam sheets from the range and hobbycraft. They are only 2mm thick but I thought I would experiment to see what happens and it is fantastic. Look what I created. My own zebra print block.

I used acrylic paint on black paper and stamped the block several times, I also laid out 4 strips of masking tape on my craft mat and stamped over them with black stazon.

1.

On photo1 you can see how I drew between the shapes with white pen, this brought all the blocks together and gave it some continuity. I used a black pen and painted with white acrylic paint over the masking tape.

2.

Photo 2. I overlaid some of the masking tape over the printblock stamp and used a crafty individuals diagonal stamp top and bottom. The frame is from Invoke, stamped on white card with the centre cut out and overlaid and positioned to pick out the letter Z perfectly. I used white and red acrylic paint to fill in shapes and edged the frame with stardust stickles (well I just had to have a bit of bling in it somewhere didn't I?) Hmm pretty neat eh?

3.

Photo 3. I laid the last pieces of masking tape together, very irregularly and then continued the lines and shapes using oil pastels.

This last photo shows the double page spread and the black side unfolds. When laid back again it reveals photo 2 with the Z captured in it.

I'll be interested to see what you think.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

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