Three tags for Stitches

I was asked by Jane at The Art of Craft if I would do some samples for the 'Crafts Too' stand at Stitches last weekend. I was very happy to do so, but I ended up with some Marianne dies - and those of you who know me can imagine what I thought. But not to be defeated I set about making these three tags with the new bird die. Cute aren't they? LOL.

I wanted to include texture, colour and metal to make them a bit more 'me'. So these were the result.

Distress inks, masking, tape, stamp and key and the good old mini stapler. Yep, I could live with that, in fact I really quite liked it.

More distress inks, Tim Holtz riveted metal technique, alcohol inks, cogs and gears and a steampunk hat. Yep, pleased with the makeover of this one too.

More distress inks (of course), more tape, a ribbed bird and some flowers and a gold crown. Quite shabby chic I thought!!

So although I would never have chosen this die for myself I had great fun working with it and it really did challenge me to think outside of my comfort zone which has to be good once in a while don't you think?

I have used numerous bits of metal on the tags so I am entering these into the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge this week which is 'Metal-ology'.

Also Sugar Creek Hollow also has a Metal Mania challenge.

(I was very lucky to be the winner of the last challenge with my bird canvas.)

Bloggers Challenge is to use die-cuts.

Alphabet challenge is Anything with wings.

Stampotique want to see a bit of Text on your project.

What have you done lately that is different from what you would normally choose to do? 

Answers on a postcard ...................

Thanks for visiting, I hope you will say a quick hello so that I know you stopped by.

hugs {brenda} x0x

By the way - I know so many people are like me when it comes to blogging, I want to get round and see my friends and all your inspiration as often as I can, but long comments take alot of time to make. I will still be popping by as regularly as possible but in future I hope you don't mind if I leave a very short hello or comment as sometimes I can spend four hours or more on my visits. I hope you too will do the same with me. Thanks.

Tim's 12 Tags of 2013 - February

What an incredible two days I had at the Stitches trade show, so many people I knew and could chat to, which really surprised me. One of the highlights was meeting Buttons {aka Jenny}. See photo below.

But first I am buzzing after my win for the January 2013 Tag and have ordered some distress paints for my prize - can't wait to have a play with them.

This months tag gave me problems and this is the second try at it. The first I tried to re-create the Queen of Hearts and enlarge it from the mini one I own, but I didn't perfect that. I did learn how to print on tissue paper though. Tim's tag can be found HERE.

I so love the dramatic red and black combination Tim has used and wanted to use it so it had to be plan 'B' - use one of the sewing stamps (it's the only large blueprint set I own apart from the Christmas ones lol). 

Nor do I have the seasonal coredinations, so back to the drawing board, but the bingo texture fade came out top and hey presto adding my own computer generated words helped as well.

So another step nearer my 2013 goal of learning new techniques.

Some photos from the weekend.

A new stamp range at Paperartsy with designs from Lin Brown - yay these are just gorgeous Lin.

Some new minis coming out.

Kerry demonstrating PanPastels.

Jill Tuck from The Stamp Man demonstrating her frantage techniques.

Andy Skinner demoing and talking to potential customers on the Decoart stand.

Some of my samples on the Crafts Too stand (I also had some PanPastels pieces on the Premium Art Brands stand).

Which ones do you think were mine? A clue - there are 6 of them.

And even bigger clue - these three were mine, and I was asked to use Marianne dies - so not me lol.

And here is Jenny/Buttons and myself. Thanks for having your photo taken Jenny. If you haven't seen her blog, she creates the most amazing art and can be found at Pushing the right Buttons.

I wish I had taken more photos to show but I spent far too much time chatting. (Who me????)

I hope you have had a fabulous day. I did another workshop this morning so it's been a busy few days for me. Back to creating and blogging tomorrow.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Two Colours at PanPastels

I am off to Birmingham today to go to the Craft, Hobby and Stitch Trade Show. I shall be popping in to see Berni and Kerry on the Premium Art Brands stand, Berni is our PanPastels sponsor. I shall go and see Jean and Malcolm from Crafty Individuals, Jane and her husband on the Crafts Too stand and I will go and find Andy Skinner who has some new masks coming out.

So onto my design team piece for our PanPastel challenge.

Blues and greens are the two main colours I have chosen to use this week, with just a touch of vintage photo distress ink to frame my focal image.

The background was blended with various greens and blues to create a very smooth effect. 

 I used the Tim Holtz Cattails embossing folder with pans blended and painted over the top. 

The main image was stamped and black embossed on white card and then I water-coloured with the green and blue PanPastels, giving a watery wash around it. 

I used the same same dragonfly again on the background, stamping with Pesto Adirondack ink.

I am really pleased with the effects created on this piece and just love the contrast of the pesto on the brighter bluey greens.

Please pop over to the PP challenge blog to see more inspiration from my DT sisters and hopefully you will be inspired to join us this wee. You never know you might be the lucky winner of a PP starter set from 'Your Creativity Store'.

Have a great day, thanks for visiting and all the support you give me.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Shadowbox card Workshop

Before I move onto the real content of my post, is anyone I know going to the STITCHES TRADE SHOW in BIRMINGHAM this weekend?
I am hopefully going Sunday and Monday and would love to meet up with any of you who might be there.

I had the most amazing group of ladies at my workshop on Tuesday and not only did we have a fabulous fun  morning with lots of laughs, but they made the most amazing cards.

I used the template I made for my Valentine card a few weeks ago and the images came from a Tilda pack called Garden Party.

A spellbinders die creates the aperture and the Chloe stem is a Memory Box die.

The stamps are ones from the Art of Craft workroom (I forgot to see what they are called!!)

I am lucky to have a group of regular participants to my workshops.

They work hard ( well they have to with me LOL).

Two new ladies who came to join me and have booked to come again - they must have enjoyed it then.

We have great fun and alot of laughs along the way.

Christine had to go and I didn't get a picture of her, maybe next time.

Here are the cards they made.

 Thanks for looking and sharing in our workshop pieces.

Take care and have a fun Valentine day. I will be back soon with my Tim Tag for February.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Challenges to have fun with -
Play Date Cafe - Carnation, Mint and Juniper (and a touch of walnut on mine too)
Deep ocean Challenge - The letter'B' (Box for me)

Give-Away Winner

Happy Valentine Day

I hope you all have a wonderful day with loved ones and friends.

Ken loved his Valentine card I made and we had a laugh because he scoured the shops for something vintage for me.

Today I said I would announce the winner of my 3 year Blogaversary gift. Thank you to all 78 people who left me messages, I am overwhelmed by the number of people who follow me and the amazing comments you leave. I know I've said it before but it is truly wonderful to have so many blogging friends, to have that regular contact, to have that support and encouragement and to be able to gain inspiration from all you creative artists around the world. I am so glad I have found you all.

There were 83 comments listed, one was deleted, three people doubled up and 3 said not to enter them, so the number was reduced to 76 for Random Org and the 32nd person was....

Trace at inkypinkycraft

Congratulations Trace, if you would like to email me with your address I will get your goodies in the post to you asap.

Have a fun day everyone. 

hugs {brenda} x0x

3rd Blogaversary - Thank You Give-Away

This Give-Away is now closed and the winner has been announced
Thank you to everyone who entered and left me lovely comments.

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This will stay at the top until 14th February.
Please scroll down to see the latest posts.

Three years blogging today (29th January), how amazing is that? And still loving it. 

I have made so many amazing friends through our wonderful blogging community, some I have met in real life others I might meet one day, but every one of you has enriched my life because you have become a part of this incredible artistic journey I am on.

So to say a HUGE thank you for being part of my life I am offering a little thank you give-away.

Dylusions rubber stamps and I love these sayings, I really must use them more.

These pens are very fluid and have a gorgeous mica in them which makes them sparkly.

This Give-Away is for Followers only, anywhere in the world.

Please leave me a comment below, tell me you are a follower (mind you I know quite a few of you are) and I will do the draw on Valentine's Day, the 14th February. If you'd like to post the candy on your sidebar then that would be lovely, but it is not essential.

Thanks for taking part and a massive thank you for being a follower and giving me so much support and encouragement.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Picture Wheel French Clock

Look more goodies have fallen through my letter box and it's the new picture wheel die by Tim Holtz that I just had to have a go at first. I have lots of ideas for this one but a clock came into my head first of all and as my sister will tell you I couldn't be budged from the idea. At first I had no idea what it was going to look like but, as always with me, the ideas evolved until I got to this.

WARNING PICTURE OVERLOAD LOL

Another of Tim's new dies, this time the Cameo Frame which proved to be perfect with the Rusted Enamel technique.

The picture wheel made a great clock face. I made the numbers in MS Word and stamped the mini blueprint game wheel for the centre.

I had an old picture frame to form the base of the clock itself. I gave it the old crackle technique to age it.

I die-cut pieces from gold card and found these metal corners.

Then I worked on the clock background which is the Walnut technique that I learned at my workshops with Andy Skinner. This photo really doesn't do it justice, it is such a deep rich prussian blue and brown walnut design with gold over the top.

All put together it produced this.

Metal wings painted with prussian blue and rubbed with Treasure Gold.

Metal embellishments.

Distressed gold card to age the frame.

Titled -' TIME FLIES'

..... and it sure does when you are having fun.

Hope you are having lots of inky fun this week, I certainly did with this, and I think it qualifies for the 'Something Messy' challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show.

big hugs {brenda} xox

I am just off to my workshop at The Art of Craft in Farnborough where I am teaching my Shadow Box card. Pics to come later.