Sunday Stampers week 57

The theme for Hel's challenge this week is 'Time'. I've used a mask from the Tim Holtz 'Timeworks' set. I did want to add a stamped clock but can't find my little clock stamp :( I just stamped the letters for 'time' and adhered them to a set of grungeboard wings which I'd just inked with black versafine and embossed with clear powder :)

Birthday card - male

I was asked recently to make a card for 'Gagad Pete' - that's what his young granddaughter calls him, ahh. I love this little owl stamp, it's from the 'Birds Galore' or ('Oiseaux a gogo' - I just luv that, think I should call it that all the time ;) )clear stamp set by Inkadinkado x

Sunday Stampers - Cars

Another effort for Hel's challenge. This week the theme is cars. I started off stamping my car onto acetate and using copper leaf on the reverse, but didn't really like it for the tag I was making. So stamped it onto shrink plastic. I lightly inked the tag with black and initially used Kaleidoscope embossing powder 'cos I couldn't find my clear. Then added black, gold and copper embossing powders. I stamped over the top with a rollergraph stamp. I wanted to add some words but didn't think they'd show up well on the background so stamped onto tissue and used PVA to adhere them to the tag. While the PVA was still wet I carefully dabbed some Perfect Pearls around the words. I then adhered the car and edged the tag with goldleaf pen ;)

Lovely award ;)

Ooh just received this lovely award from Vicki Am chuffed to little mint balls. Now to pass it on - Firstly it must be back to Vicki who's blog I only recently discovered and apart from loving her work, I discovered she can actually make more mess than me when crafting hehehehehehehe. So then Vicki, Hels, Tracey, Wilma, Maddy, Summer (for her generosity and fabulous freeby papers), It's a Creative World (for the variety of stuff on their website) and Sarah. Some of these don't know me but I do check out their blogs regularly and love what they do. I know it's only 8 but I don't know that many bloggers that I follow regularly :-/

Ethnic dolls

DD is a childminder and recently asked me to make some ethnic dolls for the kids she looks after. I just used a gingerbread man shape - yes I know, I'm sure to be PC it should be gingerbread person; just doesn't sound right to me lol - for speed and ease. They're quite basic but she's really pleased with them. I just have a Dutch one to do, but I am not attempting to make clogs!

Keeping bananas fresh for longer

I recently saw a banana 'duvet' in the Lakeland catalogue so you can keep bananas in the fridge without them going black. The idea is that it gives them a degree of warmth so they won't go black but by being in the fridge will keep longer. So I thought perhaps a bubble wrap envelope may work just as well. And it does! I usually buy 5 or 6 bananas at a time as there's only me here but sometimes if DD gets them for me she buys an economy bag from Asda and though I do try to eat them all, at times I have to throw the odd one away - when DD has enough of her own. I think she got me these about a week ago and I put 2 of them in an envelope in the fridge - the front ones. As you can see the other 2 are spotty - just how I like them :) - but the fridge ones will last longer ;)

Friday Sketchers

This is my first go at the Friday Sketchers challenge. There are lots of very pretty cards already done for this but as I had to do a card for my nephew mine's not a pretty one. I don't have a lot of lovely papers for men/boys either, I would have liked to use more patterned paper - something to look out for next week at the Stitch & Creative Crafts show at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool ;)

Cupcake Craft Challenge 35

This is the first time I've participated in this challenge - http://cupcakecraftchallenges.blogspot.com/ (sorry I haven't figured out yet how to do a proper link :-/ ) This week the challenge was to make a 1 layer card. I used the Tim Holtz flourish mask and sprayed over with Shake'n'Spray Lustre Aqua by Crafty Notions. I then stamped using the Chinese Border' stamp by Circa Stamps using Broken China distress ink. The butterfly is grungeboard painted with Broken China crackle pain and flowers are from Joanna Sheen. I edged the butterfly and card with sapphire Treasure Gold metallic wax :)

Sunday Stampers week 55 - Silver

The theme for SS this week is 'Silver' I had 2 projects on the go today and thought I may use silver in one (or both) but in the end DD had asked me to make a card so am using that for my entry as the other 2 projects will take some time. I used one of the Tim Holtz masks for this and sprayed with my home made Perfect Pearls spray a la Tim Holtz. I also sprayed the name and the grungeboard numbers with it. I coloured the grungeboard star with silver-leaf pen and almost forgot I needed to stamp something LOL. so I stamped a few motorbikes before remembering I had the greeting to do so that was another bit of stamping ;-)

Sunday Stampers week 54 - Birds

The theme for this week's SS - see http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/ - is 'Birds'. I've made an ATC which I inked and embossed with Key Lime Pie' and 'Ebony' extra thick embossing powders from Once Upon A Stamp (which is why the ATC is curved, it's not 'cos I cut it wonky lol) I then stamped into it with a text stamp. The bird is from Inkadinkado Birds Galore clear stamp set. I stamped the bird twice and decoupaged it. I then coloured some leaf beads with a green CD pen and threaded them on wire. The sheen of the embossing powder isn't showing up very well x

Sunday Stampers week 53 'Houses'

Here we are again then with the SS over at http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/ This week's theme is 'Houses'. I've managed to get mine done on the day! I've done 2 again this week 'cos I wasn't sure about the first one, which is alcohol inks on glossy card, I'm posting it nevertheless ;) I like the colours, just not sure about the whole composition :-/ On the 2nd I've used the Tim Holtz 'Flourish' mask; I was going to colour over it, but decided I liked the white card showing through x

Sunday Stampers week 52

The theme for SS this week over on Hels' blog http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/ is 'Diamonds' I've done a book cover. I've decided to post it now 'cos I don't know when I'll get round to making the actual book LOL. I used a background paper with diamonds on then the Tim Holtz flourish mask which I sprayed over using a homemade glitzy spray (see Tim's demo video - http://www.timholtz.com/vid_ppearl.htm) They are fab! I say THEY but I've only done one so far LOL. However after stamping the 'mystical lock' and text stamps I used Aged Mahogany Distress ink round the edges which got rid of the glitzy spray there. I've only recently bought the Aged Mahogany and love it ;) I coloured the large grundgeboard key to embellish the cover x

More birthday cards

A few more birthday cards I've made recently. Not too happy with the 'dad' one but as with a lot of crafters I find it hard to do men's cards. I keep trying to think of them like ladies' cards but still find it difficult :-/

'Chenille' bag

I've made a little bag using the 'chenille' method. I've used four layers of fabric which I stitched at 1cm intervals diagonally - it doesn't work if you stitch straight across. You then cut between the rows of stitching leaving the bottom layer intact. Then wash it to fray the cut edges slightly to give the 'chenille' appearance. I've used a couple of the fab 'We R Memory Keepers' eyelets on the fastening - with press-studs underneath xx

Sunday Stampers week 51

Over at http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/ the theme for this week was 'Girls' I'm using a card that I made a while ago but did add a bit more for this week's challenge and also decorated a microscope slide. I've had some of these for years but never got round to doing anything with them apart from one I decorated last year for a friend and put a photo in. I've used Mona Lisa - she's a girl! I finally bought some pots of Tim's crackle paint and grungeboard. On the front I've used the Mona Lisa stamp, Broken China crackle paint and a grngeboard swirl. I've edged the swirl and slide cover with gold Rub'n'buff. I've used part of the same stamp for the glass slide and on the back of the cover.

Mother's day cards

I dont have any to make for myself but had been asked to make several for other people.

Sunday Stampers week 50 - Owls

The theme for the Sunday Stampers (http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/) this week is Owls. I've used 2 of Tim Holtz's techniques (check out his demo videos - http://timholtz.com/demos.html) I didn't have an airspray can as he uses for the alcohol inks tag, I used a straw not exactly the same effect but similar. The other one is using a paint dabber as a resist.

Wrapped Wire Doll number2

I've finally got round to making another one of these. This one is a lot bigger than the first and I'm happier with it. They are inspired by the wire armature dolls in 'Cloth Dolls for Textile Artists' by Ray Slater. Her eyes are a bit far apart I think, but then I'm no artist lol

;)

Sunday Stampers week 49

Well I haven't taken part in this for some time now. This week's theme is CATS. I dyed some silk square samples I've had for ages and stamped a cat on. This is one of the first stamps I bought. I haven't decided what to do with the silk yet, but may incorporate it into something else. I used salt on the dyed pieces but it's worked better on the blue, perhaps it was wetter.

Embroidered boxes

At the cloth doll group I go to we're currently making embriodered boxes. Intead of covering mine with fabric I've just used pelmet vilene which I dyed and added some metallic rub-ons and mica powders, then embellished it. I am going to do another one covering the vilene with fabric then embellishing it. This is a gift for someone but as I haven't posted much recetnly I couldn't wait to upload it. It'll still be a surprise anyway 'cos she doesn't know who she is ;-)