The Little Peach Tree

Stickeroos

2011-06-21T20:39:00.002+01:00

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Penny Black Stickeroos. I love the way they use the designs that appear elsewhere as stamps. Most of the ones I have bought are ones that match my Penny Black stamps. These are no exception (PB Corner Piece appears in the backgrounds) but I chose them because their colours looked so good next to a sheet of K&Co paper I just could not resist. The paper appears on the base of the easel card below and is from the Blue Awning collection. Although the flower images are printed I was pleased that I managed to use these alongside stamped backgrounds as I often have trouble combining printed papers and stamping.

This (above) is my favourite of the three cards. I've tried to pick out the colours from the Stickeroo to use in my inking. The Stamps are Hero Arts Old French Script, an Elusive Images Happy Birthday scroll (can't find its proper name) and a Craft Individuals crackle stamp. The centres of the flowers have been picked out with microbeads.

This is my least favourite piece. I wanted to use some more papers but the card was just too slim. But I was delighted with the results I got with my new Martha Stewart punch.

I'd never made an easel card before this one and wasn't sure if it would look right as a long narrow card. My favourite part is the stamped script in the panel behind the flowers. The blue paper is an Artylicious Echoes of Italy paper and looks like marble. The Happy Birthday stamp is from Elusive Images

Getting rusty

2011-06-20T23:14:00.000+01:00

You'd be forgiven for thinking that I've not done any crafting since Christmas. Because that's not too far from the truth. If you're a visitor to our Craft Stamping Quartet blog then you will see I haven't been totally idle. But I have made little other than the projects you see there. So I was a bit rusty when I needed to make a card for my dear friend Lesley's birthday. This card took a long time to hatch but in the end I was reasonably happy with it. The poppy pods, flourish and sentiment are all from Elusive Images (sadly no more but reborn as Chocolate Baroque). The printed paper is from the Motifica collection by Basic Grey. The filigree piece is by MIC. More on the way. Stay tuned.

Christmas offerings

2010-12-28T00:58:00.000Z

Here is a selection of the cards I sent this year.

Tri shutter santa card - Kanban topper and backgrounds

HOTP background paper, topper from Hobbycraft, Silver greeting and embossed panel created with the Cuttlebug.

Tri shutter bauble card. Made with a bought gift tag. Background papers by Craft Creations.

Toppers by Hobbycraft, embossed greetings and embossed panels by Cuttlebug, background papers by HOTP and Artylicious, Snowflake punch by Martha Stewart

New England cottage stamp and Silent Night text by Elusive images, snowflake embossing by Cuttlebug, Distress Inks in Broken China, corner punch by Anna Griffin, tiny gems by Glitterati

Background paper free download from GlendaWaterworth.com

Embossed background by Cuttlebug, poinsettia die cut by Marianne Createables, angel stamp by Elusive Images

Poinsettia die cuts by Marianne, punched fern leaves by L-Em

Holly flourish stamp by Stampendous

Noel stamp by Stamps Away

Cottage stamp by Elusive Images, background Sketchy Flourishes by Inkadinkado, colouring Distress Inks in Scattered Straw and Broken China

Colouring Distress Inks in Vintage Photo and various green markers for the trees

Gorjuss

2010-12-28T00:20:00.000Z

I like the Gorjuss designs but don't really go for colouring stamps so have avoided buying the stamps. When I saw the Gorjuss designs in die cut packs I decided that was my chance to use the designs on some cards. I have also been looking for opportunities to use the fantastic DCWV Mariposa papers. They are so scrummy that I couldn't see how I could make a card to live up to them. This is my attempt to combine the two. I hope it works. The Gorjuss girl is a tag die cut which I have slotted into the design on the paper, curling the flower to fit over the tag. The fibres on the left hold a tiny gold key. The 21 is stamped onto an oval cut with a Nestie. The photo below shows the card closed with the Papermania embellishment on the back edge. The strong sunshine sadly is casting very long shadows which look a bit weird on the card.

While I wasn't looking

2010-12-28T00:07:00.000Z

This is one of those cards that made itself while I was in bed one night. I had a card all planned out for my friend Judith but I had also been playing with these Viva stencils. When I'd finished experimenting I left a green and purple version out on my workspace overnight. In the morning it had talked itself into becoming Judith's card. I wanted to redo it in creams and pinks though. I used Distress Inks (in Vintage Photo and Victorian Velvet I think) to sponge through the stencil. The same inks also make a frame around the flourish

The flowers were punched from basic Grey paper which had been inked and stamped with a text stamp. I then shaped them and applied gems and pearls to the centres.

The background of the card has been stamped and clear embossed with Inkadinkado's Sketchy Flourishes. The sentiment is by Hobby Art.

Coming up trumps

2010-12-27T23:52:00.000Z

I have been crafting - honest! I need to do a few catch up posts to get up to date. This one goes back to the end of November when I needed a birthday card for Peter. He is a fan of playing card tricks but also collects playing cards and finds them quite inspiring artistically. His final piece for his A level Graphics was a huge playing card. So choosing this project for him wasn't a huge stretch of the imagination. I made it at a time when I was wanting to experiment with stepper cards. I had also just acquired Sir Tim's gorgeous Baroque die and was desperate to use it. So this is what Peter opened on his birthday.

The cards and background paper are by Kanban. The corner punch is by Anna Griffin. The King is mounted on the red satin card Baroque die cut. The card is so luxurious and you can see it better in this photo.

I felt a bit of a cheat using die cuts but I was pleased with the result and felt I'd improved my skills by working with very tiny margins in measuring the layers for the different sections.

Spookylicious!

2010-11-01T01:05:00.001Z

I loved the stamps in the Elusive Images Halloween collection this year and have been looking forward to having a play with them for some time. Today I got some play time and realised my time was running out to make something spooky in time for this year. I've been wanting to make something for Peter to display in his room at university. When I read Lynn Robinson Hunter's tag tutorial in this month's Graphicus Guild newsletter it all started to come together.

Lynn's tag is actually a Christmas one with a flower, chipboard flourishes and the new Tim Holtz Facets. But what I really wanted to try for myself was her lovely background. I love the way she had used Distress Inks over an embossed design then stamped over the top. Lynn also has a real talent for combining DI colours that I wouldn't think of putting together.

I followed Lynn's tutorial quite closely at first, using a giant tag as she had done. She stamped a flourish in Brilliance Moonlight White which I didn't have so I used Versamagic Cloud White instead and stamped a bat flourish from Inkadinkado's Halloween Trails. I embossed this with clear embossing powder then applied Antique Linen DI with Cut n Dry over the top. I was a bit discouraged to find my flourishes were barely visible. But I had also planned to use Dusty Concord and, as I had hoped, that picked out the bat flourishes really well. I also just caught the edges of the tag with Black Soot for a little extra definition.

The text is the Viva stamp Lynn used and is stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia. The house (from Elusive Images' Spookylicious plate) was stamped three times on plain white card and lightly watercoloured using Dusty Concord and Antique Linen again. The roofs were clear embossed although that isn't really visible in the picture above. I curved the top two layers slightly to shape the house. The moon was coloured with a clear Stardust pen and is quite silvery in the light although it looks quite dull in the photo.

I had a few ideas for adding embellishments and some wording but I was already quite pleased with the way the tag looked and the glue was still wet when Pete had to leave so I found a perfect deep purple satin ribbon and left it at that.

I really enjoyed making this tag and was glad I took a photo before it Peter took it away. I feel inclined to make some more spooky houses even though Halloween is over now. I am even thinking of ways I could use Lynn's design for backgrounds on my Christmas cards and, as luck would have it, Elusive images have made a Christmas cottage stamp in a similar style to this spooky house. And yes, you guessed it, I have that stamp already!

Rose resist

2010-10-25T21:26:00.000+01:00

I recently picked up this fabulous rose stamp by Darkroom Door. My local craft warehouse were selling it at an irresistable price. On the way back from the shop I already had lots of ideas of what I wanted to do with it. This is the first technique I have tried with it. I started with glossy card and dipped it into Distress Ink (Victorian Velvet?) which had been spritzed with water on my craft mat. After drying it I stamped the rose stamp in Versamark and then brayered ink over the top (can't remember which ink I used but I'm guessing it's Aged Mahogany as it's always the one I reach for first). I then chopped up the glossy card into squares and mounted them onto black pearl card. The white card layer is stamped with Field of Sky (I'm so predictable) and a floral stamp from the Brocade Backgrounds plate by Elusive Images. The text is from Elusive Images' Birthday Words.

Just writing this has given me another idea of what I'd like to try with the stamp. I can see it is going to be very versatile.

Memories of sand and surf

2010-09-16T19:47:00.000+01:00

It has been quiet around here lately and when I think back over the last couple of months, I haven't managed much crafting at all, in spite of a six week break from work. There has been no lack of inspiration though. Quite the contrary. My visits abroad have given me a wealth of ideas to follow up but when I found myself with a couple of free hours today my priority was to finish this project. Earlier this year I was delighted to be invited to spend some time with my crafting friend Elaine. Together we are half of Craft Stamping Quartet. Elaine has the most fantastic craft studio set in her own personal woodland. It really is like something from a folk tale. She also lives in the most idyllic location, not far from crashing waves but with red squirrels popping up on the window ledge and wild rabbits hopping into the garden to tentatively take food from our hands. What better place to inspire me? We had planned in advance to each create a sea canvas. We had planned them separately but also had some resources to share. Amazing that we created such totally different pieces.

I painted my canvas with Adirondack Dabbers and then prepared two Grungeboard flourishes as my 'surf'. I can't remember how many layers they needed before I got the effect I wanted but there are various paints on there and also stamped texture, white embossing and Stickles.

The main focus of my canvas was to be a miniture reproduction of a 'collage' created by my sister. Karen is a real artist and creates the most amazing mixed media land/seascapes. I did ask her permission to use the picture, of course and I think she was curious as to what I intended to do with it. I've put the picture in a Memory Frame and added a ball chain.

Another important feature is the glass bottle. This came with no cork so I stole an idea from our Quartet buddy Lesley and made my own out of rolled up Grungepaper. I had planned to use a spiral of paper to suggest a shell but it looked too unusual on a seascape so I trimmed it level.

Inside the bottle is sand from Freshwater Bay which Elaine and I collected when I visited.

It will always remind me of my magical time with her. Until the sand went into the bottle today I had been carrying it around in a little sealed bag in my handbag, along with the little lollipop stick we had used as a spade. Each time I glanced into my bag it made me smile to remember that lovely sunny day by the sea. I felt sad at the thought that there was going to be an empty space in my bag now so I have saved the rest of the sand and put it back. I just need to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't split or I will have a handbag full of sand. Weird souvenir huh?

The little file folder is stamped both inside and out with a B Line Lighthouse diagram stamp I really love and had wanted for ages.

I finally need to credit the very talented Penny Bearcroft. When I was first crafting I came across a wonderful sea canvas she had made in Craft Stamper. It has stuck in my mind ever since and I hoped one day I might have the skills to make something similar. Well, this is not as similar as I intended but I have used her inspiration to make something that has become very special to me for all its associations.

We're celebrating

2010-07-26T01:24:00.000+01:00

Tuesday is our Silver Wedding anniversary. I don't always make cards for hubby as he hasn't fully convinced me he appreciates them but we won't have another Silver Wedding so I thought I should take the opportunity this year. I knew from the start that I wanted to use a piece of pearly card embossed in my Cuttlebug. I also wanted a sprinkling of silver embossing round the edge (here using A Stamp in the Hand's Field of Sky). The 25 was not quite what I had in mind. And it was quite late on that I thought I might use this stunning Elusive Images chandelier as a 'watermark' behind the number. But it didn't want to stay in the background and I decided it was a suitable image for a man's card so I let it take centre stage. The stripy card is Kanban Mono Christmas Stripes Background. The die cut and embossed border is made using a Marianne D Creatable die with a silver ribbon threaded through.

I often forget to take photos of what I make and when I do is is often a rushed afterthought. I really ought to put some effort into getting some decent pictures for the blog. It doesn't help that I often find myself taking photos at silly times of the day. I must work on my photography techniques so I can do justice to my cards.

Switching channels

2010-06-15T02:04:00.006+01:00

It's been quiet on here for a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. In case you've missed my other blog here's a little glimpse of the canvas I made for last month's Quartet project (full post is here).

The canvas project turned out to be more challenging than we could have imagined and the set of four is not yet complete. That means that the latest choice of project has not yet been announced. Can you keep a secret? Here's a clue.

And here's a sneak peek we might not have time to show on the Quartet blog.

If you want to see how it all comes together watch out on Craft Stamping Quartet towards the end of the month.

Prickles and Stickles

2010-04-07T14:35:00.004+01:00

It's not often I'm attracted to cute stamps. I like to see cards made with them (and receive them of course) but I just think other people do them so much better. But I was knocked out by the work of Bev Rochester when I discovered it at the end of last year and so when my heart was stolen by 'Tiny Wishes' by Penny Black, I decided to give this look a try. Sorry the photos are not good and it was very hard to get a shot of the card in a closed position. The shape is an offset gatefold. The papers are Papermania Rose Garden. On the short side the paper is striped. I threaded a fine ribbon through eyelets and then pushed a small rose and rosebud through the bow. The hedgehog has been watercoloured with Distress Inks and a little stickles add to his prickles. Inside I've added some Sizzlits scroll corners for interest. I thought I'd made a real mistake when I edged the papers with Worn Lipstick. It really was the wrong shade for the paper. But once I'd done both paper pieces for the front and edged the pink oval, it all came together. So I've learned how you can actually change the colours of things and get away with it. This will make me much bolder with my colour choices in future. I don't yet have a punch for the leaves that would have set this off so I used some punched scrolls that were given to me by my crafting fairy godmother. Yes, Lesley, I do mean you!

Shabby rose

2010-02-28T17:28:00.003Z

After seeing the pictures of Elaine's stash for our current Quartet Challenge, I felt inclined to work on something a little more 'loved up' than is my usual style.

I used image transfers of roses and collaged sheet music along with pieces of newspaper to create a background for something I haven't quite decided on yet. At that point I came across Rachel's tutorial for a shabby rose. She had made the loveliest newspaper roses and I decided I just had to have a go. This was the result of my efforts. If you look carefully you'll see the petals are made from the lonely hearts columns! Rachel had edged her original roses with glitter but I thought that would be too heavy for the newspaper ones so I just ran a Stardust pen round the edges of the petals. It doesn't seem to have caught the light in this picture.

The flower was really easy to make and I'm already thinking of variations I want to have a go at. Whether that background will ever see the light of day is another matter.

Me and my big ideas

2010-01-21T10:58:00.002Z

New year, good intentions....but maybe a step too far. My resolution this year was to use the fantastic Craft Stamper magazine as a bit of a teacher and attempt to do every project in it as a learning exercise. I thought this would take me out of my comfort zone and get me playing with different products. I wanted to keep 'interpretation' to a minimum and use that discipline to widen my horizons.

This is my first effort and exposed how bad I am at some very basic techniques. A beginners' class with Susie Jefferson at Blade Rubber last weekend will hopefully have helped. Sadly, I have got no further with my challenge yet. I counted how many projects I would have to manage in a month and had got to 80 based on last month's issue!!!! Even for a New Year's Resolution that is too tall an order. I'm a once-a-month girl on current form. My crafting buddies, Lesley, Elaine and Judith thought the basic idea was worth running with and are joining in but we have changed the brief. We are now going to choose one project from every issue of the magazine and each produce our own version (interpretation most definitely allowed this time). Not content with just sharing the photos with each other, we are planning on posting them on a new dedicated blog which you can find here. The deadline for the first finished projects is not until the end of February so please be patient. But in between times, we are going to show sneak peeks, products and new finds we are planning to use and possibly some techniques that we pick up along the way.

You have probably reached this page via one of my buddies' blogs but I would urge you to visit all three as I am lucky to be crafting alongside some very talented ladies. We met in the virtual world as admirers of Elusive Images stamps and Graphicus guru Glenda Waterworth but we try to get together in the real world when we can.

Please join us on our blogging journey. It should be a pleasant amble.

Just caught last post!

2009-12-30T20:19:00.009Z

I can't believe I left my Christmas cards so late this year. I'm never what you'd call organised but somehow this year I couldn't get my head round Christmas cards until I was faced with last posting dates! I'd made a small handful at the beginning of the season but these were pretty much experimental.

The two cards below made use of a great pack of Kars paper I found reduced at the NEC. In each case I added a stamped panel made using the Inkadinkado Holiday Greetings I blogged earlier and an embossed section cut from Papermania card blanks.

This card used the Kars papers again and a greeting from Inkadinkado Christmas Silhouettes. It's not easy to see in the photo but the printed paper is quite glittery.

This card was made for the Graphicus Guild Christmas card swap and went to Veronica. You can see the card she made for the swap here on her blog. It's well worth a visit.

This card was probably the one I was most pleased with. It uses a Stampavie stamp called Bear and Robin. I coloured the stamped image with Distress Inks and added some Flower Soft to the bear's hat. I'd planned a more elaborate card but when I put the image against this gorgeous paper I really didn't think any more embellishments could improve it so I left it alone.

This card was a last minute cheat. But this year I've been able to justify cheating. I can't resist gorgeous papers and card like this Hunkydory pack. So I may as well use them and why detract from them by adding stamping or too many extras? A ribbon and die cut greeting were all this needed. I know the card doesn't have much of my work in it but I was still very pleased with it.

And finally a card that owes everything to Bev Rochester. I saw some of her silver grey cards at the NEC and just had to have the stamp and eventually the backing papers too. I was going to stamp a full page or more of these beautiful Whiff of Joy 'Lizzie' images. But time ran away with me and this particular stamping was the first and only one I got done. I decided maybe it would have looked better on a smaller card but all the same, I was pleased to have got such good results with my first attempt.

And my big boy is no longer a teenager

2009-12-22T03:01:00.004Z

Yes, it's true. 20 years old now. That makes me feel so old! I made him this card with the Inkadinkado Rock Star stamps. First time out of the packet and they stamped beautifully. I really like the stripe stamp too. It's Hero Arts Holiday Stripes and I used it with my stamp positioner to make sure the stripes lined up!

My baby turns 18

2009-11-28T23:39:00.005Z

Yup. No more children in my house. My youngest son turned 18 yesterday. This is the card I made for him. I chose an architecture theme because this is the subject he plans to study at university next year.

The background is a piece of 12x12 K&Co Life's Journey Architecture Studies. The left hand panel is a piece of card covered in crumpled tissue painted with three colours of Moonglow ink and highlighted with Distress Inks. The main image is an Illuminata stamp by Inkadinkado which I found in a box of clearance stamps at Ally Pally. There are three Stampbord 'spotlights' mounted on the image and the Architecture quote is from Beeswax stamps. The fibres are by Sara books and came with the key, which he'd seen when I bought them and already decided he wanted.

More Christmas cards

2009-11-01T01:56:00.003Z

I'm really enjoying these MME papers. This card is another simple layout.

The next card was originally inspired by a card in the Stampington gallery which I fell in love with when I first started crafting. It changed along the way and is now nothing like the card that inspired it. It is an A5 gatefold card. I don't have a good picture of the front as it didn't want to stay closed. But this is one side of the gatefold .

The base card is brown and I have scuffed the edges with gold ink. The inside looks like this.

Making a start on Christmas

2009-10-28T19:03:00.003Z

I fell in love with these Inkadinkado stamps (a clear set called "Holiday Greetings") the first time I saw them. It was an impulse purchase quite out of character for me. But the more I use them the more I love them and I'm beginning to see how versatile they are going to be. In fact, I can imagine being able to do my whole 2009 card quota with these 6 stamps. Which would be a shame as I bought several other Inkadinkado sets very close to Christmas last year and never got to use them.

My starting point was a blog post from Stamp Talk with Tosh. I love the way she'd coloured the images and attempted to do something similar. I stamped a sheet of images and enjoyed working on them in front of the tv, using Distress Inks, the odd marker, 'puffy colours' (a dimensional medium with a glossy finish which Elaine kindly brought back for me from her European trip and which I used on the poinsettias) and my trusty Clear Stardust pen. You can just see the sparkle in the images at the top of the sheet. I was really pleased that I seemed to get a nice balance between subtle and glam.

I managed to find the gorgeous Signature Christmas papers from My Mind's Eye to use with them and split the pack with my crafty friend Lesley. My first card was very simple but I thought the stamps needed very little to show them at their best.

By accident I found that once mounted, the images were a nice size to go on my tri shutter card so that became my second card.

I decided to make the panel for the handwritten greeting into a little card-within-a-card and to stamp with an image from Winter Trails which co ordinates with the design on the front.

A third card is almost finished but needs a final touch. I feel I'm on a bit of a roll so maybe I'll find the missing piece for my card this evening.

For Elaine

2009-09-19T11:43:00.005+01:00

This was a card I sent to my crafting buddy Elaine who has just had a birthday. You may be able to tell from the photo that the gates are embossed onto acetate and are slightly bowed across the card. The plan was to have them open separately and lead to the inside of the card gatefold style. But I wanted them to have a bit of life so I scored them at the 'post' so they didn't lie too flat. But when I offered them up to the card to measure the fixing points, still in one piece, they formed the bow shape and I liked them that way. Of course the extra depth that created really warranted a box which wasn't part of the original plan. So I put them in a slightly more generous envelope and trusted to luck. Elaine is far too kind to tell me the true state the card arrived in but I fear it didn't look quite like this when it reached her.

The gate stamp is from Beeswax and the vegetation beyond the gate is from the Elusive Images Wild Flower plate. 'Imagine' is from Elusive Images WIGL plate.

Victorian Washstand Tile

2009-08-25T17:52:00.007+01:00

This card was 100% inspired by a Victorian washstand tile. I made it as a challenge to myself when I found myself admiring the tile and then realised I had the stamps to reproduce all the elements. The card consists of a black mirri card background, a cream coloured frame mounted on foam tape and layered geraniums which are behind the frame at the base but 'grow' out over the frame. When I made my first attempt I stamped and embossed the frame and flowers on one piece of card. But I decided it was too flat so this version has a separate frame and two layers of flowers. The original flowers were coloured using Tinkabella inks. I loved the 'glazed' finish of the inks but the colour wasn't quite right. I'm still not entirely happy with the colour but these flowers are quite lustrous. They were painted with two shades of mica watercolours and then I used blended pink and orange Tinkabellas over the top. The tile had a butterfly in the top right corner and I was ready to stamp mine but then decided it was the perfect place for a greeting so I used a peel off instead.

The card blank was part of a mixed pack and is high gloss. I'm not sure I've seen anything like it for cardmaking before.

All stamps are by Elusive Images.

Strawberry season

2009-08-19T17:44:00.007+01:00

I bought this little board crate full of strawberries a couple of months ago. I have to be honest and admit the crate appealed to me even more than the strawberries did. It slots together like those balsa wood model kits you can buy. So I took it apart, stamped and embossed on what had been the inside and put it back together inside out. The brown colour is original. In places it was slightly darker, almost as though it had been lightly scorched. So I touched it up with Distress Ink to enhance the effect. I'm really pleased with it because, for once, it actually turned out just the way I wanted it. I'd told myself if I messed it up I'd just have to force myself to eat another kilo of strawberries. But I haven't seen these since so it's as well I got it right first time.

In the photo it is modelling with ink pads but that's just so the pictures of the strawberries (now on the inside) don't detract from the design. I can't decide how to decorate the inside. I was going to do it with papers but I'd need to seal it as I want it to be robust enough to be of practical use to me.

On the receiving end

2009-08-12T01:33:00.004+01:00

I've discovered something even nicer than sending a handmade card and that is receiving one. I was lucky enough this year to receive cards from two talented ladies. As fellow members of the Graphicus Guild we share similar tastes so these friends knew exactly what I would appreciate. The first card was from Elaine, who has kindly agreed to me putting a picture of her card on here. The photo doesn't do the card justice. It's a luxurious black velvet card with not one but two stunning chandeliers. Each is highlighted with jewelled flames. Gorgeous!

The second card was from my crafting kindred spirit Lesley in her very distinctive style. I was going to post a picture here but Lesley has put it on her own blog so why not go there and pay her a visit. Again, the picture doesn't do justice to Lesley's subtle shading. She has built up the image using masks and stamps in both background and foreground. The swooping bird is deliciously pearly.

I feel so lucky to have these cards on my mantelpiece and, more importantly, to have made friends of these clever and generous crafters.

Dry spell

2009-07-28T20:28:00.005+01:00

Dry spell? Not outside the window I know, but here on my blog it's been very dry. In fact I struggled to remember where to find the 'New Post' button! Time has been the problem. Now I have the time as I've broken up for the summer. But the juices aren't flowing again yet. This card took some time in the making and is modest but hopefully the start of a more productive era. I've used some glittered marble card, panels embossed in my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder, some flowers and ribbon from my stash and flourishes courtesy of my crafty friend, Lesley. The image has been glazed with clear embossing powder and I was pleased to see that my white souffle and clear stardust pens both show through the glaze, although that might not be obvious from the photo. The card is to congratulate my cousin Matthew and his wife Naomi on the birth of their son, Max.

New favourite

2009-05-26T19:08:00.004+01:00

This is now my favourite stamp in the whole wide stamping world. It is a relatively new stamp and appears on an Elusive Images plate called Brocade Backgrounds which you can see here.

I've been experimenting with it and found it really versatile. The stamped image here, which only uses part of the stamp wasn't the one I liked the best but so far it is the only one I have turned into a card. In the picture above, the flower looks like it has some dirty splodges on it but you can see below that these are gold in the light.

The flower background was made by spritzing gold mica spray over Tattered Rose and Aged Mahogany DI on a craft mat. The flower itself is stamped in Crimson Copper Brilliance and embossed with Holographic EP. The card also uses Holiday Stripes by Hero Arts and Happy Birthday by Hobby Art.

It's nice to have something to post again. I've been waiting for so long for a little playtime. I may be able to do some more tomorrow but I am having a new window put in the kitchen, which is my craft room. Common sense tells me I should use my time to mount some new stamps and sort out some of my crafty chaos but if I get the chance to get inky again I'll be in it up to my elbows.

Thanks for looking.

Return to Venice

2009-05-03T20:09:00.003+01:00

I've finally got my trip blogged on my other blog. As a little inducement to visit you might want to feast your eyes on these.

Cheery blooms

2009-04-02T13:33:00.003+01:00

I couldn't resist these anemones from the florists last week. Sadly, they didn't last and are now long gone. But I had three days of glory from them.

These should last longer because Mother Nature is taking care of them outdoors. I'm not sure why we put our window boxes at the back rather than the front as I think the neighbours see more of these than we do. Maybe that was why we did it. It maybe detracts from the motorbike parts Matt leaves around the backyard when he's working there.

Isn't this mini tulip delightful?

Bodger comes of age?

2009-03-28T09:26:00.004Z

This is not the card I set out to make! How often does that happen? I was planning to do something a bit more complicated. The first poppy image I made was much more subtle. It was stamped using coloured markers. I watercoloured it but wasn't hapy with the colour of the seed pods. Then, when I glazed the petals with Diamond Glaze, the colours changed. So I tried something a bit different, stamped in black and clear embossed, and the bolder image demanded a more 'robust' background than the one I'd prepared.

The resulting card is much simpler but what really pleased me about it was that I didn't bodge anything along the way. There were no bits I felt the need to disguise. I even managed to shape the petals in the foreground without destroying the glazed surface (not Diamond Glaze this time but clear embossing powder). I'd like to think maybe I've turned a corner but I suspect it's just a fluke and I will be bodging again before long.

Where did that come from?

2009-02-20T02:20:00.003Z

Another one of those cards that sneaks up on you while you're doing something else. It is actually quite shimmery but you can't really tell in the poor lighting. Sorry about the shadows (and the wacky wavy angles). Silly time of day to be stamping, let alone taking pictures!

Simple card

2009-02-19T22:15:00.004Z

I've been playing today and have some bits in the pipeline. But I wanted something to show for my time at the end of the day so I put this together. I might put some words on that printed paper. Should I...shouldn't I?

Valentine's extra

2009-02-14T18:51:00.005Z

I got some lovely lilies for Valentine's Day today (thanks, Mirek). They were wrapped in delicious purple cellophane. I've often kept the cellophane from flowers (sometimes paper too) but never really used it. This reminded me of some of the exotic fusible film you can buy so I couldn't resist turning my heat gun on it to see what happened. I felt I had nothing to lose. First I just used the gun on it, shrinking it and then stretching it while it was still warm to keep it flattish (ouch). Then I threw on some Cosmic Shimmer Pink Mallow embossing powder. That looked quite nice. But I thought I'd see if I could get it flat enough to stick on paper so I ironed it through a piece of kitchen paper. Although I did it embossed side down it still stuck to the paper a little. Finally I sprayed it with Crafty Notions gold mica spray. I like the result but not sure what to do with it. This piece is about 2 1/2" square and has not kept its uniform shape. I might try a piece a bit bigger although I suspect that would be even harder to control under the heat.

Both of the pictures are of the same piece on my craft mat (left) and then against white paper.

Spread the Word

2009-02-08T01:55:00.002Z

At the home of all things lovely - Elusive Images - there are two brand new rubber stamp plates, Butterfly Daisy Collage and Butterfly Poppy Collage ready for release and the very generous Glenda Waterworth is offering these as blog candy on the Elusive Images Design Team Blog. Why don't you pop along there and leave a comment to be in with a chance of winning? On Tuesday 10th Glenda will be demonstrating these stamps on the Create and Craft channel. You know you're going to want them really badly. So get in quick and try your hand now or follow the crowds on Tuesday. Good luck!

Hubby's birthday

2009-01-24T18:07:00.000Z

I've suffered a terrible lethargy since Christmas. It always seems to happen. The Christmas machine is in top gear and you start to realise what you could achieve if you could keep the momentum going when the season is over. Of course you can't do it. I don't have a lot of special dates at this time of year so nothing else was competing for my attention when I started this. It is for my husband's birthday next week.

If you saw my ribbon collection blogpost you may recognise that I've actually managed to use one of them. This is what the inside looks like. The greeting is inside the black inner card.

If you look closely at the detail you'll see I've cut the small diamonds slightly crooked as I know it all adds to the 'charm' expected of a handmade card! The large diamond on the front serves to hold the inner black card closed.

The damask leaves and diamonds are all from the Elusive Images Filigree Fusion stamp plate. The cream card has been embossed in Detail Gold EP and the bronze and gold card has been embossed in Moonglow Midnight Gold Obsidian EP. The black card has been embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder but you can't really see that in the photo.

In case you were wondering...

2009-01-04T02:38:00.000Z

...and in answer to Phree's query...

I didn't actually get those lilies and sea hollies arranged but I did bring them onto the dining table to replace the roses. Here they're just standing on the floor so that the background doesn't spoil the picture.

Unfortunately I haven't managed to trim the stamens off quickly enough each day so the pollen has stained the flowers a bit. I bought them on Christmas Eve and today I've trimmed off the first faded blooms. New ones are still coming out every day. Not bad going huh?

Still rollin'

2009-01-02T13:49:00.000Z

This card was based on one I had bookmarked as 'inspiration' and randomly drawn out of the hat when deciding what to play with today. You can see the original by Lynda Benden here. I started by choosing my colours but couldn't decide what colour card I should use for the main oval image. I had to edit the pic to get rid of the slightly green tint on the oval as it is actually pale gold pearlescent card. Unfortunately the editing has made the pink card look more intense than in the flesh which is a shame. I wasn't sure about the gold with the pink and burgundy at all until I stamped part of my image on an offcut of the card, trying to find the right ink. I was blown away by the Brilliance Cosmic Copper. I was really convinced I didn't have any Brilliance inks as I keep this little one with my Versamagic Dewdrops. I was triply(?) thrilled because it looked just as good defining the edge of the embossed background and and also printing the greeting on top of the Cuttlebug embossing. I felt so cheeky even trying it. I'd already printed the greeting on an unembossed piece of card to use as Lynda had. But as my greeting is bigger it didn't balance very well with the raised oval. I think this works better as it doesn't detract from the oval image. Since I took the photo I have added some pink gemstones like Lynda's.

I'm pleased with the card but wouldn't make these in batches for Christmas because of the time taken trying to line up three layers of stamping. It has worked pretty much but the reindeer almost looks like he is running downhill, which wasn't part of the plan.

First Christmas card of 2009

2009-01-02T01:10:00.000Z

Nothing like starting early!

Last year I couldn't wait to make something that wasn't a Christmas card as soon as the season was over. This year I still have so many Christmas stamps and materials I didn't get the time to use that my engine is still running. So I thought I'd make a few cards and put them away for next year.

I've been intrigued recently by all the good results that have been achieved by using browns and blues together. Lynn Robinson-Hunter is a real master of this. So when I decided my blue card needed a touch of colour round the edges I took a deep breath and followed her lead.

The flourish greeting and background flourishes are from Inkadinkado's Winter Trails. The Snowflake and star are from Elusive Images' Angel and Trees. You might just be able to make out in the photo a couple of touches of the clear Stardust pen. Oh, and the ink used for edging is Antique Linen Distress.

Christmas Cards

2008-12-27T22:50:00.000Z

Time to blog my cards now that they should all have been received. I'm intending to start on next year's cards as soon as possible. Considering all the materials I bought I'm ashamed to say I made only 20 cards this year. I spent far too much time experimenting when the cards should have been long posted. That held up all of my other Christmas preparations and I have plenty of other excuses for being disorganised without adding another. It's a lesson well learnt and should stand me in good stead in future. I am resolved to change my approach as well. I'm going to make a stock of backgrounds and other elements during the year so that I am not doing everything from scratch at the last minute.

This was my favourite card this year and I made several with different coloured backgrounds. The stamp is from the Elusive Images Hearth and Home themeplate and the background and decoupage leaves are from the Artylicious Season's Greetings CD. My non crafting family wondered how I'd made the edging. It is in fact a corner punch from Circa Design.

This card came a close second. My favourite version was all shades of blue but sadly, I sent that without taking a photo of it. The background is inked with Adirondack Purple Twilight and Stonewashed and DI Faded Jeans. The stars and snowflakes are from the Elusive images themeplate Angel and Trees. The Winter Wonderland greeting is from Elusive Images Christmas Reflections and the lacy icicles are from Elusive Images Damask Squares. The snowflake centres are Candy Dots from Pebbles Inc. It's hard to tell from the photo but there is subtler printed insert which shows behind the punched edge.

This was a simple card I made early on after buying the Inkadinkado Winter Trails. The little charm seemed made to go with it. The snowflake background is a printed paper from the Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD and the text is from Elusive Images Angel and Trees themeplate.

I stamped this pear tree a lot of times trying to work out where the partridge should go. I think the clue is there somewhere. The stamps are all from Elusive Images Partridge in a Pear Tree themeplate and the background is from Artylicious Seasons Greetings.

This Sarah Kay "Joy of Giving" stamp stole my heart as soon as I saw it and reminded me of my pre teen days when these kind of images were originally in fashion. The cards I made saw my earliest experiments with colouring. This image was 'watercoloured' with inks and markers and a waterbrush but I'd love to try colouring and blending with pencils. The greeting is computer generated and the background paper is Dovecraft.

This card was made with the wreath from the Hearth and Home themeplate. I stamped and embossed in gold detail EP then coloured it with Sakura pens. The background is from a DCWV set.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T11:00:00.000Z

One of the last jobs on my list yesterday was to make some fresh flower decorations. I started with the most gorgeous collection of flowers.

I left them like this in a vase until I had time to use them but I thought they looked so nice that I probably couldn't do anything that would make them look nicer. But I did want them on the table. Around midnight they turned into this.

I also wanted a foliage arrangement for the high shelf in my living room. That's a bit of a tall order as I have nothing usable in the garden and all I could find in the shops was a bough of spuce. So I went scavenging in the dark and found a wealth of treasures. These came from the grounds of a derelict factory. I put them in the bath to have a good long drink and to give the spiders time to run away.

and they turned into this.

You may have noticed that I haven't yet used the lilies and sea hollies. I'm still trying to decide what to do with those.

Come hither!

2008-11-03T19:56:00.000Z

I've recently come back from a short break in Venice. One of the biggest draws for me was the architecture and I have hopes of using some of the photos I took in my crafting. I know some of you share this interest in doorways, columns, alleyways, shuttered windows etc so I thought I'd post a little teaser on here. If you are interested I have a selection of my pics in an album you can find here. Apologies to those of you who are serious photographers as my camera and photography skills are distinctly 'low end'. However, you might still find this pushes your buttons.

The sofa wins again

2008-10-21T20:53:00.001+01:00

I've had nothing new to blog for a while but I really need to get in the Christmas mood. I have plenty of materials and plenty of inspiration to refer to. But somehow my rear craves the proximity of the sofa when my muse calls! I thought if I put a picture of this lovely ribbon on my blog and stared at it long enough, I would get the calling. I've left the prices on these. Good value huh?

Another fairy card

2008-10-11T20:20:00.000+01:00

I'm on a bit of a roll with the fairy now and happy to go with the flow as I'm still recovering from a 'dry' spell.

Because of the shading , the stamped flowers on the first fairy card look from a distance as if they are set in an aperture. So I tried making a real aperture card with the fairy perched on the frame. This was meant to be an experimental exercise and started with some fairly basic bloopers but I've spent a lot of time on it today and have completed a card. The fairy is layered and I'm quite happy with her. The greeting tag I quite liked but the words seem a bit lost on it and it looked no better matted on one or more layers. Maybe it would have looked better at an angle.

Change of scenery

2008-10-10T21:32:00.000+01:00

I'm a bit bored with looking at the birds on my blog page so I thought I'd post a couple of pieces that might look a bit out of place.

I don't do cute or whimsical normally but I couldn't resist buying this fairy stamp at the Ally Pally show last month. I've thrown her in with a piece made with my new hibiscus Rollagraph wheel and some shrinkie flowers. Hope you can see a little bit of the shimmer on her wings and the flowery background.

The second is a box I made more than a year ago for a young friend. I suppose it is an exploding box but I hadn't heard of those at the time. I think it was probably inspired by a sample on one of Glenda Waterworth's shows. But there is no stamping on this and no ink either. The message reads "Your smile makes my day a happy one."

Chillin' with the birdies

2008-09-24T21:06:00.000+01:00

I hadn't really planned on making a wintry picture or I would have chosen a different folder/image/stamp. But I really like the feel of this one.

I liked the results of highlighting the flourishes on the embossed image on my earlier post so I decided to try it with my lovely tree stamp. The flourishes are a little fine for the pen but I still think this looks quite cool.

I'm at the Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show at the weekend. I think I'll be looking for some purple dye inks to try this with.

Cuttlebug journey

2008-09-22T13:54:00.000+01:00

Having marvelled at the lovely pristine white Cuttlebug design, the next step was to get inky. This impression was swooshed in Marvy Blending Blox Shades of Mauve which had been spritzed on my heat sheet. Looked nice but the edges of the design were a bit ragged in places so I submerged the lot in a haze of Candy Apple Red and Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mists. The effect is subtler than it appears here with the gold more obvious in the light.

This one was sponged with Tattered Rose DI and a touch of Fired Brick before spraying with Iridescent gold Glimmer Mist

Then onto Birds and Swirls. Have to admit I can't be sure which inks I used on the green one. I think it was Fresh Green and Greeen Tea Versacolor. The one on the right is Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick.

The next step was to liven things up a bit. I've seen some gorgeous work recently where flourishes have been highlighted with white pen. So I added some depth to this one with a Souffle pen. The text stamping was done right at the beginning, then the embossing and finally the inking with Butterscotch and Lettuce Adirondacks. I'm really pleased with the results and am now going to do lots more like this with all the colours I own!

A card of firsts

2008-09-22T13:33:00.000+01:00

Sh! Can you keep a secret? I don't usually like to blog my cards before I've given them. That seems to be an unwritten rule here in Blogland. But I won't be giving this one for a couple of weeks and, because it is the beginning of a little journey, I didn't want to post it out of sync.

It is a card of firsts. It is the first time I've used my Cuttlebug and the first time I've used Stampbord.

I tried to practice stamping my gypsy girl on card before risking the Stampbord. Over my shoulder I could hear Glenda Waterworth whispering, "Allow yourself to waste two pieces." But this escaped the bin, probably because I was so cautious with it. I'd planned to colour the image but it is not very big and I was worried about losing definition so I just shaded her skin very lightly and coloured the rose red.

If I was making it again I'd trim the embossed panel more. It seemed a crime to cut any of it away! The grosgrain looks blue in the photo but is actually purple with white organza behind it.

Not a work of art

2008-09-09T01:36:00.000+01:00

Has anyone else found their eyes see things differently since they started crafting? Helen Chilton's flowers on her blog and in Craft Stamper have made quite an impression on me this last week. I've also been clearing out my cupboard to make room for more crafting goodies. I had a box in there where I was keeping oddments to take in to work for the children's collage activities. I had forgotten I'd saved this packaging from a set of glass bowls I'd bought. I haven't done anything to them except to rearrange the layers slightly. And somehow, I felt compelled to put a candle in the middle??!?! What's that all about then?

Exam congrats!

2008-08-23T22:50:00.000+01:00

My boys came up with the goods so I've stolen their cards back so I can post pictures of them here. Well done, chaps!

Men's cards

2008-08-12T23:22:00.000+01:00

Four men's cards to make this week. Very testing. So I'm keeping it simple. This was the first time I've used an acetate layer. I hope the fibres on the binding are not too feminine. The neutral colours in the fibres seemed the perfect complement to the card. The only stamping on this is the greeting, which is mounted on the acetate.

The next is not my usual kind of card at all. But I try to make cards to suit the occasion rather than to suit me. I deliberated over this one for a long time. I prefer to use stamping and a minimum of ready made embellishments but I didn't have a suitable stamp for this 50th birthday. I finally chose this bottle peel off, which I stuck onto acetate and then curved before attaching to the card with hidden brads. The wine label was made on the computer and stuck on behind the acetate. The number is just cut out of mirri card. My son thinks this is one of the best cards I've ever made. I hope that isn't a comment on my taste or my stamping!

The next two cards I have to start work on tomorrow are to congratulate my sons on their respective exam results. I really hope that's not tempting fate!

Swirling into infinity

2008-08-05T19:31:00.000+01:00

How many swirls or flourishes is too many? Lucky for me flourishes are still hot. But I'm not sure what will happen to my stamping when they go out of fashion. Let's hope that's a long way off because I've just got two more luscious stamps from the US. They are both Inkadinkado, a make I haven't used before. I've been playing with them for most of the day and have had a eureka moment with my Glimmer Mists. I wondered why I wasn't falling in love with them like everyone else. Now I now what I was doing wrong. I just wasn't using enough! I have only three colours, Deep Plum, Candy Apple Red and Iridescent Gold. I never had any intention of using them all together but today I did and got this fantastic rich mix.

The image is embossed in Sparkle n Sprinkle Rust Fizz which gives a lovely sparkly finish.

The pale card the image is matted on is actually an apricot colour glitter card. Dodgy combination maybe but it seems to work, although on the photo you can't see the apricot colour, the glitter or the sheen of the Mists.

It's so quiet in here...

2008-08-04T01:24:00.000+01:00

I can't believe it's so long since my last post. I have played quite a lot but not finished much, or certainly nothing I was particularly happy with. But the other day, after messing about with ink and glue for many hours and drawing a blank, I saw a stamp on the web that was a grungy wildflower silhouette on a distressed background. It hadn't really been inspiration that had been the problem but I pushed the laptop aside and dashed to the table where I'd already (almost) tidied everything away. This card was one of those that kind of makes itself while you're not looking. The main stamp is one of my very favourites. The 'buttons' down the side are made with the same inks and stamps as the main image but I've glazed them with Glossy Accents. I think there is still a little too much black space and there is a dodgy bit of background stamping, but at least I felt I'd made something by the end of the day.

Stamp Magic

2008-06-25T23:32:00.000+01:00

I played a while longer with the Mini Memories set on Saturday night. I could have gone on until the early hours but I knew it would take me an age to clear away and I needed to make a reasonable start if I was going to make it to the show on Sunday.

This was the last Beautiful Dream card and my favourite so far.

I stamped and masked to give the impression of floating bubbles and wanted to make the swirly border look like hanging vines. It's hard to tell because of my poor photography but there is a subtle background made from the flourish stamp in the set. The background was made with Distress Inks after I was inspired by Lynn Robinson-Hunter's tags at the Graphicus open day. She has achieved some really rich shading on her cards which I'd love to copy. I think there are a couple more of the inks I need in my arsenal before I can even get close.

Anyway, it was a longish journey to Stamp Magic but I was really pleased I'd gone. Highlights had to be Once Upon a Stamp and Crafty Individuals. There were a couple of CI stamps on my wishlist but I talked myself out of them in the end. Not a bad thing after my recent spending. Curiously, I noticed that some motifs from the Crafty Secrets sets I'd just bought also appeared on some of the Crafty Individuals stamps. I asked if there was a connection between the two companies but apparently not.

Overall my purchases were modest. I picked up a handful of Versacolor cubes in colours I felt were missing from my range but will have to experiment with those. I stocked up on EZ Mount and bought a pack of mixed tags. As usual, the biggest shortage is not materials or inspiration but TIME!

Beautiful Dream

2008-06-21T23:05:00.000+01:00

Well, tomorrow is Stamp Magic at Doncaster. It's one of the treats I promised myself to get me through this long school term. But I'm still wavering. I've spent far too much on stamps this month already and I'm bound to get found out soon. But if I miss it when do I get to ogle some more serious rubber? Maybe I could go and content myself with demos and soaking up all the inspiration.

I love my mini adventures (thinking of creating a new blog around them). The more obscure the destination and the more forms of transport needed the better. Doncaster is not the most inspiring of places but I do like the Dome and I really enjoyed the last Stamp Magic.

This week I've had another delivery from the US. Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps are really something special. I got two sets as I had a voucher from those generous Ebay people. Tonight I've had my first play with the Mini Memories set. They are just right for ATCs and make me want to chop up all my cardstock into little pieces! These two are literally my first impressions.

The card on the left was made by brayering Butterscotch and Wild Plum dye inks over Versamark. The one on the right was stamped partly in Versamark over a sponged background and then embossed in white, sprayed with Deep Plum Glimmer Mist, then overstamped with Wild Plum. I think I'm going to get a lot of mileage out of these stamps.

Special Birthdays

2008-06-20T20:49:00.000+01:00

My teenage boys like to take the mickey out of my hobbies from time to time so coming up with cards for them which hit the spot is quite a challenge. So I was chuffed to find some great stamps by Jill Penney and Daniel Torrente. I had the stamps sent direct from Stampotique in Arizona. They are lovely people and I got great personalised customer service. The stamps do all the work themselves really. This one was for my son Peter's 16th birthday.

The background papers, ribbon and swirly motif were a free download; the grungy 16 was printed from my computer and mounted on a kebab stick! The jigsaw pieces were stamped with a damask stamp and coated with Ranger's Crackle Accents and the page finished with a shrinkie.

This one was for my 'adopted' daughter, Anne, who's a bit of an artist. The stamp is Stampotique again. The background papers are K&Co Scarlet's Letter, a pad I was desperate to own but have barely used. Sound familiar?

Pop Ups

2008-06-19T19:49:00.000+01:00

I'm into pop up cards at the moment. They appeal to me on several levels. The ingenius design is wonderful in itself. The way the card is made from one piece and stands in a perfect position even after I've given it a good mangling. And then the diamond space to work on. Images normally occupying a square somehow offer a fresh perspective on the diamond. And the size allows you to use smaller elements as you might in an ATC but still making a proper card in its own right. I think I might have a session cutting all my favourite card into the perfect size diamonds for pop ups.

This is one I made for my friend Jennifer's birthday. I finished it with Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist. I gasped briefly as the ink in the image started to bleed but then decided I really liked it that way and might experiment with this effect on purpose next time.

ATCs

2008-06-05T20:35:00.000+01:00

I haven't really gone down the ATC route before but I have a new stamp to play with and this felt like the right way to try it out. The first attempt went well so I kept going and finally came up with quite a little gallery.

I started with the new stamp but added lots more as I gained momentum. Not sure why things went my way today but of everything I made only one card went in the bin. There were a couple that weren't brilliant and several that I'll do slightly differently next time but one I was really pleased with.

Risky colour combination?

2008-05-29T19:48:00.001+01:00

Half term this week and at last some time to get all my crafting stuff out of the cupboards. The kitchen has disappeared under piles of paper, inks and tools. I'd really love a craft room. Or even just a stretch of worktop that didn't need clearing everytime I have to get the tea ready. I've had lots of new goodies recently but it's taken a while to get warmed up. Crafters' block I suppose. But I've come up with this today.

I started with the black and red stamped images and couldn't decide what colour card to put them on. I finally decided on this pale gold pearlescent card. I wasn't at all sure about the colour but since I put everything together the card's really grown on me. What I'm particularly pleased with is the Versacolor Topaz ink on the gold card.

While I'm on a roll I might see what other stamps I have that will work with this combination. I'm glad I got several sheets in this colour. My local craft warehouse (Pear Tree Yard in Sandiacre) sells the most amazing range of papers (an amazing range of all crafting materials really) at such great prices that I can afford to throw caution to the wind.

Main image and background stamps are from Elusive images Wild Meadow. Greeting by WS Designs.

The Open Road

2008-05-09T23:18:00.000+01:00

Tonight I've made a card for my son's good friend Joe who turns 18 on Sunday. They are both avid bikers. I couldn't find a bike stamp I was happy with so decided to make do with a peel off.

The tickets are made with The Open Road themeplate stamp from The Artistic Stamper. Inside I've stamped the Whitman quote from the themeplate because it seemed particularly appropriate for a youngster coming of age with his life ahead of him. It reads:

"Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose."

I've used three coordinating papers from Dovecraft's Kelly Harwood Abstract pack. The torn edges of the bike image have been embossed in black and gold with a bit of help from the Field of Sky stamp.

Quick late night inkings

2008-05-03T23:52:00.000+01:00

Just grabbed a few bits from my stamping box tonight. Wanted to make a silver flourish background for a wedding dress image but thought I'd try out some Versacolor cubes I bought two weeks ago first. I'll buy anything with a flourish on it and love corners, frames and borders. But often I struggle to find a focal point to put on the background or inside the frame etc. That probably means that, much as I love these that I've made, they might be consigned to the bit box for eternity.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the best lit area for a picture and you can't really see the colours. The background of this one was DI Tattered Rose, overstamped with Impression Obsession Solid Florals in the same colour and edged with another of the Solid Florals in Adirondack Cranberry.

This one uses the same two stamps in Versacolor Old Rose and Topaz on a white hammered background lightly coloured with Old Rose and a little bit of Topaz and with an edge brushed in Versacolor Paprika.

I'd wanted these IO stamps for a long time after seeing them featured in Craft Stamper. I'd decided they were a bit pricey for me but then sent for them from the US for half the UK price. I think the next project for these stamps is on vellum tags and brushed with mica powders. Ooh, might just have to go try that one now!

Performance Anxiety

2008-04-30T23:26:00.000+01:00

Birthdays and other occasions scare me. I don't feel the need to justify the time I spend experimenting or the money I spend on my stash until someone has a birthday and I have to come up with the goods. Then all inspiration leaves me and I am overcome by 'performance anxiety'. I've been stamping for almost two years and always protest that I am a beginner. I have many cards in my cupboard, but seldom send one that I'm happy with. I've even strained for days then - horror of horrors - gone out and bought a card. I'm sure this is a common phenomenon. But tomorrow Rose will open this. I hope she likes it.

It's another Elusive Images stamp (from the original Damask set). It has been inked with pens, spritzed and stamped onto watercolour paper. I added matching papers from the CD, this time printed onto parchment. The butterfly is by Mic.

Shame on me

2008-04-29T20:29:00.000+01:00

Ok, no excuses...

A candid picure of my work area. I know I'm messy. I've always been messy. But when I pack away I'm quite picky about putting everything in its place. While I'm working though...it's just a disaster area. This is the best lighting in the house so I work on the kitchen worktop, sharing space with the kettle.

I know it's an accident waiting to happen. But once I'm on a roll I can't imagine being able to keep everything neat.

It'll be a long time before I get a dedicated crafting area, although my hubby uses that carrot to motivate me into thinking about moving house. It's actually quite nice having the kettle so close. When I come to a natural pause (quite often!) I just click the kettle on.

At the end of this particular session I came up with this, which I'm quite pleased with.

I chose a pink card because I don't use much pink so was prepared to sacrifice it in an experiment. But so far this one has escaped the bin.

The stamps are from Elusive Images Wild Meadow themeplate. The flowers in the 'window' are on watercolour paper set on foam pads behind the aperture.

One small step

2008-04-27T00:00:00.000+01:00

Just one small step into the world of blogging. I suppose this means I will have to go out and get a life!