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I was inspired by the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday to create a textural piece - something I love to do anyway.  I found a background I had made with the gel press in my stash and added some Cosmic Shimmer Antique Sand Paste in Delicate Blue through a Tim Holtz stencil.  The butterfly has also previously been made and nothing done with it - it was added to some cardboard and textured paper and I cut it out.  I added some old Stampin Up paper which I think looks a bit like a trellis and I added some gesso to the front of it to distress it a bit more.  I added some lace behind the butterfly. 

I'm adding this into the following:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge 

Cardz4Galz - use a stencil 

Stencilfun - use a stencil 

Tuesday Taggers - feeling blue

Welove2create - AG mixed media 

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE #484 - ANY OCCASION

Happy New Year and welcome back to our challenges for 2025 at Addicted to Stamps and More.  We start off the New Year with Any Occasion so really anything goes. 

This is definitely not my usual colour palette as I tend to go for the grungy type of colours - I must just be craving some spring weather after all the miserable cold weather we've had lately.  It seems to have gone on for months here in Wales especially as we didn't have much of a summer.  I used some Versafine Clair inks in Baby Pink and Avodao and used Tim Holtz watercolour pencils to colour in the flowers with Villanous Potion and Picked Raspberry. 

I used one of Tracy Evans Boutique Stamps set called Malva TE8 for the main flower and added some of the stems from the Persicaria from TE13 Delight in Nature.  I have this plant in my garden and didn't even realise and I have even managed to make cuttings.  I stamped a smaller Mallow stamp from the set and added a pearl to the inside.  The background word stamping is from another of Tracy's stamps TE9 Take Flight.  The butterfly and the sentiment is from an old Simon Says Stamp set called Thoughtful Flowers. 

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Creative Inspiration - AG

Outlawz Challenge - AG 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - CAS 

Simplyellibelle - Wed - AG 

Beautiful Blossoms- AG 

Creative Crafters - AG 

A NEW YEAR'S TAG

I was inspired by the challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday to use a new to me set of Aallandcreate stamps I have that I've not inked yet.  They are by Bipasha BK and the set is called Time Up.  As we are in a New Year I thought the clock would make a good focus point for my tag.

I used lots of layers on the tag and even forced myself to cover some of them up - I find that very difficult.  I started off with some Distress Paints in Salvaged Patina, Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain.  I then used a Tim Holtz stencil of the clocks and used Salvaged Patina watercolour pencil to add the colour in the background.  I added some collage paper - Typeset for the added numbers at the side.  I also added some Tim Holtz Ideaology Ephemera, some lovely thick washi tape of Tim's which is sparingly used and the sentiment is from one of his stamp sets.  I covered the clock in Sepia Accents from Ranger.

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - new Aallandcreate 

Craft Rocket - Something new

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - something new 

Stamping Sensations - AG 

We love2create - AG Mixed Media 

We love Stamping - Anything but square 

Delighted to be chosen as one of the top 3 for Simon Says Stamp Monday 

INSPIRATION STATION #69

Welcome to our first challenge of 2025 with Inspiration Station.  How wonderful is this image ?  I received some wonderful new watercolours by Winsor and Newton for Christmas and just really wanted to try and reproduce the image using them.  

I used watercolour paper for my background and mixed a few of the colours to get what I wanted.  I wanted to try a Bokeh technique and used white paint to create the background.  The foliage stamps are by Alison Bomber and the bird is a very old one from Kaisercraft. 

I look forward to seeing how you are inspired by our image. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Triple B - Bird 

Let's Create - Sentiment 

Stamping Sensations - Hand Coloured 

Pink Gem - AG 

We Love2Create- AG 

Word Art Wednesday - AG 

2craftycritter - 

Crafty Animals 

PEARLY SPARKLES - SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW - JANUARY 2025

Welcome back to Pearly Sparkles and a new challenge for 2025 which is Something Old, Something New.  My something new uses some new stamps from Lavinia and an older sticky stencil from Lavinia.  I love these sticky masks - they are so easy to use and I've used the circle one here as part of the moon.  I added some Nuovo drops in silver all round the outside of the moon shape.  

I look forward to seeing what you all got that was new this Christmas. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Creative Inspirations - Something old, something new 

Make My Monday - #235 create your own background 

My time to Craft - something new 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - something new 

LOVE TO CRAFT CHALLENGE - JANUARY 2025

I'm delighted to be on the design team for Love to Craft Challenge for January 2025.  What a great way to start the year.  In case you haven't played with us before we are an Anything Goes challenge and not just cards and we are also every other month so plenty of time for you to join in. 

As with my previous post - please bear with me as I'm still in Christmas mode and wanted to share this Santa card made with Tim Holtz products.  This is just the quintessential Father Christmas in my mind and Tim Holtz has captured him just perfectly.   I let the stamp have pride of place with some gentle background stamping of foliage behind him and the lovely smattering of stars above.  The Santa was coloured with Tim Holtz Distress Inks. 

THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE - #194 - JANUARY 2024 CAS

Happy New Year everyone and welcome back to our first challenge for 2025 at The Male Room.  Apologies for me still being in Christmas mode - I've been ill for nearly all of December and haven't been able to blog or add any projects so I'm still in a kind of Christmas mood hence my choice of card. 

This is about as CAS as it gets for me as it's not a genre I'm comfortable with as I tend to much prefer throwing everything at my projects.

I let the lovely Christmas Tree from Tim Holtz Watercolour Trees be the star of the show with some gentle background stamping and shading.  The sentiment is one of my favourite Christmas sayings.

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE - #483 BIRTHDAYS

It's our birthday challenge this week at Addicted to Stamps and More and I've used a little stamp from Bipasha BK from Aall and Create.

The background was made with the gel press and I added various word stamps stamped off to just give a background.  I added washi tape to the sides and made the actual bird stamp into a tag to fit on the card.  

This is our last challenge before Christmas so I wish you all a very happy and peaceful season. 

CREATIVE ARTISTE MIXED MEDIA

Welcome back to Creative Artiste Mixed Media and our final challenge for this year.  

My husband had cut out a few slices of wood and wondered if I could do anything with them.  Oh yes!!! I've turned them into some tree decorations using Tim Holtz goodies. These are just a few of the ones I've made and I'm showing you both sides of the one decoration. All products are Tim Holtz apart from the gold which is Pebeo Gilding Wax. I love how they turned out and they are becoming quite addictive. 

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Festive Season and look forward to seeing your creations next year. 

THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE #193 - ANYTHING GOES

Didn't that year go quick! - They seem to fly by the older we get.  Here's our December challenge for you at The Male Room and to make it easier on you at this busy festive season we have the theme of Anything Goes.

I still went with a winter theme for mine and turned to the lovely new stamps by Alison Bomber at Paperartsy for my wintery card and tags.  This card is actually for my older brother who is a bit of a grinch when it comes to Christmas so I thought a winter card would suit him just perfectly, especially with the lovely Christmas Carol of In The Bleak Midwinter added to it. 

My backgrounds were made with the gel press and I added lots of Alison's stamps.  I even found an old stamp of the queen on a very old envelope which went with Alisons stamping.  As a nod to Alison I added a piece of dried grasses to one of the tags. 

Thank you for being with us all year and I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and peaceful Festive season.  See you next year.

INSPIRATION STATION #68

Welcome back to Inspiration Station and our final challenge for the year and I hope you are inspired by our lovely image. 

I actually found the little gingerbread die in my stash and didn't even know I had him - so that was a great find.

I used a stamp by Creative Expressions for the background - colouring it with different coloured inks and then spritzing it to give a watercolour effect when stamped.  The burlap is a new find and is actually adhesive and I'm loving using it.  The mug stamps are some very old favourite ones from Gina K called Season of Joy.  The little candy cane is a wooden embellishment from my stash.  The greenery is from Tim Holtz.

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Festive Season and looking forward to seeing you all again playing with us next year. 

PEARLY SPARKLES - #102 - CHRISTMAS

Welcome back to our last challenge of the year at Sparkles and it just had to be Christmas.  

I created a wreath with some stamps from Tracy Evans Boutique Designs and added some cut out poinsettia flowers to add a bit more interest.  There is some background word stamping on the far side of the card.  The little robin is also from Tracy and I drew my own little branch.  I added lots of sparkle with Stickles glitter and liquid pearls and also used the pearls for the snow on the branch.  

Wishing you all a very happy Festive season and see you all next year.

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE #482 - CHRISTMAS

I'm sure lots of us are in Christmas card mode and it's my favourite time of the year to create.  We are in Christmas mode on Addicted to Stamps and More this week and I look forward to seeing all your lovely creations. 

I was lucky enough to be gifted a set of Indigoblu stamps by a friend who is on their DT and I loved this reindeer.  I started off the card by using an old stamp by Stampin Up called Drybrush and I used Antique Linen and Iced Spruce for the colours.  I then stamped the reindeer in Versafine Clair Pinecone and used Distress Oxide inks to colour him in.  The baubles were coloured with Metallic Brush Markers.  A touch of sparkle round the edge of the card finished it off.  The sentiment is from Tim Holtz. 

I'm adding this into the following

Peace on Earth - Christmas Reindeer 

The Paper Players - Be a Deer 

DAY OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE #69 GUEST DESIGNER

I'm delighted to be Guest Designer over at Day of the Month Card Club challenge blog for the above challenge.

Now this really got me thinking as I really don't have any suitable stamps - however I remembered I do have the Tim Holtz Fresh Baked dies from years ago which haven't been used in a long time.  I decided to go with the biscuit one which felt more fitting for the theme. 

I started by using a set of Tim Holtz stamps called Tiny Text Christmas and I used the whole set of individual stamps to create the background.  I then added some Adhesive Burlap paper which I found in a local craft shop.  What a find that was!  I die cut the cookie and inked the edges and added the snowflake in white to look like icing.  I cut out a variety of  Tim Holtz Holiday Greens Thinlets in cardstock and old book papers and inked with Distress Inks. 

I added some extra pretty berry paper top and bottom.  The sentiments are from Tim Holtz Ideaology for a few years ago.  The little candy stick is from my stash and I coloured it red and white.  The sentiment stickers are from a TH Ideaology sticker book.

I'm adding this into the following challenges - 

Double Trouble - layers 

 A cut above - 

Crafty Calendar - AG 

We love stamping - AG 

Paper Funday - AG 

Daisy Chain Challenge - Christmas 

The holly and Ivy  - AG 

We love 2 create - AG Mixed Media 

Peace on Earth - 

THE MALE ROOM - KINETIC CARDS

We hope you have fun with our challenge this month at The Male Room which is to make your cards move - however you like.  I've gone for a type of side slider card where you can see the panels move in and out of the card.  I had great fun playing with Tim Holtz Professor stamps and lots of lovely grunginess.  The inks are Unchartered Mariner and Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo.  I used some of the Watercolour Pencils to give more of a vivid intensity to the Unchartered Mariner.

I'm  not normally a lover of trying to make cards move but I did enjoy making this one.  

I'm adding this into the following:

Creative Fingers - AG 

Word Art Wednesday - AG 

Stamping Sensations - AG 

We love 2 create - Mixed Media 

Inkspirational - Layer it