CHRISTMAS CRAFT CREATIONS - METALLICS

Welcome back to another challenge from Christmas Craft Creations - if you've been with us since January this year you must have a great collection of Christmas cards ready in your stash.  Our challenge this month is Metallics. I don't have a lot of metallics in my stash but I do have Tim Holtz Metallic Distress Crayons so they were my go to for this card.

I used an old Christmas embossing folder and then covered it in the Brushed Pewter Distress Crayon.  The stamp and sentiment is from Tim Holtz Watercolour Trees. I stamped it in two lots of grey ink and added the bright red baubles and some Spectrum Noir sparkle. The sentiment was embossed with silver embossing powder.  I'd been looking for an O Christmas Tree stamp for years and when I saw it on this set I had to have the whole set lol! I added some silver thread from my stash behind the tree and layered it onto some red cardstock.  

Remember to add our graphic above to your post to be in with a chance to win some goodies this month.  This month I am offering this lovely stamp set from Bipasha BK  for Aallandcreate. 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS IC423

Welcome back to another challenge from Hand Stamped Sentiments and our lovely mood board.  I so wish I could have that wreath on my front door - isn't it just beautiful!  My card was inspired by the little box of flowers. 

The colours look a bit washed out here when they are in fact quite dark browns reds and greens - all of Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  The flower set is from Tracy Evans at Aallandcreate called In the Bucket.  I kept it simple with watercolouring.  The sentiment Autumn is a very old one from Stampin Up.  On a wooden block - wow I haven't used one of those in a while!  I do still have stamps on wooden blocks but must admit they are rarely used - how about you - are you still an avid wood block user?

THE MALE ROOM - LEAVES

September has arrived and with it summer in the UK - we last had hot weather in June but this week we are back in 30 degree heat.  Just as we were all thinking of autumn!  

Our challenge this week at The Male Room is Leaves.  One of my favourite things to add to creative projects and here I've used a lovely set by Tracy Evans.  Tracy doesn't retire her stamps and doesn't date them but this one came out in 2021. 

I stamped and cut out some of the leaves and even found a very old leaf brad I had in my stash!

I'm adding this into the following:

 Retro Rubber

Double Trouble 

The Outlawz Challenge 

Stamping Sensations 

We Love Stamping

 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS #422

We have another Sketch Challenge for you this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  

I' ve used two sets from Sam Poole for Creative Expressions.  The background is from a set called Timeless Roses and I've used the numbers strip for my cross pieces.  I then used a set called Butterfly Walk to create the panel down the middle. I added the colours using Tim Holtz Distress Watercolour Pencils - a new addition which I'm having fun playing with. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Unicorn Challenge 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS - 424

Welcome back to another colour challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  As you know I find these a bit trickier even as a DT member as I am not with Stampin Up so I try to use as close as I can.  For this card I did have Blackberry Bliss, and I used Cameo Coral, Bermuda Bay and Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap for my other colours.

I started by using a very old dotty stamp for the background using all the colours to create it.  The leaf is a Visible Image stencil called Autumn Leaves and I stencilled it in the Frayed Burlap and then cut it out.  The acorns are also from Visible Image stamps called Nuts About Squirrels and I stamped them in the Blackberry Bliss.

The sentiment is from a Tracy Evans set called Fallen Leaves and I stamped it in Blackberry Bliss and then added it to some coral type card stock I found in my bits drawer.

HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS WATERCOLOUR - LAYERS

Welcome back to another challenge at Happy Little Stampers Watercolour - with the option of using layers.  This was a definite added option for me as I love using layers on my cards.  I started out using a stamp set by Tracy Evans for Aallandcreate and adding some soft colours to the background.  I stamped and cut out the bird, the butterfly and the hare and layered it onto some textured ribbon.  I added the sentiment to some calico.  

CREATIVE ARTISTE MIXED MEDIA - ANYTHING GOES

Welcome to another month's challenge at Creative Artiste Mixed Media.

Some time ago I had an interesting find in a charity shop.  It was a replica package from the British Museum regarding the Suffragettes.  This little packet of treasures sparked my interest -we all have heard of one or two of the ladies who gave so much so that we could benefit years down the line but I don't think we really know that much about what they had to put up with.  It has made for fascinating reading both from the little replica pack and the further research I have been doing.  

I decided I wanted to use this little pack in some way and decided that I would do a set of Suffragette Tags which has some photo images of some of the ladies, who I personally had never heard of.  So let me introduce you to two of them.

Our first tag is of Miss Grace Roe - born 1885 in Surrey England and died in 1979. I am glad she survived to see Women's Votes being given.  She joined the Campaign in 1908 having heard Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel speaking.  The image of her on the tag is from 1914 when she was arrested for being a member of the Women's Social and Political Union and she was imprisoned in Holloway Prison Here she endured hunger strike and forced feeding until there was an amnesty from the Government of the time due to WW1. After the War she opened a opened a bookshop and metaphysical library in Santa Barbara, California. She stayed in close contact with Christabel Pankhurst.

I've used Tim Holtz Tag dies for both of my tags.  The background has been made with Distress Ink and Texture Paste.  I've used the Rosemary Edition by Alison Bomber PapertArtsy stamps to emboss the background with the words and I fussy cut the rosemary sprig.  The Hope embellishment is an old one from my Stash and I've added some calico ribbon.

My second tag shows a lady called Mary Gawthorpe - she was born in 1881 in Leeds, England and died in 1973 in New York. She was a teacher and left teaching to join the WSPU in 1906.  She was arrested many times over the years and eventually left the UK to emigrate to New York City in 1916 where she became active in the American Suffrage movement.

The second tag uses Distress Ink in Milled Lavender, Wilted Violet and Peeled Paint to match the colour of the ticket from the pack.  I've added some texture paste through a brick stencil to represent the brick walls that these ladies faced and also how they built their way to success.  I've used some pieces from Taperlogy also.

These are obviously just very short snippets of what these ladies did but I have found it fascinating and will continue to create some mixed media tags with the contents of the little replica pack.  

CHRISTMAS CRAFT CREATIONS - CAS

Our theme at Christmas Craft Creations this month is CAS.  I always find these the hardest to do as I do like my layers and my mixed media.  So this is about as CAS as I feel comfortable with.  We have some great prizes up for grabs kindly donated by the Design Team members so good luck.  

I used an old Embossing Folder for my white background. The tree die is also an old die I had in my stash and I used some paper from a Christmas pack to cut out the image.  I added a star and a Tim Holtz silver bauble to the top.  The sentiment is from Tim Holtz - I only bought the whole stamp set called Watercolour Trees because I had been looking for an O Christmas Tree sentiment for years lol! 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

The Holly and Ivy - AG 

Jingle Bells Rock - Christmas Tree 

My Time To Craft - Christmas Tree 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS - CC421

I love these colours for our colour challenge this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  As usual I don't have the up-to-date Stampin Up Colours but I did use an old one Cinammon Cider which looks very similar to the Pecan Pie.  The other colour I used was a Wendy Vecchi Ranger one called Orange Blossom and Tim Holtz Unchartered Mariner Distress Oxide.

I started off by using a stencil for the background in one of the brown colours.  I then added this gorgeous stamp from Creative Expressions called Magnolia Spray.  I added some extra numbers in the darker brown from another Creative Expression set from Sam Poole called Dates from the Past. The sentiment comes from the flower set and I stamped it on to some Calico material and added some brads from my stash which are very old SU. I tucked a delicate leaf behind the calico to add a bit more interest and some sparkles to the middle of the flowers. 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS #420

Welcome back to another challenge for Hand Stamped Sentiments.  The weather here in the UK for nearly the whole of July was wet and miserable.  We even had to light a log fire the other evening - so Ice creams and the gorgeous images on our mood board are very far from my mind at the moment - but I can dream of Summer. 

Probably with that in mind I took my inspiration from the flowers on the bottom right.  I used an old leaf stencil for my background - giving it just a kiss of the ink, spritzing it and then adding it to the paper to give a very subtle imprint of the leaf.  I masked off part of the middle to add my mouse and my sentiment.  I used an old SU set Botanical Prints to create my flowers.  The little mouse is from Clearly Besotted. I added some background word stamping and some sequins to finish off the card. 

CREATIVE ARTISTE MIXED MEDIA - ANYTHING GOES

Welcome back to another month's challenge at Creative Artiste where we celebrate all things Mixed Media. 

I recently took part in a Fodder Challenge which I found via Alison Bomber's Instagram account.  I was new to the whole Fodder School and the challenge was a free sample of what they offer all year round.  Sadly funds won't allow me to join in with the school but the free 11 day challenge was great fun.  Some were not my style but a few were just right up my street and they certainly challenged me to think outside of the box.  My piece here is one of them as I used colours I don't often use.  I'm not normally a brights sort of girl!

My Mixed Tag was inspired by Shay Michelle and I really enjoyed making it.  I used the back of an old pack of paper - you can still see the tag attached which is great for hanging this little piece up in future.  I loved the way she made her tags and told us it doesn't matter if they are not straight, if the cut away angles are not exact - it was like having permission to get things a bit wonky which is something I adore!  The tags had little clusters on them of just bits and pieces from my stash.  

The tags are attached at the top and then when you lift them up there is a space for journalling.  I also decorated the back of them and gave them some quotes from Tim Holtz.   The Creativity sentiment is from Visible Image stamps. The words at the top are from some washi tape from Aallandcreate.

THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE - DOTS AND STRIPES

Welcome back to another challenge at The Male Room - I hope you are inspired by our great theme.

I started off my background by using a stencil to create the strips in Antique Linen.  I then added a very old dotted stamp I have from an old company called All Night Media - it's an old wooden stamp which is great for adding dots.  I added the clock stamp from an old Creative Expressions set and added some die cut gears from Tim Holtz.  I added one of his paper dolls and added a large mug in his hand - just because lol! 

ONCE UPON A TIME

Welcome back to another challenge at Once Upon a Time where we offer you a children's book cover as inspiration and leave the rest to your imagination.  I chose to focus on the children in the image and decided to do a stepped easel card.

This stamp set is a very old one from Stampin Up and one of my favourites that I will always keep.  I love that image of the little girl looking out into the distance and the little boy making his sand castle and it takes me back to when my two were little.  The sentiment memories was just perfect for me to add.

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Retro Rubber - this stamp set is over 10 years old 

SU Only challenges - fun fold 

HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS - AUGUST - OPTIONAL HAPPY

Welcome to another challenge at Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge. I chose to go with the option of Happy for my card.  

I used watercolour for my card stock as I knew I was going to be putting a lot of water down for the background.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide stains to give a loose watercolour background.  Once dry I added some background stamping with Versafine Clair Morning Mist which is a soft grey - not as harsh as a black for the stamping.  

The bird is from Tracy Evans set Bird Song  and the sentiment is from Visible Image.    I added a loose border with a Micron pen and added some pink edging.