ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE - BIRTHDAYS

 

Time for another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More and we are celebrating Birthdays. 

I've used the lovely new vase stencil by Tracy Evans to create the vase which I masked off first while I created the background with Distress Inks.  I added a crackle stamp by Alison Bomber to the front of the vase.  

The flowers in the vase are a mix of Tracy's stamps and I stamped and cut out some extra flowers to add to the front of the vase.

I'm also adding this into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday - Add a Sentiment 

Allsorts - Flowers 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Beautiful Blooms 

Creative Inspirations - AG 

Ellibellies Crafty Wednesday AG 

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE - #472 CHRISTMAS

I'm delighted to be part of the Design Team for Addicted to Stamps and More.  After playing along for years it's great to be on their DT.  Here's my first contribution which is Christmas.  It's always a good idea to make Christmas cards throughout the year to try and avoid the rush nearer the time when we all have so much else on but still want to send our hand-made cards.

My Christmas cards always tend to be more of a winter style card and I loved one that Tim Holtz did which inspired my card.  I used the gel press to create the background and used stamps by Tracy Evans for the leaves and the pine cones.  The word stamp In the Bleak Midwinter is a lovely stamp by Alison Bomber for Paper Artsy.  I used Tim Holtz marker pens to colour in the pine cones and the leaves.  The snowflake is from TH Ideaology tied on with a bit of twine. 

I added it to a background piece of paper stamped with an old script stamp which you can just spot around the edges.  I then added it to some kraft card stock and added some white splatters. 

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

I love these cute little robins from Creative Expressions.  Here I've just given them a very soft wintry water colour background - it almost looks as though they are shivering from the cold.

I'm adding these into the following challenges:

Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Christmas in July

The Holly and the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes 

Christmas Cards all year round 

12 months of Christmas - AG 

CREATIVE ARTISTE MIXED MEDIA - JULY

Welcome back to another challenge at Creative Artiste Mixed Media.  Please remember we are a Mixed Media challenge and as such want to see at least 3 different mediums on your projects - not just paper and ink.

I'm sharing a canvas I have recently completed for a competition.  Our area WI (Women's Institute) holds a competition for all the WI's in the area and their theme this year is Beatrix Potter.  My entry is going in as part of our group entry which includes someone else baking and decorating a cake, some knitted items, some embroidery, some jam and my canvas.  Fingers crossed - I'll let you know how we get on!

My canvas size is 8# x 10#.  I covered it first in various paints from Tim Holtz.  I then added some texture paste through a stencil and added extra colour.  The stamping is from various stamps from Tracy Evans.  The Peter Rabbit has been cut from an image and some extra coloured added to him.  

The little pot is from moulded clay and then stamped with a stamp by Tracy Evans. This is the first time I've played with modelling clay and I loved it.  I followed instructions from a Tracy Evans workshop.  Stamping into the clay was inspired. I dried it around a jar to give it that dimension then added dried litchen from the garden. I've also added a dried twig for it to sit on.  I then used Tim Holtz Distress Crayons to gently colour the images on the pot as it was still quite delicate. 

DELIGHTED TO SAY MY LITTLE PETER RABBIT WON FIRST PRIZE

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Let's Craft and Crate - AG 

The Sisterhood of Crafters - In the Garden

Creative Inspirations - AG 

Ellie's Corner - Wednesday AG 

Ellies I Spy - something blooming lovely 

Paper Funday - Critter Crazy 

NBUS - Modelling Clay 

We love to create - Mixed Media 

The Outlawz Challenge - not a card 

THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE #188 - ANIMALS

Our challenge this month at The Male Room is animals.  I've chosen a stag's head from a stamp set by Bipash BK for Aallandcreate called Safari.  I thought the stag's head with the tie was a very male sort of image.  I used my gel press to create the background - adding some extra stamping, and texture paste. The image was stamped and then cut out and edged with Distress Ink with some brown thread behind it. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges

Paper Funday - AG plus critter

Cardz for Guyz

Critter Crazy

INSPIRATION STATION

A lovely beach scene to inspire you this month from Inspiration Station.   It's been a long time since I was last on a beach holiday - way before Covid and to be honest I haven't felt the urge to go on a plane yet to have another one.  We are lucky in our part of Wales to only live 30 minutes away from some of the best beaches anyway - the only thing we can't rely on is the weather - especially this summer! 

My card uses a few stamps sets - an old one from Stampin Up with the lovely deck chair, the sea creatures are from Kaisercraft - the little hat and the flip flops are very old SU wooden stamps and the leaves are from Tracy Evans. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

FabnFunky - seaside 

Try it on Tuesday - Here Comes Summer - I wish no sun here in the UK! 

PLAYING WITH NEW STAMPS

Are you like me when you get new stamps ? - It's like Christmas and birthdays all rolled into one.  I purchased some of Alison Bomber's stamps from her new release from Paper Artsy.  I recently lost one of my cats - Jet was only 12 and two months ago was diagnosed with cancer and he went downhill quite quickly.  He was a rescue 10 years ago and we just didn't have long enough with him.  I saw these stamps from Alison and knew they would be perfect for my journal page for him.   The stamps are EAB41 Pressed Grasses Umbels and I loved the words and that crackle stamp is a must!

I've also had another play and made a tag with these lovely stamps.  I loved these soft colour combinations of Distress Oxide Brushed Corduroy and Versafine Medieval Blue - they have such a vintage feel to them.

I'm adding this into the following:

We love 2 Create - 

We love Stamping - AG plus florals 

Allsorts Challenge - AG 

Creative Fingers - AG 

As You Like It - favourite colours 

Little Red Wagon - layers 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS IC441

After 6 years of being on the Design Team for Hand Stamped Sentiments this will be my final project.  It's been an honour to be part of this great challenge for so long and I wish it continued success.

Over on my Facebook Group the Joy of Sets our swap this month was a snippet with a beach theme and I thought they were perfect for the images we had to work with for this challenge. Mine were inspired by the quote at the bottom which actually came on some tissue paper that was packaging and was just too nice not to re-use.  The background was made with the gel press with Distress Oxide inks.  The stamps are all from a very old set by Kaisercraft.  They are the only beach style stamps I actually own! 

A big thank you to those of you who over the years have commented on my designs for the Challenge Blog and I'm sure I'll continue to see you around blog land.

I'm adding these clusters into the following challenge:

Outlawz - Card free Zone - AG 

Hand Stamped Sentiments #440

Time for another challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments and I hope you enjoy using our sketch.  I wanted to use some lovely new stamps I purchased from Alison Bomber from Paper Artsy.  I love her natural style and as she loves words as well as pictures and William Shakespeare her stamps always have a bit of both.

These images are from a set called Violets Edition. I created my own background papers by using Alisons Stamps.  I used Tim Holtz Watercolour pencils to colour them in - they are my new addiction for water colouring and I find them so lovely to use.  I did a flip fold card with the circle adding the two bits together.   

I'm adding this into the following 

Sunday Stamps - use of colours 

Colour hues challenge - sage and pink

CREATIVE ARTISTE MIXED MEDIA CHALLENGE #105

Creative Artiste

Creative Artiste is a monthly challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations, we'd love to see you enter the challenge.

Its the first Friday of the month and that means a new challenge over at Creative Artiste Mixed Media Creative Artiste Mixed Media where we ask you to include at least 3 different mediums on your project.

I'm sharing another journal page - I just love how this one turned out.  I was even so disciplined that I let the layers dry in between throwing all my mediums at it.  After adding gesso to the page I added some paste with a stencil and then used some inks and lots of water to get that smudged look.  The inks I used were Liquitex Acrylic Muted Grey and Tim Holtz Faded Jeans and Wilted Violet Distress Oxides.  The image of the window top left is a Shawn Petite stencil and the little window and frame is actually from my husbands model railway buildings - one he'd thrown away and I nabbed it.  It's just perfect for this page.

The butterfly die cut is from Tim Holtz and I added a pen nib to the body.  I added some background stamping from Alison Bomber stamps and the seal is of a ship at sea.  She has told us the significance of this stamp to her set in one of her videos.  I used some washi tape with the word Journey underneath the butterfly and the sentiment is from Alison's stamps.  I used an oil pastel crayon around the edges of the paper.

I'm sharing my art journal page with Art Journal JourneyArt Journal Journey - they ask what makes you  happy?  Art journaling makes me happy - I never thought I would be able to be this creative! 

I'm adding this to the following challenges:

 Creative Fingers - AG 

 Creative Inspiration - AG 

This is my May calendar page - I've set us a challenge on my own Facebook craft group The Joy of Sets to create our own calendars for 2025.

THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE #187 - RIBBON OR TWINE

I hope you enjoy our challenge for you this  month at The Male Room.  I love to add twine to my cards so this was right up my street.  I started my card by using a background I had made with the gel press and some Distress Paints.  

I then stamped the image of the phone box in Versafine Pinecone and clear embossed it. The stamp is from a set called Phonebooth Elements by Bipasha BK for Aall and Create.  

The tag is another of the stamps fromt he same set and I added it in front of one of Tim Holtz' paper dolls - he looks just the sort of gentleman who would be trying to use the telephone. 

I'm adding this into the following :

Alphabet Challenge- E is for embossing - the telephone booth has been embossed 

Let's Createnull     AG add ribbon 

Double Troublee Trouble - Masculine 

Krafty Chicks - Stamps 

INSPIRATION STATION

Welcome back to another challenge from Inspiration Station.  How will our image inspire you this month?  June is a very busy birthday month in our household so I could readily relate to this image.  

I chose to use one of Anita Jeram's lovely stamps and just had to include the one with the lovely balloon. I water coloured the image with some Tim Holtz Distress water color pencils and then used a stitched die cut to cut it out.  I layered it onto some old Stampin Up DSP.

Make my Monday - B is for Balloon and B is for bunny 

Outlawz - Happy Birthday 

Addicted to CAS - balloons 

 Crafty Calendar - for a child 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS #439

Such soft pretty colours for our challenge this week at  Hand Stamped Sentiments. I recently received  some new stamps for my birthday and I chose a few sets from Alison Bomber at Paper Artsy.  This set is her Fodder Berry Edition with a gorgeous selection of berries and I thought they would suit our colours. The colours in the card are closer to the colours above - they've just seem to have gone even paler with my phone taking the picture.

The background was created with the gel press and then I stamped the berries stamp on the ink before removing it with the paper - you can just see a very fine white image of the berries behind.  I coloured the berries in and added some extra stamping together with a tag and the sentiment. The extra sentiment is from one of Tracy Evans stamp sets. 

INSPIRED BY......

Joining in with the Inspired By Inspired By challenge today and their image.

I've used an old stamp by Tracy Evans called In the Bucket and used various marker pens to colour it in including some Tim Holtz Distress markers.  I've kept it clean and simple and not thrown a load of my usual mixed media style at it - that was very tricky for me! 

I'm also adding this into the following

 Krafty Chicks - Clean and Simple 

 Craft Rockets - Flowers 

I Spy With My Little Eye - something for boys or men - Guest Designer

I am delighted to be invited by Ellie of Ellies Corner to be a Guest Designer for her challenge  I Spy With My Little Eye this week where the challenge is something for boys or men.  I don't get so daunted at male cards as I used to since becoming a Design Team member for The Male Challenge but I still had to put a bit of a thinking cap on as I really don't have a lot of male type stamps!

I did find this old set from Creative Expressions which I had bought a few years ago as hubby, and my daughter, love to fish and I knew it would come in handy.

I started off by spritzing my watercolour paper with Distress Oxide Spray in Speckled Egg. 

Once that was dry I used a stencil which I think looks like fish scales and spritzed it with Walnut Stain and then turned it over and added it to the paper.  I love how it gave a messed up image of the stencil lol! 

I stamped the stamp which is all one image in Versafine Clair Nocturne and covered it in clear embossing powder.  I re-inked parts of the stamp such as the words and the fish and added them as embellishments.  The male image is one of Tim Holtz paper dolls and I cut him away from his friends he was standing with - after all fishing is a solo sport.  I added some twine at the bottom for his feet to look like fish netting.  This one will be set aside for Hubby's birthday. 

I'm adding this into the following:

Addicted to Stamps and More - Birthdays 

Daisy Chain - Boys/Men

Stencil Fun -  Background stencil 

Dream Valley - Man/Boy

We Love Stamping - Vintage 

Classic Design Challenge - male