SPRING

We've been having some gorgeous Spring weather this week here in Wales - and doesn't the sun make a big difference.  It's been so long since we've seen it!  I've been busy digging my veg patch ready for planting my seedlings later and just generally having a tidy up of the garden.  I've still been doing a bit of crafting though and am loving these new stamps by Alison Bomber for Paper Artsy.  The one I have is called Apple Blossom and I also have one of her new stencils - Twiggy! 

And just to show that the stamps can also be used for non Springlike images - I've teamed it up here with a stamp by Lavinia to create a moody scene. 

I'm adding these into the following challenges:

DD Triple B - Bids, Blooms 

Let's Craft and Create - AG 

Stencil Fun - plus splatter 

The Paper Players - Spring flowers 

Dragonfly Dreams - Gardening 

Stamping Sensations - hello spring 

We love stamping - Spring 

THE MALE ROOM #196 - MIXED MEDIA

It's time for another challenge at The Male Room and we want to see your Mixed Media cards this month.  This challenge is just perfect for me as I do love a bit of mixed media and regulars to my blog will know this is one of my favourite ways of playing with our hobby.

I started off by using a gel press to create my background and some Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Salvaged Patina and Victorian Velvet.  Once it was dry I white embossed one of Alison Bomber's stamp sets EAB30 for Paper Artsy Stamps and the William Shakespeare words from that set.  Why Shakespeare?  Well that will become clear when I tell you about the sentiment!

I also added some extra texture with some texture paste through a small leaf stencil by Creative Expressions.

The leaves are Tim Holtz Thinlets called Leaf Fragments. They were in my stash as the result of another play with the gel press and some Pixie Powder from Cosmic Shimmer.  

I stamped a tree from Lavinia Stamps on the far left and attached the leaves. The sentiment is a quote from Shakespeare - it comes from a little pack of cards I found recently which I had bought about 20 years ago for hubby as he loves Shakespeare.  Each card has a quote and information on where that quote was used.  I think this one really suited the leaves falling off the trees. It is taken from Shakespeare's King Lear.

I'm adding this into the following

Unicorn Challenge Blog - Male Cards 

Simply Ellibelle - AG 

Paper Funday - AG - twist of weather - wind 

Simply Ellibelle - I Spy - no DP

Simon Says Stamp - favourite technique - mixed media especially using texture paste 

LOVE TO CRAFT - #85 MEET MABEL

It's time for another challenge at Love to Craft. Our theme is always Anything Goes and we look forward to seeing what you show us.  Our Challenges start on the 1st of every alternate month at 9 a.m. UK time and end at 12 noon on the 15th of the following month.

I have chosen to do a tag for this challenge. Most of the products used on here are Tim Holtz using some of his collage papers in the background as well as stamping and some extra pieces of Ideaology, including a paper doll and I'm calling her Mabel.   She was coloured in with some of Tim Holtz Distress Crayons to add a bit of colour to her outfit.

I would really love to add some stitching to my tags but I don't have a sewing machine and wouldn't really know what to do with one if I did - so I did it the long way round and poked some holes in the side of the tag and added some twine through them.  

INSPIRATION STATION #71

It's time for another challenge for Inspiration Station this month featuring these cute bunnies and I look forward to seeing how they inspire your creativity this month. 

I used a couple of products from Tracy Evans Boutique Designs and some of Tracy's older stamps for my card.  I first stamped the gorgeous snowdrop in Versafine Verdant and Shady lane - adding both colours to the stamp to get a variation of colour.  The background stamping are also Tracy's stamps.  

I then used one of Tracy's new stencils the hare SS2 to create my hares using Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink and Tim Holtz Crackle Paste.  I cut them out and added them to some burlap ribbon on the bottom.

PEARLY SPARKLES - ANYTHING BUT A CARD

Welcome back to another challenge at Pearly Sparkles.  This month we want to see Anything But a Card.

On my own FB craft group we run a few swaps and our swap this month was ATC's with the theme of spring flowers.  These were mine using some old stamps and new stamps by Tracy Evans. 

The backgrounds were all made with spritzing some Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks on to the mat and picking up the colour.  I kept the colours soft as I wanted the flowers to shine rather than the backgrounds.  I adore Lily of the Valley and even had it in my bouquet 40 years ago!  I have some growing in pots in my garden so hopefully they will spring forth soon when the weather gets warmer. 

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE - #507 CHRISTMAS

Welcome back to another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More Christmas challenge.  I was lucky enough to win a Polkadoodles challenge a few weeks ago and won a voucher.  I spotted this gorgeous stamp and just had to have it!  One of our favourite Christmas songs is Fairytale in New York and this just brought that song to mind. The stamp is called Tails of New York and is by Polkadoodles.

I started off my card by using a stencil from Sizzix called Cosmopolitan The View #2.  It was just perfect for the little dogs.  I stamped the dog stamp and used Tim Holtz Watercolour Pencils to colour them all in. I'm not a great one for batch making as I get bored easily but I could see me doing this next year more than once. 

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Rudolph Days Challenge - AG Christmas 

Shopping our Stash - 1 layer card

The Holly & The Ivy - AG 

Stencil Fun - AG

Dragonfly Dreams - CAS 

We Love Stamping - CAS 

Addicted to CAS - Pet 

Creative Moments - Cute 

TRYING TO KEEP IT SIMPLE

Challenge blogs are supposed to do just that - challenge us and I found the challenge at My Time to Craft really made me think outside the box.  When I spotted their challenge this week of a 1, 2, 3 recipe I really fancied having a go - after all I love mixed media and throwing everything but the kitchen sink at my cards.  I went with 3 inks - Distress Oxides in Peacock Feathers, Cracked Pistachio and Dusty Concord.  These are not my usual colours so that was also a challenge for me to see if they went together. 

I started the card by smooshing Cracked Pistachio and Dusty Concord - drying in between each colour until I was happy with what I got.  I used the stamp/stencil set by Tim Holtz called Botanic Collage.  It comes with a rose stamp and a butterfly stamp. They were my 2 things - I used the rose stamp once completely then stamped off the word part of it as background stamping.  I stamped the butterfly in Cracked Pistachio and cut it out.   I edged the butterfly in Peacock Feathers and added some extra around the outside of the card.  

The word sentiment is also Tim Holtz - another small stamp set with a stencil called Phrases and Sayings and I thought it went well with what I was trying to do.  That was my no 1.

I found this a very hard challenge.

I am adding this into the following:

My time to craft - 1, 2, 3 recipe 

We Love Stamping AG 

Polkadoodle - AG 

Alphabet Challenge - W is for Wings 

Craftycatz - AG 

Creative Fingers  AG 

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE - #486 - MAKE YOUR MARK

I've had this little bunny stamp for quite some time and not used him much.  He's an old one from Aallandcreate by Bipash BK. I thought it was time he got an inking for the Addicted to Stamps and More challenge of Make your Mark this week. 

I used Tim Holtz Distress Markers in the following colours - Pumice Stone and Antique linen for the bunny.  Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn for the leaves.  Spun Sugar and Picked raspberry for the flowers and Mermaid Lagoon for the bow. The Spring sentiment is from an old Tracy Evans set.

CREATIVE ARTISTE MIXED MEDIA #112

We are back at Creative Artiste Challenge Blog after our Christmas break and hope you are all ready to join in with us again for another year of fun Mixed Media. I fancied having a go at a mini book.  It actually ran away with me and I made more pages than I had originally anticipated - it became quite addictive. It's quite a small little book - 4" x 5" and I simply folded sheets of paper and then did a seam binding with some Tim Holtz tape.  

All stamps used are Alison Bomber stamps from Paper Artsy.  I also used Tim Holtz collage paper Photographic.  I added some stickers from Tim Holtz Idealogy and tried to match appropriate sentiments to the images. 

I had great fun making this little book and would encourage anyone to have a go and just play. 

I'm adding this into the following:

The Outlawz Challenge - not a card 

Let's Craft and Create - AG 

Creative Fingers - AG 

CRAFT - AG 

Creative Inspiration - AG 

FAbnFunky - include stamped image 

Ellibelle Wednesday - AG 

We love2Create  - AG 

Allsorts -- AG 

Daisy Chain challenges - layer it up 

THE MALE ROOM - MONOCHROME

Our challenge for you this month at The Male Room is monochrome.  To me this means shades of one colour or black and white so I went for black and white. 

I created the background by adding Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Oxide ink to my paper then I used a Tim Holtz stencil to remove some of the ink.  The stamps are all from Tim Holtz The Professor CMS373 and the sentiment is from one of his Ideaology books. 

INSPIRATION STATION - #70

Welcome back to Inspiration Station...a Challenge Blog for all types of Mediums. We hope to bring you lots of inspiration to get those Creative Juices flowing. Here's our image for you this month - we hope it inspires you.

I used my gel press and some Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks to create my background. I added some of Tim's collage papers to the top left and bottom right.  The stamped images are from Creative Expressions designed by Sam Poole called Butterfly Walk.  I cut out the butterfly and added it on top for extra interest.  I also added a Tim Holtz flower die behind the butterfly.  The sentiment added to the bit of lace is from Tim Holtz Idealogy. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations AG

We love 2 create - AG 

Allsorts - AG 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - AG 

Moving along with the times - things with wings 

ZURI THE UNICORN

My little granddaughter who is 5 is slowly moving her attention away from dinosaurs and to Unicorns!  I had to buy this one from Lavinia Stamps over Christmas and haven't had a play yet so today was the day - inspired by a few challenge blogs.

I used all Lavinia stamps to create the little scene and the words come from a word stamp called Sacred Spells. I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks and Versafine clair ink.

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Critter Crazy - AG with an animal 

Creative Fingers - AG 

As You See It - challenge - this year I will use the stamps I have bought and make sure they get inked!

FAbnFunky - include a stamped image 

Crafty Animals AG 

Creative Crafters - AG 

Unicorn Challenge - Stripes of the unicorns mane and the hanging flowers 

PEARLY SPARKLES - LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Our challenge this month at Pearly Sparkles is Love is in the Air.  I'm sharing my card which will be for hubby - celebrating 44 years of Valentines this year and our 40th Wedding Anniversary later in the year.  Where did those years go?  He's still my one and only!

I used an old embossing folder from Stampin Up for my background.  I think it's called brush stroke and I added some Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink direct to the embossing folder in Frayed Burlap and Victorian Velvet.  It then adds that gentle touch of colour when you run it through the machine.  The little love sentiment and the die cut word are from my stash - things I'd forgotten I had.  The little key was also in my stash and can you see? .... I've used a brad lol!  

The sentiment is from Tim Holtz Ideaology and I've added it to a piece of adhesive burlap paper - which is a great find from a local craft shop.

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Crafty Calendar - Hearts 

Allsorts - Romance 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - AG 

CRAFT challenge - AG - Love