DARING CARDMAKERS - GUEST DESIGNER

I'm delighted to be a Guest Designer over at Daring Cardmakers.  The brief for this challenge is Butterflies and Bees.  I've had loads of bees in my garden this year thanks to all the herbs I grow but I have seen few butterflies - probably because it's been such a wet summer here in Wales.  

I wanted a nice summery feel to my card so chose a yellow background I had made with the gel press.  I stencilled over it with Tim Holtz Distress Iced Spruce.  The butterfly stamp is by Sam Poole for  Creative Expressions.  I added an extra butterfly on the top and cut it out.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Markers to colour in the butterflies and added Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen over the top. 

 

I'm adding this into the following challenge:

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - summer 

The Outlawz Challenge - Butterflies 

Krafty chicks - AG 

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE - STENCILS/DIE CUTS #475

Welcome back to another challenge for Addicted to stamps and More.  I've used one of the new stencils by Tracy Evans Boutique Designs for my card which is one of her bauble stencils.  You also get the cut outs with her stencils and this is what I've used here.  Taping it down with a little bit of tape to stop it moving while I created the background.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink in Bundled Sage.  

I then added an old stamp of Tracys to create the idea of the tree using Iced Spruce for the branches.  I stamped the robin stamp inside the bauble and added a lot of Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to make it shine. A splatter of white Posca pen and some inking on the bird finished it off. 

THE MALE ROOM - #189 - MIXED MEDIA CHALLENGE

My favourite style of Mixed Media is our challenge for you this month at The Male Room.   I started my card with a variety of Tim Holtz Distress Oxides layered onto my card base. I added stamping and some stencilling with paste through a Tim Holtz stencil.

The old typewriter isn't a Tim Holtz one - it's one I found in my stash which I've had for years and it has the image of the typewriter, the little paper clip and the lettering I've used in the background.  I added a piece of paper to the typewriter which was stamped and embossed and stamped the word Hello on it.  Among my Ideaology pieces I found this old image of a typewriter and added it along with some old wording regarding letters.  I embossed the paper clip stamp and then cut it out and threaded the handmade sentiment through it. 

I'm also adding this into the following:

Little Red Wagon - make it masculine 

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE #474- ANY OCCASION

Another challenge for Addicted to Stamps and More is any occasion.  It's been a while since I've played with my Lavinia stamps.  I don't have a lot of them but the ones I do have still can create some little scenes.  This fairy is called Seren which means Star in Welsh and I'm in Wales so I just had to have her.  

I started by creating the yellow light orb in the middle with some Distress Oxide Ink in Wild Honey.  I then stamped the fairy and the remainder of the stamps to create the little scene.  The sky was inked with Chipped Sapphire and Unchartered Mariner blended together and some stars added with Spectrum Noir Sparkle. 

I'm adding this into the following:

We Love stamping 

Creative Fingers - AG 

INSPIRATION STATION - #64

A great mood board for you to work off this month from Inspiration Station and I look forward to seeing how you are inspired by all that lovely fruit. Searching through my stuff I found I really only had one fruit image I wanted to use and it's this great wonky pear by Tracy Evans.

I created a very delicate background with some distress inks in Twisted Citron with a touch of Dried Marigold.  I added the pear stamp and coloured it in using the same colours.  I added a bit of extra background stamping. The words are from the same set and they were popped up on dimensionals to give a bit of extra dimension.  I added the bird from one of Tracy's other sets and popped him on the leaf.

I do have a pear tree that we planted in our garden two years ago but so far no fruit - although the apple trees I planted at the same time are bearing fruit this year for the first time.  Fingers crossed for the pear tree for next year. 

CREATIVE ARTISTE MIXED MEDIA

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.

Welcome back to our challenge for August at Creative Artiste Mixed Media.  As always it is an Anything Goes challenge but as we are Mixed Media we do ask that you bear in mind our rules as above - and please use at least three different mediums on your project. 

I'm sharing another canvas I've created recently.  I do love making these and have quite a collection now - just now sure what to do with them all!  

My background was created with some touches of distress ink on top of dried gesso and then I added some texture paste through a stencil in white paste.  Once that was dry I stamped an image from Creative Expressions in Versafine Pinecone.  I also added some old book papers.  Some of the background flowers are from Taperlogy and are rub ons - some were put straight on and others were rubbed on to some calico.  

I then stamped a variety of images from Tracy Evans such as the vases, pots, flowers and bird and fussy cut them out.  The larger butterfly is also from Tracy Evans and has some twine behind it.  I've added some clock faces, buttons and the sentiments from Tim Holtz Ideaology to remind myself to Live In The Moment. I even found a little bee embellishment in my stash and included it.  

I'm adding this into the following:

We Love 2 Create - AG Mixed Media 

Triple B 

Creative Inspiration 

PEARLY SPARKLES CHALLENGE

I'm delighted to be on the Design Team for the Pearly Sparkles Challenge and my first challenge for them is their theme of Florals. 

I don't often do double length cards as I don't have envelopes to fit but I wanted to give this one a go with the layering of these lovely flowers and it needed that extra length.  I started my card by stamping one of the flowers from Tracy Evans Boutique Designs called New Beginnings.  I then masked it off and stamped the other flowers letting them overlap slightly.  I used Tim Holtz Salvaged Patina in Distress Oxide ink for the background carefully painting around the flowers.  I added some stamping in the same colour.  I added some washi tape to the left hand side and doodled a border around the edge.  The sentiments are from an older Tracy Evans set.  

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