Life goes on

an enjoyable afternoon

2009-09-06T11:02:00.003+01:00

I spent the afternoon yesterday just tinkering with my craft stuff, didn't really know if I was going to make anything but this card materialised. I started with the crackle background, done with two acrylic paints and PVA, a friend, Carrie, told me about.
The stamps are from Art Journeys, Smile plate.

Two posts in one day, whatever next

2009-09-01T15:27:00.003+01:00

another set of tiles, these ones are for Karin, who's colour scheme was vibrant blues and greens, for some reason my camera didn't want to pick up the green very well but it is there honest.

a couple of things

2009-09-01T06:44:00.003+01:00

I had the urge to make something yesterday so I got stuck in to the next set of tiles for our collaborative project and this time it was Pennys turn, her colour choice was hot colours/orange with blue accents, so I hope she likes these.

The background is acrylic paints and the stamp is from ISC.

After I'd finished Pennys tiles I wanted to make something different so had a look around the challenge blogs. The Challenge on Forever Friends was to use brads or eyelets and I have loads of these that I got way back when I first started card making as I just thought they were the coolest thing ever lol. I ended up using some eyelets that came with my Cropadile though as the others I had just were too small to get the effect I wanted.

Oh my word

2009-08-30T13:15:00.002+01:00

I just logged in and noticed the date of my last post, it has been about six weeks since I posted, the worst thing is the fact that was the last time I sat and did crafting of any kind I think, books music and work all taking over at the moment.

The summer has gone by in a flash, I can't believe it has been six weeks since we went on holiday to Italy, two glorious weeks of sunshine and seeing our lovely daughter Sam, who is living the life out there on Lake Garda. After seeing her lifestyle it makes me wish I was a 21 year old again instead of a Mum with a 21 year old lol, makes me feel old, wouldn't mind so much but I'm not even 40 yet, that is a delight that I have coming up later this year, woopee (can you hear the sarcasm :o) )

I hope you are all enjoying the summer and the delight of knowing your little darling will be heading back off to school very shortly, in the UK anyway, I always loved the summer holidays when my kids were little but now the boys are 17 and 14 they are off doing their own thing with their mates, and fingers crossed we get a few more weeks of summer before Autumn sets in.

Pink and blue and a flower or two

2009-07-15T07:47:00.002+01:00

is this weeks theme over on the Forever Friends blog.

Colourful

2009-07-14T15:25:00.003+01:00

is the theme on Wednesday Stamper this week.

I've used acrylic paints for the background, seeing as they were still on my table from yesterday. The stamps are by ISC, Inka and Crafty Individuals.

Playtime

2009-07-13T15:45:00.005+01:00

The challenge on Mixed Media Monday this week is simply to play, this is what they have to say

This week my challenge to you is to simply “play”! I think we often spend too much time worrying about the end results to sit back and enjoy the process. So this week, take some time to enjoy the process and have some fun!

I do like using acrylic paints and getting some texture into my creations, it can be very messy but also great fun. This is a bit of a wild colour combo, bright pink, turquoise and orange but I really like it.

The stamps I've used are from Non-sequitar, Inka, and ISC

Forever friends

2009-07-11T17:02:00.003+01:00

The theme over on the Forever Friends blog is pink, brown and flowers.

I've never taken part in these challenges before but after having been sent a few FF images I thought I'd have a go.

A few things

2009-07-07T15:43:00.003+01:00

I came across the Mind wide open blog some time back and have loved the images they have put up to be used in their challenges but I have never got around to taking part until now.

The image on this card is also from Mind wide open, I just loved the softness of the colours and the subtle pattern and despite loving the image I ran out of time to make something for the challenge, so I have made a birthday card for a lovely lady I have known since I first ventured into the world of crafting online.

And lastly I was very excited to find out my inchie cube had made it into Craft Stamper this month. It started out as a forum challenge set by Carol but it ended up with Carol writing and sending a piece into the magazine and luckily for us all it was published, so a big thanks Carol.

Here is a sneaky peek at my inchie cube.

The collabrative project continues

2009-06-29T19:49:00.004+01:00

It was my turn to receive lots of gorgeous squares last month, I have them all tucked away safely waiting for inspiration to hit , I do keep getting them out to look at though :o)

This month is Audreys turn, and i must admit that I am very late with these, sorry Auds

All stamps from Crafty Individuals.

Another great giveaway

2009-06-20T17:20:00.002+01:00

Wendy from Stamp Attic is having a giveaway over on her blog. Pop over and to her blog, leave a comment and you could be in with a chance of winning one of two copies of the latest Artful Blogging book from Stampington.

A girly giveaway

2009-06-16T17:06:00.001+01:00

The lovely Galina is running a giveaway on her blog for no other reason than the sun is shining. Pop over and have a look for yourself.

Do you ever get the feeling time is running away on you

2009-06-16T06:40:00.002+01:00

because that is exactly how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm not especially busy, I only work 4hrs a day and yet I have no time for creating, boring things like housework and cooking keep getting in the way of my 'Me' time. The last decent amount of 'Me' time I got was a few weeks back and because the sun was shinning I took myself outside and over the week read the entire Twilight series, very indulgent reading the first book in one day. I know these books are aimed at teenagers but I have to say I loved them!

I'm hoping normal service will resume shortly and I will be able to manage my time more efficiently and actually get and take part in a few of the great challenges that are around at the moment. So if you are one of the lovely people who visit my blog regularly, I apologise, but I will post something a bit more interesting than this waffle asap :o)

Childhood

2009-05-10T12:02:00.003+01:00

is this weeks theme over on TGIF.

I've made my piece on a base of corrugated card that was recycled from some packaging. The use of the corrugated card is inspired by my friend Joanne, who has used it several times and always to great effect.

fairies at the bottom of the garden

2009-05-08T19:33:00.003+01:00

is this weeks theme over on the Tag it on blog, a new challenge blog for me as I on;y heard about it when I was looking at Joannes blog earlier.

My tag is quite big, not sure on the size, but the background is done with chalk inks and a few sprays of Glimmer mists.

The wings are stamped onto acetate and coloured with alcohol inks.

The stamps are by ISC, Inka and Paperartsy. The diamond paper is by Crafty Individuals.

I've posted two pictures as I couldn't pick up all the colour and the glimmer with or without the flash, so one is with the flash the other isn't.

And the winners are............

2009-04-29T14:15:00.003+01:00

the two winners are AMY who was the 14th person to post and JD who was the 8th. Can you both let me have your addresses so I can get your charms off to you.

Thankyou to everyone who took part, I enjoyed it, so may do another giveaway at some point, watch this space.

Another charm giveaway

2009-04-29T14:01:00.001+01:00

I've come across so many great blogs due to Charm Day, and lilbulles blog is no exception, plus there is a great giveaway on there.

My charm giveaway

2009-04-28T14:01:00.002+01:00

In honour of Amber Dawns International Charm Day I thought I make a couple of charms to give away myself. If you would like the chance of receiving one of these two charms leave me a comment and a link on your blog before 2pm GMT tomorrow (Wednesday) and I'll pick the winners by a random number generator.

If you pop over to The charm blog you'll find lots of other people who are doing something special for today.

A charming giveaway

2009-04-28T06:56:00.001+01:00

Anne, whos blog is here is giving away a couple of gorgeous little bottle charms, pop over and take a look.

Lifes a beach

2009-04-27T08:02:00.002+01:00

On the Beach is this weeks theme over on MMM

My piece is 3x3. The collage image is from Lisa Vollrath.
The paper is K&Co. The stamps are from a very old set, can't even remember who they are by.

Butterfly whispers

2009-04-26T10:27:00.003+01:00

This weeks theme on Sunday postcard art is butterflies.

The lady image is from Crafty Individuals, the butterfly is from the internet and the stamps are by ISC and Non-Sequitar.

Mermaids pendant

2009-04-25T09:32:00.003+01:00

I'm in the process of making a few charms for Charm day and this one kind of made itself as all the bits I needed were in one box waiting to be used. I think it's a pendant any mermaid would be happy to wear, and I know it may be stretching the theme a little but I thought I'd put it forward for this weeks MMM where the theme is Mermaids.

The background I've used is something I made a while back and haven't gotten around to using in a project yet, but I thought it was perfect for this photo.

International charm day

2009-04-23T15:02:00.003+01:00

If you like making little pieces of art that you wear or swap then check out this blog.

This is what Amber Dawn, the host, has said

I am hoping to have as many people join us as possible!The more the merrier!And while you are at it, why not make some charms to share with people on April 28 in your part of the world!

Earth day......

2009-04-22T15:00:00.003+01:00

is this weeks theme on Wednesday Stamper, this is what they have to say

Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated in many countries on 22 April. It is a day for awareness and appreciation of the Earth and our environment. Be it recycling, protecting the wilderness, the air we breath or harmony on the planet…….we look forward to seeing what you think of our Mother Earth. Use at least one rubber stamp in your creation and please remember to leave a direct link to your WS: Earth Day post along with your comment.

my 2x2 collage is made on a piece of recycled board. The background is acrylic paints.

The stamps are from Crafty Individuals and Paperartsy.

Hope it was a good one Jo

2009-04-21T21:12:00.005+01:00

It was Jo's birthday yesterday and this is the card I made her.

The stamps are all ISC and thanks to Jo for the photos as I forgot to take any.

She's a vision in her Easter Bonnet

2009-04-13T16:14:00.004+01:00

These are my contributions for the challenges running on MMM and TMTA this week.

This little collage, 2x2, is for MMM where the theme is Easter. When I was little I loved making my Easter bonnet for the school competition, and this little girl in her floppy hat made me think of this, strange what things bring back memories isn't it.

This is my ATC for TMTA, where the theme is EYES. The stamp I have used is from Paperartsy. The surround is done in foil, which is coated in alcohol inks, UTEE and micro beads.

Spring.....

2009-04-12T13:28:00.003+01:00

is the theme on Dans ma maison this week

My piece is layers and layers of paint, embossing powders, rub on creams, Basic Grey rub on and stamped images from ISC.

Togetherness.....

2009-04-07T18:16:00.003+01:00

is the theme over on TMTA this week.

you just know these girls have been friends forever, the first time I saw this pic the song Here come the girls came to my mind, lol.

Eggs.....

2009-04-03T20:45:00.003+01:00

is the theme on MAMOT

The background on my moo card is done with oil pastels.

Thanks for looking.

The secret garden.....

2009-04-03T08:06:00.002+01:00

is this weeks fantastic theme on TGIF .

My long time forum friend Jo is the host this week.

I made a couple of fairy doors some time back, here and here . the second one I sent to Joanne but the first I kept as I always wanted to do more with it and now I have. I removed the leaves and added a stone effect surround and then added something inside. I always felt these doors should lead somewhere a secret garden is the perfect place.

Wednesday Stamper-image transfer

2009-03-26T18:10:00.005Z

I have only ever done a few image transfers, all of them using acrylic paints, so for this canvas I went with what I knew. I love this image of the little girl, she reminds me so much of my daughter when she was little, she would always hold her head in her hands and pout when she couldn't get her own way, lol.

The background is also made with lots of layers of acrylic paints and also the odd spray of Glimmer mists, oh and a bit of oil pastel here and there. I've used several stamps from all different suppliers, but the one that does spring to mind are the sequin waste and the ring which are both from Inka stamps

It's great having a craftspace back, it means I have room to play with all my craft materials and get to take part in WS challenges, as well as all the others out there in blogland.

more little squares

2009-03-26T15:37:00.003Z

Joanne is the second person on the list of our collaborative project .

She chose sepia, creams and a touch of black as her colour theme.

the stamps used are Crafty Individuals and PaperArtsy.

Busy time for Birthdays

2009-03-22T11:29:00.005Z

It is a busy time for Birthdays at the moment, both amongst my lovely forum buddies and my family so here are a few of the cards I've made for birthdays last week and this coming week.

This first on is for my Mum, whos birthday is on Wednesday this week. The papers are a combination of Basic Grey and Papermania. The stamp is a favourite of mine from ISC. The ribbon unties to reveal a hidden birthday message for Mum.

This card was for Paula
The papers are all Papermania, a pad I bought recently for the bargain price of 75p

and finally this card was for Joanne

Another card made with Basic Grey papers.

little squares

2009-03-17T16:25:00.005Z

We have got a collaborative project running on the forum I belong to where we make three little tiles, 2x2 in size, for each of the participants. There are 8 of us taking part and we all choose the colour scheme we want to be used on our tiles. Chris is the first to pick her colours and she chose yellows and oranges, colours I don't often work with, but I'm quite pleased with the results.

One piece, two challenges

2009-03-10T17:07:00.003Z

The challenge over on MMM is 'The written word' and the challenge on Created by Hand is to use blue and green, so here is my piece that fits both challenges.

long time posting

2009-03-03T14:12:00.002Z

Where did February go? The days seem to be going by so fast I can't keep up. I haven't made much since my last post but this week I'm having an annual leave week, hubby and DD are both working and my two DS's are at school and college so that leaves me time to play. I did struggle when I started this morning, I seemed to of forgotten what to do, but after about an hour I got back into the swing of things. I've not made these cards for any particular reason other than to get a bit of a head start on any birthdays I have coming up.

This card is made pearlesent card and the Cuttlebug, very simple but I like the cleanness of it. I've put two pics up as one shows the detail the other shows the sheen of the card.

This little card I haven't decided if I like yet or not, or if it's finished, I keep looking at it thinking something is missing but can't tell what, any pointers would be welcome.

This card is my favourite of the three I've made, I just love it. The papers are K&Co, more of the finds I had just after Christmas when I had a clearout of my stash. The stamp is by Crafty Individuals

Sorry about the state of the photos, it is a very grey day here today so the light is terrible. I can't crop my photos either at the moment as I formatted my laptop at the weekend and I haven't found all the software discs yet, including my photo editing one.

TGIF.......books

2009-01-24T14:52:00.002Z

My friend Joanne is the guest host over on TGIF. She has chosen the theme of books for the challenge this week. Pop over and see what Joanne and everyone else has come up with.

My book is little, only about 5cm x8cm, although it was fiddly to get the pages in I did love making it. The papers are all K&Co.

hearts and flowers

2009-01-19T11:02:00.005Z

Firstly here is a card I made for Penny, who celebrated her birthday just over a week ago.
The paper I've used on this card is all K&Co, and it was another surprise find when I had a clear out over Christmas. The stamp is by ISC.

I have just noticed that this weeks Wednesday Stampers theme is lace, so this is my contribution to the theme, my forst in a very long time.

This is a small hanging I've made for friend. I think the colour scheme I've used on this heart is a first for me, orange and brown isn't a favourite colour combo of mine, it conjures up images of dodgy 70's decor, but I really like how it looks here. I was looking on the Craft Stampers blog earlier today and I noticed they had a Cuttlebug challenge running, now I know I haven't used the technique they suggest but I thought I'd enter this any way.

I've made something

2009-01-14T21:01:00.002Z

well I have actually made three things, but one I can't show yet the other I don't want to show yet, lol. This is a birthday card I made for a lovely lady I know. I have had these papers for must be a couple of years and I only re-found them when i was having a sort out after Christmas. I have never been able to get these K&Co papers to work for me in the past but I was really pleased how this card came out.

roll on the summer when we get some good light to take photos by.

Bad blogger

2008-12-31T17:25:00.003Z

I have been neglecting my blog, and all my crafting materials, for the last few months. Life went very pear shaped a few months ago with my Father in Law being taken into hospital with what was thought to be something quite minor but he was in fact dying from bowel cancer. He fought for 6 weeks but sadly passed away on October 3rd. As a family we were just starting to get over Harrys passing when my Mother in Law was then rushed into Hospital with a very severe blood clot, she sadly passed away on December 2nd. These two losses have left all of the family in a state of shock and my first priority was my Husband and Children, so my crafting has taken a back seat, and to be honest I haven't really been in the mood, it is strange how shock and sadness affect us.

The year is now at an end and I have to say I will be glad to see the back of this one. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has visited my blog and left such lovely comments, my crafting is purely a hobby and a little bit of escapism for me, having people saying positive things does wonders for the old ego, lol.
I'll finish by wishing you all a wonderful, peaceful and happy New Year and may you achieve all that you want in your life in 2009.

Hybrid art

2008-12-04T20:31:00.004Z

It was Karins birthday last week and I was a little stumped as to what to do for her card as the mojo is on holiday so I made another digi piece and then used it as a focal point for an actual real life birthday card. I forgot to take a photo of the finished card, but thought I'd show you the digi element.

There are some great free downloads over on Lisa Vollraths site.
Pop over and take a look.

EDITED to add a pic of the finished card, thanksKarin.

More digi stuff

2008-11-13T20:06:00.002Z

I am really loving working with PS at the moment and this is a little something I made last night. I think the beauty of working digitally is I can work anywhere, all I need is my laptop, a large mug of coffee and off I go, the best bit is there is no mess to clear up at the end, lol.

Credits:- Ronna Penner, whos kit, Express yourself can be downloaded from Shabbyprincess

Tree brushes, downloaded free from Deviantart

Digi art

2008-11-12T06:42:00.002Z

My creativity seems to of gone on holiday and left me feeling a little flat over the last couple of weeks, but after a few forum friends mentioned Photoshop I started thinking about how much I've enjoyed using it in the past so I thought I have a play.

I'm no expert, far from it, and in fact I've had to call on my techie son to put me right but I got the desired effect with this little piece in the end. Shame Halloween has gone as I think this has quite an eerie feel to it.

The Brushes I've used are from MissM, and the photo of the two boys I have no idea where that came from, so if I got it from you or you know where it comes from can you please let me know so I can credit the right person, thanks.

The colours of Autumn

2008-11-03T06:02:00.003Z

I'm really pleased to be the guest host on MMM this week. The colours of Autumn is a favourite colour palette of mine so it seeemed a perfect choice as a theme.

I started with a plain luggage tag and covered it with acrylic paint, PVA glue and some spray mists. The woman stamped onto acetate.

I hope you enjoy my theme choice and enjoy taking part.

Butterflies......

2008-10-19T12:52:00.003+01:00

is the theme this week on Craftaway-a-Sunday

I made this card for a friends birthday, I was late in sending it *tut tut* but I hope she thought it was worth the wait. I'm really finding it hard going to make cards at the moment, I seem to of forgotten how, lol, but this one came together nicely and I was really pleased with the results.

Blue and Purples

2008-10-13T13:22:00.002+01:00

is the theme on MMM this week.

I love using these colours so this ATC was a pleasure to make. All the stamps are from ISCs ABOUT ME sheet.

Autumn

2008-10-13T09:07:00.003+01:00

The theme this week on Craftaway-a-Sunday is Autumn

This piece is just under 2inches square, the background is handpainted tissue that is scrunched onto mount board. The leaf is made from UTEE, with a generous spraying of Glimmer mists over the top.

A couple of challenges

2008-09-25T14:56:00.003+01:00

This piece fits two challenges this week, Created by Hands theme is dragonflies and Craftaway a Sundays theme is water.

again another little piece, 3x3 this time.

things I like to do

2008-09-21T12:51:00.004+01:00

is the theme for this week over on MMM .

this piece is a combination of techniques I like to use, colours and images I love.

I've used acrylic paints, metalic paints, Alcohol inks, foil, UTEE, hand painted tissue paper and paper mache (for the heart)
This piece is about 2 inches square.

Dans Ma Maison

2008-09-20T16:53:00.002+01:00

The theme this week on Dans ma Maison is flowers

The background is a combination of acrylic paint, PVA glue, ink, Glimmer mists and stamping.

All the stamps are from ISC

Stars.....

2008-09-09T16:01:00.006+01:00

is this weeks theme over on MMM.

Joanne, the guest artist this week made a stunning wand and challenged us to have a go, so why not I thought.

All stamps are by ISC

nature

2008-09-02T18:46:00.004+01:00

is the theme this week over on MMM

not a typical nature piece, but I like it, lol.

TGIF... well it's Tuesday really but.......

2008-09-02T15:15:00.002+01:00

the theme this week over on the TGIF blog is Women. I only received this sheet of ISC stamps this morning and couldn't wait to have a play with them.

I ordered this sheet, and a couple of others, from Scrapz, a brilliant UK store, at about 7am yesterday morning and they arrived today, how is that for fantastic service.

forum challenge

2008-08-28T17:25:00.003+01:00

Jo set us a challenge to make a set, that was it, a set of anything we fancied, so this is mine.

I have always loved this stamp and I haven't used it for ages so that was my starting point.

I'm finding time a little short at the moment so I thought if I made a few focal pieces I could put cards together quickly when needed.

Thankyous

2008-08-26T19:35:00.005+01:00

I have been lucky enough to recieve a couple of awards over the last two days, this one from Jo
and the second one from Debby , a big thankyou to you both

The rules are...
This award is for blogs you really like to visit. As most of the awards go, you are to nominate seven blogs with their blog links, email them, post this award on your blog with the link going back to the person who awards you the award, and then they nominate or award seven blogs.
I love all the blogs I have linked but I will play by the rules and name just 7 so here goes

Lana

THE RULES FOR THE JAVABLU AWARD are:1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.2. Link the person you received your award from.3. Nominate at least 5 other blogs.4.Before listing the nominees give a brief reason why you chose them.5. Put links of those blogs on yours.6. Leave a message on the blogs you have nominated.

These blogs I've nominated have all had art on there that has made me go wow at some point or another, in fact these blogs make me go wow pretty much every time I visit them.

Jo
Anne
Caroline
Marilyn
Kathy

Dream

2008-08-19T10:08:00.005+01:00

The challenge this week on Created By Hand is to use the word Dream within your creation.

I made this last week as I enjoyed making the dragonfly stampboard piece so much I wanted to make another. The stampboard is coloured with alcohol ink and then glimmer mists sprayed over the top, while the glimmer mist was still wet I sprinkled in some UTEE and then melted it, it gave a lovely soft watery effect to the UTEE.

This Thursday it's all about wings

2008-08-04T20:19:00.004+01:00

This Thursday is a challenge blog I haven't come across before so when I spoted it on a friends blog I went off to investigate. The theme over there this week is winged things. If you look through my blog you will see I love using two kinds of winged things, dragonflies and butterflies.

This is a two inch piece of stampboard coloured with ink and sprays, and embellished with beads, foil ,UTEE and tiny stars.

The dragonfly stamp is by Paperartsy.

been on my jollies

2008-08-04T18:28:00.003+01:00

Last week we packed our car with our tent and the rest of our camping equipment and headed off to Ilfracombe in Devon, a lovely part of the country with lots of secret coves and rugged cliffs.

The weather started off so wonderful, perfect in fact, but that was short lived and the heavens opened on Tuesday and didn't stop so by Thursday we had all had enough so packed everything up and came home. We didn't get the week that we had planned for but at least the five days away were relaxing.

These photos were taken from our campsite in Watermouth cove and also in Watermouth harbour.

Doesn't this cove look inviting, just what we thought so we headed down the very uneven and steep steps that are cut into the cliff face, not too bad going down but coming up, OMG there should be oxygen bottles placed at intervals on the way back up, lol.

La mer

2008-08-02T17:57:00.003+01:00

is the theme this week over on Dans ma maison

I used a large list of things to make this collage, including mulberry paper, UTEE, water colour pencils, Glimmer mists and stamps.

thanks for stopping by.

2008-07-19T19:58:00.002+01:00

It was a very dear friends birthday this week and this is the little hanging I made for her.

She is a very talented lady who can turn her hand to most crafts, from paper crafts to amazing stitched pieces and in the 5/6 years I've known her, her work has always filled me with wonder, which is kind of where the inspiration for this piece came from. Sadly she doesn't have a blog but she does have an Etsy shop, so you can see some of her wonderful work there

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5970002

2008-07-07T17:13:00.002+01:00

An envelope and tag I made for Lana. It involved lots of layers of paint, ink, sprays, paper, and stamping.

Do you wanna dance?

2008-06-30T06:02:00.003+01:00

The theme this week over on MMM is dance.

I have had the sheet of ballerinas I downloaded from Lisa Vollraths site for ages waiting for the chance to use them, well this weeks challenge over on MMM gave me that chance.

My background is made from a dried up babywipe, sprayed with glimmer mists, sprinkled with embossing powders and UTEE and finished off with a few micro beads and a spot of glitter.

Thanks for looking.

Asia

2008-06-27T17:44:00.002+01:00

is the theme on MaMoT this week.

Altered

2008-06-25T07:29:00.004+01:00

is this weeks theme on the Created by Hand blog.

I have altered a very small wooden domino, it is only about 1.5 inches in length.

I've used UTEE, micro beads, textured paper, rubber stamps, and metalic rub ons.
I haven't decided what I am going to do with it yet, either a keyring or maybe an addition to a handbag charm I have on my current favourite bag.

I enjoyed making the first domino so much I had to make another, lol.

Places.....

2008-06-23T16:45:00.004+01:00

is this weeks theme on MMM.

Now I could of picked anywhere in the world, but seeing a my head is still a little full with memeories from last week in Italy I thought I had better not fight the urge so Italy is my 'place'

The background is an image transfer of a photo I took last week, I played around with the colour and contrast a little before using the picture. This is the original

where's the time gone

2008-06-22T11:32:00.004+01:00

I last posted 10 days ago, and the time has flown by. I have to admit to having escaped off to Lake Garda for 5days visiting my daughter who is working out there for six months this year. What a gorgeous area, the lake and mountains are stunning and all the towns with their castles dotted around the lake just ripe for exploring, stunning.

I have a major fear of heights and so when it was decided that we would take a trip on the cable car up Mount Baldo I was a little terrified, but it was worth the fear as we were rewarded with stunning veiws, when the cloud broke enough for us to see through it.

I did make a card for my friend Lana, whos birthday it was while I was away, hope you had a wonderful day Lana.

and also was my friend Jackies birthday, hope you had a wonderful day too Jackie

Women

2008-06-12T14:44:00.002+01:00

is the theme over on Sunday Postcard art.

By the sea

2008-06-11T17:24:00.002+01:00

is the theme on Mixed Media Monday this week.

My pendant

2008-06-06T19:29:00.004+01:00

I made this pendant for Jackie .

The background is actually a piece of scrap paper I had down on my table to protect it from some inks and paints I was using to make backgrounds, when I was cleaning up I was about to throw the scrap paper in the bin when I noticed there were some pretty amazing effects on the paper so I cut the areas out to use at a later date. The rest of the pendant is made up from Basic Grey rub ons and a butterfly image taken from a crafty individuals image book. The layers were then sealed in with three layers of Glossy Accents.

I set the challenge to the girls on the forum to make pendants, the results were stunning so if you want to see some of the others check out the Chrysalis girls links in my side bar.

Make a Moo Friday

2008-06-06T15:32:00.001+01:00

the theme this week on MaMot is CATS.

Printables

2008-06-05T13:40:00.002+01:00

Lisa Vollrath has a gift on her site

As a gift to those who have supported my mixed-media web sites, LisaVollrath.com, Ten Two Studios and Go Make Something, I've created a countdown to Father's Day that reveals a new printable image sheet each day. Each day from June 5th through Father's Day, June 15th, one letter will be replaced with a link to that day's surprise for my fellow altered art, collage, paper crafting and scrapbooking enthusiasts.

another fairy door

2008-06-04T16:31:00.003+01:00

Well thats it, I'm addicted, these little doors are just so much fun to make, Iwant to make more.

Fairy doors..........Have I lost the plot?

2008-06-04T06:31:00.005+01:00

I very well may have, lol, when my friend Joanne mentioned fairy doors it got my mind racing, I had all these ideas bouncing around so I had to make one. I hadn't heard of them before so did a bit of research ( don't you just love the Internet lol) and found out what I could. They range from about 6 to 10 inches in height, just big enough for a fairy to get through, and you pop them in your home to allow the fairies in, isn't that just the sweetest idea :o)

I loved making this, so watch out I think I may be making a few more.

Summertime

2008-06-02T15:12:00.003+01:00

There is a new challenge blog out there in blogland, this one is run by the talented Mandy and Donna and this is what they have to say about their challenges

Every sunday we will challenge you to produce a 6 inch x 4 inch piece of artwork, using any mediums or techniques you fancy. All are welcome to join in the fun!

Whether you like using fabric, paper, paint, ink, collage, stamping we want to see your postcard creations.

Mandy and Donna

This is my offering for this weeks challenge.

little houses

2008-05-31T12:34:00.003+01:00

Another week and another challenge on Dans ma Maison. The challenge this week is to use metal on your piece. I have used metal foil to create the texture down the side and the leaf is cut from some copper sheet.

The light is really terrible here today and so I am struggling to get a good shot to show up the shimmer on this piece, so I've posted two of the best, one indoors and one out.

Holiday Romance

2008-05-28T15:36:00.004+01:00

The challenge this week on Tag your it is 'Our House'

I love making these little house shaped pieces so I had to have a go this week.

Dans ma maison il y a ..........

2008-05-27T17:30:00.004+01:00

the colour green .

I don't use green very often, I don't know why as I do like the colour.

Pins....

2008-05-20T19:22:00.002+01:00

is this weeks theme on the Created by Hand challenge blog.

My pin is made from a piece of mount board, layers of paint, rub ons, UTEE and clear embossing powder. The butterfly is taken from a Crafty Individuals image book.

A little something for me

2008-05-17T17:06:00.002+01:00

I haven't made anything 'just for me' in ages, and I didn't start out to do so today. I was playing around with my acrylic paints, tin foil and some old mulberry paper that I bought back when I first started to make greeting cards about 6 years ago. I am going to mount this 5x5 onto some mount board and then find somewhere in my home to hang it.

Butterfly........

2008-05-17T13:35:00.005+01:00

is the theme on Dans ma maison challenge blog.

I've used lots of paints, inks, sprays, stamps and paper to make the background for this piece.

please click the pictures for a closer view.

thanks for looking.

moos

2008-05-17T13:30:00.003+01:00

The theme on MAMOT this week is the beach and sea.

I have had these lovely oriental ladies in their bathing cossis from INKA for some time so thought this was as good a time as any to use them.

Mixed Media Monday

2008-05-13T07:30:00.002+01:00

The challenge on Mixed Media Monday this week is set by Femmy, this is what she has to say:-

This week we are lucky to have the fabulous Femmy as our guest host. Femmy has chosen “transparency” as her theme, and created the gorgeous card above. So the challenge is a straight forward one, but lots of fun. Simply use a transparency, acetate, vellum or similar somewhere on your creation. This should be a fun one - thanks so much, Femmy!

first ever layout

2008-05-09T18:47:00.003+01:00

I have never made a scrap layout before so when we were challenged on our forum to make a LO in our own style, I did think 'arghhhhhhhhh', but I started out with an 8x8 background that I made a couple of weeks ago as I was really happy with how it came out and I knew I wanted to use this photo of my daughter, so once those bits were sorted it all came together. I added some gold embossing to the background as it was looking a little flat.

I do like all the scrapbook embellishments that are on the market but I wanted a totally co-ordinated look so I made my own using the same stamp as I'd used on the background. I stamped the flower in different colours of acrylic paint, cut them out, curled the edges and layered them up. The small lettering is handwritten and large is cut out from a second piece of BG paper I made in the same tones (I used it as one of the layers behind the photo along with a hand stamped piece of acetate) but I painted a layer of gold acrylic over the top to give the letters a touch of shimmer.

As the challenge this week on Arty Girlz is 3D I thought I put this forward as my contribution to the theme.

Mixed media Monday

2008-05-05T14:21:00.002+01:00

the challenge this week is PAINT . I don't get around to doing this challenge due to lack of time, but as I have all day to myself I thought I'd give it a go. I love using paint for backgrounds and that is exactly what I've done on this 7x5 canvas, along with glimmer mists, paper, stamping ink and a sprinkling of UTEE.

The lady image is from HERE.

The stamps are from INKA

whats black and white and gold all over.......

2008-05-05T10:51:00.003+01:00

the challenges on this weeks TMTA and MAMOT

Black and white is a favourite of mine but I feel it can bit a bit harsh at times so I wanted to see if I could make a soft piece using the colours. I think I've managed to with this ATC, although the sprinkling of embossing powder shows up a bit more in the photo than it does in real life, so I'm not 100% happy with it.

I love working with touches of gold, but wanted to use it as the main colour for this moo card given that gold is the theme this week. I wanted to moo to have a meaning behind it, rather than just make a random gold piece, so I went with passing time and the golden years of life.

Inchies

2008-05-01T13:51:00.002+01:00

My lovely friend Joanne has been running a monthly inchie swap for quite a few months now and I was very happy when she asked me if I would like to be this months guest artist. I had a couple of ideas for a theme but I decided to go with 'Romantic Liaisons' I do hope you like the theme and want to join in. The details for this swap can be found here.

I believe in Fairies

2008-04-30T16:37:00.005+01:00

There is an open theme over on Arty Girlz challenge blog this week.

I received the new Dovecraft Fantasy 6x6 papers in the post yesterday, they are not what I would usually buy but I thought they were lovely.

As the papers were a different choice for me I thought I'd make something different with them. Both these cards were made from one sheet of 6x6 paper

This card is quite small, about 2.5'x5'.

This card has an acetate front. The gold background has been stamped and embossed to give some texture.

New music

2008-04-29T17:12:00.004+01:00

My daughter loves this new local band 'The Heathers' so much so she even appears in their music video, lol, but I have to say after she showed me the dvd of the video I couldn't get the song out of my head, it is one of those songs that you just can't shake. I think this must be a first, me and Sam liking the same stuff, OMG what is the world coming to?????

Girls....

2008-04-28T08:23:00.002+01:00

is the theme on this weeks Make a Moo or Two challenge site.

so here are my girls acetate Moos.

thanks for stopping by.

Arty girls challenge

2008-04-25T15:14:00.005+01:00

The challenge on the Arty girls blog this week is handmade backgrounds. I do love making my own backgrounds and this card was no exception. I made this for a forum challenge a month or so ago but never got around to posting it on my blog.

The piece behind the photo was done with chalk ink pads and a piece of clingfilm, I scrunched up the clingfilm, dabbed all over it with the ink then carefully unscrewed it and lay it down on the piece of card and patted it to transfer the ink, I do like the random effect I achieved in doing this. The main background was done by sponging and stamping in the same tonal chalk inks.

acrylic image transfer

2008-04-21T15:21:00.003+01:00

It was Jo's birthday yesterday and this is the card I made her.

This was my first attempt at an image transfer, and after seeing image transfers done using acrylic paint I decided that that was the way to go for me. I took a piece of patterned paper from one of Crafty Individuals paper pads and painted a good layer of a pale yellow acrylic paint over it and then laid my chosen image onto the paint and then waited, with baited breath. Now patience isn't a strong point of mine and I think I tried rubbing the paper away a little too soon in places, but then I do like the soft distressed look it gives the image. I finished the image off with gold oil pastel and a sprinkling of gold UTEE.

created by hand challenge......

2008-04-15T15:24:00.003+01:00

this week is quotes-

Create art using quotes! Use quote stamps, preprinted quotes, hand written quotes, quote stickers, etc. in your creation this week!

the quote I've used reads-

What the Caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.

I've used alcohol inks to give a subtle colour to the acetate.

Birthday card

2008-04-14T06:32:00.003+01:00

it was a friends birthday last week, hope you had a good day Emma.

This is the card I made for her, alcohol ink background with lots of overstamping.

Thanks Kaz

2008-04-13T18:48:00.003+01:00

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her/him the award itself.
4. The Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte Y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. To show these conditions.
http://arteypico.blogspot.com/

Kaz gave me this award last week and I've been busy trying to come up with 5 blogs to pass it on to, some of these people may already of recieved this award but here goes

Gillian

Nellie

Donna

Kathy

Carol

a couple of challenges

2008-04-13T12:45:00.004+01:00

the theme on this weeks Make a Moo or Two is women

This weeks theme on 4x4 Friday is Family. I've used a photo of my Maternal Grandparents and 5 of their 8 children, my Mum is the younger of the two girls.

The background is a piece of this one

8x8 background

2008-04-10T14:41:00.004+01:00

I was meant to come home from work and do some housework today but I decided that was boring so I've had another play with backgrounds.

This is done with acrylics again, a couple of different reds and a touch of black, a few sprays of glimmer mists, and some oil pastel highlights. The flowers, a very old foam stamp I'd forgotten I even had, are stamped in a very loose acrylic water paint mix and the swirls are hand painted.

I think this piece will remain as an 8x8 sheet as I have plans for it.

backgrounds

2008-04-09T16:14:00.003+01:00

A friend posted this link on our forum and then challenged us to come up with our own backgrounds

This is what I came up with, done with lots of layers of acrylics in greens and blues, a very thin watery wash of white over the top, a bit of white stamping, splattered acrylics and glimmer mist spray. The flourish was stamped in green acrylic

Inchies are sooooooo small.......

2008-03-29T16:42:00.003Z

I still struggle with the size of inchies, they never look right to me as the are so small, but Joanne runs a monthly swap and I keep saying I'll have a go, so this month I have.

Jo is the guest artist on the inchie swap this month and she set the theme of children.

Text......

2008-03-29T16:39:00.002Z

is the theme for this weeks challenge on Make a moo or Two this week.

stamps and ribbons

2008-03-26T07:20:00.004Z

I came across this challenge site from a link on Joannes blog. Their challeng this week is to use at least one stamp and ribbon on a piece of work. I made this card for a sketch challenge on a forum I'm a member of. It all started off with a moo card I had made and evolved into something quite a bit larger.

All stamps are from Crafty Individuals apart from the quote, which I'm not sure where i got that from.