Less is More - Square

This weeks Less is More challenge is to place your image in a square.  Your square can be in any of the four corners or the middle.  Now I don't know if this card will count, as in the SP it says it has to be a single layer card and I've matted and layered the middle piece after using my new WOW powders to heat emboss the image and mount it onto a piece of white.  It also says don't do anything else and leave the rest of your card white!!  Well I've used a black card!!!

So, I did another one.  This must be the easiest card I've ever made!!!!

Yours Sincerely Show - Lincoln

Well, isn't it always the case.  When your a bit strapped for cash you see everything that you NEED.  As you can see, I was really good and restricted myself to just the above, but I could of quite happily spent five times as much!!!

I did need the red liner tape though, I go through it like there's no tomorrow and I finally managed to get my hands on some WOW embossing powders.

****edited **** the coloured sticks on the right are coloured glue stick for the glue gun.

Simon Says Wendy Vecchi (ish)

Simon Says Stamp this week is asking for a Wendy Vecchi style and luckily you don't have to use any of her stuff, as I haven't got any.  So I've incorporated some TH, Paperartsy and Inkadinkadoo into mine!!!!  Background is water splattered distress inks.  I cut the flower parts from grunge paper and coloured them with distress stains.  The butterfly is grungeboard from the elements set.  I outlined everything with a black sharpie and added the dots as this seemed to be a trend in her style.  I stamped the words and the paperartsy flourishes, added the prestuds and that's it, finished!!!!

JFF - Week 17 - Tea Cards

Well another challenge from Neet over on JFF.  This week she is asking for 'tea cards'.  Again, another new one on me, so had to go investigating.  Well apparently they have to have a white border all the way around.  The size is very small, 36mm x 68mm.  I used part of a CI stamp, inked them up with various colours of adirondack ink, spritzed them with water and stamped them.  Once dry I shaded the background with distress inks.

Grungy Monday #8

Over on Grungy Monday for week 8, we are using a t!m technique to create watercolour images using Adirondack dye inks.  I needed a thank you card and used the off cut to create a scrapling.

As my one and only butterfly stamp went down so well on my previous clean and simple card where I used distress inks in the same way, I decided to use it again.

Freestyle Tri-Colour Competition

The Craft Room are sponsors of UKStampers and are running a little competition.  You have to use three colours, two shades of green and a blue.  For the above set I used alcohol inks, sail boat blue, citrus and lettuce, although the middle one looks more yellow, I used the same piece of felt for all the backgrounds. 

For the tag I used distress stains, forest moss, peeled paint and faded jeans for the background.  Images stamped in stazon, hydrangea blue and olive green.

And lastly I used acrylic dabbers again in sail boat blue, lettuce and citrus.  I stamped the image in olive and used the hydrangea around the edges.  I used peeled paint stickles for the blobs on the crown.

So now I just have to decide which piece to enter!!!!

Birthday Cards

A challenge that I've never entered before is 'less is more'.  I needed a simple birthday card and this week they are asking for butterflies.  This wasn't difficult as I only have one butterfly stamp!!!  So I used distress inks to stamp the images and spritzed the butterfly with water before stamping to blend the colours together.  Due to the spritzing I managed to get some ink on my fingers and proceeded to transfer it onto the white space on the card, hence the need to attach my shrink plastic dragonfly. 

I couldn't remember if embellishments were allowed, so I made another one just in case, whilst I had everything out.  At least now I have a spare birthday card!!



Stampman - Bingo Recipe

The Stamp Man have a recipe with a difference challenge this week. You have to select three items that complete a row.  It can be up, down or diagonally.

       Blue                 Embossing powder          Stitches (real or faux)

       Torn/ripped       Ribbon                          Red

       Die cut             Homemade background   Sparkle and bling

                                      (no patterned paper) 

I chose the diagonal, bottom left to top right.  Die cut, ribbon and real stitches.

I rigidly stuck to three colours as I wanted to enter this piece into the craft rooms freestyle tri-colour challenge competition, but little did I realise, the three colours are set and they are not the ones I used!!!!!  Teach me to read the FULL post in future!!!!

Grungy Monday #7

Over on Grungy Monday this week we are revisiting t!ms Distress Ink Colour Blocking Technique.  I decided to make a time tag!!!  I liked the idea of using bright colours against the black.

Write it - Post It - TIO

This weeks Dragons Dream - Tag It On theme has been chosen by Zoe.  I white embossed the main image and it came out really white and bright.  Normally I don't have that much success, so when I wanted it to look shabby, it's turned out near perfect.  I coloured the tag with various distress stains.  Stamped a set of pen nibs and postage marks.  Added some tape and a postage stamp.  Edged with black soot and added some fibres.

JFF - Week 16 - Postcards

This week over on JFF, Neet is asking for a postcard. I've done mine 6" x 4" as size matters!! I created the background with various colours of distress stains.  I then ran it through the bigshot using the cuttlebug clockworks embossing folder and inked over the raised areas with walnut stain distress ink.  I used a paper distresser around the edges and again used the walnut stain.  I stamped the images in stazon, cut them out and stuck them on.  I added various metal pieces and a row of ribbon with beads along the bottom.  I mounted it on to a piece of corrugated the same size to give more depth.

Simon Says Anything Goes

I used the brick texture fade for the background and swiped it with various colours of distress stain and went in with the distress ink to blend.  Once all covered I took the black soot distress ink pad and swiped it over the top to enhance the embossing.  I stamped the image from 'the boys' plate in walnut stain ink and coloured it with wild honey.  Die cut the row of houses in text paper and used a spellbinders label die to cut the little quote which is from t!m's mini set exclusive to QVC earlier this year.

Simon Says Stamp are asking for 'anything' this week, so this is my anything!!!

Tag It On - Texture It

This weeks Tag it on challenge has been set by Wanda.  She has chosen the theme of 'texture'.  I used corrugated as the base of the tag.  I used faded jean crackle paint bottom right and pewter top left.  I let the blue dry but heated the pewter to make it bubble.  Once they were dry I rubbed black acrylic paint over both areas.  The core’dinations graphic 45 timeless collection card is embossed and sanded back to reveal the diamonds.  The cog has been embossed and stained with broken china.  The quote was stamped and cut with a spellbinders labels die and coloured with weathered wood stain.

Grungy Monday #6

This weeks grungy monday technique is a t!m one from a 2007 christmas tag.  Follow this link to find out more.

Get Well Card

This weeks Tanda Teaser set by Sue has a theme of 'get well soon'.  I made the above card as you never know when you might need one!!!  The main image and the frame are dusty concord distress stain.  The words are stamped with damson plum ink from the Nick Bantock range, three gems were added.

FP Glass Pendant

I made this pendant by wrapping a large glass losenger and a piece of wire in a piece of foil coated friendly plastic.  I continued to decorate with the FP and added some beads and a chain.

Inspired by Linda Peterson - FPTV

JFF - Week 15 - Scraplings

Over on JFF this week Neet has introduced us to 'scraplings'.  I have to admit I had no idea what they were, not being a huge card maker and all that.  But it makes sense doesn't it and they make quite good little cards in their own right.  I attacked mine with my distress stains.  I used a dark and a light to compliment each other and stuck a piece of ribbon over the join.  Both the main images on the outside cards are stamped in black stazon and the middle one is stamped in the walnut stain distress stain. 

FP Pellets Pendants

These pendants were made using the photo transfer technique as demonstrated by Linda Peterson of FPTV.  They are both covered in glossy accents.

The bezels and bails are also a Linda Peterson design.

Simon Says Stamp and Show a Hand

Simon Says Stamp challenge is asking for a hand this week.  I decided to make an atc using the hand stamp from the Spirit plate by Creative Expressions.  I used distress inks crushed olive, tea dye and old paper to colour the background.  I stamped the image in black soot and then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I created a mask and stamped the text from the same plate using rusty hinge over the top.  I mixed some copper perfect pearls with water and painted it over the hand to give it a sheen.  Not sure if you can see from the photo.  I distressed the edges with a paper distresser and inked with walnut stain.

Black & White Twinchies

By popular demand, I've been asked to run another twinchie swap over on UKStampers.  I chose the theme of black and white for this month.

Dragons Dream Colour Challenge

The theme chosen by Helen on the Dragons Dream TIO DT this week is 'purple and an accent colour', I chose black for mine.  I covered the tag with dusty concord distress stain.  Stamped a few flourishes in the background using colorbox chalk inks.  The images are stamped in damson plum from the Nick Bantock range.  Added a few gems and a piece of ribbon.  Added a bit of black stamping and edged in black.  Finished off with black fibres.  Used glossy accents on the word and the number.

Glue Gun

I had a play with my glue gun and made a random pattern with the hot glue.  Once cooled I coloured with jade rub n buff (left) and pewter, gold, jade and copper (right).  I was testing the colours out on these pieces.

I made a frame from a pipe cleaner for this piece and wrapped wool around it.  Glued it at the corner then again just drizzled with the gun and made a random pattern making sure that I went over the edges of the frame so it stuck.  Once cooled I coloured with the pewter rub n buff.

FP Brooch

You might recognise this outside of this brooch from a previous post.  That's because I decided to change the inside to make it less chunky.

FP Pendant

I melted a handful of pellets and coloured them with clover AI.  I shaped into a sort of oval and stamped into the FP.  The top piece was coloured with stream AI and the letters l.o.v.e were stamped into it.  Once they were both cooled I rubbed on bronze eco friendly acrylic paint, allowed to dry slightly and wiped the excess off with damp kitchen roll.  I used copper wire to attach the pieces together. 

Inspiration from Linda Peterson - FPTV.

FP Bead

I watched a recording of a Liz Welch C&C tv programme recently (there was nothing on tv!!) and she made one of these beads.

It's made by turning the FP on a kebab stick.  I added beads caps to each end and attached the chain.

Gift from Liz Welch

Liz has been playing with her ribbon mesh using the oozing technique and has sent the samples out as a thank you for supporting her latest C&C show.  Funny how I got a green one - lol

Thanks Liz

JFF - Week 14 - Inchies

Over on JFF this week it's Neet's turn to decide on the monthly theme, she has chosen 'size matters'.  The first week, it's inchies.  No, you aren't mistaken, this is not an inchie (1x1), it's a fat page (4x4).   I created the background using the new TH distress stains, wild honey and forest moss.  I stamped the images with walnut stain distress ink.  I used the spellbinders labels 2 dies to mount the main image.

I then cut the fat page into 16 1 inch squares.  I mounted them in a wooden frame I'd covered in gesso and went around the edges with walnut stain distress stain.

Vintage Atcs

I am hosting an atc swap over on UKStampers with a vintage theme.  This is my set.