A little mixed media, Rudolph, A Butterfly, Snippets and winners

Good morning to you all, it's time for our new challenge at Allsorts and Helene would like to see 'Metal and/or Charms' on our work. Our sponsor this week is Tattered Lace. Apols in advance this is a rather long post...........................you will see why further down.

But before I move on to today's shares I would like to say a huge thank you for yout continued visits and kind words of encouragement. Since I posted here by way of explanation for my lack of blogland visits things have not seen much of an improvement and I will shortly be going back into hospital, hopefully only for a short time. Meantime I do a little crafting to keep up with DT commitments which keeps my mind focused, as with so many of us crafting is a Godsend.

So onto today's shares, I don't enter challenges as a normality but there are three I do try and make an effort to join in with, Snippets Playground, Rudolph Day's and the Butterfly Challenge and I have managed to include all three in this post. Having scheduled this post ready I now have to remember to do the links, won't be the first time I have forgotten to do that.

Starting with the top creation which started life as a chipboard heart which I painted with white gesso and then fixed a Timmy clock and some lace edged burlap followed by acrylic paints which I just added randomly. Next I fixed an assortment of odds and sods, buttons, flowers, a key and butterflies, some of which are metal to fit in with Helen's theme.

Next a stencil and paste to add more interest and then more painting and gilding wax to bring out the various elements and finally a TL sentiment. Such fun to make and messy fingers as well, what more could a girl ask !! As I used odds and ends of card for the sentiment and clock I am popping over to the Playground with this one, not seen Parsnip for ages so looking forward to a catch up with him.

It's does seem like ages since I joined in Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge but this time round I was determined to make the effort and came up with the above to fit the theme of Glossy Accents and/or Slate Blue with your Butterfly. Slate blue seems a hard one to define and looks lighter in my photo than it does in real life. I used a favourite Penny Black stamp called light touch inking the stamp with distress markers and spritzing with water before stamping onto Fabriano watercolour card. I did a bit of specking around the image and added glossy accents to the Butterfly although it's hard to see on the photo but promise they are there.

And today sees a new Rudolph Day's challenge over at Mo's and again I am all ready in advance...........can't see it lasting all year mind you. It's a TL sample using one of the Delicate Detail dies which cut the pattern to stay within the cardstock, after cutting I light penciled the design through the aperture and coloured the backing with Distress Crayons and added a TL sentiment to the front. It did occur to me writing this up that there is no stamping, so if that disqualifies my entry will totally understand Mo and won't be in the least offended.

Now for the winner.............well winners and you will see why in a moment.........from my blog of our Allsorts giveaways last week.

"What do you reckon Holly, are you going in or shall I ?"

I decided to do a 'Random Dog' draw just for fun, we have three, Daisy and Holly the Labs and Poppy the Parsons Jack Russel, when I started the process only the labs were interested.

However, Poppy then decided  to dive in, so quickly that I only got a photo once she had the  piece of paper and set about destroying it.

"Destroy"

Then the Labs went for it after relocating the bowl half way across the room.................

And this is the end result...................

As they all seemed so pleased with themselves giving me something from the bowl of 78 names that I decided there had to be three winners, the first out was Poppy's offering......the tatty eaten piece.......and had Lesley's name on it so she will receive the Distress Crayons. The Labs presented me with Susie and Marianne so I will be sending something to you as well, I'm not sure what yet so it will be a surprise. Please all three mail me with your full names and postal addresses.

Have a lovely weekend and please do find a moment to pop over to the challenge blog for lots of inspiration from my teamies.

Butterflies and a little giveaway

Good morning to you all, it's time for our new challenge at Allsorts and this week Annie is our host and our theme is Anything Goes. Our sponsor is Swedish House Crafts. And as an added bonus this week, some of the DT also have a little giveaway for Peeps that enter the challenge, so do pop round their blogs .......... I am giving away a set of Timmy distress crayons and will pick a winner from the comments on this post from Allsorts entrants and announce in next Saturday's post.

I have used another framed canvas and stamps from this weeks sponsor. My starting point was to cover the frame and canvas with white gesso and work on the frame first painting it with a soft brown acrylic paint, then crackle medium and then a cream acrylic paint. Once dry I inked with DI's and a little gold gilding wax before randomly stamping with Swedish House Crafts Little Daisy and Large Rudbeckia using versamark and embossing with detail copper powder.

Moving on to the canvas I used DI's give some random colour then a Timmy stencil to add sun rays and then stamping Butterflies twice and heat embossing with the same copper powder as on the frame. I stamped some of the Butterflies a second time, heat embossed and decoupaged to give some dimension. Finally I stamped the Happy Birthday and fixed into place.

Please do pop over to the challenge blog and see the inspiration from my teamies and also the fab prize on offer.

It's also mid month inspiration time at Penny Black and More where our theme is 'Use your Favourite Stamp' so of course it's another outing for Dance, Sing, Love, it's a real oldie but remains my go to stamp.

The background is Dylusions, some stenciling using DI's and texture paste, then the sentiment stamped, some Penny Black Butterflies coloured with the same Dylusions and seam binding to finish.

Happy weekend all.

Spring Chocolate Baroque style

Good morning Peeps, popping in with a quick reminder that Lesley from Chocolate Baroque is on Hochanda TV as I type and again at 11am and 3om showcasing some beautiful Spring stamps, I do hope you can tune in or record some of the shows as she us sure to have lots of demons and inspiration.

As Spring is my favoutire time of year it will be no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed creating samples for this show and above and below are a few I made for the show. We also have an inspirational post over at the Chocolate Baroque DT blog today sharing some more quick and easy cards

The star book has ten 'pages' in total, these are just a few of them

May thanks for taking a peek, sorry the post is limited on info but please do mail me if you would like details of any specific stamp sets.

Lot's of grunge

Today sees the start of a new challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenges and this month it's my turn to choose the theme which is 'It's Just a Number', as always there is a generous prize of a $20 shopping voucher from FlonzCraft.

I'm not convinced about this canvas, it all looks rather too busy, but it might grow on me I guess. I covered the canvas with black gesso, then a coat of crackle glaze and an off white acrylic paint. Stamping around the edges with a really old Inkadinkadoo stamp, the clock is from Stamp Addicts which I cut out after stamping. I did some random stenciling with a Timmy number stencil, fixed the clock in place and then arranged lots of odds and ends at the bottom corner and painted with Gilding Polishes and added two Penny Black Butterflies stamped onto an offcut of card coloured with the same gilding polishes.

And I have a second share, I was having an inky play and realised the PB sentiment fitted the theme so well. My starting point was a piece of 600gsm Fabriano, distress inks and some torn printed decoupage tissue. Next some stencilling here and there using an Ivy stencil, the focal Poppies are Penny Black Divine stamped with black archival and coloured in with Brosho's and I used a couple of embossing powder tub lids and DI's to add some circles. Hubby's comment "humm different", which in real terms means I don't really like it, but he's never appreciated my grungy makes. I cut the Penny Black sentiment into two pieces.

Do pop over the the challenge blog and see the inspiration my teamies have to offer.

Hearts and Flowers

Good morning Peeps, it's time for our new challenge at Allsorts and this week I have selected a theme with a romantic element as we are close to Valentines Day, it's 'Hearts and/or Flowers'. Our sponsor this week is Marianne Designs. 

This is another of my Chocolate Baroque samples, my starting place was a nice inky background using Brushos which I added liberally and blotted off as I went to achieve a softer finish. I then used a selection of CB stamps to randomly stamp the background with DI's. The CB hearts are stamped onto another Brusho background, this time leaving the colour to dry naturally for a stronger finish and then cut out with TL dies. 

To assemble my card I used a piece of ripped corrugated, honeycomb die cut piece again ripped to give a uneven edge, some twine and flowers and finally the hearts overlapping.

Have a lovely weekend all and please do pop over to the challenge blog to check out the inspiration from my teamies. 

Inky indulgence

It's time for our new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More where our themes are 'Animal Magic' and 'Use your favourite stamp'. As always there are wonderful prizes to be won at both.

My framed canvas piece at the top was such fun to make and some of you may have already caught sight of it on Hochanda earlier this week as it is one of my samples for the release of the lovely new Kingfisher range of stamps from Chocolate Baroque's featured in the One Day Special. I started with covering the frame with black gesso then working round the frame with paints and gilding polishes applied with a brush, stencils and stamps. The corner arrangement is literally lots of odds and sods stuck into place and then painted with the same polishes.

The focal canvas is inked with DI's, 'mesh' using a TL die, more stamping, some chipboard, two stamped sentiments also from the new releases as is the wonderful Kingfisher which is also painted with the gilding polishes. I am off to the Playground with this one as lots of odds and sods including the sentiment scraps.

To the majority who know me there is no surprise which stamp I was going to use for my Penny Black piece, it is of course 2695J Dance, Sing Love. I used a piece of Fabriano and gave it a wash of blue DI's before stamping the sentiment and then Sunbrusts 40-460, a new release from PB which I inked with Distress Markers and spritzed with water before repeat stamping. Matted and layered onto coordinating cardstock and finito.

Have a lovely Sunday and I do hope you will join our challenges this month.

Art Deco for Allsorts

Good morning to you all, it's time for our new challenge at Allsorts and this week Kath would like to see some Paper Piecing. Our sponsor this week is Digistamp Boutique, plus there is a second prize as well, so double the reason to join in.

This is one of the TL samples I created back in November using the lovely new Art Deco range of dies and I think this lady is all set for a night on the town. I started with creating a sky with a mask and Pan Pastels, then cutting the skyline buildings and backing with yellow to make the windows pop. The lady has been coloured then paper pieced and mounted into the foreground. The sentiment is also TL which I cut twice to offset in contrasting colours.

Happy weekend all.