To see the word in a grain of sand

Good morning Peeps, I hope your weekend is going well.

I've been keeping a secret for a week or two but now I can share and tell you I have been invited to become one of the teamies at Fashionable Stamping Challenges. When Shirley first asked me common sense said no, when I mentioned it to hubby he said why, so of course all reason went out of the window and I said yes !

And here I am with my first DT piece following this months theme of Blue, Yellow and White, how good is that as it's one of my favourite colour combos...........I know I have lots of favs, but this is one near the top of my list. Blue is a colour I rarely gravitate towards as a solo colour, but I do love it combined with either yellow or brown. There is a generous prize of a $20 shopping voucher from our good friend Leo over at FlonzCraft.

My starting place was a square of Fabriano 600gsm card, liberally spritzed with water and Ost Blue and Yellow Brushos sprinkled on and with a bit of tilting side to side allowed the Brushos to run with the water. The Poppy image is from the Autumn Poppy set by Chocolate Baroque and the sentiment Clarity. I heat embossed the floral image with detail clear powder to give a raised border so that I could bleach out the flowers and butterflies which I then coloured in with the same Brusho's and when dry added a coat of Glossy Accents.

I mounted the piece onto some corrugated card and some ribbon to make it into a wall hanging, however I have since changed my mind and it's now mounted onto a card as I have a recipient in mind with a Birthday next month and she loves anything blue.

Have a good Sunday and I do hope you will pop over to the challenge blog and join us this month.

Springtime

We have a new challenge starting over at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges, this month I have chosen the theme which is not surprising to those who know me, it's 'All things Spring'. As always there is a very generous $20 voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

I have also been busy preparing more Tattered Lace samples, these are for the One Day Wonder starting at 8am on Thursday 7th April on Create and Craft TV.

I have made a set of cards using a selection of Flonz images and all are matted and layered onto bases made from the Tattered Lace hexagon die set. The centre and right hand cards have both been coloured in with Spectrum pencils and the backgrounds on all have been done with Pan Pastels. I added ribbons and flowers to all three to carry the Spring time feel.

Using TL new Blossom embossing folder, scalloped and plain essential circles, Floral Layers Daisies (this one also makes a great Sunflower), Ivy, Pearl Dot rectangles and sentiment strip dies.

There are both new embossing folders and dies and some sentiment dies with the most beautiful script fonts and most of my samples have followed a Springtime theme.

For this one I embossed both the yellow DP and vellum and then cut into the vellum to create an overlay. The With All Our Love sentiment is a continuous strip will go the width of a C5 card, but I have cut into it to fit my tag.

I embossed a piece of TL Shades cardstock and sanded it for the background, overlaid a green strip and ribbons and Roses from the same Floral Layers set as the Daisies above. I used Glossy Accents to add some dew drops onto the Rose petals and cut the new Blessed sentient from the same green Shades cardstock. The Shades 250gsm card has been specially developed for use with dies and not only does it sand down well as it has a white core it cuts even the most intricate dies with ease.

The Hope sentiment is another new one in that lovely font which I placed over a heart cut from TL Essential Hearts and Pearl Border Hearts, I embossed the background and used both the positive and offcut from a Pearl Dot border either side of the panel. To finish some little punched flowers, pearls and organza bow.

Many thanks for your visit today.

A Spring Day

We have a new challenge starting today over at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges, this month our theme is 'Lots of Layers'. As always there is a very generous $20 voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

It's another Brusho playtime from me, first I used masking fluid to mask the bottom of the skyline and sun, then when dry which only takes a few moments I used Brushos Ost Blue and Lemon with liberal sprays of water and let the colours drain down the page. Next I rubbed away the masking fluid and stamped Flonz 50's Fashion Girl onto the card base and again onto a scrap of paper, beached away the colour from her face arms and legs, coloured with pencils then paper pieced her dress. The sentiment is also from Flonz and finally I added a few grasses and leaves around the edges.

Hope you all have a good week.

A rainbow of colour

We have a new challenge starting today over at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges, this month our theme is 'Splatters and Drips'. As always there is a very generous $20 voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

Brushos came immediately to mind for this theme so I started with using Crimson and Lime Green and lots of water to create a background, I still find it such fun how many other colours creep out the more water you add. I let the wet colours drain down the card as I held it an an angle and quite like the softer hues that I ended up with.

Next I stamped Flonz Blossom across the top and heat embossed with detail cloear powder, bleached out the colour and then painted with the same Brusho's, then stamped and embossed Flonz Grasses along the bottom. Then I stamped the Flonz Butterflies onto he offcuts of card and painted, again with the same two Brusho's and loved the extra colours that came through without even trying.

The sentiment and raindrops are Inkylicious, I also beached out the latter before highlighting with a white pen .

I would also like to enter this into the current Butterfly Challenge (and the Playground if I'm allowed -see below) which is 'U' for undulating along with the butterflie's, now I will confess I checked this out in the thesaurus to see if  my interpretation of the word correlated and this is what it told me 'move with a smooth wave like motion'. Well I figure that sums up Butterflies quite well, so hopefully this will fit the theme.

Just amending my post and adding this as I totally forgot when posting earlier. But I just can't miss popping over the the Snippets Playground today because when I was lurking about behind the bike shed earlier............as you do.......... I heard a rumor that there is going to be plenty of hooch to be had up in the tree house after dark and no way am I missing out on that one, so see the rest of you obstreperous gang there.

The wall hanging is another of my Tattered Lace creations, I picked up the chipboard heart and base at the NEC last November and decided to have a play with the pretty bits and pieces of paper which came from a 12x12 pad ages ago. No idea of the make as what you see what literally all that was left but just proves never throw them away as they come is useful at some point.

I painted the chipboard with gesso and then stuck down the paper and lightly inked the edges. The flowers are cut and embossed with one of the Trio sets and along with the butterfly are made from the offcuts. Leaves are also Trios, cut from oddments of coredinations and sanded down.

I just had another thought.......two in one afternoon is a bit scary, but it just occurred to me that the butterflies on the card at the top were made from offcuts of the lightweight Fabriano, at the cost of it I never throw a bit away.  So assuming I am allowed two entries entering this one as well.

Happy Monday all and hope you have a good week.

New stash at FlonzCraft and some CHA shares

We have a new challenge starting today over at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges, this month our theme is New Stash. As always there is a very generous $20 voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.And please remember that although our title has Vintage in it, your entries do not have to be vintage, everything is welcome providing there is hand stamping focally on your work.

Believe it or not it's always a theme I struggle with as the family gave up giving me crafting goodies for Christmas years ago, taking the view..................probably quite correctly.............that I already have far too much. So the best I can offer in the way of new stash is the DP's on this card which I bought a few weeks ago.

I stamped the pretty little girl appropriately called Girl under umbrella with versafine back and embossed her with detail clear powder, coloured her with spectrum pencils and paper pieced her dress. The lattice to the left is Tattered Lace and the papers Trimcraft Mulberry Kisses, a gorgeous collection on lovely plus, greens and pale purples. I used some ready made flowers and curled some offcuts of papers to tuck between them.

And here are a few Tattered Lace shares covering a range of new dies and products coming up this week both here and across the pond and as some are special CHA launches there is quite an American influence going on. I have to confess that it's been so full on the last couple of weeks with sample making that I have got to the point where I am not totally sure what are for which show, so this is a very mixed bunch of the American style samples from the sixty plus I created for the shows.

By the time this post goes live I will be on my way across the pond (not any more thanks to this dodgy body of mine, looks like today will see a day or two in hospital whilst they sort me out again) so this is scheduled and there are a couple more posts scheduled during the next week with more of my offerings for the shows.

I hope you all have a good week.

Winter Trees

We have a new challenge starting today over at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges, the them this month is Winter Trees. As always there is a very generous $20 voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

This started out as a bit of an experiment and I wasn't sure at first but I think it's actually grown on me. I was playing around with Brushos.......as you do.......using up bits of card to try different effects and had a new set of TL diamond dies sitting on my desk so decided to make a sort of mosaic pattern as the base of my card. I also added some circles using embossing powder and paint lids tapped into inkpads.

From there on it was simply a matter of stamping FlonzCraft Birch Tree in Winter in black archival ink and cut with an TL oval die which followed the shape of the stamp quite well. Then a scallop layer from a piece of silver linen mirri........it's got a hole in the middle so another snippet leftover from an earlier card.........this frugal style of mine is becoming quite a worry. I carried the silver to the trees and coloured the trunks with a fineline silver leaf pen and some colour to the scene using a small circle mask and Pan Pastels and the burlap strip is one of several in a pack I picked up in one of those £1 stores.

I so want to join in the Christmas party at the Playground this week so am going to link up there in a moment........somebody said to bring mince pies but I was thinking something more like mulled wine (or stronger as need to keep the cold out of these creaky bones) if that's OK with Mistress Di and 'that other one' who always encourages me to do naughty things ?

Traditional Christmas

An update: For those that saw my earlier post regarding issues with Blogger and loads of silly questions including photo verification ones, it seems that unlike the previous robotic question which you could bypass that won't work with what is happening now. It means I just can't comment on my desktop as it takes forever to get past all the verification questions on each blog I visit, so until I can find an answer I am reliant on my tablet, but that's not user friendly to less than nimble fingers, so please bear with me until I can get sorted.

We have a new challenge starting today over at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges, this month I selected theme of Traditional Christmas Colours. As always there is a very generous $20 voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

I stamped FlonzCraft Baroque Corners with detail gold embossing powder around a sheet of cream cardstock and matted on to red. Next I cut out Tattered Lace Diamond Trellis Frame, stamped FlonzCraft Christmas Greetings centrally again in gold and matted onto a red oval.

The Poinsettia spray is from the TL Charisma range and to finish I added an organza bow and sparkly ribbon slide.

20's Fashion Girl and sneak peeks

We have a new challenge starting today over at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges, the them is Dies and Punches along with your stamping. As always there is a very generous $20 voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

Further down you will also find some cards featuring some of the new Tattered Lace dies coming up in tomorrows Pick of the Day on Ideal World and Create and Craft TV. Several people have asked me about the TL bog as it has not been updated in a couple of weeks, so just to let you know it's presently being re-vamped and will be up an running again very shortly.

For my FlonzCraft creation I took the opportunity to use one some of the new Lattice and Lace collection dies from Tattered Lace, the Essential Lattice which is a huge A4 die along with the Essential Diamonds which all fit together allowing you to create all manner of styles.

I cut the lattice from ivory linen cardstock and laid it over brown card and stamped FlonzCraft 20's Fashion Girl 1 onto a diamond of the same card and fixed centrally, adding a seam binding bow and feathers to the top. The sentiment is also from FlonzCraft and to finish I added some twine and an cameo.

And here are some sneak peeks.....................

Angel of Harmony, Ava Flower, Christmas Rose Trio and Holly embossing folder

Angel of Peace, Ava Panel and Double Side Stepper card

Angel of Harmony again, Snow Globe, Christmas Rose and Christmas Leaves Trio's

I used snippets of glitter card to make the flowers and leaves......I never can bear to throw away those little bits of sparkly, so would like to enter it into this weeks Snippets Playground.

Have a good Monday all.

From grunge to new Tattered Lace

We have a new challenge starting over at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges, the them is Tic Tac Toe and I will admit I had to check what exactly that was, seems it's just another name for bingo, so I went with the Blue/Brown, Cord and Flowers line. As always there is a very generous $20 voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

My starting pint was to spray Dylusions and pearl Glimmer Mist onto the reverse of a piece of Centura Pearl and then add some diamonds with a mask and DI. Next I used several Flonz stamps around the top and at the bottom Flonz Thistles which I coloured in with the same Dyslusions. I added some Frantage around the edges, tied some cord, added a blue and cream rose and mounted onto a piece of corrugated card from my ever growing stash of it.

Using Moonlight Dance and  Dance like Nobody is Watching  

As I indicated the other day, there is a new Tattered Lace Pick of the Day starting at 9pm tonight on Ideal World TV and Create and Craft tomorrow. These new dies were waiting for me when we arrived home from holiday so I was thrust straight back into creativity.

Using Horse and Rider - one of the granddaughters loves this one so think it will get well used

Using over the edge Treeline and Houses

Many thanks for popping in today and hope you all have a good week.

Travel, discover, dream and some new Tattered Lace releases

Morning Peeps, time for our May challenge at  FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges  and this month our theme is 'Holidays and Travel'. As always there if a fabulous $20 on line store voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

Today also sees the launch of a four day deal on Crate and Craft TV so I can share some of my makes for the programmes, so it's a bit of a photo heavy post.

I had to think long and hard about my Flonz card then the idea clicked into place when I saw an old vintage map on the internet and printing that off was my starting point. It wasn't a very clear map but the colour was right and I only wanted the map to be vague in the background. I added some bronze dimensional past through a mask and whilst that was drying stamped and paper pieced the 50's Flonz image. I added some calico which had been dye in tea, some sea shells and a piece of the map rolled up to look like an old map scroll. The sentiment is computer generated.

Using the new extra large essential hearts coming up in today's shows

Using the new Polar Bear and Santa sentiment which is so pretty and delicate yet cut's like a dream, here I have used 350gsm glitter card and it cut with just one run through the machine

Using another of the new sentiments and again cut with ease on heavy glitter card

Using the new heart swing dies also new in today's shows, along with the new Rudolph

(photo's a bit wonky, not the easiest shape to photograph)

The Polar Bear again, he has to be my favourite from today's releases and you get the cut out snowflakes to use on their own as I have done here

Have a lovely week one and all.

Hot Sunny Colours

Morning Peeps, time for our June  challenge at  FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges  and this month our theme has been chosen by yours truly and it's 'Hot Sunny Colours'. 

Please don't be put of joining in by the word 'Vintage' as your entry need not be vintage, the most important part is that there is stamping. As always there if a fabulous $20 on line store voucher to be won from FlonzCraft so I really hope you will join in this month.

My DT piece started by spraying red, orange and yellow Dylusions which always say hot and sunny to me, the usual spritz of pearl mica spray to blend the colours and add some sheen and then I used a mask to add the sunrays with pearl dimensional paste.

The 50's lady has been paper pieced and some blossoms stamped at the top, punched flowers sprayed with the same Dylusions, a sentiment cut down into three and a Flonz butterfly.

Thanks for taking a peek and hope you all have a good week.

Shabby Chic at FlonzCraft plus some overdue Tattered Lace

Morning Peeps, time for our May challenge at  FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges  and this month our theme is 'Shabby Chic'. As always there if a fabulous $20 on line store voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

I decided to make another pocket fold card, the same as the tutorial here. I love this gorgeous Docrafts DP, it's not a brand I buy very often but I actually bought two of this one so I didn't run out. After distressing the edges I inked with DI Tea Dye and layered up adding a pink tatty rose, some lace and seam binding.

The image istamped onto the tag is Art Nouveau Girl with Dog which I inked with versafine and embossed with a WOW powder, cut out and place over the background which has been stenciled with Sheena's Parisian stencil. I hope you will join in this month with a chance of winning the great shopping voucher.

Using the new Bunny border die which matches the large Bunny released a few weeks ago

And a bit overdue, here are some of my makes for the current Tattered Lace Pick of the Week on Create and Craft TV along with one from Wednesday's Pick on the Day which is also featured on the TL blog today. I will be back into the craft room today working on the next TL releases for next week, so lots more goodies to look forward to.

Using the new Ditsy Clematis and frame from the POTW Get Started set

This is one of my makes from the Pick of the Day Wednesday using the new 3Diemensions handbag die along with some other TL dies

Using the Duck, Monkey, Lion and Elephant border dies, Happy Birthday and letters from the Shutter Card set

All the elements on this one are from the Get Started set except the handmade flower and leaves

Hope you all have a good Bank Holiday Monday.

April blossoms

Morning Peeps, I am running well late with this one, truth is I am still knee deep in Tattered Lace samples still and apart from Easter dinner with the family which daughter cooked, I've not lifted my head from my desk, let alone venture into blogland so huuuuuge apologies for the no show visiting.

Our April challenge theme at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges this month is 'Handmade Flowers' and as always there if a fabulous $20 on line store voucher to be won from FlonzCraft.

I was going to make roses as I always enjoy making them but when I thought about it April is all about blossoms and as I have a Flonz Blossom stamp in my stash decided to go down that route. I stamped the Vintage Fashion Girl in the foreground and the blossoms across the top and then used Pan Pastels to create the background along with some sponges sun rays and a few flowers along the bottom corner. The lady has been coloured with Chameleon pens and the little blossoms made using a small punch, distress inks and little pearl stamens in the centers.

Thanks for taking a peek and I promise as soon as I get this batch of samples out of the door I will be round to visit................mind you by then the next batch of products will hitting the door mat, but it is such fun so not complaining.