Vintage at Allsorts

Good morning to you all, it's time for our new challenge at Allsorts where this week Mervi is our host with the theme of 'Vintage'. Our sponsor is Marianne Designs.

It's a bit of a lengthy post because I also have some rather overdue Chocolate Baroque and Tattered Lace shares, the CB was one for the 15 minute card posts over on the DT blog yesterday and the TL ones a selection of the many made for Create and Craft TV shows over the last couple of weeks.

Back to my Allsorts card at the top, the image is Indigo Blue which I stamped in sepia archival ink and added a little colour to the Poppies with spectrum pencils and then inked and distressed the edges. The DP's are from stash and I have no idea of the make. Again I distressed the edges and did some machine stitching around the pink piece, matter them up at an angle and placed a piece of net fabric behind the focal image although it doesn't really show up very well on my photo. Some lace, pearls twin and flowers to embellish. 

I do hope you will pop over to the challenge blog and see what my teamies have made this week and of course join in with the theme.

I used CB Song Thrush which I randomly stamped using just sections of the image...........when I do this I don't mount the stamp onto a block, I hold it so I can bend the stamp to concentrate on specific areas of the card.............then heat embossed with detail clear powder, added distress inks, a CB sentiment and a few sequins. 

The cards above and below use the new Pin Bot Butterflies from TL, they are beautifully details stamps and for both cards I kept the design simple. The one above is similar to one I blogged a while back, the background was created with Brusho's Orange and Lemon.............sounds like a nursery rhyme coming on here.........sprinkling the dry powder onto Fabriano cardstock, spritzing with water and then tilting the card to disperse the colours. The Butterflies are cut from card coloured with the same Brusho colours. A TL sentiment and some sequins.

Again I kept the design simple, some stenciling on the background, ribbons and a Visible Image sentiment and Butterflies cut from glitter card..................despite the intricate design they popped out of the die with one run through the e.bosser.

This is one of a number of cards I made using the TL Spring into Summer papercraft and stamp set, they are such pretty colours and I really enjoyed making the cards for this show.

The above card used the Ship die from the Men's Collection, these samples were not actually for TV but for promotional purposes but I think I will find these dies very useful for masculine cards. It's a pretty simple card with a big masked sun and sea done with Pan Pastels and the ship decoupaged. I also added a stamped sentiment and birds.

And finally one of my makes for this weekends shows, I confess I struggled with balls of wool and needlecraft dies but have a feeling with those crafts being so popular there are those that will love working with them.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, not sure what the weather has in store for us but a repeat of last weeks sunshine would be most welcome.

November themes

The first Sunday of the month again and time for new challenges at Craft a Scene with the theme 'Troubled Skies', at Penny Black and More it's all about dies 'Any Die Will Do' and  in case you haven't heard the news that change is afoot, we have a relaunched challenge called Stamping Sensations, same DT, same great themes and some fabulous new sponsors and this month the theme is 'Traditonal Christmas'.

It's a bit of a photo heavy post so I will try and keep the blurb to a minimum. The card above is the first of two DT pieces for Penny Black and More using Penny Black 4035K Letters and Flowers which I inked with distress markers and spritzed with water before stamping on to an oval cut from a new Marianne die which I inked whilst it was still in the die. Bo Bunny DP's, some lace and pearls to finish.

Initially I was a little bit uncertain about the troubled skies theme at Craft a Scene challenge but I knew I wanted to see some lightning, so I started by stamping some Stampscape images then added colour with Pan Pastels and drew in the lightning with a white marker pen.

My second Penny Black and More piece uses FlonzCraft Umbrella Girl which I paper pieced with Penny Black Madison DP's which are also used behind the Marianne dies. The sentiment is also Penny Black. 

Note added: I'll forget my own head one of these days, I need to tell you that both Flonz Craft and Indigo Blue are offering discounts to those who enter Penny Black and More and Stamping Sensations, full details on the respective challenge blogs.

My next piece is using a stamp from one of our new Stamping Sensations sponsors Indigo Blue called Lollipop Three. I heat embossed the image with detailed gold, then created a background using Pan Pastels and added a mixture of frantage colours to the bottom. I know this one is not particularly traditional Christmas, but I base my idea on a visit close to Christmas to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, when at dusk everything looked purple, so you couldn't get much closer to the true meaning of Christmas I figure.

My final piece use a mixture of dies including the new Marianne holly one which I just 'had to have'. Sentiment is another from Penny Black.

I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and that you will join in with our challenges this month.