'What you do speaks so loudly, I can't hear what you say.'
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday 31 July 2010

Last week, I won some Blog Candy from Minxy – woohoo!  I very rarely win anything, so I was thrilled and even more thrilled when it arrived.

This is Minxy’s gorgeous tag.

tag from minxy

This is how the Blog Candy looked when it came out of the envelope…

blog candy minxy

and here it is in all its glory.  Lots of fabby things to inspire… LOVE those flutterbies and can you see all those tickets and trimmings???!

blog candy minxy 2

Thank you VERY much, Minxy!!

I’ve been a BAD Blogger the last week or so but my son’s in hospital, so life’s a little chaotic, not to mention emotional.  Thanks for all your lovely comments – I really appreciate them.

Friday 30 July 2010

I love the Splash of Colour challenges on Playdate Café, so I had to try this one.  Never done black and white with green, so this is a first.

pdcc40

pdcc40b 

The images are Tim Holtz (Flourish), Raindrops on Roses (words) and Art Journey (woman and butterfly).  The green is Adirondack Clover ink, watercoloured.

Thursday 29 July 2010

Ever have one of those days where no matter what happens, you know you just HAVE to stamp or you’ll crack up?  Today was one of those.  Since I’d already started this, I just finished it off with a bit more stamping, a little more ink and a couple of embellishments.  Don’t you just love that pen nib?  I do, anyway, lol – I’ve had them for ages and this is the first time I’ve used one – they’re a great copper colour but the hand is just so cool.  It was the ideal thing to highlight the a in the alphabet!  Hard to believe you can actually use it as a nib but you can and apparently, they’re great for copperplate.
a4x4
It’s glossy card and I’ve used Stormy Sky, Tumbled Glass and Pine Needles Distress inks for the background.  It doesn’t show very clearly because the ink was so light, but there’s an alphabet stamped behind the main image, stamped after masking the little boy.  Might have to recolour that bandana and his clothing and shoes – I used distress inks but they seem to have faded into the background with it being glossy card…  I’ve now added some Copic colour and white highlights, so I think it looks better.  May try to get a photo tomorrow to compare.

Wednesday 28 July 2010

Where’s this week gone to?  It’s absolutely flown by but then again, a lot has been happening here.
It’s Wednesday, so it must be WOYWW!
I cheated a little here and took the photos on Tuesday cos I knew I wouldn’t be using my desk for a little while – sorry.  Not so much happening on my desk, I’m afraid – so there aren’t many changes here from last week, except that you will notice – ta da!!!

woyww easel
…my wonderful, fabby, dabby sparkling NEW WOYWW easel, courtesy of the wonderful Julia – and (I presume) Mr Dunnit, bless their little cotton socks :D  Thank you VERY MUCH, Julia.  It arrived Tuesday morning and made my day!!!
Stepping back, this is the view of the desk.  I did manage a little bit of stamping and inkiness yesterday morning, so you’ll see some of the results (and the aftermath, lol) there.
my desk 2 28 july
These are the shelves over the desk.
shelves over desk 
This is what’s behind me, as I work.
behind me 1
You can see my trusty Tonic Trimmer (12x12) here – wouldn’t be without it and have 2 smaller ones in different sizes – love em.
behind me
There are more shelves above this worktop and on the opposite side of the room, to the right of the desk is this.
shelves
It may not LOOK super organised but it is, in fact, organised chaos and I know where most things are, until I tidy up – then it drives me dotty, lol!
I have family in hospital at the moment, so all my time is taken up on visiting and it’s unlikely that I’ll find the time to visit all the desks this week, as I did last week, so please forgive me.   Life has a habit of getting in the way at times, doesn’t it?
If you’d like to spy on other people’s workdesks, pop on over to Julia’s Blog and check out the links.  It’s fascinating to see how differently people work!  Have a great week ;)

Saturday 24 July 2010

Well, I finally made a decision – with a little help – so the winner of the blog candy is…..

SARAH A

Please contact me, Sarah, with your address details and I’ll get the stash out to you early next week.

I also decided to send out a couple of Consolation prizes.  I already know the addresses of two of the people I’ll be sending one to but 
ZOE (Chaos)
can you please contact me with yours? 
Nothing to get TOO excited about – just a little something to say Thank you.

Thanks again to all who left a comment and to those of you who comment regularly on here.  I really appreciate the friends I’ve made through blogging and am often overawed by some of your wonderful comments.  Thank you.  I love to read every single one.

Friday 23 July 2010

Spent this afternoon making some Fairy ATCs for a KCUK swap, so here they are.

1
1c
Have to say I didn’t really enjoy making these and wish I’d used one of my favourite winged girl stamps instead but they’re done now and it’s a change for me. 
 
The backgrounds were made with Distress inks - Stormy Sky, Tumbled Glass and Chipped Sapphire (one has some Spun Sugar and Bundled Sage on it, too cos I decided to make some 4x4 backgrounds for the KCUK alphabet swap while there).  I added castles, water, clouds and grass to the first two and used a meadow stamp on the others (Pine Needles and Tombow pens) then stamped and embossed the fairies.  I stamped and embossed them again on vellum, using ultra fine silver ep, coloured them with Copics, then cut out the wings, glued them to the original stamped images and glitter glazed them.  The words were stamped on vellum, then cut out roughly and I drew around them with a black pen. I added white highlights on the castles, too.  I don’t remember using Stormy Sky before, even though I’ve had it since Port Sunny in May, but I’ve definitely fallen in love with it ;)  I love blue.
 
This afternoon, we actually had some sunshine for the first time in a few weeks (apart from the odd little peep from behind the clouds) so I photographed these in the garden.  As soon as I arrived, my favourite little robin baby (we have four or five visiting regularly at the moment) popped up to say hello, so I got some food to feed him/her with and took a couple of photos while I had the camera with me. 
 
This one’s really bold and flies over, really close as soon as he/she sees me, then comes to feed at my feet.  The others are a lot more timid.
robin 2
cheeky robin
Isn’t he/she gorgeous?
 
Wonder how much longer we’ll get to enjoy them before their Dad sends them packing?  Male robins are so territorial and quite nasty, even to their own offspring.
 
Thank you VERY MUCH to all those of you who left a comment asking to be considered for the Blog Candy.  I know I should be announcing the winner but I still haven’t made a decision on it, though I do have a shortlist and will have to resort to asking John to draw a name later tonight.  Watch this space!

Thursday 22 July 2010

These are the colours we were given to work with for this week’s challenge.

PDCC39

Here’s my attempt, though I found it hard to get the right blend of colours – they’re not quite right.  I could’ve gone darker, which would have actually been easier, lol.

I stamped the words and Harlequin in Versamagic Wheat, then clear embossed (not easy to see), as I did the word Love (Hero Arts).  The tulips (Penny Black) are stamped with Versafine, clear embossed, then I added a few white highlights with my Ranger Inkssentials white pen.

22 July 2010 pdc 39

That mark isn’t on the card, btw – it’s on my scanner – it’s clean now but it’s a bit late for the card and no, I’m not rescanning, lol.

Wednesday 21 July 2010

Here’s my VERY tidy (for me) desk!
woyww 21 july
I’ve deliberately hidden (turned so you can’t see the fronts) of a couple of ‘secret’ things I’m working on and the pile of stamps you can see on the right are waiting to be used, as are some of the mounted stamps. The rest of them stay there all the time because they’re my staple background stamps, so I don’t see the point in putting them away - I reach for them over and over again.  If you look carefully, you’ll see my home made ‘brick wall’ stamp, made with bits of rubber left from cutting out full sheets.  Haven’t tried it yet but when I do, I’ll blog it.  The little basket on the left is filled with Big Shot embossed cards and bits.  The felt tips were used for the card below and the cut out image (Stampotique) on the scratch paper is for an altered book/journal I’m working on.  I’ve prepped quite a few pages and am just getting ready to begin – if I ever pluck up the courage ;)  Oh, and there are some alcohol inked dominoes there, just waiting to be used…

If you'd  like to go nosey - oops - look at other people's workspaces, then why not visit Julia's Blog to see what people are up to?

And here’s a CAS card I made quickly and messlessly (don’t you just love inventing words?).
cas 1
I have to tell the truth, though – this is why the desk is so tidy – half of the mess is on the floor, waiting for me to sort it out and put it away.  At least the desk bit is better!!!
woyww 21 july hidden mess
This is the result of a frenzied stamping session or six and the beginning of a major tidy and reorganisation.  I finally managed to get the Filing Cabinet out and taken away by someone on Freegle, so I moved more drawers in and am enjoying having a little more space to organise.  AND all my stamps are clean and sparkling – well, not quite sparkling, but clean, anyway :D
PS Some of it has made its way back onto the desk already – can’t face putting stuff away until I’ve tried it at least once when it’s in my ‘to use’ pile .

Tuesday 20 July 2010

Today, while having a sort out, I found my blo pens, which I’d never used.  My friend, Dot, makes some great backgrounds with these, so I thought I’d try them out.  This is what I made and I think it’s a fair illustration of Heat – one of the Gingersnap Challenges of the moment.  Stamps are Hero Arts and Stampin’ Up.

birthday sunset

This is just a quickie – very similar to some I made before, but with different words.  It’s one of my Ecoline ink backgrounds, which I love so much.  Stamps are Paperartsy and Inkadinkado.  I really love these kids’ words.  Funny, really cos I can easily pass on chocolate, apart from the odd square or two – I know, I’m weird!

chocolate

Monday 19 July 2010

Here are B & C of my Alphabet Postcards for Lots to Do. 
B is for Blue and for Birds – I used the blues (Distress inks Chipped Sapphire and Tumbled Glass) so that it fits into the Gingersnap Shades of Blue challenge.  There’s also a little bit of Adirondack Slate on there, at the bottom ;)  Stamps from Paperartsy and Time to Stamp.  Large alphabet stamp from Ma Vinci's Reliquary.

B is for Bird
C is for Clowns and also for Colour.  I brayered Tutti Frutti Big and Juicy ink (not one of my usual favourites, I have to add, lol) onto the first background, which was watercolour paper, then stamped and embossed the Clown (Pierrot)  and word stamps from Paperartsy and cut them out.  The image is a bit ‘mottled’ because of the watercolour paper – it’s not easy to stamp.  The second background was brayered with a Mesh roller on my trusty Fiskars Brayer, spritzed with water, then overstamped with the Harlequin stamp, which is a Jumbo rollagraph, taken off the wheel.  Alphabet stamps from Hero Arts.
<KENOX S1050  / Samsung S1050>

Saturday 17 July 2010

This is the Colour Challenge for this week on Play Date Café Challenge.

PDCC38

Here’s my effort.

pdc lavender lime

I made the background by spritzing glossy card with water, then dripping on Brilliance reinkers in Pearlescent Lime and Pearlescent Purple and spritzing again.  That’s a Bubble wrap impression in the corners, although the Adirondack Citrus looks yellow, for some reason…   Some of the circles are coloured with  a purple Jelly Glaze pen and I added three little gems for a bit of bling.

Friday 16 July 2010

The theme at Theme Thursday this week is to make something ROUND.  I actually woke up – early, I might add – thinking about this today.  In the end, I did something a little different to what I’d imagined but it was still fun.

I started with three different sized circles, cut out with my trusty Creative Memories Circle Cutter, used them as masks and sponged Wild Honey and Barn Door Distress inks on glossy card, edging with some Rusty Hinge, then used a reverse mask of a circle punch to stamp some of the Non Sequitur Time words through, creating circles of text - the others are spirals, anyway.  The clock face is a Heidi Swapp clear stamp but the face clock is another Non Sequitur.  The brown ink is Memories Chestnut – a great colour!  There are so many circles on here that I couldn’t count them but it was fun to go with a theme like this.

TT Circles Time

This also ties in with the NEW Stampman Challenge, which this week is ANYTHING GOES.  Non Sequitur stamps are available from the Stampman.

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Had a quick play with this image because I came across it (yes, I’d forgotten I had it but I wish I could find the ones I was looking for!).  I knew it would fit the theme at Weekend ATCs, which is the Sea, so I spent some time colouring with Copics and Promarkers.  More bleeding Copics…

fun with atcs seaside

Been a good girl this afternoon and have finished off the third recipe card I’d half decided not to bother with, but at least they’re now done and all the recipe cards I’ve received are punched and ready to go into their owners’ books.  We’re just waiting for one more set, which is taking a round the world trip from Germany, I think.  I still need to do a Contributors page before I can send them off. 

It’s very simply stamped ;)  This is the back, stamped with Brilliance Gold.

cath recipe 3 back

Here’s the front, coloured with Glimmer Mists and Starburst Stains dabbers – both painted on with a brush – then stamped with second generation images, using Adirondack Twilight Purple and Slate.

cath recipe 3

Mine look so simple compared to others, but at least I’ve done them and I am putting the books together :D

Okay, here’s my desk – and this is about as good as it gets when I’ve signed up for lots of swaps…  You can see lots of other desks on Julia’s blog.

WOYWW 14 JULY
2 minutes later…
WOYWW 14 JULY 2
And here’s an Alphabet Postcard for Lots to Do, which is also for Crazy Amigo’s Challenge which this week is ‘A’.
A for Arty Apples
I had fun with this, though I’m going to redo the stalk, I think – it was difficult because there’s no defined line, but it’s painted with gold ink.  I added a couple of extra leaves, so I think it looks a bit better now, lol.    There’s all kinds on this – Acrylic resist to start with, followed by masking the apples, adding Adirondack greens, stamping, overstamping with white acrylic, embossing the main words then using a reverse mask on the apples to add colour (more Adirondacks) and stamping.  It was fun :D

Monday 12 July 2010

Well, I gave in, lol.  I was so determined I would get the things I’m committed to do out of the way before I started to play but I just had to have a little play – and intend having a couple more, as soon as I can, lol.

So here’s my entry for this week’s Lots to Do Challenge, where the theme for this week is People and Places.

I found my yummy Claudine Helmuth stamps, so I’ve almost finished another card, too.  I keep forgetting about these, lol.  The base for the image is Caught in Crystal, but unfortunately, you can’t see the yummy crystallisation you get the more you heat it – it really is so pretty and glistens.  I stamped the image again on white and layered the CIC over the top, to define the images, then stamped again and cut out ‘La Cathédrale’ which I attached separately with toning brads.  Yellow’s not a colour I often use on its own but I quite like this effect for a change.

LTD 12 jully 2010

I have a few things ‘on’ at the moment so before I do any challenges (which I’m aching to do, lol) I decided to get those other things out of the way first.  This is the first – my second recipe page for a KCUK swap.  I was only supposed to do one recipe so this was a bit of a wild card because some of the others are late in arriving and I thought I’d surprise those taking part in the swap.  I have another one coloured and cut, too but not sure I’ll get around to stamping it, so may leave it out.   It was a bit of a disaster because one of the Glimmer Mists I was using to paint the pages fell over (of its own accord, of course ;)) so I mopped it up with all the recipe cards.  Looked REALLY good BUT it was gold and some of it obscured the text – not good if you want to read it, he, he:)

Then, since it was a Thai recipe, I hunted for Thai stamps, only to find that I’ve given away the only ones I had which would have been suitable, so I had to go with Plan B and think outside the box.  No decoration on the front – it’s bright enough, lol – but it’s taken me AGES to do the back because I stamped the image with Versamark first, added Moon Dust in several colours (to show the straw and the drops of perspiration - not mine, the perspiration of the chicken on the left) then stamped it again on white card, cutting it out then colouring with Copics. I WAS going to colour the book but after all those hours and becoming totally disenchanted with bleeding Copics and severed limbs which came off when applying the Glue Stick.  (I mean bleeding Copics in the literal sense, of course – see the chicken on the book cover, to see what I mean and this is one of the simpler ones, which didn't bleed as much.  Those who know me well know I really wouldn’t use a word like that – probably one stronger, I have to admit!)  I’ve decided that the only really good thing about Glue sticks is that you can move the image around to get it in perfect position before it dries – other than that, I really don’t like 'em very much at all, other than for covering book covers! I won't have my usual 'Glue stick' rant here - I'll save it for another time, but I really would only ever recommend TOMBOW glue sticks for craft work.  All the others dry up, clog up and leave horrible lumps!   It gets on your fingers, then transfers to the images and then there are the bits all over the pages – yuk - and I applied the glue on an old Yellow Pages, best use for it cos you can turn the page after each application and have a clean surface to work on!  I was SO glad to get back to my ATG gun when I attached the recipes to the backs!  I have to say that I did lots of giggling when colouring with the Copics cos the expressions on the faces of the two outside chickens really tickles me, they look terrified!  So here we have yet ANOTHER chicken recipe.

Here's the actual recipe and this really IS one of my favourites of the moment, though I sometimes have salmon with it instead of chicken.  It really is worth a try if you like sweet, hot and fruity.  If anyone would like a text version, just contact me and I'll be happy to pass it on.  I also need to amend the one I uploaded earlier – I’ve tried it out and changed it from experience!
Cath Thai salad recipe
The flipside (upside down so that it’s the right way up when bound).
Cath Thai Salad recipe 2
Must admit, I do like those chickens :D

Over at Crafty Cardmakers, the challenge for this week fortnight is a photo challenge and here it is.

CC Photo challenge 25
I thought it was yellow and aqua but the ‘powers that be’ tell us it’s green and aqua, so I took the colours as my theme, along with the hearts and this is what I made.  Week 2 of the challenge will be an easel card, either inspired by this Photo, which is what the Design Team will be doing, or ANY easel card.
Dream
I used one of my favourite images from Lost Coast Design (available from Scrapz in the UK) and here’s how I made it.
The text (US Artquest) was stamped on glossy card with Versamark ink to get a resist effect, then heat set, followed by sponging Adirondack Meadow and Pool inks all over, then stamping the text randomly over the top with each colour.  The flourish and flowers are part of the stamp, so the little girl was stamped in Permanent ink, then again on white matte card, cut out, coloured with Promarkers and the two inks, then glued over the top of the stamped image.  The flowers were coloured with Gel pens and embossed, the wings glitter glazed.  The words (Paper Inspirations) were stamped on white card, cut out, layered onto black card, then attached randomly, with heart brads and gems to complete the theme.
dream detail
Please visit Crafty Cardmakers Challenge Blog to see what the rest of the fab DT have made for the challenge.
The sponsor for this challenge is Joanna Sheen, who is offering a £10 voucher to the winner.  There’s some great stuff at Joanna’s, including EZ mount and Promarkers at a good price with FREE P&P!!  

ajoannasheenbanner

CHALLENGE RULES

Please leave a link to your actual card in Froggie.

If you don't have a blog, please email entries in.
You can combine your challenge with however many you like using any technique or style. Any papercrafted item accepted (scrapbook LO's, ATC's etc) You can also enter up to 3 times per challenge, its all about encouraging crafting after all!   You must also mention Crafty Cardmakers Challenge, with a link back, in your blog entry in order to be considered for the prize.  Best of luck with your challenge!

Thursday 8 July 2010

I forgot to post this so will do it now.  I have another two recipes in progress, which I’ll finish off if I get time before all the other recipes are in but we’re already late, so I may not get the time.  I need to be putting the books together!
I enjoyed doing this, although I’ve done something similar before.  Nice recipe, too :D  Couldn’t get the depth of colour, no matter how hard I tried – there’s a lot more pale green on the background than you can see.  Hey ho – will have to work on this colour matching!

cath recipe 1
This is the back page, stamped in Versamark.  I was going to add some mica powders, but I decided I liked it as it is.
recipe back

Wednesday 7 July 2010

Well, if I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect that my friend, Jo and I had been colluding – but we didn’t and my desk’s much messier than hers – and the worst thing is I’ve been working on the dining room table this afternoon cos of the mess!!  In all honesty, I’d just piled some stuff on the desk as I’d finished with it, so it’s waiting to be put away.  Anyway,  here’s my WOYWW entry.

my desk
Here’s a close up where you can see one of my favourite stamps…
Queen of Last Minute!
woyww close up2
But the main reason it may appear that Jo and I had been plotting was that I had to make a couple of Sympathy cards today, too!  Nothing fancy about mine, though.  They’re very simple, quick and very easy (hands won’t allow much else at the moment) made with felt tips, glossy paper and a favourite PSX stamp.  One on white, the other on lilac. 
sympathy3   sympathy 4

Tuesday 6 July 2010

I’m working on other things today, but I wanted to get these things uploaded while I remember ;)
The first one is an ATC which uses the watercolour technique on the Art Cards Challenge Blog, touching the edges of a stamped image (using water based inks) with a paintbrush.  It also fits the Fun with ATCs floral Challenge for today.  It was a good excuse to try out the Freebie stamp with this month's Craft Stamper - I really like it but then I like a lot of Innovative Stamp Creations stamps!  I've used Wild Honey and Walnut Stain Distress inks on it - both to stamp and to colour.  The 'splodgy' bit is one of my favourite filler stamps which I've had for years and years and years - about 8 - but you can't see how lovely it is on this.  It's like a star burst - really pretty.

art cards june 2010
This one was just a play with pigment inks on a Hero Arts stamp.  Basically, Colorbox Cats Eyes were splodged (technical term, of course) all over it, stamped, then overstamped with a Stampin’ Up word stamp before embossing the whole thing with clear Embossing Powder.
hero floral
It would appear that the Blogger problems are now resolved – yay!  I’ve just approved some of your comments.  Thank you so much to all who comment here – I really do appreciate the fact that you took time out to do that and it’s a real encouragement.