INKY FINGERS

I’m still playing with the beautiful, rich shades of Autumn and nature stamps… can’t resist. 

The Dragonfly Dreams challenge is Autumnal Colours and

Ellibelle’s Crafty Challenge is Nature/Outdoors, while Country View Challenges have a Plant-tastic theme..

This one’s a simple leafy card, stamped on watercolour paper with Archival inks, then watercoloured with Distress inks and splattered with Delicata gold ink.

Then I played with my other Autumn love -  ‘shrooms - for a little while… my friend and I used to go fungus foraging and often found some amazing specimens!

This one’s fungus and faeries… ‘shrooms courtesy of Lavinia Stamps….bunny from Inkylicious.

Then, playing with green, orange and brown , I made this background, then stamped it with Lavinia flowers? and more ‘shrooms… colouring with Prisma pencils and a Mermaid paint pen (Jane Davenport). Both the flowers and the ‘shrooms are stamped with Versafine Clair Fallen Leaves, which is dark brown, but it looks black.

I was thinking about these colours and suddenly remembered my Chinese Lanterns stamp, so I stamped in Russet Archival, then coloured them, again with Distress Inks, adding a few floating leaves and a bit of Wild Honey stencilling. I love the Impression Obsession words.

There’s a a Make Your Mark challenge on Addicted to Stamps and More 

and a ‘Fall’ Challenge at Sisterhood of Crafters.

The Everybody Art Challenge is asking for Orange and Brown.

Lastly, a very simple leafy card, made with the card left after die cutting and one of my scrapling cards for the CASology Gratitude Challenge.

Thank you so much for looking

Back soon

Cath

xxx

I worked on this journal spread a while ago, but only finished them off yesterday, so I thought I’d share them for the Art Journal Journey ‘Inspired by…’ challenge.

It’s inspired by a Waterboys track, ‘Trumpets’…

Make My Mondays Challenge is Embossing Resist… this is my first play with one of my favourite techniques.

I stamped on white card with Versamark, then stamped the verse in Versafine, embossing with clear embossing powder.  I then sponged on distress inks - Salty Ocean, Peacock Feather, Toasted Marmalade and Mustard Seed, wiping the excess ink off the stamping with a paper towel. Then I stamped the Hero Arts wheat a couple of times in Mustard Seed ink. I love resist techniques and there’s a Faux Batik challenge over on another challenge blog, so I may well be doing some of that soon…

This is a card I made a while ago, using some new tree stamps from Marianne.

And here’s a little card made with a scrap background piece I found… though I did add some colour to it. The butterflies were from my ‘already cut out’ image basket, as was the word ‘Prayers’.

I’d like to link to

Simon Says Monday Challenge – Anything But a Card,

Butterfly Challenge

and

Snippets Playground

Back soon.

Thanks for looking.

Cath

xxx

I’ve been adding Ebay listings (selling some of my craft stash and clothes I just don’t use any more) and almost lost the will to live – it takes SO LONG!!!! 

So, I decided to have a real play today, using some of the images I spent a day and a half stamping and cutting out masks for… well prepared…NOT.

These are images from the pile of stamps I decided I simply must use again some time, when reorganising my Craft Room – which isn’t (of course) yet finished

This is a pretty little girl image…made mostly with pink Distress inks and a bit of Aged Mahogany. I can’t remember where the word stamp came from but I know it was from the Port Sunlight show, around 10 years ago, so it’s probably from Stamp Camp – who no longer attend

I think the little girl image is from either Stampinback or Lost Coast…but I may be wrong…again, bought around 8-10 years ago.

I love both this stamp AND the words. Again, I’m not quite sure where the girl image came but it’s highly likely to be one of the above – I bought a lot together at one time, around 9-10 years ago.  There again, it may be Viva Las Vegas…I ordered a lot from them at the same time.

The words (both sentiments) are definitely from Stamp Camp. I loved her stamps. Not sure if she’s still around but I ordered from the US a couple of times until I realised her service was somewhat sporadic, to say the least.  Such a shame.

I used some background stamps I haven’t used for a while and also a new stencil, which I really like!

I also used two of my favourite colours of Distress ink – Peacock Feathers and Cracked Pistachio.

As so often happens after a Craft Room tidy/reorganisation, I ended up with a pile of stamps I hadn’t used for years and wanted to use again…notably, this little butterfly girl, from Time to Stamp, which once was a favourite of mine.  I noticed Rubber Dance now sell the same image(s – there are a few different ones on the same theme), which intrigues me, especially because they credit Time to Stamp…

I masked the butterfly girl and made two quite different cards – this one was a simple one with a plain background, edged with a stamp made from an old rollagraph wheel.

The next one was a bit more complex because I clear embossed some images over the mask, then added inks, a bit more colour and some words.

I’d like to link that to

Make My Mondays - Things with Wings

I was still playing with Black and White for a day or so and made another scrapling…

…and this one from an Art Journey stamp, with an Isa stamp in the background. Not sure if they were pressed by Katzelcraft but I know Isabelle designed the plate. I used a Hero Arts alphabet set for the letters.

Here’s another Winged Creature…or three on an Oxide Background…

…a simple ‘Happy Day’ card on another Oxide background…

…followed by another…

…and today’s journalling spread, again, made with Oxides, various stamp and pens.

I’m linking to the following challenges:-

Addicted to Stamps and More – Photo Challenge

A Bit More Time to Craft – Anything Goes

and

Simon Says Stamp Wed – Anything Goes

Happy Easter, everybody!

Thanks for looking

See you soon

Cath

xxx

It’s been one of those weeks… we all have them, I’m sure …

It was my birthday, which became a bit of an extended celebration, and on which my lovely younger son put up some shelves in my craft room. I was so excited, I had to start reorganising it all immediately, which sort of lasted a few days. My (still unfinished) craft room is looking great, but as a result of all the lugging and clearing and cleaning, my hands died and my already sore back just got worse, so I’ve been unable to stamp – big AWWWW – or do much of anything else!

I contented myself by making a few bits which didn’t need too much dexterity.

This one is for 

Allsorts Black and White challenge… 

I concentrated on layers, rather than the fiddly bits I usually enjoy adding to black and white. I’m sure it would have looked better if I’d added the brads vertically…

I then made this one… intending to add some tag words, but after numerous failed attempts, I gave up   I haven’t used this image for a while – it was one of my favourites a few years ago. The background on the back layer is my trusted crackle stamp, stamped repeatedly around the edges, then clear embossed.

Sticking with monochrome, I found this background I’d stashed, and added the stamp (from my winnings at Simon Says Stamps) and an already cut out image from my ‘cutouts’ basket. I really love the result.

I’ll link this to the

Crafty Friends Challenge – Anything Goes

and to

Crafty Creations – Anything Goes.

This is one I made for a KCUK mingle.. all things New.

I’ll link it  to Mix it Up’s ‘Make Your Own Background challenge.

I’ll end with another couple of scraplings…

Here’s a close up to show the mica in the background.

I’ll be back soon…lots more to share.

Thanks for looking.

Have a great Easter!

Cath

xxx

Just a couple of birdies today, for challenges I noticed earlier.

The Call of Spring – Try it on Tuesday

Watch the Bird – Daring Cardmakers

and

Crafty Cardmakers – Go Green!

Sing your Song!

Birthdays are GOOD for you! I’ve done something similar to this before, but I love the idea of this card and I LOVE these birds!

More cards made with scrap papers I’d previously made…

Back soon, with more…

Thanks for looking

Cath

xxx

Still furiously using up scraps and bits of card I discarded because I wasn’t too happy with them, for one reason or another.

These are scraplings again (offcuts), using up part stamped images and discarded bits.

These are from a Faux Batik background I decided was too dark… so I overstamped in white and cut it up.

These were just background paper scraps… I have a LOT of these because I like making backgrounds, so I end up with piles in similar colours, which I don’t use all at once!

This was also overstamped and stencilled with white ink because it was a bit too dark…

… and these are simply my favourite colours!

This one has a resist background, though it’s not showing well in the photo…

I’d like to link to the following challenges:-

Dare 2B Artzy – Favourite colours

Simply Papercraft – Anything Goes

Sweet Stamping – Use up your Paper Scraps

A Bit More Time to Craft – Anything Goes

and

Mix it Up – Anything Goes (+ make your own background)

See you soon… I hope! I made the mistake of starting to tidy/reorganise my craft room…eeek!

Thanks for looking

Cath

xxx