Sunday Stampers - Week 228 - A Taste of Honey

Hels has made a stunning piece for this weeks Sunday Stampers with the theme being 'honeycombs & honey colours'. Check it out here.



I began my entry by cutting a honeycomb shape out of yellow Teresa Collins  paper (Fabrications pad) from the Silhouette then mounted it onto  green paper from the same collection which I inked around the edges with TH walnut stain.  This is a really pretty collection of paper - I'm still addicted to card & paper but at least I do use it now instead of just looking at it!!  I then mounted it onto black card to give it a border.  I stamped some little bees from Artemio in some of the honeycomb spaces then stamped the Dylusions leaf onto more of the yellow paper, slightly coloured with green Pan Pastel, then cut out & mounted onto the card.  The two larger bees (Artemio) were stamped and one coloured with walnut stain & the other with Scattered Straw Distress Stickles.  I stamped the large TH Tattered Banner with his honeycomb background stamp & coloured with scattered straw & wild honey Distress Inks & then added the Hero Arts sentiment.  Next I adhered the bee beer cap (donated by my kind husband - of course he had to drink the beer once opened) & the banner with approximately one ton of Pinnflair Glue Gel!  This was so I could slide the white & blue flowers (bought for £1 at a craft sale) & the TH Autumn Gattering leaves behind the banner.  It may take several days to dry!  I really enjoyed making this card & I do love the colours. 
After a dinner party on Saturday my craft supplies are scattered all around the house making crafting a little tricky at the moment.  That's the downside of crafting in the conservatory - it's a lovely big space but when we have guest I have to clear everything out which takes days & then I have to put it all back again.  The constant nagging for a craft shed is still falling on deaf ears at the moment!  I'm clearly not nagging enough!  Hope you all have a good week - watch out for that chilly weather on the way.  Sx

Sunday Stampers - Week 226 - Snowflakes

Hels has gone all 'Christmassy' this week for Week 226 of her fabulous Sunday Stamper challenge  with a gorgeous snowflake tag. 



For my entry I have made this card.  The background is made up with Hansa Yellow & Phthalo Blue Pan Pastel.  These are amazing to use but I really do need to practise more - am getting better each time I give them a go & need loads more colours!  Next I spritzed the card with Blue Patina Perfect Pearls with a little Pewter added to the mix.  I dug out some old Fancy Pants stamps & used IndigoBlu Mega-flakes (Winter Dawn) on the flourish then inked the edges of the card with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I stamped the little Anna Griffin snowflakes in Lightening Black (how long does a stamp last - I've had this one for years!) & then added gold bling to each one.  I over stamped the Tim Holtz deer die with an Artemio music score stamp in the same ink pad & the 'Ho Ho Ho' stamp is Anna Griffin again & I added a small piece of spare ribbon underneath it. Lastly I mounted the white card onto black & randomly stamped the snowflake again around the edges of the main card.

Have a great week everyone - I can say this because 'yay' it's still 'Sunday' & I have already uploaded my entry!  I have decided not to go for the record of being last this week although I must admit that I haven't done the ironing!  Take care. Sx

 

Sunday Stampers - Week 225 - Happy Heart

Good Saturday afternoon to you.  Yes it's me posting a possible last as usual despite trying very hard this week to be organised!  The Sunday Challenge this week from Hels Sheridan is 'whatever makes you happy'  to mark the sad passing of Andy Williams & 'Happy Heart' is her fave Andy Williams song .  Hels challenge is great fun to do each week so check it out here.

My entry is a 'nod' to Halloween, a kind of tame version of 'spooky'.  Finally got round to buying some Dylusions inks & started by spritzing 'vibrant turqoise' & 'crushed grape' onto a craft matt & dragging the tag through. Wow these inks are bright - love them of course but don't normally 'do' bright so a bit of a shock to the system.  Next I stamped & embossed a PaperArtsy tree then stamped the vines from Chocolate Baroque at the top.  Could I find my bat stamps?  No of course I couldn't or indeed any of my Halloween stamps so that panicked me.  I decided to stamp a few birds (Tim Holtz) instead then made a large moon from a black circle covered in orange angle hair then added one of the larger of the bird stamps cut out & placed slightly over the moon.  The '31' plate is Tim Holtz & the label is printed from my Dymo machine.

 

If you collect 'Craft Stamper' magazine you will see (page 35, November edition) that I am a runner-up in Round Three of  the Stamper of the Year Competition.  I was very excited to learn this  - I have enjoyed the challenge.

 

Off to find the elusive Halloween stamps.  Have a great weekend everyone. Sx

Sunday Stampers - Week 224 - Behind the Mask

The Sunday Stamper theme for this week on Hels Sheridan's blog is 'masks'. I seem to have built up quite a collection of masks recently & find them very versatile & fun to use.  I really like the colours in this tag but really it was all a bit 'try it & see' random inking! I squished a selection of distress inks onto a mat (peeled paint, walnut stain, antique linen & stormy sky) spritzed with water & made a background on the cream tag.  I added a bit more of the walnut stain to the edges then stamped the PaperArtsy flora stamp in black.  I then spritzed Cosmic Shimmer Mist (Teal Wash - one of my favourites) through a Prima corner mask (comes in a set of two).  I seem to love all things 'Prima' at the moment.  I added the twine & green button & then 'frantaged' the base of the tag with Stampendous Aged Aqua embossing enamel & Frantage fragments in sage. The sentiments is a rub-on from KaiserCraft as are the little butterflies at the top of the tag.  Lastly I added a crown (from Ali-Crafts) & a brass key to complete the tag. The sun is shining & I will be spending the rest of my (birthday) Saturday finishing of a craft project & later partaking in a glass (or two) of wine but not too much as I have an early start for the re-scheduled 'Race for Life'...which I will be walking!  Take care. Sx

Sunday Stampers - Week 223 - Tie A Yellow Ribbon

It's been a lovely week here & I expect a lot of you will be enjoying Ally Pally today. I love the setting around Ally Pally - it actually feels like going home as I was born just up the road in Finchley.  I love the view across London from here.  I shall be going with a few friends on Sunday so looking forward to that.

The subject chosen by Hels Sheridan this week (check out her fab blog here) is 'Ribbons'.  I began by making a background with distress inks (worn lipstick, milled lavender & antique linen) then stamped one of TH's background stamps (called Mixed Media)  over part of the background with worn lipstick then spritzed with water to blend it.  Next I stamped a Artemio script stamp in Versafine Smokey Gray.  I gathered some gold ribbon along the bottom of the card then mounted onto black card.  The acetate lady is from Crafty Individuals & placed behind a frame cut from my Silhouette.  The beautiful velvet embellishment is Anna Griffin & I've had it for ages because I couldn't bear to use it!! Finally the Creative Expressions hat pins were added.  It's quite 'girly' for me & makes a nice change.



 

I expect I shall be one of the last to post again this week!  I really am trying to get more organised - maybe next week!  Thanks to those of you who have posted messages to me - much appreciated.  Have a good week everyone. Sx



Sunday Stampers - Week 222 - I Predict A Riot

My card for this weeks Sunday Stampers challenge is very simple - maybe not a 'riot' of colour but certainly brighter than I normally go.

So first I gently coloured some white card with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink so it had just a hint of colour.  Next I went in a little heavier with Fired Brick DI over a Special Touch of Mica flower mask.  The black flourish is a Fancy Pants stamp from way back & the flower is from Little Claire Designs - very pretty.  I painted the flower with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls then, once dry I added some TH Scattered Straw Distress Stickles.  The centre of the flower was painted with Pink Gumball Perfect Pearls with  Glossy Accents over the top for a raised & glossy effect. Then sentiment is TH, stamped twice with just the heart cut out of the second one & embossed with Heat it Up Chinese Red which has a lovely gold hint to it.

 

Well that's it for this week.  Matt has been safely delivered to Preston & apparently enjoying Freshers Week whilst I felt like a redundant mum & not enjoying my week at all!!  The University looks amazing which is great as it was all very last minute.com!
Take care. Sx

 

Sunday Stampers - Week 221 - Tulips from Amsterdam

In a tribute to Max Bygraves who died last week Hels Sheridan has chosen 'Tulips from Amsterdam' and flowers as her challenge for this week. 

I began by covering a craft tag with dark green Pan Pastel then spritzed with Tattered Angels Creme de Rouge Glimmer Mist (had this for yonks) & Blue Patina Perfect Pearls.  I then edged the tag with Black Pan Pastel.  I'm really liking the pastels but need a bit more practice using them.  I stamped the tag with dylusions 'Around the Edge'  leaf border stamp with Versamark & used Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls on top.  I filled in the plain leaves with crushed olive Distress Marker then spritzed again with the Blue Patina.  The flower is made from a PaperArtsy flower stamped three times on Tim Holtz waxed paper, spritzed with the blue & attached with a yellow bling brad after curling the petals.  The moth is PaperArtsy & lightly coloured with blue Pan Pastel with another bling brad.  The 'wishes' is from a new Dymo machine although I'm sure I had one years & years ago & chucked it...oh dear, never get rid of anything as it will eventually come back in fashion again!  I added Espresso Dimensional Pearls at the base of the tag & a few other charms.

 

 The Bentley Show was a great success this year with the village green buzzing with people & soooo many dogs (there was a dog show too!).  I even managed to get my photo in the local newspaper (was horrified by this as I'm only ever happy behind the lens) but as it turned out it wasn't the worse photo I've seen (yes there's plently of them around!).  Back to school this week & that means a trip to Ally Pally at the end of the month & thinking about the Christmas school play...I'm off the Lancashire on Saturday to take Matt to Uni although NO ACCOMMODATION sorted out yet...only slightly panic stricken!  Have a great week everyone. Sx