Sunday Stampers - Week 219 - I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker

Hels has made a very pretty, feminine steampunk piece for this weeks challenge.  As it's Mr French's birthday on the 27th I decided to make him a card. Not sure what he'll make of it - it's a tad bizarre & not sure I like it either!

I discovered some of Tim Holtz's sticky back metal sheets & embossed with a cog mask from That Speial Touch of Mica. I used Slate & Latte Adirondack alcohol ink to mottle the metal then mounted on some purple card. I then cut Tim's 'movers & shapers' wish die & inked with a Crafty Individual's music score stamp (CI-194). I did the same for the butterflies (TH again) also mounting the metal onto grungepaper for added stability.  Using the same alcohol inks I went over the music score - this made the original stamped image blend & mix as the inks removed some of the score. Next I mounted the metal 'wish' onto an oval scalloped Spellbinders die.  The wing is TH as is the cog & the metal brads are Creative Expressions. The little hearts on the butterflies have been in my stash forever!  I used black Pan Pastels on the wing & rubbed silver & purple 'rub 'n' buff' onto that & around the scalloped oval. 



I cannot believe that I only have one more week left before I go back to school.  This holiday has been so busy & full of mixed emotions. My son has just accepted a place at the University of Central Lancashire (so far away) & will be going in two weeks! I am very proud of him.  I will also be starting a new part-time job in October which I am very excited about. Lots of changes...I am looking forward to our local Summer Show next week-we are so lucky to still have this traditional show on our wonderful green so good luck to everyone entering into the fun of competition!  Thank you for taking the time to pop by & make comments - they are all appreciated. Have a good week & Happy Birthday Clive. Sx

Sunday Stampers - Week 218 - Shiny Happy People

Hels Sheridan has been making goodies out of metal for this weeks challenge, 'Shiny'.  Go check out her wonderful blog here.  Strangely enough I had been having a play with metal last week but not very successfully!  I planned to do some metallic flowers but when I came across this TH die I changed my mind.



I cut the birdcage from a silver metal sheet (Ten Second Studio) mounted onto grungepaper & added the Prima flowers to the base of it instead of hanging beads.  Found some pretty Crafty Individuals script paper, edged with walnut stain & mounted it onto some Laura Ashley paper & placed on card.  I added some metal flowers & leaf (Vintaj) to the top of the cage by a glittery yellow brad.  The sentiment is TH Visual Artistry Lost & Found & is stapled to the card & the escaping butterflies (IndigoBlu) were stamped onto some Studio 490 Clearly for Art sheet, heated & shaped.

I have tried not to waffle toooo much this week!  Really enjoyed using the metal sheets - that is the metal sheets I have had for ages & not touched so thanks Hels for the inspiration.  I shall continue to have a play.  Thanks for popping by. Sx

Sunday Stampers - Week 217 - Patterns

Today I decided to  have a go at changing my blog design (soon regretted that)  but not sure I like it so you may see a few variations over the next few weeks. This weeks challenge from Hels is 'Patterns'.  Her work was a piece for her husbands 50th birthday - beautiful as always but I wasn't sure about what I could do.  I came up with this 8"x8" wall hanging - a bit of a run through for another idea I have buzzing around my head.

I began by painting some grey board with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint in Irish Cream  & Docrafts acrylic paints in Rose Pink & Dusty Rose.  I then painted through two masks, That Special Touch of Mica small dots & flowers with a mixture of the above paints.  I stamped onto the card with Ranger's Dylusions 'Around the Edge' leaf stamps, some in black & added some  American Crafts white rub-ons.  I edged the card with TH's tissue tape then edged with walnut stain.  The sentiment is Indigoblu stamped onto some Prima paper & cut out & embossed with a Spellbinders square label - a larger one in black made the outer frame.  Next I mounted the sentiment onto the card then  re-stamped the leaves onto Prima paper & cut out to decoupage over one of the stamps, overlapping the sentiment.  I made two TH rosettes out of scrap paper & glued to the card then added some Stampendous Fran-tage aged rose embossing enamel & some colour fragments - these fragments are gorgeous but they did keep shooting off the desired place!  Managed to contain them in the end!   At the base I added a small Prima pink tile & two Creative Expressions metal leafs.  Lastly some pretty pink lace ribbon & some brass keys & a locket.

I have really enjoyed a bit of 'blog hopping' this week.  So much beautiful work out there. I could spend all day looking!  Hope you all have a good week. Sx



Blog Design Change

Well it can't be that tricky to have a change (I thought).  Guess I know what I shall be doing for the rest of today then - yes ... trying to get my blog looking vaguely like it did before I started messing around with it.  There is always that thought that crosses your mind just before you go ahead ... don't bother! Why oh why do I go ahead anyway?  So my blog may look a little different for a while... grrrrrr.

12 Tags of 2012 - August

I absolutely love Tim's tag this month & decided to make mine sooner rather than later. Such gorgeous colours. Of course I didn't have everything - that doesn't matter - so started the hunt for what I did have.  I basically followed Tim's instructions with a few exceptions.  I didn't have the silhouette stamp or the frame so I cut these out from my Silhouette Cameo & embossed with black My Craft Studio meltdust.  I did have the embossing folder (I didn't realise until I was looking through my folders-shame on me!) but not the paint so I mixed two PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints together (Pewter & South Pacific). I also didn't have the Kraft Core card (on my wish list) so used Ranger's Distress Collection Core'dinations to make the flowers, branches & leaves. On the bottom of the tag I used a Sizzix TH 'On the Edge' Scallop die & embossed it with Stampendous Fran-tage Embossing Enamel in Aged Aqua. Then sentiment is TH & stamped onto some scrap paper, edged with walnut stain & rolled at the top edge.  I crinkled up a dusky pink ribbon & added a Creative Expressions key, Prima gem & TH tassle to finish the tag off. 

Sunday Stampers - Week 216 - Fields of Gold

Well the Olympics are hotting up even if the weather is cooling down! Clive, Matt & I went into London yesterday to soak up some of the atmosphere as we couldn't get tickets to the park. Westfield was buzzing & we enjoyed the sights & sounds.  Great reactions when Team GB won a gold medal. On the theme of gold (seamless link eh?) Hels Sheridan chose 'Fields of Gold' (gold) to be this weeks Sunday Stampers theme so here goes...

As my 'minimal spend 2012' continues I found some nice creamy card in my stash that had a crackle effect on it. I edged it with walnut stain & adhered to card. I cut out a frame from my Silhouette & added some gold wax around the edges.  I stamped the photo slide mount with an old Impression Obsession stamp & embossed with walnut stain distress powder then edged again with the gold wax & a little bit of frayed burlap ink.  As I cannot throw away any little scrap of paper I found some TH Kraft resist card & placed inside the photo slide mount  after spritzing it with Heirloom Gold. The other piece was stamped with a 'My Mind's Eye' (Lost & Found) sentiment, inked round the edges with walnut stain (again) & mounted onto black card & attached with two gold brads.  The pointing hand was from the same stamp set. Finally I added the gold crown which I think was from an Anna Griffin set.

You will all be amazed to learn that my house was in excellent order after Matt's party last week although I do think he spent a few hours cleaning & hoovering! He may be moving to Manchester in September so I have just got to make the most of the summer holiday with him.

Thanks for all of your lovely comments this week. I am thrilled to be a Tim Holtz winner for the July tag. It was great to see that a few of us had made the list - very exciting.  Bye for now. Sx