If You Liked It Then You Should Have Put A Tag On It

First of all I apologise for the title, but this was going around in my head the whole time I was making this. Secondly I'm a day late because someone has stolen May! So we'll pretend that it's a Wednesday in April, and time for Kaz's Stampotique challenge, which is Put A Tag On It. Here's mine (you may want to put on dark glasses about now)

Hope your eyes aren't bleeding lol. I wanted to make a journal page, so started with lots of paint and sprays, and stamping. I was quite happy with it by this stage.

But then I thought, why not a stencil?

And then a bit more painty stamping. Right Sue, it's done, walk away and make some tags...

Same style and colour palate, but with some metallic PanPastels through a stencil too. The tags didn't really stand out when I stuck them down, so I decided to tear the page out of the journal so I could stitch on the tags.

I love these flowers, and how well the old stamps work alongside the new ones. Well done if you're still with me. Lot's of stamps used on this one.
Journey Collage
Vintage Script
Splattered Mug
Splatter Circle
Dandelion Duo
Spidergrass
Sunflower (large)
As I hope you can tell I enjoyed every minute of making this, though I decided it might be easier to burn down my craft room rather than tidy it up! I hope you join in with our challenge and put a tag on it!
I'm also entering this into the Fashionable Stamping challenge which is Circle The Globe - lots of circles going on here, and
Country View Crafts Nature'S Glories.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Drip Drip Drop Little April Showers

When the lovely Carol chose the theme for the challenge at Stampotique this week she must have been channeling the weather forcast because I think we are going to have plenty of these this weekend. Here's what she has to say

" I love the early months of the year and to me I only have to hear the month April and instantly in my head the song from Bambi is playing, and I am now humming, drip, drip, drip, little April showers, so use water, rain and April showers as your inspiration this week" xx

So here's to April showers 

Not that album again I hear you groan. Well yep I'm afraid so because this is the one think that I started that I may actually finish!

This has the usual PanPastel, background with lots of inking and stencilling I've used Text Block 3, and the wonderful Raindrops by our very own Magda.
Don't you love these  Sunflowers by Janet Klein?They are having rain dripped on them from her Noage stamp.

They've been painted in Pebeo Fantasy paints. It's the first time I've tried them out so they're a little wobbly lol.
Drip, Drip Drop comes courtesy of France's new Typwritter Alpha which has already had lots of use. 
I've outlined some of the drops with the Pebeo outliner and filled with Glossy Accents.
The clouds have been stamped onto washi tape, blobs of Glossy Accents applied for more rain, and the usual border to finish.

So I now have another double side - you see I will finish this - maybe- someday :-)
Normally I have a favourite out of the new release stamps, but honestly this time they are all brilliant, I could have had them all (just give me time lol)
I'm entering this into a couple of challenges, PanPastel  still has a theme of Pretty Shabby Chic, and Fashionable Stamping is to use your favourite technique. Mine has to be my pastel, stencil and stamped background.
I hope you like my page, and don't forget the blog hop (post below) for the chance to see and maybe win some of the fab new release stamps.
Thanks very much for looking x

Oooo Mr Darcy

The challenge over at Indigo Blu this month is From The Heart, and this is what I've come up with.

I followed a Leandra  YouTube tutorial, so went from this 

To this.

Lots of embossing paste and Fresco paints. I then stamped the Crackle stamp from the Alice plate together with the Script Background and embossed so that I could then go over with Treasure Gold.

I liked how it looked but it needed a bit more definition so I stamped the script again in black and  embossed.

I do love script stamps :-)

My romantic couple and quote are from the Mr Darcy plate.

I couldn't photograph it last night 'cos of flash blindness so I though I would wait for some daylight - it may be June before we get some! 

I'm also entering this into the Fashionable Stamping challenge which is Build it Up, and

Country View Crafts Painty Pleasures

I can't believe Elise Christie has been disqualified again in the speed skating, the poor girl must be distraught!

I need to surgically remove the remote from Neil, it's taken until now for him to get over the London Olympics finishing and we're going to have to go through his withdrawal symptoms all over again at the end of these games lol.

I hope you like my heart, and thanks very much for looking.

Have a great weekend x

Going Postal

Hi, it's the lovely Valerie's turn to choose the theme today at Stampotique, and she has picked envelopes. Here's what she has to say.
I love the idea of using every day objects for art. This week, try creating an art project that incorporates an envelope - any shape or size, new or used. Just flip, fold, score, tear, ink, paint, stamp, doodle, embellish or keep it clean and simple - just have fun!

I must admit my first though on seeing her challenge was 'I got nothing' especially as my teamies make the most amazing altered envelopes, so I had to keep it really simple.

 I stamped loads of stamps with Versamark, then embossed with white EP. Then I coloured over with lots of Distress Inks. I love how Crow Line stands out against the inks.

Same again on the other side, can you spot the deliberate mistake? You can... how rude! Yup I stamped Spiritual Journey upside down. I do like to get things right, but at the end of the day it's only an envelope and some ink, so after an initial outburst that would make Jerry Springer blush I decided to 'not sweat the small stuff' which is my mantra for 2013 (except for when the odd sock escapes the wash bin and then laughs at me lol)

Then I made the tags to fit inside my little tag booklet.- Told you I kept it simple...

Here's how it fits together. 

I love the way Nerd Cat's tail hooks him in place. The flower has been UTEE'd and bradded through, so it stops the tags from falling into each other.
Once I knew what I was going to do this was great fun to make, though the amount of mess I made making three tags and an envelope was unbelievable. There was less devestation when Neil decided to rip out the kitchen (he's still not finished off in there but that's another story.. :-)
There's a huge number of stamps used, and they're all my favourites lol.
Fabulous
Daniel's Hearts
Scalloped Lace Border
Steampunk Border
Vintage Script
Crow Line
Quails Cube
Journey Collage
Nerd Cat
Stacked Suitcases
Flying Bird
Grumpy Koala
These are all available from Stampotique Originals
So have some fun with envelope and link to our new June Linky for a chance to win a $30 gift certificate. Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your week xx
I'm also entering this into the following challenges
Simon Says Stamp and Show - The Letter S for STAMPOTIQUE
Pan Pastels Tag It
Fashionable Stamping Tag Time

A Man Among Boys

is what my steampunk guy is! I've been wanting to enter the Steampunk challenge at Sandee and Amelie's for ages, and I've finally got around to it! The challenge this month is to alter a playing card -I had the choice of either the 9 of clubs or the 7 of diamonds - goodness knows where the rest of the pack is (not that it's any use now anyway lol)
It's been painted in TH Distress paints, you know, the ones I didn't want, and wasn't going to get - hmm they accidentally fell into my basket...
All of the stamps are from the Artistic Outpost Steampunk plate. My manly man has been stamped with Versafine onto tissue paper and coloured with pencils. I do love this ink even though I always end up covered in it.
Lot's of chipboard bits and pieces stuck down with Glossy Accents and job done (and a lot of fun it was too)
I'm also entering this into the Artistic Outpost May referral of Anything Goes,
Fashionable Stamping  which is Alter It, and
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Favourite Ink

Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your day xx

Goodbye To Wonderland...

It's the final chapter over at The Altered Alice and the theme is 'What a beautiful dream it has been'
Here is my version of Wonderland.
The background canvas has been coloured in PanPastels. I must admit that before I added my characters it did look like Teletubbie Hill :-)
The top layer is mountboard that has also been PanPasteled.
All of the stamps are by Stampotique and are available here

Isn't Chessy a cutie lol.
So for all you Alice lovers check out the inspiration and join in at The Altered Alice.
I'm also entering this into Country View Crafts How Does Your Garden Grow
and
Fashionable Stamping Anything Goes.
Thanks very much for looking x 

Flowers Flowers Everywhere...

It's the first week of the new term over at PaperArtsy, and first up is the wonderful Sue. She's given us lots of inspiration and this is my take of what she did on her last day. I followed Sue's directions and painted it all up in greens but it looked awful!! I only have a couple of greens and they did NOT go together lol. 
So it was out with the snowflake and then start again. I've used pink (not like me) as my base colour and gone over the top with Claret and then Hey Pesto.

Lots of lovely shine from the Treasure Gold. The was a real fun piece to make, so thank you very much Sue.
Thank very much for looking and enjoy your weekend x

I'm also entering this into the 
Country View Crafts  challenge How Does Your Garden Grow
Artistic Stamper - Words, 
Our Creative Corner - Anything Goes, and 
Fashionable Stamping Anything Goes.

Hold Fast To That Which Is Good....

Happy St George's Day everyone!
I'm flying the flag for England today - though I had to add the Yorkshire Rose (OK maybe it's a Carnation lol)
They say that St George was born in Palestine, but I think he was from around here 'cos there's a pub in the village named after him!
My arch was cut with the Tim Holtz die, and all of the stamps are by Artistic Outpost - the quote is from the Typography plate.

These are the insides of my arches. They've been coloured with spray inks and DI's.
The stamps are a combinations of the two London Plates, London Underground and Loverly London

The two arches are joined together with a strip of seam binding which allows them to stand up and also to close.
I can see me having loads of fun with this die :-)
I'm entering this into the Artistic Outpost April referral,
Fashionable Stamping - sentimental, and
Pan Pastel - red white and blue 
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your St Georges Day x

Drip Drip Drop Little April Shower...

It's my teamie Sarinda's turn to challenge us over at Stampotique and she has chosen April Showers Bring May Flowers. I've had another go at making a journal page.

The background is lots and lots of Pan Pastels. These all blend together so nicely and are perfect to stamp on.
 Lots of stencilling, painting and background stamping, then my raindrops have been added in Pewter Distress Stain through a stencil.

I'm continuing my love affair with tissue tape, I've inked up the stamp then just laid over the bits I wanted. Ooh look... inky fingers again :-)
My tree has been painted with Dylusion inks, the lovely bunny has been stamped onto tissue paper and coloured with Prisma pencils, and the shrooms have been painted with watered down Distress inks.

Stamps used
Journey Collage
Tree
Vintage Script
Row of Numbers
Rainy Day
Mushroom Forest

I had a fab time making this and I'm sure you will enjoy playing along with us too. Check out what my other teamies have made then please join in.
I'm also linking this to 
Pan Pastels Use a stamped image
Fashionable Stamping  Journaling
Artistic Stamper Texture
Simon Says Stamp April Showers/and or May Flowers

Thanks very much for looking x

Wot No Colours... Stampotique DC 87 Winter Whites

This week, Valerie  challenges us to use various shades of winter whites in our projects - white, shimmer white, off-white, ecru, eggshell, etc.  Here's what she said about this color choice, "Well, it wasn't planned, but this theme has a striking significance for those of us here on the East Coast who have just endured a big winter snow storm!  All of nature is drooping under the weight of a heavy white winter blanket!  Mother Nature really does provide the most beautiful inspiration!"

Oooh this is a real challenge for me as I love to use colour, so I decided that I needed loads of texture instead.
I started with a piece of corrugated card, and painted with Eco Green acrylics in white, clamshell, and butternut. Next I painted a piece of text paper with a watered down version of the same paints.

Tree has been stamped on vellum,  embossed in white, and edged in Antique Linen distress ink.
The Artemio leaves have been stamped with Vintage Script in Coffee Archival.

Next came my favourite bit... I painted the bird house in white acrylic, then stamped Roc's Stacked Boxes in brown, and liberally sprinkled with Frantage embossing enamel.

Next it was time to decorate the front . I stamped Wee Owl and covered him with a cabochon and popped him on his house. A bit of sticky embossing powder next and lots of fake snow.

The star has been die cut and stencilled with texture paste, then inked and glittered. I was quite getting into the swing of this no colour thing by now lol. To finish off I added a piece of pleated paper to the bottom, painted a few dead twigs (this just about describes my garden at the moment) in white acrylic and added loads more 'snow'. 
I had loads of fun making this, and am now totally covered in paint, glue and glitter :-)
Please join us over at Stampotique Designers Challenge and show us your whites (who remembers the Daz doorstep challenge lol)
I'm also entering this into
Simon Says Stamp And Show - something messy
Fashionable Stamping - birds
Stamping Sensations - fur and feather
Sorry this has been soooo long, and thanks very much for looking x

It's Halloweeeeeeeennnnnnnn

The theme this week over at Stampotique is funny Halloween, and has been chosen by my teamie Astrid. Every year Halloween is getting bigger over here, so I had to join in.

My background has been made by using stamps, distress inks, stencils and sprays.
The houses are Tim Holtz dies and have been painted with Verday Paints and sprayed.
The fence has been made by stamping 
Roc's Stacked Boxes onto canvas and turning it onto it's side.
Kitty is wearing a nice hat which is cut from a piece of ribbon, along with the spider which is dangling over wee owl.
This was great fun to make and I hope it arrived safely with my niece and nephew.
Stamps used
Crow Line
Tree
Vintage Script
Kitty
Halloween Cube 2
Wee Owl
Stacked Boxes
Halloween Cube 1

I'm also entering this into the Pan Pastel Halloween challenge, and Fashionable Stamping Halloween/Halloween Colours.

Thanks very much for looking x

London Calling...

The challenge over at Artful Times is A trip to Europe on a tag. So with this in mind I've gone to a very shabby looking London. I've had enough of the clean and shiny Jubilee type London, so though I would grunge it up a little.
I've started with some craft card and torn a tag shape. All the stamps are by Artistic Outpost, and are a mixture of the Loverly London and London Underground plates. I've just randomly stamped the words in blue, black and red and embossed. This has then been sprayed through a Special Touch mask with Perfect Pearls mist in Capuchino.

It's not looking too shabby at this stage but worse was yet to come lol. I stamped the Union Flag twice in red and blue, then assembled and ripped it a bit around the edges, screwed it up, then sprayed with the capuchino mist. The soldiers have just been stamped and torn around and edged in red and blue. 
It was so nice to be able to take it outside to photograph - no rain today - it's a bit gusty but that I can put up with.
I really enjoyed making this so thanks very much for the challenge.
I'm also entering it into 
The Artistic Outpost July Referral - anything goes, and 
Fashionable Stamping - Let's Get Messy and Inky - check - did that!

You Are Now Entering...THE TWILIGHT ZONE!!

Yes I am of the age where I can remember The Twilight Zone, and I LOVED it. Anything a bit weird and spooky is right up my street. The Scrolls Work stamp in the background always reminds me of the opening credits lol.
This is a piece of 6x6 chipboard that I got from a stamp show last year. It's been coloured with Pan Pastels in blues and grey, with a little black around the edges as I was trying for a night sky effect. I then stamped various Scrolls Work and Cherry Pie stamps with embossing ink, and applied bronze and silver paint with bubble wrap and mesh.

Big Moon and Stella (both Stampotique) have been stamped and embossed, then Stella had a liberal dose of Frantage glass glitter sprinkled over her. 
The Tim Holtz sentiment was embossed in white, then the edge torn around and embossed in bronze.
I'm entering this for the following challenges
Fashionable Stamping - Mystical and Very Magical
Lets Ink It Up - Favourite Embellishment - in my case the glass glitter.
I really enjoyed making this, it was good to get the stamps out and get inky again.
Thanks very much for looking x

By The Sea

Oh no, it's that time of year again, and I need a guy card!! This was going to be a square card, but it slowly evolved into a rectangle. The squares have been coloured with blue and yellow alcohol inks then stamped with archival. The stamps are a mixture of MSE, The Stampman, and Kanban. I've heat embossed the ship wheel - phew, this really makes the AI's smoke - maybe not a good idea lol. All matted onto some Bazzil Bling, so lots of lovely sheen, and a bit of bakers twine to finish. The background paper has been distress rolled at the edges to give it a 'treasure map' feel. Ta da that's that done for another year lol.

I'm entering this into the following challenges

Fashionable Stamping - Nautical

Pan Pastels - One For The Boys

Let's Ink It Up - Distressing

I now have to say goodbye to my computer for a week, I've got a CD stuck in it and it needs to go away for repair. I know life goes on but....:o)

Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your Sunday x

Another Chunky ATC

The Artistic Outpost referral challenge this month is Spring Punk. After looking up what this was, here's mine :o) I've used a chunky atc and covered it with the recent Kanban POTW Kandi Core card. I really like this, the colours are a bit bright but they emboss and sand beautifully. All stamps are from Artistic Outpost and are from the Steampunk and Paris Exposition sets. Following Tim's February tag I had to get some of the honeycomb paper - the trick really is to follow the lines lol. I've gone round the edges with washi tape to neaten them up a bit. These are some of my 'go to' stamps.  The charms are mainly Tims.

For the top I've used Whitewash card. It's one of those 'had for ages but never used' items that I will be using a lot more of in future. I know my 'balloon's' a bit cheesy, but I like it :o)

I really enjoyed making this, I think I've got the chunky bug!

I'm entering it into the following challenges

Artistic Outpost - Spring Punk

Fashionable Stampers - Bingo. I've gone for the vintage, distressing and metal work line.

The Stampman - Vintage.

Thanks very much for looking x

It's Very Purple and Very Girlie

The latest challenge at Stampotique is pink/purple with black, and at Fashionable Stamping it's Something For A Child, so I put them both together and came up with this. It's for my niece who's nine going on twenty five. She's no diva, but then she's not become a teenager yet lol. The chippie has been sprayed with my favourite Dylusion ink in Fuchia, then masked and sprayed again with Glimmer mist in purple.
I've stencilled through with black soot DI around the corners.

Prom Queen has been stamped on watercolour card and coloured with Dylusions and Inkydinks. The chipboard letters have been inked with pink embossing ink, and the UTEE'd in purple. I've carried on heating until the UTEE ran a little, so now you can see the pink and the purple.

The sentiment has been stamped and embossed then sprayed with the fuchia ink again. There's Glossy Accents over the top to raise it up a little, and for once I resisted the temptation to stick my finger into it to see if it were dry :o).

I really enjoyed making this, and I hope she likes it too.

Thanks very much for looking x