The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn....

This time the challenge over at Dragons Dream is The Thorn Birds. I have no stamps of anything Australian, so I've taken it a little more literally, and gone for thorns and birds :o) I've had a play with my Ecoline Inks and created a background on water colour paper using a gold Krylon pen as a resist. I've overstamped with black archival with stamps from Kanban and La Blanche. My 'thorn bird' is actually a Christmas stamp by Inkadinkado and has been stamped onto velum and embossed in Winter Wonderland. The quote is from the Nat King Cole song and reads 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return'

  Quite ThornBirdish I thought (who wouldn't love Richard Chaimberlain)..  click on the picture to make it bigger.

I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge which is to create a hand made background, and

The Sunday Stampers, which is Birds.

Nearly time for Hawaii 5 0 now and it's just getting dark :o)

Thanks very much for looking x

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone, I hope the bunny has been round and left lots of chocolate :o)
Here's a wooden frame that Ive altered with my new fabby Inca Gold paints. I sooooo like these - they're just grown up finger paints (though I think you're meant to use cut n dry foam or something).
The frame's been painted with the Inca, then overstamped with a Wendy Vecci background stamp.
The inside is sticky backed canvas which has been sprayed with Dylusions then sprayed again with water to create a faux bleach effect. Trust me it's there but David Bailey I am not!
The Wendy Vecci flowers have been layered on Grungepaper, and the butterfly is more sticky back canvas.
I'm entering this into the following challenges
Happy Daze - something wooden
Artstic Stamper - layers
Sunday Stampers - wings
Simon Says Stamp and Show - favourite Tim technique - (faux bleach)
Thanks very much for looking x

The Future Comes One Day At A Time

When I saw that this weeks Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge was to use metal I crossed it off my to do list. I've only used metal a couple of times and I wasn't too thrilled with the results. But when the Just for Fun challenge was to use a new technique, it seemed the right time to get the old metal sheet out again.
The roses have been coloured in alcohol inks in shades of blues, greens, and reds.
The leaves and butterfly are Paper Artsy dies, and have also been coloured with DI's. The sentiment is from the same Paper Artsy set and I thought that it finished it off nicely.
The background is a cork kitchen floor tile. I couldn't believe that the Tim Holtz die would cut through it, but it went straight through!
I'm also entering this into The Sunday Stampers challenge, as this week it's brown.
Thanks very much for looking and have a great Sunday x

It's All Change - Well Simon Said To Alter It!!

 I have always loved looking at altered art on other peoples blogs, but it's something I've never had a go at myself, so when I saw in advance that The Stampman were going to have a Altered challenge I thought it was the perfect time to have a go!
So my weapon of choice was this,

it's a cutlery tray from a discount store. Why I couldn't have started with a wooden spoon I don't know :o)

I sanded and painted with black acrylic paint, then sprayed inside and out with purples and orange glimmer mists. It's the first time I've persevered with the glimmer mists and I'm now a convert!
Now came the small task of filling it - again why not a wooden spoon!!.
So I made some atc's, microscope slides, and then my new Alteration dies landed with a thud on my mat, so these were used immediately :o) on Coredinations card, and sanded.
The inks are a mixture of distress and dye, and a wee bit of embossing has gone on as well.
It's by far the most adventurous thing I've ever made. I'm officially the slowest crafter in the world, and this has taken me days  weeks, but I've really enjoyed watching it come together. Though as my DH says 'What are you going to do with it??'  Men!!
The stamps are by Artistic Outpost and Cherry Pie.
The images are by Itkupilli and Moonlight Journey
I'm entering this for Stampman's Altered challenge
Lot's to Do - Alter it
Sunday Stampers - Paint it Black
Simon Says Stamp and Show Sanded/Distress.
Theme Thursday - Dark Gothic/Halloween
Thanks very much for looking - I'm going to tidy up the conservatory now 'cos it looks like we've been burgled (again!!)

Phew - In The Nick Of Time....

I've been meaning to do my entry for this weeks CoC challenge all week, but here I am, last push again :o) This week page 65 has all the answers on...Grungepaper flowers. As mine are rather blue they also fit in nicely with Hels' challenge for the Sunday Stampers, so who says being late isn't a good thing :o)

I'm sworn to secrecy by Linda and Tim himself about how this was made, but I started with 3 beer mats that I stole borrowed from the pub last night. Hands up those who know that a beer mat is the exact size of the largest nestie circle.  Oh you knew, and you and... well I didn't but I do now :o)  Ok hands down now,  no one likes a smart a*se you know lol.

I went to the Papercraft show in Harrogate yesterday - wow I could have spent a fortune on the first display (actually I did but that's our secret right). Then today my heat gun went to crafting heaven (big green bin) I've had it since day dot and it's one of the long ones that blows the embossing powder everywhere so I'm thinking of changing to the 'heat buddy' type. Any opinions would be most gratefully accepted.

Have a lovely Sunday evening, and thanks for looking x

Not For Those of a Nervous Disposition...

Wow this pink is making my eyes bleed :o) The owl is my entry to this weeks Sunday Stampers challenge which is birds. It's an Elusive Images stamp that's been coloured with Inktense pencils. I couldn't decide what to put round the edges, so I eventually came up with some Tim Holtz crackle paint. I used Worn Lipstick which is such a pale colour in the distress ink, so I thought nice subtle bit of crackling, and what I got was blamange pink!
I tried to tone it down a bit but it wasn't having any, so here it is in all its glory.
I've just realised I've not coloured the eyes, think I go and add a touch of er - not pink....
Thanks very much for looking xx

What's New Pussycat

This is my entry for this week's Sunday Stamper's challenge. I've just received this puddy cat stamp from Dimension Fourth and I love him. I've coloured him in with Prisma markers, and topped him(ouch) with Glossy Accents. If you look carefully you'll see my thumb print on his tummy!
The mountboard background has been brayed, and the little fish bones are shrink plastic. The sentiment came in the huge K&Co kit from QVC in the days when I would buy every craft TSV whether I liked it or not! I've inked it in daffodil yellow to celebrate St David's Day!
Back to work tomorrow :0(.
Thanks very much for looking xx

Fly Me To The Moon

The challenge today over at The Sunday Stampers is Under The Moon Of Love. Well of course I'm old enough to remember this - I've even been known to do the funny little dance if I've had enough to drink :o). The main image in an Inca stamp from the bottom of the box, and the words are by Cherry Pie. The star is a piece of grungeboard which has been painted and embossed.
This ATC is mark 2 - the original went in the bin. I even got as far as scanning it before admitting that I just didn't like it!
Enjoy what's left of the weekend and thanks for looking xx

The Sunday Stampers - Black and Gold

The theme on Sunday Stampers this week is black and gold, and a damn fine song this is too. OK an ATC is 3.5 x 2.5 so why did it take approx 3 hours to make and 30 mins to tidy away lol. Well after many aborted attempts with gold leaf (oooh) and foiling (ahhh) they went in the bin, and Sir Tim's acrylic paint dabber come out!! It's a Tim Holtz stamp, stamped embossed them masked. Paint dabbed on quite thinly to give a streaked effect. The rub on words are by Creative Imaginations, with just a little gold charm from the bottom of the box to finnish. I really enjoyed making this - though anyone listening wouldn't have thought so!
Thanks for looking.xx
http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/2009/01/sunday-stamper-week-42-black-gold.html

The Sunday Stampers, Stamp Something

This is a double whammy for me this week, as the theme on Sunday Stampers is cats, and on Stamp Something its 1st's. Well this Daisy Cat stamp is the first I ever bought. She came previously owned from e-bay, the wood is covered in ink, and it's obvious she had been well used, and I love her to bits. How someone could part with her I will never know.:o)
The background paper has been in my stash for a couple of years now. Daisy has just been stamped and cut out. Her flowers have been coloured with Glaze pens and a little bit of diamond glaze.
The love stamp is one of a set of clear stamps, and a couple of prima's and a button finishes it off.
She may be old and tatty but I love her!!
Thanks for looking xx
http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/2008/05/sunday-stampers-week-16-cool-for-cats.html
http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/2008/05/first-somethings.html