Spring Into Spring

Hi, sorry I'm a day late, but real life is definitely getting in the way at the moment lol. The theme at Stampotique this week has been chosen by the lovely Valerie and she wants to see a spring in our step.
"In my town, there is still snow on the ground, but I'm hoping that if we keep thinking "Spring" really hard, that Spring will arrive! To encourage the arrival of Spring, I'd like to see you actually use springs or something that makes things spring up off your project!"
Here's mine, (there are lots of photo's but I'll keep the words down :-)  )

I've been folding books again, this time I folded every page, so it's a bit like the lanterns we used to make as children.

I stamped some images and started to colour, then realised it would take days to colour as many as I wanted, so I sprayed some backgrounds (yep I started stamping before I remembered the photo lol)

Stamped and cut out, by this time I never wanted to see my scissors again! Time to add springs so I set about coiling wire. My first ones were on quite thin wire, and I found that instead of being springy my guys were definitely droopy, so off they came and on with the thicker wire.

If I thought cutting was bad, try photographing a swinging book, in a breeze, with Stampotique bad boys who's only aim is to avoid the camera!

Stop Swinging!!!!

Round and round....

Different tree but still swinging, I blame the Flying Pig, he seemes to be the ring leader, and Romek keeps trying to make a run for it...

Anyway you get the idea 
Lots of stamps used here
Flying Bird
Flying Pig
Birch Tree
Wicked Witch
Dog Cube
Flying Monkey
Bunny
Upward Bound
Birdy Up
Owlseeyou
Paris Lamp Post
Romek and last but not least
Skull Balloons

I'm also entering this into the following
Mixed Media World use bright colours
Craft Stamper -colour
Pan Pastels -  anything goes

I hope you join in with our challenge, please remember the rules

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Please read ALL RULES on the linkz page before linking your creation.

If you didn't follow the rules posted, you may have been deleted.  

Feel free to relink your creation with the correct information for a chance to win.

....and no digis!
If you've made it to the end, congratulations and thank you - now you can get on with the rest of your life :-)
Thanks very much for looking xx

Sing Me A Song

I had a proper play over the Easter weekend with my PanPastels. I've had them for ages now, but have never really gone beyond the dust and dab stage. This is what I came up with.

I wanted to try some stamping and colouring, so I started by putting some blues and greens down on my watercolour paper, then stenciling through my Paper Artsy stencils.

Some more stenciling, then lots of stamping using PA stamps, Versamark and PanPastels.

Next I wanted to try colouring, so I scraped a bit of the PP's into their lids and added a little water.

My silver and gold had had a rough time in transit so had quite a lot of breakage. I used some of this to make quite a thick paste.

They paint on really nicely, and the metallic have a beautiful shimmer, just like a real metallic paint. 

As I was in an experimental mood I wanted to tint some Grunge Paste rather than colouring it when it was dry.
A little paint goes a long way lol.

Apparently it's just like icing a cake (no of course I can't ice cakes!) I just spread it on with a palate knife then made 'bark like' marks with a cocktail stick. I added Onxyite Treasure Gold when it was dry.

You can see the painted PP's here.

And the metallic ones...

Then the sun decided to come out so I took another photograph just 'cos I could.
I'm entering this into the Pan Pastel challenge, Spring Colours,
Paper Artsy which is Grunge Paste,
That's Crafty gold and silver,
and the new challenge blog Stamps and Stencils anything goes, and
Art Journal Journey where we need to illustrate a poem or quotation.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

We're Not In Kansas Anymore...

It's the amazing Nellie's turn to pick the challenge this week at Stampotique and she has asked us to choose our favourite background technique. I think mine is the 'everything but the kitchen sink' technique so this is what I've made.

I've even remembered to take step by step photo's but you can skip these if you like :-).

My chipboard album painted with DecoArt multi -surface satins and a wee bit of Media interference paint in gold and lilac. (All the paints used throughout are from my stash of DecoArt paints. I've recently joined their Blogger Outreach programme and can't wait for my parcel to arrive :-)  )

 Ready for some PanPastels now. I've used gold, silver, and bronze over the top of Versamark. The stamps are
Text Block 3 and
Cracks

Some stenciling now with my favourite sunburst stencil and more DecoArt paint.

More stenciling and finally some stamping. Can you tell how the weather has changed - the sun keeps coming and going. I've stamped and painted Janet's 2 Nuage's  and France's Majestic Tree.

I've also added some of France's Romantic Text with orange PanPastel.

I've painted more card and stamped Majestic Tree and die cut to make a lolipop tree.
Dorothy and Toto have been watercoloured.

I'm pretty sure these guys were not in the Wizard of Oz! Jo's Mushroom Group and Kira's 3 Dwarfy Gnomes have been painted. I've used Spectrum Noir Aqua Marker's on the gnomes - I do like theses but have to practice not just using them as felt tip pens! The sun is shining again now lol and it really picks out the interference paint.
I've spent all day doing this ('cos I'm so slow) and I had a fab time so thank you Nellie for such a great challenge.
I hope you join in with us and show us your favourite background technique 

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Please read ALL RULES on the linkz page before linking your creation.

If you didn't follow the rules posted, you may have been deleted.  

Feel free to relink your creation with the correct information for a chance to win.

I'm also entering this into the Pan Pastels Alter It challenge, Mixed Media World's Anything Goes (I bet they're fed up of me over there lol) and Simon Say Stamp Wednesday which is also anything goes.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

I'm Deconstructing For PaperArtsy

So the theme this time around at PaperArtsy is deconstruction. I'm not really sure what this is, but hopefully it's to do with altering/recycling 'cos this is what I came up with.

The pages were painted with Fresco paints. All the stamps are JoFY's

Also some stenciling.

The flowers were attached to wire so they could be placed at different depths.
Hope this counts as deconstruction :-)
I'm also entering this into the Pan Pastel alter it challenge, Craft Stamper take a stamp - anything goes, and Mixed Media World which is also anything goes (thank you Mo) xx

Enjoy your weekend and thanks very much for looking x

It's Spring Greens for IndigoBlu and Pan Pastels

The challenge this month at IndigoBlu is Spring Greens, and at Pan Pastels they want you to stencil it, so I've combined the two (and not a green stencil in sight lol)

For the background I had a mess around with Brusho's, then added some gold PP through a stencil.

I've then stamped the Script Background, and flowers and leaves from the Live Laugh Love plate. The stalk is Autumn Blaze gilding flake, and I've  stenciled some more greenery at the bottom with PanPastels.

I haven't put a sentiment on yet as I haven't decided if it's going to be a birthday or a Mothers Day card yet.

Enjoy your Thursday, and thanks very much for looking x

Love Is In The Air

Kristen has chosen the theme this week at Stampotique, and she's gone all romantic on us 

February 14th is Valentine's Day, so why not create something that is surrounded by hearts and love?

Why not indeed!

I started with a Brusho background, and bleached stamped Daniel's Hearts  over the top.
My 'go to' romantic couple Courting by my teamie Janet Klein was stamped and watercoloured.
I think that Love and Laughter is the perfect sentiment, it goes with every occasion.
Finally just a bit of stitching around the edges to hold it all together.

I hope that you can join in, remember there's a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate.

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Please read ALL RULES on the linkz page before linking your creation.

If you didn't follow the rules posted, you may have been deleted.  

Feel free to relink your creation with the correct information for a chance to win.

I hope you like it, and I'm wishing you loads of love and laughter.

I'm entering this into the following challenges

Stamping Sensations anything goes

The Artistic Stamper love and

Pan Pastels love is in the air

Thanks very much for looking x

Happy Birdie Two Ewes

The lovely Kathi is the hostess this week at Stampotique so blame her, 'nuff said..... :-)
e.e. cummings said, "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." Puns and word play always make me smile. Really good puns make me laugh. Create a project that makes YOU smile, then share it with us! As always, have fun with this challenge!

I started with a watercolour pencil background which I did like but it's a bit 'in your face', so as velum is back in fashion (I've still got some from the time before last when it was back in fashion) I gave it an overcoat

Time to add the punny bits so

Happy (Happy Birthday)

Birdy (Cocoa Bird)

2 Ewes (Sheep Monster)
and more googly eyes than you can shake a stick at :-)
As I said, blame Kathi.
This was such fun to make - the more I enjoy making something the brighter my colours are so this is a bit of a giveaway - I only hope my Dad likes it on his birthday, but as I get my sense of humour from him, I'm sure he will.
I hope you will join in with our challenge and show us what makes you laugh.

I'm also entering this into the PanPastel challenge which is Happy Birthday.

Thanks very much for looking x

Have Fun!

Good morning, and happy Wednesday, it's time for the first Stampotique challenge of 2015, and Claudine has chosen New Years Resolutions. Here's what she says 
Most of us always create a new Years Resolution at the beginning of the new year. For 2015 try your hand at making something with your new years resolution in mind.

This covers two of my resolutions, one is to have fun in my crafting,( I always have fun when I'm playing with Stampotique) and the other is to be a bit (lot) more organised. So I'm now a card in advance rather than playing catch up 2 hours before I need to put one in the post.

The background is PanPastel which has been pounced through a stencil.
Twinkie, Romek, and Miguel Has A Gift have been coloured with Prisma Pencils, and Happy Birthday has been stamped directly onto the card (always a scary bit).

I've used stickers to spell out my 'Have Fun'
I've used Happy Birthday again on the inside 

Yup it's got an insert and it's in an envelope all ready to go lol.

Please join in with our challenge and show us your New Year resolutions.

I'm also entering this into the challenge over at PanPastels, which is Clean and Simple. For me this is very clean, look at all the scary white space lol.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Merry Kissmas

Hi, it's Wednesday, so that means time for another Stampotique challenge, and this time around the lovely Corrie wants us to get stripey. Here's what she says.
 "Hello everybody !

Today is my turn to set the challenge at the Stampotique Designers' Challenge Blog and I'd like everyone to make something with a stripy background. You can use ink, paint or pens whatever you like, just no ready made stripes with pattern paper !! I want you to do it yourself ! I am excited to see what you come up with but most of all I want you to have fun !! Corrie x"

It's ages since I made a tag, so that's what I went with this time.

I must admit I left it until last push again 'cos someone has stolen November which I think is very rude! I made it on Sunday night and I've been going to and coming home from work in the dark so I had to photograph it under floodlight lol.

The background has been embossed in a folder, then I've rubbed over with Versamark and covered with Pan Pastels in silver, and a silver and blue mix.

I've stamped Kisses where the colour changed.

Chilly has been stamped onto Kraft card and colours with Prisma pencils, and Merry Kiss-mas! has also been stamped onto the Kraft.

I'm also linking this to the PanPastel challenge which is cold and frosty colours.

I hope you join in with our stripey challenge, but remember no digi's please.

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