Let's Get Inky and Messy

This is my third entry today, I would love for you to check out my two previous entries, similar and yet greatly different from this entry. Over at Fashionable Stamping challenges this is their second week for the challenge, Let's Get Inky and Messy. I had a session of getting messy and inky  twice this week. First,  preparing for my class on Friday and second was at the class, which was , Distress - How Far to go?  The card below is quite distressed, by ripping, tearing, crunching, blending Distress inks, spraying water then spritzing with Cosmic Shimmers, the mica effect doesn't show as well as in real life. I also stamped a few clocks and cogs to the background. The couple are from my most used set of stamps at the moment, from Kanban - Jasper set. they have been coloured with Promarkers, trying to use colours from the background. I'm missing being with all of the girls at FSC, but your all doing a wonderful job, as usual and good luck with your DT Call and for your NEW adventure -  VINTAGE STAMPING CHALLENGE  sister blog. I look forward to it's inauguration.

Oriental

Over on Fashionable Stamping Challenges our theme for the next two weeks is Oriental. It's not as popular as it once was but like everything else it will make a come back I used a Non Sequitor sheet of stamps available from The Stampman and coloured with Promarkers, with a little Heat embossing on the small box. The small flowers are from one stamp from www.dreamees.org.uk  a recent favourite purchase. I look forward to once again visiting you for I'm sure we can look forward to some stunning creations. please be sure to pop over to the main blog for the DT have visited the Orient in true fashion and style.

Nature at FSC

For the next two weeks we at Fashionable Stamping Challenges are asking you to get into Nature. There are so many themes which will suit the overall theme of Nature, so I am sure we can look forward to seeing your wonderful varied creations. I played about with colour, Distress inks and a couple of Cosmic Shimmer sprays. I enjoy creating backgrounds as you can see. I then used in several colours to stamp Indigo Blu from Nature 1. The birds, I frequently use are from Inkylicious. Have fun and many thanks for your visit and for any comments you may leave.
Also entered into The Cheerful Stamp Pad for "In the Garden" - not all gardens are blooming and tidy, come and see mine. 

Magical and Mystical

The topic of Magical or Mystical was chosen by me at Fashionable Stamping Challenges, it is for two weeks so plenty of time to find the right stamps, maybe in the back of the cupboard or drawer. It can be anything you wish as long as it can be considered to be Magical or Mystical. I have recently bought the Stampendous Mermaid stamp, so this was my immediate thought. I prepared my background with a sheet of copy paper covered with Starburst Stains, the blue and green ones from the Victorian Bouquet set, available from The Stampman. the sheet was scrunched up when wet into a tight ball, this helps the mica within the stains to hit the peaks and land in the troughs. Once the paper was dry, I then started to decorate, with stamped shells, real small shells form an old shell necklace, pieces of blue, green fibres, a stamped treasure chest from a pirate set from Tandastamps, the anchor from Creative Expressions Coast set and of course the mermaid, which I coloured with Promarkers apart from her lower body, which was coloured in the same way as the background paper. please do pop over to the main blog for the Design team have such a variation on the theme, which I am sure will help to inspire you. Thanks for visiting and for any comments, which I do appreciate. 

P.S. I forgot to say the gravel, pebbles etc are crunched egg shells, painted with mica powders.

Steampunk at Fashionable Stamping

For the next two weeks at Fashionable Stamping  Challenges we are asking you to think of Steampunk. Don't be daunted by the prospect, if you've never attempted it before, think of Victorian,  Jules Verne, Steam, if electricity hadn't been invented what else would we have using steam? Fashion too, can become your way out fantasies. Mix it up, clocks, cogs, mechanical parts. Be daring and try being different but we do ask somewhere noticeable on your work we can see some stamping. For my project, I have made it feminine, it isn't always about men. Yes, it's grungy but I like to mix up my styles. The background is a sheet from a kitchen roll which cleaned up my mess at the Stampman workshop yesterday, don't throw anything away. Stamps used, coloured and cut out, the lower lady's head is stamped onto tissue paper. A piece of mesh, with a piece of cotton with eyelets adds extra texture and interest, contrasted against a frizzled up organza bow. Over some areas of the card, I have sprinkled and heated Fran-tage, one of the delights I procured  from the workshop. Along with some Lilac Wow! powder, messy, maybe, but it's my version of Steampunk. I hope you like it. thanks for your visits. Sorry I haven't been a good commenter lately but I've been very busy and poorly, hope to improve soon.

Cities of the World

For the next two weeks we at Fashionable Stamping Challenges are looking forward to visiting Cities of the World. We are sure to have a whirlwind journey. London has featured heavily, only because for many of we Brits it is our most famous city, where there is so much going to be happening this summer, with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations and of course the Olympic and Para-Olympic Games.  For my card, first it is an A5 in the UK this is half of of an A4, so, quite a big card. The Union Jack background is from a scrapbook sheet by Personal Impressions. The building is from a set from Inidgo Blu, the two figures are from Kanban's Jasper set. Everything was coloured with either Promarkers or TH Distress Inks. The London letters were created by hand and coloured. Don't forget there is a prize and a badge for the outright winner and a badge for the Top 3. Come on bloggers, now which city of the world will you be visiting?

Emboss It!

Another two weeks at Fashionable Stamping Challenges with a new challenge. Avril, has chosen for the challenge for either Dry or Heat Embossing or even both. The Embossing folders have certainly become very popular and can make such an attractive addition to a card or other projects. Please pop over to the blog and don't forget the winner each fortnight will win a voucher to buy goodies from our sponsor. Step over to our catwalk to see the amazing inspiration from the Design Team.

Here is my card, I matted the main white card with brown spotted paper. I  embossed a piece of pearlised cream card with Christmas Vines Embossing Folder, a strip of the brown backing paper added, lace and two ribbons tied with a faux bow. Two pieces of card from Tim Holtz Shabby Chic Stash pad, edged with TH Distress inks Vintage Photo. The stamped image is from Kay Carley available from The Stampman, which was coloured with Promarkers. Finally, I added gems, a metal rosette with a small pink flower. Thanks for your comments which are always appreciated. Have fun making your embossed card.  

A Nautical Theme

This week the Fashionable Stamping Challenge is Nautical, please pop over to check out al of the information, but to also see the wonderful projects which are sure to inspire you made by the Design Team.  Of course the sponsor cottage Crafts is also offering her regular prize to the outright winner. For my Nautical theme I made a scenic card.

Everything has been stamped and coloured with Promarkers. 

Clouds, Lighthouse and cottage, the sand, the boats, the grasses are all from Creative Expression- Sheena Douglass -Coast.  The rocks and the sea waves are from Scenescape stamps. The galleon from a pirate set from Tandastamps. The birds are from Inkylicious.  This card did involve a lot of masking. I first stamped it out onto normal copy paper, to work out which was to be stamped first and then in what order to work out the masking,  time consuming but for me an enjoyable time was spent. I look forward once again to visiting your blogs over the next two weeks. 

Spring Is In The Air - FSC

It is Spring is in the Air time over at the Fashionable Stamping Challenges for two weeks. Please pop over to see the amazing talented work of the DT. We do have a regular sponsor, who provides us with a prize each challenge for the winner, we also have a Top 3 chosen by the DT. I decided to make my card a little distressed looking, a little worn and ready for a new season - Spring. I coloured my main card with Worn Lipstick Distress ink. Stamped all over with a leaf background stamp, using Peeled Paint D.I. A torn and crumpled sheet of copy paper, coloured with Old Paper and Antique Linen DI. Various stamps used, the main one from Dimensions. From my prepared stash of papers with Moonglow painted onto them, to give some bling, placed behind a piece of mesh, which has been tied with twine. a few flowers and leaves added. I also add a few feathers, from my stash. If you want feathers like these the best place to get them at a fairly cheap price is to go to a fishing tackle shop. I had a great time looking at your Bingo cards, and am of course looking forward to checking out your Spring cards. Most of all have fun.

Bingo at Fashionable Stamping.

For the next two weeks at Fashionable Stamping Challenges we are playing craft Bingo, it is all explained on the blog, please pop over to see the instructions, the few rules we have and of course the awesome samples made by the Design Team. Here is the Bingo chart for a reference if needed.

I decided upon the diagonal from left to right - Show some metal, Distressing and Vintage. 

Any excuse to use my Kanban Jasper stamp set. The metal started life as a drinks can, cut, and placed with a script embossing folder into my Cuttlebug. I then coloured it with some alcohol ink. I have distressed two sheets of Debbie Moore Shabby Chic papers. Added a die cut flourish, a few flowers. I also made two butterflies using Shirley's template, I followed her You tube instructions which were an enormous help- here 

A detailed close up. I used Promarkers and Sakura Gelly roll Pen to add colour.

Please check out the blog, I appreciate all of your comments and equally enjoy visiting your blogs. 

I am also entering this into The Stampman Vintage Challenge

and to the Vintage challenge at The Craft Room Challenges

Shiver Me Timbers

For the next two weeks at Fashionable Stamping Challenges we would like you to make a card for a child, any age/ any occasion. As we are surrounded in our family by boys, with only one girl, I though maybe a card for one of the boys would be useful to get ahead. Pirates are very popular, thanks to the wonderful Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films. I bought this set of Pirate stamps ages ago and almost forgot I had them. The pirate is actually from an old wooden stamp which I removed from the block and adjusted, I am much happier with him now. I heat embossed several stamps to provide a resist for when I added several colours of TH Distress inks to the main card. I acquired an old map, distressed it , added a red cross on one of the Caribbean islands, to mark the treasure. Seems they have found it, a chest with jewels and doubloons. I added some twine to look like rope on the ship, with a few additional slip knots. i look forward to visiting your blogs to see the Child's Card you have made. Please do to pop over to the main blog for the Design Team have made amazing cards for this challenge. Important  things to remember are we don't allow Digi Stamps,and  there must be some very evident stamping showing, for it is Fashionable Stamping. Have fun and thanks for your visit and if you have left me comments, many thanks for those too.

Monochrome at Fashionable Stamping

Wow! We had some fabulous cards for men, over the last two weeks at Fashionable Stamping Challenges, it's never easy choosing an overall winner and top 3 but this will be a very difficult choice to make for each of the Design Team. For the next two weeks we are asking you to make a project using Monochromatic plus one other colour.  Check out the instructions over on the blog to be sure of being in with a chance of winning.  Our sponsor, Cottage Crafts offers each winner a choice from her shop to the value of E7.

There is a lot of Love floating around during the early part of February, so here is my Monochrome card in red with a little black for contrast. The three hearts are from a free stamp with a Craft Stamper magazine.  I used  Fired Brick TH Distress ink all over the card including the background, which was then stamped with a small text stamp from Paperartsy. The negative Love stamp is a foam stamp from Papermania. I look forward to once again visiting you over the next two weeks. Have fun, there are some amazing samples on the blog by the marvellous Design team, please do take a look.

I am entering this card into a few challenge blogs with a theme connected to Valentine's Day.
Crafty Bloggers~ Love is in the Air
Creative Belli Blog Hearts/Valentine
Creative Inspirations - Inspired by Hearts
Rainbow Lady ~Have a Heart
Crafty Cardmaker - Monochromatic Card
Cards For Men   Valentine's Day/Love

Make It A Guy Thing

For the next two weeks, at Fashionable Stamping Challenges, we would like to see a project for a guy. It could be a Valentine card, or any other card or project for a guy in mind. Our sponsor Cottage Crafts is now offering the overall winner a chance to choose their own prize to a limit of 7euros. Please pop over and take a look at the amazing catwalk.  The Fashionettes have again produced some amazing pieces for your pleasure. My husband adores the great outdoors, he is a keen bird watcher, so the type of card I usually make for him is of the countryside. This card is not only using Sheena Douglass's stamps but is similar to one she recently made on C&C TV.  The stamps are the Faith set in the Sketchy series. I used TH Distress inks to add all of the colour, by blending, directly stamping and as a watercolour. I look forward to visiting your blog to see your projects for the guys in your life.
Remember, STAMPING must be a main feature and be clearly seen.  Have fun, thank you to any who visit and comment on my card, your ocmments are always appreciated.

FSC - Butterflies or Bugs

I had fun making this card for the D.T. of Fashionable Stamping Challenges, I sat quite happily playing with paint. I love butterflies but dragonflies can be just as pretty with sparkly wings. I used an old Creative Expressions wooden stamp, it's amazing how with the boom in clear stamps, I suspect because of storage, how much cheaper you can buy the wooden stamps at craft events. This is good news for me, for being a stampaholic I love and cherish stamps of any type. I particularly love this stamp for using Luminate H2Os and or  mica powders, of which I have on this card. It's such a shame when the shine doesn't show but you can see a little of it on the right side. I also glittered the dragonflies wings. As it is a small card, I decided to make it into an easel card to give even more of an interesting shape. Please pop onto our catwalk on the main blog to view my fellow DT Fashionettes, for the samples are simply stunning. We know you can provide us with some amazing projects, so please let us see them. Sadly, I am experiencing problems, along with many others I believe who use Internet Explorer, with our own commenting page and those of others, not everyone, but it is making it impossible for me personally to add comments onto other blogs, But I will be trying, most of the team are fine so we will be visiting you. You have two weeks and I an hoping this problem is resolved very soon.  There is an amazing prize for the chosen winner. Come on ladies let us see you strut your stuff.

New year - New Stash

Firstly may I wish all of my follower friends a very happy, healthy and creative 2012. I have greatly appreciated your support and comments during 2011 and look forward to hopefully providing more papercraft projects which you will enjoy. Thank you so much.  I would also like to thank the recent new followers whom I haven't so far said welcome to. I am honoured,  again thank you.
 At Fashionable Stamping Challenges, we are starting the New Year asking you to use any new stash the big guy in the red suit may have brought you. It can be anything which we crafty folk call stash, a wide choice.
The theme is anything you wish it to be, just let us see your new stash. My family  don't buy me craft stuff, they all seem to think I have enough or say they wouldn't know what to get. I think it makes good sense, no I don't have enough, who ever does? Being honest I love having the buzz of buying my own stash, especially with the gift of cash, don't you? I bought this set of stamps a couple of weeks before Christmas, as a present to myself.  I set about making the card as if it was a snap of a New Year's Eve party. I hope you like it. Please do pop over to the FSC blog for the samples from my fellow Fashionettes are fabulous. I will be popping around your blogs to to thank you for joining us with our first challenge for 2012.
Materials used:-
Stamps - Kanban Jasper Steampunk - figures and clock.
Champagne bottle - La Blanche
Papers from craft stash.
Copic pens  and TH Distress Inks to add colours.

Around the World at Fashionable SC

For the next two weeks at Fashionable Stamping Challenges. - Christmas time makes us think of all our loved ones who can’t be with us, so we have decided to travel the world and keep them in our thoughts. It could be with a postcard, or you could visit a country, take a suitcase, send a letter, go by car, boat, train, plane, the list is endless, but more than anything have fun with your project and think of all those families who, for whatever reason, will not be able to spend time together this Christmas. I decided to hop on a plane and go to visit a carnival in Rio de Jenaro. I enjoyed spending the time in 'blinging' up this crd with glitter, jewels and Sakura glitter pens. The stamp of the dancer is an old one from Rubbadubbadoo, isn't she wonderful in all of her feathers and finery? Please pop over to the blog for the remainder of the design team have excelled themselves with some fabulous travel projects and again our leader Shirley and the wonderful Andrew have provided us with an exciting platform to present them. I look forward to checking in on your travel project.

Dressmaking/Corsets at Fashionable Stamping

For the next two weeks at Fashionable Stamping Challenges we would like to see your creations which fit the theme of Dressmaking, Corsets and or Acessories. I'm really looking forward to visiting you all, I was unable to visit last week and leave comments due to computer problems, but I so don't want to miss your entries over the next two weeks. I actually don't have any dressmaking stamps, apart from one sad lonely sewing machine, so I concentrated on the corset theme. the front of the card I used a TH pink sheet from the Shabby stash , coloured it more with Worn Lipstick and Fired Brick Distress inks. I stamped the lady twice, once on plain card so I could colour her face, hair and the background of the chair. the 2nd stamping was onto a piece of small print pretty red paper to give her an interesting dress, which was then decoupaged onto the first stamped image.  I added a small piece of gold chain for a necklace. I made the two larger red flowers with the spiral technique. The computer image of A lady's BEST kept secret is.... meant to entice you to open the card... inside which are several variations of her corsetry. -her Underwear.

Stamps used La Blanche for the lady - another £1 bargain

The Corset is from Bavura stamps from E - Bay.

Thanks for looking at  my blog and this card, I hope it inspires you, in any small way.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas @ F.S.C.

I am not dreaming of a white Christmas, not after last year, it started snowing late November and didn't stop till mid February. No, not me, it's Shirley and the Design Team over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges  They have produced some wonderful Christmas cards which will hopefully inspire you to join us this week with your wonderful creations. There is always a super prize for the the winner. Please pop over and have a look at our catwalk to see the treasures. For my card, I decided to take the challenge literally by the title, concentrating on white and silver,  sadly the photo doesn't show the bling of the Silver Bells WOW! powder or the silver mirri card.  On a piece of cut white card, I stamped and embossed with the  Wow! EP,  the spruce branches around the outside of the card, to appear as though on a Christmas tree. I stamped the baubles and bows, embossed with the Wow! E.P. They were adhered to the card with 3 d foam to give shape and dimension.

Stamps used Spruce - from Sheena Douglass Faith set

Two baubles and bows from a fairly new stamp designer, please check out her blog, she has some amazing stamps and samples at Chloe's Creative Cards 

I again look forward to visiting your blogs, to see your Christmas delights.

Times Gone By - I'm late

For the next 2 weeks at Fashionable Stamping Challenge we are asking you to step back in time, any time, as long as it is Times Gone By. My choice of card was down to which stamp will fit the bill. Despite having a mountain of stamps, there are more of one period in time than any other, me thinks, I need, no I want more stamps. The stamp I used is from a favourite company - Inkadinkado, another E-bay purchase. I coloured it using TH Distress inks as watercolours. The tram tickets are from a stamp a friend kindly gave me. The background took the longest but I love making my own backgrounds. Again a mixture of TH Distress inks, the stamps are from the Time plate by Creative Expressions. I am late in handing in my homework to the head Fashionette so my apologies, I may not be appearing on the cat walk until later today. Please do visit our main blog, for the remainder of the design team have created some magical pieces of memorabilia.

Fashionable Stamping- Coffee, Cream and Dark Chocolate.

Starting today, for two weeks the stamping challenge over at Fashionable Stamping - definetly no digis, we are asking to see your take on a favourite type of drink, Coffee and Cream even with a hint of Dark Chocolate. Please pop over to the blog, for the description, by our wonderful leader Shirley,  is a delicious use of lip smacking words where you can almost feel a warm liquid passing your lips. The samples by the DT are once again a delight to see. For my flavour of Coffee, Cream and a Hint of Dark Chocolate I started with an 8" square card. I stamped the lady musician first, masked her, stamped the backgound music sheets, making sure it was in the centre of the card. I used Memento Rich Cocoa, even the ink fits the theme. In my stash I found an 8" sq. piece of dark chocolate brown, which I carefully tore out the centre section to expose the stamped images. I distressed and inked all the edges of the brown paper, adhered it to the main card. Secured two swirls, one coffee, one cream cut with a Marianne die, added flowers in opposite corners, with smaller flowers in the centre. I further added in opposite corners a pair of filigree metal corners. The final touch being the large gemstones onto a music sheet.
Stamps used
Violinist - La Blanche bought at the craft event last weekend for £1
Music stamps La Blanche from QVC.