Shabby Chic House.... and winding down for Christmas

This little house of goodies was made with the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge in mind, where the theme is "Projects with depth".
I used some leftover configurations boxes and put a roof on top using foamboard. The insides are cut from card and inked with distress inks, then stamped with background stamps. Some tissue tape around the edges to make it neat and you have a shell of a house to fill with goodies.
I used all sorts of things, little miniature bottles with real (evaporated) alcohol inside, game pieces, ideaology, springs, tape measure, an old earring etc etc.

This will be the last larger projects I'm showing on my blog for the year as I'm winding down for Christmas. I have a busy 2 weeks ahead with work, as I only get 2 days off over Christmas and have people over to cook for I have an awful lot of cooking, baking, planning, shopping to do. So I will concentrate on that and wind down my blog until the new year. I will be back with the odd card or post though I'm sure.

Wendy Vecchi Clock for Simon says Stamp and Show

I've made a clock similar to this before, using the other 3 flowers out of this Maya Road chipboard album and I have been meaning to make a 2nd clock for ages to give to my Mum. So as it's Wendy Vecchi week at Simon says Stamp and Show I thought now is the time.

I used loads of Maya Road mini chipboard shapes and cut flowers from grungepaper. Some idea-ology, plenty of colour and background stamps. It's easy but takes time to colour each piece and figure out what goes where. Well worth the effort in the end though. And I love the concept of the 2 decorated flowers with the clock in the middle.

I also wanted to mention the Wendy Vecchi Flickr Group that I started a while back with Wendy's permission. Slowly people join and add their creations but I'd like it to be more for more great Wendy art to admire. So if you are a regular on Flickr then come and join us here.

Magic Mushy ATC

My last ATC from the recent batch I made, I used more Stampotique stamps, the mushrooms I love and the alphabet I cannot live without anymore. It's so much fun and a bit crazy, I love it!
More stitching too! I'm stitching everything at the moment.
This is being entered into the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge.

I went to the BSSS at Ally Pally yesterday and for the first time got a proper chance to chat to my friend Kim of Crafty Makes. Also bumped into Alison which was fab. Good to see you girls!
Didn't spend as much money as I thought I would which was good. Didn't have much time to spend anyway, had to rush off to work. Another fun show, wish I'd had more time to watch the demos though. Maybe next time I'll take the day off work.

And even more ATC's

Why not share some more ATC's, they are small, they are quick so why not show loads in one day.

This one is using my newly found love for Stampotique stamps, I attached his head with a small spring behind it. It shows that ATC's don't have to be superfancy and take ages. This one was so quick and I really like it. Sometimes you just have to let the stamp speak for itself.

Stampotique is available from the Happy Daze Shop so why not check them out?!
This one I am entering into the Happy Daze "Little Black Dress" Challenge. My little black dress item here is the script stamp by Hero Arts. I use it ALL the time. Any good, large script stamp would do, they are just so versatile.

More Stampotique stamps can be found on this one. The hexagon for the background, I've sewn along the hexagon lines after stamping it. The bees are stamped on top of the acetate, which is then sewn to an acetate backing around the outline of the ATC. I love the idea of the sewing and creating layers like that but I'm yet to perfect that. This is my first attempt, definitely not my last.

This one I'm entering into the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge.

Trapped butterflies ATC for Simon Says

It's ATC time at Simon says Stamp and Show and I haven't made any in ages. I like working on a small scale sometimes as you get to try many different techniques in a short space of time.
I have wanted to get out my sewing machine for some projects so I thought why not sew all over my ATC's. I made a few today. First up I'd like to share my trapped butterflies. They are loose behind the netting and can move around. When I saw those netting offcuts (used for wig making, my sister had some spare pieces) I just knew I had to make little sewn pockets of some sort and put things behind it.

This one was simple really, didn't stop me from faffing about with it for ages though. More ATC's to come so watch this space.....

Stamptember @ Simon Says Stamp and Show

How cool, a whole month dedicated to stamping, not that I make an exception the rest of the year but you know, it's a good excuse to spend even more money on new stamps and boy have I been spending money in the past few weeks. I should save a little for the upcoming Ally Pally Show.

So I have been putting aside little bits for this printer tray for a while now. Everytime I made sth special or sth I just really liked I made a note for it to go in the tray.

I used some of my favourite stamps and photos, tried different techniques and inks and paints. But my favourite is the centerpiece, the photo f my mum. I just love it. I made it in the style of a card I made and that was published in the recent Stamper's Sampler. So it doesn't just remind me of my mum but also of my craft achievements. Double special!
There's pictures of my dad and my sister too, little sayings, a rusty birdcage, a bird Wendy style, grungblocks, a grungepaper rose etc. Lots to discover and a celebration of anything crafty, just right for Stamptember. So I am entering this into the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge.

Another crazy painted mirror

It's yet another mirror, I just love them. Practical little home decorations and so much fun to do. This one if another piece to be goin to the fair on saturday. It's similar to one I did previously but then again they are all unique.

I am entering this into the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge where this week Anything goes.

This is also a creation for Try it on Tuesday's Altered Week and this week we are making presents. Their challenge is sponsored by The Craft Barn as usual.

A bottle of inspiration

Sometimes ideas just come to you when you least expect it and that was the case with this bottle. The grungepaper top was an idea by the amazing Lin of LB Crafts, she had made little glass vial bottle trees like that and added them to a project and I liked them so much I wanted to make some too.
So there was me sitting at work one day drinking a bottle of Firefly and I peeled the label off as it's one of those shrink wrap labels that come off easy and I was left with this perfect clear bottle. I thought that be really noce to paint with the Paper Artsy paint just like a project we did at the Artsy Crafts event and I could make a big grungepaper tree and decorate the bottle. And there you go.
I made this for the Happy Daze Challenge where the theme is Dangly Things. And Simon says Stamp and Show wants to see Words this week.

Simon says Stamp and Show a tag - Part 2

Another tag for Simon says Stamp and Show and as I already explained in my previous post I am currently working with limited stash at my parents house. It's not easy. Then again I'm here to chill and not go mad with my stamps like I do at home..... so many things to make so little time.

Inked background with some ferns and greenery, some spiced marmalade script, butterflies and a german sentiment thats also been glossy accented. Add 2 little flower brads and done.

Simon says Stamp and Show a tag.....

It's tag time at Simon says Stamp and Show and I've given myself an extra challenge this week. I am at home at my parents house at the moment and my mum has a limited stash of inks (how am i supposed to work with just 6 distress inks?!?!? HOW?!?!?!) and stamps and stuff. So I thought thatll make it that little bit extra challenging. I made this little birdie tag after one of Tim's christmas tags last year.

Distress Inks, shimmer mist made up the background with a Tim letter mask that I inked through. A sideways tree with fibers for a nest. A keycharm and some random little leaves.

Angelboy Tag....

I like tags, they are great to try new techniques and they are fairly quick to do, but then what do you do with them? At least with cards you know you can send them to someone but with tags, I never know what to do with them. Nevertheless I like them, suppose they just have to go into the box with my ATC's.

So I wanted to use my new arched glass stamp (purchased by my boyfriend, he did listen last time I dragged him to the stamp shop! Result!). The tag looks a tad christmassy but that wasn't my intention. Love the colours though.

I actually made it for the ONE FOR THE BOYS Challenge over at Try it on Tuesday.

I'm also entering this into the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge and the Sir Stampalot Challenge.

Art Journey Challenge #9 - Birthday

I have recently purchased some more stamps from Art Journey, well I have bought a ton of new stamps recently, some of them from Art Journey, hehe.

This is just to share a card with you I made for their challenge, checkcheck out their blog here.
The theme this month is birthdays.

It is also goin into the Simon says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes Challenge.

Another card goin into the box for my upcoming craft fair.

Busy bees(wax)......

First of all I d apologize for the severe lack of posts and crafted things, I have been a very busy bee. My parents visited a week ago and then I wasn't well for 2 days and also I am concentrating on some magazine work at the moment so I didn't get a chance to show anything on here.

But I had a very busy craft monday yesterday.

For now I'd like to share this mirror with you. I am still making more things to sell at my craft fair in June so I created this beeswax mirror. I painted it and stuck some book pages on it, swiped it with some ink and then got waxing. I stamp my images on a layer of tissue as it's so much thinner than tissue paper.

This is being entered into the Craft Barn Beeswax Challenge as well as the Charisma Cardz Challenge - No Cards Allowed. And of course Simon says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes.

Tim Technique - Water Stamping

Over at Simon says Stamp and Show we are using fabulous Tim Holtz techniques this week. Always a favourite.
So I inked up some card with distress inks and water stamped into it. It's important you get a fine even mist all over the stamp. Too much water can make it runny (see top right corner of the card) and you can't see the image that well. I find that bold images work best although the flower here came out ok.
Give it a go it's great fun and so simple.

Vintage Butterfly Mirror

As mentioned before I'm making a lot of stuff for a craft fair at the moment and this is another piece I'll be displaying there. I used an Ikea mirror as they are so cheap and everytime I head to Ikea I stock up on a few of these. I covered it with Tim Holtz Kraft Resist paper which then got white washed and distressed with some distress inks, especially round the edges. From another sheet of the same paper I cute some butterflies and sprayed them with perfect pearls mist and stuck them on with foam pads. Gold corners and letters stuck on and it's done. It's very easy but looks lovely and old and vintagy. I may have to flick through the paper pack again and see what other papers may work well for use with the mirrors. I'm entering this into the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge where the theme is distressing!

A very special vintage notepad

I thought to myself the other day whether you can print on sticky back canvas as I've never been very good at any other image transfer techniques (not that I've really practised a lot, I'm a little impatient) so I had a little search online and yes of course you can print on the stuff.

I tried it out straight away and printed this old picture of my mum, I love that pic. It's one of the most beautiful photos I've ever seen!

So I simply stuck this round some chipboard, glued a back to it so it looks neat and went a bit mad with the old perfect pearls mist (I think I used a bit too much). I then stamped some swirls over the top, bound the whole thing with a strong cardboard back and added some fibers and idea-ology. Done.


It is so easy to create a really personal gift like this, and a useful gift too. I'm gonna send this to my mum. And I think I just created a new obsession, printing old photos on sticky back canvas. Uhoh! Loads more notepads to come I think!

I am entering this into the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge.

Vintage Birdie and a few challenges....

I came across a video yesterday of Tim demonstrating the new distress stains and I had not thought of using them to ink up stamps. Makes perfect sense as they are just liquid ink pads but it was so obvious it didnt cross my mind. So I gave that a go today and created that vintage background using an Artistic Outpost stamp - "Ephemeral Backgrounds" (have I mentioned how much I love their stamps at the momen?!?!). The effect works so well with this old writing, just perfect! The idea with the birdcage I think also came from a similar card from the Artistc Outpost page, I have been browsing so many blogs and pages recently I cant even remember where I've seen half the things.
By the way, the grungeboard cage has also been coloured with distress stain, I think my new favourite thing is to colour grungeboard, the liquid distress makes it sooooo much easier than colouring it with a blending tool.
So this is being entered into the Simon says Stamp and Show Challenge as well as the Artistic Outpost Referral Program.

MEN - AFFIRMATIVE

As the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge is slowly coming to an end I really am trying to make the effort to join in even though crafting time is rare at the moment. But I am loving this challenge and have learned so many new things from taking part. Techniques I wouldnt have tried otherwise even though I had the compendium sitting here on the shelf.

So I got the super chunky fragment out for this one and stamped onto it the 3 men, I laid some aged music paper behind them to give it a little contrast from the dictionary paper. I added some filmstrip ribbon here and old stamps and a theatre ticket from Tim's sticker sheets. Where the dictionary paper reads " Affirmative" I coloured it on top of the fragment with alcohol ink. Works like a marker pen, just spread some ink and then wipe away til you just got left what you want highlighted. The hand is stamped in acetate and glued onto music paper.

I like this collage technique, I should do it more really. Plenty of fragments waiting to be transformed.

I am also entering this into the Ephemera challenge at Simon says Stamp and Show.

A bunch of challenges..... and new Wendy stamps

It's been a while since I've entered any of my favourite weekly challenges, so this week I just had to make the time.
First of all there is the Coffe and Cream Challenge at Simon says Stamp. Also the soon ending Compendium Challenge over at Studio L3, where we are using alcohol inks on metal embellies this week. And last but not least there is the Stripes challenge at Simon says Stamp and Show.

My card is a bit of a loose interpretation of the stripes challenge, I did make my own stripey background though, using one of Wendy's new sets.
Ok I admit it's a fairly quick card this but crafting time is still rare at the moment.

So excited I get to meet the one and only Tim Holtz on Friday, cant wait!!!!

A quick and effective Valentines Card.....

Are there any crafty lovers out there with a severe lack of time at the moment? Well, there's me, still working endless hours and in need of a card for valentine's. So I took some inspiration from Tim's compendium and embossed some grungepaper and inked it all up nice and vintagy. Then used an ornate frame for the message. I used the painted metal technique here, it's this weeks task over at Studio L3's Compendium Challenge, which I havent joined in in ages so it was about time. I filled the frame with crackle accents. It's real quick and easy and I find very effective.

I am also entering this into the Simon says Stamp Challenge and Stamp and Show Challenge where the theme is LOVE this week.

Oh I have missed the challenges, cant wait to have more time to craft again.