Mr Darcy and the Bearded Lady

Hi and happy Bank Holiday Weekend. At the start of the year I watched Kate Crane on Wanderlust make a travel journal, and I really wanted to make one. I cut all my pages out but never got any further. Then earlier this month I did Kate's class in Mixology and I've been bitten by the Kate Crane bug (that sounded better in my head lol).

This is a blank folded book that I've had for years and never done anything with, so out came the paints.

All the stamps and paints used are by Indigo Blu.
The book was painted, stencilled, and stamped.

Lots of different surfaces to put some photographs on. There are very few up to date photographs of Neil and myself, so I think a few selfies are needed lol.

And this is the book all opened up. Lots of room for stamping when I decide which photographs are going in.

The covers have been cut from a Tando chipboard sheet, and covered with sticky backed canvas.

And here's my bearded lady. The more I tried to 'lightly shade' her, the more she looked like a bearded woman. In the end I just moved the frame down :-).

All tied up and done!
This was fun to make but impossible to photograph. Every time I tried to take a picture it either rained or snowed!
I'm entering my little book into these challenges
IndigoBlu Spring is in the Air - I've used my Spring colours, and
Tando Creative week 4 Spring has Sprung.
Thanks very much for looking, and have a fun weekend xx

April Showers Bring Forth May Flowers

There's a fabulous Stampotique feature in this months Craft Stamper, with 6 of the designers projects being shown.
Here's mine.

It looks much better in the magazine, but then I've never been know for my photographic skills.

If you get chance please check it out along with my amazing teamies projects.

Thanks very much for looking and have a great weekend xx

Born To Stand Out

Good Morning and happy Wednesday! It's time for another Stampotique challenge, and the wonderful Corrie has chosen everyone's favourite, Masculine. Here's what she says
"I really struggle with cards for men. So this week I would like to see what you make when you need a masculine card."
I think we all have problems with cards for men, but this is what I came up with.

I stamped Sheep Monster on my white card then covered the images with masking fluid and added Brusho's Ok maybe the colours aren't the most manly in the world, but he's a metrosexual monster who's not afraid to wear pink!

This is my favourite Happy Birthday stamp, it's just been stamped and embossed in white.

This card has gone in the post already, so I hope he liked it - look at that face, how could you not lol.

I hope you join in with us this week and get all manly!

Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking xx

Choose Happy

Happy Sunday, at last it's the weekend! At the moment Paper Artsy are having a 'white space' challenge. I know, scary uh! But I've had a play and this is what I've come up with.

I really like these Infusions, just like Brusho's but a bit grungier.
So lots of white space and no major trauma lol.
I hope you have a great day, and thanks very much for looking x

On No, Not Cards For Men!

There aren't very many men in my life, but those that there are seem to have conspired to have their birthdays at the same time. Of course that means the dreaded 'manly' card is needed. So instead of my usual method of ignoring till the last possible moment, then missing the post, I decided to bite the bullet and do a bit of batch making (3 to me is a batch lol)

I love these Brett Weldele stamps, they just make me smile.

They have all been made with brusho's and Distress inks, and I've even put inserts in and written them. I must be getting organised in my old age!

You can't have a dog without having a cat!

I'm linking these to the Tando week 2 'watercolour' challenge.
Have a great weekend, and thanks very much for looking x 

Beauty

Good morning and happy Thursday. I'm going to whisper this very quietly in case it hears me but .... the sun is shining and it isn't raining/hailing/snowing!! I don't know how long it will last but the washing is done, pegged out, and blowing.
Ever since I came back from Mixology (pictures to follow once I've finished all my colouring in - I know I sound like a 6 year old) I've been practising my Kate Crane techniques. Kate is officially one of the nicest people and best teachers ever.
This is what I made.

All the paints are from the DecoArt Media range.
The face is a Sheena Douglass stamp.
The branches are from Tando and have been covered in Frantage embossing powder.

The screw and bookplate is from Tando and came from last years Mixology kit. There's also a bit of Frantage going on here too.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges
Tando - anything goes,
That's Crafty - about face, and
Mixed Media Monthly - dimension.



I hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

A Very Modern Family

Good morning and Happy Wednesday. It's time for another Stampotique challenge, and this week the lovely Kristen has chosen the theme. She wants us to make something based on our favourite TV programme or movie, so here's mine.
  

So here we have Phil (Pedro), the nice guy,
 Claire (Karin - who I think would make a brilliant bossy Claire except you could never turn your back on her lol)
 Alex (Moody) the geeky one - no offence Moody,
 Hayley (Prom Queen , the name says it all) and
 Luke (Twinkie) who I've seen age from about 10 to 17 in the year that I've been watching it.

Whisker Monster is holding the sign, and there's Row of Numbers around the edges.

There's also Crow Line trying to get in on the act, and in the background is Splattered Mug and Mash Up which has been stamped with water.

I think it goes quite well with last weeks page.

So thanks for the fun challenge Kristen. 
 I hope that you join in, for the chance to win some new rubber. Hope you like mine, and thanks very much for looking x

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.

A Cold Wind Was Blowing....

I've had a play today with all things Dylusional. Lot's of spraying, stamping, and stencilling, and this is what I made.

One day  I will be brave enough to do this straight into my journal, but today is not the day!

Have a fun and crafty weekend, and thanks very much for looking x

Be Unique

Well I'm really enjoying my week off work (apart from going to the gym at stupid o'clock). Today I've been catching up with the PaperArtsy blog, and this week they are asking us to use resist techniques, so here's what I came up with.

There's also been some recycling going on here too. This was a project from a couple of years ago - it's been thrown into a box and generally forgotten since then.

So I painted over with gesso and white chalk paint.

Then I added blue, yellow, and pink Fresco's, and stamped and embossed images from Darcy, Lin Brown and JoFY. Then I painted over again with black gesso.

Once dry I wiped off the gesso, and luckily there was something left underneath. I added some Portfolio pastel on the bare bits, and some words.

I also added a tiny bit of silver Treasure Gold to bring out the old texture.

I'm also entering this into this months Craft Stamper MITI challenge Spring Flowers, That's Crafty All Things Bright and Beautiful, and Love to Create Anything Goes.
Thanks very much for looking x

Looks Like Rain Dear...

Well there's no surprises there then! Yup it's raining again, which is quite in keeping with my piece for today's Stampotique challenge.
Kathi has chosen the theme 'Crack Me Up', and she wants us to make a humourus piece, and use crackling. 
Here's my cracking piece :-)

I know we've all heard this a thousand times but it still makes me laugh.

The background has been painted, then clouds stencilled and crackled.
There's also the Cracks stamp and Raindrops.

Here are the slightly damp Reindeer and they are stood on the Stones and Grass Cube.

Here's my guys Under The Parapluie.

The sentiment has been stamped with the Typewriter Alpha.
This was great fun Kathi, so thanks so much for the challenge.
I'm also entering this into the Craft Barn challenge which is April Showers.

I hope you join in with our challenge at Stampotique, and thanks very much for looking x

Don't Mind Her...

Well April is certainly living up to it's name today as we seem to be having rather persistent 'showers' I've been having a play today, and after having a brilliant weekend at Mixology (yep more pictures to come I'm afraid) I've dug deep into my Tando box and come up with this.

All the paints used are from the DecoArt Media range, and the stamps are from Lost Coast.
This couple look so grim, but they always make me laugh, and I thought that the Beetlejuice quote fitted them perfectly.

I'm entering my lovely couple into the Tando colour theme challenge, and
The Lost Coast Designs  'anything goes' challenge.
This was a lot of fun to make, so thanks very much for looking xx

Drip Drip Drop...

Hi, this week Arwen has chosen our challenge at Stampotique, and she has chosen nature. So no animals or humans allowed. Mmm this really is a challenge, and here's what I've come up with.

I had a strip of leftover background from a previous project that I cut into 3 ATC sized pieces.
These have been stamped with Circled Circle and Carol's Flower (large)

This one has been stamped with 
Raindrops
Dandelion Duo and
Grass

Mushroom Group

and Spidergrass

It was really hard not to use any humans or animals, so thanks very much for the challenge Arwen.
I hope that you can join in too.
Thanks for looking and have a fun weekend x

Let's Party!

Hi, it's my turn to show you my second piece for the Country View Crafts Spring challenge.

The background has been made with a mini brayer and PaperArtsy Fresco paints.
I've then stamped some Stampotique stamps in the same colours.

The guys have been stamped and coloured with pencils.

The sentiment has been printed on the computer. I think Robin Williams was spot on when he said this.
So put a spring in your step (I know, I'm sorry) and join in with our challenge.
Hope you like mine, and thanks very much for looking x

Live, Laugh, Love

Hi, it's been a day of sport on the TV today, so I took the opportunity to slope off, and have a play in my craft room.

The background has been sprayed, stamped, and stencilled in pink, yellow and green.
The flowers in the corner have been stencilled with Portfolio pastels. I love the way this goes into peaks when you use it thickly.

All the stamps are by Indigo Blu, I've used the crackle stamp from the Alice in Wonderland plate in the corners.

I inked another piece of card to stamp the flowers and leaves.

Words added to the corner, and all done.
I'm linking this to a few challenges 
Indigo Blu, yellow, pink, and green,
Craft Stamper TIMI Spring Flowers,
That's Crafty All things bright and beautiful,
and 
The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - dimension

This was fun and I now have a card made for when I need one rather than having to make one the day before :-)
Thanks very much for looking and have a good week x