Autumn - Fall into Fall

I did a workshop yesterday for a lovely group of crafters that come regularly to my classes and we made a French themed canvas (I will post it in the week), very shabby chic in style. When I got home I was really fired up to make something vintage and pretty and had a few challenges in mind to enter.

Frilly and Funkie - Fall into Fall

Sugar Creek Hollow - Wings (bees and butterflies on my tag)

Stampin' for the weekend - Floral

The Playdate Cafe - Wine, pumpkin, moss colours

So this is the result. I am really into extending my tags at the moment and have made 3 recently where I have added a DP mount, lengthening the tag, providing a frame for it and extra space for some embellishing and sentiments. I am going to call it my extended tag.

If you look closely you can see two honeycomb patterns, one was stamped the other a mask, I also stamped some plants and bees using Nature walk from SU.

The lace is from the Funkie Junkie Boutique and the words are computer generated.

I love the dimension of these flowers using the TH tattered flower garden die.

Have a great Sunday, it started beautifully sunny earlier but the wind has got up and the clouds have rolled in. Just hope it stays dry.

hugs {brenda} xox

Other challenges to have fun with -

Crazy 4 Challenges - Leaves

Sunday Stamper - What makes you happy (Lots of inky playing)
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

PanPastels - It's all in the sentiment

Another Sunday has rolled around and we see a new challenge at PanPastel UK where the focus is on using a sentiment on your project.

I lived up to my sentiment and decided to take a risk, well more than one actually. I have used a topper, unheard of for me, and also backing paper from the same set. 

I have mixed styles too adding a Dylusions quote and a journalling style backer using PPs and a great new embossing ink pad (for me) which really changes the colours. 

The butterflies were cut out from a spare piece of the backing paper. I have been doing some quite grungy pieces lately that this pastel card was very very refreshing, not something I have been doing lately. I don't think I have missed a moment of magic, but I certainly enjoyed playing with different materials and ideas.

I hope we will see you in your sentiment this week over at the PP challenge blog and if you are lucky you could win a fabulous prize from 'Your Creativity Store'.

Hope you have some fun creative time for you today.

hugs {brenda} xox

First Christmas piece for this year.

My second post for today. This tag was on my desk yesterday for WOYWW and as I said I needed to get it finished as I want to enter these challenges;

 Simon Says Stamp and Show - For the love of sparkle. 

Compendium of Curiosities at Studio L3 - Riveted Patchwork

The Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas - Week #2 

(I've still got #1 to do but ordered some things so I can join in)

I have also made this for Crafty Individuals using stamp plate CI 136.

I used gold, cranberry and bottle alcohol inks on the metal riveted patchwork tag (this technique was my inspiration from Linda's fabulous tag) and red pepper on the metal star. I used stickles and treasure gold on the vintage Noel and have a glittered bauble; then taken the patchwork, and snowflakes as my inspiration from Linda.

I have used one of the mini snowflake rosettes from Tim's new dies.

I used prisma colours for the image but disappointed they didn't show up well on these photos, irl there is much more depth of colour on the faces and beard.

Linda's 12 Tags of Christmas is an inspiration challenge and there will be a winner drawn at the end of the 12 weeks as long as you enter each one. There is plenty of time to enter as each tag challenge will remain open until the 17th December, giving plenty of time to catch up if you miss any. The sponsor is The Funkie Junkie Boutique, which is Linda's fantastic on-line store where she stocks lots of fabulous products to produce vintage, shabby chic projects. So let's see if I can get all 12 made this year.

The sun is shining here although the clouds are rolling in. Maddison had her first full day at school yesterday so I no longer have to pick her up at lunchtime, but I miss her already.

Hope your day is going well.

hugs {brenda} xox

Halloween - bloody, skull moon

Had to have a play with some Halloween bits.

Background made with smooching and dipping dark DI's. Stamped with crackle stamp and black archival ink. Dipped again in festive berries and ripe persimmon mixed with cosmic shimmer mists. Ribbon dyed with same colours.

Embellished with - a blood moon with skull (moon made with vintage optometrist lens), cobwebbed cat and spiked railings.

For some reason the photos look blurred to me today, I will try them again later.

Go wherever your creativity takes you.

hugs {brenda} xox

Challenges to have fun with -

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

City Crafter - An early Boo

Crazy Amigos - No cards

TIOT - Lots of Layers

WOYWW #173 - even more of a mess

Firstly a warm welcome to my new followers. Thank you for joining me on this creative journey that keeps wending itself through fogs and forests and then wonderful mojo filled landscapes that capture my total attention and imagination.
I hope you find some inspiration on your journey with me.

Well this was how I left my desk Monday night and I haven't had a chance to get back to it.

The canvas you saw last week is still peeking out at the end there. It is my workshop piece for this Saturday and just about completed, just got a bit more prepping to do for the class members. I'll show it properly later when I've done the class.

A Christmas tag in the foreground, well on it's way to completion. Got a couple of challenges I want to enter with this, so must find a bit of time today to finish it if I can.

Otherwise there's all the materials and tools I have been searching through or using.

So why the interest in my workspace? Well that's because I have caught up with "Whats on Your Workdesk Wednesday" hosted by Julia over at The Stamping Ground, and if you would like to see what creative workspaces look like all over the world, then pop off and take a peek for yourself. You'll have great fun.

Right I am off to visit some of your lovely people that take part, I try to comment on the numbers that end with the same as mine, my friends and those that visit me (letting me know what number so as I can find you).

I have a Governor's meeting later this afternoon. Since I have 'retired' I became a governor of one of our local primary schools so that I can put something back into the education system and our local community. Takes quite a bit of time though.

Take care and Happy WOYWW.

hugs {brenda} xox

Flower book for Crafty Individuals

Jean posted this little book on the Crafty Individuals blog last Saturday. Don't forget if you enter the September challenge - Last days of Summer - you can get a code for 25% off everything in the on-line shop and that includes stamps, images, alterables, masks, dies and other bits and pieces. Everyone's a winner eh?

I love making books and this is a real mini, just 3ins square, but originally made from one 12 x 12 piece of paper and once made up I cut the book in half.

The front cover (above) and the inside pages (below).

The images are Crafty Individuals Flowers Film Strip, each one trimmed and mounted before adding one to each page with small embellishments and trims and presented collage style.

I had an email about the words I used, they aren't stamps but computer generated. I love to make these up so they fit exactly with my theme.

CI has alot of new items in their on-line shop and these images are perfect for making these mini books or quick cards.

Have a fun and creative day.

hugs {brenda} xox

Experiments with PanPastels

Today sees a new challenge at PanPastel UK and I have been experimenting with the Pans and other supplies to try and achieve a distressed grungy effect.

I think I need to play a bit more before I reveal all, so that I can show you comparisons.

But this was the background before I added the second layer.

I love the effects achieved with the fabulous TH stamp and would you believe the image is in PanPastels?

Why not take a look at the challenge blog, the theme this week is GOOD LUCK and hopefully you will be inspired by our fabulous team and if you enter you are in with a chance of winning a fabulous PanPastel kit from Your Creativity Store. They have free P&P and a 10% saving on the PanPastels and tools at the moment.

I went to Ally Pally yesterday and got to see my friend Heidi (Little Claire's), Lin Brown, Hels, Alison and Hazel, I also got to part with money and bought quite a few bits and pieces - more than I intended to, but then that's often the way isn't? I was really lucky to find Tim's Mini Snowflake Rosette, so I am looking forward to using that and I also bought some of his new Christmas stamps.

Sorry if I am not getting round to you very much at the moment, my internet is going to be on a go slow or out altogether until at least tomorrow and as that is the fourth date I have been given, I am not holding my breath.

I hope you are having a creative weekend.

hugs {brenda} xox

WOYWW #172

Oh I am getting frustrated, my internet connection is in and out like a fiddler's elbow at the moment and trying to get into blogland is so difficult. Been going on for ages too, I was supposed to get a call from the complaints department yesterday or the day before, they must be inundated cos they haven't contacted me yet!!!!! Perhaps that's another complaint to make lol.

Anyhow, onto even more important stuff.

Here is my desk (photo taken last night) and as you can see it's a total mess this week. I seem to have about 5 projects on the go and inbetween I made a tag and posted yesterday just cos I wanted to.

You can see a canvas I am working on on the foreground and that's my next workshop later this month. My Compendium of Curiosities and tools and equipment that all needs tidying away so I can get a space to carry on.

So dear Julia and WOYWWers what do you make of this lot then?

If you are interested in taking a trip around the world to see lots of crafty workspaces, pop on over to the Stamping Ground and take a peek at Julia's space and then link yours up too.
Go travelling and see what fun you have.

Hope to see you there.

Have a great Wednesday.

hugs {brenda} xox

Vintage childhood - Great Happiness

Today I have made this tag with three challenges in mind, Simon Says Stamp and Show - Tape it Up,  Ink on my Fingers - Use Ribbons and Make My Monday - Vintage Childhood.

I used an acetate from Ephemera 1 by Crafty Individuals depicting a mother and daughter together, you can see the love of the young child for her mother. The bluebird has been over-stamped in picket fence DS with plate CI 214.

Christina Rossetti wrote this poem, it was her very first when she was 11 years old (1842).

Today's your natal day,

Sweet flowers I bring;

Mother, accept, I pray,

My offering.

And may you happy live,

And long us bless;

Receiving as you give

Great happiness.

I thought the very last line was perfect for the title of this tag.

Tag covered with music tissue tape then alcohol inked over using sail boat blue, sunset orange and pearl. When dry I blended walnut stain DI over it.

Got my granddaughter over today and had her yesterday to give her a break from her own 4 walls, she is doing really well and came out for a Frappuccino this morning. Taking the youngest one to ballet in half an hour. Oh and the skydive didn't happen again on Sunday, so my daughter has to wait till the middle of October and go through it all again for the third time. Her nerves are getting to her a bit I think, but then I wouldn't even consider it in the first place lol.

Take care and have some fruitful crafting time.

hugs {brenda} xox

PanPastels - Autumn/Fall

Today sees another new challenge at PanPastel UK and I have made a card that was inspired by being in my garden at the beginning of the week. If you remember we had beautiful weather last week but with chilly mornings and colder evenings - if you live in southern England that is.

The warm sunshine encouraged the insects to come out and my garden seemed alive with numerous bees who seemed to be clambering for the last of the nectar before the bad weather sets in. So although bees are not usually associated with autumn, they have certainly been busy buzzing around my plants and the changing of the colours definitely tells me it's the beginning of the fall season.

The corrugated background was blended with PPs over embossing ink which had been dragged over the surface. Over the top of that a Crafty Individuals text stamp (CI 161) and then some dylusions sprays.

The hive and bees were stamped on brown parcel paper and cut out, coloured with prismacolors and white distress marker. The hive needed 'grounding' so I tore a picture into smaller pieces from a gardening book and blended yellow and brown PPs over it. 

Can you see the bee in the middle of the flowers?

If you have a project for autumn please link it over at PanPastel UK Challenge blog. You don't need to use PPs to enter and you could be the lucky winner of a set of two pans and some tools from 

Your Creativity Store.

Have a great Sunday whatever your plans are today.

hugs {brenda} xox

Challenges to have fun with -
Anything But A Card - Add texture

Creating a collage

Well I hope your Saturday is going well. I am looking forward to seeing my daughter do a skydive tomorrow, that's if air traffic control don't clear the airspace like they did two weeks ago. I'll let you know if it 'happens'.

For Unruly PaperArts this month I have a column called 'JUXTAPOSITION' which is about placing or arranging your elements for collage.

The theme for the month of September is 'Collage' and I have focused on where to start when making decisions about what to use and where to position your pieces to get the best effects.

Please pop over to the UPA blog to see the full information and lots of photos. Shar does a magnificent job as Editor of this blogozine and there are lots of wonderful and useful articles for you to read.


Those of you who know me, know I love collage work and use the collage style alot in my card making and canvas work.

I would be pleased if you would leave me a message on UPA if you find the column useful. 

All feedback helps me when preparing my next piece. Thanks.

Another update about my grandaughter. She is HOME. We really can't believe that following a 5+ hour operation last Saturday morning, having 30 cms of her bowel removed, further work done on the rest of her bowel and her appendix taken out too, the hospital said she could come Tuesday.  Because she is not in a local hospital and wanted to be certain things were ok she chose to stay one more night and came home Wednesday. I can't thank you all enough for your supportive comments and your thoughts and prayers, it is wonderful to know that blogging friends care so much. You are true friends indeed.

Happy collaging and enjoy your weekend.

hugs {brenda} xox

WOYWW 171

It's Wednesday and the day that all over the world crafters show us what's currently on their desk, hosted by Julia over at Stamping Ground. 

So what's on your workdesk today?

For me it's another nearly empty desk, but a couple of things of interest here.

In the background you can see a card which is an update of one I made last year that got published in Craft Stamper magazine. It is for a class tomorrow at The Art of Craft, one of my lovely ladies emailed me and said she would love to make it, so I have obliged.

A collection of bits sitting around for about 3 days, I have the seed of an idea, but it really hasn't developed from there, so it might or it might not LOL. I think you can see it will have a Halloween theme to it if it happens.

I'm off to see what you other lovely people are getting up to.

Have a great day.

hugs {brenda} xox

Crafty Individuals - Last Days of Summer Postcard 2

Today I am sharing another postcard for the September Crafty Individuals challenge - The last days of summer'.

But first I just want to update you about my grandaughter (see last post).
She is now back on a paediatric ward and making very good progress. Yesterday she had all her tubes taken out except a feeding one and she was able to go to the bathroom on her own. She also started to have something to eat, which all sounds very positive considering the surgery she had done and the number of hours she was under anaesthetic on Saturday. Thank you for all your good wishes and prayers, they are certainly working and we look forward to a speedy recovery so she can come home as soon as possible.

So onto my postcard.

This piece is all about texture.

The background was made by applying different paints and some inks to a piece of card creating lots of texture by using different implements to lay it down.

Once dry I stamped this beautiful CI 119 stamp of a vintage bathing belle with the message 'Wish you were here', it's the very last postcard you might pick up and send before the last of the summer days have gone.

Once the image had been stamped over the dry backing, I coloured it using my brand new Prisma Colours that dear Terry bought me in Michaels when we went shopping in Valencia. 

Then I finished off by running it through the TH 'distressed frame' embossing folder , applying salty ocean and peacock feathers DIs and the Stampendous vintage gold enamelling powder.

Finally I added an altered postcard backing, downloaded from the internet.

I hope you enjoy the last days of summer, we were very lucky last week here in the UK with some glorious weather, but it's cooled off quite considerably now.

So, pop on over to the Crafty Individuals blog to see the latest fabulous inspiration from the design team and perhaps join in with the theme.

Wishing you happy crafting time.

hugs {brenda} xox