Blog Candy!

I was very tempted to call this blog sweeties, but thought I'd better not. Thought I would put up two lots. Hope it doesn't look too paltry but not sure how much it will cost to send. I will post within Europe (sorry to my lovely blogger friends over The Atlantic) hope you'll understand I will offer another next time open to all. All I ask is just to leave a comment on this post. I'm not angling after any more followers as I'm very pleased to have gone over the 100 mark but it seems a tad unfair, so all my current followers get put in the hat twice IYSWIM. I'll get my Hubby to draw as haven't a clue about a random generator thingy on 15th December??

The first lot has a couple of Klimt napkins, a pack of prima roses, a paperartsy stamp set, K & Co 6 x 6 paper pad, dusky concord distress ink, some taupe guipure lace, beaded trim, mulberry roses and some seam binding.

The second lot has a couple of klimt napkins, a pack of prima roses, a paperartsy stamp, 6 x 6 paper pad, some white lace, beaded trim, a few die cut doilies, mulberry roses and a  small fabric purse.

Happy Crafting & Good Luck XX

Cameo style Jewellery designed for Happy Daze

This jewellery uses shrink plastic to create both the pendant and earrings. Firstly I lightly sanded a sheet of shrink plastic and then painted a thin coat of gesso (this makes it easier to stamp on.) I stamped Lost Coast Designs winged girl with archival ink and gently heated to dry the ink. Then I used spellbinders lacy ovals to die cut into the shapes. I coloured the images using zig photo markers and then used my heat tool to shrink. I used a Krylon silver pen around the edges. Then glossy accents to finish, but this needs to be left overnight to dry, a quicker alternative would be Lisa Pavelka Magic Gloss Resin. Earwires and amethyst drops are from my stash.

Haven't forgotten about the blog candy as woo hoo, now101 lovely followers, sorting it out at the moment. I managed to get the last one of the small fabric purses from my local garden centre so will be adding that to it.

Take care & will be back later in the week with the blog candy, till then.

Happy Crafting XXX

Butterfly Cabinet ~ Alter it Monthly

This little project is for the Alter It Monthly challenge which is Drawers, Doors & Secret Compartments. I was going to make a completely different project, but my little shrine and other goodies I've ordered is stuck in the post somewhere sadly. Boo Hoo! Will have to be more patient!!

This little cabinet had to be sanded down (least favourite job!) as I'd used it previously and was never happy with it so gave it a make over. It is painted with a few  coats of matt emulsion, then stamped with Tim Holtz Pappillon stamps and a Lost coast butterfly one in archival ink. I used a combination of water colours, inktense pencils and distress inks to colour the stamps. Then I waxed over the cabinet with some wood balsam I picked up from Tescos so much easier than using matt medium which makes the distress inks run and varnish which never seems to go on with out runs or bubbles.

Thanks again for all your lovely comments, so appreciated and hello to some new followers, astounded to say  there is nearly a 100, will have to think of some blog candy soon as a thank you.

Happy Crafting XX 

Dreaming of a White Christmas ~ FSC

How excited was I to be invited to join the lovely ladies of the Fashionable Stamping Challenge as a new member of their design team. They are a extremely talented & welcoming bunch and I'm so looking forward to working with them. Please do head along to their blog for some very inspirational projects from the design team. The challenge runs for two weeks and the winning entry will receive this gorgeous enchanted christmas santa stamp set from Marina at Cottage Crafts.

The current challenge is I'm  Dreaming of a White Christmas, but for those of you like me who struggle a bit with white cards, it could be traditional christmas colours, infact as long as it's christmas themed and includes stamping its up to you.

I chose to make a traditional vintage style card and used my new lifestyle die (so much better value than spellbinders as you get 16 dies in this pack as opposed to the measly 5 or 6 usual spellbinder ones) to make an easel style card.

I used Melissa Frances 'Deck the Halls' paper which I toned down as I felt it was a little bright with TH picket fence distress stain and edged with vintage photo distress ink. The santa stamp is from Kreativ Hobby who ship worldwide and the script stamp is from a set of Alpha stamps which I gold embossed. The sentiment stamp is Joy from Curious by design.

I've sneaked in another couple of cards as I'm really enjoying making them at the moment, just as well seeing as I have plenty more to make LOL.

Another easel card using my new lifestyle die LOL. Other dies used are Cheery Lynn french pastry and Memory box poinsettia wreath. The central stamp is from Stempelglade vintage christmas and stamped with archival ink on glossy card and tinted with zig photomarkers (which I seriously need more off)

The final card I only managed to finish last night and also fits the theme I'm dreaming of a white christmas.

I made the background paper using distress stains in blue jeans, milled lavender and picket fence. Various christmas sentiments stamped in bleach and chipped sapphire.

The stamped image is from Artistic Outpost Sleigh ride and added some lace and bling to finish.

Hope you have a great Sunday, shame no more Downton but I been drawn into I'm a Celebrity Again, so guess what I'll be watching later.

Happy Crafting XX

A Medieval Christmas designed for Happy Daze

The current Happy Daze Challenge is 'Explosion of Colour', so I decided to make a tag in bold colours. I used distress stains in Wild Honey & Barn Door to create the background. I used gold embossing powder for both latin scripts and around the edges of the tag. I stamped one of the houses from the Artistic Outpost whimsical melange in black embossing powder, then cut out and added this beautiful image of the Madonna and Child (from Imagenes vintage gratis). I used a hinge from the Tim Holtz elements and added some Inka gold. I dyed some ribbon with the same distress stains and added some fibres from my stash.

The current Happy Daze challenge is An Explosion of Colour. You have until Midnight on 30th November when one winner will be drawn at random to win a  £15 voucher and free P&P to spend in the Happy Daze shop. Maximum of 3 entries per person & you must use at least one product which can be purchased in the Happy Daze shop.

• You can enter by blogging you address to the linky widget here, 
• emailing your picture to info@happy-daze.net
• uploading your photo to their facebook page

Seductive Serena

I thought I would do a joint challenge for The Fashionable Stamping Challenge which is Days gone By and The Stampsmith Challenge which is Ribbons and Lace. I used my lovely free Stampendous postcard cling stamp from the FSC to create the background. I used distress stains, barn door, victorian velvet, wild honey, picket fence and blue azure cosmic shimmer spray randomly, to colour the paper, then stamped the postcard stamp in bleach. Then I used various postmark stamps in coffee archival ink. I stamped the lovely Stampsmith serena stamp onto gloss card and tinted with zig photomarkers and distress inks. I made a postcard with the stampendous stamp. I used one of my old muslin face cloths which I tea dyed and added a lacy embellishment to decorate. The small label die is by Memory box.

Have a great weekend and thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and for leaving much appreciated comments.

Happy Crafting XX

Crafty Individuals ~ Winter Wonderland

Apologises for the rather large post today, thought I would upload a few projects today.

Firstly a mention of the fabulous blog candy by the very talented Lynne Stevens from Trash to treasure. It is her 3rd blog anniversary and to celebrate she is giving away some of her amazing work as blog candy, it is so so gorgeous.

Yes its time for another Crafty Individual challenge, Winter Wonderland yay love these challenges, so here it is.

I was inspired by Jean Hardys project in one of the Craftstamper issues for this canvas. Firstly painting the canvas with white gesso which I left to dry, then just mixing in some prussian blue watercolour into the gesso and I painted the background. I stamped and inked some of the CI chipboard houses.  I used Inka gold and crackle medium with a touch of gilders paste patina on the  fences & the snowflake and used several of the images from the CI books. Then outlined the houses with a gold krylon pen. The Santa & the angels were stamped onto tissue paper then cut out and glued to the canvas then tinted with watercolours.

Stamps used are CI 169, CI 258, CI 163, other stamps are various text stamps from curious by design and Artistic Out post.

This card came about because I saw this gorgeous stamp used by Mrs B to make her fabulous design team card for the Fashionable Stamping Challenge and I loved the card so much I had to have the stamp by rubber stampede, with the lovely Da Vinci image. 

 Then I thought I'd have ago making it into a pendant. I used some shrink plastic which I die cut, sanded slightly and painted with a thin layer of gesso and used that lovely stamp again and coloured the image with zig photomarkers. Rubbed a bit of inka gold on the back and added glossy accents to the front and glue on a couple of gold connectors and a pearl.

Finally another christmas card using the same Stempelglade Vintage christmas stamps as I used in my last post. But with the addition of the new memory box die which I doubled up to give a 3D effect

Phew, that's all for today. My back is feeling a lot better now, thanks, I think I spend to much time on my behind crafting and not doing enough exercise LOL!

Thanks again for all your lovely kind comments, hope you all had a great weekend.

Happy Crafting XX

A Few Cards!

I thought I ought to knuckle down and make a few christmas cards.
I'm a grumpy old woman today as I've hurt my back, would you believe it by stooping to take these pictures with my iphone LOL. Roll on christmas as I need a new camera, the iphone one is a bit rubbish really and as our garden is northfacing it is quite dark for taking pictures.

Another moan why can't you buy 7" by 7" cards and envelopes (and if you can where do you get them from!) I find 6 x 6 too small and 8 x 8 to large yeah I know I could make my own and I do but its the envelopes they are a pain to make and I don't like making them. Really should try and make some non square cards, but there is something I like about them, in my chaotic crafty world there is something ordered about them. Told you I was grumpy, anyway onto the cards.

The first two are using Stempelglade 'Vintage Christmas' love these stamps. I stamped onto glossy card and used Zig photo markers to tint them, they're fine to use with archival ink as I much prefer it to memento for photo stamps. Also used versamagic dewdrop & distress inks too.

Papers used on the first card are Melissa Frances & Joanna Sheen on the second and the Santa card. The Santa stamp is a stampington one, and I used watercolours on this.

Promise to be in a better mood next time I blog. 

Happy crafting from The Grumpy Old Woman XX