The Last Alter It Monthly

By the skin of my teeth I have just managed to enter the Alter It Monthly challenge. I did mean to enter earlier but what with Christmas and other stuff it never happened, but better late than never. Sadly this is their last ever challenge and their final theme is celestial, and as I don't have any stars, moon or sun stamps it had to be angels.

You'll have to excuse the poor quality of the photo, as you know I still don't have a camera and my iphone does not take good pics in poor light. It does look better than this in real life honest LO!.

I used one of the angel stamps from Kreativhobby. I stamped it onto some patterned paper that had a light coat of gesso then I used inktense pencils to colour the angels. The frame was gessoed and stamped with versamagic inks and stamped with a music stamp (even though you can't see it!) Then I made some more Tim Holtz roses using the pine cone die and tinted with the versamagic inks.

Have just edited this to add a better photo. Also I would like to thank all the Design Team of Alter It Monthly for all their hard work and for all the inspirational projects that they have created since running the challenge. Wishing them all good luck in their new ventures.

See you on Sunday

Happy Crafting XX

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Shabby Calendar Designed For Happy Daze

Hoping you all had a great Christmas. Ours wasn't very peaceful as the dog decided to scoff a Thornton's chocolate Santa when we weren't looking (chocolate is poisonous in large quantities for dogs, our dog is small and he consumed a very large amount!) so we had to take him to the Vets on Christmas Day, I won't go into details for the treatment as it wasn't pleasant and I'm sure you can imagine LOL but we returned £130 lighter.

Anyway onto my project as its nearly the end of the year I decided to make a calendar. I recycled some cardboard which I covered in Tim Holtz Vintage shabby paper I die cut the edges, distressed and stamped. For the main image I used the pretty Artistic Outpost Bluebird stamps which I coloured in using new flexmarkers from my stash. The roses were made using some more of the Tim Holtz Vintage shabby paper & my new tattered pine cone die (which I never had a chance to make any cones with in time for christmas LOL) I printed the calendar on the computer then used my bind it all to attach it. Some string was added to finish.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your holidays and here's looking forward to a very crafty New Year.

XX

~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

Wishing all my lovely crafting bloggers a Happy Christmas and Very Crafty New Year. I thought I would bore you with a few of the many christmas cards I made, thankfully all finished now phew. Just the wrapping of some pressies and some more mince pies to do, we scoffed the last lot.

Even managed to make a few cute ones!!

Anyway Have a Lovely Christmas and hopefully you will receive some gorgeous crafty goodies in your stockings XX

All Wrapped Up ~ Crafty Individuals Challenge & Blog Candy Winners

Wasn't sure if I'd manage to enter the Crafty Individuals Challenge this time, as I'm all christmas crafted out, but it is such a lovely challenge blog that I just had to LOL. The theme is All Wrapped Up.

This is one of the set of three boxes made for a friend and is all wrapped up now, but I forgot to take a photo of the inside of the box, but it is lined with some prima paper. It is painted with my usual matt paint from B& Q, The main image is CI - 302 stamped in archival ink and painted with water colours.

Whilst on the theme of boxes I thought I'd show you the final one. Made in the same way. Using my favourite set of Tim Holtz papillon stamps & another favourite, carte postale from stampendous cling. This one is lined with Bo Bunny paper.

Still taking pics with my phone :-( I had ordered a great panasonic camera for christmas, but have had to claim a chargeback on my credit card as the company look decidedly dodgy and haven't delivered it. So no xmas present for me until the new year now oh dear, as Jason Orange (from TT) would say 'Buy cheap, you buy twice'  LOL.

Now Blog Candy Winners, sorry its late, I'm so like Alice's White Rabbit even more so at this time of year.

Winner of set one is Marjorie's Owl &  Elly is the Winner of set two, if you could both let me have your addresses I will post out ASAP.

Thank you to everyone for entering & Happy Crafting. XX

Travelling Around The World

Well its that time again for another Fashionable Stamping Challenge and what a welcome relief not a Santa or reindeer insight, well just a touch of ivy LOL. So do please head over and feast your eyes on the gorgeous creations of the Fashionettes for some truly stunning inspiration. This challenge is all about Travel, it could be a card, ATC, canvas, box you name it as long as it features some stamping, the world is your oyster.

So to be in for a chance to win this gorgeous set of stamps from the lovely Marina from Cottage Crafts all you have to is blog your entry here.

I decided on a canvas of famous cities around the world, which I gessoed then went a little mad stamping on and used inktense pencils to add some colour. I have a penchant for travel themed stamps, so I had plenty to choose from. I used Crafty Individuals CI- 228 to stamp on eco board which I then tinted with water colour and triple embossed with UTEE.

Other stamps used

 Curious by design - Paris Voyage

Stampersanonymous - Urban chic

Stampendous cling - Carte Postale

Blog Candy has now finished and it will be drawn tomorrow, winners notified and hopefully I will get to the post office before christmas.

Apologises that I haven't managed to visit all your lovely blogs, but I'm even more unorganised than normal and late doing everything. My new years resolution is definitely to organise my time and workspace better wishful thinking perhaps!!

Have a great Sunday and Happy Crafting XX

Shaker Tree Ornament & a card designed for Happy Daze

I've just about surfaced under the mound of christmas cards I have been making. Being an exceedingly slow crafter I have struggled with the amount of cards I have made this year, about 22 of them in the last few days and I have to say I have had enough of cardmaking for a while so it was a welcome relief to make something different even though it was still christmasy.

I think tree decorations can make lovely gifts; each year when decorating the tree you are reminded of the person who gave it to you.
I made a shaker style ornament from recycled cardboard and acetate.I used the Tim Holtz baroque die to create the ornamnet then painted it with cream acrylic paint and then stamped with the snowflakes from Artistic Outpost Sleigh Ride with coffee archival ink. The main image is Lost Coast Designs Praying Angel. I added a snowflake charm and some confetti stars and some gold glitter beads and a gold tassel to finish.

Another quick project from me, this time a card using this lovely vintage old St Nick mounted stamp. I stamped onto Kraft card with archival ink. I used versamagic aspen mist to tint round the edges of the  stamped image and the sentiment ticket. Then I used paper from my stash to create this easel card.

The current Happy Daze challenge is Gifts, Cards & Tags. There is still plenty of time to enter. One lucky 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

Dressmaking, Corsets and Accessories ~ FSC

The new Fashionable Stamping Challenge is Dressmaking, Corsets and Accessories. Please do head over to the blog for lots of gorgeous and inspirational projects from The Fashionettes. The challenges run for two weeks and it is sponsored by the lovely Marina from Cottage Crafts with a gorgeous set of dressing maker stamps for the winning entry.

I decided to make a little dressmakers box, as you know I love altering boxes. This is one of a set of three boxes I have altered for a friend, who handed me three boxes and asked me to stamp on them for her!! I hope she likes them as she was a bit vague with her remit LOL.

Anyway I painted the box with three coats of my favourite matt emulsion from B & Q Craig and Rose, it has a chalky finish and I find it ideal for stamping on. Then I always sand it down with fine wet and dry paper to give a smooth finish.

The stamps used are Crafty Individuals CI - 306 & 328 and Oxford Impressions The dressmaker. I used a combination of distress inks and water colour paints to colour the stamps. Then using wood balsam to seal the box and giving it a subtle sheen.  I added a touch of silver to the scissors using a krylon pen and a added a sewing machine charm too. Finally lining the box with some paper from my stash.

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday

Happy Crafting XX

Easel Drawer Card

Not a very enticing title for this post. It is my friends birthday tomorrow and of course I have left everything to the last moment as usual. I wanted to put some Thorntons choccies in the drawer but our car has had a flat tyre since yesterday and I'm having to wait in for Kwik fit to replace it today so my friend may not have her choccies to go in it if Mr Kwik Fit does not arrive soon. Fortunately I already have her present so will have to think of something else to put in the drawer. Any ideas?

I found several blog tutorials for drawer easel cards to help me make this. I wish I had one of those score pal things as I'm sure it would have made it a lot easier, as I'm not very accurate and wasted a bit of paper on this.

I used 6 x 6 Melissa Frances papers and the stamp is from Crafty Individuals CI - 139. I used pan pastels to tone with the MF papers. The dies used are,  from whimsy the tag,  Cheery Lynn the lace border and the clock is Tim Holtz. I added a touch of white gilders paste to the flower petals, leaves and the edges of the stamped image and finally a touch of diamond stickles.

I'm entering this for the following challenges

Simon Says Stamp ~ Anything Goes
Divas By Design ~ Anything goes
Make it Monday ~ Anything goes
Sweet Stampin ~ Punches & Dies

Happy Crafting XX