Crafty Individuals ~ February Challenge

The current theme for Crafy Individuals challenge is For A Friend. Lots of scope for this one. I've used one of my favourite stamps for this project CI - 342. The heart designs are so intricate and stamp beautifully. I also used TAP to transfer the design to fabric, which was then stitched onto some red velvet. ( A bargain from IKEA.) Then I made a little red velvet purse with some polka dot lining. Sorry about the picture the red was difficult to photograph.

I used the other heart in the stamp set to make this very simple card. The only embellishment is the white pearls around the edge. I used the Tim Holtz cabinet card die to make the card. You can't really see in this photo, but the stamped image is inside the card.


Please do pop over to the Crafty Individuals Blog for lots of inspiration and it would be great if you could come and join the challenge this month.

Thanks again for all the lovely comments you are leaving, I so enjoy reading them.

Take care and Happy Crafting xxx

A Couple of Crafty Cards

Browsing through some of my photos, I realised that I hadn't blogged either of these DT projects for Crafty Individuals. This one is uses CI -357

This one is using the cute and quirky new Alice Palace stamps CI-372 I had fun using beeswax on this one the papers are all crafty Individuals too.

Have a great weekend and keep warm and safe.

Happy Crafting xx

Festive Sparkle At Crafty Individuals

I used the lovely new CI - 369 stamp which you can see here for this card. A large sprinkling of glitter, perfect for the current challenge 'Festive Sparkle' chosen by the lovely Brenda (bumblebeesandbutterflies) 

Some more festive sparkle on this card using the very pretty CI- 363 stamp and oodles more shimmer.

I used the adorable angel stamp CI- 211 for the final card. It stamped beautifully on glossy card, and I added only a hint of shimmer for this one!

I stamped on plain cotton using the striking reindeer stamp CI- 358 to make a rustic style Christmas bag

There is still plenty of time to enter the Festive Sparkle challenge at Crafty Individuals and when you enter you will be rewarded with a huge 25% discount off the Crafty Individuals website.

Have a lovely weekend & Happy Crafting. XXX

Musical ~ Fashionable Stamping Challenges & Blog Candy Winner

Firstly thank you to everyone for leaving comments on my bag candy. Hubby duly pulled a number out of the hat (well actually I put the bits of paper in a saucepan LOL!) and it was 26 which is Astrid. If you let me know your address, I will pop it in the post next week :-D

Now it's time for another Fashionable Stamping Challenge. The musical theme was set by the lovely Esther. The Stampettes have excelled themselves for this challenges, please do head over to the FSC blog for some gorgeous musical treats. Our lovely sponsor is Marina from Cottage crafts with a fabulous prize for the winning entry.

I decided to use the mozart stamp from La Blanche as my main focal image, along with another favourite set of mine from stampers anonymous, and the crackle effect stamp from Crafty Individuals. The wooden box was sanded down and painted matt emulsion paint in a cream shade. Then stamped in archival ink. Painted as usual with my inktense pencils, very economical as they last so much longer than ink pads.

On one of my visits to Lidls I spotted some aluminium foil tape on a roll, think it was only a couple of pounds and it's a huge roll. I placed some of the tape in an embossing folder, then coated the embossed tape with black gesso and finally rubbing over with some gilding wax and stuck to the sides of my box.

I'm entering this for the following challenge

The artistic stamper ~ Anything goes

A lovely Sunday to you all & Happy Crafting XX

The Autumn of her Years ~ Fashionable Stamping Challenges

Shades of Autumn is the new challenge theme down at FSC head quarters. I struggled a bit with this one as I don't possess any leaf/fruit/flower/autumn style stamps. Oranges, browns and yellows are not  my colours either. Would you believe it it was me that chose this theme, what am I like LOL!!

I really need to widen my stamp range as I my favourite stamps are faces, people and vintage style typography and backgrounds of which I have far too many. I used to paint portraits so faces always interest me, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, anyhow enough of my waffle onto the challenge.

As we are a stamping challenge we do need to see stamping in your project, but other than that the challenge theme can be interpreted how you like (obviously we need to see autumnal/fall colours too.) The Stampettes have excelled themselves and produced some amazing projects for you to feast your eyes on. Please do pop over to FSC to have a look. We would love you to share your artwork with us this fortnight. Our lovely sponsor Marina at Cottage Crafts is offering a great prize for the winning entry.

I've had this lovely La Blanche stamp for a while and thought it was about time it was inked up. I ended up making a fabric collage as I'd run out of those foam inky things and didn't have anything to blend  with, they always seem to go mysteriously missing. The stamps were all stamped onto TAP and coloured with inktense pencils and a watercolour brush, then ironed onto white cotton and then stitched onto some left over bag making fabric. Then I used the tattered florals die to make a fabric flower, and finished with a tasselled trim. 

I am entering this for the following challenges

Simon Says Stamp and show ~ leaf-spiration

Simply Create Too ~ Autumn/Fall

Sugar Creek Hollow ~ Gives thanks for Autumn

Crafty Creations Challenge ~ colors of fall

Have a great Sunday & Happy Crafting xx

Vintage Memories

As always these days I am behind in my blogging, this I meant to blog a while ago. It is a little fabric hanging using crafty individual stamps and images from their glossy photos. The images were scanned then printed onto cotton sheets from Crafty Computer Paper. The images print up really nicely on these sheets. 

I used inktense pencils to create a wash to colour the hearts CI- 342 stamp which was stamped with sepia archival ink onto calico. They were all stitched onto linen fabric with added lace and ribbon.

I am entering this for

Simon Says Stamp and show ~ What do you say 

The photos are rather dark, my camera never seems to take good shots inside, I will blame the camera rather than the operator LOL.

Take care and happy crafting XX

A Summer's Ball for Crafty Individuals

 Just a quick post showing a little bag I made before we went away using two of my favourite stamps C1 - 320 and CI - 331

from Crafty Individuals I painted the bag with a couple of coats of gesso which I tinted a pale greeny blue. Then used a crafters workshop mask and some versamagic chalk inks for the background. Stamped onto some gessoed fabric, coloured and stitched around the edges before glueing to the bag with matte medium, more matte medium to seal, then finishing touches of mint dyed lace and pink velvet ribbon.

Dylan the Doggie, is doing well, back to his old mischievous self, but now strutting about with a fetching lampshade collar around his neck, the little bag would be the perfect accessory for him as they are nearly the same shade but I wouldn't want to give him gender identity issues LOL!

Happy Crafting XX

Crafty Individuals ~ Summer Ball

Good morning on another dreary summers day LOL! I meant to blog this a while ago. The current challenge at Crafty Individuals is a Summers Ball. I made a small clutch purse. The necklace and perfume bottle were made for Craftstamper and appeared in the June issue.

The purse is actually made of wood but has a flexible flap, It is painted with matt emulsion, distress inks and inktense pencils. CI stamp used is CI - 341.

I'd like to welcome my new followers and a big thank you for all the kind and encouraging comments you are leaving, very much appreciated.

Happy Crafting. xx

It's Summer at Crafty Individuals

Well I'm glad it is somewhere then LOL, as it's remarkable damp and dreary here today. We can't still be in drought can we? Still at least no one is worrying about the hosepipe ban then!

My idea for this was A Mid Summer Nights Dream, so I think it fits the current Crafty Individuals Challenge. When I was child I used to love making rosewater, you know gathering loads of fragrant petals and soaking them in water. It invariably went stagnant rather quickly though LOL, but rose perfume always reminds of a perfect balmy Summers evening.

I used one of the studio 490 artful shrines and inked and masked with various versamagic chalk inks. Then I used one of the lovely CI shabby tags and stamped a couple of butterflies. The central image is one of my favourite crafty individual stamps and is coloured with watercolours and prisma pencils, then stitched onto the shabby tag. The fairy is inked and suspended from the flower. I got this idea from Sam Reads (Me And My Stamps) lovely canvas here. The butterflies are also inked with versamagic and I added some diamantes here and there.

I'm also entering this for

Simon Say Stamp & Show ~ Your favourite word
Divas By Design ~ Anything but a Card
Praire Fairy ~ Anything with Flowers


Thank you for all your kind comments regarding my ankle. I was never blessed with neatly turned ankles at the best of times, but its looking remarkably fat and ugly ATM. It's badly sprained with torn ligaments so I'm hopping about on crutches, (more shuffling really) even more reason than normal not to to do housework then!! Unfortunately not getting out and about with my Sister much and she has just gone down with an ear infection, talk about healthy us two!!

Happy Crafting XX

Secret Garden ~ Crafty Individuals Challenge

Gone is the pink, but it's been replaced by fairies, but they are Crafty Individual fairies, which are elegant and stylish of course. The current Crafty Individual Challenge is Spring, so after much pondering (I'm so indecisive LOL!!) I decided to use one of these little arches and these fairy stamps to create a secret spring garden.

I painted with my trusty matte emulsion and stamped with archival ink. Inktense pencils for the fairies and distress inks and versamagic ink to tint the arch. The metal flowers and wooden butterflies are sponged with acrylic paint and the ferns with versamagic. A sprinkling of glamour dust for the wings, I really wanted the sentiment to say Secret Garden, but of course I couldn't find any such stamp so I contented myself with calling  this post it, instead.

Off now to make some sort of attempt at tidying my work space. 

Have a Great Valentines Day XX

A Touch of Pink!

Well rather more than a touch LOL. I got some new stamps from Crafty Individuals so had a play and used rather a lot of pink. I coloured the tag with prismacolour pencils and distress inks. The papers are kaisercraft Sweet nothings and 7 gypsies.

I also used another new stamp for this tag, well new to me that is. It is from judikins and she is rather beautiful I think! I will try and take some better photos tomorrow as the light was not good when I took these.

I'm afraid my next project is also very pink so apologises in advance to my blogger friends, I promise to have a pink free week next week LOL.

Keep warm and have a Happy Crafting Weekend. XX