Another 8"x8" layout, I'm on a roll!!

This next layout is designed around the mini frame stamp I received in a Studio Calico Kit, Cotillon in 2009. I have to be totally honest and say it was one of my most favourite of all the kits that I had during my subscription period.

My sister does work for her local Cats Protection League, she took in 5 feral kittens, 4 which were Tabby brothers & sister, the other just found along with them.

It was her job to tame them and then re home them!!

These photos were taken on a mobile phone and not very good quality, so they were well

suited to being printed small.

Cardstock is Swiss Dot. Border punches Doily Daisy & bracket.

Title, TH Chipblock. Stamps from a cat set.

Butterflies, Craft Individuals.

I don't know if other people have noticed, but the last half dozen pictures I have uploaded to blogger have been appaling quality. Yet, I am not using any different software or doing anything any different. so annoying!!

Stampman Challenge - Anything Goes/Summer Colours

I only just got an item made for the last challenge on the Stampman blog,

now the next challenge is up!!

It was a commission and can't be shared!

So, the next one is Anything Goes/Summer Colours.

I got my inspiration for this layout (page 5 in my 8"x8" album) from the advertisement below! Isn't it just amazing!!!

As soon as I saw it, I just knew it was perfect!!

Materials used:

Bazzill Cardstock - Avalanche

Heart die cut from Glossy Cardstock

Alcohol inks - Stream/Plum/Meadow/Butterscotch (blown through straw)

Ric Rac - Purple/Lime/Orange

Basic Grey Opaline Pearls - Purple/Teal/Pink/Yellow

Stamps - Tim Holtz Fairytale Frenzy

Flowers - Prima

Butterfly Die - Memory Box

Title -  Summer - Quickutz - Moxie

Title - french style - rub ons - Doodlebug

Photos I took in Piegut-Pluviers and Brantome, France 2011

Advertisement Courtesy of LG & Metro Newspaper!!

Happy Birthday, Tracy!

This is the birthday card I made for my sister's birthday today. It features a photo I took of Alnmouth Beach. We spent a beautiful couple of hours together here in April 2011.

My sister is a huge fan of minimal so I knew this design would really suit her.

I was inspired by this fabulous scrap layout on Pinterest. It ws the use of the compass on this page that lead me to the idea of the beach theme.

I loved the card so much I decided to make my third layout for my 8"x8" album to match.

Materials used;

Patterned Paper - Spots - Scenic Route Garden Grove - Joy Street

Patterned Paper - Script - Not sure, think 7Gypsies (from my scrap box)

Stamp - Dream/Discover/Destiny - Stampers Anonymous

Ink - Salty Ocean & Weathered Wood Distress Ink

Photo - taken by myself & the image on the card has had text typed onto it prior to printing

Compass - Travel Stamp Set

Silver Eyelets & String

Holes punched & backed with blue paper

Title - Tim Holtz Typeset Alphabet.

Another Layout for my 8"x8" album

I had a bit of fun trying to take a photo of this page ! As you can see the net curtain won!!

This is actually layout number 4, but I can't show number 3 until my sister's birthday on 5th July as the layout is directly connected to her birthday card.

This album I am making is all about my favourite photographs. This particular photo was taken on 24th October 2009, when my sister lived at Shortflatt Farm (a farmhouse I will be using in a future layout & one you have seen before). The hens thought it was actually their house & it amused me to see them strutting around the kitchen watching what Tracy was doing.

To make my page, I took some pale green bazzill cardstock & I used a tree embossing folder to create the tree design on the left, rubbing over the design firmly with a punch. I used Jillibean Soup Vegetable Broth paper to support my picture. Once this was in place I stamped the cockerel & the two hens from my stamp set Poultry Pantry by T J Designs. I stamped a ticket from the same set onto scrap card & coloured with Frayed Burlap distress ink. The word Hen in the title is made from Tim Holtz Typeset alphas in kraft & over inked with Frayed Burlap. The word House was Making Memories Great Escape Bamboo Alphas. I stamped chicken wire & the Hen Party Post image directly onto the page. I also used a grass stamp from a See D's set. Finally I coloured the hens using copper & bronze pearl powders which gave them a smudgy, oil painted look. I didn't add journalling I felt the photo & title said it all.

Layout No.2 & a Quick Tag

This is the second layout I have made for my 8"x 8" scrap album. The first can be found a few posts down. I picked 8x8 as it is quick to work on & small enough to make up into a coffee table sized album that won't get put away and forgotten like many of my larger layouts. The theme of this album is Favourite Photographs. This particular layout is of the Gite in La Marchaderie, St. Mathieu, France. We are set to go back in September and I am seriously counting down the days. So far the weather here has been nothing short of miserable. When it is sunny, I'm usually stuck behind my desk at work.

The materials I have used are;

Co-Ordinates Woodgrain cardstock sanded  & inked.

Patterned Papers- Making Memories Paperie Double sided sheets in Geometric Window Greenhouse, Skinny Stripe Greenhouse, which I made chevrons from.

Title is October Afternoon Newsroom Stickers.

Stickers are 7Gypsies. Journal shape cut with Spellbinders & strips created by computer. Stars stamped using SC stamps on patterned paper.

I very recently bought the new Summer Dsitress Pads from the Artistic Stamper & while I have not had a lot of time to play this weekend I wanted to make something.

I've been busy making a card for my sisters' forthcoming birthday & my next scrap layout which is based on the card & can't be shown until 5th July, but found just half an hour to create this beach themed tag.

Materials used are Tim Holtz Summer Distress Pads in Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn & Picked Raspberry. They are extremely vibrant but just screamed summer & beach to me. I have used the Salty Ocean on my sisters card & the matching scrap layout & it stamps fabulously :0)

TH Compass Mask, TH Birds & words. Cherry Pie Beach stamps which include all the seagulls & the waves. The ART circles are from my old stash & the lighthouse is cut from one of my own photos of St. Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay.

Stampman Challenge - Time or Travel

As the Stampman challenge stated one or the other, Time OR Travel, I knew I should not really combined the two into one piece of art. Deciding which to make then proved difficult as I love both themes, so I made one of each on matching tags!

I made two identical tags by adding emulsion from matchpots in cream, pink & chocolate. Once dry I overstamped in Archival black with the Crafty Individuals Crackle stamp. I chose my focal images of the German Castle by Cherry Pie and the CI 062 Angel Child stamp & after stamping them onto white matt photo paper I over inked them with distress inks in Frayed Burlap, Rusty Hinge & Worn Lipstick. Once dry I bleached out some of the colour to give the images definition before over colouring with a little Tattered Rose. On the Time piece I embossed 2 Heidi Swapp clock stamps in copper. The clock face is from a broken watch. Travel stamps are by Royal & Langnickel. Quotes from the internet.

Brads & ribbon,  Papermania.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!

For this card I wanted to use a photograph which had some meaning to Dad & I wanted a really masculine feel to the overall design. After some thought I decided to use the "No Stamping Joseph's Coat Technique" which I saw in the Masterclass by Trish Latimer in the April 2011 issue of Craft Stamper.

I cut a piece of glossy cardstock to the size of the Tim Holtz Texture Fades Patchwork embossing folder & inked the piece with Wild Plum & Eggplant Adirondack Dye inks (my two favourite shades in this range)

I embossed it with the Patchwork folder, then inked the whole piece with clear embossing ink & heat embossed with clear powder. Once this had cooled I covered the whole piece liberally with Archival Black dye ink making sure it got into all the crevices of the embossed areas. Once rubbed off it had a rich purple black shade.

I had to cut this down further to fit the card front leaving a fraction of white card showing all around & inked the edges of the white card black. The photograph is the Steam Train at Alston, Cumbria that we took Dad on for his birthday when we went to Newcastle at Easter to stay with my sister Tracy. It was a beautiful journey but it did rain!! Nothing new there then! lol. The photo was matted onto white, then black card.

A Challenge & A Layout

First up is the latest challenge from The Stampman, Make it for a Man. I used some old map scrapbook paper & a piece of kraft card cut into a tag. Each piece was washed with a mix of Cappuccino & Gold Perfect Pearls & then stamped. Some of the stamping was immediately smudged to give a worn apperance. Walnut Stain distress ink was used to age the pieces further. Stamps used, Tim Holtz & Artistic Stamper Clocks.

Next is a Layout all about my favourite place of the moment, Pinterest!

Papers used: Studio Calico - Bunting.

American Crafts - ModaBella - Preppy

American Crafts - Dear Lizzy - Spring Sweet Strawberry

Main background - American Crafts - reverse of Everyday - Long time no see.

Red Butterfly stamped onto Cosmo Cricket - Nutmeg - clove

Blue Butterfly stamped on Basic Grey - June Bug Cabana

TH small Butterfly stamped onto Studio Calico Bunting

Spiro Circle cut from Basic Grey - June Bug - Picket Fence

Ticket - Sei - En Route

Large Butterfly stamp - ISC

Happiness Stamp -Catslife Press

Title - Tim Holtz - Alpha die -Typeset

The "Mystery" Challenge

 I recently set a mystery challenge on Chrysalis & I sent all the players a small bag of "bits & pieces" and a set of instructions. Part of the instructions were to work in only two sets of colours, either blues & purples or reds & pinks.

The only other colours allowed were black, white, grey, silver or gold.

As I set the challenge I decided I really ought to make two pieces. The first piece I made was in blues & it is my imaginary idea of a 3D postcard using TH Texture Fades Postal embossing folder. The image was Urban stamps by Papermania & I selected this particular one because I love France & the postal emboss folder contains the word Paris twice.

This is the second piece in reds. I totally love this piece & I went to town on texture & gold embossing. The plain grungeboard wings were painted with red acrylic paint before running through a texture fades checkerboard folder. I coloured them with Raisin & cranberry alcohol inks to give shaded areas of red. The couple are on acetate. 

Originally I had planned a transfer for the couple but nothing worked & I had to remake this piece three times!! So determind was I to get the design in my sketch book onto the work table.

I am very pleased to say  that it actually looks exactly how I wanted it too & that is always a bonus to a piece of art :0) The small TH fragment has a stamped butterfly in stazon & painted with gold acrylic paint on the reverse. The flower was white painted with red acrylic, stamped & painted withregular gel (semi gloss) medium to add shine, the heart was also painted with the semi gloss medium. I used Gold Krylon on the edges as well as the gold powder.

Some Old Artwork

This first card was a commission for Keeley who used to travel on my train each day. She wanted something suitable to give to her boyfriend, Josh to celebrate one year together. I wanted something masculine so went with the Papermania Urban stamps, keeping the colours limited to reds with some perfect pearals sprayed on mixed with Fired Brick distress reinker.

This piece was made for my colleague to give as a birthday gift to a friend after her original gift didn't work. (someone else bought the same thing!) It was a small canvas covered with some pretty paper & the butterflies were die cut using my Memory Box die.

Stamped quotes Tim Holtz.

This next card was made for my work colleague Lesley who gave birth to her second daughter Maisie, sister to Gemma.

Mum and baby are doing very well. Gemma adores her baby sister.

Papermania embossing folder Boofles Buttons, image Lili of the Valley.

This final card was made in March during the time I had no computer. It was a thank you card to the people who kindly took my ailing machine backwards & forwards to the repairers.

Xcut die fancy frames & paper Webster's Pages

All About Butterflies

 This first image is a card made for a forum friend, Joanne for her birthday. Her special day is the day after mine and as my computer system died on my birthday, I lost the last weeks work. Thankfully Joanne was able to email these shots so I had a record of my work.

I based my designs around our other forum friend, Jo Capper-Sandon's background technique featured in the December 2011 issue of craft Stamper. I made the mini canvas to match.

I used perfect pearls on the butterfly wings for shimmer.

This next butterfly item was made for Jo Capper-Sandon's birthday the following month. As she adores butterflies I made her an exhibit box. Sadly it did not work quite the way I wanted it to. The background looks far too dark in this photo.

These too, had perfect pearls dusted onto the bodies.

Materials I used;

Distress inks, Weathered Wood, Wild Honey, Iced Spruce, Rusty Hinge,Tumbled Glass,

Stormy Sky, Seedless Preserves, Chipped Sapphire and Brushed Corduroy.

Gesso, Chalk Emulsion Paint and Standard Emulsion Paint.

Torn newspaper, Tim Holtz stamps -Attic treasures.

Perfect Pearls, Mandarin, Gold, Mint and Plum.

Stampman Challenge - Favourite Technique

Warning: Photo heavy!!

This is my entry for the Stampman Challenge, Favourite Technique. I have three actual favourites, the main one making wrinkle free distress ink backgrounds, but these go hand in hand with stamping & bleaching. As my blog name suggests I am a minibook maker, although to be fair there are over 18 books that will never be seen on this blog because they were made many years ago before I even thought about running a blog & sadly, lost all the images when my computer died! Anyway this is the front cover of the mini & the following pages are the inside. Materials listed at the end.

Pages were made using thin card from an empty tea bag box.

Distress inks used: NEW Spring set; Dusty Concord; Tumbled Glass; Broken China;

Spun Sugar; Mustard Seed; Pine Needles; Shabby Shutters.

Stamps are a mixture of Tim Holtz sets & Studio G.

Computer generated words for front cover & pages 3, 4, 6, 7 & 10.

Secret Garden embossing folder, Heart die & fancy frames both Papermania/Xcut

Bleach. Bind it All. Scraps of ric rak & glitter paint.

Another Birthday & Commission

 This first card is for my train buddy, Claire who has a birthday today. She makes a lot of cupcakes for various engagements, weddings, baby showers & birthdays so I thought this LOTV stamp very apt. Paper was free Pink Paislee Spring Jubilee. Butterfly die, Memory Box.

This card was a commission I made for Claire for her mum's birthday last month. I used Prima Pixie Glen paper. TH Die cut bookplate. Memory Box Butterflies. Papermania XCut fancy frame dies, a white blossom, a pinked circle die cut using Xcut dies. The Chiffon was kindly donated by my forum friend Chris & I made a flower with a crystal for the centre.

The butterflies are embossed with Papermania Secret Garden folder (my absolute favourite)

I thought it quite fitting to show both birthday cards together.

A Commission & A Birthday

 This first card was made for my train buddy Claire, for her sister's birthday. The papers are Birdsong &Wild Asparagus. The photo was given to my & they are Claire's sister, two dogs enjoying a spell of sunshine in the garden.

The second card was made for my friend Kate. She used to travel on the train with me and was my reading buddy. We meet once a week for a catch up. It was her birthday the first week in April & she spent her birthday in Norway, with husband Alex. Paper is Birdsong,

image Lili of the Valley- Best Friend.

Shabby Chic/Distress Challenge

This week on the Stampman Challenge http://thestampmanchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/ we were asked to make something Shabby Chic/Distressed. I adore this theme as I use shabby distress a lot in my work. I obtained some free Pink Paislee paper - Spring Jubilee in a card making magazine & knew it would be just perfect for what I had in mind. I love to read & every now & then I decide I need a new bookmark.

I decided that today was the day & I would use this theme.

I took some of the paper & dry brushed is with gesso to tone down the colours & then I stamped a TH Stuff to Say journal stamp down one side before dry brushing some more gesso over the top to give it the apperance of the stamped image already being part of the paper design I smugged it slightly to give a distressed look. I then stamped my main quote & added a small chipboard butterfly. I made the button by gluing a small piece of the same patterened paper to the reverse of a clear button. The bird image is courtesy of The Graphic Fairyhttp://graphicsfairy.blogspot.co.uk/ The lace was from Ribbon girl. I cut the actual frame of the bookmark from Xcut fancy frames.

It was important to try & keep it quite flat as it does have to go in a book!!

Golden Wedding Card

I was asked by one of my travelling companions if i would create something for her parents who were celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary early April. I saw this Recessed Window card on a blog and one that my forum friend Carol had made & decided this was for me. Sadly when my computer died I lost a couple of the pictures but I have this front shot.

I also got these two shots of the inside of the card & the multiple pages I created. I'm having a few problems with this blog post, blogger won't let me select & edit the text! Looks like i will have to upgrade to the new version they have mentioned!!!! Papers are Prima Pixie Glen. Photo is of Claire's parents on their wedding day printed onto canvas.

Stampman Challenge "Bingo Card"

I am extremely late with this challenge but as you will see from my post below, my computer developed problems on my birthday (19th March) and after it being in for repairs it became obvious the damage was irreparable. I have lost a hold bunch of great software but all my files are entact! Phew, big sigh of relief because to lose 7 years of photos & artwork would be devestating.

The http://thestampmanchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/bingo card challenge was to pick a line from a set of choices & I chose Green, Flowers & Swirls. The swirl I inked with clear embossing ink & used table salt to give a distressed look (see craft Stamper February 2011). I kept the scheme clean by using just green & white & left off a greeting until i need a card & then I can add something suitable to it either computer generated or stamped.

Materials used, Secret Garden Embossing folder, Xcut Ornate square frame die, Birdsong paper, Chipboard swirl die, paper flowers.

MIA

Sorry I've been away so long. My home computer died on my birthday last week (how rude). It can't be repaired. I have got a new one but it will be a few days before I am up and running. Thankfully I'm a sensible pixie & all my work is backed up on an external hard drive. All I have lost is software, my address book, blog feeds & links to all my favourite places. The problem began when my Norton Internet Security malfunctioned & let in 5 trojans :-(:-(
I have lots of creations to share & I had completed The Stampman challenge.

Past Makes

This was a birthday card I made in January for Galina's birthday in February. Papers Birdsong, Stamp CI320. Stampin' Up Greeting and Xcut doily border punch. Below are 3 pictures of a set of mini drawers I purchased from The Range and decorated with my most favourite shade of blue paint. Lots of stamped images & some postage stamps. They started off life plain kraft brown but I stupidly forgot to take a "before" shot, so keen was I to get that blue paint out!! I keep all my Tim Holtz Ideaology bits 'n' pieces in them on my desktop.

I had great fun with them and wouldn't mind another set. They were priced at £2.99 so I thought they were a bargain. I just love that colour.....

The Stampman Challenge - Vintage

Here is my entry for this Vintage challenge at The Stampman. Below are two close up photos.

This was extremely hard to photograph. As you can see the red roses along the bottom are the wrong shade. I hope you can see the brown floral trim they are glued ontop of.

Materials used; TH Tag shape diecut twice, one with heart cut out. Both painted with chocolate emulsion paint & sprayed with Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist before embossing with Papermania Secret Garden & the back tag embossed with TH Notebook. Image is Stampsmith and stamped in Onyx Black Versafine. Felt leaf trim, large rose & ribbon all from my ex Scrapbook DT kits. Mini red roses, Papermania. Brown floral trim, Crafts U Love. Tim Holtz foliage. Gold Smooch & pink paint in cut out heart. I really enjoyed this challenge!!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!!

He is 70 years old today & still practically working full time!!!

Here is the card I made for him. I used Papermania Union Jack Emobossing folder for the background but before embossing I stamped the Papermania Portobello Road Urban Vintage "Big Ben" image. I then stamped the CI- 077 image onto white cardstock & cut out to layer over the top. The fantastic bunting stamps were from Stamposarus. I resisted the urge to colour them in because I wanted a black & white card.

We do not celebrate Dad's birthday until Easter when we celebrate along with mine when we go up and spend time with my sister, Tracy & BIL Martin.

Happy Birthday, Val

Today is one of my SSG Forum friends birthdays. So I made this.

My background is made using Distress inks; Victorian Velvet, Chipped Sapphire and edged with Stormy Sky. The image is Crafty Individuals.

Colours of Spring - Stampman challenge

This is my entry for The Stampman challenge - Colours of Spring/ Easter.

I got my inspiration for this piece from some paint I bought. I made a painted background using Green, Turquoise, Rose Pink and White paint & swirled them around the cardstock with a plastic store card. The colours remind me of bright blue sky, spring blossom and all the new fresh green growth. I overstamped the background with Stampers Anonymous Collage & a free HOTP stamp from the cover of a magazine. I silver emboss two leaves from PaperArtsy Wings Plate 2. I stamped the words from the same plate in black. On seperate card I stamped the bird in a manger & cut out. I glued dark blue & turquoise beads along the bottom for added texture.

"Thinking of You" Card

This card was made to send to one of my SSG forum friends, Ang who has been ill and had to spend a short time in hospital. She is home now & thankfully feeling better.

Materials used;

Blank Kraft card, die cut with X cut dies

Blue crepe paper

Memory Box die - Butterfly - Darla

Embossing folder Kassie's Brocade

Stamp- Prima - Documentary

Perfect Pearls; Biscotti & Cappuccino (not clear in this picture)

Happy Birthday, Chris!

Yesterday was the turn of Chris from the Chrysalis forum to have her birthday. I made this hanging canvas for her using some of my favourite images courtesy of Rein (top image) and Art-e-zine.

The background took me 2 days to complete as I did not have acrylic paint in my chosen colours and had to use several layers of distress ink re - inkers; Shabby Shutters, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire. Once I had the depth of colour I required, I set about stamping paint circles in white with a bottle top & through sequin waste. Gold highlights were added with Smooch. The stars (Jo Capper-Sandon image & free cover stamp with Craft Stamper October 2011) were stamped onto tissue & glued on with Golden matt gel medium. The vintage children were printed first onto copy paper. I then cut small squares of canvas from a roll & adhered over the images with double sided tape before running back through my printer. This eliminate wastage of the canvas & helped stop it curling in the printer. I had no sticky backed left! Once dry I cut them with a nestability die.

The ribbon charm was made folding 3 colours of 3mm ribbon & adding an end fastener. I made a bead dangle by threading co-ordinating beads onto a siver head pin. The words were found on the internet & computer generated onto white strips of copy paper. I used my Big Bite to punch holes through the canvas top and the hanging wired was bent round the holes.

I am very proud of this & it was hard to keep it quiet as I made it last month.

Hayley's Birthday/Stampman Challenge

I have made this card this weekend quite quickly because it is my beautician, Hayley's birthday tomorrow and I have been so busy at work I didn't realise it had got to that time already. We work 21 days in advance at work which helps matters even less! I also noticed that my design fitted the current theme of Texture at The Stampman so hope they like it too.

The papers are Birdsong & I have embossed using the new tri boss folder by Papermania Heart Attack. It looks much better in real life than the picture depicts giving subtle texture to a gorgeous piece of paper. The image is by PaperArtsy. Label is die cut using new Die-licious labels dies from Papermania. To give a touch more texture I punched black card with Xcut Flower Doily. I am slightly obsessed with texture at the moment & use embossing folders where ever I can!!! You might have noticed looking at all the designs I made this year so far!!! The image is cut with the Nestabilities Lacey circle die. Edges of paper inked with Victorian Velvet Distress ink.