12 Days of Christmas No 6 Grungeboard and Texture Fades

WOW half way through already, can't believe I've managed to blog them all too, I'm not the best blogger in the world.

Today I actually made two tags and the only thing in common with Tim's tag are the inks and techniques.

This is Tim's tag



and these are mine



I made the blue one first as I didn't have any tree or reindeers, so thought I'd just do something completely different yet use the same techniques.



Distress Inks used Tumbled Glass and Stormy sky, Cuttlebug Winter House folder and snowflake, Personal Impressions flourish, Whimsy sentiment.

The reason I made a second one was when I went to the craft shop to stock up on double sided tape and glue this lovely little Sizzix reindeer jumped into my arms. He is being discontinued so I had to have him. I replaced the trees with Cuttlebug holly folder using Pine Needles and Fired Brick.



I can't decide which one I like the most, what about you?

To see more fantastic tags why not pop over to Artyjen's blog

12 Days of Christmas no 5 - Enameled Metals

Here's today's tag, this was nice messy one with a bit of everything, ink, paint, stickles and embossing



The tag was edged with adirondack paint dabber in Snow Cap, inked with Barn Door and Fired Brick. Stamped Inkadinkado Santa and random edging and Penny Black sentiment. Next a grungepaper die cut was covered in Broken China crackle paint with a strip of distressed music paper. The numbers are a pack of sticky door numbers from the Poundshop (new they would come in handy) covered in Snow Cap and UTEE and a TH flower embossed with distress EP's.

I'm entering this into the Artistic Stampers monthly challenge

and The Cheerful Stampad's challenge "Here Comes Santa" (thanks for the invitation to join in Vicki)

12 Days of Christmas no 4 - Facets

I am absolutely loving this challenge, the only frightening thing is how close to Christmas it will bring us.

Here is day 4's tag



The technique involved in this one was to make a charm using a resist with alchohol inks, Tim used a lovely facet, but not having any I opted for a fragment charm. I must admit alcohol inks are my least favourite Tim product and my attempt at this did not work, but hey ho.

Tim's tag is lovely and blingy so we mananged that bit.

Paper is DCWV, gems and pearls from stash, tag edged in Fired Brick, Alcohol Inks used were Butterscotch and Stream.

12 Days of Christmas No 3 - Tissue Tape

Day 3 of Tim's Christmas tag challenge using Tissue Tape. I didn't have any of that so found some white tissue paper and coloured it with Tattered Rose reinker then stamped with text then collaged over the bird and used with the tattered floral die.



Distress Inks used Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo for edging.

Short and sweet tonight as it's late, but hope you like my take on Tim's tag.

On the 2nd Day of Chrismas - Custom Inkpad

my true love sent to me ....

another Tim tag and what a beauty it was too, however, mine looks nothing like Tim's.

I hit a wall with this one, the technique needed Cut & Dry felt, which I didn't have and distress reinkers which I only have a couple of. Sue (Playing with Paper) who is a fountain of knowledge said you can acheive a similar result with dried up baby wipes and felt tip pens or ink daubers. Well my attempt was a disaster, I didn't have the right style stamp or reinker colours and it was just a splodged mess.

So I improvised, using the aforementioned ink daubers and distress inks in tumbled glass and stormy sky I stamped a snowflake design all around my tag and then embossed with clear ep, then coloured my backround with weathered wood and more stormy sky. The design got a bit lost in the background so I went over it with clear on clear ink and ep. The topper was made using the same colours and stamp. Finnished with a sentiment and snowflake.



Well it's nice to be different anyway and I'm loving these big tags.

Looking forward to tomorrow's challenge.

Thanks for looking.

Tim's 12 days of Christmas - Rickety House

As all of you lovely Tim fan knows every year he does a challenge The 12 Days of Christmas tags.

Over on the Docraft forum Sue who likes nothing better than Playing with Paper challenged us to join in.

So here goes with day 1 if you pop over to Tim's blog you can see what he created. I was a little overwhelmed when I saw it and had to have a think, but thank goodness for crafty friends. The postie arrived this morning with a little brown envelope full of TH die cuts from the lovey Kay aka Craftyspider. Low and behold there were some of the great big tags and rickety houses, so thank you Kay.



I've used the batik technique for the background using distress inks in tumbled glass, stormy sky and broken china, distressed and embossed around the edges. The house was embossed with the brick folder and inked in fired brick, and lots of rock candy stickles and glamour dust. The wreath was made using a McGill pine branch punch and Viva pen for the berries.

I really enjoyed making this and can't wait for tomorrows.

My first matchbox

Hi there, it's been a while, well it's not even December yet and I seem to have lost my mojo for chrismas cards, wondering if the 30 I've made will be enough - no didn't think so!

So taking a break from Christmas this is what I've been up to, this month's exchange at Art & Soul over on Yahoo is an altered matchbox with a little "something" inside. Now I've had some of these in the drawer for a while and I have to say I loved making it, will be doing lots more.





Not going to show what's inside as I'm not sure yet, lol.

This next one started off as a trinket tray I picked up at the Poundshop and I've used it as a frame, it is now hanging nicely above my craft desk.

CCC21 - Perfect Distress

Need to get my crafting head back on I've been full of cold this week and had two sick children, so not felt like doing much at all. As usual I've left it till last minute again for this week's Compendium challenge, Perfect Distress. Now I love my Perfect Pearls, but could I get this card to work, no. Took me all afternoon to come up with something I was reasonably happy with.



Apologies for the photo the light kept reflecting off it.

I used an Inkadinkdoo stamp and all the blue distress inks; tumbled glass, stormy sky, faded glass and broken china with the White Pearl powder. The papers are of course from Tim's Vintage Shabby stack, my all time favourites.

You may remember last week I mentioned going to a friend's wedding, it was a fantastic day, the venue and weather were beautiful, the food was out of this world and the bride looked gorgeous.

Here's me and Ali, we go back to primary school, over 30 years ago!



the stunning scenery



the amazing cake



See you all next week, I must get back into blogging more often.

CCC10 - Industrial Grunge

It's Tim time again, this week's Compendium challenge is Industrial Grunge found on page 54 of the book.

I've actually got this done early for a change, but there is a reason, I'm going to a friend's Wedding on Sunday so I can't very well turn up with inky hands can I? Plus I figured, if I get my entry in a bit sooner I might land lucky with the random number thingy.

Back to the challenge anyway, having a change from a tag. The background as we crafter's say was a happy accident from last week's challenge. I cut the leaves and used the leftover to mask them, then inked the background. Added a sentiment and my industrial grunge leaves (I'm still in Autumn mode, too soon for Christmas).





Distress Inks used: Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo
Gold Metallic Alcohol Ink
Go Kreate dies
and sentiment from Ebay store in Malaysia

CCC19 - Extreme Masking

It's nearly time for another Compendium challenge so I better post this week's. The fabulous Linda at StudioL3 has set the task of "extreme masking" which can be found on page 61 of Tim's book. I'm not a halloween person but Linda's halloween project is fantastic.

Here's mine, not sure I got the hang of this masking technique but gave it a go anway. I used the Birdcage Alterations die, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo distress inks



Stampin Up stamps were used and dusted with my favourite bling of all time "Perfect Pearls"

CCC18 - Dabber Resist

Left it till the night before... again ... Compendium of Curiosities Challenge this week is Dabber resist techinque, intrigued? Well you'll have to have a look in the book I'm afraid.





I used a Clarity stamp, snow white adirondack paint dabber, Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge and Spiced Marmalade distress inks. I embossed the artificial leaf with bronze, brass and gold ep's added a couple of smalled leaves and the garden twine. Stamped Tim Holtz sentiment "Listen to your Heart"

Magnolia Ink cracker

Saving the best till last, my Magnolia Ink magazine landed on my doormat and everybody that had already got it was raving about it. I was diappointed with the Autumn issue but this one is the best yet I think. Full of gorgeous Christmas inspiration and lots of lovely projects including how to make this Christmas cracker.

I set to and this what I ended up with, pretty good even if I do say so myself, infact I even got a compliment from my hubby who said it was really nice, usually he just smirks to himself.





I'm so impressed with these they are going to be next month's project at craft club, I might have to make a few blank templates to help a few people out.

Right that's me for now, got a quick challenge to finnish then it's X factor and a nice glass of wine.

Stampin Up cards

A couple of weeks ago we had a Stampin Up demonstration at the craft group I run, a lovely lady called Keren Baker from Liverpool came and it was a really good evening. We made some lovely samples and spent a fortune (sshh don't tell Hubby though!)



The UPS man arrived on Tuesday morning with a big box, mostly full of screwed up brown paper, but deep down at the bottom were lots of lovely goodies.

I finally got round to inking some of my new stamps up last night. These are made using the set called "Just Believe"

The first one I inked with Distress inks in Tumbled Glass, Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge, spritzed with water and stamped onto watercolour paper.



I'm not used to making such plain cards so needed some convincing it was okay which my lovely Docraft buddies did - thank you.

The second was stamped in Frayed Burlap Distress ink and embossed with WOW brass embossing powder, also used Prima script stamp and My Mind's Eye papers Le Paperie by Jen Wilson, sentiment from an ebay store.




This Stampin Up thing has already become a slippery slope - I want it all!

Stampin Up cards

Altered Mirror

I've been a busy bee lately just not got round to blogging anything, so here's the first of three.

A while ago I altered a cheap Ikea mirror, now it was my first attempt at anything altered so I stuck with it and hung it on the wall. The more and more I looked at it the more I didn't like it, it was just too dark so I decided to revamp it.

This is before



and this is after ...... much better



Kay & Co papers, corrugated card covered in gold acrylic paint, Craft Stamper image printed on to Canvas paper, flower made with grungepaper covered in Craft Individuals papers and stickles and other embellishments from stash.

Recycling some rubber!

Just to let you know posted some stamps on my sale blog assortment tilda, whiff of joy, manga, gorjuss girls.

Link on side bar.

Thanks x

A couple of special books

Hello everyone,

I'm busy trying to work my way through my list of to do's before I make a serious start on my christmas cards and gifts for the school christmas fair.

The first is a Guest Book for an old school friend whose wedding I'm going to in a couple of weeks.

The book was a plain red one from Home Bargains for the pricely sum of 99p, forgot to take a before piccie but it wasn't very exciting, crying out to be altered.

I must admit to using a wedding card I'd already made as the topper but the papers to cover the book are from the "Something Old, Something New" range by Magnolia, with some gorgeous ruffled organza ribbon I got at the craft show the other week.





The second one is for a special crafty friend who is celebrating her 40th birthday next month, I think it may have become an even bigger milestone for her as back in May she suffered a massive stroke and has amazed everyone by how far she has come, almost making a full recovery, she still has a way to go but is an inspiration.

So this if for my friend Tina

The recipes of life if anyone wants them can be found here