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

Gingersnaps Art Exchange

Over on the Yahoo Group Gingersnaps it's time for a new swap, I really enjoyed last month's challenge Scraplings and Paintchips and received some lovely artwork - thank you to Laura, Joanne, Krisha, and Jack these are the pieces I received



This month's challenge is to make four 4x4 toppers which must include some stamping







Hope you like them and that whoever gets them does, I can't wait to receive mine but it will be a while as the swap doesn't take place till the 15th November.

CCC17 - Fragment Charms

Good moring fellow bloggers,

Time to post my latest Compendium of Curriosities challenge, this week's techique is using Tim's fragment charms, well I didn't have any so there were two options - miss the challenge or go shopping, guess which one I choose!

My lovely Hubby took me out for a day to Skipton in North Yorkshire to visit the Stampman and Samuel Taylors and I wasn't disappointed. Even got to meet a fellow crafter who I've "spoken" to online that works in one of the shops. He didn't even complain about my spending, although I don't think he could quite believe how little I got for my money!



As you can see I made sure I got my charms for the challenge, the Sizzix die I have been wanting for a while but was out of stock everywhere so was pleased to find that.

Anyway back to the challenge, there is only one thing to do with charms and that's make a charm bracelet, I used Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby papers in pink and various charms, beads and chain from my stash.



Hope you all have a great weekend.

Vintage Book

A few weeks ago I popped round to a crafting friend's (Viv of Viv's Visual's) to collect some stamps she was selling, whenever I go she has always made something amazing and I come home loaded up with bits and pieces and ideas to try out.

Well this is one of them, an altered book come treasure box

from this



to this



I picked the ancient book up on a market stall, I loved all the detail, it was a shame to cover it, but it does still show, pulled all the pages out and made a box to fit inside.



I painted it with gesso, acrylic paints in cream and metallic gold. The papers are from the Tim Holtz "Lost and Found" stack covered in Modgepodge to seal it, the image is a free download from Craft Stamper. I have no idea why this turned out pink but I love it. I printed it onto a transparency sheet then used the transfer technique on to a piece of Calico. Finally added the embellishments.

They aren't the best photo's as my photography is rubbish but I'm really pleased with how this one turned out.

I'm going to enter it into my first altered art challenge over at Cindy Adkin's Whimsical Musings for her Creative Spirit Challenge

Distress tags inspired my Leonie Pujol - in the flesh!

On Monday, I was on my way to the supermarket and had to pass the craft shop, I wasn't going to go as I'd been to the Leigh Craft Show on Sunday, but something drew me in, lol. As I walked through the door I recognised a voice - no other than Leonie Pujol off Create and Craft, she was setting up to do a demo! Turned out to be demoing my favourite Distress Inks and having completed my set of inks on Sunday I was really pleased.

Not had chance to go to anything like that before as I've always had my little girl with me but she was at preschool for the day, so I made the most, abandonded the food shopping and sat and watched for two hours. I had to drag myself away.

She is such a lovely friendly lady, had a laugh and chat with everyone made some lovely samples, said how much she is enjoying it on Create and Craft, so different to the "other" side, lol.

Anyway, here's some tags I made using a few of Leonies for inspiration

CCC16 - Wrinkle Free Distress

It's Tim time again over at Studio L3, except this time we get an extra week as lots of the lucky followers are livin it up with Sir Tim himself on a cruise ship, how green am I?

Anyway back to the challenge, this week it's wrinkle free distress which can be found on page 33 of the Compendium of Curiosities.

I used Dusty Concord, Tumbled Glass and Milled Lavender distress inks, stamped the Penny Black "Burst of Stars" in Dusty Concord and and again in Distress embossing ink and covered in Plum Perfect Pearls to add a fantastic shimmer to the tag.



I love how the centre of the flower hit the blue splodge perfectly.