"Tag Art"

Hi, I've been very quiet lately - lots of things going on at the moment but, by the skin of my teeth, I've made my entry for The Stampsmith's current challenge, "Tag Art", using at least one Stampsmith stamp.  My tag is home made and I've mounted it onto a card, which I need for a colleague's birthday tomorrow:

The image is stamped on glossy card in Jet Black Stazon, with just a touch of burgundy red chalk on her cheeks - I think she looks like lady who knows exactly what she wants, lol.  For the tag I used white card coloured with Antique Linen, then over-stamped with a letter script stamp, and a little Black Soot DI around the edges.  I mounted onto black card and added some champagne coloured trim with glass beads, and some black cord and black metal ribbon tied at the top.

The dp on the card is from the Vintage Treasures paper pad by Melissa Frances, and I've stamped some flourishes around the corners, and finished with some Black Soot DI around the edges.  Some black ribbon and a sentiment (from an IndigoBlu stamp plate ) to finish.

I'd also like to enter this into the following challenges:-

Truly Madly Crafty Challenge - Anything Goes
Drunken Stampers - Something New (rubber stamp was a Xmas gift)
Creative Stamp Friends - Old Fashioned or Antique
I hope you like it.

Maria x

Valentine's Day - Craft-Room Challenge DT Project

Hi, it's time for a new challenge over at the Craft-Room Challenge.  I can't believe how quickly the weeks fly by.  The entries to Clean and Simple were as stunning as always, it is always so difficult to choose a top 3!  This time it was my turn to choose a theme and, as Valentine's Day is getting near, I thought this would be the perfect time for those Valentine creations. There's a £10 voucher to spend in Craft-Room Online Shop for one random lucky winner (and there is 30% off everything at the moment!) and, as always, we will choose a top 3. The usual rules apply.

I decided to make a card and a keepsake gift for my other half:

I wanted to keep the card fairly simple:  the card base is Kraft cardstock, the dps are from the TH seasonal pad, and the rose is a La Blanche stamp, coloured with Jenny Bowlin Cough Syrup ink mixed with a little water. A little lace, some rafia, and a TH pearl to finish.  I think I should've put "Love" somewhere else though as, because of the paper, it looks like E Love! 

Using a circle of chipboard (with a stand) from CI, I made a bit of a keepsake.  We don't have very many photos of the two of us, but this one is probably my favourite and was taken in Crete two years ago.  Again, the dps are from the TH seasonal paper stack, and I've added some bits and pieces, such as ribbon & gems etc.

The heart is a flat wooden one, which I've covered with Viva Ferro Metal Colour, added a SU brad and a word tile.  I've never used the Viva Ferro before, so any other suggestions for it's use are welcomed!

Jar Of Hearts

A TH corked vial filled with minature punched hearts, a memo pin pushed through the cork and a "Love" ticket.

  "The key to my heart" laid over the the same La
 Blanche Rose as on the card above - my other half once (a long time ago!) bought me the most beautiful red roses that were like suede (never got them again though!), hence using the large rose stamp on both creations.


I'm really looking forward to visiting your blogs to see your Valentine creations, so have fun and please check out the other DT creations for inspiration, as they are fantastic.

I'd like to enter my creation/s into the following challenges:

Paper Creations Ink:  Love/Romance
Penny Black & More:  Love and Hearts (card only)
Crafty Emma's Store Challenge:  Anything But A Card (present only)
Wags n Whiskers:  Valentines/Love (card only)
Crafter's Companion:  Love Is In The Air (card only)
Just Tracy's Crafts Challenge:  Love Is In The Air
Pretty Little Ribbon Shop:  Be My Valentine
Maria x

"Love" Tag Card

Hi, what freezing cold weather we're having!  My windscreen was still frozen at 1pm today!  I'd like to share a card with you which I've made for a few challenges that I really wanted to enter:

The first is Channa's challenge over at Get Creative - she's asked us to make a card with a tag on it, along with some fabric.  The second  is The Stamp Man whose challenge this fortnight is to "Use Red - a little or a lot, your choice", and the third is The Spicy Supply Challenge over at Gingersnap Creations, who would like us to "Use Ribbon" (lovely samples by the DTs for these challenges).  I decided to combine them to see what I could come up with, and here it is:

I've used Kraft corrugated cardstock for the base, with a little JB Cough Syrup ink (I love this colour) around the edges, and made it as a stand up card:

I used a Melissa Frances script dp, which I inked up with a little DI Old Paper & Pumice Stone, stamped some CI flourishes from the corners, then added a frame coloured with JB Cough Syrup Ink, and mounted it onto some red cardstock.

The tag, also made from Kraft corrugated cardstock, is removable due to the card being a stand up one, so that you can write a message to your loved one on the back (the inspiration for this came from this month's CS!)...

...and it sits in the frame nicely.  It has the same CI flourishes stamped on it, a TH adage ticket, a couple of tiny red hearts, and some red and cream ribbon tied around the top.  Behind the tag sits one red heart.  I used some red silky ribbon and twisted it round to form some little roses, to which I added some tiny pearls.

Stand up cards are a first for me, so I hope you like it!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Maria x

Clean & Simple - Craft-Room DT Project

Hi, it's time again for another Craft-Room Challenge, and what a fantastic response we had over the holiday period!  It was lovely to see so many join in.  The next challenge has been chosen by the wonderfully talented Esther, who has picked the theme of "Clean and Simple".  The usual rules apply, with a £10 voucher to spend in the Craft-Room Online Shop going to one lucky random winner, and don't forget, Craft-Room also have a sale on at the moment (until 13th January) - there's a whopping 25% off your order at checkout, and that includes everything in the shop!  

Now I don't generally do Clean and Simple very often (apart from a few cards at Xmas), so it was a bit of a challenge for me!  I decided to make a card (for a change!):

The inks used were Jenny Bowlin Chicken Feed and Cough Syrup, and the stamps are Personal Impressions.  I masked the white card blank top and bottom, leaving just a horizontal band showing.  I then coloured this area with Chicken Feed then added the Cough Syrup from the bottom, to about halfway up the band.  Once dry, I stamped the toadstools first, then stamped the fairy, positioning her so that she was perched on the top.  I added some stamped fairy dust (Lavinia Stamps), so it looked as if she was blowing it from her hand, which I went over with a Quickie Glue pen then added a little Jones Tones Glitter for sparkle.

If you need some inspiration, pop over and have a look at what the rest of the DT have made!

As Natasha's card challenge (Jan 4th) over at Get Creative is also "Clean and Simple", I'd like to enter my card into it.  I'd also like to enter the 2 Sisters Challenge, who have a theme of Things With Wings.

I hope you like it, and good luck - I look forward to seeing your creations!

Maria x

A Little Sparkly White Trio

Hi, I'd like to share a little triple hanging I've made with some new bits I got for Xmas.  My new year resolution is to enter all those challenges that I love the look of, so I'm making a start with some of my new stuff:

I used three pages of a Tando chipboard mini book and covered them with Inka Gold in Platinum - I've never used this stuff before but can now see myself becoming highly addicted - it's fantastic!  I added some letter text, in Brilliance White, with a script stamp from Hero Arts, and WOW White Sparkle EP around the edges (but more so on the middle one further down).

For the top piece, I wrapped some white glittered ribbon around the centre, embossed a small metal frame with Wow ep, and a heart on to pearlised card with white ep, and attached them together with white brads.  I die cut a butterfly from white pearl card and embossed, and a pen nib highlighted with Viva Precious Metal colour in MOP.  A word tile "Love" and some white pearls to finish:

Top

For the middle piece, I used one of my new stamps on glossy card, from the Portrait of a Lady plate (The Stampsmith), with Stone Grey then lightly inked with DI in Old Paper.  I mounted onto white card, added some shimmering net fabric underneath then mounted again.  A piece of off white/cream card underneath lightly stamped with text, and two metal corners embossed with white twinkle ep:

Middle

For the bottom piece, more glittered white ribbon across the centre and a flower made from cream/white fabric petals (the ones that are used for decorating tables at weddings).  A broken jewellery piece as the centre, some glossy accents added to the petals, then a sprinkling of white glitter:

Bottom

I've punched some holes and attached all three pieces together with ribbon, then more ribbon to hang.

Tando are looking for Ice White creations and have a photo for some inspiration, the Fashionable Stamping Challenge's current challenge is Anything Goes - using your new stash, and The Stampsmith would like to see Shimmer, Sparkle and Shine

I would also like to enter:

Crafty Creations Challenge - Heat Embossing
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge - Anything Goes Using Your New Stash
Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge - Sparkle and Ribbon Creations

Hope you like it.

Maria x

Altered Drawer Box

Hi, my first project of 2012!  I hope the coming year is peaceful, happy and prosperous for everyone.

There were a couple of challenges I wanted to enter, so I've altered one of those little drawer units you buy in the stationery section of Wilkinsons for a couple of quid, which I've had for a while.  The inspiration for this came from The Artistic Stamper blog a few months ago, when they altered one of these - Tissue Tape Your Drawers by Kat Fullman - however, I did the unit instead of the drawers:
:

 

Front View

The sides were covered in TH tissue tape, along with the top sections, which I swiped over gently with Papersoft Colour in a light pink, just to lightly tint it, although it didn't take very well.  I stamped some flourishes lightly, in Brilliance White then I added a pink adhesive trim around the bottom, then pink ribbon on top of this.  Around the top I used some white broderie anglaise, then more pink ribbon on top of this, and some clear gems here and there.  A stamp from a TH clear set was stamped twice onto white card coloured with DI, then distressed a little around the edges.  These were attached to each of the sides of the box:

Side View - both sides the same

I coloured a Tando bookplate in Victorian Velvet distress stain, then a couple of coats of clear Distress Stickles over this, stamped a sentiment onto paper coloured with Victorian Velvet DI, a couple of white velvet brads, and adhered to the front of the box. 

Close up

 DPs were used on the base, and little feet were added with glossy accents (little dolls house knobs coloured with Distress Stain), and it's finished!  I was in 2 minds as to whether to line each section inside, but I should really have done that first so I'll know for next time.   

I'm going to enter this into the Grungy Monday challenge over at Studio L3, as their theme is Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap and Tape,although I'm not sure if I will qualify for their prize over at Simon Says Stamp, as I don't think I've used one of Tim's techniques as such.

The Artistic Stamper's new challenge is Vintage so I hope it fits into that one as well, and also the Sunday Stamper, whose theme is Do Anythin You Wanna Do.

I'm not sure what I'm going to use it for yet, but I've just bought some lovely pink, black and white hat boxes for storage so it should co-ordinate nicely with them.

I hope you like it.

Maria x

Happy New Year

Hi!!!  As it is now officially 2012, I would like to wish each and every one of you a very peaceful, happy and prosperous new year.

There have been some very good times in 2011 - I started my blog, became part of a Design Team at Craft-Room Challenge, and also met some beautiful, kind and talented people, many of whom regularly visit my blog and leave wonderful comments.

Thank you everyone for your support and Happy New Year!!!

Maria x