Childhood Memories - Craft-Room DT

Hiya, over at the Craft-Room Challenge, the last fortnight has flown by and we've seen some fabulous Collage creations, however it's now time for a new theme and it's my turn to choose!  For the next fortnight we would like to see a creation inspired by:

Childhood Memories

 using rubber stamps, photos, etc, 

(but no digi stamps for this fortnight please)

We have a great prize from our sponsor for this challenge (see below) which will be chosen by random draw, and as per usual, there will be a top 3.  Full rules for the challenge can be found here.

I've chosen this theme because I've often bought stamps in the past that have reminded me of a time in my childhood, and then made or altered something which has turned out to be quite special or sentimental - and enjoyed that little trip back into my childhood at the same time!

This is what I have created:

 My mum is from Southern Ireland and each year, we went to stay with my Nanna for our summer holidays.  She lived in a little village with twice as many little pubs as streets, and the beach at the bottom of the front garden (my sister and I spent many a day either on the beach and paddling in the sea, or climbing over the rocks to reach the harbour).  My Nanna was a very small and gentle lady, and with a beautiful voice, she always got up to sing an Irish song in the pub.

So, when I spotted this Chapel Road Artstamps - Whistle Boy - at Port Sunlight last May, I had to buy it.  I've stamped the main image (and The Blarney Pilgrim) in Stazon Stone Grey and lightly coloured with Inktense, and the Tando bird has been coloured with Rub n Buff (Old Gold).  The Tando Mini Theatre Stage (from Crafty Individuals) has had a couple of coats of Gesso then various shades of green Distress Ink added (along with lots of water sprayed and flicked) and some green Perfect Pearls - they used to say no two shades of green are the same in Ireland.  I've done a bit of background stamping using more green Distress Inks, using script (SU) and crackle (CI) stamps.  The little TH bottle is filled with some fine gold stuff, the nearest I could find resembling sand - if I could've bottled the gorgeous smell from the sea when you opened my Nanna's front door, I would have!  Slainte is embossed in gold (and means "(good) health", and is used as a drinking toast).  I've edged the whole thing in more Rub n Buff to finish and added some little roses. 

Our fabulous sponsor for this challenge is:

 who are offering a great prize - thank you!

I hope you find the time to join us, and look forward to seeing your Childhood Memories creations, and hearing what's inspired them.  For more inspiration, please check out the fantastic creations by the rest of the DT.

I hope you like my little memory piece (and that you're still awake, lol!).

Enjoy your week!

Maria xxxxx

p.s. Don't forget, I have a little blog candy here!

Fashion - Craft-Room Challenge DT

Hi, what a busy week it's been!  My daughter and new grandson came home from hospital on Saturday afternoon and it's been manic ever since, lol, but what an adorable little guy he is.  I'm going to so love being a Nanna :-).  Over at the Craft-Room Challenge it's time for a new theme (your Buttons & Bows were stunning, by the way), which has been chosen by Hazel (please pop over and take a look at her stunning creations):

Fashion

We have a brand new sponsor for this challenge 

 who are offering a fabulous prize to one randon draw winner (please check out the Craft-Room Challenge  blog for full details)

For my DT piece I used a slide mailer to alter, which I split in two to make a double hanging, attaching the two halves together with some ribbon.

I painted the slide mailer with some blue acrylic paint mixed with some gesso as a base.  I covered the top part with some printed tissue paper from Crafty Individuals, then coloured over it with Pan Pastel tints in blue and pink.  I used a couple of TH stamps and a SU flourish.  The frame around the sentiment is metal so I covered it with Versamark and embossed with Shabby Pink and Shabby Blue embossing enamels - I love how this has turned out.  The hat in the bottom right corner has been cut from a stamped image by Flonz Stamps.  A bulldog clip covered in TH tissue tape, a Laura Ashley badge, some pink velvet trim. and a little Inka Gold in Platinum to highlight the creases in the tissue.

For the bottom part I have stamped a SU background with Versamark then coloured over it using  pink and blue Pan Pastel tints - this technique really picks up the colour on the stamped area.  I've then used the same SU flourish as on the top, just around the bottom corners.  I have painted a wooden dress frame with acrylic then used a crackle glaze over the top and highlighted with some distress ink and edged in gilding pen, then added a ribbon to the waist to finish.    The three images to the left of the dress form are by Flonz stamps (one image separated into 3).

I do hope you will find some time to share your Fashion creations with us this fortnight.

I'd like to enter this into some challenges:

The Fashionable Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes (it's their 1st Birthday!!!)
Sarah Hurley Challenge - Alter Something
Ruby's Rainbow - Anything But A Card

 Have fun and have a great week!

Maria x