I can't believe it has been 14 years!

It was my Wedding Anniversary on Wednesday, and as the title says, it has been 14 years since we got married! For once, I hadn't made a card, as I was so busy last week, but Paul knew I would make him 'something'! This is a tiny canvas, 8cm x 6cm that my friend got for me from LB Crafts. I have made the reverse into a niche, and I am going to use it for something personal and probably slushy for Paul!

Colour: Glimmer Mist, Stazon, Distress Ink, Versafine, heat embossing, Paint Dabber
Stamps: Elusive Images, Studio g (i)
Other: self-adhesive metal tape, tissue paper, old book page, Sizzlits tag die, embossing tool, drinks can

The little word plate was made by cutting up a drinks can and heating it in a gas flame, and I was told about this by Tasha. It was fun to do! ( Yes, that's my handwriting again :D ) I also planned this piece to fit in with Wednesday Stamper, where the theme is pattern. The damask background was made by stamping a heart stamp three times, close together.

Isa's Alpha Challenge- K and a last minute Wednesday Stamper

After being stuck for a good 'K' word for Isa's alpha challenge this week, I was suddenly struck with inspiration: Kimono. I bought some new stamps recently from Non Sequitur, and had yet to ink them up. The oriental look is so popular at the moment, so I wanted my first effort to be good. I am quite pleased with this, but not with the photo! I may change it tomorrow if I get the light and the time.
To the challenges. Isa's challenge, other than using the letter 'K' was to use black and white, plus one other colour, and to use a script stamp in the background. This week's Wednesday Stamper theme was handmade paper. This card combines both challenges.
The background paper I stamped the text stamp (by Judikins) on is a Japenese Mizutama paper. It has tiny metallic flecks in. The geisha figure was stamped on the origami paper and on white paper, then carefully cut out. The letters for the word are from my stash (All My Memories, I think!). And that's about it, pretty simple for me! All it needs is a new photo taken in daylight, so that the flash doesn't light up all the reflective surfaces. Come back tomorrow!

Edited to add new photo, The flash has gone but it has a slight colour cast. I think it's time to make a lightbox!

Isa's Alpha Challenge- J

This week has been a bit of a struggle for me, time-wise, so I am very happy to be able to post this card at last! Isa is back from her Summer holiday, and she has put her challenges onto a new blog. You can see the button for it on my sidebar, with the Wednesday Stamper and TMTA buttons. I like Isa's challenges, as the only real rule is that you need to use a word on your entry that begins with the alphabet letter of the week. Then there are a couple more options which you can choose to use, or not. I tend to try all of the options, as I like a real challenge!
This weeks letter is J, with the extra options of using a bright yellow and making a Christmas card. As you can see, I have done all three. I couldn't think of another word other than Joy, but Christmas is not the season to get all funky for me, I love it in all of its traditional glory!
The stamped panel is a yellow metallic watercolour background, stamped with the Hero Arts script in Distress Ink Vintage photo, and the Hero Arts harlequin background in Versamark, then brushed with Perfect Pearls. The other panel is an image transfer of a K and Co Christmas paper, transferred using Matt Medium onto gold Mirri card. Then both the panels were edged with Versamark and gold embossing powder. The letters for the word 'Joy' were changed to gold with my new Sakura Pen Touch pen (the budget alternative to a Krylon pen), then distressed by touching it whilst still wet. I did the same to the stars. The cardstock is Bazzill.
As usual, you can't really see the overall effect in a photo. Doing an image transfer over a bright gold card gives a real depth to the translucent image, rather like the gold backing on costume gems. And many thanks to Julie and Carrie, who have both done photo step-by-steps on their blogs. This time I found it easy, and only made a couple of holes in the image with my fingernails as they are quite long! The tip I really liked was to use a baby wipe to take off the backing paper, I found it much easier than a wet fingertip (and much safer, as no jar of water waiting to be knocked over!)
PS I was really surprised and delighted to find that my Wednesday Stamper entry for last week is on the Sampler. Thanks so much, Wednesday Stamper!

Wednesday Stamper- Blue

This week's Wednesday Stamper theme is blue, which is one of my favourite colours, and I immediately knew what I wanted to do. Well, this is almost what I had planned. This is a new stamp from Non Sequitur, and I was planning to get complicated and heat emboss, watercolour, and generally phaff about. I stamped the image first of all, to check how much pressure I needed etc (this is a huge stamp!) and... I love it plain! It almost feels like cheating, to just stamp an image in one colour, but how could I improve on the beautiful design. If you click on it you will see there are loads of tiny dots, it is very detailed.
I did mess around with the background, it is the usual craft mat/water technique, only this time I sprinkled on some Perfect Pearls before spritzing with water. It has created drifts of subtle shimmer, a bit like a clouded sky in the moonlight.
Sadly my camera is not too happy with blue tones, and every photo I took came out turquoise! The actual card is a much darker blue. I found that if I tilt my laptop screen away from me, the colour is perfect!
The swirl stamps are also Non Sequitur, the silvery ones are stamped with Versamark and brushed with Perfect Pearls. The main image is matted onto some pearlescent and plain cardstocks, and I added a navy blue ribbon. Oh, and the stamping and background were done with Nick Bantock Dye Ink in Prussian Blue, just like my hands last night!

UK Stamper's Jacob's Ladder swap.

Good old blogger! I knew it would put these photos on one above the other so I didn't need to mess around in Paint Shop Pro, stitching them together! This is my finished Jacob's Ladder for the UK Stampers swap. For those of you who don't know what a Jacobs Ladder is, it is a child's toy made of squares held together with ribbon. When you turn over the top square, all the other squares flop downwards in turn. And, thanks to Craft TV Weekly, this one does work! I will make a little matching box to store it in, but I wanted to show the photos now, as this is also going to be my entry for Wednesday Stamper, for this weeks open theme.
The stamping on the front is all done in various colours of Brilliance Ink, using stamps from Paperartsy, Crafty Individuals, Rubadubadoo, Anita's, Limited Edition, and PSX. The back is heat embossed in white and the stamps are Judikins (flower) and Rubadubadoo (butterfly). And just in case you can't read the phrase, it says "Live life free like a butterfly".
PS. The patterned paper for the base is from Fancy Pants, but the bit with the name is stuck down!

Wednesday Stamper- Buttons

As seems to be the case recently, it's Tuesday, and I'm only just posting the pictures of my entry for last week's Wednesday Stamper challenge. I actually decided what I wanted to do fairly quickly, but then I had to go into town to buy the buttons, then sew them on, and I had to make the pressie for my Husband, so I have a good excuse for my lateness this time!
The idea behind this is that it would be interesting to stamp onto a surface which has texture. The odd thing is that the mind fills in the gaps between the buttons, so it looks like a sharp image. If you click on this to make it bigger, you will see that there is no paint on the fabric. I ended up sewing on about 70 buttons here, and the overall size of the piece is 12cm square. It will eventually have a wire and bead hanger, but I have lost my heavy gauge wire!
The heart stamp is a free foam stamp I have had for years, stamped with pink acrylic paint (I thought it would look more splodgy than this), the rose border is from Tanda Stamps and is stamped in Versafine. The fabric was dyed using Distress Ink in Weathered Wood. The little heart was coloured using the pink paint.
Thanks for the challenge, Wednesday Stamper, but I hope that the next one is not haberdashery related!

Wednesday Stamper- Hats

I could have managed to be a little later for this weeks Wednesday Stamper, but not much! I seem to be pretty much caught up now, so hopefully will be more on time for everything. Of course, give me enough nights without sleep and that'll change again!
I'm into making ATCs at the moment. I usually have someone in mind for a card, and arty ones don't go down well with my family! But ATCs are just a little artistic indulgence, as they aren't 'for' anything. Hence this one, which I have called 'Hats off to the Music Man'. I am still inspired by these Paperartsy stamps; this is my third ATC using them. When I'm done I will label them as a series, my first!
Stamps by Paperartsy, Tanda Stamps and PSX, inks used are Distress Inks in Scattered Straw and Vintage Photo, plus Versacolour pigment inks in a mix of blues. The 'the' is Sakura Stardust pen. Thanks for looking!

More backgrounds, or How I can't Move Forward!

I have 3 projects underway at the moment: Wednesday Stamper, the theme for which is 'Eggs', UK Stampers' June 'Buttons and Bows' ATCs, and a mini-book swap on UK Stampers. All of these projects are stuck at the background stage! I have an idea of where I want to end up with each, but I don't seem able to put stamp to paper. I think it's because DH is away. Although he doesn't stamp, I often talk through my ideas with him. Sometimes just the act of verbalising my thoughts makes up my mind, otherwise it's nice to have an opinion, even when I disagree with it! So Sunday is going to have to be an active stamping day, to make the most of him before he goes off again.
The first background here is for the June ATCs. I pasted down some images printed from the computer, painted gesso over them, then scraped most of it off with a credit card. Its a nice way to 'grunge' up your stamping surface. The second background is an ATC for Wednesday Stamper, and I used part of the Nick Bantock Ink background I made a couple of days ago. I stamped in Versamark with an Anna Griffin clear damask stamp, then dusted Perfect Pearls over. It is quite shimmery in real life.
I won't be posting again until Sunday, as I am going to my Brother's wedding tomorrow. But Sunday morning I will have photos of a little project I made as a gift for the happy couple!
Don't forget Worldwide Stamping Weekend over on 2 Peas this weekend. The schedule is out, so clear the decks and get ready to play!

Wednesday Stamper- Polka Dots

I am a little later this week with my entry for Wednesday Stamper, but here it is. I love looking at other peoples work, as it gives me ideas and inspiration, and so far there are 72 entries! I have seen some of them already as I have been browsing blogs each day, but I think I may have to settle in with a hot drink and look at the rest. I don't want to miss anything!
This card was inspired by a baby book Dan has, and uses a photo that Rein posted on her blog for people to play with. Thanks, Rein! She has challenged people to use this image and post the link to her blog, so this card fulfills two challenges.
The spots were stamped with a Judikins cube which has four sizes of solid spots. The larger spots were stamped in Stazon onto a white card, the smaller spots were stamped in various colours of Brilliance and Versamagic onto black card, then translucent buttons glued over the top. The writing was added to the photo using Paint Shop Pro before printing, (my handwriting isn't arty enough!), and the little tag was cut using a Sizzix die, then I drew the tiny heart.
Thanks for the challenges!

Photos from Mottisfont

It was a fantastic day yesterday! The weather started off as grey and dull, But by the time we got to Mottisfont, it was bright sunshine all the way! Mottisfont Abbey is famous for its walled rose gardens, which in June are at their best. I visited two years ago and loved it, but this year even more flowers were in bloom. It was a real sensory experience, as the fragrance was as beautiful as the flowers themselves. I took a lot of photos, some with a view to making some background papers, and, with the excellent light we had, I had some nice results. I started a scrapbook page in the evening with a view to doing Isa's weekly challenge, which reminded me why I don't scrap as often as I used to! The time it takes to organise all of the different elements of photos, paper, embellishments and journalling means that I didn't even start on the stamping! Hopefully another evening will see it finished.
In the meantime, the new Wednesday stamper challenge is Polka dots, so I plan to ponder that and see what inspiration strikes!

My first ever Wednesday Stamper

This is it, I bit the bullet this week and decided to go for it! I have been following the Wednesday Stamper challenge site for quite a while, but have never felt that I had the time or talent to put in a submission. If you look at the incredible pieces of art that are regularly entered on the site, you'll see why! Well, this week I found I had the time, and the theme was 'flowers', one of my favourites, so I decided to challenge myself by making something I felt was acceptable for an entry. It was fun! And this is OK!
Stamps used are Stampendous, and my trusty PSX alphabet, inks are Distress inks in Weathered wood and Antique linen, and I used silver detail embossing powder on vellum for the flowers at the front. The corner punch is from Anna Griffin, and the flowers are from a pound shop! Thanks for looking!