UK Stampers' Sunday Challenge No 10

I was lucky enough to get some serious crafting time in on Saturday afternoon- I had been creating in half hour bites all week, and found I had barely got all of my stuff out before it was time to put it away again! By Saturday, I *needed* to stamp, so I completely ignored the housework and the husband, and got inky! This piece was created for the Sunday challenge over at UK Stampers, and was really about a) using my gorgeous new stamp from Elusive Images, and b) trying out some techniques I have just been reading about in an amazing book I borrowed from the library, called 'Paper, Metal, and Stitch'. I think I may need to buy this book once I have returned it, as there is enough inspiration inside to keep me going for ages!

Panel 1
Colour: Glimmer Mist (Peach Delight and Black Cherry), Distress Ink (Worn Lipstick), Versafine
Other: White cardstock base, pattern created with PVA rubbed over with gilt wax when dry.

Panel 2
Colour: Gold embossing powder, Versafine
Other: Base of silk dupion fabric, frayed at the edge.

Panel 3
Colour: Distress Inks (Spiced Marmalade and Worn Lipstick), Stickles, Versafine
Other: White cardstock base, stamped repeatedly with swirl stamp then embossed with Cuttlebug folder.

Panel 4
Colour: Stazon black, Sharpie pen, Glimmer Mist
Other: Base made from inside of coke can, coloured in a flame, and embossed freehand, using an embossing tool and foam mat.

Header
Colour: alcohol inks followed by Black Cherry Glimmer Mist, Stazon
Other: Making Memories metal shim, freehand embossing, Papermania jewel brads, black ribbon, corner embellishments from my stash
Stamps: Notre Dame from Elusive Images, words and swirl from Paperartsy.

The whole piece is 6" x 6" square, conveniently the Notre Dame stamp is 1 1/2" wide. I promise I will clean the lens of my camera before I take another picture- the soft-focus effect wasn't intentional LOL!

October's Inchie swap

These are my nine inchies for Sid's swap over on UK Stampers forum. I think I have gone all primitive and textural! The theme was Autumn, and I started by rooting around in my offcuts drawer, looking for inspiration. It came in the form of a piece of Caught in Crystal I made last year, for Isa's alpha challenge. Instead of using it as an element, I decided to use it as the base for the inchies- you can see from the top photo that they are transparent. What you can't really see from the photos is that I stamped a Paperartsy swirl, and used Perfect Pearls on it- it's clear enough in real life, but didn't photograph at all well. I may try and take a new photo in the morning, at a strange angle, but otherwise you will have to imagine how gorgeous it looks!

Colour: Glimmer Mist, Paint Dabber, Distress Inks, Alcohol Inks, Perfect Pearls
Stamp: Paperartsy
Other: Caught in Crystal background (click on the label in my sidebar for more info), Making Memories metal shim, old book page, mulberry paper, leaf punch, embossing tool.

A Tag Made for the Sunday Challenge

The theme was 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' at UK Stampers last week, and this is what I made.

Colour: Glimmer Mist, Versafine, Stickles, Sakura Stardust pen, Nick Bantock dye ink
Stamps: All Cherry Pie
Other: Redicut gems, fibres

Published!

I am ecstatic about this- really! This is the first time anything I have created has been published (I have never submitted before) and I have not one but two pages in this article! This article was written by Sarah for the UK's only stamping magazine, Craft Stamper, and it is about the UK Stamper's 'just one stamp' circle journal that I took part in. Big thanks to Sarah, because she not only had to write the article, but also had to do all of the organising and posting.
The 'legs' page uses only the stamp provided, with the rest collaged, but the 'dressing up' page had loads of stamping, and I used a lot of fun techniques, too. The other pages are gorgeous, too, and I feel very lucky to have been involved. And the 'pear' journal you see pictured here, well, that's mine, and when it eventually flies home I will do a slide show so that you can see the amazing art I now own :D

DT Call at Toodles and Binks

I realise I'm not known for my love of cute stamps, but sometimes needs must, especially at this time of year when I have all of my little boy's friends to make birthday, then Christmas cards for. Kay, over at Stamp Galaxy, and also from UK Stampers Forum, has got herself a rubber cooker and a great designer (and I think has the first plates already!), and is now putting out a design team call over at the Toodles and Binks blog. Here it is:

We’re looking for another Design Team Member

28 09 2008

have you got what it takes?

We appreciate that it’s going to be difficult for you to answer this without seeing our designs, but they aren’t ready for release for about 2 weeks (there might be a sneak peek in a few days though) ……….. also if you look in the side bar you will see a link under “Design Team” to Rose-a-petits-pois, which is a whopping big clue to the kind of images that will be available.

If you’re interested, to help us to decide if you might have what we are looking for, all you need to do is submit 3 pieces of work to us (via you blog is fine) using any of the the following stamps~:

Sugar Nellie

Magnolia

Whiff of Joy

Spiral Whispers

Stampin’ Up

Penny Black

If possible, we’d like to see:

• a card
• a tag
• and another small project of your choice

Please comment on this post with a link to your blog so we can check them out. If you are a Member of UK STampers please also include your username in the comment. If you don’t have a blog then please send an email with jpeg attachments (there is a link here to the Customer Service email address).

At the moment we will be able to offer one DT post, but we will also be giving away 2 pieces of blog candy chosen at random ….. so what have you got to lose, you’ve got to be in it to win it!

Deadline: 10th October 2008

If you're interested, go and have a look, and even if you're not, have a look anyway as the designer(s?) are really good! I'm just hoping the first release happens before I have my big making splurge...

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.

Playing with my Brayer

The good thing about making ATCs in threes is that you can have a play around with one image. This is for UK Stampers September swap, and the theme was 'Buildings or Structures'. I faffed around for most of this month, thinking up ideas and discarding them, and determinedly resisting Elusive Images new Paris stamps, and then last night I decided to use this Paperartsy stamp, which is a stand-alone ATC-sized image. I had bought a new brayer recently, and thought it would be the ideal stamp to use it with. Little did I know that it wasn't like using a paint-roller and tray- I had ink-pads flying around the room, and ended up with the inkiest blue hands ever! Then (after begging for help on the forum) Joanne came to my aid with a link to a Youtube video, and the penny dropped- you take the pad to the brayer, just like taking the pad to the stamp. Sarah came up with some good advice, too- I love forums :D !

Colour: Marvy 'Dee Greunig' Blending Blox, Distress Inks, Versafine, Sakura clear Stardust pen
Stamp: Paperartsy
Other: Woodware brayer