Tissue Technique Tag - 2nd Post of the day!

Just in case you missed my last post I am copying this in from my earlier post today...


Firstly, apologies for not posting much lately - too much going on in my little  world to craft with a clear head and I've been quite ill. Apologies for not visiting/commenting to you all as regularly as usual too - I've been a bit of a lurker!

Half way through making this, I decided I had made a complete mess of it! But, as ever,  I persevered and I'm happy that I did as it ended up with a gorgeous faded vintage effect that I wasn't expecting - it's much prettier than the photo makes it look!

I used the smallest of the die cut grunge flowers for my chipboard shapes and stamped Tim Holtz letters on them. My big flower is made from a thickish Muslin dip dyed in Vintage Photo Distress Ink before die cutting and decorated with Perfect Pearls and Stickles. I used a Tim Holtz fastener to keep it together.

xxx

I am entering this for the technique challenge over at Studio L3 Thanks for the challenge Linda. Do check out Tim Holtz's website as well - just in case you've never visited - it's AWESOME! Tim

Tim Holtz Tag May

Firstly, apologies for not posting much lately - too much going on in my little  world to craft with a clear head and I've been quite ill. Apologies for not visiting/commenting to you all as regularly as usual too - I've been a bit of a lurker!

This is my entry for Tims May challenge: Tim Holtz - 12 Tags of 2012 -May

I was not sure if it would work (I only had sparkly tissue) but I really liked the result, especially the scrunchy tissue. I don't have a melting pot or Utee, so after colouring my flowers with Fuchsia Pink and Black Stazon, I pressed them onto a clear embossing pad until I could get the powder to 'stick' and then embossed a few times. I think they look enamelled and I have loads of old flowers that I will use this technique on.

I didn't press the dress form stamp down as much as I was supposed too, but, I really liked the 'feathery' effect so I kept it! The wool is from my prize from Georgie Horn's blog candy to celebrate her Father's birthday, it arrived yesterday and is lovely - it's so nice to get papers from another country, that you can't buy in England Georgie Horn

Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue?

Oooh Yum!

Though I have really enjoyed trying out lots of new techniques and using bright colours recently... I have to say, I was doing the Happy Dance when I saw that Hels Sheridan's challenge over at the wonderful Sunday Stampers was brown and blue.

Any one who visits my blog regularly (thank you!) will know that a 'Hoooge' percentage of my crafting focuses on these two colours. Vintage Photo and Broken China were my first 2 purchases of Distress Ink and in my opinion, they work together beautifully... and though I have half a dozen more Distress Inks now, I have never lost my love of these two shades.

Inspired by my friend Anita Houston's use of jumbo sized tags (genius!) Anita Houston I cut an 8 x 4 tag from plain white card and created a background using brown and blue Distress ink and Picket Fence Distress Stain dolloped onto my glass cutting mat and smooshed about until it looked pretty (well to me anyway!) I added a diamond shaped stamp and edged it with gold and then my home made foam flower stamp created for a recent Tim Holtz challenge.

I stamped and embossed lots of flourishes using my CTMH flourish set which was a gift from my friend Sue, these are gorgeous stamps. If you live in The States, you can buy Close To My Hearts products directly  from Sue - they are very deeply etched and a real joy to use. Here is her link: Sue - This Life

I added a Tim Holtz die cut bird cage which I wanted to look old and unused, like the birds had just used it as something to perch on in a garden. I dyed some ribbon to match and added a couple of Graphic 45 butterflies to finish it off.

I'm sure that little bird at the bottom of the tag is just about to nibble one of my embellishments!

This is my entry for Sunday Stampers Brown and Blue
As my little home made floral stamp is my favourite at the moment, I am entering this into the 'Show your favourite stamp challenge over at: Simon Says Stamp
In am also entering this into a new challenge for me, floral frenzy over at My Mojo Monthly and the 'Tags' challenge over at The Cheerful Stamp Pad and the Man, the Myth, the Legend - Tim Holtz challenge at Corrosive Challenges and the distress challenge at Polka Doodles

Our Creative Corner Colour Challenge - Guest Designer

I was so thrilled to be asked to be   Guest Designer for this weeks challenge over at  Our Creative Corner It is the first time I have done anything like this. This weeks challenge is designed and hosted by Anne Marie Hile  Stampin' Anne and is a Colour Inspiration Challenge. Do check out the site if you are not familiar with it, they have a large and very talented DT team and their samples are always an inspiration.
We were asked to create a project using Yellow, Craft and White (or Ivory) Why not join in? Our Creative Corner

I decided to make quite a traditional card, using my new, recently released Michael Powell stamp. I live in Hove, on the South Coast of England and am very close the sea. I loved the natural feel of the colours in the challenge and wanted to reflect this in my sample. I stamped the image onto white card and matted it twice, once onto embossed craft card and again onto Coredinations card. I lightly water coloured the image using my daughter's Derwent Inktense Pencils. Even though I am new to water colouring, these are a sheer joy to use. To embellish, I used several different coloured stickles and a little perfect pearls. Lastly, I stuck a few tiny scraps of calico across the bottom of the card. I was pleased with the result as this really was a different kind of card for me

I was also thrilled to be selected as a Gingergem this week over at Gingersnap Creations If you voted for me - thank you so much!

I was excited to find out that I had won some gorgeous blog candy from Georgie Horn to celebrate her dad's 84th birthday - thank you Georgie, can't wait for the Postie to bring it.

I hope this post looks okay - I have just spend ages altering it because when I posted it, it looked really odd! The text was all over the place!!! it seems to be okay now - Phew!


I am entering this card for the challenge at Just Keep on Creating as I love Susan's site and her reason for starting up challenges! Have a great cruise Susan xx


I am also entering it for the 'anything goes' Birthday Celebration over at Simon Says Stamp

Remember To Breathe

My A4 journal so far! This  page was white paper to start off with and I made  my own background.

I was totally influenced by the post that Tim Holtz wrote yesterday - titled 'Remember to Breathe' Tim Holtz is such an inspirational man and I am so grateful for the way in which he inspires me... and so many of us to follow our own artistic journey's.

Sometimes, life just gets too busy. and we need to re group, re evaluate and make time for ourselves... 

When my daughter was little she loved Dr Seuss books, I would sit with her snuggled up by me for hours and hours on end reading them, she always loved the pictures.They were precious moments, it's good to sit and still a while. I don't know why they popped into my head today... but I tend to 'go with the flow' where such things are concerned (!) so they jumped into my journal (only a photocopy!) No books were harmed in the making of this page!

 The background was done with Black Distress stain and a Tim Holtz stamp inked with Picket Fence Distress Stain and stamped in a chequerboard pattern. Everything else is doodled and dotted... this was very relaxing to make, I wonder why I was so scared of journalling and took so long to start?

 

Recycled Satsuma Net Fairy

I stamped brightly coloured ink on photo paper and die cut a dress form and stamped a Stampers Anonymous Butterfly (for my wings) I added bling with Stickles and recycled the plastic netting that held a bag of Satsuma's to make her skirt. I dyed some beads with alcohol ink to make her belt. I will wait to add a sentiment until I need to use it.

Rainbow Fairy Party Dress

I am entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show Show a Kaleidoscope of Colour Challenge Here