and... Spritz and Flick! Sounds Like a Harry Potter Spell!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

I am really enjoying being able to take part in the challenges using T!m Holtz techniques over at  Studio L3 and am loving the book (thanks Anita x) Anita Houston  there will be no stopping me... Yay! This weeks challenge is sponsored by the ever generous Simon Says Stamp. Just in case you are new to stamping and have no idea who Tim Holtz is, here is a link to one of the most enjoyable web sites EVAH! T!m Holtz

This tag was made using the Spritz and Flick technique... I really love this technique, it looks so effective and you never know quite how it will turn out. I recycled and embellished the heart shaped tag to go onto my background and my colour choice was inspired by a small tag (you can see it in the third photo) sent to me for my daughter by my friend Sue. This Life  That tag, is one of my daughters favourite possessions, she fell in love with it as soon as she got it. I have the best bloggy friends in the world

Sorry for such brief posting... Blogger is still playing me up a treat :(  Every time I add a photo, it immediately alters any text I have written to look as if it is a caption... leaving my background a different colour to my text. It is really annoying, I have had to remove my lovely pale blue background to lesson the effect of it. Until I can figure it out, I will have to employ BREVITY! Aaarrgh... not good xx If any one can advise me... I would really appreciate it

xxx

I am entering this into the Anything Goes Challenge at Simon Says Stamp and also Letss get messy and iknk (or inky in my case) over at the ever lovely: Fashionable Stamping Challenges

3 Posts in one Day - Curious and Curiouser!

Well, I have been caught by the doodling bug. Here is another page from my new journal.

I drew and I doodled and I added to my 2 photo's (from postcards that came with the Alice in Wonderland DVD) and then, I doodled and dotted some more! I'm really enjoying drawing things like leaves freehand. It was only after I took the pictures of my second journal page that I noticed something very curious indeed... I'd forgotten to do any stamping at all! 

Tim Holtz Technique Tag Travelling Travis

Isn't Tim Holtz's new website great? I love it!

Over at Studio L3, the  'A Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge' has  begun, celebrating   techniques from Tim Holtz's new book. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! I used the foam technique on the original grunge flower die. Well, Travelling Travis only travelled part way onto this tag  because I liked my inky background so much, I didn't want to cover it up too much.

I used only 2 colours, Sakura gold and glittery silver pens.This is a really fun technique and I think I will use it again and again.. Out of respect to Tim, we have been asked not to detail our making on this one.

My exciting news is that I have won $30 for my entry into the Stampotique Designers Challenge - So I'm doing the Happy Dance AGAIN because I love their quirky stamps and so does my gorgeous 14 year old arty daughter Els. Who knew stamping would turn out to be so exciting? This is the second thing I've been fortunate enough to win something this  week - one of my Tim Holtz tags was chosen to win the Fashionable Stamping Challenge.

Blogging has certainly opened up a new world for me as well as improving my stamping abilities in so many ways.

Over at Bloggers challenge, the theme this week is Black/White (or Vanilla) and a splash of colour.  My splash of colour is gold:   Bloggers Challenge

Here is the link to the challenge at : Studio L3
Here is the link to Tim Holtz
Here is the link to Simon Says Stamp

Tim Holtz Pen Nib Picket Fence Tag

Spring has Sprung

   When I started to get out the bits and pieces to create this tag, I was hunting to see if I had a suitable bird stamp. I did not! For someone who loves stamping as much as I do, I am woefully lacking in the stamp department, however... I have ingenuity by the bucketfull!
   Instead I cut out 2 images from a scrapbook pad (they were a plain royal blue and black) and Glossy Accented them. Part way through the drying process, I scored the wings with a needle to create a textured surface. Once everything was dry, I coloured with Promarker's.

   During my hunt,  I decided that my Tim Holtz Pen Nib stamps reminded me  a little of a fence and this igave me an idea for my tag.
   I knew I wanted to add lots of Spring things... I ended up with flowers, birds, butterflies and some cheeky little Indigoblu bunnies  (again, a freebie from Craft Stamper magazine) that snuck in there at the end.
    I also used lots of different stamping techniques which I really enjoyed - it is lovely to be able to create my own backing papers... most of this, I have learnt from blogging - thank you all!
   After lightly rubbing a plain tag with Vintage Photo and Broken China Distress ink, I used my favourite background stamp, the Almanac from Rogue Redhead Designs and Versamagic Sugarcane Ink to create a text background. I couldn't decide which embossing inks to use from the selection I had chosen, so I used all of them in different parts of the tag (Holographic, Clear, Dark Brown and a Faded Jeans Distress ink) I water splattered the tag and rubbed Frayed Burlap Distress Ink around the edges to close the tag.

I stamped a large Basic Grey floral stamp with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and embossed with holographic powder

Bird Detail showing 'scored' Glossy Accents 

My pen nib fence

Trying to show the glimmer! As ever, I had such fun making this!

Ihis to be my entry for Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2012 April Tag: 12-tags-of-2012-april.html
and Lisa Somerville's Blogger Challenge here: For the Birds and the Spring Challenge at: Fashionable Stamping Challenges and the 'free' theme at: Crazy Amigo's and the Spring Challenge at: Creavil Challenges
I'm not used to adding blog hop links - my comments space has moved half a mile down this page! sorry xx

Spring - A touch of Whimsy! - Gibson Girl goes to OZ

   Another beautiful day down on the South Coast of England... Spring! Even the word fills my heart with joy!
   Somewhat influenced by the Graphic45 site, where I read childhood memories relating to the Wizard of Oz, I watched the film whilst crafting - you may notice a slight influence on this project! I also have very happy memories of doing a long  tour of the Wizard of Oz around England in the late 90's when I worked as a Wardrobe Mistress in the Theatre.

   While crafting, for no apparent reason, I  found myself imagining how a 1950's TV presenter would have given the instructions for part of the project, perhaps during 'Womans Hour' If you can manage the clipped 'received pronunciation' that was 'de rigueur' on British Television during this period when reading the next paragraph... it works well!

   'Hello viewers, I do hope you have had a good day. This afternoon, we will be making a super little Spring themed project. Firstly, you will need two Flying pigs from Graphic45. Fussy cut them and add Glossy Accents to their wings... Apply with a light hand... not too much now! ... less is more'

Ah, Halcyon days indeed! And yes, I do know the Wizard of Oz had flying monkey's not pigs... I started this off in black and white (sort of) and then moved into brighter and brighter colours - Just Like The Fillum! 

The Players:

Dorothy - The Beautiful Gibson Girl

The Flying Monkey's - Graphic45 Flying Pigs

The Wizard of Oz - a T!m Holtz Gentleman

Special Mentions... The Yellow Brick Road uses Tim Holtz's mosaic technique... Thanks awfully Timothy! The part of the Balloon Basket was also played by a Tim Holtz dress form stamp

The Challenge this week over at Our Creative Corner is...'How Green is Your Spring?' Spring makes me think of new beginnings and journey's and this project is also pretty green even though my camera made the background look blue!, so I am entering!Our Creative Corner - How Green is your Spring? and also the lovely Transport challenge (Balloons and Dancing!) at:  Sunday Stampers

Anyone who has this Graphic45 paper will know it's green - very green - not according to my camera though!

Making details with Alcohol Ink

Gibson Girl - I love her expression

Making the Yellow Brick Road - Steampunk Style

You look like a balloon basket ! Come with me!

Clare Curd - New Fiskarettes Ambassador UK - Good Luck!

Clare - Good Luck in 2012

   Back in the day, before my old tabletop computer decided that it would celebrate the event of getting online... by switching itself straight back off, I used to visit the Fiskar's UK website and joined the Fiskarettes. Now I can get online (and stay there!) I've been popping in and have posted a couple of bits and pieces, big changes afoot, the site has been closed for a short while and is currently mid revamp. 

   I was delighted to see that the new UK Fiskars Ambassador is  the the lovely Clare Curd... currently spreading Holtzy goodness and other stuff on the Create and Craft TV channel. (not long till the great man's birthday... AND I've managed to get my card in the post to him, so I'm feeling smug!) 

   So, if you are docrafter's, a Create and Craft viewer, or read docrafts Creativity why not drop by and say Hi to Clare? If you are new to crafting, there are lovely clear instruction on how to make a post too

Any hoo - Good Luck Clare!  Here's the link:- http://www.fiskarettes.co.uk/ 

A Cute Animal Hat and My Blog is 4 weeks old today!

Sewn up - button eyes added  - then daughter added!

We went away for a few days before Christmas to Hastings, a seaside town not too far away. It was a lovely break, lots of ambling around, some nice food, a couple of museum visits and a little Christmas shopping. We had a few problems with our hotel but I managed to negotiate a huge discount.. in the end it was all good!

Pom Poms half made

It was a period of real quality time for my daughter and I and a welcome break after the hectic last week of term at college (all my lovely students had exams) While we were there I bought some knitting wool hoping to knit my daughter a fun hat before Christmas. Having so merrily completed Tim Holtz's 12 tags of Christmas I am still very much in full on crafting mode! Well...I nearly got it done..and then Christmas came along and happened and well, I finally managed to finish it this evening! It's cuter than it looks in the picture!!

Finished ;)            ? Super Hero Bear Hat

Still trying to get the hang of the camera - the top piccy is closest to the actual colours.

12 Tags of Christmas - Bloopers - Care to share?

Hello  Bloggers

 Just a quick post!

Hmmm.... Did anything go wrong while you were working on your tags? or indeed, on any other craft project!

One thing I learnt:


 A little container of Perfect Pearls really goes a long way if you open it upside down by mistake!


Do share your experiences - I'd love to hear!

Anna x

PS...I completed Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas and would love for you to take a look!

Thanks so much for dropping by

I do believe in Christmas, I do, I do!

Each dayof this challenge, I applaud Tim Holtz's creativity more and more.

Now today, I had to hurry and I knew I didn't have the right things to copy (I've done all the tags so far with minimum supplies, purchased nothing and have loved being inspired)....so....

Joyfully making use of what I got and employing techniques learnt this week.

Presenting, my dreamy Gibson Girl bauble (!) wistfully remembering Christmas times of yesteryear

Please may I thank you so sincerely for visiting my beginner blog! It is nearly 2 weeks old and your comments have been so unexpected and joyfully received..Anna x

Twelve Tags of Christmas Day Eight - The Best of Times

 

I can't believe that I am keeping up with this! I'm juggling the day job with more crafting than I would usually do in a month! The funny thing is, people keep telling me how well I am looking. 'Pooped yet excited' would probably be nearer the mark! When I started making the tags, I didn't dream I would be able to make more than one, let alone keep up with the STUNNINGLY talented folks that are putting stuff into the gallery...but I am, and I'm proud of this.

I said in an earlier post that crafting feeds my soul...well apparently, doing a lot of it 'makes my soul fly' isn't that  the coolest thing to be able to say? Mine wasn't even really meant to be a blog! A couple of weeks  ago, it was started to keep a little record of what I make...so my daughter could be inspired to reach for her own artistic goals.

Today's tag was again so fun to make, A quick swoosh of distress ink, some ornaments made, but not yet used were chopped up mercilessly and applied! I stamped and embossed a couple of old favourites from Paper Artsy and Tin Can Mail (the 'best of days greeting'). I mixed a little Ranger Black Embossing Powder in with Mirror Gold (a new idea for me) and embossed the greeting,  took another bad photo, accidentally tried to link my whole blog instead of just the aforementioned  and then sat down the in debris in a happy afterglow of my crafting frenzy. Happy Days!

LETS CONTINUE TO SHARE THE JOURNEY!!!

12 Tags of Christmas - day 6. I'm using bright colours!

Day 6 and I wasn't sure what do when I first saw the image. But after reading Tim's blog (Oh I enjoy reading it as much as being inspired by the pictures) I thought of the embossed tins of biscuits we used to get at Christmas when I was little - such a treat! So, I decided to try and create a richly textured metallic effect.

 Yet again, I had none of the right supplies but found some lovely heavy quality Mirri card in a really unusual shade and a free embossing folder from a Docrafts magazine. I debossed some card and then embossed another piece. My daughter and I coloured in with Sakura pens trying to use similar colours to Tims design. I cut one out and stuck it onto the tag and then added a glittery trim and a snowflake - Ta Dah!

12 tags of christmas...tag 2 - Planet Anna is a happy place!

II

Planet Anna is a happy place! thanks you for dropping by!

Hi, welcome to my new little 'nest' on the web, an English crafter invites you to come on in and tarry a while! why not take a look at my other stuff - even better if you would like to 'join me as a follower' My little blog is only 6 days old and I have had such a thrill that so many of you have visited my site from far flung corners of the world.  I would like to come see your blogs too.


I didn't expect this... my space was just set up  to keep a record of my stuff for my daughter to see -and maybe, if I get brave, so I would have a blog address to go in for challenges.

Inspired by the wonderful Reindeer tag Tim Holtz produced, as well as the amazing collection that is being amassed on his website, I have made one in a style that is  so different for me.

When I was hunting through my stash to find supplies, I found lots of little blingy bits and pieces that have sat around in my craft stash  for years. I used one and waddya know, before I could even say '12 Tags of Christmas', I'd used the lot!

As my funds for crafting are mostly pretty non existent (College Lecturer, single parent, mortgage) I was pleased that I was using stuff up ...I hardly buy craft stash these days, I save for the basics, Distress inks and Tim Holtz clings etc, Tims comments on using what you've got already this project has REALLY hit a note with me.  Stamping and paper crafting are such a fashion industry that it is so hard not to be seduced by the latest items and feel that your old stuff is - well - old! I've looked at my stash with a new pair of eyes tonight! things I had bought 3 or 4 years ago look bright and fresh again and I remember why I liked them in the first place.

12 tags of christmas...tag 1

Something truly inspirational is going on at the moment.....people from all around the globe are crafting together..all because of Tim Holtz..(and Mario) I don't own a single item of the supplies, but am proud to use what I had to take part in such an amazing project. thanks Tim x

I only started this blog a few days ago - I'm so happy that I did! Happy Holidays to anyone who finds this post - yours comments would also let me know I am not blogging to myself! 

Decoupage Box - my first

A few weeks ago, Woman's Weekly Magazine printed a special collector's centenary issue. In it they included a facsimile of their first ever magazine which was printed in 1911.

I liked the magazine so much that I bought another one and used it tocreate a collaged background to decorate a box. . I love ephemera and vintage images, so I used lots of bits and pieces that I'd never found a use for and created the box that can be seen above. The union flag dress form was dye cut using the Tim Holtz dress form and was originally a flyer for a play. The flower stamps is one of my favourite images to use - it was a Craft Stamper freebie.

Now my daughter has a pretty box to keep her images for collage (hers are stunning!) until she is ready to use them. This was a new type of project for me and I was happy with the result.

A place for my cling stamps

A little order......if only for my cling stamps! A  while ago, I decided to create a place for all my cling stamps (well a lot of them, in truth I need another binder) So, I bought a craft blank  from Paperchase and played with the cover. I used some stamped images, distress inks, stickers and lots of glossy accents to add texture and dimension, naturally a good  sprinkle of glitter was thrown into the mix!. I also made a feature of some of my tiny (but ever so loved) collection of Tim Holtz stamps as well as some awesome retro cling stamps from a great supplier in New Zealand. Not long now till the tags will appear, can't wait to see them

It makes me feel very happy when I get my stamps out to use now and they are so much easier to find and I highly recommend this process to anyone who wants to be able to survey their cling stamp kingdom all in one go!

A couple of cards made by my daughter and I

Here are 2 cards, one made by myself and the other by my very artistic daughter. Mine was stamped and embossed and enhanced with a little bling and a butterfly.  My daughter used a Tim Holtz die cut dress form and a stunning butterfly stamp from Stampers Anonymous coupled with a few die cut buttons (again from the wonderful Mr Holtz). This was my first play with craft card.....loving the neutral palette.