My Time To Craft Challenge - Birds

Hello,

Over on the My Time To Craft Challenge blog, the theme this week is Birds.

I have had another completely sleep free night - I am not sleeping at all well at the moment so I decided to put all that time to good use!

I made a card and an ATC for this challenge as I love birds and I have some great bird stamps from The Stamp Connection.

ATC

For this ATC, I used Stampbord as a base, coloured it with Primrose and Turquoise Ancient Page inks and some Cut & Dry to blend the colours. I then used some paper towel to wipe some of the ink off the Stampbord as I wanted a slightly distressed look. I next used a metal file to take some of the edges off and also gouged into the middle of the ATC with the edge of the file to make some lines. I then took a 2" square piece of Stampbord and inked it the same way. I stamped the birds head onto it with black StaZon ink and then scratched at the Stampbord to reveal the original white colour. I then used Clear UTEE which is also from The Stamp Connection and triple thick embossed the whole piece. Whilst the powders were still molten, I inked the AirMail stamp with the Primose ink and then pushed this into the surface of the UTEE. This doesn't show up very well on the photo though, I have tried to pick it out but my camera is giving up the ghost and won't focus properly - time for a new one I think!!

I then inked up a little dotty stamp with black StaZon and randomly stamped this onto the base ATC. I inked up the sentiment which is another from The Stamp Connection and stamped this onto the ATC too. I attached the 2" piece using Glossy Accents and finally edged the whole ATC with black StaZon just to finish it off.



CARD

The card is very simple but I love this stamp and it looks perfect as it is, so all I needed to do was colour the bird and the flowers and then matt onto co-ordinating Bazzill Cardstock. I used two bird images - one for the bottom and then a 3D one to give some depth to the card. The stamps are from The Stamp Connection and are part of the Collage Elements range and as you can see, are heavenly!! The final touch for this card is the little sentiment, which is from Hero Arts, which I matted and then 3D'd onto the card.


Thanks for looking and thanks for a lovley challenge.

Hels x

What a Pear!!

Morning,

I have made a card for the My Time To Craft Challenge this week. The theme is "Tutti Fruitti" and I have used the one and only fruity thing I have in my stash!!

I stamped the image, which is from Stampers Anon, using Pine Needles Distress Ink and stamped it twice. I cut out one of the pears and waterbrushed the shaded part of the image and then popped onto 3D foam. I layered this over the original image and then edged the mat with Pine Needles.




Next, I used my Alphabet set and made the "sentiment" and then matted onto green Bazzill and gold card.

Thanks to the gals on the My Time To Craft Challenge blog, I had fun with this one! I am not sure when I could use this card though LOL :O))

Hels x

Hubble Bubble

Hello!

Sometimes inspiration can come from the strangest of places and today was no exception! I was at work, walking up the platform and the sun was shining in through the lovely glass roof of the station. I looked at the side of the train and I could see the sun was highlighting a pattern on one of the coach doors of the train. And this pattern looked like the door had been wrapped in bubble wrap when the paint was wet and then the bubble wrap had left a lovely dotty effect on it.

So, guess what? I decided to have a go at making my own "bubble wrap" pattern.

I inked up a little tag using Adirondack Wild Plum and applying it with a damp babywipe - this is a fab way of applying the inks as it gives a more scratchy covering than Cut & Dry. I then quickly dried the ink with my heatgun and then using a small piece of bubble wrap, I rubbed a Pearl Dabber over the the bubbly side. I then turned this over and pressed it onto the inky tag. I repeated this until I had the coverage I wanted and then wiped off the paint and used Purple Twilight Dabber and did the same again. I ended up with a really lovely dotty pattern - just like the train door :O))

Piccie taken so you can see the bubbles



I then used my most favouritest Paper Bag Studio stamp, inking with Black VersaFine and stamped this onto the tag. Now, the ladies over on My Time to Craft Challenge have set the theme this week as "In Stitches". I am completely useless with a needle and thread so I cheated and used Stitch Stamps, stamping rows of them all around the edges of the tag and down either side of the main image. I then got a little ambitious, found a needle and some silver lame thread and sewed three buttons onto the tag. The buttons are from the Tim Holtz range of embellies and are lovely silver metal ones...note I used buttons that only had two holes though....I don't want DH to get the wrong idea and think I can start sewing buttons on his shirts now do I? LOL

I punched a hole in the top of the tag with my Crop-A-Dile and then set a white eyelet into the hole and added some pink and silver fibres to finish the tag.

Finished Tag




I am soooo chuffed with the whole outcome of my playing and will deffo be using the bubble wrap to make more patterned backgrounds...and the best thing is that bubble wrap comes in loads of different sized bubbles so I can make bigger ones or smaller ones if I want to! Result!

Thanks for looking.....please give me your comments about this new, if a little messy, technique I have used :O))

Hels x

My Time To Craft Challenge - Furry Friends

Hi peeps

Finally managed to get some quality time in my Craft Room this morning so have been able to catch up and get the My Time To Craft challenge made this week. The theme is Furry Friends and I have a lovely House Mouse stamp that I have hardly ever used.

I started off by using a massive piece of Stampbord - this always makes me nervous in case I make a mess of it and then I have lost a big and costly piece of work LOL


I stamped the image using Black StaZon and then using a Waterbrush, I painted in the image using various Distress inks. To finish off, I used a scratching tool and highlighted parts of the mice and edged the whole piece with Black StaZon ink.

Thanks for looking

Hels x

My Time To Craft Challenge - Quotes & Sayings

Hello Peeps,

Managed to sit and make a card this afternoon for the My Time To Craft Challenge. The theme this week is Quotes and Sayings. I have so many lovely sayings stamps that I just knew that I had to join in! Plus the fact, I went stash shopping yesterday and bought some heavenly flowers and I had to use one of them :O))

I used The Paper Co papers, black and white, very pretty and very classy. I teamed them up with black and pink cardstock and then stamped the sentiment, a Penny Black stamp (nowt new there then!). The gorgeous flower is by Petaloo's and isn't it just fab? :O))







Thanks for setting the challenge ladies, have loved making this card so much, I made another one very similar too!!

And thanks for looking!

Hels x

Pink AND Grungy?

Hi peeps,

I haven't had chance to get online to do some Blogging this week and seem to have missed loads of challenges but I did manage to make one for the My Time To Craft challenge this week, which this week is Think Pink. I happen to love the colour pink, not that many peeps would figure that out!! Not!! :O))

I have just taken delivery of some rather delish stamps from the new Tim Holtz Collection, so I just had to use one on this card :O)) I know that traditionally you would not expect to see pink alongside grungey things but I thought I would give it a try and see what it looked like!



I started off by colouring some white card with a pink Chalk Ink Pad by ColorBox. I edged this card with Wild Plum Adirondack ink and then stamped the collage image using Sepia VersaFine. I stamped a message which is by Penny Black, in the same way.

I coloured the Grungeboard skull and hearts and then edged with the Sepia ink. I cut a piece of pale pink cardstock and matted this onto the card. I added the stamped images, which I matted with brown paper behind to add a little contrast.

Thanks for this weeks Challenge - have loved making my card!

Hels x

My Time To Craft Challenge - Flowers

Hi peeps

I took some time out to get up to date with a few Challenges.....well, the My Time to Craft Challenge this week is right up my street cos it is themed "Flowers". How brilliant!! An excuse to use lots of Prima's :O))

I was so happy about the theme, I got a little carried away and ended up making three cards LOL

Card 1



For this card, I used some Fancy Pants paper - can't remember the name of it though as I had already cut off the strip at the bottom! I co-ordinated the paper with Bazzill cardstock and edged the papers and card with Burnt Sienna Chalk Ink by ColorBox. I then stamped the Happy Birthday using the same ink and matted onto matching card and paper. I stuck the heavenly little Prima's to the card using silicone glue.




Card 2





More Fancy Pants papers and Bazzill Bling for this card. The sentiment is a Penny Black stamp - I love those words - which I stamped with Magenta VersaCube ink. I edged the paper and card with this same ink too. I added more Prima's using silicone glue.








Card 3




And finally, even more Fancy Pants papers...can you see a theme here? :O)) Same as before, I egded the papers and card, stamped a sentiment and then added Prima's to it.








Thanks to the ladies on MTTC Challenge for this theme - I have had lots of fun!

And thanks for looking

Hels x

My Time to Craft Challenge - Wings

Hi peeps

I know, I know, I am late again but.....I did actually post this on Saturday but for some daft reason (probably cos I am thick) it posted after the Sunday Stamper post.....so here it is again!

The lovely ladies on My Time To Craft have set a challenge called Things With Wings.

Here is my card:



I used some of the lovely butterfly stamps that I have in my collection; Penny Black & PSX being the manufacturers. Using Worn Lipstick and Black Distress Inkpads, I created the butterflies fluttering background by masking them off after stamping so they are all layered on top of each other. I stamped three on more card and cut them out, layered the main image on black card and then stuck the three on using silicone glue. I added black stickles to their bodies and edged the mat with this too.

Thank you to My Time To Craft for letting me play with my faves stamps :O))

Hels xx

Kiss Me Quick - Lace Me Slowly

Morning again,

I have taken part in the My Time To Craft Challenge this week, which is Lace It Up.

As I am not a very lacey person I was sitting scratching my head for ages with this one....until I realised that I have the perfect stamp for this. It is a lovely background stamp by Inkadinkadoo and is from the Gallery Vernisage range.

I started by stamping the whole image using Black Versafine onto cream cardstock, I then embossed this image with clear powder to set it. I matted it onto silver mirri and then black cardstock.



Next, I got a little bit ambitious and tried a technique that I have only ever failed miserably with before. It is called "Stamp Kissing" and for this I used my favouritist stamp which is the Brush Butterfly by Penny Black. I inked the butterfly with Dried Marigold Distress Ink, inked up the lace background with Black ink and then sat the butterfly onto the lace rubber to rubber. I then stamped the butterfly onto cream cardstock and got the lovely mottled lacey pattern on the wings. I was well chuffed that I had managed to do something new, so I got even more ambitious and use a greeting stamp (HeroArts) and tried it again, not the best result but I used it anyway! I have off set the two image mats on the card as I really wanted the lace to be prominent.

I have really enjoyed this challenge, so many thanks to Lesley, Wendy and Kate for the fab idea.

Thanks for looking.

Hels xx