GOTHIC ARCHES GUEST HOSTESS

Well, I am delighted to be chosen to be a Gothic Arches Hostess this week and here is what I said on their site:-

'My name is Cynthia (Rainbow Lady) – a retired Craft and Drama Teacher, and I live way up in the Highlands of beautiful Scotland with my lovely husband Geoff. I am delighted and honoured to have been chosen as your hostess for this week. I am part of the ‘Get Everyone Stamping’ brigade for 2009 as I just love rubber stamping and the effects you can create.
So, the challenge theme for this week is ‘Inspired by the Rainbow’.
Take only two colours from the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet), two rubber stamps and a Word of Inspiration’ and create something wonderful in your arch.
(well, with my name I had to pick something from the rainbow didn’t I???).
I look forward to seeing your works of art'

Here is the card I created for this challenge using Red and Yellow as my colour choices (yes, really, no purple to be seen). First, I took a white glossy card and created the background using red and yellow H2Os, then covered with Red and Gold Cosmic Shimmer Mists. I used a technique I saw Sheena do the other day on TV, by taking a plastic bag, scrunching it up and dabbing over the paints and mists to create a mottled and blended look. I then ran this background through the Cuttlebug Divine Swirl embossing folder. I cut out the arch shape and kept the corners to add over the top on the main arch, all edged with gold Pentouch. I stamped the words, from Elusive Images and added the red brad at the top with the red tassel and oriental coin. Then I stamped 5 images of the Oriental waterlily on red and yellow coredinations card, embossed them with Red and Black Cosmic Shimmer embossing powders, cut them out, curled the edges and decoupaged them adding clear glitter glue for extra shimmer.
I do hope you like the finished arch.

ROCKET MAN

A card created for our Grandson's 5th birthday next month. Using one of the new large scalloped cards from QVC I added the sky background paper inside from the Pixie Dreams cd and added some planet and star stamped images from Dimension Fourth Project club and added Stickles glitter glue to make them shine.

I made the rocket from my own template using DCWV card and again added Stickles. I stamped more stars, another rocket and an alien spacecraft from D4 and coloured them using Sakura pens and glitter glues. I edged the scallops with silver Pentouch adding a few silver doodles too. The spaceman was stamped onto silver paper, coloured slightly and attached using Tim Holtz jump rings (at last some I can open and close easily) and a brad. I think Harry will love it.

ANOTHER AWARD

Many thanks to the lovely Rita who has today given me this award.
Please do check out her blog and look at her great work.
As there are so many blogs I visit daily it is impossible to choose just a few so please take the award if you visit my blog regularly and do not already have it.
Angie has also given me an award today so please do check her blog too she does some lovely work thanks Angie.

BALLOONS

Here is a card I made for a Turquoise, Lemon and Pink swap and also for my Balloons challenge this week. I used some torn lemon paper over turquoise for the base and sky then overstamped using a Lavinia stamp (new from NEC) and a few grasses from Sheena. The main balloon stamp from Inca stamps was stamped and coloured with pink and green Lyras then cut out and glitter glue added for the sparkle effect. Mounted on bright pink mirri card onto a pink pearlised card. I stamped some butterflies in teal Stazon and again added glitter glue. I also added a trail of stars from Crafters Companion in teal with glitters. A little turquoise rick rack ribbon to finish off. I hope my friend likes it.

Butterfly and Floral Inchies

My dear friend Frankie is the guest hostess for the Inch by Inch challenge today with the topic of 'Triple Embossing' so I thought I had better enter even though I am not too good at these tiny works of art lol. I used my new Melting Pot for the first time to triple emboss some inch square mountboard pieces using clear embossing powder with a few added drops of Magenta, Blue and Green 'To Dye For' Inks. I then stamped into them using assorted butterflies and flowers clear stamps. I added some Cosmic shimmer powders when set and also added clear Stickles Glitter glues and Gold Pentouch for the edges and leaves. I attached them to a small white card and created the background using ink direct to paper and stippled glitter glues. I simply added a black rubon sentiment as a final touch. Hope you like it my friend.

Otter in the Wild

Here is a lovely little chappie out in the wilds for the Tanda Teaser 'Animals' challenge this week. I love otters, of course we have lots of them up here in the Highlands so this stamp from QVC was a must for me. I used a few trees for the background and added a couple of rocks and chalked and coloured with watercolour pencils.

Tapestry Heart

The topic this week at Wednesday Stamper is 'Green' so this one fits the bill nicely I think. Stamped in the shape of a heart, with lots of little Tapestry stamps on a plain white background. A nice simple little card to make.

Jan's Egyptian Word Book

Here is another word book made for my Rainbow Friend Jan. The book was made using the Funky Hand downloads and I added lots of Egyptian images from Michele Marsden, a couple of ribbons and some gold peel offs. I will not bore you with all the other pages lol.

Fairy Arched Glade

Gothic Arches challenge this week was set by my friend Lynn the theme being 'Fantasy' (we are two of a kind in liking this subject). For this arch I sponged the background using oranges and yellows with a touch of red around the sun (sponged through a punched circle) . I added stamps from Dimension Fourth to create the fairy glade, adding a few silver peeloff stars and a touch of glitter from Sakura pens. I have made a few of these in the past and people seem to love them.

What's New Pussy Cat

Could not resist posting two entries for Sunday Stampers 'What's New Pussy Cat' challenge this week. The first are using stamps from Caroline's Rubber Stamps, stamped (to make a scene, background coloured with direct to board inks) onto stampboard then covered with clear embossing powder, left rough to show the bubbles. I mounted it onto blue card over a piece of blue ribbon on a lighter blue card. For the second card I stamped the pawprints to make the background, used the crackle stamp from Cornish Heritage farms masking over the cat stamp to get the window effect. A blue ribbon and a couple of photo corners added for effect. This Blue cat with the green eyes looks exactly like our late cat Blue and oh how we miss her.

Striped Collage

This lovely little stamp, from Ladybug and friends, was a prize I won last year - are they not so cute? The challenge at Created By Hand was 'Stripes' and my own challenge this week was 'People' so this card fits both. There are lots of different torn papers attached to a blue card with the stamped image being matted on gold card and coloured using watercolour pencils. The message stamp is from a Hero Arts set. Oops almost forgot Colour Create 'Blue and Brown' challenge.

Circular Feathered Silhouette

I have covered three challenges with this one tonight, Wednesday Stamper asked for 'Silhouettes', DCM 'Circles' and TGIF 'Feathers'. The large and red circles were cut using my new Xcut circle cutter (yipee it works so well) then run through the Divine Swirl Embossing Folder. The silver circle is a die cut again Cuttlebugged and for the small circle I used a small circle punch again Cuttlebugged. I stamped the silhouette branches and the fairy from Caroline's Silhouette set then added Sakura silver glaze pen to the wings, leaves and the bottom of the circle. I added the red feather and edged with a Pentouch silver pen.

Messy outside in the cold

This week the challenge from Stamp Something was 'Winter Wind' so here is Messy in his baggy jumper standing outside in the cold winter weather. Messy is part of a stamp collection by Joanna Sheen, stamped and coloured with Lyra pencils then decoupaged with some added Stickles glitter glue. The background is from Linnie's Helping Hands Scenes cd. The tree is also covered with glitter but does not show up well on the scan.