Spring Flowers for Tim's challenge

The fab Tim Holtz threw out a challenge for everyone of his fans to create something using his Tattered Floral and Leaves dies - so here is my flowered tag creation.
To start  off with I attached, using Glue and Seal, some Graphic 45 tissue paper to a sheet of grungepaper then coloured it using Fresco paints, sorry do not yet have Tim's fab new Distress paints, Mermaid, Buttermilk and Dolly Mix. I also covered the tag with the same paints.
I then die cut the flowers and leaves but also cut some out of pink and purple felt to layer between the paper flowers. I stamped on the flowers and leaves using Distress inks and edged each one again with the inks. After shaping I then layered one paper then one felt flower and added a pink brad in the centre to hold them together. I also stamped onto the tag using a crackle stamp from Stamp Addicts and the same inks Peacock Feathers and Picked Raspberry. Then I attached all the flowers and leaves to the tag and I added some super purple and silver ribbon for the top of the tag plus stamped the word Spring and added one of Tim's words too.
I did enjoy creating this, hope you will like it.
Do pop over to Tim's blog and enter yourself, there is a fab prize to be had.

Mardi Gras Calendar Pages

Here are my March pages for Kate Crane's fab Calendar challenge and also my entry for Simon Says Stamp messy challenge.

My birthday is March 17th St Patrick's day but this year instead of Irish pages I decided to do  Mardi Gras type pages as I love masks of any kind. I have lots in the hallway of our house. Sometimes Mardi Gras is in March but this year it was in February but never mind.

I used Dyan's fab inks to create the background, yes again sorry, I do love messy crafting, with some ghosting and masking using Crafter's workshop masks. I added the calendar spaces and stamped with Distress inks to give a little colour. The main mask is from a download from my friend Ann Whitfield, coloured with Copics then glittered with Stickles. I added some little gems and the purple feather too.

The other mask stamps are from a Stamp Addicts cube and coloured again with Copics. The word stamps are from Card Creations. I found the little black and gold masks and attached them plus a few stickers, bird and butterlfies. I highlighted the 17th with a clear epoxy sticker to remind myself I will be a year older.... no reminder needed really.

Hope you enjoy your Mardi Gras tour.

Back to Black

'Back to Black' is this week's challenge set by Hels at 'Ink on my Fingers'.....in tribute to Amy Winehouse who sadly died on Saturday.
I have not done Hels challenge for a while but this one inspired me after the tragic  events this weekend.
I started with a black Coredinations card run through the Cuttlebug and sanded down to show the orange lining.  I embossed a piece of brown shiny card.... yes really - me who never uses brown, and cut the corners with my chomper.  The card split slightly in the bug but I rather liked the effect it gave me. I stamped the guitar and punched out the scalloped oval and overstamped with text and distressed using Vintage Photo and Pumice Stone distress inks. I mounted this on the base card and added the brown card on top.  I added a little music notes sticker next to the guitar.  I stamped the message 'Love Endures All things' from Docrafts, in black and used the same distress inks to add some swirls and distressing.  The clock face I found in my stash again distressed.  The lady in the frame, from Stamp Addicts, was stamped onto Mica Tiles with some added silver flakes under her face... she is looking down from above with the wings and clock face sticker.  My umbrella man from Tim Holtz, Cuttlebugged with the Time folder, is holding his umbrella to catch the tears.... little expoxy bubbles.  I added a couple of chipboard glitter flowers and swirl then the butterfly.  This signifies floating up to heaven to me where I hope Amy will be at peace at last.  An extra love sticker completes what I hope you will think is a fitting tribute to the very talented Amy. So very sad.

Sunrise Sunset

 My challenge this week is another song... Sunrise Sunset and here is my DT card.  The background sunset is an actual photograph I took from our house in Bermuda last month - this was my starting point.  On the scalloped card I added some Distress inks using the double ended brushes from Inkylicious and stamped the hills with a Stamp Addicts stamp. The trees and elephants are black peel offs as is the Safari word.  I created the flower and overstamped with text then added the same colour orange distress ink and a gold centre gem.  The leaves are cut from brown paper using a Tim Holtz die.  I added the bow making it out of some raffia I found in Tesco and a piece of brown string.  I mounted this onto the black card cut with a scalloped edge from my cutting machine.  Everything was then mounted onto an A4 cream card and again with scalloped edges.
Will someone now please tell me to stop making these large cards.... two in two weeks ahhhh... they are taking over.
I hope you like my creation and please do pop over to my challenge blog to see the lovely DT creations and enter yourself..... A Joanna Sheen voucher is up for grabs this week.

IN THE FOREST

The topic over at Bah Humbug this week was 'TREES' so here is my little forest scene. Stamped with Black Stazon onto Fancy Pants paper using Cornish Heritage, The Craft Barn and Unmounted Stamp Company trees . Snowflake stamp from Stamp Addicts stamped and embossed in silver and white and the rocks stamps from Art Impressions.  I added some Silver, Gold and White Sakura pen dots and stipples which do not show too well on the scan but sparkle in real life. The whole card was distressed round the edges using Ranger Distress Inks.

TAKE HEART - all will be well in the end.

Here is my take on Frankie's 'Pink, Swirly and Dotty' challenge over at Dragon's Dream Tag challenge. I stamped the lady's face, from Stik n Stamp onto white glossy card, then masked her and stamped around in various pinks using Stamp Addicts dots, Sheena's swirls and Personal Impressions flower and sentiment stamps. I attached, with a pink and silver cord, a piece of stampboard stamped in purple and coloured with pink inks and glitters. The whole card was then sprayed with Gold glitter spray from Crafter's Companion. The card and stampboard are both edged with gold Krylon pen. A lovely challenge my friend.

Another Christmas card

Here is the other card made using 'Stamps by Judith' at the Retreat, and here the fir branch is used yet again in a different way. I enjoyed using these stamps - very handy for quick cards.

Season's Greetings

Another little card made on the Stamp Addicts retreat using 'Stamps by Judith'. I loved the branches as you can create all sorts with it as you will see on the next card with the tree. The pine cones and the berries stamps I also had to buy as they will be very versatile. This was made during one of the evening try me sessions.

PATERA NECKLACE

Another tiny work of art created whilst on the Stamp Addicts Retreat last month. I have never tried this before so again something new. The card was spritzed and stamped then inserted into the frame. Liquid Patera was then poured into the frame and set in the oven to created this pretty little charm or necklace.

Cat in the Window

Again more from the retreat. Lots going on on this card, lots of stamping using Tapestry type stamps, flowers, plantpots and ivy leaves and various blending blox inks to form the background of the white square card. The window frame was painted with acrylic paints and left to dry before attaching to the card after the actual window box had been folded, painted, covered in mossy flower soft type stuff and added to the card. A set of flowers were stamped and coloured onto acetate then cut in a random shape and inserted into the window box to give the effect of them growing there. A cat was stamped on the inside of the card to show through the window. I added the blue shading using a fluffy stippling brush and blending box blue shades. I do like this effect. We also made a box to hold the card - needless to say I cannot scan that - but you all know what a box looks like lol.

Decorated Canvas Bag and Acetate Tag

Very cleverly the first item we made on the Stamp Addicts retreat was this canvas bag - great as we now had something to carry all our stuff in lol. We stamped the birds and the flowers onto grungepaper using various stamps and acrylic paints. We then created the trees using stencils and again acrylic paints then added the birds and the flowers and a couple of stamps at the bottom of the bag. We also made a tag using acetate and grungepaper flowers as shown on the top picture . The reason my bag is creased is that due to my overseas trip I had to leave in in the UK to be posted to my home address lol.

Asian Decorated Canvas Panel

Another item created at the Stamp Addicts retreat last month and also my creation for my SCRIPT challeange this week. First the clay was rolled out and stamped into then cut to make the leaf shapes and painted with glitter paints and left to set hard. The canvas was painted with cream paints using two coats, left to dry then overstamped using red inks with the Asian writing stamp. The leaves were then attached together with the lovely flower blooms and a couple of gem stones for the centre of the flowers. Another item I would not have thought of using but I think these would make nice gifts.

Asian Shadow Box

Here is the shadow box I made whilst on the Stamp Addicts retreat last month. First the cream box was painted using black acrylic paints. The various images were stamped onto black card and cut into strips. Various coloured gems, roks and glitters were added to the cut strips which were then attached to the box in a mosaic fashion. The wooden strip was painted silver and attached to the centre of the box and the kimono attached to this strip together with the white tassel. Something new that I had never thought of doing before.

SUNNY SUNFLOWERS

Back at last from my hols and the lovely retreat with the Stamp Addicts girls. Here is the card I have used for my weekly challenge this week the topic being SUNFLOWERS. I actually made the card whilst on the retreat a couple of weeks ago. The flowers were stamped out onto white card and coloured then cut out and decoupaged onto the main cream card. I added some green swirls with the fabulous Flourish stamp (I use this a lot) and added the words and a few background dots for the finishing touch. Check out my Challenge blog if you would like to join in and have fun. All the products used can be purchased from Stamp Addicts.

Masked Fat Book Page

The shaped background piece I cut with fancy scissors after embossing and colouring and spraying with Clear Spray from Crafters Companion. I stamped the mask, from Stamp Addicts, one of my favourites, onto an alcohol inked blue and pink background and added some white pen touches and a few gemstones. I also overstamped again with the swirl stamp another favourite.

Mardi Gras

The challenge this week at Gothic Arches was 'Mardi Gras' - a topic that I love as I have a great collection of masks. This card uses my new mask stamp from Stamp Addicts and a smaller 4 masked cube from them too. The arch background was created using alcohol inks of various shades swooshed over glossy card. I then overstamped in black the smaller masks and added Stickles glitter glue. For the large mask I stamped using the resist technique and brayered with the Waterfall Big and Juicy ink pad. The eyes were from another piece of varying coloured ink cards. I added glitter glue in gold and clear, the black mask and two feathers and edged with gold Pentouch. I always had hoped when we lived overseas that I would get to New Orleans at Mardi Gras - never made it - but I can live in hope. Just realized that this fits DCM 'Green' challenge too.

Framed Tree

Here is a little framed picture I made today, why? - I don't really know except that I took a fancy to doing this. Sadly the scan lights and the acetate don't do it justice as it looks a little cloudy but in real life it is not.

The background was made using alcohol inks dragged over to create stripes then the tree from Stamp Addicts overstamped in black Stazon. I covered the picture in acetate then added the frame which was from one of Michele Marsden's kits.

Masked Ball

TGIF challenge this week is 'Masked Ball' - perfect for me as I love masks of any kind and have quite a few hanging around the house. This stamp is from Stamp Addicts, one of my very favourites of all times. Stamped onto mauve card using purple Stazon and embellished with Stickles and gems. The background of darker purple card was stamped all over with another mask stamp, the edges highlighted with glitter glues. Lovely challenge for me, wouldn't it be lovely to go to a masked ball in Vienna. Dream on.

Four Masked Ladies

'Purple' was the new challenge from Stamp Addicts blog this week, and is of course my favourite colour of all times. This large Feathered Mask stamp, from JudiKins, is also a firm favourite and features on my Gallery, but look what I found at the Hilton last week - yes - new 4 masks on a cube again from Stamp Addicts. So, I had to play with them and stamped them in purple Stazon then coloured with various Sakura pens and Lyra crayons. The background is made up of torn Cuttlebug embossed papers in different hues and textures, with added ribbon round the edges. I added a few purple and pearl gems and a flower and feather for effect. Oh, I do love purple and actually got married in it many years ago when colours were not the thing to wear lol.

Painted Trees

The challenge at Arty Girlz this week was 'Paint' and at DCM use 'Quotes' so here is my effort. Had to photograph it as too much light was reflected from the bubble when I scanned it so apologies for quality. I created the background using acrylic paints brayered onto glossy white card. I stamped with black Stazon the trees from Stamp Addicts, cut into a circle and mounted into the bubble front and attached to the white card. I stamped random tree images on the card, then chalked and edged with green inks. Mounted onto a large green card I added the chalked vellum quote 'Art is man's nature, Nature is God's art'.