Popping Up!

I love it when a plan comes together, and about a week ago or so, I decided that this year, in the shop, I would do the occasional "pop up" workshop. Meaning that if we had a free day in the classroom, I would hold a mini workshop. Yesterday we had eight lovely ladies making alcohol ink induced ATC's for their pleasure. Thank you girls for joining me , it was a fun morning!

 

Of course I forgot to take any photos of their creations, but here are a few of mine. All done with alcohol inks , and using various techniques.

  I am busy getting ready for my trip to CHA ( Craft & Hobby Association )Winter Trade Show , held in Anaheim , home of Mr Mickey Mouse! It seems that time always runs away with me, and this year has started off, the way it obviously means to go on.. with very little of it ( time that is!!), but hey ho, Sundays in my world are days of work... sad I know! Do pop by for a special blog post tomorrow, it will be a celebration one!
Have a very creative Sunday
Hugs

Sticking to Simple

The urge to get out the inks and make a mess, always takes me when I am most busy, but the call of the new Summer Distress inks, and this simple glue technique from Kaz at the Little Shabby Shed, was too good an opportunity to pass. The technique is simple, and I changed it slightly to adding distress ink (dry it well), before using the glue and using a couple of background stamps from The Artistic Stamper, plus one of my favourite Willeez from USArtQuest... all ATC's should have a gecko on them by law!! LOL

Do try out the technique, Kaz has made a great  video to show you how :))
All the products I used are at the bottom of the blogpost...loving that I can now use Inlinkz to give you direct access to the webpages :))
Have a very creative day
Hugs

InLinkz.com

Summertime, and the living is easy......

I love the summer, and especially the sun! I am a sun baby.. lots of heat, the sea, and the feel of newly mown grass on my feet! Not much chance of that here in the UK this week! More of a "get out your wellies, an umbrella, and a raincoat!"sort of week.  But never fear, this week Mr Holtz  and Ranger brought out the Summer Distress inks, and oh they are luscious...and very very bright! They arrived this afternoon and I had to have a play, so I whipped up this ATC to show the colours :))

We have them in the shop here, and the stamp I used are Tim's, for a change with the dots which are The Artistic Stamper's.
I am off to play some more... see you soon
Hugs

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday...Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Alarmingly Wednesdays seeming to appear more regularly than most days of the week... worrying really when we have exactly the same days of the week every week. Maybe it is because every Wednesday I show you my workdesk or my space , wherever I may be.... Well this week is a Happy Anniversary to all WOYWWers! 3 years to be precise since Mrs Dunnit, of Stamping Ground deemed Wednesdays to be the day of the desk! To celebrate some of us are giving away an atc...., so if you follow me on the list don't forget to email me with your address so I can send it to you, and in keeping with the celebrations of WOYWW, I have decorated my desk..AND... wait for it... ADDED A MEZZANINE Shelf!!!!

The idea was a brainwave borne out of last week's post, and as all ideas come to be ( when lying in the bath!! LOL) I asked my long suffering hubby to build me a mezzanine floor on my desk! I am loving it....a place to put all the stamp holders, and bottles, and of course to get it really messy!! Perfect for hanging the bunting for the Diamond Jubilee!
I have made this ATC for a woywwer, and if you would like to see how, pop over to The Creative Team blog :))

Happy Anniversary to Julia, thank you for cheering up my weeks,  and to all the WOYWWERS! Have a splendid day...
Hugs

I have been awol!

I am really not sure where I have been the past week or so....think I am still in holiday mood ( although I have been working!) , but I cannot get back to blogging, or making ART, so I thought what better time than this to give away some blog candy!! I know you like blog candy!
So here it is an ATC made by me, using alcohol inks, the new luscious Archival inks, and the Alterations Mini Butterflies Sets, and The Artistic Stamper stamps!
What am I giving away? well you can get all of it, the ATC, the die set, a set of stamps, and one of the new Archival inks!



All you have to do is add a comment to this post, and for an extra entry add the giveaway to your blog ( if you have one!)
I shall draw the winner this time next week :))
In the meantime, if you fancy free postage we have it until Sunday on the website!
Have a much more creative day than me!
Hugs
 

Travelling light!

It has been a busy week, with lots going on...and now a lovely Bank Holiday long weekend, (as if you didn't know! lol)  I found time to make a little ATC which uses some of the new stamps from The Artistic Stamper. I distress inked the background with lots of yellows and reds, and a bit more, and stamped the workman's ticket over the map background, and sequin waste background, followed by a clock face, and an altered Bingo charm from Tim Holtz. Add 2 teeny weeny Penny Farthing Steampunk charms and you are travelling light! The words are from the new Travel Word stamp set.



If you wondered why I used the number 20? Well, our offer on the website this Spring Bank Holiday weekend is a 20% voucher to spend anytime you like, with any order this weekend over £10! If you don't receive our newsletter , then do sign up, (the link is at the top of this page) and get our exclusive offers for all our newsletter readers!
Have a great and creative weekend!
Hugs

Saturday Morning stamping!

I am always up early every morning, and now the mornings are coming into Spring, I love it! I can work without artificial light, and my desk is getting tidier each day ( now don't hold your breath!..it isn't THAT tidy! lol)  This morning before I set off for my class , I thought I would just have a little play with a new set of stamps from Crafty Notions now online in the shop. 
I took a Ranger ATC, distress inked it , splattered it with sprinkles of water, stamped it in Black Archival, and added mini chain with Claudine's multi medium matte. ...try before you buy with a mini bottle of it :)) made a mess gluing it ( serves me right for trying to make ART before I am fully awake!) , and it doesn't show! Love it!

Have a peek at these new stamps.. think you will love them! I do!

Have a creative Saturday..off now to get ready for my class...

 

Designer of Dreams...

I have been busy doing nothing for the past few days!! Well that is not strictly true, but I haven't really made any art, even though I have desperately wanted to! Not sure if the mojo was on holiday with all his friends... or just hiding in a dark place in my studio!
At the moment, The Artistic Stamper has a sale on of Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490 stamps.. and I thought what better way to kick start my creativity than to make an ATC using some of her stamps! I used the Manila ATC's from Ranger, and then added a smoosh of Distress ink in 3 colours, stamped Wendy's brilliant little tiny words using a distress ink. This makes them lighter than if you stamped with black, and then added the leaves and stalks from "Make Mine Mini Art" , and the words "Designer of Dreams" ( including the mini background from "Botanical Art". Loving that the Maya Road Bingo Motifs fit so well!

Have a very Creative Day!

Colour me quick!

Hiya! see I started a post by saying hello to you! I have been so busy this week, making stamps, doing orders and trying to find time in between to make a little bit of ART! Over on The Creative Team blog we have a new challenge..rainbows, set by me, and err have I done a bit of artwork for it.. nah! So this morning I got out my pack of ATC's.. (small enough but large enough, if you know what I mean) and made a piece for it. I cheated and used some Wendy Vecchi butterflies I "borrowed" from Hels that were stamped on grungepaper, and a new set of personal stamps by Julia Andrus, that I bought in the USA in January!!! I have finally unpacked them!!
Lots of Distress inks.. (I think we forget they have some of the brightest colours in the range), smooched across the ATC. I coloured all the butterflies in distress ink, and stamped the bee and flowers in distress ink too!

Why not join in the challenge. It lasts for a month..(loads of time) and you can be in the draw to win £15 worth of our stamps too! The winners of August's challenge have now been announced! I loved all the entries so much I added more winners!! I can do that , I am The Boss, so I am told...lol
Have a great day and I am off to pack up more orders, make stamps, and make ART!!
Be Creative!

Come and see me today.....

at Stamp Addicts for their demo day, demonstrating Ranger Distress embossing powder and Alcohol inks. I promise to post some of what I make, but most of it I always give away. This is an ATC that I made a while ago... It is amazing how the alcohol inks always seem to blend with the stamps , even if you think it looks awful when you have done it. Just try stamping on top of it!

Recycling at its best!

A few days ago, I received an email from RubyMay, saying that her order had arrived safely ( I always love to hear from my customers *grin*), and that she had turned her "invoice" into an ATC!! My oh my, here is recycling at its best, and even better RubyMay is without doubt a true Artistic Stamper! I was so chuffed with what she had done, I had to pass it on to you to see.

Please pop by her blog, and see for yourselves. I am always happy to see artwork done with The Artistic Stamper stamps or even invoices, so if you have any please do email me with pleasure.

Hugs

Double stamping Alcohol Ink Technique

For those of you who like the alcohol ink technique , here it is in more detail.

Take an ATC size ( 2.5 x 3.5 inch ) piece of Glossy Card, and using three colours on your alcohol ink tool, add a little bit of blender to lighten the colours. I used Stream Wild Plum and Eggplant Ink onto the card,

and then using Archival Black ink, (this is the best ink to use)stamp your words or music directly over the ink. Then taking one of the nudes , or a stamp with a large area which remains un-inked , stamp directly over the words and background. Double inking technique accomplished! So easy and so effective.This is another one using the same technique.

Happy Inking!

Life takes over....

and suddenly it is over a week since I blogged! Life took over last week, and I was involved in a car accident, and had a show to prepare, amongst family concerns too, so I haven't found time until now to blog. I am fine from the accident, was a little shaken, and more concerned for Hels than myself, but we are safe, and the car is mendable, so here I am!

I have lots to tell, there are new stamps (have to put them on the website) and all the new Ranger alcohol inks are ordered, hopefully here end of March! along with the new Grungepaper, and new idea-ology bits too!

I did a workshop with Tim Holtz at Stitches, and one with Suze Weinberg, and will show you the pieces I made in a few days. I even got to play with the new alcohol inks, which are divine, and I know you will want them as soon as you see them!

In the meantime, here are two more of the ATC's I made with alcohol inks.

I will post the last one tomorrow :)

More Black & White

This time I made an ATC for a friend, and also for the Arty Girlz Challenge which was to make an ATC. I think I have just scrapped in my the skin of my teeth :).
It was very simple, and just used my faithful papers from Black Market, and of course grungeboard. I covered the grungeboard in Snow White Dabber, and then stroked Black Adirondack ink over it. So easy, and so effective.

Don't forget the One World , One Heart giveaway at the top of the oage, and of course the Valentine's giveaway too, so please do leave a comment and be in it to win it :)

Happy Inking

Little Blue ATC

I made this ATC in blue which is my favourite colour this week :), and realised I could enter it into Think Monday-Think ATC. I used the new Silver metallic film  that is in the shop now, as you can stamp and print on it, and I was just experimenting with it! It is really hard to photograph silver paper as it refects all the light, so apologies for the absolutely disgusting photo! it is fab in the flesh! Thank you Hels for cleaning it up for me :)

I used one of the Gibson Girls, and also the gorgeous HUGE Tim Holtz mask -Flourish behind it. I did use a black dabber as the background, and of course used a blue distress ink to stamp and colour in the background.
I have been reading blogs all over the place this week, as I didn't make it to CHA in Anaheim *sad*, looking to see what is new, and WOW is there some fab new stuff coming.... I am planning on certainly adding some of it to the shop, so watch this space! If you would like to join in the fun, and get updates and offers just for subscribers, please sign up for the newsletter( link on the side).
Happy Creating as always