It's a Mini Christmas!

Welcome to my post for UK Scrappers Christmas blog hop and my project for Christmas. I love a quickie make 'n take, and I conjured up these mini Christmas brooches for our Annual Christmas party a couple of weeks ago. They are so simple and easy to make, and will add a little extra to your Christmas gifts if you add them as toppers instead of a brooch.
Ingredients: mini die shapes from Tim Holtz, chipboard bases, Christmas paper, Distress glitter, glues, Glossy Accents, brooch back, distress inks, Stickles.

 

 I used some chipboard mini tags we have, and covered them with Tim Holtz Seasonal Paper Stash which has mini papers perfect for this size :) Add some distress inks to the edge to cover the edge of the paper. 

I used Tim Holtz Mini Christmas sizzix dies to create the elements on the brooches. I cut them all out of Kraft Card,  and painted them with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints or Distress Paints and allowed to dry.

 

Add Glossy Accents to the elements you wish to glitter and add the Distress Glitter to them. I poured it into a plastic cup, but you could equally use a plastic bag . Give them a good coating and allow to dry. You can heat dry the Distress Glitter, but the Glossy Accents dries very quickly, so not completely necessary.

Add the elements you wish to use to the backing and glue with Glossy Accents or
Cosmic Shimmer. I added the reindeer with a couple of foam dots to make it a bit higher than the rest of the elements.

Add some Gold Stickles to the bow and a brooch back to the back of the base when it is all dry, and you have the cutest brooch to give to someone for Christmas. Tip: when glueing the brooch back to the back add it to the top third of the back  ( I used hot glue) so that when you wear it , it sits properly. Here are some more samples I made too.

 

I have made up kits for all 3 brooches, and you can find them here with all the other elements to make them too :)

I hope you enjoyed the project, and if you are member of UKS, don't forget to leave a comment with your UKS your name too, to be added into the draw for a prize.
Thank you for looking, and have a truly fabulous Christmas and a Happy and Creative New Year
{hugs}

A hot time was had by all!

On Saturday I did a meltpot class with some gorgeous girls at Pickleberry Papercrafts. We had such a good workshop, and everyone behaved themselves! lol. WE set out to make a ring bound book or jouranal using moulds, and utee, and meltpot, and stamps, but everyone ended up with different pieces, and I think everyone made them into something different! I love it when that happens! Here is mine, and here is a picture of everyone holding up their absolutely fab creations! Spot the box of chocolates brought in my Kate's husband for us... yummy and such a lovely thought:)) Thank you girls for making it a great workshop.

Will be back later today with a creation..if I get time!
Happy Creating

Celebration Time!-edited to add more candy!!

Today is my blogaversary, and who would have thought 3 years ago, that I would be telling you about my days, showing you my ART (such as it is! lol) ,or trying to photograph you my VERY messy desk!

 I love what I do, I love that I make stamps, that I can indulge in making art, that I teach , and that I have learnt so much over the years! I also love that I have met so many talented people from all over the world too through the power of the blog!
 It is only made possible by you, who buy my stamps and products, and create with them...

So to celebrate I am GIVING AWAY over £100 worth of goodies, including Tim's Compendium of Curiosities, a wooden bird to alter, a Sizzix Alteration, lots of Artistic Stamper stamps, Kling-On, a mini suitcase  that is impossible to get anymore, grungepaper, and some idea-ology.

Who knows I may even throw in more ( some of the new Sizzix dies are winging their way to me for delivery on Monday!*wink*). Actually if we have more than 100 comments I will add a new die.

So... to WIN this all you have to do is make a comment below, add the candy to your sidebar if you wish, make a comment on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team blog too, ( checkout the art there.. stunning!) and become a follower of both blogs. My!  that means you have FIVE whopping chances to win!! That is good odds in my book!! lol. I will post all around the world too! The blog candy finishes in two weeks, and  I will choose the winner or could that be winners *wink* on Monday 27th September.

Just as an aside, a big thank you to Hels, who made the first comment on my blog, and encouraged me to go for it.... :)))
I need to get some sleep as I am making a mess with melt art at Pickleberry Papercrafts later today, and hoping to have some fun too!
Happy Creativity and good luck!

edited-- to add this wonderful Alterations embossing folder, as we now have more than 100 comments.. make it 200 and I will add more!!!





Good Luck in the draw!
 

Letters in my book!

The theme this week on Sunday Stampers is letters, and although I strictly haven't stamped at all, I liked the idea, and I needed a bookmark, and I needed to use Tim's new Lost and Found paper, and I needed to use the bingo embossing die, so I needed to enter it. LOL! I do hope Hel's you will forgive the lack of stamping, but this was made inbetween other stuff, while trying to get my very pins and needled hand to work!
The embossing die was used with Grungepaper, now back in stock, The old scrabble tiles were distress inked (love the way the grain of the wood picks up the ink), and the paper just fitted perfectly. A bit of fun for a Monday!

Happy Creating, and join in with Hel's challenge, it lasts a week...
Hugs

Summer cometh?

It is such a gorgeous day today, and we are off to the seaside for an outing! Actually we are playing hookey, and in fact going to Bournemouth to sort out some stuff for a friend. Will tell all when we return. In the meantime yesterday I played with some grungepaper (now in stock!) and the Tattered Florals die and some of the new Black Enamels. It didn't turn out quite how I wanted it, mainly because I think I have a trapped nerve in my left hand, and have pins and needles in it, and couldn't manipulate the flower to the degree I wanted. I seem to do so much with my left hand, but I am pleased with the effect I got. Hopefully my hand will be ok with some rest and get its strength back. The tag was made inking with distress inks in lots of reds, and then I used Ink Potion 9 which had the effect of lightening it up, bleaching it, and generally distressing the inks.. There is lots of stamping and masking too! the scan also had the effect of flattening the flower.

I should have used the camera, which is packed away with my bucket and spade!

See you Sunday....
Have a creative day!
Hugs
 

Recipe for Floral Happiness!

Ever since I saw a post on my good friend Wendy's blog about an evening she spent cutting out fabric flowers from the Tattered floral die, I have wanted to try it. here is my recipe for them!
Ingredients: Masses of fabric scraps in co-ordinating colours (hunt down bits in your local charity shop), a Tattered Floral Die , a sewing needle, cotton thread, a bead or two, a large eyelet, and a good pair of eyes ( these are needed for threading the needle!!)
Method: Cut out the flowers in lots of colours, pile them up high together, and scrunch. Sew tightly from the back squeezing the material so it bunches up, add a bead or punch a large eyelet through the front....add a brooch back or not!...Floral Happinesss......

Hugs

New in stock!

Just a quickie to let you know that some more brand new Alterations embossing folders arrived today, namely the bingo and cracked and Damask, and the Swirls all landing at my door this afternoon!! All pre-orders are packed up and ready to ship.

 Now just to have a play!  I have played with a couple and they work wonderfully with metal and paper, and grungepaper , of course.
Will be back tomorrow with whatever is on my desk in the morning!! lol Bet you can't guess!!!

On your metal!

We are off on our travels again today, this time to Port Sunlight Happy Stamper's Festival, and a show I always love doing. This is my sample for the show, and involves, lots of Ten Seconds Studio metal, and Mr Holtz's dies, amd Crafty Notions sprays. If you are coming along, I will be demonstrating this tag :) If not, then have a great weekend.

Hugs

GIngersnap GC53 Chestnut Theme-Read

Over on GIngersnap Creations, the Chestnut theme is Read!  You can interprete this anyway you like, using a well loved book as a starting point or text or anything you like!  I , in my normal jump straight in , don't worry about it, used some pages from an old book, which I bought especially to tear up! Many years ago I took a class at CHA on altering books, (and I am an avid lover of reading and books), and up to that point, desecrating them was an enigma to me! Tear up a book, turn over the corners, write in it! NEVER! But the class taught me to do just that, and although initially it was hard to tear out pages, and paint them and write all over them, I now can, and have done, and will continue to do so. In fact I have 2 altered books on the go, and love creating new works out of old discarded , unwanted pages.
My project for the theme was to grab some pages and glue them with Studio Multi medium direct to the wooden bird. I then used mica sprays, and gently sprayed  all over the text. Allow it to dry. The number 35 for the eye, just fitted perfectly. I did gently stamp over it with the open Sequin stamp.  I then used one of the wings from Mr Holtz's Fanciful Flight die to add to his tail. , and I had embossed some Ten Seconds Studio metal and made a sandwich with it sticking humungo tape to card and then the metal to the card, and running it through the big shot within an embossing folder. I cut them out , turning the metal upside down on the second cut to get a mirror image ( if you see what I mean). I added a little strip of embossed metal to the bottom of the bird. I also cut up a few pages and made a mini book to hang at the bottom of the bird. I did spray and add black paint to the metal to give it a bit of depth.

 So grab an old book from the charity shop, and just pull out one or two pages, and decorate them and enter Gingersnap Chestnut theme! Go on, I dare you!! lol

Tweet, tweet....

or should that be sweet, sweet?, as I have candy on offer. I have spent a very enjoyable morning, while the rain has come down outside,indulging in making a little wooden hanging bird with distress inks, rock candy crackle paint, dotty stamps, and the crown! The wings are from Mr Holtz's Flourishes die set, and coloured with Rusty Hinge and Barn Door. The crown is painted with Viva Decor Precious Metal in red.

 I am a great lover of those penny sweets that you get in sweet shops, (you know the kind, pink shrimps, blackjacks, flying saucers) and I often buy 50p bags and munch my way through them before I am even home! But the candy on this page is of the crafting kind, and a must for anyone who loves competitions. All you have to do is comment, and add the candy to your sweet shop to be in it twice. I am giving away a Tim Holtz die, and a new wooden bird that we have in the shop, along with the darling little crown to add to your bird.

I shall pick the winner on Monday 10th May.
Hoping you are having a great Bank Holiday weekend despite the rain!
Hugs

100 today!

Not me, not any of my family, but the Sunday Stamper over on Hel's blog, and all this week, you can take part and also get the chance to win candy! I cannot win any (sad face, as I am giving it away! ) but I have entered, so here is my piece. I cut out the new Tattered Florals Sizzix dies onto grungepaper, and distress inked them with Barn Door, and some black, and then rubbed a copper dabber on to them. The stamping is the dots and the open sequins stamps from The Artistic Stamper, and the button is from The Girl's Paperie, which I also gently swiped with copper dabber. The leaves are from the Regal Crest die, and cut out of Tim's new Idea-ology papers, which are lush!

So go on, enter your piece, it is a free week, which means you can create anything, and be in with a chance to win!
Happy Creating!