Curiousity Masking....

This piece is for Linda's great challenge Compendium of Curiosities over on her blog-. This week's challenge is masks basics, on page 58, and I used the new Alterations Rickety House die, made my own mask, and added a few extras. Spot the pumpkin patch texture fade...which I cut out and distress inked. A little bit of Mustard Seed crackle paint for the moon and windows, and a few flying birds. Was kind of wishing for a tiny witch face for one of the windows.. but I don't have one :((



Thank you Linda for the challenge, it always stretches my creativity :))
Happy Creating

Metallizing rosettes, and a little woyww

Firstly, I have to apologise, and say a BIG thank you to everyone who has commented on my blog this week. I am VERY busy working my way up to Ally Pally...pressing  stamps... ordering new *stuff* yummy!, and generally trying to get it all finished!I have even been designing new stamps for release at Ally Pally, and I cannot wait to show you them :))) I did manage a few blogs last week, but haven't a hope today, so many apologies.
However if you fancy a quick peek into my world here it is... with added artwork!! lol I received some of the new Tim Holtz Sizzix Alteration dies and folders on Monday evening, and I absolutely need to try the rosette out. I had an idea, and it worked!!! The rosette is initially only supposed to work with paper, but me being me, needed to try it with something else.. grungepaper is a definite no no, but metal works!!!! ( I am sure that I will get slapped wrists for saying it works, and I take no responsibility for you wrecking your die) Be careful as you push it out of the metal when cut, use tape to glue it together. I ran the middle through a embossing folder and used the Cracked embossing folder for the Tattered Leaves. I am in love!! rofl...



I am afraid these are only on pre-order now on line, but I will have them at Ally Pally (September 25th & 26th).
Julia, thank you for WOYWW. I am afraid this week, I blatantly used it to show you my rosette... (hangs head in shame), and if you are new to my blog, and have never heard of this growing phenomenon, check it out! it is a peek into worlds unknown, neat, and messy! FAB!!
Have a creative day

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

Floral Grunging!

I finally managed to make the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge this week by the skin of my teeth with just  over 10 hours to go!! Phew! When I first saw , I thought brilliant.. I love making them, but what happened to this week? Where did it go? Seemed to have gone forward ten steps and back 20 !! Oh well ! I did find time to make them this afternoon, and have duly added my link to Linda's wonderful blog! Can't tell you anything about how to do them , as that is against the rules, just to say it is on page 65 of Tim's book, and if you are lucky you could even win one from me here!
Thank Linda for the inspiration.. here it is!

I will be back tomorrow with photos from my workshop, which was great fun as usual :)
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!
 

It's Woyww day again!

It's Wednesday again, and that time of day when I get to show my glorious mess! I haven't had a lot of time to make ART this week.. just doing orders, and making piles of stamps, and packing Kling-On, and prepping for workshops....and getting orders in for Ally Pally Big Stamp and Scrapbook show! I have taken a slightly different angle of my desk this week,(which is a complete and utter total MESS!) and also twisted round to show you a picture of my shelves. Now you may think these are dis-organized or messy, but believe me these are tidy! and I also know where everything is! The white baskets are my glues and tapes.. amazing what you accumulate over the years! My favourite are the cases on the second shelf....just waiting to be altered..one day! rofl

If you are confused by what I am talking about today is What's On Your Workdesk hosted by our leader in crime ( or in my case grime!  lol) Julia! Pop over to her blog and check out the hundreds of desks on show!
Just before I go please do have a nosy at our Creative Team blog where we welcome a new member of our team - Tina! She is our special colourist, and will be bringing you gorgeous artwork every month.
Happy Woywwing!

Hopping mad!

Last weekend in our town we had an annual hop festival, where the beer flows, people dress up, bands play, and it is general mayhem all weekend! I love it, and always go and watch the bands, have few beers, hic, and wander round meeting up with old and new friends! This year my DD came down with 2 friends, and we had a brilliant day! Here are a few pics :)) of friends, and hilarious women/men on large shopping trolleys which were motorised.. boy did we laugh! , friends playing in a band, and lots of hops!! I totally embarrassed my children by dancing and singing along to the band!! rofl

Don't forget to pop over to The Creative Team blog to see Minxy's great piece, and this week it is my blogaversary..3 years , so I will be giving it away...!!! What will I be giving away... well pop back Saturday and find out!!
Have a creatively wonderful day!

Chipping Away

It's week 12 of the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge , and this week it is Chipped Enamel. I have to say in all honesty that the Distress embossing powders are not my favourite product, although the stamp I have used is!! lol To find out how to do the technique you need to go to page 44 of Tim's book.

I used a very very small tin that slides open, and covered the tin in Stonewashed Alcohol ink before I started. I can't tell how to do what I did, suffice it to say I used Mustard Seed, Broken China and Worn Lipstick on the tin with the cogs background for the stamp.

To join in  just hop,skip and cyber jump over to Lovely Linda's blog.
Have a creatively super Saturday!

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!

Steampunk in all its glory....

Hiya! I realised that I never say hi to you.. is that a bad thing? not sure.. would love your opinion of it? Anyway, I just had to direct you over to The Creative Team blog as we have a new guest designer for September. May I introduce to you Sarah Anderson...artist extraordinaire, and a lovely bubbly person too! She has chosen Steampunk with added twist as her first post for us, and a gorgeous piece she has done too... why don't you pop over there and pay a visit to her:))

Thank you Sarah, looking forward to your next piece
Have a Creative day!

woyww...a day in the life of..

Wednesdays! How come it is suddenly September 1st.... how can that be...it was only July last time I looked! the nights are drawing in... it is getting chilly....oh the horror of the curtains being drawn at 4 o'clock!! fill me with dread. I hate the winter ! Sorry waffling on... but Happy September to you..pinch and punch and all that...and it is Wednesday, a day in the life of WOYWW run by the goddess Julia from her blog.. a national phenomenon! Did I grovel enough Julia? lol
Seriously though we get to peek inside everyone's craft room .. we get to see finished artwork, unfinished artwork, tidy desks, untidy desks, and in my case an almost empty desk!! Not sure what happened this week, but I haven't touched an ink pad for days, or got out a piece of paper to stroke.. think I am on holiday!! I wish! No the mojo has taken off to sunnier climes..methinks! But here is my desk.. with an idea brewing for our brilliant challenge over on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team blog ( what a mouthful! ) I must get a shorter acronym for it! Also if you scroll down the page a bit more, you get to read an interview with me ( embarrassing or what? )

I aim to be round more desks than I did last week.. seems to be getting larger by the week, and if you have a picture of your gorgeousness please add it to Julia's blog.. we love to nose!
Happy Creativity on a Wednesday!
 

Workshop updates

I do hope you are having a good Monday Bank holiday.. me: I am working some of it.. and having some time off tomorrow to visit one of my favourite places- Hastings! Felt there might not be so many crowds on the roads or even on the seafront tomorrow! lol
I have several workshops coming up for the next month, and beyond, and if you fancy a play day with me, all the information is here! You could come along and play with utee and metal and Tim's dies at Pickleberry Papercrafts on Saturday September 11th

or you could come and create with lots of grungepaper and metal and mica sprays with me at Sharon's Card Crafts on Saturday September 18th.

If you are coming along to Artisan, you can also make an altered mini suitcase with me on both days.

I also have play days ( ooh so lucky to call them those..lol not that I get to play much...but you do!) at It's Crafting Time near Cambridge on Saturday and Sunday October 23rd and 24th.... The information and contacts are down the side of this blog or on this page..
Come and have fun with me!
Hope you are having a very Creative Monday

Get me to the church on time!

Yesterday the sun shone ... well it didn't rain ( that's for sure!) and we went to a wedding! I could show pictures of the bride and groom ( my stepson Dan and his new wife Jodie), but the photos are not brilliant.. everyone seemed to move when I clicked the camera!! lol but I did make a card.. no surprises there then?
 I wanted to make something that wasn't the norm, but was still pretty, and bought some rub-ons. yes rub-ons! not peel-offs! I think I would have been better buying peel-offs, as these particular rub-ons didn't work!! You would think it was simple... cut them out lay them in said order on the card, rub them off with said enclosed stick! I am old aficionado at using rub-ons. I used to use Letraset in all it's glory for years, so have the right tools, and I tried those, but nothing. I rubbed hard and and I even dented the card trying to get the rub-on's onto the card!  Was it the paper I used? Was it the tool?  I even re-read the instructions! me who never reads instructions! nah! nothing! de nada!They did come off the backing in a fashion but left behind some of the colour and letters!! The card was a disaster! So an hour before we are due to leave, (I do tend to leave things to the last minute)  I had to compromise and use a couple of toppers and the lovely stickers by the girls' paperie!! I did manage to get 2 or 3 of the rub-ons off onto a new card, but was extremely disappointed. Needless to say I won't be buying Papermania rub-ons again! btw in case you wondered I didn't buy the toppers, they came in a box of goodies I bought from a friend a while ago.. and have proved extremely useful!
Lesson learnt stamp it!! lol

I am having a very lazy day today... being that it is a Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, and plan to do nothing more than read the papers, and watch the tv... any bets on if that happens?? lol
Have a great day!

Sneaky peek!

I love sneaky peeks, and in Creative Cardmaking issue 19 , Hels and I have designed a couple of cards and a tag for you. For obvious reasons I cannot show you a full picture of them, but suffice it to say run down to your local newsagent and buy a copy!!

I do hope you are having a good Bank Holiday weekend, our last till Christmas.. eek who mentioned the word.. Christmas!! oooh I did twice!! *sneeks away into a corner, muttering..lol)
I have so much news, and we have some new stamps, (steampunk orientated).  I had a request for them , so have re-released them!

Also new in the shop are those gorgeous wire hangers that are now back in stock!

Sid has done a gorgeous piece on The Creative Team blog, and you can win an ATC from Minxy, and my Bank Holiday gift to you is 10% off all orders over £30! just pop the code bankholiday into the discount voucher box after you have shopped (£30.00 minimum) to get your discount!
I am off to a wedding today, so have to get my hair done, nails painted, dress ironed ( I wish! lol) and keeping my fingers crossed the sun stays out!
Have a creative day!

Blend it, blend it!

I am loving the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge over on Linda's blog, for the simple fact that I can use a technique I already know and maybe push the boundaries on it a little bit. That is exactly what I did with this tag for the challenge. To find out what I did you need to turn to page 36 of Tim's newest book.. and follow the instructions. I did follow them, and pushed the blended batik a little further than normal. I have to say the idea came from the first tag I did, then I messed it up, so did a second tag, and actually I even did a third tag! This is the 4th one! and on this I even made a mistake.. Can you spot it ? it is very glaringly obvious!! lol I used stamps from both of the new birds ranges and the bare tree, adding the leaves to it..loved the effect.. just as I had hoped for :))The background is a Calligraphy Mat ( we have lots of these)  In spite of the mistake.. I adore the effect the batik can produce.

If you have never entered this challenge, the prizes are awesome, and it is such fun. If you don't have the book, we do have some in stock here. Don't forget the blog candy over on The Creative Team blog ends today too at 6pm GMT, when I will be picking the winner!!

Linda, thank you for the challenge, I had a blast doing it!

Have a very creative day,

 

Ali Baba and the 40 crafters!...woyww

I realised that every week on What's on Your workdesk, hosted by the delectable Mrs Dunnit, I show a different angle of my desk, and almost always there is never anything on it! How remiss of me! All you get to see is the bits and bobs I work with and absolutely nothing finished! So I have rectified it this week, and made something especially for you! I love my boxes, and even more so when I can alter/decorate them. Inspiration came yesterday when I watched the very hilarious videos from Cheryl and Megan  at Ten Seconds Studio, and this week's is glitta!, hence the title of the post, which came courtesy of Mal, when he saw the box!! ( he has a very obscure sense of humour)
I had already made my mind up, previous to the video that I was going to cover one of these papier mache boxes in metal using one of the new TSS moulds (no 13 to be precise). The next step wasn't hard... just cover the box in black Rock Star metal which I run through the Big Shot... believe me it took quite a few goes to figure out the sandwich scenario!! I ended up using 4 cutting mats, and a piece of rubber and a blue mat! I do really need to know what the correct sandwich for the Big Shot is.. please????? anyone???? lol
I then added humungo tape to the metal pieces and attached them to the box. I even went out and bought glitter for this project.. what do you mean don't I have any?.. yes, but please tell me where I put it!! I added the glitter with glossy accents... and also the desk, the guillotine (which is the glass thingy to the right of my picture which someone asked last week about), my clothes, the carpet, my face, my hands, the computer keyboard.. you get the picture!)

Anyways I have waffled and spouted enough.. here is my box, which I love... on my nearly tidy desk :)))

I also have to apologise, as all intentions were that I went round everyone's desk last week, but never quite made it.. absolutely gonna do it this week, or if not at the weekend.

Happy Woywwing day!