Time for another challenge over at LTCCB

Hi there readers,

Today sees the start of JULY - not even sure what exactly happened to June but ..... over at the Love To Craft Challenge Blog there's a new "ANYTHING GOES" challenge, we'd love to see you join in. Can be any type of craft you like, for instance ... as a member of their Design Team my last month's make was a crochet blanket! This month sees me creating four little matchbooks (3" square) with enclosures, for a swap arranged by a pal ..... and here they are

The back of one of my matchbooks

The front of one of the matchbooks

My batch of four matchbooks

And the contents of the matchbooks: one ATCoin, Three mini playing card,
One Mickey Mouse paper clip and one clear acrylic disc per matchbook

Materials used:

• 300gsm card in pearlescent grey, black and white
• WRMK nesting rectangle dies, nesting squares and nesting circles
• Chevron card in pink/white and yellow/white
• Using the pink and yellow colour schemes I stamped using the following inks and images:- Kaisercraft grid, chevron and crackle, Altenew "trendy circles" (a recent prize) and Katzelkraft mini 075 (a recent birthday gift) and the following inks: Memento:- tuxedo black, dandelion, tangelo and rosebud
• The Katzelkraft images were coloured using a mix of alcohol markers and polychromos pencils and highlighted using Sakura gelly roll gel glitter pens

Stamps and inks

In addition to my matchbooks being my submission for the LTCCB challenge post today, I'll also be entering them for the following challenges:-

1. More Mixed Media - June challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) PURPLE .. inks/alcohol markers/coloured pencils/stamping/layering
2. WeLove2Create - challenge No. 7 - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES
3. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 108 - ANYTHING GOES
4. 613 Avenue Create - challenge No. 222 - ANYTHING GOES + optional MORE THAN ONE FOLD ... each matchbook features three
5. Corrosive Challenge - challenge No. 6 - ANYTHING GOES

And, in case you were curious, here are the matchbooks I received back in the swap .... thank you ladies, they're fabulous

How are all you lovely people coping with the recent weird weather? We've had rain, rain and more rain then temperatures in the mid 30° (centigrade) on Saturday .. I KNOW and it was Glastonbury weekend when it pretty much always rains, right? And then yesterday? We went from the sublime to the ridiculous.... from drinks in the sweltering sunshine

To this, on Sunday morning

Friday and this can only mean one thing - the weekend starts here!

Morning readers,

I was chatting (electronically) with some crafting pals and it came about that we were talking about gilding flakes. I challenged a few of us to make (and post a pic) a project that same day - I dashed off to the Table of Craftiness and thought "If I'm going to use one item that I seldom think to use then why not use a second (my pan pastels) and perhaps a page in my neglected journal!!" I rummaged (like you do) and found a sentiment, stencil and image that I fancied using. I laid down the pan pastels background and reached for my gilding flakes and flitter glue - OH NO! My flitter glue had gone off (it was kind of glossy cream and solid!) but, I'm no quitter and reached for my "Sticky Stuff" embossing powder instead, as plan B's go it worked but I now recall why I don't use it as my go to method, I never perfected the balance between heated enough to be sticky and heated too much to be useful! Will I replace my flitter glue? Not sure, it's not like I use gilding flakes a lot since I discovered sheet foiling and tombow dual purpose glue and I also have a WRMK foiling pen, but, I've digressed - check out the journal page below ...

My journal page

And a closer view of the gilding flakes

Materials used:

• One page of my Crawford and Black journal (£1 from The Works - such terrific value)
• Pan pastels applied using cut and dry foam
• Dark Room Door sentiment stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Katzelkraft image (KTZ212) stamped on to both the journal page and on a snippet of white card
• Alcohol markers used to colour the image which I fussy cut out on completion and adhered directly over the image stamped on my journal page (to cover up any "misses" in my fussy cutting!!!
• Aall & Create stencil (#28) through which I applied Versamark embossing ink before sprinkling with Judikins Sticky Stuff and heating. Once the Sticky Stuff was heated and sticky I applied a liberal coating of gilding flakes, burnished with my fingers before removing the excess with a coarse sponge

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. WeLove2Create - challenge No. 4 - ANYTHING MEDIA GOES
2. More Mixed Media - April challenge - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES
3. Stamplorations - April Mixed Media challenge - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES but must use a stencil
4. Altered Eclectics - April challenge - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES
5. A Inky Mess - challenge No. 29 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES

And, in case you are curious about the blanket I've been crocheting ..... it now measures 67" square - getting there!

Been looking after the surrogate wildlife this week. And that wildlife comprises: Riddick the dog and Iris the cat - both pretty cool

Not entirely sure what she's got her sights set on but ....

What a heroic pose!!!

Monday - new week, YAY!

Morning readers,

Hope you enjoyed your weekend of freaky weather .... what with the wind and the rain it shouldn't be a surprise that there was snow in the mix too - hope none of you visitors to my blog this morning have been badly affected by either of these phenomena.

It has to be said that we've had a number of days (lately) when there's really been no reason NOT to stay in and craft!!! Here's a mixed media ATC which deploys inks (both brushed on, blended, stencilled and stamped), stencilling (with ink and gel medium), rubber stamping and foiling - IMHO pretty mixed media! AND I got to use up some card snippets so I'm calling this a double result!

My Artist Trading Card

And a closer view of the stencilling, inking and foiling

The Gloss gel medium, whilst wet

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in red and white
• Using an Aldi stencil brush I applied Versafine Clair tulip red ink across the snippet of white card.
• Placing a Memeory Box mesh stencil (88517) I applied the tulip red ink in the same manner as before
• Paper Artsy heart image (from ESN23) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Once the inks were dry I placed my Carabelle hearts stencil (MA60051) over the image panel and taped in place before applying liquitex basics clear gloss gel medium and setting aside to dry
• Once dry I decided it lacked some definition ..... using a Tim Holtz mini blender and Distress Ink in candied apple I coloured in the areas where the stencil had been, rubbing the excess from the gloss gel medium and setting with Crafters Companion Spray and Shine
• WRMK hot foiling pen and gold sheet foil for adding the border 

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Pixie's Crafty Workshop - challenge No. 348 - USE SNIPPETS
2. Happy Little Stampers - March challenge - HEARTS
3. WeLove2Craft - March challenge - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES 
4. Mix It Up - challenge No. 23 - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) INKED BACKGROUND
5. A Inky Mess - challenge No. 28 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES

Welcome to another week

Hello readers,

Thought it was about time I got back to doing some journaling, I'd been doing so well in 2018, averaging one per week but this is only the second in 2019

My journal page

Showing the wobbler mechanism

Showing the glitter and stencilling

Materials used:

• One page of my Crawford and Black journal (£1 from The Works)
• Distress Inks: picked raspberry, festive berries, broken china - applied with a brayer and set aside to dry
• AALL & Create stencil #28 through which I applied Faber Castell glass bead glitter gel, using a spatula and, again, set aside to dry
• Meanwhile ..... I stamped my Katzelkraft image (from KTZ212) using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour, once finished I edged with an alcohol marker (cool shadow) before fussy cutting out and attaching to my journal page using an MFT "wobbler" mechanism - to give movement
• Dylusions alphabet stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink, sprinkled with clear gloss embossing powder and heat set
• Tim Holtz "Idea-ology" (small talk) quotation adhered beneath my title
• My Minds Eye banner image stamped using Versafine Clair tulip red, sprinkled with clear embossing powder and then heat set
• Posca paint pens in black and white - used to add doodle detail

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Get Creative - challenge No. 77 - USE LOTS OF RED
2. Simon Says Stamp -  Monday challenge - ADD SOME RED
3. Love2Create - challenge No. 2 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES
4. More Mixed Media - February challenge - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES + optional RED

I also discovered one of my entries was picked as TOP5 over at the Cutie Pie challenge blog, thanks peeps, always delighted to see that people like my work

 

Welcome to another week and more vacation piccies

Morning readers,

Hope you enjoyed your weekend, I know we did although we're still wading through the fallout of having been away! Returned home to the full on feeling that I was behind with my Christmas plans too ..... so spent Friday afternoon writing my Christmas cards and ... pheww! I DO have enough Christmas cards!!! 

That being the case it's NOT a Christmas card I have to share with you this morning .. but a journal page. Regular visitors to this blog will recall that a few friends and I challenge ourselves to make a journal page each week and, to that end, we take it in turns to set a one word prompt to get us creating. I'm ashamed to say that I have missed the last two prompts but (since it was my turn to set the word) I was determined to do one for this week's word which is "TRAVEL"

My journal page

And a closer view of the sparkle and shine

Materials used:

• One page of my Crawford and Black journal (£1 from The Works)
• Distress Ink in picked raspberry "smooshed" directly across the page
• Dutchdoobadoo stencil (Triangles - 470.715.120) laid over and a blending brush and water used to remove some colour from the background, blotted and dried before proceeding
• Two self adhesive phrases (one of which I cut in to two) from the Tim Holtz idea-ology book of small talk
• Three lengths of washi tape attached to the bottom of my page
• Happy Little Stampers images ("Wish you were here" - a recent prize .. thanks Kylie!) stamped using Versafine onyx black ink and heat embossed using Funstamps holographic embossing powder (as per the "leave a little sparkle" phrase!!!!)
• Art Impressions word (H-1979) and the Stampa Rose Tin Can Mail postcard image (G59-576) stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink 
• Quickie glue pen used to doodle some lines and, once dry to a tacky consistency, I applied the Designer Foils silver foil
• Posca paint pens in black and white used to doodle borders around the page and sentiments

Materials to varied to cover in the materials used list!

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Jo's Scrap Shack - challenge No. 260 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Creative Artiste - challenge No. 44 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES
3. Art Impressions - challenge No. 245 - WASHI TAPE .. AND I got to deploy an elderly A.I. image
4. WeLove2Create - challenge No. 14 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES
5. More Mixed Media - November challenge - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES + optional twist of BLACK

This MAY be the last post with pix from my recent Florida vacation ..... we took a trip to the aptly named LAKEland and found Lakes Morton and Hollingworth - both lovely, with lots of fairly tame wildlife only too happy to be photographed.

Topped off with dinner at one of our fave destinations

No visit to Florida is complete without a visit to Whimsodoodle and mine was no exception!

And my stash haul

And, around the time we were ready to leave ... a pal and I visited a local shopping attraction, where it was wall to wall Christmas

You may well (by now) be pleased to hear that's the end of the vacation pix! Thanks for persevering!

I'm an October winner over at Stamplorations too, thanks peeps, really appreciate it

 

Welcome to the start of yet another week

Morning readers,

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and have arrived at Monday ready to face the week. Don't know how it was with you but the weather was positively SOGGY round these parts! Hope you had something at least a little better. Mind you, it MIGHT  have been the sogginess which inspired my journal page below!

If you are a regular visitor to this blog then you will know that some pals and I challenge one another to make a journal page each week, using a one word prompt. It's my turn to set the word this week and that word (to inspire our creativity)  is "FISH" and here is my make using that prompt!

My journal page .... across the top says "even fish dream of flight" ...
I WONDER if they DO!!!!

Materials used:

• One page of my Crawford and Black journal (£1 from The Works)
• Fresco bora bora paint brayered over the lower third of my page and Brunel Franklin cerulean blue and white added to the residual fresco paint and brayered over the top two thirds
• Using a snippet of white card I stamped a number of fish, the sentiment and the "fish balloon" (from HP1111EZ - gave me a chance to ink up this under used set) using Memento tuxedo black ink and coloured using copic markers before fussy cutting
• Using matte gel medium I attached the fish, the sentiment and the "fish balloon" to my layout
• I selected some word stickers (from Tim Holtz Idea-ology - "chit chat" book) and mixed with Dylusions alphabet, stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink .. so it reads "even fish dream of flying" .... I hope they do!
• I placed the Paper Artsy stencil (PS093) over my "water and fish" scene and applied gloss gel medium through it, for waves, before setting aside to dry
• Posca pens in black and white to doodle borders around various pieces, to add interest and further "texture"

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Welove2Create - challenge No. 12 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES
2. More Mixed Media - September challenge - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES + option of USE BROWN
3. Creative Artiste - challenge No. 42 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES - 3rd and last entry
4. Fashionable Stamping - challenge No. 138 - QUOTE AWAY

And now for a vintage style Artist Trading Card, I'm thinking 20's or 30's myself - you? Love the humour of the Acid Drops sets.

My ATC

And a closer view of the image/colouring

Materials used:

• Snippets of card in deep brown and white
• Plain and faux stitched nesting rectangles
• Acid Drops and What  Nots image and sentiments (from AD54 "Lemons") stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Printworks image (F1066 "paint spatter") stamped using Brilliance moonlight white ink
• Copic markers to colour
• Anita's dimensional gloss - for the cocktail glass
• Stardust stickles to bling up the tie, handkerchief and scarf

I'll be entering the above for the following challenges:-

1. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 38 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
2. Happy Little Stampers - September ATC challenge - VINTAGE
3. The Corrosive Challenge - challenge No. 9 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Dragonfly Dreams - September challenge - ANYTHING GOES
5. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 90 - ANYTHING GOES