Reasons to Stamp in January

Over on Gingersnaps there are reasons to stamp in January and lots of ideas to get you started. I have contributed with these. The first is Appreciate a Dragon Day and the second names itself with Inspire your heart with art. You can see I have fallen in love with my new Maroon Archival Ink pad. I just can't stop using it. I was very pleased how the heart stamps stamped, particularly the lower one, as the paper is textured and the stamp has very fine detail on it. These two wonderful hearts are by Elusive Images from Graphicus.

12 Tags of Christmas

Here are my 12 tags of Christmas hanging up together. I always seem to be one to leave things to the last minute but nearly always meet the deadline. It still is not to late to join in. Email Tim an image of your tags to be in with a chance to win wonderful goodies.

The Stamp Man Award

The Stamp Man Award

My most favourite thing I made this year, I think, is this whimsical dog kennel for Travel in Style for the Lots to Do Challenge. I loved making it and I still enjoy looking at it.

New Year Resolutions with Gingersnaps

Our New Year Resolution at home is to de-clutter. I have made this card to depict this. It is in the vein of Rachel Jackson's work and she was definitely the inspiration for this. It is not a patch on the serene, peaceful, delicate and above all beautiful things she makes. I urge you to go over to her blog and look at the beautiful things she puts together. Just divine.

Also take a look at the other great creations by the Gingersnap team.

If you haven't already watched the mad video above please do so. It is completely mad and still makes me laugh.

Butterflies?

I know, I know, just being silly again. The truth of the matter is I wanted to use this stamp! I originally thought it may do for angels but angels has not come up. So I just had to adapt it for butterflies. I think t is quite cute really. Anyhow I enjoyed making it. Also if you like silliness have a look at my Christmas greeting. It makes me laugh every time I watch it. Lol

The Butterfly theme is over on Something Completely Different this week. Why not join in and make a tag. This is the last challenge of he year over on this site. We will be having a break until next year.

My splinter just got much bigger!

I guess I should have done them in numerical order but am not going to waste time changing them now.

Tag 12

Boy those roses were tough to make. Took awhile but pleased with the result. This design of Tim's is a very pretty tag. Everyones looks lovely. I did stamp the flowers before I cut them out. I saw something similar on Artyjen's blog and thought it was a great addition so this is because of her. Thanks. It just gives an extra dimension to the flowers. The Noel tag came from Louise from Kard Krazy in the package of things she sent me. I think it works just fine here.

Tag 11

Reindeer leaping. Improvised flowers by punching out glittery paper flowers and trimming some images to fit the centres.

Tag 10

Magnificent Cheat

This is a magnificent cheat and I am not ashamed but rather proud. It was so easy to do and I think works fine. Yes metal through a Cuttlebug embossing folder and then cut to size and coloured how Tim coloured his only I had to use a paint brush as I do not have those smart alcohol ink  pens. The ridges on the embossing made it easy to colour as they gave little walls to contain the ink.

Tag 9

This is my absolute favourite tag both with how it turned out and the enjoyment of making. It is also very personal to me. The film strip are tiny images of my daughters, some when they were  dressed  as a star in the primary school nativity play and others dressed up for a halloween party. Such dear memories. Oh yes the poor little soul in the main picture is me being blasted with a snowball by my horrid brother. To good a shot! The other reason I particularly enjoyed this tag was because I do not think I would have made anything like this if I hadn't been playing along.

Tag 8

Another favourite because I think Umbrella Man works really well as a substitute to the lamp post. I love this image so in fact I actually prefer this image on the tag. I am also proud of my metal corner. I used a corner punch on some puree tube then cut out larger than needed and fitted and shaped to the corner. Embossed into it to give it a swirly look.

Tag 7

This was another tag I particularly enjoyed making. I substituted the Father christmas stamp with a Paper Artsy stamp which I think works rather well.

Tag 6

This one was fun and games. I didn't have a car stamp so found an image off the internet which I clear embossed. used a different Christmas Tree stamp. I did play with my stickles and highlighted the "S an G" of the greeting with it.

Tag 5

I really enjoyed making this one. I didn't have a spruce branch so improvised with a fir cone!

Play Date Cafe 8

"If the Cap Fits"

I know I haven't posted for about a week but when I had time I have been making Tim's tags . All made now and ready to photograph but I needed to post this first. The Play Date Cafe 8 challenge, colours pink,red and green. Hope you enjoy.

the Stampotique image is available in the UK at The Stamp Attic.

Party Girl

On Something Completely Different a new challenge has just started. All ready for the Christmas season and Party Girl. If you like bling it would really lend itself to this. I have more of a grunge alternative party girl. Whatever your style come and play along. The stamp I have used here is a Stampotique stamp available in the UK from The Stamp Attic. The background paper has been sprayed with Adirondack colour wash sprays. I am in love with these sprays at the moment. Really great strong colours and so quick to produce your own papers. You can use masks with them too. I have sprayed onto watercolour paper as it gives a very strong base. Highlighted with chalk pencils and over stamped with a random spotty stamp with gold ink. Not sure this shows up?

Sandpaper with Gingersnaps

Over on Gingersnaps the challenge is Sandpaper. This is a card I made using the Hearts in Touch stamp sheet and the lovely snowy tree stamp. I stamped the tree and embossed in white to replica snow. There is an acetate overlay where I used pearly doodles to highlight the Christmas lights. The Cuttlebugged backing paper was sanded and although it is not apparent on the photo this created a wonderful flocked look to the paper, like raised velvet. This sits on sandpaper that has been smeared with green pearly doodles. 

Play Date Cafe 7

I was really concerned this week as I thought I may not have time to join you all at the Play Date Cafe. Time just runs out. So I thought I would just try to come up with something. This was literary a 5 minute make. This does not happen very often. In fact joining you was so much on my mind that this is what I was thinking about when giving the dog a really wet walk in the rain. I have recently bought a very waterproof long coat and a great rain hat with a wide brim so walking in the rain has become less of an ordeal. Anyway whilst walking bits and piece formed in my head  so when I came home I just put them together. Must walk the dog more often, I think, it can save loads of time. I must mention Louise from Kard Krazy as the reason this came together so quickly is really due to her. You see the wonderful shaped backing paper on the card, well this amongst other wonderful bits a pieces came from her when I won  on her challenge blog a few weeks back. She made me some delightful Christmas tags, these great shaped Christmas backing papers and trinkets etc. It was so wonderful to open and find all these useful bits and pieces. Thank you Louise. This is for you!

Sunday blog hop with Gingersnaps and Hearts in Touch

Snow Globe Shaker Card

Welcome to the first-ever Gingersnap Creations Blog Hop and Hop Stop #8! 

If you’ve already been hopping then hopefully you have just come from Joanne at Made By Joanne.  If you are starting here, welcome! It's a loop so you can start anywhere along the way!

At each stop, you need to collect a word! There are 10 stops in all starting and ending with the Gingersnap Creations blog where you can get all the specific information and get a peak at the Christmas 2009 plate from Hearts in Touch.

When you get all your words, 9 in all, unscramble them to form an art quote. Once you have your guess at the quote, email it and your name to gingersnapstamp@gmail.com by December 13, 2009. We will be picking one lucky winner at random from the correct entries to win the Hearts in Touch Christmas 2009 plate! 

My word is "This".

Your next stop on the hop is Lynn at Trash to Treasure Art. Good luck!

The sponsors this month over on gingersnaps is a stamp company called "Hearts in Touch". They very kindly gave us a Christmas stamp plate to use. This is one of the images off the plate. I love this one as it instantly reminded me of the magical Snow Globes we had as children  that you would  shake to see the snow falling. So I have used this stamp to create a shaker card. I hope you can see the glittery snow inside that does float around when shaken. As I have mentioned before I just love this christmas greeting also on the stamp sheet. Why not have a blog hop and see what other people have done with the stamps on the sheet and have fun. You never know you may end up winning.

Tim Holtz Tag Play Along

I think I have actually managed to catch up. I think I am more surprised than anyone. It has been fun and games, NOT, here this week. New boiler, oil tank and plumbing. Workmen everywhere all week. House is in chaos. Even more than usual. Filthy. Muddy footprints throughout. But nearly finished, I hope. John just said they will be back Monday. Hope he is joking or it  is a small amendment!

Anyway the during this process they needed access to my work room. Now if you are anything like me this was rather topsy turvy.  Tiniest space on the work table to work. Craft stuff everywhere and no warning that they would need to be there. So mad panic trying to clear space to radiator. Of course my desk, cupboards etc right in front of darned radiator. So quick shift was needed. Today frustration. Could I find the snowman I made for tag 1, could I find my Tim Holtz scissors. NO. Aaaargh. So I had to make another snowman for the tag. Still cannot find these favourite scissors. Maddening. However I have managed to catch up!!! Not for long. Hope to do Saturday's but will not be able to do Sunday's, so I will be back to catch up again. Oh well it is fun when I get my head down.

Panto Season

Over on Something Completely Different this week the challenge is to make a tag with Marilyn Monroe. Since it is Panto season I decided to do Marilyn playing Cinders. Why don't you pop over and have a look and play along.

Tim's Splinter Group: Tag 2

The Twelve Tags of Christmas with Tim Holtz.

I am playing catch up. Tag one is still drying so I have posted tag 2 first. I was never one to do things by order! The only Tim Holtz products I had that matched were the distress inks and distress embossing powder. The flourish and words are Graphicus stamps. The rose, flowers and leaves are of course fro a tomato puree tube, as well as putting some through a cuttlebug and folding over the corners.

Winter Wonderland

Over on Gingersnaps is a new challenge called Winter Wonderland. Here I have used a great word stamp from Hearts in Touch. I just love this Christmas sentiment "Believe in the Magic of Christmas". Hearts in Touch are the sponsors this month over on Gingersnaps. Keep in touch! There will be lots more great makes by the Gingersnap Team using their Christmas plate this month. The Polar Bears is a stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms. I wanted to keep this card very simple so that nothing would detract from these magical polar bears.

     

Tag Tuesday

I have made 2 tags this week  for Tag Tuesday on the colour theme of red, green and yellow and Christmas. Great colours and great fun. I particularly like the Traditional Santa as there seems to be quite a few of these images this year. I just had to add my little addition of presents hanging on the bottom of the tag. The Santa image is a stamp by Hearts in Touch, who are also the sponsor for Gingersnaps this month. The Robin tag stamps are from Graphicus.

Red and green Snowmen

Over on Something Completely different is a challenge this week for Red and Green Snowmen.  I think I read the brief a bit literally. I wondered this at the time but then decided I liked the quirky nature of having red and green Snowmen. So here is my contribution!

Play Date Cafe 6

This is my entry for week 6. Bit of a struggle today. Not because of the colours. I kept on making great coloured backgrounds and then mucking them up after. the colours are my sort of colours. I mounted it onto some paper which I chose because I felt it created a weathered wood beach hut look. After a difficult day it is good to end with something. I feel the colours match the brief well. 

Jingle your own Damn Bells!

Well this is my make for the new Gingersnap challenge to include frames. As I think you can see I like to make fun, happy, quirky things. If anyone was wondering why I named my blog "As happy as....." I think you will now understand. Why the picture of the peas? Well there are few things that look so happy and snug and contented all huddled together. It is always a joy when I pod peas to just see the little lovelies all lined up and cozy. Now broad beans are a wonder too! They have a fabulous furry nest to lie in. I often think when podding how nice it must be to be a broad bean growing in its pod, surrounding by the luxurious furry lining. I expect people are thinking I have lost my marbles! However I believe in enjoying the simple things in life.

Well back to the make. Both stamps are from Stampotique available through The Stamp Attic in the UK. The frame was a stamp I bought ages ago. It is a large foam stamp. I don't think it shows but I embossed it to make it look more relief like. The background is created by mainly using, I think, Sticky finger ink sprays. A  real autumn set that include names like Autumn gold, Blackberry, Raspberry, Maple, Walnut etc. I am sure I added some glimmer mists as well.

Oh I almost forgot. The hat. Yes Tomato puree woman was at it again. Stazon hat stamped onto the metal. Cut out and embossed with pointy tool. An old biro will work just as well.

Play Date Cafe 5

This is my contribution to this weeks Play Date Cafe colourway of purple, blue, white and silver.

The purple vellum has been run through the Cuttlebug. I love the way it turns the dots white and creates a snowy feel. The background card was coloured by swooshing with blue and purple inks. The stamp was embossed with silver. There is a pretty pale blue spotty ribbon holding the card down and lovely glittery snowflakes added. All was mounted onto a silver card.

Christmas Tree

I have just finished this in time so I can contribute to Hels weekly challenge. It is about 4.00 pm when I came to photograph it. The weather is grey and foul and the light atrocious. So this was the best I could do under he circumstances. Not the best time of year for this process. The days are just so short and the nights so long.

Lots to Do : Embossing

The light is fading

The deadline looming 

This is my last minute entry for the Lots to Do Challenge to include embossing. How we can trust our reliable Cuttlebug. I have embossed some fantastic paper that is red with a gold starburst sheen on it. Suitable for Christmas I did think.

Pink, Brown & Burgundy

This is my entry for Tag Tuesday. A Christmas theme to use colours pink, brown and burgundy. She looks like a cross between a fairy and Little Bo Peep. I should have added some snowy Christmas lambs. Next time maybe?

Blue & White Snowflakes

This is my blue and white snowflake make for Something Completely Different. The top section has embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and inks swiped across the top. The paper for this was a lovely pearlised paper from the Paper Temptress. Unfortunately the lovely pearly look does not show up on the photo., but it certainly adds to the card. Contrasting paper added with ribbon and snowflake brads and a final snowflake tag.

Gingersnap Buttons Christmas Decoration

I forgot to add this, probably over a week ago now. This challenge is still running over on Gingersnaps called buttons. Here I have made a Christmas Decoration which is very simple to make. I have used the wonderful two colour sided card from the Paper Temptress. I love this card. As you can see this piece was bright pink on one side and lime green on the other. Looooovely. I punched 4 pieces and stamped each one. Added some gel pen colour here and there. Folded them in half. Stuck them together with the ribbon running through. Added a felt flower and a button on either side. Finally weighted with a chipboard Christmas Tree embossed with metallic green powder.

The decoration is hanging above a radiator at the moment. The hot air rising is making it turn slowly and allows you to see both colours in turn with its gentle movement.

Play Date Cafe 4

This is my entry for the fourth Play Date Cafe challenge featuring colours cream, tan, brown and a bluish green. Time was running short so I have just made a tag this week. I love these mad crows in their party hats.

Tag Tuesday

This is my tag this week for Tag Tuesday to incorporate a photo, cold and I have added memories. "Things that were hard to bear are sweet to remember". Yes this is me being blasted with a snowball thrown by my brother. I think I was not best please to be bulls eyed so well. Hence the saying.

Thank you Hels!

What a wonderful way to wake up on a Sunday morning and find this has been given to me. It does give you a warm feeling inside. Thanks Hels it was a wonderful surprise.

So here are the 5 facts about myself:

1. I hate the fact that I now need to wear glasses. I now feel blind without them when crafting or reading. Horrible, horrible, horrible.
2. Ok that was my one negative fact. All the rest are upbeat. Talking about beat I think my all time favourite band is the Rolling Stones. I just wish they wrote songs now as good as in their hay day. Their new stuff just does not do it for me!
3. I love to have lilies in the house. They just smell so beautiful!!!!
4. Broad beans picked straight from the garden and cooked lightly. Yummmmmmm!
5. I must have a good cup of coffee in the morning. A real ritual.

So here are just so many people I would like to give this award to, but I have to choose only 5. So here goes.

Artyjen 

Shar

Ali

Carol

Marion

Pink card with Christmas Tree

This is the challenge over on Something Completely Different this week. Pink card with Christmas Tree. 

The card is from Paper Temptress who are sponsoring Gingersnaps this month. It is a good weight card that is pink on one side and orange on the other. This is a colour combination I think you either love or hate. I love it. The top of the card for the Christmas tree is cut from the back piece and is just left straight. The stamp is one I have had for a few years which I love. Cannot remember who it is by or where it came from. I have used Stazon and stamped onto, you've guessed it, my favourite metal tomato puree tube. I have then embossed into the writing to give it more dimension. I have stitched the edges and beaded them to suggest the decorations without complicating the words. Layered onto purple card and adorned with a large star on the top and then placed on to the pink card.

The decorations are  Paper Artsy stamps.

Play Date Cafe No.3

This is my entry this week for the Play Date Cafe. Another fantastic stamp by Stampotique available from The Stamp Attic. I feel it has a very poignant message that is relevant for our times.

Three Kings Tag: Tag Tuesday

This is my tag for Tag Tuesday.

The challenge was to make a tag from something other than paper and card. So I have used my favourite Tomato puree tube. Metal embossed on a mold and embellishments added.

Holly & Ivy, Red, Green & Gold

Over on Something Completely Different this week it is a new month and a new challenge. Christmas Cards, starting with Holly and Ivy with red, green and gold.

I have inked the background paper. Can't remember how as did it ages ago. I think I tried to do some resist stamping which didn't work to well and then just played with greens. The Holly stamp is a DeNami stamp. One of the very first stamps I bought. I liked the movement within it. After stamping I loosely used an embossing pen to roughly add colour to the leaves. I didn't want neatness more a sense of freedom to it, and used Verdigris embossing powder. The red berries were done in the same way but obviously using red embossing powder this time. The red card was randomly stamped with a Paper Artsy stamp and gold embossed.

Play Date Cafe No: 2

This is my entry for the second Play Date Cafe Challenge. The colours being orange yellow and black. Thoroughly enjoyed this second play. Why not take a look for yourselves.

The stamp is a Stampotique stamp called Queen of Life. Available in the UK at The Stamp Attic.

Reasons to Stamp in November with Gingersnaps

Housewife Day November 3rd

This is me every day when it comes to housework.

Stir up Sunday November 22nd

There is an actual recipe on the tag for Christmas Pudding if you can actually read it. The stamp is one of Paper Artsy's. 

National Espresso Day

How I love my coffee in the morning! I can feel it surging through my body waking it up.

This is also one of my favourite quotes "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single cup of coffee."

See all the other makes for reasons to stamp over on Gingersnaps. There are some great makes this month.