Holiday Ornament Swap with Gingersnaps

This is another of the tags I have made for The Holiday Ornament Swap, the current art exchange with Gingersnaps. I have also incorporated the Tim Holtz technique that is our challenge this week over on Grungy Monday. So this tag will also be entered there.  You can see the technique if you click below.

Tim Holtz Presents: Perfect Distress

We would very much like to have a couple more UK players in this Holiday Ornament swap and you have until the end of October to sign up. All my ornaments will be large tags, similar to this and with more than one layer. If you want to see what else is on offer take a look at some of my earlier posts. I will only be sending out this sort of tag. There is one with a reindeer, another with skates, so why not take a look.  To join in you need to sign up to the Yahoo group. There are more details at Gingersnaps. Just follow this link.

I was pleased with the Christmas tree as it felt a bit plain until I stamped the music with embossing ink and then rubbed with perfect pearls. I rather like the look. The scroll on the side was the Tim Holtz technique you can see if you click the link above.

I feel I have already started my 12 tags of Christmas.

Bookmarks for Girlfriends?

I was thinking what little handmade gifts could be made for girlfriends at Christmas and thought that these wonderful heads would make great bookmarks. I can just see them looking out from the pages of a book. These are a sample of the new stamps that will be available from Rogue Redhead early next week. Just love them and I like them as the headers of bookmarks too!

Last Guest Designer make for The Artistic Stamper

Boo Hoo this is my last contribution as GD on The Artistic Stamper blog. I have loved being part of their team and playing with the fabulous stamps. This is just a sneek peek of my last make. To see more and read the details just click HERE!

Black and Grey with Gingersnaps and Simon Says One Colour

Black and Grey with Gingersnaps. Well being October it just had to be. The two children remind me of the Munster children when portrayed like this. Had fun? I think so! Great challenge. Why not come and join the fun and have a look at all the different interpretations over on Gingers.

I am also entering this into The Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge which is to use one colour.

Stripes with Simon Says and Christmas Tag

This is my latest make. It is for Simon Says Stamp and Show where the challenge was to use stripes in the make. The background had acrylic paint stripped randomly on it and when dry Distress ink added. I also the ran it through an embossing folder with uneven stripes which had also been inked with Brushed Corduroy first. It gave an interesting background. The icicles and skated where some Glimmer Mist chips that I already had. These were inked and skates also stamped with music. Sparkles were added to the icicle to make it glitter.

The rossette was a Tim Holtz die. I used the snowflake tissue tape onto paper first and then cut out. Bits and bobs from my stash completed the composition.

This is also a tag I have made for The Christmas Ornament Swap over on Gingersnaps. It is not too late to join in and we desperately need some more UK players. The idea original came from Tim's 12 tags of Christmas. I just thought they would look wonderful on a tree as decorations or made into a swag. I think you have till the end of the month to join in. It should be wonderful and what a great way to start Christmas.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly with Dragon's Dream Tag it on.

Had a bit of fun with this one with Dragon's Dream, Tag it on. Could not believe I found some cardstock with GOOD written on it. How perfect was that! So in the end it was a little gem that just came together.
There are some other great samples on the blog. Why not hop over, take a look and maybe join in?

Tim in 10 (thats quick work)

It is amazing what you can do in 10 minutes if you pre plan and have all the elements to hand ready to go. This is the challenge this week over at Grungy Monday. Usually it takes me far longer as I am looking for things as I go and then get distracted. Not this time!

Ingredients

Paper Artsy Paper

Tim Holtz Stamp

Black Archival

Masking fluid

Red Card

Holly Leaves

Gold Bow

Red Stickles

GO.......

Mask the Santa image which is pre printed on the Paper Artsy paper. While this is drying print the TH stamp onto red card. Cut out section to use. Check masking fluid is dry if need be give it a blast with a heat gun. Not to close or the masking fluid may do something peculiar. Stamp the stamp again over the masked Santa. Glue the red section of card to match the image. Stick ribbon on. Rub masking fluid off. Glue holly leaves on and finally add red Stickles where the berries are.  Cut image to fit black glossy card and stick down. Voila!

Why not join the fun and challenge yourself.

Cocktail with Less is More

This is my Cocktail contribution for the Less is More challenge this week. Not a lot to say really. Pretty self explanatory, just less is more! Why not take a look how other people have interpreted the theme.

Ravens with Gingersnaps

This was very much inspired by re reading The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.

It has lots of slightly quirky things in it, which are elements I nearly always enjoy, and in this instance almost reflects the madness that the narrator suffers from at the end of the poem. During the poem the narrator imagines that Seraphim (a type of angel)  has entered the room with nepenthe, a drug to induce forgetfulness.

There are some other cracking creations over on Gingersnaps I am sure you will enjoy.

Ticket to Ride: Dragon's Dream: Tag it On

This is my contribution for Dragon's Dream this week, where we were asked to use a ticket.
On Friday the family and I went to see Noah and the Whale. They were amazing. I was truly very impressed. A fantastic concert and they looked as if they were thoroughly enjoying it too!

So one of the lines in one of their songs is this " Waiting for my chance to come" and I felt very drawn to those words on a personal basis, hence they have come to be on this tag.

It doesn't show up to well but you may just be able to notice it. Over the ticket background I over stamped with a Sequin Waste Artistic Stamper background stamp in versamark and clear embossing powder to create a resist for the DI Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint and the new Berry colour.

Fallen Angel

Fallen Angel

I just had to titter when I made this. 

Yes I have enjoyed myself this saturday morning and finishing with a laugh. It is great when you can make yourself laugh. 

So this is my contribution to: 

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Anything with Wings 

and

Stampotique Challenge: It's Tag Time

Hope it may amuse you as much as it has me!

Quote on a Tag with rogue Redhead

Good Friends are Always in Fashion

There are 2 new things on the go at Rogue Redhead. First a challenge which is Quote on a Tag. So this is my contribution. Secondly there will be some new stamp sets out very soon. This is just a couple of images off "Milliner Misses". I could not stop myself from using them. Do keep an eye out for them over on Rogue Redhead.

Poison Plume Letter with The Artistic Stamper

This is my second make for The Artistic Stamper. I have been playing with this wonderful stamp set called Airmail Bird Coallge Elements  that is produced by AS. But this is just a sneek peek. To see the whole make and details just click HERE and you will be transported to The Artistic Stamper blog as if by magic!

Grungy Monday and a too late Dragon's Dream Tag

This is my contribution to Grungy Monday: Holtz-ian Halloween and it was going to be for Dragon's Dream, Tag it on,"The Whole of the Moon" but I lost track of the days. I will let them know just in case they do still want to take a look?

So what is in this tag? Firstly Tim Holtz dies, Wrought iorn railing and the Crow from Scardy Cat and Crow die. The railing has been given the TH rust treatment. The crow was a new finish I was experimenting with. Having teenage girls you get to find out all sorts of odd things that are on the High Street. Did you know you can now get nail varnish that crackles? You need to apply it over the top of more usual varnish and as it dries it crackles. It is also matte in finish. So the crow first had 2 coats of clear nail varnish applied before the matt black crackle was applied. Who would have thought?

The background paper was card that I had first applied acrylic inks to. Then I used a Dina Wakley stamp for the sun. After applying red pan pastel I still thought it needed something else so I re stamped it with versamark and added  Holly Berry Red interference embossing powder from The Stampman. It changes from red to a sort of goldy colour. I added some highlights with Sakura pens which I  smudged with my fingers around the moon. TH flying crows stamped over the moon and a Wendy Vecchi Tree stamp behind the railing to give more depth. Both these images seemed to disappear somewhat so I went over them with a Sakura pen which makes them look as if they are embossed.

Play Date Cafe Challenge

The colours this week at Play Date Cafe are Putrid Purple, Frightful Fushia and Slime green. 

You can see the shades below:

Since Halloween will be with us soon I decided to make a Trick or Treat box and to surround it with these quirky characters.

and...

Just right for those gruesome looking body parts looking at you from inside.

Wendy Style with Simon Says Stamp and Show.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing around with this challenge from Simon Says Stamp and Show. I think the Queen is my all time favourite of Wendy Vecchi's stamps. The bird was stamped and cut from some Kraft resist card I had been experimenting with. I do like the effect. Then I thought it would be pretty cool to have the bird flying away with the sentiment. A thoroughly good challenge which gave me much enjoyment. thank you.

2nd Pan Pastel Challenge: New Beginnings

The second Pan Pastel challenge is called New Beginnings. So this is my contribution for this week. It is about that unfathomable dilemma. Which came first? "The chicken or the hen?" or in this case "the flower or the seed?"

The coloured  background was created by using pan pastels and an embossing ink pad.

What I do when my Mojo goes!

There are 2 things I do when my Mojo plays hide and seek. If it is only a little off colour I have taken to making a Scrapling or 2. I tend to either get out my most favourite stamps or rummage around for something I have not used for ages. This time I went for one of my most favourite stamps. I just adore these hares.

If my Mojo is playing serious hide and seek I take a leaf out of Hel's book. She advised me once to have a big tidy up and sort out and this tends to do the trick. You come across something that sparks a thought. Even so I usually start with something small like an ATC. Nothing too daunting and can be more easily achievable.

So this is my contribution to The Sunday Stamper where Hel's is posing this question to you.

Create Kraft Resist Card

If you are interested over on Gingersnaps there is a tutorial on how to create your own Kraft resist card.

Just follow the link HERE

These Boots: Dragon's Dream: Tag it on

This is my contribution for this weeks challenge at dragon's Dream, Tag it on. This is a Paperbag Studio stamp that I think is great and felt would be suitable for the challenge. It is a simple creation this week. All i have done is to stamp the image onto some waste paper that has remains of previous project workings on. Simple but effective.

Humorous Birthday with Stampotique

How many candles?

I just love 2 Sticks. So simple but so useful and one of my all time faves! So today 2 Sticks has morphed into a birthday cake candle just for the Stampotique challenge for Humorous Birthday. What fun!

Steampunk Halloween

I feel very honored and privileged to be joining The Artistic Stamper as their guest designer for October. To be working alongside such an awesome group of designers. I bow to you all.

And to be allocated October! Such a fun month. This is going to be great for me. I intend to have fun and I hope I can bring a little fun into your lives too!

This is a taster of my first contribution using

these really cool stamps from The Artistic Stamper which I just love. They are listed under Steampunk but I felt they would be ideal for halloween as well. Quirky and funny. Just what I like.

To see the whole project just click here to be transported over to the Artistic Stamper Creative Team blog.