Thursday 30 June 2011

OLW 60, That means Quick cards, just ink and stamp:0)

,Hello there, over at Simplicity, Susan has challenged us again, I love it :0)
OLW60 Rules

1. A one-layer card is just that: one layer of cardstock folded in half...no other layers of cardstock allowed!

2. Make a card that layers ink. USE ONLY STAMPED IMAGES AND/OR SENTIMENTS. No masking, no sponging, no embellishments of any kind!


Okay well I did it, 2 stamps 1 image/background stamp and a sentiment, rainbow ink pad, could have used different colours, pink blue purple and lemon and lime, yum yum, I love the happy colours.
Stamp Anitas, very, very old. No name on it at all, sorry:{
Ink Versa color 503 Limone, Sentiment Hero Arts, live life.



Then I made this one:0) With Marion Emberson Stamps, Just because that I bought from the Craft Barn
 I think this may be just a little too plain but I quite like it, it was certainly quick LOL





Hope you like folks:0)
I'm out for the day with the girls( my friends) tomorrow, yippee! Lots of giggling and silliness, can't wait. Hope you have some fun too, TTFN Gay x

Tuesday 28 June 2011

OLW 59 Inspiration!

Hi from coffee towers, I hope all is well with you:0)
I'm losing it with the internet or blogger or my computer, haven't been able to do anything at all so far today. Hey ho, patience Gay :{
Susan at Simplicity has challenged us to take inspiration from  a picture from Pinterest but you'll have to pop over to check out what it's like because I'm afraid I can't load it without freezing my computer:{


This is my offering, stamp by Blockheads.
One of my favourite sets but it's out of stock, if only for a couple of weeks. Calendulars, gorgeous flowers. Coloured with copics, sentiment PTI Signature Greetings,
I masked the bottom left corner as I wanted the image to fit the card.
Hope you like TTFN

Monday 27 June 2011

It's a little bit sketchy LIM 21


Hi there Folks, LIM is a great challenge and I love the challenges the ladies set. Thank you  Mandi and Chrissie.
This week the challenge is a Sketch












Here is my card, I had so much fun with this one, I dragged out one of my oldest stamps, she's a little bit retro but that's okay with me, LOL
Bit of holographic card and a little diamond glaze on the glasses. Coloured with my trusty copics, done:0)

I got the stamp from eBay, from a company called Zelacrafts which is closed ATM they are saying technical problems, I know all about that!!!!!
Sentiment from PTI my latest purchase, mmm yummy:0)

Thank you for dropping by and now I'm off for a little LIMette hopping, that sounds funny, what I mean is I'm going to catch up with a few fellow LIMettes, Cor it's hot here today:0) TTFN

Saturday 25 June 2011

Grunge Board, Oh Yeah!!

Hi Hello and happy Saturday to you all:0)
I've gone all green and grungy with Grunge board today, it's Tim Holtz's  so it would be wouldn't it?
Actually no it's Clean and simple, bit of stamping and a bit of painting and bingo we have a card
 Tee, hee, can you guess what the fish are made from?
 
A bit sneaky really but they are the brackets from the Stripes Digits and Punctuation set! I thought they looked like angel fish:0)
It's grunge week at the Craft Barn, all this week there have been some really great projects with grunge paper, you might want to check it out!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I love to hear your comments so Thank You very much for leaving them :0)

The fish are coated in Cosmic shimmers, Golden mint and Tim Holtz distress ink , Broken China
Copic pens numbers G00, BG34 and YG41 to draw weeds.Back to top
Tim Holtz, Stripes digits and punctuation.
Tim Holtz, Bitty Grunge Stamps
Micro beads for the bubbles
Brilliance inks, jade and lime. 

There's an embossing paste competition running over at the Craft Barn, to win a voucher for products of your choice!!!!!

A £ 15 voucher to spend on our website
(Click on the voucher to take you to the challenge page)
So what do you have to do?

Make a sample (card, ATC, tag, altered item, scrapbook page etc... )using at least ONE of the techniques shown this week:

- Chris' technique: use embossing paste through sequin waste for a lovely dotty effect
- Isa's technique: use the paste on paper to decorate any object/jar you like 
- Neil's technique: inks and crackle paste
- Use black embossing paste through stencils as Michelle did.

 Why not have a go?  You will certainly have fun, and probably get a bit messy, I certainly did, LOL  TTFN

Wednesday 22 June 2011

LIM 20 I think I've got it now!!!!

By Jove I've had problems with this one, I read the description of a monogram and got it wrong, so I hope this is correct. LOL It's a bit like being back at school, ROFL I'm hoping the wonderful ladies at LIM will put me out of my misery, it's a great challenge:0)
I should have remembered after the fuss the teacher made but hey ho!
 I just hope I've got the monogram bit right now????? MDP now has a card all his own, LOL Thanks for dropping by, TTFN

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Are You Mine?

He, he! that's just me being silly, sorry!!
This is my second attempt at the brilliant challenge, Less is More!
Where the theme is Monograms.My stamp is from Crafty Secrets and called Bathing Beauties
The font Edwardian Script was computer generated by me and I made it 156 size, pretty big LOL. I drew the frame by hand:0)

I've been a bit busy, decorating and stuff and I've found it hard to get around to many people for which I apologise, I will certainly try harder. We've nearly finished the decorating so I should have a little more time very soon.
Have fun my crafty friends, :0)

Sunday 19 June 2011

LIM 20 and a surprise visitor or two!

Hi there, the challenge at LIM number 20 is to make a card with a monogram!
Here is what Mandi and Chrissie had to say..............
This week our theme for your cards is
MONOGRAM 
monogramDefinition 
monogram ( ) n. A design composed of one or more letters, typically the initials of a name, used as an identifying mark.

I made a card:0) I hope the monogram fits the requirement, then I altered it by adding some gems and a small strip of chocolate brown velveteen paper. Not sure it was strictly necessary but I wanted to :0)





I used the Stamping Up Engraved Greetings stamp.
WithVersa color ink pad, 503 Limone
And  PTI die Mat Stack 2
I also used the new Impression Obssesion Stamp Cover a card, I've always wanted to be able to do candy stripes without having to buy DP and now I can, yippeee!!! There are so many different options I may have to save up, I love all the different textures!







 Look who came visiting on Thursday morning about 5.30 am, they've been nibbling our roses, and now the roses are all gone, none left at all :{


Apologies for reflection of flash in the window, I think the deer was as surprised as me but it didn't run, just sauntered off around to the front garden where it left and went on it's way.
I live in a town and certainly didn't expect to see this beautiful creature in my back garden. The previous week it was the stag deer, he had little straight horns, I didn't get him on camera though. I think I was really lucky to see these visitors and it's so good that we now know who's been nibbling the flowers, LOL

Saturday 18 June 2011

Wishing Well! Embossing paste at the Craft Barn, Yay!!

Hi There and good day to you:0)
Embossing paste, mmmmm I love it:0) Over at the Craft Barn Blog this week is the Wishing Well and the wish  for this week came from

Anne from Brittany said...I would also love to see some examples of the different embossing pastes, especially black, with stencils as I am stuck in a creative rut!

There have been some wonderfully inspiring examples on the Craft Barn blog already if you have moment  check it out. It's amazing what you can achieve with this brilliant paste and a stencil or two, any hoo this is my offering.................


I masked off carefully to exclude the third goose and the rest of the card, then swiped over with the black embossing paste.  When the paste was nearly dry, I scraped with a pokey tool or in my case an old dart! making the lines along where the feathers would lie. At the same time I painted on the smooch ink and perfect pearls. The sentiments I mat and layered and are from Crafty Individuals stamps.


Wishing Well
Click on the link to go to the Craft Barn wishing well embossing challenge and you can join in. There's a £15 voucher to win, he! he! I love it :0)


Anne won a £10 voucher to spend at the Craft Barn for asking her Wishing Well question, might be worth having a go, what do you think?
Are there techniques that you would like to see or maybe a product explained, I can't promise because it is a wishing well but good luck:0)


I used the Geese in Flight Dreamweaver stencil and Black embossing paste
Smooch ink Illuminate Pearlised top coat
Perfect Pearls Mica Powder
Add a sentiment or two from Crafty Individuals, here and here and there you go.
If you got this far congratulations and thank you for your perseverance, hugs Gay xxx :0)

Friday 17 June 2011

OLW 58 Colours ooeerrrr!

Morning everyone! Hope you're having a good Friday, it's a bit grey here so I thought I'd have little giggle:0)

OLW 58 is at Susan's this week is all about colours........
OLW58 Rules

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single sheet of cardstock folded in half.

2. Make a one-layer card using yellow, orange, and aqua. Remember to keep embellishments to a minimum.


Well I have to admit here that these colours made me feel a little sick, (colour can have that effect on me, LOL) I've added a little green in the mix to cheer me up I hope it still qualifies??????

This Art Impressions stamp is called Ernest sitting. I bought in the sale at Sir Stampalot It was an absolute bargain and I've struggled to use it, that is until Sandra introduced me to these Hero Arts stamps, love 'em. Have fun xx

Sunday 12 June 2011

LIM All about frames

Hi Everyone, How goes it with you? I'm having a chilly day, been sat at the computer ALL morning trying to get my printer to work, I've downloaded the drivers and I just can't get the darn comp to work out what it's supposed to do with them!! Mind you if I understood it a bit better it would help !
But on to happier things, I've made a card or two for LIM, great challenge. Thanks to Chrissy and Mandi for all their hard work
This week it should be simpler as we have a definite CAS challenge... 
it's ONE LAYER WEEK again.

Our challenge is entitled 
IN THE FRAME
We would like to see a frame of some sort or something in a frame... we'd like you to be as inventive as you like.
                                                             
My first card is a heart frame that I made from Eclipse masking tape and a M&S Per Uno tag.
I distressed with Tim Holtz inks Barn Door and then stamped with Andy Skinners Gothic Stamps, delish!!
 This card is using Crafty Individuals CI305 more delish, mmmm Tim Holtz ink Antique Linen and a sentiment from Whimsy Stamps, Time Flies sentiment set. 
Hope you like, enjoy what's left of Sunday TTFN Gay x

Yippee, we have a winner!!!

Good old Mr Mustavcoffee, pulled it out the hat..........................and the winner of the candy is.Ta Daaaaa

 CARLA WEILAND

Well done Carla :0) Please get in touch with your address and I'll get them off to you a.s.a.p. My email is up in the tab at the top of the page.

Thanks for playing along everyone.
Carla has claimed her candy so that's all for now folks!!

Note to Valerie and Cynthia  Thanks for your good wishes to Carla and no that's not Mr Mustav's hat, he's not that keen on pink candy stripes to be honest he's more of a blue candy stripe sorta guy  and you may have to go easy on the chocolate, it's not that good for the teeth ROFL

Saturday 11 June 2011

Making my Misters Matter, LOL

Hi all, Catchy title, huh ? Oh dear, sorry, I try................... honest:0)
Over at the Craft Barn all this week has been about Misters and I chose to use Cosmic Shimmer Chalk misters,

(I actually jumped the gun with my earlier post here the card I made was all about misters and should have been shown here today, oops:0) silly me!)




Sometimes backgrounds are difficult, for Clean and Simple cards you don't want too much but this worked quite well for me. I stamped her and then masked her off and using a mask of torn copy paper, I sprayed, very lightly with the chalk mister. They have a delicate sheen when dry and the pastel really is pretty.
What d'you think? I saw these stamps and had to giggle, isn't she great?

This week there have been brilliant projects about misters, over at the Craft Barn blog, if you missed it pop over and check it out.


There's also a challenge running if you're quick you could win £15 to spend at the Craft Barn, but you will have to hurry it ends tomorrow, Good Luck!


Hope you have a great day and lots of time for stamping:0)
p.s I haven't forgotten the candy  I will post the result of my scientifically achieved result on Sunday, that's tomorrow, GOOD LUCK, Gay x
Of course that will only happen if my followers show up:{ You were missing most of Friday............maybe you don't want my candy:{, Nah don't believe that but you'd better come home quick or I can't put you in the hat!!!!!!!

Stamps,
Crafty Secrets, Bathing Beauties
Cosmic Shimmer Chalk Mist, Pastel Lemon

Friday 10 June 2011

100 Followers, I don't beelieeve it! ............. Candy Time!!!

Well I didn't honestly think the day would dawn but last week I had my 100th follower! I'm so pleased and Thanks so much to you all. I thought I'd get together a little candy, you need do nothing but if you are a follower then on Saturday the 11th June I will (very scientifically) put your names into a hat and get Mr Mustavcoffee to draw a winner. I will post internationally so everyone who is a follower will get the chance to win.
Good Luck to you all and Thank You again. I will keep this post at the top of the page until the 11th June:0) 

p.s A very warm welcome to my new followers, Malyn, Cynthia, Ancient Elf and Anne  and all who have joined lately, :0)


Thursday 9 June 2011

OLW 57 Summer Holidays, yippee !LOL!

Okay now I've got that out of my system I'll calm down! Just celebrating being able to blog once more, aaahhhh!
One Layer Wednesday is at Jennifer's this week and it's all about Summer holidays, pop over and see her, she's got a guest designer too!

OLW 57 Rules, (short version )
1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half.
2. Make a one-layer card inspired by sun, sand, sea, summer, the beach, the late, the cottage (or all of those).

Today I've stamped  a Crafty Secrets stamp that I got from the Craft Barn, I love this selection of stamps, they're pretty retro but lots of fun:0)
I stamped her first with memento tuxedo black then masked her off. Using Tim holtz inks, broken china and scattered straw I gently blended the colour onto the masked image and card base. When that was finished and the mask removed I decided I preferred it uncoloured, so I left it alone uncoloured and simple:0)

Do you think it should be coloured or left as is? I'd be very interested to know;0)
I'm still visiting the lovely LIMettes, only about 365 to go, I jest but there are rather a lot of us now, he he he.
Happy Crafting:0) TTFN Gay x

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Little late for Less is More:0)

Hi there all, I finally made it, so glad to be back and posting again. I'm hoping this computer holds out till I can get the other fixed, fingers crossed:0) It was intensely frustrating, not being able to join in the fun LOL!


This I made for LIM challenge 18, Monochrome
Simply stamped in Versafine vintage sepia,
Stamp Paper Artsy, At Home plate 2
Sentiment Brenda Walton for Inkadinkadoo, Hearts and Love.
Tonight, taking a break from being inside I caught a beautiful rainbow, it was so intense it took my breath away, my photograph doesn't do it justice but you could  imagine a pot of gold at the end of this one, Good to be back with you all, hope you're having fun:0)

AWOL Oh Dear:{

Hello Everyone, Hope all's well in your part of the world?
I'm sorry not to have been posting or visiting very much but the computer issues got worse and I cannot post any photos, I have limited connection with the internet, in fact it's all Rude Word Alert (pants) a bit of a pain in other words. I'm happily crafting away and hope that normal service will resume very soon!
Have fun :0) xxx

Monday 6 June 2011

I have some brilliant news to share:0)

Hi there crafty people.
I hope you're having a good day today, I'm over the moon. Wahooo!!!
I've had a BIG secret for a little while and I was busting at the seams wanting to share with all my lovely blogging buddies :0)
I have been chosen to join the Craft Barn Team, on the DT that is. I'm literally over the moon and haven't come down from the ceiling for days. Well I was really excited until I had to make a card then I went to pieces, LOL. I quickly pulled myself back together again and started creating.

 My  card is all about Making the Most of your Misters ( I thought that was all about men at first, hey ho! Trust me to get it wrong)
I had to take myself off for a visit to the Craft Barn and there I found these Cosmic Shimmer Chalk misters. I'd never heard of these before! I'm always stuck in front of the computer lately. Any way, I sprayed all three colours and was delighted with the result. I got pastel, Blue and Yellow and Purple. What d'you think?
 Of course I had to cut it up and the whole card had to be CAS!
I liked the soft colours and the way they mixed on the card. Oh and I got the Tim Holtz mini paper rosettes, I'd always wanted the original rosette but I felt that it was a bit large for my cards, these are just great! This is the larger of the two.

Tim Holtz  Sixxiz Alterations, Mini Rosettes
Stamps Cart Us Flowers Borders
Stickles, Platinum and Black Diamond 
 Circular sentiment, Hobby Art

Spent a little time at the Craft barn Extravaganza  today. Oh! I wish I could have stayed longer but my grand daughters who were staying with me needed attention! Great inspiration and fabulous examples on every table I visited :0)

My computer is totally out of action, so I am struggling with a slow lap top that's borrowed, it's taking so long to do anything.
BUT I'm still over the moon and feel very lucky to be joining a fantastic team. Lot's of wonderful ideas coming up so keep your eyes peeled on the  Craft Barn website and blog
Thank you for dropping by :0)

Saturday 4 June 2011

Hi there, sorry for not being around. My heat sink is playing up on this computer, might get it fixed if I'm lucky tomorrow, got to get off quick in case the computer gets too hot, Be back soon :0), I hope!

Update, computer not good, I can't use it at all ATM, working on borrowed laptop, really slow, sorry will try to get it fixed ASAP, missing everyone:{
Hope you're all having fun :0) Be back as soon as possible TTFN

Thursday 2 June 2011

OLW 56, Fathers day, men's cards, groan!

Morning I'm back, been a tad busy this week, sorry if I haven't visited you, going to try to catch up with some lovely LIMettes later on. Sun's shining and Mr Mustavcoffee's up a ladder painting, windows, we are going to look smart:0)

OWL56 is at Susan's this week
OLW Rules

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half. No other layers allowed.

2. Make a Father's Day card (for a father or special father-figure in your life). Remember to keep embellishments to a minimum.

3. Upload your card somewhere online and link back to it using the InLinkz button on the sidebar of Simplicity.

4. The most important rule of all: HAVE FUN!!!!!
I chose contraptions this week because my father loved gadgets, sadly he's not around anymore but I think he would have been fascinated by all things steampunk, in a masculine sort of way, if you catch my drift and he wouldn't be bothered about sentiments, so I left it off!

I was really pleased with my smoke, LOL It's the little things, as a certain Mr Holtz would say:0)
I hope you like, I think Susan may not be so happy because although it's CAS it's certainly not tidy, sorry Susan :{

Hope your day goes well everyone and Thanks for looking in :0) xx


Stamps by Tim Holtz, Steampunk, it's the background stamp, I love it! I got mine at the Craft Barn.
The contraption stamp came from the Scrolls work stamp company.
Coloured with 2 Cool grey shades, Copic, C1 and C3,