WOYWW 170 - When September comes....

.....and OMG it's here!  Where is the year going?

So here we are on WOYWW once more - head on over to Julia's to see the deets and add your desk to Mr Linky.

Not much has happened on my desk since last week's creative flurry.  I can show you a shot of the cross-stitch I've been working on though!

I won the Third Coast Altered Domino challenge - YAY! 

I also won something else - the relief at finally being told that 50% of my tummy troubles are down to a hernia, and yes it can be fixed.  BUT I'm probably going to need a hysterectomy too, so now it's up to the General and Gynaecological surgical teams to co-ordinate so that they can do both at the same time.  Me, I'm phylosophical about it all.  I'd rather have the next 20 years pain and worry free than keep a somewhat redundant womb that has failed to achieve it's target, and now never will, only to have it removed in 20 years time anyway. 

So here's to health and fitness - however far off it may be.   LOL.

Toot toot! I'm a winner....!!!

You might have noticed that I had my fingers crossed last Wednesday - well it worked!

Not only did Mr Random call out my number and make me a winner, but I'm also one of the Creative Coterie's top 3..... WOW!!!

 

Doin' a happy dance here = my prize is a $25 voucher to spend at Third Coast Rubber Stamps...

WOYWW 169 - a late entry, with Dominos....

Morning Afternoon all!!!

I'm a bit late getting here this week, what with one thing and another.  I actually have the day off, and the weather is dismal.  I didn't take my photo last night for a change, and this week I've actually been quite busy creatively...

So here's my desk today....

On it you can see the creative remains of a domino fest.  Over at Third Coast Challenges this fortnight, they've had a domino challenge, to alter a domino using one of their stamps.  Gauntlet thrown down, I entered three.... 

"Captured" - details here

"North Wind" - details here

"Key to the Castle" - details here

Now I just need to wait and see who randomly won the prize of $25 dollars to spend in their online shop.  As I have about $70 of desires from them, I've got everything crossed.  And I'll keep entering.  I love their stamps, they have both quirky and beautiful ones, and their whole catalogue is a delight to peruse....

See you in a comments box near you....!!

TCCC#3 Altered Dominoes - Key to the Castle

Helloo again!  Here's my third piece, entered within the last hour of the Third Coast Rubber challenge.  This week's challenge is TCCC#3 Altered Dominoes.  It's been a challenge in more ways than one this week - first up, the ink moved (rather than ran, just in one place), then the glossy accents remained a bit foggy, maybe that adds to the piece, the silver and clear beads added just look like air bubbles, so a waste of time just adding one or two, and then the glossy accents gained a scratch.  Grrr.  Oh, and the proper ribbon clasps I bought on Saturday have gone AWOL in the craft room - I swear we have a poltergeist!

Anyway, the piece is now done, and looks like this:

The stamp used is Third Coast's Hillside Castle Silhouette, the order code is FA-325-E and can be found here.

The black sparkly rocks on the left are called Goldstone - it usually comes in a carnelian colour but is available in other shades.  It's man made, but beautiful....

As for a story behind the piece, well, I will leave it up to your imaginations.....

I would say join in, but the challenge is just about closed....  instead, hop on over to Third Coast, and see what the next challenge is.

Me, I'm waiting for an order to arrive, so I can hopefully join in some more!

TCCC#3 Altered Dominoes - Captured

Here's my second entry to the  fabulous Third Coast Rubber Stamp challenge blog - Third Coast Challenges. The prize is usually a voucher to spend in their online store, and with prices starting as low as 50cents, its well worth stocking up (and you get quite a lot for your money too!) The current challenge is TCCC#3 Altered Dominoes, and here is my second entry...

It's funny, I never really had in mind to create a themed piece but this dragon's eye peering out of the domino at me made my imagination run wild - and made me think of a wizard's amulet, where he'd captured a dragon and trapped it in an micro-world....  Yes, I'm slightly mad.  Anyway, this gave me a bit of theme, and you'll see hanging from the pendant a key, and dragon's egg, and a skull.... I added carnelian chips and swarovski crystals.  It was only after I checked out the packaging properly, that I realised that carnelian represents courage!  I was just looking for something to go with copper and green - LOL...  Unfortunately, my crackle glaze didn't crack properly (only along the top edge) so I've got to work on that part....

The stamp used is "Dragon Eyes" and its reference code is CH-780-H.  You will find it here in their catalogue, and it cost $4.  It's actually a pair of eyes and the bridge of the nose and brow - I have the large version of the stamp and it doesn't actually fit on a domino!  I used other parts of the stamp to just fill in a couple of the blanks around the edges...

Anyway, I hope you like it, and if you've a mind to, head on over and join in!

TCCC#3 Altered Dominoes - North Wind

Just in case I haven't mentioned it before, the fabulous Third Coast Rubber Stamp company have a new challenge blog - Third Coast Challenges.  As you can see from the above title, they're only on their third challenge.  The prize is usually a voucher to spend in their online store, and with prices starting as low as 50cents, its well worth stocking up (and you get quite a lot for your money too!)  The current challenge is TCCC#3 Altered Dominoes and you might have seen the start of the dominoes in my previous post yesterday... Well, today I have one of the pieces finished.

The stamp used is TCR's "North Wind"  - the reference code is ES-042-D and you can find it on their catalogue here.  It costs the princely sum of $3.00.  I love it, it's very versatile, and as you can see, fits nicely on my domino.

It kind of set the theme for the necklace, which I've been arty enough to actually call "North Wind" - and have created a piece that seems to float on your skin with a hint of the snow and ice of the north.  Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!

The image was stamped with black Stazon, on a background of denim, stonewash and silver alochol inks.  I then lifted some of the colour with a very fine paintbrush and a touch of alcohol blending solution.  If you're careful, you can manage it without smudging the stamping!  It ensured, though, that some of the important detail wasn't obscured (like the face).  I edged the domino with silver krylon and coated the face with glossy accents.

Hope you like it - I had fun doing it!  And stay tuned for the other two pieces I'm in the throes of making....

WOYWW 168 - here we go....domino!

Helloooo again!  Happy Workdesk Wednesday to you!  Again...If you've got here by accident, please head here for all the deets and a chance to add your own mess desk to the Linky List.

So, here we go again.  My desk this week is busy busy busy.  Pictures were taken Tuesday night - but there'll be no change on Wednesday!

I'm in the throes of making some altered dominoes to join in over at Third Coast Creative Challenges.  Feel free to go and join in if altering dominoes is your thang...  To be in with a chance to win, you need to use their stamps, but if you don't have any, you can still enter and possibly get spotlighted if your project is particularly gorgeous.

I love Third Coast, and whilst I only have a few (with a few more on the way) they were suitable for the challenge.  At the moment they're in the drying phase but I should be able to finish them tonight.  Yes, that's a dragon's eye.  And the bottom one is the North Wind.  Not particularly clear, as the glossy accents is semi-opaque at the moment, but I'll update you on the progress.  Top one is coloured with copics, bottom two have alcohol ink backgrounds, and the middle one I've added extra alcohol ink colour with a very fine brush.  The bottom one, I've actually taken some colour away with the same brush and some blending solution.  I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out!

Here's a touch of obscurity for you.  The wonderful Mrs Dunnit was at crop, and she'd got these lovely border stickers.  Well, when you peeled the back off, you were left with waste that was equally lovely if a little plain.  It was headed for the bin, so like any good frugalista, I grabbed it, much to Mrs D's amusement, and took it home.  I've coloured it with the remains of the alcohol ink I was using - and it will shortly appear on a card near you....

You'll also have heard about Kraft Krazy moving.  Well, here's Shopkeeper Gal, and SG Jr, outside the rear entrance of their shop on opening day.  A fab time was had by all.....

....as some of us shopped whilst others attended a workshop by SG Jr.

Not everyone was keen on having their photo taken....

.... but many found the cupcakes hard to resist!

See you in a comments box near you!



Sketch Saturday 220

Oops...

I did it, but was three hours too late to enter the challenge!

Anyway, here's the sketch:

And here's what I did with it!

3D decoupage, embossing using sizzix embossing folders (Tim Holtz), sentiment stamped with Stamp Tapestry alphabet.... bling provided by card candi.

Maybe next time I'll finish in time for the end of the challenge! LOL...

Design Team Call.....

There's a new Challenge Blog on the block, and for once I've been alert enough to pick up on it at its beginning stages.  The blog is for the online shop, The Craft Room, and they've put a call out for a Design Team, which I've thought that I might actually try my hand at for a change.  I've been a guest designer for Sketch Saturday in the past and loved it, so why not, eh?

Trouble is, they've asked us to pick three projects we're proud of that best showcase our style of crafting.  Being a Gemini, this is extremely difficult for me, and I've had to discard at least three projects!  Two of them were three dimensional - my altered "sculpture" and my punky peg.  I've abandoned them because whilst I love them, I get the feeling that cards might be more de-rigeur...

They'd also like us to tell them why we'd be good for their team.  Now many of you out there are probably wondering why I'm going for it, as I don't appear to do much crafting - well, I do quite a lot actually, I just don't tend to shout about it!  Till now.... LOL

Well, why would I be good?  I'm different, that's for sure!  I like some of the cute cards that are out there, but I am very much my own style whilst using elements of what's available.  I can do cute, or grungy, but I'm aware that everyone has a budget and I can work my new stash with my old quite easily.  I'll also put a different spin on a style and be the oddball in the pack that does something a little left-field from time to time (like the punky peg).  Speaking of punky peg, I don't go into a flap if asked to work outside the box, and do something 3D for a change.  Madame Versatile, c'est moi.... Definitely not same old same old. 

So, onto my fave pieces.  And what a pain to only be able to pick three!

I love this card.  It's so "me" - with my love of medieval.... It was worked from a sketch.

This next card I loved as well.   Funnily enough, I gave it as a wedding card, would you believe?  The couple in question had a quiet civil ceremony followed by a loud and rumbunctious handfasting.  The blue card is made using the same ink I used for all the stamping, to ensure it co-ordinated.  So, three stamps, one colour?  That's me....

Lastly, and an absolute fave of mine, is the most recent piece I did for a circle journal.  The idea was to use the stamp sent around with it, which was two in this case - the opened and closed doors.  I just LOVE masking and getting the most out of my stamps, and the quote I used appealed to my sense of quirky.  Colouring was all done with Copics....

I'd love to be involved with a DT because it will push me to think beyond my current abilities, to bring something new and fresh to my own table and therefore to others.  I've been encouraged this way by my involvement with UK Stampers, and being on a The Craft Room's DT will take it a step further I hope.  And if I'm not what they're looking for, then I wish the other entrants the very best of luck!

Sketch Saturday 140 - New Baby Card

I’ve actually got around to entering this once again! One of my longstanding schoolfriends had a second child at the beginning of January, and thanks to Panto, I’ve only just had the time to a) find out that she had a girl, and b) make a card! So, I thought I’d make the most of the opportunity and head over to my favourite sketch blog (Sketch Saturday) and take part this week in their current sketch challenge.

Here is the sketch:

Eh Voila - the card:

Image is one of Mo Manning’s gorgeous baby girl digi stamps, coloured with Copics. I didn’t do what is the current Copic style, if you know what I mean – I wanted a more watercolour look so I stuck to very light colours, and very little of them. I also was careful, but not too careful, about colouring within the lines - water colours a rarely perfectly coloured.  There's a fine line between getting this right and wrong!  I then used my southwest corner punch and wrapped pink embroidery floss (it’s a DMC one, but I failed to make a note of the number at the time) around the picture and stuck it to a silver layer. The card has pale pink gingham paper as a base layer, with the lower element made up of white card punched with a Martha Stewart punch, pink card and a white Satin ribbon. There I deviated ever so slightly from the sketch by adding the sentiment “It’s a girl” which is from a Rubbadubbadoo set, and die cut with a Nesties labels die. Flowers and small brads finish it off nicely, methinks!

These photos have, though, made me realise that I REALLY need to sort out a decent light tent and lights for these sorts of photos!  Something to add to the wish list for this year...... hehehehehe

WOYWW #75 – the post-illness one.

Firstly, this week I’d like to welcome a couple of new followers - Debs H and Scrapcollectr - to my blog. You’re nutters, but most welcome nonetheless… ROFL.

Yay – last week I managed to get around EVERYONE – bar the one that linked herself straight back to the WOYWW page (LOL) and the one that had nothing against it (133, I think?). This is probably going to be a one-off – I was at home all week and was able to plug away, unlike a normal week! Health wise things are picking up around here – though I think it would be quicker if I could remember to take my antibiotics. Still a little muzzy/light headed though!

Another week has flown by and we are once again surfing the blogs of the world in the quest to share the state of our desk, all courtesy of our tour conductor extraordinaire, Ms Julia Dunnit. Visit her blog The Stamping Ground to find out more, and take yourself on a trip that will delight, amuse, inspire and occasionally dismay you. It’s a fab opportunity to be supportive, enjoy a good read and get/give tips amongst a new and amazing circle of friends we never knew were out there….

My desk this week – once again, little difference. There’s no CJ, for a start – read more about that HERE (huzzah, I say!). There’s a couple of little items there – some cheapo ribbon I picked up that just shouted Christmas Cards to me, a sheet of fab see-through stamps that fell into my basket on Friday, much to Julia’s Shopkeeper Gal’s amusement, and a little cross-stitch/beaded number (ok, to be exact, it’s a Mill Hill Charmed Mitten) that is needing a hanger attached so it can go on the Crimble Tree….

In my WOYWW easel you will also see my entry for this week’s Sketch Saturday – for a better pic and the Ingredients, go HERE.

Things are not going quite so well on the A Level front. Mojo in that area is almost non-existent. I know that being poorly hasn’t helped, but I’m finding the distance learning a real struggle, especially as I’ve only heard from my course tutor twice, and the second time I had to contact her! She doesn’t seem particularly interested in being supportive, if I was a course tutor and had an email from a student saying that they were struggling, I’d be on the phone to them, not send an email saying never mind, plenty of time, get your TMA (tutor marked assignments) in when you can and we’ll go from there. I shall be complaining to Oxford Open Learning. I hope to get my head back down to the studies this week, and maybe the light will dawn and I’ll understand what the heck is expected of me.

Still, enough moaning! Enjoy your surfing, hope to see you guys back round here soon!

Sketch Saturday 06.11.10

Woohoo – things are getting a bit more like normal around here.  I’ve even managed to do some crafting that isn’t related to a CJ, and isn’t a desperate last minute dash for a much-needed card!  This is crafting for crafting’s sake.

I had received this particular Tilda image from Jo many many moons ago along with a few others, and it had been languishing in my “to colour in” box ever since.  New Copics mean a new found interest in colouring, so I coloured it in last week.  Then on Friday I popped to Kraft Crazy in Tidworth, and whilst picking up the stamps I ordered, I spotted the Papermania Persimmon set of papers.  A quick glance at the packet told me I liked them, and the colours would pretty much go with what I’d coloured in.  It was only when  I got them home and opened the pack that I realised they were not only a pretty much perfect match, there was a paper of blue and purpley polka dots that was almost EXACTLY how I’d coloured in Tilda’s bow.  Fate.

Other materials – three spots of Card Candy, a couple of prima style flowers, some flowers punched from the same backing papers and a couple of brads.

Oh, and lets not forget that I followed this week’s sketch from Sketch Saturday, eh?  Go and try their sketches for yourself – always life savers….  And I’m entering this into this week’s contest.

Celtic Inchy

Having finally got my mojo back, I thought I would start my blogging off with a Celtic Inchy I did for the last challenge on the Inchy by Inch blog.

Background was done with pearlescent inks, stamping with Azurite Chalk ink, a white Sakura pen for the outline, and a small word added courtesy of Stonehenge font at 6pt.



I did 7 of them in the end, to comply with a swap we're doing over on Auntys....




I have more art to blog later.....

Sketch Saturday again

Despite having said I must blog more often, here we are a whole week later.... LOL

It's my second week as guest designer over on Sketch Saturday and we had another fabulous sketch again. Keeping up with the medieval theme - here's a card that uses minimal stamping - the only stamps used were the alphabet to create the word "sempre".



Papers used were by SEI - fabulous, yummy sheets of 12x12 from their Windsor collection which I picked up at the Craft Barn on Wednesday - and the fleur de lys is a Tattered Angel glimmer chip. Metallic cards in Mirri gold, mirri copper and matt gold. In the two top corners I've used the new Card Candy, by Craftwork Cards. I have to say, it's fabulous. I suddenly came to the conclusion at the end of making the card that it just needed a little extra, but by then it was too late to add big shiny brads. As I hadn't bought gold Card Candy, I used dark blue ones from the Army & Navy set, which I then added some gold metallic rub on to, and attached using foam pads. Perfect! Inks used were Distress Inks in Aged Mahogany and Frayed Burlap (as well as some encore gold just to lift the colours a bit) mainly used to colour the glimmer chip and to which I added more metallic rub on.

Oh, I lie. There's one other stamp used and that's a crackle background from LB Crafts.

I think that's it - if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

And one last point of geek-interest. I've used the Italian word "Sempre", which means always, rather than the Latin word "Semper". Why? One reason, and one only - I thought sempre looked better!

Sketch Saturday Guest Designer....

This week I have the greatest honour, and pleasure of being a Guest Designer on Sketch Saturday....


Woohoo!!!


Sorry, excuse my little outburst of delight there! My friend Jo was in need, and I've stepped in to help her out a little.

Here is the card I've made based on the sketch. The stamps I've used are all from The Stampsmith (I think - I could be wrong! They're all unmounted and I've had them a while!), and the papers are a mixture of Joanna Sheen and Craft Creations. Again, I've had them a while - last time I looked Joanna wasn't making the myth and magic ones any more, though she may have started that line up again.

I've used metallic rubons in gold and bronze on the Glimmer Chips, and the inks used to distress are, well, distress inks from Tim Holtz. I think I used Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap and Peeled Paint...

Hope you like it!

Loads of stuff!!!!

Yes - it's been a while since I was last on here blogging, but I've been a bit busy. Yes, I've been crafting. But I've also been watching the European Ice Skating Championships - and Britain has won Bronze in the Ice Dance! WOOHOOO!!! About bloomin' time too. Last time we won anything was Torvill & Dean in 1994.....


Anyway, onto the Craft stuff!

Today is Rudolph Day - which means I have to show the cards I've made. And here they are:






We get extra points for cards with Snow on them, and all four of mine have! I've recycled my old Xmas cards, used both dry and heat embossing - cuttlebug folders, I love you....


I've also been in an inchie swap on UK Stampers, as well as an ATC swap there. The theme for the inchies was "Lets Celebrate"...



and the theme for the ATCs was "Metal" - they basically had to have some metal on them somewhere. As I'm in the throws of another ATC swap on Aunty's where the theme is "Thank You for the Music", I kind of rolled with it on this occasion - my fave music tends to be rock and heavy metal, hence the music notes embossed on metal sheet. Which in this case happens to be a Tomato Puree tube opened out (and washed thoroughly, too). Paper was 7gypsies, stamps are Paper Artsy and Studio G.... inks are all Ranger - either Alcohol (on the metal) or Distress.



Anyways - gotta run! More tomorrow..... maybe. I have badminton tomorrow night, so more blogging may have to wait until Tuesday!

Diamonds are Forever....

or at least, they've for November over on Aunty's Forum Yep, that's the theme for the team challenge. Here's a few of my offerings...

The first is a bookmark made for a bookmark swap - and I've used some Argyle (diamond paper) in one corner. The second pic shows a close up....





This card is made using a switch embossing stencil.



The last one is done using some embossed paper created with a cuttlebug embossing folder... I love the Mr Frosty image - I got the stamp from eBay, so have no idea who the manufacturer is.