Pages by the Sea

It's Tag week at Try it on Tuesday

2012-02-14T09:00:00.001Z

The theme this week over at Try it on Tuesday is "Hearts and flowers" As this is a tag week we are looking for al your tags with hearts and flowers. I decided to use Dylusions heart stamps to create some flowers on my tag. The background is also layered with Dylusions inks, paints and Tim Holtz Crackle paint. Hope it inspires you. Now if you head on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog you can see some more wonderful inspiration from some team members. then why not show us what you will create. We cannot wait to see your tag creations.

Thanks for stopping by and Have a wonderful day. Angela

LIM wk 54 One layer card week - Stripes

2012-02-14T01:01:00.003Z

Its one layer card week over at less is more and the theme this week is "Stripes" This was a pretty simple one for me although I went through about 3 cards because of my silly inky fingers. I am not the neatest of crafters. I masked off the butterfly and added the striped by hand with my Promarkers. the Butterfly is also colored with Promarkers. Hope you like it.

Now here is the reason I have been MIA this weekend. This is our newest foster Bella. She is a little handful as she is only 6 months old and has managed to come down with a cold from the shelter. We got her on friday and she is such a snuggle bug. We are still missing our Lexi, She was with us the longest of all the fosters but she is in a wonderful forever home now and they even keep us updated on her progress.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

Time for another fortnightly challenge at The Stamp Man

2012-02-10T12:00:00.001Z

And the theme this fortnight is "Texture". I decided to to make a card using the moon face from "Every woman is a star" Non Sequitur stamp set to make a moon and sun. I make the sun by embossing yellow card with the Tiny Bubble embossing folder and then cut out the pointy flower from Tim Holtz Tattered floral die. I used Rusty Hinge Distress ink to bring out the embossing. The paper on the card background is distressed rolled and inked with Distress ink.

Now if you head on over to The Stamp Man blog you can see some more wonderful inspirational projects from my teamies. then you can show us your project with some texture! don't forget, some lucky winner will receive a voucher for The Stamp Man shop.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day. Angela

My material list:

Prima Reflections 6x6 pad.

Every Woman is a star Non-sequitur stamp set

Tim Holtz Tattered florals die

Tim Holtz Distress ink Stormy sky, Rusty Hinge

Tiny Bubbles Embossing folder

Mixed beads

Yarn

A new layout

2012-02-10T03:23:00.003Z

I was checking out the new inspirations from the DT over at Scrap Jacked this month and I saw that my layout I did last month was picked. I was so surprised, you can see the layout here. They have so many great ideas to choose from each month and all you have to do is jack one and use it as inspiration. Its a great place to go for inspiration. This time I chose to Jack Kylie. I loved how she used the clocks throughout. I kept the circles but used pages from "the jungle book". The other circles are cut from scraps, I then niped little bits. I wanted to keep a very masculine earthy feel so I used neutral colors and textures. The picture is of my nephew. He is such a little monkey.

Thanks for stopping by and for all the wonderful comments lately. they are greatly appreciated.

Have a great evening. Angela

Its All about Love!

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000Z

Or at least that is the theme this week over at Try it on Tuesday. This week we are being sponsored by One stop card crafts. So one lucky winner will win a voucher to their shop. For my card I used a edge punch to create the pierced scallop and then laced it with black twine. The hears are chipboard covered with book pages and the background is stamped with a Hero Arts cling stamp. Now if you pop on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog you will some some fantastic cards to help inspire you. Then lets see your card!

Now on another note I have to say Belle had a wonderful time at the ASH convention this weekend. She got to meet some idols and learn some great things from them.

It was a fun but exhausting weekend.

Now lots of catching up to do tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

Altered Art with Texture

2012-01-31T09:00:00.000Z

Its altered art week at Try it On Tuesday and the theme this week is "Texture". We want to see some texture in your project. I decided to alter an old wooden box.

I added some faux sand and shells for texture.

The picture is of My brother, Sister and myself at the beach many many years ago.

Here is the inside of the box (above) and the front side of the box (below).

Now if you head on over to the Try it on Tuesday challenge blog you can see some more wonderful inspiration from the rest of the team.

We can't wait to see your entries!

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

Is all about the Embellishments at the Stamp Man

2012-01-27T11:59:00.001Z

This week its Siobhan's turn to host the challenge over at The Stamp Man blog and the them this fortnight is "Embellish it" I chose to make a mini canvas using one of my new stamps from The Stamp Man. I layered the background with distress ink, Embossing powder, Napkins from my US Artquest Napkin collage kit and Distress stain. the image of the corset is stamped on a blank napkin back and layered on top.

I cut out some of the napkin bits to make flowers and create a dimensional effect. In closeup they look like material how fab is that. Finally I added all the embellishments to finish it off. Now the rest of the tam has some pretty amazing projects to inspire you too over at The Stamp Man challenge Blog. Then we would like to see yours.

A big thank you for all the lovely comments I have really enjoyed reading them.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

My Materials list:

US Artquest Napkin Kit

Clear Embossing powder

Tim Holtz Broken China Distress ink

Tim Holtz Walnut and White distress stain

Stampendous Rose Corset stamp

Tim Holtz - Philosophy tags

Tim Holtz Sprocket gears

Black Archival ink

Clear gems

Tim Holtz papillon stamp set

Mixed beads(Stamp Man sale)

Pearl/gem topped stick pins(Stamp Man)

Ribbon

LIM week 51 take 2

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000Z

I am not very good with the CIS style. I tend to get a smudge then start over then I mess up something else and start over and the pattern goes on and on. I did managed to complete this second card for the Less is More "Aperture" week 51 challenge. Of course I did mess it up at first but the Rose did nicely hiding my error. I guess I am just a messy crafter.

I cut out the aperture using my nesties then added the fame also cut from my nesties. The rose was stamped and layered. Simple enough right?

Here is the inside with the rose.

I am entering this into LIM week 51.

Now off to leave some blogging love. Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

It's In the Mail

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000Z

Is the theme this week over at Try it on Tuesday. the original challenge was to decorate a slide mailer but to make it easier we decided to change it to "in the mail" to interpret as you like. I had already ordered the slide mailers and had an idea after seeing the 4 count ones. This is how it turned out. This was not my original idea but I felt inspired with the 4 count mailers.

The cover above....and below the the inside. I wanted it to look like windows on a train.

I stamped the image of the girl on glossy paper then modified the colored image a bit to make it look like the girl is looking at a reflection.

I really like these slide mailers and cannot wait to finish my original idea.

Now its you turn to head over to the Try it on Tuesday blog and check out the other inspiration from my teamies then show us your interpretation. Don't forget about the TIOT design team call. We are looking for some creative individuals not afraid to try new things. Just enter "DT" after your name in your entry to be considered. We would love to have you join us!

Thanks for popping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

LIM week 51

2012-01-24T01:42:00.002Z

The theme this week over at Less is more is "Apertures" . You need to add an aperture to your card. I stamped the circle then cut it out and added it on my cut out circle. I then stamped Tim Holtz bird on the inside to show through the hole. I lengthened the branch by masking part of the stamp and re-stamping the branch

Here is a shot of the inside. I am entering this in Less is more Week 51.

Tomorrow I am heading out with an old friend for the day. We are going to do a bit of shopping and stop for lunch. I hope the weather clears and the rain goes away.

Now I need to run and finish a bit more work. Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day.

Angela

Not quite what I was thinking.....

2012-01-20T19:14:00.003Z

Remember that embellishment I told you i misplaced and was looking for the other day? Well I never found it. I was looking for a Prima metal/resin lamp post that would have looked perfect in the jacked layout from Julie over at Scrap Jacked. 2 days and several stores later I settled on a new stamp of a Lamp post instead. I embossed it using Obsidian Copper Moonglow powder and then double layered it on pop dots. Not quite what I wanted but it worked. It will drive me crazy until I find that piece now.

Here is the completed page. I am so happy I got to complete another jack this month. You can go see Julies original over at the Scrap Jacked blog. I made mine a bit wider and of course with different embellies but same idea.

Here is the top bit and title on the page. I did manage to find some fun jewelry bits on sale while I was shopping around for another Lamp Post.

The actual journaling on the page(yes I did journal this time...Go figure)reads:

Walking down Main Street just my Daddy and Me

Has really become quite a tradition you see.

For each time we visit Magic Kingdom Park,

Mommy always takes this photo as we start.

I journaled it in gray pen at the bottom of the page but the flash washed it out a bit. It looks better in person.

Now Maybe if I get a hurry on I get get another jack done by the end of the month. that would be a record for me lately. Fingers crossed for the predicted snow tomorrow.

On another note. These are my lovely flowers given to me as bulbs from a friend at Thanksgiving. I planted tehm and they just bloomed. Aren't they pretty. Such a nice rarity to have in the winter.

I love the bright red and they are huge.

Well now I have to go get ready to get the kiddies from school then go to work. I will try to get on later after work to do a little blog surfing and leave a little blogging love. Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping in.

Angela

LIM Week 50

2012-01-19T09:54:00.001Z

This week the theme over at less is more is "Birds" and it is a one layer week. I love thse little birds from Stampotique. I stamped them in black then colored with Promarkers. I hand doodled a few extra flowers then accented with a glitter pen. The sentiment is stamped and doodled together. Finally I added a black edging around the card with a black Promarker.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

Some new work

2012-01-19T02:23:00.003Z

Its been quite a busy week between work and just plain old housework the week seems to have just flown by. I did manage to get a bit of crafting time today for some scrapbooking. I love to go over to Scrap Jacked and grab a bit of inspiration from their fab DT. I wanted to do a specific layout but after fighting with my printer to get the photos done I then realized I managed to lose a main embellishment I needed. I know I had it but forgot where I put it. I am losing my mind. Any how, I decided to skip to a different layout and jack Debs for this one. I used some photos we took at Walt Disney World.

The paper is a combination of Basic Grey, Cloud9 and Carolees. The flowers are Prima.

I am hoping to get the other page done soon if I can manage to find the missing piece, don't you just hate that! I do. Better luck tomorrow.

Now I have to run and get tea cleaned up. Thanks for stopping by and for the wonderful comments. They are very much appreciated. Have a wonderful day. Angela

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000Z

Its Tuesday again and that means time for another Challenge on Try it on Tuesday. But first some exciting news. Try it on Tuesday is having a Design Team call. Visit The Try it on Tuesday blog for all the information. Now onto this weeks challenge. "Do you believe in Fairies"? We would like to see all your projects containing fairies. Its an Anything goes week so be it a card, Altered frame, tag its your choice just include fairies or fairy related items.

I decided to alter a tin. I stamped my Fairy image on the cover then embossed with clear. I then used promarkers to color the tin and image. The trim is added around the edges. Here is a closeup.

Now its your turn. Hop on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog for some more wonderful inspiration from my teamies then upload your project for us to see.

Don't forget about our DT call. You can answer it here.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

By the skin of my teeth.

2012-01-13T21:54:00.004Z

I am adding another entry for Less is More Color Purple challenge this week. Its been quite awhile since I have had any time to enter. I know my other entry was not really CIS. I tried and idea but it did not really work as I wanted so I made this as a second. Sorry the light was not very good and I got a bit of sunlight in the top but I did not get a change to retake the photo.

Now off to work. Thanks for looking and have a great day. Angela

The color Purple

2012-01-13T21:49:00.003Z

Is the Theme this week over at Less is more. this is done with embossing and Gesso.

thanks for peeking and have a great day. Angela.

2012-01-13T12:00:00.001Z

The new challenge this fortnight over at The Stamp Man is being hosted by Vix and her choice of challenge is to use red. We want to see your cards, altered projects, tags and more that contain "red" Preferably lots of it. For my project I created a card. The image is done with Every Woman Is A Star - Plate 82 - Non-Sequitur stamp set colored with Tim Holtz Distress ink - Barn Door, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Black Soot and Old Paper. The star is colored using a Gold Pen. The background is colored with Brick Red Distress ink and stamped then layered with Gold Mesh Paper from The Stamp Man.

Now pop on over to The Stamp Man Blog and see all the great samples from the rest of the team. the join in. We can't wait to see your creations. We really enjoyed seeing all the fav's last fortnight. There are lots of really amazing projects out there. It was wonderful to see them all.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day. Angela

Try it on Tuesday challenge

2012-01-10T09:00:00.003Z

Its that time again and the changes are brewing at Try it on Tuesday. This weeks Theme is Resist. So we would like to see all your ideas for resist techniques on a tag. It can be glue resist, emboss resist, ink resist or anything you can think of.

Remember it is tag week.

For my tag I used an embossing resist technique and multiple layers of distress ink. i decided to do a winter tag since it was snowing when I started my tag.

You can hop on over to the TIOT blog for more wonderful samples from the DT.

keep an eye out for some of the new things we have in store for you.

We cannot wait!

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

Another crafty weekend

2012-01-09T19:37:00.003Z

I got to go to a crop this past Saturday with the usual crowd plus a few. Seems like everyone has plenty to work on after the holidays. Even the kids got a lot done. This page I did as a kind of challenge from my friends. One was going on about using these buttons since they are really old from EK success. Then they started teasing me about how I use the Bubble wrap scraps for my painting so I decided I would also incorporate some of that. This page was the outcome of all their taunting. I stamped on the buttons with a script stamp from "The Stamp Man" and used grey Dylusions paint with the bubble wrap to add some texture. I also added some paint around the edges. The flowers are Prima and the Letters are from American Craft. The papers are from MME.

The pictures are of another one of our Fosters Maddy who was only with us for a few days. We are currently fosterless now as we wait for a new furry friend to temporarily join the crew. Lexi went into a trial adoption over the holiday so we are still waiting to hear when that is final. That was hard because Lexi was really special and since we were away we did not get to say goodbye. She will always hold a special place in our hearts. It was a tough decision not to adopt her ourselves but if we did we would have to give up the fostering as 2 would be enough to handle and our house is tiny. So we made the decision to continue fostering. I find the older dogs so much harder to part with than the puppies. Although each one is hard in its own way.

Back on the crafty front. Not much else accomplished this weekend. Just a few DT projects and a lot of Chit Chatting throughout the day on Sat. Sunday I finally got to hook up with my crafting Pal Anne from the UK on Skype. We have been trying to hook up for quite awhile now but never seem to be around at the same time. It was so nice getting to talk and catch up . I also got to talk and catch up with another friend Sandra and her girls from our old Village in England. Sunday seems to have become our skyping day.

Well that is about all to tell for the moment. Got a lot of work to accomplish today and tomorrow so I had better get too it.

Thanks for stopping in and have a lovely day. Angela

double digits.....

2012-01-05T01:22:00.003Z

Yesterday my baby turned 10. I cannot believe she is in the double digits now. Seems like yesterday she was just a baby on my lap. where does the time go? She wanted me to make her a cake again and wanted butterflies. Of course my Tim Holtz stamps came in handy. I stamped all the butterflies on vellum and colored with my Promarkers. I then gluedotted them to Tooth picks and placed them around the cake. Belle loved it. The cake itself was a Victoria sponge one of her favorites.

Belle had lots of Pressies to open so she opened them in size order saving the biggest for last of course she had to fight off Sun(our furbaby) while opening her gifts. Sun loves to open pressies and gets very jealous if she does not have anything to open so she started to open Belles.

Sorry I had to black out the family as they are not too thrilled being on my blog.

Below is a pic of the butterflies when they were taken out of the cake. So pretty.

So it was a lovely evening. Today was spent cleaning up and tidying the house including my craft room which was torn apart right before we left for Orlando. Now its all nice and neat and ready to start crafting in.

Now I am off to tidy up the dishes from tea. Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

Its time for the first Challenge of 2012 at TIOT

2012-01-03T09:00:00.001Z

Happy New Year! The new challenge is up over at Try it on Tuesday and the first challenge of the Year is "Do it Yourself" You need to create a card with all your own papers and embellies. No store bought stickers or papers. Easy enough, Huh? I chose to make my card with various Stamps from Tim Holtz and The Stamp Man, Distress inks and distress stains. I love making my own backgrounds it is fun and inspiring to see what you can come up with. Now we would love to see your lovely creations. Just link them up at The Try it on Tuesday blog. You can also see lots more great inspiration there from my teamies. this week we are being sponsored by our wonderful card week Sponsor " One Stop Card Crafts".

Now on another note I am sorry to have been so MIA lately. We have been away on a long holiday to Orlando. It was nice to spend Christmas in Disney and get away from the cold. Unfortunately a cold found me as I wound up sick most of the trip but had fun anyway. Here is a shot of the castle all lit up for the evening.

And this is a bit hard to see but it snowed (yes I did say snow) each night on Main street. It was wonderful. The little white spots in the frame are snow coming down from the roofs of the buildings.

Now it is back to the daily grind of school and work and of course crafting. One of my New Years resolutions is to craft and blog/visit more. Fingers crossed I can accomplish it.

For now I am off to get everything ready for the day.

Thanks for stopping in and hope you had a wonderful New Year and Holiday season. Angela

Stamp Man ATC for January

2012-01-01T12:00:00.001Z

The new Theme for January at The Stamp Man ATC swap is "Recycle". One of my favorite themes. Unfortunately being on Holiday this week with only a small stash of supplies creates quite a challenge. Just up my alley. I used a recycled Christmas card for the card and the bird. The background is done using distress inks and stains and a recycled plastic piece. the stamping uses Non Sequitur Across the Miles stamp set for the script with watered down Walnut Distress stain. Now its time to go have a little play then why not join in the swap with us? We would love to have you. Details can be found here.

Now don't forget The Stamp Man is holding their 3rd Annual awards so please do pop on over and check it out here!

Thanks for stopping in and for all the wonderful visits and comments throughout 2011.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year! Angela

The Stamp Man 3rd Annual Favorite crafting project awards

2011-12-30T12:00:00.001Z

Its Time for the 3rd annual Stamp Man Annual Awards challenge and we'd love you to join us this year by proudly presenting your best/favorite project that you feel you have made during the year.

It doesn't have to be something you entered for our challenges, Just as long as it was something you enjoyed making and would like to share. The most important part of this challenge is to have fun and enjoy taking time to look back on your crafting over the last year.

My favorite project of 2011 was from the Dragonflies and Butterflies challenge. You can view my original post here. I loved making the vellum butterflies and the cage from recycled plastic packaging and one of my favorite stamps the mesh from the Christmas set Aspects of Design. The butterflies and dragon flies are also another well used set in my collection. On gossamer wings.

Now if you pop on over to The Stamp Man Challenge blog you can see all the other DT favs from the year and then show us yours.

There will be a random prize draw for the top prize which will be

£30 of Stamp Man Gift Vouchers, and 4 runner up prizes!

For a chance to win a prize you must:

- Display The Stamp Man award blinkie in your sidebar

- Link to a post about our annual awards. Within the post you should then either show your project again or you can place a link to your original project whichever you wish to do.

- Use Inlinkz on The original Stamp Man post to link to your post.

We have really enjoyed viewing all your wonderful work throughout 2011 and hope you will join us again in 2012. Thanks for popping in and have a wonderful New Year!

Angela

Try it on Tuesday new Challenge

2011-12-20T09:00:00.001Z

The theme this week over at Try it on Tuesday is "Anything goes" So I decide to do this layout. I had to use all the items in a kit as a challenge so here is the outcome. The pics are from Belle when she decided to take a box of Packing peanuts and make snow angels. Unfortunately they are not easy to vacume up and all had to be picked up by hand because of the static. Yuk. What a mess. But at least she had fun.

Now head on over to the TIOT blog for some more brilliant inspirations and a peak at our very talented Guest designer Kelly.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

New Stamp Man Challenge

2011-12-16T12:00:00.001Z

The new challenge is up at The Stamp Man and this time we want to see you use a technique you have never used before. This one had me racking my brain as I normally have to try something the minute I see it. I scoured my Craft Stamper mags to see what I could find and I remembered seeing a salt technique so that is where I started although the embossing bit went a bit all too wrong. After several days of playing I finally settled on this card. I will have to say it is not going to be a favorite technique for sure but I got to give it a go. The technique originally used Salt with embossing but my results time after time for that were very daunting so I switched it around a bit and used the salt with inks instead(think I saw that one in Craft Stamper too). It had a nice effect although very hard to see in a photo. The snowman is stamped and cut and wording is stamped on the background using white Stazon.

Now there is more inspiration on The Stamp Man Challenge blog then we would love to see your projects. Don't forget to tell us what technique you used in your post.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Angela

My Materials list:

Tim Holtz Distress ink reinker Broken China

Tim Holtz Distress ink Faded Jeans

Aspects of Design 13 Snowy Christmas

White Stazon ink

Salt

Border Ribbon (the Stamp Man Shop)

I'm late....

2011-12-14T20:45:00.003Z

I know I am very late this week for the TIOT challenge. After a bit of and accident monday it has taken me a few days to catch up. So Sorry.

This week the challenge at TIOT is "Gift Tags Galore" so we want to see all your wonderful gift tags. For mine I made them using various Dylusions sprays and paints along with Distress inks, Tim Holtz Stamps and Hero Arts Owl stamp. The owls are colored with Promarkers and the tag is edged with Distress stickles.

Now its your turn to hop on over to the TIOT blog and show us your tags. There is lots more brilliant inspiration from the rest of the team so be sure to check it out.

We have been having a few problems with the post and Mr Linky over at the TIOT blog so please bear with us during our technical difficulties. Thank you!

Now I also have to apologize for being MIA for so long. Aside from my little accident I have been working hard at home trying to finish the unpacking so that we could get things in order and get the Christmas decorations up. Here is a pic of my little village. Unfortunately 2+ years in the attic has caused alot of the little pieces to get broken but most were easily fixed.

And here is the tree. It seems as though we have enough stuff to decorate about 5 trees. Don;t know how that happened.

And here is something I just have to share. Our Foster girl Lexie a 6 year old Rottie has an interesting hobby. She loves the TV. She will literally sit for hours watching the telly and yes she actually is watching it. Too funny. She even has her favorites.......

Now Sun on the other hand could care less about the telly. Just give her a blanket and cozy place to curl up and she is good.

Guess she is worn out from all the decorating.

Now don't forget to check out the new challenge over at TIOT. It's tag too so it fits right in with the holidays.

Thanks for stopping in and have a lovely day. Angela

TIOT challenge

2011-12-13T09:00:00.000Z

2011-12-06T09:00:00.001Z

Time for another Challenge at Try it on Tuesday and this week we are celebrating the big guy so we want to see all your cards with him. We are once again sponsored by our good friends at One Stop Card Crafts this week so one lucky winner will get a voucher to use in their online shop.

For my card I used my Stampin up tree and Santa. they are colored using Promarkers and touched up with some Spica glitter pens and sticky gems. The background started as some white card. I inked it up with old paper and walnut Distress inks then stamped it using Tim Holtz Christmas Carol stamp and some old canvas for the texture. The red card is inked with Fired brick Distress ink and stamped in Walnut with the same stamp. The button is from BoBunny and the ribbon from my stash. I have to say I did not think the images would take as long as they did to color. There were so many intricate bits to color. Sorry about the lighting on the card it is a bit washed out because of the flash. I so miss our house in England with all the natural light. So much better for photos.

Now you can see some more great inspirations from my team mates at the Try it on Tuesday blog. You can also upload your card for us to see. We cannot wait to view them.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

SDC43 card

2011-12-06T02:00:00.002Z

The challenge over at the Stampotique Designers challenge Blog is to create a non traditional Christmas card without using red and green. It is also a Stampotique only week so you can only use there stamps. I do not have any Christmas related stamps from them so I chose to go with "The Crafter" The background is done with blues, purples and pinks of Dylusions spray inks and stencils with water. I then added some trim using Dylusions paints. The Crafter is stamped and embossed in clear then some glitter added. Her hat is made from stamping her shoe then cutting it out. the flowers are Stampotique too. The wreath is made from free handed cutout hearts. The sentiment is also hand doodled. The colors show more vibrant in person but are getting washed out with my flash, so sorry. I might have to try and get a pic outside tomorrow if we get some nice light.

I am entering this into the SDC43 challenge.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

2011-12-02T12:00:00.000Z

Wow! I cannot believe it is December already. Time is flying by the quicker we get to Christmas and the end of the year.

Well its time for another challenge over at The Stamp Man and the theme this fortnight is "Ornaments" chosen by Jill. It can be an altered item made into an ornament, table decoration or even an ornament shaped card, and it doesn't have to be Christmas themed. Just dig out those festive supplies and have some fun!

For my project I chose to make some paper ornaments using Nestabilities dies from Spellbinders. These are really easy to create. Just cut 3 of the larger Nestie shape and fold each in half adhere one back side of each to another then adhere the final 2 side. the inside is a smaller Nestie die decorated and adhered by the sides inside each larger Nestie. the beads are on pins and held in place with a drop of glue. My complete materials list may be found below.

Now hop of over and see the rest of the fab projects created by my team mates at The Stamp Man then we would like to see yours.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

My Materials List:

Tim Holtz Holiday wishes stamps, Free stamp from Craft Stamper, Aspects of Design 66 Framies 5, Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 5, Black Archival ink, Gold and Silver Fine EP, Brick Red, old Paper, Walnut Distress ink for coloring, Beads, Card, Ribbon

what to do with a bean tin?

2011-11-29T09:00:00.000Z

What to do with a tin bean can? Well the challenge over at The Try it on Tuesday blog is to alter a Tin. At first the challenge was to alter a Bean tin but then it was decided to alter any kind of tin. Of course I had already started my Bean tin so here it is...

I had a few different ideas but after the dog broke my nose Monday morning when i picked her up from the kennel after returning from Holiday(No it was not really her fault, she jumped as I leaned over to check on her), I decided to keep it simple. Thankfully my nose is not too bad although sneezing is out of the question. Anyway, for my tin I decided to use my Hero Arts tree stamp I just received from The Stamp Man along with the fairy stamp which is also from The Stamp Man last summer. The leaves are from a Tim Holtz stamp set. I lined the top of the tin with a fuzzy fiber.

Now this week we are generously being sponsored by The Craft Barn once again Who have a £15 voucher for one lucky entry. All you have to do is to have a go at altering a tin then link it up on the Try it on Tuesday blog. There is lots of fab inspiration from the rest of the team just waiting to be checked out so do go have a visit.

Now I am off to rest my aching head. Thanks for stopping in and have a lovely day. Angela

Shrink Plastic

2011-11-22T09:00:00.000Z

The theme this week at The Try it on Tuesday challenge Blog is "Honey I shrunk the Plastic" or Shrink Plastic in more general terms. We would like to see you use some type of Shrink film in your project. For my project I used shrink plastic to create a pin that attaches to a gift card.
I die cut the shrink film using Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die then stamped using the music sheet from Tim's Christmas stamps. I then shrunk and colored the flowers using red Promarkers. The swirls are also cut from shrink film and heated into a shrunken shape. They are colored using gold ink and gold stickles. The pieces are then all glued together and adhered to the pin. The card is done using masking techniques with the scraps from my flower.

Now if you head on over to the TIOT blog you can get some more great inspirations for working with Shrink plastic from the Design team and our wonderful guest Designer Corry.

Wishing you a wonderful week and thank you very much for stopping by. Angela

New Challenge at The Stamp Man

2011-11-18T12:00:00.000Z

The new challenge at The Stamp Man this fortnight is all about Tim Holtz Tags of Christmas techniques. We want you to use one of Tims Tags of Christmas as inspiration for your own project. It does not have to be a tag as ling as it is inspired by one of Tim's. You can find a link to them on Tim's blog. or on The Stamp Man Challenge Blog.

For my inspiration I used Tims tag #11 from 2010 .

Materials I used: Faded Jeans Distress ink, Black Archival ink, Moon Glow Silver Moon Turqoise EP, Gesso, Tim Holtz Grunge flakes stamps CMS098, TH Idealology Ornate Plate

Now if you head on over to The Stamp Man Challenge blog you will find lots more wonderful inspiration from my team mates. Then its your turn to show us your project. Remember to include a link to the tag that inspired you. Once lucky winner will win a £10 voucher to The Stamp Man shop so Good luck and we cannot wait to check out your projects.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day. Angela

Another layout from the weekend.

2011-11-16T08:59:00.000Z

This is another Layout I did over the weekend. It is a jack of Mandy's(yes I really mean it this time, sorry the other was a jack of Julies) from Scrap jacked. I loved these funny pictures of Belle with her Halloween costume on the day of a party at school. Her friend Casey was not dressed as she did not go. I had told Belle I did not have time to make her the vampire costume so she would have to be something simple but then surprised her with it that evening after spending all day making it. She loved it but quickly abandoned the teeth.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

New Challenge up at Try it on Tuesday

2011-11-15T09:00:00.000Z

The new challenge is up at Try it on Tuesday and the theme this week is "Wish you were here" which can be interpreted in a variety of ways as you will see from the Design team and our wonderful guest designer Nikki.

For my card I wanted to play around with some acetate frames I had from My Minds Eye years ago. I stamped my sentiment using a Stampotique stamp on the frame and layered it above the image of my Stampotique Angel . the clouds are done using bubble wrap dipped in Dylusions white paint. I also layered the wings on the Angel and glittered them although you cannot see that in the photos. I forgot how hard it was to photograph acetate.

Hope you enjoy it. Now its your turn to hop over to the Try it on Tuesday blog and show us your interpretation of the theme. We cannot wait to see them.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day. Angela

After a crafty Saturday

2011-11-14T02:10:00.006Z

This is one of the layouts I did this weekend at the girls get together. Once a month a bunch of us try to get together at a local store and craft away. I jacked a layout from Julie over at Scrap Jacked. Scrap Jacked is a great place to get inspirational ideas for your layouts by jacking one of their designers. This month they have added a bunch more designers so there are inspirations abound.

***oops, I mistakenly said originally that I jacked Mandy's layout but it was Julies. I got them mixed up. So Sorry***

I chose to use a pic of Sophia our first foster. She was adopted a few weeks ago.

Here she is with Sunflower. They got along great.

and shared everything. Sunflower just loved her.

even Sunflowers crate.

then we got a new foster Maddy but she only stayed a little while before moving to her new home.

Maddy and Sunflower hit it off right away too.

And now there is Lexie our 5 year old Rottie. She is our newest Foster and such a sweetie.

Well now I had better roll on and try and get a little blog hopping done. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day. Angela

Nothing like waiting till last minute.

2011-11-08T19:44:00.004Z

Like I did with this project for the Stampotique Designers Challenge. The theme this time was to alter a Poison Bottle so I decided to alter a little bottle with Fairy Wish dust in a little altered book.
Here is the cover. Hope you like it. I used Stampotique heart flowers and Angel stamps as well as bits from a sentiment stamp from Stampotique too.

Thanks for stopping in and have a lovely day. Angela

New challenge for Try it on Tuesday.

2011-11-08T09:06:00.000Z

The new challenge is up on Try it on Tuesday and the theme this week is "Peel offs" you know those lacey type metallic stickers we all seems to have bought at one time or another. We want to see your tags using Peel Off stickers. For my tag I used Christmas Peel off stickers as masks then layered them on recycled plastic and colored the backs with Alcohol inks for the dangling ornaments. The branches are stamped using Tim Holtz Winter Sketchbook stamp set and the inks are Tim Holtz Distress. The stars are also from the same Peel Off package.

Now hop on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog for some more wonderful inspiration by my team mates then show us your tags. Remember no cards this week as it is a tag only week. Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day. Angela

New challenge at the Stamp Man

2011-11-04T12:00:00.001Z

Wow I cannot believe it has been another Fortnight already. I have been so busy with Belles Communion that the time has just flown.

The new challenge is up over at The Stamp Man and the theme is "Collage". What do we mean by "collage" you ask? Well it is a mix of images and possible mediums to create a semi cohesive background. For my project I created a card using the USARTQUEST Napkin collage kit. I have layered several images on the background using the napkins to layer them within the embossing and inking. I have also created a tutorial for this project so you can click here to see it.

Now we would like to see your "Collage" creation. Remember the winner gets a great Gift certificate to use at The Stamp Man shop. Now if you head over to The Stamp Man challenge blog you can see all the other wonderful inspirational pieces created by the team and share yours with us using the link tool. We cannot wait to see them.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

Napkin Collage tutorial

2011-11-04T02:31:00.001Z

US Artquest Napkin Collage Tutorial

This is the wonderful set of goodies you get inside the USARTQUEST Napkin Collage kit. There are ATC cards, Glitter, Adhesive, Brushes, Sponge and cup as well as a selection of vividly colored beautiful napkins. The napkins will vary per kit but all are wonderfully designed and selected. Now what to do with all these goodies you ask? Well stick around and I will show you a little tutorial on using the kit to its full advantage.

I am going to create a winter card using the supplies in the kit as well as incorporating some Tim Holtz Stamps, Inks and a few other things.

First I start by preparing my card background. For this I used the mesh stamp from the Aspects of Design Christmas I set. I stamped the image and heat embossed using Detail Gold Embossing Powder.

Next I added Some color using Tim Holtz Distress inks and cut n dry foam.

Now onto the napkins. This one was in the first kit I bought. I love the bright birds on them. I cut out the birds to use in my card.

The backs of the napkins provide wonderful blank slates for adding your own images such as stamping or lettering. I removed the back here by peeling it carefully away.

To stamp on it use a quick set ink such as Stazon and stamp your image directly to the napkin. Do not leave it there too long as it will cause the ink to bleed. Just stamp and remove quickly. Here I used Tim Holtz Winter Sketchbook stamp set.

I also stamped some more using Tim Holtz Holiday Wishes stamp set.

Next to prepare the images to add to the card I tear them out of the napkin. You can cut of tear them as each will give a different effect. Cutting will leave a edge around the napkin once added into place whereas tearing will let the image blend in.

Now its time to start putting everything together. To adhere the napkins I will use the Perfect Paper Adhesive included in the kit. For my card I stamped some of the Pine image on to go under the bird. Once my ink was set I place my napkin image where desired and dip the sponge in the adhesive.

Press up and down on the image allowing the adhesive to soak through the napkin to the card. I did this throughout the card because I used a gloss adhesive and wanted the entire image to look cohesive. If you are just adhering the image you can use the paint brushes and add a bit of glue to the underside of the napkin then place down and carefully paint the adhesive on top of the image. If doing this be careful as the image is vary easy to tear. Since the napkin is layered you can also control the translucency of the image by removing the layers similar to the way we removed the back bit of the napkin. You can then save these bits for future use with stamping. For my bird I used all the layers.

Next I started to add the background pieces. These have been torn to be layered into a collage effect. I add them the same way using the glue and the sponge.

I keep layering them until I get the desired look I want. Don't worry about trimming them off just yet. Once they are dry you can trim up the edge of the card to remove the excess. Notice how the colour of the ink and the embossing comes through the stamped images.

Finally I add some of the extra bits of napkin left from when I cut of the bird. this will add a little different type of branch pattern with a hint of color.

Once I have everything put together I added a little finishing touch with the Metallic paint included in the kit.

And the finished project. See how easy that is. The napkin technique is great for adding titles or sentiments also as you can stamp them on the napkin first getting them just right before adding them to the card or project.

Hope you enjoyed the Tutorial!

Angela

Its all about fabric

2011-10-25T09:00:00.000+01:00

This week the theme at the Try it on Tuesday is all about fabric. This week is an altered Art week once again sponsored by The Craft Barn. So we want to see something altered with Fabric. We also have a special guest Designer TJ joining us so be sure to check out her work and the rest of the Design team at the Try it on Tuesday blog.

For my project I decided to start with a blank frame and some cotton fabric.

then I added some orange Dylusions paint through a Sequin waste. Once dry I added some Dylusions spray inks then used water to create further patterns with the Sequin waste.

Once I dried the fabric with a heat gun, I tore it into strips and added double sided tape to one side.

Finally I adhered the strips down in a whimsy pattern creating layers on the frame.

Finally I finished it off with some spotted tape. I used my new Fall Distress ink set to colour the roses and stamp Tim Holtz Leaves on the ATC background for the frame. The sentiment stamp is from Stampotique.

Ok, its your turn to share your creations over at The Try it on Tuesday blog. Remember one lucky person will win a GC to The Craft Barn.

Now go have some crafty fun!

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

Scrapjacked Layout

2011-10-24T02:56:00.002+01:00

There are some wonderful inspirational Layouts just waiting to be jacked over at Scrap Jacked this month. I chose to jack Mel's layout this time. I had done this layout when spending a crafting day with some friends last weekend. The paper is from Basic Grey. I used some lace strips behind the photos although they are hard to see in the photo. The rest of the flowers are various left over stickers and gems . There is still time to check out all the great layouts over at Scrap Jacked and add your own jack. Just visit them here.

We had a beautiful weekend here in Jersey this weekend. The weather was a bit cool but really lovely. We got a lot done on the house inside and out. Unfortunately no crafting since the weather was so nice. Hope your weekend was as productive.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

New Challenge time at the Stamp Man

2011-10-21T12:00:00.000+01:00

The new challenge is up at The Stamp Man and the theme is Night time. I chose to make 3 ATC's with a Halloween night theme. You can find my materials list below. Now for more great inspiration from my team mates go hope over and visit The Stamp Man Challenge Blog. Did you know too that The Stamp Man has a new improved website. Why not stop in and check it out here. Remember One lucky winner will receive a GC to The Stamp Man shop. So be sure to add your entries over at the Challenge blog.

My Materials list:

Tim Holtz Stamps - Winter Sketchbook, Mini Halloween

Momento Tuxedo Black ink

Versamark Embossing ink pen (used to do the mon with a resist technique)

Tim Holtz Distress stains - Faded Jeans, Dusty Concord, Antique Linen, Walnut

Gloss paper

On another note sorry I have been MIA lately. I have been working on finishing up Belles invites and some projects that I cannot post yet as well as work and school. I will have a little more time now that the invites are done and posted so looking forward to being around a bit more in blogland. I have really missed it and look forward to visiting you all really soon.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

mini canvas

2011-10-16T03:06:00.003+01:00

Today i got to spend the day crafting at a local Scrapbook Store "Scrapbook Memories" with some friends. It was fun catching up and sharing crafting ideas. My one friend Zandra was there making a Pink Cancer book for a donation. It was Fab. June was working on layouts and Diana layouts too. Even Diana's daughter Ava and niece Hannah got a few pages done. It was a great fun and relaxing day.

These are some of the canvases I made. I am trying to do something with all the dance pictures i have of Belle through the years. These are just 4 of them. Many more to go.

This purple one above is from her first recital. She was just 3 at the time.

I also managed to complete another layout and start one more. I will try and post them tomorrow or Monday.

Now I am off to visit my blog land friends and see what everyone has been up too.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

A day of crafting

2011-10-13T00:14:00.003+01:00

Today I went up to Scrappers Cove in Milltown to get supplies and ideas for Belles Communion cards. As I only have a few days to make them it is a hurry up job. While we were in England she missed making her 1st communion with the rest of her class so now that we are back the church finally gave us a date and of course it is only a few weeks away. I have to get all the invites done and out by the end of the week Arrgh.

It was a nice day out of crafting though and I did get a little done as well as deciding on a card design. Above is a layout I did using the Monthly Layout pack from Scrapers Cove and added some Dylusions ink, cardboard, letters, Pearls flourishes and handmade flowers.

Below is a picture of the final card I am going to use for the communion invites. I used Aspects of Design Lace stamps from The Stamp Man for the background embossed clear on white card then rubbed over with faded Jean Distress ink. the Girl stamp is from Stampotique and colored with Promarkers then embossed clear. the ribbon is then added and a cross sticker from Moxie edged in gold foil is added to the middle.
i also got to pick up my new Fall distress ink set from Tim Holtz. They are fab. I cannot wait to use them . I am going with the girls this Saturday to craft for the day. I cannot wait. It will be nice to get away.

Now I am off to finish Dinner then help with homework. Thanks for stopping in and I hope you have a wonderful evening. Angela

Try it on Tuesday October tag week

2011-10-11T09:00:00.001+01:00

Wow I cannot believe another week has flown by. Where does all the time go? This week is another Tag week over at Try it on Tuesday and the theme is "Peace and Tranquility" . So we would like to see all your tags themed with something that represents Peace and Tranquility to you. Maybe it is Classical music or a walk on the beach or a snowy Christmas Eve. Whatever it is we would like to see your tag showing it.

For May tag I chose a beach theme. For me the sounds of the waves and the chirp of the gulls is so calming and peaceful. The blues and greens are also very calming and tranquil. I used a Stampin Up sketches stamp and colored with Promarkers then embossed with clear EP. The Background is a combination of Dylusions Paint and sprays along with some TH Stamps. The edging is Blue Mica flakes and the trim is torn sheer fabrics.

And now it is your turn to head on over to Try it on Tuesday and show us your work. While you are there you can also check out some fabulous inspirational tags created by my team-mates. We cannot wait to see your creations.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

A mini book.....

2011-10-07T12:00:00.000+01:00

Hello again! Are you ready for another challenge at The Stamp Man? This fortnight's challenge theme is Circles. We would like to see some type of Circles in your project.

We have another new addition to the team member to announce this week, Caroline of Craft Mix. Be sure to stop by and check out her work it is wonderful!

For my project I made a little mini album using Chipboard circles for the cover and hand drawn circles on card for the inside. The cover is stamped using a layering of Petite Scalloped Circles Large Butterfly and Aspects of Design Lace 1 stamps(from The Stamp Man) with Black Brilliance and Dusty Concord Distress Inks. The inside uses Petite Scalloped Circles Blank Stamps and Med Rose Corner stamp also from the Stamp Man. I also used Victorian Velvet and Peeled Paint Distress inks as well as Adhesive Rhinestone strips and Misc Lace and Ribbon. The pictures are from Belles 1st Dance recital.

Here are some close-ups of the pages. My Mum had to make Belles dress to match the others after we gave hers to another girl who came into the class late and did not have a dress. You could not even tell the difference once it was done.
Here the girls are lined up waiting to go on stage and then on stage on the right.
Belle and Casey with their flowers.
Here is a shot of the book spread out.

Now head on over to The Stamp Man Challenge blog and see all the other wonderful inspiration from the team. Then show us your projects. Remember, there's a £10 voucher to spend at up for grabs for our winner! We hope to see you over there.

Now I am off to walk the puppies.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by, Angela

New Challenge at Try it on Tuesday

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone! the new challenge is up at Try it on Tuesday and after a hard week last week we decided to make it very easy and go with Minimal So that is the theme for this week. Show us your "Minimal" designed cards.

This week we are once again sponsored by the fabulous One Stop Card Crafts so be sure to link to them in your post in order to be eligible for the prize draw.

I chose do do a version of a card I had done in the past which is a simple fav of mine. I used Stampotique Girls stamp embossed clear and colored with Promarkers, Bubble wrap, Dylusions ink and a misc Birthday stamp. Very simple but I love it.

Now its your turn, Hop on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog and see all the other wonderful inspiration the team has prepared for you then link up your creation. We cannot wait to see them.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day.

Angela

New ATC swap at The Stamp Man

2011-10-01T12:04:00.002+01:00

The new ATC swap is up over at the Stamp Man and this months Theme is "Oriental" I am away this weekend with my daughter at a Dance event so I only have one of mine finished to show you at this time but I will have the other 2 posted by next week. I used Habico Oriental clear stamp set and triple embossed the card with UTEE and re-stamped the tree branch into the UTEE. Now if you want to join in this wonderful swap please go over to The Stamp Man ATC blog for full details and more inspiration from the team. And while you are there check out the Blog candy giveaway at the Stamp Man's Blog.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping in. Angela

New Blog Candy at The Stamp Man!

2011-09-28T21:42:00.002+01:00

It's BLOG CANDY TIME again over at The Stamp Man. They are giving away one of their infamous "Old Bags" which were so popular they sold out at the GNPE show. They managed to save this very one especially for this giveaway so hurry over to The Stamp Man and find out how to enter for your chance to win this fabulous "Old Bag"

Try it on Tuesday Alter it week

2011-09-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

This week is another Altered Art week over at Try it on Tuesday and is being sponsored by our good friends at "The Craft Barn". This week the theme is "Childhood Books" So we want you to use your favorite childhood book or story as inspiration for your altered project.

One of my favorite books was Peter Pan. I just loved where they flew over London and especially Tinkerbell so i decided to make a frame out of a book for this picture of Belle dressed as a fairy for halloween one year.

Now I love books so it is hard for me to use real books to cut up for projects but unfortunately one of my old book boxes got wet while in storage so most of them in the box were ruined so I decided to use one for this project. I cut a large hole in the center of the hard cover and then tore layers from the center. the books was then painted with gesso and then acrylic paint. I added stamped maps to the cover as well as some stenciling. The image of Big Ben is a sticker and the houses are stamped and cut out then layered. The butterflies are stamped on pages from the book sprayed with Dylusions inks and then stamped with Tim Holtz papillion stamps and cut out. I also added a bit of doodling and outlines to them. The flowers are from Prima and the buttons, Ribbons and lace are from my stash.

I also added some gold leafing to the Fore-edge of the book.

Now hop on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog to see some more lovely inspiration from or DT as well as a beautiful piece from our Guest Designer Ellie. Be sure to leave a link to The Craft Barn in your post in order to be eligible for the prize draw.

So on another note we got a little visitor today. This is Sophie and she is a foster with us. She is a few month old Australian Shepherd. She is a little sweetie with such a good temperament.

Here she is all worn out from a good play with sunflower. Sunflower was a bit jealous at first until she realized that the little one was not taking her place. Now she is like a mother.

This is not a good picture but she had just woken up. She loves to sleep at my feet in fact she is sleeping on my feet as i write this post.

We had wanted to foster a larger older dog but little Sophie needed a foster home so we decided to take her in. She has 2 other sisters who are also being fostered. One looks just like her and the other is black. They were all rescued from a kill shelter in the south. If you would like more information of Sophie , Her sisters or possibly another dog in need of a forever home please go to Homeless paws website.

Thank for stopping in and hope you have a wonderful day.

Angela

New challenge at The Stamp Man

2011-09-23T12:00:00.000+01:00

Wow it is hard to believe a fortnight has gone by already since the last challenge at The Stamp Man. There were so many lovely monochromatic projects to look at I am sure it will be hard to choose a winner. Janet has chosen this Fortnights challenge and the theme is "Pears" or "pairs" so there are many ways that could be taken and explored upon. I chose to use "Pears". I started by stamping the edges with The corner stamp from Tim Holtz Urban Tapestry stamp set then Embossing with Obsidian Copper Moon Glow EP. The Branch is made using the tree from Tim Holtz Winter Sketchbook stamp set. I stamped it separately and then colored it in with promarkers and cut out a portion and glued in place on the card. The Pears are cut from napkins in my US Artquest Napkin Collage kit. They are then decoupaged into place. the dimensional leaf was placed on card then cut and adhered to create dimension. For my full materials list and links please see below.

Now Over at The Stamp Man we are also welcoming our newest member to the team...Siobhan at Recovering Stampaholic. Siobhan has been delighting us with her wonderful works of art for some time now in our challenges and we are very pleased to have her as part of our wonderful team. For Siobhan's project and the rest of the teams wonderful works please visit the Stamp Man Challenge Blog where you can also upload your project link and check out the rules. Remember one lucky winner will receive a great GC for The Stamp Man shop. We can't wait to see your takes on the challenge.

Now stepping a little sideways.. Did you happen to notice the lovely flower arrangement behind my card in the photo? If not here it is in full. this was made by my daughter in her first gardening class at her new school. When she signed up for gardening she though dirt, digging, planting and such but it turns out that they are doing flower arranging and didn't she do a lovely job! I am thrilled to have such a beautiful piece to look at each day and for now special occasion to boot. Love it.

As promised here is my materials list for my card:

US Artquest Napkin Collage kit

Tim Holtz Urban tapestry stamp set(Corner stamp)

Tim Holtz Winter Sketchbook stamp set(tree)

Midnight Copper Obsidian Moonglow EP

Tim Holtz Walnut Distress ink

Now I shall leave you to go visit The Stamp Man Challenge and see all the other Lovely works of art from our fab team and please be sure to give Siobhan a warm welcome.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by. Angela

2011-09-20T09:00:00.001+01:00

It is an Anything goes week over at Try it on Tuesday and The Theme for the challenge this week is "What a wonderful world" "Louis Armstrong" and if you pop on over there you can hear the song of our inspiration for this weeks challenge.

Now for my project I decided to make a Scrapbook page. I had this lovely picture of Belle and her friends taken on one of our last days together before we left to come back to America. The girls had such a good time as did we so it is a wonderful memory. For my page I used a combination of Basic Grey, Echo Park and MME papers. The letters are from Echo Park and the trinkets are from Bobunny. The lace and ribbon are from my stash.

Now pop on over to the TIOT challenge blog and see what other inspiration the rest of the team has come up with and when you show us your entry be sure to tell us you have created the project you did for this weeks challenge. We look forward to seeing them all.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Angela

Less is More WK33 Anything goes

2011-09-17T14:03:00.003+01:00

The challenge this week over at Less is more is "Anything goes". This week they are trying to get at least 1000 submissions so go ahead over to the Less is more challenge blog and enter. Its fun and easy!

For my card I used Tim Holtz Winter Sketchbook and Urban Tapestry stamps tp create the tree and the little Angel is from Stampotique as well as the sentiment.

Hope you enjoyed stopping by.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for dropping in.

Angela

A little doodle book.

2011-09-17T13:00:00.000+01:00

Here is a little bok i made as a pressie. It is made from some chipboard square coasters from Technique Tuesday. I used Dylusions paints for the background and painting of the birds and flowers roughly. The bird stamp is from Stampotique.

Here is the first set of pages. It is a little journaling book. This stamp was Stampendous.

And some more pages using Stampendous stamp and some Stamping up images.

Here the little birdies are colored in using Promarkers.

And the back page of the book ....

I sent this out this past week as a little pressie for someone. Hope they like it when they receive it. Now off to work and then maybe i will get a little crafting time later.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping in. Angela

SDC 38 - Black White and a hint of colour

2011-09-17T02:25:00.002+01:00

Finally some time to do a bit of crafting even if it is not in a nice neat organised room. With all the running, working and yest still unpacking lately it has been very hard to find some crafting time but I did manage to spare a bit of time today and complete this card for the Stampotique Designers Challenge #38. This challenge was to use Black, White and a bit of color. I recently got my order of stamps from Stampotique so I could not wait to use them. This was one I had purchased. Isn't it fab. I have to say also that they are one of the nicest companies I have bought from. Very attentive and on top of any issues.

So for my card I used my Stampotique beach girls stamp by Janet Klein inked in black archival and stamped onto white card. I then inked the edges, added Rock candy Distress Crackle paint and inked over with black soot trying to make it look like an old photo. The background is Mustard Seed Distress ink through a Crafters companion template then brushed with bits of white paint here and there. I used the yellow dot because the stamp remins me of the song itsy bitsy...... The cow is from my stash and the shells are also from my stash. I am entering this into the SDC38 challenge.

the weather has finally turned cooler here so hopefully it will be a bit easier to get more stuff on the house done and in turn have a little more crafting time. We shall see. One can dream right?

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

Try it on Tuesday Tag week

2011-09-13T09:00:00.000+01:00

Its a tag week again over at Try it on Tuesday and this week the theme is to use a stamp you have had a long time but maybe never have used. There has got to be something in your stamp stash that is begging to be played with so drag it out, dust it off and get stamping. For my tag I chose to use some old Close to my heart clear stamps I have had forever. The set is called Blue Jeans. As you can see below they are nice and clean and even starting to yellow on the edges a bit.

I also used Close to My Heart Sunflower Garden clear stamps inked on white card and cut out to fill the pockets. Hope you like it.

Now wait till you see all the other great inspiration out DT has conjured up for you. We even have 2 guest designers this week so be sure to check it all out on the Try it on Tuesday challenge blog. then leave a link to your creation. I bet it will be wonderful.

The unpacking update........

On another not the unpacking is getting a bit better. We really tore into it this weekend. This is my craft room now. It still needs more work but at least it is usable. And not a minute too soon as Belle had to get to work on her school project this weekend.

Our desks still face each other but there seems to be less room. I think I liked the old longer room better. Here is Entrance of course yo can see that there are still boxes in the hall to work on. The closet is filled with material and sewing bits from my Mums old house. When she passed away I inherited it all but never went through the totes till now. When i unpacked them I found tons of materials and sewing notions. The table next to the closet will become the sewing table one we find room for everything else. My old green hutch is now being used to house my altered project materials. they seem to have multiplied. The stickles also sit on top.
And some of my stamps have found a new home on some shelves on the other side of the room. See those little boxes there on the right side of the middle shelf. They are great. I got them from Michelle and Janet at Lovin Ink. Each one hold a set or coordinating unmounted stamps. They are really great for storing them.
Hope you enjoyed the mini tour. It is not what it used to be but it will get there once I finish organising and setting it up I am just happy to be able to use it now.

Don't forget to check out the Try it on Tuesday challenge this week. Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

New Stamp Man Challenge and stuck in a sea of boxes...

2011-09-09T12:00:00.000+01:00

If you are hear looking for the Art from the heart post to collect your letter click here.

The new challenge theme over at The Stamp Man is "monochrome" Not just Black and White but white and one other colour you love to use. I chose to use Brown with white. I used Aspects of Design Butterfly Botanical stamp to stamp the main image using Tim Holtz Distress ink in Walnut. I stamped of the images and coloured in the second using Tim Holtz Distress inks - Walnut stain, Vintage Photo, Brushed Corduroy and Frayed Burlap. Which I then cut out and layered on the first. Then I roughed the edge a little and inked it with Walnut Distress ink. The backgound is done using Aspects of Design Antique backgrounds Mesh stamp inked up with Vintage Photo Distress ink. I added the Sheer gold trimmed ribbon. Finally the butterfly is finished off with Distress Stickles - Brushed Corduroy although it is very hard to see with the lighting.

Now you will definitely want to go head on over to the Stamp Man blog and check out the wonderful inspirations my team mates have come up with. then link yours up so we can stop by and check it out. one lucky winner will get a GC to The Stamp Man.

On another note, For anyone who has been following my moving adventure we finally received our container and all our boxes last week just as we were heading off on a mini holiday to visit family. So of course all the unpacking work was waiting for us this week when we returned. There were so many boxes it was hard to even move around the house. Especially since we still had some old furniture there that had been in storage as well as some of my older craft supplies also from storage. Well I began to open and unpack the boxes this week and I feel as if they are multiplying before my eyes. Can they do that?? This is a picture of my new craft room as I began unpacking them.

Sorry I could not get more but you can not even move in there enough to take a good picture. Of course i still have to complete some projects in all the mess so as you can see I have a small work station that looks like a cyclone hit it. It is driving me crazy to say the least.

Below is a picture of the room at the start of Day 2. Many of the boxes have been unpacked but where oh where to put everything. What a mess but at least you can move a bit.

By the end of day 2 it is not as bad although there is still a ways to go. I will try to get some more pics tomorrow of the progress. Slow and steady......Where is my magic genie that can just snap his fingers and put it all back into place. Does anyone have one i can borrow????Please....Just for a day.... LOL

So with that little update I will now leave you to return to my sea of boxes and unpacking. If I do not resurface in a few days please send in a rescue crew to retrieve me. .... ..... Just kidding it's really not that bad.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful evening. Angela

Its card week at Try it on Tuesday....

2011-09-06T09:00:00.002+01:00

If you are looking for The Art from the Heart Celebration blog hop click here.

It's card week again at Try it on Tuesday and we are once again sponsored by the wonderful One Stop Card Crafts. This weeks them at Try it on Tuesday is Monochrome which means your card must have shades of one colour no more. We also have the wonderfully talented Sue joining us as a Guest Designer. So be sure to stop by and drop her a little hello.

Now for my card I used Green as my color. The branches and leaves are done using Tim Holtz winter and Urban Tapestry stamp sets. the Girl and Sentiment are from Stampotique. I used Shades of black for the coloring of the girl and trees with my promarkers. I also used Several shades of Green Distress inks for the leaves. The sentiment is stamped on the bow using Stazon black. Hope it helps to inspire you for this weeks challenge.

Now its your turn to hop on over to the Try it on Tuesday Blog and check out the wonderful cards created by the rest of the DT as well as our guest designer Sue. We are looking forward to seeing all the wonderful cards you will come up with.

************************Post Update*******************************

I guess I was a bit tired last night when I created my project and posted and just realized after reading it that I did a boo boo. I for some reason thought Monochomatic could include Black, White and One colour but it is the Various shades of one colour that makes it Monochrome not all 3 together. My oops. See what all the unpacking of boxes is doing to me. My mind has been scrambled lately, My bad. I will repost another card later today. So Sorry. Angela

*******************************************************************

We had a really nice visit with family this week. Here is a picture of Belle feeding the humming birds. They are so amazing as they are constantly buzzing all around you while you sit out on the porch. They are so beautiful. We also got to see my little nephew again. He is getting so big and my brother is so good with him. Little Al just laughs all the time with his dad. So precious.

Here you can see the hummer in the bottom left corner flying up to take a nip from the feeder.

And with that I will leave you to go check out the rest of the inspiration on the TIOT blog While I go unpack some more boxes. I cannot wait to be all unpacked. My craft room is a shambles of boxes and it is driving me insane......

Thanks for stopping in and have a beautiful day. Angela

Time for some celebrating!

2011-09-03T10:00:00.024+01:00

Welcome to a very exciting blog hop in Celebration of 10 years of Art from the Heart!

Lots of exciting things happening at Art from the Heart next weekend where the big birthday bash is happening. Want to know more then do click here .

So in Celebration of the upcoming event we are having 5 birthday blog hops.

You should have reached my blog from Gabrielle's and are on the Ranger hop

So here is my project - A Bouquet of flowers in an altered watering can. I figured it had to be something festive enough for a celebration.

And here is a closeup of the flowers...Each is multiple layers of stamped/sprayed gloss paper and sprayed tissue scrunched and heated then finished with a Stickle center. The base is layered with White paint, Crackle, and various stains to create a aged effect.

I used

For the base:

Distress stains(Antique linen, Vintage Photo)

Tim Holtz Crackle paint - Rock Candy

Paint Dabber - Snow Cap

Mini Mister

For the Flowers:

Color Wash(Lettuce, Red Pepper, Sunset Orange)

Glossy paper

Perfect Medium ink pad clear

Distress inks - Rusty Hinge, Walnut, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade

Distress Stickles - Aged Mohogany

Perfect Pearls Spray Heirloom Gold

TH Stamps Papillon

TH Alterations Tattered Florals Die

Tissue Paper

Brads

The Bow is also colored using Fired Brick Distress ink.

Now before you move on - you will need to collect a letter from me which is

This is part of an anagram of a Ranger product

Once you get back to Dys blog please email your answer to Ben by 6pm Sunday September 11.

So after leaving me a comment you need to move on to

Dina

Have fun hopping and good luck!

Angela

A new project

2011-09-02T02:07:00.003+01:00

This is a project I did but it wound up being an oops one as I used the wrong materials. So I figured I would share anyway. It is a birthday cake made entirely of UTEE and tissue paper with a touch of Stickles.
Here is a closeup. The base is done by pouring melted UTEE mixed with Flex on top of Tissue paper stamped with Wendy Vecchi's stamps and TH Distress inks. The pieces are then trimmed while still warm and rounded into place. The trim is added using Stickles and white liquid pearls. The tissue paper flowers are made using TH Alterations Tattered florals die(smallest flower) and the white flowers are melted Seafoam white EP dropped onto a non-stick mat. The stars are also Seafoam white EP drizzled onto the mat to dry. the top white flower in the center is made from wire dipped into Clear UTEE, Seafoam White EP and Flex mixture heated in melting pot. I really had alot of fun making it. Hope you enjoy.

Now I am off to visit with my Dad. We have not seen him in months so it will be a nice trip. We also get to see baby AC tomorrow I am sure he is getting so big. I cannot wait.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

New ATC theme over at The Stamp Man

2011-09-01T12:00:00.000+01:00

The new ATC theme is up over at The Stamp Man ATC blog and it is "In the Garden". How can you go wrong with this theme. There are so many things to inspire all around this time of the year. I chose to stick with flowers and Butterflies and fav of mine. Hope it has inspired you to join us this month. You can view the full swap details and some more inspiration from some of my teamies over at The Stamp Man ATC blog. Hope to see you there.

Update on the move- All our belongings arrived safely from England with only minor issues. At least there was no water damages. A big relief. Now we have to begin the task of unpacking and setting up house. In the mean time we are in a sea of boxes. One day at a time.

Thanks for stopping in and Have a wonderful day. Angela

New challenge at Try it on Tuesday is up.....

2011-08-30T09:00:00.001+01:00

This week is altered week over at Try it on Tuesday which is as always is being sponsored by our good friends over at The Craft Barn who are giving the winner a £15.00 Voucher.

Remember in order to be eligible for the prize draw you must put a link to the Craft barn in your post.

Now on to this weeks theme and it is "Anything Goes" We want to see all your altered projects. It can be anything as long as it is altered. So Be creative and have a play. This week I decided to alter a notebook into a play journal. I am going to use it to play with all the different techniques I see. it will be a work in progress that will become a technique journal.

This is what i started with. Just a plain notebook.

And here is another shot of it opened.

I used various Distress inks, Dylusions Mica Spray, Patterned paper scrap, Black Twill, Stampotique Stamp " The Crafter", Tim Holtz stamps and a misc key charm(Art from the heart)

Now head on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog to see what my team mates have created for you . They have made some pretty inspirational pieces there to help get you started. Then it is your turn to add your link.

Now on another subject here are 2 pics I snapped today. It seems that after the hurricane we now have a ton of butterflies and dragonflies around. This one was eating one of the yucky peaches that fell from the tree during the storm,. I loved the beautiful blue on the inside and the brown pattern underneath.

And here is the dragonfly sunning his wings on my washing line. (Yes one of the first things I did when we moved back here was to set up a wash line.) The dragonflies seem to love the washing line. They sit there even as I am hanging the wash.

Well that's about it for today. Can't wait to see some fab Altered Art pieces over at TIOT.

Hope you enjoyed your visit and have a wonderful day. Angela

What to do in a hurricane....

2011-08-29T02:37:00.002+01:00

Crafting of course. Luckily we did not lose power for any extended period of time. I was able to get caught up on a few projects of course I cannot show most of them yet but soon. This card I created for the Less is More challenge week 30. I feel like it has been forever since i have been able to participate in the challenge. Between the move and everything going on I have had no extra time until Irene decided to roll through.

So the challenge this week is "Take 3". You had to take any 3 of the previous 29 challenges and combine them into 1. I chose Week 2 " Flower or Tree", Week 16 "Butterflies" and Week 26 "Feeling Fruity -use fruit or colours"

For my card I stamped the Rose(The Stamp Man) with Black Archival ink and coloured with Promarkers. The Butterfly is from my Napkin Collage kit. I cut out 2 and layered them. The top one is mounted on white card to make it sturdier.

It felt really good to just sit and do a few hours of crafting. Of course the wind was a bit scary as it was howling most of the day today. We seemed to have skirted through Irene with only minimal damage to our fence around the house. Aside from that we were very lucky. Looks like there were a lot of people who got it really bad especially with the flooding. Mother nature seems to be in a fury lately especially since we moved back to the states. I hope she settles down soon.

Well that's about all for now. Should have some more tomorrow hopefully. Thanks for stopping in, Be safe and have a great day. Angela

New challenge at the Stamp Man

2011-08-26T12:00:00.002+01:00

The new challenge is up over at the Stamp Man and the theme this time is "Travel". I had a wonderful idea to begin with but since our container still has not arrived from the UK with all our belongings I had to modify my project. In fact It just so happens to be sitting in port waiting for customs to approve it while the hurricane barrels toward it. Do I have luck or what....LOL. So instead of my originally planned project I chose to make a card. Fitting enough to send to a friend over seas. Sorry the picture is not too great. We seem to be having this horrible muggy weather as a precursor to the coming hurricane so nothing is drying including my glossy accents.

I used:

Tim Holtz Distress ink in Old Paper and Walnut.

Stazon Black

Tim Holtz Stamps - "Air Travel" and "Papillon"

Stamp Man Stamps "Across the Miles"

Tim Holtz Tissue Tape

Glossy Accents

Lace

Black feathers

Jeweled Pin(The Stamp Man)

Now Hop on over to The Stamp Man Challenge Blog to see the other wonderful creation by the rest of the design team hen add your "Travel" creation. We cannot wait to see them. Thanks for stopping in and have a lovely day. Angela

Try it on Tuesday wild card week!

2011-08-23T09:00:00.000+01:00

Its wild card week this week at Try it on Tuesday and the theme is "Hang it up" we are looking for any kind of hanging wall art. We also have a new team member Bee so be sure to go check it out on the blog as well as all the other wonderful inspiration from the rest of the team.
I chose to make a 3 tier hanging to using as decor in the new bathroom. I started with some wooden bases from Kaiser Kraft and sprayed them with Dylusions ink. Next I used a stencil and added some distress inks in pinks and greens for the harlequin pattern.
I stamped the writing using Tim Holtz stamps inked with Walnut distress ink and spritzed with water. Then I inked the swirls with Walnut ink. I used my Us Artquest Napkin Art kit to create the inside pictures.
Finally I added the flowers, leaves, brads and liquid pearl trim. All the panels are held together with 2 strips of material. Hope you like it!

Now be sure to check out the rest of the lovely inspiration at the Try it on Tuesday blog and show us your creations! thanks for stopping in and have a lovely day. Angela

Tuesdays Challange

2011-08-16T09:00:00.001+01:00

Over at Try it on Tuesday this week is "Anything goes". So after a very frustrating week last week I finally have my quick ship boxes and part of my craft supplies. Although most of my spray inks seem to have disappeared. I would think that they would have to tell you if they take something out of your shipment in customs but i guess not. I am a bit annoyed over that. Not sure what else is missing thought until I can get time to sit and think about what was in the boxes. The rest of the big container will not arrive until the end of August so this is it for my supplies till then. At least I was able to complete my TIOT DT piece this week. I decided to make a mask and this was my inspiration...

A beautiful rainbow in the middle of today's thunder storm. If you look really close you can see the second one beginning to form. they only lasted a moment though before the clouds rolled back in.
For my mask I began with a paper mache mask from the art shop and sprayed it with Dylusions spray inks(Art from the Heart). I then added some Dylusions acrylic paint on top by scraping it along. Next I stamped some images using Across the Miles stamps from The stamp Man onto napkins. I also cut of various images from paper napkins in my stash. They we all decoupaged onto the mask and the trim(a lovely birthday gift from Michelle and Janet) was added at the bottom. Finally the ribbons were added at the sides.
Hope is inspires you as the rainbow did me. Now if you hop on over to the Try it on Tuesday challenge blog you can see some more wonderfully inspiring work from my team mates. then you can go off and show us once of your creations by linking it up there. We cannot wait to see what you create for our challenge this time.

Happy crafting and have a wonderful day. Angela

Been MIA

2011-08-14T01:47:00.003+01:00

Sorry i have been MIA lately. The move has taken over and we have been living in Chaos this past week trying to get the minimal requirements while we wait the month for our stuff to arrive from overseas. I can tell you the weather has been very hot here and I am having to get used to alot of changes around. I did get to take a bit of time out today to go take a class at a store called Scrappers Cove in Milltown. This was my belated birthday present since we were in the middle of the move at the time. It was about a 1.5 hour drive from the house but well worth it. An old friend of mine TA Carbone was teaching and was surprised to see me. We made this lovely cookoo clock. It was allot of fun. Of course DH made me Disneyfy it a bit. Sorry TA.
Sorry , one pine cone spun as I took the picture above. The clock actually works too. It was nice to get out and do a little crafting. Especially since this is what we are living out of till we get some stuff in the house.....
Like our storage???? I cannot wait to stop living out of suitcases.
I did start on my craft room and unpack some stuff I had brought into a shelve we have in my new craft room, but we are still waiting on the 9 boxes of stuff we shipped quick delivery which included our curtains, cooking tools and my needed crafting supplies for upcoming projects. They were supposed to be here this past wednesday and they still have not arrived. So I have been unable to complete any of my projects I needed to get done. I did manage to pick up some stuff today at the store to get me going a bit until they arrive but I am getting a bit worried that they are not here yet. With my luck the main shipment will arrive before they do and that is not due to arrive until the end of August. Guess I might be borrowing stuff from my sis.

Well that is about all for now. I am hoping to at least get a little time tomorrow to catch up of a few projects but it does not look promising. we shall see.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping in.

Angela

So Empty.....

2011-08-04T22:05:00.004+01:00

Sorry I have been MIA from blogland lately but the move has pretty much absorbed all my time. Yesterday Sunny left for her trip across the pond. the girls all gave her lots of hugs and kisses before she headed out on her long journey.

She is still not in the new house yet but Poppy is there waiting for her. She has not seen him in more than 2 years.

Now here is what my craft room looked like last night....
And here it is now....So Empty.....
You would never guess there were 5 of us in here crafting away just this past weekend.
All that is left are a few bits and bobs of necessities to help get me through the next month as we wait for everything to arrive in the new house.
Now all that is left to do is to tidy up the house and pack up the last bits. Over the next few days along with the later we will be visiting and spending time with some of the good friends we have made over here and saying so long...Not forever but just till the next time we come back over to visit. And hopefully one day they can make it over to visit with us. Living here in England has been an amazing experience for us. This country is so filled with Culture , History and beauty it is hard not to fall in love with it and be inspired here.

So I am sorry there are no crafty posts today. I have not had a minute to think much less get crafty or get on the computer this week. Soon though...

For now I will bid you good evening.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely evening. Angela

Try it on Tuesday Card week.

2011-08-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

It's Card week again at Try it on Tuesday and this weeks challenge theme is "Beach". We are being sponsored this week by one stop Card Crafts.

For my card I stamped the image using Stampin up "beach sketch" stamp and coloured with Promarkers. I then added the Faux sand(tutorial can be found on the side bar), along with so,e shells. Once dry inked the blue water with Broken china Distress ink. This left a nice white section looking like the foam on the water when it washes in. Lastly I sponged the same ink over a mask and added the sentiment stamped using Non Sequitur "Across the Miles" Stamp. Now if you pop on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog you can see some more wonderful pieces of inspiration from my team mates, then go ahead and link up your project.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day. Angela.

Blog candy winners

2011-08-01T22:46:00.002+01:00

A very big thank you to all the wonderful bloggers who left me such nice comments throughout the month of July and all the new followers welcome. Now I do apologise for being a little late in posting the winners of the final weeks blog candy. I have been buried in boxes with the packing. Worst bit is someone wants to see the house tomorrow. Now is that horrible timing or what. Oh well such is life.

Now lets get onto the reason we are here....The candy winners.

Belle has her bowl and all the names are in...

and she has pulled out the first name.....

And the winner of the holiday pack by random draw is........

Mrs A

Now Belle has the second name drawn out....

And the winner of the Black and white kit by Random drawing is.....

Brenda Brown

Congratulations to Mrs A and Brenda. If you email your posting addresses to me at scrapbookcafe2@yahoo.com I will get your prizes out to you asap.

Thanks again to all who entered and joined me on my blog throughout the month of July. Now I am off to my packing once again. Thanks for stopping by and Have a most wonderful day. Angela

August ATc Swap at the Stamp Man

2011-08-01T12:00:00.000+01:00

Its time for the start of the August ATC swap at The Stamp Man. This time we have the Theme of "Oceans" . This was a bit of a challenge at first but with a room full of creative minds the ideas began to flow. I chose to do some triple embossing with the UTEE and add a touch of Faux sand on the front one. The back ones I used Tim Holtz Air travel stamps. My full recipe list is below.

To see some more lovely inspirations please hop on over to The Stamp Man ATC blog where my team mates have put together some spectacular ATC's to help inspire you on this theme. You will also be able to find the full swap rules and details.

Sadly I must now go and return to my packing.

Have a wonderful day . Angela

My materials list:

Tim Holtz Distress inks (Faded Jeans, Broken China, Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Walnut)

Tim Holtz Stamps (Mini Classics, Air Travel)

Ranger UTEE

Distress Crackle (Rock Candy)

Perfect Pearls (Heirloom Gold)

Glossy Accents

Beads(Sale room -Stamp Man)

Shells

What a lovely weekend!

2011-08-01T10:56:00.007+01:00

This weekend we had a girls crafting weekend here in York and it was simply put "Heaven". The weekend consisted of Janet, Michelle, Anne, Belle and myself and all we did was craft, chat and enjoy each others company.

Now for some ATC's. Above and below are my final 2 for the July swap over at The Stamp Man. The theme was Vintage. My favourite is the top one.

And here are some pics of the weekend. All the girls together.

Even the doggies got to have a weekend together. Aren't they just too cute.

No girl. the stamps are not for eating.

We did a swap among us and here is the pressie I picked. Michelle made it. Isn't it just fab!

Thanks girls for making one of our last weekends here in the UK so memorable. Now I shall count the days until we can meet up for another!

Now back to my packing. Have a great day. Angela

2011-07-29T12:00:00.000+01:00

The New challenge is up over at The Stamp Man blog and the theme this fortnight is stitching. So show us some stitching on your project. the rest of the team has created some beautiful projects and as always The Stamp Man has a great prize for the winner so be sure to go to the Stamp Man Challenge Blog for all the details, inspirations and to link up your creation so we can stop by for a peep.

Now Lately I am obsessed with the Union jack print in the pink and blue floral prints. My daughter has decided to decorate her new room in a "International Travel Theme" and this is the bedspread and pillow pattern. so recently a friend gave her a pillow with this pattern as a going away present and the best part was that they all hugged it as they passed it around so she could take with her "Hugs from her friends in England" for anytime she is missing them.

How sweet was that?
Sorry the picture seemed to turn itself(Gotta love bloggers moodiness)

Now my other inspiration for this project was an Apron. I love aprons and bought this pattern to have a go someday when I have time. LOL yeah right.

Anyway it was inspiring today on a miniature scale.

So with this inspiration I thought with Sewing it would be a perfect tie in....Well this simple idea turned into an all day project and me as stubborn as I am will not let it go and had to see it through to the end. (finished card is shown above)

I started off with some white cotton fabric and died it using Old paper, Broken China, Fired brick, Peeled paint and walnut stain Distress inks. I then stamped on various dots and florals using Tim Holtz Urban Tapestry and Artful flight stamps. Next I cut the pieces up and stitched together with ribbon. I had to add tape in the back as I was working because the pieces were too small and allot of the stitching had to be done by hand. Finally I stitched on the lace at the bottom. Next I cut out the dress form using pink card and Tim Holtz Sewing die, using walnut ink to color the top and bottom part to look like wood. The sewn piece is then put onto the dress form and fastened.

The card background is inked in Old Paper and Broken China distress ink then stamped with Tim Holtz Haberdashery stamps. I then stitched various lines on the machine to give some texture. Finally the edges are inked, The card is layered on red card and the dress for added along with some extra little bits of the fabric and a scissor charm.

My materials list:

Tim Holtz stamp sets(Haberdashery, Urban Tapestry and Artful flight)

Tim Holtz Distress ink(Broken China, Old Paper, Walnut stain, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint)

Tim Holtz Sizzix Die - Sewing Room

White cotton Fabric

Red Twill

Red/white Ribbon

Red card

Lace

Scissor charm

Now off you go and lets see your creations here.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by. Angela

On a side note. I will announce the last 2 blog candy winners for my 2 year Bloggiversary on Monday August 1st. So there are still a few days left to enter. For full details please see sidebar. Thanks to all who have left me such wonderful comments. They are very much appreciated.

A new card.

2011-07-26T22:03:00.004+01:00

Its a Recipe for week 25 over at less is more and the challenge is to use a button or ribbon. For my card I used a Martha Stewart on the border and Paper napkins for the flowers. My ribbon is a sheer purple from my stash.

I made this card for a friend of mine here in England as a thank you for a beautiful gift she gave me the last day of school.

Now I am off to to look at some more blogs.

Don't forget about my blog candy on the sidebar, there are still a few days left to enter.

Thanks for popping by and have a great day.

Try it on Tuesday Altered week

2011-07-26T09:00:00.000+01:00

Its time for another Altered week challenge at Try it on Tuesday. This week we want you to alter something into a present. Above is my take on the challenge. I altered a paper Mache box and made it into a case to hold photos for a friend.

I made this one very similar to the one I did the other day only it was a bit larger to start with. Here is a picture of it next to the original.

I still need to add the photos before I give it to my friend as a going away present.

Each one has a tag to help pull it out of the box and a butterfly.

Here is the back of the case closed.

Now head on over to The Try it on Tuesday challenge blog to see the wonderful creations done by my team mates. We also have an amazingly talented Guest designer Beverly showcasing her amazing project. This weeks challenge is being sponsored by The Craft barn. So to be in the prize draw remember to add a link to the Craft barn in your post. For full challenge details and to link up your project visit the TIOT blog.

Have as great day and thanks for stopping in.

Angela

Blog candy winners

2011-07-23T09:54:00.003+01:00

I promised to announce the blog candy winners for the past 2 weeks of prizes in my 2 year blog anniversary Giveaway this morning. But first here are the 2 final prizes for the last week of the Giveaway. First there is a pack of goodies filled with Halloween, Christmas and celebration Card making supplies and secondly is a Black and white pack including sticker strips, Prima felts and lots of black and white doodlebug glitter paper.

and now on to the winners from the last 2 weeks:

The first weeks winners are:

Jeannie --Jeannies Happy World

and

Carol --CMDesign

and for last weeks winners we have:

Vicky Hayes

and

Susan--Pieces of Fate

If you would please email me at scrapbookcafe2@yahoo.com with a mailing address I will get your prizes out to you.

Remember all you have to do is leave a comment on any post to be entered in the final prize draw. Thank you to all who have been leaving such wonderful comments so far. I apologize for being a bit behind in visiting blogs lately. The end of school term and getting ready for the move have gotten the better of me but I will be around soon. thanks again for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

Over the hump

2011-07-22T15:49:00.003+01:00

Sorry I have been MIA lately. This has been a very crazy week as it was the last week of the school term. There was so much to get done and of course the weather caused my arthritis to act up. So not much time for crafting or at least crafting for me that is.

Shown above is a picture the kids at school made for me as yesterday was both mine and Belles last day. All the kids in school and the teachers did a fingerprint in the tree and signed their names. I will really miss them next year. I was so touched by this as well as some of the other beautiful things I received. Yesterday wound up being a very emotional day saying goodbyes and all along with the leavers ceremony. Now there is just the final packing then the move to deal with and I am not looking forward to that.

Today my friend Anne came over and we did a bit of crafting together. A while ago we all took a trip and picked up the fab little paper mache suitcases.

Today we decided we would all work on them together. Here is mine . I used Gesso to start then layers of paint and ink along with crackle gloss , napkins stamped with Tim Holtz stamps and some accenting with Promarkers.
I still have to finish the decorating and final details But the frame is now complete.
Well that is all I have for now. I will post the final project when it is finished. Now I am off to do a major catch up on my blog reading and commenting. If you have left me a comment and I have not gotten to your blog yet it is because I was out of touch with blog land for a few days with everything going on. I should be popping by soon as I go through catching up. I will also be announcing the winners of my blog candy over the past 2 weeks tomorrow morning along with posting the final blog candy giveaway.

Thank you for your patience and for all the lovely comments I have been receiving. Hope to be around to see you soon. thanks for stopping in a have a wonderful day. Angela

Try it on Tuesday

2011-07-19T09:00:00.000+01:00

Oh my where does the time fly to? The school term is almost up which means our move is only a few more weeks away and there is just so much to do. I have cupcakes to decorate, gifts to make, things to sort out and so much I cannot remember anymore, but in the midst of it is my crafting which at this time is the only thing giving me a tiny bit of sanity. Even if it is only in short spurts throughout the week. I do apologise for not getting around to all the blogs I normally do and all the new ones to leave comments. I promise once the school term is up this week I will get a bit more done and my blog candy winner for last week will be posted on Saturday along with this weeks. and now on to the new Challenge at Try it on Tuesday which is Steampunk. Now this is a hard one.You see so many different things out there but mostly they have to do with steam engines, ladies in corsettes, gears and such things. So I decided to go for a more whimsical take on it this week. Hope you like it. And not a stamp in sight oh my that is a feat for me. Well I really must ru now but I promise to return later in the week. There are some really wonderful designs by my TIOT team mates over at the Try it on Tuesday blog to help get you in the Steampunk mood. Just head on over then show us what you think Steampunk is.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping in. Angela

New challenge over at The Stamp Man

2011-07-15T12:00:00.000+01:00

**If you are here for the "Where Bloggers create Event" You can click here or scroll down one post.

The new challenge is up at The Stamp Many Challenge blog and the theme this time is Anything Tim! Now who doesn't like a challenge like that? I decided to make a Recipe box as a gift for a friend. I used a recycled candy box and trimmed out the aperture using TH ornamental Mover and Shakers Die. I then covered it with TH Seasonal papers and Tissue tape. The aperture is covered with acetate and stamped using TH Urban tapestry stamp set. The TH Grungeboard flourishes are inked using TH Distress walnut stain. The flower is cut using TH tattered florals die and then inked suing Papillion stamps and walnut distress ink. it is then inked again on the edges and scrunched into shape.

Inside the boy I cut more shapes using the TH Movers and shakers Ornamental die again and TH seasonal papers(backs shown). I used these for Recipe cards.

My ingredients list:

Recycled candy box and acetate scrap.

Tim Holtz Walnut distress stain

Tim Holtz seasonal papers

Tim Holtz Coordinations papers

Tim Holtz Urban Tapestry stamps

Tim Holtz Papillion stamps

Tim holtz Grungeboard flourishes

Tim Holtz Tissue tape

Tim Holtz Tattered florals Die

Tim Holtz Movers and Shakers Ornamental Die

Black Stazon

Now there is alot of wonderful inspiration over at The stamp Man challenge blog done by my wonderful team mates. Go on and have a look then show us your Tim Holtz creation by linking it up over there. We cannot wait to see them. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day. Angela

Where Bloggers Create

2011-07-14T18:55:00.015+01:00

Wow! I cannot believe it has already been a year since the last "Where bloggers create" blog party. Well not too much has changed in the way of my creative space since last year although in a few weeks it will all be changing radically as we are moving back to the states for DH's job again. I have quite grown to love it here in England and will miss it terribly. We have made so many wonderful friends and had such a wonderful time. But as they say Life happens. So in about 2 months time I shall have a new craft room and new set up. I will miss my lovely view and have only one window but it will still be my space right! Now onto the tour. But first can I interest you in a cuppa or maybe a slice?

Now onto the tour.....First we need to hear up the stairs to the second floor. My crafting room is at the top of the stairs.

It has a window on the inside so I can see out of the room to the stairs. this is where I keep my diecut machine and dies. My easel also stands in this corner.

Now on into the room. As you walk in you can see my shelves for storage. Nothing fancy but it does the job.

If you turn to the right there is the sewing area. Both Belle and I use the machine and supplies there. In the back on the wall I keep the cards the class made for me. In the front of the sewing desk are some paper boxes to store my card, Basic grey and specialty papers.

On the shelves straight ahead I keep extra albums, 8X8 and 6X6 paper pads, My napkin art collage supples, Art supplies, magazines/books(for inspiration), card supplies and my Porcelain clay and miniature supplies. I also store most of my ribbons and lace on hooks that hang here. Sorted by colour of course.

And on the shelf next to it are my Primas(again sorted by colour), trinkets and gems(by colour/style), Buttons, Misc paint and inking supplies and Chipboard/grungeboard.

And next to that shelf is a smaller storage unit with my unmounted stamps(by theme), Masks and templates, All my paints, sprays, inks, glossy accents, Glitter, Pearls and stains.

Now My daughter and I share our crafting space. She sits across from me so we can talk when we craft. Here is a view from her desk. She is an avid crafter too and you can see her blog here.

And here is the view I get when I am at my desk looking in towards Belle.

Above is a picture of our fur baby sunflower(she is always around when we are crafting too) Thre is also a shot of my workspace with all the essentials close at hand. My paints and all are the the right also within arms reach.

And of course there are my TH scissors. Once can never have too many. And my promarkers are my new passion.

Here is the view from my window....I will miss this.

this is a spinny thing that holds some Embellies . It sits above my scrap paper draws(also sorted by colour how did you guess?)

Here you can see my scrap paper draws under the spinner and behind the door is a cabinet containing my stickles and chipboard/clear albums as well as alterable things. In the door hangs my coveted Stampers Anonymous canvas bag.

Also on the cabinet(I call it the green cabinet)are my wood mount stamps. Or at least the ones I have here with me in England. I still have allot back in storage in the states too.

Here is a closeup of my themed papers.

And in my window(with a view) hangs some cards I have received as well as some tags and such I have made.

It also hols my signed Tim Holtz on the edge die I won a ways back. (all the way to the left)

Now as for me I am an avid paper crafter who likes to alter things, make jewelry, miniatures and anything that requires glue, paint, inks or such. Here are some of my favorite projects.

This is a project I created for one of the DT's I am on "The Stamp Man" It is all done with stamping, vellum, tissue and acetate(except the chain and ribbon)

Here is one of my miniatures.....can you guess what it is.....
A scrapbook store. Everything is done to 1/12 scale. I still have to complete it.

And here is a scrapbook Layout using Utee.

and one of my paper piecings. I like to use thick mulberry paper and create paper piecings of pets for friends.
and finally some ATC's. This is probably one of my most favourite things to do because they are tiny and you can do so much but in smaller scale.
I have also managed to get into Journaling and have been converted by Dyan at Art from the Heart as a lover of spray inks and such. I even save the inky towels and make such things as purses from them.

This one used my inky towels and Stampotique stamps.
And here is the inside.

So that is all about me, my craft room and what I do. Now I cannot wait to go check out some of your creative spaces. If have not joined in from "Where bloggers create" and would like to see some fab creative spaces then pop on over here to the main blog. I tell you some of them are amazing. Now off to finish my DT work before blog visiting. Thanks for popping in and have a great day. Angela

A nice surprise...2 actually.

2011-07-13T22:01:00.004+01:00

After a rough start to the week I came home today to a nice surprise. My layout was the 3rd most voted for in the Scrap Jacked challenge last month so I won a lovely Prima book. So today on my doorstep was this great book and fab postcard. Isn't it great! And here is my layout again...
Now my next surprise came when I went online and checked for the new Stampotique designers challenge. I won the random draw! How fab is that. I won a $30 GC for Stampotique stamps. That is awsome as I only get myself one as a treat every once in awhile. They are so weird and wonderful it is like an exotic treat. Here is the purse I made for the challenge. You had to use scraps so I used my inky paper towel scraps to make it.
Now I cannot wait to get crafty again. Unfortunately I have been so crazy busy this week running Belle to dance and back for her upcoming exam, sorting through things for the move, making teachers gifts and fixing up my craftroom for the upcoming "where bloggers create" blog hop this Friday. Oh yeah and Belle getting locked in the bathroom at Sainsbury's did not help either. They had to take the door apart to get her out. Hopefully I will get a bit of crafting time soon.

Thank you for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

A new tag for Try it on Tuesday

2011-07-12T09:00:00.000+01:00

Wow what a turn out for Flower Power challenge last week. We had a wonderful time popping around to see all your lovely work. This week is tag week over at Try it on Tuesday and the theme chosen by the lovely Janet is "The Birds and the Bees". Above you can see my take on the subject. I used Tim Holtz Stamps for the floral swirl, bird and cage, Stampendeous for the music and The Stamp man for the bee(in the cage). The Background is done with Peeled Paint and Victorian velvet Distress ink and the Images of the cage and bird are embossed. I also added some white Dylusions Paint, Pink gems, Pink Smooch ink, Microbeads, Tiny Attacher staples, Purple lace, Ribbon and a bee charm from my stash.

Now its your turn....Hop on over to the Try it on Tuesday Challenge blog and check out the other wonderful inspirations from the rest of the team then link up your tag. W cannot wait to see your creations. Just remember it has to be a tag this week. You can check out the challenge information over at The Try it on Tuesday blog. Now off to create something.....

Have a wonderful day. Angela

LIM week 23

2011-07-10T19:34:00.003+01:00

This week at Less is More the challenge is a One layer card with theme of "Things with Legs". I had great ideas for this but it did not turn out the way I planned. The card above is what I am entering in challenge 23. I used Flower Faries stamps coloured with Promarker and highlighted with a glitter gel pen. The edging around the card is Dylusions Moss paint scraped on the edges. this is a bit more my style than my first card below. It was a little to cutsie for me.

on this card I had used Technique Tuesday Bug stamps and Promarkers. After about 6 iterations it still was not working so I gave up and started again with the card above. Hope you like it.

Now I am off to check out the other Limettes creativity.

Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

Blog candy winners and more....

2011-07-09T21:46:00.005+01:00

A great big thanks for all the wonderful comments you have been leaving me lately and a wonderful welcome to my new followers. I hope you will enjoy reading my blog. Now to announce the first 2 winners of my birthday blog candy.

First to go is the 2 pack set of Chipboard from Fancy pants Designs. By Random Draw done by the wonderful Miss Belle......The winner is:

Babe O'Mara

and the lucky winner of the Basic Grey paper pack and Chipboards also drawn by the Lovely Miss Belle is:

Zoechaos

Could you both please email me at scrapbookcafe2@yahoo.com your mailing addresses so i can post your prizes out to you.

And now for this weeks candy.....

For anyone popping in to the giveaway late here. This being my 2 year blogging birthday I am giving away 2 blog candies each week throughout the entire month of July. Each Friday begins a new giveaway.

A tree house Memories page kit(shown here) along with some more scrapbook papers and embellies.(not shown).
We also have a Cricut stamping set complete with stamp blocks and stamp film. (Sorry the photo was giving me so much trouble. )
So all you have to do to be eligible is leave a comment, post about my Blog Birthday giveaway and/or become a follower. If you are already a follower please mention this in your post and you will get double entries. Also if you post about my candy please leave me a comment telling me so and the link so I can pop over and visit your blog. 2 more winners will be drawn from all comments posted from midnight last night(Friday) to midnight GMT next Friday and 2 more blog candy prizes will be posted on my blog on Saturday. Each comment you leave me gets you another entry for that weeks draw. Good luck and have a wonderful day. Angela

Shades of Blue card

2011-07-06T21:10:00.002+01:00

The challenge this week over at Less is more is "Shades of Blue" For my card I used a Stampin Up stamped image inked in Faded Jean and embossed clear then coloured with Promarkers. The script is from Across the Miles set from The stamp Man inked in Faded Jean then spritzed with water before stamping for a watercolour effect. the ribbon is a pale blue sparkle mesh also found at The Stamp Man. I am entering this in The less is more Week 22 challenge "Shades of Blue"

Don't forget that you can enter for my 2 year blogiversary candy on the side bar up until Friday when I will post the next 2 for the following week. I will draw a winner for this week and post on Saturday. I am giving away 2 blog candies each week for the entire month of July to celebrate. for details and rules on how to enter please see the sidebar link.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

Try it on Tuesday New Challenge is up

2011-07-05T10:04:00.002+01:00

And the theme at the Try it on Tuesday challenge blog is "Flower Power" chosen by our wonderfully talented team mate Pat. So Think Flowers! and lots of them. It is also a card theme so be sure to enter only cards this week. For my card I stamped the background with Close to my heart rose stamps ad embossed clear. I then cut off a bit and inked the remainder with Walnut Distress ink. I cut the border using a Martha Stewart punch. The center panel is dine using the remaining embossed piece of card and adding the napkin collage pansies over top. Finally I added the jute twine and tied at the ends. Hope you have enjoyed my inspiration this week. Now there is a lot more fab inspirational pieces created by my teamies over at the Try it on Tuesday challenge blog so go ahead over and check them out then show us your "Flower Power" card. We cannot wait to see them.

Just a reminder that I have some fun blog candy giveaways all month celebrating 2 years of blogging! so be sure to check them out here or on the sidebar.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

Where does all the time go....

2011-07-04T22:29:00.005+01:00

It seems like there are never enough hours in the day to get things done. Between organising for the move, cleaning the house and getting my work done the day is over way too fast. I am afraid from finishing some DT work I have not completed any other crafty projects. Or at least any I can show right now. So here is another project I did quite awhile ago. It is one of my favourites

It is a Clear house Album made into a beach house album. The sand is done using my Faux sand technique and the water is Glossy accents.
I used shell stickers from Reminisce along with some real shells. The flowers are KI memories diecut paper.
I created a paper weaving behind the photo using Reminisce beach papers and accented with more Faux sand and shells. I also used some Anna Griffin stickers.
The rubons are from Anna Griffin and the papers are Reminisce.

This is a little journaling I printed on some clear acetate and added it into the book.
The roof was done using handmade paper.

The birdies have gotten big and managed to break the nest. Now there are only 3 left in there. the others have flown off. I cannot believe how quickly they have grown.

Well that is all I have for now . Don't forget about my Blogiversary Blog candy here and tomorrow the new challenge will be up at Try it on Tuesday. Hope to see you there to check it out. Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

No inky fingers today and Blog candy

2011-07-02T23:23:00.005+01:00

Today there was no crafting, No inky fingers and sadly no finished projects. Instead we took the day and went to a antique show and craft show in Whetherby , then walked around the shoppes in town. it was a nice afternoon. Hubby and Belle were very nice and bought me a few pressies. First was a wonderful little book over 100 years old. I love collecting old and rare books so this was a perfect gift.

And the title was perfect. Love it!!!!

Next thing they bought me was a lovely Tea set. I have been looking for one now for quite awhile and this caught my eye. I loved the design and the cups are fab. Not too tiny like some.

And he even got me the tea for one set too. Love love love it!!!

Now it is Blog Candy time. This month I am celebrating 2 years since starting my blog. I cannot believe it has been 2 years already. So I thought I would share it with my wonderful blogging friends. Since it is my 2 year bog anniversary, I will be giving away 2 blog candy prizes each week throughout the entire month of July.

And now it is time to show you this weeks blog candy.

First we have a pack of Basic Grey and Chip stickers to match.

And for the other candy we have 2 12x12 Chipboard shape packs by Fancy pants designs.

They have 3 sheets each. That's 6 12 X12 sheets of shapes.

To be in the draw for either of these prizes just leave me a comment on any post. Comments left from July 1 through midnight July 7. 2 winners will be drawn on July 8 and a new set of blog candy will be posted. To receive additional entries you can post about the blog candy with a link back to my blog, Become a follower or mention that you are already one, leave comments .

I am hoping to be getting a bit inky tomorrow with some more projects and maybe a tutorial, we shall see. Until then I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for taking the time to stop in.

Angela

Blog Candy Winner and new ATC

2011-07-01T21:31:00.006+01:00

Oops! I forgot to post my first ATC for The monthly swap over at The Stamp Man ATC blog. The Theme this month is "Vintage" so I made this lace pocketbook. It reminds me of one my grandmother had. There was a little flip over rose clasp on it. For my little pocketbook ATC I used TH Old Paper Distress ink on white card the embossed in clear with Aspects of design Lace sheet 1 stamp. I then inked over it with TH Victorian Velvet distress ink. I did the same to the top layer of the purse and put in place. The Rose clasp is stamped using the mini Rose Stamp from sheet Butterfly Angels then embossed with gold. finally I added a spare bit of gold chain for the strap. If you are up for an ATC swap we would love to see your cards for this them. Just link them up at the Stamp Man ATC Blog here. There is also some great inspiration there from some of my Stamp Man Team mates there.

An now something you have been waiting for.....The winner of my blog candy....First of all a Great big thank you for all the wonderful comments you have left me. I am working my way around to visit all the blogs and leave you some in return. So Thank you form the bottom of my heart. They are really appreciated.

And now this package of goodies goes to......

We took all the entries

put them in a hat the old fashioned random draw way and Belle pulled a winner....

And the winner is.....

Debbie

Debbie's blog is http://fairybluebellscraftadventure.blogspot.com/

Now anyone who knows my giveaways will know that Belle cannot pull just one name so the following people will also receive some little packages from us. Not as big as the main giveaway but a little something. So now for the other winners.........

The Sparkle Fairy - http://thesparklyfairy.blogspot.com/

and .....

Sam - http://sam21ski.blogspot.com/

Please email me at scrapbookcafe2@yahoo.com with your mailing details and we will get your packages out to you.

Now July is my 2 year Blog anniversary. I cannot believe it has been 2 years already. when I think back to when I started it was just something to keep me busy with all my newly found spare time after adjusting to the move. Now I am so addicted to it.....LOL.

So Since it is 2 years I will be giving away 2 blog candy prizes a week for the entire month. that's right....2 prizes each week until the end of July. All you will have to do is leave a comment for 1 entry, Become a follower or mention you are one for another and post about each candy for another. The first candy will start tomorrow and I will post about it then although any comments left on this post will count towards it since it is July. Remember check back tomorrow for all the nitty gritty and picture details.

Well I guess that is all for the night. I will leave you with a picture of our little babies up under the eve of the front door. ........ .......

Aren't they cute....there are 6 of them stuffed in there and they are getting really big fast. in fact they broke the nest a bit today. They are really sweet but they make such a mess of the front door. But just look at those eyes staring at you. I will miss them when they go.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping in. Angela

challenge 26 at the Stamp Man Challenge Blog

2011-07-01T12:00:00.000+01:00

Wow I cannot believe all the wonderful entries we received for the Butterflies and Dragonflies challenge at The Stamp Man Challenge blog. You were all amazing! Now onto the new challenge and this time it is being hosted by the wonderful Brenda. Now if you are familiar with Brenda's work you know how amazingly talented she is. Now Brenda has given us a 2 part challenge. The first part is Alcohol inks and the second is a sketch (Shown below).

I have used Lettuce Alcohol inks on my background(gloss paper) with a bit of Heirloom gold Perfect Pearls flicked on. I then inked through a mini circle template with Peeled Paint and Victorian Velvet Distress ink . For the next layer I inked the strip with Victorian Velvet Distress ink and then stamped the script using TH Distress stain in walnut and script stamp from "Across the Miles" AOD. Finally I heated some fusible webbing over the top. The final layer is on gloss paper and inked using Aqua Alcohol ink and blending solution. The Funky Flowers image is then stamped on and coloured slightly with Promarkers. It is then edged in Walnut distress stain and layered on the card ad the butterfly charm is added.

My Materials list:

Ranger Glossy Paper
TH Alcohol ink Blending solution
TH Alcohol inks -Lettuce, Aqua
TH Distress ink – Victorian Velvet
TH Distress ink – Peeled paint

TH Distress stain walnut

Aspects of Design 56 Funky Flowers

Perfect Pearls Heirloom gold

Fusible Webbing -(From the Sale room at The Stamp Man)

Aspects of design Across the miles(Script)

Butterfly charm(unknown)

Now it is your turn to show us what you can do with Alcohol inks. Just pop on over to The Stamp Man Challenge blog and take a look at all the wonderful inspirations our DT has created for you then link up your entry. I cannot wait to stop by and take a look at your wonderful creations. You can also check out the rules for entering here too.

A great big thanks to all who entered my blog candy. I have not yet made it to all your blogs but will do so by the end of the weekend. We are tallying all the entries and will draw a winner later today so please do check back to see if you have won.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful day. Angela

New Layout for Scrap Jacked June challenge

2011-06-29T15:47:00.004+01:00

I decided to Jack Julies layout this time over at Scrap Jacked. They make it so easy to get some of my scrapping done each month by providing such great inspiration for us to jack. I had all intentions to try and get 3 done this month but time again has run short and Life happened. Maybe I will have a bit more time next month.

For my layout i used Basic Grey paper, pages from The Jungle book, Woven paper(Unknown), Pearl decorations, Prima flowers and leaves. The Picture was taken a few years back of Belle, James and Ava doing Hear, See, Speak no Evil. I figured the picture spoke for it'self and did not need a title.

Tonight we took the girls to go see Grease the Musical. It was great and they had such a great time. This is why the post is so late. I tried to put it up before we left but Blogger was having issues again so it had to wait till we got home. Hopefully it is before the deadline.

Don't forget there is still one day left to enter in my blog candy. For more information just click here or click on the picture on the sidebar.

Hope you have a wonderful evening and thanks for stopping in. Angela

LIM week 21 sketch

2011-06-28T16:32:00.002+01:00

The new challenge for week 21 at Less is more is a sketch. Above you can view my take on it. I decided to cut holes in the card and make it like a train window with a scene in the back. The paper on the top of the card is G45 and the image of the scene is from my US Artquest Napkin collage kit. the edges of the windows are foiled with silver. The sentiment is from Creative Expressions Vintage Aviation set. I got scared when I first stamped it on because I thought I doubled part of the image until I looked and that is the way the stamp is....Phew.... The picture really does not show the depth but I liked the way the flash made the windows glisten.
Here is a shot of the scenery when you open the card.

I am linking this to Less is More Week 21 challenge.

Please don't forget there is still time to enter for my blog candy here or click on the picture on my sidebar. It is open until the 30 of June.

All you have to do is leave a comment today or on any post from the start of the blog candy to receive more entries. check full details for more ways to get entries.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day. Angela

Try it on Tuesday

2011-06-28T09:00:00.000+01:00

This week on Try it on Tuesday the Theme is "Recycled boxes" and it is an altered art challenge. Since I have been on a recycling kick this is perfect. I decided to alter a Foil box.
Its actually pretty simple. First you take the box and remove the cutting strip. Next gesso all the edges then flatten the box and cover with patterned paper. I used Basic Grey. I then added more paper on the edges. The holes for the ribbon are punched and the box is then put back together and the fold over edge trimmed. Finally I added the trim bits(Prima flowers, gems and napkin butterflies.). I then filled the box with some of my spare ribbon bits.

Now it's over to you to show us your altered recycled boxes. Just hop on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog to view the wonderful creations from my Team mates and to enter yours. This week we are being sponsored by The Craft Barn so be sure to place a link back to them in you post to be entered for the prize draw.

Now I have to apologize for not posting lately. This weekend Belle had her Dance exams then with Sunday being so nice I wound up spending too much time in the heat and got heat stroke. I am feeling allot better now but it was very scary to say the least. So there has been no time to be crafting. I have some crafty days planned this week and will be catching up soon.

Don't forget I still have my blog candy up for grabs. To find out more click here. You have until midnight June 30 to enter. See sidebar for picture and link.

Thats all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day. Angela

SDC 33 and Stampotique Blog hop

2011-06-24T18:05:00.005+01:00

The new challenge at Stampotique Designers challenge is up and they are also hosting a blog hop. I was so excited to see that that my last entry was chosen as a SDC favourite by Joanne . You can view it here. Now the new challenge is "To use your scraps" so that is what I did and made this little purse. If your scroll down you can see my pile of scraps I used. It is also a Stampotique stamps only challenge. Below is a picture of the inside of the purse.
And here is my pile of scraps. I started with some inky paper towels(used for cleaning up my spray inks), A scrap piece of G45 seahorse paper, , Prima gem left overs, leftover snaps from the baptism outfit I made, bubble wrap, fiber scraps and grungeboard scraps. I also used the Stampotique mermaid stamp, wire and some pearl pins.
( I did not use the Stampotique crafter stamp as planned or the white satin leftovers)

First I took the Grungeboard scrap(it was scored at both ends about an inch in form a previous leftover project)and I glued on the inky paper towel.

I then cut a piece of the G45 scrap paper and glued on the back of the grungeboard piece inside the score lines.

Next I stamped the mermaid on the paper towel side and filled in with a opaque white pen.
Once dry I coated it with a glossy coat. The snap is then put in place on the back and the purse folded into position. Then the sides are glued into place with extra paper towel scraps and the beads are added around the front and back along with some stamping with the bubble wrap and glossy accents. The handle is made by twisting more paper towel scraps around a wire and gluing into place. Finally I added the pins, gems around the handle bottoms and fiber scraps.
and here is another shot of the purse. I am entering this into the SDC33 challenge. Now I am off to follow the SDC blog hop. Don't forget I am offering some fun blog candy which you can get information on here.

thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Angela

New ATC's ...Blog candy and more...

2011-06-22T21:17:00.006+01:00

The June ATC swap Theme over at UK Stampers is "Travel with me". Here are are my ATC's.

And now my blog candy as promised.
It includes over 20 patterned papers, Jolees stickers, Die cuts, Cards, flowers, stickers, rub-ons. acetate embellishments, ribbons, doilies, brads, buttons and more.

To enter my blog candy just leave a comment below. You can also earn extra entries by doing one or more of the following:

1-Become a follower or leave me a comment mentioning that you are already one.

2- Enter the Try it on Tuesday Challenge this week here and leave me a comment on this post saying which number your entry is.

3- Enter the Stamp man Butterflies and Dragonflies challenge here and leave a comment on this post with your entry number.

4-comment on any of my posts from today on for another entry each comment.

You can enter for my blog candy now through June 30. I will post the winner July 1. Good Luck!

Today at school the kiddies went on a sponsor walk to raise money for the school.

There was some beautiful scenery along the way. I loved the colours in this photo. Hmmm Maybe a bit of inspiration for a future project.

Lastly I wanted to say a great big thank you for all the wonderful comments lately. I am working my way through visiting your blogs tonight and tomorrow. I really do appreciate all the lovely comments. Thank you! Well that's about it for now. Don't forget the Blog candy will be open till midnight June 30. Thanks for visiting and have a great night. Angela

less is more Challenge 20

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The theme for week 20 over at less is more is "Monogram" . I was going to go with the normal type for my card but then I decided to make the card above since I need a new house card.

Materials-

Winter houses stamp from A Muse.

"H" letter stamp from Technique Tuesday (Eiffel Tower upper set)

Glossy card

ProMarkers

Fiskars basket border punch

Nice and simple.

On an update front.... I am going to be posting some BLOG CANDY tomorrow so be sure to check in and see how to enter.

And before I leave you tonight I just wanted to remind you about some challenges and swaps ...

The stamp Man ATC swap blog - is a great place to swap ATC's and there swaps are open to all worldwide. the theme this month is "Trees". You can view my ATC's here. Swap end at the end of the month.

The Stamp Man Challenge blog - I am hosting the challenge this month as the newest member to the DT. The theme is Butterflies and dragonflies and you can view my project here. There are also some wonderful inspirational ideas from my very talented team mates here too and they would love for you to visit. This challenge is open until 9pm next Thursday.

Try it on Tuesday just began a new challenge and the theme is Summer Solstice. You can view my projects as well as my teams here. This challenge is open until midnight next Monday so why not pop on over and give it a go. This is a really fun easy going challenge site with lots of inspiration.

Now I am off to make some Eton Mess (I think that is how it is spelled.) With all the great strawberries we have had lately this is a perfect summer treat. Don't forget to pop in tomorrow to find out about my blog candy. Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

Summer solstice

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Is The theme this week at Try it on Tuesday and its a free choice week which means you can make a card, ATC, altered art or any project of choice as long as it has something to do with the sun. Now this week i am a bit last minute after our weekend away so I decided to make a Scrapbook page.

I used K and Company papers(pretty old), stitching on the side, Aspects of design Funky Flowers(coloured with promarker and white Smooch ink), My Sun is made from glossy paper coloured with promarkers and crackle. The title and writing definitions are from my stash, sorry I do not know who made them. Now be sure to head on over to the Try it on Tuesday blog to see the wonderful creations made by my team mates and check out the rules as well as meet our newest guest designer! I look forward to seeing your creations soon!

Now for some other catching up. We had a wonderful Girly weekend up in Skipton. There was lots of shopping and some fun workshops at The Stamp man. Here is the stash Belle and I got from Art from the Heart and The Stamp Man. Of course Belle, Anne and myself had to go through all the bags once we got to the room. it is so much fun going through new stash.
Do you see the white cases in the back? I have a project in mind for those already. I also have a project in mind for the little suitcases too. We all got some of them so we are going to do a little workshop together one day soon. fun huh.

After the workshops we headed out to tea. Chinese it was. Here we all.
Of course Belle had fried frog legs(yes she does eat very weird things, I am more vegetarian). We cracked up when she figured out that the joint would bend and she could bend the leg. Too funny.
On Sunday we headed back into Skipton and did a bit of walking around as well as some more shopping before having a bit of lunch and heading home. Of course I had a ton of cleaning and wash to do since DH was home alone so I am still playing catch up with that but I guess that is the price of a weekend away. It still was fun.

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful day. Angela

Playing around

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I got a few minutes today and decided to play a bit with my Napkin collage kit from USArtquest. Here is a card I made. First I stamped using the image of the face in the "Across the miles" set I picked up in the sale room at The Stamp Man. I coloured the image with Promarkers then stamped the Bird branch from Tim Holtz stamp set around the face. I also stamped the Script from the "Across the Miles" set using Tim Holtz Walnut distress stain. The pink floral napkins are then layered on top around the face. the butterfly(also a napkin bit) is then fixed on top and I added a few 3d flowers I had cut out and scrunched. I really love working with napkins and collage it is fun layering all the bits.

We have a busy weekend ahead as Belle, my friend Anne and myself are heading on a road trip up to Skipton via way of Harrogate. We are planning to do some fun shopping and have a girls weekend out with some crafting. Fun right! I think so . So I will bid you good evening and happy weekend and I promise to catch up on my blog reading on Sunday when we return. Have a great evening and thanks for stopping in. Angela

Pages by the Sea

It's Tag week at Try it on Tuesday

LIM wk 54 One layer card week - Stripes

Time for another fortnightly challenge at The Stamp Man

A new layout

Its All about Love!

More with Slide mailers.

Altered Art with Texture

Is all about the Embellishments at the Stamp Man

LIM week 51 take 2

It's In the Mail

LIM week 51

Not quite what I was thinking.....

LIM Week 50

Some new work

By the skin of my teeth.

The color Purple

Try it on Tuesday challenge

Another crafty weekend

double digits.....

Its time for the first Challenge of 2012 at TIOT

Stamp Man ATC for January

The Stamp Man 3rd Annual Favorite crafting project awards

Try it on Tuesday new Challenge

New Stamp Man Challenge

I'm late....

TIOT challenge

SDC43 card

what to do with a bean tin?

Shrink Plastic

New Challenge at The Stamp Man

Another layout from the weekend.

New Challenge up at Try it on Tuesday

After a crafty Saturday

Nothing like waiting till last minute.

New challenge for Try it on Tuesday.

New challenge at the Stamp Man

Napkin Collage tutorial

Its all about fabric

Scrapjacked Layout

New Challenge time at the Stamp Man

mini canvas

A day of crafting

Try it on Tuesday October tag week

A mini book.....

New Challenge at Try it on Tuesday

New ATC swap at The Stamp Man

New Blog Candy at The Stamp Man!

Try it on Tuesday Alter it week

New challenge at The Stamp Man

Less is More WK33 Anything goes

A little doodle book.

SDC 38 - Black White and a hint of colour

Try it on Tuesday Tag week

New Stamp Man Challenge and stuck in a sea of boxes...

Its card week at Try it on Tuesday....

Time for some celebrating!

A new project

New ATC theme over at The Stamp Man

New challenge at Try it on Tuesday is up.....

What to do in a hurricane....

New challenge at the Stamp Man

Try it on Tuesday wild card week!

Tuesdays Challange

Been MIA

So Empty.....

Try it on Tuesday Card week.

Blog candy winners

August ATc Swap at the Stamp Man

What a lovely weekend!

A new card.

Try it on Tuesday Altered week

Blog candy winners

Over the hump

Try it on Tuesday

New challenge over at The Stamp Man

Where Bloggers Create

A nice surprise...2 actually.

A new tag for Try it on Tuesday

LIM week 23