Something Useful!

For a while now I have been thinking that it would be a good idea to start cataloging my stash....how many times have I bought something I forgot I already had....and how useful would colour charts be instead of the scraps of paper that I currently use or loose in the corners of my handbag?!

Well this is the start of it...not sure how long it will take to complete, I know that I won't have it ready in time for the NEC in November, but at least I've started. So far I have made the front cover using the Vintage Typewriter stamps from Creative Expressions.

My local picture framer gave me a small pile of mountboard offcuts for free...So this was the start of my cover. I made a background by repeatedly stamping the typewriter in Weathered wood distress ink, masking as I went. This was distressed around the edges using Chipped sapphire distress ink. I mounted this layer onto dark blue card and stitched the two layers together with a zigzag stitch.


I stamped the typewriter on cream card in chipped sapphire and heat embossed in clear and then cut it out. I also stamped the typewriter keys in versamark and then heat embossed in clear before inking with weathered wood, stormy skys and chipped sapphire. I also stamped the typewriter in silver stazon on black shrink plastic, allowed it to dry, cut it out and then heated it to shrink it.

I'm thinking that once I've got some pages in my book I will decorate the book rings with lots of fibres....I love fibres, but I think that it will be difficult to add pages with fibres in place..hence waiting for a bit on this one.

Having checked out the feline playful blog I reckon that this will fit three challenges.....

namely..

"Fashionable Stamping challenge, Anything but a card"

"The Crafty Pad - Monochromatic"

"Stamptacular Sunday - Must use a stamp, You choose"

Tanda Teaser - Packaging

Hi, just a few mins to put together a post on the "Tanda Teaser". For the next fortnight the theme is to use packaging somewhere on your project. For my card I used the Spellbinders cogs dies to cut cogs out of fruit juice cartons. I then coloured these with alcohol inks. The inks used were distress inks and the banners were cut using the Tim Holtz die. The motorcycle and the crackle are Tanda stamps. The sentiment was stamped using individual letter stamps.

Having just checked out "the Feline Playful blog" I have seen that this card can be entred into two challenges.

Firstly "Just for fun - use something from the kitchen">

and secondly "The Southern Girls Challenge, slugs and snails something for the men/man in your life"

Where does the time go?

I really wish I knew the answer to this one! Before you know it, it's next week already! I seem to keep loosing days, last Saturday I had to take my eldest daughter to an open day at Reading Uni. I was supposed to watch my youngest row in the Stourport Head on the same day but couldn't be in two places at once so had to rely on a friend to bring her home.

This week I'm taking two days to go and see my Mum and Dad and try to help them sort a few things out. Dad still hasn't had a biopsy on the tumour in his stomach and seems to be getting weaker and weaker by the day. He's been offered a day a week in a hospice to give mum some respite and a wheelchair seems to be on the cards soon too. Not sure he's ready to accept either of these though.

So that's three days taken out of my week...still trying to fit all the other things that have to be done in so I guess that's why I haven't found a moment to blog or blog hop!

Luckily I have managed to have another play with the Vintage Typewriter stamps from "Creative Expressions." This week my creation started off with some black ribbon that reminded me of typewriter ribbon. I decided to stamp the hugs and kisses stamp onto the ribbon using "Pearl Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber." I was going to position the ribbon to make horizontal stripes across my card but then decided that this wasn't going to work. Instead I used four strips of the ribbon to make a grid. I then stamped the hugs and kisses stamp randomly in Black Soot Distress ink in the centre, masking the ribbon where necessary. This was then matted and layered onto pink then silver then the white base card. The typewriter was stamped in Black Soot Distress Ink and heat embossed in clear ep before being cut out and mounted in the top left hand corner of the card. To balance the Typewriter I glued three white rose buds onto the bottom right hand corner with a pink ribbon.

I'm entering this card into three challenges, I'm sure there are more if I had time to look! Anyway, here goes.....

"Let's ink it up - Think Pink"

"Sentimental Sundays - Must include a sentiment, anything goes"

"The Crafty Pad- Vintage" My colours might not be vintage, but the image is so I hope this counts!

I hope you're days aren't as hectic as mine at the moment!



Thanks for looking!

A Bit of Shabby Chic

Last week I received my order from Creative Expressions which included the Rambling Rose stamp set. I wanted to combine it with the Vintage Typewriter set that the Creative Expressions Design Team are working with this month. For my next sample card, I wanted to make a really pretty and feminine card and the roses were perfect for this.

Firstly I stamped the rose corner onto 14cm x 14cm cream card in pumice stone distress ink. I also stamped the large leaves in pumice stone on another piece of card. The tag was cut from the same card and stamped again in pumice stone using the sentiment from the typewriter set and the small rosebud from the rambling rose set. The typewriter was stamped on the same cream card with frayed burlap distress ink and then heat embossed. The sentiment was then stamped in pumice stone. This was then cut out.


I coloured the roses and leaves using faber castel pitt pastel pencils and sansodour. I covered the leaves in glossy accents allowed them to dry then cut them out. The base layer was distressed around the edges using pumice stone.

Next I made a green strip of vellum punched with a Martha Stewart punch with a strip of cream vellum over the top. I stuck these onto the square base and stitched around the edge and across the vellum strips. I glued the ribbon over the top to hide the glue holding the vellum down. the typewriter was stuck over the top of the ribbon, the tag was tied onto the ribbon and the leaves tucked in behind the bow and tag.

At this point if felt I needed a little something at the top of the card. An off cut of ribbon and a smokey brad did the business in the top right hand corner balancing out the tag at the bottom. The whole thing was then mounted onto a 15cm x 15cm brown card.

I'm entering this card into several challenges....

"Let's Ink it Up - Think Pink"

"Paper Sundaes - Lots of Layers"

"Sentimental Sundays- must include sentiment and sewing or stitching"

"Crafters Companion - Cards only pink and green"

"Die Cut Dreams - Brown, Pink and Cream"

Save the Date with Creative Expressions Vintage Typewriter Stamp set

Well, while I've got some internet I thought that I would try to catch up with some of the cards I've been making and been unable to blog! I have been busy crafting honest!

This is my next card using the "Creative Expressions Vintage Typewriter set". As you can see I'm still using up the ink sprayed watercolour paper! I just got the round the corner Martha Stewart stamp and couldn't wait to use it. I have a Tim Holtz mask that is similar and thought that the two would go together well...haven't had time to try this theory out yet though!

For my card I stamped the date stamp in aged mahogany distress ink and heat embossed it.

The rosette was made using seambinding coloured with distress inks and the letters were from the keypad background stamp. I decided to leave the stamp whole and just punch out the letters I needed. The finishing touch was a bit of stickles to give a bit of sparkle.

I am entering this card into the following challenges

"Sparkles Forum - Something that sparkles"

"Stamptacular Sunday - Must use a stamp, Autumnal colour photo inspiration"

"Artistic Stampers - must use a rubber stamp - Autumn Colours"

This week I received my order from Creative Expressions, so I have been playing with my new stamps making more cards....I will be blogging these over the next couple of weeks. I think I need to set up a facebook account as it doesn't look like I'm making anything over on the Creative Expressions facebook page at the moment...need to pin my eldest daughter down to show me what to do. LOL!

Hot, Hot, Hot and an apology!

Firstly, I have to say sorry about the lack of blogs this week....our internet has been awful, just when you think that you might be getting somewhere you get disconnected...I spent ages trying to get onto the internet last night and a whole long list of other peoples wifi came up...some of it protected and some not....My eldest was trying to get the internet on her phone the other night and actually managed to get onto someone elses wifi and not ours..Didn't work for me though (they are still unprotected but the signal is so bad it wouldn't connect)..I'm wondering if we have some internet virgins just signed up to broadband in the village and this is effecting every ones speeds...I know we are not the only ones feeling the effect, as my friend who lives just outside the village has been having the same problems.

It's steaming hot here in Worcestershire.....I had no idea that it was going to be like this when I set the last Tanda Teaser..Honest! This fortnight the Teaser is just add a bit of warmth...the idea being that you use warm colours on your card. I've used a Spellbinders die to cut a mask then used it to stencil a block of colour (I think I used wild honey distress ink). The Tanda Hotel Vendome stamp was stamped in coffee archival ink. I added a few gilding flakes and a bit of cream ribbon tied in a bow. This is quite an orange card so I think it will count for "Gingerloft's current colour orange challenge"

Thanks to the mask this is almost a single layer card, but then I mounted it on a pearlised brown card and then onto a base cream card, hence giving a framed effect.

Another Vintage Typewriter

I am loving this vintage typewriter stamp from creative expressions so you will just have to forgive me for using it all over again!

I started making this card last week just after my Black and White clean and simple card. I had made a couple of cards using some water colour paper that I had spray inked in yellow, orange and red and had some left over so rather than waste it I thought I'd use it with the Typewriter.

However as you will see it was very similar to my last card and I left it on the side all week thinking about how I could make it different. Then it came to me...go for 3D and add some wire and beads to form the roll bar. So whilst the layout is very similar, the colour, texture (ribbons. wire and beads) and depth of the card (decoupaged and heat embossed) do give it a different look. If you click on the closeup you will be able to see the wire between the two layers, I added two matt black beads to the wire to look like the little rubber rollers.

The typewriter has been stamped in Aged Mahogany Distress Ink and heat embossed with clear ep.

The vintage subject matter allows me to enter this card into two challenges,

"Fashionable Stamping Challenges, No digi allowed - Vintage"

"Gingerloft - Vintage or Distressed"

Thanks for looking!

Aqua, white and glitter

The next challenge over on "the Lili of the Valley challenge site" is aqua, white and glitter. The glitter is not obvious on my card but it is on the stole...promise!

Vintage Typewriter

My next set of Creative Expressions stamps was waiting for me on the mat this morning so much of today has been spent mounting them and cutting them out. This month I have Sam Poole's vintage typewriter set to play with. A bit nostalgic for me as I did a secretarial course before going to college and for one of our classes we had to use typewriters like these. We did have electric typewriters as well but we had to learn on the old ones too. I guess this was just in case we ended up working for a company that wasn't so up to date.

For my first card using these stamps, I have kept things really simple. I love the way that the paper on the typewriter is sized so that the text stamps in the set will fit. I decided that I wanted to do a very simple card and thought that a thank you card would be the perfect thing....sometimes we all need a quick Thank you card and you can't get much quicker than this one.


I stamped the typewriter and sentiment in Ancient Page on smooth white card stock. Then I punched the spiral holes down the edge with an SU punch. I layered this on black card and then mounted this onto a square white card. I did play around with some black and white ribbon and paper clips, but decided that the card really didn't need anything else.

Sometimes less really is more.

I would like to enter my card into several challenges:

Alphabet Challenge "Quick and Simple"

Corrosive Challenge "Punches/and or Dies"

One Stitch at a Time "Punch it"

Sentimental Sundays "Monochromatic, must include a sentiment"

Stamptacular Sunday "Just Saying"

Silver and Blue

The next Tanda Teaser is to use Silver and any shade of Blue for your project.

For my card I stamped the heart panel (Tanda Romance set 2) in Versamark and then heat embossed with silver ep. I then painted over this with turquoise brusho ink. I used the same ink to colour some hand made paper (for the tag) and a short length of seam binding. (The seam binding takes the water based ink just as well as alcohol inks....it just takes a little longer to dry).

I cut the stamped panel out and mounted it onto hand made paper then I wrapped the seam binding around this and tied a bow at the front. This was then stuck onto a DL card. The sentiment was stamped using Tumbled Glass distress ink.

The tag was embossed using the divine embossing folder and the numbers were cut from mat silver card using Tim Holtz Vintage Market die. Having cut out the numbers I covered them in glossy accent before sticking them onto the tag.

I made this card for my next door neighbours....it was their 25th Wedding anniversary a couple of days ago. I would like to enter this card into the "Stampin' B's - Anniversary Challenge"

Sunday Day Trippers....

This is my next Ethel and Murray creation using stamps from Creative Expressions' witty, Wrinkles don't Hurt plate.

I used chipped Sapphire Distress ink to stamp the image and to distress the edges of the circle and label. The dies were all Spell binders dies. The patterned background paper was actually made using a huge background stamp that I found recently...it is soooo big that it hangs over the edge of my largest acrylic block, but it still seems to stamp out large enough for a 5 x 5 inch card! Exactly what I need.

The colour, the check, the simple lines and the sentiment all give this a very humorous masculine feel.

With that in mind I would like to enter it into several challenges.......

"Fairy Fun Holidays - Masculine"

"Just Add Ink - White and one other colour"

"Stampman - Monochrome"

"Clearly Inspired - Patterned Paper"

"Corrosive Challenges - Funny or Punny

A Sketch

I haven't done a Lili of the Valley Challenge for a while so I thought I should make an effort this week. This week's challenge is a "Sketch". For my card I used Copic markers, Tim Holtz dies, Brusho inks, embossing folder, Martha Steward punches glossy accents and accent beads.

The flowers, handmade paper and the seam binding were all dyed using Brusho ink.

The sentiment was mounted in a die cut taken from a fruit juice carton that was coloured with alcohol inks and triple embossed.

P is for Pastels

Over on the "Alphabet Challenge Blog" P is for Pretty Pastels. This gives me the chance to enter my next Ethel and Murray card....Ethel has had another purple rinse. For my card I used Spellbinders oval die, Spellbinders tag die and various punches. The image of Ethel was coloured using Copic markers.

Wrinkles Don't Hurt!

I have to apologise.....I've been on holiday....the Wifi in the hotel was totally appalling, the last blog post I did took ages to do and crashed several times in the posting so I kind of gave up and decided to wait untill I got home....our internet is pretty bad here too but not as bad as last week in Cornwall!So this is my third card using the Ethel and Murray stamps from Creative Expressions....and it just happened to fit in with two challenges....The winkled background was paper scrunched up and inked with distress inks...using tanned colours..(the inspiration for the background came from the sentiment)..Ethel was stamped in frayed burlap DI then water coloured before being covered with a layer of glossy accents....the flowers were left overs from some that I dyed/stamped and made up ages ago when I was making some sample cards for the Treasury. The ribbon was also a remnant from some sample cards I made for Patty.

So the challenges I am entering this card into are...

"365 Cards Wrinkled"

"Bearly Mine, Flowers, flowers, flowers"

Holiday!

The sun is shining here in Newquay, we've just been for a walk across the beach and through the rock pools.

My youngest seems to like it here...she even wants us to buy a place and come here every weekend....

My eldest is complaining that it's cold (typical, she's not happy unless she's complaining)....

I think it's lovely though! >
DH has found a pub showing Sky sports and has camped out there for the afternoon so he's happy.

The girls have just decided to go down to the beach and have left me to make the most of the Wifi here in the hotel. You have to pay, but you get a voucher for the same amount in drinks and snacks so it works out OK in the end....only problem is I keep losing the connection....just found out that I had lost everything I'd typed and have started again from scratch!

These pictures were taken this afternoon.

Yesterday I was looking for some challenges to enter my next Ethel and Murray creation into and holidays seemed like a good theme. For my card I have chosen Ethel looking glamorous on her sunbed. She reminds me of my late Grandma....do you remember the pink and purple rinses? Well that's what inspired this card.

I coloured Ethel using Copics. ;The background paper was some scraps left over from some sample cards made for the Treasury in Kidderminster...I thought they looked a bit like the tiles you would find around a swimming pool.

I've found three challenges that I would like to enter with this card......

My Sheri Crafts Challenge - "Vacation"

Stamping for the Weekend - "Holidays"

Sew Many Challenges - "Summer time"

You will not believe the problems I have had trying to post these links.....
>the internet here is really bad, so the copy/paste doesn't want to play ball...worked fine yesterday! So if they don't work I apologise and will try to fix them later.

O is for only 3 embellishments

Hi,

Just seen that the new "Alphabet Challenge" is O is for only 3 embellishments. I initially read this wrong....I was trying to read of my ipad (recent birthday pressie from my hubby) screen in the sunshine yesterday and thought that the challenge was zero or 3 embellishments..Today it is raining on the edge of Dartmoor so I can actually read my computer screen....a change of plan was needed....

I was going to show you my next Ethel and Murray creation with no embellishments..ho hum will have to find another challenge for that one.

In the mean time I can share a card using a digital download from Charmed Crafts. My 3 embellishments are 2 flowers and one ribbon. The flowers were made using Tim Holtz tattered florals die and handmade paper from Ikea. A bit like the string in the last post I haven't been able to get any more of this paper, but it does make the most beautiful flower embellishments...basically I cut loads of layers...screw them up and then sponge distress inks over them...in this case I have used Victorian Velvet Distress ink. The image has been stamped in Black Soot and coloured using copic markers. The background was stamped using my dotty stamp and sponged in Spun Sugar. The background papers are from a V&A set from Papermania, I think.

Other equipment used....Spellbinders dies...Martha Stewart Punch....SU punch....

The other day Zoe told me about a blog that has a summary of loads of Challenges called "Feline Playful" I've just been over there to check it out and realised that I can enter my card into four more challenges....so here we go.....

Fussy and Fancy - "3 or more of your favourite embellishments" , these flowers and gingham ribbons are my fave embellishments at the moment!

Crafty Ann's - "Scallops and or Fancy Borders", think my Martha Stewart punches get me in on this one....

Card Makin' Mamas - "Pink" - This card is predominantly pink...

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - "Pink and Brown" ...pink already mentioned...brown gingham ribbon and brown glittery brads as the flower centres.

Thanks for looking.....off to look for some challenges to enter my next Ethel and Murray card for "Creative Expressions"

Tanda Teaser - Monochrome

Hi just popped on to let you know that the next "Tanda" Teaser is Monochrome. My card uses Tanda stamps, spellbinder dies, my Dotty Stamp (exclusive to the Treasury), and Distress inks (Weathered Wood and Stormy Skies).

I punched holes and inserted eyelets using my Crop a dial and used white parcel twine from Ikea....not sure if you can still get it as they didn't seem to have any wrapping stuff last time I was there. The background for this card was done using the compass mask from Tim Holtz and Weathered wood distress ink.

Just a quick reminder!

Just a quick reminder.....the current "Tanda Teaser" , Ribbons and Bows ends tomorrow morning when the next Teaser goes live...so if you have the time to pop over we look forward to seeing you there.

See the Tanda Teaser for the details of stamps used. I used distress inks to stamp and colour the images and glossy accents on the main image....which was stamped on card die cut using nesties. The ribbon was from fantastic ribbons.

First card for Creative Expressions and a couple of challenges.

So here we go....my first stamps arrived from Creative Expressions on Friday morning together with the official agreement....I'm thinking, ooops...I'm going on holiday very soon, this is not going to look good...so I've spent the weekend and today working on samples so that I can schedule posts while I'm away! Not going far (because of Dad, but won't be online most of the time and not sure all my crafty stuff would fit in the car with two teenage girls and all their luggage!)

So drum roll please....here is my first card featuring Ethel and Murry.

I would also like to enter my card into two challenges....
namely

"the totally gorjuss round and round challenge"

plus

the "Navy and one other challenge from the alphabet girls"


The one other is silver for the brads and the Krylon pen.....

I can't help but think of Dad with this sentiment....he's all there up top...just moving a hell of a lot slower!

This is a really simple card...all you need is the stamps...nesties...white and navy card...a couple of brads.... and chipped Sapphire distress ink....maybe a bit of glue...some foam and a paintbrush...

Sue
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Bitter Sweet?

Good news.....I got a place on the Creative Expressions Design Team!!! Looking forward to seeing Patty at the Treasury tomorrow coz she told me to go for it! Big hugs all round!

I spent the weekend with Mum and Dad....and a memorable 5 hours (on Saturday) sat on the M25 between junction 9 and 8 trying to get to the demo day at the Craft Barn. We finally got to junction 8 at 7pm...the on board computer said our average speed was 3mph..and since the engine was switched off for most of that we could have walked there quicker! well maybe not mum....she did say that the enforced inactivity helped her feet and they didn't hurt the next morning. Needless to say we missed the demos (I was so looking forward to seeing this Andy Skinner guy). Dad was pretty distressed when we got back...we had only planned to be 3 hours max. But at least mum got a break...not the sort you would choose but still a break.

So onto the bad news..Dad was supposed to have his biopsy today in London...he's been waiting for this since the New Year...it didn't happen. The doctors thought that he would either have a cardiac arrest on the table or tonight at home and die..so they wouldn't take the risk. I'm glad they didn't because the good news is I still have my Dad!

They have agreed to try again mid September if his salt levels are OK, that way Dad will hopefully see his 50th Wedding anniversary and my Brother is flying from the States so that we can have a little celebration. I need to think of a really fabulous desert...he's not up to going out so I told mum I'd do desert. Any ideas?

Sue
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