Out of the Box

In for a penny in for a pound!....this is really not my thing but sometimes it's good to work outside your comfort zone. This is my first page for the UKStampers art journal challenge I mentioned in the last post. The promt was Goals.
There had to be three goals, some handmade paper and a photograph on the page.........yes my picture is there, it's underneath the girlies head! I usually use stamping in my work but I've discovered the joys of digi collage sheets and I like these
LTDO's challenge for this week is New Beginings so I think this qualifies.
Hopefully I can achieve one of my goals and complete the whole 52 weeks of this journal!

Snowflakes.......

I don't know about the flakes but I've had enough of the snow... two weeks later and it's still over 6" deep! I can't remember having snow this deep for so long, it's causing havoc in this part of the country.... anyway here's George sporting his hat of snow for the Gothic Arches challenge.

LTDO have words for their challenge this week...
George (my name for him) is from Zettiology. He may be appearing on some tags shortly!

What A........

Pear!. I don't know what it is about fabric pears but I've always wanted to make one and never got around to it. I saw this one here and I just had to make one! I wanted a vintage look so I rummaged through the pile of old linen and found an old pillow case.



A few leaves were made from book pages and ..... yes florists wire and dipped in glass glitter... this stuff just looks so vintage.

Some bits of recycled jewellery and scraps of fabric were secured with a lovely pearl pin. I'm sure this won't be the last one I make.... they're just the right size and shape for all kinds of fabrics and embellishments.

Ltdo has Your Favourite Technique for it's theme this week....... it's stretching the theme a little but but flavour of the month fo me is real glass glitter..... fab stuff

Back In The Land Of Grunge

Back with the inky fingers! ..getting out the Zetti stamps is like putting on your favourite old slippers! they're comfortable and familiar! ( I do wish she would bring out some more stamps)

LTDO has Halloween as this weeks theme and The Three Muses challenge is hats... so two for the price of one. (I was going to add the quote "If you can't fight wear a big hat") anyone know where that comes from?

Monochrome..........?

It's Efemera Ink's (or Glue and Stick as it's affectionately known) monthly meeting on Monday. Each month we make two tags with that month as the theme. We swap one and keep one. Over on LTDO this weeks word is monochrome........well this is as near as I could get!... no pink, green or turquoise! I may have to lie down....

so being short of time .....I made these. I love the way a little UTEE makes it look like it's been raining.

We're doing a journal pages on Monday.... the lovely Julie is our guest mentor for the day... I'll post pictures as soon as.

Sometimes......

... you just want to create something clean, plain and simple........ a bit like a crafting de-tox!

This stamp is from Suzi Blu available here is a nice clean crisp image and as most of you will know I don't do cute but these are just that little bit different.. a bit on the quirky side! and quite versatile too.

I inked and stamped..

Glued it to chip board, cut it out..

Covered an arch with K&Co.. again kept it plain and simple

Gave her some wings (thanks Mr Tim) added a daisy(Sizzix) and some text (Cosmo tiny type)

She's all set......... for this weeks outings to LTDO (Angels and fairies) and Gothic Arches (Daisies)

Home Sweet Home.....

All done, this one uses Sizzix dies Flower layers No4 and Home sweet Home phrase. I think I've found a solution to covering those not very nice rings... old book pages and white acrylic paint or gesso! Tear the pages into long slim triangles and stick to the ring with the paint.Some of the text will show through which is nice for an old weathered effect, grunge it up with some Antique Linen re-inker.

On Monday at Efemera Ink's meeting I think I'm going to do another using Mr Tim's tattered flower die and old book pages... and maybe some kind of quote in the centre of each flower...Hopefully I'll post a piccie of everyone elses wreaths too.

LTDO's challenge this week is beads and buttons...........

A Stitch in Time!

New Hero Arts stamps........
I'm a bit lost when it comes to card making (I do make and sell quite a few) because most of my stamps are a little on the odd side and most people don't want odd cards. So choosing 'nice' images puts me out of my comfort zone. Hero Arts usually have something.....

I liked the look of this set....

but still found them a little tricky to work with. they fit this weeks LTDO challenge which is ribbons and lace!

...and it seems like I'm starting to conquer my button phobia!

Happy Birthday.........

It's whole year since I decided to blog!.....so Happy Birthday Blog! There must be some cake somewhere!
LTDO have stitching as their theme this week and I've joined in the GPP Street Team Crusade. I needed some fresh input! Tearing strips of paper........ now that's something I can't normally do, being a neat freak!.. but here goes.......

I've amassed a large collection of hand coloured papers and thought this would be a great way to use those leftover pieces... so they were duly torn and then stitched!

There's always something that comes to mind when you're halfway through a project..... so next time I'm going to make another and hang it the other way up and use the layers as pockets to slot in all those leftover stamped images!

Rusty!

Remember the bits of driftwood? and the old baking tins? well the theme for this weeks LTDO challenge is People and Places and The Three Muses theme is rust!

so this little person knows her place............enshrined in a madelaine mould! I do wish I'd bought some more of those!
A few bits of Primark jewellery and some vintage rhinestones adds a bit of glitz!

I just love this little person stamp from Catslife Press.. I'm sure she'll have many more outings!

Putting on My Top Hat!

Hats or crowns......... that's the choice over on the LTDO challenge blog......now normally I would go the crowns route but occasinally it's good to get out of your box!...............and I'm in love with real glass glitter. It must be a childhood thing, all those beautifully tarnished tree decorations. So here's my little homage to Christmases past!

If you would like to know how he's made then pop over to Scattered Scarlet later this week!

Instructions now over on Scattered Scarlet

Home Sweet Home

New stamps.......... I love Hero Arts stamps... they give me my 'cute' fix without being yukky cute.
I wanted to make a house on wheels but it turned out a little different so I'm saving the wheel thing for later.

They were just stamped onto scraps (Tim Holtz) of paper, stuck to chipboard and mounted onto a base made from foam core board.

The bunting was cut out and hung from florists wire........ just love that stuff!

I think this will meet the theme for this weeks LTDO challenge which is architecture.

PS!... do you remember this little chap who was looking for a new home?........ well he'll be winging his way to Lullabelle who was the first name pulled out of the hat!

Quote?

I can't be the only one who doesn't get quotes.........I mean of the 'inspirational' kind, maybe I just have no 'soul' However I do like quirky odd quotes and I'm the owner of a very odd cat........ and yes she would!

LTDO have quotes as their theme this week. The bunting stamp is Hero Arts, the cat is Rusty Pickle and the flower and script are Paper Artsy.

Tripple Whammy!

For someone who says "I don't like combining challenges".............. I seem to be doing a lot of it lately. For some reason I just haven't got my backside into gear. So this Gothic Arch with it's song theme is for The Three Muses challenge
and with it's little Blue Bird it fits this weeks LTDO theme. The bird stamp is Zettiology. The scallop border is Papermania.

I will be a better blogger this week..................Maybe!

Stamps Anyone?

What do you do with all those not quite perfect or surplus to requirements stamped images?... I put them in the bit box.... well you never know when they might be needed.... like now!

LTDO have stamped collage as their theme this week, so I spread all those little treasures on the desk and photographed them....... And printed my own paper!

And made a journal!........

And I'll always be able to print more...... or for something a little different I'll just shuffle them around and photograph them again

Friendship?

Most years, weather and time permitting my best friend of many years and I walk along the beach ( about 4 miles ) from here..........( where they filmed Attonement) To here.................. Along the way we play the 'Fetish' game. First find a piece of twine, any will do but there's always a bit of a competition to find the best colour or the longest piece. Then gather bits to add to your twine....... the only condition is that it must have a hole in it so it can hang from your string!....OK I cheated with the fish but he was too good not to pick up!...obviously the stranger the find the better!.......I can't tell you how much fun and hilarity this annual trek causes.

Here's my 'found' objects
And here's what I did with them..... they hang in my garden as a constant reminder of a great day!

Looking forward to the next outing This is a tribute to a long friendship, not a usual challenge piece for LTDO but I like it!

Say Cheese!

Smile!................this must be the most famous smile in the world! Gothic Arches has Miss Mona as it's theme this week and LTDO has faces, so once again...... two challenges in one..
I really must get the backside into gear and get organized into doing a piece for each challenge! And stop putting crowns on everything!

Let's Fly Away!

Wings and crowns............... what more could a girl ask for?
A fabulous theme this week over on The Three Muses. I used a stamp from Invoke Arts for the heart shrine... which just happens to have a crown on it! It's stamped onto metal foil which was then glued onto chipboard, cut out and embossed with the end of an old Biro

Various coloured alchohol inks were then rubbed into the embossed areas. The doll face was stamped onto acetate and glued behind the aperture. Finally wings were made by tracing some wing shapes onto acetate with a Sharpie, cut out and a swirl stamped on one side and the other side coloured with red alcohol ink. A bit of bling on the crown and we're ready to take off! LTDO has alcohol inks as a challenge this week so this fits nicely!

It's Black & White!

The altered A-Z book has been neglected of late and the mojo has gone walkabout again........so this page was a bit like pulling teeth!

LTDO has a theme of black and white this week and this seemed to fit with the number thing! So N is for Numbers! Only 12 more pages to go!
Hope the old mojo finds it's way back home!