Summer Holiday....

I stumbled across a fabulous little stamp company called Rubber Dance Stamps....and I fell in love with them.
So I ordered a set of stamps and they arrived with in a very short time,postage rates very good too...
I've always loved stamps that have a vintage feel and are that little bit different....and Rubber Dance fits that bill perfectly...so I will be ordering more when funds allow...
Rubber Dance Stamps also run a monthly challenge so of course I just had to enter...

The remit for the challenge is to use 3 colours....Vintage White, Forgetmenot Blue and Cinnamon Brown. There is an optional theme if you wanted to use it ...but I preferred this one,although my Tag could cover both themes I think.

I used the Rubber Dance stamp for the image and the script, love this little image....for vintage white I swiped the corrugated card in off white acrylic paint and I used the same colour for the lace and cotton tie...The ribbon and matting card is as near as I could get to cinnamon...so hopefully my Tag fits the the challenge....
Why not pop over to their blog for a look,there's still time to enter their challenge...you can find it here....
                            Rubber Dance Challenge

A Few Stripes....

The challenge over at Tagalong is underway....a great theme too "Stripes" so plenty of choices...
Here's my Tag...I used a set of Oxford Expression Stamps...love them.

If you love making Tags and you like the theme, why not pop over and enter the challenge...you can find it here....

Tagalong Challenge

Take it-Make It.... Artist Trading Block

I have a subscription with the Craft Stamper Magazine...and I get mine delivered before it goes on sale in the shops.
Each month I read it over and over until the pages end up all dog eared,lol...a wealth of information and a free stamp too!
So I was pleased when I saw that they are running a challenge each month.
Julys Challenge is to stamp somewhere on your project....so I made this....An Artist Trading Block and everything on it except for the top embellishments is from one set of stamps.

This is a 3" square cube made from MDF and available from Fernli Designs....it is beautifully crafted, easy to glue ( I used PVA ) together without any overlaps or gaps...and they make  them in different sizes.

I glued my cube together and left it to dry for an hour, then I covered all 6 sides in black card, you can use any colour, as its just the base layer.

Once I finished doing that I cut 6 squares of white card and inked them up in bright colours....

Using the gorgeous Oxford Impressions set of sewing stamps, I created the backgrounds for all 6 sides, then glued them on to the block.

On some spare card that I had previously inked up, I stamped the elements, the dress form,bodice,etc.... ( dosen't that dressmaker look stern, it's a great photo stamp and is part of the set ))  and then I adhered them to backgrounds on the block.

For the top of the cube,I added a tiny jar of beads, cotton reels,buttons and scissors, as well as 2 brass corners.

For the feet I just glued on 4 mini cotton reels.

So, if you like to stamp...why not pop over to Craft Stamper and enter their challenge this month, you can find it here...

.Craft Stamper,Take It-Make It Challenge

A Winter Scene

I just had to use my new stamp...it's one that I bought using my winning voucher from Artistic Outpost
This really is such a gorgeous stamp and it has a Christmassy look to it,but it really can be used out of season too...

I cut the Tag from some nice thick dark brown card, then added some stripped back cardboard that I swiped with some textured paste,its like snow and has a bit of glitter to it.

The image was stamped on plain white card and the image on it's own dosen't really need anything else, although you could lightly colour it if you wanted to....then I mounted the image on to dark brown card,the same as the tag, then mounted that on to the corrugated card and on to the tag.

The lace is vintage,it is part of a button on collar that was given to me quite some time ago...

You can see where I've cut the piece I wanted for the bottom of the tag....I also used fabric and some silver mesh to finish it off completely.

Why not pop over to the challenge and join in the fun...you can find it here...

ARTISTIC OUTPOST

Ladie's Diary Money Box

I joined in with a swap over on facebook in a craft group I belong to. The swap remit was.....
"To make a gift and add a letter telling your swap partner a little about yourself"
So I was definately up for that challenge....I had a Birdhouse shaped money box that I've had for ages, also had quite a few paper scraps left over from another couple of projects I did a while ago.
As my swap partner received my gift on friday, its safe now for me to post to my blog....and here it is.

The money box is made from MDF.

Before adding the papers, I painted the roof twice in matt black acrylic paint.

After the papers were glued to the money box, I adding some embellishing and also added highlights to different areas all over the money box using Glossy Accents.

You can just about see the highlights here in the flowers in this picture, the ladies stole also was highlighted,it's a shame it hasn't shown in the photos.

( click on image)

I added flowers to the roof section, along with some lace and pearl beads.

I popped a 10p coin in to the money box for good luck...wonder what the postman thought when he heard it rattling inside the parcel,lol....

Below is a sheet of A4 paper that I prettied up using an image of the money box through a graphics programme, I thought that writing a little something about myself on paper that matched the gift would be nice for my swap partner...I even added a thumbnail image on the envelope too.

Thanks for dropping by my blog...a quick message to a couple of friends...Jenny I promise to write very soon....and Jan, I will remember to email you soon...xx

Christmas in July

Well that was the theme of a swap I signed up for....lol. Although when you think about it,most cardmakers are all ready creating their christmas cards, I no longer make cards...and I send out a lot less now as postage is rising all the time.
Anyway on to my Tag...as I said this one was made for a swap....

The remit was "to make a Tag, add fibres and embellishment" 

Most of my christmas stamps and papers are packed away, but I did manage to find some odd bits in scrap boxes, you know the box you keep on your desk/work bench to put stuff in to that's too good to throw away...I have many of these boxes as I am loathe to throw anything away,lol...

The batterries had died in my camera so I used my phone to take the pictures...quite good, but I just couldn't capture the glossy accents on the angel's hair and wings, nor the glitter dots that I also added to her gown. Although the glitter I added to the star looks fine.

Lets hope my swap partner likes it....

In the Darkness...

So, here I am in the early hours,writing up a post for my blog after being awake all night....Fibromyalgia really does mess about with my sleeping.
To keep myself occupied I designed a "Dark" digital creation...for the challenge over at Dream in Darkness

I do like creating "Haunting" images, well I think it's haunting...I'd like to think that when some one is looking at this they are thinking of a story behind the image....as a fellow crafter told me recently my images are thought provoking...do you think they are?

So if you fancy a "Dark Challenge, do pop over to the blog and have a look...you never know,you might want to stay there awhile and join in the fun....you can find it here...

Dream in Darkness

My Alphabet Tag

I do like joining in with the challenges over at Tagalong . Each week they have a different theme, that's a task in itself...it is amazing the themes they come up with too....
So this week the theme is Alphabet, a great theme so I went off and rummaged around for some stamps that would suit and  then made my Tag this evening.

I cut my Tag from some card that I had been using while playing with some acrylic paints a while ago...they sort of muddied but the colour was good,so let it dry and put on the shelf  to save for another day.

After cutting the tag,I used an alphabet stencil and pounced some colour through it...then to one side I stamped the alphabet over the stencilling.

I stamped the little girl and the clock separately, coloured them, then added them to the Tag...

So if you enjoy making Tags and you fancy a challenge, why not pop over and join in the fun.You can find the challenge here...

Tagalong Challenge

Nautical Domino Book

I have always loved the beautiful Altered Dominoes that I see over on Pinterest, so I went and bought some and some alcohol inks and created my very first Domino Book for my design team project over at Rhedd's Creative Spirit

I coloured the dominoes with the alcohol inks, then stamped sections of my nautical stamp, also stamping along the edges.

I used spray and shine over both dominoes, which bought the colour of the inks up beautifully.

Using black card I folded ( concertina style) the card enough to hold all the images I wanted to use.

I then added all the images to both sides of the book pages

To finish the book I adhered the book to the dominoes, ensuring that there was enough ribbon for the ties.

I'm really happy at how my first Domino Book looked when it was finished....so I am eager to create more, maybe a bit more lavish,lol...the possibilities are endless.

So if you like altered art and fancy a challenge you can find July's challenge here at...

Rhedd's Creative Spirit 

Pretty Chest of Drawers

The July challenge has just started over at Altered Eclectics...such a delight to be on the design team over there, such a talented bunch of teamies, so do pop over for a lookie..

My Dt project this month is this little chest of drawers....made from mdf, just perfect to alter.

After sealing the mdf with gesso,I then painted it twice in cream acrylic paint, leaving it to dry overnight.

I sorted through my scrap paper box for some matching papers and I found enough to cover the chest completely, I love these, they are so pretty.

I glued the knobs back on to the drawers.

To decorate I used a small picture frame and added some mirri card to make a mirror.

Then I sorted through some beads so I could make the perfume bottles....I found a lovely pearly glass barrel bead that was perfect to make a vase for the rose.

Added some string pearls,some silver chain and a key...and that fab blingy letter "B"

Hope you pop on over and join in with our challenge this month, you can find it here at....

Altered Eclectics