A happy Chinese New Year

Hi Everyone

Today, 31st January, is the start of the Chinese New Year and to celebrate this event our challenge this week over at Crafts4eternity

is

"ORIENTAL THEME"

So we are looking for any type of project that features this theme.

For my DT piece this week I have used the fabulous stamps from Paperartsy Lynne Perrella collection LPCO22.

using a colour combination of red and teal on white cardstockout came the gelli plate and various small stencils.

I then just roughly brayered some matching paint onto manilla card stock and stamped my image 3 times.

Painting her cheeks in the same matching colour palette.

 

 

 To add further interest the fish (Paperartsy plate LPCO24 partial stamping)and chinese words, don't ask me what they say? using white embossing powder.

and finally some contrasting black stamping with Chinese text.

So why not come and join in with us to celebrate this Chinese New year with your Oriental make 

HERE

and for any of you celebrating this event, A Happy New Year to you.

Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to leave your comment I love hearing what you think.

See you soon

Love

Amanda X

Keeping the orange going

Hi Everyone, hope you are all managed to stay warm and dry at the moment in this dreadful wet weather (UK). I spent my last day off warm and dry with my gelli plate, and I just couldn't stop! This is one of my more simple prints that I have used for a birthday card for my mum. Following on from my last post where my main colour was orange I am pulled again to this colour choice, I think it's a subliminal message to myself that summer is on it's way (hopefully).

Background gelli print using honeycomb 12 x 12 stencil

Text Crafty Individuals stamp embossed in white

Black honeycomb die cut using Silhouette

Sunflowers and butterfly both Indigoblu stamps were just stamped on copier paper and covered with ultra thick embossing powder which gives them a lovely translucent look which doesn't really show up.

Sentiment Kaisercraft stamp

I would also like to enter this into the current challenge at:-

Country View Challenges theme this month Monochromatic

thanks for visiting

Love

Amanda X

Tag along with FSC

Well today starts for real as a DT member of .fashionable stamping challenges team and what a talented team of ladies I am joining there is some amazing work from the team, so I feel very proud to work along side them. So here it is my first official DT post for this fortnights challenge which is

"TAG A LONG"

Which as I am sure you can guess this is a make a tag challenge. As this is a stamping challenge your tag must feature rubber stamping on your project. 

I started by covering a No. 8 size tag with paperartsy fresco paints in yellow submarine and butternut and Tim's "Rays" stencil.

Stamps used are Andy Skinners "Sideshow" & "Circus"

and 

Tim Holtz "Oddities"

I have stamped the hand from Oddities and the eye triangle from Sideshow onto white paper and cut out to stick to the tag. The eye I have then covered in glossy accents which has domed just like a real eye which unfortunately I can't capture on the picture.

 

I stamped on the painted background with Saffron archival ink before sticking my cut images on.

Finishing touches Tim Holtz remnant rubs - numbers

Washi tape admit one and stars.

Please pop over and see the design teams amazing tags and come and join in with us this fortnight 

HERE

see you soon

love

Amanda X

Simply Kraft & White

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

I have sorted out my "Things I didn't get around to finish" box and came across this part finished piece, so I got it out and finished it.

Quite a simple make just with  kraft card and WOW white embossing powder. This picture shows you how detailed these embossing powders are.

 Stamps used 

Largest image Kaisercraft

butterfly - Indigoblu I think

Beautiful - 7Gypsies

SO - Tim Holtz worn text

Script - Crafy Individual

DI's - Vinatge photo and Tea Dye

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you soon

Love

Amanda X

N.B. - Nota Bene, Take Note

Well it's Friday, and other than it being the gateway to the weekend, and I hope you have all got a good one planned, it's also the day of the week that we launch our newly weekly challenge at 

Crafts4eternity

I know I have been missing for a few weeks, which has been to current work (bill paying) load, but I am glad to say I am back in a much less hectic position. 

Our challenge for this week is 

FANCY FOLDS

I recently purchased Tim Holtz matchbook die from Sizzix UK who had a mega sale, spent £18 on a few things saved £78, now that is the sort of sale we all like!!!

So had to use it for this challenge.

I love using colour in my projects but I have gone all vintage and neutral for this one.

 

Front

Back

Opened with some pages I have cut to fit

Side

I have used Kraft card to cut the matchbox cover

painted with Paperartsy fresco paints Vanilla,Irish cream and a touch of old gold.

Stamps:-

Text - Indigoblu "Sarah's Choice"

Flower - Art Journey Nature Flowers

Stampotique - ink splats

Die cut ink pot and quills - Cherry Lee Designs

Metal lettered embellishments ?? had ages

Rusty pen nibs - Stash

Tim Holtz Chit Chat word stickers

Antique Linen Distress paint (quills)

Black soot distress ink (ink pot)

all edged in vintage photo distress ink.

Why not pop over to join us at Crafts4eternity and show us your fancy folds project.

We are sponsored this week by Sassy Studio Design and one lucky, randomly chosen winner will recieve 4 Digi Images from our sponsor. 

Hope to see you over there

thanks as always for popping by

see you soon

Love Amanda X

I would also like to enter this into this months challenge at

Country View Craft challenges - Theme Monocromatic

I've been bursting to tell you!

and now I can, I am thrilled to tell you  that I am now part of the Fashionable Stamping Challenge DT Team. I was contacted before christmas by Shirley who runs the challenge to ask if I would like to join her team as part of the DT, well a "no brainer" for me so I jumped at the chance, who wouldn't want to join such a fabulous challenge blog along side so much amazing  DT talent?

I've joined in with their fortnightly stamping challenges many times and when I first started entering my work into challenges I gained my first ever top 3 from them. 

My introduction to the team with my first DT piece can be found HERE .

 If you would like to join in with the current challenge "Hearts and flowers" details for that can be found HERE

and also see the great inspiration from the team.

This is my interpretation of that challenge, plenty of stamping on this one, as I am sure  many of you already know, this is a rubber stamping challenge blog so your project has to include rubber stamping as a main feature.

I have used Paperartsy hearts and flowers stamps for the background masking off and stamping to create it, all over the top of a background that I made using Dylusion sprays with the shaving foam technique. The images were then coloured using more Dylusion sprays. The image of the happy couple is from Stampotique and sentiment is from Kaisercraft, used again to create the backing card.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and hopefully catch you over at

 Fashionable Stamping Challenges

Love

Amanda X

At last this year gets started

Hi everyone and a belated Happy New Year to you all. Well at last, after a very busy christmas and new year at work, I have finally managed to get a little time in my craft room. My start to another crafty year begins with my entry into this weeks challenge at stampotique designers challenge. For this week Kaz has asked us to use something new, nothing was forthcoming from Santa this year but I think he struggles to remember want I already have, actually I can't even remember what I have!!

What I do have is a selection of new stampotique stamps that I bought for myself, and this DL card uses one of them "Stack of birds". The background is one of my gelli prints that I have stamped on and coloured with distress markers which I can't really get to grips with but are fab colouring over acrylic paint. I have paper pierced their eyes so they stand out. Other stamps are Dylusions stamps. The sentiment has been computer generated then edged with black pen.
A quick make from me this time but at least I am back!!!
See you all again soon
Love
Amanda X

Humbug!!!!

Humbug!! That's not me by the way, it refers to my final make before Santa arrives. I have just finished making my last card for 2013 and thankfully I only make a special few for family and close friends. My final make just had to be with Stampotique stamps and I am also entering this into Stampotique Designers Challenge week 3 of anything goes.

The Christmas character I have used is "Oh Joy" some sarcasm there when you read the quote from Scrooge which I have cut from "Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

Background has been made with acrylic paints, stencil, Kaisercraft background stamps, washi tape and a bit of festive bling. Tree baubles are also Stampotique, coloured and covered in glossy accents to make them look shiny, the strings they hang on have been hand drawn.

Thanks for stopping by and can I take this opportunity to thank you all for your lovely comments throughout 2013 and wish you all a very very merry Christmas.

Love

Amanda X

May Peace be your gift at Christmas

Hi Everyone, I hope that you are ready for Christmas, needless to say I'm not, but for me every Christmas is the same and I seem to get there in the end, hopefully. The Christmas lead up does impact somewhat on my crafty time so for this weeks Challenge at Crafts4eternity I have made quite a quick Christmas card for our theme this week which is an "anything goes" week. So if you have time to play you can show us anything you like. One randomly chosen winner will win their choice of 3 Digi stamps from Crafts4Eternity.

I have used an already prepared gelli print and stamped my main image from The Lynne Perrella Collection LPC018 from Paperartsy.

 The trees have been die cut from packing tape that I used to clean my gelli plate with and then stuck to black card.

Sentiment is from Kaisercraft Christmas Quotes set.

The background trees and music script are from Tim Holtz stamp sets.

I have added a little bling in the stars above her head.

 

So if you can find a little time come along and show us what you are up to.

Love

Amanda X

Christmas Chaos at C4E

Hi and I hope all your Christmas preparations are going well, thankfully our challenge, this week at crafts4eternity is another Christmas themed challenge
"Christmas Chaos"
We would like to see anything with a Christmas theme, so I got the chance to add another card to my pile, be it a small pile.

My background has been made using my gelli plate with the snowflakes being made by pressing in Tim Holtz snowflake embossing folder which has given a very subtle snowflake impression.

You might see it better here

 

the rest of the card is made up of several die cuts. I started by cutting into the card with Tims on the edge snowflakes which required a bit of precision cutting

 

other dies include Sizzix let it Snow sentiment

Spellbinders 2011 snowflake pendant

Alterations mini snowflake rosette strip die.

All have had a rough painting of Patina blue and some rock candy distress glitter.

A piece of blue burlap and a bit of bling in the centre finish this card off.

As we are all in the throws of our festive makings why not show us what you have made and join in with us for this weeks challenge.

I would also like to enter this card into this weeks challenge at

Make My Monday - Frosty Theme

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Let it Snow

thanks for stopping by

Love 

Amanda X

Anything Goes at Stampotique

For the month of December at Stampotique Designers Challenge blog

 it is week 2 of an "anything goes" month.

I have made a card using my newly acquired stamps "Snowy Fran" and "Bow Heart"

Background is a very subtle gelli print where I pushed Tim Holtz alterations snowflake into the paint prior to lifting a print, if you look closely you can see the snowflake impressions that this left.

The hearts are from Dylusions stamp set "Inbetweenies. I have coloured the hearts with festive berries Distress Marker, I haven't really got to grips with these but they are brilliant at colouring over acrylic paint so that'll do for me!!

Some of the hearts have had Rock Candy distress crackle put on them and some rock candy distress glitter, you can just about see it in this photo, or then again perhaps not.

For the sentiment "Snow in love with you!" I have just cut the words from an old book which just happens to be A Christmas Carol, not that you could tell, but it did allow me to find the Merry Christmas phrase, and then doodled around..

My main image has been stamped and cut from the same book paper

and she sits upon a piece of corrugated card that I have painted with blue patina which makes it look very icy, I have sewn this on for a little icy texture. The bow heart which hangs from her has had glossy accents applied and a dusting of rock candy distress glitter.
I would also like to enter this into the following challenges:-
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Let it Snow
and
Make My Monday - A Frosty Theme

Thanks for visiting and see you soon

Love

Amanda X

Taking a break from Christmas

Well I have had a lovely few days off and I have just chilled out in my craftroom, the time has also allowed me to sort my craft room out and I have done a bit of reorganising of things, why does that always take so long? I did have an afternoon with my gelli plate and I have used one of my prints to make this weeks DT piece for our new challenge starting today over at Crafts4eternity. Our theme for this week is a sketch (this can be seen at the end of this post) and this is my interpretation of that.

It was recently my birthday and with some of the money that I got I bought some of Lynne Perrella Paperartsy stamps, this image is from LPC006.

I stamped the image straight onto the gelli print and then mat and layered to match the sketch. I coloured in her cheeks with distress markers and added a little glaze to make them stand out.

  I have added some stamping using Tim Holtz text from Classics#4 in archival monarch orange , some washi tape and a dymo gun strip sentiment finish this piece.

Here is our sketch for this week if you decide to come and join in with us

I would also like to enter this card into this weeks challenge at

Simon says Stamp Wednesday Challenge the theme is make your own background

thanks for popping by and please feel free to leave a comment 

Love

Amanda X