New Years Resolutions........

Many many of them that I don't usually keep, but one is to get to grips with blogging on my ipad. Photo taken and imported into my ipad with camera connection kit - done. Photo manipulated with Snapseed, fantastic photo app and it's free - done. Now all that remains is to complete my post so here goes.....

New years eve and we tend not to go out, the main reason being the dogs and the endless fireworks, after coming home once to my dining chairs having been eaten our New Years Eve antics have become a quieter affair.

Anyway earlier today I made a 70th birthday card and thought I would start 2012 off with a post, another resolution is to blog more. The card was for my uncle following a desperate call from my mum to see if I could make him one, of course I could.
The usual male card dilema hit me but my mojo kicked in and card done..




My craft studio cd An Important Date provided the NSR image, 7 Gypsies papers, old minature playing cards, naturally aged, Ebay bargain. Art parts for the fob watch distressed with gold embossing powder, clock face Kanban, then covered in glossy accents. Text computer generated, bit of ribbon and fob charm - done.

Happy New Year to you if you are reading my blog

Amanda x

Xmas Cards better late than never!!!

Well where did December go? As always it gets lost as working in retail it all becomes a blur, it is always at this time of year that I question my choice of career but it's too late now...... it does make time fly and subsequently little time to make Christmas cards,let alone post them on my blog! note to self "make them earlier!! (I just know that wont happen though) Anyway I followed daily Tims 12 Tags and even though I knew I would not get around to making them I took inspiration from his techniques this year and included some of them in my Christmas cards. I only make a few cards for family and special friends and totally admire those of you out there that make 100's. Anyway I have included a selection of the cards I made.

based on Tims tags 2 & 7

Kraft glassine and alcohol ink holly leaves Tag 7

Based on Tag 4

Just love that crackle paint!



Based again on Tag 7 and just love those
 Tim Holtz stamps



Based on the reindeers of tag 2 and those holly
 leaves again (recurring theme cos they are fab)

Techniques from 4 seperate tags

Those stamps again Tim Holtz Joyful Song based on Tag 7



Not Tag inspired based but as you can see very Tim inspired
 using his snowflake products including on the edge die,
embossing folder, movers and shapers die, kraft glassine plus
 a few additional bits. This is the card I made for my partner.
  

Anyway that was xmas for another year just New year now and fortunately having worked upto yesterday I am happy to say that I now have a few days off, 4 to be exact, time with my partner, family and friends and hopefully some crafting as I got some lovely crafty xmas presents that I haven't even really had a chance to have a good look at yet.

Happy New Year to everyone and may we all have a crafty 2012 X

Cupcake Daughter

Hi, My friend Emma has been inspired by my craft room, so much so I have started her off on her desire to make cards and do some scrapbooking. With a whistle stop tour of my stuff and what you can do with some of it we arranged a crafty shopping day, mission accomplished and she is now armed with a little bit of stash to make some christmas cards, another convert in the process. She asked if I would make a card for her mum, which I agreed. Emma is well known for baking cupcakes so I thought of my idea for her mums card, Baking Tilda.

I have coloured Tilda and cupcakes with Distress Inks I have also used my new spellbinders edgeabilities, I bought all 6 sets for a great price from Create & Craft and still haven't managed to play with them all yet, the card base and backing card is all Kraft card, others papers are from my stash, all sit on a page from an ol recipe book that I have. A little bit of embossing and Marianne rolled flower die finish the card off.

Cupcakes are given a bit of sparkle with picket fence and denim stickles.

My next task has to be to start my Xmas cards, I have been suffering with a really bad cold this last week and haven't really felt like doing anything, I have at least today had a look through the plastic boxes, 4 large ones, that house all my Xmas stash I don't really need to buy anything but I will.... infact I couldn't resist and I have, I love the internet lol!!!

Speak Soon X

Celebrate with Elegance

Hi

Well where has the lovely weather gone? Saturday short wearing weather, yesterday dilemma shall I put the heating on? shouldn't complain after all it is October.. The change in weather yesterday allowed me to finish off the birthday card for my lovely friend and golf partner (when we get the chance) Cathrine, Happy Birthday Cathrine. A bit of an epic make really as I made it through a busy week with snatched moments of cut a bit, glue a bit, design a bit and then onto something far less interesting that needed doing.

This started off as one idea and ended up as something completely different which I find is so often the case... Lots of Tim Holtz, Magnolia and stash papers, Whimsey sentiments stamps and plenty of stash put to good use. Flowers are made from old dress patterns which are great to play with.

A stop of on my way home from work meant that I could hand deliver it and get a cup of tea.

I have also introduced another friend of mine to blog land please visit her newly created blog that is:-

Emma's cupcakes 

Graphic 45 saves the day

I needed to make a card and make it quick. So I set about a quick card using Graphic 45 Le Cirque papers. Why is a quick card never that quick? Anyway after several hours which ended up not quite as quick as I had intended I had finished. Graphic 45 paper is a great stash item to have to make a not so quick card?

Sorry that my blogging is like waiting for a bus, nothing comes along for ages, then along come two lol.

With the darker nights closing in, and the British weather being predictably rainy my craft room gets more attractive. See you soon x



Magnolia Down under Challenge

The challenge this week over at Magnolia down under challenges is what inspires you by this photo.

It is very green and pink and looks like a lovely place to relax and enjoy a cupcake or two....

and

so my idea was born.

Coloured with DI's, teatime papers from my stash, stiching, embossing with cupcake folder,distress crackle paint hearts, pink gingham velum die cut tag embossed in white along with sentiment and finished with pink pearls.

A little bit of Bling!!

Well where have I been? I have had some technology nightmares, so much so I am now the proud owner of a brand new laptop and back in blog land. I have been looking at everyones blog on my ipad but have been unable to post any myself. I have also got back into scrapbooking and rediscovered my cricut which had been sat there gathering dust for far too long. My mum also bought me, as a little treat, a gypsy which I have been getting the hang of and I am now up and running and enjoying cutting as if my life depended on it lol.

Anyway "A little bit of Bling" a birthday card for my good friend Sarah who is a bit fed up at the moment, and what's the best thing to cheer anyone up? A bit of bling. She is also a bit of a rocker so I automatically thought of Kenny G images, the one I have used is a digital download, that I have coloured with promarkers (still trying to get to grips with those), I got in the post today 4 packs of their new flexi markers (which aren't used on this card but having had a quick play seem a welcome addition). Rockstar papers all distressed with tonic paper distresser, a bit of cricut text, sizzix stars die cut on my vagabond and plenty of BLING!

Not the best of photo's but hopefully you get the idea, Star text is black mirri card and is just bouncing the light back and the light is also washing out the promarker colouring. Like most of the cards that we all post they look better in the flesh after all we are crafters not photographers!!

I am entering this card in this weeks passion for promarkers where week 115 is "Anything Goes".
I love Promarkers challenge 81Anything Goes
Pile it on Challenge "Girls just Wanna Have Fun"
                                                             

Less is More Wk 27 Colour

Hi

Well I have just returned, well friday to be exact, from a week at Center Parcs with all my family. Having taken some crafting with me it remained in the bag that I had taken it in any of you that have done Center Parcs will know that, it's just one activity after another.................... and now I have another week off work to recover from the week that was and plenty of scrapbooking to do. I did however conquer a long time fear of mine and accompanied my 2 nieces aged 4 and 7 to "Cool creatures" I have to say that a 4 inch cockroach and 2 snakes amongst others is not my idea of "cool", but I did touch a snake!!!!!! unlike my nieces who had it wrapped around their necks, kids have no fear...........

So I needed a crafty fix and this weeks Less is more challenge is colour. the challenge is to create a card in the colour of our national flag, as I am from the UK mine is red, white and blue. I had recently purchased Artictic Outposts new Loverly London and London Underground stamps, which I had to mount and cut out before I could use them, I hate that bit.... I thought as I have to create in our national colours I would also create a national theme and what better than our capital city.

I just love these stamps

Background is stamped using D.I. stormy sky and fired brick. I cannot tell you how many times I attempted that union jack with the 2 colours but got there in the end. Foreground images are stamped with archival cobalt blue and the text in versa magic red magic.

Happy birthday Julie

Hi
Well I have been on a day off from work today and I have spent the whole day crafting, so much so eating has not been on the agenda I have survived on cups of tea alone (and many of them) oh I did go out, I had to nip out and get milk had to keep the mugs of tea flowing. All jobs usually reseved for my day off just got ignored, trouble is they haven't gone away, but there's nothing that is life threatening, so who cares?? My very good friend Julie has a birthday next week and for once I wanted to get ahead of myself not like my usual last minute card making panics and I have done just that one whole week before her birthday (no late night cutting and sticking for me this time). gosh I run the risk of becoming organised here, oh it wont last......

I decided upon a friendship themed easel card and blue and brown seemed to be calling me.  Stamped image is coloured with promarkers and cut out with nesties. Lots of matting and layering all distressed with tonic distress tool, stitched and edged with antique linen distress ink. Paper is from my stash picked it up ages ago. The little envelope I have made to just finish the base off with. Flowers are made using Tim Holtz tattered florals die and finished off with old buttons again from my stash.

It's been a good few weeks since I last entered a blog challenge so I am entering this card into the following challenges:- simon says stamp - show some stitching
                   allsorts challenge July Free and Easy

Where did June go?

Well where did June go? I can't believe a whole month has passed without me blogging at all, I am afraid that I will just have to write June off. It's not that I havent been crafting it's just that I haven't managed to finish anything so hopefully July will bear more fruit from a blogging persepective.

Two very good friends of mine recently had a civil service in Blackpool, what a deliciously camp day that was!! and then the following week the reception venue appeared on TV in channel 4's "4 in a bed " what a small world. I did manage to make them a card, I couldn't not. I am sure you all have the same problem in that if people know that you make your own cards they feel totally disappointed if it states Hallmark on the back. I couldn't for shame pay for a card...

Anyway civil ceromony card what do those look like? well here is my attempt.

Very simple design, had to be black and white (in my opinion) stamped with Tim Holtz stamp but I had to mask the 3rd man off, computer generated text (can you actually get a civil ceromony stamp? and would I ever use it again?) and a bit of nestie cutting.

Good Luck to them both

PS my trauma in June was that my beloved vagabond just stopped working and now I have a tim Holtz ornament...... waiting for it to be collected and replaced though - thankyou QVC

"Less is More": week 17 Pick a square

I can't believe that I haven't blogged for a while, I just don't seem to get any time at the moment to finish anything and therefore have nothing to post. I have a few altered projects on the go at the moment so might manage a flurry of postings once I get them finished. I think I need to give up working (I wish!!!) As this is the first bank holiday weekend this year that I haven't worked I just had to get in my craft room, even though I should have tackled a pile of ironing. A friend of mine suggested to me to send it out, have you seen how expensive that is!!!!!???  and it puts you in a catch 22 situation, more time to craft but spending money that could well be put to all those must have items that I currently don't have!! needless to say there are too many things that I need........ so my ironing remains where it is, hidden.
Anyway enough of my domestic trauma's, I tackled this weeks Less is more challenge this is only my second time entering although I got some lovely comments on my first it was probably a little bit too much "more"..... Hopefully my second attempt is more inkeeping with the Less is More philosophy (a personal struggle I am trying to overcome)
Anyway I picked my square and here goes.........


Time flies

The clockwork bird rubber stamp is from Happy Daze and is stamped in versafine sepia and embossed with clear powder. I then stamped and embossed it again on a old book page and cut out sections of the bird to stick to the original, I have left the wing flapping. I have added some watch parts to enhance the clockwork feel of the bird. I then stamped the saying again in versafine sepia but left it as is. The edges are slightly coloured with distress ink, and then to finish it, mat and layered it onto my card, now that might be my downfall in adhering to the Less is More principles but i am enjoying my therapy!!!

I am also entering this card into The secret crafter saturday Challenge whose challenge this week is clean and simple.

Texturise it - Great ideas are the fuel of progress

Well this is my second submission to a blog challenge in as many days, which must only mean one thing, the rain has come here in the UK after a long spell of lovely weather, it was always going to happen, and as lovely as it was at least it means I don't feel guilty spending hours indoors, indoors crafting...... its another first as I join Wanda's tag challenge over at dragonsdream tag it on.  This week the challenge is texture.

My texture comes in the form of adding and melting wax crayon to cover my tag, which gives a raised textured finish to my tag, to add further texture I have added paperartsy paints using bubble wrap. I have then stamped Barbara Gray hot air balloon stamps on patterned paper and cut out. Compass is a Tim Holtz sticker with a circular fragment over it finished with a game spinner. The torn map, I have stamped a map onto tissue paper and coloured with watered down distress inks and then crumpled it before tucking it behind my compass.

At the back of the tag, so it just pops out, is a Tim Holtz journal tag distresses with vintage photo ink. The phrase I have just cut out and again distressed with vinatge photo. A cluster of watch parts finish my tag.
Hope you like it and I look forward to next wednesday for a new challenge.

This tag has also been posted on Tag it on Tuesday where this weeks challenge theme is "One for the Boys" This is also the first time that I have posted on this blog and there is some great work to look at by my fellow crafters.

Less is More!!

Well I thought I would take the plunge and enter into this weeks challenge at less is more challenge blog. Now this concept is far from what I do but I liked the idea and thought why not. Perhaps not the best week to start as the theme is white on white?? and with not the cleanest of desk area, note to self; wipe up ink from other projects more thoroughly next time!!  I set about my idea, even though I did manage to finish it,  I think I might have a little too much more and not enough less lol, but this is a habit that this challenge needs to help me break. As my first entry I hope that I haven't broken too many of the rules.

and how difficult is white to photograph ?? Main flower is made from wendy Vecchi clearly for art mouldable film stamped with polka stamp in white stazon. I cant take a photo that shows it at its best but hopefully you get the idea, if you haven't used this product you must try it, I love it, it gives you so many options and dimension.

I think this photo shows you the dimension. I have moulded the centre of the flower, which was cut with Tim holtz tattered florals another can't live without item, and then filled it with white stickles which you see through the film.

sentiment is stamped on a torn piece of vellum and embossed with sheena Wow fine white powder a vellum butterfly cut from Tim Holtz movers and shapers butterfly die, then embossed, ribbon from my stash and a couple of white heart pins, two odd buttons finish my card, I think that list might have put this entry in the more catagory but you have to bear with me I think I am beginning to respond to this therapy as I did consider removing the pins but as you can see I am not quite there yet as I decided to leave them in...........practice makes perfect and I will try harder next week........

An explanation of absence!!

I haven't posted since 20th April but there is a reason, here in the UK we currently have some fantastic, continuous, sunny weather and with it being the UK you just can't waste it as you don't know when you will have such a nice spell again!! So this nice weather does somewhat distract me from my crafting projects leaving me with a desk of unfinished projects and newly purchased items unopened and not played with (it will rain soon). But I haven't taken to my sun lounger, I have taken to the water............... my other passion jet skiing.

This is my new toy the Yamaha VRX and I Love it!!!!!!! with a top speed of over 70mph (a bit scary)  it turns on a sixpence (more scary especially at speed) I can jump this baby right out of the water and my arms right out of their sockets........ but that's the fun!!!!

Whilst I am having crafting withdrawl symptoms, you have to make the most of the weather and I am doing just that.

Tag Tuesday - Happy Easter

It's Tag Tuesday again and this weeks challenge is "Happy Easter" not a difficult theme at all, but the more I pondered on my design ideas I realised that I haven't got anything bunny, egg, daffodil related, in fact I had nothing from my vast rubber stamp collection that I could relate to Easter at all. Time to ponder a little harder.  As I trundled round the house Tuesday evening I found myself singing "on my Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it"......... (over and over as I only know the first 2 lines of the song) and my idea was born.



Easter Parade

 I started by printing the sheet music from the internet and stuck it to card before running it through my vagabond with Tim's tag alterations die (a must have purchase). It was then distressed with scattered straw, spiced marmalade and vintage photo, applied a decorative mask and applied more spiced marmalade. I then set about making my Easter bonnets. I had a red 1/12th scaled hat which I cut in half and painted with a straw coloured Fresco paint, then decorated accordingly from flowers from my stash. My willing models were cut from Artchixs printed sheets. I then returned to the internet and downloaded the lyrics, I at least now know more than the first 2 lines........, cut them out and added them to my tag. The feather was freshly pulled from a very unwilling chicken, who will probably now refuse to lay in protest. Well if nothing else it might reduce my current egg mountain, who would have thought that 12 chickens could lay so many eggs!!!!!! current egg situation is free eggs to all who know me, I digress..........
finally 3 Tim Holtz fragments and ribbon from my stash.
Does anyone still have Easter Bonnet contests? reminds me of my childhood.

You can see in the 2nd photo the dimension that the hats give this tag.

Also just like to wish everyone a happy Easter,

Blog Challenge 'Tastic

I am really getting inspired by all the craft blogs out in Blog land, and more so with the challenges that are set for us crafters, should we choose to accept! I would love to join in them all but time is constantly against me. So I am taking a very bold (or stupid) move and entering my one piece of work into 3 blog challenges. Those challenges are:- Sunday Stamper run by Hels Sheriden, Challenge is Love - products and techniques, Simon says Stamps where the challenge is distressing and finally The Artistic Stamper  where the challenge is layers.

So here goes............................  

                                                

For those Tim holtz fans out there you will see the majority of the card has been made up with his items. I love his alterations die Caged bird, here I have painted it in antigue linen and distressed over it with walnut stain distress ink. I just love the crackle this gives to the cage. The background has torn strips of old book pages stuck to it and has then been stamped with his new Papillon rubber stamps, an instant favourite, and then wrapped with garden twine before attaching the top piece to the card. Other items of Tims include fragments with artchixs pictures adhered with glossy accents. Tissue tape, how did I survive before without this?, metal tag painted with black, and the sentiment.
Non tim items are Martha Stewart butterfly punch, some vintage lace and paper flower from my stash.The tag is a Doohickey die from Magnolia. All papers have been distressed with distress inks, some added through sequin waste, the edges distressed with tonic distress tool and then inked with walnut stain. The photo doesnt show the colours off at there best however much I try to adjust the exposure of the picture but I hope that you get the idea, like most peoples work, we are not photographers and the photo's never quite do justice to our work.

WOYWW - Life's to short for a tidy desk!

Welcome to my first posting on Whats on your Workdesk? Wednesday. As my first posting on Julias blog Stamping Ground, I thought I would not only show my messy desk, but my messy room!!! My room is still displaying the aftershock of making a birthday card for my dads birthday. Well if I was honest its the aftershock of a few more projects than that!!! This weekends mission before I start anything else is to tidy up, whether or not that happens remains to be seen.




Happy Birthday Dad

It was my dads birthday this week, the 12th to be exact, and as usual, with all birthdays, a card has to be crafted. I always struggle with mens cards but as my dad is a keen photographer it seemed a good theme to turn into a card. The stamps used are "vintage Photo" from Creative Expressions. The background film strip has been stamped using versamagic white. Pictures have been stamped in black versafine as I love the details these inks give to the stamp and then distrissed with versafine grey. The part formed rosette is die cut from Tim holtz rosette die, then stamped, slightly distressed and mounted as you can see. The card is finished off with Tim Holtz film strip ribbon. The edges of the card have been covered with Tim Holtz film strip   

alterations sizzix die cut down to just a thin strip.

My dad loved his card! 

Tag Tuesday - The chair

The Chair!! I struggled last week to get my hands on a postcard, nobody seems to keep them anymore, including me, so last tuesday came and went...... to be thrown again this tuesday, The chair? I was not going to be defeated this week but what did I have. Then I remembered that I had, some time ago now, picked up a rubber stamp of a Charles Rennie Mackintosh chair for a few pence from a bargain bin, and as yet hadn't had a reason to use it. "The Chair" - I have now.... so I dug it out and have based my tag around the theme of design.

The Chair

I have stamped the chair several times, and used elements of them within leather slide mounts (sizzix die) with a full image of it aswell. The background unfortunately doesnt show well on this photo, but it is painted with fresco paints, and distressed with vintage photo distress stains and edged with vintage photo distress ink. The self adhesive letters are from Tim Holtz new 2011 range. Thanks for visiting my blog, and I welcome your comments.

A Little bit of Cute

Day off today, a bit of me time even though there are loads of things I should be doing, especially ironing that thankfully is hidden behind a cupboard door so I can pretend that it isnt there, and as the hoover is also in there I am pretending I havent got one. Awoken early this morning at 6.30am by my poorly puppy Bruce who has been unwell for well over a week now, the details I wont go into but it always ends up with a bucket of hot soapy water, enough said, but another trip to the vets this morning and an injection (again) means that he is feeling very sorry for himself curled up asleep now on the rug. What this all gives me is time at home, and as I stated earlier a little bit of me time.  What else is there to do then than get into my craft room. I was in there well before 8.00am and my first task should really have been to tidy up, but that would be wasting valuable time so I just cleared things to one side and carried on with the job in hand, a birthday card for my Dad which I have to get into the post today, no pressure then. I cant post a picture of it until his birthday as he is likely to see it on my blog. What I can post is a friendship card that I made for a very special friend of mine who recently wasnt feeling to well and I just wanted to let her know that I was thinking about her.
 Hence the title of this blog, I dont do cute but I have to say that Magnolia Stamps "Tilda" has pursueded me otherwise, and I now have quite a collection of both stamps and dies.

All the card had to be distressed and distress inked , cos that's what I do. I have coloured the Tilda with distress inks (still perfecting that technique) I have also used doohickey dies, nestabilities,  papers from my stash, a bit of bling, buttons and flowers.

Hope that you like it as much as my friend did.



Having stopped for a little lunch, once I have finished my dads card I intend to finish of a couple of other projects that I have on the go at the moment, and if I do I will hopefully post them later on.So until then remember "Lifes to short for housework".

Tag Tuesday Vintage Sewing

As I am a new blogger, I only started a couple of days ago, this is my first post on a blog challenge. Please treat me gently, but I would appreciate your comments as I have started this blog, as you all have, to share my work and join this wonderful community that I have only so far viewed and been inspired by.

Tim Holtz inspired tag.

 I love his new 2011 stamps and in particular Haberdashery, and those little hanger clips are adorable. I have used the "kiss" technique using Tims new reflections stamps, other stamps are from creative expressions (cotton spools and text) I have added old buttons from my growing collection, and the tag has been trimmed with old dress pattern paper.

I welcome your comments.

thanks