I Love being the Queen Bee

Hi everyone

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend, mine has been filled with birthday celebrations, not mine, but my lovely mums. I seem to have done nothing all weekend than eat fabulous food. In an attempt to stop putting food in my mouth I had a little play in my craftroom, keeping my hands busy with something other than eating. I ended up decorating a mop up tag I had saved in my stash.

I have used Dina stamps and stencils and added torn washi tape, black paper string and a touch of black ric rac. The bee has been stamped onto gesso covered dictionary page and roughly painted.

Right i'm off to sit myself in front of the TV and try and not eat biscuits and chocolate.

See you soon

Love

Amanda X

Party Girls

Hi everyone

I just needed a colouring in session and what better to colour in than one of the fabulous Girlfriend stamps by Art impressions that I have long neglected. It was my mums birthday yesterday and she just loves these old girls.

I have used the "Party Girls" set and coloured with Prismacolour pencils.

As you can see I've kept this clean and simple letting the image speak for itself.

Have a fabulous day and see you all soon

Love

Amanda X

Take the Scenic Route for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

It's time for my weekly post over at That's Crafty 

for the full view and all the details hopefully you'll pop over HERE, I look forward to seeing you over there.

Love

Amanda X

Hues of Red & Pinks at Stampotique

Hi Everyone

At last, time is on my side, and I get along to play along at Stampotique Designers Challenge. This weeks challenge is to use only hues of Pink and Reds. 

I have created a little 4" x 5" deep canvas.

Canvas was first randomly covered with rough brush strokes of acrylic paint in hues of pink and red. Then stenciled more paint on it, a little bit of stamping with pale pink paint and then some pink splatters.

Onto a piece of copier paper I stamped Kate Cranes "Ta Dah" and coloured with pencils. I then stamped twice the heart that features on the front of the "welcome door" stamp and hung the hearts from 2 pieces of black cotton (they really swing)

My sentiment was typed out and then added. All were added to the canvas with matt medium.

Hope you like it and see you soon

Love

Amanda X

ATC's at That's Crafty Challenge Blog

Hi everyone

Over at That's Crafty challenge blog we have the start of another challenge fortnight and our theme for the next 2 weeks is

ATC's

ATC's are little pieces of your art and measure 2.5" x 3.5".

I have created a trio of ATC's which I have mounted onto some black painted board.

The backgrounds of them have all been created using Dylusions paints smeared on with my finger. I have then added various pieces tot hem including stenciling using a That's Crafty Dinky stencil, bits of torn striped paper, cotton glued on with matt medium, circles punched out of striped paper and some bobble trim. 

I have stamped my hearts using Dylusions paint, machine stitched through the centre of them, stenciled some dots and then added the words "Love Your Art" which were typed out on my vintage typewriter.

For more inspiration my team mates have created a variety of ATC's which you can see HERE.

We would love it if you joined in and share your little creations with us. As always, with our challenge, one lucky winner will receive a £20 voucher to spend at the fabulous That's Crafty online store.

We hope you'll come and play!

thanks for stopping by 

love

Amanda X

Portrait Hera for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

I am over at That's Crafty team blog with this piece today

For all the details just pop over HERE

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

I've Gone Steampunk at That's Crafty

Hi everyone

Just a quick post to let you know that I have gone all Steampunk for 

 That's Crafty Team Blog

hopefully you'll pop over HERE for all the details of how I made it.
I would also like to enter into this months challenge at
SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge with Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

It's WINTER at That's Crafty Challenges

Hi everyone

and welcome to our first challenge of 2016 over at That's Crafty Challenge Blog and as the weather here in the UK turns adversely colder our first theme of the year is quite adapt as it is

WINTER 

(but not Christmas).

My design team piece has been inspired by a song title.

I have created my piece on the largest grey/white board heart made and supplied by That's Crafty. They have a fabulous range own brand surfaces which you will find HERE.

I started by painting on a thin layer of gesso and then when dried smeared a rough layer of crackle paste over the heart ensuring that the coverage was quite random as I didn't want an even surface or even crackle effect. When that had dried (I left it overnight). I then added the hearts using crackle paste again through the hearts Dinky Stencil and again left to dry. I then applied a thin layer of Paperartsy paint London bus and then wiped back with a baby wipe. Next I added layers of Paperartsy paint in South Pacific and Beach hut. Finally I edged the heart, applying paint with my finger, using more London bus paint. I then toned the heart down with Decort Antiquing cream. When it was all totally dry I sanded back to expose the white of the texture paste.

I stamped the trees - Hero Arts "Snow Dust" directly onto the heart with black Stazon ink, made it look snowy with grains of ultra thick white embossing powder and the grounded my trees using torn pieces of dictionary paper which is meant to represent the snow. I have actually used the dictionary definition of snow to do this with.

I then took one of the grey/white board small hearts and again smeared crackle paste on it and when dry painted with London Bus and the toned it down again with Decoart black antiquing cream. 

I wrapped some fine wire around it and used a hot glue gun to glue it to the larger heart.

I then typed the Song title "It may be winter outside, but in my heart it's spring" onto old book paper and added to the heart with matt medium.

Myself and the rest of the team have interpreted our first theme very differently so it's well worth popping over here HERE for a variety of inspiration.

We would love to see what you create following our theme. As is with our challenge, one lucky winner will receive a £20 voucher to spend at That's Crafty online store.
I would also like to enter this into the following challenges:-
Craft Stamper  Take it Make it Challenge - Anything Goes as long as there is a stamp
Stamps and Stencils - with the theme "Oh so Blue"

thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

What if Your Fears......... for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post to let you all know that I am over at That's Crafty with my Tuesday project.

I hope you'll pop along HERE to see all the details.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

 Amanda X

Dream On for 2016

Hi Everyone

and I Happy New Year to you where ever you are, hope you've had a good time. I would like to wish you all that you dream for in 2016 and hope this first make of mine for the year supports that thought.

One of my Christmas gifts was a full set of Caran d'ache luminance pencils and they are brilliant, I have coloured the wonderful Prima Finnabair image with them which has then been edged with distress inks.

The background is a piece from my scrap pile that has been hanging around for ages. It was a piece of water colour card that I smeared paint on left over from another project using an old credit card. I then have stamped several of the the sentiment and texture stamps from the Finnabair range using watering can archival ink.

I added some leftover pieces of painted mesh and rusted metal washers to just finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by and here's to a fabulous crafty 2016 for all of us

Love

Amanda X