Distressed......

Hi
Well following on from my earlier post on WOYWW 141 hosted be the lovely Julia, sitting on my desk was a selection of coloured in characters 2 of which I have now made into a card. This is another card for a collection I am making to give as a birthday present in March.

The theme this week at Passion for Promarkers is Distressed. All papers have been distressed round the edges, and I have decided not to ink them so they leave a white edge as the colours I have chosen are quite dark. Each layer has then been machine stitched round the edges quite randomly.
The images have been coloured in using a mixture of flexmarkers and promarkers (just loving those flexmarkers and I need more colours). Card has then been finished off with ribbon and buttons.


Close up of character colouring

Whilst blog hopping today on this weeks WOYWW I discovered this challenge blog,Crafts and Me Challenges, where this weeks challenge is also Distressing, so I am entering into this challenge blog for the first time with this card.
Thanks for looking and commenting if you do.
Amanda x  

A Room with a view - WOYWW 141

Hi

Well what a lovely morning it is today, the sun is streaming through the windows, I have had to nip out first thing this morning and I needed sunglasses! As it is such a lovely morning I thought that it was a good morning to take a photo of the view I get from my craft room to include in my WOYWW 141 post this week. My house has a loft conversion (one of the reasons we bought the house) and one of the 2 bedrooms created by this is my craft room, (I have my eye on the second as well as it is only a guest bedroom, and who needs guests? lol) so being on the 2nd floor of the house the view is the best.

I have been doing some stamping and colouring as I am making a collection of Art Impressions "Girlfriend" cards as a gift. The other characters I got from Create & Craft can't remember the brand.

I am also in the process of reorganising my craftroom, again!

A new pile of A4 boxes, currently empty, but will be filled and put away by the end of the day, hopefully along with all the other clutter that needs sorting.
The other side of the room, where I have 2 more desks is where I do all my stamping and colouring, this side of my room is where my printers are, and my cricut and sewing machine (for the record I can't sew I only use it on my paper projects).


Thanks for visiting, hopefully I will have visited yours.
Amanda xx

"Eye Heart U"

Hi
It's been a long day at work today, one of those thank goodness that's over. What better therapy than a bit of crafting, so I set about making this years valentines card for my partner. Against my usual style I set about a more simple look than I would normally make just some stamping, texture and minimal embellishment (one old button that I found in a drawer on sunday). Whilst I got urges to add a lot more I think I showed great restrain, mainly as time is against me and I wanted to watch "Inside Men" at 9pm. I am not a huge TV watcher, but this is a "must watch".

Stamps used are :-

Tim holtz - Urban Chic

Wendy Vecchi - an Eye For Art

And a random alphabet stamp

all are stamped in Red magic versa magic (I love the chalk ink effect)

I have added a heart charm urban chic heart stamp which fits perfectly over the heart

finished of with some ribbons for texture

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Have a Heart

Try it on a Tuesday - Card for true Love

OLLCB - Be My Valentine

thanks as always for looking.

Amanda X

Sketch n Stash challenge 80

Hi
Today has been the first day I could get into my craftroom as I have had a busy week or so, and I have been organising ribbons (see previous post) but I always feel quite cleansed when I get something in order. Anyway my other crafty task was my entry for this weeks Sketch n stash challenge where they have given you a free choice sketch from their catalogue. I have chosed sketch no. 17



The main background paper I have made using alcohol inks, other papers are Graphic 45 Springtime.

Main image sweetpea stamp coloured with prismcolor pencils. The wings have been stickled with diamond stickles (difficult to see on the photo) and the hearts have been highlighted with glossy accents. Flowers are from my stash and the sentiment is Tim Holtz.
 I just love stamping as it is legitimate colouring in for grown ups......

I am also entering this card into Allsorts Challenge Blog where the theme is free and easy Feb Pt. 1

Thanks for looking

Happy crafting

Amanda x

WOYWW 140

It's week 140 at Stamping Ground WOYWW
At last I get back into my craftroom it seems ages since I have been playing, but instead of playing I got organising. My ribbons have been in a right mess for ages, I usually buy by the metre so they have all ended up stuffed in a drawer and really difficult to see what I have. I remember seeing on a blog, (unfortunately I cant give that person the recognition, if it was you thanks for the idea) all ribbons organised hanging of non slip trouser hangers. I went off this morning and bought said non slip trouser hangers, stuck 2 together with my hot glue gun, and set about sorting my ribbons and "hey presto" I can now see what I have as it hangs off the back of my craftroom door. I need more black ribbon though.

My main desk just has the remnants of my latest card which I will post later, and of course the obligatory cup of tea, I can't craft without tea............

thanks for looking
Amanda

Happy Birthday Mum - 2nd Post of the day

For my second post of the day is the birthday card I made for my mum, Happy Birthday mum, earlier in the week, but as it wasn't her birthday until yesterday so I couldn't post it until now. My inspiration for her card is her love of teddy bears and she is an avid collector. The main image is Aloysius - Happy birthday from Indigoblu which I have stamped in versafine and coloured with distress inks.

I have touched up his nose and eyes with a black embossing pen and heat embossed with clear embossing powder to make them stand out and the edges of the die colouredwith vintage photo DI.

The card has been made using Kanban card distressed with vintage photo DI and die cut with spellbinders nestabilities with the main image recessed in the die cuts. The embellishments, Bollinger label, again stamp from indigo blue and I have gilded it using their amazing Flitter glu, the only product that I have had great success gilding with and trust me I have tried them all.......... The car is a Marianne Design die which I have cut and embossed in black matt card, dabbed with versamark and brushed with gold mica powder.

the Happy Birthday is also done with gilding flakes, I cannot tell you enough how good Flitter Glu is.
And finally finished off with gold organza ribbon which makes this card eligable for me to enter it into
this weeks challenge at Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge 170  anything with ribbon.

see you soon
Amanda X

To the one I Love

Hi
Hope today finds you well. It is a lovely sunny day here, best viewed from inside because it is freezing.... I really should clean my car but brrrrrrrrr and note to self perhaps white isn't the best colour for a car...! It's that cold I had to crack the ice on the chickens water,I have 16 chickens that produce the best eggs ever and they make the best cakes, anyway I digress.
Onto my challenge entries for today, and with Valentines day just round the corner I set to. I am entering into the following challenges:-
Anything Goes Challenge 59 - To the One I Love
allsorts Challenge - One or More Hearts
Studio L3 - Cracking up using distress crackle paint resist technique which can be seen here demonstrated by Tim.

There is a lot of dimension on this card. All the hearts have been cut out of chipboard with sizzix hearts die and 4 of the 6 hearts are painted with distress crackle paint, old paper, worn lipstick and fired brick and distress inked with vintage photo, aged mahogony and fired brick. I have added many embellishments, tickets and a tag (magnolia die). All is then mounted on a torn piece of corrugated card and sequin waste finished off with buttons, bakers twine and hat pins.
You can see the crackle effect better on this photo

Thanks for looking
Amanda X

Music is what feelings sound like......

Hi
just a quick post tonight of a card I am entering into Sketch and Stash Challenge, this is challenge 79- Julie's Challenge. I have gone for a victoriana theme and a bit of pink, however my beloved vintage photo distress ink is in there somewhere.

Items used:-

Indigoblu Musical Hall stamps

Papers from my stash

Doily that I have coloured with distress stains spun sugar and a hint (only a hint) of vintage photo

Some authentic old lace

a few pink pearls to finish it off.

Thanks for looking

Amanda X

I made the top 3, and a quick card

Hi
I am so chuffed, I have made TOP 3 at Fashionable Stamping Challenge, the theme wasw vintage and my entry can be found here my blog entry, I look forward to displaying my first winners badge on my blog.
I also visited my local craft shop owned by the lovely Sue "Stampers Gallery" if you live in the Preston or Southport area call in to this friendly shop, it's packed to the rafters with great crafty goodies and I haven't been yet and not bought something.
Sue has asked me to hold a demo so I look forward to getting that organised and getting down and crafty........... with like minded folk.

Anyway onto a quick card, I was asked to make a thankyou card for a man so I went with a steampunk theme as it was the first male thing I could come up with and only had a couple of hours notice before I had to deliver it as job done!

Indigoblu rubber stamps

background is orange coordinations card and Tim Holtz embossing folder and I have put versamark on the embossing folder prior to running it through my grand caliber, and then embossed with cosmic shimmer silver shine metallic embossing powder, the sanded and inked with black and vintage photo distress ink.

Other paper is from kanban industrial, as is "thanks" which I have punched from one of the papers.

Some Tim Holtz ideaology and a spash of ribbon and my beloved watch parts finish it off.

Anyway I have a victory to celebrate...... with a cup of tea lol

see you soon

Amanda X



Seeing Red....

Hi, and I hope this lovely sunny sunday finds you well. Having not cleared up my craft room from yesterday thought I might as well continue adding to the carnage (I really will have to tidy it following this post), and out of the carnage came this card:-

My inspiration came from the challenges currently being hosted by:-

The Stampman Challenge - USE RED

and

Allsorts Challenge Blog - Celebration of Nations as I am from England, red,white & Blue.

Stamps used:-

Day Out and London postmark - Crafty Individuals

London Bus - Creative Journey

others Artistic Outpost and Tim Holtz

ribbon is from Papermania Portabella Rd Collection

I have stamped the bus again on shrink plastic and added as embellishment

Red and Blue card from stash

Thanks for looking

Amanda X

2nd Post of the day-Sketch Saturday

Well look at me, 2 posts today! This card has been made with an image that I coloured in a while back when I first got my prisma colour pencils and never got round to using it, that is until now. I have made this card following the sketch on Wk 190 at Sketch Saturday. I have a slight shape variation to the main shape as I didn't have circular dies big enough, other than that I have stuck to the design.
Again like my earlier post, I have gone with a bold colour, this time orange, (and still no vintage photo).

and a close up of the main image

Rubber stamp is "A little Smooch" by Mo Manning

coloured with Prisma colour pencils

Edgeabilities & Nestabilities

Sentiment is from Girlfriends Stamp Set

Paper from stash

corner embellishment Candi

Friends never judge each other.............................

Well how cold is it outside today? Too cold to venture out unless you have to, and today I dont have to so I'm not. So thought I would go and make a mess in my craft room and with the cold outside thought I would work with some bright colour (no vintage photo D.I. insight today, lol), and something a little summery to brighten us all up.

Over at Rainbow lady's challenge this weeks challenge is "The many faces of women" and I just thought of this Girlfriends stamp by Art Impression, especially the sentiment, "Friends never judge each other.... but everyone else, however, is fair game".

Coloured with promarkers/flex markers and a little prisma colour penciling (sunburn)

Papers - Echo Park spots and stripes

Martha Stewart Punch

and a little peeled paint distress ink around image and on flowers.

Ribbon from stash

Also entering this into:-

Challenge 58 at Anything Goes Challenge Blog

Gingersnap Creations spicy supply challenge Ribbon

Thanks

Amanda