The cock crows for a New Challenge Blog

Hello everyone and it's the first day of our new Challenge and Artful Times
You may think this is an odd time of day to go live but there is method in our madness as the weekend starts at 6 pm works done and it's time to play or atleast think and plan for the weekend  although you do have two weeks to make your creation :) and  to kick you off we have an anything goes on a tag  Sam and Neet have both come up with some wonderful samples to inspire you and here's mine

A background of distress inks with the sun stamped with a yellow dabber so it shines out, the cockeral stamped in archival and water coloured with DI inks and then to give it that warn look a white dabber around the edge and bottom before stamping the sentiment, and guess what Simon says also wants to see a tag :)

Hope you will come and play along with us

New Challenge coming your way

I have great pleasure in welcome you all to a new challenge set up after the suden demise of JFF so sadly missed, we have put a lot of thought and work into bring you this new challenge "Artful Times"

So please come and check us out and see what it's all about

Looking forward to seeing you all there

Creative Chemistry 101

How about this weather we are having this weekend isn't it fab :)
Yes I too am doing the class with Tim and we have the weekend off just as well really as I still have tags to do but I done day 3, which is all about archival inks and being a bit of a technique freak I enjoyed doing the the one with the dress form as I hadn't done that before and think it looks pretty effective

Thanks for popping by :)

Less is More

My latest birthday card has been inspired by this weeks Less is More Challenge  which is to use masking .
The lady has been stamp coloured with distress inks and masked , torn paper to make another mask and inked in light blue then stamped in a dark blue

Of course there are lots of wonderful entries and inspiration from the DT

atc's with wings

First swap  for a new forum Paperplay with wings

and using up another of the butterflies to make an easel shaped birthday blimey it's a busy month

The squares are alcohol resist

Mothers Day card and butterfly card

I can't believe I have actually made a side stepper card it's not what  I set out to do at all ! but I had  one sitting on my desk I'd received a friend so took the measurments from that I think I must have borrowed someone elses head lol  but I know my mum will like it :) I've used the mover and shaper dummy  borrowed from a friend such a nice size and covered it with paper, stamped and cut out the letters on the same paper .
Beleive me it was so hard keeping it clean lol I'm so messy with glue
Make my Monday's Challenge is for a Mother Day card or a thank you card

Here's the Birthday card with the butterfly I made for dear Neet with the butterfly made on grunge board as you can see the heating of the distress embossing powder on the tape has pulled the wings giving it lovely movement

Little fishy

These little fishy were sent to me many years ago die cut in coloured card,  not me really but I never throw anything away you never know when they will come in handy :) I have done the same as on the butterflies and punch dots to decorate my fish but used a holographic embossing powder which lets the under colour shine through they do look sweet :) the background is stamped on glossy black card with versamark ink and dusted with perfect pearls making a cheerful set of atc's for a swap

Thank you for popping by

Mosaic Butterflies

After seeing Sandra's butterfly tag for Tim's 12 tags of 2012 I thought I had better go and check it out Wow what a fab idea I hooked and spent the day yes they are time consuming to make well I thought so lol , I've used the spellbinders butterfly and gave it my own twist with a ribbon body and wire anteni , I did one on the grungeboard and used distress embossing powder but I'll show that on a card later ;)
These one are done on card from a cereal box 2 are snipped paper and 2 I've used punched shapes

The the white background is that jar of snowflake I bought years ago and never really used but makes a perfect backdrop for the mosaic, 2 darker ones are using some mixed up embossing powders ( you know that little pot you throw odd bits into )

Tip

When heating the EP start in the centre as the tape will shrink at the edges, nice on the grunge as it pulls the wings giving them movement, but looks ugly on the card

Right off to make some fish now

Catching up

Oww what a wet old day it is here ! Thought I had better show my face as I haven't posted for a while.
I've been catching up on the dreaded and some swaps not to mention that my craftroom is all over the house at the moment as the walls need repairing so finding the right stash to use is maddening !

A couple of atc's using masks

A Kanban stamp paper pieced

and last a card for a nursery rhyme swap, again stamped onto paper and cut out .

I had a fab day out yesterday at the Stamp Attic ( what an amazing shop ) where I did a workshop with Hels and I loved the faux suede technique she taught us it felt so real :)

Thanks for popping by and hope you are all having a good weekend