I love trees.

Stark bare Winter trees with frost glistening on the branches, Spring trees with leaves unfurling and blossom appearing, Summer trees when their majestic shapes are filling blue skies and Autumn trees, when the whole colour spectrum ranging from brown to green to reds, golds and oranges can be seen along across all the landscape wherever you live be it town or country.

This card was made using one of the Tall Tress themeplates from Elusive Images.

The main background is courtesy of Flickr (with a few stamped flourishes added!), digitally lightened and printed onto an inkjet tranparency.

I stamped the trees and words in 'Espresso' ink onto the original darker background and layered onto cream then brown card.

I finished by adding some brown ribbon and a leaf button.

Peaceful Princess

It has been a while since I entered something into a challenge and I've just been having a quick look through my favourite sites to see what everyone has been up to. At One Powerful Hour the theme was Dolls.

I made this doll for a swap over at Monthly Art Dolls on Flickr, so all of my Flickr group friends will have seen her before.

She is a 'no sew' doll which suited me as I am not very good with needles and thread!!

She is made from a wooden batten and fibrefill. Her body is wrapped in some red and gold shimmery silk fabric and tied with gold threads. Her face and hand are made from clay and painted.

She looks better if you click on the picture to enlarge her!

I have called her Shanti, which means 'Peace' and she is now winging her way to her new home with Malissa in America.

My friend June who hosts the 'So Artful' challenge blog has set the theme of 'Sleeping Beauty' for this week, so as Shanti looks like she is in blissful repose, I have also added this to June's challenge too.

Birds

My card stock is seriously depleted and I have set myself the task of 'no altering, no making lots of mess, just card making' for a couple of days.

This serious self imposed sentence is very difficult - there were a couple of things in a recent magazine (one made out of a stampbord box and another made from clay mounted on canvas) which I am itching to have a go at.... but I am trying to be good!

So with halo polished, I made a couple of cards using the new bird stamps. I have also stamped up lots of images ready for more cards.... whether I manage to use them today or not is a different matter.... the stampbord box is looking at me!!! I shall have to put it out of sight otherwise the card box will remain half empty.

Hasty cards!

I have sorely neglected my blog (and my crafting) whilst the National Championships are ongoing -(am off again at the end of the week), but I did find time to make a couple of cards in the middle of last week.

I also met up with some crafting friends last Saturday and had a great day! I finally got my hands on the new goodies that Maureen had got for me on a recent shopping trip to Graphicus at Barnard Castle. (It wasn't a long list I gave her...... honest...... but she did mention something about the car boot not being big enough......must have been all the stash she bought for herself, mine was only a teeny pile....)

I have waited an eternity ( well about a month really.......) for this new stash and have a couple of clear days this week to try all the new stamps and other bits out!

Shells, Italy and a new friend!

I have a new friend in the shape of a frog who hopped into the workroom yesterday and decided to stay a while! He was quite happy to have his photo taken and has appeared again this morning just outside the workroom door - so I think maybe he intends to visit as often as he can!

Whilst Ferdy ( well - it's not quite as boring as naming him Freddy....) sat and stared at me I made an ATC and altered another slide mailer.

The ATC background is from a paper napkin ( sent by Maureen). I used stamps and some real shells to finish it.

The slide mailer is fast becoming a favourite thing to alter! I am becoming addicted also to the Crafty Individuals background papers which are just so beautiful you don't want to use them!

This paper was from the Travels to Italy book and I added an italian stamp, some italian postmarks and a small suitcase charm to the front. The back I have left plain as the harlequin and script paper was too pretty to cover! Inside I again made a little paper pocket to hold some stamps and painted the other side in a rose pink before adding the Italian themed images behind the microscope slides and the tiny pink seed beads. As the Do it in an Hour challenge incorporates maps I have submitted the slide mailer as the inside papers has a map of Italy!

Queen of the Silver Screen

With goodies on offer as a prize from The Craft Barn, I had to put an entry into this week's Tuesday Taggers challenge! The prizewinner is picked at random so everyone has a real good chance of winning.

This week's challenge was to make a wall hanging. I made one of these some time back (here on my blog) and gave it to a friend who is always encouraging me to try out something new.

This time I decided to try and move away from my 'comfort zone' and tried to make something in a vibrant colour. I am always leaning towards neutral or pastels so the puple and splashes of pink was something of a change!

The image was stamped onto some purple glitter paper. I have taken so many photographs to try and show what the colour is really like all without much success! Here where the image shows gold flecks they are, in fact silver speckles!! You will have to trust me when I tell you this looks so much better in real life than it does on the screen.....The star backing paper is a pale purple colour and the tickets etc are in co ordinating shades of purple and pink. The filmstrip was printed onto an inkjet transparency and I stamped the 'star' word onto the same purple glitter paper and stuck it behind the filmstrip. Lilac sequins, some beads and coloured stars finished the piece and I finally added some purple and silver fibres to hang it with. The whole thing measures just 4" square.

Free day!

I have today taken advantage of a day free from any paperwork or bowling! Please note I have also taken yet ANOTHER day off from housework too..................... I had one of those ' I refuse to spend my free day cleaning' moments this morning... the moment has lasted all day.

So on to making messy - and boy did I make a mess. I have had three attempts at doing a project as shown in this month's Craft Stamper magazine. It looked relatively straightforward thing but I have struggled so much you wouldn't belive - no matter how hard I tried, I could not transfer all the ideas and colours whizzing round in my head onto the slide mailers! After 2 failed attempts (both of which ended up in the bin!), I finally managed to complete a double slide mailer and a single one. The single one I will post at a later date and I really shouldn't be posting this as I'm probably going to give it as a gift in the future but I was so pleased to have finally finished it (and be satisfied with it!) that I took the pictures and here it is!

I am a little disappointed about how the pictures of the inside have turned out as the colour reproduction is not as vibrant as in real life - surrounding the two stamped images on the slides is a green background which has decided to show up as grey in the pic!

Tuesday Taggers have a theme of swirls and curls this week and as the fibre on the front is curly and there are stamped flourishes on the back I have submitted this for this week's challenge!

Coaster Book

I have been looking after two of our Flickr groups whilst our group leader Margaret is taking a break for personal reasons. I am currently setting challenges on the monthly groups of Art Dolls and also the Altered Swap.

I set the challenge of an 'Altered Coaster Book', which saw several members running for the nearest pub/bar/restaurant - (any excuse..........)

One of the reasons behind setting this as a theme was because I had never done one before! I said that there should be one stamp used somewhere on the book and also some texture but you could make it on any theme you want.

Here is my first attempt. I decided that I perhaps should only use 2 coasters for the first try - nothing too ambitious!!!

I covered the front and back of the coasters with stiff brown corrugated paper. The back has an embossed leaf design mounted onto mulberry paper with a couple of stickers and a button.

Inside I used some more mulberry paper to cover the coaster and added some stamped images of trees, a skeleton leaf and some small letter tags. A couple of different fibres and a leaf shaped button finished the inside.

On the front cover I used the quote (from a tag book), another stamped image of a tree, another skeleton leaf and a couple of acorn and leaf stickers. I added the metal corners and the little metal watering can charm. Finally, I attached some fibres to the front and secured the booklet with two strips of brown organza ribbon.

I have thoroughly enjoyed doing this and am now determined to do another with some pages inside.

Angels Tears.

June set a challenge called 'Angel's Tears' this week over at the 'So Artful' blog.

I found this image of the small angel resting his weary head on a skull. I thought the facial expression of the cherub distressingly pitiful and wondered what could have brought on such despair.

This ATC is quite different from my usual work as I feel it is quite morose and dark...although I don't consider myself to have a morbid personality, at times I can be quite pessimistic and 'down beat' and I suppose this is one of those periods and I have reflected it in this piece. I was tempted to 'pretty it up' a bit and add some embellishment but decided the starkness of it only highlighted the anguish of the sculpture.

The quote by William Shakespeare I think is incomplete so I apologise to the Bard for plaguerising his genius - but the quote as written (even if it's not a complete context) is true.... man's actions must be the only things that would make angels weep.

Springtime Paris Memories

I finished a couple of cards this morning using the extra birdie images I stamped yesterday whilst making the one for the challenge. I will post these at a later date!

Here is an ATC I have just done for the 'Lots To Do' theme this week. The challenge was to make something that reminds you of Paris. Paris is a bit of an enigma really, for some inexplicable reason crafters love it - maybe it's the romanticism of the place, but whatever it is making things to do with Paris range from portraying the tragic Marie Antoinette to images of the magnificent architecture!

I have called this ATC 'Memories of Paris in the Springtime', a take on the April in Paris theme.

The background paper is by Crafty Individuals and I just sponged over it with some white versamark. The flourish stamp is also one of the Crafty individuals range (have spent rather a lot there just lately!! LOL) applied with black Stazon. The three small images were all stamped onto the same background paper then cut out and collaged. I printed the vintage woman onto an inkjet transparency, but when I put it on the ATC the image was too dark. So I put some of the lighter part ofthe background paper behind her, sponged it again with white versamark and then glued the transparency on top. It did make it lighter but still not as light as I hoped.

The flower is another from my stash and as they're out on my desk I'm using them on everything at the minute!!!

Took advantage of our County game being cancelled today and the 'tidy' (ish) workspace is now the usual bomb site!

This stamp is becoming one of my more versatile buys and I have made a couple of cards with it today.

The others I will post at a later date but I have entered this into the 'Something Completely Different' challenge which this week is a Teal/Turquoise and Brown colour combination on a 6" x 4" postcard.

The background paper is from the Making Memories 'Boho Chic' book and I inked the edges using Azure Blue ink. I stamped birdie using brown Stazon onto a piece of pale blue vellum. I was worried in case the vellum would make the turquoise colour look 'washed out' but thankfully all was well when I attached it to the background paper! The flowers were secured with contrasting brads and the metal 'dreams' embellishment was a free gift from a paper crafting magazine about 4 years ago and I have never used - I thought the bottom of the card looked 'naked' and tipped out a few more drawers looking for something to finish the piece and found the metal word charms!

Pink and Black

I made this ATC a couple of days ago for no other reason other than the bits and pieces were laying about on the desk and I had a mad fit of 'tidy up'!!!

The pink background paper is embossed with a black velvety texture (like vintage flocked wallpaper) and I am going to submit this into the 'Tuesday Tagger's' challenge as their theme is 'texture'.

The pink and black paper flowers were from my stash and the fibres and black lace were just little loose bits at the bottom of the drawer so instead of throwing them away I used them up!

I threaded some black and pink beads onto some wire and used the 'mask' bead as a centrepiece.

I was a bit bothered that the whole thing was a bit too startling but couldn't decide what to use to 'tone it down'!! I left it laid on the desk for a couple of days and it's actually growing on me a bit so have posted it!

Fairy Dreams

Had a couple of hours today so whilst watching the weather alternate between torrential downpours and brilliant sunshine I sat here and made messy! Have made this ATC for four challenges.

The theme at Wednesday Stamper was 'Dreams', Created By Hand was 'Faeries', Lots To Do had set their challenge as 'Collage' and TMTA's subject was 'Fly'.

I confess to recycling on this ATC! The butterfly stamped on acetate was sent to me on a birthday card and had decided to fly away from the card during it's journey so I rescued it from the envelope and put it to one side thinking (as all us crafters do) 'that might come in useful' !!!!

So the background paper is from Crafty Individuals, (another part of my recent spending spree!) and I stamped the corner with pearlescent Ice Blue ink and heated using a little clear embossing powder. The image was printed on glossy photo paper and I added the lace, word and recycled butterfly.

Tag

Today it is Maureen's birthday - she is 21 again. LOL

It was Maureen who persuaded me to move away a little from 'safe' card making and to explore altered stuff.... she keeps finding me 'large things to alter'. Amongst other things she's sent me massive match boxes, huge jigsaw pieces and enormous playing cards!

Some time ago she sent me a very large luggage tag so I decided she would get it back - can post it now as she's opened it! I sponged the background then added various mica powders in blue, green, gold and copper. I tried to give the background a smooth textured look so dotted 'blobs' of the mica powders and heated with the heat gun.

I thought the little mermaid's expression looked like she was dreaming of doing other things - maybe being able to stand selling sea shells instead of just swimming amongst them? Out came the 'shell' box - some of these shells were brought back from Florida - and I figured if they'd survived travelling that sort of distance they could survive Royal Mail!

I edged the image with gold ink and stuck it on the tag then stamped the words.

I stuck some blue, green and gold fibres along the bottom of the image and put a small pearl bead next to the large shell.

Finally I embossed the entire edge of tag in gold, adding some more tiny blue and green beads, a moon snail button and little gold starfish and of course some more shells. Please enlarge the pic for a better view!

Happy Birthday Maureen!!!

(Oh - and I have entered this into Wednesday Stampers theme of 'Colourful' and I hope it also is acceptable for the challenge of 'friends' at Tuesday Taggers)

New Stamps!

I had a bit of a flurry of spending at the end of last week..... all on craft stash too! So I have been making messy today (housework not done AGAIN!!)

I have had 2 tries at altering slide mailers...nothing too spectacular as they were my first attempts and I thought I'd better not try anything too ambitious. Will take pics of them once glue is dry and post (if I think they look OK!!)

I also bought some new stamps..(as if I didn't have enough already...... can you ever have too many???????) and used one of them on this ATC.

The background paper is by K and Co (another bit of my spending spree - a huge box of gorgeous papers that I don't want to use cos they're too pretty!!!) and the stamp is by Crafty Individuals.

I stamped the image with Timber Brown Stazon, added the feather and some flowers.

This is my entry for the Lots To Do challenge of 'Stamping'.

Blue Moon

I had a spare couple of hours this morning so made an ATC for the swap on MAMMA. The challenge was to use a backgournd of your choice and there must be fabric, a traingle shape and some metal incorporated into your piece.

I used slate and silver mixative alcohol inks for the background and cut out a triangle of blue 'tie dyed' fabric which I glued to the left of the piece of card. I copvered the ATC with some 'moondust mesh' then made a fimo face. I painted the face with Tropic Blue mica powders and highlighted the eyes and mouth with a silver pen. I stuck the face into a bottle cap and added some blue seed beads for definition. Finally, I put the silver bead spray embellishment to imitate shooting stars and stuck on some small fabric silver stars.

We were not supposed to use metal brads but I hope I can be forgiven for the large silver one as it was the only way I could think of to secure the bead spray!

Dragonflies.

Been very hot again today.... I've been playing near York (a couple of hours drive away from home) and it was really too hot to be on a bowling green. When I say 'playing' I use the term loosely - Today was not one of my better days...... but there you go, game's gone now and there's nothing I can do about it... but it does make me feel bad when I think I let my team mates down.

Anyway, enough of the self pity!

The theme at Big Art Adventure this months is 'Dazzling Dragonflies'.

My card stock has recently become very depleted so I took the opportunity to make a greeting card.

The background paper is from Elusive Images and the dragonfly stamp was courtesy of this month's Craft Stamper magazine. I stamped the image in white ink onto some vellum. Once dry, I cut the images out and added the tiny pink beads for the dragonfly's body, then used some glitter round the edges of the wings. The glitter caused the wings to curl slightly but I like the effect so I've left it!

Finally I layered some fabric flowers in co ordinating colours and added some ribbon.

Bunny Bond

Once again my friends at MAD Mamma (Monthly Art Doll) will have seen this but I realised I hadn't posted it on my blog and it fits the challenge from theme of 'Playful Dolls' from Mixed Media Monday this week.

Bunny Bond was made from a paper template and given a black felt jacket complete with tiny bow tie and a row of gold 'buttons'. His face was coloured with watercolours and his shoes done in acrylic paint to make them look like shiny patent leather! The bottom part of his body was cut from black pearlised card

As Bunny is a super spy, he comes with his own gun and an accompanying 'Licence to Kill' ATC!

I know I know... MAD Mamma group is aptly named....

One I made earlier!

I have had major problems the last week accessing my blog! Had tried absolutely everything... (well not quite... I DID manage to resist the 'resort to hitting PC with hammer' urges.....JUST!) The darn thing let me open the page but not sign in.. and then when it let me sign in, it locked the PC.

After much frustration and a few more grey hairs OH said it might be the playlist.... apparently there is some legal dispute going on in USA about the playlist ..... so finally we managed to get onto the blog dashboard long enough for me to delete my much loved (by me) music. Since the playlist has gone I've had no problems.... so am hoping that OH can find another music gadget for me to add (I know some of you find the music annoying, but some people have said they like it!) and also that I have no more problems getting on the blog!

Right that's enough explanation of my absence.... (bowling season still busy too....) and I have spent the last hour trawling through the challenge sites to see what I've missed - which is a lot!

My friends at Flickr will have seen this ATC before - but as the theme on So Artful was 'gypsy', I decided to post this on my blog and enter it into June's challenge!

Men and Numbers

Two challenge sites this week, Tuesday Taggers and Saturday Surprise had themes of Men/Male and Mixed Media Monday's theme was Numbers so I incorporated both into this ATC!

I used a page torn from an old dictionary showing decimal numbers and coloured by sponging distress inks. The 'Real Gentlemen' image was stamped onto some thick card, sponged with inks and some gold mica powder added round the edges, then I added a further edge using a stazon ink pad. I used the same distress ink on the tag, then stamped the numbers on the background and the tag before adding the few fibres. Finally, I put a small pocket watch embellishment on the ATC.