You hoo!

I haven't played along a with a challenge at Less is More for a while and thought it was about time I put that right.

This week's challenge is a sketch. I sat down with a fairly literal take on it in mind and ended up with something completely different! The idea of the sketch is still there but the three evenly sized and spaced circles have transformed themselves into a family of three owls!

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to win blog candy from the Craft Room as they launched their own challenge blog - thank you Julia! - and these Hero Arts owl stamps were part of my goody bag. Cute aren't they?

They're stamped on kraft and have just a bit of colour added with a Copic marker and their eyes done with a white gel pen.

Stamps:
You hoo owls (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bitter chocolate and kraft

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Other:
Sewing machine and thread
Copic markers
Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers
Inkssentials white pen by Ranger

Giveaway!

Also in my goody bag was this 6x6" paper pad by Kars. Now regulars to my blog will know that I really struggle with patterned paper. Whatever I do with it takes an eternity and I'm rarely happy with the outcome. With that in mind, I asked Julia (owner of the Craft Room) if she'd mind if I gave the pad away - better that than have it sitting feeling lonely in a drawer! They're nice bright colours and funky patterns - some designs have a glittered version as well as the printed one.

So, if you'd like to offer the papers a new home, just let me know in a comment on this post and I will draw a name at random. Let's say comments before midnight (UK time) Sunday 4th July, shall we?

Thanks for stopping by!

Advice to the Young

There's a competition over on UK Stampers at the moment with a lovely stampy prize - why not take a look and see if you fancy joining in? You can find all the details here.

Entries have to include at least two items from a list of six ingredients (ribbon, lace, fabric, pins, glitter, vintage photo) and be in a vintage style.

I sat down with no idea at all what I was going to make except that I knew I fancied making a ribbon rose. I started by colouring a length of white silk ribbon with a Copic marker to make my flower. I then faffed and fiddled without much joy until I started looking around the craft room in search of new playthings and spotted a little frame that has probably been in my box of bits for a decade or so! I suspect it was in an IKEA multipack but I wouldn't swear to it.

I dyed the frame with my Espresso ink pad and then applied some gold Rub n Buff with a stiff bristled brush to give a shabby, hit and miss kind of finish before gluing a length of lace along the bottom.

I stamped clock faces and text onto a piece of card and popped that into the frame, leaving the glass out. The little girl is from a printed sheet that Caroline gave me in my "secret Santa" advent package back in 2009! The ribbon flower and a couple of pins finish the embellishment cluster. The sentiment is stamped onto a strip of cardstock and then curved.

It took a while to come together since I was working with no clear idea of what I wanted to achieve but I'm quite pleased with it!

Stamps:
Time to Stamp (CHF, retired)
Artsy Banners (Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Cryogen white

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Other:
Natural wooden frame
Silk ribbon
Lace
Pins
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Vintage photo (unknown maker - thanks to Caroline though!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Rise and shine!

I'm hosting the challenge on the Crafty Secrets member forum over at Splitcoast Stampers this week and I'm asking people to use checks on their projects. Lots of possibilities with this one - gingham ribbon, punched squares of paper, plaid paper or fabric...

I chose to stamp my checks by repeat stamping the border pattern from the Farm Chicks set to cover the paper. The fact that they're clear stamps makes this easy as you can see exactly where to line up for continuous coverage! I stamped two piece with the checked pattern and then overlapped them, trapping short pieces of raffia into the join for "straw" and stitching across to secure them.

I used the "Cock-a-doodle-do" sentiment so this could be a simple "hello" card or it could be used to congratulate somebody who's just achieved something to crow about!

I do like to make a project with a single stamp set and minimal other "stuff" from time to time - it's very satisfying!

Stamps:
Farm Chicks (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Simply Smooth

Ink:
Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Satin red)

Other:
Copic markers
Natural raffia
Sewing machine and thread
Foam tape

Thanks for stopping by!

Crepe flower

The July/August issue of PaperCrafts magazine is available now and has a whole section dedicated to handmade embellishments which features this card of mine (the Asian Hello card on p.51). The flower is made from simple punched circles of crepe paper, finished with a glue dot and microbeads for the centre.

Crepe is lovely to work with for this kind of project as it shapes beautifully just with a little gentle stretching and if you sponge colour on the edges before you strech you get pretty, delicate "stripes" on the petals.

Stamps:
Wildflower (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Cryogen White
Heavyweight white crepe

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Spanish Moss)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Victorian Velvet)

Other:
Memento Maker by Tsukineko (New Sprout)
Glue dot
Micro beads (these are ones sold for nail art, any will do!)
Foam tape

There are lots of lovely ideas for handmade embellishments in the issue as well as other great projects, well worth checking out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Summertime...

Hello all, I've been off on my hols in Portugal for a couple of weeks so a summertime project seemed perfect to get me back to stamping on my return!

I'm combining two things here - this week's challenge in the Crafty Secrets member forum at Splitcoast Stampers which is to make something with a summertime theme and this month's postcard swap on UK Stampers where the theme is "seaside".

I've stuck with the classic 6 x 4" postcard size and kept it pretty flat as the swap requires it to be a "genuine" postcard that is posted with no envelope.

The background is watercolour paper spritzed with a mix of water and a couple of drops of Stonewashed reinker (this is one of the few Adirondack colours that does separate into its constituent colours when mixed with water - I like the tonal variation) and overstamped with shells, starfish and sand dollars, some masked to create overlap. The focal image is stamped on Cryogen White and coloured with Copics.

I punched holes with a slot punch for the strip and the sentiment panel to feed in under the image. A doodled frame and some wonky stitching finish it off before the whole lot is stuck to another piece of Cryogen White so the back is flat and light-coloured for writing on.

If you like to get some happy mail in with the bills and junk, why not pop over to UK Stampers and join in with the postcard swap - it's not a big commitment, just make one card and you'll get one back from a randomly-drawn swap partner.

Stamps:
Seaside set (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Watercolour
Cryogen white
Bitter chocolate

Ink:
Adirondack by Ranger (Stonewashed, Denim, Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Copic markers
Oval Nesties by Spellbinder
Sewing machine and thread
Slot punch by Making Memories
Zig drawing pen
Inkssentials white pen by Ranger

Thanks for stopping by!