KraftyKitten Kreations

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T08:00:00.002Z

Wow - it has been a while. This is the first card I have been able to make since my beautiful Chi Chi passed away. The theme this week with Sweet Pea Stampers is Black Tie New Year! So come and join us and create something new for 2012 xx

Scary / Halloween Inspired

2011-10-21T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone, so the theme this week at Sweet Pea Stampers is Scary / Halloween. I love Halloween! So I took advantage of using one of my new Sweet Pea Stamps that recently arrived from the US - The Ghost by Rebecca Sinz. She is coloured with the grey tones of pro-markers.

The background is black card which I added fusible webbing to, heated it to go all web like and added silver embossing powder on the top. The border is a punch by Martha Stewart and a little ribbon and silver flowers and my Halloween inspired card was done :)

Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1

2011-10-19T09:49:00.003+01:00

I am so excited - Friday 18th November at 12:01am - I have a date with the Cullens! Cinema ticket booked and now counting the days... a few hours kip and then I am going back to the 10am showing with a friend. I definitely have OCD - Obsessive Cullen Disorder :)

Emboss It

2011-09-30T07:00:00.002+01:00

This week at Sweet Pea Stampers, the theme is Emboss it... So I bought the Cuttle Bug Forest Branches Embossing folder to go with this lovely image. I used Tim Holtz Core-dinations card and sanded it to show the core of the card. I then distressed the edges of the card and the image and used Tumbled Glass Distress Ink to edge the image.. The corners are made from a Spellbinder die I cut into 4 and used a Die Cuts with a View Faux metal tag - "Dream". Added 2 gem brads to that and this is the result :) Simple but lovely.

I mounted it on silver card and used pewter corners to compliment her hair.

I am also including this for In a Sweet Pea Dream - because ANYTHING GOES :)

Heard It's Your Birthday!

2011-09-02T08:20:00.001+01:00

So the fab theme this week at Sweet Pea Stampers is I Heard It's Your Birthday! So here is my DT sample to inspire you to join in the fun.

Recipe:

Peacock Blue Pyramage by Crafty Purple Frog

Black A4 Card (scored)

Foiled frames by Kanban

Rainbow paper (shimmer is lost by the photo) :(

Paper flowers and black pearl

Silver mini brads

Blue Marabou Feather

Real Peacock feather I found at Warwick Castle the other day (the small one on top of sky blue one)

Also Entered into:

Crafty Purple Frog - Birthdays

Button it up

2011-07-29T02:00:00.000+01:00

The theme this week at Sweet Pea Stampers is Button it up! So here is my creation. I stamped "The Dragonfly" stamp in vintage photo distress ink then used a water brush to blend the colour through. I had some scraps of button themed papers that I used and a Tim Holtz tag, a couple of dragonfly brads and some flowers and this is what I came up with. The lace at the bottom is actually a sticker.

Marianne's Design Divas

2011-07-17T14:49:00.002+01:00

STOP THE PRESS - A NEW CHALLENGE IS IN TOWN.

Watch this space - a new challenge is coming. Amy is setting up a new challenge blog and if you love Marianne Designs like I do the you wont want to miss it. So check this out...

Marianne's Design Divas

I hope you will join me in making this new challenge blog a success!

Summertime

2011-07-17T09:29:00.004+01:00

So, the theme this week at Crafts and Me is Summertime... And I actually made this card which I think is very summery in the sunshine in my garden! Obviously was not this weekend with all this rain - boo. Bring back last weekend :)

I am also entering this into the Crafty Purple Frog Challenge for Summer Fun

Favourite Stamp / Image

2011-07-09T16:18:00.002+01:00

The theme this week and Crafts and Me challenge is Favourite Stamp / Image. So I decided to use one of my favourite Crafts and Me stamps with one of my favourite styles - monochromatic.

Swirls of Summer

2011-06-17T01:00:00.001+01:00

So this week at Sweet Pea Stampers the theme is Swirls of Summer. I am also entering this into the Crafty Purple Frog Challenge which is swirls and pearls. So here is my creation:

Green Dragonfly Pyramage by Crafty Purple Frog

Hunkydory green embossed card - then coloured with tumbled glass distress ink

Martha Stewart Corner Punch

Marianne Creatables swirls

Prima paper flowers

Viva Pearl Pens - light blue and light green

Dragonfly brads

Green gems.

Green A5 Card and white card

Monochromatic

2011-06-03T03:00:00.000+01:00

So the theme this time at Sweet Pea Stampers is "Monochromatic", so here is my contribution to the design team.

Recipe:
SPS - Sparkling Moon coloured with copics
Black A5 Card
Spellbinders Mega Labels 10
Mirri Card - gunmetal
Paper and Border - Basic Grey Ambrosia
Flowers by Bee Crafty
Gems and Pearls by Papermania.

Thanks for stopping by and look forward to your creations!

Pearls and Lace

2011-05-20T04:00:00.002+01:00

Well hello everyone - has it been two weeks already since the last challenge at Sweet Pea Stampers? The theme this week is lace and pearls so here is what I came up with.

The Recipe:
Night Rose Pyramage by Crafty Purple Frog
Lace background stamp by Inkadinkado
Bazill cardstock
Paper flowers and pearls - the flowers were stamped with lace background
Black Pearls & gems and paper tape lace.

I am also entering this into:
Mono Moments - Crafty Purple Frog
Bling it Up - In a Sweet Pea Dream
Gems and Pearls - Crafts and Me Challenges

Showers of Flowers

2011-05-06T05:00:00.002+01:00

The challenge this time at Sweet Pea Stampers is Showers of Flowers. This time I used a frame "I think" i bought from Paper Artsy and painted it with Claudine Helmuth Paints... The flowers and bow are by Klever Konstruction and the flower border stamp is by Dawn Bibby Designs.

I am also entering this into:

In A Sweet Pea Dream - Anything Goes

Too Cool for Cats!

2011-04-23T13:41:00.008+01:00

I make cards that raise money for the Cat's Protection League and so today I took advantage of the great weather and made these little notecards in the garden - they are about 4 x 4 inches and using a technique shown by Joanne Wardle in Craft Stamper Magazine.

The stamps are a combination of Inkadinkado, Judi Kins and Hunkydory. Ink pads are by Tim Holtz.

Naturally, Millie insisted that I tell you she supervised the process whilst sunning herself in the garden.....

Recycle!

2011-04-22T05:00:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone! The theme this week at Sweet Pea Stampers is "Recycle". So what I did was take some shiney silver foil wrapping paper that one of my birthday presents was wrapped in - emboss it through the cuttlebug and use some alcohol ink on the top to give it even more depth to match the main focal image.

And here is the foil wrapping paper before I cut it up.

Don't forget to join in at Sweet Pea Stampers for a chance to win a prize.

I am also entering this into the following challenges:

In a Sweet Pea Dream - Favourite Colour Sweet Pea

Simon Says Stamp and Show - A Lord Tim of Holtz Technique

Something for your mum / hero

2011-04-08T08:30:00.001+01:00

Yep that is the theme this week at Sweet Pea Stampers and here is my contribution. I was lucky to have my mum stay with me Sunday through Thursday this week and we had a great time.

Pack a Punch!

2011-03-25T08:00:00.001Z

So I have to say I am honoured for this to be my first Design Team contibution to Sweet Pea Stampers. The theme this week is pack a punch. So get out yuor die cuts and get out your punches and create something magical.

I have used Papermania and K & Co Papers, Nestabilities and two Martha Stewart punches, along with a few prima flowers and some gems.

Scallops!!!

2011-03-13T15:14:00.003Z

Hi.... so the theme at Sweet Pea Stampers this time is Scallops.... So I used a scallop die, a pink scalloped card which I hyped up with some Tim Holtz stamps and Ink Pads. And this is the result. Oh and a bit of card candy and another stamp - the verse of which I forget who it is from xx

Ear Ear

2011-03-09T21:27:00.003Z

Hi everyone. Well was busy Saturday making Earrings... I am doing a craft stall in April to raise money for the Cats Protection League, so am planning to sell hand crafted cards, beaded bookmarks, earrings and a few necklaces. So this is what I made in a day. Was fun as I have never made earrings before.

Sweet Pea Design Team Call

2011-02-26T14:36:00.004Z

The Sweet Pea Stampers Challenge Blog is having a Design Team Call, so I thought why not try out for it!

Ever since I was introduced to the amazing Sweet Pea stamps by a friend, I have been addicted! There is nothing better than getting out my copics and losing myself in this magical world whilst bringing the stamped images to life.

I have an A4 plastic box full of these stamps and am now working on box number 2! I love seeing what others create with these stamps as the possibilities are endless. I am always inspired by the challenges and love to go exploring other creative blogs of people who have the same passion for these stamps as I do.

And the best thing, even if I am not successfull in making it onto the DT, there is still a challenge every two weeks where I get to play and create - win win :)

Here are two samples that I love the most.

Talk to Me

2011-01-27T16:47:00.003Z

This week, on In a Sweet Pea Dream, the theme is Talk to Me. You simply have to use a sentiment on the front of your card. This was the very first card I made in 2011.

Stamp - Sweet Pea Stamps - One and Only
Distress Ink - Stormy Sky
Marianne Design Die
Bazzil Basics Card
Bazzil Bitty Blossoms
Prima Flowers
Grosgrain Ribbon

Monochrome

2011-01-23T12:50:00.004Z

The theme over at Crafts and Me Challenges is Monochrome. So here is my contribution. The stamp is one of my favourites. The materials used are:

Stamp - Marna Fairy by Crafts and Me
Stamp - Scroll by Clarity Stamps
Papermania Papers
Grosgrain Ribbon
Green Card
3D Butterfly
Liquid Pearls (on her ear)
Glitter pen on the wings.

All White?

2011-01-16T08:46:00.004Z

The theme this week for Sweet Pea Stampers is "All white apart from the image", so here is my creation. Not a great picture due to bad lighting :( I have used:

Sweet Pea Stamp - Fly Dandelion
Distress Crackle paint - Rock Candy
Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch
Marianne Creatables Ribbon Border
Grosgrain ribbon
Marabou Feather
Prima Flowers - Pearl Penache Ice Castle
Crystal Stickles
Pearl Paper
Card Candy

Under the Sea

2011-01-15T22:54:00.004Z

Here is my creation for In a Sweet Pea Dream. Photo is not that great as I took it at night but hey ho.

So here is what I used:

Distress Ink - Black Soot, Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood.
A post it note to mask the moon
Gems
Lavinia Stamps - the water shrubs, animals, birds and dots around the moon.
Tim Holtz stamp - quote
Inkylicious colour dusters
Sweet Pea Stamp - Soft Goth Night

Sooooo Sweet

2011-01-15T18:55:00.001Z

Sweet Pea Stampers Challenge is definitely worth following and participating in - why not check it out!

A Sweet Pea Anything

2010-12-17T17:40:00.006Z

So the latest theme is anything. And my contribution works for two challenges this time. I made this for a good friend of mine who went back to Australia a couple of weeks ago and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to blog it. I decoupatched the "naked" book and added one of my favourite Sweet Pea Designs and some fibres and a beautiful quote.

I only found Sweet Pea Stamps this year and they always inspire me to make something so I am so glad I found them!

This works for:

Sweet Pea Stampers

In a Sweet Pea Dream

Back

And this is the "naked" journal :)

Sketch Challenge

2010-11-28T12:44:00.003Z

Well with my sisters birthday coming up I decided to make this card to fit the Sweet Pea Stampers Sketch challenge. I seem to still be addicted to these stamps and the challenge - which is fine by me :)

Brads and Bows

2010-10-11T23:05:00.003+01:00

Been feeling under the weather - hideous head cold and now an annoying cough is plaguing me. But decided to make this card today for the Sweet Pea Stampers Challenge - bows and brads. Thought I could cope with that in between coughing like a mad thing.

Being the month of October I decided to do something a little spooky, but only a little. The background paper is edged with the top of a tree stamp and gives it a great effect. The wording is from Tim Holtz, some flowers, ribbons, brads and beads and job done.

Charmed I'm Sure

2010-09-30T12:56:00.003+01:00

This week, the theme at Sweet Pea Stampers is "Charmed I'm Sure" whereby you had to use charns on your work. I hadn't intended on making anything this morning as may plan was to tidy my craft room ready to go to the Artisan show tomorrow. But tidying vs crafting - guess what won.

I used a white chipboard tag and painted it with Ranger Paint Dabbers. Once dry I stamped the swirls in black then added the white specs with another paint dabber. Added a couple of Tim Holtz grunge shapes painted with black crackle paint, some flowers and naturally a gorgeous sweet pea image. Then finished the tag off with the gem and enamelled butterfly charms at the bottom.

Crafty Storage Dilemma

2010-09-22T13:52:00.007+01:00

I have been meaning to blog this for a while but life got in the way. A couple of months ago, I had some work done on my house by a builder friend of mine, and whilst he was painting one day, i stopped him to show him my storage dilemma. For those of you who have followed my craft room posts I converted this old brown manky wardrobe into a craft storage area - which was great with one big BUT... you can always guarantee the box I want is the one on the bottom.

A quick chat with my builder friend, a trip to homebase and a few hours later this was the end result - before and after pictures below. I am much happier now!

Swirls and Flourishes

2010-08-20T19:51:00.004+01:00

The theme this week for Sweet Pea Stampers is Swirls and Flourishes. So i decided to use one of my new SP stamps for this week.

The flourish stamp I used is by Autumn Leaves ( and then I used stickles over the top) The figure 8 border is by Martha Stewart. A little card candy, some prima flowers and nestabilities and the card is complete.

Anything Goes!

2010-07-30T13:41:00.004+01:00

This week the theme at Sweet Pea Stampers is Anything Goes. So I decided to use my favourite colour. I also added a little flower to her forehead which I think looks sweet. Thanks for stopping by.

Black White and Blue

2010-07-25T14:00:00.003+01:00

Hello, boy it's been a while eh? I've been busy working on a non-craft related project. Anyhow, the theme this week at Sweet Pea Stampers is Black, White and one other colour. I had not planned on entering this week but I needed a break so made this card. Luckily I already had the image coloured with copics.

I put the white card through the cuttlebug embossing folder, then blended weathered wood and stormy sky distress inks over the top. I added some blue gem brads, black grosgrain ribbon, a butterfly and a button and hey presto!

I love this image - it is so peaceful.

Imagine

2010-06-20T16:17:00.009+01:00

I feel honoured and privaleged to be the guest designer this week for Sweet Pea Stampers .

The theme is Earth Wind and Fire. I've had these jigsaw pieces for ages and never opened the packet - well now I have. So here are the key ingredients for my entry for Sweet Pea Stampers this week - apart from my copics (inlcuding one of my new stamps from Crafts and Me).

NB - update to this post. I have been contacted to find out where I got the Jigsaws from - they were from Lakeland and they no longer sell craft items, but google pointed me in the direction of Handy Hippo - so you can buy them from there.

And this is what I made!

Strawberry Watch

2010-06-19T15:20:00.005+01:00

I've created a monster! A monster obsessed with Alpine Strawberries! I have a little pot containing some strawberry plants and they began to get ripe last weekend. They are little alpine ones and look like this... teeny small - just like my dog!

So I picked the first one and a little face appeared - so stupid me - I shared it with her... Now she is on strawberry watch!

Every time I let her in the garden she heads straight for the strawberries and just sits there - waiting to see if there is a ripe one for her. My bad!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T14:20:00.004+01:00

I am a bit behind at the moment as I am doing some pre-study for a 3-day intensive course I am starting on Monday but I am having lunch with my Dad tomorrow so made this card. Wish I had more time to make something better.

He has been so great this past year. After I was burgled he paid for all new locks on all the doors and windows of my house, external security lights and a house alarm... all so I could feel safe again.

So this Father's Day I have a lot to thank him for.

Happy Father's Day!

Sweet Pea Stampers - Sketch

2010-06-14T19:00:00.007+01:00

The theme this week for Sweet Pea Stampers is a sketch - as per below. Luckily I had some images stamped and coloured ready for use.

I have used the following:
Sweet Pea Stamp - Spring Spread
Tim Holtz Papers - Vintage Shabby
Prima Flowers (leaves from Marianne Design dies)
Card Candy
Grosgrain ribbon
Oval and scalloped Nestabilities.

These are not usually colours I do but I like it.

Aqua and Brown

2010-06-12T15:03:00.005+01:00

The theme this week at Sweet Pea Stampers is Aqua and Brown. so here is my creation :) The paper I used are from my scraps box so I have no idea where they came from. The dragonflies are Jolees Boutique and the flowers are Prima. I used a Ribbon die by Marianne Designs and some brown grosgrain ribbon - I had planned to use cork but I couldn't find it in my messy craft room!

Nestabilities Storage

2010-06-02T12:38:00.008+01:00

I am forever getting into a mess with my nesties all over the place, so today I made a storage solution for them (not a new idea but this is what I did). I bought a black chipboard album from Artist Trading Post for £5.95.
There are 6 sheets of black chipboard along with 3 book rings. So it allows you to make 12 pages in total. I then bought some self adhesive magnetic sheets from eBay and cut them to size for the pages (except for the front and back pages) and stuck them onto the chipboard sheets. This is where the nesties now live - with the description of them hand written with an Inkssentials opaque white pen

I then chose some lovely basic grey papers for the front and back of the book and cut them to size.

I then used versafine ink in sepia green to add Tim Holtz scratches, dab on some sequin waste and stamp the word inspire onto the front page. Shock horror that a Sweet Pea stamp (which you can get from Crafts and Me) is the main focal point - and obviously I had to use nesties to cut her out and layer - finished off with a fabric flower and brad.

And as I have a brain like a sieve and can never remember the cutting and embossing sandwich instructions, I decided to put these onto the back of the book - with the background paper stamped once again with Tim Holtz stamps and maintain the butterfly theme on the back.

Simple as that!

A Sprinkling of Fairy Dust!

2010-06-01T13:34:00.004+01:00

This is the first time I have entered the Sweet Pea Stampers challenge, but as I appear to be addicted to these stamps, I decided to have a go. The theme is a sprinkling of fairy dust. I coloured her in using my copic ciaos, added crystal stickles to the end of the wings and flowers and ran a sakura pen through strands of her hair for additional shimmer. Because she turned out so lovely I wanted to keep the card simple, so added some lilac daisies, a little phrase and edged the card with distress ink.

Commissioned Cards

2010-05-23T12:07:00.004+01:00

This past week I have been asked to make a couple of cards so here they are. The first one is a 21st Birthday card and the second is a Baby Dedication card.

I love Sugar Nellie Stamps and this is one of my new ones. I have also used some gorgeous paper roses that I got from Crafts and Me.

I don't have any baby stamps so the image is from the baby love CD by Joanna Sheen. in both cards the ribbon dies are by Marianne Designs

Sweet Pea DPOV

2010-04-18T22:01:00.006+01:00

Well.... Life has not been easy of late. I have a dog that should be a cat - she has used at least 4 lives now... anyway. I got some lovely new stamps from sweet pea. and as the weather was lovely I spent time in the garden with my pups appreciating time with them. I bought 5 stamps from sweet pea (which is my favourite flower by the way) and as you are limited for what you can do in the garden, I stamped some images of one of them and took them into my garden with my copic ciaos and coloured them in... and tonight I finished them off. The blue one is my favourite..

Bits and Pieces

2010-03-20T17:04:00.004Z

Yes I have been crafting lately, just not been finding the time to blog! So here are a few bits and pieces. This is the card I made my mum for Mother's Day.

This ATC I made and sent to a friend in Switzerland

And I made 5 of these bookmarks today with some new stuff that arrived in the post :)

Amazing Inspiration

2010-02-23T12:17:00.004Z

So my poor blog has been neglected lately for a different type of altered art - home improvements on my basement and dining room. This past weekend however I was fortunate to attend the trade show at the NEC. Whilst there I was so inspired by Tim Holtz, Claudine Hellmuth and Suze Weinberg that I have a feeling it will not be neglected for much longer!

My First 2010 Creation

2010-01-03T14:20:00.003Z

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 was not one of the best years for me, so 2010 is going to be brilliant!

And here if my first creation of the new decade. A friend asked me to make a 75th Birthday Card for her Dad with a wine theme.

The image was stamped and embossed in gold and coloured with Copic Ciao pens. I aged the card with distress ink pads, and embellished with some papers and 3D stickers.

It also has a matching insert :)

The Charm of Twilight

2009-12-13T10:19:00.003Z

Well, unless you have been living under a rock the past year, everyone knows what Twilight is... And being a huge fan myself I was really pleased when a friend of mine asked me to make 3 Twilight themed bag charms for him to give as gifts to his neices.

The most difficult thing about making these - giving them away now :)

Do me a Favour? 60 of them!

2009-12-09T17:59:00.003Z

Well being so new to beading and the like, I cannot believe how many orders I've had lately. And I have enjoyed making them. Christmas Stockings are going to be full of them this year I think :)

Then a friend of mine asked me to make the wedding favours for her upcoming wedding on New Years Eve. Nervously I accepted the challenge. So I have made 10 of each design below and handing them over tomorrow. She has seen a sample and loved it so that is a relief :)

The ivory beads came all the way from Australia. but were perfect for this selection.

Charming!

2009-11-29T09:58:00.008Z

Well... after avoiding charms and beads for years, my dear friend Mandi hooked me in - grrr. It started when we first went to the Artisan show and I bought 4 bookmark blanks - that's all. Then after the NEC I ended up with a storage box which is now brimming full of beads, charms and findings.

I am not complaining though as these are selling like hot cakes at the moment as stocking fillers, so I am making back the money I have invested :)

Christmas Twins

2009-11-26T20:54:00.003Z

Hi everyone

Boy it has been a long time since I last blogged. My mojo went on a bit of a holiday but lately I had to force it to come home - too many orders!

I have to make 60 Wedding favours before Christmas so watch this space for those... And card orders a-plenty. I am now into new things. Decopatch being one - thank god the dogs are always on the move or they would get decorated. And beaded things being the other one - thanks to Mandi.

Anyway as part of the annual order from my dad, here are a couple of cards I made for the most gorgoeous twins in the world. OK I am biased as they are my neices... :) Finally used my copics for the first time. I am sure practice makes perfect. And I have fallen in love with Sugar Nellie Stamps...

As for Twilight New Moon - only seen it twice so far... but going again.. and again... and again... TEAM EDWARD!

I'm a Craft Room and I am 1 Year Old!

2009-10-11T10:46:00.015+01:00

One year ago today my craft room was born, so I thought it would be a good idea to blog what it looks like after a year of love. I tried to take similar shots to the ones I blogged a year ago to see the difference. Granted I did tidy it up first but everything is still pretty much organised. I guess one of the biggest differences is there seems to be quite a bit of Twilight stuff in here now :)

Artisan show 2009

2009-10-08T12:37:00.010+01:00

Wow - has it really been since July that I blogged! Life has been somewhat crazy and then my house was broken into whilst I was at work - that was not a fun time at all. So it is a month now since the burglary and my house is now like Fort Knox thanks to my Dad!

I decided to go to the Artisan Show. Well it's a 6 minute drive for me living in Leamington Spa! And I'm glad I went as it was VERY GOOD!! It was smaller than the NEC show, but was definitely for a more target audience. The main focus of the stalls (other than jewellery making) was indeed stamping, mixed media and altered art.

There were many advanced demo’s. I bought two new things/techniques to try for myself. One is beading (snowflakes to decorate my living room at Christmas and some bookmarks) and one is decopatch. It wasn’t as busy and packed as the NEC – but that was better – not overcrowded, you could easily see the demos, without being budged. You didn’t have to fight your way through the masses. It was peaceful, calming and educational.

Which is probably why I bought far too much. I had a measly £40 so kept saying – do you take credit card? I didn't get paid until today and the insurance money has only just arrived. Luckily (or unluckily) many of them did take a card! There was more time to talk to exhibitors and discuss new trends etc.

The atmosphere was so lovely. So here is my stash of goodies from the show … it was retail therapy, I keep tellling myself :)

This stamp had me laughing so I had to buy it.

Ready Steady Stamp

2009-07-18T18:05:00.003+01:00

I really like the concept and approach the new challenge site Ready Steady Stamp are taking. So I was determined to give this a go. You get given 5 "ingredients with which to make something. This week it was:

Cat or dog
Black and Gold
3 different brads
Faux Batique technique
Book or newpaper page

Happy Birthday - One Powerful Hour

2009-07-05T18:20:00.005+01:00

Ok, so I am a LITTLE late with this - as my craft room is a sun trap, it has been too hot to be in there during the recent heatwave, but I was determined to make something for the first birthday of One Powerful hour. The theme was to have numbers on your work, so here is my card.

Materials used...
7 Gypsies paper - gypsy market, Tim Holtz stamps, starburst stains and the obvious embelishments.

July Blog Candy Alert

2009-07-03T14:27:00.001+01:00

How wonderful is this - Stamp Addicts Blog, The Purple Zone is doing an amazing give away. Go and check it out and also look at the inspirational crafts on their blog!

How Long? Too Long!

2009-05-26T19:56:00.002+01:00

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last blogged anything - where is this year going! Anyway, just thought I would blog a little something for those (Lottie) getting bored of the same image :) I made this one night when I had no motivation to make anything - if that makes any sense. Just simple stamping.

ISMAKI Challenge

2009-02-23T20:15:00.003Z

Well I finally was in the mood to make something - inspired by ISMAKI challenge. So I just finished it and I went to upload it and noticed that the winner of last week's sketch has now been posted and used the exact same stamp set. The card she made is gorgeous... anyway I decided to post mine all the same. I had these stamps in mind when I saw the sketch

I am just happy I seem to be able to make things again. Only got these stamps a couple of days ago and they are devine!

Red and White

2009-02-08T16:20:00.003Z

Wow... it seems like an age since I have entered any challenges. Artygirls challenge this week is red and white. So here is my simple but elegant contribution.

Happy National Foof Day!

2009-01-31T17:20:00.006Z

Wow - is this really my first blog of 2009 - I have been so busy - but it is great that I start it off with National Foof Day! What the Foof is Foof Day I hear you cry? National Foof Day is a bit of light hearted fun with some forum friends of mine. We started to use the word Foof instead of other words, and it grew out of proportion, so we decided to have a fooftastic foof swap! The only requirement was the word FOOF needed to appear on the piece.

Then, we all decided that we would blog these pieces on National Foof Day - which is today - 01 February 2009! So Happy Foof Day everyone! LOL

To Foof, or not to Foof, that is the question!

Especially for Lottie

2008-12-09T21:00:00.003Z

My dear friend Lottie is tired of seeing a spider on my blog - and I don't blame her. :) I have been so busy lately that I have not had chance to do any swaps or blog challenges etc but I have done a few card orders for Christmas and Birthdays... so here are a few examples of what I have been up to...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T17:58:00.003Z

Here is my entry for One Powerful Hour this week - plus a spooky picture I took a few months ago at night.. Happy Halloween all.

12 days of Christmas

2008-10-23T08:56:00.000+01:00

Yes, Christmas is coming - scary or what. I made this for a 12 days of Christmas Bauble swap being hosted by Linda on Zuzu's forum. This represents 9 ladies dancing and there are 9 gems for 9 ladies - 8 small ones and one large teardrop one.

My Craft Room

2008-10-11T17:24:00.017+01:00

Welcome to my craft room. This was my small bedroom and junk room for the longest time. I have been planning to convert it for two years and now it is done. I always get so messy in my crafting so the intention was to have a craft room where I can hide away the mess.

The colour theme was lilac, white and silver with a touch of black. The A R T letters were plain wood which I bought from eBay and painted. the over the door rack was also from eBay and the silver buckets I got from a craft store.

The canvas and wood shelving was from Argos (again I can drop the canvas front to hide this if it gets messy). On the second shelf are all my unmounted stamps. I store them in video cases and the spines are labelled with images on the sides so I can easily find what I am looking for.

My BEAUTIFUL new craft desk! This was my big treat within my budget for this room. It is from Storage 4 Crafts and I love it. The rack on top is from Lakeland to give me extra space. To the left is my day light lamp and to the right is a picture holder to match the butterflies.

I love the drawers - it may help to keep me organised.

The right side of my desk has my 12 x 12 paper rack and the stacked black storage units have more ink pads, embossing powders and my heat gun.

The left hand side of my desk has another shelving unit on wheels full of "stuff"

This is the shelving above my craft desk. The two butterflies on the wall are from eBay - they are memo holders so will eventually hold more art and notes. The art doll sat on the bottom shelf watches to make sure I create good stuff - thanks to Joanne for making this for me. Her name is Abby (after NCIS Abby) :)

The dog also approves of the craft room - especially as she has her own Chaise Lounge that matches the rug and is under the desk. They like to snuggle next to the radiator :)

Just another view.

This was an old grubby brown wardrobe. I was going to get rid of it but my sister gave me the idea of keeping it and painting it. So I painted it with a soft lilac and added the flourishes. I painted the inside too!

So inside the "wardrobe is yet more storage boxes! I wasn't quite sure what to do with the rail then hit on the idea of buying some oversized jump rings and looped them on - so I can hang up some of my art and items received in swaps etc - this will look great when full of creative works.

This is my computer desk - the boxes to the left house all my completed cards - they are actually comic storage boxes from eBay. The clock I altered myself and the top shelf has my Tim Holtz products in pride of place.

The bottom section of my computer table was perfect for storing all my embelishments.

I chose this room because it is a suntrap and has a great view. I put a crystal in the window so when the sun shines the room is full of rainbows. The wooden drawers and boxes have all my wood mounted stamps in it and the blue Lock n Lock stack has all my painting supplies.

So there it is :)

It's Finished!

2008-10-08T13:21:00.006+01:00

It’s Finished!

I am pleased to say my craft room is finally finished and ready to move into. My craft desk and new rug were delivered on Saturday but the decorator let me down for the 5th time! Luckily a friend of mine came to my rescue and Saturday and Sunday afternoon we finished the decorating - yay! Thanks Paul!!! Then on Monday he put up the shelving and we assembled the desk and it all looks stunning.

It is just a matter of moving all my craft stash in now – but that may take some time :)

So here is a sneak peak…

Tick Tock

2008-09-28T17:57:00.005+01:00

Well, my craft room hit a snag today as the decorator couldn't make it to fix the problem areas for me, so for the weekend, all I have to show for it is an empty room and a half painted wardrobe and a painted radiator LOL

So I decided as I could do no more then I would make my altered clock. This was a plain wooden clock I picked up at the NEC back in March (with the sole intention of decorating it for my future craft room). I decided to decorate it to match the A R T letters I have also decorated. After much fumbling and swearing trying to figure out how to piece the clock parts together, I stuck a battery in and it worked - yay!

I already know where it is going to go in the new craft room and it will look perfect!

I also picked up a few other little bits and pieces to finish off the decor. All I need to do now is get it decorated!

My Lovely New Craft Desk

2008-09-23T13:57:00.004+01:00

Wow - it seems like an age since I mentioned my intentions for a new craft room and now it looks like the plan is finally coming together! I have all the paint ready to decorate it myself and the room should be decluttered by this weekend to allow the decorator to come in to fix a problem wall and the ceiling. Then all I need to do is paint it and start moving my stash in! Yay!

So I couldn't wait any longer and I have ordered my new craft desk from Storage 4 Crafts. Just spoke to them on the phone and they were so helpful and friendly - great for storage ideas so I reccomend you pop by their website. It is being delivered on 4th Ocrober so I am very excited :)

Pretty in Pink

2008-09-10T13:20:00.003+01:00

Wow! I cannot believe how long it has been since I blogged anything! Life has been a bit crazy, so now I am at home with a yucky cold, off work sick so decided to finally get out my gear and make something. I have made this for a swap I am participating in and it perfectly fits the Pretty in Pink theme for Gothic Arches!

It is also perfect for the One Powerful Hour theme of Alcohol Inks :)

Masks

2008-08-07T18:18:00.001+01:00

The theme this week for One Powerful Hour is Masks. I made this a couple of years ago for a masked ball - it was made from a plain white mask. I still have it :)

Blog Giveaway

2008-08-07T11:21:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone

Why not go and check out Karine Ardaults blog. Not only is she giving away a mysterious bag of goodies, but her photographic work is very inspiring and breathtaking. She also has some exiting ventures coming up so I wish her luck with that!

Christmas in July

2008-08-02T10:51:00.003+01:00

The theme this week for One Powerful Hour is Christmas in July. Scary thing is I must have set a reminder in my outlook calendar to start making Christmas cards as of today! I did it last year as I was so behind with my cards last year - then forgot about the reminder so it shocked me when it popped up :)

Anyway here is my entry for this week - Merry Christmas!

Fairies

2008-07-19T13:44:00.002+01:00

The theme this week on Weekend Taggers is Fairies. I made this a whil ago but it goes well with the theme... I also have fairies at the bottom of my garden - well ceramic ones anyway :)

Craft Room Project

2008-07-06T11:23:00.003+01:00

I have been intending to work on a project to convert my small bedroom into a craft room for quite some time now. My crafting has taken over what should be a dining room - so having friends over for dinner tends to prove a challenge. So now I am working on it and my goal is to have it done in the next couple of months and definitely before Christmas! So this weekend, i sketched my ideas of what I want it to look like (working to a tight budget), and to start me off I decorated these wooden letters that I got off ebay. They were simply painted with white acrylic paint and the flourishes stamped in black. They will be going above the door in my new craft room.

I will start posting pictures soon of how I progress - but right now I need to declutter the room of all junk first so I can start decorating :)

Black - White - Grey

2008-07-05T20:25:00.004+01:00

I made two of these tonight - one for my best friend and one for her mum. My best friend's dad sadly passed away and I didn't want to do a sympathy card. Her dad was so full of life that I wanted to make something that reflected that instead. And it fits well with this weeks theme on Created by Hand.

People with Wings

2008-07-03T18:51:00.003+01:00

Well as mentioned in a previous post, I recently did a mixed media art class. And this is my second finished canvas - which fits perfectly with Theme Thursday this week as the theme is people with wings. I cannot wait to make some more canvasses :)

One Powerful Hour

2008-06-28T13:54:00.003+01:00

There is a new challenge site in town and it is called One Powerful Hour. It is posted every Thursday and the aim is to make something under an hour and even tidy up after yourself a little (that is the tough part). It is an open theme this week and I have been so busy this past week that I am submitting some work that I made a while ago but definitely was completed under an hour. It is using an acetate technique with alcohol inks which is inspired by Zuzu

So stop on by and join in the fun!

Try Something New.... OK!

2008-06-18T19:43:00.004+01:00

I think it's great that the theme this week on Mixed Media Monday is Try Something New because I did just that! I have just completed a 5 week mixed media art class run by an extremely talented lady - Paulette Insall. This Monday was the last class and this is one of my completed pieces.

The canvas is a combination of acyrlic paint, rubber stamping and collage images - and so many techniques I wouldn't even know where to start telling you. I have learnt so much so as you can see this is perfect for this week's theme. Click on the image for more detail.

I have a couple more canvasses I am working on so I have no doubt they will appear another day... This has been an extremely fun and educational class and I highly reccomend it to everyone!

His Nibs

2008-05-26T16:22:00.003+01:00

The theme this week for Mixed Media Monday is pens and pencils - so I decided on a little play on words.

TGIF - Techniques

2008-05-23T19:09:00.004+01:00

The theme for TGIF this week is techniques - namely in rubber stamping. I made this a while ago but it was using a technique I love. I love to stamp images onto acetate with stazon ink and then decorate the background - for this piece I stamped a rose background and embossed in white, then colour tinted with chalk ink pads. And because it is the resist technique, it is also perfect for this weeks' Saturday Workout.

Flourishes and Wings

2008-05-18T14:51:00.005+01:00

The theme this week for Gothic Arches is Flourishes. So here is my contribution. The bird is a new stamp that just arrived yesterday, so was great to use something new. This is also perfect for the wings theme by Arty Girlz and Created by Hand

Mixed Media Monday - Paint

2008-05-10T17:44:00.005+01:00

I love Audrey Hepburn and that has been reflected lately in a few of my craft pieces. I have given everything I have made with her away so today after doing a spot of gardening I decided to make something for me. This clipboard started life as a boring brown wooden clipboard and now it is a masterpiece that will be on display in my new craft room (when I get round to sorting it out!)

I used adirondak acrylic paint, grungeboard with crackle paint, some swirly stamps and fabric flowers, not to mention the lovely Audrey. And so this is perfect for the theme this week on Mixed Media Monday which is Paint.

Click on the image for more detail.

Crazy Amigo - Birds

2008-05-07T17:22:00.005+01:00

I'm Back! I'm crafting! It's great... OK well I made this before I went on my travels with work but only now am I getting round to posting it on my blog and it fits perfectly this week for the Crazy Amigo challenge

This is the front and back of an address tag I made for a forum group swap - so we all have everyone's addresses in a fun and artistic format. Thanks to a great lady, who magically airburushed my address out, here is the finished result.

The stamps, I am sure you recognise as being Tim Holtz stamps.

Thanks for stopping by!

Deb xx

Arte Y Pico

2008-05-05T16:29:00.003+01:00

I am very pleased and honoured to be given this award by two great ladies - Caz and Mel. Thank you so much ladies.

The rules are as follows:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her/him the award itself.

4. The Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte Y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.5. To show these conditions.http://arteypico.blogspot.com

I am sure many people have been nominated by now - so I am just going to pick 5 that inspire me:-

Gabrielle, Jacqueline, Galina, Nicole and Louise

Handmade Backgrounds

2008-04-22T19:02:00.002+01:00

Well, I cannot believe how long it has been since I posted on my blog! So unlike me... but I was in the UK for 2 days after my Copenhagen trip and then was off to Chicago again on business and got home Saturday! Sounds glam but hotels and taxi rides is pretty much it - but I met some great people from my company and it was an excellent course so most definitely worth the trip!

So this week the theme for Arty Girlz is handmade backgrounds. I made this card as a spin off from my canvas I made for my best friend Julie - same concept - using vaseline and acrylic paint.... I finished them off just last night (honestly I didn't know the theme). It is in my favourite colour - I really should move away from purples :)

Many thanks for stopping by x

Arty Girlz Black and White

2008-04-09T13:57:00.007+01:00

Once again another great challenge from Arty Girlz - this week the theme is black and white and I love doing black and white - so here is my contribution for this week.

I made this piece a few weeks back but I only just got back from a business conference in Copenhagen today so I am cheating and submitting this as my entry :) And here is proof of me hard at work...

TGIF - Faces

2008-04-04T19:22:00.002+01:00

The theme for Thank God It's Friday this week is faces - I made this a while ago but it is perfect for the theme. The image is stamped onto acetate then gold leafed.

Walk Like an Egyptian

2008-04-01T19:09:00.006+01:00

So the theme this week for Arty Girlz is triangles, and here is my contribution. I made it a couple of weeks ago for a challenge and it seemed the perfect opportunity to display it. I have been fascinated by Ancient Egypt since I was a little girl - did school projects about it and even wrote a novel about it (which I submitted as part of my GCSE English many moons ago). I went to the Tutankhamun exhibition last week and the British Museum so it has brought back all those wonderful thoughts.

The stamps are by non-sequitur.

I have taken a few shots due to its 3D nature - enjoy!

Stamp Diva

2008-03-31T23:07:00.002+01:00

If you have not checked it out yet, please go to Stamp Diva. It is a fantastic online store for great crafts and excellent customer service that is second to none. Stamp Diva is in my retail therapy list and I love the products they have - they are always updating their stash for eager crafters like me...

I am pleased to contribute to their gallery for inspiration and I hope you enjoy buying from them as much as I do!

Happy Birthday Julie

2008-03-28T23:36:00.004Z

The theme this week for Created By Hand is a stamped background. I made this canvas for my best friend. Her birthday is tomorrow. The background is acrylic paint then it is stamped.... amongst many other things :)

Hope you like it as it was trial and error....

It's All in the Game!

2008-03-21T11:45:00.002Z

The theme this week for Daring Cardmakers is "It's all in the game", and so as it is a bank holiday and I am not working (yay) I made this card this morning. The jigsaw is a die cut shape that I painted with crackle paint. The card background is stamped with a cracle stamp and sprayed with glimmer mist. And the overall card is finished off with a prima flower and some ribbon.

TGIF - Ribbons

2008-03-21T08:12:00.001Z

The theme for TGIF this week is Ribbons - you have to use at least one stamp and ribbon. So here is my entry for this week - and I am so glad it is Friday!!!!

Miniature Art

2008-03-20T17:37:00.002Z

The theme this week for Theme Thursday is Miniature Art - and you are to make Moos or Inchies. Well here are a few Moos. The stamps are by Stampington & Co (with the exception of the flower) and alcohol inked acetate has been added on top.

Transparent Art

2008-03-18T18:51:00.001Z

The theme this week for TMTA is Transparent Art - and I love stamping onto acetate with simple alcohol ink backgrounds. So here is my creation.

Oodles and Oodles of Doodles

2008-03-18T18:22:00.003Z

The theme for Arty Girlz this week is doodles... and as I cannot draw to save my life I used a stamp to doodle... and here it is... just a simple card this week but very cute.

Stars

2008-03-16T11:44:00.002Z

The week, the theme for Arty Girlz is stars! I must admit that I don't have mnay stars in my craft stash and I am late participating as it has been a busy week, with work then the NEC craft show and also having my family visiting. Anyway here is my entry for this week.

The background paper is by crafty individuals, the two corner embelishments are rub-ons and the white swirl is by Paperbag Studios and embossed in white. As for the lady - this is an old bookmark I had - told you I had no star things - and I embelished the head piece with pearls. A really easy one to make, but I enjoyed making it.

My Little Trip to the NEC

2008-03-13T17:53:00.010Z

Obviously not satisfied with the stash my sister brought me from the US, I found myself today (shockingly) at the Hobbycrafts show at the NEC.... It's tough but someone has to do it...
So what did I get? Just one or two things really :) A few Tim Holtz stamps seemed to fall into my clutches.

Not satisfied that I had enough stamps yet, I bought a few more.

The next little collection are for my new craft room - a work in progress. I intend to alter the clock, the box containing 12 books to alter and the jigsaw 12 x 12 as decoration for this room - we are months off completion of that one.

And then I decided to get the odd bits

More bits

Even more bits!

I can't wait to start playing with all my new toys :)

From America with Love!

2008-03-07T20:42:00.006Z

It was just like a spring time Christmas! My sister arrived on Thursday from Florida draped in gifts for me - yay! This is a combination of Christmas and my upcoming birthday in April... I am feeling rather lucky :)

Arty Girlz Guest Designer - SPRING

2008-02-26T17:21:00.004Z

Well, I have to say I feel very honoured to be the guest designer for Arty Girlz this week, and the theme is Spring - so here is what I created.

The background and frame are both from the DCWV Luxury Mat Stack. The main pink background was stamped with "Elegant Flourishes" by Rhonna Farrer and "Butterfly Calligraphy" by Cherry Pie Art Stamps using an Adirondak dye based ink pad in "Meadow"

The outer panel was stamped with the "Ornamentals set" by Purple Onion Designs and embossed with Judi Kins embossing powder in "Malachite"

I applied a vintage photo of the girl and covered with the frame panel. Embelished with some prima flowers and pale pink adhesive pearls I hung the piece on a French Laundry Hanging.

The items highlighted in green are available from Stamp Diva... check out my retail therapy links :)

Circles

2008-02-26T16:33:00.004Z

The theme for Arty Girlz this week is circles.... I have been so busy at work lately that again I confess I made this a while ago but it goes perfectly for this weeks theme. The rub-ons are by K & Co

Green

2008-02-21T18:07:00.003Z

The theme this week for Arty Girlz is Green... whilst I confess I made this a while back, it is perfect for the theme so I decided to use it for this weeks Challenge.

Stamping

2008-02-16T10:52:00.002Z

So again I am a little late this week but the theme for Arty Girlz this week is stamping. I started with a plain white card and stamped the script background in sepia brown and added the fleur de lys. The hand was stamped onto brown paper which was torn and edged with the same ink pad. The card was also edged in ink and finished off with a couple of buttons and a pen nib. This card ended up as my boss's birthday card this week :)

Hand Stamp - Paper Artsy Minis
Script - Hero Arts
Fleur de Lys - Cherry Pie Art Stamps

KraftyKitten Kreations

Happy New Year!

Scary / Halloween Inspired

Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1

Emboss It

Heard It's Your Birthday!

Button it up

Marianne's Design Divas

Summertime

Favourite Stamp / Image

Swirls of Summer

Monochromatic

Pearls and Lace

Showers of Flowers

Too Cool for Cats!

Recycle!

Something for your mum / hero

Pack a Punch!

Scallops!!!

Ear Ear

Sweet Pea Design Team Call

Talk to Me

Monochrome

All White?

Under the Sea

Sooooo Sweet

A Sweet Pea Anything

Sketch Challenge

Brads and Bows

Charmed I'm Sure

Crafty Storage Dilemma

Swirls and Flourishes

Anything Goes!

Black White and Blue

Imagine

Strawberry Watch

Happy Father's Day

Sweet Pea Stampers - Sketch

Aqua and Brown

Nestabilities Storage

A Sprinkling of Fairy Dust!

Commissioned Cards

Sweet Pea DPOV

Bits and Pieces

Amazing Inspiration

My First 2010 Creation

The Charm of Twilight

Do me a Favour? 60 of them!

Charming!

Christmas Twins

I'm a Craft Room and I am 1 Year Old!

Artisan show 2009

Ready Steady Stamp

Happy Birthday - One Powerful Hour

July Blog Candy Alert

How Long? Too Long!

ISMAKI Challenge

Red and White

Happy National Foof Day!

Especially for Lottie

Happy Halloween!

12 days of Christmas

My Craft Room

It's Finished!

Tick Tock

My Lovely New Craft Desk

Pretty in Pink

Masks

Blog Giveaway

Christmas in July

Tags

Fairies

Craft Room Project

Black - White - Grey

People with Wings

One Powerful Hour

Try Something New.... OK!

His Nibs

TGIF - Techniques

Flourishes and Wings