There's still time to play along with the Craft Stamper Challenge .......

Happy Friday .........

I've just realised it's Friday the 13th ........ not that I'm superstitious, well not much anyway.

I hope you've had a good week.
We're travelling home later today after a brief, but busy, trip to the UK. 
It's been a little quiet in The Craft Lane this week, because we've been across to pick up 'the van' finally!   Yes, we have our new motorhome and he's having his first ferry crossing to the Isle of Man.  We've decided it's definitely a He, and we've named him Remi ...... Remi ,the Rapido!

But, enough about 'the van' for now.  It's time for a little reminder about this month's Craft Stamper Challenge.

The theme is Anything Goes ..... as long as there's actual rubber stamping on your project somewhere.  Be sure to check out the Craft Stamper Blog for the full challenge guidelines ...... you need to follow those to be in with a chance of winning one of the prizes.

As always we have two prizes up for grabs .......
(1) the Design Winner chosen by the DT.
They will get their winning project published in the Craft Stamper Magazine on a two page spread!!! A winners profile on the Craft Stamper Blog and, an invitation to be a Guest Designer on a future Craft Stamper challenge.

(2) the Challenge Winner ....... randomly chosen from all the eligible entries.
They receive the Blog Challenge Prize and this month it's a cracker!  I wouldn't mind getting my hands on these little babies ......

OK, now for a little bit of inspiration ......

I love these new large stamps from AALL&Create.  Designed by the fabulous Tracy Evans, they're perfect for cardmaking or journaling but also they're a great size for creating pieces of home decor.

I simply took a piece of mop card from my stash, and stamped the full image using a black ink. I love all the details.

I also stamped the flower heads onto some scraps of white card, heat embossed them with a clear powder, and coloured them using ZIG markers before fussy cutting.
I then layered up the flower heads and attached them onto the stamped image using foam pads to add a bit of dimension

I found an old photo frame that fit perfectly ...... well almost.  Not a problem though ...... I just removed the glass from the front and because I'd used foam pads to attach the flowerheads they just fit nicely over the edge of the frame.

I finished off by adding a layer of Glossy Accents to the bottles .....

The challenge closes on Wednesday 25th March so there's plenty of time to join in.
Happy stamping!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.
I'm hoping for a nice calm crossing this afternoon.  We have a cabin though so if it is a little bumpy we can try and sleep through it.

Cheerio until next time .....

Products used:
Stamps: Daisy Elegance #266 (Tracy Evans for ALL&Create)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Clear Embossing Powder (WOW!); ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Glossy Accents

Letters or Numbers ........ or it could be both!

Hello there, it's me again .........

I'm doing a little happy dance around the craft room today.
No, I haven't been on the bubbly celebrating my birthday again ....... I'm one of the Guest Designers  on this month's Country View Crafts Challenge Blog.
Thanks for having me guys!

The theme for March is .......  Letters and/or Numbers
A fun one right.  If you think about it, nearly everything we create has either letters or numbers on there somewhere, sometimes there's even both.
Take cards for instance ....... all those sentiments, they're letters.
Personalising something ..... you use letters then, or numbers maybe to mark a special birthday.
Do you use script stamps or alphabet stencils to create backgrounds ...... there you go!  The list is endless.

I decided to use some die cut Letters on my project, to create some cute little painted wooden blocks to use as a home decor piece ......

These are just off cuts of wood, roughly about the size of an ATC (2.5 by 3.5 inches and about an inch deep)

I gave them all a quick coat of white gesso and then painted them using some blue acrylic paint.

A little dry brushing with a touch of Snowflake Fresco Finish paint around the edges gives them a little shabby look.

I decided to add some detail here and there, using texture paste and a brickwall stencil, which I then painted over using the same blue paint, and highlighted with some Treasure Gold gilding wax once it was dry

The letters were die cut three times from plain white cardstock, layered together to make them more dimensional and then painted with the blue paint, before attaching them to the fronts of my blocks.

To make them stand out a little more I rubbed each one with a little of the gilding wax.
And to finish off I added a cute painted wooden heart

I also decorated the backs of the blocks just in case they end up on a window ledge and can be seen from the outside!

I used JOFY's pretty flower stamp (JOFY Mini 59).  I stamped it randomly across the backs of the blocks and heat embossed with a clear powder

I then used the Fresco Finish paints and a waterbrush to colour the blooms, and added a few drops of crystal lacquer to the centres

I did stamp the side too ......

And a few splatters of black and white paint finishes off the blocks

Now I just have to find somewhere to put them!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
Dont forget to check out the Country View Crafts Challenge Blog for more fabulous inspiration using Letters and/or Numbers.
The challenge is open until the end of March so there's still time to play along.

Cheerio until next time .....

It's time to Take a Stamp .......

Happy Friday!

One week into the New Year already ...... I hope 2016 has got off to a good start for you.

It's time to get this year's Craft Stamper challenges underway.  We're starting the year off with a Take a Stamp challenge and the theme is Anything Goes ...... as long as there some rubber stamping on there somewhere.

This month our sponsor is ..... Dali Art

and our Challenge winner will receive this little lot of goodies .....

There's assorted Indian ribbon, self-adhesive Bindi embellishments, self-adhesive gems in 5 colours and 2 different sizes (as in the picture) and a beautiful Indian butterfly stamp.

Don't forget there's also the Design Winner chosen by the DT ...... that's 2 chances to win great prizes. What are you waiting for!

Is your mojo still on Christmas break?  Do you need a little inspiration to get you going? ...... well what about making something for your home.  Now that all those Christmas decorations have gone away again, you may just have that little space somewhere in the house that needs a new look. Or if you're anything like me ..... January is a busy month for birthdays and I never know what to give people so soon after Christmas.

Maybe give an old photo frame a simple make-over .......  a couple of coats of black paint over the top of a tired old gold frame and it looks as good as new.  I actually used a black Gesso on mine because I wanted a matt finish

This was totally inspired by an article in a Craft Stamper magazine, by Lydia Brooke Evans, all the way back in the May 2015 issue.  It was all about using Distress Markers to create watercolour effects ..... so simple to do, but really effective.

I simply used one of the outline stamps from the Painted Flowers set by Altenew, stamped it randomly using a black Archival ink onto a piece of white card.
I then used the Distress Markers to add a touch of colour ....... Worn Lipstick to the centre of the flowers and Mowed Lawn to the the leaves.

Then using a water spray I spritzed each of the flowers and left the card to dry.  You can see how the ink spreads to give that watercolour effect ...... so delicate in places.

I added my sentiment ...... I'm not sure but I think it's from Inkylicious ......

and then mounted the piece of card onto some black card leaving a small border all the way round.

I had to cut a small piece off my card to get it to fit in the frame ....... now you know I don't like to waste anything, so ........ voila! .... a cute little matching tag.  Perfect if you're giving it as a gift!

OK .... now it's your turn.  I can't wait to see what you all come up with.  Take those stamps and get creating!
Remember .... it's Anything Goes but there must be some stamping on there somewhere.
You can enter the challenge up to 3 times ...... ONLY one project per post though, and don't forget when you add your link it must be to your actual blog post and not just your blog!  You can find a full list of the Challenge Guidelines on the Craft Stamper Blog ........ Have fun!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a fab weekend.
I've got a really exciting day ahead of me ..... catching up with all the household chores .... oh joy!!
It's not all bad though .... if I get everything done today then I won't feel guilty when I'm out on a crafty get together with the girls tomorrow!!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx 

It's a very special day today ......

Happy Friday!

And a very, very Happy BIG birthday to my darling hubby.  I don't think he'll mind me telling you ..... he's 50 today!!! You're catching me up sweetheart!!!  And NO you can't have a motorbike!!!

Before I dash off to start getting ready for the celebrations I have a little reminder for you about this months Craft Stamper challenge.
It's the turn of Take a Stamp this month ........ and its basically Anything Goes!

I love my stamps ...... and I've had the clever idea of starting to catalogue them all ......yeah right!!!
Can't see that getting finished anytime soon!!!
It's fun though going through all the boxes, finding stamps I'd forgotten I had (there's a few of those!) ..... stamps that haven't seen an ink pad since the day they were bought (shame!) and of course all my old go to favourites that get used all the time (like the little guy above in fact!)

The stamp I've used for today's little project is a Stampendous one ...... Rose Branch Border, which I've used very simply, nothing fancy, just stamped onto white card, cut down to size, and then put in a pretty, inexpensive frame to create this beautiful wall hanging ......

It's such a pretty delicate image, I used Vintage Sepia Versafine ink so as not to lose any of the detail

And you can see that I've added a few highlights with a gold gel pen ..... just to the centres of the flowers, to add a bit more interest and also shimmer a little when the light catches them

I also stamped a little vintage script alongside the flowers, just to fill in the open space.  Stamped with the same colour of ink only this time I used the second generation stamp, to get a more faded look

And there you have it .... a pretty, elegant hanging frame, with a real vintage look.

Now it's your turn.  If you haven't entered the challenge yet why not give it a go.  Or ..... even if you have entered, you can enter more than once you know ...... you can have up to 3 entries in fact.  That's 3 chances to get your hands on one of those prizes.

This month our sponsor is ......  the fabulous Art Journey .......

The challenge winner (randomly drawn) will receive 4 ..... yes FOUR fabulous stamp plates.  Check out the Craft Stamper blog for full details of which ones.

Then of course there's our Design Winner, chosen by the DT.  They will have their winning project published in the Craft Stamper Magazine, be a Guest Designer on a future challenge AND have a winners profile on the Craft Stamper Blog!  So ..... get out those stamps and start creating!  Have fun and Happy Stamping!

Thanks for popping by ....... enjoy the rest of your day and have a great weekend.

I've got a busy day ahead ..... house to clean and get ready, and food to prepare.  No, I'm not baking a birthday cake ...... best left to someone else that one!!!   I've just got a birthday buffet to put together. Nothing too big .... just a small gathering of family and a few of hubby's friends/workmates but no doubt it's going to get loud ....... and it's going to get messy! Good job we've mentioned it to the neighbours!!!

It'll probably include a poker game at some point, and a trip to the local cocktail bar.  Well .... you're only 50 once!  Headache it is in the morning then!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Guest Designer at Country View Crafts Challenge Blog

Good morning! ...... and a very Happy Friday to you.

It's soon come around this week ...... because of the Bank Holiday I suppose! It should be a nice quiet weekend though .... it's hubby's turn to fly across to the UK.  He's going over for a guys get together ..... so it's bound to get messy!! Glad I'm not going.

Anyway, to get the weekend underway, I'm absolutely thrilled to be today's Guest Designer over on the Country View Crafts Challenge Blog.

This month's challenge theme is .....

 Simply Scenic

There's already been lots of fabulous inspiration for you through the month and today it's my turn.

Summer is on its way, so I'm told ..... and with that in mind my take on this month's challenge is .... a piece of home decor, with a pretty little summer meadow scene .....

This is so simple to do and the picture inside can be changed to suit the seasons throughout the year. Would make a lovely little gift too!
There's some fabulous shabby chic picture frames around, and not that expensive, it's what you put inside them that matters.

I cut a piece of white cardstock to fit the aperture then added some colour using Distress Inks ..... pretty shades of blue to create my summer sky ........

I spritzed the ink with a little water, let it sit for a while then removed the excess with paper towel removing some of the ink as well.

I then stamped the flowers across the bottom using a black Archival ink.  This particular image is from IndigoBlu ..... Wild Flowers and is one of my favourites.  Depending on how you colour the flowers they could be anything ..... buttercups, poppies you name it!

I decided NOT to add colour this time ........ instead I took more of the background colour away ...... using a paintbrush and some clean water I painted over each of the flowers, dabbed with a piece of kitchen roll and removed the ink ......

I stamped some butterflies above the flowers, once directly onto the scene and then again onto pieces of previously inked card from my scrap box ...... leftovers really from previous projects (I never throw anything away!)

I then fussy cut these and attached them over the top of the ones on my summer scene (cuts out the need to cut around the really fiddly bits like the antennae)  

I took one of the sentiments from a set of JOFY stamps (JOFY 09) and stamped it across the top ...... perfect fit (phew!)

and to finish off I used some watered down Picket Fence Distress Paint splattered over the scene using a paint brush.

I also added a touch of White Fire Treasure Gold to the ornate bit at the top of the frame ...... gives it more of an aged look I think.

I hope you like it ......... you've still got time to enter the challenge  so why not give it go.

Thanks for popping by ...... it's been a pleasure to be GD on the Country View Crafts Challenge Blog. It just so happens that Country View Crafts is my favourite online craft store ..... fab products, great prices and it's FREE  P&P (UK that is)

Have a great weekend ...... it's my turn to host our crafty get together tomorrow ..... 6 stamping mad ladies around the table (hubby's glad he's away!)  You never know we might just get something finished this week ..... there's always a first time!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx

Home is where the Heart is .......

Good morning .... Happy Friday!

The end of another busy week ....... and it's going to be a busy weekend too! I'm off on a day out (again!) tomorrow.   Me and my crafty buddies are off to Port Sunlight over on the Wirral, for the Happy Stampers Festival.  If you've never been to this fabulous craft show you should definitely put it on your list of ones to visit.
The weather forecast isn't too bad so hopefully the ferry crossing will be fine ..... hmmm maybe I shouldn't have said that.  Time will tell!!

Today though I want to remind you all that the latest Craft Stamper challenge is up and running. Have you entered yet?

This month it's the turn of Take a Stamp ...... and that means anything goes really.  It can be a card, a scrapbook or a journal page, altered art or even a piece of home decor.

Please take time to read the challenge guidelines before submitting your entry.  Unfortunately some of the entries last month didn't follow the guidelines so couldn't be considered for the prizes (sigh!) Remember ....... original artwork only.  You can enter up to three times but each entry must have it's own blog post, and don't forget to include some rubber stamping, somewhere on your project!
You can find all the guidelines here over on the Craft Stamper Blog.

Need some inspiration?  .... what about a cute piece of home decor.

We've recently moved house and this is now hanging by my front door.

It's an old photo frame that my daughter gave me a while ago.  The picture in it was beginning to look a little faded so I decided to give it a new look.

I painted the wooden heart using IndigoBlu's English Cottage Acrylic Paint in Frosty Sky .... giving it two coats for a nice smooth finish

Once the paint was dry, I stenciled on the brickwork design randomly over the heart using Grunge Paste.

Next came the fun part ...... the stamping!  I've used a couple of the JOFY Mini stamps  .... the flowers (JOFY 34)  Stamped in black Archival ink and embossed with a clear powder, then I've used some of the PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic paints to add the colour

The words inside the frame are JOFY 42, stamped onto white card and embossed as before, and coloured with the paints again.

I cut the card down to size, to fit in the aperture, then stamped around the edge using the flower stamp again, this time with Versamark ink and embossed with a white powder.
I then added colour around the edge with some Distress inks, spritzed with a little water to remove some of the ink and then polished over the top with a piece of kitchen roll to really bring out the flowers.

Now it's your turn .... what are you going to create?  Need some more ideas maybe ..... then pop over to the Craft Stamper Blog and see what the rest of the Design Team have been up to.

The prizes this month are .......
for the randomly chosen winner ......

a fabulous set of embossing powders .....

and this gorgeous lace design rubber stamp

both from the challenge sponsor .... the fabulous WOW! Embossing Powders

And of course, for the Design Winner .... chosen by the DT, they will have their winning project published in the Craft Stamper magazine, a Guest Designer spot on a future challenge AND they'll have their very own Winner's Profile published on the Craft Stamper Blog!!  So come on .... get those stamps out and get your entry in.  Good luck!!

Thanks for popping by ...... have a lovely day.
Have a great weekend ..... and if any of you are off to Port Sunlight .... I'll see you there!

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx 

Take any Stamp ..... for the new Craft Stamper Blog Challenge

Morning folks!
Happy New Year .... and a Happy Friday!
It's my first post of 2015 ..... it's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things but I think I'm finally getting there. This year is going to be a good one!

What a great way to get the old mojo back on track too ....... a brand new Take It Make It Challenge over on the Craft Stamper Blog.

I know ...... it's a little later than usual this month but, there's a few changes been made.  It's still going to be a monthly challenge but, it's going to alternate each month between......... 'Take a Stamp' and 'Take a Technique'
There'll be 2 winners for each challenge ...... one chosen at random, who will receive a fabulous prize from the challenge sponsor (you won't believe this month's prize ..... it's MAHOOSIVE!!!)  The second winner will be chosen by the Design Team and they'll get their work published in the Craft Stamper magazine (ooooh!), the chance to do a Guest Designer Spot, and a winners profile ..... not bad eh!

So what's this month's theme ........ well, we're getting it all started with

Take a Stamp

This can be any stamp you like ... could be your favourite go to design, or a brand new one that's not been out of the packaging yet ..... simple!

Create whatever you like ...... cards, scrapbook pages, journals, home decor ...... just as long as there's stamping on there somewhere.

Here's something to hopefully inspire you ......

I took a simple, inexpensive picture frame and made a piece of home decor.

This was really simple to do .....  and would make a lovely gift done to match someone's particular colour scheme.

I started out with a piece of scrapbook paper, from the Silent Night pad from Trimcraft.  I cut it down to fit the aperture of the frame then I used one of my favourite IndigoBlu stamps ..... the script from Sarah's Choice ..... to add a bit more interest to the background

I then overstamped this using more of my favourite's ...... the butterfly from Wild Meadow (IndigoBlu again)  and, the same design, only slightly smaller, that came free on a Craft Stamper magazine ages ago. This is one of my 'go to' stamps ....... I just love this butterfly!

I made myself some masks for the butterflies so that I could overlap them in places, and each one has been embossed using a clear powder, then a touch of colour added with the Spectrum Noir pencils. I've gone for a tone on tone sort of look but you could colour it whatever takes your fancy at the time ..... even change it to suit your mood!

The words are from a set of Dylusion stamps ....... I've cut into the sentiment and arranged the words over the whole space

The foliage you can see in the background is actually on the paper ....... not sure if it really comes across in the photos just how pretty this is ..... it's all embossed with a delicate glitter effect

To finish off I added a gorgeous resin butterfly onto the frame itself, and rubbed over with just a touch of Treasure Gold

Remember I mentioned that the prize this month is mahoosive ...... well, there's no particular sponsor for this challenge ...... and if you've already seen the latest issue of Craft Stamper you will have had a sneaky peek of some of what's on offer ....... wouldn't you like to get your hands on this craft stash ......

I know I would!!  Just think of all the fun you could have with this little lot!
You can find a full list of everything that's included in the winner's prize over on the Craft Stamper Blog.

So ..... it's over to you.  Get out those stamps and get creating ...... have fun and good luck!!

Oh, and by the way, there's something very exciting happening next week.  Don't forget to check out the challenge reminder post, all will be revealed.

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time

Linda

xx