Backgrounds Using Carrier Bags

I wanted to share a tag that I made for a swap over at Rebel Stampers.  The theme was to create a tag using carrier bags. Here is my creation:

I used a scrunched up carrier bag to apply distress inks in a random fashion over a tag and a die cut of 'Umbrella Man'.  Once happy, I stamped a quote and adhered the die cut to the tag and added some fibres for ribbon.

Nice and easy!

Have a great weekend.

Creative Chemistry 101 Week 2

I am a little behind with week 2 of Creative Chemistry 101 but managed to catch up slightly.  Here are my versions of Tim's techniques.
Day 6:

Watercolour With Markers

Blending With Markers

Stamping With Markers

I don't own any distress markers, and as I have previously stated, I wanted to use these techniques to show me a way to use the products that I already own to their full potential.  Instead, I used Stampin' Write Markers from Stampin' Up.  I feel that these gave me a good opportunity to see what else I can do with 'standard' pens.

Day 7:

Nostalgic Batik Technique



Rusted Enamel

Distress Powder Resist

I have made a start on day 8 and some of my work is currently drying - hope to finish it soon and catch up on the last couple of days.

Thanks for looking!





WOYWW 147

Evening all.  It's been a busy few days at work, however, I had a very crafty weekend. Here is my work space this week:

There is some exciting stuff to show you this week!  To the left there are the tags that I have completed for Chemistry 101.  I am now a few days behind but hope to catch up tomorrow!

Next to those you can see a bag of Tando Creative bottles - these are laser cut, fabulous and cheap - they can be purchased here.  To the right of that is the new Alice stamp from Stampotique.  I also have the Mad Hatter but he is so cute that I have taken him everywhere with me (LOL!!!).

The final thing to show is the finished printer tray  I showed you the Tando Creative  printer trays a couple  of weeks ago.  I finally altered one this weekend and posted on my blog earlier this week.  I have since added to this slightly as I wasn't entirely happy with a couple of bits.  Think I m finally happy now. Here is a closer view:

Anyway, if you are wondering what WOYWW is all about, hop on over to the Stamping Ground where you can learn more and have a good nose around at other work spaces.

Thanks for looking.

Sunday Stampers Week 198 - Blackbird

Here is my entry for Sunday Stampers.  This week, Hels set the challenge of using 'birds' in our creations and this is what I created.

The printer tray is by Tando Creative from The Stamp Attic.  I started by applying a coat of gesso to the back board and then stained with broken china distress ink and spritzed with Marshmallow Glimmer Mist (I had run out of Pearl Perfect Pearl!!). 

Once dry I started to glue the tray boards together, leaving the final one as a template for me to cut my papers etc.

Then the fun started!!  I embossed metal, cut papers and stamped to create the backgrounds for each section.  All of the stamps and papers were Tim Holtz and available to buy Here.  Once glued into the crevices I chose the embellishments that I wanted to use.  The majority were Ideology from Tim Holtz, although the mini birdcage was from my own stash, and the jar is from the Tando Creative grab bags, again available here. 

To finish, I painted the printer tray stand in Old Gold from Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paints.

I am delighted with my end result and hope you like it too.  This tray will be winging it's way to Wendy at some point during the week.

Thanks for looking.

Creative Chemistry Day 4 & 5

I never thought I would do it, but I have caught up with Creative Chemistry (until it starts again next week that is!!!).

Here are my creations
Day 4

Water Colouring With Re-Inkers

Layered Misting

Custom Stamp Pad

Day 5



Stained Kraft Resist

Stamping With Stains

Marbled Stains

I am really pleased with how these tags have turned out.  I loved the marbling technique - with the stamps that I used it almost gave it a dusky / end of the world feel (LOL!!!).

If you are wondering what I am going on about there is still time to join Creative Chemistry with Tim Holtz.

Right - Need to go and scrub the inks off my hands - must get myself a craft scrubbie!!!



Creative Chemistry Day 3

I'm a little bit behind but have managed to complete day 3 of  Tim Holtz'  techniques.

Here are my versions of Tim's techniques:

Alcohol Ink Agates

Archival Resist

Reflections Stamping

When creating my reflections stamping tag, I did not have a reflections stamp.  I don't feel it appropriate to purchase new products for this challenge as I think an important target for me is to use the products that I already own and maximise their qualities and usage.  Saying that, this is my own, personal opinion.  Even though I do have script stamps, I really like the stamp that I have chosen.

Hope you like my creations.  I am hoping to catch up with Day 4 and Day 5 over the weekend.

Enjoy the sunshine.

Something a bit different!!!

Morning all.

Today I thought I would share a nice, simple card that I have made for a birthday:

Here I embossed a green strip of card.  I added a punch scallop border to the left.  To the right of the embossed panel I stamped 'confetti' randomly in bundled sage distress ink.

The main image was stamped and coloured in watercolour and then mounted and adhered to the card to finish.

The butterflies are from Stampin' Up - totally in love with these because they are die cut and embossed and totally gorgeous!!

There you go! Something simple for a Friday...  Off to work now - Have a great day

WOYWW 146

 Good morning all.  I can't believe that Wednesday has come around so quickly!  So, it's WOYWW day again - you can find details of how to enter and have a snoop around other people's desks by visiting the lovely Julia.  Last week was my first time and I enjoyed snooping so much that I have come back!! LOL!!

Here is my bombsite, sorry desk,  this week

I have been really busy at work so haven't been crafting as much as I planned.  I have, however, caught up with day 1 & 2 of Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 101 class.  I am learning so much already.  It wouldn't be fair to Tim or other class members to tell you how I have created my tags, but here are my creations so far.

As usual, Tim is a great teacher and I am finally understanding why things don't work sometimes!!

Anyway,  I will have to dash today - It's my sister's 30th birthday and we are going to Cardiff today and will be eating out later.  Don't forget to pop to Julia's for a nosey!!

See you soon....

Sunday Stamper Week 197: Paper Roses

Two posts in one day!!!  I have a busy day at work planned tomorrow so thought I would share my Sunday Stamper  entry with you today.  The lovely Hels Sheridan has set 'paper roses/flowers' as this week's theme.  I got carried away by this and created two pieces for my entry.

For my tag, I coloured the background with worn lipstick distress stain.  I then used the worn lipstick ink to stamp a Studio 490 stamp onto the background (all of the stamps that I have used are from Studio 490 by Wendy Vecchi).  I used a leaves stamp as a flourish and stamped this in walnut stain.  The rose leaves were stamped onto green card and distressed before attaching to the tag. 

The rose, itself, was inspired by Hels' paper flower technique.  It was stamped onto scraps of Tim Holtz paper and I then followed the technique in the 'how to'.

The quote was stamped onto pink card using walnut stain distress ink.

The tag was finished by attaching the quote using a Tim Holtz pin and colouring and attaching ribbon and a trinket token.

My second paper flower is very different to my first creation.

Here I made a paper flower brooch.  I die cut the Tim Holtz large tattered flower several times onto Tim Holtz kraft resist paper.  I then coloured the die cuts in using fired brick and wild honey distress stain.  Once dry, I pierced a hole through the middle of the flowers and sewed vintage button to the middle and glued a brooch back on reverse.

I really like the way this turned out, especially the resist created on the Kraft paper.

Thanks for looking.

Happy Mothering Sunday

A very good Sunday to you all.

Today I want to share with you a canvas that  I made for my mum.  It was inspired by a workshop that I did with Hels Sheridan before Christmas.

First of all I covered the canvas in gesso.  Once dry I dry brushed the background in sand coloured acryllic paint.  I added to this by stamping script in coffee archival ink.  I used 2 stencils to add pomegranate acryllic paint.  Once all this was dry I set about decorating the canvas.

The dress form was created using the Tim  Holtz Alterations 'sewing room' and 'bird cage' dies, both inked with distress ink.  The bird cage was cut to fit and seam binding ribbon added. 

The ruler tape was from John Lewis haberdashery department. I then added various bits from Tim's Ideology range, along with bits that I have had in my trinket box for a while. The tickets were cut from Tim Holtz ticket strip die and then stamped using Tim's set of stamps.

I have spoken to mum this morning and she loves the canvas that I created for her!  I hope you do too.

Thanks for looking.

Tag Swap at Rebel Stampers

Morning all,

Today I am sharing with you a tag that I made for the Rebel Stampers tag swap. The theme this month was 'Felt'.  This is my creation

 For this swap, I coloured the base tag in fired brick distress stain. I then stamped the background in archival ink using a Paper Artsy stamp.  I stamped the hearts from the same stamp  set in archival ink onto felt and cut out.  I then adhered both hearts to the tag.

The butterflies are from a cut and emboss folder from Stampin' Up.  You can't see the embossing very well but I love this set! I then added ribbon and a wire heart to finish.

I have had felt for a long time, so it is good to finally good to use it!

If you want to chat to a friendly group of crafters or even join a new swap group where you can join several swaps - atc's, tags, circle books, monthly challenges, why not pop along and join the Rebel Stampers. 

Thanks for looking.

Grungy Monday 39

Morning allfrom a very foggy Bristol .

I thought I would enter the Grungy Monday challenge this week that is hosted by the wonderful Linda and sponsored by

The challenge this week is based around Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas 2009 Day 3 where Tim uses alcohol inks to create a plaid background.

I got so carried away by this I created 2 different tags!!

For this first tag I used Sailboat blue, sunset orange, juniper, sunshine yellow and clover to create the plaid background - love how the colours mixed and changed.  I then stamped the Papillion stamp from the Tim Holtz collection in the background.  The fab bottle is from Tando creations and I have painted it using Paper Artsy mermaid Fresco Finish paint and crackle paint.  The flower is a Penny Black one that I have had for years!  I am really happy with this tag and hope that you like it too.

For the second tag I used the same alocohol ink colours but added wild plum.  The images are stamped on a plaid green alcohol ink background - but you can't see the plaid vtery well.  The images are from the Tim Holtz Road Trip set.

Really enjoyed this challenge - not sure why I have never done  it before!!!

Thanks for looking



WOYWW 145

Well, I can tell that I am back at work - completely losing track of time, and my workspace is a MESS!!!!

What's on it???  To the left you can see a few tags that I have made for a few challenges this week and to the right a hot cup of tea that I am eagerly sipping.  The bits in the middle I am very excited about!!! They are the new Tando Creations printer trays that I got from Wendy at
The Stamp Attic.  I have lots of ideas and will hopefully get to play with them tomorrow.

Anyway, if you are as nosey as me, you can pop over to Julia's place - Queen of WOYWW to see what other crafters have been up to.

Bye for now.. 

Tim Holtz: 12 Tags of 2012 - March

I return to work today after 11 days holiday, which have been great - I have managed to do some spring cleaning, have fun and get very inky.  Time goes so quickly though.  I'm already wondering when I am on holiday next!!!

Well, I have finally caught up with Tim's challenges!! (Does happy dance around room).  The March tag provided a big challenge for me because I didn't have alot of the products that Tim used (and I really didn't want to buy anything new when I already have so much).  I guess the aim though is to be creative, and I am sure this is what Tim is trying to encourage us to do - to look at products we already have in a different way.

You can see Tim's version of the March tag Here.

So, this is my version:

Straight away I faced my first hurdle - I don't have a wood grain stamp!! Though I do have an embossing folder - so I embossed a sheet of textured brown paper  lightly sanded and inked to make it look stamped.  This caused an issue with the wording however, as I couldn't get a crisp image due to the embossing - so - I inked a large ticket and stamped onto that.

I die cut 2 butterflies (from Stampin' Up) then cut little mosaics - even though I have the Tim Holtz papers I thought that I would use scraps that I had left over from other projects (I never like to throw things away - just in case!!).  I adhered these to the butterflies in a random fashion. 

In Tim's version, he uses a cement coloured embossing powder - which I don't have.  I overcome this  by using a standard silver powder - not my ideal choice but it seems to have worked well.  I then added a small amount of glossy accents to the mosaic pieces and left them to dry.
Once dry,  I attached the butterflies to my tag and embellished with metal flowers and ribbon.  I spritzed the tag with Marshmallow Glimmer mist to finish.
I really enjoyed this tag - I think mainly due to the fact that it made me think a bit more because I didn't have so many of the things that Tim used.  It was also satisfying to alter the tag by using things that I already had.

By the time you read this I will undoubtedly feel like I have had no time off work at all... LOL!!!

Thanks for looking.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 - February

I'm sure you will  have heard  by now that the great Tim Holtz has introduced 12 tags for 2012, with the aim of creating a new tag each month, starting from February.

I am already a month behind (no change there) so thought I had better get a wriggle on!!  I have finally created my version of Tim's February tag.  You can see Tim's version Here .

This is my version:

I used a Hero Arts background, inked with Snow Cap paint dabber (to create a resist).  Once dry, I inked the tag using Barn Door and Aged Mahogany distress ink.  I then misted a towel and lightly wiped over the tag to create the resist.  I then embossed the tag  using a swiss dot embossing folder.

The heart was cut using a CuttleBug die - cut in grunge and honeycomb paper.  Tissue tape was used to create the ruffle.  The Border and flourish were  both from the Tim Holtz, Alterations range, and inked using aged mahogany ink.

The word was stamped using archival ink.  Seam binding was coloured using aged mahogany distress ink and embellishments added.

Hope you like my attempt at Tim's February tag - now need to attempt the March tag.

Thanks for looking.

Sunday Stampers Week 196 - Misty

I follow Hels Sheridan's blog week in week out, so thought it was about time that I had a go at the weekly Sunday Stampers challenge.  For those that are not aware, the craft goddess herself, sets a new challenge every week based on a theme - this week it's 'Misty'.  Before I tell you bout my entry, you can see what Hels has been up to here. 

So, what did I do?

After the fab Ranger technique workshop that Hels ran a couple of weeks ago at The Stamp Attic, I thought I would create a tag using the faux suede technique.  Once dry, I misted 3 colours of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist over the tag and dried with my heat gun.  I then used a stencil and created pattern using Inka Gold paints from Viva - I love these as there are so many vivid colours and they dry so quickly.

For the wording I put a few droplets of Ranger Distress Re-inkers into a mini mister and sprayed onto a scrap of card.  The word stamp is from the Dylusions range.

The main image is a Stampotique Monster called 'Key Keeper', which can be bought from The Stamp Attic, coloured in using Pro Markers. 

I finished my creation using a grunge board key coloured with Distress Ink and Inka Gold (to highlight), and I coloured seam binding ribbon using Distress Ink.

I am really pleased with how my tag has turned out and hope you like it too!

Pretty In Pink

I decided to challenge myself to use colours (pink) and patterned paper that I don't normally choose, and I have to say that I am very happy with the result!

The background paper is from Stampin' Up.  The pink rectangle is embossed using the Stampin' Up square lattice folder - which I have to admit has become one of mt favourites!!

The images are from the Stampin' Up Everything Eleanor set - which is gorgeous.  I love the solid shaped background - it is quite vintage and distressed.

Hope you like it.

Male Birthday Card

Male birthdays can often be tricky!  This is a card that I have made for a friend of ours.  The background papers and ticket strip are from Tim Holtz. 
The stamps are a set that I ordered from America last year from a company called Victorine Originals.  I had been searching for realistic car stamps for a long time and then found these, which I adore!  The images are coloured in using water colour pencils.
I have used two different sets of cogs on this - the set on the right are from the Tim Holtz alterations range.  The ones on the left are from Tanda Creations and are laser cut compressed paper (and are fabulous and really affordable) .  I have coloured both in and finished off with Ideology game spinners.

I visited the Stamp Attic in Wantage today (www.thestampattic.co.uk) to celebrate their 14th birthday!!  Wendy has some fabulous new products in stock - further more, if you place an order online today, there is free postage and packing - hop on over and have a look - you won't be disappointed!!

Off for a drive tonight - need to make the most of my last few days before I go back to work next week.  Have a good evening.

ATC Swap at Rebel Stampers

Evening all.  I've spent a lovely day in Cardiff visiting Mum and Dad today, so haven't managed to do any crafting.  I thought I would share with you some atc's that I have recently created for swaps over at www.rebelstampers.com. Every month there are 2 atc swaps - 1 based on the free stamp in that month's Craft Stamper.  The 2nd is based around a theme, chosen a year out by one of the lovely contributors.  

The first atc pictured here is based around the theme of nursery rhymes - at first I didn't have a clue!!!  I kept putting it off and off and then remembered that I have a cute set of Hero Arts stamps with the little girl on them, and I also have a wooden stamp set - one says 'sugar and spice' (which is featured here) and the other is 'slugs and snails'.  I really like how this atc turned out (though I did have to Google 'nursery rhymes' many times).

The second atc is based on the theme of 'masks' - here I used a button mask for the background, coloured with distress ink.  For the main image stamp, I created a foam stamp by die cutting the Tim Holtz 'Sewing Room' alterations die onto foam and then using this as a stamp.  This is a fabulous way of making more out of your cutting dies.  I then used a dot mask over this and finished with embellishments.

The final atc is based on the free Craft Stamper stamp from February - here I used Tim Holtz paper as a backing - and stamped the image onto more Tim Holtz paper - finished by embellishing with the cute gold wings in the picture!  I think it shows that you don't have to do much to make an atc look artistic!

Right, I think I may be able to squeeze an hour or so of crafting in!

Talk soon....

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Here is a card that I have made for a little boy's birthday. The stamp is from the Stampin' Up Crazy for Cupcakes range, and the background stamp is called Confetti, again from Stampin' Up. Confetti is so versatile - I love it!! Great for backgrounds.
I think the colours have worked out well - hopefully the recipient will like the card too!

Ranger Technique Workshop with Hels Sheridan 3rd March 2012

On Saturday I attended a workshop with, the one and only, Hels Sheridan. The workshop was based around 15 different Ranger techniques. We used mica powders in 3 different ways, created faux suede, used holographic powder, distress embossing powder, created watermarks, used brayers in different ways and lots more. We then bound all of our tags into a really cute tag book.

The day was fabulous and worth every penny. For those of you lucky enough to attend a workshop with Hels, you will know that she is a fabulous teacher. Every step is explained and Hels is very patient!

As well as this, there was the opportunity to browse in one of the most amazing craft shops ever - the Stamp Attic (www.thestampattic.co.uk) is an Aladdin's cave of creativity - every time you turn a corner there is another room or cubby hole full of gorgeous goodies!! Wendy (owner of the stamp attic) has even got a room that is dedicated to everything Ranger - more Tim Holtz, Wendy Vecchi, and Dylusions than you can even imagine - it's heaven!!!

This is my 4th workshop with Hels at the Stamp Attic, and it certainly won't be my last! I left the workshop brimming with ideas and creativity!

A New Start!!

I've been wanting to start a blog for a while and have finally done it!!!

Where to start??

I guess I will start from today and share with you some of my creations. I have a week off work this week and hope to get as inky as possible!! Today I spent time catching up with some of the swaps that I'm involved in over at www.RebelStampers.com.

This is a tag that I have created for a Steam Punk theme. I've used one of my favourite sets of stamps from the one and only Tim Holtz, annd added cogs and embossing from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations range. I'm quite pleased with how it has turned out.

Bye for now - I'll be back soon...