Strange eyes..(Sat workout cabinet cards)

Didnt have a cabinet card so altered a cigarette card instead. I used loads of paint and transparency layers and then decided to play around with the colour saturation ..really like the bright middle one as the orange next to the blue seems to make it float. We have had a great time preparing for Halloween today with my sons doing drawings, helping to carve the pumpkin and decorate most of the house. As I am cooking the tea they are now getting changed..wonder how tall the mountain of sweets will be this year????

scrappy 9 patch cushions

I havent done much crafting this week as its been half term so my time has been spent playing football with my sons. I was totally fed up with the cushions we had on our sofa so decided to make some new covers. I had orginally cut out the squares for a large quilt but decided I wanted to make cushions instead. The fabric is gorgeous liberty prints given to me by my quilter friend Liz. I got the biggest compliment from my 4yr old who said " I love them mum as they are nice and cosy! "

My vintage cigarette cards collection

I love visiting Gaby Cajubrasil's site with her free collection of collage sheets (click on the link to the right). I thought I would scan some of my vintage cigarette cards. If you click on the picture then hopefully it will enlarge and then you can print it off. I would love to see what you create with them..please link back to my blog..thanks.

Rag Rug Bag

I started this project last Spring and have finished the handles for it tonight...having forgotten about it!! It now holds my wool that I am currently knitting a stool cover with. The rags are from old clothes & curtain cut up into strips then put on a hessian bag with a rag rugging tool. The texture is lovely and soft so think a future project would be a cushion..I like recycling fav old

clothes.

This photo shows the rag rugging tool in the middle that I use...you poke holes in the material then pull the material through ..it also came with a piece of wood that you wrap the material round then just cut it through the middle to make exact strips!! I got it from a craft show and cant find the name of the shop unfortunately . The one at the bottom is my original rag tool which doesnt poke holes in like the top one and is a bit more fiddly. I have been asked how I did this bag so here is a further explanation. Buy a hessian bag from a supermarket and poke holes in it with a rag rugging tool. You cut old material and clothes into about 1" x 3" strips and you get a lovely textural feathered effect in the end. Another idea would be to use potato hessian sacks for a little cushion or have a look for hessian type material with gaps that you can poke through.

Be Thankful...(gingersnap thankful challenge)

I have got a lot in life to be thankful for..my husband and 3 kids, my health and my creativity amongst lots of other things. This little card is titled "Be thankful for artistic freedom" and features an image of Frida Kahlo (courtesy of gaby cajubrasil), painted backgrounds and loads of layers of bingo cards, die cuts, textured painted card etc etc. We are lucky that we can share what we create through cameras, computers, blogs and the internet..so remember we have lots to be thankful for.

Thoughts little tin (crazy amigo challenge men)

I altered this little tin last night inspired by Tim Holtz book distressables. I have covered it with alcohol inks and put some glaze on the top of the images..quite like making these little tins so expect to see some more soon! Off to play football and go on a bike ride with my sons as its half term..have a good Tuesday everyone.

Gothic Illusion ATC (TMTATC skeletons etc)

Found this gory gothic picture and thought it would be ideal for this gothic ATC. The background is made with distress inks and a tim holtz cobweb mask.

gothic arches and guinea pigs (gothic arch orange and black)

I havent done a gothic arch for ages so thought I better had as its such a good group. I cut the arch and orange flowers out with my new craft robo lite toy. I have used my fav embossed alcohol inked foil around the frame..I love this technique as it just adds a little something to an otherwise flat piece. The background is some of those stencilled papers I did for the Green Pepper Press challenge ..they are certainly coming in handy for the recent gothic & halloween challenges. Her hat and the paper at the bottom is made from some of my painted papers that I do with the kids..will do a load of those again over the half term as my sons love using stamps and stencils and making a mess with paint just like their mum!!

Have a good half term and lets hope it doesnt rain!! Here are a couple of photos of my guinea pigs Diego and Flash just because they are so cute and getting bigger each day

Tim Holtz day.fridge magnets...

I tend to buy books then forget about them..like loads of crafters sometimes we have too much but hey we have to treat ourselves and I am not one to buy the latest fashions or go out any more on a Saturday night!! Anyhow I found some Tim Holtz books so think I will have a Tim Holtz week next week and follow ideas from the Distressables books. This will fit in nicely with the kids being off for half term as they are only little projects rather than those where you have to get your whole craft room out for one art piece!!! I found these little metal discs by Tim Holtz so have altered them with some alcohol inks and added rusty washers and Tim Holtz papers and doo dads to them. I then put them in my melt pot with some utee for a nice glaze on the top. If you want Tim Holtz's latest idealogy range or a melt pot just click on the artistic stamper blue badge to the right.

Turquoise choker Saturday workout jewellery

I went to a craft fair at a nearby garden centre yesterday and picked up this turquoise tooth and moonstone cross. Today over at Saturday workout challenge its jewellery so here is my little charm choker. The stamped piece is a little clear disc that has already got a hole drilled in it so very useful. I have been playing most of the day with my new toy the craft robo lite which arrived this morning. I am a bit of a techno phobe so it took me awhile to work out how to plug it in properly!!

Very pleased as now part of the Artistic Stamper Design Team

I am very pleased as I have just been chosen to be part of the Artistic Stamper Design Team. Looking forward to making some artistic pieces with their excellent range of stamps and supplies. Please visit http://www.theartisticstamper.blogspot.com/ to view other members of the Creative design team. Check out the shop by clicking on the blue badge to the right http://www.theartisticstamper.com/ to see lots of artistic goodies including a lot of the new Tim Holtz range!

Old Fashioned Love ATC (Theme Thursday Faces)

This ATC features many faces with the woman torn between the two men..who is she going to choose I wonder!! Various stamped images on the background and layered over with transparencies. I quite like adding transparencies as they add layers to an otherwise flat ATC

Vintage sewing box & handmade cards

I got this beautiful vintage sewing box off my friend Linda for my birthday which I think will make an excellent project to alter. I also love recieving handmade cards and received some beautiful cards including a bamboo notebook card and little collaged tag card from Chantelle and Marie who are part of the crafty group that I attend. My mum even made me a card using pressed flowers and I got some lovely roses off my husband.

Twelve Days UKS challenge

Over at UK Stampers we are doing a theme on the 12 days of Christmas. The first verse is ...." a partridge in a pear tree". We are using the song to make a set of 12 4x4 cards over the next 12 weeks and at the end we should have an interesting book of arty stuff! I have layered a tree transparency over a bird and pear image with various stamped papers layered on the top. The background is spray inks and I have sewn round the edge for some more texture

Gingersnap creations spicy supply challenge "Brads"

Thought I would make a little card for a challenge blog I have just found. Its quite a good site as it also has informative tutorials..the link is to the right. This card features some repeated stamped trees using a mask, layered inked embossed foil leaves held together with some distressed brads. The message reads "Take a little time for yourself" as the card reminds me of a nearby park I visit with my sons.

Cards made while watching Craft Day on QVC

I have been feeling a bit fluey today, the weather has been freezing cold but at least QVC Craft Day is on!! havent been tempted to buy anything yet but I just like watching the demos while making some simple cards. I have never made a cute card before so this owl one is a first for me

My first art quilt finally finished..

Here is my first quilt finally finished. I am quite pleased with the end result after cutting some of it up that I wasnt happy with!! The centre is made of 9 small art quilts and I have had a go with a basic log quilt style then added some curved vintage lace to break up the lines. A lot of this material was given to me by my friend Liz who has made a lot of perfect quilts in her lifetime. I think I am going to make smaller pieces next time as to be honest I got bored doing this..so next time I am going to do cushions, bags, coasters and small wall hangings.

Strange Autumn lutradur bowl

I am part of the creative troupe design team over at C&T publishing (www.ctpub.com). I was sent some black lutradur to play around with and created this little bowl suitable for Halloween treats. Black lutradur can be moulded with a heat gun..I have added some flowers coloured with distress inks and a little collaged centre piece. To buy some lutradur please click on the "I love fiber art" badge to the right and this will take you to the C&T shop..where they also sell all kinds of great quilt goodies.

Strange Autumn slideshow

Back to grunge (TGIF pointy hats)

I got another printer off ebay recently so was finally able to print off some Tim Holtz papers off the Distressbles CD. So this is mostly Tim Holtz papers made into a little ATC book

Clean and Simple Cards

I have started to make a few cards and am experimenting with a cleaner and more simple style. I like to change the way I work sometimes and be versatile rather than doing grunge all the time! It also means I use the cuttlebug dies that I have got..I love this swirl border die as it looks like vintage ribbon.

Lovely lutradur little delicate xmas box

I am part of the Creative troupe design team over at C&T publishers (www.ctpub.com). I was recently sent some extra fine lutradur and was given an option of making a 3D object with it Although it is extremely fine and sheer it can be fused together. This little trinket box would be ideal for Christmas or perhaps weddings to hold little gifts. I have fused the lutradur at the edges and have cut out star and swirl shapes, added liquitex silver gem paint, sequins, beads and lilac chiffon. Very pretty and delicate for Christmas..although very difficult to photograph as it is so sheer. My next experiments will be with some black lutradur so watch this space. Click on the blue bird badge "I love fiber art" to the right and this will take you to the C&T shop where you can buy lutradur and many other exciting art materials....

Smile and the world smiles with you.......

Here I am smiling away with a new mirror I have decorated today with embossed alcohol inked foil

Catching up with some cards...

I love autumn but the only problem is it sometimes brings colds and fevers to our house! Today my youngest is off school watching Sportacus and Spongebob on tv and being given Calpol! I too am feeling a bit headachey so about to have a curry soup for lunch I think to ward off any germs. I find making cards is quite therapeutic when you want to take it easy creatively so here are a few autumnal and christmas cards I made earlier.

Be Yourself (mixed media monday pink)

Quick ATC featuring a man in pink and various stamped images on a painted background.

Happy Stamping Blackbird (Sunday Postcard)

I went to the Happy Stampers event yesterday and treated myself to a load of stamps, masks, inks etc. I have been playing around with masks and spray dyes today on old envelopes. This card features a gorgeous Lost Coast stamp I bought yesterday..it was so wacky I had to have it even though I didnt know what to do with it!! It goes well with the stencilled blackbird I think. I have added the title "Happy Stampers" and dedicate it to everyone who has made me happy by leaving me nice comments on my blog..namely you!!

Be Happy (Daring cardmakers purple)

Thought I would make a Halloween card for a change featuring my fav colour purple. The background is made up of stencilled painted papers and embossed foil that I made earlier in the week. The tomb shaped tag features various stamped images, ribbon and the words Be Happy as she looks such a bundle of laughs!!

Autumn

I love the colours of autumn and wanted to capture it somehow. I covered a little suitcase with black paint, utee tiles and alcohol ink embossed foil..Really pleased with the end result and will use it to stores little diecuts in

Autumn little suitcase slideshow

Over to the darkside (GPP October challenge and Created by hand "stencils")

I love joining in with Michelle Wards challenges over at the Green Pepper Press site. This also fits in with Created by hand challenge which was stencils today. This month we have to use black paper for some art work. I have had great fun this morning getting carried away making a load of background papers with various stencils and masks using paint. I have made them into a little book with my bind it all machine..I am doing this quite a lot now otherwise the papers get lost in my stash?????!!! The front cover also features a clip of a Klimt painting...very gothic with its grim reaper skeleton..I love October as most of the challenges are on the spooky darkside..wooooo!!!