Art for artsake card (MMM something new)

Thought I would use my new stamp from Scrollswork today to make this vintage looking card. It is in the art nouveau style and I have combined it with a new technique to me of rolling the paper edges as I wanted to show off the really nice French style paper and also add another layer to the card. Have combined this with some lace and my favourite newspaper flowers with a button in the middle. All stamps used from Scrollswork. I have been a part of the Scrollswork Design team for nearly 6 months now so my DT time is nearly coming to an end. I want to let you all know that they are looking for their next Design team members for the next 6 months..so check it out by clicking the link as you get a load of their really good stamps to play with..tell them I sent you and good luck!

Whiter Shade of Pale (theme thursday collage)

My favourite day of the week is Thursday as I get to visit my friends Linda, Pat, Chantal and Marie..its like a ladies who lunch day with some arty time thrown in. Today I saw Lindas new kitchen complete with the most amazing brass handles very vintaj looking!. Of course with the stress of trying to get my kids to school hoping they would go in this time without a fuss..I completely forgot my art supplies. So luckily I was able to make something out of papers, white paint, old sewing patterns, scrunched brown paper and a teabag to distress everything! Linda always has the latest gadgets so this book is made with a new machine called the cinch! which is great for making more than 6 holes compared to a bind it all machine. I have finished this off tonight with images from ceremony and added some beads, vintage lace, buttons and crochet thread. I visited Chantals house for the first time today and saw the most amazing French furniture and framed art ..very ornate to accompany our lovely lunch in the new conservatory. Its great to have friends who share the same interest and whom you can have a laugh with and share the good and the bad times of life

follow your dreams little book (MMM something old)

I saw a great little idea for a fold out little book on Lindas blog Blue Eyed Girl..check it out for instructions..she has some lovely arty inspiration. After a stressful morning trying to get my son to school who has Monday morning-itis! I spent some lovely time watching the housemartins who have made a nest in our roof eaves so this was the inspiration for the cover of my little book. I have used some lovely bird and reed stamps onto a background from Ceremony freebies. The inside pages I have dry brushed white and used some word stamps....it reminds me of those fold out paper quiz toys that I used to make as a child . The quote stamp on the front reads "follow your dreams for they hold your future". All the stamps I have used are from Scrollswork. I have had the ribbon and old lace for a long time and I love the vintage look it adds to the little book. The little beads to the paper flowers add a little pretty touch...

Just lazin round in the sun..visiting my Dad

Today was Fathers Day and I visited my Dad who has the most fantastic garden see above. My garden is only small but when we have lovely weather there is nothing better than pottering about in the garden with my sons occasionally helping out. We planted out some of my fuschias and geraniums, put some strawberries in hanging baskets and planted some iceberg lettuce, radish and spring onion seeds. I am so glad I bought the greenhouse earlier in the year as it is giving my plants a good start as the cabbages we planted out havent been ate by slugs yet!!

So besides playing in the garden the current project I am working on is altering an apron. I have decided to use up some odd scraps of fabric that I tend to hoard! The next step is to do some free machine embroidery on the top then to add more layers with a pocket so will post another photo when its finished....

My little Artchix shrine treat

I decided to treat myself to an ATC Artchix tin shrine as I have always wanted one of these. It came beautifully wrapped all the way from Canada complete with a chocolate mint inside and extra collage goodies. I have used the collage sheets to make the 3 ATCs you can see. I have painted the shrine with some turquoise, blue and brown paint and then sanded it down. The little face in the bottle top was off the packaging and I have added some of my favourite beads at the bottom. I really like this little shrine as I can keep putting in different ATCs in it...yes sometimes it nice to treat yourself..have you treated yourself recently?

some old vintage label cards (mixed media monday)

Had a little bit of time today in the middle of the housework. Decided to make some vintage looking cards. I have used some lovely label stamps and a vintage lady and bird stamp all from Scrollswork....well back to clearing up the lego! The challenge over at Mixed Media Monday is vintage label so check out the other entries too...

Here come the pointy hats.(Wed stamper I love...)

Trying to sort out passports at the moment as we are planning a trip to Norway in the summer so all excited. As a break from filling out all the forms I made some ATCs. I havent made any ATCs for ages so thought I would make a few using various papers, string, invoke stamps and lots of black ink. Over at the Wednesday Stamper the theme is I love..well I love adding pointy hats to faces!

My dad has such a lovely garden and a very natural looking pond that he has built..the garden is always full of frogs hiding and we were all fascinated watching this particular one..arent the colours of it beautiful...

create art mum tag...

I am following the workshops in the Artistic Mother group and this week I am up to the nametag workshop. I have made one for each of my family to hang up. I have just shown my one as not keen on showing photos of my sons on the net. I have used some watercolour board covered in stamped scrap papers and my new alternative to gesso wall tile adhesive! I distressed the photo slightly so that my hair looks as if it has got highlights. This photo was taken of me last summer knitting bags with cricket stumps and typically needing my messy fringe cut. I have punched the word mum with my new alphabet stamp punches into some dyed-painted lolly sticks and attached this with wire to a piece of bark I found last week at Delamere Forest.

everythings coming up roses (MMM floral)

All the roses are blooming in my garden now...I tried to cut them back a couple of years ago because of the thorns but they keep coming back! I really like the deep reds of the petals with the raindrops on the leaves after last nights storms. I have made a rose inspired card today using a new rose stamp from Scrollswork. Have added a little bird and a butterfly and some glitter on the petals to resemble rain. The challenge over at Mixed Media Monday is floral so check out the other entries too. Have found an interesting group on flickr called Echo which has a monthly prompt ..so have added this photo of red roses as the theme this month is rouge

Remembering Jellyfish...

I recently heard on my local radio station Radio Merseyside that the old New Brighton beach was open again. I have really great memories of this beach as when I was a child we used to travel on the ferry across the River Mersey to New Brighton and then spend all day crabbing and exploring the rock pools of the beach. Sadly since the 1970s the beach went into decline but happily they are now rebuilding this great seaside pier and the beach is open now. Today I took my sons over to New Brighton and we had a marvellous time playing in the rock pools, building sandcastles in the new sand and having a paddle in the clear water and watching the big ships on the Mersey. However, my worst memory of New Brighton as a child was when I fell into a rock pool and got stung by jellyfish..unfortunately they are still there but my sons had great fun carefully scooping them up and throwing them into the sea so they didnt stand on them!!

Day out at Delamere & SATC2

I decided to take my sons on a trip to Delamere today. The last time I went, which was many years ago, I got lost so this time we sort of stuck to the main path. Ferns are one of my favourite plants and the forest was full of them with some beautiful trees and flowers. We even came across a few houses in the middle of the forest..what a great place that would be to live in.

Have just been to see Sex and the City 2 at my local old picturehouse which is full of character. It was great to watch it with the place full of women of all different ages laughing so hard. I would recommend the film for pure escapist light comedy and Samantha again had all the best lines compared to the Carrie character which I dont really like..what did you think of the film if you have seen it?

Thank you card with a difference...

My sons are off on half term again this week so just a little bit of time to create. This is a card with a difference as it opens up sideways instead of a standing up type of card. The card swivels open with a ribboned tag and the brad flower at the bottom secures it all. The bird woman and bird stamp are some of my favourites from Scrollswork.