Dreaming Tim style

I enjoyed making my February tag for the Tim Holtz challenge that I made another for the Dragons Dream TIO challenge. The theme chosen by Catherine is 'Pink and Hearts'.
The only difference is that I stamped some Lynne Perella stamps from Paper Artsy and coloured them before cutting them up to make the background.

I would like to enter in 
Dragons Dream Challenge 185 - Pink and Hearts

Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 299

Whats on your workdesk today? Only asking, because Julia (here at the Stamping Ground blog), and a lot of other crafty folk around the World would be interested. Some manage to join in every week, I unfortunately have missed the last two weeks so I'm hoping to get around and have a peek at a few desks today!
We were going to the cinema - it's the last week for the 2 for 1 from the phone company but there's nothing we want to see this week.  It's not going to stop us going to see films though as the cinema has given us some vouchers to use! Yay!!If you want to see what we have seen recently I'll let you know at the bottom of the post.  
So…the desk

I'm about to start something similar to something I've already posted - but it sparked an idea so I'll see!!(blogger won't let me move this text now!!!)

Here you see what happens under my desk - think I may need to clean up before I start today!

Cinema update - 

Three weeks ago - 'Kingsman' - described as a spoof on spy films - however, despite some good actors I wasn't keen - very violent scenes - OTT - hubby liked it and to be fair there were some funny scenes!

Two weeks ago we went to see 'Jupiter Ascending' - quite a strange Sci-Fi film but a proper story, fabulous costumes and Eddie Redmayne!

Last week - with our son and grandchildren 'Shaun the Sheep', easily the best of the three, although I embarrassed my GS by laughing out loud when no one else did!! We all enjoyed it, even our 'heading for teenage' grandson! I must confess I have recorded quite a few episodes from CBBC - Shaun just makes me smile giggle roar with laughter!

Hoping to get around to visit a few desks this week!, Chris

Tim's 12 Tags of 2015 - February

Well, so far so good! I really enjoyed making this one!
The Tutorial and details are here on Tim's blog.
This is my version - not keen on red hearts and since Valentines has been and gone not really a love declaration….except my love of Paris and the times we've been there…...and guess what..…we're going again in the Summer! Well actually we are having a bit of  tour around - by train - before going to stay with my ex sister and brother in law(AKA best friends)
So here is my tag

The 'check in' metal tag is from an old handbag - seemed appropriate!
My heart is using one of my favourite pastimes - needle felting. The tie at the top from the blouse I used to make flowers the other week. The papers and ephemera of course Tim's!!

Thanks for looking, Chris 

A walk in the woods..

I love this time of year - from now through to May woodlands are constantly changing. Next month there will be daffodils and then the trees will start to get their leaves and then it's bluebell time. After that the canopy covers everything and the woodland floor goes fairly still again. Now of course its snowdrops and the occasional celandines and hellebores.
After church last Sunday we went to see the snowdrops at Sizergh castle just up the A6 from our caravan.

When we came home I decided to turn a little tin on my desk into a little memory box about the couple of occasions we have visited Paris in the winter.
Totally forgot to photograph the tin before I started to paint it but here is a similar one

I painted the outside with the colours you see here - dabbed on with a sponge

Then painted the inside

with a slight colour change

used the leftover paint to add to a journal page

added some moss that I made greener with a little pool of Dylusions ink

made some flowers out of parts of an old blouse that I had been removing lace from

stamped the text inside the lid, added some more bits and pieces, you can probably tell how small this by the size of the chit chat stickers.
As you can see the walk at the weekend influenced my colour choice.

 I am going to link to 

the Frilly and Funkie Challenge blog - Winter Blooms (although I think they are hoping to be cheered up by some more spring like colours!)

Try it on Tuesday - Tic Tac Toe challenge - I used the diagonal line flowers, bling buttons

Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes 

Simon Monday Challenge - No Rules

I see that Paper Artsy are looking for miniature art this time so I will be back with some mini makes - I probably could have entered this but they prefer not to have entries linked to other blogs - more fun to be had by me though!! 

Thanks for looking, Chris

Painting under the sea!

Well here's a surprise - to me that is! This page started out by being inspired by Anneke on the Paper Artsy blog. Here  is where I started to come unstuck - no tape so added papers and fabrics hanging around on my desk!!I also don't have any of the new paint colours 'YET' so I decided to go with shades of the same colour.Then after a gap of a week I got totally lost!!
So….here I am with my underwater journal page.

The Fresco paint I used (from the top) Lake Wanaka, Sky, Inky Pool,Baltic Blue.
The crackle paste added yesterday looked like bubbles - rubbed them over with Baltic Blue and it was the paint colour that gave me the under sea idea!
The grasses from Darcy's Eclectica EDY09 became a shoal of fish, the seaweed was made using the stem from the umbel in the same set and the leaves and pods from EDY10.
A few of the random dots and blobs from Sara Nauman's Eclectica set ESN09 made more bubbles.
Finally the quote, masked and stamped to make bigger spaces between the lines. I noticed the little dots around the bottom of the quote so masked and added more bubbles with those.

I am linking to The Paper Artsy Paint Topic 3 Paint challenge.

Thanks for looking, Chris

Tic Tac Toe !!

I do so love this kind of challenge so why am I so late?? The Challenge at Vintage Journey closes in a few hours so I've known about it for some time! I suppose it's because I'm a run for the bus kinda gal - never like waiting at bus stops!!!
Annie has chosen the Tic Tac Toe theme and Country View Crafts are sponsoring the challenge.
If it hadn't been for the blackbird singing his heart out at silly o'clock this morning this tag probably wouldn't have happened! I started by using the line going diagonally - Idea-ology. Ephemera, Stains.
Dabbed Weathered Wood, Faded Jeans and Stormy Sky Stains on my mat, spritzed and then ran a water colour tag (also spritzed) through the colours. Dried it with a heat tool and added stamping using Tim's Artful Things clear set and Black Soot, Old Paper and Stormy Sky Distress inks. I also used Black Soot around the edge of the tag.

The next thing was Ephemera and Idea-ology
No blackbird picture in the Thrift Shop Ephemera pack but I used to confuse blackbird and thrush song so happy enough, the clock and the  'T' (for thrush and time?!)were from Lost and Found paper stack. Finally attached the 13/11 price tag also from the Thrift shop set, (although bird song is really priceless!)with a Trinket pin. I love the way Tim scuffs up his paper sometimes and my Distress tool needed an outing!! I inked around the edges with what was on my blue sponge.

 I tied on the Philosophy tag with some leather strip bought in a sale ages ago. The tag tie is the same leather and some twine.

I am getting my late entry in to A Vintage Journey - Tic Tac Toe

Thanks for looking, Chris

Be careful what you wish for - part of my Visual Journey!

The inspiration for a journal page came from a fabulous tile I saw in a shop while we were away - didn't photograph it - I thought my memory would serve me well enough and anyway I don't like the idea of folk photographing my stuff that's on sale in a shop in Morecambe!!!
So….got home and set to - Oh Dear!!

The tile I saw had a beautiful flower image in the centre and then drips running down behind it - I guess it was glazed first with the image and then the drips added. It was really vibrant - it was also quite expensive!

I drew and painted the image, painted with Paper Artsy Frescos and then used PA Matte Glaze over it - OK so far - then the drips….. well they just went their own way - I think if I'd added more I would have made it worse! I wiped off the paint from the image -laughed and the words I wrote on the bottom came into my head - added a dictionary quote and called it a day!!!

As you can see I had a few problems - so many that I'm afraid in the end I think I made the best of a bad job! 

I am going to link to Brenda's Visual Journey blog party just because I feel that Journalling isn't all about the perfect - I tried and it didn't work - move on!!!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Orange Blossom tag

Time is a bit tight this month so I hope nobody minds if I combine a challenge or two! I love a Tic-Tac-Toe kind of challenge so really wanted to take part in the challenge at Our Creative Corner. I also love the Dragons Dream challenges (I've been honoured to be asked to guest designer again soon!)and the deadline is today!
So here is my tag for the 'Orange and a letter' Tag It On Challenge number 184!

I used Distress inks over my tag - Spiced Marmalade and Rusty Hinge then a heavier layer of Rusty Hinge through a trellis stencil. I then added some texture paste through a Crafters Workshop stencil to make an 'O' top and bottom. I stamped a blossom spray (Stampendous)using Wendy Vecchi Potting Soil Archival ink and clear embossed it. I then painted the flowers with Snowflake and the leaves with Guacamole (both Paper Artsy Fresco paints)when they were almost dry I rubbed off some of the paint to show the embossed details. 
Mock Orange Blossom (or Philadelphus to give it it's Latin name) has been one of my favourite flowers since I was a child and we had a huge bush in our garden - except for the year my Dad chopped it down while Mum and I were shopping - I had never cried so much and Mum had a few choice words with my Dad - luckily for him it came up good as new the next year!!
So next I coloured the middles with Yellow Submarine Fresco paint.
I decided that I wanted some flowers in the corner -ages ago I bought a cheap flower punch at Hobby craft, so cut a few of those, and pressed them onto the inked stamp - quite pleased with the way they turned out.

Finally I got to play with a new 'toy' - one of my new Derwent Graphik Line Painter pens - blown onto the tag with a straw.

I had decided before I started to go with the Horizontal Middle line  on the Tic Tac Toe, but I now see that I could have gone another way too!!! 

I usually struggle with reds and oranges but I am actually beginning to quite like using them (I feel journal page coming on!)

I am linking to Dragons Dream Tag It On 184 - Orange and in this case - letter (O)
also to Our Creative Corner - Tic Tac Toe - middle horizontal line - paint, stamp, stencil
  
Thanks for looking, Chris

It started with a drip!!!!

As soon as I saw the challenge at Country View Challenges(Drips and Drops) I knew I would be joining in and started to prepare a page - here. At that stage it was sprayed with a mister to make the Dylusions ink drip down the page. I then added some paint circles with PA Fresco Guacamole, sprayed until they dripped too. Unfortunately I didn't get back to it until this weekend when away at our caravan. I didn't like the circles I had made on top of the  first lot of drips.
I covered one of them up with a lattice die and then puzzled over what to do with the other one! I had been doing a crossword in the newspaper with a Pitt pen (I know….just grabbed a pen from my pencil case instead of looking for the biro….disgraceful!)and while stuck on a clue started to doodle in the circle - it came out looking like seeds - then I saw a drip that would make a stalk - one thing led to another and here is my journal page.

The page came together so quickly - the flower is so out of proportion! I had a few Inktense crayons in my pencil case and a water brush, the bird is very similar to one on the coasters on the coffee table. I realised that I had already stuck down the lattice and that the petals would have to look as though they were behind it so I grabbed a piece of paper from a notestack and used it as a template to roughly size the petals! The shading on the flower is done with a 4B pencil.
I had to wait till I came home today to finish it as I knew I had this quote stamp - from Tim's Warehouse District set.

I am linking to Country View Challenges - Drips and Drops

also to Brenda's blog Bumblebees and Butterflies where I hope to link to the Visual Journal blog party that Brenda is hosting. I'm not keeping up very well - Brenda is showing number 7 - but you are sure to find lots to see and you might even be inspired to join in!!


  

Time together!

I made this tag after having a day out with hubby in Nantwich.
It was such a lovely day and it led me to making something special for a Valentines present for him (see here)

The tag is made from scraps around me although I had to dig out my TH heart and that Crafty Individuals couple. I used a Remnant rub on a TH fragment charm backed with a little scrap of paper.
I then stamped random script and PA clocks onto a grey card added ribbon and some more TH paper and here is my Valentines card for hubby!

Thanks you for all your kind comments about his present, in the end I decided to give it to him before we came away - he loved it although I got a quizzical look at first! He chose our treat - which is to visit somewhere new - I'll let you know where!!!

Meanwhile I hope you all have a lovely Valentines day(whether with pets, partner or a watching a romantic film!!)

I have decided to post this just as we are leaving so that I can enter the following challenges

Craft Hoarders Anonymous - How I love thee
Artistic Stamper - Love
Stamping Sensations - Anything goes


Thanks for looking, Chris

Valentine with a twist…….

of twine that is….. This started as a Valentines present for my hubby(although I could benefit too he! he!)then I saw the challenge at Frillie and Funky - Be My Valen-twine!
My plan is to give hubby a jar with some choices on how to spend time together!

Theses are some of the suggestions (a few of the others may have a bit too much information!!)

I had made master boards to cut up…..

….these were then rolled up and dropped into an old coffee jar with a few handmade flowers in blues and pinks(when it starts to get empty the flowers will fill the gaps!)

I then set to - with the help of some inspiration on some other blog challenges that I especially like - and came up with this

I wrapped lace and some coloured linen stamped with a flower stamp around the middle of the jar.

The little metal word plaque came from an old handbag that I bought on a trip to France years ago - I rubbed Fresco Snowflake over it to pick out "je t'adore" (you see what a problem I have with not parting with stuff)

The ribbon is the last of some lovely crinkly ribbon and I can't remember where to go for more!!!

This is the other side

The flower image I used for the linen was stamped on to one of these

Coasters found in the after Christmas sale at Sainsbury's. There are several layers and the top layer was stroked over with a distress tool and stormy sky to show the leaves.

I mounted it on a die bought in a sale (Spellbinders I think)

The flowers are some I've had for ages and I used a Creative Expressions metal leaf rubbed over with Snowflake!

I stamped the TH clear heart stamp twice and cut it out with different size borders then mounted pink(Spun Sugar) on blue(Stormy Sky)

The top of the jar was painted with PA Fresco Snowflake paint a flower diecut stuck on top to make leaves! The flowers were going to be paper ones but just before bedtime last night I saw Julie Lavalette's post showing how to make some fabulous flowers using all different sorts of materials - so this morning I made two flowers from some old blouses that I had rescued from the charity bag and have been waiting for me to do something with for…..ages! The heart centres are some nail art from Poundland! All the flowers - on the lid and on the jar had a dry brush over with Snowflake.

Finally, a bracelet from a pound set from a Primark sale(I used to use them with a gift tag on gift bags)around the lid and some tissue tape around the top of the jar.

"Let's spend some time together" were computer generated and stuck not twine to hang around the jar.

The only thing now is - we are going away and it's too big to hide (hanging my head - as I just leave out the things I need and hubby packs them)I may give it to hubby before we go away. I'll be taking a card in my handbag.

I'm entering in the following

Frilly and Funkie challenge - Be my Valen-twine

Craft Hoarders Anonymous - How I Love Thee

The Artistic Stamper - Love

Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking, Chrisx

Card for a man!

Time has flown this week! Hubby and I had a day out last Thursday - we went about 30 miles away to a town we have never visited before - Nantwich in Cheshire! I don't have photos at the moment but it has lots of Tudor buildings, some lovely little shops, a fascinating church, an interesting museum, lots of eateries to choose from and a fabulous deli(we have to go back for the scrumptious cheeses!)
Sadly, Friday was the funeral of a dear friend and yesterday we had to shop and I had to make a card for hand delivery today!! 

Oh! That's why I'm here, now it's been delivered!
Talk about time flying….our nephew is now a grown man but it seems only a short while ago that he was playing with Lego!

I stamped the card with a little scrap of corrugated card before sticking on actual corrugated card. The stamp is from Paperbag Studio and the clocks are Paper Artsy (both stamped in Archival WV Potting Soil). The feather was from a magazine the other month and of course there's my favourite trellis die from TH. I have mislaid my distress tool but scissors worked almost as well around the image. I used a Uni-ball Signo Bronze pen to outline the clocks.
I didn't photograph the inside but it said 'Time flies when you're having fun, Happy Birthday!'

I'm entering the challenge at Artful Times where the theme is 'MEN'

Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 296

It hasn't been a week since we were here surely? If you are wondering where I'm heading, well I'm off to see some desks, courtesy of Julia at The Stamping Ground! Try it, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!
Here is my desk, not been touched since it was left in this state yesterday afternoon before we went to pick my GD up from school!

I've been having a dotty time in my journal but not sure where its going now! The coffee jar is waiting for something to happen too!! 
As you can see I am still (sort of) tidying up after a crafting session!

Cinema review(Chris style)
Last week we went to see "Testament of Youth" - a very gentle start with lovely settings and costumes which then led to the harsh reality of the First World War! Some very graphic scenes, but in context it made for a a memorable film.

I hope to do better with commenting this week - we had a scary moment with our car on the way back from GD's last week - sort of distracted me - all sorted now!

Thanks for looking, Chris

A calendar challenge….

….and this is a real challenge for me - it has quite specific rules set by the very talented Darcy at 'Art and Sole'….

So the rules for February were.. 

1.. Keep a part of the original picture and incorporate that into your design

2, Technique - Paint effect caused by using clingfilm or bubble wrap 

3. Add some corrugated card

4. Blog your calendar page and link up from Feb 1st 2015

I am finding it quite difficult to make choices about which parts to keep and this time I am not particularly happy with what I've done...

 ….but at least I got rid of the red flowers!

I covered the butterfly with glossy accents before painting over the page with a mixture of Little Black Dress and Snowflake Fresco paints(Paper Artsy) so that I could rub off any overlapping paint.
Bubble wrap printed using Concrete and LBD Frescos and used butterfly stamps straight onto corrugated card for the small butterfly and onto tissue and stuck it onto another piece of CC. I covered the bottom of the calendar with black card and used a page from a leftover calendar from some Christmas gifts! When hubby saw it it he pulled a face and said it looked a bit funerial so I added some pink on a bubble stamp!
Although I am way out my comfort zone with this so far I must say I am really enjoying this challenge!!!

Off to make the link to Darcy's blog now,
Thanks for looking, Chris

Dreaming….

There is one challenge I really love to take part in, so with that in mind about 3 days after the challenge was set I made my tag!! 
The challenge at Dragons Dream TIO 183 was set by Helen - Red(not my favourite colour I'm afraid, although my son and grandson, like Helen, support Liverpool so there is always plenty of red around!)and a flower(s)
So why I am I only just getting around to showing you - err! I took some photos then got distracted, things piled on top of the tag and today I remembered to photograph it - only the sun had gone down so the photos look slightly different colours!

I used Fired Brick distress ink to colour the tag, then a little bit of text stamp, a JOFY stencil(from Paper Artsy), stamps from Darcy's Eclectica set - EDY10 - a bit of outlining and colouring in with a Sakura glaze pen, a sprinkle of Frantage embossing powder and some Black Soot distress ink around the edge of the tag.

I am linking to Dragons Dream TIO 183 Red and Flowers

This has rather messed up what was going to be here today but not to worry (except I had a plan to be more organised this year - it's only a blip!!!)

Thanks for all your kind comments recently and for looking today, Chris 

January's over - February has begun

My 365/calendar journal is ready to show - on the 1st!!! Okay, I'm scraping in before midnight but here is my February page ready to fill in todays events!! An afternoon out with all of my grandchildren - only for lunch and to a local park that has a small farm attached but it was such a lovely afternoon!

I've used two of Lindsay Mason's sets for the cute lovebirds and hearts at the bottom.
Here is January's - filled in….

…only I realise I forgot to fill in a lovely happening last week - I found out I was a 'Pinworthy' at A Vintage Journey for the portrait of my Grandad - to say I was excited is an understatement!!

I'm going to be back with a different sort of calendar tomorrow so for now, Thanks for looking, Chris