I Cannot Believe This

I have just been to the Lots to Do Challenge to see what Sam has for us this week and I am totally overwhelmed. You must go over to there and see what this week's Challenge is! I cannot believe it.

I was bemoaning the fact that I had only a few followers on my blog to a friend and she told me to "get doing some Challenges". The first one I joined (and it is only a few weeks ago) was the Lots to Do Challenge and I have never looked back. I thoroughly enjoy doing them. Sam and Hilda never fail to leave a really positive comment to everyone doing their challenge and, although I have never met either of them, I feel they are friends of mine already. It has also generated some more followers so "Thank You" Lots to Do. You really are lovely people.

I have not done my challenge yet as I have been busy making some cards and things for a show I am demonstrating at in a couple of weeks. Plus it is my friend's little girls second birthday coming up and I must do her a special card (started but not completed) as I love her to bits and will be away when it is actually her birthday.

Below are three cards I have just scanned using the Nestabilities Labels Nine which is one of the dies I will be using in my dem.

They may look quite plain but I like to have an assortment of samples when I am demonstrating so that everyone who goes to the show can feel that they can achieve something using the dies.

This one uses a Whiff of Joy stamp that I bought at Harrogate six months ago. The image, or half image as it is, is coloured with Twinkling H2o's.

The second one uses an I Brake for Stamps image and again is coloured with Twinkling H2o's. There are several of these Elves, or are they Gnomes, on the plate and I am using them all for Chloe's birthday card but using Labels Five.

This last one uses a Christmas Rose from Elusive Images. I have had this stamp for ages and I do like it and will use it again but with more Christmas colours.

So I have to think up some ideas for using Labels Five and Nine and also the Poinsettia die which is quite a large one. Got some of them made up but now need to put them on a card.

Hope all this makes sense as I am still in a state of shock at the Lots to Do Challenge this week. Can't believe I spent half the day making biscuits (the Peanut Butter ones are gorgeous if I say it myself) when I could have been making "?" for the challenge. Now you really do have to go and look!

Resist

Decided to do the Resist Technique swap over on Katyscorner (Yahoo group) which was to do a card and a bookmark and send to a designated person. This is my card:

I used one of my new stamps from Crafty Individuals which has four tiled flower heads on it. As you can see I have only used three of them. I first stamped them with Versamark, dried it off and then went over with Adirondacks - Ginger, Terra Cotta and Rust. This was my second attempt as the first one went hopelessly wrong in the mounting stage. I had not got them perfectly square!

This is my bookmark. Now I think my recipient likes Oriental/Asian themes so I chose to do it in that style. For this one I did a resist with the moon from a Non Sequitur plate and then kanji (unmounted - don't know whose). I stamped the flying cranes by Kodomo and the Geisha (can't read the company) in Black Archival Ink.

Again this is my second one as I smudged the flying cranes on the first one. You know how it is when stamping on glossy cardstock. Besides which I did them early this morning because I could not sleep and hoped a bit of stamping would relax me so I could go back to bed.

Just hope Lynne likes them - and, on thinking about it, that it was just "resist" and not "wax resist" for the swap!

Punk?

This is one of the stamps I bought at Harrogate on Saturday. It is by Stamptivity (Club Panel). My friend did not like it but I thought it intriguing and I just love the hairstyle. Wish I had the kind of face that could wear something like that - and of course that I was young enough to get away with it LOL.

I stamped her on white cardstock and then coloured her in with my Twinkling H2o's which means I can enter her for the Lots to Do Challenge this week. The theme is "watercolours" and although she is not done with a true watercolour technique she is painted with them. Might do another and use watercolours as they should be used later in the week as I have some samples to do for a show I am demonstrating at.

She is ideal for making into a bookmark and I am going to put a tassel on the bottom but left it off whilst scanning.

I decided she had an "Irish" look about her which is why I painted her mainly in greens and that meant I could use my favourite "Key Lime" colour. Others used are Lemongrass, Green Tea, Fern, Snap Dragon, Plum Blossom, Poppy Red, Fuzzy Peach, Egyptian Gold, Sunburst and Natural Linen for the skin tone. For her hair I used Cranberry and China Black and then painted some Majestic Blue over some strands of the Black to give it that blue/black look.

The show, on Saturday, was packed. Am sure I have not seen it as busy in a long time. It was a beautiful day weatherwise and so we did lots of sitting outside enjoying the sun between our forays looking at the goodies for sale. Mo and I hooked up with Paul as soon as we got there (he was stood chatting by the doorway) and the three of us had a lovely time, especially as Paul had been there a while and could tell us where to go for certain things - our own personal show guide! I'll not say what stamps I bought, I'll try to use them over the next few weeks and post what I have done with them.

It was good to see Ali Crafts there as I have not seen Alison in ages and she had her lovely husband, Ian and daughter, Andrea, with her so it was great to have hugs all round. Guess what - she also carries Crafty Individuals and as they are not at the show these days that was a bonus. Is that a hint as to what other stamps I bought?

Anyway, Sunday was not a good day. Talking to a friend on the phone I was suddenly cut off. The electric had gone off in the house, a neighbour's burglar alarm was ringing and I could not find my keys to get out to see what was happening.

It was off a short while and came back on again so I rang my friend back to explain and off it went again. Came back on and then went off for the whole afternoon. Didn't come back on until almost seven in the evening. No telephone, no Internet, too dark in my craft room to stamp or do anything - so had to sit outside in the sun and sketch. Ah well, made for a different day.

Music ATC's

Over on one of my groups we had an atc swap this month which was "Musical Moments" - anything as long as something musical was involved. I think it is ok to post these now as our listmom posted hers.

These are my two atc's for the swap

Both are done using Distress Inks - in my favourite colours - Broken China and Brushed Corduroy. The one above is using a Stamps Happen stamp and was embossed in black and then another image done of the instrument which was mounted on foam dots.

This second one is a clear stamp and I cannot remember who makes it. The Treble Clef is from Onyxpressions and was finished off with a layer of Glossy Accents.

I've been busy today doing another page in my journal but I cannot upload it as yet - you will just have to wait. Not sure on this one!

Tomorrow is Harrogate Show so I will not get around to doing any crafting but hopefully I will see some good ideas.

Lots to Do Tissue Challenge

The Challenge over on Lots to Do this week was to use tissue paper. Straight away my mind went to the Caught in Crystal technique - I really could not think of what else to do and I was determined not to look at what others had done. Since making these two cards (yeah - two Christmas Cards done) I have had a look and there is some great stuff on there. Be sure to check them out. I really must try what Hilda has done as it looks intriguing and is so effective.

This blue based one uses reinkers - Brilliance ones. It turned out quite delicate because I put some Klear on the top to "smoosh" the colours about a bit but I rather liked it for a different look. The scan does not show it up but I also put some of Suzi's "Putting on the Glitz" in the centre of the flowers and for the berries. That's why it could not be uploaded last night - it was drying.

This second one uses drawing inks. I have some Winsor & Newton inks from (you won't believe it, when I was a teenager - how old are they?) and is much stronger in colour. Again I smooshed with another coat of Klear.

Well, the sun is shining so we are off out for the day, my crafting is on hold again.

Swaps Received

Today as I sat in the osteopath's waiting room the person who had just been in came down the stairs and walked to the desk - he was right there in front of me - who was it - Ryan Giggs. I was about to lie on the couch straight after Ryan Giggs! Who would believe it!

Anyway, here are some exciting swaps I received in the post this morning. They were from members of the Lots To Do Challenge Forum and the Challenge was to use the word "Art" in your work. First are the tag swaps - we made three (mine are in a previous post) and received three.

This first one is from Lauren. Love the distressed look and I really like the stamp she has used.
The second one was from Hilda who ran the swap - and features a gorgeous "eye" which I will have to find out about as I want it!

The last, but by no means least, was from Sam. The little girl is delightful and she has real pearl buttons on her coat. I just love that vintage image and the background she has done.

First "Time" atc is from Hilda who has a great collection of time pieces - don't you just want that bracelet watch image in the bottom left corner?
The second is from Andrea and is striking with its red background and I love the little charm she put on - I would find it difficult letting that one go.

My last one is from Ellen and I want to know where she got the Almanac piece from. I just love that sort of thing and I really like the writing on it. Quite clever to use something other than clocks don't you think.

Haven't had chance to post a "thank you" on the forum as I cannot find where to do it. Maybe tomorrow I will have more luck.

Just One Card

Just a quick upload of my Ophelia card. The background was done with Distress Inks and then Hero Arts Medium Harlequin Background stamp stamped on but first I put some torn paper on so that I would not get the whole image. Then I sprinkled some gold ep on part of it.

I used my Versamark pen to put some more gold ep on the bottom edge and then stamped another LLB stamp in the top right and embossed that as well.

Ophelia (The Stampsmith, I think) was stamped on white cs, a slide mount had paper stuck over it and was coloured using more Distress Ink and gold ep and this completed the card.

That is all I have had time for but I must get on with some Challenges this week as I cannot let myself down. Maybe tomorrow ...