Fairy Time

I'm back with my second post of the day which is to tell you about the new challenge we have for you today over at Polka Doodles which has the theme of Fairy Time and we had an extra challenge between ourselves to include 2 fairies or angels on our inspiration piece.
Nikky also has a big surprise for everyone as she's offering a free Angelberry digi to anyone who emails in up until 5 September - don't miss out!
We also have 2 lovely new Design Team members with us this week so I'd like to say welcome to Rebekah and Zoe (known as Zo) here. They've both made a totally gorgeous inspiration piece for your delight.
For my challenge project I decided to make a mobile suitable for a little girl's room as it's double sided and has a different fairy on each side. All the elements came from the Bonbon Belles CD.

I chose 2 of the beautiful floral wreaths from the CD on to hammer card and cut them out. I added them to some circles of lilac pearl card which I made by cutting round a plate as my dies were too small!
I then printed out my 2 favourite fairies and had to use the pre-coloured images as I'm really short on time at the moment. Due to Nikky's fab digital colouring they look like I coloured them myself (or would if I could actually colour that well!) so sssh - don't tell Nikky!
I cut the fairies out and added them to the circles with foam tape, bending and shaping the images first.
I then glued the circles together with some chiffon ribbon between to form the hanger and added some paper roses at the top. I finished off with a scattering of bling and pearls.

Have a great day and a lovely weekend.
Hugs,
Fliss xx

Elizabeth's Garden For That's Crafty

Hello everyone, this is my first post of the day which is to tell you about my project today over at That's Crafty which is a wall hanging with a difference.
Here's a sneak peek but you'll need to hop on over to see the whole thing and how I made it:

I'll be back in a bit with post number two!
See you!
Fliss xx

Someday I'll Fly Away

Good morning folks, hoping you're all still having a good weekend if you live in the UK and I'm back today with news of the new challenge over at Make My Monday today chosen by Jan which has the theme of

Anything But A Card

I decided on another canvas although this one is a canvas board as I find them easier to work with when I want to stamp.

I was inspired to create my canvas by an article in the latest issue of Scrap 365 magazine as I love seeing new ways to use up those scraps of paper from my bits box. Here's what I used for my canvas:

I first covered the 5x7 canvas with a copy of a vintage French construction catalogue which I picked up on my recent visit to Eastbourne. I then cut strips of the decorated paper scraps (made with various techniques including stamping, stenciling and inking by pressing through my Cuttlebug) from my bits box and glued them on with Ranger Glue n Seal. I then brushed Gesso over the top, wiping with a baby wipe to soften the effect and then used the wipe to apply some Crushed Olive and Vintage Photo Distress ink.  

I stamped Addison (Paper Bag Studios) twice with Memories black ink on smooth white card and coloured the wings on one image with a red Promarker. I cut out the whole image from this one and the little boy from the other, layering them up with clear adhesive squares.

I stamped the Arty image (Kaisercraft) with Crushed Olive Distress ink randomly on the canvas and then used a jar lid and Vintage Photo to add circles. I stamped Imagine (Inkylicious) with the Memories black ink directly on the canvas and then added the little boy. I punched out a few circles from my larger grungy dot background (made by stamping with a cork) and inked the edges with Barn Door before adding them to the canvas.

The Design Team has made fabulous and varied creations to inspire you so do hop over for a peek.

Have a lovely day.

Hugs, Fliss xx

Some challenges for my canvas:
Addicted To Stamps Challenge - Shabby/Vintage
Creative Inspirations Paint - Anything Goes
Hobbycutz - Create Your Own Background (All my scraps are papers made by me)
Stamping Sensations - Wings and Things and a Touch of Vintage
Our Creative Corner - Words, Words, Words

Sew-n-Sew At FSC

Hello everyone, I hope you're all enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend, or at least those of you who live in the UK. We seem to have typical weather for it here too as yesterday we had torrential rain, a mega thunderstorm and even hailstones!
I'm here today to tell you about the new challenge we have for you over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges which is the first one I've done in a while due to my lack of free time with my new job.
I'd also like to say a big welcome too to our fabulously creative new Design Team member Laura of Laurart who has made a wonderful project for her debut on the fashionable catwalk.
We've also had to sadly say goodbye to Silvia but we'll all be keeping up with you in blogland.
The theme for this fortnight is Sew-n-Sew and as you'll see from the fabulous Design Team inspiration, there are lots of ways to interpret this.
I decided to use sewing on my project and I'm sure you'll be able to tell it's hand sewing because the stitching is somewhat wonky!!!
Without further ado, here it is:

You'll probably need sunglasses to look at it as the colour is a bit off. The background isn't quite as bright as the photo and I've actually used irridescent paint which doesn't really show up.
I started off by painting the chunky canvas with Pebeo Studio Acrylic paint in irridescent green blue and then stamped on my new Paper Artsy flourish MN96 - thanks Sue!!! - with Palette Beaux Arts Blue ink. I didn't use an acrylic block as it was easier to stamp without although I did end up with blue fingers!
I then made the butterfly with a Sissix Bigz die that I picked up in the quilting section of the local Hobby Craft store. I die cut the shape from calico fabric and then sprayed it with yellow and orange inks. I stamped the flourish on with Palette Raw Sienna ink. I then used the die to cut the shape out with cream felt and Bondaweb and ironed the 2 pieces of fabric together with the Bondaweb in between. I stitched around the edges with some rusty coloured thread.
I added some crochet lace around the base of the canvas and added the butterfly and a paper rose which I coloured with some Squeezed Lemonade and Ripe Persimmon Distress inks. I finished off with some uplifting text which is another line from the fab Inkylicious Live Life stamp and was sponged with some toning Distress inks.

I hope you can enter the challenge which is sponsored as always by the lovely Leo of Flonzcraft who has an online store chock full of vintage loveliness and is offering a $20 voucher for the randomly drawn winner. Please also remember that we're a stamping challenge and to qualify for the prize, we must see some stamping on your entry.

Have a great day.
Hugs, Fliss xx

Some challenges for my canvas:
Crafting By Designs - Mixed Media
The Pink Elephant Monday Card Challenge - Anything But A Card
A Gem Of A Challenge - Anything With A B (butterfly, blue)

Brrrrilliant Christmas!

Good morning all, hope you've all had a good week so far and I'm here today to let you know about my post over at That's Crafty which is a Christmas card - eek!
As I said over there, I've got to start doing them now as the last minute December 1st panic is a no no this year due to my job and I don't want to end up having to buy loads and disappoint those folks who always appreciate what I make.
Here's the one for That's Crafty and hope you like it. You'll find all the details by clicking on the link and as I've said before, there are simply loads of inspirational projects with tutorials over there so it's worth hopping over and following just for those.

As you can see, a rather rustic creation and isn't that snowman just fabulous!

Have a great day and a lovely weekend.
Hugs,
Fliss xx

Little Boy Blue

Good morning all, hope you've all had a lovely weekend. Mine was rather busy as we had a family trip to Eastbourne on Saturday with my in laws for a belated birthday celebration for my father in law. He kindly took me to a collectors shop too and I managed to acquire a bit of vintage ephemera which I'll be sharing soon.
I also want to say a huge thanks to my fellow FSC DT mate Sue who was a guest designer for Paper Artsy and as part of their 10th birthday celebrations (many congratulations to Leandra and Mark) did a giveaway and to my total delight, I was one of the winners so I arrived home on Saturday to find my prize of 3 of the new stamps, some chunky chipboard and smooth stamping card had arrived! Thanks Sue! I really am thrilled to bits.
Now for the details of the new challenge today over at Make My Monday, chosen this week by Laura, which has the theme of It's Child's Play so we would like to see something for a baby or a child's birthday.
I decided on the card for a little boy which you probably guessed from the title lol and I hope you like what I've made.

I don't actually have much in the way of stamps suitable for the theme so my Polka Doodles Pretty Tuff CD came to the rescue. This little boy is so adorable I couldn't resist using him.
I'm so short on crafting time at the moment that I used one of the precoloured images. I cut this into a panel and then designed my card with papers from the CD, using one for the background and a small amount for a panel.
I made the red mats myself by simply cutting a piece of white card the right size for each panel and then sponged Fired Brick Distress ink around the edges. This trick saves using up whole pieces of coloured card or paper and is also great if you emboss the inked edge.
I finished off with one of the cute shaped sentiments from the CD.

Have a great day.
Hugs, Fliss xx

Some Challenges for my card:
Word Play Saturday - Childhood
Simply Create Too - For A Child

Have A Heart

Hello again, another post to tell you about the new challenge we have for you today over at Polka Doodles which is all about hearts as if you hadn't guessed from the title!

We've had an extra challenge between ourselves too as we've all used some of the fabulous Download Bundles available in the online shop.
I've used a favourite of mine as I love the colour combination of mocha and gold in this one:

As you can see I decided on a bag and matching card and started off with a plain kraft bag which I covered with one of the lovely papers. I added a border across the centre and trimmed the bag with some rather rustic braid from my stash.
I made a matching card with one of the toppers and the same border on the bag, again trimmed with the braid and finished off with a metal heart charm which was the exact same size as the heart on the topper.

I hope you can join us.
Have a great weekend.
Fliss xx

Indian Summer For That's Crafty

Hello folks and sorry if I haven't been to visit lately, work and home life have kept me extremely busy and there's no let up until next week!
This is the first post of the day to tell you about the project I have over at That's Crafty today which came about because of the chilly mornings we've had down here which made the weather seem more like September than August! Hope you like it.

There are a few more pics over at the That's Crafty blog along with my how to make and I hope you'll pop on over for a better look.

See you again later.

Fliss xx

Smile

Good morning folks and a special welcome for my new followers, so lovely to have you on board ladies and I'm so pleased you've decided to follow my art journey. I hope you all had a good weekend and managed to get some crafting done as I did, some of which I'll be sharing over the next week.
Today's piece of artwork is my inspiration for the new challenge over at Make My Monday with a theme chosen this week by Rosie who would like to see a creation with a 3D Element or Dimension.
I decided on a little wall hanging heart which I picked up at our local branch of The Range for just £1 and knew it was just made for altering.

I first added some Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paint in Vintage Lace applied with a sponge as it gives a much softer effect than using a brush.
I then stamped on at random the second largest daisy from the Crafty Individuals Elements set CI- 206 Flower Heads using Archival Olive ink. I then used second generation stamping with the same ink to add more smaller daisies in between.
When the paint was dry, I painted the larger daisies with Titanium White paint and allowed it to dry. I then knocked the colour back a little by brushing over with a wet brush. This softened the paint up for a softer look.
I then stamped several more of the daisies on to smooth white card with the olive ink and coloured them with pastel pink and yellow and soft lime Promarkers. I cut them out with decoupage scissors.

I stamped Little Lu-lu by PaperBag Studios with VersaFine Smokey Gray ink and when the ink was dry, coloured her with Promarkers. I trimmed around the image on the left side and added her to the painted heart with foam tape, trimming off the excess down the side of the heart.
I added the daisies with foam squares, layering them up a little and finished off with stamped text and some pink pearls.

Have a great day and hope you will enter the challenge, you'll see from the DT inspiration how many ways you can add dimension to your creations.

Fliss xx
Some challenges for my wall hanging wooden heart:
One Stop Craft - Pastel Colours
Brown Sugar Challenge - Anything Goes
QKR Stampede - No Squares Allowed

Nature Quilt For That's Crafty

Hello everyone, I hope you've all had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend like me. I need mine as I've been really busy this week.
I'm here to tell you about my project for today over at That's Crafty which is the cover for a little nature notebook and I'll be sharing the inside pages once I've had a chance to make them up. Hope you like what I've done so far.

Apologies for the slightly wonky pic, I had a bit of trouble with my scanner which I had to use as the light went really early today.
If you'd like to see how I made it, you'll find all the details over at the blog.

Have a great day and a lovely weekend.
Hugs, Fliss xx

Silhouettes With Make My Monday

Good morning folks, hope you all had a lovely weekend. Mine was very busy with optician visit (new contact lenses on the way) and an unexpected shoe shop visit after I wore some new shoes to work on Friday and I kid you not here, they squeaked the entire day and nearly drove me up the wall! I got them replaced and great hilarity ensued at the till as the staff worked out which refund button to use - there wasn't one for squeaking!
I then spent some time trying to get ahead on my DT work and was partly successful although I still have a long way to go yet. Here's one of my creations for this week's challenge at Make My Monday where the theme is SILHOUETTES and I admit to being a bit stuck as I knew the image I wanted to use but couldn't think what background technique to create for it. Happily my Craft Stamper came to the rescue as I tried out Kay Carley's fab technique. Mine isn't quite like hers of course but I hope you like it.

The silhouette image is one I've had for ages by A Stamp In The Hand and I stamped the poppies on thick smooth cartridge paper with VersaFine Crimson Red ink.
I then used Kay's technique (I can't really put the details here so hopefully you have the mag to refer to) with Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood, Frayed Burlap and Bundled Sage Distress inks using a Paper Artsy flourish stamp (from HP1005). The only difference to Kay's technique being that I added extra stamping round the edges with Bundled Sage and Frayed Burlap as I wanted a little more definition. I was quite surprised how much the inks lightened up once I dried them with my heat gun so if you do try it out, don't be put off if you think it looks a bit dark.
I added faux stitching round the edges with the Tim Holtz ruler and a brown fine pen and finished off with some text from an Inkylicious stamp called Live Life which has lots of lines of text just begging to be cut up!

My DT sisters have made some fabulous cards to inspire you so do hop on over for a peek - I promise you're in for a treat.
Have a great day.
Hugs, Fliss xx

Birthday Girl

Hello again, I'm back with my second post for the day which is to tall you about the new challenge we have for you today over at Polka Doodles which is to make a card for the Birthday Girl.
I decided to make a shaped card using the decoupage kit on the Candy Doodles CD. The shape is one that's particularly appropriate for our house as my younger daughter and I love making cupcakes.

I simply printed out the template and all the decoupage elements, cut the pieces out and layered them up with foam tape. I added a ticket sentiment coloured with a pink Promarker. Very quick and easy!

Have a lovely weekend especially as the warmer weather seems to have reappeared.
Hugs, Fliss xx

Time To Dream For That's Crafty

Hello folks and a special welcome to my new followers - lovely to have you here and glad you decided to follow me on my art journey.
This is the first of 2 posts today and is to tell you about the rather bright and zingy creation I have over at That's Crafty. Here it is and I hope you like it.

It's quite simple in style as I didn't want anything to distract from my rather grungy image panel. You'll find all the details over at the That's Crafty blog if you'd like to find out how I coloured the background - it uses something you might not realise can be this useful!

I'll be back shortly with my next post so watch this space!
Have a great day.
Fliss xx