Vintage or Shall We Dance?

Hello all, I hope you had a lovely weekend despite the downturn in the weather which was a bit wet and not that warm either! I thought Spring had arrived but it seems to have hidden away again.
It's time for a new challenge today at Make My Monday and yours truly has chosen the theme of Vintage which I know won't be a surprise to those of you that know me well :D

I came across a stamp which had managed to stay in my stash uninked until now as it was hidden away and I found it whilst looking for something else (this happens to me quite often so, note to self - tidy up craft stash!)
The image is a Blue Moon one which I bought at a show because it combines 2 of my favourite things - collage and dance (I'm a big fan of Strictly). I stamped it on smooth cartridge paper and coloured the image with watercolour pencils, then cut it to a panel, trimming along the curved top edge.
I then made the background paper by using scrunched up cling film to apply Brilliance Pearlescent Beige and Galaxy Gold to a square of card. I then stamped on the Ornate Flourish (Inkylicious) with Brilliance Crimson Copper, stamping twice before re-inking.
I distressed the edges of the background paper and then added a little Tim Holtz Idea-ology tissue tape to this and a scrap of dark red card which I trimmed to shape to make a mat for the collage image. I glued everything to a kraft card blank to finish.

Have a great day and a lovely week.
Fliss xx

Whispering Grass

Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Mine was rather busy as I went to an open house rather posh do on Saturday with my hubby which was held by one of his clients for whom he's dealt with the renovation of a manor house. There have been huge problems and it's taken ages but the end result is really stunning and I was in raptures over some of the plaster mouldings which were amazing circular flourishes.
Yesterday we celebrated with my mother in law as it was her birthday so we had a family afternoon with tea and cake.
Today we have a new challenge for you over at Make My Monday and this week the theme has been chosen by Rosie who has challenged us to:

Create A Scene

It will be no surprise to hear that I've gone for a nature themed card again as I wanted to ink up my Inkylicious grasses stamp. I hope you like it.

As you can see it's quite a simple design and the grasses panel was made with a scrap of watercolour paper which was the exact size for the kraft card blank.

I sponged the paper with Crushed Olive Distress ink on the bottom half and Milled Lavender on the top.

I stamped the grasses on with VersaFine Spanish Moss ink and Seedless Preserves Distress ink,  Some of the stamping was second generation as I was aiming for a misty look in the background. I also added some stamping with the stamp upside down to add a bit more detail at the base.

The butterflies are from the ever useful Crafty Individuals Elements set CI-231 and were stamped with Memento Sweet Plum, VersaFine Spanish Moss and Olympia Green. I then coloured them with Aquamarkers, cut them out and added them with foam pads.

Have a great day.

Hugs, 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

Something New With FSC

Hello folks, hope you're all having a good weekend. I'm here today to tell you about our new challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges where we'd like you to Show Us Something New.
This means you could try a technique that's new to you or use some new stash to make your project.
As I've been stamping for over 15 years now, I must have tried out just about every technique going and although I sometimes manage to come up with a new one myself, I've been so busy lately I had to go for the new stamp option, using one of my latest Inkylicious purchases. Hope you like it and you might need your sunglasses as it's quite bright!

The background paper was created by sponging a square of card with Dried Marigold Distress ink and then stamping on an Inkylicious corner with Picked Raspberry Distress ink. I inked around the edges with Worn Lipstick DI.
I stamped the Inkylicious Vintage Rose image with Spanish Moss VersaFine ink. I added colour with Promarkers and then sponged with Cinnamon, Old Rose and Canary VersaColor inks. I set this on a layered mat with a pink die cut made with a Papermania die and a deep green panel.
I added a pink die cut corner made with the Marianne Design Anja corner and a Dovecraft sentiment stamped with the green ink, sponged as before and added to a deep green mat trimmed with deckle scissors.

My DT sisters have some amazing projects lined up for you on the catwalk so please do pop over for inspiration. Also please don't forget that we are a stamping challenge so there must be stamping on your creation.

Have a lovely Sunday.
Hugs,
Fliss xx

Some challenges for my card :
Crafting Musketeers - Use A Stamped Image
The Alphabet Challenge - I For Image

Spring Green And Yellow

Hello everyone, I hope you've all had a good weekend. Mine was rather busy as I had to dash up to Kingston on Saturday to help my daughter as she was struggling to finish off all her bits and pieces of her final collection with the hand in today! I spent much of the day running around fetching things so was very tired yesterday (guess who's not used to spending all day on her feet!).
I'm here today to tell you about our new challenge over at Make My Monday and this week the theme is a colour one - Green and Yellow - perfect for some Spring creations. I've made another nature themed card which is actually a sample from the workshop I'm teaching this morning and has a very easy to make background using Distress Stains so a tutorial will follow as soon as I have the time to get it together!

The background uses Distress Stains in shades of green and yellow - Shabby Shutters, Squeezed Lemonade and Crushed Olive and I then stamped on the fabulous Inkylicious worn paint background - I can see lots of use for this one - with Peeled Paint Distress ink.
I then stamped the gorgeous vintage bird collage image (also Inkylicious) with VersaFine Olympia Green ink and took a bit of a liberty by turning the birds into greenfinches. I painted them with Distress Stains and then inked the edges with Crushed Olive Distress ink.
I added the image panel to a green die cut (Papermania) and attached this to the card with the background panel. I decorated the card with paper flowers, some painted with Squeezed Lemonade Distress Stain and punched leaves and finished off with a Dovecraft sentiment.

Have a great day.
Hugs,
Fliss xx

Some challenges for my card:
Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Goes
One Stop Craft - Anything Goes
Cards In Envy - Make Your Own Background
Smudgy Antics - Feathers And/Or Fur

A Song In My Heart

Good morning folks, we've had a glorious sunny weekend at last and yesterday was actually warm enough to have coffee in the garden whilst our 2 little grey bunnies were running about - more of this weather please!
It's Monday again so we have a new challenge for you over at Make My Monday, this weeks theme being Flowers and Music. Lots of scope here as you could have music score or notes, musical instruments and so on. I couldn't resist my title although it actually refers to another project I'm working on which will be on here next weekend! It sort of applies here though.
Here's today's card:

The background here is a piece of vintage music score with torn edges. I inked it with Shabby Shutters Distress ink for a soft look and added a little Vintage Photo round the edges.
I then stamped the poppies on thick cartridge paper with Archival Coffee ink - the stamps are Fleur de Pavot by Inkylicious and come with flower heads, leaves and stalks to build up your own scene. I coloured the poppies to resemble the Californian variety with Aquamarkers then cut the panel out with a Nestabilities die and inked the edges.
I then embossed a piece of white card with my new Crafts Too Vintage Flowers folder and inked this with a mix of Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold and Crushed Olive Distress inks. I stamped the text from the stamp set and the tag from a Viva Decor set with the coffee ink on the cartridge paper and inked with Distress inks. I cut the text out with a Papermania label die.
To finish, I added a metal charm to the tag and then die cut and inked a butterfly from my new set of 3 by Cheery Lynn dies - they're amazing value and have a huge amount of detail though you may need to click on the pic to see this.

The Design Team have some wonderful creations to inspire so hope to see you there!

Challenges for my card:
ATCs & Cards With Attitude - Anything Goes/Butterflies & Blooms
Do You Stack Up - Use A Flower
 Fat Pages & Cards With Attitude - Anything Goes/Butterflies & Blooms

Have a great week,
Hugs, Fliss xx

Monochromatic With Stampalot

Hello there, I'm back again a little later than intended as I managed to sleep rather late this morning and had a bit of a struggle getting out of bed (don't suppose I'm the only one though!). Hoping you all had a lovely time last night whatever you chose to do.
My post is about the January challenge for Stampalot, so generously sponsored by the lovely Janice and Andy of Sir Stampalot. You may remember that I was lucky enough to win the October challenge and received an awesome amount of food themed goodies as the prize so I have to say that you really should enter if you haven't as I never expected to win but as they say, you have to be in it to win it!
The challenge theme is Monochromatic and I've been lucky enough to be invited to be the Guest Designer for the challenge. I chose shades of purple and in fact used to use the colour so much that I was known as the Queen of Purple at stamp club.

I made my own background paper as usual using a flower stamp from Hero Arts Real Flowers clear stamp set, stamped in layers first with Milled Lavender Distress ink, then VersaColor Lilac and finally Sweet Plum Memento ink. I trimmed the right long edge with a Papermania border die.
I stamped the dress form from the Inkylicious Corsetiere clear stamp set with VersaFine Imperial Purple ink on lilac parchment card and cut this out. I die cut a shaped panel from the same card using the Tim Holtz Baroque die, inked the edges with lilac and purple inks then embossed with The Tim Holtz Textures Fades damask folder.
I stamped the corset, price, tape measure and advertising from the stamp set with the Imperial Purple ink, stamped small flowers from a Rubber Stamp Tapestry set on the corset and cut this out. The remaining items were cut out with the Papermania Doorplate die set and the new Papermania tags and labels die set.
I assembled the card as you see, adding stitching down one side of the backing paper with purple floss and finishing with velvet ribbon, floral lace altered in colour with lilac ink, a silk flower and button.

Challenges for my card:
I Brake For Challenges - Vintage
Everybody Art - Anything Goes
Stampin' For The Weekend - Anything Goes
The Artistic Stamper January Challenge - Vintage

Thanks for looking and thanks so much to the Stampalot Design Team for the great honour of being this month's Guest Designer.
Hugs, Fliss xx

Tim's Tags Day Three

I'm late, late, late here with my third tag as boy, did I have a struggle with this one! I don't have anything Tim used and must have gone back to the drawing board at least 3 times before I got something I felt reasonably happy with.
It's been really chilly here and I think I must have brain freeze lol but here's my finished tag.

Improvisation list:
Text stamps - large (Inkylicious) smaller (Penny Black)
No Embossing Folder as nothing suitable
Woodware holly and leaf sprig punches and Sissix flourish die for foliage
White tag inked with Old Paper and Tea Dye Distress inks after stamping
Extra additions - paper roses, metal flower charm

Quite a simple tag in the end but I think I like it like that. I left off the twine as I couldn't make it look right.
If you haven't seen the original gorgeous textured tag and some great inspiration for making Christmas crafted items in bulk, click on Tim's 12 Days of Christmas Tag 3 and prepare to be amazed.

I'm also once again linking this to Inspiration Emporium where there are great prizes on offer and Tim's supplies available.

Have a great day and happy crafting.
Fliss xx