Crazy Crafting Lady

I've been like a crazy crafting lady this afternoon. We've booked a last minute holiday - off to sunny Malaysia next Thursday - yipee - so I'm busy trying to get up to date with crafty bits and bobs before I have to start thinking about shopping and packing at the weekend.

One thing on my list is a 50th birthday card for a girlfriend so I've made it to fit in with the "GC120 Color Challenge - Turquoise, Blue & Purple" over at Gingersnap Creations.

Acetate Butterfly - Hero Arts Antique Engravings, Pool & Purple Twilight Alcohol Inks
Tag - Dusty Concord & Broken China DIs
'50' - Tim Holtz Vintage Market Die & Stickles

Thanks for visiting, have a lovely evening.

Suze xx

Spring Green

A very quick, last minute entry into this week's Calendar Challenge over at The Craft Barn.

The stencil is part of packaging from an M&S Orchid. I inked it with Crushed Olive and Forest Moss DIs.
The flower centres are Stampin' Up - inked in Forest Moss & Wild Honey, with some Glossy Accents.

Thanks for visiting.

Suze xx

Not Very Nice!

If you're of a sensitive nature please look away now!

At Just For Fun this week the challenge is "Any Shape with More Than 4 Edges".  It's taken me a few days to think about this one but with Halloween drawing near, I've gone for a coffin!!

Template was downloaded from Martha Stewart's website, you can find it here.

I just printed the template onto white card and then inked it up - lots of distress inks, Andy Skinner stamps and the spiders are table confetti.

This is so not me (I usually do 'nice' things) but it was SO MUCH FUN!

Thanks for visiting. Hope you're having a great day wherever you are.

Suze xx

Winged Heart

It's a sketch week over at the Less is More Challenge - "That looks easy" thought I, but as usual, I spent a fair amount of time faffing about until I was happy with something ....

I stamped the image once directly onto the card base then twice onto spare card (one which I'd painted with the distress stain) and paper pieced them back together.

It is annoying me slightly that the sentiment is a bit wonky (I did it freehand) but maybe it just adds a 'quirkiness' to the card??

Heart stamp is Kanban
Alphabet stamps are those little G Studio pegs
Versafine Onyx Black Ink & Fired Brick Distress Stain

A huge round of applause must go to Chrissie and Mandi for the hours they both must have put into last week's challenge, at least you should have time for your own crafting this week ladies!

Have a great week everyone - Happy Stamping!

Suze xx

Bookmark and a Thank You

Firstly, a bookmark which I've made for the (SDC38) Stampotique Designer's Challenge, which is

Black, White and a HINT of Color

Stampotique: Girl with Heart Purse stamped with Versafine Onyx Black
Highlights & sentiment are Wild Honey Distress Ink

Secondly, I'd like to say a BIG thank you to Marie aka Dolly Daydreams. I was the lucky winner of her recent giveaway and I received two beautiful tags and a notebook.  Her work is fabulous so please pay her a little visit.

Thanks for visiting, hope you're all having a lovely day.

Suze xx

February

It's the second week of the calendar challenge over at The Craft Barn, and this week the theme is ... Red and Embossing

Background: Stampin Up Vintage Roller - Versafine Satin Red Ink
Geisha and symbol (Inkadinkado) stamped and embossed in black
Butterfly (Hero Arts) embossed in gold
Geisha coloured with Twinkling H2Os.


Love symbol for Valentine's Day

I went for the oriental theme, partly because I love oriental and partly because last weekend our community had a gala day to celebrate the centenary of Thomas Glover's death. Glover grew up in the suburb where I now live. He travelled to Japan when he was 17 and he went on to become one of the founders of the Mitsubishi Corporation.  There is also suggestion that his wife was the inspiration behind Madame Butterfly.

The highlights of the day for me were geishas performing a tea ceremony







and the children's parade and fabulous fireworks display ....

Apologies for the long post but I wanted to share the pics!

Suze xx

Shades of Green

A very quick post - a tag for two challenges:

Just for Fun - Shades of Green, and
Gingersnap Creations - GC118 - Crimpers

I stamped Tim Holtz' Birdsong four times using different green inks and then made a  collage with them which I then covered in crackle paint.  I mounted this onto the tag which had been painted with distress stains.
I inked up some aluminium foil and die cut two leaves which I then crimped.
I also crimped the top and bottom of the tag.

Inks used:
Peeled Paint & Antique Linen Distress Stains
Versamagic Pesto, Forest Moss DI, Versafine Olympia Green, Memento Bamboo
Lettuce alcohol ink

Thanks for visiting my wee blog.

Suze xx

Inky Butterflies

The theme this week over at Less is More is "Anything Goes".  The challenge now has over 1000 followers so this week Chrissie and Mandi are trying to encourage as many followers (old and new) to participate. So if you've always fancied joining in, this is the week to do it.

I've gone inky this week - inky background and inky acetate butterflies.

Butterfly stamp is Hero Arts Antique Engravings
Various Distress and Alcohol Inks

Thanks for taking the time to visit, I will do as much commenting as possible - but I won't manage a thousand!

Have a great week everyone.

Suze xx

January

The Craft Barn have a new challenge...

As you can see, it's a 12 week calendar challenge, and the theme for week one is Blue and Crackle.

Welcoming in the New Year (Hogmany) is a big celebration in Scotland, so my main image is the clock striking midnight. Robbie Burns' "Auld Lang Syne" is sung and the whisky represents "Good Health".  (We also celebrate the birth of Robert Burns on the 25th January).

In 2012, Chinese New Year falls on the 23rd of January, so I have included the chinese symbols for prosperity and happiness.


Background is Broken China & Stormy Sky Distress Inks and Jazz Blue Glimmer Mist
Clock Face has been coated in Rock Candy Crackle Paint & Frayed Burlap DI

I've really enjoyed doing this calendar page, I just hope I can keep up with it in the run up to Christmas!!

Happy crafting everyone and thanks for dropping by.

Suze xx

Vintage Girlfriends

This week's theme over at Just for Fun is "Vintage".   I really had no idea what I was going to do as I have very few vintage style stamps but after having searched the internet I found a lovely image at The Graphics Fairy.

This image also suits the theme of "Gal Pals" over at Gingersnap Creations, so I've made a card which I'll either use as a small book cover (as I've just acquired a Bind-it-All machine) or it's just the right size to fit onto a small canvas.

The background is textured card inked with Antique Linen & Peeled Pain Distress Stains
Background stamp is V&A Potpourri inked in Forest Moss DI
Frame made from a nestie, inked in various DI's & Gold ink & coated in Rock Candy Crackle Paint
Sentiment is an Inkadinkado Inchie & chain is from a necklace

Thanks for visiting, hope you're all having a great day wherever you are.

Suze xx

Seeing Double

It's a "one layer" week over at the Less is More Challenge with the added requirement of

SEEING DOUBLE

So on your entry this week, we'd like to see TWO of something.

so I've gone for two of everything ...

Background circle stamp is Hero Arts with Tattered Rose Distress Ink

Foliage is Papermania Oriental Treasure with Versafine Olympia Green & Diamond Stickles

Butterfly is Hero Arts Antique Engravings with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink

I realise the whole thing should have been positioned slightly higher so that it left a bit of blank space at the bottom but maybe I can just about get away with it! Or maybe I should just trim the top off?

You can skip this next bit but it was my birthday yesterday and I just wanted to share the fabulous handmade cards I received from family and friends - thank you all so much ...

Emily

Aileen

Jenni

Sandra

Lesley

Decorated by my daughter Emily

Mother

Have a great week everyone and thanks for visiting.

Suze xx

Starry Night

I've been playing about with inks and embossing powders the last few days and tonight have made a bookmark with two challenges in mind ...

Just for Fun: "Say it with ... Words", and
Stampotique Designers Challenge: SDC37 - "Bookmark"

The verse is an old nursery rhyme which I thought was perfect for a bookmark. Don't we all like to read when we're tucked up in bed at night - I do!

These are the only Stampotique stamps I have - "Girl with heart purse" and the "Star" by Jo Capper-Sandon which is free with this month's Craft Stamper magazine.
Background is various distress inks and Glimmer Mist

Thanks for paying me a visit.
Sweet dreams!
Suze xx

Metal Mania!

Well Mandi and Chrissie over at the Less is More Challenge have certainly had my brain cells working today.

The challenge this week is ...

METALLIC

We'd like to see CLEAN & SIMPLE cards with something that has a METALLIC finish to it... ink, embossing, card, charms, actual metal... 

First I gold embossed hearts .....

 then I silver embossed stars .....

 then I copper embossed leaves ...

all very pretty but the hearts weren't very exciting and the second two don't quite fit the LIM style!

So I got out my alcohol inks and dropped some onto a foil plate, then I cut out with a Tim Holtz die then embossed with various embossing folders ... think this has a bit more impact!

(I'll try and get a better photo in daylight tomorrow)

Mountain Rose & Purple Twilight Inks
Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die
Victorian Fleur, Swiss Dots and a small 'love' Embossing Folders

Thank you all for paying me a wee visit.
Have a great week.

Suze xx