Something wicked!

Hello hello! How are you? I hope you are doing ok? Well penny has finished for half term! Blimey! How am I going to get anything done??? Never mind....I guess we'll just bimble along together!

Today I have a card to share with you made using TH stamps and Alison Bomber quote stamps. 

The blueprint Raven stamp is quite old but the flying raven stamp is relatively new and I have also used the background cobweb from the recent release too. In the background I have also used a couple of TH stencils - the autumn leaves and the bats.

Here's a close up - you can see that quote stamp better here. Its fabulous! 

I think this will make a fine Halloween card!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Helen's card

Good morning lovelies! How are you today? Thanks so very much for your best wishes for my dad - it was good to see him yesterday ..he looked better than the last time I saw him - and he ate well on Saturday night and he ate a little bit whilst we were there which is all positive. Lets hope that he's going to pull it out of the bag again.

Today my lovely friend Helen has her birthday - so this is the card I made for her. She likes crafting and does cake craft and sewing too - I went with the sewing theme to fit with the current AVJ challenge. Here's my make.

I wanted to go feminine as Helen is a real lady so I went with spun sugar and antique linen mixed with some sepia tones. I used a two tim stencils - blossom and lace and an image from tim stamped in sepia archival. 

The dressform is from a stamp set by rubberdance that I was lucky enough to win from Katy Leitch - thanks Katy.

The flower is cut from tattered florals overstamped with a tim stamp and finished off with a beautiful tim button that I got from the lovely Redanne. I added the lace and the rubberdance edge stamps!

I hope she likes it.

I would like to enter this into vintagejourney sew-special

and also allsortschallengehappy-7th-birthday-allsorts

Have a great Monday!

Hugs

Rachel

Paris skyline

Hello there! How are you? I hope you are okay.I'm starting to feel more human again - thank goodness. I'm going to take it easy for a few days yet - just to make sure I'm over it!!! I'm not used to being poorly! Its been a bit of a shock!!!

Today I have a card to share with you I made using a sheena stencil:

I used distress inks - picked raspberry, evergreen bough and old paper to create the background then added the stencil and applied blacksoot distress ink through it.

The central stamp is one from Tim Holtz.

I am going to have to get a wriggle on if I'm going to enter any challenges this month! It used to be a very important thing for me but these days I seem to get around to entering very few - must try harder!!

Have a good Wednesday!

Hugs

Rachel x

JJ's card

Hello Lovelies - so the rain and wind never let up here yesterday - how about where you are? I am hoping that there is a let up today.

Today i have my nephews birthday card to share with you - I find male cards quite tricky and decided I would play with some new stamps I bought from CVC - they're by Brett Weldele and I love them!

I started by using broken china on the card base then added some hickory smoke DI through a TH layering stencil. I then spritzed with black soot distress marker using the air brush tool thingie. Lastly I used a TH script stamp to stamp over parts of the background in broken china and hickory smoke.

Lastly I added the sentiment from a TH set.

I hope JJ likes this - its probably a tad old for him but maybe not!

Have a great day - whatever you do!

Hugs

rachel x

journalling Tim Style!

Good morning lovelies! How are you today??? We are all tired after drama group last night - the girls are so excited as we are putting together Mary poppins - can't wait to find out what roles they have. We were singing last night - great songs .... lets go fly a kite ........

So today I have my entry to this months challenge over at AVJ. Its a Tim Holtz based blog and I was delighted to see the theme this month - but having misplaced my journal I was a bit stuck - anyway - i got a new one and - you've guessed it - the old one turned up the day after I had completed this page - nevermind - i now have two journals to go at!!! Lol!!!

I love how this has turned out - I used Tim Holtz tissue-wrap---melange as a base to the pages applied with decopatch glue and creased up to give texture. Then i used distress stains to colour the background so that the translucency was there. I used fired brick, carved pumpkin, fossilised amber and shabby shutters. When dry I added texture paste through a few different layering stencils and when dry added gold rub.

I used the face from  Tim Holtz classics-5-stamp set and stamped her in sepia archival then cut some card i had inked up with various shades of distress ink using thinlits-die-set-14pk---fall-foliage-by-tim-holtz.

On this page I added two of the butterflies from Tims perspective set. 

I would like to enter these pages into the following challenges:

vintagejourney art-journalling-with-tim

fashionablestampingchallenges-changing-seasons

welove2create challenge-21-anything-creativemixed

sirstampalotchallenge october-challenge-colours-of-autumn

craftstamper take-it-make-it-challenge-october

Thats all for today!

I hope you have enjoyed your visit!!!

Big hugs rachel xx

Autumnal tag

Hello Lovelies - how are you? We are good! We are looking forward to a promise party at rainbows tonight and also restarting of drama group - the girls are so excited about that!!!

I have an autumnal tag to share with you today - I have combined some stamps and dies from Sheena with some dies from Tim Holtz and lots of distress!

I made the background first using DI twisted citron, ripe persimmon, victorian velvet and aged mahogonay. Then I did another sheet and die cut all the leaves. I also used the distress marker gathered twigs and distress tool.

next I stamped the squirrel and then painted with more DI - aged mahogonay, wild honey and vintage photo.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

sirstampalotchallenge/october-challenge-colours-of-autumn

pennyblackatallsorts october-challenge-warm-autumn-colours.html

fashionablestampingchallenges-changing-seasons

frillyandfunkie autumn-splendor

Thanks for looking today - I suspect I will be having a day off tomorrow! 

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Lucy' birthday!

Hello Lovelies - well its Lucy's birthday today - my big girl has reached the heady heights of 9 years old! Well she does at 8.35 tonight - but hey - we'll celebrate all day! Actually she's off to the gym for most of the day but we have a family tea going on tonight and she's probably tearing packages open as this goes live!!!! I hope she has a really happy day!!! I made her cake yesterday - its okay - but my version of Harry Potter leaves alot to be desired - lol! I can bake but sugar craft aint my thing!!!! I'll post a picture tomorrow! What I can show you is her card!

Its those crazy birds!!!! ha ha - Lucy fell in love with these a while ago so I know she'll love it! I've used the bird stamps and dies and also the extra stamps - but I don't have the extra dies as yet so had to fussy cut the hats and flowers and parcels.

The background was made using distress inks and layering stencils from Tim Holtz.

I'm sure she will be happy with this card - I hope she likes her harry potter themed cake too!!!

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:

vintagejourney things-with-wings

sirstampalotchallenge august-challenge-anything-goes-with stamp and die

I had a lovely day yesterday and went for a fabulous run with my friend Rose - we ran from Hornby to another local village - over some hills - it was amazing - the views were spectacular!

We did enjoy it!!!

Running with two other friends today - in Lancaster this time so the views will be quite different!

Have a great day! Big hugs to you!

Rachel xx

Pink and white at Christmas Card Club

Good morning lovelies! How are you today? I'm fine and feeling happy - I had a good run yesterday but then had a few wobbles - it was a day of peaks and troughs. But I 'm okay - a glass of red at the end of the day yesterday sorted me out!

Its Pink and white at Christmas card club tomorrow - but I have another post for tomorrow so I thought I'd post this a day early. Its the choice of the lovely Karen today - and posed a few problems for me - pink is not a colour that I use often - but I think I did okay in the end.

The die cut behind the sentiment is from memory box. The other die cuts are from Tim Holtz - I used an indigo blu stamp to stamp on the poinsettia. The centre of the poinsettia is a beautiful TH button - thanks Anne!!!

Thats all for today - some exciting news for you tomorrow!!!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Welcome Tripp!

Hello Lovelies! Well as you all imagined Windermere was cold yesterday - but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined - the swim was short and invigorating - I found it very tricky and can't see me joining in any of the race swims any time soon - but I have my new wetsuit - and am looking forward to a swim at fellfoot park once the girls go back to school. I need to figure out where to put my car keys though!!!! Any ideas????

On Friday Shauns' sister Jane gave birth to a baby boy - she's called him Tripp Edwin Golder. I know not where Tripp comes from - the Edwin was her and Shauns dads name. Its nice that she has remembered her dad. Anyway - here's the card and tag I have made to send to her.

Both were done using ideas from the Marjie Kemper course I have been doing - I've only done two lessons so far and am enjoying it so very much!!! These include the Tim Holtz baby blueprint stamps and the techniques of using household objects to create the funky circles and lines in acrylic paint.

I hope Jane likes these! I love them!!!! I'd like to enter these into the following challenges:

welove2create.challenge-11-anything-creativemixed

Have a great bank holiday Monday whatever you do. Me and the girls are off to visit my friend Julia - we're hoping to book a holiday to Cornwall in the summer holidays - then we'll have lunch at Bella Italia - I have vouchers to use!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Playing with stamps and stencils

Hello lovelies - how are you? I hope you are fine and happy. Did you have a good day yesterday? We were all very good - although my run was extremely soggy!!! Nevermind - its a few more miles in the bank!!!

Today I have to wait in for a delivery from the storage for crafts people. I'm hoping that finally I can get my craft room sorted out - assuming I can get the unit into the attic - lol!!! It should fit though the hatch but it may be quite heavy!!! I'll let you know how that goes.

So I've been playing with two clarity stamps and a TH stencil - here's what I made:

I started off by stamping the very joyful image in versamark - then added black wow powders and heatset. Next I added a stencil with an oval aperture and applied more versamark to the the base and again heat set black wow powders.

With the stencil still in place I coloured the top of the picture in butterscotch using clarity stencil brushes. Then  I overlaid the tim holtz stencil and applied wild raspberry adirondack ink again using a stencil brush. I used my black zig pen to outline the oval And stamped the Joy stamp.

Then I matted and layed and repeated the Tim stencil direct to the base card.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:

countryviewchallenges: simply scenic

craftstamper take-it-make-it-challenge-may - take a stamp

Have a great Thursday and thanks for popping by!

Big hugs

Rachel x

CC3 challenge: stamps and sizzlets

Morning lovelies! How are you today? I hope you're well and happy! I feel relieved that the last couple of days are done and have been successful - my coffee morning made around £125 including sponsor money which is fabulous - that makes me quite close to my target on my just giving page so I'm very pleased! Here's a little peek at the goodies before folks arrived!

The lemon drizzle might not look much but its my fave and is just gorgeous!!!

Okay dokey - onto todays make - its for the CC3 challenge this time around which is stamps and sizzlits: The challenge is sponsored by Inspiration Emporium who have a prize of 50$ to spend in their on line store

I started off with the tag - I used distress stains to create the background and then stamped and cut the butterflies etc. I added the burlap then set about creating the backing - I used the faded layers technique again - I just love this one and can't get away from it - I seem to use it a lot at the moment. I also made a bow from ribbon and stuck everything on to a piece of ripped cardboard that I had dragged mowed lawn distress paint over.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:

CC3compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-9: stamps and sizzlits

Sunday stamperpinkleart: backgrounds

Big Hugs to you! Thanks for dropping by today and I hope to see you again soon!

Rachel x

Fave technique for Craft stamper challenge

Morning Lovelies! How are you today? I hope you are well and happy! I'm feeling good and ready for my bake-athon that will be happening today .... I'm having a coffee morning tomorrow trying to raise some funds for the charity I am doing the Great North Run for. Its a local charity that provides hospice care for cancer patients and help to their families. Its called St Johns Hospice. Anyway - onto the baking - the menu is as follows: sticky gingerbread, coffee and walnut cake, carrot cake, lemon drizzle cake, mega chocolate chip cookies, pistachio cup cakes and fruity muffins. I'm hoping that will help to keep the locals happy! I'll take some piccies!

Todays post - well - it was tough choice deciding which technique to use for this months Craft stamper magazine challenge - in the end I went for the technique of eroded metal described by the fabulous Jenny Marples in the June issue of Craft Stamper magazine. This is my make:

I used the technique to create the background and also the card I used to create the butterfly which is cut using the recently released die from Tim Holtz and then embossed with the coordinating folder.

I think this picture shows the butterfly texture off well. I highlighted some areas with black. Not sure if I like them or not! I also cut a flower from burlap using the tattered florals die.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges: 

Craft Stampercraftstamper -take-it-make-it-challenge-august. 

Mixed media cards challenge:themixedmediacardchallenge Summer with the option of burlap

simon says stampsimonsaysstampblog: Summer

Hope you have a great Tuesday! Big Hugs!

Rachel xx

Time flies at AVJ

Morning all! Are you managing to keep your head above the rain waters? Blimey - it never stopped here yesterday - hope its a bit better today! I'm taking my mum and dad up to Kendal for a hospital appointment for dad. Fingers crossed it will go well. The girls are coming too - we're off to get school shoes and also aim to pop up to Lakeland at Windermere to get some icing - I have to make Lucy's birthday cake tomorrow .... Harry Potter is the theme!

Onto todays make - well its a canvas made with a number of challenges in mind - firstly A Vintage Journey where the theme is Time Flies... Well I believe very much that time flies and my canvas is a reaction in that we should all try to slow down .... and take time to smell the roses. I have used two TH dies in the making of this canvas and also used distress inks on the background plus TH grungeboard letters.

I made the canvas by firstly creating some texture on the background - I used grungepaste and a TH stencil and also some grungeboard letters that I stuck to the canvas. Then I painted over using distress paints and also some pebeo acrylic paint. Next I did some background stamping using small stamps from papermania and oakhouse studio.

Next I got busy with the melt pot and moulds from WOW, martha stewart and modgepodge. I made the roses and hearts and butterflies using UTEE clear mixed with some red and purple. Then I stamped my prima doll and paper pieced her dress using distress inks and a stamp from Oak house studio.  I also did some die cutting.

Finally I assembled all the pieces. I did have fun making this - I do hope you like it!

I'd like to enter my canvas into the following challenges:

AVJvintagejourney-time-flies: Time flies

CVCcountryviewchallenges: Word Play

Oakhouse Studiooakhousestudio: Alphabetica

Pan pastelpanpasteluk: Bold and bright

Thanks for dropping by today - I hope you had fun! My poor hubby didn't have fun yesterday - he had his pocket picked in Buenas Aires. He's been there since Tuesday night last week. Thankfully he didn't have his passport with him so at least we'll get him back as planned very soon! Bless him - it sounds like he was the victim of a distraction ruse. Very sad - but he seems okay - just a bit wiser.

Hope to see you soon.

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

AVJ: Dies and distress

Morning lovelies! How are you today? I hope you are well. We are and had a good first day of the holidays although we didn't manage a trip to the beach - it was very windy here so we went to Happy Mount Park in Morecambe instead which is well sheltered and has a great adventure playground. It was very quiet because most schools here haven't broken up yet. I even managed to have a play myself - lol!!!!

I've been playing with my new timmy dies again - using the techniques from yesterdays post but this time I altered a mirror frame. I think I'm taking this to germany as a gift - not fully certain yet!!!

Here are some closer shots:

This one shows the echinoid die cut that I covered with distress paint then added frantage and heat set. 

The seahorses were cut from kraft card and painted with distress paints, dried and then painted with rock candy clear crackle paint. Once dry they were stained with distress stain and heat dried.

The main mirror first had shells and string stuck to it then painted with white gesso - then distress paints and distress inks and distress stains.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

AVJvintagejourney dies-and-distress: Dies and Distress

Frillie and funkiefrillyandfunkie: Cool water

Pan pastelpanpasteluk: Inspired by Tim Holtz

ABACanythingbutacard: AG

Thanks for looking today and I hope you have enjoyed your visit! Big Hugs! Rachel xx

Distressing at Creative Inspiration

Hello lovelies! How are you today? I hope you are both well and happy. We had a lovely day yesterday with good weather and a end of year play/assembly that was really fabulous. The end of term really is in sight .. the girls finish on Thursday and we are all ready for a break! Roll on!!!

Today I have news of a new challenge for you over at creative inspirations. The challenge this week is all about distressing. Here's what I did.

I made the background using a variety of green distressing inks - including bundled sage, mowed lawn, evergreen bough and pine needles - and a variety of stencils from Mr Holtz.

The main stamp is from Crafty Individuals. I love this little stamp - expect to see that often in the future! 

So why not join us this week? We would love to see all your creations with a distressed look!

This week's prize is from STAMP & CREATE and is a $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE!

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

allsortschallenge: Splish splash splosh

Pan pastelpanpasteluk: Inspired by Tim Holtz

thats craftythatscraftychallenges: Masks, stencils, templates

CVCcountryviewchallenges: Stencil it

Hope to see you soon and thanks for joining me today!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

CC3: Altered Burlap Panel

Hello Lovelies! How are you today? I hope you are well and happy! I am hopefully still asleep when this post goes live - I will have been out on Friday night with the PTA for a meal and a few drinkies - so I'm hoping for a lie in - I doubt I'll get it but you never know!!! Still the day is going to be quite peaceful - the only thing we're doing is going to see the BFG for the matinee performance - the girls are in a production that we're putting on in my village so they will get to see how its done more professionally!!

Today I have an altered burlap panel to share with you - its the latest challenge for the Compendium of curiosities 3 challenge. As always there are two prizes,the first is chosen by the DT and is a fantastic collection of Tim’s products, courtesy of Tim himself and Mario Rossi. 

The Funkie Junkie Boutique is back to sponsor Challenge 6, and lovely owner Linda Coughlin is offering a fabulous $25 shopping spree to one very lucky CC3Cer! For a chance to win this prize you need to link your project to the CC3 challenge page and mention The Funkie Junkie Boutique in your blog post. Be sure to check out the shop– it’s great, and stocked to the brim with all our favorite crafting goodies!

Okay dokey - here is my panel - I'm not overly happy with this but I don't have time to do another just now - I bought a pack of two so when I get back from my holibobs I will do another one although it will then be too late to enter into the challenge!!!

I used the technique given in the book and followed it completely. In addition I used some TH papers and distress paints, some TH tissue wrap and numbers and dylusions sentiment stamp.

I would like to enter this into lindaledbetter - compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-6 - altered burlap panel

Here's something I am happy with - I did my onion harvest yesterday and here's the evidence:

Thats all for today - hope you have a great Saturday! 

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Little Butterfly Lucy

Good morning to you - I hope you are well. Thanks for your kind comments yesterday - I'm very excited about todays make - its very bright - but I love it to pieces - I hope you do too. Its a layout for the challenge over at Scrap 365 where you have to use their sketch. Here's my layout first then I'll show you the sketch later. Have you got those sunnies on?

Here's the sketch I followed:

I took a piece of A3 Centura pearl and cut it to 12x12 size - it was actually 11.75 x 11.75.  Next I added bright distress stains (to match the colours in the photo) to my craft mat and spritzed them with water - then I swooshed the card through the paints. I tried to cover as much of the card as possible then dried with a heat gun. Next I applied distress ink to fill any gaps and give even more impact.

Next came the stamping - I used black versafine and a fluorish stamp from sheena douglass and a butterfly stamp from chocolate baroque. I then did some stencilling using the TH bubble stencil and some black dreamweaver embossing paste.

Then I stamped the title - and left everything to dry. Finally I used a white pen to add highlights - - I think this is so effective! I wish to enter my layout into the following challenges:

scrap365: sketch

simonsaysstampblog - mondaychallenge - start from scratch

anythingbutacard - anything-goes-in-cre8time-for-week-one.html

thatscraftychallenges - masks-stencils-templates-challenge

countryviewchallenges- stencil it

Thats all for today - I hope you have a wonderful Friday and I look forwars to seeing you again soon! Hugs Rachel xx

Use a full set of stamps at AVJ

Good morning to you! I hope you are well and happy! We are all good! Ready for another Friday! I have my make for the latest challenge at AVJ - A Vintage Journey. The challenge this time is to use a full set of stamps on one item - since the challenge requires that you use the techniques and style of Tim Holtz I decided to use one of his stamp sets - Mariposa. Here's what I made:

I started with a wooden hankie box holder that I bought from That Craft Place. To this I added black card and then layered on card that I had coloured up with distress paints and distress inks.

Once I had coloured the card I used most of the stamps from the set on it to create a background pattern. Then I cut the card to size and added to the box. On some extra card I did some more distress paints and then stamped the Mariposa butterfly and fussy cut it - I also stamped the pieces on the ends and cut and added them. The diecuts are from the Garden Greens set from Tim Holtz.

I'd like to enter this for the following challenges:

A vintage Journey:use-every-stamp-in-set

Sunday Stamper:pinkleart Wood

Hope you have a great Friday - I've got the gym and a class followed by gardening club - we'll be harvesting again this week. Whatever you're doing enjoy it! And thanks for dropping by today. Big Hugs rachel xx