Olympic ATC

Well I can't believe it's been so long so long since I last posted - No Excuse just loads of things going on here in Sunny Morecambe.  I have made a couple of Olympic ATCs  but please don't tell any one I don't want prosecuting by Trading Standards for impinging copyright.

Haven't the Games been fabulous this year even the sun came out eventually.  What more could we ask.


It will soon be a distant memory but lets hope some of the great atmosphere remains to keep us bouyed up as we head down to Autumn.

Stampersue x

Home Again

Hello I'm finally home after a great holiday in the USA but more of in a future post. I'm a bit jetlagged as we only landed this morning and I didn't sleep on the flight so please excuse any spelling mistakes (and the photography!) Here are the photos of the altered mirror I made at Hels' workshop the day before we went away which I didn't get chance to post.

 

 I finally managed to make some lovely roses something I have never managed to achieve before - I was so proud of these

 

 Here are a few close-ups of the other embellishments - aren't the butterflies just so cute - the pearls are just perfect for the body.

 

 

Thanks for looking - when I'm over the jetlag I'll be blogging a few photos of our trip.

Cheers

Sue
X

Hels does it again!

I have just spent the day at Dawn Bibby's Studio in Accrington where the wonderful Hels Sheridan was taking a workshop. The theme was 'Reflections of Art' - (Hels tongue-in-cheek title) and we spent an enjoyable day painting, sanding and staining a wood framed mirror with all things Ranger and Tim Holtzy. We made beautiful grungy flowers and they turned out fantastically well, coloured clouds of butterflies and attached them by various methods onto the wood surround. Chocolate and sweeties were passed around in abundance and a great time was had by all - I met some lovely ladies. If you get the chance to do a Hels Sheridan class and have a fun filled day I can thoroughly recommend it. Here is a picture of the mirror that Hels made - due to lack of time I will post mine when I get back from my hols. I'm off to the USA in the morning and will be joining an Alaskan Cruise next week - my dream holiday - I can't wait and to say I'm a bit excited is putting it mildy.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday when it gets here - I will flying the flag on the high seas and will be sporting a very fetching teeshirt with the union jack emblazend in glitter on the front. Even Bazzer has got a Union Jack shirt which he tells me he will be wearing on the day. Be back in a couple of weeks

Blending Tools - Make you own!

I hope you had a great Bank Holiday - although the weather in the North West started off beautiful with blue skies and sunshine by lunchtime had started to change and it was overcast and really cold. By teatime it was pouring down and so cold the central heating had to be switched back on! Why are crafting tools so expensive - I wanted some new blending tools but I found the price of £4.50ish for each one just too much so I decided to try and make my own - with a bit of help from him indoors. I have put all the instructions at the beginning because Blogger won't let me type between the pictures! I sent Bazzerto ratch around in his shed of wonders to find some suitable wood and he really came up trumps with a lovely piece of Mahogany which he cut up into small blocks (I used the blending tool I had as a template for the sizing). He even sanded them down so they were lovely and smooth. I bought some foam Mounting tape from our local £1 shop and some self adhesive velcro from the market. So with my trusty hot glue gun in hand we were all ready to start. The first job was to seal the blocks and I used Mod Podge gloss finish - I left one flat side unpainted as this was the where the foam pads would be attached. When they had dried I hot glued the foam tape onto the flat unsealed surface - when it cooled I attached a piece of self adhesive velcro (the hook side) down the middle of the foam. Finally I attached Ranger Blending Foam pads to the velcro and you are finished. I printed out some labels on the computer and attached them with the Mod Podge and eventually I will have one for each of the Distress Inks at a fraction of the cost. Not quite as pretty as the originals but they work just as well and will save me all the swapping the foam pads about. I hope this makes sense but if you have any questions just email me at stampersue53@gmail.com and I will try to answer any queries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New ATCs

I can't believe it's over two weeks since I posted - where does the time go to. It's only 4 weeks until we are off on our holidays and I'm getting so excited - we are heading over 'the pond' to the USA. We are flying to Seattle where we spend a couple of days then we pick up an Alaskan cruise - My Dream Vacation - I have waited years for this and just hope it lives up to everything I think it will be. We are onboard for 7 days and when we disembark we catch a sleeper train and travel across the US before we finally get the plane home. I'm hoping to get to a couple of craft shops during the holiday - I have already sussed out where the Michael's Stores on our route. I have been making a few atcs recently as the swap I belong to has gone into hyperdrive over the last couple of weeks I have received quite a few books that I needed to add to. I have managed to take photos of most of them but won't post them all at once I will spread them out over the next few days. The dragonfly atc I miscalculated how many letters were in the word dragonfly - talk about head in a shed syndrome doh!!!!

 

 

Hope you like them Sue X

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all my Blog Friends and I hope you all got at least one Easter Egg - I got a Lovely Chocolate Rabbit because of my diet it is only a teeny weeny one - but I wasn't left out.

I thought I better show you my Easter Chick ATCs that I made using a selection of Easter Stamps by Lydsay Mason - they are just so cute. I painted the chicks with watercolours but coloured the eggs using Promarkers because I wated the eggs to be strong colours

 

 

I would like to enter this into Addicted to Stamps Challenge - Spring/Easter
Creative Inspirations Paint - Bunnies, Chicks or Eggs
Dilly Beans Challenge - Easter
Craft Your Days Away - Easter

Nothing is Reversable

Something that took me out of my comfort zone but I really enjoyed and got in to - I started this at the Harrogate weekend workshop but ran out of time and so on Sunday I sat down and finished it off. It uses the new Dylusion rubber stamps and her wonderfuly Dylusion Sprays which are so vibrant(these are definitely top of my birthday wish list Mr Maguire if you are reading this!) Hasn't the weather been wonderful over the last few days - Max the cat thinks summer has arrived early and has been a dirty stop-out cat every night this last week - he's going to get a shock as Easter approaches and the forecasted wintery showers settle in for the Bank Holiday weekend. LOL Anybody got any special plans for Easter, we haven't just glad of a long weekend to enjoy.

That's all for now - thanks for calling by

Stampersue X

 

I would like to enter this in the following challenge:-

Crafting When We Can - No 15 Things with Wings
Gingerloft Challenge - Anything but a card
Let's Ink It Up - Distressing
Dilly Beans Friday Challenge - Skulls snd Skellies

 

 

 

Hels Workshop

Today was the day I was at the Dawn Bibby Studio for a full day of crafting with the lovely Hels Sheridan of 'Ink on my Fingers' Blog fame

and boy did we get inky fingers!!! Hels is so much fun and it felt like we were old friends as I follow her blog everyday. Her work is amazing and her tags are legendary. Here is the lady herself in full flow.
 

I was introduced to Freckles who travels more than I do - he went with Hels to the Ranger University last year and was introduced to Lord Tim. Freckles was a great hit with our American cousins and I was delighted he agreed to pose for a qhick photo.

 

Here is the first project we made it a tag holder with a matching tag. We used Distress Stains, Distress Ink, Sizzix Die Cuts, Tim's Stamps and losts of Ideaology bits and pieces. I was very taken with the Cog Wheels and the fastening on the outside of the holder. They are made out of Grunge Paper, something I have never used before but I will be using again, and we used the inks to colour them, They looked like rusty iron when we had finished,

 

A view of the inside of the holder.

 

Finally a picture of the matching tag. We grunged up the ribbon with ink to match the tag colour. I would like to enter this in Die-Ing for a Challenge - Blue and Brown and Saturday Challenge - Shabby Chic Vintage and Sugar Creek Hollow - No 4 Steampunk

 

Finally, in the afternoon we covered techniques using Distress Stains and Inks and made a Sampler Ring to use as a reminder. Hels will be up again at Dawn's Studio on 26th & 27th May and I have already booked my place on the Saturday - Sunday is a no go for me as I fly off to the USA on holiday.

 

 

 

My Version of Steampunk ATC and Holder

I'm never sure if my Steampunk ideas are along the right lines but what the heck - is there a right or wrong?

I have made an ATC Holder and an ATC to sit inside it. The background acrlic paint that I applied with a baby wipe and dried with my heat gun. I stenciled the white leaves using one of the Dylusions new stencils and the doodled over them with a black pen

 

Here is the holder minus the ATC - I just love the flying cat stamp

 

The ATC is using the same background and leaves to add continuity with the holder but the stamps are Tim Holtz

 

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-

ATC with Attitude - Steam Punk/Anything Goes
Sarah Hurley Challenges - No 62 Steam Punk

A Grand Day Out

I wish I lived closer to Harrogate - I just love the Art From the Heart Studio with the wonderful Dyan and her eclectic style - I would love to be able to attend more classes there but I can't as it's just too far to go more than a couple of times a year. Well yesterday was one of those visits as Dyan was having a workshop taster day and I had signed up to a couple of worshops. First one was with Sandra Hall, unfortunately all I got was a picture of her back - sorry Sandra. We made an ATC Holder and a matching ATC (pictures to follow later as it is getting late) but needless to say I got very inky/painty hands and we got to play with Dyan's new stamps and stencils.

 

Here's a picutre of the wonderful Dyan with her singing Deer's head, she couldn't wait to get home to put it up in her 50's lounge.

 

On to the second workshop with the lovely Kaz Hall and we made a hanging tag with 3 stamped hanging attachements (I still have to attach my hangers so I will post it when finished)- again we used the New Dylusion Sprays (note to self - must put on my birthday wish list)and Dyans new stamps. We were in great company as the super Katie Crane was also in the workshop.

 

Here's a picture of Kaz helping the two ladies seated opposite me (I'm sorry I'm rubbish at remembering names) Kaz also unveil a hidden talent in keeping a malteaser in the air by blowing and then catching and eating it. I was very impressed in fact I was so impressed I forgot to take a photo!!!

 

Finally a photo of Katie and her piece unfortunately she had attached one of the hangers back to front - it just goes to show it can happen to the best of us. We had a great laugh and the conversation was hilarious. I had a very enjoyable day at AFTH and met some lovely ladies now I just have to decide which workshop to go on later in the year

 

Treat for Tomorrow

I have taken Thursday and Friday off work and have been so looking forward to this long weekend. I have a treat in store for tomorrow I'm off to Harrogate - not to the Great Paper Show that is on this weekend but to Art From The Heart Studio for the Workshop Taster Open Day that Dyan is running. I have booked two of the workshop tasters for the afternoon which I'm so looking forward to, it is always so inspirational and it makes my brain go into overdrive and I drive Barry insane on the journey home by babbling on and on and on about the afternoon. LOL Will post again later this weekend to let you know what we got up to.

The bad news is I have a hospital appointment (an old gyni problem has flared up) in the morning before we can set off - I was really shocked when the hospital rang yesterday and said they want to see me and could I come in at 9.30am on Saturday morning - I didn't even think they had consultations over the weekend! Wish me luck I've got my fingers crossed and hope everything is ok.

Distress Butterflies

I had a bit of an inky afternoon yesterday and played with my distress inks and a few ideas I had. A couple of weeks ago I spent a great morning at Inspirations in Preston where the wonderful Hels Sheridan was demonstrating her fantastic distress techniques - check out her amazing blog here. Hels is also running a couple of classes at Dawn Bibby Studio in Oswaldtwistle on Sat and Sunday 24 & 25th March and I'm going to the Sunday Class and I'm so excited - I can't wait.

I really enjoyed making this card. I used TH Distress inks in Barn Door, Wild Honey, Marigold and Black Soot. I cut several Movers & Shakers butterfly die and TH Butterfly Stamps. The expression rubber stamp is one I have had so long I can't remember where it came from!

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-

The Stamp Man - Vintage
Papercrafting Journey - Anything goes
Totally Papercraft 107 - My Favourite Things
Bunny Zoe Challenge - Shabby Chic
Simon Says Stamp & Go - Anything Goes
CAS-ual Fridays - Sentiment as Focal Point