Sunday 25 April 2010

Going Art Deco





This set has taken me two days, it's an order for my Sister to give to my Auntie who will be 60, and I just couldn't get started at first, my mind went blank. Then I inked up these Art Deco stamps from Debbie Moore, and embossed them with clear powder. Then my Mo-Jo kicked in and I was off.

For the card I used Heirloom gold perfect pearls in a mister bottle and sprayed the black card and the handmade roses.I distressed around my image with Worn Lipstick distress inks then embossed some corners in gold. Did my sentiment on the computer and added gold glitter, gems and a feather.

For the Bookmark I embossed swirls in red and I did some in gold as well, I used the same distress inks too.

For the gift box I used some gold mirror card and scalloped down one side, added some black velvet ribbon trimmed with gold, then made a large flower. I stamped the butterfly and coloured with H20's and distress inks, added star dust stickles. I made a tag and added gold distress stickles.








I am entering these items into the following challenges:-

1. Sketch Saturday - week # 100 - Sketch (brilliant sketch and will definately use again)

2. Incy Wincy Designs - challenge # 39 - Black, White and one other colour (my other colour is RED)

3. Cupcake Crafts - challenge # 87 - Red and White

4. Crafty Cardmakers - challenge # 19 - Desert Island (Distress inks, Stamps, embossing powders)

5. A Spoonful Of Sugar - challenge 100 # Happy Birthday

6. Creative Card Crew - challenge # 48 - Happy Birthday

7. Allsorts - challenge # week 49 - Be inspired by Butterflies









Please don't forget to be in with a chance of winning a fab Cricut, then join in the Fantasy challenge over at Sir Stampalot!








I hope everyone has a good week

Happy crafting

Tracy x

I just Love Poppies


This is my creation for the Rosie-D's challenge, where this week the theme has been chosen by Lyn. And the theme is "England/St Georges or Red and White".
Lyn has very kindly offered to give our winner a Surprise.
So please pop on over and see the rest of the DT great creations and join in too.

I had a really good old play with this one, I don't know if you can see but I used some perfect pearls in gold heirloom, in my mister and sprayed the backing paper and the flowers. They were in my Tim Holtz kit from QVC, I've never used these before, and I like the effect I got with them. Now I want more mister bottles and pearls, they are addictive. Her wings are covered in Star Dust stickles, and I used Promarkers to colour this as I wanted strong colours for the Poppies.

Please don't forget to be in with a chance of winning a fab Cricut, then join in the Fantasy challenge over at Sir Stampalot!

Hope you pop on over and join in.
Happy crafting
Tracy x

Thursday 22 April 2010

A different request













I had a request from a friend who wanted a card for some relatives who had just become Grandparents, never done one before, so I asked her what she wanted on it and she said the ones in the shops are like a new baby card but with grandparents on. She also wanted it in a gift box, and this is what I came up with. She was very happy with it, in fact she's asked me to make another one the same for someone else. Obviously the baby is a girl, but I adore gingham and this is the only gingham paper I had, but it suits baby things so well I think.

Tuesday 20 April 2010

Baby Boom!!!!





There must be a Baby Boom going on, I've been asked for two sets of the above to be made and two Proud Grandparent cards to made which i'll show later this week when they are finished. I love the bottle shaped card, it's cute and I like the challenge of making everything matching, the door hanger is from Die Cut Dreams and is wonderful to work with.


I would like to enter these for the following challenges:-


1. Cute Card Thursday - challenge # 108 - Touchy Feely (the ribbons, flowers butterflies and dragonflies are for the touchy feely part)


2. Stamp Something - Something Layered


I've been a bit busy lately with quite a few orders, so a bit thin on the challenges this week, although I'm not complaining Lol!


Please don't forget to be in with a chance of winning a fab Cricut, then join in the Fantasy challenge over at Sir Stampalot!


Have a great week whatever your doing


Happy crafting


Tracy x

Tuesday 13 April 2010

A Vintage Hug


Both my boys are now on antibiotics, one for tonsilitis and the other for a chest infection, so now they are both picking up nicely, I though i'd have a play around at my craft desk. I loved the idea of the Die Cut Dreams challenge, vintage with no colouring. So I stamped my image with Brushed Corduroy then embossed with clear powder, I also embossed flourishes around the image then distressed with ink. I found a gorgeous layout on Stamptacular Sunday by Marianne, and used it for this creation. All the papers are from Regency - Papermania.

This is for the following challenges:-
1. Totally Papercrafts - challenge # 11 - Distressing
2. Die Cut Dreams - challenge#43 - Vintage with no colouring
3. Sophisticats - challenge # 29 - So Distressing
4. Cuopcake Crafts - challenge # 86 - Childhood Memories
5. Stamptacular Sunday - challenge # 54 - Spots and Dots

Well it's a very dull day here today, started off nice this morning but went rather dull very quickly, hope your having better weather.
Happy crafting
Tracy x




Sunday 11 April 2010

Rosie-D's challenge




This is my creation for the Rosie-D's challenge, where this week the theme has been chosen by Lyn. And the theme is "Blessings", so that could be marriage, birth, christening or any other way you would like to use blessings.


Lyn has very kindly offered to give our winner a set of BasicGrey Insignia stamps.




Hope you pop on over and join in.


Happy crafting


Tracy x

Friday 9 April 2010

My first Sweet Pea!






I have been loving the Sweet Pea stamps that are around blogland at the moment, and I was so lucky to win one from the lovely Debby at Passion For Crafts, it was this gorgeous mermaid called September Rhythm. I now really want to get some more, they are a joy to play with. Now for those of you like me has only just had their Tim Holtz Qvc set 2 weeks ago, and just started to play, have you tried that Distress Rock Candy, wow what a result. I wanted my mermaid to look like she's just got out of the water and was all wet. So after my inks, H20's and stickles star dust was all dried, I covered the image in the Rock Candy. And this is the result.




My background is just plain card which I stamped using the V&A background stamp in Distress Inks Stormy Sky, The ribbon looks wonky on this, (why do my cards always look concaved in photo's) it is straight, and this gorgeous ribbon was a pressie and so are the gems in my flowers from the lovely Susie my DT Boss for my birthday. I know the gems are available on her on-line shop Die Cut Dreams.


The flowers are my own handmade, and the button dropped of my daughter knickers and I found it in the bottom of the washer and looks far better on my card than on her pants, will she notice?

The dream ticket I got from My friend Lisa from her shop here, and distressed it with stormy sky.


This is for:-


1. Crafts And Me - challenge ! - Sweet Pea, Fairies or Wings (I used a Sweet Pea)


2. Sketch And Stash - challenge 32 - Sketch


3. Paperplay Challenges - week 14 - Shiny Happy People (I used rock candy for an all over shimmer and stickles for the tail)


4. C.R.A.F.T. - challenge 45 - Free choice but with buttons


5. By The Cute And Girly - April challenge - Fairytales


6. Cute Card Thursday - challenge 107 - Mono-Mania (I used all blues)


7. Sweet Pea Stampers - week 3 - At the bottom of the garden (she is surrounded in flowers)



Please don't forget to be in with a chance of winning a fab Cricut, then join in the Fantasy challenge over at Sir Stampalot!


Have a great weekend, what ever you do


Happy crafting


Tracy x

Thursday 8 April 2010

Twins and an Update


I made these cards for my twin nephews, they have everything identical and argue if not. They love to play football and I made sure they had their names on the footie shirts.


I'm entering this if for:-


A spoonful of Sugar - challenge # 98 - "One for the boys"


Now just when you think everything is getting back to normal something else happens. I was up through the night again with Bobby, he was running a high temperature and his cough just doesn't seem to be shifting at all. And he sounded really horse and a sore throat. So off to the docotors, to find out he has severe tonsilitis, and is full of mucous as the Doc put it. They have now put him on antibiotics, but we enquired about his croup while we were there, as the hospital last week asked us why he didn't have an Inhaler for his croup. The doctors said he doesn't get it often enough, we said that we don't bring him every time as you told us there's not much you can do, just advise steaming. Now they are telling us if we took him to the Doctors every time they would have considered giving him something for it.


Well you can bet your last penny he'll be at the doctors with every single bout of croup now. He's 4 why do they make them suffer, I'm so mad! Enough ranting I think.


Please don't forget to be in with a chance of winning a fab Cricut, then join in the Fantasy challenge over at Sir Stampalot!


Hope you all have a good weekend


Happy crafting


Tracy x

The Last Challenge!



Sadly this is the last ever challenge for Susie's Sassy challenge, and the final theme is "Me And My Pet", we are using Digi's given to us by our sponsor Di's Digi's. The Prize is 2 images from her shop.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the girls on the team for being lovely girls to work along side of.

And a sincere thank you to Susie for believing in me and giving me a chance and my first position on a design team.


I would also like to enter it for the following challenges:-

1. Papertake Weekly - Sketch # 38

2. Passion For Promarkers - week 46 - "The young ones"

3. Sophisti-cats - challenge # 28 - "Raining cats and dogs"

4. Totally Papercrafts - challenge # 10 - "Lets go digital"

5. ABC Challenge - "R is for RED"


All day yesterday I couldn't access e-mail or blogger as my server went down and I haven't been able to use the computer.
Then my Hubby was bored and suggested that we should move my crafting out of the hallway and into the back of the living room, then he's not sat on his own on an evening. That was one of those jobs you wished you hadn't started, as then I'd to tidy everything out too. But could it be a ruse, so i'm there to keep my eye on the kids and he's not left with them on his own Lol!

Have a great week

Happy crafting

Tracy x


Tuesday 6 April 2010

Hugs!!


Oh i'm so glad to be back at my crafting desk, I haven't been there for a week. My son is just fine now apart from a cold and cough the croup has left him with, but up to no good as usual. I really enjoyed making this card for some challenges, even though I have quite a few orders and some DT work that needs to be done. I have managed to get myself a couple of new colours in distress inks, "worn lipstick and stormy sky", which I have used today, I now have 8 colours. I used them to paint with as well as distressing with them, but could never quite get the technique right or the shading, and when I distressed round the edges it went blotchy.
So I got in touch with the lovely Kim, who was ever so helpful, Thank you Kim, what a lovely lady you are. She told me which card to use to stamp on and Voila! so much easier. She gave me tips on distressing round the edges too, and now i'm really happy with how i've progressed.
My Tim Holtz, QVC package came last week too, and I've only just unpacked it all and started using the blending tool, wow so much easier too.

This creation is for:-
1. Create 4 Fun - week 14 - Sketch
2. Simon Says Stamp - "It's so distressing"
3. Crafty Creations - challenge # 61 - Anything goes
4. Stamptacular Sunday - challenge # 53 - Sugar and spice (For the girls)
5. Cupcake Crafts - challenge # 85 - Make your own flowers
6. Creative Card crew - challenge # 47 - Vintage/Aged
7. Lili Of The Valley - challenge # 50 -Include Blue and Silver
8. Crafty Cardmakers - challenge # 18 - A Challenging challenge - ( first time using a distressing tool)



If you enter Simon Says stamp you can also enter Lorraine's weekly candy Here and win this fab stamp


Do have a good week
Happy crafting
Tracy x

Thursday 1 April 2010

Sir Stampalot Brand New Challenge!








Good Morning and very warm welcome to you all from everyone at the Stampalot Challenge. The day we have all been eagerly awaiting has finally arrived, it's seemed forever coming and we really have all been bursting at the seams for the chance to share all our excitement with you. Over the coming months we have some fantastic themes lined up for you, along with some fabulous prizes from Sir Stampalot. Our challenges will each run for a month, you all want to know what theme and what you could win. Our first theme is:
"Fantasy"
It is entirely up to you what you create and how you interpret the theme and we are so looking forward to visiting you all and seeing your wonderful creations. Sir Stampalot have been so generous with the winners prize .......pinch yourself first because it's:
A Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter
PLUS a Pooh Font Cartridge



How fabby is that and if the opportunity to win that doesn't get your creative juices flowing, then I don't know what will. And of course we will also be selecting our Top 3 who will be able to display our special logo. The rest of the oh so talented Design Team have come up with some awesome projects so please do go and visit them and see how they have been creative .
Now onto my creations:-
My first is a card, using the Lavender fairy image, and painted with H20's and distress inks. I have used some beautifully delicate lace and then I have sewn Diamante's on. I have used stickles to give her a magical sparkle.
Then I decided to have a play about at my craft desk and made myself a file to keep all my sketches together. It is held together with a book ring, and i have made a charm out off shrinkables, my first time using them. When I find a good sketch or i draw one of my own, i keep them all together, but now i'll just keep adding them to this file and it looks pretty hung up at my desk too. I have to be organised as my craft space is small.

So I do hope i'll see you joining in, have a good day
Happy crafting
Tracy x