Hard to Resist!

Yesterday I had another fun skype play day with Alison.
This time we picked The Stampman's challenge which is a 'Resist Technique'.
I had seen this very cool tutorial on HeroArts.com so we both set to work following the video instructions.
I actually brought the hero arts leaf cluster stamp with the prize money I won from the 'anything tim' challenge.

I pretty much used the same colours as the original but some stamps had to be substituted as I didn't have them! Good excuse to buy more I reckon lol
The phrase is Penny Black, and the background lines are Tim Holtz.
I backed the image onto another piece of water colour paper that I had used to soak up the inks from my walk and wiggle stage, perfect as the colours were obviously matching.
Then the whole thing was mounted onto a kraft coloured card, and finished with a bit of lace and some prima flowers.
Why not go check out Alison's, She used different stamps completely!
Stay Inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

Grungy Thursday!!

I seem to be getting later and later with my entries for
Grungy Monday!
I must admit I struggled a bit this week, Tim's instructions were clear enough but I just couldn't get to grips with it. I did try and make something on monday but it went in the bin!
Luckily my crafty chum Alison was on hand yesterday via skype to inspire me on and we both managed to get our pieces finished.
Here is my offering...

I used a mix of retro grunge paper and TSS metal, along with the Papillon stamp set and an MS butterfly punch. I adorned it with a grunge rose, some trinket pins and a sari ribbon with dangle.
Thank you Ali for the motivation.. Wonder what we'll get done today!
Stay Inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

WOYWW 99

Well hello there desk surfers, here we are once again free-styling from desk to desk.

The keen eyed among you will notice some changes to my desk this week, 

And I'm not just talking about the mess!

  I had a bit of a shifty round, and it was all nice and tidy, until I messed it all up again!
I'm mid project and was lacking in inspiration last night so gave up to go watch the telly.

Hopefully today the mojo will flow and I can get my piece finished.

You can see a sneaky peek of what I'm working on for one of my may projects for the artistic stamper.. oh and talking of sneaky peeks here's another 

It's from the piece I made over on the Artistic Stamper team blog today

Doesn't give much away does it! Hop over and see what it could be!
Stay Inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

Oi you.... Button It!

Sorry I wasn't being rude, it just made a catchy title! So now I have your attention I can wish you a Happy Easter Monday, I hope everyone has had a nice few days off. Sorry if you've had to work!
Simon Says Stamp'n'Show some 'Buttons' this week
So I used one of the fab new 'that special touch' mica masks I got @ Ally Pally to alter an old bingo board.

With the use of some iron ferro and the button mask I created a textured lower half, while covering the top with an old dress making pattern.

I jazzed up the dress form diecut with enamel accents and sticky canvas, and gave it a ribbon sari outfit finished with lace.

I sprayed a strip of rose ribbon with sailboat blue and meadow colour wash, and covered the join between the texture and patterned edge.
I also added a canvas rosette and cotton spool. And finished by adding some note paper to make this the perfect sewing room accessory.
Have a lovely day x
Stay Inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

Home 'Tweet' Home

Some days no matter how hard you try putting something together nothing works, 

Then there are other days when you're just pottering, you maybe start to have a little tidy up, you find this and that and suddenly things just falling into place with one another, before you know it you've made something.

Well this is one of those pieces, It started when I rediscovered a little wooden box {it's actually one of those magic boxes with a hidden way of opening it that my OH found and brought home for me {bless him}

When I held it to the side it reminded me of a nesting box and the idea kinda grew from there.

While tiding I also found an old cardboard book page project I had done nothing with, so I repurposed it by cutting out the heart. I made a rose from kraft glassine and found a little feathered bird i'd had for ages

  I painted the box with the lush new Fresco paints by PaperArtsy, using the crackle glaze in between old gold and toad hall

I used some old packaging string to make a nest and placed it inside the hole.

 The thing that really made the piece work for me was the tree trunk,
I used the inside tube from my recently used up canvas roll, I cut a segment away to allow the box to fit snug, cut 3 half segments for the tripod style base, then covered it all with more kraft glassine, but i scrunched it first which gives it the fab textured effect.

I think the only thing that would make this better is to have maybe added some faux eggs to the nest, but hay i can do that later.

Oh I almost forgot...durrr..
This is my entry for the Happy Daze current 'Wood' themed challenge hosted on facebook HERE
♥ HUGZ ♥

How Angelic!

The prompt over @ Theme Thursday is 'Girls' so I made a little stampboard brooch using a cute image from paperartsy, I added padded wings and finished with an angel charm i made from beads.

♥ HUGZ ♥

Grungy Wednesday!

OK so I know it's supposed to be Grungy Monday, but I just wasn't feeling it on monday!
And if i'm totally honest I wasn't feeling it when I made it yesterday either but I think thats just the way it goes sometimes.
Anywho.. Here it is, my offering for week 4's 'Texture Fades and Distress' challenge

I used the sunburst texture fade with spiced marmalade and barn door with a smidge of mustard seed over the top, Umbrella man is diecut from mountboard and than stamped with the text from the papillon set. The quote is one from the quotegarden that I printed out and then diecut using a small label's 8 nestie.
It's not really my usual sort of card which I think is why i'm not feelin it, but it may grow on me!
Stay Inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

WOYWW 98

Hay desk hoppers, I'm back! Sorry I missed you all last week, I was @ my mums in london so my desk hadn't seen any action... I had a great time @ Ally Pally.. you can see some of the pics here

So for my desk today there isn't really a lot on show, My grungy monday card, as seen here, which i'll blog after I've done this! The start of a prototype art doll for a swap i'm in, my first proper wendy vecchi art parts book which is here if you wanna see it properly. Oh and you can also see through the window the digger from the building site that has been my crap view for months!!

Other than that it's a bit bare, I hope to mess the desk up a little more today!
Happy Hopping,
Stay Inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

Art Parts Masterpiece!!

Well it's a masterpiece to me, took me ages!!
Hels over @ Sunday Stamper set this weeks challenge with a twist
She picked 'Love' as the theme but she wants you to use stash/ techniques you love.
I had no problem stepping up to the challenge and quickly pulled out a load of Tim Holtz stash that I love.
I also decided to use some Wendy Vecchi art parts as these are my new found love, I can't believe i'm only just discovering them!!
I used the super cool, large creative covers, a pocket watch & a little scallop
 I used weathered wood distress stain to pre colour the grey shabby chic paper, before attaching it to the outside of the covers.

I used a mask with some texture paste to create the squares, which when dry I inked with walnut stain, I also  used some ruler ribbon to cover the walnut stained sticky canvas edges that hold the covers together {as seen on Linda E's book @ ally pally}

I stamped several of Tim's images in desert sand, rich cocoa and black memento ink to give extra contrast.

I left the inside quite plain, other then papering & inking the edges with walnut stain.
I plan to make some canvas pages for it.

 I used Tim Holtz grunge blocks to make the faux printer's block letters,

I did a strip of masked paper for the spine as it looked a bit plain.
Then I fancied up the pocket watch with more Tim stash, a little scallop art part covered with a piece of scrunched kraft glassine and a mini jar full of watch parts.
***
I'm also entering this for this weeks Simon Says Stamp'n'Show
as there theme is 'Use a Lord Tim of Holtz technique'
Well I did masking, and a sort of version of inked grunge, and the faux printers blocks I learned for him too so that counts..right!
Thanks for hopping by
Until next time
Stay Inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

Craft Room, Oh How I Missed You!

OMG I have been itching to get back to my craftroom since Ally Pally and yesterday I finally managed it, Oh how happy was I, like a pig in S*@t I can tell ya lol

I played from first thing in the morning to late into the afternoon, and some of the evening too!

I had a couple of challenges I really wanted to take part in so I combined them

Grungy Monday 'Color Washes'

I sprayed the frame with red pepper, I also sprayed the roses on the art part dress form.

 The Stamp Man 'Embossing' 

I used vinny the vagabond to emboss some red pepper core'dinations card with the regal flourish folder.

Simon Says Stamp'n'Show 'Distressing'

Just coz the whole piece is kinda distressed and shabby!

I used the smallest rosette and some trinket pins for the wording.

And you an just about see the very faint crackle created using the lush new fresco paints

For some reason it didn't crack like it should but I'm thinking it's more operator issues then the paint lol, I definitely need more practice! And on that note I'm away to play some more xx
Stay Inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

Bright Idea!

Just a little sneaky peek of the piece I made over on
The Artistic Stamp team blog today, head on over there to see what it could be!

I'll be back a little later with more art!
Stay inky
♥ HUGZ ♥

Ally Pally Catch Up {photo heavy}

 I had an absolutely fantastic time last weekend,
It was so nice to catch up with so many friends, new and old

Kaz, Me & Gillian

Alison, Me, Ange & Gillian

Hels Demoing

Me, Leandra & Gillian

Lin Demoing

Siobhan & Me

 And here is my little stash haul

And I was a lucky bunny to get these too

And..

Thank you to everyone who made my weekend so special xx
♥ HUGZ ♥

Fair well London!

I'm travelling back home from London today after my lovely time with family and friends, I'll be posting photos of Ally Pally tomorrow, so in the mean time here is just a quick share of a couple of journal pages I did in my friend Kerry's book.

Stay Inky

♥ HUGZ ♥