Beautiful Blogger Award

Wow I have just arrived back home to a lovely surprise, Glen has awarded me a Beautiful Blogger Award.  Thank you Glen, that is really kind of you.

It's my first award and I am thrilled and I feel very honoured. There are rules that go along with it. First I have to thank the giver and add a link to them, so, thank you so very much Glen it was a real surprise.

Then there are 10 things that I have to tell you about myself.   It is hard to think of ten things to tell you LOL, but here goes:-

1. My first passion is gardening, I love to spend hours pottering away in my own little world in my garden which is my little peace of heaven here on earth.
2. I do not read books but am an avid magazine reader, I am often sat with a cuppa and a house magazine, craft magazine or gardening magazine on my lap.
3. I am mum to two beautiful children Ryan and Laura and I now have a 17 week old pug pup called Mitzi who is becoming a great friend and lap dog LOL.
4. I have just taken on the responsibility of an allotment and have never grown a vegetable in my life.
5. Up until recently I owned and ran Craft Addicts Limited until I decided to retire from retail 3 weeks ago, all so that I can spend more time gardening and crafting.
6. I love Spring and Autumn they are my favourite seasons, Spring for all the expectation in the garden, watching all the new plants breaking through the soil and Autumn for all the autumnal colours.
7. When crafting my favourite colours are all the earthy tones.
8. I collect hearts, all things heart related, jewellery, ornaments, crafts, papers etc etc.
9. I love wildlife and do what I can to encourage as much as I can into my garden.
10. I do not like flying at all and only ever holiday in this country. 

Thank you once again Glen.   I now need to nominate others for this award so I shall be back shortly.

Back now with the 10 other bloggers I find inspirational and I will leave a message on their blog to let them know:-

Linda, LB Crafts
Lynn, Trash To Treasure Art
Savvy Sisters
Sarah, Art of Moodling
Jennie
Rach
Jan
Terri Sproul
Craftytrog
Stamping By H

Please take a look and browse at all the above inspirational blog sites and enjoy.  Tracy x x 

Play Date Cafe Challenge & Sunday Stamper Challenge

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Over on the Play Date Cafe Julie has chosen the colour challenge this week.  Beautiful colour inspiration, however, I did find it difficult to find papers in my stash for all these colours so I had to improvise.  I am also adding this artwork for the Sunday Stamper Challenge over on Hels blog.

I have used the Tim Holts Alterations die Fanciful Flight.  The background of the wings is glossy card that I have coloured with alcohol inks, Wild Plum, Raisin and Citrus.  I have then cut the outer wings from Bazzill card and then spritzed the body with Crafty Notions spray Aubergine.

I have placed the Fanciful Flight onto an easel card which is made from Bazzill card and again I have spritzed with the aubergine colour spray.  On the back sheet I attached some string and then sprayed and removed the string to leave a shadow.

Considering I did not have much to play with in these colours I am quite pleased with the finished product.  Have a great Thursday, Tracy x x

Stampotique Designers Challenge

The Stampotique Designers Challenge this week is to use the colour PURPLE.  Kim Prince has challenged us to create a card usng purple as the main colour.

I could not resist to add this quote to my card for the challenge this week.

I have used Crafty Notions Spray Aubergine and DI ink Dusty Concord along with the Stampotique stamp Prom Queen.

The background was created by fastening string to the card using masking tape and spraying with the Crafty Notions spray and then removed to give you the shadow effect.  Happy Crafting, Tracy Evans x x

WOYWW 26th May

Its What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday yet again, another week flies by and what a week.  If you would like to have a good old nose around then take a look at our master Julia at the Stamping Ground and have some fun.

I have had a busy week this week making the most of the nice weather and gardening and working on my allotment but I have also found a little time to participate in a couple of challenges which is what you can see on my desk this week. 

I have also been spending again, it has to stop soon, I'm just collecting at the minute LOL.  This week I have purchased some Crafty Notions sprays which look yummy and hopefully I will have a play soon.

This is one of the challenge pieces on my desk, simple but I quite like the dancing images.

This is the second of the challenge pieces.

This is further to the left of my desk where you can see an Art Journaling magazine and a gardening catalogue for yet more purchases.  I have also made my Father-in-Law a birthday card which is what you can see with the musical instruments.

Hope you enjoyed the tour, have a great Wednesday, Tracy x x

Sunday Stamper Challenge

Over on Hels blog the Sunday Stamper challenge this week is to use something Ripped or Torn in your artwork.   I thought I would take this opportunity and make something for my Father-in-Law's birthday which is in a week or so, but luckily he does not read my blog.

My FIL loves music and playing the keyboard so I thought this sentiment was great to add to his card.

I have also added some musical instruments to add to the music theme of this card.  I also thought I would have a change from Distress Inks and used Kaleidacolor inks for a change, this set being Cappuccino Delight.

And this is the finished design, hope my Father-in-Law likes it.  Have a great Sunday.  Tracy x

Play Date Cafe Challenge

Over on the Play Date Cafe the challenge this week is to use pale yellow, light green and pink.  I always struggle with pale yellow and don't really have much stash in that colour but I did find a few tiny bits here and there.  So here is my take on the colour challenge.

With the sun shining and spending hours in the garden I could not resist but to use flowers yet again.  Must admit I do like these very pretty colours together, but I do find it difficult doing pretty, I'm usually more vintage myself.  This flower has been cut from the Papermania Capsule Collection of papers using a Sizzix die. 

I have added the flower to a canvas that has been painted with pink and light green acrylic paint.  I have also added scrunched up tissue to add texture to the canvas.  A stem has been added to the flower along with a simply stamped leaf from Outlines.

The canvas has been completed adding buttons and highlights of text.

As I was on a roll I also made a card using the same colour combination and I just love this sentiment.

Oh and yet another flower but this time using the Alterations Tattered Florals die, cut from fabric and pink card.  A pale yellow button as been added to complete.

This is the completed card.  The images have been coloured with DI inks spun sugar and shabby shutters.  Have a great Friday everyone.  Tracy x

WOYWW 19th May

WOW another Wednesday, another WOYWW the brainchild of Julia over on The Stamping Ground.  If you would like to have a great nose around today pop over to Julia's blog here and view some great craft spaces. Well I have just added to my desk this week, but I have also completed two challenges too which you can see on the desk and closer views later in this post.

The paint from last week is still there, not moved an inch but we do have some new purchases which include Maya Road Chipboard Crowns, Maya Road House Accordion Album and Tim Holtz Ruler Ribbon.  I also have some Tattered Florals lying on my desk from a magazine article ready for use with another project.  There are also some B&Q paint sample strips which I thought I would use on a card, mad I know!

I also have two small bird houses which are actually decorations but I liked them so they will either remain as decorations or I will alter them in some way, have to think a liitle more about that one.

Looking towards the right of my desk we still have my trusty basket of completed projects ready to be used for family birthdays etc.  My BigShot remains on the desk for easy access and bits of paperwork that need to be sorted.

This is one of the challenges on my desk which was for the Play Date Cafe Challenge.

And this is the second sample on my desk which was for the Stampotique Challenge and the Sunday Stamper Challenge.

Have a great Wednesday everyone and thanks as always for your kind comments each week.  Happy Crafting,  Tracy x x

Play Date Cafe Challenge

The Play Date Cafe Challenge this week is to use the colours lime green, leaf green and very pale blue.  Again very spring like I feel, they have a lovely crisp feeling to these colours.

As I was rummaging through my cupboards I came accross this sentiment, which I love and thought it would be great to use along with a butterfly stamp and hey presto this is where my card began.

Products used are Postcard, Distress Inks (tumbled glass, shabby shutters, peeled paint) and rubber stamps PaperArtsy, The Artistic Traveler Art Stamps and Outlines Stamp.

The background was created by adding DI inks directly to a non stick sheet, spritzing with water and pressing the post card directly onto the puddle.  I have then used an old credit card to add random lines over the card.  The butterfly was created using PVA glue and tissues.  To complete, I have added fibres and a button.
Happy crafting, Tracy xx

The Stampotique & Sunday Stamper Challenge

Over on the Stampotique blog Valerie Wilson challenges us to use a template for any part of our project.  For this challenge I have used a large tag as a template (K&Company) and simply drawn around the tag onto watercolour paper.  For the background I have used DI inks fired brick and antique linen, applying ink directly to the paper and spritzing with water.  Sequin waste has then been used, sponged through with DI ink and the edges of the tag sponged with fired brick ink.  I am also adding this for the Sunday Stamper challenge over on Hels' blog. The challenge here is to use the colour RED.

I have added a little Terra effect paint to add highlights of texture and I have then added a large Maya Road chipboard crown which has been coloured with DI inks and clear embossed to give it a sheen.

To complete, I have added text simply printed on the computer.  I could not resist putting this text on the tag, it was the first thing I thought about when I saw the stamp in my cupboard. Pop over to the Stampotique blog highlighted above to see more wonderful creations.  Hope you like, happy crafting, Tracy x x

WOYWW 12th May

Another week, another Wednesday, yes its that time again to have a browse at everyone's desk and what we are all up to this week.  My desk just seems to have purchases on this week.  To the right I have the Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine which I purchased as it has an article on art journaling in stages which I quite fancy trying.

In the centre of my desk is the challenge I completed for the Sunday Stamper challenge, which was to use GOLD in your artwork.  If you would like to see the project in more detail you can see it here.

On the left, by the tv you can just see a glimpse of another purchase I made, a book titled "Who Moved My Cheese?" which is an amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life, which I thought would be a good read for me as my life has now changed as I have just closed my shop to spend more time at home so this is something I will read over the next few days.

On a close up of my desk you can see my next purchase which are some Terra paints, Ferro Metal Effect colour and some Croco Crackling Colour which I'm hoping to have a play with soon.  The Terra paints are apparently good for adding texture and when thick enough you can stamp into it too, sounds good to me.

To the right of my desk I have a baskef full of projects I have completed along with any challenges I've played along with.  I will either recycle them or use as cards for family and friends.  Oops another purchase to the right which is the BigShot just solely so that I could buy some of the Tim Holtz Alterations dies.  Good job my husband does not read this blog as he would realise how much money I spend on crafts.

To the left of my desk I have some tall built in shelving units, which up until a couple of days ago were in a terrible mess, so thought it was time they had a sort, plus I needed more room for the new stash I keep purchasing oh and more space for more stamps hopefully, I have a thing for stamps (nearly said rubber there but thought that did not sound too good LOL).

Towards the top of the shelving I store all my cards and envelopes, but they may be moved shortly to make even more space for my stamp fetish, you can never have enough stamps I say.

I have worked quite hard this week on sorting more of my craft room oh and participating in a couple of challenges, oh and a magazine article and last but not least I am now also the proud owner of an allotment.  Have I ever grown veg, NO, so this is going to be very entertaining for me, my family and the other allotment owners around me.  The allotment is 27ft by 100ft, I did not realise the size until I got there but I think its going to keep me busy for the summer.  I will keep you updated with my challenges ahead LOL.

If you would like to enjoy more WOYWW desks then pop over to Julia's blog and have a good nose around, its great fun.  Oh and I would just like to say a big THANK YOU for all your kind comments last week, much appreciated.  Have a great Wednesday, Tracy x x

Sunday Stamper Challenge

Over on Hels blog its Sunday Stamper Challenge once again and the theme is to use GOLD in your artwork, which I found very difficult this week as when I went to use my paint it had all dried up, that's how log it has been since I have painted with gold.  So I had to get my thinking cap on.  It also took me well over an hour to find any gold embellishments, which I find amazing with the amount of stash I have in this room of mine.  How come you can never find just what you want, the right colour, the right paint etc etc.

Well after much searching of my craft room and my brain this is what I have come up with, a decorated cardboard heart.

 

 I have painted the heart with waternymph Stewart Gill paint and added highlights of rich gold paint (which I purchased from B&Q today) over the top.  I have then stamped text (from Wendy Vecchi set) onto tissue paper and added to the heart.

My GOLD element is a Sizzix flower cut from gold metal, and embossed using a Cuttlebug folder.  I have then rubbed StazOn black over the raised areas.

To complete, I have added a gold leaf embellishment, love sentiment (printed on the computer and sponged with tumbled glass DI ink) and a button.

I think this would be great to give for an anniversary card alternative.  Hope you like.   Hels is also giving away some great candy this week too, take a look at my sidebar to see this wonderful giveaway or pop over to Hels' blog highlighted above.   Happy crafting, Tracy x x

Play Date Cafe Challenge

The Play Date Cafe Challenge this week is a very pretty colour combination and feels very girly to me hence I have chosen to decorate a handbag.

I have had this bag template for years so thought it was about time I did something with them.  On this occasion I have used a Cuttlebug swirl embossing folder and applied DI ink spun sugar to the raised areas.  I have then used an old Stampendous stamp, again stamped with the same DI ink.  I have added a handbag style stone and a Sizzix flower using black and pink papers. To complete the front I have added 'Style', torn paper and a black button.

This is the reverse of the handbag, again embossed using the Cuttlebug folder and a Sizzix flower added to one corner.

A close up of the handbag showing the stamping detail.  I think this would make a great card for my daughter who is at that age where everything must match including the handbag.  Oh to be 9yrs again LOL.  Have a great weekend.  Tracy x

WOYWW 5th May

Another Wednesday is here, and its that time again to show our desks to all you WOYWW'yers, so here is mine this morning.  I have been working on a couple of challenges this week, which is what you can see on my desk.  You can see this in more detail here.

Other than this challenge I have been spending most of my time sorting my room and starting the challenge for the anniversary of the WOYWW, which I can't show you yet as its not quite finished, oh and its not the anniversary yet LOL.

I have also spent most of the week, when I can in my garden.  Gardening is my first passion and if you would like a nose at my garden you can see pictures here.




 Also on my desk is a basket full of challenges I have completed, which will now be used for birthday cards for friends and relatives me thinks.  I agree with Julia though when last week she was saying that it's great to have everything to hand and not shut away in a cupboard.

So I have also been reorganising my room once again, it is becoming a full time job LOL.

If you look below you can see I have made another purchase, they are CD cabinets, but make great storage for my inkpads, this storage works great as all the inkpads I use frequently are right where I can reach them.



I will also store other items on this unit that I use every day but I think this will be my last purchase for my craft room, only because I'm running out of space to house cupboards LOL.

Well what else has been keeping me busy this week.  If you take a peek below you will see her, yes my little pug pup, Mitzi.

If you would like to see more fantastic desks and have a nose around take a look at Julia's blog here and enjoy.  Have a great Wednesday, Tracy x x








My little friend Mitzi.........

Breath Of Fresh Air

How nice is it to finally get out in the garden.  Gardening is my first passion and is what I have been spending most of the day doing so I thought I would share a few pictures with you all.

Can't believe we actually have some sunshine as you can see from this picture.   This is looking down on my garden at my gazebo, which I am very proud of and it's a great place to sit and relax when the weather gets a little too hot, or that could be wishful thinking on my part.

This picture is taken from the gazebo, looking up at the garden.  I have three small ponds in the garden and love the wildlife they attract.

My borders are filling out nicely now that the weather is warming up a little, but that will not stop me making some more gardening purchases at the RHS Tatton Show, if you have never been I would highly recommend it.

The border you can see in the foreground is relatively new, hence you can actually see soil, which is unheard of in my garden, I like to cram the plants in like a cottage garden.  I love the natural feel of a cottage garden.  Anyway back to crafting now for the afternoon, but just thought I would share my garden with you for a change.  Have a great Monday, Tracy x