The Master Builder

Simon Says Stamp and Show your NUMBERS for this weeks challenge and I have promised myself that I would start my Christmas cards to save any last minute rush, so here is my first......

This is one of my all time favourite stamps, It's an old Inkadinkado stamp which they discontinued which I will never understand as it is one of those stamps that does not date.  Well this was the starting point for my card.

I have stamped the images in DI Bundled Sage and Fired Brick.  The reindeer is from a Darkroom Door set again another set I love mainly because the images don't date and can be used from year to year.  I have added my stamped piece onto co-ordinated Bazzil card and machine stitched around the edge, which was a challenge for me as I have not used a machine since I was 14, a long time ago LOL.  I have punched two snowflakes from co-ordinated card and added 25th Dec to the bottom, I know it's subtle but they are my numbers for the challenge.  Have a great day,  Tracy xx

WOYWW 6th October

It's time for another WOYWW, if you have never joined in with the fun that is What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, then pop over to Julia's place HERE and you will be transported there in a jiffy where you will find all the details and some fab desks to nose around.  ENJOY.

I took these pictures on Tuesday when I was re-organising my room.  I spent most of the day Monday and Tuesday moving things around and dusting only to put most things back to where they were in the first place, never mind at least it's dust free if nothing else.  After moving everything around I decided that most things worked best in their original place, I just can't help myself, I always feel better when I have re-organised/cleaned, feels like a fresh start.   On my desk today are a small pile of Christmas cards that I have started, the top one being for The Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge which I will post after WOYWW.  The birdcage and arch are for my next DT piece for The Stamp Attic.  I have promised myself that when I enter a challenge I will try and make a Christmas card so that I am organised and not leaving anything to the last minute.  I love to have December free just for ME, to do what I want, well that's the plan anyway.

Towards the right of my desk, I have moved a few baskets and placed these cupboards there instead as it gives me a little more room to work on my BigShot and some of my embellishments are closer to hand.  I did manage to visit ALL the desks last week which was quite an achievement as there was well over a hundred, must admit it was great fun having a good old nose at everyones creative space and all the new stash you had all purchased.  I'm going to Port Sunlight this weekend so I am hoping for more new goodies to show you next week.  I have placed this on a scheduled post just to see if it works, cross fingers.  Have a great Wednesday,  Tracy x x

Vintage Canvas

For my next DT piece I have created a vintage canvas again using the Collections Elements range, this time my focus has been the bodice.

The bodice have been decorated with the Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante Collection paper, which is absolutely gorgeous and really adds to that vintage feel.  I have sponged the edges with DI Antique Linen and added string and buttons.

I have added Tim's Ransom Alphabet Masks to the canvas to make the word VINTAGE and sponged over the letters with Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers Aqua and Mushroom and then removed the mask and added a little more Mushroom acrylic to the letters to tone them down a little and to add to the vintage feel.  A Tattered Floral has been added, cut from Bazzil card and an old hymn book and a button added to the centre.

An Ornate Plate has been added, coloured with Aqua Paint Dabber and the word vintage added to the centre along with one of Tim's new pearl Baubles added as a dangle, these are absolutely gorgeous and as this one looked just like a large pearl I thought it was ideal for my vintage piece.

To complete my piece I have added some tape measure ribbon and some buttons.

I would also like to submit this piece for the Sunday Stamper challenge which this week Hels is challenging us all to use STRING in our art.  I have used string in some of the bottons and around my bodice pieces.

Lots To Do challenge also has a theme of VINTAGE so I am also submitting this piece for their challenge too. 

Thanks for stopping by, Tracy x x

Spooky Halloween

Over at Alter it Monthly Challenge Blog they have a fantastic theme this month, "to spook or not to spook", I love it and obviously I just had to do Halloween, especially as I had some new products.

I decided to decorate a canvas using the new Tim Holtz Alterations Texture Fades Halloween Night & Poison Set.  I embossed a piece of Grungepaper and cut into half, using the half with the skeleton, bats and a web.  I added a little piece of web fabric I found in my stash and stitched the two pieces together.  The Grungepaper is coloured with DI Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge with a little StazOn Timber Brown rubbed over with my finger.  I have also added a little Tea Dye Distress Embossing Powder to add to that old, worn, rusty feel.

The top of the canvas is the Poison Texture Fade, again with Grungepaper, coloured in exactly the same way and attached to the canvas with some old pins from my husband's tool box.  I have added leaves using the Tattered Leaves Die, again cut from Grungepaper and painted with black acrylic paint with hightlights of copper added to the top.   I found a little hook in my stash which I attached with a poison embellishment created from Grungepaper and the embossing folder.  To complete, I have added Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, the new stamp from Stampotique.

I would also like to enter this piece for the The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog challenge which this month is "Layers", and I have used many of them, including several layers of paint on the canvas, several layers of leaves, embellishments, Grungepaper and fabric.  The Stampman Challenge also has the theme of altered so I will also be entering this piece here too.

I have also created a tag for The Tag Tuesday challenge and this week Louise is challenging us to use the theme "Calendar" and here is my creation............

The calendar comes from Tim Holtz Lost and Found Paper Stash, and I have used October, highlighting 31st with my images being Halloween.  All the stamps are the new Stampotique range.  I have added a Tattered Floral left over from my creation above, raffia and OCT. to complete.  The background has been created using the Wrinkle Free Distress technique in Tim Holtz book, page 33, therefore I would also like to enter this as my second entry over at Studio L3 with Linda.

The Stampotique stamps and Texture Fades are all available from THE STAMP ATTIC.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend, speak to you soon, Tracy xx

Halloween Fun

Time for another challenge over at The Play Date Cafe, and our inspirational picture......

...... a great choice from Sarah Anderson, I love rusty orange and chocolate brown together but it was a slight challenge trying to incorporate the turquoise and more so the hot pink.

I had set my mind on using my new stamps and I think that's where my problem began, as it is very difficult to incorporate turquoise and hot pink into Halloween LOL, but I managed albeit very subtle.

I coloured a piece of glossy card with DI Rusty Hinge and Wild Honey and stamped the pumpkin's in StazOn Timber Brown, I just love these pumpkin's they are such fun images and the detail is fantastic.  The foliage has been stamped with Timber Brown ink and I have added flowers in the turquoise and hot pink, yippeeeee, I managed it LOL.  ALL HALLOWS EVE was stamped with Timber Brown ink onto rusty orange Bazzil card.  The image has been layered onto choclolate brown and rusty orange card.

Whilst I had my new stamps to hand I thought I would have another go at creating a SPOOL.  I love making these, they are so easy and great fun.  I coloured a piece of glossy card in the same way and stamped the pumpkin's in Timber Brown ink and then simply glued the card to the SPOOL.

I have added a Halloween sentiment to the bottom of the SPOOL and I have embossed the top with a Sizzix Bat Embossing Folder and rubbed over with Timber Brown ink.

I have also added an owl to the spool which has been coloured with Distress Inks.  Co-ordinated buttons and fibres have been added to complete.  The Impression Obsession stamp, All Hallows Eve, and the Sizzix Embossing Folder are all available from THE STAMP ATTIC.  Have a great weekend everyone,  Tracy x x

Spools Of Fun

It's time for another DT piece for The Stamp Attic and I was given some great products to play with..........

......the SPOOLS kit from the Collections Elements range, not on line yet but you can telephone Wendy on 01235 760821 if you would like to purchase any.  I took this picture so that you could see exactly what you get in the kit.  There is plenty in the kit to make quite a few spools as I cut my card lengths in half to create different sizes/thickness.

I have photographed the two spools together first so that you can see the difference in size, but then I have taken each one outside to give you better detailed pictures.  The hardest thing about this DT piece was actually taking good photographs LOL.  These are so addictive, I promise you once you have made one you will want to make lots using differing themes.  My two spools are created using a STEAMPUNK theme and a general SEWING theme.

This is my STEAMPUNK spool which has been covered with the Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante Collection paper.  Very simple to do, just roll the card up and use PVA to glue the pieces together and I found it easier to use a couple of elastic bands to hold the spool into place until it was fully dry.

I have added one of Tim's watch faces to the top of my spool and I have die cut some Gadget Gears using Tim's Alterations die.  I have hung some gears from my spool, simply attaching with jump rings.

I have added a heart, using Tim's Heart Wings die which I have then embossed using the Cogs Cuttlebug folder.  The heart was painted with Claudine Hellmuth Traditional Tan paint and StazOn Timber Brown ink rubbed over the top with my finger, a small Idea-ology Sprocket was added to one corner.  I have also added the text STEAMPUNK using the new Sizzlits CHIP BLOCK alphabet die.

My second spool is a lot smaller than the first, again decorated with the Graphic 45 paper.  I have also added a small bodice which is also from the Collections Elements range, which I have coloured with DI Antique Linen and Brushed Corduroy.

The top and the base have also been decorated with the Graphic 45 paper, from the reverse side.  All the edges on both spools have been sanded to add to that aged feel.  I have added a button from my button box to the top, but the kit does come with plain buttons ready for you to decorate with co-ordinated papers.

To complete, I have added three buttons to the top and some thread around the centre.  I will be having another play with these spools, think I will try a Halloween one next.  All the products I have used in these pieces are available from THE STAMP ATTIC.  Until the next time.... Tracy xx

WOYWW 29th September

Morning all you WOYWW'ers, hope you are all well.  Time for another spot of nosing but if you are new to this then pop over to our esteemed leader, Julia HERE and you will find all the details you need.

This picture was taken on Tuesday afternoon as I did not plan to do any crafting after this as I have a pile of ironing calling me, well screaming at me actually.  Well my desk, as usual is pretty tidy, but you all know me by now and know that's just the way I am.  There is a couple of spools on my desk which are for my next DT piece for The Stamp Attic and will be posted after this, they were great fun to make.  I also have a few spare die cut gadget gears which I will use on another project at a later date, no wastage here LOL.  I also have the same two Christmas cards on my easels from a couple of weeks ago, still not managed to complete them, time just keeps disappearing on me.

Towards the left of my desk I have my new paint brush box which I managed to find in an antiques emprorium place and I love it, but I do need to find it a better home, in fact I am in the mood for a swap around in my craft room, I'm itching to re-organise, just need some more of that valued commoditiy....TIME.  Well I am hoping to visit a few more desks this week as I am giving myself some relax time today, well after the ironing that is.  Have a good day all,  Tracy xx