Happy Halloween

A Spooky good morning to you all

Just a quick post from me before I go to work to wish everyone a fabulously spooky Halloween today.

Background stamp I have pieced together the Carabelle Studio skulls background just to extend the skulls. My main image is "Angel Catrina" from Invoke Arts.

All has been coloured using Prismacolor pencils.

sentiment is part typed on my vintage typewriter and part Chit Chat stickers.

Happy Trick & Treating

Love

Amanda X

I have a Dream.............

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post today, I am day off from work today and my day seems to have turned into a marathon soup making crusade. In my pursuit of my ideal weight, I have been there and put 1/2 stone back on, I'm trying to get back in the zone before I go on holiday in a few weeks. So there is now a battle between me and that 1/2 stone. First round has gone to me as I have a wonderful pan full of homemade pea & ham soup. I'm now chasing a round 2 win as I am about to tackle a butternut squash!!! However before I do that I thought I'd just share a quick and simple card I made, again using up a background scrap. The background this time was just the leftovers on my craft mat after i'd used distress inks on something.

Main image is "Joy" - Carabelle Studio

and film strip is "Collage Texte et Negatif" also Carabelle Studio.

Only additional colouring has been a little watercolour on the ballonon. A little torn film strip washi tape and some punched out stars finish it off.

Right back to the kitchen and thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Christmas Tags for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

I'm over at That's Crafty Team Blog with some Christmas tags using the fabulous, newly released, Christmas themed Dinky stencils.

If you would like all the details of how I made them just click HERE 

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Why is it?

Hi Everyone

Why is it when you say to yourself that "I'll just go and tidy my craftroom" you ending making more mess? This is one such moment.

I thought I'll just go and tidy up for half an hour so it's ready for when I have time to get back in there (my craft room has to be tidy) and whilst tidying up some scraps and things, this background being one of those scraps, I ended up playing. So I have made a card that I had no intention of making using one of the very things I should have been tidying up. I suppose it's one scrap less!

Stamped using Carabelle Studio "Electrique"

Die cut is Penny Black "In a row"

Sentiment Tim Holtz "Handwritten Thoughts"

Background was a Brusho scrap that I had splashed bleach on and then sprayed with Carved Pumpkin distress spray. 

I now have no time to tidy my craftroom now! 

Have a great weekend whatever you are doing and I'll see you soon

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

It's Time for Halloween at That's Crafty Challenge Blog

Hi everyone

Halloween is nearly here!!

 So we have chosen "HALLOWEEN as our theme over at That's Crafty Challenge Blog for our latest challenge fortnight.

I have made a tag using one of the fabulous Crazy Birds in his best Halloween hat using the matching accessories stamp. 

I've also used some of the newly released Halloween Own Brand Dinky stencils from That's Crafty's, namely the cat and the spiders web and have stencilled through with Wendy Vecchi black embossing paste. Full range of stencils HERE

Background has been die cut with one of Tim Holtz mixed media dies after being swooshed with distress inks. 

We'd love to see your Halloween makes so would love it if you popped over HERE and joined in with us. 

Just to remind you that if you play along you could be the lucky winner of our challenge and win £20 to spend online at That's Crafty. With all the recent new stuff that has arrived I think you'll be stuck for choice as what to spend it on!!

The design team have done a Fab job with their Halloween makes so well worth popping over to check them out.

Have a great day

Love

Amanda X

Getting Spooky at That's Craft

Hi everyone

I thought I would get a bit spooky this Tuesday, so I am over at That's Crafty Team Blog with a couple of spooky makes using 2 of the newly released stamps from Carabelle Studio.

Here's just a sneak peek

If you don't feel too scared click HERE to see a full view of them along with how I made them.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Birds and the Bees at Stampotique

Hi Everyone

This is a quick post before I go to bed to join in with this weeks challenge over at Stampotique Designers Challenge where the theme this week is "Birds and the Bees. I have taken a slightly different approach to this theme.

I used a kraft tag that I had previously cleaned my brayer of paint onto. I stamped "Queen of Life" onto a  separate piece of paper and coloured her with Polychromos pencils, cut her out and stuck her to the tag. I then stamped the book part again masking off the actual words on it so I could then add my own, in this case "Birds and the Bees. I think after reading it she has now figured out how she has now 2 children. A little bit of stenciling, washi tape, punched out circles highlighted with a white gel pen and then finally I typed out the words,

Hope you like it and I am away to my bed now

Love

Amanda X

Dreams for That's Crafty

Hi Everyone

As it's Tuesday you can find me over at That's Crafty Team Blog and

I have been playing with some of the recently released Carabelle Studio stamps, I just loveeeeee these stamps.

Inked background with the Bokeh technique added with white ink.
Lots of stamping layered up and my main image coloured and added tot he background.

I would also like to enter this into this months challenge at
Craft Stamper Challenge.
The Theme this month is

'Take A Technique' 
Use one or more of the following processes in your art: 
Ink Stitch Paint Collage Print Paper
(and include stamping somewhere!)

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Anything Goes on Wood at Mixed Media World

Hi everyone

It's time for another new monthly challenge theme over at Mixed MediaWorld and our theme for this month has been chosen by my lovely team mate Mo and is..........

"ANYTHING GOES ON WOOD"

I didn't think I would make this months challenge as life has just been too darn hectic round here at the moment, but with the weekend off and the fact that I spent most of the day yesterday entrenched in my craftroom I have got there by the skin of my teeth!!! 

Mmmmm wood? what did I have? I had brought a wooden pallet home from work some weeks ago as I wanted the slats from it, that wasn't art related it was too sort out chicken housing issues. However it left me the 4 blocks from the corners, mmmmmmmm now they might give me an arty outlet?????

and they did!

I loved how they were so irregularly square, and stacked in such a rickety way. I started by slightly sanding all the rough edges off, but not too much as I wanted them to still be quite rustic.

I then stamped the houses which are one of the fabulous new stamps from Carabelle - A La Fenetre onto tissue paper, I did this twice. I then turned the stamped tissue paper over and coloured the window frames using paperartsy fresco paints. Once that was all dry I then had to add the stamped tissue to my blocks. this was a bit fiddly as trying to line it up when everything wasn't straight was a bit of a kerfuffle to say the least. So armed with Decoart matt medium I applied them on. I actually don't think it matters that they are not perfectly aligned as it adds to the irregularity of the piece.

Here's the other side. I have left the back unfinished (who see's the back?)

and from the front

To finish I added the die cut birds on a wire cut from old book paper after the exposed wood had had a wash of acrylic paint on it. Then added my sentiment that had been stamped onto old book paper.

We all hope you'll pop over HERE and play along with us, my team mates have some stunning makes to inspire you and are well worth a look. 

Our sponsor this month is The Artist Trading Post who have generously donated a £20 voucher to spend in their online store for our challenge winner, it could be YOU!

Thanks for stopping by and hopefully we'll see you playing along with us.

Love

Amanda X

Smile

Hi Everyone

This is my 2nd post today, it's all go here today considering my

crafty time has been very limited these last few weeks due to work commitments. However I just had to find time to make a quick card using the fabulous new cats stamps from Katzelkraft.

You can find all the details Here, I have just used one of the cats from the choice of 6 that this fabulous new plate offers.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X

Stampotique Challenge Make a Tag

Hi Everyone

Today is a play day for me after what has been a very busy last few weeks. Part of my playing is to join in with this weeks challenge over at Stampotique Designers Challenge and the theme for this week is 

"A TAG"

Stampotique stamps used are:-

Bunny Boy

and the head from Frankie.

I've embossed a black tag (I can't remember the last time I used an embossing folder) and added cast bronze gilding wax to highlight the embossing

Background stamp is from Lost Coast Designs and has been heat embossed with black embossing powder and then cut down to fit my tag.

Chit Chat stickers and Remnant rubs finish it off.

Right I'm off for more playing now

Hope you have a fab weekend

Love

Amanda X

Boys Will Be Boys at That's Crafty Challenge Blog

Hi Everyone

It's time for another new challenge fortnight at That's Crafty Challenges

and our new theme for the next 2 weeks is

"Boys will be Boys" so it's a male themed fortnight, you can make any type of project but it must be for the Boys.

Here's my piece of inspiration for you

I have used the "Music Man" set by Brett Weldele and lots of distress inks. The main colours of distress inks are ground expresso and blueprint sketch. I have also used vintage photo, hickory smoke and black soot.  This has been made using just one layer so having stamped my images first they have then been masked off with masking fluid before swooshing the card through distress ink from my craft mat. I have then water coloured the image with the distress inks.

We would love it if you played along with us HERE and if you do you could be the lucky winner and recieve a £20 online voucher to spend in the online store.

If you need more inspiration my team makes have created some fabulous pieces that are well worth a look to further inspire you.

Thanks for stopping by 

Love

Amanda X

New Dinky Stencils at That's Crafty

Hi everyone

As is usual for me on Tuesdays I'm over at  That's Crafty Blog today. This week is a bit different as That's Crafty have, yesterday, launched their 2nd collection of the fabulous Dinky stencils.

This collection adds a further 18 stencils to the range which we the Design Team have all been playing with for the last week, the best just got better!!! This week on the That's Crafty Blog myself and the rest of the fabulous team will include these latest stencils on our projects.

I have chosen to use a couple of the Halloween themed stencils for my make today and have used another new product grey/whiteboard door hangers. 

Here's just a sneak peek

You'll find all the details of how I made it HERE

Click HERE to see the complete range of Dinky Stencils including all the new ones

Click HERE to see all That's Crafty own brand Alterables including the new door hangers.

Hope you can join myself and the rest of the team as each day shows a new showcase make.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Amanda X