Christmas in July!

Having felt a bit under the weather I had the perfect excuse to relax and make some cards. I hadn't had a go before at an easel card, but it was so easy to make and Im pleased with the result. I used a Lavinia stamp which is a small row of fairy shops as the main image and decorated them with gel pens to look like fairy lights and snow. I stamped and embossed with glitter embossing powder the star and added glitter stickles.

The challenges I am entering with this are :

Tuesday Taggers - Christmas in July

Stamptacular Sunday - Christmas in July

Little Red Wagon - Christmas In July

Allsorts Challenge - Baby / Kids

This theme is very much out of my comfort zone, but I had to make a card for my friend's son so I thought I would enter it into the challenge. I used the Cute Companions stamps that I had and some digistamps for the letters coloured with Promarkers.

Art Raffle Entry

UKStamper's art raffle this month is themed "tags". Any theme, so here are my offerings. I got a bit carried away with various techniques and products - bubble wrap as a stamp, cosmic shimmers, flowers made from book pages and distress inks!

Wings and things

Over at the The Stamp Man, there is a new ATC swap running.

The theme for July is Wings and closes on 3 July.So here are my entries which I will be sending off this week.

The first card I made, I made the background using cosmic shimmer sprays and an inkadinkadoo stamp for the flourish. I stamped the butterflies onto acetate and coloured the back with gold glaze pen before sticking on. The Second card is a mixture of Personal Impressions stamps for the flowers and a Craft Stamper stamp for the dragonfly. I coloured the dragonfly in ink and then clear embossed it so it gives an enamel effect. The third card was made by colouring the background with inks, silver embossing the foliage and silver embossing the dragonfly.

They are also offering ATC blog Candy. Visit the site for more details.

Design Team Call at Lets Ink It Up

Over at Lets Ink It Up they are looking for 6 new designers to work for three months for a new challenge.The challenge begins on 5th September and the call is open until 8 August. You have to submit three pieces of work that you feel is your best work. It must be stamping and NO digi stamps.

Here are my three pieces I have selected...................

Shabby Chic Tag and Im a GingerGem!!

Firstly here is my entry for DragonsDream Tag It On Challenge, which this week is shabby chic. I painted

the tag with acrylic paint. Then stamped Craft

Stamper's free stamp onto old book paper to make the flowers. I stamped a crafty individual stamp in dusty concorde and added lace and a distressed brad.

And then.... I checked out the Gingersnap Creations

Blog and was delighted to be selected in their

top seven. So thank you to them and I will proudly display the logo!

Allsorts Challenge Blog Entry - Love

This week's challenge over on the Allsorts Blog is Love.I have had this heart made for some years now and have been trying to find a use for it, now I have! I covered a piece of card in fabric, then cut out a heart with pinking shears from pink felt. I then added the heart and put glitter on some of the buttons. I pinned on a bow with a pin topped with a pearl heart.

Christmas in July!

This piece of work is a bit of a departure from my normal work, but I loved the images from Digiscrap so decided to make a card and as luck would have it the theme at Magical Crafts was Christmas in July. Sadly this will be their last challenge, but hopefully they will have a new one in the future.

Tanda Stamp Challenge - Oriental

This is my entry for the Tanda Stamp Oriental Stamp challenge. I chalked a background, leaving a lighter panel in the centre. I then stamped the blossom in this space with Adirondack Espresso ink. I coloured in the blossom with pro marker. I then mounted the card and added the chinese embellishment on ribbon.

Fairy Challenge

This is my entry for Gingersnap Creations Fairy Challenge. I made this scene using the Big N Juicy pad, Creative Expressions Lost Garden stamp set and cosmic shimmers. The fairy is stamped and coloured with ink to make it a silhouette.

Fairy ATCs

Another fantastic day. Have just found a great new craft shop near me selling Distress Inks, the Debbie Moore range, crafters companion and the thing I most wanted a speedball brayer - can't wait to try it out.

Just a litte project to show you,three Fairy ATCs for a Docrafts Swap. I made them by swiping the card over big n juicy ink on a craft mat. I then stamped the fairies in black ink and highlighted them with cosmic shimmers.

Lots more fairy projects to come as I've spent most of the weekend experimenting for the Gingersnap Creations Fairy Challenge. Watch this space!!

A Proud Winner

I was delighted today to find that I had been chosen as one of the top 5 in the Allsorts Challenge Blog. I am now proudly displaying my badge on my blog and can't wait to enter more of their challenges.

I've also just finished my last week as the guest designer on the Alphabet Challenge Blog which I have really enjoyed doing. This week the theme is kids. Do go along and have a go!

Create a Scene

This weeks challenge on both Tuesday Taggers and the Allsorts Challenge Blog is Create a Scene, so here is mine. I rubbed inks on the background with cut n dry foam, then overstamped in black various foliage and butterflies. I put a lovely covering of angel red sparkle cosmic shimmer over it, but not sure if you can see this in the picture?

Art Deco and Hats challenge

I have recently found Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog

and as I love Art Deco I thought I would enter

this week. Its probably not as elaborate as I

would usually produce but Im running out of

time with all these challenges!

I am also entering this into the Lots to Do Challenge

this week which is hats and crowns.

Tuesday Taggers Challenge

The theme this week for Tuesday Taggers is Wedding Day. My layout is of my grandparents wedding day in 1942. This week they would have been married 68 years. Unfortunately my grandfather (or Papa) as he was known died some years ago, but by nan at 89 is still going strong!



I stamped and watercoloured the postcard image and distressed the photo and paper to give a vintage feel. I have included a piece of heather and tartan ribbon as my Papa was a very proud scotsman.

Lots to Do Forum ATC Swap

Over at the Lots to Do Forum there are some fabulous swaps to join in with. The ATC swap theme is art.

Here are my entries that Im just about to post off tomorrow.

New challenge entries

Firstly Happy 4th July to all my US followers, I hope you are enjoying the celebrations.

Here is my entry to the Something Completely Different Challenge which this week is Tags with Hearts.

I wired round the heart with beads and distressed it, added some Tim Holtz paper and material to a corrugated card tag and printed the word LOVE with stamps.

Alphabet Challenge Guest Designer

I would like to say a big thank you to Lesley over at the Alphabet Challenge Blog for inviting me to be a guest designer for the next couple of weeks.

The theme for this week is J for Jewels and I have tried to make this card reflect the beautiful indian jewel colours.

I hope you like the card and I look forward to my next week's challenge!

New Altered Art Scrap Packs

I have put together some new Altered Art Scrap Packs.

The kits contain lots of unique items for your crafting projects, it will have original vintage postcards and ephemera, buttons, beads and trimmings and other exciting embellishments for your altered art projects.

CONTENTS WILL VARY

These can be purchased from my MISI Shop, Ebay or directly from me.

The cost if £5, P&P is free. I accept cheques and PAYPAL.