Dreams

I have realised I have a (bad?) habit of making bits and bobs of backgrounds or embellishments with no clear idea, or no idea at all, of what I'm going do with it. 

I just got the Tim Holtz tattered florals die and of course had to test it out. I had some vague recollection of a challenge with 'red' as the theme and that stuck in my head even though I quickly realised that it was the Sunday Stampers theme and had just ended :-(... So I cut the flowers out of grunge paper and inked three of them with fired brick and black soot distress ink. I stamped a script design in black on edge of the largest flower and curled the petals - love the way you can do this with grunge paper and it stays in shape! I added a large brad as the centre and a tiny metal 'dream' tag.

I was really pleased with the flower, but had no idea what to do with it. After rummaging aimlessly through my craft drawers looking for inspiration for a while I found this little frame which is actually a magnet. It seemed to suit the style of the flower and together they had a dramatic gothic feel which I liked. Maybe it's a bit of a cop out - just sticking the flower in a fancy frame - but I love it.

I'd like to enter this into the Try it on Tuesday challenge with the theme of dreams.


Sarah
xx

Time piece

The Dragons Dream Tag It On challenge theme this week is 'Time Piece' and, having plenty of clock related bits and bobs at the moment I jumped at the opportunity.

Umm, not entirely sure it went very well....

I started off with a tag cut from some lovely diamond patterned paper which I embossed with the Tim Holtz pocket watches embossing folder.  I lightly inked the raised areas with brushed corduroy and black soot distress inks. At this point I really liked the look of the tag but wasn't really sure where to go with it.

After I while I thought along the 'time flies' route and stamped some Tim Holtz birds onto acetate with black stazon.  This really started to give me a feel for the way I wanted the tag to go - a dark 'gotham cityesque' feel (the tags are darker than they look in the photos)- but it needed a focus point... Umbrella man seemed perfect and the phrase 'no time to stand and stare' came to mind.

So... finished tag no.1:

But I didn't like it - the phrase was too messy and took up too much space, it just looked too busy. So I tried again - this time doing all the stamping onto acetate which was overlaid onto the clock pattern tag. Unfortunately, I couldn't get as clear and crisp an image onto the acetate as I had before (any tips will be gratefully received), so as a quick fix I coloured the faint images with permanent marker (??). I wrote the phrase freehand onto the acetate.

Finished tag no 2:

I do sort of like this one better, but it's still not right (and I'm sure permanent marker was not the best tool for the job!).  Think I'm going to give up on this one - nice idea, poor execution!

Hopefully, today will go better :0)

Smile!

After being away since last wednesday I got home yesterday and it didn't take me long to get back to some crafty time.

I was having a play with a new Tim Holtz embossing folder and this card was the result. The tag was coloured with broken china and stormy sky distress inks before embossing, then I inked the raised areas of the embossed design with brushed corduroy ink and heat embossed with clear powder. I then got a bit stuck... until I found a bit of card that I'd used to test the on the edge steampunk die, which seemed to work quite well layered onto the tag. I finished off the card with the smile stamp panel coloured and heat embossed in the same colours as the tag - sort of inspired by Tim Holtz's rusted enamel technique from his compendium of curiosities book.

I'm not sure about the overall card but I love the texture and colour combination on the tag. Like quite a few things recently I did the background then found it really hard to bring myself to do anything with it because I found it so appealing on its own. I just love the effects I can get with combinations of embossing in the Big Shot, inking and heat embossing. It's so much fun just playing with different colours and textures - it really makes me smile :0)

Really surreal!

I guess the title of my post today has two meanings; the first is to do with the photo below, and the second is to do with how surprised I am at how positive the response to my work has been since I started blogging a couple of months ago. Everyone is so nice - I love reading your comments :0)

This week I've got a few new followers (yay! - thank you so much!), got selected as this weeks Home Page Artist on Gingersnap Creations (ok, so I think thats randomly selected, but still exciting!!) and was picked to be in the top 3 for the Simon Says Stamp and Show old wives tales challenge (so pleased, especially among so many other fantastic entries!!!).

Anyway, enough of that as I think I might be using a few too many exclamation marks (a sure sign of a deranged mind according to Terry Pratchett: 'And all those exclamation marks, you notice? Five? A sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head.' Maskerade).

The original point of my post was this fantastic surreal photo I came across on twistedsifter.com. It was taken in 1948 - a collaboration between Salvador Dali and an American photographer called Phillipe Halsman. I'm a fan of Dali generally, but what I love about this photo is that they actually set this up to photograph - no photoshop in those days! Have to say I'm slightly concerned about the flying cats though, and rather dangerous I'd have thought :0)

Dali Atomicus

Anyway, apologies for the lack of craft in this post. Been busy getting organised as I'm going away for a few days. Hopefully will get some crafty time in next week.

Sarah
xx

All the write postage

Just a quick post to share a tag I just finished for the Dragons Dream Tag it On challenge - all the write postage.

I also want to enter it in the latest Stamp man challenge - this is a recipe challenge where you have to include three of these ingredients:

Blue	Embossing powder	Stitches (real or faux)
Torn/ripped	Ribbon	Red
Die cut	Homemade background (no patterned paper)	Sparkle and bling

As you can tell I chose the top line.  Not sure how easy it is to see in my photo, but the large stamp image and some of the post mark images are clear embossed for texture. This tag was good fun to do as I've not really used stitching in my work before.

Hope you're all having a relaxing / crafty sunday :0)

Sarah
xx

One for sorrow, two for joy

It's taken me all afternoon and a few odd hours here and there during the week, but I have finally finished my entry for the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge this week. It's the first time I've entered this challenge, but I really liked the theme and one idea just got stuck in my head. The theme was 'Old Wives Tales' so after some thought I remembered the rhyme about the meaning of seeing different numbers of magpies.

One for sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a girl

For for a boy

Five for silver 

Six for gold

Seven for a secret never to be told

I think maybe what brought this to mind was seeing magpies in our garden a lot the last few weeks, usually one at a time so I really hope the rhyme isn't right :0)

Anyway, I think it fits the theme quite well and was perfect inspiration for a mini ATC sized album thingie.

  


Here's each page individually:



The skeleton image I used on the first page is from a fantastic stamp by Kaycee crafts. They have a great range of clear stamps with some more unusual images. I discovered them through their Ebay shop, but they have their own website too which is slightly cheaper (although the prices are very reasonable anyway).



The small lettering I used on all of these was from a little wooded alphabet stamp set from Hampton Arts I've had for ages. I'd never used them because I thought they'd be too fiddly - sort of true if you want the letters perfectly aligned, but for a more grungy look they are actually great. I'd been intending to  get rid of them in my next clear out, but I'll be hanging onto them now.


I love the background for the silver page This was white card coloured with dusty concord and vintage photo distress inks, embossed with a Tim Holtz texture fade, then silver ink swiped over and clear heat embossed. It looks so much better in real life than in my rubbishy photo.

I'm sure there are more lines to the rhyme, but this will have to do for now.

Sarah
xx

Crafty storage

A little while ago we had the inlaws visiting for the weekend, so we went for a day out to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. It was a bit cold and grey outside, but the inside of the hall was really interesting.

My husband was playing around with his new toy - a lensBaby creative lens for his camera. It gives some cool blurry arty effects. He took these wonderful photographs while we were there:



They were taken in a room where the walls were lined floor to ceiling with drawers, originally used for storing all title deeds for the land and businesses the estate owned. I couldn't help thinking it would have been great for storing craft materials (or possibly shoes :0)) I've always had a bit of an obsession with little drawers - is it strange to get pleasure from organising things?

Anyway, Hubby and I went to TK Maxx this weekend looking for a silicon baking tray.  Well, we found the baking tray, but I spotted a couple of storage bits that I couldn't resist. Including these gorgeous little drawers that really reminded me of the room from Hardwick Hall. They look almost antique and were only £12! Perfect for storing some crafty bits.



I love the homeware section at TK Maxx, it has so much slightly random and quirky stuff. I also found this lovely basket, perfect for storing all my dies and embossing folders.

Have to admit craft storage is taking over my house :0)

Sarah
xx

One for the boys

I really love my new Big Shot, especially using the Tim Holtz steampunk dies and embossing folders, so I don't really need much of an excuse to use them at the moment. The theme for  the Dragons Dream Tag it On challenge this week was 'texturise it'... so obviously the embossing folders had to come out!

I started off cutting a tag from thick dark brown card, embossing it with a cog pattern, and giving it a rusty metal look with gold perfect pearls and copper mist. I then cut some cogs using the steampunk on the edge die and the gadget gears die and layered them on the tag. I stamped a few images and sentiments onto aluminium foil with black stazon ink (stamps from Making Memories), cut them out and covered the 'discover' one with Diamond glaze for a glassy effect.

I was feeling a bit creative with my photography this morning and propped the tag up against a flower to photograph - felt it needed a feminine touch :0):

I wasn't sure about using the on the edge dies without the special on the edge cutting pads that seem to be recommended, but so far I've not found any problems using them with the standard pads.

I'd also like to enter this into the Try It On Tuesday challenge this week which has the theme of 'one for the boys'. I know my hubby loves all this steampunk stuff so it seems a fitting entry.

Sarah
xx

Umm...Mind Controlled Cat Ears!

Not a crafty post I'm afraid, but I saw something that amused me so much I just had to post about it....

I find that a lot of crafty people, me included, are also cat people - and by that I mean they like cats, not that they are half human, half cat, you understand.

I'm not entirely sure everybody gets that distinction:

A Japanese company called Neurowear have created a fluffy pink cat eared headband that picks up on brain signals and uses them to wiggle the ears! Supposedly they prick up when the wearer is concentrating and flatten down when the wearer is relaxed.

Here is a great video of them in action. Just think of the potential for things like speed dating if you have ears that actually prick up when you're attracted to someone!

Although most of me says this is completely bonkers, a small part of me would really quite like some! I wonder if they come in purple :0)

Free as a bird

Last week I had a great surprise when I discovered I'd won the blog candy on the Craft Stamper magazine blog! The blog candy was to support the launch of their great free e-zine (still available here!).

My goodies arrived on saturday morning :0) However, I was somewhat distracted by the arrival of my Big Shot the day before, so I've only just got round to trying any of it.

Here are all the great bits and bobs they sent me, including PaperArtsy stamps, promarkers, some silkies paints in gorgeous colours, and a really cute little Ferdie Fox stamp which I have no idea what to do with yet, but think is adorable.

And here's a little card I made with one of the PaperArtsy stamps and some gorgeous Crafty Individuals papers:

I'd like to enter it in the Crafty Individuals blog 'free as a bird challenge' - I love the fact the little bird on the stamp is sitting free on top of the cage!

Hope you like it, and many thanks to Craft Stamper magazine :0)

Sarah
xx