In The Garden With PaperArtsy

I am very pleased to be on the PaperArtsy blog tonight using the lovely Zinski Art Stamps.

I have made a garden sign, to see the whole project with lots of photo's and details please do pop over to the PA blog to have a look.

Carol xx

Icon Lolly Sticks

I made these for a swap I am joining in with on a Facebook group I belong to called Mini Marvels.

The swap this time was to alter 6 lolly pop sticks. I was recently given some lovely images by a friend and I decided to do an Icon theme for my sticks.

I started by covering both sides of the sticks with a bit of left over Gelli print before adding my image and then layering little pieces of collage over the bottom are of the stick.

I then applied Grunge paste through a stencil to the top and bottom before adding gold colour with Gelatos and Treasure gold.

I then sealed them on the front and back to make them a little bit more hardy to handle.

On The Peg Penelope

I thought I would share the make I have in the June Issue of Craft Stamper Magazine, which is out to buy now.

I dismantled my peg and painted it using bright colours, dry brushing and a variety of stencils to build up my background. Once this was dry I directly stamped my background and used coloured pencils and a white pen to add detail to it. I reassembled my peg.

I stamped my images and quote and then coloured these with my pencils, cut out and glued them down.

I poked a hole in the bottom of the peg and wrapped wire up and around it, adding beads as I went holding them in place with a dot of glossy accents, securing it at the top of the peg.

I added the photo clip to the top of the peg and layered the flowers around it as shown, I added some coils of wire as I thought it needed a bit of balance.

I used the following stamps

Penelope 

Concentric Squares Block 

Happy Happy 

Carol’s Flower (small)

I used Stencils from the Dinky Range at That's Crafty

My paints are from DecoArt 

Thanks for stopping by 

Carol xx

Starry Night for Stampotique SDC209

It is Wednesday so that means a new challenge at the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog which my lovely teamie Sam is hosting this week.

She has asked us to repeat ourselves and I have used only one stamp on my make this week, again, and again and again.

I have used one of my favorite stamps Text Star by Jo Capper-Sandon. This is one of the first Stampotique stamps I got and it is one I go for time and time again for a background or a focal point.

I stamped it repeatedly onto my jam jars using black Stazon, outlined it and then filled the shape in with Decoart glass paint. Winding wire around the top to make a handle and to give it a bit of a rustic look.

The full details of the Challenge can be seen HERE. Including details of how to link your items for the challenge and be in with a change to win a $30 voucher to spend on Stampotique Rubber stamps.

Stampotique Rubber Stamps are available to buy directly from Stampotique originals and other on-line shops.

Enjoy the challenge, Carol xx

It's Spring Stampotique SDC192

It's Wednesday and so that means the new  Stampotique challenge  starts today, and this week Valerie is the hostess for the theme, and she has asked us to use springs or something that will make things pop up from out artwork.

I have used some driftwood to make a little village using the Stitched houses from the latest release. I have used wire and springs to make flowers pop up around the houses. I did really wish I had the "there are fairies in my garden" stamp to use on this as it would have been perfect for it.

I used the following stamps

Stitched Houses
Tiny Spiral
Carol's flower

The full details of the Challenge can be seen HERE. Including details of how to link your items for the challenge and be in with a change to win a $30 voucher to spend on Stampotique Rubber stamps.

Stampotique Rubber Stamps are available to buy directly from Stampotique originals and other on-line shops.

Carol x

By The Sea Pot

I have an altered metal bucket for That's Crafty this week. This came with an Easter egg in it at the weekend and I must admit I was more interested in the bucket than the egg.

I have been redecorating my kitchen and I wanted something pretty to hold a plant on the window sill. I chose a seaside theme as a friend who I had not seen for a while came to visit and as he walked into the kitchen mentioned how much it made him think of a beach hut so this set of stamps by the Artistic Outpost seemed the perfect choice for my pot.

Full details and a few more photo's are on the That's Crafty Blog if you fancy popping over for a read on what I have done.

Carol x

Still time to enter the Crafty Individuals Challenge

The current challenge is open until the 28th February so there is still time to enter it. Full details can be seen on the blog . The theme is romance. I have made a coaster using a tile from a DIY store as my base.

My background is done with paint and ink and lots of rubber stamping between the layers including one of the new release stamps, Medieval Manuscript CI-406. The word Fly is a rub-on.

The full range of Crafty Individuals stamps can be seen in the shop

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Carol Xx

New Challenge at Craft Stamper

The new challenge starts today on the Craft Stamper Blog, it runs for 2 months and full details can be seen on the Blog.

I have altered the ceramic tile to use as a drinks coaster using paints and ink.

Hope to see you joining in with the challenge, Carol x

Stampotique Challenge - Put a Heart In Your Art - SDC133

The theme at Stampotique Designers Challenge  this week has been chosen by Jackie, and she has asked us to include a heart in our art, and this is her inspiration for the challenge.

"In Ancient Rome 13, 14 and 15th of February were celebrated as Lupercalia, a pagan fertility festival. By the mid 18th century, the passing of love notes had become popular in England, precursor to the St Valentines Day card as we know it today. Early cards were made of paper and lace. By the 19th century they became so popular that factories started to mass- produce them. 

So as the 14th approaches it's time for you to put a heart in our Art and then show us what you have made.

I am looking forward to seeing all the different ways you add a heart to your art!"

I have used a ceramic wall tile as my base for my Coaster, nothing special, just a basic tile that you can find in any DIY store.

I have stamped directly onto the tile, masking as necessary and then coloured it with acrylic paints, sealing it with a waterproof medium when finished. I usually solder around the edges when I make coaster tiles as I like to fill them with resin. But I saw some that Lynne had made and I thought I would give them a go like this for a change.

I used the following stamps

Heart Boy

Daniel's Hearts

Love word from word Collage

Stampotique Rubber Stamps are available to buy from Stampotique originals .

The full details of the February challenge's can be seen HERE

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Carol Xx

Paperartsy 3UP Challenge

I was very pleased when the envelope from Paperartsy dropped through my letterbox as part of the 3up challenge that Leandra set on Twitter , then I opened it and thought “umm”, so I put it away and thought about it for a while.

This is what I had to play with.

 I was happy with the MDF as I do like a bit of MDF to chop up and paint so after a bit of thought, I decided to make it into the hanging that you see here. 

I first attacked it with my dremel and cut a square out of the centre. The piece I cut out I used for the back of the recess and I used an off-cut from another project to form the sides and make the door for the front. I used lots of grunge paste and paint to give it texture and colour, finishing the painted area off with Treasure gold to highlight the grunge paste. I again attacked the door with my dremel, chopping the edges and making groves in it so it added an extra aged look to the painted MDF.I stamped my quote before adding hinges to the door to hang it.

I stamped my main image and coloured it with Portfolio Pastels so it had an aged and faded appearance, (colouring is my weakest point so I always go for this approach as it’s the easiest one to do). I stamped my flowers onto white card coloured them with distress inks before layering them up, added a small flick of Treasure gold to the edges to give them definition. My bunting is simply made with cut out shapes, stamped onto with various elements from the stamp sets and stuck onto scrappers floss and then onto the hanging. Finishing it off with another quote, and a piece of ribbon for hanging.

I used

Rubber Stamps: HP1004, HP1008, HPXT02
Fresco Finish Paints: Honeydew, Pansy, Toad Hall, Little Black Dress, Crackle Medium
Treasure Gold: Florentine, Aquamarine
Grunge Paste

There were a lot of use participating in the challenge and we were all sent surprise packages of different things to use. Do pop over to the Paperartsy blog to see what everyone else has been up to.

Thank you for your visit, Carol x

SDC 113 Wedding day

The theme this week on the Stampotique Designers blog is wedding and has been chosen by Maria. I have decided to go with a trio of makes as I really liked this theme.

A table lantern to use as a decoration with a little candle inside, also handy for anchoring a balloon decoration down.

A little box to hold either a wedding favour to give to your guests, or to hold confetti.

Lastly a card for the happy couple.

I used the following stamps

Daniel's Hearts
Bowtie
Mela
Text Block #3
My Heart (small)
Word Collage
Sqraffiti Alphabet

You can now use any stamps for the Challenges, but only one entry per person for each challenge. Two lucky people will be drawn from all the challenges for August who will win a $30 voucher to spend on Stampotique rubber. So make sure you go over to the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blog to enter.

Stampotique Rubber Stamps are available to buy from Stampotique originals, and in the UK you can buy them from A sprinkle of imaginataion.

Carol x

More Polka Dots

Another spotty make for the Sstampotique Polka Dot challenge. A wooden heart painted and spotted up with a mask and lots of paint.

I used the stamps

Artsy Fartsy

Floral swirl

Carol Xx

Tando - Feel The Heat

I am the guest designer on the Tando Blog this month and the theme on the challenge Blog this month is Feel The Heat.

I have used the CUCKOO CLOCK KIT along with the PACK OF 5 SNOWFLAKES and the BUTTERFLY GRAB BAG.

I used an old barometer from my stash to make a seasonal item theming one side to warm colours and the other to cold to fit in with the temperatures on the dial.

Apart from the Tando kits I used the following items from the following suppliers who are both Tando Stockists.

Rubber Stamps from Crafty Indivudals
Grunge Paste and Fresco paints from That's Crafty.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, Carol x

Birds in the Barn Demo Day

I am at Birds in the Barn tomorrow demoing the melt pot and other messy stuff. If your in the area do pop in and see me. I am there between 10.30 and 3.30. The Barn is on the Poplar Nursey site and is nice and easy to find at the back of the nursey with lots and parking and even a nice restaurant to park your husband in while you come into the shop.

This is a little peek of one of my demo boards for the melt pot, there will also be a lot of other bits and pieces there and my DVD will be available to buy.

Hope to see you, Carol x

Summer Time at Crafty Individuals

The new challenge at Crafty Individuals is "Sea, Sun and Beach". I have used the Tando Layered Rowing Boat as the main feature in my little assemblage.

I painted the boat with Fesco finish paints using the crackle medium between layers. I then stamped my image directly onto the back piece and coloured it before assembling the boat. I then added the other stamped elements as shown. Drift wood and collected shells complete my little assemblage.

The Tando boat is available from That's Crafty

All the stamps used are from Crafty Individuals: British Bulldog (bunting), CI - 384, CI - 278

Thank you for visiting and enjoy the rest of your day, Carol x

Stampotique Designers Challenge 102 - It's Clear to Me

Libby has set the challenge this week for the Stampotique Designers Challenge, and she has asked us to use a transparent element on our artwork, with as the main element or just as a little add on to your piece, so how much or how little you use is up to you.

I have gone totally clear for mine and stamped and painted a glass heart. I ran solder around the edge of it, added a jump ring to the bottom so I could hang a 2nd little clear element from it. I added a long ball chain to the top jump ring to hang it by, its now in my window, glinting in the sun...what sun I hear you say, I live in hope.

I used

Heart Throb
Daniel's Hearts
Text Star

You can now use any stamps for the Challenges, but only one entry per person for each challenge. Two lucky people will be drawn from all the challenges for May who will win a $30 voucher to spend on Stampotique rubber. So make sure you go over to the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blog to enter.

Stampotique Rubber Stamps are available to buy from Stampotique originals, and in the UK you can buy them from Happy Daze.

Thank you for visiting my blog, and enjoy the rest of your day, Carol x

Shabby Chic Glimmer Mist Frame for That's Crafty

I have this frame to share this week on the That's Crafty Team Blog. If you click HERE you will be whisked over as if by magic to have a look.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, Carol x

Steampunk Fairy Door

For Happy Daze this week. Full details can be found on their Blog 

Enjoy your day, Carol x

UTEE Paper Flowers for That's Crafty

This week on the That's Crafty blog I have a tutorial with photo steps on how to make these flowers, and yes they are made of paper. To see all the details please pop over to the the DT blog .

 Thank you for visiting my blog today, Carol x

Stampotique Challenge 96 - Happy Birthday

I am hosting the theme on The Stampotique Challenge this week.  Like all of us I love birthdays. So that is my theme for the challenge this week. A simple card or let your imagination run wild with bunting and wrap . It's up to you , just make something lovely to share with us for the challenge.

I have made this hanging arrow to direct you to the party. It's made for my sister who is celebrating a very special birthday this year.

I used

Mushroom Group
Giant shroom
Pretty Zara
Carol's Flower large
Carol's Flower small
Banner
Sqraffiti Alphabet

You can now use any stamps for the Challenges, but only one entry per person for each challenge. Two lucky people will be drawn from all the challenges for April who will win a $30 voucher to spend on Stampotique rubber. So make sure you go over to the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blog to enter.

Stampotique Rubber Stamps are available to buy from Stampotique originals, and in the UK you can buy them from Happy Daze.

Thank you for visiting today, Carol x