Chocolate Baroque Challenge

Oh my word, even I hadn`t realised it was so long since I last did a blog post ! I haven`t even got any excuses really except to say that I think I had just `gone off` stamping for a long while. Never mind I shall try much harder now. So over on the Chocolate Baroque design team blog there is a new challenge blog which you can find here, just hope that works because I have forgotten how to blog lol. I have meaning to take part since challenge one but eh ehm we are now on challenge seven and I have just managed to make something in the allotted time. I used one of the new indivual cling mounted landscape stamps and the flapper and rose are from the flappers stamp plate. The sentiment is from a clear stamp set. Thats about it really except to hope it won`t be so long next time. Now to see if I can remember how to link my post up eeek

Ally Pally stash

Managed to have a play today with some new goodies that I bought from the show at Ally Pally. I made a bee line for the Paper Artsy stand to watch the demos by Leandra and Lin. My offering has a background demonstrated by Lin at the show and if you hop over to her blog she gives a step by step tutorial. I used a small piece of 4 by 4 greyboard which I bought so I could use it as a practice piece before breaking into my packet of full size pieces. I applied grunge paste through two different crafters workshop stencils, then layered with fresco finish paints. The main stamp image is a Chocolate Baroque stamp plate which is sadly discontinued now. I bought a pot of the luscious treasure gold to try - I have discovered you only need a tiny bit lol, I have added way too much here. Even though I think this piece isn`t perfect by any means, I`ve decided thats ok. After all, how are we to learn unless we try things in practice ? I really think I am guilty of spending too much time on the internet lately and not spending enough time trying out new things myself so I intend to spend more time DOING instead of looking.

playing with docrafts goodie bag

I recently bought one of the docrafts creativity magazines which I have to admit I very rarely ever buy but wanted the free chronology stamp on the front. I liked the look of the new chronology goodies so popped over to my local branch of the Range to have a nosey. I ended up buying the goodie bag since at £15.00 it seemed much better value for money than buying things separately at approx £4.00 each. I am quite impressed with the contents, not just the chronology bits but lots of other goodies in there as well. I`ve used the 8 x 8 papers in the pack, the stamp and some distress ink for my cards. The brown version is stamped in versafine vintage sepia and some brushed corderoy distress ink inked round the edges of the image. Simply matted onto a piece of background paper.

My blue version uses some of the paper again, love these hot air balloons. This time I used a piece of the background paper with the cogs on to overstamp the image using versafine ink in black. Loved the effect it gave, looked like I had used a background stencil underneath the stamping although I don`t think the scan shows this up. I used a few of the small cog stamps from the magazine free gift as well arround the edges of the card. So there you go, two quick and easy cards suitable for those hard to please men. I need to make a stockpile of cards for birthdays since I leave everything to the last minute lol.

play time

Oh my goodness, I have been such a bad blogger of late. Time has flown by, here we are at the end of January - just ! My crafting mojo has definately gone on vacation lately. So I have been spending time looking at what everyone else has been up to rather than doing much myself. This tag is heavily influenced by the videos Leandra posted on the Paper Artsy blog, in fact I think I`ve probably used more or less the same colours and stencil from the video, only slightly different. I got a bit mixed up literally with the opaques and translucent colours so my background came out a bit more muddy than I would have liked. However, I cannot remember the last time I just got to sit down and play without an end must make project in mind so I`m still quite pleased with the outcome. I used the Fresco paints from Paper Artsy and a new set of the Lynne Perella stamps which just happened to fall into my basket in the same order ! Now I need to schedule another play session to try out different colours and stencils of which I seem to be a bit obsessed lately. Do pay the Paper Artsy blog a visit and watch the videos, lots of inspiration to be had and guest designers at the moment. Thanks for looking x Lavinia

christmas card

Oh dear what a bad blogger I have been again. Am in a big panic because Christmas is coming speeding round the corner and I for one am just not ready ! The only Christmas card I`ve managed to make this year is this one which was for the Chocolate Baroque card swap. Thought I would post on here to show I am still about, just busy busy with boring stuff like work. I used the New England Winter stamp set from Chocolate Baroque. I coloured the house in with copics and added some bling to the tree with gems. There is a ivy leaf stamp in this set which I stamped out repeatedly, coloured in then cut out to make the swag at the top of the card. Think I will try to make a snowy version of this card as was quite pleased with how it turned out. Hope everyones Christmas preperations are going better than mine. x

whoops

whoops, it really might help if I had actually posted the picture of my card mightn`t it Lol Here it is .

here is the bingo card as well which I also should have added. This is what happens when I don`t blog for ages, I forget how !!! Hopefully I`ve got it right now

bingo challenge

So I`m still trying to ease myself gently back into the crafting world and decided to enter a different challenge blog for a change. Having seen the lovely card made by Florence over on her blog I thought I would have a go at this challenge myself which you can find on the addicted to stamps and more challenge blog here. I chose the same bingo line as Florence, white, die cuts and silver though why lord only knows. White and me do not agree, love the look but always spot a smudge when I`ve finished somewhere Lol. I used the free stamp designed by Chocolate Baroque which came free with this months Craft Stamper magazine. The card blank is 8 by 8 inches. I used silver ink to stamp the snowflake. I then stamped the house also by CB onto another piece of card and coloured with distress markers and stickles. I overlaid with a white embossed dye cut frame which with hindsight I should have layered with foam tape to give some dimension. The frame and sparkles don`t show up too well on the scan but look pretty in real life. Thanks go to Florence and the addicted to stamps challenge blog for something different to try. x Lavinia

First of all I must appologise for the distinct lack of activity on my blog. I don`t suppose my life is any more busy or have any more problems than others. However, truth be told I haven`t even felt like crafting lately. I thought when I did dip my toe back into crafting waters I would try the less is more challenge which you can find here This week is a sketch challenge using three squares. The only trouble with clean and simple however is that things never end up being that clean or that simple in my craft room Lol. This was my second attempt as the first was covered with inky fingerprints etc. I used stamps by Tim Holtz - Natures discoveries and distress inks in mustard seed, rusty hinge and brushed corderoy for the three panels. I only used part of each stamp image on each panel. The whole thing was then mounted onto a strip of black glossy card punched each side with a Martha Stewart border punch. I used a yellow card blank instead of white or ivory for a change. I really like the combination of bright yellow with the black. Now I just need to keep on stamping, its amazing how quickly you get out of the hang of doing things. x

inchies

Another day another challenge. Over at Artful Times this week they want to see inchies. All the time I have been stamping and I have never made any ! I knew I wanted to use these teeny weeny stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque because they were the only stamps I thought would be small enough. I used distress inks in festive berries and rusty hinge for the background and stamped in Ranger black archival ink. In hindsight I think it may have been better to sponge a whole piece of card for the background first before cutting to size because they were fiddly little blighters Lol. I mounted them all onto a piece of black card afterwards. Every tonning piece of background paper that I tried was then too much so I ended up making my own background with masking tape and just going for black and white. The only stamp different is old french writing by Hero Arts, a favourite of mine because it just goes with everything. So there you go , my first attempt at inchies. x Lavinia

stampotique challenge

Well, here we are, the first day that all three of my children have gone back to school. Peace at last Lol, its not that I don`t love my children very much , its just at times the volume level gets a bit too much. Anyway even though I SHOULD be doing the wretched housework because the poor house now looks like a tournedo has gone through it I thought I would do some stamping instead. I have not managed to take part in the stampotique designers challenge which you can find here for yonks. I really did enjoy their blog hop showing the new images being released as well, do pop over and have a look, there are some amazing ideas. Anyway back to the challenge which is to combine two stamps to make a new image. When I first saw this, I did think ook eck how on earth do I do that then ? I bought a copy of this months Red magazine and there was an advert by Louis Vuitton showing ladies in very oversized hats and big goggles, aha very steampunk I thought to myself. So it was in my head that the steampunk hat from Chocolate Baroque steampunk travel set met the lovely Stampotique monster by kira Nicolls. I think the two make a very lovely marriage myself, he looks rather dapper. Must treat myself to some proper masking paper as I have to make do with copier paper and temporary adhesive. I used distress markers to colour the main image, masked the whole thing again, and coloured the background with distress inks in wild honey, tumbled glass, tea dye, antique linen and brushed corderoy. I used Ranger glue and seal to glue the piece of text paper for him to stand on at the bottom. Now I must confess that I have got a bit of a `halo` where I have done my masking but I have left it like that because I think it actually makes the image pop a bit more. I prefer to think of it as a happy accident. So there you go, it all wasn`t so hard to do after all so a big thank you for taking me out of my comfort zone and trying something new to Stampotique. Thanks for looking, if you have got to the end of this post you deserve a cup of tea and some chocolate biscuits ! x Lavinia

less is more pink and brown

Over at less is more this week the challenge is to use two colours pink and brown. Have to admit this is not a colour combination that I have used very often if ever thinking about it. I had to have a real rootle about to find brown ink as well Lol. I found an adrionrack ink in expresso to stamp my cat in. Don`t think this was the best ink for this stamp in hindsight, I think an archival or versafine would have been much better but never mind. The squares of paper were from free papers which came with a magazine as well as the border. I hope I`m forgiven for the hint of blue in there. The sentiment seemed to match the cat perfectly. I know he`s reading but he does look very intense doesn`t he. So there you go, one quick make snatched inbetween trying to do everything else. Is it time to go back to school yet pleeeeease . Thanks for looking x Lavinia

acetate challenge

I did not manage to take part in the last challenge over at Artful times. Believe or not all the stamps I own and not one of the Mona Lisa Lol. This time round however, the theme is acetate which you can find here. I`m really a bit bored of making cards at the moment so decided to make myself another bookmark as they are always useful. I also decided to look through the box of bits I have. You know the sorts of bits I mean, the playing about bits that never made it onto an actual project. I started with the piece of card background, then I found the fish which is a piece of caught in crystal technique. Another piece of ready made background was overstamped with the wave pattern, then the whole lot layered together. I added some clear jewels for the bubbles. I added another layer of acetate by stamping ginko leaves in stazon onto a border of acetate. I then used adriondrack pens to colour on the back. I cannot remember the last time I used these pens or the ginko leave stamp for that matter ! I did wonder whether the distress markers would work on acetate ? anyone know ? I added an eyelet then threaded some fibres through it to finish off. So there you go, why not look through your box of bits and see what you could put together. I shall be doing this again because I have lots of bits Lol. Thanks for looking x Lavinia

new stamps

Well so much for managing to blog on a more regular basis ! appologies. Its the six weeks ordeal, I mean holidays Lol so I am desperately trying to keep my three entertained. I did treat myself to some new goodies recently from Paper Artsy. I bought two sets of the Lynne Perella stamps and some fresco paints. So this is my first effort using them. I keep mucking about lately doing bits and pieces but cannot seem to finish anything by putting it together into a project. This card is very different for me as I cannot usually manage to do the whole multi layered thing as much as I admire them. I used a kraft card blank and have to say I really do like this card stock. I used my new paints in mermaid, beach hut and nougat to make a background with crafters workshop templates and some Tim Holtz stamps. Really like how it turned out. I wanted to stamp the Lynne Perella stamps onto a small tag to layer. I used a kraft coloured tag to paint onto. However, when it came to stamping onto it, the tag seems to be made out of something like sugar paper so all the ink bled. Not to worry though I just layered my images onto white card instead. I used an oil pastel crayon to outline the lady image to make her stand out more from the background. The layers didn`t turn out to be so hard after all, just layering down different strips of patterned paper till I was happy with the arrangement. I am quietly pleased with how it turned out in the end. Now I just need to find some precious time to make something else ! hope you all like x Lavinia

artful times challenge travel tag

well, I missed the last fornights challenge so thought I had better be a bit quicker with taking part in this one !. The challenge which you can find here is to make a travel themed tag. I seen to have loads of stamps with a venice theme so went with that. I have to confess that I have never actually been to Venice although it would be nice to go one day. I used distress inks in brushed corderoy, antique linen and tea dye to give a really aged look to my tag. Stamps used from Stampington and Oxford Impressions. It really did not take long to make this so why not give this a challenge a go ? Thanks for looking x Lavinia

arful times challenge - seaside

Well I have not fallen off of the earth, just everyday life getting in the way of crafting. I cannot believe we are in July already and still no sign of summer Lol. You may have noticed that I have tried to give my blog a facelift after admiring others arty backgrounds. The background is now lovely but I seem to have made a right pigs ear of everything else. I shall have to have another fiddle with it when I have a minute. I have not managed to take part in any challenges for weeks but the challenge over at Artful times which you can find here this fortnight is a seaside theme. I managed to sneak off tonight while husband finished off the dinner and the children were busy on the WII, hee hee. Hence my entry was quick and easy today for lack of time. I covered a postcard with some background paper with a vintage theme that I have had for ever. I pulled out two wooden stamps which are also very old, the ship image and the couple which is one of my favourite stamps. The ticket image peeping out was a craft stamper freebie which says free entry to fairyland hence I`ve covered most of it up ! I stamped with Ranger black archival onto Ranger speciality paper which gives a really crisp clear image. I`ve then watercoloured using the distress markers. Still not sure how I like the effect of the markers on this paper. The colours are very sutble which is what you want on a vintage type piece I guess. I used forest moss on the ladies dress and it has come out almost grey. I think I will experiment with using them on different types of watercolour paper and card to see which result I like best. Thanks for looking x Lavinia

less is more childrens

well, here we are with a different computer which has taken me all day to try and fathom out ! quick post then. The them over at less is more this week which you can find here is baby or childrens cards. I used Magnolia stamps for my card which never see the light of day nowadays. I got sidetracked into buying them before realising they weren`t really my style Lol not that there is anything wrong with them, I just cannot do the whole hundred layers of papers and embellishment thing. I used copics for my colouring. Better get a shuffle on now to link it before it closes !

Just to let you all know my blog will come to a halt for a bit. I turned on my computer this morning to scan in my card to blog and nothing. I think the moniter has gone kaput. I am blogging this from my daughters laptop but being technically challenged do not know how to connect all the printer and stuff to this one. So until I can get another computer up and running I may well be taking an enforced break from challenges for a while. I shall still visit them to keep up to date so I shall be there in spirit. It just never rains but it pours does it ? hope to get back into blogland soon x Lavinia

artful times birds

Over at the Artful times challenge blog which you can find here the theme is birds. Now I have a `thing` about bird stamps, I cannot resist buying them because I love them. However, all inspiration seems to have left me at the moment. All I seem to do these days is work and come home then go back to work again. Never mind, I did manage to make a tag although its not my finest hour. I used distress inks in chipped sapphire, tumbled glass and broken china for the background using the wrinkle free distress technique. I then oversponged using a crafters workshop pattern template , oh and a hero arts old french writing stamp. The bird image is from Chocolate Baroque stamped onto a piece of their patterned paper in versafine. I then sewed my flower and button onto the bottom. So thats my paltry effort this time round Lol hopefully the next challenge will see me more rested and refreshed. I could sooo do with a holiday. Thanks for looking x Lavinia

less is more 3 stamps

I am so behind with everything at the moment. I have been doing lots of overtime which will be fine when my wages come but everything is falling waaay behind ! Over at the less is more challenge blog which you can find here the challenge set is to do a one layer card using three stamps. Must admit this caused me a bit of head scratching as to what to do at first. Not sure I`m particulary pleased with my effort either but am really pushed for time at the minute. I used a cream card blank, versafine sepia ink, three stamps from a Chocolate Baroque Key to my dreams themeplate and a few sparkly stones. Um and that was it. Simples ? you think, the trouble with stamping directly onto a card blank of course is that if you muck it up, you have to start again ! Don`t ask how I know Lol. I`m sure everyone has made a far more pleasing attempt than mine so I am off to have a nosey x Lavinia

artful times challenge

Two posts in one day ! this rainy weather is doing wonders for my crafting Lol. Right I will post photos but bear in mind they are dismal. Will try to take another set when we actually get some sunshine.

The challenge over at artful times which you can find here is time. For some reason nothing imediately jumped to mind even though this is such a popular theme. Then I decided to go with something different and try a chunky ATC. I say chunky, mine is slimline because that was the only size wood my husband had in the garage so it is not 2 1/2 inches wide. The above is the front panel, clock background paper with a stamped clock and glossy accents, and Tim Holtz sprocket gears. These are the two side panels

I used Ranger foil sheets embossed in a Tim Holtz folder. I used Tims tip of layering the foil onto glossy card first before running through the folder. This makes such a difference giving a much more clear crisp result. The final panel is this one

I used distress inks and a Chocolate Baroque tree stamp. The picture is awful I know, but there is an epoxy sticker that says time, I have hand written just to be under that. I did order some lovely posh Tim Holtz feet for the bottom but they were just a tad too big. I had to use some plastic beads instead. Never mind, I have four beautiful feet for another project ! x Lavinia