Friday 30 May 2008

Make a Moo, Arty Girlz and Tag, You're It!!

There's a common theme running through some of my projects this week - see if you can spot it!! LOL!! :o) I was having a sort through some of my stash this week when I found this little bottle of starry glitter. Goodness knows what was going through my mind when I bought it - my only defence could be that I may have been expecting at the time because it's been up in my craft room for absolutely Yonks, untouched!! I also came across a couple of can lids that my friend Lorry sent to me aaaaaages ago and I decided that this would be perfect for my Tag, You're It! circle tag . So I actually sat down to use the lid as a template to draw around when I had the brainwave to use the actual lid itself! With a little help from my crop-a-dile which cuts through tin like melted butter, Lo, a tag was borne! Then out came the glitter - Woooo!! What fun this stuff is - why on earth I haven't used it sooner is beyond me! It's messy I'll grant you, but it's so effective! I love it now, but there's not a lot left so I need to find more!!!

Close up: isn't that glitter just gorgeous!
It was also useful when I was making my Moo's for this week's Make a Moo or Two challenge - the theme is Brown and Beige. I do find it quite difficult to work in such a small space but I had a go, and although I really enjoy doing it, I always feel somehow that I'm missing something where Moo's are concerned?? Everybody else seems to be able to fill that little space with such flair but I really struggle to keep things in proportion.
And finally for this weekend's offering, I decided that as many of my friends are taking part in the Little Boxes swap I would join in too, and this little house fits in nicely with the Arty Girlz challenge this week which is wings!

Thanks for popping in! ;o)

Tuesday 27 May 2008

So Salsa & Sunday Stampers

OK, so it's Tuesday and I'm just posting my Sunday offerings - maybe that's because I only just made it today ~ ooer!! You know what it's like, all these gorgeous blog challenges out there and you want to do them all, but there just aren't enough hours in the week - doesn't stop your imagination from firing up though, does it! I love tags (did you know?? LOL!) and I want to do ALL the tag challenges but sometimes needs must, and although I'm not entirely happy about this, I managed to combine two challenges into one, primarily because I really MUST get my children out of the house today if only to stop my youngest from kicking over another tin of paint!!! :o( Oh yes, that's the kind of day I'm having so far!! ARGH!!! I only went for a shower and he took it upon himself to stand on a tin of paint (that I'd left out ~ grrr!!!) which immediately tipped over, lid came off and Lo, my dark green carpet is suddenly Toasted Almond! Gorgeous on the walls, not so tasty on the floor!!! However, my Bissell Upright did it's job well and with a little help from Rug Doctor detergent, all is well again - phew!!!




So here are my Sunday offerings - Turquoise for So Salsa and Sisters for Sunday Stampers! I made an acetate overlay which I stamped the quote on and attached the butterfly which is made from fantasy film then sprinkled these gorgeous glitter stars along the edge with a little help from glossy accents. Thanks for looking in!

Friday 23 May 2008

Tag You're It!! Our House!

This has been a looooong and difficult week for many personal reasons, and yet it seems to have flown by. Half Term already and Yes, I AM looking forward to having a week off, but it's with very mixed feelings. It's one step closer to Middle School for my eldest, which means one more grey hair for me, and in just over 6 weeks I will be in need for some serious therapy!!!! I'm already falling apart at just the thought of the Leavers Assembly and emotional restraint isn't my best trait! Eek!


Anyway, on with this weeks' Tag, you're it! challenge. Many, many weeks ago Sam and I drafted up a huuuuuuge list of challenge ideas that we wanted to throw out to all of blogland and I have to confess that the current trend of 'house building' brought this week's challenge to the top of the list quicker than originally intended and we're 'striking while the iron's hot!' so to speak. This one wasn't actually due to make an appearance for a few more months but we were a little concerned that people might be 'housed out' by then, so we decided to jump on the bandwagon and offer it up now. So, if you're feeling in a housey mood, make a House Tag and pop a link onto the blog to share it with the rest of us.

The gold text stamp in the middle of my house is one of my own stamp creations. The flourish and script are Fancy Pants and the window, hearts and squares are woodware clear stamps from the wedding set. I think the brick chimney is a Paper Artsy stamp. Thanks for popping in - go check out the challenge!

Sunday 18 May 2008

Skinny, Maison & Tag

Woah! Where did the summer go?? Last week I got sunburnt, today I've brought my baby tomato plants in to stop them dying of frostbite!! British weather - don't you just love it!!!

I've been having a very busy weekend but not achieved very much. I haven't done the Skinny Saturday challenge for a while (probably because it wasn't there for a while!! LOL!!) but I've done it this week because, like so many millions out there, I've been bitten by the House bug - almost literally; I really need to get some domestics done!! LOL!! Here's my offering:


It IS a skinny, I promise, but I couldn't resist hanging the extra bit on the bottom - this is going on my craftroom wall as I'm really pleased with it.

I've been uuming and aaahing over whether or not to show this off because it's another page of the House Book I have been making for months. Over on Dans ma maison this week, il y'un papillon (and there endeth my knowledge of the French language!!) and as luck would have it, one of my pages (my garden page) has a butterfly - OK I didn't make it this weekend but I gave in in the end and decided to include it anyway:


And over on Tag, You're It! this week our theme has been Pretty & Feminine and this was my offering. I used my gorgeous Maribel stamp again by Gunhild at Stempelglede. However, my camera hasn't picked up the pretty colours very well and I think I've discovered what the problem is all of a sudden - I bought one of those twisty energy-saving lightbulbs and I don't think it gives the same blast of light. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!! LOL!!

I am also halfway through 2 other challenges but I've had to abandon them for now for the sake of my children having smart, clean uniforms tomorrow!! LOL!! Hopefully I might be able to get them finished this evening. Don't you just love Sundays!!
Thanks for stopping by!! ;o)

Sunday 11 May 2008

Dans ma Maison il ya...... une petite fille

Ooh la la..... how continental!!! ;o)

Welcome in our house!! This week, in our house there is a little girl!!You have to make your creation in a special size(format): it must have the shape of a house (small, big, fine, wide as you prefer).

I spied this challenge blog last week and I would have loved to join in but I have been soooo busy with everything else. However, I noticed that this week there has to be a little girl in the house and as luck would have it, I already made this a while back. I have been making this House Book for a few months now but it is as yet waaaaay too far from being finished so I'll show this page now as it's this week's theme. It's actually a lot more attractive than this IRL, it just won't seem to photograph well - there are lots of spritz of gold on here but the camera just doesn't want to pick it up! I have a great urge to carry on with my blank pages now!

Thanks for looking! :o) xx

Friday 9 May 2008

Tag, You're It!!! Challenge #6 - Black & Gold

I've been making stamps again this week. My supply of silicone is quite depleted now though so I had to send for another load which arrived on Wednesday - or not as it turned out!!! Unbelievably my package had been tampered with and the contents stolen. Now I'm the first to give the benefit of the doubt and I would like to think that maybe it just hadn't been sealed properly and the goods had fallen out, but No, sadly there is strong evidence to show that it has actually been prised open! Grrr... Not the first time it's happened round these parts either unfortunately. I don't know what whoever took it imagines they are going to do with the sachets though - they only have to be exposed to light for a few minutes and they begin to harden!! LOL!!! Serve 'em right.


Anyway, this week's challenge over on Tag, You're It! is an introduction to our new monthly feature. Each month we will be offering a two-way colour challenge and the first one is this week's theme - Black and Gold (or for you chocolate lovers, Gold and Black, if you prefer!! LOL!!). The main image is my youngest son and it's a stamp I made from one of my favourite photo's of him which I took shortly before he started school. I love his mean n' moody look - he is a very happy, smiley boy so we don't get to see this side of him too often, and hardly ever when there's a camera around LOL!! The 'Inspire' is also part of another stamp that I made - I'll probably use the whole of it in the fullness of time (like this weekend, maybe!!!). The other stamps I used are Hero Arts 'Gratitude' collage stamp, and a gorgeous corner from my Fancy Pants Bella Blush set.

So, once more I would like to thank everyone who pops by my blog, and especially to those who are very generous with their kind words; it's so greatly appreciated! :o) xx

Monday 5 May 2008

So Salsa #1


Edit, before anyone gets the chance to see this - what a fool - I just realised that there was actually a theme for this challenge and I went nowhere near it!! LOL!!!! The theme is A is for Apple - I didn't actually read that bit till I posted on here!! ROFL!! Never mind, pretend this is an Apple Tree and the apples haven't yet formed!!! :o) Phew......!

So Salsa (Stamp or Scrap a Label Sunday Afternoon) - what a brilliant title for a challenge blog - so wish I'd thought of it first!!! ;o) Well, I don't need to be asked twice, but I do need to be asked on a Saturday if I'm to do it by Sunday, LOL!! But Christa very kindly left a link to her brand new challenge site on Tag, You're It! and I couldn't resist playing along!

So here is my label. It's a manilla parcel label which I spritzed with Adirondak colour washes then a top layer of Medici Aqua Regia (I checked the bottles! LOL!!) Topaz (same as glimmer mists, just a different make). This is a bit whimsical for me, not the sort of thing I normally do but Oh what fun I had making it! During the week I received the most fabulous scrapbooking kit by Pink Paislee and I used parts of this as my inspiration. The flowers were from my most recent acquisition, the Fancy Pants Bella Blush set.

Thanks for popping in!

Sunday 4 May 2008

Tag, You're It!, Sunday Stamper and Make a Moo or Two! Phew!

What an emotional week it's been for me. My eldest went off on his school residential trip on Wednesday and, if you're a parent you will know exactly what I was going through. I knew in my heart of hearts that he was going to be just fine and would be having the most fabulous time, but it doesn't stop you worrying though, does it? Anyway, he came back on Friday and, as predicted, he had a wonderful time and my worrying was all for nothing! I also lost my young charge on Friday - he left us to go to another school so I suppose I am officially unemployed again - for now, anyway! It was quite a sad occasion saying goodbye to him but I'm sure he'll be just fine.

It's also Week 5 of the Tag, You're It challenges and this week my dear friend Sam chose the theme Moo Tag. I think I misinterpreted what she had in mind and I came up with this:



there was great temptation to go and stick it on a bigger tag when I saw what Sam had done, but then I decided I actually like it just as it is, and guess what, it's got Gold lips which suits this weeks Make a Moo or Two challenge so I thought I'd link it to there too!

Then on my travels I spotted the Sunday Stamper challenge this week is Two Little Boys so I went off and made this:

The stamp is my own two little boys which I made from a photo I took last year on the steps at Brixham Harbour. I made the tag first, then I made a seperate Moo. I completely soaked my card in Winter Jasmine Gold stuff (I am hopeless with labels, honestly - I mean that sparkly water-based painty stuff that you can daub or spritz) and I edged it with gold EP. Then I looked at the two and thought "Ding Ding.... and Idea!!" and so I mounted the Moo over the tag giving it dimension with some sticky pads and mounted the whole thing on some black/gold spritzed card, thus resulting in another Moo Tag
It's Bank Holiday weekend, so naturally the Monsoon Period has started!! Tut! Bang goes all my plans to get out in the garden. Hope you all have a fabulous BH Weekend, and Thanks for popping in (ps - have a go at a moo tag while you're at it!!! LOL!!)