More Bits & Pieces

You could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather when I found out that my entry into Crafty Individuals' May Challenge had been picked by Malcolm as one of the five winners! This was my winning project (also my DT sample for Stamping Sensations May Challenge). For details of how I made it, and more photos, see my earlier blog post here.

My  prize was a free stamp of my choice. I chose the beautiful Butterfly Trio Panel, which I have long admired but for some strange reason never got round to buying, so I was delighted to have the chance to add it to my collection.

The first thing I made with it was a thank you card for Jean and Malcolm.

I embossed it with copper embossing powder on to black card, diecut the corner of the card with a Sizzix/Tim Holtz die and matted it with a paper from Crafty Individuals' "Travels In Italy" background paper book. The girl image is from the Crafty Individuals A4 Glossy Sheet "Domino", mounted on to Spelbinders diecuts. The smaller diecut is also copper-embossed around the edge. Sentiment by Crafty Individuals (a freebie). Can you tell they're one of my favourite stamp companies?! Not only for their stamps, but also for all the other gorgeous bits and pieces they sell to go with them!

I am, though, still loving my Altenew stamps, particular the "Beautiful Day" set, which I have used again for a birthday card for a friend.

She asked me to put it on my blog and explain how I made it. Hmm! I think it was actually much easier to make than to describe the method! But I'll have a go!

1. Stamped the silhouette part of the flower twice and the leaf spray three times on to post-it notes and cut them out to use as masks.
2. Stamped the left hand flower (four-part stamping) and masked it.
3. Stamped the right hand flower and masked that too.
4. Stamped the leaves three times and masked them all.
5. Keeping all the masks in place, sponged the entire background with various colours of pigment inks.
6. Overstamped with the harlequin and text stamps (Cherry Pie), butterfly (Chocolate Baroque) and flower sprays (from the Altenew set). The harlequin stamp was only partially inked as I didn't want the hard edges to show.
7. Removed all masks.
8. Sighed with relief, as that's the point where you find out whether the design has worked!
9. Coloured the butterfly and added shading around it and the main flowers and leaves with pencil crayon to make them stand out a bit.
10.Sponged pigment ink around the edges of the picture to define them.
11. Mounted it on to a 6" x 6" blank card.
Phew! Definitely easier to do than to describe!

Since I wasn't able to get to the recent Stamp Magic show (see my previous post) I decided I was fully justified in cheering myself up by spending the petrol money I saved on new stamps! Thank goodness for mail order! Haven't had time to ink them up yet, but the school hols will be here in a couple of weeks so watch this space! Thanks for looking!

Creature Comforts!

Well, best laid plans and all that! I should, when this post goes live, have been down at Sally's and getting ready to go with her to Doncaster for some retail therapy at our favourite show - Stamp Magic. However, a particularly nasty virus has put paid to that! I'm fortunate that I'm rarely ill with anything like this, so it's sheer bad luck that I should get it this week, and very annoying! I've had to send Sally my shopping list (thanks, Sally!) but will really miss having the chance to watch all the demos and marvel at new stuff, not to mention meeting people and soaking up the fantastic atmosphere which is the hallmark of Stamp Magic.

However, it's also time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations, and at least I can take comfort in the fact that we have a great theme for you this month, and a truly fantastic prize! Our topic for June is

* * * * * FEATURE A CREATURE * * * * *

Plenty of scope here, but please do remember that as we are a stamping challenge, your entry must use a stamp (rubber/clear or non-pre-coloured digi) as its focal point.

We are sponsored once again by the fabulous Be Creative, who make an extensive range of innovative and exciting products for your crafting. One of their latest releases is the amazing WONDER CRYSTALS, a set of which will be included in the stash going to the very lucky winner! These extra thick embossing crystals are simply stunning, and they sold out on their recent introduction on Hochanda TV, so if you want to get your hands on some, here's your chance!

For my card, I was inspired by the beautiful heron which we see regularly by the river next to our house. The sentiment I've used (Chocolate Baroque) is particularly appropriate, because the heron will often sit for hours at a time on a tree branch which overhangs the river. Sometimes it will be preening itself, sometimes just watching......

My heron is a stamp by Inky Doodles. I've coloured him with Be Creative Alcohol Markers. He's watching over a lake scene created with Inkylicious ink dusters, masks and stamps, and Memento inks. The background paper is by Be Creative, from their Nature's Portrait 8"x 8" paper pad, which, along with all their other pads, is on special offer (half price!) at the moment.

This is always a popular theme, so I am hoping to be able to sit back, put my feet up and have lots of wonderful projects to peruse whilst I recuperate! Thanks for looking!