Bloomin Great.......

Hello everybody,

how are you doing with the preparations for christmas, getting there I hope. This next week will just fly by quicker than normal.

We have had some super new stamps from Indigo Blu and replacement stocks of some of the popular one's. I have manage to get my mitts on two of them.

Enjoy Life which I have had my beady's on for a while, and Blooming Great a new one.

My first instinct was to make a card but I thought I had better try something different.

So I was faced with a new Journaling book. Isn't the white page frightening, I don't know why, it's a bit like a new exercise book at school and you don't want to spoil the 1st page. But when all said and done it only cost £1.50.

Paint's at the ready lets play, the only idea I had was to use the statement from Enjoy Life and possibly use it again to make like bullet points or sign post's.

I found two pictures I had saved from a photography magazine that I thought expressed the meaning of the page.

The leaves that are around the pages are from the Indigo Blu stamp "Blooming Great" the veins of the leaves are really fine but because I stamped using distress ink it has soaked into the Paper Artsy Acrylic paints which I like but if I wanted to keep them clearer I would have gone for Archival or Stazon.

The sunrays dots and circles are from my much used Tim Holtz stamp Psychedelic Grunge, the stars at the top of the page are off Rockstar.

I have painted through the Tree of Life template and doodled using Black and white Gelly Roll Pens.

There's also a bit of Ranger Gold and Pearl dabber in there applied from the lids.

This could be my New Years resolution page, but I would like to think this was how it was in 2012.

Just one more little thing I would like to share with you, I have found that I love making mini books.

It's a bit like when you first discover ATC's wonderful little mini arts.

 Made using slide mounts which have been coloured and stamped.
The embellishments are from the Creative Expression's range of Victorian corners.

The pictures are from Crafty Individuals Christmas Miniatures book.

The scallop at the top is made from Sizzix Vintage Lace strip die and distressed using Vintage photo

Just to show you the scale of the book

The back, If you cannot get hold of any slide mounts, there is a die cut and stamp on the Paper Artsy collection Hot Pick Die Stamp set 2.

Well I am going to have another play with my new stamps, I have got so many ideas but I must focus otherwise I just end up with lots of bits of paper stamped and not amounting to anything.

Hope Christmas doesn't get in your way and stop you from crafting and enjoying your selves.

Bye for now

Sharon

5 minute tag

We have just taken delivery of some fantastic new stamps from Crafty Individuals Designed by Alice Palace. I managed to get my grubby (inky) hands on just one, for now.

So I did a 5 Minute tag, Distress stains and Dylusions stencils, embossing powder and Idea-ology tinsel.

We have four of the new stamps and I think they can be used for Christmas, Birthdays, any occasion really also they will fit into journalling nicely.

We have also had some new Indigo Blu stamps go and have a look at the shop.

I forgot to mention it was a quick tag because it's freezing in the barn, so I'm going to move some of my craft stash inside 

Cardinal's had a hair cut?

Well it's been a busy weekend not that I'm complaining. We popped back to Ashbourne to see family and friends. We soon run out of time with so many things to do with Christmas and Birthdays coming up.

When we got to the bed and breakfast on Saturday night, we were welcomed with a big roaring fire in the bedroom, I should have packed the Bailey's it would have been the perfect setting for sitting and sipping.

So with Christmas in mind I have made a card and tag using the Sizzix Bigz Die Christmas Cardinal. (You could use the Mini Cardinal as well)

But I thought he needed a new hair-do (and a beak trim)

This is how he started out

So in great british tradition the Robin is born....

The background is Sizzix texture fades from the Christmas border and background set, painted with diluted Ranger Gold Dabber as is the Crunchy Wax Kraft Paper which is underneath.

Merry Christmas is stamped onto a Tattered Banner and distressed with Walnut stain.

I have also added ribbon cut from manilla cardstock with the Vintage Lace strip die.

The silver tinsel twine I have tinted with Cranberry and Terra Cotta Alcohol Ink.

The tag below was coloured with Ripe Persimmon Distress Stain, embossed and the raised areas highlighted then covered with Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint and edged with Walnut Distress ink which soaks into the cracks.

To finish it off top and bottom again I have used Vintage Lace from the Sizzix Strip Die, coloured with gold dabber and distressed with walnut stain.

I painted the robins red breast using barn door reinker (which is like distress stain on steroids) and the rest is a combination of inks and markers and picket fence distress stain.

Oh and I also cut out another Cardinal sorry robin in Indigo Blu's Black cardstock and offset it slightly just to make it pop out more.

Hope you like my little altered bird, thanks for looking in 

Bye for now

Sharon