Of soap, buttons and shells....

Hi you all! Today started out warm and sunny, but as I was on my way home this afternoon, it started to rain in torrents. I don't really mind, but I had no umbrella in my car - all 5 in my flat - no jacket, and was wearing sandals....So of course, I did not find a parking place nearby and was soaked by the time I got to the door! But at least it washed all the yellow pollen off my car, so that's something!

At Out of a Hat Creations the ladies want to see a picture frame, and at Pan Pastel Challenge Blog the theme this week is Fairyland. At Simon Says Stamp and Show they want to know what inspires us. This is my try at all three challenges.

I started off with a simple white-wood frame from IKEA. I grabbed one of my Bit-boxes, and shook out all the small bits that were in it. That gave me the angel/fairy - which is a soap! - the flowers, the button, the rosette, the bird and cage, some shells and some leaves. This was my inspiration! I like to use the things I have, and to put them together to make something new and different. It doesn't always have to be new designer stuff. I glued them onto my frame with the hot glue-gun (only one small blister this time), leaving space for the fairy and the unicorn. I sprayed it all silver, and did my stamping while it was drying. Nothing is made of metal, it just looks like it!  The unicorn - LaBlanche - has been stamped onto speciality stamping paper with archival black and fussy cut. The Unicorn did, of course,  have a rear end, which I have saved in case I ever need it! The fairy, wings and hat are stamps from Scrollswork. They have been stamped onto the same paper using clear embossing ink and silver embossed. I glued the fairy so that she is standing on the pile of leaves with the big shell behind her. I added the rose and sequin flowers, and some silver stickles, so that she glitters like a fairy should! The photo is one of my mother with my sister Ruth taken about 1940. I think my sister looks like the little fairy!

Also linking to Make my Monday - any thing that flies

This was a fun make!

Thanks for looking, take care, and have a great day!

Feminine and Fancy

Hi you all! Today is my first day as member of the DT at Try it on Tuesdays. I was very pleased to be asked to join their team of lovely ladies.

The theme for the next 2 weeks is 'feminine and fancy', so you have plenty of time to join in!

I have made a giant tag, cut from black paper mounted onto pink card. The black paper has been stamped with various feminine accouterments (stamps from Chocolate Baroque and Hampton Arts) using fresco chalk ink in off white. Actually, the colour is called 'Medici Marble', but I think off white describes it better!

The TH dress-form has been die-cut from cardboard and painted white. The edges have been distressed with Victorian velvet. The 'arms' have been made from silver pipe-cleaners, and the snazzy dress and accessories were in my stash, waiting to be used....

Remember - always dress to impress! 

( bold words written while sitting here in baggy, old PJs and slippers!)

I am also linking to Fashionable Stamping Challenges (anything goes)

Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!

Mixed bag for Monday

We had a wonderful weekend weather-wise here, so lovely after the long, hard winter!

Hope you have all had a good start in the new week.

Yesterday I made a little set of ATCs in a booklet. I used some DP for the covers, something I have had for years in my stash, and at last it has been used!

I used speciality paper from LaBlanche for the stamping. I used various travel motives to represent London, Paris and New york. The backgrounds have been distressed with DIs in Victorial velvet, antique linen and vintage photo. I added some die cut lace to the Paris one, 'bunting' and waves for London and New York

They fit snugly inside the booklet, which has a strip of the die cut lace (Martha Stewart) front and back.

The booklet can be tied together with ribbon.

I made a little collaged motive for the reverse.

I am linking to ABAC - ATCs

Fashionable Stamping - anything goes

Simon Says - Travel

I used the cover I showed on Saturday to make a concertina album. The covers have been made from chipboard, painted white and clear varnished.

There are some stitched inserts for journaling between some of the pages.

Linking to Creative Corner -anything goes.

Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!

When I have wings to fly

Hi you all! We had a sunny day here, warm and pleasant, and Sunday should be just as nice - a real sun day!

I woke up very early again, and used the time to do lots of crafting. I had a lot of wood and chipboard pieces that needed to be painted, I finished an album with the piece I showed yesterday as cover, made a couple of cards and tags, and some journal pages. The background of the  journal pages was already painted with a mix of yellow and orange that was left over from painting my moon. I added some red and purple which I wiped on with my fingers - yeah! -and then smoothed over with a baby wipe. No spraying again! I want to try a spray-less week. When it was dry I added the peacock feathers (CWS) with burgundy emulsion paint. It takes longer to dry than acrylics, but it is a lovely colour, and even better, I got it given to me for nothing!

Frida with parrots has been printed out, fussy cut and glued on. The birds on the right have been stamped onto tissue, glued to the page, coloured with gel-glitter pens and outlined with a silver gel-pen, which I also used for the lettering and to add some highlights. I changed Frida's saying a bit to read 'Feet, why do I need you when I have wings to fly'. The wings, and the birds on the left are rub-ons.

I am linking to Art Journal Journey (challenge yourself /something different) and

Journal's Journeys, where the theme is birds.

This was fun to make, and I already have an idea for the next pages.

Have a good day, take care, and thanks for coming by.

And the winners are....

Hi you all, it's weekend - time to relax and have fun!

First of all I would like to say who won my little giveaway this week.

Drumroll...............

The Moo-Maze album was won by Fröbelsternchen Susi   in Austria and the Circus set is going to

Mo in Bonnie  Scotland. 

I got a bit carried away with pulling names out of the hat, it's just fun, so I pulled out another three who will be getting consolation prizes - which will be surprises - and they are:

Meggymay, Chrissie and Marji.

Susi, Mo, and Marji should please mail me and send their snail-mail addies.

Congrats to those who won, and I am sorry I could not send each and every one of you a prize!

For Paper Saturdays I would like to share a piece I made yesterday; I think I will use it as the cover for another little book. I used cardboard, partly distressed and painted white for the background. I embossed one side with Utee in white and stamped into it with my script stamp. I added different papers, lace and ribbon as matting for the image, which has been stamped and distressed with vintage photo DI. I completed it with some string, a lace butterfly and some beads.

Here's wishing you all a very happy weekend. Take care, and thanks a lot for visiting!

Paint Party Friday.

Hi you all! Another week is done and dusted and it's time for Paint Party Friday again, hosted, as always by Eva and Kristin. This week I am sharing some journal pages I have made, and a WIP, which still needs a lot of work on it. The background has been made from a smear, test and wipe sheet, to which I added some more colours with baby wipes, before doing some stamping. I managed to resist the temptation to use sprays and dripology - sometimes we need something different! I used my fave script and diamond stamps, using Colorbox fluid chalk ink in peony. I did the script in blocks going in different directions to add more interest. I have used a photo of my great-grandmother Rachel, taken at the beginning of the 1900s. No, I did not intend it to be wonky - it just happened, so I left it. I used my stencil to do the figures on the left with burgundy paint. The Hebrew text, which means 'A woman of valour, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels', and is taken from the concluding chapter of the book of Proverbs.  Transliterated, the text reads, 'Eshet Chayil mi yimtza v'rachok mip'ninim mikhrah'. Traditionally, in Jewish homes, the entire song is recited by the husband before the Sabbath meal on Friday evenings, who praises his wife before blessing the children, a beautiful custom.
My great grandmother was a very strong and upright woman, and I have made these pages to honour her memory.

Some of the embellishments have been fussy cut or die cut.

I am also linking to Art Journal Journey, (use a new or different technique or method - no spraying!)

Fashionable Stamping Challenges (sentimental) and

Our Creative Corner  (anything goes)

The WIP was inspired by the wonderful orange moon last week, which was evidently caused by the partial lunar eclipse. It was hard to get a good photo, and it still needs a lot of work on it. I have been playing about  with structure paste, stencils, micro-beads etc and having a fun and messy time. 

Tomorrow (Friday) morning I will draw the names of my giveaway winners, and publish them Friday evening. Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by.

Holiday postcard

Hi you all, hope you have had a good day. It was chilly again here, but it stayed dry, the sun was shining, and the birds were singing, so a pleasant day all in all.  And nobody woke me early! Tomorrow I will have to be out early, though, as my car has to go to the TÜV  - a safety and function test for all cars every 2 years.

I spent my day painting and crafting, and made a nice 'Eintopf' - a meal cooked in one pot, with cabbage, beef, veggies, potatoes and tomatoes -  yummy! And I have enough to keep me going for a few days, so won't need to cook again.

The challenge at Simon Says is to make something travel-themed, and at the Craft Room Hazel has chosen the challenge and wants to see a holiday postcard.

I have collaged my postcard with squares and oblongs of travel themed paper from various makers. I used a Martha Stewart punch to make some 'lace' from an old map. My all-time fave, Mr Umbrella Man, had to make another appearance. I cut him twice, once from the same map and once from black card, and layered them one over the other to give more definition. I shaded the card and edges with Antique linen and vintage photo  DIs, and added some stamping in Adirondack espresso. The sentiment has been made with a Dymo label-maker, and means 'where are you going?'.

Oh, I almost forgot - I made the top 5 at Try it on Tuesday again, so that was nice!

And I just learnt that I won Petra's giveaway, yay!

Have a good day you all, hope the sun shines for you! Take care, and thanks for visiting!