WOYWW

There should be tissues on my desk ... but when I took this photo last night before going to bed my nose was not running like a tap ... why do colds always strike when you are asleep?!!!!  Hubby is away on work for a couple of days ...so I have wallow in my own misery alone :(

Its Wednesday, and time for a look-see at the messy, tidy, creative, organised etc desks in crafty blogland ... if you want a list of them all hop over to Julia's where your guided tour starts.

So my desk is busy!!   Not as busy as it was earlier in the night when I had lots more stuff out ... did a bit of tidying up as I knew you were popping round!!

I have been doing some work on my SMASH books recently ... got 3 on the go now, 2 of them almost finished.  For the thrid I am doing A Picture of ... and then allsorts of things, my favourite meal, something I love, my front door, my favourite shoes etc ... very electic and just a photo and words.

I am a bit behind with my DT work as well ... so I am in the middle of getting some images coloured.  I got some amazing candy from Jude ... just need to get the DT work ticked off so I can get inky and play with it!
Some of it is hiding in the box behind my i-pad ... I might show you next week! 

Something a bit different

I thought i would do something a bit different for a change, and these Leanne Ellis images from Sugar Nellie are great for playing around with.

 A used A Little Hug and coloured her in using my promarkers, and a little vintage photo distress ink round the edges.  The papers are made using a TH technique ... paint your cardstock with acyrlic paint, and when it is dry stamp over with a patterned stamp in embossing ink, heat emboss and let it cool.  Then paint over the whole thinng with a different colour paint, and when alsmost dry rub off the embossed areas with a damp cloth.  You get a really vintagey, shabby look.  I went over the top of the patterned cardstock with an Indigo Blu crackle stamp and vintage photo, using the ghosting technique, just to add a bit of age to it all.  The heart is stamped onto coredinations cardstock and then sanded and distressed using victorian velvet distress ink. I added an dage ticket, some lace and flat backed pearls to finish.

Now I have bought this stamp as it reminded me of my Ellie nd her bunny ... she has had bunny since birthday and it has gone everywhere with her ... even to school when I haven't frisked her!!!  Bunny is now quite tatty and shabby, and Auntie JoJo has had to do some drastic repairing, including making her a dress she can't get out of!!!  This card is for my Ellie, just to remind her we love her ...

 Challenges:
Totally Gorguss - sketch
Craft your Passion-  anything goes + no design paper
Anything Goes - Bingo (ribbon/lavce, my choice (pearls), distressing
Oldie but a goodie - lace
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Everybody Art Challenge - love
Try it on Tuesday - card for my true love

Vintage

So how long does it take to make a card??? I started this one last Thursday and finally got it finished this morning.

I love this Stempleglede stamp, and although it doesn't show very well I have coloured her flesh and eyess in using promarkers, like the vintage photos were touched up.  The dp is Basic Grey Capella and I have added some TH tissue tape and flowers. I stitched round the dp using my sewing machine.

Challenges:
Papertake Weekly - sketch
Charisma Cardz - Vintage
Colour Create - browns and cream
Craft Your Days Away - stitching

Be my valentine

This week's Crafting Time theme is a colour one ... red, pink and white.

Those colours scream romance and with Valentine's Day round the corner I thought i would make a Valentine's card with a bit of a twist for my hubby ... I made a paper bag album.  These are really easy to make and great fun to decorate and embellish.  I used 2 lunch bag style paper bags, folded them in half and stitched them down the middle.  Then I decorated them ...

I used Basic Grey Kissing Booth 12x12 papers and the chipboard and alphabet shapes set.  The image on the front has been coloured using promarkers, and I added pearls and ribbon from my stash. I have made a couple of pockets that I will add some bits and pieces to before the big day!!

Inside page 1 ... I created a pocket for the tag and I will add a couple of leaflets I have kept from the trip (when I find them!!)

 The middle page ... just needs some bits from the wedding ... menu, order of service adding to the pocket ... need to scan and shrink them first!

And the final page ... I couldn't believe this was the only photo of the four of us ... it was taken 5 years ago!!  Need to get that sorted!!

Make it Monday
Creative Stamp friends - valentine
Cupcake Craft - pink and red
Stamp with Fun - love
Stamps&Fun=Creativity - Hearts
Joanna Sheen - Love is in the Air

Magic

 I love theis stamp ... sums it up really!  It is inked in SU pool party, and I stamped a couple of Lavinia fairies around it.  I quickie glue-penned the Magic and fairies wings and glamour dusted them.  I resisted the temptation to add anything else to it ... I so wanted to fill the bottom space!  I'd like to think I was getting better at CAS after a year of joining in the Less is More challenges ... not sure really.

 Its forcast snow here today and I am off on a course about the importance of play ... so looking forward to it I have to say, especially as I have a delightful cold brewing!!  Will catch up with everyone later!

Challenges -
Less is More - aqua
Winter Wonderland - blue and white (I think aqua is blue)
CES - things with wings/sketch
Allosrts - free and easy

Basic Grey Challenge

 We're back with another Basic Grey challenge, and the theme this time is Love/Valentine ... and the latest Kissing Booth papers are perfect for this ...

I used a mix of 6x6 and 12x12 papers from the Kissing Booth range, and added a shipboard element.  The image is from Krista Smith's Saturated Canary digi range, and I coloured her with promarkers.  As the dps are a bit detailed and busy I left it at that .. .no embellies!

And we are sponsored this time by ...

Who are offering a $25.00 voucher.

(PP charges apply)

Challenges:
Trully Scrumptious - love and hearts
Tuesday Throwdown - use hearts
Ladybug Craft Ink - loves me, loves me not
By the Cute and Girly - love is in the air
Miss Muffet - Valentines and love
Moving along with the times - have a heart
Saturated Canary - pink, red and white
2 Sisters - red pink and white
Allsorts - free and easy
One Stop Card challegne - for the one I love
Secret Crafter - hugs and kisses
Joanna Sheen - Love is in th Air

Totally Papercrafts Challenge

 Its Friday ... and we are in February already!!  Its time for another totally Papercrafts challenge and it's my turn to set the theme for this week and I've chosen this fab sketch by our lovely Sue.

You can flip it or rotate it, but we must be able to see the sketch in your creation 

for you to be eligible for the prize. 

And talking of prizes ...

our sponsor this week is the lovely Heidi from Simon Says Stamp !

and this is the fabulous prize, please note shippingcharges are the responsibility of the winner

I have altered a notebook I had to keep all those little signs of affection that my hubby shows me ... photos of flowers he buys, menus from meals out etc ... a bit like a mini version of a SMASH book without the decorative pages!!  I used kraft and red cardstock and some patterned paper from BG's Kissing Booth 6x6 pad.  The image is from Sugar Nellie, Be one traveller, and I coloured her using my promarkers.  I embossed the brwon cardstock with my hearts and script folder and also embossed the flowers using the hearts folder.  I added some brown gingham ribbon to match the eye patch heart.

 Challenges:
Creative Craft - bingo (ribbons, brown, flowers)
Kraft Journal - romance
Try it on Tuesday - texture (altered week)
Tuesday Throwdown - use hearts
Ladybug Craft Ink - loves me, loves me not
Trully Scrumptious - love and hearts
The Stampman - embellsih it
Paper Pretties - ribbon and twine
By the Cute and Girly - love is in the air
Miss Muffet - Valentines and love
Moving along with the times - have a heart
Fabulous Friday - ribbon or twine
Simply Create too - red hot
Joanna Sheen - love is in the air

Cards and Kings

Here is the tag I started on Tuesday night and that features, along with my Miffy cat (helping!!), on my WOYWW post yesterday.

The background is distressed using weathered wood, fired brick, aged mahogany and black soot DIs, and a crackle background stamp from IndigoBlu.  I printed the playing card off the internet and distressed it using weathered wood DI andthe ghosting technique with some vintage photo DI, before applying the cracked glass technique to it for that aged look. The TH ticket dies have been cut from grungeboard, painted and distressed before applying rock candy crackle paint.  I used a TH alphabet soup set of grunge letters for the CARDS and painted them black before crackle painting them.  I stamped elements from a couple of stamp sets, including some crowns before assembling it all. Finally a crown charm painted in antique brass crackle paint tied with some twine.

 Challenges:
The Stamp man - embellish it
Simon Says Stamp and Show - kings and queens
Creative Inspirations - a tag
Divas by Design - anything goes
Grungy Monday - Crackle resist technique
Do you stack up - anything goes

The Craft Garden February challenge

This month's Craft Garden challenge is an inspiration photo ...

And here is my interpretation ...

I used Krista's Ellie's Birthday digi stamp and coloured in colours from the photo.  The wall screamed kraft at me so the dp are matted onto kraft cardstock.  I added some ribbon, punched flowers and a couple of buttons to finish it off.

Challenges:
Dutchdare - buttons galore
 Charisma Cardz - pretty in pink
Do you stack up - ribbons
Fabulous Friday - recipe
Fuss n Fancy - dots
Crafts and Me - bright colours
I love promarkers - photo inspiration
My Mum's Craft Shop - fab n funky
Sisterhood of Crafters - use striped paper
Fab n Funky - use a digi image

WOYWW

 I love Wednesdays ... must be my nosy nature!!!  Wednesdays means a romp across the crafty blogs of blogland, led by the amazing Julia.

 Ok my desk is ...work in progress ... I am making a tag for a page in my SMASH book ... me and hubby often play cards, and depending on the game I either win lots or lose lots!!!

tSo ink pads out, tag started and letters and tickets painted and crackle painted ... now got to wait for them to dry!!!  And you might notice a bottom ... Miffy's bottom to be precise ... she thought she might help!!

So here are the discussions ...

 ... the 'trust me' Mum nuzzle ...

 ... followed by 'that one'!!

 And finally ... 'this ribbon'!!!!!

 Helpful little soul!!!!  I won't mention the muddy pawprints over stash and images half coloured!!!