The Stamp Man Challenge - A Perfect Pear

When I arrived at the retreat at Beamsley last Friday, Janet (part of Lovin' Ink) told me I had won the last Stamp Man Challenge. So I was really chuffed. We just happened to manage a trip to the shop the next day and I was able to spend my voucher (and a good bit more!!). Then Jill (Mrs Stamp Man) asked if I would like to join the Design Team!!!

Well I was so surprised but delighted too. I try to enter their challenge every fortnight because of the high standard of entries to look at.

So this is my first go!! I didn't have alot of time for this one so it's a quick project. Janet lent me her pear stamps at the retreat and I finished off the sample at home. The pear I used is a beautiful patterned pear by

    Aspect of Design 

Here is what I did with it: 

The background was made by blending 3 colours of Distress (Antique Linen, Scattered Straw and Brushed Corduroy). Then I inked up the large Music background stamp (Hero Arts) with Versamark and spritzed with water. I stamped onto the background card. This lifts off some of the ink to create a subtle resist in reverse. I love this technique as a first layer of stamping when building up backgrounds.The swirl at the side is another beautiful Hero Arts stamp called Fabulous Flourish (well named!!). I stamped this with second generation Brushed Corduroy.

I stamped two pears. One I cut out with an oval nestie and the other I cut out the pear without the leaf and stem. The cut out pear was then shaped on a mat with a big ball embossing tool and then silicon glue applied in the hollow to keep the rounded shape. This was a technique shown to me by the lovely Liz on the retreat!!

The rest is pretty easy to work out. All the embellishments are die cut with Spellbinders. I bought the Foliage set (where the leaves came from) this weekend too. The quote is from one of Tim Holtz's Stampers Anonymous sets CMS110 "Stuff to Say"

To show detail of the background

All the products used in this card are available from The Stamp Man. Remember to check out what the rest of the DT did with this challenge and drop by the Stamp Man Challenge Blog.

It seems a bit unreal to be part of such a talented DT!!

Siobhan

The Stamp Man - new DT member

While I was away to the craft retreat in Yorkshire I was asked to join the DT for The Stamp Man. It was a complete surprise, I can tell you. Jill said "You can think about it and let me know". I think it took me less than a minute to say yes!!!
So it was a bit of a rush to make it for the next challenge - which will appear tomorrow on The Stamp Man Challeng blog. If you want to see how I get on alongside a very talented bunch then please click on the link tomorrow after 12 noon.
Since it's my first time I am sure they won't mind me showing you a sneeky peak

Check back tomorrow to see the rest!!

Creative Expressions - Christmas Post

For this week's DT piece I am cheating a bit. Things are a bit hectic at work and so I am pretty tired. Our new stamps arrived yesterday but I only managed to cut them out tonight. So samples with them will start appearing soon but in the meantime I will leave you with a couple more Christmas samples.

This lovely Robin also comes from the same set as I used in an earlier post, UMCHRISPOST The robin is stamped and embossed with a fine gold powder. I have also stamped the pine sprig several times onto the background paper and embossed with gold powder. I have layered  up the robin using Nesties. The beautiful border is one of the Grande Borderabilities.

In this sample I have used the same layout but a different colourway and I have also used the postage stamp frame. This is a really useful stamp.

So next time, I promise, something different. Just not enough hours in my day right now!!

Craft Retreat - Beamsley, North Yorkshire Sept 2011

I mentioned in my last post that my friend Linda Turner and I were going down to Yorkshire for a craft retreat. Well we have been and now we are home, tired but happy. We had a great weekend catching up with crafters we met last time in March, and meeting some new folk. We crafted, ate, laughed and went shopping to The Stamp Man and Embsay Crafts. There were some great characters and I just loved listening to their accents and banter. I also met the lovely Liz from Liverpool way who turned out to be a cousin of another crafting friend of mine, Sue.
This is the room we crafted in is part of an old church. The Beamsley project provides self catering accommodation for disabled people and their carers. So there's plenty of space. Which was definitely needed when you saw everyone arriving with their craft stuff.

I took Christmas stuff with me. I wanted to get on with some Christmas cards to take over to Ireland at the end of the month, for my Dad. I make him a batch every year for him to send out to his friends. 
I managed to make 24 (4 each of 6 designs) . Not bad considering how much time we spent yapping and eating cakes. 

This one was my favourite and the simplest!! I love the Stampendous "Wise Men" . I bought it last year and never used it.

• Blend 3 colours of Distress ink onto white card stock (Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire)
• Ink up music background stamp with Versa Mark and spritz with water. Stamp onto blue background and lift off. The water removes some of the ink to give a subtle resist type effect. 
• Stamp the swirl stamp (Hero Arts S5449 Fabulous Flourish) with second generation Stormy Sky)
• Stamp Wise Men with Versafine Onyx Black and highlight detail with gold pen.
• So simple!!

So a big thank you to Janet and Michelle for organising such a good retreat. Thanks to Emma and Andy who fed us all so well. And thanks to Drew who drove two gibbering budgies all the way there and back. Although we did sleep quite a bit on the way home.

Beamsley Lovin'-Ink Retreat Sept 2011

The Stamp Man Challenge #31- Monochrome and one Other Colour

I haven't had much time for entering challenges lately, but I do always try and make something for The Stamp Man challenge. This time round the theme is Monochromatic and one other colour. I have gone for blue and white.

A very simple card. I stamped the Hero Arts Exotic Blooms with Versamark and embossed with white powder. The I used a circle mask and 3 colours of Distress inks (Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire) blended over the top. 

 

I used a Martha Stewart punch to create the layering.  Sometimes it's nice to do something more simple!!

I am off to Yorkshire tomorrow with my crafting buddy Linda Turner for a craft retreat. We went down in March to Beamsley and really had a great time, so decided to go back!! I am looking forward to seeing some of the amazing crafters I met last time. I have packed everything but the kitchen sink!! But no doubt when I get there I will discover I have forgotten something important.
Have a good weekend.

Creative Expressions - Christmas Post

For this week's Creative Expressions sample I am using a Christmas set I got last year called Christmas Post. This very versatile set UMCHRISPOST is one of Sam Poole's designs. I used it last year for Stampaholic's very last One Day Workshop.

Christmas Post

 It has so many lovely little elements as well as several main images.

This is one of the cards I designed for the workshop. It is so quick and easy - just what you need for batching your Christmas cards.

I used the pine sprig to create the trailing garland effect. I also picked a soft green background paper to stamp on.

• Start at the bottom and stamp up towards the centre of where the circle will be. I stamped first in a soft grey, then over stamped with Archival Library Green.
• Stamp the snowy cottage onto the background paper with Archival Library Green ink and immediately cover with crystal embossing powder. Although Archival is a dye based ink you can emboss with it if you are quick!!
• Cut out with circle nestie and matt onto a scallop nestie.
• I finished off the trailing pine by adding dots of liquid pearls and covering them with crystal glitter. 
• Add your sentiment and you are done.

Where would we be without Nestabilities!!!
I am sure some of our regulars from Stampaholics will remember this one.
Siobhan

Winner of Dreamweaver Blog Hop

Every DT member was asked to randomly pick a name from the people who left a comment on our post. So I wrote out all the names, put them in a hat and got my hubby to pick one out. I tried to use that random org thingy but it was a bit beyond me!!

And the winner is
GEORGINA
I have tried to e-mail you Georgina. In case you didn't get it can you please e-mail Dorothy at Woodware Dorothy@woodware.co.uk to claim your prize and leave your name and address.
Well Done!!
Woodware are going to be giving stuff away every month so remember to check out the Woodware blog regularly for great ideas and blog candy.
Hope you are all safe and warm on this very windy night
Siobhan

Woodware Design Team - Sugar and Spice

Hi Everyone

This week at Woodware we are onto "Sugar and Spice". Help.......!!! I don't have much little girly type stuff apart from my Tilda stamps. I need another lifetime to get through all of those!!! So I had a rake and found this delightful Magenta stamp which I have used for baby cards. 

I then computer generated the words and hey presto ... I had the bare bones to get started. Sugar and Spice - well that had to be pink and brown but cinamon brown rather than chocolate brown.  The fan flowes were made with a die I have but you can do them by hand using any border scallop punch and scoring between each scallop. I used to do them that way until I got a die.

The punched  border is a cassette for the Woodware crafty edger and my favourite at the moment. Have I said before how easy these are to use!! Remember to check up on the rest of the DT at the Woodware blog.

Sugar and Spice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Hanging About

This months challenge at Crafty Individuals  is "Hanging About". The challenge was chosen by Lucy Edmondson and her brief was  ‘this would give people scope to do a wall hanging, canvas, frame, lantern, bird cage, bird house, jewellery, dangly things on cards, pennants – all sorts. Or they could interpret it as friends hanging about together.’    It is nice to do things other than cards so I decided to do a little triptych bird hanging using Autumn colours. While deciding what size to make each panel, I came across a pile of beer mats my friend Liz had given me. I liked the shape of them rather than being square and thought they would be ideal.

The back to show the beer mats I used!!

 Here's how I got on:

 All the stamps used are Crafty Individuals. I love the owl so had to include him of course!!

Top panel

If you like buttons, check out Textile Garden. That's where I found the lovely metallic leaf button. I just rubbed over some coffee archival ink to darken.
The next panel includes a piece of stampboard:

Centre Panel

I coloured the stampboard domino with Distress inks, then stamped in Coffee archival. I then triple embossed it to give a lovely enamelled look. The chipboard bird was done the same way but with some gold glimmer mist sprayed on before embossing to give it a bit of shimmer. I stamped the foliage stamp in gold and embossed with a detail gold powder.
For the final panel I used my favourite little wren stamp and made a feature of it on the die-cut frame.

I stamped trees along the bottom. Then to finish off I die-cut some leaves from shrink plastic. I coloured them with Brilliance inks before shrinking.
There are lots of inspiring samples on the Crafty Individuals blog. 
Hope you all have a good weekend!
Siobhan

Ethel - Where has all the Money Gone!!

It's time for this week's sample for Creative Expressions. I have used Ethel with her curlers in for this card from the "Wrinkles Don't Hurt" set. The sentiment is very apt I am sure for most of us, especially if we have recently got a bit carried away in a craft shop!!

I have used oval nesties for the matting. The lovely lace-like border is from one of the recent Spellbinder sets Parisian Accents. It is a really useful set.

 

I hand stitched the border and cross stitches with brown linen thread. The button came from a recent purchase of lovely buttons from Textile Garden. If you are looking for some nice buttons then check out this site!! 

The flower is from another recent Spellbinder set called Carnation Creations . I gave them a bit of shape by using a large ball embossing tool on a embossing mat and put them together with a brad.

I quite like the peachy tones. It reminds me of some Laura Ashley style prints my Grandmother had in her house.

On a completely different note, my daughter Catriona was home at the weekend and I found a few doggy pictures on my camera. She always seems to get better shot than I do!!

Here's Alfie lounging on his chair. He is definitely not a dainty miniature Schnauzer!!

He normally looks more like this:

Hope you are all having a good week!

Siobhan

Woodware Design Team - Sketch Challenge

This week is another sketch challenge over at Woodware. Here is the sketch :

Nice and simple. I thought I would do a couple of Christmas samples this time. I have just received a couple of new Woodware Christmas stamp sets. The Christmas tree comes from a new Francoise set FRCL 204  Teardrop Christmas. I used to do special workshops that included a set of stamps and I often used Woodware sets. They were always good value for money and this set would have been perfect. 

FRCL 204  Teardrop Christmas

I am sure I will be using this set again for future challenges. I used a traditional colour scheme for this very easy card. I don't know about you but I tend to do more simple ideas for Christmas.

The tree was embossed using a Stampendous embossing powder called Nutmeg. I also dry brushed a little gesso onto the dotty paper to make it look a little more interesting. Some simple layering and a sentiment to complete. 
The sentiment comes from another new Woodware set designed by Jane Gill JGCL 551. I embellished it with gold nail heads. 

The next sample is the sketch used the other way up.
This time I used a Stampendous set SSC1013 Winter Trees
to create my little winter scene. This is a lovely little set which I have used quite a bit in the past. This time I have gone for blues and greys.
The border for the centre strip was made using the Woodware Crafty edger starter set (with the ribbon slot border)

A Winter's Day

Check out the other girls work this week at the Woodware blog.

Circle Journal - It's Almost Time

This post is really for getting our circle journal ladies to contact me so we can arrange our first meeting.

If you are on this list can you please e-mail me at siobhanfyffe@gmail.com so that we can organize our first get together:

• Lin Connolly
• Liz Urquhart
• Isobel Hynd
• Lin MacInnes
• Linda Turner
• Maggie Higham
• Sue and Erin Veitch
• Elizabeth Mitchell
• and any one else who I may have inadvertently forgotten.

The first meeting will be just a chance to find out what's involved and to select your themes. I thought for the first meeting we could meet at my house. Liz Young is now a Stampin Up demonstrator so we could combine it with a chance to see some nice stamps etc. I will make some soup and sandwiches. 

Those of us who have already done a circle journal will bring these along  to show the others.

Here are the pages I did for Irene Ruddy's journal.

The theme for these pages was "My Favourite Stamps". So your theme can be very open or you can be more specific. This time I have chosen "Natural History" as my theme. 

So ladies get thinking and I look forward to getting started.