Rainbow Lady's Challenge 159 The 4th July!

Over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog this week we are celebrating the 4th July!! All we ask is that you include the colours red, white and blue in your creation. I decided to use a Magnolia stamp and promarkers to colour her dress her in patriotic colours. Along with a Sue Dreamer sticker and some paper flowers around the frame. Hope you enjoy this weeks challenge, as always we have some fab prizes up for grabs so pop on over via the link on my sidebar to join in. Happy 4th July. Love Elizabeth xxx

TIO #85 Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

Having a small war with blogger again this morning grrrr..... It posted my tag when I didn't want it to, then didn't post when it was scheduled for! Rant over.
This week we are dreaming about the seaside over at DragonsDream TIO Challenge. I can't tell you how hard it was for me not to do seahorses lol. I created my background with pastels for a change. I love these metallic ones, they have a fab shine to them in real life. The stamps I've used are a mix of Crafty Individuals and Rubbadubberdoo, stamped out with stazon. It's a shame our little pier doen't look like this one, lets hope the regeneration scheme includes it in their plans!! Elizabeth x

Sparkly Stuff!!

This is a small selection of what I've been up to over this last weekend. I haven't made any jewelry for ages, I'd forgotten how much fun it was.  I've never made any to sell before, just stuff for myself or as gifts for friends, so I'd welcome any input on prices etc? Everything is made from moulded glass, crystal or Swaroski and has a lovely weight to it.

Love Elizabeth x

TIO# 84 Let's Face It!

Our dream this week over at the DragonsDream Challenge blog is "Let's Face It" led by the very creative Wanda. I decided that my dream would be pastel and pretty this week, not like me at all lol!
I made these paper roses back in March and yes Frankie, they are the same one's that I  showed to you at the NEC lol, finally they have a home! I used a crealies die to cut out three of two different sized flowers in some Anna griffin paper. I then layered them up with a brad through the centre, and gave them a spritz with water. Then starting with the middle flower I scrunched it up towards the centre, and worked my way through all six layers like that. The flower was then left to dry out. They background is inked up with a mix of spun sugar, victorian velvet, milled lavender, dusty concorde and black soot. The Pre-Raphaelite Lady's face is from a theme plate by Non Sequitur (another Stampman bargain from Port Sunlight lol), stamped out with black soot, and coloured in using Lyra Polycolour pencils. I used an Anna Griffin flourish stamp in black soot, and again with a versamark pad, and brass sparkle embossing powder. Once the roses were dry I gave them a spray with the gold spray and sparkle, not only does this make them sparkle, but it also holds the flower in shape. I did have a piece of black ribbon to go through the top of my tag, but some how lol, it's disappeared. I know how can I loose things on this "o so tidy desk". Hope you enjoy our challenge this week and pop on over to join us, just click on the DragonsDream logo on my sidebar for a direct link. Love Elizabeth x

Sue's Scrap Bag!!

I've been saying that I will make a new shopping bag for ages now, so at long last have got around to it!! I was given a gorgeous bag of left over bits of ribbon and trims from a friend of mine who makes the most amazing cloaks and bags. They are all so very different and made mostly from recycled and vintage fabrics. If you are out and  about at any of the vintage Fashion Fairs, look out for her "Just Sue" her stall is well worth a look!!
When I found the feathery ribbon waste in my goody bag, it just screamed out to be turned in to seaweed!! The Graphicus seahorses were stamped out in stazon ink, on to some batik fabric then appliqued on to the bag.  I can't make my mind up whether or not to embroider on them? I added some dotty lines with silver and blue pebeo fabric paints, then stitched on some iridescent sequins and seed beads. As the iron was out any way (LOL) I wondered what the graphicus shells would look like done in fantasy film, with fibres sandwiched in between. not too sure about them, but they can always come off!

I know I soooo predictable with Seahorses, but how could I resist! Love Elizabeth xxx ps if you are wondering about the old pink towel on the desk, it's where the water comes in when it rains!!!!

Rainbow lady's Challenge 157 I am Sailing!!!

This week over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge our theme is "We are Sailing" we have some fab stamps and acrylic block up for graps, courtersey of very generous sponsor's "Time to Sow".
I thought for a change that I'd share something a little different, and couldn't resist this rowing pirate dog! He's made up of some 3d decoupage, that when Harry was having his "I'm growing up clear out" gave to me LOL. He was a little tricky to glue together but well worth it, as he's great fun. When the handle (keebab stick)  is turned, he row's LOL. Click on the link on my sidebar to pop over and join in the Challenge this week, and good luck. Elizabeth x

TIO #83 Numbers Game!

This week over at the TIO Challenge Helen has asked us to dream in numbers. I decided this would be a good excuse to play with some new stamps from Crafty Individuals, it's a great stamp plate with a tall ship and navigational tables/charts, so perfect for this challenge as it's crammed full of numbers!!!
My base tag is inked with a mixture of bundled sage, pine needles and crushed olive distress inks. I then used the black soot ink pad to stamp the charts out, and added highlights with a white chalk pencil. The charms and the brass corner have been on my desk for ages, so can't remember where they were from (senior moment). And the ribbon is a piece of wired twin with small bows running along it, using it on everything at the moment LOL. Hope you pop over and join us in this weeks challenge, it was great to see so many of your fab entries last week. Just click on the logo on my sidebar for a direct link. Love Elizabeth x

TIO #82 Winged Things!

Well this week it's back to me to start the dream over at the TIO Challenge. Firstly thank you all for the fantastic dreams you shared with us last week. I hope that my team mates and I can inspire you to dream along with us again with our theme this week,Winged Things!!!
My dream was inspired by a charm I bought of a Dragonfly from IndigoBlu, at Port Sunlight a few weeks ago. I used glossy accents then carefully added copper thunder gilding flakes to his wings, and also to attach gem's to his body. I think he will have to end up on a necklace though LOL.
My base tag was inked up with a mixture of dried marigold and scattered straw distress inks.
 The stamps are a mixture of Artemio and Aspects of Design, stamped out with versamark and a mixture of cosmic shimmer mica powders dusted over, not played with those for a while, I'd forgotten how gorgeous they were! I finished off my tag by adding some sari ribbon, must have my sparkly head on this week. Hope you enjoy dreaming along with us this week, and pop over to my teamies blogs to see what they've been up to! Check out the link on my sidebar to join in.
Love Elizabeth xxx

Elements II Paddy's Stamping Place

Thought it was about time that I shared my efforts from Paddy's Elements II back in April. Yep don't pass out Paddy, I've actually got it finished LOL!! We had a fantastic weekend with good weather, great people and some incredible crafting! After we'd all got over the shock of a white piece of cotton (yikes), we chose stamps, stencils, and fabric paints to create our wall hanging with. We started with a resist technique, coloured our fabric and then over stamped it - great fun! We chose a section of the fabric to be framed, and the rest was destined for the wall hanging. It was great to learn how to quilt, and it has re awakened my interest in sewing again, thank you Becca for being patient LOL. Made an altered frame to house our fabric, by embossing metal sheets through the cuttlebug, then adding paint and embossing powder for interest. We also made beads and the housing for the tassel from polymer clay mixed with silver leaf and mica powder. By now you can probably get a picture of the colour of my nails LOL. And saving the best till last, my new little addiction, needle felting with the fantastic Sylvia Wood, who's son I was at school with, small world hey?. I am now saving for the embellisher machine!!!!!!! The remaining beads (all with holes in LOL) are about to be made in to a bracelet, but I thought I'd better share everything else with you before Paddy comes over the border to slap my legs LOL. It was a great weekend, and one I would definitely recommend for learning great techniques and making new friends!

Here it is hanging in my porch!

A closer view of the tassel and the polymer beads we made, along with the cone.

The frame with embossed metal and my beautiful french knots LOL, if only you knew how long it took me to rememeber how to do them, thank goodness for Becca and Lynn!

Rainbow Lady's Challenge 155 Sunrise/Sunset

Here's my DT card for Rainbow Lady's Challenge this week, Sunrise/Sunset sponsored this week by Joanna Sheen. The image is one I bought from Stamp Camp at Port Sunlight a couple of years ago. Stamped out in memento ink and simply coloured in with promarkers, then mounted on a gorgeous piece of Crafty Individuals paper! Simples!!! Click on Rainbow Lady's logo on the sidebar to pop over and join us, and have a chance to win gift vouchers for Joanna's shop!! Elizabeth x

TIO #81 Timepieces

This week Frankie is leading the TIO Challenge, dreaming of Timepieces. I decided to Christen the new stamp plate I got when I re-newed my Craft Stamper subscription, at Port Sunlight. She is a curvey girl stood infront of a pocket watch, by Artistic Stamper. I'd seen the stamp before, so I was delighted when I realised it was the freebie at the show!! I inked my tag in a mixture of milled lavender, dusty concorde, bundled sage and black soot distress inks. I stamped the lady out in black soot, then made sure the tag was dry enough to add colour on to with promarkers, and a white chalk pencil (fab bit of kit!). I then over stamped some Tim Holtz clocks around the edge in dusty concorde and bundled sage, to create a border. To finish off I added glossy accents to the clock face, and distress stickles in victorian velvet, and crushed olive. Hope you like the tag and come over to join in the challenge at DragonsDream, just click the logo on the sidebar. Elizabeth x