IndigoBlu Challenge April - Over the Edge!

The challenge over at IndigoBlu this month is "Over the Edge" so stamping on or over the edge of your project.
This is one of the newer stamps called "Dramatic Eye" designed by Limor Webber for IndigoBlu and is available in two different sizes.
The background is a mixture of IndigoBlu's metallic paints and Lyra Polycolour pencils over the top, to create shading, and the illusion of a face, very spooky!
Hop over via the link and check out what the rest of the demonstrator team have created, and why not have a go yourself, there is a fab prize up for grabs!!!!

Elizabeth x

Dragons Dream TIO #166 Gold and the letter "Q"

The very talented Julie Ann has chosen the theme of Gold and the letter Q over at the Dragons Dream TIO.
Today would have been a very special birthday for my mum, so this is my Queen for a Day tag in her memory.
I love this soft gold coloured card, it is so pretty when it's embossed and makes a lovely background. The Prima doll has been coloured with Lyra Polycolour pencils, which I love, and her dress was stamped on to K&Co paper as was some of the Anna Griffin bunting.
The sentiment was from Stampcamp many moons ago.
We would love you to join in our challenge this time, just please remember to use at least one real stamp on your tag.
Elizabeth xxx

Dragons Dream TIO #138 Blue, Sea and Stencils

Well I got here in the end, it's taken blogger two weeks to correct the problems many of us have been having.
Our challenge over at the Dragons Dream TIO this time has a theme of Blue, Sea and Stencils, as chosen by Sue.  It will run until Tuesday 16th April and our new challenge (fingers crossed) will start on Wednesday 17th April. The stamp I've used is one of the Impression Obsession one's coloured with Lyra Polycolour pencils, with a background made with distress inks and a dotty mask. Hope you hop over and join in our challenge, just click on the link on my sidebar and please don't forget to juse at least one real stamp.
Loads to share with you over the next few days!
Elizabeth xxx

Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge

Having a break from paperwork and adding a little more in to my journal, well one of my journals, I now have three on the go lol.
I decided this book I would keep for mermaids and and all things seaside, as I'm lucky enough to live a ten minute walk from the beach.
I've always been facinated by the sea and the thought of another world at the bottom of it, and of course mermaids, beautiful mystical creatures with jewel like scales and flowing hair, making full use of the seabed as their playgound..
This is still a work in progress, but I didn't want to miss out on entering it in to the Apha/Dictionary Challenge over at the Craft Barn.
Back to the books now, yawn. Elizabeth xxx

The Stampmans November Challenge Emboss It!

I've had a lovely morning making up backgrounds with a mixture of inks and mica powders. Sadly it doesn't show up too well on photo, there are lots of pale gold flecks in with the red mica, which softens the colour greatly.
The stamp is one of Imagination Crafts, stamped out and heat embossed with Wow Brass Sparkle Regular, my favourite powder! Coloured in using Lyra Polycolour pencils, I added pearls along with some ribbon and did have a bow on there, but decided it looked better without it.

Art Journalling at The Craft Barn

When I spotted this challenge over at The Craft Barn I just knew I had to join in. I found this old Minute Book at work that was heading towards the bin, no way was that going to happen, this was going to become my new journal!!!

This is a recycled, recycled book as it started life way back in 1933, and was re-used in 1992 to keep records of a friendship group at work.

Now in it's third phase of life, it's had pages glued together, lashings of acrylic paint added and my first two pages have now been completed.

"My garden misses my Mum as much as I do". We would work in the garden together and I have fallen so far behind with it all, it's a jungle out there at the moment, thanks to the rain and warm weather. Next weekend, no matter what the weather does, it's wellies on time!!!!! Elizabeth xxx

Sunday Stampers - Tulips from Amsterdam

Sunday Stampers are paying tribute to Max Bygraves who passed away yesterday.  Hels has chosen the song "Tulips from Amsterdam" which takes me back to being a little girl again.
I've taken the theme quite literally this week and used my Tulip stamp onto Kraftcard, coloured in using Polycolour pencils, which blend so easily, added a Graphicus sentiment and doodles around the edge, with a Sharpie pen. Nearly got away without Distress Ink, but just couldn't do it lol, it has to be there!!
Now to get that song out of my head a good dose of Fleetwood Mac is needed lol. Elizabeth xxx

TIO #90 Natures Bounty.

This week over at DragonsDream TIO it's Wanda's turn to lead the challenge and encourage us to dream about "Natures Bounty". I knew exactly which stamps I wanted to use for this week, and kept everything crossed that both Wanda and Janet didn't use the same stamps, as we had all bought them last year at the Stamp Addicts Retreat LOL.
The stamps are by a company called A Stamp in the Hand and stamped out in a mix of bundled sage and shabby shutters distress ink, with a little extra colour added with Lyra Polycolour pencils. The background is antique linen with a little black soot around the edges! Click on the link on my sidebar and have a look at the fab tags created by the design team, and join in !!! Love Elizabeth xxx

TIO Challenge 57 As you like it!

As Christmas "inchies" nearer thought I'd have a play with some festive stamps.
I used a combination of antique linen, faded jeans and peeled paint distress inks to create the backgound, and also the inchies. For a change I thought I would try the inchies at a different angle, making them in to a diamond pattern.
I used a Christmas theme plate from Crafty Individuals, which has got a fab selection of tree's, houses and loads of filler in stamps. I used memento tuxedo black ink to stamp the images at an angle, then added some extra colour with Lyra polycolour pencils.
We are lucky this time as the challenge is being sponsored by Crafty Individuals who have put some fab blog candy up as a prize. I would love to win as it's all seaside related, and as you know I live at the seaside. Fingers crossed.

Rainbow Ladies Challenge 122 Around the World

With Rainbow Ladies challenge this week being "Around the World" I thought I would Christen one of my new stamps from Stamp Camp.
Venice is somewhre I would love to visit hence the stamped quote!
The scene was stamped out using Memento Tuxedo black ink then coloured in using Lyra polycolour pencils. The edge of the image has been given an aged look using brushed corduroy distress ink.
The stamps, passport and backing paper are out of one the HOTP Artsy collage books. Again the edge of the backing paper has been aged with the brushed corduroy distress ink.

Rainbow Ladies Challenge 121 Gothic Christmas

These Christmas stamps are from Artemio, I love the way they have a hand drawn look about them.
The holly was inked up using fired brick distress ink and the leaves were carefully inked up with peeled paint distress ink.
The edge of the arch was tinted using the peeled paint and a piece of cut and dry foam. The holly was then coloured in with lyra polycolour pencils. The noel was stamped with tuxedo black memento ink and again coloured with lyra polycolour pencils.

TIO 55 Bead Dazzled!!

Better late than never !
The background of my tag is inked up in a mixture of antique linen, tattered rose and brushed corduroy distress inks.
Both the sentiment and the Lady are from the new range of acrylic stamps that Kanban brought out this month. They are stamped using memento tuxedo black ink and coloured in with lyra polycolours.
Bronze and clear gems were added as jewell's and the beads to creat the loop at the top of the tag, have been around in my stash for ages.

TIO 52 The Face

These are the stamps that were in our goodie bag, back in June from the Stamp Addict retreat.
The tag is inked up in a mixture of shades from the Big and Juicy "Waterfall" ink pad. Then over stamped with a crackle effect stamp in the darkest shade of the ink pad to add some depth.
The border, face and the butterflies were then added with memento Tuxedo black ink, and tinted using a mixture of pastel chalk pencils and Lyra polycolour pencils to add colour.

New Artemio Stamps

One for the boys today!
These stamps are from the Belgium Company Artemio and are great value for money! The main stamp consists of script, postage and a compass. This was stamped out using the Big and Juicy Spice pad and also added the Airplane from the same stamp set. The edges were inked with the Spice ink pad, and then colours were picked out using Lyra Polycolour pencils. The map was left over from another project and seemed to fit the bill perfectly. The card was covered in croc effect green paper and the images were added by using good old lick and stick photo corners!!! The "Dad" tag is from Hot off the Press and the idea was pure Harrison Ford!!!

Tio Challenge 46 Inchie by Inchie

Frankie's challenge this week was to include inchies, at least one stamp and only three colours.
I decided to go with a blue, green and black colour scheme and chose faded jeans, shabby shutters, peeled paint and memento black.
Inked up the tag in the two shades of green using a combo of an ink duster and blending tool. Cut out the inchies from some scrap Brenda Pinnock card stock and inked around their edges with faded jeans. Used various stamps some QVC specials and some Artemio. Added some extra colour with Lyra polycolour pencils and raised some of the inchies on foam pads.