Art from Art- a new CJ!

The first circle journal I did ended up a disaster as it went missing in action. I had such fun doing it though- I've been waiting to join another circle journal for ages.
How could I resist a CJ based on Project Runway- I love that show!
We all have to choose a challenge from the show to base our CJ on. Mine is the art challenge, when the designers had to use a piece of art to inspire their design.

My front cover



I've used a painting of The Lady of Shalott by Waterhouse on the cover because that's what I've used as my inspiration for my layout, along with the poem by Tennyson.

My Intro Pages

My Layout

I used Stampotique's Newt for the layout and stitched The Lady of Shalott's woven tapestry as background. It illustrates my favourite scene from the poem.

 not so hidden journaling tag

Sign in pages

In keeping with the Project Runway theme I thought Heidi and Tim would be great witnesses to the sign in!

I'm looking forward to this CJ and hope I can MAKE IT WORK!



Stampotique challenge-Newt!

The latest challenge on Stampotique is to use acetate. Not a favourite of mine I must say! Anyway I had a play with Newt, stamping lots of heads on acetate. Love this stamp!

ATCs-tempus fugit

I'm still on the wax crayons from the Craft stamper magazine. I made these ATC using white crayon as a resist to the inks. The white looks a lot brighter in real life!

Less is More-pick a square.

I missed last week's Less is More challenge so was chomping at the bit to get going again!So much so that I got up today and made two cards!!

The first is a central square stamped with Ophelia by The Stampsmith and a bit of aged mahogany added.I love this stamp!

The next one is lower right square and is a stamp I found lurking at the bottom of my box and can't remember where I got it from! I coloured it using melted wax crayons-saw that in Craft Stamper and couldn't wait to try it! 



Get Well Card

Clean and simple for a very special person.

Versatile Blogger award!

Sandra left this award for me on her blog Rose Petal Creations. I've recently discoverd her blog and love to visit! Of course there are strings attached!

* Make a post linking back to the person who gave you the award.

* Share 7 random things about yourself.

* Award 7 recently discovered bloggers with this award and contact them to let them know they have won.

 

1. I hate cockroaches!

2. I read Pride and Prejudice once a year.

3. I'm a talented procrastinator!

4. I'm a secret Sound of Music fan!

5. I love cats.

6. I don't trust men in brown!

7. I'm a bit of a geek when no-one's looking!

 

Chris at http://craftypapillon.blogspot.com/

 

Kate at  http://manualidades-mamapez5.blogspot.com/

 

Rita at  http://rmgcreations.blogspot.com/

 

http://www.lacetopdesigns.com/

 

Helen at http://rainsdropsnroses.blogspot.com/

 

Monica at http://handmadecardswithlove.blogspot.com/

 

Please visit these wonderful blogs!

 

Circle Journal

Last year I joined a circle journal on UKScrappers. It's the first one I've done and I should have been getting my journal back now...unfortunately it's one of two that are missing in action.

The girls in the CJ have been very supportive and have offered to do their pages again, and those that never received my CJ are making pages anyway. I'm so grateful for their kindness. I'm putting pictures of my lost CJ here for them to refer to when making their pages. It was called What Shoe Are You.

Front page

Intro pages

My layout

Sign In pages

Back page

Anything Goes ATC swap

These are for the May Anything Goes swap on UKScrappers. It gave me chance to use another stamp I haven't used for ages and to use up some free paper I got by gesso-ing(I made a new word!)over it!

Vintage ATCs complete!

I finally managed to finish the image transfer ATCs I was doing,but I have to say I wasted a few images by being over zealous with the rubbing!

Vintage ATC

I have some ATCs to do for a swap on UKStampers. As the theme is vintage I thought I'd have a go at image transfer with acrylic paint. All I can say if you're going to do this is plan ahead! I've been at it all night and still only have one ATC done. Can't feel my fingers either from all that rubbing!

Male birthday card

I was playing around,procrastinating when I should have been doing an assignment! This was a quick play with my favourite male Art Journey stamps so I'm going to put it in for the Art Journey challenge this month.

Less Is More-embossing

I made this Thank You card for a Turkish relative and thought it would be great as my entry for Less Is More this week. The bird is stamped in brown ink and clear embossed. The sentiment is a bit smudged because my alpha stamps seem to be falling apart- finally a real excuse to shop!

Good Luck card

I wanted to make a card for a friend who's moving to another job and I ended up with this CAS card.What's going on?! I think I'm becoming addicted to them. I chose this Art Journey stamp as I felt it summed up everything I wanted to wish for my friend.

A few ATCs

Got the urge to make a few ATCs the other day but only just got the time to do it tonight. Had a play with my Cosmic Shimmer paint and some stamps from Stampotique and Stampin' Up. I just love that Eiffel Tower!

The background is a much richer blue than the photo shows, and a bit more shimmery!

I tried some Crocor crackle on these backgrounds but it doesn't really show. I've fallen in love with little Smile!

White on white-Less Is More

I really wasn't happy to see the challenge this week at Less Is More. A white card with only white! No colours! I almost felt like giving it a miss. But that would've been the chicken's way out so I did what I always do when I'm in trouble-sucked it up and got on with it!
Did not enjoy doing this- it was hard to keep the card clean! Can't see myself making any more white on white soon-and from the photo you'll all be glad of that!

Happy Birthday Ivy!

Ivy is a wonderful lady who's been making cot blankets for the Special Care Baby Unit and Children's Accident and Emergency for the last few years. Today is her 90th birthday and I want to wish her many happy returns and to say thank you for all the wonderful blankets, bonnets and bootees.
HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY IVY!

Stampotique challenge card

The challenge at Stampotique at the moment is a sketch. I made myself a picket fence and took it from there!

Thank You card

This week's challenge on Less Is More is to make a Thank You or Congratulation card-or both!
I started with a Thank You card because you can never have too many of those! It's an embossed image which doesn't really show up that well on the photo. 

This week's Sketch Saturday card

I've been pottering about in the kitchen/craft room and over the morning have made a card following the latest Sketch Saturday challenge sketch.

Laugh card

This is my entry for this week's Less is More challenge, which is to make an off centre but balanced card. It's also an entry in my own little challenge to use more of the stamps I haven't used for a while...because if I use them more often I can justify buying more!

Thanks for the award!

I'd like to say thank you to Jacki for sending me this award which was a nice surprise after a busy day at work!
Of course there are some rules attached!

Rule 1 Thank the person for giving you the award and link their blog in the post.
Rule 2 Tell 7 things about yourself.
Rule 3 Pass the award on to 15 other deserved bloggers.

Do I have seven things to say about myself? That's a bit of a challenge!

1. I love Skittles but can only eat them in even numbers!
2. I've tried crafting without stamping but I just can't do it!
3. Chocolate - need I say more!
4. Could I be anymore of a Friends fanatic!
5. I love purple and orange.
6. I never leave the house without eyeliner,mascara and lipstick.
7. My kitchen table is my craft room!

I'd like to pass this award onto these fabulous bloggers-but where do I start?!
Monica
handmadecardswithlove.blogspot.com
Helen
rainsdropsnroses.blogspot.com
Hazel
threelabradors.blogspot.com
Hannah
handmade-hannah.blogspot.com
Sanna
korttipajasannas.blogspot.com
Liz
buttonsforbrains.blogspot.com
Sarita
littleprincesscards.blogspot.com
June
dezinaworld.blogspot.com
She
craftyshe.blogspot.com
Weasel
weaselwise.blogspot.com
Sarah
sarahs-scrap-book.blogspot.com
Alison
craftytrog.wordpress.com
Kirsti
onemadmoo.blogspot.com

Easter trinket box

I bought some little cardboard trinket boxes before Christmas with the foolish notion of decorating them as presents (like that was going to happen!). As I've been off work this week and stuck at home with a son who refuses to go out, I decided to resurrect the trinket box idea and have a play!
I've never done one before but I have to say I had a great time getting all sticky!

I painted the box with acrylic paint and embossed it using my favourite Stampin' Up set, Artistic Etchings. I embossed the medallion on the top and the scroll and key along the sides.



Inside the box there's a pop out Eiffel Tower and two chicks!(My son came home from the shops with a box of 10 chicks as a present for me.Well, two down, eight to go!) 

I'm giving it to a friend who likes quirky things and Paris. Hope she likes it!!



  

Boy's card

I thought it was about time I had a trial run for my son's birthday card!
I've been looking for some rocky type stamps for a while and found these by Inkadinkado-perfect!As I haven't got round to the Sketch Saturday challenge for this week yet, this was the ideal opportunity. .

Clean and simple

I'm loving the Less is More blog and even in between challenges find myself making a few cards. It's giving me chance to use all the stamps that have been languishing in the bottom of the box. Found this one today and couldn't resist it!

Bunting!

I love bunting so couldn't pass on this swap on UKS. It's taken me a few days to get going but they are now finished and ready for the off. Can't wait to see what I get back to string on my wall!

I love this stamp of the woman's face. I don't know which company it's from because I bought it in a job lot off the auction site! It gives a fab image every time.

Get Well Card

The challenge on Stampotique at the moment is to use newsprint or old book pages in your creation. It seems that whenever there's a Stampotique challenge one of my friends falls ill and I have to do a get well card! This was no exception!
As well as old book pages, I used old cola cans to make the flowers and I must say I'm quite pleased with how they turned out.

It's in the Mail ATCs

These are for the monthly theme swap on UKStampers.
After waiting a month for some stamps from Art Journey after they went MIA, it's in the mail means lost in the post to me!I made these while I was waiting for them to arrive and I'm secretly a little sad they came because I was going to treat myself to a trip to the Art Journey shop to buy their stuff in person-ooh heaven!

Acetate card

The challenge on Less is More this week is to make a card using acetate. Got to admit I panicked when I read that!
I managed to find a scrap of acetate but then found out my StazOn was dried out. Instead I used some Cosmic Shimmer and used the acetate as the front of the card.The hardest bit of all was getting a decent photo-am still trying!

Card

A very quick card for Sketch Saturday with my new Art Journey stamps which are just fabulous!

Tag

Tags aren't something I usually do but I couldn't pass over the chance to make one for the Art Journey challenge. And because I've distressed it a bit round the edges and used Croco to crackle it(doesn't really show here) I'm also going to pop it in the Simon Says challenge-woo living on the egde!
This is one of my favourite Art Journey stamps and  I just felt it had to be orange!The little clock embellishment is from a bangle I bought in Claire's in the sale!

More Less is More!

I'm so glad I found this challenge as it's a great opportunity to use up all the blank cards I bought that I've been hoarding since I started making them out of my own card!This week's Less is More challenge is make the sentiment the focus. I don't have many sentiment stamps but this is one of my favourites.

Less is More card

I tried a sketch for the first time the other day so I thought I'd try a Less is More card. This was a bit of a challenge as usually I don't know where to stop and just keep on adding things willy nilly!
The challenge this week is to use a touch of red. I might use this as a leaving card for a friend but I can already feel the itch to add!

Birthday card

I've never made a card following a sketch so I thought it would be interesting to have a try! So I had a peep at Sketch Saturday and followed the latest sketch challenge. I think I'll be doing more of these as I really enjoyed working to a layout.

ATCs

As well as the ill fated Mother's Day card, I also made a few ATCs at the crop, but have to admit to getting sidetracked by the chatting! I might need to touch these up a bit before sending them off!

Mother's Day card

You know when you get all the bits ready and imagine what the card will look like but it just won't come together? That was me with this card! I got all the bits ready at the Rochdale crop yesterday but didn't get chance to put it all together til this morning and just couldn't get it right. Ah well that'll teach me to be more organised. Just loved all the stamps though- they're all Stampin' Up.