Alphatags Y and Z

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed a rest.

Here are my last set of tags in the Chocolate Baroque Alphatag Challenge.

 This is Y for Yellow

I used stamps from Bold Blooms set and embossed with WOW Easter Sparkle Embossing Glitter and then blended various shades of yellow DI.


Z for Zeppelin (Prototype!)

 For this tag I used DI to blend a background and used stamps from from Teeny Weeny Meadow for trees and Steampunk Travel for the Airship and sentiment.

I have really enjoyed the Alphatag challenge, it's a shame it has come to an end, but next year we are doing another challenge - Quintiles! These are 5" squares and we will have a theme for each month. Can't wait!

Sorry about the quality of photos - my beloved laptop gave up just before Christmas and I have had to replace it. Windows 8.......................not sure yet, can't find anything!


See you soon and Happy New Year
Sandra

Blog Candy!

Crafty Individuals are having a giveaway!
£150 worth of goodies!
Find out more here

Sandra

Christmas Card Swap

Hi

Over at Chocolate Baroque I am taking part in the Christmas Card swap.

We are each given a name to make a card for and have to send it off - so I can't say who this is for as I don't want to spoil the surprise!

This card was made with the reindeer from the Damask Reindeer set and the trees are from the Treescapes set, part of the new clear stamps.
Black ink is Archival and all others DI. Reindeer coloured with Cosmic Shimmer Mist Ancient Copper and a couple of gems added.

Can't wait for mine!

Sandra

Alpha Tags W and X

Next two tags in the series!

W is for Wild.


I used stamps from Wild Meadow set and the bird from Wise Owl.
Brayered the background with DI's.

X is for Xmas Candle

I know it's cheating, but it was a difficult letter!
Stamp is from Grab bag, but it's in the Christmas Angel of Light set.
Coloured with Promarkers and Tumbled Glass DI around the edge.




Thanks for looking

Sandra

Less is More - Hardware

Less is More week 94

For our theme this week

we have chosen

HARDWARE

This could include a variety of things, but most probably it will be something made of metal!

It could include, brads, charms, eyelets, clips, staples, pins, studs etc.

If nothing fitting this description appears in your supplies, faux hardware will probably suffice... as long as it looks good!

For this card I've used the new clear stamps from Chocolate Baroque - Treescapes. Stamped with Archival, masked a moon with a Post it note,  and used Inkdusters and DI Tumbled Glass for the background.
Cut out with Tim Holtz Ornamental Die. Added a ribbon and a reindeer charm from Ribbon Girl.

 Close up of the charm! Cute!

Thanks for looking

Sandra

Less is More - Houses

A chance to use my new Steampunk Travel stamps this week with the new Less is More Challenge!

 

 

 

Now onto our challenge for this week which is 

ONE LAYER

with the theme of 

HOUSES

 

Stamp is Mobile Home from Chocolate Baroque's Steampunk Travel set. 

Simply coloured with promarkers.

 

Thanks for looking
Sandra

Less is More - Pink

Another challenge at Less is More!

For our colour challenge, we have chosen the colour

PINK

Not a colour I tend to go for, but that's what challenges are all about!

For my card I have used the Butterfly Tree  from Chocolate Baroque Essence of Nature stamp set. Stamped in black Archival and Clear embossed. Coloured butterflies with DI Markers Spun Sugar and blended edges with DI.

Thanks for looking,
Sandra

Alpha Tags U and V

 U for UTEE (and Umbrella!)

Oooh, getting to the difficult ones now!

Now, we are allowed to use Chocolate Baroque products or any that are sold by them, past or present. I know Glenda sells some Holtz things but not sure if she ever sold this stamp so the Umbrella has has a coating of UTEE and the Butterfly also.

Background is Gesso, sprayed with inks and mica. Dots made from sequin waste, swirl from Craft Stamper mag.  Umbrella Man from Tim Holtz and sentiment from CB Artistic Expressions. Butterfly from CB Butterfly Blush, sponged with DI, sprayed with mica, covered with UTEE, melted, sprayed with mica and melted again!

                                             Close up of butterfly.











V for Viburnum

I love this stamp and it always reminds me of  viburnum berries.

Background is DI with swirl from Artistic Expressions faint in the background. Stamp from CB Fantastic Florals. Berries and Butterflies coloured with Sakura Glaze pens.





Not many to go now,
See you soon
Sandra

Ranger Weekend

Hi All

Just a quick post to show you what I got up to on the weekend!

I go to a craft club in Ebbw Vale (Technicrafts) and 6 of us travelled up to Snelston in Derbyshire for a Ranger Technique Workshop Weekend with the lovely Anneliese Bates.

We travelled up in 2 cars on the Friday and got to our B and B which was just across the road from the workshop venue. A beautiful Grade 2 Listed house. Three of the ladies stayed in the main house and the rest of us stayed in the annexe to the side, which was fabulous as it had its own sitting room so we could all get together for a drink (or three!) in the evening.

These were the tags we made on Day 1 - embossing, distress inks, re-inkers, dabbers, Perfect Pearls...

..and these are the tags from Day 2 - alcohol inks, distress stains, perfect pearls mists, colour wash.....

....and then we made an image transfer canvas panel to go on the front of a cotton bag to keep all our tags in. (Not finished yet!)

We were busy!!

Anneliese is a great tutor and we had a lovely time with the other ladies on the course - 11 of us altogether, and it was really great to go with my crafting buddies!

Sandra

Alpha Tags S and T

Here is the next installment of the Chocolate Baroque Alpha Tag Challenge. 

S for Spooky!

Background is Halloween Digital Download from Chocolate Baroque.

I then stamped and embossed the tree and railings from Howling Moon set trying to keep the cat in sight!

My second tag is

T for Thistle.

I used alcohol inks for the background.
Stamped the Thistle from Wild Meadow set in Archival ink. Added some Purple glitter and a dragonfly charm.



Quick post tonight as got to pack for my Ranger Workshop Weekend!
See you soon,
Sandra

Baltic Cruise

I don't normally put anything except craft on my blog, but thought I would share a few photos with you!

We recently went on a Baltic Cruise as it was our 30th Wedding Anniversary earlier in the year (and I'll be 50 later in the year). 


First stop was Kalundborg in Denmark. We took the ships excursion to Copenhagen - very expensive place, but kicking myself for not buying a necklace from Pilgrim! 
(Background photo The Oresund Bridge which links the capitol to the mainland, other photos Nyhavn and The Little Mermaid)

Next stop Tallinn in Estonia. Very pretty medieval, walled town. Easy to walk to from ship.
(Background photo - view from ship, other photos are parts of the wall surrounding town, view over the rooftops and  The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral)

Then it was onto St Petersburg, Russia for 2 days. Wow! What a city. We did ships excursions as very expensive to buy own visa, but we had great tour guides. Too many photos to show.
(Background is The Hermitage, other photos Cupolas of Church on Spilled Blood - stunning interior, Gateway to St Catherine's Palace which houses the Amber Room and The Grand Cascade, one of the many fountains at Peterhof Palace and Gardens) 

Next stop Helsinki,Finland. Lovely shops and busy harbourside market.
(Background is one of the lovely sunsets and other photos are the German Church and Helsinki Cathedral

 
Then it was onto Stockholm, Sweden through the wonderful archipelago. Fantastic  shopping in Gamla Stan and we saw the Changing of the Guards at the Palace. 
(Background photo The Archipelago, other photos - one of the streets in Gamla Stan, Changing of the Guard and National Museum).

Our last port of call was Kiel in Germany. Opportunity for more shopping, but this was the day we had some rain so didn't explore the town as much as we would have liked. Did find Woolworths though! After a few hours here we set sail along the Kiel Canal.  The canal was beautiful and so serene. Can you imagine a cruise ship on a canal?It was a shame we didn't leave Kiel earlier to enjoy the canal as it soon became dark. Then it was out to the North Sea (lovely and calm on the way out, but a bit rough coming home).
(Background photo view of Kiel, other photos - ship coming into canal lock and view over the side)

 Oh well, still loads of washing to catch up on and it's back to work on Monday.

Back to crafting soon!
Sandra


( Messing about with Serif Craft Artist!)

Alpha Tags Q and R

Next set of tags for the Chocolate Baroque swap.

This is Q for Queen (original huh?)

 For this tag I used the Art Girl stamp from CB and shaded it with DI's China Blue, Scattered Straw and Spun Sugar.
I had an acetate scrap with a crown and some script left over from another project (Hot Off The Press I think) and cut this to cover, sentiment from same set.

For the background I used DI's China Blue, Scattered Straw and Aged Mahogany. I then embossed with the Big Shot, misted with my own sprays - water, mica and reinkers. When it was dry I used a hard brayer and VersaMark and clear embossed.

Tammy Tutterow has a tutorial here

R is for Ruby Resist

This was a really quick tag!
Background is a piece of Heidi Swapp Invisible which I had in one of Glenda's Stash -e-Lopes (lots of goodies in an envelope!). Covered with DI Aged Mahogany to make the image really pop. Added some gems and a flower from Bold Blooms (stamped in VersaMark and clear embossed).



Thanks for looking
Sandra

Less is More Week 79

Less is More week 79 - Colour

It's ages since I've done a card for Less is More, but with so many birthdays in August I had to make a start and this challenge was perfect for my new stamps!

As it is the first of the month and colour we have chosen

Blue & Green

There is an old saying

Blue & Green should not be seen, Unless there's a colour inbetween!

In this day and age no colour combo is taboo, in some cases the wilder the better.

You may wish to go natural, with summer blue skies and green foliage or quirky, snazzy,

navy and lime. It's completely up to you, we cannot wait to see what you come up with.

 

 

 

 

For my card I used my new stamps from Chocolate Baroque - Pretty Poppies.
I stamped with VersaMark and black EP, coloured with China Blue and Shabby Shutters DI and water brush. Sentiment is from CB Birthday Words.
I distressed around the edges with China Blue, couldn't find any suitable green to layer with so coloured white card with Shabby Shutters. Added a little shrink plastic butterfly.

Thanks for looking
Sandra

Alphatags

 Time for the next Alphatags!

O is for Oak Tree (and Oval)

(Not sure if this is an Oak tree, but was all I could think of!)


I masked off half my card and brayered various DI's to create the background. Stamped the little tree from Teeny Weeny Meadow. Turned cardstock around and masked the image and repeated colours etc.  To make a reflection of my tree I stamped the image onto an acrylic block and then used this to stamp onto the card! This way you get a slightly distressed image which is great for water scenes.
Cut image out with oval die cut and backed with oval scallop.
Covered tag with paper from Essence of Nature CD.






P is for Peacock.


The stamps are from Peacock Glory set, but I only have these two from a stash bag a few years ago.

I stamped the Peacock and used Cosmic Shimmer Malachite Fire EP, coloured the image with Cosmic Shimmer watercolours. I then masked the Peacock and stamped with the feathers and embossed with gold. Added DI and sprayed with water mixed with Memento Re-inkers and mica.







Hope its not so long before I post again!
Sandra

AlphaTags L, M and N

 Chocolate Baroque AlphaTags

Just a quick post today.
Really busy time at work - reports to be finished, etc
Will be end of term before we know it!
Struggled a bit with these letters - hope to have a bit more time next month.

L is for Landscape

For this card I used my Ink Dusters and DI to make the background. Some torn paper for the hills.
Stamps are from Chocolate Baroque Wild Meadow
I then stamped some "Flowers" with Brilliance.

M is for Morocco

I used Alcohol Inks on some silk card - can't remember which colours, but loads of them!
Stamped the Arch and pebbly type (!) stamp from  CB Texture Fragments set. Stamped flower from Bold Blooms onto shrink plastic.

N is for Necklace

Methinks I struggled with this one !!
I used a stamp from Eastern Grasses onto Stampbord, inked with DI and then scratched away areas to show the white from underneath. Used the Crop a Dile to make the hole, covered with Versamark and UTEE.  Made a matching tag and covered this with Crackle Glaze.











Thanks for looking,
See you next month!
Sandra

Alpha Tags J and K

 It's time to show the next tags in the Chocolate Baroque Alpha Tag series!

I am really enjoying doing the tags and am amazed at the variety of artwork produced each month.

J is for Jubilee! Well I had to didn't I?

Tag is randomly stamped with floral stamp from Texture Fragments set and embossed in white. Masked off areas to make a Union Jack (well sort of!) Used DI Barn Door and China Blue.
Ribbons from stash and Charm from Ribbon Girl.











K is for a Kaleidoscope (of Butterflies)

I used Alcohol Inks Sail Boat Blue, Red Pepper, Sunshine Yellow and Lettuce to make the background.

I then stamped a solid Butterfly from the Butterfly Blush set and embossed in various colours from Stampendous.

I then printed off the matching Butterflies from the Artylicious Butterfly Bliss CD ROM, cut them out and layered them.

Need to do 3 next month, so best get started!

Sandra

St Luke's Charity Cards Challenge - One Layer

"This month at St Luke's there is only one rule and that is to have no layers on your card - stamp, draw, ink, emboss - whatever technique you fancy  - just do it directly onto the base card."

For my card I have used the Passion flower stamp from Chocolate Baroque's Easter Traditions set. Simply stamped with Memento and coloured with pencils!

Thanks for looking
Sandra

Less is More - Yellow

Gosh it seems ages since I posted a card!
So, back to it with a card made for Less is More.

This week we are back to a colour challenge and the chosen colour this time is 

Y E L L O W

Other colours may be in evidence as long as the main focus colour is yellow.

 

 For my card I used a Crafty Individuals stamp with a Honeysuckle image, a Chocolate Baroque swirl from Artistic Expressions set and DI Scattered Straw. Layered stamped image onto plain white card which had DI blended around the edge to match!


Thanks for looking
Sandra

Chocolate Baroque Alphatags - H and I

Chocolate Baroque Alphatags

Just a quick post from me today as not been feeling too good - rotten virus. Sure I'll feel better in time to go back to work next week tho!



This is my tag for H - Hoot.

I stamped the Owl from Chocolate Baroque "Wise Owl" with VersaMark and Black EP. Painted with Cosmic Shimmers.
Distressed around the edges with DI Weathered Wood and China Blue. Added a frame of the small feather from the same set. Cut out some feathers for a bit of interest at the bottom and die cut the letters.

This is my tag for I - Imagine

Totally inspired by a Michelle Zindorf card!
Made a moon mask. Brayered Adirondack Stonewashed and Denim top and bottom, made a horizon with post its and sponged more Denim. Removed the mask and stamped foliage from Chocolate Baroque Wild Meadow. Die cut a tag from shrink plastic, stamped Imagine from Artistic Expressions with StazOn.

Making me think of holidays!!



See you soon,
Sandra

Chocolate Baroque Alphatags E, F and G

It's time to send off this month's Chocolate Baroque Alphatags!

E is for Eclipse



For this tag I masked off a moon with a Post it note and using my blending tool covered the tag with DI Black Soot. I used stamps from Chocolate Baroque Howling Moon - railings, trees and small owl, larger owl is from Fat Robin set with the holly masked off. Stamped with Versamark and  Black EP.
Cut out a moon in black card to resemble the eclipse!

F is for Flowers and Foliage

Background of tag made with DI Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Tattered Straw, water and gold mica. Stamped the Fern stamp from Chocolate Baroque Wild Meadow with DI Peeled Paint. Die cut two leaves from Spellbinders set, covered with Versamark, clear EP and different colour micas. Die cut a flower with TH Tattered Florals from CB paper and added a brad coloured with DI Aged Mahogany.

G is for Gratitude

I was struggling with this letter and then Glenda released some new stamps! Artistic Expressions were perfect. I printed off some paper from Essence of Nature, stamped and embossed in Black EP the text, added a butterfly from Just Butterflies painted with mica powders and added three gems.





Thanks for looking,
Will get these in the post today and look forward to receiving my swaps!
Sandra

Less is More - Script

Week 58 at Less is More

Everyone's favourite... the One Layer Card!

Actually we think that some little time ago the thought of a One Layer Card struck fear into the hearts of many LIMettes, but we know that quite a few crafters now really enjoy this genre and make some stunning projects.

This week we'd like you to include 

Script

This includes any text, not just handwritten styles, but must be in addition to any sentiment you might decide to add.

If you have no suitable stamps, you could always resort to your own handwriting (Shock Horror!).

 

For my card I have used a Verse from Chocolate Baroque's Artistic Expressions and the Flower is from their Punky Romance set.  All stamped in Archival Black and a little Glossy Accents on the flowers!   

Nice and simple today!

Sandra

Less is More

Less is More Week 56 - Colour

 

"It's the first week of the month (Gracious, it's March already) and so we've got a colour challenge which this week is

NEUTRALS
This could be anything from off white to black with any shade of beige, brown or grey in between."

 

For my card I have used Clarity card and DI  Antique Linen,  Tea Dye and Vintage Photo, which I applied with Ink Dusters. Matted this onto Core'dinations and roughed the edges and inked with Vintage Photo. Sentiment is from the gorgeous new Chocolate Baroque Artistic Expressions.

 

Thanks for looking,

Sandra