My Zentangle hand

I just love this art, probably because I love doodling!

Blog dog!

I bought some dog stamps from a seller on ebay and have been trying to get decent images from them for the past few months. They are polymer stamps and for some reason, are as sticky on the front as they are on the back so the black ink just lifts off when I take the stamp off the card. The answer seems to be to wash them well in soapy water before using each time. Finally I have an image that I am happy with. This is the same breed as I own - a Bichon Frise - which is quite popular here in France. In real life he gives me as much grief as this stamp did! Not true, I love him to bits, he is a real little character and I wouldn't swap him for anything! Well, maybe a 20 euro note or a nice bottle of Sancerre.......I'm open to offers!

Henriette's birthday box

Here's a tiny box that I made for my neighbour, Henriette, whose birthday it is tomorrow. She'll be NINETY-ONE!!!!! What a grand old lady she is with a mind as clear as a bell. We have some great chats together. She doesn't want to celebrate her birthday tomorrow as her son-in-law was operated on yesterday for cancer of the kidney but I couldn't not visit her and give her something. So, I thought this tiny hand made box with a little scented bag inside would not be too intrusive for her at this sad time and I hope she will accept it from me with all my love and best wishes for a happy outcome.

Sunset

Just about managed to photograph this spectacular sunset before it disappeared below the horizon on this, the shortest day of the year!

Little boxes

Just made this week's challenge with an hour and a half to spare - phew! The challenge this week is a box. I couldn't decide so have entered FIVE! I love making these little paper boxes especially using paint and cling film. The larger one has a top made with alcohol ink and a Clarity stamp star embossed in silver on top.

Christmas pyramid boxes

I can't believe it is a whole month since I last posted anything on my blog so thanks Joy for your gentle reminder! I haven't taken part in the last couple of challenges so I guess that is to blame for the omission. Anyway, here is a selection of some of the pyramids I made and that I demonstrate on one of my workshops. Hope you like them. (Click for a close-up)

Inchies Challenge

The challenge set by Lotstodo this week is to include an inchie or several in your piece. This was the first time I have ever attempted to make an inchie and as you can see, I got carried away and made nine! The cardstock is actually a lovely sparkly brown but hasn't photographed very well. Click to have a closer look.

Silver Wedding cards

Here is a photo of our Silver Wedding cards received from friends and family. Underneath is a photo of the day it all happened in the Seychelles 25 years ago. Seems just like yesterday!

Christmas card

Gosh, it is ages since I updated my blog - sorry folks! I'm not keen on making Christmas cards I have to admit, but this one kind of came in via the back door. I was impressed by a card on Clarity Stamps' gallery using a tree stamp I had, so I played around with it, then sprinkled silver glitter embossing powder on it and suddenly it made me think Christmas. I added the sentiment and layered it up with silver mirror card and here it is - my first Christmas card of 2009! Only 119 more to do, lol!

Places or Cities

That is the challenge this week on Lotstodo, so as we are about to go to Rome, that just had to be the subject of my entry! Don't forget to click on the photo for better detail.

Oriental card

Realised I haven't put anything on my blog for ages so this is a card that I made yesterday. Another Clarity Stamp of course, dressed in Angelina fibres and put on a background card that was swirled around in wet distress inks. The 3 buttons along the bottom were given to me by my friend Ping. Silver border peel-offs around the centre piece complete the card.

Edwige's doggy card

Here's a card made with one of my new dog stamps that I got yesterday from eBay. I made it for my friend Edwige who owns the "poodle parlour" where Teddy goes for his coiffure. She is off on holiday to Italy next week, leaving her Sheltie with a host family here for 3 weeks so I thought I'd make her a card that says, "Enjoy yourselves, you two......" and inside it says "I'll be waiting here for you" and is signed with a large paw print (another stamp). The background is of course the colours of the Italian flag.

Tissue challenge

This week's challenge on Lotstodo is to use tissue paper in your entry so I decided to use some to stamp on a candle! I perched the candle on the windowsill of my craft room to take the picture but it is so hot today that I'm surprised it didn't melt!

Another shirt!

Here's the card I made for our French neighbour's birthday today. Hope he likes it!

Words

That's the challenge this week on Lotstodo and this is my entry. I made this card for my friend Ingrid who is living in Belgium now. Thanks to my lovely forum friend Joy for the stamped image which enabled me to make this card. I hope I have done it justice. The base card was schmoozed through broken china and tattered rose distress inks which had been swiped on my craft map. The lady was painted in the same colours and some paper flowers were added from my punch. I stamped the greeting in blue (albeit none too straight!) and the card was done. I hope Ingrid likes it. I do!

Paper Challenge

Not thrilled with this but I think it meets the criteria for this week's challenge on Lotstodo, i.e. to use paper. Thanks to Ping who demonstrated how to fold this "shirt" at our crafty playday on Wednesday. Think I need to refine it a little.......! The Japanese lady on the "tie" is a Clarity stamp, coloured and then shrunk.

No internet connection

Not been able to post for the past week due to internet connection problems. Hopefully all is sorted now and "normal" service will be resumed!

Tyvek seahorse

A last minute entry to this week's Lotstodo challenge. This is made from Tyvek, painted on both sides then heated with a heat gun to create the bubbles.

My first blog award!

I was so thrilled this morning to receive this award from Zoe. Thank you so much for your appreciation - it is mutual xx

Ruby Wedding card

At last I can blog the card I made for our friends Carole and Paul as the anniversary was yesterday and they have now seen it. The heart stamp is from Clarity Stamps and I stamped it once in cream and once in red, embossed them both in gold, cut them into quarters and mixed them together. The word stamp is an Anita's stamp which I picked up in a sale for £2.99! Again, I've also shown the insert. I'm happy to say that the card was much appreciated.

Chinese butterfly

Thanks to the inspiration from a very talented Canadian lady, Yogi, I made this card. I tore a piece from a Chinese newspaper (thanks to my friend Ping who gets a Chinese Daily and kindly passed one on to me). Then I covered it in a thin coat of gesso after which I added distress inks in blue and green. Next I edged it with my gold Krylon leafing pen and added the butterfly to which I'd added a coat of glossy accents. I had dragged a glossy card through the same colours of distress inks which I'd spritzed lightly with water then spritzed the card and dried it with a heat gun. I added the Chinese "love" character and embossed it with gold, a couple of beads (again thanks Ping!) and finally stamped my JudiKins Japanese poem "Beneath a Plum Tree" as the background in unembossed gold. Looking back on my very early attempts at cardmaking 16 years ago, I think I can say that I am definitely on a journey of discovery and I'm loving every minute of it!

Pierrot card

Here's a card that I made this morning using my friend Pam's "Pierrot" stamp from Paperartsy that I borrowed during our recent "playday". I also used her block stamps from The Stamp Man or Stamp Addicts (can't remember which)and her wonderful Marvy blender blocks (what delicious colours they come in!). The fern stamp is actually mine from Clarity Stamps, also the "love" stamp from I know not where! I've also included the photo of the insert which I did in turquoise paper with a heart punched border to echo the turquoise colour on the front of the card.

Recycle challenge

I have done a very minimalist entry to this week's lotstodo challenge. I scrunched up the foil from around the top of a bottle of fizzy wine, then coloured it with alcohol inks. I put it behind an aperture card and stamped the message in silver on the front.

Alcohol inks and acetate

Following on from the last card, I inked up some acetate with several inks then backed it with some Chinese paper. I loved it so much that I didn't want to use it for background so it has become a card in it's own right! I'm playing around with backing the acetate with text but finding the right balance is difficult. I want it to be subtle but still be able to make out the text. This amazing art journey continues.....!

Acetate challenge

I'm a bit late in submitting my entry for this week's challenge on Lotstodo but I found it exciting and interesting in where it might lead me....... I coloured some acetate with alcohol inks then punched them out with my square punch, backed some of them with coloured paper and embossed around them. Finally I (bravely!) added a hand-written message and lines to the butterfly. I can see that this will be an ongoing project as it has so many applications!

Paris challenge

Well this week's challenge on Lotstodo could have been made with me in mind so I just HAD to enter. I used 3 of Clarity Stamp stamps, gave the lady a Japanese paper jacket and cut out the doorway from black card.

Another Barry birthday card!

Here's a card that I made for yet another friend named Barry (we have THREE!). It is a pinch from Barbara (Clarity Stamp) using her fisherman stamp and the reflection technique using her brayer and crumpled paper which she demonstrated on C&C recently.

Barry's birthday card

We celebrated our friend Barry's 75th birthday on Tuesday in a wonderful old hotel near the Med. It was a lovely party culminating in the town's marvellous firework display (it was Bastille Day). This is the card I made for him. The subject matter was easy as he is a professional photographer and the "book" format lends itself wonderfully to special birthdays in the form of "yearbooks". Here also is a photo of the firework finale. Don't forget to click on the photos for better views.

Chris's birthday card

Here's a card I made for my crafty friend Chris for her birthday last Wednesday. I stamped the poppy image (unknown to her!) when we had the recent craft day in her new craft room and the background was a glossy card swished through some spritzed distress inks and over-stamped with a cracked effect in smoky grey.

Crafting day with friends

As I told you all, I had a great day crafting yesterday with my friends and here is a photo of us in Chris's new craft room. The part you can't see has 5 tall sets of drawers and a shelving unit all stuffed full of wonderful stamps and stash. We are all very envious! The photo shows from left to right Ping, Sue, me, Pam and Chris. Can't wait for our next crafty day in August at Sue's!

This week's Lotstodo challenge is anything stamped so how could I resist such an open contest? But where to begin? I only have a few hundred stamps! I came up with this one (though more may follow later!) which is a trial I did following a Hero Arts tutorial. At one point I was on the verge of tearing it up, then I think I managed to rescue it with the tree stamp. It was a good learning curve and I shall certainly try it again.

Le Chat Noir

Just back from my hols when we stayed for some of the time in a friend's little holiday house called Le Chat Noir. So making a thank you card was really rather easy, if a little basic but I'm sure they'll appreciate the thought. (I coloured the moon a faint shade of yellow after I'd taken the photo).

Another Oriental card

Here's a card that I put together this afternoon. I made the background with Distress inkpads swiped across my craft mat, spritzed with water then schmoozed across it with my coated card. Then I spritzed the inked card with a fine mist of water and stamped my Clarity stamp Japanese woman on top. I added an Angelhair dress with foil coating and the "moon" which was given to me by my dear friend Pam. Peel offs finished off this card - sorry to those whose sensibilities are offended by the use of peel offs but sometimes they just fit the bill!

Happy Father's Day

Someone asked me to make a Father's Day card for her 3 year old son to give to Daddy. The only info she gave me was "a yellow car and Happy Father's Day"!!!!!
After a few hours, I finally came up with this...........

Crackledragonflies

The challenge this week on Lotstodo is to use crackle in whatever way you want to. Here is my take. Don't forget to click for a closer view.

Eiffel tower lady

I made this card today though I'm not sure who I would send it to........ Maybe someone who is feeling a bit down, lost their way.......Any suggestions welcomed.
This card was made thanks to 3 of my Clarity stamps and ideas from Barbara's CDs.

Japanese lady

Here is an example of a card that I just "threw" together rather than placing each element carefully and edging it with a complementary coloured border etc etc.
I think it works equally well! Might try some more "flung together" cards! In fact I might become a believer in "less is more" after all!

Tree-lined card

This week's Lotstodo challenge is Stripes and/or lines so this is my take on it.
Not my usual style but I acknowledge there are "horses for courses" even in cardmaking.

Let's Face it!

Here is my entry for this week's challenge on Lotstodo. I tried out a technique using a polybag, PVA and gold embossing powder which is then distressed with a heat gun. Think I should have kept going and made it "holier" but it is knowing when to stop, isn't it? Anyway, I will definitely give it another go.

Baby boy

Here's a card I made this morning for a special friend who has finally become an aunt. I hope she doesn't peek on here before it arrives! It is my first success using shrink plastic and a heat gun.

Alcohol inks and acetate

Had a play around today with alcohol inks on acetate then stamped some butterflies on the other side. I mounted the acetate onto an A5 card which had the same butterflies stamped (but not embossed) in gold. Difficult to see the true effect from the photo but I liked the outcome.

Black & White challenge

This is a card that I made for this week's challenge on Lotstodo. The brief was black and white so I tried out one of my new stamps which had a rather nostalgic look about it so I typed up the background (one of Terry Wogan's little nuggets)and card done. Now just got to find some-one with a sense of humour..........

Another chic lady card

Still playing around with Tim Holtz distress inkpads. Got a way to go but getting there!

Parisien lady

Played around last night with some Distress Inkpad techniques I saw on Create and Craft and Tim Holtz videos. This is the result. I have to say that I am quite pleased with the results .......

Customised heat gun

I played around last night with my alcohol inks and decided to change my heat gun. This is the result...... Don't forget to click on the photo to enlarge it.

Art challenge piece

The challenge this week is entitled "art" which leaves it wide open to interpretation. Here is mine.

Baby bootees

I couldn't resist showing you the blue baby box open as it contains a pair of gorgeous little bootees that I knit. I then make the gift bag, the gift tag and the greetings card and so it is the complete gift all in one.

Little boxes

I was really pleased to find that this week's challenge on the Lotstodo forum is little boxes because they are my all time favourite thing to make. You can make such a wonderful variety of boxes, that there is always something new to come up with. Here are a few of my little boxes. I hope you like them.