Today's the day.....

...that Sheena's 'Village Mystery' stamps are launched on Create and Craft.  First show is at 9am with other shows at 1pm and 6pm. Here are a couple of samples I've made for the shows......

Don't forget to tune in
Donna xx

Well just one more day to go.....

.....before the new 'Village Mystery' stamps launch on Create and Craft, they really are a lovely set and would be great for all sorts of occasions.  So thought you might like to have another little look at some of the designs on offer.......


.....bit of ultra thick embossing over a stamped image.....

........faux leather, stamped and coloured image........

Shows will be tomorrow, 27th Feb, at 9am, 1pm and 6pm so make sure you tune in......there's bound to be lots of lovely dems and there are some great samples from the rest of the Inkoids to inspire you.

See you again soon
Donna xx

Twit, twoooooo....

.......time for this weeks Creative Expressions project.  This week I've decorated a lovely little MDF birdhouse that we got sent to play with. First of all I painted it with some white acrylic and then with Evergreen Bough and Pine Needle Distress paint.

Then I mixed a little pearlescent mica powder into some clear texture paste and applied it to the birdhouse through a Special Touch mask.

Whilst that was drying I stamped and coloured the owl from Sam Poole's Wise Friend stamp plate.I've used promarkers for colouring but you could use Distress markers, pencils, distress inks.....any colouring medium of your choice really.  I also cut some leaves using a Spellbinders foliage die and some flowers using the Bitty Blossoms die. Then I simply arranged and glued! Oh and added a few pearls for a few accents.

Thanks for stopping by
Donna xx

New stamps on the way......

.....from the fabulous Sheena Douglass. Now if you love 50's England are a fan of Miss Marple, Agatha Raisin ........you're going to love these! They make their debut on Create and Craft on Thursday but I'm thinking you might like a little peek?

You would?!? Okay then.......here you go.....

.....might just be back tomorrow with another ........

See you soon

Donna xx

Gelli plate fun....

....for my piece for That's Crafty today.  Pop over to the That's Crafty blog to see full details but in the meantime here's a little peek......

Donna xx

Melt Pot playtime

....well today I have a little key ring/bag charm that I made using my melt pot to share with you.  First of all I have to admit that the melt pot is a completely new toy to me and this is one of the first real things I've made with it but it worked out reasonably well.......the rose ended up a little 'thicker' than I'd have liked but apart from that I was quite pleased with it! Anyway apologies to those of you who are expert melt potters but to all you newbies like me....here's what I did.

First of all I melted some clear ultra thick embossing powder then when it was melted I added a few drops of colour using the Cosmic Shimmer Crystal Colour Drops..........Azure Blue and Saffron Yellow and also a pinch of Ice White embossing powder and gently swirled it together with a spatula. Then I poured some of the melted powder onto the surface of the Fern Background stamp and immediately pushed a round cookie cutter down into it to make my shape.  I let it cool a little and then used my pokey tool to make a little hole to put a jump ring through. Once it was cool enough to touch I removed the cutter and removed the disc from the stamp......because it was still a little warm I was able to put the pokey tool back through the hole to make it a little bigger. Repeated the above process but this time used a couple of leaf cutters to make my shapes.

Once the shapes were completely cool I used a little of the Golden Light gilding was to highlight the texture left from the stamp. The rose was a white paper one which I made ages ago and was kicking around in my box.  So after cleaning out my melt pot I melted some more Ultra Clear, added a bit of Saffron Yellow colour and a little pinch of Pearl Ultra Thick and once all melted I dipped the rose in and then popped it onto a craft sheet to dry.  Then it was just a case of gluing it all together......and adding the jump ring etc.  So there you have it my first proper play with my melt pot but definitely not my last!!

Donna xx

If it's Saturday then it must be time for another....

....That's Crafty piece.  Head over to the blog for full details but here's a little look at today's hanging piece.....

Donna xx

Sheena's on the old telly box again....

.....with some shows featuring her embossing folders and her Little Bit Magical range of stamps. She'll be on Create and Craft at 11.00 and 4.00 tomorrow so if you get a chance tune in and have a look....there's bound to be some fab demos!

Here's a couple of samples I've made both using her latest faux leather technique.......

The first one a ring bound journal.....had to dig out my old Bind it All for this one...

The next one is a simple little stamped bookmark, again done using the faux leather....

Donna xx

TagAlong challenge time.....

....and this week I've picked the theme.....Roses Are Red....well after all it is Valentines Day tomorrow!

So I've been playing with Sheena Douglass Faux leather technique so that's how I've made this tag.  The background is embossed faux leather which was then inked with a mixture of distress inks, also used the same stuff to make the roses out of........

Don't forget to pop over to TagAlong and join in the fun...

Donna xx

A little bit of sparkle on a dull morning.....

.........

For this weeks make for Creative Expressions I've used both of the background stamps we were given to play with along with a Heartfelt Creations stamp set and a few Spellbinders dies.

Started by getting inky with some Distress Inks - Peacock Feathers, Shaded Lilac and a little Seedless Preserves - I simply blended the colours onto a piece of white card using some cut'n'dry foam and then very randomly stamped bits of the Swirl Background stamp with the Seedless Preserves distress ink.

Then I did the same thing using the Fern Background stamp on another bit of card which I'd inked up with Peacock Feathers distress ink only.......this was to use as a bit of card to cut some leaves from later.

Then using the Spellbinders Fancy Lattice die I cut a piece of white trellis, cut some leaves from my previously created green background card using Spellbinders Foliage die set.  Then I took the Heartfelt Creations Sun Kissed Fleur Stamp set and stamped it a couple of times before cutting out the flowers (I know there's a die to do this but unfortunately I don't have it!) which I coloured with Shaded Lilac distress ink. Then it was simply a matter of assembling.......I cut part of the lattice away to give it an uneven edge and glued in place on the background, then arranged and glued the flowers in position.  I stamped a sentiment and cut it out using one of the dies from the Spellbinders Adorning Squares set which I then glued in place.  To finish I added some glitter to the flowers using some Stickles glue.

See you next week for some more Creative Expressions fun.

Donna xx

That's Crafty time again....

......and this week I've been playing with some Artistic Outpost stamps........just love those stamps!! Anyway here's a little look at what I've made, full details over on the That's Crafty blog........pop over and have a look.

Donna xx

More painty fun.........

......this time for my weekly piece for Creative Expressions.  Started off with one of the Baroque frames and using a mask added a bit of texture with some clear texture paste.

Once that had dried I painted the whole thing with Antique Linen distress paint. Once the paint was dry I then added some bits of random stamping with the Fern Background stamp. 

Then to finish I gently rubbed some gold gilding wax over the texture paste and frame edges.

Now a frame needs a picture, so I cut myself a mount and popped in a pic of my Grandfather taken in 1912.

Donna xx

Valentines Heart......

.....for the Country View Crafts challenge which this month is 'Painty Pleasures'. I've taken a flat Paper Mache Heart, and painted it with Picked Raspberry distress paint, then added some stencilled detail with Antique Linen distress paint and then I added a little background stamping.  I took a small piece of corrugated card and painted it with a mixture of the pink and linen distress paint before stamping on a sentiment and gluing in place on the heart. The flowers were made using the Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms die.

Do check out the challenge and have a play :)

Donna xx

Got to love new toys!

Had some money given to me for Christmas and one of the things I bought was the Inkadinkadoo Stamping Gear system. I'd been looking at them for a little while and thinking I'd like to have a play so thought it was the perfect candidate as a pressie to myself with some of the money :)

It's really easy to use, and there are some interesting stamps available to go with it......lots' of fun to play with. Anyway I thought it was the perfect thing to use for my first piece as a permanent member of the That's Crafty DT, so lovely to have been asked to join the team after my guest month in October :)  Here's a little look at the tag I made......full details on the 'That's Crafty' blog.

Donna xx

A bit of painty fun....

...for the Painty Pleasures challenge over on the Country View Crafts Challenge.

I've used Salty Ocean, Stormy Sky and Antique Linen Distress Paint to create the background along with a bit of stamping and a harlequin mask.  Used Tim Holtz's 'Umbrella Man' die to cut my image out of a bit of old packaging but before painting it with some Chipped Sapphire distress paint I pulled off a little of the surface to reveal a bit of the texture. To finish I stamped the quotation using some alphabet stamps but you could always print it out on the computer if you don't have any stamps.

Donna xx