A Stroll With Jane

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
Jane Austen always conjures up images of gentle romance, of frivolity and charm. Certainly the Jane Austen stamp set  from Oxford Impressions brings to mind such notions. As an avid reader I was particular drawn to this set, with stamps such as a book, quill and ink bottle, a quote about reading and the most charming stamp of a lady reading.
The first piece I made with this set is an altered canvas.The book pages were painted with a  mixture consisting of pink acrylic with a glazing medium.As usual, when dimension is required I used silicone glue to raise the stamped image.Painted German Scrap, salmon pink ribbon and stamped and painted roses embellish the canvas.Ink pot and quill.
This will sit propped up on my bookcase. Time for me to leave you so I can go and read a good book. Lynne x

Linking to Pink Saturday

Butterflies & Flowers For A Spring Day

As the sun continues to shine and the weather is light and breezy it seemed the right time to share some nature inspired cards and slide mailer.  I was lucky enough to receive these beautiful stamps from Crafty Individuals. The flower stamp is CI-302 and the butterfly stamp is CI-296, the small butterflies and tiny cancellation mark are from other  CI  sets.
When not working to a vintage style this is a style I like. As much as I am passionate about crafting, it is fair to say that some projects can be more taxing than others but when using paints you can always be sure of a relaxing time. On these cards a mixture of watercolours paints, Twinkling H20s and Caran d’ache water-soluble crayons were used. The lace was also dyed a soft pink to co-ordinate.  When making cards like this I love to add scrap pieces of paper, lace, fabric, etc peeking out from edges to add to the collage style. The image was stamped twice so I could layer the butterfly, creating a 3d effect. For certain stamps, especially flowers and butterflies, layering creates a lovely effect. You can see the shimmer created from the paints in the photograph below.A different stamp but similar styleWhite space is something I struggle with which is why I like to create flicks of paint and ink edges plus it also creates more flow on the card.

Slide mailers always make lovely alternatives to a card as they can be so easily displayed. All the items are  Crafty Individuals:- flowers, scroll and butterfly stamps, chipboard frame, slide mailer, a scrap of paper from  The Seaside and the two images inside.

More butterflies, some stamped onto the mailer and others stamped onto scrap paper and you will notice I  also stamped onto the peach ribbon. A lace applique added for texture.
Crafty Individuals have such lovely images in their People and Places books.
Finally the back of the mailer

Enjoy the Springtime weather and I will be back soon with more items to share. Lynne x

The Winners Are ……

I was amazed at how many people entered the “In The Pink Giveaway”, thank you so much for joining in.
The two names, picked at random to each win a notebook and lace  are ……
Valerie.Jael andKatie 
As there were more names than I expected I decided to pick two more names to win some hand-dyed lace.   Those two names areDebbie Painter
andCathy Hutchins
I will have another little Giveaway soon, not quite decided what I will give away as yet but I am nearing my 300th post, yes, cannot believe, that I, “the reluctant blogger” has nearly reached her 300th post. Once again, thanks to everyone who joined in. Lynne x

Have You Donned Your Easter Bonnet?

“In your Easter Bonnet,
With all the frills upon it
You’ll be the grandest lady
in the Easter Parade”
(Irving Berlin)
A new bonnet for Easter was considered a luxury item and for many, an important item. If their finances would not stretch to a new bonnet then they would alter an existing bonnet with ribbon and flowers, possibly a new length of ribbon would be purchased for the occasion. With this in mind I made this mini concertina tag book for Tag Tuesday’s  “Happy Easter” theme
All images are from Divas D’Este’s Victorian Easter Parade collage sheet. I also computer generated the song lyrics.
Bo Bunny paper  was used for it’s bold floral design, adding lace, feathers, flowers and a very unusual silver leaf embellishment which you will see in the first photograph, this was a gift from Cynnie. Ric Rac was added to tie the book closed.

Whether you have donned your Easter bonnet or prefer a more relaxed look to your appearance, have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. Lynne x

Step Into the Garden Maude

I stumbled across this image recently and it caught my eye because I have it in stamp form (Oxford Impressions) but I liked the idea of working with this image on fabric. The colours came up beautifully which I was pleased with and creates a dramatic focal point against the pastel colours of the lace and beads. 
This heart is for an Aunt’s birthday as an alternative to a birthday card. It doesn’t show in the photograph but there is a padded appearance to this heart. They are such relaxing pieces to work on and ever so slightly addictive! A fabric rose was added to a lace applique, a bow formed from lace was also stitched to the heart and several beads stitched in clusters.
Lynne x

I am linking this to Pink Saturday.

Chocolate, Flowers and Easter Greetings

I am no different from any other crafter in that I hoard anything and everything. Boxes always have a use, especially good quality boxes which is what I used here. This box was an ideal depth for what I required of it (7″x7″ and a depth of 2″).
If you look at Divas D’Este’s Homepage you will see there are two free images for you to use in your artwork. I like the slightly whimsical nature to the image of the woman holding a cracked egg.

I picked the colours from the ones in her dress. Painting the box and adding some subtle stamping (flower stamp from Oxford Impressions). A frame created from fabric ribbon stickers.
Ric Rac added to top and bottom and a pretty flower pin (thanks Lucy) inserted into a double bow of blue and salmon pink ribbon.
A cluster of paper and fabric flowers and a lace leaf.
What is inside the box?
a little chick, sitting in her nest, making sure nobody takes a liking to her chocolate eggs.
Rounding up the Easter projects for Divas D’Este are three cards using images from Easter Beauties collage sheet, a sheet brimming with beautiful vintage Easter images.
Nothing speeds up cardmaking than working with a collage sheet,  pack of co-ordinating papers and some ribbon and flowers to embellish.
The image on the first card is probably my favourite, it is just such a cute image.
With images as beautiful as these they really don’t need much embellishment.
Those may be the final projects for Easter 2011 but there will be plenty of Springtime artwork to follow. Lynne x.

Jewel

When I started to take rubber stamping seriously, Crafty Individuals stamps were amongst the first I purchased, falling in love with their vintage, collage style. I was delighted that Jean set up a Crafty Individuals Blog and that this was quickly followed by the announcement of a Crafty Individuals Challenge. The first challenge is well underway, the theme being “Simply Squares”, where at least one CI product has to be  incorporated into the artwork.
I knew what I wanted to make and which item I would be using and I have to own up and say not one CI stamp is used on this piece. On receiving some of their beautiful badges the idea came into my mind of using one to form a piece of jewellery.
Using felt and lace I built up layers. Pearl beads were stitched onto the lace and a piece of broken jewellery is the finishing touch (thanks Dot!)
I like the idea of attaching this to a handbag although not the bag that it is photographed beside, this bag is too special to have brooches pinned to it as it is a beaded bag from the 1920’s which belonged to my Great Aunt Jean.  As it has the same colours as the brooch it was a perfect backdrop to photograph it on.

Gratitude

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul” (Henry Ward Beecher)

This post is full of thanks, for gifts of the heart, a beautiful Giveaway I won and my gratitude for being a Featured Artist at Cindy Adkins’ Whimsical Musings on-line magazine.
The other day, in the mail I received a package from Marie (lost Bird Studio) . I know from past experience, from winning one of Marie’s Giveaways, just how generous a soul she is but this time it wasn’t that I had won a Giveaway, it was purely for no reason other than Marie is so generous and giving.
Here is a close-up of the card she made, or is it a card …..
because this card when you flip it over has a pocket and look at all the delights that are tucked inside. Also the attention to detail, little words, scraps of text papers, a heart shaped button.
A ticket  which states “Good For One Hug Anytime” which is really cute
 Marie also included a wee lavender pillow she had made with a distinctly French twist. This is already sitting on my bedside table.
“Thank You” always seems to be so inadequate when someone sends such thoughtful gifts and goes to so much trouble to package with care. These are all such little treasures to me.
Today in the mail, a package from Canada. A stunning Giveaway I won over at Wood and Fabric. Michelle’s fabric hanging is also a pocket. Beautiful lace and buttons and a wooden plague and the two speckled feathers peeking out.

I will get so much pleasure looking for the right spots to display the gifts from Marie and my prize from Michelle.

As we know, gifts can come in all forms. Cindy Adkins’ has presented me with the gift of being one of the Featured Artists at her on-line magazine, which is such an honour.

 As many of you will know, Cindy is not only an incredible Mixed Media artist but she always takes the time to showcase other artists, no matter what their preferred media is, it could be stamping, fabric, jewellery, etc. This week I am featured alongside Zoe and Marie   two immensely talented artists. If you haven’t visited their Blogs before then why not take the time to pop on over and see their amazing artwork.
So I am sure you will agree, I am one Lucky Lady to have received such amazing gifts, none of which I take for granted. Lynne x

In The Pink (A Giveaway!)

Last Saturday I joined in the fun at Pink Saturday, for which I have Cindy Adkins to thank for as she was the one who mentioned Pink Saturday to me. It was about time I had another little Giveaway so in honour of a favourite colour of mine, here are my little pinkie Giveaways.
Both notebooks are the perfect size for handbags or totes. The first notebook has a beautiful image from Trishia at French Kissed Postcards (FKP Zibbet Store)which I printed onto a transparency.
The second notebook has an image from Divas D’Este’s Pretty Bonnet Girls, an image transfer onto fabric.
Keeping with the pink theme, along with each notebook there will be some hand dyed pink lace.

This little Giveaway is open to everyone, all you need to do is leave a comment. I will randomly select two names on 26th April. Lynne x

Printemps (TSC#12 Spring)

“April prepared her green traffic light and the world thinks Go”Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

There is a new challenge theme at The Stampsmith Challenge, Springtime. We want to see your artwork inspired by Spring, whether it be the colours of Spring, flowers, birds, etc. I must remind you that as this is the 15th of the month, to be eligible for the Prize Draw you must include one stamp from The Stampsmith range. Head on over to The Stampsmith Challenge Blog for rules of entry.
I picked Camelia which is a beautiful single um stamp. This image always stamps beautifully no matter the colour of ink, whether you use chalks or in this case, a wee touch of watercolours.
As the theme is Spring I decided to work with colours that I’d normally shy away from. Believe it or not, this vase, which belonged to my Great Aunt Lizzie, was the inspiration for my colour choice.
Pattern papers, handmade paper and tulle were added to the cardbase. The trim/ribbon, which I understand is vintage, suited the colours perfectly and with the design of flowers and butterflies it epitomises Springtime. A scattering of flowers were added and finally “Joy”. Joy, because for many people, especially anyone living in a country where the winters can be harsh, the prospect of Springtime fills them with joy.
Looking forward to seeing your Spring inspired artwork.  Good Luck with the Prize Draw! Lynne x