Scent Of A Woman

With January rapidly coming to a close it was about time I shared two particular Crafty Individual projects which were made some time ago. Both projects use stamps from their  Elements Set CI-335.The Elements Sets are so lovely to work with as I can solely create projects with the set or mix ‘n’ match them with individual CI stamps.
The first project is an altered matchbox I used the silhouette as the focal, stamping it twice so I could layer the oval section for some dimension.Some little details.The addition of stamping on the drawer ends with of course a little bit of lace.After painting the matchbox I stamped one of the C.I. script stamps before stamping Paris then the perfume bottles added to the sides.Another perfume bottleWith the fan added to the rear.The second project is a Postcard made as far back as November. Perfume bottles all in a row.Did you know that Crafty Individuals have announced some new stamp releases and also more Must Have items. One of the new Element  Sets would work beautifully with CI-335 , a set comprising vintage perfume labels.  It is worth noting that if you order from the Crafty Individuals website there is a new Special Offer available free with all orders.
Happy Shopping!
Lynne

Devoted To His Work (FSC#14 Make It A Guy Thing)

It is that time again when Fashionable Stamping Challenge announce a new challenge theme which is  “Make It A Guy Thing“.  At FSC we like to keep rules to a minimum but we do ask that you include stamping on your artwork. For all rules of entry and details of the prize, click the link at the top of this post. Once there you will also see the incredible artwork on display from my fellow Fashionettes.
It is a great challenge theme as many of us tend to shy away from the more masculine style of projects and as we know, it is good to step out with our comfort zone now and again. Whether it be in a vintage style,  contemporary, teenage, sporty, anything goes.
For my DT sample I had to use one of the newest Oxford Impressions’ sets, London Telegraph, a fabulous set of stamps especially if you have a passion for Steampunk.It has been too long since I last altered a wooden block so was keen to use that as a base for the London Telegraph stamps. I like the idea of this being used as an alternative to a paperweight.There are some requirements for this:- detail scissors, a tube of silicone glue and patience!
A small piece of Stampbord creates a wee feature with the addition of a clip and piece of string.
Mixing up the stamping surfaces creates interest and texture.Layers of varying sized circles, some topped with glass circles.Torn mica layered over the stamped text.We look forward to see your Make It A Guy Thing art and as always, have fun with this challenge and of course, Good Luck.
Wishes
Lynne

When A Dream Turns To Reality (My Exciting DT News)

As a stamper you want to play with stamps that you genuinely enjoy and as a stamper there is, to my mind, no greater privilege than being on a DT for a stamp company whose stamps you reach for time and time again, I already have the honour of being on two such teams with The Stampsmith and Crafty Individuals. It is no secret that I am always reaching for my  Oxford Impressions’ stamps  so it will not be a surprise when I reveal that to be on Suzanne’s DT would be the third in my DT trinity.  Well on New Year’s Day that dream became a reality, although it still hasn’t quite sunk in yet!!!
This month Suzanne released two new stamp sets, London Telegraph and Easter Bunny.   I will share the first of my DT work with you on Sunday using stamps from the stunning London Telegraph set. This set is perfect for all you Steampunk lovers out there, I know there are plenty of you. However, with the addition of a stamp of a woman and also an advertisement for hats, there is lots of scope with this set.
For this post I thought I would select from the tag cloud (see on my sidebar – Oxford Impressions)  artwork that I have posted  over the past two years.  As so many pieces are tagged to Oxford Impressions my selection is random.
This beautiful stamp is from Soul of A Rose plate. That set of stamps was my first ever Oxford Impressions’ purchase three years ago. This is an altered book cover.Also from Soul of a Rose.  A stamp depicting an image of a painting I first discovered in my teenage years.On Suzanne’s Blog she asked us to create Steampunk cards. When I saw this on Suzanne’s Blog I was so thrilled as I wasn’t sure if it had a strong enough Steampunk flavour to it. I remember going through a phase of spraying everything with my homemade spray inks!From Wonderland plate a Mixed Media hanging.A giant jigsaw piece I received in a swap. I could create anything I liked to send to my swap partner. I turned it into a mirror.For another swap, a Deco page to send to a swap partner.When I was on the Altered Element DT I created a tutorial on distressing and this card was part of the tutorial. The stamps are mainly from April In Paris.Also using stamps from April In Paris Drawing this post to an end I will close with an altered matchbox (front of the box and the inside drawer) using stamps from A Scandalous Beauty.Suzanne’s stamps allow you to create little stories, with this altered matchbox telling the story of a woman looking back on her life. Although not shown here I also decorated the back of the matchbox, depicting the other stage of her life. This sampling alone shows my passion for Oxford Impressions stamps. Not only do I have the joy of working with those stamps and working for Suzanne but to be part of her incredible DT which consists of many artists who I genuinely hold in high regard.  All of this is a dream I never imagined would come true.
Wishes
Lynne

Her Quiet Ways (TSC #26 Tag Art)

January is whizzing past us and we are now into the final week of the Tag Art challenge I have the pleasure of hosting over at The Stampsmith Challenge.
As with every challenge, the winner is selected randomly and wins a wonderful prize plus the Top 3 artwork is always displayed. We only ask that you include at least one Stampsmith stamp on your artwork.
My second and final DT sample is a stand alone tag. When I created my first sample  (which I then used to embellish a card) I created this tag at the same time, using many of the same supplies. These are good sized stamps so my tag base is a larger size manilla shipping tag. Once again the stamp is from the Won’t You Be My Honey set which incidentally is the set that one of the prizes in my Giveaway comes from.A very genteel lady.
I selected Beauty from the Say It With Flair plate. I’ve enjoyed viewing the incredible artwork that already has been entered into the Tag Art challenge. The standard is always so high.
This past week I have finally managed to spend time organising artwork and photographs into posts so I probably should apologise in advance if it appears that I am bombarding you with artwork!
Thank you for taking the time to visit.
Wishes
Lynne

His Plea, “Be Mine”

By now you probably all know of Dezinaworld’s images being available free to everyone but did you know that June also has a Pick of the Day and that the Spotlight Challenge has returned, so there is always plenty of activity taking place over at the  Dezinaworld Blog.
Love is most definitely filling the air so I just had to use this image available on one of the image sheets that is part of the Vintage Collage Trio.  Many times I’ve worked with images from the children and women image sheets in this set but this is the first time I’ve used the sheet comprising images of couples, a sheet perfect for Valentine’s Day.Using a Crafty Individuals shabby tag as the base I stamped Valentine from Oxford Impressions’ BonBon plate, in fact all stamps are from this set, including the fussy cut hearts and ribbon.
Glass glitter and a cluster of flowers.Be Mine So why not pop on over to June’s and collect some images for your art.
Before I say Goodbye I cannot thank you all enough for joining in with my Giveaway.
Wishes
Lynne

Will You Celebrate With Me ? (A Giveaway!) NOW CLOSED

This is a sticky post and will remain at the top of this page until Giveaway closes on 11.02.2012On 3rd December my Blog celebrated its 2nd anniversary but so much was occupying my personal life that I had no choice but to postpone the Giveaway I intended. I decided come what may this Giveaway would go ahead in January! So here it is:-
There are two prizes, one to celebrate each year of Blogging.
First Prize:-
Sponsored by Dezinaworld – This is so exciting. When June from Dezinaworld heard of my Giveaway she offered to custom design one image sheet, whether your style is Steampunk or vintage ladies, June will create a one off design for you.  Once the first prize winner has contacted me we will make arrangements for you to contact June to arrange for this special prize.
Sponsored by The Stampsmith – Also as part of the First Prize is this romantic stamp kindly donated by Estelle from The Stampsmith. This beautiful vintage photo stamp is from the Won’t You Be My Honey plate.

Stamped Tote Bag – Included in the First Prize is this stamped tote (stamped with  Oxford Impressions’ stamps.) Tucked inside will be The Stampsmith stamp with other bits ‘n’ pieces. Second Prize:- Lucky Bag
As it is a Lucky Bag I am teasing you by not revealing all the contents but here is a wee peek. (The stamps are Crafty Individuals)
How To Enter
For previous Giveaways I’ve not asked for people to Follow me but for this Giveaway I have given this some thought. This past year in particular the majority of people who take time to visit my Blog have become friends, getting to know them because of their visits and because of their own Blogs. So in light of this I ask that you:-
. leave a comment and become a Follower (either sign up for e-mail notification or click Follow on top bar). In your comment let me know that you are a Follower. 
. if you add the Giveaway button to your Blog’s sidebar (with link back here), let me know and I will add your name to the hat twice.

The two winners’ names will be randomly selected on 11th February and posted here. I will not be contacting the winners so you must check back here to see if you are one of those winning names.

Thank You to June and Estelle for making this Giveaway so special with your generosity and thank you to every one of you who has taken the time to visit and comment over the past two years because each of you makes Blogging not only fun but a very special part of my crafting life.
Good Luck.
Lynne

Remember, Cherish Those Moments

After our preparations for Christmas we now turn towards Valentine’s Day and the good news, if you have plans to create some Valentine artwork then Dezinaworld can help you because June has some stunning images and image sheets. If you managed to read my post from earlier this week you will now know that June is no longer charging for image sheets which is so exciting.
She has available, apart from two individual images, two Valentine Cuties image sheets. I was immediately drawn to this beautiful image, the colours and that cute little dog make it so adorable. A friend die-cut (thank you!) this shape for me which is lovely as a base for little hangings. Little stamping (Crafty Individuals) a script stamp onto the pattern paper before adding lace and scraps.
Cherish the moment seemed such an appropriate stamp to use. This is another stamp from Crafty Individuals – stamping it onto old book paper.
A little cork heart decorates the bottom of the panel.The little stamp beneath the heart is also from CI, from one of their Elements Sets.
If you visit June’s Blog (link at top) then you will be able to view artwork created by some of the other DT members.
Thank you for taking the time to visiting today.
Wishes
Lynne

Let’s Set Upon Our Journey

Amongst Crafty Individuals most recent releases was stamp CI-336, a collage style stamp with a hot air balloon taking centre stage.  The images on the stamp make it suitable for travel theme or you could have fun with a completely over the top Steampunk style of artwork and not forgetting, perfect for masculine cards.This stamp is the focal on a hanging I created (measuring 9.5″ x 6.5″) .To bring contrast I stamped CI-336 once onto the card (from cardboard box) and once onto what my friend calls “fish paper”. She brought this back from Cyprus and no, there is no fishy smell! On one side of this cream paper it is smooth and the other side,  a toothy texture to it.
A cardboard box was the main supply for this hanging giving me both the corrugated texture and texture similar to kraft card which I was able to stamp onto. Dry brushing Gesso onto the corrugated texture brings some lightness to the colour.As well as CI-336 I used several CI stamps, some of which were freebies from CI because with every on-line order you also receive a sample pack of cut-offs which are invaluable to have in your stash. Travel, Explore, Discover is one such stamp as is the Eiffel Tower ticket tucked in at the side. They also sell the full sized version of this stamp. There is also a mix of vintage sheet music and stamped sheet music (CI-194)Roma, Berlin and Milano, just some stops on our journey around the world in 80 days. Those stamps are from CI-122 and CI-124. Again stamped onto the card from the cardboard box and to add a quirky little detail I added buttons to their centres. To add detail at the top of the hanging I stamped Paris mark (CI-122) and placed it beneath a glass circle. On my sidebar you might have noticed that Jean at her Crafty Individuals’ Blog is offering some Blog Candy. You have until this evening to participate. It is a wonderful prize to win especially with the promise of one of their new stamps which is so Top Secret Jean hasn’t  released an image of it.
Thank You for taking the time to visit me, visits which are always very much appreciated. I hope to be able to catch-up with you soon and view your own artwork.
Wishes
Lynne

Dezinaworld News To Share

I know that many of you are fans of Dezinaworld and may well have read June’s announcement at her Dezinaworld Blog but if not then I will share some of it in this post.
June sold image sheets at her Dezinaworld store, image sheets she sold at very reasonable prices, well the exciting news for any of you who love to work with image sheets, there is now no charge. Yes, this may appear too good to be true but there are no gimmicks, no buy one get one free, the image sheets are now available free of charge.  Such a gesture shows the depth of June’s generosity of spirit, after all  June was running Dezinaworld as a business.   When June sources the images to compile into image sheets there are expenses for June so  I would like to add that June has included a means for people to donate and wouldn’t it be a nice gesture if  when you select your free sheet of images, maybe every now and again donate a little, I know that June would greatly appreciate this gesture.  She has not asked for a specific amount but considering what June is giving to anyone who wants to work with her images and who wouldn’t, this would be a lovely way to pay back June for her generosity.
Click the link at the top of this post and you can read the announcement in June’s own words.
I am sure many of you will have the most fun creating with the Dezinaworld images, I certainly do.
Wishes
Lynne

Madame Butterfly (FSC)

Time to announce a new challenge theme at Fashionable Stamping Challenge with Butterflies and Bugs.  We have very little rules at FSC but we do ask that you include stamping on your artwork as that is what we are passionate about. As always there is a fabulous prize up for grabs and we also have the  new addition of Spotlight. You can read all about this over at the FSC Blog.  Also there you will be able to view what my DT sisters have created for this theme, incredible artwork is on display. On reading the upcoming theme for some reason I had Malcolm McLaren’s Madame Butterfly in my head to which I had the  perfect stamp,  Puccini’s Muse to use as the focal on my altered canvas.  To support the theme of butterflies I repeatedly stamped the pretty butterfly from Oxford Impressions’ Court of Versailles plate, stamping onto the panel but also fussy cutting to create 3d embellishments that flutter around the canvas.
I tried to achieve a look of faded romance with soft muted colours and only a hint of the deepest of red here and there.
My Story and Beloved are also from Oxford Impressions and Butterfly (look closely at the first photograph and you will see this) is from Crafty Individuals CI-231.
Will it be butterflies or bugs for you or possibly both on your artwork. Whatever you choose we look forward to viewing your artwork at the FSC Blog.  Good Luck.
Wishes
Lynne