Heart to Heart (Guest Designer – Paper Artsy)

Hello Everyone
It was the biggest surprise and  so lovely to be invited to be a Guest Designer for Paper Artsy.
When I started stamping, along with Crafty Individuals, it was Paper Artsy whose stamps I was drawn to.  If I had known back then that one day I would be invited to be a Guest Designer, well I never would have believed it!
This is a sneaky peek at my project which I so enjoyed working on.Thank You for your visit to this sneaky peek and if you would like to view the full artwork along then please visit the Paper Artsy Blog, HERE.  I hope you like what I have created.
Have a lovely evening and without offending anyone ….
Happy Halloween Wishes
Lynne

Haunting Halloween Gifts

Hello Everyone
Maybe you visited my previous post where I shared the beautiful gifts from Dorthe, well it doesn’t stop there because this month I also received more amazing gifts.
When the Postman handed over a large, square package I was baffled because I wasn’t expecting any deliveries.  What was inside made me gasp as it was a creation I had seen on the lovely Anne’s blog (Redanne), this fabulous Halloween lantern.
Inside the lantern is a battery operated tea light to make the lantern glow (but the lantern is just as effective without the inner glow) and perched on top is a die-cut witch.  It is such an original Halloween project, I don’t know how Anne (who I call the Queen of Halloween!) could part with this.Anne also gifted Halloween themed die-cuts which were tied up with twine and a Muse Token with the word Wishes …. such thoughtfulness.The lantern can be viewed in Anne’s original post HERE.
If all that were not enough spookiness, I received more Halloween art, this time from the lovely Coco.
Coc0 A few months ago we said we would send each other a gift, no deadlines, only in the time that suited us.  Coco sent me (she had received my gift a few weeks ago)  a Halloween gift, this wonderfully atmospheric hanging.We also included little crafty bits along with our artwork. Look at the bounty I received:- buttons, a cherub stamp, lace, trims, flat back pearls, etc.
A huge THANK YOU to the lovely Anne and Coco for sending such sensationally spooky creations my way, I know I will bring out both the lantern and wall hanging each and every Halloween.
Anne and Coco have a large presence on the blog scene but if either of those lovely ladies are new to you then please stop by their fabulous blogs.  The links for their blogs are beside their names within this blog post.
Many thanks for your visit.
Wishes
Lynne

Gifts From The Heart

Hello Everyone
Before I share with you an exquisite gift I received from my dear friend Dorthe (Den Lille Lade) I wanted to say thank you for all your visits and comments. I always appreciate the time you take to visit my blog but especially when I have been quiet and unable to visit your own blogs and also I wanted to say Thank You for your support when I share cards and other artwork which has been published.
Obviously  I am  always over the moon to know a submission has been published, never taking it for granted because I know only too well the abundance of talented artists there are  (and the volume of submissions Stampington & co must receive) and I am happy for any of the stamp companies to have their name credited but it never ceases to amaze me how supportive this community is whenever I share such creative news.  It means so much to me to have your warm support.

This post is about the exquisite gifts I received from the lovely Dorthe.  I wish I had taken time to photograph the beautiful sheet music paper with seam binding  but I was too eager to open it!  Imagine how I felt when this is what I saw.  It is no exaggeration to say that it took my breath away and I actually had tears in my eyes.  This was not only because the padded heart was so beautiful created in its details and that sweet image with tucked inside the little container the words For You  but it was because it was from Dorthe’s heart, just as the stamped label states, From The Heart.Dorthe also created this beautiful collaged card.  Anyone who is lucky enough to have received one of Dorthe’s collages knows that she creates magic in the way she layers paper napkins, images, torn lace and trims along with other textures  in the form of papers and fabric. To receive such gifts not because it was my birthday, not because it was Christmas but just because, it sure made me feel so special and whenever I pass by the heart I get such a lovely feeling, almost like a sense of comfort – very difficult to put into words.
I asked Dorthe’s permission to share her gifts and she already knows how much they mean to me but I wanted to share their beauty here with you.
This past month has seen me bestowed with so much kindness and I will be sharing some more stunning artwork later but before I finish I also want to give a shout out to the lovely Nicola and Lucy (and Petra) for their generosity.
As I said at the top of this post, how lucky we are to be part of such a warm and supportive community.
Wishes
Lynne

Do You Believe In Fairies? (Published Take Ten)

Hello Everyone
Welcome to my first post of this brand new week where I am sharing some whimsical cards.
A few months ago I had Oxford Impressions’ Fairy Sweets stamp set out, at the time I was making a birthday canvas for a cousin’s birthday (also doubled up as a DT post for That’s Crafty) and it occurred to me that I had never submitted cards with this stamp set.  It was also around this time that I was starting to play a little bit with colour so this collection was my way of easing myself into colour.
Once I have mailed submissions I tend to put them out of my mind because I cannot even begin to second guess what will catch the eyes of the various Editors at Stampington & co.  It was a huge surprise to see the cards featured in the Autumn issue of Take Ten.
(Fairy Sweets can be purchased directly from Oxford Impressions or in the U.K. from That’ Crafty.)
The cardbases  are watercolour paper with paint flicks in pastel blue and pink.  Unusually for me, there are no bits of this ‘n’ that on any of the four cards I submitted, simply stamping. This is Prince CharmingI will only share one more card with you, Queen of the Garden.  Doesn’t she look so serious?!So there we have it, a short and sweet post to begin this new week and the final week of October, how did that happen!?
I really do appreciate your visits and comments. It might sound corny but without you, having my Blog would not be nearly as much fun.
Wishes
Lynne

By The Light Of The Moon

Hello Everyone
Today I am sharing my final, Halloween inspired card at That’s Crafty.
Here is a little peek at the card.If you would like to see the card then please visit HERE.
Have a lovely Sunday.
Wishes
Lynne

Let’s Sit Quietly And Read

Hello Everyone
New Darkroom Door releases is always fun especially knowing that one set featured books, the Bookworm stamp set.
It is no secret that I love books.  My Mum and I are the readers in the family with my sister and Dad being the sporty ones.  When I was a child, at that time, the local Library was housed in an imposing building with countless steps to climb before entering the inner sanctum of the Library itself.  It was my Mum who would take me to the Library where she would select her books for borrowing and then we would head to the Children’s Library which had its own room.  This was a time when there were signs stating “No Talking” and you know that those words were not to be fooled with!  When I think of books it brings a flood of warm feelings to me.
When a book touches me I am happy to re-read it and I have, some would say, far too many books stored in the loft.  In recent years the book which touched me the most and actually saw me sobbing (very much in contrast to my character) is “The Book Thief”.  However I am not here to chat about books, I am here to share with you my DT sample for Darkroom Door which is an altered papier mache book.
(This will also appear over on the Darkroom Door Blog so I will only share the stamps used and a brief outline of the instructions. )
An aged appearance to the book was called for with me wanting to bring a feeling of worn gilding on a book’s cover. To achieve this I used the wonderful Damask Texture Stamp.
Opening the cover reveals a sentiment and a stack of books.
It is barely visible but around the edges of the left panel is another of the new stamps, the Torn Text Background stamp.To the right the recess is deeper so I formed a stack of vintage book pages, tearing to fit into the recess,  with the Darkroom Door books stamped onto the top page.
You can see in this photograph that I really did man handle the papier mache book to give an aged, distressed appearance, including cracking the spine.The Darkroom Door blog is continually being up-dated with many samples featuring the new stamps on display. This DT sample is my first featuring one of the new stamps but soon I will be sharing some more samples featuring other recently released stamps.
Thank You for your visit to this blog post, always much appreciated.
Wishes
Lynne

Santa & His Twinkly Beard

Hello Everyone
For the moment I want to stay with Christmas but this time it is for Darkroom Door.
If you are a fan of Darkroom Door then you will know that new Christmas stamps were released recently and in due course I will be sharing samples using some of the new Christmas stamps however, prior to their release I had already made a start on my Christmas cards.
It is possible this card will appear on the Darkroom Door blog, although for the moment the focus is on DT samples featuring the new stamps, but I have decided not to share detailed instructions in this post.  Anyway, the card is quite self-explanatory but I will share with you the stamps I used, just in case you are interested.
Darkroom Door Stamps:–
Flourish Texture stamp
Dear Santa Vol 2
Yuletide Vol 2
This colour palette, for Christmas, is new to me but I simply had fun playing around with paints which were lying out from another project. I stamped the Flourish Texture stamp very randomly and not with ink but with paint.  Sparkly edges, a mix of fabrics, a dash of raspberry velvet ribbon are some of the textures on this card.At the time of having the paints out I created a batch of backgrounds so that any evening when I am able to do so, I will sit and assemble the cards. I have another Santa Claus card which I will share another time. It has the same colour palette but I used different stamps.
In the meantime, apologies if it seems too early to be sharing Christmas samples!  It will not be solid Christmas from now until 25th of December as I will be sharing bits of this and that as I have DT samples featuring butterflies, birds and books, to name a few.
Thank You, as always for your visit to my Blog.
Wishes
Lynne

Countdown To Christmas

Hello Everyone
This post is to share a reminder of the latest Crafty Individuals Challenge which is well underway. We are asking that you create either Halloween  or Christmas inspired artwork. All information about this challenge can be viewed HERE.
I have already shared two samples I made for this challenge but today I have more samples to share, all using this new stampI kept to a colour palette of white and silver with various twinkly embossing powders and also dashes of beautiful vintage mica flakes. Apologies straight away for the colours on the cards. I have no idea if it is all the sparkle and twinkle from the embossing powders which has interfered and created an almost lilac tone.Instead of using the stamp as a whole, I have zoomed in to particular images.  It makes for a versatile stamp.
The cards are all traditional stamped cards with stamping, heat embossing and embellishments.  There is the addition of spray and mica but there is no paint or Gesso on the cards.
The jute and seam binding were stained to match and a hanging tag featuring a Crafty Individuals stamp (received in one of their sample stamp packs) embellishes the first card.Following a similar composition and using many of the same embellishments is the second card with the stained muslin more prominent, layered onto tulle.
A little detail photograph.The final card …A punched tag with the stamped Joy and lots of sparkle,with more sparkle on the stamped images which were also edged with silver e.p.
If you are in the middle of creating Halloween or Christmas projects using Crafty Individuals products then why not enter the challenge. Remember, there is a prize of a Crafty Individuals stamp of choice for the top five winning entries.
Wishes
Lynne

Twit A Boo!

Hello Everyone
I am staying with a Halloween theme for my DT project at That’s Crafty, nothing too frightening!
To view, please visit HERE.
Wishes
Lynne

Hanging Around (Published)

Hello Everyone
Although I had this post drafted I had decided not to share it because I have already shared with you two other cards from the collection of cards that were published in The Stampers’ Sampler however because I have not got myself organised enough to be sharing new DT art I have decided to go ahead and share.
The stamps are from Oxford Impressions Dr Coffin’s Apothecary stamp set (also available from That’s Crafty)
Very little additions to this card other than the actual tag there is only a fragment of stained crochet lace.
There is nothing remotely spooky about this bat, I think it looks rather cute!Thank You for your visits and the lovely comments.
Wishes
Lynne