Lovely ladies

Elusive Images have released some new stamps that are a little different, three A5 plates of ladies in dramatic evening dresses . The girls on the Design Team worked on these designs last month and the results of all the hard work helped to launch the stamps last weekend. The stamps can be used to make beautiful wedding cards, to send a message for someone going to their prom or for any occasion where a posh frock is the order of the day.

For one of my submissions, I did something a bit different. Using the skirt from the main Belle Dame image, I stamped it 6 times in black archival ink to make huge petals. Then I coloured the images with Adirondack dye inks, Coloursoft pencils and an orange Copic Spica pen to add some sparkle. I added jewels in amber and yellow to highlight the design. I mounted the petals onto an 8 x 8 card covered in black velvet paper and added a flower from the very useful Big Flowers plate in the centre, coloured and bejewelled in the same way.  I think I am stuck in a little groove with these autumn colours!! Some people have described this design as looking like a kaleidoscope, which come to think of it, it does rather. Maybe not suprising as I was always fascinated by them as a child (and even an adult if I am honest!).

To see the stamps in all their detail, go over to the Design Team blog and you can see what the other girls have been up to. Glenda is doing a random giveaway of all three of these new stamp sets so leave a comment on the post on the Design Team blog (rather than just here) to have a chance of winning one of the sets. It's a random draw, so everyone has an equal chance of winning.

I will be posting playing card number 2 in a couple of days.

Elaine x

Back again!

I have been a bit quiet for the last couple of weeks as we were away in Brittany for a week's holiday and I have been playing catch up since.

Apart from rather mixed weather we had a great week and saw some great places that gave me lots of artisitc inspiration too. The highlight for me has to be the Abbey on Mont St Michel. I had visited before, but not been into the Abbey, it is an amazing place, on a huge scale, even more impressive because of it's location and how difficult it must have been to build. My favourite thing though had to be the gorgeous cloister garden. I have already mentioned my love of cloisters and they inspired one of my projects on the blog I share. I just wish there hadn't been so many people there! I would have loved to just soak up the peace!

We also saw some dramatic coastline.

Near Cap Frehel lighthouse people had built lots of little cairns out of the rose granite. Some were 2 - 3 feet high .....

......while this one was only about 4 inches high!

I also spotted some rather lovely shop and restaurant signs ....

........... some interesting shop windows ............ had Tim Holtz visited maybe?

and some great srchitectural details - this has shades of Harry Potter I thought!

While I was away I made a start on a new project I had the idea for a while back when I saw some giant playing cards in the 99p shop! Stupidly I didn't buy them at the time, so ended up finding some on line.

My idea was to make a set of cards with positive and affirming messages for myself. I liked the idea of using playing cards because it gave me 52 cards, one for each week of the year. I have had a difficult summer one way and another and need to focus on the positives on life whenever I can. I keep meaning to try journalling, but am so critical of my work it sort of defeats the object. This approach felt like a great alternative and a chance to do a manageable craft project just for me. I also decided that I am going to allow these cards to be less than perfect, so if the odd mis-stamp or blob or blotch happens, I have given myself permission to let it go for once!!

The first card uses the Don't Worry, Be Happy from the Words of Wisdom stamps from Elusive Images and the wonderful bees by Jo Capper-Sandon, which are a complete joy to use. The message seemed very appropriate for the first card in my set. The images are stamped in black archival ink, shaded with Colourosft pencils and the wings made to glimmer with a Sakura Stardust pen. The card is then finished off with shading in Wild Honey Distress ink.

Let's hope I manage to keep up making one card a week!

Thanks for popping by!

Elaine x

Still here!

Well, it's been a bit quiet round here - I have been busy on Design Team projects and can't show those to you. Here is a card I made at top speed yesterday.

One of my work colleagues has just bought a plot of land to build a house in Cornwall. I promised her if she got her plot I would make her a card.

I only had an hour to spare and unfortunately I think this shows. I used Distress Inks and Adirondack pigments for the background and every sort of inks you can think of for the trees and plants. The stamps are Arboretum and Wild Meadow from Elusive Images, a Nigella seed pod from Lavinia Stamps, a fern from Beeswax and the flight of birds from Clarity Stamps. The sentiment is computer generated.

I am not entirely satisifed with the end result, but then I rarely am!

Thanks for popping by

Elaine xx

Another little girl with butterflies

A while back I posted a card made with this beautiful little girl stamp - Gabrielle - from Imagination Crafts and some sparkly butterflies. I knew I could do it better and last week I had the chance when I needed to do a card for another little girl in our family.

I stamped the image in black archival ink and then sponged Spun Sugar distress ink and then Pink Sherbert Adirondack dye ink across the whole card with cut n' dry foam. I then used a mask, flower frenzy template also available from Imagination and used another Adirondack dye ink - in raspberry I think - to pick out the pattern all over the card avoiding the face. I shaded the edges and corners with wild plum ink and I think a tiny touch of Eggplant.

I mounted the panel onto an 8 x 8 card blank, added the sparkly butterflies, this time a more subtle white and added some tiny silver dots in each corner.

This card came together in less than an hour and I was really pleased with the end result, even if I do say so myself!

Have a great crafty weekend!

Elaine xx

What's in my gift bag - is it a trick or a treat?

Well today's the day for the big reveal - is it a trick or a treat? Is this where you win the lovely Elusive Images Halloween blog candy?

Well ................... the answer from me is ........................


that......................


I am a .....................

Sorry, but keep hunting on the other DT blogs before tonight!

Elaine xx

Trick or Treat gift bag!

Well I was a bit mean earlier in the week and only posted a sneeky peak of my halloween project as part of the Elusive Images spooky blog hop. Here it is in its entirety! It's not a great one for any arachnophobes out there!!

Here is what I used:

A plain black gift bag
Some white card
Twilight Zone and Spookylicious Elusive Images stamp sets
Ranger black archival ink
Adirondack dye inks in sunshine yellow, cranberry and eggplant
Distress ink in spiced marmalade
Cut and dry foam
Non stick craft sheet
Purple mirri card
Wide decorated Halloween ribbon
Narrow orange ribbon
Double sided tape

I stamped the house onto white card in the black ink and cut the panel to just outside the stamped image. I cut a small tag from more white card, punched a hole and stamped the Trick or Treat words in black ink. Using the cut and dry foam, apply the different colour dye inks. The aim is to build a glow on your panel and tag, I love this effect, it must be one of my most favourite ways to use ink. Firstly apply the yellow ink right across the panel and tag, working with the foam from the outside in pulling the ink onto the card from your non stick craft sheet. Next add the orange ink working across the panel and tag again. Add some cranberry ink, keep this colour nearer to the edge leaving a glow in the centre, work your way around each edge. Finally add tiny amounts of eggplant ink in the corners and the very edges of the panel and tag - be very careful not to be too heavy handed with the darker inks.

When you are happy with your inking, mount the house panel onto a slightly larger panel of purple mirri card using double sided tape. Use a strip of the wide ribbon and mount it across the gift bag using double sided tape, folding the ends round into the fold of the bag. Stick the house panel onto the centre of the bag on top of the ribbon. Add a strip of the narrow ribbon onto the tag and stick this near the top of the bag with double sided tape.  That's your bag finished and ready to be filled with Halloween treats!

Dont forget to visit the Elusive Images Design Team blog to see all the stamp sets in their full glory. You can click in the side bar to find your nearest Elusive Images stockist. For those people ordering more than one set of these stamps, you can recieve a great inspiration leaflet, giving pages of ideas of how to use these spookylicious stamps. I've seen this leaflet and it is really great.

Happy stamping and happing hunting for the spooky Halloween blog candy.

Elaine xx

Elusive Images Blog Hop

Well it's that time of year when the nights draw in, I get out my hot water bottle, watch the trees turn beautiful inspiring shades and think of making pumpkin soup!. As crafters our thoughts turn to Christmas - noooo - not yet - first it's Halloween, a great excuse to use my orange and purple ink pads. 

All this week me and the other EI Design Team girls are hosting a Halloween themed blog hop. You can see the link to the DT blog in my side bar. There you will be able to see the Halloween stamps in their full glory and find out about special offers on the stamps. You can also see links to all the girls' blogs. Follow those to see what spooky projects we have all been working on and somewhere this week, on two of our blogs, you will have two chances to win some gorgeous Halloween themed blog candy from Elusive Images by leaving a comment.

I'll be back later in the week with the full reveal of my project.

Have fun and good luck!

Elaine x