Twelve Tags of 2015 ~ May

Phew ! last day of the month and I've just managed to finish my tag for Tim's Twelve Tags of 2015 Challenge. I love all the different elements Tim has used on this month's tag, you can see his fabulous piece by following this link. I've followed his design quite closely and just substituted a few things for those products that I've yet to acquire. I was very happy to get my hands on the  Sizzix Tiny Tattered Florals dies, from the lovely folks at Craft Obsessions. Once I started quilling these gorgeous little flowers, I couldn't stop ! I've now got a whole bunch of them waiting for future projects. Once again another month has flown by and it's hard to believe that tomorrow, we will be half way through the year Eeeeeek ! Many thanks to Tim for another great tag  x

Three of a Kind ~ Stamps and Stencils ~ New Challenge.

It's time for our 2nd  challenge over at Stamps and Stencils but before I tell you more about this, I'd like to just thank every single person who took the time to upload a project for our 'Any Thing Goes' challenge and helped to make the launch of Stamps and Stencils, such a resounding success ! We had a whopping 135 entries. Make sure you tune in next Tuesday to see our winners post.

Ruth is our host this month and she has chosen 'Three of a Kind'. This is what Ruth has to say about the challenge......

'What we'd like to see is 3 of the same sort of focal element on a project so we don't just mean 3 buttons or small embellishments, it could be 3 flowers, 3 figures, 3 inspirational quotes....or thinking wider, if you're feeling adventurous you could do 3 ATC's, a trio of ATB's or maybe a triptych.'

  

I think you'll agree there's plenty of scope there ! So please, let your imagination run wild and show us your 'Three of a kind'. You can see Ruth's fabulous project as well as plenty of luscious inspiration from the rest of the design team over on the Stamps and Stencils blog

I've put together this mixed media panel, utilizing a piece of corrugated card as my substrate. I've used embossing paste through stencils by Tim Holtz and Creative Expressions, in the background......

I added more texture by sprinkling Creative Expressions Micro Beads onto matte gel.

Really love this technique ! Once everything was dry, I painted the surface with Distress Paint in a mixture of Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap. I then used Vintage Photo Spray to add 'depth' to the stenciling and after more drying time, I highlighted the stenciling and glass beads with Treasure Gold Paste in Spanish Topaz, Aquamarine and White Fire.

The three hearts are made of card, with embossed foil wings. The surfaces have been treated with Wendy Vecchi's Faux Granite Ware technique. This is great fun to do and if you haven't already tried it., you can find full details on Wendy's blog with this link A few embellishments, some faux rust finished cogs and a doodle of rusty wire around the edge, complete the panel.

Now, as a little treat for one lucky person, I will be giving away this handy little palette knife for one of the entries, chosen at random, for this month's Three of a Kind Challenge. I discovered these in my local Debenhams store. They're actually used for decorating cakes, but I've found mine to be the perfect tool for applying a layer of 'streak free' embossing paste. The winner will be announced both here and on the Stamps and Stencils blog, at the end of the challenge. 

All that remains is for you to go and get crafting and share your 'Three of a Kind' projects with us over at Stamps and Stencils. You'll find full details and the challenge rules over on the blog. Happy Days everyone ! x