Ink Blender Happiness!

Hi everyone. Here is a little tale. When I did the Creative Chemistry Course I was smitten with the little green eyed god when Tim showed us his collection of ink blending tools, one for each colour. There is no way I can afford to buy that many, lovely as they are, so I set about trying to find a way to make one. On a trip with my hubby to a local bargain shop I found three childrens garden tools for 99p and dear hubby said he could saw off the handles, drill a hole, buy some wooden ply and make a near as dammit tool for me. Then I cut out some play foam, stuck it on and then added some velcro. I then coloured each label and added a typed label...voila!

The next best bit came when I arrived home from a trip with my youngest daughter to find he had made this splendid tower from ply, spring clips from Ebay and yes, each circle turns!!! There is enough for 48 tools, so three are vacant, waiting for the summer limited edition colours later this year. He is the best and it was a fabulous birthday pressie.

Incase you are wondering we reckon each blender cost under 50p to make, now that I could afford!

No I'm everso sorry girls, I can't lend him out, it's taken 45 years to train him up! Isn't he the bestest tho? I love him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday Stamper 204 Make my brown eyes blue.

Well I have been remiss, two Sunday Stampers out! Got caught in busy work and family affairs, so here I am back on track with my Sunday Stamper banner and the missing 'R' (see previous posts!)

It was my birthday yesterday and it's my no 3 daughters' birthday on Thursday and so the two of us are going to the seaside with our cameras next week to celebrate! I thought I would try and capture a little of the treat in store with this weeks challenge.

I used all the blue distress inks to ink the back of the banner and then stamped the sea-gulls and lighthouse using brown achival ink. I'm afraid I do not know who made the stamp as it was a used gift from a friend. The bottom of the banner has walnut stain, rusty hinge and spiced marmalade distress ink for the background and some seashore bleached wood and fishing lines attached with a small stapler. The R has been aged with raisin alcohol ink and attached with some more twine. The stamped shells come from Stampingtons' seashore elements set and I used distress markers in various browns directly onto the stamp. I love the way you can use the markers to blend on the back of the stamp, it looks far more subtle than colouring in the outline! So there we are, Barbara is now completed, 'S for next week, thought I'd better write it down incase I get out of sinc. again! Hope you are all enjoying the bank holiday. xx

Hi every peeps! So sorry been I've been remiss on my blog last week, and missed out on one of my fav. past times, that is doing the Sunday Stamper. Work has been hectic so I hope to do this weeks challenge by Friday. I thought I would just post my months worth of tags for http://tagtuesday.blogspot.co.uk/ as  stalwart followers of my batty blog will  know I am taking part and saving all the tags in my big sketch book. Can't believe it is May already!

The first weeks theme was Easter. so I chose to try and make a symbolic tag of the last supper. It turned out a trile on the large size. I used different pieces of toning paper and punched out a circle head for each of the apostles, then gave Jesus a golden halo. the bread and wine jug were drawn free hand and the little circles put in for the cups. The second week we looked at 'Spring cleaning.'  I drew a picture of mole from Wind in the Willows and coloured in with watercolours, edged the tag with punched leaves and twigs from the garden and then put the opening words of the book onto tattered banners.

The third week covered our favourite 'Spring Flowers', I chose Daffodils and stamped a mason jar onto acetate to hold them. The fourth week was the colour 'Purple', and  I used distress inks and one of my favourite Paper Bag Studio stamps with text from the Stampotique range.

Busy day tomorrow then I hope to be able to play and add another post. Hugs to you all. xx

Sunday Stamper 201: Men

Well, it's official, I have finally lost them. My marbles that is. For those kind folk who look at my simples blog, you will know I am making a banner for the room  of stash that spells out my blog name and using the Sunday Stamper challenge for each piece of bunting. Well last week it was numbers and the second letter A of my name. So this week should have been an R right? However I glossy accented down another A so it is not in sequence, good job the pieces are threaded with a piece of string so that I can arrange them right!

To celebrate the fact that it is raining, hooray! my  garden so needed it - and also because I do not have many men stamps I have taken one of my favourite Stampotique men and placed him with the raindrops that are a small accent stamp that I thought I would never use! I have two small men with umberellas that I stamped either side in black archival, coloured him in with my new distress pens (aren't they awesome?) and gave him an umberella that is flying out of his hand. The background was made with brown and blue distress inks, the A (oh dear) added and then cog wheels die cut in black card around the edge. I added glossy accent raindrops but they haven't shown up too well in the photo. Have to say it was a bit of a struggle to think of an idea for this week, which is a good thing about taking part in this challenge. Have a lovely evening one and all, I shall be snuggling down to enjoy the Apprentice later, I'm hooked on it!! xx

Sunday Stamper 200! Numbers.

Hi one and all, could you let me know where Easter went? I'm sure I had four days off! Well it was quite quiet here, saw my Mum everyday and she seems to be getting over the bad chest infection I was worried would turn into pneumonia and she is being regally looked after in the hospice so am feeling a lot more settled. I've nearly eaten my Easter egg and will start dieting again tomorrow! Congratulations to Hels for her 200th Sunday stamper challenge, it gives such a lot of us so much pleasure. Here is my next piece of bunting with the second A on it.

I wrinkle free distressed the background with festive berries, ripe persimmon and fired brick colours, then stamped the large numbers stamp byTim in Barn door and filled in the spaces with a smaller numbers stamp by paperbag studio's. Then I made a rosette and edged it with barn door ink and golden stickles and wrote out Congratulations on a tattered banner that I coloured with mustard seed and rusty hinge. The chinese lanterns come from my stash which I hung from a wire and punched out three balloons that I added the 200 to. I added my A at the bottom to co-ordinate on a circle and there you are, I hope suitably fitting for the anniversary. Enjoy your evening, see you soon x

12 tags of 2012 - April

Morning Peeps, one more work day to Easter Hols! I've managed to make Tim's tag as some diversion therapy as my Mum is poorly and in our local hospice again. So, not all the ingrediants but I improvised.

Had the right embossing folder but not the tree branch and bird, so I cut and stuck from my stash. I had just brought the metal words so that was handy, but I haven't got the mini stapler. Keep thinking I must get one! Hopefully will be back soon with something from my work desk, now don't eat too many chocy eggs will you? x

Sunday Stamper: 199. On The Road Again.

Here is the fourth pendant for my Sunday Stamper banner displaying the second 'B' of my name. I thought as the theme was transport I would commemorate my recent train holiday across Europe. I haven't got a train stamp tho' so I cut one out of our travel documents!

 

I wrinkle free distressed the background with various inks from Tim's brown range and felt that I would keep to the monotone effect apart from the red and blue train. The stamps are various ones I have in my stash and the flower is cut from some handmade Florentine paper I brought in a book binders shop. I stood for ages watching a them work, fabulous! The centre of the flower is from the admission ticket to the Pitti Palace, which has if anything too much beauty in it, I got into wonderful art overload and needed a glass of Italian wine and a gelato! mmmm! This was the trip of a life time and I am enjoying the memories, promise I won't mention it again, well perhaps once or twice, just a tadge! Hope you are all enjoying your week, Easter hols nearly here! x