Compendium Challenge No 19 - Extreme Masking & WOYWW

This week Compendium Challenge No 19 made my brain ache a bit trying to choose masks as I wanted to be able to include stage five of the Extreme Masking Challenge that Linda of Studio L3 has set us this week. If none of the above makes any sense to you, check Linda's blog, and all will be revealed.

In the end I did make a couple of masks - one from Tim's Tattered Florals die, and one from the Sizzix bee die. I also used a Tattered Angels flourish mask. The Distress inks were Forest Moss, Crushed Olive, Dusty Concord and Wild Honey, and stamps were Viva, Tim Holtz and Crafty Individuals.

Linda had suggested using some mica spray and I had opted not to, but when I had finished there was indeed something missing that a few squirts of Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist soon put right. Unfortunately you can't see it in the photo !

I am now about to tidy my work places. There are two on the go at the moment - the craft table upstairs and the kitchen table. As it's Wednesday, and the day for snooping at people's desks, it was timely that I should capture this photo of a snooper this morning.

She is very discerning about what she drinks and recognised a fresh supply of water (in the container I use when painting) when she saw one. You will also spot a packet of tissues. I've been telling myself since the weekend that I've not got a cold even though I'm coughing and spluttering and sneezing, and had to visit the chemist's to stock up on remedies. I hate colds. Grrrr ! Anyway, to snoop a bit more round other people's work spaces, visit Julia at her Stamping Ground blog.

Tag Tuesday Challenge - Orange & Black

Louise at Kard Krazy has set Orange & Black as the latest Tag Tuesday theme.

I do enjoy playing around with tags. Here I used orange acrylic paint and Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge and Black Soot distress inks, and black archival ink, along with Artistic Stamper, Elusive Images, and Paper Artsy stamps.

Compendium Challenge No 18

Linda over at her Studio L3 blog has leafed through her copy of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities and chosen for us page 37, the Dabber Resist technique. I must say that after having done all of the 18 challenges to date, my copy is pretty well thumbed, but the way the book is designed to look, it doesn't show !

I've used Shabby Shutters, Stormy Sky, Pumice Stone and Frayed Burlap DIs; highlights of Lava Green and Old Silver Inka Gold; Stampers Anonymous, Elusive Images and B Line stamps; and Bladerubber Denim embossing powder.

Haunted House

The theme of Hels' Sunday Stamper challenge this week is Bones or Skeletons. For my entry I've used Paper Artsy, Tim Holtz and Hero Arts stamps and distress and archival inks to make an ATC.

Where are the bones/skeletons I hear you ask?

What's that spooky creaking noise?

The doors burst open ......

Compendium Challenge No 17

We've reached number 17 of Linda's fabulous Compendium of Curiosities challenges. This time it's page 64 and Fragment Charms. I've had a busy week, so I've done these over several days a stage at the time. I decided to make them as embellishments for my memory book. All the papers come from the Tim Holtz Lost & Found stack.

I've got a bit behind with the memory book. There are various elements stuffed away in the pockets inside so must make sometime to do some sticking and embellishing. Haven't even finished the cover yet, and it will soon be time to make a 2011 version !

Didn't get around to having a proper meal yesterday, and it's already past lunchtime, so I'm off to make a big pot of tea and a nice big cooked breakfast. Then a spot of gardening, and perhaps a session on the memory book this evening !

October Collage

The October Collage challenge at Mary's Green Paper blog was to use a lovely photo and other pieces of ephemera, and was really fun to do.

As a Scot, seeing the thistle with the shamrock and rose, I focused on the thistle. The dress of the little girl who is seated looks as if it is in a tartan pattern.

An embossing folder, a flower punch and embossing punch and scissors were the tools. I incorporated a thistle photo I already had, and the flowers are made from some scraps of patterned paper and some gems. The colours were distress inks for the background and the girls' clothes, and Inka Gold in Violet and Lava Green to highlight.

The Changing Seasons

For some time now the bright cheerful sunflower has been my header picture, and she's such a happy bloom I'm reluctant to change her.

But Nature reminds us that we can't stop time. The weeks have passed and this lovely lady has turned into food for the birds.

We've had such a warm sunny summer in this neck of the woods - at least for the most part; and now, as the leaves and the temperatures are beginning to fall, and we're having spells of wind and rain, there are not so many flowers to enjoy. However, some roses fade and some linger.

As the landscape is changing with the seasons I have been looking back over some of the summer delights I have enjoyed in my garden.

Late Spring to early summer sees the beautiful Rosa Banksiae 'Lutea' open her delicate yellow petals by my back door.

Then comes the spirited Rosa 'Maigold' with a lilac to one side and a ceanothus behind, and Hypericum 'Hidcote' just waiting to burst into bloom on the right.

Next a colourful tub of pansies and marigolds with a clematis straying down into it and some sprigs of Trachelospermum jasminoides sneaking into the background of the photo.

Part of the Trachelospermum which covers a big obelisk and scents the air with a truly heavenly perfume throughout the summer. It's still in bloom now.

A beautiful climbing Crimson Glory.

A Philadelphus enjoying the sun.

Clematis 'Arabella.'

R. 'The Fairy.'

Clematis 'Etoile Violette' and Clematis Jackmanii I love so much that I have several of each.

Rosa 'Princess Margherita,' Clematis 'Etoile Violette' and Hypericum 'Hidcote.'

A closer look at a Princess M., a gorgeous David Austen rose, with some clemmie buds poking their noses into the photo.

For weeks there wasn't a drop of rain and the grass was yellowing. Then we had a deluge.

A Clematis Jackmanii looking a trifle wet.

But the sunshine came back, the grass greened up again, and the fruit trees cropped well.

The Bramley was laden. Plenty for jelly, wine, puddings and chutneys.

And how we enjoyed walking the two llamas through the orchards.

Sunday Stampers - Strings

It's Tuesday and I'm only just catching up on Hels' Sunday Stamper challenge where the theme is String. Well, I've gone for strings plural and an Indian theme, as last night I went to the concert performance of The Pearlfishers at the ROH. Strictly speaking the Pearlfishers is set in old Ceylon, and as it was a concert performance I had to imagine the scenery and costumes, and the lady with the peacock feathers was the nearest I have in rubber to the appearance of the priestess Leila of my imagination.

I used black acrylic paint for my background, overstamped with clear detail embossing powder as a resist against brown and turquoise acrylics. The musical notes are stamped with Black Archival ink and there are smudges of Old Silver InkaGold as highlights. The stamps are a mixture: Elusive Images for the peacock lady; Heritage Scotland for the lute; Bladerubber the violin; and Crafty Individuals for the musical background.

Tag Tuesday Calendar

This week Tag Tuesday Challenge at the Kard Krazy blog was to include a calendar or part of a calendar in a tag.

My tag uses acrylic paint for the background and flowers, part of a Eugene Grasset illustration, and calendar pieces from a Tim Holtz paper. September here was a summery month until the last few days which started to give hints of autumn. Hence the autumny colours.