New Challenge at Penny Black and More - Flower Power and Guest Designer for Stamping Sensations one layer Christmas card.....

Good morning folks!

Here I am with my inspiration for our new challenge over at Penny Black and More and this month the new theme is "Flower Power!".

What a cracking theme, lots of choices for you on this one and Penny Black do some awesome floral stamps and stencils too.

I've used Penny Black stamps 30-284 Sprigs and 40-545 Lustrous.

This one has been stamped with aqua markers and then blended out and finally when I was happy, spritzed with water for that final "bleed".

Remember, there are prizes to be had so come over and check out our challenge:

http://pennyblackatallsorts.blogspot.co.uk

I was also so very pleased to be picked as the winner of last months Colour Challenge at Stamping Sensations and Brenda has kindly asked me to be their Guest Designer for this month for their new challenge of a one layer Christmas card.

I've worked on a DL card here (unusual for me) as I felt that this scene was best suited to this shape of card.  I've recently bought this new stamp and was so wanting to use it so this was the perfect opportunity!  This stamp in the Pine Tree by Paper Rose (Australia).  A beautiful stamp that gives such a crisp image every time.  So, I have started by blending the background with some distress ink leaving a slightly lighter part in the middle.  Then, starting from the back and working forwards, I've used distress ink so that you could hardly see the trees at the time of stamping (believe it or not, the forest appears when the trees at the front go on!)  Then I've stamped in much bolder, clearer colour with Archival Fern Green and Versafine Spanish Moss.  I have glittered the tree that stands alone with some Sparkelicious Crystallina glitter by Chloe (did struggle to get that to show on the photo).  The little snowflakes are actually from a free set with Creative Stamping magazine!

There, all on one layer, no matting or layering - just straight on to the card, fun to do and messy on the fingers (just how I like it!!!!!!),

Do hope that you can not only join in with Penny Black and More challenges but with Stamping Sensations too!

http://sirstampalotchallenge.blogspot.co.uk

Good luck!!!

Leanne xxx

Sheena Douglass's Call of the Wild samples...........

Good morning!!

I just couldn't wait to start putting these on to my blog!!  Look at the skies sparkle on these Call of the Wild samples!!!!

Two further samples from Sheena Douglass's Call of the Wild collection for you today.  The top one is my totem pole!!  I have reversed the eagles head against the original one and cut them out and the main pole has been done by stamping the main body of the flying eagle (seen on the second sample) with a head at both ends - see it?

The second sample is of the beautiful dream catcher and on here I have added some natural feathers.

Lots of use of sparkle pens on these samples, I love it but you should see my fingers when I've finished!!!!

Thanks for stopping by today, look out for some more stunning samples from this collection coming on here soon....

Leanne xxx

Two more samples for Stacey Barras and Crafters Companion.....

Morning!!

Here are a further two samples that I made for Stacey Barras's new circus stamps for Crafters Companion.

Isn't that elephant adorable?  The first creation is one using distress oxides.  I have coloured the elephant in alcohol pens and finished it off with some felt curtains.

The second one is of course the beautiful big top and this time (instead of being really bright like my last sample of it on Friday 27th Oct) I have muted it down a bit, keeping it all toned with blues.  Finished off with a little glossy accents on those flags at the top.

Hope you like these,

Thanks for stopping by today,

Leanne xxx

My inspiration for the Halloween Sheena's Inkettes challenge.....

Morning folks! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!

I'm sharing with you today, my inspirational piece that I made to support Nicole Bretherick for her Inkette challenge this month of "Halloween".

This one probably looks more complicated that it actually is, it took a while due to waiting for bits to dry but it's quite simple when you break it down!

The first thing that I did was to stamp the central skulls from Sheena's A Little Bit Sketchy What Lies Beneath stamp set - cool isn't it!  I then masked it off with masking fluid.

The next step was to pop some gesso on to my glass mat, and pop that top left hand corner down in to it (making sure that I didn't go over board because I knew that I was going to turn it in to a spooky moon).  I allowed the gesso to dry and then placed a round stencil over the gesso area and blacked it in to form my round moon shape - am I making sense??!!!. I then placed a paper mask over the moon to cover than while I worked elsewhere.

The skull on the right was then stamped (he's from the What Lies Beneath set too) and I masked him off with masking fluid as well.

The spooky house was stamped next, right over the top of the skulls, the single skull and a tiny bit of the moon - this is from Sheena's Douglass's A Little Bit Sketchy Spooky Mansion stamp set.

DON'T FORGET TO WIPE AWAY ANY EXCESS INK THAT IS SITTING ON YOUR MASKING FLUID OR YOU'LL BE IN AN INKY MESS WHEN YOU COME TO RUB IT AWAY!!!!

The next bit was a little "experimental" if you will!  I have used one of Sheena's Day of the Dead embossing folders to emboss those clouds at the top and the lightening strike.  Once I was happy, I darkened the clouds with Memento black ink and tinted in the sky with a mixure of Adirondack inks - I think the pinks and purples worked well here with a little bit of slate colour.

The lightening strike has been foiled to make it more dramatic.

OK, once all stamping was done, the sky filled in, I rubbed away all the masking fluid and lifted the one covering the moon.  Painted everything in with aqua markers.

Added a couple of big crows from the The Country Life set from Sheena's Perfect Partners range - one is stamped on and the one on the right is cut out and applied.

Finally I added some branches from the Little Bit Scenic Silhouette Country Lane set - it's a tree but I've just used the branches!

There you go, something spooky for you this Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by today,

Leanne xxx

Call of the Wild launch samples for Sheena Douglass..............

Good morning folks!!!

Well, these samples (and the whole collection really) should have recognition on their own really but if I did that I would be blogging every single day and you'd struggle to keep up with me - even more than perhaps you do already!!!!

THIS IS A STUNNING COLLECTION OF STAMPS AND DIES FROM SHEENA DOUGLASS!!

The boundaries of use for these products is absolutely endless, I loved playing with these and given more time, I could have doubled my samples for this collection!!

The first card here is Mother Nature herself and I have used the feather die and the cactus flower die not hat one too.  The second one is a mixture of a few of the stamps in the collection with the dream catcher die backed on to black card to pop it from the images.  I love the monochromatic look of this one.

I will be sharing the rest of this collections samples over the coming weeks so you are in for a real treat!!!

Thanks for stopping by today,

Leanne xxx

Lavinia Stamps Halloween make ............

Good morning folks!!

Back from my hollybobs now so here is a share of a card that I've made for the Lavinia Stamps challenge this month of "Halloween".

Lots of Lavinia stamps used on this one including Willow the Witch.

I shall also be sharing this with my friends over at Ink Art Designs on their facebook challenge.

Oooooh, getting all spooky!!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xxxx

Two samples for Stacey Barras circus stamps for Crafters Companion.....

Good morning!

Third scheduled post this week due to my holiday.

Here I've got two samples that I made for the launch of Stacey Barras's circus stamps for Crafter Companion on Hochanda.

These are lovely vintage circus stamps and can easily be used with the brightest of inks and pens.

I loved playing with these stamps and Stacey deserves credit for such beautiful images.

Hope you like these and I'll continue to share my collection of samples from this launch over the next couple of weeks or so....

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xxx