How does your garden grow

Firstly apologies for not being around much over the last week, back to work and lots of stuff going on has left little time for blogging and craft. So sorry if I haven't been able to comment on recent posts.

At Try it on Tuesday the new challenge is 'How does your garden grow'. I thought about doing a project around the word 'badly' but decided to focus on the garden I have in my head rather than the one through my patio doors! My aspirational garden would be full of wild flowers, a rickety old bench and a meandering path. My actual garden is clinical and low maintenance and this year I haven't even done any pots!

Do hop over to TIOT to see the rest of the wonderful creations from the design team.

Thanks for looking

Nikki

xxx

Cats - did someone say cats!

Not my usual style - but when someone has cats for their challenge I had to join in being a bit of a cat lover. Not sure Tim Holtz quite designed his stamp to go with cats - but heh!

I will share my cards at:

Craft Room Challenge - Cats

Fussy and Fancy - Pets of Favorite animals

Here is the real one - Frankie - a complete pain but adorable.

Thanks for looking

Nikki

xxx

August Tim Tag

This one was a challenge but here is my attempt. I followed Tim's version as best I could although didn't have everything he used. I didn't manage to get the intensity of colour with my distress stains and the big mistake was my stamped image choice - should really have been something with more solid black rather than just lines!

Love all the techniques though and the super grungy effects.

Thanks for looing

Nikki

xxx

My first ATB - Hip to be Square

My first ATB! Thanks to a lovely friend for sending me a couple of samples of the wonderful Eileen Hull die, so I have been able to have a play.

Fortuitously it is 'Hip to be Square' at Frilly and Funkie - so I will throw by box in there.

I edged my white card with black DI before adding my layers. I decided to use a gelli plate print I had sitting around, so cut this to size and added black archival to the white edges. I had also been playing with some textures in autumnal colours so took one of these and die cut my leaves. My little butterflies were also from a prior project - a variety of embossing and inking on grungepaper and Tim Holtz paper stash leftovers. I took some little white flowers and spritzed them until I was happy!

I can see that these little things could get addictive - mine is quite simple - but was fun! Had a few issues photographing though.

Thanks for looking

Nikki

xxx

Stamping fun

A flying visit tonight - made this for a couple of challenges and only just realised the deadline for one is in half an hour! So terrible photo under indoor lighting - will take a better one tomorrow.

A friend passed this stamp onto me - don't think she ever used it, wasn't sure I would - but seemed like a fun little card for the right man!

I would like to enter into

Fashionable Stamping Challenge - Make us Laugh

That's Crafty - This is a Man's World

Sunday morning edit.... some improved piccies!

Nikki

A little something

It is time for another challenge at A Vintage Journey. Our theme for the next two weeks is chosen by Alison of 'Words and Pictures' and it is to make ATC's.

For each one I decided to use lots of layers, created via stencilling or stamping and distressing of course. Most of the papers are from Tim stashes (leftovers) - they are great for inking, distressing etc. Similarly my die cuts and punched butterflies are from his papers.

My intention was the ATC's would be a pair but not sure they go together that well!

Have a lovely day

Nikki 

xxx

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 9

It is Challenge 9 at CC3C - with the focus this time on page 63 of Tim Holtz's fab book - 'Stamps and Framelits'. As usual great prizes up for grabs courtesy of Tim Holtz and Inspiration Emporium.

 I wanted to use my recently acquired 'French Flight' stamp and framelit set but decided to take a slightly different approach than I have used it for to date. I decided to go geometrical with my Eiffel Tower stamp and framelit. I was originally going to have the butterflies fluttering around the towers, but it just seemed to ruin it - so kept it simple.

My background is kraft card with stamps from Papillon and the above mentioned set. I then set about my Eiffels!

Thanks for looking

Nikki

xxx