Jane Austen Calico Gift Bag

I made this little calico gift bag with a Jane Austen theme using Artistic Outpost 'Jane's Countryside' stamps from Happy Daze. If you are in the US you can get them direct from the Artistic Outpost here. I am entering this into their October Referral Programme. I used the background stamp from the set in pink and then stamped the main image and the words 'You are a True Friend' in black.

Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Sweetie Bag

Over on the Happy Daze Blog, the theme for October is 'Something Wicked this Way Comes'. I don't normally do all of my 3 DT items in a month on the challenge theme, but this time the spooky and the creepy seem to have sucked me in!

I recently bought some calico bags on e bay and they are very tiny so I have just got some larger ones to give me more scope in my design, but these little ones would be a perfect size for giving out trick or treat sweeties. I used Artistic Outpost Apothecary stamps and My Minds Eye Hallowe'en set, colouring the bag first with Mustard Seed distress stain. I finished off with a shrink plastic version of the bottle.

I am entering this into the Artistic Outpost Referral Programme for October. You can get your AO stamps from there if you are in the US, and from Happy Daze if you are in the UK.

Poisonous Pillow Boxes!

Yesterday I was at my monthly Stampin' Up class and the teacher was selling off some retired products. I bought a great pillow box die and thought I would have a little play by making this very silly make! Hallowe'en comes but once a year so I must make the most of it with these little trick or treat sweetie bags. I cut them out of mustard and brown Core-dinations cardstock and then embossed them with the Poison part of the Tim Holtz Hallowe'en and Poison Alterations texture fade and sanded them a little. I had some tiny scraps of the card left so I popped them under specific areas of the texture fade such as the raven, spider web, and skull to make mini tags for my recipients.

I then made some shrink plastic bottles and some extra embellishments from the Apothecary set from Artistic Outpost, which I love. You can get the stamps direct from them if you are in the US, or from Happy Daze if you are in the UK.

 

I think the pillow box would be lovely done in a more feminine style for those who make their own jewellery to give as gifts. I can see lots of my friends wanting to borrow it so I think it will have been a good purchase!

 

I am entering this into the Artistic Outpost Referral Programme for October, and the Fashionable Stamping Challenge which is Hallowe'en or Hallowe'en colours.

Spooky Apothecary Card

I have made this card to match the frame I made for Happy Daze last week, using Artistic Outpost Apothecary stamps. I am entering this into the Artistic Outpost Referral Programme for October. You can buy these stamps from them if you are in the US, and from Happy Daze if you are in the UK.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Over on the Happy Daze blog I have made a spooky apothecary for you to visit when you need to buy your arsenic and your witches' potions!

The challenge for October is 'Something Wicked this Way Comes'. I hope you will join in for a chance to win a £15 gift voucher to spend on anything from Happy Daze. I am entering this creepy make into the Artistic Outpost Referral Programme for October. You can buy their stamps from them if you are in the US, or from Happy Daze if you are in the UK. I love their stamps - they are original and a little bit quirky but very versatile, and they are made of red rubber,

WOYWW - My New Craft Room

I have never joined in WOYWW before, although I have often looked, but I thought this week it would be a good excuse for me to show you that my new craft room is now coming along. For those of you who don't know me, our home was all but destroyed by a burst pipe at the beginning of February and we have only just returned to it after the rebuild, having been living in temporary accommodation. Colin has spent about 10 days solid varnishing each shelf and strut of the craft room furniture, which is Ivar from Ikea - cheap but very practical and flexible for me:-

 

Colin has put back up for me the stamp storage unit he made for me when I first started stamping. Each shelf has a little ledge so that you can have a double row of stamps and hopefully see the ones of the back row. Obviously I have a lot more UMs now, but some of these wooden stamps are still real favourites.

We are really enjoying being back home and Colin has been amazing with all the jobs he has done. Starting to craft again at home as I did before is really important to me as it's a sign of getting back to normality. Thank you Julie for hosting WOYWW.

The Golden Age of Ballooning

Over on the Happy Daze blog today I have made this card for this month's Steampunkery challenge - I do hope you will join in as it is a great prize - and one of my favourite themes.

I made this card for my brother's birthday, using the Artistic Outpost French Flight and Paris Exposition stamps from Happy Daze, and one of the chipboard propellers they sell, which I embossed with gold ep. For the card I stamped loads of stamps from the stamp sets - nearly all of them, using different shades of ink so that some images were more in the foreground than others, such as the man in the hot air balloon who I stamped in bright blue.

If you are in the US you can get the Artistic Outpost stamps direct from them here, and I am entering this card into their September Referral Programme, the subject for which is Anything Goes.