Homer Simpson Scarecrow

See this is why I needed the doughnuts! Our village has a scarecrow hunt, with models and scarecrows dotted around the village for people to find. The theme this year is America as we are holding it on the 4th July. Now I don't want any of my american readers to take offense. I do not think Americans are all like the Simpsons, I just really really love the show!

Crocheted doughnuts!!!

Why? you might ask. Well, that will become apparent in a future post. I needed a doughnut for something else I was making, so I found this adorable pattern on lion brand. I only needed to make one, but they are as addictive as real doughnuts and I ended up making four!! I tweaked the pattern slightly and the sprinkles (or "hundreds and thousands" as we Brits call them) are sewn with embroidery thread.
The only practical use I can think of for these is pin cushions, but wouldn't they be the best pincushions ever?

Christmas already?

Well, it's always christmas at the Christmas challenge blog, where the theme this week is a blue Christmas. I made this gift box, using all stamps from PaperArtsy. The box is made from just one plain card blank.
I have used versafine deep lagoon for the images, and distress faded jeans for the background.

forever friends: torn edges

It was my turn to chose the theme at the forever friends challenge this week, so I chose the theme "torn edges". I made a tag with lots of torn edges and a torn flower and attached it to an acetate base card.

pet twinchie

The theme at small world of inchies an twinchies is me and my pet, and I had the perfect stamp from the stampsmith.
I am also featuring this on the stampsmith blog.

mixed media monday numbers

I really wanted to use the paperartsy background number stamp on my piece for mixed media monday this week. However you'll have to look carefully to see it.
I found some old acrylic paints that I decided to use up, so applied them with a piece of torn cardboard to this mini canvas. I then stamped the numbers in gold paint, then dry stamped to lift some of the paint off, then finally when it was dry, I overstamped the same stamp in black stazon.

serene tag

I've made this tag for a couple of challenges, Louise's tag tueday challenge, where the theme is masking (I use a tim holtz mask for the background) and Tag it on where the theme is simplicity and serenity. I thought this girl from The stampsmith has such a serene look I had to use it, and I kept the tag as simple as I could.......

As I have used a stampsmith image I have featured this on the stampsmith blog

a rainbow of beanies and the forever friend challenge

My son's teacher asked me last week if it was possible for me to create 7 beanies for the eco-warrior 7 dwarves, in their alternative version of snow white and the 7 dwarves. So here we are: 7 beanies in 9 days. Just please don't anybody ask me to make them a beanie for a couple of weeks, I am sick of the sight of them.


Also this weeks challenge at the forever friends blog is a sketch challenge. Mine didn't actually end up looking much like the sketch, but the essence of it its there!!

Seriously, What are the chances?

Can you believe I posted a wizard of oz piece yesterday and the challenge at sunday postcard art today, is "somewhere over the rainbow"
Well I just had to get my new wizard of oz plate from the stampsmith out again!!
I made the background by rubbing distress inks onto a non-stick sheet, then spritzing with water abd putting the card onto it. it came out much more vibrant than I expected!
I have also put this on the stampsmith blog

black and white with a touch of red

The theme at small world of inchie and twinchies is black and white with a touch of red. This immediatly made me think of the film, the wizard of oz, because I love how the film starts in black and white, and then the colours become such an important part of the story: the yellow brick road, the emerald city, but most importantly the red shoes.

oh the red shoes! I love those red shoes, and have forever had a thing for red shoes since seeing the film as a child. I currently own 4 pairs of red shoes, and I love them all, but none of them are sparkly. One day I will own a pair of shoes just like Dorothy's.

All the stamps on this twinchie are from the stampsmith's wizard of oz plate, and so I am also featuring this on the stampsmith blog

Wednesday stamper : fashion

For the fashion theme at wednesday stamper, I decided to decorate a small gift box in the style of a miniature hat box using one of my new stampsmith stamps. This one is from the "isn't she lovely" plate. I have coolured her with markers. I decorated the box with k&co papers and various bits and pieces I had in my bits and pieces box ( thanks you Carrie for the rose and pearl buckle). I have also featured this on the stampsmith blog

I am also going to sneak this in as a second entry to mixed media monday's lace theme

ooo new rubber!!!

My stampsmith DT parcel arrived today, and wow!
I immediatly had to use this little fella. I needed to make some good luck cards for some A level maths students that I am tutoring, and I thought his face said it all!!
other stamps are paperArtsy and studio G

collaborative project part four

And this time it's Audrey's choice. She chose cream and brown. I used a stampsmith image, so I have also featured it on the stampsmith blog.

mesh background

I'm really pleased with how the mesh background on this piece turned out. I keep a dry 100% cotton waffle facecloth on my craft desk which I use for quick stamp clean ups. I suddenly thought today that the pattern would make a nice background, so I flattened it out, inked it up with distress ink and pressed my card onto it. brilliant.
I stamped over this with the paperartsy sewing pattern background, added an Inka collage image, some lace and a button, and a word from Paperartsy.
I have made this ATC for the Theme thursday's "people with Hats" theme and mixed media monday's "lace" theme

forever friends citrus challenge

This week on the forever friends challenge we challenge you to use citrus colours. You can make whatever you like as long as it uses a forever friends product. This week we have introduced a new feature: FF Faves. The challenger will pick there favourite submission of the week and post it to the FF challenge blog.
I chose to make a tag this week (because it was quick!!) I used oranges and yellows on the flowers and the background. The stamped circles are a PaperArtsy stamp

make a moo and wednesday stamper

I decided to combine this weeks moo theme of alphabets with wednesday stampers' theme of fairies to make this moo.
All of the stamps are by PaperArtsy. The girl does actually come with butterfly wings, but I love mixing up the "old style" PaperArtsy stamps with the newer "squiggly ink range". I did this to give her fab new wings. The alphabet background is a PaperArtsy Mini, and the stencil alphabet is from a border set

Another boy card

I don't know what I would do without these skateboard stamps from I brake for stamps. I think they are a must for boys' birthdays. This is for a boy called Harry (hence the giant H) who will be 11. The circles are by PaperArtsy, and as I have used circles I am entering it for the Created by Hand Circle theme

my mug cosies at baa ram ewe

I visited my new local yarn shop today to see the mug cosies that I made on display. it was lovely to see them, and it's an absolutely gorgeous shop.
If you are looking for the free pattern, you can find it here.
If you get the chance to visit baa ram ewe in Headingly Leeds, then you really should. The yarns are scrummy and Verity, who runs the shop, is lovely.

never throw anything away....

My friend recently bought a necklace from ebay and although she really liked it it was longer than she really wanted, so I said I could shorten it for her.
This is the shortened necklcace.


Which left me with 16 of these lovely red beads. I couldn't just leave them like that, so I had a rummage through my stash and found some seed beads from an old project and a clasp from an old broken necklace, and I made a whole new necklace for her.

and here's a lovely picture from my holiday in scotland. That rainbow was one of the brightest I have ever seen.

2 challenges

Did you miss me? I've been on holiday for a week and I've missed my craft room so much, although I did knit a new pair of socks. I thought I better try and catch up on a couple of challenges, so this is for make a moo or two, where the theme is musical instruments and wednesday stamper, purple and green.
The image is from Designs Ink'd.