Blintz Base Card

A card made for the Technique Challenge on SCS. The challenge was to make a card using a blintz base which is an origami fold. There is a tutorial to follow which shows how to make it here.

You need double sided paper for this one as the paper is folded back on itself all the way around. I used my scoring board to score equally around the five inch square of paper which makes a square in the middle. The points that've been created are then scored twice more equally between the first score lines and the point of the paper. After that the points are folded inwards to the first score line, back on the second and back again on the next to give the effect shown in the picture. I didn't get the scoring quite right, think I need a Scor-pal! To finish the card I punched holes in the last fold and threaded the orange ribbon all the way round through the holes, tied a bow at the bottom and added a mesh butterfly in the middle. TFL.
Back soon,
Chris

Introducing Amelia and present

Here is Christmas Amelia with a lovely present for someone!!! Amelia is coloured with primsacolor pencils and decoupaged. I cuttlebugged the card blank with Snow Dots embossing folder and attached a piece of Christmas tree paper from last year, I think it was DCWV paper but I'm not sure. The card is finished with white ribbon and a Happy Christmas sentiment from Woodware. TFL.

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Chris

Kadoodle Daisy and Dan - Victorian dressing up day

I was so happy to receive a new DT package at the weekend from Kadoodle which contained these two wonderful Daisy and Dan stamps from my fellow Kadoodle stamp designer, Sandra. They're gorgeous and come in a variety of outfits. I already have Sandra's Wizard Dan stamp and I love her Pirate Dan and Red Indian and Princess Daisy, actually I love them all as they're so versatile and can be used in so many different ways. Wonderful for decoupage and lovely to colour. If you have a moment have a look at Sandra's fantastic new blog, she's so very talented, and it's full of inspiring ideas to use her stamps. Well I hope I've done Daisy and Dan justice today with my Victorian Dressing up day card.

Quite a labour intensive project but I enjoyed it so much. Daisy and Dan are paper pieced with papers from the DT Kit. I love the houndstooth check paper and couldn't help making Dan's whole suit with it. They're both coloured with prismacolor pencils and decoupaged. I freehand cut the curtains and attached some cut up paper doilies for the lace underneath. The dressing up box is a piece of white card cuttlebugged with the distressed stripes folder then sponged and doodled. Some DT papers where cut and doodled to give the impression of material falling from the box (hopefully)! I sponged the card blank with Ranger distress inks, doodled planks for the floor and a window. The card was assembled and then highlighted with a Sakura silver pen. TFL.

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Chris

Wylde Women Award

I received this great award this week from three ultra talented ladies Chloe, Kim and Valerie which is a great honour. Thank you so much to each one of you, you're blogs are an inspiration to all and your comments are so encouraging to me. I hope you have a moment by following the links above, to have a look at their blogs as they're really wonderful.

Wylde Women Award

Introducing the Wylde Women Award to give to your favorite Wylde Woman blogger. Here are the rules:

1. You can give it to one or one hundred or any number inbetween - it's up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post.

2. Link back to this blogsite (http://www.TammyVitale.com/) (so I can go visit all these wonderful women.

Purpose of the Award: To send love and acknowledgement to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

I would love to see this travel around the world and so will award more than one, but for my inaugurel award, I present this newest of the new blog awards to Sue at Artful Adventures (http://www.artfuladventures.typepad.com ) since typepad isn't let me link right now). She is great company, an artistic inspiration, and an all around blogger. Thanks, Sue!

thought for the day: What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other? George Eliot

I'd like to pass this award on to:

Tania
Louby
Anna
Sandra
Isa
Rach
Dawn
Gisela
Clair
Han


For their great support to me and wonderful comments. I hope you can have a look at these fantastic ladies' blogs you won't be disappointed. TFL.

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Chris

My Spiral Whisper Stamp Designs

It's an exciting week ahead for me as my stamp designs for Spiral Whisper go on pre-order today. They can be ordered on the website, will be sent out next Monday 4th August and can be shipped anywhere. I'm still having to pinch myself when I look on the website and see them! There are five up at the moment which are in the 'by Designer' section and the Backgrounds section.

I'm hoping to have some of them soon so that I can put some card samples on the blog.

Back soon,

Chris

Hawaiin Tilda

A card for Friday Sketchers challenge using these lovely Magnolia images that my friend Tania stamped for me, aren't they cute? I think the Magnolia's just get better and better. All the images are water coloured with Ranger distress inks and I've arranged a little scene with sponging and wavy cut bazzil card in line with the sketch. The card blank was embossed with a CB bubbles folder before adding the other elements. I doodled waves with a white pen and continued the sand line with a black sharpie over the rest of the card, stickles were added to Tilda's flower garland and the waves for sparkle. I added a prima flower with a gem centre under the stamped Magnolia flower as I lost the smaller flower that I'd coloured and cut out! I'm not that happy with how this card turned out, I should have cut out the palm tree to make the border work better but I wanted to use the island as the panel for the sketch and I made it for the challenge so I'm uploading it and I wanted to show off the absolutely gorgeous Tilda! TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Gift Bear

A card for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge and an SCS challenge today. The CCT challenge is 'things that grow' so I've used this lovely Penny Black Gift Bear image that my friend Clair stamped for me and I water coloured it with Ranger distress inks. The matting layers and spotted background paper are a digital download from Pink Petticoat. I love those spots! The sentiment is by SU and stamped with Ranger Aged Mahogany ink. TFL.

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Chris

Butterfly Bunny

This card is for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge. The challenge is to make a card using images of things you would find on a farm. I've used this lovely Butterfly Bunny stamped image which was sent to me by my friend Clair as there are always bunnies on farms and the cabbage will fit in too. The image is coloured with Ranger distress inks and matted on sage green bazzil card and Basic Grey Sultry paper. I added a panel of white card embossed with the CB swiss dots folder, a thank you sentiment from the Inkadinkado garden set stamped in Ancient Page grey ink and some gems. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Sweet Peas

Another SCS challenge card which is to make a card using a solid or silhouette stamp. I used my Penny Black Sweet Pea stamp which is a solid image and inked with Ranger distress in shabby shutters and marvy markers in pink, lilac and green then stamped on white card. I matted it on lilac bazzil and attached with dimension tape over a lilac ribbon and a Pink Petticoat digital download background of lilac big spots paper printed from my pc. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Lime and Black

I made this card really quickly tonight after work for a challenge on SCS which had a wonderful black, white and lime 3 tier cake as the inspiration piece. I love this combination of colours and had to have a try with them.

I cut a piece of lime bazzil card and attached to a white card blank followed by a piece of black and white paper. I doodled dots around the lime card with a sharpie marker, punched a large flower from the green, sponged with black soot distress ink and mounted on foam dots in the centre. I found a little piece of lime and white gingham ribbon which I tied in a bow and stuck in the centre.

Back soon,

Chris

Amelia's Flower Field

I've a new card with my Amelia and swing design stamp for Kadoodle. This one's more of a collage type of card with lots of cutting out which took forever.

I cut a piece of mid blue bazzill card for my background and then sketched a tree, cut it out with scissors and a craft knife and then sponged with Ranger distress inks added some doodling and stuck down on the background. I stamped the Starving Artistamps leaves and flowers at the bottom to make the field and continued with the leaves over and around the tree branches all of these were coloured with Sakura gelly roll pens with some glitter glue added for sparkle. I stamped a few extra leaves, a couple of flowers and three Starving Artistamps bees, coloured, glittered and cut out to 3d.

Amelia was stamped in versafine black onyx, coloured with prismacolor pencils and sansodor, glittered, cut out and attached over the tree branches on foam tape. The 3d bees, leaves and flowers were arranged around the scene, I doodled some grass and flowers, sponged all around the edges of the panel with Ranger distress ink and mounted on a card blank. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Spiral Whisper official opening

Congratulations to Kitty and Mike on the official opening of Spiral Whisper Clear Stamps website. They have already had a huge amount of pre-orders which isn't surprising as the talented designers who's stamps are releasing this week are just gorgeous. You can follow the link above to see some really wonderful stamps.

Back soon,
Chris

The Craft Barn Extravaganza Weekend 13th and 14th September

Below is a new posting on the The Craft Barn and Kadoodle Blogs all about the Extravaganza Weekend coming up on September 13th and 14th.

I'm very honoured to be included in this amazing line-up of talented and creative demonstrators which will be my first event of this size. Nerve wracking, I'm sure it'll be but I'm very much looking forward to it too and to demonstrating the new range of cottages that I designed for Kadoodle. It's all very exciting and I really, really hope I don't mess up!!!!!!

If you live anywhere near The Craft Barn at Lingfield, I hope you can pop in for the demonstrations, a workshop and a bit of shopping, they have absolutely everything a crafty heart desires and the most lovely and helpful staff. Hopefully I'll have a bit of time over that weekend to add to my ever increasing stash mountain!

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From the Craft Barn and Kadoodle Blogs

"We are pleased to be able to release further info regarding our September extravaganza weekend. This is going to be a fantastic event and amazingly is still FREE!

We have managed to arrange a truly sensational line up of demonstrations and workshops for you.

Beatrice from Katzelkratft (her first time in the UK)

Jean and Malcolm from Crafty Individuals

Leandra from Paper Artsy

Little Claire Designs

Kay Carley

Sandra Dry with her new Kadoodle characters

Christine Dark with her new Kadoodle cottages

Isabelle Norris

Wendy Horrod

Carole Cann

Carol Staples

Carol Cockbain

Paula Pascual (Sunday only)

Jane Collman (workshops)

Kassie Spires (workshops)

We will be releasing details of the workshop programme shortly. The workshops will cost £2.50 and you will make a complete project to take away with you. They are limited to 12 people and last for 1 hour each. We are also running the lucky dip again for those who book and attend the workshops and, as those of you who came last time will know, all of the prizes have a value greater than the cost of the workshop."

My first blogging award!

How lovely to find a message from Gisela (Mueppi) today to say there was something on her blog for me and to find that she'd given me an award! This is my first award for blogging and as I haven't been going for very long is all the more special! Thank you so much Gisela for all the lovely comments that you've left for me, I appreciate them very much. Follow the link above to have a look at Gisela's lovely blog.

The rules of the award.
1. Only 5 people allowed.
2. 4 have to be dedicated followers of your blog
3. one has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. you must link back to whoever gave you the award, it is a way of saying thank you to those who take time out for wonderful comments to boost your day.

I'd like to pass this award to:

Sandra
Tania
Louby
Kim
Jovi


I'd like to pass this award to everyone but I'm only allowed 5, thanks once again to everyone who has left a comment for me as it's so encouraging.

Back soon,
Chris

Snowy and Hedgy

My card today is for Penny Black Saturday Challenge. The challenge is to make a Christmas Card which has to have snow. I had to dig out my one and only Penny Black Christmas stamp and I stamped Snowy and Hedgy in versafine black ink and coloured with prismacolor pencils and sansodor. To make the iris folded frame I folded three twelve inch by one inch strips of christmas design paper, folded in half and then placed cut pieces of the strips around the under side of the frame cut out with nestabilities. The folded pieces were built up in layers until I'd gone all the way around with the three different papers. I covered the frame with versamark, embossed with crystal ep and cut to fit the back of the frame. The card blank has been embossed in the cuttlebug with a bubbles eb folder. I stamped Happy Christmas in grey Ancient Page ink and added, ribbon and stickles to finish. TFL

Back soon,

Chris

Lily

Today's card is for A spoon full of sugar and a colour challenge of Wild Wasabi, So Saffron and Almost Amethyst.

I stamped Lily with Versafine onyx black ink on a piece of white card cut with nestabilities and coloured with prismacolor pencils and sansodor. The image is matted on green bazzil card cut with a scalloped rectangle nestability and layered over a lilac ribbon and Doodlebug cotton candy dots paper. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Fishing Luca

This card is for this week's A spoon Full of Sugar Challenge. The challenge is one for the boys so I've used Sugar Nellie's Fishing Luca. He's coloured with prismacolor pencils and sansodor and cut out with nestabilities. I cut some Basic Grey Two Scoops paper with a scallop nestability and another piece of white card and layered these over a white card blank embossed with Forest Branches eb folder and panel of the Basic Grey paper. I did the sentiment in the same way and added Doodlebug rub on letters. All the edges are doodled with a black sharpie pen. I pierced around the edge of the card and threaded with red jewellery wire to look like fishing line and attached a little fish hook made from the same wire. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Party Cat

I really love High Hopes stamps, they're so big and enjoyable to colour. I think this one will get lots of outings, it'll be great for a lot of occasions. Party Cat is stamped in versafine onyx black ink and coloured with prismacolor pencils and sansodor. I matted it on royal blue card, added the red ric-rac, blue ribbon and the sentiment in rub on letters. The image is mounted with dimension tape over the background of Pebbles Dog Stripe paper which is very bright and cheerful. I think I'll have to get more of this as it'll be very good for children's cards. TFL.

Back soon,

Chris

New baby card

I made this card for a friend who's just had a beautiful little baby boy and it will also fit in with the challenge on Penny Black Saturday and Cute Card Thursday.

The lovely Penny Black elephant was stamped for me by a friend. I coloured the image with prismacolor pencils and oms, added waterfall stickles to the flowers, a gem and a sentiment with doodlebug rub on letters then mounted it on blue bazzil card. I made the background paper in photoshop, printed it out and cut a piece for the bottom mat and one for the panel under the image. These were layered over a strip of blue bazzil card edged with a fiskers punch. I added a prima flower and gem to finish. TFL.

Thank you to everyone who's left comments on previous posts, I appreciate them very much.

Back soon,
Chris

Pink Petticoat Yoo Hoo

My card today is for Friday Sketchers which has a lovely sketch this week with a circular element and an SCS Inspiration challenge which featured wedding cakes.

I've used a Pink Petticoat downloaded image from the Yoo Hoo set which is perfect for this card and already includes the sentiment and I coloured it with primsacolor pencils and Sansodor. I cut the image out with nestabilities and cut two scalloped pieces of sage and peppermint bazzil card for the mats. The DP is Basic Grey Euphoria and I layered this over the white card blank which is embossed with the cuttlebug textile embossing folder to give an impression of icing. The image mats were placed on dimension tape and then I dotted stickles around the scallops, I wanted to use perfect pearls again for dots of icing but they've disappeared off the face of the earth since yesterday!!! I cut slits at the top of the card to take the two ribbons and added gems to finish. TFL.

Back later,
Chris

Lilac Iris

Another of my lovely Starving Artistamps flower stamps today. The Iris is stamped in black versafine ink and embossed with black detail embossing powder. I coloured with prismacolor pencils and sansodor/oms, cut out and mounted on dimension tape over a panel of cuttlebug paisley embossed lilac pearlescent card. These were placed on the white card blank, also embossed in the cuttlebug this time with stylised flowers folder. I added a little stickles to the flower petals, a lilac satin ribbon and liquid pearls to finish.

This was a nice quick card and the first time I've photographed a card at night which I usually avoid as I don't normally get very good results, I wanted to upload this card to a challenge and it was dark by the time I finished it so I thought I'd give it a another try. The picture is a little dark at the bottom but apart from that I was quite pleased with how it turned out as it seems to show up the embossing nicely. I placed the card under a tall lamp, turned off the flash and used the macro setting (this setting usually has flower symbol on most digital cameras).

TFL and back soon,
Chris

Kadoodle Cards

There are lots of cards using the Amelia and James stamps on the Kadoodle blog, many of them from the recent make and take demo day made by the lovely customers at The Craft Barn. Some gorgeous designs too. I just found out that someone in the Netherlands has pre-ordered a full set of six and also one of my UKS friends Tania. A wonderful day!

Spiral Whisper Blog Candy

Lots of new sneak peaks on Spiral Whisper and blog candy too! Stamps to be won if a comment is left naming your favourite design. It's very exciting that two of my designs have been previewed too. All the release dates are on the blog. I have to say that I'm very partial to the amazing tree frog and I even have a card in mind for it!!! So many cute little characters and wonderful animals too. If you fancy a chance at some new stamps all you have to do is leave a comment.

High Hopes Leo

This card is for a weekly colour challenge of Barely Banana, Groovy Guava and Chocolate Chip which are SU colours. I've matched as close as I can with Bazzil card.

The great Leo Lion stamp is from High Hopes Stamps, he's stamped in versafine black onyx on white card and coloured with prismacolor pencils, sansodor/oms and a paper stump. I added a sentiment with Doodlebug rub on letters, matted on chocolate glimmer card, tied string in the corner and mounted with dimension tape. The banana element is rounded off bazzil card that I embossed in a CB forest branches embossing folder, distressed the edges and swiped with Tim Holtz tea dye and walnut ink to give a forest trees backdrop. The background layer is apricot bazzil cut to fit the card blank. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Sarah Kay and Penny Black challenge cards

I'm using my new Sarah Kay Rosalie's bicycle again today for the new Sara Kay challenge blog. Lilac has to be used on the card. Looks like this is going to be a one week wonder for me as I only have one Sarah Kay stamp!!!!

The image was stamped with versafine onyx black onto a rectangle cut out and embossed with nestabilities then coloured with prismacolor pencils, sansodor/oms and a paper stump. I cut a scalloped rectangle from lilac Bazzil card and matted the image with this. The card blank has been embossed with a cuttlebug tiny bubbles folder and swiped over with some Pepples pearlescent chalk to which I added a lilac satin ribbon. The sentiment was stamped in Tim Holtz milled lavender ink with three gems placed beside it to finish.


The second card today is for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where brads and buttons have to be used on the card.

The bunny image was coloured with prismacolor pencils, Sansodor/oms and a paper stump, cut out with a rectangle scalloped nestability and mounted on pale pink bazzil bling. I cut three strips of Making Memories Garden Party Dots double sided paper and placed them on the background. The image layer was mounted on dimension tape with a brad in the flower centre and placed over the papers on the card blank. The buttons element was added to the pale green organza ribbon.

Back later,
Chris

The Orchid

A certain person (you know who your are LOL) received an Orchid plant from me this weekend which she swears will be dead in a very short while! Here’s my orchid.

The stamp is a beautiful one from Starving Artistamps who have a lovely selection of florals. I stamped twice with Ancient Page Primrose ink on white card and coloured with prismacolour pencils and sansodor/oms using a paper stump. The leaf was stamped five times in onyx black versafine and coloured in the same way. All the leaves were cut out, one whole flower and the bottom portion of the second and all the edges were sponged with Tim Holtz distress ink in milled lavender for the flower and pine needle for the leaves.

A piece of moss green bazzil was cut, doodled with dots and tied with a pale pink organza ribbon. The leaves were arranged around the square, some direct on the card and others on dimension tape and then the Orchid was layered up over them after a little curling to the top layer using the tape.

Hope everyone has had an enjoyable weekend.

Back soon,

Chris

A big hello to my fellow Kadoodlers!

Many congratulations to all the members of the new Kadoodle Design Team and hello from me! I've been dropping in on all the blogs this evening for a peak and my goodness, what a wealth of amazing talent and superb work. I can't wait to see your creations with the Kadoodle stamps, I know they're going to be fabulous! I'll be leaving a message for each you over the weekend and I'm so looking forward to getting to know you all.

Great news also that Carol and Carole are design team members, such talented ladies and I know they'll have some fantastic ideas. Sandra and myself are on board too and I'm sure we're both going to learn so much from our knowledgeable team mates. Good luck with your demo tomorrow Sandra, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful day and everyone is going to love your gorgeous work.

Congratulations, Isabelle, on the publication of your inspirational masterclass on distressing techniques and the feature on Sandra's fantastic stamps. Absolutely stunning!

I think the design team are going to love having Isabelle co-ordinating, she has so much experience and is just the sweetest of the sweet. I can't imagine anyone will want to shout at you Isabelle LOL!

So here are the DT members and their blogs in all their glory, I know you'll love them.

Valérie from France (known as “Poupette”)

Kim Piggott (UK) blog: coming soon

Bev from Newcastle (UK)

Lorraine from Worthing (UK)

Brandi from Pennsylvania (USA)

Isabelle Norris Design Team Coordinator

Back soon,
Chris

Tuesday colour challenge

I made this card today for a colour challenge of Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi and Certainly Celery. I don't have any SU papers and so always have to improvise. It was a good chance to use my new Sara Kay 'Rosalie's Bicycle' stamp. I've been admiring this one for a while and finally got it yesterday. It's just such a gorgeous design by a fabulous artist.

I stamped the image in versafine, coloured with prisma pencils and Sansodor/oms and a paper stump, trying to match the colours. I cut the image out with a scalloped rectangle nestability and layered on pale green Bazzil Bling with has a lovely sheen to it, a mid green and Burgundy bazzil. The card blank is embossed in the cuttlebug with the textile folder and pounced with Pebbles pearlescent chalk. The sentiment is from a Woodware family sentiment set, stamped with versamark and chalked over. I've finished the card with green organza ribbon attached under the image panel and some gems.

There are some more great sneak peaks on the Spiral Whisper blog today with lots more to come. The designs are fabulous and I hope you can have a look at the new previews, the link is in my blog list.

Enjoy the fabulous weather and back soon.

Chris

James Slides

Here is my second card today and this Kadoodle stamp is James Slides. He's had the same treatment as the others, stamped with versafine ink which is my favourite and gives great detail and then water coloured with Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

This time I distressed the edges of the image with a distressing tool and doodled some dots before mounting over a panel of black card which is embossed with the CB Forest Branches folder. I've entirely covered the the card blank with the background paper, Sandylion 'Gumdrops', inked the edges with black and then attached to the card and off about an inch. The same paper is inside the card and I've doodled dots all around the edges.

Meet Amelia

Such a beautiful day today but unfortunately I've been inside for most of it.

I have some new cards to post with more of the Kadoodle stamps. The first card is Amelia Swings. She's been stamped with versafine and coloured with Tim Holtz Distress inks and cut out. I then created a kind of frame for her to swing from with bazzil bling burgandy, with a background of Basic Grey Euphoria 'Ferver'. Amelia was then attached only underneath the frame so that she looks as if she's swinging. I attached this panel plus another of bazzil and Basic Grey Euphoria 'Bless' to a white card blank, then cut away the white portion around the Amelia panel. The bottom part of the card has a nestabilities cut circle sentiment panel and paper flowers with gem centres.