Papertake challenge card.

Maddy recently introduced me to another challenge blog, Papertake Weekly Challenge.

Vowing to get over this thing i have about making cards (a very traumatic time for me and everyone around me lol), i decided to have a go at the challenge.....
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I kept it simple, with little to think about as far as colour matching was concerned...that way nothing got thrown in my craft room and Maddy was tempted to throttle me!

I enjoyed making this card, it was a nice simple sketch to work to....i even did my machine stitching pretty straight too!
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A few little blob things (i think that's the technical term for them) for decoration and a bit of lace here and there and hey presto.....one card by Calv! :)
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Thank you to the team at Papertake Weekly Challenge, i will certainly be back for more challenges in the future.

Bye for now. :)

Veg i inked today!!!

Good evening all! :)
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Welcome to that time of the week when you join me for the evening, well at least a few precious minutes of the night when you shout from the roof tops....."CALV...WHAT VEG DID YOU INK TODAY?"

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Ever since that glorious Thursday night, way back then when i inked that first banana out of sheer boredom, my fruit and veg inking has filled a tiny gap in your lives every week. Like it or not, you can't walk into a grocers now without thinking to yourselves, "To eat, or to ink....that is the question?"

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Unfortunately, not all my inkings go to plan....and tonight i can safely say this is one of those!

Faithful veg viewers of blog land.....may i present this Thursdays mess that is....the BUTTER NUT SQUASH!!!
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What an absolute nightmare i had with this!!! Almost gave up halfway through, but persevered regardless, then i hit one obstacle after another.

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One of my lamps blew whilst taking a pic.....then i burnt my ear on another lamp (don't ask).....then i got alcohol ink on my white fabric of my light tent....not least of all the butter nut squash turned out the complete opposite of what i wanted! Picture a house similar to the old woman that lived in a shoe, complete with door and windows.....well that was my plan at first.

Hmmm yes i can see you all shaking your heads saying, "That boy is a waste of a perfectly good skin!". I know, tonight i agree.

There were a few nice colour patterns that came out of it....the top part was ok, with a sea of silver mixative swirling around the blues and wild plum....

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I think my fave part is the middle, filled with lots of Stream blue, it really has that marbled effect.....almost like coloured glass.....

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The ink dries out quite fast on the squash, so i had to take the pics quite quick to get the full effect of any decent colours.

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Luckily i had the sense to use latex gloves this week, otherwise my hands would have resembled something very inky indeed! This veg took up a fair bit of ink, it was wobbly too so a good deal is on my worktop. Thank the Lord, or Tim Holtz for the wonder of blending solution!

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Veginkability rating for this? I'm going to go with a lousy 3 today! Sorry folks, i know that sounds harsh but life's like that.

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So tonight, whilst not as successful as i may have liked, i go to bed knowing that i did my best under difficult conditions.

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Thank you for stopping by to see me today, i hope you are all well and crafty, and next time you go shopping for vegies......think of me and smile when you pick something from the veg counter!!! :)

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Meanwhile, i am off to see how Rotty is getting on with the new things Calvin Mouse lent him for his house.....hmmm i'm sure theres something fishy about that!

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Night all. :)

Rotty says goodbye......as he only knows how!!!

Hi all, well tomorrow Rotty and i have to leave for home after a lovely stay with Maddy and Calvin Mouse. I'd better go and see if Rotty is packing.....hmmm looks like someones made himself at home watching Calvin Mouse's TV.....



"Hi Rotty, are you packing for tomorrow?.......come on mate....no time for telly!"

"Yeah yeah ok boss, i was watching a documentary on the sewer system under London.....my old stomping ground yanno".



"Really Rotty, fascinating.....now can we get packing please?"

"Yeah ok ok, i'll just switch everything off first. You go and make a start boss and i'll be with you shortly."



"Thanks Rotty, don't be long......we have a long train journey in the morning."



"Hmmm, not a bad little set-up Calvin Mouse has got here, the latest DVD, computer, video and stereo system........hmmm i wonder......."

"Umm boss i'm all done packing.....i just wanted to say goodbye".



"Uh hang on Rotty, we are leaving in the morning? You haven't said goodbye to Maddy or Calvin Mouse yet either?"

"Ah well....umm yep....well......ahh....see it's like this.....Maddy is a bit busy, she said goodbye and said it was a pleasure to have me here....."

"Are you sure Rotty? I didn't hear her?"

"Yeah well, you know what your hearing is like.....anyway, and Calvin is REALLY busy....he said he's loved having me stay with him, but he's making more cakes so he can't be disturbed".

"Hmmm if you say so Rotty.....so whats this about you making your way home tonight then?

"Ah well theres the funny thing boss......would you believe it......many wouldn't......but Calvin was so pleased i came up here to see him......he lent me his quad bike to go home on!"

"REALLY Rotty!?"

"Really boss, i swear on Calvin's life! Anyway I'd better be going....see you tomorrow boss".

"Ok bye Rotty, take care on those roads ok.......hmmm this all sounds a little too good to be true, better take a peek outside and see if he gets off ok....."



"What the blazes!!!!!....ROTTY!!! Excuse me young man, what have you got on the back of that bike?

"Ummm.....well Calvin Mouse said i could try some of his bits out in my new house......when you get off your backside and build me it that is!"

"Less of the cheek mister! So you're trying to tell me that Calvin has let you borrow all that!?"

"Totally boss....go and ask him.......umm just ask him tomorrow if thats ok!"

"Hmmm...off you go then....i'll trust you."

"Hehe cheers boss....right then....foot down and away we gooooo!!!!.......uh oh!"



"Drat! Maddy's cat Big Puss! Come on cat, out of my way, i have people to see, things to "borrow".

"Hmmm he's not budging....hey Big Puss.....Calvin Mouse is eating your food.....i can see him!"



"Thats it....off you go! Right then, under the fat cat's legs and it's home i go.....byeeeeeeeee!!!"

A challenge piece and a sketch holder.

Maddy and i shared a rare experience today, we crafted together!!!

There is always so many things going on here, we never get to play together, so today we did just that. How she got through the day with me i don't know, but she just managed to not wring my neck and all is well! :)

I say this because i decided to join her in making a card for a challenge. Now whilst my cards turn out OK in the end and i love the end results.....the making of them absolutely 100% does my head in!!! I stress about the colours, i stress about the papers.....in fact i stress so much during the process, Maddy said today, "You look suicidal when you are making a card!!!". Anyone who says card making is therapeutic, needs to make one with me!!!

So once again i apologise to you Maddy, but thank you for your tips here and there to get me through the nightmare!!! Here's what i made.....
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The card i made for two challenges, the Sketch Saturday card challenge and the Copics Colour Challenge.

For the Sketch Saturday, we were given a sketch to work to, always a big help to me. The sketch allowed me to play with some nestabilities, something i'm a bit of a newbie to.
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The Copics Colour Challenge required that we use three colours, Cardinal, Cadmium Orange and Olive. I managed to use all three in various parts of the images.
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To compliment the card, Maddy showed me how to make a notelet holder from a template. I made mine into a wallet for storing my sketches, they are such a help for me, it's a shame to get rid of them after using them.
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This was a great little project, and i didn't stress over it either....WOOHOOOO!!! :)

I tried to make it semi match the card, i used some distress ink blending on the stamped images (always a fave on mine), and added a bit of lace here and there to pretty it up a bit.
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So quite a productive day for me today. Thank you to the ladies at Sketch Saturday and the Copics Colour Challenge for their ever wonderful challenges, i like to think i learn something from them each time.

Finally, a big thank you to Maddy, who kept her calm whilst i lost mine with the card today......and kept herself off the overgrowing list of women who have buried their partners under the patio!!!

Thanks for popping in. :)

*Edited to say: I just read this out to Maddy, and she would like me to amend the bit where i said i did not stress out over the sketch holder.......she said it was at this point she thought i was going to spit my dummy out and burst into tears!!!

Oh well..... :)

Veg i inked today!!!

Good evening to you all on this fine Thursday evening. :)

I am still at Maddy's, hence the lack of blog activity, however after a two weeks of veg-inactivity i buckled under the pressure and sought out another trusty vegetable for me to brighten up.
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My task was fraught with danger from the start though. My only source of veg this evening was Maddy's local corner shop, and this meant the daunting prospect of possibly forgetting Maddy's coffee amidst the excitement of choosing a vegetable!
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That just wasn't an option, Maddy loves her coffee and rumour has it, last man who neglected to remember Maddy's coffee from the shopping list was never seen again! Anyway, my trip to the shop was a disappointment and i returned home with just the contents of the fridge to save me.
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I opened the fridge door, peered inside, and there....right at the back.....peered a little veg, left over from the beef roast we had the day before....forgotten in the packet, lonely and unwanted.....so tonight i decided to give it the spotlight and ink.......a sprout!!!
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There is only so much you can do on a tiny sprout, so i went for the minimalistic approach on this little fella. Three colours....that's it, but the stream blue and the wild plum make the most gorgeous purple.

The sprout was another veg that kept it's colours well, and didn't dull like some of the others.
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The way the veins on the sprout leaves show up, makes it look to me like a little brain lol. In fact, in my world ever crafter has a brain this colourful!

Not a masterpiece by any means i know, but i just wanted to get some veg back on the blog.....they really were missing the spotlight you know!

Veginkability rating? I'm going for a 4 for the sprout. Not that high, but it was nice to ink and the colours come out nice on it, so i can't really complain about the effort put in by such a tiny chap.

Hang on....who's that i can hear muttering away?



"Ummm......hi Rotty......and may i ask what you are doing with my bottle of alcohol ink?"

"I ask myself the same question every Thursday night when i see you making a mess with them boss!"

"Excuse me Rotty. fruit and veg inking is not something for amateurs you know, it takes great skill to produce some of the masterpieces that you see here every week!"

"Yeak ok, if you say so boss.....might give it a go myself actualy, i mean it looks pretty simple.....you just unscrew the top.......give it a little squeeze.....bit here.....bit there.....another colour here......bit there.......

"DA DAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"
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"Hmmm very impressive Rotty....you've excelled yourself, even for you!!!"

"Cheers boss......i thought it could have done with a bit more colour here and there, but overall i was quite pleased.......what do you think?"
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"I think you need a bath Rotty.......make sure you scrub your ear.....i think you got some ink on it my little inky mate!!!"
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"Sure thing boss.....see......i told you Calvin Mouse is a drama queen......anyone could do this crafting lark if they wanted!!!.......big girls blouse he is!!!"

"Goodnight Rotty :)"

Goodnight everyone, thanks for stopping by! See you next week, same time...... :)

Rotty has a fan club!!!

Oh yes my friends, the day you never thought would happen has arrived.....Rotty has his own fan club!!! :)

A fantastic lady called Trine Blix (amazing crafter too by the way..check her blog out here) stunned Rotty and myself by announcing the creation of the official Rotty Rat Fan Club!!!



"Founder member" Trine has done Rotty proud with this act of support. I'm not entirely sure Rotty thought he was being well received after some of his escapades with Calvin Mouse, but now he can stand tall alongside other so-called superstar rodents, knowing in his heart that rough and tough sewer rats can indeed be loved too!

Trine has also very kindly allowed me to use this great fan club picture on mine, and anyone elses blog who wants to. Put it this way, if thousands can support a big girls blouse of a mouse just because he can make a few fimo buns.......why not treat your blog to a show of support for Rotty too! :)

Thanks Trine, you are an absolute star for doing this. Rotty is tucked up in bed at the moment, but i will get him to thank you personally soon. :)

Lastly, I'm sorry for not blogging much at the moment, still away for a few days, and will be for a few days more, but i look forward to getting back into it asap. Meanwhile i have been looking around some simply stunning crafty blogs on the net.....and lets just say i think i need to raise my standards a bit!!! :)

All in good time.....bye for now,

Calv.

Well chuffed!!!

Tonight i sit here a very happy boy indeed!

I've been accepted onto the Inspirational team! :)))

As long as I've been crafting, there has been two major contributing factors to me finding stunning blogs and pieces of work on the net. Maddy, who has always directed me towards lovely blogs that she has found, and more recently Julie's Inspirational blog.

Without a doubt, if it hadn't been for the stunning work showcased on Julie's Inspirational blog, i would never have seen half of the brilliant work and artists out there. It has also given me so much inspiration to work with in my own crafting.

So i would like to say a huge thank you to Julie, i look forward to being on the team.....and also thank you to all the fantastic bloggers that have amazed me weekly on Julie's blog.

My new papers...ideal for older kids!

Hi all, :)

Every now and again i feel i should give a shout out to my local craft shop here in the heart of The New Forest. Emerald Crafts in Lyndhurst high Street is run by Oliver who is super helpful when it comes to finding what you need when it comes to paper crafts.

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So many people come down to the south of England on holiday, and it's lovely to find a little gem of a shop like this when you are missing your crafty shopping. What i like about Oliver's shop, is that he knows what he is on about when it comes to crafts. I mean he knows about the products he sells which is a bonus. Yes Oliver even i was surprised when a lady came in the shop the other day asking about how to make a certain card design....and you rattled off the design including a diagram straight off the top of your head! :)

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Recently the shop has expanded into another room and there is loads more stash to see and buy now.

Whilst there i came across this 6x6 paper stack. It's the "Pulse Collection" from Prima Marketing Inc.

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Each pack has 48 papers, 4 sets of 12 different designs of paper.

When i opened this pack up, it just shouted two things at me...."Teenagers with attitude".....and also my ever growing daughters who often display the "teenagers with attitude" thing!

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Click on the images for a better look, these papers have graffiti, colour, and just that urban street feel that separates them from some of the more "kiddy" papers that are out there.

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I just love the bottom left one below......
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So that's a top recommendation for anyone wondering what to use for when scrapping for the older kids

Another purchase was a long time in coming. Every time i go in Oliver's shop, i look at these brads, always say to myself that i should get them as i want something "that little bit special" for my projects.....but never get them.
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These are absolutely gorgeous! They will compliment any nice bit of work i get round to making. I also ran out of white card the other day (my girls eventually got through a whole box of the stuff), and i was going to ask Oliver today if he could get any in, when what do you know.....he's started selling exactly what i need!

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Can't ask more than that in a craft shop can you?

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So once again, a big thank you to Oliver. Pop in there if you are ever down this way, you won't be disappointed.

Playing with Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powders.

Hi all :)

A little while ago i bought a set of six of the Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powders, not a new product i know but they are new to me.

Here is a simple tag that I have made to show the powders off on different coloured distress inks.

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What I love about this product, is that Ranger have addressed one of my "niggles" when it comes to the art of distressing. It doesn't have to be dull, dark and dowdy every time! "Vintage" or "distressed" makes can indeed have colour to them!

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For those of you who have not used these powders before, they are used similar to ordinary embossing powders, except for when they are dried, you rub off the "release crystals" that are cleverly incorporated into the powder. This leaves a worn and textured feel.

This picture shows the crystals having been rubbed off with my fingers.
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The main thing you'll notice with these powders are that they don't turn shiney when heated, but you soon get the knack of knowing when they are done.

I think these powders are a great way of creating the "rusty metal" effect sought after by many people.

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I stamped out some butterflies from a Crafty Individuals stamp set, and added them to the tag for a little depth. Nothing difficult, just a quick tag to practise my powders on.
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Thanks for stopping by. :)

Veg i inked today!!!

Welcome bloggers to another Thursday of inky things! :)

Today was a close call with regards to the inked veg, in that it almost didn't happen for several reasons. Shock horror!!! Yes i know my little veggie fans, what would you have done without your weekly dose of verbal....I'll say inkyness....replace that word with whatever you feel fit! :)

I won't bore you with the details though, just know that about 30 minutes ago i was ready to chuck the veg in the bin and call it a day!

However i persevered, and despite a busted lamp for lighting my pics, my camera playing up and various veg playing up for me, i settled on this one....the ASPARAGUS!!!
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Whats it doing outside on that rock by your pond i hear you say? Well thanks to the mishaps with my technical equipment, i decided to have a change of location for the photo shoot. I think it looks quite nice actually, don't you?
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I had to do this inking with less colours than usual, as i ran out of about 3 bottles of my fave colour whilst trying out other fruit. Fruit that went horribly wrong i might add.

However the few colours that i did use, definitely changed the asparagus's all green appearance.
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So how about that now world famous method of judging inkability of a vegetable..the "veginkability rating"?

Well i have to say that whilst not the most colourful of subjects that i have finished, the asparagus did look good out in the sun. It kept it's colours well and didn't waste too much of my ink.....unlike the stupid mushrooms i tried earlier!!!

I think a 6 is in order for this weeks veg! I'm probably being a bit generous with a 6, but i did end up finding a nice location to photograph the veg, so that was a bonus. :)



Talking of the outdoors, guess who i bumped into whilst i was outside?

"Hi Rotty......wow that looks impressive!!! What are you doing?"

"Bit of rock climbing boss"....
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"Really? I never knew you were into that?"

"Yeah well, I'm actually getting in some practice for ....i mean....ummm...ah well...just keeping fit and all that".

"Hmmm, that sounds rather suspicious, plus ...it does look rather high for you Rotty, are you sure you're ok?

"Don't panic boss, I'm safe as houses, i have a good rope and my technique is second to none!"

"Ah Rotty, is that some of my fibres that you've pinched from the craft room?"

"Umm it could be boss, but i thought that I'd put them to good use."

"Well just go careful little fella, your arms are already looking a bit mashed".

"That's coz i took a couple of bumps whilst tackling the north face earlier....tough game this climbing yanno!

"If you say so Rotty".

Right then bloggers, i think we'll leave him to it. I've no idea what he's up to, but I'm sure he can be trusted.

Until next Thursday, keep smiling and I'll see you all later. :)