Blog Candy Winner Announcement!

Thank you to everyone who entered the latest giveaway.

The winner of the Tim Holtz Gadget Gear Sizzix Die

is......

Drumroll....

Number 11, who is....

SUSAN!!!

Congratulations Susan, I'll email you for your details!

BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY - NOW CLOSED!!!

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR NEWER POSTS

Tim's Gadget Gears Alteration Die Giveaway

As promised, here is a new blog candy giveaway.  Yes, another of Tim's new Sizzix Alteration Dies as you seemed to like the last one we held.  I'm really enjoying using the Gadget Gears die, and I'm hoping the next winner will too!

You will need a die cutting machine to use the prize, so if you have any machine that accepts Sizzix then do join in! 

For those with blogs - to enter all you need to do is leave a comment below this post and spread the word on your blog by putting a picture of this blog candy onto your blog sidebar linking it back to this post. If you would like to sign up to become a follower that would be great, as we'd really love you to follow our blog.

For those without blogs - please leave a comment below this post. Please note that you will need to leave your full name within the comment to be entered, otherwise anonymous entries cannot be accepted.
One entry only, duplicate entries will not be counted.

This candy will run from now until Midday (GMT) on Tuesday 4th May 2010.

The winner will be selected at random and announced soon after.

You will need to call back to see if you have won. If the prize has not been claimed by midday Thursday 6th May, a new winner will be drawn.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

Please continue to our latest post below...

Inspiration from Tracey Coates - Part 2

I'm so behind today, I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get round to preparing and posting today, I started this post this afternoon and now look at the time that I'm actually getting round to finishing it off.  But I'm going to get it posted before midnight if it's the last thing I do!!!!!  It's been one hell of a weekend one way or another, plus Ian has man-flu, but that's been the least of it!!  I feel I've been strapped to this computer all weekend.

Something good happened though, as I joined facebook last night, it's been nice to get away from the other grotty frustratingly slow computer stuff that's been going on while I've been chained here.  So in between all that, I've been back and forth on facebook as well as brief interludes of very little housework and ironing that I got done. There will be a price to pay when we're running out of clothes in the wardrobe by the end of the week, which incidentally is not a good thing as we have the Happy Stampers North West Show at Port Sunlight!

Vix set up a Stampman page for us on fb months ago and I think she'd given up mentioning it to me, so when Debbie mentioned that Vix had told her about it this week, I thought I ought to give it a go since she assured me that her and Debbie would do what was needed.  Apparently all I needed to do was register myself...  That was all, oh, so how come I now have a feeling that I'm going to get as addicted to that as I am to blogging?  I think I fell for it again, it was Debbie that got me into blogging, now look, you can't shut me up, lol! 

You'll need more than a naughty chair Vix, I tell you, never mind dusting it off, wait until I see you on Saturday!!!!!  (I'll sort Debbie out in the week:))

I have to say I still haven't a clue about it as I've not looked at Facebook before but thankfully I have friends and am not a billy no mates, I've had a chat online with Tracey, who is also new to it (and who also should have been doing her ironing), and also caught up with a friend from years ago, and once I get a minute there's other friends I want to catch up with too.  Not that bad then.  (Very good really:))))

The very bad bit about this weekend is that the website has been down, and up, and down and now up!!!  I'll save you from reading through a VERY loooooooooong frustrating story, I'll just say that if I hadn't been distracted by FB this weekend, I would be bald and locked up by now!!

Anyway... You'll be wondering if I'm ever going to get round to showing you the next lot of inspiration from Tracey, I'm sure some have scrolled down passed my waffle by now:)  But to those that have stuck with me, a grateful thank you!!

But, before we get to Tracey's work, I need to remind you that if you haven't joined in the blog candy yet, then your time runs out at midday Tuesday UK time.

Plus, as I don't think I can really hide it for the next week or so, I'm the Guest Designer, starting today at Crafty Cardmakers, who we sponsor, if you want to take a look click HERE.

Right then, down to proper business, I've looked at the clock and that's it, I've not made my deadline for posting this today.

OK, so now I'm early for tomorrow...

I think these are well worth waiting for...The first one, that I tempted you with at the beginning is so stunning, I'm showing it again

As with an image in yesterday's collection, Tracey has embossed the main picture then cracked it.

Next in line is this distressed bird frame

The photos don't show how amazing these are in real life

Here is a close up of the gorgeous flower to help you see some of the detail.

And, the last one for now

I've just looked at the original of this one and the background colour in the photo is not the same, it must have been the light when I took the photos, it is actually nearer the wild honey shade rather than the pink tone you can see. 

The soda label embellishments have been embossed in clear ep.  The main one mounted on a crushed bottle top.  The washer is less aged than the rusty looking one from yesterday so I now suspect yesterday's washer was embossed/distressed.  Maybe Tracey will add more about the finer details for us.

OK, only about 20 minutes late, but then that's about how late I normally run:(

I hope you have all had a good weekend, enjoy the rest of the week.

Jill

Inspiration from Tracey Coates - Part 1

Amongst other things, Tracey brought 2 beautiful display boards with her for our demo weekend.  How lucky are we that we get to keep them!!  They are at the shop if you want to see them in real life.

Tracey didn't take photos of any of them but has allowed me to show them here for you as it would be such a shame not to share them with you all.

As you can see there's lots of artwork on each board so I am going to show each piece.  I'll break them down into different parts so you can follow the posts easier. 

This first board features a lot of frames and also tags.  I'll briefly point out some features along the way. 

The swirls on the frame are embossed with red distress embossing powder over distress inks.

The background of this frame is stunning, Tracey has used distress ink and lovely aging techniques to create this.  I love the colours of the paper flower.  The image has been embossed with clear embossing powder and then bent to form cracks in the glaze.  The shoe brad is attached with a brad.

Another beauty stamped with distress inks and embellished with a rusty washer, the dog image is placed under one of Tim's fragments.

The frame has been embossed with distress embossing powders so again, very tactile.

Will show more tomorrow.

Jill

Website

We have had problems with our website on and off since Saturday morning.  We are trying to get it fixed asap.  Sorry for any inconvenience this is causing.

Jill

More of Tracey's ATC demo's last weekend.

OK, here are the other ATCs from yesterday's group of Tracey's demo collection from last weekend's demo day. 

We'll start with the love wishes... 

How cute are those tiny tiny three screw brads at the top!  At first I thought they were seed beads they are so small, but then I looked at the back and found they were actually brads, closer inspection revealed they are metal, nice!

Below them is one of Tim's fragments...now then...Tracey has been playing with these, and has come up with great ideas, you can see one of her play pieces below.  Hopefully Tracey is going to reveal her research and development on her blog soon, Designing Day Dreams, so keep your eyes open for that.  Maybe I should nag her to make sure she shares??  If you'd seen them in real life then you'd agree I should:)

I LOVE the next one, the base is very textured handmade paper, it is very tactile!!

The cog is made from Tim's new Gadget Gears Sizzix die, Tracey has triple embossed it to an amazing colour which really doesn't show in this picture, it looks so much better in real life.

This is the ATC that Vix left a comment about yesterday.  Tracey used the dot border stamp to stamp over the face, very retro looking!  The image was stamped onto green and white card then torn and the opposites were fitted together.

Tracey has used crackle paint for the border shown below.

There's more of Tracey's work to come so watch this space!  If you want to see them in real life they are at the shop if you are close enough to visit.

Debbie is offering some great blog candy at the moment so do go and join in.  Good luck with that, if you win you too could make a card like Debbie's!

I hope you are all having a great weekend, maybe we'll get some sunshine at some point!

Jill