Tuesday 30 November 2010

first snow

Good morning everyone. Well as expected we have our first snow today. Not as much as northern UK but still enough to change the look around here. I'll do my crafty post later but thought I'd share these pictures with you first


Monday 29 November 2010

How to do: the flowers

Hi, I was asked by one person to tell how I made my flowers the other day so here goes.
You will need : Double sided paper, 3 flower punches in different sizes, something to poke a hole with, a mini mister filled with water and planty of spare water to hand! I worked on a non stick craft sheet.
The original tutorial said to use 4 large and 3 medium and 3 small flowers. I did that at first but then reduced them to 3 large and 2 each of the medium and small so it is up to you really as to how many layers you use. I just found it gave me the finish I was happy with with less bulk.

These were the punches I used

Punch out your desired quantity
Poke a hole though all of them and fasten together with a small brad.

Then spray liberally with water; don't be shy with the water! Then start to fold everything inwards covering the brad until you end up with a sodden lump that looks something like this!



Then begin to open the petals out one by one shaping them as you do. You will need to be a bit careful as the paper will be fairly fragile.
The end result will be something like this:

Now I was happy to see the brad but you can leave it covered if you like. Leave to dry, preferably overnight then the next day you have some lovely flowers to play with! You will get different resultd depending on the style of punch you use. I plan to play with Tim Holtz's tattered floral die as I think that will give some great results. I'll keep you posted!
Be blessed

Simon Says stamp and show; a Tag

Morning everyone.
Hope you had a good weekend.
Over at Simonsays stamp the challange this week is a tag. Nice and simple. This time I avoided christmas and did a nice simple one. I used Rangers pearls acrylic paint dabber on the background, coloured over with distress inks in blues. The stamp is a do crafts celtic circle. I highlighted that with pinks and some rock candy stickles. The leaves are from a necklace and a metal sentiment. Pink organza ribbon adds the finishing touch.
Nice, simple yet very effective colours.
Be blessed in your art today.

Friday 26 November 2010

What's cooking?

Hi there everyone
Taking a bit of a chance here but as far as I know they don't follow my blog!
I've been making use of the flowers I made the other day and quickly whipped up a couple of recipe folders.
I started them off with a couple of our family favourites and then theres place to add their own....
After making the books (My Binder was a great investment, I love it!) I used the bird cage die from TH, some of my flowers and jewels, bit of distressing and all sorted.



detail showing the crackle

Be Blessed

Thursday 25 November 2010

Play Date Cafe Challenge - Brown, silver and grey

Hi there
I have wanted to enter the challenges for a while now but with all the stuff I was doing for the fair I just never got round to it. Until now.....
The link is on my sidebar. The colours this week are brown grey and silver. I thought it would be easy but actually found it more challenging than expected! Perhaps because my browns did not quite match what I had in my mind at first.
Here is what I came up with in the end; a tag that will be going onto a project I am busywith for a gift (so no final photo!)
I used textured grungboard for the base left it grey and added patches of silver alcohol ink before inking with brushed corduroy and vintage photo distress ink. Onto this I added a brown floral lazer cut filigree of my own design and two grey tone flowers that I had made yesterday (I made 47 flowers in total yesterday, talk about being on a roll!), a couple of brown papermania gens and a silver sentiment. Then everything was mounted onto brown card and grey card to finish.
Hope you like it!
Be blessed

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Flower power

Hi there. I'm sure I am not alone in having days when you just can't quite decide what to do? Well, today is one of those days...
Firstly I wandered around like a lost soul for a while; then I thought I would start on a friends christmas present; then I stopped with that because it was not inspiring me. So now what?
Well I decided to do some preperation work in the hope that I would get some focus so I sat and made flowers, 22 in total; and yes my creative block has gone and I have some ideas and wish they would dry so I can carry on!
I'm sure that there will be tutorials on how to do these so I won't bore you; if you want the basic instruction though just leave a comment and i'll tell you.
Be blessed

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Tuesday Taggers Guest spot

Hi there everyone
Over at Tuesday taggers I was asked to participate in their challenge this week as a guest; the theme is a christmas decoration.
I used Nestabilities tags, stamped suitably christmassy images. Coloured them with distress inks and perfect pearls. Some beaded tassles to finish.







Have a good day everyone and pop over to Tuesday Taggers and join in the fun.

Monday 22 November 2010

Three for the price of one!

Hi there everyone.
After all the busyness of preparing for the craft fair I had a bit of a lazy day today. Thank you to all of you who left me such encourageing comments; all are greatly appreciated.
Well while I was being lazy (so spending more time than usual surfing blogland) I realised that 3 of my favourite blogs would work together nicely this week; namely Simon says Stamp is distress inks, over at L3 the CCC challenge is Double distress as per the technique on page 40 of the compendium and the the stampman is anything T Holtz Christmas.( Links to these blogs are on my sidebar) So here is my contribution : A Christmas gift bag.........



The bag was made using a crinkle finish paper and string for the handle. The snowman was stamped and distress inked using weathered wood, brushed corduroy and victorian velvet. The leave are cut from grunge and the double distress technique used on them. The same technique was used on the background grunge paper too. Acrackle painted robin, flourish and flower to finish

Showing a bit of the detail of the double distress.
Now I need to find a suitably festive gift to fill the bag with!

Be blessed in your art

Sunday 21 November 2010

Craft Fair

Morning all. Well yesterday's fair is now history! It was great fun, met some great people, sold plenty of stuff and raised some funds for a childrens charity in Kenya. All good.
I remember reading somewhere that nothing is more nervewracking and exciting as putting the fruits of your creative process out into the public eye. Will they like it enough to put hands into wallets and buy it? The public are not swayed by feelings; you are, after all, a stranger.
Well, I feel very happy as people did buy (More than I thought would, if I'm being honest!) The comments were really fantastic; I met some fellow stampers and had long conversations with strangers who were attracted to my work!



So, now I can get back into getting involved with challenges again! Take care, have a great day and I hope you "see the possibilities" in your life.
be blessed

Friday 19 November 2010

Mini Canvasses

Morning all; just busy finishing the last few bits and bobs for tomorrows fair. I really enjoyed doing these
7 x 7 cm mini canvasses; these sentiments are great for this kind of work. I used distress ink, masks and Idea-ology hardware. The tape measures and lace are vintage findings from boot fairs and fleamarkets.


Have a lovely day and be blessed whatever you do.

Thursday 18 November 2010

Busy busy

Hi there, sorry but never managed to post yesterday. Been franticly trying to get stuff finished for saturday; and the light was terrible yesterday for pictures! So I have taken a shortbreak today while the sun shone to take photos. So here is the first lot that I have been busy with.
Firstly, some bookmarks; my own lazer cuts, laminated and beribboned.
Then I started to alter some 8 x 8 scrapbbok albums, I used Ferro crackle paints, some embossing and Tim Holtz book plates, adage tags and Rangers crackle




Then on to some little albums......








Have a good day everyone and wherever you are hope you are blessed.

Monday 15 November 2010

Simon says stamp and show what makes you happy

Well that has to be pretty easy to answer; anything Tim really! Hence this little album. Pretty much all my Tim Holtz stamps were used. No one elses got a look in! I made two mini albums in a tin. I set myself the challange to not use any of the brown tones that usually creep in so everything is pastel tones distress. I used post it notes to mask the places where photo's will go and then just had fun.
The top has been embossed with a Tim Holtz texture fade onto metal finish and painted around the edges with Ferro graphite. Coloured with alcohol inks and the tag made using ATC stamp, the tattered floral die (layers of acetate, grunge and doilie)
I think they are great, hope you do too!