Sew Simple Samples

 Here are the samples for this months workshop at Sew Simple in Taverham.  We will be using the Portabello Road stamp sets to create bunting and cards.  Once the Jubilee and the Olympics are over these stamps are still going to be useful. They are great for scrap booking, perfectly themed for all your Jubilee party photos and for the Olympics, if you are lucky enough to get there.
After this summers celebrations are over these stamps will be good for making male themed birthday cards. With a London bus, Big Ben tower, a taxi and a VW camper van it has lots to offer.

The bunting comes ready cut in packs of either all white or a mix of red, white and blue. I have used the stamps in a random collage type effect, embossing the white images on the coloured card to maintain the red, white and blue theme. Stamping red and blue on coloured card proved a little tricky, I had to try several inks to see which gave the best cover, I settled on Memento. The crowns have been embossed in gold on all three colours.
The bunting is great for children to make, my son was my willing assistant in making up these. I have a feeling we'll be 'volunteered' at school to make some more!
It's a short post today, were does all the time go? Lots more things to make and do. Happy Crafting!!

Green and white challenge

 Here is my entry for this weeks 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. This weeks challenge is Green and White and I am pleased to say that this idea popped into my head straight away. It did take a little longer to get it down on card though!!
The background is stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Olive and a lovely stamp that I think was from Fiskars. I have some lovely olive green card which inspired the whole thing when I found it matched the ink pad, what are the chances of that happening ?!
The rosette paper has been stamped the same as the background, then cut using the Sizzix Tim Holtz rosette plate. The edges are touched with a Gold acrylic dabber...I know gold wasn't in the challenge but I'm going to claim artistic license. The centres are coloured with the olive ink with a die cut snowflake topped with a small dab of golden pearl PVA from Cosmic Shimmer.
The rosette baubles are hung from a die cut tree branch from Marianne Designs by thin gold thread.
The white background has been run through an embossing folder

called Snowflakes from Cuttlebug.
The bottom rosette is built up using two papers. Cut the top layer a little shorter than the bottom with a trimmer or a knife before assembly. Glue the ends together on each layer but before you glue the centres lay one colour onto the other and form the rosette as one, this will give you a perfectly edged, single depth rosette.
I'm sorry to have missed several weeks of the challenge but at least I will have some cards ready for Christmas which is a bonus, as they say 'Every little helps'.
I hope to show you some of the samples for next weeks workshop over the weekend. If it keeps raining then I can't do much in the garden so I will just have to craft!!!

Peacock shimmer

 This little heart was made on a die cut shape using UTEE and mica powders to create a faux enamelled effect.  The heart was cut from grey board which is about the thickest card I feel happy cutting. I punched a small hole in the heart before beginning to decorate it.
Dark colours work very well as a base layer for this technique but this time I chose Broken China Distress Ink to go with my peacock theme. After colouring the grey board I built up two layers of clear ultra thick embossing powder. At this point if you are going to stamp into the third layer you will need to ink up your stamp and have it ready and waiting. Then on the third layer I added some mica powders on top. As the clear powder melts the mica will sink in and begin to flow a little giving the most amazing enamelled effect. Before the melted powder cools gently press your pre-inked stamp into the 'enamel' , wait a few seconds and remove it to reveal the impression. This peacock feather stamp is from Creative Expressions 'Art Nouveau Peacock'.

The second card is also from the same stamp set, stamped and embossed in gold. Then coloured in with Cosmic Shimmer Drawing Inks on a background previously sprayed with the new Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Mists. These mists are very subtle so you get all the shimmer with a much less intense colour, perfect for the vintage look.

The stamped image was them cut out with a spellbinder die and edged by leaving the die in place on the cut out and blending Broken China around the edge. This gives you the effect of another layer without building up your card to much, great for trying to save on postage!!

The cut out shape was then matted on a plain layer of card, I couldn't find the right colour to match so I used broken China again to colour the outside edge. Just around the edge because the middle will be covered and there's no point in wasting ink!

There is a thin layer of gold paper around the last layer and then mounted on black to make it really stand out.

I like to use black card a lot with the mica powders as I feel it really makes them shine. They behave differently on coloured card as they are translucent and the base colour will show through affecting the finished piece. If you have some mica powders have a play on various coloured cards and see the different effects you get. To fix the mica powder after dusting an image I use either a fine spray of water (because they have resins in them activated by moisture) or hairspray.

My appologies for not bolgging for a while, it's been a busy few weeks, I'm also getting used to a different blog method which is frustrating when I'd just got the hang of the last one! 

Coming soon.....Jubilee bunting and men's cards at Taverham at the end of the month.