A Little Thank You

      A very simple project for this weeks Creative Expressions post. These little Thank You cards are A7 size, that's approximately 3x4 inches, a nice way to send a little thanks without having to write a whole letter.
     I have used Foundations card in Rich Plum and Cream, stamped with Perfect Medium Clear embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Bright Gold on one and Perfect Medium Black embossed with Phill Martin Decadent Wine on the other.
     Phill's embossing powder is translucent, stamped with a black ink it looks rich and dark, stamped with a clear ink it looks much paler. The mica in the powder really makes it shine too.

     I made myself a colour chart on a scrap piece of card using all the Decadent Wine items I had and then went through my stash to find any other similar coloured items to fill in the gaps. Distress Ink Seedless Preserve is a great match for Dec.Wine.
   
Materials used
Foundations Card - Rich Plum / Cream
Phill Martin stamps - Decadent Damask Everyday Sentiments
Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powders - Bright Gold / PM Decadent Wine
Perfect Medium Ink - Clear / Black

CAS Case-ing Christmas

     This is my take on this weeks card at CASE-ing Christmas. I've gone CAS to produce a one layer card that took less time to make than it did to plan. 

     I masked off a wide strip down the side of my card, then stamped snowflakes in the strip embossed with Cosmic Shimmer clear.
     Using Distress Inks Faded Jeans and Broken China I then coloured the strip to make the snowflakes stand out.
     After removing the masking tape and allowing the ink to dry I used a tiny silver greeting in the bottom corner.
     Another one layer card for the festive season. Come and join us at Case-ing Christmas, we'll help you build up your stock so it's not such a rush in November.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Holly Jolly - White + One Colour

One Layer Christmas Cards - Anything Goes / Optional Angel

Merry Monday - Embossing, Dry or Heat

Indian Elephant

     This little project is for the All Crafts Challenge over at Craft My Life, anything handcrafted is acceptable at this challenge as we love to see what wonderful things are happening out there.

     To start I made an elephant by using some modelling putty and a plastic toy elephant, I could have just used the toy but I know I shall want another one at a later date and this way I get one with a flat back making him easier to stick down.
     I pressed the toy into the putty and then popped it in the fridge to harden, the putty doesn't set permanently, it's reusable. Once the mold was firm I used my trusty Stix2 hot glue gun and filled the mold making sure I had no bubbles and set aside to cool.  The putty is not the best mold to use with a hot glue gun, silicone would be better but for a temporary mold the putty is adequate.

     After removing the cold elephant from the mold I cleaned him up and painted him with Distress Paint Evergreen Bough. Once the paint was dry I rubbed him over with Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Wax Autumn Bronze and buffed him to a shine.
     The frame is a Tando Creative Arabian Styled Layered Arch Frame set, I thought it went well with Chocolate Baroque's Fantasy Castle stamp set and one from their Texture fragments set.
     The frame has five layers to it, I have used all the frames on the backing and kept the five inners for another project. The backing is covered with a layer of white card that has been decorated using Distress Inks and a mixture of water stamping and spritzing along with the CB stamps. The domes on the castle are coloured with Cosmic Shimmer Watercolour Paint which has a great sheen to it because of the mica they contain.
     The frame is painted with an Acrylic gold paint dabber from Ranger, I have made sure it has a mottled effect to add age to it. The little elephant is stuck on at the end, he fits perfectly into the deep frame, the whole thing weighs very little as it's made from greyboard so it hangs quite happily on a stuck on loop put on the back out of sight.
     Please pop over to Craft My Life and join in our All Crafts Challenge with whatever handcrafted item you've made, we would love to see your creativity.

I would like to enter my picture in the following challenges:

Crafty Girlz - Anything Goes or Spring Showers

Sweet Stampin' - Inspired By Book or Film ( The Far Pavillions, beautiful Indian architecture)

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes or Feminine

Delicious Decadent Damask

     This month I am working with Phill Martin products from Creative Expressions, Decadent Damask stamps and Decadent Wine colour products.

      I love damask patterns so I set about making my own patterned card using the largest and smallest icons from the Corners and Icons stamp set, Foundations Rich Plum card and a Perfect Medium Ink pad.
     I taped the card to my cutting mat so I could use the lines as a guide to get the icons in a row. Working with the largest icon first I filled the card with evenly spaced images, then filled in the gaps with the smallest icon. It's really quite quick and easy to do, try it out on scrap paper first to get the spacing right and then away you go.

      The dark images are just the result of using Perfect Medium, it 'watermarks' the card, there is no need to add any powders at all, just let it dry completely before you handle it again.
     The beauty of making your own patterned card is you can have the design vertical or horizontal depending on your intended project.
     I  need a horizontal patterned piece for this project, it's a self closing box that I found a tutorial for on YouTube, here's the link.  It would make a great wedding favour box, this one comes out at about 5 inches tall.

     The decoration across the top and the 'Just For You' come from Phill's stamp set Decadent Damask Everyday Sentiments. They are both embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Bright Gold.
     The panel on the front is cut with a Spellbinder die Labels Thirteen, I cut it after stamping it as I find it easier to line the die up rather than try and stamp straight.
     The mat layer was cut by hand after drawing around the die I just used on gold card, I wanted a small mat layer and the next die up was too big. It's attached with a foam strip down the middle of the label, that way it doesn't bend when the top is popped to open the box.

Materials used
Phill Martin Decadent Damask stamps - Corners and Icons / Everyday Sentiments
Foundations card - Rich Plum
Cosmic Shimmer - Bright Gold Embossing Powder
Perfect Medium Ink

I would like to enter this gift box in the following challenges:

A Gem Of A Challenge - Sweet Treats
Creative Corner Challenges - For Mum
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks - Anything Goes

Bokeh Loch

     This month at the House Of Cards we would like you to use the Bokeh technique. I have used a tutorial by Tracy Heaton which you can find here. The effect this technique gives is like looking at water in sunshine through a camera lens, that gorgeous dappled light that dances about.
     I chose to use blues as if looking out over a loch and watching the birds fly past. The effect shows up a little better on brighter colours but I think you can still see it here quite well.
     To begin with I masked a piece of white card so I had a border all around the edge, then using Distress inks I made patches of colour within the masking tape. Then, following Tracy's instructions, I added circles of varying sizes using Adirondack Snowcap white ink all over the blue area.
     Once dry I removed the masking tape and stamped the tree and birds from Sheena Douglass's Sheltering Tree set and embossed in black. To finish off I mounted the image panel on a white 7x5 card blank that has had the edges coloured with Distress Ink Black Soot. I shall add a greeting on the bottom left corner when I have decided why and who to send it to.
     Please take a look at all The DT cards, there is a wealth of inspiration at the House Of Cards to get you started.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Retro Rubber - Use An Old Stamp (had this one for ages, first outing)

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes

Creative.....Got It Covered

     My project for Altered Eclectics is another folded book but this time the emphasis is on the altered cover, something I was shown by Lindsay Mason at Stitches, I'm still trying to get it to look as good as hers did!
     I have fallen victim to the book folding bug, I love making small gifts for friends and family that are unique to them and this is a great way of doing it. Don't worry, all the books used are very much pre-loved and come from boot sales and charity shops, this way they get to live on a bit longer.

     This book was a paperback, which is not the best for a book fold, a hardback helps support the weight without collapse. The book is only six inches tall, smaller books are easier to find a home for, they just tuck in a small space on the shelf for a little point of interest.
     I cut greyboard covers for the front, back and spine slightly smaller than the paper cover. Each piece of board has been covered with crumpled book pages stuck down with Ecogreen Matt Medium, the pages are wrapped over the edges too. I have used a wallpaper roller to squash it all down and make sure it is all stuck firmly.

     On the front cover I have stuck a variety of bits and bobs from jewellery findings (kindly supplied by Aldridge Crafts) to hot glue moulded shapes. The large blueish piece is a hot glue blob shaped by pushing a floral stamp into it and the heart on top is made from a Woodware mould, both made on the craft mat and allowed to cool completely before adding to the cover.
    Some of these items are tricky to stick down so I have used Glossy Accents as it's really very strong.

     I have painted the findings with Cosmic Shimmer Gesso, it would have been better to use black but I've only got white (at the moment!).
     It has two coats of Gesso to make sure everything is covered, I didn't paint the blank pages as the black acrylic paint will cover that just fine.
     The spine has three tiny lengths of sting stuck on to make it look a little more like a real book cover.
     The covers have two coats of black acrylic paint, making sure to cover the edges as well as getting into any of the little creases in the crumpled paper and into all the add ons.

     The inside has had the few extra pages removed and black card stuck over the paper cover, I prefer to do this as it makes the word stand out more. The outside also has a black card cover stuck over it.
     I have used a Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole in each cover just below the word, there is an eyelet in each hole and black ribbon run through it and around the back of the book to hold it in position. When there are lots of folded pages the books can become too fat to stand up properly and need to be held together.
     This 'fixing' has been done before the addition of the board covers so that it all gets covered up neatly, it will also give a little more security to the ribbon.
   

     The board covers have been decorated with Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Waxes Golden Light and Decadent Denim dabbed on at random. After a few minutes they have been buffed with a tissue to bring out the shine of the wax. I have added a couple of blue gems to the front cover, again stuck on with Glossy Accents.
     Once the boards were finished I stuck them on to the black card covers with Stix2 Ultra Clear 19mm Redline Tape, this tape is amazingly strong so I have no worries about them popping off in a few days time. With the covers on you can only just see the ribbon on the outside, nice and tidy.
     This has been fun to make and I will keep playing around with this technique on books and boxes.
     Why not come and join us at Altered Eclectics with your creations, anything BUT cards and ATC's, we would love to see what you've made.

I would like to enter my book in the following challenges:

Artful Times - A Bit Of Finnabair

Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Christmas Bear

     A new month and a new challenge at CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra begins. We are a seasonal challenge where you can showcase your cards, decorations or git packaging, anything Christmas as long as you've handcrafted it yourself.
     We are sponsored by Bugaboo Digi Stamps so I have chosen this gorgeous Christmas Bear Side Ornament digi to use on a card, he would make a great stamp for a tall gift bag or box too.
     The beauty of digi stamps is you can re-size them to fit your project so this little bear fills a small DL card blank. He is coloured in with alcohol markers and he has white flock stuck on his hat, the baubles are coloured with Cosmic Shimmer Drawing Inks. Both the baubles and the bears nose have Glossy Accents on them to make them shine.
     I have used some peel off corners on the card that have been sitting in my stash for years, time to use them up, the greeting is also a peel off as I couldn't find a vertical stamp. The card blank has had the edges coloured with a marker, it does show through on the back but that will be covered with an insert when the greeting is added.
     Please come and join us at CraftyHazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra, we'll try to help inspire you to fill up that card box ready for Christmas.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Christmas Card Challenges - Anything Goes
The Glory Of Christmas - Use A Digi Stamp