MHK Designs Monthly Inspiration

     With Valentine's Day a few days away I decided to use one of my favourite sets to make a card. This set has several frames and sentiments which can all be mixed to create many variations.

     I thought black was a little harsh so this is printed in dark grey with a hint of dark pink straight on to a postcard page from World Traveller that has a pink overlay.
     The mat layer was white card until I coloured the edge with ink, the same ink was used to gently colour the edge of the white card blank aswell.
     With the addition of a few tiny red gems to add sparkle the card is complete. The dark pink gives the card a vintage look which goes well with the backing paper.
     I used to think digi's were just printed out in black on white and coloured in, but now I have learnt there is a whole host of things you can do to them before they ever see a printer. I would suggest if you have a photo package on your computer that you start to experiment, there will be no going back and being able to manipulate the designs means you get even more value for money!

I've Been Framed

World Traveller

     









     We have lots of new designs for you this month but don't forget the gorgeous ones already in the Etsy shop. Happy crafting.

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

Come and Get It - Valentine's Day Cards

The Paper Players - Valentine's Card

Crafting With Dragonflies - Valentine's

MHK Designs - Glory Of The Lord

      Welcome to the first of our new releases at MHK Designs, we have five new sets to bring to you through the course of Febraury.

     Following on from my MHK Designs inspiration post I've made another small collection of notlets.
     This time each flower has a colour tint to it, made using a photo package. To co-ordinate the sentiment it has also had a colour change.
     After trimming and folding the cards the corners have been rounded using a punch, then they have been coloured with a co-ordinating ink all the way around the edge.
     There is a tiny butterfly on each card that I found in a discount shop, they come in a small plastic container, sold as nail art.
     You have the chance to win a new digi stamp set from MHK Designs, just pop over to the MHK Designs blog and read all about it, you'll also see lots more inspiration from the DT.
   

Glory Of The Lord

I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

Simple Papercraft - Anything Goes

Crafty Girls Creations - Anything Goes

House Of Cards Pretty In Pink

     This months challenge at the House Of Cards has a simple photo prompt with the addition of shades of pink, just right for February.

      I must admit the pink hearts threw me a bit, not my usual choice, so it was a challenge for me to work a little outside my comfort zone.
     I started by using Distress ink to colour a heart shape on a white card blank. I put a piece of plastic mess on the card, then covered that with a heart shaped die and worked within that heart. I've had that mesh for ages but never thought to use it, it's quite a nice mosaic type effect.

      The swirly heart is die cut from a sheet of card that I marbled using the shaving foam technique some time ago. The small heart is, I must confess, covering a little ink that got outside the large heart. This paper was in a pack of mixed scraps I bought, as if I don't have enough scraps of my own!
     Both the smaller hearts are stuck flush to the card making it quite flat, a basic greeting added to finish a very simple card.
     Our challenge at House Of Cards runs all month so join us with your cards when you can, pop over and see all the DT inspiration to get you started.

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

Inky Chicks - Clean and Simple

PIN spirational - Photo prompt = pink, hearts, cup

Dream Valley  - All About Love

MHK Designs - February Challenge

     This months challenge at MHK Designs has two lovely photo prompts to get you started. You don't have to use an MHK Designs image but we would love it if you did.
     This lovely set is called He Is Risen, it has an Easter theme to it but as all the elements are separate you can just use the flowers as I have. I enlarged the image so it was partly off the page, leaving just enough room for a greeting taken from Birds and Branches.
     The image is coloured with watercolour pencils, then given a pink mat layer before going on a white card blank, nice and simple for a short note to a friend.

He Is Risen

Birds and Branches

 









     MHK Design challenge runs all month so please come and join us with your creations, you could win a stamp set just by playing along.

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

Digi Choosday - Anything Goes

Digital Delights - Anything Goes

Woven Heart

     I'm really enjoying getting back into the corndollie style plaiting, but this time with paper, recycled paper to be precise. Altered Eclectics is a challenge blog for recycled art and mixed media, anything goes except cards and ATC's.  

     Using old magazines I cut into strips I made lots of straws by rolling them around a skewer. Once I had a pot full of straws I began to plait a tube to form the heart shape base I needed. The tube is rather strong once plaited so rather than try and bend it sharply I chose to make two tubes and glue them together.
     When using damp straw it is relatively easy to shape, holding in place as it dries keeps it's shape well but paper is a little different, I didn't want to get it wet incase it fell apart. An overnight hold using a rubber band seemed to help and once glued together the tubes stayed put.

     Hot glue is strong and solid when dry so it holds the tubes perfectly. The only problem with glueing two tubes together is you can see the join.
     After a light spraying of white paint the colourful tubes were a little more distressed, I didn't want to loose all of the colour, just knock it back a little.
     The joins were less obvious once painted but still visible so that's were the flowers come in.

     The flowers are die cut music sheets made using Sizzix Jumbo Tattered Florals. Each petal set was coloured with Distress ink around the edges, then cut  and assembled into roses. The leaves are also music paper coloured with Distress.
     Before glueing the roses on I glued a small length of white organza to the heart for hanging.
     The flowers had several positions before I decided just where to glue them, spending two days just sitting on the table with a tweak every time I passed, until I was finally happy with their position.
     I'm now working on a smaller version with much smaller straws, a bit fiddly but hopefully worth it. This heart, including flowers, measures approx 13 inches square, if you made a slightly smaller one it would fit in a clean, decorated, pizza box for presentation as a gift.
     Altered Eclectics challenge runs all month, so you have plenty of time to be creative before you come and join us.

I would like to enter this heart wreath in the following challenges:

More Mixed Media - Anything Goes -optional blue
Die Cutting Divas - Anything Goes With A die Cut

   Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes   (Top3)
We Love To Create - Anything Mixed Media
Try It On Tuesday - Hearts and Flowers
   

Cruising The Male Room

     A new challenge at The Male Room start today, this time we are looking for anything masculine with a number theme.

     I chose to use up some of my stash and found this set from Hunkdory. I don't often use this type of card kit but how could I pass by such a great car card.
     On a cream card blank I have stuck the main background sheet and then used some of the decoupage elements to build it up slightly. Here in the UK we are now governed by different postal rates for depth and size so keeping it basic means cheaper postage.
     The edges needed a little sanding to get those little tag bits off before assembly and the layers are built up with Stix2 foam pads. The design already had some gold highlights so nothing else needs to be added. I though this was a perfect card for 2017, now to send it to someone with a special occasion.
     Our Male Room challenge runs for two weeks so please come and join us with your masculine creations, we would love to see them.

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

Cardz 4 Guyz - Something Beginning With C  (Chevrolet Car)

Sunny Day Crafting - Anything Goes

Incy Wincy Designs - For The Men In Your Life   (Top 5)

Scrappy Birds

     Do you have lots of small patterned paper scraps stashed away just in case?  These tags were made for CraftyHazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge using some of my 'big enough to be useful' stash.

     Using my Birdy Tower Woodware stamp I used black Versafine to stamp out all the birdy pieces.  You can either stamp on the tag to get the legs or draw them in afterwards like I did.
     Each tag has a Distress Ink coloured edge to tone it in with the birds to be stuck on them. These birds are great Robins at Christmas but make fun images for use all year round, not quite crazy birds but still cute.  
     I cut around each piece carefully and then stuck them on the card with PVA glue once the Distress was dry.

     The legs are drawn in with a black micron pen and any little gaps in the black outlines touched up.
     The beaks have gold foil added by using the Stix2 two way glue pen. When blue it sticks paper together permanently, but when allowed to go clear it becomes a tacky repositionable glue which takes foil perfectly, it's acid free too.
     With the addition of woggle eyes and a stamped greeting, which comes with the birdy tower, the tags are almost complete. It just remains for ribbon to be added, this is white organza coloured with an alcohol marker.

     Please come over and join us at CraftyHazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge with your creations, it's always anything goes as long as you use patterned paper.

I would like to enter these tags in the following challenges:

The Paper Girls - Patterned Paper
Send A Smile 4 Kids - Anything Goes