Snow Tag

     This months challenge at Christmas Craft Creations is to make tags or ATCs. 

     I started by die cutting some mountboard with a Bigz die, I like working on this because is thick enough not to distort when using wet glue or paint.

     I was going to use paint, but when I started rummaging through my stash I found a nice offcut of blue scrapbook paper, so I glue3d this to the board, let it dry and then sanded the edges smooth.

     I stamped several different snowflakes across the tag and embossed them in white. To make a pretty edge I used some silver gilding wax, I've found the best way to apply this is using the back of a piece of blending foam, it's firmer than my fingers so it's easier to get a good finish.

     A tiny gem in the middle of each snowflake added some shine but it needed sparkle. Using non shed glitter card I die cut some snowflakes and stacked them on thin foam pads and added it to the corner of my tag.

     A small length of silver organza ribbon finished off the tag. I like the simplicity of this, I could have added lots more to it but I think it's fine as it is.

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

ABC Christmas - J~Jewels / K~Kids

Sparkles Christmas - #124 Use A Tag     (Spotlight Win)

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas - #541 Anything Christmas Goes

The Holly and Ivy - #94 Anything Christmas Goes

Merry Little Christmas - #34 Anything Christmas Goes

Sunshine On The River Of Creativity

     There is a new challenge on the block, River Of Creativity is for all crafts, not just paper. There will be a theme each month but it will be quite a broad one, allowing your creativity to run riot. 

     This picture started life as a wooden wallart item found in a charity shop, I didn't like the artwork much but when I looked at the back it was a great shallow frame I could do things to.

     I started to put together the image panel and tried it inside the frame, it was too much of the same colour, so I painted the inside edge of the frame with dark brown acrylic.

     I had a sheet of 12x12 paper that was almost exactly what I wanted but it was a bit too bright and a tad too big, the inside of the frame is 10.75 inches square. After playing around with different ideas I found a sheet of vellum in my stash with little flowers all over it. Perfect, it knocked back the colour and added another feature, as the light changes across the panel the flowers show up. After trimming the paper to fit inside the panel I folded the edges of the vellum over the paper all the way around, this way the vellum stays put and there is no need for glue.

     The bee hexagons are cut from mat photos using a die by Jamie Rodgers, the shape caught my imagination as soon as I saw it, they're like little boxes, which reflects the idea of using a box frame.

      To fix the paper panel in the frame I used some redline tape, this stuck to the vellum overlapped edge so hopefully over time it will not show through the paper as it doesn't actually touch it.

      To fix the bees to the vellum I used some Stix2 3D PVA, strong stuff and acid free. To get even spacing I used a wooden stir stick between each shape until the glue set.

     The corners needed a little something so I die cut some honeycomb in mustard card, thank you Avril for the use of your die, but only stuck them in two of the corners.

      At the bottom I added some paper sunflowers and at the top there is a small die cut bee, this is only stuck on with tack because I'm not sure if I like it, maybe I will find something I like more in time.

     I am so pleased to be working with the girls at River Of Creativity, it's great to have a challenge that welcomes all craft, not just card making. Please pop over and read all about it, then come and join us with your creations.

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

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create - #5 Anything Goes

We Love To Create Mixed Media - #5 Anything Goes

Always Fun - #212 Combine Old & New Products

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes With A Critter

Creatalicious - Things With Wings

World Wide Open Design Team - #4 Anything Goes

Dies R Us - #168 Anything Goes With A DRU Stock Die

Floral Brusho

 

     This month at The Paper Funday our optional theme is flowers, so I have raided my stash and used an old rubber stamp by Heartfelt Creations.

     The image was stamped on watercolour card and white embossed. Then I used a clean paintbrush to add water to individual areas of the card before sprinkling Brusho on top and letting it do it's magic.

     If you 'paint' the areas separately you can keep the colours from running into each other but you do need to let one area dry off before colouring the next.

     The choice of mat colours was to pick out the colours in the image, it then went onto a kraft card, I thought a white card may take away from the image.

     Once mounted on the card blank I stuck tiny gems of various co-ordinating colors in the middle of each little flower.

     Using Brusho like this makes it look like you've spent hours painting, it's such fun to do.

     Please pop over to The Paper Funday and join us with your creations, we'd love to see them.

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

Cardz 4 Galz - Mother's Day / Special Lady

Shopping Our Stash - #444 I Made This For You Mum     (Top 3)

Dare2BArtzy - Flowers

Stamping Sensations - Beautiful Blooms

Who Let The Dogs Out?

     This is a group of cards made and sent to some of my crafting friends, we were due to meet up but like most things Covid put a stop to that.

     The backgrounds were made with Distress Inks and a Splatter stamp from Inkylicious, I've made lots of these as every time you make one it's different and so easy too.

     The silhouettes are all Lavinia stamps, I've not got a lot of the fairies, just a few small ones, but I do have lots of animals. These are actually wolves not dogs, but I don't think that matters very much. Having a stamp platform has made using silhouette stamps SO much easier, at least now when I miss a bit I can go back and stamp it again in exactly the same place!

     The greeting is an old Woodware stamp, I love the font, then layered with a black mat to pick out the silhouettes and the cards were finished. 

     During this pandemic I have watched many more craft videos on Facebook and Youtube than I would normally have done, I am grateful to those people for keeping us entertained and enthused at such a stressful time. I have learned quite a lot too, making a batch of backgrounds when the mood takes you and keeping the run off/tidy up bits for die cutting to name but a few.

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

The Fairy and The Unicorn - Anything Fantasy

Crafty Catz - Anything Goes

Pearly Sparkles - Animals/Birds/Insects

TGIF - Cats and Dogs

Christmas Craft Creations Birthday

 

     Over at Christmas Craft Creations this month it's our First Birthday and we are celebrating by having a Birthday prize pot, you might want to take a look at our theme of No Stamping, then come and join in the fun.

     I started this with some lovely blue card that used to be a folder, using a snowfall die I cut the holes into it. 

     The trees were cut from silver mirri card and stuck onto the blue card. I then trimmed the blue card so the trees were on the edges.

     Backing the blue panel with a white mat layer makes the holes into falling snow. Placing this onto another blue layer before going on a white card blank framed the whole panel.

     The finishing touch was to add some deer die cut from silver and grey glitter card.

     A very simple Winter card all done with die cuts, mostly from the John Next Door range.

     Come and join us at Christmas Craft Creations this month, just remember our theme is 'no stamping'.

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

Winter Wonderland - Peace On Earth

Sparkles Christmas - Trees

Jingle Belles - Peace On Earth, Recycle Something

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas

Fezziwigs Festive Frolics - Oh Deer

Spring Flowers

     A new challenge at The Paper Funday begins today, the theme this month is Spring. My chosen image is a digi stamp called Scribbled Flora from Fred, She Said.

     I chose to print my image on green card rather than white, it gives the colours a different look and saves colouring in the background.

     For the colouring I have used some inexpensive metallic markers from Scribblicious, there are six colours in the box. Some colours came out showing more metallic sheen than others but on the whole I think the experiment was worthwhile.

     For the grass area at the bottom I used a watercolour pencil, it came out a little more subtle than the pen would have and adds another shade of green to the mix.

     I die cut a Kraft frame and stamped woodgrain on it, there was a noticeable join on the left where I had to match up the stamping, so I chose to cover it with a few flowers.

     The frame was mounted on 1mm foam tape to give it a little dimension and a more realistic look.     

     I printed the image again on white card and used the same pens to colour the flowers. The colours came out a little brighter but not too noticeable. 

     Each flower head was cut out, shaped with a ball tool and then added to the frame, now they look like they were always meant to be there.

     It's quite a simple card with no greeting so it can be used for almost any occasion and as it's nice and thin it will go standard post too.

     Come and join us at The Paper Funday with your Spring creations, anything as long as it's made with paper or card and follows our\theme.

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

613 Avenue Create - In The Garden

Dream Valley - #245 Springtime

Make My Monday - Easter or Spring

Hoppy Easter

 

     Hoppy Easter everyone, enjoy your weekend and keep warm!

     Things are beginning to get back to near normal, I don't suppose it will ever be quite the same again but I for one am grateful to still be here and glad to have crafting to keep me busy. March had a few surprises, that's why it's been rather quiet on here, but after Easter it should all return to it's normal erratic self. Keep crafting and stay safe.