Taking A Break

I am taking some family time for a few weeks, normal blog service should resume soon. Thank you to my Design Teamies for getting things covered for me, I'll be back shortly.

House Of Cards BLOG HOP

Hi, all!  It's time for an end of the term blog hop over at House of Cards and we have a super fun challenge AND tons of great prize opportunities for those of you who join in the fun!!! :)  You should have arrived here from Rudlis (Vintage) .  If you haven't, please start all the way back at the House of Cards hop post and follow the list found in the body of the hop post!

Here's our photo inspiration~

Here are our fabulous sponsors~

Eclectic Anthology
Prize: $50 gift voucher to the shop.

Inspired By Stamping
Prize: $15 gift voucher to the shop.

Paper Sweeties
Prize: $20 gift voucher to the shop.

 

STAMPlorations
Prize: 5 stamps sets--your choice--from the shop.

Stitchy Bear
Prize: $10 gift voucher to the shop.

and here is my vintage interpretation of our lovely photograph

     I have used some gorgeous backing paper from Eclectic Anthology called Sublime Lime and imported it into my writer program. Then I have used a digi stamp from Stitchy Bear called Black Eyed Susan Floral Corner as a png file over the top of my backing paper (png's have a transparent background so they're perfect for this type of thing).

     I imported the corner then copied and flipped it to fill all four corners, sizing as required. Once happy with the look I printed this out, then I went back and removed the backing paper but left the corners and printed again. This gave me a white flower that I could cut out and layer on top of the patterned one exactly the same size. I have used a crackle background stamp and Old Paper Distress Ink to age the backing paper as well as distressing the edges with the same ink.

      I have coloured the leaves and stems with markers and cut out my white flowers including small cuts between petals for dimension. Each flower is stuck on top of the background printed one with tiny gold dots in the centre which unfortunately don't show up too well in the picture.

     The girl in the centre was a freebie from somewhere but I'm afraid I didn't write down where, if it's from your site then thank you, let me know and I will amend this to give you credit. She is cut out and the edges are coloured with Old Paper Distress Ink.

     The image panel is mounted on a small layer of dark green paper with some paper lace and a thin green ribbon across the bottom, before being mounted on cream card and then chocolate pearl card. There is no room for a sentiment on this card so all it needed was a large white paper flower in the bottom corner and a clear gem coloured with an alcohol marker in the middle.

     I hope this gives you some inspiration, even if it's just to play around with your digi stamps and see what you can do with them. 

     

Now get to hoppin'!  Your next stop is  Debbie Marcinkiewicz  If you get lost along the way, you can always head back to the original blog hop post--and don't forget to link up a project at the House of Cards blog after completing the hop for an extra chance to win a mystery prize from one of our fabulous sponsors, too!

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:
Digitally 'Sweet' Challenge - Friendship
4 Crafty Chicks - Anything Goes
Ditzie Digi Design - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes

To Bookly Go..........

     Today sees the launch of a new challenge at Craft My Life All Crafts Challenge. You can enter anything you make as long as it's NOT A CARD!
     My creation this time was meant to be a hedgehog but the book I chose to fold had too many pages, as I folded it it got fatter and fatter, until it became a complete cylinder. So then the question was what could I do with a cylinder?...make a pencil?.....cut it in half to get two hedgehogs?....make a rocket!!!!
     I am fascinated by space so choosing to 'bookly go' where no book has gone before was a logical conclusion.
     The tip of my rocket is a plastic golf tee stuck on with Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue (well it had to be cosmic didn't it).

      The base of the rocket is glued to a circular card panel which has three egg box cones glued to it. There are no new items used to make this apart from a couple of photos, all card has come from scraps and all bits are from stash.
     Some of the tags are cut from old card backs, the stamps for the alien and wording are from an old Creative Expressions set called Outer Space. The little alien glows in the dark because I used Wow Glow In The Dark embossing powder. I stamped and gold embossed 'Beam Me Up' on the picture of the Enterprise, 'Blast Off' on the Shuttle photo and 'Greetings Earthling' on the red tag.

      I did put rafia through the holes on the tags but it didn't look right so I have left them stringless. The back of each tag is plain white card so you can write notes on them.
     This rocket could be kept on a desk or near a phone to hold all those important little personal log entries but this one won't make it to a craft sale, it will only be voyaging as far as my son's room, after all resistance is futile!




      Please pop over to All Crafts Challenge and take a look at what the DT have been up to, come and join us as we'd love to see what you've made. This challenge runs for two months so you have lots of time to create.

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

Allsorts Challenge Blog - For The Guys

Crafting At The Weekend - Anything Goes
Polkadoodles - Men On Our Minds
Delightful Challenges - It's A Guy Thing

Milk Coffee Challenge - Anything BUT A Card

Brat Boy Tag...with bells on!

      I can't believe it's June already, where is this year going?!  A new month means a new challenge at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra, where anything goes as long as it's Christmas.
     We are sponsored by Bugaboo Digital Stamps, I haven't used digis much before but I'm beginning to see they have far more use than just print and colour. It's not cheating to use a digi, it's a very useful resource.
     I have taken this photo with a fifty pence piece to give you the idea of scale, this tag measures approximately 6.5x4 inches, making it a great gift tag size for a special present for a special person. If only you could re-size your rubber stamps to do things like this!
     This little chap is Christmas Brat Boy Elf, there is a Christmas Brat Girl Elf too. I must apologise for my colouring, I need more practice but there is something quite calming about picking up some pens and just immersing yourself in colouring.

     I have used some bakers twine and bells over the top of the printed bells, stuck on with silicone glue, the hat also has white flock around the edge. On the back of the tag I have stuck a printed patterned paper to cover all the pen that comes through the card when using alcohol markers. The backing was printed out on the draft option on the printer to make it very pale, then it can be written on.
    Please come and join us at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra with any of your Christmas creations.

I would like to enter my Brat Boy in the following challenges:

Completely Christmas - Anything Christmas

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge - 3 of something  (bells)

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Anything goes

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges - Christmas

Stampavie And More - Christmas In May

Male Room Trees

     There is a new challenge over at The Male Room today. The theme is trees and leaves and it will run for the next two weeks.
     My tree is a Chocolate Baroque stamp from the Tall Trees set, stamped in Olive Green Archival ink and clear embossed on white card. I have then used various shades of green distress ink to colour my card, then spritzed and flicked water over the card to get the mottled effect. I have also spritzed another tree from the set with water and stamped with it, this lifts some of the ink off and leaves a ghost type effect.
     The image panel is mounted on a thin layer of gold paper and then a wider layer of dark green before being mounted on the card blank.  It was a white card blank before it was coloured with distress inks and water stamped with a tree stamp to give it a pattern. This means that the background colours will always match the image panel because the same inks have been used, no more hunting for the right shade of card which never seems to be there!
     I like to make my cards with no greeting, unless I have a specific occasion in mind, as it can always be added later and sometimes not at all, like this one.
     Our challenge will be running for two weeks at The Male Room so please come and join us with your tree or leaf creations. Remember it doesn't have to be a card, we also accept scrapbook pages, tags, gift boxes, anything related to our theme as long as it's for a man or boy.

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

Ladybug Crafts Ink - Make It Monochrome

Top Tip Tuesday - Monochrome  (tip in italics)

Cardz 4 Guyz - 1,2,3   (1 tree, 2 mat layers, 3 shades of green)

Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - One For The Guys Big or Small

Deer Cracker

     It's time for some mid month inspiration over at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra. I like to make projects other than cards, especially for Christmas, so I have used a Bugaboo digi to make some card for a gift box.
     The Bugaboo stamp used is Snowflake Silhouette Reindeer in png form. I have created a backing paper on my word function by filling the page with the digi many times. The png file allows for a clear background which can be changed to a colour of your choice, for this I chose red and then printed on gloss photo paper.
     I have used a triangular cracker template that has been adapted from a king box, the ends are tied with some gold curling ribbon. It's a very simple box to make which will hold a small gift or some sweets.
     I hope you join us at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra with your seasonal creations, it's an anything goes as long as it's Christmas challenge.

Card In A Block

      This fortnight at The Male Room we are looking for a masculine project made with a moving part, it could be a card or a gift as long as it's for a man or boy.
      My son has a birthday this month and he's an avid Minecraft player, I must say out of all the games I've seen so far this one actually has me interested too. The whole world is cubed so when I saw a card in a box I thought of Minecarft.
     I have used a tutorial I found here, it's very easy to follow. With a few adjustments I made my green card cube ready to decorate. Then came the lucky find, a Minecraft annual in a charity shop, we have our own already but this lucky find was one I would be allowed to cut up without the threat of being banished to the Nether (Minecraft underworld).

      At this point I would like to point out that this card is for my son, not for profit but maybe a little gain. I have no intention of breaking any rules by making this, it's for him because he'll love it and I love him!!
     The green backing paper used on the cube under the flaps was made by colouring individual cells on a spreadsheet in various shades of green, once you have a few done you can copy them to fill up the page.
     You have two weeks to make something with a moving part for a man or boy, so please pop over to The Male Room and take a look at the DT inspiration.

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

Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes

Through The Purple Haze - Anything Goes (For A Male)

UnstampaBelles Challenge - A Special Person

Left Of Centre Challenges - Masculine