Goodbye to South Wales.

Good morning one and all.

This is just to let you know that I will not be around for 3 weeks or so whilst my life is turned upside down by moving house and changing jobs. We move out of our house in South Wales on 31st March, into the new one on 1st April and I start the new job on April 4th. That gives me a weekend to try and get the house straight before starting work. In the meantime I will try to have a look at your blogs and make comments whilst I still have an Internet connection but I will not be able to do any posts of my own as I am about to pack up my craft stash for the move to Gloucestershire. Please do not think that I am ignoring you if I cannot get to make comments! Hopefully our broadband Internet will be set up when we move in (according to BT it will be but I will believe that when  I see it).

The great thing is that I will have a whole room for my craft stuff in the new place rather than it taking up one end of my bedroom like it is now. That is what I call luxury. Then I will be back to posting my projects and entering challenges again.

See you all soon.
Hugs, Shirl xx

Peacock Lady - a Card for a few challenges.

 Good morning. Hurray for the weekend.

Here is a card for 4 challenges. It was mainly inspired by the Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge which required you to make your own design papers. You know how much I love doing that so here is the result.

This has been entered in the following:
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight - Make you own papers
Crafty Card Makers #110 - Mothers Day
Totally Papercrafts #58 Add Buttons

Crafty Catz #74 Mothers Day

The backing papers were made using Glimmer Mists (in peacock sort of colours) and Glimmer Screens. Once dry it was stamped with a peacock feather stamp from Elusive Images. These were coloured with Twinkling H2Os.

The backing for the Peacock Lady (again an EI stamp) was card sprayed with the same colours as before but without the screens. She was stamped and embossed with silver embossing powder and colored with H2Os. She was mounted on dark green card and then a sheet of quite thick acetate was stuck into position over the top giving a curved surface. This was secured on the back with D-S tape and mounted on another piece of green card.

The dark green base card was A3 folded to give an A4 gate fold card. For the front of the card two panels of the hand coloured card were cut to size and mounted on silver mirror card. These were stuck to the front panels with D-S tape. The main image was mounted onto the left hand panel of the card ensuring no tape was put on the right hand side which would prevent the card from opening.

The buttons were made from Fimo and stamped with oriental style stamps and brushed over with Perfect Pearls mica powder. Once baked, they were threaded up with lilac ribbon to match the colour used on the dress.

A "love you" sentiment was added to tell Mum how much I love her. This as a stamp by EI, embossed with silver powder.

In side the card, I lined the left hand side with some paper printed from a Graphicus CD ROM. The front sheet is another hand decorated sheet. This time, I did not use the screens but it was stamped with feathers and coloured as before.I folded the sheet in half to find the mid line. It was flattened again and stamped with two peacocks (EI). The entire area of the stamp was then cut away to give peacock shaped apertures so the printed paper could be seen in the background.

This card was many hours in the making. I do hope you like it.

Ruined Church

Good afternoon.
Here is a card for just 1 challenges:
Cards for Men #6 - Sketch Challenge
The wonderful main image is from one of the new stamps from Stamp Addicts. It was stamped with black ink and embossed with fine clear powder to keep all the detail. This was tinted with Black Soot Distress Ink after being cut out with a Nestie. A second white Nestie shape was cut to provide a mat.

The base card is 5.25" square. Two different black and white papers - stripes and dots were used to make up the rest of the sketch. The dotty triangles were backed with white card to provide a border.

The sentiment (Elusive Images) was stamped in black ink on white card and the edges tinted after it was trimmed to size.

The black dots on the triangles are black, flat back, self adhesive gems

Yellow Rose - A card for 5 challenges.

Good evening. Here is a nice bright easel card which I am going to enter in 5 challenges:

Totally Papercrafts #57 - Shaped cards
Crafty Catz Weekly challenge - Colour Combo, Yellow and Green
The Stamp Man #18 - Mother's Day - Floral Theme
Sentimental Sundays #46 - Let's go Green (Colour or Recycled) + a sentiment
Diecut Dreams Challenge #85 Mothers Day or Special Friend

To create the shape I used Grand Nesties in both Scalloped Ovals and Ovals on both pale yellow hammered card and plain green card. Many of these were cut, matted and layered to give the final look. The largest plain oval was stamped with a flourish stamp (Creative Expressions) using Shabby Shutters Distress Ink.

The large central rose, the leaves, the smaller rose on the base of the easel and the sentiment  are all stamps by Creative Expressions. They were stamped on white card, coloured with Distress inks and Aquamarkers.

The double bow incorporates both pale yellow organza ribbon with satin edges and pale green satin ribbon.

The sentiment says: "If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be picking roses for a life time." My Mum passed away nearly 3 years ago so I don't have one to give the card to but I do think of her a lot.

Lazing on a Sunny Day - for 2 challenges

Good morning. I managed to sneak some time for another card this week. This is for 2 challenges:
Crafty Cardmakers #41 - Fabric
Critter sketch challenge #55

The layout is from the sketch challenge and the fabric elements are the ribbons on the buttons and the patterned flourish layer.

Buttons - hand made from Fimo, stamped with a pattern and coated with mica powder (Perfect Pearls) before baking. Ribbon threaded through and trimmed to length.

Fabric - plain cream calico which was dyed with Distress ink and Glimmer mists. When dry it was stamped with 2 different flourish stamps by Sheena Douglass in 2 different colour inks, trimmed to size, frayed and mounted onto the light blue mat.

Main image, by Clarity Stamps, stamped on glossy white card, trimmed with a Nestie and the edges tinted with Distress ink. This was mounted on a scalloped oval mat again cut with a Nestie.

Swirly central border cut with a Martha Stewart punch.

The card was assembled with D-S tape, extra tacky D-S tape for the fabric and Pinflair glue for the buttons.

All My Love

Hi again. The second post of the day. Back to challenges then!

Here is a romantic card for 2 challenges which both had exactly the same theme - Pearls and Lace:
Totally Papercrafts #56
Sentimental Sundays #45

The image and the script are from some of the new stamps from Stamp Addicts. I love the main image, it is gorgeous. She was stamped with brown Stazon, cut out with a Nestabilitiy and the edges tinted with Broken China Distress ink. The script was stamped with the same ink on white glossy card, cut out with another Nestie and tinted in the same way. The large mat was cut out with yet another Nesty. This blue card is such a lovely dark shade and is pearlescent.

The base card is A6 in size. The corners were cut with a Martha Stewart punch. The card was edged with Broken China ink. The lace was applied with D-S tape.

The sentiment, an Elusive Images stamp, was stamped onto the same coloured card as the base card in Brown Stazon. It was trimmed to size and edged with distress ink.

The card was assembled with foam pads and D-S tape and then the pearls were added to the various layers and the sentiment.

Paint Fusion - Flowers

 Good morning. Happy Sunday.

I have been so busy doing cards for challenges that I have not been doing other crafting activities. So today I thought I would post two mini canvases that I have just completed using Sheena Douglass' new Paint Fusion techniques.

These mini canvases on wooden frames are only about 3 x2.25 inches but they are interesting to work with. Both canvases were painted blue with emulsion, and when dry a layer of watered down PVA glue was applied. When this was nearly dry then the cream emulsion was brushed over the top. When left to dry the cream pain crackled so that the blue paint beneath can be seen.

Supporting the back of the canvas, the garland stamp was applied to one and the lavender stalks to the other. These were then painted with acrylic paints following the techniques provided by Sheena.

The aged effect was done using Distress inks and then gold embossing powder was applied around the edges to provide a a frame.

I was quite pleased with the results as these were only my 3rd and 4th attempts using these techniques. I can see myself spending quite a lot of time with this craft once I have moved. I don't know if there will be much crafting time for the next month or so but I will try and enter a couple of challenges a week if I can.

Flowers, Butterflies and Friends

Good morning. I have not posted for over a week and for that I apologise. Within the month we will have moved house, I will have moved jobs and we will be starting a new life! Consequently postings may be limited for a while but I hope you stay with me. In the new house I will have a whole room in which to craft so the sky will be the limit!

This card is for 5 challenges:
Crafty Catz Challenge 71 - Friendship
The Stampman #17 Curls and Swirls
CES Challenge #25 Flowers and Flutterbys
Sentimental Sundays - Anything Goes (with a Sentiment)
Critter Challenge#54 - Sentiment

A quick description today I am afraid.

A5 yellow A5 base card, border cut with a Martha Stewart punch and lined with dark red card to show off the edging.

Background card - started off orange and was inked with various Distress inks and stamped with a flourish stamp in Stazon to give a soft effect.

Cream tag coloured with the same Distress inks. Stamped with Poppies and embossed with gold sparkle WOW powder. Also added a For You stamp in the same way. Poppies coloured with Aquamarkers. Butterflies stamped, embossed with gold powder and coloured with Aquamarkers. The butterflies were cut out and wire antennae added with Pinflair glue.

Sentiment stamped in blackink on orange card and embossed with clear holographic powder. Cut out with a flower shaped Nestie as were the two layers onto which the wards are matted.

Swirls cut out with a Cricut...no I did not do them by hand!!


Everything was then assembled after adding a ribbon to the tag.

For You, Poppies and Sentiment by Sheena Douglass. Butterfly from Elusive Images.