Merry Merry Ho Ho Ho

Good evening blog friends, I hope that you have all had a wonderful Christmas and have avoided all the coughs and colds that seem to be prevalent at the moment.  I've been working on a little project that was inspired by a recipe from Neet at Artful Times.  It caught my attention because it involved my favourite colour.  Any excuse to go blue.  So the recipe was blue, a female figure, ribbon and sparkle.  The sparkle has created problems in the photography department.  This started as a card but has become a hangy thing.  A sparkly, seasonal, blue hangy thing.  With butterflies.  After all, what is life without some flutter and I am sure that somewhere in the world  they have butterflies at Christmas.  Although certainly not in Norway.  Maybe wherever my little ballerina hales from...... 

 I started with a Tando Creative mini theatre stage which I coloured with pale blue acrylic, dry brushed with cerulean blue, then covered with irridescent glitter glue.  I used silver for the stage legs.  I stuck a piece of lace around the top of the stage.  The backing paper is from Craft Creations creative paper range.  Two stripey pipecleaners and the stamp, one of the 'Filurer' set, are from Panduro.  The ribbon bows were cream but I shaded them with broken china distress ink.  The clock is a metal embellishment.  All the butterflies are cut from glitter board and silver paper using Cheery Lynn mini dimensional butterflies with angel wings die.  A fantastic die with 7 different tiny butterflies.    An early Christmas present to myself. 

 

A close up on the little ballerina

I am entering this for 

Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 60 - Lace

Tando Creative Challenges December Challenge

Artful Times Challenge 19 - Recipe   

Take care.  Sleep well.  Have a good and safe New Years eve. 

The 2013 Calendar

Hi.  12 weeks ago The Craft Barn started a challenge.  A page or a calendar a week for 12 weeks.  It seemed like a grand idea at the time so with trepidation and enthusiasm I took up the baton.  Some weeks were easy, some weeks were hard, some weeks were a bit late, but never too late! 

I chose to make a heart shaped mini book and have each week of my calendar over two pages.  It's not so mini.  It has become quite a fat little calendar and the 25mm book rings are straining to contain it's exuberance.  The only pages I haven't already posted are the front and back covers which you can view here now, along with a photo of the whole and also a recap of the photos that have been posted over the last 12 weeks on this blog.  I hope that you enjoy it.  It's been very inspirational and I would like to thank The Craft Barn for stretching my creativity and their generosity for giving us the opportunity of a 15% discount each week throughout the challenge.  Also one of us will be rewarded for our perseverance and creative genius with a voucher to spend on some extra crafty must haves.  Good luck to us all.  

So here it is and of course I am entering The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge Grand Finale  

The 2013 Calendar

 

The Pages

Here is a recap of the pages.  The captions are linked to the original posts.  

January - Theme Candles

February - Theme Vellum

March - Theme Felt

April - Theme Doodles

May - Theme Trees

June - Theme Bright

July - Theme Circles

August - Theme Teal, Rust and White

September - Theme Children/Cute

October - Theme White/Yellow/Green

November - Theme Paper Tape

 December - Theme Embossing

The Back Cover

Thanks for looking.  It's been fun. 

Front and Back

This is just a little post to explain how I made the front and back cover of my calendar for The Craft Barn Challenge

The front cover was made using Sizzix Bingo embossing folder.   I coloured the embossed card using dew drop ink pads and then inked the raised areas with Memento Tuxedo black.  I used a Sizzix alphabet Ida Lou's Flower Box to cut the 2013 and Memory Box Serafina Heart in gold mirror card.  

The back cover is a figure from Panduro unmounted stamp set 'Filurer' stamped with gold ink.  Then the saying and the moon and star doodles are freehand with a gold pen. 

Merry Christmas

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We have snow, so a white Christmas.  We have been blessed with the gift of family and friends, the gift of good food and a warm place to come together, and a few packages to give and receive, some made and some bought.  I hope that you are all blessed this Christmas and my thoughts are especially with those who are cold, hungry or alone.  May you find shelter and comfort.  Merry Christmas to you all.  

Worth a look

Hi.  We've had big winds here today but we are still standing.  Several times I did think the house was going to shake itself to bits but it seems OK so far.  I had to put the green house back together this morning for the second time this week and I did have to hold onto a lamppost at one point to keep upright.  The rabbits don't seemed very bothered but the chickens aren't really into weather so they have been keeping indoors and were early to bed.  I think that a lot of places are experiencing big weather.  I hear it's wet again in the UK and in eastern Europe they are freezing.  I hope where ever you are you are safe and warm and fed.

Just a quick post to remind you to check out the new e-zine Art With No Boundaries  They have some lovely Christmas projects if you are doing some last minute makes before the big day.  

Take care and thanks for dropping by. 

Unbelievable

Hello friends, followers, everyone.  Welcome to the end.  This is my post for the final Calendar Challenge in a series of 12 posed by The Craft Barn.  If you have been following closely then you are probably taking part, and if you aren't Why Not?  Actually when I started this I thought it would be a long and difficult project but it's been great fun and the time has flown by.  I'm not saying it hasn't been a challenge.  Some of Izzy's themes left me floundering and perplexed but we got there in the end.  This being that end........

So here it is.  December.  All sparkle and reindeers.  I used Crafty Individuals Christmas Tree Stamp CI-368 with Dew Drop Brilliance stamp pads - Rocket Red, Galaxy Gold and Starlight Silver which I clear embossed.  The background is a mix of Distress inks - Barn Door, Pine Needles and Shabby Shutters, splashed on and squidged around.  Then I took my already inked christmas tree and dabbed it over both pages.  It didn't quite sparkle enough so I dabbed a bit more Starlight Silver around.  The two small reindeers are Double Do diecuts and the large is Sizzix reindeer with bonus embossing folder.  Cut, embossed, some black ink and glitter sticker highlights. 

I am entering this for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge Week 12 - Embossing

Creative Craft World have just posted a new challenge on their challenge blog so I am also entering Creative Craft World December/January mini-challenge (each page of my calendar is 13cm x 13cm)

There will be a final post regarding this challenge when I will display the complete calendar.   I am really looking forward to seeing everyone's projects as a single post.

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Inspired Gardening

Hi everyone.  Me again. Well, of course it's me!  Glad you dropped by.  Not many days left now until the big day.  For some people that's Christmas, for others it's the end of the world!!  Personally I have  planned my vegetable patch for next year so if the end of the Mayan Calendar does indeed signify the end of the world then I shall be very disappointed.    I have big plans for salsify and quinoa.   The Mayans would approve of quinoa.

I've had a productive afternoon and managed to finish another project that I want to submit to the Kortglede challenge.  This closes in an hour or so so must blog fast. 

A folder made of paper......

Inside a set of notelets

I used an A3 piece of patterned card which I folded in half and then folded in 5cm at each end.  The card was white on the back so I added an insert of handmade paper.   I spritzed the front with Tsukineko silver shimmer spritz and added a tag stamped with K-3117 from The Montage Collection.  I used Sizzix embosslit spiral and a brad and then attatched a silver loop to hold it closed.  I made a set of 6 notelets using Born to Shop Green Goddess embossing folder.  I coloured them using a wide variety of ink pads.  Whatever came to hand and looked good.  Quite pleased with the result.  Here's some better views of the notelets......

So this is my gift made of paper.  No chocolate in sight!

I am entering this for Kortgleder December Challenge - A present made of paper

Take care, thanks for visiting.  All comments gratefully received.  

Lily T. Elephant packs her trunk and wonders what sort of jungle is this?

Hello hello.  Greetings, velkommen, nice of you to drop by.  I'm playing catch up with The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge where Izzy has already posted the final weeks challenge, but this is my week 10 tab.  Nothing forgotten, I've just been a bit slow with this one.   Hopefully it is worth the wait.  What do you mean you weren't waiting!  Just me then.  I have wheeled out a few of my trusty friends to help with the theme - Trees. 

I wanted to use my Sizzix original tree die so was looking for a green/leafy background and found this paper in my stash.  Haven't got any details on it but it's banana leaves with rain drops printed on it.  Amazing, and it photographed quite well too!  So I cut two scalloped hearts (Sizzix framelit die) from the background paper and two trees from various handmade papers.  The elephant is also a Sizzix original cut from Soesterens Grene lily leaf paper.  I did some detailing with a black pen and added a googly eye.  That's May.  Elephants in the jungle.  Of course.   

Entering for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge Week 10 - Trees

Be safe, be warm, be happy but most of all leave Lily a comment cos she's feeling a bit lonely.  Maybe there's a friend just around the next tree.  A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet. 

It's A Cracker

Hi, it's all Christmas in the shops, around the village, in blogland.  I must admit to still not being in the mood.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not against the idea or anything but I just feel a bit out of step at the moment and that it has all become too commercialised. For me the best thing about Christmas is spending time with family and friends, enjoying good food and taking the time to catch up.  We all seem so busy the rest of the year.  It seems that Christmas is the time when people take a breath and relax.  

Since it is that time of year most of the challenges at the moment are naturally festively orientated so I am getting a little push in the right direction.   Kortgleder have asked that we make a present out of paper so I decided I would have a go at making a cracker shaped box.  I have been wanting to try this for a while but this was the push to sit down and give it a go.  

I started with a sheet of My Mind's Eye double sided cardstock.  I cut it to 30 x 30 cm then scored every 6cm.  I turned it 90° and scored 5cm* in from each side then drew a faint pencil line 3cm either side of this score.   I marked every 2cm on the *scores and cut from these to where the pencil line met the other scorelines.  That sounds a bit confusing but if you do it it will become clear.  Here's a picture of the sheet at this stage with the diamonds cut out. 

I used a Fiskars border punch with holly leaves on both the cracker ends then folded it up and glued it together to give me the cracker box.  I used Sizzix movers and shapers snowflake die to cut 8 snowflakes out of blue and silver glitter board and then stuck them back to back so I had four double sided snowflakes.  I added extra detail with glitter board cut using Sizzix framelit dies and finished with a glittery sticker.  I embossed some pink pearlised paper using Crafts-Too Elk embossing folder and Dew Drop Brilliance Starlight Silver Stamp pad.  I cut it out using Sizzix scalloped heart framelit and added some  iridescent glitter glue.  I hole punched around the scalloped heart and wove in some silver elastic cord.  I  wrapped some gold tinsel around each end, arranged the snowflakes and elk heart and filled the with chocolates. 

A close up

The finished gift, a chocolate filled cracker

I am entering this for Kortgleder December Challenge - A Present Made Of Paper

Best wishes to you all.  Thanks for dropping by.  Please leave a comment or just say hi if you have time. 

Quick, Quick

CASology's linky wouldn't let me link two projects with the same URL so please page down for the main post.

I've used a Sizzix embossing folder on white card and then three die cut present stickers. 

Entering this for CASology Week 23 - Gift

The lost are found

Greetings Crafty friends.  Just a quick post because I was hoping to join in the fun over at CASology for their Gift challenge.  The time is going on and I had almost decided it wasn't going to be but I managed to find a little window and get a couple of projects finished.  The last few day we have been keeping the snow from the door and then today the temperature rises to 6°C and it all starts to melt away nicely, except of course for the snow mountains which have resulted from the efforts to keep highways and byways clear.  They will take a little longer.  Those of you who expressed concern for my missing rabbit will be glad to know she turned up alive and well.  I didn't see hair or whisker of her for three days, the snow a meter deep, storm force winds and cold.  I was actually starting to think she had expired and then yesterday when I was out giving out some snacks I got to her cage and there she was!  She gave me a look, a "I've been rumbled look" before tucking in to the greenery I delivered.  Today she was busy grooming whilst sitting under the holly bush.  They are pretty hardy little things.  Still not sure where she was hiding but she's fine.

Anyway, better get these posted else I shall miss the deadline.   Two quick cards......

A Sizzix embossing folder, a gel sticker waggly flowers and then Sizzix present embosslit on gold mirror card with an orange handmade paper backing mounted on sticky pads.  

A Sizzix embossing folder on white card and then added three die cut present stickers


Luckily these were quite quick projects.  The photo's aren't brilliant as I had to take them indoors due to rain and darkness happening outside.  

Take care and have a great weekend

Entering these for CASology Week 23 - Gift

Just snow you know

Wednesday it snowed all day.  It was snowing when we got up and when we went to bed and all the hours between.  Lots of snow.  I've lost one of my free ranger rabbits.  I hope she is just hiding under all the snow and hasn't taken advantage of the fact that the top of the fence is not as far away as usual.  I'm sure if she has made a break for freedom she will find plenty to eat.  Unfortunately, there are also more things which might take the chance to eat her.  Here's hoping she has been a sensible rabbit and made herself a cosy place under the snow.   

This week at The Craft Barn the calendar challenge theme is circles.  That's nice and easy.  I just need to think of some round things for my heart shaped world.  

 

I wanted something bright.  Luckily I have Sizzix Framelit circle set so I selected four handmade papers in bright colours and cut two sizes of circles.  Then I stuck them down so they overlapped to give the background.  Then I wanted some round sentiments to fit in with the circles.  Searched the stash and found..... nothing!  Had some very nice fish for tea.  Checked out a few blogs.  Played some cards.  Ohh, inspiration.  Have Word, can print.  DIY embelies.  Sometimes I think we are too dependant on popping to the shop for that perfect something.  So I printed the sentiments I wanted in a suitably roundish font onto some cardstock and then cut them with the framelits set.  A couple of butterflies cut using Cheery Lynns mini butterfly set, the calendar tab and another month closer to complete. 

So this is my entry for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge Week 11 - Circles

I've got one week that I need to catch up on and Izzy will be giving the final challenge on Sunday and the 2012 calendar will be complete.  Hurrah.  It seemed such a big idea, twelve projects, twelve weeks, but almost done now.  Time flies.  

Take care, thanks for dropping by.  If you have time please leave a comment.  Your kind words are marshmallows in my hot chocolate.   
 

Wag the Dog

Hello, friends and followers, those who are and those who may be.  Apologies for the time since my last post.  I brought an unexpected hitch-hiker back from England and have spent the last week under the influence of a nasty little virus.  Sunday I would have been happy to have had my head cut off but am relieved now I didn't succumb to that particular impulse since it probably would have further delayed my return to blogland.  So here we are, better, but not 100%, but so many things to do so can't let the nasties keep us down.  Luckily I don't get sick very often, although I think that did make me a particularly pathetic patient.  Best wishes to anyone suffering at the moment from all those nasty little bugs that are doing the rounds.  May we all be fresh and healthy for Christmas. 

So I've missed a few challenges I was hoping to play along with but the joy is there are always more.  Today I managed to complete another page of my calendar for The Craft Barn Challenge.  This is getting quite exciting now because next week is the final challenge.  As I am a little bit behind this is my week 9 entry when the theme was teal, rust, white.  Lovely colour combination and it allowed me to use a beach theme that I had been hoping to incorporate.

I inked the pages in a patchy sort of way with a teally shade of blue.  I used Sizzix decorative strip "A day at the beach" for the phrase, chair and parasol.  The beach is some yellow paper that I have embossed with blue snowflakes.  OK, that's a bit strange for my August page but maybe they could be starfish, or sand dollars, or some other exotic crustacean.  This is art, luverly, art.  We hope!  The young Victorian (who incidentally also looks like she has dressed for a cool august visit to the beach) is Crafty Individuals stamp CI-158 stamped in rust ink.  The two images are from CI miniatures book 'People and Places'.   A hint of a tint of blue on the calendar tab and the job is done, although there is a chance I may have to change the parasol colours.  It looks a bit not quite right.  Maybe, maybe........

Entering this for The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge 9 - teal, rust and white

Take care, keep well and watch this space for our next exciting instalment.......

Don't forget to check out the  Art With No Boundaries Ezine  Great projects and tips.  

Tiddilybom Tiddilypom

Ahhhh.  Velkommen hjem.  My man picked me up from the airport last night and it is sooooo nice to be home again.  I have spent the day trying to get back into the routine with the animals and running around in the garden trying to see if there is anything I should have protected better before I left and if there is anything worth trying to salvage from the cold.  It's -12°C!!  Arggg, that's a bit shocking.  We don't usually go quite that cold in our bit of Norway, being way down south as we are, and it's very early to be this chilly.  Hope it's not a sign of things to come.  The upside is it was a lovely sunny day.   My freeranger rabbits don't mind the snow and at least that solves the problem with trying to give them water.  The ones that are caged just have to drink fast when I take out fresh water at various times during the day and into the evening.  Oh well, it's got to be an improvement on all the rain.  

I haven't had a chance to get into the craft room yet, although I have dumped the goodies I dragged home with me from the UK onto my craft table.  Not that there was much dumping room!  A tidy up is on the cards, although it is nearly impossible as I always uncover something that gives me an idea and then the putting away becomes taking out and well................ I'm sure you get the idea.  I wanted to catch up on things in blogland and I stumbled across this new e-zine Art With No Boundaries.    Lots of lovely projects including some beautiful Asian art inspired ATC's and Inchies and some tips on using digital stamps.  Check it out here

Anyway, I must away and sort a few things out.  Hope to be crafting again soon so watch this space.  Thanks for dropping by.  Be safe, be warm, be happy :-)

Last of the summer flowers

Hello everyone.   I am still on my yearly visit to the UK.  It's been lovely to see the family but I must admit that now I am looking forward to being home again.  In a few days I shall be reunited with my man, animals, garden and craft stash, but until then I will just have to be happy plugging the gap in my calendar for the Craft Barn Challenge.  I am looking all the way back to week 3 when the theme was white/yellow/green.  I must admit that I have had to stretch the brain cells for this one but am quietly pleased with the result. 

For the background I have used a fab technique I discovered in Craft Stamper April 2012 in an article called Pressed Petals.  Basically you collect some fat juicy leaves and flowers, layer them on paper and run them through your die cutting machine and ..... WOW!!  Actually I didn't really think this would work but it does.  It's pretty amazing.  You get loads of juice oozing out of the sandwich and an instant flower paper.  I love this effect.  I have never had the patience to press flowers but here it's almost instant and no need for sealing the paper cos you only have the impression and the dyes from the flowers, not any actually organic material.  The only funny thing was the red begonia flowers gave a blue impression!!  A bit strange.  The technical amongst you will probably assure me that it's all something to do with light reflectance or the way the eye sees colour or red flowers are actually blue we just see them as red....... Whatever, it's a great trick and gave me a great white/yellow/green (with a bit of blue) background for these pages.  The birds and the saying are chipboard pieces by Basic Grey.

I have just spoken to my man and he says there is 50cm of snow in our bit of Norwayland and the chickens are on strike.  Brrrrr.  At least it's seasonal and I might be able to get my head into Chrimbo mode.  At the moment I am still hoping for some sunshine!!  Ah well, there's always cake.  

Be warm, take care, thanks for dropping by. 

I am entering this into

 The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge Week 3 - White/Yellow/Green
Artful Times Challenge 18 - Anything Goes

Ice Blue Cool

Hello, all Desert Wanderers.  Welcome.  Tonight we are in full silly season mode.  I am a real fan of leaving christmas firmly in December, but needs must.  I am a long time participant in the Craft Creations online card challenge.  Now this is a 'join by email contest' but I figured since I now had the blog up and running I would share this little project with you all and maybe let you know about a great competition if you aren't aware of it.    Anyway the theme this month at Craft Creations is Christmas.  

I have used a tri-fold aperture card in Hi-5 Pearl Morphing Mauve as my base card.  I tore pieces of creative paper Snowflakes on Blue and used these as a border around the card and also inside the aperture.  The decoupage is Robin on a Flower Pot.  I think it goes well with the cool blue papers to give a more contemporary Christmas look.  My grandmother will be 90 next year.  She loves the birds and the garden so this will be her christmas card from me.  Hello Nanny.  All materials are from Craft Creations.

I am entering this into Craft Creations Card Challenge - Christmas

Under a Blue Moon

Hello everyone.  Hope you are having a warm and snugly Saturday.  Here's my latest offering for the ongoing Craft Barn Calendar Challenge where this week the theme is children/cute.  These are my September pages using my mini heart book which, as a re-cap for those who have just joined us, I cut using Sizzix Framelits Scalloped Heart dies.  I call it a mini-book but must admit that during the course of this project it has become a rather fat mini-book!  Luckily these were low calorie pages!  

I have used two stamps from Cornish Heritage Farm, Sweet One Collage and Little People Collage.  I used Memento Ink, Tuxedo Black with the stamps and then London Fog to colour the background, leaving the girls white.  I added some iridescent glitter glue as highlights and the calendar tab for September.  Definitely children, hopefully cute. 

I am entering this into  

The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge - Children/Cute 

Artful Times Challenge 18 - Anything Goes

Hearts and Angels

Greetings to my followers, a special hello to those newly joined to our happy Nomad band, and to all those who have just dropped in on the chance this might be worth a look.  I have been reading a fabulous book by Dean Koontz called Life Expectancy which features murder, mayhem and a bunch of psychotic clowns.  I recommend it to anyone with a liking for the unexpected.   As Rudy Tock says "Where there's cake, there's hope.  And there's always cake."

I feel a little bereft.  Away from my stash and trying to finish some projects.  It makes me appreciate all those little bits I never threw away because I was sure they would come in handy one day.   Here's a little something I started before I travelled and have finished without the benefit of my stuff.    I started working on this as a gift for my sister and had two specific challenges in mind that helped shape the final project.  

 I have used a heart shaped printer tray from Tando Creative which I modified slightly to accommodate my design.  I painted all the elements with white acrylic paint.  I decorated the base of the tray by making a collage using various pages from Crafty Individuals "Travels in Italy" miniatures book.  Love those papers.  I sandwiched some lace and the ribbon to hang it between the back two layers and the tray back.  It's great how the layers allows you to fix things at different depth within these trays.  The front layer I covered in holographic glitter glue and a punched some holes to hang the angels (things with wings) and the heart from.   If I had realised that it is possible to get a needle through the chipboard I wouldn't have made those holes!  Anyway, the embellishments are metal christmas decorations I bought a few days ago.  When I saw them I thought they would be perfect for this project.  They all have a crystal in them which gives a nice sparkly effect.  A ribbon to finish.   

I wanted this to be festive, but not so "Christmas" that it couldn't be used all year.  Sorry about the poor picture.  Difficult to photo the sparkle and I had to work out some way to hang it up in good light so the crystals were in place.

I am entering this for 
Crafty Individuals November Challenge - Festive Sparkle
Tando Creative Challenges November Challenge - Wings 

 Wishing you all sunshine and smiles.  




 

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Hi.  Huge sigh of relief.  You know how it is when you think you've got it, then it goes wrong, but you think you got it, then something else, then something else, then......  I really nearly gave up on this one.  Many times.  It's not my thing, I don't have time, I can't sew, the batteries (yes both of them) are dead on the camera, the computer doesn't want to download.  Just enough juice for one picture, it better be a good one. Arrggg......

Ok, so the story is Artful Times wanted us to dazzle them with a fabric tag.  Oh dear, terrible seamstress.  No really, terrible!  Oh, maybe I'll give it a go.  Very short of time.  Trying to get everything tidied up before running off to England to visit the family and help celebrate my mum's 70th birthday at the end of the month.  So a couple of false starts and then I gave up.  Not enough time or talent.  But I really wanted to try this.  I had half an idea and I like Von and Neet's challenge blog and it's definitely not something I would have chosen to do so I think that makes it something I should try.  Stretch yourself.   Yoga for the soul.  So as the time to catch the plane draws near I realise I have 90 minutes on the plane and then 3 hours of trains.  There's my time.  So chuck some things in a bag, fabric, wool, thread, beads, buttons, scissors (oops can't take them on the plane, might want to alter the tailoring on the cabin crews uniforms) unpick ( maybe that will escape the beady eye of the x-ray machine).  That will have to do and we're off..........

So this is it.  Just in case you are wondering, I slept on the plane, and the lighting was awful on the train and the sewing I did was so bad it was embarrassing.  I'm not putting that on the world wide web!!  So as I am sitting there looking at my little disaster I thought I would have been better to have glued it together and used a pen to give me some faux stitches.  Ahhhhhhhh.  Eureka as the scientist said.   I have used a piece of plain red fabric as my tag.  The bauble I cut using a sizzix die (that was before plane time) from some gorgeous fabric I had had the inspiration to buy at an earlier time.   I glued it on and used a gold gel pen to do some faux stitching effects around the edge, although they don't show very well.  I used some fancy wool I had which when cut gave nice fluffy ends.  I used the pale blue shading to white to give an icicle sort of effect.  I sewed them at each end, and also the loop in the corner.  I used the darker blue wool to ground the design at the bottom.  Icy lake???  I don't know, it worked for me.  Then I used cupcake buttons (fortuitous foresight there!!) for a little whimsical, glitzy, bling.  If I had had gold glitter glue here I would probably have jazzed up the background a bit but I must admit I am quite pleased with the final result.  Thanks Neet for this challenge.  It's amazing what you can do when you give it a go.  

I have a friend who bakes fantastic cupcakes so maybe I'll send this to her.  Or maybe I should give it to my sister who was so good to sit and wait for me at midnight when the trains were drowned, delayed and cancelled because of the floods yesterday.  That was the automobile.  Now blogger keeps saying there's a problem saving.  It better be having a laugh. 

Anyway, thunder, lightning and Acts of God not withstanding I want to enter this for the  Artful Times Challenge 17 - a fabric tag

Something Fishy

Hello everyone and here I am creeping in under the wire to join the Crafty Emblies challenge.  If you are a regular to my little blog spot you may soon realise that I am a last minute sort of person.  Maybe my middle name should have been Procrastination!   It's just there is so much to do.  Prioritise, prioritise.   Anyway here it is......

I have used a mirror frame from IKEA and glass to mosaic the fish onto the mirror.  The fish is coloured glass with two beads making the eye and the water is semi-translucent blue mosaic tiles.  I kept the mirror in place because it reflects light back through the glass thereby giving a backlit effect.  If it wasn't there I expect the fish would be too dark to see any detail.  I have covered the outside of the frame with some handmade paper with I tore by hand to give a softer effect around the fish.  I added some swirls of gold-green handmade paper cut with a Sizzix die.  The frame is then mounted on a canvas which I painted with green acrylic and then dry brushed with blue acrylic.  This was todays happy accident.  I had prepared this for another project and have been using it as a background for photographs but when I put the fish frame on it it added to the overall roundness of it all so I added it into the project.

 I am entering this for Crafty Emblies Challenge - Under the Sea

Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye...

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat.....

Hello everyone, well it's Friday evening and I feel like curling up with a good book, or maybe even a not so good book, and a cup of hot chocolate and forgetting all the things I should be doing.  Wishful thinking.  There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day, especially now it's getting dark so early.  It is still catching me unawares.  Anyway, here's a little project I have been working on.  

I used white hammered card to make a tall thin card.  I used a piece of shimmery paper and a stick on frame in gold.  The cat is stamped on shrink plastic and coloured with watercolour pencils.  I punched two holes before shrinking and attached it to the card with a piece of red embroidery thread.  I have stamped a thank you in black ink below. 

I am entering this for CASology Challenge #19 - Thanks

Start with a bang

Hello everyone.  Just a quick post tonight.  The calendar challenge at The Craft Barn this week is candles.  Uhhhhhhh.  That's a tricky one.  Anyway, after much thought and rummaging through the stuff here's my offering.

That amazing background, which actually photographed pretty well, is some printed vellum.  The candles are peel-off stickers mounted on flower paper with some glitter highlights.  The sentiment is more peel-off stickers.  That's January.

I am entering this for the following challenges
 The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge 7  
Paperminutes - # 243 Calender Page

The Nature of Time

Hello everyone and a special hello to my little band of followers.  Found a lovely little challenge over at Craft Room Challenge blog.  This fortnight they wanted something to do with time and with Crafty Individuals as the sponsor how can I fail to be inspired.   I am a big CI fan.  Anyway here's my project.  I have incorporated a darling CI image which I have been itching to use.  I have also used a piece of bark I found whilst out for a walk one day.  I'm not sure what tree it was, some sort of pine I think, but there were a number of pretty pieces which caught my eye so I brought them home and put a heavy weight on them so that they would dry flat.  So pleased to be able to use some of this beautiful natural product.

So here's my card.  I have used Bo Bunny's Beautiful Life Dots paper.  I used a clockface stencil with Memento Ink London Fog because this gives a lovely muted effect.  When I saw this piece of bark I thought it looked like the letter "H" (it really was that shape) so thought that would be a lovely way to start the word "hello".  The adorable clock image is from Crafty Individuals Miniature Book "Christmas".  Some peel-off sticker letters to complete the sentiment and mounted on blue card.

I am entering this into Craft Room Challenge - Time Keeping  

If anyone is interested there is a fabulous giveaway at Really Reasonable Ribbon finishing on 7th December.  Check it out here

Happy crafting everyone. 

Chasing Ambulances

I am sure that one day soon it will stop raining and I won't have the excuse to sit in and craft.  But until that day.......

Found another interesting challenge at CASology.  Clean and simple.   Although this isn't a card style I have worked much with occasionally I manage to turn out something that would perhaps qualify.  So in the interest of stretching my boundaries and getting out of my comfy chair I thought I'd see what I could come up with.  The theme for the next few hours is orange.  I can do something with that.   So I started working with a seagull and a deckchair button I had and.........oh......maybe not......but......ahh......OK.  

Not a deckchair to be seen.    I've used some white card (honestly it's white, so difficult to get a good photo with these overcast days) which I embossed with Sizzix Rays embossing folder.  I used Sizzix Halloween Shadows strip die to cut the people from orange 12 x 12 printed paper and the bats from bright orange card.  Stick them on.  Job done.  What do you think????  Is it CAS?  All comments gratefully received.  

I am entering this into CASology Challenge, Week 18, Orange

If you like the clean and simple style there's a new challenge blog starting very soon.   Check out Addicted to CAS

Hope your day has a little bit of sunshine.   

Me and the White Rabbit

Well when I saw The Craft Barn calendar challenge for week 5 was paper tape I thought "Hurray, I've got some of that".   So I checked out my stash and found this black and white diamond design.  I thought it would go great with the distorted harlequin mask I was lucky enough to receive as part of the prize in the Tando Creative Birthday Bash Design Team Blog Hop.   So this started with an idea, struck a few hurdles, went a little bit sqwiffy, started to shape up but needed a little something.  Then I saw this fab project by Gez.  The finishing touch for my night in November. 

I used texture paste and the Tando distorted harlequin mask for the central design.  I splashed some Distress Ink Broken China and Chipped Sapphire around.  I cut the paper tape into sections and arranged them across the two pages.  At this point it looked like a cold, dark, brrrr night in November.  It needed a figure of some sort, in black and white because all colour goes at night doesn't it.  I have used Sizzix embosslit Hello Kitty and highlighted with black ink.   I added the calendar tab and then I was a bit stalled.  I didn't want it looking so gloomy but luckily Gez posted her fab firework project and problem was solved.  Thanks Gez.  It's November, it's fireworks!!  Some glitter glue and the night sky comes alive.  At least mine will be around for longer than the real thing.  Thanks for visiting.


I am entering this into The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge Week 5