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

Tweet, So Tweet

Gosh, another post.  Things are coming together.  At last.  Week 6 of The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge and the theme is felt.  I'm sure I've got some of that around here somewhere......  But life is too short.  I found a lovely piece of white and brown cow pattern felt in town.  I'm sure this will make a great giraffe? cow? cat?  Maybe not.  OK, lets check the bits box.  Ah ha....

March.  Spring is in the air and the birdies are singing.  I cut two hearts from this funky scribble paper from Soestrene Grenes.  I added a heart brad and wobbly eye to each felt die cut bird.  The fabric flowers have a felt brad center. 

I am entering this into The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge Week 6 and because I am entering in the week the challenge is posted I can get a voucher for 15% off an order at the website.  I feel a shopping trip coming on.....  

Thanks for looking.


 

It's a doodle

Hello everyone.  I am playing catchup with the The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge.   Week 4 and the theme was "Doodles".  Uhhhhhhh.......?#!!??  (hope that's not a swear word in blogland!!)  OK so here's my first attempt at planned doodling.   

  

It's April, it's Paris, love is in the air, the flowers are blooming. I cut two hearts from a sheet of My Mind's Eye double sided cardstock.  I stamped CI 260 - Travels to Paris and used a CI image from People and Places miniature book.  Using a gold pen I doodled faux stitching around the edge of the hearts, on the die cut flowers and also doodled the stems. 

Strange Folk Abroad on All Hallows Eve

Hi everyone.  I have been having some more fun with a Tando Creative round printer tray.  Luckily some challenges are still offering a chance at Halloween colours so I thought I would finish up this second printer tray and enter it into the Artful Times Challenge Blog which ends in an hour!  I always did enjoy a deadline.

 Anyway, the challenge is orange, brown and white.  I didn't have any brown acrylic so, remembering lessons from school, I mixed some.  See school wasn't totally wasted!   I painted the tray and the stand and then sponged on some orange acrylic.  I cut a circle of orange patterned paper and embossed some bats, using Sizzix embossing folder and highlighted with Distress Walnut stain.  The shapes are cut from Craft Creations bronze stardream card using Sizzix decorative strip die - Halloween Shadows.  I love this die.  I have to wonder if the people are waiting for the next bus to Bedlam.  I cut the fence from the same die on plain white card.  The orange owl is by Websters Pages.  I added a pumpkin cut a 12 x 12 sheet to the stand so it matches my other Halloween printer tray (see a few post ago). 

I am entering this for Artful Times Challenge 16 Orange,brown and white 

Time flies

Hello again and so soon!!  Well here's my second contribution to The Craft Barn's Calendar Challenge.  Izzy already uploaded my emailed image (thanks Izzy) but here you can read all about it.  

Calendar Challenge 2 was Bright Colours.  I have hopped to June in my little heart mini-book.  The Tando Creative Online Classes helped with this as they showed a technique using wax crayons to create a marbled effect.  So, I melted some wax crayons to give the background.  Nice bright colours.  I have used a layered sticker from My Minds Eye that came in a goody box.  The little girl is from CI mini book "People and Places 2" and the butterflies from CI mini book "Natures Beauty".  That's it.  

I am entering this in The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge Week 2

OK, from here on it might be a bit erratic as I will be playing catch up a bit due to life getting in the way of craft.  Keep watching this space.......

Crafters block

Hi everybody, I hope you are having a great weekend.  I'm having a little challenge with some projects I am working on.  You know how it is when things won't come together.  So while I am waiting for the fog to clear I thought I would do a bit of backposting.  I have been joining in at The Craft Barn with their Calendar Challenge.  This has already been running a few weeks and I started by emailing my entries to Izzy but now my blog is up and running I thought I'd blog in arrears in case anyone wanted the details on my little project.   Anyway this is my week one calendar.  The theme was vellum. 

I decided to make a heart shaped mini-book using my Sizzix Framelit scallop heart set.  I am using two pages per month (so maybe not so mini a book!!) and here's February.  I used Sizzix embossing folder "Always Forever" for the sentiment and coloured with Distress ink barn door and walnut stain.  I cut two vellum hearts from the second die in the framelit series and embossed them with Sizzix "Rays"embossing folder.  I cut the one so it fitted around the phrase.  I cut more hearts from plain and heart printed vellum using the smallest framelit die, embossed them then added some barn door for a bit of colour.  I have arranged them in pairs as butterfly wings and used the new Crafty Individuals (CI) butterfly die to cut the body which I coloured with various Pebeo prisme paints.  The two images are hand torn from CI miniature books "People and Places 2" and "Christmas".  The calendar is a web download with a hint of barn door.  I am using a couple of book rings to keep it all together.

I am entering this in The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge 1