Alpha/Dictionary Challenge - H

Hi All, thanks for dropping by today!  

So it's time for the next letter in The Craft Barn alpha/dictionary challenge and the chosen letter this fortnight is H.  If you haven't seen the challenge yet (and it's a great one!) click HERE to visit their blog.

So for the letter 'H' I chose the word 'hot air balloon' and here are my pages:

So after struggling to keep my dictionary open over the past few weeks I had a brain wave to pop it onto my cookery book stand to hold it open for my pics!

To create my pages I first masked my definition using rangers matt n seal (it's just below the stamped balloon image on the right hand page) I then gave my pages a base wash with watered down white acrylic paint.  I then used cut n dry to apply distress inks in old paper, vintage photo, rusty hinge, spiced marmalade and barn door.  I stamped in the two hot air balloons by hero arts with black archival and coloured them using distress markers in barn door, fired brick and tumbled glass for the right balloon and the left was coloured with bundled sage, antique linen and scattered straw.  I cut some strips of hot air balloon paper from kaisercraft and added them to my pages, I drew some scribbled borders around them using a black soot distress marker.

Next I used a piece of sequin waste and did both normal and reverse stencilling with a snowcap paint dabber and also with fired brick distress ink.  To finish I added the three words from Tim Holtz chit chat stickers and outlined them with the black soot distress marker.

I'm really enjoying this challenge and I really hope I can stick to it for the whole year!

Thanks for visiting, please leave me a little comment so I know you dropped by :)

Claire x

Dylusions for Dad!

Hi All, thanks for stopping by today.  

So today I would like to share a card I've made for my Dad's birthday:

I created my background by spraying water and dylusions in london blue, vibrant turquoise, luscious lime and lemon zest onto some splodgeaway card.  I then used a piece of sequin waste and white acrylic paint to do some stenciling and some reverse stenciling.

I stamped the globe (part of a free stamp set from creativity magazine) on an off cut of the background and cut it out, I then coloured it using the dylusions inks and a paintbrush to make it a bit bolder and more prominent.

I stamped the cogs from the same free stamp set in black versafine and then the branches are from Indigoblu and are stamped in vintage photo DI.  The sentiment is from Waltzing Mouse Stamps and is stamped in black versafine.  

I inked the edges using vintage photo DI, added the yellow twine and then mounted onto brown card stock before adhering to my card blank. 

I would like to enter my Dad's birthday card in the following challenges:

• Sunday Stamper - this week Hels has chosen 'Men' for her theme - to find out more click HERE 

• Artful Times Challenge Blog - the current theme at Artful Times is 'Colour Technique' all the details for their challenge can be found by clicking HERE 

   Thanks for visiting my blog today, any comments are welcome!!

Claire x

The Crafting Cafe DT

Good Morning Everyone, I have some great news to share with you today! I was chosen to be a design team member for a brand new blog called The Crafting Cafe - click HERE to visit!

It is a monthly challenge and there are some fab digi stamps to be won - for the very first challenge we have chosen an anything goes theme.  My first project for the team uses the sponsor digi stamp by LEJ Designs:

To create my project I first printed out my digi and coloured the tulips using my distress markers (victorian velvet, milled lavender, worn lipstick, peeled paint and pine needles), I inked around the edges of my square with tumbled glass distress ink then I used the crackle stamp from Indigoblu stamped in vintage photo distress ink.  Then I gave it three coats of UTEE to give it an old ‘tile’ appearance.

I then used the fancy frame mask from Splodgeaway to create the background using distress inks (old paper, vintage photo, mustard seed and victorian velvet) and cut n dry foam.

I mounted my ‘tulip tile’ onto the background in the centre using foam pads, then added the ribbon and backed it onto the green cardstock before finally mounting onto my 8x8 card blank.

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the other design team projects - there are some fab people on the team!

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

Alpha Challenge - E

This fortnight over at The Craft Barn blog the chosen letter for the alpha/dictionary challenge is E.

This is turning out to be a great challenge and altering a book or anything really is such a new technique for me and I'm really enjoying myself!!  All the challenge details can be found over on The Craft Barn blog here.

So for 'E' I didn't have any stamps or anything to do with 'E' so I was really struggling!  But my friend Eileen came to my rescue and lent me these two lovely Elf stamps (not sure who made them tho!)

I started by stamping my two elf images straight onto the dictionary pages in black versafine and colouring them using distress markers.  I then used a versamark pen to colour them both in and also the definition of elf - I then clear embossed all three.  

I then used watered down dylusions sprays in cut grass, fresh lime, london blue and crushed grape all over my page which I applied with a paintbrush and used water to blend.  I used my crackle stamp by indigoblu along the bottom of the pages, stamped in vintage photo, for some texture.  The leaf sprigs around the top of the page are a clarity stamp which I stamped in a puddle of the cut grass dylusions on my craft mat then stamped onto a piece of scrap before adding to the pages.

The pages proved a little difficult to photograph as the clear embossing kept reflecting the light back towards the camera!  

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

Valentine's Tag

Hi All, 

I hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday - I'm pleased the snow that was forecast didn't materialize in the end!

Today I made a Valentine's tag for my husband - this will be our first Valentine's day as a married couple :)  Although we don't usually make a big deal of Valentine's day we do exchange cards.

So here is the tag I made for him:

I used my Tim Holtz tag and bookplate die to cut the tag and the bookplate from white card, I then used dylusions in bubblegum pink, sunshine orange and postbox red with water to smoosh the tag, the bookplate and another piece of card for the heart.  I used sequin waste with water and a white paint dabber on the tag background and then stamped a crackle stamp from indigoblu in gold and bronze ink.  The heart is by papermania and was stamped in black versafine and cut out, I used this same stamp on the bookplate.  I added the sentiment from Tim Holtz stickers and then added the bookplate on foam pads, then attached two screw brads.  The heart was also mounted on foam pads and I used the sunshine orange to colour in the flowers in the heart.  I added black soot distress ink around the edges of the tag and the heart then used the same dylusions colours to dye a piece of ribbon and added the bow on top.

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

• Anything But a Card - The challenge this fortnight is 'share the love' all the details can be found here
• Sunday Stamper - Hels is also in a Valentine's mood as her theme is 'love and hearts' this week - her blog can be found here
• The Pan Pastel Challenge this week is 'love and romance' the challenge details can be found here
• The challenge over at Allsorts this week is Valentine's - their blog can be found here
• The Artistic Stamper have chosen 'hearts and flowers' for their theme this month - click here for all the details

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x

Steampunk Valentine's

Hi All

Today I am joining in with the 'Try It On Tuesday' challenge which is 'get ready to celebrate valentine's day' and you must include at least one heart.  All the challenge details can be found HERE

Here is my project:

I sponged distress ink in pumice stone, crushed olive and spiced marmalade onto a square piece of white card and spritzed with water and then dried.  I placed the cog template from splodgeaway onto the background and sponged the same ink colours through it.  I then used the splodgeaway steampunk heart template to draw around and cut out and then sponged the same distress inks through the template.  I blended the edges of my heart with crushed olive and pumice stone and added the dots in black pen then mounted it onto my background using foam pads.  I added the black ribbon and the screw brads in the corners.  Then created the sentiment panel by inking a piece of card in the same distress colours and stamped the sentiment from waltzing mouse stamps in black versafine.  I also mounted the sentiment using foam pads.  I mounted this onto black card and then used an 8x8 square card blank for my base.

Thanks for stopping by, Claire x