Scrapmad

The key and pen nib were treated to a little acrylic paint and I added some crackle paint to the metal frame nib frame for a rustic feel.

I clustered my blooms and added a little filmstrip and chipboard decorative strip for balance against the frame.  I used one of my special diamond brads on my main flower to tie in with the glittery frame.  The flowers are from a variety of manufacturers - I love Prima but they are not the cheapest so I always try to combine some less expensive options into the mix.  The little wired ivy leaves are really cost effective and add lovely colour and interest.

Hi Everyone!  Not sure how many people will read these latest posts as I'm sure a lot of you have given up on me posting any new projects but here goes anyway!!

I am really pleased with how this page cam together and even more pleased that Scrapbook Magazine decided to use it on their front cover!  That certainly brought a big smile to my face!  I've yet to make the main image on the cover ... but that gives me something to aim for.

This project features Dekromounts which are really sturdy mounds for card and scrapbook pages. They are plain cream and can be sanded, painted, embossed, inked etc and so are good fun to work with.  I was given a kit by Scrapbook Magazine and so for this layout it gently inked the edges in victorian velvet DI and them mounted it onto the corresponding back plate which I had covered with Autumn Gold gilding flakes.

I stitched some of the other papers in the kit to my background  before using white acrylic paint and a Tim Holtz burlap stencil to add texture. I added some greens and pinks using gelatoes which I blended with my finger to finish the background.



I filled a small bottle with some same and small shells before adding my message in a bottle, tied with natural twine.

I love prima flowers as they alway sit so well on the page and their colours are always beautiful.  I used them, coupled with some Petallo plains to frame my bottle, along with curly wire stems for my blooms.

I love this photo of the boys and this was them together on their Birthday giving each other a thankyou hug after they had exchanged gifts.

... which brings me to TioT's challenge for the next fortnight ... Celebrations!

So this was my interpretation of the subject and it shows just how wide the category is.  I don't know about you, but personally, I like to have a fairly free rein to do my own thing so don't feel limited!

I started my page by masking the stars which were on the paper (I used to pull-off tops from new paint pots as my masks) and them stamping the crackle and text.  I spritzed the paper to fade from blue in the top left corner to gold in the bottom right corner.  You can't really see all this detail in the image so you'll have to trust me on this one!!

I mixed some moulding paste and made gave the stars some dimension using a handcut stencil from tracing paper.  I then used the edge of a Wendy Vicchi stamp as a template for my scallopped painted corder.

The photo was blended in with acrlic paints and overstamped with text before adding some of those lovely rub-ons from Sir Tim.  The tag started life on a gardmen but a bit of paint and some rub ons converted it to match my scheme.  

This layout was fun to put together and cost next to nothing (which is always a benefit!)

Hope you all feel like celebrating with us in this challenge and look forward to seeing all your lovely creations.

xx

Let me start by wishing you all a very Happy New Year!! I hope your weather is being kind or at least not as disastrous as it is for some poor souls.  Here on the South Coast of the UK we are being heavily lashed with floods, fallen trees and high winds.  Our beach has been moved by the wind and seas up onto the promenade and the sand is now so high that the wheelie bins have disappeared (so that must be over 4' high!!)

So onto our first challenge of 2014 for TioT which is very apt - 'In with the New'.   What this challenge is all about is showing something new - a technique, a new stash item or something Santa left if your stocking.  It's entirely up to you - how fun this that?!!  Just be sure to tell us what your new item is in your blog entry.

So what's new in my layout?  

I created this page using a masking technique.  I had the idea from this wallpaper which we recently used in a show home and I decided to recreate it on my page using a very low tack masking tape.  I used frog tape (available at Homebase and similar).  It's quite expensive compared to masking tape but I always find that masking tape damages the paper whereas Frog doesn't.




I started by creating my wood mask. 




The I painted the sections in with acrylic paints.   You need paints that dry matte for the best effect and these include many of the inexpensive brands (mine are Docraft Artiste paints).  Be sue to get a dark outline at the edge of each plank so that they are clearly separated once the tape is removed.


Once you have completed the whole sheet, remove the tape and put it back over the painted planks and do the same again for these areas.





Remove all the tape and voila! you have your scrapwood background paper.

This is my DT piece for the new TioT "Trees".

I took the picture of this knarly old tree this autumn although it was not the photo I had in mind for this project.

I recently went on a day photo shoot in the New Forest and there was a single tree on a hill that I captured and this was the image I wanted to use.  However, I did a recent cull of some of my photos and unfortunately the tree images got zapped at that point.  So, I looked through my hard drive and found this one which actually has worked just as well as it is an interesting tree (to put it mildly!)

I used DI with water to create my tag background and them stamped music and trees and embossed snowflakes.  I tore my image out and added a little glitter here and there to the edges for that festive feel before attaching it with a mini silver peg and some silicone glue.

I covered my card in vintage music onto which I randomly stamped a crackle pattern before coating it all with crackle rock candy.  Once this had tried, I added more DI in iced spruce, pumice and gathered twigs.

The plate is cut using an alterations movers & shapers die and the sentiment is embossed in gathered twigs.

A little twine and ribbon and it was done.

Check out the other DT contributions this week as they are all very different.  Hope to see your trees breaking free of the forest and joining in with our last Challenge before Christmas!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

xx

So this is my first Christmas card of 2013.

As a rule, I don't make Christmas cards but this fortnight the challenge at Tiot is White on White so it was almost a no brainer to head to a Christmas theme.

I have seen some really cool and stylish projects created in only white but I must confess to an element of terror at the prospect of pulling it off myself  I saw this topic was coming up some weeks ago and had visions of a sitting at my desk with absolutely no idea what to do (Help!!).  But, once I got all my white papers out and started to play about, I realised how many whites there were and I actually started to get really picky about which would qualify as white!! 

So, I opted to only the brightest white for everything and used dimension rather than textured or varying shades of white (is that possible or is there only one white?)

My ledge was created in the card and then covered in white flock embossing powder. I stamped and embossed the snowflakes in holographic powder.  Onto the ledge, I added the reindeers and trees which were all cut from mini alterations dies.

The 25 was also an alterations die cut from white glitter card which looks really creamy when sat against bright white but does give some nice contrast and matches with the snowflakes.

The white ribbon and crystals added the finishing touch to my card.

This is a more tricky subject (in my humble opinion) but well worth getting to grips with as it gets easier once you get all those lovely white things from your stash.  I love a challenge and this one didn't disappoint.

Hope to see all your great posts and come and visit your blogs for a peek.

xx

I just love this cat - he's such a cool boy (all 14lbs of him!) - so I had to show him off with a page of his own!!

And the TioT challenge launched today is Textures!  Oh my goodness - this challenge was made for me as I LOVE textures of all sorts (I'm not fussy!!) Lumpy, bumpy, stripy, spotty, crackled or crazed - they are all my kinda thing!!

And, not only is this challenge super fun but there's a $10 prize for our winning entry to spend with Smeared Ink.  They have loads of great images to choose from and a rubber stamp club so it's a great prize if you get your textures rockin'!!

This layout was all about my lovely boy growing up.  He's a 8 years old and has put up with many changes throughout his years.  He has lost close companions and put up with unwelcome additions to our family and throughout he has always been a kind and tolerant boy.  With his size, he could easily hurt smaller pets, but he always takes the quiet option and simply observes or turns away from confrontation.  He is a King amongst cats and we respect him for his lovely nature.

So, onto the page ...

I used a doily on the side of the page for my first texture.  I painted it with gesso and them used molding paste and a circular stencil to create the panel for the baby photos. The frame stamp around the photos and in the top corner is by Prima.



I used gauze bandage, which is a great and inexpensive way to add fabric texture to a project, along the bottom of my page, which I painted with acrylic paint.  Small dots from a white paint pen, outlined in black, add more interest as do the few extra dots from the stencil.








I clustered up the lovely Prima blooms with a vintage watch face and a Prima metal plate.  The large flower was stamped and embossed in silver with some glass glitter in lavender added using glossy accents.  I finished the layout with funky fibres and a metal photo corner which I painted with white acrylic paint.









This layout was so much fun and came together without my usual angst (a rarity!)  I hope you get chance to pop by my other DT pals' creations as they are all inspirational.  So crack open your textures and get those creative juices flowing!  The $10 prize is only a texture away!!

Have a great week ...

x

This fortnight we are concentrating on handmade flowers at TioT and the challenge is Make Your Own Flowers.

I love experimenting and I decided I wanted to make some loose blooms.  I used tissue paper and fine net to create these which remind me of those lovely dark fuschia blooms I had all summer in my tubs. If you crouch down and look up into the bloom, this is almost what you see!

I wanted to use the Fairy Rhymes stack by Prima as it's so lovely and I tasked myself to create a layout using the many elements that come in the stack 'kit'.  This is not something I normally do as I like to start with a blank canvas and create everything myself, so this was also something to add to my challenge.

I think this is why I love this crafting journey.

I hope you will feel inspired to join in with this challenge - why not try to do something outside your comfort zone?  Either way, I look forward to seeing all your lovely blooms ...

Have a great week

x

Tuesdays seem to come around quicker and quicker these days and here we are again for the launch of a new challenge at TioT and this time it's to Create a Scene.  

Having just returned from our family holiday on Friday, the weekend was rather busy with unpacking and washing and turning my tribe around to go back off for another 10 days camping on Monday - phew!!

So my house is silent now - with all 4 children away its just me and my new baby Reeva ... Oh and my husband once he's back from work!!

Go on then ... here's a little pic of her sat of my lap this morning 




Anyway, back to the challenge!!

I created some Mail Art for a magazine submission earlier in the year and as this one had not been published or shown on my blog, so I rather cheekily used it for my DT piece! Well, it was either that or I would have to pass on the challenge ... so it was a no-brainer really!!




I used masks and inks to create my background with some liberal splodges of purple acrylic ink.  I then stamped the cows, churns, clouds and sun and positioned them around the envelope and Voila! my scene was created.

Hope you feel inspired to pop over to TioT to look at the DT entries for more inspiration and also check out the new rules which now don't limit the number of challenges you can enter in addition to ours.

Take care and have a great week.  I hope to see your scenes appearing in the challenge!

x

Hope you are all enjoying your summer now it's finally here! Can I just thank all those people who have continued to pop by and leave me such lovely comments on my posts - I know I'm being very remiss at getting around to see you all as the summer holidays are biting deep and have reduced any 'me' time to almost zero!!  It's times like this that having 4 children make the word mum turn into MUM (major commitment).  I wouldn't change it for the world and feel very blessed to have 4 healthy and happy kids but summer holidays do stretch me!!

Anyway, thanks a million to all you lovely crafty gals for keeping the faith.

Take care ...

x

PS Pop back for some super cute photos next week of our new teacup puppy Reeva!  I'm collecting her tomorrow and am really excited!!  She is coming to us as we sadly lost our 6 year old british shorthair Spike to the road about 3 weeks ago.  As a result of that, we decided it was unfair to bring another cat into our home who could suffer a similar fate so we are getting a small dog who we could keep safe.