A couple of cards

I seem to jump between grungy/messy and lacy/vintage depending on my mood.  Well this time I was in a lacy mood and inspired by a collage sheet from Gecko Galz that I saw used over on Hazel's blog.

I've also used some digital background papers from Bearly Mine. You can click on the picture if you want an enlarged view.

SDC55 Bright Colours

Can't believe it's time for my final piece as Guest Designer for Stampotique Designers' Challenge this month.  Where did that go to?? It's been great fun!

I love colour and I couldn't really give you a favourite colour because it changes from day to day! For this piece the rainbow was my inspiration. For the background I sprayed dye inks (Dylusions) onto torn strips of card and layered them up.  I used the Memory Box Grassland Border die at the base (as you can see it doesn't have to be green!) and Weasel dressed in matching colours.

Rock your Book!

I had an absolutely brill day at the Stamp Attic yesterday at Andy Skinner's Rock Your Book class.  What started out as yer average journal...

... turned into this.

There were lots of different techniques and products to try, Andy was a great teacher and it was also good to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a while! Oh yes-  and thanks for all the extra chocolate and cakes too!!!

Just in case you should need reminding...

Laughter is good for you!  I thought this was a good reminder to have on the wall and to try to remember to see the brighter side of things. ... cup half full rather than cup half empty!  So this is my third piece as guest designer for Stampotique

I stamped Laugh on a piece of scrapbook paper and added more shrink plastic versions that I edged with gold leaving pen (something I used to do a lot and had forgotten about!). Smile with his wicked grin was an obvious choice and I mounted the whole thing in a recessed frame.  You can find a tutorial here.

Die cut cards

Been back on the die cutting today.  The card below is the memory box die which I used recently and is gorgeous. I gathered up the tails of the bow with a running stitch to create the gathered effect.

This next one is Spellbinders cogs, TH rosette and a Martha Stewart border punch.  I think this is the first white card I've ever made.

A heads up!

I didn't know what to title this post - my other choice was "3 heads are better than one" lol.

Anyway.... I've been making the heads for my cloth doll.  I made more than one (as suggested) and it was a good idea.  You can see how different they are.  I knew they would be the most difficult part for me because of my lack of confidence with drawing - and it's much more difficult on  fabric in three dimension than on a flat piece of paper -  but once the hair's added I think they'll be okay.

Can you guess which one I'm going to use?

SDC54: Family

So this weeks challenge on the SDC is Family, as follows:  

"... a challenge to create something, anything, with the theme of family. It could be a greeting card, a journal page, an ATC... whatever you like. Now we're all got families but it means something different to each and every one of us, so you can be serious.. such as "If sisters were flowers, I'd pick you," or tongue in cheek... "You pick your friends, not your family," or anything else that takes your fancy!"

This is my take on the theme. I created a family "album" by joining together some tags with acetate windows.  I did love the way the sun shone through the windows when I photographed it.  Also big thanks to Trish Latimer for letting me borrow her panel idea.

Stampotique Guest Designer - May

OMG, I was really chuffed when I was asked to be Guest Designer over on the Stampotique Designers' Challenge Blog this month.  I've got a huge collection of these quirky and wide ranging stamps now so it's been great to have a chance to use them as the guest designer.  This is my first offering using mainly Jo Capper-Sandon's stamps.

If you want to see more inspiration from the designers, hop over here.

Simple Cards

I've been having a go at more simple styles this weekend and the Memory Box dies lend themselves to this well.  This is the Chloe stem.  I've added glitter to the "flower" but it doesn't show well in this pic.

I've used a mixture of TH stamps, hand made paper and rubons for this one.

ooh look - the doll's coming together!

Drawing

Now I consider myself to have a block where drawing is concerned. I don't really get it and I would love to be able to draw.  I've been having the odd go here and there but I think I've found a book that is going to help me get it.  It's by Danny Gregory.

I know this is probably a very simple "baby" type image to most of you but I didn't actually draw the chair, I drew the negative spaces around it and I'm really surprised that it actually came out looking like my dining room chair. Anyway  - if you would like to get into drawing, I could certainly recommend this book.  He has a great writing style, very friendly and easy going and starts right from real basics.

Journalling swap - month 2

For my journalling swap this month, I've created a couple of pages which shows how I feel about art and creativity. I hadn't realised I had so many stamps around the same subject!

  

Hmm - I might have to recreate these.  I really quite like them!

The things you can do with a soldering iron!

When I was at the NEC Hobbycraft Show recently, I bought a kit by Kathleen Laurel Sage who does wonderful things with dissolvable film, organza and a soldering iron. This was great fun to try and definitely something I would like to have a go at again. This is how it looked after all the stitching was done trapping the layers of different coloured organza inbetween dissolvable film.

After that it's set to work with the soldering iron, removing some areas completely or just one layer in others. I wouldn't recommend looking too closely as I have got it completely wrong in places. 

It's quite difficult to show the true effect of the organza so I photographed it against glass so you can see the colour variation to better effect.

And this is what I'm currently working on... watch this space!

Three Shades of Green

The Less is More Challenge this week is "three shades of green." I've never entered this challenge before because I don't do minimalist well but green is a fave colour so here goes.  The stamp is Cats Life Press and the background alcohol inks.

Just in case you're wondering - the "fabric" at the back is layers of threads trapped between water soluble film. This is then free machine embroidered to hold them all together.  Once that's done, the film is dissolved revealing this organic looking textile.

Go and have a look  at the challenge entries - there are some gorgeous ones.

A Tag

There's a new challenge blog started up this week: Artful Times, run by Von, Samski and Neet.  The first challenge is to make a tag and over at Simon Says Stamp this week "anything goes!"  I've also entered it for the Artistic Stamper Challenge which is Lace and Ribbons.

The background's my own and I've added some UTEE, an Indigoblu Stamp (Ella Bella), some rubons, roses,   gathered lace and some pearls.

Journalling Swap

I'm taking part in a journalling swap over the next few months and the theme is things I like.  My first pages were about shoes with killer heels.  OMG - I LOVE heels.  Only trouble is I just can't wear them.  I've got a couple of lovely pairs in my wardrobe and I just parade round them house in them a few minutes every so often.  ROFL.

Eating a Butterfly?

It was Paula's birthday on our forum recently and I used this lovely stamp from Queen Kat Designs.  Only problem is, she seems to be eating a butterfly.  Can anyone explain that to me? lol

Forum Challenge

Paula on our forum set a challenge for us and sent out a bag of goodies with which to make an item along with a set of rules as long as yer arm (which I won't go into) lol.  Actually it was very enjoyable once I got my head round it so thanks for a great challenge Paula and here's my result:

The picture is slightly more mauve than it should be.  I kept trying to adjust it in Photoshop but just couldn't quite get there.  The tile, flourish, hearts clock embellishment and tag were all part of the goodie bag. Colouring,  stamps and embossing added by me.

ATC swap

I took part in an ATC swap recently, the theme for which was wings.  I did a slightly sideways take on it...

... also a  great opportunity to use up my backgrounds.

SDC49: Purple/pink with black

The current Stampotique Designers Challenge was set by Nellie  - a colour combination that she loves to work with - purple, pink and black. My hands got completely covered in purple ink while creating the background - I looked like I had some strange disease lol.  Welcome to the crazy world of Stampotique!

And while I was taking photos - Mr Bee came by....

A birthday card...

.... for Chris, who is a forum friend.  Funny how I always gravitate back to these bluey-green colours.  I would never I have said they were my favourite colours but they so often appear in my work. The stamps are Tim Holtz and I have double layered a couple of the butterflies for a bit of extra dimension.

Happy Valentine's Day

My other half and I don't usually bother these days but I happened to walk past him a couple of days ago and he dropped something on the floor, scuffled about and said "ooh - you're not meant to see that." - he has never been great on surprises lol.  Consequently I thought I had better make him something as he'd actually bothered to get me a card.....

I saw this recessed card template on another blog here.  I like the way it adds depth to your card, it's not difficult to make and could have lots of different applications.

A spring card...

Well you can live in hope - it's like Antarctica here!  Here's another Memory Box influenced card (really you say?!).  What I like about these is the 3-dimensional effect you can create with them by only attaching parts of the die cut. 

A Bejewelled Bag

Just recently I bought this brilliant DVD by Gina Ferrari called Creative Free Machine Embroidery

It's packed full of information for the beginner who wants to stretch and expand their skills and there are loads of hints and tips and clear visual instructions.

Having played and practiced  I felt confident enough to try a small project, the instructions for which I downloaded from Angie Hughes' site. There are downloadable instructions for quite a few projets available and I think Angie still runs these workshops but if you're confident enough or just too far away you can dive straight in and have a go.  Personally I found the instructions pretty easy to follow but you should have some basic machine stitching experience.  I have really enjoyed doing this and although it's nowhere near perfect it's given me a chance to try some really interesting processes.

For example, cable stitch, which involves hand winding your bobbin with a thicker thread  (eg embroidery floss) and stitching with your right side facing down - ie you can't see it (!) 

and I ended up with this - see the raised gold thread that looks as though it's been couched?

The actual bag was pretty much an A4 pattern template worked on black velvet and after adding foils, applying small squares of silk with Bondaweb, a layer of organza and practicing my free machine embroidery skills including vermicelli stitch, whip stitch and couching, I ended up with this...

It was then finally cut out machine stitched into shape (can you imagine how fiddly those bottom triangles were?), a lining added, some eyelets and a tassle and hey presto!!!

Memory Box stamps

This is a tag made with one of the Memory Box stamps which also has a matching tag die.  Memory Box have built in a very nifty way of lining up their stamps and matching dies so that you get a perfect cut out every time too.  You can see the video here

The paper I've used is also from Memory Box (hooked or what! lol)

Memory Box.. again..

Just a couple more samples for you.  This one's very simple but with such a beautiful die cut you don't need much. It'll be lovely for Valentine's Day (if you do that sort of thing ...)

The word stamp I've used here is from Stempelglede.  If you enlarge the pic you should be able to see the hint of glitter.  The colours aren't great here and it shouldn't look as dull as this!.  Roll on the brighter days

In love with Memory Box

I've just recently discovered the Memory Box dies and I just love their intricacy.  I got some through the post at the beginning of the week and this week has been a perfect chance to play.  (can you see my curly hazel that the tag is hanging from?)

This is the gorgeous Vivienne (top) and Darla (base) butterflies.  Considering how intricate the dies are, they cut beautifully.

.. and this is the Cupid Heart (base) and the fab Serafina Heart (top).  Have a look at the detail below.

I can see I will be adding to my collection of these.

A birthday card..

Ok so this is not my usual style.  It was my best mate's birthday earlier this month and she's an absolutely mad, bonkers Alice Cooper fan.  If you like Alice you should go here.  Anyway, I decided I would have to make her a card to feed her obsession. lol

A week off work!

Hooray a week off to craft! So yesterday, I had a go at something I've been wanting to try for a long time.... dying fabric. I got some white cotton velvet in a sale some time back and this is the result. Plain colours to start off with -

.. and then random.  These were done in a very similar way to using spray inks.  The fabric was soaked in soda first - I think this is the fixative for the dye  (you can see I'm not very knowledgeable yet!) and then I just sprayed dissolved dye crystals all over the fabric.  It was a very wet day (lots of washing and rinsing) but I'm very pleased with my results so far.

And this morning this lovely little parcel arrived in the post as my winnings in a blog competition.

If you love stitching and you've never visited Karen Ruane's blog do go.  Thanks Karen.  Your little puffs are just beautiful!

Angie Hughes Workshop

Last weekend, I finally managed to attend one of Angie  Hughes' workshops feeling that my stitching skills were finally okay enough to have a go!  Angie has a new workshop just outside Ledbury at Trumpet Corner Art Studios and Tea Rooms (which also just happens to serve scrumtious food).

This workshop was called Tantalising Textile Tagbooks.  I decided to follow a vaguely medical theme...

The most exciting thing I learnt during the day was how to image transfers with Bondaweb. I've always found transferring images can be a bit hit and miss...

but using a combination of Bondaweb and inkjet copies, it worked every time....

I also learnt about adding foils to fabric ...

.... and was reminded about how to add your own words to binding tape using the printer.

A really enjoyable day! If you are not near Ledbury (which is a lovely part of the country and well worth a visit), Angie has started uploading instructions to her workshops on her website so that you can create the projects in your own home.