Squash, shimmer and shine!

I'm not sure where this month has gone but I am managing to play before the deadline for the current challenge at Let's Squash It - any embossing folder plus shimmer and/or shine.

I ended up having a bit of my "patterned paper syndrome" here - I made my embossed piece and then  dithered for ages suffering brain freeze on what to do with it! In the end I decided whimiscal foliage might suit a whimsical image and picked up Pointy Hat Gnome.

I got my shimmer by applying Rub n Buff over my embossed piece using the universal craft tool (my index finger). I did then use a silver gel pen on some of the finer lines to make sure they were properly highlighted. I also coloured a few of the low sections with a Copic marker just a shade or two darker than the cardstock.

Stamps:
Pointy Hat Gnome (Lost Coast Designs)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
DCWV textured
Bristol board
Dark chocolate brown

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Grand Fubu embossing folder (Couture Creations)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Silver Leaf)
Copic markers
Silver gel pen
Circle frame cut from mirri card with Fine Frames dies (Altenew)
Ultra white embossing powder (Wow!)
Tracing wheel

Thanks for stopping by!

Squash and snip

The first cards I've found myself in need of post-Christmas are not necessarily the ones you want to be making - a thinking of you for a friend and a sympathy card.

I used the current Let's Squash It challenge as inspiration for both of them. The challenge is to use a folder and die cutting or fussy cutting. I actually did both for the Thinking of you card - die cut the oval panel and fussy cut part of the embossed design so I could tuck the oval into the flowers and foliage. My dad bought me this folder as a Christmas gift - it's a beauty isn't it?

I embossed some grey cardstock, highlighted the texture with some gilding wax and used a gold gel pen in the flower centres for a bit of subtle variation. 

Stamps:
A very old HOTP sentiment set

Paper:
Grey
Bristol board 

Ink:
Hero Arts shadow ink (Soft Granite)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Flower Frame 3D folder (Nellie Snellen)
Silver Rub n Buff
Oval dies (Spellbinder)
Gold gel pen

For the sympathy card, I wanted just a little bit of embossing on a clean and simple design - I put the card in the folder and bashed one corner with a hammer (I think this was the first embossing folder I ever owned ). Then I  rubbed a tiny bit of microglaze on the raised bits and washed over with watered down Distress ink. I left the die cut feathers simple white and added a few tiny gems as it looked a bit unfinished somehow but as it’s a sympathy card I didn’t want anything too in your face.  

Stamps:

Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:

Bristol board 

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Feathers dies (Spellbinder)
Textile Texture embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
Microglaze
Nail art gems
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by - there are a couple of days left if you fancy joining in at Let's Squash It.

Tying the knot

It’s that time of year and Ruth is getting into the wedding mood on Daring Cardmakers this week - our challenge is to make a card with a wedding or anniversary theme.

I needed a card for a friend’s civil partnership - the couple in question has been together over 20 years! At the start of their time together they wouldn’t have been allowed to marry so at least we can say hurray for progress in that department.

With two grooms I didn’t want anything too flowery and since one is Irish and “tying the knot” is something we say to mean getting married I thought maybe a Celtic knot would do the trick. I embossed black cardstock, cut out the central knot from the bigger design and gilded with some silver Rub n Buff wax.

Some Brusho splatters and a simple stamped sentiment are the only other things going on here. I think it’s suitably understated (they were keen to keep the whole thing low key)!

Stamps:
Say It All by Hero Arts

Paper:
Bamboo Mixed Media by Hannemuhl
Smooth black

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Brusho crystals (Turquoise)
M-bossabilities folder by Spellbinder (Celtic Knot)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Silver Leaf)

Thanks for stopping by!

Greens

Lythan has chosen this week's challenge over at Daring Cardmakers and in honour of St Patrick's Day she'd like us to use shades of green (and a dash of leprechaun's gold if you wish).

I started by brushing several shades of green acrylic paint randomly onto a piece of watercolour paper. Once dry I used chalk ink to stamp a bit of script and a swirl and added a tiny scrap of torn book page (inked with Distress ink).

There's a tiny bit of gold Rub n Buff on two corners and around the edge but I'm afraid they just look dark and muddy on the photo!

The die cut leaf was also painted with acrylic paint and has white pen highlighting the top edges of each bit.

Stamps:
19th Century Script (Hero Arts)
Beautiful (CHF, sadly with us no more)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, retired, keep an eye out at Gina K in case it comes back via that route)

Paper:
Watercolour
Cryogen White

Ink:
VersaMagic by Tsukineko (Tea Leaves)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Acrylic paints - various greens
Back to Nature dies by Sizzix
White Posca pen
Gold Rub n Buff

Thanks for stopping by!

Deconstuction - PaperArtsy

The current challenge theme at PaperArtsy is "deconstruction" - all the details and some great inspiration starts here.

I let a few thoughts brew for a while and eventually settled on a plastic bottle and a net bag as the basis of my project. I eventually threw in some toilet paper (deconstructed with water and glue, nothing more radical!) for good measure.

The toilet paper got used to make a paper cast of the sentiment. The cast worked OK but the words "and" and "wait" were missing a couple of high spots and since I wanted to dry-brush (making height difference crucial) I used a tiny paint brush and some glue to build those areas back up.

I cut the top off a plastic bottle "on the wonk" and then Mod Podged some torn netting bag onto it. Some texturising medium, spots of glue and the paper cast sentiment provided the texture and I heated one side of the bottle to get it to collapse a bit.

The whole lot got a couple of coats of Prussian Blue acrylic paint. Once that was dry, I dry-brushed with Mermaid and then Snowflake Fresco Finish paints and finally glued on the fish charm and some glass "bubbles". The charm started life as a brassy gold so that got a coat of Prussian Blue acrylic and then some silver Rub n Buff so it tied in better.

I'm not sure if this is destined to be a wee vase or a pen pot. I shoved some rosemary prunings in to take the photo but we'll see.

Supplies:
Clocks Plate 3 by PaperArtsy
 Empty plastic bottle
Netting bag from garlic
Toilet paper
PVA glue
Prussian Blue Americana acrylic paint by DecoArt
Mermaid and Snowflake Fresco Finish paint by PaperArtsy
Texturising Medium by DecoArt
Mod Podge Matte
Silver Rub n Buff by Amaco
Glass bubbles
Fish charm

Thanks for stopping by!

Tag - you're Blu!

I'm a bit tag challenged - they never seem to work out quite right for me and I find photographing them difficult too! But in the spirit of doing things we find hard by way of learning, I thought I'd play along with this month's Indigo Blu challenge which is Tag -You're It!

I decided to throw a new technique into the mix to make sure I really was playing the learning game - I've never done Polished Stone so I had a go at that. I don't have any metallic reinker but I found that just dabbing a Dew Drop pad onto the card a few times worked fine - the alcohol spreads it out so you don't see the shape in any case. I added a little Funky Fucshia Dylusions to my cotton ball after the first pass and added that just to the lower part of the cardstock and then die cut the tag.

Now my problems started! I stamped the Stylised Flowers in Brilliance ink and took half the surface of the paper off when I lifted the stamp - eek! I liked the look of the background enough to persevere though so I decided to use a fine brush and black acrylic paint to go over the image and give it a slighty more "hand painted" look. I added white dots with a Posca pen and also went down the sides of the stalks.

No idea why I then decided to do more stamping but this time it worked fine - maybe the surface was just a bit tacky when I stamped the flowers (I'm not noted for my patience at the craft table!). I stamped around the edges in silver with the flourish stamp and then the grasses along the base in black.

I added a rub-on word, a button and some organza ribbon for a fairly simple treatment at the top (finishing the top of a tag is always one of my issues - whatever I do, it never looks right to me!). The button was originally gold so I painted it black and gave it the Rub n Buff treatment to fit the colour scheme.

Stamps (all Indigo Blu):
Stylised Flowers
Nature 1
Vintage Flourish

Ink:
Brilliance Graphite Black and Starlight Silver
Reinker: Distress Tumbled Glass and Salty Ocean
Dylusions Funky Fucshia

Paper: glossy white

Other:
Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs Words
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Tag Collection dies
White Posca pen
Upholstery button
Black acrylic paint
Rub n Buff - Silver Leaf
Organza ribbon
Isopropyl alcohol

Thanks for stopping by!

In the abstract...

I tend to be a fairly neat and tidy crafter (finished product-wise, not process-wise!) with a leaning towards the figurative when I choose stamps for a project. Throughout 2012, we're having a monthly challenge on UK Stampers and for the first one, I decided to go a bit more abstract!

Salamanda is hosting and for January she has asked us to create a wall hanging using material from old clothes, metal, tissue paper and stamps. No new purchases allowed, only stash you already own.

I used a piece from an old pair of jeans for my base (about 20cm x 16cm) and stamped randomly with some numbers and circles. I glued scrunched up tissue paper down one side and when dry I painted with acrylic paint and then rubbed a tiny bit of Rub n Buff over to highlight the texture.

The bubble border was stamped and then coloured with acrylic paints (all of which have been in my stash for at least a decade!).

I embossed metal from a drinks can and stuck it to mountboard scraps for stability and weight. I used gesso and acrylics to colour it and then rubbed most of the colour off for a shabby look. I cut up the piece and then stitched the three separate chunks to the base with florist's wire. The metal washer and stud were ones prised off something in the past - so long ago I forget what! - and stored in my "useful bits" box.

I stuck a strip of mountboard across the top at the back for stability and then added a coiled wire hanger to finish.

Stamps:
A&P Numbers (Ma Vinci's Reliquary)
Bubble Border (Lost Coast Designs)

Ink:
Versacraft by Tsukineo (Midnight)

Paper:
Mountboard
White tissue

Other:
Denim from old jeans
Metallic turquoise, metallic blue and silver acrylic paints
Rub n Buff by amaco (Silver Leaf)
Drinks can metal
Metal washer and stud
Drink Me embossing folder (Couture Creations)
Florist's wire
Crop a Dile
Rubber washers (used as circle stamps)

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Joy

The December challenge over at Tando Creative is "Winter Festivals" - whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Yule etc or just the beauty of your surroundings at this time of year.

I combined a wavy twinchie and a medium sized wonky tree to make a little festive brooch. The twinchie has been painted black, beaten up with an embossing stylus and coated with Rub n Buff. I painted the tree with pearlescent acrylic paint and then added a garland of hot pink microbeads with Glossy Accents. Silver microbeads add more texture at the base.

I made the sentiment piece by melting a little UTEE on a non-stick sheet and pressing a stamp into it and "antiquing" with some black paint. I glued it in place to finish the piece off.

Supplies:
Wavy Twinchie and Wonky Trees grab bag (Tando Creative)
Black acrylic paint
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Silver Leaf)
Siver UTEE
Sentiment from Season's Greetings stamp set (Technique Tuesday)
Microbeads (hot pink and silver - acrylic nail art supplies)

If you're doing last minute crafting, why not enter the December challenge and be in with a chance of winning a prize?

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Dragonfly dreams

Carol's been doing a class on the Tando Creative Online Classes blog over the last four weeks. I've played along but, of course, I've done it my own way! Carol used the six inch square frame, mine is the one that's about 88mm square.

As I started out with a smaller frame, I've simplified quite a lot to avoid a very "busy" finished product. I used a lot of Carol's class techniques for the various elements, though (and added a bit of "me" as I went along!).

The basic frame preparation is just as outlined in Carol's first session - I chose not to heat the paste to make it bubble though.

Week 2 and I started to go off piste a bit! I did the basic technique with the stand (although I used a large background stamp rather than a swirl) and sort of followed the background insructions. My main difference was that I sponged gesso through my mask and chose a much smaller scale pattern (the sequin waste mask) to go with my smaller project. I only partially outlined some of my sponged dots.

Week 3 was easy for me - Carol made lots of fab embellishments but I decided the smaller frame couldn't handle very much so I just made the dragonfly! As I wasn't doing all the inchies and fragments etc (actually this frame is not wide enough to take them) I decided to add some extra textural interest by doing the beaten metal effect around the top right. To achieve this look, just bash the heck out of the chippie with an embossing stylus and then very lightly apply Rub n Buff.

The final week brought all the elements together. Again, I simplified and just stamped onto my prepared background, added a little bit of white gel pen to the plant's flower heads and attached the dragonfly with some florist's wire so that it floats free of the frame.

Supplies:
Square frame with stand and Bug Set 1 Sml (Tando Creative)
Sequin Waste mask (Tando Creative)
Plant from Nature Plate 1 (Indigo Blu)
Sentiment from retired CHF set
Crackle stamp
Black and green acrylic paints
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Silver Leaf)
Pearls (coloured with a Copic marker)
Perfect Pearls (Forver Green, Forever Blue, Patina Green)
Opalite inks (Orchid Ice and Cypress Frost)
Versafine ink (Onyx Black)
Distress inks (Tumbled Glass, Brocken China, Bundled Sage)
Inkssentials white pen by RangerClear embossing powder
Gesso
Florist's wire

If you fancy having a go at you own version, all of Carol's instructions will stay up on the blog so we'd love to see you any time! Thanks for stopping by!

Silver snowflakes

Once again I'm hosting the challenge in the Crafty Secrets member forum over at Splitcoast and this week we're using pins in our projects.

I've gone for a dramatic look by heat embossing silver snowflakes on black and adding a framed sentiment. The felt die cut poinsettia came from a garland that was remaindered in a local supermarket a couple of years back - I'm still snipping the odd one off and using them!

Stamps:
Christmas Joy (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Black
Cryogen white
Silver

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Crimson Red)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Detail silver embossing powder
Felt die cut poinsettia
Spelldinder dies (snowflake and Labels Nine)
Pins
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Silver Leaf)
Pearl
Tracing wheel

Thanks for stopping by!

Advice to the Young

There's a competition over on UK Stampers at the moment with a lovely stampy prize - why not take a look and see if you fancy joining in? You can find all the details here.

Entries have to include at least two items from a list of six ingredients (ribbon, lace, fabric, pins, glitter, vintage photo) and be in a vintage style.

I sat down with no idea at all what I was going to make except that I knew I fancied making a ribbon rose. I started by colouring a length of white silk ribbon with a Copic marker to make my flower. I then faffed and fiddled without much joy until I started looking around the craft room in search of new playthings and spotted a little frame that has probably been in my box of bits for a decade or so! I suspect it was in an IKEA multipack but I wouldn't swear to it.

I dyed the frame with my Espresso ink pad and then applied some gold Rub n Buff with a stiff bristled brush to give a shabby, hit and miss kind of finish before gluing a length of lace along the bottom.

I stamped clock faces and text onto a piece of card and popped that into the frame, leaving the glass out. The little girl is from a printed sheet that Caroline gave me in my "secret Santa" advent package back in 2009! The ribbon flower and a couple of pins finish the embellishment cluster. The sentiment is stamped onto a strip of cardstock and then curved.

It took a while to come together since I was working with no clear idea of what I wanted to achieve but I'm quite pleased with it!

Stamps:
Time to Stamp (CHF, retired)
Artsy Banners (Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Cryogen white

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Other:
Natural wooden frame
Silk ribbon
Lace
Pins
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Vintage photo (unknown maker - thanks to Caroline though!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Beaten metal

Somewhere in a box, I still have a copper spoon for a tea caddy that was one of the first things I made in metalwork classes at school - I've always loved the beaten metal look you get from that repeated tapping with a hammer to shape the piece.

I haven't been back to metalwork class though - just playing with chipboard again! Apologies for the fact it's a Christmas project but I've had this idea in my head since first seeing the book plates at Tando Creative and the only way to get it out of my head was to make it!

I covered the book plate with Rub n Buff and then gave it a good clobbering with the fatter end of my embossing stylus to leave little indentations all over it.

I stamped the sentiment on an oval of cardstock trimmed to fit the back of the plate and then added a thin layer of glitter for a bit of festive shimmer.

The stamped Santa is cut out and attached to one side of the frame and the other is finished with pearls (the larger central one covering the hole that would usually be used to attach the book plate to something).

Supplies:
Chipboard book plate (Tando Creative)
Holly Jolly Christmas and Season's Greetings stamp sets (Technique Tuesday)
Adirondack ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Versafine ink by Tsukinkeo (Satin Red)
Copic markers
Deko Ice glitter by Efco (Crystal)
Pearls (including tiny ones for acrylic nail art)
Cryogen White cardstock
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Florist's wire

This is the last of the technique pieces that Carol and I have been doing over the last couple of months - do pop along to the Tando blog to check out Carol's piece too if you have the chance.

Thanks for stopping by!

Make an impression!

Carol and I decided to dry emboss our Tando chipboard for our technique pieces this week. Do pop over to the Tando blog to see what Carol has made too!

I have two projects to share with you, a little jewellery piece one at one end of the size spectrum and a notebook at the other!

The domino pieces are a nice scale for jewellery, being 1" x 2". I put this one in the Cuttlebug Jamara folder, lining it up against the bit of the design I wanted before I closed the folder and ran it through the Big Shot. I ran it through a couple of times for good measure but you don't need to do anything special to get a good embossed impression.

I coated the piece with Rub n Buff and then with acrylic paint to accentuate the design. I wiped most of the paint off and then dabbed a little more RnB over the high spots.

The bail to thread the chain through is, believe it or not, a piece from a video cassette! I dismantled an old one a while ago to see if there were any "useful" bits and pieces in there. A little Krylon pen to key the surface and then a little RnB to match the pendant et voila! If you wanted it silver it would be good to go with no effort at all.

Materials:
Domino chipboard by Tando Creative
Jamara embossing folder
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Acrylic paint (Raw Umber)
Divided tube from an old video cassette
Krylon pen (Pale Gold)

At 7" x 5" the notebook is less detailed but lots of fun to work with! As it's bigger than the embossing folder I turned the folder sideways to emboss the top part then turned the whole lot around and embossed the bottom part. Adding a band across the design hides the "join" in the embossed areas.

I then used a technique I saw a while ago on somebody's blog but I'm afraid I can't remember whose - let me know if it was you and I can pop a link in!

Wax pastels are soft enough that they lay colour down really easily on the raised part of the embossing. I used several shades of blue and green for this. You then add gesso over the whole surface and leave it to dry thoroughly. Gently sanding back the gesso exposes the colour and gives a shabby, weathered effect. I sprayed mine with some matt sealant to make sure the colour wouldn't rub off and the notebook would stand up to being handled.

I covered a piece of cardstock and a Dymo strip with aluminium tape, "tarnished" it with some black acrylic paint and stamped a fountain pen before adding a couple of screw head brads that have been in my stash forever!

I don't have anything like a Bind it All or Cinch, for the few projects I do that would need it it's not worth either the expense or the storage space. For something like this, I just punch holes with a Crop a Dile and use a coil from an old notebook (use the covers of the old book to line up where to punch holes in your new cover).

Materials:
Chipboard sheet from Tando Creative
Tim Holtz Texture Fade (Retro Circles)
Wax pastels
Gesso
Dymo
Aluminium tape
Black acrylic paint
Pen from On the Desk stamp set (CHF, retired)
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)
Screw head brads
Krylon Matt spray sealant

Thanks for stopping by!

Golden Santa

I've combined a couple of challenges today - Hazel's Christmas challenge this week is to "go for gold" and I used the sketch from Splitcoast Stampers' regular Wednesday challenge. I did a mirror image of the sketch provided as my Santa needed to face into the card to look right.

My background piece was made by sponging ink onto milky white cardstock and then dragging the edge of an old credit card over an ink pad and onto the panel. I used some variegated metal leaf to make a random frame round the Santa image and rubbed some Rub n Buff wax over it to blend the colours a little and make it a bit more subtly golden rather than very bright in-your-face metallic! As it is, the golden splodge combined with the glitter framing made it very difficult to get a decent photograph.

The sentiment is embossed with white powder onto a piece of metal from a tomato paste tube cut with a Spellbinder die and aged with a Copic marker and a little more Rub n Buff.

I was aiming for a bit random and worn with the glittered border but I'm not sure that it doesn't just look a bit slapdash- ah well!

Stamps:
Noel 2 (Paperartsy)
Sentiment from Season's Greetings (Technique Tuesday)

Paper:
Cryogen White

Ink:
Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso)
Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Versamark by Tsukineko

Other:
Detail white embossing powder
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Copic markers (Santa is slightly tinted with Eggshell, Pale Cherry Pink and Warm Grey 1)
Easy Metal by Eberhard Faber
Tomato paste tube
Fancy labels dies by Spellbinder
Sewing machine and thread
Spica glitter pen (red and green)
Fine gold glitter

Thanks for stopping by!

Shabby ink storage

I've been playing with my Tando ink storage cabinet - had it for a good while and had only got round to spray painting it so it was still looking a bit unloved.

I decided to go for a shabby look (on the grounds that it won't matter if I get it messy while crafting!). I've kept the decoration flat so that it's practical and I can stack stuff on the top if needs be. As you can see - there's room for lots of pads and Distress reinkers fit into the little compartments at the sides.

I sprayed the outside black and the shelves with Glimmer Mist. I made partial impressions with a background stamp and then used white fine detail embossing powder. Once I'd melted the powder, I brushed a little thinned down gesso over some areas to shabby it up even more.

I spread Viva Decor Ferro in a few patches and once it was dry I rubbed over very lightly with some silver Rub n Buff to highlight the texture. I used the same silver on some chippie letters that I coloured black with a marker and stuck them down the side to spell "inks".

It's mounted onto the side of a cupboard in my craft room so the side with the wording is facing out into the room.

You can find the ink pad cabinet and other storage solutions on the Tando retail site {here}.

Stamps:
Chintz backgrounder (CHF, retired)

Ink: Versamark by Tsukineko

Other:
Black spray paint
Glimmer Mist (Coffee Shop)
Chipboard letters (Maya Road)
White detail embossing powder by Stampendous
Rub n buff by Amaco (Silver Leaf)
Ferro by Viva Decor (Graphite)
Gesso

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a heart

The challenge this week in the Crafty Secrets member forum over at Splitcoaststampers is to "have a heart". I started off with the little heart from the French Mail set stamped in to the banner triangles and built from there. The heart frame was a last minute addition after the card was "finished" but not looking quite complete somehow!

The wording is pulled from the same stamp I used to stamp the base card, I just snipped out the individual words, with"childhood" in red and the rest in Espresso.

A change of pace from the clean and simple projects I seem to have been doing of late!

Stamps:
Artsy Banners and French Mail (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Cryogen White
Deark red
Homemade Image and Journal booklet (Crafty Secrets)

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Satin Red)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Sewing machine and thread
Chipboard heart frame (Crafty Secrets)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Copic marker (to dull down the part of the picture outside the frame)

Thanks for stopping by!

Rejoice!

I'm creating along with Creative Belli Challenge again for the second of my projects as Guest Designer with them this month - thanks for asking girls!

The challenge for this fortnight is to use stuff beginning with R. I'm boosting the Christmas card stock again with this one - I like to stretch my stamps by using ones that are not designed to be festive and giving them a little Christmas makeover! The word Rejoice is from a stamp set called Rose (can I count it twice on the "R-ometer" do you think?).

I managed quite a few Rs here:
Red
Ribbon
Rejoice
Rub n Buff
Rhinestone
and if it's not too cheeky - rounded corners!

I used Rub n Buff over the raised parts of the embossed panel and rubbed some along the edges of the matting strip to make a rich gold border.

Stamps:
Rose (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Red
smooth white

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Crimson Red)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Flowers by Prima
Brad by Making Memories
Grosgrain ribbon recyced from packaging
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Textile Texture)
Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Labels Four)

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas ornament

OK, so the one layer, clean and simple card making was probably too good to last - lol! I've come over a bit vintage and pretty and not card-based by way of an antidote.

ETA: I put up a step by step for making this ornament in this post

In the Crafty Secrets member forum on Splitcoast Stampers this week, Marcy's challenge is "Just hanging around" - make something to hang or that has a hanging element. I had an immediate image in my head of a shaker ornament using this stamp and for once I not only manged to find time to do it but it came out looking something like I imagined!

I cut three extra rings and stacked them up to give the ornament some depth and added glass glitter and microbeads behind an acetate layer to give her some sparkly snow to sledge through! Doing it this way gives a neater edge than messing about with foam pads, I think and you don't have any issues with possible gaps for stuff to leak through. I use a piece of magnetic paper to keep my Nesties in place so the rings are all the same.

The back circle was embossed and rubbed with the same Rub n Buff I used on the frame so that it still looks pretty if the ornament twizzles round as it hangs.

Stamps:
Sweet Kids (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Smooth white
Black

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)

Other:
Copic markers
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Large circles)
Deko ice glitter by Efco (Crystal)
White microbeads (these are steel one sold for nail art)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Textile Texture)
Silk ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Note for Amaco - I didn't ignore your last comment on my blog but you left no contact details and an e-mail to your customer services address got no response so presumably didn't get passed on. If you read this, please leave a contact e-mail address!

More bauble inspiration!

Here's the second of the cards inspired by the photo in Monday's post (scroll down to the next post if you'd like to see the original photo and first card).

I went long and thin for the card base on this one to echo the shape of the steps and then used punched circles to represent the baubles - some are heat embossed with a backgrounder stamp and gold powder, some coated in crackle paint and others embossed in a Cuttlebug folder and then treated with Rub n Buff to give them a richer finish.

Ruched silk ribbon and a sprinkling of pearls keep the opulent mood going and provide more textural interest.

It was a bit of a nightmare to photograph this one with the reflective surfaces and textures but I think you get the idea!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Scalloped Tiles backgrounder
Vintage Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko
Versacraft by Tsukinko (Autumn Leaf)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Paper:
Kraft
Cryogen white
Metallic gold

Other:
Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger (Rock Candy)
Detail embossing powder (gold)
Squeeze punch by Fiskars (large and medium circles)
Silk ribbon
Pin
Flat back pearls
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Textile Texture)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (gold leaf)

Thanks for stopping by!

Vintage Christmas snowflakes

I know it's only July but that means we've reached that point in the year where next Christmas is nearer than last! I haven't been doing well with my effort to make a few cards each month but maybe a few non-card projects will help get me kick-started!

This beautiful snowflake plaque is one of Tando Creative's new releases for Christmas 2010. It's so lovely that I thought it would be fun to make something that would stick around rather than being here and gone on a card. I've turned this one into a vintage style ornament to hang on the tree.

I used gesso on the whole piece and then added Rub n Buff metallic wax over everything except the snowflakes. Those were treated to a bit of Rock Candy crackle paint and topped off with pearls.

The sentiment panel is also coated in crackle paint. I've found in the past that putting it over Copic colouring makes the colours bleed so I tried something different here - adding the Copics over the top of the paint. It worked well and gave a nice variation in the colouring because of the cracks.

I rescued some crystal chain from my "might come in useful" box of broken jewellery etc. I reckon it's been in there for 20 years! A metallic cord hanger made from twisted thread finishes it off.

Supplies:
Snowflake plaque (Tando Creative - find Tando stockists {here})
Winter Vintage Signage stamps set (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Versafine ink by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Copic markers
Gesso
Distress Crackle paint by Ranger (Rock Candy)
Flat back pearls
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Classic Ovals Large)
Crystal chain
Metallic thread

Thanks for stopping by!