Opus Gluei Challenge #136. Seasons

This fortnight the lovely Rosemary has set the challenge at Opus Gluei which is to make a seasonal project. 
 I love Rosemary's challenges and this one is particularly flexible as it doesn't matter what season or what art form. 
 So it could be the Christmas cards you've been making throughout the year , Halloween pumpkins, the quilted Thanksgiving table runner, springtime flower displays, summer wreaths, scrapbook layouts, presents for the holidays - whatever you've been busy making.  

I chose to make an Autumn Card that doesn't look traditionally like an Autumn card (which to my mind would be with leaves or trees as the main focus and using reds, browns, yellows and green) but something that still was recognizably Autumy.
I think I managed to do it.
Click on it to make it bigger. 
Sorry it's a bit of a dodgy photo.

The birds are a Crafty Individual stamp set on ivory pearl card layered onto paneled kraft card that was embossed with a Tim Holtz embossing folder and then I rubbed bronze acrylic paint over the sun's rays with my trusty finger.
The leaves are a Hampton Art stamp set. The die cuts are Spellbinders.


Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #131 Sew what?

This fortnight's theme has been set by the lovely Jana over at the Opus Gluei Challenge and it is to use sewing in your project.

I got my 22 year old sewing machine out, and apart from the white casing having turned yellow with age, it started up just fine after 10+ years of slumbering in a cupboard, a big well done to Elna I think.

It is much easier to sew on card than material.
I used a size 70 needle (lingerie needle) and loosened the tension a bit from what I would sew mid weight cotton fabric with.
I set the stitch size to 3.1. (I would sew mid weight cotton fabric using a 2.5 stitch size.)

I used a Craft Stamper project (page 44 March 2012) by Sarah Engels-Greer which was using 2 or 3 red (Archival Vermillion) stamped inches with lace and red ribbon on white square cards.
I thought these would have been quick to create but seeing as I wasn't copying the designs it took a good long while.
I used a different ink to the project. I used Rocket Red Brilliance Ink which has become my new favourite ink evah.

This is what I came up with, these were such fun to create maybe you fancy making some?

Click on the pictures to make them bigger.
The first one uses a Prima stamp set (code 655350-2011-11. Sorry I can't find a name for the set on the packet) and the flower is Crafty Individuals.  I also used the 2 smallest dies of spellbinders set Wonky Squares.
I used red backed double sided tape to stick the ribbon and lace on the card and sticky 3D foam blocks to adhere the stamped card shapes.

This next one uses Tim Holtz stamps.

This last one is Prima stamps again and doesn't have sewing on it - oops.
The little red dots are ruby red liquid pearls by Ranger. The latest release of liquid pearls have a new formula and work much better than the original liquid pearls which were, in my opinion, crap for making pearls - sorry but I thought they were rubbish.

The only danger I found with making these cards was I got so focused on rearranging the layouts for another unique card that I was forgetting to ensure it makes a pleasing looking card.
I like them but I wonder how many non card makers will like the cards?

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Tando Creative September Challenge, Rustic Charm. Crafty Individuals September Challenge Hanging about.

Second Post today.
The Tando Creative challenge this month is a project based on the theme Rustic Charm.

And the Crafty Individuals challenge this month is Hanging about. A project made for hanging up.

 I was the lucky winner of last month's challenge and I am now able to make things with Tando Creative chipboard hooray!
Thank you so much to the lovely Di at Tando Creative.
Just as I received my winning goody pack I saw on the Crafty Individuals website that they are now stocking Tando Creative Printer's Tray's - swoon - I have been wanting to alter a printer's tray for ages so I ordered some of the different styles they have in stock at the Crafty Individuals webshop here.

First I'll show you what I made for each challenge then I'll tell you how I used the printer's trays if you are still reading by then.

For the Tando Creative challenge I made two printer tray wall hangings because I just couldn't decide on which style of Rustic I wanted to make.

Firstly I made one up as what I would describe as an Old English Rustic Charm Hen House.
Click on any image to make it bigger.

I used K & Co designer papers (sorry I don't know which range but it is an old one), Artemio hens stamps and a little chipboard house covered in designer papers from the Tando Creative Mini Houses and Fences pack. The frame was first given a coat of white gesso then a coat of Juniper Adirondack acrylic paint dabber.

My second is a Dainty Floral English Rose Rustic Charm Hen House.

 This hen house includes step 2 of the 12 step programme for finding your inner grunge.
Step 2: Splodge different colours of acrylics RANDOMLY on your project.
I don't know if I will ever be able to do Step 12 which is colouring outside of the lines, (are you shuddering too?) but baby steps, just baby steps.

Do you have a favourite? Mine is which ever one I am looking at...
But they are both up on my kitchen walls so thankfully I don't have to choose.

My Crafty Individuals Challenge make is another project based on the seashore.
I used the C.I. seaside background papers book 6 (which I have mooned over enough in previous posts) and their seahorse stamp from one of their plates beginning with a C (hmm) and then some numbers *cough*.
The other stamps used are made by Inkylicious, Hero Arts and Chocolate Baroque.
 

Are you wondering how it hangs up?
Well I'm not going to tell you.





Just kidding Mrs.
When I first starting making hanging things I used to make a beaded wire hanger for my projects but they need a nail or a hook in the wall to hold them up.
If you are anything like me, you make lots of new things to hang up and frankly some of my early stuff has needed retiring to the attic but I don't want a wall full of holes as projects come and go, so my cunning plan which has worked well for over 2 years now is to use Scotch Magic Tape.
Do I hear you cry "oooooh do tell!" or was that just wind.

WARNING this only works with Scotch Magic Tape and on emulsion painted plaster walls, there is no substitute tape out there.
You tear off a piece about 2 inches long and then use your fingers to curl it around to make a circle of it with the sticky side facing outwards like this, make sure you stick the two ends together by overlapping them. Thereby making double sided tape.

You then stick this to the back of your project or card, use as many evenly spaced circles as you think you need to hold it on the wall.
For my printer's tray I used 5 circles of tape. One on each corner and one in the point at the top. I usually use 4 to hold a card unless it is particularly heavy for a card.
I have had projects stuck on my emulsion painted walls for nearly 3 years without any bother and when you take them off they do not pull off the paint.

Do NOT use this method to stick onto wallpaper or emulsion painted lining wallpaper, that will only end in tears (in your wallpaper) and tears (in your eyes).

Now onto the Printers tray itself.
It looks like this when it is out of the packaging. I have used the universal size guide dew drop ink to give you an idea of size.

Now the wonderful part of this product is that the tray part comes in 3 pieces that you can either glue all together and make a 6mm deep printers tray OR you can make 3 separate  printers trays that has 2mm deep printers trays.
Seeing as I have no deep items I wanted to display in it I was able to make all 3 trays out of one pack. The pack cost £7.25 so with the help of my trusty calculator each tray cost me only £2.42 to make plus I have a display holder left over that I can use to hold projects for photographing or another project. Happy dancing here.
All I had to do was cut an extra 2 back panels out of thick card for each additional tray.

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Seaside Box Card

I am still in a sea themed crafting mood.
I have made a box card following Debbie Dolphin's  wonderful tutorial on page 46 of the August 2011 edition of Craft Stamper.

I am entering this card into the Crafty Individuals Challenge - Bright and beautiful. 
I think I've made by the skin of my teeth timewise and I've used papers from the Seaside book of Background papers Book 6, which is my favourite by far of the 6 books of background papers they've brought out. They are so pretty I really couldn't bare to add to them on most of the panels of the card, I'll be braver with them next time.

Also the new monthly challenge by Tando Creative Go wild.
They have a wonderful prize and you have until the end of the month to enter.
I'm just starting to use chipboard shapes in projects so it's a perfect challenge for me.
I think sea creatures are wild enough and they certainly are weird enough, who would ever dream up seahorses, such weird, sad and lost looking little creatures whenever I've seen them in Aquariums.
My gorgeous sea stamps are from Chocolate Baroque that you can find here.
They are inside the box.

I'm also entering the Sir Stampalot Challenge which is Whatever You Fancy this month. They also have a prize and you have until the end of the month to join in.

 

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei challenge #72 Ease(l) into fall. Autumn Leaves scalloped circle Easel Card.

Well talk about serendipity at work here.
Love the pun on the title ladies at Opus Gluei.
I have recently finished this card for my MIL who asked for something in Autumn colours.
Nothing too wacky although bless her she wouldn't have minded if it was, 'cos miracle of miracles in the wonderful world of families, she thinks I'm good enough for her son so she puts up with good grace the strange things I make!
She was lucky my Stampotique stamps hadn't arrived yet otherwise she would have got Poor Pearl.
Click on it to make it bigger.

How I made it.
Background paper made using inkadinks in Cherry Pie, Mango and yummy Yellow from the brights range. Oversprayed with gold mica powder. Instructions here

Largest scallop nestie used from the classic scalloped circle large set.
All stamping using Versafine in Vintage Sepia.
The leaves are from Habico, Autumn Leaves 2 set. I stamped them onto thin card. Coloured with watercolour pencils.
Silhouette birds on bottom of easel card are Crafty Individuals.
Heat embossed using Versamark and Stampendous in Detail Gold.
Quickie glue pen and Decor Art Glamour Dust in gold used on veins of the leaves.
Happy Birthday sentiment free with Papercraft Inspirations magazine.

I'm rushing now because OMG I think I might actually be first on the linky thingy on Opus Gluei.
See; miracles do happen everyday.

Happy creating everyone!

Gini xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #63 Sending smiles. The one where I stay up far too late.

The challenge over at Opus Gluei in the third century B.C. (or at least it feels like it was that long ago).

It was to make something to make someone smile, what a wonderful challenge, I can't think of a nicer one really can you?

Although this challenge has turned into a cautionary tale of what can happen when you stay up way past your bedtime crafting.

It all started off well, I had seen a card style in a crafting magazine that was of a wrapped bouquet of flowers, that I thought had loads of potential for variations on the theme. I made this first card for my Mum's Birthday which needed to be "normal" not like my usual stuff anyway. I used one of the Elusive Images flowers from their Big Flowers plate of stamps that I watercoloured and put glossy accents over the flower centers.

It doesn't matter what card size you use. Just have a play with some scrap paper to find the right size of square to use as the wrapping paper of the bouquet. It'll depend on the size of your blooms as well, so choose your flowers and card blank first.

 

Then once that one was finished I thought I would have a go at a grungy flower bouquet so I could use my new Tim Holtz distressing tool. The centres are Inkadinkado button stamps.
 I used the brayer technique I mentioned in my last post to ink up a background stamp with two colours and stamped the bouquet wrapping paper with a Chapel Road Artstamp called Celtic page (A) after I had brayed the white card with antique linen distress ink to make it look older than me.
 At this point I was concentrating more on being really chuffed with my newly acquired brayer techniques than  considering whether or not I was making anything that looked like a bouquet of flowers. I think this card still resembles a bunch of flowers sort of.
Can you see where this is leading?

By now it was getting late but I was on a roll. So my next thought was OK do it again but with musical flowers this time and so I got out some more white card and more stamps and made the flowers and wrapping paper using stamps.
Now if I hadn't already got you thinking about cards showing bunches of flowers would you even know what this was?
 No I wouldn't have a clue either, but this insight didn't come to me until I looked at what I had made the next morning.
So as far as I was concerned I was making smokin'  bouquets of flowers.....hmmm.

By now it was really really really late (I am not a fast crafter) and did I have the sense to go to bed?
I did not.
I can only imagine I was in a state similar to being punch drunk because my next thought was
"I know, make a bouquet of owls and trees!"
Owls and trees. WTF?
What can I say, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
(Spanky made me do it.)

So now you know what'll happen if you craft way past your bedtime.

OWLS AND TREES

Happy Creating!

Gini

xx