Colour puddle card....

... I reeeally like painting 'colour puddles' and usually use them as the base to stamp flowers. I'm always thinking and looking for other ways to use them... when I saw a post on Instagram (linking to the Sizzix blog) where they had used these (very lovely) flower dies as a stencil on cards I had a lightbulb moment... and this card is the result...

I posted this photo on Instagram and said I would put simple instructions here on my blog - 'simple' because it is reeaally simple..

Step 1.  Paint a colour puddle... this is done by painting a circle of paint (going round and round and round until the paint on your brush runs out..) then adding another circle/ring of paint in a second colour and painting round and round and round and round until your paint runs out again - blending the colours as you go...  its very relaxing! 
NB. The photo below shows the colour puddle cut to size to fit the card.

Step 2. Die cut the chosen flower in the bottom right hand corner of the card blank (mine is 12.5x12.5cm)

Step 3. Attach 3d foam pads around the edges of the colour puddle panel.

Step 4.  Attach the colour puddle panel to the inside of the card.

I really liked the clean and simple look of this card... but realised it was a bit too clean and simple! I mean there is such a thing as too much white space surely! lol

Step 5. Cut the white card blank in half and cut the front panel down to fit a 12.5x12.5cm kraft card blank - this will warm the card up and give a frame all around.

Add a strip of coordinating washi tape, a small tag and tiny die cut heart. Still clean and simple but not quite so much.

I wasn't kidding was I when I said it was a simple card - simple but lovely (in my humble opinion! lol)


Thanks for popping by!

AllyPally Craft Show April 2017

Hi

I'm a bit late showing some samples that I made for, and at, the show. I demo'd on the Sunday.. it was great to be there again and see familiar faces.

I worked on tags using Fresco paints, Kim Dellow stamps and my own JOFY stamps.

On this tag I painted some of the section of the flowers with Pearl Glaze (pink flower, centre layer) and Metallic Glaze (green flower, lower right hand corner) to show the effect to a customer

If you have any questions leave them in the comments of this blog post, and I'm happy to answer them.

Thanks for stopping by.

xx

Boo! Happy Halloween!

Halloween starring Dolly and Little Dude..... as you've never seen them before..

These tags all started off as little doodles onto Dolly and Little Dude (JM52 JM53) seeing how easy it would be to turn them into other characters... it was a lot of fun!  made me chuckle as I changed them into their Halloween costumes... mwaaahhhaaahhaaa...  I was just playing around, just doodling (thats why the colouring isn't as dark/complicated as usual) but once they were all fancied up I couldn't stop creating......

So here's Little Dude dressed as Count Dracula...

Dolly has come as Elphaba from Wicked - this would definitely be my Halloween costume of choice!

And finally, especially for Walking Dead fans out there.... here is Zombie Dolly!!

These were so much fun to make - if you've turned Dolly and Little Dude in to other little characters I'd love to see them!

x

Ho ho ho!

Its beginning to look a lot like christmaaaaaaas!!... and to get you in the mood I have new very festive JOFY stamp sets for you...

Over on the PaperArtsy blog there are projects using these new stamps... pop over to take a look.

Ooooh I love this cakestand loaded with baubles!.. and the parcel (which is going to be so useful all year round! ..more about that later in this post!)

I've wanted to design a snowflake background for a while so here it is... along with this year's snowman... he's complete (which hasn't always been the case!) but standing on his head! and why not?!


Here is the card I promised in my PaperArtsy blog post... its so easy to use the parcel/gift stamp all through the year - simply change the papers used in the paper-piecing and add a different sentiment to your tag!  The tag and sentiment I used on the card below is from the new mini JM51.

This card is quite clean and simple but you can fancy-it-up to your hearts desire!

Have fun - and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

:o)

All taped up....

This blog post is about the gum tape that didn't make it into the 'perfect travel art kit' that I shared with you a few posts ago (here) - I thought it was only fair to give it a moment in the spotlight (and to get the ideas out of my head at the same time!)

My plan was to decorate the tape - creating a type of washi tape, and use on projects - and here it is:

and here's how I created it, really simple.....

The tape (Gum Tape) is made of kraft paper with glue on the underside (similar to the glue on envelope flaps) that is activated with water...

I tore strips, licked the ends to moisten the glue and stuck them to my craft sheet.. if you don't want to lick the tape you can moisten with water and a paint brush.  I only attached the ends of the strips NOT the whole length.

I decorated the strips as a whole panel - creating a sort of masterboard.. I used only 3-4 colours and simple motifs... layer 1 was the biggest stamp motif - mesh (from JOFY36)

Next layer was stenciling... in the gorgeous Caribbean Sea Fresco Finish paint.. I chose opaque Fresco paints for this project to ensure that it popped against the kraft background.

 then lines of open spots...(JOFY36) in

 then the mini alphabet stamp set stamped in black Archival ink...

Circles in neon pink acrylic paint - love the pop of this colour!

Black sketched circles were added ... (JOFY36, again!... its a useful stamp set!)

I added details to the strips - white pen (seen here as the dots on blue circle), black rings drawn around other circles and the gold paint spotted inside the white circles...

I'd planned to use it to bind a book so I've created a mini tag book to share how to do that - VERY simple:

Lay 2 tags bottom edge to bottom edge (without the string and hole) tear a piece of tape, moisten and stick down where the tags meet.

and a length of tape was laid on the front and around to the back to bind the spine.

 Here is the finished book.. the front cover has been covered in book text, with the pages stamped (2nd generation) with basic motifs ready for journaling, or photos, or whatever takes my fancy! :o)

I decorated a few tags:

... and of course I could use the tape to seal a parcel, and add these tags - all very coordinated! (the 'fun times' tag is created with text from JOFY28)

This card is created with the tape and die cuts (dies from Simply Graphic, a french company that makes lovely modern, delicate dies).

 and tape like this is great for using on journal pages (this journal is small - A6)- the lovely bluetext in the background is a Donna Downey stencil 'Scribble Script' (available from PaperArtsy at shows)...


So that is what I might've created with the tape if I'd taken it on holiday with me ... another time... and I'm adding it to my 'perfect travel art kit'.
Its so easy to create bespoke tape to use on projects - the tape is inexpensive and available from most stationery retailers.  It will take paint and ink - but you obviously don't want to add too much water to the tape otherwise it will become stuck to the worktop!

I hope this has inspired you to look at humble 'gum tape' in a new way!....

x

ALBOTAT: Tag - you're it!

Clothes come with such nice swing tags that its hard to throw them away so here's a quick blog post about how I altered a couple..  quick n easy...  great for all types of presents or embellishments on cards and other projects....

first up is a Next tag - loved this one as it had holly leaves cut out of it! (& yes it was on a christmas sweater lol).. it definitely needed to be upcycled! (the tag, not the sweater!)

I pulled together some 'supplies' - bits and pieces to hand really - from christmas projects I'd been working on..

I cut a wide band of the red paper and glued across the tag to block out all the product information, and also attached a snowflake punched from kraft card (this is my 'go-to' Martha Stewart snowflake punch)...

Nice but looked as if it needed 'something' else... green spotted paper and gems..  I cut a piece of the green card to cover the holly leaf cut out, this also meant that I would be able to write on the reverse of the tag if I needed to...

Here's the finished tag - I'll show you how I used this in the coming days..

I was on a roll now and so 'up-cycled' another tag - this time from Monsoon - this shop always has lovely packaging: swing tags and bags.. and the items wrapped in tissue paper sealed with stickers (I'm so easily pleased!) ... lovely!

Here are the pieces I gathered up - these were on my desk in a 'stash' pile (its good to create with items on the desk because they are still 'inspiring', still in the mind set of creating with that colour or pattern palette)..
The tag has a printed/embossed pattern on that I wanted to keep but I needed to hide/disguise the shop name on the tag and on the tube/stopper on the string.

There was a lot of text on the reverse of the tag so I covered this with the pink paper:

I wrapped a length of the striped paper around the tube on the string to disguise the word, and glued a strip of the striped paper around the tag...

So here is the finished tag, front and back - really simple to alter and now I can use it on someone's gift!

  

xx

ALBOTAT: Scraps but not so scrappy...

... that they couldn't be used...

I love this pad of basic grey Aston Frost paper, it's a christmas pad but many of the papers can be used all year round and I especially like the green spot and the two striped papers... (do love a spotty paper!)

While I was tidying my desk the other day I found a strip of it the diagonal stripe paper which got me thinking.. you don't always need to always use it diagonally - so I cut some more strips to see/realise how it looks with alternative orientation....(its these little things that keep me distracted from the tidying up!)...

Another scrap on the desk was this red & white patterned piece which was very nice (more about why it was on the desk in the next few days) but the scrap I trimmed off was cute! - nice little scallop border: 

It was perfect for covering over a line of small text on this upcycled tag - it came on a christmas ornament - I like it when that happens: a nice ornament with equally nice tag! bazinga! lol

Sometimes 'scraps' are perfect for a project however small they might be...

xx

Creative 'leftovers'...

... make great little projects.. simple greeting cards (of the 'less is more' variety) or, in the case of these pieces, project life/pocket journaling sized journaling/scrapbooking...

I love the colours on these panels - Dusty Teal and kraft  (sigh, lovely) and one panel washed with Chalk to age/soften it a little...
These panels were also created while I was playing around with my large flower stencils to see/show how they could fit in with smaller elements - sketching, painting, die-cuts & stamping...

The pieces became part of a larger pocket style scrapbook spread - I like the 'Project Life' style of jounaling - little and often - its achievable isn't it, and to me its a bit less daunting than a single 12x12 spread

 (the panels are in their page protector- hence the reflections!)

As always I've combined lots of my current favourite elements - such as the Chloe die (Memory Box), the Happy Days papers (Papermania), a Pogo printed photo and JOFY stamps and stencils.

I like to use the stamped and stenciled elements to create layers as in the photo below where I've cut around the petals of the stenciled flower and tucked die cuts underneath and laid other die cuts on top

On the panel below I've cut the tag away from the background and tucked the photo underneath.. helps tie everything together....

JOFY does scrapbooking... I like it!... but then I am a little biased lol

x