Wheee - I'm published!

The postie just arrived with a box for me from the US. It turned out to be the return of a project I'd submitted to PaperCrafts magazine along with a couple of copies of the magazine it features in! This is my second publication but the first time I've seen myself in print as I didn't receive a copy of the mag for the first one. I can show you the project now that it's in print and you can see the magazine here (it's a special issue of PaperCrafts called 225 Cards and Gifts and my project appears on p.62). The call for projects asked for ideas for recycling so my treat box is an empty box from a low-energy light bulb that has been stamped with a woodgrain stamp and had a tag added that is cut from a board-backed envelope. Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms) Woodgrain Backgrounder Winter Vintage Signage Ink: Various brown-toned Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger Other: Low energy light bulb box Board backed envelope Jute twine Extra large eyelet (We R Memory Keepers - antique brass) This is the pic I took before submission, it's featured in the magazine photographed alongside a gift bag of coffee. Thanks for dropping by and letting me share my excitement!

Fabric brooch swap

My last blog post might have been called "something completely different" but this really is something completely different! I signed up for my first swap on UKStampers a while ago. This was a two part swap - we all sent six different 4" squares of fabric to the swap organiser who mixed them all up and sent us six different pieces back. Then we had to make a brooch using all six fabrics in the process. We could add anything we liked as long as all six fabrics made an appearance.

My finished brooch is not at all what I'd planned but this vintage buckle fell out of a bag when I was looking for something else and it all kind of took off from there!

I used vintage mother of pearl buttons and stamped tiny words in Stazon on them for the centres and then used rough circles of the fabrics to make stylised flowers. I had a sheer fabric to play with and I fused that with iron on webbing and made the leaf pair with it as it took a nice crease with the interface in there. I did cheat slightly with my fabrics, there was an orange one with green ovals that I just couldn't make look right so I coloured it with a Copic marker and used to to make the third leaf!

The flower layers were painted on the backs with gesso to give them a bit of substance and stop them fraying and I added beads of Glossy Accents in a few places to encourage some wavy dimension between the layers.

Stamps:
Everyday Petites (Mona Lisa Moments line at Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink:
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)

Other:
Vintage mother of pearl buttons
Vintage buckle
Fabrics
Gesso
Glossy Accents

All the brooches have now been swapped and I know this has reached its new owner safely. I also have a lovely swapped brooch in my possession - thank you to the creator!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed something a bit different!

Something Completely Different

There's a new kid on the challenge blog block - Something Completely Different (is it just me who has a Monty Python moment with that phrase?!). There'll be a different type of project as the focus each month and a new theme each week - so for example, May's project focus is twinchies and this week's theme is Wings.

I've never made a twinchie in my life but thought it might be fun to give it a go and support the blog in its first week. So, here's my very first 2x2" piece!

I've played with something else that's new, too - some Cosmic Shimmer Heat Fusible film. I cheated a little bit as I wasn't very happy with how black the outline came out so I went over it carefully with a Copic marker to make it a really dense black but the iridescent film is really pretty for butterfly wings (although a nightmare to photograph!).

I folded the wings along the sides of the body and also used a bead of Glossy Accents at the very edge of the twinchie, curved the lower wings and stuck them down to give the butterfly more dimension.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Vintage Butterflies (Saturday Evening Post line)
Nature Silhouettes (Kim Hughes Collection)

Paper: smooth white

Ink:
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint)
Memento by Tsukineko (Bamboo Leaves)

Other:
Cosmic Shimmer fusible film (Blue Lake)
Krylon leafing pen (pale gold)
Glossy Accents (as adhesive)
Copic marker

Thanks for dropping by and thanks for the challenge, girls!

Everything's groovy! (and candy winner)

Lots of the girls from Bubbly Funk are meeting up this weekend to make things, gossip and have fun. Those of us who've stayed at home decided to create a little fun of our own with a last-minute cyber crop. It's all quite impromptu with many of the classes being ones that are already online at places like YouTube or Splitcoast. Gez went above and beyond the call of duty though and created a tutorial for us on shaving foam backgrounds.

Gez's tutorial used alcohol inks and she got a fabulous effect- she's kindly added the tutorial to her blog here. I don't have any alcohol inks but I'd been meaning to play with shaving foam for a while so I decided I'd play along using the classic method of dye-based reinkers. The resulting piece made me think of groovy tie dye so I've gone for a retro surfer look!

I found I only had scraps of black card left so I just rubbed my Stazon pad over a white card blank to get the look I wanted!

Stamps: Surfing Chevy Convertible (GM line at Cornish Heritage Farms)

Paper: Smooth white, hot pink pearlescent

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (reinkers in Juniper and Stonewashed)
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)

Other:
Nail art gems
Plastic canvas circle (as template for gem placement)

This image is one of the two stamps offered in my last post as blog candy. I put all the names into a list and asked Random.org to mix them up for me. Top of the list was Rachel!

Congrats Rachel, your stamps are on the way!

Go for it!

The sentiment on this card is from a set called "Encouragement Expressions" that's releasing on Thursday and has some great phrases for those situations where a little pick-me-up or just because kind of card is required. Edited to Add- oops, there's a typo on the Encouragement Expressions plate so the release has been put back a week - they'll actually release 21st May, sorry about that folks. The Camaro is fun, too! Read on if you'd like the chance to add this and its surfing buddy to your stamp collection. I played my first colour challenge at SCS here. I'm usually intimidated by the fact the colours are specified in terms of SU! which until very recently hasn't been available in the UK and I don't have any but I decided to just get over it and play with what I have! Colours specified were Only Orange, Summer Sun and Kiwi Kiss - I think I got pretty close. Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms): Encouragement Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line - releasing Thursday 21st May) Chevy Camaro Front View (GM line) Paper: Sunflower medium (Prism Papers), Yellow Green monochromatics pack (Bazzill), Coordinations (orange), smooth white Ink: Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso and Pitch Black) Other: Copic markers, Copic multiliner, Grungeboard arrow, foam pads Candy Alert! I have one each of the Camaro stamp and the Chevy Convertible used to make this card to give away. I combined the convertible with the Beach Party background stamp to make a fun summer card! Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms): Surfing Chevy Convertible and Beach Party backgrounder (GM line) Paper: Bazzill orange, smooth white, vellum Ink: Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Pitch Black, Sunset Orange, Sunshine Yellow, Red Pepper), Versamark by Tsukineko Other: Copic markers, foam pads, Nestabilities by Spellbinder, clear embossing powder, sewing machine, brads If you'd like to add a couple of fun stamps to your collection, leave me a comment to tell me what your dream car is - maybe it's the one that took you on vacation as a child or one you dream of owning now! I'll close commenting at midnight GMT Friday 15th and get Random to pick a winner. I'm happy to ship anywhere so international players are welcome - just make sure to leave a link back to your own blog or some other way I can contact you if you win! Thanks for stopping by!

Just the ticket

Jackie's last challenge on CBC was "Just the ticket" and a giveaway seems just the ticket too so I've combined them here! Itkupilli is offering free collage sheets and I chose the Take Two sheet to play with.

I resized the lady in hot pants so her arms had just the right span for a stamped ticket and then cut round her fingers so I could curl them over the top so it looks like she's really holding it up. She's printed with a laser printer in black and white and then tinted with Copics, her shoes are coated in Glossy Accents to give them shine and dimension.

I cut the card blank slightly short (so extending past it means it still fits the envelope) and tucked the two text pieces from the collage sheet under the top corner, inking and distressing for added interest.

Di's stitching idea on a recent project inspired the gold circle and I used real mother of pearl buttons, inspired by the digital ones on the collage sheet.

Supplies:
Take Two collage sheet (Itkupilli)

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Textured Harlequin backgrounder
The Ticket Counter

Paper:
Epic Laid Black (Prism)
Premium copy paper

Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Perfect Pearls (Antique Gold)
Copic markers
Mother of pearl buttons
Gold thread
Linen thread
Glossy Accents
Plastic canvas circle (as template for stitching)

Fun to do something a bit different - hope you enjoyed looking! Thanks for visiting today!

Cuteasaurous Brother!

My friend Ann just had her second baby, a little brother for their three year old daughter. There's a knitted blanket on the way for them but he arrived a few days early and beat me to it (the lining still needs stitching in!) so I made this little set as a "welcome" gift in the meantime.

The baby vests (onesies if you're reading this in North America!) started life as plain white ones from M&S - nice smooth close-knit fabric that gives a great surface for stamping on.

I used Versacraft ink for the stamping, it's permanent if you iron it and gives a nice clear impression. The colouring is done with Copics. You need to colour carefully, keeping well inside the lines as the colour tends to travel a little along the knit of the fabric so you need to allow for the spread - just three colours is fine for this kind of simple design, no need to try for too much shading (which would probably result in soaking the fabric too much and having the colour bleed further).

I made a coordinating gift tote just by following the basic bag-a-lope method and then trimming the top to make a deep handle shape.

Ann's reaction? "Ooooh great, he'll be able to have t-shirts with the same things on as he gets bigger!"

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Little Guy and Baby Love sets (Kim Hughes Collection)

Ink: Versacraft by Tsukineko (black)

Other: Cotton baby vests Copic markers (Putty, Raw Silk and Cool Gray 1) Envelope and ribbon for tote

Thanks for stopping by!

Sketchy Ornamental Beauty

I don't play sketch challenges all that often but the mood struck me today and I decided to visit somewhere new so this card is based on Laura's Sketch 24 on the 2 Sketches 4 You blog - thanks Laura!

I've used a stamp set I got yesterday called Ornamental Beauty which is Julia Stainton's first design for CHF - I'm sure it won't be her last, it's lovely! You can click through for a bigger pic so you can see the intricate detailing on these designs - love it!

So many elements to play with too - everything here is from the set: roundel, corner scroll, border, journalling block and sentiment.

I used the roundel to make my focal point, stamping twice and cutting just the centre element from one and the full shape from the other. I've curved the edges up to give it some dimension and joined the layers with a touchy-feely velvet brad.

I wiped most of the ink away from the lines in the journalling block before stamping to give a faded out feel and make the sentiment more prominent.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Ornamental Beauty (the Rummage Bin line)

Ink:
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Satin Red)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Paper:
Kraft, smooth white, black

Other:
Velvet brad (Making Memories)
Lace trim (Prima Marketing)

Thanks for visiting, I appreciate you taking the time. Hope you enjoyed it!

Yee haw - it's a new backgrounder!

Backgrounders were one of the things that first drew me to Cornish Heritage Farms and I now have, ahem, a few of them! Fine Gingham is releasing today and it's such a classic pattern I can see this one being used quite a bit.

I did a baby design and a country cherry design first and then decided to see if I could make it fit Nikki's masculine card challenge and this week's DCM (also a masculine theme). I thought a western shirt theme might be fun!

The pocket flap is cut by threading a strip of card through a Nestie so that it only cuts one end (just reverse the machine once the rollers have reached the end of where you want to cut so you don't end up with an impression of the rest of the die on your cardstock). The little finial stamp from the For the Men set proved to be a perfect shape to make the little "embroidered" flourishes to fit with the die cut outline.

I used a pearl snap pulled from an old shirt to give it an authentic-looking finish.

The flap lifts up and there's an insert to write on, with a little pop of colour for the greeting that's stamped on there.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Fine Gingham backgrounder
For the Men (Rummage Bin line)

Paper:
Smooth white, Epic Laid Black (Prism Papers)

Ink:
Stazon by Tsukineko (Jet Black)
Versamark by Tsukineko
Versafine by Tsukineko (Satin Red)

Other:
Sewing machine and thread
Labels 4 Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Corner rounder punch
White embossing powder
Pearl snap (from an old shirt)

Thanks for visiting today, hope you enjoyed the card!

Break out the brushes!

I've obviously had a bit of a watercolouring mood on over the last few days! I have a couple of things to share today that both use inks as watercolours and I just picked up a cute little stacked wheel palette of Koh-i-Noor watercolours when I popped out earlier today, too.

First up, a lovely new image from the Saturday Evening Post line - these images are all cover art from the magazine and I think this one is my favourite of the SEP releases so far! Aren't these lions just beautiful?

I used Adirondack Stonewashed ink for the sky - it's one of the very few Adirondacks I've found that breaks down in water and I chose it here for that reason. I thought the purplish tones coming out of the blues made for an interesting wash.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Lion and Lioness (Saturday Evening Post line)
Motivational Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line)
Finial under sentiment from For the Men (Rummage Bin line)

Paper: Smooth white (inked with Stazon around edge)
140lb hot press watercolor paper

Ink: Stazon by Tsukineko (Timber Brown)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Scattered Straw, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Black Soot, Spiced Marmalade)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Stonewashed)

Other: Sewing machine and thread

Then I'd been itching to pair up this sentiment and the olive branch since I got the Vegetable Harvest stamps last week and the SCS "clean and simple" challenge this week gave me the perfect opportunity. The challenge is to make a monochrome card.

I've used only shades of green - even the bit that looks fairly black on the pic is actually Versafine Olympia Green, I filled the open space of the stems by squidging a little Versafine onto an old CD and then applying it with a paintbrush. The other greens are all dye inks used as watercolours.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Vegetable Harvest (Shady Tree Studio line)
Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Paper:
Watercolor paper

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Olympia Green)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Willow)

Other:
Paper piercer

Although they both use watercolour techniques, these two cards use different papers - hot press for the lion image because the smoother surface is perfect for these more detailed stamps and a very textured one for the olives as the texture gives interest to the white space of the design. For those of you in the UK, it was a bargain buy from The Papermill but it was a while back - might still be worth a look though!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed today's cards!