Crafty Cardmakers #69 - Distress It

This week's hostess is Feebsy. She would like you to distress something.  You can use inks, chalks, distressing tools - anything that creates a distressed/shabby chic look to your project!

We are sponsored this week by Digi Doodle Shop who are offering a $10 gift certificate for their store.

And also by Hobby Art who are offering two great stamp sets - pop over to Crafty Cardmakers to check them out!! 

So I chose to use one of Digi Doodle Shop's digis for this challenge - Vegetable Cart! I don't know why, but I just thought it would lend itself well to the distressing theme!

The image was printed on 300 gsm watercolour card, and blasted with my heat gun. Then, in keeping with the challenge, I used only Distress Inks to colour the image in. 

          Barrow - Old Paper & Pumice Stone

          Background - Antique Linen, Pumice Stone &Weathered Wood

          Foliage - Shabby Shutters & Forest Moss

          Pumpkins & Corn - Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed

          Other - Dusty Concord & Aged Mahogony

I then 'tore' the edges (I'm afraid I couldn't totally let go and just go for it - so I used a ruler to guide me!), and inked them with Antique Linen and Weathered Wood.

The background consists of some brown linen textured card, and some coffee Bazzill run through my cuttlebug with one of the Sizzix Tim Holtz embossing folders. Both of these were distressed around the edges with a file, and inked with Antique Linen. The blue coloured paper is from my stash, and I scrunched it up and inked it with Weathered Wood before ironing it out again.The hessian came from the inside of an eco friendly jiffy style bag. I peeled it off the backing before spraying with Stick and Stay, and adhering it to the blue paper.

I then stuck it all down - allowing some of the mats to hang over the edge. You have no idea how difficult that was for me!! The finishing touches are buttons from my large button box. None of them match - and again, that was soooo difficult for me to get past. But in the end, I just stuck them down and walked away. 

The overall effect is hopefully distressed enough!! I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. 


Don't forget to pop over to the Crafty Cardmakers blog to see what the other Design Team members have created! There's some really great inspiration there!!


Cxx

Floral Anniversary!

I made this anniversary card using a Hunkydory Lace Bouquet base card and topper - I love the pretty pink tones - perfect for Spring (although not perhaps with the weather we've been having)!!

I chose to simply mount the topper, starting with the largest mat cut from plain pink paper with a circle nestie, and inked whilst still in the die with Victorian Velvet DI. I then used a white glitter card scalloped circle, and a pink vellum splendid circle (you can't see much of it, but I like the different edge it gives). All the papers and card have been in my stash for ages!!

I also cut some swirls from the pink vellum using Spellbinders Floral Swirls to add a little more interest. The sentiment is stamped onto the pink paper with a cheapie 99p alphabet stamp set. Because they are impossible to line up, I went for a more random look with the text!! This was cut using the Triple Scallop edgeability, and mounted onto pink vellum, white glitter card, and more of the pink paper.

I would like to enter this into the One Stop Craft Challenge - 

Spring Weddings and Wedding Anniversaries

Cxxx

Felt Fun!!

So, a couple of my friends have their birthdays close to each other and we generally celebrate them together. For the past couple of years I have also given them handmade gifts (these will be revealed at a later date!!), and also have to come up with something new and different for their cards. 

This was not easy this year as I was severely lacking in inspiration, but eventually I had an idea. There seems to be a lot of people die cutting felt and making flowers at the moment, so thought I would give it a go. Nothing to lose - had a load of felt sat doing nothing - if it didn't work I wouldn't have cost me anything. 

This is one of the cards that I eventually made. I used a size 6 Craftwork Cards white scalloped edge card. The red mat is Bazzil, and the same card was used for the leaves - cut with one of the Spellbinders Foliage dies. The white card is Creative Expressions Coconut white from the neutrals pack. I used a Splendid Circle, and the large scalloped square (a nestie) is embossed with That Special Touch swirl mask.

The flowers are red felt, cut with the largest and middle sized Bitty Blossoms. It took a few runs through my Grand Calibur, but they did cut quite well.

The effect once they are rolled and glued (with my glue gun) is really quite stunning!! I impressed myself this time!! The finishing touch was some flat backed pearls along the egde of the white scalloped square, and two Creative Expressions white pearl hat pins. 

The other card was similar - this time a cream base card, the doodle daisies 'That Special Touch' mask, Spellbinders Lacy Doily and the milk card from the neutral pack - all finished with cream pearls and hat pins.

The brown felt did cause a few problems. It didn't cut right through despite numerous runs through the Grand Calibur. I ended up having to cut along the impressions of the lines. Was still very effective though, so wasn't too annoyed!!

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:

Hooked on Craft Challenges - Flowers

Crafty Ribbons Challenge - Flowers

Do You Stack Up Challenge Blog - Use a Flower
Crafting for all Seasons - Handmade Flowers
Polka Doodles - Monochromatic

Back soon!!

Cxx

Pretty Butterfly!!

This is for my friend's daughter. I thought for ages about what to make, and eventually went back to a recent card made for my niece, for a little inspiration. 

So, I started with a white Craftwork Cards Top Notch card, and covered it with mauve glitter card and a pearl white mat embossed with That Special Touch Swirl Mask. I edged a strip of the pearl card with the butterfly insert from Spellbinders Edgeabilities decorative inserts set 6 and mounted it onto more of the glitter card. The butterflies are Spellbinders Wings of Hope, and the swirls from the Flourish Accent set. The letters and numbers are cut using X-Cut dies.

I was really pleased with the way this turned out!! It's a design I may well come back to again!<

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Craft Your Days Away - Just for Children 
Craft Calendar Challenge - Things with Wings
Divas By Design - Monochromatic

Anythings Goes Challenge Blog - Things with Wings
Timeless Tuesdays - Butterflies

Be back soon.
Cxxx

One for my Dad!!

My Dad is reaching a landmark birthday this time next week - 70 years young!! He's not an overly fussy man, but loves gardening, so I decided to go for using foliage, with numbers for his age.

The base card is 8" square, cut from a large sheet of bronze Centura Pearl card. The large, textured burgundy mat, and the cream pearl mat are from Crafter's Companion Enveloper packs that have been in my stash for ever!!! 

The words were stamped in Stazon Timber Brown using a Forever Friends alphabet stamp. Both were cut out using one of the smaller Spellbinder Romantic Rectangle dies, mounted onto rectangles of bronze pearl card. The '7' and '0' were stamped using Papermania Typography stamps onto the burgundy paper and cut out. They were mounted on a cream Splendid Circle, and bronze Lacy Circle. All the Foliage was cut from the burgundy and cream papers. The picket fence was using my Craft Robo and a template purchased from the Craft Robo Megastore. 

I made a co-ordinating box from the rest of the bronze card, echoed the main design on the top, and finished the inside with smaller lacy and splendid circles.

I now need to make an anniversary card for my parents - for the same day - 49 years!!! 

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - For the Boys

Celebrate the Occasion - Male Birthday (must use circle)

Should be back soon with more cards - it's a busy month for me!!

Cxx


PS forgot to say that the little circular embellishments are little wooden beads from a broken bracelet!!