Lighthouse

Good afternoon. It's been a little while between posts, as I was really busy with other stuff and sort of lost my mojo a bit. But, hopefully, I am back on track and will be back shortly with the next Use Your Craft Stash inspiration. 

So, here is the card I made for my husband for his birthday last weekend. I think birthdays at the moment are quite odd - hopefully everyone will be able to celebrate when we lockdown is eased more.

The topper is an old Kanban one called Seaside Holiday. I use gold mirror card and red and pale blue Core'dinaions card for the mats. The beige layer is from Sara Signature Sew Homemade 12x12 paper pad and the red check one is Papermania (can't remember the collection for this one).  I cut the net from gold paper using Amy Designs Maritime Fishing Net die. And my trusty Diamond Press Block Alpha dies were used for the name.

Take care - I'm off to do some crafting!! 

Cxxx

Anything Goes Again

We've decided to stick with the Anything Goes theme again this week. I did have a big plan about what I was going to do - and then I ran out of time. So, instead, I dug into my draw where I have kept all those bits I kept from past demo days (and just couldn't throw away), and made up a few cards. 

These ones are made using Crafter's Companion Easel cards - in this case, the heart and the "square". I have also tried to use older dies that I had for making DT cards and probably never saw the light of day again - and in one case, a piece of card I didn't want to throw out.

So, the first heart is cut from Kraft Card, and I used some cream patterned card that I printed from a Crafter's Companion download (I think). If I recall correctly, the designs were originally made in A3 card, but then brought out in digital form. I used CC Stitched Edge Heart dies, with dies from Sara Signature Vintage Tea Party. The flowers are Hobby House and the sentiment I think is from Sara Signature Flutterby.

The second heart easel, is also cut from Kraft Card, with some Pink Core'dinations. The patterned overlay - cut with the decorative dies that come with the Easel Card - is CC Shabby Chic A3 card. The roses are the cheap ones you can get from The Range, and the little heart is embossed with a mini folder that came with the Diamond Press Starter Kit. I use the same sentiment as above.

The third heart easel is cut from black card, and the patterned is another CC download. The little hearts are CC Stitched Edge dies, and the shoe is from the Catitudes collection. The sentiment is CC Essentials Only Words.

And finally, the "square" easel is cut from Centura Pearl - but I managed to use it the wrong way round. The pink patterned card is Hunkydory - left from a topper set, and so is the actual topper. It's one of those Hunkydory ones where they print the design on the corner of the A4 cardstock. I rarely use them with the toppers - but then struggle to think how to use them!! I may have solved that one now. The butterflies come with the Easel Card die set, and I used a CC Stitche Square for the stopper.

I have  loads more of these Easel card bases already cut - so will undoubtedly be making more in the not too distant future.

Take care, and stay safe,

Cxxxx

All Geared Up

Yesterday was my stepson's birthday. It's the second year in a row he hasn't really been able to celebrate. This year because of lockdown, and last year he was in hospital having his gall bladder removed!! Here's hoping next year will be better.

Josh loves cars, so generally that's what I put on his birthday cars.

This one is a Hunkydory Pick and Mix Topper called A Retro Ride. I loved the yellow and red combination, so really picked that up with the mats and layers. I used Papermill Post Box Red Card, with some extremely old Create and Craft Yellow Textured Card (it's not actually textured - it just looks it). I also used some Crafter's Companion Luxury Gold Matt cardstock. I tilted the topper for a bit of interest, and cut the letters with Diamond Press Block Alpha.

Take care and stay safe,

Cxxx

Baby Cards

Last week, I shared a baby card with you, that I had made for our new Great Nephew. Today, I have the other two cards - one was sent to my in-laws (Great Grandparents) and the other to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law (Grandparents).

This one is using Hunkdory Special Moments - Bundle of Joy topper. I used silver mirror card and the paper is from an old Kanban paper pad. The words are from Crafter's Companion Essentials Only Words collection.

This one is Kanban Bundle of Joy Topper, with co-ordinating paper from the same Kanban paper pad as above. More silver mirror card and the dies are from same collection.

Take care,

Cxxx

Anything Goes!

Monday morning, and another new challenge over at Use Your Craft Stash on FB! We've gone for and Anything Goes theme this week - so..... Anything Goes. Whatever crafty project you are making with your old stash, join us and enter the challenge- just remember to add your photo to the album and tell us what stash you've used. Here's my inspiration for the week.

At first, I was thinking "We don't have a theme! I don't know what to do!", but then though, what do I really want to play with from my stash? Two things came to mind - rice papers and my melt pot. So

I used them to create the canvas.

The rice paper is an A4 one from Stamperia called Rose Garden with Fence, and I've used a 10x12 canvas.

As the canvas is larger than the paper, I used a palette knife to splodge white gesso and Imagination Crafts Menthol Starlight paint, onto the canvas. Then, rather than using a brush, I used the knife to spread it across the canvas. The paper was then stuck down with IC Satin Decoupage Plus.

The next step was to make some embellishments using the Melt Pot. I found the receipt in with the instruction book, telling me I bought this back in 2013, and I bought all the stuff to go with it - I have loads of large tubs of UTEE and some small ones too. I have the large tub of clear. I have the beeswax with a separate pan, the texture treads, inks designed to colour UTEE and a few moulds. But I am obviously out of practice as I managed to get the stuff on me twice - and that is very painful.

I never throw the unused UTEE out - and consequently I have a collection of things I never used, or ends of batches that I pour into little silicone moulds to set and keep for later. I wanted green leaves for the canvas, so gathered all the green and light coloured pieces from my scraps boxes, chucked them in the pot, and poured it into the moulds. There was a lot left over, so that has been saved for another day.

   

I didn't have much pink, so used the little bit I had, and mixed it with white, blue raspberry and clear UTEE. The little balls are UTEE Flex. The UTEE can be quite brittle when set, so this helps to stop it shattering if dropped.

Once made, the top can become matt from being in the mould. You can heat with a heat gun which slightly melts it and makes it glossy, but I decided to drag something else out the cupboard - my Cosmic Shimmer Mica Powders - which I dusted over the top. I used Golden Pear and Pearlescent.

 

And then, as always happens with me and mixed media, I forgot to take any more photos. But the next steps were stencilling the corner details on using Sheena Create a Flower A Leaf of Graph Paper stencil and IC Shabby Chic Relief Paste in Sage and Ashy Rose. I dusted these with Mica Powder too.  A little bit of stamping with an IC art stamp and Distress Oxides in Bundled Sage and Worn Lipstick added a little more to the background (but would have been better if done before the stencilling. And then I attached the embellishments with Finnabair Art Basics Heavy Body Gel, as they are quite heavy in relation to the canvas.

And there you have it. We hope to see all your amazing creations this week. 

Cxxx

I have entered this into: 

Mix It Up Challenge Blog #37

Love to Craft Challenge Blog #46

New Baby

Good morning!! Today I have the first of three baby cards to share. We have a new baby in the family - my nephew and his girlfriend have had a second baby boy. The first card is the one I sent to them. The other two, which I will share in the next couple of days, were for the grandparents and great grandparents.

So, Fletcher was born on Monday and I had to wait until the cards were received before posting. 

This is an 8x8 card using Hunkydory Pick and Mix Little Effalumps.  The background is made up of matt gold mirror card, the blue stars is from a Hunkydory card pack and the pale blue and yellow are from an old Kanban Pad. The white Centura Pearl is embossed with an old Crafter's Companion Embossalicious Everyday folder called Clouds. The balloons are cut with Crafter's Companion Essentials Balloons, and the clouds are from the Sara Signature Little Angel collection.  Lettering is cut with Diamond Press Alpha letters. The little star decorations are the waste from cutting the balloons.

We are looking forward to the day we can meet our great nephew - and also see our grandchildren again. Hopefully in the not too distant future.

Take care and stay safe,

Cxxx

A New Home

It's not been an easy road for them with all the COVID-19 stuff, but my stepson and his girlfriend were finally able to move house this week.

I managed to rustle up a simple card from my stash. The patterned card and toppers are very old Kanban - Home Sweet Home. And I just mounted them onto green and red core-dinations card with a few pearls. Simple and quick! 

Having lived in a small ground floor flat, they are starting to get used to having a garden and an upstairs!! Doug, the dog, is not going to know himself!!

Take care,

Cxx