Thursday 23 February 2012

Its Crafting Time DT Challenge - Diecuts

'Time Flies'

So, I was posted these HUUUUGE diecuts to play with. OK, I thought, I can see a card design and a scrapbook page, but an ATC???? As usual, after several nights sleep, the inspiration came.
I took 3 plain white ATCs and inked them with a very pale putty colour. Then I used the clockface diecut as a mask and inked through it with a darker brown. The next layer of ink was reddy brown leaves.
I found a diecut hand made paper tag and tied a ribbon through the hole. The next layer is a piece woven grass paper. Over the top I have put a section of the clock face, which got coloured up when it was used as a mask. It is only held on with the two brads. The laser cut butterfly has been inked with the same colours.
I have then posted a 'Graphic45' design tag and label underneath.

Finally I added the clock hands with a brad and then a few gems.

The second one I used the same inks and another part of the clock face. The diecut clock hads have been inked and then embossed with a clear gold pearl. The cherub diecut is inked and then embossed with TH distress embossing powder.

The final ATC has a diecut shrinkie bird and birdcage and a few trimmed pieces of a diecut sprig

Even I actually love these ATC's!

Sorry the pictures aren't great, I took them on my phone!




Thursday 16 February 2012

Card making with digi-stamps

I keep looking at all of the lovely digi-stamps out there and wondering wether I could do something with them. I needed some cards and really just wanted to do simple colouring in...
I saw the 'Simon Says' challenge to use patterend papers and thought I would combine them...



 This little giraffe is from Cre8tive Hands. He has been printed on to 160gsm white card and coloured with ProMarkers. I have just inked round the end with Bahamas blue Memento ink to take the harshness away.
The shape is cut using a Nestabilities die.
The patterened background paper and matching paper that the flowers are cut from are Pink Petticoat 'Wild Blossoms' collection.







This image is also from Cre8tive Hands.
The sentiment says 'you are right here in my heart'.
It seemed so right for sending my love to Grandma at this rather rubbish time.

I am so glad to have my crafting friends to keep me sane! They will let me grump and be sad, for about 5 seconds! Then they make me do more craft...


Its Crafting Time DT Challenge - February Sketch

Pina's sketch again! After last months 'thinking outside the box', this month I decided to keep it simple and within the original rules of ATC's (not the multilayered madness I usually create!)
So, here they are:


Very simply, they are lime green pearlescent card bases, stamped with pink and green Memento ink.
Tree background paper: Kaiser Craft 'Hey Birdie'
Brads: Dovecraft 'Cupcakes'
Stamp: Inkylicious
Ribbon and cardstock from stash.

Hope you like them!

Thursday 9 February 2012

Its Crafting Time DT Challenge - Red, Pink and White

Fimo Fancies - http://itscraftingtime.blogspot.com/

I found this idea in an old book by Leonie Pujol on ATC's. She had an example in an Oriental style using black Fimo and stamping in to it with silver VersaFine.
I have done mine in red Fimo. I rolled it out thinly into a rough square. I then inked up a music background stamp with silver VersaFine, cut it into rough squares and rectangles using a knife.


The next job was to link the squares together with twisted pieces of silver wire. The free ends of the wire I covered by forming tiny balls of Fimo.


Whilst the Fimo was baking, I inked up the ATC blanks with Memento Lady Bug, stamped across all 3 stamps with the music background stamp in silver and then pinched the tiny butterfly stamp from my sister to finish...
(we then went out for lunch - oh, and a glass of wine...)
The crowns came from stash at 'Its Crafting Time' and I have just coloured them up with Lady Bug and silver. The final additions are the pink and white ribbon and the little sticky gems in red, white and pink.
A bit of an experiment but it worked!

Hiding in the craft room...

After the stress and distress of yesterday, today I threw myself into crafting. It is great to get covered in ink, glue and paint (all down my t-shirt and nice jeans...!) instead of thinking too much.

Today I have been playing with projects at 'Its Crafting Time'. I have made a shadow box to take my 'Past Times' ATC's, made a mono-chrome project using the new Indigo-Blu stamps and played with Aloysius...

The 12x12 shadow box is by 'Twidleybitz'. I have painted it with matte mushroom acrylic and then stamped it with Artemio 'Tea Time' stamps to match the ATC's.
The background paper is another from the 'Past Times' range.
The only alteration that I have made to the page is to add the same blue and red Memento ink that I used on the ATC's.
It will be going to Stamporama with Nina...
This is 'Aloysius'. I love this little teddy from the new Indigo-Blu. It does have a 'Happy Birthday' caption stamp wih it, but haven't played with that bit yet.
I have stamped him once in brown, and then in two different blacks.
The top bear has been brushed over with distress ink and then painted with aquarelles.
Bear 2 has had a colour wash with the aquarelles and then touched in with heavier paint. Not that you can see it, this bear does have blue eyes!
The last bear has been brushed over with Memento Potters cly ink.
All the bears have lovely little black noses that go with the stamps.
I think I might be in love...
This final piece is using the Indigo-Blu 'Pomp and Pageantry' stamp set, all in Tim Holtz Aged Mahogany distress ink.
The stamps are lovely to work with, so detailed and easy to put even pressure on.
I used the Aged Mahogany to stamp and to paint with so that I could put both light and dark accents onto the page.
There is a piece of lace across the bottom that has also been coloured with distress ink.
I did have to give in and add 3 small sticky glittery bits...

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Saying goodbye is so hard to do...

If only we could see the splendour of the land
To which our loved ones are called from you and me
We'd understand
If only we could hear the welcome they receive
From old familiar voices all so dear
We would not grieve
If only we could know the reason why they went
We'd smile and wipe away the tears that flow
And wait content.
 
missing you...

Thursday 2 February 2012

Best of British


I went to see the girls on Thursday at Scrap Club (@ITC) after a difficult day planning a funeral and generally being depressed, for a bit of a natter and nose on what everyone else was doing.
Having got there, I got itchy and had to have something to play with, so Nina gave me some of the new 'Past Times' ATC card, specially designed for Its Crafting Time.
I got really inspired, and borrowed glue and scissors and ink from everyone around me (aren't crafters lovely people!)
These 4 ATC's are made entirely from the Past Times papers with a little stamping using Artemio 'Tea Time' stamps.
It was so nice to work with stuff so obviously produced for the British market and having such a limited supply of craft stuff made me really think about what to do.
Other than the papers and the stamping, the only other added interest is that I have heat embossed some of the fragments several times.
This photo gives a much better shot of the base image of a smiling young serviceman. I have simply stamped over it with clear ink and then embossed it several times until I could get it to crack.

The coloured inks are Memento bahamas blue and lady bug.

All available from Its Crafting Time
(The 'Past Times' papers are exclusive to them)

http://itscraftingtime.blogspot.com/

http://www.itscraftingtime.co.uk/





(for the purposes of full disclosure, I am honoured to be on the ITC design team!)

Its Crafting Time DT Challenge - Newspaper


I went with the theme 'a new year' because of all the things that have happened so far just in January.

The ATC is formed as a pocket, layered up with newspaper and pink Bazzil and some black and pink spotty paper from my stash.

I chose the words for the tags and the front from newspaper headings to reflect the way I plan to move on this year.

The only other things I have added are a few gems, some ribbon and some paper fasteners to hold it all together.

http://itscraftingtime.blogspot.com/