Seven Birthday Wood Nymphs

Happy Birthday to Crafter's Companion



A card that can be transformed into bunting

A close up of the Toread called Flora

Happy Halloween every-one!  Busy, busy…hubby is actually hanging up skeletons around me as I type and we don’t even have little ones in the house!

I tried to come up with something different with this project.  I fancied entering the Crafter’s Companion 7^th Birthday Competition (with a bit of luck I may even be considered for a guest design team spot).  I thought it would be good to do something with a bit of a wow factor.  I was also looking for an excuse to play with the Toreads (wood nymphs) stamps because of their cute and cheeky little faces and to practice my colouring in.

I had a ball with the colouring in, doing some natural colours and some more unusual.  I will definitely be creating other projects with these stamps as they could be used in many different ways.  I stamped with rich cocoa memento ink on Neenah card and used copic pens to colour in.  I added some highlights with my trusty sakura white gel pen (I would be lost without it) and a Kuretake very fine brown pen.  I added freckles just because I felt like it, not sure if wood nymphs should have freckles but why not!

I mounted the wood nymphs on some die cut shapes (spellbinders & x-cut), cut from core’dinations ‘Core Couture’ card (I used Collal 3D glue gel to give a bit of dimension).  I was drawn to slightly Halloween colours, greens, purples and oranges but that wasn’t even planned it just happened. 

Then came the dilemma of what to do with my wood nymphs!  I thought about bunting or a wishing tree table decoration that could be used for a birthday celebration but then I noticed that the competition called for a card.  So thinking cap on, I hope you like what I came up with.  It’s a bit of a mega birthday card.  It’s made from A3 centura pearl card and re-enforced with an old box because of the size.  As there was a lot of effort in the colouring in (as well as the fun) I wanted something that would have a longer life, so my tags are attached with just a little bit of foam tape so that they can be recycled back in to birthday decorations for future birthdays.  This made me think that it might be a sweet idea to make a new tag for a child every birthday so that they could have an every growing string of bunting and you could write a little message or memory on the back (as number one son will be thirty on his next birthday I think I may have had this bright idea a little late!).

Extras used: Hunkydory/Crafter’s Companion foiled acetate with leaves (part of Toread range); papermania brads and glitter strips; purple, orange and green matt card from stash; sticky letters from stash (TPC Studio); paper shapers flower punch; fuzzy wool and little pegs from stash (from bargain shop).

 

18 Today

Bit of a cheeky extra blog today. 

Happy Birthday 18 Today

This is a project I completed in the summer but didn’t take photos.  My daughter has kindly just sent me these pictures over to add to my blog.

Matching Box

It was a special request for a friend of my daughter who was turning 18.  I was told she was in to union jacks and minis.  I had just got some suitable Kanban card so I went to town.  I didn’t have any-thing with a mini on it so I used a picture from the internet which I coloured with red and blue pens so it would blend in.





a heart pocket, hearts and buttons

Rather than make a card I made a memory book.  It’s made of two 8” by 8” kraft card blanks stuck together in a concertina giving lots of sides to decorate.  Although you can’t really see in the picture there are lots of hidden pockets and opening sections to add messages, keepsakes or photos.  As well as adding layers, inked edges and faux stitching I have also added a few stamped butterflies and and some hand written words.  My favourite is the legend ‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you’ve imagined’.  Thought this was a good sentiment for an eighteen year old starting out in the world.  There’s some brads, gems, ribbon, buttons and butcher’s twine too, the toppers, bunting and butterflies are from the Kanban kit.

I used my crafter’s companion ultimate pro to help me make a box.  There was a decorated gift bag too, but sorry no photos of that.  You may have noticed I like decorating things but it really was so enjoyable I didn’t want to stop.

Batman to the Rescue

Every-one needs a superhero!



ripping papers is fun

 

Update: I made this card last year as a special request for my daughter to give to her boyfriend (now fiancé) after I had made something similar for her brother.  I took it as a great compliment that she trusted me to make a card for her.

Inspiration: Number one son was very in to graphic novels as a teenager (especially the Sandman series), so this sort of artwork had some level of respect in our house (the artwork in the Sandman books is amazing).  There is also something cool about the more retro comic artwork used here that can work for a lot of people. The kit came with lots of witty sentiments that just made you want to make something just so you could use them.

Products: D.C. Comics kit; A3 card used for bigger easel style card; mirri, textured and wood effect card from stash.

Techniques: Ripped papers and lots of glitter, mat and layering and funky angles to emphasis the comic style.

Extra bits (because where’s the fun in making your own cards without adding extra bits: One of the batman symbols hides a space for a hidden message; lightning bolts added in black pen free hand; a few brads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bo Bunny Birdcage

Birdcage magic

Card and matching envelope

 

 

Update:  I’m in trouble with number one daughter because I have not updated my blog (and quite right too).  I have been busy with some other things, not to mention the many works in progress that are awaiting that special finishing touch (watch out for an aurora of polar bears coming soon).  My daughter being a genius came up with the idea that I post the current projects as they are then show the completed result when they are ready, so that is what I will do from now on.  Meantime, I have some previously completed projects that I made for her and my son-in-law to be.

Inspiration:  Something beautiful for a beautiful person.

Products:  First, is a birthday card made with Bo Bunny papers, a clarity butterfly stamp and a fantastic birdcage die by Marianne.  The papers were the starting point as the newsprint, swirls, butterflies and vintage feel were right up my street.  I have added a bit of cream lace and faux lace (made with a lacy border punch) on the inside and flowers, swirls and butterflies again from Marianne dies.  There’s inked edges, glitter, dots and dashes and a patchwork of layers inside.  The papers and colours are so beautiful they would carry any project well.  I was having so much fun I just kept going so fully decorated on inside, on back and on matching envelope too.

Extra bits: overstamped happy birthday on front; bit of sticky bling; butterfly on back stamped and coloured with distress inks just for the fun of it.

Next:  need to work on taking better close up photos...and..

Watch this space for a super hero next…

Happy Birthday Mum

A twisted easel card made from a fab Hunkydory kit.



I love adding hidden messages.

It was my Mother in Law’s birthday earlier in the week.  Jean loves her garden and flower arranging so I wanted to make a cheerful floral card.  I used some very pretty elements from a Hunkydory kit.  My favourite bit of card making is adding bits so I have added kraft card, ribbon, a flower brad, faux stitching and a hidden message tag.  Yummy.

The wrapping paper I had in my stash was pink and purple, so I made tags and decorated a gift bag with some cute pink card that came from a Hunkydory free gift. 

Top Tip:  Instead of using ribbon to decorate the parcel I have used some funky pink and purple wool from my stash.  If you watch for unusual wool when it is on sale you can get some real bargains.  It is much more interesting than curling ribbon and lasts so much longer.  I have quite a range of colours and textures now and some of them only cost £1 from a market stall.

Here's a picture of Campbell's Mum and myself before we went to see Phantom of the Opera last week.

Alice in Wonderland

I am afraid that there was no blog post yesterday as I had toothache and was feeling rather sorry for myself.  The Phantom of the Opera was brilliant on Thursday.  I've got a few ideas for a related project later. 

Meantime here is a bit of a mad creation that I recently entered in a competition.  I am new to competitions and challenges so I am not sure of myself but I think it will be a good way of challenging myself and networking.

Inspiration:

Leanne as the white rabbit aged 4
 

There is just something about Alice in Wonderland.  It can mean so many things.  The stamp sheets I have used are by IndigoBlu and I find the old style original artwork very evocative.  It may not be every-one's cup of tea but I fancied doing something a bit different from a straight forward card design, so I had a go at a crazy collage that went over the edges of the page.


Alice in Wonderland Collage

Project: I have made an 8” by 8” ‘twisted easel’ birthday card. I aimed at creating an off the page 3D collage that would be a bit random and crazy that would evoke the Alice in Wonderland story.

Stamps used: Indigoblu Alice I & Alice II.

Inks used: Rich cocoa Memento; Tim Holtz barn door, broken china and vintage photo.

Card used: Hunkydory Colour Me card for stamping.

Kanban ‘Mackenzie’ stripe & harlequin, black and Kraft card for matting and layering.

Pens used: Copic alcohol ink pens; Black fine liner; Sakura white opaque.

Highlights: Glamour dust glitter; Winter Dawn and Copper Kettle Glitter flakes.

Extra bits: small key and ribbon (create & craft) and keyhole shaped brad (Woodware) from stash.

Techniques: Lots of layers, images coloured in warm grey copic pens with a few colours highlighted to look like old tinted photos, 3D decoupage in part on some characters.  Watch faces glazed with Ranger glossy accents.  Mad Hatter, the white rabbit and Alice reinforced on back with tape and pva glue and left to harden before being added to card with Pinflair Glue Gel. Faux stitching and highlights added with black and white pens.  Small amounts of glitter flakes added as final highlight.

 

 

 

 

 

Sophisticated Monochrome

Inspiration:

Moulin Diva

Who doesn’t want to feel sexy and sophisticated on their fortieth birthday, so that was the look I was aiming at here.  Having a bit of a monochrome phase but I think it works here.  Sticking with my favourite card size at the moment it’s another 8” by 8” card, a straight easel this time plus a matching bottle bag (if you are marking such a big occasion you deserve a wee tipple).

40 and Fabulous

I watch too much television for sure but sometimes you pick up a few gems.  I had seen Dawn from Kanban make some cards with feathers and spider web net and I was looking for a project to try out something similar.  I used stamps to give me an excuse to practice my colouring in with copic pens.  It is sooo relaxing and such a buzz when you get a nice effect.  I always think my projects can be improved (much to the frustration of Campbell – that’s Mr. Fantabulous Mayhem) but copic pens do blend wonderfully for that feel good factor and the Moulin Divas stamp is very effective.  It’s becoming rather addictive as it takes me back to my school days (it was shading with pencils then – much harder).
That’s enough blogging for now as I am off for some sophistication of my own.  My mother in law and I are off the see the Phantom of the Opera at the Theatre.  I am sure to come back filled with inspiration for a gothic creation or two.
Key Products Used:
·         Stamps: Moulin Divas (Belle Femme) by Kanban; Numbers from Country Companions by Jayne Nesterenko.
·         Kanban Mackenzie Collection – for monochrome patterned card.
·         Copic pens – Mostly cool greys and flesh tones.
Favourites:
·         Tim Holtz black soot distress ink on edges; Memento rich cocoa to stamp images.  White opaque Sakura pen and black fine liner pen for highlights and faux stitching.
·         Images stamped on Hunkdory ‘Colour Me’ card.
·         Hobbycraft 8” by 8” card blank, plain black, holographic and kraft card for matting and layering.
·         Extra bits: black feathers (Hobbycraft); Spider web net (ebay); Fancy wool & brad from stash.
·         Spellbinders label dies.