Birthday Blues

Well not really, just running out of ideas for a catchy title.

A steampunk card and a Paris themed ATC for a friend’s birthday. (The ATC is collaged with  bees-wax if you’re wondering).

That’s all folks!!

Art Draw winner and Ally Pally haul…..

OK, first things first.

The winner of the Aug/Sept Art Draw is ………..Georgina!! I’ll send it off to you as soon as possible hun.

The next one will be along in the first week of October.

Have been out enjoying myself today at the BSSB at Ally Pally. Here is a photo of the stash I picked up – goodness knows where it is going to go. Lots of paper and card ‘cos I stock up for work. Have lots of ideas buzzing around my head after watching demos and looking at samples etc – I wonder if I will have forgotten it all by tomorrow!!

 

I’m particularly looking forward to trying out my new Sam Poole stamps and my Prima doll stamps. Oh, and the Kroma crackle and the flower moulds. And of course the mould maker. And the new dies, and sone new fresco paints that aren’t in the picture…….oh goodness, I really need a week off work!!

Addendum. Just went to put one thing away and managed to knock down about three boxes full of bits and bobs, a packet of Tim Holtz fragments, (yep, all those boxes opened on the way down) my fan (which took several other things with it on the way) several stamps from the stamp shelf plus the project I had on the desk. Fortunately it all missed my cuppa. It was like an avalanche, once one thing started to go I couldn’t stop it. What a mess. Think my craft room is trying to tell me something?

I’ve started so I’ll finish……….

The Summer Reading Challenge is now over but I thought I’d share one last ‘prop’ I made for the library – one of the characters was a ‘Hothouse Horror’ (a bit like Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors) living in the Gruesome Greenhouse and I thought it would be fun to make my own.

It had to be papier mache, and it started with a balloon.

I couldn’t think how to make a curved stem to hold it up so I broke a garden cane in several places and wired duck taped it – not perfect but I was against the clock by this time (papier mache takes FOREVER).

 

 

 

We called ours Isabella and here she is in all her glory. That stem could have done with a bit more backbone but hey ho, I’ll know better if I ever make another one. I expect she’s fallen over even more since I’ve been away.

Here’s the display that the kids made using paper plates, glue and tissue paper (on account I had no green card but plenty of paper plates and tissue paper). They would have preferred to make the 3D version but I told them there wasn’t time (!) but they could do one at home.

Lordy, bet that would be a sight to see.

Can’t wait to get back to work tomorrow (well, I can, but you know what I mean) and find out what the final stats were. Then we have the joy that is the Medal Ceremony and then I am taking a break until Halloween. So there.

Flickr Tags: Summer Reading Challenge

SCRAP MAGIC….

Like most  crafters I have loads and loads of scraps, the remains of little experiments, interesting bits of coloured card from spritzing or inking, off cuts from other projects and just all those little bits and bobs that I can’t bear to throw away but can’t think what to do with them ‘right at this moment…’

The result is a pile of ‘stuff’ to the left hand side of my desk which gets rummaged through and added to until I get fed up with and add it to one of my overflowing ‘scrap’ folders. Never to see the light of day again. Until of course someone challenges me to use some of it up. So as that is the current challenge at Artful Times I had a rummage and here’s a few bits I thought might go together.

 

 

The centrepiece would have to be this bit of scrap card which I punched to make a frame/mount. I stamped a freebie Craft Stamper image (almost) in the centre. The other bits are all from my scrap box (yeah some of my scraps are large enough to mat something onto a card!!) or stamped onto waste card.

 

The scallopy bits at the side of my ribbon (another bit that was just big enough for this project) are what remains when I square up my scalloped edge cards – I bought a huge bundle of them but decided I don’t care for them much so the edges have to go but don’t get thrown away.

 

 

 

Not sure it would win any awards for composition but it’s used up a teeny tiny bit of my stash – unfortunately it took hours of faffing until I was happy with it. In fact the more I look at it the  more likely it is to end up the bin which would make the whole exercise a bit pointless n’est ce pas?  (I ‘ve just realised it’s the pansy that is bothering me – I’m sure it didn’t look that bold when I put it together originally, I must have moved something)

Anyhow, I shall stick it in my MacMillan Box and see if it sells. Yes, it’s that time of year again, my Open House (well it usually goes on a bit longer than a coffee morning) is scheduled for 7th October which is alarmingly near and stocks of cards to sell are uncharacteristically low. Better get busy!!

Flickr Tags: MacMillan,Artful Times

Crafty CardMakers – Things with wings!!

I’m sure this will be a popular challenge being as there are so many lovely ways to interpret it. Just make sure the main focus of your project is the thing with wings!!

For my DT piece I thought I would mix things up a bit and decided to make a button fairy – a complete piece of whimsy and very simple to make but there are lots of artistic possibilities for these.

I have gone for a vintage image for my ‘fairy’ and used some wired buttons and beads from my stash to make her ‘tail’. Her wings have been cut from the Tim Holtz ‘Fanciful Flight’ die and embossed with aged scarlet frantage.

Don’t forget to pop over and see what the other DT members have been up to – we hope they will inspire you to enter your own project at Crafty CardMakers.

Another pink birthday card….

This time with a steampunk theme but still pink. I am trying to get some use out of my gorgeous Chocolate Baroque stamp plate.  I hope it’s arrived by now – as usual I was a little late for the post!

I included a tag with this one as well – once again a single layer with no embellishments. Not really because I’ve gone all minimalist but more because I had no large stamps and didn’t have time to get to the PO before this needed to be on it’s way. There’s nothing more annoying than discovering that a card or present you’ve sent in the post has to have excess postage paid on it – now that’s what you call an onerous benefaction!! So I’m playing safe by keeping things simple.

Have a great day!!

Snow and Ice...... for Crafty Cardmakers

First of all let me say it feels really weird typing these words in shorts and a vest having spent all day in the garden.

The latest challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is Christmas Snow and Ice.


Told you I was going all minimalist.

This is my DT entry, a very simple Christmas Card using one of the first stamps I ever bought. Snowflakes have been  stamped with versamark and dusted with mica powders for a shimmery background and of course, there's a little bit of glitter and a Christmas greeting!!

Much as I think all this Christmas talk is pretty premature (I haven't had my summer holiday yet and I've been sunbathing all day) I've learnt over the years that it is good to get ahead of the game. So if you've had your Christmas bits out and you have a project that meets the theme why not share it with us at Crafty Cardmakers?