Crafty Cardmakers 38.5 - Spotlight on Water

My project for Crafty Cardmakers this week, is both about water and made with water.  

 

Materials

Tim Holtz Distress inks in blues, greens and purples.

Mica Powders such as Pearl-Ex or Cosmic Shimmer

Shimmer sprays such as Cosmic shimmer in blue, green and purple

Heavy-weight watercolour paper

Waterproof worksheet

Memento inkpads in grey and black

Stamps for weed effects

Tilda mermaid stamp

Weed stamp from same set

Martha Steward 'Branch' punch

Oddments of Dew-drops and marine theme beads or charms.

Glossy accents

Tim Holtz distress embossing powder in Antique Linen for the sand!

The deep-sea background was made by inking up my worksheet with inks then spritzing it.

I then also thoroughly spritzed my paper until it was damp and 'schmoozed' it over the worksheet until all the ink was picked up. 

I then added different inks and shimmer sprays to suit and finished with mica powders, keeping the sheet damp all the time so the powders stuck well.

Once this sheet was dry, I then stamped it up with various 'weed' type stamps and Memento grey (for shadows) and black inkpads. 

The decoupaged 'Mermaid Tilda' was then added with a little silicon glue and then some decoupaged 'weeds' from the same set, only adhering the base so they would look 'free' and dimensional. 

The darker 'weed' is a Martha Stewart 'Branch' punch and then I added the finishing touches by popping on some dew-drops to look like bubbles and some suitably 'beach-y' beads!

It's a fun technique so why not have a go and pop over to CCM and enter your project? It's a technique spotlight not a challenge so there's no need to be shy at trying a new technique at all!  What's more, we have a £10:00 prize offered by our sponsor too!

*I just have to add here, that I ordered some stuff from Handy Hippo late on Monday evening and it arrived early this morning (Wed)! How good is that! Still awaiting an order from another company from 27th Jan! 

Guess who'll get my custom in future...?

Fab shop! Feel free to pop over to browse!

There's also some fabulous alternative inspiration over there if you don't fancy my technique so go have a look!

I know you'll like it!

Hugs

Ei

x

Totally Tilda 14 - Baby, Baby! Colour Create 63 - Lemon, green & White

I happened upon the Totally Tilda blog by chance and thought I'd enter with an old Magnolia stamps I've only used about twice in all the time I've had it! The theme is 'Baby Baby!' and this is the only baby Tilda  I own.
I've also incorporated the colours Lemon, Green & White, so I can enter it into the Colour Create challenge too! Clever eh...?


Using the image is a bit of a challenge for me anyway as it's so small (...for me..!)! I've also used a smaller (...for me..!) than usual card too.

The paper is from stash, although I'm sure it's either  DCWV or K&Co. The flowers are a mix of Prima and Wild Orchid Crafts and the punch is Martha Stewart.


The image is, obviously, Magnolia which I've coloured with my Copics.
I hope you like it!
Hugs
Ei
x

Allsorts 87 - Male card

This week the theme at  Allsorts 87 is Male/Boy card.
I have three sons as well as a very masculine Hubby so I've always had to have a good supply of male inspiration! LOL!


I made this card for my eldest son Matt. I say 'eldest' as he has more years than the other two but as you can see from the subject matter of his card.......! LOL!


It's a bit different to my usual card but you know I do make the occasional digital card and this is one! 


It's based on a comic-book character - Strontium Dog - and just in case you can't see it, I've drafted my Matt in behind SD! Y'know, the good-lookin' chap in the slightly different drawing-style.

Doesn't look thirty-five does he? You should see the original picture in his loft.....


He's a fab son (...as are all three...!) and deserves a big hug and a kiss but I won't do it in the pub in front of all his mates this year....! LOL!
Hope you like it!
Hugs
Ei
x

Top Tip Tuesday - Making Flowers from Hearts

This week at Top Tip Tuesday we have another super theme, this time from Leanne,  Making Flowers from Hearts. Sounds fascinating!  
It's not my team's turn this week, so I've not made a demo for this  (although I may have a cheeky little go in any case as it's such a good idea!) but please, please pop over to the blog and have a look at some of the lovely demos the other team have come up with! Really pretty!


We've no less than TWO sponsors this week -

'Wink Wink Ink'

and

'Michelle's Scraps'!  

so get your entry in and you might win!


Hugs
Ei
x

Crafty Cardmakers 38.4 - Floral

By 'eck! Doesn't time fly when you're havin' fun....? LOL!


It doesn't seem a week since I wrote up the last CCM blog theme and here we are again!


So much lovely stash and so little time to play - I've really enjoyed this week and seem to have got loads done just because I had one day off?  Mad, but that's what it feels like. I even managed to slip one cheeky challenge entry in too, even though I think it was too late to be drawn.


This week at the lovely Crafty Cardmakers, our theme is 'Floral' which just means there has to be a flower presence. How much and how is up to you!


Our fabulous sponsor this week is Joanna Sheen ! 

How cool is that?  Joanna is offering a £10.00 voucher for the winner of our challenge. Don't tell me we don't have some great sponsors....!

For this week's floral theme, I used a selection of blooms from 'Wild Orchid Crafts' and papers from stash in moss greens and pinks.


The punched edges and lacy border are all Martha Stewart and the distress inks both from Adirondak (Olive and Sepia). I coloured the organza ribbon, which had been cream, with the olive inkpad. 


The image, which is mounted on Bazzil, is my own digistamp, drawn from a photo of my husband and my granddaughter Ada.


Oh and Ada came out with another lovely little snippet for the memory box!


She went off with Mummy & Daddy to see Antony's family including the youngest offspring, Antony's sisters humongous baby,Frankie, who is about three months old.

'Little' Frankie was sitting on Great Grandma Joan's knee, having not long had his last feed and did a little posset, (...y'know, a little milky puke out the side of his mouth...) .


Ada, wide-eyed and horror-stricken cried out 'Nanny, Nanny....' to which Grandma Joan asked 'What's the matter sweetie...?'
Ada answered, 'Nanny! Frankie's melting.....!' 


Don't you just love them?


Hugs
Ei
x

Allsorts of stuff......

I've finally returned to the land of entering challenges after what seems like an interminable length of time.  I still won't have time to enter many for a while yet but I've actually had a day off from Ada to watch Craft Day on QVC.


Craft Day was pants (...what is this fascination with KanBan card kits...? Can't see it I'm afraid!), so I made cards instead!  Well, when I say cards, I mean A card and finishing off another....
Nevertheless, I had a lovely, quiet, crafty day and my batteries were so replenished, I stripped and made our bed, sorted out my wardrobe and sorted and re-arranged my handbags!


So here I am, 2:30am...again!  And I wonder why I'm always tired! LOL!


Anyway, to get back on subject, here's my first challenge card of 2011.
I've made it for my son's lovely girlfriend (...I think anyway...I might just keep it myself....!LOL!) Jen as it's her birthday today and I do like her!


I'm entering it into Allsorts #81 Challenge,  who have a theme of teal and brown this week, which is a favourite of mine.

The papers are Daisy D's and the image is as you probably already know, Mo Manning's 'Patience'.
I'm very luck as I have resident inspiration in my baby granddaughter Ada, who is always cracking me up with her antics and 'far-too-clever-for-a two-year-old' gob!
Patience doesn't look anything like Ada but I recognise the look on that poor cat's face.......! Our Tabby runs and hides!
When Granddad took two and a half year old Ada to see Santa at a city centre store, Ada had her photo taken holding the paw of an enormous polar bear.
When she related the tale later to her Daddy, she said '....and I holded the big polar bear's paw!'
Antony made the mistake of asking 'Where was this?' Ada piped up with a withering look at her retard of a father '...on the end of his arm Daddy!'.
You couldn't make it up!


Hugs
Ei
x

Crafty Cardmakers 38 - Using Pencils only (no markers at all!)

My team-mate Jenni (CardmadFairy) at Crafty CardMakers must have decided to give me nightmares when she chose this week's theme!


Pencils only - no markers at all....not even my COPICS! Aaaargh!


With one exception, I haven't used pencils since school !  I only bought a new set in 2010 for another DT challenge and haven't used them since......!


Ahh well! The clue is in the word 'challenge'! LOL!


So, I dug out the coloured pencils I bought from e-bay (...they didn't even need sharpening which is just as well as I don't have a big sharpener...!) and came up with this.

 To colour my lovely Mo Manning image I used 'Lyra Skin Tones' and 'Staedtler Noris Club' and 'Sansodor' with paper stubbies.


The flowers are Prima and pound shop and the image mount was hand-cut in 'Astrolux' in a peach/apricot shade and distressed and shaded with Tim Holtz inkpad 'Walnut Stain'.


Once I got my head around it, I quite enjoyed it and will use them again.


What a shame, being on the DT,  I can't enter our challenge this week.
Our sponsor is only THE Derwent Pencil Company! And they're offering 12 INKTENSE pencils to the winner of our challenge this week! How fab is that!?

After you've had a look at my team-mates wonderful creations (...we've really done well with this this week...!)and entered our challenge, be sure to pop over to the Derwent site and enter their own competition too!

Bet you're glad you popped in now, aren't you!

Hugs

Ei

x

My First Project Demo for Top Tip Tuesday!

Today's my first day with Top Tip Tuesday and I'm chuffed to bits!


Having followed the blog since it started, I thought it was a fab concept - I've always liked the idea of passing tips and ideas on.


I've been seeing quite a few Valentines projects on the blogs and it gave me the idea to make some Chocolate Raspberry Ruffles for my Hubby (...he LOVES Raspberry Ruffles...!) and I needed a container, so I stole an idea from my pal Christa (..I've been awaiting an opportunity to use it! LOL!)  so I've altered a Dairylea Cheese Triangle box!


I haven't made the Ruffles yet, so there are chocolate batons in there for now.
Thank you Christa!


My team-mates have come up with some great ideas so do pop over to our blog at TTT and have a lickle look - you're bound to find some great inspiration!


Hugs
Ei
x

Crafty Cardmakers 37 - Red and a Die-cut

I'm back at Crafty Cardmakers!  They slipped up and let me back in! LOL!
I love this blog - my teamies are as mad as a box of frogs (...my being back proves that..!) and the projects are cool and our followers are (...for the most part...) brilliant!


For my first CCM project of the year, I've used my spanking new Tim Holtz 'dies - 'Baroque' and 'Fanciful Flight' to fit with our theme this week I Sooo enjoyed making this!

Black base-card, Tim Holtz 'Baroque' and 'Fanciful Flight' dies in black. Backing paper is K&Co from the Mega pad. Butterfly paper is Brenda Pinnock and the motto is from K&Co Mega Pad.

I also tinted the butterfly's wing segments a little with my Copic pen.


We have a great line-up of sponsors over at CCM this year starting with This one! One Stop Cards and Crafts are offering a generous £10.00 voucher to the winning entry this week.

So what's stopping you? Get over there and put in a fab entry! NOW!


Hugs
Ei
x

Happy New Year Folks!

Well, it's here! 2011.  And I hope it's a sight better than 2010!


I'm not going to moan about the rotten bug I've had 'cos everyone seems to have had something like it and it'll be gone soon enough - hopefully!


Bev's decided to stay working until the end of January (...provided the baby stays where he is that is...I'm not so sure she'll go that long...!) so I still have Ada until then and afterwards, the new baby, Tobias, too, although Bev's maternity leave should give me a well-deserved (...and much needed...) break!


I'll then have about eight months almost to myself and hope to get some writing done and perhaps jam a course in!


Something tells me it's not going to be that simple......


I didn't get many Christmas cards made this year due to lack of time but since New Year (...two days yet...!) I've been making some jewellery and repairing some broken brooches.


I have a Malachite and silver ring I bought last year but didn't have anything to go with it so when I saw these Malachite tiger's eye beads I snapped them up and then, coincidentally, found a necklace in a car-boot sale with beads that looked very like the other stone on the ring - Adventurine - so having a few days to myself between Christmas & New Year, put them together with some silver findings I had in my box including the Tibetan Silver bales and spacers. The ear-wires ans findings are all Sterling Silver.

This is the entire set I made. There's a necklace, two removable and therefore switchable pendants, a bracelet, and two pairs of earrings - a bigger pair for the necklace and a smaller, simpler pair for the chain & pendant.


I'm very pleased with it as it has a sort of antique, almost Baroque type feel to it.

Pendant 1

Pendant 2

Earrings 1

Earrings 2

Bracelet

I've attached the two pendants to silver lobster-claws so they can be attached to the necklace as enhancers or to the bracelet or to the silver chain or the necklace and bracelet can be worn with either or none or a different silver charm if preferred.






Another set I made was this simple silver and blue/white/crystal stone set.

Pendant

Earrings

The bale I've used on the pendant is the type which can be used on ribbon or a thong and also the on-trend snake chains currently used on Pandora jewellery.


The photos are giving the metal a bit of a gilded look which isn't there - electric light I'm afraid! All the findings and metal in my jewellery are sterling silver unless otherwise stated, such as the Tibetan Silver bales and the spacers on the Baroque set.


I made this set for my lovely Sister-in-Law Barbara who I don't see enough of but hope she will like this set, made especially for her.


I'm hoping to get back to my places on Crafty CardMakers and my new appointment at Top Tip Tuesday in the next week or so and you've no idea how much I am looking forward to it too!


My crafting has taken, not so much of a back seat as not actually been on the bus at all in the last few weeks!  Puppies don't allow you to ignore them for too long - and neither do grandchildren!  I BOUGHT Christmas cards for God's sake....! (...please don't tell anyone - I'll never live it down...!) 


Fortunately, I had a handful made which went to VERY special people, so if you got one, count yourself very special indeedy!


Hope you like them!
Hugs
Ei
x