Steampunk Junkies! -Challenge 1 - Flight

Well, it's here! My first duty on Steampunk Junkies' Design Team!

They're an amazing bunch of ladies - really fun and laid back but with lots of good energy too. Do pop over and check out all their blogs because we are all so very different in our styles!

This is going to be somewhat of a challenge to me...! I love Steampunk but find it hard to make original ideas in keeping with the true nature of Steampunk. It's more than just buying some paper the manufacturer TELLS you is Steampunk - it has to feel right too and that's where I'm a little afraid of coming unstuck!

I've made a few 'Steampunk' esque projects and each has been harder to me than your normal flouncy flowery card with a coloured image on it - I can knock those out by the dozen and will usually make a decent fist of it. Not so the 'Steampunk' style - it's so easy to get wrong...!

Anyway, here's my first contribution to the new and improved Steampunk 
Junkies blog!

Steampunk Copper-Covered Phone Case                    

It was quite hard to photograph because of the reflection on the copper cover.

I cut out a piece of thin copper metal to fit the phone case and passed it through my BigShot in a Sizzix embossing folder.

The metal was then trimmed and bent round the case and an aperture cut for the camera lens and I used a ribbon-punch to cut out two 'vents' for the microphone. 

That done, I then glued it to the case with E600 clear glue and clamped it with elastic bands in a Spanish Windlass style. I also employed a couple of clothes pegs!

Once that was relatively secure, I adhered a metal-look trim around the outside edge to preclude any sharp edges or corners.

The next step was to adhere embellishments such as the birds and a butterfly (as these are beings of flight) a few feathers and time-piece cogs (well, time flies, doesn't it...? LOL!) and finished off with a cheeky witch on a broomstick.  All adhered with E600. I then used Pinflair glue-gel to adhere the copper beads as it needed a fine nozzle.

To complete, I used some bronze and black metal-wax into the recesses and polished off the contours.

My husband has already told me he won't be using this particular 'skin'....  I wonder why not...?

LOL!

Pop over to the blog and join in the challenge!

Hugs Ei x

Spellbinder Notecase

I've bought a few Spellbinders recently - some really pretty designs have been forthcoming lately - and one of the sets I bought was this one - Layered Elegant Swirl from Heartfelt Creations.

I awaited it with great anticipation - I'm a great admirer of the versatility of Spellbinders dies - you can do so much with them....except this one.

I was so disappointed, it's hard to overstate the case.  This is what you get.

Now, they top 'arch is one piece and cuts out to a pretty, filigree arch. No prob with that - just how it looks on the tin - as long as you use it on the edge of your card or are prepared to use a knife to remove it from the card from which you just cut it.... The cutting edge doesn't join up.

The other pieces are also part of a jigsaw.  The two swirls are mirror images of the same thing - nice idea so you can put them on opposite corners but they aren't designed to cut out in a piece - the ends don't 'join up', so they make a kind of fancy flap.   

I had to go hunt down a video to see how they're meant to work as none of them join up. 

I found just two. Heartfelt Creations own and a re-do of the HC one by another crafter. The SAME project.

So, I did more digging and also e-mailed Heartfelt creations who sent me a reply telling me to look in their own gallery which I already had done and found....the same project.  True, a couple of peeps had used the arch bit as a kind of background - like a doily - but you know, I already have doily dies and they didn't cost me £24.00!   Very expensive for a one-trick pony in my book!

I was cross and did consider returning it (and could have as the packaging gives the impression of individual dies) but I decided to keep it to see if I could make it do other tricks.  So far - nada! But I will keep trying as refuse to be beaten by a stoopid die.

My other bugbear with it is that it could have been outstanding if they had just included the outline dies complete, so you could cut panels to paste the filigree bits onto in a different colour, making layers - how great would that have been? And that too would have explained the exorbitant price.

It makes, in its intended state, just one card  8" x 4.75" max - oh and you need a Calibur or a Pro if you want to cut it out in one without folding any of the card before cutting or trim your A4 card first.

The project is undoubtedly pretty  (I made it into a notecase set with a bellyband and a little card holder inside) but £24.00 worth...not in my book.
For that money I would have expected more versatility.

My advice to anyone taking a fancy to this die set would be to watch the video first as not everyone would be happy with it. It's quite fiddly and less experienced crafters might well have their confidence knocked by it.

(No doubt by now you more than likely can get this set for a lot less on e-bay but it wasn't available there at the time any cheaper than I got it.)

My main beefs a though were:
a)  The packaging gives the impression of individual stand-alone dies - they're not. Which means..

b)  Not versatile at all. One-trick pony. None of which would matter if it wasn't ...

c) Too expensive! Which it wouldn't be if....

d) there were extra outline dies.

I like the project I made with it well enough (with other dies added - the heart, the plaque and the top flourish) but how many times would you use this particular project?  Fine if you've a wedding or invites to make but it would take you ages to cut a lot of them.

Verdict :- Pretty set but limited use and too expensive as it is.

Hugs Ei x

First colouring for ages and a new DT...!

Been doing far more stash shuffling than actual crafting just lately and I'm feeling fidgetty!

Got some colouring done today, at last - the first since I went into hospital - not made anything with them yet - not entirely happy with Lavinia in particular. I'm still short of a lot of Sketch markers and had to fill the gaps with Trias, which I'm not so comfortable with - the barrels are nothing like how the colours look on the page to me.

This was also scanned and so not a kind way of reproducing colours - they do look better in 'the flesh' so to speak.

Perhaps I'll try a photo tomorrow....or do them again....! LOL!



I'd better pull my socks up either way as I've been asked to join a DT!  Eeek!
Steampunk Junkies were misguided enough to come find me and are re-launching the new blog on 1st March.  

They're a great bunch of girls - very laid back and fun-loving and I'm really looking forward to it.

They're still putting out a further DT call so if you're interested, go have a look!


Hugs Ei x

My Hubby's Valentine card

I'm feeling so much better and recovering really well from my surgery now and it's lovely to have some time to craft when I don't feel guilty..! LOL!

It's a box-card (or frame-card depending on where you learned it) and I've used my distress inks, Brilliance inkpads and some heart stamps to make the pattern on the base card.

I've used a little heart-shaped box that my gorgeous lickle granddaughter Ada bought for me with choccies in last year. I've adhered it into the inside and will fill it with home-made choccie sweeties tonight (sshhh...! Don't tell Nic!).

I had horrendous trouble trying to make this card as Nic was up and down every couple of minutes to see if I was okay (...such a sweetie!) so I had to keep whipping it under my worktop so he wouldn't see it!  Then it was almost impossible to photo as the Mirri was a nightmare!  But I got there in the end...!

Hope he likes it!
Hugs
Ei
x

This is entered into the following challenges:-

http://celebratetheoccasion.blogspot.co.uk/
http://diecuttindivas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/challenge-102-color.html
http://toptiptuesday.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/let-me-call-you-sweetheart.html
http://www.craftyourpassionchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/challenge-149-my-valentine.html

Eiglas February Sketch

I co-host a monthly Sketch Challenge on Trimcraft and I've decided to start uploading them to here as well - someone might find them interesting if their mojo has gone AWOL...! LOL!

My co host and I take turns and this month it's my turn again.

For this Sketch I made this demo card......

I hope this inspires some creativity as I am thinking of offering a small prize next month. I would this month but I'll have to remember my 'random org' pasword first! LOL!

Hugs Ei x

My gorgeous lickle Toby's 2nd Birthday...!

My super lickle grandson Tobias was two on Friday for which he had a lickle family tea at his home and then he had a 'public' one on Saturday for the peasants like me and his Granddad...! LOL!

We all went to the local 'soft-play' ( ball-pools and padded climbing equipment etc) and then he had an 'audience' with his aunts and uncles and me and Granddad at our house, so it was a busy day!

Toby is 'Mike the Knight' mad!  So we bought him some 'Mike the Knight' dress-up stuff for him and I made this card to fit the theme. I did actually add a few bits after I photo'd it - a bit of gold metal trim,a bit like the trim on the badges but real moulded stuff. It set it off well!

I drew the figures from pics on the net and on the dvd cover we have and coloured them with my Copics. I confess to cheating a bit with the background as it's a 'swatch' I made on my Paint-Shop Pro program! I wouldn't waste my Copic ink on such a large area unless it was for a real artwork.

The card is a biggie - 21cm x 21cm and I made the badges up with pics I printed off the net (probably norty but I just spent a fortune on their merchandise so I do feel justified as it's only for Toby - I'm not selling them).

Toblerone was delighted with his haul, especially the shield which opens up to a mini-laptop and has a mini-game console inside which plays the tunes from the show and asks questions.

A good day was had by all!

Hugs
Ei
x

Altered Art Dictionary Page

One of the Facebook craft groups I've joined is Altered Art Dictionary.
The idea is you acquire an old dictionary (mine came from Oxfam) and select words to illustrate with drawings, mixed media, stamps etc.

It's taken me ages because a) I couldn't source an old dictionary I could bring myself to desecrate and b) I had some trouble 'seeing' what I could do.

However, I managed it in the end and for a first attempt it's okay. When I get a bit more recovered from my op, I'll probably do more to it but I'm not yet well enough to excavate my studio for embellies!

Hopefully, I'll improve as I get used to the idea!

Hugs Ei x