C.R.A.F.T 48 - Shaped Cards

Although I have 'made stuff' all my life, from clothes to paintings to making menus for bistros to the side of a fleet of vehicles for a friend's business, I started crafting in the modern sense in about 2001/2.

It wasn't long before I was rubber stamping and I found the stamps available didn't suit my needs so I went about finding out how to make them myself.

I've also drawn stuff all my life so some of my old drawings became rubber stamps and although the term 'digistamps' had yet to be coined, I did use my drawings in that way too way back then!

The card I've made for this week's C.R.A.F.T is from one of those old drawings.

My children, when they were very small, had the loan of a friend's rocking-horse her own children had outgrown and that was the basis of my drawing and subsequent rubber stamps.


There isn't much in the way of materials or method really!

I used my digistamp version on white card and coloured it with my Copics then decoupaged. A touch of Stickles and - voila!

To be honest, I could have done more to the card, had I had a little more time but I've had Ada overnight this week so my spare time has been eaten into!

Hope you like Dobbin - I have others, once I can get into my old hard-drive!
Hugs,
Ei
x

Eiglas Blogaversary Candy Winners!

I have a conundrum! I have only five entries and they all deserve to win, for different reasons!

The lovely Shirley, entered no less than three lovely images of my digis, coloured vibrantly and beautifully so she deserves a prize.

Eiyiyi (the other Eileen) created a wonderful card with one of my digis - really beautiful as did my fellow Trimmie C - such a talented lady! - so they both deserve a prize.

Andie and Sue both did as I asked and told me why they wanted it and featured my candy on their blogs so even though they didn't come up with a card, they both deserve a prize!

So, the decision I have come to, (...with a little help as I am, after all, a Libran...!) is everyone is going to get something! I can't choose between a small group of my crafting pals - it's not decent! LOL

So, if everyone who entered would please e-mail me with their preference (stash or digis) I will endeavour to get your prizes out in the next few days!

I think the main prize HAS to go to Shirley! THREE entries! And so immediate too! But worry not the rest of you - I have more!

Hope this suits everyone!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Colour Create 43 - Burnt Orange, Black and Cream

This is my last week in the post of Gueat Designer for Colour Create and I would like to say how much I have loved being a part of such a lovely team.

The set colours have been lovely to work with, the inspirational pictures being just that - inspirational and the demo's from my team-mates have been nothing short of amazing!

Thank you so much to the team for giving me this opportunity and oi hope you'll ask me back some time!

This week, our colour pallette is Burnt Orange, Black and Cream - sounds like one of my mother's culinary adventures! LOL! - only kidding - it's an amazing combination which I enjoyed using and will do so again!

I made this journal for my gorgeous Daughter-in-Law Dani for her birthday and she loved it.

I hope you all will like it too and will pop over to Colour Create to have a gander at the team's demo cards and also their personal blogs which harbour such talent as has to be seen!

Thank you for looking!

Hugs,

Ei

x

C.R.A.F.T 47 - Pink & Brown

My project this week is using a collection of digi-stamps from Stamping Dragon at 'Stitchy-Bear Stamps' and it's called 'Clock-Faces'.

You get a generous collection of images (six images with three different formats for each) for your pennies and they're produced in a high-resolution format so can be enlarged without the pixillation common in some lesser-quality brands.

It's a hybrid format I've used as the image mat is in digi format, using a digital background paper in soft antique browns with the clock images placed on top. Then I've 'buttonized' the image before printing, giving a kind of 'distressed edge.

This I have matted with 3D Foam squares onto a 21cm square Bazzill Bling in Shell Pink.

The rest is just as easy. The dots around the outside of the image-mat and the centre of each clock-face are just little dots of Stickles. It gives a lovely effect on the photo paper because the solvent in the Stickles melts the ink on the paper a little bit and so causes a 'pool' effect in the ink around each dot.

Finally, the ubiquitous flowers, which I've highlighted, here and there, with Stickles!

Hope you like it!

I've also entered this into the 'One Stitch at a Time' challenge which has a theme of 'Flowers'!
I've not seen this challenge blog before and it's fab! Do pop over there!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Recycle your old Bras for charity!

Yes, you are seeing correctly!
I was navigating to a toilet-roll tube tutorial recommended by Cardmadfairy and the lady who owns the blog, Annie, had a story to tell about her lovely Hubby who had been in an horrific motorcycle accident and had only suvived due to the work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Well, Annie wanted to help and perhaps give a little back so she and her family have been fundraising and have got a brilliant £1300 for the YAA but now, she has found out that the YAA want our old bras!

Here's the link to her post - go read it. It won't take a minute - it's only short - but it's amazing what you can do with an old bra!

I think she's marvellous!
Hugs,
Ei
x

Eiglas Blogaversary Candy

It's Eiglas' blogaversary tomorrow! It's also my Ada's second birthday so a very special day indeed!

I can't let it pass without a lickle challenge to mark the occasion, so I've put some lickle bits and bobs into a box, most of which you can see in the photo but there will be extras that are not in the photo and I'm not telling what they are! LOL!





The only way to find out what's in the box apart from :
10 x gorgeous '12 by 12' scrap papers by Jennifer O'Meara
3 x DCWV 12" x 12" pink scrap papers (not visible in photo)
5 x Calligraphy pens in red, blue, brown, purple and green
2 x small scissors in a set (nail scissors really but they're perfect for decoupage!)
1 x pack of quilling papers in red yellow & green
1 x pack of paper flower shapes
1 x Dovecraft scoreboard
1 x pack of 10 die-cut aperture Christmas cards in cream

...is to enter the challenge!

Due to postage costs, I'm afraid the candy is only available in UK.
If anyone outside the UK feesl a bit left out, then don't because I'm offering you an exclusive digistamp instead! Indeed, if anyone in the UK would prefer the digistamp to the candy, just say and that's cool too!


Dave's Fairy

This is the digi.

She's called Dave's Fairy because I drew her especially for a friend who makes the most wonderful stained glass creations. He wanted to make a fairy and asked me where to get one from so I drew this one for him.

That's why she's a bit devoid of detail because when making in glass, you don't want to be doing separate toes and fingers etc!. But she does give you plenty of leeway for your Copics or Pro-Markers for this reason.

Now for the challenge.
I'd love you to tell me why you want the candy. If you post the pic of my candy on to your sidebar that would be fab and link it back to this post.
That's the usual candy instruction and easy peasy! But before you link that comment, there's another bit! LOL!

I have two more digistamps which I'm posting here free for anyone who wants them.
They are the drawings of the very first clear stamps I made back in 2003. The are called Batik Dahlia and Batic Tulip and I would love to see what projects you come up with using them!
When you comment, I'd love you to link back to the project you make with either of these digis via Mr Linky.




Here's my sample card for 'Dahlia'


I'll do one for 'Tulip' when I get a mo.

To 'snag' them, if you don't know, just click on them to make them full size then right click and 'save image' to somewhere on your pc. They're a good resolution ( when making stamps they have to be) so you could print them out most useful sizes.

You may use these images in any way you care to but I would ask if you do publish them anywhere, if you would give a small credit to Eiglas. Just something like 'Batik Dahlia image by Eiglas' or something!

Look forward to seeing your creations and sending off the candy!





Hugs,
Ei
x

C.R.A.F.T 46 - Eisketch

This week on C.R.A.F.T. we have another sketch from yours truly. Now, I've been told it looks a bit scary, but really, it's not, I promise! Here it is.



You can use any colours and materials and you can rotate the sketch provided you have a triangle and a circle in the juxtaposition shown. So there! It's not a bit scary! LOL!

Over on C.R.A.F.T, our fab DT have made some beautiful sample cards using the sketch and you really do need to have a shufti at their personal blogs - they really are talented ladies and I'm proud to be one of them.

What's more there's a fab prize of a Cosmo Cricket paper stack for one lucky C.R.A.F.T.E.E!

Here's my effort anyway. Because I've done so much cutesy pastel-style stuff recently, I fancied a real change so I've gone for a folk-art style.



Materials
1 x 21cm square natural card
1 x 23cm triangle of hessian
1 scalloped circle of card in cream
1 scalloped circle of card in brown
Skein of wool thread
1 x large felt flower
1 x small felt flower
5 x medium paper flowers
6 small wooden beads
Red-Brown inkpad (I used Tim Holtz Rusty Hinge) for distressing
Dk brown inkpad
Scroll-y stamps (mine are form an Chinese set)
Adhesives of choice
Couple of photocorners if liked

Method
As usual, I don't do very complicated projects, so it's just as you see!

1) Distress the edges of the square cardstock with the red-brown inkpad.
2) Stamp the scroll stamps to the outside corners and odd small scrolls randomly
3) Sew chain-stitch down two adjoining edges of the hessian
4) Adhere the hessian to the card
5) Using 3d foam adhere the brown circle, then using 3d foam mat the cream one on the brown one
6) Using a dark cream or light brown chalk, chalk the edges of the cream circle.
7) Adhere the flowers in position then the beads

Job done!
Why not pop over to C.R.A.F.T and enter your project - you might win the Cosmo Cricket stash!


And check back here tomorrow evening as it's my blogaversary on Friday and I'm marking the occasion with some lovely candy! Not only that but it's also my Ada's second birthday too so it will be worth visiting for!

Hugs,
Ei
x
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Colour Create 42 - Lilac, Grey & White

I thoroughly enjoyed making this project for Colour Create! I just adore this colour combination of Lilac, Grey & White (inspiration piccie inmy sidebar) and had just received that lovely bunch of hyacinths from my darling DIL so it seemed appropriate to include them!
You really need to pop over to the Colour Create Challenge Blog - the demo cards are wonderful and you won't regret also popping over to the DT's blogs for a quick look-see as they're really talented girls and their blogs are an inspiration!

Materials

1 x A4 white card
1 12 x 12 sheet of patterned paper (mine is K&Co)
1 x A4 DS Pearlescent paper (I used Stardream) in lilac
1 7 x 5 cm scrap of white card
1 7 x 5 cm scrap of lilac gingham vellum
1 x 11 x 6.5 cm scrap of dull silver grey card for tag
1 x mtr of lilac satin ribbon for handles
Selection of paper flowers to taste
Adhesives to taste.

Method

I just made it up as I went along really!

1) Take your white card and score a panel of approx 6cm right across the middle. Fold the 'leaves' inwards and this 'U' shaped card is your basis.

2) Cut two 8cm x 21 cm strips of your pearlescent paper and fold each lengthwise down the middle forming a valley. Then score & fold back on themselves, approx 1 cm in from edges forming two 'mountains'.

3) Fold a 'hem at the end of each of approx 2 cm ensuring the deeper 'valley' points inwards into the bag.

4) Using ds tape on all three sides adhere these to the 'U'shaped white card forming a 'gusset'.

5) Using your ribbon, first make two small bows for the embellishments, then cut in two equal lengths.

6) Adherethese lengths carfully to the exposed DS tape on the sides of the gussets to make handles.

7) Using your deep punch (I used a Martha Stewart punch) and your Stardream paper, make two borders, one for each side of the bag. Adhere with adhesive of choice (I used my Xyron).

8) Take your patterned paper and cut two pieces approx 8cm deep and edge with your narrower punch.

9) Chalk or ink around all four edges lightly to add dimension.

10) Adhere these to sides of bag, slightly overlapping the Stardream border

11) Make your tag with the silver, white and gingham scraps. (The gingham goes over the white to enhance it).

12) Using your flowers and some silicon or pinflair glue, create a mound of fllowers and leaves to the left of the front of your bag I used about 12 flowers plus berries and leaves.

13)When you're happy with that, stick TWO 3d squaers together making a high 3-4 mm pile and adhere to the far end of your tag. Tuck the 'sharp' end of your tag under your flower mound. Add a couple of flowers to the tag.

14) Finally, add your two satin bows to the ends of the ribbon handles on the front of the bag.






Hope you all like it!

Hugs,
Ei
x

C.R.A.F.T 45 - Buttons!

This week at C.R.A.F.T we have it all buttoned up! LOL!
We were asked to make a project and include buttons somewhere.

Our lovely sponsor this week, who is supplying a super and appropriate prize of a big pile of ..............

..................................BUTTONS!

is the uber-talented HopeJacare who is not only a fab artist but I'm proud to count her as a team-mate and a blogging-pal too.

AKA Claire, she is such a lovely lady - nothing is too much trouble and I've never heard a bad word from her for anyone - she is a genuine and loyal lass.

I do, however, dislike one thing about her fiercely. She's a better bloomin' doodler than me! Yeah! So you understand....hmmmm... And if you don't understand, take a butcher's at the doodle on my card - it's one of hers.....yeah! yeah! Just TOO bloomin' good, isn't it? Makes me ill, she does.... I just HAD to have it, didn't I?



You really DO need to have a look at her shop - she really does have some gorgeous 'doodles'. I love this one but her 'Dandelion' is really fab coloured up and that wonderful chicken.... the detail in it! I'll be back over there after to buy another couple.....

There are a couple of fab birdies too and the thing I love about her style is that there is something for everyone - it's not all big-eyed girls and puppies, although there are certainly some cute images there - there are some very beautiful drawings. Just think what you could do with them and your Copics or your Marvy pens.


Materials
I used :-

1 x 21cm square white cardstock
1 x 12" sheet of DCWV from the pink 'Spring' collection
4 x star-shaped buttons and some thread to tie through the holes.
1 large -ish scrap of double-sided pearlescent paper such as Stardream
1 x 14.5 cm x 10cm dark puce Bazzill Bling for a mat.
1 x 14.5 cm x 10 cm yellow Bazzill Bling for 'shadow' mat
Choice of embellishments - mine are plastic trailing ivy leaves
4 x 21cm strips of puce paper lace trim
Dusky pink chalk for distressing
3D foam squares and adhesive of choice
1 x image, stamped and coloured. I used HopeJacare's 'Birdhouse' and coloured it with Copics and Sakura 'Stardust' or 'Tiara' pens and a waterbrush.

Method
Not much method to speak of!
The DCWV paper is so colourful & lively, there wasn't much else for me to do!

1) Chalk up the two side edges of your patterned paper and adhere it to your cardstock but bend back the top left hand corner approx 7 cms first.
2) Cut two 7cm squares, one of the patterned paper and one of the pearlescent paper.
3) Punch four 8cm approx. strips of the pearlescent paper and leave approx 1cm blank strip at bottom.
4) Carefully adhere with ds tape or similar two of the punched strips to two adjacent edges of the pearlescent paper and trim to size. Tidy up the punched bit if required. Fold flat against the square.
5) Slip this square of paper under the edge of the turned back patterned paper and adhere to the top left hand corner of the cardstock. 'Fluff' the punched edge up a bit so it stands up a little
6) Take the patterned square and stick the other two punched strips along the two adjacent edges that will be adhered to the folded over corner to face it. Take care to get the pattern right. Adhere to face the blank corner and tuck the bottom in. Trim this if necessary.
7) Adhere the paper lace along the top, middle and bottom of the card to suit.
Puth this whole to one side for the moment.
8) Take your coloured image (Mine is 'Birdhouse' by HopeJacare) and chalk lightly round the edges with a mauvy-grey chalk. Adhere this image to the puce mat and adhere paper lace top and bottom.
9) Position yellow mat on an angle behind the image and puce mat and adhere it to the made up card to suit.
10) Using 3D squares, adhere the image and puce mat in place above the yellow mat.
11) Add your embellishments.
12) Adhere your stars with the thread tied through.

Job done!
Hope you like it!
Hugs,
Ei
x

My Baby Fairy

I just love Mo Manning's images ....just in case you hadn't gathered that by now LOL! I just wish I could keep up pace buying them as fast as she produces them! If I win the lottery I shall buy the lot! This lickle darling is one of Mo's Fairy Babies and her name is Flora. Just how gorgeous is she...?



I actually bought and coloured her a couple of weeks ago but wanted to save her for a special challenge and what could be more fitting than Mo's own challenge?!

I've had a job taking the photo today as it's been so overcast. Of course, now I've managed to get it posted, the sun has just come out! Typical!

Mo's DP2 25 is asking for a Mo image in pastels, so here it is and I think it's one of my favourites so far. There! I've finally said it! I won't usually admit to a favourite of Mo's but lickle Flora has to be up there....she reminds me so much of my Ada!

Materials

1 x 21cm squ gatefold card.
1 x A5 pastel mint green cardstock, textured with my Sizzix Texture plate
1 x A5 pastel lilac Stardream (pearlescent) cardstock
1 x sheet of Laura Ashley Fresh Linen and Jasmine drawer-liner (Spotty aqua)
1 x 10cm squ piece of aqua glitter card
1 x Stamped and coloured image (mine is Flora Baby Fairy by Mo Manning)
2 x strips of a contrasting patterned paper approx 3.0cm x 19.0 cm
3D foam squares and adhesives of choice
Punches (mine are Martha Stewart)
Scalloped scissors
Flowers of choice - mine are Le Blanche
Inkpads of choice for distressing.



Method

1)Scallop edges of lilac card and cut in half lengthwise. Ink up scalloped edges with lilac pad of choice.

2)Take the green card and use a corner punch on all four corners. I used a Martha stewart punch then cut off the filigree bits, remaking them in the Laura Ashley paper and adhering in.

3)Take the Laura Ashley paper and use a border punch down the edges then cut to size 3.0cm x 19cm. You need two of these. Now ink up the fancy edge.

4)With the remaining Laura Ashley paperand a border & corner punch, create a 13.5cm square mat with lacy edging and adhere to white card for strength.

Construction

a) Take your base card and trim the two open edges with scalloped scissors.

b) Take the two strips of the 2nd patterned paper and adhere approx 0.5cm in from scalloped open edges

c)Adhere the two Laura Ashley strips approx 0.5cm in from each folded edge.

d)Using 3D foam squares on the outside facing edge and ds tape on the other,
adhere the lilac card pieces on on each leaf with the scallop facing towards the outside edge.

e) Now adhere the green textured cards to the lilac cards with ds taps or sticky dots, ensuring the fancy corners are facing outwards.
That's your basic card done.

f) Now take your coloured image and adhere to the glittercard mat (I used glue gel so the glitter doesn't shed)

g) Adhere this whole to the fancy edges Laura Ashley and white card mat using 3D foam squares.

h) Take your DS tape and apply to the back of this mat on the left (facing you) side only alomg the outer edge. Apply another piece to the edge of the left hand leaf. Carefully offer the mat to the left leaf, ensuring you're placing it right in the middle of the whole card. It should stick only to the left hand (facing you) leaf.

i) Finish off with your embellishments/flowers. I used La Blanche flowers.

If liked decorate the inside of the card in similar mode. I made a mat with the Laura Ashley paper and my Martha Stewart Round the Page punches.

I deliberately didn't over-gussy this card as I didn't want to overpower the important feature - Flora.

Hope you like it!
Hugs,
Ei
x






..

Cato's Candy

The lovely Cato is very generously offering a brand new Tilda as candy on her blog.

All you have to do is become a follower, feature a short post on the candy and link it up.


No hardship there as Kate's blog is lovely and so is the new Magical Tilda on offer!


Isn't she precious? And beautifully as Kate has coloured and flittered her, can't you just see her in your own way? I can!

Pop over to Cato's blog and be in with a chance!
Hugs,
Ei
x

My Dani's Birthday card - Polkadoodles 13

It's my lovely DIL Dani's birthday on 12th April so I've made this card for her and as I got my inspiration for it from Polkadoodles, I thought I'd enter it there!

However, due to Blogger bu**ering about, I missed the deadline for the sketch, but happily, the following challenge is a Birthday theme!

I've not really been on Polkadoodles before but I really like the graphic style that seems to be prevelant there, well this week anyway! LOL!




I popped over there out of curiosity because my blogging pal and team-mate HopeJacare is a member there and I love the style of her work - it's very similar in character to that of Dani who, sadly, no longer has the time to follow the wonderful art she used to make.

It really is a tragedy that our children work through school and then college and if they're lucky Uni, with all kinds of aspirations (in Dani's case Art), they often do this against all odds if they're not from a well-heeled background, and end up starting their professional life with a huge debt around their necks.

Dani, despite being profoundly dyslexic, obtained a good degree from Liverpool Uni (....we have two you know...!) and is a very talented young woman but her enthusiasm for working freelance, became short-lived.

Her work was usually for one Council or another, often teaching people with disabilities, and her payment from the Councils was sporadic, to say the least! The number of times she was either paid very late or not at all was apalling and although we were always happy to lend them a few bob until she received her payment they couldn't organize their finances in this way.

So, she now works in a totally different field (still helping disadvantaged people) and cannot bear to do any art. She has destroyed all her work because she could not bear to look at it.

So sad.

I hope you like her card though!
Hugs,
Ei
x