Crafty CardMakers - Spotlight on Digital Images Plus

We have a different kind of 'Spotlight' this week on CCM - this week we're going digital!


Many of us crafters use digital images and most of us have got the hang of printing off and colouring in so we thought we'd make this week's digital'Spotlight' technique a step up and use multiple digis and 'merge' them.

There is an easy to follow and effective tutorial by our very own Vix on merging digi images.

The Tut is here on our Crafty Cardmakers Blog if you'd like to follow her very fab instructions.

It's not as hard as it sounds, but you do need a basic graphics program to do it with and a free one is Paint.Net which I believe is very easy to use. I use Paint Shop Pro myself.


For my project, I used my own Eiglas Haunted House and merged that image with my friend HopeJacare's Tatty Cat.

I then decoupaged this image about four times and coloured them with my Copics . Next I layered parts of the image and mounted the resulting form onto a deep blue pearlescent card. I made a little 'cardboard box' for the cat to sit on and to act as a 'stop' for the easel and the 'gravestones' are just shapes cut from inked up card using my 'Mountain Meadow' Big and Juicy inkpad and a sponge!

To finish off, I cut out a couple of 'ghosts' from white card and adhered them with 3d foam and painted the moon with a little 'Cosmic Shimmer' mica dust in 'Tropic Pearl'.


I admit to a certain amount of artistic license as with a moon as big and bright as that one, it would be pitch black at the front of the house! LOL!


You really need to pop over to Crafty CardMakers to have a look at my teamie's fab projects - we have a very special Guest Designer this week too - and get some inspiration for your own entry!




I'm entering this card into the C.R.A.F.T weekly challenge which is 'Spooky' and Crazy 4 Challenges which is Halloween.!
I'm part sponsoring this week too with a tasty digital prize!
Hugs
Ei
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Crafty Cardmakers 32 - Use a freebie!

I really wasn't looking forward to this week as most freebies I don't find to my taste but I had great fun making this card!!


Everything is a freebie!  From the packaging base cardstock, the freebie American Crafts backing paper from a magazine, the freebie scalloped handmade paper circle from a friend, the butterflies are from some cut-offs from my daughter's wallpaper, the message from a freebie sticker sheet and even the black ribbons were on the top I'm wearing until five minutes before I took the photo! The buttons are from my Mum's button-box. The only 'new' thing I used was the Pinflair gel glue sticking everything together and even that was the dregs of the tube!
Great fun - you really must try it! Be as inventive as you can! Try drinks cartons, biscuit boxes....anything at all, the more outlandish the better.


Then pop over to Crafty CardMakers and enter into our challenge for a fab prize!

Hugs

Ei

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This month's 99c digi at StitchyBear Stamps - Eiglas 'Snowfamily'

My 'Snowfamily' is a bargain  of bargains! 
I have seven different stamps in this collection in three different formats and it's on 'special offer' for 99c!  You don't need to steal my digis at this price!

There are more bargains to be had as well as a fantastic offer for a Christmas Collaboration pack with items from all the designers at StitchyBear absolutely free with a spend of only $10.00 (...£6.25...!!) !! Ridiculous!


Pop over there - you won't be disappointed!
Hugs
Ei
xhttp://stitchybearstamps.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_89&products_id=1755

CRAFT 72 - Colour Challenge

Jo over at CRAFT asked me if I wouldn't mind doing the odd GDT spot and so as they're using one of my colour swatches this week I thought it might be a good week to join in the fun!

It's a terrible photo, which I apologize for and will try to replace in daylight tomorrow - I lost the light today and had to do it under elec light and flash - bad news for photos I'm afraid!


The colour pallette and papers are my own Eiglas ones - called 'Ovation' and the image is by the uber-talented Mo Manning, of course, of The Digital Pencil, coloured with my trusty Copics.
I hope you pop over to CRAFT and have a look at the lovely work produced by the team.
Hugs
Ei
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Crafty Cardmakers - Spotlight on Fancy Folds

This week at CraftyCardMakers we're folding stuff!
For my project, I've prepared a very simple Origami box, which could be used for lots of storage ideas, depending on the material you use.


I've used an A4 sheet of lightweight card which is patterned on one side. I've done that deliberately as I think you'll follow the instructions better if there is a plain white side too.

My box is a fairly shallow shape but it's really easy to alter it to suit.


Here's my diagram....

....and here are my photos, which I hope you'll follow okay!

1) Have your card wrong side up and gauge the centre. Mark it faintly lengthwise with a pencil if this helps.

2) Fold the sides into the middle and crease the fold firmly - use a bone-folder if you have one.

3)  Fold about 1cm back along each edge and crease firmly

 4) Fold each of the corners back so they fit snugly along the crease of the 1cm fold UNDER the fold-back..

5) Fold the ends in to the depth of the 'wings' 

6) Pull the sides out and the ends will 'pop' up!

The finished box!

This box can be made any size and can be made square as well as rectangular.
A lid can be made to fit by either:-
A) Cutting another piece of card 0.5 cm larger on one long side and one short side
or (if using A4)
B) Cut down another A4 by 0.5 cm on one long side and one short side
 making this up as the bottom box of the two !


Also a handle could be made to create a basket. The possibilities are myriad.


Hope you like it!
Hugs
Ei
x

My Halloween card.....

I finally made my card with my skyclad witch Nimue (...last week - I've had no time at all this week...!) and here it is.  I have entered this card into The Creative Cottage Challenge as the theme is 'Halloween'!

Nimue was born when her mother, Tatiana, one of the 'faerie' folk fell in love with a mortal man, a Druid by the name of Einion and took him to Faerie to live for a year and a day.
Despite warnings, and against his own desires to stay in the idyll with Tataiana, Einion left Faerie as he knew his help was needed to repel the Roman army that was marching on his homeland.
He was never to see Tatiana again but his daughter came to find him years later. This was Nimue, a witch of, eventually, great power.

Sadly, the year and a day in Faerie was ten years in the outside world and Einion was not the young, vibrant Druid he's been before his stay in Faerie.  As history shows, the Romans ravaged the Isle of Mon (Anglesey) and burnt all the hallowed groves that were sacred to the  Druids and the 'fair folk'.

One former 'Druid' who it was later proved had betrayed the Druids to the Romans for money and postion was incarcerated within one of the few hollow oaks left on the island and left to die.

Nimue was hand drawn in pen and ink then transformed into a digital image which is on sale at StitchyBear Stamps  for very few pennies!  

I coloured her with my trusty Copics and decoupaged her and mounted her on the deep blue pearlescent card you see in her background. Her stardust trail is actually Ice Stickles in crystal and silver and I sacificed a blusher-brush for the 'besom' she's riding!

The background papers are K&Co and Laura Ashley and all those little 'brads' are Card-Candy, which come in hundreds in cool little boxes within another cool box!

I'm offering this card to the first FOLLOWER to ask for it, so it should be in time for Halloween/Shadowfest.   State if you want me to write it to you or leave it blank for passing on.  Or I could do both!

Hugs

Ei

x

Welcome Frankie!

As well as six puppies, we also welcome into the world baby Frankie McGivern, my son-in-law's nephew.
Took his time to arrive - I felt for his poor lickle Mummy,  Jennifer- and was over TEN POUNDS in weight! For a first baby that's a bruiser, isn't it?! LOL!


Here's the card I made for his parents.

It's a 21 cm squ white hammered base cardstock decorated with a K&Co (I think!) blue patterned paper a blue satin ribbon and blue Prima Blooms.


The image is my own drawing ( 'Baby Benjamin' on sale at Stitchybear Stamps) coloured with my trusty Copics and mounted on white glitter card from DCWV.


I finished it off with an organza ribbon and a couple of metal baby charms.


The name lozenge is stamped with my own Eiglas alphabet clear stamps in French Script.


I'm entering this for 'Craft Your Days Away' challenge, which is  a Babies theme.


Hope you all like it! I especially like this image as it's one I did of my number two son, Michael, back in 1977 when he was about a month old.


Hugs
Ei
x

New Babies.....!

My lickle Charlie and my daughter's lickle Izzy became parents of six lickle mini-charlie/Izzies yesterday morning between 3:00am anmd 6:00am and they are so adorable!

.....and finally, the exhausted father.......!

Now all I have to do is pick a pup! Now that ain't going to be as easy as you might think...! LOL!

Hugs

Ei

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