Thursday 31 December 2020

AALL & Create: Be Beautiful

 

Hello!

It's my Guest DT post day at AALL & Create and today I am sharing a card that reminds me of warmer weather.

As we have had our shortest day, I am now looking forward to summer and some sunshine! That's wishful thinking at the moment, but we need our dreams!

I made this cute card, bursting with sunshine citrus colours, to cheer us up.


Janet Klein designed this #416 Be Beautiful stamp set. I added the bee hive from Tracy Evans' #330 Honeybee stamp set.


These chubby little bees make me smile!


I love how the background shows through the beehive which was coloured with Inktense pencils and a water brush.


How I made the card:

1. I applied Distress Oxides to the #116 Tres Fiori stencil, spritzed it with water, turned it over and used it as a stamp. You can get 2 or 3 prints from this one inked up stencil.

2. I used the #374 Reverse Hexagons stamp to add some background stamping in Fossilised Amber. I also used the same stamp and black ink to edge parts of the card. I used one of the #404 Visual Ingredients stamps as well in black.

3.  I stamped the girl and the 3 bees and sentiment, using Memento ink, from stamp set #416 Be Beautiful. I coloured with Copics and Polychromo pencils and fussy cut the elements. They were glued in place on the background
.
4. Next I stamped the beehive, from stamp set #330 Honeybee, directly onto the background card. I used Inktense pencils and a water brush to fill the hive with colour - what I like about this is that it lets the background show through.

5. The images were adhered to the background - the girl was grounded with #4 washi tape

6. Finally the edges of the background were inked with a blending brush and Fossilised Amber and then the edges were inked in black.

7. I mounted the background onto black, then yellow, then black card and placed it on a white card blank

Stamps Used:
#330 Honeybee - Tracy Evans
#374 Reverse Hexagons - Autour de Mwa
#404 Visual Ingredients - Janet Klein
#416 Be beautiful - Janet Klein

Stencil:
#116 Tres Fiori - Janet Klein

Washi Tape
#4 Autour de Mwa

To see the stamps, stencils and dies used, please visit
A list of stockists can be found here.

You'll find lots of inspiration on the 

That's all for now.
Thanks for stopping by today.
xoxo

I'd like to play along in these challenges:

Make My Monday #138 Inky Background 03/01
Crafty Sentiments #15 AG 04/01
TTCRD AG 05/01
The House That Stamps Built #23/20 AG 05/01
Lemon Shortbread #136 AG 11/01

Monday 28 December 2020

Vera Lane Studio: See Ya Later


 Hello!

I hope everyone had a joyful Christmas.

We are fast approaching the end of 2020 and it certainly has been a memorable year. I am looking forward to 2021 and wondering what it will bring.

Here is my Vera Lane Studio project - two ATCs featuring the See Ya Later characters. It only seems a few weeks ago that they were released, but it is probably a couple of months ago.


Aren't these alligators the best! We have a lady and a gent alligator both wearing footwear. The lady has a handbag and the gent has a watch and a bow tie. Both could wear a hat, if you like. They are fun and quirky and oh-so-cute!
I coloured the images with Copic markers and added white Posca pen highlights. A touch of Wink of Stella was applied to the lady alligator's eyelids and to the gent's watch. The background is smooshed Distress Oxides with stamped foliage that was distress glazed. Lots of Posca paint pen dots were added to represent wildflowers and the alligators were grounded with a torn strip of washi tape.




That's all for now.
I hope you'll come along and play on Vera Lane. It's such a friendly, fun place to be!
xoxo

I'd like to play along in these challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge €26 AG 30/12
MMM Challenge #138 Make Inky Background 02/12



Thursday 24 December 2020

AALL & Create: Pinecone Robin

 

Hello!

For this week's AALL & Create project, I have a Christmas light-up, mixed media canvas. 

I used the Pinecone and Flourish stamp sets for my focal images along with Grungy Alphabet for the sentiment and the Neurons stencil for some background texture..

 
My background is brayered paint with stamping using a stencil (#104 Nodules). Heat embossed snowflakes (#3Grungy Alphabet) and white paint splatters were added along with some lights:

 Dried twigs form the branches for the pinecones.  The robin is made from air dry clay. I sat him on a nest of moss: 


Die cut pine needle branches were made from card smooshed, dipped and dabbed in puddles of Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide. The pinecones were coloured with Inktense pencils then glazed with a mixture of Peeled Paint and Rustic Wilderness. Berries were made from polystyrene balls coloured with alcohol ink:


Alder cones, that I gathered on a walk, were given a light touch of white paint and mica flakes were sprinkled into the foliage for sparkle.


Process:
1. Brayer paint onto 300gsm card

2. Stamp the large pinecone and the small pinecone directly onto the background. Stamp several large and small pinecones and fussy cut them:

3. Stamp the bird into clay and cut out - leave to dry overnight.

4. Add some visual texture to the background by stamping with a stencil and cream paint.  Stamp out the letters for the sentiment. Use the star symbol tfrom Grungy Alphabet o heat emboss snowflakes. Pierce holes in the background along the branch and thread lights through. Add some white paint splatters.

5.  Colour the pine cones, crinkle to add shape and glaze with powders. Dye polystyrene balls with Red Pepper alcohol ink.

6. Colour 300gsm card with Distress Oxide and, when dry, die cut leaves. 

7. Paint the robin and add gilding wax. Assemble all pieces and add mica flakes or snow. 

8. Secure the card to canvas to hide the wires. Secure the on/off control switch to the base of the back of the canvas.

Stamps Used:
#269 Flourish 
#389 Pinecone
#397 Grungy Alphabet
all designed by Tracy Evans

Stencil Used:
#104 Neurons by Autour de Mwa

To see the stamps, stencils and dies used, please visit
A list of stockists can be found here.

You'll find lots of inspiration on the 

That's all for now.
Thanks for stopping by today.
xoxo

I'd like to play along in these challenges:

Crafty Creations #416 AG 30/12
A Bit More Time to Craft 130 AG 30/12
Corrosive Challenges Dec AG 31/12
Lets Craft and Create #166 AG 31/12
613 Avenue Create Dec AG 31/12 
A Place to Start Anything Vintage 03/01
Simon Says Stamp Wed Challenge Sparkle & Shine 06/01


Monday 21 December 2020

Vera Lane Studio: Treena and the Gift

 

Hello!

It is my Vera Lane Studio DT day once more and I have my final Christmas card to share.:


I used Treena and gave her a twin sister, in their cosy onesies, and coloured them with Copic markers. The present is from the Season's Greetings digi set. The background is 300 gsm card smooshed, dipped and dabbed into puddles of Distress Oxides in various shades of green (Cracked Pistachio, Evergreen Bough and Twisted Citron). Stamp set #60, Lacy Graffitti, from AALL & Create was heat embossed with white powder and some stamping using Janet's #404 Visual Ingredients stamp set with Evergreen Bough was added. White paint splatters and black ink around the edges finish off the background.
Treena and the gift were grounded with some washi tape. I chose a sentiment from the Merry digi set for this card and added it twice.

Treena                             Season's Greetings                   Merry

 

That's all for now.
I hope you'll come along and play on Vera Lane. It's such a friendly, fun place to be!
xoxo

I'd like to play along in these challenges:
Crafting Happiness #76 AG 26/12
613 Avenue Create Dec AG 31/12
MMM Challenge #138 Make Inky Background 02/12
Penny's Challenges #486 AG 06/01
Creative Inspirations Ho Ho Ho! 06/01

ArtsyStamper: Winter Florals

 Hello!

Happy Monday!

Today sees the start of a new challenge at the Artsystamper Challenge Blog
This, sadly, is the last Artsystamper challenge.

The theme for this challenge is Winter Is Coming.
The challenge runs for two weeks. 
I hope that you can find time to join in the fun!

The winner will receive the stamp set of their choice from TheArtsystamperShop. The Winner and Top 3 will receive a badge for their blog.
Beverly Cole’s selections offer stamps and sentiments in each set as well as pre-coloured images for easy, last minute cards. Why not take a moment and check out what she has in store!

The DT have used winter florals as the focal point of their projects this time. 
Here is mine:


I used the beautiful Amaryllis plant digi stamp in black and white so that I could colour it myself with Copic markers. I fussy cut the plant and added it to a stamped plant pot from #401 Containers by AALL & Create
The background is brayered PaperArtsy Chalk Fresco paints with white heat embossing using a beautiful stamp, #60 Lacy Graffitti, also from AALL & Create.



That's all for today! 
I hope you will hop on over to Artsystamper Digitals Challenge Blog and enter our challenge! You will also see more inspiring designs from the Artsystamper Addicts Design Team ... so much fun.

Although the challenges have finished, the ArtsyStamper digi shop is staying open and Beverly will still be sponsoring challenges.

Please check out:


Thank you for stopping by today!
 

I'd like to support the following challenges:

Crafting Happiness #76 AG 26/12
MMM Challenge #138 Make Inky Background 02/12
Penny's Challenges #486 AG 06/01



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Sunday 20 December 2020

Gecko Galz: Vintage Winter Skaters and Snowballing Shaker Tag

 

Hello!

The December customer challenge at Gecko Galz is Once Upon a Christmas. To me this conjures up images of Christmases gone by, so anything old fashioned or vintage is good for this challenge. You can check out the awesome creations made by all the DT on the Gecko Galz blog
We would love for you to join the challenge using  just one or more products from the Gecko Galz Etsy shop.

Here is what I made:


The skaters are from the Baby It's Cold Outside collage set - aren't they lovely! I teamed them with some sparkly teal card from my stash and the lovely Snowflake paper from Winter Wonderland. I added some white  lace and a die cut white poinsettia which i inked lightly along the edges in teal. I used alcohol inks to dye the small rock stones in the centre of the flower. Teal and glitter foliage was also cut along with the sentiment.


My next project is a shaker tag. 

 For this I used one of the icons from the Snow Much Fun Digital Kit. I printed the image out, cut the window away and added acetate . I built the sides with mount board and used paper Winter Wonderland paper as the background. I added mica flakes to the shaker element and finished with red ribbon.


 My final project was made for the customer challenge Inspiration post. If interested you can see the details here.


That's all for now!
I hope you'll join our Once Upon a Christmas Challenge where the Winner will get a $25 shopping spree at the Gecko Galz shop.


The only rule is that you must use at least one Gecko Galz product 
(this can be one of the freebies or, of course, you can buy at the Etsy store!) 
Also if you sign up for the Gecko Galz newsletter, you'll be able to claim a free collage sheet each month and get first claim on the monthly $1 deals!

Please pop over to the Gecko Galz blog to see the fabulous designs by the very talented DT.

We also have a friendly Facebook Group where there are 4 monthly challenges, each with a collage sheet prize. 
Do come and join us!


I'll be back on the 1st January with new Gecko Galz projects.

Here's all the info you need:
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Thanks for stopping by today.
xoxo

I'd like to play along in the following challenges:

ABMTTC Extra Dec 27/12
Love to Craft #53 AG 30/12
A Place to Start Dec Vintage 31/12
613 Avenue Create Dec Vintage 31/12
All Sorts Challenge #603 Sparkle and Shine 01/01
Double Trouble Challenge #73 Dies 03/12
Stamps & Fun = Creativity #380 Winter 15/01

I'd really love some feedback :)      
I read and appreciate all your comments. 
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