More finishing off

Following on from earlier post two more plays using structure paste.  The first is a book using another Stamperia mould and lots of glue, and the second a good old Ikea mirror and a Clarity stencil.  The mirror was going well until I realised that I hadn't checked which was the right way up.  Cue lots of swearing! Fortunately the paste wasn't dry and I was able to scrape it off and leave an interesting texture behind.  Aaaagh!!!  But all's well that ends well as some clever chap once said. 

Birthday Books

I've been playing around with altering things this last week.  Lots of stencil and structure paste and various paints, glues and waxes to finish.  I'm now at the finishing stage of a few things and am pleased with how the majority are turning out.

I have two birthdays this week for young people and have altered the books below for them instead of sending a card.  Both are Stamperia moulding creme and moulds.  Very easy to use the moulds but an absolute devil to stick to anything.  I eventually found that Mod Podge and being held in place for ages worked.  Even the trusted Cosmic Shimmer didn't hold these babies. It could, of course, be the heat but as everything else was drying super quick I don't think so.  But hey, first world problems...

There's lots I would do differently next time (next time???) but for a first time of using the product I quite like them.

Now to sort some buckets out..

Back in the saddle

I've been out of sorts recently and haven't felt much like crafting or blogging, but after a weekend away at the UKSN craft retreat I feel my mojo has made a comeback.  I haven't started anything new, but have made cards out of toppers that I have started and not done anything with.  Yesterday I had great fun with some Groovi parchment and put together six different cards.  Today was the turn of some stencilling I did back in March.  Lovely Sweet Poppy Stencils, some Imagination Crafts glitter paste, some mirri card and what's not to like?

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I haven't added sentiments yet as that's a project for another day.

FoG is 40

My daughter's partner is 40 next week and as I'm off 'up there' this weekend to see the month old grandson I am ahead of myself ready to take his card with me.

I am referring to the poor man as FoG (Father of Grandson) these days because it makes him laugh, and the poor thing is so sleep deprived he needs all the levity he can get

The card is a simple Creative Expressions papercut die in copper glitter card on a chocolate brown Hunky Dory mirri card.  Nice and easy and celebratory enough for a man.

Craftalong

A couple of weeks ago a friend and I decided to join in Clarity's craftalong on Hochanda with Barbara Gray.  I didn't buy the craftalong kit as I had a suspicion that any of the three way stamps and dies would do.  The craftalong was enjoyable and we had a good laugh as we completed our projects and I came home with a few things to finish off.  It's probably heresy to say that I was slightly disapointed in the actual crafting as the projects, except that of the stencil, were the same techniques used before on Hochanda demonstrations with new releases.  But hey we had fun...

I've had my finishing off head on recently and have completed the cards below from the craftalong. 

On this card I've used perga glitter on the double sided adhesive and chromo pen round the edge to finish off.

This one has gilding flakes on the double sided adhesive.  I've never used gilding flakes like this before and managed to get a lot of my craft room gilded!

This is the negative waste from the top card with perga glitter on the double sided adhesive.  I love this technique and the fact of making a card from what you would normally through away.  There is only one card like this and two of the main die cut as I had a little accident and pinged the cut outs everywhere!

Townhouse stamps using the three way stamps in two ways - outline and inner, and outline and background.  Both work well and mounted on mop up paper using the ink used to make toppers.  No waste crafting.

Thank you Jane

I was thinking about having to make a card for my uncle and like with many male cards was short on inspiration. I had a trawl through a some recent posts of those blogs I follow seeking inspiration and I came across just the inspiration I needed on Jane Willis's blog Onions and Paper. 

Jane had made a card using a faux stained glass window effect which sent me rummaging in my Sue Wilson die folder.  I've had the sail boat die a while now and have used it in many ways - paper piecing, colouring, colouring acetate, and colouring and then covering with microbeads.  All have produced good cards but apart from the colouring, fiddly cards which put me off using the die. 

After seeing Jane's post though a different story.  A quick whizz through the Gemini, with a piece of white card behind the black to pick out the shape of the die.  Some basic colouring and then three layers of Ultra Thick Embossing Powder to get the stained glass effect.  The hardest part was sticking the black card onto the 'stained glass' as Crafter's Companion's Stick and Spray does not do what it says on the tin and ought to be reported to Trading Standards!

I shall put a sentiment on tomorrow morning as the card has to spend the night under some heavy boxes to flatten it out.  I checked the time I commented on Jane's blog to when I finished the card and it was under an hour.  Nice work and thank you Jane. 

The white bits are reflection and not poor colouring.

Whatever happened to...

Whatever happened to these little darlings?  One's now has a baby of her own and the other is still batting his big blue eyes to charm everyone into getting what he wants.  To me both still gorgeous.

Yesterday I attended a Clarity based workshop with my friend 'the masked woman' (see followers).  The list of things we had to take along was so long it was rather like moving house for the day. 
These workshops are always really good and Angela who runs them always gets me out of my comfort zone trying new techniques and products. 

Yesterday we used Leonie's first stencils for Clarity and made backgrounds and a canvas.  I hadn't made a canvas like this since the first craft retreat I went on (Sue Tossell), and had a good time choosing which way to use the stencil, colours etc and generally having a play and getting my fingers nice and inky.   Not sure about the finished product, very not me, but as the main image is of my pride and my boy I shall prop it up somewhere where I can look and remember the lovely times we had when they were young.

Another lovely day today, very unseasonable, but rather nice.  Today I've made a birthday card for my youngest sister.  She is 17 years younger than me and it makes me feel very old when I realise that she is 43 on Friday.  Where do the years go?

Sarah's card is made using Sue Wilson dies.  I'm still working through never before used stash and I rather like the dies used on this card.  The ink, which is a Momento Brilliance was a moment of inspiration.  I suddenly remembered the inks unused up on the shelf, and lo and behold an almost perfect match. 

A few gems and Bob's your uncle, or Sarah's your sister.  If she doesn't like it I shall eat all her cake!

Back in the room

After a really busy month with little time for myself I'm back in the (blogging) room.  I've returned to work part time and because it's only a few days a month I seem to still be doing all the other things I do as well.  And the best present of all, our first grandchild was born on 4th Feb which has meant I have been nipping up and down the M1 for visits and cuddles.

But I have still had time for a little bit of crafting, mainly my first memory album.  For my birthday the lovely Sue Tossell gave me Tonic's memory book 2 and spine dies.  I had never seen them before and wow am I in love with them?  I can't remember the last time I prepared so well for anything.  Making memory books is addictive and I'm already planning my next one.

For this I have used Graphic 45 Vintage Hollywood papers and used a variety of pockets, flaps and bellybands to decorate each page. There is also a pocket between each page with a tag ready to take 4x6 photos.   I also treated myself to the Tonic Legacy Keeper Wallet (swoon) and used this on two pages.  I made this for a friend who is herself celebrating a significant birthday this week and is also a glamorous film buff. 

For a first time I'm quietly pleased with this one.

Happy Birdee

It is a male friends birthday this week and as he is a keen birdwatcher I dug through my unused stamps to find something suitable.  I didn't want to send a realistic looking bird as I knew my knowledge of birds wasn't up to accuracy in colouring so I settled on this Tim Holtz set.  For some reason the stamps were not in a packet so I don't know what they are called.  I heat embossed the background using an unused tub of gunmetal coloured embossing powder (unlabelled) which didn't work at all as I was expecting.  Perhaps it wasn't embossing powder? But it gave quite a nice masculine background to show off a stamped and fussy cut bird and sentiment.  While making this card I remembered another birthday that I had forgotten so quickly made the second card to get delivered today. 

Sticking to my new year resolution I had to make a decision about the stamps and decided that while I liked them, they had limited use and have gone in the swap box, and the embossing powder in the bin!

WOYWW 502

My desk is multi tasking this week as I have gone back to work for a few days a month and needed proper desks space to prepare the necessary for each of my students.  I feel good about going back, I have the best of both worlds in that I will be working for one week a month and the rest of the time for crafting.  Definitely the correct balance I feel.

On my desk are the remnants of yesterday evenings craft session including two cards made for sending today - I live on the edge!  Following my new year's resolution of using unused stamps I made the cards using the same stamps but in different ways.  Now to clear it so I can start today afresh.

Playdates and Inky backgrounds

On Friday a good friend came round to play.  We knew each other before crafting but since I've led her into the crafting world we see a lot more of each other and have regular 'play dates' where we try new things out and put the world to rights.  This Friday we made inky backgrounds in the morning using a Gel plate and brusho's.  Lots of ooohing ensued and a few hmmms and one or two 'dont like thats'!  After lunch we made cards from the backgrounds.  I was quite happy with both of my finished cards.  The first used brusho's brayered through a Visible Image stencil and then over stamped with an old Visible Image stamp that definitely isn't going in the swap box!  The second has a brayered background with Lavinia stamp as the main image.  I used an Inkylicious stencil and Sweet Dixie and Clarity stamps to add depth to the card.  Again non of the stamps used will be going in the swap box as they all earn their keep. When I was making this I remembered a friends wedding anniversary is  coming up and so will use this card for that.  I couldn't believe that I don't have a happy anniversary stamp in my stash, so have had to order one.  Sandra made a couple of lovely toppers from her backgrounds, and again I forgot to take photos.

Birthday Crafting Party

This year I celebrate a significant birthday and when my husband asked if I wanted a party I said I wanted a crafting party.  Even though my birthday isn't until the 24th the party was on the 5th as co-ordinating diaries wasn't as easy as I'd hoped.

So, on the 5th five crafting buddies settled down to complete two Andy Skinner workshops.  We were so busy talking I forgot to take photos of the day.  The first workshop was covering a paper mache book box with embossed card and masking fluid, and then painted using Andy's various paint methods.  It was amazing how different each box looked even though we all followed the same instructions.  For the second workshop we altered the front of a note book using embossed card and structure paste.  This time, after reading Andy's instructions,  we all went off piste and did our own thing.  Again five very different book fronts.  I really enjoyed both techniques and will use them again, and not only because I have loads of masking fluid left!

At the end of a lovely day crafting, and yes there were a lot of carbohydrates involved, we all went to a local Thai restaurant to round the day off.  I'm very lucky to know such kind, generous and funny people.

The first picture is of the book.  When finished I felt the orange 'holes' needed something so added the text.  I think this makes it look like it means business and is to be used.  The book box is nearly finished, and yesterday my stepfather fell in love with it so I suspect it will be going his way. 

New Year Resolution-get on and use it!

Like every crafter I know, I have a pile of unused, untried, stuff piling up around my fairly decent sized craftroom that sometimes it's hard for me to squeeze in.  So new year's resolution is ... USE IT.  My resolution is to make at least two cards a week using previously unused stuff - including the boxes of inky backing papers.  Once I've used the stamp, die of whatever if I like it, it can stay.  If I don't it's in the swap box.

The second part of my resolution is that if I buy anything new it has to be used straight away, to the same rules as above, otherwise it is likely to sit gathering dust like the rest.

Wonder how long I can keep it up?  Probably about as long as the healthy walks and giving up chocolate!

So I start the year with this stamp which must be quite old as it has a sale sticker on the packaging and it must have sat on my shelf for a year.  I like the stamp more than the card but feel it has limited use, so the swap box it is!