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.