Bring on the bling

I thought I`d show you this card which I made for Crafters Companion to promote their luxury cardstock which is just the most fantastic quality card but as you can see here it can be a bit blingy. The zip on the card was a necklace which I spotted whilst working in the cat shop and thought "I could do something with that"so 50p later I had my starting point for this project.

 

 

what was used:

Crafters Companion just for you words edge`able die

Crafters Companion luxury card stock - red and gold

Crafters Companion English garden grand floral dies

Crafters Companion opulent flourishes foil transfers

Crafters Companion gold foil

Crafters Companion Catitudes delicate floral embossing folder

Daisy punches

hole punches

mat black card

6" x 6" white base card

cheap plastic zip necklace

 

If you knew me you would know that I do not do bling either in my crafting or in real life so this card was challenging but I thought if its going to be showey lets really go for it (I could have made it even more blingy as there is a glitter card included in the luxury card stock pack).

 

Its really simple to make and the only points to note are to cut the word die once in the red card and once in the gold card and then put the gold letters onto the red die cut, also if you are using a glue it must be a water based glue such as Collal Tacky Glue because any other kind will bond with the shiny card and pull the colour off or leave a mark.

 

Good luck with finding another zip necklace but I`m sure you could improvise with a chain or something.

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I`m working at the cat shop this morning and it`s amazing what you can find in charity shops that can be turned into craft items. I mentioned on a previous post that I wanted to turn tea cups into pin cushions and of course the cups have come from the cat shop (I haven't even started that project yet). I remember my Mum going into charity shops looking for crochet patterns and I would stand outside as I didn't want anyone to see me in a charity shop, how times have changed because today you can`t get me out of them.

 I can`t wait for Friday when Crafters Inspiration comes into the shops, I haven't done a feature in this edition but I have seen the freebies that come with it and can`t wait to get playing with them.

 

 

 

And now for something a bit different

This is my final blog project for this week and once again it features one of the new Little Claire stamps which are launched on Hochanda at 11 this morning. This is a MDF heart plaque and I loved it so much that I didn't want to send it back to Little Claire.

 

 

what you will need:

LC Designs Hedgehog dinkie stamp

MDF heart

cream emulsion paint

black Versa Fine ink pad

black fine tip pen

5mm yellow and blue satin ribbon

 

Prepare the MDF heart by painting it with cream emulsion paint, when it is completely dry, stamp the image using a black Versa Fine ink pad and using the ink pad carefully colour the sides of the plaque.

Punch out a circle in a piece of copy paper and keep the punched out circle for later, place the hole over the Dandelion and colour the circle with yellow pastel chalks.

Make a mask for the Hedgehog from a post it note, stuck it over the Hedgehog and colour in the grass area (you can not use distress inks on emulsion paint as the pigment will just disappear).

Make some cloud shaped masks, stick them on the sky area, stick the punched out circle over the Dandelion and colour the sky.

Remove the masks, colour in the Hedgehog, stamp the sentiment and attach the ribbons.

 

If you wish to set the colours on the plaque you could spray it with mat varnish (must be spray varnish) or hair spray.

 

 

I loved the subtle colours on this plaque and the image is so cute I really must get round to making myself one now that the original has gone off to be sown on TV.

 

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I haven't done any crafting for a couple of days and I`m getting withdrawal symptoms so it`s perhaps as well that I`m doing my day job today (dinner lady). I will have to remember to record the Little Claire shows on TV and try to find time to watch them this weekend. It was my Birthday last Saturday and my friend took me shopping on Monday to celebrate. My friend is not a crafter but came in every craft shop with me and then waited patiently whilst I got over excited at the things on the shelves and then did 6 laps of the shop just to make sure I hadn't missed any thing. So I have some new stuff to play with (mostly paper) and I have to decide next week weather to play with my new things or clean the house, which has been neglected since Easter - no contest, housework will still be waiting when I`ve finished playing.

 

 

 

New from old

Well hello again, Here is another of the new stamps from Little Claire which is due to be launched on Hochanda tomorrow. This card is made with bits and bobs that I have had in my stash box for ages.

 

I have used backing papers which I printed out ages ago onto watercolour paper, I love to experiment with my printer and will have a go at printing onto most papers and even fabric. The flowers are some silk flowers that dropped off an arrangement that I used to have in my old house and the only thing apart from the stamp that you could actually buy is the doily which was made on my Brother Scan n Cut using a file I purchased from the Digital Craft Emporium. I love it when a project can be made from things that you have lying around as it then becomes cheap to make and it frees up room in the stash box.

 

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I am working at the cat shop this morning and I hope the sun is still shining when I get back home because I have housework to do and I feel more like doing it when the sun is out.

Those cards we dont want to make

Hello again and as promised here is another sneak peek at a sample card I have made for the Little Claire Hochanda show this Friday. Sympathy cards are not something that any crafter would want to make however they are needed and this stamp is a really nice one without being too sentimental.

 

what was used:

LC Designs With Sympathy stamp

Marianne flourish die

small hole punch

Hunkydorey cream frame

Crafters Companion Opulent Flourishes foil transfer

Crafters Companion pink foil

6" x 6" cream base card

Crafters Companion Centura Metallics card

deep plum linen card

1.5cm wide beige satin ribbon

1cm wide plum satin ribbon

4 cream mulberry flowers - 1 larger than the others

black Versa Mark ink pad

black Stazon ink pad

 

Another really simple card to make and even the foiling is simple with these foil transfers from Crafters Companion. I used the transfers on linen card and the glue didn't quite stick in some places but I think this gave the effect of being very vintage and on such a fussy card it just isn't noticeable.

 

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Today I have to call and see a friend and thank her for the beautiful Birthday gift she gave me and then I am off the cat shop for the afternoon. It was beautiful and sunny this morning and I was thinking about getting my legs out and putting on a skirt but the wind has gotten up and the clouds have come over so I guess its back to the jeans and jumper again.

 

 

 

 

 

Is thare life outside of my craft room?

Well hello crafty peeps, I hope you all had a good May Day weekend, I was working and yesterday I kept thinking it was Saturday, today I think its Monday so I`m totally confused. I have been really busy lately doing secret stuff for Crafters Inspiration magazine but that wont be on sale until August so its a long time till I can share that with you.

Here is a card I have made for the Little Claire Hochanda show which will be on the tellybox on Friday 5/5/17. Little Claire have a lot of new stamps to launch in these shows and I hope to be sharing with you this week some of the samples I have made with them. 

 

what was used:

LC Designs "to the happy couple" stamp (not sure if it is called this)

Marianne swirly Rose flower die

Marianne swirly flourish dies

6" x 6" cream linen card base

gold mirri card

Kanban cream and gold foil card

brown card

red mulberry paper

3 x red paper rose buds

2cm wide cream/organza fancy ribbon

red heart button & gold thread

black Versa Fine ink pad

gold ink pad

 

This is a really simple card to make and although I used my Brother Scan n Cut machine to make the heart aperture it would work equally well using nesting heart dies or even nesting dies of other shapes. I wanted the image to look like an old wedding photo so I used sepia tones to colour it.

 

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I have been so busy crafting lately that I haven't been out of my craft room too much and poor Stew (or lucky Stew depending on how you see it) hasn't seen much of me the last couple of weeks. He had his big 70th Birthday last week and it was my Birthday on Saturday so I escaped my craft room and we went out for a nice meal with some friends. I am thinking about my next crafty project and I have a plan to turn some old teacups/mugs into pin cushions for the Lincolnshire Trust For Cats open day in September and I will share them with you if they turn out well - fingers crossed.

The sun is shining and it looks like its going to be a beautiful day today so I might go and help Stu pot up some plants. Did I mention that a few weeks ago it was warm and I sowed some peas and carrots and then it turned cold and a bit frosty and I thought oh well that's my seeds lost - not so because I had a look on Friday and they are growing well, so well that I will have to put some canes in for the peas to climb up.