Birthday cards - The Paper Shelter

Good morning everyone!

Time for a new challenge over at The Paper Shelter, and this week we have a birthday theme! Easy peasy, no?

I used the gorgeous It's tea time digi to make a birthday card for my sister-in-law.

Isn't she fab? I loooove her outfit, and the hat reminds me of one I got my daughter a few years back - a purple tophat that she wore everywhere for quite some time! (she also has a bowler hat, a cowboy hat, 2 fedoras and a fez... she likes hats! lol)

So now it's your turn! Come and play with us over at The Paper Shelter, and you could win an amazing $30 gift voucher if you use an image from The Paper Shelter. And if you enter with a different brand image, you can still win three TPS digis of your choice (which you can then use to enter the next challenge, and so be eligible for the $30 voucher!).

Hope you have a fantabulous day!

Sammy-x

August challenge - Altered Eclectics

Morning all,

It's August! And a new month means a new challenge over at Altered Eclectics!

For my DT project this month, I had a play with an MDF tag, and went for a steampunk/industrial look.

I started off with some embossed foil tape, which I aged with distress paints, then embellished and added Finnabair's waxes before finishing with a TH sentiment.
The embellishments are a combination of  Snipart, Mitform, random metal and die-cut gears and an MDF ATCoin from Fernli Designs.

Now it's over to you. Do come and play with us over at Altered Eclectics, where anything altered art/mixed media goes!

Have a fantabulous day!

Sammy-x

November challenge - Rhedd's Creative Spirit

Morning all,

November already, eek! And I for one am not ready! With both offspring's birthdays coming up still before Christmas, there is so much to do, and no time at all to do it in!

Especially as we decided we wanted to have a steampunk Christmas this year. Which means making a LOT of decorations. So, for my DT project for Rhedd's Creative Spirit this month, I have a handful of decorations ready to go on the tree.

I started with a couple of sparkly white reindeer that I found at work, and decided to give them a steampunk makeover...

I also altered an MDF tree from Fernli designs, and painted a whole heap of gears with metallic paint, which will be going in the tree instead of baubles. (methinks I'm going to need some more!)

Other things that'll be hanging in the tree? Penny farthing charms, lots more MDF christmas shapes, and a couple of real pocket watches!
No tinsel for us, but plenty of gold bead chains.

Well, that's it from me for now, but I'll hope you'll go take a peek at my fellow teamies' creations, and then come and share your altered art/mixed media creations with us!

Be right back!

Sammy-x

December challenge - Altered Eclectics

Good morning all,

Is it really December already? I have to admit, I'm sooooo not ready for it to be! Not only am I woefully unprepared for Christmas, but it's my daughter's 18th birthday next week, which I am even less ready for! I'm sure she was my adorable toddler (yes, she really was adorable as a toddler. this mythical creature really does exist) only a year or two ago...

Anyways, onwards to the new challenge starting at Altered Eclectics today, where the team has some gorgeous inspiration lined up for you.

I took an old soap dish/towel holder, which had a gorgeous Parisian shabby chic look, but was unfortunately quite chipped and damaged. It was another item I rescued from being thrown away at the charity shop I volunteer for, and I had the perfect idea of what to do with it.

You see, if have one of those pesky teenage boy creatures at home. You know, the kind that leaves their school and karate bags lying on the stairs for people to trip up over... They're also for ever misplacing their keys. so I thought a dedicated hanger in the hallway for these items would be both useful for him, and would save a broken neck or two in the future to boot.

Naturally, it needed to be suitable for said boy, so in the end it turned out something like this:

Some gears from Fernli designs, and some Finnabair rust paste were used, as well as some tissue paper and bronze and dark brown paints.
I love how the texture has come out, especially after working the darker paint into the cracks and crevices.

Luckily it went over really well, and the teenage trouble-causer no longer leaves his stuff on the stairs. Result!

Now it's your turn! We look forward to seeing your altered art over at Altered Eclectics over the next couple of months (this challenge will run for two months, to give the DT some time off for good behavious!)

Back in a minute!

Sammy-x

October challenge - Rhedd's Creative Spirit

Hello again everyone,

It's time for our October challenge over at Rhedd's Creative Spirit! As always, anything altered art or mixed media goes (no cards please!)

I'm very fond of my make for this month, and it's going up on the wall right next to another steampunk canvas I did a little while ago!

The picture doesn't show it very well, but the background is a bronze tone (A 13 Arts paint I got in a Craft Box mixed media box) , while the different elements are all highlighted with gold (from my Rustoleum gold leafing pen. I am in love with that thing!).

The penny farthing is a gorgeous piece from Fernli Designs, as are about half of the gears. the other half and the rest of the embellishments are from Craft Box. I am hopelessly in love with the clock stencil in the background (got that from craft Box too), and a little bit of Distress ink really made it pop!

I had so much fun doing this canvas, and just love the way it came out. hubby loves it too, so it's definitely going up in our living room!

I hope you'll check out the gorgeous work done by me fellow teamies, and then come and play with us!

Have a most fantabulous day!

Sammy-x

challenges: 

I'd like to enter this canvas in the current challenge at A Vintage Journey.

I'd also like to enter the heavy metal challenge at Simon Says Stamp 

Buckwells inspiration...

Good morning all!

Just popping in to remind you all of the challenge at Buckwells, which is red/love this month, and is sponsored by Buckwells Craft Supplies, and Kenny K.

You may remember that I made a card at the beginning of the month with the Brianna Blaster image. I decided to make a second card with the same image, but going for a different, more steampunk look.

The Copper Pot papers from Buckwells Craft Supplies were perfect for this.

And I found a Kanban sentiment that was perfect! I stuck mostly to using neutral Promarkers for this, with the occasional pop of various shades of red/orange, and love the way she came out!
I don't really like how the Frantage looks in the picture, but in person it looks pretty awesome!

Now there just so happens to be a 10% off sale happening at Buckwells for the next few days, so go grab yourself a crafty bargain while you can!

Right then, that's it from me for now, hope you all have a most fab day!

Sammy-x

September challenge - Rhedds's Creative Spirit DT

Goooood morning all!

It's the 1st of September! Wow! I swear it was Christmas only a few weeks ago, and we're already in September! And my youngest starts high school tomorrow. Do I feel old? Why yes. Yes I do.

On a less depressing note, there's a new month starting at Rhedd's Creative Spirit, where Anything Altered Art Goes, and I decided to play with an MDF box for my DT piece.

I stared with the MDF box (from the MDF man), and painted it black.
I then covered the lid (and the inside, which I forgot to photograph...) with paper from a DCWV stack. I then embellished with lots of shapes from Fernli Designs, which were also painted black, and then dry-brushed with bronze paint to make them look like "grubby" metal.

The cluster on the left is placed on top of a piece of Hessian that I also roughly blackened, and I added a few bits of brass chain to finish off the lid.

I wrapped a length of chain around the base, and added some gorgeous Steampunk goggles with wings to the sides, and a keyhole to the front, also both dry-brushed bronze. While I was at it, I added a light dry-brush to the edges of the lid and base too.

Ta-daaaa. A steampunk keepsake box!

Now, I suggest you all do yourselves a favour, and go see what the rest of the team have created, as their makes are simply stunning! After that, I hope you'll be inspired enough to join in. There's this gorgeous MDF letter rack up for grabs:

Have a fantabulous day!

Sammy-x

April challenge at Rhedd's Creative Spirit

Good morning all.

And it's the first of the month, which of course means a new challenge goes live over at Rhedd's Creative Spirit! As always, it's Any Altered Art Goes, and the team have been hard at work making some gorgeous examples for your perusal.

Here is mine. A set of drawers from the MDF man.

I started off by painting it black, inside and out, and then decorated with G45 Steampunk Spells paper.
I cut some of the little "cards" out of the pack and matted them with black card, before using them as decorations on the top and sides. Some gears die-cut from black card and metal brads and chains worked well with the papers, I thought, to give it a steampunk feel.

I dry-brushed the gears with bronze paint, to give the impression of "dirty" metal. I attached the brass chain with a Tim Holtz ring fastner on one side, and covered up the other side with a coin charm that used to be part of a skirt! (Just for the record, I loved that skirt, with its coin belt, and if it hadn't broken beyond repair I'd never have cannibalised it, but it did, so I now have a heap of embellishments, lol).

And while I was cannibalising clothing, I used the thin black ribbon I got from a top (you know, the ones attached to the inside for hanging them on hangers with...), and hung some steampunky charms from it, as well as a couple more coins.
I also dry-brushed a large black bloom with more brass paint, and added another die-cut cog as a flower centre.

I attached "handles" to the drawers in the form of small black buttons and further embellished the drawers with black pearls. (Again, no Jack Sparrow, sorry!)

A side view.

As you can just make out, I attached the ribbon to the top of the little card with a Tim Holtz pin thingie.

And a view of the top. Yet more cogs and gears...

It didn't take my daughter long to snatch it up and scurry off to her room with it once it was done, and it now houses her jewellery collection.

Now, off you all go to ohhh and ahhh over the other girls' pieces, and if that isn't incentive enough for you to come play along, maybe this prize will be:

How awesome is that? I want it! But seeing as I'm not eligible, I'll have to live vicariously through the winner. So what are you waiting for? Go forth and win this challenge for me, so I can see what loveliness you'll make with it! lol.

I'd like to enter this project into the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics - April
Simon says stamp - Anything goes
All Crafts challenge - Anything goes
Allsorts - Use those dies
Left of Center - Anything Goes (if LOC)



Have a fantastical day!

Sammy-x

Guest DT - Crafting by Designs

And hello again my dears!  I know, two posts in only a few hours, and I'm not even awake! lol.

I am very excited to be able to share with you that I have been asked to be a guest designer over at Crafting By Designs for the March challenge. Naturally I jumped at the chance to join in and create something for this challenge, which features everyone's favourite theme... anything goes!

It gave me an opportunity to play with a stamp I'd recently acquired (though it had been on my wish-list for quite some time!), which is the La-La Land Crafts Top Hat Steampunk Marci.
And to make it that little bit more special, I decided to make an easel card, as I've not made one in many months!

The paper is Kanban (I am sooooo in love with that pad. I'm kinda hoarding it though, as I'm unlikely to be able to find more!) matted with gold Miri card, to match the gold embossed designs in the paper.

Some metal brads seemed the right thing to frame the sentiment...

Some copper coloured ribbon and gold pearls to finish it off...

I really, really enjoyed making this card, and colouring this stamp with my Promarkers. I've come to the conclusion that the LLLC stamps really are a pleasure to colour!

So that's my GDT card for Crafting By Designs. I hope some of you are feeling inspired to play along with the March challenge!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Sweetpea stampers - Easel card


Remember to be fabulous!

Sammy-x

Favourites of 2013

Hi all,

We got back from Scotland last night. We had a lovely Christmas, really enjoyed seeing my family and had a relatively straight-forward trip home (except for being stuck at the top of Glen Shee for an hour and a half!). I know I'm woefully behind on all things blogland (sadly, I didn't get much chance to log in while I was there), but I hope you'll all forgive me!

I also hope you've all been having a wonderful holiday! And if Santa's been, I hope he's been good to you!

Now, I fancied doing a post today, but as I've only just returned, I've obviously not had a chance to do any crafting yet... (My post earlier was a scheduled one, which just isn't the same!)  However, while browsing blogland, I found that both Kath and Enfys had done a "review of 2013"-type post, and I thought this was a great idea!
I guess for me it was especially interesting to see  how my style and techniques have changed during this time. I only began card making in the summer of 2012, and didn't start my blog until July this year. August saw me start stamping, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So, here's a review of some of my favourites of each month, near as I can tell. And as you can see, it's not just the card making that has improved somewhat... The photography is also substantially better now! lol.

January:

At least, I think it was January when I made this. It is part of a set of 4 I made after seeing a very similar design in a magazine. They were rather a lot of fun to make, and a great way to use up scraps!
Hmmmm... I may well try this again now that I have a die cutting machine and don't have to cut them all by hand!

February

My favourite from this month was my first ever attempt at steampunk. Even though I don't make them all that often, I have a huge weakness for steampunk designs.

March

Another steampunk design for March. Most of the supplies from this and the previous card came from a Docrafts goodie bag!

April

For April I chose the card I made for my twin nieces. They turned three and are very much in that age bracket where anything princessy is a go!

May

For May, I have a travel-themed card. I adore making cards with this theme, though I don't actually know anyone that ever goes anywhere, lol.

June

June's card is my husband's birthday card, and another steampunk one. It was also my first attempt at a different type of easel card.

July

July. Shortly after my first ever visit to the LOTV shop! I wasn't yet brave enough to get any stamps, but I instantly fell in love with the colours of this mini masterpiece, so naturally had to make something with it! It's also one of my earliest attempts at the shabby chic style.
My blog had been active for a week or two at this point...

August

One of my first ever LOTV stamps! This may not have been the very best of my cards that month, but I so adore the nautical theme! It is also one of the very first cards with a stamp I coloured myself!

September

My favourite card of September, and my favourite Christmas card to date! This one ended up going to my son's 1-1 teacher, who is a huge fan of pink, and I'm so glad she loved it!

October

Not a card, but my first ever mini album was definitely my favourite project of October!

And this would be my favourite card. I am so pleased with how it came out. The colours and the hessian... Loved making this one!

November

I had trouble choosing November's favourites, so chose a boy's and a girl's one!

December

And for December it has to be the first real commission I'd worked on. It has my favourite vintage feel, and is the first time I really feel like I might just be getting the hang of this shabby chic thing!

So there you have it! Sorry about the long post... I was going to split it into two posts, but I got carried away, lol.

If you've posted up any "favourites", please let me know so I can come and see!

Have a great day my dears!

Sammy-x

My first mini album!

Hi all,

I am very excited about this project I'm about to share with you, as I've been wanting to do something like this ever since the G45 Steampunk Spells range was first released. But I needed to get my hands on it first! lol.
Anyway, I'll get right to it then... It's not finished, as such, but it's as finished as I can make it until after Halloween, when I will add photos and extra embellies (that would cover part of the photos and are therefore awkward to add now, lol).

First of all, the front cover. All the chipboard pages were painted black before starting, which seemed the thing to do with it being a Halloween themed book. I chose a pretty paper to work with as a base (how lush are the colours of this range... I mean, really!), and then fussy-cut and decoupaged elements from some of the other papers  to add some dimension. Add a border and a sentiment sticker, and some punched flowers with a metal steampunk charm and voilà! I'm actually very pleased with the cover. It's hard to tell, but the spellbook I mounted on thick card and then stuck on with foam tape, so that also pops off the page.

Next it's the first two pages, which turned out to be oranges. The black mats are where the photos will go once I've taken them! lol.

I love this little pocket and it was perfect for adding a tag (with a charm, of course! And a little room for writing on.). I also added the "double, double" image and painted it over with crackle paint.

I love this next page, even if it's fairly simple. This backing paper is one of my absolute favourites in the range. I threw in some punched flowers and some black pearls (ohhhh, managed to get a "Pirates..." reference in there. Go me!) and a Spellbinders corner flourish.

Now on to the blues...

I adore these postage stamps, which I fussy-cut from one of the papers and the raven "tag" is also so cute. And useful too, as I'll be able to add a word or two about the picture on it...

Lots more space for writing on this next one.

Next the "neutrals".

this is probably my least favourite page... But I was very pleased with the "lift the flap" idea for the photos...

And isn't this next paper just delicious? It's one of the ones that screams "Harry Potter" to me. The pocket can be written on, and a photo will be added on a tag to slide into the pocket.

And the back. I was going to just leave it as just the paper, but my daughter came down to see, and she insisted the sticker had to be added, so there it is.

And hey presto! One steampunk spells Halloween mini photo album ready for photos!
I plan to add a few other bits and bobs, such as a clasp of some description for holding the album shut and I intend to paint the rings black too, and hang a load of ribbon and charms off them. But all that will happen after Halloween.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, and ideas on how to improve on it for next time (because there will be a next time. Oh yes, I have the mini-album bug!).
And can I just state for the record that I am officially in love with G45? The papers and other items are of such high quality and, of course, gorgeous!


Recipe:

Everything used is from the Steampunk Spells range by Graphic 45, except for:
Chipboard album
Black paint - Citadel
Black ink - Versamark
Flower punches and unbranded circle dies
Charms - The ribbon girl
Crackle paint - Ranger
Black pearls and black card.

I'd like to enter this project into the following challenges:


Crafts 4 Eternity recipe challenge - R147 Halloween
Left of Center - Halloween or creepy
Punkyougirl - Halloween
Crafty Ribbons - anything but a card
Paper crafting journey - anything goes
The Crafter's cafe - Spookable
Scrapper's delight - Halloween
Die cuttin' divas - halloween (circle dies)
Eclectic Ellapu - Halloween


Have a most fantabulous weekend!

Sammy-x