About Me

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I'm a retired primary school teacher, who started paper crafting in 2008, when I had a fancy to make my own Christmas cards. Since then, I have tried all sorts of techniques and styles - and I kind of like them all. I have been lucky enough to be on blog teams and large design teams and to do a bit of freelance demonstrating - and I love the challenge of working with different products. My crafting style is very varied - from junk journaling and art journaling, bookbinding and journal making, to quilting and patchwork - and of course I still make cards. This variety keeps me interested - and my crafty stash growing!! I'm always seeking inspiration for new projects.

Monday 18 May 2015

Crafty Cardmakers & More - Challenge 139 - Shaped Cards

Afternoon! It's time for another challenge at Crafty Cardmakers & More! This fortnight our lovely host Kim is looking for shaped card -  plain squares and rectangles DO NOT count. 

I've recently been having a little splurge on some new crafting goodies, so in penance, I thought I should attempt to use up some of my old stuff. I had a rummage and came up with this little lot to use as inspiration.
I then took a Craftwork Cards Scalloped Circle Easel Card for my base. I didn't want the flat part to be rectangular, so cut the edge with a large Spellbinders scalloped circle die.

I then used the same method of cutting off the edge of the plate to create the mats and layers for the flat part of the card.
The leaves (that I cut for another project - and never used) are Die'sire Leaf 1. The cirular mats are cut with Spellbinders circle and scalloped circles dies. And the sentiment is from the free stamp set that came with Crafter's Companion's Crafter's Inspiration 6 magazine. The ribbon is a scrap piece from my stash.

Now it's over to you - check out the inspiration from the rest of the design team at Crafty Cardmakers & More. Don't forget - no plain squares or rectangles.

I would like to enter this into:
Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - How does your garden grow?

Bye for now!!
Cxx

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Magnificent Mailing Box

Just a quick post today to share a box I made using the Big Score. It's the Magnificent Mailing Box from the project CD (using a whole sheet of A3 card - not cut down).

I used Crafter's Companion Elegance double sided A3 card, mink Centura Pearl from the Pastels pack, and some brown card from my stash.
The background is the A6 Daisy Dreams Create-a-Card, and the flowers are a mixture of Die'sire Classiques Forget Me Not, Lace Bloom, and Essentials Flowers for All Occasions - with Quilling Leaf 1 as well.
The double sided card is just perfect for boxes - the inside looks as good as the outside!

Take care,
Cxxx

Friday 8 May 2015

Sugar and Spice ..... That's What Little Girls Are Made Of!!

Evening!! Am back with a birthday card for my friend's daughter who turned 13 today!! Where has the time gone??
This one is from Crafter's Companion Sugar and Spice CD. I love the colours of this image - really bright and fresh - and with the cupcake it's just perfect for a 13th birthday!!
I used Papermill Ocean Blue card for the base - and for matting and layering! The pink card is also Papermill - Raspberry Pink. The image, tags and large mat are from one of the Card Companions from the CD - as are the matching papers. The name and age are cut with Die'sire 1" Alphabet and Number dies.

I'd like to enter this into:
Penny's Challenge - #226 Anything Goes
Ruby's Rainbow - #103 Anything Goes

Back soon,
Cxxx
 

Tuesday 5 May 2015

The Mirror Crack'd - Challenge #9 - Triptych

Posting two days in a row!! Haven't done that for a while!! Anyway, I'm back today because it's time for a new challenge over at The Mirror Crack'd. As ever, it's a mixed media challenge - so no cards. The theme for this month is Triptych. A triptych is "a work of art that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open." 

Now I have to admit that I was a little unsure about this. In the end I went for the first part of the definition shown on the Challenge Blog - a work of art divided into three sections. Well - work of art may be used very loosely - but I can do something divided into three sections!!
So, I started with a piece of card from a box, and three pieces of mountboard. I have had these eons - picked them up while at a Sheena workshop a long time ago.
I started by covering the card with white gesso - then with a mixture of Eco Green Acrylic Paints in Mulch and Black. I also painted over the mountboard with the same mix - even though it was already brown!!
I also painted a piece of white card so that I could die cut the flowers and flourishes.
Next, I used Pearl Texture Paste (Lidl) through Imagination Crafts Honeysuckle stencil to tie the three sections together.
I also use the stencil and paste on the corners of the large piece of card, and used my finger to rub paste around the edge of all the pieces.
To add a bit of colour, I embossed a piece of gold pearl card with Crafter's Companion A4 Ornate Butterflies folder. I then tried three different ways of colouring it. Gilding wax wasn't bright enough and the Spectrum Noir pencil wasn't either. So in the end, I coloured the butterflies with Spectrum Noir Pen DR5.
The flowers were cut with Crafter's Companion Pretty Petal Die - some from the gold pearl card, and some from the brown painted card. The swirls are Spellbinders Floral Flourish.
Pebeo Moon paint in Carmine, was dropped onto the brown die cuts using the end of a kebab stick.
I finished it off with some sparklers from The Hobby House.

So now it is over to you. I hope that I have inspired you - although I highly recommend that you pop over to The Mirror Crack'd blog for more inspiration!!

I would like to enter this into:
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
Not Just Cards Challenges - Anything Goes
Use Your Stuff - Embossing (Butterflies and Texture Paste) - Mountboard (my 'stuff')

Take care,
Cxxx

Monday 4 May 2015

Crafty Cardmakers and More #138 - Make Your Own Background

Hello - time for a new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and More. This fortnight, the lovely Pamellia has asked us to create our own background - so no DPs this time around. Get out your inks and paints and stamps and stencils......
I seem to have a thing about orange at the moment! No idea why! So, I started with 2 pieces of watercolour card, and painted one with gesso. 
 I then used Aquatints - 39, 40 and 42, diluting them with water in a palette. 
Next, I used them to cover the pieces of watercolour card. The one I painted with gesso is on the right - I worked in exactly the same way on both pieces - but the result is very different.
 
I cut a piece of the non-gesso'd card to fit on a roughly 8x8 square card. The stencil is Imagination Crafts Honeysuckle. I put the remains of the 42 Aqua Tint into a spray bottle, and spritzed through the stencil - the marks are where my fingers were! 
 
After cleaning it, I then used the stencil again and just slightly offset it from the original position, and then inked through with Walnut Stain DI.  
 
I ran a piece of the gesso'd card through my Crafter's Companion A4 Ornate Butterflies embossing folder, then sanded it back.
I then inked over the top with Walnut Stain DI.
Using more Walnut Stain, I added a couple of Crafter's Companion Texture stamps to the corners - in the top left and bottom right, I used one from the Basket and Burlap set, and the swirls are from Journal Jottings.
I used the Basket and Burlap stamp on the gesso'd card too - but it didn't take so well - partly because of the embossing.
I used brown card to create the base and the mat the background onto. The butterfly is Crafter's Companion Butterflies - cut from a scrap of the gesso'd card. The sentiment is Textures Words of Wonder 2 - stamped onto offcuts from the non gesso'd card.

I really enjoyed this challenge - was great to get a bit messy. Now it's your turn!! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!!
I would like to enter this into:
Crafty Calender Challenges - Things with Wings
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - Anything Goes/No Patterned Paper

Back soon,
Cxxxx