A little bit of creativity with Kaisers Needle and Thread

Our local Craft and sewing store Spotlight (explination added for non Aussies who read my blog) had Kaisers paper pads marked down to $7.50 each so I decided to pick up two of them one being Chapter one to help me step out of my comfort zone, and the second Needle and thread because I love it so much. That trip also yeilded as always a few really cool bargains, one of which was two packets of 6 paper mache matchboxes for just $1 each.

A couple of days after I got my new stash home I was talking to a friend on the phone and started playing. This is what I created. Adding in a vintage pattern paper flower (cut from Carnation Creations), and a little misted Tissue paper. Their was no purpose to this project it really just was one of those ones that flowed and happened on the spot so to speak.

I started by covering the matchbox and making my flower, then misting the lot with one of my homemade mists. I use my Martha Stewart score board to get the paper to the right size it saves lots of fiddling around and means you can pre score your corners and other fold lines. I have taken to using it in place of my paper trimmer even as I find it easier and love the distressed edge you get.

I then covered the inside bit of the matchbox, misted some tissue paper, and created a template for the top part of the dress from a scrap of cardstock, covered it in the same paper I had used for the sides of the matchbox and scrunched the tissue paper around this to form the skirt. I then added some pearls. Decided where I wanted the dress in the box and viola a wee project completed.

12 Tags of 2013 (or my take 12 mixed media journal pages)

I Hi everyone.

I know cutting it fine, but life has been a bit of a roller coaster of late to say the least.

I have spent the last two days working on my version of Tims March Tag.

I will post the pic then break it down for you all 🙂

my idea started with cutting some tissue paper into strips (I just folded it over a few times so it made really long strips), and then using some of the left over mist I had made for my bear (a mix of stream colour wash and mowed lawn re inker) and misted it, tossing it around as I went to get a semi even coating. I then misted over it again with a pearl mist that I made using perfect pearls ‘pearl’ and water.

I dried my ‘grass’ and then painted my journaling page with Stormy Sky and Mowed lawn distress stains.

Used some multi medium over the mowed lawn and started laying down my ‘grass’ strips.  I also added extra at the top I did little V shapes and at first pasted them with the V point facing up then did them facing down, did another layer of strips, and added in some scrunched up along the top to create a morefluffy grass like texture.

I got a new stamp this week an Imaginisce snag em stamp of a Chick and I could not resist using it on my page. So using inspiration from Dyan Reaverly I could not resist stamping the wee chick onto my page and also stamping them onto some plain white cardstock and painting them in Distress ink 🙂 I did however also grab my trusty prima craft knife and cut out the wing so that it looked like they could also flap away, I added a little glitter to the flowers on them with some glue gloss, and could not resist finishing one off with a smidge of Brown paper twine so it looked a little like it had a worm in its beak. I also added a little extra grass so it looked like my birdie was resting in the grass.

I then felt like getting a little bit more background texture so used a spotty piece of grungeboard that I have as a stencil and added some spots in Malted Milk paint dabber, then used Cool perri paint dabber to over Tattered Angels glimmer screen of a butterfly, and then also misted over it with Purple Twilight Colour wash. I did a simmilar thing on the other side with a flourish stencil, however I misted and then painted so it gave a more muted effect.

I added in my addage ticket. For me easter is a time of hope. Used some seasonal chit chat words in my grass.

Then used a grungeboard circle to create my sun. The Sun is  coloured with terracotta paint dabber and then I melted lemon fantasy film over the top to create my Sun.

Then It was time for my butterflies, I don’t own the bunny die. I do however own the silver tinsel twine however I chose not to use it. Not because I did not think the technique Tim showed us with the melting and the alcohol ink was not awesome but because it is an easter page and I really loved the idea of using easter egg foil instead. So I did. It appeals to me in a few ways its a free resource, its recycling and its always pretty colours and so shiny. I also inked around the edges of the Almanac Paper with some vintage photo and did the same for the butterflies I used later.

I cut my butterflies out of Almanac paper from Prima just to add a little of an old world look to match the Hope tag and because  I have to be honest and say I really love the complete mish mash of the Distress/old look mixed with the pastels and brighter flowers.

I then cut out some tattered florals flowers from white cardstock, Used distress stains over them, misted over them with my trusty home made pearl mist and dried them.

I then layered them and moulded them a little adding in a button to their centers that had some of the lime and white paper twine through the holes in the buttons.

I then added some rhinestones to the positive butterfly images and added them to the page

Lastly I doodled in with a white paint sharpie the stems and leaves of my flowers painted over a coat of distress stain dabbing it off to keep it light and then used a Zig writer to go around the edges so the would pop a little more.

And there you have it my journey to my Mixed Media page for March. I know its Autumn in Australia I just really love the pastels and easter colours.

Happy Creating everyone.

12 Coasters December

Wow this year has flown by. Just one more coaster for me to catch up on and I will be done. Though you will have to wait a bit for the big reveal I am really excited at how it is all coming together.

I have been having some issues with my cb. So have to say I was super happy to find some pre cut mirror stickers which I used on this tag at a local cheapie shop, add in festive Berries and Evergreen Bough distress inks, some rock candy stickles, tissue tape, trim roses, Smooch spritz in golden glow, an angel die cut, some silver tinsel trim, and a festive chit chat sticker and viola you have my December coaster

12 Coasters November

Can you believe how fast this year has flown by? I know it is hard to believe that it was just nearly a year ago that I started this craft blog for the 12 tags of Christmas 2011 .

Then in Feb Mr Holtz delighted and surprised us all by announcing that he would be doing a tag a month and we could all play along to. What a wonderful journey it has been to learn new techniques, revisit old fav’s and to just stretch our creativity every month.

Next month is extra exciting because I will be able to reveal what all these coasters are going to become and I have to say I am rather excited by seeing all this years work come together.

This months tag 
features the lovely colours of Autumn and whilst I love that colour palette it is spring in Australia that and my distress stain range is limited to just half a dozen at present (stormy sky, chipped sapphire, broken china, dusty concord, worn lipstick, warm honey and frayed burlap) which lend itself to a far more spring version of the technique used.

I got a craft iron earlier in the year because of several techniques I was dying to be able to do and this was one of them.

This technique (Bear in mind my coasters are just 4″ square so no where near as much room as the tags used) also gave me a chance to use my new Boundless Flight stamps that were a birthday present from my Sister and nieces. I added in a stamping up stamp from a set I purchased some years ago and used snow cap distress stain as well as home made pearl mist, ranger embossing powder and versafine black onyx ink and here is this months Tag.

I did add in just one other technique learned from the amazing Jennifer Maguire in Stretch your stamps and it is a water droplet embossing one that I used to add a few more white spots to my coaster.

Launching My Cooking Blog and Showing off One of my August Jellybean challenges

Hi everyone first let me introduce you to heavenly cooking as I am often asked for recipes for things I make and have decided it is high time I start documenting these things. The first recipe is for a very healthy and wonderful Banana Bread.

So now back to crafting. I have been so excited to experiment with my new Donna Salazar Rose Creation Dies. I actually need to take some pics of the flowers I have been creating to show you just how incredibly versatile this set of Dies is. Well worth the investment because you will find yourself using them over and over again.

Anyway the Colour Challenge for August was oranges, and golds with a smidge of black and limish green thrown in.

Here is what I created I am also very excited to announce that this Comb has gotten me Featured Artist on Donna Salazar’s Girlie Grunge Ning Site for this Month!!!

Not something you can wear in the rain as such but still something very pretty.
I used the rose creation dies, some cardstock, distress ink, Pitch Black Alcohol Ink, cake decorating and nail art tools, some bling and a little pearl mist along with some tulle.

Day 5 Card 2

Well technically not quite. As this technique was a bit further down the class PDF, I am loving learning new techniques with watercolour paper and Embossing.

Day 6 Card 1

I don’t own any of the stamp and die cut sets at present but I was so inspired by the techniques I just had to try two of the cards. So I used my Brayer with some versamark watermark ink and inked over the top of my butterflies, not quite the same as stamping but I quite liked what I created with the technique. I loved learning how to cut a shape out of the side of a card for this one. Much easier than it sounds btw.

Day 5 Card 1

Well there is a card 2 but I lost an element and was kind of over it for the evening so will finish it and upload it tomorrow.  The accordian fold card gave me a wonderful opportunity to use some inside and outside card stamps I have.

Pretty In Pink My first Guest DT Spot for Tattered Inspirations.

I have held back a little on Announcing the news of my Guest DT spot for Tattered Inspirations etsy store because I wanted you to be as excited as I am.

The store is full of wonderful Kits, and bits and pieces of vintage inspired items perfect for all your crafting needs. Especially when you want not only value for money but also something just a little bit different.

Tattered Inspirations Blog and Card Kit

I was lucky enough to receive two kits the Pretty in Pink Card Making Kit, and Pretty in Pink Hat Pins. Here is what was in my Kit including the wonderful wrapping that makes every parcel from Tattered Inspirations feel like the best kind of Present.

The Kit:

The only things I added to the Kit to make my cards were: Victorian Velvet Distress Ink Pad, Ink Blending tool, Pink Cardstock, Papers from the Kaiser Bonjour Range, Home Made Mist, and rub on’s.

The best thing is the kits come with 3 cards and all you need to make 3 complete cards with enough spare to make one or two more. When you look at buying cards from a newsagent the kinds of cards you can create from the kits not only work out to be very economical but also are works of art.

The kits are so easy to work with that even if your not a natural Card Maker you will find it fun to just play and before you know it you will have 3 finished cards.

The first card I did started with the Paper Doily a great tip is to Mist your Doily  on top of your envelope it gives your envelope a really pretty finish and also means you waste less mist that way.

Here is the Card and Envelope and the card on it’s own it is very much about the layers.

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The next card is a sweet little girly card that I have decided to give my Niece for Her birthday this month (I hope she will forgive its lack of hot pink and like it anyway)

and the last card is very much just about playing with the kit pieces and some pattern paper.

I do so hope you will go check out the etsy store as it really is a wonderful treasure trove.

And that’s all there is there isn’t anymore

A Layout for under $2.50 Yes You Can!

Guest DT May Challenge Layout: My Entry

This layout cost me under $2.50 actually if I am honest it cost $2.20 in total to create. Yeah I know right? I never originally set out to create a budget layout it just turned out that way.

This month’s Guest DT member Jody set a monthly challenge to create two clusters with 5 or more things in them. For the most part I used flowers that I made myself. Although there are some mulberry paper roses that I used as well.

Inspired by the background of the photo (me in Year 7), and the new teal Peacock Feathers Distress ink and re-inker that had recently arrived on my doorstep. I set to work.

I had already played with making my own Peacock Feathers mist and also misting some seam binding in various colours and such.

The first step for me was creating the background. You can do this in many ways, swiping your ink pad over the card stock, with cling wrap or the way I did with a scrunched up piece of paper towel. This gives a mottled effect. However it was a little too dark for what I wanted. So I took an old Snow cap paint dabber added a smidge more paint from a new one, added some water and shook well. Bingo I had a perfect tool for whitewashing over the cardstock to tone down the colour.

I also used this technique to tone down the DCWV Jewel Stack cardstock I used to matt the photo on. In fact that was the next thing I did. Then I stuck my photo onto the cardstock and adhered it to the background (the Cardstock is a plain Sam & Lucy 12×12 from a pack that I picked up on sale).

The next step was creating my boarder with seam binding. This is actually very simple you place tape around the boarder of your photo matt and then stick the seam binding to it. I folded the edges over as I went however you could also cut your seam binding to fit if you did not want the fold. Either way you will not see the joins or folds as they are covered with flowers.

Then it was a matter of playing with flowers and such to see what I wanted for my clusters. The large Flowers are Tissue Paper cut from A Fiskars large circle punch. You punch through several layers of tissue paper put a brad in the centre then scrunch each layer from the centre outwards. I misted mine with Homemade Peacock feathers mist.

The seam binding flowers I also handmade from the same seam binding I used for the boarder.

Once I had decided on how I wanted my flowers. I then used Inkadinkado Dot Flourish stamps to create my flourishes. I repeated the same stamp 3 times to create the flourish. Stamped with Peacock Feathers Distress Ink. (What I love about this layout is it also shows you that the different ways you use an ink can show as almost different colours). Then added some hot fix rhinestones from my stash (obtained cheaply from eBay) over the Dot parts of the flourishes in different sizes.

Then I stuck my flowers down where I wanted them. Made some pearl sprays using pearl sprays and wire. It only took 2 stems of pearl spray. I used the wire to sepperate one stem into two sprays for the clusters.

Glued them in with a little glossy accents and viola a layout that won’t break the budget