INTAAS - Anything But a Card

To start the New Year International Art and Soul have the challenge of 'Anything But a Card' which was the theme set by our Desing Team member Christine.

Who remembers making Tim Holtz's grunge board bracelets? This is a real blast from the past. I last made lots of these in 2008/9 for my friends' daughters and granddaughters. They weren't quite as grungy as this, they were much prettier. However I was quite chuffed that I remembered how to do them, once I found my grunge board. The first photo isn't very good - again taken with my camera which I think is on it's last legs. My son took the second one with his mobile and then emailed it to me so that I could save it on my laptop. The subject of his email read 'Wrinkly old arm'. He does love me I'm sure!

I've really made so many other objects during my crafting sessions over the years so have got into a rut of only cards recently. I've got a box in the garage with plaques, pictures and various other items but decided to take the plunge and attempt this.

The grunge board and fastener all by Tim Holtz. Promarkers, Distress Ink were used for the decoration with some Craft Box gems for the centre of the flowers. The flower stamp was a freebie from a magazine.

I hope you've enjoyed this step back in time. lol

I'm entering my bracelet into the following challenges:

I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes with Promarkers

Lemon Shortbread - Anything Goes

Passion for Markers - Anything Goes with Markers

INTAAS Halloween

Come along and join us at International Art and Soul to show us what you can do for the challenge of 'Halloween'.

My card blank is a 7x7 by Craft UK. I decided to keep this card simple so used a Tim Holtz stencil to make the background. I used Ranger's Distress Ink in Black Soot to colour the hessian stencil. The image is Starr by Stitchy over at Stitchybear stamps. I coloured her with my Promarkers before cutting out and adding to the centre of the card. The hand and the bats are from some Halloween Fake Tattoo packs that I bought online last year and then didn't use them all. I knew they would come in useful again this year. lol

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:

Crafty Creations - Anything Goes

Paper Funday - Anything Goes with optional twist Halloween

A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes

A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes

Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes

Creative Craft Cottage - Spooky and/or Cute

Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Sheepski Designs - Autumn and/or Halloween

The Crafting Challenge - Autumn and/or Halloween

Lemon Shortbread - Anything Goes

Thank you all for visiting, I hope to see you all again soon. 

IAAS Black and Orange

My card blank is a 7x7 by Crafts UK. The theme over at International Art and Soul is 'Black and Orange. I don't send Halloween cards so decided on a birthday card for my second daughter in law.

She loves dogs so the image was easy, one of Tim Holtz's Crazy Dogs. I stamped it in Memento Ink and after only basic colouring (because I have a white dog - lol) I cut it with a Spellbinder wonky square die. I then matted it on to an orange wonky square slightly larger than the first. The background was a section of embossed orange card and a narrower section of black card. The orange card by Papermill and the black by Sue Wilson. I'm sorry I have no idea where the embossing folder is from. I fixed both sections to a black base that matted nicely on to the card blank. I used a strip of Hobbycraft pearls and black gems to the lower part of the card. The sentiment, if I remember correctly, is by Lili of the Valley. After carefully cutting it out I edged it with my black Promarker to give it more definition and then set it at the top right.

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:

Crafty Creations - Anything Goes

Creative Moments - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread - Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes with a Critter

A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes

A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes

Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes

Crafty Animals - Anything Goes with an animal

Morgan's Artworld - Anything Goes

Moving Along with the Times - Male

I'm busy making items for a Christmas Fair in the village and when Beckie chose a theme of 'For a Male' over on Moving Along with the Times I decided to make a boy's bedroom door plaque.

The wooden plaque was from Joanna Sheen and I used Crackle paste to make green crackles appear through the white paint. I love this as it give a real grungy feel to the project. The cogs and metal items were all by Craft Box UK as is the SnipArt 'mechanical dreams' in the centre. Instead of using ribbon or rope as the hanger I bought a length of chain from Maxwell's and managed to tie it together with a Tim Holtz ' Breathe' medallion and fastener. I hope that any young male who is in to cogs, wheels or anything mechanical might like this, but if not, I enjoyed making it. lol

I'm entering my hanger into the following challenges: 

Creative Artiste - Anything Mixed Media

A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes

A Inky Mess - Anything Mixed Media Goes

A Perfect Time to Craft - Anything Goes

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes Mixed Media

Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes

Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Always Anything Goes

I'm sorry that this will be my last post for Moving Along with the Times. I've enjoyed working with all the DT members over the years but I'm sure I'll see most of them again. 

MAWTT Things that Fly

The theme this time is 'Things that Fly' so come along to Moving Along with the Times and join us.

My card blank is an 8 x 8 scalloped by Craft UK. I embossed the white paper with an embossalicious folder by Crafter's Companion before matting on to Papermill's pale blue card. The eagle is a digi by Morgan Fitzsimon and I coloured it with my Promarkers. I used a Spellbinders circle die to cut it and then edged with Stormy Sky distress ink. I mounted it on pads which raised the image more or less centrally on the card. I'd bought a pad by Tim Holtz of Small Talk and chose the various quotes from that before placing them randomly around the eagle. The main quote was a long one so I set it on a navy blue strip of Papermill card along the top edge.

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:

Morgan's ArtWorld - Anything Goes
QKR Stampede - Down on the Farm or Anything Goes
AuroraWings - Fur and Feathers
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Thank you all for visiting and for leaving comments - they're much appreciated.

Hazel x

MAWTT Embossing wet/dry

The challenge this time is Embossing - wet or dry. The theme was set by Sue B over at Moving Along with the Times. Do come and join us and see the super cards made by Team B.

I decided to use both wet and dry for my card. It's a 7x7 card blank by Craft UK. The paws embossing folder came into use for only the second time - I've had it for ages! I embossed right and left sides of the card blank, leaving the middle blank. The embossing folder is a long narrow one and I cannot for the life of me remember who made it. I stamped a Tim Holtz crazy dog and after colouring with my Promarkers I cut him out leaving a narrow white border round him. I set him in the bottom corner and then stamped his feeding bowl and bone in the blank space next to him, both coloured with my Promarkers. The sentiment is by Visible Image and I stamped and embossed with Sparkle N Sprinkle embossing powder in Blueberry. After heat embossing it I cut with a Spellbinder wonky square die and then cut the larger size in metallic blue card as the mat. I set this to the top of the blank panel and that's my card finished.

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:

Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
Lemon Shortbread - Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Crafting From the Heart - Anything Goes
Simon Says Monday - Masculine
Addicted to Stamps - Animals

Thanks for visiting, call again soon.

MAWTT For a Man

This week over at Moving Along with the Times we have the theme of 'For a Man'. I'm not sure that mine is the usual type of card you would send to a man but it was sent to a friend's son who is as tall as a man but not quite in that category yet! It was from Lily and me because Cole loves my dog.

My 8x8 card blank is by Joanna Sheen. The backing paper is from Joanna Sheen's Paper Collection Volume 2. I used a Tim Holtz crazy dog stamp and then cut her out leaving a small white border. I only coloured her pink collar with a Promarker and then raised her on sticky pads so that she was paddling in the sea. I generated the sentiment on the computer, cut it with a Spellbinders scalloped die and backed it with a larger blue scalloped die. It's already been given to Cole and it was a great hit.

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
Sir Stampalot Challenge - Animal Magic
Crafty Friends Challenge - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Masculine
ArtbyMiran Challenge - Anything Goes

International Art and Soul

I'm so pleased to be working with a group of crafters that I worked with a few years ago on another design team. We've all come together again to be part of this new challenge blog 'International Art and Soul'.

The theme for our first challenge is 'Love is in the Air' so please come along and join us.

My card is an 8x8 by Joanna Sheen. The backing paper is by Tim Holtz and I matted it on to bright red card by Papermill. The steampunk Snipart heart (try saying that fast! lol) is distributed by Craft Box. I coloured the edge of the heart with a red Promarker and then used Crawford and Black's bronze acrylic paint on some of the cogs. The wooden letters I bought at Hobbycraft a few months ago and this is the first time I've used any of them. I painted them with the bronze paint too. Job done and I'm quite pleased with my almost steampunk card.

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks - Anniversary
Cardz4galz - Love is in the Air
Craftrocket Challenge - It's a Love Thing
Crafty Creations Challenge - Anything Goes
Through the Craft room Door - Anything Goes

MAWTT New Baby

This week the theme is New Baby and I decided to do a mixed media canvas as a change to my usual cards. I hope you like it. The theme was set by Beckie over at Moving Along with the Times so come along and join us.

I used a box canvas by Hobbycraft and then started to embellish. The main focal point was to the be the baby in the pram so I used my Lasting Impressions stencil with some Dreamweaver embossing paste. I added a piece of Snip Art to the bottom right corner as a starting point. I placed a strip of lace down the left side and this was from the local market. A wooden scroll was added to the bottom left, this and the Snip Art were both from Craft Box. A small piece of net was used to the right as a base for small baby items such as the bottle, hands and feet. A small wooden heart and a safety pin completed that piece. A small wooden frame, also from Craft Box, was added to the top right and inside I added the word Love which is a small wooden 'button' I've had for ages. Once I was in the button boxes I found some baby buttons which I thought I would add, along with a hugs and kisses button and another little curly scroll which went top left. The flowers were from Craft Box and I dotted them around before deciding the piece needed more texture so I dug out my Tim Holtz burlap stencil and embossed snatches of it in various spots. After adding another couple of safety pins I painted it all with white gesso from Daler Rowney and when that dried I picked out certain items to be blue, pink, yellow and green. After that was completely dry I coated it in Winsor and Newton clear gesso to seal it.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Fitztown 'Have a Heart'

Come and join us at Fitztown Challenge Blog for our theme this month of 'Have a Heart'. Of course, that means we want to see a heart somewhere on your card.

I've used the image Bridal Wedding Day 1 which I hope is still available in the Fitztown Etsy store. If anyone has a problem finding any of the images I use for Fitztown you can send an email to sales@Fitztown.com and someone will assist you in finding the image you want.

The card blank is by Joanna Sheen. I coloured the image with my Promarkers and a Sakura silver pen for the lace and head dress and then cut it into a rectangle. I used the Couture Creations 'Tied Together' embossing folder for the background paper and then matted it on to silver card. The heart and key are Spellbinder dies and I cut them in silver card from Papermill. The little heart and saying is from Tim Holtz - bought in Florida at Christmas and first time I've used them, so cute. I've used my new Sue Wilson bow dies again to make the bow at top left and, once again, put a rose in the centre. The flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts.

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:
Crafting for all Seasons - Dies and/or Punches
Miriam's Crafting Blog - Romance
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Sweethearts and Roses
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Add a little Texture

#84 - Shape Up

Yes, it's that time again! Challenge day at One Stitch at a Time and this week the theme is Shape Up. I used the Steampunk Watch by April of Reece's Scrap Pieces and you can buy the digi from HERE. After choosing my image I began to have doubts but I eventually managed to make my first steampunk card. Thanks April for pushing me in that direction.

I used a large square Craft UK card for the base. The bronze and silver Mirri card is from Joanna Sheen and the backing paper is from Costco. I used the Speedy Celebrations stamp set from Joanna Sheen to stamp and emboss on the backing paper. I used bronze and silver embossing powder and I was happy with the result. After colouring the digi with Promarkers and edging it in grey I cut just outside the grey lines and stuck the image to a square of bronze Mirri card which was also backed with silver Mirri card. I cut out some of the cogs and added them to the card with some Pinflair gel to give a bit of depth. One of  Tim Holtz's clasp, sentiment and chains is hanging at the right and looks as if it is attached with one of the raised cogs.

I've posted another couple of photos because the light was reflecting off the Mirri card.

Our sponsor this week is Joanna Sheen and the winner will receive a £10 voucher for Joanna's online store.

 

Check the site out here: http://www.joannasheen.com/ 

I'm entering this card in to the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly - Get in Shape - I used the shape of the watch, the cogs and the squares.
Allways Something Creative - Brown, orange, distressed

Father's Day/For a Male

Simon Says Stamp's challenge is Father's Day or For a Male. I've made a grungy male card for my nephew's birthday so killing two birds with one stone. Thanks for these challenges, I'm well ahead with my birthday cards now. It's a large white square card by Craft UK. The backing paper is from Costco and the Creative Expressions embossed panel is a piece of packing cardboard. It was distressed with three of Rangers' Distress Inks. The lock and Dream panel are from Create and Craft. The tag is from our local Post Office! I distressed that as well - I was in a grungy mood seeing that you mentioned Tim Holtz. I've used a Tim Holtz sentiment tag and one of his ornate book plates.  James can take the card to pieces if he doesn't want to keep it and he can use the book plate and then the tag as a key ring.