Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 94 - Steampunk

Steampunk is the theme this week at Crafty Cardmakers and is hosted by Julie.

Now this is not normally my thing, so I wasn't totally sure what is included.  I seem to remember seeing lots of cogs and clocks on other people's designs though, so that is what I used for my card!

This time, I went back to basics, and more or less everything was created from scratch, with the exception of the key and the ribbon embellishments.  Everything else was stamped and coloured with adirondack/distress inks.

I used a 6" square card base in cream, and on that I layered a piece of brown card from my stash.  Then I cut a piece of white card slightly smaller and using a cogs and gears mask, coloured it using espresso adirondack ink.  It came out nice and fuzzy, and even more so when I had spritzed it with some mica spray!

I used a heatgun to dry it, then overstamped with the inkylicious worn paint stamp in Old Paper distress ink, which gave it a lovely aged look.

Then I overstamped again, using the espresso inkpad, with my other images (indigo blu stamps) cogs, keys and clock numerals.  By using different inks, and intensity it almost looks as though the cog images are decoupaged, but they are in fact all on the one base card.

The sentiment in the centre was also an indigo blu stamp, and so, so true!!

Lastly, I used a scrap of ribbon from my stash and applied it like a rosette ribbon to my card base, using a hot glue gun and a gold candie to simulate a brad.  I did the same thing with a small brass key - put some bakers twine through the top and applied the hot glue, stuck the twine in it and covered it up with another gold candie.

So, all done with just two ink pads, white card and some mica spritz.  Neat, huh?  And, I actually think it is ideal for a man's card, which is my card type nemesis... win, win!

For this challenge, we are sponsored by

DI'S DIGISTAMPS

 with a

$10 GIFT VOUCHER

I have been drawing since a child and studied graphics at College many years ago, I now work as a Medical photographer part time but my love was always drawing. I started cardmaking about 4yrs ago when I bought my daughter a cardmaking kit which we did together, but I’m afraid I got the bug! My daughter preferred scrapbooking. I then started looking online at other blogs and this then became my passion and I loved sharing my cards with likeminded people.
I love stamping and loved finding images, but sometimes I could not find what I wanted so I started to draw myself.
This then has become my second addiction and I have never looked back, I love thinking of new images, and its just fabulous to see others take them and make them into beautiful works of art.
Long may it continue!

and

  THE STAMPMAN

 We are kindly sponsored for this challenge by The Stampman (and Lady of course!) who are offering the winner a £10 voucher for their store, you can spend this online, or if you're lucky enough to see them at a show!  They have a ton of items in store, enough to tickle any crafty taste bud.

Craft classes - In2Crafting, Wickford

Ever since my mum died, and I lost my crafting "partner", I have been going to the occasional class at In2Crafting, my favourite craft shop in Wickford.

The sessions are really good value - £10 for a morning or afternoon, and includes all materials and a cup of tea or coffee!  A new list should be ready soon for July onwards - I would thoroughly recommend you try it out if you are in the area!

The last class I went to was using the Hougie Board - and I was really impressed with what I managed to make.

The first item was a card attached to a box, which had small drawers for trinkets/sweets.  It was surprisingly straightforward, and looked very classy.  The photograph doesn't really do it justice...

The second item was a Pink box, which again was dead easy to make, and contained some small 3" square note cards, an ideal gift!

In fact, it was such a good idea, I have made another one as a thank you for a good friend who sent me a small present today to cheer me up (it was the anniversary of my mum's death recently, and I have been a bit low).

I put six small cards in my box - which I made using hunkydory cardstock.  I hope she likes them!

Another tri shutter card

Blimey, I went for years without doing a tri shutter card, and now I've done two in the space of two weeks!!

This one was done for my friend J's "mother in law" (her fella's mum) who was 80 this weekend.  J had a number of photos she would like to have included, but it was hard to fit them all onto a normal shaped card.  Just as well I did the experimental tri shutter card then, wasn't it?  All worked out splendidly.

I changed the photos from black and white, sepia and full colour to all sepia so they matched, and mounted them onto pearlescent brown card.  Both photograph and mount were cut using a spellbinders die.  I used a gold embossed card to provide the background mats, and cut the happy birthday greeting from the same brown card.  I added some stick on "nail heads" in gold, and some flowers and butterflies from my stash.

Finally, in my campaign to use up my peel offs, I edged the gold mats with flexible bobble peel offs, added some corners to the plain parts of the base card, and used the numbers to make up the age.

Best thing?  It fitted (just) into a standard 5 x 7 card, but bearing in mind the flowers stood out, I made a 1/2 inch envelobox for it.

Crafty Cardmakers challenge 93 - Father's Day

The latest challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is hosted by Feebs, who has chosen the theme of a  'Father's Day'

As it's Father's Day here in the UK on 16th June Feebs would  like to see anything you've created for, or have been inspired to make, by the father figure in your life. 

It could be anything from a card, a scrapbook page, a knitted scarf or a piece of altered art. It does not have to be specifically for Father's Day.

I find it much easier to make feminine cards - it's hard making cards for men - finding suitable images and colour schemes/layouts taunt me and I always end up putting it off.

However, for this card, I used an image from one of our sponsors, The Paper Shelter.  I coloured this cute cowboy using my coloured pencils - I have been using this medium more and more lately, after years of neglecting them!    Choosing the card to layer was more difficult, and I ended up going with matching the blue of my cowboy's outfit, and the brown of his shoes and hair.

I used a die to cut out the shape once coloured, and then layered that onto a piece of blue Core'dinations card, which I cut with a spellbinders die.  Through the small holes, I threaded some yellow and white bakers twine to give a stitching effect, and which I also used in the tags.  Through the big slots I used some white ribbon.

For my base layer, I used some browny red core'dinations card, which I ran through my bug using the creative expressions brick wall embossing folder.

I used scrap card to make my tags, and yes, as I am desperately trying to use them up,  I used peel offs for the greeting!!

This time we are sponsored by 

THE PAPER SHELTER

with a $20 gift certificate for their fabulous store

If you are looking for fun, cute and lovely digi stamps for your paper-crafting or web design projects, The Paper Shelter is your one-stop boutique! This growing catalog of high-quality digi stamps with many different kind of options offers a multitude of themes such as everyday items, holidays, special occasions, children, adorable characters and creatures. Stamps are available in standard black and white line art, as well as in pre-colored format. Images are wonderful for coloring and make perfect additions to greeting cards and scrapbook albums. In "The Paper Shelter" you'll also find great other resources for all crafts (or digital) projects, like Paper Packs, Printables, Accessory sheet, etc. 

And also by

Woodware