Xmas 2015

Copyright

I hope you enjoy reading this blog and find inspiration and ideas from what you have seen here but I would ask you to please respect my copyright and not use my pictures for publishing as your own work, or for entry into challenges.

Monday 27 May 2013

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 92 - Tri shutter card with stamped image and a twist

 

This weeks challenge at Crafty Cardmakers wasn't just a challenge to everyone out there - it was a challenge to the majority of the Design Team too!  

So welcome to our latest challenge, hosted by Annette who wanted to see a tri-shutter card with a stamped image, either digital or rubber, with an added twist of using the colours Blue, Yellow and Green. 

I'd seen tri-shutter cards before, but had never made one myself, or had the first clue how to begin.  So I took myself off to google and got myself a set of instructions and set to work. The first one was in thin card just to see how the folds went, and was discarded.

The second went really well - and then I read the challenge requirements again and realised that my black and pink masterpiece, using up some hunkydory toppers from my stash bore no resemblance to what was asked for.  This is an important part of entering challenges - read the requirements carefully... big FAIL on my part!!  

So I started again - this time bearing in mind the colours and the need for a stamped image!  The folds weren't that difficult once you have done them a couple of times and I used some pale lemon 12" x 12" card cut down to half size for my base card.  This makes getting the three parts the same size much easier, as you are working with 12 inches and not 11 and a bit and a blob (to quote Kay Rutter of Hougie board fame).

The green leaf backing card did come from my hunkydory stash (or it might have been kanban - difficult to tell when the packaging is gone) and I backed that with a dark blue/green plain card on the two side panels.  On the front panel, before mounting it onto the dark blue/green card I wrapped some blue/white bakers twine around it and tied it in a small bow.  In the centre panel I used the dark blue/green card with a stamped sentiment that I cut out with a nestie and distressed with chipped sapphire.

I cut small strips of the leaf backing card to go along the bottom and top centre panel, and used some paper flowers and pearls from my stash to embellish.  For my stamped image, I used a Jayne Nestorenko stamp I got free with a magazine for the main one, and coloured it with my coloured pencils.  I cut it out using an oval nestie, and did some faux stitching around the edge.  This was stuck onto the front panel with foam pads and a small dab of pinflair glue gel.  For my second image, I used a docrafts butterfly, cut out after being coloured blue with my pencils and glittered.

Sometimes, stretching yourself for the challenges really does come up trumps - this is a card fold I haven't done before, but it did actually come out really effectively, and I do like it. 

For those who are curious, my first effort is at the bottom of this post, after the interesting bit about what you can win if you enter the challenge!!!

Please ensure your card includes a stamped image to qualify for a winner or Top 5 slot, whether you add the twist or not is up to you. 

PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE RULES BEFORE ADDING YOUR CREATION AND CHECK IT MEETS THE CRITERIA AS LAID OUT ABOVE - ANY ENTRY NOT COMPLYING WILL UNFORTUNATELY BE DELETED

We are sponsored by  

DI'S DIGI DOWNLOADS
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 also by
with this fabulous prize:-

Anna's Collection Oriental and a Colorbox Chalk Queue.
 As a family business we're a friendly, helpful, bunch at Hobby Art.  All our stamps are designed by us and manufactured in Britain. Look at the gallery on my blog -jennymayes.com - for lots of card ideas using the Hobby Art range.  We're pleased to sponsor the Crafty Cardmakers Challenge and look forward to seeing the entries.  
Good luck everyone.  Jenny and all. X#

*************
My pink and black effort...


Monday 13 May 2013

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 91 - Pick three different techniques


This weeks challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is hosted by Sharon, who has chosen the theme 'Pick Three Different Techniques' 

Sharon has  taken inspiration from her youngest daughter's recent 3rd birthday and therefore would like to see 3 different techniques on the card or project. She has asked us to take our pick of 3 from the following list and be sure to state which 3 we've used:

  • Embossing (wet or dry)
  • Distressing
  • Masking
  • Making your own flowers
  • Paper piecing/patchwork
  • Shrink plastic 


 The three techniques I chose to use was

  • dry embossing
  • distressing
  • shrink plastic
The base card was a plain piece of white A4 card, cut down to 6" wide to make a square card.

I began by stamping some lavender onto a plain piece of white card (stamp from the Crafters Companion Floral Fancies stamp set) using distress ink pens.  I coloured the flower heads in using a gellyroll purple pen, and then went over them with some stickles glue.

Using the purple distress ink pen, I did some faux stitching around the edge of the stamped image card.  Using my trusty splodgeaway mat, the same distress ink pens and an ink duster, I distressed the edge of the card - purple at the top, green at the bottom.

Lastly, I stamped the sentiment into the gap in the middle using the purple distress ink pen.

I used some pink coredinations card for my base layer and embossed it in the Floral Frenzy embossability folder from Crafters Companion.  I then sanded it back using a sanding block.  I then stuck this onto the base card.

I mounted the stamped image onto some dark purple coredinations card, and using the offcuts I made a card ribbon.  Using a white gel pen I added the faux stitching to this too.  Because it was going to be under the stamped image, I only put the card ribbon on the outer edges of the card.  I put the stamped topper onto the base layer using sticky pads, with a dollop of pinflair glue gel in the middle (Belt and Braces approach!).

Lastly, I made my small embellishment.  I stamped the lavender three times onto shrink plastic, and coloured it with gelly roll pens.  I cut round the image and heated it up using a low force heat gun (the one like a hairdyer - the other style is too fierce).

I cut a circle from some scrap card using a hole punch, and then stuck the three shrink plastic sprigs onto it using a hotglue gun.  I also used the glue gun to attach my triple bow (made from narrow pink chiffon ribbon).

Finally, I attached the embellishment to the card in the bottom left hand corner.

I wasn't happy with my last card - the colouring just didn't work - but I really like this one!

The design of the card was inspired by a demonstration of crafters companion products by Nandia at In2Crafting, at Wickford.


  • PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE RULES BEFORE ADDING YOUR CREATION AND CHECK IT MEETS THE CRITERIA AS LAID OUT ABOVE - ANY ENTRY NOT COMPLYING WILL UNFORTUNATELY BE REMOVED 

    We are sponsored by

     MILK COFFEE DIGITAL STAMPS 



    WITH A PRIZE OF 5 DIGIS FROM THEIR STORE
Milk Coffee Stamps is a digital image shop specialising in cute and girly images. We provide high quality digital images with high resolution so you could resize at a big enough size for your project. We have many different image styles; sophisticated lady, cute girl, whimsical image, cute stuff, fairytale creature, and many other varied themes so they can fit many different crafting styles.

And also by
SIR STAMPALOT


Sir Stampalot is a retail shop and online website that specialises in stamps, die cutting and paper-crafting goodies.  We try to offer exceptional delivery times on your orders as well as keeping our stock fresh, new and exciting!  Our dedicated team of card makers means we have a wonderful, inspirational online card gallery with many more cards still to upload!  Sir Stampalot ships internationally as well as domestic so why not check us out if you haven’t already – www.sirstampalot.co.uk.
 Happy Crafting!
with this fabulous prize:-


One Kit containing 5 small pots of the new Fran-tage Mica Fragments from Stampendous
Colours include: 

  • Pearlized
  • Guilded
  • Bronze
  • Tarnished
  • Tea Stained
Each pot contains 7.5grams

YUMMY!!