Metal Flowers

Hi Everyone

Welcome to blog land again. 

Well I'm nearly at the end of my week off work and it's nice to say that I have managed to do some crafting. I can't believe the time has gone so fast. 

This is just a quick post to show what you can do with an empty beer/lager can. Once emptied (with the help of my husband) the cans were cut up using a sharp pair of scissors (don't use your best ones though). The cans were then embossed using Sizzix embossing folders and die cut with Tim Holtz Tattered Florals. 

The next step is to colour the pieces, I used alcohol inks and a little bit of Inka Gold for definition. Then it's a case of shaping and sticking together, I used a glue gun for this purpose and it works really well. The main thing to remember is to handle with care because the cans are very sharpe.

Once I had shaped the flowers I started to put the picture together, the background paper is a collage of pieces covered in Distress Paint 'Picket Fence' which has a nice translucent quality and then covered with some grunge paste through a rose stencil.

The tag was made using an Indigo Blu sentiment "Live Every Moment Laugh Every Day Love Beyond Words" which came with a recent Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine and layered on top of some white netting for dimension. Finally, a few butterflies and a dragonfly were buffed with Inka Gold and added to finish it off. 

I hope you like it, any thoughts or comments would be most welcome and don't forget if you try this watch your pinkies.

Thanks for taking the time to visit. 

Crafty hugs. xx

Sweet Lilac Flowers "Anything Goes"

I have looked on the Sweet Lilac website a few times but couldn't decide what flowers to get first because they are all so beautiful.  Imagine how thrilled I was last week to find out that I was the winner of a hamper of lovely flowers fom Jo Rice's Fussy & Fancy Blog Hop Candy. 

So here is my first make using these wonderful flowers. 

The background was made using the shaving foam technique and alcohol inks, I then stamped the Clarity stamps sentiment and Tim Hotz butterflies, added a bit of picked raspberry around the edge before matting and layering onto white and a cream base card. 

Finally, I added the beautiful Sweet Lilac flowers and I have to say I think the end result is stunning, the photo really doesn't do it justice. 

I am going to make this my first entry for the Sweet Lilac Blog Candi/Challenge (May/June), why not have a look at the blog and maybe enter yourself:

http://sweetlilacflowers.blogspot.co.uk/p/blogcandi-challenges.html

I hope you like it, thanks for taking the time to pop by and any feedback would be much appreciated. 

Hope to see you again soon. 

Crafty hugs xx

Lavinia Stamps - Challenge 5 - 'Birthday Girl'

Lavinia Stamps - Challenge 5 - 'Birthday Girl'

Nearly the end of another month and again I've not had a great deal of time for crafting but I do like to try and find time to enter this fabulous challenge.  This is my entry for the Lavinia Stamps Challenge 5 - Birthday Girl. 

I decided to use the stamps that came free with the Papercraft Essentials Magazine and stamped the main image using Potting Shed Archival Ink, once this was dry I grounded the fairy again using Archival Ink Potting Shed, Fern Green and Red Geranium.

I then put in the background using a piece of curved acetate to form hills with Distress Inks Peeled Paint, Frayed Burlap, Antique Linen, Shaded Lilac and Stormy Sky. Next I put in a moon mask and started to build up the sky applying the Distress Inks with a make up sponge using Victorian Velvet, Seedless Preserve, Picked Raspberry, Dusty Concord and Wild Honey. The moon was coloured once the mask was removed to make sure it wasn't too stark a contrast. To finish the background off I stencilled in some leaves with Dusty Concord. 

The card was trimmed and matted onto a white Linen Card then to finish it off I stamped some fairy dust and added glitter to this and the fairies wings and added a 'Happy Birthday' peel off.

Why not visit Lavinia Stamps website and have a go at the challenge yourself, you never know you may be a winner. For more details follow the link:  

http://laviniastamps.com/blog/lavinia-stamps-challenge-5-birthday-girl/

Remember

This is my entry for this months Claritystamp Challenge which is called It's All About The Words.

Ingredients 

7x7 Geli card x 2

Poppy stencil

'Remember' stamp from word chain set

Corner stamp from journaling stamp set

Distress Inks Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Frayed Burlap and Black Soot

Versafine Onyx Black

Cream scalloped edge base card

As it is coming up to the 70th Anniversary of D-Day I thought it would be fitting to do a card to celebrate and honour not only those that made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives but also to everyone who took part during World War II.  This should be a time to remember everything that they secured for the life that we know today. 

I used the poppy stencil and coloured through with Distress Inks of varying colours to give depth to the image. This was then matted onto scalloped card and a piece of Geli card which was distressed using Spiced Marmalde and Fired Brick to tie in with the main image. I stamped the word 'Remember' on to a separate piece of card and distressed the edge with Fired Brick, this was mounted with foam pads to raise it a little and finally the corners were added.  

I enjoyed making this card, thanks for taking the time to look, I hope you like it and any feedback would be much appreciated. 

Hope to see you again soon. 

Crafty hugs xx

Tarmac Technique - Take Two

Hi Everyone

Here's my latest project.

I was so taken with this new technique I persuaded my other half Dave that we 'needed' to take a trip to Ikea at the weekend (sorry Mandy, we'll have to go again but I couldn't wait). A few hours later and we arrived home with lots of goodies including half a dozen mirrors.

Here's what happened next:

I picked out the paints that I wanted to use, I found a good selection of garden paint match pots at 

B & Q favouring nice bright colours

Next I stuck my embossed backing papers, die cuts and boards to the mirror.

Introduced some paint and went from bright white to just BRIGHT!

Then covered it with Karen Clare's secret ingredient....... This is where you get to thinking 'What have I done?'

Then for the Big Reveal!

Finally, a bit of bling in the form of a Inka Gold wax, I used Gold, Copper, Old Silver, Rosa, Violet and Steel Blue. 

AND VOILA

Now I'm planning my next one which will be on a 'Sewing' theme and I'm waiting for some new Sizzix embossing folders to arrive that I just couldn't do without. 

I hope you like it, any comments would be greatly appreciated. 

Crafty hugs

Jules

Tarmac Technique

On a sunny Sunday morning in May, Amanda (my crafting partner in crime) and I went to a most fantastic workshop hosted by Karen Clare ( AKA The Clock Lady) to learn all about the Tarmac Technique.

Very different from anything I've done before, a thoroughly good day was had by everyone and the finished mirrors were all absolutely stunning.

Here is the my mirror, I was so pleased with what I had achieved and keep going and having a sneaky peak and still can't quite get over the fact that 'I made that'.

Thank you so much for the inspiration Karen and to everyone there for making it such a fabulous and fun day. 

Needless to say, I enjoyed myself so much I went to Ikea at the weekend and bought some mirrors so that I can do it again and again and again..............

Hope you like it, any comments would be gratefully received. 

Crafty hugs xx

Lavinia Stamp Challenge 4 - Spring Colours

Lavinia Stamps - Challenge 4 - Spring Colours

It's been a busy month and I've had very little time for crafting, more's the pity.

This is my entry for this months Lavinia Stamps Challenge, 4 -  Spring Colours. I started by stamping he main images then colouring them in using Distress Inks and Distress Markers. I have then put in some shading for the landscape and and mounted it on to a cream scalloped card.  I have then finished it off with a silk anemone flower and brass leaf embellishments. 

Why not visit Lavinia Stamps website and have a go at the challenge yourself, you never know you may be a winner. For more details follow the link:  

http://laviniastamps.com/blog/lavinia-stamps-challenge-4-spring-colours/