"Girls Just Want To Have Fun"

On the 28th of May some members of our little crafting group attended the "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" craft day at the Papeterie, Stoneywood, Aberdeen.  The event was for thirty ladies to have an all day craft day making three projects under the guidance of  these three talented ladies.
Kath

Debbi
Anne

Here are pictures of the projects I made on the day.

This picture isn't quite accurate as we only made the pen holder and notebook sleeve with Debbi but I had a card, which I'd made from the same paper we used in the project, and I couldn't resist putting it in the picture too.  Debbi is a Letraset Product Coach and taught us how effective it can be to use shades of grey Promarkers when colouring and that embellishments, such as ribbon, can also be coloured to match projects.

Kath is a designer and craft demonstrator whose blog I like to follow daily for inspiration and entertainment.  Occasionally her trusty friend Buddy, the Furry Boy, takes over when Kath is busy creating or off on her adventures.  This project was packed full of techniques and it all came together so effectively, so much so that my daughter has claimed this piece for when she has her first home.  It really let me see that the card making techniques and tools we use can be adapted to other styles so easily and something that I'd now like to try again.  It was great to try this without having to think about the composition and colours of the piece as well as get the techniques right.

The bag we decorated with Anne is in the background of this photograph.  The photos I took of it on it's own did not do it any justice.  What you can't see from this shot is that the corners of the bag were decorated using stencils, daubers and inks just as the crown at the top of the bag.  I loved selecting the different colours of inks so that the stencilling matched the colours in the fabric.  Being Mrs Neat as usual, and not Mrs Random, I discovered that you could create a scalloped edge with stamping the daubers half way over the edge of the stencil.  Once again I put a card making technique to another use by stamping the message on to the front of the bag.  First time I'd tried fabric stamping.

It was a great day with lots of banter and I can't listen to Michael Buble without thinking of the day.  Susan from our crafting group was celebrating her birthday that day so there was even Janet's chocolate cake and cream sponge to be had and as if all that wasn't good enough I won a Fiskars border punch in the raffle.  I think the day can be classed as a great success and thank you to the three ladies who did  the hardwork in making it all come together for us.

Thanks for reading

Liz x

Fizzy Moon

This is the stamp, ( Fizzy Moon Celebrations - Little Messages ), which I wrote about in my last post and had to take home with me.  This wasn't such an easy project for me to colour and in the first attempts I coloured his face too dark and he ended up looking like a raccoon.  My daughter thinks that his nose still needs to be darker to look like the "real" Fizzy Moon.

The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then coloured with Promarkers.  I discovered that the Quickutz signpost die I had would fit into the stamped image perfectly so I was able to cut, emboss and decoupage the signs to add some texture and dimension.  You get a selection of small word stamps along with the main Fizzy Moon image and these are intended to be stamped onto the boards to create your own message.  I wasn't too happy with the quality of image these gave, and wouldn't like to trust stamping them directly onto the boards, so instead I stamped the words on to scraps of white card and punched them out with a 1/2" circle punch.

The frame for Fizzy Moon was cut using a square nestabilities die.  I got the inspiration to stamp the frame with a button stamp from the project we made with Kath, at the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun " event.  Some of the images were incomplete or I had over inked the stamp so these defects got camouflaged with Quickutz button die cuts.  A few more buttons were added so that it didn't look totally random.

To bring the colours of the project together the edges of the base card were inked and Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip ink was sponged around some of the buttons, boards and the frames.  Corners, matching the backing card, were added under the frame to break the lines of the white square in the middle.

The base card is a white 6"x6" scalloped card from Craft UK Limited

Papers used
Blue and pink card from W Enterprises, Aberdeen
Brown card from The Papeterie, Aberdeen
White card for stamping

Tools used
Spellbinders Nestabilities Regular Squares Large
Quickutz Single Die - RS0139 - Buttons
Quickutz Single Die - RS0265 - Signpost
Woodware 1/2" inch circle punch
Button stamp from Personal Impressions set - Vintage Sewing - PICSA6221
Stampin' Up ink - Chocolate Chip
Stampin' Up ink - Bashful Blue
VersaMagic Dew Drop ink - Pixie Dust

Embellishments used
Crystal dot peel-offs
Gold wavy line peel-offs
Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon

Top tip for these cards would have to be to use contrasting ink to sponge around edges and die cuts and to highlight and bring the colours together

Thanks for reading
Liz x

Tatty Teddy

Whilst at the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" crafting day at the Papeterie last Saturday I had the chance to browse around the shop and I bought a pack of 6"x6" square scalloped cards and envelopes by Craft UK Limited, stocked up on some card and then I spotted a Fizzy Moon clear stamp and this Tatty Teddy wooden  stamp and decided they needed to come home with me too.  He's so cute and easy to colour using Promarkers.  I stamped him using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured him all over in Cool Grey 2 and then went back over with the same pen missing out the nose, paws and patches. Cool Grey 4 was used to highlight the edges and stitches and Powder Blue, which I also "needed" to buy, was used for his nose.  Easy Peasy.  Fizzy Moon cards to follow. 

The base card is from the scalloped cards pack.  ( I'm loving them as you'll see in posts to come)

Papers used
Silver ribbed pearlescent card from The Papeterie, Aberdeen
Blue card from W Enterprises, Aberdeen
White card for stamping on
Spotted paper from Seraphina and friends CD, background papers and inserts
Happy Birthday paper from a Cuddly Buddly download, A Patchwork of Papers - Blue
Silver mirri-card from Create and Craft

Tools used
X-cut small flower punch
Tim Holtz Sizzix die Tattered Flowers
Woodware 1/2" circle punch
Glitter Girls embossing tool and foam mat
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue ink

Embellishments used
Blue ribbon from John Lewis
Woodware round silver brads
Crystal dot peel-offs

Top Tips for this card would be to ink sponge the scalloped edge of the card with ink to match the backing papers in the project. 

To make the raised centres for the flowers you punch out a 1/2" circle and place it on a foam mat.  Using the embossing tool make circular movements over the punched circle until it starts to cup up. Attach it to the flower with a foam pad.

Thanks for reading
Liz x

Silhouette Flower Number 3

 

This card has been sent to our bestman's daughter for her twenty-fifth birthday.  Can't believe she and our daughter have reached their quarter century already.  Happy Birthday Claire.

For this card the stamp was inked with versamark and stamped onto vellum. Using a cotton wool ball the image was then coloured using chalks in various shades of blue and green.  The chalks were set using hairspray.  The frame for the image was made using a square nestabilities die.  A mixture of matt, pearlescent and embossed card was used on this card to give shade, sheen and texture.  The white card used on the corners was embossed using a daisy patterned cuttlebug folder.

The base card is a 14.85cm square card

Papers used

Turquoise and bright blue pearlescent card from W Enterprises, Aberdeen

Turquoise matt card from The Papeterie, Aberdeen

Scraps of white card for corners and daisies

Tools used

Woodware small and medium daisy punches

Ringbinder hole punch

Quickutz Scalloped Tag die RS0156

Quickutz Corner die RS0328

Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Squares Large die

Spellbinders Nestabilities Petite Ovals Large die

Stampin' Up greeting stamp "birthday wishes" from Sincere Salutations Set

Dawn Bibby clear stamp "with love" from Smile, With Love set - DB011

Cuttlebug embossing folder - Daisy Pattern

Brilliance Pearlescent ink - Pearlescent Jade

Versafine ink - Majestic Blue

Embellishments used

5mm and 7mm turquoise ribbon from John Lewis

Woodware coloured brad from Primary set

Top Tip for this card would be to ink sponge the tips of the daisies to match the colour of cardstock used. 

Thanks for reading

Liz x

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - One for the Girlies

I really enjoyed making this card for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge, "One for the Girlies", this week.  The Penny Black image I've used is 3965K Primp.  It was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Promarkers.  My Promarker colouring is still pretty basic but as long as I have a picture guide I don't mind having a go.  There are usually three or four practice attempts before I find the colours I want to put together.  Just have to keep practising.  I had a lesson on how to shade with greys at the "Girls Just Want To have Fun" craft day and Debbi from the class is coming to visit our craft group on the 11th of June so I hope to learn some more then.  When I now complete a project I stamp out the image again on a spare piece of card and record on it the pens I used so hopefully this will save time when I come to colour it again.  Just have to remember where I've put the piece of card.  This is a truly matted and layered project.  There are eight square layers under the main image.  The message was created using a word programme on the computer and die cut using nestabilities. 

As soon as I saw this stamp I thought it would go well with several Quickutz dies I already had, however it has taken until now to get around to putting them together on a card.  That's what makes doing these challenges so good as it forces you to make the projects you had in mind when you buy all your crafty bits and pieces but never actually get around to making them. This one is going to be set aside for my niece's 11th birthday in August.  For once I'm ahead of the game.

The base card is a white 20.5cm square card

Papers used

Dovecraft 8x8 Designer Paper Pack - Glamour Prints 

Bright pink card from WH Smith card pack

Pale pinks and green card from stash

White textured and pearlescent card from The Papeterie, Aberdeen

Mirri-card from Create and Craft

Happy Birthday paper from a Cuddly Buddly download, A Patchwork of Papers - Pink

Scraps of card to make up the die cuts in colours to match the backing paper

Tools used

Quickutz Double Die - KS-0407 - Comb

Quickutz Double Die - KS-0405 - Makeup

Quickutz Single Die - RS-0308 - Lips

Quickutz Single Die - RS-0423 -Purse

Quickutz Single Die - RS-0156 -Scalloped Tag

Spellbinders Nestabilities Petite Scalloped Circles - Large

Spellbinders Nestabilities Regular Circles - Large

Chalks

Embellishments

Bling Bling self adhesive crystals from

Heart, number and crystal dot peel-offs

Dovecraft Coloured Brads

Gingham Ribbon

Top Tip for this project would have to be to chalk the ends of the makeup applicator die cuts to match the colours in the makeup palette

Thanks for reading.

Liz x

Seaside - Beach Babes

I spent yesterday making ATCs to swap at our Saturday crafting group.  Our theme for June's swap is Seaside and I based my swaps around images taken from Joanna Sheen's ATC Assistant CD.  I'd hoped that this would be a quick project but ended up taking ages deciding what I wanted to put on them and at one stage emptied the bottom of the cupboard under the stairs to find shell beads, which I knew were buried in a box in the depths, only to decided that I didn't like them.  The ATCs have a blue base card which was spritzed with denim blue Shimmer Mist to give a water shimmer effect and afterwards a shell image was stamped over the card with blue Encore metallic ink.  At the bottom of the ATC there are two layers of pale blue vellum, ripped and then the torn edges sponged with Brilliance pearlescent sky blue ink.  The bottom layer is glitter card in a sand colour ripped and spritzed with gold metallic ink to create a sun sparkle effect.  Sandwiched between these layers is a Quickutz wave die cut and on the top is a double layered Quickutz shell die cut, cut from two different shades of blue card which have then been ink sponged with the Brilliance ink to add depth and spritzed with gold metallic ink to give the shell some pearlescence.  Finally the Beach Babe label was made using a word programme on the computer, cut into strips and ink sponged with the Brilliance ink.   What was supposed to be quick and simple turned out to be fiddly and fussy but then that's just the way I work.

Papers used

Blue card from W Enterprises, Aberdeen
Parchment Blue card from Southfield Stationary
White card scraps
Glitter card from Create and Craft
Blue vellum from stash

Tools used
Shell stamp from a discontinued QVC set
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Denim Blue
Encore Metallic Ink - Blue
Brilliance Ink - Pearlescent Sky Blue
Quickutz Single Die - RS 0027 Wave
Quickutz Single Die - RS 0091 Shell
Spritzer
Gold Metallic pen from WH Smith

Thanks for reading
Liz x

Congratulations

This card was for the son of my friend who has successfully gained a first class award for his degree in Chemical Engineering from Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh.  Well done Iain. If you read the post "Birthdays Rock" then you would already know that he was awaiting to hear his results on his birthday.  Don't think he'll forget his 24th birthday in a hurry.  He graduates on the 23rd of June so that will be an excuse to make a graduation card.  Lots of celebrations in this family this year as his sister's 21st birthday cards were pictured in the previous post and their Mum and Dad celebrate their pearl anniversary at the beginning of next month.  Seeing as I was one of their bridesmaids I'd better make a special card to mark the occasion.  Already got an idea in mind, just need to put it into practice.  I've got side tracked with some new stamps and ATCs at the moment.  Just needed a play as there have been too many intense have to be made cards lately.

The base card is a silver pearlescent ribbed 14.85cm square card

Papers used
Black, ribbed grey and white cardstock from Papeterie, Aberdeen
Grey parchment cardstock from W Enterprises, Aberdeen
Spotted background papers from Seraphina and Friends CD, background papers and inserts
Mirri-card from Create and Craft

Tools used
Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Squares Large
Sizzix Doodle Tag Lowercase Alphabet Set dies
Ringbinder hole punch

Embellishments used
Assorted star peel-offs from stash
3mm crystal dots with silver edge peel-offs, Craft Creations 729

Thanks for reading
Liz x