Stencilled Class - Day 3 - Card 2

This card utilises colouring texture paste with spray inks. I have done this technique before - sometimes successfully, sometimes not.  This time it turned out well:

The video colours clear embossing paste but I only have white texture paste. If you use clear instead the white your depth of colour will be much stronger.

Materials: Stencil (Heidi Swapp), Texture Paste (Jo Sonya), Spray Ink (Smooch), Stamp (Stampin' Up!), Ink (Stazon), Paper, Card, Vellum, Flower.

Stencilled - Day 3 - Card 1

This card uses texture paste - ok, it was supposed to be clear embossing paste but I don't have any - and embossing powder on top. The result is really cool! Loving the metallic stars.

Materials: Texture Paste (Jo Sonya), Stencil (Crafter's Workshop), Stamp (Mama Elephant), Embossing Powder, Paper, Ink (Stampin' Up!), Star brad.

All About the Elephant

No, this post is not about stencilling for a change. Instead, I created a card for the latest Mama Elephant challenge. Excuse me for gushing; but I really like this card. It is so soft, girly and frou frou which is so not my usual card making style.



I tried watercolouring for a change on the vellum and tissue. I also pink embossed on the tissue and tried the latest 'thing' of adding a dollop of random threads behind a focal piece. A littler glitter, a little bling, budda boom budda bing! Pretty no?

The challenge details are here.

So, it turns out this post is not just all about the elephant! I am entering this card in the Inspiration Emporium Dieing challenge : use a die or punch.  This card definitely fits the bill as I used a heart punch on the right border. I am so glad they are doing challenges again - thanks Inspiration Emporium! The details for the challenge are here.

Materials: Stamps (Mama Elephant),  Cardstock (Stampin' Up!, DCWV - glitter), Silver Thread (Stampin' Up!), Watercolour Set (Franchville), Vellum, Heart Punch, Ribbon, Tissue, Bling, Emboss Powder,

Stencilled Class - Day 2 - Card 2

This card was watercolouring through a stencil. I had bought a cheap travelling watercolour set a while back and had never used it. I pulled it out and got to work. It was definitely cheap as there were many hairs from the brush on it by the time I was done but they blew right off when it had dried! I really like how this one turned out:

I liked the shattered stencil and added the stamp because it seemed to work with the idea of things falling apart! A little patterned paper on the sides and it was done.

Materials: Stencil (Tim Holtz), Stamp (Kaisercraft), Ink (Versafine), Patterned Paper (Creative Memories), Pen - for edging (Stampin' Up!), Watercolour set (Franchville)

Stencilled Class - Day 2 - Card 1

Sharing more cards from the Stencilled class. Lots of great ideas. This one is stamping through a stencil then inking the edges of large stencil shapes:

Confession: I stuffed up! See that dimensional mosaic piece? I had to add something there because I did one two many in my first row of stamping/shading! Mine is totally different to the sample as I had to work around this new design element :) I cut the mosaic from the masking paper I was using so it had some of the stamping and colour on it from the design - cool huh?

Materials: Stencil (Prima), Ink (Stampin' Up! & Versafine), Stamps (Mama Elephant & Glitz), Punch (Stampin' Up!), Daubers,

A is for Aunty Time

It is school holidays here in New Zealand and we have had my wonderful niece with us a few days a week. On Friday we made books together. I saw the idea on Heidi Swapp's blog this week and they were presented by: Maggie Massey. They were easy to make and here's what we came up with:

Mine was made with thin paper and so my book is much thinner and less sturdy than my niece's. She used DCWV paper which is nice and thick. The embossed paper took a bit of pressure to cut through though. Here's the inside pages:

My niece did really well and I am proud of her. I know that creating is 'my' thing and that doesn't necessarily mean it has to be 'her' thing but I enjoyed sharing my time, skill, tools and stash with her. When she was little she would always make cards for her parents and friends but that dropped away a few years ago. As a teenager there are far more interesting things to do like play on Aunty's Ipad (yes, she has her own folder on my Ipad). Aunty time is very important (to Aunty) and I am pleased that my girl still thinks her Aunty is cool.

I am entering these books on Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which is: A is for..... My A is for Aunty Time! The challenge details are here.

Materials: Paper (DCWV, MME) , that's all folks!

Stencilled Class - Day 1 - Card 2

This is the second card I made from the videos. The stencil the teacher used was heart shaped. I only have standard square ones but I got out a scrap piece of paper and hand cut a heart shape to use as a mask - pretty ingenious if I do say so myself!

Second card was inking with versamark then clear embossing and inking over that.:

I tried to use as much Tim Holtz distress ink so I could add droplets of water as suggested in the video. Sorry about my blending - it had been a long day and my arm was too sore to continue to blend it until it was perfect. The tutor was right: you do get sore fingers from holding the blending tool and adding so much pressure to your work!

Stencilled Class - Day 1 - Card 1

I was fortunate to win a spot in the online classes Stencilled class - thanks Inspiration Emporium. So far I have watched the videos for day one and created two cards. This is the first one I made. I didn't have the stencil they used but it is the techniques that matter, not the supplies!

Inking through the stencil using two colours (mine looks like one) and fading out:

It was evening here in NZ before I could get to watch the videos and get to creating so please excuse the darkness and shadows in my picture.

#imakeprettystuff

Disclaimer: I am not boasting! #imakeprettystuff is the Hashtag I need to use to enter the Heidi Swapp comp for one of her darling aprons that say 'make pretty stuff' ( of course!)

Being in New Zealand means I can't buy from Michaels but I did add to my colour shine collection yesterday ( from my LSS - got to support them too!). I used the new sea foam colour with navy and teal. I also copied Heidi's stencil technique in her latest My Craft Channel video. My attempt at mixed media:

I tried to colour the bright gold frame with alcohol ink in a plastic bag but it didn't work. I then tried to ink it with three colours blended together but I think I used too much blending solution as it didn't work either! I might try dabbing silver paint on it - or leave it - what do you think?

BTW This is a work in progress. It is two canvas pieces measuring less than 4x6. My intention is to label it "Randoms" (in the frame) and put random pics in it. You know, the ones that aren't important enough to dedicate a whole scrapbook page to but important/sentimental/historical all the same.

Materials: Canvas (unknown), Colour Shine (Heidi Swapp), Texture Paste (Jo Sonya), Stencil (Studio Calico), Frame (Unknown).

An Attitude of Gratitude

How's 2014 working out for you? So far I've had 9 medical visits in 12 days and a new diagnosis (2 visits not for me. 1 = Miss 1 decided to put an unripe blueberry up her nose!). I did have a wonderful start by holidaying with friends at their caravan at Pauanui. Yes, we even made it to midnight for the fireworks.  A truly magical way to start a new year!

My Christmas and New Year was so busy with relatives visiting (Yay!), shopping (Yay!) and holidaying (Yay!) but I have managed to fill a few spots in my gratitude book. My gratitude book is a recent purchase at the end of last year (thank you, Megan, at Better Scrapbooking!). It is Heidi Swapp and it happens to match my offcuts from CAD! I loved it when Megan put it up online and I just had to have it. I decided to make a gratitude book and fill it will all the things I am grateful for. I have added a few pictures and have now created my first traditional scrapbook style page in it. The subject of this page is my beloved Frasier who had to be put down in the New Year in 2013 (New Years generally don't go so well for me if you happen to follow the theme!). The reason I chose that particular page in the book for his picture is because of the phrase 'you are my favourite'; I used to say that to him all the time!

In the spirit of 7 Days: This is My Picture

Much as I love to scrap my stash I used new items for this page. The items are: the book itself, paper for the butterfly and stamp (Heidi Swapp), the washi tape (Teresa Collins), and the green pennant (Kaisercraft). I am obsessed with products from both Teresa Collins and Heidi Swapp since CAD and have to have it all! I'm glad I got to use some of my new purchases.

I am entering this page in 3 challenges. All three challenges encourage us to create something with new items from our stash - easily done!  Two have a voucher for Simon Says Stamp as a prize and I am desperate to win one as I intend on placing an order with SSS in the near future. Just waiting for some items from CHA that I just have to have. Yup, increasing the stash.

Challenge Details:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes. The details are here.
A Blog Named Hero - #36 New Year, New Stash. The details are here.
Southern Girls Challenge - It's All New. The details are here.

Materials:
Book, Stamp, Paper (Heidi Swapp), Washi (Teresa Collins, Unknown - under butterfly), Pennant (Kaisercraft),  Ink (Ranger), Journal Pens (Stampin' Up!, Momento), Butterfly Die.

Apologies for those outside of New Zealand who won't know what 7 Days is - it's a  TV programme {comedy}.