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Showing posts from January, 2013

My Deck of Altered Cards

I've finished off and packaged up my altered deck of cards for Jessica's swap.  (The general info is; you alter a deck of playing cards, put an inspirational quote on each card, send them to Jessica, Jessica sorts through them all and sends you 52 different cards from all of the decks - that's one unique piece of art with an inspiring quote for each week of the year!) Playing cards and ATC's are the same size so essentially it is a massive ATC swap. I photographed them and packaged them up without looking at the photos I had taken.  They aren't the best photos I've taken but hopefully you will get the gist... Here is what I created: This is one of my favourites in terms of the background and embellishment with sequins. Some quotes were used multiple times but the cards all ended up individual Another one I like a lot.  The purple splodges (that is a technical art term) were taking ages to dry so I wiped them off and loved the

Alpha Challenge - C for Cuckoo

    I'm back with the second installment of the Craft Barns Alpha Challenge.     I'm enjoying this challenge so much.  I chose Cuckoo and this is what I came up with...   This time I clear embossed over the word to keep it clear but I'm not sure I like this effect either.  At least it didn't ruin the text underneath it though. I used acrylic paints, stamps & ink and mists for my background.     Then painted the cuckoo with acrylics and finished off with coloured pencils over the top.         I'm pleased with most of the cuckoo and I like the background but I discovered I can't do birds feet!!  I need to get some practice done before next time :)     And to be honest, the little sketch looks more like a sandgrouse than a cuckoo, but heyho!!     Thanks for stopping by! Laura      

Button Book

So, today it is Thursday and that means reminder time for this fortnights challenge at Crafty Ribbons Challenge... Here is my make for Kelly's Love/Romance/Anniversary Challenge. I nabbed this idea from Kira (seriously talented!) It's a button book that concertinas open to reveal a message of love.   The buttons are from Crafty Ribbons Christmas Berry button box. On the front and back of the book pages I randomly inked and painted and stamped, basically I got really messy which made me really happy!!  :) To tie it all up I dyed a piece of scrap bag  ribbon with some of the left over India Ink I had coloured the paper with.  It was an easy process - I screwed up the ribbon and dipped it in the pallet, pulled it out and squeezed out the excess, lay it flat on my craft mat and spritzed it with water.  The water worked it's magic and left me a mottled finish - perfect! Seeing as I don't have a man in my life to spoil and send

WOYWW 190

Hello WOYWWers!  (If you are thinking 'eh?!' pop over to Julia's for all the details...) Well so far this week has been  v e r y   s l o w.  I doesn't make much sense but then ME rarely does!  I have been working in 10 minute chunks on an altered deck of cards  for a swap.  There has been lots of layering so there have been plenty of rests while paint dries.  The perfect project for picking up and putting down as and when.  And I'm pleased with how it is going too, which always helps!  My sale parcel arrived from Crafty Ribbons yesterday...  yes I know... I need to grow up... but it was fun! Other than that I've just been hanging out with this little beauty.  I'm itching to make a page in the second week of  The Craft Barn dictionary challenge so hopefully today I can make a start. Thanks for stopping by :)

Snow Sale

A quick message from Crafty Ribbons... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snow has finally arrived in Dorset this morning. If you have had it for a while, then you maybe fed up of it, so here is a Ribbon S n o w good SALE Up to 75% OFF some of our ribbons Find all the S n o w good bargains here Like the snow these items will not be around forever!! Grab the bargains today. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've already put my order in but don't worry... I have left some for you!!  :) I've had a pyjama day today, I didn't get dressed and haven't felt up to doing much of anything... just watching the snow and playing with the Budgie. Hopefully have something more to share soon!

Pink and Pretty!

    Woah!  Two challenges in a row?!  What is going on?!         Yep, I've made this up for In the Pink's 'Lace' challenge .  As soon as I saw the theme was Lace for this challenge I knew I wanted to use this that Father Christmas got me from Crafty Ribbons.   I made three gathered circles and stitched them together.  Added a flower - pink of course! I attached to an old hair clip that I had kept to pretty up at some point (also pink but this was coincidence rather than planned)  It had something attached to it once upon a time but little hands unattached it! I have just one problem... my little people are no longer little or interested in pink!  If you have a little one who would like this drop me a line (UK only please, postage charges are ridiculous!  First come first served.) and I'll pop it in the post to you :) Thanks for stopping by!

WOYWW 189

Super short and sweet this WOYWW ...   Empty space for crafting in!!  This almost never happens... must take advantage!!  :D Now then... what to make..?!

Dragonflies

I think I might be dreaming of spring and summer... I thought this up over the weekend - I was fiddling with some ribbon and accidentally made some wings!  I thought it would be rude not to try and make a body to go with, so after a few attempts... I made a dragonfly! I tried all sorts of beads of different shapes and sizes and I think this was the best fit. I then added it to a ring base.  It took three attempts to get it attached satisfactorily - I still think I might try it differently next time.      I love his bug-eyes that stick out the side of his head! I'd like to enter this in to a few challenges: Cupcake Craft Challenges - anything but a card Anything But A Card - Things with wings Lexi's Creations - Anything Goes Divas by design challenge - anything goes Challenges4everybody - anything goes Thanks for stopping by :)

Sheep!

Remember the sheep ribbon on my notebook ..? Well, Ali has just launched it with digis!  Check it out... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   CARD MADE BY ALI Over at Crafty Ribbons they have just released this fabulous Exclusive Ewe are Special ribbon The little red heart and the words in red on the ribbon have been puff printed so they are raised, you can "feel" the love!, but wait for it not just the ribbons,but there are Digi stamps,toppers and some Digi Papers,if you pop over to the website here you can check them all out..... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for stopping by!

Alpha Challenge - V for Vixen

I love the Craft Barn .  Right, glad that is out in the open :) I'll tell you why... It has everything a crafter could want all in one place, not too far from home, and is accessible to a wheelchair (this is very important, not like another craft shop not too far from home up two flights of stairs with no lift!)  Anyway, it occurred to me late last year that despite my love of CB I had never visited their blog.  Duh!  I went over for a look and not only do they have tips and tutorials and loads of other good stuff they also have a yearly challenge.     This year is altering a dictionary with a different letter every fortnight.  I want need to play!!   I asked my carer to sniff out an old dictionary from a charity shop for me and I set to work. I have never altered a book before so I was a bit nervous.  I planned to have a theme running through my dictionary of birds or avian words.  I masked over the word Vulture but the mask pulled off part of the type and it

Midway Reminder

Over at Crafty Ribbons Challenge this fortnight the theme is New Beginnings. I decided to give new beginnings to all the off cuts of ribbon that I have used and kept in a pot.  (I really never throw anything out!) I took a canvas (I've had this circle canvas for a couple of years now.  I found it a bit scary because it was round and not square!) and glued and painted on hundreds of off cuts.  Some were cut to even up bow tails, some were an inch from the end of a length, some were those little ribbon loops from clothes that you hook on to the hanger... I also tied a few bows and pasted them on as well. I used the heavier ribbons first and layered the sheers ribbons over the top.  I had gathered a few ribbon words and added them in too. I then set to work with India inks and a bit of white acrylic.  I also used paint extender neat as a layer to slightly dull and knock back the colour underneath it.  It gives a sort of frosted finish opposite to the glossy