Halloween

I just decorated the small hall by the front door this year. Portrait of the relatives, with battery operated tea light, and my pet spiders in their web.

Front door from the inside, it looked better outside but it was pouring with rain, I wasn't going out in that! Our only visitors arrived around 5pm and it was still light, the weather put any more off  I think, so lots of treats left! Treat bags (the empty kind) were 8 for £1 in Sainsburys and Wilkinsons, and only 75p for 12 bags in Asda, well done Asda!

Wandering round the shopping mall were lots of ghouls, wizards and witches, it was good fun, and I didn't even remember my phone so I couldn't take any photos, even the shop staff were dressed up.

Here is one last spooky card, this time with the haunted house die (the pre-Tim Holtz one) and the ghosts, with some batty ribbon from Crafty Ribbons and the spider's web embossed gold card. Hero Arts greeting again.

Anyone for spiders?

Here is that crow again, with the spider this time!

This is a much less scary spider, kind of cute and cuddly!

Inside is the scariest part!

Spooky goings on

I know it is a bit late but I have just made some Halloween cards for the shop! I had two there, and took in a third only to find one had sold of the two, so I thought I would make a few more especially when I looked in my die box and found loads of great dies to use.
I die cut the black scalloped cards with Sizzix Bigz XL small scalloped card. I had some black envelopes that fit this card perfectly. I used the Payperbox script paper and the crow from  Tim Holtz die. This card has a pumpkin sequin added.

I die cut the inserts in parchment paper and stamped Happy Halloween with a Hero Arts stamp from a clear set. The inserts done this way show a little on the outside but I think that is O.K. what do you think?

This one has the Tim Holtz scaredy cat from the same die as the crow, and a ghost from a Bigz ghost die. I had the ghosts cut out ready for a different card then thought they would work well with the cat, well something must have scared it!

This is the crow without pumpkin, I think I like it better this way.

Finally a Tim Holtz die again, candelabra and spider from the same die. I used a cream card blank and cut a square of green to mat the gold spider's web card onto, and added witch eyelets in each corner. I cut the candelabra out in black and white then cut off the white candles to add, the flame was coloured with Promarkers. I added a black sparkly paper insert with a parchment panel stamped with the same greeting as the rest and I stamped the envelope with spiders webs.

The black cards are £1.50 and the candelabra card is £2.50 available in Made in Bradford on Avon shop right now.

I have entered the following challenges:

My Time to Craft - Halloween, ends 2nd Nov

Kraftin Kimmie sketch and whooop whoop news

This is my first Kimmie to see ink, and I am really pleased with it except I am useless at colouring hair so I need to study some tutorials on that! This is Priscilla, I think she is great. I coloured her with Promarkers and die cut her with Nestabilities, cutting out the pop out part first, not sure I have that quite right and it isn't the method I normally use but is much easier! Papers are from the Rockstar stack by DCWV, blooms are Prima and the largest size was from Lakeland when they sold craft stuff, brads are Dovecraft. The birthday sentiment is Debbi Moore, the other one came with Priscilla. The ribbon is gold edged taffeta from Crafty Ribbons.

Here is the sketch.

Oh - nearly forgot the Whooop whoop news! I went to find this sketch on the Kraftin Kimmie blog and found I had won the October blog hop, YAY, WOWSER, MEEEEEE! You might be able to tell I am just a tad excited about the prospect of more rubbah from Kraftin Kimmie Stamps!

As well as Kraftin Kimmie's sketch challenge I have entered the following:

Cute Card Thursday - something scary. Priscilla is ready scary books!

A bit of class

I found some new Facebook pages and one was Coordinations, the other was Graphic 45 and on the first I read of a competition to make a card with Graphic 45 products and upload it to win a prize, so I got my Graphic 45 stamps and images I had already stamped and made my first ever card with them only to find it is over and they are on altered tags or altered art now! The tickets I stamped are from a Prima set.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Stamping for the Weekend - something spooky.

This card is made using another Hero Arts and Sizzix collaboration set of stamps and dies. I love this one, when I stamped it I liked it even more than I thought.

I used card and paper from Payperbox pick and mix, and a left over piece of the Foof a Lah striped paper I used on the binder. The sentiment is a WS Designs stamp which says "To Thank you for your Hospitality.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

My Time to Craft - Just sepia, hope it is sepia enough.

Bicycle

I love the Sizzix and Hero Arts collaboration sets, and finally got round to playing with them, and this is the result of my first play with the bicycle Framelit and stamp set.

I stitched DCWV paper to the card blank, and the ribbon was attached before I stitched so that it is stitched on the ends too. The bicycles were stamped with black and Paris Blue Memento ink, so was the bunting which is part of this set. I just had to use the tiny bicycle on the background and inside, and on the flap of the envelope. I think this is fairly unisex, despite pink bunting.

I have entered my card in the following challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs - Monday challenge Things With Wheels

One Stop Craft Challenge - Saturday challenge - Anything goes

Blog Candy alert!

Or should I say Mega blog candy, over at Bearly Mine, it really is worth popping over to see a great blog, with wonderful free papers and to enter for this lot!

Your Quirky mission, if you choose to accept it, is anything but a card!

It is Caro's challenge, and as well as anything but a card you must use Autumn colours! I choose Beautiful Bow digi image from our sponsor who is Robyn's Fetish this time, and decided the bow should be Autumn coloured, there could be some holly around now, couldn't there? Anyway this is an "It's Nearly Christmas, so Lets Make Lists" binder. I was going to use the Bind it All and make a book, then I remembered I had this Sara Binder tall binder (by HOTP) that came in a mystery box a long time ago from the USA, along with some dividers.

I seached through my paper stash and found this striped paper by Autumn Leaves called Foof a La, which is nicely distressed looking, and used it on the outside of the binder. I attached the bow which was first coloured with Promarkers, and I typed the title, stamped over that with a Unity stamp from the Blossom Stacker set, and die cut it with the matching Spellbinders die from the Blossoms Tags and Accents set.

I punched holes with the Cropadile Big Bite back and front to add some brown slub ribbon with gold edges from a Crafty Ribbon bag called Cookies and Cream.

I spritzed the image, and then the whole binder with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in bronze.

Inside I used some Payperbox script paper, and I painted the middle of the spine and edges of the cover with copper acrylic paint.

I have decorated the first of the dividers with a stamped Unity tree, some Nellie Snellen punched and embossed leaves and the Beautiful Bow image. The tabs read: "Presents/Gifts","Cards", "Itinery", "Menu", "Shopping" and I have 3 spare. The great thing about this binder is the mechanism appears to be the same as Filofax use, so it fits the personal size pages, or you could cut and punch your own if you have the right punch.

Entered in the:

 Joanna Sheen  Autumn Breeze challenge

One Stitch at a time - use a digi.

Anything but a Card challenge - fall colours.

Baby boy cards

This is the sum total of two days crafting, though there are a couple part done, and all of these need an insert, bagging up and pricing. I have used these Spellbinders die cuts before but on a 6"x 6" card, 145 x 145 cm? and it was a challenge using these 135x135cm cards. I have to use these because I am out of the larger cello bags!
This was the last card I made, ribbon from Crafty Ribbon, button teddy.

It took 3 cards to realise it would be easier to stitch a panel off the card and attach it afterwards!

 This was the second card I made, and I used two different DCWV papers, and an acrylic etched tag which I have had for ages, no idea if you can still get them. I also added a nappy with pin and Boy, and I don't know where they came from either, but I would like to get some more if I can, or maybe I can make them up myself.

This was the first card I made, DCWV Boy, a noise with dirt on it paper, I love this paper! Added some baby buttons, shanks removed. Another acrylic tag and some ribbon from Crafty Ribbons.

This was the 3rd card I made this time with Dovecraft paper, another nappy pin and ABC buttons, and Baby die cut and embossed with Pink Lemonade embosslits by Sizzix.

All die cuts have been coloured through the die with Denim Promarker. Right - back to work!

Craft room - new storage

Latest addition to my craft room! I have had these kitchen tool rails that I bought in Lidl for ages sitting in a box just waiting for Shaun to put them up, they say that builders and carpenters homes are the last thing that gets work done! I have put my flowers on one shelf, and the kitchen roll which I am always hunting for, and there are little hooks so more flowers, rulers and tools are hung up, but not many. I found the bigger shelf fitted my little acetate albums holding some Penny Black and Hero Arts cling stamps, with room for a little more, and I even put some CDs in the coffee filter holder, then I found that my movers and shakers would "stick" to the edge of the shelfs, and I hung my little collapsible bin on the rail, this might all get changed but I am happy for now. I did try my DVD cases with Nesties in them on the bigger shelf however they were too heavy so I had to take them off again. See that clock? I am itching to alter it very soon!

Um, this is my very messy work table right now, work in progress on baby boy cards.

Two new cards, new stamps and dies.

First of all a baby boy card, using a Quickutz sheep die and DCWV papers, ribbon from Crafty Ribbons, punched edges with Martha Stewart punch, and Baby die cut with Sizzix Doodle with Dazzle Sizzlet alphabet which I think is perfect for this card. Squares die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Squares and scalloped squares.

Next card is stamped with my new Indigo Blu stamp set, using Brilliance on black card which is heat embossed with glittery powder, butterfly coloured with Promarkers, some chiffon polka dot ribbon from Crafty Ribbons and finally a label cut with my new set called Blossom Tags and Accents, and sentiment from my new Unity Stamps set called Blossom stackers which coordinates with the new die set, and I am looking forward to using them together properly soon.

This is the inside of the card, and I spot some ink that shouldn't be there so it could become another butterfly soon!

I have entered the following challenges:

Second card in Joanna Sheen Autumn colours challenge ends Thurs 25th Oct

One Stop Craft Challenge blog Saturday challenge - heat embossing 

DT and GD call at Quirky

We are looking for a new Design Team Member at Quirky Crafts, as well offering 2 month Guest Designer slots to a pool of people.

If you are interested in either position hop over to the Quirky blog to check out the 10 Demandments now!

Quirky Magic

O.K. I know - it seemed like a good idea at the time! The challenge this time is Quirky Magical Moments, and the sponsor is Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps. I used an image supplied by them called Fairy Moon which is so pretty.

I had a great idea for using this image, I knew I had some inkjet film in silver and gold and I printed her onto that, then matted her on black glitter paper and silver holographic star card. I heat embossed the brads with silver tinsel powder.

I decided that the image should be glazed as it damages very easily, so I got out the Krylon Triple-Thick Crystal Glaze and sprayed it last night. When I looked this morning it was nice and shiny but not all over, there were patches that looked dimpled. So I sprayed the patches, when it dried the patches were nice and shiny and the rest dimpled! So I sprayed it twice more and gave up, it will have to do. Where did I get that glaze I wonder? I need some more. If it was the USA I won't be able to get it from there again!

Then I attempted to take a good photo, I tried with lights all on, only main light on, box on the floor photo from above, out of the box on a stand in the room, that was bad - it reflected me! Finally I tried scanning it, total disaster! So I am showing you the first two photos I took, and you can see the reflections of the inside of the mini photo studio in the silver printed panel.

If you want to see more great examples and join in the challenge hop on over to Quirky Crafts right now.

I have entered this card in:

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything goes to celebrate their birthday, ends Monday 8th or Tues 9th I guess.

Craft Stamper of the Year - Round 3 entry

Now that the winners are published for round 3 I can show you my entry, which again didn't get anywhere!

The sponsor was Imagination, and I didn't have any of their stamps so set off to find some. First hurdle when I got to the web site the company had closed for a couple of weeks and I needed it to be here before then, so googled to find someone else selling them. I found some, and I picked just one large stamp called Echinacea which really appealed to me. I was being frugal, not working now so I try not to spend as much as I was on craft stuff.

Anyway I had an idea and, once the stamp arrived, I spent a week or more stamping images on card and acetate and I wasn't getting a good image. I don't know if the ink pads are drying up, or it was just me, I tried different inks, I tried brayering the card onto the stamp. I also bought some Imagination paints to use on the acetate but when I tried them the effect wasn't good, maybe I need to gen up on their use.

So with only a day to go I changed from trying to stamp and use images on card and acetate to stamping into  melted UTEE. I got the melt pot fired up and melted some Hot Pink UTEE, then poured it out and stamped into it. I then applied some Mica powder to the center of the flower. I used a Kraft frame which I think is paper mache, and was brown Kraft colour (why is it called Kraft I wonder). I painted the frame with white gesso then applied alcohol inks to it with an applicator, the ink mix I can't recall now, it included a mixative. I stamped over the frame with the free Indigo Blue butterfly. Then I die cut first some DCWV paper with a scalloped inside, and on top of that a Kraft frame which was stamped with a Wordsworth quote stamp and I finished off with a few of the butterflies stamped and coloured slightly.

I am pleased with it, there are issues I am not happy with, like the frame center not being square so it was impossible in the time I had left to get the frame to fit, and the UTEE not being totally even in thickness though that is hidden by the frames. With more time I might have found a solution to the not fitting problem!

Looking at the winners I see that they all used more than one Imagination product, they probably got their entries in on time and not at 1:30am which was an hour and a half after the deadline, but I did have to put up with numerous power cuts that evening which didn't really help.

I bought more Imagination clear stamp sets at the Exeter craft show, which is the first place we went on route to Torquay last weekend. When I was looking I didn't see these online, for 3 sets it was a little more than it cost me for this one stamp, and I might have got on better with them.

 I didn't spend as much as I have in the past at craft shows, I could have easily spent more. I bought a set of punches I had wanted last time but they had sold out then, some Kraftin Kimmie stamps at £2 each, bargain,   two Memento Ink pads which I was ripped off on, they were 50p cheaper on the next stall I came to with them, and nobody else was selling them for £4 so I picked the wrong place to buy from. I also bought a larger than usual embossing stencil, some envelopes, some beads to use on crochet flowers (though the first ones I was sold might be too small, I did tell them what I wanted it for but then came across the wholesaler's stall where I was told that wasn't the ones I needed, I bought some larger ones I have been using - so another rip off). I also bought some cheaper than Pinflair non smelly silcone like glue from Spike the punch magician, which is where I got the punches and bargain stamps!

I nearly bought either a Scor-pal or Martha Stewart scoring board, both were at good prices, but I didn't do it in the end. I was really finding the plethora of pretty dies confusing, everyone has jumped on that bandwaggon, I know if I am seeing a good price on Spellbinders or Sizzix but I really didn't know if the prices on the other dies around were cheap or not. Looking when I got home I don't think they were any less than normal. I also saw some Just Rite stamp sets that are designed to go with certain Spellbinder sets, this is another exciting development that stamp companies seem to be taking up, Hero Arts with Sizzix, Just Rite and Unity with Spellbinders and who knows who else. I resisted buying any, though it was hard to resist, I have just received a set of Unity Stamps from the US and bought the Spellbinders set to go with those and got a really good deal on that!