Summer craft classes ....

... Morning! Kat and I have been lucky enough to attend a couple of really great craft weekends this summer. I should give you advance warning that this is a photo heavy post! Both weekends have been hosted by Chris and her fabulous team at Scrappy Chic in Livonia.

The first crafty weekend was in July when Finnabair (Anna) returned to Scrappy Chic.  Anna did a weekend last year, but I didn't go. Which was silly of me! However, I booked to attend all Anna's classes this year!

First up on Saturday 23rd July was a Mixed Media Canvas session. We had to bring a black and white photo - I took a photo of Kat - for the focal image. We spent the morning in mixed media heaven! I got thoroughly inky and messy and produced a wonderful canvas which I have on display in my craft room.

I had a great time creating this canvas - it's not something I'd normally do, but I'm absolutely delighted how it turned out.

The next session was to alter a clock frame. Again, this is not the kind of thing I normally do, but it was brilliant. We antiqued an old clock frame and decorated it with all sorts of embellishments. Then we got to use some wonderful mica paints to give it a beautiful glow. I decided to go with a black and lime green look:

This photo is a close up of the inside of the clock frame - you can see all the elements here.

Kat wasn't with me for the first two classes (she was recovering from Warped Tour!). However, Kat joined me on Sunday 24th July for the full day class where we worked on altering an old book. This was so much fun. We put gesso on the book cover so that all the crackle glaze and paints would adhere properly. This is my book:

You can see in the photo all the lovely crackle texture and the way we made the book look old and almost rusty.  On the inside we cut a hole in which we placed some ephemera:

We used tea to give the aged look. The inside really does look like it's rusted. It was a fabulous class.

I took a photo of all my projects together - they are all on display in the house:

Here's a photo of Kat's book and the inside:

Last week, Dina Wakley came to Scrappy Chic - her first (and hopefully not last) visit. I was lucky enough to attend the Back to Back Retreat with Dina and Dyan in Florida earlier this year, and when I showed Kat what we'd made, she wanted to meet Dina.

The first day was Friday 19th August and it was a long day for us all. We started off by creating a small board journal. We used the same technique I'd done in Florida, so this was lots of fun. I picked my favourite colours and made a lovely little book. It's not big, only about 5" x 3":

The next two sessions were about composition and colour - and we made some pages in our journals showing off what we'd learnt.

Saturday 20th August was a full day class where we made a bound book, putting into practise all we learnt the day before. Everyone had such fun and produced wonderful books. Here are a series of photos showing the pages in my book:

I haven't quite finished my book - the green textured page will have a tag on it and the last page will have a bit of colour on the image of the woman.

Finally, here's a photo of Kat with all her projects - you can see the size of the mini Board Book and the Bound Book here:

Kat with the book she made at the Finnabair class and the two books from Dina's classes.

Some pages from both Kat's book.

I am so pleased that Kat enjoys journalling and mixed media as much as I do. We are both booked to attend Dyan Reaveley's classes in October! So much to look forward too! That's all for now.

CIC - Colours ...

... Morning! I'm late getting this post written, as Kat and I have been busy at some fantastic classes with Dina Wakley at Scrappy Chic in Livonia. I managed to get my card done on time and posted to Cupcake Inspirations, but only now have the chance to write up the details!!!

This week at Cupcake Inspirations Challenge - CIC#372 we have some super colours for you to play with - Honey, White and Amethyst! Our sponsor this week is Polkadoodles Crafting and the randomly chosen winner this week will receive a $10 prize. The design sweeties were lucky enough to get to play with some of their digis, and here's the card I made with "You're Weird":

Stamps: Polkadoodles Digi - You're Weird; Sweet Stamp Shop - Elements; Stampin' Up! - Endless Birthday Wishes
Inks: Memento - Tuxedo Black; SU - Crushed Curry
Dies: Lil Inkers - Dual Stitched Squares #5
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - So Saffron, Wisteria Wonder; Copics; Wink of Stella - Clear; Glossy Accents

This image was made for me as I'm something of a chemistry nerd! I printed it on white card, coloured with Copic markers, cut it out with a die and then added some shimmer with a clear Wink of Stella brush and finished by adding Glossy accents to the glassware and safety specs. I die cut a couple of pieces of card for mat layers, attached them to the card and then adhered the focal image with diemensional tape. On the inside I cut a mat layer of lilac card and added some more chemistry based images for the greeting.

I took a close up photo of the front to show the dimension of the Glossy Accents and also the lovely shimmer from the Wink of Stella:

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration pieces from the rest of the Design Sweeties! Have fun!

52CCT - Theme ...

.... Morning! Miracles of miracles, I've actually managed to make my card on time for this week's 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 52CCT33-16 challenge. This week is our theme challenge and the theme is GIFTS. My card features a somewhat unfriendly pile of gifts, but I think it's kind of fun for my son!!

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Do Not Open til Creepmas; Uniko - Simply Said Christmas, Essentially Christmas
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark
Dies: Lil Inkers - Dual Stitched Rectangles #2, Stitched Panels
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Basic Black, Real Red, Pistachio Pudding; Copics; Wink of Stella - Clear; White Embossing Powder

I love this pile of gifts - they're really wicked with fangs and scary eyes. And, of course, there's snakes too. This is not a traditional Christmas card, but my kids are both fans of Creepmas, and this fits the bill perfectly. I printed the image on white card, coloured it with Copics and added lots of sparkle with a clear Wink of Stella brush. The layout is based on this week's sketch at My Favourite Things Wednesday Sketch Club - MFTWSC#294 and the colours are from this week's Colour Q Challenge - cQc#355. On the inside I cut a mat of red design paper and simply stamped a little gift on the white panel.

Do visit our blog to see rather more traditional Christmas cards from the rest of the team. Have fun!!

52CCT - Colours ....

... Hi! Yesterday, while I was messing around with shaving foam for our technique challenge at The Male Room - TMR#42, I thought it would be fun to make a Christmas card for this week's challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 52CCT32-16, where we have the colours RED, BLACK, KRAFT. I'm very late with my card for 52CCT, but I'm pleased with it:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted - All Occasion Sentiments
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Real Red, Basic Black
Dies: Winnie & Walter - In a Word Joy Cutaway
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Real Red, Basic Black; SU DP - Seasons of Delight

I put red and black ink on the shaving foam, swirled it around and printed a couple of sheets. I die cut the word "joy" from the marble-effect paper and also from some scraps of red and black card. I layered the marble word on the red and black card to give an offset shadow effect. I covered the card blank with some dotty kraft paper. I kept the front quite clean. On the inside I cut a mat layer of the design paper and on the white panel stamped a Christmas greeting. As the focal point of the front of this card is a word, I'm submitting this card to Cardz 4 Guyz - C4G#133 - where they want to see words.

Do visit 52 Christmas Card Throwdown to see more inspiration cards from the team. I don't want to worry anyone, but there are only 18 weeks until Christmas!! But if you join in with our challenge - we'll provide some inspiration to get you going. There's still time to play along with our colour challenge this week, deadline is midnight (BST) Friday 19th August (7.00pm EDT). Have fun!!

A simple hello ....

... Hello and good morning and surprise! Two days in a row :) I was late with my DT card for The Male Room - TMR#42 yesterday, but I've got another for you today. I decided to use the "hello" word which I die cut from the shaving foam background I created yesterday. This card is ultra clean and simple:

Inks: Stampin' Up! - Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point
Dies: Winnie & Walter - In a Word - Hello Cutaway
Accessories: SU Card - Basic Black; White Lustre Card; Enamel dots

I going to submit this to The Paper Players - PP#308 as I've used their colours - you can just about see the blue in the swirling pattern on the word.  I'm also playing along with AAA Cards - AAA#71 where they want to see blending.

I made a card blank from black card, adhered the die cut word and then added some enamel dots. Quick, easy and fun. The inside has a white panel for my message.

I've got a busy day lined up - I need to get some DT cards made for challenges this weekend. And then I really do need to get some housework done - ugh! But it's all in a good cause as Kat and I will be out at some Dina Wakley classes on Friday and Saturday - it's going to be very busy, but so much fun! That's all for now! See you soon.

TMR - Technique ...

.... Well, so much for getting back on track! I'm late with my card for our new challenge at The Male Room - TMR#42 - sorry guys. We want you to use a fun technique on your masculine project - create a background using the SHAVING FOAM technique. Here's my card:

Inks: Stampin' Up! - Real Red, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight
Dies: Winnie & Walter - In a Word - Hello Cutaway
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Basic Black

We have several videos on The Male Room blog showing the shaving foam technique - it's really simple and so much fun. Mind, it can be a bit messy. I put some shaving foam on a disposable plate and then added drops of red, yellow and blue ink, which I swirled with the blunt end of a paint brush. Then I inked up several pieces of white card. I like the bold swirls of colour on this piece and die cut the word hello in the corner. I adhered the panel on a black card blank and used Glossy Accents to adhere the small bits of the letters. Quick and simple! On the inside is a simple piece of white card for a message.

I used the colours from this week's Paper Players Challenge - PP#308. I'm also playing along with AAA Cards - AAA#71, where the team want to see blending. I'm not sure whether this counts, but the colours do blend!

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration from the rest of the design team. You've got plenty of time to join in the fun. The deadline for submission is midnight (BST) Tuesday 30th August (that's 7.00pm EDT). That's all for now!

CIC - Theme ....

..... Hello! I'm not getting into my craft room much this summer - for various reasons which include trips away, having my Mum to visit with us for July and August and watching the Olympics. However, I managed to get into my craft room yesterday - it was very wet and also very hot - and here's my card for our new challenge at Cupcake Inspirations - CIC#371. We have a theme for you this week - SHINE BRIGHT! Here's my card:

Stamps: Neat and Tangled - Sparkle and Shine
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Baja Breeze, Smokey Slate; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Die-namics - Jumbo Fishtail Banners Stax #5
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Basic Black; Wink of Stella - Clear

I used the set Sparkle and Shine from Neat & Tangled on my card. The layout is based on this week's sketch at CAS Colours & Sketches - CASC&S#186, and the colours are from this week's Colour Q - cQc#354 challenge. I love the big icing gem on the cupcake in our challenge graphic and decided to make gems the feature of my card. I stamped the large, solid gem in blue randomly on the card, added some grey outline images and then filled in the spaces with some tiny black stars. I die cut a couple of jumbo fishtail banners - one in black and one in white. On the white banner I stamped a greeting and another gem. I layered the stamped panel on the black banner, which had been cut in half and positioned to show at the side. I finished the front by adding clear Wink of Stella to the outline gems. On the inside I cut a mat layer of black card and on the white layer I added a greeting, some stars and another gem.

Our sponsor this week is Neat & Tangled and the winner of our challenge will get a $15 gift certificate from them!

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration from the rest of the team. That's all for now - back soon!

CIC - Colours ....

... Hello! I'm here with my card for this week's challenge at Cupcake Inspirations - CIC#370. This week we have some pretty colours for you to use in your projects - Eggplant, Petal and Jade. Our sponsor is The Stamping Boutique and they have kindly provided us with some images for our cards.

Stamps: The Stamping Boutique Digi - Alice in Wonderland Teacups; Clearly Besotted - A Little Sentimental; Stampin' Up! - Watercolour Wishes
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Costal Cabana, Flirty Flamingo
Dies: Lil Inkers - Dual Stitched Rectangles #3
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Copics; Wink of Stella - Clear

I printed the image on white card, cut it out with a die and then coloured the image with Copics. I added clear Wink of Stella to the hearts, flowers and the purple mushrooms. I added a grey border with a Copic marker. I attached the image slightly to one side and finished by adding a sentiment and heart. The inside hasn't been finished yet.

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration cards from the rest of the team.

52CCT - Sketch ....

.... Morning! It's August and it's time for our sketch challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 52CCT31-16. Kaja is our host this month; she has a super sketch and here's my take:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted - All Occasion Sentiments; Uniko - Jolly Christmas
Inks: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Crushed Curry
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Holly Jolly; Copics; Glitter; White Flock; Gold Washi; Wink of Stella - Clear

I've gone for a very clean, simple look for my card. I covered the card with some kraft design paper. I stamped the Christmas tree and Santa on some white card, coloured them with Copics and fussy cut them both out. I added glitter and white flock to the Santa image. I added a touch of clear Wink of Stella to the star. I added a strip of gold washi tape down the card, stamped the sentiment and adhered the tree and Santa. Done! I've not decorated the inside yet.

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration from the rest of the team. Have fun!

TMR - Theme ....

.... Morning! I'm just a bit late today with my card for our new challenge at The Male Room - TMR#41. We have a theme for you, and it's one that I think works perfectly for a guy challenge:

OLYMPICS/SPORTS

You can interpret the theme in many ways - pick a sport, use the logo colours, pick a city that's hosted the games, just explain your take. I decided to use up some of my stash and focused on some of the sports as well as the logo:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted - A Little Sentimental
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Sizzix - Tim Holtz Scribbles & Splat
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Pacific Point, Basic Black, Real Red, Crushed Curry, Garden Green; Kanban Images

In my stash I have a large huge pile of Kanban images and papers that were part of a big Masculine pack on sale via QVC. I have used some of the images, but still have so much more to go and this was the perfect opportunity to use some of the sporting images. I've used tennis, cycling, running and football (soccer to my American friends) images - all games played at the Olympics. I also created a stylized Olympic logo using the circle scribble die - I did cut out the centre section of each circle. I finished the front with a couple of good luck greetings. I've not decorated the inside.

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration from the rest of the team. You've got plenty of time to play along - submission deadline is midnight (BST) Tuesday 16th August (7.00pm EDT). Have fun and do enjoy the Olympic Games!