Because Nice Matters……

Hello. Another messy crafty time creating – trying my hand at some mixed media creations:

Onto \ piece of white baseboard, I stuck another piece of card, some crackle paste, and a couple of stencils to create the diamond area in a couple of places, and there are some dotty areas too – but I think they are covered.

After those areas were dry, I added a layer of Gesso, let it dry, then applied some Sizzix acrylic paint in a yellow and a teal blue/green, sprayed some water, used a brush and basically moved it around the piece to create some messy shadow areas. Before that layer was dry, I also added some mica shimmer powder – wet them down a little more to create a more concentrated colour.

I used a whole host of flowers I had in my stash, keeping them mostly to the same colour or tone – or I even altered them a little with some paint. I also used some Tim Holtz die cut wallpaper flowers.

I also used a rectangle of Tim Holtz wallpaper, distressed the edges, ink blended around those edge, then stuck it down – leaving the edge kinda curly.

Then I played with my stash of flowers and die cut leaves – tinting the leaves with the same acrylic blue/green paint, the edges of the some of the flowers, and even used some mixed media art stones – coloured yellow for the centre of the flowers. They are a little fiddly to get where you want them – but I persevered because I only wanted them in the centre of the flowers.

The flat die-cut flowers are also from Tim Holtz, and I used them as a base layer on the small panel, and glued the rest of the flowers down – hot glue gun – as you see.

I added some clear glass cabochons and used a Tim Holtz ‘Quote Flair‘ as the sentiment.

After all had dried, I applied some dots of glue then glittered select places – some flower petals in particular.

So – lots of layers, lots of messy crafting, drying time required – though the heat tool comes in handy sometimes. I really enjoyed playing this way for a change – I am sure I will learn more about the techniques and layers as I continue to play – and watch YouTube, of course!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – add some green

We Love 2 Create – anything goes Mixed Media

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge – make something to make you smile

The Alphabet Challenge – ‘Y’

Helen is hosting the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. Having reached the letter ‘Y’ we want to see ‘Your Favourite Colour Combination’. Here is my card:

I didn’t really think I had an absolute colour combination, but looking back through my cards, I do seem to trend towards more green, blue, and red – and for this card I also used a spot of yellow.

Onto a white card base I used my oval mask created myself using some mylar. I then took the Lawn Fawn cloud stencil and some blue Distress Ink and worked my way down the oval. I then stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set in the top right corner.

The image is from Clearly Besotted, stamped, coloured with Copics, and cut using my Scan-n-cut – always a little nerve-wracking when the colouring has already been done……!

The Design Team has come up with lots of very colourful creations, I hope you can come and join us using your favourite colour combination.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – add some green

Promarkers Challenge – use markers and CAS

Lil Red Wagon – CAS

Colour Crazy Challenge week 9 – anything goes with colouring

Inkspirational – word prompt – CURVE

Cardz 4 Galz – Zoo or Safari Animals

Dawn S has chosen the theme for the new Cardz 4 Galz Challenge – Zoo or Safari Animals. Here is my card:

For this card I chose to use patterned paper for the sky and grass – no idea where the paper came from other than in my stash! The grass pattern I cut with scissors to create hills, and used Distress Ink to blend on the edges. I also used the same patterned paper to create some grassy clumps.

The animals from Lawn Fawn ‘Wild For You’ were stamped, Copic coloured, and die cut with matching dies.

I also used some party hats – and of course the lion had to have a crown.

I decided to create the sentiment in a wild manner – haphazard and a weird shape for the word ‘wild’ – I think the craziness works……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything goes colouring – week 8

Creatalicious Challenge – anything goes with option of green

Craft Rocket Challenge – use an animal

Crafty Animals Challenge – anything goes with an animal

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge – anything goes with patterned paper

Die Cut Divas – birthday – include die cuts

ABC Christmas Challenge – E, F and/or G

Hello. ABC Christmas Challenge has reached these three letters and the themes are ‘E’ for Embossing, ‘F’ for Fussy and Fancy, and/or ‘G’ for Glitter. Carol is hosting this time round. Here is my card:

All that glitter and shine made it difficult to photograph – but at least they show just how glittery and shiny the card is…..

I used a piece of alcohol paper previously created and die cut with a wonky stitched square, glued that to a piece of glitter card stock – I think it may be Stampin Up, but may even be Crafters Companion – no clue!

Matted onto a purple layer – there is some purple in that alcohol background which I wanted to match – and then onto a square card base.

The snowflake was die cut with the same glitter card – in fact I ‘gutted’ the square layer – saves on card stock – waste not, want not.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas Creations following one or more of the three themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

TTCRD – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Crafting Happiness – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Peace On earth

Hello. I am here at the start of the new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas‘. Here is my card:

The Simon Says Stamp die was simply die cut from a white panel, and behind the scene I placed an alcohol ink piece I had previously created, and raised using a 3D foam piece.

The sentiment is a Tim Holtz Ideology base-board.

Definitely a very CAS look this time round, and the Design Team have come up with a fabulous selection for inspiration = I hope you can check them out and join us. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Catz – anything goes, option CAS

12 Months of Christmas linkup – anything goes Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Shiny Thank You

Another card created some new products to me:

This gold sheet is from Sizzix, and is adhesive backed – I attached it to a piece of card, then used the ‘Doily’ 3D’ embossing folder to create this detailed and shiny piece, which I then fussy-cut around the edges.

I embossed it again onto a white piece of card, turned it arund, and placed it as you see.

The gold piece is attached using 3D foam to create some shadow and dimension.

The heart sentiment is from the ‘Crop and Create delivered’ class in October 2021, with an off-cut from the piece I had embossed placed behind to make it the smoother look rather then embossed.

These Sizzix sheets are fabulously shiny and easy to use -I can see I will be playing with them more in the future.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of ‘Spring’ not taken

Crafty Gals Corner – Add a heart

Shopping Our Stash – anything metallic or metal

Beyond The Blue – texture

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Birthday Bloom

Having recently received a new die set from Altenew, I decided to play with it:

I die cut all the layers for the flower out of previously made Distress Ink smooshing pieces of card. The leaves were die cut from a panel I had created during a virtual mixed media class with Seth Apter, and I’ve been waiting for a time to be able to use that piece – lots of inks, even glitter paint, and texture paste which I think shows up on the second photo.

If I remember rightly, we also did a lot of scoring and scratching into that panel, used a few of his inks and pastes – and it created an overall shiny piece of card.

Onto a white card base I stuck down a panel embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder recently received as part of the Maker Mania 5 weekend.

I then splattered Distress Oxide sprays onto it to match the colours of the flower.

I stuck together all the layers of the flower and leaves and created the spray as you see.

The sentiment is from an older MFT stamp set. As I had stamped the sentiment in black, I added some black enamel dots to the background to bring it all together.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers – add some texture

Everybody Art Challenge – birthday

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – add a die cut

My Time To Craft – embossing – wet or dry

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media

Happy Hedgehog Birthday

Hello. I created a bright and cheerful card today using some new products from Clearly Besotted:

The white layer was first stamped using the hedgehog corner on the right side, masked off, and then a row of cacti stamped along the bottom. This row was also masked off, and a circle stencil – die cut out of mylar – used to create the orange sky.

With both stamp masks, and the circle stencil in place, I then used yet another stencil on top of all that, to use a fun little cactus images stencil to blend again for a tone-on-tone effect.

I then coloured the images with Copics, and added white gel pen for some details.

The sentiment was stamped in the same Distress Oxide I blended the sky with and fussy-cut.

White layered onto Kraft, then layered onto a card base.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – use at least one stencil (circle and cacti stencil)

Promarker Challenge – markers and feminine

Color Throwdown – orange, turquoise, green, Kraft

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Craft Rocket Challenge – use an animal

Crafty Animals Challenge – anything goes with an animal

Long Time No Sea

Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge has started a new CAS theme. This time we want to see you CAS creations themed ‘WATER’. Here is my card:

These Looking Glass dies from Hero Arts still confound me. Despite watching quite a few YouTube videos and using the ‘Alignment Tool’ I can really struggle putting them together.

The background is a patterned paper from my stash, and the middle layer cut with white card stock then coloured using a Copic blue, and of course the top layer die-cut from the card base.

The sentiment is from Heffy Doodle.

There’s a great selection of inspiration from the Design Team – I hope you can come and join us. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafting Happiness Challenge – anything goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge – anything goes with patterned paper

White Daffodil

Hello. I’m here to share a card which again took some patience -maybe I’m learning that I have some patience after all….

I chose this daffodil die in memory of my mum – who recently passed – her favourite flower:

I die cut an oval from a previous yellow ink smooshing background panel – glued flat.

The daffodil is from Simon Says Stamp, and I die cut it out of white card stock – and then the complications began…..

I wanted all the pieces to stay in the stem – which they did – and then I decided to add some dimension. I was thinking 3D foam squares, then foam pieces, then layering die cuts together…..

In the end, I stuck white card onto some foam, then die cut……..and then some of the pieces fell out of the die cut and wouldn’t go back in neatly…

I persevered, and then die cut another flower form the white card and placed it on top of it all – so one die cut piece on foam, and then another die cut piece on top of it all…..

I am sure there is a simpler way of doing this! Maybe layering die cuts together would have been the way to go – maybe I’ll try that another time……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Clean and Simple on Friday – CAS spring flowers

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Cup Cake Inspirations – anything goes

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends – anything goes