Shabby Chic but not intentionally

This week over at Crafts4eternity our challenge for this coming week is  
"Anything Goes"

I ordered and received this week, having seen many wonderful projects out there in Blogland, Karen Burnistons Sizzix accordion Album Die. I had an idea in my head what I wanted to make, however it didn't turn out as I first imagined. It ended up quite shabby chic which wasn't where I was originally going, this I have to say happens quite often, lol,

I cut the die in acetate, probably not the best medium to start with. The frame is cut from corrugated packaging, trimming out the centre as I can't find anyone with the matching frame die in stock. It is then painted roughly with gesso and sprayed with chocolate dylusion spray and then edged with shabby white embossing powder, torn pieces of Tim Holtz tissue tape finish it off.

I then punched out, from varies DP'sand edged with walnut stain D.I 3 sizes of butterflies and glued to the acetate, they are meant to look like they are flying towards you. I then added T.H. tickets,chit chat stickers and embellishments. I have edged the card in vintage lace before sticking the front and back paper on.

As this closes flat (well flatish) here is the front

I can't really get a good photo but hopefully you get the idea. I am not really sure that I am happy with it but it has at least been a good chance to practice with my new die. I need to have another play with it.

So why not pop over to Crafts4eternity and show us what you have just made as it's "Anything Goes" week.

Thanks for visiting,

Love

Amanda X

We are not amused!!

This post starts with a Phew!! how hot is it here? Full credit to all of you that have managed to keep on crafting and posting, Respect!!! My craft room is an absolute sauna, thanks to being in the roof of the house (loft conversion), having said that this heat has sapped my enthusiasm as working in it all day just saps my energy. None of the above is a complaint though, long may it last we need a summer. Having said all that I had to brave the heat tonight to make my piece for this weeks challenge over at Crafts4eternity. Our theme this week is:-

"Inky Fingers" 

Projects featuring paint, inks, spray inks, will allow ink pads eg. distress ink on the edges of papers etc.

I have used as my Inky Fingers theme a gelli plate background with acrylic paint.

I have stamped the Mona Lisa onto dictionary paper and coloured her with coloured pencils.

Sentiment is a rub on from Kaisercraft

other embellishments are from Heidi Swapp - Sugar Chic Buzz Words collection

Here is a close up, I love her glasses lol.

So why not brave the heat and join in with us for this weeks inky challenge.

One randomly chosen entry will win 4 digi images of their choice from this weeks sponsor

Sassy Studio Designs.

Hopefully see you there, thanks for stopping by

love

Amanda X

A Little Princesses Bithday

................ and that little Princess is my beautiful niece Danielle who yesterday reached the ripe old age of 9!! What that also means is that another cute creation rolled off my craft desk. I had to confess that I have really enjoyed colouring in the image especially to just be able to sit in the lovely (if not a tad too hot!!) current sunshine and just loose myself amongst my coloured pencils.

My main image is Princess Peanelope rubber stamp by Saturated Canary which I have coloured with Prismacolor pencils blended with sansador. The 2 sentiments are from LOTV (happy birthday) and Whimsey (Cherish stamp and die). I have included many die cut elements to embellish the card. Flowers are from my stash, I was going to make them but just ran out of time.

Main image edged, through the die, with Spun Sugar distress ink

Butterfly die cuts and touches of bling and stickles add a few final sparkly touches

and I also decorated the inside of the card

I am entering this card in to Saturated Canary latest challenge where the theme is "Celebration" my celebration being Birthday.

Thanks for visiting

See you soon

Love 

Amanda X

Lets see the world together...

I can't believe I forgot to schedule my design piece in readiness for tomorrows challenge that starts tomorrow at 8am for Crafts4eternity, so I find myself at past midnight on my laptop frantically getting this blog post together (it might be a short post).
The theme for this weeks challenge is a colour challange

My make this week features Linda's new bag from Stampotique. I stenciled with modelling paste the eye chart onto card that had had the distress paint and stains treatments edge with distress embossing powder in vintage photo. Background is Tim Holtz kraft and I have used Tim's picture wheel die, a 7 gypsies tag and a map of the world cut out from patterned paper. The text has been added with Kaisercraft mini alpha letters.

and the colours for the challenge are RUST

So if these colours inspire you, and you don't have to use all of them, why not pop along and join us for this weeks challenge here. Crafty Sentiments Designs are offering one randomly chosen entry to choose 3 digi images of their choice.
hopefully see you over there
love
Amanda X

Fabulous!!

Hi everyone, and an extra special hello to my latest followers I hope that you enjoy sharing my crafty journey. Well what a weekend, consecutive days of blistering sunshine here in the UK, and Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, watching that match yesterday was worth wasting the sunshine. This incredible heat however has heated my craftroom up beyond tolerance!! I now am the proud owner of a sauna!!!! (the joys of being at the top of the house). Anyway hope that you are all enjoying this current spell of hot weather.
Following some lovely comments regarding my recent post "Be Unique" Which also went onto feature me in the "designer spotlight" at Simon Says Stamp which I am thrilled about. I have had another play in a similar style.

  I love that this style allows me to use up scraps of leftover papers this time using some gelli print leftovers and DP leftovers with the addition of some washi tape.. Again the main image has been stenciled using gloss black embossing paste through a splodgeaway stencil.

 

Anyway off now to make something completely different (heat permitting lol)

Thanks for popping by and see you soon

Love

Amanda X

Sewing Room

Hi 

Our theme for this weeks challenge at Crafts4eternity is

Sewing Room

(sewing theme or featuring faux or real stitching)

 and I am once again late in posting my design team piece. I have loads of stamps and papers that would fit perfectly for this theme, but you know what I actually wanted to sew., and trust me I am no sewer!!!

I recently purchased (well my mum did on my behalf because I didn't know what to get) a freehand stitch foot for my underused sewing machine.

 and I ended up making this.........

 and for a first attempt I quite like it (practice makes perfect).

 

 

 This project started off with a gelli print I made several months ago, and I added some stamped text onto it to add some detail. I then cut the flowers from plain calico using tattered florals die and dyed it with cranberry airondack colorwash. once dried I stenciled on with black dylusions. These were then stitched onto the gelli background, the flower stacks are an old measuring tape and the leaves just hand cut from fabric scraps. then a couple of old buttons for the centre of the flowers and Tim's chit chat stickers make up the sentiment "Discover Life", final bit of stitching around the edge and then matted and layered and finished!!

 So why not come and get all stitchy with us at Crafts4eternity we would love to see you there.

I would also like to enter this into this months challenge at Country view challenges where the theme for July is "Summer Sizzler" and my interpretation of that theme is that my project is the colour of sand, with touches of red for warmth and flowers that are in full bloom.

thanks for popping by for a look

love

Amanda X

 

Better late than never........

well I am running a little late today with my posting of my design team piece for our challenge this week at Crafts4eternity,  out theme this week is 

HEAVY METAL

to show something metal on your project ie charms,brads,pins,staples etc etc.

Time has not been on my side this week, with all my current work commitments, so even though I am a little late with it I am pleased that I at least managed to make something.............

The theme for my card is "Once upon a time" which is a metal sentiment band, I have no idea by whom as I have had this ages. I have also been playing around with stencils and paste again this time using Sweet Poppy dandelion stencil. I have used white gloss paste that has actually absorbed some of the distress ink which actually softens the look. these bring back memories of blowing them to tell the time. The background I originally made to use as a fathers day card. and didn't. It has been made with a mixture of brown colours of distress inks and Tims clock stencil, then the pocket watch stamped with walnut stain distress ink. A bit of ripped dictionary depicting the definition of Child and the black and white stamped images are from Art Journey. I have cut the hand so that it will hold the watch face, my 2nd addition of something metal.

Anyway we would love you to join us and show us your Heavy Metal projects so why not pop over Here and play along.

One randomly selected winner will receive a choice of 4 images from Sassy Studio's gorgeous collection.
I am also entering this card into simon says stamps challenge where they have an Anything Goes Challenge

See you all soon

Love

Amanda X

Be Unique!

I am writing this whilst a small fan heater is warming my feet, I am sure this is not the usual antics for a late June evening? but I suppose it is England!!! Summer where have you gone???? Weather that at least keeps us from wanting to go outside gives us great reasons to abandon all and escape into our craft rooms. I thought I would have a play with my recent purchase of Sweet Poppy glossy black paste (I am not the best at pushing product through stencils).

I have made an 8 x 8 card and used warming colours of orange,yellow and greens all from dylusion sprays. I stenciled the black paste through Andy Skinners Baroque stencil and then matted onto black card. the remaining card that I had I cut into strips and edged each strip with spiced marmalade (I don't like to see the colour of the original card). I then arranged them in a randomly striped effect and to add interest also included film strip washi tape stripes.  The sentiment "Be Unique" is from Steampunk shoes set by Creative Expressions. I have stamped it with versamark and embossed with detail white embossing powder.

Here you can see the gloss of the paste, I love the effect. There is quite a lot of dimension to the piece using pinflair silicone.

I would like to enter this card into the current challenge over at Simon Says Stamp & Show. where this weeks theme is Stripes.

thanks for stopping by I really appreciate your visit

thanks

Amanda X

And now for something completely different......

Hi everyone, for me today's post is something totally different from my current run of inky,painty creations, time to get down and dirty with cute!!

This weeks challenge at Crafts4eternity is 

"SPOTS & STRIPES"

and I have linked this theme in with a card I have made to celebrate a little girls (my friends daughter) 11th birthday.

I have brushed the dust of my Magnolia Stamps and made a card featuring"Tilda" with glasses, (because it looks like Millie who the card is for).

I have started with a shaped card blank and covered is paper, cut round it, then sanded the edges (got to add a touch of grunge). I have layered up a piece of cheesecloth, Tim Holtz postage stamp die cut in coordinating papers, the centre of one I have embossed with a Happy Birthday folder. On the edge alterations butterfly die, butterflies sanded with a bit of bling added. Name and numbers cut using Alterations Word Play die and highlighted with stickles. Then sitting on one of the stamps little Tilda.

 

Tilda has been coloured using distress markers as water colour paints. I have added a little pinflair craft glaze to the glasses to make them look more real.

sometimes you just cant beat a little bit of cute.......

Come on over to Crafts4eternity and show us your creations using spots and stripes. One lucky, randomly chosen winner will win their choice of 3 digi stamps from the Crafts4eternity collection,

There is also time to put yourself forward to join this lovely design team,details can be found on the blog.

Hope to see you pop along and join in with us.

See you all soon

Love

Amanda XX

Be Strong.......

Be strong, Trust your heart..........This is the sentiment on my latest make.

 I was asked to make it by a friend of mine who saw a card I made last year and wanted me to copy it. I didn't copy it as I wanted to make something different (actually turned out totally different) but along the same lines.

It is made using one of my all time favourite stamps (and one of the first I bought) "Diffusion by Hampton Arts. All the colour is courtesy of Dylusions Sprays.

Here you can see a close up. Other stamps include Life Creates text stamp (on background) and the brilliant Trickling water set by designs by Ryn.

All the white highlights have been done with a white posca pen,

The sentimient "Be Strong, trust your heart"

is from empowered Words - Donna Downey by Unity Stamp Co.

I have embossed it with white embossing powder so it really stands out.

Thanks for stopping by for a look and I hope you like it.

Love

Amanda X

Claiming my Blog for Bloglovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5512535/?claim=c6fbaydx7tq">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>  

As others are doing, due to Google making changes, i am just setting myself up on Bloglovin, if I can work it out there will be a follow me button soon (I am however a bit of a technophobe) 

Love

Amanda x

Ps just to let you know I did it, I now have a bloglovin "follow me" button on my blog and working. I am even more impressed with myself as I managed it all from my ipad!! 

Resurfacing after 2 Weeks!!

Hi to everyone, sorry I haven't been around for the last couple of weeks but chaos arrived!! The lane I live on had a scheduled (I got a letter) routine power outage which ended in total catastrophe!!! Every house on the lane experienced a major power surge, which in turn took out most of everyones household appliances, heating systems etc etc. I now have many of my worldly goods in the hands of a repair company, on behalf of my electricity supplier, and am awaiting return of or replacement. My crafting has therefore taken a back seat to all of that going on. Whilst that continues to be sorted, my life has at least returned to some semblance of normality, and I thankfully have got back into my craftroom. 

So called normality means I can now post my design team piece for this weeks challenge over at

crafts4eternity 

this weeks challenge is a colour challenge 

 

I have used the following:- Tim Holtz "The Girls" stamp set stamped with white EP. Dylusions sprays, distress paints, mbossibilities folder,Tim Holtz butterfly movers & shapers, paperartsy background plate 5, free stamp from this months Craft Stamper magazine, paper ruler, crown is from a zip puller.

My card has been inspired by these colours

So to join us this week just use these colours (or some of them) on any type of project, and come and join us at crafts4eternity

One randomly chosen winner can choose 3 digi stamps from this weeks sponsor

Crafty Sentiments Designs.

And Finally, over at Crafts4eternity, we are looking to expand the design team so if you are interested in joining us please email me and include a link to your blog,

Thanks for visiting and see you all soon

Love 

Amanda X