Sunday 29 September 2013

Another page for my Art Journal

Hi everyone!!!  Lovely to welcome you here and hope you are having a wonderful day.
I have another page from my Art Journal to share with you.  I have to admit this has taken me quite a while to put together.  I've worked on this between doing other projects so it's been lying around on my craft desk for a few weeks.

For the background I inked the paper with Distress Inks in Mustard Seed, Faded Jeans and Walnut Stain.
The stamping was done with Versafine Vintage Sepia.  The stamps used are Kaisercraft's Arty and Bubble Background  and also a script stamp from Prima.  I added a couple of strips of washi tape and then added a little texture with TCW's Mini Tile Texture Template.
The butterflies  were cut from cardstock with the Memory Box Darla Butterfly Die.  I then coloured them with the same Distress Inks and stamped them with  the Prima script on one side and a small Hot off the Press stamp in Memento Tuxedo Black.  An idea I found on Astrid Maclean's Blog.  You can find her blog  HERE. I also coloured the image on the butterflies lightly with Reeves Water Solluble Wax Pastels.  The trails were done with the wax pastels too and the white dots were done with a gel pen.  This was an idea I found on an Art Journal Tutorial by Gabrielle Polacco.  You can find her blog HERE.

I went around the butterflies with the Reeves pastels in white so they would stand out a bit more and also did a bit of doodling around the edges but, unfortunately the pens I have wouldn't work too well over the wax so I couldn't finish.
 For the circles I simply used the cap of my Scotch Glue tube as a stamp.   I dipped it in Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then again in Gesso.  The hearts were drawn with the Reeves Pastels.

A couple more close-ups ...


 and Voila!!  It's done.  Actually, it's not quite done.  If and when I find a decent pen I will finish the doodling and I may also add a quote but I'm not sure about that.  I kinda like it as it is.

Thank you so much for visiting and I would be really pleased if you could leave me a few words to let me know what you think.    That would be lovely.
Please take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg
 
 

Friday 27 September 2013

Working from a Sketch

Hello everybody, welcome to my blog.
I'd like to share a card with you which was created by following a sketch.

This is the sketch I followed.    
I found this sketch, along with a few others, years ago when I first started making my own cards but have never actually used any of them.   I thought it was about time to dust off the cobwebs and give it a go.


The papers used are Kaisercraft's Curiosity.  I have distressed all the edges but this time have not used any inking except just a little on the leaves.  Matted the strips onto some white cardstock and sewed around the edges.  
 The white cardstock frame which I've used instead of the geometric shape was created with Marianne Creatables Frame & Swirls Die.  I cut out a second frame in the Curiosity paper and trimmed off the swirly bits for the little mat in the centre.

 The large  rose is from Prima and the smaller ones are Kaisercraft.  The leaves were cut with my Silhouette Portrait and I've also added a couple of patches of small beads for a little bit of shine.  The little spray of white berries came from my stash.
Here is a close-up showing the beads.

 Decorated the inside with pale green dp.  I've had this paper for quite  a while and have no idea where it came from.  I doodled around the edges with a white gel pen and faintly stamped a butterfly swirl top and bottom.  Unfortunately it doesn't really show too well in the photo.



 Not so many layers on this card but I am pleased with the result anyway.  Would love to know what you think.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and have a great weekend.
Thank you so much for visiting.
Please take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg


Thursday 19 September 2013

Challenge ... Black with 2

Hi everybody and a warm welcome to my blog.  
I have another card to share and this one I am entering into the Challenge at Black with 2.  

Here is the colour pallete for this month's challenge.  You can choose any combination that you like or all of them if you want to.  I've chosen orange and green.  The papers I've used are not quite the right shades but, hopefully,  it will still meet the criteria.
CURRENT CHALLENGE 
 The papers used are from Kaisercraft's Curiosity and also a small piece from Periwinkle.   There are quite a few layers again, I think I am now addicted to lots of layers ... it adds so much to the over-all look of the card and I love it.  The die-cut below is Memory Box's Honey Blossom Sprig Die.  I've added a little more interest with a little doodling and cut a small piece off it to place on the other side of the frame.
 The chipboard frame is from Little Birdie.  I've coloured it with Versa Color Charcoal and Kaisercraft Sweet Potato stamp pads It's been coated with Mod Podge which gives it a light sheen.  The image inside the frame is a label from Kaisercraft Curiosity.  The die cut behind the frame is Die-namics Duo Doily Die.
 
 Did quite a bit of machine stitching on this card as you can see, and all the papers were distressed with Prima's Distress Tool and edged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

The gorgeous flower is from Prima.    
 I've used some paper from my stash to decorate the inside and glued a small strip of the Curiosity DP on the edge for contrast. I've stamped an image in the top corner but I'm not sure where the stamp came from.  I've had it for quite some time and unfortunately hadn't taken note of it's origin.



So, now I'm off to enter this into the challenge.

If you wish to join in with this Challenge the link for Black with Two is HERE

Thank you so much for visiting.  I do hope the weather is nicer where you are because, at the moment, it is pouring here in Adelaide and the day has become quite dismal.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Lots of Layers

Hello everyone and a very warm welcome to my blog.
Just a quick post this time I think ... I have a card to share with you today.  It's very similar to one I made not long ago but there are a few differences.
 The papers I've used are from Kaisercraft's These Day and I've done a little doodling around the edges.  It saved me getting out the sewing machine although I think proper stitching would have looked better.  Never mind ... next time perhaps. 
Used lots of diecuts for the layers.  Although they are not easy to see I've used Marrianne Creatables Frame & Swirls and Swedish Snowflakes, Couture Creations Victorian Square and Dienamics Duo Doily Die.  I've torn one corner from the top paper mat, glued the torn off piece straight to the cardstock and then curled the corner of the base paper mat to reveal the piece torn off before.  Does that make sense??  Hopefully the photo below  gives you a better idea of what I mean.  
 All the edges were distressed and then inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The rolled corner was inked with Versa Color Bronze.  The flower is from Prima and I've lightly painted it with some Gesso.  The leaves were cut with my Silhouette and I've incorporated a small piece of gauze in amongst the layers.
 The wooden flourish at the base of the cluster is Kaisercraft's Fancy Border which was left raw. 
I decorated the inside with a few Kaisercraft Stamps and printed the sentiment with Word Art.


 You can see the layers a bit better here.

I have entered this card in Challenge  #29 at  Challenges 4 Everybody
 
That's it folks, hope you like it!!
Thank you so much for visiting and I would really love it if you could leave a little comment to let me know what you thought.  
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg
 
  

Saturday 14 September 2013

Craft Caddy ... Completed !

Hello everyone, so pleased you stopped by for a visit.
I'm back to show you my finished Craft Caddy.
I should have actually posted this a couple of days ago but life has been a bit hectic lately and I haven't had the chance to do it till now.  Everyone's in bed and I have some quiet time to myself.  Yayyy!!! 
The papers I've used are Graphic 45's French Country and all the edges were inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The decorative edges were made using Martha Stewart's Doily Lace Border Punch.
The papers were glued on with Gel Medium and then were coated with Modge Podge for protection.  I didn't add much in the way of embellishments because  this Caddy will get used a lot and I'm afraid anything too much would just get damaged ... also I feel the papers are gorgeous enough to stand on their own anyway.
Here is a view of the inside of the Caddy.
On the sides I added a chippie label from the same collection, fussy cut some of the sunflowers from the paper and glued them on top.
 I cut the sunflowers and a few of the leaves twice and glued them on top of each other for more dimension.

 The other side was decorated in the same manner. 
  The word 'create' on the front of the box was made using the Scrabble page from Kaisercraft's Timeless Classics.   I fussy cut the letters, glued them onto some pasteboard for extra height and then mounted them onto some black cardstock  so they would stand out from the backgraound.
 The chippie frame is from Little Birdie which I coloured with Versa Color Burgundy and then coated with Glossy Accents.  The chippie tag and the label are both from the French Country Collection and the gorgeous red flower is from Prima.
Here you can see the back of the box ...
... and here it is with all my most used tools inside.
I'm sure everyone will recognise that the metal feet are from Tim Holtz.  They were a last minute addition  and I was amazed what a difference they made to the look of the Caddy.
I've been using it for the last couple of days and I must say I love it!!  

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this little journey with me in making this Craft Caddy.  I certainly had fun putting the tutorial together (my previous post) and  making the box and I hope that, for at least some of you, it has been informative and a little bit of an inspiration.
Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you enjoy what's left of your day.
Take care and God Bless. 
oxox Marg

Tuesday 10 September 2013

A Craft Caddy

Hello everybody!!  Hope you are having a wonderful day and I'm so glad you came to visit.

I wanted to give you a quick look at another box I'm making.  This is going to be my new craft caddy to hold tools and tapes and glue, etc.  This caddy is based on Kaisercraft's Desk Caddy but I've altered the design slightly to suit my needs.
Here is the sketch I made of the design and the measurements.  Rather amateurish I know but, luckily I'm the only one who needed to make sense of it.  hehe!!

 
I've used pasteboard for this project which is very similar to chipboard but you really could use any type of board you like as long as it's strong enough. 
The pictures below show all the measurements for the individual pieces.
 
 



In a previous post I showed how to make the joiners used to glue these pieces together.  You can find that post HERE
 I drew lines on the base where the dividers needed to go so I would have a guide to get them in straight and then I placed a joiner on each side.
Here you can see where I've placed the joiners on each side piece and also the other guide lines for the dividers.  When attaching the sides to the base you need to leave a small gap of about 1/16" so that there is room for them to sit upright.
 On the dividers I glued a joiner on both sides of the piece so that the joint would have more strength.

One divider for the length of the box ...
and two of each of these for the width.

Here you can see how I attached the main divider onto the base ... 

and then I attached the sides of the box to the divider ...


 but then I got so caught up in the moment that I forgot to take pictures of my progress so all I can now show you is the finished box.
TA! DAH!
If anyone is interested in making one of these and you have any questions, please just leave a comment and I'll answer as best I can.

This is still a work in progress.  In my next post I'll show you the finished product.  Hopefully that won't take me too long, I'm looking forward to using it for my craft tools.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit.
Please take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg