Last Chance to Get Dirty for Challenge #32 at Unstampabelles

Time is running out if you were thinking of entering into the challenge at Unstampabelles, where we dare you to 

Get Dirty!

TWIST: take photos and document this event!

I have made this to hopefully show you another way to get a bit dirty crafting.

I took photo's but then discarded them before I remembered I wanted them! So you will have to take my word for it that I did mask off areas directly on my card, a piece of folded SU Whisper White - this card is very CAS. It has one layer and several small embellies. I started off by using post-it notes to divide up my card and then to sponge in some SU inks into the various areas. Worked fairly well until I moved one or the notes accidentally and then I smudged another area and then had trouble working out how many shapes to create........anyway, when I finished this I decided to doodle around each shape to hide these faults!

Actually, I forgot I embossed some shapes into my masked off areas first, by using Versamark ink and a sponge with a mask - I did some circles and embossed them with white EP and then some hearts with a sparkly red EP. Then I sponged in the colours..........I decided also to use other masks to sponge on a bit of TH Black Soot Distress Ink - some gears and some small black lines.  I added some doodling around each block of colour and in some of the white space. 

MFT sent me a gift last time I ordered with them - and it was a wonderful die of four small doilies; you will be seeing lost of them I imagine on my work. There are two on here - one cut in half. I die cut the green one from some scrap SU Pistachio Pudding and one from scrap SU black card. The sentiment is a sticker. I added the small red heart to match the ones on the bottom right. 

The black doily is not supposed to be there - it is supposed to follow the rule of thirds and be up and slightly to the left. However, I dropped a sticky piece of paper onto the card and had to use the doily to hide the fact that the paper was slightly torn when lifting it off. Bummer!So, its messy and I got very dirty - and so did my mood but I decided it would be OK and then my daughter saw it and really liked it so I guess its not that bad! Actually it has grown on me over the last few days!

So, there is a fabulous prize of $40 worth of Stickers for the winner - at the moment you have a one-in-five chance of winning it! Go to Unstampabelles and have a look and then have a go!

 

Challenge #64 - Spooling at the Squirrel and the Fox

Over at the Squirrel and the Fox they have asked us to use SPOOLING in our challenge!  "What is THAT?" I thought.

One dictionary says:
noun

1.

any cylindrical piece or device on which something is wound.

2.

a small cylindrical piece of wood or other material on which yarn is wound in spinning, for 
use in weaving; a bobbin.

3.

a small cylinder of wood or other material on which thread, wire, or tape is wound, typically expanded or with a rim at each end and having a hole lengthwise through the center.

4.

the material or quantity of material wound on such a device.

5.

Angling. the cylindrical drum in a reel that bears the line.

I am taking the meaning from number 4 as my meaning of SPOOLING and so I will use RIBBON!!!

Make it Crafty is sponsoring this challenge.

Make it Crafty is supplying two prizes for this challenge: 

One for the winner and and one for those using an MIC image.
How good is that!

Both prizes are a AU$10 voucher to spend in the online store.

I printed off the image onto XPress Blending card and coloured it up with my trusty Copic pens. However this time, the image was not trimmed from the sheet of card, but the card itself was folded to create a card. This way I had a very CAS style card! It has already been sold for would you believe a 50th Wedding Anniversary - I had to add an inner with a message Congratulating the happy couple! I was told - not fussy and a nature card, so I showed them a few Anniversary cards but they picked this one from the other pile! 

There are several bugs and I tried to highlight them with smooch! Can you find the snail and the butterflies?

Hope there are lots of those for you - Happy Day's that is; the sentiment comes from SU's set by the same name.  My ribbon (SU) was threaded through the card and I cut the slots with a small punch SU had put out several years ago but which is now discontinued. If you look carefully you will notice that the card above has the sentiment stamped directly onto the card - and that it is crooked. I had to quickly find a way to cover the mistake and so I die cut a label and stamped that, and then gently added some red ink to the edges and added it to the card with dimensionals. So, it is no longer a one-layer card but it is still CAS. 

So, that is my card for the Squirrel and the Fox Challenge 64.  You should go visit the site and see what the other girls on the team have made - it will astound you; so much talent in this team! I look forward to seeing what you can create when SPOOLING!

I will enter this in the following:
CMC Copic Challenge: Anything Goes
The Kraftyhands Challenge: Spring flowers - our poppies come in spring and get blown to bits before they can give a really good show, poor things!
The Outlawz: Flowers
Di's Digi Designs: Tic Tac Toe: mine is digi/ribbon/flowers

Did I post this before?

Don't think so, so I will quickly post this one - made with some of the left-overs floating on the desk, and a gift tag on a wine bottle bag (recycled).

You can probably recognise the bits from my Unstampabelles post here. 

The sentiment is a sticker and I used three brads with screw tops. A quick card for a male. 

Challenge#20 for Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight Hilde at Crafting with Dragonflies has challenged us to create a card using a freebie digi image and to supply the link to it so you can also get the freebie if it appeals! I went to Dearie Dolls and here is the link:

http://freedeariedollsdigistamps.blogspot.com.au/

Just to be clear - you find a freebie image (hint: there are some on Crafting with Dragonflies or you can go to this site) and then you make a card with the image you found, and then you post BOTH the card and the link to the freebie.  You need to do this to qualify for the prize, which will be a suprise from Hilde but well worth it I am sure! We are not being sponsored this fortnight as it would  not be fair to our sponsors to use a free digi image for their sponsored time. 

The sentiment comes from a WMS set I have had for quite some time called Sweetheart.  Being a cling stamp I was able to bend it around on the block.  I have stamped it in Momento ink and fussy cut it, and popped it up on some dimensional tabs. 

This is a die cut from on of the new Stampin'Up sets - Circles Card. The heart is from the same set. 

The image was printed off onto XPress Blending card and coloured with copics. I then masked it and sponged around some Momento ink to create a background. The die is from SU and is called Labels. I cut the sparkly red from a bigger one to create a mount.  The papers I have used come from LilyBee design - Happily Lost 6 x 6 tablet, and I have used a commercial card blank and some SU Midnight Muse card. The ribbn was in the ribbon stash! Isn't it luscious! Obviously this was made before the 14th but it is not necessarily a Valentines card. The heats all have a bit of smooch on them to make them sparkle too!.

You probably know that I quite like frogs! He has such a soppy look on his face. However,she is obviously in control! Hope you like it - I know that Dearie Dolls have some wonderful images so why not go and take a look and then have a go at this challenge! OR find a freebie digi  for yourself somewhere and make a card for the challenge!

I will enter this in the following:

A Random Fan: Valentines theme

Make It Monday: Anything Goes

Carft-Dee Bowz: Anything Goes with a handmade bow

Lovetoscrap: Anything Goes

It's Midway for Unstampabelles

Challenge #32 - Dare to Get Dirty is on at Unstampabelles and running to the end of the month. 

This challenge asks that you DO NOT use stamps of any kind, but create a paper based project where you have dared to get a bit dirty! Not smutty! We mean inky or dirty fingers! The twist on this challenge this month is to document your dirty journey in your posting! so, get the camera out and take somephoto's while you are making your project - try to keep the ink/paint/paste/spray/stain away from the operating buttons on the camera of course!

My go this time was wet and dry embossing. I tried to swipe ink across the inside of my embossing folder to enhance the texture I could create. Firstly I added some Versamark ink to my Chevron Folder from Stampin'Up and placed a piece of SU Gumball Green card into the folder carefully; I embossed this and then I sprinkled it with Gumball Green EP (SU)  and  heat embossed the card. I used my roller to put the ink inside the folder and carefully flicked off excess powder with a paintbrush.

 Next was a piece of SU Midnight Muse card and another SU folder Pretty Print. I had an idea that I would roll a lighter blue ink onto the folder and that this would be on the card when I embossed and then removed it from the folder - nope, didn't work.

Ink on the folder OK (can you see my dirty sheet underneath - yes, I do dare to get dirty often!)

So, next step was to take the SU White ink and the roller, and after inking up the roller I carefully rolled it over the top of the raised embossing.  It did smudge in once or two spots but not so it was unusable. It was intriguing to see the the print pattern onthe roller afterwards though -if Ihad thought fast tnough I shouldhave rolled this off onto some dark scrap!

I only wanted a bit of this card so after cutting out the mount, I smudged some more white ink around the edges of the piece. Iused an image from a packet I have had of memorabilia (mostly from USA) I purchased some years ago. 

Some freebie background paper from a magazine (I have so much purchased paper but just cannot throw this freebie stuff away when it comes with a magazine); a die from MFT Dienamics and three pearl pieces of bling completed the card for a male. Could be for any situation - I haven't done the inset yet - will wait to see who gets it first or if it goes into the sale or charity pile! 

So, wander over to see us at Unstampabelles and see what the team have put together, gather a few ideas and then have a go - you have a few weeks to make and photograph your creation! See you soon. 

I will enter this in the following challenges:

CAS on Sunday: #27 Masculine Card
Scribble and Scrap: Anything Goes
A Little Bit Crafty: Man Up
The Crafting Cafe: Embossing

Crafty Bloggers Network: All About Boys

Happy 21st Birthday Sweet Thing!

Today my eldest granddaughter Charlotte Grace turns 21. Happy Birthday Sweetheart. 

She is at work so has not yet got her card, and will probably see it on Facebook first! (Charlotte - turn off now!).  I had two attempts at making this as I had planned - in my head - a while ago to make one using a certain technique but when I tried it, it just because became (damn predictive text!) an awful mess! I got quite despondent and sat at the computer to do some blog surfing and Facebooking! The first blog I visited was Claire at Waltzing Mouse as she had just posted on Facebook, and I went to her blog to look and hey presto! An idea! So, thank you Claire!

I used her card as a starter and made mine using a similar stamp set to one Claire has but this one comes from MFT and is called Abstract Art. I had got it before Claire put her set out and I do love it but had not thought of the various ways it could be used yet. I stamped with gold ink and TH Red Brick Distress ink.

The numbers are white sparkly Thickers coloured with Copic pen and then with gold glitter. The key is a small gold charm!

The bling is from an old pack so not sure who it belongs to. The gold card base is a  purchase from Regal Press. The white card is SU Whisper White.  Inside reads "Keep Tidy"! I guess I am commenting on the lifestyles of the young in this card - and birthdays usually involve alcohol for them!

Went to a BBQ for her on Saturday night with her friends and we had an emergency visit to the vet in the middle of the evening, as the dog had obviously been bitten by something or had an allergic reaction to something and his poor little face was quite swollen and he was in a bit of distress! After-hours Vets on a Saturday night are not cheap! He had to have several needles and after about 20 minutes you could see a distinct change for the better but he was a little slower and quieter for quite a while after the event! Teach him to nose his way around the garden and into the garage! He  is nearly two and so still quite curious and still lacking a bit of sense! He is a very cute King Charles cross. His chops either side of his nose were swollen right out and he did look a bit funny but it could not have been comfortable for him at all. These photo's were taken over a year ago but he hasn't changed a great deal. Cute furbaby grandson! 

Do you have food for me?

Is that a piece of food fallen off the BBQ or a moth?

Challenge #63 - LOVE, for the Squirrel and the Fox

Well, I love the Squirrel and the Fox challenge blog too, but the actual challenge for this fortnight
(which if you don't already know, contains Valentine's Day) 

is LOVE

Now, here in our house and in Tasmania generally, Valentine's Day is not that big a deal - although in saying that I have noticed it is getting a bigger run now from the younger people. However, not in schools and it is not necessary to create a Valentine's card/gift for all your classmates - it's more for the lovers out there!

To love someone and show it is fine - so this card will be useful for that purpose! 

Our sponsor for this challenge is  giving a  $10 Gift Certificate to their store - fabulous!

Just click on their logo to go there and shop!

The card I made uses up stuff from the desk, and the paper stash and new stuff and some wool that hasn't seen the light of day for years and a new die and some Copic coloring and Momento ink! Oh, and the image - Sheep Squeeze - comes from Doodle Pantry! Isn't that the cutest pair of lambs you have seen in a while!

The wool tied in a knot/bow! The die cut (SU Gumball Green card) is from Stampin' Up; and the Bazzil card was from the scraps stash. 

The sentiment was part of the set I got from Doodle Pantry and I spread some Momento ink around fairly generously. The strip of paper was from the scrap pile; the card base is a commercial blank. I die cut the image out after I had printed it onto XPress Blending card, using an SU Ovals die. I then coloured the sheep in using my Copics, and sponged around some more ink.

Join in the fun at the Squirrel and the Fox with your version of LOVE.

I will enter this in the following challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge: LOVE

Crafty Calender Challenge: Love is in the air

Send a Smile 4 Kids: for the boys

Make it Monday: anything goes - and just because I really like this challenge and its ethos! This is for you MIM!

Challenge #19 Crafting with Dragonflies

CRAFTING WITH DRAGONFLIES:

Alter a Tin or a Jar - Vintage Theme

Our Sponsor for this is Digistamps4Joy

who are offering a prize to the value of $10 

Margy provided two images for the DT to work with (thanks Margy),and my fancy was drawn to the vintage lady. So I printed her off several times and coloured her up using my Soft Derwent and Prisma pencils and Zest (I think some call this Gamasol) to colour up the images:

I did this twice with two different sizes of the image - one I attached to a backing of dark blue card after I sponged the edges of the card with TH Wild Honey ink and Salty Ocean ink.  I also added some lovely sparkly gold and orange Smooch.The second I added to the lid of my tin.

I tried to get them to look very similar

Now, I had an idea that I would create a set of gift cards, with a box for them and a tin to take some sweeties as a Valentines gift set. So, I found a tin - soap tin left over from second last year's Christmas gifts - and a box - ditto time frame and this was housing a wallet. I found half a sheet of a 12 x 12 Kaiser Esperance - Sea Spray; the colours matched. 

I washed the tin and put it outside to dry - 10 minutes later it was as hot as hot!

I painted it with white gesso (when it cooled down!) and gave it three coats.  Then I tied to put the lid back on it - nope! So, I sanded the paint off parts of the bottom tin and made it look a little vintage and worn.  I then added some TH Wild Honey and sponged with the Salty Ocean. I added some ruffled ribbon - SU Island Indigo.

...painting....

...adding ribbon...

...sanded edges and sponges sides....

...sponged top - a bit grungy almost.....

Then I made a box, and some cards to fit inside: photo's follow-

....box....

...with lid...

...bottom opens out...

...into one long strip....

...which I covered with the DP....

....added the ribbon....

....and the image....

...and filled it with small cards and envelopes, made from SU Sahara Sand card, Whisper White card, stamped with SU heart from A Happy Heart in Momento Potter's Clay (stamped off once) and overstamped with the sentiment in Momento Tuxedo Black.  Rounded the corners of the cards and the toppers, and sponged the edges...

...sic cards in the box....

...added a Kaiser flower....

Here are the tin and the box!

I will be entering this in the following:

Everybody Art Challenge: Valentines

Just Inspirational Challenges: Valentines

Shopping Our Stash: Love or Valentines/Hearts

Make it Monday: Anything Goes