Vintage Christmas Ornament - Buttons Galore!

Hello Everyone!

Well it's the last day of July and as an ode to the strange craft world phenomenon 'Christmas in July', I thought I would squeeze in one last Christmas item. This month I did one Christmas Card and one Christmas Tag, so I thought I should do one Christmas Ornament.

I was inspired by the challenge over at the Hobby Cutz Challenge Blog. This week is Challenge #58 - Buttons Galore. Isn't that a fun challenge! You should slip in there and see the DT designs...inspiring!

Hope you enjoy!

The ripped pieces of paper were stamped with Hero Arts shadow ink Soft Sand and edged with Tim Holtz distress ink Brushed Corduroy. The ribbon is also coloured with Brushed Corduroy. I used some matte Mod Podge to adhere the paper pieces to a styrofoam ball, then stuck on some embellies, presto done-o!

Dies: the gold caps on the top and bottom were done with Spellbinders Stately Circles then formed with my stylus.

Stamps: too many to mention!

Seriously, I think I used almost every single stamp I own!

From My Stash: buttons, snowflake charm, seam binding, stamens and sparkly leaves

I am also entering my Christmas ornament into two other wonderful challenges.

Tuesday Throwdown - Challenge #206 - Other Than a Card or Tag

Divas By Design - Anything Goes

Die Cuttin' Divas - Challenge #176 - Anything Goes (Spellbinders Stately Circles for my end caps)

That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one!

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Christmas Tag & Candy Cane Background Tutorial

Hello Everyone!

Today I would like to share a very festive Christmas tag and a tutorial on how I did the candy cane background. I'm sure this technique has been done a million times. There are probably tutorials and videos out there somewhere, but I want to assure you that I did not copy this from someone else. I did a quick Google search and didn't find anything, so for now, I am calling this my candy cane technique.

I'm combining two really amazing challenges today into one really festive tag!

The first is over at Anything But a Card Challenges. I've been anxious to get in there, but I usually make...well, cards! They have some really talented designers on their team and I'm psyched to get to play along! I made the tag quite small because their challenge right now is In the Spotlight Mini Challenge - It's a Small World. They also ask that you include lots of details...hence the tutorial!

The inspiration for the design came from the second challenge I've been anxious to get at...over at ColourQ. Every week they give you a photograph with a set of colours to work with and an image for inspiration. It's a lot of fun and I'm glad to finally throw my hat in the ring! I recommend you hop over and check it out!

This week was ColourQ Challenge #252 and I pulled my inspiration from the candy cane, of course. I actually used Kraft paper to make the cinnamon sticks, but I put on so much distress ink that it looks really dark and my green ribbon is much brighter in real life. I hope you enjoy!

Here's what your gonna need...

- a stamp for the background

- ink pad of your choice

- your tag or paper that you want to use

- double sided tape (I used 1/2")

- coloured glitter

- clear glitter

 You could also use patterned paper instead of stamping a design.

And here's how I did it...

The stamp I'm using is by Impression Obsession and my clear glitter is Tim Holtz Distress Stickles dry glitter - Rock Candy. I have also used DecoArt Glamour Dust, which is an iridescent glitter and had great results with that as well.

Step 1. Using your chosen stamp and ink choices, stamp your image onto your tag.

Step 2. Rip off a piece of your double sided tape and place it diagonally across your tag in the spot that suits you best.

Step 3. Cut off a bunch more pieces of your tape and place them tightly together, side by side, until your entire surface is covered.

Step 4. Punch out your ribbon hole and trim off all of the excess tape.

Step 5. Remove the plastic coating from alternating strips of your tape.

Step 6. Using the dark colour first, cover your exposed tape sections with glitter and gently rub with your finger to make sure it really sticks on. (if you use the dark colour first, then any missed spots won't show up when you add the other colour...learned this the hard way! lol)

Step 7. Lightly brush away all the little bits of coloured glitter.

Step 8. Pull off the plastic from the remaining strips and using the same technique as before, add your clear glitter.

Presto, magico, candy cane tag-o!!!

I really hope you enjoyed the tutorial and I would love to see any creations that I may inspire you to do! I also made the cinnamon sticks, but perhaps we'll save that tutorial for another day. :)

Here is the finished tag again for you to have a last looksie at.

I am also entering my Christmas tag into the following challenges:

Southern Girls Challenge - Christmas is a-coming

Crafting for all Seasons - Challenge #82 - Christmas in July
That's Crafty Challenge Blog - The C Word AKA Christmas in July
Hiding in my Craft Room - #159 - Christmas in July

Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one!
If you have any questions, please let me know.

Happy Birthday - Ring Around The Rosie

Hello Everyone!

Yes, I know, I went right back to soft, pink and girlie! I can't help myself, plus I have a really good reason...this week's challenge over at The Shabby Tea Room!

Here is my card, then I will tell you all about the challenge.

This week's challenge Week #229 - Ring Around The Rosie included a photograph for inspiration along with a couple of extra guidelines. The project should be round, using green, pink, a flourish and/or bling and flowers.

Unfortunately, because I'm sending this to a dear friend and I need to be able to put a 4" x 6" photograph inside, I wasn't able to do a round card. But to make up for it, I made the focal point round, I used lots of green and pink, I used a flourish and some bling...and I tried to capture the overall spirit of the photograph. Here is the photograph they provided. You see now why I couldn't resist. HA!

The background was done by smooshing a layer of texture paste over the paper quite randomly, then applying several layers of different shades of DecoArt's Crafter's Acrylics and Americana paints along with some Tim Holtz distress inks Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint. I then highlighted the raised areas with some Ranger Picket Fence crackle paint. I also applied some crackle paint here and there around the card for a bit of shabby interest.

The pink flowers were coloured with Tim Holtz distress inks Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar and the leaves were coloured with Mowed Lawn. The butterflies are handmade from polymer clay and a Mod Melt mold.

Dies: Spellbinders-gold elements, A2 scalloped borders one and foliage, Memory Box-honeysuckle vine, Impression Obsession-leafy branch

Stamps: Heartfelt Creations-all occasions sentiments

Handmade: the background, the pink flowers, the butterflies and the texture paste

From My Stash: the blink and the paint

I am also entering my card into the following challenges:

Wednesday's Creative Inspiration Challenge Blog -  #275 - Here Comes Summer

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge - Challenge #119 - Words

Craft Your Passion Challenges - Challenge #224 - Flower Power

Inky Chicks - Challenge #34 - Happy Birthday

The Crazy Challenge - #176 - Die cuts & Punches

That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one! If you have any questions, please let me know.

One of a Kind - Tim Holtz Inspired

Hello Everyone, I hope you had a great weekend!

Today I would like to introduce you to my first Tim Holtz inspired card. I wanted to steer away from the pearls and lace for a day and do something with a bit more of a grungy and vintage feel.

I only recently discovered Tim Holtz products and I've been collecting them like crazy ever since. I've been following the tutorials, watching the videos and learning the techniques, so today I am entering my very first Tim Holtz inspired Challenge over at A Vintage Journey.There are some really talented designers over there and I am excited to play along with such a line up of amazing artists!

This is for Challenge #11 - Just Stain It, which is all about distress stains. My entire card was done using only three distress colours - Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo. Can you believe that!! I used several of Tim's techniques here - blending of Distress Inks, flicking of Distress stains, stamping with Distress stains, splashing water droplets, stamping with water and stencilling. A bit of this, a bit of that, magico-presto-cardo! OK, so the roses aren't very Tim-ish, but they are Pam-ish, and I gotta be me.

The large tag is Tim Holtz - Tag & Bookplates. The small tag is Tim Holtz - Tiny Tabs & Tags and I also used Tim Holtz stencil - Speckles to spritz some water through. I also used a bunch of Tim Holtz products that aren't obvious in the photo, like the distresser, ink blending tools, scissors, a craft mat and mini misters. I hope you enjoy!

Other products used:

Dies: Spellbinders-frosty forms, timeless rectangles and stately circles, Memory Box-tall chloe

Stamps: Prima-from collections lyric, sunrise sunset, meadowlark and songbird, Kaisercraft-13th hour and the sentiment, BoBunny-prarie chic, Inkadinkadoo-spring garden inchies to make the pebble

From My Stash: twine, birdcage charm, pearls, roses and burlap ribbon

I am also entering my card into the following challenges:

Charisma Cardz Challenges - #16, Charm, Ribbon and Twine
Crafty Catz - Challenge #241 - Anything Goes
The Crafter's Cafe - Challenge # 73 - Anything Goes
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - #39 - Anything Goes
Scrapping4fun Challenges - #22 - Anything Goes

Craft Cabinets - Challenge #40 - Vintage

That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one! If you have any questions, please let me know.

This Moment - My Summer Cottage

Hello Everyone!

Today I have something a little different to share with you. The colours from this card aren't ones that I would have put together on my own, but I'm really happy with how it came together. This is one of the things I love about these challenges, they really make you step outside of your comfort zone and try something new! So much fun! I will tell you about that colour challenge in just a bit, but first, a bit about my card.

The wood plank background was done using a home-made crackle paint technique. The flowers are handmade with yellow card stock and streaked with with Hero Arts shadow ink Pale Tomato to give it an orange colour. The oval was coloured with Tim Holtz distress ink Peacock Feathers and I smooshed a little of the ink here and there on the background along with some distress ink Spiced Marmalade. The dark brown stamping was done with Ranger Archival ink Coffee. The butterflies were handmade with polymer clay and a Mod Melt mold. I hope you enjoy all the summer brightness!!

It's hard to see, but I used some home-made texture paste and the Reversed Chicken Wire stencil from Crafter's Workshop to add some interest on the background. If you want to see a close-up, just right click the image and open link in new tab...presto, super-sized!!

I am entering my Summer Cottage card into this week's challenge over at Try it on Tuesday.

I just love this blog! Such talent on the design team and their challenges are really creative! I pull so much inspiration from the creations they post! This week their challenge is Things With Wings. I guess it's obvious that I decided on butterflies... they're everywhere! HA! I just love butterflies!

Another challenge blog that I fell in love with instantly is Hobby Cutz Challenge Blog. 

Their design team has so much talent and creativity! They do cards, layouts, tags, altered projects, stamping, die cutting, you name it...and everything is gorgeous! This was my favourite card of the week, so I chose this one to enter into their Challenge #57 - Anything Goes.

The layout for my card came from Cardabilities. I'm super excited to have ran across this blog! Every 15th and 30th of the month, they post a new sketch challenge. They are really creative with those sketches and their talented design team provides tons of amazing inspiration! This challenge is for cards, but they also have challenges just for scrapbook layouts, called Sketchabilities. Here is the sketch for Challenge #103.

The fantastic summery colours and theme for my card came from a challenge over at Moving Along With The Times. This is my first challenge with them but I am so excited about the wonderful creativity of their challenges! They post new challenges every Thursday and their design team is just filled with talent! You should pop in there and have a looksie!

This week was a Colour Challenge - Nice Bright Summery Colours and for inspiration, they provided a photograph. As soon as I saw it, I was reminded of my cottage up north. I know their picture is in a pool, but for us, as kids, it was the cool aqua lake water, our inner tubes and jumping off of the dock. So that's what I used for my inspiration. I replaced the really dark blue with dark brown because, well, my dock was brown. :)

I added some frilly yarn in and about the card just to add a bit of of that rustic cottage feel. One last shot of those orange flowers, boy are they bright or what!

Dies: Cheery Lynn-oval doily stacker one, Joy Crafts-flower 1, Marianne Designs-ivy, Spellbinders-foliage

Stamps: Kaisercraft-botanical, Prima-cling stamp set from the songbird collection

Handmade: wood plank background, the flowers and the butterflies

From My Stash: frilly yarn, crinoline, acrylic paints and stamens

That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all your amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one!  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Cherish the Memories - Pink & Aqua

Hello Everyone!

I know what you're thinking, another pink card!! Well I have to admit, the little girl in me gets excited when I find a colour challenge that involves pink...and today I found TWO and a challenge just for handmade flowers!! I will tell you about those in a minute, but first a bit about my card.

The background was done by first using Tim Holtz's Bubble stencil and sponging it with Tumbled Glass distress ink. Then I embossed the doily stamp with VersaMark and clear embossing powder and gently sponged on some Hero Arts shadow ink Tide Pool here and there for a subtle change in hue.

I hope you enjoy!

This week over at The Shabby Tea Room they have another wonderful challenge! I am entering this into Challenge Week #228 - Sweet Shabby. This was a photo challenge, but they also asked that we include lace and flowers. I made my tulips as close as I could with the die set that I have and I decided to use paper lace instead of fabric lace.Here is the inspiration photo that they provided.

My lace is one layer of white card stock and one layer of vellum, punched with Martha Stewart Wildflower deep edge punch. Look, it's 3D!!

I have only just discovered a challenge blog called Tuesday Throwdown. I'm so glad I did, because it is fantastic! They have such a range of talent of the design team. Clean and simple, stamp masters, cute and girly...you name it, they got it. You should really zip over there when you get a chance.

I am entering my card into Challenge #205 - Handmade Flowers. They also require that you use some sort of stamp, rubber or digital. I used my doily stamp to create the background and my sentiment stamp as well.

My shabby roses and tulips are handmade and coloured with Tim Holtz distress inks Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick. See how shimmery everything is? Thanks to a few spritzes of Lindy's Stamp Gang Scintillating Silver Glitz Spritz. Oh my, how everything glimmers!

The challenge I found is over at Creative Craft Cottage. This is my first time entering a challenge here but I'm really excited that I found their blog. They have new challenges on the 1st and 15th of the month and their design team is super talented. I recommend you peek your head in and take a looksie!

The challenge I'm joining is Challenge #25 - Colour/Flora. It is also a photo challenge and here is their inspirational photo. I think my aquas might be a bit brighter than the picture, but I added lots of shabby roses in both pinks to make up for it!

Dies: Sizzix-ornate frame 2, Joy Crafts-flower 1, Spellbinders-foliage

Stamps: We R Memory Keepers-doily, Heartfelt Creations-all seasons sentiments

Handmade: background, shabby roses, tulips, lace belly-band and texture paste. The tiny pink roses and the white flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts

From My Stash: twine, beads and clear embossing powder

That's it for today, thank you for stopping in and thank you to everyone for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one!