In the Pink GDT - Luscious Lace

Hello Everyone!

I am back today for another appearance as the Guest Designer for the wonderful challenge blog IN THE PINK. I do hope you will join us for CHALLENGE #56 - LUSCIOUS LACE! Thank you very much to Christine and the talented DT ladies for inviting me to join them!

We all love lace, right ladies! The only thing to remember is you need to use lots of pink on your creation! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the "Spots and Stripes" challenge, there were so many wonderfully delicious pink cards, I do hope to see you again this time! Here is my make.

The wonderful Woodware flower stamp is one of the prizes that I won at the Craft-Room Challenge Blog for the projects you see here below. I also received another stamp set, that I hope to get to use very soon. I would like to thank the entire team for choosing my Summer Birdhouse and Wedding Card as their winning choices and for mailing me such wonderful prizes!

  

I stamped the flowers two times and coloured both of them with Copics. The bottom layer, I fussy cut out the entire flower and stem, the top layer I only fussy cut out the roses and then popped them up on foam dots. I added some glitter to the petals.

The frame is Tim Holtz Tag and Bookplates which I antiqued with home-made crackle paint and edged with Hero Arts Soft Blossom ink. The sentiment is from the BoBunny Wedding Bliss stamp set.

For the background I painted my card stock with a mixture of three different DecoArt pink paints and sponged on some Hero Arts Soft Blossom ink as well as some Tim Holtz Worn Lipstick. I stamped some script text in Archival ink Coffee and then used some home-made texture paste and a stencil to add the pretty flower pattern.

The corner piece is made from crafter's clay and a Martha Stewart mold, I antiqued it with Tim Holtz Gathered Twigs and added some glitter.

I am entering my card into the following wonderful challenges:

- Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - #52 - ATG With A Twist - Weddings

- Anything Goes With A Twist - Challenge #4 - A Touch of Pink

- A Creative Romance - Pink
- Fan-Tastic Tuesday - Challenge #59 - Anything Goes with a Twist - Monochrome

- Frosted Designs Friday Challenge - Mixed Media

- Eclectic Ellapu - October Challenge Pink Team - Flowers

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.

Divas by Design GDT - Anything Goes - Bead Cap Ornament

Hello Everyone!

It's time for another challenge at Divas by Design. This will sadly be my last challenge as a guest designer there. I would like thank Rebekah and the entire team for making me part of the family for the last 3 months. For my last appearance the challenge is...ANYTHING GOES!

Here is my make.

I decided to make a vintage style Christmas ornament. I usually make two or three new ornaments for our tree every year, but so far this year I have only done one - you can see that one here, if you like. Now I have two!! YAY

I thought a few white feathers would be a great idea! I just love mixing up the textures on my tree, which is entirely gold, ivory and crystal/acrylic and has a vintage feel to it. BOY, if I had know how hard it was going to be to capture those feathers on camera...I might have thought twice about it. Hence, the nearly black background!

I originally got the idea for this ornament from a Pinterest image that my dear friend Bonnie sent me. I liked the idea, but thought I would make a few changes to the design. Here is the original.

Here is how I made my version:

I started with a medium size styrofoam ball. I soaked a piece of tissue paper in Mod Podge and began crinkling it up as I wrapped it around the ball (WARNING - VERY MESSY). After it dried I collected together some useless old bead caps I had laying around in various sizes and colours. Some silver, some gold and some bronze. I attached them in a pattern using straight pins.

Next I added another layer of Mod Podge, making sure to get in all the cracks, so the bead caps wouldn't shift around. One coat of Gesso and one coat of DecoArt Crafter's Acrylic Light Antique White paint. Then I lightly sponged two different shades of gold paint and then highlighted with my Krylon Gold Leafing Pen!

For the bottom, I took two of the large bead caps and glued them together with a small spacer in between. I strung some beads and danglies on eye pins and used straight pins to attach it to the unit bottom of the ornament.

I am entering my card into the following wonderful challenges:

- Fab n' Funky - Challenge +#235 - Christmas

- The Craft-Room - A Vintage Christmas
- Shopping Our Stash - #175 - Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' (use something round)
- The Pink Elephant - Challenge #274 - Anything Goes

- We Love Vintage - Challenge #34 - Anything Goes

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.

Try it on Tuesday - Colours of Autumn

Hello Everyone!

It's time for another fantastic challenge over at TRY IT ON TUESDAY. Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for our 'Spooky' challenge, there were so many fantastic Halloween entries, wow!

For today's challenge our theme is COLOURS OF AUTUMN. You should hop on over there and see the wonderful creations that my talented teamies made! Here is my make.

Back to shabby chic today (big sigh of relief), although I thought I would try something different for this autumn card and put neutral leaves on a bright orange background, instead of bright orange leaves on a neutral background.

Here is what my background looked like before I decorated it.

I took several DecoArt paints - Deep Red, Pure Pumpkin and Bright Yellow -  and dribbled them on my kraft mat. I spritzed with some Tattered Angels Gold Glimmer Mist and some Tim Holtz Antique Linen spray. Then I took my paper and squished it down on the mat. Presto! I wish you could see the shimmer on this, but I just couldn't capture it with the camera.

I built the lace 'bridge' by wrapping a piece of acetate around the panel and then placing the lace on top, then I trimmed the acetate so it wouldn't be visible. Looks like magic!

The large leaf stamp is Inkadinkado Decomposed Foliage and the stencil is Crafter's Workshop Art Is. The texture paste is home-made.

The flowers were cut out with Joy Crafts Flower 4 die and coloured with Tim Holtz distress inks Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge. The leaves were cut from Impression Obsession using kraft paper and spritzed with Rusty Hinge, Walnut Stain and some white paint. The wreath is from Poppystamps, the twigs are Nellie Snellen.

I stamped the flower image with Ranger Archival Coffee ink, coloured it with Copics, added a coat of Glossy Accents and rubbed some Gathered Twigs into the cracks.

I am entering my card into the following wonderful challenges:

- C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - #282 - Autumn/Halloween/Thanksgiving/Bonfire Night

- The Sisterhood of Crafters - Fall Colors

- Great Impressions - October Challenge - Autumnal Elegance

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.

Crafty Cardmakers #126 - Cut It Out - Gold Christmas

Hello Everyone!

It's time for another challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers! Thank you to everyone who played with us last time for our 'It's Only Words' challenge, what a fabulous variety of projects there were!

Sonia, our wonderful hostess has chosen the following theme for us CHALLENGE #126 - CUT IT OUT. So she would like to see die cutting or punching on your project. Here is my make.

OK, I know what you're thinking...what happened to that shabby chic style with paint and ink everywhere? Well, I thought I would try something a little different today, and I don't think I can begin to explain how hard it was for me to NOT pick up my distressing tool. I didn't dirty a single paint brush, there was no ink on my fingers or my face, I didn't scrunch up a single piece of paper, the lid didn't even come off of my texture paste container AND...I used patterned paper! WHAT!! I think there was actually dust on those dies!!

I would like to thank MRS DUCK and CEBELICA for their amazing die-cutting and layering influence and for inspiring me to have, what I consider to be, a very unique and surprisingly pleasant crafting experience. Now, on with the show.

OK, fine, so I added a shabby bow, don't hold it against me!

Dies I used: Spellbinders Heirloom Ornaments, Layered Poinsettia, Fancy Lattice, Gold Elements and Large Circles. LaLa Land Crafts Filigree Corner

The sentiment is from JustRite and was embossed with VersaMark and gold embossing powder.

The poinsettia and ornament were coated with Mod Podge and gold micro-beads. I added a little Ranger Stardust Stickles to the veins of the white poinsettia and around the sentiment.

It's hard to see, but the top ornament was embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

This challenge is sponsored by HOBBY ART STAMPS (prize is Rodney the Reindeer stamp) and DI'S DIGISTAMPS (prize is a $12 gift certificate), so let's pull out those punches, dies and die cutting machines and get cracking, or should I say cranking!

  

I am entering my card into the following wonderful challenges:

- Winter Wonderland - Gold Christmas
- Completely Christmas - Challenge # 35 - Anything Goes With a Twist - Add a Sentiment
- Allsorts Challenge Blog - #282 - Christmas

- Perfectly Rustics Design Challenge - #34 - Holidays
- Come and Get It Challenges - Recipe - Designer Paper, Ribbon, Bling & Die Cuts

- Simply Create Too - Shop in Your Own Craft Room (no new products)
(Every single die I used here is seriously old and pretty much covered in dust! The shimmery paper is left over from a wedding card I made years ago, the ribbon I took off of a gift I got for my birthday and the pearl sprays I pulled from a grab bag I purchased at a yard sale last summer! HA!)

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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.

A Vintage Journey - Guest Creative Guide

Hello Everyone!

This is a very special day for me today and a special post. I am completely thrilled to tell you that I am the Guest Creative Guide at A VINTAGE JOURNEY for their current challenge HALLOWEEN - TO DIE FOR. Our lovely hostess Anne (Redanne) has chosen our challenge and I highly recommend everyone skip on over there and check out the wonderful projects that the talented design team has come up with. What an honour to work along side such amazing talent!

This is the biggest project I have ever worked on, taking me almost two weeks to finish. It is a very photo heavy post, but I will try to keep the talking to a minimum (except the tutorial). I sure hope you will hang in there and have a looksie at all the different elements of my HALLOWEEN HOUSE!

My Halloween House started as some scrap paper, which I used to build the template. Once I fine tuned the measurements, I made the final version out of pizza boxes.

I gave both sides a couple coats of beige paint to cover the printing and flaws of the boxes. Then I used a hand cut brick stencil and some home-made texture paste to give the walls some dimension. I smooshed some texture paste here and there, then added some bits of cheesecloth. Another coat of beige paint, and then Tim Holtz took over!

I rubbed Gathered Twigs distress stain over some of the areas and then spritzed it with water to make spots and drips. I did the same process with Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo. Then I took some of the brand new product Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress spray and gave it a few squirts. Lastly, a bit of diluted Picket Fence paint washed over a few areas to mute the colours.

THE HOUSE

My house stands about 10 inches tall from the ground to the tip of the roof. The base is 2 inches tall, making the whole thing only 1 foot tall.

I hung this creepy little Blair Witch stick doll because this house is definitely cursed! It's made out of twigs from the yard, which I just carved grooves into and glued together. Eeeeek!

The clock was stamped and then covered with Rock Candy crackle paint and rubbed with Black Soot and Walnut Stain. The windows were done using Tim Holtz's cracked glass technique. Behind the acetate, I put sheets of vellum coloured with Sunset Orange and Sunshine Yellow alcohol inks so they wouldn't be too transparent and they give off a nice glow at night.

THE PORCH

For the rusted tin roof, I used Tim Holtz's effect powder technique. The drain pipe is just some bendy straws that I painted with black and silver paint. The porch railing is cut from Tim Holtz On the Fence and antiqued with a home-made crackle paint. For the porch floor I used my texture paste bark technique.

The flower and leaves in the little pot are from Spellbinders. The lattice is Spellbinders, the twigs are Nellie Snellen and the tiny leaves are Impression Obsession. The chair and table were cut out by hand and antiqued using Ranger Picket Fence crackle paint and some Tim Holtz distress stains. The 'ZOMBIES WELCOME' mat was made from a Ranger Inkssentials Canvas ATC.

If I didn't know better, I would swear this next shot was straight out of one of those horror movies where a group of teenagers is being chased by some crazy, inbred, cannibalistic, backwoods hillbillies!!

YIPES!

THE BALCONY

Does everything look a little crooked to you?? Yeah...GOOD! It's not easy making everything unsymmetrical and uneven on purpose, especially for a perfectionist with a slight case of OCD!!

I have included a ladder made of bones, just in case any zombies need a quick escape! Ha ha, fooled you! It's not really made of bones, just some waxed cord tied in knots. lol

THE FAMILY OF SPIDERS

Anybody with a weak heart or a sensitive stomach should turn back now, this is about to get super creepy!!

Up on the roof is where Mama Spider and all her babies live...but some of the little ones are starting to venture out on their own to explore their surroundings.

This little guy seems to have wandered off on his own, where could he possibly be going?

Is that a fresh grave? Oh no, I think something bad happened to Papa Spider! That's where the babies are going...to visit daddy and put fresh flowers on his grave.

That might actually be sad if it wasn't giving me the freaking heebie jeebies!!

AFTER DARK

A little set of battery operated lights, so my Haunted House can sit in the middle of the table.
NOT WHILE I EAT, OF COURSE...EEEEEWWW!

I won the following awards for my Halloween House:

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - October challenge - Halloween or Not

Artist Trading Post - Halloween

Shopping Our Stash - #174 - Halloween

Make My Monday - Halloween

Our Creative Corner - October challenge - Go Rust-ic

Eclectic Ellapu - November Purple Team - Texture

That's Crafty Challenge Blog - Spooky

The Male Room - Challenge #21 - Halloween

Eileen Hull's Art with Heart - October challenge - Trick or Treat

    

   

  

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That's it for today. Thanks for hanging in for the longest post EVER and thank you for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one! If you have any questions, please let me know.