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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Coffee is a pleasure

Time for another challenge over at

Challenge 83
Anything Goes with an optional TWIST .... Focal Sentiment


Welcome back to the IKEsWORLD challenges :)  do pop on over to IKEsWORLD to join in the challenge, it is always so much fun and  Ike produces the most amazing stamps, everything from off the wall to cute and fluffy :) :) :)

Oh Ike, you are such a superstar, thank you for drawing the coffee cups for me :) :) :) Yep folks, I was not sure how to do the twist on this challenge and could only think of using Ike's images to make a background so I mentioned to Ike what I wanted to do and could she please draw me some coffee cups to work with :)



I used 3 of the coffee cup images from Ike and overlaid them to make a random background.  I then used distress inks to add the colour.  Next I digitally created my sentiment and again coloured with distress inks and added lace to the top sentiment also coloured with distress inks.  To finish off I used one of the coffee cup images and printed it very small, coloured it with Promarkers and fussy cut then added some gold sparkle varnish.  The final bit of my card was to add some ground coffee which is glued on with PVA.  Have to say, at this moment in time my card smell yummy, so much so I have had to go and make myself a posh coffee with real coffee, not the instant stuff :)

Ingredients:-
  • image - Coffee Cup images x 3 by IKEsART
  • colouring medium - Promarkers, Distress inks
  • from my stash - ground coffee, gold glitter spray varnish, lace. 
I am entering this project into the following challenges:-
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Monday, February 20, 2017

Storytime Together

A bit of me time and experimentation today :) :) :)  I am so useless at stamping hahaha, tried acrylic blocks, they work fine but I can't get things where I want them and can reprint if the ink is not even.  Got the roll type acrylic blocks and they are easier but I have left them in the UK so are 4,000 miles away from me in Saudi.  Have been thinking about the Misti stamp tool, look awesome but I hesitate to spend so much until I can try something similar.  Anyway, to cut a long story short I found the hack of using the IKEA Hemmingsbo picture frame and we do have an IKEA here in Saudi believe it or not.  At a very low outlay and an afternoon creating it I now have something similar to the Misti to try and improve my stamping with.


To make my card I used the stampset 'Storytime Together' by Crisalis Classics from Crafter's Companion.  The stamp successfully stamped 3 times using my new tool so I had pretty much a perfect impression.  I was so chuffed with the sentiment, managing to place the stamped text inside the stamped frame almost perfectly hurray :) :) :).  The image was coloured with Spectrum Noir Pencils.  For the background I die cut some button hearts and used them to emboss, this way I could emboss around the image with more control.  Next I die cut some Tim Holtz word sentiments and stuck them to the card ready for me to start inking.  To colour the background of the card and image layer I used Spectrum Noir Aqua Tints.  A bit of ribbon, a bow and a chipboard heart embellishment finished off the card.

Items used from Crafter's Companion:-

  • Stamp set  'Storytime Together' by Crisalis Classics
  • Spectrum Noir ColourBlend pencils
  • Spectrun Noir Aqua Tints
  • Neenah Classic
Challenges entered:-
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Sunday, February 19, 2017

Recycled sardine tin


 International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :).

Challenge #2 - Recycling

I recently started doing some nail art, more fun and yet another craft to add to my every widening passion :) :) :) I used to paint my nails on a regular basis but when I started card making I found I left marks of nail varnish on my cardstock - probably because I did not put any top coat on hahahaha.  Anyway, this summer I had my nails done with Gel polish and was in love again, so much so I had to go buy myself some Shellac and a lamp.  Thanks to Ebay my collection of accessories has grown with the addition of foil, stamping tool, stamping plates, gems, striping tape etc. and an excellent box which the hubby found in one of our local stores to keep everything together.  When I do my nails, very lazily on my knee with a tray I find my tools roll all all over the place, pesky paint brushes, orange sticks, nail scissors never stay in one place so I decided to use this recycling challenge to make myself a wee pot to hold things together while I am nail crafting :)


I embossed some gold paper to cover the tin and added lace to the top and bottom along with lace bow.  Next I added some raffia around the tin and the 3 flowers were die cut using a Desire flower die. To the centre of each flower I added some Stickles and a pearl and then added some Stickle dots in the shape of swirls although you can't really see them in the photo.

Here is my sardine tin - I had the sardines for lunch and they were yummy!!!!


Challenges entered:-

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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Hanging Basket

Time for another challenge over at

Challenge 82
Anything Goes with an optional TWIST .... Nature

{create something that speaks from your heart and soul and screams you with the images you use

Welcome back to the IKEsWORLD challenges :)  do pop on over to IKEsWORLD to join in the challenge, it is always so much fun and  Ike produces the most amazing stamps, everything from off the wall to cute and fluffy :) :) :)

I wish I could do clean and simple but boy do I struggle with the concept. I think this is as clean and simple as I have managed to date hahahaha.  The image was coloured with Polychromos, I then die cut the square and distressed the edges, added my ribbon and gems and there we go, all done.



Ingredients:-
  • image - Hanging Basket by IKEsART
  • colouring medium - Polychromos
  • from my stash - Spellbinder scallop edge die, ribbon and gems
I am entering this project into the following challenges:-
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Sunday, February 5, 2017

Love is in the Air


Today is an exciting day with the launch of the new challenge blog - International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :).

Challenge #1 - Love is in the Air

For my first design team creation for this new challenge I have decided to do a bit of pyrography.  My youngest daughter was married on January 4th of this year and this was a wee personal gift from me to her and her partner.  My daughter was born in Kenya and we lived on the slopes of Mt. Kenya.  Hubby and I recently returned to Kenya for a holiday and I thought it would be rather nice if I could find a piece of wood from 'home' and make it into a wall plaque for Nicole and Meesh.  It was only a few days before we were due to fly home that I found the perfect piece of wood - cut from an old cedar fence post.  You are not allowed to cut the cedar trees on Mt. Kenya now as they are protected but this old fence post was cut some 60 years ago, well seasoned and legal.  Thank you so much Anne from Suyian Soul for letting me raid you wood pile :) :) :) This piece of wood along with two similar pieces were put into my suitcase and boy were they heavy hahaha and brought home where I burned the saying into the wood, added names and dates and varnished.  The plaque then had hooks and chain added ready for hanging but I needed to get a photo taken before this was done as time was short.  My daughter was in tears when she saw it the day before her civil partnership to Meesh and her only words spoken as she caressed it was 'A bit of home' :) :) that is the exact reaction I so wished for so you can imagine how I felt inside.  Both my daughter and her partner are in the British Army and, Meesh is a medic and travelled a fair bit on exercise etc. It turns out she has been to Nanyuki, Kenya (on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, and where we lived) twice and was on exercise on the neighbouring ranch to Suyian Soul where this piece of cedar wood came from.  How cool is that, the plaque has meaning for both of them, both knowing where it came from, both having walked the same land even though it was years apart :) :) :).  So as you can see, this plaque really is a 'Love in in the Air' creation and I hope you like it.

To make the plaque I first created my design on Illustrator taking into account the placement of the holes and markings in the wood.  I then printed my design on tracing paper and transferred it to the wood.  It was then out with my pyrography tools to do the wood burning and to finish off a couple of coats of varnish.


I also made three wedding cards for Nicole and Meesh, one from hubby and I, another for my mother to give them and one for Nicole's eldest sister to give.  The wedding theme colour was navy blue with orange flowers so this colour scheme was carried through with the cards.

Card from hubby and me
Card from my Mum
Card from Natasha, Nicole's eldest sister.  I saw this idea on the net and thought it was perfect but for the life of me I don't know the source - sorry.

Challenges entered:-
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