Lilac Easter

Thank you Mitzi for the adorable Lilac Sprite for this months challenge, how could I resist lol, and congratulations on 4 years,  here is to many more xxxxxx.  I have created an Easter gift for my Mum who loves chocolate.  She has Alzheimer's and chocolate is one of the few things that truly brighten her day and with Easter coming up what better way to spoil her.

My daughter very kindly brought in a Cream Egg Easter Egg for me the other day and once the contents had been demolished I hung onto the box, something fun to recycle.

 I deconstructed the box and applied three layers of white gesso.  Next I used Brusho pigments to colour the box.  Boy was I mucky by now and the end result was rather dark so out with a wet one and removed some of the excess colour at the same times cleaning my hands hahahaha.  The box was then reassembled.  I cut the picket fence using a Crafter's Companion die and then the flower edges which was also by Crafter's Companion. The flower edge was then coloured with Promarkers and I added small mauve sequin flowers.  The fence and flower border were then glued to the box all the way round the base.  Next was to create the flower spray.  I used a trellis die and cut it three times to make a fan shape.  I then coloured coloured Bakers Twine in green and wove this around the die.  To make the flowers I used the Spellbinders Hydrangea die and cut three different shades of purple vellum.  Each of these flowers was then glued to the trellis  and string vine and a blob of gold Stickles finished off the centre of each.  Wee Lilac Sprite was coloured with Polychromes, fussy cut and glued on.

 The top of the box looked very bland so I added some mauve lace which you can't really see but it adds texture around the top edge.  I then die cut the trellis edge and added a few more hydrangea flowers I had left over.  Finally I made a flourish label, stamped an Easter sentiment and die cut the letters to spell Mum.  The Easter egg box is now filled with Maltesers, Mum's favourite (2 big packets) :) :) :)

I am entering this egg box into the following challenges:-

• Aurora Wings - Challenge #65 Sprite Delight V and Happy 4th Anniversary AWCB!
• Crafter's Cafe (2W, P1/15, E3, F) #192 - Handmade Flowers
• Create and Inspire (M, P10. E3) #72 - Anything Goes / All about Mums
• Happy Little Stampers Dies (M, P9, must use dies) March - Always Anything Goes with Dies
• Sweet Stampers (M, P10, E3, use stamp or digi) #18 - Spring or Easter
• Brown Sugar – M (First Friday of M), E2 - March - No. 276 - SPRING OR EASTER
• Cut it Up - 2W, 1E, Must have Die Cuts - No. 144 - EASTER (W1 of 2)
• Simply Create Too - M - March - No. 136 USE GREEN
• Moving along with the Times 2W,3E #67 Easter (W2 of 2)
• Aud Sentiments Challenge 2W,E5  #199 Bingo + A Sentiment (W2 of 2) - 3D item, Digi or Stamp, Marakers or Pencils
• Paper Shelter Challenge - W, 3E, SIO - Easter
• Simon Says Wednesday - W, 5E - Floral Frenzy

Chapstick and Gluesticks

 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 :).  Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #29
Add Humor to your Card/Creation

This fortnights challenge them has been chosen by DT Jeanette and I have to admit I cringed when I saw the theme, humour is not really my strong point.   Where to start, what to do, decisions, decisions, decisions.  I did make a card first with a toilet on it but then I remembered I had this fab image from Bugaboo 'Stella Glue Stick' which I bought to create a page with for a journal I am creating for my daughter.  She has a tendency to speak before she thinks at times hahaha so I am sure when in the distant future she is given this journal she will have a good laugh when she sees this page.

I superimposed the Bugaboo image and sentiment onto the background using Photoshop and printed.  I then used Polychromos to colour the image and paper pieced the shoes and clothes.  The background was then coloured with Pan Pastels and as it was a bit bland I used a Sheena Douglas stencil from Crafter's Companion and Tim Holtz Distress Ink to add a bit more decoration.

Challenges entered:-

• Bugaboo Crafty Challenge (M, P15, SIR, E3) - Anything Using Bugaboo image
• Challenge Up Your Life 2W - #87 Stencils (W1 of 2)
• Inkspirational 2W,C10  #156 - Word Prompt: Work (W2 of 2)

Movie Madness

IKEsWORLD

Challenge 106
Movie Madness

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 :) :) :)

Another canvass from me for this fortnights challenge.  Sometimes when I see the optional theme for the challenge my heart sinks, I know I don't have to follow the theme but this is always my starting point.  I am not a film lover more often falling asleep before the film finishes, I have no idea who acts in what and honestly don't care as I see their character not the fact they are playing a character.  Last time we had this theme a few years ago I think I made a popcorn box and decorated it to look something like it was representing the film 'Avitar', that then went in the bin after it was made and photographed and I find that so hard to cope with, knowing before I start that I will be putting it in the bin.  So, it was with trepidation I began this project on my 'canvass' journey.  I love how this one has turned out and it won't be going in the bin lol.

To begin with I used gesso on the canvas and then texture paste with a Sheena Douglas stencil.  You can't really see the texture in the photo but you can in real life.  The canvas was painted with metallic copper acrylic paint and left to dry while I  printed the image on 120 gms paper and coloured lightly with Polychromos pencils.  The coloured image was then fussy cut and applied to the canvass with strong adhesive spray.  The film strips were cut with my die cutter and I then rubber stamped randomly onto plastic and created negatives which were placed these behind the die cuts.  These were then glued to the canvass.  The saying, 'I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse', is from the film The Godfather, a bit inappropriate at the moment with all that has been in the news recently.  I don't mean to offend but I do like to raise a point that leads to conversation :) :) :) 

Ingredients:-

• image - Muse 1 by IKEsART
• colouring medium - Polychromes, acrylic paint
• other items - 20 x 20 canvass, die cut film strips, plastic sheet, rubber stamps.

I am entering this project into the following challenges:-

• Artistic Inspirations - 2W, E3, F - #195 ANYTHING GOES  (Week 1)
• 4 Crafty Chicks W #392 Just Add A Sentiment

Sympathy with Distress Oxides

 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 :).  Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #28
Emboss and use a Die

This fortnights challenge them has been chosen by DT Debbie, a lovely theme with so many possibilities.  A wee while ago I introduced my grandson to Distress Oxides and we made several backing papers each to put in our stash (he is only 8 so his stash is not very big at the moment hahaha).  Anyway, I decided to use one of my distress oxide backgrounds for this card.  Sometime ago I purchased the Sheena Douglas Perfect Partners Embossing Folder - LUSCIOUS LOOSESTRIFE and die in the sale and have never used them.  This card seemed perfect to bring them out of the packets :).  I seem to always be in need of sympathy cards and really don't like making them at the time they are needed so with the soft colours of the distress oxides on the backing I decided this would be suitable for a contemporary sympathy card.  I embossed the background and rubbed over the embossed area first with mauve and then gold.  The card is a bit symbolic so excuse me if you think I am off my trolly here lol.  With the embossing folder having several loosestrife flowers this symbolised to me the passing of family members from earlier days and with this in mind I only used one of the die cut/embossed loosestrife to represent the passing over of the new spirit and the joining of this new spirit with the early passing of friends and family who are on the other side and waiting to welcome them.

I stamped a border in the same purple that I had rubbed over the embossed area and also stamped the sentiment in the same colour.

Close up showing the purple and gold rubbing used on the embossed area.

Challenges entered:-

• Dies R Us Challenge (2W, P1/15, E3, die cuts) #92 - Use Pastel Colours
• 4 Crafty Chicks W #392 Just Add A Sentiment
• Aud Sentiments Challenge 2W,E5  #198 Anything Goes + A Sentiment (W1 of 2)
• Artistic Inspirations - 2W, E3, F - #194 ANYTHING GOES W/OPTIONAL USE FLOWERS (Week 2)

Forgotten Summer

Just a very quick post from me today while I am enjoying being snowed in and given extra crafting time hahahaha.

Aurora Wings has a fun challenge on the go this month and I just had to participate so here is my entry.  The challenge theme is Bingo and I have followed the left hand column - Purple, Green, Black and doubled that up with the themes of this column too - Lace or Doily, Flowers, Ribbon or Bow.

For my card I used the gorgeous image of a wee boy fairy sitting amongst the leaves and gazing into the distance - Forgotten Summer which I thought was rather appropriate as with all this snow Summer certainly feels forgotten.

I printed the image on black card and then used silver foil to foil it making the lines more visible for colouring.  The image was coloured with Polychromes and the berries (which don't show well here) are purple Stickles.  I then used Pan Pastels in 3 shades of purple to try and create moon (or black sun lol) rays and finished off with a quick blast of Crafter's Companion Silver glitter varnish.  The doily was is a section of a die cut to which I added sequin flowers, green pearls and silver stamped sentiment which seemed perfect to go with the digi.  I finished of with a purple bow then matted the top layers onto green then purple paper before attaching to a black card blank.  Such a fun card to do and a first for me to try colouring on black.  Hope you like it.

Challenges entered :-

• Aurora Wings Challenge #64 BINGO!
• Craft-Dee BowZ (M P1, E3, project must have hand-made bow) Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow.
• House of Cards (M P1, must create card) February - Use Coloured Pencils on a dark background and/or Colors *see below
• Craftaholics R Us - W, #9 - Sequins
• Dream Valley Challenges - 2W, 3E, C10 - #173 THINGS WITH WINGS (Week 2)