SDC 176 Week 2

Anything Goes is the theme over at the last Challenge of 2014 at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blog, this will go on for 5 weeks so i do hope you have the time to join in!

On Saturday 13 December i attended the Taster Day at AFTH Harrogate and did three workshops, the last one was an added one because there were spaces and i learnt so much am so glad i was able to attend! Have to say THANK YOU to my wonderful OH who did all the driving and encouraged me to stay for the last class.

On the first one workshop i met the lovely Karen Hayselden who took us through making an ATC with lots of different techniques. It was a fabulous hour, here is my lovely Agatha ATC which i am entering into week 2 of the Challenge.

Karen had us fussy cutting, colouring with Amsterdam Paints, adding washi tape for texture, adding hot glue then going over when it was cool with Treasure Gold and finally adding the black circles around our snow (this had to be done after the ATC was dry).

Karen had pre prepared the sewing on the ATC’s and she very kindly let me have some of the very tiny holly, tree, boots and gingerbread man that she had cut out just in case she had someone who struggled with the cutting (me!). Thank you Karen for saving my hands so i could enjoy the rest of the day.

I persuaded my lovely OH to attend Karen’s class and here is the ATC he made. I must admit i like his better!

If you ever get the chance to attend one of Karen’s classes at AFTH or wherever she teaches i would recommend you attend, i am sure you will come away with something wonderful and have fun.

Thanks for dropping by.

xxx

Speed Craft Challenge–Butterflies

Today over at the Speed Craft Challenge Laine has chosen the theme of Butterflies. I was happy with our challenge as i do love butterflies and have lots of them in different substrates.

 

Todays supplies are:

Eileen Hull Sizzix ATB die

Eileen Hull Sizzix Bigz Butterfly Die 657121

Book Paper from stash

Patterned Vellum from stash

Wallpaper samples from B&Q

Cosmic Shimmer Sprays Angel Mist, Golden Mint and Aqua Lagoon

Paper Artsy Pewter Fresco Paint that i made into a mister

Sky mist Versacraft Ink Pad

Paris dusk Memento Ink Pad

Shabby Shutters DI

Butterfly Embossing Folder freebie

Large filigree butterflies from stash

Crystal Handle from stash

Chipboard Flower from stash

Versamark Ink Pad

Clear Embossing powder

Paper Artsy HP1301 Stamp

I pre-cut the ATB’s which has a heart shape on it and the Butterflies from the Bigz die as i have learnt from previous challenges that this takes up most of the time.

Started off by spraying the ATB shapes with the Cosmic Shimmer and Paper Artsy sprays then dried them with a heat gun. This didn’t take long because the card stock is very heavy, more like board and so the sprays didn’t wet the substrate too much. Hope you can see the shimmer on them  it is lovely.

Then i stopped the stopwatch so i could assemble the boxes and the hearts so they could dry before adding embellishments and stamping to them.

Started the stopwatch again and assembled the three layers of the Sizzix butterfly die, only used the base layer today. I have taken the colours from the wallpaper design.

Embossed the vellum layer with the freebie folder then coloured over the top with the Sky Mist and Shabby Shutters inks then glued them together in the centre.

coloured the rear of the butterfly with Sky Mist ink.

Coloured the LOVE letters with Paris Dusk ink then used Versamark Ink over the top and clear embossing powder to add a shine.

Added the letters to the middle of the butterflies.

I had glued the four ATB’s together after they were assembled using the Collal Tacky Glue.

Assembled the butterflies on the front of the ATB’s and added the filigree ones at different angles, if you look closely you can see the glue hasn’t dried yet.

I like to decorate the reverse of most things so used the hearts (glued 3 of them together for each embellishment). Inked the edges with Paris Dusk ink, sprayed the hearts with Angel Mist Cosmic Shimmer Spray, dried then inked up the butterfly part of the Paper Artsy Hot Pick stamp and pressed the hearts onto the stamp so i could use the part with the butterfly on it.

Was able to heat emboss the stamped area so the butterfly looks raised off the heart and is very tactile and shiny.

 

Left side of the ATB’s.

Right side of the ATB’s.

I held my breath for most of the time as i wanted to finish inside the 15 minutes and i did but only just lol.

I sat looking at the ATB’s and decided to add a couple more embellishments.

Took a chipboard flower, coloured it with Sky Mist ink, used the Hot Pick stamp with Paris Dusk ink and stamped on top then added Versamark Ink and heat embossed over the top.

Added one of my favourite crystal handles, which are from my local cheap shop and only £3 for four and on the back a sentiment.

The sentiment reads Love and Laughter, Happily Ever After.

The things that take the longest in any challenge are the gluing, cutting and embossing. I hope you like the extras i added! This is now going away so i can give this to my OH for Valentines Day next year.

Now let’s see what you can do!

Please come and join in our Speed Craft Challenge, we are waiting to see your amazing creations!

Remember to read the rules and include the time it took you to complete the Challenge.

Links to the DT are below, hope you get time to visit all their blogs, each of them are so very talented and have more inspiration for you.

Amanda

Deborah

Donna

Ingrid

Laine

Thank you for dropping by and i look forward to your comments.

xxx

Stampotique SDC 176

The last challenge of 2014 at Stampotique Designer’s Challenge is Anything Goes hosted by Kim Howard.

Kim says:

This our last challenge of the year and it will run the whole month of December.  Our theme is an easy one so show us your best work using Anything Goes.

For this month only, you will have the opportunity to enter the challenge 5 times (one for each week)- 5 chances to win the random $30 gift certificate for Stampotique stamps.

We hope we see a lot of you entering!

Who could resist Kim’s plea, not me!

Stamps used:

Underwhere by Stampotique

Paper Artsy HP Xmas 06

How could i resist, these two stamps are a match made in heaven. My only regret is that you cannot see Underwhere’s sparkly pants…

Thanks for dropping by.

xxx

Stampotique SDC 175

I only have 10 minutes to write and upload this post so it will be a mega quick one lol!

Over at Stampotique Designers Blog Kay Wallace has come up with imho the best challenge so far this year, she has challenged us to use the words of Edgar Allen Poe.

Kay says:

My challenge this week is a simple one, but requires a bit of research on your part.  Just as many of the Stampotique Originals' artists design stamps that might be described as a bit "quirky," so, too, was Edgar Allan Poe a bit quirky.  He is a well-known author and poet, living from 1809-1849.  His quotes range from the romantic to the melancholy, from the thoughtful to the murderous!  The choice is yours.  Combine a quote from Edgar Allan Poe with one or more stamped images to create something unique!

 

My entry is a journal page.

The quote i have chosen is:

“There is no exquisite Beauty… without some strangeness in the proportion”.

Thanks for dropping by.

xxx

The Penultimate Q&L Challenge

I have been inspired and educated by the year long challenge over at the Craft Barn, it has been a pleasure to join in and learn so much. Thank you to everyone at the Craft Barn who have run the challenge, i am looking forward to whatever you have planned for 2015!

The words for this penultimate challenge are Heart or Risk.

I found a poem called The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer and it has gone into my heart and my soul, i wish i had found this earlier for many reasons. Now i have found it i shall be keeping a copy very close to me.

I hope the words resonate with you too.

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

Will you read that again and again…

 

Once again used Craft Artist Professional to create my iCard, the front shows the person who would become a fool to find their love, dream or adventure and the couple represent for if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

The images of the clown and the couple were found through searching for free vector images on Google and imported into CAP2.

 

The back of the iCard showing the author of the poem and the number of the Challenge.

Another challenge where i have found something beautiful and meaningful.

Thanks for dropping by, hope you have time to leave a comment.

xxx