compendium of curiosities challenge 16

Ooh, I only just got this finished in time. Shush don't tell I was up to silly o'clock on a school night crafting ;)

As it is late this will be a quick post, I only have seven hours left to enter the challenge hosted by the most talented Linda Ledbetter and lots of inspiration from the Curiosity Crew.

This challenge is sponsored by the fab Funky Junkie Boutique, lots of lovelies to browse through so pop over and treat yourself to a little christmas prezzie.

This challenge is all about layering stencils and embossing.  Hopefully you have Tim Holtz book by now, if not what are you thinking ;) get it on your Christmas list!!!

I love love love this technique, I layered and embossed the outside, the inside and even that gorgeous deer die cut... too much maybe but oh what fun I had

I love layering and embossing and inking and layering....

I also used some texture paste through the rays stencil

I made a mask of the deer die cut to try to get a misty mystical snowy background through tho fading dots stencil which I used here to represent snow

I die cut 4 deer and sandwiched the string between double layers,  I used the burlap stencil, paint in vintage photo and a distress ink or four... oh and of course embossing powder.  I can feel a deer family coming to stay I love this little guy

I used some paper from Craftwork cards pad on kraft paper which I embossed with the burlap stencil and inked

The burlap stencil is my fav for textured backgrounds

Thanks for looking :)

I made this for the compendium of curiosities challenge 16

my first DT piece _ Tim Holtz Christmas Carol stamp card

I am so excited to be sharing my first piece that I created for Eclectic Ellapu's  design team.

 I am a pink lady over there and our theme is "traditional Christmas"  I am really looking forward to looking at your creations so please pop along and enter your own pieces.  If you are not a traditional type of crafter than the purple team are doing "anything but a card" the options are endless and both teams inspirational creations are well worth a peak.

My first DT piece :)

I looked through my stamps and decided I wanted to use one of my favourite christmas stamps, Tim Holtz's Reindeer Games stamp.  I love the texture you can achieve with thin one it embosses beautifully for such a detailed design.  I dont have  a huge collection of embossing powders and aalthoughI had tinsel powder in gold and red I don't have a green.  No problems though I just used clear embossing powder that I had mixed with a little glitter powder over pine needles distress ink and voila.

DoDon'tave the right embossing powder clour, no problem just use and ink and clear embossing powder.

I wanted the background to be kinda plain as my main focus is the stamp, but not too plain ;)  I used an ebossalicious folder and brought the pattern out with vintage photo distress ink.  It was a little too dark so i sponged some picket fence paint over and when dried sanded back a little.

Remember there is never a crafty addition that cant be adapted if you go a little heavy, picket fence is great for toning down an over eager hand :)

Although I was really pleased with the stamps on the background it felt a little austere.  I layered some hessian, green ribbon (a bargain at £1 a roll from the range) and some thin crochet trim and placed the stamps over this.  They looked a little lost so I mat and layered the stamps on the same card as the background, glitter card in gold and a gorgeous holly patterned paper from one of my many craftwork Cards pads.  I cut a doily into bits and popped it peeking out of the two end and above the middle stamp.

If your focal image looks a little lost, mat and layering can really help bring your eye where you want it too.

I wanted some kind of pretty embellishments at the top, I had in mind the traditional swags we place over fire places and up banisters.  I made a long chain of jump rings, threaded some ribbon through every third ring and then hung some gorgeous christmas stockings and bells.

I just love brass embellishments,  I have a large range in my collection (magpie) and buy most from Ebay :)

I finished my card with some docraft red sticky glitter dots and a bow i made by wrapping some twine in natural and red.

Bows don't have to be made with ribbon :)

I had a blast making this card and am so thankful to have made the DT over at Eclectic Ellapu. I am honored to be showing my creations alongside the lovely and Uber talented ladies.  Pop over and see for yourself how inspirational their makes are.

Merry Christmas x

I am entering this card in the following challenge: Outlaws Twisted Thursday
Simon says stamp Monday challenge
And Hels Sheridans Ink on my fingers Christmas challenge 

Mums Birthday Card using Craftwork Cards Vogue Collection and Tim holtz tattered rose border die

I haven't been here for ages as have been adjusting to being a working girl again and have to admit that for a while being Mum and working was all I had energy for.

Craftwork Cards Vogue Collection and Tim Holtz tattered rose border have been used

There is a fab new group on facebook called the Craftwork Cards Fan page, run by the awesome Natalie Reeves.  They have a competition this month that has an autumnal theme so I browsed through my stash and was inspired by the Vogue collection, peacocks and falling autumnal coloured flowers became my inspiration.

I used some real peacock feathers, fussy cut the large Pacock and used my ball tools and pinflair glue to get some shape to the peacock.

I added some gold and teal stikles to the feathers for a bit of bling

I decorated the sides with Craftwork Card ooh lala collection and added lots of flowers made using Tim Holtz tattered rose border

I mat and layered some cream cad that I ran through a butterfly embossing folder on some lush bronzy, gold paper I had in my stash.

Back of envelope

Front of envelope

I used the crafters companion enveloboxer to make a complimentary envelope.

I have entered this card in the Craftwork Card Competition
Eclectic Ellapu "Ladies Birthday" September challenge
Crafty Creations "Vintage" challenge

A Birthday Card for my Bruv's partner an a good friend of mine - Girly and vintage looking

Mornign all,

This will be a photo heavy post, with fewer words (wahhay I hear you say) as the Fibrofunnies are in my fingers today ;)

Using the Craftwork Cards Paper Couture Kit that I picked up at a bargain over at Create and Craft, and it's on sale at the moment!!

I used ditress glitter in clear rock cany all over the manequin and distressed the edges using tattered rose ink.  Then I punched several circles from the lush paper, cut a slit and rolled into swirly cones.

 Lots of theses and some glossy accents and I had a skirt.  I put 3 pieces of candy from the kit to add some interest to the top of the mannequin.

I die cut the Happy Birthday words, covered in glossy accents, the next bit was a little time consuming as you have to write in the glossy stuff to maintain the words and add some height, then sprinkle liberally with distress glitter.

I used my x-cut and square template to remove a square from the centre of the card, used the x-cut again to cut a border of patterned paper from the kit, some plain black card and finally some acetate , in hindsight I wish I had used a more transparent acetate.  I distressed the edges of the patterned paper with my little scissors and inked the edges with tattered rose and then mounted them on each other.

Black Card First, then acetate and finally the patterned paper, then popped them over the hole in the front of the card and stuck down using cosmic shimmer.

I mounted the mannequin also on black and patterned paper.  I then stuck down the mannequin, Happy Birthday die cut and finally added some of the candi from the kit.  

Onto the inside

The kit comes with some really cute, bag shaped, mini cards.  I covered in paper, used tim holtz layering doily mask to add some holographic embossing powder on the right hand side. Mounted on the patterned paper left over from when I cut the border for the front.  I added some cream ric rac for trimming at the top, silver embossed the handle clasps and ruched some lace for my handle.

I added some patterned paper on the left side and distressed all aver using tattered rose and Victorian velvet ink.  a little more paper in the right side and a tag from the kit finishes off the surprise open bag greeting.

When I stood the card up the handbag kept opening and knocking the whole thing down lol, so I made a clasp using bakers twine and a pearl that i mounted on 3 foam pads.  Another happy accident that I thinks adds a really cute finishing touch :)

I had great fun making a really girly card, 

I  would like to enter it into the Rhedd and Rosie - anything goes competition

Paper take weekly - pearls and lace challenge

craftycreations challenge - Tic Tac Toe and I used circles, although I cut into them, ribbon - ric rac and lace and a die cut mannequin :)

Avenue613 challenge - Anything goes but optional twist is pink

Crafting at the weekend - Anything goes

thanks for looking, do pop along to the challenge sites I have mentioned as there is much inspiration to be found there.