Balloon die cut birthday card for my bro

I made this card for my brother who celebrated his birthday yesterday, we had a great evening at Mum's, lots a giggles playing the "logo game" if you are from a family that likes games I definitely recommend it.

 I recently bought paper smooches balloon dies and have had a lot of fun with them and am still having ideas I'd like to try, however, I got an added boost of inspiration from Brenda over at Vintage Journey and Tennyson's poem "ring out the old, ring in the new" that she has chosen to inspire us all for this challenge. I have chosen to interpret this challenge by including my favourite new die, the balloons with my fav old die the umbrella man.  Also my brothers birthday, being the 3rd of January is the end of Christmas for us as a family and the first card of a year I make for a family member. Imagery wise I see the balloons of last year as floating away taking bad bits away yet still tethered by the fond memories we have and lessons learnt over the past year.

This is my favourite balloon project so far... I think ;) but am def sure it is my brothers taste. As mentioned I used Tim Holtz umbrella man die but chopped off the umbrella.  This die is one of my favs as I find it so versatile.  The negative works great for iris folding and the positive can be chopped into easily to get more use from it.  I used a crafters companion embossing folder and lots of brown distress inks for the background.

I cut the letters for "Happy" using a lawn fawn die and mounted them on the balloons using lashings and lashings of glossy accents, I love the 3d kinda spherical look this gives them and there's no way them little letters are going anywhere!

As I waffled on earlier I was inspired by Brenda at Vintage Journeys so am entering this card over at their fantastic challenge blog dedicated to Crafting in the style of Mr Holtz.

I am also sharing for the 2nd time over at Darnell's place, I have no idea how long I have had that embossing folder for!!!! get your NBUS on and get on over there ;)

Thanks for looking and hope the new year rings in lots of true for you.... and you :)

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 

Upcycled Home Decor - Tim Holtz watercolor technique with some old stash bits

I created this as have been looking for a nice little something to hang on a wall in my bedroom that was calling out to me to be prettied up.  I was sorting through and reorganising my stamps, having watched a Jennifer McGuire vid and came across the lovely stamp set  that I bought ages ago and have been neglecting.  Im sorry but I really cant remember where I got it from but Graphic 45 Parfumerie Clear Stamp Set by Hampton Art has the bottle and small images. I raided my stash of cardboard and material and found some net and this is what I came up with.

I stuck 3 layers of cardboard together, covered with gesso.  The backing papers are from my stash, I inked them up with the same colours and used watered down gesso to mute them a bit.  I then covered loosely with the net and used pins to hold in place so I could manipulate it after the images were in place.

From the back, nearly as messy as my desk

 I use Tim Holtz watercolor technique from his compendium book 3, so easy, and distress inks victorian velvet, black soot, pickled raspberries and pumice stone to create my main images.

 I inked the edged of the images and mat and layered them using my "perfect layer tools", they make the job so much easier for me.

I coated all the images in glossy accents including the little circle.  I love how this really changed their look.  It was hard to pick up on camera but they look like enamel buttons.  Then onto embe;;ishment heaven.  The flowers were made but curling ribbon into circles.  I punched out some sma;; butterflies and raided my box of brass tone embellies.

I added lots of pearls and a special button I have been saving.  I chopped the back of the button off and sanded it so it would lie flat.

The chain under the Parfumerie sign was from a necklace that I had broken and kept because I (am a crafty hoarder) just know them odd little bits some would call rubbish are just waiting for a new home.

I am super chuffed with my new wall art and because I made it myself it matches my room perfectly :)

I am entering this into the following challenges

Altered Eclectics -Anything but a card anything goes
Flonz craft - Anything but a card
That Craft Place - Anything goes.

Thanks for taking dome crafty time out to have a look at my blog, please feel free to leave a quick message and then I can pop over to your place too

Tracey :)

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