Sunday 28 December 2014

Calender Time - Good Wives

Well over the last few days since Christmas, now that family have gone home and the house resembles normality a little, I have been getting my calenders finished for 2015. I just have to decide which I am keeping for myself now!

Calender #1 - Dreamscene
This calender was made using a CD-Rom from Cardmaking with your PC. The image is from Dreamees 2013. I printed out the backing paper onto watercolour paper to get a crisp image. I then printed out a sheet of blue butterflies and purple flowers. I cut out two blue butterflies and overlapped two of the black butterflies on the base, for a 3D effect, using foam pads. I did the same with a black butterfly, although this is not obvious in the photograph. I then cut out two black flowers with purple veins and a purple flower and attached these to the base, again using foam pads. The calender tab was added to the bottom.
This is to be entered for the following challenges:
Allsorts Last Minute Gifts
Cute Card Thursday Anything Goes
Divas by Design Anything Goes

Calender #2 - Monochrome Flowers

For this calender I used one of my new Marianne Designs dies to cut a base of thick floral patterned card, in black and white. I then cut a floral frame, using another Marianne designs die, from white paper and adhered to the centre of the card. I got some Quickutz dies from OH for Christmas and so I used one of these to cut some flowers from a white patterned paper and attached these round the frame using 3D foam dots. The calender tab was centred in the frame. To make the calender usable on a desk I made a stand as shown.
This is to be entered for the following challenges:
CRAFT - Anything Goes
613 avenue create - Anything Goes
abc challenge Z is for Zany (the patterns clash slightly)

Calender #3 Shaken up Cupcake
This calender is a shaker card, so I thought it would be best as a hanging calender. The image was a free stamp with one of the UK papercrafting magazines. I stamped the image twice onto watercolour paper and once onto spotty pink paper. The image on the pink paper was completely cut out, and one of the other images had the icing removed. The images on the watercolour paper were then coloured using promarkers. Clear plastic (from the packaging of craft items) was placed over the back of the image with the icing removed, and then the pink spotty paper was adhered to this image using spray glue, lining up the cut-out over the image. The second image was layered onto stripy patterned paper and foam pads stuck around the image, with no gaps between the pieces. This area was then filled with red glitter and green stars, before the initial cupcake image was lined up and layered over the top. Finally this panel was layered onto graduated orange card, a pink velvet ribbon added for hanging and the calender tab attached to the bottom.
This is based upon the following challenges:
Glitter n Sparkle Anything Goes
sweet stampin' - Anything Goes
i love promarkers - Anything Goes
papertakeweekly - Using the spots and dots theme

Calender #4 Spring Parchment

This calender was based around the technique of Parchmentcraft for my facebook group: crafting techniques. I used a border stencil and my pricking mat and tools that I have had for a while but not really used, to create the main panel for this card. As the image did not stand out very well on white card I layered it onto red mirror card. It was adhered to the card by overlapping a red gingham washi tape, rather than using tape underneath, which often shows through. Two more lines of washi tape were added to the top and bottom. This panel was then added to an easel base card, with some green washi tape and a calender tab on the base.
This is to be considered for the following challenges:
SOS #181 Red Alert
crafting by designs - Embossing
modsquad - Special Folded Card

Audio Book Review
Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott
This is a sequel to the book Little Women and follows the three sisters as they grow up and fall in love. At the beginning of the book one of the sisters has just married and is now learning to live away from her family, where her mother’s advice and example provide a good basis for her own role as housewife. One of the sisters is invited out to go abroad with an aunty and finds out what the important things in life are whilst she is out there, especially as she loses a sister whilst away from home. She also manages to find love that fits into her demanding criteria, although she would have married even if the gentleman, who has been previously met in the first book, did not meet her criteria. The fourth sister has a hard time as she has to reject advances from her best friend, whilst trying not to hurt him too much, and leaves home for a time to try and allow things to settle down. She meets many interesting people whilst she is away and has a fabulous time, but on her return she has to nurse her sister who eventually passes away. Towards the end of the book, this sister also finds a gentleman whom she can make a home with, although he is older than would usually be considered.

This book is written to the same standard as the first and is a very enjoyable read, with humorous, high-spirited moments and upsetting scenes also. The author really gets you involved in the lives of the sisters and keeps you wanting to know what happens next.


Thank you for looking
Hugz Tinz

Thursday 18 December 2014

Snowfun in the Garden

Today I have made a Christmas card and a calender.

First we will have the Christmas card:

An embossed panel was cut from a Me to You card blank and snowflake glitter vellum layered over the top. The robins on holly image was stamped onto white cardstock using black ink. This image came with Creative Stamping magazine. The image was coloured using the Hues set of promarkers. To the right side were added a snowflake, stamped greeting and a bow to finish.

This card is based on Sketch#49 from sketch and stash.
This card is also being entered into:
Allsorts 289 White Christmas
artistic inspirations #122 Merry Christmas
CASology 126 Snow
passion for promarkers BINGO (die cut, free and glitter)
papertake weekly Last Christmas...card of the year
i love promarkers #250 Anything Goes
simon says wednesday Winter Mood Board (inspired by animals, berries and snow)
suzy bee #59 Snowflakes
crafty hazelnut Urgently needed for Christmas
glitternsparkle #115 Glittery, sparkly Christmas
Top 3 Badge
card mania #62 Christmas
CCM #129 Christmas
Scrapbook Stamp Society #56 Christmas
deepocean #93 Christmas is all around
fussy and fancy #129 Snowflakes and ribbon (bow)
addicted to stamps #93 Snowflakes
craftycalendar White-on-white


Now here is the calendar:
I took a blue base card and folded it into an easel card, adding green gingham patterned paper to the base. I added a foiled topper that came with DoCrafts magazine and a 3D watering can sticker. To the top I added some small diamantes. To hold the easel two plant pots were added and then the calendar tab finished the design off.
This is being entered into:
CRAFT 290 NEW

Monday 15 December 2014

Calenders

Here are another two of my calendar creations - using decoupage as the main technique.

The first one is very girly and uses the new Papermania botanicals collection for the main image, which is layered onto a very bright background card.
 These are being entered into: SOS #180 Favourite Technique - Decoupage;
papertake weekly Paper Play
Simon Says Monday Anything Goes
craft-room challenge #91 Photo inspiration - elegant colours with bright 'pops' (calender #1)
a creative romance Anything Goes
ALBC Anything Goes - Not Christmas


The second one is for a young male and is from the Papermania 'It's a mans world' collection. Unfortunately this one had to be cut out, which I really dislike doing for decoupage as it is so fiddly, and with the new die-cutting technology unnecessary (especially when they have not done it to fit extra pieces on the sheet). I may just be complaining because the cat kept knocking my arm, or the piece I had just cut!


Audiobook Review
Walking Home by Simon Armitage
This is an account by a poet of his journey along the Pennine Way, from Scotland to his home town. He reads poetry along the way in exchange for money, lodgings and food. He also has somebody to take his suitcase between each stop in a car. Therefore, he does have a better time of it than most who would undergo this journey. He relates how things would be different doing the walk the way the guide books recommend (from south to north) and how all different types of people walk along with him along his journey. As I am from Lancashire it was interesting to hear descriptions of areas that I know reasonably well from my childhood. I did think that he does spend quite a while complaining, but at the end of the day he has chosen to do this journey - and is making money from it. Most people who do this journey for the experience are also out of pocket, so I do not have any sympathy for him. Good on him for managing it though, and making something from it!

Saturday 13 December 2014

Snoopy Christmas X

I decided that I should make use of some of the cross stitches that I have done throughout the year ready for Christmas, seeing as Christmas is almost here now lol. So I made the following card from a Snoopy free kit:
First I took a plain white square card blank and stamped a marianne designs sentiment all over the front in red prettycolour ink. I then took two triangles of Helz Cuppleditch Christmas music paper for the corners and added white glitter ribbon strips over the joins.

Snoopy was mounted onto a Marianne designs backing paper and attached to the base using foam pads. To finish a jingle bell and some gems were added.
This card used Sketchy Colours sketch #237
This was also inspired by the following challenges:
SOS #180 Favourite Technique (using cross stitch)
Divas by design Seeing Red
Crafty Catz #259 Last Minute Christmas
Crafty Hazelnuts 207 Desperate Christmas creations
CCM #129 Christmas
scrapbookstampsociety #56 Christmas (stamped background)
aud sentiments #121 Christmas BINGO - stitching, rubber stamp and patterned paper
crafty ribbons 108 Mono Christmas
alphabet challenge V for variety - 3 embellishments (stitched design, bell and gems)
craftingbydesigns Anything Goes Christmas
Country View #22 Nostalgic Christmas (the cartoons we used to watch Christmas morning)


Audio Book Review
Torchwood Department X
I have never watched this television series previously and would still like to, so when I saw the audio book in the library I decided to give it a go, although I was a little disappointed to see it was only two discs. Having never seen his before, so not having a brilliant idea of what was going to happen, it did take a little while to place everybody. However, this does occur regularly throughout books and so was not a problem for listening to the book – it just kept you wondering. It is a little far-fetched, but obviously so and as such makes a very captivating and sometimes humourous read. Definitely worth the couple of hours that the audio book lasts.

Thank you for looking - now to get on with some more calenders!!

Hugz Tinz

Sunday 7 December 2014

Snowy ATC collection

Here is my new ATC collection - 'Let it Snow'. They are all based on a sketch from an old magazine, but I have made the sketch in a different way for each card.

ATC #1
For this ATC I used a sparkly blue glitter base card and added diagonal strips of 'Christmas Tidings' Papermania paper. A blue circle was die-cut from a Marianne Designs patterned paper and a snowy scene topper layered onto this before adding to the base card. Finally a sentiment from a Marianne Designs ribbon was added.
simon says stamp Monday Holiday cards
CRAFT Christmas
Delightful Sketches Twinkle Twinkle
Catch the Bug #1 Sparkle
glitter n sparkle #114 Modern Christmas colours

ATC #2
This second card used a free patterned paper from Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine as the base card. The right side was cut on a diagonal and an organza ribbon made the diagonal down the left side. A snowflake was die-cut from a vellum sheet and layered onto a dark green scalloped circle. A sentiment topper was added to finish.
SOS #179 Free is Good (Free backing paper and vellum)
simon says stamp Wednesday Christmas
crafty hazelnut Bright colours
card mania #61 Favourite colour combo
Creative Moments #57 Winter

ATC #3
This Scandi-style base was cut up each edge to make the diagonals. A snowflake and sentiment were stamped onto pearlescent white card using red versamark ink and a stamp that cam free with a magazine last year. The snowflake was layered onto a red scalloped circle, and these elements were added to the card with a slight overlap on the edges.
papertake weekly Anything Goes
divas by design Feeling Festive
Art Impressions 149 Feeling Frosty
addicted-to-stamps #93 Snowflakes
crafting by designs Anything Goes


Thank you for stopping by

HugzTinz

Calender Confession

Hi everybody,

Well it stayed dry yesterday and so I eventually managed t get down to the allotment and plant the rest of the onion beds up. Leaves me about 20 sets left to plant which I will put into cell trays to plant out at the other allotment in Spring. I cannot plant them straight out down there due to the rabbits and deer. I also noticed that my brussels sprouts are looking good, ready for Christmas :D

Anyway onto my calender creation for today:

I used an image from Bugaboo stamps, with a warmer season in mind. The image was coloured with promarkers and the card cut to the correct size for the calender. A Papermania Wild Rose paper was added across the top with a threaded butterfly ribbon to hide the join. The sentiment was word processed and added to the top of the calender with three cerise gems on the edge. Finally the calender tab and hanging ribbon were added.
This calender followed the following Stella Says Sketch #220 and C4C265 colour inspiration:
                   
This calender is also being entered for the following challenges:
SOS #179 Free is Good (Image was free from Bugaboo)
papertake weeklyALBC and A Creative Romance Anything Goes
allsorts 288 Animal Magic
sweet stamping Things with wings (the image is a bird)


AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
The Confession by John Grisham
A young man is about to be executed for a crime he was forced into confessing to, even though he had nothing to do with it. Five/six hours away the real murderer has recently been released from prison and is just finishing his sentence at a half-way house when he hears that they are going ahead with the execution. He finds a minister and confesses to him, but is reluctant to risk going back to prison himself. It becomes a race against time as the minister attempts to convince the real killer to own up to his crime and prevent the wrong man being executed. A long-drive and plenty of frustrations later he ends up with the defendants lawyer trying to prevent the execution and find the body of the murder victim. This is a very good book with various twists and turns, and the story manages to get you frustrated and then feeling pity for the characters. A very good book to listen to on long car journeys.

I also made two cards for today for the catch the bug daily challenge, using the sketch:
christmas ch sketch Both were made using the DoCrafts digital designer using a free Forever Friends CD-Rom for the squared base. Bday and Yule are made from the base squares, and a suitable image topper was added to each for the central square of the sketch.
 This is also to be entered into:
Crafting by designs Christmas Anything Goes
open-minded crafting fun #25 Unusual Christmas (design and colours)
CRAFT 288 Christmas
divas by design Feeling Festive

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Santa and 2015

I have made two different creations tonight, for two sets of challenges. The first of these is this Santa based Christmas card:
I used a Papermania base card, with a music scale design. The patterned paper is from the Papermania 12 days of Christmas set - used because I thought it looked very Nordic. Santa was stamped onto pearlescent card and die-cut into a scalloped circle. Santa was also stamped onto a patterned paper I got with an ATC exchange and a red paper. The suit was cut from the red paper and layered over the circle image, and the sack was cut from the green paper. The rest of the image was finished with Promarkers. I added two tag shapes from the patterned paper behind the image and then die-cut fur glittery snowflakes from another patterned paper to finish the card.
The card was based around this sketch from Sketch and Stash 
I would also like to enter this card into the following challenges:
abcchristmas X for Xmas music
polkadoodle Nordic Christmas
Quirky crafts Going round in quirky circles
abc-challenge Y for Yuletide
vs sweet ideas #29 Holiday theme
craftyhazelnuts Santa is on his way
Completely Christmas Something beginning with S (Santa)
Winter Wonderland Dies and Punches

The second creation is a desk calender as I thought I really ought to start making these now lol.
 The main image is a Helz Cuppleditch stamped onto a blue patterned paper (for a water effect), heat embossed with white and silver glitter embossing powder, and paper pieced using three different papers.
The calender uses an easel card base. The balloons were paper pieced and then a strip of fairytale ribbon was added along the bottom to hold the easel, with the calender tab on top of this.
This was made for the following challenges:
CASology - OLD - most of the papers are old ones as are the stamps.
Stamping Boutique - Sparkle (glitter on papers and embossing powder)
613 avenue create #100 make a calender
scrapbook stamp society - Use glitter
ALBC Anything not related to Christmas

Thank you for looking

Hugz Tinz