I'm officially in love.......

Hi Best Blogging Buddies

Sorry for my enforced absence, (no one mention new kitchens please..)  Anyway, here I am back with an a card using my new very very favourite crafting accessory that I'm so in love with....  FRANTAGE!!  Apologies again, because this post is going to be picture heavy....  but you just have to see it to appreciate it!

I have tried to photograph it in different lights, so you can see how it shines!! 

Card description...  I used an LOTV fairy... 'Garden of Wishes', and I loved her dress and wings!!  Stamped with Black Memento ink - coloured with a mix of copics and promarkers... sprinkled with glamour dust....  THEN came the alchemy!!  I bought these little pots of wonder at the Harrogate show, and I can't remember who from - but it can be bought from The Stamp Man HERE!  They laid tucked away until I saw Create and Craft on Monday this week, with a lady called Fran from Stampendous demo-ing it.  LUSH I thought....  then remembered my little package!!  YESSSSSSS I thought!  You don't even have to use versamark...  although I did for the edges.  All you do is sprinkle a touch from the various pots where you want the effect to be, and heat from the underneath.  I can't describe how fabulous the effect is in real life..... I tried to capture it in the last pic - as I altered the way my OTT light was shining onto it to get some of the effect.  YOU LIKE???  Take a look on YouTube - just put in Frantage and it'll come up with lots of fab videos. 

Other materials used are Prima Marketing Fairy Flora DP, Seam Binding from Stash, Sentiment from Pink Petticoat cut with  Memory Box Die, Flowers from WOC, and of course a bit of trusty old Bazzil! 

Now....  lastly, I did another heart in a frame (yes another heart...)  This time with rolled roses which were hand cut, not from a die.  I also put a little sentiment printed from the PC on it.  This (and the button one) was inspired by the lovely Vicky at Blush Crafts......  though I think I may have found it on Pinterest via Vicky! 

Take care all....  I'm back up to my craft room in the morning to try to get some stuff back in it - wouldn't you know that the floorboards in there had to come up for the boiler man when he was replacing!  SOOOO all that stuff (Christine and Lisa know just how much..) had to go into another bedroom!  My back will never be the same again!

Bye for now
Big Big Hugs
Christine x

Challenge: My Mum's Craft Shop - Embossing

I may be missing for a couple of days...

Hi BBB's..

No card to share tonight.... just a quick post to say I'll probably be absent from my commenting for a couple of days.... Going to have no power tomorrow (the main electric fuse board is being replaced so no computer!!), no heating (boiler being replaced), no water (ditto boiler).....  and worse still, I can't go hide in my craft room as the floorboards have had to come up in there to do the pipework from boiler to hot water tank in the airing cupboard!!  SUCH fun...... (I don't think!!hehe)

Anyway, I'll be back in the near future and please don't think I'm ignoring you...

Wish me luck!! LOL
Hugs
Christine x

What is it with me and hearts???

Hi best blogging buddies...

Well, while I've been stuck in with these kitchen fitters (well OK, not fitters yet until all the remedial work is done) I decided to get out my glue gun and have a play!  And this is the result.... what do you think?

I saw something similar on a blog, (or was it pinterest) a few weeks ago, the heart was made with rolled roses and there was a different saying below.....  so I wanted to use that inspiration but do something a little different.  I bought the same frame though from Wilkinsons... really cheap!  I always love buttons and have loads in my button drawer, so it was easy to sort out some ivory ones.  A bit of mount board that fell out of a cupboard while I was emptying my craft room (more about that later...), was used for the background - and I used a definition of love from an online dictionary.... which I think suits.  I just printed it out on the pc.   I'm always a happy bunny playing with my glue gun - apart from when I burn my fingers.... ouch! 

Now - my kitchen (or lack of it!)  The plasterers were in today, doing the walls and ceiling.......  and if you look at the pic below, you'll see it was desparately needed after what the electrician did yesterday!  So I have no lights in there till next week, no washing machine, no dishwasher, and my fridge, food, and everything else is all in my dining room........  I always wanted a kitchen/diner but not in this way!  But on the plus side, I have water and heat....... !!  BUT, and this a big but........  because the boiler is being replaced, and the plumber man needs access to the floorboards above the boiler....  I have had to empty my craft room...........  OMG the stuff that's accumulated in there!  So the contents of that room are now in my daughter's bedroom (thank goodness she's in Bermuda for the time being!)  ANYWAY, I'm waffling,,, but you can possibly understand why I'm not getting too many cards made??  My promise to you all girls, is that I'm NOT going to put all the stuff back in to my craft room that came out!!  I really really will sort it out!

Right.....  I'm going to put my feet up now methinks.... a girl can get a bit worn out thinking about how nice it's going to look after it's done.....
Hugs to all.....
Christine x

Anything Goes - Challenge 65 - Tick Tock

Hi Good Blogging Friends

Well.....  it's time for another challenge at Anything Goes..... we had a spectacular number of entries for our last challenge... why don't you pop over to the challenge blog to see if you were a winner? 

Now this time the challenge theme is  'Tick-Tock' - so I scoured my brain and my craft room to try to come up with something with a clock or watch on it.....  and the only thing I could find was a very old stamp which came free with the Craft Stamper mag years ago.  The stamp is almost perished it's that old !  But I decided to have a go at using it - and it still held ink and gave a reasonable image, it was all systems GO!  (See? My hoarding instincts sometimes pay off!)  I stamped three images, cut them out, then used Tim Holtz Distress inks in Vintage Photo and Old Paper (available from The Craft Den) which I sponged on and around the edges of the images to make them look old.  I then used sticky foam pads to 3D them - and I'm afraid I can't remember the make of the paper, it's been in my stash for such a long time!  I did a quick sentiment on the PC and gave it the same DI treatment... and called it done with a bit of matting and layering.  Not my usual pink and girly glittery type of card as you all know.... but needs must for this challenge!!  Check out my lovely teamies over on the blog where I know you'll be fabulously inspired by gorgeous cards - rather than my card - I haven't decided who I'm going to send this to yet, but not sure they'll thank me for it!! hehe

That's it from me today... we're in the middle of having our kitchen ripped out and redone so pity me - I have to be here for the workmen, but won't be able to get in my kitchen.......  but ohhhhhhh, now, perhaps I should spend the day in my craft room??????  Sounds like a PLAN!!

Big hugs and Happy Crafting
Christine x

Video Tutorial - Cutting Outside of the Box

Hi Best Blogging Buddies...

I've just worked myself up to and done another video tutorial.... this time on cutting outside of the nestability... in response to one or two requests.. 
It's a bit of a grey day here today, and my OH is at work, so I decided that it was a good time to be in my craft room!! 

Hope you like and that it possibly helps someone..  I remember my good friend Christine (the other one) showing me how to do this a long time back now!  But that's what it's all about isn't it?  Sharing how to do things!

Big Hugs to all and Happy Crafting
Christine x

It went well!!

Hi all

Well I was terrified, my tummy was doing cartwheels - but it went well!  What did???  Well at last month's WI meeting (first I'd ever been to), I learned that this month's meeting was to be a crafting evening!!  Right up my street I thought, and offered to lend a hand...  whereupon I was thanked - and given a box with lots of blank cards, some wooden embellies, and a book of 12 x 12 paper - and told that there would be 3 lots of 20 women for 30 mins each on the evening! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhh I thought!!  Why didn't I keep my big mouth shut, I thought!!!  ANWAY, the night was to also have tables of Sugarcraft Cross-stitch..... so I scratched my head, and got down to coming up with some ideas of what the ladies could put together.... and although I was really terrified, I just showed them my samples......  gave them the materials.... and let them get on with it.... though I was there to answer the questions!  In at the deep end.......as they say...

And it went really well -  Everyone seemed to enjoy the table from the feedback.. and went away clutching their own artwork!  I think there is a 10 year old girl or a frustrated blue peter presenter that loves cutting and sticking in everyone!!

As you can see, I kept the samples very easy to do without insulting intelligence, but I punched the butterflies, cut the strips, did the sentiments etc to take with me.  I did the words on the PC... and cut them out with my new SU Word Window punch - it came in very useful to do 70!!

As you can see from the pics (sorry one is sideways), it's quite a youngish crowd at this brand new WI - not a sign of jam or Jerusalem.....  or even calenders for that matter (no buns large enough for me!!), so we all had a good laugh.....  and I got lots of people who gave me their names for me to do some workshops with!  So today I'm happy.....  that it's over with - LOL!!

Just wanted to share my happiness...

Big Hugs and Happy Crafting
Christine x

Anything Goes at Anything Goes!! Challenge 64

Hi lovely blogging buddies..

Well here we are again - it's challenge time over at Anything Goes...  we had a fabulous number of entries for our Easter challenge, with some amazing cards and Easter projects!!  Why not check out the main challenge blog to see if you were lucky enough to be one of the top five chosen...

Now the challenge this week is a super easy one that anyone can join in - It literally is 'Anything Goes'!!  Ooooh don't you just love challenges like that were you don't have to stick to a theme etc...  So we look forward to seeing lots of entries again.....  it's fascinating to see so many different styles and techniques..

For my card, I've chosen to use an LOTV image - she's called Maisie Two Balloons (such a cutie).  And please note girls, the only pink is on her balloons - ooooh and her bow!!

I've used Magnolia DP - which I've distressed the edges of before adding IceStickles.......  I've coloured my image with Copics....  added Glossy Accents to the balloons to give them a shine, cut the ovals with my nesties (using the out of the box technique so the balloons were cut), then I've finished off with  a Memory Box Daisy Bubble Border Die - with added gems of course!!!  Lots of my crafting goodies are available at The Craft Den - pop over and take a look!

There's lots more inspiration from my fabbie teamies over at Anything Goes - take a peek and let us know what you think! 

Now......  while I'm here, can I also say a big welcome to my new followers....  I'm really pleased you've found your way here and hope that you will stay a while.  I love to read any comments you make - it makes my day!

Big Hugs and Happy Crafting...  (Do you think I'll have to do three pink cards now to make up for this blue one??!! hehe)
Christine x