Finished At Last!

Last year I had the pleasure of taking part in the lovely Darcy's Postcard Challenge .  It was a big  commitment  for me as it required me doing something regularly EVERY week (something I usually try to avoid!).  After 52 postcards and 52 double page book spreads and making up a story, I completed the challenge.  Phew!

Two same sized hardback books bought at charity shops were used to make the weekly double page spreads.  When completed, the books were glued together with Ranger Glossy Accents.  Despite removing about a third of each book to allow for inserts etc.  I have still ended up with a huge volume. With hindsight, I should have removed about a half of each book for it to close without gaping.  I have, however, found a snap together  belt that keeps it shut quite nicely.

The two glued together books were covered in some stiff handmade paper.  This was a long and difficult job and required lots of glue and bulldog clips and couldn't be rushed. I then covered the inside of the covers with more thick paper to tidy up the edges.

The title plaque was cut from chipboard using a Tim Holtz die and the letters from his Inside Out border die. The plaque was painted in antique gold acrylic paint and the letters cut in two colours.  I used Crackle Accents on the letters and around the edge of the plaque to add interest. Some of the colour from the card used for the letters has bled into the Crackle Accents but I think it adds to the interest.

This is one of the introduction pages, made in Craft Artist.  I was delighted to recently discover the All Aboard! range of washi tape from Papermania.  These have been used with gay abandon all around the edges of some of the scruffier pages to tidy them up. I love washi tape!
The globe in a frame on the cover of the book is also by Papermania from their Chronology range and was a free stamp with their Creative magazine.

I have learned a lot from taking part in this  Postcard Challenge.  I can now use Craft Artist2 in a reasonably competent way and have had a dabble at altering books.  Best of all, I have actually COMPLETED SOMETHING!!!

Thank you for visiting.  Your comments are most appreciated.

CD Sunday Challenge - Sketch

The card this week is for  my John's birthday, next month.  He has promised not to look before then.  I never know when I will have time to make a 'special' card as we are always so busy around here in the summer and then I am so tired in the evenings and usually fall asleep in front of the television!
The tractor is from StampsAway Vintage Transport sheet 2 and has been watercoloured with Distress Inks. The Kraft card panel has been embossed with a Tim Holtz embossing folder, then roughly heat embossed with antique gold embossing powder and then wiped over with Forest Moss Distress Ink.  The backing paper is from Serif's Cocoa Latte kit and printed out in Craft Artist.  The pennants are from an On The Edge die.  For the card candy I have used eyelets and laced linen thread through them on the top left.  I also added a lovely insert from Joanna Sheens Past Times CD, in the farming theme.
I hope I have met with the sketch challenge - I normally avoid them at all costs, but I needed to make this card today!
Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #198 - Butterflies

A new Tim Holtz On the Edge die prompted this card!  The butterfly edges have been coloured with Wild Honey and Spiced Marmalade Distress inks, as has the embossed central panel (folder by Craft Concepts).  The triple embossed heart sentiment is a stamp from Chocolate Baroque and the backing paper from Graphicus.

Thank you for stopping by and do leave a comment - I am encouraged by every one.

Alpha Tags - C is for Camera

The stamps for this tag are all from Creative Expressions and have been stamped on cream card in grey ink.  The film strip is a Tim Holtz die and Charlie Chaplin is a download from the public domain, cut out and clear embossed and added with dimensionals.  The edges  of the tag have been highlighted in Black Soot Distress Ink.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - all are greatly appreciated.

DragonsDream TIO #108 - The Beach

I am having a walk down memory lane here!  My maternal granddad was a magician and member of the Magic Circle and during the summer months was a Punch and Judy man, having shows in Tenby, Margate and Southend.  I was the youngest grandchild and his career was coming to an end by the time I was old enough to appreciate his skill.
My tag uses the very first stamps I ever bought - from Rubadubadoo.  I have stamped them onto cardboard that has been gessoed white.  The sand and the sea are embossed with sand effect and sea mist embossing powders from Joanna Sheen and give the tag a lovely tactile quality.  The pennants are from a Tim Holtz On the Edge die and coloured with Copic markers. The children are stamped and cut out and added with dimensionals.
Thanks for calling and do feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate them all.

Alphabet Tags - A for Allium

I noticed that this year there are quite a few alphabet tag swaps on the go.  I thought I would make a set for myself and use it as an opportunity to use as many techniques as I could so that they could be used as a kind of reference for days when my mojo has disappeared completely or when I was having a senior moment and had totally forgotten everything!

This tag is cut from glossy black card using the Tim Holtz die and has been stamped using a Stampendous stamp 'Allium' using Perfect Medium and then dusting with Interference Mica Powders.  It is one of my favourite techniques and I love the iridescent colours.  You have to be careful to dust everything with an embossing buddy (anti static pad) before you start otherwise the powder goes everywhere!  I finished it off with a key chain and a name tag in black shrink plastic.

Thank you for visiting and do leave a comment - all of which are greatly appreciated.

CD Sunday Challenge - Paisley Fun

This card uses my one and only Tim Holtz stamp, a paisley background, that I have stamped using a Soothing Sunset Big and Juicy inkpad.  The image is from Gwyneth Windsor's Silhouette Sensations CD1 and to give it that eastern feel I have used the ornate Nellie's Multi-Frame die.  The die cut and image was then clear embossed to give it some texture.  The sentiment is from Kaiser stamps.

Thank you for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment.  Apologies again for the colours in the photo but as it is so dark here, I have had to use artificial lights.

Bah! Humbug! #32 - White on White

I went completely over the top with this one!  The base card has been embossed and the raised areas very lightly enhanced with DI Pumice Stone, the white mat has been cut with a TH On the Edge die Snow Flurries and the rest of the mat embossed with a snowflake embossing folder.
The snowflakes are from a Marianne die which have been given the Pumice Stone treatment and Stickled.  The Snow Flurries edge has been blinged with Glitter Glass and Stickles  and Glitter Glass added to the edges of the mat.  The sentiment is a printed ribbon.  Whoever receives this at Christmas will inevitably enjoy showers of Glitter Glass all over their carpet!
Thank you Zoe, this card also qualifies for Just For Fun Challenge ~27 - White on White
Thanks for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment.

DragonsDream TIO #87 - Project Tim Holtz

I am delighted that we have an easy challenge this week over at TIO after the crippler that I set last week!  Dragonlady is asking for Tim Holtz inspired tags, using Ranger products and/or made in the style of Sir Tim of Holtz.  My tag is almost all Sir Tim influenced, however the style embraces the artist Beryl Cook (my DH says it is heavily influenced by the comedienne Beryl Reid - but I won't bother to explain to the younger readers out there!).
As always I have to make a picture and I just love anything to do with architecture or houses.  I was tempted to draw little people and chandeliers  in the windows but restrained myself.  The shapes are die cut with TH Artful Dwellings and Mini Openings and coloured with various Distress Inks and Distress Stickles.  The landscape is coloured with Distress Inks and I have used micro beads for the foliage at the base of the middle house.  They are fun to use and I love the effect and dimension they create but weird to watch rolling about as though they were magnetic.  The sentiment is from Clarity.  I hope you like my tag which, as always, is brightly coloured and not really very TH at all - more PlaySkool - but it is my interpretation of the theme.

I do hope you will join us this week and show us YOUR interpretation of  Project Tim Holtz over at DragonsDream TIO and I look forward to visiting to see your creations.

DragonsDream TIO #73 My Townscape Triptych

Never done a triptych before, especially not one in a hurry! I am off to London tomorrow for the Alexandra Palace craft show. So excited!

It was also difficult to photograph all three tags together as it has been a very dark and dismal day here in the Highlands.

I have used Sir Tim's Townscape die as my starting point and then stamped a Crafty Individuals street coloured with copics. The iron railings and gate are by the Unmounted Stamp Company and the trees are Clarity and Stampin Up. The gate sentiment is PaperArtsy. Bench and flowers are by Lavinia Stamps.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment as they are much appreciated.

DragonsDream TIO#74-Tag on side with Paint and Paper

Had a lovely time making this. I used a piece of corrugated cardboard and die cut a tag using my new best friend, Sir Tim's Tag and Bookplate die. I then peeled off some of the paper and painted it with Periwinkle Eco paint and Lilac acrylic paint. The pier, kite and beach hut stamps are from Rubbadubbado (one of the first ones I ever bought) and the seaside and gulls are from Crafty Individuals.

The images are coloured in roughly with felt tips and I swiped a white ink pad over the whole lot. The reinforcing hole counts as the paper addition to this tag! I am really pleased with the textured look this tag has and will certainly use this method again.

Thanks for dropping by and please feel free to leave a comment - I love keeping in touch.

Crafty Ann's Challenge #37 - Be Inspired by an Elvis Song

Elvis sang so many songs, it wasn't difficult to find one I wanted to turn into a card! This is the challenge over at Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog. My card is inspired by the song'Wooden Heart'.

I have used Ann's Heart with Wings digi stamp and printed it out twice onto white card as thick as my printer would take (about 180gsm). The reason for this is because I used Tim Holtz Woodgrain embossing folder to emboss the texture onto the card. These folders are very textured and the embossing digs deep into the card. Sometimes, if thin card is used, the embossing causes the card to split.

I then cut the image out and coloured the wings with Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge Distress Inks. The heart was coloured with Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain. I cut out the second heart, coloured it the same and added it with foam pads to the complete image. The backing paper was similarly embossed and coloured with Walnut Stain and mounted onto one of Ann's tartan papers in blue and gold. The sentiment was computer generated.

I do hope you will come over and join us at Crafty Ann's - see what you can do with an Elvis song!

DragonsDream TIO#72 - Big Bold and Extended

What a challenge this week! I had to go delving into my secret stash of all things gorgeous to come up with this one! The key and lock are Tim Holz grungeboard painted in Eco paint Aged Gold and rubbed over with DI Black Soot. The tag was sponged with DI Wild Honey and brushed over with Aged Mahogany and Fired Brick, stamped with Royal Fleur de Lys from Elusive Images. I inked the stamp up with DI Crushed Olive, Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany and stamped over. The crown from the same set was inked in Black Soot and Aged Mahogany.

The sentiment is from another theme plate Key to my Dreams.

Thanks for dropping by and feel free to leave a comment - I enjoy reading them all.

CD Sunday Challenge - Colours

Owning a very spoilt, temperamental and narcissistic little blue budgie called Judy - I felt immediately drawn to my Tim Holtz birdcage and hanging sign dies. The scene depicts the other little birds on a rescue mission to release the Blue Diva from the horrible witch lady (me) that keeps her in a cage in the kitchen.

My backing paper is from Carol Ann Studios CD Fantabulous Flowers, the die cuts are Tim Holtz and the three smaller birds are a paper punch and stamps from Stampin Up.

Thanks for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment - I enjoy keeping in touch with you all.

Bah! Humbug! # 46 - Feeling the Blues

This card didn't turn out at all like I had planned! In fact it is nothing like my original idea. This is not unusual for me at all.

I have used the lovely Trees embossing folder by Sir Tim and my new corner dies from Marianne Creatables. The sentiment is one of my favourites and is from Creative Expressions. I have used plenty of crystal glitter on the trees and corners to give it some festive bling and mounted it onto silver and then royal blue card.

Thanks for stopping by and do leave a comment - I enjoy them all. I shall miss the Bah! Humbug! challenge and look forward to it returning in the New Year.