It's a Creative World

Paper Piecing Tag!

I LOVE this ship stamp from Bombshell Stamps. I 've stamped and coloured it before with copic pens:

But I kept looking at those little sails and wanted them to be all stripey and multicolored somehow, it was paper piecing time!!

I have the 6x6" Cosmo Cricket paper pad of the Wanted papers- which are lovely warm teals, oranges and browns! I chose three different papers and stamped the ship onto each of the three.

I chose the Orange paper as the background from the image as it reminded me of a sky at sunset-the whole ship image was stamped and cut out from this paper.

Next I used a wood effect paper to create the ...well wooden parts of the ship!

Then the fun and fiddly bit I started cutting out the sails and sticking them in place. It was fiddly but I like cutting out and I found it quite relaxing, maybe that's weird LOL!

I created my tag with teal Cosmo Cricket paper and stamped some maritme images onto it to create a background for the ship.

I added the ship and some sentiments and coloured a piece of seam binding ribbon with Aged Mahogany and Walnut Ink Distress Inks and hey presto the tag was finished!

Here's a close-up of those sails with a little extra shading (copic pens) and highlights (white ink pen) for extra emphasis :

Hope you like it!

Happy Crafting!
Love,

GlitteryKatie xxXxx

If you can do it with paper ...

... you can do it with fabric! Hello, and welcome from Alexa today on a material theme, with some inspiring books which will open your eyes and make your fingers dance when you see what can be done to, and with, fabric. I've long been a paper-lover, but recently become fascinated by the crossovers into cloth. I have five books here, any one of which would make a great present to yourself ... (and I have no connection with the book store: just including links for further perusing!).

Textile Art, published by Apple Press

• a how-to manual in two parts
•  the first, about texture and depth, covers different types of stitching and manipulation
• the second, concetnrating on colour and design, explains how to use dyes, fabric paints, sun printing, and many other techniques
• good for: the breadth of its coverage and step-by-step photos

From Image to Stitch, by Maggie Grey

• how to develop an image, whether hand-drawn, a photo, a photocopy, into a piece of textile art
• details on scanning, using simple software to manipulate images for unusual or abstract effects
• transfer of images to fabric, tissue paper, metal, plastic, and innovate hand and machine sewing ideas
• good for: inspiration, technical instructions, and eye-opening ideas

  The Painted Quilt, by Linda and Laura Kemshall

• a mother and daughter team who regularly exhibit and win prizes for their work
• covers printing and painting on quilts
• includes ideas for gel transers, fusible web, adding text, fabric pastels, dyeing ...
• good for: pushing the boundaries of 'what is a quilt"? More than just something to put on the bed! 

Creative Quilts by Sandra Meech

• focuses on developing your own creativity with sketch and stitch books
• adds in techniques with materials like Tyvek, wireform, and textured wools
• good for giving you the confidence and know-how to get started on journal-keeping and learning about design

Print, Pattern and Colour by Ruth Issett

• techniques for paper and fabric, and both together
• a real how-to focus on using paint and dye, rollers, and making your own stamping blocks
• eye-catching photos and stunning multi-layered cloth
• good for showing how to build layers of colour and shape

Hoping there is something in here to inspire you! And perhaps one of these will expand your horizons or even set you off in an entirely new direction ... Happy travelling! And thank-you for calling in today. :)

 

Learning to crochet

Hi Claireliz here

At the start of the year I said I wanted to learn to crochet, in fact I've been saying it for a while now, well I finally took the plunge & have started a ripple blanket for my 5 year old daughters bed, I had a few false starts, that is managing to crochet so far, making a complete mess of it, having to pull it out & start all over again & repeating that process a few times, but finally I have the start of a ripple blanket, I seem to have got the knack now, infact I'm struggling to tear myself away to work on other things...

 
 

I know its not perfect but for a first attempt, I'm pretty impressed with myself...

 

I got the pattern free from Ravelry. I get the feeling that in a few months I'll have ripple blankets all over the house & other crochet items to match.

So now I can add crochet to my list of hobbies.

Well that's all from me fo rnow, I'm off to do some more on this blanket.

C xx

Weekend Workout 13 - DISTRESSING AND VINTAGE

Hiya GlitteryKatie here!

One of my favourite techniques is distressing with inks and tools to create a vintage look. I've never been a neat and tidy crafter and I love the vintage look so learning to distress my papers was a logical step!

My first steps into distressing involved using chalks. I used brown and black chalks along the edge of papers to give them an aged look!

The look I try and aim for is the yellowed look that pages in a book get after a few years. After using chalks for a while I discovered Chalk inks which were great for running along the edges of paper, they were softer and more versatile than dry chalks- plus they didn't make that yukky scraping sound, hee-hee!!

You can see some of my ageing techniques on this layout of my Dad: this was a picture taken in the mid 1960's and I wanted to convey the passage of time and the fact that Dad and his unit were roughing it up-country in Malaya.

I like to crumple and tear paper for a vintage look. I use Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour paper, Antique Linen will transform a white piece of paper into an aged piece of paper, I just wipe the pad across the paper and sometimes add a little water to help the ink spread.

I use Walnut Distress Ink around the edges of papers, labels, sticks and embellishments to make them look grubby and old.

Speaking of embellishments I do ink the edges of die cuts a LOT! I like the 3D effect that it gives as with these Sizzix dies cuts I inked heavily on my tattoo layout:

Another use I have for inking is to form a frame. I find that without inked edges a card or layout can look a little flat-I find my eye tends to wander off the image as with this Mo Manning image I coloured:

So I inked a little around the edges of the image with my Walnut Ink which forms a frame and draws the eye back onto the little boy and his dog:

You might not be a lover of inkiness or vintage but as you can see you can use these techniques in other ways than just making something look old!

Now let's see what the other girls have come up with!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello, Eleanor here. I almost didn't enter Katie's Weekend Workout challenge, but I haven't let a workout beat me yet, and this is the 13th one, so I knew I had to come up with something!

Why is it that distressing doesn't come naturally to me? I wandered around some lovely blogs for inspiration, then heaved out my box of rubber stamps and ink pads, some vellum and patterned paper, and these two cards are the result:

I coloured the chair with watercolour pencils, and almost stamped a sentiment on the check paper, but decided it could do for Get Well, retirement or whatever I need it for.

I stamped with Stazon ink, which dried instantly on the vellum (I had been worried about smudging), then chalk inked the edge before anchoring with machine stitching onto a scrap of frayed damask.

I tore and inked the patterned background paper on both cards, stitching the 'chair' one around and around messily, before roughing it up a bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Hiya Claireliz here wih my take on Katies' challenge.

 

I love using Kraft paper on anything that I'm planning to do in a vintage style, it just fits for me, I've used a selection of Echo Park journaling cards to create the main elements of the layout, all of the papers have been inked with Distress Ink - Brushed Corduroy. The photo itself it nearly vintage (well the original is, this one is a copy, & apparently for something to be vintage it has to be over 20 years old - does that make me vintage than?) the photo is of me 18 years ago, on the day we were supposed to be moving house, the day when my dad was working abroad, I had chicken pox & the removal truck didn't turn up - not a good day for mum. I've used a Basic Grey doily rub on in the top right corner & hand stitched using back stitch around the edge of the cardstock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Creating a textured background

 
Hi Lynne here

I have been playing around with some ideas I got from watching a youtube video by Rach0113

  

I found alcohol inking on PVA got me in a mess, so here's my take on the technique.

(Thanks to Rachel for the inspiration to play with your idea)

Take a piece of card and build up layers of texture with whatever scraps you can find, making sure that you use plenty of glue to secure them in place.

 
Cover it liberally with PVA glue and put aside to dry. (I made a batch as they take a long time to dry and I wanted to use it now!)

Once it's dried cover with sticky back metal foil tape (I got mine from Screwfix, it comes in a variety of widths).  Peel the edge and stick to card, slowly peel the backing off sticking into place. (If you try and do it in one piece the foil tends to stick to itself, well it did in my case:) Rub gently with your finger to give more definition to the raised areas.

 

Then alcohol ink using a blending tool.  I used Wild Plum and Stream, my favourite colours.

Use a cotton bud soaked in blending solution to remove the ink from the raised areas.

 

I then doodled a flower on the back and cut it out.  You need strong scissors for this, I used my Tim Holtz ones.

 
I rather like the serrated edge to the flower, one of those "happy accidents" that you don't expect.

Do try making some yourselves, they are great fun.

Lynne x

LOVE BIRDS?

Morning, Eleanor here. Spring meant lots of pairs of birds around and about, first the chasing and the wooing, then the homemaking and finally the chick rearing. I made bunting to celebrate these loveydoving couples.

A long length...

i think it would be lovely to decorate an outdoor wedding venue, using the bride's choice of colours, I just happened to have chocolate and teal fabric I love. (My own wedding colours were cream and peach - now that dates me doesn't it?)

Then i made a wedding card:

Cheerio for now.

x

RETRO BRACELET

Hello, Eleanor here, with a technique I had forgotten about. I was prompted to revisit it by Jimjams on UKScrappers, when I saw a recent scrapbook layout of hers, with embossed, stamped tiles and letters. They look stunning and I immediately fancied a bracelet of 'tiles'.

Still in inchie mode from Lynne's weekend workout challenge, I cut some more one inch chipboard squares, dabbed the edges with a copper inkpad, coated the front surface with versamark, and triple heat embossed with Blonde Moments Festive Fern ultra thick embossing powder, before quickly stamping a retro pattern inked with the copper. I liked the stamps I used (old, but their first outing!) a retro set which which have quite a proud red rubber, so make a deep impression.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The dilemma I faced next was the manner of linking the tiles to become a bracelet. I tried punching a hole before embossing, but the hole disappeared in the thickness of the ultra powder. I then tried punching through the hard surface, but it shattered, as it did when I tried drilling with the Dremel (as Jemma predicted!).

Hmm, this is what I tried next, hot glue gun and paperclips - it looks primitive but hey presto, it works:

I was able to connect each end of the paperclips with a small silver jumpring.

To conceal this rather unattractive backside, and stop it possibly rubbing on my skin, I cut one inch squares of felt and glued them onto the back:

Here's the finished bracelet, modelled by yours truly:

If you make something like this, I'd love to see it.

Thanks to Jemma and Lynne for the inspiration.

xx

Simple Flower ideas

Hi  Dolly here.

I am a bit of a flower freak. I have a gazzilion jars of pretty flowers that I love to use, but I also find I often don’t have the colour or size I need for a project. (Hard to believe with the number I have, but sadly true.)So when I don’t have quite what I am looking for, I make them.

This card was made with really simple little paper flowers you can colour coordinate to any project.

 

I started with three different sizes of flowers cut out of thick cream card. I used a Papertrey Ink die  but you could use punches, cut them on a craft robo or cricut or hand cut them, I actually like the hand cut as they are less regular.

 

I coloured them with Brilliance inks which were beautifully pearlised and shone so nicely. I coloured the back and the front as the petals were going to be curled.

 

They were then stamped with a Papertrey Ink script stamp using the darker blue ink on the pad.

 

I used a cocktail stick to score some petals and bend them and to roll others. Curl them all sorts of different ways.

 

At this stage you can coat them with Ranger Rock Candy or Glossy Accents if you want a shine.Poke holes in the centres and then assemble the layers and fix with a fancy brad.

 

 

I used two of them for a card for a friend as they happen to be her favourite colour.

 

TEENY TINY

Hello, Eleanor here again, with a photo of my youngest son, at 3 weeks old:

Many of us have experience of premature babies, either our own, or maybe a relative, friend, or colleague has given birth somewhat earlier than ideal.

Special Care Baby Units up and down the country welcome small garments to keep these little ones warm and cosy whilst in their care, and so I've been using patterns available free from Wye Needlecraft, to make these teeny bootees and bonnet:

It takes very little wool, (I used some sock yarn left over from my first pair, and I know the bootees don't match, but hey, don't you think they look funky?) and less than an evening, to knit up a tiny pair of bootees and/or a bonnet; if you feel you'd like to join me, please click the link and read more.

Had these been available for Rick to wear 15 years ago in SCBU, I would have been so touched and grateful that some kind person somewhere had spared the time and effort for him. 

Here he is, still small, but finally ready to come home in June 1996:

Cheerio for now

x

 P.S. He's taller than me now!

Craft Table

Hi Debbie here with a way to cheer up a pasting table.

My sister in law asked if I would like to go to a fair with her, so I got brave, got out my crafty things and worried about a table. The really good tables are around £40 and I couldn't warrant that expense without trying a couple of fairs first to see how it went.

So I found the cheapest option was definitely a pasting table from a local DIY store, holding the weight of my little crafty things wasn't the problem, the problem was it was so ugly.

I painted the surface with a small sample pot of paint called ocean blue, I spread it over the table with a baby wipe it didn't cover completely but I liked the effect.

Then I decided to try a decorative edge and used some foam stamps I have had for ages to stamp Hand Made Gifts around the edge in a dark blue acrylic paint.

I put a little of the paint on a saucer and spread it thinly with a paintbrush to give good coverage on the stamp. I like the shabby old effect of the stamping and then decided to paint over with silver. I used a sponge to give a thin covering.

I covered the whole table with spray varnish to seal the paint.

The bunting around the table is made with tiny scraps of fabric sewn onto some cotton twill tape. I sewed velcro onto the bunting (the hard loop side) and staple gunned the soft velcro onto the table.

I had a dry run in the back garden.

 

We got packed up and ready to go, and got rained off! Fingers crossed for next time. 

Debbie x