Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas - Tag 5

Hello There!

What a perfect weekend to sit in your craft rooms and craft.  Yesterday it was pouring with rain and not very warm!  I spent the day in my craft room with my friend having a Christmas Crafting session.  My Christmas Album is now well underway and I may just share some sneak peeks with you shortly!

I want to share with you my number 5 Tag for the Funkie Junkie Challenge sponsored by Funkie Junkie Boutique.  Don't try going back to look for number 4 - I haven't done it yet, though I may today.  I just had an idea for this one and wanted to create it there and then!

So here it is......

I started with a box that had been delivered and I cut a tag using y TH die.  I tore off the top layer and I got my Ferro past and a NBUS Ivy stencil which I bought some time ago.

I heated the Ferro to dry it and also to make it bubble a little for extra texture and once dry I added layers of Paperartsy fresco paints and Pebeo paints in various shades until I was happy with the overall effect.

I brushed over the tag using Treasured Gold waxes.  I just wish you could see the sheen in real life.  I raided my Snippets draw for some papers and I managed to find some that had come from the bottom  of my spray box so they are multcoloured and have lots of shimmer to them!

A stamping of my Santa stamp by Inkadinkadoo with Archival ink and cut with Spellbinders and layered onto a cut piece which I embossed with a NBUS embossing folder.  The poinsettia button was bought in a very expensive shop in Hay on Wye!  

Some scrummy laces and two bows made from Thermomorph - a plastic that you melt in hot water mould into any shape or mould and let cool to harden.  Great stuff and you can put what you don't use back in the pot so no waste.  I painted them with some accrylic paint and brushed some more Treasured Gold wax over the top.  Layered onto some red hessian from Funkie junkie Boutique, some ribbon and I was happy with my tag.  

Thanks for popping over and have a great week y'all.  Don't forget to call by HERE at Funkie Junkie to see all the rules and inspiration pieces.  You still have time to join in before the Big Day!!

As there are Snippets in this I shall be taking it along to the Snippets Playground.

Hettie

xx

Scrapbooking Tuesday - Rome - Valentine

Hello Blogging Friends

Before I start, I would just like to say Congratulations to Prince William and Catherine on the safe delivery of a Baby Boy! I am sure his cute little face will be plastered all over the news very soon.  I just hope the press will give them some space to be a family.

Right, onto today's post.  I have used a kit which I bought many many years ago, but as per me I have "tweaked" it to my liking.  

All the papers are My Minds Eye, Lost and Found, with a few Snippets added.  These photos were taken in Rome in February 2011.  We managed to tie the break in with Valentine's Day so were able to celebrate it in sunshine.  The larger photo being at the Forum and the smaller one was taken at the Spanish Steps.

I added some music under the title, which was cut out of one of the sheets that were in the kit.  I used a Snippet and then ribbed some Treasured Gold wax over.  I also took a piece of C Snippets and punched some corners, again rubbing with wax.

On the edge of the brown paper stock I stamped my Tim Holtz flourish stamp and then embossed with gold embossing powder (see I told you I tweak things!).  I cut a tag from Snippet left over from my C album and stamped it with a NBUS (Never Before Used Stash), a Wendy Vecchi stamp and embossed it with red embossing powder and then went around the edges using the same powder.  I then decided to echo the TH stamping and went over the top with Brushed Corduroy DI (as I used on all my edges).  I added a piece of ribbon and a small Snippet of hemp string that has been hanging around on my desk for ages.

In order to add a little journalling, I cut a TH label, inked the edge and drew around the edge before writing my journalling on there.

Simon Says Stamp are asking this week for Celebration projects, well we were celebrating Valentine's Day. 

 I am also taking this down to the Playground as there are Snippets included.  I wonder if the Treehouse is still standing. There is a rumbling in the jungle that it was being removed and being replaced with a trampoline!  How we are going to keep dry and warm when the cooler weather comes? That parrot isn't going to want to stay outside either!!

TTFN and thanks for calling by.

Hugs

Hettie

My love for mini albums...

Hello Friends

I am supposed to sharing my Tuesday Layout today, it being Tuesday an'all however, it would appear that the piggin' t'internet problems last night lost it!  Unfortunately I am now typing this in my lunch break in work so cannot reload the pics! Grrr!  

Never mind.  I will share the other piccies I loaded up last night which could become scrapbooks if the recipients so wish. 

I recently needed to make a Thank You gift and Birthday gift for two special people and so decided to make them similar and at the same time.  As most of you will be aware I do like making mini books so that is what I did.

Here is number one.....

Chipboard covers covered in hessian (or Burlap if you are from over the water) and Bo Bunny paper from a 6x6 pad I bought a while ago.

All bound with my BIA and then decorated with ribbons, some from my Snippets tin.  I personalised the charms that went on them.

The flowers were a mix of paper and fabric which were all dipped in my cauldron err melting pot, which had wax in there.  It was surprising how much wax they all took.  Especially as I got a little carried away and made enough for four!  I brushed all the flowers over with two shades of Perfect Pearls, Kiwi and Rust.

I used my Seeds of Friendship Artistic Outpost stamp on the front with Spiced Marmalade DI and embossed it before distressing the edges.  Those blue flowers I have had forever!  

Here are the dividers I made, each stamped with a background and a sentiment added.

And some music as one recipient is a musical gal!

So here is number one....

Number two...

Number three.....

Number four....!  Err, You know I said I got carried away with the flowers!  Well I made two more books too.  One for the Raffle prize for our Annual Summer Lunch at Quilters and I actually made one for myself.  This orange flower was the last of the set my friend brought me back from France!  Love orange.

I used acid free watercolour paper inside so that they can be used for a variety of purposes.  The two original recipients are both artistic and so may wish to sketch in them.  Mine might end up with photos in.  

I shall pop these down the Playground later as they contain Snippets.  Why not join us?  I must also find out how the Aussie parrot is doing!

Hugs

Hettie

Happy Birthday Big Brother...

Hello Peeps

Well!  What a day it has been!!  Wasn't the Wimbledon Final fantastic and nerve wracking?  Well done Andy!!

Straight to the chaste, today I am sharing you a card I made for my big Brother recently....

He is a bit of a speed freak and loves to tinker with cars and/or bikes, so I used my Artistic Outpost stamps to make him a card.  The background is one of those pieces from my spray box which I blotted up my stencils on in a recent project.  I then ran it through an embossing folder which I then rubbed over with Treasured Gold.  

I stamped the images with Archival ink, and embossed with embossing powder, coloured the driver using DI and a water brush, made a tag using an old London map and a Snippet of ribbon and them mounted all the elements onto the card.  Inside I stamped the sentiment "never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly".  The edges of the card were distressed and hey presto his card was done.  He actually text me to tell me how much he liked the card!!!  Wow!!

I am taking this down to the Playground as there are Snippets used in here as well as the Artistic Outpost blog.

Thanks for calling by and have a good week!  Whatever you do, don't forget to use the suncream.

TTFN

Hettie

Leaving Card ....

Hello There!!

What a damp and miserable Sunday morning we have today. No surprise there then I s'pose.  A day for venturing into my Craft Room I think seeing as I am feeling a little better.  Don't try and skype me as I may just stay in my PJs and not bother to get dressed!

Before I venture in I thought I would share a card with you that I made for my friend Michelle in work recently.  She has moved to our other office, which is much closer to her home and so is now walkable instead of unreliable busable!

I set myself a challenge for this card, in that everything had to come out of my Snippets tin/box.  The only piece that didn't was the background book page which came out of the flower book you may have seen me use before.  It was bought for £1 and I have used it a fair bit since I bought it.

The brown piece of cardstock was out of my Snippets box and was originally in my spray box so I have no idea what colours were used on that!  I ran it through my TH embossing folder and then brushed with purple Treasure Gold wax.  The Butterflies were in the Tin.  The red butterfly is from a Sizzix die that I bought for my friend for Christmas.  Wish I hadn't!!!!

The orange flourish (cut a while ago from a Sizzix die was run through another embossing folder before being placed on the card.  The flower I made ages ago using TH die for another project but didn't use it and I added the turquoise piece which I had used a tiny piece of and TH paper lace before finishing it all off with some lilac glimmery spots.  The sentiment is an Artistic Outpost one, which I was testing out on a piece of cardstock before I used it on a project!  Seemed a shame to bin it!  It is much clearer IRL. 

Right then.  I am off to make a cuppa to take into my Craft Room.  Before I go I shall take this card to the Playground as it is positively brimming with Snippets.  If you are going to the Playground it seems Wellies and Souwesters are the order for the day.

Before I go, I just want to give a shout out to my latest follower Susie! Her comment made me giggle after she declared she was "sooo thankful for Tena ladies" on a comment the other day.  Guess I won't be sitting in her chair in the classroom!  

Hugs

Hettie

Mandy's Canvas...

Hello Friends

What a beautiful start to May we are experiencing here in Sunny South Wales!  Long may it last!  (I do hope I haven't put a curse on the weather now!)

You will recall I made a canvas for a very Special Friend who had a birthday in April?  Well, I had another Special Friend who also had a birthday in April and whilst making the first canvas I shared with you, I made a second one for my Buddy.  Only hers was a rectangle with a deep edge, and I made it toned with her bedroom colours (a little bit of sneaky texting her Hubby to make sure I had the colour scheme right was involved!).  

So here it is for you to see.....

Again I used the Sheena Douglass style of painting the canvas and crackling the background.

I used the same SD Bramble stamps, Tim Holtz dies and stamp and the same swirl but I managed to get two totally different looks just by changing the format and colours.

The swirls and Believe I stamped and then embossed with gold embossing powder. 

And here here you can see the edge of the canvas which I think gives a nicer finish than a narrow edge.  Guess what I will be buying more of in the future!

Again I used the same waxes and some more Christmas decoration for the Ivy as well as the Spellbinders die for the flower.

Which do I prefer?  I really don't know as they both look so different.

Again I used Snippets on here so I shall take it over to the Playground to see which one my Playmates like best.  Don't forget, you are always welcome to enter any pieces you have made using Snippets, whatever your craft passion is!  We all play nicely!

Have a great rest of the week.  Yippee! Bank Holiday this Monday.  Think I might just do some crafting!

Hugs

Hettie

Time for a Canvas....

Hello Friends

I think April has to be one of my family and friends' busiest month for birthdays, which means I have alot of cards and/or pressies to make.  There are alot of "Special" Peeps' birthdays too including Mr Hettie,  two of my bestest friends and my former Boss!! 

So today I thought I would share one of my above mentioned friend's present.  I know it has been received and so it is quite safe to reveal. 

As most of you know, I have recently been converted to Sheena Douglass style of Paint Fusion painting, having never been able to paint previously.  I know what I want to paint, but I cannot seem to do it.  Well, I decided it was time to put what I have learnt thus far to the test by making a canvas!  Scary, let me tell you! (You might want to get a cuppa here as this is a bit picture heavy!)

So here is the first canvas I have made......

I chose to do bramble and the flowers (it being Spring allegedly!).  The colours above are not quite accurate and the two pictures below are more of a likeness but I could not seem to get it right on the puter without losing something else.

The canvas is around 12x12" to give you an idea of size.  Painted using the crackle technique with a dark blue underneath and a Cornflower white over the top (made by the paint company that has a large dog featuring in its advertising!).  

The stamping was done using a mixture of Tim Holtz and Sheena Douglass stamps using Archival Cobalt and Chipped Sapphire DI.

The glittered ivy leaves were actually a Christmas decoration I had bought knowing I would use them for crafting at some point!  The Roses are cut using my latest Spellbinders dies I bought at Ally Pally and I inked the centres with Mustard Seed DI.  The bird cage was cut using chipboard and TH die, painted and inked, then run through the brick wall embossing folder and finished off with Treasure Gold wax. Some brads in the holes at the base and then bashed with my bashing hammer!  Then I found some chain to suspend the birdcage from.

Forgive me but I have forgotten the make of the flourish stamp.  It was one I had when I subscribed to Craft Stamper all those years ago and I use it A LOT!

On the flourishes I used clear schparkly embossing powder.

On the painted leaves you can see I used some more Treasure Gold but green this time.  This pot I bought in Nottingham at the Quilting AGM.  I love it when different crafts come together.  The flower paints are all Pebeo paints.

Lickle birdie which was flipped, inked with Gathered Twigs and made a little darker with Walnut Stain DI, clear embossed, and I used enamel paint for the eye and then placed on a swirl with two small leaves.

I was delighted to receive several emails yesterday from the recipient who seemed to like it!

I shall pop it down to the Playground now as there are a few small Snippets in there.  I wonder who will take charge as to where it will be hung in the Treehouse!!

Sorry this post is a little picture heavy and thanks for reading thus far.

Have a great end of week!

Hugs

Hettie

Frilly & Funkie Sunday Share

Hello Friends

Having had a week or so of not getting inky whilst I have been playing with acrylic paints instead, I was having a little wander round one of my favourite Challenge blogs the other day HERE and noticed the last card on the post.  Wow!  I thought.  That is just the sort of card I could make for Gryff, my friend's Hubby.  Off I shot to my Craft Room to create my version, using Artistic Outpost London Elements stamps and also Think and Wonder stamp.  As I was creating this card, I also thought of the pages of adverts in the very old Diary which I rescued from my office some time ago. Hope you like....

I inked a piece of cardstock using Chipped Sapphire, Mustard Seed, Tumbled Glass and Peeled Paints Distress Inks, inking my craft sheet and spritzing water before swooshing the sheet of card through the ink, several times, drying before adding more layers.  With me so far?

I cut a piece off and ran it through my TH Tag die and run it through an embossing folder.  I then added more ink to the tag before brushing with Treasure Gold wax and polishing it up (the only thing I am polishing this weekend let me tell you!).  I stamped the Cocoa Boy onto white cardstock using Cobalt Archival ink and inked the edges with CS DI and mounted it on to the tag.  

Back to the main piece of coloured card, I stamped the Telephone Box and London Bridge (using clear embossing powder on the Bridge image), I also used some TH background stamps before mounting it on top  of an advertising page out of the Diary and then stamped and cut out the Welcome stamp.  

Some ribbon on the tag and lace along the bottom, and hey presto a card for my friend's Hubby, who's birthday it is on Tuesday.  I chose the London theme for his card as when he married my friend they moved to London for a few years before coming home to Wales.

I am going to enter this in to Frilly and Funkie's Sunday Share as the Think and Wonder stamps were purchased from Linda, and also the Artistic Outpost March Challenge.  As I used some Snippets, I shall take it to the Playground tomorrow when Miss opens the gates in the morning.

Thanks for calling by.  

What! No Tinsel!!

Hello Friends

Wow!  The last Wednesday before Christmas.  I cannot join in on WOYWW today as there is far too much on my desk that I don't want peeps to see, as I do have a few friends who may peep and see something I don't want them to.  I will join next week for the "after" shot!!

I thought I would show you two cards I have recently made using my lovely new Artistic Stamper stamps that were crying out to be stamped.  I needed to make a Thank You card for a very dear friend of mine and a Birthday card for Hubby's cousin.  I used the same idea but with slight variations.  

I used Papermania papers which were in a pack I had some time ago, some Snippets of black cardstock which I ran through the TH embossing folder and then brushed over with Treasure Gold wax.  I punched some more cardstock with my EK Success punch, added some lace and used Kaisercraft flowers.  Yep!  I do sometimes use bought flowers instead of making them.  

Some of the flowers were stamped with my TH text stamp.  The mini tags were made using another TH die and stamped with Docrafts and SU stamps. I popped brads in the centre of the flowers and hey presto I had a pair of nice cards. The inks used are Coffee Archival and Distress Inks in Vintage Photo.  It was very refreshing not to have any glitter on them!

Thanks for popping by in amongst the mayhem of pre-Christmas.  I am hoping that by Friday night I will have finished all Christmas projects so that I can finish decorating the house and then relax over the weekend.  Yeah right!!

Hugs

Hettie

Funkie Junkie Tag 3 - Hey Mr Frosty

On the Third Day of Christmas I will bring to you........

                                                                        .........Tag No. 3 of the Funkie Junkie Challenge......

Sorry I could not resist that!  I am indeed bringing you the Third Tag of the Funkie Junkie Challenge which is being hosted by Linda and sponsored by thefunkiejunkie.com

As usual I will show you Linda's tag first......

Now I have had to think a little laterally on this tag (big word I know) as I do not have the Pewter Distress Stain so I put my finkin' cap on and had a eureka moment!  I placed Picket Fence DS and Chipped Sapphire on my craft mat.  Then I sprinkled some Pewter Perfect Pearls into the mixture and then swooshed my tag made with the TH tag die and SU Vanilla cardstock.  Here is the effect I got which I love and can see me using again!  Whilst the ink was on the craft mat I also swooshed Mr Frosty and the snowflakes through too.

So a little jiggery pokery with the background and Mr Frosty next by stamping TH snowflakes using Ranger Medium and added more Pewter PP.  At the top right of the tag I placed a new mask and swooshed some silver Treasure Gold wax and then buffed it (love this stuff!).  

Mr Frosty and the snowflakes were die cuts that a friend of mine had given to me - Thank You! I cut a flourish out of a Snippet of kraft cardstock and I painted one of the wooden hearts with Liquid Pearls and when dry I adhered a Chit Chat word.  Mr Frosty had a smoosh of Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint.

I then added a little Tissue Tape, Making Memories Embellishment, snowflake charm and sparkles in the heart centres all topped of with some ribbon and fluffy fibres.  

Another chit chat word and some more sparkles on the flourish and now I have finished.  

If you wish to join in with this Challenge you have until 17th December so 14 days (yikes!).  There is a fabulous prize on offer and I know that this week's tag (the last one) is absolutely wonderful.  Click HERE to see it.

Thanks for popping by and please leave me a comment so I know you have been.

TTFN

Hettie