52 Cards Challenge 2014 - Week 7

Just popping in to share my card for this week's 52 Cards Challenge.

Card - Bazzill. Watercolour Paper - Winsor and Newton. Stamps - PTI.

Embossing Powder - Stewart Superior. Ink - Ranger, PTI, Memento.

This is my take on one of my favorite techniques by Betsy Veldman. Very soft and really relaxing to create too, I just love the Larkspur stamp set.

Thanks for looking,

Ang.

100th Post Prize Giveaway and 52 Cards Challenge Week 14

Hello! When I started this blog I did wonder if it would be a passing fad and I would lose interest but I love sharing what I make with family, friends and visitors and it has really helped me boost my creativity!

I am happy to celebrate my 100th post! and to celebrate I am pleased to have a blog candy giveaway filled with some of my favourite things and there are 3 prizes :)

Prize number one

Fiskars Threading Water Punch
Hero Arts Clear Design Everyday Sayings CL342
Hero Arts Clings Hearts Trio CG160
5 packs of Studio G clear stamps and stamping block
1 Studio G wooden stamp
6 bottles of Tim Holtz Distress Stickles
2 packs of American Crafts Gem set brads
4 Promarkers
1 Sizzix Sizzlet Flourish Die
1 pack of flat back multicoloured pearls
1 bottle of turquoise glitter glue
1 set of flower earrings (just remove the backs!)
1 peach cabochon bracelet (easily separated)

Prize number two

Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly trio punch

Prize number three

Inkadinkado Paperwork Greetings Clear Stamps 97614

All you need to do to enter is:

1 - Be signed up to follow my blog if you aren't already;
2 - Leave a comment on this post :)

Entries are open until 23:59pm GMT on Monday 25th April and I will draw the winner using a random number generator on my birthday Tuesday 26th of April.
Now, on to this week's card challenge. This week's prompts are:

Blue, Stamping, Circles

I needed to make my Mother's Day card and decided to use the prompts for this week. I wouldn't normally have gone with a blue colourway but I was really happy with how it turned out. I decided to use 2 out of the 3 prompts.

On a recent trip to the US I bought some Faber Castell Gelatos and they are just fab to work with. Solid sticks of colour in a lipstick style tube, you just lightly mist your stamp with water and run the gelatos over the stamp and stamp. They give a lovely watercolour look and you can stretch the colour out further using a water pen brush or add more colour by taking a damp brush directly to the gelato and painting on the stamp. I just love them!

I had bought my mum a necklace for Mother's Day but wasn't keen on the box so I made a matching gift box and tag to put it all in and finished off with stamping on the envelope. If you would like to make a gift box take a look at my easy tutorial here.

Supplies used: Hero Arts Botanical Etchings Hydrangea stamp, Papertrey Ink Sentiment, Faber-Castell Gelatos, Bo Bunny Double Dot cardstock, American Crafts Cardstock

Have a happy week and thank you so much for reading :)

PS - All of the challenges so far can now be found under the 52 Cards Challenge page under the header.

Sweet Talia - Altered Photo Frame

I recently reconnected with a dear friend who lives in the US who I had lost touch with and was delighted to find she had a beautiful 3 year old little girl. As part of a parcel of goodies I am sending to her I altered this photo frame for her daughter's bedroom.

This is the second frame I altered. The first one was a very pretty frame and I had distressed it just how I wanted with pink paint showing under the white and I decided to use crackle glaze, so far so good, I then thought I would rub some pale pink paint over the top and wipe the excess off. BIG mistake, it looked like the frame had a bad case of eczema so I started over again!

I use Crate Paper for the background and letters, lots of lace, velvet ribbon, sizzix die cut swirls on bo bunny paper distressed with distress inks, imaginisce & prima blooms and some vintage millinery flowers all topped off with glitter, gems and pearls.

I love it so much, I just wish I knew some more little girls so I could make more :)

I love it when a plan comes together!

And this is the result of my 'plan'. It doesn't happen that often to me, I envision it in my head and then proceed to become extremely frustrated when I can't translate the idea from my head to the paper! I had been asked to create a card with the specification that it should be for 'A Special Friend' and this is the result.

I had been playing with acetate earlier in the week and liked the idea of the window revealing a tone on tone stamped image background, in this case butterflies using a Stamposaurus stamp. I made a 5x7 card blank from Americam Crafts paper, cut an aperture and adhered the acetate, I then lined the inside with bazzill and decorated the outside with gems, pearls, glitter flourishes and thickers.

Products used - Paper: American Crafts, Bazzill. Stamp: Stamposaurus. Flourish: Sizzix, Pearls: Queen & Co. Gems: Swarovski. Ribbon and Flowers: Etsy. Ink: Versamark. Acetate: Papermania.

I must admit that it will be hard to part with it but I hope the recipient likes it! It's been a strange day here today, sunshine, rain, thunder then sunshine, I did enjoy this view from my craft room today -

I'm so fed up of all this bad weather, I can't wait for spring to arrive! Lots more to share this week, hope you are all enjoying the weekend!

Just a quickie

It's my husband's birthday next week and I am stuck for ideas on what to make for him, I don't tend to lean towards themed cards but I have a feeling it's the only way I am going to be able to come up with something. Dang it, I'm rubbish at creating male cards! It's also his Nanna's birthday the day after so this is what I whipped up for her using my new Sizzix lilac die, a Brenda Walton butterfly and lots of brads and i-dots.

Hope to share more later in the week using the yummy January Crafty Templates card kit!