Lady Lavinia.....

I'm trying hard to get back into my regular crafting now Christmas is over and the deccies are down and the old craft-room is nearly tidy and the spring-cleaning is at full throttle and the grandbabbies are staying nearly every week-end and........  well, you get the picture.....LOL!

That's why I tend to post and strange times of the day and night - just depends on when I get to sleep and if I remain asleep or am woken by anything.  

So, whilst I am awake, listening for grandbabbies or being licked awake by one of the dogs, I use my awake time usefully (if I can keep off Facebook long enough..!) and do some crafting.

This morning's creation features an image I've had for a while but not used for a card yet. It's a stunning drawing from 'Simply Betty' stamps' Steampunk range. I love this range of digi-stamps and have a few of them so I've used Lady Lavinia, coloured with my trusty Copics,  for this project and to enter into the Simply Steampunk Challenge themed 'Steampunk Gals'.

I do love Steampunk but sometimes, I feel, some of the images and projects are not to my taste as they border on ugly but this range of Steampunk stamps are anything but ugly - they are beautifully drawn and, indeed, some of them are from illustrations for books.


I think this 'Graphic 45' paper from the Steampunk Debutante pad is really pretty, as is Lavinia herself so, you see, Steampunk CAN be pretty!

(I do apologize if any of my links look a bit odd but Blogger is presently playing up and won't let me highlight anything)

I would urge you to pop over to the 'Simply Steampunk' blog and have a look at the DT's creations - they're really wonderful and full of inspiration and then over to 'Simply B' to have a good look at the lovely Betty Robert's digis.
You'll be glad you did!

Hugs
Ei x

Left of Centre Challenge 24 - Meijen's 'Cute v Creepy'

...well the theme this week has a schizophrenic twist...! Is it cute or is it creepy...? I can't tell! And there are some really cute & creepy demos over at LOC this week - I can tell you!

Mine is Meijen's 'Nibbles the Cat'.  

Cute but kinda creepy - yeah...?

Materials:-
8"X 8" prepared card.
Tim Holtz Dusty Concord Distress inkpad
Meijens image printed onto Ryman's 200gsm coated white card.
Copics Sketch markers
DCWV Pet stack cardstock approx 18.5 x 11.5 cm (plus scrap to cut four kitties from).
LLB foil cardstock  18.5 x 8.5 cm
Lenght of black grosgrain ribbon.
Bulldog clip
Brad in shape of a paw
Adhesive
Black card 18.5cm x 8.5cm
Black card 18.5 x 11.5 cm


Method
Colour Meijen's image with markers of choice.  
I used YR18, YR15 YR09,  YR04
N5, N7, C1 C00
RV34
YG06, YG07, YG00
BV31, BV13, V25

Using the inkpad, distress the edges of the prepared card unevenly.
Trim the foil card with deckle-edge scissors just smaller all round and adhere with choice of adhesive (I used a tape-runner) to corresponding black card.
Do the same with the Pet Stack cardstock and the other piece of black card.
Adhere the Pet stack mat on the card to the right hand side of the prepared card, keeping margins equal.
Adhere the LLB mat to the left hand side keeping margins equal also.
Adhere the ribbon with DS tape along the bottom of the card.
Cut some kitties out of the scraps of Pet Stack and adhere to the ribbon with foam squares.
Clip the image to the bulldog clip and attach by the brad.

I hope you like my Scaredy Cat - please do pop over to the LOC blog and join in!
Hugs
Ei x


I am also entering this card in the following challenges:-

http://www.thehousethatstampsbuilt.com/designers-choice-challenge/dcc129-here-kitty-kitty-kitty/

.....just a little reminder...! ;)

Over at LOC, there is still time to enter your project for the challenge!
Do pop over there and have a look - the DT have made some very inspirational projects and the theme is 'Scary Stories' or you can just enter something a little dark and quirky!
My demo card (in the previous post) is up there too.

We have a super celebration coming up in March - our Blogaversary! And for that, we will have a whole host of projects for you to look at and a lot of new sponsors will be represented - well worth a look!

Be back soon with more projects - too busy just now - spring-cleaning and re-organizing my craft-room...! ;)
Hugs
Ei x

My first LOC Demo....! Ch 23 - 'Scary Stories'

Today is my first time on the 'Left of Centre' DT and the theme is 'Scary Stories'.

I've chosen 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe and have used paper from 'Ikes' Art' with that title.

Materials:-

 8" x 8" base cardstock - black 
 8" x 8" Magenta Mirri card cut from an A4
 Ike's Art 'The Raven' paper printed off on 200gsm card in negative and colourized magenta
Select one of the Ravens from the paper, blow up in size, print in grey on white card approx 5" x 4".
Stickles to suit
Length of magenta satin ribbon
Three distressed lilac roses and three rose leaves.
Pearl-headed pin.

Method:-
Prepare black base-card (I used two A4's and adhered them with wide DS tape)
Trim 8" x 8" Magenta mirri by 1 cm to make a mat.
Trim 'The Raven' cardstock to just smaller than the magenta mirri.

With the leftovers of the Mirri, use a punch (mine is a Martha Stewart heart border punch) to make a frame for the Raven print.

Colour the Raven print with your choice of medium/colour.  I used two shades of stickles to portray the blue-ish cast from a Raven's plumage.

Slightly distress the background of the Raven print to make it less 'stark'.
I used TH Distress inkpads in Crushed Olive and Peeled Paint.

I adhered the magenta Raven print card onto the magenta mirri with my ATG tape gun then mounted this via foam squares onto the base-card.

Next, I adhered, with my ATG, the Raven print onto the magenta mirri punched border and then mounted the whole via foam squares onto the magenta Raven print card.

Finish off with the distressed roses.

If you only have ordinary ones you can distress them either with inkpads or, like me, singe them with a lighter! Take care with this last - there can be fumes!
I use Pinflair gel glue to adhere these and the bow of ribbon.
Last of all, when the bow is in place, if liked, use the pin through the knot.

Do pop over to the blog and see what the rest of the team have dreamed up and why not have a go yourself..?  

We have a blogaversary coming up soon too so keep an eye out for the celebrations!

Hugs Ei x

Clean and Simple

I love to go back over styles I haven't used for a while - and my natural style is usually anything but CAS!

So, I was spurred into action by my old teamies at Tip Top Tuesday with their demos for a CAS project and came up with this.

I've used the template for the bow kindly provided by their designer and think it looks fab!

I love the subtle calm look of these lovely vintage papers too but had a job refraining from using a die or two....! LOL!

Clean and Simple is what the theme is and Clean and Simple is what it is!

Hugs
Ei x 

Challenge 01/14 Have you Got.....? Crafty - White on White

One of my favourite themes is white on white. It always looks classy and lends itself to a shabby chic feel so I've chosen it for our first theme of 2014.

'Have You Got...? Crafty' is my crafty group on Facebook. It's not a selling group but one where you can request or ask for an item or source stash and one of the things asked for in 2013 was 'MOJO!'  So, the best thing for mojo, as we all know, is a challenge.

Here's my demo card for it.

I've used this style many times in the past but I think I've been heavily influenced by a very talented card maker by the name of Inger for this one!  I can no longer find her blog (it was bookmarked in my pc that blew up!) because I can't remember her surname but I remember her style as being very beautiful, feminine and chic.   If I manage to find her again I'll link her up.

There is a small prize for the winner of my little challenge and if anyone would like to join in on here - please feel free!

Hugs
Ei x

LOC Challenge 22 - New Beginnings

Today is the new Challenge on my new DT over at 'Left Of Centre'.  I'm not in this one but I thought I'd still let you know about it so you can pop over, have a little shufti and, perhaps, enter a project.

The theme, appropriately, is 'New Beginnings' and if you check out the blog, you will see all the beautiful cards made by my new teamies!

I'll be in the next one - already made my demo card - and it's a super change for me so I hope you will all pop over and cheer us on!


I've also had a little time over the holiday to do a bit of sketching and played with my pastels and chalks on New Year's Eve whilst sitting with the OH in the living-room.

This is my pup Lola having a snooze on the couch. She's lying on half-a dozen cushions which she painstakingly re-arranged to her own comfort before snuggling down for a good sleep!  Normally, I'd have a photo to show you to compare but because she was soooo sleepy and still for so long, I managed to do this one as a life (...or should that be STILL life...!) study.  

She'd been on a long walk up Moel Famau with my husband, son and my son's Labrador and they were ALL exhausted and slept like logs afterwards.

I did a couple of other pastel sketches too and was pleasantly surprised by the outcomes as I've never really used pastels before. They were particularly good for Lola as you can actually draw in white - all white or all black dogs are a nightmare to draw!

Off to make some more.... well, not sure yet, but SOMETHING! lol!  Bound to be messy whatever it is!
Hugs
Ei x

New DT

Just a quickie to let you all know I got into the Left Of Centre Design Team! :D

Rather pleased with myself - and looking forward to some regular crafting which, hopefully, will stretch what's left of my creativity!

The button on my sidebar, takes you to the blog as will any reference to LOC that is highlit.

You will, however, have to put up with me 'mispelling' 'center' as 'centre'.
I'm English. That's all! LOL!

Hugs
Ei x