TIM'S 12 TAGS OF CHRISTMAS 2010 - #11

I wonder how many of us thought to make foam stamps from Tim's Alterations dies. I certainly didn't. It makes spending all that money on them worth while twice over.
This tag wasn't hard, just a bit fiddly, mainly for me because I don't have any ornate plates so had to make something up from the charms I had.

First of all though, I made the snowflake foam stamp. I have several sheets of funky foam, bought years and years ago when I first started crafting. I've almost given it away umpteen times. How glad am I now that I didn't. I really liked the way Tim used this stamp and I reckon it's a technique I shall use many times more.

Again, luckily I have the pine tree die so the tag was easy. I followed all Tim's instructions and tried really hard to cut the snowy tree at the same parts too. Not difficult but a bit tricky to see some of the edges through the home made glittery flower soft.
I stuck the 2 metal corners onto the 2 titchy square frames using multi matt medium. Normally I would have used glossy accents, but after Tim saying that he always uses the medium for metal, I did the same. It's really stuck so that's another fab tip.

Another enjoyable crafting session.

Just off to link this to both Artyjen and  the Artistic Stamper blogs.

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT - SNOW

Pop over to the SCD blog for details of this week's challenge - Snow.
I missed the last couple of challenges but had this one in mind to do anyway, so it fits perfectly.

This is the last of the large cards that Sonia kindly gave me and I've loved using them.
The base is brown corrugated card generously smeared with gesso, fine glitter, white flower soft and some gorgeous Martha Stewart stars glitter. It took ages to dry though. The red card is simply torn and stamped with Tim's snowflake and snowman stamps in Brilliance moonlight white. The letters are coloured with gold dabber and are grungeboard in different fonts.
The gorgeous Tim pine tree was die cut and coloured with forest moss DI. I dried this with a heat gun before adding some gesso for snow. However, this morning was a shock because the snow had turned green! I started again and added some flower soft but that turned green too! As a last resort I lavishly applied frosted lace stickles. It's not quite dry yet but still looks green to me.
The picket fence is Tim's on the edge die as I adore this one. I cut it from grunge paper - as the tree - coloured it with brushed corduroy DI and gave it the gesso, flower soft and glitter treatment. This has stayed white!
An embellishment and aged mahogony DI round the edge finished it off.

I KNOW FOR A FACT IT'S NOT WOYWW TIME

In my understanding, WOYWW translates into What's on Your Worksdesk Wednesday.
Having had a really good look at my year planner, Wednesday is supposed to be the 10th November this week, am I correct? That makes last Friday the 5th - bonfire night - yes? Well, as fireworks went off round here on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, that would make Monday the 6th, Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th. So, is it really Wednesday or just Monday??????? or have I actually found the reason why these woyww's come round so quickly!!
Having completely smudged my brain - which isn't hard! - I took some photos whilst the light permitted.

Ok, this isn't my little work space, it's the dining table, or to give it it's true description, 'peg leg's' computer space - see it on the left! - where I set up my Copics ready to colour a stamped Magnolia image. Can't believe it, but the sun was shining!

This is some of the mess in my room. I wanted to make a black, white and red Xmas card so I had a rummage through my 'posh' paper drawer and found some Magenta papers and the gorgeous embossed one you see in the picture.
I'd seen  some card samples where round punched backings were used and really liked the effect. However, I don't have any punches that would create a circle punched design, so I bought a really cheap bag of doilies. Cost 79p!!!!! for 45 in 3 sizes - total bargain.

I also went on the search for some - get this - white, spirally, flower-like, spiky things to go on my 'cute' Xmas cards. Not a chance, been everywhere. Thought - make some. I have some white flower soft, wire, glue, glitter etc., so set to and made 3. One was complete rubbish, but the other 2 weren't bad. I used them on the finished card.

Can you see them on the right?
I edged the doilies with some fired brick DI to take the creaminess off 'cos I wanted to maintain white. The card is another given to me by Sonia last week - goodness, last week already - and is about 7.5" sq. The wire bead on the left is miles long in it's packet and only cost £1.50! What a bargain eh?


Well, the cute is over for a while, I'm making grungy now before the boring stuff of matting and layering toppers for multi output.
I tried hard to get round as many of you as I could last week, but time was so against me. I'll do my best again this week. On a little personal note, 'peg leg' has a date of 23rd Nov for his knee operation. Just hope his blood pressure has gone down enough by then.

SCD - 1950s

Well, a little bit of mojo came back this week, in between more jobs outside, and I managed to complete a very special birthday card for my eldest step-daughter who we haven't seen for around 8years. A lovely moment when we bumped into her a couple of weeks ago. I'll leave it there suffice to say we all appear to be contented and happy.

Anyway, this weeks challenge over at Something Completely Different, is 1950s.  Still using the monthly theme of ARCHES, I finally came up with this........

Unfortunately, I can actually remember some bits of the 50s. Having been born at the end of 1948, the 50s were my infant days and I lived with my parents and grandparents for the first 4 1/2yrs before moving to a new house for the next 7. The music of the day for me was probably more of the old 'uns like Bing Crosby, but I do remember Bill Haley and Rock Around the Clock. With that song in mind I made my arch!!!

The base is mount board cut to shape and distressed with pumice stone (another pun on rock there!!!) I then stamped the clock, outlined the edge in glossy accents and added a couple of spinners held with a long brad. Having cut a lot of flowers from grungepaper I was left with awkward bits, and not wanting to throw then away, I cut out 'rock' shapes and coloured them with - wait for it Gez - mushroom dabber. I stuck these around the clock with glossy accents and then added some flower soft to the cracks and a little ladybird. The words are created with a dymo, black on clear tape.

This technique was one I learnt on Lindsay Mason's fairy doors workshop. I had fun again.

FAIRY DOOR

I was so tired yesterday after a really exciting and most enjoyable day on Saturday. I met my friend, Sonia at the train station and we 'whisked' our way over to Dawn's for a workshop with the ever so talented, Lindsay Mason.

The theme for this class was 'Fairy Doors'. Lindsay had made some gorgeous examples all of which were different and quite intriguing. The beauty of these little doors is that they can be adapted to suit any occasion and can either be used 'whole' on a card or scrap page, or, made as the card itself. Mine is going to a pal for her birthday in a few days. Hope she likes it.

We began by choosing a shape and then cutting some grungeboard to match. We then used crackle paint on the grunge which we 'tweeked' to resemble wood. Some of us left space around our door to add some rocks whilst others made their door fit exactly. We added hinges, locks, keys, windows, owls, flower soft and allsorts of bits and pieces. It was great fun and again, I learnt new crafty techniques.

I also had a wonderful time nattering and laughing with Sonia and a lovely lady next to me who had come all the way from Nottingham.