Great new products from Creative Expressions

This will have to be a short and sweet post as my internet is not working and I’m waiting for an engineer to come out on Saturday. It’s very frustrating. I’m currently tethering my connection from my phone which is very VERY slow.  So here goes....only taken two hours to upload!

For the design team this month Creative Expressions has sent us the gorgeous Doily die from Couture Creations and some fab Cosmic Shimmer texture paste.  I can see that these are going to be well used, they’re great! The texture paste comes in a whole host of colours too, with some metallic ones as well.

In the card below I’ve used the lovely Doily Die, it’s a thin die and works in all die cutting machines.

The sentiment is from the Special Sentiments stamp set from Creative Expressions too.

 Hopefully by next week, we’ll be all sorted and I’ll be back online.

Michelle x

Delicate Asters for a Special Friend

This month's stamps from Creative Expressions have been such a joy to use, this week I've made a lovely pink card for a special fiend, and those Delicate Asters flower stamps are the perfect simple addition to set this card off. 

I used Picked Raspberry Distress ink around the edge of the card and used Ranger's lovely Adirondack brights pigment ink on the pink flowers and red gold Brilliance ink on the orange flowers.

I used the 'Stamps to Die For' Blossoming Frame with the pink ink and the Sentiment is from the Special Sentiments stamp set from Creative Expressions in the middle of the frame.

I've used a ridge textured card to stamp onto and the Distress ink really shows up the texture around the edges. 

Pigment inks usually get pushed to the back of the drawer these days, but I've enjoyed playing with their bright colours again.

Have a good week.

Michelle xx

Father's day card for Creative Expressions

Since going to Ally Pally there's been a certain kind of buzz in the air on Twitter and Facebook with all the people we met up with. They're not just words on comments any more, you can see their faces and mannerisms and you feel like you know them that little bit more. I love it, we need more big events so we can meet up more.

Father's day is on the 16th of June this year, and that's not too far away, so I've got ahead of myself and made this grungy painty card. 

I have racks of card stock but I hardly ever use it, I find myself more and more making my own backgrounds with lots of layers, especially when it comes to male themes, it's just easier to make your own. Here's how I made mine.

I started off making a background of brown acrylic paints on good quality card and dried it with a heatgun.

Then I smudged some Vaseline on the dried paint, in vertical strokes, concentrating it on the edges mostly.

Then I painted some cream coloured paint over the top, taking care not to drag the Vaseline. I used the end of my paint brush to make lines in the paint like floorboards.

Wait for the paint to dry, don't use a heat gun or it will melt the Vaseline.

Paint over the top of the cream with some blue paint. When the blue is dry, wipe off the Vaseline with a kitchen towel, to get the distressed paint look.

When all the paint is dry, cut down the paper to the size of your card and start layering the stamps and stencilling for the background.

I've used stamps from Tim Holtz classic collection for the background. I really like the contrast of the white text on the blue and the brown areas.

The car stamp is the Singles stamp by Sam Poole for Creative Expressions. A great stamp for male themes.

I finished off the card by putting some Cast Bronze Gilding Wax (Creative Expressions), on my finger and rubbing it on the card in vertical and horizontal movements. Then edging the background with a black Adirondack Dabber.

I really enjoy making my own backgrounds because then they're completely unique.

It looks like the sun has definitely got his hat on this weekend!

I'll be out in the garden doing some much needed weeding, and going for a nice bike ride along the beach. 

Hope you have a great weekend, I wonder what you'll be getting up to?

Take care

Michelle xx

Two hearts in love for Creative Expressions

There's love in the air, as I went to a gorgeous wedding last Saturday and I've been making a table plan this week for a friend who is getting married next Saturday. So I had love on my mind when I was making a card  for Creative Expressions this week.

 I couldn't resist the Damask Heart Singles Stamp, inked with TH DI Pumice Stone and Antique Linen.

I did an offset with the same colours on the word "Love".

On the Kraft card I used the Beaded Swirl singles stamp with some Copper Bronze Lustre embossing powder. I love this EP, it has such a beautiful colour.

I finished off the card by putting two little gingham bows on the hearts and two heart gems in the centre of the bows, then added the butterfly charm too.

I love making little cards like this.

Quick and pretty.

Well done to Mrs Duck who won on my blog for the Creative Expressions blog hop last week. Congratulations xx

I'm off to Ally Pally tomorrow, a very early start for me 6am! But we'll have a great day.

Hope to catch up with some of you.

Michelle xx

Weeds can be loved for Creative Expressions

I've been a poorly blogger hence the missing posts for a couple of weeks. But the good news is I think I'm back on the road to recovery, and therefore back on the blog!  I have lots of crafty things to post. So watch this space!

We've been given a bumper package of goodies from Creative Expressions this month and I have a head full of ideas to make with them. Here is my first using the wonderful new stencil from That Special Touch - Daisy Silhouette. I've used Dylusions Inks through the Daisy stencil on a book page, I love that grungy speckled look. I edged the page with Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo Distress Ink, then got the sewing machine out and ran a straight stitch around the edge twice.

I backed the book page with black card and stamped out a sentiment onto white card and cut it out. I then edged the words with Vintage Photo DI, and then edged it again with a black Adirondack Dabber.

I wrapped the bottom of the book page in string and attached a small garden trowel charm.  

 Keep your eyes peeled for some exciting news going up on the Creative Expressions blog and Facebook page next week, it involves blog hops and lots of prizes!

Have a fantastic weekend, mine is going to be very exciting, but I'll tell you more about that next week!

Ta ta

Michelle

Dreams make a home

For this weeks Creative Expressions project I decided to get the sewing machine out.

I stamped a piece of cotton fabric with one of the wonderful Art Houses designed by Sam Poole.

I coloured it in using Promarkers then cut around the house. I frayed the edges and then stitched it with a zig zag stitch around the outside of the house. I stitched a straight stitch around the door.

I distressed the edge of the card with Mustard Seed and Barn Door Distress Ink, with a final finish edge of Black Soot. I also did a straight stitch around the card twice.

I stuck the fabric to the card with high tack double sided sticky tape.

I finished off the inside of the card with some Tim Holtz Retro Grunge paper, also edge in the same Distress ink colours as the card. The sentiment is using Tim Holtz Chit Chat words, and I drew a stich pattern around the edge of the words with a black pen.

There's something really homely about stitching on cards, I like it.

******************

It's been a while since I did a Felix update.

We rescued little Felix in August last year.

He's grown up so much since then, even after we snipped and chipped him and he still loves his cuddles, 

the big softee.

Here he is cuddling his favourite toy whilst falling asleep.  

This toy gets the most battering even though its his favourite!

The weather is feeling decidedly more Spring like lately, lets hope it stays that way.

Probably not though knowing our weather.

Michelle xx

Life is wonderful card

I've been out of the loop for a few days with a bad shoulder, but hopefully will be back to full capacity very soon.

I'm all excited too because Hels Sheridan is coming up to the North East in July and I've booked classes. The classes are only 2 minutes away too, bonus! I could even have a gin and craft if I wanted to! lol.....but I won't do that, I'll be good and have wine instead! I'm looking forward to it so much.

Oh I'm also very excited to share with you some fabulous new stamps from Creative Expressions, its the new Art Houses stamp set by Sam Poole. Oh I love em! I've made a grungy painty card below, and used some Shrink Plastic on the sentiment too.

I stamped a 5"x 5" card blank with a text stamp in different shades of brown and a blue Distress inks (DI). I distressed the edges of the card with Gathered Twigs DI.  Then I coloured the house with Promarkers and layered up the roof and the heart....(I'm not saying decoupage, you can't make me!).

I love how the Shrink Plastic works so well on this sentiment! 

I backed it with a little piece of card that I had distressed around the edges with Festive Berries DI.

I edged the top with some white paint too.

I used Tim Holtz Grunge Board elements around the card, using flourishes, the crown, the keys, the wings and the keyhole. I painted them brown (wings cream), then added a little bit of red and finished them off with a little bit of white paint brushed over the top.

 

Love those Grunge Board keys

Keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for some really exciting news I can't wait to share with you.

Involving new stamps from PaperArtsy

I've been having a play and I'll be revealing all the new designs and 4 projects I've made with them.

Have a great weekend.

Michelle xx

Love is for friends too this loving season!

I can still find a million uses for our amazing stamps we got for Creative Expressions this month. Valentines was the theme with our Hearts Entwined stamp set, but Valentines is not just for our loving other halves, it could also mean an outpouring of love for our dearest friends too!......Maybe a tad over the top saying outpouring......but our friends are always there for us and they should not be forgotten in this loving season!

So here is my statement of affection for my dearest friend using the Special Sentiments stamp set.

I cut a square of pearl card and rounded the corners.

I used an applicator tool and inked up the centre of the card with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink. Then distressed the edges of the card with Gathered Twigs distress ink, on both the pearl card and on my Kraft card.

I had some ink left on my craft mat and did one little spritz of water to make little droplets of colour on the craft mat. I turned over my pearl card with the inked side faced down I picked up some of the droplets of ink and dried them with the heat gun. This produces the lovely mottled ink look. One of Tim's mega great techniques, which I love.

I used a dry brush and brushed over some horizontal and vertical streaks of white paint, just for more added interest and layers. They tuen pink with the ink, and I like that.

I then used a black Adirondack Dabber to edge the pearl card.

I used some blue Maroon Aurora Cosmic Shimmer embossing powder to emboss the heart on kraft card then tore around the edges and distressed with Gathered Twigs DI.

I used Cherry - Ice Stickles glue in the centre of the heart, to bling it up.

I used Creative Expressions metal leaves which are normally a brass colour but I used a silver Distress Stain to change the colour from brass to a distressed silver. Love this! Then I hung a little girl charm on holding a heart.

I shall be popping this one in the post on Monday. Just to let my bezzie friend know she's wonderful!

Have a lovely weekend. 

Michelle xx

A simple Good Luck card

I'm feeling sorry for myself right now, got a horrible cold :(   So I think a bit of painty therapy might be in order for the day. Or a background day. I like making backgrounds in my journal, you don't have to think too much about it, just start picking things up and playing.

I made this a couple of weeks ago for a friend and only just got it up on the blog. It's a nice simple card that says it all. Sometimes those are the best.

Lovely sparkly Stickles on the butterfly.

Now I'm going to crawl into a corner.........ahtissue....sneezing and coughing. 

Are you wearing an invisible crown?

Time for a non-Christmassy crafty project, it's actually a refreshing change right now. A little bit of calm in a sea of Christmas bedlam. This background was made from the "If the crown fits" stamp set from Creative Expressions. I love the versatility of these stamps, I can think of loads of ways of using them.

You can really see the white snow cap dabber paint stamped with the flourish stamp here.

I've used: -

Tattered Rose, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo Distress inks

Adirondack Dabber - Snow cap 

Tim Holtz flourish, Roman Print stamps

Gold florist wire

Crochet ribbon

Pink glitter

Bow charm

Halloween Antics 2012

Halloween has always been a big affair in our house, because it's my son's birthday on the 31st. It's great because I'm never stuck for a theme for the party! Although the party is much less chaotic these days now he's 22 but we still carve our pumpkins, get dressed up, decorate the front of the house and get tons of sweets in to hand out to the kids. The kids love it, they always say "it's propa mint this house!"

We like to make the effort, it's a whole lot of fun. Here's our effort for this year.

Here's the big spider web on the front of the house!

Some of our snacks, hotdog mummies.

We used szechuan pepper corns for eyes.

Me and my ghost

I've been trying to find our pictures from previous years, and I found these two from 2010.

This is when Sack Boy from Little Big Planet was all over the place.

And a blog post wouldn't be the same without some crafting now would it!

Well it's been a very busy week, with two important birthdays and a works night out, now it's time to get back in the craft room and get into the Christmas spirit.

Hope you all had a great week, if you got up to anything spooky this week, tell me about it?

mwahh ahh ahh ahh

Michelle x

Hiding Pumpkin Cats Stampotique card

Well the weather has turned decidedly colder this week and I feel the winter chill fast approaching. It was time to buy the de-icer for the car and fish out my hat and scarf for the cold dark drive to work every morning. The clocks went back last night so the mornings will be lighter, but not for long. I'll be going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark soon, so I'm pleased I have daylight bulbs in the craft room to keep me chirpy through the winter months until Spring arrives.

If I keep making cheeky little cards like this though I'll be a happy bunny until the sunshine is back.

I'm entering this card into the Stampotique challenge this week where you take inspiration from one of their design team members and my inspiration for this card, you guessed it, would be very reminiscent of Kate Crane's style.

I love these Stampotique stamps, the pumpkins just make me smile lots and the cats just look so cheeky.

I love seeing them hiding behind the pumpkins

 I've used Dylusions inks, Stampotique's (pumpkins and cats), TH spider-web, The Stamp Man's spiders and Artistic Outpost's hanging bat stamps. I used Gold Ice Stickles on the spider-web to make it glisten with dew.

This card just makes me feel happy.

Have a great relaxing Sunday.

Michelle x