Friday 31 July 2015

Divine Thoughts

I have created some cards for the celebration of a life which I would like to share with you today.  They are made using Serif Craft Artist Digi Kit called Divine Thoughts and were a commission for a friend's beloved mother who lived to be 103.  It is her funeral today and although I have never met her I think she is quite remarkable.







Sunday 19 July 2015

Pop Up Card

I heard today that it is just 18 weeks until Christmas!  Not surprising then that crafters are happily making Christmas cards and projects.  

Today I have been making a pop up box card with a nativity scene from Tattered Lace dies.  It has been a real joy to cut out my dies with my new Spellbinders Sapphire machine.  It is perfect for those smaller dies and because of its size and weight, it is very portable.

Here is the end result and I am very pleased with it.  There is a small crib but the angle of the photograph has hidden it from view on the first image so I have taken a second.    Pop up boxes will fold flat for posting and are great fun to make.



Saturday 11 July 2015

A Tivoli Christmas Advent Calendar

I couldn't resist the offer of purchasing a Tonic Forever Moments Tivoli Storage Unit on Create & Craft last week as they were half price.  These first came out last October and I held back then mostly due to the price and also due to lack of experience in these types of projects.    Although useful as a storage solution for those smaller things that seem to get lost in big drawers, the reason for my purchase was to make this work as an advent calendar, something I had always aspired to owning.  Christmas feels that much more special when you fill your home with lots of homemade items.  However, I can see me making use of this all year round if I turn the drawers around and add little drawer handles.

The actual unit is constructed from mdf which simply slots together.  All you need is a little bit of glue which is provided with the project.  I took the advice of leaving off the back panel until I had applied a couple of coats of paint onto the mdf.  This prevented pools of paint forming at the back and was much easier to paint.  I painted the back piece separately and then fitted it on when the paint was dry.  In normal circumstances I would save the painting to last because of the risk of the mdf swelling and then joints not fitting but this didn't seem to be a problem and I was careful when applying paint need the joints.

The drawers are made up of strong cardboard pieces which are ready to glue together and decorate as you wish.    Again, I painted these first before construction to make it easier.  It is surprising how long it takes to apply two coats of paints twice over on 24 little drawers!  Still, I had the TV on in the background which kept me company.  I then sealed my drawers with some Modge Podge to protect from wear and tear before gluing the corners together. 

Finally I decorated each drawer front with paper I had from my Mind’s Eye and numbered them 1 to 24!

Here is a photo of the finished result.










Saturday 4 July 2015

Stencilling

This past week or so I have been looking at new ways of making my cards by using stencils, paint and watercolours.

My inspiration has come from well known artist called Sheena Douglass.  Sheena is a favourite amongst us who watch the Create and Craft shopping channel as she demonstrates that with the right tools and equipment, anyone can be an artist even, if like me, you find it difficult to draw!

Here are some cards I have made using Sheena's stencils, some glossy black stencil dimensional paste (supplier Sweet Poppy), watercolour paint and Adirondack ink.





I was pleased with my first attempt at making my first piece of artwork using stencils.





I used sparkling medium through this stencil and several different colours of Distress Inks blended to create an atmospheric background.




And finally, a postcard from Paris!

Crafty hugs