Sparkly Art Deco Box - Spellblogger post for Spellbinders

Hello! 

I'm back with another Spellblogging post for Spellbinders
and this time I've a box to share with you

I do enjoy making boxes! For this project I made my own box and luid, then used a beautiful Art Deco inspired die set to decorate it. The beauty of this die set is that you can use these dies in various ways, including making a background for your project, rather like that on last week's Spellblogger card.

There is a Spellbinders Steel Rule die which cuts a beautiful box to use with this and a few other 'inserts', but I don't have it (yet!), so I made this box myself using a strip of folded card (there is a join as my card wasn't long enough for the full length I needed) for the 'walls' then separate pieces for the base and the lid.

I cut squares from each face of the box before I folded it up, then cut 2 each of a couple of the Art Deco inserts (you get three) and the plain rounded square piece in gold card to fit over the apertures.

Next the glitter card panels were glued on the inside, and the box folded and glued together.

I cut a plain square into the lid piece (before forming it into shape, and added a square of the glitter card to the reverse.  I cut a smaller square of geld card, with an even smaller square cut from it on the diagonal to decorate the top of the lid. the feather shapes were created from the third of the insert panel dies. The gold ribbon was slotted through a slit made in the centre and th messy bits covered with another square of blue card on the inside of the lid

 Materials
Blue card for main box and lid
Gold card
Turquoise Glitter card

Gold Lurex ribbon

Here's the Spellbinders die set I've used this time

Art Deco Divine Deco Shapeabilities Etched Dies

I also used:

Platinum Die Cutting and Embossing Machine

And this is the Art Deco Box Forte Contour Steel Rule Die that is now on my Wish List.  It cuts up to 8 layers on each pass!

That's it for this time, I hope you like it and would love to hear what you think.  Thank you for visiting, if you click on This Link  you'll find yourself at the Spellbinders store where you will be tempted by lots of lovely dies, stamps and much much more!

Happy Crafting

Blended Backgrounds

Hello 

How was your week?  I feel as thought I've been running in circles this week, and failing to get much of my list ticked off - which isn't geat when the list grows so fast!
This week on the Daring Cardmakers Nat asked us to make some blended backgrounds to use on our cards, and I was looking forward to spending some time playing and experimenting - but in the end only had time for one aquick session and making one background. Mind you, at least it was big enough for making two cards - though there's just the one done so far.

Here's what Nat says:

DIY blended backgrounds.

The recent Distress Oxide releases have made it much more appealing for me to create blended backgrounds of my own rather than just use patterned paper. There are so many pretty colours that work together and so many possibilities for projects. I've finally started using my Distress Inks for more than just stamping.
If you have inks, paints, pastels, crayons in your stash then it's time to get them out and get creative! Sky-inspired backgrounds are always a winner, but the possibilities don't end there.
I look forward to seeing your take on this challenge!
To get you started, CLICK HERE to visit the blog and see what the design team came up with this week:

Info:

I used a separate piece of card to make my inky background, and used various Distress Inks and other inks, blended with a wet wipe.  There's black, purple, midnight blue and a more turquoise blue in there, plus a little hint of silver.

Once it was dry I stencilled over it using a Memory Box stencil and silver Sparkle Medium.  I wanted to use the white 'Diamond' version, but the tiny bit that was left in the pot had dried up.  (so, of course, I went shopping mid-card.....)

The finished background was cut down and a piece of black card cut to fit over it, and when fixed to a white square card blank would leave a lower border of the white showing

An oval aperture wad die-cut in the black layer, and some dimensional tape added around the edge.

Next I cut 'Building a Snowman' from white glitter paper and adhered to the background piece before fixing the black panel over the top. I cut the little bird on the top of the tree out in brown and added a little red glitter glue to make hi more robin like (he doesn't really show up very well so I think I may have lost the plot a bit there?  I added some tiny 'baubles'  and some little holly leaves with gems for berries, and used Stickles Glitter Glue in black, orange and red to add some extra details and colour

'believe' is from the Naughty or Nice Holiday 2017 Die D Lites Die set and was cut using red glitter card

I added various red and white glittery punched and die cut snowflakes to finish the sentiment panel

Building a Snowman Holiday 2017 by Sharyn Sowell Shapeabilities  Etched Dies

 

That's it for today.  My fingers are week and truly crossed that the parcel I've been waiting for turns up today.  The postie arrived nearing various packages for my yesterday, but obviously not the one I've been looking out for all week.  Please come today.....

I really hope you'll join in with Nat's challenge this week, we'd love to see what you make

Anyway, thank you for visiting, please leave a message before you go 😉

The Most Wonderful Time

Hello.- I hope your Tuesday is going well

Just a quick post today you'll be glad to hear, I'm sure!

I've a Black and Gold Christmas card to share today suing The Sketch File's October LO.  A few years back I had a black and silver theme for our Christmas tree and other decor and it looked fabulous - now I think I may have to add Black and Gold to my list of combos to try - not this year though because I've already decided on something.....

Anyway, here's my card

Info

Black Stardream card base

Gold card and  Gold Glitter card

Red gemsMost Wonderful Time Holiday Stamp by Spellbinders 

Star dies by Memory Box

This Sketch

I'm not convinced I got this right.  I don't particularly like the gold border but I sat there, stuck for what to do and this was the best I could come up with at the time.  I'm sure you have days like that too!

Anyway, that's it for this time, thank you for popping by

Rose Trellis - Spellblogger post for Spellbinders

Hello there! 

I'm back with another Spellblogging post for Spellbinders

I do love making flowers, and my aunt's birthday was the perfect reason to
combine making paper roses with some beautiful dies.  The trellis background is actually part of a set that makes a pretty little mini book - and as I love making little books too, I'll be needing to use the set for it's intended use soon, I think

I simply taped my chosen topper die from the
Vintage Elegance Filigree Booklet by Becca Feeken (there are 2 designs in the set) onto the the piece of white card cut to fit my card front, and cut it out using my Spellbinders Platinum machine
I also cut a couple of the pretty Flower Lace Borders, and overlapped them to make the edging for the white panel.
I added the red satin ribbon around the lower edge then adhered the panel to the card base using foam tape. The ribbon bow was then glued in place with strong glue!

 The red background card has a lovely pearlescent effect, and came in a pack with matching envelopes - so I used the envelopes to make the roses 
They were cut with the wonderful Cinch and Go Flowers 1 die set.  I inked the reverse of each petal with red ink before forming the roses
The Happy Birthday sentiment is from Classic Spellbinders Special Birthday Sentiments Stamps

 Materials
Pearlescent card and paper from envelopes
White textured card
Satin ribbon

Here are the Spellbinders dies and stamps I've used this time, with links so you can find them in the store 

Vintage Elegance Filigree Booklet Shapeabilities Etched Dies

Amazing Paper Grace by Becca Feeken

 

Flower Lace Borders Shapeabilities Etched Dies

 Timeless Heart Collection by Marisa Job

 Cinch and Go Flowers set 1  Shapeabilities Etched Dies Amazing Paper Grace by Becca Feeken

 

 Classic Spellbinders Special Birthday Sentiments Stamps

 

Platinum Die Cutting and Embossing Machine

That's it for this time - thank you for visiting, if you click on This Link  you'll find yourself at the Spellbinders store where you will be tempted by lots of lovely dies, stamps and much much more!

Happy Crafting

City, or Country at heart? Or maybe neither......

Hello 

I'm back home after a long weekend up north with my family on the Northumberland coast,  The weather wasn't great, actually it was plain weird some of the time, but it just felt good to be back by the sea - which meant that when I came home and sat down on Thursday to make my card for the Daring Cardmakers I knew that neither of Miri's "Are you a city girl? Or a country girl?" options was right for me! I don't mind the odd foray away for a City Break, and the Country is ok to look at and admire the view, but when it comes down to it it's got to be the seaside for me! 

 Are you a city girl? Or a country girl?

What do you like about (living in) the city or the country?
Neon lights, public transport, lots of people, high buildings and a diverse night-life make you happy?
Or do you need nature, calm, being outside and maybe having your own piece of ....green?

You can see where the 'spiritual homes of the
 DT are HERE

 So maybe I've cheated a bit with my card this week, but Miri doesn't mind so that's ok, isn't it?  😉

Info:

I decided to try for more of an 'echo' of the seaside than go for images and die-cuts, so I made a panel using lots of different kinds of fibres.

I covered the strip of card with aqua coloured paper to start with, then wound it with various fibres - I was trying to evoke the movement of the waves and how the light changes the colours.

There are lots of different kinds of fibres in here - I have a big box full of them, so it was good to actually use some!

The fibre panel was glued to the DL card blank, then pieces of 3D sticky tape adhered around the edge of the card.

For the frame I just cut the right size aperture from another piece of card and fitted it over the 3D tape

The sentiment was pc generated and adhered with another piece of 3D tape

I was born in a seaside village and this is a photo of my 'home' beach.  When I was a Primary School teacher in Hertfordshire, about as far from the sea as you can get I'd often tell the children how my mum would meet me from school and we'd go down to the beach - the children would be wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the very thought of being able to do that!  My playground was the sand, and the rock pools and I loved it.  I love the sea when it's calm and sunny and beautiful, and I love it when its moody and dark, wild and angry too.

 And that is quite enough waffle for one day!  I really hope you'll join in and show us the environment you feel at your best in, we'd love to see how it can inspire a card!

Anyway, thank you for visiting, please leave a message 😉

Sparkly Thanks - Bubbly Funk Through the Letterbox

Hello!

The very first  “Bubbly Funk Through the Letterbox” boxes of goodies are now on their way to those who got in quickly with their orders!

Today, on the BLOG I'm sharing one of my October Letterbox projects - it's this bright and glittery Thank you card

Info:

From the October Letterbox Box  I used:

Die cut Paper Flowers

Black chipboard swirly flourish

Clear Gems

Extras from my Stash:

Die cut background in yellow card, Glamour Dust,  Yellow Gems

The photo below shows the contents of the October BOX

As you can see, there’s a lovely, coordinated mix of goodies – you’ll find beads, fabric, die cuts and chipboard to name just a few of the treasures within!

Thank you for visiting. 

Happy Crafting

Halloween Treat Bag and Tag - Spellblogger for Spellbinders

Hello there! 

I'm back with another Spellblogging post for Spellbinders

The Skull n' Crossbones die set was one of those I added to my basket in the recent BOGOF (Buy One, get One Free) offer in the
Spellbinders store recently - what a great way to acquire a whole raft of fab dies!

It'll be great for pirate-themed cards and projects, but as it's October, it was only right to try something with a Halloween theme.  I'd had an idea for a little treat bag and thought I'd put the two things together for this little project

 Info
Card in Orange, Purple, Black and White
Cord and ribbon to fasten closed
Renaissance Jubilee Label 56  Nestabilities
Skull n' Crossbones Holiday 2017 Die D Lites 
Cellophane or tissue to wrap the threats in!

I used the largest of the Renaissance Jubilee Label 56 dies for the bag, it's a simple crease, fold and punch some holes for twine or ribbon, thing, then wrap the goodies in a cellophane bag or piece of tissue and pop them inside.
Here's where to make the folds

The tag is made in two pieces.  

The Skull n' Crossbones Holiday 2017

are cut in white and adhered  to the black tag, then the word BEWARE which is also part of the die set was cut in black then adhered first to a piece of orange card and then to a strip of purple to match the ribbon and tissue paper

Here are the  Spellbinders die sets I've used this time, with links so you can find them in the store 

Skull n' Crossbones Holiday 2017 
 Die D Lites Etched Dies

Renaissance Jubilee Label 56 
Nestabilities Etched Dies by Stacey Caron

That's it for this time - thank you for visiting, if you click on This Link  you'll find yourself at the Spellbinders store where you will be tempted by lots of lovely dies, stamps and much much more!

Happy Crafting

Rainbow of Roses

Hello 

I know I've said it before, but these Fridays do come around quickly, don't they? This one has started off a  bit damp, but if 'they' are to be believed we're going to have some unseasonably warm weather this weekend. 

Anyway, time for some crafting I think! Today is Daring Cardmakers Day and we've this one to play with

This week it's Sharon's turn to set the new challenge and it's got absolutely nothing to do with the strong reds, yellows and oranges of Autumn, but it is colour-based.

Pastel Rainbow

I would love to see a beautiful rainbow on your cards this time - but made from pastel colours.

You can check out the soft and pretty array of pastel rainbow shades
 from the DT HERE

 

Well I thought for ages about what to do, without coming up with any ideas I wanted to try.  In the end I thought that maybe a rainbow shape created from flowers in the colours of the rainbow wmight work

Info:

Smooth white card blank plus extra of the same for the upper panel and the sentiment circle

Blue paper for matting

Coloured card for roses and leaves

Green organza ribbon

Small matching pearls

Plain and scalloped circles die sets from Tonic Studios

Stamped sentiment by  Spellbinders; Tiny Sentiments Stamp from the Happy Grams #3 

I used a couple of similar die plates for the flowers - both cut multi shapes on one pass so are ideal when you need a few all the same size.

One is by Cheery Lynn and the other Brittania Dies

 I thought I'd share a photo of my works space with the flowers as a Work in Progress. As you can see, I'm not a tidy crafter there are things leftover from old projects and some bits from other WiP projects as well as the flowers.  But you can see things like the die plates and my ball tools (the two all stainless steel ones are from a sugarcraft online shop), glue pot, bamboo skwere and needle tool

I use those clean bottle-type caps as holders for the flowers while glue dries

My shaping mat is the pink thing in the lower left corner, I also have a thicker one which is better but has gone AWOL atm!

The ides in the top left corner are for a completely different project, just in case you were wondering

So, there you go, a little insight into my crafting space for you - are you shocked at the mess?  Even if you aren't, you would be if I showed the whole desk top!

Anyway, thank you for visiting, please leave a message 😉