Wish You Were Here (Postcard) - Craft-Room Challenge DT

Hi, another fortnight has flown by yet again, which means another challenge is launched over at the Craft-Room.  Your "So Sentimental" entries were fabulous, as always.  This time it is the lovely Hazel's turn to choose our theme, and she chose:

Wish You Were Here

(postcards)

This is what Hazel would like us to do:

I'd like you to make a postcard from a holiday destination, it can be from anywhere in the world or perhaps you've been visiting the beach or a historical place. The size of the postcard has to be 6 inches by 4 inches landscape or portrait. You can use any medium to make your postcard - digital postcards are allowed as well. Please no cards, layouts etc. with a postcard on, I just want you to make a postcard.  Any work that doesn't fit the theme will not be entered in the draw.

For my postcard (from Bournemouth!), I used a Crafty Individuals Elements stamp plate (CI-278),  stamped with Archival Ink in Black:

I masked off the puddle around the woman's feet and stamped her directly onto the card.  I then masked her completely and stamped the beach huts behind her, which I also completely masked.  The background sand and sea were coloured with distress inks, then the masks were removed. Leaving the woman and her parasol without colour,  I coloured the beach huts and the woman's hat with SU Watercolour Crayons (Regals) - this is the first time I've used these and I loved them.  I got a nice soft colour when very diluted, but this could be built up really easily to make it a lot stronger.  A white gel pen, smudged while still wet, created the waves, and once the birds were stamped I removed some colour with a wet paintbrush to make the stand out a bit more.

 

We are also looking for Guest Designers over at the Craft-Room, so if this is something which interests you, please add GDT after your name and our lovely Mervi will be in touch with you soon.

 

We are sponsored this fortnight by

 



Click on the banner to visit the online store where you will find

lots of gorgeous stamps, dies, and other lovely items that you can't do without

 

I hope you will be able to find time to join in with us, but if you'd like some inspiration, please pop over and see what the rest of the Design Team, and our Guest Designer, Esther, have created.

 

Have fun, have a great week, and thank you so much for taking the time to drop by, it's much appreciated.

 

Maria xxxxx

 

 

 

 



So Sentimental - Craft-Room Challenge DT

Hi, I hope you're all well.  Milder weather seems to have arrived in our little corner of the UK, which is nice for a change!  It's time for a new theme over at the Craft-Room Challenge, and this time it's the turn of our very talented Mervi to choose our theme, and she has chosen

So Sentimental

 Mervi would like to see your text, script or messages clearly, 

but otherwise your creation can be anything self-made and new!

The entries into our "In the Library" challenge were gorgeous, by the way, and Debi will be back next Tuesday with her Top 3 and winner.

For this theme, I decided to decorate a large perfume bottle I'd picked up from Dunelm Mill last week.

I used some pre-printed tissue paper which I bought from Crafty Individuals, cut it to size, and gave it a couple of coats of watered down emulsion.  I then over-stamped it with the background stamp from TH Papillon set and a SU flourish, then adhered to the main body and the neck of the bottle with multi matte medium.  The sentiment on the front of the bottle is by Darkroom Door.

I added some lace, a beaded trim and narrow ribbon with a glue gun, and to the stopper of the bottle I added a ball chain with some charms: a key, a heart padlock, part of a recycled necklace, and a bezel with a CI stamped image and a metal corner encased in Ice Resin.  A little Paperartsy Metallic Glaze was painted onto the rim of the bottle, and also the bottom part of the stopper.

Our sponsor this fortnight is:

manufacturers of fabulous chipboard and chipboard shapes.

We'd love it if you joined us, and if you'd like some more inspiration, please drop by the challenge and see the fabulous creations from the rest of the Design Team.

Thank you for dropping by, a big hello to my new followers, and have a wonderful week!

Maria x

A Bag Charm for Friday Ice

Hi, I hope you're all enjoying the milder weather, at long last, although we've had some rain today.  I'd also like to say a big hello to my new followers :-).

As you know, I've been dabbling with the Ice Resin lately, and would like to share a bag charm which I've made, over at Friday Ice, which posts on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month, ...

...and this is my bag charm:

The main bezel has a bit of everything in it - some shabby embossing enamel heated, then some unheated embossing enamel along with some microbeads, then some gilding flakes mixed into the top, and then a SU brad sits in the centre.

Once it had cured, I gave it another coat of resin to finish, which also gives it a nice weight.  I attached a split ring, some chain and a key ring clip, and added some antique bronze charms and strands of thinner chain to give it a bit of jangle.

In real life, the gilding flakes look gorgeous encased in the resin - I'm trying a few different things out to see how they look, as I'm finding out that some things look better than others.  I have another bag charm to ready to share with you soon, and a couple of other pieces of jewellery.  I'll also be back on Tuesday with my DT creation for the Craft-Room Challenge.

It's the start of the weekend so I hope you enjoy it and get some crafting time to yourself.

Thanks for dropping by, I really appreciate it.

Maria xxxxx

In The Library - Craft-Room Challenge DT

Hi, I hope you've all enjoyed your Easter weekend and break, if you were lucky enough to have one.  At least the weather has been quite nice here, for a change! 

It's time for a new theme over at the Craft-Room Challenge and this time, it's the turn of our very talented Debi to choose the theme, which is:

In The Library

Debi loves books, and would like to see us use

books, stamps of books, mini books, altered books, pages from books, text, script, etc. 

 

For my DT sample, I used one of those papier mache book-shaped boxes - they usually come in a set of two, and this is the larger one:

 

 

I've painted it all over with black gesso to start, then used Rub n Buff in Antique Gold on the spine.  I've then used a couple of pages torn from a book, painted with a wash of emulsion, for the front and back. 

 

The Paper Artsy image has been stamped onto cream cardstock, torn out and a little Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain added round the edges, then I adhered a mica tile over it.  From the same plate, the sentiment "Bookworm" was added at the bottom of the image.  Across the top and the bottom, I've used some Viva Ferro metal effect colour in gold, then stamped into it with a CI crackle stamp, and highlighted it with some more Rub n Buff (there's lots of Rub n Buff on this creation!).  A pen nib has been added to the top, along with some TH Chit Chat stickers, and a TH Hitch Fastener.

 

When you open the box.....

 

...it has been painted, again with black gesso, and lined with unpainted torn book pages.  I've then filled it with little plain pieces of notepaper - maybe to make notes of the books you have read or want to read - and tied them up with some paper string.  A little Rub n Buff around the edges just to finish it off. 

 

This fortnight, we are very kindly sponsored by:

 

who manufacture gorgeous vintage rubber stamps

(click on the picture to visit the store)

 

We are also looking for Guest Designers over at the Craft-Room, so if you fancy joining us for a challenge or two, please add GDT after your name and Mervi will be in touch with you.

 

For a bit more inspiration, please drop by the challenge and see the gorgeous creations that the rest of the Design Team have created for you.

I'd like to enter my box into the following challenges:-

Simon Says Stamp And Show - Anything Goes
PanPastel - Anything Goes
Penny Black & More - One For The Boys
Allsorts - Vintage
Rhedd & Rosie Challenge - Vintage/Shabby Chic
The Artistic Stamper - Texture
 

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you have a good week!

 

Maria xxxxx