Heat Embossing - Craft Room Challenge DT

Hi, I hope you're all coping well with the heat here in the UK - I daren't moan, as I really don't like winter one little bit!  At the Craft-Room Challenge, we launch a new theme for the next fortnight, which has been chosen by our lovely and very talented hostess Suzanne, who would like to see:

Heat Embossing

Suzanne says:

I selected my theme based on the past couple of summers we have had here in the UK - which have been far from good.  I thought we may do with a bit of "heat" although if we are at present experiencing a heatwave then the theme may prove a little unpopular as the last thing we will all want is to get those heat guns out ...whoops!  However I would love to see your heat embossing on your crafty projects......

Now, I will admit to getting my challenges mixed up this fortnight, and actually made the next one instead (so you will now see that in 2 weeks!), so I had to get my skates on.  This is what I made/altered:

I used a shabby chic style mdf heart which I picked up as part of a set of two from Dunelm Mill for  just £1.  I decided that the patterned side would be the back, and I altered the plain white side.

On the actual heart I used Versamark ink to stamp parts of the La Blanche rose around the edge, then embossed with clear ep.  Colour was added with alcohol ink mixed with blending solution on my craft mat and stippled on with a stencil brush.  I ironed the clear embossing back off to reveal the roses in white.  It has a gorgeous, and very shabby, appearance around the edges which happened without me even trying!  I'm going back to stock up on these, lol!

The SU sentiment was also stamped in Versamark onto a piece of painted chipboard, then embossed with gold ep.  Metallic paste has been used on the edges of both the sentiment panel and the heart itself. 

A SU brad was added to embellish, along with a seam binding bow at the top of the heart.

This fortnight we are very kindly sponsored by one of our regular sponsors:

We are also joined by our Guest Designer for July, Helene aka 2am Scrapper - please visit her blog if you haven't already done so, as her creations are fabulous.

For a little more inspiration, please pop over to the challenge to see what the other ladies have created for you - they really are beautiful makes.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and the beautiful weather were having, if you're in the UK.  

Thank you for your visit :-)

Maria xxxxx

Going Oriental - Craft Room Challenge DT

Hi, it's time for another challenge this fortnight over at the Craft-Room Challenge.  Your altered creations for the last theme were stunning, Julia has a very tough job choosing a top 3.  This time our lovely, and so very talented, leader Zoe has chosen the theme of:

Going Oriental

I chose to use an mdf plaque as a base for my creation, painted with black gesso and edged in a gold gilding pen:

The three Stampbord atcs were coloured with alcohol inks in Lettuce and Mountain Rose and edged in the same gilding pen as the base (these Stampbord pieces will take absolutely anything!).  The Japanese rubber stamps (unfortunately I cannot find the pack and don't remember who they're from) were stamped in black Stazon and coloured in Claybord/Stampbord inks - these are new to me and come in a pack of six, with a mixing chart for further colours.

The colours are beautifully vivid and extremely concentrated, so a little really does go a very long way.  I've added a little distress stickles here and there, a beautiful fan charm courtesy of Julia (thank you!), a couple of red jewellery beads between images, and an oriental rose (Marianne Creatables) with a dark red tassle hung from it.  To finish, I've used some dark red satin ribbon to hang.

This fortnight, we're very kindly sponsored by:

Manufacturers of unmounted rubber stamps 

and

there will be a prize for one lucky winner of the random draw!

(usual rules apply)

Please check out the other stunning DT creations for some more inspiration, and I do hope you'll join in with us.

Enjoy your week

Maria xxxxx