Take 4 Beer Mats #2

Another in what I think is going to be a series. I love the shape of these mats. I wanted to keep this one in just 2 colours - mauve and blue - and kept to a butterfly and dragonfly theme. It's for Jackie (Wacky Jacky on CSF) when she comes down this weekend.

Sunday Stampers Challenge Week 3

For this week's challenge (thank you to Andrea for setting it) I inked a piece of 4" x 6" card with Distress Inks in Aged Mahogany and Brushed Corduroy, spritzed with some water and generally made a messy background. I stamped my Hampton Arts 'Travel Abroad' stamp out twice using Versa Magic chalk inks in Gingerbread and Jumbo Java. I tore the edges of the Gingerbread image and inked them using the same colour, tinting the paper slightly with a light brown wash. From the Jumbo Java colour image I cut out the lady and water coloured her in golds and browns. I then double embossed her and added a feather to her hat and some Flower Soft for the flower on her hat. A strip of gold ribbon was fixed to the background using brads and the stamped image was added over this. My challenge was complete.

Take 4 beer mats

Every time I look at these beer mats they remind me of the saloon doors in an old Western film. So I decided to change them into pairs of doors.

I cut 3 beer mats in half and covered them with toning papers from K & Co. I then stamped small expressions on to the front of each door panel.

I added small embossed embellishments in matching colours to the back of each door and then edged each panel with Adirondack Espresso Acrylic paint dabber.

Using my Bind It All machine I bound the doors to a complete beer mat, using 1/2" wires. I punched a hole in the top of each door using my Crop-o-dile and knotted chiffon ribbonthrough each hole. A hole in the centre of the middle each of the front door panels was used to close the book with more chiffon ribbon.

All that remained to finish the book was more chiffon ribbon knotted to the wires at the front and a silver Bee charm. My little book was complete and hadn't taken very long to make. Another project I am quite happy with and I'll now make more in different colours.

A Book for a Friend

Why do our best ideas always come in the middle of the night. I decided I wanted to make a special book for Jackie when she comes down to visit next week and hit on altering some free cds that I didn't want. So I started by making a background on four cds with Adirondack acrylic pain dabbers in Espresso, Hazelnut and Sandal.

When they had dried I used some Tim Holtz and Hero Arts text stamps and stamped them onto the cds in black Stazon. A few small stamped flowers were added to complete the cds. I then mounted them onto thick card which I had covered with K & Co. papers. On the reverse of the cards I again covered with K & Co. papers and used some botanical stamps together with suitable sayings.








I used mountboard for the covers and simply sprayed Tattered Angel glimmer mists in layers on the outsides and again dabbed with the paints on the insides.


















I bound the covers and pages together using my Bind It all machine and now to embellish the whole thing.




















The front cover was easy I simply added a chipboard J to which I'd glued a couple of wooden beads. Punched holes down one side using my crop-o-dile and knotted different coloured ribbons through the holes. A couple of highlights at the bottom using golden sands micro beads and a highlight across the top using cream crushed shells.













I added chipboard words and antiqued charms to the pages, a chipboard flower in the centre of each cd and a crystal stone for the centre.

I wanted to punch a hole into the cds and with trepidation did this with my crop-o-dile, crossing my fingers while I did it, but the crop-o-dile went through the cds like a knife through butter. A ribbon was knotted through each hole.












I added a tag and holder to the inside of the back cover and completed the book by stamping a couple of sayings onto the outside of the back cover and embossed them in gold.
















My book was completed and I am very pleased with the finished item.























Now I just hope Jackie likes it as much as I do.






















I think I shall have to use cds again.

Sunday Stampers Challenge Week 2

The challenge Hels has set us this week is Black & White - and as thats my favourite I couldn't wait to get started. I selected a large Tim Holtz stamp as my theme and stamped it all over a piece of matt black card, embossing with white sparkle embossing powder. Using a Versamark stamp pad I then stamped the design onto a piece of shiney black card and onto a piece of white card. I embossed the black card using the white sparkle embossing powder again and the white card using black sparkle embossing powder. I then cut across the black card at an angle and layered the bottom piece of the design on to the white card. I then matted the complete design onto black and white card again matching the cuts in the stamped design. The completed design was mounted onto the base card and some jet stones added for a little bit of bling. All in all I am quite happy with it.

Then I had a play with...

my Sugar Nellie and Tilda stamps. These were great fun and I'll get a lot of use out of them.

Some more cards with Joanna Sheen cds

I haven't been in the 'card making' mood lately, but things have changed this week, firstly playing with my new Joanna Sheen stamps and now with her Fashion Boutique cds. What a joy these are to work with and I know lots more will be added over the next few weeks. But for now here are a few I've been playing with today. The first one can only be described as a mad idea. I wanted to use jigsaw pieces and had this brainwave - if only I'd considered how fiddly it would be before I started. However after several hours fiddling it worked out as I wanted it to and was worth the effort.