Black Ice technique

Having watched a hoard of You Tube tutorials on this fabulous technique, each with their own twist, I decided to have a go myself. Wow. I'm in love with this technique and it will feature in many of my Christmas cards this year. And next year come to that!!

The effect is amazing but it is so simple to do. Has to be for me to get it right first time haha.

You will need:
Mirror card. I went for a silver first, followed by ice blue and then gold.
Black Stazon ink
Versamark
Clear embossing powder
Heat gun.
Stamps. I chose some foliage.

1. Cut your mirror card to size. Gently and softly stroke the Stazon ink across the whole mirror card.
2. Stamp your chosen stamps randomly in Stazon ink. It is advisable to heat set the ink so it doesn't smudge at the next stage.
3. Stroke your Versamark ink pad across the whole card.
4. Cover with clear embossing powder and shake off the excess.
5. Heat the embossing powder and voila.

Now you can add your sentiment and any embellishments before mounting. I mounted onto black card and used a band of black to go across it with a Cool Yule die cut from Trimcraft and finished off with some foliage in black and matching mirror card.

I hope you like this technique as much as I do.

Thanks for stopping by.

Karen xx

A Christmas Album

I started this album a while ago using a very delicate Christmas paper pad I got from Create and Craft.
When I'd finished the cover I wasn't happy with it at all.
So it came apart, painted with gesso, inked with dark blue distress ink and some stencilling with medium paste.
My moon and stars came out ok but the circles I wanted at the bottom didn't really hit the mark.
I didn't want to start again so got out the gold leaf and mica to give it a lift.

Not the great start into mixed media I'd imagined but relatively happy with it and certainly better than it was.
A final touch with either a Santa and his sleigh or simply Christmas Album across the centre.

Meanwhile, here's the finished item.

I do hope you like it.
Thanks for stopping by and please call again.
Karen xx

Butterfly easel card

After watching the amazing Ann Melvin, of Positively Papercraft, make a fabulous easel card with a butterfly die, I just had to make one myself.

The die is by Alinacraft and is such a versatile die. It can be used on its own or layered like this is. Because it is layered you can chose the size of butterfly you want to use.

This easel style card uses all the dies from largest to smallest.
I've refrained from trimming it up as I've yet to decide what to use this for.
Any suggestions gratefully accepted.
I do like this and hope you do too.
Thanks for stopping by and do come again.
Karen

Shaker and stamped candle

You can tell I'm on leave with time on my hands haha. Had another crafty play today and made a shaker card a little differently to how I normally make them and very pleased with it.
Because it covers the whole card rather than a section of it, if anything it could do with a few more sprinkles inside, but overall I'm happy with it.

After this I finally bit the bullet and did something I've been wanting to do for ages but kept shying away from. My stamped candle. I am so pleased with this I keep doing a happy dance haha.
I showed it my husband and his reaction was "You've not made that." Compliment or insult I'm not sure which but I showed him the stamp to prove it!!

Now I need to decide what to do with it. Do I make a display box for it? Or do I present it on a small plate or platform decorated with fauna and paper flowers and ribbons? I'm not decided on that one yet. Still enjoying just looking it.
If you've been thinking of having a go, just do it. It's like a little bit of magic.

Thank you for stopping by and do come again.
Karen

Curvy box tree hangings

A crafty work colleague suggested demonstrating making some vellum Christmas tree hangings with battery tea light for the crafty ladies at work.
The die that was used for the MacMillan teapots was perfect.

I set about having a go myself first. I made two in patterned foiled vellum and was quite pleased with the result.






















My colleague favoured stamping plain vellum and colouring the reverse for the pastel effect, so I made this next.  The tea light I used actually changes colour and you can just make out the red light in this picture.

Very pleased with them but they do have a flaw. The ribbon for hanging fits through the closure and makes access to turn on or switch off the tea light very difficult. So this is now a work in progress while I try to work out how best to fix the problem.
I also made one in foiled card. No tea light in this one, just a chocolate or two (or three or four).

Hope you like them. And if you can think of how to do the closure do please let me know. Save my poor brain from a headache 😌
Thanks for stopping by
Karen

Autumn

Responded to a craft challenge on Craft World with a theme of Autumn.
I recently got a Papercraft magazine with a free gift of a falling leaves embossing folder and a beautiful large die with separate veins die and been waiting for an opportunity to do something with these. Along with another lovely oak leaf in my stash with an acorn die and individual smaller leaves.
I embossed first and then inked with Distress Oxide in antique linen and ground espresso.
I then decided to highlight the embossed leaves with some glossy accents, which really makes them stand out.

I chose to die cut some different coloured leaves and inked around them for definition.
The larger die I cut in white and inked up in various shades until I got the look I wanted. The veins I also inked and after gluing them in place I defined them further with some Tonic crystal drops and love the effect.
Finally I opted for a 'Thinking of you' stamped sentiment and scattered some smaller leaves and acorns around.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I love the purple leaf in the mix as Autumn is my favourite month and I love the different array of colours it brings.

I do hope you like it and thanks for stopping by.
Karen xx

8 x 8 gift bag and matching card

I recently purchased an 8 x 8 Hunkydory pad with beautiful traditional Father Christmas scenes.
With four of each image I immediately wanted to make a bag with a matching card.

Because the papers were 8 x 8 it meant adding in sides and base separately, something I've not done before with a gift bag but it turned out pretty cool. I attached ribbon handles to the bag with some brads. I picked these star brads up in my local pound shop last year. I must see if I can get some more.

For the card I chose to go 5 x 7 and matted with gold mirror card. I then simply die cut three Hs and three O's and HO, HO, HO what have we here then? 😄

I chose a different image of a smiling Santa for the insert and whilst I've not taken a photo of the envelope I decorated the reverse with another image.

I do hope you like them. I have another idea for this gorgeous pad next. Thanks for stopping by and do come again.
Karen

Golden oldies album

A few weeks ago my daughter brought me a couple of Hobbycraft albums she had found in charity shop, still wrapped in their plastic covering. I could see good times ahead decorating these.

Firstly as they are ring bound there is a limit to the number of pages you can decorate and still be able to close the book. That meant many of the pages could be taken out and used to help create the pockets, tabs and cards throughout the album.

Even when I had finished it was still too bulky and I removed three pages. 

These are being kept to one side and used towards a separate album. Not decided how yet, may just add rings or may create an album to add them to. Either way, they won't go to waste. 

The final album I am well pleased with.

 

The golden oldies used throughout this album to create little pockets, and the picture on the front, are from the golden oldies pad by Hunkydory.

The papers I have used are from a Crafter's Companion 12 x 12 Romance album I have had for a couple of years. Lovely paper and sometimes paper is toooooo nice to cut into isn't it?

I do hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen xx 

Teapots and coffee pots

This September will bring MacMillan coffee morning once again.
Every year at work we take bought or made cakes for sale at lunchtime. The craft club has supported this cake sale by making items to sell. And this year will be no different.
People have already pledged to make certain things to sell or offered their help manning the stall.
This year we have about 6 weeks to prepare and I have volunteered to run the craft sessions we need to prepare our tea bag holders and coffee sachet holders.
A few weeks ago I spotted a delightful little teapot made by Ann Melvin of Positively Papercraft and decided that if it held two covered tea bags it would be on our agenda.
I had to make one and this is what I came up with:
 So chuffed for my first attempt.














And then lo and behold, Ann only came up with something else; an amazing little coffee cup stand and covered cup. It's a 4 oz cup so only small but will certainly hold two coffee sachets.
Of course, this was perfect so had to make this too. This is my first attempt and so pleased with it. It is so damn cute.










Together they are perfect.

We shall (hopefully, willing hands permitted) make 50 of each. I already have the 4 oz cups. The cup and lid are both biodegradable and were purchased from Amazon.

If you want to have a go at either of these then follow the links below to Ann's You Tube demonstration. She includes links below her videos to all you need to make your own.
Teapot.
Coffee cup stand.

I do hope you like these and if you do make your own I'd love to see what you make in the comments below.
Thanks for stopping by and do come again.
Karen

Christmas in July

My first Christmas card of the year made using a bauble die by Xcut. The Xcut dies are made by Docrafts and as well as on line are sold in a number of places including Hobbycraft and the Range .

This particular die is an old one however and I've not been successful in finding where it can be purchased today. I actually bought mine from Every Crafts and Pound last year. But you can do this with any bauble and any shape.
I used some gold patterned acetate to back the bauble and used up some tiny beads I was given by a colleague to put in the shaker. Many places do foiled acetate include Hunkydory and Crafter's Companion.
For backing paper I had some lovely gold and silver snowflakes paper from last year's Stampin' Up! designer paper or DSP for short.
I also used this for the inside of the card to finish it off.

It's not my favourite Christmas card ever but it's my first of the year and got me started.

Hope you like it and if you make your own I'd love to see it in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by and please come again.

Karen xx

Cascading alphabet

These new dies from Crafters Companion are such a pleasure to use and really create the card design on their own.

These cards I made recently, one for a friend's birthday in August. Can share here as she won't see this but not on my Facebook page just yet. The second because I simply liked it.

On my friend's card (guess her name lol) I went for the rainbow effect. Before I give it her I'll stick butterflies everywhere because she loves them, and owls but I'm saving the owl till Christmas for an idea I have.

The second I chose mint green and brown. I love this colour combo and the card from Papermill direct is so lovely to work with.

You'll notice they each have a different edge and this is a choice you can make from the die set. They are so lovely.

The cascade alphabet dies come in two different sets that either cascade across or cascade down and are very reasonably priced.

I do hope you like them. Thanks for stopping by and please come again.
If you do choose to buy them I'd love to see what you make of them.

Bye
Karen xx

Big Girl Pants

I love this Big Girl Pants stamp from Crafter's Companion. Use it as a topper to your card or as an insert.
I used this as a topper to my card and decided to colour it green with some white dots and a touch of Wink of Stella clear. Sadly the glitter isn't very clear in this photograph. I wish there was a stamp to go with it that says "and PARTY". I shall have to hone some calligraphy skills I think and write my own. It seems to be the next 'in' thing to do.

Another of the stamps in this collection is "A good friend". I went for red and white dots with this one and again a touch of Wink of Stella

Crafter's Companion have quite a collection of these stamps and I'll be showing some more in a later post based around their Gin and Prosecco stamps.
You'll have noticed I've started watermarking my pictures. For no other reason than I've learned how, using an App called iWatermark. There are some brilliant YouTube tutorials if you want to find out how for yourself. The one I watched is by Scrimping Mummy.  Not sure if it's something I'll continue to do but for now I'm enjoying playing and learning.

Do hope you like these and thanks for stopping by.
Do come again.
Karen.