I realise that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and that I am running out of days on which to share my Valentine card projects with you. So, be prepared for a bit of heart fest over the next few days!
Today’s card uses paper from the Gecko Galz Seeing Red paper pack and a heart image from the All You Need is Love digital stamp set.
I outlined the heart with silver glitter and added a small red bow.
Some white crochet lace top and bottom completes the look.
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I’ve been very sad to miss taking part in some of the recent challenges over on one of my favourite blogs – Sunday Stampers. I’ve had the ideas but been short on time to make them a reality. I was determined not to miss out again this week so have gone for a quick and easy card:
Now we all know that when I do “clean and simple” the results don’t quite reflect the process and I did get very messy in the making of this! However, I am very happy at the outcome. I love this little steampunky heart stamp but had to unearth it from my crafty mess before I could get cracking. I stamped directly onto my card (yes, I know!!!) using black Archival ink. Next, I used some Cut and Dry foam to swoosh on Fired Brick distress ink. The sentiment is one of my favourites from Darkroom Door’s String Inspiration set.
The thing was that as soon as I had made that one I was just wondering what if….
…I use a splatter stamp. So I stamped the heart and the sentiment. Then stamped Fired Brick using a splatter stamp. I stamped another heart, cut it out, coloured it with ink and then applied over the top of the original image.
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I am in the middle of a major, major clear up of my crafting space. Although I am making progress, it is painfully slow. I have now reached the stage where it is the “storm before the calm” i.e. a blooming big mess!! Consequently, if I want to create anything, the space I have to do it in is minimal. So I am glad that I happened to have a little something up my sleeve to share with you today as we reach the mid-way point of our “Hearts and Valentines” challenge over at Crafty Boots Challenges.
I would also like to share this over at City Crafter Challenge Blog where the theme is Roses and Lace.
I’ve used images and papers from the Gecko Galz Love Potion #9 kit. and the Words and Music paper pack. I’ve layered up papers, distressing and inking the edges. I added some glitter to the outside edge of the heart image.
I’ve used some scraps of lace, ribbon trim and ruffled seam binding plus paper roses to decorate.
More lace and a tiny little seam binding bow decorate the top.
So far, my grand tidy up hasn’t revealed any hidden treasure, it’s been more a question of “what on earth did I buy that for?!” I am now going away for the rest of the week and leaving my big crafty mess behind me. If only the craft fairies would come in and finish the job!
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I promised you I would be back with the second of my projects that I made for the new challenge, “Warms the Heart,” over at My Artistic Adventures.
I’ve used this fabulous collage sheet with cupids together with the conversation hearts and the hearts paper to decorate a vintage spool/bobbin.
First I painted the spool with a thin layer of white paint, covered the core with the hearts paper and then applied crochet lace around the top and bottom edge. I used some gauze to cover the top of the spool, pulling at the threads so it was nice an wispy, a bit like a cloud.
The cupid is layered onto some sturdy card stock and then glittered with gold.
Then I’ve scattered more glitter and some tiny gold stars.
I’ve gone overboard with little pink paper roses and sweetheart blossoms and tucked in the conversation hearts here and there.
A little pink bow tops it all off. As well as making a great piece of Valentine décor, this would also look good as a cake topper – chocolate I think!!!
Don’t forget to link up your heart warming creations with our challenge and if you use one of Heather’s collage sheets you will be entered in the draw to win a free sheet or a coupon for 30% off.
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As I said yesterday there is so much happening right now. It’s already the fourth of the month and this is the first chance I have had to tell you about the new Gecko Galz customer challenge – Vintage Ladies.
Here’s my card:
I saw this idea in an edition of Craft Stamper magazine and thought it would be perfect for some of this month’s new releases from the Gecko Galz.
I printed out the image, from the Vintage Ladies digital stamp set, first onto cardstock and then a second copy onto regular paper. I roughly cut out the paper image to create a mask which I put over the image on the card before stamping splodges using Broken China and Worn Lipstick distress inks.
I used papers from the Parisian Dreams paper pack and tore off strips which I layered below the image, adding in a couple of scraps of lace.
To top it all off I added some Ideaology Chit Chat stickers.
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There is so much going on in blogland right now I am struggling to share it all with you! This month the Gecko Galz are very proud to have their Industrial digitial stamp set featured in the magazine Quick Cards Made Easy. All the DT have been busy making some samples to showcase this set and they are truly a-maz-ing. Buzz over and check them out here. I’ve made a postcard that has a shabby chic twist.
I printed the image out at postcard size and coloured it with distress inks – Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain. I’ve added some stamping using a blotchy stamp. Next, I printed a second image, cut out the lady and applied it over the top of the original inked image, adding a little colour to her cheeks.
I’ve added lace, seam binding and a little stamped tag to embellish.
So not your traditional steampunk but I hope you like it.
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Not one, but two posts today and that’s because there’s not only a new challenge at Crafty Boots, but also a new challenge over at My Artistic Adventures. The new theme is “Warms the Heart.” You’ll remember me telling you about Heather’s super duper new bee digital papers? I’ve been itching to use them ever since I got my hands on them. Take a look at what I’ve been up to:
Isn’t that paper just perfect? I wanted to make something that really showed it off, the hardest bit was choosing which of the fabulous colour options to use. I mean there’s a pink one (pink and bees – swoon!), a divine aqua and a chocolate that’s almost good enough to eat!
I’ve covered an MDF heart with the paper, sanded and then inked the edges with Walnut Stain distress ink. Around the edge I’ve put blobs of Cosmic Shimmer vanilla glue. The smaller heart was die cut from chipboard, covered with cream card and then inked in the same way. I then applied a coat of crackle medium over the top. Once those two jobs were done I walked away and left them to dry overnight. If I’d stayed on task I knew I would have managed to ruin the effects before they were properly dry!
To the little heart I added a little bee button and the words, from Heather’s Bee Tag and the Romantic Focals collage sheets, adding a layer of varnish over the top. Be sure to check out the fabulous project my fellow designer Amanda has created project using Romantic Focals.
To the top of the heart I’ve added a cluster of ivory and cream roses.
This is the first of my projects for the My Artistic Adventure Challenge. You can take a sneaky peek of my second one over on the blog, as well as checking out all the fabulous work by the other members of the DT. I’ll be back with a post to tell you all about it later in the week.
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The weeks seem to flying past, it’s already February (time to get making my Christmas cards – ha, ha!) and I can’t believe it’s already time for a new challenge over at Crafty Boots Challenges. Naturally, the new challenge for the next fortnight is “Hearts and Valentines”. Here’s my card:
This is a clean and simple card that I made using a beautiful digital image from the Gecko Galz All You Need is Love digital stamp set.
I’ve layered the image on to some white muslin, a double layer that I’ve frayed around the edges.
A tiny scrap of lace and a little bunch of miniature red rosebuds are the finishing touches.
I think this would also make a great card for a wedding or engagement too.
Be sure to buzz over and check out what the rest of the Design Team have been up to and I look forward to seeing all your romantic projects over on the Crafty Boots Challenges blog. Remember there’s a guest designer spot up for grabs for our top three selections. Also, you might like to buzz back here later today as I have a second post to share with you.
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We have a new challenge over at Anything But A Card and our theme for this month is “friendship.” I’ve made a little friendship stone:
I thought this would be a lovely gift to give to a friend, a permanent reminder of how much you appreciate the special bond that you have. Actually, this isn’t in fact a stone. The snowy weather meant I was unable to retrieve a real “live” stone from outside so instead, I moulded one from some air dry clay.
Once dried, I applied a coat of warm yellow paint and then decorated using a paper napkin. This is the same technique that I have used many times for stamping except then you just use white tissue. This has the advantage of being able to use spare or leftover napkins (if your anything like me you’ll have a whole stack of these – I even have some going back to the millennium!) and make the most of some of the gorgeous designs that are really too good for people to wipe their fingers and faces on.
I just separated the top layer from the white layer underneath (these napkins were 2 ply) and then used Modpodge gloss to apply it to the “stone.” I did the top first then the reverse side, adding tiny bit of pattern to cover any gaps. Once the whole stone was covered I added another coat of Modpodge and left to dry.
The bees were stamped onto white tissue (I used the left over layer from my napkin) using black Archival ink and applied in the same way. Once the glue was dry I added a little colour with Promarkers and pearlised paint, a touch of glitter on the wings, popped on the sentiment and then gave a final coat of Modpodge.
There are lots of possibilities for this idea. I was thinking I might try a Valentine’s version, a wedding one would be nice, obviously a Christmas one and then there’s Halloween too! Just have to wait for the snow to fully thaw and then go and find some pebbles.
So my friends, this is for you – I really appreciate having you in my life 
Thanks for buzzing by and don’t forget to share your friendship projects with us all at Anything But A Card Challenges.
Well I am pleased to report that yesterday’s mission to retrieve our equipment was successful. The council had done a good job of clearing the main roads although the side roads, including mine, are still quite treacherous. I had to walk down the hill to get my lift and back up again once we were done. I also had to be on windscreen cleaning duty as the wipers had packed up. As a reward for trudging back up the hill I bought a packet of Cadbury’s chocolate finger biscuits. I was so busy concentrating on walking in the tyre tracks that I actually walked past my road – what a numpty! With several hours of bright sunshine there was quite a thaw, but in the evening it all iced over resulting in both Mr Beez and eldest Beez getting stuck.
I have another Gecko Galz project to share with you today.
This gorgeous Russian doll image is from the From Russia with Love collage set. I’ve always had a thing about Russian dolls, it’s the doll within a doll with a doll thing that appeals to me. At one time I worked very near to the Russian shop in London and would often take a lunchtime stroll to look at the huge set they had there. I have a smaller set of my own and also a beautiful Christmas tree version (you get a Santa, a snowman, a penguin and a tiny tree).
I decided to make a card in the shape of a doll but I think this image would look great on the front of a regular shaped card too. I glittered the edge, added gold glittery highlights and picked out the main rose with crystal clear glitter. But of course, as it’s a Russian doll there had to be a surprise inside.
And you can’t just have two can you?
I made the medium sized doll in exactly the same way as the first and then added the final smaller image.
I could of course carried on but I was making this around Christmas time so you will understand why I left it at three!
I have one more thing to tell you – those chocolate finger biscuits were delicious!
Have a great weekend and thanks for buzzing by.
