And now for something completely different.......

No, I've not been watching too much Monty Python, I've been on another of the lovely Jo Capper-Sandon's workshops. Look what I made......... my first proper piece of mixed media art :D

I thought I was completely done, until I came home and had a good long look it at and decided that I need to do a couple more things to it to finish. That said I'm actually pretty pleased with the way this turned out and you'll definately be more seeing pieces like this on my blog!!! Obviously I can't give too much away as I'd be putting poor Jo out of a job, but she came up with a really neat idea which allows me to get more mileage out of a single piece of work, so expect to see this image used in a couple of projects that I have up my sleeve. I'm really regretting not taking a picture of the other ladies work to show you as well as each and every one of us produced something completely different. If you're interested in attending one of Jo's workshops or even taking a sneaky peek at some the creations that have been produced check out the blog here.

Oh and Essex Girl if you're reading this you missed a corker of a workshop and the opportunity to shop (think PaperArtsy, Stampendous etc....... mmmmm)!!!

Thanks for looking

Claire xxx

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp & Show - Your favourite word
Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes
Crafting for all Seasons - Anything but a card
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything but a card
Art With No Boundaries - Anything Goes
Crafty Bloggers Network - Love Paints
Make It Monday - Anything goes

Another discovery!!! A4 Gift Bag

I really must get myself more organised! I was sitting watching Nikky Hall on Create & Craft this afternoon and suddenly spotted a couple of makes from the Sugarplum Daisy CD that I hadn't yet blogged! Anyway, it's nothing much, just a real quick and easy bag made from a sheet of A4 lightweight card.

The bag is great size for smaller items like bracelets, necklaces or even a few sweeties! The best thing is it only takes about five minutes to make!

Whilst I'm here don't forget that Nikky is back on our screens this evening at 7pm on C&C with more Polka Doodles goodness. Then at 10pm and Midnight she's on Ideal World with Letraset. Hopefully they'll let her have a brief snooze before wheeling her out again at 11am, 1pm, 6pm and finally 7pm tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by.

Claire xxx

I'd like to enter this bag into the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's - Ribbon

Love To Create - Anything goes

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

OSAAT - Anything Goes

Fussy and Fancy - Dies

Crafty Ribbons - Things with wings

I Brake For Challenges - Anything but....

Clean & Simple Wedding Card

On Friday Hubby came home from work and said "Any chance you can make a wedding card for xxxx?" I naturally replied "of course I will - I have something in mind." To which he responded "I need it for Monday." Me "Uh - what?? She's not getting married for another two weeks." Him "Oh this one is going to be from the entire office, it needs to be able to take 50 plus signatures, I said you wouldn't mind!"

So my first thought was to find a pre-made A4 card blank and envelope, luckily after a quick whizz round The Range I discovered that Papermania do them in white and ivory. So feeling quite smug with myself I came home ready to spring into action, which was when the fun started! Firstly what the heck am I going to with all that white space??? Secondly a stamped image of any kind was totally out of the question as it would just look lost on a card that size. Thirdly, I couldn't find any papers in my stash that inspired me either. So after sitting looking at a vast white space for what seemed like ever, I decided that I'd make a C&S card and have a bash at creating my own papers.

This is what I came up with. I have to say I'm not thrilled with this card, but I thought I'd show you it anyway. Hopefully if you have to do a similar thing you won't encounter the same problems if you see my failings first!!! Oh yeah, you want to know what they are..... well as most of you probably know the larger something is the less tolerance there is for error. So you can imagine the problems with matting and layering! Trying to stamp a sentiment directly onto the card was out of the question, it just looked lost, so I thought I'd run it through the printer. BIG mistake!!! It was too thick and jammed. So I went back to basics and sketched the card out on a piece of copy paper, had a coffee and thought about the pro's and con's of what I wanted to do, decided to let the paper do the talking (so ditched the idea of a sentiment) and then made it before I drove myself nuts! Oh and one final thing - DON'T agree to anything unless you know exactly what it is you're agreeing to!!! :0)

Thanks for stopping by today.

Claire xxx

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
OSAAT - Anything goes
Fussy & Fancy - Punches/Diecuts
Stampin' With The Dragon - Weddings
CRAFT - Weddings

Christmas Has Come Early!!! Polka Doodles Red & White Challenge

I can't believe it's time for another challenge over at Polka Doodles, where is this year going?? As it's stashbox stamp week and the theme is RED & WHITE, I thought I'd make a start on my Christmas cards! I know it's good to be organised, but it just feels so wrong to be thinking of Christmas in April, so I'm not sure that I'll be making any more Christmas cards any day soon!!! I've taken a few pictures in an attempt to capture all of the sparkle and shimmer, but I'm not sure that I've been overly sucessful :(

Anyway, here's this weeks card:

I cut and scored the card base and then used my Large Circle Nesties to create the aperture. The card base was then placed in a Tim Holtz Alterations Embossing folder and run through the Big Shot to create the embossed snowflake design. I then carefully added Stickles to the embossed snowflakes.

Whilst the Stickles on the base were drying, I coloured the LOTV image with Promarkers and PrismaColor Pencils before fussy cutting out. I then took another piece of card and stamped a scene using elements from the Pond Neighbours (PDZ0006) set from Polka Doodles. The dimensional snow effect has been created using a Snow Writer, which has then had Glamour Dust sprinkled over it whilst wet. This was put to one side to dry completely before adding Glossy Accents to the pond and again sprinkling with Glamour Dust. The scene was then mounted onto the rear of the card base before gluing the side flaps together.

The image was then attached to the card base using silicone glue. It has been decorated with Stickles and Fluffy Stuff. The snowflake has been die cut using Marianne Design set  LR0125. I've added some Stickles to the white flake and then pushed a jeweled brad through the centre of them both.

I hope that you'll join us this week and will look forward to seeing your creations.

Thanks for stopping by.

Claire xxx

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Craft Your Passion - Punches/Dies
Lexi's Creations - Punches/Dies
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
Paper Pretties - Embossing
Simon Says Stamp & Show - Anything Goes
Paper Sundaes - Anything Goes
Stamptacular Sunday - Freebie Week

Delicious Doodles Challenge - Marina The Mermaid & Friends Layered Card

Morning folks. I hope you had a fantastic Easter and that the Bunny bought you lots of lovely chocolate!!! We unexpectedly ended up having guests which although hard work was really enjoyable! Anyway, it's time for another Delicious Doodles Challenge which this week is LAYERS, so we want to see lots of layers on your projects.

I've used the fabulous images Marina and Seahorses for my stepper card. Unfortunately, my photos really don't do this card justice, but try as I might I just couldn't get one that shows the true colours and depth and sparkle :(

The image has been coloured with a combination of Promarkers and Flexmarkers. The fish and Marina's lips have been given some dimension with Glossy Accents, her tail has been given the Stickles treatment and I've added some Clear Star Sakura Gel Pen to the bits in her hair. I've then mounted the image onto some sea green paper and Rock Star Stack Papers from DCWV.

The stepper card base was then covered with a sea green paper. The waves have been cut using a Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations On The Edge Scrollwork Die. The sea creatures have been created by importing a copy of the images into a graphics programme, removing all of the surplus items and then re-sizing and flipping the fish and sea-horses as appropriate. They've then been coloured, cut out and mounted onto the card using silicone glue and if necessary acetate. The sea weed has been cut from some scraps of paper using Spellbinders Foliage Dies.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I'm not sure what we're upto, but I'm considering a trip into London to visit the Dungeons and The London Eye.

Claire xxx

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Crafts & Me - 3D
My Mum's Craft Shop - It's a celebration
Scrapbook Sisters - Anything goes
Craft Your Passion - Shaped Cards
Love to Create - Birthday
Make it Monday - Anything Goes
Paper Pretties - 2 or more papers
The Crafty Pad - Use a die

Bee Happy!!!

Just a quickie from me tonight - I'm tidying my photo albums and came across this....

which was made for the release of Polka Doodles Sugarplum Daisy CD.  It was embarrassingly easy to make - I simply printed the the sentiment and the bee onto  card and then doodled the trail. Punched the corners and chucked on some stickles et voila - one card!!! :D

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Anything Goes - Anything goes
Paper & Such Design - Clean & Simple
Sassy Cheryl's - Anything goes
Incy Wincy Designs - Cute Critters
One Stitch At A Time - Use a digi
The Squirrel & The Fox - Things with wings
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - Things with wings
Crafty Catz - CAS

Sweet Sixteen Handbag Card

My niece has her 16th Birthday in a few weeks, so when I saw the challenge from Polka Doodles this week was for BIG NUMBERS, I thought I'd use my DT sample as an excuse to make her card and be slightly more organised. :D

Now whilst this is a card, it's actually going to be a bit of a mini scrapbook for her. I've left the inside of the card blank as I want to put a couple of pictures of her as a baby/toddler and then as the beautiful princess she has turned into (I'm hoping to get a couple of good shots of her in her prom dress) and add a little journalling. Anyway, here's the card....

I printed the papers from the Sugarplum Daisy CD onto heavy weight cardstock before printing the Elegant Bag box template from the Paper Boutique Vol 1 CD over the top of it. I cut two of the bag shaped pieces out, and then cut the handle off of one of them and the fold lines off of both of them. I then scored along where the handle meets the main body of the bag and folded it over to create the front flap on the bag. To make the base I simply cut a rectangle of card that measured 4" x 5.5". I then scored the card on the shortest edge at 1" intervals and folded to make an M shape. This was then glued to both the front and back of the card base.

The handle is made from a piece of craft wire and some pearls, which has been glued into place in the crease of the flap. I made the ruffle edging by attaching some masking tape to paper and then running it through the printer (I used one of the papers from the Sugarplum Daisy CD). I then simply pleated it to give a ruffle effect, brushed the reverse with some talcum powder to stop it sticking in the wrong places and attached it to the card.

The card is held closed by means of a strip of magnetic tape under the front flap. As you can see from my picture there is plenty of room inside for me to either write a simple message or as I plan to do add a couple of pictures and some journalling.

The keychain sentiment has been made from the digi alphabet and numeral set on the CD from the new Pen & Paper Circle Magazine. Simply use your graphics programme to arrange the letters and then print onto card, colour over the letters with a Promarker, fussy cut out and then add a couple of coats of Glossy Accents to give it dimension. Once dry, it's been added to a length of chain and attached to the bag.

The gorgeous little butterfly clasp has been cut using one of the butterflies from set LR0158 by Marianne Design (I've cut a few of the other butterflies from the set to add to the inside of the card once everything is in place). I've then added Stickles and folded the wings before placing one on top of the other and attaching to the bag. To finish I've added some ribbon that has been coloured with Promarkers.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope the Easter Bunny is very generous to you this weekend. Enjoy the break.

Claire x

Materials:
Sugarplum Daisy
Paper Boutique Vol 1
LR0158 Marianne Design
Pen & Paper Circle Magazine Issue 2
Stickles
Glossy Accents
Craft Wire
Beads
Chain

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Paper Play - Shaped Cards
Crafts & Me - Butterflies & Bows
Divas By Design - Anything Goes
Flutter By Wednesdays - Open
Whimsy Stamps - Ribbon
Just Keep On Creating - Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes