Family Fun...a LO for Bubbly Funk

I've got a quick and easy summer LO over on the Bubbly Scrumptious blog today...click here to see all the details 

50 points to anyone who can spot me in the LO...I am in one of the photos...can you find me??? :0)

Jubilant at the Jubilee...

We don't let a bit of torrential rain and freezing weather spoil our days...so here is Granny and two of my Aunts sporting the Jubilee headgear I made them and enjoying the Great British outdoors!! lol  Pretty game to sit there for hours at 93, huh?? *Go Granny*

Actually, I think they came for the quiche and the pavlova as much as the Queen... ;0)

Hats off for the Queen!

It seemed it was about time I did a little crafting in honour of the Queen and her upcoming Diamond Jubilee...so I've created some headgear for a few of my relative that will be joining us over the long weekend.

First up, a red, white and blue headband:

 Secondly, with more of the red, white and blue flowers...a hat band for...well for a hat, clearly! ;0)

And finally, because every family has someone who thinks she's Queen bee...a tiara!! 

Bubbly Scrumptious update...a pop~up starcard for Christmas

hi all,

just to let you know i have a project up over on the Bubbly Scrumptious blog today...just click here to see it!

i hope you like it!
alix

Bubbly Scrumptious update...a whole lot of utee

today's post should be available now...just click here for the details :0)

metal mania...

this week's challenge over on the simon says stamp and show blog is to use metal...and i had to play along with that theme, right?

i've used 10 seconds studio metal and embossed it by hand, and with folders, i've inked it, stamped it, cut it out, glittered it...accented it with glossy accents and sanded it! i've also used metal tags, metallic glitter and metallic paint...as well as a couple of staples...so i think i've got the metal thing covered... ;)


one of the things i love about metal work is how versatile it is and how much dimension you can get into even a basically flat project...




i was particularly chuffed with how this rose turned out...its cut in metal and alcohol inked, then covered in distress stickles so its all sparkly...very vintage looking :)

ooooh....and i haven't shown you the whole thing...so...can you tell what it is yet??? lol

its a new doorhanger for my craftroom!

Happy St. Valentine's Day...

...hope you're all being totally spoiled today...and do pop along to the bubbly scrumptious blog to see the Valentine's card i made for my darling hubby...the link is here.

love, alix

a little canvas art...

...I've just published my first project for Bubbly Funk...its a canvas celebrating the fact that *life is good*...do pop over and see it...it and all the instructions are here :)

Friendly Plastic Masterclass ~ Day Four

day 4 ~ creative ways to make fun shapes

Welcome back again crafty~types. How are you getting on with your FP adventures? I’d love to hear your stories and see a link to your work...so don’t be shy...show us what you’ve made! :0)
Today we’re going to explore a few different ways to create interesting shapes out of our FP, using tools you probably already have to hand. So what are we waiting for...lets get started!

Technique nine ~ using cookie cutters

This has to be the most obvious and straightforward way to create clean, precise shapes that can be replicated again and again. The method is simple, heat your FP on a non~stick sheet either using the water or the heat~gun methods, and then sink the cookie cutter into place and push down firmly with your fingers or an acrylic block for more even pressure. Leave this to cool or plunge it into cold water, then simply remove the cutter and you will be left with both positive and negative shapes...both of which you can use on a project! Dipping the cutter in water or a little oil can aid release, but is not essential.




One of the benefits of this method of shape cutting is that you can choose a part of the pattern you like and cut exactly the spot you want as you can see into the shape. I love this method for making unique buttons to embellish cushions and papercraft projects and it simply involves using the embossing stylus dipped in oil and making 2 or 4 holes in the centre of your shape while its cooling.

Technique ten ~ using Sizzix dies

I sometimes wonder how we ever crafted without die~cutting machines...they have to be the ultimate versatile tool and one that i turn to again and again and again. Imagine how delighted i was when it finally occurred to me to die~cut FP! Lol
You will need the thick Sizzix dies to do this. I like to thin my FP, as we’ve done previously with an acrylic block or a craft iron. You can make the plastic much thinner by placing a non~stick craft sheet above and below the FP and gently ironing with a craft iron {no steam} on a low heat. However, if you are strong enough {this is where His Nibs comes in handy again} you can actually die~cut the solid strips as they are!

The technique is exactly like paper die~cutting, make your sandwich and roll away!
If you have a Sizzix alphabet this is a brilliant way to make your own version of *thickers* and save yourself a fortune...and also the annoyance of running out of the letters you need.

Technique eleven ~ punching holes and setting eyelets

This is fairly obvious really, but worth a mention. Cold FP can easily be punched with a regular office hole punch, with eyelet tools, and with a Cropadile or Big Bite. Use the holes to hang things, to thread ribbon or other pretty things through...or set an eyelet as i’ve done in the photo.

Butterfly Tag Project

And now to put all these techniques together.

This tag was created by cookie cutting two large and two small heart shapes. When cool, these were popped out of the cutter and arranged on a section of non~stick craft sheet in a butterfly shape. I then heated them gently and pressed in an strip of extra FP to create the butterfly’s body. I gently heated this and pushed into it 3 pearls and 2 curls of wire for the antennae. To create the shape, either hold the non~stick sheet in the desired position and plunge it into cold water, or do as i did and draw the two wings up by pegging together the two sides of the non~stick sheet to hold them as it cools.
Die~cut a largish piece of FP with a Sizzix tag die, trim off the end using scissors and embellish with a little fancy pearl trim. Set an eyelet into the tag hole and tie in some pretty fibres. Then either glue the butterfly into place, or as i’ve done here gently heat the tag and press it into place.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s techniques and will have a go at making the project...i’d love to hear how you get on :0)

a floral brooch...from scraps...

i'm in the process of giving the craftroom its post~Christmas tidy up...and got rather distracted by some Cath Kidson fabric scraps left over from the weekender i made my sister...

two sizzix dies later {one the Hello Kitty daisies, the other simple circles}...and i had this pretty brooch!

i simply cut 6 daisies the same size {gotta love that sizzix dies can cut through 6 layers of canvas in one go!!}, gathered 5 into little petal bundles and stitched them to the back of an open daisy...layered on a felt circle and a button...

...on the reverse side...i simply stitched a brooch back through the lower layers of petals and a felt circle, secured the edges with a little glue...and hey presto!

one of my favourite things about this brooch is that you can make it fairly flat {eg if you wanted it on a LO} or you can properly fluff up the petals so it is really dimensional {eg to wear on a cardi or as a bag embellishment, or in your hair}

i'd better get back to the tidying now...but i promised papercrafts...and i will be busy with scissors and glue tomorrow! :0)

what can you do...

...with 2 fat quarters and a yard of grossgrain ribbon? i don't know what you can do...but i can do this!! :0)

a rather funky little handbag, with four pockets and a flower on the front....

...and a pretty matching inside...i love opening a bag to find its as nice inside as it is outside...somehow it feels special to have gone the extra mile :0)

so that is one more pressie off the Christmas list...which...given how hard its snowing atm is a great relief...because there is no way i'm going out if i don't have too!

hope you're exercising your crafty muscles while the snow is causing our actual muscles to waste away indoors... ;0)

al!x does t!m...

...or so to speak!?#$! those of you with eagle eyes might have spotted my grungy door sign project in this month's Craft Stamper...and here are couple more projects using the same stamps and techniques:

a Birthday card for the man of the house...and a little box with secrets in...obviously i can't share those...or the secret wouldn't be...well...secret, would it??

the stamps are all by T!m the fabulous...as are the dies...the paint dabber...and even the rock candy distress paint!

...and just in case T!m, or anyone else, hadn't noticed this was a tribute...on the box i've used one of his bookplates, with one of his tickets...and coated it in his delicious Glossy Accents!!

Hope you like what i've done...now get back in your own craftroom...and PLAY! :0)

wowyww...and winners!

hi there Wednesday folk...thanks for dropping by to see what is indeed on my workdesk today...and the answer is this...we've been drawing the winners for the sketch i posted two weeks ago...so without further ado...the winners are:

becky!

christina!

terri~ann!

if you lovely ladies could leave me your addresses as a pm to agirlcalledbob over on UKScrappers...i'll have your page kits on the way to you in the morning!

thanks so much to everyone who had a go...i loved seeing all your LO's...and i really enjoyed having you play with me! :0)

as for what else has been going on here over the last few days...well you may have noticed i've totally fallen in love with the embossed metal patchwork i've been doing...and here is another one...this time a letter A for my craftroom:

clearly, i've done it in the colours i love, and it matches the decor i've got going on in here...and i have to say i really rather like this one!! ;0)

i've covered it all round, which took a little bit of fiddling, but was well worth it...and in case you can't see...here is a close~up to show you just how shiny and pearlescent the peacock coloured metal is:

if you haven't seen it yet...i've done a step~by~step tutorial to creating this look a couple of posts back...

right...off you go on your rounds of all the woyww'ers...and don't forget to stop by Julia and leave her some love for starting this whole thing off...i just might see you there! :0)

Sketch challenge update & patchwork metal tutorial

hi all,

i've decided to leave the challenge open for another week...just in case there are any stragglers out there that haven't quite finished...the current LO's are gorgeous...just click on mr. linky to add your LO and to see the others :0) you've got to be in it, to win it, right?

**********************************************************************************

and as i've been asked quite a few times now, i've done a simple tutorial for my patchwork~metal technique

...hope you like it!

you will need:

an item to cover {mine is a mini~album which i've disassembled}

scraps of Ten Seconds Studio metal {or similar weight metal sheet}

scraps of grossgrain ribbon, ric~rac, trim in your chosen colours

embossing folders & big shot {or similar machine}

Humungo double sided super strong adhesive, and double sided tape {other makes are available...and i'm beginning to sound a little like i'm on the craft tv now!!}

glossy accents

nail file

alcohol ink & applicator

Step 1.

cut your metal scraps into suitable sized pieces for the item you are covering {the ones i used are 2 inches square} and emboss with the folders in a variety of patterns:

Step 2.

cover the front of your item completely with the Humungo tape, remove the red covering and begin applying your patchwork squares to the most awkward part of the shape first, making sure to alternate your patterns:

Step 3.

continue covering the shape until the whole thing is covered, folding 1/2 inch of metal over to the back {and through any holes} and trimming the corners as you would if you were covering the book with paper {cutting a triangle off at each corner to prevent bulkiness}:

Step 4.

use an old nail file or a sanding block to remover some of the coloured coating to the metal:

Step 5.

apply a few drops of alcohol ink directly onto the metal, and dab all over to spread the colour evenly with the applicator tool, then leave to dry:

Step 6.

apply a line of strong double sided tape over the join between each square of metal, with a dab of glossy accents at each end and stick down your ribbon scraps, folding the excess over to the back:

Step 7.

my cover had a window, so i've added a piece of acetate scrap and a photo to the middle by simply taping them in place on the back:

Step 8.

cover up all the messiness on the back of the cover with a co~ordinating piece of patterned cardstock and if you need one, re~make the hole!

Step 9.

reassemble the book...and its you're all done :0)

i hope all that makes sense to you...if you have any questions do leave them in the comments box and i'll do my best to answer them :0)

back with another challenge!

so here i am again...with another challenge entry for the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog...and this week's theme is layers...the more the better...and here is what i've created:

using a bingo clipboard as my base, i've layered one sheet of pp, some bazil cardstock and a photo i absolutely love, of my sister and BIL on the way home from a fabulous tennis party {hence the shorts}...see how the light catches the sunflowers...and his pint of beer...and they are all laden with presents :0) love it!




over the photo & mats, i've layered an enormous chipboard flower that i got from Bee Crafty...and coloured with Distress Inks...on top of that is a huge plastic flower that came from a QVC scrapping kit yonks ago...and then on top of that...joy of joys...i have discovered that Nestie dies will cut grungepaper!!! how did i not know this before...now i have a thousand more reasons to play with both these wonderful toys!! the grungepaper is also coloured with distress ink...and layered over two layers of Sizziz die~cuts of branches and leaves...coloured...well...you can probably guess ;0)...and layered again with some purple plastic flowers topped with brads!

on the right hand~side, i've tried to use up all the bits i cut off the die~cuts on the other side...and created a flower from pp dipped in the melt pot to create a thick and super shiny base...then stippled alot of gold perfect pearls in the centre...and sprinkled with black/brown glitter...all was looking dandy until i lost patience waiting for the pearls to dry and tried to brush off excess glitter a little heavy handedly...so i've lost the seed effect in the middle of the flower...bummer...but i guess i'll make another one tomorrow...when i'm over the fact that i cocked up the first time!! lol

so there you have it...to hang it i've cropadiled through the whole thing on both sides and tied a toning ribbon :0)

if you want to play along and make a multi~layered creation too...and maybe win yourself a stamping prize to boot...check out all the details here!

happy today...

Stampotique Designers Challenge...

here is my card for this fortnight's Stampotique Designers Challenge...this one is based on a sketch...check out all the details...and other challenge entries here.


usually i like to colour the girls in, in all sorts of exotic colours...but this time i was feeling a bit sad and wistful...so i kept the whole colour~scheme in shades of brown to match my mood!
if you blend your distress inks all around the face you can create a fun vingnette effect...which really draws your eye into the face and the feeling...and i can't resist giving her glass eyes...this time with sepia accents!

the rest of the card is simply finished off with one of Sir Tim's tattered floral flowers, with a suede flower and an orange gem brad to hold it into place and highlighted with a lovely scrap of lace and a couple of buttons.

its not rocket science, i haven't reinvented the wheel...but i kinda like it :0)