mini backpack

I found a fab template on scs to make a mini backpack and this is my first attempt.

Chocolate chip and barely banana cardstock, the french script background stamp in chocolate chip ink. Flowers from the Three for You punch set. Diecut letters from a sissix extended die.

Looks complicated but it was really easy to make.

Layered box

Never ever again am I going to make a layered box. This one took 2 afternoons to make!!

Wasn't that it was complicated, it's nothing more than 3 box bases and a wrap around case. The big hassle was all the measuring as it had to be accurate otherwise it wouldnt close smoothly. Then the enormous amount of sticking together with strong ds tape.

















The box measures a smidge over 4" each way with the inner layers being 4*4*1 and 4*4*2

Fawn brown & pearl card, gold pearl paper punched with MS doily lace punch. Circular flourish image from Mr &Mrs stamp set and embossed with gold SU detail ep. Circular buttons are white gloss card with orange and so saffron SU ink blended with gold alchie ink and alchohol blending medium. Punched with the 1" circle punch, stamped with chocolate chip ink then triple embossed.

3" notelet set

There are so many fab tutorials on splitcoaststampers that it's hard to chose which to do but I had a set of 3" notelets in my starter kit that have been waiting to be played with.

This notelet caddy tutorial is from Regina but hers looks much better than mine.

Ruby red, pumpkin pie and chocolate chip card & ink with some cream card from stash. Pocket Silhouette stamp set, SU scallop border punch, fiskars corner punch oval nesties, a few gems and a couple of brads. It took a fair bit of measuring but I'm really happy with the finished result.

As it turned out I didn't use the notelets and made my own with pumpkin pie card stock.

bad blogger

I've been a bad blogger lately, too many new books from amazon and a missing mojo doesnt help.

This is one I've been meaning to finish for a while. Bloomin beauty turned into a shaker using seeds. Coloured with copics and highlighted with dazzling diamonds. Certain celery & so saffron card and ds paper.

Sadly the colours havent photoed well on this one. I've used versamark to stamp baroque motifs on glossy card then used a brayer with bashful blue & pale plum ink to make the image appear. The image was restamped slightly off centre with perfect plum to create a shadow. Flowers stamped and punched with a retired but still available Three for You Punch Set. Small blue stones added to the flowers.

I've struggled for fathers day this year, and this one is inspired by Maureen Fergusons card on splitcoast stampers.

Baroque motifs stamped in chocolate chip on bashful blue with some silver mirri and a peel off sentiment. I didn't think fil would appreciate the dark purple I used on my other blog but so hubby could tell me fil is colour blind and wouldnt have known what colour I'd used. Oh well, I'm happy with this one.

Tomorrows demos

These are 2 of the inexpensive gifts I'll be featuring at the openhouse tomorrow.

A cheap 48p candle from the supermarket. Image from Summer by the Sea and stamped onto tissue, coloured with watercolor wonders then melted onto the candle. Simple acetate box made from a single sheet of chocolate chip card and the scallop edge punch. A small strip of acetate which I often get from packaging but this piece is courtesy of a good mate. Raffia is cheap to buy although this bit was part of the packaging from a set of teatowels.

These are 4 small jars of jam and cost 80p. The box is made in 2 sections from a sheet of chocolate chip cs then both attached to a heavy weight card covered with dsp. I used an image from fast & fun notes and it's sentiment seperately. Would make a great pressie or even for fund raisers.

3 new cards

I saw a circular penny slide card while blog hopping a while back and thought I'd see if it would work in acetate. Yep, it works although I could have done with a larger bee stamp and a larger channel for the penny to run around.

Everything was cut using scal & the cricut (I know I'm lazy lol) then I used an image from Pocket Silhouettes and Orchid Oppulence to create a pattern around the frame. The flower is doodled on with sakura tiara pens and the bee from Bloomin with Beauty is coloured with markers from the Bright selection.

This is another image from Pocket Silhouettes stamped with Chocolate Chip onto Blush Blossom. I used the stampamajig to keep things straight. Wish SU would invent something that guaranteed by matting and layering would be as straight or my photography ;o) Chocolate chip cs to layer and ribbon to match. Then I ruined it all by not washing the ink off of my hands. Thankfully butterfly punches are dead handy to hide dirty marks.

You must be getting used to this image by now. I didn't think that much of it in the catologue but I keep finding myself reaching across the table for it.

I don't normally do distressed/vintage, mainly because it always looks a mess when I have a go instead of being artistically aged. Really chuffed with this one though. I didn't intend to give it a distressed look it's just once I'd overstamped the En Francais backing I couldnt help but think it would be perfect for a scrap book page of a WW1 soldier.

Enough with the waffle, here's how. Poppy stamped with classic black onto whisper white cs. I then stamped again onto layout paper to cut the mask. (layout paper is really thin so you get more detail around the edges when you over stamp.) Using the stampamajig to keep the writing straight I over stamped with Close To Cocoa. I then used berry red & orange promarkers with g21 & g05 copics to colour. Once I'd allowed the inks to dry thouroughly I used a cotton ball and some blush blossom pastel to age the writing but stayed well away from the poppy as I wanted the colours to remain vivid. Then I sanded the edges until they started to rip then wiped them over the close to cocoa inkpad. From there I didn't even bother matting or layering, just added some of the wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon and stuck the image straight down. Few blood red gems added to the corner to give it a bit of balance.

Open House

If you're in Bristol on Sun May 17th you're invited to join me and a few friends at my first open house.

With the school year drawing to a close I'm going to be featuring inexpensive but quick & easy presents to make for the teacher and cards to match. You don't have to have school aged children as these gifts are perfect as all year round or xmas pressies.

If you'd like to come please email me and I will send the address and directions.