Trick or Treat - Tuesday 28th October 2014

Good Morning Friends,

I was up very late crafting last night...got to admit I'm not usually at my best as a night time crafter, but Tom is away, so I knew I'd have trouble sleeping and crafting was the better option! I made some birthday cards for family and friends who have birthdays next week, so I was quite productive!

Now I am up early to share with you a couple of treat boxes I made recently - they will be for the neighbours children when they come knocking.

 This one was made using a Sizzix box die and Boo die...then for the handle I used a Spellbinders border die. I have had that die a long time, I think it was the first border die that I bought. Simples.

 For this box I cut the two largest pumpkin dies from a Spellbinders set and then ran them through my GC with an embossing folder. I made a base and sides for the box, using part of the box die from above and adapting it and then joined the two together to make a box.

I die cut some leaves and adhered them to the box, adding some glossy accents for dew drops. To finish I added some ribbon, twine and a button.

Thank you so much for stopping by...I did say I would be posting workshop photos, but I still have some autumnal/Halloween projects to show before the 31st, so they will have to wait until the weekend!

Love and Hugs,

Carole X

Rusty Lantern Sunday Stampers week 330 - Friday 24th October 2014

Good morning Friends!

Sunday Stampers - Faux Techniques

Sorry I still haven't been around much lately...the kitchen is now finished (apart from a few little details) and I have got back into sorting out my times at work (at least for the time being!). Last night was our last 'Out of the Blue' craft workshop before Christmas and I will post the card my group made and the photos of their cards for this month over the weekend.

I have been a bit caught up in Halloween makes, not so many cards this year, but I've been out in the craft barn busily making and decorating autumn and Halloween items...now I can finally make some headway with Christmas cards and makes and try to catch up with some of you!

Thank you so much for all your comments on my Edgar Allen Poe-meets-Psycho landscape on my last post. I admit that I was really pleased with it and am looking forward to putting it in the window at Halloween. 

Today's make is another for Halloween, this one will be put on my porch bench, which I dress up for the Trick or Treaters...it also fits very well with this week's Sunday Stampers challenge from Hels Sheridan. 

As you know, lately I have barely had time to blog and haven't been able to make anything  for my favourite challenge in weeks...so am pleased to be back!

The theme for this week is to create something with a faux technique and of course add some stamping...my faux technique is rust and here it is...

The lantern itself is a plain mdf kit from Stamps Away/Clevercut; I've also made an autumnal one, which I will share next week and am working on one for Christmas. To paint it and create the rust effect I used a technique that Ally Reeve from Stamps Away has demo'd and it is really easy!

I painted the lantern after putting it together, using burnt ember acrylic paint. I then took some orange acrylic and a sponge, (just one of those we use in kitchens). I dipped it in a little of the paint and keeping it quite 'dry' dabbed it over the lantern to create a rusty look.

I did the same with the flowers, which is Sizzix Tim Holz Tattered Florals die. I die cut using a not too heavy plain card stock (I think I used a cereal box). I then painted these and stained them in the same way as the lamp itself, but the amazing result with the card is the texture! When you touch the flowers, they really feel like you're touching rusty metal, honest I have to touch them whenever I am anywhere near this project! Tom was suitably impressed too...I fixed them to the lamp using real rusty wire and it feels the same!

To finish with the non stamping decor, I took some burlap wired ribbon and painted it with burnt ember (they were selling large tubes of this for £1.99 in our local Works and I have made such good use of my buy this autumn!)

The stamping

I stamped various Halloween images, mostly involving crows (well after my last project I had to have a Poe lantern didn't I?) on to acetate and then heat embossed the images with clear embossing powder.

The stamps I used are from the 'Spookylicious' and 'Boo' sets by Chocolate Baroque

 To complete the lantern I painted the base of a battery tea light black and and placed in the centre

That's all for today, thank you so much for stopping by! I have some more autumn and Halloween projects to post this coming week, so please come back!

Love and Hugs,
Carole X

The Witch is In! - Wednesday 24th September 2014

Good Evening Friends,

ATB Witches' House

Hoping you are all well and still enjoying some sunshine! The kitchen fit is going well at the moment, we've been out during the days and come home to find lots of work completed by the two installers and they have left everything so tidy! So far so good...today we visited Highgrove Gardens again (the home of Prince Charles)...we've done a tour earlier in the year and this is the autumn one and it was again lovely. I'm just sorry that no photos are allowed as there is so much to photograph there! It's a lovely place to visit and only about 20 minutes away from where we live.

Today, I would like to share a witches' house I made from Artist Trading Blocks, using the Eileen Hull scoreboard die from Sissix, this is fun make, that I made to enter in this months Art with Heart challenge with the theme of 'Fall' and I chose Halloween.

First of all I die cut two large blocks and one medium size (there are three sizes on the die) in black heavy card and then I embossed the card using an M-Bossability folder. 

 I adhered one large block to the other and added the smaller block to the side. I then cut the roof from black glitter card. I have another Sissix die that makes a little cottage (it was a Christmas present last year and you will see it in some future Christmas makes), but it was ideal for the little windows and door, which I cut in glitter and then backed with orange card.

I drew and cut out the turret, chimney and the witches shoes and legs myself and used stamps for the bats and cat, which I have listed at the end of the post. The pumpkin buttons were in my stash as was the mdf tree, which I coloured with Promarkers. For the door handle I used a little Halloween brad, also from my stash and I made the broomstick from litre bits of twig and card.

Stamps used: Bats - Hampton Art Halloween stamps (bought in Michaels last year)
                      Owl on turret - Chocolate Baroque
                       Cat - Chocolate Baroque 
                      Spooky Toadstools - Chocolate Baroque
                       mdf tree - Calico Crafts
                      Sentiment - Graphic 45


I would like to enter this project in the September challenge 'Fall back' over at Art with Heart

http://www.eileenhull.com/2014/09/art-with-heart-challenge-september-fall-back.html

It's a bit odd being home on holiday and coming back to the house every afternoon/evening then popping out to a local pub restaurant for something to eat because we can't cook and really aren't keen on take outs...we are both  really looking forward to getting into our new kitchen and cooking! So I haven'y had much time for craft or visiting your blogs...please bear with me, I will catch up with you all! I just grabbed a few minutes to get this blog finished tonight.

I'm having a crafty treat tomorrow because we missed Ally Pally, we are popping down to Exeter and the craft show there - never been before and it's not that far!

Bye for now,

Love and Hugs

Carole X