Vintage Guy card - Friday 18th January

Aaahah.....bet the title of this post had you guessing! However today's card is a guy card, yes, but he doesn't necessarily have to be of a certain age, that just refers to the wine!

Good morning friends and welcome again to my new followers, it's so good to have you along and I really do appreciate you visiting and leaving comments.  I do try and visit all my followers' blogs, but sometimes fitting in work and craft time isn't easy, so please forgive me if I don't get to you occasionally.

Today I am writing this blog at around 5.30am, rather than scheduling it for this time..the dreaded snow has finally arrived in our part of the Country and it's arrived with a vengeance for letting us off fairly lightly the last few years! I really do not like snow, as far as I'm concerned, it belongs on Christmas cards..I won't even put the sentiment "let it Snow' on cards. how mad is that!!!?

Poor Tom has just left for the half hour walk to our local little train station - that's the time it takes on a good day, today he has given himself an hour. He decided to leave the car at home - normally he would have an hours drive to work and it's just not worth the risk this weather; by the time he gets home our street could well be impossible to drive on, that usually happens! The train will take him to Bristol and then hopefully he will connect with a free bus his Employer lays on..fingers crossed! What angers me is that he could so easily work from home by just connecting his laptop to the network, which he does frequently, but they were all told yesterday that they were expected to get to the office. He wasn't complaining, that's just me!!!I'm the lucky one...no work today. 

I've realised that none of our hens have seen snow before, our 'past' girls have treated it in different ways, from wanting to leap about in it, to skirting the lawn altogether, so it will be interesting when I go and let them out this morning. I'll probably let them have a look whilst I clean their coop, but then put them back in the run where it will be nice and dry at least.

Anyway, back to crafting...

 Today I have a card and matching tag. I actually made the wine bottle 'topper' quite some time ago when I was just having a 'play' but hadn't made it into a card, although it has been in my 'to do' box. I used a Sam Poole design stamp (Vintage Label), by Creative Expressions. After stamping the wine bottle with a clear embossing ink (Versamark or Perfect Medium) I covered the card with a metallic bronze mica powder and wiped it all over  with a dry cloth (like one of those dry floor wipes or tumble drier sheets) creating a resist with the bottles and a mottled vintage background. I'd stamped several bottles so I cut one of them out to layer the centre bottle.

To make the card, I covered a 6x6 card blank with some shimmery bronze card I had in my paper stash and matted and layered the stamped image on dark green card, using both green and brown ribbon to trim. The sentiment is from a Creative Expressions stamp set, die cut on a Spellbinders Ribbons Tag Trio die.

I then decided to make a matching tag - I used a manilla label and inked it through with Vintage Photo distress ink, then covered with a piece of hessian.  The script is part of the Vintage Wine stamp set, so I tore it from the page, inked the edges with the distress ink and curled the corners. Then I cut out another wine bottle and placed it over the top.

Well friends,I am off to get some crafting done today, I hope you are all keeping warm and well, especially if you too have snow where you are!

Carole X

Good Morning Friends and welcome to my new follower, thank you so much for joining me in my little piece of crafty land. I hope you like what you see! I like to try different styles and techniques to keep me on my toes!

Today I'm sharing a card style I haven't used in ages, but after finding some old instructions whilst 'attempting' to begin a clear out of the craft room a few weeks ago, I re-discovered my liking for kinetic cards and instead of carrying on with the clearing, proceeded to make one.... and this is the result.

 I think it's called a swinging top pocket..it's a small card with the fold at the base and is sealed each side to form the pocket. The front of the card is cut about 4cms shorter than the back and  second piece of card is attached to the top of the card with a brad, overhanging the 'join' slightly. 

Before doing all this, I covered the entire card (back, front and inside) with papers from my stash...it's a good way of using up small pieces, so in some way I was continuing my clear up!!! The top piece, which is the 'cover' must be covered in the same paper.

Sometimes when I'm in colouring mode, I will stamp and colour some images ready for use and this was the case with the two House Mouse stamps used on this card.They were all ready coloured with Promarkers, waiting to be added to a card!

The front hinged part of the card opens to reveal the pocket and whatever is hiding inside - I have used a tag, but it could be a gift card or ticket.

I hope you are all well and not snowed in...we are supposed to be getting quite a lot tonight and I'm not looking forward to that at all! Friday is a non work day for me, but Tom has a long drive to work, which isn't so good.

Take care all,
Carole Z X

WOYWW 189 - Wednesday 16th January

Hi Friends and fellow WOYWWers!

I'm back for the second time today, to share what's on my desk this Wednesday..well this is what it looked like a matter of minutes ago! This is my second week of joining in with WOYWW, to find out what it's all about, check  Stamping Ground by following this link

Last night (sighs) I had one of those sleepless nights where there we lots of ideas whirring around in my head..my problem is that there is so much I want to do and so little time in a week to do it! You see,  I go to work, but Wednesdays and Fridays are my days at home and goodness do those hours fly by!

I've really had a huge urge to get back into scrapbooking lately, mostly due to us doing some clearing out from our box room over Christmas and looking through rather sadly bulging boxes of old photos waiting to be scanned and scrapbooked. The first thing I did this morning was pick a few photos from years back with the aim of making a few 'all about me' pages, memories from my teenage years. I saw some ideas for this in a recent issue of 'Scrap 365' and it made me think that I need to out some favourite 'me' memories in one place, because I never have! I scanned them, decided on some 12x12 paper to use, printed and mounted them - and that's as far as I got because there were cards I had to make!

So the photos are there on my desk as I am going to have a play when I finish writing this, there is also a guy card and tag I made using an inking and mica technique and a blue card using embossing and distress ink - this is for an extra workshop we are doing for a local craft group next week...so I am now really inky today, just how I like to be!

Thanks for stopping and looking at my desk, I look forward to visiting other WOYWW's this week,
Carole X

Sunday Stamper week 240 - Wednesday 16th January

Good Morning my crafting friends!

Thank you for your visits and comments, all of which are very very much appreciated! My friend Amy (we run the workshops together) has taken the plunge and entered the land of blog! She will be showing all her lovely creations at http://craftylittleideas.blogspot.co.uk , so please if you can, give her a warm welcome!

For me, it's time for this week's creation for Hels Sheridan's weekly Sunday Stamper challenge: I really look forward to this little piece of my crafty week! 

Another Tag this week and this time I have been trying one of the techniques in this month's Sunday Stamper magazine stencils Masterclass. This one is using a mask with texture paste...

I used a floral mask with white card and taped the mask to the card with low tack tape. Then using the texture paste I spread it over the mask making sure all the areas were covered and using it more thickly in some areas to give different  textures. Then I removed the mask (washing it immediately) and sprinkled with Heritage Rose Sparkle embossing powder. This was a late night project that was very much improvised as I went along (which is why I didn't photograph it for a tutorial, but am happy to do so for a future project).

When I started off I had no idea what I was going to make and what colours I was going to use, so I dipped my hand into my embossing powder drawer and picked out one I haven't used in years!

Back to the tag....I then heat embossed the tag.Just like with the Dreamweaver stencils I've been using, the embossing powder will bubble and create a very tactile effect. After I had heat embossed, I coloured the white areas with silver metallic promarker. I could have embossed it on mat silver card, but hadn't decided what I wanted the background colour to be at the start!

I cut rectangles from the embossed card and roughed up the edges a little, then I matted and layered using the same card as the tag and a silky silver card. The  sentiment (which ahem...includes the word DREAM), is from a Creative Expressions stamp set. I stamped it with black archival and embossed with the same powder as the mask, then inked with Dusty Concord, which complemented it quite well. The card I used to back the tag and cut out the heart die is from a Tim Holz paper pad and the dream ticket attached to the heart is an Ideology Adage ticket, all of which have been inked with Fired Brick.

To finish off I  added some ribbon double-sided in dark purple and red, which matches both colours I've used.

Thanks for dropping by and as it's Wednesday, I'll be back later with my WOYWW post, let's see what's lurking on my desk at the end of the day!
Carole X

Vintage Lingerie - Monday 14th January

Good Morning my Friends,

After my little card yesterday and saying that  whilst I prefer little ones, I make mostly large cards because that's what I get commissioned to make, here is a large one!

I know we all missed Sue and Julia doing the Spellbinders shows at the weekend and personally I would include Hels Sheridan, Christine Emerson and Jo Channon in that list, because they really are my big inspiration, but I really really loved the small demo cards from the US Spellbinders team. As some of you know, I have spent a fair bit of time in California, having family all over the State and it was there, many years ago, that I was introduced to the brilliant idea of not just sticking photos in albums! They have never been as much into card making as us, though it is a growing craft, just as scrapbooking is here. I really do adore small cards ..but hey, big cards are still gorgeous and it's what the majority of us British like, so who am I to argue with that?

This card is the first one I have made that is inspired by a project in the Creative Expressions Project book. This for any of you have the book, is my 'take' on the "Love is Blind' card by Julia Watts.

I decided to change the colour scheme completely and go for golds and yellows. I started with an 8x8 blank and matted and layered satin gold card, white card, gold again and some shades of grey patterned card from a Kanban Vintage Tapestry paper pad. I pin pricked around the edge of the white layer.

All the dies used are from Spellbinders: I used the Lacey Ovals die in exactly the way that Julia instructs in the book, a technique which I can't believe I had never used before! It's simply die-cut and then at the embossing stage I added an M-Bossabilities folder, using the sandwich:base plate, 2 sheets of card, tan mat and raspberry embossing plate. The cutting edge must face up and the folder remain open - and it worked a treat! I then left the card in the die and inked with Wild Honey distress ink. 

The corset stamp and sentiment are from Creative Expressions Vintage Lingerie; I stamped them both with clear Perfect Medium and heat embossed the corset in gold and the quote in black. I die cut the quote using Labels Four Small and inked with Wild Honey.

The leaves are cut in gold and white from  Assorted Leaves and Decorative Chateau and the white leaves were inked with Wild Honey.

The roses were made with the Spiral Blossom One die. I used cream card and inked the edges with Fired Brick before making them up. Once I'd made them, I dipped them in my new favourite toy...my Melt Pot! It makes them shine and feel like they are made from some sort of resin, it's hard to believe there is just card underneath and this is so much easier than the old way of heating up UTEE over a flame and coating your makes!

I made these on Friday, whilst having a day of 'playing' for a change..just doing what I wanted in my craft room! I made quite a few flowers (but didn't dip all of them) and then one of my other 'crafting heroines' was on C&C, Ali Reeve...who after her show had me in the kitchen making salt dough! All will be revealed later in the week!

Just to return to CHA, did anyone catch the Indigo Blu show last night? I was hooked on their products since the first time Kay appeared on C&C...that was about 18 months ago and the Company has come so far since then. If you saw it, then you would have seen her make the Cog Clock...not that I haven't already got boxes full of altered art parts to transform - and after promising no more craft stuff for at least a few months - I just had to order it, so watch this space..it will become a priority make when it arrives!

Have a good Monday everyone!

Carole X

Cock-a-doodle-do! - Sunday 13th January

Good Morning Friends!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend and haven't been affected by snow (unless you want to be of course! Not me!). 

Did anyone watch C&C from CHA in Anaheim last night? I was sat there beginning to feel excited about our holiday later this year, as Anaheim is one of the places we will be visiting. It's the home of the original Disneyland, but we usually try and catch an ice hockey game as I support their team, The Anaheim Ducks..anyway, I digress! I just watched the Spellbinders shows (couldn't afford anything though!). I really like the way that in the US they make small cards. I love small cards, but especially with my commissions, I feel the pressure to make large cards...well it's not even pressure, they all want large cards and yet smaller cards are so much more personal and can be equally as beautiful, as proved by the members of the Spellbinders DT who demo'd last night, their cards were exquisite.

Today's card is made using another of my Christmas presents..my lovely friend Amy gave me the Heartfelt Creations stamp set I used on Thursday's blog, as well as this gorgeous Cockerel Dreamweaver stencil.

Whilst I had my Dreamweaver box of pastes and powders out last week to work on the Valentine's cards, I took the opportunity to play with my new stencil. I have seen this image used in quite different ways in Dreamweaver galleries, including one very beautiful black and white zentangle design, but I was feeling in a very colourful mood when I did this. On the farm where our ladies (for my new blog friends we have 4 pet hens) come from, there is a little bantam cockerel. He may be small in size but he is huge in colour as he struts about the farm with his little troop of 'wives' following!

I was thinking of him whilst adding various shades of glitter to this image..what fun!

As some of you are new to my little snippet of blogland and others of you like to have occasional updates about our 'girls', I thought I would take this opportunity to let you know what's been going on in their little world...

For my new followers...we have kept hens for 5 years and lost our oldest girl aged 5 last year, so all of these are relatively young....

Cara is 2 years old and the head of the group now and believe me, she has a hard task keep this little group in order! She is a Black Rock who hates being photographed!

Bella is our 10 month old Bluebelle, she's our adventurer..climbs everything and loves to explore

Lacy is so sweet! She is 8 months old and a Speckly..who also loves to climb!

Bella and Lacey are best friends, they are inseparable! Here they are sunning themselves on Boxing Day

And here is our 7 month old Buff Orpington, Penny...she is huge and loves to be cuddled...which is great because I love to cuddle her!

She even got dressed up for Christmas..

...and though it has taken her a while, she finally laid her first egg on Boxing Day!

So that's an update on our little ladies! Thanks for stopping by,

Carole X

Anniversary Card - Saturday 12th January

Good Morning Blog Friends,

Today's card is one that I made when trying to think of Valentine's ideas for our next workshop. We are  probably going to to give our group the choice of sentiment, so for this one I've used anniversary. This is a vintage style card using a Kanban rose stamp and Happy Anniversary Dreamweaver Stencil. I also used paper from a pad by Tilda and some some dusky pink  textured card.

I stamped the image in red and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I then distressed all around the edge with worn lipstick and turned up the corner after matting and layering  on the textured base card. 

For the stencil I scraped with Dreamweaver perlescent embossing paste and after removing the stencil, I sprinkled with red glitter and then left to dry before matting and layer on matching card to create the stopper.

Thanks so much for stopping by, I really do appreciate it!

Carole X