Lavinia Zen Butterfly, Gesso, Modelling Paste, Dutch Doobadoo Stencil and ~Twinkling H2O Paints

 

Hi Everyone

Today MJ has been playing with a couple of her Lavinia stamps from Tracey Dutton’s Zen designs.  They are gorgeous.  MJ likes a butterfly or two…you know what she always says ‘it’s not a mistake it’s a place for the butterfly…lol’!

She decided she wanted to get inky messy tonight whilst OH was again watching footy on the telly.  She loves it when footy is on as it is a legitimate time to craft.

 

MJ was thinking about the colours of the Dragonflies wings that fly about her pond so it had to be a mix of blues and greens.  To get the shimmer she got out her Twinkling H20 paints.  It’s not very clear from the photos but the sheen is amazing with these paints.

 

 

The Zen Butterfly is a gorgeous stamp to play with and when you put it together with Tracey’s other designs there are endless possibilities for your projects.

 

What MJ Used

Maimeri Gesso

Maimeri Light Modelling Paste

Dutch Doobadoo Stencil – Fabric

LuminarteTwinkling H20 Paints – Pear Blossom and Sapphire on Ice

Lavinia Stamps – Zen Butterfly and Zen Leaf 2

Black Archival Ink

 

What MJ Did

1. Cut a piece of white cardstock to fit your card and give it a very thin coat of gesso.  Dry with heat gun.
2. Take the stencil and secure it where wanted.  Using a palette knife, or something similar, spread light modelling paste thinly through the stencil.  Be careful when lifting it off that you don’t smear it (pop stencil and tool into water to clean straight away).  Dry with heat gun.
3. Now take paints and paint over background until you are happy with the colour blend.  Dry with heat gun.
4. Stamp the Zen Leaf design onto bottom edge of panel using the archival ink.  Dry.  Then colour this with the paints.  Set aside to dry.
5. Stamp the butterfly onto a piece of white card stock using archival ink.  Take paints and colour the image.  Once dry cut the image out.
6. Matt and layer the panel onto a card blank.  Add butterfly to finish.

A nice easy card project for you to have a bash at.  MJ just loves her H20’s again!

We hope you have been inspired.

Thanks for Popping By

xx

Crafters Inspiration Magazine Issue 4 - Makey Bakey Mice with Embossalicious and Kraft Card

 

Hi Everyone

Thought we would share a project that MJ has done for you using the FREE CD images that come within the Crafters Inspiration Magazine Issue 4.  The freebies are great and give you such added value with nothing taken away from the quality of the items enclosed. 

Today MJ has chosen to use the Makey Bakey Mice decoupage topper image into an easel card project.

 

She used the Crafters Companion Kraft Card together with two backing papers she chose from the CD.  MJ loves to work with Kraft Card and soft blues – it’s such a pretty combo.

 

 

The quality of this image is superb and the decoupage is so made so easy to cut out – not too many fussy bits and bobs.

 

 

On the tag shape she embossed the Kraft Card using an 8” x 8” Embossalicious folder called Flower Frenzy and then inked lightly over with Tea Dye Distress Ink and Frayed Burlap around the edges to darken.

 

 

The mini easel card is made from one of the greeting panels from a sentiments sheet.

 

 

She even decided to make a small box using her UltimatePro and Boxer Board – it’s so easy to make if you have the correct equipment to hand.  MJ hates too much ‘faffing’ as she calls it. She likes things to be simple to achieve for everyone.  To finish, all she did was pierce three small holes with her pokey tool through the top of the box and pushed in the candle holders.  The candles just store in the box below.

You can really go to town with your chosen decorations.  Have fun!

We hope you have been inspired.

Thanks for Popping By

xx

Sneak Peek of the Crafters Inspiration Magazine Issue 4 – almost time!

Hi Everyone

What a gorgeous day it is here today in sunny South Wales…loving it even though MJ is sitting in her craft room she can see it clearly.

Today we wanted to share the news with you that the NEW Issue 4 of the Crafters Inspiration project pack is available very soon actually later this week!  Packed with 100 pages of 100 amazing projects, tutorials, and techniques for you to look at and try together with loads of fab FREE goodies.  Over £2000 worth of giveaways and competitions, and £50 worth of craft goodies included for just £9.99. So much choice you won’t know where to start!

 -

 

Look below at all the goodies you get! Goodies include: Video Resource CD-ROM, Papercrafting CD-ROM, Sheena embossing folder, Paper Pack, Bead Set and a Stamp Set too!

MJ is super excited as she is lucky enough to have projects in this jam packed edition. 

Just look at how gorgeous the images and the papers are from the Rachel Anne Miller collection.   In this project MJ has kept to all the soft pink papers available on the CD Rom that comes free with the magazine.

 

All projects in the magazine come with full instructions and lists of what has been used.

Please don’t miss out on your chance to get Crafters Inspiration Issue 4 – Spring Edition available very soon.

We’ve pre-ordered ours so why not do the same to make sure you get it.

We hope you have been inspired.

Thanks for Popping By

xx

7th March 2014 – 12 Noon - Rachel Anne Miller with Crafters Companion – Sneak Peek

 

Hi Everyone

Well it’s been an odd week for MJ so here are a couple of Sneak Peeks from tomorrow’s Crafters Companion Pick of the Week on Create and Craft TV with the lovely Dawn Wheeler.  She will be showcasing the NEW Rachel Anne Miller CD’s and Stamps for you.

MJ loved working with them (but doesn’t she always!).  Once again she has been blown away by the fabulous backing papers available on the CD’s.  There is such a range of gorgeous printable elements to this set that it makes it hard to choose which ones to start with!

There’s images for both boys and girls and the animal designs are to die for (and we mean die cutting..lol).  The cute little boy in his cape was MJ’s first stop in this crafting adventure.

 

  

You even have brilliant shaped cards to make.  Just print, cut out and add all your favourite embellishments; there are lots to choose from on the CD.

 

And then there are the stamps – so cute, adorable and fun! 

In the project below MJ has used one of the stamp sets coloured using her Spectrum Noir Pens together with a lovely coordinating backing paper and Die’Sire dies.

 

This cute little box drawer was made using one of the coordinating backing papers and a card companion set.  She used the matching greeting panels and added the ‘4 you’ using the alphabet section.  It’s so easy to work with these designs as the hard work is done for you.  All you need to do is decide on the colours you want to use.

 

 

The fun element was key to MJ for her samples.  There are so many ways to use them.  She only touched the surface with some simple projects.  Please take a look on Crafters Companion FB and blog pages for more adorable projects to inspire you from the Design Team.  You will love what you see and will be champing at the bit to have a go yourselves.  Another classic!

 

Please don’t miss the shows starting tomorrow at 12 noon.  Quick get the Sky+ remote and press record now so that you don’t miss one single idea!

We hope you have been inspired.

Thanks for Popping By

xxx

Boadicea’s Ghost with IndigoBlu, Texture Paste, Archival Inks and Stencil

 

Hi Everyone

Today MJ has been playing with her IndigoBlu ‘Boadicea’ stamp plate.  She was trying to create a ghost-like appearance using coloured Archival Inks.

MJ loves to play around with texture paste and as usual loves to get inky messy too!  So she managed to combine the two today and is a happy bunny (husband is not so happy as she disappeared into her craft room for the duration..lol).

Sorry the piccie does not show very well the vibrancy of the red/orange hues brought out by the deep blue surround.  MJ did say that she wished she had smoothed the edges out a little more.  But she’ll do that next time.

See below for details of project.

 

What MJ Did:-

1. Firstly, spread some texture paste thinly in centre of card and lightly dry.  It still needs to be soft for stamping into.  Take Boadicea stamp and light spritz with water, then stamp into paste.  Left off, clean stamp immediately in water, and dry with a heat tool.
2. Then take a selection of Archival inks and blend ink over the stamped image.  MJ highlighted the face and hair areas using her Spectrum Noir Pens; TN2 around hairline and BGR1 in hair areas.  She also added accents to head dress too.
3. Next take the wording stencil and spread texture paste across areas you choose to.   Wash paste off stencil immediately.  Dry project with heat tool.  Using Archival ink finally colour around outside edges and over some of the text.
4. Mount onto card.

 

 

What MJ Used: -

IndigoBlu ‘Boadicea’ Stamp

Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks – Orange Blossom, Red Geranium, Fern Green and Cornflower Blue

Crafters Workshop 6” x 6” Stencil – Mini Art Is

Spectrum Noir Pens – TN2 and BGR1

Maimeri Light Modelling Paste

We hope you been inspired.

Thanks for Popping By

xxx

Lavinia Zen Tree Stamp, Light Modelling Paste and Kroma Crackle

 

Hi Everyone

MJ thought she was being really lazy and not posting something!…lol

So she decided to do a really quick and easy project for you using one of her favourite Lavinia Stamps – the Zen Tree.

 

What MJ Did

1. Take a card tag or similar and apply a very light scraping of light modelling paste.  Try not to cover the entire tag evenly as you want it to get some uneven texture.
2. Dry the paste with a heat tool.
3. Next take the Kroma Crackle and spread it thinly but evenly across the entire tag and dry as before.  The Krackle will turn white as it is drying.
4. Once dried completely use Archival inks in Potting Soil, Cornflower Blue, Red Geranium to add colour to the background and then Orange Blossom over all the colours to blend.  Dry.
5. Using Black Archival ink stamp the Lavinia ‘Zen Tree’ design centrally on tag base.  Dry.
6. Then add colour with pens (MJ used Spectrum Noir carefully so that she did not run into the Black Archival).
7. With a White Pen-Touch pen (0.7mm) add dot highlights on stamped image.
8. Finally using the Red Geranium ink go around the edges to finish.

 

 

What MJ Used

Maimeri Light Modelling Paste

Kroma Crackle – IndigoBlu

Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks –

Potting Soil, Cornflower Blue, Red Geranium and Orange Blossom

Spectrum Noir Pens – GB1, DG4 and DR6

Sakura Pen-Touch White (0.7mm) Opaque Pen

 

We hope you have been inspired.

 

Thanks for Popping By

xx

Tonic ‘Butterfly Princess’ by Guest Designer Chris DH

Hi Everyone

Today we have a gorgeous card made for you by our Guest Designer Chris.  She loves to play with dies and loves her PanPastels to colour with.

Chris has done a great tutorial for you so that you can play along too.

 

1. Card size used 6" x 6".
2. Tonic Butterfly Princess cut out of white card.
3. Out of blue pearlised cardstock cut out 5 and a quarter plain circle from Spellbinders Grand Circles.
4. Attach this to back of Butterfly Princess and affix both to card front.
5. Again using blue pearlised cardstock, cut out greeting base from Spellbinders Floral Ovals, using 'waste' stars for necklace.
6. Attach greeting, cut using Cheery Lynn word die, to base and fix on card.
7. Add four corners die-cut from Cheery Lynn corner set.
8. To complete, add ribbon bow and blue pearls.
   

A card which can be made quite quickly and of course changed to whatever colour suits.

I think you will agree that this is a beautiful card and that Chris has done a fab job!

Thank you Chris for letting us share this today.

We hope you have been inspired.

Thanks for Popping By

xx