Sunday 28 February 2016

Dinner is Poured!

The Six Nations Rugby started back this weekend and Scotland's game was against Italy. There was a lot of shouting at the TV but I am pleased to say that, at last, Scotland managed a win and hopefully this means they won't end up with the "Wooden Spoon" this year! There was even more shouting at the telly later with the England v Ireland game but unfortunately my encouragement of the Irish team was to no avail!

This week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge gave me a few ideas and I ended up making three cards before deciding which one to go with.





Ok I admit it, I'm still playing with my Crazy Cats - well the matching Framelits arrived so a girl has just got to try them out. I did do one that's not cat related but it will be this Crazy Cat which will be this week's entry:


Dinner is Poured



This naughty cat has been trying to get the cream and has knocked over a bottle of milk to get some.


I used:
Cardstock
Ivory Linen Effect - PayPer Box
DS Striped - Trimcraft Paper Pad

Stamps & Dies
Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Stampers Anon
Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Sizzix Framelits
Tim Holtz Splat - Sizzix Framelits
Dyan Reavely Laugh Til You Leak - Stampers Anon

Inks
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Versafine - Onyx Black & Majestic Blue
Promarkers - Windsor & Newton


Another version I made using a Crazy Cat I felt sort of but not quite hit the brief for the Challenge but I liked it any way!


Got Catnip?




I used
CardStock
Linen Effect - PayPer Box
White 300gsm - Image Supersmooth

Stamps, Dies, Embossing Folders
Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Stampers Anon
Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Sizzix Framelits
Cat Sayings - Stampendous
Lillies - Darice

Inks
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Versafine - Onyx Black
Promarkers - Windsor & Newton



This last one has no cats used in it's production. Instead it's a little fishy, or rather it's a little  mermaid . . .




I used
Cardstock

Linen Effect - PayPer Box

White 300gsm - Image Supersmooth


Stamps & Embossing Folder
Little Mermaid - Woodware
Bubbles - Darice

Inks
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Versafine - Onyx Black
Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Promarkers - Letraset/Windsor & Newton

After applying the Distress Inks I splashed a little bleach on to the card to give an air bubble effect.


Sunday 21 February 2016

The Birds - Part 4

While waiting for the Crazy Cats stamps to arrive I had a play with some Bird Crazy Stamps & matching Framelits, some embossing folders and Lindsay Mason Stamps.





Rules








I Used

Cardstock
Kraft - PayPer Box
Blue - Crelando
White - Image Supersmooth

Stamps, Dies & Embossing Folders
Tim Holtz - Bird Crazy
Lindsay Mason - I've Had Enough
Craft Concepts - Hand Script

Inks
Distress Inks - Tim Holtz
Memento Tuxedo Black







Sitting Around







I Used
Cardstock
Kraft - PayPer Box
Blue - Crelando
White - Image Supersmooth

Stamps, Dies & Embossing Folders
Tim Holtz - Bird Crazy
Lindsay Mason - I've Had Enough
Couture Creations - Pure Pleasure

Inks
Distress Inks - Tim Holtz
Memento Tuxedo Black







.

Cool for Cats!



At last! I've had Tim Holtz's Crazy Cats stamps on pre-order since I found out about them last month and this morning the postie popped them through the door. Just one wee thing though - I forgot to get the Framelits too but not to worry though I should have them next week.

For the moment anyway I have been having a little play with them, my first one was a complete disaster and there were too many mistakes, to count!

Once I got that out my system I tried a couple of others and came up with these:










What I Used

Cardstock
Hammered Ivory - Papermill Direct
Navy - PayPerbox
White - Image Supersmooth
Stamps
Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Stampers Anonymous
Smiles & Years - Lindsay Mason
Inks
Distress Inks - Tim Holtz
Promarkers - Letraset/Windsor & Newton








I Used
Cardstock
Hammered Ivory - Papermill Direct
Black - PayPerbox
White - Image Supersmooth

Stamps
Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Stampers Anonymous
Smiles & Years - Lindsay Mason

Inks
Distress Inks - Tim Holtz
Promarkers - Letraset/Windsor & Newton






I Used
Cardstock
Hammered Ivory - Papermill Direct
Black - PayPerbox
White - Image Supersmooth

Stamps & Embossing Folder
Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Stampers Anonymous
Smiles & Years - Lindsay Mason
Pure Pleasure Embossing Folder - Couture Creations


Inks
Distress Inks - Tim Holtz
Promarkers - Letraset/Windsor & Newton










I hadn't been going to add this card here as I'm not entirely happy with it. It was a real case of Murphy's Law . . .





I Used


Cardstock
6x6 Kraft Card Blank - Hobbycraft
Red - PayPer Box
White 300gsm - Image Supersmooth

Stamps
Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Stampers Anonymous
I've Had Enough - Lindsay Mason

Inks
Distress Inks - Tim Holtz
Promarkers - Letraset/Windsor & Newton















I also decided I would use a Crazy Cat for this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge




and came up with this:









I Used

Cardstock
6x6 Kraft Card Blank - Hobbycraft
6x6 Gingham Check Paper - DoCrafts
White 300gsm - Image Supersmooth


Stamps

Tim Holtz Crazy Cats - Stampers Anonymous
I've Had Enough - Lindsay Mason

Inks
Distress Inks - Tim Holtz
Promarkers - Letraset/Windsor & Newton













Wednesday 17 February 2016

The Birds - Part Three




Yep, it's those wacky Bird Crazy stamps again!

I recently came across a set of stamps by Lindsay Mason called "Quips" that I thought would be a great fit with Tim Holtz Birds, so here are a few of my attempts so far:




Voices



For this one I created a splattered background using the Tim Holtz Stencil to give a slightly, dotty, psychedelic look which I (or was it the voices) thought would perhaps go well with the Lindsay Mason Voices Quip stamp.







 What I Used
Cardstock
Black - PayPer Box
White - Image Supersmooth

Stamps & Stencils
Bird Crazy - Tim Holtz
Quips - Lindsay Mason
Splatters Stencil - Tim Holtz

Ink
Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Memento - Tsukinenko
Promarkers - Letraset











Stand Out


The background for this card came from a card my friend gave me for my Birthday. The front had a filigree cut out section so it just had to be kept as a template for experimenting with! This effect was created by running it through my Spellbinders Grand Calibur with the paper covered by the rubber tan mat. The embossed paper was then rubbed over with Distress Ink to lift the design. The Tim Holtz Bird was cut out and attached with a 3D glue so it would, as the quip says, stand out!  






What I Used
Stamps & Stencils
Bird Crazy - Tim Holtz
Quips - Lindsay Mason
Splatters Stencil - Tim Holtz

Cardstock
Navy Blue - PayPer Box
Green - Crelando
White - Papermill Direct

Inks
Distress Inks - Tim Holtz
Memento - Tsukinenko
Promarkers - Letraset








Pigeon v Statue

This quip was the one that sold me on the "Quips" stamp set and I just had to have it for my birds!

I kept the background simple and stuck with an open air feel by using Distress Inks to create a grass & sky background.






What I Used
CardStock
Black - PayPer Box
Pale Yellow - Crelando

Stamps
Bird Crazy - Tim Holtz
Quips - Lindsay Mason

Inks
Distress Inks
Memento - Tsukineko
Promarkers - Letraset








Monday 15 February 2016

Cogs, Scribbles & Splats

Happy Valentine's Day!

Teenage son comes into my room to inform me that he will be heading out to meet some friends. "Who is she?" I enquired as son's face turns various shades of red, "Who says there's a girl, Mum?" so I told him his face told me all I needed to know - apart from her name but my guess as to that was, eventually, correct. I gave him the little box of heart shaped chocolates that came with the M&S "Dine in for Two" Valentine's selection his Dad & I plan to have tonight. Not to worry, there's a rather yummy pud (looks like a bar of gold bullion)  I picked up that may make up for  losing out on the chocolates.

The weather has been fickle again this time it can't make up it's mind if it wants to rain, snow or sleet but as long as it doesn't get too much colder I'll be fine. As it is this cold snap is playing havoc with my TMJ (painful jaw joint) as it sets the pain off. It doesn't help that the new Doc carrying out my last injection would appear not to have hit the right part of the muscle and I am experiencing the problems I normally get as the effects of it wear off around 12 weeks down the line only it's only been 3 weeks and my next one isn't due until the end of May. I can't have another injection so that leaves me muscle relaxants which are non selective and have been leaving me a little spaced out!


Time for this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.




As it's Valentine's Day I used "love" for the sentiment but I didn't intend this as an actual Valentine's card.


Cogs




I decided to try a masculine card as I had recently bought a couple of "industrial" type embossing folders one with cogs the other with a tread plate design.  It was kind of crying out to be made using metallic cards so out came the copper, silver and gold cardstock and my Grand Calibur.












Craft Essentials Creative Embossing Folder was used to emboss the cog design on the copper & silver card while the individual cogs were cut from gold card using X-Cut Cogs Chronology dies. Crafter's Companion "Gun Metal" folder was used as a back ground. The card stock with the embossed cogs was lightly sanded and then lightly inked to give a distressed look.





What I used

Cardstock
PayPer box

Dies & Embossing
X-Cut - Cogs Chronology
Lawn Fawn - Scripty Love
Crafter's Companion - "Gun Metal"

Inks
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Peeled Paint
Memento - Black


Scribbles & Splats

This is another card I've been playing with using some Tim Holtz Dies. I love the ornate grille design, in fact it was the reason I wanted the set. I decided to team it up with the Scribbles and Splats.



The card stock base is a 300gsm white linen and for each cut out in the white cardstock there is a shadow piece in metallic copper placed behind it. I used a leather effect paper in Navy blue as a contrast.









What I Used

Cardstock
Hobbycraft - DL White Linen Card Blank
PayPer Box - Navy & Copper Metallic

Dies
Tim Holtz - Scribbles & Splat
Tim Holtz - Mixed Media
Lawn Fawn - Scripty Love






Monday 8 February 2016

Greetings!

Typical, just as I thought the windy weather had finally settled down I received yet another yellow weather alert for strong winds from the weather app on my phone! It has been quite a blustery start to the year so far.

One member of the household, our wee Jack Russell, who hates the rain decided that for some reason he now likes to go out in the howling, gale force gusting winds. I'm not sure if it was because of strange noises or new smells but he kept going up to the patio doors to get into the back garden, at one point I opened the door just as a massive gust decided to head north & straight in through the house. My neighbours had the opposite problem with their young Springer Spaniel who decided he didn't like the noises the wind was making and was apparently freaking out so his dad ended up spending the night on the sofa to try and keep him calm.



Work on the late 60's/early 70's chest of drawers I bought to up-cycle for my son's room continues. I'm only doing a little at a time but the drawers are almost finished, they just need varnishing and the two painted ones need their new handles fitted.









The new handles cost 10 times more than I paid for the unit from a local second-hand shop.  The owners are moving to new premises and reduced the price of just about everything to the princely sum of £1! I had very nearly bought it the week before but wanted to check sizes of it to make sure I had enough of the decoupage paper I wanted to use to cover the area I needed it for.  

I asked my son how he would like it done and had to laugh when I was told "As long as it's in keeping with the aesthetics of my room Mum I don't mind"!



For my attempt at this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challege #222 I decided to go for black & ivory and hopefully manage to make a card suitable for a male of the species.




For the card base I used a landscape hammered ivory card. I then took some black cardstock and ran the two short sides through my Darice Feathers on Side folder and applied it to the base. The card is a UK A5 size and the folder much smaller. In order to prevent the edges from marking lines down the cardstock I ran it through my Grand Calibur but instead if using the full size Raspberry Embossing Plate I used the embossing plate from my Sapphire which was the perfect width for the feathers.

I used the ivory hammered card stock with an assortment of dies to create the embellishments and added some faux stitches around the edges of the black card.


After I originally thought I was finished I just kept looking at it thinking something was missing & it was bugging me! In the end I had another look through my die collection. I found the Spellbinders Delightful Tree set which  had some small birds which I felt would add some additional interest and be in keeping with the feather embossing.







What I Used

Cardstock
Ivory Hammered - PayPer Box
Black - PayPer Box

Dies
Leafy Flourish - Die-Namics
Birthday from Happy Birthday Garland - Spellbinders
Birds from Delightful Tree Set - Spellbinders
Roses from Floral Heart Accent - Spellbinders
Greetings from Tim Holtz Holiday Word Script Set - Sizzix
Oval from Radiant Rectangles Set - Spellbinders Gold

Embossing Folder
Feathers on Side - Darice