12 Tags of 2014 - November

Good grief my third post of the day - the others were scheduled - this one is live!

I loved Tim's tag for November - but didn't have the supplies to do it as he did - so here is my version! 

Love the spray effect of the tarnished brass on the corrugated card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Nikki

xx

Snowflakes and Stencils at Country View Crafts

I am briefly back for the second time today to show you this project I am sharing today over on the Country View Crafts project blog. Do hop over to see how I made this.

I would like to enter this card into the Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas. Linda's Week 3 tag was my inspiration with her stenciled background and additional snowflakes. The 12 tags is sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Nikki

xx

Birds of a Feather for A Vintage Journey

Time for a new challenge at A Vintage Journey - Birds of a Feather - chosen by the lovely Chris Warner.

I began my card by taking some Tim Holtz paper and randomly stamping the background. I distressed the edges and added some stitching.

I die cut 2 birdcages, one in greyboard and one in card which I inked in black soot - as I wanted a little shadow. My main birdcage was painted with picket fence distress paint ( was too lazy to get the gesso out!) and then a good layer of clear distress crackle paint added and left to dry.

My bird was treated in a similar way, but once dry I wanted him slightly darker so added some black soot distress stain. Ouch what a mess! Bapy wiped most of it off and added a little pumice stone distress paint. I think I rescued him from the bin! Oh yes I added my eye ( A rhinestone coloured with alcohol ink) while the crackle was still wet so it sits into the top layer.

I cut some flowers from the tattered florals die and gave them the Jennie Atkinson treatment! Do check out her flower tutorials - they are wonderful.

Finally I added some punched branches, some stamped and die cut feathers (both Stampin Up) and my sentiment from Tim's Simple Sayings.

Do pay A Vintage Journey a visit to see some more wonderful projects.

Thanks for visiting. I am back later today with another project!

Nikki

xxx

Try it on Tuesday - Christmas is Coming

The new challenge at Try it on Tuesday is all about Christmas so I thought I would share a simple card today but one I really like! Actually I like it so much I made three:

All made with Stampin up card, stamps and inks. The background for the trees uses the acrylic block technique ( ie ink the block and stamp the card) - love how this always gives a slightly different result.

Do hop over to Try it on Tuesday for lots more Christmas inspiration. I will be back on Friday - twice on Friday in fact!

Thanks for looking today. 

Nikki

xxx

Box it Up - Guest Design at Craft Hoarders Anonymous

Today is my second guest design slot over at the excellent Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge Blog. A big thank you to Gloria and the team for having me.

The current challenge is to 'Box it Up' - make a box, decorate a box - whatever takes your fancy. My box will be used as a gift - probably filled with chocolates!

I cut my box from kraft card and began decorating by taking a piece of manilla card stock. I created my background colour with yellow and green distress paints on my craft mat and swishing the card through. Once dry I filled any gaps with distress inks to match. I then cut my card to the fit the sides and top and decorated with stamped images. I distressed my edges and added butterflies, birds, swirls and my flower. Here are the 4 sides:

I would like to enter my little gift box into the Frilly and Funkie challenge - A Gift from the the Heart.

Thank you so much for visiting today. Back tomorrow with something a bit different!

Nikki

x

So much on one tag...

 

Lots of fun with this tag - playing with die cuts, stencils, inks, stamps, distress sprays, distress paints, treasure gold and embossing folders..... mmm yes think that was it.

It came out a little pink for my liking, although I fear the photos may be making it a little pinker than it actually is. Love the background effect of tarnished brass distress spray.

I would like to enter:

The Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas- Week 7 - sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique

Artist Trading Post - Stencil Mania

Stamplorations - Stamps and Layers

The Artistic Stamper - Christmas is coming

Fashionable Stamping challenge - Christmas tag

Thanks for looking today.

Nikki

xxx

'Dear Santa' Cabinet Card for Compendium of Curiosities

Had fun making this one!

The latest challenge from the Curiosity Crew is to use Cabinet Card Pockets - page 38 of Tim's book. Check out the link here... where there is some fabulous inspiration from the team.

This time round the sponsors are Inspiration Emporium.

For the last challenge I had made and didn't use my Umbrella Man Father Christmas so decided my Cabinet card was going to turn into my Dear Santa Christmas list... my wish list on the inside tag..

 

Lots of  different techniques with umbrella santa, my robin and present all crackled. My letters are industrial stickers altered with distress paints and stains.Lots of remnant rubs, chit chat stickers, stenciling and stamping.

 Not sure Santa will give me lots of Tim goodies for Christmas but I had fun making it!

I would also like to share at:
Fashionable Stamping Challenge - Christmas Tag
Mixed Media Monthly - Stamps
 The Artistic stamper - Christmas
Stamplorations - Stamps and Layers

Thanks for looking

Nikki

xx

Oh Christmas Tree for Country View Crafts

Today is my first post over at the Country View Crafts’ Project blog. Do hop over for a step by step.

I took my inspiration for this card from Linda Coughlin over at The Funkie Junkie – where she is doing her 12 tags of Christmas. My background is based on her tag number 2. I am hoping to join in with some (or all!) of them. The 12 tags challenge is sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Nikki

xxx

Using up those Scraps at CVC

Over at Country View Craft challenges we are using up our scraps today. Lots of inspiration over there a chance to win some blog candy!!!

I began this tag by adding strips of scraps to add texture and interest:

 I then added some distress paints and spritzed with water to let them do their thing. I then added some more scraps,some tissue tape and tissue paper:

More paint - this time gesso and some black distress ink here and there before random stamping of some cracks with black archival:

Not sure you can see too much of the first layer of scraps on this photo but the various images and text, although mostly hidden, provide texture and depth:

I stamped an image and sentiment on some more scraps and cut them out, also adding some remnant rubs:

I hope you like my quick, messy tag! Thanks for visiting.

Nikki

xxx

It almost ended up in the bin.....

Hello everyone and welcome to new followers, I really appreciate your visits and comments.

I have had one those bad crafty weeks where things haven't been working too well and ended up in the bin. This one almost went the same way but I think I have managed to rescue it!

This is how it started:

The stencilling is still visible but the snowflakes and doilies have pretty much disappeared under the tissue tape and painty layers. So not quite what I had planned when I started. 

The background is a mixture of texture paste through the stencil , tissue tape, gesso, brayered fresco paints and distress inks.

My poinsettia is coloured with distress ink, then glossy accents and distress glitter added.

I would like to enter my rescued card into:

The Mixed Media Card Challenge - Christmas

The Artistic Stamper - Christmas

The Craft Place - Anything Goes

That's Crafty - Anything Vintage

Many thanks for visiting today.

Nikki

x

Homemade for Try it on Tuesday

Homemade gifts is the challenge starting today at Try it on Tuesday.

So I thought I would have a go at crackers and boxes. I used the Stampin Up envelope punch board for my cracker which makes it very easy! I might be making a few more of these for around the tree!

(The paper is also SU - All is Calm)

This is such a great challenge - do check out the variety of projects from the rest of the Design Team. 

Nikki

xx

Thank you - Guest Design Feature - Craft Hoarders Anonymous

 

It is a pleasure to be a Guest Designer this month over at Craft Hoarders Anonymous where the November challenge theme is 'For all that you do - Thank you'.

Before I show you some more details I must confess the layout is based on a project I saw by Kath Stewart - here is the link. Also my flowers are based on the wonderful flower tutorials of Jennie Atkinson.

I started by taking a piece of crumb cake SU card stock and randomly stamping various leaves. I distressed my edges and matted onto brown cardstock.

I took some corrugated card from some packaging and added picket fence distress paint before edging with vintage photo distress ink.

 

My flowers were created using Whisper white SU cardstock and following Jennie's wonderful tutorials.  

Finally I die cut some letters and treated with the same Vintage photo DI. I also dyed some seam binding, added some cheesecloth and a little ticket.

 

 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Sugar Creek Hollow - Recycling and Repurposing (corrugated card)

Fussy and Fancy - Thankful

Brown Sugar - Thanksgiving

Simply Create Too - Thanksgiving

As always thanks for looking

Nikki 

xxx