Happy Birthday with Kraft

A simple birthday card today for my second DT piece this month at Country View Crafts where the theme is using Kraft card. I used Stampin' Up stamps (Butterfly Basics) and ink (Marina Mist) on this card. The flower was embossed with white embossing powder - I didn't initially intend to cut it out - but although a little fiddly to do, I love how it has created some dimension on the card.

Have a great day.

Nikki 

xxx

Male Card Ideas

I have been playing around with cards for men for one of my Stampin' Up card classes and thought I would share a few. Some of these are quite simple and quick. (Just spotted I included one with a flower and rhinestone - mmmm maybe not for a guy!)

Thanks for looking.

Nikki

xxx

Rusty tag time

A quick post to let you know I am sharing this tag today over at the Country View Crafts project blog - do hop over if you would like to see the details.

Nikki

xxx

Happy Times (12 Tags of 2015 - April)

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Thanks for the recent comments and visits - I really appreciate you stopping by.

I will keep this one quick - my Tim tag for April. I was lacking the resources used by Tim so changed things round a bit - I should have gone bigger than a No 8 tag as my Runway girls needed a little more space! Loved Tim's version. might have to invest in the flower stamps after all.

See you soon

Nikki

xxx

Quick cards to post

Hello everyone. A quick post today to share a couple of cards I made using Tim Holtz stamps and stencils but sort of in the style Wendy Vecchi - well that was the plan anyway.

The second card is a similar style 

I would like to enter:

Inspiration Emporium - Anything goes

Creative Card Crew - Sentiment

Scrapbooker PHD - Focus on the Sentiment

Have a great weekend.

Nikki

xxx

A little bit of sunshine

Here in Hampshire (England) spring is certainly upon us this week and it is lovely to have some mild and bright weather. A little tag in celebration!
2 stamped and embossed layers to create this tag decorated simply with a homemade flower, some seam binding and a butterfly.

I would like to enter:

Frilly and Funkie - Spring time die cuts

Vintage Stamping challenges - Homemade flowers

Our Creative Corner - Spring Colours

Craft Stamper - Use colour

Simon Says Stamp - Weds - Spring Flowers

 My tag is a version of one done a couple of years ago by Tammy Tutterow - you can find hers here. 

Have a lovely day and thanks for stopping by.

Nikki

xxx

Together card

Happy Sunday everyone. I am over at the Country View Crafts project blog today sharing the creation of this card. Be great to see you over there.

I would like to enter Thats Crafty where the theme is all about Grunge!

Nikki

xxx

Mixed Media 'Frameworks' Canvass

 

Hello everyone. Well I finally got back to the craft room after my little break to have a sort out. Apologies there are a lot of photos today - the weather is bright so I went a bit mad.

I made this with a couple of challenges in mind:

Compendium of Curiosities - the theme is Frameworks from Tim's latest book. (P64 volume 3). It is the turn of Inspiration Emporium as this challenge's wonderful sponsor.

The Mirror Crack'd - to produce and use a masterboard

Simon Says Stamp - 'A' is for.... for me it is an arch.
 and fortuitously - That's Crafty - Grunge, Grunge, Grunge

I started by creating 2 masterboards. Both commenced with acrylic paints, brown and white.

The first then had a crackle medium applied and when dry black acrylic was added. Once dry I rubbed the surface to produce the effect of peeled paint.

The second was covered in a matt medium, tissue wrap added and then it was splattered with white acrylic.

I chopped them up to commence my project:

The tissue wrapped base had texture paste, embossing powder and distress ink sprays added.

The canvass frame was also treated with texture paste through a stencil and painted.

My frameworks were cut from the peeled paint masterboard, but colour was added. The inserts for the frame were a mixture of foil with alcohol inks, foil embossed and acrylic and alcolol ink added and finally the masterboard pieces with either crackle paint or glossy accents added.

(photo in sunlight)

(photo indoors)

The arch was cut several times to provide depth and glued together. The base of the arch was from the peeled paint masterboard with a little colour added.

(photo in sunlight)

(photo indoors)

Finally I added some additional frameworks to the canvass edge.

Sorry for such a long post today. Have a great day.

Nikki

xxx

Three Little Birds...

I made this card about 2 weeks ago and it has been sitting on my desk waiting to be photographed. 

It's those crazy birds again on kraft card with a background of gesso (texture tools used to create subtle texture), texture paste, stencilling, stamping and distress paints.

I would like to enter:

Stamps and Stencil - Anything Goes

Simply Create Too - Anything goes

My time to craft - Get Krafty

Simply Papercrafts - Anything Goes

Crafty Cardmakers - Wings

My craft room clear out is going well - now a week with no crafting - hopefully be sorted soon and my mojo will return!

Nikki

xxx

Butterflies and flowers

I hope you are enjoying your Easter weekend. Last weekend I went on a craft retreat and had a whole weekend to play! Unfortunately I seem to have lost my mojo a bit at the moment and really wasn't that productive - but I had a lovely time with friends. I am giving myself a little crafting break to recover some ideas (hopefully) and in the meantime I am trying to have a good ruthless sort out in my study / craft area. 

I have a few projects to post from the weekend though and here is the first. When short of ideas I look to others for inspiration and I am a big fan of Pamellia's work. I had this in mind when I started:

You can see the influence without it being a complete copy I hope! 

I have gesso, texture paste, stencilling, embossing powder, inks, stamping and even some glitter on this. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Frilly and Funkie - Add ribbon

Stamps and Stencils - Anything Goes

Mixed Media Card challenge - Flowers

Pan Pastel - Spring Colours

A Sprinkle of Imagination - Anything goes

That Craft Place - Spring

Thanks for looking.

Nikki

xxx

Frame it!

Time for the start of the April challenge at A Vintage Journey today. The theme is selected by Julia and is 'Through the Looking Glass'. Here is how Julia describes it:

Let's make a project involving glass (acetate) or mirrors (metal sheet), perhaps a window or a clock face, a hand held mirror or glass bottle.

A great theme!

I decided to make mini picture frames incorporating the wonderful phrases from the new Perspective stamp set. I started with the small frame above but decided it was a little dull so made the larger one with the postage stamp die. 

I cut 5 frames with the middle taken out and one complete frame for the back out of greyboard. I also cut a complete one out of acetate. I glued together 4 frames leaving the front and back ones separate for now. I painted all the edges in brown acrylic paint.

For the front frame I also started painting it brown then added texture paste through the flourish stencil and added weathered wood embossing powder. Once dry I heated the frame to melt the powder. I then decided the weathered wood needed subduing a little so spritzed it all with vintage photo distress spray.

The image within the frame was stamped in archival, sprayed with weathered wood distress spray and once dry inked with the same colour DI. The mixed media thinlet was cut from a similarly coloured piece of card - although I made this one slightly darker with a little stormy sky.

Once I was happy with my background and arrangement I glued the image to the base section and then the layered elements. Finally I added the acetate and top embossed layer.

I really should have taken a few photos before the acetate was added as it isn't great taking photos through it! 

Thanks for visiting today. There is lots more to see over at A Vintage Journey and a month to join in this fantastic challenge.

Nikki

xxx

Something simple

Hello and happy April! Over at Country View Crafts it is the start of a new challenge and we using Kraft card. For my first make I decided to use the card to make a weathered or worn background - it was just play really but I liked how it came out.

I began with a piece of card I had used to mop up some pumice stone distress spray and added some gesso - just lightly swiping it in random lines in one direction.

I then did a similar thing with gathered twigs DI - the gesso resists it so it adds colour to the non painted areas.

I wanted a little more variation so took my sanding block and lightly sanded the surface before adding some frayed burlap and finally a little more gathered twigs.

In the end I also added a little broken china through the latticework stencil in the corners - but this is quite subtle.

I stamped the words and one of the Runway girls in archival ink and heat embossed.

 I also stamped the same girl on some scrap Kraft card and cut out the dress. I coloured it with broken china ink and embossed with clear powder. (It turned out to be a little contaminated!) I coloured in the ' Beauty' letters with broken china and then a promarker to add a bit more colour.

A few close ups:

Do pay a visit to the Country View Crafts challenge blog for more inspiration on using Kraft card. As usual there is a monthly prize donated by Susan at the Country View Crafts store.

Thanks for visiting - have a lovely day.

Nikki 

xxx