DAY 11

DAY 11
Phew nearly there, this tags been a bit of an experiment and, well, I like it
The background is a crumpled tag with burlap and spiced marmalade brushed across the folds and the flattened.
The rossette is a strip of Anitas christmas borders which was scored every cm on one side then turned over and scored every cm on the other side in between the other scores. I then folded up the paper backwards and forwards to make the crinkles.
I needed to trim a cm off the top and bottom of the papaer because it was too big at this point. I stuck the 2 ends together I gently flattened so the rosette formed
Next I stamped a circle onto pearl red paper and stuck this in the middle. A 2 and a 5 die cut on the top completed the tag.

DAY 10

Day 10 and on a roll now
This is a fantastic tag!! Right starting with the background frayed burlap and ancient paper softly brushed all over and then swirles stamped in spiced marmalade.
A matching Christmas ribbon was then wrapped around the middle.
On a distressed piece of paper I stamped the reindeer in frayed burlap and cut out and stuck ontop of the ribbon.
A die cut branch was added and differnt size and shades of cream and white pearls were added to simulate mistletoe. Finally a red pearl for an eye was added.

DAY 9

Day 9
This is not a good scan of this tag it has mega sparkle!!

Yes ok I'll hold my hands up spiced marmalade background again lol, with frayed burlap blended background
Stamped Peace on earth and a bauble using black stazon.
I also stamped the bauble onto purple paper which I cut round and decoupaged ontop of the stamped image on the tag.
The bow image I filled in with clear stickles glitter glue.
I added 3 saphire gems as lights and drew sparkles out from them with the glue, the scan doesn't show the sparkley effect.

DAY 8

Ok let's move on swiftly to day 8 and this tags' a bit tounge in cheek as a person 50 plus and therefore a member of the RED Hat Society
So here we have a very lightly spiced marmalde ( yes I know i just love this ink pad) to give a bit of a glow, few leaves left from previous project accented with a few pen lines to simuate movement. I die cut 2 white circles and 1 purple one.
I cut a segment out of the purple circle to make a coat and accented with red stickles glitter glue for the buttons.
I sizzix die cut bow in red check forms the scarf, hightlighted with white stickle for frosting.
And on the top a punched hat, decorated with sequines, I penned in eyes and a smile, with black pen.
The whole tag was tounge in cheek fun.

DAY 7

Ok Ok so now I'm way behind, not been to well is my only excuse but we are going to catch up fast so hang on tight here we go!Isnt this fabby am well pleased the way this turned out. Job no1 was to prepare some card with pesto, aubergine, tawny copper and butterscotch sprays ready to punch out the leaves and vines with sizzix and marianne dies. The background is spiced marmalade lightly swirled with frayed burlap. I layered up the leaves and topped with a Quickkutz embossing dies brushed with ancient paper to pop out the embossing on the dove and topped off with a few feathers here and there, and job's a gud un!

Day 6

Day6
Yes yes I'm early, but I'm out tomorrow tutouring some messy play with sprays! So its here early
and what a beaut! The scan doesn't do it justice cause the pearls are not shown at their best. Some of them are matt and some have a wonderful sparkle.....anyway here it isRight we have a tag lightly covered with aged mahagony and bundled sage. Next a stamped pair of corners in Olive stazon. A die cut in a soft pearly green from marrianne dies was added across the middle. White paper roses and wonderful pearls finished the job.............beautiful tag rubbish scan

Day 5

Here we are almost 1/2 way there, my gosh time is flying anyway here's todays little gem and I like it......wot its not pants I hear you say....well no its not its rather good lol

We have a tag coverd with aged mahogonay and the phrase from See D's angel stamps, stamped in black stazon. I stamped the angel on a seperate bit of paper with the black stazon and coloured with chipped saphire and stream blended together. A torn piece of parchment with latin gold writting on was added and the angel over the top, the tag was finished with 2 antique celtic gel stickers.............really lush this one

DAY 4

Day 4

Here we are I know, I know it's a day late, but I had no inspiration, then today day wham and a tag I actually like......I know I know control yoursels this is how I did it

Chipped Saphire and stream distressed base, aged mahogany stamped image from crafty individuals. A Sizzix die cut bow in little sizzlits earth tones touched with stickles pearlised glitter. A strip of fancy trim across the bottom topped with saphire blue bargette gems and an oval one on the bow and its a fabby little tag

DAY 3 TIM HOLTZ challenge

Day 3
Well i'm improving all the time folks, here is today's efforta select of odd bits of torn papers, collaged onto the tag, covered with acetate on to which an angel and text has been stamped with stazon. held on with 4 tiny brads

DAY 2

DAY 2 of the Tim holtz challenge and I think Ive improved a bit, but as my teachers used to say 'can do better'!
I seem to be have a pastel phase at the moment, we have a chalked blue/violet background. Snowman stamped in royal blue. Yellow chalk glow behind the text stamped in straw yellow. 1/2 a die cut snowflake, covered with fabby sprarkley silver glitter. 3 bits of cream ribbon attached with mini brads in shades of violet.

Tim Holtz Challenge

DAY!
Ok its here again and Tim's tag is fabby here's mine for today
I started with a subtle base of chalks to create a soft background Next i stamped the text with Olive Stazon. I reused a tag from last year as the larger tree, the smaller tre is a die cut, from pearlised painted paper. A silver ribbon was crossed across the large tree and decorated with small stars. Finally a die cut deer was added, it's eye and nose topped with red glitter.
This is not one of my best tags, but lets hope I get better!!

AWOL

OK OK so Ive been missing for a bit, truth is Ive had that dreaded artistic block that hits us all now and then. So Ive started back gently with all me Christmas cards so here we go this years selection

Metal Plaque

My challenge on Craftmess is to do a metal plaque using embossing folders, alcohol inks, different metals and techniques. Some parts were embossed and burnished in flame, some parts free hand embossed, some pierced.
Top left was freehand embossing with an alcohol ink wash and then rubbed with sand paper to bring back the metalbase of a copper coated metal, next a piece of foil container embossed with a folder and alcohol ink dripped on. next a coke can pierced using a stencil, alcohol ink blended on top off
Middle row coke can free hand embossed and alcohol inked, next coke can embossed using a folder and burnised in flame, finally an embossing frame covered in a single colour and sanded back to foil, a jem in centre
Bottom row, freehand embossing, piercing and sanding on foil. next a copper piece with pen top embossing alcohol allowed to run through circles and sanding back to silver metal. on the final piece i stamped an image and embossed free hand, i then blended an alocohol mix and i sanded back to the silver metal.
As it was difficult to photograph so here are 3 others to show the work

Decorating jars

Well I entered an alter a coffee jar competition on Craftymess.
My inital idea was to do a block jar.

We all get mental blocks and loss of inspiration, this jar contains 4 different shapes, 1 shape has colour, then next has type of card, the next main feature, embellishment. The jar is to be shaken and 1 or 2 colours pulled out, 1 or 2 embellishments, but only 1 featureand type of card. I put easy options on the coloured side, and harder options on the white side with black/white gel pen

I wanted an indian type theme so i wanted to trap sequines between glass and decopatch paper.
I coated inside of jar with PVA and randomly added squines. I then tore up the 3 differnt types of decopatch paper and added them on top, using more PVA over the top as a seal.

When dry i filled the jar with the mountboard shapes added an instruction card and decorated the jar top with threads, cords and charms.
Here are the results

Wings and Things

This was for a wings and things challenge
I started with a large empty sellotape roll into which i pushed 8 wires and pulled to the top, i twisted them together making a loop for hanging and a loop to hold part of an old christmas tree decoration.
I digitally played about with a peacock image and cut out out the 2 printed sides. I used an embossing tool to bend the paper making the bird 3 d. next i cut a wedge into a piece of bambo and glued the peacock to it.
When dry, i threaded bells either end and a wire to hang from the top of the cage.
Next I glued riboon around the base, and threaded an eyelash wool through the bars.
A paper was adhered card to the inside and finally added the base, when dry i glued sawdust to the bottom, coloured some with charcoal ink to simulate ashes and finally stuck egg shell to the bottom.
Added a tag with the words
From ashes beauty arises

Altered bottle top

I set a challenge on my facebok page to alter a bottle top and here is my effort

I choose a fabric softener bottle and made a table decoration. I used a cola can for the metal petals, which were cut in my bigshot, burnished in a open flame....if you decide to do this a} have plenty of ventalation the fumes pong and 2] be warned the plastic cola coating does catch fire.
I free hand embossed and coloured with alcohol inks. The inner was filled with a mix of heavey beads, paper and PVA. Small beads were threaded onto wires and wound around a thin knitting needle

Bragg Book in a Box

Here is my challenge for July.

A BRAG BOOK IN A BOX

This is a perfect christmas gift for granny's aunts and uncles or just fond memories

MATERIALS

BOX

1 10in x 10in heavy or light card

1 10 1/4in x 10 1/4in as above

BOOK

2 3 1/2in x 3 1/2in thick card album covers

5 6in x 6in paper for pages

5 2 3/4in x 2 3/4in card for photo mounting

5 2 inx 2in card for hinges

1 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 backing paper

4in of ribbon 1/8 in or cord

1 button

TO MAKE THE BOOK

Take the 6x6 papers and place face down fold the sides to the middle [ like a gatefold]

accurately fold the corners into meet the fold line making 4 triangles,

Take care not to fold past the 1st fold.

Turn over and and fold the backs towards the front as far as the triangles

the sides shud just over lap. Do this to all 5 pages and insert the 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 crds tucking into the corners.

Take the 2x2 in pieces and make a fold diagonally.

Squeeze the pages and you will see a pocket glue the hinge front and back to the inside of the pocket

Take the next page and join simarilary take care NOT to glue the hinge too far in or the hinge doesn't work.

Do this with all pages making sure that some hinges fold frontways and the next backways, so you end up with a concertina of pages.

stick the last back page to one of the covers

centrally.

The album cover has the hinge stuck to the cover and inserted into the book [12], the book side of the hinge requires adjustment so that the covers match.

Thread the ribbon through the button and glue to the back of the front page

Stick the backing cover to hide and secure the hinge and the ribbon. decorate as you

wish.

THE BOX

Take the 10x 10 in paper and fold

1] corner to middle all 4 corners

2]side to middle all 4 sides

3]undo and have a point facing you

4]cut on the folds made to the square 4 times as shown

5] fold points back in

6] lift the fold and tuck under side 4 times

as shown

Repeat with the 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 paper this is the lid

Stick the book back to the inside of the box and put top on. decorate box

Fill with photos of your choice and add embellishments

Make a Birdy house

Materials

1 A4 sheet of paper

1 contrast piece of paper 41/2 x 6 ins

Die cut shapes

Stamps

Inks

Glue

decorations

Down load the following templateMake the print out fill the whole of the A4, before you cut out, paint and stamp on the reverse side. I used spray paints for a mottled effect

then cut out and score the dotted lines.

Bend in all the little tabs and bend all folds, using your bone folder from the 2 central lines curl/condition the sides by stroking with the flat of the bone folder, only as far as the tab

dab little bits of glue on tabs and stick sides, each end at a time, allow to dry overnight.

Take the contrast piece and score 1/4 on each of the 2 long sides and then in half at 3insfold in half and snip a 45 degree angle through the 1/4 in fold, to form the gables

Cover the roof piece with die cut strips and distress with inks.

A small h*** can be made in top to hang, before glueing down.

Fill, stuff etc the insides NOW.

Glue roof on and leave overnight Finally add diecuts and decorations etc

Altered Tape Cassette Case

This was something of a challenge!! I had so many ideas rolling around and couldn't make up my mind what to do, so I ended up contacting the swap partner for a theme. She chose the Circus. And well here's the result. In all fairness it was just sooooooo difficult.







I chose some bright stripy paper and covered the front and put an retro circus pic on front














Next ito the lid i use holographic paper on the back, a retro image of a trapeeze artist complete with mesh safety net added the elephant images and some dots to look like lights. When closed the bottom of the elephants could be seen so it was necessary to stick the back stripy picece of paper across to meet the hinge




Into the bottom of the cassette after removing the little pegs with pliers, i put a generous coating of pva glue and covered with wood shavings. Mad a couple of circus podiums and stuck images of a lion and ring master.


Some bright tape/ ribon around the edge completed the look