CD Challenge

Ive entered a challenge with 4 other folks, and each has chosen their theme so

CD1 ..........Pink with wings
CD2 .......... purple faces
CD3 .............The sea
CD4 .............dolphin's and blue

CD1.... The idea for this CD is wings that should be translucent so part of it will be see through hopefully I have stamped three pinkish butterflies in clear shrink plastic for the windows. Change of plan I couldn't cut into the CD, so need to rethink.

Ive decided to turn the CD into a flying bird, wind chime.

So first job was to bend CD using a heat gun and gentle pressure. Next a coat of gesso, followed by several of pink acrylic paint. I then stamped a darker pink crazy paving.

I started from the back and glued the tail feathers on using a glue gun and worked my way forward sticking pink eyelash wool, sequins of various sizes.

Next came a couple of red glitter sparkling wings and a pink fluffy underbelly.

I attached the spring to the top [made by winding some thick wire round a pencil] and the shrink plastic butterfly so that the bird took flightHere she is in her new home tweeting and flying

CD2....I have a theme of there is more to me than you can see. The Cd will be a face representing the many facets that we all have.

Firstly prepared the CD with a layer of gesso.
I made up some tissue with water and Pva and added a squirt of Arondak eggplant and pushed into a faces mold and left to harden so I had numerous dried heads. I put a base of purple marbled paper on the cd on which to build the face















I trimmed and stuck on the heads, mounted a saying and stamped and eye Then I filled in the cracks using aubergine crackle glaze.









CD3.....My idea is loosely based on a famous painting by a Japanese artist called The wave. My idea is for a raised wave of blues greens and sparkling white.



I made a loose swirling pattern with pva and tissue to give a textured background. Painted the CD with greens, blues and glazes topped with white 3D glistening


CD4....This is to be a view of the sea, rocks drawing the eye to a sea scape in which a school of dolphins are frolicking.

I created a background with more pva and tissue, I cut some dolphin bits out of shrink plastic, so I had tails heads and backs. Next step painting.

I then stuck the dolphins so they were playing in the sea and touch the sea edges with white gesso to show the waves they made


All in all I'm pleased with results of this challenge.

Another Holder for Nestie has been requested, they must be doing their job!.
Ok the requirements this time are

• purple
• shagreen or snake skin or leather???
  
• 6 pages
• bit of bling
• unusual!!

Tall order, will need to think about this one for a while , off to find inspiration!

Here#s the finished result

More storage for a friend

I've offered to make a nestie/die cut storage for a friend. The requiresments are

• Must be pink
• Lots of bling
• very girlie
• more sparkle
• Fake shagreen
• hold nesties...6pages min
• identifiable
• tags, ribbons and embellies

So First I took a pale pink card and sprayed cranberry ink, violet and purple mist in a diagonal bands imitating snake skin. i embossed with a cuttlebug folder and then picked up the raised area with fushia pink pad.
The shagreen cover
Next I designed the pink flowery inner pages and merged using various techniques, the edges were trimmed to size and a dilute crranberry was applied just to the edges.

I'm hoping she'll like them

Next it was time to design the embellishment before assembly. Using acrylic stencils I cut out 2 initals and backed them with a contrast and black stazoned the edges. Next little jewels were added, flowers and other bits. The letters were attached to the cover with pva and brads to secure

The next job will be to back the cover and insert the paper ribbon ready for the closing buckle.
The inserts have had their tags attached and the magnetic tape secured, its important to vary the position and thickness of the strips so that the book is not bulky in one particular spot.

When the cover is complete the inner pages will be sewn together the three central holes with strong thread. The final bit of bling a star buckle and its a job done!

The Smelli Album

Some time ago my friend Caro came for a visit and we obviously headed for the nearest wonderful craft store. I'm very lucky that I have several, but my favorite is Capture the Magic, they are so friendly and ready to discuss and advise on anything!.

Well, some time later we came home with some hardboard D's with the intention of making smelli albums for each other. Last week she challenged me to finish them.
At the time I had no inspiration at all and was despondent.

But at 3am inspiration finally struck. She likes things to do with the sea and if you put the 2 D's together you end up with a squashed circle = a porthole, brilliant!.

So the plan is to decoupatch the background in various blue/green/sand colours.
Ink various sea stamps and emboss to bring to life and embelly with eyelash wools, so here we go.


I collected all the little bits of paper I had lurking around and pva'd them to the D's. I didn't go completely to the edges as i wanted them as smooth as possible.

Next I stamped, seaweed, sharks, shells, and mermaids and embossed them with various colours. FinallyI wound some eyelash wool into circles for anemones and textured sea fronds.

Now for the porthole. I had some copper metal sheeting used the D's as my templates and cut the outer ring, next I went into my kitchen cupboards and found a suitable sized dish and cut the inner circle. I backed the D's with a suitable coloured paper




Using the cropodile I cut the holes for the brads through the metal, hard board and backing paper and attached the brads. To hide the brads, I used the same process to cut a strip of contrasting paper and stuck this on the inside

I cuts some strips of card 2 1/2 in wide and folded them in half, punched holes to correspond with the ring holes in the D's. These were mountings for the smellies .

As a final embelishment I coated a wooden C in weak PVA and and covered it in 24crt gold leaf, for a 24 crt gold friend. The glue was allowed to dry throughly and then the excess buffed off with a soft cloth. A hole went into the top and it was hung from the bottom.






And there we go all done!

New Year

Well its a new year so time try try out new presents and new things.


So, here goes, I saw a wonderful tutorial on how to make a fake leather wallet, which inspired me to make a book to hold my new nesties. MY requirements were

• fake leather look,
• magnetic strips to hold
  
• plastic to protect the cutting edges.
• I like eastern designs and as my new nestie was a fabby eastern design it was easy to see that was going to be my theme.
• at least 4 pages, which ment 3 inner and 1 for the cover.

I didnt have 3 A4 all the same, but I had some thick 120gsm, printer card, so I set too and designed my own.

Next I put the cover card through my embossing folder for a snake skin effect. Using my new cutter I make an apperture, then using a sepia ink pad I distressed the cover to bring up the texture.
I distressed a sand piece of card and putting it behind the apperature. Some die cut letters on the top completed the the outer cover.
From trimming the top and bottom to fit the embossing folder I made a couple of straps to secure the bucle and strap.



I then took one of the 3 card pieces and sewed it to the top part. the next 2 pieces were stuck together back to back and folded into a booklet. Adhered magnetic strips on the page.




I took 2 clear postcard protectors and cut the sides so that only the bottom piece remained. I used 2 brads to secure it to the pages, so it was either side.
From the brad holes I hung some charms.

A second booklet for one of my friends was made in the same way.

Day12

The last of the challenge tags, so what could be more appropriate than time to say bye.

I googled some clock face images, down loaded several different ones in different sizes, cut them out and mounted on my tag like a collage.
I washed them over with weak solutions of sunshine yellow and dried marigold inks and brushed courdory at the edges
I then stamped, in orange, an honesty seed stamp over the top.
I die cut in black paper some clock hands and affixed them using 2 tiny brads.
Simple, but I'm pleased with the results

I hope you have enjoyed browsing my blog of the 12 day Christmas challenge and will visit again.

Day11

A tag inspired by the game playing that goes on in our house!

The tag was covered using a wash of dried marigold and vanilla, and left to dry.

Two bingo cards were ripped and also stained with dried marigold.

Small game pieces were added, computer printed words added