Easter Bliss

Friday 1 December 2017

Creative Artiste #33 December 2017

This is my second post of the day. To see my December Crafts Galore Encore post please scroll down.

Welcome to my December post for 
We are a challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations we'd love to see you enter the challenge.
A big Thank You to everyone who entered Challenge #32 in November. Your projects were fabulous and our winner has been announced on the blog. 

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

This month we are being sponsored by:

Scrapmatts and Papertole Australia


I have created an A4 size canvas. It was actually my sister's birthday present.


I started by fixing torn strips of paper from Prima's Epiphany pad onto the canvas and then stencilling with texture paste through Scrapmatts Lattice stencil. I then randomly added DecoArt Crackle Paste.


Next I dribbled colour and created runs with DecoArt Misters in red and black. I added handmade poppies, glass beads and some Scrapmatts Words.


Lastly I added a gilded Scrapmatts Ornate Frame and an embossed, stamped sentiment.

This is a month long challenge so you have time to create your mixed media projects and enter up to three times. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the wonderful mixed media projects created by our talented team.  Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in the challenge.
I'm off on my travels again this weekend. I hope you all have a nice weekend planned. 

I've entered this project into the following challenges:

Crafts Galore Encore December 2017

I hope you have all been keeping well and are looking forward to a festive month. I've had another busy month trying to catch up with commitments and fulfilling duties. Today I have a card to show you that I made for the December challenge on the
Thank you to everyone who joined in with November's challenge. The winners are on the challenge blog's 'winner's page'. This is a month long challenge and you can enter up to three times. A full list of rules are on the challenge blog.
Our theme every month is the popular
"Anything Goes"

Our sponsor this month is:
Fred She Said
who are offering a $10 gift voucher for the winner.


I have made a pyramid table decoration for Christmas.


This design has proved very popular at my Trimcraft demos this season.

I started with three 8"x 8" squares of card. Each one was scored diagonally then glued together.

I covered the three sides with a First Edition paper from the Gilded Winter paper pad and inked all the edges with VersaMagic Sea Breeze chalk ink.


I chose the Dancing Penguin image from Fred She Said. I doubled the image and reversed one of them to create a cute couple. I printed out three pairs and coloured them with my Copics. I cut all the penguins out and fixed them onto the three sides of the pyramid with foam pads.


I decorated the sides with ribbon, snowflake die-cuts and a die-cut sentiment.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog to see the wonderful projects and cards created by the rest of the talented team and to enter your
"Anything Goes" creations.

I have entered this project in the following challenges:

Friday 3 November 2017

Creative Artiste #32 November 2017

I hope you are all well and apologise if I have not visited your blogs yet. That means that things are still up in the air for me. Hopefully I will have internet for a couple of days next week and be able to visit your blogs. In the meantime ...
Welcome to my November post for 
We are a challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations we'd love to see you enter the challenge.
A big Thank You to everyone who entered Challenge #31 in October. Your projects were fabulous and our winner has been announced on the blog. 

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

This month we are being sponsored by:
Lindy's Gang

I have created this 7"x 9.5" (18 x 24 cm) project.

I've used corrugated cardboard for the base and layers which I coated in white gesso. I randomly glued on patches of orange card and torn book pages then stamped some small butterflies. I also added bits of die-cut netting and used texture paste through a honeycomb stencil.
I fixed the layers onto the base using a heavy gel medium for dimension and coloured them using Lindy's Magicals in T-bird Turquoise and Ocean Breeze Blue.

I die cut a Memory Box  floral circle and coloured it with Lindy's Magicals Summer Lovin' Sun and Mango Mania before cutting it in two and adding to the project.

The three butterflies were stamped in black Archival ink, coloured with the same orange toned Magicals and fussy cut. The large butterfly stamp is from Carabelle and the medium butterfly is from Bee Crafty.

The smallest butterfly and the sentiment stamp are from PaperArtsy. I finished the project with some white flowers from my stash.

This is a month long challenge so you have time to create your mixed media projects and enter up to three times. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the wonderful mixed media projects created by our talented team.  Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in the challenge.
I hope you all have a nice weekend. 

I've entered this project into the following challenges:
http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/november-challenge-over-here-at-altered.html x
http://rheddscreativespirit.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/november-challenge.html x
http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/november-2017-stencils.html
http://thatscraftychallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/forever-floral-challenge.html x
http://eclecticellapu.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/anything-goes-for-november.html Top Three

Wednesday 1 November 2017

Crafts Galore Encore November 2017

I do apologise for my absence lately. I haven't been able to visit your blogs, or use the internet, as I would like as I've been dealing with a family situation that means I'm spending a lot of time away from home.
I have however managed to sort my DT projects and today I have a card to show you that I made
for the November challenge on the
Thank you to everyone who joined in with October's challenge. The winners are on the challenge blog's 'winner's page'. This is a month long challenge and you can enter up to three times. A full list of rules are on the challenge blog.
Our theme every month is the popular
"Anything Goes"

Our sponsor this month is:
Lemon Shortbread
who are offering three digis to the winner.

I made an 8"x 8" card.

I've used plain green card for my matting and layering. The paper is from the First Edition Silent Night paper pad.

The pretty image from Lemon Shortbread is called Winter Girl Hood. I coloured her with Copics and finished with touches of glitter.

I added red raffia and a Docrafts MDF Christmas sentiment.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog to see the wonderful projects and cards created by the rest of the talented team and to enter your "Anything Goes" creations.

Friday 6 October 2017

Creative Artiste #31 October 2017


Welcome to my October post for 
We are a challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations we'd love to see you enter the challenge.
A big Thank You to everyone who entered Challenge #30 in September. Your projects were fabulous and our winner has been announced on the blog. 

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

This month we are being sponsored by:

DecoArt
Who have this wonderful prize for our winner.
A Decoart Mixed Media Starter set.

I have made a 10"x 12" (25 x 30 cm) canvas.

I started by painting the base with DecoArt Crafter's Acrylic Spa Blue to give a pale turquoise background.  Then I randomly stamped a PaperArtsy clock with Coffee Archival ink and I used a large Americana Old French Script stencil with texture paste. Finally for the base I added random patches of DecoArt Crackle Paste.

I die-cut the clock twice and glued them together before giving it a rusty appearance using DecoArt Americana Burnt Sienna acrylic, Payne's Grey and Quinacridone Gold Fluid Acrylics. And a sprinkling of sand. I fixed it in place and added some glass beads and bamboo straws.

I arranged the rest of the diagonal display with a mix of paper, resin and clay flowers. Also metal embellishments and crystal beads.

I die-cut and embossed a Sizzix Tim Holtz butterfly and used the same colours as before. Once I was happy with the display I mixed Art Stones with gel medium and filled in around the elements.

Once everything was dry I added the top layers of paint using DecoArt Fluid Acrylics in Cobalt Teal Hue, Cobalt Turquoise Hue, Quinacridone Gold and Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide. I watered each colour down to make it more fluid which, because the paints are highly pigmented you can do without losing any colour, and used a brush to dribble the paint.

This is a month long challenge so you have time to create mixed media projects and enter up to three times. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the wonderful mixed media projects created by our talented team.  Remember to have fun and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in the challenge.
I hope you all have a nice weekend. 

I've entered this project into the following challenges:
http://moremixedmediachallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/more-mixed-media-challenge-anything.html
http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/october-challenge.html
http://rheddscreativespirit.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/octobers-challenge.html
http://welove2create.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/challenge-1-anything-creativemixed.html
http://ainkymess.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/challenge-14.html x
http://inkychicks.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/challenge-no-89-anything-but-square.html x
http://emeraldcitycraftschallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/challenge-4.html x

Sunday 1 October 2017

Crafts Galore Encore October 2017

Today is the first of October. The nights are drawing in, the temperatures are getting chilly and the trees are a riot of warm colours. Perfect crafting weather, I just wish I had the time.  
Today I have a card to show you that I made
for the October challenge on the
Thank you to everyone who joined in with September's challenge. The winners are on the challenge blog's 'winner's page'. This is a month long challenge and you can enter up to three times. A full list of rules are on the challenge blog.
Our theme every month is the popular
"Anything Goes"

Our sponsor this month is:

Rick St. Dennis
who is offering two digi images for the winner.

I have made an 8"x 8" card.

I started by colouring the edges of the card blank with Vintage Photo DI. I then layered a piece of card coloured with 13 @rts Ayeeda Mists in Pastel Blue, Chalk Turquoise Light and Pastel Yellow.

We were generously offered a digital image from our sponsor and I chose A Clockwork Dragon. Anyone who knows me knows that I love dragons and Steampunk so this fabulous image was an obvious choice for me. I used my Polychromos to colour the dragon then I fussy cut him out.

I used an X-cut set of dies to cut the cogs then sprayed them with 13@rts Ayeeda Mist in Pastel Yellow  and added dabs of Vintage Photo DI. I fixed them randomly to the backing before mounting the dragon using foam pads.

The sentiment was printed onto card coloured with 13@rts Ayeeda Mist in Pastel Yellow and cut out. Vintage Photo DI was added to the edges.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog to see the wonderful projects and cards created by the rest of the talented team and to enter your "Anything Goes" creations.
Today I shall be at The Range in Llanelli doing a demonstration for Docrafts. I hope you find some time to craft too. Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

Saturday 9 September 2017

Docrafts Demos Autumn 2017

With Summer officially over and the rain settled in for the foreseeable future it's the perfect opportunity to keep busy with preparing for my Docrafts Autumn demos. I hope you are all well and busy crafting too.

Docrafts gets nostalgic for Christmas this year with a kitsch collection called Love Santa. It's fun and lively with a bright colour palette that will appeal to all ages. The range features charming Babysham-style reindeer and other iconic images.

With 12 x 12" and 6 x 6" paper packs, gift tags, toppers, decoupage and 3D stickers, there’s everything you need to get started with your Christmas crafting. 


The collection also includes an A4 Ultimate pack, A5 die-cut postage stamps, colourful festive sticker sheets and 4 x 4" clear stamps featuring Christmas sentiments and images. 
Embellishments include mini tinsel and strings of mini lights, plus pom-poms and glitter pots.

There are also lots of fabulous new X-cut dies. Dies are always very popular for Christmas projects and quick cards. There is a design for every style.

Besides the beautiful new winter scene dies there are some wonderful and fun seasonal and festive mini dies.

It's not all about Christmas though. Docrafts have also brought out the wonderful Modern Lustre collection. It's an opulent looking range that is perfect for celebrations of all occasions. The foiled designs come on a white background, with a selection of geometric lines, spots, stars and stripes for a fresh, contemporary feel.  The range includes paper packs, a decoupage pack and clear stamps, with sentiments for every occasion.

I do hope you will visit your local Docrafts stockists to check out these fabulous new collections.
I shall be at The Range in Carmarthen this weekend and in the Swansea and Llanelli Range stores later this month and in October. I hope you will be able to stop by if you are in the area.
Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Friday 1 September 2017

Creative Artiste #30 September 2017

This is my second post for today. Please scroll down to see my Crafts Galore Encore challenge post.

Welcome to my September post for 
We are a challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations we'd love to see you enter the challenge.
A big Thank You to everyone who entered Challenge #29 in August. Your projects were fabulous and our winner has been announced on the blog. 

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

This month we are being sponsored by:

Scrapmatts & Papertole Australia

I have decorated a  5"x 7" (12 x 18 cm) canvas using some of the gorgeous products I received from Scrapmatts.


I used the heart lattice stencil with texture paste for the background and gessoed over.


I tore up a printed vintage postcard and randomly glued that down before adding patches of  DecoArt Crackle Paste. I then dry brushed with gesso to knock back the black. I splattered some red and black DecoArt spray across the canvas.


I used the dividing piece of chipboard from the Ornate Frames and heat embossed it in silver. The words are from the Assorted Words 28 set. I painted them in red acrylic and secured the montage in place with a gel medium.


I added some paper roses and buttons from my stash. I painted the buttons red before I tinged them and the roses with silver Pebeo Wax. I finished the canvas by adding the wax around the edges.

This is a month long challenge so you have time to create mixed media projects and enter up to three times. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the wonderful mixed media projects created by our talented team.  Remember to have fun and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in the challenge.
I hope you all have a nice weekend. 

I've entered this project into the following challenges:
http://rheddscreativespirit.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/septembers-challenge.html x
https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/miucb-5-anything-goes-inlaid-die-cut.html


Crafts Galore Encore September 2017

September has arrived and children are back at school in Wales this week but I'm still waiting for Summer. Hopefully we will at least have a mild, dry Autumn.

Today I have a card to show you that I made
for our September challenge on the
Thank you to everyone who joined in with August's challenge. The winners are on the challenge blog's 'winner's page'. This is a month long challenge and you can enter up to three times. A full list of rules are on the challenge blog.
Our theme every month is the popular
"Anything Goes"

Our sponsor this month is:

Fabrika Fantasy

I have made an 8"x 8" card.

I used a piece of card coloured with Distress Oxide Wilted Violet as a base and layered a paper from the G45 Rare Oddities collection. The sentiment was printed on the computer and layered on to off-cuts.

The design team was lucky enough to be able to choose an image from Fabrika Fantasy to work with and I picked this fabulous Wise Dragon. I've coloured it with Copics and layered it on to a piece of card coloured with Spiced Marmalade Distress Oxide.

I made some mini books out of card as embellishments.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog to see the wonderful projects and cards created by the rest of the talented team and to enter your "Anything Goes" creations.

Saturday 26 August 2017

Craft Box Clipboard

Well, our weather over here in South Wales still can't make up it's mind about summer. We typically have a mixture of sun, rain, wind and fog. And that's just in a morning.
I cheered myself up this week by making this project. There were some lovely elements in the August Craft Box which I received at the beginning of the week. They included a board and a clip which I put together to make a clipboard. 

The board is 7.5" x 5.5" (19 x 14 cm). I started by adding some torn pieces of a craft newspaper and bits from the SnipArt trellis before a light coat of gesso.

Next I built up a platform using some stencilled card layers. I then cut up one of the metal filigrees and began adding some elements from the most recent Craft Boxes I'd received.

Those elements included a Steampunk charm, wooden pegs, mermaid cabochons and purple half pearls.

There were also paper roses, resin roses, Druzy sparkles and opal tiles. 
To colour the clipboard and elements I used four of my 13 @rts Ayeeda sprays - available in the UK from Artist Trading Post. The colours I used are Pastel Dirty Pink, Pastel Green, Pastel Turquoise and Chalk White.

I made the sentiment plaque by heat embossing white Frantage on a die-cut oval and using a Kaisercraft stamp with Stazon.  

My finishing touch was to add a seam binding bow I'd coloured with Distress Oxides.

 In parts of the UK this weekend it is a Bank Holiday, which means that Monday is a day off. There is no extra craft time for me though as we have house guests. Trust me they're not here for the weather.
I hope you all have a crafty weekend and lovely weather though wherever you are.