Letter's Craft

I bought 12 decopatch paper mache letters to spell out 'The Hobby Room' and I'm going to decorate them and  document the progress on my blog. Don't quite know why I started with the 'H' but I just started somewhere. I thought I could follow a theme with each letter which is listed below.

I'd be really interested in hearing your suggestions for decorating any of my letters, so please leave me a comment if you have a random epiphany and I'll add it to my list.

T = Tim Holtz, tags, tissue tape........
H = Hearts, heat gun
E = Embossing powder, Embellishments, eyelets

H = Hands, holographic, handmade paper
O = Ornate
B = Bling, Beadazles
B = Buttons, brayering
Y = mmmmmmmmmmmm haven't thought of one for this yet. Something yellow maybe.

R = Ribbons, resist, rubber stamp, rub-on
O = DOOOOO crafts, oriental
O = Olympics (I'm thinking Papermania Protobello Road stuff)
M = Mixed Media, all about Me (thanks for that suggestion EE), mulberry flowers, masking

Create and Craft Cruise

I'm toying with the idea of going on the Create and Craft cruise. I really like the idea of having a little holiday with lots of like minded people who, lets face it, must be mad about crafting too if they're going to pay for a cruise and craft all day. I actually wouldn't mind a couple of spa massages thrown in too. But 4 days is simply just not enough time! I want at least a week!  ....wait I take that back, I reckon Leonie will be in overdrive and may actually explode with trying to draw in oxygen after 4 days. And Nigel will have everyone laughing themselves to death on board. I think 4 days is definitely enough.   I wonder who else will be there? The website for the cruise is not very informative, very basic and you have to wait for them to ring you. Well I have put my name down, let's see what they say when they ring me.

Mousey Cherry Cupcakes

I made this for a work colleagues birthday this week. She's kinda mad for cakes, not just cupcakes.
I really like the way the Glossy Accents make the cherries look shiny and 3D. The stamp is a Lili of The Valley 'Cherry on the Top' stamp (why do I want all LOTV stamps?). The cardstock is Kanban, flowers are Petaloo, sentiment is my own designed in Photoshop, and I've used some liquid pearls dots around the edge.

The Fairy World!

I have been lost again in the world of imagination with Lavinia Stamps. They are so versatile, you can make any scene look amazing. I never have a preconceived idea of what I want it to look like, I just tear some paper and make some hills or grassy mounds using distress inks, then I stamp on the main images I want, then I decide on perspective near or far distance. I could have just put a bush where the trees are and it would have changed the perspective to closer to the subject. Instead I went for distance with trees.

I used the small Dew Drop Brilliance pads for the different colours in the leaves on the tree. It is only one small stamp, but you use it many times around the tree, with various shades of ink. The Brilliance ink gives the tree a nice shimmery effect. I used a reverse image technique using the brayer in the water too.

I couldn't leave the inside blank too.

I used blue and yellow cosmic shimmer spray on the blank side of the card. 

And stamped some embossed Kanban card for the message side.

I used Promarkers to colour the fairy door. The ivy stamp is actually a Flower Soft stamp,  inked with Olive StazOn Ink. 

The sentiment is Papermania's Midnight Fairytail, stamped with Versamark and beautiful Persian Sea Aurora  Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powder. It really looks gorgeous and metallic blue.

The card is finished off with Glitter Magic holographic silver glitter, and blue Ice Stickles. Oh and a small piece of K & Co ribbon. 

Lavinia stamps world

Using Lavinia Stamps takes me to a place where my imagination is let loose. They're so easy to use with all the stamps available its not hard to put a combination together and create a magical scene.  I was so pleased to find out that Lavinia Stamps was going to be at Rainton Meadows, Ross Papercraft Show, I could hear my purse squealing at the prospect of being emptied! It was well and truly emptied. I noticed that this Papercraft show is getting bigger, I hope so. I want it to be as big as Stamp Magic, so I don't have to drive to Doncaster.

The glitter just finishes off the images beautifully.

Cake Dreams

I made this card for my best friends birthday who is crazy about cooking, she makes some fab profiteroles..mmmmm  Can I have some more???

What I really love about the Molly Blooms stamps is that they all have such smiley faces. Just makes you wanna colour them in. I decided to throw everything I had Tim Holtzy at this card and some sequin waste.

You can see the lovely cosmic shimmer embossing powder on this pic realy well, it's such a beautiful colour. Its the Blue Maroon Aurora shade really nice bluey purple metallic shimmer on it. I need more shades!

I used the Stamp Man barley grass stamp as well as Tim Holtz visual Artistry -Regal Flourish stamps. I also used Tim Holtz flourish & borderline masks on the background before I used the Green Forest moss & Chipped Sapphire distress inks.

I coloured the Molly Blooms stamp with Promarkers, they are so easy to colour with great areas for shading. The ticket is also a Tim Holtz product, they are great though, oh and I used his Tissue Tape under the ribbon. I coloured the tissue tape with Adirondack alcohol inks colours: Eggplant & Lettuce.

I used the freebe (from a magazine) Christmas Frosting glitter on the cupcake for a sugar strand effect.

My friend loved my card, but I'm still waiting for the profiteroles!

Rainton Meadows here I come!

With shopping list in hand. I'm excited by the up and coming weekend, its my birthday on Monday, and I've put a holiday in at work. It's the Ross Papercraft Show at Rainton Meadows in Sunderland on Sunday (I love the new year, for this is when the new season of craft shows commences),  I am planning on playing with my new crafty purchases and maybe a couple of crafty Birthday presents on Monday. I will photograph my haul for the blog.  Roll on Stamp Magic my favourite of all the shows in Doncaster, but I have to wait another 5 months for that. Boo!  I would really like to go to the craft show at the NEC but that's an overnighter job, I need to make some friends in Birmingham. ;-)

Not a red Valentines card!

Valentines cards don't have to be red. They can be peachy and bluey green!
They don't have to have cupid and his arrow on either, they can have an Alice in Wonderland Octopode Factory stamp on them. The Valentines idea stemmed from the Queen of Hearts really, but resulted in Alice in Wonderland.

I had seen an article in Craft Stamper last year which used wax and mica powders on a tag, I revisited this magazine last night when I couldn't sleep (I think us crafter's quite often can't sleep with so many ideas banging around in our heads!), but it inspired me to use wax and mica powders on this Valentines card.

I wanted bling, but not gems or glitter, and the mica powders just gives it a nice little sheen on the wax. Not to mention the lovely Beadazzle balls, which are marvellous.

I have entered this card in a Valentines challenge on Creatalicious Challenges http://creataliciouschallenges.blogspot.com/

Where do I start with what I've used on this card? Maybe the top and work my way down. 

Martha Stewart deep edge heart punch along the top and used Dried Marigold Tim Holtz Distress Ink around the edges.

I managed to pick up a 12 x 12 DCWV Madly in Love cardstock stack from Hobbycraft for just £6.99 in the Boxing Day sale and the black and greeny blue heart backing card is out of that. I used Black Soot distress ink around the edges. 

The peachy card is some Kanban cardstock from my stash, and Broken China distress ink around the edge. 

I pinched some of my Yankie Candle wax out of a burner to brush on the corner of my card, and stamped a flourish stamp into it before it cooled. Actually it could be a scented card too, it smells lovely!

I rubbed some mica powder over the top of the cooled wax with my finger. It really is that simple, and it looks really great too.

Spellbinder's dies

I used Spellbinder's Ironworks dies for the doily type circles, which are edged with Dried Marigold distress ink. 

Heart Stamp

I used the free heart stamp from Craft Stamper this month and stamped onto some Tim Holtz Crowded Attic paper with the Broken China distress ink. I then used a Versamark pad and stamped again over the stamped heart and put clear embossing powder over the top of the stamp. I then used the Dried Marigold distress ink over the top of the heart stamp to give it that peachy centre. 

Alice in Wonderland Stamp

The Alice in Wonderland is a Octopode Factory stamp which is great, and is coloured with Promarkers. The Cherish tag is a Tim Holtz Idea-ology tag.  

Twigs

The twigs are the Tim Holtz Alterations On the Edge Twigs die by Sizzix. I used some Craftwork Cards chipboard with the die. Then I painted it with PVA glue, then white acrylic paint and dried it with the heat gun for the crackle effect. I then used mica powders on the twigs to colour them a bit. I used the wax technique along the bottom of the twigs.

Sentiment

The sentiment I made in Photoshop, and coloured in the number 14 with Promarkers and put this year's date on 14/2/12. Oh and the sentiment is held on with a Tim Holtz memo pin.

The red felt Love heart button embellishment I bought from Hobbycraft, it comes in a pack of lots of little red felt hearts in the Dress It Up range.

I have made the inside of the card look pretty too using Kanban card and some tissue tape.

Hope you like it as much as I liked making it. Wish my job was not working with numbers all day every day,  I'd give anything to be crafting all day and still be able to pay the mortgage!

Michelle xx

Robots, Sprockets and Gears

I really enjoyed making this card because I used products I have not used before.  Beadazzles are great, just a wonderful little product, and I will be getting more to stock in my shop. Beadazzles are the little silver balls stuck to the Glitz It! glue around the port hole. The 2 springs and the little blue robot are from American Crafts Toy Chest rub-on transfers.

The inside of the card is where I stamped the Personal Impressions Robot.  I used Tim Holtz Tissue Tape around the outside edge of the inside of the card & Kanban card on the inside of the port hole.

I drew a circle shape with a compass and another circle slightly larger on white card and cut it out. I used Craftwork Card's Card Candi around the circle and distressed the whole thing with Black Soot distress ink. I cut a circle shape of acetate to fit over the hole I cut from the main card (which is the brown Kraft 8x8 card from Papermania).

I distressed the edges of the card with Black Soot and Vintage photo distress inks, and spritzed the card with Bronze Blush Cosmic shimmer mist. You can see the Robot through the acetate, looking out!

I used Eco Green Crafts chipboard sprockets, embossed them with Silver Dollar Embossing powders, then when they were still hot, I stamped them with the Crafty Individuals Clock Face rubber stamp. I also used the same clock face stamp on the front of the card, using various distress ink colours. The copper, gold and silver sprockets and gears are from Tim Holtz Idea-ology range.

You can really see the Beadazzles on this pic, they give an extra dimension to the port hole. I did some matting and layering on the front of the card and stuck the edges down with Tim Holtz Tissue Tape. The charm I picked up from a craft show in Doncaster.

The sentiment was made in Photoshop and the Silver Dollar embossed harlequin stamp is from Tim Holtz.

A lot of love went into this one.

Halloween Card for 21st Birthday

My Son's birthday is the 31st of October, and I have never been stuck for a theme to make his card.  This year I wanted to get all grungy and make a spooky card.

I have used Artistic Outpost's Haunted Halloween & Halloween Treats rubber stamps.  The Stamp Man big spider web rubber stamp. Tim Holtz tissue tape, & a spider My Minds Eye paper. I used Aged Mahogany, Chipped Sapphire & Forest Moss distress inks on the edge.

I used the Spellbinders Bat nested dies to cut out my computer printed greeting.

A skull and cross bones charm  is hanging from a spider web button, stuck on with Pinflair.

I used The Artistic Outpost poison bottles stamp with black glitter Heat it up! embossing powder.  A 'bewitching evening' pound shop sticker, and some spider web fleece over Tim Holtz tissue tape.

The cauldron is also part of a Halloween Spellbinders die set. I used Glitz it glitter glue for the flames.

The inside of the card is also stamped with the fabulous Artistic Outpost & The Stamp Man rubber stamps and distressed with Aged Mahogany distress ink.

I hope he likes it.

Michelle

A sweet card for Katie

A girly card for a good friend.

Image - cloloured by Promarkers

Kanban card & papermania paper
Embellieshments - Petaloo flowers, hat pins, gems, Glitter Magic, charm, straw ribbon.
Silver embossing powders
Sentiment made in Photoshop
Martha Stewart stars border punch.
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tattered Rose & Broken China.

The Hobby Room's Craft Room!

This lovely, clean, organized craft room never stays like this, it's usually covered in glitter, gems, charms, distress inks, and bits of card.

I'm completely anal about organizing colours, as you can tell from this image below. I have buttons all colour coordinated, behind the buttons are prima/mulberry/petaloo flowers in the tall coffee jars. Yes that is a lot of coffee! 

 

My little collection of various accents from crackle, glossy, snow, silver beads, mica powders, cosmic shimmer and crackle nail varnish.

The distress inks are starting to take over, I hope they don't make too many more shades.

We can't live without glitter, even the most un-girly girls can't resist black glitter.

I'm beginning to think that my skin is made of glitter, I can never seem to get it off me!

The Promarkers even have a home in some cheap Poundshop drawers. Of course these too are colour coordinated. You'll notice that I have a letter rack to the right of the drawers, with a clever use of toilet roll inserts, however, I keep meaning to stick them in properly and alter the whole thing to make it look much more artistic. I just haven't yet. When I do I will put it on here.

My current work 'washing line'. I like stamping and colouring. This is why I always have more finished images than I do cards. I always need somewhere to put them while I'm thinking what I'm going to do with them next.

I think here is the best place.

Maybe I'll put a 'what's on my workdesk Wednesday' pick up on Wednesday, just to see if it's this tidy! I doubt it. Take care everyone, I hope you like my pictures? 

Michelle x

Frog Hoppy Bugday

I made this card for a friend's birthday. She loves insects and reptiles, I tried but I just couldn't make a beetle cute!  So I drew this frog, the legs are a bit funny, but I think they work, so I left them that way. I really liked covering him in glossy accents then letting it dry and putting more glossy accents on his warty bits mixed with mica powder to give him iridescent raised warts. They feel great.

Which embossing powder do you like the look of best?

Take a look at the series of pictures below. I have used a Crafty Individuals Christmas tree stamp, with a VersaMark stamp pad and various embossing powders. I used the same card for each and each one was rubbed with an anti-static bag before being stamped.

Wow - The Wow copper embossing powder is fine, and gives sharp clear definition especially on the gingerbread man, and the slice of orange on the opposite branch. Also notice the flowers under the tree.

Personal Impressions - Personal Impressions embossing powder is not as clear, some definition is lost. But you can still see the flowers.

Debbi Moore - The Debbi Moore Metal Magic has poor definition, with pooling of the melted powder, but if you're looking for a distressed look, then this would work. However, the flowers, the gingerbread man and the slice of orange are not discernible.

Heat it up! - The Heat It Up! (gold) definition is pretty good but a little lumpy.

Cosmic Shimmer - The Cosmic Shimmer copper bronze lustre is just that, a copper bronze lustre, but the definition is fuzzy.

Ranger - The Ranger Distress embossing powder is not like how you expect it to be, but it has a nice effect. It's rough like sandpaper, and does not all melt. The definition on fine detail is fuzzy, but I guess this is exactly what this embossing powder is trying to do.

What do you think? Please take the poll to your right.

I love it when you have a job on!

3 bespoke cards

I like having a project on, especially when you're asked to make a card, all these ideas start flying in and you can't wait to get in the craft room and get started. Here are 3 I have done recently.

Bespoke Get Well Card

Digi Stamp - Cuddly Buddly Crafts, Lilyboo Designs digi stamp, Golf Boy.
Kanban paper
Embellishments - Petaloo leaves, buttons, Creative Expressions screw head brads, Dovecraft button brad, Fleur de lys charm, raffia string.
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Rusty Hinge
Corner dies - Marriane Designs
Sentiment - made with Photoshop

38th Anniversary
Lili of the Valley Stamp - coloured with Promarkers.
I love the distress ink effect of this card, and any excuse to get the sewing machine out and do a zig zag stitch on a card.  I'm really into making my own circular stamps in Photoshop too.

Bespoke Wedding Card

Image - I drew this image for a friend who is hooked on trains & Chester City!
Card - Craftwork Cards embossed white card & DCWV Old World Textured  card stack.
Embellishments - Green ribbon, pearl hearts, florists pearls, Petaloo flowers, button, clear gems, Glamour Dust glitter.
Glossy accents on the glasses, and silver embossing powders for the initials.
Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Olive & Black soot on the edge of the cards & the flourish.
Die cut flourish - Marianne Design Flourish
Sentiment - made by myself in Photoshop