Christmas Box, Wrapped Star, Kraft

Just a quick post today as, splints or not, I need to start catching up with you all on your Social Media platforms.

It's a 'Tattered Lace' box - decorated with one of the newest dies from the latest Poppystamps collection.  

I've used the 'Wrapped Star' here...  along with some 'Holiday Holly' from last year's release...  and I've also snuck in the Memory Box 'Snowdrift Breeze' on the silver panel.

This was an experiment to see if 'bling' could be achieved in a more 'au naturel' design.

Not my taste as I prefer things simpler...  but I've learned along the way that just because I don't like it doesn't mean that somebody, somewhere else won't.  

So I'll put it on my craft stall and see what happens.

We are all uniquely different, after all!!!

Here's a quick 'how to' recipe for how this was made - starting with the bottom layer...

Corrugated base with texture paste in corners.

Two rows of glitter ribbon added with red liner tape.

Some offset brown scraps of card that just peer off the edges a little.

An embossed, (Sheena Douglas 'Festive') matt silver square, with added detail from the Memory Box 'Snowdrift Breeze'.

Green, spotty Hemp ribbon - attached with Hot Glue.

Jute string in a random swirl.

Three of the 'Wrapped Stars' (cut from the same brown card as before) - not glued together identically so no matching inside lines!  These were sprayed with Silver Glitter spray, then had silver cord wrapped around the middle once dry...  

Add the bell to the star with string before gluing into place, then add water coloured (and varnished) leaves and a little jute bow.



This was made to play along with the latest Poppystamps Challenge...

Poppystamps
PSC #34

...  and as it also 'fits the bill' I'm entering it into this challenge, too!

Simon Says/Monday
You've Got The Edge

It's a wet and soggy day here today.  On the plus side...  at least the plants won't need watering!

Bye for now...

Donna. x

Pine Cone Collage Picture Frame, Enchanted Deer, Christmas

I've used my all time favourite die from last year's (2016) Memory Box September release and paired it with one of this years Holiday release dies to create something just a little bit different...   a 'Picture Frame' - complete with attached easel.

Here's a few photo's so you get an idea of the depth created just by layering up a few die cuts between thin frames...

I did consider making this as a Diorama card, but opted for durability over any other consideration in the end.  Plus what's the point in buying an Easel die if I'm not going to get lots of use out of it? 

 Have stash.  Use stash.  

Doesn't that give us "Crafter's" some Brownie Points somewhere along the way?!!

Anyhow...

You want to know how it was made?

I'll mix things up a bit from my usual format and give you the list of supplies used first.

Supplies Used:

Dies:

Memory Box 'Enchanted Deer' Collage

Memory Box 'Pinecone Collage'

Mama Elephant 'Peek A Frame' Creative Cuts

Sizzix/Bigz 'Small Easel'

Holtz/Distress Ink:

Ground Expresso

Walnut Stain

Hickory Smoke

Pumice Stone

Embossing Folders:

Darice 'Tattered Page'

Sizzix/Texture Fades 'Birch Trees'

Other:

Recycled acetate (from craft packaging)

Pebeo Gilding Wax - Silver

Crafter's Companion 'Spray and Sparkle' - Pearl Diamond

First of all, I inked up two pieces of card stock with the brown shades of ink.  (I already had a 'mock' cut out of the Enchanted Deer Collage die so used that to help gauge where I wanted more/less ink to go).

Once happy with them, cut just the one Enchanted Deer to size - not both.  These die 'cut outs' need to match up exactly so get the one sorted (using your embossing folder for dimensions) before getting the other one to size.

Leave to one side, and using the Pinecone Collage die with another piece of card, cut out either a random pattern that you like or one like mine where there are no 'free floating' branches to be seen.

Then ink up yet another piece of card using the grey shades of ink.

With me so far..?

Now leave all of that to one side for a minute and make the frames that will be used to sandwich the layers together. 

 I used the biggest two dies from the Mama Elephant 'Peek A Frame' set to make two frames - and I doubled up the layers (which means cut out four - not two).  The main thing here is that the frames made are the same size as the Enchanted Deer 'cut outs' - and that they aren't too thick.  Even with mine I had to trim off a tiny piece that was peeking through into the 'picture'.

Whilst the glue on the frames dries, emboss one of the Enchanted Deer die cuts using the 'Tattered Page' Embossing Folder and emboss the Pinecone Collage 'cut out' piece using the 'Birch Trees' Embossing Folder. 

If everything hasn't been cut to the same size, do that now.

Then cut out a piece of card thick enough to be your base.  My easel has also been cut out from the same cardboard so the colours match.  (The thicker, the better.  I used some recycled 'grey board' used as packaging that came with some of my craft goodies.  Wish I knew how to get hold of this stuff commercially as my store of it is limited).

Now it's sandwich making time...

Glue the grey inked piece to the card base.

Then glue on one of the frames.

Now add the Pinecone Collage Cut out, gluing that just to the frame - nowhere else.

Now comes a tricky part...

Hold your two Enchanted Deer Collage 'cut outs' together - both facing the right way up and the embossed one on the top. Turn both upside down whilst still being held as one piece so that glue is on the underside of the bottom layer only.  Now turn both back the right way up - whilst still holding them together.  

(The trick here is to hold on to this die cut 'sandwich' in such a way that the two 'die cuts' look as one.  Once you've got that sorted, match up the edges of the 'sandwich' with the parts already glued into place).  

Press firmly 'round the edges and then put that top, unglued die cut to one side for a minute.

Add that second frame and glue into place - being sure that you won't be able to see any of it once that final 'die cut' is on the top.

Now I made a choice at this stage to add my acetate to the back of the Enchanted Deer Collage 'die cut' before spraying on the glitter.  It gives the grey of the pinecones a softer look - not that dissimilar to when you add vellum over bright, bold colours to tone them down.

So either do as I did and add the acetate before spraying or spray now, leave to dry and then add that acetate layer. 

 But either way, add a smidge of gilding wax along the edges first - where the 'Tattered Pages' are showing.  It just adds that 'someting extra'...

Once it's all been sandwiched together I suggest you put it under some weight for a while - and add the easel into place on the back at some point after it's all had plenty of time to dry.

Then, once completely dry, add some very thin Kraft card slivers to the sides of this frame to cover over the sandwiched layered edges and make it more 'frame like' in appearance.  

Finished...

...  and the perfect thing to add to my craft stall for Christmas...

This was made to play along with the latest Memory Box Challenge.

Memory Box

Challenge #26

I play here often as I love their dies!

Other Challenges I'm Entering...

Simon Says/Monday

You've Got The Edge

Die Cut Diva's

Christmas In July

Thanks so much for stopping by today...

Donna. x

Butterfly Tag Card, Garden Theme, Friend

I made this 'tag' card a while ago but just haven't got 'round to posting it until today.

The inspiration for it came from a photo set up I used when posting this tag part alone on a recent blog post for a past Tag You're It challenge/my DT take on the Featured Artist.

It's a 'busy' card...  

(Apologies for the slight blur on this photo.  It's a real close up shot - but I wanted you to see the texture from sanding down a piece of Core'dinations card stock).

I seem to be in a habit of making busy cards right now - and I don't honestly know how I feel about that.  

Do people like busy cards (generally speaking) or is it a bit like a pizza with too many toppings?

But at least I've been sticking with my nature theme.  

Speaking of which...

Have you had any 'fluff puffs' in your garden?

Now you may be wondering just what a 'fluff puff' is.

Well...  they are fluffy and they're puffy and they sort of 'flitter' their wings in such a cute little way right before being fed.

And 'fluff puff' just suits them so much better than 'fledgling' when they are at their cute stage.

What am I talking about?

Baby sparrows.

Apparently in decline...   unless you come to our garden.  

Then you'll see staged feeding frenzies of activity, group dust bath sessions...

A sight of pure cuteness.

I'm sorry to say that one fledgling got misplaced by it's dad for a whole 10 minutes on the first brood of this season.

How do I know?

Because I heard it calling out for the entire duration - and then looked out of the window to watch it.  If you've heard a sparrow calling at feeding time you'll recognise the sound as it's a single, solitary (fairly high pitched) 'cheep' noise that's as long as the silence in between the 'cheeps'.  

(If I had to hazard a guess I would say a second per 'cheep')?

The poor little darling kept hopping around on the ground  - and at one point it made its way over to two slightly older girls...  and opened its beak in readiness for food as they moved a little closer - to fly off!

10 minutes must have seemed like a very long time...  and it didn't once stop calling out until found!

...  And we're on brood three right now by the looks of things.

But I digress...

So what did I use to make this card?

Supplies Used:

Dies:

MFT/Die-namics Tag Builder - Blueprints 4

Taylored Expressions 'Beauty Lies Within'

Memory Box 'Blissful Butterfly Border'

Memory Box 'Tall Grassy Stems Left Corner'

Papertrey Ink 'Wet Paint Cuts'

Martha Stewart Punches:

 'Pop Up' Butterfly Border

Cherry Blossom Trim

Memory Box Stencils:

Delphinium

Stems

Holtz/Distress Ink:

Dusty Concord

Seedless Preserves

Milled Lavender

Victorian Velvet

Bundled Sage

Forest Moss

Mowed Lawn

Walnut Stain

Other:

Stamp from stash

Twine - Natural

Ribbon

Glitter Card Stock

Distressing Tool

Sand Paper

Challenges I'm Entering...

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(All scraps except the green tag base).

Simon Says/Monday

'Distress It'

(Sanded Core'dinations Card Stock + Partially/Slightly Distressed Edges)

Dies R Us

(Challenge #76  -  Layers)

That's Crafty

'Anything Goes'

I'm still in catch up mode right now, but I'm getting there.

Thank you so much for your kind words of support...

Donna. x