Guest Designer at Gecko Galz

Sometime last year I was asked if I would be a Guest Designer at Gecko Galz and November has come round so fast.

I have made four projects and would like to share the non-Christmas ones with you today.

Firstly a collage card with an embossed background using the Tim Holtz Cargo mask on coredinations card stock with the letters sanded down.

The image is from Gecko Galz brand new collage sheet ‘Retro Fashions 1’. I layered scraps of paper, washi tape, lace and ephemera to create the collaged corner …….

…… and adhered various metal embellishments to add dimension.

The sentiment is from the Tim Holtz Simple Sayings set of stamps.

My second piece is a tag card

The image came from the same Retro Fashions sheet as above and the butterfly is from a bottle cap set they do.

I love the chic feel to this image with the cracked background contrasting with the elegant lady drawn in black and white

Some tissue tape, washi tape and a black border balance the composition at the bottom.

Some rub-ons and a black bow at the top …..

….. and a doiley with inked edges placed behind the focal point to give it more of a feminine feel.

I’m really happy with this one.

We have had some stunning sunsets this week, these photos were taken on Monday night, there was something similar tonight.

From my workroom window.

Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal.

Elbert Hubbard

 

Enjoy the rest of the week my friends and thanks for stopping by.

 

hugs {brenda} x0x

Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas #6

Another of my catch up cards for Linda’s challenge at The Funkie Junkie, I am getting there!!

I have taken quite alot from Linda's #6 tag as inspiration for this card - I sewed the papers together and I made the tree the same as Linda …..

….. and I have included a little frame with the no: 25 on it.

I added a little red bow as I don’t have any gold ribbon and a red festive sentiment which is computer generated.

Of course you can see quite alot of Tim here too - paper from his Merriment stash (and from MME) and three of his dies and one of his stamps as well as crackle paint.

Linda has the full details of this challenge on her tag 1 post but in essence make a tag or card etc. and take something as inspiration from Linda’s tag for your own make, link this up to her post and enter all 12 challenges by December 22nd to be eligible for the draw. Linda is very generous with her prizes so you could win a $50 or $25 voucher to her on-line store ‘The Funkie Junkie Boutique’ and even get 10% discount over January 2014.

Thanks for popping in, I hope you are getting your cards done and are underway with all the festive preparations. I am really beginning to feel in the Christmas mood, so much so I want to get my decorations up lol. I have started to watch Christmas movies on the Christmas 24 channel though.

See you soon.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Funkie Junkie 12 tags of Christmas #3

Catching up again and here is my card for the #3 challenge at the Funkie Junkie. I have taken several things as inspiration for my card - stars, using a stencil and the fabulous 3 wise men stamp.

Dimensional stars were created using Tim’s stencil and some texture paste and left to dry. I used the star stencil again with distress ink swiping some frayed burlap on my craft mat, spritzing it with water and dipping the stencil in it and ‘stamping’ onto the card. I also used the blending tool to create frayed burlap stars as well.

The raised stars were covered with treasure gold, but they didn’t show up enough so I spritzed them with watermelon glimmer mist and dried it then painted them  with some gold acrylic paint. I love the pinky brown watery effects that appeared on my card.

I used Tim’s tattered banners strip die, dipping one of the largest ones in some frayed burlap misted with crème de cocoa glimmer mist and edged with walnut stain and finished off with two of the stamps from Mini Holidays 4.

Linda has the full details of this challenge on her tag 1 post but in essence make a tag or card etc. and take something as inspiration from Linda’s tag for your own make, link this up to her post and enter all 12 challenges by December 22nd to be eligible for the draw. Linda is very generous with her prizes so you could win a $50 or $25 voucher to her on-line store ‘The Funkie Junkie Boutique’ and even get 10% discount over January 2014.

I haven't added lots of embellishments as the idea is to be able to put some of my handmade cards in the post and of course they need to be flat!!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope your weekend is going well. It's stopped raining here but the skies are still very grey and heavy and the temperature is definitely going down. I did a bit more Christmas shopping this morning, I'm definitely getting in the mood - are you?

hugs {brenda} x0x

Rusted Rustic Lantern Christmas card

This is my first offering for the Country View Crafts shop blog and I have used lots of fabulous Tim Holtz products to make a Christmas card.

Just one of the detailed photos to whet your appetite and as you can see I have used the Merriment papers and several TH dies.

I hope you will have time to pop over to see this as a complete card and take a look at the lantern.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Updated to show all the steps

Hello everyone, it's Brenda here, this is my first post for the Country View Crafts shop blog and I had fun using lots of lovely Tim Holtz products (they really are my favourite so expect more of them from me).

I have used layers of papers from the Merriment Paper Stash along with some of Tim's Sizzix dies.

A altered the bottom layer of paper by sewing round the edge and then stamping snowflakes from Mini Holidays 2 with embossing ink and heating with Antiquities Frosted Crystal, when it was cool I blended walnut stain distress ink over it and then a damp cloth which revealed the snowflakes.

The rustic lantern was given the rusting treatment with rusting powder and a wire handle added to it. I realised when I came to glue it to the card that I hadn't rusted the handle so I used wood adhesive glue and vintage photo distress powder to achieve the look I wanted.

The small 3D star was made from the music score page and edged with walnut stain......

.... and the numbers are from the Vintage Noel die and covered with rock candy distress glitter.

The snowflakes are Tim's movers and shapers die and I used a glittery card for these, cut them in half, edged them with walnut stain and adhered them around the edge of the top mount which I had also sewn around.

Sentiment from Mini Holidays 4 and layered onto more of the merriment paper and cut into a pennant.

Lastly dry snowflakes were added to the corner.

Before I go I just wanted to show you the lantern in progress -

The rusted effect ......

.... and this strange piece which is actually my most favourite technique on this card. It is the candle bowl of the lantern. I stuck frosted film onto a piece of acetate packaging to run it through the Big Shot and then on the back (the shiny side) I dabbed picket fence distress paint mottling it with a piece of kitchen roll. If you look at the card you can see it is still translucent and gives a lovely effect

I hope you find some inspiration here to make a vintage Christmas card.

Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas #4

I have a completely different design to Linda’s #4 tag for my Christmas card but was inspired to create a panel with designer paper for the centre and I also added hessian (burlap) but as strips to the side, a shabby poinsettia and gold metallic NOEL.

The background paper is altered DP, I stamped and embossed with clear EP using the text stamp from the TH Letter to Santa set and then inked over with vintage photo DI.

The letters for NOEL were cut in gold from the Vintage Market die and then embossed with the Regal Flourishes folder and inked with walnut stain DI.

The poinsettia was a mix of dies I have and the flourish is Sizzix Classique.

Linda has the full details of this challenge on her tag 1 post but in essence make a tag or card etc. and take something as inspiration from Linda’s tag for your own make, link this up to her post and enter all 12 challenges by December 22nd to be eligible for the draw. Linda is very generous with her prizes so you could win a $50 or $25 voucher to her on-line store ‘The Funkie Junkie Boutique’ and even get 10% discount over January 2014.

It has been a dull and drizzly day here in the south of the UK, hope everyone is well and having some creative time.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Skinny ICAD for Coco

Dear Coco won my give-away of the ICAD envelope a little while ago and for some reason her emails didn't get through to me, even after I had emailed her, I found out later that I had blocked them duh!!!!! Thank goodness Coco contacted Nicola of Paper Profusion who acted as a ‘go-between’ and helped us get the link going so that I could at last get Coco’s little win in the post to her. Thanks for that Nicola, you did a great job.

I made this little skinny or ICAD to go inside the envelope and I know Coco has received it now so I can share it here.

It fitted beautifully inside the envelope that you can see here.

Hope your week has started well . 

hugs {brenda} x0x

Letters for Country View Crafts

 Country View Crafts has a new challenge starting today with the theme of ‘Letters’, chosen by yours truly. I have taken the slant of using the meaning of stationery as well as using letters themselves in my project.

I am using this wooden letter holder for my project and as you can see it’s been stuffed with tags and has been sitting next to my workspace ready for me to grab a new one or a mop-up when I need one. Now it looks like …….

….. this.




Process

• Paint wooden rack with gesso or white acrylic paint to give a key and to prime the wood.

• roughly paint with Decoart quinacridone violet and black acrylic paint to give a coloured crackled effect.

• Use modelling paste through a mask

• scrape Decoart weathered wood crackle medium over using a palette knife

• when dry paint over using distress paints and watch the crackle appear

• make the word letters from foil card, running it through an embossing folder and layering it with distress paints.

• Add alcohol inks and blending solution over the top to create colour interest and edge with black DP. Die-cut the letters.

• Use the same method on the pediment.

• Gather other die-cuts together, paint, crackle and add wax gilt

• stamp with lack archival, use gold TG on the textured letters and add the die-cut embellishments

• I added a small letter B on the pediment.

Now I can use this letter holder for what it was intended for.

 

Supplies

Ranger foil card

Alcohol inks – copper. gold. cranberry, snowcap, espresso

Distress Paints – walnut stain, black soot, antique linen, weathered wood

Distress Ink Re-Inkers – vintage photo, walnut stain, antique linen

Dies – Movers and Shapers -  mini feather and inkwell, mini typewriter, Bigz – writing desk,  pediments

Stamps – TH – mini classics, purely random, shabby french and one that Tim gave us when he did the retail day in Coventry.

TH embossing folder – note book

TH mask – cargo

Treasure gold, TG wildfire, TG pewter

Decoart weathered wood crackle medium and Quinacridone Violet paint.

It would be lovely if you could join in with us this month, if so pop over to the challenge blog to read the rules and see the amazing inspiration from the rest of the lovely team. If you would like any of the supplies I have used you will find most of them on the Country View Crafts shop site.

I am taking the opportunity to enter this into the Simon Monday Challenge which is anything Goes.

I hope you had a great Halloween, it’s the run-up to Christmas and now the fun really begins.

Enjoy your weekend, I am doing a workshop this morning and looking forward to seeing my great group of ladies. Today we are making a Christmas tag card..

hugs {brenda} x0x