Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Challenge 23! Moonflower and Gina Steampunk :)

Another new challenge on The Crafty Addicts Challenge Blog! This time the theme is ATG/Lace or Pearls.

Why not follow the link and enter? There's a great prize this time £10 voucher to spend at Moonflower!

Really enjoyed colouring Gina Steampunk from MoonFlower Digistamps this time.


I did the normal polychromos on kraft, with small pearl embellis to fit the theme. I then added the diecut cogs, (Joy Gears) also in kraft card and then real watch parts on top. Finally added a metal watch charm to fit the greeting. Larger cog embelli was from a pack by Tando.

Close up of head detail and pearl earrings :)




Sponsor Badge and Shop Link
https://www.etsy.com/pt/shop/MoonFlowerDigistamps

Monday, August 29, 2016

Mid Century Modern Cats

Commissioned card featuring the recipient's cats! Using the Mid-Century Modern theme and stamps by Elusive Images ( A4 unmounted set, possibly SP0241 from 2008). My brother and me worked on this for a solid afternoon, so a collaborative effort... and not any the worse for it I'm pleased to say :) Hope she likes it, and recognises they are her cats :)


Kraft card blank 8x8. Distress inks: Spiced Marmalade, Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy and Weathered Wood. Cats coloured with copics. Other papers from stash.

Inspired by the work of Donna Mibus and Kerry Beary.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Day out in Landan :)


Just wanted to share a few of the photos of a super day out I had with my friends Helen and Audrey in Landan back in July! It's taken me a while to write it up, collect the photos and make the post, I'm soooo slow! :)

We figured it was pretty unlikely that we would ever get to go to the Hello Kitty Cafe in Shibuya Japan, or Hello Kitty World (Hello Kitty Sanrio Puroland),so when we heard that a pop-up Hello Kitty Cafe had opened in Landan, we jumped at the chance of going!
Hello Kitty Sanrio Puroland
Hello Kitty Sanrio Puroland)


So we caught the train to London Euston on a rather miserable soggy day and were there in no time. (Possibly due to nattering all the way there!) The train was very busy, but Euston wasn't too bad and we made our way to the British Library which we had been advised was good for cafe/people watching potential. The shop was awesome too! Unfortunately it was bucketing down by the time we had finished in the shop so we had to go for a drink (and cake) in the indoor cafe. Here are a few photos from the library that I took for instagram.

http://www.bl.uk/http://www.bl.uk/http://www.bl.uk/


We'd planned to do the Japan Centre or Carnaby Street between the library and our 2 o'clock booking at the Hello Kitty Cafe but it took sooooooo lonnnnnng to get across London in the taxi we had to go straight there. We had awesome taxi drivers that day, helpful, friendly, rounding down the price!

The Hello Kitty Pop-up Cafe was downstairs in a cafe called Cutter and Squidge in Soho.It's only open til the 31st August so hope you've already booked if you wanted to go!


Here are Helen and Audrey before the food arrived! Innocent of the fact we were about to be overwhelmed by sugary goodness! :) We were lucky to get the best seats in the house, complete with Hello Kitty themed cushions! Here are Helen and I , modelling a couple of them!

       

Below is the menu, cutlery etc on the table. We had booked for the "tea" so we didn't get choices apart from our hot drink!


Here are some of the gratuitous food shots! There was so much! Everything was amazing. Even if it was a little odd, it was still delicious! :)


After not doing the feast justice at all, they packaged up our doggy bags and we popped back up to the counter to buy some Merch! I got a super exclusive Hello Kitty mug and reusable Hello Kitty landan themed shopping bag. Love them both! :) Tho I am slightly scared to put the mug in the dishwasher!

 Image from Bloomsbury Angel - https://twitter.com/bloomsburyangel

After that it was STILL raining so we got another taxi to Artbox, which had been recommended to us to buy kawaii items! It was just round the corner from Covent Garden, the final stop on our day out. Artbox wasn't as big or as packed with goodies as we had hoped for but we still got some awesome stuff we probably wouldn't have got anywhere else but Japan (please ignore the whole of the internet rather proving this statement to be twaddle.)

After Artbox we walked round the corner to Covent Garden, where it was STILL RAINING! and we popped into the central market area for toilet stop and mooch. My friend Grace's sister (Kat!) had recommended Paul's Bakery for a stop off and it was an excellent suggestion. The rain finally stopped as we walked over to it (2 mins from the central square) and we were a bit shattered by that point, (all that sitting and eating!) so a bit of very comfy Paul's luxury was just what we needed. (Thanks Kat!)

 Image from Mapping London - http://mappinglondon.co.uk

Popped to Paperchase and then straight back via taxi to Euston Station, where a very kind man (Do I sound like a nana when I say that?) allowed us to catch a slightly earlier (than our ticket officially allowed) train to go home!. I was pooped! :)

One of my favourite days ever! Thank you Helen and Audrey :)

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Messing with CAS techniques - final part!

The fourth card I made the other day at my friend Helen's house! We did plenty of messing, based on some of the fun on-trend techniques people are using in CAS (Clean and Simple) cards. So another watercolour background and Zig pens to colour in this fab seahorse from Prettygrafikdesign.


Background: Gansai Tambi Watercolour Paints.
Seahorse coloured with: Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens
Main image: Digistamp from Prettygrafikdesign
On Vellum: Greeting from Chocolate Baroque - Happy Words and Birds Sentiments.  Stamped using a Misti! (It rocks!)

Monday, August 22, 2016

Messing with CAS techniques Part 3

This is the third card I made at my friend Helen's house the other day, using some of the on-trend techniques used in CAS (Clean and Simple) cards. Also using some of her delicious new crafty purchases!

Watercolour background, matted and layered onto purple card stock (but it would be just as easy to do it one layer styley instead) and 3D foam mounted penguin on top. Added stamped greeting on vellum (Using a Misti - which is awesome!) and sequins from the stash!


Background: Gansai Tambi Watercolour Paints.
Penguin coloured with: Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens
Main image: Digistamp from Prettygrafikdesign
On Vellum: Greeting from Chocolate Baroque - Happy Words and Birds Sentiments.
Added White posca pen snow spots after!

Close up detail.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Messing with CAS techniques Part 2

Next card using some of the techniques I am liking from the current CAS (Clean and Simple) trend. Also trip to my friend Helen's meant having some new crafting goodies to play with.

This is a watercolour background, matted and layered onto cardstock, with vellum greeting and 3d foam mounted lion.


Background: Gansai Tambi Watercolour Paints.
Lion coloured with: Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens
Main image: Digistamp from Prettygrafikdesign
On Vellum: Stazon Black Ink and Greeting from Hero Arts - Messages with flourish CL738

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Challenge 22 on The Crafty Addicts!

Back again with another inspiration card, this time for Challenge 22 on The Crafty Addicts Challenge Blog. This time the theme is  - Use die cuts/Anything Goes
The two sponsors are  Starstampz (prize of 3 digis to winner) and Robyn's Fetish ( also prize of 3 images to winner).
I chose to use  Autumn Girl Reading by Star Stampz. It's a gorgeous image and was a pleasure to use!



Background using distress inks as watercolours. Joy crafts cloud die. Image coloured in copic markers. Sequins from stash. 3D foam mounted onto card stock.
Close up of card.



Sponsor Badges
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StarStampz

http://robynsfetish.com/

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Bit of fellow Blogger News!

KT FitKitty has kindly organised some celebration giveaway candy for her "400 followers, 3 years blogging - Blogaversary!" and she would love you to take part. If you click the kitty picture, it will take you over to the blog post with all the details on how to join, it's not hard, even I can do it. 

https://ktdesigns2013.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/celebration-candy-400-followers-3-years.html

It's worth signing up regardless of the candy, she has a great blog which she regularly updates and makes some awesome projects. (She's on the Knitty Kitty Digi Design Team too, so that's a double whammy bonus!)

Join usssssss. Follow the link! :)

Monday, August 15, 2016

Scaredy Cats

Happy to report that the new "Scaredy Cat Digistamp Collection" from Knitty Kitty Digi's is now live, featuring five new stamps for Halloween! As normal the kitties have new scary outfits and are enjoying being mischievous!

Here are the five new stamps and the lovely coloured versions done by the KKD DT! Thanks guys :)


https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/458179948/digi-stamp-instant-download-batcats?ref=shop_home_active_5 

Coloured version by Helen

http://helenscraftyshed.blogspot.co.uk/





https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/471672877/digi-stamp-instant-download-pumpkitties?ref=related-2
 

Coloured version by Helen. 
 
http://helenscraftyshed.blogspot.co.uk/


https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/458185482/digi-stamp-instant-download-witchy?ref=listing-shop-header-3 

Coloured version by Christine.
 






Coloured version by Laine.





Coloured image by Kitty.
 
http://ktdesigns2013.blogspot.co.uk/

Coloured image by Marion.
 
http://marions-scrapkaarten.blogspot.co.uk/

Messing with things!

Been really inspired to have a go at some of the techniques used on the current trend of CAS (Clean and Simple) cards. Also went to my friend Helen's who has some of the latest crafty goodies to play with. Made four cards in our messing session and this is the first. (Will blog all of them eventually!)

So this is a watercolour background (Could be done one layer but I used watercolour paper and matted/layered it) with a cute animal digi, greeting stamped onto vellum and sequin embellis!


Background: Gansai Tambi Watercolour Paints.
Fox coloured with: Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens
Main image: Digistamp from Prettygrafikdesign
On Vellum: Stazon Black Ink and Greeting from Hero Arts - Messages with flourish CL738

Friday, August 12, 2016

Challenge 10 on the Crafty Addicts Facebook Challenge!

Another new challenge at the Crafty Addicts Facebook Page! This time the theme is bright and beautiful (or Anything Goes) and the sponsors are Nikki Burnette and Starstampz. Great prizes to be won (3 free digis for two winners!)  if you want to join in and take part?

I chose to do Goldfish Fishing by Starstampz! Such a fun image!


Distress Ink background. Joy cloud die. Sequins from stash. Image coloured with copics. Font printed on vellum. Topper 3D foamed onto card stock. Font is - Antsypants :)

Close up of card.



Sponsor Badges

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StarStampz


https://www.etsy.com/shop/aurella27?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

London Icons.

Second card I am blogging that I have made for my SIL. This time I used a fab set of stamps from Artemio - London Modern ( Sometimes called London Icons, not sure!) Ref: 10001173. I just used Black Versamark and Barn Door Distress Ink for the stamping and matted/layered on black, on a red card base. The font is Seaside Resort NF.



Monday, August 08, 2016

The Purrmaids!

New release today at Knitty Kitty Digis - The Purrmaids!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/456988552/digi-stamp-instant-download-the?ref=shop_home_active_1


To mark 50 members joining the Knitty Kitty Digi Facebook Group we ran a giveaway to choose your own stamp, and Donna won with the suggestion of "Purrmaids". I decided to actually use everyone's suggestions and try and work them all into all the new releases in 2016 and 2017 :) But first, drawing the winner's choice! The KKD Design Team have done some fantastic versions of it already! The stamp comes in four parts, the group scene above and also 3 separate images just featuring each of the purrmaids.


Projects by Christine Ingram




Project by Helen Haines



 Project By Laine Kammeraad



Project by Marion Lones


KKD is very lucky to have such a talented Design Team! :)

Cube Steppers

So after loving the 3D Pop Up Boxes from Every Crafts A Pound, I thought I would try another design - Cube Stepper Card! 

I had in a commission for a gardening card for a man so went with quite a muted green scheme with laser cut wooden embellishments. ( The wooden pieces fold flat in the envelope and are propped up by little legs when the card is up.)

All the images are from various stamp sets I own. In these pics, stamps from,
  • The Rose Garden Collection by Clear Impressions
  • The Mabel Lucie Attwell Collection from Katy Sue Designs
  • Hobby Art - Falling leaves
  • Graphic 45/Hampton Art - Secret Garden
Wooden die cuts from Hobbycraft and the stash.
Leaves from Wild Orchid.

Commissioned Card.

 Close up of the laser cut wood pieces.