Preparing for a hop!

Not made any cards over the weekend, but have been finishing off the digistamps for the "Kitty Love Blog Hop" starting on the 6th Feb. The images were requested by the DT members, so you can win their requested image on each of their blogs, so you get the chance to win all of them if you comment on every single blog. Still deciding if I should do an image on my blog too :) There will be an additional chance to win via Instagram on the new KnittyKittyDigis account. My first time running one :)

Craft Kit Review - Turtle Family Pom Pom Kit by Hobbycraft

Just trying something a bit new on the blog, a kit review! A kind friend got me this as a gift, I think because she could see how disastrously wrong it could go, lol! But actually, given how badly my adhoc makes can look, I think she will be surprised ;)

Turtle Family Pom Pom Kit from Hobbycraft. Currently £1.25 on sale.(January 2017) It's also a kit of THREE not FOUR as advertised on their website.

So its this kit, billed as " All you need to create a pom pom work of art"  for ages 3 and up under adult supervision.

I indeed could have done with some adult supervision, and perhaps a few plasters... I can't help having an attention span too short to remember that my glue gun will be HOT!... doh! :)

So it does say you will also need glue, but in my opinion you actually need....

A glue gun (one glue stick refill), some tweezers (so you don't burn yourself sticking on the eyes with the glue gun), a thin cylindrical object and a slightly thicker one (for the legs), some wire cutters and pliers (to fold over the ends of the pipe cleaners if you want them to be non lethal with children) and some newspaper to protect your work area.

There is a picture diagram on the back to explain how to assemble the largest turtle, and then you are left to use your initiative and the photo to assemble the two smaller ones. The diagram and photo are enough instructions for you to get the theory, though in practice, it takes a fair amount of dexterity and a lot of holding things in place and waiting if you don't use a magical glue gun.

So here is the "compare with their picture" photo.

Not too bad? My shells aren't as neat and even as theirs for sure, but on the whole, they kind of look the same.

So they took about an hour to make. Everything else apart from the tools I listed above are included, and I had an odd spare pipe cleaner and pom pom at the end. (Not many left overs if you make a mistake along the way.)

It was fun to make, but quite taxing, not remotely suitable to make with a three year old, I'd think an 11 year old would be pretty worn out by making one, let alone three. Maybe a project for a crafty parent/aunt/uncle who can complete it in their own time when the child is bored after ten minutes?

They look quite nice, and are pretty robust with the glue gun factor, but I dunno what to do with them. I might add on a wire and pop them in a plant pot to cheer up a sad houseplant this spring!

Arctic Foxicorn?

Wanted to make another version of the Foxicorn whilst The Foxicorn Challenge was still running on The Knitty Kitty Facebook Group.

He is free to download until the end of January from The Knitty Kitty Facebook Group but after that he will be available in the shop for approx £2.00, depending on the exchange rate!

This time I have done him in blues, a more arctic fox?

I added a lot more detail around the eyes this time, and I reckon he now looks a bit stressed, or in need of a coffee? Might have to find a new sentiment to fit, lol!

It's polychromo pencils on Kendal Buff card, and I added some sequins and sentiment as per the last version I made.

Thought a little side by side might be interesting?

A few more sympathy cards

Made a small batch of sympathy cards using a few of the stamps Helen has passed to me. These two were made using the Sheena Douglass, A little bit floral, Iris Set. ( SD-LBFL-IRIS ).

Both are heat embossed in white on white card stock. To make the one on the left I made a mask of the stamp so I could print them infront of each other.  I then used my new Gansai Tambi watercolour paints to colour the images in, very loosely.  The sentiment is printed directly onto vellum and is Maiandra GD Font. Added simple enamel bling to finish.

With Sympathy...

A rather sad end to the week as I spend time making sympathy cards for the death of a close family friend. She will be much missed.

I heat embossed in white one of the flowers from Sheena Douglass, A Little Bit Sketchy, Blooming Beautiful Set. (SD-LBS-BBEA) And then blended distress inks around the edge. I printed the message, in font - Maiandra GD onto vellum and wrapped it round the topper. Added some enamel bling to finish. I made a couple of versions of this in slightly different colour schemes. It was an easy  make.

Airgungoodness!

We were really pleased to find an amazing offer online from Prettygrafik Design at the end of last year for their packs of digistamps and papers. For this card I have used some of the designs from the Cocoa and Cookies set. (They are actually on sale at 80% off at the time of writing this!)

I was at Helen's house using her airgun with copics and made the striped background for this card. The two mugs were coloured using Spectrum Noir pencils that I was busy trying out too :) The table cloth Helen made whilst she was demoing some of her copic skillz :) Stickles, Gloss and Sequins all added after from the stash.

Greeting is from the Holiday Dolls set by Hero Arts. Washi tape (I think!) is from Paperchase.

The Crafty Addicts Foxicorn

Hi, just a little newsy inspiration post! The Craft Addicts Challenge Blog has had a bit of a makeover, and also a new creature, the foxicorn :)  The Foxicorn is currently a free digistamp on The Knitty Kitty Facebook Page and if you use it on a project, and enter it for the challenge,  you can win free digis or stickers at the end of the month.

Here is my card I made using the Foxicorn, coloured with polychromos on kraft card.

I mounted it with 3D foam onto a kraft card blank and then added some sequins from the stash. I spotted the quote on pinterest a while ago and have been saving it to use on a card for a while, I like it with the foxicorn!

Please pop by the Knitty Kitty Facebook Page if you would like the free digi, or to take part. :) (Just click "join" if you are not already a member).

Close up of the Foxicorn. Local to Shropshire only it seems.

 

Font: Fixed Miriam Transparent.

Tags!

Before I ditched this years Christmas cards (not including the handmade ones, they always get saved!) I thought I would make up a few Christmas tags for next year, and be a bit frugal! :) I never get round to doing it normally, basically cos I go on the mini ATC route, and it all proves to complicated to get started, so this year I went with very easy designs, holes and ribbons, and I think they look great!

Economy win! :D

Fiki's Blogiversary!

Had a great time colouring this freebie digistamp from Fiki to celebrate her blogiversary! I decided to print it faintly on kraft card and colour it in realistically with polychromo pencils, hoping I stuck to the original closely enough, it can get hard to see the lines!

If you know Fiki and would like to take part you can pop to her blog and see how to enter.

Added stickles to the hats and glossy accents to the eyes and balloons. The font is "Mister Sirloin".

Entered to the Show Us Your Pussies Cat's Only Challenge

Snowglobes.

I think snowglobes are a bit of a crafting trend at the moment, and I was really pleased when my friend Helen cut me a few out using her Sweet Dixie Snowglobe die!

As before with my christmas cards, I blended Peacock Feathers and Faded Jeans Distress Inks and flicked them with water to make a snowy sky. I added some additional snow using a white Posca Paint Pen. I then put this behind a white die cut village from Sweet Dixie - Here Comes Santa Set.

I coloured and re-added the doors. Then I layered the sky, village and Snowglobe and stuck a santa (also from the die set) and greeting to the base. Fonts are Embassy BT and Chocolate Box.

The background papers are from Lawn Fawn 6x6 Pad - Perfectly Plaid Fall.

My most adaptable christmas card idea from 2016

Using just two die sets from Sweet Dixie and some ink blending I made a large portion of this years Xmas card orders using one main design.

Using a large range of distress inks, I flicked water and added Posca Pen, to create deep rich snowy or nighttime backgrounds.

I then diecut in white card the two Sweet Dixie dies, Bethlehem (SDD192) and Here Comes Santa (SDD199) and layered them over the top. I added ribbon and other die cut parts and a greeting.

In some case I also personalised with something appropriate for the recipient, such as cats or dogs.

Here Comes Santa Village + Star from Bethlehem Set + Trees from Tim Sizzix Holiday Joy with German Shepherd silhouettes cut by hand.

As above in a bluer colour scheme and square format. No dogs but lovely snowflake ribbon from Hobbycraft.

Cat version in purples using the Bethlehem (SDD192) die set, including the star and palm trees. Cat die from dovecraft. 

Bethlehem set on a far darker, more night-time-ish background effect.

Font used is mainly Concurso Moderne.

Farming Sim Christmas

Another Christmas Card for a young man. Last time I asked he was into his Farm Simulator game so I am hoping the snowy add-on pack version of the game would be meaningful to him! :) I found some screenshots from the game and converted them into a 3D decoupage image.

Papers from magazines and stash, mounted on mirri card (rare occasion!) and icicle diecut I purchased ready-done several eons ago. I added a bit of stickles to the snow too!

Thinking of You Balloons!

Had a commission for a batch of "Thinking of You" cards so decided to go all balloony! I had some gorgeous free digis from Imagine That Digistamps that I wanted to use in a card for their January Link Up so I thought this was an ideal time to try them out.

I also had a set of balloons from Lawn Fawn that are less fancy, so I thought they might make a good male and female version of the card! I think the Imagine That balloons should have been printed out a bit bigger but they do seem to make a more cheery card!

Imagine That - Love Lifts You Set
Lawn Fawn - Blue Skies (LF511)
Cloud Stencil by me
Distress Ink : Stormy Sky
Coloured with Copics
Greeting from Hero Arts, Messages with Flourish with Staz On Ink.
Enamel style bling from stash.
Used Blue and Green Vellum, that I really need to restock but haven't seen any for ages!

BB8Bauble.

I had a few commissions this christmas (2016) for cards for young men, so I did a Star Wars themed card! (This was also suitable for my friend Grace, so she got one too!)

For the backdrop I used distress inks over an embossed image - Sheena Douglass's Beautiful Bauble. I added some green stickles to the fir tree fronds.

I printed out an image of BB-8 in different sizes and then paired tops and bottoms to make a more bauble shaped version of the astromech droid. I put glossy accents on his lens and a white Posca Paint shine so he looks more spherical. This was actually a pretty quick card, simplest ideas are the best :) The Font is Chi Town NF.

Challenge 32, the first of 2017! Part B.

So now onto the second of two cards I made for the new challenge on The Crafty Addicts Challenge Blog!

The theme this month was Monochromatic /ATG and I made two cards, one from each sponsor.

The sponsors are Lacy Sunshine and Sheepski Designs.

For my second card I used "Unicorns" by Lacy Sunshine. I printed it out faintly, so it may not be exactly the same as the original, but pretty close I hope!

On the monochromatic theme, I thought I would limit myself to a very small colour palette and only used six different polychromo pencils for the whole piece.  Aswell as black and white, I stuck to four brown hues - Walnut Brown, Burnt Ochre, Raw Umber and Venetian Red.

The font I used is KG No Regrets Sketch, directly onto kraft paper. Gold bling to finish.

I blogged my Sheepski card on the previous post :)

Sponsor Badges

    

Challenge 32, the first of 2017! Part A.

Very excited to show the first of two cards I made for the new challenge on The Crafty Addicts Challenge Blog!

The theme this month was Monochromatic /ATG and I made two cards, one from each sponsor.

The sponsors are Lacy Sunshine and Sheepski Designs.

In this blog post I would like to share the card I made using "Becca - Image Number 25" from Sheepski Designs. I coloured the girl in copics and standard pencil, fulfilling the " monochromatic" part of the brief.

I went a bit astray with the parasol, I fancied making it pop with a rainbow of watercolours! (Gansai Tambi Watercolours - Xmas present from my friend Norms) I used the watercolours on another piece of paper and added it onto the image. Wanted to keep this fairly clean and simple, so added no embellishments.

The font I used is Blessed Day.

I'll blog my Lacy Sunshine card on the next post :)

Sponsor Badges

    

A Day For Daisies, More Penguins!

I love the A Day For Daisies, Penguin Digis! I was lucky enough to be able to use "Penguin Flight" as part of the Design Team for The Crafty Addicts and I ended up buying "Penguin Snowman" too because I couldn't resist it! :)

I made quite a few of these and personalised them for my customers. The background is blended distress inks, flicked with water and then added Posca Paint snow. The image is coloured with Copic pens and then stickles and more Posca Paint dots. The eyes are small black gemstone bling. The font is Ambrosia.