One for the Guys ...

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.  So glad you dropped in for a visit and I hope you are having a wonderful day.  

Sharing another 'Man' card with you today.  This one was made for my oldest grandson's 20th Birthday.  Can't believe both my grandson's are pretty well all grown up now.  Even my granddaughter will become a teenager next birthday.  Where have all the years gone!!!??  

Anyway, here is my card.

Pretty grungy hey!!!  That's how I like my masculine cards ... lots of distressing and lots of grunge!!

Kaisercraft papers and some corrugated cardboard make up the base and I added some crackle for texture.

I'm in the process of tidying up my stash and discovered some metal embellies that I totally forgot I had, so a lot of them ended up on this card along with some wooden cogs.  Also added some small pieces of gutter guard at the sides.

Of course, I couldn't leave them clean and neat so I used some paints and gesso to mess them up.
Love that sparkplug!!!

 

I also added some seed beads.  Thought they might look a bit like ball bearings.  Not sure that that worked but I do like them there anyway.

The inside with the sentiment.  I got a bit enthusiastic and wrote a personal message before I took the photographs so I had to block that out.  That's what happens early in the morning when your brain is still asleep.  LOL!!

Of course, when everything was glued down and dry, I had to spread some random bits of gesso around!!

So, there you have it!!  Another of my grungy male cards done!!  Happy to say, it was well received.  I am absolutely stoked that my grandies, and my kids too, save the cards I make for them.  A lot of my friends do as well so my efforts are not wasted!!  Love it!!

Hope the weather is nice wherever you are.  It's a bit cold and wet in Adelaide at the moment but I am so glad we didn't get the storms that they had on the east coast.  They were absolutely horrendous and I sincerely hope it's all over now and people can get their lives back together.
My thoughts and prayers go to everyone in that part of our country.  I have some close friends and some scrappy friends who live up that way but, luckily, they all came through it reasonably well.

Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care, stay safe and God Bless.

A Canvas for 2Crafty Chipboard - April Project

Hello everyone and welcome my blog.  So pleased you dropped by and hope you are enjoying your day. 

I have something a little different to share with you this month.  Instead of my usual cards I have actually created a canvas this time.  I know I have done a couple of canvases before but they were very small, this one is a bit larger.  It measures 9" x 7". It's the first time I have attempted  one this size so I hope you will be kind.  LOL!!

I have created this to go on the wall in my new Craft Room (when we actually get it done) and I wanted something with a vintage look.  I actually followed a tutorial by Gabrielle Pollacco for this and, although my canvas doesn't really look anything like hers I have used  pretty much the same techniques.  If you'd like to take a look at the Tutorial by Gabrielle HERE is the link to her blog post.

In this cluster I have used Foliage Set 1 and Leafy Rounds.  Added some flowers and some metal washers and beads.  All of the chippies were coated with gesso before I glued them down onto the canvas and then it was just a matter of spraying them with acrylic paints.  When everything was dry I randomly painted over different areas with gold Twinkling H2O's.

For the cluster at the bottom I used Flourish Adornment Set 5 and one piece from the Pretty Flowers.  I also added flowers, metal washers and beads to this cluster.

At the top left hand corner of the canvas I used part of the Decorative Rod Set 2.  I didn't need the whole piece so I simply cut off one end to use here.  The rest will be used on another project.  I have also added a tiny bird from the ATC Birdcage 1. 

A better look at the Foliage Set 1 ...

... and a look at some of the texture.

I inked the edges of the canvas with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

I so enjoyed creating this canvas and using these fabulous 2Crafty chippies made it so much easier to decorate.  To take a look at all the fabulous chippies 2 Crafty have to offer  HERE is the link.  There is such a wonderful choice of different designs that you are bound to find exactly the shape and size you need for your project.

2Crafty products used

 Foliage Set 1

 Pretty Flowers

 Leafy Rounds

 Flourish Adornment Set 5

 Decorative Rod Set 2

ATC Birdcage 1


Thank you so much for visiting and I urge you to go and take a look at the 2Crafty Blog for some fabulous inspiration by my Teamies.  HERE is the Link.

remember to find a 2Crafty stockist near you simply send an email to ... 
salesat2crafty@optusnet.com.au

Take care and God Bless.

Megs Garden - Forgotten Meadows Concertina Card

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog, I hope you are having a lovely day.

Megs Garden has a new paper Collection called ' Forgotten Meadows'.  Designed by Kerry-Jean Watson.  It is soft and romantic and absolutely beautiful.  The card I am sharing with you today is decorated with this collection and I must say I am totally in love with these papers.

This one is a Concertina Card, at least, that's what I'm calling it.   I saw a tutorial on how to make it but, unfortunately (although I thought I had it pinned) I cannot find it again.  My card is actually made a bit differently from the one I saw and so I decided to share a short step by step as well.

The original was made from one sheet of 12 x 12 designer paper and it was simply folded but I wanted mine to be a bit wider and so I have actually made it with cardstock.  I only had A4 cardstock in the colour I wanted and I used three sheets.   The height of the card is 6" and the finished width is 3.5".  Of course, you can make it any size you like but this template only works for that size.  

Cut your cardstock to a depth of 6" and then score according to the photo.  I have added the small .25" gussets so that I could add some embellies and still close the card properly.

As the A4 cardstock isn't long enough for the whole card, you will need to cut another piece at 6" x 3.5" to attach to the end.

Use double sided tape or any kind of wet glue and attach the extra piece close to the last score line being careful not to overlap the score line otherwise it won't fold properly.

Fold the card as shown.

This is how it should look.
To add the pockets, cut 3 pieces of cardstock 6" long and only 3.4" wide  (they need to be a tiny bit narrower so the pocket fits in between the folds) and cut another piece 6" x 3".

On the 6" x 3" pocket punch a small half circle on the  left hand side and on one of the 6" x 3.4" pockets punch a similar half circle at the top.
 

The other two pockets could be folded as shown above or you can simply leave them as full length pockets as well.

Place the first two pockets on the left hand panels as shown ...

... and the other two on the right hand panels.

This is how the inside of the card should look.  As I was sewing my paper onto the card I actually didn't glue the pockets down until after they had been decorated and found it was a lot easier that way.  Once they were done I simply ran a thin line of glue around the edges (except for the open side of course) and stuck them down.

OK.  Now that the step by step is done, I'll show you the details of my finished card.

The papers are all from the Mini Paper Pack.  I created the background on the front of my card with some texture paste and a stencil and then sprayed lighty with some Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays.

All the flowers came from Megs Garden.  The fabric heirloom flower was originally plain white.  I coloured the edges of it with a VersaColor pad.  The ribbon was lightly coloured with Spun Sugar Distress Ink.

Here you can see some of the texture.   As a base for my flower cluster I fussy cut one of the flower images from the Cut & Create page.  I only glued the fussy cut image on each end as I wanted to close the card with ribbon and didn't wish to tie it over the flower cluster.  By leaving the cut image free in the middle I could thread the ribbon through behind the cluster.

The Card Word Circle is a 2Crafty Chipboard piece.  I coloured it with acrylic paint and, while it was still wet, I sprinkled it with clear glitter.

Those lovely daisies at the bottom on the left are part of the paper.  Didn't I tell you this Collection was beautiful? 

Added a little stamping, some washi tape and some seed beads.  The tickets are also from the Cut & Create Page. The butterfly is from the More Butterflies Transparency Sheet.

This is the tag inside the pocket on the first panel.  Stitched on some washi tape and scraps of paper for embellishment.   A little technique I picked up from Heather Jacob.  Thank you Heather, I love how it looks.
 

The second panel has some metal embellies that I covered in gesso and inked with Spun Sugar Distress Ink.  It was a single piece that I cut in half.  The chippy is again from 2Crafty Chipboard and was treated the same as the Word Circle on the front of the card.  The large blue flower is from my stash but the small roses and rose buds are from Megs Garden.  I won't show you the tag inside this pocket as it has a personal message on it.
   

I decided to do the diagonal fold on the pockets of the third and fourth panel.  Love how it showcases more of the lovely graphics on these papers and it gave me an excuse to use those pretty vintage brads to hold them down. (not that I needed an excuse but it sounds good. LOL!!)

 

The tag from this pocket ...

... and the tag from this pocket.

The back of the card.  I did glue the ribbon down on the back before adding the paper as this end does not need to move.

The inside of the card when open ...

... and the back.

Well, we are finally at the end.  I hope you enjoyed this post and that the step by step makes sense to you.   Why not go over to Megs Garden and check out the stunning creations made by the rest of the Team.  I'm sure you will be inspired.  HERE is the link.
To take a look at all the fabulous products Megs Garden has in store just click HERE .

Megs Garden products used

Forgotten Meadows Mini Paper Pack
Forgotten Meadows Cut & Create
Filigree Long Oval
White Heirloom Flower
Puffy Paper Flower
Velvet Primrose
More Butterflies Transparency
2cm Off White Lace
Seam Binding
Mini Rosebuds
Small White Roses

Thank you so much for visiting and do enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.
oxox
Marg