My very first 2Crafty Post!!

Hello everyone!!  I am so excited to be sharing my very first 2Crafty reveal!!
I was thrilled to bits when Di Garling and Vanessa Tiberti invited me to be on this amazing Design Team.  Thank you so much ladies, I so appreciate your confidence in me and will do my best not to let you down.  As a Resident Guest Designer, I needed to make 3 card size items.

So, my first item is, (Surprise! Surprise!) a card.

 The 2Crafty Chipboard pieces used are 

Corner Flower Vine

Ornate Buckle

Heidi Vines

 The Ornate Buckle was coloured with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink and then clear embossed.

 As this is an Easel Card I used half of the Corner Flower Vine to anchor the easel.  This piece was coloured the same as the Ornate Buckle with Spiced marmalade Distress Ink and clear embossing powder.

When I received the Corner Flower Vine it turned out to be a bit bigger than I had expected but, as chipboard is so adaptable, I knew I would still be able to use it.  I simply cut off the piece needed for this card and still had the left over bit for another project.  I really love this ornate piece and it fitted the card beautifully.

 I needed some leaves to go with my flower cluster so I trimmed some of the leaves from the Heidi Vine.  I sprayed them with water until they were quite wet.  Then, very carefully, I gently separated the layers to about half way down the leaf as I didn't want them to come apart completely.  I then shaped them and left them to dry.  Once dry, I simply coloured them with Crushed Olive Distress Ink.  

I really love how they turned out.

My next  piece is a tag.

2Crafty Chipboard pieces used are

Corner Flower Vine

Tiny Kathleen Frame

Chicken Barbed Wire Small

 As you've probably guessed, I've used the other half of the Corner Flower Vine from the previous card on this tag.

 All the chippies on this piece were coloured the same way.  Coated with gesso first and then lightly  coloured with Broken China Distress Ink.   I used Black Soot for the stamping on the background and on the chippies as well.

The chicken barbed wire comes in a 5" square piece and I simply cut off a narrow strip to place on the side of my tag.

My last piece  is an AT Block.

2Crafty Chipboard pieces used are

Tiny Edwin Corners

Tiny Edwin Frame

ATC Mask

ATC Tiny Hearts & Stars

The block measures 2 3/4" x 2 3/4".

The Tiny Edwin Corners were brushed with gesso and then clear embossed.  The tiny Hearts were coloured with red acrylic paint.  I then applied a little bit of glitter and coated them with Glossy Accents.

This is the opposite side of the Block which is decorated in a similar way with the same chipboard pieces.  Don't you just love those gorgeous ornate corners??

The front of the Block has the Tiny Edwin Frame which was also painted with gesso and then just clear embossed.  The ATC Mask was coloured with red acrylic paint and when that was dry I went over the central section of the feather with gesso.  I then coated that section with glitter and used a black Sharpie for the doodles.  Then I simply glued the tiny gems around the top of the mask. 

I used the centre piece from the Frame to make the small tag.   Trimmed a little off one edge, rounded the corners a bit more and  then I covered the tag with some designer paper and inked around the edges. 

The chippies on the lid were treated the same as those on the sides.  Painted the corner with gesso and then clear embossed and the hearts with red acrylic paint and covered with Glossy Accents.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with these gorgeous chipboard pieces.  2Crafty have a huge selection of pieces that are the perfect size for cards and other small projects and, even if you receive something a little bigger than expected, such as the Corner Flower Vine, it is easily cut up into manageable sizes for your projects.

To find a 2Crafty Chipboard stockist near you contact them here
salesat2crafty@optusnet.com.au
To take a look at the awesome projects by my Teamies, you can find the 2Crafty Blog HERE

Thank you so much for visiting and I do hope I have inspired you today.
Take care and God Bless.

Masculine Grunge #2

Hello everyone!!  Welcome to my blog and thank you for dropping by.

As you could see from my Title, I have the second of my grungy masculine cards to share with you today.

If you haven't seen the first one and you would like to, you can find the post HERE.
As I said in that previous post, this one is similar to #1 but I've used different papers and different elements too.

These papers are from Bobunny's Weekend Market Collection.  Distressed the edges with Ingvild Bolme's Distress Tool and then inked them with 'Gathered Twigs' Distress Ink.  Added a little bit of background stamping with KC's Crackle stamp and Bobunny's 'Stained Textures' stamp.  The Word Band is, of course, Tim Holtz (available from Meg's Garden).    The Spellbinders Nestaboard 'Fancy Tag' was cut in half and embossed with a mix of gold, silver and bronze embossing powder.


The little piece of red chippie is a scrap of 2Crafty's Chicken Barb Wire which was left over from another project.  It was simply coloured with acrylic paint and then randomly swiped with Glossy Accents.  In this photo you can also see I've added some spots of 'Clear Rock Candy' Distress Crackle.  The 'Radio' label is from G45's 'Communique' papers.

Added a little bulldog clip ... just because!!

The inside was lined with the same papers and also stamped with the Bobunny 'Stained Textures' stamp. The labels are from KC's Art of Life Collection.  Made a little pocket and a tag as well and stamped over the top of them again with the 'Stained Textures' stamp.

I made this card for my brother who lives in Victoria and apparently he was a bit puzzled because he couldn't find a sentiment or Birthday greeting on this card.  Then he finally noticed the piece of string, pulled it out, and, voila, there it was.  LOL ... Men!!  There is also a handwritten message on the back of the tag.  I am pleased to say he loved his card.

Well, there you have it, the second of my masculine 'grungy' cards as promised.  I do hope you like it and that I have inspired you a little today.

Thank you so much for visiting and a huge thank you to those of you who are kind enough to leave me a little message.  I love to read them and really  appreciate you taking the time.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!
Take care and God Bless.

July Reveal for Meg's Garden #2

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog!!  Well, we're back to the rain again in Adelaide, the sunshine only lasted for one day!!  It was so lovely but back to the dull and dreary again!!  (sigh)

I'm back today to share the second part of my Meg's Garden Design Team reveal for July.  This time I have an AT Block to share with you.

I make my AT Blocks from scratch and I really love making them!  They could be used for so many different things, I thought this one could be used as a Wedding or Party Favor.  You could fill it with almonds or a piece of jewelry or anything else you may prefer.
Still using the 'Correspondence' papers I cut them to size and stenciled the side pieces with gesso before glueing them down and then adding small pearls to the center of the flowers.  I edged the papers with gesso as well.  Once all the sides were glued down I added the gorgeous Mini Rose Braid around the bottom.

The Dodo Vine Wire on the top of the box was randomly covered with glitter, although the photos don't show it all that well.  The Ivory Primula is another flower I absolutely love and I just added a small die cut to complete the cluster.  The heart was cut with a Fiskars Shape cutter and I simply glued the paper to it and wrote the Thank you by hand.  (I know, my hand writing is awful, but just pretend it looks pretty and that I didn't forget to rub out the pencil lines!  LOL)

I also lined the inside of the box with a different sheet of the papers and edged those with gesso as well ...

... and here is the box filled with lollies.  This little box only measures 2.75" x 2.75" but you would be amazed at how much will fit inside.

Hoping you like my little ATB and that, perhaps, I have inspired you today!

Meg's Garden Products used:
'Correspondence' Mini Paper Pack
Ivory Primula
Mini Rose Braid
Dodo Vine Wire
You can check out all the yummy goodies Meg stocks in her shop HERE,
and to take a look at the gorgeous creations made by my Teamies, you can visit Meg's Garden Blog HERE.

Thank you so much for coming by and I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day!!
Take care and God Bless.

My July Reveal for Meg's Garden #1

Hi everyone!!!  Welcome to my blog, so nice to have you here.  I do hope you are having a lovely day.  The weather here in Adelaide is gorgeous today.  We've had beautiful sunshine for the first time in weeks.  Still quite cool but at least it's not so dull and dreary today. 

I'd like to share Part 1 of my July DT Post for Meg's Garden.  It is a step card made with the lovely 'Correspondence' Papers designed by Kerry-Jean Watson.  These papers are absolutely gorgeous and so suited to all kinds of projects from dreamy feminine to vintage  and even masculine styles.  This card definitely falls into the 'feminine' category.

No cutting and trimming here!!  I just ripped the papers to size and then curled the edges a bit.  Added a little machine stitching for some interest and also did a little background work with a stencil and some Distress Ink but then I covered it up again.  I think you can still see a little peek every now and then though.

The sweet little butterfly is from Meg's Garden's More Butterflies Transparency Sheet .  The dodo wire and  the small white rose and rosebud are also from Meg's Shop.  I'll leave a list of Meg's Products at the bottom of this page.

This card actually came about because I wanted to use that beautiful grey/blue primula .. don't you just love the colour??  I know I do ... it is absolutely stunning in real life!   Love the gorgeous heirloom flower too, these two blooms go so well together.   Added the circle behind the cluster ( after doing some stamping with Distress Ink) for some added interest and tore some tissue like paper into strips and curled them to fill the space.

The inside was also decorated with the papers.  I used the Mini Paper Pack for this card, they are a perfect size for cards and smaller projects.

And here is my card standing up!!!

I do hope you like it and that I have inspired you today!!

Meg's Garden Products used
'Correspondence' Mini Paper Pack.
Dodo Vine Wire
Silk and Organza Primula
White Heirloom Fabric Flower
Small white roses
Mini Rosebuds

To take a look at the many gorgeous products Meg has available in her shop,  HERE is the link.
Why not also go to the Meg's Garden Blog HERE and take a look  at the awesome projects from the other Team Members.

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

Masculine Grunge #1

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

I hope, wherever you are, that you are experiencing some lovely weather.  Adelaide has been cold and overcast for weeks but, today, we finally have some sun!!  It's still pretty cold though so all I can say is "Bring on the summer"!!!!

OK, down to business  ... I have another card to share with you.  A very masculine and quite 'grungy' card as my title suggests.
I distressed all the edges with my Ingvild Bolme Distressy Tool and inked them with 'Gathered Twigs' Distress Ink.

 A bit of Heather Jacob influence here I think, but still with my own stamp on it!!  If you don't know Heather (Can't really imagine that, but) HERE is the link to her blog if you'd like to take a look!!  You won't be sorry, as she creates the most gorgeous and inspiring projects!  Looooveeee her work!!
The papers used are from Prima's 'Engraver' Collection.  The tickets were fussy cut from the papers then I crumpled them a little, inked the edges and slipped them in between the layers.

Used a spatula to add some 'Clear Rock Candy' Distress Crackle and, when that was dry, I went over it with 'Gathered Twigs' Distress Ink to bring out the cracks.  I then just used my finger to swipe some gesso around the edge.  I love how the gesso also 'cracked' when it dried.

Used the same technique on the belly band as you can see.  I've had the metal key and the clock in my stash for a little while and am not sure where I got those but I really love that key.  Was a bit sorry to use it as it is the only one I have but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet don't you??

Here's another closie of the 'crackle' effect.  I really love it and you'll be seeing a lot more of this in my work!!!

Decorated the inside with wide bands of the paper which were border punched with the 'Optic Dot' Punch by Martha Stewart.  Then I added a bit more texture with Tim Holtz 'Latticework' Stencil and 'Frayed Burlap' Distress Ink and, again, wiped a little gesso around the edge on one side.

A different view ... lying down ...

... and standing up!!

This is the first of two 'grungy' masculine cards I created.   The second is similar to this but of course a bit different as well and I will show you that one further down the track.

Thank you so much for visiting today and I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Take care and God Bless.

Positivity Journal Page & Tag

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

I'm sitting here at my computer listening to the rain outside.  Love that sound, especially because I'm lucky enough to be sitting in a nice warm house.  Just wish everyone was as blessed.

I have another PJ to share with you today.  No, No, not pyjamas, hehe!!  Just a Positivity Journal page.

The background was created using some watered down red acrylic paint along with 'Black Soot' and 'Broken China' Distress Inks.  Once it was dry it was stamped with Kaisercraft's 'Arty' Stamp and then I randomly added some 'Clear Rock Candy' Distress Crackle Paint.

Added some strips of washi tape to the side and that cute little die is the 'Loopy
Rings' from Memory Box.  Doodled around a few of the Loops with a white gel pen for a bit of added interest.

The clock was fussy cut from Prima's 'Engraver' papers and the Die Cut is from Kaisercraft.  

Here is a better look at the 'crackle'.  Love the effect you get on the paper.

I've also completed another tag for this Journal.

Again, this is a fairly simple tag as they can't be too dimensional or they won't fit into the pockets.

The tag was cut from a scrap of  Prima's 'Ledger Pad' papers.

Added a couple of scraps from Kaisercraft's 'Art of Life' 6 x 6 Pad and stenciled the background with Tim Holtz's Burlap Stencil and 'Walnut Stain' Distress Ink ...

... and fussy cut the Sunflowers and the labels from G45's 'French Country' 8 x 8 Paper Pad.

So now I have finished page 5 of my Journal and the 4th of my tags.  Only 5 more pages and 11 tags to go.  Just as well I'm not in a hurry for these, LOL!!

Thank you so much for visiting and, perhaps, for leaving a little comment!!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.