Art Journal Page - Find Your Fire

Hello sweet peeps and welcome to my blog.  So nice to have you stop by.

I've been rather slack with my blogging lately and thought it was about time to get a bit more active here.  I have still been crafting on a reasonably regular basis and do have a few things to share so I'm starting with this Art Journal page.  Made this quite a  long time ago so, hopefully, I will remember what products I used.

The base of this page is dp by Tim Holtz and I know I added the colour with Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals.  These gorgeous little pots of powdered colour are a fave of mine.  So easy to use and absolutely gorgeous!

Lots of stamping with the Harlequin stamp by Kaisercraft and a crackle stamp by Prima ..

 .. and a piece of jute ribbon for some tactile texture along with a mixture of prills and microbeads.

Added a scattering of ephemera for extra interest ..

.. and topped it with a fabulous cogs and gears chippie which has been heat embossed with black, bronze and teal embossing powder.
The title was computer generated and mounted on a piece of heavy card.

To finish off, I did a bit of doodling around the edges and used a watercolour pencil to add some extra lines of interest around the page.

I so enjoy getting messy creating these kinds of pages and I have a few more of them to share at a later date.

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

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #248 - Anything Goes

Well, hello everyone and a very happy new year to you all.

This is the first Challenge of the year for Crafty Cardmakers and so it was decided to start our year off with an easy 'Anything Goes' Challenge.
Our fearless leader, Lin, is hosting this one and there is also a one off prize on offer which was donated by the lovely Kim.

As this Challenge is Anything Goes, I thought it the perfect opportunity to share some of the Amigurumi dolls I crocheted recently.

 The patterns for all of these dolls were freebies from the net. 

 This is the Kelly Doll and, if you are interested, you will find her pattern HERE.  She is made with 4ply yarn and I used a 1.75mm crochet hook.

As you can see, her beret is removable ..

.. as are her bag and jacket.  Her top, pants and boots are part of the doll and cannot be removed.
For her hair, I have used a super bulky yarn called Hometown USA by Lion Brand.  I actually split the yarn in two before hooking it to the head.

I made this doll a couple of months ago and cannot remember which pattern I used.  A touch of old age I think .. LOL!!   I do know that I used 8ply yarn for this one with a 2.00mm crochet hook. 

The dress is tied at the back with a couple of bows and is removable.

I love the hair on this doll.  It is also made with a super bulky yarn but I had this in my stash for quite a while and have no idea what brand or type it is.  Once it was hooked on and cut, I simply fluffed it out a bit.

This doll was also made with the Kelly Doll pattern.  She is slightly taller as I added a few extra rows to her legs and I also gave her a different jacket.  It is so easy to adapt these patterns.  If you want a different look to your doll, simply add a few rows to make them taller or, you could also add a few extra stitches to change the shape.  Just make sure you adjust the rest of the pattern accordingly.

Her jacket is also removable and her hair is made from the same yarn as the first Kelly Doll.  Different colour obviously!  LOL!
I actually added a little nose to this doll and I think I might continue to do that for any future dolls.  I kinda like it!!  Might even decide to try adding a mouth .. won't hold my breath for that though.  Can be a bit tricksy!

I love these boots!  Sooo cute!!

Please pop on over to the CCM blog and take a peek at the fabulous creations by my Teamies.  I'm sure you will be inspired to join in!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #248 - Anything Goes

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I am going to make an effort to post a bit more often as I have been very slack lately.  Life gets in the way at times doesn't it?

Have a wonderful day!
Take care and God Bless.

More on Christmas - 2019

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  Spent mine with family and, although some loved ones were missing (live too far away), it was still fabulous!!
Thought I would squeeze in a final post for the year to show more of the Christmas cards I created.  These cards use the same techniques and embellishments as shown in my previous post, HERE, but they are different in size and shape.

These two cards are exactly the same as the ones shown previously except that they are square, not oblong.

 Same process as before.  Simply using distress inks to colour the strips of paper and then adding similar embellies.  The die cut branches (embossed on the edges with gold), the twine, the berries (cut from cheap Christmas decorations) and the handmade greeting.

These two cards were also created in exactly the same way.  This time though, instead of the strips, I used a couple of  layered squares which had been inked around the edges. 

 I didn't have a lot of spare time for creating Christmas cards this year (and I left it a bit late, as always) but these cards were really quick and simple to make.  I do have a few more to share (ones made earlier in the year and different in style, but still clean and simple) but I will leave those till next year.
Sorry I have been so slack in posting and in my visits lately but, you know how it goes .. sometimes life just gets in the way.  Hopefully I will do better in the new year.

Thank you everyone for visiting my blog during 2019 and also for leaving me such lovely comments.  I really do appreciate your support.

Take care, travel safe if you are on holiday, and God Bless you all.
Love and hugs oxox Marg

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #247

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog.  So pleased you stopped by.

I have just returned from my holiday (had a fabulous time!!)  and here we are in the second week of December and ready for the last Challenge of the year for Crafty Cardmakers.  Mary is our lovely host and the Challenge .. of course .. is Christmas!

I haven't made as many Christmas cards this year as I usually do (time just wasn't there) and I decided they were going to be pretty simple and quick to make.  So I had a good look around Pinterest, picked up a few ideas and came up with something I liked and then went from there.  So, all my cards are very similar .. same techniques, same embellishments and similar in design. 

This is the first one I made and the rest just flowed on from there.

 I only used white cardstock and watercolour paper so, no patterned paper at all.

The coloured strips are done with watercolour paper and Distress Ink.  I used a sponge to apply the colour to the bottom of the page leaving about a quarter of it white at the top.  I then cut the paper into strips.

After completing the first two cards I decided to add a bit of shading to the edge of the strips for a bit more interest.

The embellishments for each card is pretty much the same.  I used a combination of die cut pine branches (these were all edged in gold embossing), tiny pine cones (have had these in my stash for ages), red or white berries (cut from cheap Christmas decorations) and twine.  

 The greetings were computer generated, mounted on a piece of chipboard, punched out and covered with Glossy Accents.

I am really into the clean and simple look at the moment and these cards were really easy to make.

Would love for you to pop over to the CCM blog to take a look at what the rest of the Team has created and. also, would really love it if you could join in on our last Challenge for the year.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #247 - Christmas.

 I do have a few more of these cards to show you.  They are similar but still, a little different as well,  but that is for another day.
Thank you so much for your visit and for any comment you may care to leave.
Have a fabulous day and enjoy your crafting!!
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #246

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

The time has come for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers.  This time, Dr. Monika is our host and the Theme is No Patterned Paper.

As always, you can created anything you like, it does not have to be a card, but you must follow the Theme.  

I created a small masterboard using a brayering technique I have been wanting to try for a while now.  I learned about it from the amazingly talented Alison Bomber at Words and Pictures.   Unfortunately, I can't find the post where she describes the technique but it is quite simple really.   You just spray some water on your mat, place a couple of blobs of paint on it in whatever colours you wish, and then brayer it.  Then, all you need to do is run the brayer over a piece of watercolour paper, spreading the colour until you are happy with the result.

For this board, I used Navy and Antique White Acrylic Paint by Semco.  I also added a touch of Rainy Day Chalk Paint by Little Birdie.   Wasn't sure how the chalk paint would go mixed with the Acrylic, but it was fine

The Best Wishes chippie is from Scrapmatts. 

The Wildflower Dies are by Tim Holtz.  I cut three of  them out in white cardstock and coloured two with Distress Ink, leaving the third one plain white for contrast.

I really love the wildflower dies as they make it so quick and easy to create a pretty card.

Would love it if you could pop over to the CCM Blog and take a peek at the fabulous creations by the rest of the Team.  Lots of inspiration to be found there.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #246 - No Patterned Paper

Thank you ever so much for stopping by.  Sorry that I haven't been terribly active on my blog lately but I'm afraid it's going to be quiet here again for a few weeks as hubby and I are off on a Cruising holiday.   This post was scheduled before we left so hopefully it will publish alright.

Thank you everyone for your support and the lovely comments you leave for me.  I really do appreciate it.   A big thank you also to my new followers.  So pleased you decided to join up.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your crafting!!
Take care and God Bless.
oxox  Marg

 

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 245

Hello dear visitors and welcome!  

So pleased you stopped by and hope you are enjoying your day.

It's time for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers.  Lin is our Host and the Theme is Thankful.   

As always, you can create anything you like as long as it follows the Theme.

My project is a simple card created with some Wildflower dies by Tim Holtz.

The papers are by 49 & Market.  I love the subtle graphics on these papers .. so gorgeous!

Added a little stamping with a Kaisercraft Script stamp and the Thank You tab is also by Kaisercraft.

Decorated the inside with papers from the same 49 & Market Collection and added a fitting sentiment by Kaisercraft.

Would love it if you could pop over to the CCM blog and take a look at the what the rest of the Team has created.  You just may find yourself inspired to join in with the Challenge.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #245 - Thankful.

Thank you so much for your visit and do enjoy the rest of your day,

Take care and God Bless.

oxox Marg