FRIENDSHIP TAG

Hi again. This month Anything But A card Challenges has its theme centred around friendship. For this challenge I have made a very large tag.

The base is made from black cardstock. This was stencilled with modelling cream. The next layer is a wallpaper sample and then I've added a topper from Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Collection.
I'd been thinking that a number of my fiends are some distance away from me and though we rarely see each other, when we do have the chance to catch up in person, or on the phone, our conversations flow easily. I decided that I would make up a quote to say this... True friendship transcends time and distance.  I think that most of you would have friends that this is true for.
To complete the tag I added 2 of my new  and rapidly becoming favourite, dies and embossing folders from the Tim Holtz range. Both were cut from card I had sprayed with various Lindy Stamp Gang sprays and then stencilled with modelling cream.
The ribbon at the top is a gorgeous hand- dyed silk ribbon I purchased at a local craft fair.
Pop on over to: anythingbutacard and check out what the rest of the team has done for this challenge. We'd love to see your art here.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers, Di

SUMMER TAG

Hi! Summer Lovin' is the theme at Anything But A Card challenge. For this I did a fairly simple tag, but one I was quite pleased with.

 

The base for the tag is heavy watercolour paper lightly stencilled with gesso (scraped on) and sprayed with Dylusions and glimmer mists while still slightly damp. A Graphic 45 image was used as the focal point.

 In my stash of paper I found a perfect piece with the tag line 'Dive into Summer", the sun and flowers (hibiscus), which were then cut out and used. Behind the flowers I've tucked in some teased out mulberry bark and glittery fibre. The same fibre was also used under the image. Stick-on gems and mother -of -pearl jewellery bits completed the layering. Some little highlights of Kindyglitz ( a glitterglue)  and ribbons were used to complete the tag.

There's still time to play, so pop on over to: http://anythingbutacard.blogspot.ca/ to see the fabulous makes by the rest of the team for some more inspiration.

Thank you for stopping by.
Cheers, Di

RHAIS WILL CERATINLY SPARKLE!

Hi and welcome to a sparkling challenge:- Number 33 at: http://anythingbutacard.blogspot.ca/  which has a week remaining to join us.
I've been working on canvases a fair bit lately and this time decided to use 2 of them, hinged together so that they could form the exterior and interior of a fashion salon "Couture Roses", the favourite for Rhais, the fabulously effervescent Parisian socialite who does so much for charities.

The canvases were painted with black gesso on the exterior face and inside frames. The walls were papered with a soft pearlised and metallic cardstock. To this I added a chipboard chandelier, painted with 3D stamping paint with lights highlighted with glossy accents.

The same treatment was given to a large chipboard rose:the signature motif for the salon. The frame of the mirror has been rubbed with Inca gold and 3D stamping paint to give an antique look.
Graphic 45's 'Couture' papers have featured on this canvas from the photos of past models and advertising, the sign 'Couture' and of course, Rhais.

Rhais will certainly sparkle at her Charity Dinner/Dance in her gown featuring the new vogue dropped waist, softly draped and held by her favourite flowers. The hemline, trimmed with the same flowers, drops to a short train. Thin straps sewn with rhinestones add to the glamorous appearance of this gorgeous gown. The gown will be further enhanced by the long string of diamonds being held by Rhais.

To complete the salon, a curtain from sheer fabric, bling and  handmade roses have been added.

The roses, were die cut using Tim Holtz tattered florals dies  and made up in the manner given by Jennie in her fabulous tutorial. You can see this tutorial and others, at:

http://jennie-livethedream.blogspot.com.au   

Instead of using water, I sprayed the flower with Perfect Pearls mists. When dried they were brushed lightly with 3D Stamping  Paint.     

I hope you've enjoyed visiting Rhais's favourite salon.

Remember to pop over to Anything But A card to see what the rest of the design team have been playing with. We'd love you to join us.

Thank you for stopping by.

 

Cheers, Di.                                                                

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS.....

...... on ev'ry site you see!!!!

Including Pixels and Paper for this month's challenge.
This month we have a vintage Christmas photo for your inspiration, so we would love to see your project based on an aspect of Christmas shown here. You have until midnight, 5th January to submit your creation, so we hope that this gives you plenty of  time to enjoy the festive season with family and friends and hopefully finding  some crafty time for yourself.

Pop over to:http://pixelsandpaperchallengeblog.blogspot.com.au/ to see what the team has produced for this.
This is my DT piece for the challenge. I focused on the stockings and used this concept as a centrepiece for my layout. This was done with iris folding.

 

On the background I've also stamped a Christmas ornament topper  (Chocolate Baroque stamps) with versamark, then heat embossed it  and added braid so that it looked like they were hanging.
The inspiration photo also reminded me of my childhood when many of the decorations for the house and the tree were handmade. I remember making strings of bells from milk bottle caps, washed, turned inside out and moulded into bell shapes over a lemon juicer. We also made paper chains from cut up cards and crepe paper.
For this memory, I chose to make the ornaments from stamped foil paper, (Chocolate Baroque stamps)  and again heat embossed the design. This gave them the look of some of the gorgeous decorations that were always packed away carefully each year. The idea of stamping and cutting out the ornaments was the result of a play day at Julie's at: http://timetocreate-handmadetreasure.blogspot.com.au/


                                                 

Some close-ups of the ornaments. Sorry about the blueness of the background. In trying to get the detail of the ornaments to stand out more, the background was brightened a wee bit too much. The photo below is more of the real colour. Sentiments are Words from Darkroom Door.

 

The photo of our son taken in 1990 was framed with foil paper, smooshed with 3D Stamping Paint. Journalling has been done on tags popped into the folds of the stocking.

 

On the base I've placed a strip of "Merry Christmas" words in  various languages  (Graphic 45). I played with some soft metallic silver Pan  Pastels and 3D Stamping Paint on this strip.

Thank you for visiting and please pop on over to Pixels and Paper to have a peep. We'd really love it  if you decided to have a play with us.

Cheers, Di

FARM IDYLL

Pixels and Paper Challenge for November.
The challenge at Pixels and Paper this month is about chickens, inspired by this picture.

 

 

Of course your page doesn't have to be about chickens at all - perhaps you see the wider picture of a farmyard and would like to tell the story of a trip to the countryside or visit to a working farm. Maybe your child has visited a farm as part of a school trip or raised chicks as a classroom project. You might even like to think laterally on this one and explain your love of egg based dishes! Bacon and eggs anyone?

Pop on over to: http://pixelsandpaperchallengeblog.blogspot.com.au/ to see what the Design Team have come up with for this challenge.

My take on this was based on a photo taken of my husband and our first car way back in '74 / '75. At this time we were renting an old farmhouse. Although we didn't have any form of poultry at this location, we did have paddocks around us where hereford cattle were mainly kept by our landlord. The house paddock often had the cows about to give birth in them and my husband sometimes had to assist the farmer with the deliveries or let him know when the new born calves had arrived. The car shed was very old and ramshackle. We didn't use it very often, particularly when we discovered that it was the residence of a red-bellied black snake... and that's a whole other story !!

 

The background papers were cut, inked and painted (combinations of distress inks, stains and archival inks). Stencilling was used for the tree, and freehand dabs of various stains added for foliage. The roof of the die cut shed was made from corrugated cardboard packaging which was smooshed with Rusty Hinge distress ink. The pond was an experimentation with a gellipad and the rooster cut from Graphic 45 papers. The photos of the ducks were also cut out. On the page I've also used dried grass for reeds and a Dusty Attic chipboard barbed wire fence.

I hope you are inspired to join us for the challenge. We'd love to see your work.

Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments.

Cheers, Di.

  

 

 

 

 

A Timely Point of View

Today's post has me looking back, wondering where the last 40 years went to so quickly. We celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary in September, so what better way  to "Share the Love" for Challenge 12 at http://anythingbutacard.blogspot.ca  than by reflecting on our lives together, so far.
This very tongue- in - cheek photo was taken at our wedding reception. It features Russ (husband, seated), best man Charles and groomsman, cousin Ron (looking quite raffish with the goatee). I think the photo speaks for itself, lending ideas for the imagination about what they were thinking!

The boys, sharing the love by giving support!!.... too late .... now, who's next!

The photo was distressed by sanding the edges and parts of the surface, then inked with 'vintage photo' distress ink. Papers from Graphic 45 'A Proper Gentleman'  and Kaisercraft 'Prairie Lane' have been used. These also received the distressed look. The lace effect was done by using lace on a teal blue cardstock and spraying generously weith Glimmermist. This was a piece left over from a previous layout and the colour matched well with some of the fine detailed patterns from the Prairie Lane collection.

Cogs were die cut from embossed card. Some were then inked with Brilliance pearlescent 'olive' and others were give a faux rusted metal finish (first time I've used this, so many thanks to all of you who have posted about this Tim Holtz method) and then brushed with perfect pearls. The slight shimmer on these hasn't shown up on the photo.

I've also used Washi Tape, featuring the theme of cogs and clocks.

As Russ and I  are now both retired, we're hoping to enjoy the journey, even more.

Thank you for visiting. I love to hear from you. Cheers, Di