New CHA Release Tag- The Scientist

Well I finally did it, I treated myself to Distress Markers... the full set ecck. After my class in Athlone I went shopping with Create with Kate who had alllll the new CHA releases in her shop. I couldn't hold a conversation until I had the shopping out of my system!

 I am not a colourer so it will be a learning process for me. Like not using water colour paper, they just didn't blend but maybe it was because I wasn't doing it right. I don't like rules or you have to's! I wanted to put as a title- Mad scientist? No I'm not a scientist- but it wouldn't fit. I don't actually know why I bought him but something about him drew him to me, kinda like Charles. I shall call him Thadius, he looks like a Thadius don't you think :)

Feeling Autumnyyyyy

Using the Tim Holtz tattered leaves die I rolled about 100 or so it felt like and spray them all beautiful Autumal colours. I stamped a few with script, scrunched a few and threw a few in the air just for the craic. Then I got on and made this hanging, using a branch that I mod podged all the bugs to it so they couldn't escape, just die slowly and leave their little buggy corpse in my art like the mosquito from Jurrasic Park. I then used fish gut to attach the leaves too, I tried glossy accents but it wasn't catching it and I was in no mood to burn myself with the glue gun so I used double sided tape and just pulled the white side off so you can't see it. Finished each end with a bead to weigh it down and you have a pretty festive hanging if I do say so

Let the Autumn fun not end there! I stuck some more leaves to my fishgut in a horizontal fashion and gave them a good old scrunch

Makes a beautiful decoration for over my craft table :)

1 swap, 2 tags, 1 selfish crafter

 Create with Kate facebook page are holding an alphabet swap and I decided to have a play around to see what I could come up with. I made this tag first

quickly fell in love with in and decided to make a replicate to send off. So I made this one...

and loved this one more so now have to decide. The glossy accents on the clock on the bottom isn't dry yet but I know it will be as lovely and shiny as the top clock when it's finished.

First world crafter problems- I can't choose between my tags to give to someone uhhh

I want to make a full book of tags...I make 2

I bought this gorjuss stamp but had it in mind to make her as creepy as possible but found it hard! I killed all her little paper men though.

Testing out my new Tim Holtz stamp set, it's cute but a little small but I still wanted the butterfly stamp for so long!

Zombie Valentines Card

I decided that the card I made for D just wasn't going to cut it so got my thinking cap on today. He's into the whole zombie scene so I hand drew a girl zombie considering I haven't drawn anything in years like that my hands were suprisingly steady! Using a piece of old cardboard with hearts cut out I added some distress ink in marmalade orange and bard door red and stamped the script stamp from the TH Halloween set. I used my watercolour crayons to colour in, I love the intense colour burst they give. distress around the edges ank ink. The outside sentiment is a joke between us because he thinks if I was in a life or death situation I'd panic and start eating people who were close to me....after an hour. I beg to differ, I'd like to think it would be at least half a day.

On the inside I used my new Hero Arts stamp which I find so theraputic to use, lets stamp a straight line NOPE my stamps have other ideas. It worked for something like this but say I was doing a memorial card it may look more like a ransom note :)

I stamped a few Charles' for good measure (the skeleton stamp from TH who I secretly love) and wrote my sentiment on the left side for a change!

One layer tag

I love layering up on my tag but tonight I just wanted to kind of zentangle over a few stamps & see how it turned out. Using mainly the tim holtz itty bitty grunge set I stamped all over using permanent black ink. I got some lovely little colour inks from pti but haven't used them yet considering I didn't need much blending it thought it would be ok to use. On all the videos and blogs I see they all recommend this white pen but I find it crap, I've even bought two just in case I got a bad one... I must have gotten two bad ones! The silver pen really made it pop and I added a little glitter gel to the stars. I still think it needs about 4 layers but it'll do as they say ;)

 

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Christmas tag

A friend asked me how I did this tag so very quickly here's how!

I sprayed the tag with a light blue & green spray & dried with the heat tool

I heat embossed the music note stamp in gold in the middle of the tag

Using the TH flourish die I covered it in pva & guilded gold pieces, attached ith glue

I inked the deer & stamped the dots onto it

Using TH itty bitty grunge set I stamped with medium or added texture but don't think it worked too well

I used one of D's bottle caps as an embellishment & put a charm into it with glossy accents

The few embellishments added finished it off, it's not too complicated of a tag but I had fun making it :)

 

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A Christmas tag of sorts...tutorial

I tag I was inspired by Pinterest this morning and I had to try it. I love this dress form die and always end up doing the same thing but it's just so cute! The tag feels a good weight and I love that in a tag, really makes you feel like you made something worth while! I did a quick tutorial on how I made it below.

Using my note stamp I covered a tag in grey Stazon (not the best for stamping but I just needed a light back ground as I didn't want a heavy stamped image)

In between the notes, I used my large Hero Arts french script in brown stazon. I used stazon because I wasn't sure how much blending I was going to do and wanted to keep my background true.

I held back here as I usually pile a load of colours on but just used Old Paper to cover the tag and Stained Glass and Peeled Paint around the edges

I cut a larger size tag out, distressed, inked with Walnut Stain and stamped the script stamp in brown stazon

 I embossed the top half of the dress form with hallographic embossing powder and clear UTEE for a nice sparkle, I didn't notice at the time but the embosser pushed all the glitter to the edges when I heated it up. It's a nice effect, like I did it on purpose *cough. I got a barbie dress for Elf on the shelf for the same bric-a-brack I got the clock and had no other use for it so cut the bottom off! I quickly pulled a stitch through the top to make a ruffle and finished it off with some Prima lace (see the lace reel in the background, I got it in TK Maxx yesterday for €6 it's HUGE but smells like old woman house :/ ) I sprayed the dress with whatever I could get my hands on, I think it was Glimmer mist in gold I used and dried with the heat tool before attaching to the dress form

At the bottom of the dress form I piled a few embellishments on, the Tim Holtz Pinecone made into a flower on top of a tattered flower middle die, pinned with a  Prima pin and some metal embellishments I got from Anne. The sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink cut out onto a quick banner and inked. 

I had to make her christmas knickers since it 'tis the season. A quick thong made from some lace and the barbie dress

I used the Tim Holtz die to get a rough shape on the wings, made them smaller, covered in Christmas vellum on both sides and inked slightly. Added natural and brown raffia finish off.

My finished tag, quite happy with the way it came out!

Male birthday card

Is there anything harder  to do? Again a last minute card like I always leave it because I'd rather buy one than try to think of something D would like! This took me about 7 minutes, or half an episode of Mickey Mouse lol
I embossed the centre panel then stamped on it so only the raised pieces were stamped, distressed and inked. Like the effect and want to see would it work with other embossing folders. I used the TH Apothecary stamp set for the background in the circle and the Happy from happy halloween. Really need to get a decent big happy birthday stamp. Stamped on two little tags and attached them with distressed ribbon. If he doesn't like it I'm buying next years!

I'm ready December- Bring it on!!

I seem to be getting more intense in my album making and creating more hassle and work for myself by having ideals in my head and wanting only that. This was a precut album that I won from a competition at GBCE from Crafting Ireland, it was just a plain chipboard cover and I snipped pages out and added some new ones. Used some spare bits I had lying around so it's a bit mish mash but think it will work for what I need!
Youtube video of the December Daily

1st of the Christmas Cards

So I really am not feeling the Christmas spirit card wise this year or more so because I've put a ban on buying new stash and feel bored with what I have so I have to get inventive!

The stamps are PTI and TH deer die. After teaching the Montessori kids about the northern lights it inspired me to brighten up the sky a bit. Really wish my handwriting looked like that stamp!

Graphic 45 Old Curiosity Shoppe album

* Disclaimer*
I am not a fussy cutter hence why the butterflies have no heads and the pigs have no tails but it was such a lovely paper pack I bought from CreatewithKate at the GBCE I knew it needed a special project.
WARNING- Photo heavy post with video to follow
                                   
Tim Holtz Stamps (Hello Charles!) skeleton and Halloween stamp. Cut out bottles from the 12 x 12 pack and glossy accents them. Stamped some Waltzing mouse stamps onto the bottles but don't think it worked too well.

Derek had to nearly pick me up off the floor when I was finished adding glasses to Charles. Frames are cut out of the pack and extras added. 

Pockets on the side and bottom, photos can be added to photo mat 

Double tag embossed with a paper belt (the word escapes me right now..)

These...these bad boys are so fricking cute. I fussy cut some bottles from the pack and cut slits in them, backed on black card and then slid in little insides of the bottles

                               Needed some plain pages to fit larger photos, the left side folds out into a double page. On the right there is a small album inside the pocket made from one 12 x12 sheet

Again I needed more pages for larger photos so made the lady page to fold out into a another double page

Trinkets on the outside of the album

PIGGIESSSS! I felt so sad after cutting off the tails of the pigs but felt worst when I caged them!

I felt the last page needed some empty space so I might add a few

 bits after but right now I like it as it.
I don't think I understood the undertaking of this album and it KILLED me not to be able to finish it in one sitting. Anyone who knows me knows I craft fast so I was nearly shaking trying to get it done. If I made it a larger project and a page a day I would have added more techniques but as it was the album was just on bursting point!

Halloween tag-jibbery jabbery jaw

Oh Charles how you do crack me up :) A tag I made for a Halloween tag swap in lieu of waiting for my craft corner (which has been postponed until next week, I'm distraught :(  ) I stamped two Charles and cut out one of his jaws, adding little hinges to make his jaw move. Believe me when I say I played with this for at least an hour having a conversion that I thought he was a great listener.... it's been a long week.
Using the title from the Doors song, I added a glossy accented name badge to his bow tie (bow ties are cool don't you know). The background is actually awesome but Charles big head is covering it up, I used Dylusions stensils and distress inks. In each corner I pushed modelling paste through the stencil to give it extra texture, loved running my fingers over it!
Once I added the googley eyes I knew it was a keeper and I hope Ann enjoys her time with Charles as I did :)
I might do a tutorial for my next tag, be interesting for me to see what I actually do because I never remember!

Meet the new man in my life- Charles Bonehead

How I feel about Eli's surgery next week but completely ecstatic with my new stamps!

Charles stamped on shrink plastic on the right with a hole in his head and on the left, shrunk down and sooooo adorable

Made a quick little key chain, love the chink of shrink plastic when it's shrunk down

Playing around and making a background with the new dylusions stencils and distress inks

Charles felt a bit fruity

But decided it was a tag for a suit

Prima stamped balloon

Add another layer folded in half

The last layer I cut in half and added a strip of tape to finish off the balloon (can you see Charle's UTEE'd hat, he's so dapper!)

And this is the start of a beautiful relationship between me and Charles...