Christmas is in the Air!

Yes! It's finally Christmas!!!

I'd like to wish you all a very happy Christmas, full of joy, love and blessings. I hope that the festive season allows you to enjoy the company of all your loved ones and that your hearts take comfort in remembering those who can no longer be there with you.

Here's the second Christmas card I made this year. In my last post with the vintage Poinsettia Card I mentioned that I have only been able to make a very few cards this year.

This year I was in a die cutting mode and for this card I played with the Tim Holtz Sizzix dies Victorian Carolers and Holiday Lamppost. The lovely glow in the lamp is down to the Rowlux illusion film, which is one of the coolest products ever! I previously used it in my Halloween lantern and I think it's perfect for light related accents.

The banner was stamped and heat embossed using Stampendous Christmas Air stamp and Detail Gold Embossing Powder.

To embellish my card a little I threw in some glitter and a few gold stars. As always, I've used adhesives from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.

I also made these couple of cards, simpler in design, but as you will see I was still in the die cutting mode :)

For these cards, I die cut my Vintage Noel signs from 3D Foam Creative Sheets and sprinkled them with the super lush Lime Micro Glitterand Maroon Micro Glitter.

Oh, and I added multiple accents using tissue/washi tapes  :).

That's all from me for today! Thank you for stopping by and for all your sweet comments!

With warmest festive wishes

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I would also like to enter the following challenges:
Country View Challenges - December 2017 Christmas
A Vintage Journey - Winter Wonderland
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Celebrate

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A Christmas Wish to All - Part 2

Hello Friends! I hope you had an amazing Christmas period, enjoyed together with your family and friends. Ours was lovely, too - spent with family, friends and... a leaking radiator! Not exactly my choice of Christmas entertainment if you ask me but it could've been worse :). We moved into our new home earlier this year and the house is still throwing surprises at us here and there!

As promised, here's the second companion from my Christmas Lights set - in my previous post I shared this Christmas lantern and I have one more item to share :).

I love how church candles can be altered with stamped images - they can easily transform ordinary candles into magical ornaments. I've previously shared on my blog another set of altered Christmas candles and I also have one in my Easter Home Decor set.

Stamped images can easily transform ordinary candles into magical ornaments

For my altered candle I stamped this beautiful image onto tissue paper and I coloured it with Spectrum Noir markers first. I also used the alcohol ink markers and an air spritzer to give my Crystal Angel a whimsical look. Then I adhered the image to the candle by gently melting the tissue into the wax.

Use alcohol ink markers and an air spritzer for a whimsical look

To melt tissue into the wax evenly, wrap the candle tightly with grease-proof paper, carefully heat with a heat gun until the image underneath looks sharper and continue to hold the sheet until the wax cools down.

As a finishing touch, I added a glittered 3D foam snowflake, some handmade poinsettia flowers with glass glitter 3D DODZ centres and some lace and seam binding ribbons.

Add handmade poinsettia flowers, ribbons and lace to create a shabby chic look

Supplies:

Stampendous: cling Crystal Angel; Crystal MicroGlitter; Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter

Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: 3D Foam Snowflakes; 3D DODZ

Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Die: Tattered Poinsettia

Crafters Companion: Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers

Church candle

Seam binding ribbon

Pearl lace

Cheese cloth

Spray of foam berries

Decorative pins

Tissue paper

Air spritzer tool

I hope you've enjoyed today's post. Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments!

Big hugs


I would like to enter the following challenges:
Mixed Media Place - December mood board
Country View Challenges - Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make It Sparkle
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Monthly Blog Challenge - Merry and Bright

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A Christmas Wish to All - Part 1

Hello Friends! I've been promising to get back into regular blogging routine and this is still to happen - please forgive me! Hopefully I will be a much better blogger in the New Year! :)

For now, please allow me to wish you all a very happy Christmas, full of love, peace and kindness and also hope that the magic of Christmas can conquer any obstacles and sadness that may be thrown your way. May this festive season be the happiest one ever, one to remember for years to come!

As I haven't done much Christmas crafting this year I thought I would share with you a winter project that appeared in the December 2015 issue of the Craft Stamper magazine. This is actually a trio of mixed media/altered items and today I'm kicking it off with this altered winter lantern. The idea was inspired by the Halloween altered lantern I created some time ago.

If you have an old lantern that has suffered some damage to the glass panes, this is a perfect up-cycling opportunity. You can alter and decorate the lantern to your heart's content, just like I did with layers of 3D foam shapes, crackle paste, paints and DIY shimmer mists. I make my mists quite subtle as I use them more for vintage ageing and delicate shimmer than for intense colour tinting.

You can also replace the glass panels with illusion film sheets - they reflect the light beautifully and guarantee an attention-grabbing look to the whole project. And yes, they are also perfect for stamping! I found that StazOn ink works great on them and the stamped image shows through on both sides. If you want to add more colour to your images, I recommend using alcohol markers on the reverse (unstamped) side – as the markers will make the StazOn ink smudge. The blending pen will then help you move the colour around the image.

The final touches were made with textural snow (toned down with paints after it was dry) and Glossy Accents glittered icicles. To embellish my lantern I added cheese cloth, seam binding ribbon and handmade poinsettia flowers.

Supplies:
Stampendous: Cling Sweater Snowman, Cling Sweater Square, Crystal Micro Glitter, Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter, Spoonful of Pixie Dust
StazOn Ink: Jet Black
StazOn Ink: Emerald Sky
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: 3D Foam Stars, 3D Foam Snowflakes, DODZ 3D
Donna Salazar with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: Pigment Powder - Gold, Pink, Brown
DecoArt Dazzling Metallics ®: Oyster Pearl, Silver Sage, White Pearl
DecoArt Americiana Decor ® Chalky Finish: Everlasting
DecoArt Snow-Tex, Texture Crackle

Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Die: Tattered Poinsettia
Crafters Companion: Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers
Rowlux: White Moire Illusion Film
Glossy Accents
Lantern
Seam binding ribbon
Cheese cloth
Spray of foam berries

Thank you so much for stopping by and for any kind words you'd like to share to let me know you've been here :).

With big warm hugs


I would like to enter the following challenges:
Mixed Media Place - December mood board
Country View Challenges - Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make It Sparkle
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Monthly Blog Challenge - Merry and Bright

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Above and Beyond for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®

Hello lovely Peeps! Apologies for keeping so quiet... I've been under the weather again...:( So, just a quick post today to let you know that today over at Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® I'm sharing a card tutorial for this vintage masculine make.

The card will be going to a keen astronomer and an amateur astro-photographer so I thought the starry background was quite fitting :).

Supplies:

Using E-Z Stars® Refillable Runner, Gold Pigment Powder (Donna Salazar with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®), Crafty Foam Tape - Black, Thin 3D Foam Squares - Mix, Black 3D Foam Squares - Small, 3D Foam Stars

Other supplies:
Paper: Prima Marketing - Cartographer Collection
Stamps: Stampendous Soaring Sentiments Perfectly Clear Stamps Set
Inks: Black Archival and Tea Dye Distress Ink (Ranger Ink)
Dies: Sizzix BIGZ Tim Holtz Vintage Cabinet
Twine: May Arts

I'd love it if you found a moment to check out my tutorial :).

Thank you so much for popping in and your lovely comments letting me know you've been.

Sending you big crafty hugs...




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I am entering the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes

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Spring Time Die Cut Art - and Guest Designing at Frilly And Funkie!

Re-edited: Yay! My card has been voted one of the top picks at Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #115! Woot woot!!! :)

Hello everyone! Guess what?! I have been invited to play along today as a Guest DT over at Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog, after my altered ahabby chic dress form was voted the winner of the Bring on the Bling challenge! How exciting is that?!

I was even more excited when I found out the theme of their current challenge - Spring Time Die Cuts. I love spring and I have recently rediscovered my love of die cutting (getting a new die cutting machine might have something to do with it lol).

So... my crafty offering today is a card with a soft colour palette, inspired by the glorious blooms of my neighbours' magnolia tree. Dusky pinks, golden yellows and soft browns seem to have taken the centre stage. This is my early spring take on the challenge theme, before the fresh greens take over :). 

Spring Time Art Card

In my card I used Spellbinders Grateful Lattice die and Sizzix Tim Holtz Picture Wheel die. My Grateful Lattice die cut was first used as a stencil for a thin layer of DecoArt Texture Crackle. I also threw in a few individual lattice elements that I had left over from my vintage rose trellis card. The lattice elements are covered with beautiful and sparkly Stampendous Gilded Mica Fragments. 

Using Grateful Lattice die to add texture to my background.

The papers are from Prima Marketing (Striking Appearance, Epiphany Collection, which I used in my shabby birds' nest ATB) and 7Dots Studio (Dreamer collection). All quickly put together with MyStik® Permanent Strips. I also added some stamping using Stampendous Charmed Art and Vintage Lowercase Perfectly Clear stamps.

The picture wheel was also brushed with the Texture Crackle, then rubbed with the mica powders. I backed it up with some florist's cellophane that had a lovely white print on it - my Adhesive Sheets were perfect for this job. After popping the wheel over some The transparency gave my alpha beads (thrift shop find) an interesting floating appearance.

Using transparencies to add depth and give the alphas a floating appearance.

I have lots of mica sparkliness going on in the background, too. For that I used the new mica powders (Pink, Brown and Gold) from Donna Salazar for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® (available soon!). To finish the card I added some Liquid Pearls, ribbon and ribbon roses died with DIY mica sprays I made using the the mica powders.

Thank you so much to Linda and the Frilly & Funkie Team for inviting me to play along with this challenge! I feel truly honoured!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will join us for this Spring Time Die Cuts Challenge!

Big crafty hugs

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Challenges for this card:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - A is for...Art
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Spring Flowers
A Vintage Journey - Through The Looking Glass
Mixed Media Place #6 - Typography
Our Creative Corner - Colour Your World
Really Reasonable Ribbon #115 - Things With Wings
Live and Love Crafts #34 - Signs of Spring
7 Dots Studio - Nature

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Steampunk Dramatic Society - Artist Trading Blocks Stampendous Style

Hello Friends! Thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my previous post with the Vintage Valentine Radio card and tutorial and for all your 'get well' wishes. It looks like my health troubles are going to hang around for a little longer so please bear with me during this time...{hugs to all}.

But despite all the troubles I am still trying my best to keep up with my DT commitments and today I'm having fun at the 'Block Party'!

This week our Stampendous gang is joining the Inspiration Team from Eileen Hull Designs for a week long play-time with Artist Trading Blocks and we hope you will play with us, too! Come and join us to explore these blocks of creativity, learn new ways to create within your current style and find inspiration to try something new.

This dimensional form of crafting is sure to spark your interest and give your mojo a serious boost! That’s why we have prizes!!! We’ll choose three winners at random from the comments on all blogs in the hop. Then from those three we’ll randomly pick a GRAND PRIZE winner! Two of the winners will receive Stampendous PenPattern Petal and PenPattern Flutter cling stamps. They’ll also receive enough pre-cut, premium matboard from Sizzix to make two boxes, plus some extra pieces for fiddly bits! The Grand Prize winner will receive the stamps as above, a whole package of matboard, AND the Sizzix Scoreboards™ XL Square Box Die die to cut your own ATB boxes! 

And if that wasn't enough, eligibility for these amazing prize packages has expanded to include international hoppers, too! I say 'yay' to that!

Eileen Hull Designs Inspiration Team will be posting a little longer than us so the comment deadline has been extended to Sunday, March 8th. A whole extra week to drool over fabulous makes and comment to increase your chance of winning. You get one entry for every comment, so you don’t want to miss the chance to leave a thoughtful comment on each project. For those who might get a little lost, we’ll post a “cumulative” list of links so far on Saturday, February 28th and Saturday, March 7th :).

And while hopping, connect with us on your favourite social media platforms!

Stampendous Links:
Shop Stampendous
Stampendous BlogFollow Stampendous: Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Instagram

Eileen Hull Links:
Eileen Hull Blog
Shop Eileen Hull Sizzix DiesFollow Eileen Hull: Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Google +* Instagram

The Artists on the Block Links:
The Artists on the Block Blog
Follow The Artists on the Block: Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

So now - my project. Welcome to my Steampunk Dramatic Society! :) A bit different from my usual colourful shabby chic vibe, isn't it? LOL.

I had a lot of fun playing with DecoArt's Fluid Acrylics Titan Buff, Quinacridone Gold and Paynes Grey and Americana DuraClear Matte Varnish as well as these fantastic Stampendous Industrial stamps designed by Andy Skinner. I played with Andy's Faux Rust and Dirty Wash/Glaze techniques.

I also added some side panels stamped with White Opaque StazOn ink using the cling Steampunk set, embellished with some funky MDF shapes adhered with Adhesive Sheets.

I also added some black glittered alphas (K&Co) to the sides.

The inside of the block looks a bit like a Jack In The Box :). I first stamped the NK Studio's Fiesta pattern onto gold card and then stamped the Drama Masks with Tuxedo Black Memento ink. Then I fussy cut them and popped them onto some acetate strips and fixed them inside the box with Crafty Power Tape. I also added strips of an old photo film (if you want to recycle yours, too, make sure you first scan the images onto your computer first, otherwise they will be lost forever!) which I crinkled with my heat tool.

The backdrop of my theatre scene was created with Reel Movies and Film Elements stamped onto BoBunny Time Piece Stripe and Monte Paper Mill Take2 papers. I used lots of Crafty Foam Tape to create the layers. I also added some Steampunk 'fascinators' to the masks using old watch parts and Small Dodz.

And you might have also spotted the cool picture wheel I created using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Picture Wheel. Again, I used an old photo film for the slides and sandwiched them between two die cuts - don't they look fab?

I finished the piece with some die cut gears at the back and wooden feet.

Here are today’s participating designers -

Stampendous Blog

Asia King

Jamie Martin

Janelle Stollfus

Pam Bray

Be sure to check all the creations - they are sure to be mind blowingly gorgeous and super creative!

Thanks for popping in and for all your lovely comments. And if you enjoyed this inspiration from me, be sure to have a nosey around my blog for other projects and ideas. Perhaps you might even like to click that 'Follow My Blog' button on the right to see what I'm up to in the future :).

Good luck in the prize draw!

Big crafty hugs



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I would like to enter the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes
Our Creative Corner - Tic Tac Toe (metal, stamps, mediums)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Add a little texture
Altered Art Challenge Blog February - Anything Goes

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I'm So Tuned Into You - Happy Valentine's Day!

YYY Happy Valentine's Day! YYY

I know I've been a bit quiet recently... I've been having some health troubles keeping me away from the computer and I am awfully behind on blogging and visiting... I apologise for that my friends! But let me assure you that I really miss visiting your beautiful blogs and I will catch up on my visits as soon as things start looking up...!

I couldn't however let the 'troubles' take over completely, especially with the Valentine's Day coming up! My hubby has been absolutely wonderful and really supportive (as he always is!) so I wanted to create something really special, to show him how grateful I am to have him in my life.

My hubby looooves vintage radios (actually, I do, too!) and he has quite a few old radios in his 'little' collection. So I wanted to create something that would capture the 'retro tune' vibes. And as it happens, today I my posting day over at Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L's blog and I am sharing this Vintage Radio card and a tutorial. Yay!

I would really appreciate it if you found a moment to pop over there to see my tutorial.

Supplies used:

Adhesive Sheets 4x6", E-Z Runner® Permanent Strips, 3D Foam Squares - Black, Regular, 3D Foam Squares - Black, Small, DODZ™ - 3D, 3D Foam Hearts, Texture Ribbons (Donna Salazar with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L)

Other supplies:

Stampendous Tiny Alphabet and Vintage Lowercase Perfectly Clear stamps, White Detail Embossing Powder, Deep Impressions Chunky Embossing Enamel (clear), Boss Gloss, Maroon Micro Glitter

Sizzix Tags Round dies and Spellbinders Blossom Die; Monte Paper Mill Take2 papers, Maya Road Calendar rub-ons, clear embossing ink, Tim Holtz Ideaology Game Spinners and fasteners, small metal clock face from a hand watch, Tim Holtz Distress Inks/Stains (Mustard Seed, Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey), suede twine (May Arts)

Thank you so much for popping in here today and for any kind comments you'd like to share. I really look forward to seeing what you've all been up to lately and I hope I will be able to do so very very soon!

Big Valentine's Hugs




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Challenges for this card: 
Live and Love Crafts #32 - Hearts
A Vintage Journey - Tic Tac Toe (twine/die cuts/stains)
The Shabby Tea Room #245 - I [heart] You
Our Creative Corner - Tic Tac Toe (metal/die cuts/embossing powder & embossing powder/stamps/twine)

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Handmade Holidays Blog Hop 2014 - Day 1

First of all, thank you to everyone who visited and left lovely comments on my mixed media Halloween Lantern post :0. I would also like to extend my warmest welcome to my newest followers - thanks for joining in!

If you are new to my blog, make yourself at home and check out my other projects, too. And if you don't want to miss my future offerings, be sure to click the 'Follow My Blog' button in my side bar :).




Welcome to the 4th Annual Handmade Holidays Blog Hop! The idea was born a few years ago to offer an online ideas 'library' dedicated to handmade gift suggestions which you can use all year round.

Enter the Handmade Holidays hop! We've gathered over 100 of our creative blogger friends in the craft industry as well as some of our fellow product manufacturers to bring you a plethora of inspiring gift ideas you can make now to give to your friends, family, and colleagues. 

Pin and bookmark these ideas for this holiday season and to use throughout the year! Each day of the hop features approximately 30 gift projects and you can "hop" from one blog to another to check them all out. 

My offering for the Handmade Holiday's blog hop is this altered Bobbin House. I've had this wooden advent calendar waiting to be decorated for a couple of years now. But I didn't have a concept what to do with it.

  
Then I've finally had an idea to turn it into a storage solution for small bits and bobs for one of my friends who loves sewing. I thought the little drawers would be perfect for storing sewing machine bobbins with threads, ready to be used when needed. 

I prepared a video tutorial for this project which you can watch below or on my YouTube channel.

And here are some close up photos of the Bobbin House.

Adhesives used:
3D Foam Pennants, 3D Foam Squares Thin - Mix White, Adhesive Sheets, Ivory Creative Photo Corners, Crafty Power Tape, E-Z Dots® Permanent - Refillable, E-Z Dots® Repositionable.

Other supplies:

Neat and Tangled Everday Labels clear stamps
Clearsnap/Colorbox: Mudslide Ink Spritzer, Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink Mocha & Green Apple, Mix'D Media Inkx Chox Butternut & Sparrow, Art Screen Mandala
Graphic45 Sweet Sentiments papers; 
Sizzix BIGZ On The Edge - Sewing Edge & Sizzlits Sewing & Writing Set dies
Rowlux Illusion Film Clear Moire

I hope you like my offering :). My heartfelt thanks to everyone who'd like to leave a few kind words :).

Are you ready for lots more creative handmade gift ideas and projects? Follow along on our blog hop! Simply click on each of the links below to be taken to that post with additional information and photos on how to create a handmade gift project. Have fun and pin away!

Clearsnap  

Ellison Educational Equipment   

Walnut Hollow  

Graphic 45  

Neat and Tangled  

Therm O Web  

Westcott  

Elizabeth Craft Designs  

Pink and Main  

The Buckle Boutique  

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L  

Rowland Technologies  

ICE Resin  

Hydrangea Hippo  

Clearsnap - Suzanne Austin  

Stencil1 - Ed Roth  

Graphic 45 -Nadya Lifa  

Cookies for Breakfast- Beth Pingry  

Cupcakes and Crinoline - Mary Beth Sharkey  

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Frances Byrne 

Lazy Mom’s - Joanna Grzeszczak    

Homemade Ginger - Megan Kapple  

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L - Asia King  (you're here!)

Ellison Educational Equipment - Anna-Karin Evaldsson  

One Artsy Mama- Amy Latta   

Therm O Web - Alice G0lden  

Lovely Etc - Carrie Spalding 

ICE Resin - Clare Horner  

Pink and Main - Yolie Burke 

The Buckle Boutique - Stephanie Nericcio  

Modern Surrealist - Marisa Pawelko  

A Little Craft In Your Day - Tanner Bell  

Artsy Findings - Cheryl Waters 

Stampin Mindy - Mindy Baxter 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow our Handmade Holidays Gift Ideas Pinterest board for even more inspiration!

Follow Jennifer Priest of RainMaker Media Works + Hydrangea Hippo's board Handmade Holidays on Pinterest.

A huge thank you to our sponsors for this hop - please visit their blogs below and follow them. And be sure to come back tomorrow for another 30+ amazing Handmade Gift Ideas!

 

Clearsnap || Ellison Educational Equipment || Walnut Hollow || Graphic45 || Westcott || ICE Resin || Therm O Web || Rowland Industries || Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L || Pink and Main || Elizabeth Craft Designs || The Buckle Boutique || Neat and Tangled

Additional Sponsorship provided to bloggers by:

Sakura || Fairfield Processing

Big crafty hugs




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