Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 12

Well, here we at the final day of my Twelve Days of Christmas challenge - it's hard to believe that there are only a few days more sleeps to Christmas. As this is the last card I'll be sharing with you using Magenta's My Christmas Tree / Mon Arbre, Ive made one with real impact - an explosion of colour - like all the twinkling lights festooning the houses in my neighbourhood. This technique is called Faux Carnival Glass and its bejewelled appearance belies its simplicity. I began with a piece of black coreboard the shape of the tree which I coated with Versamark Watermark inkpad and a layer of Franklin Opals embossing powder. In this technique you keep adding layers of powder and heating in between until you have a smooth surface and then you add pieces of Fantasy Film into the molten Opals. I like to give it another burst of the heat gun at this point so that the Fantasy Film warps a little and intensifies in colour. Then add another coat of ink and more Franklin Opals to ......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 11

Day 11 is here and the Pipers weren't able to make an appearance either so I've smooshed a la Tim Holtz again but this time I've swapped the bold red, black and gold for delicate blue, white and silver. Now the photos just don't do this card justice - it was very tricky to photograph and I might try to get some better photos which I'll add later. In real life, the card has a real WOW factor and yet it's deceptively simple! The base of the card is made of acetate and the front was run through the Cuttlebug and then I've painted the depressions of the pattern with white Pinata alcohol ink and Claro Extender - this is the hardest part of the card! Actually, it's not that hard really, just a little time consuming, but I think it's worth the effort. Unfortunately, the photo doesn't show the embossed texture, only the painted pattern. If you didn't want to try painting and embossing the acetate, you could try stamping an image with Opaque White Sta......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 10

It's Day 10 of my Twelve Days of Christmas event but I was unable to book the "10 Lords a' Leaping" (it seems they are heavily booked at this time of the year!) so I hope you'll enjoy what I did with Tim Holtz' alcohol ink smooshing technique instead. This technique is so easy and is really fun to do. You begin by drawing squiggles of your chosen alcohol ink colours on a non-stick craft sheet, sprinkle a little Blending Solution around, lay down a piece of gloss cardstock on top and then turn it 90 degrees. Lift and admire the beautiful and totally unpredictable patterns (no two will ever be the same!). Add some more blending solution and place another sheet of cardstock on the craft sheet and you'll have a second, lighter version of the first background - great way to coordinate your cardstock! I used Red Pepper, Pitch Black and Gold Mixative. The Cuttlebug makes another appearance today - I just don't know how I ever managed without this nifty littl......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 9

Day 9 of my Magenta challenge has arrived and brought with it a lovely soft, lilac colour scheme. And today I've used some of my all-time favourite colouring media - Lumiere paints, Krylon Gold Leafing Pen and webbing spray. I don't know what I'd do without my gold leafing pen - I use it to colour and highlight so many many things in my projects and I think it should be part of everyone's basic kit (as anyone who has been to one of my regular classes will attest!). But I'm rambling, so on to today's card. To get this look, I began with a nappy liner that I painted with Grape Lumiere paint. Because it's so thin you really need scrap paper on your work surface to mop up what seeps through and even though the liner is quite wet, it will dry quickly because it's a nappy liner. To add some interest, I stamped a few flourishes across the liner with gold Encore! ink which the photo hasn't picked up very well. But notice how the edge at the bottom is quite r......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 8

Today is Day 8 of the Challenge and it brings yet another new look. Using the same Basic Grey collection of papers and rubons, Ive created a swing card which works really well with a Christmas tree stamp. There is quite a bit of detail on this card so I've included a few extra photos for you to feast on. Frosted Christmas Tree I started by stamping the image with Brilliance Moonlight White which I was planning to emboss but I wasn't quick enough and very little of the EP stuck so I touched it up with my trusty Uniball Signo White pen. The heart border around the tree comes in a roll and luckily, it's self adhesive so no glue is required - you just peel away the backing and place it where you want it. Great product! I've added a lacey white border rub-on down the spine of the card (this one is called Swirling Samba from Imaginisce) and attached a triangle of triangles cut from the Basic Grey paper. I also stamped the tree on the triangle paper and traced over it with Li......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 7

Welcome to the second half of my card journey towards Christmas! This is card number 7 using Magenta's My Christmas Tree / Mon Arbre. Yesterday I finally managed to make a card using more traditional Christmas colours and today I'm following that trend. I began this one by painting an old book page with Lumiere Metallic Gold paint and then stamped the tree image with black StazOn ink. The gold is much more.... hmmm, shall we say, gold than the photo shows and it needed to be toned down a bit. So I tore a rectangle of star-printed vellum in half diagonally and attached it with brads. That took away the large expanse of bright gold and gave me a nice background to start working with. I also stamped some of the individual words from the tree image along the vellum edges. Here's a couple of little tips: Use sticky tape to mask off the unwanted words, ink up the word you want, then remove the tape and stamp away. If your image is rubber then place it on your work surface, rubbe......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 6

Day 6 and we've reached the halfway mark. So I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the cards I've made so far: But of course, you're here to see today's card! You've already seen a sneak peak of it at the top of this post and if you guessed it's called Reflections , then you'd be right! This name couldn't have been more apt as I had all sorts of difficulties photographing it because of the reflections off the acetate. But anyway, here it is: I used the Cuttlebug and holly embossing folder to create the background for this one. To get the beautiful shimmery colour on the leaves (which the camera hasn't picked up), I swiped them with a Versamark Watermark inkpad and then dusted on Polished Pigments. There are other mica powders you could use (Pearl Ex, Perfect Pearls, etc) - I just happened to have a couple of nice greens in the Polished Pigments so I used those. I stamped Mon Arbre with black StazOn ink and traced over the image with Uniball......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 5

Today is Day 5 of my Twelve Days of Christmas event (aka twelve ways to use one stamp challenge) and the card today is called O Tannenbaum . The scan doesn't do this one justice so a description is in order. Looking at the photo, you might think that I've magically stamped the image on top of glitter but I can assure you that I haven't found a way to stamp directly onto glitter that leaves such a strong impression. Besides, stamping on glitter is messy and leaves glitter sparkles all over your rubber. But what I did do is stamp the image with black StazOn ink on acetate which has been wrapped around the card and attached invisibly underneath the silver ribbon on the side. So that the image popped, I used very fine Prisma glitter and 2-way glue to create a tree directly onto the card stock underneath the acetate but you could cut the tree out of Jac Paper and sprinkle it with glitter and then apply that to the card as an alternative. I added a few snowflakes to the acetate -......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 4

Day 4 of my Twelve Days of Christmas event brings a totally different look. This card is entitled Patchwork Christmas Tree and it has more of a shabby chic feel about it. I've used up some offcuts to make this card - the lolly pink, pastel green and cream cardstock are all relics from my very early stamping days but they coordinate really well with some more recent purchases like the scrapbook paper from Scrapbooking Australia (Berry Cherry Christmas collection) and the Prima flowers. It's fun to be able to combine old stuff with new.... it gives it a totally new look! Here's a few things I learned along the way with this one: Use a stamp positioner to place the image in exactly the same place on each card Place the 3 pieces of cardstock in a stack so that the cut deckle-edges will all be aligned perfectly Make sure the stack doesn't skew as you cut it Once you reassemble the 3 different colours into one piece, tape them together on the back and then cut it into a tree......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 3

Well, day 3 of my challenge has arrived and there are no French Hens in sight. Instead my offering today is a magenta coloured card, stamped with a Magenta image and trimmed with Magenta flower peel offs - so at least it has 3 of something. I began this one by painting a piece of silver metal shim with Burgundy, Crimson and Pearlescent Magenta Lumiere paints making sure I blended the edges really well and when it was dry, I stamped the image (41.007.N) with Jet Black StazOn ink. You don't have to use shim for this card - a piece of smooth white card stock would work equally as well - I just happened to have shim handy on my desk! I created the tree outline with gold embroidery floss which is tucked around the back of the shim and taped in place. The purple background on this card is silk paper. It's called paper, but it's more like fabric. Silk paper is really tough, almost impossible to tear, and yet it looks quite delicate when you hold it up to the light. This one is ......

Read more »

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 2

It's the second day of my Twelve Days of Christmas period and sadly, I have no Turtle Doves to offer. But instead, I have this card which I've called Joy, Joy, Joy . Once again it features Magenta's My Christmas Tree / Mon Arbre and it is again using turqouise and copper. But this time, I've also added white and silver. The image is stamped onto silver metal shim. You could use a silver pie plate or a Milo tin seal for this technique and it would look equally as good. After tracing the stamped image with a metal stylus, I painted the shim with 2 very light coats of Pearlescent Turquoise Lumiere paint, leaving the silver of the tree to show through. That really helps to draw your eye to the main image. The hanging stars are cut from copper-coloured shim which I've stamped with a metal alphabet set and they're attached with copper embroidery floss to the silver lurex ribbon running up the side of the card. I attached Christmas wrapping paper to the card front and ......

Read more »

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Don't you love that Christmas Carol? You know the one, The Twelve Days of Christmas! I never really understood what the meaning behind it was until recently. The 12 days of Christmas is actually the period beginning on the eve of Christmas Day and ending on the morning of Epiphany (the 6th January). So I thought I'd share with you a card a day (or thereabouts) for twelve days in the lead up to Christmas. After all, it's not very sensible sharing them with you on the 12 days after Christmas! These cards are all made with Magenta's "My Christmas Tree / Mon Arbre" (41.007.N) so this will also be "Twelve ways to use one stamp"! Magenta stamps are now being distributed in Australia by Craft-A-Lot . And here's the first one - Turquoise and Copper Tree . The background is painted with Radiant Pearls and stamped with StazOn Jet Black ink. I traced over the stamped image with a white Signo Uni Ball pen and added some brown crystals to the tree tips. The b......

Read more »

I've been awarded

One of my newest blogging friends has just honoured me with an award..... the Spreader of Love. The rules are you must post the award on your blog, name your bestower, then bestow the award upon 6 other bloggers and leave a message on their blog that they've received the award. So thank you Julz (from Meanderings by Julz ) for honouring me with this award. It is now my privilege to pass it on to some other wonderful bloggers so that they too can spread the love: Annette Husband - Annette in Oz - an amazingly talented Aussie who is so sharing with her knowledge Robyn Kirkman - My Inspirational Journey - for being such a great student (who enthusiastically puts into practice everything she learns in my classes) Zeb Loray for her incredible artistic talent which she shares so generously through AM Stamps Yahoo group and also her blog Roz Veevers for her tireless efforts in spreading friendship in the stamping world Bec Lennox - Wild and Precious Art - Bec's enthusia......

Read more »

Star of Wonder

Today's eye candy comes from the latest issue of For Keeps Creative Paper who were good enough to publish my Star of Wonder card set. These cards feature scrapbook paper from Karen Foster Designs, wooden stars from Kaisercraft, metal shim and my absolute favourite painting medium, Lumiere . You can see the full version of the cards in Issue 72. Want a FREE subscription to this magazine? For a limited time, Creative Living Media is offering a 6 month digital subscription to Creative Paper (or any of their other magazines) just for signing up to receive their newsletter. Now you won't get a better bargain than that!...

Read more »

Shiny chain links

I seem to have a growing collection of fancy chains... I don't know how that happened, but every time I see a length of shiny chain that is out of the ordinary, it goes into my shopping basket. I'm like a magpie collecting shiny things! I'm so attracted to those lovely links: squares, rectangles, marquis shapes, ovals and twisted circles. Have you seen them? Aren't they just gorgeous? I first spotted them earlier in the year when I was in the US and of course that lovely shiny length of twisted silver links went straight into my shopping basket. I was so excited to bring it home and I prized that length of chain, only using it on special pieces. I was definitely miserly with it, worried that if I used it all up I wouldn't be able to get any more. Well I no longer have to worry because they're now available in Australia too. Now every time I see a rack of lovely shiny chain links in fancy shapes, I'm immediately drawn to it - I'm a magpie, remember! And w......

Read more »

Peach and lemon jewellery

My latest jewellery offerings are peach and lemon bracelets and earrings. I spotted the lovely cloisonné focal beads on the weekend and I just couldn't resist them! I would normally pick blue-based pinks to work with (I really like the cooler colours) but these beads worked perfectly with two strands of peach coloured ceramic beads I had. I teamed them up with rose coloured glass chips and dyed lemon stone chips to create some very pretty, summery feeling jewellery. This one is such a pretty shade of peach - and it sits very delicately on your wrist. And this one uses the lemon stone chips to add some interest with a ceramic bead as the focal (love the cloisonné starfish - very cute!). And with the addition of some filigree metal beads and disks this one has a very lacy feel..... love the soft, peachy glow this one has! ..... matching earrings using hoops to create orbits around the ceramic beads. ...... and finally, this pair with rose coloured glass chips on the hoops and a flor......

Read more »

Designer Christmas Tree Charms

I've been working on a really fun little project this weekend: making "jewellery" to decorate a little Ikea twig tree! These charms are not quite jewellery but they are definitely more than your average Christmas tree ornaments - I call them Christmas tree charms. The jewels are cast in resin (with Krafty Lady art moulds), and combined with cloisonné beads and Swarovski crystals they make chic little mini bracelets hanging on the branches. Draped with a little bit of tinsel and a battery operated light set, my little designer Christmas tree will make the perfect centre piece for the Christmas dinner table....

Read more »

Making Rosaries

It seems that my daughter has caught the beading bug! She wanted to make some parting gifts for friends she had made at WYD in Sydney and decided to put her new found jewellery making skills to use. This is what she came up with...... I think she did a great job..... she chose the bead combinations to suit each recipient and then worked out how she was going to connect each of the bead components together - she even made do with flat beads in place of the centrepiece medals. Of course she raided my stash to do it but it was a worthy project so I didn't mind. And her friends reactions...... well, they all loved their personalised, handmade memento....

Read more »

Exciting Friendly Plastic Challenge from Amaco!

Newsflash!!........ Newsflash!!......... Newsflash!! Amaco has a new challenge on their website. If you've been playing with Friendly Plastic then why don't you give it a go. They are inviting all crafters to participate in the challenge with cash prizes being awarded to the winner of each category. They will also make a donations to the winners' favourite charities. But even if you're not one of the winners, you'll still receive Friendly Plastic sticks to replenish your supply and as a bonus, your entry will be displayed in an on-line gallery on the Amaco website - so if you'd like to see your work published, then this might be just the challenge for you! There are several categories including one to honour "Bottles of Hope" (read about the origins of Bottles of Hope here ), the "Butterfly Project" plus two jewellery making categories. For more information, check out the details on their website. ...

Read more »

Blog Candy Re-draw

Sadly, (for my blog candy winner) she hasn't claimed her prize, but that's good news for the rest of you because now you have a second chance! So here goes: The new winner is......... Comment #7 - Bec, who said " oooh. that's pretty. I've just started playing with resin and didn't even think to check KL for bracelet moulds! I think I'll have to get myself some. =) " Congratulations Bec! You are now the owner of the handmade bangle. Contact me by email and I'll arrange for it to be on its way to you asap. And because I have always had an image of some sort in each post, I'm adding this one which has absolutely nothing to do with anything.... just because I think it's a fun piece! ...

Read more »

Recipe for "How to Turn Modern into Vintaj"

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to spend the day wandering the floor of the Brisbane Quilt and Craft show and I spent a good deal of time in the dedicated bead area. I was on a mission to find beads to use with some of my resin casts and this is what I came up with for a cameo I had cast in lime green. Ingredients: One rather hideous (but definitely modern) lime green cameo...... one beautiful filigree brass stamping..... and a few strands of Czech glass beads in earthen tones...... Method: Place the cast on the brass stamping and carefully wrap the sides around it. Thread the crystals on tiger tail and thread through the back of the stamping. Secure ends with a clasp. And here's one I prepared earlier! Mmmm....... yummy! Look at the back view which is quite lovely too! Check back later to see what else I cook up with my craft show finds. ...

Read more »