Simple Needs

More cards....

These cards I made in the past couple of days... somehow I feel I might get addicted to cardmaking... who knows.  Number 3 is my favourite.. don't you just love this guy with his boney knees :)

Altered Tin With Foiling Technique

Another product from a viritual crafting session with Christine. This time we decided to try the foiling technique.

First you glue the items of your choice -  in my case the split rings and butterflies - on the tin with glossy accents. Then you glue the crumpled aluminium foil on top with pod-podge. You work on the foil covered bits with an embossing tool to make them stand out. Paint the tin with colours of your choice. To give it that vintage look paint it over (once dried) with black acrylic paint, before the black paint is dry wipe most of it off until you have the effect you are looking for. You can finish it of by emphasising the bits by rubbing some Rub 'n Buff over them. And this is the result:

Thank you Christine.. it was fun again!

I first saw this technique on youtube at CapricornArtist73 . Meanwhile there are more great tutorials of this technique available, the best I think is from Rachel, she is easy to follow and a great artist.

Materials I used are

Old tin
Aluminium Foil (extra strong type)
Lumiere Acrylic Paint - Pearl Violet, Pearl Turquoise and Halo Blue Gold.
Black Acrylic Paint
Mod Podge - Matte
Inkssentials Glossy Accents
Split rings
Chipboard butterflies
Run 'n Buff - Metallic Rub-Ons Set

You can find some of the materials here:

- Lumiere Paint and glossy accents from The Stampman

A nibble in the weekend

This turned out to be quite an experience...

Steampunk card

Just finished a birthday card for a friend, those who know me are aware of the fact that I'm not a card maker... but funny enough I'm starting to enjoy it :)

Materials I used are

Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante 

Black cardstock

Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo (my favourite!)

Tim Holtz Glassine paper (for the little flowers)

MFT Die-Namics - Butterflies

Skeleton Leaves - Turquoise

Paper Mania - Bling

You can find some of the materials here:

- Graphic 45 paper at Samuel Taylor

- Skeleton leaves from Wild Orchid Crafts

- MFT Butterflies Die - Crafts and Me

- Papermania and Tim Holtz products from The Stampman

Treasure hunting

Charity shops have a wealth of treasures waiting to be discovered... look what I found this week...

Do you remember?

Need more space, finding new storage solutions… you might recognise this challenge with our ever growing stash. I started a sort of (stash) spring clean with the aim to reorganise and clear out. No need to mention that I was not able to let go of anything! When you are a crafter, every piece of material is a possible – future – project.

While reorganising I found my very first purchase ever… 2 stamps I bought at The Stampman in 2000. I was not actively crafting back then… it actually took another 9 years. Once bitten by the bug.. there was no hope for me and I thought... when did it get so out of hand he he...

Can you remember your very first purchase?

Shadow Box

It must be about 3 years ago that I stitched the swan pattern. Those who know me are aware of my love for birds and I wanted to create this shadow box ever since I stitched this pattern. The shadow box idea was part of the pattern, in fact,  included was some background script pattern and the quote.

The swan is such a graceful bird and I often watch them on a nearby canal when I feed the birds. I found the complete quote that was used for the text on the edges of this box.

The Swan

Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?
Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air -
An armful of white blossoms,
A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned
into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,
Biting the air with its black beak?
Did you hear it, fluting and whistling
A shrill dark music - like the rain pelting the trees - like a waterfall
Knifing down the black ledges?
And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds -
A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet
Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?
And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?

Mary Oliver

Materials I used are

The Goode Huswife cross stitch pattern - Wintergreen Swan

DMC Threads

32 count linen - Bayleaf

Tim Holtz Distress Stain - Walnut Stain

Tim Holtz Tissue Tape - Sketchbook (Butterfly)

Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist - Chocolate Covered Cherries

Metal Crown

Real Eggs &  Moss

You can find some of the materials here:

- Tim Holtz products from The Stampman

Art Gives Me Wings To Fly

This bank holiday weekend I crafted with a friend. Wow... it was so much fun to 'viritual craft' with Christine in Canada on skype... are we not lucky to live in a time where this is technically possible!

We decided a project for our meeting, creating a textured background using modelling paste and stamps. I used a small canvas as my background. It is a wonderful technique where you add a layer of modelling paste and stamp on it to create the texture you want. Deep etched stamps with basic shapes like swirls etc. work best. It helps when you spray water on the stamp before you stamp into the modelling paste.. it makes it easier to remove your stamp again.

The Tim Holtz Butterfly Die I had for ages and never used it... finally found a project to use it on and I love it!!

Thank you Christine for a wonderful time!

Materials I used are

Galeria Acrylic Medium - Heavy Carvable Modelling Paste

Eco Green Crafts Acrylic Paint - Ocean

Lumiere Acrylic Paint - Pearl Violet

Tim Holtz Distress Stain - Peeled Paint

Cosmic Shimmer Ultra Thick Embossing Crystals - Lapis Jade (for the butterfly)

Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations - Fanciful Flight (656635)
Wild Orchid Crafts - Flowers,  Metal Corner and Skeleton Leaves

Martha Stewart Craft Punch - Branch

Bling

You can find some of the materials here:

- Flowers, leaves & embellishments from Wild Orchid Crafts

- Lumiere Paint, Cosmic Shimmer and Tim Holtz products from The Stampman