Get Well Soon Teddy!

 This is another LOTV image, one that I think would brighten you up if you were feeling poorly! I have coloured the main image using Promarkers and the backing paper is from my stash (a DCWV one I think!). The sentiment is a Crafter's Companion one and the flower embellishment has been cut using my Cricut machine and the Art Nouveau cartridge. I have distressed the flower slightly to soften the edges (difficult to see in the photo I know!)

Beautiful Lili of the Valley girly!

Hi there, I have been a little quiet on the blog front this month, as I have been a busy bee working on a mammoth project in celebration of my 10th Wedding Anniversary! I have been sorting, organising and ordering 10 years worth of photos! These are then rapidly becoming a 40 page scrapbook as a present for my husband. I have never done scrapbooking before, so 40 pages with 10 different themes I think may have been a tad ambitious; but hey ho!

I have made a couple of cards though, and this lovely girly has inspired me for one of them. I know a lot of people don't like the missing features on these type of images, but I really like this one from LOTV. She is clearly happy! Both the sentiment and main image are from LOTV, the card from Hunkydory, flowers cut using Marianne Dies, and the rest of the bits and bobs are from my stash. I have coloured her with Promarkers.

Fairy Altered Art - Paintbrush Pot!

Back to the world of fairies...did not take long! After a recent fantastic class with Lisa Baker dabbling in the world of altered art, I have been playing with MDF again! At the Ali Pally show I happened upon the MDF man and felt inspired to have a go. I decided that I needed, (yes I did actually NEED a pencil pot for my crafty desk). Seeing as I have been dipping my toe in the world of altering things I have been acquiring a few paint brushes (making me feel like an artist!). These needed a new home so why not make it one designed by me? There is nothing wrong with being selfish with one's creations for a change!
I have based the pot with a layer of gesso and then used some iridescent acrylic paint to coat all along the exposed edges. The main decorative backgrounds are some of Lavinia's gorgeous papers. These have been cut roughly to size and then I have stamped some of my favourite stamps of hers (and a few from Katy Sue designs) to create little scenes. Once dry I have slapped PVA all over the wood and stuck the papers on top. I have then sanded these back to create neat edges and finished off with distress ink. The inside of the pot
has been created in the same way. No fairy creation is complete without glitter, so this has also been added to all wings (Jones Tones glitter) and I have also chosen some flowers to add interest. The beads at the front have been created using jewellery findings in complementary colours, and the flowers were from my stash. The sentiment was pertinent for me as I want to 'believe' that I can do things and not be frightened to try new things or to make mistakes!

Craft Class Makes!

I recently attended a craft class led by Lisa Baker and made these 2 cards. It was my first play with decorative corners and shiny film! It is amazing when we often have loads of these dies and extras in our supplies, but we don't really experiment with them! I think that's the beauty of the craft class; the ability to play and chat without the pressure of needing to create something by the end of the evening! Do you often feel that? I hope its not just me: I often think "God, I've been at it for hours and all I have to show for it is a mess". Its often at that point that I madly try and put something together to have something to show for my efforts! Do you have evenings like that? Other times, creativity flows. I think it depends on mood, and how much pressure you put on yourself.






This second card was a first for me again, no real colour here, just sparkle and intricate die cuts. Again this is about having the time to practise layouts I suppose; I am guilty of having loads of dies, but often forgetting what to do with them...
There are so many on the market now, which is great as I think some rivalry was needed!
I think I will give this one to my mum; she is not a fairy lover, but does love flowers and delicate things!

Anyway, enough wittering, (thank you for taking the time to read this far...) but I would like to say thank you to Lisa for coming up with these designs and inspiring us to keep playing...

Busy Fairies working their Magic!

Guess what...FAIRIES!! Ok, this may be a little repetitive, but this year my resolution was to make what I liked! Crafting is a pleasure for me and not a business, so why not! (although one day I would love to be part of a design team...here's dreaming!) I do have a few friends who are not so keen on flying folk though (boo), so will divert away from the theme for them!
This panel card was made using good old distress inks, to shade the background, followed by lightly stamping a flourish stamp in the same colour for subtle interest. The dandelions and fairies are, of course, Lavinia's. The flowers were stamped in purple and then I have used stickles to the stamens. The fairies and butterfly were stamped in black and then heat embossed with WOW glittery powders. The sentiment is from Lili of the Valley.