Happy New Year

Oh my goodness! Where has January gone? Already we're near the end and Christmas is a far distant memory. The 25th and AInkyMess challenge blog has a new challenge started after the break. Anything goes as usual - as long as it's mixed media. My teamies have, as always, come up with some gorgeous pieces for inspiration. It's always worth your while to go visit and swoon over them.

For my part, I made a little desk calendar/photo frame. I used some 4"x4" pieces of MDF and perspex that I have in my stash and joined them all up with my zutter binder.

This has a picture of my gorgeous 3year old granddaughter but this can be removed and changed at will.

 the MDF pieces have stencilling and paint for the decoration 

 The inside has room for little notes/ pieces of memorabilia in the paper bag inserts

and, of course, it all folds into a neat little booklet for my handbag, should I wish to carry it around.

The other little book I made as part of a swap in a facebook group I am in. The challenge was - "Alter a paper bag"
Here's what my swap partner received from me

The cover

and the inside pages

Again - more of those 4"x4" MDF book covers with more paper bags.

I suppose one project inspired the other and so much fun to create.

Thank you for looking

Don't forget to join us over at A Inky Mess with you mixed media project

I'd like to enter my projects into the challenge at
Bleeding Art  January Challenge - Anything Goes

Bleeding Art - A GDT spot

Hi everyone, 
I had some amazing news last month, my Halloween tags won me a GDT spot on the amazing mixed media challenge blog, Bleeding Art.  Picture the little happy jig I was doing.  Off went the email to the very talented Cathy Frailey to accept and back came the brief. "Shiny and Sparkly". Oh my!

I had a few loose ideas come and quickly go again. Those that know me, know that this kind of crafting doesn't come easily to me. I am happiest getting dark and grungy but I have been getting some practice in lately with the feminine look. With a daughter who is a true girly girl and granddaughter following in her mum's footsteps, I have had to take into account their tastes when making for them. 

The project for Bleeding Art that I finally decided on was a shrine/wedding arch for my daughter's wedding next year. 
Without giving too much away, this matches her colour scheme and the vibe she's aiming for.

I used a Tando Creative arch substrate that I was able to acquire at a recent "Ministry of Mixology" weekend. This particular kit is not in the shop yet but there're plenty more to choose from. It has been painted using Decoart media line and chalk paints/mediums to give a weathered look finished off with a clear wax to seal and for a bit of a sheen. 

Added lace and pearls from stash. The floor covered with hessian.

Threaded battery operated lights through the lattice for added shine and sparkle.

The bride and groom have been painted cream with a lustre medium added then a glitter medium through 2 different stencils. The little plinth the bride and groom are standing on was made from greyboard covered with paper then added the same lace, some ribbon and pearls to finish. Some little "diamond stars" stuck to the back. 

As I have had to keep this a secret, for obvious reasons, my daughter hasn't even seen this yet. I hope she approves.

A big "Thank You" to the ladies of Bleeding Art for allowing me to join them this month as a guest DT member. Looking forward to seeing everyone's entries into this month's challenge of  "Shiny and Sparkly"

I'd like to enter this into the challenge at
More Mixed Media Challenges - Anything Goes 

October "A Inky Mess"

Good morning everyone
It's the 25th and that means a new challenge over at "A Inky Mess" challenge blog.
This month we have the wonderful Gecko Galz sponsoring us so you know their prize is going to be fabulous.
For my DT inspiration I have used another substrate from Tando Creative. Not as mini as last month to be sure but this file holder is still only 13cm square.
I started of by using modelling paste through a stencil then painting it. (Decoart paints/mediums)

This is the file holder when closed

and open to show that the decoration carries on to the end

if you look very closely under the rice paper, to the left of that daisy, you might see the magnet that forms the closure on this. 

and the spine

I have used lots of bits and pieces from stash, ranging from some TH ephemera (inked round everything), some glass flat backs, some pearls from a cheap piece of costume jewellery and some micro beads. The gaudy green stone has some twine wrapped round to act as a means of opening the book without damaging the whole thing.

The stamped saying is from Sheena Douglass' butterfly collection, stamped on more rice paper.

It was so much fun making this, even though it's outside that zone of comfort which we all have. I think it does everyone good to explore other areas once in a while and I know it helps my mojo return after it has a little holiday.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's makes in this new challenge 

A Mini Mini Book

Good Morning everyone.
No, I haven't mistyped my heading. This truly is a Mini, mini book, measuring just 6cm square with a 2cm spine. It is my project this month for A Inky Mess as part of their design team that I have been lucky to be chosen to join.

This month we are being sponsored by Luna Girl, a treasure trove of digital vintage ephemera.
I have used "Bring your Wings" and vintage postcards 2 to make this little project.

The substrate is part of the mini book kit from Tando Creative together with a couple of small butterflies and Textures 1 from their thins range. Some decoart modelling paste on the diamond shapes, some small pieces of builders mesh between the butterflies then some decoart paints to colourise the front.  Some art stones adhered with heavy gel medium for a bit more texture. 

The Luna Girl images were adhered back and inside

with the book pages being a mixture of DP and the postcard images, attached with book binding glue to the ribbon covered spine.

A couple of brass charms completed the look. 

Please don't forget to take a look at the gorgeous projects my teamies have made using the gorgeous imagery from Luna Girl then come back to the A Inky Mess blog to enter your project so that we may come visit you.

An ATC Swap

Good morning. Not much crafting going on here. I was unlucky to trap a nerve in my lower back and have spent the best part of the last two weeks suffering and barely able to sit for more than a few minutes. These things happen! Just hoping to get this done before retiring to my bed again.

I did manage to get a couple of ATCs done for a couple of swaps I had promised myself into.
There is a lovely group over on Facebook, Mixed Up Mag Mixer, that do monthly ATC swaps and this month - also a Valentine goodie swap.
The ATC made was to be mixed media of course.

Some modelling paste, crackle paste, paint, air dry clay and a little metal charm with satin varnish over some parts and matt varnish over others. This was mine and I received a lovely one back all the way from Miriam Gault in New Zealand with a bundle of fabulous goodies.

The Valentine goodies swap was to include a hand made item and other bits to the value of £10.
I have heard my swap partner has received her parcel so can now share a picture of what I made.

This was on the front of a little ATC sized card I enclosed

Chocolate Baroque Stamps. The Pegasus stamp from the April fairy set, this was kiss stamped with one from the Lace Fragments set, trees from the tall trees set. distress ink background.

I gave an altered memory box.

stencils are by Andy Skinner bought from Tando Creative. Tissue paper stuck to the box then painted and various embellishments added. The wooden elements were from Things to Alter.

That's it for the moment folks

Happy crafting

Happy New Year

Well I know that the start of 2016 was a while ago now but, as I said on my last post, I have been in the middle of a house move and all my crafty stash was the first lot to get packed away in boxes. That move is now completed and I have some of my stash out of storage. Just need to get our temp home sorted enough to see what I can retrieve and still move around in this smaller flat. I am having to share my craft room with hubs and his office, so will be having to leave some bits unloved for a while. Oh well, it won't be forever. I have been going a tad "stir crazy" with crafting withdrawal and I think more than a few people will understand what I mean. Before the boxes are all unpacked I took some "me time" over a couple of evenings. I have my box of paper scraps, I have some alterable bits, I have inks and stamps. Time to lock my self away for a while.
I have been introduced to a lovely lady by the name of Jac Desordre who has set up her own workshop, drawing and cutting MDF shapes and opened her shop, ThingstoAlter, to the public.  There is also a challenge blog that has been started up with some real prizes. Who can resist? The first challenge is "Anything Goes, not cute!" Well cute is not my scene - that box is ticked as far as I'm concerned.

I started with a couple of old dominoes and one of the little detailed skull with roses. I actually nabbed the last of the tiny ones (happy me) but there are larger available.

One side was destined to be a dark side and the other more "shabby chic".
The dark domino covered with a paper from Crafty Chaos (sadly no longer trading) the lighter side came from (I think) a prima paper pad. This is, after all, my scrap box and all papers are mixed. Glossy accents both sealed the papers and allowed for a few bits to be stuck on. The roses on the skull were coloured with red promarkers and I have some tiny metal flowers at hand.

While that dries, the inside........
A piece of core-dinations. Black on one side and pink on the other, scored and folded.
Each page then to be decorated. I couldn't get the song "You don't bring me flowers anymore" out of my head. This then had to be the theme.
Mainly De Stempelwinkel stamps were used, plates 52 and 119, with a few from Sheena Douglass and Crafters' Companion to name but two.

the double-sided music score paper - black on white and white on black is again, I think, prima. The rest I can only hazard a guess but they fit the theme.

the other side

Some scraps of red ribbon to tie it all together after giving the domino sides a rub over with gilding wax.

Thank you for taking this journey with me and I hope I haven't sent you to sleep.

I'd like to enter my domino book into the challenges at
More Mixed Media Challenges - Use Red
Things to Alter - Anything Goes, not cute
Creative Artiste Challenge - Mixed Media
Dream In Darkness - Anything Goes, not cute
A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes