Opus Gluei Challenge #148. The colour Pink.

Spanky says pink is the new black and she styles the whole universe. I think she has plans to feature herself on this blog again in 2013 but she is a Diva, so...


This fortnight I thought we could run away from Christmas and immerse ourselves in PINK, yes make anything so long as it is PINK.
You can use black, white and kraft as neutrals. Seeing as just one colour is very restricting you can add one other colour as a highlight if this makes it easier.

Also as it is a new year how about trying something new? Pink in a new technique???
I haven't explored photo editing apart from very general exposure improvements on my photos in iphoto. 
I tried Photoshop Elements about 10 years ago but couldn't do it, it was too complicated, and I could never turn any feature back off again once I'd selected it, so I would end up with one of those stringing selecting lines going everywhere as I fought with it all, (boo-hoo). Or at least that is my prevailing memory of the weeks trying to learn and getting stuck with out of control stringy lines!!

But since Santa brought me an ipad, I have a finger and I know how to use it!
So with the help of Phototoaster and MobileMonet HD apps I can easily make some adjustments. Hooray!

This is an edited version of a boring photo I took of what is left of Bower’s Yard Lime Kiln, Ironbridge, Telford, England that made quick lime. It was a very grey overcast winter's day when I took it so it was dull, dull, dull colourwise but I thought it had potential if it was altered.
This is the photo PINKified and paintified and fiddledified.
Click on the picture to make it bigger.

This is the original photo.

I am enchanted by the whole process.
These programmes make so easy (I don't do hard anymore that takes weeks to learn).
 I was creating wonders within 5 minutes of downloading the apps.
Hope you feel inspired to try something new and join in.

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #147. Free for all.

Happy New Year to you all, I hope it will be a very joyful, healthy and creative year for you :-)

The lovely Rosemary has set an Anything Goes challenge for this fortnight.

I have Steampunk Fever at the moment so I made a triple twisted easel card for one of my sons.

This is my most ambitious easel card to date. 

They are so easy to construct but look stunning, do give them a try if you haven't already. 

Beate at Split Coast Stampers has done some wonderful video tutorials on YouTube.com regarding their construction.

Click on any picture to make it bigger.

 

I've used Chocolate Baroque Steampunkery stamp set heat embossed in black and coloured with Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paints (same as Twinkling H20's) .

Stamped the blue cogs on the background blue card using the cogs from the Chocolate Baroque Steampunk Christmas set. Oh be still my heart they are such wonderful sets of stamps.

I also used Tim Holtz dies; cogs on the edge and the clock face one.

I used blue alcohol ink on some bottle tops and cut some spellbinders cogs out of silver mirror card and glued them on the top of the bottle top with glossy accents.

The metal letter tags I've had for years and have no idea who made them, possibly some Santa's Elves that retired long ago...

I've been greasing my axles and I feel all geared up for some piston powered creativity, I know you'll be riveted to hear this - mwah!

Happy steamy creating all through 2013.
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #141. Colour challenge Turquoise and Red.

It's my challenge this fortnight and it's one of my favourite colour schemes Turquoise and Red with black, white and Kraft as neutral colours.
Hopefully I can illustrate what a versatile colour combination this is.

Firstly just by changing the focus of main colour gives such different moods to cards using this colour scheme.
Here are 4 of the same design all with different main colours.

Click on any picture to make it bigger.

 

I have used a Penny Black stamp set called Petal Party and the decorative border is in a Stampendous set called Elegant Borders.

I think this colour scheme works wonders for Halloween.

 

I've used a howling wolf from a Chocolate Baroque stamp set called Howling Moon and the spiders are from an Inkadinkado set called Creepy Crawly. I've also used Distress Inks in Festive Berries and Peacock Feathers.

It's also great for Christmas.

I've used the same distress Inks and a Chocolate Baroque stamp set called Snowflake Flourish and Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles.

To make a masculine teenage card I used a Kraft Card blank and muted shades of turquoise and red and an Inkadinkado stamp set called circles and dots.

Well I couldn't not include my favourite fella now could I?
Wolf whistles please for Stampotique's Heart Throb.

What? You want more Heart Throb?
Oh go on then, seeing as it's you, he'll meet you under the mistletoe...

I used Spellbinders Create-a-Flake Three for the Snowflakes.

I hope I've managed to inspire you to use this colour combination.

Happy creating with turquoise and red or anything else crafty you've got on your desk!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #140 A little Sketchy

This fortnight Kristen has challenged us all to use a sketch, which is not something I do very often and my interpretations are usually very literal but not this time.
No, this time I paid the price of not thinking this through.
Hmm.

Sooo once I realised just how difficult it is to get 3 separate square nestie die cuts to line up accurately; lots of maths and measuring....and  I thought WTF crafting is my hobby it's supposed to be fun. I had a rethink and decided that Wonky is fun and hip and cool and wicked and... but to make it look properly wonky I started again and used my Wonky Rectangles nesties.

I also went back to the Retro Sketches challenge site and had a look again and there is a PTI die that is three squares in a row, so that makes it easier, but there is no way I'm paying PTI prices and P&P, are you having a laugh mate?! I think not.
But 100 hundred intrepid card makers have done the calculations for the 3 in a row.
Kudos to them :-)

I spent ages cutting the apertures and then I forgot to mount the frame using dimension foam so you can't tell the wonky rectangles are apertures AND I also forgot the Butterfly element as I was FAR too busy fussing about the 3 in a row thing.
Grr so let that be a lesson for us all to not sweat the small stuff or it'll all go pear shaped!

To make up for the missing butterfly element I added card candy in the bottom left corner as I couldn't think of anything that would work with the rest of the card, without it looking like a botch job, which is exactly what this card is but hey I can hide that if I put some more card candy in the top left corner to balance it maybe a bit better- but now I think it is illegal because I've deviated from the sketch too much!
Who knew card making could be this exciting?

But aren't the Octopode flowers cute?
It's the smallest flower in the rubber stamp range stamped onto some Basic Grey Sweet Threads designer paper.

Happy creating with sketches!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge # 139 See you in September

This fortnight the lovely Deena is asking for a school themed project.

Both my sons cycle to school and one of them cycles past a wood with ponds in it, and this is what he sees when he looks around.
Click on it to make it bigger.

It's a 12 x 16 inch canvas and the stamps are Octopode rubber stamps, aren't they great characters?
I like to paper piece so I prefer to buy rubber stamps but Octopode have a huge range of digi stamps that are all fabulous.
Here's a link to the digi stamps Octopode Factory.
I bought the rubber stamps direct from the owner Lily through her blog FrillyUnderwear.

The owl on the right is in an unusual pose. Then I realised it's because something is poking him in the ear.

 Don't these little birds look dapper in hats?

I had to draw this little bird a worm to hold as she has that look of frenzied excitement mixed with obsession that only finding a juicy worm gives you (if you are a bird that is, not me personally..or you).
She's thinking "Mine, mine, MINE!"

What better than a swim on a hot day.

Now these flamingo's have a very smug look about them and are thinking "Aren't I just the dog's bollocks?"
(Which is slang for exceeding handsome and lucky or the best over here in England.)

I got mirror images of the flamingo and the duck by stamping onto a sheet of plain rubber and pressing a piece of card onto the plain rubber. I think the technique is called reverse stamping.

I'm also entering this canvas in the Octopode Challenge "How does your garden grow?"

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #138. The Rock Diet.

Ever found yourself caught between a rock and a hard place?
When was the last time you tried the latest crazy diet that didn't work?
Well Two Barrettes definitely wishes she read the small print because she really wasn't expecting this on day 4 of her new diet.

Click on her rocks to make them bigger (snigger).

The Opus Gluei Challenge this fortnight is called "Me and my camera" and you are to use a photo in your project.
The challenge was set by the lovely Electra who makes absolutely gorgeous digital and hand papercrafted Scrap Book Pages and mixed media art.

Well I can tell you that this challenge nearly made me give up the glue. Boo Hoo.
I never use photo's or do scrap booking, it does not appeal to me at all to make it myself, and I tried all week to come up with something scrapbooky with a photo I took of a pebble sculpture years ago in Ilfracoombe harbour.
But I could not manage anything AT ALL.

In the end I gave up and cut out the pebble sculpture and made a person out of it, so I have used part of a photo I took after all - hooray!
The arms didn't look very arm like, so a made a handbag to try and give you a clue that hey, these really are arms, honest.
Hmm.

Happy Creating with Bournville Old Jamaica Rum and Raisin dark chocolate, my favourite yum! So much nicer than rocks...
Gini
xx

Little knitted Dresses

Opus Gluei Challenge #137. Red Hot. 

Oh My Goodness haven't the Olympic Games in London been spectacular and completely RED HOT with absolutely amazing daily athletic feats.
I'm so proud to be British right now because the British crowds in London and at every other Olympic venue around England supported every single athlete competing through all their triumphs and tears, I'm still totally fizzing with it all!

I loved it all but I adore adore ADORE the team synchronized swimming event the best, Britain swam a wonderful Peter Pan but the Spanish team totally blew me away with their fabulous Ocean routine, their dazzling mirrored silver costumes were spectacular in the water and made their performance truly breath taking.

Oh my, the shiny shiny costumes of the swimmers are incredible in their own right and are only beaten by the rhythmic gymnastic costumes which are even more sumptuous!
Here is a link to some fab photos of the swimming costumes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2186619/London-2012-Synchronised-swimmers-bring-beauty-pool-compete-Olympic-title.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

So as I sat and watched the athletics I knitted little dresses suitable for cards and mixed media which I admit are woefully poor as a tribute to the amazing and marvellous costumes of those two Olympic Events but anyway here is my red hot shiny dress in celebration.
It's 3 1/4 inches tall and I've plans for a canvas celebrating the games but can't decide yet how big to do it and how many dresses to use.

The knitting pattern I created can be knitted easily in any needle sizes ranging from
UK 3 3/4mm to UK 5mm using double knitting weight yarn.
Fancy yarns work just as well in this needle size range.
If you are using fancy yarn remember to keep your tension loose.
Dress lengths vary from 2 inches to 3+ inches depending on needle size.
They take about 10 minutes to knit.

Here are a couple of examples of sizes using double knitting yarn, click on the photo to enlarge it.

The Knitting Pattern is for personal use only and commercial use is not allowed.

Little Knitted Dress Pattern using garter stitch.

Cast on 12 sts.
Knit 5 rows in garter stitch.
K2tog at each end of next row (leaves 10 sts)
Knit 1 row
K2tog at each end of next row (leaves 8 sts)
Knit 1 row
K2tog at each end of next row (leaves 6 sts)
Knit 4 rows
Cast on 5 sts and knit to end
Cast on 5 sts and knit to end
Knit 1 row
K5, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K5
Knit 1 row
Cast off.



Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #136. Seasons

This fortnight the lovely Rosemary has set the challenge at Opus Gluei which is to make a seasonal project. 
 I love Rosemary's challenges and this one is particularly flexible as it doesn't matter what season or what art form. 
 So it could be the Christmas cards you've been making throughout the year , Halloween pumpkins, the quilted Thanksgiving table runner, springtime flower displays, summer wreaths, scrapbook layouts, presents for the holidays - whatever you've been busy making.  

I chose to make an Autumn Card that doesn't look traditionally like an Autumn card (which to my mind would be with leaves or trees as the main focus and using reds, browns, yellows and green) but something that still was recognizably Autumy.
I think I managed to do it.
Click on it to make it bigger. 
Sorry it's a bit of a dodgy photo.

The birds are a Crafty Individual stamp set on ivory pearl card layered onto paneled kraft card that was embossed with a Tim Holtz embossing folder and then I rubbed bronze acrylic paint over the sun's rays with my trusty finger.
The leaves are a Hampton Art stamp set. The die cuts are Spellbinders.


Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #135. Where'd you get your suntan?

This fortnight's challenge is mine and it's to make a project based on anywhere you could get a suntan.
I thought we could think about traditional sun holiday destinations or your back garden/yard, on top of the Eiffel Tower, sitting in a canoe, anything really that you can make a story up to explain how you are getting a suntan so it fits the challenge, you know how I love a tall story.
For example, the mermaid whose dream was to get a suntan and how she managed to fulfill that dream. How did she do that? Was Sponge Bob Square Pants or the police involved? Maybe her fairy Grandmother came to her aid? How did she stop her scales from drying out?

I am over here in very soggy England, we have had rain, rain and more rain for what feels like a very long time but if it would just stop raining for a few days I might be able to get a suntan in my back garden.
If I was to lie on tinfoil out in my garden right now you would here the rain drumming on the tinfoil fortissimo style (the music term for very loud which I looked up on Wikipedia, gotta love that website and all the wonderful people who have contributed to it).

I need a raincoat and some fake tan...

So here is our house in the middle of our street.
 I loved that Madness song from 1982, yes, it really was that long ago!
You can see them in action over here on youtube if you fancy a bit of nostalgia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwIe_sjKeAY
Pssst turn it up very loud ;-)

Click on it to make it bigger.
I used a 5x7" canvas that I painted with acrylics to make the background in nice bright colours. I put a coat of Decoart Ice Crystal glamour dust paint over the top. This gives a wonderful subtle sparkly sheen to it.
I die cut some white clouds on textured white card using Memory Box dies.
I used book pages from the wonderful Author Louise Rennison book "It's OK I'm wearing really big knickers!"
 If you love colloquial English then you will love Louise's writing style plus she is very funny.
I used a retired set of Chocolate Baroque stamps called Retro Florals and the brights range of Ranger Adirondack Dye inks to stamp with.
The birds are Inkylicious.
I used scraps of designer papers for the windows and doors and the die cut fence panels are by Go Create.


Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #133 Get your grill on.

I have realised with this challenge by the lovely Deena over at Opus Gluei that I never ever make food related art, a bit strange seeing as I like food, well don't we all!

 So imagine whilst we're sitting on our tartan blankets sipping our Pimms and lemonade and eating a slice of every cake on the picnic table watching the children play nicely, and listening to the birds twittering in the nearby trees, that our eyes wander up to look at the blue blue sky and see a flock of hot air balloons drifting overhead...

What is a group of Hot Air Balloons called then?
Maybe a punnet of Balloons, mmm strawberries.

This card is made up of Echo Park papers and my trusty old sewing machine.
I used this template; scroll down to the one called Quilted Balloon Card and I printed it out in 3 different sizes for perspective.

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #131 Sew what?

This fortnight's theme has been set by the lovely Jana over at the Opus Gluei Challenge and it is to use sewing in your project.

I got my 22 year old sewing machine out, and apart from the white casing having turned yellow with age, it started up just fine after 10+ years of slumbering in a cupboard, a big well done to Elna I think.

It is much easier to sew on card than material.
I used a size 70 needle (lingerie needle) and loosened the tension a bit from what I would sew mid weight cotton fabric with.
I set the stitch size to 3.1. (I would sew mid weight cotton fabric using a 2.5 stitch size.)

I used a Craft Stamper project (page 44 March 2012) by Sarah Engels-Greer which was using 2 or 3 red (Archival Vermillion) stamped inches with lace and red ribbon on white square cards.
I thought these would have been quick to create but seeing as I wasn't copying the designs it took a good long while.
I used a different ink to the project. I used Rocket Red Brilliance Ink which has become my new favourite ink evah.

This is what I came up with, these were such fun to create maybe you fancy making some?

Click on the pictures to make them bigger.
The first one uses a Prima stamp set (code 655350-2011-11. Sorry I can't find a name for the set on the packet) and the flower is Crafty Individuals.  I also used the 2 smallest dies of spellbinders set Wonky Squares.
I used red backed double sided tape to stick the ribbon and lace on the card and sticky 3D foam blocks to adhere the stamped card shapes.

This next one uses Tim Holtz stamps.

This last one is Prima stamps again and doesn't have sewing on it - oops.
The little red dots are ruby red liquid pearls by Ranger. The latest release of liquid pearls have a new formula and work much better than the original liquid pearls which were, in my opinion, crap for making pearls - sorry but I thought they were rubbish.

The only danger I found with making these cards was I got so focused on rearranging the layouts for another unique card that I was forgetting to ensure it makes a pleasing looking card.
I like them but I wonder how many non card makers will like the cards?

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #130. Beyond the garden gate.

The lovely Rosemary has set this fortnight's challenge at Opus Gluei.

And what a fabulous challenge from Rosemary, I could make hundreds of things with this theme as I'm sure you could too. 
I made an Easel Card of a posh house and garden scene which is a Docraft stamp by the artist Michael Powell, and er I went a bit mad with the lace, which unlike shiny stuff,  it would appear you can have too much of -hrumph.
I used part of a silk scarf (a bargain charity shop find) to make the curtains.

I am staggered by the two hours it took me to colour the picture with Derwent inktense pencils. I wasn't messing about honestly, but colouring solidly. The curtains mask some of the picture so the stamp is a bit wider than shown on this card.
His latest range of stamps, just out, are even better and are seaside, beach huts and lighthouse themed.
No wonder I don't do much colouring....
It would have been quicker to get my watercolour paints out and do it with them, but Inktense pencils are just fabulously vibrant and bright.
Once you get a taste of them there is no going back...

Hope you are inspired by this theme and join in.
Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #129 Use flourishes in your project.

My turn this fortnight over at the Opus Gluei challenge blog.
You can interpret this theme in two ways;
either use a flourish(es) in your project 
or create a project based on what makes you flourish as a person.
I chose to use physical flourishes on the cover and behind the flowers inside a box card for my MIL.
Click on the pictures to make them bigger.

 

 

Ingredients:

Kaisercraft Gypsy Sisters papers 6x6inch pad.

Roses are Spellbinders, Spiral Blossom One cut from Pearl Centura card (Crafter's companion) and sponged with Distress Inks in Victoria Velvet and Aged Mahogany. The Distress inks come out paler on this pearl card and have a lovely subtle sheen. 

These spiral flowers are much quicker to make than the alternative method of cutting varying size 6 petal flower shapes and cut out some the flowers petals, and layering up the flowers. 

With the spiral roses you just need to wind it up from the outside inwards and bung some strong glue on the rounded center to hold it together. The rose you make is quite deep. The depth of the ones I make are 2cm.

The leaves are Hero Arts 3 leaves cling stamps on the pearl centura card using black Brilliance ink which gives the right impression on this card.

 To colour the leaves I first brayered with Adirondack dye ink in meadow (it takes a few hours to dry properly) and then highlighted along the leaf veins with Pine Needles Distress Ink using a Ranger cut n dry pen nib.

Crafty Individuals flourish stamps in Aged Mahogany on the background paper behind the inside roses.

The girl facing the sea is an ISC stamp coloured with watercolour pencils.

The fancy tag on the front is from the Spellbinders Fancy tags two set. 

The flocked flourish on the from of the card is one of the Kaisercraft papers.

To get the depth right on the box to fit my roses, I cut a 10cm wide strip of white card that I scored every 1cm. ( You glue 4 concertina panels together to make the rectangle shape. I used white PVA glue for this.)

This gives you a 2cm deep box. 

So the middle panel dimension of your card needs to be 2cm wide.

The other dimensions depend on what side card you want to make.

Craft Stamper has a picture tutorial done by Debbie Dolphin for a box card on page 46 of the August 2011 edition of the magazine. 

I used this article to understand the construction, but used different card dimensions with the help of my trusty calculator and my one braincell when it was around the front. 

Happy creating with or without a braincell and/or calculator!

Gini

xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #128 What else do you know?

The lovely Kristen has chosen this fortnight's Opus Gluei challenge and it is to use a technique in your project that you haven't used for a while.

I haven't paper pieced a stamped image with designer's papers for ages so that is what I have done with this Mollie Bloom beach hut stamp in this easel card.
The chicken is hand drawn on designer papers and the sky is tumbled glass distress ink with a turquoise mica powder mixed with water sprayed on the top.

Now can you guess what the chicken is supposed to be sitting on?
No?
Now it may look like a box but that is where you would be wrong see, as it is in fact a raft -  allegedly. *cough*
If you are wondering why I have put a chicken on a raft in the sea, well why not, I like chickens and they lay lots of eggs and it's Easter... so I think they deserve a holiday by the seaside.
So as I'm sure you can do better than a box masquerading as a raft for this challenge please join in as I'd love to see it!

Happy Creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #127. In like a lion out like a lamb.

The lovely Deena over at the Opus Gluei Challenge Blog is asking us to use an animal in our projects this fortnight.

As I am feeling less than dapper due to a stinker of a cold, I really do have MAN FLU ladies.
I apologise profusely to you all for not doing any blog visits this last fortnight and I do feel I should mention that I have MAN FLU even though I have girl parts, because it's crossed the species barrier - what can I say.
I will be short and to the point, if you can call 5'9" short that is and I'm not actually particularly pointy either; more soft around the edges because really why would anyone want to do exercise when they could be making something out of paper, shiny and glue?
And also I'm working steadily towards beating the world record for "an arse so big it blots out the sun" (just joking,  hmph).

I love making Birds on Wheels pictures and a bird is an animal too.
I have blogged this design before as cards I like to make, and honestly I could use my whole stash of designer papers making them, hundreds and hundreds AND hundreds of them but then I would be like the lady with 40 indoor cats; what on earth would I do with them all...and wouldn't my house stink a bit and wouldn't that seem a tad compulsive disorderish too?

However - this is the very poshest Bird on Wheels I've made to date, it's another 5" x 7" canvas as I seem to be going through a phase of making these canvases lately.
It is a flocked paper bird and it's so posh and shiny it's probably illegal, I mean regal.

 

Happy Creating!

Gini

xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #126 Branching Out with Madam Fairy.

The lovely Electra over at Opus Gluei has set the challenge this fortnight to use anything to do with trees or nature in general in your project.
Please welcome Madam Fairy who enjoys nature so much that she is often referred to as Nature Girl.
Click on the photos to make them bigger.

Of course her spare time is quite limited because she is such a busy Queen dealing with her royal subjects and doing her fairy duties as well as attending school.

Her mother thinks she is a proper little Madam and this off duty candid paparazzi photo clearly shows her mother to be right.

 Oh where would we be without the paparazzi and their high moral standards and their profound understanding of dignity and human rights, eh?

I tell you what; I am hopeless at using up my scraps by turning them into something artistic.
I think this card clearly shows that from now on my scraps and surplus bits need to go in the bin not in my shortly to be defunct scraps drawer.

For the canvas I wanted to use my new Memory Box die - Catalina Wreath as it has branches holding it together; well at least when I had the idea it seems like it had branches on it but maybe they are more like long green bits but very natural green bits... Anyhow I used white card to die cut it which I coloured with a cotton bud and Versamagic inks in Aloe Vera and Pixie Dust.
I stamped a Lost Coast stamp with Adirondack dye ink in meadow onto white card then cut it out with a Nellie Snellen die.
I painted a 5"x7" canvas with acrylic paints and used bubble wrap to apply some of the paint and then dry brushed white paint over the top to calm the whole thing down because it was very bright, which was lovely but didn't make a very good background as it competed dreadfully with Madam Fairy and that would never do.

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #125 That's the Ticket

The lovely Jana over at Opus Gluei blog has sent out the challenge That's the ticket.

I am Ticket Stash Poor but I do have an old Craft Stamper Magazine freebie ticket to the Enchanted Kingdom stamp from years ago so that was my starting point.
This plaque will have to go on the wall as I can't think of another way of displaying it as it is a decoration and a completely nonfunctional thingamajig.

Click on any picture to make it bigger.

 

I cut the largest Nestie Postage Die out of chipboard. Leaving the die in place I sponged two layers of Worn Lipstick Distress Ink onto the front using cut and dry foam.
I painted Deco Art Glamour Dust ice crystal paint around the white edge of the chipboard for some subtle shiny.
I used Kay and Co paper throughout.
I cut the largest Nellie Snellen die MFD010 out of the flower garden paper and edged with Worn lipstick ink.

I stamped an old Dovecraft Fantasy Fairy or Fantasy Flourish stamp set (can't remember quite what it was called) using Versafine in Imperial purple and used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch (the one with the 3 butterflies on it) to cut some little butterflies.
Everything glued with Anita's white PVA unless described differently.

I painted a 3 inch Swan Vesta matchbox with Docrafts Artiste Acrylic Paint in Lush Pink. This is a good matt acrylic craft paint for the price £1.25 for 59ml/2oz. It's thinner than Reeves Acrylics or Claudine Hellmuth studio acrylic but thicker and more opaque than Dylusions Acrylic paint. There are some lovely bright modern colours in the range too.
I added a rectangle of paper to the bottom of the drawer and added some beads around the inside edge using Anita's 3D gloss as the glue.

I stamped the ticket in Versafine black onto gold card and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.
I used 3 layers of foam pads to raise the ticket up.

I wrapped a piece of patterned paper around the sleeve of the matchbox and used a scoreboard to score folds where the corners are so it gave a neater wrap effect.
I cut 4 Marianne Design die cut flowers and followed the instructions on the back to make the 3D flower. I used Anita's 3D gloss to glue a bead in the centre of the flower and used silicon dimensional glue to glue the shaped petals to the base flower.
The flourish is part of a Sizzlits set called Decorative Flourishes Set 656538.

Happy Creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #124. Warm Fuzzies.

The lovely Rosemary has set this fortnight's Opus Gluei challenge which is Warm Fuzzies.
Now it could be a project made with felt or other similar texture or you could focus on something that gives you warm fuzzy feelings.

I chose to feel the LOVE and settled on the lovey dovey donuts of a Valentine's card for Himself who likes the colour purple. 
I prefer the colour red and seeing as I was making it, it's mainly red!

Click on it to make it bigger.

The top heart pulls up for the message which I haven't written yet OR maybe it's written in invisible distress ink that you have to lick for the writing to appear.
Oh come on, surely you're not surprised?!!
You know full well that Tim Holtz can do anything with Distress Inks. 

 

My card was inspired by Joanne Wardle's Tent Fold Card project on page 29 of February 2012 Craft Stamper magazine. All you need is a piece of A4 white card.

I used Distress inks in Festive Berries and Seedless Preserves. 

Chocolate Baroque stamp sets Daisy and Butterfly, and Seed pod and Butterflies. 

The background flourish stamp is Personal Impressions.

I also used Tim Holtz movers and shapers heart cutters and a blue Woodware 2 inch heart punch.

Happy Valentine's Day 

Gini

xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #123. Tweet, Chirrup and Trill.

It is my challenge this fortnight on the Opus Gluei challenge blog.

One of my favourite themes is all things Birdie so let rip with your Bird art this coming fortnight.
 
I drew a birdhouse template and cut it out of chipboard and covered it with Tim Holtz papers. I then paper pieced a couple of adorable birds to live in the birdhouse. 
These birds are chipboard shapes from Twiddlebitz but when they arrived they were far smaller than I thought they would be so had to redraw them bigger to fit my grand plan (Ahem). 
Now I drew them freehand but if my brain cell had been around the front I would have realised that I could have scanned them and printed them out bigger and it would have been much easier. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing is it not? It always puts me in such a jolly mood...

Click on the pictures to make them bigger, you will be glad to know that the second picture blows up nice and big.

Onto my baby birds, my dear little chickies... 
C'mon Ladies -enjoy the new poobahs!
 

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #122. Take a picture it will last longer.

The lovely Kirsten over at Opus Gluei has given the following prompt to get our creative juices flowing "Take a picture it will last longer."

Now I can't say that I use photographs much at all in my art but I often make pictures so I set out to make a picture that would fake the look of fabric in a photograph (WTF)  even I can't follow the very convoluted way I have tried to meet this prompt, when I was creating it all made perfect sense to me but in the cold light of day today who knows what I was thinking...my brain cell was not round the front but MIA.

So this fake fabric background that is made of paper but looks like a picture replica of a photograph of fabric..... is a tenuous entry at best for this prompt, but hey I've felt quite poorly this last week and this was my best shot.

Oh but doesn't Gooseneck's dear little face make you smile nestled in that flower?

 

Then I made another similar card, but it's very boring.

I took white card, Do Craft's V & A stamp set called V & A quilts- cornfield, and stamped in versamark ink and heat embossed with clear fine detail powder. Used cut and dry to apply Evergreen Bough and Festive Berries Distress inks to make the background.

I coloured a few of the flowers with Cosmic Shimmer Watercolours for a little bit of shiny.
Made a 3D flower using red card and Marianne design die cutting set of flower shapes glued together with white PVA and 3D decoupage glue.
Gooseneck's face from Stampotique.
A spellbinders die for the tag and metallic red card candi.
The sentiment on the second card is a Personal Impressions stamp.

I'm sure anything you make for this challenge will make far more sense than mine.
If you want to see a very clever take on the challenge go see what Electra has made as her brain cell is round the front and isn't budging from pole position.

Happy creating!
Gini
xx