Experimentation with Mica Powders

I've been spending money again! I have seen mica powders demonstrated a few times on C+C - the lovely Sheena Douglass (http://www.sheena.tv/) and Ali Reeve (http://clevercrafter.blogspot.co.uk/) do some fab demos, and give loads of inspiration. Finally, I decided to take the plunge, and give them a go.

Then, they sat in my crafty stash ... for about a month! Despite all the TV I'd seen, they still made me nervous. Yup, I know, I'm a wimp. I did pluck up the courage to give them a go. On a piece of stamping that hadn't gone quite right. I know that mica can be tricky to work with, so I didn't want to try it on a piece I was planning for a card.

I mixed the micas with a little water, so I could use them as a paint on the embossed image. And you know what? It went really well.

And I couldn't have been more disappointed, lol. It's hard to see in this picture, but the text was ghosted from slipping when I stamped the image. I couldn't use this as a topper on a card.

So it sat on my desk for about 3 days ... mocking me. It narked me more and more every time I saw it - this lovely image that I couldn't use - grr! In the end,  I took some scissors to it, and chopped out the flowers, or at least as much of them as I could salvage. My dexterity isn't great, and I'm left handed, so I usually avoid cutting anything out unless I have to. I did manage to get two nice looking corner images out of it, which I used for these

 The images are a little blurred, I apologise. Think I need the camera cleaning a little. Anyway, both cards are finished with a sentiment heat embossed on white vellum in the aperture. The landscape card is decorated using more mica'd flowers (painted in the same way as the original image) and a couple of the leaves I salvaged from the frenzied scissor attack! The portrait image had a butterfly added. I made this by mixing some mica powder with some PVA, and painting this mixture onto the back of a piece of acetate. I let that dry overnight, then put a black peel off on the front of the acetate sheet, and cut round it (wielding scissors twice in one project? I must be ill!). As I type, the butterfly is desperate to make its escape from the front of the card ... I shall have to investigate better sticky stuff!

It seems I've managed to swipe victory from the jaws of defeat on this one. And I know it won't be the last time the mica powders see the light of day ... I'm even considering getting some in different colours!

Last Christmas card (for now, at least!)

So, this is the last Christmas post for at least a little while. It is my favourite though!

The topper is a few stages. First, I dry embossed some vellum with a stencil I've had for ages (yup, I've been doing more stash diving). Then I used the stencil to cut out some green mirri card to match the tree shapes, and stuck it onto a piece of black card. After that, I lined up the vellum and base card so the trees were in the right place - possibly the hardest part of the whole card. After the vellum was wrapped around, I stuck it onto some green mirri card, and onto a dark green backing card.

The sentiment caused me a nightmare - I wanted it to match the topper, but I don't have anything I can emboss a Christmas message through. I tried everything, from the sublime to the ridiculous of trying to burnish over a stamped image. In the end I settled for stamping in green on vellum, and heat embossing! Sometimes the easiest ideas, huh?

The envelope is another Ultimate Pro creation, this time with a liner to compliment the design.

A trilogy of (un)seasonal delights

Yes, I have started my Christmas Cards! I apologise to readers of a nervous disposition who just spat coffee all over their computers at the mention of the word Christmas in March, but I need to be organised!

These are all made in pretty much the same way - a stamped image, clear embossed. The green and blue cards are chalked over, the orange is left. Matting and layering done in a complementary colour, or backing paper and mirri card (yes, I have gone a little mirri mad at the minute)
I couldn't find a stamp that looked good in orange for the background, so I just stuck some gems on to compliment the ribbon I attached to the topper.

So, Christmas, 3 card down ... I'm not sure how many to go!

Project 1

OK, so in what will likely be a marathon blog writing session, this is finished project 1

You might recognise the topper on this card - it's the decoupage sheet I designed from one of my own photos (more info in this post). I used all the layers to create one huge topper. it's backed onto a hexagonal piece of the background card, and onto a square piece of silver mirri.
The sentiment frame and banner are silver embossed Anna Griffin stamps that have sat in my crafty stash for about 3 years (eep!) chalked in a pink blush colour. It is slightly more purple that I would have liked, but that's my own stupid fault for not trying it on some scrap before I did it for real! Let that be a lesson.

I don't normally post envelopes ,but this was my first envelobox made on the Crafters Companion Ultimate Pro. It made up much easier than I expected it to - I don't normally follow written instructions too well, so I had watched the DVD before I started. The only issue I had was that I had to make it out of card, which gave me a bit of a nightmare when it came to sealing it. Instead of using glue, I've put 2 slits in the flap, and threaded through some ribbon that tones with the topper, and tied it. Once the card has an insert, and is all signed, I'll glue the ribbon back to the main envelobox, so it's opened by untying the bow.

I think this one will be my Grandma's for her birthday - mind you, that's about 5 months away, so that might change!

A long waited return

Ok, maybe not for you, but for me! I hadn't realised it had been so long since my last blog. We've had a bit of a bad time here, family hospitalisation and illness seems to be doing the rounds in me and mine at the minute.
I have been hard at work crafting, and have some entries to put up, and hopefully they'll be posted a bit later today and tomorrow - so look forward to a glut of info coming your way!

And another one!

Oh yes, another make. This time, my Father's day card (18th June in the UK) It isn't nearly as adventurous as the last one, but I still like it, just the same:

The image tag is from a collage book I've had forever, as is the backing paper. The text tag is from a scanned image of the backing paper, which I faded, and added the text to. Fading isn't too hard using standard image manipulation techniques - you can either change the opacity of the scanned image, or as I have done, create a white layer in front of the scan, and reduce the opacity of that. The first method literally makes the image more see through, adding a white layer lightens it.

The text reads:

"For a Dad who's just like an elephant;

Strong, with a long memory ..."

I don't often include info on inserts, but you need to see this to get the joke! 

The insert was made using My Craft Studio's Simply Sentiments CD - for reference, this was Bonus Square number 72. I couldn't believe my luck to find an insert with elephants on! It hasn't photographed well, but the right hand side has a faded mirror image of the left. I digital punched an oval from it to put the text in. 

The text here reads:

"... not to mention grey and wrinkly!

Happy Father's Day!"

I should mention, my dad has a great sense of humour. At least I hope he does - if my blog stops rather abruptly on the 17th June, you know why!

Been a long time coming

Yes, yes, I know, I haven't blogged nearly as much lately. I apologise, but I've been up to my eyes in cards and recovery (still off work with my poorly back). I have 2 offerings for now, but I may have another to add a bit later today.

First up, Mother's Day (18th March here in the UK). As my mum makes cards too, I always like to try something a little bit different for her cards. So, here it is ...

 I know what you're thinking ... no, really I do. That's not so spectacular. And I'd agree, if it wasn't for 2 more photos ...

Oh yes, it's a double slider card! It took me so much time to get this to look just the way I wanted it to. The tutorial came from Card Making Magic but I can't find it there now. As I type, googling " Card Making Magic double slider " brings up the tutorial as the first result, and it can be accessed in a cached form. The only issue I had was that when scoring the card (step 2) the written instructions and the picture give 2 different sets of dimensions - I used the ones in the instructions, but ended up having to trim down the sticking flap of card at the end of it. I think following the picture dimensions might be better.

The designs are edited sections of some free papers from Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine, Issue 85 here (you must be registered with the website to download them, but registration is free).

The only bit you can't see in the photos is the stand at the back - I used the section I trimmed off to create a small stand so it doesn't have to be leaned against anything.

This card was beyond stressful, exasperating, and frustrating - although that was mainly down to my printer refusing to print off high quality images for me! Once I sorted that, I had a ball!