GOING DUTCH!

There's a new challenge blog out there: THE CANARY BLOG and if you follow them and commit to their challenge this week, you can have a free Krista Smith image. I love Krista's images, so had to have a go. I chose to go CAS for this one. I cut the Cheery Lynn french lattice and stuck it to some plain white card and then cut my image with my Spellbinders Floral Oval and that, as they say, is that, lol.

PASS THE CIGARS..

Altering cigar boxes is one of my fave things to do, and I hadn't done one for ages, but I've just hosted an altering swap, so of course, I had to get one of my boxes out again.


I started by painting the whole box with a coat of gesso.


Knowing that I was going to cover the box with paper, and choosing a burgundy red colour paint, I only painted around the edges.


I cut my chosen papers to size, but they were too pale for what I wanted, so I got my distress ink pads out and inked the paper until it was much darker.


Then, I stuck all the paper on the box. I used a matte gel medium to stick it all down as I think it sticks better than other glue for this type of thing.
When the inside was done, I glazed it all over with a gloss gel medium and let it dry before doing the outside. This is nearly the finished inside, the only difference is that once I'd added the fastener, I put a strip of lace across the top of the lid to cover the brads.


I decided that I wanted to collage the lid so I rooted through my stash to find bits that I thought might go. There's some text pieces I tore out of an old book and inked, some Tim Holtz adage tickets and the rosettes are made from the Tim Holtz die. The heart and large bottom right image, I got from ebay some time ago and this is the first time I could bring myself to actually use them lol, and the key and corners are from my fairly large collection of both. The postage frank is chipboard that I painted. I also found a couple of rolls of 7gypsies tape at the bottom of my box, and as it was a deep red, I thought a bit of that would go rather well too. Once everything was stuck in place, I glazed all over the outside with my gloss gel medium to enhance the colours and add some protection. Finally, to finish it off, I added some cream lace all around the edge.



I hope you like it. Pity that I had to part with it, lol but it now resides, happily I'm told, in Yorkshire. :o)

Entering into:
JACKSON'S DIGITAL EXPRESSIONS #20 - Anything goes. TOP 3
SHOPPING OUR STASH #66 - Use your fave things.
SCRAPALICIOUS - Anything goes.
LEJ DESIGNS #18 - Anything goes.
PARTY TIME TUESDAYS #83 - Anything goes.
THROUGH THE CRAFTROOM DOOR #33 - Anything goes.
MAKE IT MONDAY #104 - Anything goes
CRAFT MY LIFE - Not a card.. FEATURED & WINNER
AMUSING CHALLENGES - Anything goes.
CATERED CROP - Distress it.

GOING RETRO!

Time for challenge #132 over at I ♥ PROMARKERS and this weeks theme is everybody's fave again...ANYTHING GOES. Nightmare for us DT's though with the shed loads of commenting, pmsl. Our sponsor this week is DIGI DOODLE SHOP and all the design team used one of her images. I chose 'Bell Bottoms'.


She's a bit bright and in your face, but colours were bright back then. I remember I used to have a bright green satin jacket, green and yellow bell bottoms and bright yellow platform sandals and thought I was the dog's wotsits, lol. I was in the WRAF at the time and remember wandering around camp in them.

One of the reasons I coloured her trousers red though, is because I also had a pair just like them. The best thing though is that I made them myself. I was at school, so about 14 or 15 and it was the first pair of trousers I'd made and if I say so myself, they were excellent and I wore them to death, lol.

The papers I used for this were from my new pad, Basic Greys 'Konnichiwa' and the white and orange die cuts are using a Marianne Die. The leaves and blossom were using a Memory Box die, but to be honest, I didn't have much of a clue how to put the flower together. Layering the petals was obvious, but I reckon I could have shaped them better or chose different layers. Still, next time eh? I must do something about my photography too. In real life, the skin tones look darker and there's plenty of shading, but it never seems to show when I upload!

Entering into:
EMERALD FAERIES #30 - Punches and dies.
EVERYBODY ART #202 - Anything goes.
JACKSONS DIGITAL EXPRESSIONS #20 - Anything goes.
WHOOPSIE DAISY - 2 Patterned Papers.
LEJ DESIGNS #18 - Anything goes.
PARTY TIME TUESDAY #83 - Anything goes.
MAKE IT MONDAY #104 - Always anything goes.
BASIC GREY #75 - Anything goes.

JUST ZOOMING BY..

I've not had much time for crafting or visiting blogs this last fortnight, but I have had a fabulous two weeks with my gorgeous granddaughter, Mia. She's gone now and the house is very quiet, but I can get back to normal and craft away to my hearts content. Mind you, we did do a bit as she loves to craft too.

Anyway, onwards. Challenge #131 over at I ♥ PROMARKERS this week is Transport and our sponsor is the fantastic PAPER SHELTER. Oooooh, I love her stuff, you must take a look if you're one of the few that have never heard of them. I used her super cute giraffe in a car and my papers are Basic Grey's 'Oliver'. The sentiment is one of my own designs.


There's really not a lot to this card and this was in fact, my 2nd attempt... mojo seems to have gone missing, or maybe it's with all the toilet roll tubes Mia and I were painting and sticking together, lol.

Entering into:
THE PAPER SHELTER #78 - Anything goes.
BASIC GREY CHALLENGES #75 - Anything goes.
JDE #19 - Anything goes.
BEARLY MINE #49 - Anything goes.
PAPELITOS #8 - Masculine.
SASSY CHERYLS #129 - Happy Birthday.

A BIT OF THE OLD STUFF...

Sorry I'm a bit late with my posting this week but I've been out every day having a fabulous time with my gorgeous 5 year old Granddaughter, Mia.


Isn't she just gorgeousness itself?

Anyway, challenge #129 over at I ♥ PROMARKERS this week is VINTAGE. One of my favourite styles. We are sponsored this week by our very own lovely KAREN and the prize is a selection of beautiful bead pins.


For my card I used an image from 'Free Vintage Digital Images' and my papers are from the Glitz 'Pretty in Pink' pad. The sentiment is one of my own and I just added a few pearls and a bit of lace to finish it off. Not much more to say about it really, lol.

Entering into:
PAPERCRAFTING JOURNEY - Anything goes. (ends 12th Sept).
DIVA BY DESIGNS #47 - For a female.
FRESHLY BREWED #108 - Birthdays.
JACKSONS DIGITAL EXPRESSIONS #17 - Anything goes.
PAPERTAKE WEEKLY - Anything goes.
CRAFT YOUR PASSION #122 - Anything goes.
FASHIONISTA #5 - Birthday
MAKE IT MONDAY #101 - Anything goes.
PIXIE DUST STUDIO - Vintage.
CRAFTS AND ME #96 - Use a digi.
CHALLENGE UP YOUR LIFE #75 - Everything goes.

'AVE A BEER!

Not a lover of beer myself, but I wouldn't mind a pint of Cider ~ preferably Strongbow, lol. Won't be much crafting time for me for the next week or two as my daughter and grandchildren are coming today and when they fly back to Cyprus, my granddaughter is staying with me for a while. Woohoo!!!!!

Anyway, this week over at I ♥ PROMARKERS, challenge #128's theme is SPOTS & STRIPES. Our sponsor is the lovely JOANNA SHEEN with a £10 online spend up for grabs.


My papers are from Glitz 'Vintage Blue' and my image is from Papelito. Can't wait to use a couple of the other freaky images I've got ha, ha. I used a Martha Stewart deep border punch and some buttons to finish it off and the sentiment is one of my own.

Entering into:
OSAAT #124 - Use a digi.
BEARLY MINE #46 - Anything goes.
JDE #16 - Anything goes (optional sketch).
PARTY TIME TUESDAYS #79 - Anything goes.
STAMPING BOUTIQUE #44 - Anything goes.
KABOODLE DOODLES #130 - Birthday.
MAKE IT MONDAY #100 - Anything goes.
PAPER PLAYTIME #80 - Anything goes.
PAPER PRETTIES #50 - 2 or more DP's.
TWISTED TUESDAY #17 - Free for all.
DIGI DOODLE SHOP - Let's get stripey.
PAPELITOS #5 - Anything goes. WINNER