You shall go to the Ball

We went to see Andre Rieu in Concert last week in Glasgow. At one piece of music he had a Ballroom as the backdrop, which reminded me of the film Cinderella and the carriages bringing them all to the ball. My friend had also sent me a picture of a Christmas Decoration and the 2 things combined together, my Inspiration was  now complete to start my project.

I used a Cheery Lynn doily die to cut out my main images and backed with beige paper, edged with distress and sprinkled with Glamour dust.

The front of the carriage I layered a piece of acetate behind. For the rear of the carriage I stamped an image and built up frame as shown in photo as wanted to give the effect of 3D and to be a Snow Globe in the centre.

I stamped a Christmas sentiment and layered on to the back and built my carriage up and added finishing touches from craft stash.

Other products used were - ribbons, pearls, acetate, bazzill paper, stemplegede christmas stamp, potting soil archival ink and scorpal tape.



Hope everyone had a good Christmas and received some lovely new Craft Goodies. Julie x

I wish to enter this into-http://cheerylynndesigns.blogspot.co.uk/ Anything Goes.
                                       http://craftylittlefairieschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/ Anything Goes.

Perfect Little Gentleman

Over at We Love Vintage is a super challenging challenge, for me, personally, as you are not allowed to use any stamps on it. How could I resist this challenge !!

I went through to my craft room and found a Pion paper full of images. I was drawn to the image of this little boy. We have a Top Hat, that has been passed down through our family, which my sister is now the proud owner of, and loves to wear it. The image reminded me of it.                   
I had a wooden tag purchased from a Bargain Shop. I started by sanding it and applied a thin layer of Gesso with a baby wipe. Then onto shading with my paints and  applying paint through a stencil onto the tag and around the edges, resanding back, to strip some paint off in areas.  My first layer of paper I distressed the edges and added a little texture paste mixed with paint, through a stencil. I added cheesecloth and lace at edges, along with a bit gilding wax and distress glitter.

                                                               

The next layer I cut out a die strip and placed together to make a frame and glued to a backing paper. I curled the edges of the frame and gave them a  couple of coats of Studio Matte to help keep them in place. I also layered a strip of pearls and Gilding Wax around the frame.

I matted and layered the Little Gentleman and edged the papers with Stickles and a Copic pen. Various dies were cut out with the co-ordinating papers along with the word memories. Once I had finished placing everything onto my tag, I decided to make some items to hang from it. A bit like you see hanging from an old Vitctorian Tiffany Light. I thought this would give it even more of a Vintage feel.

Hope you have enjoyed looking at my blog. I would love if you left a comment and visit again soon.

 Julie x


 I would like to enter this at the following challenge - http://wlvc.blogspot.co.uk/ Tag

Little Match Girl

This 8 x 8 card was made for one of my crafty friends, which I can now finally share with everyone. The image reminded me of the story by Hans Christian Andersen. So my inspiration begun, from thinking about this story, I fondly remember from watching as a child.

On my image from LLC, I stamped the Magnolia Tilda Christmas stamp and embossed with Red Tinsel. I also used my favourite Tilda Holly stamp and stamped with Versafine Moss green, and then sprinkled with some Frantage. The edge of my image I pressed into my Versamark Ink pad and embossed with detail gold powder.

The corrugated card, I layered the image onto, I wanted it to look like a bit log that had cindered away in a fire, as I imagined The Little Match Girl, going through the woods, frozen and lighting a fire with her gathered wood. I tore off a piece of cardboard and used my distress tools around the edges before sanding the piece to give it more texture. I then applied some Gesso with a baby wipe,  which then enabled me to build up colours with Paperartsy paints. When I was happy with the colouring I went onto seal with Studio Matte and while this was still damp I poured Glamour Dust over it, along with Frantage, Gilding Wax was finally applied.

My trees were cut out using  glitter card and a Marianne Creatables die. I stamped with Potting Soil Archival and dotted Xmas Red Stickles along with distressing the edges.

My background, using some Bazzill paper was embossed with a Stampendous stamp, using my Gold Tinsel powder and my Holly stamp, stamped with Archival. I had used a Martha Stewart punch around the edges and distressed and gilded. 

All matted and layered and craft stash added.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Merry Christmas to one and all,

Julie x

Up-Cycled Presents

Hi everyone, Firstly, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave comments on my previous Posts, it is very much appreciated and brightens my day. I have not managed to do a lot of crafting over the past week, so thought I would show you a few items that I up-cycled a while back.

This jar previously held a candle. I made it into a dog biscuit jar for my Mum at Christmas. It has my beloved Magnolia Tilda stamped on the front.

These two little boxes were packaging that face products came in.

I simply cut out squares of a Melissa Frances paper, glued on and edged with Stickles. The flowers were cut out with a Marianne Creatables die and the leaves with a Magnolia die.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julie x

Enchanted Forest

This being my second  blog challenge and I found in some ways rather challenging. An idea sprung into my head very quickly, but the urge to pick up reds and greens to use, was hard not to do. To glitter and distress was the easy part. I love making something new look very old and up-cycling items.

With creativity flowing after reading the challenges, I immediately thought of cardboard that I had lying in my craft room and peeled the top surface off to reveal the corrugation underneath and tore around edges to make it look ragged. I  then gave it a coat of Gesso with a baby wipe, then rubbed some browns and black around the edges, coated over with some studio matt and poured over glamour dust. Finally, I dropped some frantage on to give a snowy effect and lightly went over with Treasure Gold. This is when I notice my cardboard was looking like trees glistening in a dense winter forest. I mounted onto a piece of torn distressed paper, my inspiration had now begun.

I cut out my Reindeer dies, one on mountboard and I stencilled a design using grunge paste, painted over and again highlighted with Frantage and Treasure gold. The other Deer I cut from mirri board and used Ferro Paste through the same stencil. I then rubbed in a little distress ink and repeated other finishing touches as before on the Deer.

My Chandelier I put Ferro Paste over it and highlighted again with Treasure Gold. For my candles I coloured first of all with Distress Pens, then dripped some Beeswax on with a brush and for the flame I put a little Glossy Accents on and added bling. I wanted my chandelier to be my interpretation of the moonlight shining through the forest. 

My Flowers were cut out with Parchment Paper and PaperArtsy brown wax paper. I stamped onto the parchment using the same Holly stamp as in background, Built them up and touched the edges with Treasure Gold. I used a couple of Skeleton Leaves and various bits from my stash.  But found was still lacking depth until I noticed some Oak Leaves which had fallen in the garden. I brought then in and dried with the heat gun, before dipping in Melt pot and dusting with Perfect Pearls. 

My breadboard was out of a Bargain Shop and I thought perfect to alter. I wiped over with Gesso. Then used gilding flakes to stamp on leaves. My holly was stamped with Archival Ink and I embossed my little dots stamp.I then rubbed lightly over with some brown and rust paint to give a little more depth. Sealed with Studio Matte and touched edges with Treasure Gold.

My Let it Snow sign I stamped onto Kraft paper and distressed edges added little star buttons from my stash and mounted onto a coffee stirrer stick which had been coated with Ferro Paste.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my blog. Please feel free to leave me a comment.

Julie x

P.S. Thanks for your computer work and photographs Chris. Love you Always.

Products used : Paper Artsy Paints - Little Black Dress, Chocolate Pudding,       Brown Shed. Archival Ink - Potting Shed, Distress Ink Black Soot. Gilding Flakes - Morris Dance. Magnolia Tilda - Let it Snow and Holly Stamps. Tim Holtz Leave Stamps. Ferro Paste, Grunge Paste, Treasure Gold. Sizzix and Marianne Creatable Dies. Crystal Pins Live and Love Crafts. Anything else I have forgotten please ask.

 I wish to enter this in: 

Live and Love Crafts  Stardust Challenge

Our Creative Corner Challenge  A Very Vintage Christmas

Country View Challenges  Bah Humbug Challenge

                  

Ronald the Robin

    

Well here it is folks, my very first Blog Challenge. We have a Robin who regularly visits our garden and has been fondly named Ronald. My inspiration for this card came from watching him.

Firstly to make the topper for this card, I masked my stamp, when inking up, so I could stamp the bird with  Potting soil Archival ink and the teapot with Versamark  ink and  I then carefully poured silver embossing powder over the teapot only. I coloured in the bird and teapot using Distress inks Brick Red and Frayed Burlap and highlighted with Rusty Hinge distress pen. I masked the teapot and using second generation ink, I stamped  the christmas tree with Versafine Olympia Green and carefully went around the outline with a sakura glitter pen. The holly was stamped using Versafine ink  too and  the background was distressed, finally adding some xmas red stickles to highlight the holly berries and a bit Frantage scattered over to give a snow effect.

For my background, I stamped Christmas words and Holly stamps with Archival ink, distressed and again using stickles to highlight berries. Pearlised card was used for matting and layering and again stickled around edges with Platinum stickles. Holly and Poinsetta were cut out from dies. The holly veins I applied Glamour dust too and I picked up the embossing parts of the Poinsetta with treasure gold. The little white bits are cut off a Christmas Decoration.

Please keep checking back as my blog is in the process of being built at the moment, so lots to be added.  All comments would be appreciated.

Julie x

 Crafty Individuals  Stamps used - Teatime delights, Christmas Calligraphy and Swirl Christmas tree.

I would like to enter this in http://craftyindividualsblog.blogspot.co.uk/ challenge for December.

First Take on Steampunk

I thought with this being my first post I would show you my Husband's Birthday card, as it's not me, but him who takes the photos and does the computer work for my Blog, so a little thank you tribute to him. But I'm still the brains behind the scenes LOL.

I don't have photographs of this card in the making as I made in August and at the moment I just want to get some photographs of my work up on my Blog. More up to date work will have on going photographs, but if anyone wants to know stamps used or a technique applied please e-mail me at julizn2crafts@gmail.com 
Hope you enjoy my future posts.

Julie x