Forever and a Day

Hello Everyone. As some of you will be aware already, I won at Frilly and Funkie on their last challenge, ' Bloomin Marvellous' with my Flowers on a Log design. I am absolutely delighted to say my prize was to be a Guest Designer for their latest Challenge 'Neglected Dies'. I hope my project inspires you to enter their Challenge this fortnight. There is also more inspiration from the Design Team on their blog HERE. 

I use all my dies regularly. So I had to start looking through them for a neglected one and soon realised  I had this one from Cheery Lynn that hadn't been used for a while. I cut it out and studied it for some time thinking how I could give it the WOW Factor and worthy of being used for my Guest Design Spot. It took me almost to the following day for my project to be fully planned in my head. I wanted this to look like a Pergola in a Stately Home, with a Shabby Vintage feel and have light reflecting properties, with lots of detail to look at.

I cut out my die 4 times, edged with distress ink, mounting onto the reverse white-washed coffee stirrer sticks, which had been carefully placed so my corners would butt together neatly.This would make my item more rigid when it came to gluing and make it easier for joining the papers together, as I was gluing the sticks, rather than the paper for a neat edge. I cut out and layered parchment paper on to the frame so it would give a shadow effect to the fretwork panels.  

The Bride and Groom were double layered for strength and both edged with distress inks to create a shadow effect. I layered a piece of lace ribbon stained with tattered rose over the bride for her dress and a few pearls around her neck. I modelled her veil on the style of my Mum's using some net and added a little metal wire covered in Flower Soft for her Headdress, scattering Flower Soft down her veil and onto the flooring to give the effect of confetti and fresh flowers. 

The flooring was again made out of coffee sticks, cut, gesso’d, crackle stamp applied and edged with distress and a little pen mark to resemble a nail in the floor and laid in a diagonal pattern over a piece of cardboard. I then cut around with a craft knife so it would fit in to my pergola.

I mounted the flooring onto a totally sealed box I made using my Scorpal Board. I lined the inside of the box with some more sticks to strengthen it. You will see this on my photos, just click on them to enlarge if needed. The base of my box once built, I distressed the edges, layering lace I had stained with Tattered Rose and ribbon flowers were placed around it.

My steps were made using the CL medium matchbox die. The top step was made cutting a matchbox in half and gluing it together without tucking down the edges. I etched with the same decorative CL die I used on my plant pots and rubbed over with distress to give a Shabby feel. 

My trellised roof was made with sticks being white washed first. I then distress stained white paper and stamped small leaves on to give texture and shade before die cutting  the pieces. I used an embossing tool to shape the leaves and flowers before layering up and adding Flower Soft and pearls.

My trees were made from wooden beads glued onto garden plant sticks. I wrapped some twine around the sticks coated with Gesso and placed into a small wooden pot I had painted, adorned with a die cut and distressed. Topped with a little glue, to which I poured on some sand and made a little bow to decorate. Finally. I placed lots of pearls everywhere. My favourite embellishment next to flowers.

I do hope you have enjoyed looking at my very first Guest Designer post since starting my blog 3 months ago. I think Chris has excelled himself with the photography on this post and hope you agree. I would love if you left me a comment. Thanks again to all at Frilly and Funkie for giving me this opportunity. I’m thrilled.


Julie x


Products Used : Cheery Lynn Dies, Wedding Vows FRM138, Flourish Leaf Strip B178, Tiny Flower Kit B376 and Flourish Band B176. White cardstock, Parchment paper, Distress inks, pens and stains in Tattered Rose, Bundled Sage, Pumice stone and Weathered wood. Flower Soft, Fushcia, Leaf green and Christmas green. Indigo Blu crackle stamp, Inkylicious leaves stamp. Wooden beads and pots, lace, ribbon flowers, pearls and glue.

I would also like to enter this in :

Vintage Udfordring - Monochramic Challenge

Country View Challenges - Paper Chase

Thats Crafty Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

That Craft Place - Anything Goes Challenge

Inspired by Stamping Blog - IBSIC #79, #80 & #81 Challenge

Bunnyzoes Crafts - Monochrome Challenge

Crafty Dreams Do Come True.

I am delighted to announce that Cheery Lynn Designs have asked me to be Guest Designer with them for the month of April. This news came to me out of the blue and was the most amazing wonderful shock. So much so, I realised as getting my evening meal I had forgotten to eat anything all day !! My brain is now in craft overload at present.

I adore the intricacy of Cheery Lynn dies and how they blend beautifully with my style of crafting. I can’t wait for my first post to go live on their blog, this is certainly my dream in the making, and I hope it never ends.

Why don’t you join in the fun, weekly challenges change every Sunday and you could win $20 to spend with them.

Thank you, so much BJ, Sandy and all at Cheery Lynn.

Julie xx 

Trinket Box

Hello to all my fellow crafters. It's been 3 months now since I started my journey in Blogland and I am thoroughly enjoying every minute. Challenges are great to enter and I feel have stretched my imagination even further when deciding on what to make. I now can’t even watch Mr Selfridge or any other Period Drama, without thinking ‘Craft’ as I am continuously looking at the scenery for ideas on my next project. I also find sharing your work with others and visiting everyone's blogs has opened up a whole new world to me. My husband Chris is also finding he has improved with his knowledge of photography taking my craft pictures and its nice that we are sharing the interest of my blog together.

This week Cheery Lynn’s Challenge is 'Doilies', and Country View Challenges is 'Paper Chase'.  My friend gave me a loan of her doily die for this one – Thanks Lilian. I had an idea of making a little trinket box that was my take on a piece of Wedgewood Pottery. You will notice as you scroll down every part of this box has been given attention to detail. I realised that sometimes I forget to share photos of the back of my projects too. I think when every angle has been given detail, it gives the deception that it actually isn’t paper the eye looks at. I also tend to get a little carried away and become absorbed into what I am making.

 

                  The Base                                                        Underside of Lid

I started by cutting out 4 Doilies, I then used my circle cutter to cut out the Wedgewood Blue paper. I layered these onto both sides of the paper. I then cut out another 2 circles the same size for either side of the base part. I then cut out  2 strips of paper and edged in with my scissors, this makes your paper turn corners far easier. I used my Cheery Lynn Lattice die to add the diamond shaped detail around the box and some small flowers in the centre which I had edged with distress. 













 My lid for the top was made in the same way but with a slightly smaller circle being cut. This then made my lid slot into the base perfectly. My flower was made using the Cheery Lynn Sweet Williams Strip, which I cut out from white cardstock and distressed the edges. I added a pearl to the centre.

I decided just to put the Cameo onto the front of my box, as I felt this would keep the Vintage feel of it being a piece of Wedgewood and also show this die off in all the detail it deserves.

Apologies for my 'How To' description being short, but I must get back to finishing off my GD project for Frilly and Funkie.

Enjoy your weekend and Happy Crafting.

 Julie x

I Wish to enter this in to :

Cheery Lynn - Doilies Challenge

That Craft Place - Anything Goes Challenge

Country View Challenges - Paper Chase Challenge

Products Used: Cheery Lynn Dies – Sophia’s Heart DL184, Sweet Williams Strip B307, Tiny Fanciful Flourish B387, Tiny Flower Kit B376 and FRM132 French Lattice Small Frame.Inks – Archival Cobalt Blue and Distress Ink Faded Jeans.Stamps- BoBunny Butterfly, Inkylicious Sentiments and Indigo Blu Small Flourish.Midnight Blue Stickles and craft stash.

My News Today

Today, I am absolutely delighted to share with you all, that my project - Flowers on a Log won at Frilly and Funkie's Bloomin' Marvellous Challenge, and I have my very first Guest Design spot coming up with them on Thursday 13th March. I am super excited.

Julie x