Tuesday 31 December 2013

'Lido' Layout - Inkido December Stars/Snowflakes Challenge - Closing today!!





Hi everyone!  
The last day of the month AND year is here today!!
I hope you all have some exciting plans for tonight!  
New Year's Eve!
I love the turning of the year - 
not going out to parties but reflecting on the year past 
& deciding on my New Year's Resolutions!
Yup I am BIG into that!! 
 I love reassessing my goals & planning ahead.

I am up on the Inkido blog today!  See my post HERE.


I used Inkido paper, stamp, flowers & bling.
For product names & links please see my post 
up on the  INKIDO blog {link above}.


I used Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Spray in 
Autumn Maple Crimson {on the flowers} & 
Embossing Powder in Midnight Pewter
 {on the snowflakes}.


To add to the snowy feel I tucked in some cheesecloth 
that I pulled to be very loose before adhering.


I added in some crystal buttons & some black flowers from Prima.


The chipboard snowflakes come from 2Crafty Chipboard.


I also tucked in some bling buttons from PaperVine.


I used a vintage doily sent to my by dear Mitra.


Thanks for the visit!

For more details please visit the INKIDO BLOG HERE.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Please click HERE for my Christmas giveaway closing 21st January
& HERE to sign up to my You Tube channel.  I am posting a new
video at least once a month now & I keep them all under 10 minutes :)





Sunday 29 December 2013

'Timeless Memories' Off-the-Page Picture - Scrapmatts {Lindy's Stamp Gang/Prima}





Hi everyone!  I hope you all had an AWESOME Christmas!!  

Mine was fab, although it's always weird once it is all over
 & time to clean everything up, get the house back into order
 & get back into the right mind set to get back to work again!

I'm here today to share with you my very last blogpost for
  Scrapmatts.  The DT spec was 'Free Choice' so I made an OTP
for my husband's mother, featuring her son & 4 grandchildren, 
starting with a wooden blank that I painted using Golden mediums.

I coloured them with Lindy's Stamp Gang magicals (mica powders)
that come in very small circular containers but are VERY
 concentrated so you just have to add a tiny, tip-of-a-teaspoon
 amount to your medium. {Tip - first spray to activate with water}.

This way you can dye your gesso/modeling paste/etc to whatever 
colour you like - AWESOME - and these tiny treasures take up 
SO LITTLE storage space, which is a major plus for me as I work
 from a tiny studio.

To read more about my project please visit my blog post at
Scrapmatts HERE. (where all chipboard products are linked
back to the Scrapmatts online store) & I state the Lindy's
Stamp Gang colours & products used.














I have had an amazing year with Scrapmatts!

My term is over now & as you know I am
moving over to 2Crafty, where I hope I will
have just as much fun!!


Please click HERE for my Christmas giveaway closing 21st January
& HERE to sign up to my You Tube channel.  I am posting a new
video at least once a month now & I keep them all under 10 minutes :)

 See you all soon!!!

Friday 27 December 2013

My Creative Scrapbook December News!





Hello again everyone!  I did not create with a My Creative
 Scrapbook Kit this month due to the holiday season. 

 I would like to share the link to the December kits with
 you because now you all have some Christmas photos
 to scrap!  {I hope!!} Take a look HERE to choose
 which one of FOUR awesome CHRISTMAS KITS 
would suit you best!!


And don't forget about the MY CREATIVE SKETCHES BLOG 
HERE where the sketch above is open for interpretation until
January 14th, 2014, with this fantastic random prize on offer!


And don't forget about your SCRAP AROUND THE WORLD
entries either!  The December challenge closes in 4 days!!


Bye for now & thanks for the visit!


Wednesday 25 December 2013

Merry Christmas & my Christmas Giveaway!







Wishing you all a peaceful & harmonious day with those you love ♥

As a THANK YOU for your awesome support I have put
 together a CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY for my followers!!


To be eligible to win you need to:-

1.  Be an official follower of my blog
{the Followers gadget with the thumbnail photos}.

2.  Go to my You-Tube channel & SUBSCRIBE
if you haven't done so already!  HERE.

3.  Come back & let me know you are a subscriber!

THIS GIVEAWAY CLOSES Saturday 18th January 2014

& I will draw one random winner from the comments section 
of this post during the course of the following week. 

HO HO HO!!!



Monday 23 December 2013

'Work Hard & Be Humble' Layout - Scrapmatts December Share {Lindy's Stamp Gang/Prima}





Hi everyone!  Phew well I don't know about you but I am EXHAUSTED!!  
Adding Christmas preparations into the mix always finishes me off for the year!!! 
 I have been a lousy blog buddy to many of my online friends in the last couple 
of weeks so I do apologise once again!  I am spending most of my days with a
 headache at the moment as my house is over-run with teenagers & young
 people, home for the holidays with friends in tow!  I am doing my best to
 enjoy the noise & hustle & bustle before it trails off again in 2014 :(


I'm here today to share my December design team work for Scrapmatts, 
which went live on their blog HERE today.  If you would like to know
 any of the chipboard names or codes please refer to the blog post I've
 linked to there, for full details of exactly what I've used & which 
Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powders I've treated the pieces with too.







I used the Prima Optimist Collection 'Whimsy''for my base & 'You & Me' 
for my fussy-cutting.  I used a 6 inch Prima mask on my base, mixing 
Mad Hatter Mint from Lindy's Stamp Gang, with Wendy Vecchi
 Embossing Paste, for a touch of green.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone & I have a Christmas surprise
 planned for you!  A "thank you" from me to you ♥
All will be revealed very soon!!  *winks*




Saturday 21 December 2013

'Be Glad of Life' Canvas - Lindy's Stamp Gang CHA 2014 Canvas





Hi there everyone!  I completed this canvas a while ago & it is winging it's way to the USA
 at the moment! It is my first CHA project ever!!  Being an international designer means
 one doesn't have the same opportunities to create for CHA as one would in the States unfortunately.  The postage time usually means that new product can't get to me then
 back again in time to show off timeously.  Lindy's Stamp Gang is so efficient however, 
that the new releases are sent to me the very day they are completed so I get to
 create with smoking hot new product - it is a dream come true!


I got to create with the VICTORIAN BOUQUET 
set, available for purchase HERE.


Lindy's Stamp Gang has a Christmas Sale on right now too!
20% off - watch the video below for details!!


LSG also have an awesome PINTEREST competition
running at the moment, see their Facebook Page for details!


I created an 8 x 12 inch canvas for one of my oldest online friends Agnieszka Bellaidea.
{Once it has been displayed at CHA of course!  Sorry my friend you have to wait a bit!!}


I used the gorgeous 11 inch Florabella frame from 2Crafty Chipboard,
as well as the Cherry Blossom, which I have cut up & placed at both
the top & bottom of the Florabella frame.


I embossed the chipboard with LSG Embossing Powder in 
Geranium Coral Blush after first painted the chipboard with 
Glass Bead Gel from Golden.  Lastly I rubbed over with gesso.


For the centre I used a vintage doily mask from my sweet friend
Mitra in the States, together with Hydrangea Blue Mauve Magical
mixed in with some Molding Paste from Golden.


I also used a 6" Prima Damask Mask as well as various Prima
flowers & alphas {all sealed with gel medium so they don't 
fall off!} plus metal & bling embellishments from PaperVine.


The sentiment I chose for my canvas for Agnieszka is a quote
from Henry Van Dyke, which I think really suits her personality!


"Be Glad of Life for it gives you the chance to Love 
and to Work and to Play and to Look up at the Stars"

Her pragmatic nature is often my voice of reason





Thursday 19 December 2013

A New Design Team, A New Video Tutorial & a New Project! {'It Always Seems Impossible' Canvas } Lindy's Stamp Gang/Prima/2Crafty





Hello there!  Yes I know, I know - I haven't blogged in 12 days!!
Not AT ALL like me I know!  BUT it is the silly season!!!

There are a number of reasons why I have been absent here.  

1)  We went away for a week!!  Yes - we had a lovely local holiday 
away in the mountains.  {where there is virtually no internet}
Photos may follow {time permitting!}.  The weather was terrible
 unfortunately so I didn't take many photos.

2)  I have been SICK :(  I have had gastro-enteritis! At first 
I thought it was food poisoning but it went on too long for that. 

3)  My computer is out of order.  So I am working on my
back-up laptop while it is in for repair & it is SLOW...

4)  Our internet line-fault is back!!  So yet again I am relying
on very expensive 3G data (& SLOW!) to get online for now...

5)  I have my daughter HOME FOR CHRISTMAS :-D
I am cherishing every minute with her!  She has just qualified
with a B.Sc Chemistry degree at only 20 years old - so proud of her!
She studies away from home so I don't get to see her often :(

BUT HERE I AM AND I HAVE SOME AWESOME NEWS!!

I will be joining the 2Crafty Chipboard Design Team in 2014!
SUPER exciting!!  I am really looking forward to this new
 adventure!!!  You can see the official announcement & who
else made the team on the 2Crafty blog  HERE.

/

Unfortunately that means that this is my last month with
Scrapmatts Chipboard as my year's term will be over at 
the end of December.  I have had a fantastic time there
with their wonderful Design Team & the owner herself,
 who is now a good friend & I will miss everyone dearly.

To celebrate my new appointment I decided to use a lovely
big piece of 2Crafty Chipboard on my latest Lindy's Stamp
Gang project, which is up HERE on the LSG blog right now. 

 I also have a video up on the Lindy's Stamp Gang You Tube
channel HERE, showing my entire process of manipulating 
wet mists, layering my colours then stripping them back off
again using neutral mists.  I hope you enjoy watching!



If you watch & enjoy my videos please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

I created an inspirational canvas for one of my dear friends,
Eila Sandberg, in Sweden, using the latest Prima Product Pick.

2013 December PPP

LOVED making this!  Getting a bit addicted to canvases!!


As you should all know by now, Nelson Mandela passed away
recently so I chose one of his quotes - what a wise man he was!


I love chunky embossing chipboard, using a Ranger Embossing Dabber!


I used a couple of Prima masks & a Crafter's Workshop Stencil.


The mesh used is actually mosquito netting from the Hardware store!


Starburst Sprays – Frozen Jack Frost, Creme Brulee Cream, Tiffany Lou Blue & Pointsettia Red Gold.  Moon Shadow Mist – Gossamer Gold.  Flat Fabio – Toto’s Tornado Black.  Embossing Powder – Midnight Bronze Slate.  All available HERE.

Just LOOK at that shine from the Lindy's Stamp Gang
embossing powder - BEST Embossing Powders in the biz!!


The "Midnights" collection of Embossing Powders all have
 a black base together with a metallic secondary colour
 so they have an awesome 2 tone shine!


Don't you just LOVE a good ol' Prima flower cluster!?!


I am sure I am not the only one desperately EXCITED for
their new January CHA products to be released for sale!


The stunning circular chipboard piece I have used
comes from 2Crafty Chipboard in Australia.


I always treat the sides of my canvas as I do the front.
(It amazes me how many people forget about the sides?!?)


Embossing Paste – Studio 490 by Wendy Vecchi
Gesso – Studio by Claudine Helmuth for Ranger
Gold Mica Flake – Golden
6 inch Masks – Prima {Damask & Dots} Crafter’s Workshop – Bricks
Mesh - Mosquito Netting {Hardware Store}

 Flowers – Prima Marketing

Lace/Crochet flowers – Vintage
Chipboard Piece – 2Crafty Chipboard – Australia

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful festive season!