Sleigh bells ring ...

Hi Bloggers

I know we are still in Summer, but as I am sure any serious crafter would agree, early preparation is the key and I have started making my Christmas cards.

I have got some seriously lovely stamps and I might just have to blog some more of the cards I have made to share the stamps I have been using.

The main stamps I have used in these two cards come from a company called Chocolate Baroque.  The poinsettia card is made using a stamp from a set called Christmas Creatures (not the sentiment stamp) and the tree and flowers are from a set called Steampunk Christmas.  They are unmounted rubber stamps that produce the most wonderful images.

If you want further inspiration, please check out the Chocolate Baroque website.  As well as being able to buy this great stamps and other craft supplies, they have some wonderful blogs to take inspiration from.

One of the things I love about making Christmas cards especially is that you can really go to town with glitter. 

Using a quickie glue pen, on the poinsettia card I have glittered the centre of the flower, the Christmas star and the word 'magic', and on the tree card I have gone round all the cogs with glitter.  Hard to see in the photo, but the tree really sparkles.  I stamped the tree using my Big n Juicy inkpad to get the different colours.

Look out for my next designs.

Until next time,
Happy Crafting!

Happiness is ... final part

Hi Bloggers

The top of my box

It's been too long ... but I have been busy.

My Happiness is box is finally finished, I am really pleased with it. 

The box of co-ordinating papers, stickers and embellishments that I found worked really well.  It took all the hassle of colour matching out of the equation for me.

I covered all sides and the inside, and have made some little decorative card pieces on which to write what Happiness means to me.   I found some little hooks to screw on the inside of the lid (you can't see them because I did this bit after I took the photo).  The card pieces will hang on these.


The Front

I covered the box with a layer of Modge Podge matte medium which really helped all the stickers and embellishments to lie flat and gave the box a finished look.

Inside

This project will continue to be ongoing because I will always be adding to my Happiness is list.  It sits open in full view so that at any time I can see what happiness means to me.  I have really loved doing this project.   I did get a bit carried away with the photos!


One side

I'd love to hear what projects you have been doing.  Leave a comment below.

Until next time
Happy Crafting.



Other side

Happiness Is ... part 2

Hi Bloggers

My 'Happiness Is' project is well on its way.

In this picture I have started by colouring the box.  I have used weathered wood and vintage photo distress stains along with victorian velvet distress ink pad to colour just round the edges.  I am covering the majority of the box with patterned paper so you will just see the edges of the box.  I have done this on the top and all four sides, removing the catch and hinges before I did so.

The distress stain works really well in colouring the wood but also bringing out the grain of the wood.  A useful tip to remember when you are using this sort of medium.  It will give a different effect on a paper mache box.  Being a very wet ink, it did bleed into the wood quite a bit but I think putting masking tape on the edges of the box stopped it from bleeding into the edges.  This week I have been decorating the box and making my Happiness Is signs. 

Keep on watching for how the box looks when I have finished the decoration.

Until next time
Happy Crafting!