Lucky me

Hi Crafty Friends
I got a nice surprise the other day, as all this arrived through the post.

I'd responded to an appeal on a craft forum for Christmas memories for 'Papercrafter' magazine, so I whizzed off a quick email and forgot all about it. Apparently they printed my email, and sent me this load of goodies. Love the stamps especially, but the metallic pens are also good and there's loads of papers and some boxes to assemble and decorate. Not sure about the chipboard diecuts, but, heck, I didn't even have to make a card.
jx

Gelli 2

Hi Crafty Friends
It's been a while and I've been meaning to do an update on my gelli plate - so here it it.
After my first go, my plate was in a sorry state, so I melted it in the microwave, mixed up a bit more gelatin to make up for losses, and made another one. I used a melanine tea tray and kept the plate in it. It's about A4 sized.

Hope you like the pattern on the tray :)   It works just fine, hasn't cracked or gone mouldy yet. I keep it in the fridge covered with clingfilm. OH is complaining that the fridge was the last craft free zone in the house, so I don't know how much longer I'll get away with it. I've used it quite a few times, tho I'm not v good at it.  Here's a small print I thought I'd use as a background for a Christmas card

I really enjoyed watching Barbara Gray demonstrating gelli printing at the Doncaster show, so I'm looking forward to having another go.

happy crafting
Jx

Works in progress

Hi Crafty Friends

Looks like I've been falling behind in blogland again, so here is a motley collection of things I've been working on. I've got all sorts of niggles about them, but I thought I'd show you anyway.

First of all a Christmas card I started at the brilliant crafting day we had at Debbie's (thanks Debbie).
I keep meaning to move the 'merry' or do it in a lighter colour. It looks a bit lost at the mo.

Sadly, I had occasion for a sympathy card. I took inspiration from Kathy K, so apologies Kathy for using your idea (less elegantly)

KathyG very kindly gave me some paper recently, and I thought it would make a really pretty, feminine card, so that's what I went for. Thanks Kathy.

Love the paper, but not entirely happy with the finished effect, so I had another go. I think I managed the flowers/leaves better on this one.

This Christmas card is based on the triptych we did in class. Not totally happy with the decoration yet, but love the idea of the three sections held with ribbons, and will certainly be having another go.

This is the front

And the back. The red flourishes are my latest die, love it.

Happy crafting

DIY Gelli Plate

Hi Crafty Friends
I've been doing a bit of experimenting with a DIY Gelli Plate. I fancied having a go at printing, but wasn't sure it was for me, and buying a real Gelli plate would be an expensive way of finding out it wasn't. This only uses one ancient box of gelatine sachets  from the back of the cupboard

I followed (sort of) the instructions in this http://www.lindagermain.com/workshops/gelatin-printmaking-tips/how-to-make-a-gelatin-plate-for-monotype-printmaking/Youtube video.

Making the mixture is easy, but it took me ages to find a suitable tray, and I did manage to pour quite a lot on the kitchen work top, which instantly formed a glutinous mess that was hard to clear up, so my top tip is:- work on lots of newspaper.

I translated the ingredients to British measurements and it seemed to make 2½ pints. I didn’t have anything that big so I made less and may not have got the proportions right. I used 6 sachets of gelatine to 1pt of water ( ½pt cold ½  pt hot)

It set well. It didn’t have any bubbles and I was feeling pleased, but it cracked a bit when I got it out of the tray, and then I broke the corner off, so this is what I started with. 

Apparently you can chop it up, melt it again in the microwave, and reset it – but I was far too impatient for that!

The good news is it works!

Here is my first ever monoprint. I just used copy paper for starters.

And here is the ghost print I made from it.

And here are some more.

 I made quite a few more, but they all look pretty much like these.

Now these plates are meant to last in the fridge, covered in cling film for several weeks, but mine started falling apart almost immediately. I decided it just added to the texture and carried on regardless.

This is what it looked liked when I’d done

It cleaned up pretty well with baby wipes

 – and if it weren’t falling to pieces, I’d definitely save it for another day. I might microwave it and add it to some more mix to thicken it up. Also I can’t see why you can’t use it in the tray (mine is a retro glass dressing table tray, which I definitely don’t need on a daily basis). That would stop it stretching under the pressure of the brayer, which is what seemed to do the damage.

REVIEW SUMMARY

Ease of making 4/5

Cheapness 5/5 (69p for a packet of gelatine, which was actually an unnecessary expense as I found an ancient packet in the cupboard)

Mess – a lot in my case, but that’s just me

Fun at least 10 out of 5

Even with the shortcomings of mine, I would definitely recommend it, if you want to see if gelli printing is for you, without having to shell out for an expensive gelli plate.

Now I just need to practise getting better effects.

happy crafting

jx

Interactive card

Hi Crafty Friends

This card has been driving me mad - my own fault for having a bonkers idea in the first place. OH's grandson likes Meccano, so his mum suggested a Meccano card.
I figured Meccano has to be interactive, so this is what I came up with

This is the Meccano. I've made little joints so it all moves round to make what shape you like.

And the card is a push me/pull you, so as you pull the tag at one end, a message pops out at the other

The Meccano is only held on by little 'clips' so it can be rearranged.
Now I think I'll have to go and lie down!
(or maybe I should get out more)










Happy crafting

Three of a kind

Hi Crafty friends
Here are three cards I made recently, continuing my addiction to lots of dies and a very limited colour palette.

 Here I made the corners from Spellbinders' 'Elegant Labels 4' which is rectangular, but it's nice to get a different look. The central panel is a die from a Go Kreate lucky bag, so I had to draw round it to get a smaller one for layering

 These are my lovely new Borderabilities 1. So pretty and delicate. The leaves are from Spellbinders Heartfelt creations 'Asters' die set.
The flower is a stamp set from Dimension, which has to be cut out by hand!!  (cue violins)

more of the same. I did this yellowy one first, but cut the borders out of the wrong card stock (it looked different in electric light) so I had to cut some more. Shame to waste the first ones so I found the pink paper to go with them. Now I like that one better.













Happy Crafting
jx

Diamond fold card

Hi there

Here is a card I did for the Rudolph challenge on Craft mad& loving it. The challenge was to use red and paper piecing

I used a Tatty Button stamp and paper pieced the leaves. We learned the fold at RWS class, so thank you Tracey.
I like the fold and it's easy to do, so I'm planning on a few more Christmas cards.
happy crafting
Jx

Painting

Hi Peeps
This is a bit of a departure for me. A friend asked for a man's card, with a scene on it. So here is my first effort at a predominantly stamped and coloured card. I masked the image and coloured the sky with ink, shaving brush and masks to get a generally hazy effect and painted the rest with DIs, and then I added some decoupage. The brown matting layer is just card stock I stamped randomly.

Happy crafting
jx

Soft shades

Hello Peeps
Here's a card I made inspired by the soft shades used by Elly. (See Elly's Card Corner)
I love the idea of using the same/similar paper and varying it with ink - and it saves no end of messing around, looking for matching papers. I made a couple more out of slightly stronger colours but stupidly took them round to  friend's before I'd photographed them. Doh!!

This involved lots of hand cutting, when I prefer the neater look of die cuts, but over all, I'm quite pleased with it.

And here is another version of the box I posted before. This one is actually deep enough for the present to go in.

Happy crafting

J x

Mini Zig Zags - Maxi bargains!

I just love the lucky bags of paper pieces from RWS sale, and these little cards are great for using them up. So far, these cards are working out at less than 2p each!!

So pleased to be able to use my oriental stamps, and I had another go at colouring with aqua markers. I couldn't do much shading though, as I only have 6 pens

The butterfly is a die, free with a magazine. I inked the scalloped oval while it was still in the die.

This one is very delicate and feminine. I used a Stampin Up punch. I use the leaves a lot, but the bird hasn't had many outings. The little bird on the backing paper made me think of using it here.

I thought this one would be OK for a boy. The stamp was a great bargain from RWS. Again, I inked the background to the stamp while it was still in the die. I can't think why I haven't done this before.

Mini Zig Zag Cards

Hi again,
Following on from my early Christmas card, I've used the same fold again for birthdays this time.

For the second one, I actually got out my Promarkers for the image - I definitely need more practice! I really love this fold at the moment, and it's so good for using up scraps, I guess I'll be making a few more.

But in the mean time, I have been inspired by Elly (check her blog out  here). She makes the most sumptuous cards in gorgeous subtle shades. This in no way reaches her level, but I had fun with it. I was trying to find a way of making 7x5 cards, not tent fold because I find they generally collapse, and this method works quite well.

Well I've just come back from the sale at RWS so I'm off to play with some of the new goodies I've bought

Jx

Card Catch up

Two posts in one day!!
I've just found some pics of cards I've made recently, but not posted. I was inspired by a beautiful card we made in class, but I didn't have a suitable die for the panel, so I experimented with my Marianne corner die, and made a rectangle. I was also really pleased to be able to use my Memory Box fuschia die.

Then I had another go with the corner die and made a pentangle. I embossed the background with an embossing folder that came free with a mag.

Happy Crafting

Very Early Christmas Card

I'm not normally this organised, but I made this card for the CMLI Rudolph challenge. This month's theme is holly. It's a small card (just 4" square) when closed, which means it only needs one sheet of A4 cardstock.  I enjoyed making it. Great to get out my Martha Stewart holly edge punch, a post Christmas bargain which has not seen much use.

This is my favourite Santa stamp, but sadly it's not mine - I borrowed it last year and made a couple of extras.
happy crafting

Fancy die cut

I've been watching some tutorials on getting partial cuts with dies, and so of course I had to have a go.
This was my first effort.

And then I tried it with a fancier die

I love this die, and so pleased to discover it's the same shape as my label dies. 

In theory it's quite easy to do - just stick your die to the card with removable tape, and then run it through your die cutter with half the die/card  sticking out beyond the plates. The tricky bit comes next. With your die still attached to the card, run it through the cutter again (with the whole die between the plates this time), with a combination of plates and shims which is just enough to emboss the pattern, without cutting out the shape. Score where you want to fold the above and below the die cut shape.

happy crafting

The Cappuccino Days

I seem to have got locked into shades of brown and aqua recently.

I've been putting more of my new dies through their paces - I especially love this Spellbinder lattice die.

happy crafting

jx

Fairy Castle Card

I've been making a few of these lately. I've adapted a cascade to make a castle. Now I'm working on castles or forts for boys, and maybe Helm's Deep for Tolkien fans, but I think that's a bit ambitious.

Jx

back to crafting

                                                                         Back again now the work season has finished.
After a rather fallow period, I was desperate to get crafting - here are some of the things I've been making
First up, a box. I used my new large die ( great bargain from the Doncaster show) and a Marianne corner die

Thanks Margaret for help with the flower arrangement.

More new dies ( I've been very extravagant recently!)

happy crafting

cascade card comission

I've been quite busy making commissioned cards recently. Here are two of them

And a 21st card. I love these cascade cards