Jolly Birthday Wishes

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend, Monday morning again, how quickly they come around.

I have a few reminders for you this morning before I share my card with you. First, I wanted to remind you that Crafty Boots Challenges are looking for Design Team Members, have you ever thought of joining a Design Team and sharing your handiwork?  It can be great fun and you would make some amazing friends.

The theme of the current Challenge at Crafty Boots Challenges is 'Gold'.  This can be ink, embossing powder, mirri card, gilding flakes, or just gold coloured card or pens.

The card I have to share with you today is mounted on gold mirri card.  This adorable image is from Teddy Bo & Co ans is called 'Jolly the G ...... Jiraffe'.

After colouring the image with Promarkers I mounted it on various card and papers from my scrap box.

Now for something a little different and rather special. Last Monday I was delighted, and not a little amazed, that my good friend and muse Lisette, aka Mrs Beez, had tagged me in a creative blog hop. I know, totally amazing, especially when you consider how talented Lisette is.  Her other nominees, Hels Sheridan and Susan M Brown, are both super talented - exalted company indeed.  Please hop across to their blogs and see their wonderful work for yourself.

I am supposed to answers to a few questions:

1. What are you working on at the moment?

It is a very exciting time for me as it is my turn to administer the Crafty Boots Challenge Blog.  Before taking my turn I never realised just how time consuming this is, but it is great fun.  As you know, we are currently recruiting for the Design Team, this is very interesting and a great way to meet some very talented people.

I have just completed a series of projects inspired by some of the steampunk images I have been looking at on Pintrest.  I have only had time to post a couple of these projects, so please keep an eye out for the rest.

Next I think I should like to experiment with texture and use stencils, pastes, modge podge etc.

2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?

To be honest I do not think I have a specific style, I like to push myself and try different things.  My crafting has never stood still.  I have been making things for over 50 years.  Cross stitch was probably my first love but I also love working with paper and I make cards, scrapbook and alter objects.  I also make my own clothes and crochet.  I very recently learnt to knit and am currently making school uniform cardigans for my great niece and great nephew.

3. Why do you create?

In all honesty, I think I would find it impossible not have some project (or three or four) on the go, I need to be making things.  However, unlike most people who talk about why they make things, I do not find the process relaxing.  I find it exciting, total consuming and at times very stressful.

4. How does your creative process work?

In truth, I do not think I have a creative process.  There are times, when I am working to a deadline, that it comes out of pure panic but there are other times when ideas come to me in a dream - or at least that time when I am just waking up.  An idea will just pop into my head, of course, I often have to tweak the original concept to make it actually work, dreams are not always that practical.

This is the part where I am supposed to nominate two or three of my crafting friends to join in the blog hop.  I have decided not to do this, it just doesn't feel right.  However, I have made some really good friends through crafting and some of the most inspiring ones are in the Crafty Boots DT, I should like to thank them for their support, their inspiration and for all the tips and crafty gifts over the years.  There are three in particular who have always stood by me, they are all amazingly talented, they have very different styles but they all have such generous hearts.  I have struggled to decide what order to list them in so I have played it safe and I have gone for alphabetical.  So, very big hugs and massive thank you's to Gabrielle, Lisette and Stephanie-Emma.

I hope reading a little about me has not put you off visiting my blog in the future because I would genuinely miss your visits.

Have a great week.

Dionne

Bee ATC's

As promised on Monday, I am catching up with posting some of the steampunk projects I made last week, and the week before, when my laptop was out of action.

But, before I do that, just a quick reminder about the Gold Challenge over at Crafty Boots Challenges and the DT call they have out at the moment - it would be a great opportunity for someone who has never been part of a Design Team before as well as someone with more experience.

It just so happens that this project contains a lot of gold shades, so it would sit very nicely with the current Crafty Boots Challenge.

I painted some card with bronze coloured acrylic paint and, once it was dry, I ran it through a honeycomb embossing folder.  

I may have mentioned once or twice that I recently bought two of the Sizzix layered Bigz dies, the ones with the texture fades embossing folders - this is the Bee one.  I cut several bees from card in various metalic colours.

I raided my stash for anything I thought would work with the steampunk style.  I decorated my bees with an assortment of brads, flat backed gems, die cut cogs and watch parts.

Warning: if you should decide to use watch parts on any of your projects, take care of your fingers, there are some very pointy parts and they hurt.

The tiny watch hands made wonderful antenna, aren't they cute?

A little while ago I bought a bag of assorted die cut shapes, one of which was this key, the handle decoration made perfect head markings.

These are so much fun to do and I have grown very found my insectoid army.

Have a great day.

Dionne

Precious Gold

Hi

I hope you had a fabulous weekend.  Here in the UK the weather was amazing yesterday, so warm for the time of year.

I managed to do a very stupid thing last week, I overloaded my laptop with viruses.  It was a complete accident of coarse but there was nothing I could do with it but take it into the shop.  I got it back at the weekend, the young man who did all the work on it did an amazing job and it is running like clockwork now.  However, all of this meant that I was unable to post last week or get around all of your blogs.  I hope to find the time to catch up this week.

It also meant that I was unable to tell you that, following the departure of a couple of the Crafty Boots Challenges Design Team Members over the summer, they are now looking for two or three new members.  The DT are a really friendly, easy going group of ladies and this would be a great opportunity for someone who has never worked as part of a design team before.  If you would like to know more about this exciting development please click here.

A new challenge starts at Crafty Boots Challenges today, for the next two weeks they should like to see some gold in your work.

Here is my Design Team project.  I find photographing cards with a lot of silver or gold very difficult because the light bounces of the shine and I apologise for the little bits of flare.

I stamped IndigoBlu's Tree-mendous stamp onto white card with Versamark and embossed it with gold embossing powder, I then did the same with the Stampin' Up sentiment.  I then layered  these on white and gold mirri card.

Finally, I die cut a Marianne Design swallowtail butterfly out of gold mirri card and added 3 AB flat backed gems to the body of the butterfly.

As always, the rest of the Crafty Boots Design Team have been working hard to inspire you, so why not pop over and take a look for yourself.

Good luck with your entry.

Dionne

White Letter K

Hi

It's Friday, the weekend is almost here and it is a hot sunny day in the UK.  Last night we had an amazing thunderstorm, right overhead and it went on for a good half an hour.  No one around here got a lot of sleep last night!

It occurred to me that I have not made one of favourite button covered letter for a while, so I got out my paint and glue.

I purchased an 8 inch MDF letter from Barry on ebay.  I gave it a coat of Gesso and, once that was dry, I painted it white using acrylic paint.

I also purchased a bag of mixed white buttons from ebay and used these to cover the painted letter.  Once everything was dry I cleaned any excess glue from the surface.  Finally, I added a few Petaloo Flora Doodle flowers.

It can get a little messy but these letters are so much fun to do.

Have a great weekend.

Dionne

Steampunk Notebook

Good morning.

I hope you had a good weekend, I had a great time yesterday, I spent the day locked away with my craft stash and lots of new goodies.

A new Challenge starts today at Crafty Boots Challenges, but this is not some ordinary challenge, this one is in celebration of Crafty Boots third birthday.  I remember the morning of that first challenge so vividly.  I sat nervously hunched over my laptop at 10am waiting to 'press' the publish button.  At that time I had no idea that you could schedule posts, in fact, I was hardly able to load the photos of my project.  I had been crafting for over 35 years yet I knew nothing about blogs, I am sure Stephanie-Emma had her fingers crossed behind her back when she convinced me I could do this - and to be honest with you, I have not really improved over the past three years.

To celebrate this anniversary Crafty Boots Challenges are revisiting the theme of that first Challenge and the theme for the next two weeks is 'Anything Goes'.  As part of the celebrations, Crafty Boots Challenges are offer guest design team spots to the winner and two runners up of this Challenge.

This Challenge was a great opportunity for me to open up all of those new packages and to start playing.  I wanted to make something a bit special for this challenge and I knew just the thing.  I recently bought two of the Sizzix layered Bigz dies, the ones with the texture fades embossing folders ... the bee and the dragonfly.  I have been itching to try them ever since I saw an amazing piece created by my good friend Lizette, AKA Mrs Beez.  Her fabulous steampunk project blew me away.

When the dies arrived I had been surprized by how large they are and, in order to use both on the same project I had to find a large enough surface, a A4 notebook seemed ideal.

I was so lucky, a local supermarket has been selling off some end of line notebooks at a very reduced price, perfect.  The notebooks already had thick covers but the plastic surface of the notebook was not suitable for painting on.  So, I covered it with a sheet of thick hammered card and painted that with bronze metallic acrylic paint.   To give the impression of rivets, I stuck some card candy around the edge and painted them with the bronze paint.  I stamped the card with an IndigoBlu Script stamp and their Tree-mendous stamp.

I then painted more sheets of card with different metallic acrylic paints, some of these I used to cut cogs and others I embossed.  I cut the insects out of soft drink cans.  I was not sure whether I would be able to emboss the cans but the actually took the embossing very well.

I used two cog dies sets, these were a Robert Addams set and a X Cut set.  I also used some very small metal watch parts to add to the cogs and to decorate the bee.  I decorated the dragonfly with flat backed gems.  Finally, I added black ink smudges.

I have had a lot of other ideas for how to use these dies and I hope to be back later in the week to show you how they turned out.

As always, the rest of the Crafty Boots Design Team have been working hard to inspire you, so why not pop over and take a look for yourself.

Good luck with your entry.

Dionne

I am entering this project in the following challenge:

Anything But a Card - Challenge No 39 Steampunktember.

Amy and Friends Cockayne Syndrome Support

Hi

Regular visitors to my blog will remember that last year my dear friend Lisette, AKA Mrs Beez, and I decided that all of our projects for a month would feature a butterfly to raise awareness of the charity Amy and Friends. (Amy and Friends supports children suffering from Cockayne Syndrome, and their families. The butterfly is the symbol they use to represent those whose lives have been cut short by this illness.) 

Today Madelaine Clay, sister of Knox, is going to ride the zip wire in Liverpool to raise money for Amy and Friends Cockayne Syndrome Support. It is not too late to make a small donation to this group, your donation could make a huge difference.

All you have to do is follow this link to justgiving.com to read Madelaine's story and to make an on-line donation. https://www.justgiving.com/Madelaine-Clay.

Thank you.

Dionne

Sweet 16

Hi

The theme of the challenge for the next two weeks is 'Sweet 16'.  This challenge was chosen by the lovely and very talented Sandra because today is her daughter's 16th birthday.   Congratulations.

For the next two weeks Sandra and the rest of the Design Team would like to see your projects for daughters everywhere, for your children, for teenagers - and the young at heart.  We want to celebrate each and every one of them.

I had so many ideas running around my head when I saw this Challenge, it took me ages to decide which way to go - and, as I look around my work space, I can see several projects I started for this Challenge and then abandoned.  I think may go back to some and finish them, so you may see them later in the week.

In the end I decided to use a Fairydoodler stamp, from Teddy Bo and Co, which I have had some time but had never used.

The stamp is called 'Short Prom Dress'.  I paper pieced the dress and coloured the hanger with Promarkers.  

The fabulous sandals are from Tattered Lace and the butterfly is a Memory Box die.  

I made the little flowers with a Martha Stuart punch and then I added a little distress ink to both them and the butterfly.  I placed a small gem brad in the centre of each.

The papers are from a new Craftwork Cards paper stack called Al Fresco.

Pop over to the Craft Boots Challenges website to see how others have interpreted this Challenge and don't forget to enter your own project whilst you are there?

Dionne