Art Chain - Day 2

If you popped by yesterday you would have seen that my dear friend, Gabrielle Price, has challenged me to join in an art chain.  I really cannot tell you how excited I am about this.  For the next five days I have to share 3 pieces of my past work and to challenge someone else each day to do the same.

It is a great opportunity to dig out some of my favourite things from the past and have another look at them.  There is very little on my blog which I am not reasonably pleased with.  Not because I never make anything I don't like, far from it, just that those pieces end up in the bin and not on my blog.  However, it is very interesting to see how much my style and the fashions have changed over the past four years, which is when I started to photograph my work.

My favorite pieces will change from day to day but the following are among those which gave the greatest satisfaction when I first made them.

This counted cross stitch from 2011 took a long time to make but it has always been one of my favourite pieces.  It is a Butternut Road pattern by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum entitled "Earthdancer".  It is full of tiny beads as well as fine strips of suede and even a little bit of angora wool.

I very recently dabbled with a little bit of steampunk, giving it my own style.  Because I used two of the Sizzix layered Bigz dies (the ones with the texture fades embossing folders), the bee and the dragonfly, I needed a fairly large notebook to work on.

This card is from 2012 and features the Saturated Canary image Witchkeys, a firm favorite of mine and pure joy to colour.  I have done it in more traditional colours but this time I gave it a modern twist.

This is actually a Facebook challenge and therefore I can only nominate someone I am friends with on Facebook.  Today I challenge Zoe Young Kirkby - one of my longest Crafty Boots buddies and an amazing colourist.  If you get the opportunity you really should see for yourself.  I hope she is able to accept my nomination and share 3 pieces of her past work for 5 consecutive days.

Dionne

Art Chain - Day 1

I am very excited because my good friend and old teamie, Gabrielle  Price, has challenged me to join in an art chain.  This is such a thrill because I never really think of myself as an artist, more of a Jack of all trades, so I am hoping that the Challenge is for crafters as well as the more artistic in our midst.

For the next five days I have to share 3 pieces of my work from the past and then challenge someone else each day to do the same.

It seems to me that this is a great opportunity to dig out some of my favourite things from the past and have another look at them.  The big problems will be to narrow it down to just 15 things.  As this is day one, I thought I would share some personal firsts with you.

I started my blog in 2011 and the only reason I did this was because I had been invited to join the Crafty Boots Challenges Design Team and having a blog was one of the criteria for being on the team.  I did not have a clue and Stephanie-Emma had to help me set up the blog and show me how to write a post.  This is the first project we put on my blog, it was 1 August.

It featured the 'Be Neighbourly' stamp set by Polka Doodles, which I had I coloured with Promarkers.

It seems only right that I should also mention the first project I posted as a Member of the Crafty Boots Challenges Design Team.  Not a card this time but a fabric covered box.

I make these boxes by cutting mount board to the desired size and covering it with a lining fabric, I then hand stitch the seams together before adding the padding and finally stitching the outer fabric in place.  The Petaloo flowers and pearls were added last.

I very rarely enter other challenges, there never seems to be the time, so my final first today is the first time I actually won something.

It was in 2012 for this card featuring a Sugar Nellie, Home Grown stamp from their Sherbet Pip range, this one is called Posy Pip.

This is actually a Facebook challenge and therefore I can only nominate someone I am friends with on Facebook.  I nominate Lisette Baker - someone who I have come to admire in so many ways.  I am not sure if there is one phrase to sum up her style, I suppose the nearest would be mixed media but is much more than that.  If you get the opportunity you really should see for yourself.  I hope she will accept my nomination and share 3 pieces of her work for 5 consecutive days.

Dionne

Thinking of You

It's time for the mid challenge reminder over at Crafty Boots Challenges - the current Challenge is 'Butterflies'.

I have found that it is a good idea to keep a small stack of some types of cards in a box for those unexpected occasions.  A couple of simple 'open' cards come into that category.  I recently used a similar card to this and wanted to make a replacement.

I stamped IndigoBlu's Tree-mendous stamp onto white linen effect card.  I mounted it on some purple card and some white pearlescent card.  I then punched some small butterflies out of the the purple card using a Martha Stuart punch. I left the inside of the card blank so I can add my own message.

The butterfly is the symbol of Amy and Friends, the charity that supports those suffering from Cockayne Syndrome and their families. (You can find out more here.)  My dear friend Mrs Beez is trying to raise awareness of this charity and she is asking everyone who makes a butterfly project to mention Amy and Friends in their blog post.

Don't forgot to take a look at the gorgeous projects created by my very talented Crafty Boots team mates.

Dionne

A Few of my Favourite Things

Flowers, bunting and butterflies are just a few of my favourite embellishments when I am making birthday cards.  You will find them occurring again and again in my card making, especially butterflies.  I wonder how many butterflies there have been over the years?

The current theme at Crafty Boots Challenges is butterflies and I have gone a little OTT with the card.

I paper pieced the dress and coloured the hanger with Promarkers.  This Fairydoodler stamp is from Teddy Bo and Co stamp, it is called 'Short Prom Dress',   I used a variety of butterfly punches and dies including my favourite Memory Box die.  The backing paper is from a 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

Butterflies

Hi

A new Challenge starts at Crafty Boots Challenges today and the theme was chosen by my good friend and team mate Lisette. 

Over the last two years or so I have tried to help Lisette, who many of you will know as Mrs Beez, to raise awareness of the work of the charity Amy and Friends.  Amy and Friends supports children suffering from Cockayne Syndrome. This charity uses a butterfly symbolize those whose lives have been cut short by this illness. 

Mrs Beez has chosen the butterfly for this Challenge as she also hopes to continue to raise awareness of the disease and the work of Amy and Friends through her blog. So please visit her blog and find out more about this important charity.

We are almost 3 weeks into the new year and I thought that it was high time I got my Thank You cards in the post.  I find some of my card ideas on Pinterest and recently there have been several variations on this theme and I thought this would make a lovely thank you card.

I cut some white card to the size I wanted and folded it in two to make a card.  I then cut some navy blue card slightly smaller to the size of my card.

I used one edge of a Spellbinder die to shape the bottom of the navy card.  Next I used one of my Memory Box butterfly dies to cut a butterfly shaped hole in the navy card, however, this would have made a rather plain card, so I returned the punched out butterfly to the hole.  I stamped 'thank you' in white just under the butterfly and wrapped some white ribbon around the navy card before attaching it to the white card.

I repeated this eleven more times to make enough cards.  In a few minutes I shall sit and write my thank you notes and get them into the post.

The very gorgeous Stephanie-Emma was much quicker than me in sending her thank you cards this year, just look at the fabulous postcard I received from her the other day.

The rest of the Crafty Boots Design Team have made some really amazing projects, please pop over and take a look.

Don't forget to enter your own butterfly projects.

Good luck.

Dionne

Anniversary Card in a Box

It's time for the mid challenge reminder over at Crafty Boots Challenges. The current Challenge is 'Out with the Old and In with the New'. 

It is a great opportunity to use something you got for Christmas, or something you have gifted yourself in the sales, or perhaps something you have had for a while but never used before. It could even be a new technique you have never tried before. You may like to team it up with some of the old stuff from your stash or you could go for something totally new, it is really up to you.

I have made one or two cards in a box before but I thought that it would make life a little easier if I bought a pack of plain boxes.  I ordered a pack from C&C but it was not until they arrived just before Christmas that I realised they came with papers and embellishments.

I used the papers to make this card but, as the embellishments were not suitable for a wedding anniversary card, I used stuff from my stash.

I took my theme for the embellishments from the papers - flowers, hearts and buttons.

Don't forgot to take a look at the gorgeous projects created by my very talented Crafty Boots team mates.

Dionne

Out with the Old and In with the New

Happy New Year!

Did you celebrate the end of the old year and the commencement of a new one?  I like to see in the New Year in style but most of the people I know prefer an early night.  I guess they have worn themselves out celebrating Christmas or perhaps it is our age.

Today sees the start of the first Crafty Boots Challenge of the year.  The topic was chosen by my good friend and team mate Lisette.  Her challenge to all of us is to use something new.  This could be something you got for Christmas or perhaps something you have had for a while but never used before.  It could even be a new technique you have never tried before, it is really up to you.

This was one of those occasions when I kept changing my mind about my project, I was lucky enough to be given some very nice craft related presents for Christmas, but I wanted to save them for another occasion, then I remembered that I had visited our local craft shop just before Christmas and had not had the chance to use all of my purchases.

The new elements I used for this card were this fabulous Gorjuss Girl stamp, the Santoro lace and even the trimmer I used was new.  I have had the papers in my stash for a while but I do not think I have used them before.  The embellishments are old favourites, the Marianne Creatables butterfly die and the Cheery Lynn flourish die I have used many times and the sentiment is from a Craftwork Cards set and I have had my Tim Holtz Idea-ology tickets some time.  

(I went back to the card and added some yellow rose buds to the flourish, the card originally looked like this.)

The rest of the Crafty Boots Design Team have made some really amazing projects, please pop over and take a look.

Don't forget to enter your own projects.

Good luck.

Dionne