Opus Gluei Challenge #140 A little Sketchy

This fortnight Kristen has challenged us all to use a sketch, which is not something I do very often and my interpretations are usually very literal but not this time.
No, this time I paid the price of not thinking this through.
Hmm.

Sooo once I realised just how difficult it is to get 3 separate square nestie die cuts to line up accurately; lots of maths and measuring....and  I thought WTF crafting is my hobby it's supposed to be fun. I had a rethink and decided that Wonky is fun and hip and cool and wicked and... but to make it look properly wonky I started again and used my Wonky Rectangles nesties.

I also went back to the Retro Sketches challenge site and had a look again and there is a PTI die that is three squares in a row, so that makes it easier, but there is no way I'm paying PTI prices and P&P, are you having a laugh mate?! I think not.
But 100 hundred intrepid card makers have done the calculations for the 3 in a row.
Kudos to them :-)

I spent ages cutting the apertures and then I forgot to mount the frame using dimension foam so you can't tell the wonky rectangles are apertures AND I also forgot the Butterfly element as I was FAR too busy fussing about the 3 in a row thing.
Grr so let that be a lesson for us all to not sweat the small stuff or it'll all go pear shaped!

To make up for the missing butterfly element I added card candy in the bottom left corner as I couldn't think of anything that would work with the rest of the card, without it looking like a botch job, which is exactly what this card is but hey I can hide that if I put some more card candy in the top left corner to balance it maybe a bit better- but now I think it is illegal because I've deviated from the sketch too much!
Who knew card making could be this exciting?

But aren't the Octopode flowers cute?
It's the smallest flower in the rubber stamp range stamped onto some Basic Grey Sweet Threads designer paper.

Happy creating with sketches!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge # 139 See you in September

This fortnight the lovely Deena is asking for a school themed project.

Both my sons cycle to school and one of them cycles past a wood with ponds in it, and this is what he sees when he looks around.
Click on it to make it bigger.

It's a 12 x 16 inch canvas and the stamps are Octopode rubber stamps, aren't they great characters?
I like to paper piece so I prefer to buy rubber stamps but Octopode have a huge range of digi stamps that are all fabulous.
Here's a link to the digi stamps Octopode Factory.
I bought the rubber stamps direct from the owner Lily through her blog FrillyUnderwear.

The owl on the right is in an unusual pose. Then I realised it's because something is poking him in the ear.

 Don't these little birds look dapper in hats?

I had to draw this little bird a worm to hold as she has that look of frenzied excitement mixed with obsession that only finding a juicy worm gives you (if you are a bird that is, not me personally..or you).
She's thinking "Mine, mine, MINE!"

What better than a swim on a hot day.

Now these flamingo's have a very smug look about them and are thinking "Aren't I just the dog's bollocks?"
(Which is slang for exceeding handsome and lucky or the best over here in England.)

I got mirror images of the flamingo and the duck by stamping onto a sheet of plain rubber and pressing a piece of card onto the plain rubber. I think the technique is called reverse stamping.

I'm also entering this canvas in the Octopode Challenge "How does your garden grow?"

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #138. The Rock Diet.

Ever found yourself caught between a rock and a hard place?
When was the last time you tried the latest crazy diet that didn't work?
Well Two Barrettes definitely wishes she read the small print because she really wasn't expecting this on day 4 of her new diet.

Click on her rocks to make them bigger (snigger).

The Opus Gluei Challenge this fortnight is called "Me and my camera" and you are to use a photo in your project.
The challenge was set by the lovely Electra who makes absolutely gorgeous digital and hand papercrafted Scrap Book Pages and mixed media art.

Well I can tell you that this challenge nearly made me give up the glue. Boo Hoo.
I never use photo's or do scrap booking, it does not appeal to me at all to make it myself, and I tried all week to come up with something scrapbooky with a photo I took of a pebble sculpture years ago in Ilfracoombe harbour.
But I could not manage anything AT ALL.

In the end I gave up and cut out the pebble sculpture and made a person out of it, so I have used part of a photo I took after all - hooray!
The arms didn't look very arm like, so a made a handbag to try and give you a clue that hey, these really are arms, honest.
Hmm.

Happy Creating with Bournville Old Jamaica Rum and Raisin dark chocolate, my favourite yum! So much nicer than rocks...
Gini
xx

In the Pink Challenge #1. Anything Goes

A new fortnightly challenge blog has started called In The Pink that is co hosted by a dear friend Sylvia .
The themes of the challenges will change fortnightly but the projects are always to be predominantly pink in colour.
I'm sure the blog will be a big success for Christine whose idea it is and she is the creator of the blog and Sylvia.

I recently bought myself some Octopode rubber stamps and this card uses one of the chicks. Isn't she adorable???
I love circles so came up with this layout that I'm really pleased with.
The papers are Bo Bunny double dot and the Spellbinders Edgebilities die is the Classic Bracket one.
Click on it to make it bigger.

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Little knitted Dresses

Opus Gluei Challenge #137. Red Hot. 

Oh My Goodness haven't the Olympic Games in London been spectacular and completely RED HOT with absolutely amazing daily athletic feats.
I'm so proud to be British right now because the British crowds in London and at every other Olympic venue around England supported every single athlete competing through all their triumphs and tears, I'm still totally fizzing with it all!

I loved it all but I adore adore ADORE the team synchronized swimming event the best, Britain swam a wonderful Peter Pan but the Spanish team totally blew me away with their fabulous Ocean routine, their dazzling mirrored silver costumes were spectacular in the water and made their performance truly breath taking.

Oh my, the shiny shiny costumes of the swimmers are incredible in their own right and are only beaten by the rhythmic gymnastic costumes which are even more sumptuous!
Here is a link to some fab photos of the swimming costumes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2186619/London-2012-Synchronised-swimmers-bring-beauty-pool-compete-Olympic-title.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

So as I sat and watched the athletics I knitted little dresses suitable for cards and mixed media which I admit are woefully poor as a tribute to the amazing and marvellous costumes of those two Olympic Events but anyway here is my red hot shiny dress in celebration.
It's 3 1/4 inches tall and I've plans for a canvas celebrating the games but can't decide yet how big to do it and how many dresses to use.

The knitting pattern I created can be knitted easily in any needle sizes ranging from
UK 3 3/4mm to UK 5mm using double knitting weight yarn.
Fancy yarns work just as well in this needle size range.
If you are using fancy yarn remember to keep your tension loose.
Dress lengths vary from 2 inches to 3+ inches depending on needle size.
They take about 10 minutes to knit.

Here are a couple of examples of sizes using double knitting yarn, click on the photo to enlarge it.

The Knitting Pattern is for personal use only and commercial use is not allowed.

Little Knitted Dress Pattern using garter stitch.

Cast on 12 sts.
Knit 5 rows in garter stitch.
K2tog at each end of next row (leaves 10 sts)
Knit 1 row
K2tog at each end of next row (leaves 8 sts)
Knit 1 row
K2tog at each end of next row (leaves 6 sts)
Knit 4 rows
Cast on 5 sts and knit to end
Cast on 5 sts and knit to end
Knit 1 row
K5, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K5
Knit 1 row
Cast off.



Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #136. Seasons

This fortnight the lovely Rosemary has set the challenge at Opus Gluei which is to make a seasonal project. 
 I love Rosemary's challenges and this one is particularly flexible as it doesn't matter what season or what art form. 
 So it could be the Christmas cards you've been making throughout the year , Halloween pumpkins, the quilted Thanksgiving table runner, springtime flower displays, summer wreaths, scrapbook layouts, presents for the holidays - whatever you've been busy making.  

I chose to make an Autumn Card that doesn't look traditionally like an Autumn card (which to my mind would be with leaves or trees as the main focus and using reds, browns, yellows and green) but something that still was recognizably Autumy.
I think I managed to do it.
Click on it to make it bigger. 
Sorry it's a bit of a dodgy photo.

The birds are a Crafty Individual stamp set on ivory pearl card layered onto paneled kraft card that was embossed with a Tim Holtz embossing folder and then I rubbed bronze acrylic paint over the sun's rays with my trusty finger.
The leaves are a Hampton Art stamp set. The die cuts are Spellbinders.


Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #135. Where'd you get your suntan?

This fortnight's challenge is mine and it's to make a project based on anywhere you could get a suntan.
I thought we could think about traditional sun holiday destinations or your back garden/yard, on top of the Eiffel Tower, sitting in a canoe, anything really that you can make a story up to explain how you are getting a suntan so it fits the challenge, you know how I love a tall story.
For example, the mermaid whose dream was to get a suntan and how she managed to fulfill that dream. How did she do that? Was Sponge Bob Square Pants or the police involved? Maybe her fairy Grandmother came to her aid? How did she stop her scales from drying out?

I am over here in very soggy England, we have had rain, rain and more rain for what feels like a very long time but if it would just stop raining for a few days I might be able to get a suntan in my back garden.
If I was to lie on tinfoil out in my garden right now you would here the rain drumming on the tinfoil fortissimo style (the music term for very loud which I looked up on Wikipedia, gotta love that website and all the wonderful people who have contributed to it).

I need a raincoat and some fake tan...

So here is our house in the middle of our street.
 I loved that Madness song from 1982, yes, it really was that long ago!
You can see them in action over here on youtube if you fancy a bit of nostalgia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwIe_sjKeAY
Pssst turn it up very loud ;-)

Click on it to make it bigger.
I used a 5x7" canvas that I painted with acrylics to make the background in nice bright colours. I put a coat of Decoart Ice Crystal glamour dust paint over the top. This gives a wonderful subtle sparkly sheen to it.
I die cut some white clouds on textured white card using Memory Box dies.
I used book pages from the wonderful Author Louise Rennison book "It's OK I'm wearing really big knickers!"
 If you love colloquial English then you will love Louise's writing style plus she is very funny.
I used a retired set of Chocolate Baroque stamps called Retro Florals and the brights range of Ranger Adirondack Dye inks to stamp with.
The birds are Inkylicious.
I used scraps of designer papers for the windows and doors and the die cut fence panels are by Go Create.


Happy creating!
Gini
xx