Bowled Over By Paper

      The Paper Funday's challenge this month is as usual Anything Goes, but the twist is to make something that is neither square nor rectangular. A 3D project seemed the way to go for me, so I broke out the Spellbinder die set Vintage Hexagon Bowl. There is a really good video tutorial on You Tube to walk you through assembly which I found very useful, especially when it came to the stitched edges.

    

      To start with I cut out all the panels using two 12x12 sheets of double sided thick paper. At this point I began to think about durability, after all the work I was going to put into this bowl I wanted it to last.

      To make my bowl stronger I used project acetate on both sides of each panel. As this acetate is thin I was able to cut two sheets at a time but the holes didn't punch out cleanly so I had to use my Crop-A-Dile. A bit tedious but well worth it and it did punch through four layers at a time.

     

     With the paper sandwiched between two sheets of acetate I started to crochet around the edge of each panel, it didn't take as long as I thought it would. I used a #20 crochet cotton on this one as that's what I had to hand, I would say if you are using a larger thread number you may need to make sure you have plenty. 

     Sadly I don't think the tutorial tells you just how much thread you will need as it may vary, just make sure it's a full ball or several matching skeins.

     To make up the bowl I set it out on the worktop and moved the side panels around until I was happy, then took a picture to refer to.

     Sewing up was very quick and easy as I had left long tales as advised in the tutorial

     This bowl came out around 4inches tall, 5inches at the bottom and 8inches at the top, perfect for sweets, pot pourri or as a small hamper.

     The Paper Funday is a papercraft challenge, not just cards, so please pop along and join us with your papercraft projects.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

A Place To Start - Anything Goes

Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes NO Cards

Crafting Happiness - #143 Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers - #256 Anything Goes     (Top 3)

A Tree For All Seasons

 

   The new Tree Of Life die set from John Next Door lends itself to much more than card making. I love making 3D projects and this was perfect to use with the Stepped Lantern for a seasonal terrarium.

     

     Using Kraft card I cut four trees and folded each one in half. The next step was to glue the trees together in pairs.

     While the trees were drying I cut the Stepped Lantern in acetate, with a black card base and assembled it.

     To get the tree to stand up and stay strong I added two thin strips of Kraft card to the bottom of the trunk before gluing the two sides together to form a complete tree.

    

     For Spring I die cut lots of pink flowers with one of the dies in the set, shaped them and glued them all over a quarter of the tree. I didn't add leaves as many trees flower before any leaves appear.

     The next section was Summer, a healthy covering of green leaves in several shades, all shaped and glue onto the branches.

     Using the same leaf die I cut lots of leaves in Autumn shades, shaped them and glue them onto the tree.

     For Winter I used some flock and a little Flowersoft, both in white. 

     I cut a base to go inside the lantern and made a slit in the centre. I passed the extra tabs on the bottom of the tree through the slit and glued them on the underside, I also added glue around the trunk on the right side of the base.

     Once the glue was dry and the tree was firm on it's base I inked, with green, the half that was under Spring and Summer. Using some flock and Flowersoft from my stash I decorated the 'ground', adding fallen leaves to Autumn and snow to Winter.

     When the tree and base were dry I gently slid them into the terrarium, gluing the 'ground' to the base. A little check on the tree to tidy up any stray decoration and make sure the inside of the acetate was clean before using a length of cord to seal the top.

     Die cut ivy was then used on the top to add some interest to the outside.

     It was a little fiddly in places but not as complicated as you might think, the main thing is to make sure the tree is standing firmly on it's base, you don't want it falling over once inside the terrarium.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

A Perfect Time To Craft - #3 Anything Goes

Classic Design - #3 Anything Goes

Daisy Chain - #61 Use Dies

Happy Little Stampers with Dies - Anything Goes with Dies

Love To Craft - #67 Anything Goes

The Four Seasons - Anything Goes Spring

Gem Of A Craft - #6 Anything Goes

Sunshine and Showers

 

     

      The theme at River Of Creativity this month is sunshine, this challenge blog is not just for mixed media and cards, it is for ANY craft. If you have made it and it fits our theme we would love to see it.

     Both of these card started with I-Zink pigment inks and some acetate. The ink was dropped onto one piece of acetate, then covered with another piece of acetate and squished together.

     Before the ink could dry the two pieces were pulled apart, this is what gave it the steaky patterns. It was then set aside to dry, which didn't take very long. I made several different sheets using other colours and put them in my stash box, after all if you're going to get all the products out you may as well turn it into a full creative session.

     The best way I have found to stick these panels down is to put the decorated acetate on to a sheet of double sided sticky film, then you get no glue marks because it's sticky all over.

     These acetate panels were die cut after the sticky was added, using Tonic nesting ovals. I also discovered it was best to stick down one end of the panel and gently peel off the backing, smoothing it down as I went. It helped keep it aligned and made sure I got no air bubbles under the acetate. If you do get an air bubble you can pierce the card from behind with a pin, just make sure you don't go all the way through the acetate aswell.

      For the rain man the acetate was stuck onto a sheet of white card, then decorated with Distress Ink and spritzed to get the rain drops. 

      For the sunshine lady I used a stencil and Distress Ink to create the rays of the sun before sticking down the acetate. The stencil wasn't quite large enough to cover the card completely so I inked the main part and then moved the stencil around to enlarge the area.

      A mixture of Scattered Straw and a dash of Fossilised Amber created the desired effect. For each card the character was going to need to be grounded, this was done by using a piece of torn paper and the same Distress Inks used for the backgrounds.

      The two characters are cut using metal rule dies, one Sizzix and one unknown. The rain man was cut in very dark blue and the lady was cut in a pearly dark brown, each image panel has been matted on the same card as the character.

      The sayings were found on line, typed out and printed off. I don't know who Rain Man's saying comes from but the Sunshine Lady is by Helen Keller. Both sayings were die cut oval to match the acetate panel and ink blended to match the backgrounds. Both characters and sayings are mounted on foam, sayings on 1mm thick and characters on 2mm thick.

      The two cards were made several months apart as it took me a while to find a suitable lady for the sunshine card. Now they're complete I rather like them as a set, they may just end up being framed and kept rather than gifted as cards, although each acetate panel has a double so maybe it's a good reason to make some more.

      Don't forget that River Of Creativity is a new challenge that accepts ALL forms of craft, as long as we can see how the theme has inspired you any project is welcome.

I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

Path To Positivity - #91 optional - change your environment (frame as pictures)

Use Your Stuff - #422 Use A Stencil

Crafty Calendar - Masculine

The Creative Crafters - #40 Anything Goes

Love To Craft - #58 Anything Goes

Let's Craft and Create - #171 Anything Goes + No Patterned Paper

Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes With Dies

Dies R Us - #169 Anything Goes using stock a die

A Bit More Time To Craft - #140 Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create - #5 Anything Goes / optional mood board

Izink Smooshed Heart

     Another technique using the Izink liquid pigment inks, I have used this before at Keep On Crafting, when the inks came in a dropper bottle. It's my favourite way to use them because they work so well on non porous surfaces.

     Using two pieces of heat resistant acetate I dropped inks on to one of them, then I put the other piece on top of the inks and smooshed them together, it's like making the ink blot pictures many of us made at school.

     If you work quickly you can smoosh the inks around to cover the whole surface, some may come out on your craft mat so mop it up with a spare piece of card, you can use this for another project.

     Once smooshed pull the two pieces of acetate apart, you will get some interesting patterns, every time you do this it comes out with a different look. Set them aside to dry, which doesn't take very long hence the need to work quickly when smooshing and separating.

    

     These inks can also be added to water to make a co-ordinating spray for your project, even the pearl ones work well, leaving a faint sheen to the droplets.

     The spray pattern will depend on the nozzle of your bottle and the height from which you spray. Mop up any overspray from your mat with the same piece of card, building up a rather nice background.....waste nothing.

     All these mop up pieces make really pretty die cut flowers and you make sure you get full value from your inks.

     For a mat layer I tried various shades of pink pen, card and ink pad, finally settling on a Distress Oxide. I cut the mat and coloured around the edge, no need to colour the middle as it will never be seen.

     What is the best way to glue acetate without it showing?...... For this I used a sheet of DS sticky film, laying the acetate, ink side down, onto the sheet slowly rolling it on to avoid air bubbles, then die cut the heart shape. With sticky all over it has an even cover and nothing appears to stand out.

     The heart was then stamped and embossed in gold. I did try this on an offcut of the acetate to see if the sticky was affected by the heat, it wasn't.

     All that remained was to assemble the layers and add the heart to the centre, again rolling the acetate shape onto the card to avoid air bubbles.

Materials used 

I-Zink Pigment Ink - Seth Apter - Improper Copper

I-Zink Pigment Ink - Seth Apter  - Raspberry Berry

I-Zink Pigment Ink - Orchid (pearlescent)

S57107 - A4 Double Sided Adhesive Tape Sheet - Stix2

S57262 - 3D PVA glue

S57217 - Heat Resistant Acetate A4

Distress Oxide Inkpad, White card, White card blank 6x6, heart shaped die (3.5")

Versamark Ink, Antistatic pad, Gold embossing Powder

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts - Love Is....

Inkspirational - Hearts

My Time To Craft - Love

Just Us Girls - #570 Valentine

Challenge Up Your Life - #132 Hearts

International Art & Soul - #101 Hearts

Small Lantern Winter Scene

      A few weeks ago I made a Winter scene using the Large Lantern die set by John Next Door, this time I've made one using the Small Lantern. The standard Small Lantern is about 3.5inches tall when assembled, making it perfect for hanging on the Christmas tree.

     

     This lantern is a little taller than 3.5" because it's been modified to hold an LED tea light in the base.

     I cut the main body in snowfall acetate and cut the bottom off. Then I cut two pieces in white card, both have the base but one has a slightly taller side than the other.

     Both base sections have a small hole cut in them, one for the candle flame to poke through and one for access to the switch on the candle.

     

     The acetate was stuck on the inside of the taller base section, then the lantern was assembled. You must use something like redline tape for this, it's the only thing strong enough to hold the construction together.

     The slightly shallower base has the candle stuck inside with the flame poking out, this section will be pushed down into the lantern once decorated.

     The little houses are a Sizzix die by Tim Holtz called Paper Houses, I used the smallest one and cut it down in height to suit.

     I made sure there were plenty of windows in these tiny houses for the light to shine out. The windows then had small pieces of vellum stuck on the inside to mute the glow and make sure you can't see he flame. There is also a small gap cut between the two adjoining houses for the light to pass through

     The rooves are not covered with snow for two reasons...one is I didn't want to mess it up and the second is their insulation is terrible so it's all melted!

     The houses and a tree were stuck onto the base, making sure the flame was inside the buildings, then it was covered with a thin layer of True Snow paste. 

     Once all this was dry and set hard I lowered the base into the lantern, this was sticky as it was a tight fit. I also had to make sure that I got the switch in the right place, over the hole in the bottom of the lantern.

     To finish off I threaded a thin red ribbon through the holes in the top and drew it all together, I left this ribbon long so it can be used to hang the lantern. A few die cut Aster leaves and some tiny pinecones finished off the top and a wide strip of patterned paper around the base completed the project.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Christmas Cards All Year 'Round - Not A Card

Die Cut Divas - Anything Goes

Allsorts - Christmas

Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks - #537 Christmas

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas     Top Pick

Crystal Forest

     This project was the first one I made with the new Jane's Tree die set from John Next Door, I loved the idea of having a 3D tree. I have used a few of his other die sets to make the complete project, all part numbers are listed below.

      Using a strong white card I cut two of Jane's Tree and two of each of the larger deer from Four Seasons, plus two base pieces from the Large Lantern die set.
      I cut down the centre of one tree to the middle and up the other tree to the middle, then I slotted them together. They were then stuck onto the completed base card, glued and covered with clear glitter.
      To make the deer stand up I stuck each pair together at the top and inserted an acetate bracket between their feet.
      There is also a small pine tree from Finlay's Trees and two sets of flowers from the Four Season's set, all of these have been left as plain card - no glitter.

       The Large Lantern is cut from snowfall acetate and assembled with redline tape. Once all the plants and animals were stuck to the card base I slid it inside the lantern, stuck it down and tied the top shut with a small length of string.
      To decorate the top and hide the string I made a big bow using wire edged silver ribbon and die cut some of Lesley's Twigs, a piece of ivy and a couple of Pinstripe Poinsettia.
      These were all stuck on with hot glue, the large flower at the front and the small one at the back.   

      To finish off around the outside I die cut some icicles in plain white card and stuck them upside down, all the way around the base to look like snow covered grass.
      I did toy with the idea of adding a small light in the top, but didn't have much time to puzzle over how to fit it or how to switch it on and off, so I'll have to try that on another one sometime.
      I think this would make a nice table centre, if you have inquisitive little fingers around it's quite safe as it's all inside the acetate case and if it is dropped it won't shatter.
      Jane's Tree die set, plus a few others, will be on Hochanda on Sunday, so keep a look out for the Crystal Forest.

Materials List
JND195 - Jane's Tree die set  : centre tree
JNDCC019 - Large Lantern
JND190 - Pinstripe Pionsettia Die
JNDCC017 - Poinsettia Die (solid shape)
JND187 Twig die set
JND124 Ivy Corner die
JND196 Finleys Trees : small tree 
JND194 - Four Seasons : deer & shrubs
CTGFP-10 Monochrome Glitter Card : white
CAT002 - Glue Glaze pen
S57085 - Ultra Clear Tape : Redline tape
S57262 - 3D PVA Glue

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Merry Little Christmas - Anything Christmas

As You Like It - Favourite way to add ribbon & why.....a bow to hide something
Crimbo Crackers - Anything Christmas #214
The Holly & Ivy - Anything Christmas     Top 5
Classic Design - Anything Goes
Worldwide Open Design Team - Anything Goes for a DT  (Lockwood Angel)

I-Zink Birthday Flowers

      The base for this special birthday card was all things I-Zink, well almost all things, with a splash of John Nextdoor. You will find a product list at the end of this post including which colours were used.

   

      The leaves were made using pigment droppers on acetate. You need two pieces of acetate, drop the ink on one piece, then cover with the other piece and squish the colour between them, this is best done a sheet of paper towel as there may be some leakage along the sides. Pull the two pieces of acetate apart before the ink dries, this will give you two coloured sheets of acetate.

   

     Once completely dry place the acetate on some double sided sticky sheet ready for die cutting. There are many ways of attaching acetate but I have found this to be the best way for me, as the adhesive is all over the acetate there are no visible marks once it's stuck down.
      For this card I die cut one large, one medium and three small leaves from this A6 sheet.

       For the flowers I used the Gerbera stamp and die set. I chose to colour the flowers before cutting them so that I wouldn't accidentally pull a petal off. Each flower is made up of three layers, all petals shaped before assembly.
      The little embellishments in the centre came from my random stash box so I can't tell you where they came from but they were the perfect colour.
      The Gerbera set produces six flowers each use so I made them all up, the ones that may not be used on the card would join the flower stash box for future use.

       I lay the flowers on the cut to size white card topper and moved things around until happy with the arrangement, then it was time to peel of the backing on the two larger leaves and stick them in place. At this point I took a picture so I would remember what went where.
      I took the flowers off and set them aside. Using a stencil and some I-Zink texture paste I put a butterfly on the largest leaf, while still wet I sprinkled it with a mix of teal and iridescent glitter and set it aside to dry.

   
     Once the paste was dry I put two mat layers on the topper card, one in teal to match the butterfly and the other in dark brown to match the flower centres, then I stuck it onto a 6.75 inch white card blank. This was all done now so that the flowers didn't get squashed.
     I needed to add a greeting but I wanted it to look like a plant label tucked in the posy. I have some wooden cutlery picked up on a recent outing, the handle of the fork was just the right size. The greeting is stamped in dark brown and the prongs cut off, to be kept for future use.
   

   

      The flowers were laid back on the card, using the picture as guidance, to work out where to put the label. I then removed the flowers and drew round the end of the label so I knew where to stick it. Once firmly in place I added the flowers and stuck them down, the last little leaf was tucked into place at the end. I have kept the number of leaves and flowers odd as I think it looks a little more natural.

      What do you do with a left over flower and a couple of leaves? Make a matching tag!
      Using a white tag I ran around the edge with a little foil in teal and dark brown and stuck the flower and one leaf on the bottom.
      A teal greeting cut from the same card as the mat layer made sure it all co-ordinates.
      The I-Zink droppers can be added to water to make a coloured spray, perfect for dyeing cotton ribbon, again keeping the colours the same.
      A special card and matching tag for a special birthday.

Materials used 
I-Zink pigment droppers - Cactus, Volubilis & Mango
I-Zink texture paste - Jasmine
I-Zink dye ink pads - Aurore, Miel & Cire
John Nextdoor stamp set - JND5001 Gerbera
John Nextdoor die set - JNDGD010 Gerbera

      I didn't mean to publish this today, it was one of my application projects for John Next Door's Angels. It was around this time last year that I began working on my first Hochanda release for the Angels, I'm happy to say I'm still with them and still loving every minute of it.

Light Bulb Glow Bug

     Lockdown has proved to be inspirational, having time to look at some amazing projects on blogger and Pinterest has sparked a few ideas. This is based on a project I saw that was crafted in glass and metal, again skills and tools beyond my capabilities. The challenge?.....to use what I have in my stash to make something similar and then post it for Not Just Cards as my DT project.

     The centre piece is the lamp, this came from Poundland some months ago, it has a short string of LED lights inside, battery operated, and a nylon string to hang it up.
      I have in my stash some jewellery wire of differing gauges, I found two of similar colours and set about making some legs. I did try wrapping the wire around the screw part of the bulb but it looked chunky and untidy, so I made three pairs of legs and wire wrapped them together, leaving a length of fine wire to wrap around the screw.
     The screw part of the lamp comes off so you can change the tiny batteries, this meant I had to attach all limbs, etc. to the screw only.

     For the wings I die cut some foiled acetate, this was quite thick so the open work in the wings did not cut out but it did emboss rather well. I cut two sets of wings and coloured them with a little alcohol ink in colours to go with the legs. I also used an embossing ball tool to give a little dimension to the wings before sticking both sets together in the middle.
     Assembly began with the legs hot glued to the screw, once the glue set I used the long wire to twist around the screw for added security, the wings were then stuck on with hot glue.

     It's larger and a little more crude in it's construction than the gorgeous ones I saw on Pinterest but I am very happy with it. If I manage to find any more lamps then I shall make him some friends, maybe with different coloured bodies. He looks good in daylight but so much better at night all lit up.
     Please pop over to Not Just Cards to see all the DT inspiration, come and join us with your projects, we'd love to see what you've been making.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Creative Crafting Uncles - Anything But A Card    (top 3)

Moving Along With The Times - Things With Wings

World Wide Open Design Team - Anything Goes

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything Goes with A Critter   (top 6)

A Bit More Time To Craft - Anything Goes

A Perfect Time To Craft - Anything Goes   (winner)

Classic Design - Anything Goes

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

     This month's challenge at Christmas Craft Creations is Christmas Trees, so come and join us with your seasonal makes if it's got a Christmas tree on it.

     Using a tree shaped die I cut a window in my card blank, I had used a square card and it looked a bit 'roomy' at the top, so I chopped it down to be tree shaped too.
     The window made the front a little flimsy so I added acetate to strengthen it. I was going to put the greeting tree inside but it didn't look very good, so I decided to stick it to the acetate on the outside. This meant I needed a contrast colour behind it to make it stand out, so for the cream card I cut a green tree and the white card a patterned blue paper.
     The outside edges of the card were quite bare so I used a 2in1 glue pen and added foil all the way around. Making two at the same time, but in different colours, was a good way to build up my card stash so when we get to November I can start making decorations instead of cards.

I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

CraftyHazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas