Well I have now got my new computer up and running and can at last play with Craft Artist 2.

 

Here are a few of my first attempts.   First ones are Christmas Cards:

 

 

 

and these two were playing about!

 

 

 

 

 

You may recall that I shared my first attempts at fusion embroidery a short while back.  Well it is a special craft friend's birthday today, and I wanted something a bit different for her card.  So I decided to part with my much treasured first attempt/"masterpiece?"  and personalise it for her.  (If I had one of those fancy sewing machines I would have embroidered the writing etc, - looks like I will have to work on IMindoors - she says with a big grin on her face!)

 

Hope you had a good birthday Tess x

 

 

 

Mags

All The Blues

Blue Shell ensemble

 

This is a set I made using blue pearl shell beads.  As you can see the blue changes when the light catches it.

 

My original design involved putting the little pearlised beads onto eye pins, which was a tad fiddly.  So I decided to put them on a pin along with the blue shell bead (Note: I couldn't get any long eye pins - but managed to get some 7.5 headpins - so I chopped of the "head" and made my own eyepins.)

 

I used some fancy head pins for the earrings.  The bracelet is made on memory wire, but with a fastener added.

 

I also made these two bracelets in a blue theme.

Blue Bracelets

Purple Agate

Purple Agate

These stones were bought as a possible alternative for a request for a blue necklace - but as you will have seen in an earlier post I managed to get some beautiful blue ones eventually. 

Fortunately I recently treated myself to a lovely purple jumper - so just had to make up these purple agate stones into a necklace for me!

Black and White

 

 

I have been having a little mini jewellery making fest this week.  Here is shambala style bracelet made with hematite beads, and the diamante square feature bead I bought on saturday.  Think I need to order some more!  Looks a bit classy on!

Anniversary Card

I created this for my daughter's wedding anniversary - one of the first projects I made using CAP2 - you will have seen a couple of days ago that I did a variation of this afterwards for some close friends whse anniversary was the day before that of my daughter and her husband.

Blue Agate Necklace and Burgundy and white bracelet

Blue Agate Necklace

Burgundy and White Bracelet

 

I was lucky enough to go to the Big Bead Show at Sandown yesterday with my daughter and granddaughter.   We love this show, which occurs twice a year.  Sandown is a great venue.  It is so lovely to be able to view beads, stones, etc in "the flesh" so to speak and to touch them!   You just can't get the same impression of what they are like from a picture on the net.

 

I had been searching for blue stones for a necklace for a birthday gift, and at first I couldn't find what I was looking for, but a second "sweep" of the stalls, and I came across these absolutely scrumptious ones.

 

I also found a stall that was selling shamballa style beads at a very reasonable price, and they also had some square beads, which were a little more expensive, but the sample bracelets looked fab, so I treated myself to a couple - the burgundy one above, and also a white diamante one, which I think I am going to do that as a feature bead with black haematite beads.  Mind you a pal did say they would look good threaded on ribbon as a choker necklace! decisions, decisions!

 

I made this bracelet to go with the burgundy banded agate necklace I made the other week.

 

They also had square beads that had a hole at the corner so when they were threaded on the cord, the were "diamond" shaped, if you get my drift.

 

Mind you got slightly "miffed" with my granddaughter, just as we were ready to come home,  she saw some alphabet beads she needed (she had got down to the letters you rarely use).  She had run out of her own cash, and her mum had also run out of ready cash - so as the beads were 20% off, good old Nanny treated her!  No problem there so why was I miffed - she went and paid and got given a "freebie" of a kit of beads!  Blonde hair, and blue eyes reign again!  I suggested that they should be mine - or at least share - she refused!  dratted child!  I love her really, and hopefully she will bring them round to make stuff at my house!  :-)

"C" Cards

Well I have made a start!  I have to confess that after a slightly slow start, I did speed up a little yesterday!  As you know I only do simple! and work on the less is more theme!

Made usiang new Memory Box dies

 

 

Images from Inklined The Next Big Thing - coloured with Promarkers

Yesterday, I decided I would try to be good this year and use up a lot of my stash - the time has come to stop stroking and use it!  So these are all made with various toppers from Docrafts Goodybags, with a little ribbon or ribbon papers from my stash.   Although I did get the cuttlebug embossing folders out to make the squares with the help of a Nellie die.  ( I also had quite a few cards and envelopes in the stash - so they got used, particularly the Christmas themed ones.

 

 

 

 

Right - as I said have made a start - only another 100 to go!

 

 

Anniversary Card

 

 

Made this for some good friends 49th Anniversary, using Craft Artist Platinum.   This is the layout I created in the programme (the finished card is on my other computer - duh!).

 

This is actually the second card I made using a similar layout - can't show the other one until Saturday!

Upcycled Flower Pot

 

I needed to repot a couple of small christmas cactus.  I raided the spare pots in the greenhouse and found a plastic one of right size, which I washed and proceeded to give a makeover.  I added some texturing medium to my chosen colour of acrylic paint, to ensure that the paint adhered better.  Although it was sunny, I speeded up the drying process with my heat gun, and then gave it another coat of just acrylic paint, again drying speeded up with the help of my heat gun!  (I did cheat slightly and only painted the top of the inside - as the lower parts were going to be covered by soil!)

 

I then paint leaves randomly all over it, and then added some roses.  A couple of hours later I was able to pot up the cactus ......

 

potted up

 

.... and finally the cactus in situ in lounge, in their hanging "basket/dish"  - that looks better than the two little red plastic pots perched in the dish! 

 

In situ

 



Thanks for popping by - hope it has given people some inspiration!

 

Mags

Damson Agate

Yummy!

 

I fell in love with these stones at a recent Craft Show at Sandown.  I am saying stones rather than beads!  They are Damson banded agate and are absolutely gorgeous to touch!  I wasn't even looking for things for me - but I was wearing my damson jeans at the time, and they just said buy me!

 

Finally got around last night to making a necklace with them.  I have photographed them on my patio table, as that is exactly the same colour as my jeans - as you can see perfick match!

 

Also bought these purple twisted oval agate beads.  I was actually wanting some blue stones,to make a necklace for one of my great nieces for her birthday as she had admired the black banded agate one that I made for myself.  However the stall had sold out! - so bought these on the off chance she might like them.   (I shall have another look on Saturday for blue stones as am going to the Big Bead Show at Sandown.  I already have a long list as have a number of shamballa style bracelet requests - so that will sort out some more Christmas presents).

 

purple twisted agate stones

Jump Jet card

Cap2 image

 

 

I have at last got my new computer up and running , so am able to play with my new Craft Artist 2 programme.  I had a couple of little plays and then decided that I would try and make a birthday card using the programme, and this is what I came up with.

 

I don't have a lot of digikits, so a case of using what I had.  Imported a blue back ground, and some green shaded material, which I cut with scissors tool and stretch to act like hills - think the shading on the material has worked well (quite be chance of course).   I then imported a jpeg of the Harrier from Justinklined The Next Big Thing and used cut out studio, and then just copied and pasted and resized them.

 

From the digi kits I used the tree and pasted it in various sizes and the same with the grass bits.

 

I used the effects buttons to create the shadows of the trees and the aircraft.  (shame the shadows of the trees don't match up exactly, but they were best I could do with the effects available.)  I also played with some other effects on the aircraft, but just ended up with a slightly shadow around them.

 

To create the birds - I put the green colour swatch in blank space on the screen, punched out a bird, recoloured it and reduced size and paste a couple of more.

 

Finally with the predefined shapes I created the plaque, coloured it and just added some embossing and shadow effects, and the sentiment.

 

Printed the image, edged it with a promarker (probably could have put a frame round it in CAP2 in hindsight!) mounted on silver mirri and then on pearlised card stock.   I also cropped a section of the picture (the main harrier) and used it on the back of the card.

 

Finished Card

 

 

 

Thanks for looking.

 

 

Mags

Altered Art Pot

 

 

 

I decided to have a little play.  I wonder if anybody can guess what it started life as?

 

 

 

Well it was a cardboard "wrapper" for a pot of hyacinths, which I saved with a view to doing some paint fusion on, but instead I tried out some altered art.

 

I covered the pot with DecoArt modelling paste and made patterns with a serrated plastic knife, and added some little wooden embellishments.

 

I then painted it with various metallic paints to try and get an antiqued bronze look

 

 I glazed it with metallic glaze, the light is making the glaze look a little white, but it hadn't finished drying when these pictures were taken

 

 I took another photo today, and the glaze has dried less white - definitely looks more metallic now.

 

Chocolates

 

Another image from Justinklined The Next Big Thing, coloured with promarkers.  Chocolates have been glazed, and the ribbon glazed and glittered.  The image is mounted on pearlised cardstock, and the same card was used for the memory box die, and the base card is pearlised red card.  I also coloured the peel-off greeting to match with my promarkers.

 

(I also kept the strip of card with the negative of the die, as I thought it would make a good card edge for anothe card.)

Mini card

 

 

Card for 19 year old great nephew.  Not sure what car he drives, but thought a mini would be fairly safe option.  He has been moaning about his car recently, so hope this image brings a smile to his face!

 

Image and backing paper are from Justinklined The Next Big Thing.  I added a touch of sakura sparkle to the chrome and lights on the image.



Two sizes of crystals and black shamballa cord

Children's Bracelets

 

 

Three little bracelets made with pink, blue and white fine shamballa cord and 5mm silver spacer beads.