Birthday Card

Experimenting with some a tonic die set and some pearlised card, and nuvo drops.

A Family Heirloom

I set myself a challenge over Christmas.   Back in 2004 I discovered a tablecloth on which the embroidery had been started.   I don't know how old it is - It could have been started by my mother, albeit she was a knitter more than an embroiderer.   It could even have been her mother's (she died in 1938), as my daughter has a similar cloth that belonged to my mum. which I do remember coming out on occasions when I was a child  I will never know who started it - searching for vintage embroidery transfers on the net, I discovered that the ones in with the cloth  were probably from the 1930s to 1950s. (So still non the wiser who started the cloth!)  I certainly never remember seeing it all the time I lived at home).

I did  do a bit to the tablecloth a few years ago and finished most of the edge motifs, and having also got the original transfer sheets, I added some extra motifs in the middle, but then I got bored, forgot about it, and then my sight deteriorated.

As I have now had one cataract done, and can see a lot better, and even distinguish the colours of the threads, I set myself the challenge to complete the embroidery before the end of the year.  I have Succeeded with a day to spare.   Quite proud of myself as I am not a "clean" crafter, preferring to be dabbling with paint and mdf to being a gentile embroiderer - lol!

The finished tablecloth

one of the edge motifs

a corner motif

centre motifs (two designs)

the leftover transfers

So success one family heirloom completed, and if any of the family want to add to it - they are most welcome.   There probably aren't enough decent leftover transfers - but I suppose if the mood takes me I could make something or embroider a handkerchief !

However, I will do a bit more embroidery in the not too distant future as my nine year old granddaughter wants to learn, and I gave her a sewing box for Christmas, and also invested in a load of silks that I cold share with her.

MDF Harry Potter

Regular followers may remember the Tim Peake Brick Man that I created.  Well my son couldn't decide how he wanted his painted the other day I had another bit of inspiration and as he girls love anything Harry Potter, I decided to try and paint my MDF man to look like him.

It was quite interesting researching what colours he should be painted and I discovered that in the earlier films the stripes etc were more scarlet and yellow, and in the later films they were burgundy and gold - who knew?

I created his hair from hearty clay and I made his spectacles and his colare out of card. to make them a little more 3D.   I also found an owl mould in my ancient cake decorating stash, and created a white owl from Hearty clay too.  

Hand- painted Birthday Card

A little experiment today.   It's a friend's birthday on Christmas Eve and he is male - so as far as I am concerned one of those difficult cards.  I could have created something in Craft Artist, but I had a little inspiration, and thought I would try and paint a little scene.

I cut the canvas sheet to the size I wanted (4" square) did my little painting.  I then found a square die that was slightly larger and cut out the aperture from the card.   ()I wasn't sure how well the canvas painting would stick to the card, so I cut a piece of paper to fit the card and stuck the canvas on to that, and then stuck the piece of paper to the inside of the card front - yay it worked.  I then found a sentiment in my stash  (I do tend to forget I have these sometimes !) 

The card looks so effective in real life - the photo hasn't really done it justice ( and of course the shadow from the camera "handle" is not there either !)

Snowman earrings

Christmas Sugarpaste Cake 2

and finally a simply unwired poinsettia using the Flower pro moulds for centres and veining, having used cutters from my stash for the bracts and leaves.

Below is all three cakes made this year.

Sugarpaste Christmas Cake 1

Using the Katy Su bark mould again, and the trio of cute owls moulds.  Fern using the Flower Pro fern mould, and as before Christmas roses veined with Flower Pro mould

side view

Royal Iced Christmas Cake

top view

I have to confess I was really pleased with how this turned out.  I love the finish of royal icing.  It maybe a bit of a faff, as it takes a few days to get a perfect finish.  I iced the top in the morning,and then the side in the evening.  This was repeated twice more on two more days, finishing off with a watered-down coat on the top.  (The side didn't need it so skipped doing the thin coat on that!)

The topper was made from sugarpaste, using a couple of moulds fromKaty Sue for the bark and the owl, which I then painted with edible dusts.   The roses and holly etc were made from cutters in my craft stash, and veined with the new Flower Pro rose and leaf veiners.   These were made from flower paste.

side view

Another Sneaky peek

Another quick sneaky peek - - I still have to do finish decorating the sides of this one and the one I shared yesterday - but need to go and buy some ribbon.

For this one I used the owl mould and bark mould from KatySue, and used the Flower Pro rose veinger for the Christmas roses.and also the Flower Pro fern mould.

I have done another topper, but as that is for a royal iced cake, it is currently sitting on a silver board, and too difficult to take a photo.  It will be a few days as Royal Icing of a cake takes a few days!

However, once all the cakes are finished I will show you the finished results.

Christmas Cakes - sneaky peek

Just a quick post tonight - I have made a start on decorating the family Christmas Cakes.   Here is one with a poinsettia on it.    I struggled to make a wired one - so this is a flat one.   I also struggled slightly with my new Flower  Pro poinsettia mould - so I cheated and used my cutters and then used the mould as a veiner.

3D printing

Just a quickie today.  Over the weekend my daughter played with our 3D printing machine and produced some baubles    This is the one she made me.   I may paint it a little and add some glitter.

Flower Card

You may recall that I had a play with some inks and isopropyl alcohol and I loved the reulst of one play that looked like a flower (see picture below).  I have a cousin who is also a crafter that has a birthday this month, and I reluctantly parted with my image, but knew she would appreciate it.

I created a background using an Imagination Crafts Stencil, using Artistry Inks.   I cut out my "flower", and created some leaves using Spectrum Noir Metallic paints on a spare piece of the Yupo paper (as it was to hand) and then overstamped with a rose leaf stamp from Crafters Companion

By accident I discovered that if you apply a little head to Yupo paper it will begin to curl (I was trying to speed up the drying process at the time for the leaves! )  I used this to my advantage to give the leaves some "movement" and also applied a little heat to the edge of the "flower"; which made it more 3D.

Finally I added a sentiment.

The original ink and alochol excperiment

Butterfly Card

I received this butterfly stamp as a freebie with an order, and decided to use it for a crd.  I stamped it with Spectrum Noir Metallic pigment in rose gold onto watercolour paper, and then using pigment inks I painted it and cut it out.   I used a little nuvo glue and Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Jewls and Indigo Blu Unicorn Sparkles.  I gave it a quick spray with Spray and Shine - to set the colour and gtive it a shine.

I mounted it on to the card, and added myh favourite corner stamps from John Next Door using a platinum metallic pigment ink.

MDF Sewing Machine

 

Finished item

I had so much fun creating this - and am really pleased with the end result.  My origina plan was to create a white machine with turquoise flowers - and then I had some inspiration when I glued the embellishments on it, and I thought I would go with a vintage look.   So out came the black paint and the pebeo gilding wa, and my favourite marble finish spray.

Then came the fun part  creating some flowers to compliment it.  I had the idea of doing a gold, ivory and black them with the flowers   I made them all in white air dry clay to start with, and I was tempted to leave the roses white, but when I looked at it in daylight the next day, I went off the idea.  (The roses, leaves and ferns were made using the FlowerPro moulds and veiners )    -....

The white version  (as you will see from the photo above, I also added some more
mdf embellishment pieces

...... so out came my cake decorating dusts and I coloured the flowers with those.   There was also a bit of artistic licence with the use of some glitter and gold gilding wax.

I hope you like it - everybody that has seen it so far has fallen in love with it - I certainly have!

and finally

Here is the last card - I had to make a few of those, as I realised I was still short of cards.   Thankfully the stamping platform came in very useful, and I kept it very simple.  Stamps used with from John Next Door and Julie Hickey, and I used my favourite Nuvo ink in blue.

Christmas Cards continued

Not many more - I promise, but wanted to include this experiment - I was really pleased with it.   I covered the die cut with Nuvo clear embossing ink and then sprinkles IZink transparent 3D embossing posder on it - the effect was lovely.

Spectrum Noir Rose Gold Metallic pigment ink was used to stamp the corners, and a piece of matching Clarity parchment used behind the image.