Cricut and Cuttlebug fun

I have just made a birthday cake for a friend's little boy; I'm a way off professional but it was fun and they liked it!
I cut letter stencils out of thick acetate using the Cricut Mini and used them to cut out the letters from fondant icing.I then put the letters into one of the new Cuttlebug embossables folder (Being A Boy) to give them texture. Great fun!

This technique would be brilliant for polymer clay, silver clay and air dry clay too.
Just make sure that you thoroughly wash everything!

The new Cuttlebug embossable folders have metal shapes that coordinate with the designs. These make great card charms, jewellery elements and scrapbooking and Altered Art embellishments. More examples to follow...

Life Inspired

I have been indulging in inspirational work, altering stuff. Here is one of my favourites.

I used PaperArtsy Grunge Paste to stencil a script design; painted with PaperArtsy Fresco Paints; stamped and heat embossed leaf images in white then highlighted with Distress Ink. The embellishments were created from stamps (PaperArtsy, Studio 490 and Unity Stamp Company) and Ranger bits!
Working on such a small area really made me focus on the objectivity of the piece. It works for me!

Woven Bracelet

This is my version of WOVEN BRACELET (Based upon a design by Jill Thomas)

Resources

10g Size 11 seed beads (A)

60 x 4mm Faceted beads (B)

9mm toggle clasp / clasp of choice

Beading thread

Beading needle

Instructions

1. Prepare two wing spans of beading thread and then thread them on to a beading needle. Tie the thread on to one side of the chosen clasp, using a reef knot or surgeon’s knot, and leaving a 15cm/6” tail.
   
   
2. Pick up 6A, 1B, 3A. Ignore the last 7 beads added and take the needle back up through the remaining 3A beads (towards the clasp). Take the thread around the clasp again to secure.
   Bring the needle back through the beads so that it is emerging from the B bead.
   
   
3. Pick up 3 B beads and stitch through the B bead from step 2 in the same direction, making a ring. Take the needle through a further 2B beads so that the thread is emerging from the B bead at the opposite end to the clasp.
   
   
4. Pick up 15A, 1B, 15A. Stitch through the B bead that the needle was emerging from and then the first 15A and B bead just added.
   
   
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until there are sufficient repeats to give the required bracelet length (allowing approximately 2.5cm/1” for attaching the other side of the clasp): this is about 5 repeat patterns. Finish at the end of step 3.
   
   
6. Ensure that the needle is emerging from the B bead furthest away from the clasp end. Pick up 6A beads and stitch through the other side of the clasp about 3 times and then tie 3 half hitch knots to secure the thread.
   Take the needle back through 3A, pick up 3 new A and then stitch into the last B bead added. Take the needle back around this end section to reinforce the clasp attachment.
   End with the needle emerging from the last B bead.
   
   
7. Take the needle through one B bead. Add 3B beads and pass the needle back through the B bead the thread emerged from: creating a ring. Continue through the next B bead.
   
   
8. Add 15A, 1 B and 15 A beads and bring the needle back through the B bead from which it emerged in step 7, then back through the first 15 A and the B bead. Take the needle through the B bead on the side of the next original B cluster. Then add 2 B beads and stitch through the last B added and the B bead form the original cluster and the next B bead at the bottom of the new cluster. This creates a new B bead ring linked to the original one.
   
   
9. Repeat step 8 until the other end of the bracelet is reached. Take the thread through the existing beads and secure around the clasp.
   
   
10. Secure both thread ends through a series of half hitch knots around the existing thread line

Here is a close up of one I am just finishing for a friend.

As you can see (hopefully) the bracelet is first worked as a looped group in one direction from one end of the clasp to the other. Then a second series of loops and crystal groups is created linking into the first, working in the opposite direction.
The first picture shows one using rondelle faceted crystals, the second 4mm faceted crystals. Any will work, just adjust the size or number of seed beads used.
Have fun!

Characters and Promarkers

I have been having fun with some character stamps, die cuts and Promarkers.

I created a resist technique background with an old fluffy slipper stamp and faded jeans distress ink.

This was a trial at sepia tones with Promarkers. I like it!



Toilet Roll Tag Book

This is a fun upcycling project. Turn empty toilet rolls into a mini book with pull-out tags. They can be recipe cards, photo tags, favourite sayings, wish lists, anything you like!
I used First Edition Bird Song papers, embellishing using two Stampendous bird themed stamp sets.





The bird cage was stamped on acetate and attached using a piece of chain and a brad so it moves.

They are great fun to put together and don't take lots of reources - quite a bit of time though!





Paints, Inks and Stamps

I have been having a play session using Distress inks and Paperartsy Fresco Finish Chalk acrylic paints.

I used Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress ink to create a base background. I then added depth by inking through masks (sequin waste and a flourish). After drying thoroughly, I stamped and heat embossed in gold the mannequin. The labels and worshing were stamped on sepearte card and inked. The rose at the top of the tag was made using a Marianne spiral blossom die. the seam binding was dyed using Distress stain.

This one was put together in a similar way, but I started by covering the tag with some book paper - still find it hard to break into old books! All the stamps are from a Studio 490 set. I love the butterfly.

For this one, I stamped and heat embossed all the images first using Versafine Onyx Black ink and clear embossing powder. The stamps are from Paperartsy.I then created the backgroundusing paint and ink, with a Harlequin mask. The highlights were added using a white pen.
I was then inspired by some of the work of Jo Firth-Young and her design team and created this mini canvas using some of her new stamps and Fresco Finish paints.

The butterfly is from another Studio 490 set.
I was pleased with the results!
There are some brilliant video tutorials on the Paperartsy website (www.paperartsy.co.uk) on using the Fresco Finish paints. They got me hooked!

Spring is almost sprung!

I made this when the sun was shining and the garden began to spring into life.

The stamp set is from Joanna Sheen. I have stamped in Archival black ink and coloured using watercolour crayons.