Time For Change

Click on photos for larger images.

I made this one for the first monthly challenge on the Crafty Individuals Facebook Group, using a stamp I bought years ago, and the die. I love them, but had not previously had occasion to put them to use. Not only is the butterfly gorgeous, but I thought it appropriate as a symbol for change, and the clock in the stamp emblematic of New Year.

The background paper is from Crafty Individuals' 'Background Papers 'Book 3' (Springtime)', and the stamp is their 'Take A Little Time For Tea' (CI-389), trimmed and raised slightly on recycled cardboard. The pretty butterfly is Crafty Individuals 'Lacewing Butterfly' die, designed by Linda Edwards.

Additional elements: Silver thread bows (x 2, folded in half), white acrylic paint spatter and pink sequins.

Green Butterfly

From 2008, this was an entry for a sketch challenge at 2Sketches4You. This one uses three different colour-co-ordinated digi-papers from the 'It's Funky Too' CD-Rom from the now out of business Funky Hand, embellished with various stamps, inks, chalks and an embossing folder here or there!

Cardstock: Bazzill

Papers: 'It's Funky Too' CD-Rom from Funky hand
Cuttlebug folder: Fantasy Flower

Stamps: HOTP swirls, MSE 'Thank You'

Inks: Versafine Onyx black, Versacolor Olive green

Chalks: Pebbles Inc 'I Kan-Dee'

Embellishments: Butterfly template free with the (then) current issue of 'Papercraft Essentials', 'I Kan-dee' frame

Ribbon, ball chain, glitter peel-offs and embossed metal corner all from stash

Butterfly Birthday

This is a 6" square card and co-ordinating box.

The card: I used a stripey border stamp by Elzybells, stamped in dark brown Chalkeyes ink, with panels of dotty and tiny hearts decorative paper, layered onto olive green Bazzill cardstock. I stamped the 'Friendship' word onto the bottom mat, and found a lovely sentiment to go on the corrugated card panel on top, and decorated with faux gems. The butterfly is a gorgeous die-cut, and I've used my signature rosebud for its body. Can't remember how I made the antennae, but they have tiny faux gems on the ends.

The box: I used a pre-cut and scored flat-packed box from Craft Creations (just recently closed down, sadly), folded and secured into shape. So simple. Same mats and layers as with the card, some faux gems, and I picked up the corrugated card as well, to go under the pretty punched butterfly. I've used two rosebuds and a punched sprig of leaves.

When my building work is finished and I have restored my craft room and found these materials again, I'll let you know who the stamps, dies and punches are from!

Little Butterfly

This is an A6 (4" x 6") card. I have recycled a piece of scrap.. the grungy text piece behind the focal image, which has some sparkly micro beads in the centre of one of the flowers. The butterfly is from a Martha Stewart punch, and has a couple of tiny pearls on its back. You could add a sentiment if you wish to, or use this as a notelet, or an any purpose female card.

TIP: When using a thread wrap, I make holes just behind the spine to poke the thread through. Using a needle-threader makes that easier! I also make tiny nicks in the sides which help to hold the thread in place where you want it.

Spring

This is a small 4" x 4" card. I stamped the daffodils, coloured them in and, once dry, used Versamark all over the surface and a glitter embossing powder. The panel was raised slightly on low profile 3D foam pads, but if making it again now, I would glue a piece of cardboard packaging or recycled mount board underneath instead, just to give that little extra dimension. I tied the gold thread and organza ribbon together, and deliberately pulled out the ends of the organza for a distressed look. The green Bazzill tag has a pretty garden decorative paper on it, with a cute ladybird. The butterfly is a plastic embellishment, and the word 'Spring' was stamped higgledy-piggledy using a typewriter font alphabet.  

Spring Fairy

This is an old one, again. I struggle to like this one. I think it's the edging. I wish I'd used a background paper, or if I was making it now, I think I'd lose the eyelash fibre, and set it on a grungy inked background with a few splatters. Feedback welcome on this one.

The daffodil stamp, by the way, is from The English Stamp Company, and I've used Glossy Accents on the flower and on the enlarged 'SPRING' text. I think the spring words stamp might be Hero Arts, possibly. Not sure about the butterfly, and the metal fairy is from some obscure, random craft show.

Pink Skeleton Leaves card

This is a real blast from the past.. one of my earliest cards, back in the early noughties, but you can see the seeds of some ubiquitous elements frequently seen on my cards. Here, it's the pearl spray and the roses, wire and gems. The peel-off butterfly was stuck to a clear plastic off-cut from some injection moulded packaging to give the wings a permanent lift, and then glued to the card.

Basic Grey ATC

This ATC was made for the second Basic Grey challenge (now defunct, very sadly).

What is an ATC?

ATC stands for Artist's Trading Card. Originally, these were used by fine artists to produce miniature versions of their paintings to promote their work. This still happens, but their use has been expanded to cardcraft. Cardmakers use them as another avenue for their creativity, and ~ rather than selling them ~ the idea is to swap them with other enthusiasts to build a library of ATCs displaying different techniques.

Most people who produced (still produce?) ATCs swapped them through clubs, at craft events and internet forums. Personally, I found it hard to part with them. My focus has always been on card-making, but I did enjoy the few ATCs I made. They all ended up as card toppers or fridge magnets, though!

The size of an ATC is 2½ x 3½ ins (or a standard playing card size). You can purchase blanks, or make your own. (Make up a template, and use it as the ‘master’ to save you measuring out every time.)

On the back, put your name, address and/or email address, and the title of your miniature piece of art, or a reference code. If you are going to use your ATCs for swapping, it might be helpful to keep notes on how you made each one, so that if anyone contacts you for details, you will have them handy.

Any kind of artwork goes.. have fun and be expressive!

Here is my ATC for that challenge...

I used beautiful blue paper from the Basic Grey Cupcake 6"x6" pad. The main image is a cropped section of a stamped image I received in a swap. To echo the butterfly in the image, I stamped another one separately, and mounted it on the ATC, wings akimbo. The button is also BG. from the Archaic range. The 'Hope' sentiment is actually a metal embellishment for extra dimension, although that's not clear in the photo. The scroll stamp used in the corner is by Rhonna Farrer from her 'Elegant Flourishes' set in the Autumn Leaves collection.

Roses Roses

This was made for a colleague's 50th birthday, using Nestabilities label dies, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, K & Co Madeline frame and butterfly die-cuts, PSX roses stamp, plus embellishments.

And this is a baby, ATC-size version...

Dotty Butterfly Rose

This one sports a Funky Hand dotty digi paper. I love dots! Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder used for the panel, Rhonna Farrer's 'Elegant Flourishes' stamp, a scallop border punch (I think.. it may have been scallop-edge scissors), stamped and cut butterfly, plus gems and rosebud, enhanced with a couple of leaves.

P.S. Apologies for the appalling photography!

Dragonfly Woman

This is an old one, out for another airing. As I don't have the stamps to hand, I can't tell you what they are.. Sorry! But I think the component parts are fairly self-explanatory, and could probably be fairly easily replicated. If I was making it again now, I would lose the flower! Pity she looks so mournful, too. Ah, well... Maybe happier times are ahead for her.

To make the wings, just make two bows the same size. Pinch each of them in the middle, and secure them with glue in the centre.

P.S. If you click on the picture, you'll get a bigger image which will show the detail better.

Butterfly card..

For a friend whose surname is Butt!! Not surprisingly, BUTTerflies are her thang! *lol* Have always loved this sentiment, but saw it again on my buddy Lesley's blog recently. Very cool.

Inkadinkado flourish and pretty butterfly stamp, blinged with Stickles, silver antennae and Swarovski crystals for extra sparkle.

THANK YOU
Just wanted to say thank you again for your patience and support while I've been 'off the air'! *lol* Have received some lovely emails, too, and comments on Facebook. I'm sorry if you're still waiting for a reply! I thought things would relax a bit after getting the job offer, but oh noooooooooo!! I still have another month to do on my old job, and had pretty much run out of things to do so was coasting and not doing much except job-hunting. Thought I would be virtually 'on gardening leave' for the last month, but not a chance! Have been given a whole bunch of other stuff to do. Not that I am compaining. They're entitled, and I still count my blessings every day that I HAVE a job in this climate, and still pinching myself that I managed to find another one to go on to.. an even BETTER one! Hallelujah! :o)

So.. my thanks again. Please bear with me.. I WILL get round to replying soon, I promise!

Hugs,

Chris

xxx

Niece's Birthday Card..

A little card for my lovely niece, Laura... 23 tomorrow (but she definitely won't see this, so it's OK to post). Pity glitter is sooo difficult to photograph!

Navy blue Bazzill and SU punches for the scalloped circle (and the circle cut out of the middle), lighter blue Bazzill for the smaller Martha Stewart punched butterflies. The main butterfly was cut out of a magazine, edges inked then painted with Stickles, decorated with gems and silver wire antennae. Sentiment is computer-generated with Word Art and a font called 'I'm Bored'!! *lol*

One more to come.. above!

Double recycled! lol ;o)

Remember this one? I made it for my daughter but wasn't happy with it, so made her another.

And this one on the right was an incoming Christmas card from Lean that I showed you yesterday.

Have used elements from both cards in the new one below..

That frame is beautiful, and I couldn't wait to re-use it. (Hope you don't mind, Lean!) It was a perfect match for the stamped image from the card I made for my daughter..

Recycled Wrapping Paper

I know it doesn't seem like it, as all the images are so different, but the focal images on all these cards are made from offcuts salvaged from the wrapping paper I used for my mum's birthday present.

This one uses a 'Friendship' stamp by Stampin' Up!, and a friendship text stamp by Hero Arts, repeat stamped on kraft CS from Elzybells, using Versafine's Vintage Sepia ink. Not sure how I managed to tie that bow upside down, though. Must have been standing on my head at the time.

I don't like this one, so will probably get re-recycled! lol ;o) Uses that lovely Hero Arts text stamp again, with a Stempleglede border from the Grunge Collection. The image is cut with Nestabilities Labels #8 and the ribbon I picked up at Sir Stampalot recently. The metal word plaque says 'friendship'.

Have used my favourite harlequin stamp in the background, and the Stempelglede border makes another appearance. The 'bloom with abandon' stamp is by Cornish Heritage Farms, stamped directly onto the image in black Stazon.

The green background was one of those 'stamping errors' scraps that's been hanging around for years! Looks cool though, don't you think? I glittered the centre of one of the daisies with yellow Stickles. Martha Stewart butterfly.

Think I've covered everything on this card, except the Prima flower and Ash branch punch, which I think is McGill.

... Aaaand another recycled card...

The image was salvaged from an old card. It had one of the flower heads decoupaged, so have left that on, just inking around the edges and glittering the centre. Had to alter it some more, though, so stamped the harlequins on, using Versafine Onyx Black, but the third stamping. Then stamped the SU stamps 'bloom' and the 'blossom' definition over the top. The butterfly was stamped quite a while ago, and the ink has worn off in the middle, but I quite like the ethereal quality it has now as a result. The pearl sprays are deliberately left like that. I like the way they resemble the catkins (I think that's what they're called).. the little furry buds.. on a pussy willow... if you squint a bit..

Might have to re-think this one..

My daughter will be starting a new job in the New Year, as a Community Care Officer for Hertfordshire County Council. It's a fab job ~ her first that will really make use of her recent psychology degree ~ with an unbelievable starting salary! I won't tell you what it is, but I was gobsmacked.. for the first rung on the ladder for her, it's amazing. Not that money's everything, but she's struggled to put herself through university and everything, because neither I nor her father could help, and I am sooo very chuffed for her. She's worked so hard and so deserves this break! :o)

Karen will be coming for a visit just after Christmas, and this is her card. But I'm not happy with it at all, and I'm thinking she deserves something a lot better. I may very well re-do this one.. completely differently! lol ;o)

Guess-Who's roses again! ;o)

And this is my finest creation (but I had a little help)...

Hugs,

Chris xx

A Few Things To Show You..

Firstly, I must confess... My name is Christine, and I'm a blogaholic. It has been nine days since my last visit.

Oh, man! Is it busy, or what? Still, I am just about organised, but I'm not a very patient person, and I want it all done NOW!! You hear me? I said NOW!!
But.. in the meantime.. I wanted to show you the pretty card and gift I received from my lovely blog-buddy, Lesley, from Paperlicious Delicious. The gift is.. err.. a 'thingamajig'... a very pretty thingamajig.. the kind you decorate and put pictures in. I am very excited about that.. something a bit different for me! Thank you again, Lesley. :o)
Do you know what these are called?

Then there is a box, made somewhat hurriedly, to house my sister's birthday presents... two Swarovski crystal bracelets I made (but didn't think to photograph). The box decoration is not great, but - hey - it's crafty so you get to see it.

My second attempt at one of Brenda's roses. (See tutorial here.) It's OK, but "Could do better" is my summation.

Finally, as I felt I was depriving you of craftiness, here is a Christmas card I made for my mum in 2007. She returned it to me recently with a batch of old cards for recycling. Simple, but I still quite like it, so as I haven't shown it to you before, here it is...

The only slightly unusual thing I did on here that isn't obvious is the use of Crystal Tulip paint for the baubles on the tree in the front. You can just about see them. Do you remember Tulip paint? You never see it mentioned any more, but at one time, it seemed really popular. I still have loads of the stuff. Must use it more often.

Well, that's yer lot for another little while. Not sure when I'll be back. Soon as I can. I do have a small list of things to make before Christmas, though, so I'll see you before Santa does!

Thanks for popping by. Do leave a note if you pass this way!

Wedding Card Preview

A wedding card commission for a colleague. Can't show all of it (just in case!). The wedding's not until mid Oct, so here's a preview without showing the names...

The invitation was made with ivory hammered cardstock, so I've echoed that in the panel, and the rest of the brief was gold and purple, and that butterflies would be a big hit. Think I nailed it. lol ;o) The butterfly looks weird, though. It is mounted at quite an angle to the card, so you're effectively looking down (almost along) the back. Looks better taking a view square on to the card, but I didn't think of that, and it is now with my customer.