Crocus Planter (for Creative Expressions)

Crocus PlanterMy final project with this month’s Creative Expressions’ Winter Flower stamp set is this cute little terracotta planter resplendent with colourful crocus. Except it’s not terracotta. And you won’t need to water the crocus either. May be just a dusting now and then 😉
For making information, read on.

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Couture Creations Dreamboat Collection at Creative Expressions (Part 2)

It’s been a real struggle not to share these projects over the weeks that I have had the Couture Creations 3-in-1 Dreamboat sets – co-ordinating dies, embossing folder and clear stamps in one package. The sets were destined for TV appearance and there’s been a blog embargo until this week’s blog hop – but here are another five projects showcasing these fabulous sets! For full making details, continue reading.

AS SEEN ON CREATE & CRAFT TV over weekend 16th-18th November 2013.

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Crocus Card (for Creative Expressions)

Crocus CardIt’s another bleak day as I look out of the studio window, but I can inject a bit of late winter colour with another project based on Creative Expressions’ Winter Flowers stamp set.

You will need:
Creative Expressions Winter Flowers unmounted stamp set
Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powder: Ancient Copper Metallic
Cosmic Shimmer Misting Ink Spray: Sunflower/Meadow Lime/Soft Moss/Purple Violet
Cosmic Shimmer Mist: Pearl
That Special Touch Border Mask: Elegance
Foundations Card: Milk/Teal/Dark Roast Coffee/Coconut White
Ranger Perfect Medium: Clear
Ranger Distress Ink: Peacock Feathers

  1. Ink up the crocus stamp with Perfect Medium and stamp onto Coconut White card. Cover with Ancient Copper Metallic embossing powder, tap off the excess and heat set.
  2. Squirt one spray of each of the Misting Ink colours into a suitable container and use a water brush, or paintbrush to paint the ink into the embossed outline for a watercolour effect. Leave to dry.
  3. Cut out the flower once dry.
  4. For the border, cut a strip of Coconut White card just wider than the border mask. Use the Peacock Feathers Distress Ink on an applicator tool to press through the border mask. Dry with a heat tool before spritzing with Cosmic Shimmer Pearl Mist. Dry.
  5. Print the sentiment with Perfect Medium and emboss before.
  6. Mount onto a card as shown, using foam pads to raise the flower cluster.

 

 

Couture Creations Dreamboat Collection at Creative Expressions (Part 1)

Blog HopWelcome to the Creative Expressions Couture Creations Blog Hop! Hopefully you got here from Pam Smith’s blog, but if you didn’t, here’s the start at Creative Expressions News Blog!

The Couture Creations Dreamboat 3-in-1 sets include coordinating clear stamps, embossing folder and dies that work together in so many different combinations.

And one randomly selected person commenting on this project before the closing date will win a fabulous prize package:
– Zentangled Saying Pre Cut Stamp
– Glitter
– Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear Glue
– Cosmic Shimmer Silver Shine Detail Embossing Powder

PLEASE NOTE:
THE PRIZE WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED – further comments are welcome, but are no longer eligible for the blog hop prize package.

If you want to sign up to follow my blog, the widget is right at the bottom of the comments… and here is my project for the blog hop:

Doilies Card
You will need:
Couture Creations Dreamboat: Doilies 3-in-1 set
A4 sheet Foundations Milk cardstock
A4 sheet Foundations Dark Roast Coffee cardstock
Ranger Liquid Pearls: Dark Chocolate
Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powder: Denim Lilac Aurora
Cosmic Shimmer Angel Fibres: Enchanted Metallics
Cosmic Shimmer Specialist Acrylic Glue
Clear embossing ink (e.g. Ranger Perfect Medium)
A dark brown Distress Ink (e.g. Walnut Stain) and applicator tool

  1. Use the largest die to cut out one shape from white card stock. Ink the lower of the two medium circles on the stamp with embossing ink and print onto the cut piece, lining up the stamp to the shape. Cover with embossing powder, tap off excess and heat set.
  2. Repeat using two die cuts of larger of the two daisy type dies and emboss using the petalled circle toward the top of the stamp.
  3. Repeat using two die cuts of the smaller daisy type die and emboss using the centre of the first circle you using in 1.
  4. Finally, die cut two pierced hexagons and emboss with the pattern in the centre of the other medium circle on the stamp set.
  5. Using the embossing folder, emboss pieces of Milk card stock – you need one of the largest circle (bottom left), and two of the medium circle above. Cut these out with a knife or scissors, leaving a small border.
  6. Edge the embossed sections with the brown Distress Ink to soften them, then the embossed pieces as shown using foam pads. Top off the layer with a punched flower centre and add Liquid Pearl dots as desired.
  7. Prepare the Angel Fibre background by laying some out on a clean sheet of paper and then laying another over the top prior to ironing over with a medium hot iron – you only need to do it briefly. If heated enough, a flat sheet results that doesn’t fray. If heated too much, it will shrivel and discolour. Attach to the Dark Roast Coffee card stock with double sided tape and trim to shape.
  8. Cut a strip of Milk card stock and edge with Distress Ink. Cut a narrower strip of Dark Roast Coffee card stock and notch either end – stick down to previous strip. Cut two further brown strips, slightly wider, bend to make a bow and stick down. Add embossed and mounted sentiment and finally the two hexagonal embossed shapes.
  9. Mount all the layers together and embellish as desired with Liquid Pearls.

Thank you for visiting my blog, please leave a comment below in order to be in with a chance of winning a prize!

Once you have done that, you will need to click here to visit Donna Ratcliffe’s blog. 

To help you along the way, here is a list of the Blog Hop:-

Start page, prize details and how to take part: Creative Expressions News Blog. The blog hop started on Tuesday 19th November at 10am and ends Friday 22nd November at 5pm.

  1. Kim Robertson
  2. Pam Smith
  3. Neil Burley (this page)
  4. Donna Ratcliffe
  5. Tracy Heaton
  6. Kerry Hickton
  7. Kim Dellow
  8. Trace Metcalfe
  9. Cathi O’Neill
  10. Tracy Evans

Thank you for taking part in our Blog Hop – good luck!

I’ll be posting five more Dreamboat Collection projects on Saturday, and my normal weekly post for Creative Expressions tomorrow (Wednesday). Keep coming back for creative inspiration 🙂

AS SEEN ON CREATE & CRAFT TV over weekend of 16th-18th November 2013.

Misted Mosaic Frame (for Creative Expressions)

Mosaic FrameWelcome to another of my weekly posts for Creative Expressions. We’re still working with the Winter Flowers stamp set and this time I have used it as a centrepiece for a mosaic frame. The frame is made of MDF, covered with card and available as a two piece kit for maximum flexibility. I’ve made the mosaic ’tiles’ from card misted with Cosmic Shimmer Vintage colours. For more making details, read on 🙂

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Watercoloured Cyclamen Card (for Creative Expressions)

Cyclamen Card

It’s my first post for Creative Expressions since I joined their Design Team earlier in October. I’ll be posting a new project each week on a Wednesday. This month the projects will be featuring the Creative Expressions Winter Garden unmounted stamp set, with this card featuring the wonderful cyclamen stamp.

To download a step-by-step worksheet, click here: Cyclamen Card Worksheet [PDF]

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The Creative Expression Experience

Creative Expressions

 

I spent the day yesterday in the company of most of the new Creative Expressions Design Team, and what a day it was 🙂

Aside from the personal introductions, I also had a sound introduction to the product line – and I have been sooooo missing out on some of these goodies. Of course the credit card is now getting battered as I build up my stock of Creative Expressions/Cosmic Shimmer goodies ready for creating my design team projects, but play time ahead! I hope to be adding a quick product review to each of my posts as well as I learn the dos and don’ts of each medium. Watch this space for CEDT projects each Wednesday: I’m busy working on a top secret project for them as well, ready for a future TV airing – fingers crossed 🙂

 

Design Team Call: Second Round

I managed to get through to the second round of the Creative Expressions Design Team Call 2013-14, and the next challenge was to create a project using their ‘Belle of the Ball’ stamp set. This comes as a rubber sheet which needs cutting up and mounting on the foam backing suitable for use with acrylic blocks – some of the images could have done with a little more space round them, but I managed 🙂

The closing date was yesterday, which allows me to share the projects with you – and yes, I did more than one: one to show I can make a card, another to demonstrate I can think outside the box, and a third to demonstrate altered art and making something out of a cheap pound-shop photo frame. The centre canvas one is quite a size, and even the bow is adapted from the dress stamps. The frame one is a 4×6″ aperture, with the centre coloured dress mounted in front of the glass – printed with Versacraft black ink onto white cotton and coloured with ProMarkers.

I’ll share another tip with you – the label that accompanies the rubber stamp sheet laminates well, and the foam covered stamps stick nicely to it and the whole lot still slides nicely into the original packaging. Perfect storage solution 🙂

 

 

Autumn arrives…

Autumn arrives

It’s officially autumn here in the UK, and on cue, the sun has disappeared, the temperature has plummeted and the rain is thrashing down! I’m having a go at getting on the Creative Expressions Design Team, and submitting a last minute entry to their design team call which closes today. As part of the application, I had to create a piece on the theme of ‘autumn’ and spent Wednesday making this piece. It’s in a 50cm square frame and features a 12×12″ alcohol inked glossy background, stamped and heat coloured embossed copper leaves and stamped and outlined lettering. For more making details, read on!

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