Creative Expressions August 2014 Blog Hop

Posted on 15th August 2014 by perfectly4med

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Welcome to the Creative Expressions August 2014 Blog Hop! Hopefully you got here from Donna’s blog but, if you didn’t, here’s the start at the Creative Expressions News Blog!

These new Christmas designs from the Singles Range at Creative Expressions, include seven different stamps. As you will see from the samples made for the Blog Hop, they do not just have to be used as they are but can be altered and interchanged to give lots of different options.

One randomly selected person commenting on this blog post before the closing date will win the following fabulous prize, which includes some of the new stamp designs:

Here are four card ideas for three of the new stamp designs:

Joy to the World

Stamp Joy to the World in Perfect Medium on Coconut White card. Heat emboss with Lapis Black Aurora. Cut to size. Emboss 4½” square piece of Brunswick Green card with Couture Creations New Year Dove folder. Wrap a length of Green/Ivory Grosgrain ribbon round the embossed card and secure. Mount on 4⅝” square piece of Coconut White card, then a 5″ square of Brunswick Green, using Cosmic Shimmer Specialist Acrylic Glue. Stick down to your card blank and then outline the white card border in Cosmic Shimmer Aurora Twinkle.

Believe

Print Believe stamp onto Milk card with Perfect Medium ink and heat emboss with Bright Gold Metallic embossing powder. Cut to size and mount on Brunswick Green card. Emboss a strip of Brunswick Green card, 5″ x 1¾”, using the New Year Dove folder. Mount on your card blank and overlay the heat embossed image using foam pads. Add the pearl swirls and edge with Comic Shimmer Golden Sparkle PVA.

Joy to the World #2

Stamp Joy to the World with Perfect Medium ink and mask the bottom image before printing onto a piece of Cobalt card stock. Heat emboss with True Detail White embossing powder. Cut out leaving a ¼” border. Edge with 5mm double sided tape. Reveal top layer of tape and cover with Cosmic Shimmer Diamond Sprinkes, pressing the glitter into the tape before brushing off the excess and returning to the pot. Cut a piece of Cobalt card 2½” high to fit your card blank and edge with Diamond Sprinkles as before. Using a piece of wide low tack masking tape, press down over the self adhesive Star Swirl and carefully peel off from the backing sheet – the masking tape keeps the shape as you transfer it to the cardstock. Press down firmly on the pearls taking care not to press the masking tape too hard onto the card – peel off the masking tape. Mount on your card blank with Cosmic Shimmer Glue and then adhere two small Fancy Pearl Embellishments using the same glue. Allow to dry completely.

Happy New Year

Ink up Happy New Year stamp with Perfect Medium and mask off side and top section, print onto Cobalt card. Heat emboss with Silver Shine Metallic embossing powder. Mount on Milk card using Cosmic Shimmer Specialist Acrylic Glue. Emboss a 5″ x 3½” piece of Cobalt card with the Couture Creations Happy New Year folder and gild with Pewter Gilding Wax. Mount on Milk card with Cosmic Shimmer Glue. Stamp, emboss and mount the sentiment from All Occasions set as before. Assemble on a C6 card and embellish with drops of Silver Lustre pearlescent PVA.

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 Tracy’s blog.

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

1. Sue Wilson
2. Julia Watts
3. Tracey Laughton
4. Kim Bacon
5. Donna Ratcliff
6. Neil Burley [you are here] 7. Tracy Heaton
8. Kerry Hickton
9. Pam Smith
10. Creative Expressions

Start page, prize details and how to take part: Creative Expressions News Blog. The blog hop started on Friday 15th August at 6am and ends Tuesday 19th August at 5pm.

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

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Let’s Vogue (for Craftwork Cards)

Posted on 10th July 2014 by perfectly4med

If you’d like to turn these…

into this…

Result
follow this link to the Craftwork Cards blog… and a chance to win it too!

My 500th post!

Posted on 21st June 2014 by perfectly4med

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my 500th post on my little corner of blog-land. In a little over three years, I’ve enjoyed hundreds of thousands of visitors, views and comments, and in celebration (and as promised) I have a giveaway for my readers.

Here are the prizes:

Tangle Pattern Book – hard copy

Limited edition print

Mini-quilt

Technique Tag Book

And here are the winners:
Terri Young – Tangle Pattern Book
Sam Smithard – De-stress with Distress Technique Tag Book
Denise Fletcher – Mini-Quilt Square
[Please email me via the sidebar link with your details to send the prize out if you’d like it. Any that are unclaimed by next weekend will be added to the public giveaway below.]

And the final prize, a limited edition hand made print of one of my tangle patterns mounted for a 4×6″ frame, will be given to a random commenter on this post. Closing date: 0001 GMT on Sunday, 29th June. Winner(s) will be announced later that day. Good luck!

Workshop and Giveaway News

Posted on 10th April 2014 by perfectly4med

Remember this creation for Craftwork Cards that featured on Create & Craft TV a little while back? So many people asked how I made it that Craftwork Cards have booked me to lead a workshop at their head office near Leeds (UK) on Saturday, 26th April. There are still a few places available… I’ll show you how to use my templates and their fabulous papers to make your own dressform, from the base up to the Candi necklace. As a bonus, we’ll also be doing a couple of card projects to finish off the day. All materials will be included, you’ll just need to bring your basic craft kit.

This workshop is now taking place at my studio in Leicester – click here to book.

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And in unrelated news, this ‘ere blog is coming up to another major milestone – I’m getting near 500 posts. When I post my 500th post, it will be announcing a list of winners – my favourite commenters from now until then, anywhere on the blog. Prizes will be pieces of art, from ATCs to cards, a Distress Technique tag book or may be a piece of quilting – all of them created by me. So all you have to do to be in with a chance of getting a piece of my work is to comment (meaningfully please!). And of course, regular followers of my blog get a head start 🙂

250,000 views – the giveaway

Posted on 7th October 2013 by perfectly4med

It’s not long to wait before my little corner of the blogosphere captures it’s 250,000th view. I gave you a sneak preview of my giveaway a couple of weeks ago… and here’s the whole thing! I’m giving away an A3 quilt featuring 100% cotton fabric onto which I have hand drawn and shaded tangle patterns that I’ve published on this blog, quilted with cotton/polyester wadding and then hand bound with a black fabric binding. It’s labelled on the back with my name and the fact it’s my seventh quilt.

Pentel Gel Pen for Fabrics

Derwent Inktense block and water

Quilting on Pfaff Quilt Expression 4

As mentioned before – all you have to do to win this giveaway is to be the person closest to the 250,000th view that leaves a meaningful comment somewhere on this blog (spam doesn’t count!). All you have to do then (Sandy F. take note – that’s twice now) is respond to the email from me asking for your postage details!

Just a little thank you from me for supporting me over the months and years 🙂

It’s another giveaway…

Posted on 18th August 2013 by perfectly4med

I snuck in some ‘me’ crafting time at the end of last week, and spent 10 or so hours creating my next blog giveaway. As promised, I am going to celebrate 250,000 views on this ‘ere blog soon, and in honour of this will be giving away a piece of unique art. Here’s a sneak preview…

All you have to do is leave a comment (constructive, spam won’t count!) somewhere on my blog – whenever I notice the views click over the 250,000 mark, whomsoever has made the most recent comment, gets the prize! It’ll help if you sign up for email updates as I shall be posting regularly between now and then…

Another blog milestone reached!

Posted on 12th April 2013 by perfectly4med

In just over two years, I’ve had 200,000 views of my ickle bit of the blogosphere! Thank you all!

As promised, my next giveaway will be at 250,000 views, so keep checking in – hopefully I’ll have time to make what I have planned to giveaway before then… Also keep your eyes peeled for a new diary list of workshops in my new studio. It’ll be starting with a ‘Bottle Cap Memories’ session, so start looking out those precious moments.

Liberty 100 – tangle pattern (and giveaway)

Posted on 5th January 2013 by perfectly4med

This is my 100th published tangle pattern. It’s a step-by-step breakdown of a carved wood panel in one of the side rooms on the ground floor of the Liberty department store, off Regent Street in London. It’s quite an intricate, full pattern, but builds easily.

In recognition of my 100th tangle pattern (did I mention that yet?), I’ve got five limited edition drypoint prints of my tangle pattern ‘Rokpool’ to give away. Each will be numbered and signed by the artist (me). If you’d like the chance to win one of these unique prints, leave a comment below indicating what you will do with the print if you win, and sign up for email updates for my blog if you haven’t done so already. Entries will close at midnight GMT on 18th January, and I will choose my favourite top five commentators on 19th January 2013.

This is one of the print editions – each is a unique print of the same engraving plate and will be framed as shown (though see caveat below!). The print itself is 6.5 inches square. I’ve engraved, printed and mounted them myself, so you will be receiving a totally one-off piece of artwork. The giveaway is open to all, international or local, though I do reserve the right to send an unmounted print if the postage turns out to be prohibitively expensive!

And if there’s any of my tangle patterns you’d like a similar print of, let me know – I’m very happy to take commissions 😉

And you’ll be pleased to know there are more tangle patterns on their way – I’ll be publishing one each Saturday for the next few weeks.

UPDATE 19-JAN-13:
The lucky winners have been selected, and they are: Nana, Joyce Ford, Melinda Butcher, Sandy F and Kris. Congratulations, and watch your email inbox for details on how to claim 🙂

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100,000 views giveaway – the winners

Posted on 23rd May 2012 by perfectly4med

As promised, the draw for my 100,000 views giveaway closed last night. Twenty six people have left comments in the last week, with one late entry from Suzanne that didn’t quite make the deadline – thank you all for your feedback and support!

I used random.org to select the winners, and first out of the electronic hat was Rachel, who will get the set of WOW! embossing powders in their handy carry case, and second out of the electronic hat was Kaye, who gets one of my limited edition prints. Congratulations to the winners – please check your emails!

And roll on my next giveaway at 250,000 views 😉

But before that there will be a giveaway in honour of my 100th tangle pattern – yes, there will be more…