18th Birthday

April 3rd is a big day in our household.  This year it marks two big events, for hubby it's the 35th Anniversary of the Defense of South Georgia at the start of the Falklands Conflict*.   Hubby has just arrived back from the Reunion and Mess Dinner for the HMS Endurance & NP8901 Royal Marines which was held at the home of 42 Cdo, RM Bickleigh, Near Plymouth. 

* http://en.mercopress.com/2009/04/14/too-few-too-far-a-vivid-account-of-the-battle-of-south-georgia


Today also marks the day our son, Liam, turns 18.  He is just celebrating it quietly by having a small get together with some of his friends.

I had been saying to Liam I would like to get him something that he could say "I got that from Mum for my 18th" but he couldn't come up with anything he wanted that kind of fit the bill memento wise. In the end I decided to just make something for him or to be more accurate I found a wooden box that I could decorate for him as a Memory Box.

I used a lot of Tim Holtz dies to cut out elements in thick-ish cardboard (Amazon packaging to be precise!) and decoupaged them to the box along with assorted embellishments.  I has taken me what seems like a month of Sundays to do, probably due to the layers of varnish and gilding wax that have been built up on it to get an antiqued patina on it. 

It didn't quite come out how I envisaged it, not as many embellishments as I had intended to use but which didn't seem to look right when I tried them out.  Anyway, regardless of not looking as I intended, he loves it & that's the important thing.

I Used

Wooden box from stash

Decopatch - Black Crackle

Sizzix - Tim Holtz Mixed Media #2
Sizzix - Tim Holtz Cogs

Sizzix -  Just a Note Alphabet

Couture Creations - Sea Breeze Embossing Folder

Ranger - Tim Holtz Key Embellishments

The Works - Wooden Embellishments

The Works - Charm Embellishments

Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Wax

Cosmic Shimmer Polishing Wax

I kept Liam's card quite simple as I had been busy working on his memory box so used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

I had a set of three washi tapes bought from our local Poundland store so used them to create the banded effect.  I also stuck some to a piece of scrap card and used them to cut out the sentiment.

Clocking In

I've finally finished the mixed media clock I was working on and had it photographed. I bought it in a sale after watching an Indigo Blu mixed media demonstration on one of the new UK craft channels Hochanda.com using one of their clock kits. My purchase was £3, the Indigo Blu kit costs £7.99!  

 

 

It's taken me weeks because I've really only been doing a few minutes here and there. I've been a bit unsure about what I've been doing and my arthritis has been playing up but I have to now admit that I am hooked on this mixed media clock décor thing and it looks as though I may have some Christmas present ideas milling around.

 

I used a number of Indigo Blu products, including the paper (from the "Vintage Memories" paper stack), clock numeral stencil & "Good Times" A5 stamp.

 

I managed to find a supplier of MDF and Ply shapes with reasonable prices so sent off for a heart and a teapot . This next clock is intended for my sister and her husband - so far I've got the blank gessoed, the paper, from Indigo Blu's "Emporium of Curiosities", stuck on and am currently at the sitting, staring "what now?" stage. 

As for the teapot . . . well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!

 

 

 

 



I missed the deadline for last week's Freshly Made Sketches but I think I might just manage to clock in, in time, this week! 

 

For this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge I decided to flip the design onto it's side and hang up some stockings.

 

 

Once again I have used some of the lovely freebie Winter Wonderland stamps, Norwegian patterned stockings, from Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine (craftstash.co.uk also stock various stamps from the freebie sets as Apple Blossom Craft Collection).

 

 

The stamps were each inked using 3 different Versafine pads:Smokey Grey, Crimson and Olympia Green then fussy cut and shaped before mounting onto the background. The background was inked with Distress Inks Evergreen Bough and Peeled Paint, the holly was stamped with each of the three inks.







 

Cardstock:
PayPer Box - Kraft
PayPer Box - Ivory Hammered

Stamps:
Apple Blossom Winter Wonderland Stamps - Norwegian Patterned Stockings

 

 
 

Time Flies - FMS 192



During the week when I was looking out some floristry bits a pieces I kept having "I wondered where that went" moments as I found things that I had thought long lost. The same thing happened today as I delved into a couple of boxes of crafty stuff and came across some nice pearlised linen effect cardstock I knew I had but just couldn't remember where I'd put it. Now it has been re-discovered I have put it in my A4 drawer unit with my other pearlised stock for future use.

For this weeks Freshly Made Sketches Challenge 

 

I had originally been going to use a star as my starting point but as the instructions are "any shape" I decided to use a rather nice Debbie Moore dragonfly stamp that had been a freebie with a craft magazine a couple of weeks or so ago.As I'd rediscovered it, I decided to use some of the nice pearlised linen effect cardstock for this card. However, as I don't have a lot of it I decided to be a frugal crafter and just use a piece as a panel on a supersmooth base.

The card was top folded and some gold washi tape with small white polka dots was run down the sides of the card to create the borders.

I stamped the dragonflies and the "Time Flies" sentiment using Versasmark clear embossing ink so I could add some gold embossing powder. I also inked and embossed a small strip of card to create a background for the sentiment. I coloured the dragonfly and small flowers in the main circular design element with Promarkers to add a little colour

Cardstock:

Image Supersmooth - White
Payperbox - White Pearlised Linen Effect
Papermania Capsule Collection Spots & Stripes Jewels Patterned Craft Tape - Gold & White Spotted Washi Tape

Stamps:

Debbie Moore - Flutterbys - Dragonflies Summer Fun Clear Stamps

Inks etc:

Tsukineko Versamark Clear
Letraset Promarkers
Create & Craft Embossing Powder - Mirror Gold