Black Ice

 

 

Hello! My friend Tracey posted about the 'Black Ice' technique on Fb and I was desperate to have a go. I made these two cards last week and then saw that that Di's guest designer, Kathy at Pixie's Crafty Playground had used the same technique to make a fantastic motorbike card (there is also a link there to the tutorial I used). It is such a lot of fun! The only really important thing is to make sure your stamping is really dry with your heat gun (and walking away and leaving it if you possibly can!) I've always enjoyed techniques that involve swiping your inkpad around, so this technique reminds me very much of faux woodgrain techniques that involve the same thing. It's also nice to find a technique where I actually had all the stuff!

You can't really capture how 'foiley' these cards are in real life. I am sending them over to Di and Parsnip at Pixie's Snippets Playground where Di and I have been developing techniques whereby you reduce body weight by brushing yourself with very large paint brushes (I sense a video and book deal...!)

Happy crafting (and inkpad swiping!) April x

Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas

Am I bonkers starting a twelve week challenge when there's only a couple of weeks left? Yes, probably. There is a backstory though. I found Funkie Junkie's 12 Tags of Christmas weeks ago. Excitedly, I made a tag. I reached for the camera. Suddenly no tag...I looked everywhere, even behind radiators. I really think it's one of those things that will be found under the floorboards in fifty years time! Kept putting it on the backburner, but really can't resist all the beautiful inspiration on Linda's blog.

The challenge requirements can be found at The Funkie Junkie and it is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique. So far so good! I hope I can finish all twelve festive projects in the time remaining. I'm going to try my best. At least you can link up in any order, so here I am starting very logically with Week 7!

I have changed the colour scheme, using SU's Blushing Bride and Sahara Sand inks for my stencilling and stamping. I was really inspired by the gorgeous layered snowflake on Linda's beautiful blue and silver tag, so I have made this the main feature on my tag too. My snowflakes were die-cut from a first tag that I wasn't happy with!

I loved making my tag and have started on the second one. You don't have to just do tags. There are all kinds of amazing Christmas cards and ornaments.

I would also like to send my tag to Di and Parsnip at Pixie's Snippets Playground because I know Parsnip will like the ribbon! It is also a small Christmas miracle that I am entering anything on the first day!!

52 CCT Technique Challenge

Hello! Hard to believe that we are nearing the end of another year of challenges at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown! I hope that we have helped you make a pile of cards all ready to send off (if you can bear to part with them that is!) I love being part of the lovely Design Team and am already looking forward to next year's challenges. However, we still have a couple of challenges left to go, starting with this fab technique challenge -

 

 

 

I love creating inky backgrounds! On my card I have sponged a mixture of Soft Sky, Pool Party, Tempting Turquoise and Pistachio Pudding, using a ripped piece of copier paper as a mask. I then added some snowflakes in white and stamped the trees using SU's Wonderland. A bit of messing around with a chalk marker, the fine tip glue pen and some glitter, and I was done!

 

 

 

I hope that you will join us over at 52CCT and feel inspired by the DT's inky creations!

 

I am doing a last minute drag of my trees (for Parsnip to climb) through the gates at Pixie's Snippets Playground even though my snippetage of the week just involved a mask of copier paper (part of a shopping list!) Di very kindly had my Tic Tac holders as one of her picks last week which made my day! April x



Christmas Workshops

I had two very enjoyable workshops this week where we made Christmas cards using the Cozy Christmas and Wonderland stamp sets. Two very different styles of card!

I had such a lovely time with great company and even managed to ration my mince pie consumption (a big achievement in the face of the food loveliness that was provided!)

 

Back to craft fair prep this week! Have a lovely Sunday! April x

52 CCT Colour Challenge

Our colour challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown this week is to use purple and green. Such a great colour combo!

I have gone with two shades of both colours here - Perfect Plum and Blackberry Bliss combined with Pear Pizzazz and Mossy Meadow. I used the 'rock and roll' technique to ink the stamp - it's not a weird photo defect! The lovely tree stamp is from SU's Wonderland set.

I hope that you will join us in our colour challenge - we love seeing your inspirational cards. Have a great weekend, April x

P.S. I am squeezing my trees through the gates for Parsnip over at Pixie's Snippets Playground. That bear needs a tree to hide up after all the firework frivolity, as does poor Miss Di with her 'grout'.