A Beautiful Mess

Hi everyone!

Joi is hosting what will be our final challenge over at Our Creative Corner! 

She would like you to focus on making....

A Beautiful Mess 

.......How about getting messy?? Can you do it with me???

Can you be free and filthy? Are you brave???

I believe YOU can do it... you can create...

A Beautiful Mess

Whether you make a messy looking project or just use 'messy' techniques...
we want to see every inch of your  'Beautiful Mess'!

So create 'A Beautiful Mess' for a chance to win some of the Sponsors fab products!

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I decided to make a card for this challenge - I don't make many cards, but thought it would be fun to do something different for a change

Now onto the mess.....I decided to work with Distress inks and Stains....

The first thing I did was to make some base cards to then cut die cuts leaves and flowers from. These would be messy, but used to construct something beautiful

 I did some wrinkle free distress technique - which is stunningly messy and random. I used Shabby Shutters DI and Peeled Paint DI. I then began to make layers using a lattice stencil and added some Shabby Shutters DI through it. Then I used a script stamp to stamp some Peeled Paint DI over the card.
Then I added further mess by splattering some white acrylic paint all over it.

This one was made using Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry DI. I did some wrinkle free distress technique with those inks, then I used a splatter and rings stencil and used Fired Brick DI through it. Then I stamped a script stamp with Dark Mahogany DI and finished it off with a splattering of white acrylic paint

I then worked on making the centers for the flowers

I applied drops of Decoart Liquid Glass to card and sprinkled with Distress Glitter in Rock Candy. When dry they were coloured with Squeezed Lemonade DI and then cut out

I made five flowers - florist tip - It is more visually appealing to use odd numbers of flowers.

I made the flowers up in three layers, crushing the card a little by placing a pencil in the center of the flower and pressing the card around the pencil. This breaks down the structure of the card, giving creases and making them softer and easier to work with...It also nicely adds to the 'messy' element here!

The card background was made using Broken China DI and Tumbled Glass DI using wrinkle free distress technique followed by some Broken China DI being used through a splats and rings stencil

I then added some Distress Stain splats to the card and dabbed 

some script stamping here and there using Jet Black Archival ink

The edges of the card were stamped with a Visible Image stamp that has a flourish on one edge and a grunge texture on the other. I used Decoart Media Carbon Black Fluid Acrylic paint to stamp with as I wanted a messy "there, but not" effect!

I decided to have some black splatter on the center of the card so I used a splatter stencil and Decoart Media Carbon Black Fluid Acrylic paint - normally I would just do paint splatter with a brush and watered down paint....but as this was a last minute addition, and the card was virtually made, I didn't want to risk ruining it!

 I decided to put a quote on the card...I chose some words from my chit chat stickers and coloured them to match the card background using Broken China DI. I made the other two words from Label Letters stickers. I outlined the chit chat stickers with fine tip black pen

 

I then constructed the card...Using a white card base I painted some card black and used that as a base for the blue background. I placed the leaves and flowers around the card...

And there is my finished 'Beautiful Mess'..........

Thanks so much for being here today! I hope you like it and I hope you are inspired to join in with the 'A Beautiful Mess' challenge this month!

 Our Sponsor for this month is....


Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda

They are going to give a $20 voucher to

  one lucky winner this month! 

All you have to do to win is enter Joi's challenge - and you could be the lucky winner selected by Random.org - Get in and have a chance to win!

Happy Crafting!

Laura
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Paperartsy Revisited

Hi everyone!

Remember back in February when I appeared at Paperartsy working with Darcy's new stamps sets?

Well, I am back there today - using one of the stamp sets again! 

This time there is no colour scheme and I am focusing on a subject instead -

Doodling!

I don't doodle....at least I don't doodle as part of my craft work. I might do the odd doodle on a shopping list occasionally when really bored, but I didn't think I was much of a doodler. Turns out, once I became aware of it, I doodle more often than I thought! I decided to look up meanings of doodles, and it appears that my subconscious need to draw swirls over and over again indicates that I am.....

....an imaginative, good natured and protective worrier. The repetitive smooth shapes indicate a person who is patient, willing to persevere and is methodical with a developed ability to concentrate.

So what do your doodles say about you?

Come over to Paperartsy for some doodling inspiration! 

I loved making my 'Doodling' creation - here is a sneak peek for you....

 If you want to see how it was made then hop over to Paperartsy right now 

to see the step-by-step I did!

Hope you like it!

Happy Crafting

Laura

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Crafty Individuals Spotlight

Hi everyone! 

 I am doing the second Sponsor Spotlight this month over at Our Creative Corner!

This month our sponsor is

 Crafty Individuals

And here is a sneak peek of what I made..

If you would like to see the whole creation and how I made it please hop over to 

Our Creative Corner and take a look!

And while you are there check out the details for Jennie's challenge 'Hit the Books'....Everyone who enters is in with a chance to be selected by Random.org and win a massive bundle of goodies donated by Crafty Individuals 

You've got to be in it to win it so get your entry in as soon as possible - the deadline for entries is 11.55pm on 28th May!

Happy Crafting!

Laura 

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Hit the Books

Hi everyone!

 It is our wonderful Jennie's turn this time to host the challenge over at Our Creative Corner and she has picked a wonderful challenge!

Hit the Books 

For your projects this month Jennie would like to see you searching through your stash for old book paper or books and create a project with what you find. 
You might want to use papers within your project or you might want to breath new life into an old book by altering it in some way.
This is definitely a challenge theme with huge scope for projects small or large.

Whatever you make let us see you give those old book papers or books center stage!


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I was thrilled with this challenge because I had found a gorgeous old book that I wanted to work on and hadn't got round to doing it yet. This was the perfect challenge for it!

  

I tore the book up first of all - being very careful with the very fragile antique spine. I wanted that as part of the decoration - already so beautiful detailed and needing no further decoration!

I cut the front of the book in half and decided to use it as a frame. I cut an aperture out of it.

I stamped the frame with a script stamp using Burnt Umber Decoart paint and then dabbed around all the edges using my finger to give a tatty distressed look.

I then covered that with some Treasure Gold

I made some flowers using a die cut...making roses using flowers edged in Antique Linen DS and coloured some flowers blue with a mix of Shaded Lilac and Broken Glass DI to compliment the blue in the photograph. I stamped some leaves with the same script stamp I used to decorate the frame.

 The center of these flowers were filled with Decoart Liquid glass topped with Distress Glitter.

The smaller flowers coloured with Antique Linen DI were filled with Copper Liquid Pearls

I used Gothic German print text paper for the center of the frame and some chit chat stickers

I chose a passport style photograph

Some twisted rusty wire was added to finish it all off

And there is my book frame

I hope you like it and I hope you are inspired to join in with the Hit the Books challenge this month!

 Our Sponsor for this month is....

Crafty Individuals has given us a massive collection of stamps and other goodies 

for one lucky winner this month! 

All you have to do to win this gorgeous bundle of goodies is enter Jennie's challenge - and you could be the lucky winner selected by Random.org - Get in and have a chance to win!

Happy Crafting!

Laura
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Industrial Wings Spotlight

Hi everyone - It is Sponsor Spotlight time again at Our Creative Corner

Our generous sponsor this month is Tando Creative

  

 Come and join in this months challenge over at Our Creative Corner to be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize!  - a surprise bundle of Tando goodies!

And here for you is a sneak peek of today's spotlight....

If you are interested in finding out what I have made and how it was made then just hop 

over to Our Creative Corner

 

Hope to see you over there!

 Happy Crafting 

Laura

 xxx

Gypsy Fayre

Hi everyone!

Over at OCC we have our wonderful Candice hosting the challenge this month and she has chosen

Gypsy Fayre

Blessed are the gypsies. The makers of music, artists, writers, dreamers of dreams, wanderers and vagabonds, children and misfits: for they teach us to see the world through beautiful eyes  

This month's challenge invites you to let us see your gypsy nature.  

Gypsies are wanderers, purveyors of exquisite things, mysterious things, free-spirited bohemians curating the beauty of life and sharing the wonders with you as the travel along.

So for the challenge let your creativity run wild and free like a gypsy 

I want you to create interesting items you might imagine finding at a traditional Gypsy Fayre.

You may create whatever your gypsy heart desires, but it must....

contain at least 3 colours from the featured colour palette 

or 

  show us how your project is inspired by this gorgeous ode to the gypsy soul!

So craft with the soul of a gypsy and share the wonder with us. 

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The first thing I thought of was to make some kind of jewellery but I had no idea what at first.
All I knew was I wanted to make it a rustic piece...something perfect for a Gypsy Fayre

I got together some dark hemp string, buttons, charms and beads and got to work......

 I got some plain wooden craft buttons and painted them with Burnt Umber Decoart Media Acrylic paint. This gave them a gorgeous mahogany wood effect. I then lightly applied some Decoart Iced Espresso Metallic Lustre around the edges of the button.

The other buttons were covered with the Metallic Lustre to match - they were all bright silver or brass coloured and needed adjustment to fit the bracelet colour scheme!

I got a length of hemp string and doubled it, tying a knot in the end to form the loop to attach the two bracelet ends.

Then working with the two strands I threaded the buttons onto the bracelet

For the four holed buttons I crossed the strands at the front and this makes them very secure. For the single hole buttons I tied a knot to hold it in place and then applied a blob of glue to secure it.

I chose very ornate metal buttons for the bracelet and they needed no work other than a dab of Iced Espresso Metallic Lustre, but the wooden buttons needed to be decorated. Stamped images were cut into circles and placed in the larger wooden buttons along with some metal embellishments.

.....and some Perfect Pearls

Two smaller buttons were placed at the end and formed the attachments of the bracelet

Then I used the two strands of hemp string to form a decorative tassel

I had this leaf charm and covered it with Iced Espresso Mettalic Lustre

I gathered up some coordinating breads and crystals and threaded them onto the bracelet. One bead I made myself by just looping up some brown wire into a ball.

So there it is - My Gypsy Fayre Bracelet - I do hope you like it!

 I hope you will join in with us at Our Creative Corner this month with your creations from the past!

Our sponsor this month is...

Tando Creative

Tando Creative will be donating a surprise package of goodies to our randomly drawn winner

Definitely a prize worth winning!

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Why not enter and you could be our winner chosen at random to win the wonderful Sponsor prize!! 

You could be our Top Talent at Our Creative Corner and you could get picked as one of our Top 3! 

So many ways to win but you got to be in it to win it!

Happy Crafting!

Laura

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