Freebie Friday

Hi Bloggers.

Freebie Friday is back! Here's the first card of the year that needs a new home -

 You can read how this card was made in this post.

Leave a lovely comment below to go into the draw to win it. I will announce the winner on Monday.

Please note : Only comments left below will go into the draw. Comments made on the original post will not count. Information given on the original post was correct at the time that post was published.

I am moving my blog from Blogger to Wordpress. Tomorrow's post will go live here on Blogger and on Wordpress. From Sunday onwards, hopefully, posts will only be added to Wordpress. I've moved a whole bunch of content over there. Everything will stay here should you wish to refer to really old posts. My new blog address is juliawattscraftsblog.wordpress.com

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (Add a note to your order in your cart). 

Scattered Leaves Background and Pixie Powders on Acetate

Hi Bloggers.

Here's today's card -

The background on this one is one of my favourite techniques with Pixie Powders. To recap - I used a piece of Heat Emboss Acetate. I added CS Glue, spritzed with water and spread the glue all over using my finger. I then added Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Powders in Aqua Lagoon, Golden Mint and Ancient Copper so that all the glue was covered. I spritzed with a little more water and then added CS Frosty Dawn Diamond Frost. I scrunched up a piece of White Tissue Paper, opened it out and added it to my background. I dabbed it down using a piece of Kitchen Roll and put aside to dry.

I cut dies #3 and #4 together from the Scattered Leaves Background into a piece of Coconut White Card. I added a die from the Pierced Background Rectangle Die Set and cut. I trimmed by background to fit behind the the die cut and glued into place. I waited a while for the glue to set and then slotted die #3 in the centre and cut. I matted onto a couple of pieces of Coconut White Card using a couple of layers of CE Mounting Cushion.

I cut dies #1 and #2 together out of Coconut White Card and added the remaining piece of my acetate background behind it. I glued it in place in the aperture of my frame.

I stamped the sentiment from the Creative Expressions Petite Lavish Sentiments Stamp Set onto Coconut White Card using Vivid Chartreuse Archival Ink. I cut it out using Pierced Flags. I shaped it and tucked it into the side of my frame.

I have loaded the Milton Keynes Workshops for 2018 onto my website. Guests this year include Leonie Pujol, Lisa Horton, Francoise Read, Jane Gill and Phill Martin. I'll be doing a few workshops on my own including one purely on background techniques. You can find all the workshops here.

Yesterday, I added quite a few products to the pre-loved section of my website - you can find them here. Also, just to give you a heads up - out Big Sale ends tomorrow at 5pm. You can see hundreds of items at reduced prices here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk

Scattered Leaves Background and Pixie Powders

Hi Bloggers.

Hope you enjoyed the shows over the past couple of days. Today I'll be continuing with my prep for the shows I have on Saturday.

Here's today's card -

2 techniques with Pixie Powders on this card. For the central panel, I added a good layer of CS Glue to a piece of Black Gloss Card. I then added CS Pixie Powders in Plum Twist, Sun Yellow, Spearmint and Ancient Copper. I made sure that all the glue was covered. Using a Low Speed Heat Tool, I heated the area until the glue started bubbling. I swapped over to a regular heat tool and continued to heat. This does take quite a while.

For the frame, I misted a piece of Black Card with water. I then sprinkled the Pixie Powders over. I added a little more water and put aside to dry. Once dry, I cut dies #2 and #3 together from the Scattered Leaves Background into it. I added a die from the Double Pierced Background Rectangle to cut the frame out. I glued a piece of Coconut White Card behind it. I slotted die #2 back into the centre and cut. I added my frame to my CS Glue/Pixie Powder background using CE Mounting Cushion. I matted onto Coconut White Card, Black Card and then another piece of Coconut White Card.

I stamped the sentiment from the Woodware Vintage Pocket Watches Stamp Set onto Coconut White Card using Jet Black Archival. I cut it out using the Pierced Flags Die Set.

I made a flower out of Coconut White Card and more of my Black Card with Pixie Powder on it using the Spiral Flower Die Set. I added a drop of Old Gold CS Phill Martin PVA to the centre.

I'll be back tomorrow with a sneak peek from Saturday's shows.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (Add a note to your order in your cart).

Saturday Sneak Peek

Hi Bloggers.

As promised, today I have a sneak peek for you from the One Day Special that I'm launching on Hochanda at 6pm on Boxing Day. I know it's a busy time with family and friends but I do hope that some of you can tune in.

The shows are all about backgrounds. The ODS bundle comprises of some Sue Wilson Background Dies and there are a few more background dies available outside of the bundle and some Finishing Touches Dies too. For me, the show is not just about the dies (which are all lovely!) but it's about the backgrounds you create to use with them and the mediums you can use to create those backgrounds. There are lots and lots of goodies on the shows and quite a few on pick & mix so hopefully, there'll be something for everyone. I've certainly had alot of fun creating the samples - I would have kept going if I hadn't another show on 30th December to prep for!

Anyhow, here's your sneak peek for today -

This is one of those cards that really does look better in real life. For the background, I have used Pixie Powders on felt! Who knew how fabulous it would look?

I used a piece of Ivory Felt. It comes in a pack of 10 sheets. Each sheet is 9" square. I've cut a sheet in half. I tend to do this when I' experimenting - if it doesn't work, I haven't wasted much and if it does work, I have a piece big enough to use.

Back to my felt, I misted it with water - quite alot of water, and then added Pixie Powders in the usual way. I used Plum Twist, Sun Yellow and Ancient Copper. You don't get such an immediate reaction as you do on card, it's a slow explosion. Cool though! Now, this isn't colour fast so if you do this, don't wash it unless you want the colour to come out.

Now, you may be wondering why you would do this on felt and not just on card as you would normally do? Well, you could, and it would look fabulous. However, here, it's all about the texture you get from using the felt. I have used every single scrap of my felt background, using the leftover bits on my foldover flowers and on the little flowers on my blossoming branch.

I made a frame out of Milk and Rich Plum Card using the Indian Ocean Background and the Double Pierced Background Rectangles. I added it to my felt background, trimming away the excess. I matted onto Milk Card, then Rich Plum and then onto another piece of Milk Card. The overall size falls just shy of A5.

I stamped a sentiment from the Creative Expressions Petite Lavish Sentiments Stamp Set onto Milk Card using Plum Archival. I cut it out using the Pierced Flags Die Set and cut the next sized die out of Rich Plum Card.

I made a couple of flowers from my leftover felt using the Classic Foldover Flowers Die Set.

I cut a pair of leaves out of Milk Card using the Blossoming Branch. I cut the tiny flowers out of my remaining scraps of felt and added a 3mm Cream Pearl to the centre of each tiny flower.

I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peek.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (Add a note to your order in your cart). 

Garden Themed Shadow Box

Hi Bloggers.

Here's today's card -

Another workshop card so just an ingredients list again.

Products used -

Sue Wilson Dies – Celebrations Shadow Box, Stitched Square Peg Board, Wooden Garden Cart, Life is a Garden, Sycamore Branch

A4 Embossing Folder – Leafy Quad

Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Powders – Burnt Orange, Bronze Blush, Straw Yellow

Distress Oxides – Black Soot, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo, Smoothies

Vintage Photo Distress Marker

Woodware 2mm Foam Tape, CE Mounting Cushion, CS Glue, FineTip Glue Applicator

Card – Coconut White, Slate Grey, Ginger

Lisa Horton is launching a new One Day Special at 6pm today with lots of Spellbinders dies. I only have the card in stock on my website from the shows but I am offering 10% off that. You can find it here. Please enter LISAHORTON in the discount code box at checkout to activate your discount. Offer valid till midnight tomorrow night or while stocks last. Lisa has another show at 8pm tonight and then more shows at 9am, 1pm and 5pm tomorrow.

Although we don't have the dies that Lisa is using on our website, we do have lots of other Spellbinders dies at reduced prices in our Clearance Section here and in our Pre-Loved Section here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (Add a note to your order in your cart).

Julia's Sunflower Posy

Hi Bloggers.

Here's today's card -

For the background on this one, I embossed a piece of Coconut White Card using the Creative Expressions Leafy Quad Embossing Folder. I added CS Golden Sand Glitter Kiss lightly all over. I matted onto Black Card and then onto Coconut White Card.

I cut the Linear Leaf Background into a piece of Coconut White Card. I added a piece of CE Double Sided Self Adhesive Sheet to the back. I turned it over and added CS Golden Sand Polished Silk Glitter to the exposed adhesive. I matted onto Black Card and added to my background using CE Mounting Cushion.

I stamped the CE Julia's Sunflower Posy onto a piece of Coconut White Card using Onyx Black Versafine Ink. I stamped the sentiment from the CE Petite Lavish Sentiments Stamp Set. I added CS Clear Embossing Powder and heat set. I coloured in using CS Pixie Powders - I used Straw Yellow, Bronze Blush and Pale Olive. I also used Bright Sunshine CS Phill Martin Ink Spray Mist on the basketweave on the image. I cut it out using the largest die in the Julia Die Set.

I cut some flowers and leaves out of Coconut White Card using the Sunflower Bouquet Die Set. I painted then with Pixie Powders - Pale Olive on the leaves, Straw Yellow on main part of the flower and Bronze Blush on the Centres of the flowers. I shaped them a little and added them to the corners of my card.

I completed my card by adding a 5mm White Pearl to the left hand corners.

Francoise Read is launching a new One Day Special at 6pm today with her latest stamp release - there are some real beauties in there! I'm offering 10% off items from the shows on my website. You can find them here. Please enter FRANCOISE in the discount code box at checkout to activate your discount. Offer valid till midnight tomorrow night or while stocks last. Francoise has another show at 8pm tonight and then more shows at 9am, 1pm and 5pm tomorrow.


Don't forget that I'm still offering 30% discount on all items in our Christmas section (here) till midnight on 18th December. Enter CHRISTMAS in the discount code box at checkout to activate your discount.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk