Winner of the Demo Tag

Hi Bloggers.

The winner of the tag from this post is Number 3 - Bea. Many congrats. Please email your snail mail address to me at juliawattscrafts@gmail.com and I'll pop it in the post to you.

I'll be back tomorrow with a card.

Julia.

Purple and Blue

Hi Bloggers.

Today's card has a very similar layout to this post but there are a couple of different techniques on it.

I stamped the shoe from the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set using Blue Violet Archival Ink and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I inked around the edges of the panel with Dusty Concord Distress Ink and matted it on to some purple card.

For the larger background behind the shoe, I inked up a square piece of white card with Dusty Concord and Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I distressed the edges with my scissors and inked again with the Faded Jeans. I popped some Midnight Blue Mica Powder from the Cosmic Shimmer Dark Dusks Mica Powder Setinto a clean chinese container and added a good amount of water. I then popped a couple of beads into it a shook it around a bit to pick up the paint. I put the inked card into a larger container and dropped the beads on top and swirled them around. I repeated the process with the Antique Lilac Mica Powder from the same set.

Next I made the grid background. I inked up the Grid Mask with Perfect Medium. I popped a piece of purple card on top and ran it through my Grand Calibur. The ink transferred to the debossed pattern. I dusted some of the Midnight Blue mica powder over the top and. I tore the edges of the panel and added a little more perfect medium using Cut & Dry foam and again dusted with the mica powder.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set again using the Blue Violet Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using Spellbinders Fancy Tags and inked with Dusty Concord while still in the die.

I dipped some screw brads into the Perfect Medium and then the clear embossing powder (it's handy if you have tool with a crocodile clip). Then I dipped it into the mica powder and heated again. The mica sunk below the embossing powder. I repeated again until I was happy with the colour. I did 4 with Midnight Blue and 2 with Antique Lilac.

I assembled the card as shown. Hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Demo Tag to Give Away

Hi Bloggers,

Today I'm sharing the final demo piece from the shows on Tuesday. It's a tag and I made it so I could demo the techniques used in this post.

For the background, I used the Grid Mask. I inked through it with Rusty Hinge and Mustard Seed Distress Ink using Cut & Dry Foam. I really love the mosaic effect you get from this mask. I then randomly stamped some circles using a mister bottle top and the Rusty Hinge Distress Ink.

I stamped the stem of the flower with the chain from the Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set using Sepia Archival. I did not emboss it.

I stamped 2 of each of the 4 different small tickets from the Creative Expressions Tickets Stamp Set using Perfect Medium and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Bright Gold Metallic Embossing Powder. I coloured the edges of the tickets with the Copper Mica Powder from the Cosmic Shimmer Metallics Mica Spray Set. I cut them all out.

I stacked the tickets up and pierced a hole through them all. I added a Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brad in Antique Gold and fanned the tickets out to look like a flower. I added 3D foam pads of the back and added the flower to the top of a chain stem.

I stamped some keys from the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set onto some card, which had been spritzed with Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Misting Inks, using Perfect Medium and I embossed them with the gold powder. I cut them out and added them to the chain stems to make my 'leaves'.

I stamped the sentiment from the Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set using Sepia Archival. I did not emboss it. I cut it out line by line and glued it to my tag using Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear Glue.

I dyed some American Seam Binding first with Mustard Seed and then with Rusty Hinge Distress Ink (drying after each one). I added a little copper mica powder to the Rusty Hinge to give it a little sparkle. I added this to my tag.

Hope you enjoyed this demo if you watched. I didn't finish the tag during the show but I've finished it now and it's up for grabs. If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning it, simply become a follower (if you're not already) and leave a comment on this post. I'll draw a winner on Monday morning.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Paper Rosette Tutorial

Hi Bloggers,

I've had a request from a lady who attended the Creative Expressions Workshop we did at the Create & Craft weekend at Hayling Island. She asked if I could remind her how we made the flower rosette that was on our card. So, I've made another video tutorial. The die set we used was from Spellbinders Parisian Accents.

This is the card that Maria and Lynne designed for the workshop. It's gorgeous, isn't it?

We used two of Sam Poole's new stamp sets - Steampunk Dreams and Steampunk Flowers.

I hope you find the tutorial useful.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Steampunk Mask

Hi Bloggers.

Today I'm sharing another demo card from the shows on Tuesday.

For the background, I ran the Steampunk Mask through the Grand Calibur with a piece of ivory card. I then inked all over with Rusty Hinge Distress Ink and Cut & Dry Foam. I stamped some cogs from the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set using Sepia Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I cut them out using a craft knife and added them to the steampunk background with Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brads in Antique Copper and some Idea-ology Mini Fasteners.

I stamped the shoe image from the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set using Sepia Archival and embossed with Creative Expressions Clear Embossing Powder. I cut the image out using scissors and a craft knife.

I cut a mat out of rust card using Spellbinders Labels Thirteen. At the emboss stage I added the Couture Creations Replacements Embossing Folder. I did not close the folder as the die would damage it. However, the sandwich is too thin with the folder open so I added some sheets of copy paper to bulk it out. In the show I used Idea-ology Kraft Glassine Paper instead of the rust card.

I assembled the card as shown (no sentiment on this one) and added some dots of Cosmic Shimmer Pearlescent PVA in Choco Brown (love this new colour!).

Hope you like the card and enjoyed the demo if you watched.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

A demo card from yesterday

Hi Bloggers.

Thanks to everyone who watched the shows yesterday. They were really fun. Today I'm sharing the card I did as the first demo in the 5pm show yesterday.

I started with a square piece of ivory card. I scrunched it up and opened it out again. I ran a Tea Dye Distress Ink Pad over the top. It settled on the peaks. I then spritzed with some water, waited a few minutes and then ironed flat with my encaustic iron. I picked this technique up from Tim Holtz. Next I splatted some Old Paper, Tea Dye and Pumice Stone Distress Stains. I remembered seeing Dawn Bibby once stamping a large background stamp without using an acrylic block so I did this with the Creative Expressions Clocks Stamp and the Creative Expressions Scattered Words Stamp using Sepia Archival. I then spritzed the background with Dark Bronze Mica Powder (from the Cosmic Shimmer Metallics Mica Spray Set) which I had mixed with some water in the spritzer bottle provided in the set.

I stamped the image from the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set using Sepia Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I coloured it using the Pumice Stone Distress Stain and then cut it out.

I scrunched up a piece of Idea-ology Kraft Glassine Paper, opened it out and then tore it to a size suitable to put the handbag on.

I stamped 3 of the small tickets from the Creative Expressions Tickets Stamp Set using the Sepia Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I coloured the edges of the tickets in with Cosmic Shimmer Dark Bronze Mica Powder. I dyed some silver staples with Latte Alcohol Ink and used then to attach the tickets to the background.

I inked up the sentiment with Perfect Medium and brushed some Pale Gold Mica Powder from the Metallics set onto the inked stamp. I melted some Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Metal Ultra Thick Embossing Powder and poured it onto my craft sheet. I then stamped into the UT with the sentiment stamp. I left it for a little while and then removed the stamp.

I assembled the card as shown adding a Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brad in Antique Copper in each corner. In the demo card I had added some dots of Cosmic Shimmer Golden Pearl Pearlescent PVA.

Hope you like the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Ist Demo Card today

Hi Bloggers.

As the title suggests this should be my first demo today on Create & Craft at 11am with Lottie.

This card uses a bunch of techniques that I've just before. I thought it would be cool to show them in little snippets in a demo.

I stamped the shoe from the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set using Plum Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I coloured it in using Dark Cherry Mica Powder from the Cosmic Shimmer Dark Dusks Mica Spray Set. It looks quite messy in the photo but in the correct light it really shines.

For the background immediately behind the shoe I inked up a 4" square piece of white card with Barn Door and Aged Mahogany Distress Ink. I dusted all over with Silver Lustre Mica Powder from the Cosmic Shimmer Metallics Mica Spray Set. I then stamped the bolts from the same stamp set using Perfect Medium. It's important to clean and dry the stamp between each use so that the ink pad does not become contaminated. I repeated stamping randomly over the areas that would be visible. I then dusted over the stamped bolts with Deep Plum Mica Powder from the Dark Dusks set. I distressed the edges of the panel with my scissors and then inked with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink - I may decide to do that first in the demo as it removes the mica from around the edges of the panel and ends up on the Cut & Dry Foam and the ink pad!

For the burgundy background panel, I inked up the Woodgrain Mask with Perfect Medium. I placed the burgundy card on top and then ran it through the Grand Calibur. The ink transferred to the debossed pattern. I then dusted with Dusky Pink Mica Powder from the Dark Dusks det. I tore the card till it was the required size.

For the large white background, I ran a piece of white card through the Grand Calibur with the Couture Creations Houndstooth Embossing Folder. I ran it through a second time to extend the pattern. I inked around the edges with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink.

I stamped the sentiment using Plum Archival and embossed with clear powder. I cut it out using Spellbinder Fancy Tags and inked with Aged Mahogany while still in the die.

I assembled the card as shown adding a few Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brads in Antique Silver and some dots of Cosmic Shimmer Pearlescent PVA in Silver Lustre around the edges.

Hope you like the card.

Thank for stopping by and I hope you'll tune in to Create & Craft at 11am and 5pm today. Emails welcome.

Julia

Handbag shaped card

Hi Bloggers.

I'm off to Peterborough early tomorrow to do Create & Craft Shows at 11am with Lottie and 5pm with Dean.

I couldn't resist sharing this diddy little shaped card made with the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags stamp set. Such a cute little card for a note or a little invite.

I folded a piece of A5 white card in half and then stamped the handbag just over the fold so the very left-hand side of it was missing. I stamped using Plum Archival and embossed using Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I cut out the handbag through both pieces of card with scissors and a craft knife.

I coloured the image in with Dusky Pink and Dark Cherry mica powders from the Cosmic Shimmer Dark Dusks Mica Spray Set.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set on a separate piece of card again using the Plum Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out and edged it with a fine liner.

Hope you like this little offering. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos on this - the sun was shining into my craft room when they were taken.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

A Simple Tag

Hi Bloggers.

Today I've been forced into the new Blogger and I don't like it! I'm one of those people who struggle a bit when software and layouts change and it's taken me a while to find where everything is - must be something to do with age I think.

Anyway, today I'm sharing a very simple tag.

I inked up one side of the Steampunk Mask (will be getting some in my Amazon Store soon) with Perfect Medium. I popped my tag face down on to the inked area and ran it through my Grand Calibur. The ink transferred to the debossed pattern. I then added some Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder and heat set it. Next, (as per Ali Reeve) I added a generous dusting of Dark Bronze Mica Powder (from the Cosmic Shimmer Metallics Mica Spray Set) and heated it again. The Mica sinks in to the melted embossing powder - cool, eh?

I stamped the sentiment from the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set using Sepia Archival and embossed with clear powder. I distressed the edges of the tag and my sentiment with my scissors and then added Tea Dye Distress Ink using Cut & Dry Foam.

I dyed some Cotton Hemp Ribbon using Tea Dye Distress Stain and then stamped some cogs onto it using Sepia Archival. I added some Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brads in Antique Copper to couple of the mask cogs and the tag was complete.

Hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Be Unique

Hi Bloggers,

Today I'm sharing this card made with the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set designed by Sam Poole.

I made this card when I first got the stamp set a couple of months and I'm a bit uncertain as to how I made the background so here's my best guess!

I inked up a piece of white card with Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I also 'stamped' with the ink pad across the card. I then misted it with Antique Rose and Patina Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Mists. I made sure the background was dry and then dusted it with my anti-static bag. I inked the Cogs Mask with Perfect Medium and popped my background face down onto it. I ran this through the Grand Calibur. The ink transferred to the deboss. I then brushed Silver Lustre Mica Powder from the Metallics Mica Spray Set all over the pattern.

I stamped the shoes using Jet Black Archival onto some white card I had spritzed with the Antique Rose and Patina Vintage Mists. I embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I added a bit of colour to the shoes using Denim Cosmic Shimmer Drawing Ink. I added some Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brads in Antique Silver

I inked up some Cotton Hemp Ribbon with the Faded Jeans Distress Ink and stamped some bolts onto it using Jet Black Archival. I tied 2 lengths of it into a bow and added an Idea-ology Sprocket Gear and Game Spinner.

I melted some Cosmic Shimmer UT Vintage Luna White and then poured it onto my craft sheet. I inked up the sentiment with Jet Black Archival and stamped into the UT.

I assembled the card as shown. Hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Change

Hi Bloggers,

Just to let you know - the show times on Tuesday have been changed. I'm now on at 11am and 5pm.

Today I'm sharing another card made with the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set.

For the background, I added some Mustard Seed, Rusty Hinge and Tea Dye Distress Ink using Cut & Dry Foam. I then 'stamped' with the Rusty Hinge pad directly on to the card for a more intense colour and pattern. Distress Ink stays wet for a while so I was able to dust the whole area with Pale Gold Mica Powder from the Cosmic Shimmer Metallics Mica Spray Set. Next I used the coil stamp from the same stamp set and stamped onto the backbround with Perfect Medium. The ink removed the mica where it had been stamped. It's important to clean and dry the stamp between each use. I continued to stamp the coil randomly over the background. The Perfect Medium is a 'sticky' ink so after I had finished stamping I added some Red Bronze to the coils. You'll find this technique on Sue Wilson's DVD.

I stamped the main image onto some ivory card using Sepia Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I cut it out using the largest of the Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles. I inked with Rusty Hinge while still in the die. I added an Idea-ology Sprocket Gear and Game Spinner to the handbag image.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set using the Sepia Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using the Spellbinders Curved Rectangles and inked with Rusty Hinge while still in the die.

I cut various leaves from the Spellbinders Foliage Die Set and Spellbinders Damask Accents. I made a couple of roses from Cotton Hemp Ribbon. I dyed 2 Creative Expressions White Pearl Decorative Stick Pins with Latte Alcohol Ink.

I assembled the card as shown - hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Always in Style

Hi Bloggers,

Today I have another card to share with you made with the Creative Expressions Stylish Ladies Stamp Set.

I stamped the lady from the stamp set using Jet Black Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I coloured her in with Cosmic Shimmer Drawing Inks. There's a very good article in Craft Stamper Magazine this month which shows you how to blend with the inks. I used Marigold and Umber from the Autumn Shades Set for the skin, Blue Lace for the fan (from the Soft Velvet Set), Blue Cotton for the dress (also from the Soft Velvet Set). I added some Pearl Shine (from the Metallics set) to the edges of the fan and on the feather in her hair. I finished off by adding a little Rich Gold (also from the Metallics Set) to the bangle on her wrist. I carefully cut her out using scissors.

I cut a large Romantic Rectangle out of white card. At the emboss stage I added the Polka Dot Mask. (Remember to keep the cutting edge of the die away from your mask when doing this.) I inked around the edges with Faded Jeans Distress Ink and Cut & Dry Foam while still in the die.

For the background, I ran some white card through the Grand Calibur with the Spellbinders M-Bossabilities Elegance Folder. I ran it through a second time to extend the pattern. I edged the background with Faded Jeans.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set using the Jet Black Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using Spellbinders Labels Twenty-Two and inked with Faded Jeans while still in the die.

I cut some leaves from cobalt and white card using the Spellbinders Foliage Die Set. I made a flower using Spellbinders Spiral Blossom Three. I added a pearl bead to the centre of it.

I assembled the card as shown adding some dots of Cosmic Shimmer Pearlescent PVA in Summer Blue around the edges.

Hope you like the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Monochromatic

Hi Bloggers,

Today's card has a bit of a messy background but I think it suits the card.

I stamped the background with the Creative Expressions A6 Clocks Stamp and the Creative Expressions A6 Scattered Words stamp (both designed by Sam Poole) using Jet Black Archival. I dried it a little with my heat gun and then popped it through the Grand Calibur with the Couture Creations Houndstooth Embossing Folder. I passed it through a second time to extend the pattern.

I stamped the image from the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set (also designed by Sam) onto black card using Perfect Medium. I then added some Cosmic Shimmer True White embossing powder and heat set it. I cut it out using Spellbinders Labels Seventeen.

I stamped the sentiment from the handbags stamp set using Perfect Medium and embossed with the Cosmic Shimmer True White Embossing Powder.

I wrapped some American Seam Binding in Chalk White around the background and the first black mat layer. I then tied a bow with 3 lengths of the same ribbon and added it as shown.

I cut a cog from black card using the Spellbinders Sprightly Sprockets. I stamped a cog from the handbags stamp set on to black card using Perfect Medium and embossed with the True White. I cut it out and glued it on top of the die cut cog. I added a Black Glass Glintz to the centre and added this to my bow. I finished off with a couple of Creative Expressions Black Decorative Stick Pins.

Hope you like the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Life is about creating yourself

Hi Bloggers.

Today I'm sharing another card made using one of my favourite layouts with lots of Spellbinder dies.

You can see other cards made using this layout here and here.

For the background, I stamped the sentiment from the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set all over a piece of white card using Jet Black Archival. I then ran it through the Grand Calibur with the Spellbinders M-Bossibilities Folder - Regal. I ran it through a second time to extend the pattern.

I cut the largest of the Romantic Rectangles out of pink card and added the Metal Effect Mask at the embossing step. (if you do this, remember to keep the cutting edge of the die away from the mask.)

I cut the largest of the Splendid Circles out of black card and 2 corners from the Lattice Accents set (also in black). I cut 2 leaves from the Damask Accents set in pink and 2 in black.

I stamped the shoe from the stamp set using Jet Black Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I coloured the shoe in with Dark Cherry and Dusky Pink mica powders from the Cosmic Shimmer Dark Dusks Mica Spray Set (just pop a little powder on your craft sheet or tile and add a little water to create a paint). I cut the shoe out and added it to the die-cut Splendid Circle.

I stamped the sentiment from the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set again using Jet Black Archival and embossed with clear powder. I cut the sentiment up into lines and popped 2 of them on to the Romantic Rectangles die cut.

I made a flower out of felt (which I bought from Sam Poole) using Spellbinders Spiral Blossom One. I made another flower out of pink card using Spellbinders Spiral Blossom Two. My third flower was made out of black card using Spellbinders Sprial Blossom Three.

I assembled the card as shown.

Hope you like it. Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Back from Ally Pally

Hi Bloggers,

I got back last night from Ally Pally. I had a great time and met some really lovely crafters.

Here are a few photos of my fellow demonstrators on the Creative Expressions stand.

Here's Hels with her gorgeous Studio 490 creations -

Here's Sam with some of her Steampunk samples and journalling pages -

And finally, here's Leonie getting mucky with eco green paints -

Will be back tomorrow with a card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Silver Shine Metallic

Hi Bloggers,

Today's card is a very simple one made using the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set.

I stamped the image onto black card using Perfect Medium and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Silver Shine Metallic Embossing Powder. I mounted the image on to some matt silver card and added an Idea-ology Sprocket Gear and a Game Spinner to the design.

I stamped the sentiment which is from the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set again using the Perfect Medium Ink Pad and embossed with the Silver Shine Metallic Embossing Powder.

For the background, I inked through the Metal Effect Mask with the Perfect Medium and then embossed with the Silver Shine Metallic Powder. The background is larger than the mask but it's easy to line the pattern up to extend it.

I added a Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brad in Antique Silver to each corner of the metal effect background and assembled the card as shown.

Told you it was simple! Hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Happy Birthday Nathan

Hi Bloggers.

Today I'm sharing the card that I've made for my son's 16th birthday which is today. I'm at Ally Pally but he says that's ok because he's going out.

I've been really naughty and I haven't used a Creative Expressions stamp on this - simply because I don't have one that I felt was suitable. Teenage boys, I think, are the hardest group to make cards for. Nathan isn't really into sport (except free-running) so that makes it even harder. We're cat lovers in our house so I thought this image was the best for the occasion.

The image is called Kitty Chorus and is from Stamps Happen. We've had it for years and I still love it. I stamped it in Jet Black Archival and it's been coloured with Lyra Watercolour Crayons. The background has been embossed using the Couture Creations Houndstooth folder through the Grand Calibur. I passed it through a second time to extend the pattern.

I coloured some chipboard letters with a black promarker and added a kitty embellishment from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Just the Ticket!

Hi Bloggers.

This card was inspired by this post by Sam Poole in as much as I've used the chain stamp from the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set for the stems of the flowers.

I created the background by inking through the Grid Mask on to grey card with Dusty Concord Distress Ink and Cut & Dry Foam. I like the way it looks like a mosaic with the different shades of the ink. I used the top of a Distress Stain bottle to stamp some circles randomly over the background with the Dusty Concord Distress Ink.

Next I stamped the chain stems using the the chain stamp from the Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set using Jet Black Archival.

I stamped 6 of each of the 4 different small tickets from the Creative Expressions A6 Tickets Stamp Set (also designed by Sam) again using the Jet Black Archival but this time I embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I coloured the edges of half of them with the Lilac Dawn Mica Powder and half with the Antique Lilac Mica Powder (both from the Cosmic Shimmer Dawn Dusks Mica Spray Set). I cut them all out.

Using 2 of each design (8 tickets in total), I stacked them up and pierced a hole through them all. I added a Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brad in Antique Silver and fanned the tickets out to look like a flower. I added 3D foam pads of the back and added the flower to the top of a chain stem. I repeated this twice more.

I had some left off paper which I had spritzed with some Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Misting Inks and it just happened to have some green on it! So, I stamped some keys from the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set using Jet Black Archival and I embossed them with the clear powder. I cut them out and added them to the chain stems to make my 'leaves'.

I stamped the sentiment from the Mechanical Handbags set on to some white card using Jet Black Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it into the 4 separate lines and added them to my card.

I really enjoyed making this card. I hope you like it.

I'm off the Ally Pally today. I'll be demonstrating On Saturday and Sunday on the Creative Expressions stand (right at the back) along with Leonie Pujol, Hels Sheridan and Sam Poole. Sue Wilson will also be there demonstrating on her RubberNecker stand (right by the entrance). If you're going, do pop and say hello.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Winged Shoe

Hi Bloggers.

We're back to shoes today and another card made using the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set designed by Sam Poole.

I stamped the image on to white card using Plum Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I cut it out with scissors and a craft knife, removing the 'wings' from the back of the shoe. I made some new wings from some Cosmic Shimmer Heat Bondable Film in Aurora Sparkle and some Cosmic Shimmer Heat Bondable Fibres in Summer Blush which I bonded together using my encaustic iron and then I cut out a butterfly from the Spellbinders Wonderful Wings die set.

For the background, I inked up the Woodgrain Mask with Perfect Medium. I popped a piece of white card on top of the mask and ran it through the Grand Calibur. The ink transferred to the debossed areas on the card. I then added some some Dark Cherry Mica Powder from the Cosmic Shimmer Dark Dusks Mica Spray Set.

I stamped 8 small tickets (2 of each design) from the Creative Expressions Tickets Stamp Set using Plum Archival and embossed with clear powder. I cut them out and added a Creative Expressions Faux Screw Brad in Antique Copper through all the tickets. I splayed the tickets out so that they looked like a flower and popped some 3D foam on the back to keep them in place.

I cut a Spellbinders Lattice Motif and some leaves from the Spellbinders Foliage Die Set out of burgundy card.

I assembled the card as shown and added a bit of faux stitching around the edges.

Let me now what you think as I'm not entirely happy with this card. I may add a few more leaves to it and/or pop some screw brads in the corners. There's such a fine line between finishing a card and over-doing it, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Dare to Dream

Hi Bloggers.

Today I'm sharing this card with you -

The technique for the background just behind the handbag is featured on Sue Wilson's DVD. I've also used it with different mica powders in this post. On this version I used all the colours in the Cosmic Shimmer Dark Dusks Mica Spray Set.

I stamped the image from the Creative Expressions Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set (designed by Sam Poole) using Jet Black Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I colored the image in using the Dusky Pink and Deep Plum mica powders from the Dark Dusks set (just pick a little powder up with a damp paint brush and pop on your craft sheet or a tile and add water then use it as a watercolour paint). I cut the image out with scissors and a craft knife.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set again using the Jet Black Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out with a Spellbinders Fancy Tags die and inked around the edges with a little Dusty Concord Distress Ink while still in the die.

For the black background I popped some card into the Couture Creations Houndstooth Embossing Folder and ran it through my Grand Calibur. I ran it through a second time to extend the pattern.

I assembled the card as shown and added a Creative Expressions Antique Silver Faux Screw Brad  in each corner of the houndstooth background. I also added dots of Cosmic Shimmer Pearlescent PVA in Silver Lustre all around the edges.

Hope you like the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Simply Fabulous Again

Hi Bloggers,

Today I have another card made using the Creative Expressions Stylish Ladies Stamp Set.

I stamped the image using Jet Black Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I coloured the image in using Cosmic Shimmer Drawing Inks in Umber, Marigold, Scarlet Flame and Pearl Shine. I cut the image out using Spellbinders Labels Twenty-Two. I inked around the edges with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink while still in the die. I cut the largest of the Spellbinders Labels Three out of Burgundy card for a mat.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set again using Jet Black Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using a die from the Spellbinders Damask Accents. I inked with Aged Mahogany while still in the die.

I cut various leaves from the Spellbinders Foliage Set and some from the Damask Accents Set. I cut them from Burgundy card and white card. I inked through the die with Aged Mahogany on the white ones.

I made 2 flowers from the Creative Expressions Floral Embossing Folder as shown in the video tutorial in this post. I used Aged Mahogany Distress Ink to colour the flowers. I misted them with Cosmic Shimmer Antique Rose Vintage Mist - I added rather a lot!

For the background, I ran a piece of white card through the Grand Calibur with the Spellbinders Regal M-Bossabilities Folder. I ran it through a second time to extend the pattern. I inked around the edges with Aged Mahogany.

I assembled the card as shown adding some dots of Cosmic Shimmer Pearlescent PVA in Berry Red.

Hope you like the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Be Brave

Hi Bloggers.

Today I'm sharing this card made using the Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set which is designed by Sam Poole.

I started with the background. I swiped some Distress Stain in Pumice Stone, Old Paper and Tea Dye across my craft sheet. I put the ink close together but not touching so as not to contaminate the applicators. I spritzed on a little water and then popped a piece of ivory card on top. I removed the card from the ink and dried with my heat tool, blotting some of the ink away where it gathered at the edges of the card. I then dipped the card in the remaining ink randomly until all the ink was used up and dried again.

I then added a few splats of each colour and dried. I stamped one of the cog stamps from the Mechanical Handbags Stamp Set using Tea Dye Distress Ink just to add a little extra interest. I dried again with the heat tool and then popped the background in to the Couture Creations Houndstooth Embossing Folder and ran it through the Grand Calibur.

I distressed the edges with my scissors and then sanded the background to reveal the ivory core. I went around the edges of the background with Tea Dye Distress Ink using Cut & Dry Foam.

I ran some Idea-ology Kraft Glassine through the Grand Calibur with the Spellbinders Sprightly Sprockets dies and added a few to my background.

I stamped the shoe image using Sepia Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I coloured the image with a couple of coats of Old Paper Distress Stain and then cut it out using scissors.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set again using Sepia Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using Spellbinders Large Labels. I coloured using the Old Paper Distress Stain adding a little extra around the edges.

I assembled the card as shown. I did not have the correct colour card for the centre mat so I coloured the edges of some ivory card with the Old Paper Distress stain .

Hope you like the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Disrupted weekend thanks to some theives

Hi Bloggers,

Sorry, no card today. Bit behind today as I spent yesterday late afternoon and evening driving from Milton Keynes to Brecon in Wales and back. My husband and son are having a little holiday down there and were having a great time. They had just had a game of squash at Brecon Leisure Centre and when they went to their locker they found that all of their valuables had been stolen - phones, wallets, keys and an ipod touch. You can imagine how they felt.

So, they had no money and they couldn't get into the car. They were able to get a little emergency cash from the bank. The RAC wouldn't come out and help as it wasn't a breakdown - thanks!

It was left to me to drive 3 hours to give them the spare car key and take them some cash and pay for the B&B. I stayed for dinner and then drove back so that the house was manned until we can change the locks.

The hassle this sort of thing causes is enormous - cancelling cards, replacing id cards, driving licences, insurance claims, etc. I doubt very much if the thieves will be caught. Nasty people.

On Friday, my daughter and I had a lovely shopping day in Oxford. But, you know, even this was spoiled by seeing a group of 3 girls in Primark who were deliberately picking clothes of the rails and dropping them on the floor and then running their arms across the t-shirt shelves so that they all fell on the floor. What a horrid thing to do!

These actions really make me sad and concerned for our future society.

Will be back with a card tomorrow - promise!

Julia

Shrink Plastic Shoes

Hi Bloggers.

Couldn't resist sharing this card with you today. It's one of the samples I'm made for my next show on Create & Craft. It's black & white which I love as it means I don't have to do any colouring!

I sanded some white shrink plastic and stamped the three shoes from the Creative Expressions Steampunk Shoes Stamp Set using Jet Black Archival. I actually put it aside to dry so I could do something else.

For the background I inked through the Metal Effect Mask with Black Soot Distress Ink using Cut & Dry Foam. As Distress Ink stays wet for a while I was able to sprinkle some Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder over the top and heat set it. I did re-apply the ink and the embossing powder to create more of a tile effect. I then edged the whole piece with a little Black Soot.

I cut 2 pieces of white using the Spellbinders Labels One Small and 1 piece from black. Each time, at the emboss stage, I added the Woodgrain Mask. Remember to keep the cutting edge of the die away from the mask.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set using Jet Black Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using Spellbinders Fancy Tags and inked with Black Soot while still in the die.

I carefully cut out my shoes from the shrink plastic leaving a small white border all around the edge. I also made sure that I didn't go far up the heel as experience tells me that little thin bits can be a problem. I used my heat gun on a low setting to shrink the shoes and flattened each one with an acrylic block.

I assembled the card as shown and added a Black Glass Glintz in each corner.

Hope you like the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Flower Tutorial

Hi Bloggers.

Today I have a video tutorial to share with you. Melanie asked if I could explain how to make flowers from the Creative Expressions Floral Embossing Folder so I have recorded my very first video tutorial. Hope it's useful.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia

Simply Fabulous

Hi Bloggers,

Today I'm sharing this card -

I put a 6 1/2 inch square piece of white card through the Grand Calibur with the Spellbinders Elite M-Bossabilities Folder. I passed it through a second time to extend the pattern.

I cut the frame and the border from the Spellbinders Antique Frames and Accents out of black card. I inked through the dies with Perfect Medium and Cut & Dry Foam. I carefully removed the card from the dies and added Cosmic Shimmer Silver Shine Metallic Embossing Powder. I heat set it with my heat tool.

I cut the mirror frame again out of silver mirri card and used the centre piece as my 'mirror' in the original frame.

I stamped the image from the Creative Expressions Stylish Ladies Stamp Set using Jet Black Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Folder. I coloured the lady in with a mix of mica and matt drawing inks (there are some available in my Amazon Store). I cut her out with my scissors and popped her on the card next to the mirror.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set again using the Black Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using Spellbinders Labels Four and inked with Black Soot Distress Ink while still in the die.

I tied a messy bow with Black Vintage Ribbon and added a button that I got from Sam Poole here.

I assembled the card as shown and added some dots of Cosmic Shimmer Pearlescent PVA in Silver Lustre.

Hope you like the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

If Love is Blind .....

Hi Bloggers,

Today I'm sharing this card -

I'm not entirely happy with this card but I thought I'd post it anyway as it may appeal to some of you.

For the background I embossed some ivory card with the Creative Expressions Fauna Embossing Folder. I then inked it with Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I distressed the edges with my scissors and then went around the edge with Vintage Photo.

I stamped the image from the Creative Expressions Vintage Lingerie Stamp Set using Sepia Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I cut it out using Spellbinders Lacey Ovals. I inked with Tea Dye Distress Ink while still in the die.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set again using the Sepia Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using Spellbinders Labels Two and inked through the die with Tea Dye Distress Ink.

I cut two borders using the Spellbinders Edgeablilities Classic Triple Scallop. I added these to the bottom half of the card. I ruffled some Vintage Ribbon in Amber Brown along the top of the borders. I made a messy bow from 2 lengths of the ribbon and added another bow made from the Earthtones Baker's Twine Set. I finished it off with a brown zipper rose.

I finished my card by adding some dot of Cosmic Shimmer Pearlescent PVA in Choco Brown.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

Tres Chic Easel Card

Hi Bloggers,

Today I'm sharing an easel card with you that I got half way through demonstrating on the Tool Shed show the week before last.

I used the largest Spellbinders Labels Seventeen die to create a card blank out of ivory card and then scored across about half way where the label flares out a bit. I then cut another Labels Seventeen from the largest die and inked around the edges with Crushed Olive Distress Ink while still in the die. I added this to the front panel of the easel card blank.

Next I cut the next size down of Labels Seventeen from some patterned paper. I cut another Labels Seventeen of the same size from another patterned paper. I inked around the edges of the patterned papers while still in the die with the Crushed Olive Distress Ink.

I stamped the image from the Creative Expressions Vintage Dressforms Stamp Set using Sepia Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I cut it out using Spellbinders Labels Four and inked with the Crushed Olive while still in the die.

I cut one of the patterned papers in half and added it to the bottom of the easel card. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set again using the Sepia Archival and embossed with the clear powder. I cut it out using one of the Spellbinders Ribbon Tag Trio dies and inked with the Crushed Olive while still in the die.

I assembled the card as shown using the sentiment as the stopper.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.

And the Winner Is .......

Hi Bloggers,

The winner of the card in Friday's Post is ....

Number 5 - Melanie

Could you please email your address to juliawattscrafts@gmail.com and I'll get the card sent out to you.

Julia

Birthday Wishes

Hi Bloggers.

I'm back from Hayling Island. We had a great time - exhausting but great. We met some lovely crafters and had some really kind comments about our workshop which makes it all worthwhile. Really sorry, I have no photos as I forgot to take my camera. I'm sure there will be some floating around on the internet already!

Here is today's card. Unfortunately, it never made it to the demo table as we ran out of time when I did the recent Spellbinders shows.

I have made a similar card to this before in this post but I've changed the colours and added some more layers.

I embossed a square piece of white card with the Spellbinders Elite M-Bossabilities Folder. I ran it through a second time to extend the pattern. I cut 2 large motifs from the Persian Motifs set - 1 out of grey card and 1 out of yellow card. I matted the yellow one on top of the grey one turning it slightly.

I stamped the sentiment from the Creative Expressions Beautiful Wishes Stamp Set on to yellow card using Jet Black Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I cut it out using a die from the Persian Accents die set. I cut another of the same accent pieces out of grey card. I mounted the yellow piece with the sentiment on top of the grey piece, again turning it slightly. I mounted these two pieces on top of the first two using 3D foam.

I cut 2 small accent pieces from the Persian Accents set out of yellow card and 2 out of grey. I used these as corners, adding a pearl gem in the middle.

I tied a bow from 2 lengths of Nickle Mist Vintage Ribbon. I cut another small accent piece from the Persian Accents set and popped it in the centre of the bow. I threaded a yellow button from my stash with some Baker's Twine from the Primary Set and popped it on top of the accent piece.

Hope you like this simple layout which can be adapted for many occasions.

Pop back later to find out who has won the card from Friday's post.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia