T is for Tree

I decided to go with Trees or at least a tree as my tag for the letter T in the alphatag swap for this month.  Stamps used are from Chocolate Baroque (formerly Elusive Images) Arboretum set. Someone remarked that this challenge seems to be getting more difficult as the months go by and I'd say we have the most difficult letters yet to come.

 

Jewellery Design

I recently acquired some free Preciosa twin holed beads and really wasn't sure how to go about using them.  However I was browsing through the last issue of Bead magazine when I spotted a bracelet design using these very  beads so I sorted out some other beads of suitable colours from my stash and set about designing a necklace based on this idea - the twin hole beads are the turquoise coloured ones in the centre of the units each of which includes size 11 and 15 seed beads, 3mm faceted crystals and some Myuki drop beads. I enjoyed making this and might just have to invest in a few more twin hole beads to make something else.  I had no choice of colour with the free beads so I might need a bit of retail therapy to get a top of a suitable colour to show them off!!

Apologies for my lack of blogging recently - time seems to have doubled its pace in passing me by and there seem to be less and less hours in each day.

St Luke's Charity Challenge

I thought it was maybe time I made a few Christmas cards and here is one made for the St Luke's charity challenge this month where they are asking for something made with COUPLES.  I've used an image from Docrafts Forever Friends range with matching backing paper and embellishments and the image is layered onto mirror card cut with nestabilities so quite a straightforward card to make.  It is worth popping over to their blog to see what the design team have made for inspiration on this theme and there is a lovely prize on offer as well.

S is for Steampunk Symphony

Time again this month to be getting the alphatags made for the Chocolate Baroque swap and this month we are onto S and T.  After two quite busy and tiring days demonstrating I thought I'd spend a quiet day dabblling with inks and stamps to make a start on these tags.  It's a good job I'm not demonstrating today because my fingers are now a fetching shade of chipped sapphire!! When it came to S there was no contest really for me because I love Steampunk so out came my Chocolate Baroque steampunk romance stamp set and some distress inks.  The background of the tag was made using a technique from the Tim Holtz Compendium of Curiosities II using TH tissue paper roll with music notes printed on it (hence the Symphony part of the title) and  a chipboard cog which I cut using a TH Sizzix die.  The image with the butterflies was stamped on a separate piece of card and cut out with the butterflies stamped again, coloured with matching distress inks, then coated with rock candy distress stickles and  layered for dimension. Some copper Treasure Gold was rubbed around the cog to emphasise it and also to tie in with the screw head brads.

I've just realised that I  have still to add a ribbon on this tag so that's what I'm off to do now before I forget.

Although this tag doesn't exactly have a riot of colour it certainly has colour and stamping so hopefully it will qualify for Sunday Stamper week 222 because colour is the theme this week from Hels.

I hope the late summer weather which has arrived in the south is also where you are - a bit late in the year but very welcome nonetheless.

Second Post

Well - two posts in one day.  This is because the Addicted to Stamps challenge finishes today so tomorrow will be too late.  Yet again I've managed to cover two challenges, the second one being the Twinchies Autumn theme so you can guess that the little leaf image on this card measures two inches (sorry I stuck it onto the card before scanning for the twinchies link.)  The stamp used is from Stampin' Up Faith in Nature set, stamped twice and layered for dimension, with the quote on the card being from the same set.  I must say this clean and simple style is not really a favourite with me but it is good to venture outside the comfort zone now and again.

Vintage Fashion

The Make My Monday challenge is back after a well deserved break and their theme for this month is VINTAGE with VINTAGE FASHION being the specific topic for this first week. The card I've made also qualifies for Judith's Forgotten Friday because I've used images and backing paper from Joanna Sheen's Fashion Boutique CD set and I just can't remember when I last put these discs into the computer!! Two sizes of image have been printed and I've added a layer of card embossed using a Cuttlebug folder, vintage lace and  some paper flowers with a diecut leafy frond using a Marianne die. The MMM design team have made some lovely cards for inspiration - well worth a look and of course Judith is posting examples of her DT work for Chocolate Baroque using new seasonal stamps.

Kumihimo Braid Bracelet

Another bracelet made using a length of Kumihimo braid which I made using shiny rat-tail cord with the addition of a little crystal and heart charm.  Not much more to say about this really apart from saying that I enjoyed making it and it matches a necklace which I designed and made recently.