Pearl Effect

I've spotted a faux mother of pearl technique on a couple of blogs recently so of course I just had to try it after popping into my local craft shop for some pearlescent medium.  This was used as a resist by dabbing it onto white card and then sponging with two colours of distress ink.  I then cut it to size and put it into an embossing folder before using the resulting piece as a background for some swirls and flowers.  A small sentiment was added so that most of the pretty background was showing.  I can see lots of possibilities for this technique and will certainly be doing more of it.  I'm not sure the pearlescent effect comes over particularly well in a photograph but it is very pretty in real life as it catches the light.

 Background - made using Pearlescent medium and Distress inks
Flowers - Heartfelt Creations Sunkissed Fleur stamp, coloured with alcohol markers
Flowers - cut out with matching Spellbinders die
Flower Centres - sparkles from Hobby House
Swirls - Sue Wilson Grand Vinery dies
Sentiment - computer generated on Cuttlebug die cuts.

Floral Card

Today's card is well away from the Christmas theme and shows a flower which I think looks like a blue poppy (Icelandic??) - a stamp from a the Stampin' Up set Bloom with Hope coloured using Distress markers.  This is layered 3D style onto a shape from the Apothecary Accents thinlets die set in the centre of a 'create a card' die cut from Die-sire. This in turn has been layered onto an embossed piece of blue card. The sentiment is computer generated and cut out using Stampin' Up punches.

Challenge Time Again

I can hardly believe it is time for a new challenge on Pixie Snippets blog - yet another week has whizzed by while I wasn't looking!!  My snippets this week are a slight departure from my usual work because they are quilling strips.  This came about because a member of our craft group expressed an interest in quilling and while I am no expert, I do know the basics so agreed to show her how to get started.  We are a small group where it is all about sharing our knowledge and expertise - a great way of introducing people to different crafts. I feel that quilling is something which can develop with practice once the basics are learnt and then it is a case of using the various shapes to build up a wide variety of designs.

As we are rapidly approaching the festive Season I thought I'd make up a little robin for her to try and here he is incorporated into my card for Snippets this week.  The  background paper is from Craftwork Cards but all the other pieces are from my snippets boxes.

Background - Craftwork Cards paper pad
Circles - Spellbinder dies
Square layer - scrap of card embossed with Tim Holtz music embossing folder
Greeting - stamp from Stampin' Up on X-cut die cut tag
Robin and Holly - quilled with 3mm papers

Another Christmas Card

Today's offering is another Christmas card using the free embossing folder used yesterday but this time including two of the stamps from the same freebie.  That really was a bargain set because there is also a Christmas tree stamp and some good quality papers included so I don't feel so bad about buying that magazine.  This card was finished off with the addition of a Sue Wilson poinsettia and a pine branch from another of her Christmas die sets.

more Freebies!

Yet again I've been tempted by freebies with magazines and this week I must confess to buying not one but two!  This last week has been particularly hectic both socially (meeting friends for coffee - twice) and preparing for two busy days demonstrations with the Big Shot and various lovely dies and embossing folders - quite tiring but so enjoyable.  I was more or less ready with samples until I spotted these magazines and just had to make a quick card using the embossing folder from Cardmaking and Papercraft which is a full size one and comes with three lovely stamps as well.  The sentiment came as a die with Papercraft Essentials.  I think this card will fit the bill for the Pixie Snippets Challenge this week because apart from the square of Centura Pearl card in the background everything else was cut using snippets from my bits boxes.  Of course I've not yet used the stamps so maybe another Christmas card will follow incorporating those as well.  I do like my freebies and judging from remarks from some of the lovely visitors to the show I'm not alone.

A six inch square was cut from Centura Pearl white card and embossed with the free folder, then lightly brushed with blue Distress ink to show the detail.  The free sentiment was cut from the white Centura pearl and mounted onto an oval  cut from a scrap of blue pearl card using dies from Sue Wilson's Austrian collection. More snippets of matching card were used to cut out some of the smaller flowers from Sue's new Poinsettia collection - a few odd pearls added for the centres.  Sorry about the dark shadow on the right hand side, scanner letting in a bit of light I think due to the height of the flowers.

I see I've not posted on my blog since last weekend - apologies for that and in fact what I really should be doing this morning is putting away all the 'stuff' which was packed up to take to the show but I just had to catch up with blogs and so on but unpacking the bags and boxes must be my next priority so that I can craft some more!

Pixie Snippets Challenge 140

My card for the Snippets challenge this week uses a letterpress technique for the background - a large snippet of watercolour paper was run through the Big Shot with a Special Touch mask which had been inked with Distress ink before making the embossing 'sandwich'.  Four smaller snippets of watercolour paper were then cut using a die from Spellbinders fleur de lis set and arranged on a snippet of black card which was then set on point onto the background.  The smallest dies from the Sue Wilson  Provence die set (French Collection) were used for the central motif with a computer sentiment punched out.  Finally I used some really small snippets of the black card to cut out the fleur de lis corners.  There is a great stamp on offer as a prize to be picked at random this week so well worth having a go I'd say and good luck everyone!

Tags or Toppers

The theme of the challenge this week on Make my Monday is Tags/Toppers and I think this card should qualify.  The topper was stamped with Stampin' Up Apothecary Art stamp set and cut out with the matching die set.  Flowers were coloured with alcohol pens and the larger layer of the topper has been embossed using the letterpress technique - two little banners form a 'ribbon' behind the topper.