Hey all, Just thought I'd pop a quick post on, telling you all about my new digi designs. I've not designed any for a while, so was in my element last night, when the mood took me. But now I want to design more!!!
Lady Victoria Bumble
Jane Bumble
Emma Bumble
These are just the beginning of my new designs. going to be working on more over the next few weeks
Ok, so this post has NOTHING to do with Sister's, but thought it sounded better than just 'Twisted Easel Card...Maybe it's just me.
I have spent another night, with no sleep, and this seems to be becoming a common occurrence. So again, I have used this 'normally useless time' to make another card. Not just any card...My very first Twisted Easel card. I really, thoroughly, enjoyed making this card! I love the effect, and the angle at which the finished card sits.
It took a while to decide on which style of card I was actually going to make, and to start with, I had started creating a 'normal' easel card...but I didn't like how it was going, it seemed to be lacking...
So eventually, I changed my mind, and started to do the twisted version instead.
I used one of my own background paper designs, which I named Cherry Lace. I matted and layered this, onto other matching papers, that I created to match the background paper, and printed them off onto 200gsm, A4, white, Poundland card stock. I added two, overlapping strips of purple ribbon, again, from a multi-pack, from Poundland, and created a double bow, which I attached with my glue gun.I made two roses, from scraps of the left over matching papers, and added these to the front of the card, with some ivory paper roses too, to add some contrast. I added a pearl into the middles of the purple roses, and edged the tips of the ivory roses with some iridescent, Dovecraft glitter glue. To create the lacy sides of the card, I used my X-cut, boarder punch, and punched out two rows of the design, in two strips of the matching card stock that I printed off. The butterflies were Robert Addams, All Occasion Dies, 82. I cut these out of the matching card stock, in the deep, cadbury-type purple. Using my glue gun, I added differing sized, ivory beads, down the length of the body, and added a Swarovski crystal to each of them. I stuck the butterflies onto my project with the glue gun.
I created the card blank, out of a generic piece of white, hammered card. 15cmx15cm, folded in half, then folding one side, on the diagonal, taking the top, left corner, and folding it down to the right, bottom corner, to line the edge up with the 'spine' of the card, to create the twist. On the 'inside' of the card, I covered it with the deep purple, matching card. With the card opened up in front of me, i folded the left corner back down, to create a triangular flap, I then added my topper to this, on the bottom half of my topper only. To create the stopper, to keep the card from folding flat, I heat embossed, using WOW gold embossing powder, a simple sentiment, onto a scrap of the white, hammered card, then used the X-cut circle cutter, to cut the sentiment out. I then matted and layered this onto the darker purple card, then again onto the lighter purple card. This was then layered onto more of the white, hammered card, which I had wrapped more of the two ribbons around, and attached to the inside of the card, using foam tape, to create the height needed for the stopper.
Today I spent the day printing off pages of my backgrounds, and matching papers...Then decided I hadn't used my Promarker's in a while. So abandoned the backgrounds, and picked up the pens.
For a while now, I've wanted to try the whole Monochrome stamp look, you know the one, where your stamp is completely coloured, in nothing but grey's, to make it look black and white. So I chose one of my 1940's Girl Power digistamps, as I thought, being back in the era of black and white pictures, that it would be quite fitting. I chose one of the two Land Girl images, that I'd designed, and set to colouring her in nothing but grey tones, apart from her head scarf, belt and shoes; these, I decided to do red.
I did this, because as I was colouring her, I started thinking about the film Pleasantville, with Toby Mcguire and Reese Witherspoon. Where they wind up in a black and white land, and gradually, they bring colour to the people there...
I was also inspired from looking at (and doing my own) digital photography techniques, where a shot is taken, an object cut out, and the rest of the picture's saturation levels are reduced, until the rest of the picture is left in black and white, while the cut out area remains in colour.
Once she was complete, I stuck her onto a piece of white card, to give the image stability (it had originally been printed on paper) then cut out again. I took a standard card blank, and covered the front with generic, black card. I used a sizzix embossing folder set to emboss a panel, with flowers down one side, then used the other folder, to emboss an oval of both black and white card, with an all over flower pattern. I layered the panel onto the black, using double sided tape. I then added a strip of the same black card, added a strip of grey checked paper (my own creation on photoimpact) and added a band of red and white spotty ribbon, which I chose to compliment the spots on the stamp's head scarf. This was layered onto the card, just below half way down the surface. The black and white ovals were layered, and the digistamp added to these. I didn't have the correct colour doily, so took out my trusty promarker's once again, and changed the colour, from a washed out red, to one of a more vibrant hue. I placed the doily behind the image, slightly off center, then added bows; one to the side of the oval layers, and a smaller on onto the images hair, where it would tie together. I added a few ruby rhinestones to the flowers and the corners of the card to finish it off. I was really pleased with how it turned out in the end. See finished card below.
I've redone this as a seperate post I made this butterfly card yesterday, when I had been hoping to make a card using my background designs (see previous post). But due to feeling rubbish, from a cold Virus, I made this card instead. I stuck to a simple butterfly card, made out of die cut butterfies, and a piece of card. I added a sentiment, and some, silver, paint pen details.
Butterly card, I used bog standard, white hammered card stock, scraps of coloured card to cut out the butterflies, then added silver paint pen, to the bodies, and created swirly flourishes. I added a simple, matted and layered, sentiment.
The other day, I posted about the background papers, that I designed. So today, I'm blogging about the first one I've used.
I printed out the image, and did a couple of the sheets, of the matching coloured papers too.
But first...
My plan was to make up a card yesterday, using them, but I'm currently in the midst of a cold virus. and therefore, didn't feel like making anything that involved thinking too much.
However, due to my fibromyalgia, and the lack of sleep it often brings, I found myself, making my way down stairs, for a cup of tea. This in turn, had me 'just sitting' in my craft area...this then led to a finished card, using my background designs...and a very cold cup of tea.
But I was pleased with how it turned out.
One of the sets of papers I designed, was themed around the regency period, and inspired by the likes of Jane Austin.
I cut the background paper (though it was printed on card.) and matted and layered it on the coordinating papers, that I made to match. I cut a frame for the sentiment, using a spellbinders die (but can't remember what it's called) in cream, green and latte (matching papers again) and layered them up, sticking them with Cosmic Shimmer glue. On the base part of the card, I added bands of the matching papers, then added a strip of red liner tape, which I used to create a glittery stripe, to add a bit of bling. I stamped the greeting on the latte paper, then heat embossed it, using WOW, gold embossing powder. I added it to the card, using foam tape, to add depth, then added the cream flowers, using a glue gun...
(flowers are available in my little FB shop https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Felt-craft-supplies/437897089700348)
...I added a couple of gems to the die cut flowers, and one each in all for corners, to bring it all together.
I love how the card turned out.
Finished card, using my own designed background papers.
Hope you liked the card, drop me a comment, if you like
Ok, You all know that I hate talking on tutorials, right?
I HATE the sound of my recorded voice, and quite frankly, I sound hideous!
But...
I have finally done a tutorial video with me talking...eeeeeeep.
I had no choice, lol.
I have shared a few of my digi stamps, over on Crafting Ladies, and had comment complementing my colouring, especially of the hair.
A lady commented, saying how she struggled with hair, and wondered how I had managed to get the hair so shiny.
I told her that I had only been colouring in such a way, for no more than five months. I also told her that I had simply watched youtube tutorials, and looked at lots of pictures, that I found on pinterest and FB.
Digi stamp in question.
This seemed to perplex her a little, and she replied that she must have been looking in the wrong place. She told me she had never found any tutorials, within her personal searching, and had only thought hair to be complicated, and that surely, there was more to me learning than that..
So of course, me being me, I offered to do a hair tutorial, specifically on the digi stamp that she had commented on.
Because of the nature of the tutorial, I decided that I would have to break the habit of a lifetime...and speak.
I needed to be able to describe what I was doing, so set of into the unknown.
I cannot believe how nervous I was.
I also think I waffled on, and a lot of un-necessary dribble made it's way out of my mouth.
I filmed this tutorial, 3 times in total.
First attempt, failed, due to me failing on the camera angle, and missing out half of the image needed to see what I was doing.
Second attempt, didn't actually fail as such, there was nothing wrong with the video...except it was too big a file, to be able to upload to facebook.
The third, and final attempt, filmed great (bar the addition of my voice).
But the file was STILL too big.
So I gave in, and decided to take the plunge and post it on my youtube channel.
The tutorial was only ever meant for a private FB group...Now it's up there, where everyone and their Aunt can now see it.
Well, I've been off the scene for a while. But now I'm back.
I had a bit of a disruption to my crafty cave (I'm renaming it to a crafty cove btw). My hubby needed the desk space back, that I've been using; so I'm having to revert back to using the kitchen table...That's been moved into the living room.
This is only a temporary measure though.
We have a 'cubby hole' in our bedroom, that I'm going to convert into a proper craft space. In this house, that's the nearest I'll get to a craft room. So I have big plans for it...whether those plans materialise is a another matter. For now though, thoughts of colour schemes and storage solutions are filling my mind.
Anyway...Back on to the post in hand. I joined a lovely, incredibly friendly, Facebook page, called Crafting Ladies.
It makes such a lovely change, to find a group where it really is about making new friends, with no bitterness, or back biting. It's just a lovely bunch of ladies, that like you to join in conversations, and share your crafting wares.
Now, you all know I like designing digi's. Well what you don't know is, that for a good few years now, I've loved designing digital images. I love altering images, and creating backgrounds. So I thought...Why not bring that to my crafting! It would fit into my ethos of crafting on a budget. After all, how much more frugal crafting can you get? Creating your own backgrounds, and printing them off as and when you need them. So I've done just that. I've created a range of papers, and I'm very proud of them. I designed a patterned paper, with a theme, Victorian, regency, and floral. I've now gone on to do grunge, a couple of Butterfly based ones, steam punk and some I have yet to name. So below, I will post some of them to show you. Not sure whether to put them on a disk and see if there's any interest in them. I also created a set of 5 matching solid, coloured papers, per patterned paper. to help bulk out my stash, and make it easier to choose a matching colour palette.
samples of the backgrounds and three of the matching paper samples (per picture)
I shared a couple of these on the Crafting Ladies FB page, and asked if anyone would possibly try them, to give my feed back and show me what they make with them...So when they've been done, I shall ask if they mind me sharing them on here. I will also be making my own cards with them, so will share them cool.
