Platypus Creek Challenge 1

Very excited to be playing along with Platypus Creek Digitals First Challenge.  They've got a really cute tea themed freebie digi to use, or you can pick one of their other digis from their website.  So here goes:

 So there is a sketch to follow for this challenge too! I used some pretty pink patterned paper from Papermania, then embossed a panel with my Cuttlebug and inked it with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, and tied a pink ribbon around it.

 Then I printed out the image twice, once on white and once on a patterned paper and foiled both of these with silver! Then I cut out the tea cup from the patterned paper, added some little blings to the centre of some of the flowers and placed it over the white image with some pinflair to add some dimension.

 I also added some bling in the corners

Then I used the sentiment that came with the image but the whole thing was a bit big so I just used the top line and foiled this too!!
Very excited to be joining in with a new challenge!
Speak Soon
Nat -x-

Yellow and Butterflies

Saw this Thankful Thursday on Diana's blog and immediately had to do something, and as I'm just in the nick of time for linking up ...

 It was a really quick card to do, but I think these felt Butterflies just really make it! I think they're by Papermania but I can't really remember :-s!

 This stamp is from a company called Smirk (I think) really love the sentiment!

Little bit of ribbon and bling to finish it all off!
Speak soon
Nat -x-

Thank You

Due to a lovely comment from Diana on my blog I found her Thankful Thursday Challenge which this week is anything goes!! I know everyone loves Anything Goes but I'm one of those people that unless I have a definite idea in my head find the choice of anything and everything very overwhelming (weird I know) so I decided as it was 'Thankful Thursday' to go for a Thank You card:

 I was playing with some new toys like my Special Touch Leaf Mask which I embossed on some cordinations then sanded off then spritzed over the top with Perfect Pearls again using the mask.  Matted this on the right side of some light green card stock!

 Printed and foiled my Thank You sentiment, then cut out using my Nesties and inked through the die, then cut a frame out of the same Green Card Stock as the base.

 Used some of my new Tim Holtz crinkles ribbon which I inked with Pine Needles and Black Soot Distress Ink

And finished off with some gold corner and border peel offs.

Speak Soon
Nat -x-

Black, White and Red

I absolutely love the colour combination of black and white with just one striking feature in a colour, particularly red so when I found Lisa Somerville's Bloggers Challenge asking to do exactly that, how could I resist!! So here is my card:

 I used Perfect Pearls in Perfect Pearl and the "that special touch' lead mask to create a background on some black paper! Found a pretty flower image on one of my MCS CD roms, matted this onto some silver mirror board.

And for that touch of red added one of my flowers that I absolutely love making and using Fired Brick Distress Ink!!

This is also my first blog hop so here goes with the html :-s



Speak soon
Nat -x-

Make It Monday 78

Boys and Their Toys

So this week I have decided that I want to start entering more challenges!  So to begin with I am doing Cupcake Craft Challenge Boys and Their Toys! And here it is:

 I choice the good old guitar as my 'boys toy' as I just bought this new musical note themed embossing folder I figured now would be the perfect time to use it! So I made a 5x5 card blank out of some scrap black cardstock! Embossed a piece of gold mirror board!

 Printed out the sentiment, foiled it and cut it out using my Nesties

And used some images which I layered up from my MCS cd rom set as well as adding 3 little black gem just to finish it off!!
Heres to many more challenges!
Speak soon
Nat -x-

Card for a Friend

I made this card for a friend for Valentines but never got a chance to give it to them so have ended up putting it on Etsy instead! But as I haven't shown it here yet I thought I'd put it up.

 I went for a fairly monochromatic look for this one with a little splash of tan! So layered up a tan background with a piece of black and white patterned paper! Then used my parisian accents border die to cut out the frame using black card stock! Also cut out a Nesties label out of silver mirror board and put it in the middle!

 Stamped my sentiment on the tan card, cut it out using the Parisian Accents again, did a bit of inking using Old Paper Distress Inks, then cut a second on in black and cut it in half to layer behind as a shadow.

Simple stamped sentiment inside! 

Speak Soon

Nat -x-

Make It Monday 78

Faux Turquoise

I got a book for my birthday last week all about making Polymer Clay beads by Linda Peterson and it has all sorts of techniques in it for making faux stone effects! The one that caught my eye the most was the faux turquoise so I set about making some beads and a focal pendant and have ended up making what is I think my favourite piece of Jewellery that I have done to date:

Really really happy with it and absolutely loving the effect of the turquoise! Done by chunking up the clay then painting with black paint and smooshing it all back together once dry and slicing up!

Thank you very much to the incredibly talented Linda Peterson for all the wonderful inspiration in her book!!

Speak soon
Nat -x-

Birthday Love

So it was mine and my Sister's birthday last week, and as such I made her a card that I thought I would share with you all:

 It is an 8x8 square card and I ended up incorporating lots of different elements like I have been playing around with recently! I started by just matting a piece of silver mirror board onto the base of the card!  Then I cut a 5x7 piece of purple card and debossed it using the cupcake folder for the Cuttlebug all-in-one, inking the raised side and then embossing with some clear embossing powder!

 Then I used my Spellbinders Nesties Scalloped Circles to cut out 2 circles one in silver mirror card and one out of pearl white!  Before cutting the smaller circle I first printed out my sentiment from the computer and foiled with my foiling machine (completely in love) and added some inking round the edges.

 In recent weeks I have also been attempting some wire writing, and although there is still a long way to go I thought this was fairly legible so I attached it to a large bow I had made with some pretty sparkly ribbon!

 I also made my own little 'hat pins' using some head pins and swarovski crystals just for that little added bit of bling.

 And of course my current favourite dies! I added some corners and a border strip using my Parisian Accents!

Quite a grown up card, but with a subtle bit of fun in the cupcakes - I hope :-)!
Speak Soon
Nat -x-

Make It Monday 77

12 Tags of 2012 - Tag 1

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!
Tim Holtz (absolute inspiration and craft love of my life - the man is just an absolute genius) has just introduced his 12 tags of 2012 where he will post a new technique and absolute shed load of genius and wonderousness onto the crafting world!!

Here is the link to his blog where you can see his Feb tag obviously all to do with Valentines!

And here is my version:

 I had to make a few alterations do to not having what he had but isn't that the fun of being a crafter!  So to do mine I stamped the LOVE stamp onto my tag and embossed it with white embossing powder, then I inked over the top with Distress Inks in Fired Brick, Festive Berries, Aged Mahogany and Worn Liptsick!!

 Then I cut a few hearts out using my Accent Essentials cartridge on the Cricut and also as I have no tissue tape i just used some ribbon and attempt to scrunch it onto a base heart, it didn't go quite as well as I had hoped but its not too bad! Also don't yet (but really want to get) some of the honeycomb paper so instead the top heart went through several variations! I started by just inking it with fired brick and then put 3 layers of clear embossing power on top, I then tried to stamp some heart stamps into the powder while it was still wet cause I'd seen a similar technique done by various people on You Tube! But it all just seemed to blend into one big red nothing! So then I stamped a bigger pattern stamp into the reheated embossing powder and dusted it with some Bronze Cosmic Shimmer Powder and also rubbed some Walnut Stain Stickles over the top and edged the heart with a black marker pen which has given it nice texture and a little more contrast against all the red!

 Then I punched a small border using a Fiskars punch out of brown card stock.  Then stamped and clear embossed the word YOU on the same card, then cut these out into individual squares, inked them slightly and embossed the edges with black and adhered them to the tag using foam pads.

 Then I added some ribbon and a little I charm with some string that has been stained with Worn Lipstick!

 So now my tag reads I LOVE YOU! Yay! Shame I have noone to give it to!!

Anyway LOVE it and get wait to get properly involved with all things Tags and Tim this year!!

Speak Soon
Nat -x-

Survey - PLEASE HELP!!

I'm trying to conduct a bit of market research for myself so if anyone has a moment I would hugely appreciate it if they could spare it to just answer a few crafty and handmade related questions!!

It would be a massive help to me!

The survey can be found here

Thank you again
Speak Soon
Nat -x-

Birthday Eve!

My Birthday is on Feb 15th as is my Twin Sister's (obviously)! I don't know about anyone else but I'm completely fed up with the sight or mention of Valentines Day so as such I have renamed it Birthday Eve lol and made my sister a card to go with it :-D!!

 I had a good play with my Spellbinders Parisian Accents which I haven't used much of yet!

Very happy with the end result! Wondering now if it's a bit grown up for us though :-s! Will have to make her birthday card super over the top to make up for it! Hehe!

Speak Soon
Nat -x-

Cupcake Challenge 178
Make It Monday 75

18th Birthday Card

I made this card just for the fun of it really (and so I'm prepared for an 18th that appears or if anyone on Etsy has the need)

It is in my usual style for any big birthday that comes my way! An 8x8 pearlised card with plenty of embossing, bling and handmade flowers!

 Close up of the embossed 18!

 One of my handmade flowers!! (I love making them) this is made of Pearl Card and I believe inked with Chipped Sapphire Distress Stain!

Nice bit of bling! Gotta love the bling!!
Speak Soon
Nat -x-

Make It Monday 75

Twindividual Chocolates!

And here is how they turned out!

Quite a success I think even if I do say so myself! And very tasty which always helps!
Speak soon
Nat -x-