My Grateful Heart

Hello everyone!

As yet another week flies by, where does time go? But a new week does mean that it's time for a brand new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog where this week, our theme is all about Thanks and Thanksgiving and we hope you will join us and play along with this fun challenge.

For my project, I decided to make a card and this is a very special card because I wanted to make this to thank all my friends, and followers who have supported me and loved my work over the years because I am so grateful to have you all!

So, without further ado, it's time for the new challenge to begin and here's how I created this very special piece...

 

As you can see, there are plenty of layers on this card and quite a bit of dimension, two things that I love to bring to my projects and to begin with I started by creating those leaves ready for arranging on the finished card.

I always use Tim Holtz's Mixed Media Heavystock as my go to favourite as I find this to be the best card on the market, it really does withstand anything I throw at it. To obtain that beautiful rich colour of autumn on the leaves, I used a combination of Distress Spray Stains in Peeled Paint and Rusty Hinge and a second colour combination of Fossilised Amber and Rusty Hinge. I also added a spritz of Tarnished Brass Mica Spray to each of these combinations to add a hint of shimmer.

Once I'd spritzed my card with the sprays and they were blended perfectly, I just heat dried the card with a heat tool and the used it as my base to die cut a selection of the gorgeous Skeleton Leaves from Tim Holtz.

After inking the edges of the leaves, I then set them to one side for later.

Now to move onto the background layers and for this I started with two pieces of watercolour card which I inked with a selection of Distress Oxide Inks ~ Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Iced Spruce and Walnut Stain. I applied each of the inks to my glass mat, spritzed with water and then dragged the card through, making the larger piece that will become the background layer, slightly darker in colour than the panel that is in the forefront.

I machine stitched in black thread around the outside of the larger panel and then matted it onto Metallic Kraft Stock, followed by a layer of corrugated card. I then mounted these layers onto the front of my card blank, which measures 20 x 16.5cm.

Setting the card blank to one side, I took the remaining inked panel and to create some more texture and layers onto the panel, I added some torn pieces of tissue tape to the centre. I then applied some gesso over the top before drying it thoroughly.

Once dry, I added some stamping using the Lace Background stamp from the Ornate and Lace stamp set and the text stamp from the Entomology set and just randomly stamped onto the panel.

After stitching a border around the outside using neutral coloured cotton thread, I matted the panel onto gold kraft card and a panel of brown kraft stash.

Next, I cut a strip of Tim Holtz's Mummy Cloth that I had left from Halloween and dyed it with Pumice Stone and Crushed Olive Distress Spray Stain. If you don't have this amazing cloth, then just use hessian ribbon as it will create the same effect. I then wrapped the strip around the centre of the panel and tied it with a knot on the left hand side. I mounted the completed panel onto the centre of my card blank using foam pads to add some dimension.

I then arranged all my leaves in a spray that covered the left hand side of the card and added some Spanish Moss into the arrangement by just tucking it underneath the leaves which also acts as support.

Once I'd done this, I then wanted to create some berries and for these, I used Tim's Bauble Findings which I coloured with Cranberry and Mushroom Alcohol Inks before attaching them into the centre of the leaves.

The final finishing touches to this piece was to add my sentiment, 'a grateful heart' which I took from the Clippings Stickers and placed in the bottom right hand corner.

I then added a Milogros Finding to the knot of the Mummy Cloth which I placed onto a Loop Pin...

...and added a Mini Hardware piece on the opposite side.

So, that completes this week's card and a very special project and once again, I just want to say thank you to everyone for all the lovely comments and the friendships I have made!

Don't forget, you can find more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

See you very soon, love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Entomology, Ornate and Lace

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies: Skeleton Leaves
Distress Spray Stain: Fossilised Amber, Pumice Stone, Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint and Rusty Hinge
Distress Oxide Inks: Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Iced Spruce and Walnut Stain

Idea-ology: Baubles, Clippings Stickers, Milagros Findings, Loop Pins

Mediums: Gesso

Surfaces:  Classic Kraft Stash, Mixed Media Heavystock Card, Metallic Kraft Stash, Watercolour Card
Alcohol Ink: Cranberry, Mushroom
Prima Marketing Mini Hardware

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Tim Holtz Guillotine

Heat Gun
Mummy Cloth, corrugated card and moss from my own stash

Holiday Card ~ Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Hello and welcome to a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!

This week's challenge is all about Holiday Cards and we can't wait to see what you are making and sending to loved ones and friends this year!

Now, I will admit even though I do try to make all my own cards, there are times when try as I might, life takes over and I don't always manage to make them but the one thing that I do ensure that I make are those special cards for family and this, is one of those cards. I hope you love it...

To begin with I created my circular card blank from cutting out two 18cm circles from kraft card and attaching them at the back by scoring a small section at the top of the circle and creating a hinge. Once that is done, I inked the edges of the card with Picket Fence Distress Paint and added a small amount of Antiqued Bronze for a distressed, vintage feel.

I then cut a circle of Manila card, 14cm in diameter. I swiped the cardstock through Evergreeen Bough and Picket Fence Distress Stain that I applied to my craft sheet, picking up all the ink before heat drying my background.

When the background was dry, I inked up the deer stamp from the Styled Woodlands stamp set using Potting Soil Archival Ink and stamped the image directly onto my background.

Ink the edges of the card with Evergreen bough Distress Ink and then to create the snow effect, I applied Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste through the Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow Stencil and then added small sequins for sparkle.

I mounted my background onto a matt of decorative paper from the Motif paper stash which I lightly inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink, followed by a matt of Core'dinations card and mounted them onto the front of my circular card.

Now, it's time to decorate and for the layered snowflake, I used the Stacked Snowflake die to die cut Grungeboard, painted the die cuts with Picket Fence and Tumbled Glass Distress Paint before adding a layer of Rock Candy Crackle Paint over the top. Once the paint is dry and the crackles have appeared, apply some Tumbled Glass Distress Stain and allow it to seep into the cracks. Layer the snowflakes up using foam pads and attach it to the front of your card and place a Dewdrop, coloured with Aqua Alcohol Ink in the centre of the snowflake.

Die cut some Holiday Greens and some leaves and sprigs from the Festive Greenery Strip die, using Kraft Core Nostalgic cardstock and then spritz with Picket Fence Distress Stain for an frosty feel to the foliage. Add the foliage to your card, together with red pearls to give the appearance of berries.

Finally, add a word band to the bottom of your card, layering it over the top of some cheesecloth and attaching paper string to either end of the metal embellishment.

...and that completes my Christmas card tutorial which I really hope you've enjoyed!

Don't forget that if you're looking for some more great ideas and inspiration for this challenge, then you need to look no further than the blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. Good luck....

Thank you so much for all your visits today and hope you all have a great week ahead

See you again soon...love Emma xx

Products used:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Dies: Festive Greenery Strip Die, Holiday Greens, Stacked Snowflakes

Stamps: Tim Holtz Styled Woodlands

Ink: Potting Soil Archival Ink, Evergreen Bough Distress Ink

Distress Stains: Evergreen Bough, Picket Fence, Tumbled Glass

Distress Spray Stain: Picket Fence

Distress Paint: Picket Fence, Tumbled Glass

Mediums: Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste, Rock Candy Crackle Paint

Stencil: SSS Falling Snow

Idea-Ology ~ Gumdrop, Word Bands, Paper String Stripes

Embellishments: Simon Says Stamp Sequins, pearls

Surfaces: Ranger Manila Card, Ranger Kraft Card, Kraft Core Nostalgic Cardstock, Motif Paper Stash, Grungeboard, Distress Core'dinations

Ranger Craft Sheet

Big Shot

Hot Glue Gun

Cheesecloth from my own stash

Joyous

Today, I'm just popping by to say, Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the USA ~ I hope you all have a wonderful celebration and you are sharing this special day with loved ones!

As for me, it's a busy day ahead as I've got plenty of tutorials to write and photos to edit ~ yep, it's one of those days! But I'm just popping by today to say hello and to share a couple of cards that I created for the November issue of Making Cards Magazine. If you're a reader of the magazine, then some of you might have seen the first card on the front cover, which is always such a huge honour!

For this set of cards, I wanted to create something more traditional and used the Joyous paper collection from My Mind's Eye and the Tattered Poinsettia die from Tim Holtz to make these vintage shabby chic Christmas cards, which I hope you will love!

Both cards feature the white poinsettias, which I decided to ink with Antique Linen Distress Ink and surround with holly leaves. The second card has a stamped greeting from the Tim Holtz Deco Christmas stamp set.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and as always for all your lovely comments!

See you soon ~ love Emma xx

Christmas Ornament ~ Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and this week is all about Ornaments! From simple paper designs to mixed media masterpieces, stamped ornaments to something you create to be ornamental ~ we want to see how you are inspired by this week's challenge!

For my project, I decided to make a start on some home decor pieces for Christmas and what better place to begin than with the gorgeous Luminary Die from Tim Holtz. As always, I hope you love what I've made.

To begin with, I used the Luminary die to die cut some Manila Card. I find this card perfect for using with this die, as it really is a good weight of card and it makes the luminary itself a very substantial piece.

I then gave each of the die cut pieces a good coat of Black Soot Distress Paint. Heat dry the paint before dry brushing a layer of Brushed Pewter Distress Paint over the top to give the effect of metal. Once this layer of paint is dry, spritz all the pieces with Brushed Pewter Distress Spray Stain and once again heat dry.

For the frosted windows, I cut 4 pieces of acetate to size and then covered each piece with some Frosted Film before attaching them to the inside of the luminary.

Construct the luminary as per the instructions.

Once you have done this, you can now start decorating and for this, I used the Festive Greenery Strip Die to die cut some more Manila card which I then inked with various colours of Distress Ink. Heat set the inked die cut pieces and then spritz each piece with Picket Fence Distress Spray Stain to give the appearance of a frosty snow effect on the foliage.

I then arranged and added the foliage to each corner of the luminary, together with some dried moss and some red pearls, that I coated in Picket Fence Distress Paint.

To create the snowy, icy effect on the corners of the lantern, I used my hot glue gun to add small amounts of glue and then covered them in Crystal Glass Glitter.

For the top of the luminary, I used the Tattered Pinecone to die cut kraft card. Once I'd inked the card with some Gathered Twigs Distress Ink, I then made up two pinecones, coated the tips in Glossy Accents and dipped each of them into some Rock Candy Distress Glitter to give a bit of sparkle.

I added some more die cut Festive Greenery pieces to the arrangement, together with crinkle ribbon bow, that I dyed using Festive Berries Distress Stain, some twine and I added jingle bells and decorative pins. The bells were originally silver but I wanted a more rustic look so to create this, I dabbed on some Treasure Gold to change the colour.

To complete the piece, I added some Chit Chat stickers to the front section.

To complete my ornamental decoration, I made a couple of brush bottle trees using the trees from the Woodland Trees and Wreath set. Each of the trees are spritzed using Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stains in Tarnished Brass and Peeled Paint. I then rolled the trees in Glossy Accents to pick up some of the adhesive before dipping them into mica pieces and Rock Candy Distress Glitter. I added faux pearls to each before mounting them onto cotton spools. Each cotton spool is painted gold and has Tissue Tape wrapped around the centre. As a finishing touch, I added small amounts of mica flakes around the base of each tree, where I've attached them to the spools.

Finally, add a battery operated tealight to your luminary and watch it glow!

I hope you've enjoyed this week's post of how I created my Christmas Ornament and if you're looking for some more great ideas and inspiration for this challenge, then you need to look no further than the blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. Good luck....

Thank you so much for all your visits today and hope you all have a great week ahead

See you again soon...love Emma xx

Products used:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Dies: Luminary Die, Festive Greenery Strip Die, Tattered Pinecone

Distress Ink: Iced Spruce, Forest Moss, Gathered Twigs

Distress Stains: Festive Berries

Distress Spray Stain: Tarnished Brass, Brushed Pewter, Peeled Paint, Picket Fence

Distress Paint: Picket Fence, Brushed Pewter, Black Soot

Glitter: Prima Pearl Glass Glitter, Rock Candy Distress Glitter, Prima Frosted Mica Flakes

Treasure Gold Renaissance Gilding Wax

Idea-Ology ~  Crinkle Ribbon, Woodlands Trees and Wreath, Merriment Tissue Tape, Seasonal Chit Chat Stickers

Embellishments: Cream Pearls, Green Pearls, Blue Pearls, Red Pearls, Bells, Twine

Surfaces: Ranger Manila Card, Ranger Kraft Card, Frosted Film

Ranger Craft Sheet

Big Shot

Hot Glue Gun

Glossy Accents

Decorative pins, cotton spools, acetate and dried moss from my own stash

Never Forget

REMEMBRANCE DAY ~ 2014

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning 
We will remember them." ~ Laurence Binyon

ALWAYS AND FOREVER

I created this poppy using the Tim Holtz Jumbo Tattered Floral Die and Layered Leaf Die by Sizzix and mounted it onto a wooden board that I very carefully singed by holding it over a naked flame! The centre is made from a bottle top filled with glass glitter.