Pretty Little Box...

Been having a play today, well over the last couple of days to be honest, with the new little box from Badger Laser Craft and I think it looks pretty good even if I say so myself. It's made from 3mm Medite MDF and goes together really easily. The hinged lid I particularly like as it swings right over out of the way..

It needed no preparation what so ever but as I was going to cover it with panels of patterned paper not quite covering it completely I gave it a single coat of Pebeo black gesso as it's what I had and covers beautifully. Now I did this after I'd assembled it as MDF or I suppose most wooden products swell a bit once painted so didn't want a problem assembling afterwards.

Now to the fun part, the decorating. Hadn't got much idea where I wanted to go with it so just had a mooch through my 6x6 patterned paper pads and came across a brand new and unopened pad from Teresa Collins that came free in a magazine sometime ago I think........BEAR WITH...... yup, it's from Cardmaking and Papercraft 2013...eek.... how did this go unused for so long....

Really pretty isn't it...

Didn't go with the bead feet, they looked a bit naff

Carrying on, cut panels to fit the sides and a contrast for the lid then after sticking them on thought the lid needed a bit more attention so added a smaller panel on top supported by 3D foam pads.

The edges of the paper when cut showed white so after I'd stuck them down I put a ruler along the edge and drew a line with a Posca Black paint pen to hide them.

 A theme was starting to appear so decide to add elements from Bee Crafty's Steam Punk Junk range. A nice key, some filigree corners and a lovely flower that I stuck to a wide filigree thingy. I did try to use the red gem brad to hold it together but it was just a bit to deep. 

So with that all assembled I stuck it to the lid with a contact adhesive that is actually a bit rubbish so am looking to find a new better one if you have any advice.

The inside needed a bit too...

...and the bottom

Sequins and a bit of doodling on the sides and it's done...

So,  there it is finished and I must say I really do like it.

... now what to keep in it....

Thanks for dropping by

Julie xxx

Hello...

What do you mean, where have I been...

You know me, Mrs flippin' unreliable. Well here's my latest make with a new MDF board from Badger Laser Craft and stamp and flowers from Bee Crafty...

Hope you like it...

Thanks for popping by...

Julie x

365....

365

Yup, 365 days to prove myself wrong...

So here we are, full of promises to ourselves and thinking yes, a new beginning. Well hopefully it wont be a one hit wonder but seeing is believing. If you have seen me on 'The 'book' you'll be aware of my vow to reinstate my blogs and all my other promises to myself as lately (over the past 2 years) I have been a right miserable old sod and let people, personal events and differences get in the way of just about everything I did and enjoyed but I am saying enough is enough they can all bugger off and I'm going back to being the old me, the funny one who always liked a laugh which is something I have missed doing and when I happened to find myself doing it a couple of months ago got upset and angry with myself as how the hell could I forget all of those things and carry on where as in truth I should have carried on until my sides ached and the only way forward was with Tena's - but no that would never do.
Well all change now, I have come to terms with so much over this last break I'm coming back, yep I'm on it so look out this old girl is not gonna hold back any more...

One of the things I want to try and do is take more pictures. If I can take just one a day until next year then that's 365 new photo's to either blog, scrapbook or just share with family. I would have added friends but they are very VERY short on the ground so with a bit of luck that could be something else that changes over the next year. I'm not talking acquaintances but friends, those your meant to be able to rely on. Phone when your feeling pishe or hold your hair back if your throwing up and laughing with over a brew while watching some film or another... 

I'm of for that brew now and to see what pictures from today I can either upload here or print off for a scrapbook page. I would say sorry for the long post but I'm not, sorry for the mediocre whinge but I'm not - it's another thing I'm going to try and that's always apologizing for being me. This is me like it or not (probably why I don't have friends but hey ho) their loss. It was nice speaking to you and hopefully you'll come back, see ya later... Julie-Ann xxx

Bloomin' Lovely...

 My take on the ever popular...

Card-in-a-Box

 Found the instructions on Splitcoast Stampers and I've copy the link for you here. It was originally from Monica Gale who is one of those really inventive crafters.

 The box is made from a sheet of A4 ivory hammered card, the side panels are then covered with matted and layered pieces of fuchsia pink and some patterned paper. The stamped images are matted and layered and come from Bee Crafty's Wordage range (not sure if the Best Wishes has made it onto the web yet as it's from a new set just coming out) but the Sunshine and Freedom one is and comes in 2 sizes.

Incredibly easy to do as after one follow of the instructions I was off making different sizes without even looking at them.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you 

really do give it a go...

Happy Crafting 

Hearts A Flutter...

Hello, tis me again back after a bit of an absence. 
Have had a lovely day today playing with the brand new wooden decorative bits that have arrived. There are a few different shapes but I've picked a couple of the hearts in different sizes for this project. Hope you like it...

I covered the blank wooden hearts with paper from Kaisercraft and sanded them all round. They do come with hole's for hanging but the smaller one I left covered as I wanted to glue it onto the bigger one. Added a couple of wings and gave it all a bit of a rub over with some Distress Paint, replaced the cord with some paper ribbon, a bead and Voila...

I love it and I hope you do too...thanks for dropping by xxx

Little Red Book...

To be fair it started out as something quite different which goes to show it is always better to not have a set idea of where your going as what I've ended up with I'm so very pleased with...

It began with the idea of doing a gardening journal book with 'Rose Garden Abi' on the front but after the initial inking of the journal and sourcing some papers from my shelf I veered off in a completely different direction and I hope you like the result...

Found some really good quality but cheap hardback lined books in a stationary shop sale ages ago knowing that they would get used at some point, well that's what we do isn't it.

I inked all the edges including that ridge on the spine edge just to dull down the red a bit then covered it with the burgundy check paper that I inked the edges of also. 

Punched a border strip with a similar coloured burgundy card and added it to the spine edge followed by a strip of contrasting paper to 2/3rds across again inking the edges.

Where the 2 strips of paper meet I added a band of lace with a band of grosgrain. To this I then added a handmade bow all stuck down with a glue gun.

On the opening edge I used a diecut label to which I attached a metal embellishment and a little wooden knob, again inked with the same ink I used for the papers.

And to finish off a couple of metal corner embellishments...

I really hope you like it...

I'm back.....yayyyy

Well hello and Happy New Year

Who on earth would have thought it would have taken me this long to find my way back here...

So it's been a very very long time and an awful lot has happened but I think the best thing is just to get on with it as if I'd never disappeared.

So here is my first make of the year, well the first I've sat and made specifically for pleasure. Brought on by the fact we are snowed in and cant get to the shop so I thought I would get on and make a project to kick start my blog again...

Love these new stamps designed and made by Beverley Tonks at Bee Crafty. The little girl image is from the new 'Abi Grace' range and the round sentiment is from the new 'Love and Romance' range.

Also used were Promarkers for colouring, Spellbinders and Cheery Lyn dies and Bee Crafty Blooms...

Had fun doing this, especially when I found my distresser tool...

had a good ole scratch all round the first layer of paper



Little Musings Willow......

There is nothing I like more than a bargain ~ other than a freebie......

This is where SJ come's in, her beautiful images are available as stamps or digital images

from her own website and now and then she offers free digital images for us o play with......

This is the little beauty she kindly gave us this week who reminds me so much of my darling

granddaighter Abbie.

Now those of you who know her will admit she is a bit of a cartoon anyway

but this image so reminds me of her dressed to go off down to the stables to play

with her pony "Berry Boo Princess"

See what I mean....

butter wouldn't melt..........NOT!!!

oh but I love her soooo much xxx

Huggles......J x

Molly and her Bloomin' Sleigh.....

So after having a couple of days feeling ab-so-flamin'-lutely pants with a bad back and head cold I've managed to drag myself from my sick bed......wait for the violins....I've made a card with one of my new Molly Blooms stamps. I've had them a few days but could not get my mojo out of bed let alone myself. 

So here it is, coloured with ProMarkers and layered quite simply on just one sheet of patterned paper and decorated with a few punched out snowflakes and some die cut Cricut vines and snowflakes....

It would have been easy to use a red paper so in true Julie-Ann style I used orange...

So please if you like it let me know, it's nice to get feedback.

If it's rubbish don't say anything, I'll just delete it :p

Hugs J x

~ * ~



An Inky Masterpiece........Not!!!

I have been fighting the good fight in keeping my craft room tidy for, ooooOO the best part of a long time and have now decided that I should do it properly. So I am not only putting things back in the right place but also giving all the boxes, bags and drawers a right good turf out. So far I've been to the recycling bin outside 3 times to empty my bin and I've only done one set of shelves......

Tidying out the small tubs and boxes is going to be the nightmare I think as I get so easily distracted. For instance........

my tub of small ink pads has seen little action since I got my distress inks and has therefore suffered from neglect leading to the deterioration of several of the foam based ones. My plan then was to test them all and be brutal in the keeping of ones that are past using, even for doing edges ( really tried to think of reasons for keeping them ) This created a little masterpiece which i will now share with you...

Oh bother it's upside down.......




You can tell because if you look really close you can see the little pink mice with whiskers and tails that came about from testing pink cats eyes inks and then me doodling on them....



So now do you understand why this is a job that's gonna take forever as I get so distracted nothing, truly ever gets finished....

Ta ta, see ya soonly...........xxx

~ * ~

Two Today.......



You don't always need to add an image as a focal point. This first one just uses one from the On the Edge range of cards from Craftwork Cards - cut around the shaped edge for the front and added a strip inside the front edge - a couple of cut branches from my Cricut - a few Bee Crafty Blooms and some pretty hat pins....

The paper is cut from a piece of 12 x 12 K & Co Mira - I like to use 12 x 12 as I can pick certain elements or size for whatever my card is going to be...

~ * ~

Now for this next one I have used a previous;y coloured image as it fitted the paper I had picked - 12 x 12 Arctic Frog - Garden Party...

So remember, when you go to your local craft shop's for stash give the 12 x 12's a good look - you will be surprised at how well they work with us card makers...

~ * ~

Take care

Julie-Ann x

What's with the ATTITUDE?

So I'm gonna have a play with another one of my purchases, Sugar Nellie Little Miss Attitude.....

She so reminds me of someone but who?.............. I'm sure it will come to me soon......

This time I'm going to start by choosing a paper to work with and for this card I've picked one from the Wild Rose collection.

Abi,,,,,sorry, Miss Attitude coloured taking my lead from the colours in the papers...

Nearly done, just a few extras needed for my liking......

I'm happy with the final result

So, what do you think......

~ * ~

A Rare Day Off........

What a great day....

Started off waking up to the sound of my youngest grandson having a conversation with a couple of wooden dolls about the sleeping arangements in the dolls house whilst still in bed.

Then it was off to the stables with Sam to get the horse's clipped as their winter coats are just about in and they are sweating up when exercised, nothing to do with the fact my poor ole chap has to cart me about.......

So here is Sam giving Lily her first clip of the season and the first one done by Sammy in a long time and what a blooming good job she did of it, so good in fact that I got a couple of strips taken off my lad Squire as he does sweat along his neck but doesnt do enough work with me to warrant as much off as Lil' has. She's had a trace clip which is taking the hair of her neck and belly with a bit off the sides, but leaving her bum and back covered so she doesn't get cold.

.......and after all that hard work we treated ourselves to a lovely long ride around the villages and had a good old natter....

Me and my boy............x

~~*~~

this is how he felt about it all

and as for Lil' well she wasnt going to ruin her new hairdo so just smiled for the camera....

Then it was home for BLT's and cuppa ...... lush xx

~~*~~

Just Gorjuss.......

Today I took delivery of my first Gorjuss Girls stamps, Foxy and Little Miss Attitude. I have had a brilliant time playing with them and here's what happened .........

The images have been stamped onto smooth white card with a black Versafine ink pad....

Now which one to do first.......

I decided to use Derwent Colorsoft pencils for this as they give a lovely soft colour when blended with a thinner like Sansodor.........

After going around the outer edge of her coat with coloured pencil I then dipped the paper stump into the solvent and gently blended around the edges slowly bringing the colour to the center...

More colour is put down and then blended the same way as the coat but with the hair I put down several colours and blended them together...

I'm really happy with finished result...

et voila...

the finished image on a card