Sunday, September 29, 2013

Fifty {Two} Shades of Grey - Week 39

I really liked this piece because of the texture but also because of the colour. It's a hand shaped pewter which has given it a distinctive colour.


It's a tankard my darling hubbie was given for his 21st birthday (all those many years ago - but don't tell him I said that lol).

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Crafting Subway Art

Last month for something a little different on the Artistic Creationz website I started a swap for some original Subway Art.
You are more than welcome to download a copy of my creation for the swap for your own use only.
Download PNG version of this file

Download PDF version of this file

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Fifty {Two} Shades of Grey - Week 38

These items are from way back in my history... more than a few years... more years than I really care to admit to.
Most people will probably struggle to identify correctly what they are, because they are really not an item you would usually come across.
I will tell you they come in sets of four pieces.
There are two different items and two of each item in each set.
They are made from pressed metal (I think).
And these particular items were made in the South Island of New Zealand.





Any the wiser??
These are heel tap plates which are screwed onto tap dancing shoes used by tap dancers.
Why do I have them I hear you ask...?
I used to dance competitively and taught tap dancing for a number of years. As a tap dancing teacher, I had them on my tap shoes, so my dance students could not only see the steps but hear all the tap beats that they should be making while doing the steps.

Friday, September 20, 2013

ATC - Shabby Bird Cage

For this month's ATC on Artistic Creationz the theme was "Shabby Bird Cage".

The base is recycled cardboard from some packaging which I wrapped in the recycled pages from a book I am in the process of altering.
I painted these very roughly with some KaiserCraft acrylic paints in Antique White and Mocha to tone down the typography a little. The antique white was in the centre of the ATC, while the Mocha was around the top left and bottom right corners only.
I stamped a vine/leaf pattern using a mix of green VersaColour inks then the hanging birdcage image using VersaMark ink which I heat embossed with detail black embossing powder with my trusty heat tool. The stamps were all from the Couture Creations "Ornate Garden Collection".
I dripped some mists from Lindy's Stamp Gang from the top of the card. I used from the Starburst "Haunted Halloween" Set the Freaky Franken-Lime and from the Starburst " Sweet Treats" Set the Milk Chocolate Brown and Dark Chocolate Truffle mists.
Once the mists had dried I attached the little apricot bows and then adhered the pearls in place to highlight the design of the hanger.



Products used and available from Scrap FX Ltd

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Fifty {Two} Shades of Grey - Week 37

It's another textural grey object.
The first picture might cause a few problems, but the next two should be a bit of a giveaway.



I've seen cases like this in various sizes and set up for various uses. In this case (get it) it should be a poker set... but my granddaughter has moved the poker chips into various other places... like her toy box, inside toys, in her kindy bag...

Monday, September 9, 2013

DIY Mini File Folders

Anyone else notice the abundance of Mini File Folders making an appearance in so many manufacturers' collections? I certainly have! I'm not complaining at all. I love them!!
For one of the August swaps on Artistic Creationz I created a swap to make our own. Not really many specifications to these apart from size...

  • No bigger than A5 size (A4 folded in half) plus or minus for rounding of numbers
  • No smaller than 2" x 3" (4" x 6" folded in half)
I also originally suggested a "Spring Theme" but we all agreed to do whatever theme we liked...
For each of my mini file folders I used regular sized manila file folders which I cut down to size as I knew I would be completely covering each folder in the decoration process. I was able to cut four different sized mini file folders and a number of different sized tags from two foolscap manila file folders.
The smallest of my file folders. These are 6" x 4 3/8" including a 3/8" tab on the back of the folder compared to the front of the folder.
These were decorated inside and out with a deconstructed paper napkin which was adhered onto the base manila folder. Around the outer edge of the mini file folder I adhered coordinating washi tape for decoration, but also to ensure the edges of the napkins did not lift up.
To add a little extra decoration I coated two groups of flowers with Kindy Glitz in crystal and hot pink.


These are the middle sized Mini File Folders. They are 7 1/2" x 5 1/2" including a 1/2" tab on the back of the folder.
I decoupaged torn up pages from a book I'm in the process of altering (more on that in another blog post) onto the manila folder base. I trimmed around the edges of the page so again added washi tape on the top and bottom of the file folder to protect it from pulling off. On the sides I used Bazzill Wayfarer Paper Tape whole as I really love the design of this tape!
I stamped the image with Faber Castell Gelatos in Spearmint, Butterscotch and Red Cherry. I used the Donna Downey Poppies Bunch Foam Stamp (well part of the stamp). I then painted over the stamped image with the same gelatos using my water brush. To finish I added some dimensional black dots.




These are the largest mini file folders (yes I know that sounds strange lol). These are 9" x 6 5/8" including a 5/8" tab on the back of the file folder.
I decoupaged torn up old pattern pieces onto the manila folder base. I wrapped the overhang over the edges onto the reverse side of both sides.
Around the outer edge of the mini file folder I adhered coordinating washi tape purely for decoration. I used Bazzill Vintage Market Paper Tape for this.
I cut a burlap strip to length, pulled off two threads from each side then hand sewed cross stitches around the entire piece using a coordinating embroidery thread. I adhered this in place on the front of the mini file folder using Helmar Fabric Glue.
I lightly edged some Vintage Fashion Tag from Wild at Heart I had downloaded with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Walnut Stain and Black Soot. I tied a length of coordinating ribbon onto each tag then adhered the tags in place with Helmar Fabric Glue. I finished the file folders with coordinating buttons along the top edge.


I made sure to fold the paper tape so as to ensure that the numbers of the ruler showed the correct way up along both side edges.

You can purchase any of the following products from either the studio or from my online shop at www.scrapfx.co.nz.


Sunday, September 8, 2013

Fifty {Two} Shades of Grey - Week 36

As soon as I saw this I loved it I loved the bling (what girl doesn't like a little or a lot of bling??) And I loved the strong out there, can't miss me look of it.
Bling me!!
Close up of some studs.
My daughter's cap she received for her birthday... and it looks pretty cool on me too!!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

"My Favourite Things" Embellishment Swap

The July swaps on Artistic Creationz have been received and sorted for posting back to all the participants. I've created a couple of videos to share what all the swap items from everyone were, though I know the videos might be a bit long for some to access, so here are some pictures. With eleven of us in the swap, there were just too many items for one video, hence the two.
Video Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3BGJlU89Ek
Video Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5kPQLph16E
Brenda 
 Dawn
 Faith
Fiona 
 Jeanette
 Leanne
Sue 
Tai 
Teresa 
Tracey
The only swap I don't have photos of is my own... because I didn't make up a pack for myself, but I do have some blog posts of some of the things I included here and here.