Shabby Crafts

Friday, 22 February 2019

For a Special Aunt...

Hello to my fellow crafters. I hope you have all enjoyed a fabulous day. The weather here in the UK is wonderful at the moment and it feels like spring has come early this year, daffodils are already in full bloom.

I have another project to share with you today....not another 'Valentines' project you'll be pleased to hear!

Today is my Aunties birthday and she is the grand old age of 89! My Aunt is very special to me and my family she is my Mums only living sibling. As a child I lived very close to my Aunt and I was always around at her house playing with my cousins or vice versa. Sadly my Aunt was widowed at a young age and as my Mum was a divorcee they became very close and did everything together. They managed to get themselves into mischief and always had hilarious tales to tell me. As I got older, moved away and got married my Aunt was always with me & my family for special occasions and outings. My aunt now suffers from dementia but is always chatty and cheerful.

My Aunts favourite colour is Blue and her favourite flowers are forget-me-nots.

I love to make gifts or cards that what I call 'Keepsakes'. I have a few original Victorian Glass domes around my home that I use for displaying various seasonal arrangements for Christmas, Easter etc. So when I saw these Perspex mini domes at my local craft store for under £5 I thought they would be ideal as gifts.

To make the scene I started by painting the base green, adding oasis foam and covering with dried moss. I built up the scene with bleached twigs and dried Gypsophilia. I then added various embellishments...die cut Butterflies & foliage, a resin Bird and various floral picks.

I also added some tiny birds eggs nestled in the moss. To decorate the Perspex dome I firstly fussy cut a contrasting border from some paper and stuck it to the inner base of the dome. I then stuck the dome over the base and hid the join with some ruffled ribbon and a pearly leaf trim.

For the top of the dome I added some striped ribbon, die cut Ivy and stuck it all into place with a resin rose.

I have just returned from spending the day with my Aunt and she was very pleased with her gift.

I am entering my project into the following Challenges:

As You Like it Challenge - Favourite Birthday or Christmas (& Why)

I love any excuse for crafting but I prefer to make Birthday Cards or gifts the most as they are more personalised and it is so nice to show love & best wishes to someone on their special day.

Moving Along with the Times Challenge - A Little Bit Shabby Chic

Seize the Birthday Challenge #159 - Anything Goes

Crafting With an Attitude #48 - Always Anything Goes

The Happy Craft Challenge - February Craft Challenge Always Anything Goes

The Paper Shelter Challenge - Things That Fly

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - No Stamps Allowed

Crafty Creations Challenges #384 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday # 374 - #375 - Anything Goes

Thankyou for visiting and for your lovely comments xx

Monday, 18 February 2019

I Love You Because...

Helloo fellow crafters, I'm back today to share another of my Valentines projects.

I made this project for my partner and myself, it is an 'I Love You Because' box. I suppose like most couples nowadays we both live very fast paced lives and we both perhaps take for granted the 'Little Things' we do for each other nor do we share with each other the qualities that we love about each other. So I have created a little box where we can leave loving, caring & supportive notes for each other...very soppy I know but I openly admit to being a complete romantic!

The base of the project is a heart shaped Papier Mache box

After I had chosen the Papers I wanted to use... on this occasion some gorgeous foiled paper from the 'Midnight Garden' collection from Prima Marketing...I then gave the box a couple of coats of contrasting acrylic paint.

I padded the inside of the box using some leftover upholstery wadding and a remnant of a deep red crushed velvet

Then to the fun part....I decorated the lid of the box with Flowers, Resin Cherubs, Tulle, Lace, Die cut Leaves, Scrolls & Butterflies and finally a scattering of sequins, pearls and gems.

Just a shot to show the lace edging around the lid.

Finally I fixed some heart shape 'Post It' notes inside the lid along with a pen inside the box.

Had so much fun creating this project. I enjoyed playing around with foiling the leaves and scrolls. My partner loved it and I have already received a few 'Love Notes'. I wonder how many notes I would have received had I made a 'You Annoy Me Because' box...ha ha....sooo many more I think!

I am entering this project into the following Challenges:

Dare2bartzy February Challenge - Love

Dragonfly Dreams Challenges - Include a Heart

Brown Sugar Challenge February - Love and/or St. Valentine Day

Crafters Castle February Challenge #14 - Anything Goes with option of Valentines Day.

Studio 75 Challenge #1/2019 - Box Filled with Love

Moo Mania & More - Love is in the Air

Thanks for stopping by have a good week! xx

Thursday, 14 February 2019

Love & Lace

Hello fellow crafters, I hope you are all enjoying a romantic Valentines day. I have a few Valentines projects to share with you over the course of this week. I haven't been able to share them until today as I didn't want the recipients to see them in advance.

The first project is a card made for my BIL to give to his wife.

I have made the card by layering strips of lace to form a background.

The sweet cherub image has a chipboard frame which I have painted white

I have also added other embellishments including some paper doileys, flowers, a chipboard flourish, string, ribbon, pearls, gems and a gorgeous pink pearl & diamante brooch.

I have decorated the inside of the card using some pretty pink lace effect papers and created a decorative blank oval framed space for a personal romantic message to be placed.

I am entering my card into the following challenges:

Crafteezzee February Challenge - Lace

Crafting By Designs Challenge - Love

Frilly and Funkie Challenge - Let Me Count The Ways. (I have used 3 types of lace...well maybe more than 3 if i'm being honest!)

Moo Mania - Love is in the Air

The Paper Funday Challenges - Love With A Twist. Use the colors Red, Pink or White.

Thankyou for dropping by I look forward to visiting you to see your romantic creations. Have a Wonderful Valentines Day

Tuesday, 22 January 2019

Happy New Year

...Well it really is beyond the point of wishing you all a Happy New Year. I had hoped to be posting a little earlier but a lot of things have cropped up!

So have any of you made any resolutions? I have made a few...after my Mum passing last year I have decided to just Enjoy life, Enjoy my Family & Friends and work towards becoming healthier as my health hasn't been so good of late. I am also going to try and share at least 1 project a week on my blog this year.

So as it is a brand New Year I usually hit the shops to purchase a new Diary but trying to be thifty I invested in an A5 folder and had fun turning it into a Shabby Filofax.

I have really enjoyed creating this project....as it is for myself I could be as over the top as I want to be...and I was! haha

I have kept the reverse of the project plain or it wouldn't lie flat

I have also kept the interior to a minimum so that it closes properly so I just made a pocket for appointment cards

The project isn't quite finished as I have to decorate 8 dividers which I hope to complete over the next year and I will share with you when I have completed them. I will treasure my Diary and hopefully it will last me for many years.

It Didn't Stop There!

After completing my 2019 Diary project I got to looking at my rather sorry iPad cover and got to work on that too!

Another fun project again with a heavily decorated front but keeping the interior quite plain with just a flap pocket & lace so as not to scratch my Ipad screen.

Happy New Year Baby!

I have just one final project to share with you which was made for good friends New Year Baby her first grandchild Joshua. Instead of making a card I have made a keepsake shadow box.

I picked up the frame quite cheaply... painted & stamped the frame and added various papers, embellishments and a few Foamiran flowers.

On the reverse of the Frame I have made a pocket to contain a birth record card for the proud parents to complete and a couple of blank tags for the senders messages.

I am entering my projects into the following Challenges:

Crafteezee January Challenge - Shabby Chic

More Mixed Media Challenge - Anything goes + Optional Blues

Southern Girls Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafting From The Heart Challenge 235 - Anything Goes

Avenue 613 Challenge - Anything Goes + Optional Watercolouring

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Alcohol, Drinks or Inks

Everybody Art Challenge 439 - Anything Goes

As You Like It Challenge - Favourite Pearls or Buttons.. My favourite is pearls I have always loved them since I received my first string of pearls on my 18th birthday...but my grandmother always told me that Pearls stood for tears....obviously not true as I have not had to shed too many over the years.

Thanks for visiting....please leave a message so that I can come and visit you too!

Sending Love & Hugs

Friday, 16 November 2018

Winter Woodland

Well... it has been quite some time since my last post. I have lost both my Dad & Mum over the past 10 months and have not been feeling very creative. I really struggled through the summer to fulfil the orders for the wedding season and have made a decision that for now I am only going to be crafting for fun!

So with Christmas fast approaching I have dusted away the cobwebs from the craft room and decided to throw myself into a fun Christmas project. Each year I enjoy making a decorative item for the home. I love Car Boot Sales and Auctions so I have quite a stash of old items stashed away waiting to be renovated or transformed...my partner calls it Junk! ha ha. This year I have decided to alter an old wall clock that I picked up cheaply at a local auction.

As you can see the clock is of no great value, I don't want folks to think I would throw paint and glitter over a valuable piece. The Clock no longer worked, and the wood is some cheap veneer.

After giving it a light sand I applied a couple of coats of Annie Sloan chalk paint. Once this was dry I stamped the exterior & interior of the case with a crackle effect stamp and cut a piece of paper to act as a background for my Woodland scene.

Next for the fun part...firstly I altered the clock face with lace, paint, glitter and die cuts, pearls...

and a pretty diamante snowflake...my biggest fault on these projects is knowing when to stop!

I also altered the pendulum and set about creating a winter woodland scene...

I have used a few bottle brush trees, die cut trees for the background, moss for the woodland floor and added some die cut deer and a little resin robin...so cute! Stage 2 was just a case of decorating the exterior. I have used numerous dies Ivy, Poinsettia, Holly, snowflakes and a chipboard Deer all of which I have hand painted and a couple of resin Robins which I made myself from a mould and painted.

After decorating the inside and outside of the case I just installed some pretty fairy lights and re assembled the case.

I have really enjoyed making my Christmas Project for 2018 and I am now feeling al Christmassy and ready to tackle the Christmas cards!

I have entered my creation into the following Challenges

Crafteezee November Challenge - Anything but a Card

Take care All!

Saturday, 17 June 2017

Summertime...at last!

Hi all!

I hope you are all enjoying the outdoors wherever you are. Here in the UK we are having a mini heatwave and I have been outdoors all day. My SIL and family all came over this afternoon and we have enjoyed a BBQ in the garden...great food & great laughs!

The card I want to share with you today is a summer themed Diorama featuring a Bikini Clad Tilda

I so enjoy making these types of card. I started by painting and stencilling the background and adding the lighthouse die cut which I coloured with Copics.

and from there I just built the scene forward using various die cuts that I coloured with Copics.

I had great fun making the anchor using the Prima rust effect paste...I feel a lot of rusty embellies will be popping up on future projects.

I wanted the outer frame to have some texture so I used a wood effect stencil and paints...and sat Bikini Tilda on the frame and added some micro pearls to imitate sand/pebbles.

The sentiment was place on a pocket on the back of the card...

Along with a vintage style postcard that is blank for the sender to write their own message.

I am going to enter my card for the following challenges

Noor! Design June Challenge - Summer

Midweek Magnolias - Anything Goes with a Magnolia Image

Marvelous Magnolia Challenge - Anything Goes

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #46 - Anything Goes

Scrap & Craft Challenge #4 - Anything Goes adding String, Twine or Ribbon

Deep Ocean Challenge #157 - Die Cuts, Chipboards and Punches

Love to Craft Challenge #11 - Anything Goes

Mix it Up Challenge - Anything goes + Stamping

Enjoy your weekend

Love & Hugs

Saturday, 10 June 2017

Happy Birthday Kayleigh!

Hi and good evening to you all!

When I started this blog I had hoped that I would be able to post something every week...but time seems to get away and although I have been busy in my craft room I just haven't had the time to upload images.

Apart from all the usual seasonal wedding invitations I have made a card for my beautiful Niece Kayleigh who is 11 today.

I find it quite hard to make cards for children as they are not really into flowers & ribbon! But I found this image by Lili of the Valley and it suits Kayleigh to a T...she is never off her tablet or mobile so I thought she would appreciate it.

I collaged and painted the backgrounds and coloured the image with Copic Markers....

I added some lace, micro pearls, flowers and chipboard...

I used a die cut for the mobile phone and covered it with Gem Ribbon, printed off my own sentiment and covered it with a piece of acetate to make it look like a phone screen.