About Me

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Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
I have been crafting since May 2008, when in desperation to find an unusual birthday card for my Mum, I gave up looking in the shops and decided to have a go at making my own. I soon realised that crafting is addictive and I haven't brought a card since. In 2011 I completed my certificate in papercrafting as a result of the work I did as part of the course I started entering challenges on line and in magazines. I applied for design teams and also started making samples for Ooh La La Creations for their shows on Create and Craft. I have now completed my Diploma in professional crafting and most recently been runner up in the Papercrafter of the Year 2013 a competition run by Papercraft essentials magazine, I don't have a particular style I like to use elements from lots of styles and techniques, although I do love all things vintage. In 2014 I started to move more towards scrapbooking to take care of the huge family archive of photographs that were stored in my attic. I have continued cardmaking and Scrapbooking through 2015 and 2016 but have also become interested in off the page projects. I hope to be able focus on these in the future.

Monday 11 July 2011

Christmas in July how distressing

I don't normally even think about Christmas until the end of October - well I didn't until I started card making two years ago, now come July the Christmas bits come out of storage the glitter the glitz the bling.

It's my birthday this week and my lovely dad told me last week that he had transferred some cash into my bank account and that I was to withdraw it and treat myself, so Sunday morning saw me browsing the aisles at the craft shop that recently opened at a local garden centre. I closed my ears to the protracted sighs of my hubby who couldn't understand why I stood for a good twenty minutes staring at all the lovely Tim Holtz Distress inks without moving. Well it was simple I couldn't afford to buy them all so I was making a carefully considered choice as to which I buy now because I can't live without those in my stash and which can wait until a later date. I finally let my head rule my heart and picked the ones I felt would be the most versatile and useful to me over the next few weeks. 

As I have recently got into distressed effects and shabby chic I decided that 'tea dye' and 'antique linen' were just what I was looking for mind you 'tumbled glass' and 'concorde' also slipped into my basket when my heart staged a rebellion against my head.

I also picked up a new 'Marriane' dye to cut some flourishes and a lovely stamp of  a music score, having several friends who are either musicians or heavily into music it was a done deal as soon as I saw it, just for something different to the embossing folder that I already use for a number of my cards. 

A few greetings die cuts and a pack of card for stamping and we were soon on our way home, just in time to settle down to watch the Formula One. 

Well of course being like a child with a new toy I had to create something immediately and came up with this card 



Lots of paper tearing and inking involved. The afore mentioned music score embossing folder was pressed into service (excuse the pun) using a piece of parchment paper from Crafter's Companion I inked the inside of the folder using a copper ink pad before I ran it through my sizzix and then added to the aged effect by inking the surface with the 'tea dye' ink pad. I found some creamy pearlised paper in my stash and along with a piece of vellum with a gold script design, and a Papermainia paper from a Christmas pad I bought when I first started making cards and had left over from a batch of Christmas cards I made for work, I set to systematically tearing inking and generally distressing the papers. A lovely lacy doily from Wild Orchid was inked with 'antique linen' and then the whole medley of papers were layered up. 

The topper is pyrimage from dovecraft and has a lovely sheen to it, the colours fitted perfect with the soft creams and golds I had chosen to work with. The greeting was a left over from last years Christmas Cards.

I was initially a bit stuck for the flower embellishment, I only have roses gardenias and poppies from the wild orchid range and whilst the roses fitted the bill the other types of flowers didn't. Not being one to give up easily I went into the garden and removed the head from one of my Christmas Roses - I leave the heads on until all the seeds have scattered so I quite a collection of different hellebores now. Having removed the head I carefully took it apart and using the petals as templates drew them onto parchment paper and then worked this with a large ball tool to get the right curvature before assembling my Christmas rose and adding the stamens. I am quite pleased with the results but it was incredibly time consuming and my next order with Wild Orchid will include some of their hellebores. The flower spray was finished with two flourishes cut using the Marianne die and the greeting then had a bow added and was tucked in the spray at an angle before the whole thing was stuck to the bottom of the topper panel.


I really enjoyed playing with my new craft stash and I will be trying the music stamp out tonight as I have received an order for a card for a drummer for his birthday - I might even get to use the 'tumbled glass' and concord ink pads on that off to make a start now.

I am entering this card into the following challenges.
http://craftuscrazy.blogspot.com/     Christmas in July and/or distressed vintage
http://lilredwagon.blogspot.com/  Christmas in July 

10 comments:

  1. This is absolutely beautiful!!!! I"m joining you this week over at The Paper Variety! I'm also your newest follower!
    Jenni
    http://mylollipopgarden.blogspot.com

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  2. Simply stunning work. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us how you constructed the card. Awesome detail work.

    Thank you for joining us at Craft Us Crazy.

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  3. A really stunning card - I really like the soft colours. Thanks for playing at MAWTT this week.
    Hugs
    Valxx

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  4. WOW beautiful card - so much gorgeous detail. Thanks for playing along with us at MAWTT this week.
    Good luck.
    Debs xx

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  5. Wow Alli, that is such a stunning card. You must have spent hours on that one and the recipe for that card is amazing. Love Bex xx

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  6. Just gorgeous hun, just love the paper tearing....nothing better than getting in a mess whilst ya crafting xx
    Happy birthday to hun xx

    Thank you for sharing with us at MAWTT this week, good luck!
    Hugs Shell xx

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  7. Gorgeous! I love reading the details on how you built this masterpiece ... thanks so much for playing with us at TPV this week!

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  8. gorgeouss card :) thanks for joining the Inky Impressions challenge :)
    hugs Ria

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  9. Such a beautiful card and lovely extra touches! Thanks for playing along with us at Inky Impressions this week, good luck!
    Cyndi

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  10. Beautiful card! Love all of your distressing!
    Thanks so much for joining us in our "Christmas in July and/or Distressed/Vintage” challenge at Craft Us Crazy and hope you will join us again!
    Huggies ~
    Sharron♥
    Craft Us Crazy DT

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