Shabby chic meets grunge...

I was inspired by a new facebook friend of mine to make a shabby chic tag.

She makes the most amazing shabby chic creations and it made me make one again also.

It certainly has been a while. It is always such a challenge for me as I am not really a pink, frilly and blingy type of girl.

But every now and again that side of my emerges from really really deep hahaha.

So I give you my twirl tag....

Thank you for taking time to stop by and hopefully until next time!

Take care,
Freddie
Xxx

Breast cancer warriors

In one of the Facebook groups I am in, a lady asked if we could make a card for her fellow breast cancer warriors. So I volunteered to make ten. As a cancer survivor myself, I just had to pitch in!! The cards will be given to the ladies that go into a clinic to get their medication to prolong their life, as their type of cancer cannot be healed.
So I wanted to make something bright and cheerful, and a huge fluffy pink ribbon.

I cut ten card blanks to size and stamped a sentiment inside.

I cut a piece of white cardstock with my stitched edge die.

I stamped the flowery stamp in soft grey as I wanted it to have a soft look. I did stamp the sentiment in bold pink to make it stand out. And then the colouring starts.... I coloured the image with my distress markers.

After colouring is done I added the fluffy pink bow, it is stained crinkle ribbon, and stuck it to the card base. They are now ready to get to the clinic....

Thank you for taking the time to have a look at my blog.

Hopefully until next time.

Take care,

Freddie

xxx

Colour palette challenge

I am in a Facebook group that has five different challenges each month. To be part of the group you have to participate in at least one of the challenges.

Today I am posting a tag I made using the colours green, yellow and orange. You are allowed to use black and or white aswel.

I love the effect of blended distress inks....

Thank you for visiting...

Take care, until next time,
Freddie

Surfing crazy cat....

I am happy to announce that I am now also an owner of the crazy cat stamps by Tim Holtz.
One of the cats immediately triggered an idea in my head..that is crazy..
Sometimes I do get crazy ideas, but getting them on paper is a different thing. Sometimes it doesn't turn out quite like I invisioned. Luckily this time...IT DID!

So I give to you Gnarly, the surfing cat!

12 tags of 2016 March

As I pledged myself to make all the monthly tags of the12 tags of 2016 challenge by Tim Holtz, I made the March tag today.

As I don't have the crayons yet, their ETA is around the 14 of April, I used my stains.

I won't bore you with how I made the tag, as the tutorial is on the Tim Holtz blog.

As my stash is somewhat (I did say somewhat ;-) ;-)) limited, I had to improvise.

He made his tag all cheery and bright coloured, as we had a dreary wet winter, I decided to go for the umbrella man and different blues...

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to welcome you here again sometime in the future..

Take care,
Frederique
Xxx

Easter crazy bird

My husband got me these egg thinlit dies. There are 17 sizes of eggs, and a die to cut the egg in half and makes it look like it is cracked open.

This card immediately popped in my head as soon as I saw the dies!! I had to use them with the crazy birds!!!

I took a manila tag and inked it using the wrinkle free distress technique. I cut off the top so I could use it as a card topper. I inked the edges of the tag and the edges of a card blank.
I stamped the bird on water colour card stock and fussy cut it as I don't have the thinlit die set yet. It is on its way though. Same as my crayons and the crazy accessories....

Anyhoo, I coloured the bird with distress markers and stamped the bird also on the tag. I glued the cut bird on the stamped image, this way its tail and quiff are in place. The eyes I coloured in with clear wink of stella so they have some shimmer.

I die cut the egg shape and "cracked" it with the crack die cut. It is hilarious!

I decided I wanted an old fashioned decorated egg, so I took my embossing pen and drew on the egg and heat embossed colour after colour. Then I inked the egg with a blending tool and distress ink. I inked the edge with walnut stain ink....as I do the majority of the craft bits I get in my hands hahaha... I would be lost without my walnut stain ink!!!! I stamped the egg with a crackle stamp as it needed a bit more texture...

I stuck the egg on the card using dimensional foam as I wanted a bit of depth.

I stamped a label on some card stock and stanped the sentiment. As I don't have an easter stamp, I used my trusted alphabet stamps. Got quite a collection in all sorts of sizes, so I am good to go.

I inked the little label and stamped the crackle over it and stuck it above the bird with foam.

I have a few more eggy birdies up my sleeve so be warned ;-)

Thank you for peeping by and maybe until next time.

Take care,
Frederique
Xxx

Perfect pearls Koi tag

I told you it would be a very short break from the koi.... ;-)

I can't help it.... the stamp makes me do it!! I blame Nicole Wright Designs as she designed this stamp set!!

I wanted to make a tag with multiple colours of mica powders. I love the look on a black background.

I stamped the koi with perfect medium, I prefer that to embossing ink as it is tackier and doesn't smudge when you use your brush.

I used white on the face of the fish, gold on the fins and orange on the body. I wanted to create dimension and movement, and not a uniform image.

I love the little splashes that come in this stamp set. So I stamped them around the koi and dusted them with a blue powder.

Initially I wanted to stamp waterlilly looking flowers but I have a problem.....no waterlilly stamps in my collection!!!! So I have to go on a hunt for those... or some die cuts..

So I opted for some stamps from my SU stippled blossoms set and stamped the leaves and flowers on the bottom of the tag. The leaves are dusted with a green powder and the flowers with a white one, and the heart with purple mica powder.

I stained a piece of crinkle ribbon with a soft blue, to compliment the splashes. I made a fluffy bow and the tag is done...

I love the Japanese look of this...

Thank you for stepping by and I hope to see you again some time.

Take care,
Frederique
Xxx

Cherry blossom card

I am taking a (very short) break from playing with my koi stamp and decided to make a card with the other stamp set by Nicole Wright Designs, one with gorgeous cherry blossoms. It has a branch of blossoms and loose blooms in the set. I chose to use only the branch to make a background.

I stamped the branch a few times on water colour paper with sepia Archival ink. I didn't want to use black, as I wanted a bit of a softer look. After it dried I painted in the blossoms with liquid mask. It dries up a bit orangy, so you can tell where you have been.  After that completely dried, I painted over it with distress ink and a water brush. The blooms are protected by the rubbery film of the mask, so they stay white.

The ink dried quickly and I rubbed off the rubber mask...and the white blossoms appear to pop off the paper.
I coloured the hearts of the flowers with a pink wink of stella brush, to give it a shimmer as well as a pink detail. The stems I traced with a distress marker in a soft green.

I wanted to use the sentiment that comes with the set. I die cut a shield with a Tim Holtz thinlit die and after I cut it, I put it through my machine again with a silicone mat to emboss the edge. I inked it with a soft colour and stamped over it with a crackle stamp, also by Tim Holtz. That is my go to stamp to add interest and a vintage look for almost anything!

I traced the embossed edge with glossy accents and sprinkled it with the new distress glitter dust. That is the most beautiful shimmering glitter I have ever seen.

I stuck the water colour paper to a card blank and then stuck the sentiment on the card using dimensional foam tape.

It was missing something, so I stained a piece of crinkle ribbon with distress ink in the same green as the stems of the cherry blossoms. Just to tie it all together, no pun intended ;-)

I made a fluffy bow and glued it to the card with my hot glue gun.

As a finishing touch I inked the edges with walnut stain distress ink and the card is done...

I hope the real cherry blossoms will bloom soon, because that means spring is arriving.

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to read my blog.

Take care,
Frederique
Xxx

A metallic Koi tag

This tag was the one that popped in my head yesterday, while I was writing up my previous post....

This koi stamp by Nicole Wright has got a spell over me and I just can't stop playing with it!

I took a simple black tag and rubbed copper gilding wax on it. I invested in a good quality wax and got multiple colours...as I always do ;-)

After the wax dried I buffed it and stamped the Koi with stazon ink.

I let that dry and stamped the cherry blossoms at the bottom and on the side with embossing ink. I heat set the white powder and coloured the branches and hearts with sharpies.

As a finishing touch I stained my ribbon and added it to complete the scene..

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to welcome you here again.

Comments and tips are always appreciated. And questions are always welcome.

Take care,
Frederique
Xxx

Water colour card

I finally managed to have a play again, and get another idea out of my head.

Sometimes you get your hands on a craft item, whether it be a stamp or a die, and the ideas just keep pouring in your head.

This Koi stamp set by Nicolewrightdesigns.com is one of those items.... I got this set and the cherry blossom set, and the tags and cards just create themselves. In my previous post I used both of them. Feel free to have a browse ;-)

I am a bit of a koi fan and this is the first stamp set that really tickled my fancy.

Oh...hang on...another idea just popped in my head!! Will try and make that one very soon also...

This card was very easy to do. I stamped the images on water color card stock and heat embossed them with white embossing powder. After it cooled down I sprayed water all over it and started painting with my distress inks and my trusted water brushes.

After it all dried I inked the edge with walnut stain distress ink and stuck it on a card blank.

To finish it off I added some iridescent sequins here and there for the effect of bubbles. And voila!

Thank you for stepping by and I hope to see you again.

Take care,
Frederique
Xxx