Let’s Retire to the Parlour

So I’ve been busily making up the inside of the mini album for my friend, I know, birthday already but I am notorious for getting things done at the last minute!

Here’s the first two pages, I followed the current sketch at From the Heart.  I reversed the sketch to do a double layout.  Wish my cameos faced each other!  I added the label element so my friend would have somewhere to do a little bit of journaling.

 
Ingredients:

Base

Canvas Corp Burlap Album

Embellishments

Lace flower from stash

Webster’s Pages Cameo

Papers

Creative Memories Vintage Chic – Mat Pack

Fabscraps Shabby Chic

Ribbons & Trims

Green Tara Lace

Ribbon from SBS Ribbon & Trim Swap stash

Challenges

From the Heart I {Heart} Sketches #35

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As its remembrance gives you pleasure

It’s a friend’s birthday tomorrow and I thought a mini album would make a nice gift for her, especially one inspired by a classic she loves, Pride and Prejudice.  It features an IndigoBlu image on the cover, Elizabeth Bennett.

 

The stamp is quite detailed and I am not the world’s best stamper so I wasn’t sure how well I’d stamp it out.  Surprisingly it stamped beautifully and the Tea Stain Distress Ink I used on a sheet of designer paper from My Mind’s Eye gave the perfect old leather book feel I was looking for.

I followed the current sketch at Crafting Life’s Pieces for my cover as I don’t do layouts well without a sketch.  The sketch really suited the shabby chic look I wanted, it’s the style I image Lizzie would have had her room decorated in, not because shabby chic was in when the Bennett’s lived but because Mr Bennett’s income would have meant their furnishings were somewhat shabby but Elizabeth Bennett was, despite the jibes of the Bingley sisters, a very chic young woman.

I created the piece of designer paper with the text using another piece of paper from the same My Mind’s Eye stack and printed a quote from Pride and Prejudice in Jane Austen font.  I distressed all the edges of my designer papers and cut my image out using a Nestie.  I didn’t have a doily that was small enough and I really wanted some dimension to the cover so I added the flowers as the final feminine touches.

Now as this is very much inspired by P&P, I am entering it in the current challenge at Through the Purple Haze (at the eleventh hour as usual!).  As it also features a “vintage” lady image (sorry Ms Austen but you and your characters are vintage now!) I’m entering it at the Crafting Musketeer’s challenge.  As my base colour is pink (background DP, foreground DP and flowers) I’m entering this in the current challenge at Inky Chicks.  And as London is the location of significant events in P&P I’m also linking this at Drunken Stampers.

Ingredients:

Base
Canvas Corp Stitched Book
Embellishments

Petaloo Paper Flowering Vines – Blush

Wild Orchid Gardenia – Champagne Pink

Dies

Spellbinders Nestabilities Decorative Labels 27

Inks & Paints etc

Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Tea Dye & Walnut Stain

Papers

Creative Memories Vintage Chic – Mat Pack

My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found – Market Street

Stamps

IndigoBlu Elizabeth Bennett

Challenges

Crafting Life’s Pieces #62 – September’s Sketch

Crafting Musketeers #5 – Vintage

Drunken Stampers #142 – Place: London

Inky Chicks #13 – Pretty in pink

Through the Purple Haze #11 – Inspired by a song/book/film/cartoon

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The year’s last, loveliest smile…

Simply B Stamps are releasing another collection of awesome Steampunk images today, the rest of the Zodiac line.  And for your viewing pleasure I have Cancer to show you.

As with all my release day images I have placed her on a Kraft album page to go into my Steampunk box.  Although it’s Spring here in Australia, there’s so much talk of Autumn going on that I decided to colour her in shades of gold and mount her on some lovely Autumn coloured paper.  As such I’m entering this into the current challenges at Crafting When We Can, Dream Valley, Great Impressions and Rogue Redhead Designs.

To make up my page I followed the current sketch at Retrosketches, which was a nice clean CAS sketch that allowed the beautiful image to take centre stage.

Ingredients:

Copics

Skin E11, E13, E21, E50, E51, (cheeks R02)

Eyes E29

Lips R46, R59, R89

Hair E29, E35, E37, 49

Dress Y21, Y23, Y26, Y28, YR20, YR21, YR23

Boots T3, T5, T7, 100

Chalks

Pebbles Cream Chalks – Metallic

Embellishments

Chipboard label from stash

Prima Say It In Crystals

Papers

Core’dinations Kraft Core

Kaisercraft Cardstock – Black

We R Memory Keepers Black Widow – Frightful & Screech

Stamps

Simply B Stamps Steampunk Zodiac Cancer

Challenges

Crafting When We Can Challenge #53 – Seasons (either colours, image, items, sentiment)

Dream Valley Challenges #66 – Autumn

Great Impressions – Fall Colours

Retrosketches #82

Rogue Redhead Designs Rebel Challenge 27 – Autumn Colours

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‘Tis the Witching Hour of Night

I’ve got an off-the-page project to share with you today featuring the gorgeous Witchy Mrs Roberts image from Simply B Stamps, drawn by the awesome Abigail Larson and based on the beautiful Betty herself.

This fabulous image deserved a special project to go on so I’ve altered a Tim Holtz Assemblage Clock into a witch’s potion room and filled it with witchy ingredients in Tim Holtz Corked Vials.  I made the hemlock root by stripping the leaves off some model railway trees, the cauldron bubble is various sized beads, as are the eyes of newts, the wool of bat is cotton wool coloured with Black Soot Distress Ink, and the Hell Broth is ink.  Some Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells paper and a few other bits and bobs and my clock was complete.

I followed the Tic Tac Poe grid at Quoth the Raven, using the top row in my project, which is decidedly Halloweeny so I’m entering this project in the Our Creative Corner current challenge.  As it’s also a bit steampunkie I am entering it in Rhedd and Rosies’ challenge and, with my different patterned papers, also over at Penny’s Paper-Crafty.  Being off-the-wall it suits an anything goes challenge so I’m linking it over at Jo’s Scrap Shack.

There are layers to this project too with my elements inside the clock and there’s still some time to enter the layers challenge at Simply Steampunk Challenges.  So get your Steampunk on and come play with us!

Ingredients:

Copics

Skin E50, E51, E53, (cheeks E11)

Eyes E49

Lips R46, R59

HairT6, T8, T10, 100

Dress & Hat BG93, BG96, G85, G99

Broomstick E23, E25, E27, E31, E33, E35, E70, E71, E74

Base

Tim Holtz Assemblage Clock

Embellishments

Kaisercraft Paper Blooms – Ruby

Macbeth Witch Potion Ingredients Labels

Prima Vintage Mechanicals – Clock Face

Tim Holtz Clock Keys
Tim Holtz Corked Vials

Inks & Paints etc

Distress Ink – Black Soot

Lindy’s Stamp Gang – Rhododendron Red Rose

Papers

Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells – Nevermore, Steampunk Spells & Vintage Voyage

Stamps

Simply B Stamps A Roberts’ Halloween Mrs Witchy Roberts

Challenges

Jo’s Scrap Shack FFC #18 – “Anything Goes”

Creative Corner – Happy Halloween

Penny’s Paper-Crafty Challenge #145 – Two or more patterned papers

Quoth the raven, Nevermore Quest 24 – Tic.Tac.Poe

Rhedd and Rosie’s #15 – “Steampunkie”

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Simple Thanks

I have a very simple card to share today, so simple there isn’t even an image on it!

 

I often do cards for my mother to give out and she needed a thank you for her colleagues, it’s also been rather hectic lately so I didn’t have a chance to do anything too fancy.  Haven’t used my Cricut for a long time but it made for an easy embellishment, I just cut the frame away from the roses.  A bit of Glossy Accents made the cut nice and shiny.  The sentiment is a rub-on from Basic Grey and a few glittery bling dots finished off my card.

Ingredients:

Embellishments

Basic Grey rub-on

Bling from stash

Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art Cricut cut

Dies

Spellbinders Nestabilities A2 Curved Matting Basics

Challenges 

Jellypark Friends – The sentiment is the key 

Through the Purple Haze #10 – Bling it up!

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At midnight drain the stream of life...

So I’ve finally got my Vampire done for the SBS/ The Stamping Chef Vampires v The Day of Dead challenge and here she is, Bite Me, from The Stamping Chef.

Tamara’s offering for the added challenge was ‘blood splatters’ and let me tell you creating paint splatters isn’t so easy!  I think I’ve got more spritzes that splatters but no matter.  I added a line of drippy blood using Ranger Enamel Accents coloured with Smooch.

To make up my card I followed the current sketch challenge at Through the Purple Haze, this is getting in just under the wire (again!) for their weekly challenge.  As there’s a whole lot of red and black on my card and it is rather dark themed I am also entering it in the Punk You Girl current challenge.

Oh, and my blog title?  It’s Lord Byron’s Giaour.

Ingredients:

Copics

Skin E50, E51, E53, (cheeks E11)

Eyes V09, V15, 0

Lips R46, R59, R89

Hair & Roses T3, T5, T7, 100

Shirt N0, N1, N2, V12, V15, V17

Leaves G05, G07, G09, G17

Skulls R24, R29, R46

Skull W0, W1, W3

Embellishments

Kaisercraft Pearls – Red

Skull Stickers from stash

Paints & Inks etc

Firecracker! Rhubarb Stalk

Ranger Enamel Accents – White

Smooch Firecracker

Papers

Kaisercraft Cardstock– Black

We R Memory Keepers Black Widow – Nightfall

Trims

Jute trim from SBS Ribbon Swap

Stamps

The Stamping Chef Bite Me

Challenges

Punk You Girl – Red & Black

Simply B Stamps –Vampire vs. Day of the Dead Challenge (Blood Splatters)

Through the Purple Haze #9 – Sketch

 

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