My Heart Belongs to You

Welcome all to my (scheduled) post for the second week of our latest challenge over at Frilly and Funkie. This week, Terry is our host and she's all about hearts and lace for Valentine's Day. She wants you to share your lacy heartsy projects for Valentine's. So with Valentine's Day around the corner, we want to see your interpretation of a Heartsy Valentine's Project. We know how creative you all are and we can't wait to see your projects, such as an altered bookcover, journal, box, bag, tag or a purse - anything, as long as it has a heart and lace in it.

I went very traditional and made a card for my OH in a style I've become a huge fan of.

Having long been a fan of white corrugated card (Funkie Junkie Boutique)I knew that would be the focal point, so it got lavished with various embossing powders (and of course a touch of Treasure Gold!)

The trick with this style is to take your main image/shape, draw around it on your background, and then pile on the various stamps/embellishments close around it . Oh, the background? Easy. Take plain white cardstock, splash metallic stains all over your craft mat (and yourself in my case!) add a light spritz of water and smoosh your card into it several times, drying each time.

The more eclectic the scraps used the better it would seem too; gorgeous lace, stamping (in Archival Ink) stencilled Silver Ferro, stamped and torn tissue, pearl cord from clothing tags, faux UPVA glue pearl beads and pearl embossing (a lace stamp that is really subtle).

SOOOO pleased my friend Nicola got me into this shrink plastic melted in UTEE technique as it works a treat, especially when the UTEE has gone that delicious amber colour. It glistens even more if you apply Treasure Gold to the back. A little silver heart button and a sentiment strip finished this nicely.

That's my go at this theme - now show me yours!! Can't wait to see them.

Hugs everyone, Jenny xxx

Tim Holtz Ranger Metallic Distress Stain - Tarnished Brass	Tim Holtz Ranger Metallic Distress Stain - Brushed Pewter	Tim Holtz Ranger Metallic Distress Stain - Antiqued Bronze	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Antique Linen	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Walnut Stain	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Pumice Stone	Ranger Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE)	Ranger Inkssentials Shrink Plastic
White Corrugated Cardboard - 15 Sheets	Venise Lace Trim - 1/2 inch wide

What would your caption be?

Hi everyone out there. So pleased to have your company; you are very welcome and very much appreciated. Now I know yesterday you got a glimpse of my Tim tag, but that will have to wait until another day. Today I am excited to share a set of cards (yes, I did say set!!) made with two new sets of Steampunk designs from Nicecrane Designs. To begin with here are the links to these sets;

• http://nicecranedesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=99&products_id=1068
• http://nicecranedesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=99&products_id=1069

As you can see from these pictures there are images that will suit  males and females too, plus they are black and white which means you can colour them in any way you like. And why not add another layer of fun - my good friend Julie Short has displayed many projects where she takes random pictures and creates stories to fit them. So rather than just add generic sentiments I decided to add my own captions...

Having printed the chosen images on plain card they were given a dowsing in neutral Distress Stains (with some added Brushed Pewter). A few stamped elements in Sepia Archival Ink turned them into postcards, and some painting with Distress Inks turned them into instant card toppers.

As mentioned earlier I got carried away and created five cards in the same way.

Now what would you add as a caption for each of these? Bet you can come up with some great ones, and even make them personal to the people you are making them for! Hope you've been inspired to give these a go as they really are fun.

And before I leave you just to let you know I will be going into hospital for a few days from tomorrow so if you don't hear from me that is why. Hopefully me and this laptop will be reunited next week! Wishing you all have a wonderful weekend. Hugs, Jenny xxx

WOYWW 192

Hi all. Welcome to the weekly trip around work desks of the World (no exaggeration there either!) If you want to join in please head HERE to the blog of our glorious leader Julia, where she explains how you go about it. Keeping it short and sweet - here am I on Wednesday morning with a strange glowing ball in the sky outside and a flash of inspiration pulling me through my version of this month's Tim tag. I've had to reorganise to make room on the right for my Melt Pot and heat gun. Then there's an array of inks, stains, cookie cutters, shrink plastic, embossing powder and a playing card stamp all in the process of being used.

I would have shown you this earlier, only I had a small mishap!!! Take one UPVA gold shimmer glue tube with a bunged up nozzle, apply too much pressure and watch it blow up all over your patio windows, curtains, work surface... you get the picture!!! Right, time to get back to it (due at school in an hour!) I promise to do the rounds later on and send you hugs as always in the meantime. Jenny xxx

Scrambled Eggs!

Well hello everyone on this first Sunday morning in February (isn't this year already flying by! - just realised that makes me sound very old:) Thank you for joining me here at 'Chez Buttons' for a look at another of my artistic efforts. This one is being entered into the following challenges;

Artful Times Challenge - Happy New Year (Asian theme)

Sunday Stamper Challenge - Animal

Vintage Stamping Challenge - Vintage

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Thought I'd have a final bash for the time being at creating that Oriental backing paper.

This Hero Arts background stamp is a doddle to use, especially if you want to remove/replace some of the colour from the larger characters. It also looks better if the ink starts to dry a little on the stamp as it gives an even more vintage feel to the whole thing.

I added some dimension to the card by adding Silver Ferro paste through what is fast becoming one of my favourite Crafters Workshop stencils. It was dried fast because I wanted it to puff up. You may have noticed on the previous photo that I used some Coffee Archival Ink to colour the little birds too.

A spot of moulded Ferro coloured with DI Walnut Stain created a rather nice nest, but then, what to put in it! These little plastic buttons looked ok but the addition of White Mixative and Sandal alcohol inks in patches made them more realistic.

Finally I tried stamping several versions of this Inkylicious wren but they all looked too flat and less of a focal point. So I used Ferro again, stamping into a heated piece with the Coffee Archival Ink.

Now, it's time to rustle up a yummy cooked breakfast for the hungry hoards so I will leave you to hopefully enjoy what remains of the weekend. Hugs as always, Jenny xxx

Wishing on a Star

Hi everyone and welcome to my newest followers. It's so great to have your company again. It has been a busy few days but there has been a little time to play so I'll keep this short and sweet and show you my entry for the following challenges;

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Seeing Stars (sponsored by Simon Says Stamp)

Sunday Stamper 242 - Wishing Well

Think I may need to embark on a photography course at some point! so you get some better shots. Still, hopefully the following close ups will help with the detail:)

The main image is a Michael Powell one stamped with black embossing powder and coloured with my trusty Promarkers. The stars were an experiment with shrink plastic and UTEE in my Melt Pot (thank you Nicola!)  covered on the sides and reverse with Treasure Gold Rennaissance.

The main image has been 'framed' Finnabair style, with lots of textures/elements. There is some Gold Ferro texture paste, punched paper, lace (thank you Trace!) died with DI Bundled Sage and stamping.

The stamping wasn't supposed to dominate so DI Rusty Hinge and Stormy Sky were ideal on this dark blue textured cardstock. The script was overstamped in gold Brilliance to add a little extra to it.

The sentiment was stamped haphazardly with my £1 letter set and reminds me of one of those labelling machines. I'm starting to get the hang of this style and like the way it looks so don't be surprised to see more done in this way in future:)

OK, time's up. I have so many comments to respond to it may take the rest of the evening so if you haven't heard from me recently expect a visit very soon. In the meantime I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Huge hugs to everyone, Jenny xxx

Sprucing Up My Notes

It's time to share my DT sample for the latest Frilly and Funkie Challenge - Spruce It Up. Rebecca has asked us to take a look around our desks or workspaces and the things on it that we use to organise, communicate and run our lives. These could include calendars, birthday/anniversary planners, writing implements, checkbooks, iPads, index card files, cell phones, file folders, etc. Then she wants us to set ourselves the challenge of making one of these 'plain jane' items into something that makes us smile every time we use it. So what to transform? Well the answer right under my nose.

So, from plain notebook to something I'll enjoy recording the highs and lows of crafting in!

Yep, all the good stuff and the disasters are written/displayed in here in an attempt to prevent repeating the mistakes and remember how to replicate the good stuff.

The beginnings of this project was a tutorial about creating faux leather by Susi (see it HERE). It took a mix of DI Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain followed by a covering of Glue n Seal to spruce up the plain cardstock (courtesy of a large online company!)

Next came one of those paste embossed experiments - in this case plain white paste roughed up slightly with water as it was drying and then smothered in DS Tarnished Brass/Antique Copper and some DI Rusty Hinge/Tea Dye. Some tin mesh and a piece of stamped/fussy cut Vintaj Patina card were layered over the top .

Then it was just a case of choosing/altering the ephemera that would be scattered over the top. The buttons and lace were very easy. As those of you who saw my desk a few weeks ago will know I have a rather large collection of them so I'm a little spoiled for choice in this regard!! A couple needed the post removing so they would sit flat and glue properly.

The rest of the bits and pieces seemed to take forever to choose. I tried postcards, images, oh all sorts of stuff before I finally settled on what would look good (in truth I could change my mind even now!!!)

For those of you who have visited the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog you will have seen my 'button' on the sidebar. Linda wanted us to find something that represented us. This little dog image was found at The Graphics Fairy and after a spot of digital alteration it looked like I do - surrounded by a pile of paper wondering what to do next!! I used Brenda Brown's UTEE in the freezer crackle method again (see my last post).

Next came a real treat from my last Funkie Junkie Boutique package - a fabulous brass key!! Love this to bits and as I felt reluctant to put it on something that may leave my sight it seemed sensible to add it to my own notebook (for future inspiration of course!!) It took a spot of Verdigris Vintaj Patina beautifully.

Here it is in all its glory. I was rather proud of the leather strap - well actually this is grungepaper with DI Vintage Photo rubbed into it and holes punched into it. 

You can just see the main part of the pocket watch - oh yes, those new X-Cut dies came into there own here - which was cut from more of the Patina'd cardstock and other mirrored card covered in archival inks and Versamagic.

The buckle took a bit of doing - some clear UTEE stamped with a buckle and then painted on the reverse with DS Tarnished Brass.  Behind it is another piece of embossed paste (Gold Ferro with extra Rennassaince Treasure Gold  to highlight the raised parts).  Oh, and a few more buttons of course!

So there you have it. Hope it inspires you in some way to improve something useful but plain in your life . To see what the rest of the team have come up with pop over to the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog . There are some superb transformations on display.  Thanks to everyone for visiting and to those of you kind enough to leave comments  thank you so much. They are really appreciated. Hugs, Jenny xx

Rusty Tin Wire Net	Bronze Metal Keys Scrapbooking and Mixed Media	Ranger Vintaj Patina Kit - Weathered Copper	Venise Lace Trim - 1/2 inch wide	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grunge Paper	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black	Ranger Archival Ink - Coffee	Ranger Archival Ink - Sepia
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Tea Dye	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Antique Linen	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Walnut Stain	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Rusty Hinge	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Brushed Corduroy	Tim Holtz Ranger Metallic Distress Stain - Tarnished Brass	Tim Holtz Ranger Metallic Distress Stain - Antiqued Bronze