And it's a WIN!

All of those pretty things you saw in my previous post (and more, oh, many more!) arrived on my doorstep a week or so ago from Crate Paper... I won a comp and they sent me a huge box way more full of stuff than I would ever expect!

I was thrilled because it's very rare that I win anything... and because I love Crate's designs.

I'm still thrilled because 1) I'm seeing now, 3 projects in, just how far this freebie's gonna go and 2) I'm designing projects with a lot more freedom, knowing that there is no guilt from spending and no hoarding feeling hanging over me. That second one is a side effect I wouldn't have guessed at.

Anyone else found any unexpected side effects to winning something?

So, thanks go to Crate! Who's next? Tiffany's? :-D

Feedback and Freebies

I'd like to thank everyone who left a comment here when I asked for feedback a few weeks ago.

I let Django Dog pick a winner, and that winner is:

...to whom I will send a small gift of handmade goodness (oh the tension - I'm not going to show you even a peek of what it is!). ScrappyJacky, well done! Thanks for your comments! Please drop me a line with your postal address.

Thanks again everyone!

PS. When I was talking before about this community being so generous, I meant it. I've been proved right by Michelle, a.k.a. the Willieburg Scrapper at My Analog Life, from whom I have just received in the mail from across the ocean this cute and generous gift:

not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR Sass packs!

She even included this incredibly thoughtful card to congratulate us on our marriage:

great colours, huh? ;-)

Thanks Michelle - you're a star!

ScrappyJacky, don't forget to email me your address so I can mail you something handmade!

Fancy a Cuppa?

A little bit of a shake-up this week, so that I can enter a competition. I will post the Postcard a Week Challenge on Thursday; today, instead, I'm going for a cuppa at the Play Date Cafe. Come along for a cuppa and take part in a competition!

Their colour challenge this week was this beautiful combo:

And my response to the challenge:

 

I love this little cut-out part revealing another balloon in the background. I love this stamp set so much (it's Kaiser Craft's Up, Up and Away). And I love the Play Date Cafe's colour combo.

Anyone coming for a cuppa?

Lipstick Chick December Challenge: What's Your Style?

For December's challenge on the True XOXO Girls blog, I created a layout which depicts my Modern Rocker side. Since all of the Lipstick Chicks have chosen a different style there is, again, a ton of inspiration over there so check it out and get lifting! This month's challenge is sponsored by Candy Shoppe Designs, who have the most amazing kits that you will just drool over.

I began here:

and sketched a little idea for my layout:

 ...feeling very pleased with my little pun. Then I got making:

Almost everything on the page is reclaimed - a postcard, a beermat, a good handful of clothing tags. It is possible to keep it simple. You just have to save everything you come across, in case it comes in useful!

Some of the stars are raised up with foam pads to give body to an otherwise quite flat page (I didn't use any patterned paper except for the Basic Grey lined paper from which I cut the stars).

And most of my title I wrote by hand:

The thick cardboard and the beermat added further body to the page:

Actually, it didn't turn out at all how I had imagined. I think at this point, after trying this style twice, I can say that even if I am a fashion chameleon, I'm not necessarily a scrapbooking chameleon. I much prefer this style, which - although disordered - is softer, more visually stimulating... and more me.

Lipstick Chick November Challenge: Ideal Home

For November's challenge on the True XOXO Girls blog, I created a layout inspired by the colours of the outside of my dream home. The Lipstick Chicks have really gone to town with their layouts, and there is so much inspiration there this month that you'll be stuck for which Chick to scraplift. But scraplift you must, to be in with a chance of winning this bunch of goodness from Scrap Attack Scrapbooking:

 

There are some cute Crate Paper Christmas papers in there amongst other things. So get scraplifting!

Here is my submission:

I used a light grey/brown cardstock background for natural stone, dark brown accents for wood, and variations on a sagey green for the window frames and front door.

I started off by stamping and making some patterns on the page with ink and Cosmic Shimmer Mist:

Then, using some paper from Basic Grey's Wander collection, cut out and added some houses, and drew my own with a black pen:

I stuck the ripped paper, from Kaisercraft and October Afternoon, on in a fairly random fashion:

And then got embellishing:

With Thickers (yay!). The photo I made with the freely downloadable Poladroid app.

Anyway, get on over to the blog and take your pick of which layout to lift. Don't forget, there's a great prize for the winner!

Come On, It's For Charity!

Last night a local music club held their annual charity event. My fiance and his friend were set to play on stage - they're a beautiful guitar-trumpet reggae/ska/blues duo - and I thought I'd get involved as well - you know, for charity.

Firstly, I was a slave in the slave auction, offering to give a craft class. Secondly, I donated 2 sets of cards to the tombola.

I made a set of 5 Christmas cards:


And I added a set of my summertime birthday cards:


I went a bit overboard on the packaging - but I don't care, because I love packaging.

The people who won my cards were over the moon, which put a smile on my face, and the craft class was won by a gentleman whose daughter is thinking about going on to art college - I'm really looking forward to that one. More news will follow!

A Tip and a Winner!

Thank you to those of you who participated in my giveaway last week. I am pleased to announce the winner, picked from a hat by my helpful fiance (who is NOT pictured below, by the way!). The winner is:


To claim your prize, email me your address and I'll put the item in the post for you!

Now, I'd like to share with you a technique I used for painting these hearts. Actually I was told about it by my mum, who was told by the lady in the shop, who was told by... word of mouth is still quite fast - not quite at YouTube or forum speed, but it does work!

If you remember, I said that the hearts had a kind of shabby look to them - not worn, not vintage, but a little aged. The technique I'm talking about is a way to achieve a certain distressed look. In a nutshell, you use a combination of PVA glue and acrylic paint. I've seen a few videos on YouTube, all of which feature slightly different methods of application: some start with PVA, some don't let the PVA dry before applying the paint, and some use a heat tool to dry the layers.

The technique I used was to paint a layer of acrylic onto the heart and let it dry. Then I painted a layer of PVA glue - quite thick - on top and let it dry. Finally I painted a second layer of acrylic on top of the dried PVA and let that dry. I was patient - I didn't try using the heat tool to speed up the drying process, but some people say if you do it increases the 'crackage'. I wanted to keep a very plain base so I used the same colour for both paint layers, but if you wanted to have a more striking effect you should use a darker first layer, which will then show through the cracks. You can also try rubbing ink into the cracks for a more striking effect.

A Note on Crackle Paint

I bought some a few months ago, after resisting the price for a very long time. The first time I opened it, it was way too thick and the first layer I painted crackled off completely. Not happy, I added water and mixed it up, and it seemed to be OK after that. The differences between using Crackle Paint and the PVA-acrylic technique are, of course, the cost, but also the variety you can achieve at a lower cost: you can mix a lot more colours, and colours combinations, with acrylic paints. One other big difference is the type of distress. Crackle paint really gives that classic crazy paving type of crackle, like the type used on furniture. The PVA-acrylic technique doesn't do this - it results in lines, like warped paint on wet wood, and it's an entirely different look. It depends what effect you're looking for, but if you're not fussy, I'd recommend PVA-acrylic every time.

Thanks again for looking. I'll be back on Thursday with a layout or two to share!