Skull Appreciation Day 2013 Blog Hop!!!

Hi everyone!!! And a big hello to anyone joining me for the first time today hopping along on my first ever Blog Hop! Today is Skull Appreciation Day and in association with Smeared Ink, I am taking part in their blog hop - you can find the complete list of blogs at the bottom of this post!

*Edit* My 3 year old decided to get in on the skully action today - he went to bed last night with his super skull pyjamas, so with his best catalogue pose, here is Callum joining us on the hop!!

 

I found out about this event quite late on but wanted to put the work in and come up with something unique and personal and while net surfing, I kept coming back to 'El dia de los muertos' or 'Day of the Dead' and the vibrant, colourful masks and face painting that is associated with this carnival. I got out my sketch book and had a go!!! I have drawn this free hand so its a bit squinty but overall i'm happy with the outcome... now what to do with it!!?

If you've been here before, you'll know that I've been making wall hangings recently and so I thought that's what I would do for today! I cut some chipboard slightly larger than A5 to fit the mask and covered it with some red free paper and blackened the edges with Black Soot distress ink. 

I've added some black bling, printed the words 'dia de muertos' using a set of stamps from Craftwork Cards and black memento ink, and embellished with various flowers and bobble head pins.

The image was sprayed with silver spray and sparkle before mounting, there is also some red and gold stickles on various areas of the mask, and black stickles on the flowers as well. Some black lace attached to the back of the hanging finishes this off. 

While i was photographing this, my son's friend was admiring it and asking if i could do something cool with skulls for Father's Day which is the 16th of June here and so, I think I rose to the challenge!

This is a stamp from Dimension Fourth which I stamped with a versamark ink pad and heat embossed in silver. I covered the card blank in a free paper which actually has skulls on it but its a bit hard to see with the ribbon and image on there.

Some black and silver paper for matting and layering and a silver peel-off to mark the sentiment. I've also added some White Opal liquid pearls which I think is quite silvery.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my offering for Skull Appreciation Day!! If you are hopping with us, the next stop is Karen. If you've landed here by chance, the full blog list is below! 

Have a great day!

thanks for stopping by

Mo xxx

Terra
Tori
Laura
Kapree
Kristy
Sandy
Jacki
Rick St Dennis
Airless Chambers
Wendy
Julia
Susan
Lady Brayton
Black Dragon
Kay
Miko
Creepy Glowbug
Aletha
Ike
Miranda
Hazel
Monique
Shoni
Suzi
Leigh S-B Designs
DominoART
Alison
Donna M
Donna W
Jane
De Stempelwinkel
Evil Edna
Jenn
Steph
Anna
Bombshell Stamps
Helen
Shell
Movie Magic Monthly Blog
Fiona
Serena
Little Black Kitten
* you are here - Maureen - you are here*
Karen
Milo
Teri

Tea Dance Candles and a Card

Just a quick post from me this gloriously sunny evening!
It was my aunt's birthday a few days ago and she too is a cardmaker so I figured something crafty would be a great present for her and maybe get pride of place in her craft room!


For both the card and the present i've used the new Tea Dance collection from Craftwork Cards. The kit includes papers, sentiments, bunting, flowers and banners/borders and free mannequins! I love it and i'm sure you'll be seeing more from me using this kit!

For the card, i've covered the base in the polka dot paper and fussy cut a doily from another sheet and adhered using 3D foam. The doily has this gorgeous flower image in there which I've added some star dust Stickles and White Opal Liquid Pearls. A sentiment and some of my fabby poundland bling finish the card!

For her gift, I have decorated some pillar candles using the kit. I wrapped some paper around the candle and added ribbon and beading to them with the hot glue gun. I then cut some flowers using my Tim Holtz tattered floral die and layered them with some of the die cut flowers from the kit for both candles. The large flower being the main embellishment for the first candle and a decorated mannquin with flowers on the second one. 

The wraps will come off if need be and can be put on another candle, but i'm assured these will go in my aunt's craft room to be admired!
Hope you like them too! thanks for popping in,
Mo xxx

BellaDonna by Simply Betty Stamps

A little aside before I show you today's card - I was featured on the Craftwork Cards blog yesterday! Tina Boyden from their Design Team features makes by CWC fans every Thursday and I was lucky enough to have a few projects on there this week. You may have seen them on my blog already but please pop over and leave some love on the CWC blog! Thanks! Mo xxx

Here is my first card using a Simply Betty digi Stamp! The young girl in this design is called Belladonna and my daughter thinks she looks like a pop star! I tend to think she's a bit emo with a good measure of teenage angst thrown in too!


I've used free papers from Pixel Scrapper - check out the link down the side of my blog for some fabulous free papers, digi kits, photoshop bits and peices too! These are from the Purple basics kit which I got as my free download for signing up to the site!!

Base card is purple A4 cut down to approx 6x6" square and basic black card for matting and layering. I've used my favourite purple star card candi from Craftwork Cards and my EK Success Starry Night corner punch. With my digi stamp, I have coloured her with Watercolour pencils and used a water brush to even out the colour. I've added stickles in purple, midnight blue and fruit punch for effect.

The sentiment here links the card up to this month's challenge over at The House of Bears! They are having a  literary based challenge using quotes from Little Women. I chose the quote 'Dont try to make me grow up before my time...' I felt it fit quite well with this rebel girl digi! I'd also like to enter the card into the My Craft Creation challenge which is Spots and Stripes.

 

The last bit i'd like to show you on the card is the bling!!! This was a bargain find yesterday. I was in Glasgow looking for shoes and ended up in Poundland on Sauchiehall Street to get some things to keep my toddlers occupied and I found strips of 'Body Gems'!!! For £1 i got a strip which contained 10 of the same swirls and I've used one here. Of course, buying only one wasn't an option - i've bought two in black and two in clear crystal so as you can imagine these will be all over the next pile of cards I make!!
There is the option of cutting the strips into individual peices or indeed keeping as a full strip perhaps down the edge of a scrapbook page or larger card.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges.
The House of Bears - Little Women quotes for inspiration
My Craft Creation - Spots and/or stripes
Through The Craftroom Door - Anything Goes
Make it Monday - Always Anything Goes


I hope you've enjoyed today's offering.
I am happy to report that I will be attending a craft fair tomorrow in Edinburgh and I hope to find lots of new bits to share with you next week!
Thanks for visiting! Would love it if you left me a comment!
thanks
Mo xxx

Tsunami Rose Designs Challenge #22 Friendship

Hi everyone, i'm back today with my latest creation for Tsunami Rose Designs. This was the first 6x6 mini wall hanging that I created. You might remember that I had a blog post last week with three other mini wall hangings - this is the one that started the craze!

This has been made with a page from a 6x6 chipboard album that has been covered with birdcage paper from the Victoria Park paper pad by LilyBeeDesign. All the printed ephemera is from the Tsunami Rose Shop - you will find all the links you need below!

I have used printable ephemera from the sample sheets in the stop this month and adhered to the board. I've also then added lace trim along two sides, some paper flowers and some bling along the other sides.

The bingo card was printed twice, the flowers fussy cut and attached using 3d foam and then covered with Glossy Accents.

I hope you like my project this week - I can see many more of these in my future!!!
Why not join us over at Tsunami Rose for the new challenge and see what my design team mates have created too!

Thanks for visiting
Mo xxx

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Down the Memory Lane 1 Year Anniversary Celebrations!

Exciting blog post today! My Tsunami Rose Design Team mate, Nupur Patel is celebrating the first anniversary of her own blog - Down the Memory Lane!!! She has a whole fortnight of celebratory posts and has asked crafters from across the world to create something to help her celebrate - and I am honoured to say that she asked me to contribute!

I decided that it had to be something special - more than just a card - and when I opened a drawer I found a chipboard plaque! I decided on a wall hanging and then decided on a Gorjuss theme! The plaque is approx 12"x6" and has black organza tied on for hanging. There's a tag on there so I can personalise this later - possibly for my daughter once we get her room organised!

I have used the DoCrafts Gorjuss Ultimate Die-Cut pack and 12x12 papers pack. I used black acrylic paint to cover the edges and Mod Podged some papers on the plaque. I've used the die cut decoupage of the girl known as 'I found my family in a book' - one of my favourite Gorjuss Girls! Some other tags, frames and images from the die cut pack are also included on there.

I've used some ZVA creations adhesive bling and purple mulberry paper flowers. The Marianne Creatables Chinese Rose die allowed me to make rolled roses from a printed vintage french book page which was then sprayed with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists in Fully Purple and Black Cherry.

The whole thing was then coated in Silver Spray and Sparkle to finish.

Many many congratulations to Napur and her blog! Why not pop over and have a go at winning some amazing blog candy while browsing the other featured artists!

Mo xxx

Mini Wall Hangings

I have been a busy bee the last few days! Got a few things coming up that i've been creating for and the first is a raffle donation!! The Wishaw Breastfeeding Support Group are having a pamper night in a few weeks time to raise much needed funds to continue to offer support to new and breastfeeding mums in my local area. This is a cause close to my heart, I have breastfed all four of my children and I know how important a good support system is in the early days or even if it is your third or fourth - having someone there to chat to or ask questions is so important!

I was approached by one of their committee members and asked if I would be willing to donate a prize for the raffle... I have made 4! I have three to show you here just now, the final one is a DT project that will be revealed here in a few weeks time and it was after making that first one I knew what I would make for the donation.

These are made using a 6x6 board book with the two metal rings to bind it - rather than making a book, I took each board individually and strung it with organza ribbon to make a mini 6x6 wall hanging.

This first uses papers and mini blooms from the Craftwork Cards Bohemian GoodyBag. I have covered the board in the glittered papers, put more of the papers through my cuttlebug with the Tim Holtz tattered floral die and added lace, beading and a pink gem for the centre of the main flower. A Craftwork Cards sentiment finishes the piece.

This next board uses papers from the Craftwork Cards Dolly Mixtures Collection - the Cheryl Papers and tickets. I've also used some of their kraft flowers which I coloured with promarkers and distress inks.Some crushed card candi, twine and liquid pearls finish this board.

The final board is slightly different and uses papers and die cut decoupage from the DoCrafts Gorjuss Girls collection. I've added some black lace, beading and bling, along with mulberry paper roses. Rolled roses were made using more of the Gorjuss papers and then this was sprayed with silver Spray and Sparkle.

All that remains is to make some gift boxes or gift bags to hold them and hope that they will be loved by the winners! I hope the night is great success and they acheive all they set out to do!

Perhaps you will join me tomorrow for a celebratory blog post!! All will be revealed in the morning!
See you then,
Mo xxx

Tsunami Rose Designs Challenge #21 - Theme Cards

Well, the sun has been out the last two days - it may be too much to ask for another day of sunshine but we live in hope! Here today is my DT project for this week's Tsunami Rose Designs Wednesday Challenge - #21 Cards. This month we are using printable ephemera samplers from TRD and this week had a love theme! hope you like it!

I have used burgandy papers from DoCrafts Gorjuss 12x12 Paper Pack and some black corrugated card for layering. All the black and white images and sentiments are from the TRD printable ephemera sampler. 

I've added black lace, black beading and some black crochet lace to the card. The burgandy flowers kept their stems but were wrapped into a bouquet using black organza ribbon and a bow.

A couple of large black buttons finish the card. 

Hope you like it! All your Tsunami Rose links are below - please

Mo xxx

 Tsunami Rose Designs Links  

•  600 Blog Follower Giveaway
  
• "Like" our Facebook Page
• Facebook Group- Join us for daily inspiration!
• Zibbet Shop
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