Guest Designer - Post 2

This is the second and last of my April Guest Designer spots at The Craft Room.  I have really loved doing these two challenges and will continue to add my links each fortnight.

Hazel has set the following brief – “Hi it's Hazel here and it's my turn to choose the latest challenge. My theme is Wish You Were Here. I'd like you to make a postcard from a holiday destination, it can be a seaside, country or town scene or a scene from anywhere in the world. The size of the postcard has to be 6 inches by 4 inches landscape or portrait. You can use any medium to make your postcard - digital postcards are allowed as well.”

While the North Pole is probably not the first holiday destination of choice for most of us, there are plenty of children who would love to go to Santa’s workshop and see what really happens there.

Elfred is our Elf on a Shelf and he come to stay for the month of December and gets up to all sorts of antics.  I have a photo a day from December last year that I have made into a book.  We are really looking forward to Elfred’s return this year.

I used a vintage atlas page and popped a glass “bubble” over the North Pole.  The Chipboard arrow was coloured with solvent ink.  I then used some Picket Fence distress paint and some Chalkboard spray to blend out some of the map detail adding some iridescent medium around the edge to represent snow. The Elf was stamped onto tissue and adhered using matte medium.  The reverse of the postcard was made by opening an image in Photoshop and adding text and a second image of a Christmas stamp from Kerri Bradford and printed onto some lightly marbled paper.

I will pop this into the book about Elfred to keep it safe, lol

Cheers, Esther xoxo

A Scrapfest Challenge

I belong to a Facebook Group for Scrapfest being held in Nelson in August.

Lynn and Trina like to keep our interest piqued and this is the latest wee challenge:

“Now here’s the recipe (you must use EVERYTHING on the list):
1 piece of cardstock (any size)
At least 4 pieces of patterned paper (any size)
(so that means you can use any of the above as your base (if a layout) and then use the others pieces in whatever sizes you want to create part of the design)
At least 5  flowers
A piece of thread/string/ribbon
Some texture paste
Some paint/spray
A tag (any size)
Something sparkly
And 4 photos”

Four Photos!! Are they serious!!  Having a single photo to scrap is often a challenge in itself for me (I don’t get out much, lol).  Still – I had a poke around and this is what I have come up with.

The photos are from the classes with Finnibair in Kapiti and I “borrowed” her logo to make a stencil and a transfer that I put onto my apron (made by my lovely mother for the occasion). The tag has a texture paste vine, is attached with velcro and has the journaling on the back.

Cheers, Esther  xoxo

Tag It On Challenge #139

I always get excited when I see the latest challenge up on Dragons Dream Tag It On and this fortnight is no exception.

Elizabeth has set the recipe this time and has chosen "Pink, Fabric and Face" and of course, at least one real stamp.

I hum-ed and hah-ed  for a bit, popped uptown to grab “just the right thing” and this is what I came up with.

I love this face stamp.  I have no idea what make it is or even where I got it.  It is just the perfect size for the mini canvas (that’s what I popped to the shops for). I cut the tag from some Tim Holtz paper and sprayed the knitted fabric to match the colour scheme.  I snapped the end off a paint brush and to make it look a little realistic I attacked the end with a pencil sharpener.  I added the word stamp and a touch of colour to the face and it was done.

Do pop on the challenge site and take a look.  Better yet, make  tag and add your link at the bottom of their post.

Cheers, Esther xoxo

Guest Designer Honour

Whoop, whoop!  I have been asked to be the April Guest designer for The Craft Room Challenge Blog.  Thank you to Zoe and the team for having me!

The challenge this fortnight is called “So Sentimental” and is sponsored by Tando Creative who produce canvases and chipboard items.  I don’t have any of their products (not sure we get them here in NZ) so I chose similar items from my stash to complete my project.

The task for this challenge is to show the use of  texts/ scripts/ messages clearly, but otherwise the creation can be anything self-made and new!

I covered an A4 sized canvas using text-printed tissue and painted up some chipboard elements from my stash.  I have been saving the “web address” sentiment for a very long time, to use on something special.  Perfect for this challenge and what could be more special than my very first guest designer spot?

Simple but effective, right?

Please do join in the fun at The Craft Room and join up with us on Facebook too.  Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Cheers, Esther x0x0

In the Garden / In the Library

I started this wee project not really knowing where it would take me.  When a new friend, Debbie Ryan, mentioned a blog called Craft Room Challenge, it all fell into place.
They run a fortnightly challenge and this one is to make anything but a card, inspired by the garden. I missed the deadline but it doesn't matter because it fits with the current challenge of "In the Library"
Having been to Finn’s classes with Debbie, she will understand where I got the inspiration for this wee book.
Front Cover:

Back Cover:

Inside Pages:

I chose the colours for the covers based on the Autumn leaves that should be starting show about now but are yet to really show their true colours of the supposed season.
I am not sure whether I will keep it or gift it.  I have several people in mind that I think would enjoy it but I may just look at it for a bit longer while I decide, lol
Cheers, Esther xoxo

Kapiti Weekend Antics

As promised here are some photos from the weekend with Brenda McKay and Carol Noakes when we went to the classes from the uber-talented Finnibair.

I am looking forward to spending some more time with good friends at the Scrapfest By The Sea event in Nelson (August 2013) and then again with more good friends at the Scrapbook Dreams retreat in Rotorua (October 2013).  What an event filled year I am having!!

Cheers, Esther  xoxo

Dragons Dream TIO #138

Sue has set the recipe this fortnight at Dragons Dream Tag It On  and has kept it nice and simple.  She has chosen a stencil, the colour blue, and the sea.

The only rules are to follow the recipe, use at least one real stamp, and it must be a tag.

I had fun with sprays and pigment powders to make the background, stamping the sentiment with good old archival.

I then mixed up some paint with iridescent medium, laying it on thickly and creating texture with a palette knife.  I pressed in the shell charm while it was wet and left it to set.

I cut a wave stencil with my cameo, resizing it to fit the width of the tag.  I then used a coarse texture paste to create the wave tops. When that was dry I added a quick spray of Chalkboard Mist as well.  I seemed to just finish it off.

Thanks for popping in to take a look.  If you haven’t already, why not join in the fun?

Cheers, Esther xoxo