Dress To Impress

I missed last fortnight’s challenge at Dragon’s Dream Tag It On however, this time round its a different story.

Trace has set the recipe this time: A dress or dress form, an embossed impression and some bling.

I stamped the corset with embossing ink and brushed over it with chalks finishing it off with a layer of Dimensional Magic.  I made the skirt from one of those bags that fruit or onions or some such thing come in.  It was the netting that determined the colours really.

I covered the tag in printed tissue using matte medium and when it was dry I ran it through the cuttlebug.  I was a bit concerned that the impression couldn’t be seen but it popped once I added my sparkly ink sprays.

All that was needed now was the addition of some buttons, some bling and the ruler ribbon (from Typo) that I inked when I sprayed the tag.

Cheers, Esther  xoxo

Digital Scrapping Day

I had the chance to spend a day with 3 friends, playing and learning with photoshop.

Thanks Shell, Chris & Sheree!!!  I had a great time and just loved your company.

Esther xoxo

Welcome to 2013!

There were several “events” in 2012 that immediately come to mind.  In no particular order:

• My husband moved back home after 21 months apart
• My daughter graduated with a double degree
• My son started college and received a merit award for Japanese at Junior Prizegiving
• I took part in nearly every Dragons Dream Tag It On challenge (I think)
• My son developed seizures which we now have under control
• Members of my husbands extended family have passed away
• My daughter completed her first year of work as a Junior Geologist
• Our family cat sadly passed away too
• A good friend qualified as a Registered Nurse
• My best friend of all time celebrated a massive weight loss and fitness achievement (so damn proud of her!)

Interesting that most of these things happened for the other people in my life. What about me?  Same old, same old.  Nothing to report.  My time and energy is taken up with work, caring for family, and doing things for other people.  It’s not that I resent any of those things (very often) but on reflection, it still comes back to the eternal question, What about me?

I refuse to make New Years Resolutions.  What difference does the date make anyway.  In saying that though, the time has come when I need to bump myself up the priority list somewhat.

I have signed up for my very first online class with Big Picture Classes.  I have chosen to take Cathy Zielske’s class “Move More, Eat Well”.   To add to the challenge I intend to complete it digitally.  Talk about jumping in boots and all! I am finding it a little frustrating that we are 17 hours ahead in time and as I type this Minnesota has not yet ticked over to 2013, while I am about to go and make dinner for the first time this year.  This means that although I have completed 3 pages for the Pre-Class assignment, the 1st of the month info has still not arrived in my Inbox, lol.

I’m sick to death of trying to loose weight.  I figure I will become 5 dress sizes smaller overnight in the same way I will grow 5 inches taller overnight – It just ain’t gonna happen Esther!!!

But – I can move more and I can eat well.  I figure there will be a bonus of some weight loss, however, this will not be my main focus for 2013. It’s all the way you look at it really. 

Happy New Year!

Dragons Dream TIO–Behind Closed Doors

Firstly, let me say, “Happy After Christmas!”  In what is becoming a typical New Zealand Christmas, we have had intense heat followed by thunder, lightning and rain!!

With most blog challenges coming to a halt over the Christmas/New Year period, I was so excited to see another recipe come through on Dragons Dream Tag It On.

The recipe calls for: A Door, A Lock, A Key

The tag is made using a Silhouette Studio file and I used some lovely Bo Bunny stamps for my images.  I wanted to keep the look reasonably clean and simple.  I added touches of colour with my Distress Markers and inked the edges Vintage Photo.  The key is one from a variety pack that I ordered directly from China and the sentiment inside is a Tim Holtz word strip from Scrapbook Dreams. I get a lot of my Tim Holtz products there.  Check out Shell’s online shop, new stock pops up reasonably often.

Thanks for stopping by – I really do wish you a Very Happy New Year!!  I have my very first on-line class to complete in 2013 so watch this space for what I will be getting up to.

Cheers, Esther  xoxo

Dragons Dream TIO–Christmas

No recipe to follow this fortnight at Dragons Dream Tag It On  – just the requirement to use at least one “real” stamp and to make a Christmas themed tag.

I have been playing along with a group of NZ Girls and the Elf on a Shelf so I  thought my tag was quite appropriate.

The tag was stamp with wee stars and I used an embossing powder called Bridal Veil which is very pretty but doesn’t show up in the photos and the Elf was from the same stamp set.  It was a freebie with a magazine (Australian I think).  I used Distress Markers to colour him in and also to colour the sentiment.  That was a Silhouette shape that I used a pen with rather than a blade.  The lamp-post was also cut out on the cameo.  The charm was from a pack that I got at one of those cheap import shops.

Here is my elf giving me some advice on my almost finished tag.

I will take this opportunity to wish One and All a Very Merry Christmas! Hoping yours is both fun and safe!

Cheers, Esther  xoxo

Dragons Dream TIO–Magical Mystery

I have to admit that the Beatles song Magical Mystery Tour popped into my head as soon as I saw the title of this fortnights recipe challenge, lol

The recipe reads: a little magic, some mystery and a little fairy dust.

I'm not sure that my tag fully fits the brief but I like it anyway.

I used multiple colours of distress inks for the background and used my favourite “crackle” (not sure what the pattern is really called) stamp with a mixture of iridescent medium and re-inker.   I was really pleased with the effect this gives.  I added some blank paint to the word on the key, popped on two resin fairies and two flowers from my stash and stamped the word “Wishes” in archival ink.

There you have it – not sure where the mystery factor is  but I was reluctant to ruin it by trying to add anything else.

Thanks for taking a look.  If you haven’t already, why not join the fun each fortnight at Dragons Dream Tag It On.

Cheers, Esther  xoxo

Tim Holtz Tags–December 2012

Double the fun this month as Tim need to play “catch-up”, having missed January.

These are Tim’s tags and you check out his techniques over at his blog.

And here are my versions:

For the Snowman tag I used the Silhouette Cameo Designer Edition software to alter a shape into a sketch that I then drew with a gel pen and cut out by hand.  I added the details (drawing lines and hash marks using the fine end of the Pumice Stone Distress Marker and added colour to the tie, nose and hat with the appropriate distress markers to “match Tim’s.

The snowflake was cut on the Cameo from glitter cardstock and the tinsel replaced with a line of hot glue and glitter.  The music notes are washi tape and the metal word from my stash.

For this tag the flourish, ticket, phrase and poinsettia were cut on the Cameo.  You might notice that some of the flower centre is somewhat absent – I found the bits on the hall floor and they are now firmly glued back into place.  I completely forgot to text stamp the petals before I put it together but the intention was there.  I simply couldn’t be bothered to pull it apart again, lol. I then added a beaded pin and reindeer charm from my stash.

So, all in all, I am pretty happy considering that the distress inks, distress markers and the stains are the only signature products that I had to use on these.

Thanks so much for stopping by – I would love to hear what you think.

Cheers, Esther