Projects to share

Hello!

Well I thought I'd come and share a few projects I've recently made or projects I can now share as they've been received by their recipients!

Firstly these are the pages from my Project 2013 for last week - I'm still keeping up with it and creating pages weekly, not getting behind like I thought I would by now. I'm enjoying varying the pages, some are more journal like others are photo heavy.  This particular week actually has photos of me! I realised I hadn't included my own picture so made sure I was in some!

This is a tag I've made for my friend's anniversary, I thought I'd do something different. The Fleur-de-lye background was created using Graph It markers combined with mix palette. I used the same pen with the blender to colour through a mask, varying the depths of blue. The characters are Gwen & Kody from Some Odd Girl range - I paired them together in Craft Artist Pro 2.

This is a card I made for my friend's little boy, for no reason just that I wanted to. This gorgeous Saturated Canary image was amazing to colour and I really enjoyed the whole colouring process. The embossed letter background is a Tim Holtz folder & I picked out the letter's from the little boy's name.

I hope you like these  and I'd love to hear what you think. Your comments are so important to me.

Thanks!

Take care Zo xx

Some Odd Girl Anniversary card

Hello Monday morning, well what's left of it!

I confess I'm not so good today so I stayed in bed and slept for a couple of extra hours, hopefully that extra sleep will allow me to finish off my latest Bristol Rovers article after lunch.

Today I want to share with you an Anniversary card I've made for my friend and her husband.  I used Some Odd Girls digital stamps 1920's Gwen & Kody -

For once, because I usually forget to do so, I chose my paper first & I used this gorgeous door design from BoBunny's Timepiece collection 6 x 6 paper pad. I simply matted & layered it with some white and navy card.  The card base is an elegant edged 8 x 8 card blank by Craftwork cards.  The sentiment is from my stash I've had for years!

This fab couple are actually separate digital stamps so I took them into my Serif Craft Artist Pro 2 and positioned them together, slightly overlapping Gwen to make them look more of a couple who perhaps are out for a stroll or maybe they're going in through that door! 

I coloured them with Copics and enjoyed colouring this style of clothes - what fun!

Hope you like it, let me know what you think!

Take care Zo xx 

A Little Peek!

Hello Friday and hello everyone!

I'm back today to share a peek at the post I've just published over on the Crafty Boots Blog - 

I'd love it if you'd pop over and have a look, leave a comment and maybe follow the blog too. It's a great way to see all of the DT inspiration and find out about all of the products available from the Crafty Boots on-line shop.

The shop stocks well known character ranges including Saturated Canary and Some Odd Girl stamps!

Thanks for looking.

Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 194

Hello!

I'm a bit blurry eyed this morning, we went to football last night so didn't get home until late, well late for me so am super tired, but I shall be going back to bed once Keagan leaves for school! Lazy......maybe, but I know if I don't I won't work properly later. Arms and legs will just stop working!

Anyway today's the day when you are encouraged to pop over the Desk-mistress Julia's to share your space, no matter where it is or what it looks like, so here's mine this murky dark foggy morning, hence the flash - 

Okay so the left side just as I left it minutes before leaving for football yesterday. My new colouring pencils are on show and I was thrilled to receive my blender & burnishing pencils yesterday but they arrived not long before I had to leave so I only had a quick play. On the window sill is my Project 2013 Smash book, with the last 2 weeks pages open, I've added pics from last week so they were drying. And yes that is a loo roll inner perched there - it fell of the shelf and I hadn't noticed to pick it up again! Going to make one of those albums with about 5/6 of them.

So the right side - the laptop is gone, all mended and ready for use at mum's. The pink and white thing bottom right of pic is my new silver bug sewing machine, only little but good enough for stitch detail on cards and taking up trousers! Usual things on display otherwise.

Right that's me done, I'm going to kick up the backside encourage Keagan to get a move on as he's feeling as dopey and tired as me this morning!

Take care and see you all later when I'm more awake.

Zo xx

Crafty Boots does........

Good morning!

I'm here today to share with you all my latest DT project for the Crafty Boots Challenge blog and this time our theme was chosen by the lovely & talented Tracie who chose -

Out of your comfort Zone!!!

So we want to see what you don't normally do - so if you do messy inky craft then do clean & simple. If you colour with characters and always use the same pens then use something different. Anything that is out of your comfort zone, but make sure you tell us what it is!

So for me I thought a while and realised I rarely dry emboss, I enjoy heat embossing, but hardly ever get my embossing boards out and, of course, I colour my characters with Copics, so I decided I would dry emboss and I would colour with something other than Copics/markers.

Here's my project - 

I started out using my Tall Stories book-a-trix board (once I found it!) and dry embossed the pages of the book using water colour card and Coredinations card.  I then set about creating pieces to go on the book including embossed lined paper and the number background (okay I used a folder for that!) and distressed all parts with Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress inks. I just randomly added them as well as the tickets.

I stamped this Saturated Canary rubber stamp available HERE  - using Walnut Stain Distress ink, I then used my water brush to draw out the ink to shade the image. After letting it dry I added further depth still using the same ink.  While this colouring technique isn't something I usually do, I really enjoyed it and was pretty pleased with the effect!

A close up of some of the layers and textures.

I sanded the Coredinations card after I dry embossed it to create this edged effect.

I finally stamped onto the reverse of the Coredinations card using the same ink as before.  This is a sentiment from the Sheena Douglas range.

As you can see, there's water spatters and distressed edges galore, yep I got carried away! Ha ha. But it was good fun and I enjoyed doing this. So you seeing doing something different and going out of your comfort zone can be fun and productive too!

Hope you join in our challenge!

Take care Zo xx  

WOYWW 193

Hello desk-hoppers and all!

Finally got to sit down to post, had to take my car for its service this morning, then we popped up to mum & dad's to see my niece who's birthday it is today. So it's been all go here.

Time to relax now with my coffee and share my desk, please pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground to follow the fun and display your desks for the world to see. Right here's mine -

So the left side under the window, I finally sorted all the stamps that were piled in the window sill so it's all tidy now, my usual tools are at the end of the desk. The 2 cards I've made for my dad as it's his birthday on Friday are sat there waiting envelopes and then there's my mini Smash book which is now my colouring inspiration - that is any images I colour that I love too much to use else where will go in here for me to look back at. 

Looking to the right there's the laptop I'm sorting out and updating, my ever present radio and Cuttlebug and my ever growing pen collection!

Close up of main desk area - those cards and book.

So that's me this week. Not much changes really only what's on the main working area. Right I'm going to be popping by as many desks as I can today and during the rest of the week.

Keep crafting!

Take care Zo xx

Just a spot of colouring!

Good evening!

 I thought I'd pop on here to share a piece of colouring I did yesterday. I was really pleased with it so shared it on Facebook & Twitter. The response blew me away and I received record amounts of likes and comments, well more than I've ever had so thought you'd all like to see too. Okay I know some of you have already seen but bear with me! 

It's a Saturated Canary image -  one of the newer ones in fact. As you know I love my pens, Copics being my favourite. I thought I would tell you some of the combinations I used - 

Hair = E31, E35, E37, E49 & R59

Reds = R29, R35, R59 & E49

Greens = I can't remember the exact combo & I didn't write it down (Lesson learned!) as I was trying out different from usual but I do know that I used the E49 to get that real depth. I've found that browns are good for that as are the dark grey tones.

I do promise to make a note next time so that I can share. I am hoping to share more of my colouring this year along with colour combos to show you the pens. I do hope to do some tutorials with photos every step of the way.  

Is there anything particular you would like to see step by step photo tutorials for?

I'll try and do them if I can, so let me know!

Take care Zo xx

Project 2013 & the Challenge of a Never-ending-card!

Well I'm back today to share with you all my page from last week in my Project 2013 smash book and also to share my first ever Never-Ending-Card I've made for my niece.

So my page first - 

Another single page kept simple - I added a Bazzil basic folded border to the side, this mirrors the same border on the opposite page. I sprayed Dylusions Ink Fresh Lime on to the background and chased the drips around! I printed 2 pictures from last week, the first the very yummy hot chocolate I treated myself to while in the beautiful city of Bath (hospital appointment again!). The other is a photo (not mine, I sit at the other end of the ground but this photo appealed to me!) from Friday 1st Feb, Bristol Rovers match v Barnet where we won 2 - 1. 8500+ fans packed the ground creating a superb atmosphere, me and dad really enjoyed it. I added quite a bit of journalling to tell of what happened that week.

Here's that hot chocolate up close!

My next share is of my first ever Never-Ending-card I've made for my niece's birthday - 

This is the front.......

........which turns open to this then..........

........to this........ 

......and finally this is the last bit before it turns back to the front again.

As you can see I've added a mixture of Some Odd Girls & Saturated Canary images to it and have added sentiment stamps and wrote on it along the way! 

Love to hear what you think?

Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 192

Hello desk hoppers and all!

I'm here as always (well not every week but most!) to share my desk with you. If you don't know what it's like to hop around the world spying on desks then you need to go to Julia's to see and join in!

Now most of you know I'm fairly tidy, my desk while long isn't too wide so I have to put things away and everything has a place in my room, but this morning finds my desk looking rather full, well for me anyway! - 

Far right, hmm there's the radio which usually has Talk Sport or the Rovers commentary on, then there's my old laptop that I'm trying to sort. The pen storage seems to have grown, am sure those empty trays weren't there yesterday morning.......... ;) The purple Spectrum Noir certificate on the wall reminds me that I did indeed pass the test and am an Accredited Spectrum Noir Colorist! 

Moving over we find the phone and Ottlite, plus my orange Project 2013 Smash Book, I left it there to remind me to post later in the week my page for last week - something I've set myself a goal to do. There's the letter 'S' at the back, not sure what I'm doing with it yet (S for Savannah, my niece).

I decided last night I really should get on and cut up and store my ever growing pile of stamps that were in the window sill so I thought by putting them on my desk it may prompt me to do so, we shall see! 

There's the usual tools and bits and bobs on there too.

Right I'm going to nose at pop by some desks while drinking my coffee then I really should start on those stamps......shouldn't I?

Take care Zo xx

Crafty Boots - Blue & White

Well good morning, and a happy Monday to you all!

I'm back today to share my latest DT project for the Crafty Boots Challenge Blog and the theme this fortnight was chosen by ME! It is - 

BLUE & WHITE

In honour of my beloved Bristol Rovers, of course! Though that fact will not surprise anyone who knows me and know I'll reach for blue at any given chance. So that's what I want to see, all of your cards, Smash, home décor, tags or anything else you can come up with as long as it's blue and white!

I created a double Smash spread in my 'Memories' Smash Book about our trip to Wembley stadium to watch Bristol Rovers (of course!) win promotion via a Play-Off final in May 2007. Here's the pics - 

I started by spraying London Blue Dylusions ink onto the pages to create an interest to the background and also taped blue Washi Tape to the top and bottom of the pages before adding the lettering for Bristol Rovers and the date (Can you spot my mistake? It's funny because it's also very important! I've since mended it). I then chose my favourite photos from the day and found my ticket. I kept it simple and simply ran a dark blue Copic around the edge of each photo. I then stamped and coloured Kaylee from Some Odd Girl's range Kaylee's Closet Wardrobe Set & Winter Warmth set both available from the Crafty Boots store. I drew quarters onto her t-shirt to replicate a Rovers shirt! And even put blue in her hair as I actually sprayed blue hair spray into my own hair that day! I attached my ticket to the page to finish it all off. 

A blue & white super fab day captured on a blue and white page never to be forgotten!

What do you think?  I look a little different and Keagan is still much shorter than me! Ha ha.

Take care Zo xx