Anything but a square so anything goes!

Hello again :)

Todays make is not a card at all, it a hanging heart!  The heart itself has a Birthday sentiment so this idea can be just a keepsake or as a tag to hang from a special Birthday pressie :)

I used two art board hearts (of the same size) that I picked up (very cheap) from my last visit to the NEC Hobbycraft show and I hand sketched a smaller heart in pencil inside on of them.  I cut round the sketched line with my craft knife to create a frame for an image (I kept the inner bit, as I'm sure it will come in handy one day!).

One side of both hearts was then covered with a delicious music score paper from the Polkadoodles Work and Play CD 1 (taken into My Craft Studio so I could change the colour from pink to blue), sticking it down with hi-tack pva (tip: I used my clean brayer to roll over the paper once I'd placed it over the hearts to make sure there was no bubbles/lumps and that it adhered all the way across).

I also took the digi image of Singing Sally from Work and Play CD 1 and coloured her in with my Graph'it Marker pens and framed her within the heart with the cut out in, then I stuck both hearts together (making sure that the back heart had the lovely paper on the outside and not stuck in the middle!  So that the heart when hung will have finished papers both sides).

Once all glued I set about sanding the edges of the paper and across the paper to give a more distressed look to the finished piece.  I then edged the heart with ribbon (I used the red super sticky double sided tape to do this).

The colours used for Singing Sally (Graph'it Markers) are:
Skin: 4120, 4115, 4170
Hair: 4170, 3170, 3180, 3190
Dress: 9100, 9102, 9103, 9505
Bow: 4135, 4145, 5130

The sentiment is also from the Work and Play CD 1 and the added flowers, buttons and ribbons are from my stash (including a broken up old necklace...never throw anything as all crafters will understand!).

I hope you like it as much as I do, Happy Crafting :)

Sandie
(Polkadoodles Challenge Blog DT)

30/6/14 UPDATE.....THIS DESIGN WAS IN THE TOP PICK FOR
Crafting from the heart - Anything goes I'LL POP THE BADGE ON AS SOON AS I HAVE IT :)
I would like to enter my heart into the following chanllenges:
Digichooseday with Polkadoodles - anything but square
Scribble and scrap - Anything goes
Agirlwhocraftschallenge - Anything Goes
Crafting from the heart - Anything goes

Just a quickie tip...

Well how fab is this sunshine! :)

As I was sat in the garden colouring (see never a grown up!) and I thought I'd share a tip about the graph'it markers, or markers in general.

Keep a colour guide!

As you play more with your markers, you will come across blends and colour combo's that go well together and trust me - if you don't write them down and you are anything like me, you will forget!

I have started to make a colour tag selection - skin colour combo's, hair, branches etc and it seems to be working well, especially for colours I don't usually use...although I now know my chosen skin colours by heart and I just grab them! (my go to skin colours in my Graph'it Markers are 4120, 4115, 4170 & 4145 with a little touch of 3110 if deeper shadow is needed).

My colour tag is made using the same card as I generally print or stamp my images onto so I know I will get a true colour match from it when I use them again :)

Happy crafting!

Sandie
(Polkadoodles Challenge Design Team)

Exciting news for me from Polka Doodles

Hello All,

Well a lot has happened and I am extremely proud to announce that I am have been accepted to join the very talented Design Team at Polka Doodles :)
A massive thank you to Nikky Hall and the team at Polkadoodles Challenge blog for accepting my application...exciting times ahead :)

So the pressures on to blog my very first design using the fabulous digi images from Polka Doodles and here is what I came up with....

I wanted to show that digi images, whether from download or CDrom can and should be used in with your existing stash and mixed with your stamps and inks...and used as a resource in your arsenal just as we use the other crafty goodies that adorne our crafting desks :)

I used the digi image 'Jed' from Polka Doodles Pretty Tuff CDrom, I think you'll agree he is a fabulous 'brooding' teenager!

I lined him up and added the text (a normal font on my laptop) so that the image would be printed allowing me the space to cut out a 6''x6'' square around him (leaving him in the bottom right hand corner).  Away from the image of 'Jed' I placed the car, ipod and books icon images also from the Pretty Tuff CDrom making sure they were small enough to punch out later.  The printed the sheet and cut our the large square for 'Jed' and a strip with the icons :)

As you can see he is matted onto black card (I have a thing about matting on black!) and layered onto a 7''x7'' card blank

I coloured 'Jed' with my Graph'it Marker pens with the following colours:
Hair - 4170, 3170, 3180 & 3190
Skin - 4120, 4115, 4170 & 4145
Top & Jeans - 1210, 4130, 3110, 9100, 9102, 9103 & 9505
Shoes - 4170, 3170, 3180 & 3190

Look how fab the printed icon looks in the punched circle!

 The inks used for the 'ink splat' background are Momento dew drops in Bahama blue and Toffee Crunch (the 'ink splat' is a stamp set from Inkylicious).  I then punched out 7 1'' circles with my circle punch, 3 around the car, books and ipod printed earlier and 4 plain white.  I then added ink in splodge marks as you can see from the image.  Lastly adding text stamps from my stash to add a little detail.
The 1'' circles where then raised up using silcone glue so that they added dimension to the final peice.

 I hope you enjoyed my mix of digi and traditional stamping....Happy Crafting

Sandie xx
(Polka Doodles DT)

Markers with a difference....

Good Afternoon all,

Just a little post to show you one of the Father's Day cards I made on commission.  I could't post before for obvious reasons!

As you know my Graph'it Markers are my prize possessions at the moment (crafting related!) and so I thought I'd show how to use them in a different way.

You will need the Mix'it fluid for this techinique, available from Polka Doodles or Create and Craft, an acrylic block (I used my A6 slim one to give me more room) and 2 or 3 marker pens (colours to suit your project).  I use Graph'it Marker colours 8220, 7150 & 7140.

I cut a square of water-colour paper (mine was not expensive in fact it was in a pad I purchased from The Works!) to fit the card blank.



Close up of the 'splat' effect

Then I scribbled colour from the markers onto my acrylic block, next to each other and I sprayed over it with the Mix'it Fluid...remember to work fast to prevent the fluid from evaporating and the markers drying on your block (they are permenant remember!); I picked the colour up with a long thin acrylic block (it's 3'' x 1'') and stamped it across the middle of my paper....then picked up another pass of colour and repeated to fill the line, as you can see below. 



 

I added a music score stamp across the dry ink, a sentiment and a stamped clock that was cut out and quickly pained with a paint brush (again using the mix'it diluted marker ink), a couple of corners from scrap card, matted onto black and there you go!

Happy crafting :)

Sandie x

Doesn't have to be a card...part 2

Well for part 2 I thought I'd show you an easy make for home decór....

Using chipboard heart shapes, one large, one small I punched holes ready for the twine to hang them.
Now the great bit..use up those scraps!
Using  backing papers that you have lying around run through your stash until you find some matching pieces, working with colour tones will always give you a winner.

I used a piece of wallpaper!  We had a few sample pieces from a shopping trip to narrow down choices from my twins and their bedroom and they fitted perfectly for what I wanted to do...

 

 

I cut out leaves and the bird from the wallpaper sample and glued them on with tacky pva, then as you can see from the photo below I added more detail to the bird blending in with my Graph'it markers...they are never far away!

 

I stamped the clouds and sentiments from Inky Doodles and coloured them with my Graph'it Marker pens to add shadow and detail.  The clouds were covered with glossy accents to add a little touch of shine and then added punched butterflies adding to the dimension.

I really hope you like this one and inspires you to try something new :)

Sandie
Challenges entered:
Polka Doodles, somewhere over the rainbow

Doesn't have to be a card...part 1

Hello there

Just wanted to add a post today to show that crafty stash can be used for more than just cards...I enjoy making all sorts of things and love putting together different art projects.

Book page art is a great example. 
I had an old frame laying around and a pile of old books that I picked up from a boot fair with the aim of using them for backing papers and this is what I came up with.

I have used my Graph'it marker pens to add a dash of colour to the monochrome image...using the Graph'it White Shaker Pen and a bright blue, 7140. One of the great things about the Graph'it Marker pen rangeis the vividness of the colours as you can see here.

 

Adding a sentiment from my stash, this one was from Inkylicious as is the dancing lady stamp.

 

I really hope this inspires you to try something new :)

 

Sandie x

Had to show Tatty again...

Hello all,

The new Tatty Twinkles CDrom has some fabulous digi images I had to add another!

This one is of Tatty Twinkles, flower girl from the My craft studio Tatty Twinkles CD and I think you will agree that Nikki Hall from Polka Doodles has out done herself designing this one (although the new Rose Budd CDrom  is on my wish list!)

For the main image, I have used my Graph'it markers to colour her.  Seriously and I know I ramble on about them but they are simply the best and can be found on the Polka Doodles website.  I have had my old promarkers for a long time and used them on and off but was never happy with the look, however Graph'it markers have such vibrant colours, are so easy to blend and smooth to use that I am now colouring more and more in my craft work.  Take a look at the range on Polka Doodles website or as I did on Create and craft

Back to my new card:
I printed the image from the CD, no special print settings and I cut the image to size (I had already selected a 7''x7'' card base so knew my approx measurements).  I must admit that I do not use precise measurements when matting and layering, I have a rather large full 12x12 bed plate rotary cutter that makes precise cutting a dream so I tend to just line up my layers by eye and cut (much quicker!).
The colours I have used are:
Hair - 1210 1230 & 4170
Skin - 4120 4110 3110 & 4145
Dress and bow - 9100 9102 7125 & 7115
Flowers - 4135 4145 8250 1210 & 1250

Isn't she fabulous!
I matted her onto craft card and used two patterned papers from my stash, also matted onto craft card.  The margins are kept tight as I prefer the effect but you could leave a larger margin round each layer as you prefer :)

I die cut some swirly elements from white card, I always die cut from white card as it allows a better colour match to my images (no more spending half hour thrashing through my stash to never find the colour I'm looking for!), I now just colour them with an accent colour from the image with my Graph'it marker and I think the look is great :)

I added a bow, secured with the super sticky red tape (you know the one) as I don't trust any other for ribbon and tied a double knot.

I must say, I am very pleased with this one and I hope it gives you some more inspiration to craft with Tatty :)



 

HAPPY CRAFTING :)

Sandie xx

New things to play with!

Hello all,

In an attempt to put something together quickly (a first for me) I have the first of many designs from the brand new:
My Craft Studio TATTY TWINKLES CD rom

Nikki Hall, has done it again; the most amazing digi images for you to colour of Tatty (who so reminds me of me when I was oh so much younger!) and a ton of pre coloured images for when you have to be a little quicker!  The background papers offer so many possiblities and I spent an hour just lost in flicking through...

Using my graph'it markers her is my first attempt to put something together...

 

 Isn't she fabulous - this is the fortune teller and I have added background paper, tickets, sentiment and flowers all from the CD!

 

 

Graph'it Marker colours:

 

Skin: 4120 4110 4115 4135; Hair: 3110 3125 3150 3190; Scarf: 5110 4145 4135 6130 6170 and then over the top of the 6170 I put 1210 to blend it down as I didn't like the colour!  see Graph'it pens are marvelous and blend away my oh that will go mistakes!!!  The shawl and dress are combinations of 1210 1230 1250 and then 4115 4135 and 4170 (more than just skin colours!)



 

 

Now the CLEVER BIT......I used Graph'it Mix'it fluid and 4170 with 4145 to make the distressed background!  I scribbles on my large acrylic block with the two colours then sprayed the Mix'it Fluid - then working quickly because the fluid will evaporate, I used my watercolour brush to sweep in the background and I love it...I think it adds a smother lighter look than I would have achieved with distress inking in the normal way...woohoo xx

Well her she is - Tatty the Fortune Teller xx

Summer days

Hello all,

A short post today as I'm still playing catch up!
I love sharing my crafting with the blog but as I've been poorly I have slipped behind :(

Today's post is a card that brings my view of summer days...

Lazy summer days

 The image is a bestie from Sherry Baldi and I have coloured her with my beloved Graph'it markers - honestly if you haven't got them yet please try them!

Polka doodles have a wide range of colours and support is available, they have relegated my pro markers to the cupboard and I now dream of new colours to add to my collection!

 

 Colours I have used - skin 4120, 4115, 3170 and 4135; Hair 1210, 1230 and 4170
I have also used 1210,1230 and 1250 for the bow and dress
I daren't say this but her jeans are.......the blue grey's! - 9100, 9102 and 9103

I have used two papers from my stash that sang summer days to me and added flowers and some lace from my stash.  The little peg I found in my stash bought at a craft show from Polka Doodles (check them out).

I really hopw you like this offering as I think its my favourite so far!
Loving the summer days

S xx

Challenges:

Digi Chooseday - using two papers
Graphit Markers challenge - Blondes!

Have you found....Designs by Ryn?

Well...Designs by Ryn have some amazing rubber stamps that I can highly recommend.

My bis sister, Brenda ordered some for us to play with and this what I came up with....have got to add that it was a while ago we crafted this but as my last post says I'm playing catch up! A months blogs all in one weekend lol

We used coated card stock as I wanted the shine for the water background.
The inks used where ranger distress inks and I used a square of cut n dry foam to apply the ink in a sweeping motion, blending colours together.

We used the amazing water droplets stamp from Designs by Ryn and the leafy vine which stamp Devine :)

I used versa fine black ink for the main images the using a thin paint brush and plain water I took some of the colour back off to highlight areas.

The fish was stamped separately and added with a blob of silicone to add dimension (the fish is also by Ryn you must go check out her webstite http://designsbyryn.com/index.php/shop1/

Anyway...here is my simple offering, let me know what you think xx

Well, almost tidy!

Hello blog land, been a while....work has been a bit stressful so haven't stayed awake long enough to post, apologies :(

But I thought as I was not at work today I'd show you my 'tidied' desk!

My lovely Graph'it pens in the middle!

Prints from the new My craft studio Tatty Twinkles CD

 No photo of the other end because it's buried under the stuff I cleared from this end! Bet you know the feeling lol

More soon

S