Winter Joy card + Video Tutorial

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all warm, cosy and ready for the festive season. Today's post is my last project of 2016 - how is the year nearly over already?!

So on with today's creation for WOW embossing , which is this last minute festive card along with a video tutorial in which I create this Wintery card using WOW! Fab Foils, embossing powders along with showing you how to create your own DIY embellishment (which gets the full WOW! treatment!).

I used a selection of powders on the project to alter and add some seasonal sparkle; Silver Hologram Sparkle, Vintage Peacock embossing glitter, Opaque Bright White plus my favourite Copper Fab Foil.  Stamping always gives a complete look to background areas, and on this project I added subtle snow flurry details with the mini background stamp from WOW's Let It Snow set.

Customising chipboard letters with Fab Foil is such a fun and easy way to alter and add some shine.

I hope you enjoy the tutorial!

Wishing you all a very Merry & Bright festive season.

xxx

3D Winter Lodge Tutorial

Hello crafty people!

I do love a good 3D project at this time of year. So in my latest video I decided to alter a 3D box picture frame mixed media style using gesso, glitter, embossing powder, tissue paper and a host of Prima embellishments to create a cosy Winter lodge.

Full start to finish tutorial above (with kitsch music ;) )

 Layers of festive flowers and winter berries top the lodge's eaves.

A peek inside...isn't the deers head just fabulous? 

I used thick chunky twigs for the logs inside. Free and they look absolutely perfect!

I really enjoyed creating this one and hope it's given you some last minute festive inspiration!

Happy crafting

xxx

Upcycled Bauble Tutorial

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all well. I have some more festive  inspiration for you today with a new video tutorial today, with this one focusing on how to alter old Christmas tree baubles.

I think most of us all have those ugly baubles and tree decorations that are old, tatty or just the wrong colour! So my tutorial will show you how easy it is to alter and customise a bauble in (pretty much!) 5 easy steps.

I use mostly salvaged and natural decorations and of course a Prima flower had to get in there ;)

 Frosty berries...

I really love to use spices at this time of year and that goes for my projects too! Here I've used star anise spice pods on the bauble.

Prima Art Alchemy paint by Finnabair adds the opalescent sheen on the bauble and embellishments.

TFL!

Warm hugs,

xxx

3D Mixed Media Christmas Tree Deccoration Video Tutorial

Hello sweeties!

My Christmas tutorial-fest continues today in which I create this mixed media 3D Christmas tree.  

My step by step tutorial shows how to create a decorative tree using old tinsel, paint or gesso and glitter. This project is great as a table centre piece, tree topper or sideboard decoration.

How lovely is this Santa sticker from Prima (Victorian Christmas, 2015)?

The pearl and crystal wire sprigs add a bit of luxury on top of the tree, which were decorations from Christmas crackers!

 Lots of lovely layers...

Happy crafting!

 xxx

 

 

Quick & Easy 3D Snowflake Christmas Decoration Tutorial

Hi my lovely crafty friends!

Hope you are all well. We're getting well into December now and that means (fingers crossed!) I will be sharing a bunch of festive tutorials with you throughout the month. To kick us off we have a quick and easy 3D hanging snowflake project; simple, cost conscious and effective - just what we need most at this time of year!

I hope you enjoy!

 xxx

Five Easy Cheap Ways To Alter Paper Flowers Video Tutorial

Hey sweeties! I have a new quick video to share with you today, giving you five ways to alter paper or die cut flowers easily and cheaply. Enjoy :)

 Stay creative,

 xxx

Merry & Bright Gift Bag - WOW! Embossing

Hey sweeties!

I hope you are all fine and wrapped up from the cold, wet weather. Here in the UK it has been so miserable outdoors so I wanted to brighten things up with a merry and bright festive gift bag. Over on the WOW! embossing blog, we've turned our heads to Christmas projects this month...yes it's creeping up fast! 

I love this non traditional colour scheme, adding pinks, fresh aqua and chartreuse green to white.

The background of the bag has been stencilled using a piece of die cut 12x12 paper with a snowflake design, then spreading heavy gesso through to create texture. Next I sprinkled Bluetiful embossing powder into the wet gesso and melted to leave this fabulous semi transparent glossy aqua finish then sprayed a matte pink mist over the top to give a resist effect with the glossy embossed area.

For the doily which sits behind the "25", I  rubbed over the clear ink pad and added a sprinkle of Metallic Platinum Sparkle glitter embossing powder - this is a great way to add some zing to your doilies, creating custom designs and colours.

This cute little tag has been created with shrink plastic tag along with the "Merry Christmas" and snow flurry stamps from the Let It Snow set. I just stamped the snow onto white shrink plastic with a pink ink pad then stamped the greeting on top, heated the plastic and hey presto!

The main panel on the bag is just a piece of corrugated cardboard which I highlighted with gesso, then sprinkled over White Puff embossing powder to create a texturised snowy look. The main embellishments are a set of chipboard numbers which I tapped with WOW's ultra slow drying clear ink pad and sprinkled on a selection of powders : Peppermint Tea and Pink Lady and Silver Stratosphere which adds a wonderful festive sparkle! I finished the numbers off with crystals and some paper flowers.

I hope I've given you some inspiration to play with some less obvious colour schemes for the festivities and have a go at creating your own packaging. It's so fun, easy and a wonderful way to package up a well chosen gift!

Hugs until next time

xxx

My Time: Layout Video Tutorial

Hi guys,

I hope you are having a great week. It's video tutorial time again, yay!

This start to finish layout tutorial follows on from my last video, focusing on how you can create projects using very little with this layout using only three products: gesso, Prima oil pastels and standard graphite pencils. Just to showcase how a few well selected products can go a long way without always needing to use a truck load of embellishments! While we all love a pretty trinket or flower it's good to scale down and make the most of few items,

A few closies...

I used textured card as my base, the pastels pick it up beautifully don't you think?

 

Loving how the flowers  have turned out!

The colours in this one definitely go "pop"!

I hope you enjoy the video and thanks for watching!

Have a great day x

Thrifty Card Video Tutorial

Hey everyone!

I have a brand new video tutorial alert! This one is a start to finish thrifty card tutorial with a twist - using only four products...and 2cm of double sided tape! 

Check it out below!

Don't forget to check out my YouTube channel for a host of other tutorials :) 

Hugs,

 

Security Journalling

A warm hello to you all!

Today's post is a "just because" journal page, which I created in about 25 minutes from start to finish. It was one of those free flowing creations which had little planning put into it (the best way) but was something created for me, no pressure, nothing complicated, just born from some thoughts I had knocking around my head at the time which I just put through onto the page.

The way art journalling should be really.

 

sticker which came from a clothing order (I'm an avid online shopper, can't you tell? ;) ) and the moment I saw it I knew I had to use it on a page of mine. The feeling of security: whether it's a physical or mental place, it's the one you return to for security, like a comfort blanket.
 
 

The creation was simple; gesso spread onto the page, a sprinkle of Prima Finnabair mini art stones, pencils, inks, some stenciling with light texture paste and a stamp.

The bright red of the sticker matched with rich warm colours of Ecoline water colour inks (yellow ochre, vermillion and scarlet) that I'd picked out. I love this combination , adding in brown sepia gives almost a burnt look to the fiery colour scape. 

I hope you enjoyed enjoyed today post!

Hugs until next time

xxx

One Stamp 3 Ways Mini Canvas Topper Trio

Morning everyone!

I hope you are all in fine fettle. Today's offering for you today is once again in miniature form - yes I'm addicted teeny tiny pixie projects!

These are a set of mini canvases which I've had in my stash for a good long while which I decided to use as card toppers. In keeping with this month's WOW! blog DT feature which asks us to use one stamp three ways, I've created these projects with my chosen stamp coming from the Pick 'n Mix set.

Do you recognise which one it is?

 For the first topper I prepared the background with gesso and paint, then stamped the circular stamped randomly with black ink. I added die cut chipboard on top to create depth and filled the recesses in with embossing powder (Mandarin, Black Ebony and Clear Gloss), using glass beads for texture. I have a bit of a thing for skulls and adore this wooden cut from Alter This which I pimped up with gesso, fine liner pens and more micro beads.

 

The simplest topper of the trio has the stamp utilised as a flower by cutting away lined "wedges". I mixed this up with paper flowers plus a couple of pieces of lace then painted over water colour ink and sprinkled White Puff embossing powder which I melted to created a 3D mottled effect.  

 

The last canvas topper is a mixture of many different bits and pieces I had laying around. I do love to use these up on cards, great way to waste nothing! The background for this one started with a layer of gesso and net material which I pressed in whilst still wet then covered with Midnight Dream, Silver Stratosphere and British Summer embossing powders and melted. The circle has been stamped onto thin metal with a clear ink and Black Ebony powder to create this industrial looking little embellishment. For the other details I've used torn paper, washi tape, cotton, mis-matched gems and small pieces of WOW Melt It! foil tray. 

I finished off with a phrase we should all heed: remember to play....

I hope you've found some inspiration to use with your stamps, have fun and be creatively free!

Hugs until next time

World Card Making Day 2016 & WOW! Blog Hop

A warm hello to you all!


It's World Cardmaking Day today and to honour the occasion we have a WOW! blog hop, woo!

 

 I do love a good card making session and went with some of my favourite colours; denim blue, hot pink and aqua. The background was created by stamping doodle circles (new WOW! ones guys;) and filling in the centres with embossing powder. It give a quick, fun and effective finish.

 

I used the feathers WOW! silicone mould with air dry clay and covered the embellishment in Primary Blue Tang and Silver Sparkle embossing powders. Cork, denim and mini playing card elements add some interest and texture to the card.  

I finished with a playful, whimsical "just because" greeting as that's what this card was all about; being free, fun and just because!

Fran Westmoreland <------ You are here!
WOW Embossing Powder Blog
Victoria Petrenko
Martha Lucia Gomez 
Laurence Colling

Sarah Jackman Read
Susanne Rose

Have fun hopping and good luck!

  xxx