NZ Paper Chase Magazine Cover

Woohoo!  My first magazine cover...so thrilled!

Just Because...For No Reason At All!

Just felt like creating a card today, no particular reason or occasion - just because!

The French Pastry Doillie die from Cheery Lynn Designs came in handy (again!) for this card.  I wanted to keep the card relatively simple - not everything has to be chock full of detail to be attractive.  Simplicity is also rather beautiful.  So here is the result...

Battling a very annoying head cold today - change of season and all!  That said - I'm off to make a cup of tea and enjoy a little sunshine!

Take care.

NZ Paperchase March Challenge

This month over at NZ Paper Chase the challenge is to create a layout based on a sketch.  This is my take on it.

This is one of the polymer clay flowers I made from a mold - painted and patina waxed.  Love how it came out - and I love that it's lightweight enough to use on a layout.

In my previous post, I wrote about the amazing layered stencils from Stencil1.  Here is the butterfly I made, starting with Distress Ink on plain old card stock, then texture paste detail, painted and waxed.  IRL it has a very velvety look.  I adorned it with a soft brown feather (from a Christmas decoration!)

So pop along to the NZ Paper Chase blog to see the sketch - I challenge you to come up with your own take on it!  Great prize for the winnner!

Mixed Bag

Today I have a bit of this and a bit of that to share with you.

First up, is my entry for the Cheery Lynn Designs Lots of Layers challenge.  I created  a little Easter Pillowbox, to fill with mini Easter eggs for a friend.  I used the Cheery Lynn Designs French Pastry Doillie to create the fans on the left side, and the French Flair die for the artisan frame.

Earlier this week I received some stencils from a company called Stencil1 - based in the USA.  What struck me about their stencils was the very cool and different designs.  I bought a couple of Layered Stencils - birds and butterflies 3pack stencils.  What a fabulous idea these are. 

Basically, you use the 'solid' stencil to create the base of your image.  Then you layer the detail stencil over the top and apply whatever medium you choose to create the detail. I experimented with Texture Paste and was pretty please with the result.

Here is a card I made with a cutout of the Hummingbird I created...

And a close up of the bird...

I'm hoping that I get some more time to play with these stencils this weekend, we are expecting a weather bomb apparently!  We had plans to go to the ODI Cricket NZ vs South Africa but I can't see us going now!  Instead, it'll be hunkering down for another wet weekend.  Not a good start to Autumn really!

Take care and thanks for visiting.

Liebster Blog Award

Thank you so much Lisa.  I am delighted and very honoured that you picked me for this.

I came across Lisa's blog Adventures in Paperland through Moxiefab World.  I love Lisa's style of work, part vintage, part shabby, with links to some great challenge sites.  Pop by Lisa 's blog and say hi!

It's a great feeling to know that there are people who regularly read your blog! And more so, to know that they take inspiration from your work. There are so many talented art and crafters out there. And so many wonderful blogs to visit.

The idea behind this award is to spread the love from one small blog (under 200 followers) to other small blogs. This helps to spread knowledge and readership. To accept the award, you must:

1. Link back to the person who gave it and thank them for thinking of you.
2. Post the award to your blog.
3. Give the award to 5 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) that you appreciate and value.
4. Leave a comment on the blogs of the five people you have chosen to let them know.
So with this is mind, here is my list of 5 blogs that inspire me on a regular basis, and are well worth visiting.

http://delightfullycrazytoo.blogspot.com/  Sandie - for the most stunning array of cards.  Sandie has an enviable style about her work, and the photos she takes of her projects are beautiful.  Sandie has some fabulous tutorials on her blog, so make a cuppa and sit down to watch.  Check out her hand dyed lace!  All these 'how to' details, IMHO, make for a exceptional blog.

http://www.paperscissorschocolate.com/ - Louise, a multi-talented artist.  Check out her latest mixed media work. Wow!  She has 2 cute little boys too!

http://blissandgesso.blogspot.com  Gayle -for her imaginative approach to art and craft!  Love all the details in her descriptions.

http://illbeblessed.blogspot.com.au/  Rae does amazing projects - and I will have the pleasure of meeting her in April at the Autumn Escape Rettreat in Taupo.  Rae also  takes the time to add 'how to'  and 'what I used'  details into her blog, which is a real bonus!

http://www.trinamcclune.typepad.com/  Trina - for her yummy recipes and wonderful chicken stories thrown in amongst her gorgeous crafting!  If you want to know how to use anything 'Prima' - or you're after a good cake recipe -  go see Trina!

Thanks ladies, for taking the time to share your work with us.  Congratulations, I hope you will accept the award...