What's on My Workdesk Wednesday No247? Tote bag!

Well dear Desker, please make sure you are seated for this post...Why you ask?  Well because I tried my hand at SEWING!  I have seen some home made totes on some blogs and decided to give it a bash as I decided it was all straight lines and couldn't be too hard...

The first thing I managed to do was have the base seam on the outside...this happened after some very carefully worked out planning to make sure that it landed on the inside...I think I over thought it!

So then I had to add ribbon to the base to hide my mistake!   All in all it is functional and not too bad looking for a complete novice.

Then the other thing you might notice is that my work surface is white.  On Pinterest I see such lovely looking workspaces and was inspired to make mine look visually more pleasing so I spraypainted the back of my A1 cutting mat with glossy white and it is a DISASTER!

It looks fabulous but, even after letting it dry for 3 days, everything that is left on it for any length of time sticks to it.  Including a full cup of coffee which took some wiggling to get off without spilling...I resorted to drinking some with a straw so that it was not so full and would not mess too much.  So dear Desker, this is the last you will see of the nice white desk.  Next week it will be back to functional green.

Now I am off to see your desk over at Julia's place called Stamping Ground.

Bella

Card Diva Challenge: Round 2

So the challenge over at the Supreme Scrap Challenge in the Card department is to make a card, any size that is monochromatic and using only hand cut stuff, no machines. Also, no black!

Here is my take on the idea:

First I cut some spirals which I rolled and glued into roses.

Then I traced round a die cut of leaves and cut them out

After that I embossed them with a stylus tool.

Having made those, I embossed a 6x12" sheet of white card stock with the Cuttlebug Damask Brocade folder and a smaller piece with the Thank You which I then cut out.

I cut and folded the 6x12" into a trifold card.  Tied the Thank you to the one fold so that it can swing as well as hang and added the roses to the front of the card.

Monochrome page for The Extreme Scrap Challenge

Hi there

I have decided to go with white on white as my monochrome challenge for round 2 of the Extreme Scrap Challenge.  It looks far more white than cream in real life, no matter what lighting I use to photograph this page.  Here is is on the trampoline so it has a black surround as it was disappearing without it.

I got out everything I own in white and set about making flowers from card stock and using my Martha Stewart circle punch to make the main doily.  I ran with circles as my main repetitive design element and then flowers to create some interest.

The lettering is white with clear glitter on it.

We had to use a black and white photo as our photo that had to go onto both pages.  We could use other photos on the page too, but opted not to for a change and just have one focal picture.

I punched the hearts out of the bottom edge of the photo and added them to the top of the picture for some added interest!

Thanks for the visit.

Bella

What's on My Workdesk Wednesday 245? A Card

Well, dear Desker, this card is actually in my car already, so that I don't forget it at home as it was a "last minute.com" order for one of my students.  She called last night and asked for something pretty for her daughter's birthday, as she will be collecting it at class this morning!

My desk was clear to start off with, so this is the mess I make to just create one card!  The Spring Greenery is my latest die to be added to my collection so I had to use that of course!

That's me for today, hope you have a great week, now I am off to see what's on your desk!

Bella

Supreme Scrap Tournament: Scrap Challenge 1

This is now my final page with the printed photos, machine cut lettering and journalling added.

They (the two ladies from Netherlands) have a theme going of sorts for round 1 which is HOME.  In the scrap challenge you have to show where you live within 1000 steps from your house.  I had fun going out with my camera and counting my steps as I went.  Good thing it was early on Sunday morning and the only peeps around were going off to church, so hopefully they were not too judgmental of me counting out loud and taking close up photos of things like postboxes!

Here is how my page was created:

I started with chipboard letters and white card stock and my sheet of instructions.

Painted the chipboard with distress paint.

Inked the paper with Salty ocean and Mowed lawn distress inks (for the sky and the grass), blended it with water and put it in the sun to dry.

Cut up a sheet of red card stock just a bit bigger than I am going to print my photos.

You can see by the blue clock...an hour later...I had added Stencil work to the top of the page in Walnut stain distress ink and green over the green with the burlap stencil.  I am going to journal here. (you have to use at least 50 words)

Then I added the die cuts of the bird on the branch, half a clock to mimic the sun and the fence along with some stamped images from my set of IndigoBlu stamps.

nearly 2 hours after starting... This is as far as my page really is.  I super imposed the writing and photos over the top of this pic to get an idea of where I was going and to check on FB if I was using the right photos, before I spent money on printing!  I have the "go ahead" and will print pics today, then add my journalling and post to the forum! 

Its been fun!

Bella

Supreme Scrap Tournament: Card Challenge 1 Entry

Hi there

EDIT 2/2/14:  Due to the confusion about being able (not able) to use the shape of a house...I have decided to play safe and go with another heart shape instead so have changed my entry as above.

Last year on Facebook, I saw the opportunity to join in an international Scrapbook and Card Challenge, hosted by two ladies in Holland who called it the Supreme Scrap Tournament.

We had to get a South African Team together of a minimum of 10 members, which we managed to do!  We are a proud team of 12 from all over the country!  It has been really great to get to know fellow crafters better and hopefully those of us in Cape Town will get together soon to meet and craft at someones house.

If you want to see who is in the SA team, please go to Jeaunes blog as she has posted a list with links to everyones blogs.

Our first Challenge in the Card Diva Tournament was:

Make a ATC card where Home is the theme. 
It can be anything you want. It can be a welcome home card, a card about moving, a card with any quote on being/feeling at home or use the shape of a house.


- There has to be a title/quote/wish on the card

- You can not use any spray inks or flowers

- You can not use any kind of cutting machine

- You can not use any image with a house on it (that is a challenge huh!!!)

Here is mine in a step out of photos so you can see how I created it.

First I hand cut a heart from Kraft paper and a house from foam core board using a craft knife.  Then I covered the ATC base with a page from Anne of Green Gables. 

 Next I painted the heart (above) and the base (below) with Tim Holtz distress paint, as well as the little house.

 Above you can see the main pieces before I drew on the house and heart with a permanent marker and stamped an IndigoBlu flock of Birds on the base from their NatureII set with Archival Jet black ink.  Below you can see the depth of the house and the set of mini keys I added as well as the brads and hand sewing.

So this is my entry into the competition...

I am holding thumbs to get through to the next round...

Bella

What's On My Workdesk Wednesday 243? Photo Blocks

Hello fellow Desker!  Thanks for joining me from Julia's place over at Stamping Ground.

Here is my desk with two of the photo blocks I have re-purposed.

Photo blocks are kind of like a wooden canvas.  They are a hardboard version.  In the 80's it was very popular to glue photos onto these blocks to hang them on the wall in all sizes from small to poster size.  Now they print directly onto canvas instead and block that.

I was given these blocks from a student who did not need them in her business any more and so I have ripped off the photo and covered the left one in hessian (burlap) then added texture paste through a Tim stencil and painted the right one with a crackle technique, now I am contemplating the decorations I am going to add.

Yes, those are "industrial" sized jars of gesso, texture paste and acrylic gel medium you see piled on the left!

The new blue clock is one I got yesterday at the Typo sale shop for R42!  Down from R179!  I am tempted to alter it...it is cheaper to buy this than Tims one which I have been dying to get!

So that's me.

See you at your desk

Bella

Wedding card

I have been asked to make a wedding card and I quite like using white on white for this.  All I need to do is get the correct spelling for their names which I will add to the card in silver.

Here is the card above I made after being inspired by this one I found on Pinterest by Sistersandie from Splitcoaststampers, as seen below.

Thanks for the visit

Bella

What's on My Workdesk 242? A Prize!

Hello fellow Desker, welcome to my desk on a perfect windless summers day...in fact we are going to "cook" later...they are predicting ridiculously high temps for today!  So while I know you are probably freezing, we are cooking...where is the happy medium?

Well you are not here to discuss the weather, but to see my desk.

I participated in the New Years Eve streamathon that was organised on Facebook and I won a set of IndioBlu stamps from Cathy.  What a generous prize, not one, but 3 sets!  The nice thing is the images are ALL ones I will use and look forward to making stuff with.

Then there is a pile of old photo blocks on the left of my desk and the jars of texture paste, gel medium and gesso lurking in the background.  I have been invited to supply craft items for a stall at a carnival at the end of February.  I have been scratching around to see what I can use and found these abandoned old photo blocks. (these are wooden blocks that had glossy photos mounted on them like posters in 5x7" and larger - I have ripped off the photos and am left with the plain block)  I have covered the top one with hessian so far and played with some stamps and sprays on the bottom one and some neutral tones of paint on the others.  Now to decorate them with something that peeps might want to buy...

Then here is a pic of my desk while Claire's Mom came to stay with me, she wanted a painting of an African sunset with an Acacia tree in it to take back to England with her, so I painted her one in an evening...I forgot to share that last week.

So that is me

Now I am off to see what I can see on your desk this week if you have linked up with Julia.  With school starting last week, I did not get a chance to reciprocate to comments, but I appreciated those of you who made the time to leave me a note.

Bella

Whats on my (sons) Workdesk Wednesday 241? School...

Hello fellow desker.  Welcome to my son's new class room for 2014!   I have just dropped him off and am now back at the studio.  He is in Grade 4.  How did we get here so fast?  Seems like yesterday he was in nappies...best go buy is Tuxedo for his Matric dance...that will be next...10 years will fly by if the last few are anything to go by.

thanks for the visit

See you at your desk

Bella