A NEW CHALLENGE IN A MONTH OF ROMANCE...

Its the first day of February 2014, and of course its time for a new Crafty Individuals Challenge! I've had a lovely day of crafting at a workshop with tutor Hels Sheridan - it was local so it was a definite necessity that I should go and join in of course.  Met lots of lovely crafters, and friends, and decorated a canvas, which is still (hopefully) glue setting at the venue.  And now its time for an evening looking at more crafting by our lovely team, with Challenge inspiration, and a very appropriate title for February given to us by Daniele, which is - 'A Fine Romance'.  This gives you lots of scope for lots of different ideas, and the team have certainly come up with lots of their own ideas for the Challenge.

Firstly here are the usual guidelines:

CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

To enter this month's Crafty Individuals Challenge please put together your chosen project, which must include at least one Crafty Individuals product please, then post your Challenge project on your Blog, before the end of the month, and include a link back to this Blog.  Leave a link in the URL box displayed in this post to take us directly to your Challenge project, which will then appear on this Blog as a thumbnail image - so we can all see your wonderful arty work.

At the end of the month we will set about choosing five lucky participants, each of whom will win a CI rubber stamp of their choice, and don't forget that as per usual, once you have linked in your creation, you can also claim a lovely 25% discount code to use on anything you purchase from the CI Website, which will be valid until the 10th of November.

Go for it, and enjoy the challenge x


.......


As always we look forward to seeing your entries - you will be in with a chance of winning a free stamp, and you will also be able to obtain a cool 25% web discount.  When you have linked in your entry please email us at info@craftyindividuals.co.uk to obtain your special code, and then go shopping!

.......

Daniele is in control this month so we will start with some fantastic inspiration by Daniele..

Daniele has used stamp CI-394 'No Guarantee without the Stamp' on her very beautiful card, along with a CI image.  And next I have another lovely project, this time by Lucy.  Lucy's creation sports some of our older (now discontinued) stamps, however I'm sure lots of you still have the stamps in your stash, and here it is..

Loving the embellies Lucy, and the use of the background paper sheet from our 'Shades of Summer' background book.

Now I have a couple of cards by one of our newest team members - Joanna.  I love Joanna's work, it is so very feminine..

On the top card Joanna has used our contemporary young couple stamp CI-402 'Just Be My Friend', and on the bottom card our Floral Branch die and stamp CI-346 'Dancing until 1 O'Clock'.

And my final images for this evening are some I have had in a folder by Effie - not strictly designed with this Challenge in mind, but which I thought were so very appropriate, and use the silhouette dancing couple stamp CI-377 'A Night of Romance'..

I'm hoping you feel well and truly inspired now, so get cracking with those romantic creations.  Lots more to come over the next few weeks.  Thanks for tuning in.

Back soon,

Jean x

A WINNER IS ANNOUNCED AND MORE WONDROUS WORKS...

Hi Everyone

Many, many thanks to the 49 crafty loving folk who so very kindly left cracking comments on my previous post, and we can now announce a winner, whose comment number was chosen tonight by Malcolm. .... And the winner of the experimental bunny project, plus the relevant products is Gayle, who is also hoping the winner will be able to post their art too - so that one is down to you now Gayle!!  Please email us Gayle with your address, and then do let us know what you make so that I can give it a mention please!

The next post after this will be displaying our new February Challenge details, and wow do I have some beautiful creations to show you by the terrific team - I think they get better every time (if that is possible), and this time they are excelling themselves yet again.  So in this post I am going to have a bit of a 'catch up' session to show you projects I have been putting away ready to bring out at a future date.  First off however I have to show you a brand new, simply stunning project by Lynne - called 'Scent of a Woman' featuring CI-401 Ladies who Latte...

Sooo very pretty and destined to become a 90th birthday card I believe - well done Lynne!

Now on with the catch up...

Loving the following..

This one by Daniele and using the clock face CI-354 and the dancing lady from CI-346

Then a few more again by lovely Lynne..

A hanging - great use of an element of stamp CI-351 here..

 

And the shopping pad (what a lovely gift that would be), and gift bag using images from our mini image books and image sheets.

Now a couple of projects featuring the trio of butterflies CI-347. 
The first is again by Lynne, and the second by Isabelle Norris..

Next we have some slightly more quirky projects.  First one by Helen in fabulous colours - with the punky penguin from CI-392 taking centre stage..

Plus a scrunchy seaside tag from Brenda (ref CI-397)..

And finally this evening we have a super seaside inspired card by Sylvie..

Playfully made with CI-336 AND CI-344.

Haven't quite cleared out my files yet, so still more to come..

Hope you enjoyed tonight's display?!

Back soon with the new challenge,

Jean x

MADE BY JEAN, AND A GIVEAWAY.....

Cold and wet and miserable here tonight - just the weather for a spot of crafting, or a spot of blogging!  I have a few items that I have made to show you tonight - the first ones feature some of our dies within, as well as stamping of course..

Firstly two cards inspired really by one of our new team members Joanna.  I love the way she uses nesting dies sometimes (I think) to create some of her cards.  So in the two below I have used a set of gothic arch dies to create the card format.  To get this result or similar you will need nesting dies that have straight edges as well as curved - so that you can cut a folded card shape from them.  In the background I have used a Distress Ink technique - rubbing the ink pads onto a craft sheet, then spraying gently with water before picking up the random colour effect onto card.  If you try this with our super smooth stamping card (love this stuff in white or cream!) you get a particularly nice effect.  As the card is starting to dry I tend to add a little more water spray for an even more mottled effect.  The dry surface then provides an excellent surface to stamp onto.  If you haven't tried this card yet do give it a go - it is fantastic!

Stamps featuring in the card above are CI-209 'Winter Trees', and CI-287 'Birds on a Wire'.

And in this second style stamps CI-397 'Call of the Sea' and CI-272 'Seaside Treasures'.
The die I used in both samples is the Elegant Swirl.

I have a few assorted samples now...  A hanging shadow box created from our swirls and frames die cut sheet and the Delicate Dragonfly die..

Then a couple of decorated tags...

Both of the tags feature our 'In a Gilded Cage' die, and the first one also sports our 'Lacewing Butterfly' die.

To finish off tonight I have a card where I sprayed over the Magic Roundabout mask onto old dictionary paper, and then cut a heart shape from the paper..

With Valentines Day in mind perhaps?  I added the metal decorative elements Corner Charms and a Frame Charm - both nice and lightweight and very useful.

And finally I have an experimental project made just for fun, and where I used a square of wood as my base, then painted and sprayed and stamped and stencilled..

Maybe you might like to have this actual piece I made sent to you, along with the items I used to make it???  That would be a pack of the Corner Charms as mentioned above, plus the Alice Palace Bunnies stamp, the Fine Flowers Panel mask, and the Oriental Fans stamp!  If this appeals to you and you follow this blog please leave a comment at the end of this post, and in a few days time we will randomly choose a winning comment owner to receive this little bundle.

Thanks for reading this post,

Back soon,

Jean x

A STEP BY STEP FROM SYLVIE AND MORE.......

I've had a very busy day today - walking Monty Moodle on the moors this morning, with Malcolm (it was freezing!!) and continuing to sort out my personal files this afternoon.  However the job is finally done now, and wow I feel so much better for it!  Some of the stuff in them dated back some 20 or 30 years, and perhaps its my age but I do want to have a tidy out at the moment, and get rid of the 'junk' in my life.

Anyway on with the crafting and tonight's post is mainly about one of our latest stamps, the very elegant 'Ladies Who Latte' CI-401, and I have 3 projects using this elements stamp set to show you first, followed by a Step by Step project by Sylvie, which really should have been posted before the beginning of January as it incorporates a calendar - and its my fault that didn't happen.  It is however extremely pretty and would look great at anytime gracing a wall, and I think it is lovely to see how these 'Team' projects are put together, and hopefully you will be inspired by part or all of what you see.

Firstly here is a book cover project by Carol - such pretty colours..

Additionally Carol has used parts of CI-383, and CI-328 on her cover.

Another card project by Gio in a very sophisticated black and white style..

And also one by Daniele - great colours for Springtime (roll on Spring!)..

Now on with the Step by Step - Enjoy!

1.  Take a white piece of cardstock - Sylvie used a piece 20cm x 20cm, and ink with Distress inks in Aged Mahogany, Weathered Wood, Victorian Velvet and Black Soot..

2.  Use the feather stamp from CI-397 and stamp around the card in Peacock Feathers, Picked
Raspberry, Victorian Velvet, Salty Ocean and Jet Black Archival ink..

 

3.  Stamp the Starry Tree CI-368 in Versamark ink and emboss with Cosmic Shimmer embossing powders (here Iced Blush Lustre and Persian Sea Aurora)

4.  This gives a lovely iridescent effect..

5. Stamp the ladies on white cardstock.  Emboss in black and cut out..

6.  Make a flower with ribbon and double sided tape..

7.  Make a hole in the centre of the flower and add a flower brad..

8.  Ink a paper doily with Victoria Velvet and Tsukineko Brilliance Silver ink..

9.  Cut 2 pieces of cardstock - one pink 20.5cm x 20.5cm, and one blue/grey.  Distress the edges and ink in black and splatter..

10.  Glue pieces together, and add eyelets for the ribbon to hang.

Add the other items, plus rhinestones and the calendar tab, to complete..

Gorgeous - many thanks Sylvie!

One more exciting piece of news is that we have another lovely 'Team' member joining us, and we are delighted to welcome Laury of Le Blog De Laury55.  Laury has worked with our stamps for quite a while and in fact the little shopping bag that appears at the top of our website was created by Laury a few years ago.  Please check out her work and give her your good wishes.  Its so nice to have so many different styles and techniques featuring within our fantastic team!

Thanks for tuning in,

Back soon,

Jean x