YES YOU HAVE ARRIVED SAFELY AT THE NEXT TANDO HOP POST ...

You may have arrived here at the CRAFTY INDIVIDUALS blog as part of your normal routine, or you may have got here via the Tando Creative retailer Blog Hop from http://thecraftbarnblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/tando-creative-blog-hop.html.  If you are on the Blog Hop to check out the lovely Tando themed projects that are going on as part of the Tando Birthday Bash, your next port of call will be http://craftbarjan.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/tando-birthday-blog-hop_1.html, where you will find your next link.  If you leave nice comments at each of the TEN participating blogs along the way, you stand a chance of winning giveaways!!! The hop will continue to run over the next week.

If you would like to leave comments at all of the blogs on the Hop to be in with a chance of winning some lovely crafty stuff, and you lose your way, you will find all of the Blog links at: http://www.tando-creative.blogspot.co.uk/.

For my Tando related product I just had to use our new spooky themed ELEMENTS PLATES - CI-360 and CI-361, along with the fantastically gothic TANDO TRIPLE ARCH FRAME.  To begin with I used gold acrylic, then crackle medium, and finally shades of blue acrylic, on the back and the frame layers to give a cool crackly effect:

I then used papers from an old book, sprayed with dye inks, and stencilled one of our new masks - Beautiful Border down the side of the papers to get this -

I cut the papers to size and slotted them into the front arches of the frame, and added some sequin waste to decorate -

Loving that blue!

Then I set about decorating my arches with our rubber stamps CI-360, and CI-361.  I also used the crow from CI-319, as it was the perfect size.

This is the finished article, with the close-ups to follow - Hope you like it?

To achieve the colours on the stamped card I used sprays first and then stamped and embossed the images with black embossing powder.  Whilst the molten powder was still hot I added a little holographic embossing powder to give some sparkle.  I cut out the focal images and then mounted them individually on sparkly card and cut around again.  I added little bottles, coloured micro beads, coloured open weave scrim, antique gold chain and corners, and a key to finish. The small crows 'flying around' at the top are glued onto wire.  The dangly arrow at the bottom was made from one of the pieces of chipboard that comes with the Tando frame.

If you leave a comment at the bottom of THIS POST about the Hop and my offering, you stand a chance of winning this little lot - and maybe you could create your own spooky project too.  There are also some Christmas goodies included.

Then if you leave a comment on all TEN Hop Blogs you could win the following huge Tando collection of goodies -

Wow! - Now that's worth doing isn't it?

Hope you have enjoyed your visit here - don't forget to leave a comment, and if you have liked what you have seen, maybe you could check out my previous posts.  New Followers very welcome!!!

Thanks for looking!

Jean x

p.s  Sorry a little late with this post - its now 8.20am.  Have had to post twice as somehow deleted my first post - aaagh!  Ah well it is very early in the morning for me to be blogging!

A BLOG HOP IS COMING...

If you visit our website at www.craftyindividuals.co.uk you will have seen that as well as selling our own range of products - rubber stamps, paper products, dies and masks, we also have a Must Have section, where we sell a variety of great craft items from other suppliers.  One of our favourite suppliers is based here in the UK, and is called Tando Creative.  Tando are about to celebrate their birthday, and to kick off the party they are having a retailer Blog Hop on Monday, 1st October.  I think there are nine or ten retailers involved, and we are one of them.  There are prizes to be won if you leave comments during the hop, and for further information keep an eye on their blog HERE.  If you tune in to the various blogs on Monday you will see some great craftwork displayed by the retailers involved, all using Tando products +, as well as the opportunity to grab yourself some great giveaways.

Before I move onto some arty stuff images, I also want to remind you that our September Challenge will be closing in just over 24 hours time, so if you have entries to finish - better be quick!  There will also still be time to use your 25% discount code after your entry is posted, as that will be good until Sunday.  The Challenge details, and entries so far can be found in a previous post HERE!

Still with the Challenge theme in mind 'Last Days of Summer', I have made and decorated a little die cut booklet (using a Sizzix die for the Pro machine).  This was fun, and I have images of all the pages to follow, hope you like it?!

This is the cover, and I cut a slit in the front and tucked the pointy edge in to close.  I used elements from CI-278 to decorate.

Above are the inner pages, where I used a right old assortment of our products to embellish.  I sprayed over our new FLORAL GRID MASK on each blank page to start with to add a bit of interest to the plain card and paper, and added more decorated papers using the masks to give some colour and then added the stamping, plus images from our BY THE SEA matt A4 sheet, and die cut bits and bobs, lace, ribbon and paper flowers.

Here are a few close-ups -

Helen Chilton has been very busy creating for the Challenge too. I have already shown you some of her projects in a previous post, and here are three more of her little delights.

In the central card Helen has used some of the same stamps as I did in my little booklet.  In the other two items she has used one of our PRINTED TAGS (bottom), the birds from CI-248, and grass image from CI-207.  The first card features a bird cage from CI-329.  Thanks Helen!

My final two piccies tonight have been emailed from Isa Norris in Canada.  I love this nautical tag -

How cool are those rolled up 'sea charts'?!  The stamped images are from CI-294 - nice one Isabelle!

Now I'm off for a bath and early bed - we are off in the van to Port Sunny early tomorrow - hope to see you at the show!

Night all!

Jean x

WOW - OVER 600 FOLLOWERS! ...

Delighted to see that today we have over 600 followers on this little blog - absolutely fantastic - we love you all!!!  I thought in celebration we might have to give out a couple of little 'rewards'   Number 600 seems to be a Mary Albrethsen - thanks Mary, and further down the line I randomly picked out another lady Louise Wales - and I thought you both might like to choose a couple of stamps each and we will post them off to you. Please email us with your addresses and stamp choices to info@craftyindividuals.co.uk.  Might have to have another 'followers only' blog candy giveaway in the near future too - so keep watching this space!

In my last post I gave you the winner of the last blog candy offering - Annette of http://nettyscraftings.blogspot.co.uk/, and she has already been very busy with her little stash of goodies.  Here are her first two items with our new rubber stamp CI-357, and how lovely they are, I think you will agree!

We had also better catch up now on a few more items of inspiration from the team on the subject of the current Challenge topic.  You only have 6 days or so to link in your entries and pick up your 25% shop discount code.  The gorgeous entries so far can be found HERE, and we look forward to seeing YOUR entry soon.

I have made a couple more cards -

This one uses a couple of our new masks - see them HERE, plus our corner die, and the pretty lady silhouette from CI-340 (stamped onto TAP and then ironed onto a lightly patterned fabric).

Plus -

Again using a mask, a torn out image from our new matt Flowers Film Strip sheet, the corner die again and stamps CI-333 and CI-256.

Brenda has made another superb little project for us in the form of a textured booklet -

She has used one of our glossy sheets in this true beauty, check it out HERE.

Daniele has made two lovely, lovely cards:-

Lots of our products in these - so do take yourselves on a little treasure hunt in our web shop, and see what you can spot!  I'm loving the lacy effect in the top card - using CI-350 - and all us girls need a bit of lace in our crafty lives now don't we?!

Finally tonight I must must show you a touch of Halloween goodness by the lovely GIO - just stunning!!

Gio said that really Halloween is not her thing - but don't you love what she has made with shrink plastic and CI-360, those fabby dabby bottles and other 'dangerous' bits and pieces?!

Plus another very creative piece of work from Gio - such a delicious colourful box with a 'secret' compartment, and a bottle of something interesting hidden inside -  I'm sure there must be a very entertaining story behind this work of art.

Wow!

That's all for tonight - much more to come soon,

Jean x

ps  Don't forget we will be in our usual spot at the Happy Stampers show at Port Sunlight next weekend, with all the new masks and dies, and rubber +.  I will be happily playing with the masks, dies, and rubber, so do say hello! Entry is by ticket only, but I think there are still a few tickets left.  Pop on over to the Happy Stampers site HERE, and pick up a ticket quick whilst there is still time!

CANDY WINNER, + .....

Hello All

I recently posted details of a nice package of goodies which you could win for yourself by leaving a comment at the bottom of the blog post.  This is the nice package -

We received a whole stack of cool comments - thanks all!

Connor (my son) chose a number (number 57), I counted down, and if I counted correctly (checked twice!), number 57 is Netty!!!!!  And as Netty can often be found kindly leaving comments, it is fitting that she should win the prize this time methinks.  If you email us at: info@craftyindividuals.co.uk Netty and enclose your address, we will be delighted to send you your gift.  Congratulations!  Keep a look out for more blog candy in further posts - as your winning turn might well be next!

I'm now going to quickly rattle on with more images on the theme of the September Challenge.  Sue sent over some images recently and I will pop them below.  I love this one where she used some 'waste' chipboard from an earlier project, to create this little beauty:

Sue has used a sheet of our Shades of Summer paper behind the chip, and bundled up some 'distressed' postcards with the help of a stamped section from CI-307 (such a useful collection of bits and pieces).

She has also decorated a double slide mailer - we still have these in stock HERE - and always such fun to alter and embellish!

I received a whole batch of lovely projects from Helen on the 'Last Days of Summer' Challenge theme.  As Helen is a teacher in her 'day' job, the last days of Summer mean a return to the classroom for her - hence the two fun crafty creations below :

Nice idea using the solemn little girl from CI-277.  Not sure she's too keen on the whole back to school thing though!

Helen thought she had better sort out a new pencil case before going back to school as well -

Hope the children like it Miss Chilton?!

More from Helen soon.

Paula has decorated a notebook/journal in a very summery way - lots of CI stuff going on here - and so very pretty as well!

Paula has also sent over an image of a bookmark card featuring CI-357, and I reckon this fits the Challenge bill without a doubt  -

- Paula used TAP for her stamp transfer onto fabric, such amazing stuff, particularly on fabric.

Lynne has had a play with this stamp too - such a different look using a different colour scheme - nice and restful......

On a totally different theme, well removed from the restful image above, I'm going to call it a day now by waking you up again with a bit of 'Halloween'?! inspiration.  I have just received these images today from Sylvie, and I love this spooky delight!  Sylvie has used elements from CI-360 in her dark and mysterious project ....

Definitely a 'must have' Halloween stamp this!  I have something in mind for this set soon myself.

More to come - and check out the Challenge entries so far HERE, and take yourself on a nice little blog hop at the same time.  Looking forward to seeing YOUR entry too, and you will be able to grab yourself a nice little 25% discount at our shop as a reward.

Jean x