Day Of The Dead costume - a quick, easy and cheap make!

DOTD costume - Time to make 1 hour. Cost approx £3. Suitable for beginners. Specialist tools required/advised hot glue gun & basic sewing kit (safety pins)
DOTD makeup  - Time to apply approx 1 hour. Suitable for enthusiastic beginner. Specialist tools required/advised theatrical/sfx face paints, black khol eyeliner, artist brushes.

ZIP FACE costume - own clothes used, no additional cost and no specialist tools required.
ZIP FACE makeup  - Time to make approx 30mins. Suitable for enthusiastic beginner. Specialist tools required Zip face sfx kit or own zip plus sfx skin glue, red face paint, fake bloods

These costumes are from back in 2014, the first Halloween party we held in my nephews new house. I've created fancy dress costumes before this, but sadly have no photos to share and my DOTD outfit was the first time I'd taken step by step photos of a 'make'. I never intended to use them as tutorials but glad I have them so I can now share with you...and I'm now mindful to do this with most of my costume makes. It was a last minute thing, literally told about the party a day before, and as we were both working had to think of something very quick to put together within a few hours.

I decided the makeup was to be the priority look, and the costumes would comprise of what we'd already got in our wardrobes with a few adds-ons from my then little craft 'bits 'n bobs' box (now a much larger Hallows Supplies box) and items from a last minute visit to a pound shop (our UK version of Dollar Stores, and which sells many useful cheap items for the festive and holiday seasons).

(Visits to the pound shops and supermarkets have now become a regular thing for me, either on the day (31st October) if possible, or straight after when the items are reduced dramatically for quick clearout off the shelves. I've found many small items and props that can be broken down and reused for future costumes, often sold for pennies in the sales and have helped me build up a good stash of materials for little monetary outlay).

Items from my own stash included black satin ribbon, plastic skull and bone beads, black tassel shisha mirror earrings, black feathers, and some elbow length gothic net gloves (plus theatrical face paints and make up effects). In the pound shop I found some black net table cloths with web and skull patterns, some red and black artificial flowers and a plastic headband with some rather funky black glittered skulls, oh and a little soft toy voodoo doll (pictured but not used in the final costume). I think in total I spent £5 on our costumes combined...not bad eh?!

So, to start off (sorry no pictures on these pieces) I made a flowered headdress, which is quite a traditional part of the costumes worn by woman in Día de Muertos festivities. I removed the skulls from the headband and used a hot glue gun to attach the various artificial flowers and foilage, the feathers, and one of the net table cloths as a veil. I made a corsage by gluing more flowers onto a large safety pin, then I cut off the fingers of the gloves to make them fingerless and made some bracelets, threading the little plastic bone and skull beads onto elastic thread (from my sewing kit).

I had a hunt in my jewellery studio for a cheap plated ring shank and glued one of the glitter skulls onto it....it made for quite a statement ring! It was a bit cumbersome to wear, but funky and fun.

Next thing to do was create the costume....

At the time, I didn't have anything like the full skirts and frilly tops worn in tradition costume, so I picked my favourite dress by Firetrap which was quite gothic in pattern and colour and 'dressed' that up instead. All the accessories were just pinned on using little safety pins so the dress wasn't damaged and they could be removed easily afterwards.

The dress was overlayed with a black fabric bustier 'faux corset' to help cinch the waist in and hide the buttons and buckle fixings on the dress.

I then made a bustle and drapes with the remaining net table cloths, just by simply pleating them up and pinning into place around the bottom edge of the bustier.....ah look who popped by to see what I was doing...Deadly the Firetrap Gnome! (He hangs around a lot during the Hallows season).

Unsightly pins at the hips were hidden from view by artificial flowers (I glued clips to the backs of them) and added a bow of thick satin ribbon to the top of the bustier.

The corsage was clipped to the shoulder and I made a necklace using a length of satin ribbon with one of the shisha mirror earrings attached as a pendant....

...with the headdress added, plus a black crochet spanish style shawl from my wardrobe and some knee length black boots...

...the costume was complete!

I used basic Snazaroo facepaints for my makeup, a base of white for the skull shape and then red and olive green to match the colours of my outfit. I searched the internet for lots of images and ideas on sugar skull makeup patterns (Pinterest is a great place for inspiration). The majority of the lines were drawn on using black khol eyeliner and the colour blocked in and shaded with artist paint brushes...overall it took about 2 hours to apply....quite a long time because this was my first attempt at anything full face and so intricate in design. A steady hand and patience was required to get the markings symmetrical...I had to scrub off and re-apply several times, hence the 2 hours to complete  lol! I'm happy to say I'm a bit better at applying the make up quicker now! I'd say give yourself at least an hour to apply makeup if you're after a neat and precise application.

I started off using Snazaroo products because they were readily available from a local shop and, because they are marketed for kids use, they are very good if you have sensitive skin (like me). For the price, they provide quite a decent amount of paint and will last you a very long time. Easy to apply (water based) using just sponges and brushes and very easy to remove (soap and water) they come in a very wide range of colours that are also blendable. I've added to my makeup kits with various other products now but Snazaroo are certainly worth considering if you're just starting out with and doing the basic face paintings.

I 'thought' I had a close up photo of my makeup, turns out I didn't, but someone else at the party did take this rather blurred one which they kindly sent me.

I don't have any step by step photos (or close ups) of Clives outfit I'm afraid, it was a case of him coming home from work, having some sfx makeup quickly applied and heading straight out the door to the party. We went for the 'zipper face' effect rather than a full character costume. Zipper face kits can actually be purchased online or from fancy dress suppliers/shops but I used a spare zip from my sewing kit, stripped off the excess fabric from the edges and attached in place with spirit gum/glue (experience is now proving this is not always the best way to attach sfx prosthetic to skin, other than using for lace edge wigs...but I will talk about that in a later post on my makeup kit). The edges were sealed and blended into the skin with sfx latex rubber, the inner raw skinned section was created by filling in with red face paint, shaded with darker hues and black and then smeared with runny, and congealed fake bloods (I use Mehron products). He found a string of plastic skeletons in my stash which he hung around his neck...no real significance to the 'costume', but just for fun, and wore just a simple black shirt and jeans outfit.

Two relatively simple looks, but effective considering so little money was spent and we made up most of it using our own clothes...job done!

SUPPLIES LINKS -
(I will provide links to as many of the official supplier websites of the products used, but these can often be purchased widely elsewhere online or from fancy dress/theatrical supplies shops)

PLEASE NOTE I AM UNAFFILIATED WITH ANY COMPANIES AND PRODUCTS ON THIS PAGE AND DO NOT RECEIVE ANY MONETARY REWARD FOR YOU USING THEIR LINKS OR BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS. THESE LINKS ARE HERE PURELY FOR YOUR INTEREST AND HELP.

SNAZAROO - Homepage

SNAZAROO - Face paints

SNAZAROO - Other accessories

MEHRON - Home page

MEHRON - SFX products incl fake bloods

Fun World Zipper sfx Kit - example of supliers

YOUTUBE VIDEO - Snazaroo Beginners Sugar Skull Face Painting Tutorial

YOUTUBE VIDEO - basic zipper sfx kit application (by Lewis Painter Media)

A LITTLE HALLOWS GAP FILLING!

Hi all, Apologies but I've sadly not been around to blog about my jewellery. If you follow me on Facebook you'll know I've recently undergone the first of a set of major operations on my hips which has sidelined me for some time and is currently keeping me out of the jewellery studio. Recovery plan is long and slow and I'm working hard to get better enough to get metal bashing again but when exactly that will be I'm not 100% sure.

This blog has got neglected somewhat so I've decided to fill in the gaps while I op recover, and share with you some posts on another passion of mine....Halloween!

...in particular....the traditional Hallows family party we have each year. For the last 5 years or so it's been held at my nephews house and each year the 'fancy dress' costumes required to wear have become more elaborate and fun and the effort put in by everyone has been inspirational and often mind blowing with their creativity. I absolutely love this event, it really is my fav time of the year and really throw my all and everything into it, creating and making costumes for both myself and my partner. I often spent most of my year thinking about and planning what we are going to wear.

I've shared these costume making antics with Facebook friends over the years and have always had very positive feedback on them and have had people ask lots of questions about my creations and how they are made...so I've decided to now share them with the wider audience....and blog about them here!

I've grown up in a very artistic family with a dad who wasn't afraid of using the sewing machine and made many amazing fancy dress costumes for both myself and my sister as we were growing up...he was also chief soft furnishings maker in the family, creating curtains and wot not for the home and threw his hand at making many things from apparently nothing. Dad is sadly no longer with us but I'm happy to say the passion and creative genes were passed on and I'm always keen to make my own costumes from scratch wherever possible, using and reusing materials, recycling and utilizing what ever is at hand to keep costs and new materials down.

I use my experience and knowledge as an artist and crafter but I'm by no means an expert on costume making or SFX makeup etc, my makes aren't what I'd call 'professional quality', you'll not be seeing me on the likes of FaceOff Allstars lol...and I've had a fair share of disasters and failures in the past. These are fun costume makes for partytime oneoffs (maybe worn and used a couple of times after) and artistic license is often in flow, forget the anatomical historical correctness and such and we're not talking professional cosplay...but what I hope in sharing my makes with you, is that you find it interesting, helpful, and inspiring enough to realise that it's pretty easy and fun to create your own without the need of high end or expensive materials...or that much experience. I'll share my makes, what I use, some step by step photos of some of the making processes...and give you hints and tips that I've found useful.

My next post will be on one of the first Hallows 'looks'  I put together which really was done on the cheap, with very little, but proved extremely effective and fun...and as my posts progress you'll see how I've progressed, advanced and learnt more, expanded my creativeness to produce more elaborate costumes and characters.

ALL CHANGE!

Things are a changing here at StudioForty...if you've been following my TheSixInchSquare blog you will see I have bowed out of making and publishing my craft tutorials due to increasing hassle and copyright infringements...namely downright theft of my work which has left me frustrated and tired of the fight to protect it.

With great sadness I decided to close the blog - I will no longer be posting there but despite all the artwork and tutorials being removed, the rest of the content such as recipes will still remain visible to you all....so I hope you enjoy and still make good use of them.

I'm now concentrating on my jewellery and artwork. I'm having a few current issues with my webshop, so at present I'm operating via Facebook where you can see and buy my pieces...and you can also keep track on what I'm doing via Twitter....plus I'll be starting up on this blog from now on.

I am here on Facebook STUDIO FORTY

I can also be followed on Twitter ANGE LEE

Since my last post here (previous posts regarding flower tuorials have been removed) I've been busy creating, making and selling my jewellery...there's a lot of artwork in the pipeline too so I'll start posting here about the individual pieces this week onwards...

...here's a recent make which was a one off piece - an adjustable size ring, made in sterling silver and set with a large round red dyed 'sea sediment' Jasper cabochon.

I have a general stock range of jewellery, designs always available to buy and made to order...such as these very popular 'wave wire' earrings and pendants

...plus one off original pieces, unusual styles and many incorporating unique fossils and stones...so keep your eye out.

I hope you stay with me and enjoy following me on my new journey!

XXX ANGE XXX

CARD SHARE DAY! plus link to Poppy flower tutorial.

Hi all!

StudioForty is closing it's doors and taking a little break while I concentrate on setting up and opening my new webshop...ooohhhh the excitement lol ;) ! So, this will be my last card share and tutorial for a week or so...

and after that I'll hopefully be back to share not only more cards but also artwork and items for sale!

So please keep popping by and keeping an eye out...and I'll also be updating progress and details on my Facebook page. For those of you on Facebook, my page can be found by clicking on the link at the top left of this blog page....would love you to stop by, 'like' and say hello.

Anyways...on to the card share.....

This one is once again tied in with a paper Flower TUTORIAL which can be found by clicking on the link under the following image

click here for my My paper POPPY tutorial

 

...and here's the card I am sharing with you which was made using the completed flower from the tutorial.

For this card I wanted to include a fair bit of fancy foliage embellishment and framework to keep it pretty and elegant...but wanted the Poppy to obviously be the main focal point. In order to achieve this and not have the flower become lost amongst the 'fancy' I opted to use just one coloured card for the additional die cuts and card base...so the texture is there which the brain registers, but the eye is kept focused on the stunning red flower. I used a soft elegant ivory coloured card stock because white was too harsh and stark against the red and used a thin mat and border of red just to tie all together and visually keep the card base and floral piece connected together. It's not easy to see in this photo, but there is also a double embossed line running horizontally near the base of the card just to take the plainness off it. The card base measure 19x7cm and is landscape with the spine/crease at the top.

The frame, on which the flower is mounted, is cut using Spellbinders Floral Ovals dies with a centre mat of a plain oval Nestabilities die. The foliage dies are various ones from Memory box and Die-namics. A few gems set into the frame and into the corners of the card stock add a bit of shine and glitz to finish it all off.

 

I hope you have enjoyed looking at this card and will try the die set and tutorial out...would love to know what you think....please keep in touch and I'll be back soon...hopefully with lots of lovely news to share with you.

 

 

SIXINCHSQUAREBLOG - Spellbinders Die D-Lites Poppy TUTORIAL

 

XXX Ange XXX





Card Share Day and Crafty Flower TUTORIAL!

Hi all!.....a quick post to let you know that I have created a new paper flower tutorial and I am sharing with you details on two cards that I made using this die set.

Amongst my collection of flower dies I have 6 sets from the Spellbinders Crafty Flower series. These Die D-lites dies have been designed by Scrappy Cat® and are not real authentic flower types as such...but more fantasy flower which makes them great and fun to use because the world is basically your oyster...you can use the components to construct a flower to your own design - layer up, mix and match petals and centres...what ever....and what's even more useful is that you can also combine these dies with the Spellbinders Create a flower range to really push your creativity.

Scrappy Cat® (Distributed by Darice Inc.) is an internationally recognized company and brand in the paper crafting world, known for it's stylish patterns, co-ordinating products, and innovative stamp designs. They are a licensed designer and brand via Spellbinder Paper Arts, producing a variety of die designs for them in their signature style. It is this style that provides you with dies with versatility....make flowers that are pretty, simple, elaborate, chic...or bold and modern, grungy and shabby...the final flower is up to you.
As part of my Six Inch Square Blog flower tutorials I will be looking at each flower kit and showing how you can create a basic flower using just the dies from each individual set...and then later on I show how I mix them up to create even more designs

This is the first of the flowers tutorials and is from the Crafty Flowers One die set....and full details can be found on my other Blog - The Six Inch Square.


Click on the link to be sent to the tutorial - CRAFTY FLOWER ONE TUTORIAL

 and here are the two cards -

This is the card made for the completed flower from my tutorial....quite a cheerful bright primary coloured card with a clean modern look. The base is basic plain green card stock with a pure white mat onto which the flower has been mounted over a die cut circle border by Memory Box and foliage die by Sue Wilson of Creative Expressions. Plain circles cut out using Spellbinders Nestabilities series stamped with a sentiment by Paula Pascual complete the look.

The second card uses the flower die cuts in a slightly different way and with more subtle shabby chic style and colouring. A lovely 6x6inch vintage patterned paper was the inspiration for which I picked out the soft yellows, creams and red to follow through in the embellishments. This paper was slightly distressed with Distress Inks by Tim Holtz and then simply matted on to co-ordinating red and cream card stock. A strip of my favourite music score grosgrain ribbon is set horizontally just below midway and echoes the music score print within the main paper design. The frame for the stamped sentiment (another clear self cling stamp by Paula Pascual) is made up of a black and red card stock cut using Spellbinders Picot Edge Circles from the Nestabilities Decorative Elements series and layered with foam pads to raise up and give dimension.



 The flower (details of which are in the tutorial) is then set onto the card with various plain black cut foliage from Memory Box dies and small gems added for a little bit of sparkle.

XXX Ange XXX

http://thesixinchsquare.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/spellbinders-flower-crafty-flower-one.html

CARD SHARE DAY!

Toady I'm sharing with you two cards that incorporate the same focal paper flower piece...but in very different styles....AND I am also showing you how to make the Zinnia flower that I used over on my other Blog The Six Inch Square

ZINNIA flower tutorial

 

RED ZINNIA notelet card

 

This is the notelet card that I produced for the Zinnia flower tutorial...so it is really all about the flower...the Zinnia is the focal element...

 

I like making these little cards...I call them 'notelets' because I tend to make them to send out as little 'thank you', or 'just because' cards, they are small yet look elaborate despite only having a few simple embellishments....and I like using the die cut frames instead of a plain card stock base....gives it that something extra special and unusual look about it.



So, the base is basically made up of two frame dies, cut out and carefully glued together at the top edge so it creates a 'fold' and allows it to open out, and stand up...like a normal card base. In this case I used the 4"x4" square frame die from the Spellbinders 'Lace Doily Motifs' set cut out in black plain cardstock.

 

A square of red paper with deckle edging was placed in the centre (cut by hand using fancy edge scissors) and some Lace Doily Motif corners were cut from green and placed behind at each edge.....these not only match the Doily frame, but echo the shape and colour of the four green leaves.

 

The flower was made using the Spellbinders Die D-lites 'Zinnia' die set...placed in the centre and some fine die cut black sprigs placed behind to which I adhered some of the extra cut small yellow stars from the flower die set.

 

BLUE SHABBY CHIC ZINNIA card

 

The same flower die set kit was used for this card....but the colours and embellishments used, and the way it is composed, makes for a very different look.

This card is made in subtle and soft blues, greys and creams with lots of delicate cut fronds and lacy pieces to give it a vintage slightly shabby chic look.

 

The inspiration came from the paper base from my old stock which has delicately printed music sheets pattern and a small grey and blue bird image.

 

The main base card stock is a plain blue grey, matted with a pale blue paper that has been inked around the edges using Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Weathered Wood, Pumice Stone and Black Soot. The printed paper mat also had the edges treated in the same colours.

 

The border edging and leaf fronds are various dies cuts from Memory Box, and Die-namics and the frame (partially hidden behind the flower) is from the Marianne Design 'Creatables' range....one of my favourite and much used die designs. All are cut from vintage cream card stock. Music score printed cream ribbon from my stash (sorry cannot remember name but will add here if I find out) is used to tie in with the printed paper.

The main flower is created from the Spellbinders Die D-lites 'Zinnia' set but unlike the above red Zinnia...this one has been made slightly different, cut from cream card and inked with 'Weathered Wood' and 'Pumice Stone' Distress Inks, the petals are curved in the opposite way and the central piece has been made bigger, plus no small central stars are used (but they are still used elsewhere on the card if you look closely). The two smaller flowers to the bottom right corner are cut from the same card and inked using the same colours, but made using the three smallest dies from the Spellbinders 'Carnation Creations' die set by Donna Salazar. The centres are set with small gemstones....and three tiny stones also set into the top right hand corner.

 

SPELLBINDERS 'ZINNIA' TUTORIAL

 

To make the Red Zinnia flower as shown in the above card, you can follow my tutorial over on my The Six Inch Square Blog   click on the link HERE

 

 

xxx Ange xxx



CARD SHARE DAY!

Todays post is about a card I have made quite recently and comprises of handmade roses using dies. I'm currently having great fun making all sorts of paper flowers. Shabby chic paper roses are my favourite variety and since I have closed down my website that offered tutorials solely for all types of crafted flowers...and the recent tutorial for the Spellbinders Daisy on my SixInchSquareBlog - daisy tutorial has been very popular I have been thinking of resuming the tutorials on my blog...so keep an eye out...a tutorial for the roses will be posted up at some point.


'YELLOW ROSE' Card

This gently shabby chic card runs with a grey, black and lemon colour scheme. I have used a plain black heavy duty card stock for the base, matted and layered with  pale lemon paper that has been softly distressed and inked around the edges with Distress Inks 'Scattered Straw and Black Soot'. The main layer is a beautiful distressed floral and scroll patterned paper by Efco which again I inked the edges to tie all the piece together. This paper was actually the whole inspiration for the card with a design of roses leaves and scrolls that matched my paper roses and some dies very well. A circular piece of the paper was also cut out ( Spellbinders dies - 'Standard Circles' ) to add dimension and help break up the pattern and provide an offset 'frame' for the cluster of roses.

The roses were cut using a mix of Sizzix Bigz Die Tim Holtz 'Tattered Florals' , Spellbinders 'Carnation Creations' and Spellbinders Donna Salazar 'Rose Creations'. All cut from a plain pale lemon paper  which I then over stamped with distress texture patterned stamps (various makes) and scroll stamps using Scattered Straw and Pumice Distress Inks....and also inked the edges. Using ball end embossing tools I shaped the pieces to create curled and creased edges, then layered them together and glued to form the roses (tutorial to come soon on my other blog).

I made one large rose and two smaller to make a cluster of three....I like using odd numbers and flower sprays of three seem to always look neat and balanced on cards....you'll find this is quite a common thing done by designers. Leaves were cut from the same grey patterned Efco paper as the main layer using Spellbinders 'Foliage' dies.

In black plain cardstock, two small butterflies were, cut using Sizzix Thinlits 'Butterflies 8pk' along with a border strip from Spellbinders (sorry cannot remember die name...will update later), and a thin strip and bow of black satin ribbon....plus a row of three tiny gems in the top right hand corner. All dimensional elements where adhered using Pinflair glue gel and the mats and smaller delicate elements using Anitas Tacky Glue.

Hope you like!

XXX Ange XXX

CARD SHARE DAY!

Today I'm sharing with you two cards.....similar...but oh so different too....a comparison of cards with a blast from the past and a newer version showing how much I've 'progressed' with my cardmaking. And, as an extra...I'm sharing with you my tutorial on how to make the yellow daisy (from the second card)...it's new, just uploaded yesterday...just click on the link and it'll take you to my other blog.

http://thesixinchsquare.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/spellbinders-create-daisy-die-set.html


THE OLD - 'Lilac and white flower' card

This is one of my VERY first cards that I ever made. Made it quite a few years ago. I had few crafting/cardmaking tools and skills back then...as an artist I had numerous paints and pencils and made my own hand drawn or painted cards but cardmaking was only just taking off and there was little by way of tools, paper and embellishments available in the shops (oh how times have changed!) I had just bought a small Cuttlebug hand die cutting machine but again, despite thinking how amazing it was, there was only a few and very limiting set of dies available...and then I discovered the electronic Cricut Create...and thought my world of creativity was about to explode! I was amazed that with just two little cartridges I could programme in, sit back and watch it do all the work for me...multi cutting flower shapes in numerous sizes in minutes....and fonts!...I could cut out any word I wanted...and apertures!....I could cut out different shapes and to the size I wanted rather than buying shop premade ones!...

...so with a few ideas in my head and one sheet of white paper...and another in lilac...I made this card.

Very simple card which I think sort of shows I had the basic ideas emerging and card making skills...but not the confidence to do anything too bold or elaborate. I kept it reasonably plain and basic because it was all about the flower embellishment.....oh boy was I pleased I could create such a dimensional piece!

 

Everything on this card has been produced using the Cricut Create...except for the rounded corners of the card base. I drew around a coin and cut that by hand...YES a coin!...I didn't even have a corner paper punch back then either!

I set the machine to cut a basic circle aperture in the front of the card then set about designing a flower that I could stick on the inside so that when the card was closed, the flower protruded out through the aperture. I had the machine cut out four different sizes of a basic daisy flower shape, and layered then all together....and to be a little different, instead of curling and shaping the flower up and out in more natural and usual way, I flipped it over so it curved downwards. A pile of foam pads underneath helps keep it's shape and keeps it raised up.

 I added a name and small matching flower to the front...and a Happy Birthday inside. I made this for a family member, who accepted it warmly and with great interest....she was delighted that I'd personalised it with her name too!

 

 

THE NEW - 'Yellow Daisy' Card

 

Oh have times have changed! Many years on and my collection of cartridges for my Create machine has grown and I have the additional add-on Gypsy gadget which extends the use of the machine and what it cuts even further....and my collection of dies for the manual machine has also extended...and what is now available is pretty amazing...all sorts of designs, elaborate, intricate and versatile. There are many different machines available, you can now cut up to A4 size too! My poor little Cuttlebug has worn itself out and I'm having to upgrade...but it's done well and been a good servant to me.

 

So, on to the card. I wanted to share this one with you because it shows how much my cardmaking has progressed and changed. Partly due to the huge range and variety of cardmaking things available...partly due to huge amount of inspiration out there via websites like Pinterest and Facebook, groups, craft shows and magazines. This card is an echo of the design of my card above...but obviously dealt with and embellished a lot more differently.

The basic card design is the same....a tall rectangle piece of cardstock (black card...one of my staples in my stash nowadays) with a circle aperture cut into the front section. This was cut using a Spellbinder Nestabilities 'Standard Circles' die. The same die, plus one a little bigger was also used to cut a thin frame to go around the outer edge of the aperture. The card front was covered in a mat of patterned paper...again with the circle aperture cut out...and the remnant was reserved and used as a mat behind the flower embellishment on the inside of the card. A little bit of Distress Ink - Black Soot was applied around the edges of the card to soften and give a slightly more shabby chic look.

Two strips of Spellbinder border die from the 'Ironwork-accents' set were placed back to back and topped with a wide piece of grosgrain ribbon to make a band across the bottom of the card, two butterfly embellishments were cut from Sizzix Thinlit 'Butterflies 8pk' dies and some black stick on gems used for a bit of sparkle and 'non paper' interest.

The 'with Love' sentiment is a stamp from Clarity Stamps, inked using Distress Ink - Black Soot.

The Flower embellishments are again, created from dies cut on the manual die cutting machine.

The two smaller flowers were cut from lemon 'Efco' paper using Spellbinders 'Carnation-Creations' dies, inked up using Distress Inks - Scattered Straw and Black Soot, layered and toped with black gems.

The main larger daisy flower is from Spellbinders - 'Create a Daisy' Die Set, cut from lemon Efco paper and inked up as per the above. It was glued to the round mat on the inside of the card so that when the card is closed, the flower pops out through the aperture.


SPELLBINDERS CREATE A DAISY - TUTORIAL 

I recently purchased the Spellbinders Create A Daisy die kit and was a little dismayed to find such vague instructions on the packet as to how to construct the flower...in particular how to achieve the central floret piece. The die set is small and so is the packaging...which is not a bad thing regarding waste, except that this only allows limited sized photo instructions. This plus a strange lack of tutorials on the internet and a small glitch on the Spellbinders website (doesn't currently allow you to access their more detailed instructions) has prompted me to decide to post up my own step by step, comprehensive (I hope) written and photo tutorial.

This is the flower you should be able to create using the die set and by following my tutorial...which I have now uploaded to my other craft blog 'The Six Inch Square'.

 

Please click on this following link to take you direct to the tutorial page.

 

http://thesixinchsquare.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/spellbinders-create-daisy-die-set.html

 

I hope you find this of interest and help to you.

 

xx Ange xx

CARD SHARE DAY!

Today I'm sharing just one card with you....and it's one of my recent creations.

'BLACK PEONY' Card

 



The paper used for this card is one I've had in my studio for some time. I only had one sheet and it's just so lovely with it's rich chocolate browns and gold foiling and the oh so cute cherub silhouette that's it's been hard to pluck up the courage to cut it up and it's sat there in my stash for some time waiting for a day when I could come up with a design that would do it justice. I have no idea who produced this paper, there are no manufacturing details on it and sadly the craft shop I purchased it from went out of business fairly recently....so I have put out a call to my other cardmaking and scrapbooking friends in the hope someone will recognise it as I'd dearly like some more. I fear it may be a retired/discontinued design but still it would be nice to know who made it...so if you know, please leave a comment.

It was while I was playing around with some other card designs and the Marianne Design Creatables 'Anja' frame die that I suddenly thought it would work well for this brown paper. Discarding the inner fretwork die and holding the frame over one of the gold foiled images, I was very pleased to see how nicely it fitted. I cut the frame from plain black cardstock and used the inner part of the die as a template to draw around and then cut out one of the cherub images. This I inlaid into the frame and the whole piece was attached to the main printed paper mat with foam pads to raise it up. The printed paper was matted onto gold board, then plain black card stock. The card was originally fully rectangular with sharp right angled corners but looked a little to severe so I rounded off the corners of the printed paper and gold mat and placed Poppystamps 'Katie Corner' die cuts behind, snipping off the larger outer loops and placed so that just the central 5 loops are visible.

The black peony flowers were made using Sizzix Bigz Die Tim Holts 'Tattered Florals' and were shaped with ball end embossing tools. The fronds are Dee's Distinctively 'Large Green Leaf' die.

I initially placed long black goose biot feathers behind the flowers, but they were a bit too overpowering so removed and used two black card Spellbinders Shapeabilities 'Floral Flourishes' and two 'ringlets' - these are made by simply cutting a long thin strip of card, tapered to one end, then coiled around a thin artists paint brush handle. Two tiny little gems add a touch of sparkle to the frame and a thick strip of satin ribbon, placed horizontally across, but slightly lower than centre finished off the card.

I'm very pleased with how this card came out. I like how the oval shape of the gold foiled image is echoed in the corner loops and fronds of the leaves...and the fancy edging of the frame ties in with the flourishes and ringlets. A lot of people do not like using brown and black together...but I think if the right shades are chosen and paired with gold, it can provide a bold dramatic and luxurious effect.

https://www.spellbinderspaperarts.com/

http://www.starlitstudio.net/podiekaco.html


 xxx Ange xxx

CARD SHARE DAY!

Today I'm sharing another two cards with you.

'GIRL' Birthday Card

This is a very simple and quick to make card, concentrating on using just one main stamp image and 2 colour scheme with texture provided by rough torn edging.

The main card stock is actually clear acetate...something I use a lot in my cards...it adds interest and is a bit different from the norm. I took an A4 sheet of acetate, cut to size required and folded neatly using a score board and bone folder to make sure I achieved a sharp and straight crease. Acetate bruises easily and goes white where it is creased or bent....using a board and bone folder minimises this but if you are still not liking that whiteness, a wrap of ribbon or threads around the card spine will help disguise it.

Four layers of card and paper were used, white lightly textured artists cartridge paper which had a frame embossed and then the edges torn...and a contrasting layer of pink handmade tissue paper, again with edges ripped. The top 'mat' is stamped with 'Sheer' a Jill Penney & Daniel Torrente image by Stampotique, in black ink, the dress coloured in with a Promarker alcohol ink pen to match the tissue paper layer, and some tiny sparkles added to the hair with a glitter glue pen.. I freehand drew the frame surrounding the image and the Happy Birthday sentiment. This top mat was slightly raised by using foam glue pads. In order to provide an area inside in which to write a greeting, I applied a white piece of card direct to the back of the front section...this also hides and glue/tape showing through the clear acetate where the front pieces of card were adhered.

http://www.stampotique.com/stamp/goth/6022.html

http://letraset.com/products/8-ProMarkers/


'CRACKLED FRAME' card

This was one of my first attempts at making my own paper flowers and distress crackle effects using a product that was just new on the scene - Tim Holtz crackle paint 'Clear Rock Candy'

The main frame was a square piece of artists mount frame with a central aperture cut out using the classic Spellbinders Nestabilities dies 'Labels One'. The die is not deep enough to cut right through the mount board, so I ran it through my die cutting machine to part cut through the top layers then finished off cutting out with a scalpel blade, by hand. The frame was then painted with a cream acrylic paint and once dried, treated with the crackle paint. A small piece of mount board was also cut out using a smaller Labels One die and paint treated the same way. Once the crackle effect was achieved and totally dry, I rubbed over the pieces using 'Walnut Stain' Distress ink then quickly buffed off the excess using a soft cloth, to highlight the cracks and edges. Once dry and set I lightly buffed over the whole area again with a tiny bit of clear wax polish to add a subtle sheen.

For the main floral embellishment I selected some MemoryStor scrapbooking paper (Costco) which had a nice distressed pattern in burgundy and blues on one side and plain burgundy on the reverse. I first cut out some mats in co-ordinating colours for the back of the frame aperture, then some leaf shapes which were creased and shaped to create depth...and set about making the flowers.

I created the flowers using a wet paper technique. Here is my tutorial from my SixInchSquare Blog

 http://thesixinchsquare.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/paper-flower-technique-no1.html

Back then I free hand drew and cut out the flowers using templates but now I have a good collection of dies that I use...much quicker and easier to do. I made three flowers and adhered them into the aperture along with the leaf shapes, attached some brass brads and short piece of chain to the additional mountboard piece and glued this to one side. The ribbon embellishment is ivory coloured Seam Binding ribbon from a local haberdashery store which I inked up with some co-ordinating Distress Ink pads (heat set with a heat gun), knotted up into a scruffy bow and adhered under the flowers. To tie the whole piece together and highlight the metal fittings, I lightly smeared the edges of the frame, flower petals and leaves with 'Rub n Buff' 'Autumn Gold'....and although not shown in the above photo, a small sentiment was attached to the small mountboard piece.

Looking back at this now, I think I'd add little something to the outer edges of the frame....it seems a little plain to me now...maybe a little more distressing ink or even another layer of frame.

http://timholtz.com/prod_cat/distress-crackle-paint/

http://timholtz.com/prod_cat/distress-inks/

http://reviews.costco.com/2070/11329524/memorystor-memorystor-300-count-scrapbook-cardstock-with-crop-case-reviews/reviews.htm

THE SIX INCH SQUARE BLOG

SOME CARDS FOR YOUR PERUSAL!

It's been a chaotic and frustrating last couple of years in StudioForty...there's been a bit of tweaking to the layout of my studio and then when all was ready for me to move back in and start work again, we got a huge wasp nest problem so I had to up sticks and move out while it was all sorted.

It's all clear now, well...for now I say tentatively as there are no assurances wasps will not return this year! We live in an area that these pests seem to like and many houses around here have suffered nests on an off for years. Anyway I've learnt more than enough about wasps than I really wanted, yes they are fascinating...but NOT when they are in my studio....and I'm not going to bore you all with the details (if you follow me on facebook you will know what it was all about and had to put up with my regular rants of anger at being ousted from my workplace by these darned insects)...

Anyways, I'm slowly starting to get back into making jewellery and artwork but for now those designs are staying firmly underwraps and I'll not be blogging about them until they are ready for sale...

so....to pass some time I thought I'd share some of my handcrafted cards I've made...recent ones and from past forays into this lovely little hobby. They are not for sale, I don't take commissions for cards anymore, but thought it nice to show you and give a few details on what I used, how I made them. I won't be posting  any tutorials by me...but will add links to other sites if I think they'll be useful for you.

Hope you enjoy and find todays card share interesting...and hope you stick around... there's more to come!

'MOM' Birthday Card

 

 

This is a simple card created using two cutting processes....by manual die cutting machine, and by electronic cutting machine. The paper used is by MemoryStor - a lovely set of heavy weight double sided 12x12 papers purchased from Costco. Being strong enough to fold and stand alone, I used the main pattern as the base card stock and created a wrap of plain co-ordinating yellow. It is edged both front and back with Spellbinders 'Fleur de lis Accents' and finished with black velvet ribbon. The flower embellishment with black scrolls are again, Spellbinders dies - Shapebilities 'Carnation Creations' and 'Floral Flourishes'  as is the main central piece - Labels Ten. The word 'mom' was cut using my Cricut electronic machine. Some little gems and a gem set brad in the centre of the flower are the final additions. I have some more photos of the back and close up details...as soon as I find the files, I'll add them here.

 

METAL EMBOSSED BIRTHDAY CARD

 

 

This card is from a few years back when I first started making cards. Sadly can't remember whose paper I used, but it is a plain black card stock, matted and layered with silver card and then coloured piece which I inked, distressed and over stamped with various stamps from my collection. The main central piece is embossed silver craft metal, using Ten Second Studio embossing plates, wrapped over a square of mount board, formed into a frame and inset with an image from Crafty Individuals image sheets (no longer available). It was rubbed over with black acrylic paints to give a patina effect which enhances the embossed areas.

 

 

https://www.spellbinderspaperarts.com/

 

http://store.tensecondsstudio.com/

 

http://www.craftyindividuals.co.uk/

 

 

XXX Ange XXX