Tick Tock, Time for...

Hello everyone!

I'm back again with another project!  I was so excited when I was invited to be a guest designer at Top Tip Tuesday that I guess I got a little overzealous and I made two projects!  The theme this fortnight is anything but a card.  The talented DT have come up with some beautiful projects, so please pop over to check them out.  I hope you are able to join in!

For my second project, I created a clock for my crafting room.  Sometimes I get a little carried away and stay up a little late crafting, so now I have no excuses!  We'll see how it goes... 

Supplies:

Clock - paper mache box, clock parts (movement and needles available at Lee Valley )
Paper - 300g hot pressed watercolour paper, basic grey dp
Stamps - Magnolia
Ink - Images where stamped with black stazon and coloured with Distress ink (antique linen, walnut stain, bundled sage, pumice stone, tumbled glass and black soot)
Other - box was painted green to match the dp, flowers are from pretty petals and where inked with antique linen, ribbon, lace from Kaiser, large wood beads for feet (which where painted white with watered down acrylic paint), Stampin up antique brads, and finally the clock face - I could not find one that I both liked and that was the right size, so this one is computer generated, printed onto acetate and layered in front of the image.

Here are a few more angles:

I would like to enter my clock in the following challenges:

Magnolia Down Under - anything but a card
Magnolia-licious Highlights - lots of luscious lace bloghop
Scrapbooker's Paradise Playing in Paradise Challenge - Fabulous Flowers
Simply Magnolia - Use two image stamps
ABC Challenge - N for neutral

Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment!  I appreciate all your comments and love to visit you back!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Hugs,

Dawn

Book Worm

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all well!  I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of my blog's new followers - I am thrilled to have you along! 

I have some very exciting news to share!  I was invited to be a guest designer for Top Tip Tuesday!  A huge thank you to all the wonderfully talented gals at TTT for allowing me the opportunity to join in with them - it is truly a great honour.

So, without further ado, this fortnight the challenge over at Top Tip Tuesday is anything but a card.  We were given images from Robyn's Fetish to play with and I chose her book worm image for my scrapbook layout. 

When I picked the little bookworm image, I thought he would be perfect to make a paper piecing pattern for a page featuring my two year old, who just loves to 'wead.'  This is a great way to use your digi's and it really allows you to adapt them to your creative needs.  So, how did I turn a digi into a no lines paper piecing?  You'll have to pop on over to TTT to read all about it...

Supplies:

Paper - bazzill card and echo park dp
Image - book worm by Robyn's Fetish
Other - edges inked with DI chipped saphire and stormy sky, glossy accents applied to the yellow letters which were cut with SCAL2, yellow ribbon, white paper ribbon and string are all from my stash.  I started out with a sketch and adapted it, but unfortunately, I cannot remember the source:(

Please do check out what the TTT design team have created - it is sure to be a feast for the eyes and an opportunity to learn a few new tricks too!

Thank you so very much for popping by!  I hope you will be able to join in the fun at TTT - you have two weeks to create a project and there are some great prizes up for grabs!

Hugs,

Dawn

An egg-cellent impression

Hello peeps!

First, a warm welcome to my blog's new follower!  I'm so very glad to have you along on my crafting adventures!

I hope everyone has been well!  Things have been busy around these parts.  We had some company from out of town and my husband had the opportunity to play in a hockey tournament with ex-NHL players which filled up most of last weekend.  But it is now back to business as usual, so I finally have a project to share.

This is a little Easter decoration I made using Magnolia mini stamps.  The first time I saw these, I just knew they would make the cutest little Easter eggs.  I wasn't sure if I would actually be able to stamp the images on eggs, but a couple dozen eggs later... (well not quite, but almost :o) )  I am nothing if not persistent and this technique does take practice.  You should be able to spare yourself at least a dozen of those eggs by following the tips at the end of this post.

Some details:

The basket was recycled.  It started out a pale straw colour which I was not fond of, so I painted it white with acrylic paint cut with a bit of water.  The cloth is recycled scrap cloth from old curtains.

Stamps - Magnolia mini chickens, mini Hello Tilda and mini Tilda with eggs in her apron all stamped with black Stazon and coloured with watercolour pencils.

Dies/punches - Magnolia Doohickey for leaves and Cheery Lynn Designs for butterflies, Martha Stewart edge punch for handle

Other embellishments - flowers are from Magnolia and Pretty Petals, pearl pins, flat back pearls, Distress stain in picket fence used on butterflies and leaves, and I think that is all.

I would like to enter this decoration in the following challenges:

Magnolia-licious - photo inspiration
Magnolia Down Under - Easter
Simon Says Stamp - Use your favorite tools (I have many, but on this I used my favorite edge punch and my favorite dies and big kick, and paint brushes - which are probably my favorite tool of all)
Cupcake Craft Challenge - sewing box (use something you would find in a sewing box - I have used pins and fabric scraps)
Deep Ocean Challenge - masking or use more than one stamp
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - spring or Easter
Craft Us Crazy - Anything but a card/altered item
Top Tip Tuesday - Easter and/or Animals - my tip is for stamping on eggs:

Start with clean, full, room temperature eggs.  It is very important that the eggs are at room temperature because the slightest bit of condensation will completely ruin your image.  The next trick is to use unmounted stamps - just the rubber.  You need to be able to mould the stamp to the egg.  Foam and wood will prevent you from being able to do so.  The final trick is to use small/narrow stamps.  The wider the stamp, the more difficult it is to get the full image on the egg.

To stamp, ink up your rubber and place it in your hand, gently cupping it in your palm like so:

Then roll the egg, starting from the bottom of the image and working your way up to the top.  As you do so, make sure that the sides of the stamp also contact the egg by squeezing your fingers in to gently cup the egg. 

Practice, practice, practice!  It is difficult, but worth the effort!  Once you have your image stamped, you can drain the eggs by piercing a small whole at the top and bottom of the egg.  I used a large syringe to drain mine.

That's all for now.  Thanks for popping by and thank you if you've taken the time to leave me a comment.  I love reading them and it gives me the chance to stop by your blog too.

Have a great Easter!

Hugs,

Dawn

Crochet Heart Doily Pattern

Hello Bloggers,

As promised, here is the pattern for my crochet heart doily.  Enjoy!  However, please link to this post instead of reposting or republishing this pattern.  Thank you!

Sample was crocheted using a 1.15mm hook and South Maid Cotton.

ch = chain
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
sl st = slip stitch
st = stitch
sp = space
sh = shell (2dc ch2 2dc)

ch 6, sl st in first st to form a ring
row 1:  ch 3, dc in ring, ch1, dc in ring, ch 1, 2dc in ring, ch4 turn
row 2:  2dc in first ch1 sp, ch2, 2dc in same sp, ch1, 2dc in next space, ch2, 2dc in same sp, ch4 turn
row 3:  sh in first ch2 sp, sh in next sp, sh in next sp, ch4 turn
row 4:  sh in first ch2 sp, ch 1, sh in next sp, ch1, sh in next sp, ch4 turn
row 5: sh in first sh sp, ch2, sh in next sh sp, ch2, sh in last sh sp, ch4 turn
row 6:  same as last row except replace the 2 ch2 with ch3
row 7: same as previous except replace the 2 ch3 with ch4
row 8:  same as previous row except replace the 2 ch4 with ch5
row 9:  sh in first sh sp, ch2, dc in ch5 sp, ch2, dc in same sp, ch2, 2dc in next sh sp, ch2, dc in same sp, ch2, 2dc in same sp, ch2, dc in next ch5 sp, ch2, dc in same sp, sh in last sh sp, ch4 turn
row 10:  sh in first sh sp, ch1, skip next ch2 sp, dc in following ch2 sp, ch1, dc in same sp, ch1, dc in same sp, ch1, skip next ch2 sp, sh in following sp, sh in next sp, ch1, skip next ch2 sp, dc in next  ch2 sp, ch1, dc in same sp, ch1, dc in same sp, ch1, sh in last sh sp, ch4 turn
row 11:  sh in first sh sp, ch1, sc in 2nd ch1 sp, ch3, sc in next ch1 sp, ch1, sh in 2nd sp from hook, ch4 turn (this should take you to the half way point of the previous row)
row 12:  sh in first sh sp, sc in ch3 sp, sh in last sh sp, ch4 turn
row 13:  sc in first sh sp, ch1, dc in sc, ch1, sc in last sh sp, sl st in next two st's to take you right next to the edge of the scallop from the previous row, ch5 turn
row 14:  sc in 2nd sp, ch4, sl st in 1st sc of last row, tie off

You should now have a heart with only 1 'hump'.  To make the other hump:

make a slip knot around your hook and tie in with a sl st in the 1st dc of the last full row on outside edge of the heart, ch4
repeat rows 11-14

You should now have a heart with a scalloped border.  You can add an extra border around the outside to increase the size of the heart and make it a bit more ornate.  Here is the border I added to the sample:

make a slip knot around hook and join in between the 2 shells in the 'valley' at the top of the heart with a sc, ch3, sc in next sp, ch3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, sc in same sp, ch1, in next sp (2dc, ch4, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch1, 2dc in same sp) repeat for each ch5 and ch4 sp to the tip at the base of the heart and in last dc right before the ch6 ring that started your heart, 3dc in ch6 ring, ch4, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch1, 3dc in same ring, in next ch4 sp (2dc, ch4, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch1 2dc in same sp) repeat in all ch 4/5 sp's as in previous half stopping with one sp left, ch1, sc in last sp, ch3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, sc in same sp, ch 3, sl st in the sc that began the border, tie off.  There should be 10 picots on each side plus one at the base.

Tuck in ends and starch to stiffen if desired.

Enjoy your doily!

Hugs,

Dawn

Hang in there and a crochet heart doily

Hello peeps!

Before I get to my post, I would like to welcome my blog's new follower.  I'm so happy you decided to click the magic little follow button and hope you will find reason to stop in from time to time!

I hope everyone had a truly fantastic weekend!  I spent mine at a crop for the cure, which was very relaxing and I got to catch up a teeny bit on my scrapbooking (if such a thing exists), not to mention I didn't have to do any cooking or cleaning!  Does it get any better than that?

I have a birthday card to share today.  This one is for my mom, who has a distaste for her birthday, but she loves cats just as much as I do, so I thought this would be perfect:

I just love this stamp!  So full of possibilities...

Some info on my card:

Paper - Basic Grey DP from the Olivia collection, Bazzill card and 300g hot pressed water colour paper

Image - Penny Black coloured with Distress Inks (frayed burlap, antique linen, victorian velvet, spun sugar, stormy sky, tumbled glass, black soot and tattered rose)

Cuts - Magnolia Doohickey leaves, Cheery Lynn small exotic butterflies (cut on pink and swiped with picket fence distress stain to tone them down and give them a white washed look),  the shape for the image was created in SCAL2 using a rectangle and ovals

Other - sheer cloth, pretty petals flowers, mini clothes pins (which started out bright pink, so I painted them white with acrylic paint), hemp twine, American Crafts pink lace, computer generated sentiment and a crocheted heart doily. 

The doily on this card is my second attempt at designing a heart doily.  I now understand why patterns for heart doilies are impossible to find.  Luckily it is tucked in behind the image, hiding the fact that it is way too long.  However, I am nothing if not stubborn and persistent, so I tried again and came up with a shorter version:

It is not without flaws - most notably at the base where it just isn't even from one side to the other, though  a good starching would probably hide most of that (this one has not been starched).  If you are interested, I'll be adding my pattern at the end of this post within the next 24 hrs, so check back later.  I expect it will take a little while to type up all that code.  As I am not 100% happy with it, I will probably attempt designing another completely different pattern, but probably not until next year once I forget how frustrating the design process is :).

I've added the pattern to my blog in a new post available here.

This card was inspired by insanity and the following challenges:

Basic Grey Challenges - Mother's Day or Girlie - you choose
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Let's Play Bingo (I did flowers, lace and twine)
Totally Papercrafts - Humour (ok, so it's not ROTFL or even lol, but it might be good for a teeny smile)
The Sketchy Challenges - love this sketch; this is my second entry
Cute Card Thursday - where anything goes

Hope everyone has a great week!  Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a comment!  I do love reading them and I love the chance to visit you too.

Hugs,

Dawn