Shirl's Artwork

Bring On The Bling

September 12th, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in FlonzCrafts, Stamping, Tags, Vintage

Haven’t done any bling and shiny in a while so I thought it was time to get those powders and glimmer mists out to give this tag a bit of glitz. Also thought it was time to make something manly!!!

The red clock faces were done by using the Prima Clock stencil and spritzing with Memories Mists Strawberry Daiquiri. Now comes the bling, spritzed with a Cosmic Shimmer mist called Mallow Blush, I can see the shine not sure you can!! Used a Creative Expressions border mask called Gears covered it with Versamark before placing onto the tag. Added gold embossing powder then heated.

Shirl

Now that I can see all my stamps in one place I am finding things that I forgot I had especially this Crafty Individuals Stamp which I stamped out but only used part of it “Buy your car from”. Sorry didn’t mention all the stamps I used but if there is something you want to know about the tag just shout and I will answer!!

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Ladies Who Lunch

September 10th, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in Nicecrane Designs, Victoriana, Vintage

My DIL Claire’s set of girlie friend’s all go out for the day when one of them has a birthday. This time round one of the girlies is having a big O birthday … shhhh it’s 50.

She has invited them all to an afternoon tea at none other than The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason, Piccadilly, London.

“Ladies who lunch” is a phrase often used to describe well-off, well-dressed women who meet for social luncheons, usually during the working week. Typically, the women involved are married and non-working. Normally the lunch is in a high-class restaurant. – Needless to say new outfits all round!!

On 1 March 2012, with enormous joy and excitement, the refurbished St James’s restaurant was opened by HM the Queen accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge, and renamed The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.

I said I would make her an album for the birthday girl so that she would have a keepsake of the event. Decided to make it very elegant looking with lots of images of Victorian ladies who lunch. Below is something I was playing around with on Sunday which has given me a feel for what I want the pages of the album to look like.

Victorian Ladies Shirl

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Magical Resist Technique

September 8th, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in Crafty Individuals, Fashionable Stamping Challenges, FlonzCrafts, PaperArtsy, Vintage

Wow she seriously looks hung over or all the worlds troubles are on her shoulders. How many of us have looked like that at some time or another?? Her mum looks as if she is writing a little note to cheer her up!! My mind certainly gets imaginative when I make something but I adore the image which you can find here that I just had to use it.

Love challenges because they remind you to do things that you haven’t done for ages or you have forgotten about them. Fashionable Stamping have the theme this fortnight of “Can U Resist”. We have Fliss to thank for this challenge and for making me nudge my brain about resist terchniques.

Wax paper was used for this technique which I haven’t done in ages!! Who also remembers doing this from their school days when wax paper was so readily available … ehh not with embossing folders just by scrunching the paper in your hand!!

Embossed a piece of wax paper with an A4 Spellbinders M-Bossabilities Garden Lattice. (When you break the fibers of the wax paper it enables you to use as a resist.) Sandwiched it between two pieces of cardstock (works better on glossy or satin) placed a piece of copy paper over the top then ironed. It makes the most delicious background but you can’t see it until you add some ink. Ink used was Fired Brick, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn and Vintage Photo. Gently blended the colours over the top and then like magic the embossing begins to appear.

The stamped sentiments came from a Dyan Reaveley Quintessential Quotes set. Both ladies are from Flonzcrafts you can find one above and the other here . “Just A Note” is an Anita’s stamp from Docrafts, ladies face on the tag is a Creative Expressions stamp. The postcard with the flowers from Crafty Individuals was stamped onto a die cut envelope, added a tag inside and also one on the outside. In the right hand corner a PaperArtsy mini stamp was used called French Script.

Our Creative Corner – Forgotten Things
Shirl

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Textured Topper Wallet For C2CU

September 6th, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in Crafts-Too-Challenge You, Indigo Blu, Nicecrane Designs, Vintage, Vintage Stamping Challenges

Heavy on the photos today which is unusual for me but I have made an exception because this is my debut piece for Crafts-Too Challenge You.

I feel very honored to have been asked to be on the Design Team with a bunch of very talented girls and extremely excited to be working with them.

C2CY is a monthly blog and new challenges begin on the first Friday of the month. One theme will follow throughout the whole of the month but each fortnight there is a new “TWIST” where the challenge will have a different focus to add to the theme.

Our SEPTEMBER theme is TEXTURE. – Twist 1 is – Choose your own style

Still can’t totally define my style because it is always evolving as I learn new things.
I do love to make something that looks attractive, pretty and appealing to the eye.

Every now and then my embossing folders come in handy to make some pretty little toppers. If I want to make a quick card I just grab one of the toppers. Never really had anywhere to store them except an old tatty looking box. So I decided to make my very own Topper Wallet. For the front of my wallet I printed this very sweet image onto cardstock then framed it with a Crafts-Too embossing folder. To enhance even more I stitched around the frame. The letters actually come from another Crafts-Too embossing folder which you can find here.

When the letters are punched out they remind me of those sweets called lovehearts … can you remember them?

Here is the wallet when completely opened out. As you can see I went OTT with the stamping and colouring … just went for it!!

More pics and the first is the back of the folded wallet.
Made a little slit opening which the tab slips into to close it. Next is when you pull out the little tab from the slit opening. Last pic is of the left hand side of the wallet.

Wallet Wallet 1 Wallet 2

These two pics shows the inside of the wallet where the toppers will sit in the middle and also the two envelope flaps which fold in over the toppers.

Wallet 3 Wallet 4

Last but not least is a sneak peak of three folders I have prepared for the inside. This is also a project which is for next weeks inspirational piece so sorry girls you will have to pop back next week to see what I have made with them.

Shirl

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Love To Sew

September 5th, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in Fashionable Stamping Challenges, Vintage

How many of us can remember ourselves as a little girl sitting on a chair with sewing or knitting in our hands. Maybe your memory is of a winters evening being so engrossed with your needlework that nothing else mattered except the pure enjoyment you felt. When I saw a postcard with this little girl on it my memories came flooding back and I had to have it.

Punched 9 little tags from some leftover embossed cardstock which was sitting on my desk and stamped the sentiment “Love To Sew”. Added to the tag with little French knots, better than glue because they still swivel about. Even the little alphabet stamps I bought come in a traditional wooden old fashioned pencil case … found them again in the big tidy up!!! Check them out here. Cut her from the postcard and stitched onto a tag. She will hang in my now re-vamped and tidy craft room. Don’t think it will stay tidy for long!!!

Shirl

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Fly Away

September 2nd, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in Stamping, Tags

Like everyone when I have finished a project I am left with lots of unused bits on my desk. Some will go into a bit box but others are my experimental play pieces which usually end up as tags and I never post. Today is an exception because I like what I made. It is so different from my usual pretty grunge but I enjoyed making and I wanted to share.

Stamped directly onto a pinky red core card with the faces and my experimental play around was to colour them and to see what mediums showed up better.

Shirl

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Inspired by Nature

September 2nd, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in FlonzCrafts, Stamping, Vintage, Vintage Stamping Challenges

Anything from your garden is the theme at Vintage Stamping Challenges and for my design team card I chose this beautiful image from Flonz Crafts. My lovely DT sister Claire has chosen to use the same image and her make is gorgeous.

September always makes me think about Autumn. When making this I must have had this is mind because these colours certainly remind me of it. Paper pieced the main image but left the other stamping plain

To enter this months challenge just enter your creation with Mr Linky and maybe it could be you who wins the $20 from Flonz’s store.
Visit the DT’s blogs for more inspiration and also it would be nice to leave them some love.

Shirl

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Dwell In Possibility

August 31st, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in Nicecrane Designs, Stamping, Vintage

Don’t you just love this sentiment … “Dwell In Possibility”. Emily Dickinson wrote a poem called “I Dwell In Possibility” which you can find here.

Dwell In Possibility conjures up an awareness that the future is not scripted. Your choices and actions can take you in a million directions. Be aware of this and play. So I played with this card.

I first saw these images on Astrid’s blog … super sweet lady and an extremely talented artist … and I love them.
Also used an already made rose topper which is unusual for me but after my tidy up in the craft room I came across a load of them which are from Anna Griffin. My colour palette is actually based around the rose.

Shirl

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Way To Early For Me

August 30th, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in Misc

Where we live is so rural and quiet … breathtaking actually and the only noise we hear is when something disturbs the dogs and they start barking. At night it is so dark because there are no street lights, Andrew takes a torch with him when he gives Penny & Byron their last walk around the garden.

Mr Farmer Giles was in the next field to us last night and the dogs didn’t like it one bit. He had cut the hay during the week and last night he was collecting it and making hay bales, very interesting to watch. Mr Farmer was still in the field when we went to bed and the dogs were still grumbling under their breaths.

They started again at 6 this morning … not a happy bunny when I am woken by noise. Andrew stirred as well and I asked him “if Mr Farmer ever slept”.

The dogs were not going to stop so Andrew got up. Anyway he came back and asked me how I knew the horse was called Mr Farmer?? Don’t you just love a comedian first thing in the morning?

Needless to say I got up and sure enough there was this huge Shire Horse in our garden. Not the first time this has happened we have had sheep, cattle, horses just coming in and wandering around to their hearts content.

We have some beautiful views and this one is a stunner with those rolling clouds in the distance … oh and not forgetting Mr Dobbin!! The far left field have loads of Sean the sheep.

Can you believe the cheek of Mr Dobbin I was just finishing this post and doing a preview when he decides to take a walk around the garden and here he is sauntering past my craft room window.

Not sure when the owners are going to realize he is missing and come to collect him but I hope it is soon!! Apart from Penny and Byron given it rock all when they see him walking past the stuff he leaves behind from the not so pretty end is yuk!!!!

Shirl

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To Bin Or Not To Bin

August 29th, 2013 by Shirl - Posted in Stamping, Vintage

The changing around and clear out of the craft room is still happening. I have changed things around which is what I wanted to do but as for getting rid of things … well that’s another matter!!

Stopped, started, put it in the bin, put it back, what’s a girl got to do when she can’t make a decision … chill and make a tag???? This is my first time of using the Tim Holtz Distress Paints.

Shirl