Alter it monthly - April Theme - SPRING(S)

It's time for some more Alter it monthly inspiration. I really enjoyed all your contributions for last months theme - TIME. Very creative and inspirational.

Well as for this month with easter fast approaching and the sun coming out a bit more the theme is SPRING, SPRINGS and EASTER.

I did get myself a big bag of springs and really wanted to create something unique with them but you know how it is, sometimes things don't work out like that so I went for this spring themed frame instead. The frame is painted in white crackle paint and out of boredom i sprayed a few glimmer mists over it and it somehow ended up in these splattery pastel colours. Add a load of grungeboard and stickles, done!

Come and join us and you could be in with a chance to win a great prize.

Winter butterfly frame...

I'm back!!! Yes, I have neglected my blog a lot but as I said earlier when you work 66 hours a week there is little time for crafting!

I am still working the same hours but nevertheless want to share some more of my craft creations with you! This is a frame I made weeks ago as a present.
I like the white frame with the pinkish shimmer and how it contrasts the butterfly. It's a simple project, just get yourself some white distress crackle paint and off you go!

Watch this space for more crafty creations, my first craft stamper reader submission, my first Alter it monthly contribution and my first blogaversary candy! Exciting stuff!!

My first Art Parts creation....

TA DA!!! My first Art Parts creation....
I got rather excited when I picked these up at the Stamp and Scrapbooking Show and I finally got a chance to play with them.
I wasn't too sure how to work them, I inked them with pigment ink but the edges where they've been cut where shining through dark, so I decided to paint them with acrylic first and then ink them and then just stamp on them. Have not before painted things in a light colour and then inked them, always seem to be working straight onto chipboard but it works well, gives a nice strong colour. I wanted to sneak in a flower made from Maya Road wings like Wendy suggested on her blog recently, but instead the wings ended up as leaves for the flower. Also popped in a few snowflakes as flowers.






Before I decided on the above design though I spent hours moving art parts round my desk and trying to decide what to do. I first covered the frame in tissue tape and then I had to learn the hard way that crackle paint just comes off the tissue tape when dry.

Maybe I'll try inking the tissue tape next time, still got the round frame of the art parts.

So, anyway, I am entering this into The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog Challenge for the month where the theme is Layer it on, and OMG are there a lot of layers on this frame, the flower alone is 5 chipboard layers high.

Picture frames and my folksy venture

I had this idea in my head for a while now. Saw the stamps and thought they'd perfectly fit the ikea frames. So I stocked up on frames and got the beeswax out again. Works really nicely.

I am making more things to try and sell now as I've just started putting things on folksy. Anyone got experience with all the different craft selling sites? I have been looking at folksy as you can sell in GBP, my 2nd choice is dawanda I think, but a little put off listing in Euros. And same with etsy. Let me know what your experiences are. That be much appreciated!

This frame I covered in various layers of UTEE and the coloured cosmic shimmer powder. Makes a bit of a mess on our dining table when working with UTEE but I do like the result.

Check out my Folksy Shop.

Sunday Stampers - Old and New

When I got back from Spain with my market finds like the wooden measure and old keyholes n stuff I already had this design in my mind, I just had to make an A out of the measure. Little did I know at the same time Hels was making an "Art" frame for Sunday Stampers and the theme is old and new. That's pretty creepy.
So I went ahead using old bits like the key, snaps, fabric tape measure etc and combining it with new things like the piece of chain, the vial (I poured some alcohol ink into this) and one of my new Wendy Vecchi stamps.
And there we go, an arty frame worthy of Sunday Stampers (I think) and it's also being entered into the Artistic Stamper challenge.

A week of firsts ..... distress embossing powder, memory thread and swooshy inkiness

Hows that for a title, eh?!

So here is another crackle frame, but I did try out a few new things on it. The background for example is made by "swooshing" some card through ink and water, all mixed on a craft sheet. I wanted to create a blueish sky for the background and it worked ok, I don't think you can tell very well from the photo. I also spritzed some glimmer mist over it and stamped some branches and a birdy onto it.

Now for the distress embossing powder. I never got on well with this, i like the shiny glossy embossed finished more than this but have found that it works so well for rougher textures like the tree branch and cage. I have invested in a few more colours of the stuff and will be testing it out on other projects for sure.

In the tree there's some curly wurly memory thread, purely for pretty cuteness. I used this on everything I made this week, I just love the stuff. It was given to me as a present but I love it so much I ordered myself another 6 or 7 colours. There will be more projects full of memory thread in the future!!

Addicted to crackle paint....

I think I have a serious problem, I am addicted to crackle paint!!!

So here's another frame, painted with above mentioned paint and spritzed with glimmer mists. I'm still grateful to Hels for introducing me to this technique, you just don't know what kinda crackle monster you created!!!

I had a little play with the alterations on the edge die and since I love anything laced up I thought the 2 pieces of swirly grungeboard be perfect to be laced together with some string. Although I did lace it up about 4 different times til I ended up with this result. So many different options. The birds are crackled too and the tree bunch covered in distress embossing powder (had that for ages and never got on with it until now, it makes the perfect texture and look for a tree branch).

Some detail here for you.

I added a little frame that has part of an old stamp behind it and then it's filled with glossy accents.

The leaves have been cut from card with a punch. I inked up some white card and splattered water over it to make that effect, then just punched loads of leaves from the whole sheet.

There is also a little light bulb vial filled with watch parts hanging in the tree. I couldn't get a good enough close up shot, sorry.

I'm off to crackle some more.....

Wiiiiiings....

You may have noticed I've been going a little crackle frame nuts recently and there is no end in sight. Here is another one. This time it's all purply-pink and I used the fanciful flight alterations die as well as adding a trusty tattered floral (no frame without them!). Also used a swirly mirror piece I picked up in a craft shop back home in Germany. They do all sorts of mirror bits including letters and numbers, which I'm yet to use.












Here is some detail. If you follow Wendy Vecchi's blog you will have read about this. Make your own embellishments using memo pins. Just get an image or piece of card the size of the circle and attach it with some pritt stick. then fill the circle with glossy accents. I couldnt think of anything to put behind this so I just used plain card, filled it with glossy accents and sprinkled glitter over the top. It sinks in a bit when it dries, so I stuck some gems in the middle.


Check out Wendy's instructions here.






And last but not least, a quote using one of my Catslife Press stamps, which I love. I just don't use them enough.

This frame will be entered into the Wings challenge at Gingersnap creations.


Anika xxx

1st Anikraft Blog candy ..... and another vintage frame

So, as promised here is (finally) my first ever blog candy. I only discovered the world of blogs and its great challenges and candies a few months ago but I'm loving it. And so, I thought I should have a little candy myself. It's only small but worth the effort nevertheless.

So, let me tell you what you are getting.....

- a Muji Kraft notepad to alter
- a Moleskine Kraft notbook to alter

- a selection of Tim Holtz Fragments in a little bag

- 2 small corked glass vials (one filled with beads)

- glittery brads from Imaginisce

- feathers

- 2 sheets of cork paper

- a tube of glitter

- some heassian fabric (great for vintagy/grungy looks!!)

- a little container full of blue mixed sequins

Now if you are thinking 'What on earth could one make with that?!?!' then let me show you...

Here is a vintagy frame I made using the hessian, some Tim Holtz fragments and a little vial, also filled with beads. I added a load of other old stuff like an old key I found at home and some more of the old German money my dad gave me and some more idea-ology. And the lady in the centre, I cut her out of the new Lost and Found paper stack by Tim Holtz. (Love it!!!) I named her Mary and made up a whole story about who she is. And the frame is what Mary is about.

So, I hope you like what you see and that you'd like to get your hands on the candy, here is the rules:

1. Become a follower of my blog (you must have a blog yourself, I'd like to visit my followers blogs and see what they get up to)

2. Post about my blog/candy and link it to you sidebar

That's it for rules really. I will ship world wide. And the candy will get drawn when I reach 50 followers Now go and tell everyone about my candy and keep checking back for more crackle frames and idea-ology storage boxes I've been working on this week.

Anika xxx