Bucket and Pillow of Shells

It’s been ages since I posted, but now I’m back from holidays and feeling on track again after a bad cold. I wanted to cover two themes in Hero Arts’ July challenge (summertime and parties), the Fanatical About Botanical Challenge in the Moxie Fab World and the Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes Challenge.


Stamps (Hero Arts) - Antique Engravings, Magical Background & Messages

For my kids the ideal summer would include a trip to the beach every day, so when I think of summer, I think of making sandcastles, gathering shells and traisping through the rough grass in the sand dunes. So with this in mind I made these treat containers, which might be suitable for a summer party, and included bits and pieces that I associate with the beach. Then I filled them with chocolate shells - one of my favourites!



For the sand bucket, I covered a coffee cup with sand patterned paper. The handle was made with florists wire and pearls from a cheap necklace. I applied tumbled glass distress ink to white card and using the same ink stamped it with the Magical Background. I added a strip of this, some May Arts ribbon, raffia and a stamped shell to the bucket.



For the pillow box I applied tumbled glass distress ink to white card, stamped with the magical background using the same ink and die cut a window when the pillow shape was cut out. To finish I just added the shell and raffia.

Now I'm off to have some shells and a cuppa!

Bee Friends

A rare happening - two posts in the one day from me! The Hero Hostess Inspired By Challenge is in the post below this one.

Lisa Spangler is having a fun challenge, “Make-It + Mail it Challenge” on her blog. I made this card to send to a friend so I’m submitting it into Lisa’s challenge. I have loads of tissue paper and wanted to make another card for the Tissue Paper Magic Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. Though with the small amount of tissue paper I used on this card and my other card for the challenge, I haven’t used up much of my stash! I am also submitting the card into the Simon Says Emboss It Challenge.


Stamps (Hero Arts) – Be Happy & Envelope Pattern

I was trying to come up with interesting ways of using tissue paper on a card and what struck me was that I could use it for the wings of some kind of insect. So out came Hero Arts’ super cute Be Happy set. I embossed the bees in black on white card and coloured them with a ProMarker and watercolour pencil. Next I crumpled some white tissue paper (didn’t have to crumple it too much as I’d recycled it from a pressie I had received!) and black embossed the bees on it. Then I cut out the tissue paper wings, adhered them to the bees which had been coloured and applied some diamond stickles.


For the background, I applied mustard seed distress ink to white card, spritzed lightly with water and stamped the Envelope Pattern using the same ink. Then I cut out lots of little hexagons and put them together to hopefully make something that resembled a honeycomb! To finish I embossed the sentiment and bee trails in white.



I couldn't get a great photo of the wings but they are semitransparent and sparkly in real life.

Love You in Triplicate

I made this card for the Tissue Paper Magic Challenge in the Moxie Fab World, the current Hero Arts challenge and the Simon Says Emboss It Challenge. As I tried to make a masculine card I wanted to keep it fairly plain and simple. It only took about 10 minutes to make, which is definitely a record for me, lol!


Stamps (Hero Arts) – Type and Small Variety Alphabet

On this card I used the tissue paper as sheets of carbon paper in the typewriter and also as a background (adhered to a piece of black card to give strength). I learned to type on a manual typewriter and now think it’s funny how we used to correct our mistakes and make duplicate documents. I had to explain to my son this morning what carbon paper was and why we used it in typewriters – I felt really ancient, lol! The typewriter is embossed in red and I just added a couple of beads to it and my favourite embellies – Hero Arts heart pearls. The baker’s twine, which unfortunately I can’t get here, was part of a lovely package of goodies that my friend Trinh sent me – thanks again Trinh:)

We’ve been spoiled rotten here with a glorious week of sunshine and temperatures around 21C\70F. Hope it’s sunny wherever you are and that you all have a wonderful weekend:)