Spotlight Technique, Sheltering Tree

I've been doing a lot of crochet lately as I have been a bit low but made a card today so thinking I am nearly back on top again!

I have been looking at cards on pinterest using the spotlight technique, it is a lovely way to pick some detail out of a stamped image and mke it a focal point. There seems to be two ways of creating a spotlight card. The way I have tried first here is to make one with an aperture...the image is stamped then an aperture  is cut from the image focusing on particular point then another image is coloured in or changed somehow then lined up beneath the aperture to the first image.. I used the fabulous Stampin Up Sheltering Tree stamp set. 

I created a plain bare tree on a grey background, I wanted to emphasize the change in seasons from winter to spring.I used the leaves/blossom stamp to create a cherry blossom type tree in full bloom. 

I think this is a good card to give to encourage anyone who is going through a hard time, a bereavement or a long term struggle to rimind them that seasons change, even if it feels like winter in your life with very little hope or positivity thats not the end its just a season! and we all know that our times and seasons are in God's hands!

The sentiment is created using an Our Daily Bread Designs stamp cropped then re-stamped in full inside. the butterflies were cut using stampin up embosslits butterfly folder.

I first saw a similar card on Pinterest HERE it inspired my first spotlight card ;O)

its good to get back into challenges, here where i entered this card
AAA Cards Game... #38 "There's a hole n my card"
Crafting from the Heart... #58 "Anything goes"
Make My Monday... Trees or Leaves
Stamp and Create... May Flowers
well my card fits all four of these challenges so lets hope for a win!

One card base , four different cards

I was truly blessed this Christmas with prezzies I really liked, lovely jewellery, nice new outfits and fabulous crafty prezzies YAY.
I admit I sent Kev an email with links to things I like but he still got some unexpected goodies for me which was lovely. So I have been playing over the last couple of days with some new dies and stamps. I designed a card base then set myself the challenge to make for different cards from the same base, what fun ;o)

Each card started with a white 5" square base, at the bottom of each card I used my scalloped borders die set to create a pretty border I chose four colours, lilac, blue, pink, and aqua green for the die cut lacy bits and each one was embossed using embossing folders, I used my new framelits from Stamping up along with the absolutely gorgeous set of stamps called Stippled Blossoms, wow I am so pleased with this prezzie (thank you Kev xx) I also used the stampin up set Apothecary labels (which I bought 2nd hand last month) on two of the cards

This was a wonderful exercise for me, it made me think a bit more about how to use colour etc....
The first card to share is in lilac / purples I used Momento Grape Jelly ink and teamed it with lilac card and delicate pearls, the little daisy type flowers were enough on this card which is quite simple but has an elegant feel to it.

The second card is the pink one, I used the big bold rose stamps using Stampin' Up inks Blushing Bride with Melon Mambo I love the colours and the blooms but would not use the same "happy birthday" die cuts next time its just too big and silver was not the right choice.

The swirls were made using the Tattered Lace rose corner die, I used tiny pearls in the rose centres to finished them off.

The third card used the same roses in a very similar position but I wanted to use a monochromatic colour scheme with stampin up Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana and Soft Sky,

I love these colours with crisp white card. I used the Apothecary label stamped background on this one and a Martha Stewart branch punch too.

The fourth card in pale blue uses a scripture stamp by Our Daily Bread Designs and a praying hands die cut which was made using a sizzix sizzlet die (this was one of the first dies I bought)

I kept this one simple by just using two daisies from the stippled blossoms set but this time I used icy blue gem centres and the same gems accented the bottom of the card.

I enjoyed this session of creativity and was glad to do something unrelated to Christmas for a change
I am entering my cards  into some challenges,

 the hardest bit is deciding which one to enter! decisions decisions.....
I will enter this one o the left into the following challenges...
click on the names to go to their challenge blogs

Stamping Sensations.....Dies and Punches
Sweet Stamps.....Something New
Red Rubber Inspirationals.....New Stamps
My Time To Craft.....All Things New
Cute Card Thursday.....Anything goes

I am planning to enter a lot more challenges this year so its good to get off to a good start, I had some other dies for Christmas so I guess I better get the big shot out again!

have a great week eveyone and a fabulous 2015

God bless you
Crafteresa UK

Shadow Box Card and a Cute cat

Some of my very favourite rubber stamps in my collection are made by Penny Black. I have used their stamps for many years. I love their Teddy Bear stamps and the Hedgehogs too, they also produce some lovely cat stamps, This stamp is entitled "Primp" its so cute. I have used Promarkers to colour the image which was stamped using a Momento Tuxedo Black ink pad, I made the mirror glass shine with Glossy Accents...

This is a birthday card for someone who is "very girly" so I used the colour combo of black white and pink with a touch of silver and some sparkly ab bling

I created a shadow box card using the Spellbinders Borderabiliies A2 Scalloped Borders One die set. I love that lacy edge the dies create, their are a number of different options on how to use them to create different edge effects from this 7 die set.

I used my Tattered Lace ornate rose die for the swirly silver flourishes (top left) The black dotted frame was created using sizzix labels framelits die with a circle die, Finishing off I stuck seven gupiure lace flowers with ab blingy little centres then tiny little gems on the cat's roller pins, mirror and perfume bottle.

Here's a view looking from the top to show the "box" this card can be easily sent in the post by pulling the 2 scalloped sides outward and laying the card flat in the envelope.

I am entering a few challenges again this week...
click on the challenge name it;s a link to visit their blog!

Addicted to Stamps .....Bling Bling

Robyn's Fetish .....Cats

Penny Black and More .....Anything Goes

The Paper Nest Dolls .....Anythng Goes

Ooh La La Creations .....More than 1 fold
Eureka Stamps .....Four Legged Friends

thanks for visiting my blog today, hope that you enjoyed the shadow box card
have a great week
Crafteresa UK xx

My Creative Journey

I mentioned in my last post that I would share about my creativity...

well it's been quite a long journey and I am still not "There Yet"! My creativity has been kind of an evolving thing. My grandmother showed me how to sew and embroider when I was in junior school. My mother was an artist, she painted in oils she was also an expert at crochet. I learned to crochet myself in my mid teens, I always loved art but found it much easier to colour in than to draw so when I stumbled upon the world of rubber stamping in 1996 I was overwhelmed with the joy of being able to create handmade cards that folk wanted to buy. I started doing craft stalls and parties where folk could order exactly what they wanted in a card with personalisation. My mother bought me loads of stamps and helped with the fortnightly stall, she loved it. I learnt a lot of techniques with inks and stamping. my mother died in 1999 and my husband in 2002 and life took me into a different direction. I couldn't face doing craft fares anymore without my mother. and grief put a stop to my creativity. this psx fuschia stamp was my mothers favourite

I moved to Lytham St Annes from Dudley in the West Midlands in 2004. God had given me a brand new start in life. A new home, a new ministry and a new church which came with a lot of new friends a lot of which were fellow crafters! I worked as a manager of a Christian bookshop. I loved this ministry but as it started to decline (as with many Christian bookshops the internet had become it's downfall) and then closed. I became seriously ill with anxiety and depression. While I was in recovery which was a slow proscess I started papercrafting again, and trying out new things. I was now a grandmother to Ethan and found scrapbooking really inspired me to get creative with my grandsons photo's. I have learnt many more techniques, bought a big shot and later a Cricut and enjoyed all manner of papercrafting, I was back into my creative groove but for fun and not to raise money.  Over the years I have added to my collection of rubber stamps, inks, dies, embossing folders, I have recently bought a Silhouette Cameo which has been put to some good use to create papercrafted scripture gifts for our local outreaches and missions to Romania.
Well that brings me to today.

I still have some goals which I want to achieve....I want to teach my church friends the art of scrapbooking as many have asked for lessons I would love to start up a faithbooking group too. I have many projects swimming around in my head which are on a sort of revolving must make list! I would also love to get some experience in art journaling. and I have seen some awesome canvas creations I would like to have a go at as well as getting the most out of the stash and equipment I already have. I want to join a crop of experienced scrapbookers so that I can stretch my skills even more and get more inspiration to scrapbook again as its something I haven't done for a while. so that's some of my creative journey, I am always on the look out for new projects but more than anything I want to be in my creative groove daily. I get such a buzz such a perfect sense of one-ness with God when I am happily creating something, it just kinda makes my heart sing and the world suddenly becomes a pretty awesome and inspiring place to be. everyone has a sweet spot I believe, and creativity is mine.