Happy Birthday

Hello Everyone,

Surprise, surprise!! Teddy and I are back crafting and hope to be blogging regularly too.  Have a beauty to show you today, hope you like it

Until next time, happy crafting!

Lauren and Teddy

Back from Wherever I have been!

Seems like such a long time and also only a short time since I was last here and so much has happened. Teddy is excited about all these changes back to crafting and he wishes I was a funny as I used to be.

I lost my partner and husband of almost 40 years. He was a special man and I miss him every day.  I moved home from the Port Stephens area to the sunny north coast near the Queensland border. Beautiful area, but like the rest of the country, so dry.

I could not craft, but spent many an hour or several just sitting and looking at my craft things and now I am back, perhaps not as prolific as I was once, but much more diverse.  So we have a few things to show you in the coming days (I have also forgotten my photographic skills) so we hope you like what we have been doing.

Today is a card for this little monster turning one! She is my great great niece and I love this little bundle to bits, I could just squish and cuddle her all day if she would stay still long enough

The card base was cut on my Brother SNC from a file I made the rest is just embellishing and at the moment I seem to like using mesh or netting on my cards, it gives such a wonderful extra layer without obscuring the card base.

I am trying to remember to take photos of my projects as I do them, rather than asking the recipient to send me pics of what was given to them.  Well hoping this will sink in soon.

Love from me and from Teddy too! Make time for you and the things you enjoy!

Lauren and Teddy xx

Kaisercraft Kit Cards

Hello Everyone!!

 

We are back with some lovely cards made from Kaisercraft products in a kit from Paper Flourish.  Everything provided except some bling, flowers, foliage and butterflies I added from my stash.  Papers (6 1/2 x 6 1/2 pad), collectables, card and envelopes and bling were all in the kit as well as 6 designs for inspiration.

 

Teddy and I made 10 cards with lots of collectable pieces and we lined the envelopes TA-DAH!!! Still there were lots of collectables, the pearls and some papers left over as well as lots of off cuts that we used to punch out a heap of butterflies and other punchies for the little kids at child care to play with.

 

So let’s have a look at them, shall we??  Teddy is so proud of his work on these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were fun to make, taking me out of my comfort zone.  Very different to what I usually do in my not using very much by way of designer paper, Teddy might have to get more of these kits, or even other ones to see how we go with them.

 

Thanks for calling in, hope you like what you see.

 

Love Lauren xx

 

 

 

 

More Cardmaking from a Tracy Kit :)

Hello Everyone,

 

Well don’t fall off your chair, yes we are blogging again today to show you some very nice cards in black and white from a kit from My2Angels Scrapbooking supplies.  Well this blog piece has been in progress a few days, we lost a pic and had to find it, the Teddy and Lauren search and rescue team got on the job and here we are to complete the task!!

 

Love black and white, so stunning, so striking and dramatic 🙂

 

 

 

Thanks for calling in and having a look!!!

 

 

Love Lauren xx

 

 

 

September 2016

Hello Everyone!!

 

Has been a busy month in September, went to Retreat on the Gold Coast for Tracy Kielty at My 2 Angels Scrapbooking.  Loved every minute of it.  Then home and a week later the date came up for my Open Heart Surgery to replace my stenosed Aortic Valve.  So scary, so fearful, not of not making it, but of having complications, not so sure I am a fighter any more 🙂

So while Teddy and I were at Retreat we had such fun and made some cards!! Amazing, we crafted with other people and actually got some cards finished.  And we sat at the naughty corner tables with our new best friends.  Check these out from a lovely kit from the lovely Tracy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now it is mid October and my boy is having his birthday today, I am recovering well and Teddy and I are creating in the craft room and we are blogging.  What more could anyone ask for?

 

Hope you like what Teddy did at Retreat, we are a little slow at making things, but we think we make them nicely and they are oh, so pretty 🙂

 

Thanks for calling in

 

Love Lauren xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags by Lauren

Hello Everybody, Lauren and Teddy up on the A2Z Scraplets blog today with a couple of tags this time.

We had such fun making this mixed media Tag of the Sea.   We started by using some Texture paste on with A2Z Scraplets Stencil Flourishes and then painting the all over with Ranger Distress Paint Broken China and then some sponging of Bundled Sage over the top.  When dry I sponged with Inka Gold Aquamarine with added water to get the mottled look.

Next came some decorating with seashell, netting, charms and microbeads over a coat of white glue (dries clear) and some touches of colour  Viva Inca Gold in colours of Gold, Jade and Rose Quartz.

When I was happy with the decorated look, I added some Inka Gold in Cobalt Blue around the edge and put the bubbles on and the A2Z Scraplets Hello.   The hello was done in Inka Gold Charcoal and Cobalt Blue and then coated with Crackle Accents.

This Christmas Tag was done with and embossing folder from Courture Creations that was sprayed with Colourblast Shimmer Spray Deep Water.

Lace and netting to decorate, a pine die cut for the foliage and the Memory Box Luxe Pointsettia .  Merry Christmas added with the A2Z Scraplets Xmas Tree

The Christmas Tree was embossed using Stampendous EP in Shabby White, I just love this stuff!!!

Now I just what to show you some different effects that can be obtained by some crackle mediums.  I love crackle, or the look of it.  All the below examples are painted prior to using a crackle medium on them.

This first one, is done in Inkssentials Crackle Accents.  Only the triangles were done, covering the sides of the triangles in one single line of medium and then pulling it to the centre, so that it was really dimensional.

This one Wrought Iron  was done with Viva Crackle Medium and gives a more opaque finish and a different effect of really squiggly cracks.  The medium was applied all over and fairly thickly.  I applied this with a palette knife as this is easier for me than a brush.

This leaf was done with Crackle Accents, I really like the way this gives the line effect at the edges of all the leaves (Simple Greens).  I must experiment more with the way this is applied as I think I get different effects with different ways of applying it.

The Brickwork Pieces is done with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy.  I love the little squares of crackle this gives, and will give the same effect thick or thin.  This was applied with the brush that comes in the bottle of Crackle Paint.

Now you want my conclusions……. you are just busting to know that I find the crackling effect of all three products amazing……. for ease of use I say the Crackle Accents by Inkssentials is fool proof as it has an applicator nozzle and for lazy people like me it is so easy to use!!!!

Well that’s it for us this time, thanks for calling in.

Love Lauren and Teddy

Pretty Cards

Hello Everybody!!!

Lauren and Teddy up today!!!!  Oh we just love sun-filled Winter Days!!! At the moment we are getting mega fogs in the morning and that fog burns off to be such a sunny day, we open the blinds and let the warmth come inside.  When it is like that I love to craft and Teddy and I have been doing a bit of that lately for you!!!

So we thought we would show you a couple of cards we have made for you 🙂

Oh today we have used one of the A2Z Scraplets Stencils Pebblestones – Stencilets & Masklets on the background with CM Metallic Silver, and sprinkled with Embossing Powder (Adirondak Wild Plum) and then heated.  I love this result.  Also used a recent release Decorative 9 Corner Set of 2 and painted it with Viva Inka Gold, so shiny, so beautiful, so vibrant.  You could use a paste or spray from the Colour Blast range in store.

Handmade flowers by me using the EK Success Flower punch in Whale and Medium size.  Tutorial here to make the flowers.

The second card we have for you has used those fabulous words for cards that A2Z Scraplets have available.  I love them.  Handmade holes around the edge of the card, but no stitching in it.

Lots of dies, a stamp and I love those little rosettes that I have used a scoreboard to make, then decorated with charms, flowers and pearls to match my card. Leaves are painted with Glimmer Glaze.

Love that leaf die, it is by Crafty Ann and not sure whether Cheery Lyn have picked it up since they took over.

So proud of ourselves with this one!!  You know I like to recycle, well I have recycled the ‘outer’ of the Star Set of 2 Flourish, so 3 cards out of this chippie, how clever is that.  We have coated it with Stampendous Shabby White Embossing Powder. Went with  purple glitter paper behind it, as I found some leftover star shapes in my diecut box.

This close up gives you an idea of how dimensional and textured this card is.  I love it!!!

Thanks for calling in, have fun papercrafting and get your hands messy with mediums!!!

Love Lauren xxxx

Gorgeous Cards

Hello Everybody,
 Yes you have Lauren and Teddy on the blog today and the weather has turned to Winter for our Birthday month (yes you can send pressies to us) 🙂

So here we have a couple of cards for you, very pretty ones with flowers and things on them.

This one has used one of the A2Z Scraplets Umbrellas with Stampendous Embossing Powder, Shabby White then stamped with a script stamp with StazOn Ink and reheated to smudge it a bit.

All the usual embellishments from me, seam binding, lace, flowers and pearls.

The second card is all frills and things as well.

We started with a template and green for the new Leafy Template, then a doily die, the lace and ribbon.

The brickwall is painted with white.  the butterfly swirls is coloured with Tombo Dual Tipped Pens and then coated with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint, Rock Candy.  I love the crackle look.

Flowers were added and some stamen pieces and the word gorgeous was painted black and coated with Glossy Accents.

For those of you who have not met Teddy, here he is scrapbooking with friends 🙂  He is my sidekick and mentor and keeps me crafting on 🙂

Hugs from Teddy and Lauren

Kraft Plus Black and White

Hello Everybody!!

 

This card is made with the Kraft Plus Challenge in mind.  Yes a Kraft base, a recycled Kraft base that I saved from packaging and have been itching to use it.!!

I have spritzed the base with Dylusions Ink Spray in white.  Added some Grossgrain polkadot ribbon in four strips and a ruffled piece up the middle for something different and in keeping with the colour scheme.  Kaisercraft Die – Lacey Doily and Memory Box Die – MB Botanical Stem.  The A2Z Scraplets Birthday Set 1 Ebony and the Kylie’s Triangle Texture Ebony Shape have been left as they come in that beautiful black.  Decorated with Sugar Beads and a flower arrangement.

 

Close up of the A2Z Scraplets

 

And a close up of the flowers.

Thanks for calling by to have a look, this card is entered into the Kraft Plus Challenge for April!!

Waving madly at you all, Lauren and Teddy

Show Us Your Stuff Challenge April

Hello Everybody!!

Well here we are, Lauren and Teddy up on the A2Z Scraplets blog today with a card to give you inspiration and ideas!!!   What a fantastic challenge weekend we had over Easter with our lovely Karyn Watton.  Watch out, I am sure there will be more coming along for you all!!

So now to the card, you say! Yes yes here it is 🙂  This card is my DT Inspiration for A2Z Scraplets and is inspired by the Challenge  (stamping and a handmade embellishment) over at Show Us Your Stuff!!

This card has a stamped base (using My Mind’s Eye – The Sweetest Thing stamp set).  Chipboard is
A2Z Scraplets Chicken Wire (I thought it was Hexagons, silly me) painted with Ranger Distress Paint – Victorian Velvet and A2Z Scraplets Doily 2 Small Shape, embossed with
Stampendous Embossing Powder Shabby Pink.  Decorated with lace, ribbon and a handmade flower arrangement (by me) from goodies in my stash.

 

Just a close up of the A2Z Scraplets and my handiwork on that embellishment 🙂

Thanks for dropping by to have a look!!!

Love

Lauren xx