Simple But Effective

Hi Crafters

Today I wanted to share with you all a simple but effective card, this is to show that you do not need loads of craft supplies.

This card was done with only very minimal supplies which are all Stampin' Up!

For this card all you need are the following: I have linked each product which will take you to it on my store.

Whisper white Cardstock (make into any size card you like)

Watercolor Wings Stamp Set 

Ink Pads - Colours Used are Mint Macaron, Bermuda Bay and Dapper Denim

Aqua Painters

Tombow Glue

Acrylic Block

So there we have it a simple but effective card, I love how these colours work together.

I have some exciting news to share with you all very soon and it is something for all you and will include Stampin' Up! products, keep a look out for that blog post VERY soon.

My Stampin' Up Store

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Teamie Tuesday - Sketch Challenge

Hello Crafters 

Well it is Teamie Tuesday already :O where are these weeks going?

Anyway this week our challenge is to use this sketch and to make a card so each one of us will be going off this sketch and making a card

Here is what I came up with going off the above sketch 

The products I used to make the above card are as follows:

   Baby Bear Stamp Set 

Whisper White Card 

Pop Of Pink DSP

Regal Cardstock - Rose Red

Brights DSP - Melon Mambo

Ink Pads - Sweet Sugarplum and Rich Razzleberry

Project Life Corner Punch

Stampin' Dimensionals

Acrylic Blocks

Tombow Glue

Memento Black Ink

I have a hostess code running until 31st March all order of £20 or more placed used the code HVSUTUVY and you will get a Stampin' Up Gift from me 

My Stampin' Up! Store 

Don't forget to check out what the other ladies have come up with 

Michelle - Ugly Bug Plans 

Alyson - Scarlet Moon Crafts 

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

The Crafty Bat's Online Stampin Up Party

Hi all 

This is just a quick post to remind you all of my online Stampin' Up party I am hosting this evening over on Facebook.

I will be showcasing the fab products, Creations made with the products, be around to answer any questions, There will also be some games to play and win some prizes. You will also be able to place an order and use the Hostess Code which is in the event page.

This is also the last week for Sale-A-Bration so if you have your eye on one of the free products you can get through this awesome promotion with a spend of £45 or more then get your order in quick, it all ends on 31st March

If you would like to join in on the fun feel free to do so, It starts at 7 pm GMT and will finish latest 9 pm but the event is being kept open until Thursday for any last minute orders

Here is the link to the PARTY!!

I look forward to seeing you there 

xX The Crafty Bat xX

Handbag Gift Bag

Hello Crafters 

Today I am flying in to share with you all a new project I have been working on, which turned out fantastic. I did do a prototype first before I did the ones I am going to share with you all.

Here they are: One was made with 12x12 DSP (Designer Paper) and the other was made with 6x6 DSP (Designer Paper)

The products I used are:

Gift Box Punch Board

Pop Of Pink DSP - 12x12 bag

Playful Palette DSP - 6x6 bag 

Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow)

Stampin Dimensions

Glimmer Paper (from Sale-A-Bration)

Pop Of Paradise Stamp Set 

So what do you need to make these very cute and very easy Handbag Gift Bags 

1 - 12x12 DSP or Card 2 x strips for the handles (any size and width you like)

Glue 

Stamps 

Gift Box Punch Board 

Velcro Dots 

Any Embellishments

What to do:

On your Gift Box punch board there will be directions and all you need to do is follow the instructions on your board as you would to make a box .

Once you have done all the steps you then need to fold and burnish all your score lines, Now fold in and glue down 2 of the triangles any two that are opposite each other e.g one closest to you and the one away from you

Choose which is going to be the front of your bag and which is going to be the back of your bag - Decorate as required

Now construct your box as normal DO NOT glue down the other two triangles you will need these,at this point you should have everything glued down and stable and will have a box with two triangles sticking up.

The sides where you stuck down the triangles gently pull them out to the sides so you start t get a little give int hem but not too much otherwise you will have lines.

Now the two triangle that are left fold them in half way and glue this gives you the flaps of your handbag some stability and makes the closure 

Add your Velcro dots underneath one of the triangles and stick the other side of the Velcro on top, then push the sides together so the flaps meet each other to make the closure and stick together using the Velcro.

Last but by no means least attach your handles - Use your bone folder to help give the handles the shape.

Now you should have a completed Handbag Gift Bag - Give your self a pat on the back 

All the sizes on the Gift Box Board can be used to do these bags.

All the products I used have been linked to my on line shop where you can order everything you need. 

Place an Order of £20 or more and use this Hostess Code HVSUTUVY you will get a little Thank You gift from me. Place an Order of £45 or more and get some FREE products from the Sale-A-Bration.

Don't forget that I am also hosting an on line Stampin' UP! Party on Facebook which you are more than welcome to attend you will find it HERE

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Teamie Tuesday Challenge

Hello all 

Today I am flying in to share with you a Teamie Tuesday challenge which I have been itching to get stuck into since it was decided on and we all knew what we were doing for this week. Then again I have been itching to get stuck in with my kit goodies and I have to say WOW!!! Those inks *Swoooooon*

This week is a Anything Goes Challenge 

So here we have my piece for this weeks challenge 

For this piece I have used the following products:

Crumb Cake Note Cards

Watercolour Paper - 300gsm

Aqua Painters

Over The Rainbow Stamp Set 

Stampin' UP! Ink Pads in the following colours Rose Red, Crushed Curry, Garden Green, Island Indigo and Perfect Plum (These are all apart of the Regal Collection Ink Pads)

To do this piece all I did was use the Ink Pads as watercolours with a Aqua Painter in the order I have listed the colours above, dry this off using your heat tool once this is dry enough to stamp on top of  stamp the images onto the card using an acrylic block.

To finish it all off I glued the main piece to a Crumb Cake Note Card and used a fine line black pen to do the stitching detail.

All the products above can be purchased from my store and I have linked each product so you just need to click on to them.

Now let's see what the other team members have made this week 

Michelle - Ugly Bug Plans 

Alyson - Scarlet Moon Crafts

Louise - Slow Cooking Crafty Girl 

I am hosting an Online Stampin' UP! Party over on Facebook it is being held from 27th March to the 30th at 10pm which is the very last week of Sale-A-Bration spend over £45 and get some fantastic free products. So if you would like to come along then you are more than welcome 

STAMPIN' UP! ONLINE PARTY

MY STORE

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

My Papercuts

Hi all 

Today I thought I would share with you all another craft I do, I had always been interested in Paper cutting and loved seeing all the different creations.

So my paper cutting journey started with just a starter kit which included everything I needed to get into this wonderful craft.

After these I was surprised how well I did them so I got stuck in with other parts from the kit, as I was using the kit I also looked into other paper cutting designers one of which I already knew of as I purchase a lot with her which is Crafty Hana.

 Then I came across Wild Child Designs and I fell in love with these designs as there right up my street, So I made a wish list and started to purchase the one's I really liked first and again could not wait to get stuck in and cut.

Here is the first big design I cut

I then went on to doing more and here they are

I have also got other designs by other talented designers including Quirky Crafts and here is one of them I cut 

I absolutely love paper cutting and find it so relaxing, I will admit though I haven't done any for a while and starting to get itchy fingers to do some more designs which I have purchased. All of these paper cuts have been designed by the people mentioned I just do the fun and tricky part and that is cutting to make them come to life.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing what I have done so far and I look forward to doing more designs and sharing them with you all.

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Bloobel March progressive Challenge

Hi all flying in today with another challenge piece 

This piece has been done for the Bloobel Progressive Challenge for this month the theme was Easter Parade and the wonderful Lisa gave us a choice of 6 Digi Stamps to choose from and she wanted us to decorate the hats for the Easter Bonnet Parade.

So here is my entry 

As soon as i saw this crazy bunny I had to choose him :) the following products used to do this piece are as follows:

6x6 Blank Card 

Black Card Stock 

Designer Paper 

Easter Parade Bunneh Digi Stamp

Spectrum Noir Markers 

3D Floral Border 

Easter Sequins

Sentiment (Typed and printed)

This was a really fun piece to do for this months challenge I really enjoyed bringing this one to life and thinking of a sentiment to go with the crazy looking bunny was so difficult to choose but the one I finally went with was definitely the right one :)

You can find Bloobel Digi Stamps group on Facebook 

and Purchase Bloobel Digi Stamps on the Website 

I can not wait for next months challenge.

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Exciting News!!!!

Hello all and welcome back

Well I am soooo excited and have been itching to share this with you all.. Last week I attended a online Stampin Up! party on Facebook, a friend of mine who is a demonstrator for Stampin Up was hosting it.. I have been wanting to try Stampin Up! products for some time (over 4 years) so I thought to help a friend out I would order through her........... 

Well with the sale-a-bration being on it was perfect so I got carried away looking and my basket was going up and up OOOPPSIIEE!! So I thought hold on a minute i love doing what I do I love craft products and I love sharing my makes with you and so on so why not jump in and Join up.

THAT IS RIGHT LOVELIES I AM NOW AN INDEPENDENT STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR.

My wonderful Kit arrived Tuesday morning EEEEEKKK!! I have bee waiting for this to arrive before I shared this news with you all.... The kit is brilliant YOU choose what you want in your kit for a set fee.

Here is my Kit :)

Just look at those yummy ink pad colours, One of the things I love about these ink pads is they come with labels for you to put on so it is easier to know the colours wahooo! i also love the cases they come in so much easier for organisation.

.

You can take a look at the wonderful products from my store, and browse at your leisure you can place your order(s) through the store and they will be shipped straight to you. If you would prefer to order through me then feel free to get in touch. 

Here is My Stampin' Up! Store

Grab some bargains with SALE-A-BRATION ends on 31st March.. Place an order of £45 or more and get to pick some free goodies

If you would like to find out more information about becoming a Stampin' UP! Demonstrator go here JOIN THE FUN

I really look forward to sharing my makes and the products with you all

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Beehive Queen

Hi all and welcome back to another blog post :)

Today I am sharing with you a challenge piece I have done, I have taken the plunge and started to take part in the Simply Betty Progressive Challenge.

I have always been a big fan of Simply B Digi Stamps and do have a few of the wonderful images so as soon as I had chance to be able to take part I did.

Betty and Rio set out the rules to be followed for this months challenge 

Colours combo 

Black, White, and Yellow 

Use at least one Designer Paper 

A t least one Ribbon 

Embossing (wet or dry)

Once we had followed all of these we were allowed to add anything else to the finished project.

This months Digi is Beehive Queen and here is my finished project 

The products I used are as follows:

Beehive Queen Digi Stamp

6x6 Blank card 

Black Card stock 

Bo Bunny Paper 

Black Glint Embossing Powder - WOW

Spectrum Noir Markers 

Yellow Ribbon

Bee Stamp - Hobbycraft

Stamped Vellum Butterfly (made by me) Embossed and Coloured

Butterfly 3D Sticker 

Decorative 3D Floral Border 

Now for some close up shots to show some of the details off 

I have really enjoyed doing this challenge piece and following a theme has been lots of fun too, first time I have followed a theme like this and will most definitely be trying it more often 

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

DIY Distress Ink Background Combination Swatch

Hi all 

I have been working on a swatch of background combinations using my Distress Inks and thought you would all like to see it and get some inspiration from it for some background combinations

This is not complete but isn't far off so once I have done the last few to add to it I shall update you all. I can not take full credit for these background combinations as I had done a lot of searching around on Pinterest, Google, Blogs and so on majority of these have come from the colors of magic which is run by Bianca, I also found some combinations from Simon Says Stamp blog and from me just playing around and making a note of the colours used.

This is what the swatch looks like

As you can see it looks very colourful. So what do you need to make your own?? You need the following Tags (any size you wish and any kind), Distress Inks, Blending Tool, and a Hinged Ring (I think the one I am using at the moment is 32mm but I would advise bigger), and lastly a pen. 

Each combination I have done one at a time and as soon as I have finished a combination I have flipped the tag over and written on each colour in the order I have done the combination. 

Here is an example of one of the swatches(Front and Back)

Lets do one together shall we :), So get your tag, distress inks (you can do the same colours as I have in the picture or your own choice) and your blending tools. Do one colour at a time starting at the top of the tag making sure you have enough room on your tag to do each one, So in this one I have 4 colours to do, I always go back over each colour a few times to lend them and to help build the colour up.

And here is how it will look once finished, Don't forget to jot down the colours in the order you did them on the back of the tag. I also always put which ink it is I have done the blend with.

This has become such a useful tool and is so handy to have, I take it with me when I have a craft day with my best friend and we have both used it, when it is not being used I hang it on a hook at the side of my small tower of drawers which sits on top of my desk so it is always at hand.

As you have seen with the first picture there is a fair few combinations, If you would like me to do a few other blog posts showcasing some more of the blends please do let me know, or if there is a particular blend you would like to know if I have done it and want to see again feel free to comment and let me know.I did not want to make this post so long that you got bored.

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

NEW FIND!!! Make-Up Brush Soft Blending Background

Hello all

Well today I am sharing with you all a new tip/find to me which some of you may already do and know about.

I found this through a You Tube Video so I can not take credit for this but thought it was a fab tip and a money saver especially if you use stencil brushes and the ink dusters, so I thought I would share with all of you (Videos linked at the end of this post)

Ink blending with a £1 make up brush :O yes you read that right, the brushes I picked up are from Poundland and work brilliantly, If you are in the USA you can pick up an Elf Brush from your Dollar Store.
So chuffed I found this cheap alternative to get a softer look (you can of cause build up the colour in layers to get it darker)

So here is what you need:

Smooth White Card (Or what ever card you use to blend on)

Distress Inks (Or other inks you sue to do bending)

Make Up Brushes (try to get the full face soft brush)

I picked up two of each of the big brushes with handles and two of the small handled both work brilliantly.

Now to put them to practice

You can use any colours you like but for this one I have used Distress Inks in the following colours: Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry and Carved Pumpkin.. To get started all you need to do is load your brush up as you would you blending tool, and dab off any excess, Then just brush across your page lightly

Doesn't the soft shades of colour look beautiful and using this brush makes it so easy to blend them.

Here is a closer look at the colours

I ended up making this into something after doing the stages to show you all, so here is what I did 

I have used a Visible Image Stamp called Stay Strong and inked it up with some Versamark, I then stamped the sentiment onto the blended background and used some beautiful Rose Gold Wow Embossing Powder and then heat set it. 

I will be cutting this down and will be framing it along with more of my makes and will be putting them up on my walls.

I hope this inspires you all to give it a go and saves you some money, Just a quick thank you to KWCardDesign and Laurie Willison on You Tube for doing the videos to show how well this tip works.

If you would like to check out their videos here are the links 

KWCardDesigns - Soft Ink Blended Background

Laurie - Make Up Brush Blender

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

Visible Image Crafty Afternoon

Hi all

Welcome back to my blog, Today I managed to get some creating done in between taking photograph's for two other blog posts which are to come over next couple of days.

So I thought I would have a Visible Image afternoon, I had two of the stamps sat on my desk for a couple of weeks so I grabbed those and was on my way.

Here is the first of two new makes today 

The sentiment which is one of Visible Image's new stamps gave me the inspiration for this piece, I love how it turned out using the Joseph's Coat Technique. The supplies used for this piece were as follows:

5x7 White Card

Smooth White Matt Card

Distress Inks

Blending Tool

Visible Image Stamp Set - Leave Your Fears (is used to do the border)

Visible Image Stamp Set - Behind Every Mask (Retired)

Visible Image Stamp Set NEW RELEASE - Bold Colour

The next piece came about from experimenting a new technique with some Brusho's and here is the outcome 

The materials used to make this piece were as follows:

Watercolour Card

5x7 Card

Back Card

Brusho's 

Water

Pipetter

Canned Air 

Sequins

Visible Image Stamp Set NEW - Outside The Lines 

Black Watercolour Pencil

White Gel Pen 

I was so pleased with how both of these cards came out and hope they have given you some inspiration.

Xx The Crafty Bat xX

I would like to enter the First card into the following challenges

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes With Optional Twist 

Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes 

Make My Monday Challenges - Colours Of The Rainbow

QKR Stampede - Anything Goes 

Oh La La Creations Challenge Blog - Embossing