Picture heavy

Hi Everyone, you'll be glad to know this is the last of my etching that I have done in the last couple of months. This was for an old work colleague who was retiring. There was a mishap with arrangements for her party and old work colleagues were crossed of the list!  Because of that I still have it a month later, so I hope she doesn't read this before I see her! I'm trying to get together with her, but with her grandchild  sitting, it's quite difficult, she'll have it one day LOL.

Anyway, I designed it in Silhouette design space with flowers that I have in my files, and now can't find! I traced the outline of one of the flowers and added  them to the vase with her name and wishes. I then cut it out on the Cameo as a stencil with Oracal  651 vinyl.

After it was all etched and washed off I saw I had made a few errors grrr. They  were quite large, so it was do I throw it away OR rescue it? I decided to try and rescue it. I added butterfly shapes to the marked areas, I'm so pleased I made the errors as I prefer them on it. This was difficult to do because of the rounded shape and I think that's how I had large "splot"  areas marked. The black spot is a label saying the glass is hand made.

The etching is so difficult to photograph, this the best I could do. 

Of course I had to make a box for it too,

 it's made from Navy card and Craft Sensations card pack. 

Shame is I am nearly at the end of the pack now, I hate when that happens.

AND then -
I used the shape cut out for the stencil to add to my Cameo and the little bin which holds my WRMK foil pens, win all around methinks.

I thought I would add a few piccies that were taken near us,
it was the result of storm Dennis!

After the water had gone down!

Even the geese have no where to go!

this area hadn't been flooded before, at least not that I remember.
Thankfully just mess left on the main road.

Left behind debris

 Shows the strength of the water!

debris left behind on the canal viaduct, there are bridges under the water!

Beer glass

Hi Everyone, our first challenge of the New Year and it's -

My eldest brother has his birthday soon and I decided to give him something personal, we only give little gifts, so an idea, when I saw this glass in a supermarket, came to me. 

Using my Silhouette Cameo and some Oracle 651 vinyl I cut out the design I made in the Cameo design space. I added it to the glass with transfer paper and when it was all stuck with no bubbles, I added Etchall cream to the design on the glass, I left it for 15 minutes, although the instructions say a minute or two, I like to make sure it's really got on the glass. I removed as much of the paste as possible back into the container to be reused, then washed off the remaining cream and removed the vinyl. This is the result, it's so difficult to get a decent photo, the only way I could do it was to place it on my knees. I think I should have washed it properly before taking the photo LOL.

I placed a beer bottle inside and wrapped it.

I thought it so funny how the glass has distorted my knees, they are rounded I promise!

How I changed a plain vase!

Hi Everyone, something new today, last year my sister in law asked if I would make a 70th birthday present for her flower arranging sister, of course, I replied.

As SiL lives a few hundred miles away I had to buy a vase. At the time, it looked like every shop I went into was stopping selling vases! I had limited choice so chose this one. I had forgotten I had these piccies and project, so thought I would share them today.

This was the design SiL decided on, I designed it on the Silhouette Cameo, I can't find the flower to identify it.

I cut the image out of vinyl on the Cameo, removing the pieces of the image.

I added a transfer sheet to be able to pick up the vinyl in one piece

ensuring there were no bubbles between the 2 sheets

I was then able to pick up both pieces, removing the vinyl from the carrier sheet

I transferred the vinyl to the vase, making sure that the vinyl was adhered well,  with no bubbles, then removed the transfer sheet.

from previous experience and as I always drop some cream, I added plenty of covering to the vase with sticky tape, which prevents any of the cream getting onto the glass.  YEP! it etches the glass immediately.

I added lots of etching cream, in this case "Etchall". I move the cream with an ice lolly stick most of the time it's on the item, ensuring no surface is left untouched by the cream.

After about 15 minutes, the instructions says less, but I like to leave it longer.

 When time is up I take most of the cream off and replace it into the container, ready for next time, the remaining cream is washed off under a cold tap in the sink. The vinyl and sticky tape is removed and I have a wonderful etched vase that is there for life.

The following photos show it finished with a black background, as it's difficult to show the glass etched in a photograph. I was really pleased with the end result.

I'm glad to say SiL's sister was  thrilled with her present.

I saw this quote on Elizabeth Dulemba blog and thought it was just perfect for us crafters. She has some wonderful colouring pages that I have used a lot, BUT not recently, now that reminds me, there HAS to be a return to these images asap.

     "You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don't know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don't know who your friends are, you don't know what you owe anybody, you don't know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen." 
— Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

25th Anniversary vase and box

Hi Everyone, I have had lots of celebration cards to make this last couple of weeks and this is another, one made for my baby Brother and SiL, who's Silver Anniversary is today, we will be away for a couple of days near Taunton, celebrating the renewal of their vows with lots of family and friends, I hope I've got this post scheduled correctly LOL.

They didn't want presents just donations to the Motor Neuron Disease Charity, the illness our elder brother died of 3 years ago. I decided to make a little something for them anyway.

The Big Box I made was for their present, which is a "hurricane" vase, you can now see by the shape, why it wouldn't go into the box I made. Anyhow, my "Bruvva" had sent me a cartoon image of themselves done earlier this year, so why not use it I thought?

I copied it into the design area of the Silhouette, traced it and cut it out of vinyl, then etched it with Armour paste to get the image, frame and 25 onto the vase. I didn't want it too obvious, I hope they like it. I have also done a card - of course, which will be I shall show you in a few days.

It's difficult to photo, but I hope you can see enough to give you an idea of what I did.

this is the box I had to redo to get the size correct. 

I'm afraid a boring square one.

The cut file bow is from a Crafters Companion CD "A Walk in the Countryside"

paper - The Range 

sentiment - sketched and cut on the Cameo

corner die - Tonic

bling from stash

vase as above

Pansy Bloom & 50th Anniversary present!

Hi Everyone, I'm combining 2 posts into one, so lots to see and read, allow some time LOL. you have been warned!

Firstly the Outlawz Sketch challenge, I used

Sprite Pansy AuroraWings digitally coloured

Dp's and pansy by Alexis Design Studio

Spectrum Noir pens to edge paper and colour lace and ribbon, to match

Pin dot dies, oval Tattered Lace, square Susan Wilson

sentiment Doodle Pantry

Now for something different -

Our friends had their 50th wedding anniversary last week and a little while ago I promised to show you their present from us. What do you get a couple who have everything and don't want presents?

Luckily I saw an idea on the web and was able to buy the last glass cutting board for the kitchen top at our local Dunelm! The silver effect surround on the glass was already on it and I added a leaf shape, their names and when they married. I'm pleased to say they liked it.

Cut on the Cameo, vinyl was used as a stencil and
 I then used Armour etching cream,
 I found moving the cream around for about 5 minutes was a good result,
 I added it to the underside of the glass.
black paper underneath to show the etching

I then decided to add some fun with a couple of mugs,
adding vinyl, cut on the Cameo - wifey and hubby
and 50 inside a heart shape

this is the gift box for the mugs, cut on the Cameo
from a paper pack from The Range

Vinyl with the Silhouette Cameo

Hi Everyone, my post today is to show you a couple of things I have been doing with the Cameo and vinyl. I had an idea for a present and needed to get it practiced before I did the present.

The first thing I ever did with etching, is this glass, I know I will improve, mostly because, as hubby says, I was too impatient to do the project before covering everything, so there were a couple of dots that splashed while I was putting the cream on. but I WAS excited to try it. LOL.

 I used Armour Etch cream, after I weeded out the letters of
 the vinyl and placed it onto the glass.

A so and so to take a photo of it though.

I also did some more vinyl onto glass, this time a mirror with a design,
 I did in Photoshop, with PS shapes, and  a sentiment I
saw on the web, I transferred it to Silhouette, 

cut the vinyl and placed onto the bathroom mirror, 

it made the men in the house laugh anyway. 

It looks a double cut, but the mirror has mirrored it.

Another one difficult to photograph.

I can't let you see the next yet, as it's the present, I have been practising,
 and I know she visits occasionally. 

I'll let you see in a few weeks, after she gets it!

My next project, can you tell I love doing this? LOL

I had seen on FB lots of Gals had used wood and tiles to

 add names for wedding presents etc. Too late for the wedding

 in our family, but not too late for me! so here is MY tile. 

Done with black glossy vinyl and silk? effect gold.

The wood effect tile I got for 50 pence in a
 tile shop, it's 12 inches x 3 inches.

the est. is, of course, when we married.