Our Creative Corner - In the Spotlight

Hello, welcome and Season's Greetings!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by - especially this close to THE BIG DAY! I hope you are all ready and set for the fun and games and that you've maybe even managed to squeeze some creative chilling time in to your hectic schedule.

If you regularly visit me you may be aware that back in October I entered the "It's Halloween - Let's Tag It On" (using surface texture) challenge over at Our Creative Corner. I entered my Creepy Castle Tag, and was thrilled to be chosen as the "Top Talent".  Challenge winners are invited to submit a second project, of their choice, and be interviewed and featured in a special post over at Our Creative Corner - so here I am, "in the spotlight" with a little festive make to share with you.  (you might want to pop over to OCC when you've finished here - I've put the link at the bottom of the page too.)

The banner is made from two sets of My Mind's Eye Lost and Found album covers (I thought I was buying complete mini albums when I bought them, but they turned out to be just the covers - (always read the small print!) I'm REALLY glad I picked them up for half price now!)

I decided to use both the front and back sides of the covers to give a bit of variation. Since taking my Art Journal classes I've discovered that I really love building up backgrounds, so I had fun adding layers of interest over the slightly pink text pages. I wanted to add some texture, but not overwhelm the piece, as I knew I wanted to add embellishments and still be able to clearly read the lettering.

I knew that my colour palette was going to feature the traditional Christmas colours of red and green and that I wanted a slightly faded vintage feel to the piece, to tie in with the shabby feel of the album covers with their pinkish tint, faded brown type and "inked" edges.

I used Memento Rich Cocoa to randomly stamp a Hobbycraft Merry Christmas sentiment and some Artemio flourishes and  Peeled Paint and Victorian Velvet DIs to stamp some Hot Off The Press borders and flourishes around the outside of the banners, leaving the middle section clear for the lettering. (The font I used is Santa's Sleigh available free here) which I cut out from plain old red cardstock using my Craft Robo. All the elements have been inked with Gathered Twigs DI to add to the vintage feel and to tie all the pieces together.

The N and the E flags are created using the "front" cover of the album and already had the glittered flourishes which I wanted to incorporate into my design - I don't normally "do" glitter but you can't beat a bit of a sparkle at Christmas!

In a nod to the original challenge, which required the use of surface texture on the Halloween tag, I used texture paste and a ledger stencil to add some random raised areas.

As you can see each flag is embellished differently, but uses the same colour palette. Where the N and E flags have the glitter flourish, the O and L flags have die cut TH Elegant Flourishes to give some continuity. The flourishes are cut from greyboard which has been covered with aluminium tape which I have then coloured with Copic marker to give a glorious red shine.

In brief - (as I'm sure there is probably a mince pie with your name on it waiting) the deets for the embellishments are as follows

N - Stampin' Up "Ornament Keepsakes" stamped in Peeled Paint DI and heat embossed with clear embossing powder - the embossing is not consistent on the DI but I love the shabby feel.

O - TH Elegant Flourishes die, TH Tattered Florals cut from red Core'dinations and Dovecraft's Back to Basics Christmas - Vintage 6x6 paper (my FAVOURITE general purpose Christmas paper EVER!). The ivy (and robin) are Marianne Creatables LR0206 and the ivy is cut from both Dovecraft Back to Basics Christmas and Papermania Woodland Folk.

E - The Christmas tree is Marianne Creatables LR0136 and Back to Basics Christmas with a few red gems - I borrowed the holly die from my crafty neighbour and forgot to write down the make - sorry!

L - TH Paper Rosette die (I cut the strip down the middle to make the smaller rosette), a couple of Papermania snowflake card toppers, a tag from stash and some Prima ivy leaves completes the project.

All that remains is for me to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and creative New Year.

My interview for Our Creative Corner can be found here.

Festive Fireplace

Hello and welcome.

Festive preparations continue apace and I wanted to share the finished card which was a WIP (work in progress) on my desk on WOYWW #236.

The design is taken from the Molly Blooms Christmas Carnival pack published in 2012 but coloured to suit the recipient's decor. Sorry the lighting in the photos is a bit weird but I had to take them whilst it was still dark outside. (Click on the pics for a better view).

They aren't showing up very well in the photos, but the touches of glitter on the fire, candle flames, stocking top and star really give added depth and interest. The heart is glazed with Dimensional Magic (similar to Glossy Accents) too.

Love the snowy touches on the garland (Seafoam embossing powder)

I had fun making the ribbon and fibre embellie - and you can't go wrong with a bit of pom-pom trim!

LOVED doing this project and I'm really pleased with the end result.

WOYWW #236

Hello again fellow Deskers - a very quick post from me as we are running LATE this morning.

This is what my desk looks like - still in the dark this morning...

A close up and sneak peek at a card I'm working on...

The wreath I was doing last week - all finished...

and in detail...

Got to go - VERY LATE now. Catch you later!

WOYWW #235

Hello again - it's me - I'm back... I've missed my adventures wandering around the Wednesday workdesks (you can join in by going here).

Apologies for being AWOL for the last couple of weeks - I've been sewing my little fingers to the bone and didn't have a very interesting desk to show you.

It will be my last, and favourite, craft fair on Saturday 6th December. Favourite because it is a Victorian Market and I have THE most beautiful costume to wear (thanks Mum!) It is in St Lawrence's Church in Gnosall and the atmosphere is fabulous. All the stall holders dress in costume and there are various entertainments throughout day - I'm really looking forward to it.

I've decided that I've got enough stock to last the day so I've tidied away all my work stuff and, as you can see, I'm indulging in a little Christmas crafting for myself...

I've broken out the Molly Blooms Christmas stamps and I'm playing nice! This is going to be the Holly Wreath featured in last year's Christmas Carnival pack. I'm hoping to make a few decorations to "Christmas up" my craft room - I've got some fairy lights up already (I do like a twinkly light!) but I could do with some more festive bits and bobs.

That's all from me - let me know you came and I'll try and catch up with you later.

WOYWW #231

Good morning and welcome fellow Deskers!

Just a quickie from me today... I had a VERY successful craft fair on Saturday - THANK YOU for all your good wishes - they definitely paid off! As a result I am now sewing full out to re-stock for my next venture - a Victorian Market in December. Consequently my desk is awash with felt and embroidery floss and NOT a very interesting sight. Soooo... I thought (and I hope Julia won't mind too much) that I would post pictures of my stall on Saturday as I know many of you have been intrigued about what I have been creating with my bits of felt. So here it is...

All designs copyright © Maisie Moonshine 2013

Thanks for popping in - I'll catch up with you later.

WOYWW #230

Welcome to another What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, hosted by the effervescent Ms Dunnit  over at The Stamping Ground. Go here to join in the fun. This is the day when we wander about the ether world and have a good old mooch around the work spaces of fellow crafters all over the globe, getting inspiration, support and friendship along the way. If you've not tried it - give it a go - you won't be disappointed.

So the burning question is "what is on my workdesk today?" The answer is - not what there should be!  I should be sewing like a loony (for a craft fair on Saturday) but I got a bit side tracked by a new challenge letter for the altered dictionary challenge I'm doing with The Craft Barn...

I bet it's a bit more exciting on your desk today. Let me know you came, and your WOYWW number, and I'll pay you a visit later.

N is for ... Neige

Time for another entry for The Craft Barn's Dictionary Challenge. This time round it's letter N with no twist. So before we go any further I need to apologise to Izzy for playing fast and loose with my word choice.

As you know I'm using an old French-English dictionary and I'm using the French half of the dictionary for this challenge. I have chosen the word neige meaning... snow. My interpretation, as you can see below, is a snowman, which in French is really un bonhomme de neige, but I'm hoping that since my bonhomme is made from neige (OK if you're going to be picky - cereal box, acrylic paint and ink) Izzy will forgive me?

I have used Tim Holtz's Winter Wonder die, painted with white acrylic and inked with DI. The hat and carrot nose have been flocked and the seam binding stained with Fired Brick DS. The snow and snowflakes are heat embossed with Stampendous Winter Wonderland embossing powder.

I'm really quite fond of my jolly snowman :0)

L is for.... Lune

Oh my giddy aunt - squeezing in under the wire with this one!

The Craft Barn's Dictionary Challenge is letter L this time around - but with the twist of incorporating a window in to the design.

It took me ages to decide which L word I was going to use from my English-French dictionary, I finally plumped for lune meaning moon.

My happy man in the moon is a vintage image downloaded from The Graphics Fairy, the window is a Molly Blooms stamp with a Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe blind and Artemio stamps "wallpaper".

Thank you for visiting.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013 - October

Hello and welcome. It's been a busy month here at Moonshine Manor and it has been difficult to find time for crafting. That said, today is my birthday so I have treated myself to some me time in the old Chambre de Craft and am delighted to have started AND finished my October Tim Tag.

You can see Tim's original design here. Once again I have had to work around my woeful  lack of TH supplies but I'm really pleased with the results.

I'm enjoying my Halloween crafting and seem to be getting a dedicated "spooky corner" in my craft room.

Thank you for visiting.

WOYWW #229

Hello again and welcome to another WOYWW. (Confused? Go here, meet our lovely hostess Julia and join in all the fun). I'm sorry I missed you last week but I was just too busy to make it in to the craft room.

I wanted to say thank you for all the lovely comments I got on WOYWW #227 about my WIP (work in progress) Halloween tag. It was lovely reading all your positive comments about the window idea. The tag is now finished and if you are interested you can see it here.

So - what is on my work desk today?

Well, today I am mainly making monogram keyrings. I'm over half the way through the alphabet now, but crikey, these little beauties don't half take some time to make! My first craft fair this season is on the 2nd November so I need to get a hustle on!

That's it from me - but what's on your work desk today? Leave me a comment with your Mr Linky number and I'll try my best to come and visit you too.

Creepy Castle Tag

I have finally finished my Creepy Castle Tag for the textured Halloween tag challenge at Our Creative Corner. My plan was to create a tag which gave a view in through the window of a long deserted haunted castle.

I started by die cutting a tag from cereal box board and inking it with Black Marble Dylusions ink then randomly stamped Paper Artsy ink splatters in Black Soot DI to add some extra interest. I die cut the window shape and applied multiple layers of Black Soot DI to the frame.

I used texture paste and That Special Touch Stone Wall mask to form the bricks and the same ink splatter stamp pressed in to the almost dry paste to add some extra texture. When the paste was fully dry I blended Pumice Stone and Dusty Concord DI over the bricks. I dried the ink with a heat tool and applied pewter gilding wax lightly over the bricks to further emphasise the texture.

I stamped partial images of spiders webs randomly over the tag to add more interest. The Beware embellishment is stamped and heat embossed and the cardstock aged with Pumice Stone DI and a paper distresser.

I stamped spiders webs and bat stamps on some seam binding with black StazOn and then inked the ribbon with Pumice Stone and Dusty Concord DI.

The tattered curtain is a piece of tulle which has been torn and inked with Pumice Stone DI.

A mini plastic skellie and some metal embellies finish the tag.

And finally, the tag in all its spooky glory back lit by flickering LED candle light!

Hope you like it. Thanks for looking.