Calendar - November & December

Hello, this is the last two pages of my calendar. You may think the December page isn't very festive, but that is because the lady I am making it for is a Jehovah's Witness (I'm not, but I respect her beliefs and we have been friends for more years than I care to remember) and as you may or may not know they don't do the Christian festivals.




































November (Lady) - The image is a painting called "Hiver" by Alphonse Mucha, printed onto Soft Satin Photo Paper, mounted onto blue stardream pearlescent card and edged with silver border peel offs. The corners are made from the same blue card with a Cuttlbug die. The backing paper is the same one I made for a Christmas card . The embellishments are two large snowflakes cut from white stardream pearlescent card using another Cuttlebug die and emboss set with a blue rhinestone added. The little snowflakes are made using white pearlescent paper a small snowflake punch with flatback pearls and clear rhinestones.
December - A Japanese painting I don't know the name of or remember where I got from, but it was printed onto Ilford Gallerie smooth pearl paper, mounted onto silver silk mirri card with silver peel offs in the corners. The backing paper is one I made again from two different pictures. The first picture being one of a night sky that I "stretched" to make the stars look like falling snow, and the other of some frost that I copied and mirrored and then layered the two together and changed the colour to compliment the picture. All done through my ANCIENT Adobe photoshop graphics program. The Oriental sentiments are black peel offs put onto silver silk mirri card that was put through the Cuttlebug using Nestabilites Classic Rectangles. The little "tassels" I made from Anchor silver Lame thread. And lastly some silver corner peels offs. So there you go, my calendar pictures complete. Just got to get round to doing the actual calendar pages and binding it and it'll be ready to go. I hope my friend Gillian will like it as I hope you do too.
Take care and keep smiling

PS. I just had a look at the oriental page and I lied (GASP) it wasn't two differnt pictures used to make the backing paper, but three. The other picture was one with squiggles, that was originally black with fuchsia pink squiggles on it. I love graphics programs, you can turn three different pictures that are all different colours into one. How cool is that!

Calendar - September & October

Hello again, here's the next two pages of my calendar...
















September (chocolate) - The three ladies were from Joanna Sheens' Fashion Boutique CD Rom, as was the backing paper. The three ladies were printed onto Jaquard inkjet cotton, padded and mounted onto copper silk mirri card. The backing paper was printed onto pearlescent paper and "aged" with Brilliance Coffee Bean ink pad. The sentiment backing I made myself through my graphics program. Basically I took the middle lady coloured out everything on the image except the palm leaf and the background. I then copied and flipped the image (mirrored) and then lightened it and stamped on the sentiment, which I got from Stampland Chicago. The Swirls is a Sizzix die and of course ribbon.
October - This I think is my favourite page. The image is a painting called "Dogwood" by Albert Bierstadt. It was printed onto Ilford Gallerie smooth pearl paper and mounted onto copper mirri card and then edged with copper peel offs. The backing paper is a William Morris design printed onto pearlescent paper and "aged" with Brilliance coffee bean ink pad. The leaves I made with a Cuttlebug die from three different colour pearlescent card and then sponged with different colour Brilliance ink pads to get the autumn colours and then scored with a fine embossing tool to get the veins. The sentiment is an Impression Obsession rubber stamp that was stamped onto the same William Morris design as the BP, but this was printed on to plain white card, again this was mounted onto copper mirri card and edged with the same peel offs. Some copper organza ribbon and some metal embellishments to finish off.
The last two pages will be posted tomorrow along with (hopefully, if I get it finished) my entry into the house Mouse Challenge.
Thank you for looking. Take care and keep smiling

Calendar - July & August

Morning, feels a bit fresh this morning and it's not raining. So here's the next installment of my calendar...















The colours on these photo's are a bit iffy, the little girl picture isn't that orange and the lily centre is orange and not pink! But anyway you get the general idea.
July - The backing paper is one I made through my graphics program from two different pictures. The lily picture is from Joanna Sheen's Card Makers Year CD Rom and if you look closer you'll see like a wiggle pattern, thats the other picture, that came from Backing Papers For Free. The lilies also came from the Card Makers Year CD Rom. Some gold peel offs and orange ribbon were added for effect. I cheated on this page (gasp in horror) I borrowed the idea from a card on Joanna Sheens Gallery, she's quite happy for this to happen (no copyright). I WOULD NOT do this from any blog site. Only if I asked first and then I would show it to the person first for approval before I published it, and then like on this post I would leave a link to the original card.

August - The main picture is called The Sea Blossom by Jessie Wilcox Smith. Again printed on Ilfor Gallerie smooth pearl paper and mounted on to gold mirri card with some gold border peal off in the corners. The two small shell designs are Serendipity rubber stamps which were embossed with Moon Glow EPs. The large shell and sentiment are Impression Obsession stamps, again embossed with Moon Glow EP. The backing paper is again a picture I have amassed over time on my computer and changed the colour to match. The card used to make the shells is two different colour Stardream pearlescent card.
Thanks again for stopping by.
Take care & keep smiling

Calendar - May & June

Morning! Well it's not so cold today but it is raining (now there's a surprise). Today I'll show you the third installment of my calendar...

May - The image is by Alphose Mucha from Joanna Sheens Card Makers Year CD Rom and has been decoupaged and mounted onto gold silk mirri card, and a couple of pink rhinestones. It was then layered onto a pink floral paper that was from Artylicious Fantasy Floral CD-ROM, and then some gold corner and border peel offs added. Then that was put onto a silk effect backing paper from Joanna Sheen's Fashion Boutique CD Rom and "aged with Brilliance Gold Galaxy ink pad. The hardware was made using a wizard die and gold silk mirri card and "aged with Stazon Timber Brown inkpad and a couple of pink rhinestones. Then last but not least the ribbon was from Raspberry Ribbons June kit.

June - The main image is one I found on the internet (sorry can't remember which page) printed onto Ilford Galerie smooth pearl paper and mounted onto silver silk mirri card. The backing paper is from Dover William Morris Designs CD Rom, aged with a green inkpad (can't remember which one). The sentiment is a rubber stamp from Stampland Chicago (yes they do ship outside the US), mounted on silver silk mirri card cut using Nestabilies. The corner swirls are a Cuttlebug die cut from dark green linen card. Lastly the daisies where from ebay, and the ribbon from a craft show.
Right with that done I'm off the continue with my card for the Tilda & Co Challenge 39.
Take care and keep smiling

Calendar - March & April

Good evening, I don't know what the weathers like where you are but I'm FREEEEEEEZING. Autumn's arrived and she means business. Brrrrr, anyway here's the next two installments to my calendar...

March - The little dog images were from Joanna Sheens' Card Makers Year Cd Rom, printed onto Jaquard Inkjet cotton, padded and mounted onto green card stock which was sponged with Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink pad and the edges with Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy. The backing paper was also from the CD Rom and printed onto linen paper and "aged" with Brilliance Galaxy Gold. The sentiments were computer generated, printed onto another backing paper from the CD Rom but I faded the image so as the writing was more visible and printed onto pearlescent white card. They were cut out using my Megabilities and again edged with Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy, and then a couple of ribbon loops 'cos I felt like it!


April - The image is a painting by Jesse Wilcox Smith from Good Housekeeping, April 1919. The image was printed onto Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl Paper, and then mounted on some pink card stock and edged with some gold peel offs. The DP is K&Co "Romanza Wild Roses" and "aged " with I think Versafine Spanish Moss inkpad (I can't remember, but thats what it looks like). The top embellishment is Wizard Die Border Trimming that was cut using gold silk mirri card and aged with Stazon Timber Brown inkpad. Then at the bottom I used a large mulberry daisy (not Prima, just some I got off ebay) and pink organza ribbon from Raspberry Ribbons June pink kit. Waffled on long enough now, so until tommorow...
Take care, keep smiling and stay warm

Calendar - January & February

Oooo, two posts in one day, I must be on a roll! Not really, I started making this calendar about two months ago and decided I needed to get on with it if it is to be finished in time for the New Year :) (told you I was the slowest crafter EVER). So here's January and February...



















January (Black one). The main image comes from Joanna Sheen Fashion Boutique CD, and is printed onto Jaquard Inkjet Silk and padded up. The frame it's mounted onto is made with Cuttlebug decorative corner die and gold silk mirri card. The gold buttons where made with the "waste" from the centre of the corners and put through the cuttlebug in an embossing folder. 2009 was handmade. I printed the numbers onto thick paper cut them out traced round them on to some mount board, cut them out them triple embossed with Heat It Up Gold Tinsel EP. Then all mounted onto some black Tapestry Card.
February - The backing paper is computer generated. It was a picture I'd found on the internet aaages ago (can't remember where from) and it was originally turquoise, but I put it through my graphics program and changed it to green (as you do)and printed it onto pearlescent white paper. The orchid picture and bookmark were made using Joanna Sheen's Floral Fantasy CD, though I did add the sentiment on the bookmark myself which I found on The Quote Garden website. I decoupaged the orchid mounted it and the bookmark sleeve on gold silk mirri card. The bookmard was printed onto plain white card mounted onto emerald green Stardream pearlscent card then covered with matt transparent film. The main sentiment again was from The Quote Garden, printed onto the same design as the main backing paper, but this time it was lightened and printed onto linen paper and put through the cuttlebug with a rectangle nestability.
Phew, I almost got out of breath after all that lot. Maybe tomorrow if I get over the computer writers cramp I'll post March and April. Oh if you're wondering what the white bit is on the right of the calendar pictures is, it's where the calendar bit is going, but that's another story.
Take care and keep smiling