there's a new challenge up over at Scrap Africa - which i am co-hosting and challenging you on this month...I love themed challenges as inspiration and a starting point for creativity, having said that i hate following rules too but i usually use them to trigger an idea, colour scheme or theme. so if you are in need of getting a creative jump start this festive season then join us and come and play along...

the challenge was snowflakes, stencilling and glitter, and here's what i did with my tag.

the background was coloured using Mister Huey inks and Distress inks. Once dry i used a circle stencil and stenciled two different colours of ink over each other. i also inked the edges a bit darker to add definition.

i used the same colours of ink to colour my seam binding ribbon - you can get yours from www.scrapbookstudio.co.za - they have loads of colours ins stock and their service is really great.

the snowflake is from Celebr8 and distributed by The Wholesaler. i love these snowflake layered chippies - they are so detailed and delicate. i misted the top layer with Mister Huey and then once dry added a layer of Star Dust Glitter glue.

to finish off my tag i added some stamping and diamante for texture and dimension and added pattern. this would make a great gift tag for a pressie....

head on over to the blog and see what the rest of the amazing team came up with - truly different and unique. and for a chance to win some goodies....play along with us! we would love to see what you do with your snowflakes.

my apologies for being missing in action. it seems actually is as if life has been on a down hill lately and i just needed to take a bit of a breather and step back and re-evaluate life as one tends to have to do sometimes. anyways...i am playing catch up with loads of things and especially blogging and sharing some creative stuff.

tip # 6  - create tone on tone backgrounds for cards, tags and layouts.

i love the look of tone on tone. there are many ways to achieve that but my favourite involves the cuttlebug and beautiful dies. 

1. cut a shape or pattern using your Cuttlebug. i used a thin glossy paper for mine because of the delicate nature of the die.

2. place the die-cut onto a craft sheet and colour the same as your backgrounds. i used Mister Huey inks and misted the die-cut until i was happy with the look.

3. Use a glue stick to adhere the die-cut to your background and decorate.

i love how the glossy paper still coloured green using the mists, but still retained it's shimmer for a beautiful effect.

i used the amazing new Anna Griffin die for my background - and remember you can emboss the cut as well for a really amazing look.

my background tag was coloured using Mister Huey inks and then inked around the edges in a dark brown dye ink for definition.

this look can be achieve using smaller dies as well - simply cut the image repeatedly and then use your glue stick to adhere them to your background. let the edges touch each other for a continues look. i hope you are having fun using your Cuttlebug and that your December isn't too stressful. we have a holiday tomorrow so i am chilling at home and catching up on washing and cleaning and re-arranging furniture. until tomorrow - thanks for dropping by - you are loved!

I have always had a fondness for wood glue - it has qualities that most others glues don't have - and not the kind for adhering paper don't get me wrong. i use wood glue for everything else except gluing down things. so naturally tip and technique # 5 involves wood glue.

Tip # 5 - create plastic looking elements using wood glue and embossing folders.

1. Open your embossing folder and grab some wood glue. In America and elsewhere in the world this wood be something like Elmer's craft glue i imagine.

2. Add a nice thin layer of wood glue directly onto the bottom side of the folder. I normally add the wood glue all over and then let it settle and form an even layer. the next step is very important...

3. Place your embossing folder on a perfectly level surface and leave it to dry - normally this will take up to 2 days depending on the thickness of your glue layer.

4. Once dry the glue will be a milky white colour. Carefully peel off the dried glue layer - this is quite easy to do.

5. I then used alcohol inks to colour my dried sheet of plastic embossed glue thingy. words of what to call it fail me here LOL

6. sew it onto a card or tag and embellish for a funky element.

this is the back of my dried glue layer - pretty smooth with only a few air bubbles - which is not on the front.

once you add colour the effect is quite amazing and unique.

the glue does not harm or damage your embossing folders at all. once dry the glue simply peels off the plastic folder and is perfectly clean and dry.

i hope you will try this technique - it's fun and even the kids can get involved in this one - a fun project for the holidays but will require some patience. happy bugging!

It's time for another sketch share over at Nuts About sketches.i loved using this versatile sketch, and although i am not really into singles apart from making them for the front and back of my albums...i enjoyed this one. to see the original sketch and what the other girls did with their sketches head on over to the blog

i used a beautiful ledger paper in the centre of my layout and it made the photos look even greener but i kind of like it. the flags are all stuff that was on my table like the scrap used to test sewing using gold thread, silver leafed square cut to a flag and then a scrap of white covered in pink floral washi tape.

the brown and white baker's twine was also left over from another kit project. so basically just using what i have on my desk at the time - love that i use everything! hope you have a creative day - until later!

welcome to the third day of sharing tips and tricks using your Cuttlebug machine.so if you have been hanging around my blog long enough you will know i love circles. a girl can never had too many circle punched, dies, stamps and elements. so what to do when you don't have the right sized stamp why not make your own?
Tip #4 - make your own stamps using dies

I used a circle die to cut circles out of fun foam, then adhered them onto an acrylic block using double sided tape and then stamped with them.
I use anything from Chalk ink pads to Acrylic paints for different effects when stamping my circles. They truly are versatile.
you can use a single circle and stamp it repeatedly or use a couple on a larger block and off-set them for a versatile background stamp.

i lvoe the texture that acrylic paint offers your stamps.

i don't mind my stamps getting mucked up even when i use acrylic paint, because when they are no longer that nice, i simply peel them off my acrylic block and clean it, die cut new circles and start all over again. stamps truly are the most versatile products i have in my stash!

i will be back tomorrow afternoon local South African time with tip #4. And in case you are stressed out, this is not why i am sharing these ideas and tips - i do it because i believe in this product, and by the end of my 25 days i will have completed my Project Life pages for December while memory keeping one day at a time. no stress, just creativity at it's best. so play along and don't be stressed out.