Magical Mysteries Blog Hop with Dragon's Eggs and Fairy Wings

It’s Blog Hop time 

and we are featuring the magical mysteries line from Rita Barakat and Emerald Creek!

We are hoping to introduce you to many ways of using these new and mysterious embossing powders, turning your works into magical art. 

A special thank you goes out to all of the talent in this line up. Joe, Midge & Madge, Ken, Fredrique, Cathy, Stephanie and our amazing coordinator Katelyn, we couldn’t have done this without you. 

It’s Blog Hop time 

and we are featuring the magical mysteries line from Rita Barakat and Emerald Creek!

We are hoping to introduce you to many ways of using these new and mysterious embossing powders, turning your works into magical art. 

 To enter the contest just comment on every project in the Hop by clicking through the links at the bottom of the page. The contest closes October 10 at11:59pm  One lucky winner will be announced Friday October 12.

Wow!! If you have not tried/seen or gotten your hands on these amazing powders, you NEED to!! A magical partnership between Rita Barakat and Emerald Creek has brought all this shimmer and beauty to you!

So thrilled to share these with you, and so honored to be a part of the Hop with such incredible creatives! 

Be sure to follow the hop, I'll pop the list down at the end of this post for you. You will be inspired to create with after seeing the projects from the Hop!

And on to my project! It's all about the fairy magic.

These powders were a dream to work with. So much lustre and shimmer and a touch of glitter.

I started with a 5X7 canvas board and used Dina Wakely Black Gesso to cover it. Once that was dry I stamped a border with my Branch Out and Mushroom stamp from Emerald Creek. 

I moved that aside and then cut out a small piece from my Graphic 45 paper stash of Fairie Dust. I embossed the first letters with Kiss of the Fairy and did the border with Dragon's Egg.

Then it was time for the fairies!! Adorable little chipboard ones from Southern Ridge Trading Company. Let the embossing begin! For these little ones I used the Fairy Wings set and started with the base for all of them. The little bird was done with Mermaid Fin (such pretty glitter)

I have the bird feeding fairy and the artist fairy painting her canvas.

This little one was done with the Fairy Wings Base, Green, Gold and Blue over the base.

The artist fairy was done with the Fairy Wings Base, Blue, Purple, Pink and on the body I added a touch of Kiss of the Fairy for the sparkle.

 

 And one last shot of the completed project. I just love the colours and how they all work together and you can use the Fairy Wings base on it's own too, such a pretty iridescent purple shine.

Now make sure to follow the hop to be inspired and for your chance to win!

Kim -  http://bit.ly/ECRitaMMBloghop 

Rita - http://ritabarakat.com/index.php/2018/10/08/magical-mysteries-blog-hop/

Stephanie - http://inkedartist.com/?p=2267

 Cathy (You Are Here) - https://amethystalcove.blogspot.com/2018/09/magical-mysteries-blog-hop-with-dragons.html

Midge & Madge - https://www.midgeandmadgemingle.com/blog/magical-mysteries-blog-hop

Freddie - https://bubblescrap.blogspot.com/2018/10/magical-mysteries-blog-hop.html

Joe - http://www.createncraft.com/portfolio-items/dnd_dice_bag/

Happy hopping and enjoy the inspiration featuring Rita Barakat's Magical Mysteries Embossing Powder created with Emerald Creek!

Happy Thanksgiving (for us Canadian folks) and have a wonderful week!

Cathy

Supplies Used:

Rita Barakat Magical Mysteries Embossing Powders - Fairy Wings Kit, Kiss of the Fairy, Dragon's Egg, Mermaid Fin, Midnight Magic
Emerald Creek Mushroom Stamp
Emerald Creek Branch Out Stamp
Dina Wakely Black Gesso
Graphic 45 Fairie Dust paper

But First...Coffee

I had the honour of being a guest designer in August for Quietfire Design

Thanks so much to Suzanne Cannon for  the opportunity to create with her amazing designs.

For this project I used the fabulous set But First, Coffee

You can never have too many coffee related stamps in my world!

Here's a little peek for you!

For all the details and full card, head on over to the  Quietfire Design blog and have a look :) 

And while you're there be sure to check out some of the amazing dies, created from Suzanne's calligraphy. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Cathy

Clipper Street and Seth Apter

Yes, that title is correct! Seth Apter spent three days teaching right here in Langley, BC, Canada at Clipper Street Scrapbook Company! And I got to be there for the Saturday and Sunday class.

Anyone else ever have an experience that you just can't fit in a Facebook post or Instagram blurb? Well that was my weekend. I don't even know if I have the words now to describe it, but I'm going to fumble all over myself and give it a try.

I think everyone knows how much I love my LSS, Clipper Street. I am grateful on a daily basis that I have this place to go to, for creative supplies, for inspiration, for a talk and a vent too. Deanna works so hard for us to bring in amazing teachers, all the newest product and the whole team is just amazing. Thank you Deanna and all the amazing team at Clipper Street! I did a post a couple of years ago about this fabulous place and you find that post HERE 
I also wanted to give a shout out to the anonymous person that called or emailed Deanna at Clipper Street and generously paid for half of one of my classes. I do not know who it was, but that was an amazing kindess and I was a bit overhwhelmed by that gesture, Kim and Deanna can vouch for that. So to that person, thank you for your kindness!

I had the honor of meeting Seth a couple of years ago at Creativation when I was there with Emerald Creek. Sometimes I fan girl a bit (okay A LOT, there were witnesses to most of it LOL) and talking with Seth was no exception. But he talked to me like a peer and was so kind and gracious, I was just in awe of that experience. Then this weekend having him teach for two full days and being a part of that, mind boggling. Seth is so incredibly talented and so generous with sharing his knowledge. He was so encouraging in class and walked the room to help everyone! As I listened to him teach and learned new techniques, I also learned much more about creating and "letting your piece tell you what it wants/needs". I found learning from Seth to be such a stress free environment, even though I went in thinking "omg, what am I doing here, I shouldn't be here, I'm not good enough, what if i make a mistake, what if I put something in the wrong place" Trust me, you can have all those thoughts, but after a few minutes of being in class and listening to Seth and seeing him do a demo, those thoughts will disappear! You will feel like you belong there and if you have a question, ask it!! Seth is very open with his ideas and help and sharing his talent. I will always be so grateful for this opportunity and a huge thank you to Seth for how approachable he is, how gracious and kind he is and for sharing so much of his talent with the rest of us. It was an honour to have been in your class Seth.

And how cool is that denim shirt!? It even has paint on the back of it!

Now on to one of the best experiences I have been lucky enough to have.

I think most of you who visit my blog know who Seth Apter is, you can find his incredible art/post/supplies at The Altered Page. And you will want to and follow him and see his artwork, go aheadgo add the link to your favorites, I'll wait! :)

The Saturday class was called Get Baked, featuring Seth's new Baked Texture Embossing Powders that he created with Emerald Creek Craft Supplies. Our first project was a small canvas using the Vintage Beeswax and learning some collaging and mark making.

Finished project! 3 glorious layers of Vintage Beeswax!

 

I love this one! Reheated this section and pressed this stamp into it for texture! Look at the edge of the a and r to see the nice deep impression I got!

 The afternoon was a larger canvas using all the Baked Texture powders. Learned so much about layering paints and creating focal points. And in case you're wondering, the answer is yes, Yes you do need all of the Baked Texture powders.

Not complete, I still have some marks to make. But I love the Chunky Rust I added.

If you're still hanging in here, thank you!! I know this is a long post! Sunday's class was called 52 Card Pick Up and it was an absolute incredible learning experience! I think one of the favorite classes I have ever been a part of. A deck of black gessoed cards and a day of getting painting, stamping, stencilling, collaging and NOT overthinking! Very freeing to just do/create and to do it in an environment where you have such an encouraging teacher that says "if I go left and you go right, that's okay"

Yes, I used a colour called Pumpkin Soup!! I wanted a different colour but it was being used so I just winged it AND I quite like it! Just do it!

Not all 52 cards are completed, but they are ready for collaging! It was such an incredible experience and one I won't forget. Learning to just do and not overthink is a hard one for alot of us, but if you have the opportunity to take a class with Seth, do not miss it! You will learn so much more than just techniques.

Thank you for reading this far and have a really wonderful week!

And as always, thank you for all the support!

Cathy

Christmas in May

I know, I know...crazy to be thinking of Christmas now! But because I have a beach themed Christmas tree and these wood tags from Southern Ridge Trading Company are perfect for ornaments, I had to do it! 

If you love the beach/ocean like I do, SRTC has got you covered! So many pieces and all the wood and chipboard work with any thing you want to colour them with! For this ornament I used Baked Texture Embossing Powders and Finnabair Sparks Paints. I wanted texture and shimmer!

Here is my new beach themed Christmas ornament thanks to all these amazing pieces from SRTC! And just so you know, the wooden tags come in a package of three, so there will be more ornaments for my tree!! I need to use my lobster and crab! :)

For more detailed pics (and you want to see the coral close up!) head on over to SRTC Blog today, and please check out some of the incredible projects my team mates are creating too! You'll be inspired by everyone!

Thanks everyone and have a great week!

Cathy

Strong & Free

My latest project is up on the Wild Whisper Blog today! The Strong & Free Collection is so truly Canadian and encompasses so many things Canadian! In the card pack there is even a double double coffee cup! (which I am kind of keeping for myself lol ) I have also used the Eileen Hull Trinket Box, Book and Frame die to create this home decor piece.

For all the details and some close up pics of the fussy cutting in the top frame and the perfect twist on the wire that holds everything together, head on over to Wild Whisper.

Have a great weekend!!

Cathy

 

Trinket Box Die is in the House!

I was so excited to use some of my Christmas money to order the Trinket Box!! And I love the leaf arches from the thinlits set! One day I'll have all the Eileen Hull dies on my wish list :)

And here is my first trinket box!! A Fairy's Den...

Here are a few step outs I did while I was making this little gem.

After I cut out my pieces I inked the covers and spine with Distress Oxides, and painted the tray piece with Finnabair's Sparks in Iris Potion. I also painted the inside black using my Dylusions.

 

I love shimmer!! And metallic!

While I was letting all of this dry, I used my Twist and Style tool to twist up my wire that would hold my fairy in place. I then painted my fairy in shimmery paints and wax finishes.

Look how perfect that twist is! Now to practice wire words!

A little resin fairy I had in my stash by Prima.

Ohh Hammered Metal Embossing Powder from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies...you make my heart skip a beat! These wooden spools were again bits I found in my stash!

Seriously look at all that melty goodness!

Inside behind the fairy is a little nest of pink mesh (that i saved from a bouquet of flowers)

I added a strip from the Graphic 45 Fairy Dust collection around the tray part. 

Then I added the leaf arches from the thinlits set and added flowers from my stash (which is actually getting low since I want flowers on everything lol )

Again...the finished Fairy's Den, with a little hare charm from Emerald Creek guarding the opening.

Thanks for stopping by and checking things out!! Come back soon as I've got a project for Wild Whisper Designs coming this week too!

Have a great week everyone!

Cathy 

Playing Along With:

A Vintage Journey - Think Inside or Outside of the Box

Holidays Are Over, but....

I still have holiday projects to share!! I had to wait until the recipients opened their gifts and now have the time to do a post and share with you! This wreath was one of my favorites this year! You can't go wrong with the Tattered Poinsettia die!

The wreath is made of wood and I got it at Michaels last year. I do plan ahead sometimes! :)

The finished project!

I prepped all my bits and pieces first! I cut out 5 tattered poinsettias, then 5 large ones again for the leaves. Then I ran them through with the matching embossing folder (which I didn't even realize I had BUT am so glad I do).

The poinsettias I edged with platinum distress glitter and did platinum stickles in the centers. Before I did the glitter I used my new tarnished brass Distress crayon, scribbled on my craft mat, spritzed with water then used my finger to run it over the raised parts on the poinsettia. The leaves were done with evergreen bough distress ink and then I used a Finnabair wax on the raised parts.

I covered the whole wreath in ripped up pieces of TH Christmas stash from a couple years ago (yup I am a paper hoarder lol) and once that part was dry I sponged over it with Festive Berries, Gathered Twigs, Vintage Photo Distress paints.

For this part I used my absolute favorite TH stencil, Ranger Texture Paste and a touch of red acrylic paint with a pearl finish.

 

This is one of my favorite parts!! I had this little resin window in my stash and this pic of Santa is cut out from the Th Christmas pad I had. Just like looking out the window on Christmas Eve and seeing Santa!

A little wooden word I had in my stash and stained with Tarnished Brass Distress Spray and the adorable little tree charm from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies.

 

One of my fave charms from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies.

The vintage deer and Christmas trees are too cute and I had to add them too.

 And of course the gorgeous poinsettias! Just love this die!

And one more time because I just love it, the finished project!!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you are all having a wonderful week!! More Christmas posts to come LOL I still want to share the ornaments I made  this year and some of my favorite cards.

Cathy