Hi Everyone - Lowri here

We received an entry to our Challenge last week that was so fabulous we wanted to feature it!
Dita sent us this Clock and also some really detailed instructions on how she put it all together. You should also take a look at Dita's Gallery - she has some fabulous work on there.


Time spent on project - 3.5 hours
I did this in one afternoon.. I used a hairdryer to dry the coats of paint speeding up my project immensely! After all, I have two very young kids and finishing time to do this project in batches, was not an option for me.


Materials used:
Kaisercraft Cuckoo Clock - Beyond the Page pack.
Paint: Kaiserkraft paints: Antique white/ Red/ Mango
Flowers: Prima (large flower) - Mini spray roses red- Prima small organza gold ribbon roses
Laser cut embellishment- birdcage and birds
Prima pearls (used on the scalloped edge of the roof)
Liquid pearl- Emerald Green
Distress ink- Vintage photo
Jute Twine
Dry twigs - picked from the back yard- Sprayed with gold paint and then lacquered
Super glue - a must if you are doing this in a short time as it adheres really quickly.

Method Used:
Unpack the Kaisercraft Cuckoo Clock from packaging.
Sand the edges gently to remove any ragged edges- I used a nail buffer to gently scrape the edges & smooth it out.
Painting the main peice of the clock (the body): I used the Antique white paint and a flat brush for the first TWO coats, drying them with a hair dryer to dry the paint in each layer. I then used a roller brush to go over the piece TWO more times. This gave a nice finish to the main piece and no ridge marks etc.
Painting the roof pieces: I painted the scalloped edge with the Red paint and uses Mango for the top piece. I used THREE coats of paint on these, and dried them with a hair dryer after each application.
Painting the fence peices: I used Mango for the Upright peice - Again THREE coats and drying after each coat with a hair dryer. I used Red for the base piece which slots onto the main body piece.


Assembling:
After the pieces were fully dried (the hairdrier helped dry it in 10-15 minutes max), I assembled my Cuckoo Clock, as shown in the picture. It was pretty easy to slot the pieces in like a jigsaw puzzle.
Preparing the embellishments: I cut the birdcage embellishment to fit the side of the "Window". I then stainted the cage using a cotton bud and distress ink- I kept the application light in some places and darker at the edges to give it a shadowy effect. I then painted the birds RED (same colour used on the roof)and used a contrasting piece of MME paper dot to mark the tummies.. I then used the liquid pearl to bring out the leaves of the branch. I painted the large bird using Mango and distressed its borders so it could stand out against the pale background.
Other Embellishments:
Using the Superglue, I mounted the main Prima flower on the left corner of the fence. I then stuck the large branch behind the fence using a foam tape. The smaller branch was stuck on the front of the fence itself to give it a 3D effect. The spray roses gives the fence a bit of dimension. The Organza roses tied all the colours in together.
The Pendulums:
I used a couple of Hooks and hammered them into the base of the clock. I painted the Pendulums Red and dried them off. Then I twisted Jute twine and hung the pendulums at different heights off the base of the clock.

Hi everyone!
This week I'm off to Los Angeles to get the inside scoop on the Craft industry! Yipppee! So what and who are CHA? They are a Craft and Hobby Association who coordinate shows where manufacturers, designers and retailers get to meet, mingle, watch demos, complete make-and-takes and see the new products that will be released in the next 6 months. There are hundreds of booths at these shows - and ALL of your favourite scrapbooking and cardmaking brands will be there. (Tim Holtz, Teresa Collins, Bo Bunny, Basic Grey, Kaisercraft, Prima, Echo Park, Pink Paislee, Best Creations etc).

CHA runs twice a year. The winter show is always in Los Angeles and this year runs from Sunday 29th January and finishes on Wednesday 1st February (NZ time Mon 30th Jan - Thurs 2nd Feb). The July summer show is held elsewhere in the US. Manufacturers (like Prima etc) design and manufacture their products in time for the CHA shows - giving retailers the opportunity to see what's coming up in the next few months. Retailers are only able to order at the show - so I won't be coming home with my suitcases filled with new stock! But I will have plenty of brochures and catalogues though to wade through...

The show is not open to the public - only retailers, designers, tutors and manufacturers - and so I'm taking Graham with me to be an extra set of eyes and ears. He will be attending some of the business seminars that deal with websites and social media. Meanwhile I will be walking the floor visiting every booth possible to see what's new in the craft world.

The internet has transformed the craft world and if you look at craft blogs or craft shops on facebook it would impossible for you not to have seen the CHA hype. Contributing manufacturers have been putting out "Sneak Peek" product previews of their new releases.

Artfull Crafts is already posting links to the product previews on a daily basis - so be sure to check in each day to see what your fav brands are up to! We love the new Pretty in Pink from Glitz Designs (right).

Each day after the show we are committed to blogging about what we see, writing diary entries, uploading photos and videos, and letting you know any other information. Think of us like your foreign correspondant for the next week or two! The easiest way to know if we have updated the info will be to LIKE us on Facebook. Then you will be in loop and won't miss out on any of the updates. Alternitavely pop back to the CHA section of our website regularly to catch up on all the fun, or sign up to our website to receive our weekly newsletter filled with new products, specials and more.

So, come join us for a fun little trip to America...

CHANCE TO WIN!
If you plan on tracking our progress through the show, then leave a comment on this page (or on facebook) and we'll pop your name in the draw to win a set of the Pretty in Pink Papers (shown above) and some matching stickers. We'll send them off to the winner when they arrive instore.

Here's an example of what you can do with the Bag a Bargain #65 - Bo Bunny Ad Lib.

Happy Shopping !

Hi Sandy here. This week I used my favourite CHA Summer release from Prima : the black and white Printery collection. The project I created is a Valentine's Day flip-book commissioned by a friend for his wife.

To build the base of the book, I divided the Love Ledger paper into three 4"x12" sections. Folded them in half and glued the backs together. Then used Pressman and Page Four papers to decorate the cover and the inside pages.

Controlling colour is one way I achieve coherence in my work. Here I was free from having to make colour choices. Every element could be considered based on their pattern, scale and size. The creative process went quicker than usual : with the whole book completed in one morning.

I enjoyed working on this sans-colour project. If you like the classic look in black and white, the shop also carry Kaisercraft's Timeless, After Five and Teresa Collin's Notations. All of them would work beautifully for Valentines.

Supplies : Prima Printery (Pressman, Page Four, Love Ledger), Prima Madeline Rub-on, Basic Grey Capella Rub-on, Pink Paislee Buttterfly Garden Clear Pops, Echo Park Be Mine Element Sticker, lace trim, flower charms, pearls

Betsy here today.  I have just returned home from Christchurch, after a great couple of relaxing days, with my daughter Rachelle. Just what I needed before the busyness begins, for another year.

Now to put up some cards made with the lovely Kaisercraft, Hummingbird collection. I must admit I am cheating a little, as these cards were made for the recent Kaisercraft Workshop magazine.I feel very honoured to have them shown and I thank the team for that honour. They are even on the front and back covers!!
Jess and Clare are doing some amazing designing - it sure makes it easier putting cards together. To be honest, we're holding our breathe for May's collection now!!



I just love the colours in this range - don't you all agree? Stitching round my cards with the sewing machine adds a bit of interest I think and I do enjoy layering different papers together. Bakers twine is one of my favourite products at the moment - mind you there's plenty of other things, as well!!



The grand calibur is another favourite necessity, now! Spellbinders dies I couldn't do without either as no doubt you will have all noticed! In this range there are so many collectables which does make things so much easier.












Well ladies, that's the selection in the magazine. What do you think?
 Artfull Crafts have an amazing  range of Kaisercraft products and they also have the Worshop magazine free, so do check out their wonderful web-site.
Liz and Graham are off to CHA next week, in America - am feeling a little green eyed! Dare say, Liz will be coming home, bursting with more fabulous ideas. She does wear one out with her energy!!

Until next week then ladies, happy crafting.

With blessings to you all

Betsy.

Hi Louise here after what has seriously been "One of those days!".  I had planned to have some altered lovliness to share with you but sadly it didn't quite go to plan.  So instead I have a few of my favourite projects from 2011 to share with you.....
 First up we have this quick and easy layout using White Bazzil Cardstock, Prima papers, distress ink, prima flowers, prima butterfly, CC mini alphas, AC Thickers and a spray of glimmermist.

 Next up this Marcy Penner inspired layout using White Bazzil cardstock, MME papers and AC Thickers letters.

 A quick and easy Thank You card using Baby Steps papers, twine, a button, punch  and AC Thickers.


 Next up a general purpose card using Cosmo Cricket papers, copics, stickles, kaisercraft pearls and assorted flowers.


And lastly this cute little boys card using MME Papers, twine, buttons, distress inks, scallop punch and coloured with prisma pencils.

So those are my fav 2011 projects, what are yours?

Hi Everyone

Hope you have had a great week! The sun has decided to come out at long last in Blenheim - though it seems to have bought the really strong winds too - I guess you can't have everything! Don't forget to enter the Challenge this month too - all the details can be found here.

Today we are featuring our FABULOUS Kaisercraft Layout Kits. There is one for each of the last 6 Kaisercraft Collections and they are jam-packed with product. The kits include the full paper collections, matching Bazzill cardstock, embellishments and more. All these kits have approximately $70 worth of product and you can now order them for only $55 (offer ends Wednesday January 18th at midnight)

The kits were designed by Melissa Kennedy, Creative Director at Kaisrcraft and they include detailed, full color instructions.

Let's take a closer look

Madame Boutique

Cock a Doodle Doo

On the Move

Sweet Nothings

Hummingbird

Lil Primrose

Challenge
We are running a short challenge which runs until the end of the month and then another in February encompassing Valentines projects and an opportunity to send in projects featuring anything or anybody you LOVE!


We want to see your BEST and FAVORITE projects from the last 12 months!


To enter the challenge - send a picture of your project to us.
Email us a picture of your project and PLEASE name the file you send with your full name as this makes it a lot easier for us to administer the competition! Send your entry to entries@artfullcrafts.co.nz

If you can - please remember to include the following :

1. Your name! (You would be surprised how many people forget this :-))
2. Tell us if this is your first time entering - (if it is you are eligible for the First Time Entry prize too)
3. Your blog (if you have one)
4. If your project has a special story behind it - we'd love to hear it!

You can send us as many entries as you like. We will be featuring all entries at the end of the Challenge and you can find all the entries on our Competition Gallery.

Please post a comment if you have any questions - we really look forward to seeing your entries!

Lowri :-)

Hi Louise here after another busy week with it being the School Holidays but I have still managed to sneak away and get a few things made to ease my crafting bug.  Although with my SIL's birthday in a week or so I had the perfect excuse.  She loves pink and pale green so the new collection from KaiserCraft "Lil Primrose" is just perfect for her.

Firstly here is her Birthday card......
I have used a selection of papers from the Lil Primrose 6x6 paper pad, cute frilled Gingham ribbon, prima innocence 2 flower, oval spellbinder nesties, distress ink and a KaiserCraft Lil Primrose stamp all available from Artfull Crafts.
The chipboard is some I won from Kellie's Blog when she was doing a 12 Days Of Christmas giveaway, and the other flowers are from my stash.  I coloured the image with prisma pencils.


Now the Art Journal......
Again I used papers from the Lil Primrose 6x6 Pad.  I fussy cut some flowers from one of the sheets on both the art journal and the card. I used Glimmermist  on the lovely Prima resist canvas (teapot and butterfly), I cut out the label and the word "CREATE" on my cricut. there is 1/4 of a container of modge podge on here too, which is why the project took days instead of a few hours as I had to wait for layers to dry before moving onto the next one.

Well hope you enjoyed these, I will be back next week with an altered breadbin hopefully, all going to plan that is :)  See you then.

Sandy posting a couple of cards today. First up is a non-traditional Valentine's Day card created using Cosmo Cricket's Odds and Ends collection. It's predominantly green and inspired by the pair of hand-holding mannequins. Since they're so eye-catching, I needed something to draw attention to the sentiment. Red swirly circles sewn onto blue buttons did the trick.

Next is a Bon Voyage card. As I got to play with October Afternoon's Boarding Pass this month, it was only fitting that I did one. It's a lovely retro-style travel collection. In particular the Miscellancy pack is filled with lovely ephemera cards and buttons which I used on this card.

1st Card Supplies : October Afternoon Boarding Pass Miscellany, Basic Grey Out of Print Impasto, Cosmo Cricket Odds and Ends (Spare Change, Trinkets, Sampler) Echo Park Victoria Gardens Journalling Cards
2nd Card Supplies : October Afternoon Boarding Pass (Venice, Berlin, Miscellany), twine