Trenouths Crafty Creations

Friday, 3 July 2026

Dream, create, inspire plaque

Good Morning everyone

Its the first friday of the month so time for a new challenge over at Creative Artiste where the theme is always

MIXED MEDIA

anything goes using at least 3 different mediums

Ive made a fun wall hanging for a craft room this month using Jane Davenport stamps and a piece of hardboard that came as packaging for a heavy item - so i snaffled them😀, 1 was snapped but 3 perfect as a substrate.

Size 8.5x4.5" (22x11cm)

See below for how i did the background.

I stamped all the elements onto watercolour paper and watercoloured with derwent inktense pencils, sticking to the same colours for all the elements. Once dry i coated with mod podge front and back to seal and stiffen and then cut out, doing it this way easier than cutting out first and trying to varnish the tiny pieces like the pencils etc....

I rolled some pieces of torn handmade paper up to look like rolls of paper in different lengths to add a tactile soft element. These I placed towards the bottom right corner where i wanted the quote. The quote was stamped onto white, die cut and matted onto black, covered with mod podge and adhered into place. I then got arranging all the stamped elements to create the scene - this very much looks like my desk after a good crafting session - I start off with good intentions to stay tidy but it never works once Im enjoying the process😄

I took 3 colours of cotton cord and loosely plaited for the hanging loop and added 3 beads each side which pick up on the colours used for the stamped elements. Choice here is to thread and tie so that the knot is at the front or back...I decided i wanted some beads for a bit of bling and to use up some of the thousand i had so have the hanging coming out the front...hope that makes sense!

When i coloured the paint pallets I deliberately added colour over the outside edges like you see in a well used pallet - more realistic

The paint brushes i added behind the quote weren't long enough so i cut them in half so could have some poking out the bottom of the quote too - making sure i glued them in line with the tops. I love the frayed edges of the handmade paper here as it adds a lovely soft element.

I used an old stamp set from Creative Craft (company sadly no more) called 'craftiness sentiments' for the quote. It has lots of lovely craft sayings but i went with this 'dream, create, inspire' as i have to create a project in my head before i can make it, so i get the idea and then work out all in my head how to create it and mentally work through what products i have that can work so by the time i sit down to make anything i know exactly where im going - now that doesn't mean it works, as is so often the case with art it evolves in the creating but i can't start anything without that original idea and starting point. Im not one that can just sit down with a product and play for me that doesn't work at all.

I first gave a coat of black gesso to prime and then added texture paste through a swirl stencil which made me think of ink or paint splashes so perfect with the theme. Once dry I then coated that with more black gesso and then added black, navy and very dark brown acrylic and then touch of teal and pink to soft a little but i didn't want it too colourful.

I then dry brushed on black and silver cadence dora paints which really shimmer in the light, the silver nicely caught the edges of the swirls. I edged the whole panel in silver.

I was going to leave it as was but when i placed my stamped images on top the splashes were lost so i added a little colour - keeping it more muted by just dabbing on with my finger - its just enough to see when finished but not to distract from the main elements.

I added some 'arty' lines and dots with black and white posca pens. Punched holes in the top with my crop o dile to thread some twine.

Items Used

(creative expressions) Jane Davenport stamp set CEJDCS023 'HeArt Supplies'

Creative Craft Products(company sadly no more) 'craftiness sentiments'

Derwent Inktense pencils

Cadence Dora paint - black, Silver

Folk Art Matt acrylic paints

Matt Mod podge

Golden texture paste

12x12 Swirl Stencil

Spellbinders nesting dies 'labels 4'

Handmade paper

Posca Paint pens - black, white

Hop over to Creative Artiste to see what the rest of the DT has created and to join in with your mixed media makes, everything welcome as long as you use at least 3 different mediums cards, atc's, journal pages, canvases, 3d makes etc....

Thank you all for stopping by.

Id love to enter the following:

https://tolanythingbutacard.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-outlawz-anything-but-card-july.html

https://cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.com/2026/07/july-2026-crafts-galore-encore.html

https://daranddiane.blogspot.com/2026/07/double-d-potpourri-challenge-2026.html - potpourri - rainbow mix of things

https://paper-rocks-scissors.blogspot.com/2026/07/july-18-challenge.html

Thursday, 18 June 2026

June WLS #2 - Sports and hobbies

Good Morning everyone

Time for some mid month inspiration for We Love Stamping Where the theme is

SPORTS & HOBBIES

Once again I've gone down the hobbies route and this time a masculine card. The men in my family have hobbies including wood and metal work and one brother likes nothing better than tinkering with engines and building things out of metal - he's made some amazing sculptures over the years out of scrap metal, nuts, bolts, cogs and old cutlery and dad can fix pretty much anything which is very useful! This card is ideal for both my dad and brother. The stamping is the background.

Card size 6x6"

See last photo for how i made my stamped cog background.

I then die cut the offset scalloped edge die from the front of the card - with the spine at the top so tent fold. I then die cut the cog background to fit and a matt of black card, adhering to the front ensuring that the scalloped edge lined up each time.

As you cut a piece off the front of the card you can see inside of the card so to this i added more black card and cog design so that when the card is closed it is part of the design - photos below show this better.

I inked up a scrap of white card with the same blue and green distress inks used for the background and then die cut my alphas to spell 'Mr Fix It' matted onto white and then black card. Cogs die cut from snippets of silver and blue mirror card and the screwdriver and spanners die cut from dark green mirror card scraps and then all arranged in a cascade down the front of the card, some flat and some with glue gel.

Showing the card stood up open, the point at the front holds it up nicely.

Showing it side on

And from the opposite side.

and onto my stamped background

My stamped cog background

I started with A4 white cardstock and this cog stamp. This is an A7 (4.1x2.9") stamp so i stamped it multiple times in black rotating it as i went so they weren't all facing the same way. Once the black was completely dry i then over stamped the same cog stamp with distress inks salty ocean and evergreen bough, this added some nice colour to the background and broke up all the black.

Items Used:

aall&create stamp set #664 'Multilayered cogs'

MFT scalloped edge die

Cheerylynn cog dies

Tool dies (?brand)

Alpha dies (?brand)

Distress Inks 'salty ocean' 'evergreen bough'

Versafine Clair black ink

Black and white cardstock

We have these stamps from Visible Image as the prize this month so do hop over to We Love Stamping to join in, we do also have the anything goes option if sports and hobbies not for you but it must include stamping.

***

Id love to enter the following:

https://pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.com/2026/06/pinspirational-challenge-338-june-blue.html

https://craftingacutabove.blogspot.com/2026/06/june-challenge-and-july-anniversary-news.html

https://dragonflydreamschallenges.blogspot.com/2026/06/june-challenge-masculine.html

https://girlzandtheartofletters.blogspot.com/2026/06/challenge-29-de-letter-van-c-van.html -

C for COGS

https://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/06/sweet-stampin-something-for-boys.html

https://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/06/crafty-calendar-june-challenge-all.html

Sunday, 7 June 2026

June WLS #1 - Sports & Hobbies

Good Morning everyone

Its a new month so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping where the theme for June is

SPORTS & HOBBIES

Although I come from a family big into playing and watching sports and before my MS I was fairly sporty myself I have absolutely no sport themed stamps and I wasn't going to buy new just for this challenge, so Ive gone down the hobbies root, and what better hobby to start with than arts and crafts!

Black DL card (approx 4x8.25") I first stamped all the art elements onto white watercolour paper, coloured with derwent inktense pencils and cut out once dry. I worked out what size i wanted my panels and cut white linen card to size and stamped the sentiment towards the top in black. I matted this onto rainbow printed cardstock which i tore the edges to show the white core to help lift the colour and add some 'crafty' interest! Now i say i matted it - its actually 2 strips adhered either side and i flipped them - so the rainbow of colours runs opposite ways up and down - just for a fun element. I then adhered this to the card front with foam tape.

I then got arranging all the art products which did take a few attempts until i was happy with them. Some I adhered flat and others with glue gel.

Just a close up - on the paint pallet I purposedly added some of the paint colours over the edge to make it look like a well used set - these art supplies are well loved! I used a silver paint pen on the 'ferrule' (metal parts) of the paint brushes and added white gel pen highlights.

Items Used:

(creative expressions) Jane Davenport stamp set CEJDCS023 'HeArt Supplies'

Creative Craft stamp set 'craftiness sentiments' (company closed)

Derwent Inktense pencils

CraftUk Ltd white linen cardstock

Black cardstock

Rainbow printed card from Lidl

White gel pen

We have this fabulous prize from Visible image for the lucky winners so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in with your stamped creations

Thank you all for stopping by once again. I finally have my check up apt for my eyes on the 22nd June - so ive come to the conclusion, any time frame they give you you need to double! Then after that waiting for the next round of lasers...its a bit like how long is a piece of string with the nhs these days...but good news my mojo is slowly returning, nearly 2 months with no crafting is unheard of for me so I was beginning to worry😓 I hope you all have a good month of June, not sure where the sun has gone as y/day was so windy they had to cancel the Royal Cornwall show which is sad as its the biggest date in the calendar for Cornwall and lots of farmers spend months prepping for it. Big hugs Emma

Id Love to enter the following:

https://colorfuloptions.blogspot.com/2026/06/june-2026.html - rainbow option

https://paperfundaychallenges.blogspot.com/2026/06/june-2026-challenge-88-anything-goes.html - stripes option

https://paper-rocks-scissors.blogspot.com/2026/06/june-17-challenge.html - used paper and scissors to cut out all the images

https://craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com/2026/06/crafty-catz-challenge-715.html

https://creativefingerschallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/06/challenge-324.html

Friday, 5 June 2026

Into the forest....

Good Morning everyone

The first Friday in June so time for a new challenge at Creative Artiste where the theme is always anything goes

MIXED MEDIA

Using at least 3 different mediums

I have another one of my shadow boxes made from a cat food box....of which i have a never ending supply! This time we are in the woods at dusk surrounded by trees watching the hedgehogs come out to play😁

Box size approx 20x16cm /6x8" and 3" deep

See below for step by step.

Once all the trees were in place I added reindeer moss to the floor, added a couple of trees to either side with a little chipboard birdie, 3 small printed toadstools and my 2 hedgehogs. Ive had these chipboard hedgehogs for at least 10 years so about time i used them. I first covered them in brown paint in 2 tones, darker at the bottom and lighter at the top, to the top where the spikes are i very lightly dry brushed on diamond cadence dora paint - when the light hits it it really dances.

I stamped the quote onto a sage green cardstock die cut into an oval, covered with mod podge and adhered into place with glue gel covering the join in the trees. I added more die cut foliage around and behind the oval to frame it and added another little wooden bird.

The foliage was die cut from cardstock i had painted with green cadence dora paint so it really shimmers when the light hits it. Ive had these tiny wooden birds for years and still using them - it was a big pack. I left them natural as they match the tones of the reindeer moss

The trees ive added half way at the sides were 5 layers of die cuts so nice and sturdy and stand up well.

I love how the light emanates from deep in the woods...who knows what magic is going on in there. My nan always called this time of night 'The gloaming' which always conjured up a more magical feel than 'dusk', a bit like twilight that always sounds more mystical than dusk! lol For those who don't know gloaming is Scottish...My nan had long lost her Scottish accent accept when she used her many Scottish words and they always came out in a Scottish accent

and a close up of the hedgehogs, this is as detailed as i dared to get with them, i think if i had attempted putting in eyes & ears it would have ruined them

and onto the box base

After the box was coated in black gesso i then coated in a layer of dark blue and teal paint as i wanted a more dusk/nighttime look. Then i added lime green and yellow to the back of the box as i wanted the feel of a luminous light coming from deep within the forest - i brought this slightly onto the sides of the box too. Once dry i dry brushed on midnight blue and black to help build depth, you can see from the right hand photo that the yellow is still visible even through this dark paint but it makes it part of the scene rather than just yellow on top.

(colour is correct on the left one - right one was photographed at night before i moved onto next step)

I covered a sheet of scrap card in green cadence dora paints using light and dark greens, ones dry i die cut into foliage and adhered to the back of the box, this really shimmers in the light and also then has the effect of the light in the forest catching the leaves.

I die cut lots of birch trees from brown 300gsm cardstock and adhered 3 layers together to give me more of a chipboard. I then dry brushed on brown acrylics to give more realistic bark then just the plain brown cardstock. I have 2 very old memory box birch dies - 1 is one truck and the 2nd is several trunks joined together, this joint one i used for the background, i used one and a half across and then as its not tall enough, cut up another one for the top, knowing that i would be hiding the joins....if you click on the photo it will bring it up bigger for you to see closer if you wish

The outside of the box, i added texture paste through stencils and in other areas just dabbed on with my pallet knife. Over dry i covered in the same midnight blue, teal & liquorice black paint used on the inside and once dry, dry brushed on the same lime green and yellow paints. I finished the corners with metal corner protectors.

The start of my shadow boxes. I cut up cat food boxes and covered in brown paper saved from packaging. I cut to 3" deep but you could have a really deep shadow box and leave the full depth of the original box

You can see other cat food box make overs here

autumn shadow box snowy cabin

Items Used:

Inkylicious 'forest quote' stamp

Toadstool digitals 'Mixed Media Toadstools' from Double Helix Digitals on Etsy

Memory box dies - 'Tall birch' & 'Massa leaf'

Impression Obsession birch tree die

Kiasercraft wood birds

Texture stencils

Texture paste

Cadence dora paints

Folk art acrylic paints

Hop over to Creative Artiste to join in with your mixed media makes and see what the rest of the DT has come up with this month. Any project welcome as long as you use 3 or more mediums.

Wishing you all a happy month of June. Emmax

Id love to enter the following: