Paris!

Good afternoon lovelies!

I hope you are all well. Not so for me :o( 

I've been in bed since Wednesday afternoon with this horrible cold virus that has been going round and believe me, it is HORRIBLE. I really hope that you don't catch it.

Anyhoo, I am feeling much better, not quite 100%, but well enough to crawl out of my pit.

I was looking through some makes that PaperCrafter have been posting recently on Facebook and spotted the Paris scene card that I did for the last issue (#91).

It is such a bright, fresh and spring like card that I thought it would be lovely to share with you.

Items needed...

Dies: Xcut Shadow Box Die Parisian Street - docrafts®

Card stock: black, white, shades of aqua
Heart sentiment rub-on

Gems: clear

Adhesives

This lovely die set come with seven dies that you use individually or as many as you like. As a shadow box can be quite deep, instead of using foam pads I just used flat adhesive. You can of course use all sorts of colours in the one card, but I wanted to keep the aqua theme running throughout to give a nice, crisp clean card.

I hope you like my card and a big thank you for visiting! TTFN xx

Happy Christening Day! - Cricut Mini Project

Good aft'noon me ol' luvvies!

I'm back with the card I've conjured up for Simon & I to give to Martha. I haven't had much time to have a play with my Cricut Mini whilst Emily was here, so I couldn't wait to have a mess about.

For this project I used the Pop-up Neighborhood cartridge and the Wild Card 2 digital cartridge. The Pop-up Neighborhood is sadly no longer available (you may be lucky to find one on ebay or Amazon), but there is a similar little church in the Wedding digital cartridge.

Pop-up Neighborhood - Cricut

Wedding - Cricut

Wild Card 2

Wild Card 2

Without further ado, here is my masterpiece....

What you need...

Die cutting machine: Cricut Mini

Cartridges: Pop-up Neighborhood, Wedding, Wild Card 2

Punches: Pointed Butterfly 3/8", Daisy 3/8" - X-Cut; small hole

Card stock: white, black, lime, turquoise, bright pink, yellows

Adhesive gems: clear, black

Adhesives

What you do...

Die cut the layers of the church image in white, black and pink card, assemble and add a large black gem in the round window and a small black gem at the top of the spire and one on the door. Next, die cut the sun in shades of yellow and two clouds in white (I flipped and re-sized the smaller cloud) and assemble.

Hand cut scallops along the top edge of a piece of turquoise card 10cm x 13.5cm and adhere centrally to the bottom of an A6 top fold blank. Cut out a large circle in lime to make a hill and stick over the bottom of the turquoise card, trim any excess.

Attach the church to the top of the hill, tuck the sun just behind the scalloped edge on the right and attach the clouds with foam pads.

Create a sentiment and stick to the lower left corner. Make five daisies from white and yellow card, adhere to the blank with a  hand cut path in black card.

Punch three butterflies in pink, yellow and lime card and fix to the blank with clear gems to finish.

This is a little bit different for a Christening card. I wanted it in my usual style of bright, fun and quirky. I just adore the whimsical look of it - perfect for a little girl!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my offerings today. I'm going to have another play on my Mini and will be back soon to show you what has been created.

Thanks for looking - ta ta for now xxxx

Martha Rose

Mewnin' chums!

Hope you are fit and well. Today I would like to show you a card that some friends commissioned me to make to give to their daughter Martha Rose for her Christening.

What you need...

Dies: Labels Eight - Spellbinders; Chinese Roses, English Roses - Marianne Design Creatables

Punches: Pointed Butterflies 3/8", 5/8", 1" - X-Cut

Card stock: white, lime, pink (pale/mid/dark)

Ink pad: Orchid - Versacolor

Seam binding: white

Decorative pin: white

Crystal: clear

Adhesives

Computer & printer

Font: Italiano

What you do...

Print the sentiment onto white card. Die cut a large label in pale pink and the sentiment with a smaller label. Mount onto the lower left of an A5 landscape blank.

Die cut three leaves from the English Roses set in lime card, a large Chinese rose in dark pink and one in mid pink and a small rose in white. Ink the edges of the small rose with Orchid ink. Scrunch up the leaves and roses and assemble. Arrange and stick to the lower left of the sentiment panel.

Make a bow using two lengths of seam binding, push a pin through the knot and glue to the top of the roses.

Punch two large, one medium and two small butterflies in white card, repeat with shades of pink. Fold back the wings of the pink butterflies and attach to the white ones so the wings stand up. Adhere to the blank. Embellish with a few crystals to finish.

I wanted to keep the card simple, clean and elegant, using only a few colours. I think it looks really fresh and pretty. Martha's parents love it (phew).

I'm in the process of making our card to give to Martha, so I'll be back later to show you.

Thanks for popping by xxx

Just For You

What'cha peeps!

Hope you are all well on this bright and sunny day.

Simon is busy doing some d.i.y and Bazoo is asleep somewhere. No doubt she will come up soon and do the 'Hypno-cat' thing. Her alter-ego appears when she wants feeding or wants attention, so she sits there, not moving, not blinking, not making a sound or anything and you can 'feel' the laser eyes boring into you.

The worst is when you are preparing the evening meal or making a brew and she goes and sits by her bowl. Zzzzzzzz! Laser eyes burning in your back. Hypno-cat strikes again. It's very unnerving.

Well, enough dribble, I mean drivvle. Onto the important stuff...

This card I'd like to show you is one I made for a lovely lady called Joyce. We see Joyce and her adorable hubby John when we go to The Vernon for a meal on a Friday night. It is her birthday tomorrow, so Happy Birthday Joyce!

What you need...

Stamps: sentiment

Papers: Infuse 6x6 pad - Basic Grey

Dies: Framelits Fancy Labels #4 -  Sizzix; Chinese Roses - Marianne Design Creatables

Ink: Onyx Black - Versafine

Card stock: white

Seam binding: Walnut

Stick pin: decorative pearl

Flat backed pearls

Adhesives

What you do...

Wrap a double length of seam binding around a top fold 13cm square blank and tie in a bow on the left edge. Die cut a label in olive green paper, and a smaller one in patterned paper. Mount onto the card, over the binding.

Stamp the sentiment onto white card. Cut out with a label die, mount centrally onto the other labels. Die cut two large roses and a small one in co-ordinating patterned paper. Make up and glue to the left of the label, under the bow. Die cut two leaves in olive paper and also attach these to the card. Finish with a decorative pin and a few pearls.

You may recognise this card from a previous post. I loved the layout so much I did it again, but with different papers this time.

I also made Joyce a shabby chic fabric flower brooch.

What you need...

Fabric: small ditzy floral, blue dotty

Netting: pink, white

Felt: pink

Dies: Bloom Nesting Dies - X-Cut

Brooch pin

Fabric Glue

Self cover button

Sewing cotton: white, pink

What you do...

Die cut three different sized flowers, twice in the floral fabric and one of each colour of net. Sandwich the net between the same sized flowers then layer. Secure with a couple of stitches in the centre.

Cover the button with blue dotty fabric and sew to the centre of the flower. Cut a circle in pink felt and attach the brooch pin with pink thread. Glue to the back of the flower, allowing the glue to penetrate the felt. This will create a rigid back and help support the flower. Ta da!

Don't worry about the petals fraying, this all adds to the ol' shabby chic feel.

I adore these big flowery brooches, they always look good pinned onto a plain jacket or coat and are so easy to make. I'm a sucker for buying fat quarters, always with 'Ooooh! That would make a good brooch'. I have enough to make hundreds - oops.

Joyce loved the card and brooch - whoopee!!

Phew! It's been a long post, but I think I owe you after my short absence. Before I say ta ta, I want to thank you for all your kind comments about my makes and the blog candy. I love visiting your blogs and seeing your wonderful creations. Good luck to all those who have entered the March giveaway.

So long for now. xxx

Miss You

Mewnin' peepsicles!

How are you? Keeping well I hope.

I have another little card for you, which is very quick and simple to make.

What you need...

Stamps: Sentiment Sampler - Paper Smooches

Dies: Homespun Hearts - X-Cut

Embossing folder: Seeing Spots - Cuttlebug

Card stock: red, white

Ink: Onyx Black - Versafine

Ribbon: black/white spot

Pearls: white

Adhesives

What you do...

Create a 12cm x 13.5cm blank and cover with red card. Die cut a partial heart in a piece of card 10cm x 11cm, then emboss with Seeing Spots. Mount onto the blank with foam tape, adhere a length of spotty ribbon, with a bow along the join.

Die cut three tiny hearts and a slightly larger one in red card and attach randomly around the cut out heart with foam pads. Stamp the sentiment in the bottom right corner and finish with a few pearls.

There you have it. Layering the layers with foam tape and the addition of the embossed card really gives the card dimension.

Well, that's me for now. I'll be back later with to announce the winner of the January blog candy and to show you the February blog candy - oooooh!

See you soon :) xxx

Thump... I'm In Love

Good afternoon all you lovely peeps!

Hope you are all having a great weekend so far. We woke up to a bit more snow this morning, but the sun is shining and most of it has gone now. I made a load of toast and we both sat in bed and had toast and marmalade and nice cafetiere of coffee...perfect on a cold wintry morn.

Today I'd like to show you a love themed card. I'm not the mushy type at all and Simon and I don't usually do the Valentine thing, but this image and sentiment is so cute I couldn't resist.

What you need...

Stamps: A Little Lovin - Paper Smooches

Patterned papers: Love Struck 12"x12" Collection, Love Lines, Smitten, Love Blossoms - WRMK

Dies: Homespun Hearts - X-Cut

Punch: corner rounder

Card stock: white

Ink: Onyx Black

Embossing powder: Detail Clear - Stampendous

Promarkers: Pink Mittens, Baby Pink, Icicle

Adhesives

What you do...

Round the top left corner of a top fold 12cm square blank. Cut a 9cm x 10.5cm piece of Love Blossoms paper, round the top left corner and attach to the right of the blank in line with the edge.

Die cut the largest heart in Smitten and the next size down on Love Lines paper. Adhere to the blank at an angle. Stamp and emboss the bunny, heart and sentiment. Colour in the bunny and heart, cut out and mount onto the blank. Trim the sentiment into a banner and attach to the top right edge.

Ta da!

I love the bunny's face. It definitely has that 'I'm totally smitten and in love with you' look. The Paper Smooches stamp sets are so versatile and they mix and match each other perfectly. You could use the bunny with a sentiment from one of their other sets. I think I might have to see what I can come up with. Hmmmmm...

So, I'm signing off for now. Going to get all mucky lighting the open fire. Bwah ha ha ha!

Thanks for popping by. xxx

A Bit Obsessed With Flowers....

Hi Chums!

I know I said I was going to post soon after the last one, but I just don't know where the time went! Simon's been off on hols for this last week, the weather has been a bit up and down, so we've had a few days out and some pottering around at home, plus, I've had an extra commission to do for Crafts Beautiful - busy busy busy!  I have managed to do a bit of gardening and catching up with the plants. Though I still have some new pond plants to pot (I'm sure they are not bothered about all the rain).

I don't think we're going to get any apples or plums this year, we had plenty of blossom, but with all the wet weather the bees haven't had chance to pollinate the flowers. Oh dear, we'll have to wait and see. It's a shame because the apple tree produces the most wonderful Granny Smiths.

Right, onto the cards. I've got a bit of a thing about making shabby chic roses at the moment, it's so relaxing sitting scrunching and twiddling paper. The first is a birthday card I made for Simon's Mum.

The flowers are a mix of punched and handmade shabby roses in various papers.They were  randomly attached along the top half of the card, then finished with some flat backed pearls and a rub-on sentiment.

Patterned papers - Country Drive; Hello Summer; Summer Days - Echo Park

Dies - Chinese Roses - Marianne Design Creatables

This next card I made just for the sake of it (plus good chance to make more roses). It is only 9cm x 12cm, perfect for a thank you or note card. I kept it quite simple, using a background paper that would not distract from the floral corner.

I chose a 6x6 paper collection with small design, which would be more suitable for a small card. Again the roses are made with the Chinese Rose die. It was then finished off with a simple flat bow.

Patterned Papers - Green at Heart - Basic Grey

Dies - Chinese Roses - Marianne Design Creatables

Lastly, this is a wedding card I made for someone I know. Not really being into the over sentimental slushy cards, I again kept this really simple.

I think the colours are unusual for a wedding card, blues, red, brown, lime and white. But it does work. For the roses, I matched solid card to three of the colours in the paper.

The paper was attached to the lower right hand side of the card, I die cut a heart on the left hand side of a smaller piece of white card (missing off the edge of the heart) and then embossed it with a dot design. This piece was then adhered onto the patterned paper.

The card was finished off with a stamped sentiment, a diamante and a brown scrunched bow.

Patterned paper - Alora - Bo Bunny

Dies - Homespun Hearts - X-Cut

Embossing folder - Swiss Dots - Cuttlebug

Well, that is it from me at the moment. I'm on with another commission for Crafts Beautiful.

Hope you like the cards, thanks for looking and happy crafting!

Colette x