Birdy Bauble

Mornin' all!

Hope you all had a fearfully, frightful Halloween. I live in a little tiny village and there aren't really many children (plus we don't have street lights), so we had a very quiet night last night. I did watch the 'Come Dine With Me' Halloween special - Robert Englund (aka Freddy Kreuger) was brilliant, he even brought his 'glove' along.

Come Dine With Me is one of the VERY few TV programmes I watch. The concept is so clever, it's even better if one of the peeps is really obnoxious.

Ok, now onto today's card, another Christmas one!

What I used...

Winter Wonderland 6x6 paper pad - My Mind's Eye

Pattern Play Holiday stamp set - Inkadinkado

Cardstock - white, green

Black ink - Versafine

Clear embossing powder - Stampendous

Promarkers

Punch - corner

Baker's twine - red

Button - red

Stickles Christmas Red glitter glue - Ranger

Rub-on - black, Merry Christmas - Pebbles Inc.

Adhere a panel of green card centrally to a square blank. Trim four lengths of different patterned paper and attach to the left hand side of the panel, rounding the top left corner of the top strip.

Stamp, heat emboss and colour in the bird bauble. Stamp a swirl above and embellish with glitter glue. When dry, trim and round off the bottom right corner, wrap and tie baker's twine around the panel and mount onto the blank with foam tape, overlapping the patterned strips.

Finish with a button and a sentiment - and there you have it!

This card layout was inspired by Retrosketch #32. This and many more fantastic sketches, challenges, samples and cool ideas can be found at http://retrosketches.blogspot.co.uk/ or you can find a direct link to the site in the 'Brilliant blogs I follow' section. Please check this site out, it is wonderful for inspiration if you know what you want to put on a card but have lost your layout mojo. There is a new sketch posted every Saturday.

Well, that's me for the nonce. Thanks for stopping by. xx

Witchy Stuff

Heevnin!

It's me with another Halloween post. This time it is some of the cards I illustrated and made for the October 2012 issue of Crafts Beautiful - '7 Ways With....Witchy Motifs'. So, without no further ado.

Eeek!...

Witchy Shoes...

Witchy...

Scaredy Cat...

You can still download the illustrations/templates for all seven witchy themed cards from Crafts Beautiful - www.crafts-beautiful.com. You will be able to print onto card and choose your own colour theme to shade in the images. 

There are loads of other templates you can download, plus loads of free backing papers. You need to register with the site, but it is free and very straightforward. Why not pop over for a look?

Hocus pocus! I'm off again now. Got a lovely sausage casserole in the slow oven. Yummy!

Thanks for creeping in. xx



WooooOOoo Halloween!

Hi Spooks! Having a horrible Halloween?

I love Halloween. I didn't get round to carving any pumpkins this year:( Oh well. I did get around to making some Halloween cards though. I've got a couple of cards to show you today, so hang on to your braces!

Mummy Boy...

What I used...

Trick or Treat Mummy stamp - The Octopode Factory

Kelly Panacci Halloween 12x12 Pad - K & Company

Card stock - black

Black ink - Versafine

Clear embossing powder - Stampendous

Promarkers

Buttons - black, white, lime, orange, purple

Baker's twine - black, white, lime, orange, purple

I cut five banners in various papers and trimmed them to different lengths. They were adhered to the right side of a 12cm square blank. Buttons were tied with baker's twine and attached to the banners.

The mummy was stamped, heat embossed and coloured in with Promarkers. He was cut out and mounted onto black card and trimmed to leave a narrow border. I mounted him onto the right hand side of the card front with foam tape.

Mummy + Pumpkin = Mumpkin...

What I used...

Mumpkin Cling Stamp (CRH280) - Stampendous

Kelly Panacci Halloween 12x12 Pad - K & Company

Card stock - white

Black ink - Versafine

Clear embossing powder - Stampendous

Promarkers

Framelits Circle dies - Sizzix

Star stickers - black

Evil Bunny font - DaFont

After stamping, heat embossing and colouring the mumpkin, I cut him out using a circle die. I also cut two larger circles in patterned paper. These were layered up and adhered to the lower right corner of a black 12cm square blank and trimmed.

I typed and printed the sentiment in Evil Bunny font. I trimmed it into a banner, mounted it onto patterned paper and trimmed again. To finish, I stuck a few stars randomly around the image.

There you have it!

Before I go for the moment, I just want to tell you about The Ribbon Room...

'We are an online ribbon supplier with something for every occasion, from Christmas ribbon through to Everyday ribbon. Take a step inside The Ribbon Room.'

They have a fantastic range of ribbons and the prices are really good, plus you buy them by the spool, which is great if you tend to use a lot of the same ribbon. You can find the link to The Ribbon Room under the 'Perfect places to visit' section. Prepare to spend lots of money!

Well, it's a beastly bye bye from me (for now). Happy haunting! xx

Elegant Reindeer

Mornin' chums!

 

What a lovely, bright day! Makes a change from wet and windy.

 

Before I post today's card, I'd like to mention that my blog is being showcased in the December issue of Papercraft Inspirations. The card they have chosen to highlight is the  little 'Joy' snowman card posted on 23rd August 2012. I was so thrilled when they emailed me to ask if they could publish it.

 

On the Papercraft Inspirations website there is a link to Cosmic Strawberry, which includes links to the other fab blogs also showcased in the issue. Why not check out the website? Better still, buy the magazine! It's available in the shops until 22nd November. It's packed with loads of projects, tips, articles, latest products...and you get two brilliant free gifts, a 6x6 Christmas paper pad and co-ordinating die-cut chipboard images.

 

Now for the card.....

 

 

Last year I purchased the Bo Bunny Blitzen stamp set and never got round to using it. I thought the image would look good in simple black and white, with a pop of red. This is a 5"x7" card, which is bigger than I usually make.

 

What I used...

 

Blitzen stamp set - Bo Bunny

Black & White Mini Dot Reverse paper - Canvas Corp.

Cardstock - black, white

Black ink - Versafine

Ribbon - grosgrain, red

Stick pins - teardrop, white

Buttons - small, black, white

Pearl - flatbacked, red

'Believe' rub-on - Making Memories

 

After stamping the image onto white card, I trimmed and mounted it onto black card, then onto a larger piece of dot paper. I tied and knotted red ribbon around the right hand side and adhered the panel to the left side of a top fold blank.

 

Three buttons were threaded onto a stick pin and this was pushed, with another, into the knot. A flatbacked pearl was stuck to the reindeer's nose and the 'Believe' rub-on applied just above the reindeer's bum.

 

I was pleased with the way it turned out. You can't go wrong with the red, black and white combo. Very classy (apart from the mention of the reindeer's bum).

 

Going to make a coffee now. Enjoy the rest of your day. Toodle-pip! xx





Christmas Fluffles

Aft'noon peepsicles!

I'm having a pyjama day today. Got up, washed, brushed teeth etc. changed bedding, put washing in, washed and refreshed Bazoo's litter tray...but...I am not getting dressed!

Well, I don't have any plans to go out and the weather is miserable. Think I'll light the open fire later and cosy up with a film and a hot mug of tea. Then a lovely bubble bath later. Bliss.

Onto the card. I've done a few of Fluffles in the past, he is so cute. It's amazing that if you change the layout and colour scheme, you can get so many different looking cards from the same image.

What I used...

Fluffles Garland stamp (N221) - Stampendous

Mistletoe 6x6 paper pad - Bo Bunny

Card stock - lime green, white

Promarkers

Black ink - Versafine

Clear embossing powder - Stampendous

Buttons - green, red

Ribbon - green

Twine - white

I stamped and heat embossed Fluffles onto white card and coloured him in. I trimmed the image and mounted it onto lime cardstock, trimming again but leaving a narrow border just around the left, top and bottom edges.

I wrapped and tied green ribbon around the left side of a piece of red dotty paper, and adhered it to the lower right side edge of a square top fold blank. The image was mounted onto the patterned paper, again lining it up with the right side.

Three buttons tied with twine were fixed above the image to finish. Ta da!

So there he is. I think last time I made a card with Fluffles on the colour scheme was lime green and shades of pink. Who knows, next time it could be blues!

That's it from me for now. Thanks for popping by, 'til next time. xxx





Seasonal Stars

Happy Friday everyone!

The weekend is nearly here - whoopee! Tonight Simon & I are off to the Pudding Club. I've made (a VERY large) St Clements Cheesecake. It's very fresh & tangy, hope everyone likes!

Now onto something else I've made...yup...another Christmas card.

I've used a stamp from one of my fave brands, The Octopode Factory. The stars are really supposed to be the other way up, so they look like star flower stems. I thought it would look good the other way up as a hanging Christmas decoration.



What I used....

Star Stems stamp - The Octopode Factory

Let it Snow stamp set - Penny Black

Colorful Christmas Accessory Sheet - My Mind's Eye

Ink pad - black - Versafine

Embossing powder - clear - Stampendous

Promarkers

Baker's twine - black

Button - black

So, I stamped and heat embossed the stars onto white card, cut out and coloured in with Promarkers. I attached it to the card at the top right corner and fixed a section of striped border from the accessory sheet along the top of the stems. Baker's twine was threaded through a button, tied in a knot and stuck to the left of the border strip. The sentiment was stamped in the bottom left hand corner in black ink.

The Colorful Christmas Collection was out a couple of years ago, and as the name suggests it has lots of bright fresh colours and cute images. It was this that inspired me to use these particular colours for the stars, along with the black against the white background it makes for a very striking card. Very clean, simple and fresh.

That's me for the nonce, coffee time I think, then on to more creating. Such fun!

Thanks for looking. xx

Twinkle Star

Heevnin Peeps!

Dull and breezy here today, with the odd shower. The days seem to have been really dark and gloomy of late, then again it is nearly the end of October (yikes). At least it's all warm and cosy inside :)

Today I have another Christmas card for you.

 

What I used...

'Tis the Season 12 x 12 paper - Bo Bunny

Scallops - On the Edge die - Sizzix

Star, Primitive #2 die & embossing Folder - Sizzix

Walnut Stain Distress Ink - Tim Holtz

Black ink - Versafine

Let It Snow stamp set - Penny Black

Garden & parcel twine

Button - star, wood

Beads - small, red, wood

Florists wire - green

Stems - Canadian Pine, fine - DoCrafts

Glitter Dots

I cut a piece of patterned paper so it would cover approximately two thirds of a 13.5cm square blank and scalloped the lower edge. After sticking to the front of the blank, I wrapped and tied frayed parcel twine around the card and stamped 'Twinkle' in the bottom right hand corner in black.

I die cut and embossed the star, distressed it with Walnut Stain and mounted it onto the card with foam tape.

The embellishment  was created by doubling over florists wire, wrapping it around a pokey tool to create a small spiral. This was then threaded through the bead and pulled taut so the spiral sticks in the bead hole.

After making three of these, they were twisted together and arranged with three short lengths of pine stem. Garden twine was wrapped around to secure and tied in a bow. Frayed parcel twine was threaded through the wood star (enclosing the pine stems at the back) and tied in a knot, positioning it on top of the bow. A few glitter dots were applied to the patterned paper to finish.

Because of the embellishment, it's probably a bit bulky to send through the post, but it's perfect to give by hand, to someone special. I was thinking of doing some more to make into napkin rings, they'll match in perfect with my Christmas decor!

That's me for now, thanks for passing through.

Toodle-pip! xx



Fa La La!

Aft'noon chums!

Wow! It's been a busy week. Lots of socialising going on and still more to come... Luckily I made a couple of cards last week, I just haven't had the time to post them.

Today I want to show you one called 'Fa La La'. I think the phrase on the front gives it away.

What I used...

Snow Day Collection 6x6 Pad - Crate Paper

Fa La La Phrase Die - Sizzix

Baker's Twine - Purple

Button - Purple

Glitter Dots

Firstly I cut around a row of the Christmas lights, leaving the rest of the paper intact. Then I stuck it to the top of an A6 landscape blank and trimmed.

Next, I die cut the phrase and mounted it onto co-ordinating paper. I cut two pennant shapes in different papers, one slightly smaller than the other, and layered them up along with the phrase panel.

Baker's twine was wrapped around the end a few times, threaded through a button and tied in a bow. It was mounted on the top left corner of the blank, with foam tape.

To finish, I added a few glitter dots to some of the lights, just to add that bit of sparkle.

Ta da!

I've used this paper pad before. Most 6x6 pads have the same images as their big 12x12 brothers, but the Crate Paper pads are the 12x12 papers cut into quarters. This is great for cutting out elements to use on your card making (or scrapbooking). There are some great Christmas tree and snowman images in this collection, just begging to be cut out and slapped on a card...the possibilities are endless.

Until next time folks, thanks for calling in! xx

Joy & Peace

Aft'noon chums!

It's a very blustery day here in Norfolk. The leaves are trying to hold on tight, but I think the wind is winning!

I have another Christmas card for you today.

Here it is....

What I used.....

North Country 6x6 paper stack - Prima

Framelits Circle Dies - Sizzix

Sentiment rub-on & snowflake - K & Company

White sparkly ribbon

Pale blue button

Die cut two large, different sized circles in co-ordinating papers, layer them at the bottom left corner of a white blank, just so they overlap the sides, and trim. Mount a snowflake embellishment in the centre. Fold a length of ribbon and notch the ends, stitch a button near the fold and attach to the top of the circles. Finish with a sentiment in the top right corner.

I intended to just have the circles on the blank. After I had stuck them down, they reminded me of a bauble. I have this really pretty ribbon, that is sparkly, but not overpowering. So I used that and a button as the bauble 'hanger'.

I think it's a fresh and simple card. The North Country pad has some beautiful papers in it, but I can't wait to make more of the same layout in different colour schemes.

Off now to make a coffee, then I think I'll rustle up another card or two (before I have to tackle to biggest pile of ironing I have ever dared to clap my eyes on). Groan.

Thanks for calling. xx

Crafts Beautiful November 2012

Aft'noon folks!

Well, it's a bright, sunny, beautiful (if chilly) day here in Norfolk. The Ash tree out in the front garden has turned from green to the most luminescent yellow. It just glows! I'm looking out of my craft room window right now at the Tulip Tree and the Silver Variegated Maple, both of those too are turning the most wonderful yellow and browns. I love Autumn with all its colours and rustic charm.

Gosh, that was a bit poetical...or sounds like I'm writing reviews in a gardening magazine.

Onto the important bit. This month in Crafts Beautiful (November 2012 issue - out now) I have a fantastic fun project, ideal to send to kiddies (or grown up kiddies). Slider cards! I must admit, I've never been a fan of slider cards (or easel, stepper and those cards that twist round...bleugh!), so when Natalie (Dep. Ed. of Crafts Beautiful) asked me to do a project with slider cards, I thought why not, I'm up for a challenge.

To my surprise, I actually enjoyed creating them. Especially with a fun, bright theme. So I gave the project my own 'style' and they turned out really good, and they are a good way of using up scrap bits of card.

Here's a sneaky peek....

To download the templates for the robin, trees, cloud, santa, chimneys and for more crafting ideas visit Crafts Beautiful.

I'm off now to write up the instructions and so on, for the two commissions I've just finished, but I'll post one of my Christmas cards later. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday! xx