Boo!

Hello there!

I know that Halloween has been and gone, but I did make a few cards for some friends and I just never got round to posting them up to share with you. So, for the next few posts I will show you the Halloween cards I created.

What you need...

Stamps:

Pumpkinhead by Tim Holtz (CMS309) - Stampers Anonymous

Chevron Backdrops - Lawn Fawn

Dies:

Caps Bold - Altenew

Ink pads:

Marmalade - Concord & 9th

Onyx Black - Versafine

Embossing Folder:

Swiss Dots - Cuttlebug

Sprinkles:

Let's Polka - Little Things from Lucy's Cards

Sparklets:

Rainbow - Buttons Galore & More

Card stock:

Black

White

Extras:

Foam sheet

Adhesives

What you do:

1 Trim a piece of white card 4¼" x 5½". Apply black ink to the wide chevron stamp and with the card landscape, stamp the image diagonally across the top.

2 Stamp the pumpkin in the lower right corner, again with black ink.

3 Blend the Marmalade ink onto some white card stock fading it towards the bottom. Allow to dry.

4 Die cut the 'B', the 'O' twice and the 'I' from the blended card and again from a foam sheet. Emboss the letters with the Swiss Dots folder.

5 Attach the blended letters to the foam letters.

6 Create a 4¼" x 5½" white landscape bank and cover with black card. Trim the stamped panel to 4" x 5¼" and mat onto the blank.

7 Attach the letters to the blank over the chevrons, using the 'I' as an exclamation mark. Add some orange sequins from the Sparklets Rainbow and orange dots from the Sprinkles Let's Polka.

Ta da! A spooky card. Keeping the colour scheme to white, black and orange gives the card a fresh look whilst maintaining the Halloween feel.

Okay, I want to promote something now. I was never happy with the bone folders I had in my stash. They always seemed to leave shiny marks on the paper/card stock. I saw that a lot of card makers used a Teflon bone folder, but I couldn't justify paying around £26.00 for one.

I did some searching and found a company based here in Norfolk that specialises in book binding and preservation. They sell two sizes of Teflon bone folders, a medium one for £7.95 and a large one for £8.95 excluding VAT. Even with postage and VAT added I still only paid around £14.94. 

To me, it looks exactly the same as the ones sold for crafting. I love it and no more shiny marks. It scores very smoothly and has some weight to it, perfect for strengthening those folds. The company is called Preservation Equipment Ltd, click here to take you to the bone folder page.

Well, that's me for today. I will try to get the other cards uploaded in the next couple of days. Thank you for popping by!

Take care and keep safe x

Home Sweet Home - Concord & 9th

Good morning!

It's been a few weeks since I last posted...time, where does it go? Some friends of mine recently moved from the village down to Surrey so I thought I would make them a new home card.

I've had the Floral Print Silhouette Stamp set from Concord & 9th for some time and have been itching to use it. Like most stamps and dies, you know exactly what occasion or project they will be perfect for. I decided to team the stamp set up with a set of dies by Sizzix called Townhouse which has several cute little houses you can cut and assemble.

For this card I just wanted to cut the house silhouette and use a couple of the inner pieces to add some detail. The stamp set comprises of three layers that you stamp in different colours. They need to be lined up perfectly to build up the whole image. A stamp positioning tool is really helpful when using this set.

I chose a black background for the main stamp section and added a lovely sea glass colour for the blooms and lime green for the foliage. This created a beautiful crisp, fresh image.

What you need...

Stamps: 

Floral Print Silhouette Stamp Set - Concord & 9th

Dies: 

Townhouse (661378) - Sizzix

Circles

Ink pads:

Onyx Black - Versafine

Sea Glass - Gina K

Key Lime

Clear Ultra Slow Drying Embossing Pad - WOW!

Embossing powder:

Opaque Bright White Super Fine (WL01SF-O) - WOW!

Embellishments:

Droplets - The Stamp Market

Card stock: 

White

Black

Other:

Foam sheets

What you do...

1 Use a stamp positioning tool to stamp the first layer of the floral image with black ink. Next, line up the flower section and stamp in Sea Glass. Line up the foliage layer and stamp in Key Lime ink.

2 Die cut the stamped panel with a circle die. Die cut the town house with the gable roof and small heart from the centre. 

3 Use the large heart from the set to cut a section around the small heart from the positive piece.

4 Die cut a smaller circle than the stamped section from a foam sheet, then cut a house from the centre of it. Attach the foam to the back of the stamped circle making sure you line up the edges.

5 Attach the stamped gable decoration and the heart section to the die cut foam pieces cut from the house.

6 Create an 11cm x 14cm white blank and adhere the stamped panel at the top. Add the gable and heart details.

7 Cut the 'Sweet Baby' stamp in half and use the 'Sweet' portion and the 'Home' stamp to create the sentiment. Ink up with clear embossing ink and emboss with white embossing powder and trim.

8 Mat the sentiment under the house panel and add some clear droplets to finish.

As more American products are getting popular over here in the UK, I am finding that I want to use the US A2 card size to create my makes and these obviously fit the American full dies and stamps better than the UK A6. The nearest cm equivalent is 11cm x 14cm. 

I actually find this a lovely size to work on. This card size still fits nicely into an A6 envelope. As I always make my own blanks, using US A2 isn't an issue for me. I do like to make more unusual card sizes and make my own envelopes if needed.

Also, don't be afraid to cut into your photopolymer stamps. Providing you cut between words, you can  make the stamp go further and it can always be used as intended when lined up on an acrylic block.

I really enjoyed making this card and the stamp set is lovely. I hope Rosanna & Simon like it. I am going to miss them.

Thank you for stopping by. I have been making lots of simple and quick Christmas cards using pre-printed die cuts, so I will be back soon to share them with you. TTFN!

          

Moonlight Deer

Good afternoon!

I'm back with another Christmas card. PaperCrafter asked some of its designers about their Christmas card makes for a feature in the current issue (#152). At the time I was working on a lovely card featuring some reindeer, a gorgeous moonlit sky and snowy background.

What you need...

Dies: 

Delightful Deer - My Favorite Things

Birch Trees - Mama Elephant

Stitched - Paper Smooches

Circles - Sizzix

Stamps:

Christmas Sampler

Ink pads:

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Blueprint Sketch - Ranger

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Salty Ocean

Onyx Black - Versafine

Masking paper:

Masking Magic - Gina K

Card stock:

Brown

Tan

White

Embellishments:

Itty Bitty Stars Rainbow Delight - Little Things from Lucy's Cards

Gel pen:

White UM-153 - Uni-ball Signo

What you do...

1 Cut an 11cm square of white card. Cut an 11cm square of masking paper and die cut a 9cm circle in the centre. Place over the white card stock.

2 Die cut a 2.5cm circle of masking paper and place within the circle.

3 Blend the Blueprint Sketch and Salty Ocean inks within the circle making it lighter around the inner circle. Remove the masks.

4 Create a 12cm x 14cm white blank and mat the blended panel centrally at the top.

5 Die cut three birch trees in white. Place one at the left. Use the curved stitched die to create a snowbank approximately 5cm deep and attach to the bottom of the blank. 

6 Add some snow in the sky with the white gel pen.

7 Die cut the two reindeer and assemble.

8 Add the two remaining birch trees and one of the reindeer.

9 Create another smaller snow bank and fix to the bottom of the blank along with the remaining reindeer.

10 Add a sentiment to the bottom left. Finish with a few stars.

I'd taken some extra photos of the process in case they wanted them for the feature, so rather than waste them I thought it would be a good idea to use them in these instructions.

I was so pleased with this card and the colour scheme is crisp and fresh.

Also in the magazine I have an adorable reindeer card. This one showcases a spin element where several reindeer dance around Rudolph sitting the middle. This is featured in my monthly Step by Step tutorial, where you can learn a technique in 9 steps. It is simple to make and such fun to play with.

PaperCrafter issue 152 is out until 15th October. For more ideas, free templates, projects and inspiration why not pop over to the PaperCrafter website?

Well, this has been quite a long winded blog post. I normally don't do posts about my magazine makes but I just wanted to share this adorable reindeer spin card with you.

Thank you for popping by and I'll be back soon with another make.

Winter Snowglobe

Hello all!

I hope you are all well. I have a little Christmas card to share with you today. This features a cute little snow globe die set from Sizzix and was inspired by the wonderful Pete Hughes. There are a few of these little sets available and the domes are purchased separately. 

What you need...

Dies: 

Tiny Snowglobes by Tim Holtz (663119) - Sizzix

Snowglobe domes:

Dimensional Domes by Tim Holtz (663559) - Sizzix

Ink pads:

Turquoise Gem - VersaMagic

Card stock:

Turquoises

White

Gel pen:

White

Fonts: 

Raleway

Beach Script

Glitter: 

White iridescent

What you do...

1 Print the sentiment onto white card and trim to 6.5cm x 9.5cm.

2 Blend the Turquoise Gem ink from the top fading down to white.

3 Die cut the aperture centrally at the top and attach the dome.

4 Die cut two small trees and their branches from shades of turquoise card. Attach to a piec of white card so that they will sit perfectly within the globe.

5 Fill the dome with some iridescent glitter and place the tree panel on the back to seal.

6 Create an 8.5cm x 12.5cm white blank and attach the dome panel with foam tape. Use the white gel pen to add snowflakes.

There are lots of little Christmas/Winter images within this set, so you can chop and change along with the colour scheme. Of course you can use these dies without the domes to create flatter cards or gift tags. The die set also includes a snowglobe base.

The fonts were downloaded from FontSpace. They are free to use for personal use, however if you plan to sell your cards then you will need to purchase them for commercial use.

You can check out more inspiration for this die set by Pete Hughes by clicking here.

Thank you so much for popping by and I'll be back soon with another card to share!

Stitched Hearts

Hello there!

I hope you are all well. I would like to share with you, if I may, a simple little card featuring a cute heart taken from the Paper Smooches stamp set - Needle Little Love. 

This card combines simple masking and stamping techniques. I finished off the card with the word 'Hi', but it could be adapted to a Valentine's or anniversary card by simply changing the sentiment.

What you need...

Stamps:

Needle Little Love - Paper Smooches

Ink pads:

Magenta - Avery Elle Pigment Ink 

Orchid

Raspberry

Onyx Black - Versafine

Masking paper: 

Stamping Mask Paper - Inkadinkado

Card stock:

White

Gems:

Clear

What you do...

1 Stamp a vertical row of four hearts onto white card with the Onyx Black ink so the stitches line up.

2 Stamp the hearts onto masking paper and cut out. Place over each of the hearts.

3 Apply the inks over the hearts so the paler shade of pink is at the top blending down to the deeper shade.

4 Remove the masks and trim the hearts leaving a narrow white border down each side.

5 Mat the heart strip down the left side of a white blank 10.5cm x 15cm trimming away any excess from the top and bottom. Stamp the 'hi' in the lower right corner and finish with some clear gems.

Sadly Paper Smooches are now closed for business. I will however continue to use their stamp and dies sets as they have such wonderful images and they are one of my favourite go to companies. Plus, I know a lot of people own many of their products. So look out for more of my makes featuring Paper Smooches!

Well, I have to sign off now. Thank you for stopping by and I'll be back soon.Take care!

Rainbow Unicorn

Good afternoon blog friends!

I'm back with an adorable make using a stamp and die set that I have been itching to play with. I have had it some time, but a friend asked to make a card for her granddaughter's birthday. As she loves unicorns I thought this was the perfect set to use.

What you need...

Stamps:

Decorate A Cake Stamp Set (CM438) - Hero Arts

Dies:

Decorate A Cake Frame Cuts (D1741) - Hero Arts

Promarkers:

Fresh Bloom*

Magenta

Mandarin

Yellow

Lime Green

Cyan

Cool Aqua

Purple

*Limited Edition

Ink pad:

Obsidian Amalgam Ink Pad - Gina K

Sprinkles:

Let's Polka - Little Things From Lucy's Cards

Patterned paper:

Really Rainbow 6x6 Paper Pad - Lawn Fawn

Card stock:

White

Font:

Enjoy Writing - Khurasan

What you do...

1 Stamp the cake and add the eyes and icing. Stamp the flower cluster, the large flower, the horn and two ears.

2 Colour in the images and cut out using the coordinating dies. Assemble the cake.

3 Create an 11cm x 18cm white card blank. Cover the bottom 6cm with rainbow paper.

4 Print a sentiment, trim and fix to the rainbow section with foam pads. 

5 Attach the unicorn to the top of the blank and add sprinkles around the image.

The font that I used is for personal use only, I must point out that I do not make cards to sell and I did not charge my friend for this card, so the use of this font was for personal use. Free fonts are okay to use for personal use, however if you do sell your cards, then you will have to purchase a commercial use version. To access this and many more by Khurasan check out FontSpace  or dafont.com, 

I decided to go with a tall blank for this make. Tall cards seem to be making a come back at the moment, I remember when tall slim and DL sized card were all the rage. 

I was really pleased with how this card turned out. The photo doesn't really do it justice and it is so cute in 'real life'. Needless to say, my friend was very pleased with it.

Okay, I'm going to sign off for now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll be back soon.

Rainbow Heart

Hello there!

Sorry I haven't been around for a while. I recently went away for a few days with some friends to a remote cottage up in the Lake District. We did lots of walking and laughing! After getting home, I had to get a few projects done for the magazines, so sadly the blog had to wait.

Well I'm back now! I have a lovely little heart/rainbow themed card to share with you. I hope you like!

What you need...

Stamps:

Positive Strokes - Paper Smooches

Dies:

Hello Love - Paper Smooches

Ink pads:

Bluebird - Wendy Vecchi

Buttercup

Tiger Lily

Peony Purple - Impress

Sour Apple - My Favorite Things

Melon Mambo - Stampin' Up!

Gems:

Black

Card stock:

Black

White

What you do...

1 Trim a piece of white card 10cm square. Stamp the brush strokes vertically down the left hand side in rainbow colours.

2 Cover a 10.5cm square blank with black card and mat the rainbow panel onto it.

3 Die cut the heart several times in black card (I did five) and stack together with wet adhesive.

4 Attach the heart towards the right of the blank. Add some gems to decorate.

I love the bright rainbow brush strokes against the white background and the black just makes the whole thing pop.

Stacking several die cuts really makes the image pop. You can get the same effect by cutting the image once in your chosen card and then once in craft foam. A great technique.

Well, that is all for now. Thank you so much for stopping by and I'll be back soon with another make. It won't be long now before I start posting Christmas makes up - yikes!

Take care!

I Wet My Plants

Hello there and happy Saturday!

I've been really busy of late with lots of work for the magazines, so I now have a bit of time to update my blog and share with you another cute make.

This one uses my fave, Paper Smooches! I teamed up Paper Smooches stamps with dies to create a lovely little scene with an adorable bear and some colourful flowers.

What you need...

Stamps:

Chubby Chum Pals - Paper Smooches

Twiggy Florets - Paper Smooches

Perky Plants

Dies:

Stitched - Paper Smooches

Copic:

Cerise R006

Fuchsia RV09

Lilac V04

Violet V09

Acid Yellow Y08

Lemon Yellow Y13

Pale Celestine B0000

Chrome Orange YR04

Cadmium Orange YR07

Toast E34

Chamois E35

Brick White E40

Pearl White E41

Ink pad:

Extreme Black - My Favorite Things

Gel pen:

White UM-153 Signo - Uni-ball

Card stock:

White

Lime

What you do...

1 Cut a piece of white card 10cm x 14cm, stamp three flowers and the sentiment from the Twiggy Florets set, some bees from the Perky Plants set and colour in.

2 Stamp the bear onto white card, colour in and cut out.

3 Die cut the curved stitches onto lime card, trim so it measures 10cm wide and approximately 4cm high. 

4 Attach the lime section below the plants and then adhere the bear in front of the plants with foam tape.

5 Adhere to a 10.5cm x 14.5cm white blank and add some detail to the plants with the white gel pen.

There you have it. I think the sentiment is hilarious. I bought the stamp set solely because of that one sentiment. Have you ever done that? Bought a stamp or die set just for one image or sentiment.

I hope you like this cute little make. I'm off now to go and sort the chickens out, they are after their afternoon corn!

Thank you for dropping by and hopefully back soon.

Sweetie Pie

Hello there!

I'm back with another card to share with you. This one is in my usual style of clean and simple with oodles of cuteness!

I used stamps from one of my fave companies, Paper Smooches. This is quite a small card, 8.5cm x 12.5cm which makes it ideal for a quick note card or a 'just because' card.

What you need...

Stamps:

Bee Mine - Paper Smooches

Boob Tube - Paper Smooches

Ink pads:

Extreme Black - My Favorite Things

Sky Blue #38 - Versacolor

Promarkers:

Berry Red, Champagne*, Ice Grey 3, Lipstick Red, Raw Sienna, Sandstone

Masking paper:

Stamping Mask Paper - Inkadinkado

Card stock:
White, Kraft

*Limited Edition

What you do...

1 Stamp the pie, steam and three hearts onto white card in black ink.

2 Stamp them again onto masking paper and cut out. Place the masks over the corresponding images.

3 Use a blending tool to blend Sky Blue ink over the image, focusing the depth of colour over the actual pie.

4 Remove the masks and colour in the images.

5 Stamp the sentiment underneath the pie.

6 Trim the image to 6.5cm x 9.5cm and mat centrally at the top of a Kraft blank 8.5cm x 12.5cm with foam tape.

There you have it! A cute little note card. Mixing and matching your stamp sets makes them go a lot further with infinite possibilities and they don't have to be the same brand.

I'm going to sign off now, Thank you for popping by and I will see you next time.

Born Today - Cricut

Good afternoon!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. A few things have been happening in my life and unfortunately the blog took a back burner, but I'm back now.

A very dear friend asked me to make a birthday card for his husband. I went through the Cricut design store and found a perfect image. I kept to the colours used by Cricut as I found them to be quite clean, fresh and masculine.

Here is the card...

What you need...

Cricut image: 

Someone I Love Was Born Today (#M8B6A72E) - Let's Eat Some Cake set

Card stock: 

navy, teal, coral, white

Embellishments: 

Droplets Crystal Clear Hearts - Little Things From Lucy's Cards

What you do...

1 Purchase and download the images to your canvas.

2 Re-size to fit your chosen card blank. I used a 15cm square blank.

3 Send to cut in the colours of your choice.

4 Assemble onto the card blank and secure with adhesive.

5 Add some heart shaped droplets to finish.

I think this was such a lovely card to send to a male as men are so difficult to make for sometimes. You could also change up the colour scheme to make a card for a female recipient.

Handy tip: I cut the whole design out first in a scrap of card. I used the negative to help place all the final coloured pieces onto the blank. This helped keep the lovely heart shape and spacing of the little hearts.

If you haven't got access to a Cricut, then you could get a similar look by using die cut words/hearts or stamps from your stash.

So there we have it, a simple card that uses a beautiful image and colours.

I am going to sign off for now, thank you for popping by and I'll hopefully be back soon.