Craftily Sugar Brown

Copic 380 Beauty Case

2012-01-25T15:54:00.000Z

Had to share the news. Don't miss out on the chance to win one of these

All you need to do to be in with a chance is to

Go to Copic Marker Benelux and follow the instructions near the bottom of the post.

Good Luck.

I love my Copics. I just don't have all of the colours yet :-)

Golden Treasure

2012-01-12T20:56:00.001Z

I'm so Excited.

I've been decorating heart shaped trinket boxes for a while, but this is the first chance I have had to decorate wooden boxes in new shapes and sizes, My delivery came on Monday and I could wait to get stuck in. Unfortunately, real life intruded and I have only been able to do a small amount each day.

This is how my box started out

I painted my Box with white acrylic, then roughly edged it with my gold Krylon leafing pen. I have then stamped and inked with tea dye distress ink. I had a fridge magnet that I wasn't overly fond of so i have taken the back off of it and removed the picture, created a new "face" for it and coloured it with my krylon pen.

To finish off I have used flowers, lace, stick on pearls, part of a broken necklace and some gems taken from an old belt. Lots of recycling on this one.

I can't wait to try another one of these.

I am entering this one for the following challenges:-

The Crazy Challenge - Lace and or pearls

Fab n Funky - Recycle it

Everybody Art - Shabby

Crafty Creations - Something new
Creative Inspirations - Swirls and Pearls

Happy new year

2012-01-01T00:05:00.002Z

To everyone in blogland, I wish you a year of great new ideas and projects. May good health and lots of love be with you all xxxx

Naomi Dawn

Crystal Butterfly

2011-11-17T11:59:00.000Z

Hi everyone. I'm still making Christmas gifts. I'm so far behind schedule I'm not sure if I will be finished in time. All that aside, it's great to have an excuse to do some much crafting.

This is a new trinket box that I have made. I love making these and they make such great gifts. This one is hand stamped with fairy writing in faded jeans distress ink. The tag was done using the same colour.

I have used an Anitas dimensions butterfly as well as a die cut butterfly in silver and lots of 2mm clear crystals. I love my flowers and the ones I get from Wild Orchid Crafts are great.

The blue ribbon matches the one I used on the tag and the cream lace works really well with the ivory flowers.

I am entering this trinket box in the following challenges:-

Everybody Art - Little present
My Time To Craft - Take two - I used two butterflies
One Stop Craft - Ribbons and lace

White Christmas

2011-11-14T11:40:00.000Z

White on white cards are a scary prospect for me. I've made white on white cards before, but it is always a struggle. I quite enjoyed making this one tho. I love this lace and Kenny K digis are so easy to use, this one just sort of came together.

This was a very easy make. Cuttlebug embossing folders, Spun Sugar distress ink, some luscious lace and a few pearls. I couldn't resist adding some iridescent glitter glue.

I am entering this card for the following challenges:-

Craft your passion - Let it snow

Crafty Catz - Use a digi

Fab n Funky - All white on the night

Kenny K Krafty Girlz - Emboss away

The crafty pad - White on white

Flutteby Red

2011-11-12T12:07:00.001Z

It has been a week or two since my last post as life has taken over my little bit of crafty time. Luckily, I have been able to do a bit over the last two days. I have a list of Christmas cards that I am making along with presents for family members. There just are not enough crafting hours in the day. This little wooden box was made for fun, so no pressure :-)

I love doing these trinket boxes. Exploring the possibilities of what I can do with them and what new techniques I can try.

This one is hand stamped using tea dye distress ink on the top and the tag. I bought the fairy writing stamp a while a go for a project that I haven't gotten around to starting yet, so this is the first time I have used it. I have also used the tea dye ink around the sides to add colour and heat set it. The butterflies are embossed with gold embossing powder and I have added some 2mm gems. This is the first time that I have tried using a tag on one of my trinket boxes and I am very pleased with the result.

I am entering my box for the following challenges:-

Chrstimas Stamping All Year Long - Use an unused stamp

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes + Brown

Kaboodle Doodles - Fall colours

The Crazy Challenge - Something with wings

Blue Christmas

2011-10-31T18:39:00.000Z

I've been mainly focusing on making Christmas prezzies for friends and family lately, so I have not been making as many cards that I can blog. I'm really pleased with the presents that I have made, but I can't blog them yet.

I have been experimenting with softer colours. I like rich dark colours, but I am trying to branch out a bit with my style and colour choices.

Sorry about the picture. I took it at lunch time today, but the weather is so gloomy at the mo and my camera is nothing special. Please click on the image to get a better view.

I haven't used my Penny Black stamps in ages, so I pulled them out and had a play with one from the Holly Jolly set. I like the cool icy colours in this card so I added 2mm gems and some ivory flat backed pearls and lots of glitter glue.

I am entering this card for the following challenges:-

Allsorts - Christmas Easel Card

Christmas stamping all year long - Jingle all the way. I added a bell that does tinkle

Totally Papercrafts - Glitter it

Stocking filler

2011-10-27T12:16:00.000+01:00

I'm still working my way slowly through making Christmas prezzies for family and friends and making cards. This is another one that I made.

You may have noticed that I love using Kenny K digis. I can't get enough of them to be honest. Since I worked out how to do male Christmas cards, I am having a hard time stopping :-)

I started with my normal 5x7 white card blank and covered the front with Curry by 7gypsies. I then stamped "Seasons greetings" in a couple of rows down the front. I embossed and sanded a scrap of co-ordinations cardstock that was left over from matting the image. The wording I printed has been edged with fired brick distress ink and then stuck on with foam pads to give them a bit if height.

I will be entering this card for the "Get Dotty" challenge at Kenny K's Krafty Girlz and the "Halloween/Fall" challenge at Kaboodle Doodles as I feel the warm colours I have used really suit that time of the year.

Christmas for two

2011-10-20T17:34:00.000+01:00

Today's challenge for me was to make a monochromatic Christmas card. I have to say that it was a toughie. I couldn't decide which colour to use and then I saw the challenge at Paper Play Challenges. They asked us to use black so that was that problem solved. Just to push myself a bit further I decided to make a Christmas card for a couple. I have seen them in the card shops, but have never made one myself.

I have to say that this card has been inspired by a number of challenges. The monochrome theme came from Creative Inspirations and The Crafty Pad. Distressing your edges came from Creatalicious Challenges and Embossing came from Charizma Cardz Challenges.

I have used a Teddybo digistamp and have added black gems and black ribbon. I love all things Tim Holtz so I have used the Tim Holtz distressing tool and Black soot distress inks. Is there anything that man can't do?

Xmas Lace

2011-10-18T13:45:00.000+01:00

Do you ever see something in a shop or online and know exactly what you will do with it? I had one of those moments when I saw the lace I have used on this card.

The lace is 9cm wide and so lush. I bought it at Wild Orchid Crafts where I buy all of my flowers. I have laced lilac ribbon through the center. It was just begging for something to go there. My background paper is from a HOTP paper pack that I bought at least 6 years ago. I have so much paper and card that I sometimes forget the old gems I have stashed away. If you click on the picture, you will be able to see the lilac flat back pearls that I have added to the lace.

I made the frame to go round my image by inking with milled lavender distress ink. I then debossed a swirly pattern on to it using a Cuttlebug embossing folder that I had inked with Duty Concord distress ink. I added a bit more dusty concord to finish it off. The snowflake stamp is one that I got free with a magazine last year. I have used clear iridescent glitter glue on the snowflake and around the edge of the frame, but for some reason it turns up green in my photo. I have also added ivory flat back pearls to the snowflake.

I will be entering this card into the following challenges:-

Allsorts Challenge Blog - Lavender and lace

My time to craft - Punches and dies. I have used two different dies on this one.

The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - White plus one other colour

Tri Acetate

2011-10-15T17:17:00.000+01:00

I like tri-fold cards and have been wondering for a while if it is possible to make one out of acetate. The answer is YES and it wasn't as tricky as I thought it would be.

I started buy marking out my folds on a sheet of paper and then the rest was easy. Normally when I make one of these cards i use my embossing tool to mark and score where I need to fold. It's not as easy to do with acetate, especially when you use flittered acetate.

I have used Kanban Flittered acetate to make this card. All of the design is made using glitter and it give your card something a little bit extra.

I will be entering this card for the "Acetate challenge" over at Totally Papercrafts and for the "Cards for all occasions" over at Craft Your Passion.

Naughty or nice

2011-10-03T20:46:00.000+01:00

I find making card s for men really hard. I really have to think about them. Can't go too crazy with flowers, don't want to over do it with the ribbon and just how much is too much on the embellishments?

Kenny K's Krafty girlz challenged us to use two or more girls on our card this week and to use die cuts. This card instantly popped into my head. Well if you see the Christmas images available it just made good sense.

I had the "Santa Claus is coming to town" tune going around in my head when I was looking through the digis that I have. I have promised myself that I would make more effort to make more Christmas cards now and not leave it till the last minute panic I had last year for people I had forgotten.

This is inside the card. ll of the working was attached using foam pads to give them a bit of height. I have edged the different elements with peeled paint distress ink and all of the fur trim bits have been glitter glued in clear iridescent.

I will also be entering this card for the challenges at :-

One Stop Craft Challenge - Just for men

The Crafty Pad - One for the boys

Bound in lilac love.

2011-10-01T17:11:00.000+01:00

Yes I'm sorry. Another binder. If you have not been to my blog before, you may not have seen my other two binders. I have been decorating them to store my acrylic stamps in. This is my third. I have gone for different looks with each of them.

I wanted to show a different side to my crafting with this one. It is a lot more personal in a lot of ways. I actually have a hand written message on this one, which is unusual for me as I hate my hand writing. I have embossed the edges of the doily and along the pen design. there are two different widths of ribbon on this tag.

I love the pen nib design along the edge of this paper, so it was important to me that it didn't get covered too much. I couldn't resist adding the lace and ribbon though. Lilac flat back pearls work well with so many different projects, don't you think?

There is a lot going on with this binder, feathers, gems, lace and ribbon, tags flowers and more. This wasn't a planned project, it has been very much go with the flow. My favorite colour is purple. Think aubergine (eggplant) or a rich plum. There are varying shades of it all over this project.

I will be entering this binder in the following challenges:-

Allsorts - 5 Flowers

Kaboodle Doodles - The Pretty doily

Simon Says - Anything goes

Totally Papercrafts - Autumn - I have used what I consider to be autumn wedding colours.

The ABC Challenge - Anything goes

We Three Kings

2011-09-29T18:25:00.000+01:00

I'm still working on making simple cards. I'm one of those people who don't feel that a card is finished until it have flowers or ribbon or more on it.

This card was made by folding one sheet of A4 pearlescent card.

I added gold glitter border peel offs, two Kanban toppers and a couple of peel off snowflakes, which started off silver, so I had to colour them with a gold leaf pen.

I like this sentiment. Simple bit effective.

I will be entering my card for the following challenges:-

Allsorts - Keep it simple

Crafty Creations - Clean and simple

My Time To Craft - Musical Medley - We three kings (Hymn/carol)

Bound in Orange

2011-09-27T11:48:00.000+01:00

If you have been to my blog before, you may have seen a binder that I altered called Bound in Blue. I made it to give my acrylic stamps a home and soon realised that I needed more. I had to buy another two binders in fact.

Sorry. Lots of pictures again. I have started documenting how I make things. What works and what doesn't. It means that I take a massive load of pictures of each project. This is just a sample.

I got these chip board letters as part of a scrapbooking kit that I used to subscribe to. They have never fitted in with a project I was making so they have been in my stash for about 5 years or so. It suddenly occurred to me that they didn't need to stay this colour, so I inked and embossed them.

Voila, new letters that I can use.

My background paper was crated using mustard seed, dried marigold, spiced marmalade, rusty hinge and fired brick distress inks. I have stamped and embossed a rose and a gate and fence along the bottom. I have decorated a couple of the letters with mosaic mirror tiles. First time I have used them and they turned out to be easy to use.

I bought this pair of earrings for a pond. they are pretty long and I liked the tassels. I've never worn them as they were bought specifically for my crafting projects. Since I started using jewellery in crafting I have problems not seeing component parts that I can use in cards. It's no longer just some thing to wear, I look at bits more as what I can make out of them. It's great.

I removed the hook from the earring and have hot glued the whole thing to my binder. I'm quite pleased with how this turned out, as I had no plan for how it would look when I started it. I just sort of played.

I am entering this binder for the following challenges:-

Crafty Cats Weekly Challenge - Autumn
Just Us Girls - Fall 3D project
Sparkles Forum Challenges - Something that sparkles - I have used a number of gems on this.

Bound in Blue

2011-09-18T11:39:00.001+01:00

At the moment all of my acrylic stamps are stored in a drawer and it is a bit frustrating finding the one that I want. I bought this A5 binder from Paperchase for £3 to store them in.

It was just begging to be altered/decorated.

This is the backing paper I created using Faded jeans, Broken china, Shabby shutters and black soot. I also used Black embossing powder and clear iridescent embossing powder for sparkle. I had a lot of fun creating this.

The frame is made from grunge paper which I painted with crackle paint and then inked with faded jeans, Tea dye and vintage photo before coating with more clear iridescent embossing powder to give this sparkly effect.

You really need to click on this image to see the details. There are close up pictures of the different areas here

I will be entering my binder in the following challenges.

Allsorts challenge blog - Alter or recycle

Creatalicious Challenge - Anything goes

Creative Inspirations - Anything goes

Fab N Funky - Bingo card (embellishment/ribbon/diecuts) (Embellishment/digi stamp/flowers)

MAWTT - Sparkle

Blue Steam

2011-09-13T19:05:00.000+01:00

I only discovered Steampunk a month or so ago and I am totally hooked. I find myself staring at objects thinking "what have you got inside you that I can use?" I'm not sure how safe mechanical looking things are around me at the moment.

I love making trinket boxes and I actually woke up thinking about the idea for this one this morning. (How sad am I?) This time I have used blue, brown and gold. I have inked the sides in Faded Jeans distress ink. I still haven't been able to get any cogs, so I am still making my own from snowflake die cuts. This time I have inked them with Tea Dye distress ink and then used gold embossing powder to get a corroded metal look. The bits where the tea dye show through look like rust.

My image is Jayne Jettpack from Kenny Ks Steampunk Burlesque range. Kenny K asked us to use pearls and pins for this weeks challenge. I didn't have what I needed so I have put pearl beads onto normal pins and hot glued them into place.

I have given my butterfly a slightly corroded look using both gold and black embossing powder. The flowers have also been given a dusting of embossing powder and then heated a little with my heat gun.

I will be entering my little box in the following challenges:-

Craft your passion challenges - The "F" word - Flowers

Die cut dreams - Flower power - Use at least 5 flowers

Everybody art - Flowers

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz - Pins and pearls

Paper take weekly - Things with wings - Butterfly

Never Ending

2011-09-10T22:49:00.000+01:00

This is my first attempt at a never ending card. Is that the right name? I made it for my daughter who turned 18 on Thursday. How old did that make me feel?

This is what I call the front of the card, or position one. I have used Bo bunny flocked card stock, silver cardstock, black outline stickers, black co-ordinations card stock and Kenny K Digis

This is position two. I have used five different images and have used the same four colours for all of their outfits.

This is position three.

And this is position four. I put a personal message on the top section for her.

Never ending cards are not hard to make, but I did find this one time consuming. It is well worth the effort though :-)

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

Paper Play Challenges - Use two or more stamped images - I used 5

Paper Take Weekly - Anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Multi-fold card

Stamp Something - Anything goes

Ians gone dotty

2011-09-07T12:27:00.000+01:00

My friend from work Ian will be celebrating his birthday tomorrow. He is great to work with and always remembers every ones birthday. He is also a practical joker and we have all been on the receiving end of one of his pranks at one time or another.

Since he has opened his card, I thought it would be OK to post it here.

I had to take the picture late evening, so I apologise for the picture quality.

The background paper is by Bo Bunny and the dots are velvet flocked. the i,age is a digi stamp from Teddy Bo. I finally bought myself a Martha Stewart Border punch and the matching corner punch, so expect to see this a bit for a while :-).

Ian loved his card and it got a good giggle in the office :-)

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

Allsorts - Green and Blue

Cute Card Thursday - Use at least one punch

Fab N Funky - It's so funny

The Corrosive Challenge - Funny or use a pun

Sparkles Forum Challenges - Punch it

Locked in Green

2011-09-04T21:50:00.000+01:00

It is very rare for me to make a green card. I'm not sure why, but I've given it a go for this card. I've had a go a putting together a Steampunk Grunge card. Not sure what I was doing, but I had fun. Youtube is your friend when it comes to research.

I didn't have any cogs and I kept seeing them on steampunk cards, so I had a go at making some myself using some build a snowflake dies. Many of the elements of this card have been copper leafed and embossed. I also embossed the backing paper that I created using distress inks. For full details on how I put this card together look here.

This is a close up of some of the elements that I made or coloured. The little key on the right was a gold coloured earring that I took the back off of. The heart (originally silver coloured) was a charm from a necklace that I bought and posted a little while ago. The buttons were also originally silver coloured.

Lots of touches of gold pen on this image. I have dragged a bit of vintage photo ink over the image as it stood out too much from the rest of the card.

This is a clearer image of the dry embossing.

I will be entering this card in the following challenges:

Fab N Funky - Go mad with embossing

Kenny K - Vintage / Grunge

Stamp Something - Use a Digi stamp

Xmas Folds

2011-09-04T09:54:00.000+01:00

I have finally started making stuff for Christmas. This is my first project. I think I have been in denial for the last month or so, but I know that if I don't start now, I wont get everything finished in time. I apologise for the number of pictures in this post, but I think you will understand.

The original idea for my card came from a very talented lady. Her blog is called Mariannes Papirverden . I am very inspired by all of her makes. I actually followed a tutorial on YouTube to make this.

When closed, my card measures 3"x6"

The inner part of the card was made from one sheet of A4 which I cut down to size. I will lay flat when fully opened. I have used a version of this fold before as shown here.

The back needed something so I have stamped a lovely little bear which shows up on a lot of my Christmas cards.

This is the front of the matching bag I made for the card showing the same little bear. The bag is made from one A4 sheet of the same paper I used inside the card.

And the back.

I will be entering my project for the following challenges:

Christmas Stamping All Year Long - Fancy Shmancy Folds

Crafty Creations - Dies and Punches

Creative Card Crew - Anything goes

Die Cut Dreams - Make a gift bag or box

Lady Raven Split

2011-08-29T11:14:00.000+01:00

I really don't need much of an excuse to get my distress inks out, so this weeks challenge at The Crafty Pad was right up my street. I grabbed my two current favorite colours and started to play. I have used Dusty Concord and Broken China with some black soot to add the features.

The Corrosive Challenge asked us to "come to the dark side" so I knew I was going to use a Kenny K digi stamp and the challenge at Stamptacular Sunday just cinched it as they asked us to put a diva - girl with attitude on our creation.

If you have been on my blog before you may have seen a card I made called Wanda in red. On it I used an earring that I bought in a local shop. The diamonte cross I have used on this one is the other one to the set. I love using non crafting items in my projects. I used wire cutters to cut the back off of this stud. I struggled a bit with the other one when I tried to bend it. A bit of hot glue is holding it in place.

Acetate Arch

2011-08-28T17:27:00.000+01:00

I love playing with acetate and pushing myself to learn new techniques. I can't say this one pushed me very hard, but I absolutely love the finished article and already have ideas for the "mark II" version.

This one is made from an A4 sheet of Kanban Glittered acetate, co-ordinations black textured cardstock, a Kanban topper and red eyelets and brads. Oh I forgot the ribbon :-)

I am entering this one for the following two challenges

Charisma Cardz challenges - Glitter it

One Stop Craft Challenge - Not a square

Thank you shaker

2011-08-24T19:43:00.000+01:00

I haven't made a shaker card in ages. I recently found what I call shaker domes in a crafting shop, so I had to have a go. My first bit of inspiration came from this weeks challenge at Stamptacular Sunday, who asked us to use apricot, bling and a cute critter.

I had apricot card, but it looked so plain that I stamped a flourish design using fired brick distress ink. I cut a frame to go around the shaker dome. I have stamped a Penny Black image on to a white card blank and then I added some sprinkles and attached the dome with its frame.

Got to have flowers :-) I've added just a few and some natural cotton lace, some tiny red gems and the thank you peel off is attached to the dome.

In addition to entering this card for the challenge at Stamptacular Sunday, I will also be entering it for the "shaker card" challenge at The Crafty Pad and the "use a frame" challenge at Allsorts Challenge blog

Thank you brightly

2011-08-20T11:21:00.000+01:00

I'm still working on less is more, so this weeks challenge at Charisma cardz was perfect. They asked us to use no more than a third of the card. I think I managed that :-)

Just Us Girls set us a colour challenge. Black, red, yellow and green. I have used Doodlebugs la-di-dot cardstock which has velvet flock and looks and feels very lush. As soon as I saw those two challenges I got a clear picture in my mind for what I was going to make.

The faux stitching I have used fits in nicely with the stitch in time challenge over at Fab N Funky and the bold bright colours are good for the challenge over at One stop Craft.

The thank you stamp I have used on my card came free with a magazine,but it was the perfect addition for the challenge at Stamp something.

Baby Girl

2011-08-13T18:51:00.000+01:00

One of my friends is due to give birth to her daughter any day now so I thought I had better pull my finger out and make her card.

I wanted to keep the card quite simple and uncluttered, so I decided on a decoupage as the main focus and a twisted easel style to give it a more special feel.

It feels like ages since I have done a decoupage. It was quite therapeutic doing one today.

I love a little sparkle, so I have edged this one with clear iridescent glitter glue and added a few touches here and there to highlight the heart balloons.

I have used a very delicate pink pen to draw in faux stitching all the way around the base and front of the card and who can make a baby card without buttons.

I am entering this card for the Buttons and stitching challenge at Creative Inspirations and for the Clean and simple challenge at Cute Card Thursday

Heart of Devastatia

2011-08-13T13:46:00.000+01:00

Every now and again I like to try my hand at altering. If you have been on my blog before, you may have seen one of my trinket boxes. Well I made another one. I love decorating these.

I'm loving Kenny K at the mo and his digis are featuring on a lot of my projects right now. I love using intense colours. They give any project a rich feeling. This is Devastatia. I have coloured her in red black and silver.

I have inked the box using Fired Brick distress ink, which I then went over with my heat tool to help set it. You get quite a good effect as you can still see the wood grain. I might try adding embossing powder too next time. Heating the ink changed the colour a little, but I still love the effect. I hadn't planned to use so many flowers, but once I got started, I just couldn't stop.

I have edged the top of the box with black velvet ribbon. I have then edged around the bottom section with black lace and more black velvet ribbon. I have added deep red gems for a bit of glamour.

I am entering my trinket box for the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Blog - Anything but a card
CRAFT Challenge - Gift
Kaboodle Doodles - Primary colours
Papertake Weekly - Grow your own - use flowers

Wanda in Red

2011-08-02T00:17:00.000+01:00

Hiya, couldn't resist making a card tonight. If you look at my last post you will see some cheap jewelry that I bought a few days ago. This is a bad picture of the silver studs that I bought for £1.

I had to make a hole with my pokey tool and then after I pushed it through the ribbon and the card I did my best to bend it down. (Not as easy as I thought that would be).

I have used another of my new Kenny K digis. I have used my sakura pens again to give the skulls in her hair and on her outfit a silver glitter finish and her lips are black glitter. The sentiment is black peel offs and as you can see I have used one of my studs.

I'm entering this card for the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes
Moving Along With The Times - Brand spanking new - digi and earring
Kenny K - Metal embellishment - earring

Donna in Purple & Blue

2011-07-31T17:24:00.000+01:00

I love finding things in shops that are not intended for card making, but just scream out "Put me on a card" when I see them. Today's offering came when wandering around Primark. This is what I found.

The silver earrings will go on two different goth influenced cards that I am working on and the six pairs of gold earrings/studs will go great on a variety of cards. The long chain has three different strands on it and four different sized charms that I can use. I have already used the black heart on this card.

I love Kenny K digi stamps so much, that I have a list of what I am going to buy next from there next to my computer. This card started out as a white pre-creased card blank. I have die cut an aperture using the largest die I could get away with and then fixed Kanban Glittered acetate to the front using eyelets.

I have used silver pen on her buckes and the teardrop tattoo and the wings have been coloured in sakura jellyroll pen which gives a lovely glitter finish. The black heart that I was talking about earlier has been attached to my Donna tag. I find it hard to make a card without flowers these days, do I couldn't resist adding a few. :-)

I will be entering this card for the following challenges:
The Crafty Pad - Something Clear - I used acetate
Totally Papercrafts - Bling it up - Plenty of glitter on this one :-)
Allsorts - Free and Easy

Red Goth Tag

2011-07-23T14:40:00.000+01:00

Wow did I have fun with this project. A Spoonfull of Sugar and Ohh La La both asked us to use tags. First thing that came to mind was my poor neglected distress inks. Well they are not really neglected, but it has been at least a week since I used them last.

I started off by die cutting the tag and inking it with Fired Brick and Black Soot ink pads. I had to build up layers of colour to get the depth that I wanted. Each time I completed a layer of colour, I spritzed it with water and then dried it off using my heat gun. You get some really nice effects that way. I have also used a best wishes stamp on my tag, but you need to click on the tag to see the finer details.. Once I was happy with the colour, I covered most of the tag with clear iridescent embossing powder. I only heat the powder long enough to get some gloss and texture.

I have used a digistamp from Stitchybear stamps. The wings have been done with Sakura Gellyroll to give them glimmer and I have outlined the whole image in the palest pink copic I have to create a slight halo effect. I love embellishing things so this weeks challenge at Stamp Something was perfect for this project.

This card has a combination of flowers, brads, eyelets, chains, charms,pearls a metal flower, ribbon and lace. Some of those embellishments qualified this card for the challenge over at Paper play Challenges, who asked us to use ribbons lace and buttons. I have attached the tag to the card with foam tape and I have curled a couple of the edges of the tag up for a more dimensional effect.

Girly Favorite

2011-07-16T21:28:00.000+01:00

Moving along with the times asked us to use our favorite things for this weeks challenge. Where to start. There are so many things that I love crafting with.

I have recently discovered Lili of the valley stamps and have fallen in love with them. Such cute images and very affordable. This one is coloured , for the main part, using Tim Holtz distress ink. I dabbed the colour on using a make up sponge. You get a really soft effect on the colour this way. I have used pens for her socks and shoes as those areas needed to be more precise. Distress inks are probably at the top of my favourites list and have been for a long time.

Flowers are a must on any project. I feel a bit lost these days if I don't add any. A few of my other favorites that I have used are: lace, stick on pearls, the colour purple and buttons. I have more favorites, but I couldn't fit them all onto one project :o)

Totally Papercrafts asked us to do something for a girly girl and I thought that the image that I used fit right in. Simon says said anything goes, so I thought a wooden box would be ideal for the challenge.

Exploding Birthday

2011-07-10T14:17:00.000+01:00

You tube is one of my most favourite sites at the moment thanks to all of the card making tutorials that they have on their. There are literally hundreds. The inside of this card came from a tutorial that I found whilst looking for something else.

I realised today, just how much purple there is in my stash. I really am going to have to buy a wider range of colours from now on wards. Luckily my colour choice suited this weeks challenge over at Fab N Funky whose challenge this week is Purple haze.

The inside of the card is quite simple to make. It's a lot like tea bag folding, just on a bigger scale. It folds flat so that it is easy to write in. I have added some peel off corners for a little definition. I'm quite pleased with my first attempt :o)

I will also be entering this card for the following challenges:

Charisma Cardz Challenges - All About Flowers

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes.

A is for Amina

2011-07-04T11:21:00.000+01:00

I love making just because prezzies rather than waiting for birthdays Christmas etc as they always seem to be a nicer surprise. I bought this a while ago and have finally gotten around to working on it.

This is for my daughter. She has been working really hard at her studies and has been getting good results, so I guess this is just a little reward for all of the hours she has put in.

This was a go with the flow project. I found the three papers I wanted to use and the rest just grew from there. the dark purple piece has been embossed with dots. The pale pink paper has musical notes on it and the lilac section was plain. You really need to click on the picture to see all of the little details, but I am pleased with the end result. I hope she likes it.

I am entering my letter block for the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Blog - Free and easy
Craft Your Passion - Anything goes
Paperplay Challenges - Anything but a card

Thank you rose

2011-07-01T22:39:00.000+01:00

I haven't played with acetate for a while, so guess what I reached for :o)

Kanban do some lovely glittered acetates. I haven't gotten round to working out how to print onto acetate yet, so this was a great find for me.

The pattern on this one is a bit too busy to add too much to it, so I have tried to keep things simple. The acetate has been eyelet-ted into place in the four corners and 3mm ribbon added. The ribbon fit in nicely with this weeks challenge at Craft Your Passion who asked us to use red. Oh La La asked us to use summer flowers. I figured the glitter flowers on the acetate fit the bill, but couldn't resist adding a red rose.

All in all, this card is quite a simple one, but the acetate is what really pulls it together.

I will also be entering this card for the following challenges:

Crafty Creations - Thank you

The Crafty Pad - Bold and Bright or Soft Pastel. This is definitely bold

Red and White

2011-06-25T15:33:00.000+01:00

One of my latest discoveries is Teddybo digi stamps. Love their stuff.

This week, One Stop Craft asked us to make a get well soon card. It was the perfect opportunity to use one of my new Teddybo digis. The colour combo is from this weeks challenge at Charisma Cardz who asked us to use white plus one other colour.

Moving Along With The Times asked us to make something clean and simple. I usually struggle with simple cards because I always want to add more, but this one was surprisingly easy to make. The red ribbon made this card perfect for the ribbons and bows challenge over at A Spoonful of Sugar.

Daddygate

2011-06-12T17:14:00.000+01:00

Hands up if you don't make many card for men. I have both of mine up. For some reason I find it hard to come up with ideas. I think it is the thought of not using flowers or lace lol.

I have called this one Daddygate as it is a gate fold and I couldn't come up with a better name. All of my cards have a name as I often ask people what they like from different cards if I am making one for them to use.

The design for this card came from this weeks sketch challenge over at Card Patterns and I have used the 321 recipe from this weeks challenge at Allsorts - 1 Designer paper, 2 punches or dies (I used a corner punch plus my nesties) and 3 buttons.

I am also entering Daddygate for the following challenges:

Fab n Funky - Magnificent Men

One Stop Craft - Fathers Day

Paper Play Challenges - Card for a male

Bike Strings

2011-06-07T22:59:00.001+01:00

I struggle with making cards for men. I can never think of a design or what to use on them. I was asked a couple of days ago, to make a card for a friends husband. I said yes and then when off and had a "what have I done" moment. I've just finished it.

I started with a white pre-scored card blank. I cut a piece of black Co ordinations textured card just slightly smaller than the front of my card and then die cut a hole in the middle. I love my crop o dile, but it doesn't get enough use, so it was great to put it to work on this card doing all of that eyeleting. I have used embroidery thread to lace between the eyelets and then added the slightly distressed bike digi and sentiments. Everything, including the frame is raised from the surface of the card using the deepest foam pads that I had in my stash. I hope she likes it.

Sorry the picture is so dark, but it is nearly 11 pm here :o)

I am entering my card for the following challenges:

Stamp something - Use a digi stamp

Paper Take Weekly - Anything goes

Craft your passion - Anything goes

Book of flowers

2011-05-26T21:25:00.000+01:00

I'm constantly trying to stretch myself crafting wise and I have been trying out all sorts of new stuff of late. Some of it has turned out brilliant and some not so good, but such is life, those little flaws are now called "Design features".

I've been looking at tutorials again and this is my first attempt at one of these. Does any one know what they are called? I'm calling them book cards at the mo.

This one isn't very big. It measures 11cm x 10 cm. It was quite easy to make and not as time consuming as I thought it would be.

There are a lot of great tutorials out there in blogland. They are well worth looking for and a lot of effort has gone into putting them together. I still have a lovely long list to work through :O)

I am entering my book card for the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion - Let it all hang out

OLLCB - Fancy Folds

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Pale Pretty Pastels

80 year old whiskey

2011-05-20T20:37:00.000+01:00

One of the guys at work is going to his grandmothers 80th birthday party this weekend and asked me to make her a card. I asked him what sort of things he would like on the card and he said "put some of that doily stuff on it" pointing at the lace on another card I had made. "Oh, and she likes whiskey". That was my brief for this card.

I have matted some red/very dark pink design paper on to brown card and then added lace. I have been playing with my label die cuts and altering to see what other shapes I can come up with. I quite like the tag shapes I have made, so I used one here. I have tied the top with dark red lace and finished off with flowers, glitter glue, leaves and peel offs.

It's a simple card, but Ian was really please with it. I hope his grandmother is too.

I am entering this card for the following challenges:
A spoon full of sugar - Anything goes
Everybody Art - Tags
Papertake weekly - Bloom and grow

Apples in Distress

2011-05-18T19:25:00.000+01:00

I have called this one "Apples in Distress" because the colours I have used are candy apple red and apple green.

This is my second attempt at making one of these cards (My first is called Ruffles).

I love working with my distress inks, but I have restrained myself some what and have only used Vintage Photo on this one. I have done my version of distressed embossing (brush of a bit of the embossing powder before heating and don't let it achieve a smooth finish) think Tim Holtz. the edges of the paper have been distressed using my ranger distressing tool.

The Crafty Pad challenged us to use "holes" in our project, so I have made an aperture. Quite easy to do with this design of card. The Corrosive challenge asked for a birthday card.

I will also be entering this one for the challenge at Kaboodle Doodles, who have a tic tac toe challenge. I chose flowers, die cut and embossing.

Lilac Wedding

2011-05-12T19:39:00.000+01:00

A friend asked mt to make a card for a summer wedding that is based on one that I made before.

I used two sheets of what I like to call soft silver mirri board - A4, 1 quarter sheet of silver heart dufex, most of an A4 sheet of lilac card and half an A4 sheet of white card.

This is my second try at one of these cards and I have to say, that the hardest part of making them is when you have finished.... you are left looking for something else to do.

This type of card is a great one to make if you want wow factor and they can't be bought in shops.

I am entering Lilac Wedding for the following challenges:

Creative Inspirations - Decorate in side your card

Moving Along With The Times - Two Bs - I used blooms and bows

Paper Play Challenges - Celebrating Summer - Summer wedding card

Funky Diva

2011-05-12T18:22:00.000+01:00

This card was a lot of fun to make. Mainly have to admit because I got to use only of my bargains. I found sheets of Bo Bunny velvet flocked 12x12 cardstock for just 50p a sheet. Well I had to buy some and the colours are brilliant.

The design for my card came from this weeks sketch challenge at Stamptacular Sunday. Spots and dots where the requirement over at The Crafty Pad and Kaboodle Doodle asked us for lots of layers. I have used a Kenny K digi stamp (love their stuff) and added glitter to her boots, because she needed more bling.

Framed in flowers

2011-05-12T15:10:00.000+01:00

This is my first attempt at altering a picture frame. After years of scrapbooking and then card making, I am only now getting into altering other things over the past few months. I have made pen pots. (Lots of fun and easy to start off with) and have moved on to trinket and now this :o)

It didn't turn out quite as planned, but I already have a few ideas for my next one. For this one I have used natural cotton lace, chocolate satin ribbon and flowers and leaves from Wild Orchid

I am entering my first attempt to the following challenges:

Crafty Creations - Anything goes

Everybody Art - Flowers

My Time to craft - Scallops

Pearl Tea

2011-05-08T17:18:00.000+01:00

I just had to have a go at the challenge over at Allsorts this week. Use three or more stamps. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be and it was great for a quick make.

The three flourish stamps came from the same set ( sorry I don't know the name any more) and the happy birthday from a Daisy and Dandelion set that I have.

All of the stamping and edging has been done in Tea Dye Distress ink. I have also coloured a couple of the roses with it to get them to match the rest o f the card. Yes, Ive gone with the flowers again (just couldn't resist - love 'em. I have added some mocha flat back pearls for added interest.

Cream Cake

2011-05-08T14:00:00.000+01:00

SCSC challenged us to make a card or project using old stash. Well that was easy as I have loads. The main design paper I have used came from a scrapbooking kit I bough about five and a half years ago. I only recently found out that it is good for vintage cards (still getting to grips with those).

I have had to use different bits for this card as I didn't have enough to do everything I had planned. The design for this card came from this weeks challenge sketch over at Everybody Art.

Moving along with the times asked us to include a cake and that helped me to choose which stamp to use and One Stop Craft Challenge asked us to make a birthday card. I find challenges are a great way to get inspiration for new cards and I think this just proves it :o)

I didn't have flowers in the colours that I wanted, so I have inked a few of the smaller ones with Tea Dye Distress ink and all of the flowers have had a little bit of gold glitter glue added. I have also added iridescent glitter glue to the icing on the cake.

Box of Roses

2011-05-07T13:51:00.000+01:00

This is my second attempt at one of these trinket boxes. I have to admit that I have been looking for more in other shapes, because they are so satisfying to make. Here are a couple of before shots.

I stared buy DS taping the natural cotton lace around the top edge and then I used my hot glue gun sparingly around the top so that the top of the lace would create a nice soft edge and cover the wood a little.

I wanted some height in the middle, so I have padded the top with a bit of make up sponge and then I went a little crazy with the flowers. I have used the last of the pearl beads from my broken bracelet on this one (I have a feeling that another one may get broken soon) and have dotted them about to cover the gaps between flowers.

To finish off, I added some deep purple lace that I have had forever and lilac flat backed pearls. I think that I need to invest in some glimmer mist as I think that a bit of a gold sheen would have finished this one off nicely.

I am entering my box in the following challenges:

Charisma Cardz Challenges - No cards allowed

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes - My pearls are round

Craft your passion - Anything goes

Fab n Funky - Put those papers away - No patterned papers

Birthday wishes

2011-05-01T16:39:00.000+01:00

I as digging through my scraps drawer when I came across two bits of HOTP papers that go really well together. I didn't actually plan this card I just started playing and waited to see what would emerge.

I'm loving the flowers that I bought recently, so they are turning up on most of my projects :O). I've used rose leaves and a lily leaf on this one. I went a bit mad with the pearls, but I like the effect that I got on an earlier project with them, so I ran with it. The swirly sentiment is one from a sheet of Kanban. I couldn't resist the butterfly.

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

The Crafty Pad - Pearls and swirls

Simon Says - Anything goes

MAWTT - Anything goes

Box card called Love

2011-04-25T11:51:00.000+01:00

I love learning new techniques and my most favourite blog is keeping me supplied with loads to try. If you haven't taken a look yet, head on over to Mariannes papirverden. She is so talented.

There are tutorials for most of her cards and if she hasn't made the tutorial herself, she links to one that you can use. I am learning so much :o)

This one was made from two complete A4 sheets of paper (inner and outer shell) plus most of an A4 sheet of silver mirri board and most of an A4 sheet of thin white card.

Die Cut Dreams and Totally Paper Crafts, both asked us to make wedding cards for this weeks challenges and Fab n Funky said "Here comes the bride". So guess what my theme is :o)

It's actually quite simple to make, but it does have that wow factor. I have a heart shaped charm dangling from a chain attached to the front, center crease.

I like the little details that I see on cards, so I have added some silver and white ribbon to tie this card closed.

I will also be entering this card for this weeks challenge at JUGS who asked us to use a 3D template with a spring or summer theme. I've gone with a spring wedding theme and I used the template from the tutorial to make this and I think you will agree that it is definitely a 3D project :o)

Heart of my rose

2011-04-22T15:26:00.001+01:00

I went shopping this week and found some wooden, paint you own heart shaped boxes. First thing I did was throw everything away except for the heart shaped box.

The pink paper I used is from HOTP and I have had it for years. I have distressed the edges a bit with an emery board and my Tim Holtz paper distresser. The bow is made from crispy lace and then I added loads of roses and chrysanths. The ivory flowers have been slightly tinted using tattered rose and worn lip stick distress inks and I have frosted all of the roses by lightly brushing them with ivory pearlescent ink and dusting with iridescent embossing powder. I finished off with some glitter glue for a bit of added sparkle. (That seems to be happening a lot lately).

The large pearls came from a broken bracelet and I have added loads of mini pearls (flat backed) to finish.

I have added lace and ribbon to decorate the sides plus a single bow for detail.

I am entering my heart shaped box for the following challenges and then I am off out to buy more boxes :o)

CRAFT Challenge - Flowers

Everybody Art - Pearls

Moving Along With The Times - Recycle

Chocolate Orange

2011-04-16T14:16:00.000+01:00

If you caught my post yesterday, you will know that I am currently experimenting with my distress inks. I've been eyeing up a few demos on timholtz.com to get some new ideas and I am starting to get a bit braver with trying things out.

Starting with a sheet of white paper I dabbed on Spiced marmalade and sprayed with water, did the same again with Tea dye and then finished off with Vintage photo. I stamped the floral flourishes in Vintage photo and then embossed with some gold embossing power. Now I don't have any distress embossing powder (definitely on my wish list) but I have attempted to get the same effect by brushing some of the embossing power off before heating.

I loved the shimmer effect I got yesterday using the iridescent embossing powder, so I have done the same again (lightly sprinkle over some dabbed on distress ink and then heat). It gives the paper a slightly rough feel and you can only see the glimmer when the card is facing a certain way, but I think it is worth it..

The colour scheme for this card came from the photo inspiration challenge at Paperplay challenges. I don't know why, but chocolate and orange were the first things I thought of, so I ran with it. That fit in very nicely with the chocolate challenge at Moving along with the times and the design came from the sketch at Everybody art.

If anyone has any comments tips or ideas for how I can improve my technique with distress ink, they are most welcome. I love learning new things and blogging is a great way to do this xx

Evolution

2011-04-15T18:28:00.000+01:00

I've called this one Evolution, because I started off with a piece of white card and four distress ink pads and waited to see what evolved :o)

I started by covering my white card in Mustard Seed distress ink and then went over that, in parts, with Dried Marigold. I then finished off with a lot of Spiced Marmalade and a little Fired Brick around the edges. The Dots and Best wishes were stamped using Fired brick and then I dusted the whole thing with iridescent embossing powder. Now I never got the hang of embossing and this is the first time I have tried using the powder like this (the pots have been in the drawer for years), but I love the shiny effect it has given.

The die cut was coloured using Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and a little Fired Brick. I then stamped with fired brick and played with the embossing powder again. I have seen fake stitching on other peoples card and love the way that it looks so I have used my pokey tool (I don't know the real name for it) to make the holes.

I loved making this butterfly. It was a white die cut to begin with, so I started with Dried marigold dabbed on to both sides, which I sprayed with a little water and dried using my heat gun. I use make up sponges with my distress inks as I don't have the proper tool yet. I did the same with a layer of Fired brick and finished with a little Mustard seed. I have again stamped with Fired brick. I did the same with my flower too.

I'm not entirely sure why I did what I did with the ribbon, but it seemed right at the time :O). I love 3D elements on a card and get them in when ever I can. I couldn't resist adding the buttons.

I will be entering this card for the challenges at My Time To Craft - On the spot and Papertake Weekly - Truely dimentional

Ruffled

2011-04-10T18:16:00.000+01:00

Every now and again I go blog hopping to get some fresh ideas and learn new techniques. One of the best ones that I have come across lately is this one Mariannes. Her stuff is gorgeous. I'm still trying to work out how she did half of it. She has great tutorials on her blog and I have followed this one Magic Card.

This is the front. I have kept it fairly simple because I used lace and was worried that there would be too much going on.

This is the card open.

Side View

Top View

Back View

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Blog - Anything but a square

Papertake Weekly - Any thing goes (I also used a new technique)

Penny Black - Say it with flowers

Feathered

2011-04-09T15:11:00.000+01:00

Quick make time for me.

I love doing challenges. They keep the creative juices flowing and the design team makes are amazing. I really enjoy trying to work out how they did some if the things in their projects.

This card was first inspired by this weeks challenge over at Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge. They asked for our feathered friends. That gave me the perfect excuse to use my new feathers. Paperplay Challenges weekly and CRAFT Challenge asked for Animals/critters galore, respectively so I used my new Pink petticoat stamps (I used my worn lipstick ink pad for this).

The colour scheme came from this weeks challenge at One Stop Craft Challenge who asked for monochrome. Well my feathers are baby pink so I went with pink and white. I have highlighted a few areas on the bird and created a border using some iridescent glitter glue and added a few gems for some added bling.

Flutterbys

2011-04-03T18:56:00.000+01:00

I just had to fit at least one quick card in today. The theme of this one came from SCSC who asked us to use butterflies. The vellum is covered in them and I have added two Anitas dimensions butterflies to give it a bit of wow factor.

I have used silver peel off trim around the outer edge of the vellum and edged the inner piece with silver leaf pen. I did use invisi dots on the vellum, but I also used brads just to be sure that the front wouldn't fall off.

Moving Along with the times asked us for more than one fold which is where the idea for the shape of the card came from. Bizzy Becs Creatalicious Challenges asked us for two tone so that was the inspiration for the colour scheme.

Quilted Flowers

2011-04-02T17:24:00.000+01:00

I haven't made an aperture card in ages, so I thought I would give it a go :0) I started this one by folding a white sheet of A4 card in half and then trimming one inch from the front. I added a strip of lace using DS tape and then covered the front with some card that I have had in my stash for years. This one is called Tasty cranberry by Memories complete. I then used my nesties to cut the aperture and make the brown frame.

I used a piece of cream textured card stock inside the card and stamped along the edge using vintage photo distress ink. I very rarely stamp in black any more as I find that browns can often give a softer finish. Some times only black will do though :o) I edged my stamped image with worn lipstick distress ink and then added lace. Lining your image up with your aperture is easy when you know how. I line mine up in the aperture itself and then close the card.

Flowers next. I'm still working on using multiple flowers on cards. I think I am getting the knack of it now. I added a bit of glitter glue to the tips of the flowers and to the flowers that I stamped on the edge for a bit of extra glitz. The stamps that I have used came free with a magazine that I bought recently.

The sketch for this card came from this weeks challenge over at Card Patterns and I will also be entering this card for the challenge over at Allsorts Challenge Blog, who asked us to use flowers.

Mum in rosey brown

2011-03-30T23:49:00.000+01:00

Vintage is on the cover of all of the crafting magazines at the mo.... At least that's what it feels like. I love the look, but am still struggling with it. One thing that I know I love doing is distressing and the two go hand in hand.

Paper Play Challenges asked us to do distressing and Everybody Art asked us to use pink and brown so all I needed then was a design and there is a lovely one over at Papertake Weekly.

I have started with my usual white card blank ad covered the front in brown distressed card. The pink panel is from a HOTP paper pad I bought years ago and the image came from a free stamp that I got on a magazine this month. I have only put mum on it, so it could be good for mothers day or a birthday.

I have used cream flowers which I gave a light tint of pink using worn lipstick distress inks and the centers are my new paper roses(my newest stash).

Framed for Mum

2011-03-27T21:13:00.000+01:00

I love my mum to bits. She has always been my rock and I can't imagine life with out her. This is the card that I made her for mothers day. Actually, it's probably the third, because I keep feeling that I could do better.

This one started life as an A4 sheet of white card. I have added some cream textured card stock, which I have inked with tea die and vintage photo distress inks. The flower and frame are fro Kanban I think. The card stock that I used on the right hand side is foam flocked so all of the pattern is raised and very tactile.

I'm entering this one for the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Blog - For a special lady

My Time To Craft Challenge - Ladies Day

Ooh La La Creations Challenge Blog - Mothers Day

Hello Baby

2011-03-26T20:58:00.000Z

Nice simple card today. I don't make many baby cards, but this weeks challenge at CRAFT challenge asked us to make one.

The backing paper I have used came from HOTP and I have had it for about 6 years. (Yup, still working through ancient stash lol). I have added a baby bear die cut that I bought from ebay and a papermania bow and buttons from their capsule range.

I am also entering this card for the challenges at:

Creative Inspiration - No square cards allowed

Totally Papercrafts - Cuddly and cute

Minimalist Mum

2011-03-20T16:00:00.000Z

Minimalist cards scare me. I always want to put more on. I was asked to make a Mothers Day card for one of the guys at work. When asked what ideas he had, he said he wanted as little as possible on it. That was my brief.

I stared with my usual white card blank and border punched two edges. The inside of the card is covered in lilac design paper with faint writing on it from a pack of HOTP papers I bought more than five years ago (still working through that old, sorry ancient stash). I have added organza ribbon and a sentiment as the main focus.

Resisting the urge to add more to it and a charm was a challenge by its self I can tell you. I hope he likes it.

I will be entering this one for the Two Tone challenge at Creatalicious Challenges and for the Mothers day challenge at Crafty Creations

Green Double Easel

2011-03-13T18:59:00.000Z

I'm loving the easel variations that are cropping up all over the place. Expect to see a few here over the next few weeks.

This one is a commission for a mothers day card. Penny Black asked us to use green and Saturday Challenge asked us to do "Flowers for mum" so that formed the basis for this card. The double fronts were done using a sketch from the Corrosive Challenge and Charisma cardz asked for an easel card.

Publish Post

The whole card is made from white card overlaid with green printed vellum. To this I have added white lace, 3mm yellow ribbon and gems. I have used two Penny Black stamps from different sets. I liked the idea of the little mouse showering the ground with flowers and having another little critter enjoying them. I've dotted some glitter glue on the flowers and butterfly's for a little glitz and have also added a few gems.

I hope she likes this one.

Flower Shower

2011-02-27T09:42:00.000Z

I love trying out new techniques and ideas. I have found Google images and looking at blogs is a great way to get inspiration. I still have to work out what they did and how, but then I can put my own twist on it. Right now I am loving the look of the twisted easel cards and I plan to make one as soon as I figure out how they are made. I have also seen some variations on the tri-fold card that I want to try

Any way, this card is a variation on an easel card with just the middle popping up. The remaining card from the the top of the card have been stuck down to form part of the base.

This card was made using a whole sheet of A4 card folded in half plus most of a sheet of 12 x 12 paper, some lace and some trim. I had to use additional card to make the front of the pop up section of easel and of course there is the stamped image and sentiment. I have added creamy pearls to the center panel and and black pearls to help keep the pop up in place.

The whole card does lay properly flat, but I had trouble getting a photo :0)

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Pearls and Lace

Stamp Something - Something with flowers

One Stop Craft Challenge - Spring Flowers

Girlie Wishes

2011-02-26T19:40:00.000Z

I've been taking a look through my stash of cards and noticed that I do not have many cards for pre-teens. Time to remedy that I think.

The sketch that I used for this card is from last weeks challenge over at Sketch Saturday. I didn't get it finished in time to enter it, but I think they deserve a mention. My colour inspiration came from the challenge at CRAFT challenge who gave us a colour pallet to work with.

Majorly old stash was used in the making of this card, so I can only tell you that I used co-ordinations textured card stock as I am unsure where the others came from.

I will also be entering this card for the challenge at Creative Inspirations who asked us to use stripes and A Spoon Full of Sugar who asked for Birthday wishes.

Wonderful Mum

2011-02-23T18:05:00.000Z

It's half term, so the kids have a week off of school. We are only on day three and I am thinking about my mum all what she had to put up with from myself and my two eldest brothers when we were little. The "He took my toy" and the "I'm bored". Sorry mum. Well anyway..... I wanted to make a card for a mum for either mothers day or a birthday and came up with this.

The design came from this weeks sketch at Papertake Weekly and the colour scheme came from the coffee and cream challenge at Simon Says. I think it is also perfect for the some one special challenge at Stamptacular Sunday Challenge.

I am still working with old stash, so I don't know where my patterned paper came from. I started off with my usual 5x7 inch white card blank (90% of my cards are that size) and covered it with latte coloured coordinates textured card. I topped that with a piece of distressed DP which I edged with tea dye distress ink, to this I added bronze card and some more textured card called cream and sugar (I think it is Bazzil cardstock). I added bronze ribbon, chocolate ribbon at the bottom and backed my Penny Black stamped image onto some more of the latte textured card. I have distressed all of the edges and coloured them with tea dye. I wanted a bit of bling to finish so I have added some square chocolate coloured gems.

Maybe I should have called this card Mocha Latte!

Star Man

2011-02-22T22:48:00.000Z

Bizzy Becs Creatalicious Challenge asked us to make a male card this month. We needed to include 3 stars and the colour brown. I started off by embossing 3 die cut stars and then colouring them with Broken china, aged mahogany and black soot distress inks. I was going for a rusted blue metal look. I'm trying to use up old stash so that I can justify buying new stash, so I have been digging through my paper drawers and found some buttery card and some brown spotty paper from a HOTP paper pack years ago.

I have used a digi stamp that I got ages ago and I have edged it with Vintage photo and Tea dye distress inks. I edged everything with black glitter for some sparkle and added a black button with a black bow to finish off.

I will also be entering this card for the challenge at Craft Your Passion who also asked for a male card and Totally Papercrafts who asked us to use digi stamps.

Hearts and Flowers

2011-02-13T12:25:00.000Z

I don't make many valentines cards so I thought that the challenge over at Paper Play Challenges this week was perfect. "Hearts and flowers but no valentine". The card that I have made has both hearts and flowers, but as it currently has no sentiment, it is suitable for a wedding, engagement, valentine or just an I love you card. I'm not sure what it will end up as yet. I had wedding in mind when I started making it.

I started off with an A4 sheet of patterned card and created what I call a zigzag fold (there may be a proper name for it). You can't see very well from these pictures, but I have coloured some of the hearts and swirls with a very delicate pink (the lightest pink copic I could find), I have also coloured parts of the heart of the peel off that I used and all of the flowers.

To finish the card off I have added strip of card that has the negative image of the main piece used to add some interest to the plain back. I have also added gems, ribbon and a small silver heart charm on a chain to the main image.

I will also be entering this card for the challenges at Cute Card Thursday (Hearts and Flowers) and My Time To Craft (Hearts and Flowers)

Sorry

2011-01-23T14:07:00.000Z

This is my first ever sorry card. I have had the image for quite a while, but never got around to using it. A couple of my friends are going through a hard time at the moment and what they are going through got me thinking. End result ..... this card.

I started with a white 7 x 5 inch card blank to which I have added some peach card as a base. The two lots of dotty paper were inspired by the Spots and Dots challenge over at My Time To Craft and the design is my take on the sketch over at Moving Along With The Times.

I have inked the image with Tea Die distress ink as I didn't want to back it onto another colour of card. There is a heart shaped charm at the end of the chain to finish the card off, because to me, this card is all about saying sorry to the one you love. We all have to do it occasionally.

Chocolate Cupcake

2011-01-16T11:45:00.000Z

I've gone for a simple minimalist card today. I don't do many of them because all of that empty space drives me nuts, but I am trying to learn new styles and skills in my crafting so I have given it a go.

I really like the sketch that Card Patterns set for this weeks challenge, so This card is based on that. I was also inspired by the chocolate challenge over at My Time To Craft. I have used a combination of chocolaty coloured card stock from Co-ordination and bazzill. Bitter chocolate, Chocolate mousse and Iced Cocoa.

I have embossed the Iced Cocoa cardstock to add some texture to the card and the topper is from the Kanban sheet I used in Golden Cupcake. I couldn't decide on a sentiment for this one, but in the end, inspiration came from the "with love" challenge over at SCSC. I'm trying to build up a stock of cards to give to family and friends next Christmas, so I had better get to work in I am going to have enough.

Happy crafting out there :o)

Golden Cupcake

2011-01-09T09:50:00.000Z

I was supposed to be sorting out my stash, but I kept finding stuff that I had forgotten that I had and ended up playing instead.

I found some bronze card and some matt gold card in one of my drawers and just knew that I had to do something that included both of them. They just called out to be put together. I have used one A4 sheet of each. I wish I had more of the gold, but this is the only sheet I could find. (I just realised that I have forgotten to put the cream panel on so that people can write on the card ... doh)

My family love multi - fold cards, so I made quite a few over Christmas. This is the shape of card that came to mind as soon as I saw the colour combo I was going to use. As you can see, I have embossed most of the gold card to add interest and texture.

I went craft shopping with a friend just before New Years Day. We only had a very limited budget each, but I think we did quite well. One of the things that I bought was a sheet of Kanban toppers. I have used two of them on this card.

I will be entering this card for the following challenges:

Moving Along With The Times - Ring out the old, ring in the new
Allsorts Challenge Blog - Fancy Fold
Saturday Challenge - Tons of texture

Thank Ewe

2011-01-04T22:44:00.000Z

I don't often make thank you cards, but I made this one to thank a very kind lady who bought my son Christmas prezzies even though she has never met him. She is a great foster carer and mum to one of my close friends. I gather my friend talks about him a lot.

I hope she likes this one.

I started with a 7 x 5 inch card blank which I turned into a stair step card with three peaks (you can see them better in the picture below).

I have used textured card stock. I think this is one of my Bazzil sheets. I love digi stamps and have used one of the very first ones that I bought way back when. I have glittered all of the "wooly" areas (got to love glitter glue).

I am entering this card for the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge blog - Thank you

CRAFT Challenge - Thank you

Cute Card Thursday - Thank you

Saintly?

2010-12-13T21:27:00.000Z

Don't you just love a digi stamp... easy to use.... easy to get it in the size you want and if you are lucky, you can even buy ready coloured versions as part of your pack.

This is a digi that I bought from One stitch at a time and I coloured her myself. I think she is ideal for this weeks "Sassy Christmas" challenge over at One Stop Craft Challenge. I have used a sketch from Friday Sketchers and will be entering this one for the "December Digi Day" challenge at Stamp Something.

Nearly all of the papers used are shiney. I will have to try to remember how hard they are to photograph next time I think about putting so much shine on one card lol. The back ground colour is navy blue and the rest is silver and lilac.