Spring is here!

To celebrate the fantastic weather we are having, I decided to have a play with some fresh colours - I don't normally do yellow, but gave myself a challenge. The tulips nestie has been sat in my box now for a couple of months (scandalous, I know!) though I never knew what to do with it and ended up with a drawer full of them , so it was time to persevere, and this was the result.

I'm quite pleased with it, though I did sit for almost an hour trying different things on the topper...who says card making is easy?! In the end, I chose another product which has been sat on a shelf since my big sister bought them for me - the Wild Asparagus stamp set from My Mind's Eye. I'm not really a stamper, though I would like to use them more, I just seem to forget about them lurking underneath everything else, not to mention the fact that you need a little bit more than a 2 inch square to work on! (yes, the space on my table is shrinking!) I'm going to have to sacrifice a couple of hours of crafting, to get this room to some sort of order - things are now 5 deep and starting to slide off the back of my craft table at an alarming rate!

My favourite product at the moment is cut and dry foam, to use for inking the edges of your card and embossing , and anywhere else I can think of...which tends to include myself! Plus with the state of my table, I think everything will have a yellow glow when I come to tidy up! Oh well, you know what they say - housework never killed anyone, but why take the risk?! On that note, I'd better go and put my washing out and make the most of this fabulous weather. Happy crafting!

Lovebirds

I was asked to make a 'funny' engagement card...quite a challenge...then I found this lovely lovebirds digi stamp which was a freebie on pollycraftdesigns.co.uk

The wording says - "It's obvious you two will be deliriously happy...", then inside, "...you're already half way there!"

I coloured 2 of the image with watercolour pencils, so I could add some decoupage, and embossed the background with one of the Sissix textures plates. Love the red and white polka dot ribbon, heck, I love all polka dot ribbon!!

Cuttlebug bear card

Where has this last week gone?! Been busy doing nothing, it seems! So, I thought I'd post a pic of one of the sample cards I made - it's a great way of using up all those strips of card that you cut off an A4 sheet when you're making square cards (I'm a bit of a hoarder...Scrooge my family would say...that's why I'm up to 6 scrap boxes!) The bear image was the first layer of the A4 bear decoupage sheet, though you could use the lamb or lion, or even the cat if you changed the orientation to landscape, heck I suppose any of the characters would work!

Been doing a bit of design work on the computer and making yet more sample cards...here's one of the predesigned elephant card with little strips of acetate to look like the hearts are showering from his trunk...
And so the next countdown begins, to the launch of Plush Pals in Ireland, this weekend!

Bear and 'Dad' card

Things are getting back to normal, after the weekend - youngest is back in school, which means I have a bit of time to play! So here's a couple of ideas, using the decoupage and papers from the Plush Pals DVD-Rom...

The first is a quick and easy card using the yawning bear - To make, I printed off the dotty circles paper (in the bear backing papers on the disc) in the natural colour, then the pawprint (from the cat backing papers) in blue, both in A4, and finally the large bear topper sheet, also in A4. The sentiment was from the small bear topper sheet.

For the 'Dad' lion card, I discovered a new technique - double printing the backing papers! So for the plaid, I firstly printed an A4 sheet with the green plaid, then printed over the top of the plaid with the yellow stripes paper...For the other paper, I printed the polka dot paper in natural, then overprinted with the natural lion text paper...oh, what fun! I'll be trying out some other combinations , that's for sure! The letters came from the cheri lower case alphabet sheet, and to let you into a little secret, it is actually the a, d and p turned upside down to spell the word 'dad'.

Whilst at Crafts4u2do, I picked up the toffee ultra fine flower soft, which gives lovely texture to the lion's mane, I'm going to have a go at alternating it with some gold glitter and see what that looks like...

...Also, just to say a great big CONGRATULATIONS to my big sister, Sarah, for being invited onto the design team of Mami Doodles...knock 'em dead!

Launch day!

Well, it's all over! A big thank you to all who came along to the launch of Plush Pals, at Crafts4U2do today - it was a wonderful day! Had a great welcome from Sue, Alan and Chris, who own the shop, which was stacked to the rafters with all sorts of fantastic goodies...of course, we all had to come away with a thing or two...or three! The disc got a great reception and there were a few happy crafters going home to play this afternoon! Everyone oohed and aahed at the samples and hopefully, got a few ideas. As for Di, Mum and me, we're all about ready for our bed - the day just flew by!

Not enough hours in a day!

Only 3 days to go! Me and mum have spent the last 48 hours making samples for Saturday, craft room is now a danger zone - it's not much better at the best of times! Everyone and everything is sparkling with glitter, I have a four inch square of space on my table and the living room floor is covered in samples. I still have a hundred and one things to do, and not enough hours in the day! Excitement is starting to get mixed with nerves now, I just hope everything goes to plan...if only there were a plan!

Plush Pals

This slideshow shows the 12 predesigned cards that are on the Plush Pals DVD, in a variety of the 6 different colourways.

The countdown begins!

Well, it's only 5 days to go before the launch of my first ever craft DVD-Rom, called Plush Pals, and it's all getting a bit exciting! After ten months of hard work, a few sleepless nights and a lot of self doubt, I've watched my original hand drawn images turn into a completed, fully functioning DVD to be proud of (well, me and a few others think so anyway!).

I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank a few people, without whom I don't think I would have ever finished it! Firstly, my wonderful husband who has been the brains behind the outfit, helping me with all the technicalities, computer glitches and programming, not to mention supplying me with endless cups of tea and loads of support! My mum for being my biggest fan and never doubting my ability! My auntie Dianne for being my agent, sales woman, creative director and sounding board! My big brother Chris for all his programming knowledge and my sister Sarah for being my demonstrator over on the Emerald Isle...altogether, a truly family affair!!

If you'd like to know what it's all about, come along to the launch on Saturday 10th April 2010, at Crafts4U2do, Dentons Lane, St.Helens or take a look around my blog for more info (I am new to the blog world, so you'll have to bear with me!)