Take one daisy flower...

Hi guys!  I am snowed under at the moment with card orders and design work, so don't have a project that I can share with you at the minute.  Because of this, I thought I would share a little tutorial with you using mulberry paper daisy flowers...it's amazing how many different flowers you can make from one, TBH quite boring, little paper flower, so here goes...

To begin, take one daisy flower...

Cut in half...

Using one of the halves, place glue on one of the outer petals...

 Fold the opposite edge petal around and stick the 2 petals together...

Attach a pearl or gem in the centre using Pinflair glue or similar...

Flower number one!

Okay, so on to flower 2...

Once again, take a flower and cut in half.

Using one of the halves, place glue on the centre semicircle, as shown in grey...

Fold 2 of the outer petals in, so that they line up with the 2 centre petals...

Fold the opposite 2 outer petals, so that all the petals line up...

Now place glue on the bottom of the flower and fold in half...

Take the second half of the daisy flower and place glue on the centre semicircle, as before.  Lay the folded flower on one of the outer petals...

Wrap the second half around the folded flower centre...

This is how the flower looks from the top...

And there you have flower number 2!

A variation on this flower is to add extra layers to make it fuller...

Take another daisy flower and cut out 3 petals...

Using the larger piece, place glue on one of the outer petals and attach to the opposite edge petals, to create a cupped daisy...

Snip the point off the previous folded flower (flower number 2) and attach inside this cupped daisy with Pinflair glue or similar...

You can leave it there, or take it even fuller by adding a third daisy.

Cut 2 petals from this third flower and, as before, glue the 2 outer petals together, then snip the very point from the flower above and attach inside...

So that's flowers 3 and 4!

The 3 petals that were left over in making number 3 can also be used for small 'filler' flowers...

Place glue on the central quarter circle and fold the 2 outer petals inwards, pinching the base of the flower together to adhere...

So that's now 5 flowers!

Okay, I have one more for you...

Once again, take a daisy flower and cut in half, then, cut away another petal on each half...

Again, place glue glue on one of the outer petals and fold round to attach to it's opposite edge petal, to create a 4 petalled flower...

Repeat with the other daisy half, then attach the 2 flowers together, one inside the other, snipping off the point of the inner one if needed...

Et voila!  There we have number 6!

I'm sure there are many other combinations and you could also do the same using punched flowers.  Hope this gives you some inspiration to look at those boring, flat flowers a little differently!  Thanks for dropping by and happy crafting!  Lisa x

Cushions...

Hi guys!  Unfortunately, I still don't have a card to share with you, but it's not because my hands have been idle!  I have 10 card orders to do this week, plus a load to do for family and friends (January is always a busy month for me!) so I have been a busy little bee!  I am up to no.7 of my order list and have also made 3 baby cards for a friend, plus designed 2 cards for our workshop on Saturday and a new predesigned card kit!  I just need a couple more hours in a day (preferably when the children are in school) and I'll be sorted!!

As I have no card, here's a couple of pics of the cushions I made for my brother at Christmas...

...I don't do much sewing, but quite enjoy it when I do.  The blue fabric is a lovely soft fleece and the red is the most beautiful Dupion Silk (cost as much as everything else put together, but was worth it!) I made a matching draught excluder, too - he may regret asking for handmade gifts!  I promised I would be more organised last Christmas, but well laid plans, once more, fell by the wayside...maybe this year?!  Thanks for dropping by and I hope to be back with a card soon.  Lisa X

Tilda Notepad...

...Hi guys, well, there's another weekend come and gone!  My how these weeks are flying by - we're already half way through January!  We've had some good frosts these last few mornings, and it certainly makes me appreciate the beauty of where we live looking out of the window - we are very lucky to live in such a stunning part of the country, what do you think?  Here's the view from my front window...

...I made the most of the sunshine in my craft room this morning and settled down at my craft table to create a card for a few challenges...

...Out came Love News Tilda (I just love this stamp!) and I made an easel card to fit in with The Ribbon Girl's Challenge colour of Pink and Blue.  To make it a bit different, I added a small notepad to the front of the card (under the Tilda image) and attached a pencil to the base, so that the finished project was a card and gift in one!

...I coloured Tilda with my Promarkers and Flexmarkers - Skin : Coral, Sunkissed Pink and Almond; Top : Antique Pink, Dusky Rose, Pale Pink and Muted Pink (FM); Trousers : China Blue, Cornflower, Blue Pearl and Soft Mauve (FM); Shoes and Hair : Cocoa, Caramel, Sandstone, Vanilla and Antique White (FM); Nespapers : Sandstone, Vanilla and Antique White (FM).  I added just a hint of Glamourdust to the newspaper edges and the lace on Tilda's top and trousers.

The papers are ones that've been in my stash for ages - the blue polka dot is from Dovecraft's So Masculine and the pale blue was Anita's Classic Christmas Blue papers.  The pink check paper was just a single sheet that I'd picked up from Crafter's Cove about 5 years ago!!

I cut a hanging loop in the easel base card (along the mountain fold) so that it could be hung on a wall if wanted and would display like this...

...Embellishments were WOC large rose, daisy flowers (it's amazing how many different flowers you can make from a flat, mulberry paper daisy!), Marianne swirl, crochet border die, nesties, doily, feather and pearls.
I am pleased with this one and love the pink and blue colour combo - hope you like it, too!  Thanks for dropping by and hope to be back soon!  Lisa X

I am entering this card into the following challenges :

The Ribbon Girl Challenge

Blue and Pink

Simon Says Stamp (2nd entry)

Spots and/or stripes

Let's Ink It Up

Anything Goes

My Mum's Craft Shop Challenge

Here Come the Girls
ABC Challenge
H is for Happy Birthday

New samples...

Hi guys, well, as promised I thought I would share some pics of the new Boys2Men samples that I have been playing with...

...The first was an easel card using the diy digistamp inked with Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo and Walnut Distress Inks and gilded with Autumn Rose gilding flakes - my newest product discovery!...

...Next, I created an acetate card using the music digistamp - I printed onto printable acetate in mirror image and glittered the reverse of the guitar to highlight it...

...I then converted another old peanut tin using the golf images - I thought it would be good with a couple of golf balls and some tees in, or chocolate golf balls?!  Nice alternative to an Easter Egg for the golfers of this world...

...Next to get the altering was a Body Shop gift box that I had received at Christmas, I decided to use the pirate design to turn it into a treasure box - again, another great alternative to an Easter egg, filled with chocolate coins and shiny foiled treats, or whatever treasure you like!...

...Lastly is probably my favourite - this football door hanger, made to look like an old telly, is a fun decoration to hang on the door when the men or women in your life are busy watching the match!  Of course, it could always be the rugby, golf, bug, music, or any of the men's designs to be honest, and could easily be made into a card by using a folded card blank...
...Hope this gives you some inspiration to make something new and thanks for looking!  Lisa x

What a palaver!!

OMW what a morning I've been having!!  I sat down to have a play at my table and created the card that you'll see in a mo'....on nearing completion, I thought "I know what it needs - a silver Marianne swirl to accent my flowers"  Well, do you think I could find it?!  The annoying thing was, I used the frame yesterday for my Tilda card...an hour later and a now beautifully tidy craft room and I still can't find it!  Before resigning myself to having to buy another one (as I couldn't live without it)  and after hand emptying the bin and paper recycling bin, I decided to have a fourth look through my die sets.  Oh yes, you guessed it...there it was, having magnetised itself to the back of my labels die sheet!!  Aaaaah!  The by product of my frustrating wild goose chase is that I can now see my table, worktop and carpet!!  But the best bit is that I found my Marianne swirl die...phew!!

So, anyway, onto the card that I made to share...

...I decided to dig out my Plush Pals disc and have a play, so printed off one of the green lamb images from the jpeg and png folder.  I wanted a colour to contrast, rather than keeping it all monotone and love the combination of green and lilac, so printed off the lilac patchwork to A5 and green polka dot, too...

...I layered the lamb image onto 3 Marianne doily dies, which look stunning layered up like this and added a bit of shading to the image with Cool Grey 1 Promarker (I often forget about using my Promarkers on printed images, but it can add that bit of definition)...

...I added a sentiment in my fave font of the moment and some of the silk flowers like on the Tilda card, coloured with Amethyst PM and Soft Mauve FM, and as I couldn't find my swirl die, I plumped for a few MS leaf sprigs in pale green...

...some lovely turqouise satin ribbon and a pearl ribbon slider added a touch of luxury and I finished with a few pearls and a coordinating insert.

I cannot believe how much my cardmaking style has changed over the last 12 months, so it was nice to get out something I've not used for a while and see the difference!  Hope you like it and thanks for visiting me!  Lisa x

I am entering this card into the following challenges :

Simon Says Stamp

Spots and/or stripes 

(I've used green polka dot paper in the background)

ABC Challenge

G is for Green

Top Tip Tuesday

Anything Goes

Has anyone found a mojo?!!

Because mine's up and left since Christmas!!  I cannot seem to get the motivation to get back into crafting after having a blissful festive season of just chilling with the family!  I have to say, we thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas, watching TV and movies, playing board games and on the Wii together and of course, eating too much junk!  I didn't even look at a piece of paper for the festive fortnight, WOW, but have since had a couple of cards to make for family and a few new samples too...I'll show them in the next day or two!

Anyway, it's in to a New Year and I made myself sit at my table and create a card to share with all you lovely Bloggers!  I have to start by thanking the lovely Karen from my workshop for stamping these stunning Tilda images for me...

I just love the colour combo on this one, the aqau tones down the pink so it's girly without being too sugar sweet (if that's at all possible!)...

...I coloured Tilda with my Promarkers (Skin : Coral, Dusky Pink, Almond and Blush ; Dress : Duck Egg, Cool Aqua and Tea Green ; Petticoat, socks and gloves : Cool Grey 2, 1 and Flexmarker Antique White ; Hair and shoes : Henna, Cocoa, Caramel and Vanilla)...

...I did a bit of traditional decoupage on her to give a bit of dimension - it doesn't take as many layers as paper piece decoupage, so I have 3 images left for another card!  There was another piece which had escaped the picture which was Tilda's fringe!...

...I added some tiny crystal gems and chunky silver glitter to her...OMW I've forgotten the word...crown thingy! The flowers are from a stem of silk flowers which I coloured with my Promarkers and cut into the petals to give them more shape (they originally had 5 petals, but I cut between 2 and stuck them together, so now they only have 4)  The satin ribbon was coloured with Duck Egg to coordinate, then a couple of hat pins and some more gems and silver glitter Marianne corners (what did I do before I had these?!)  The silver swirly frame is 2 Marianne Swirl frames attached as a cross shape - this will be appearing on more cards in the future, I'm sure!!  I finished with a simple sentiment, using one of the latest fonts that have appeared magically on my computer, it's called Crazy Girlz Blond.  So there we have it, my first Blog card for 2012 - first hurdle accomplished and hopefully first step to getting my mojo back!!

I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

Southern Girls Challenges

Show us your Sparkle

CES Challenge

Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenges

Anything Goes

Fussy and Fancy Friday

Happy Birthday or Animal Print

Thanks for popping over and viewing my creation!  Lisa x