Oh no, it's a Christmas card!...

Good morning, Bloggers!  Well, as you may know, I would not call myself a stamper, but I love to have a play now and again and try new things.  So I set myself a challenge to create a card using only plain cardstock and without the use of my computer!  I do admire the many cards created, by the likes of Sue Wilson, that use their Spellbinder dies to full effect and decided to have a go myself...

...Amazingly, I created every patterned element myself...

...the base card I stamped with Stormy Sky DI and Versamark embossed with Psychedelic glitter powder, the white Swiss dot embossed layer has a Parisian Accents border frame, the lilac scalloped square is inked with Dusty Concord DI and stamped with Versamark embossed with Psychedelic glitter powder and the blue scalloped square is inked with Stormy Sky DI and stamped and embossed with MicaBoss powder, then brushed with Mica Powder...

...As I don't have a snowflake die (scandalous, I know!)  I created my own using the accent die from the Parisian Accents set (with a bit cut away) and an accent die from the Renaissance Hearts Pendant set.  I added a stamped sentiment cut with a Beaded Oval and some white satin ribbon with MFT Buckle die in silver...

 Although a very different style of card to my usual, I was amazed at what you can make from nothing, well, blank card anyway!  Sometimes it's good to challenge yourself and try new things, you never know what you might create...and you might even like it!  Why not challenge yourself to something new today?!  I hope I've inspired you and thanks for taking the time to drop by, Lisa X

I'm entering this card into the following challenges :

Papertake Weekly

Anything Goes

(Happy 5th Birthday Guys!)

CRAFT Challenge 174

Make your own embellishments

Totally Papercrafts

Pretty Pastels

Fab n Funky

No patterned papers
Crafts and Me Challenge
My Sentiments Exactly!

Samples

Hi guys!  Well, it's almost a fortnight since my last post - I know, I'm a bad Blogger!  To be honest, I just haven't had anything to post as I've been busy with design work, not to mention that I spent half of last week fitting a kitchen at MIL's house with my hubbie's cousin!  I have to say, we did a pretty good job between the two of us, though I'd been praying that it would all fit, as I'd planned and ordered everything!!  So it's back to crafting this week and I've spent today making Plush Pals samples for a demo day that we're hoping to do up at Craft Land-udno next month (I'll let you know when I have a definite date).

It's amazing how much my cardmaking has changed over the last year - after being introduced to Nestabilities and Distress Inks, I wonder how I did without them!  The first cards I made were using the lion decoupage (no surprise there?!)...

 ...you may recognise the layout on this one, seems to be a favourite at the moment!  I used blue star glitter card (that I'd picked up from Craft land-udno), Cuttlebug Divine Swirls embossing folder, inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Labels Seventeen Nesties and my Nellie Snellen fancy corner die...of course!  Ribbons were just from my stash.

Next, I used the Dovecraft Masculine 8x8 Paper Pack with the pyramage topper and added some paper letters to spell the word 'dad' - inside, the message reads 'Happy Father's Day...you big pussycat!'

I printed off the lilac rabbit decoupage sheet and created a simple Easter basket, trimmed with lace and gingham ribbon, then created an 8x13cm card using the lilac plaid backing paper, over printed with the pink polka dot, Cuttlebug Argyle folder inked with Walnut, Beaded Oval Nesties inked in the die with Worn Lipstick, then out of the die with Walnut.  I finished off with a Sweet Lilac tea rose, pink daisies, small cream rose and lilac feather, oh and pearls of course!

Finally, I printed off the lemon cat decoupage sheet (yellow is not really one of 'my' colours), lemon patchwork backing paper and used some of the left over panels from one of the Dovecraft Masculine papers.  I added buttons and light brown grosgrain ribbon...the ribbon loops hide the fact that I dropped my Versafine ink pad onto my finished card, leaving a nice balck stain!

Have to dash to pick youngest up from school, so that's all for now - Happy crafting!

Spring has sprung!

Hi there everyone!  Isn't it wonderful?!  The days are getting longer and warmer, and there's colour in the garden at last!  It may only be in the form of daffodils and primroses, but it's a welcome sign that summer's on it's way!
 My days, when not being filled with design work for the next disc, are busy making card orders for local people - it seems everyone is having a birthday or something at the moment!  So, as I haven't had any chance to 'play', I thought I'd let you see what I've been making...


The first three cards follow the same sketch - I find it much easier if I can design a card and then use the same sketch for others I have to make...

 

...I love using the Nellie Snellen fancy corners die, especially as corners are 'in' at the moment, plus my nesties, Distress Inks and Budding vine embossing folder have made appearances again...you do get favourites!  I then made a vintage car card for a male birthday...

...the images were a free vector I found ages ago and coloured with chalks to give a vintage feel.  The papers are all just scrap bits from my many scrap drawers.  And finally, a house mouse card for someone who's into photography...

...the sentiment reads 'Say cheese...' then inside, '...it's your birthday!'.  So, altogether, today was quite productive - if only every day could be like it!  My craft room now looks like a very large bomb has gone off and exploded everything across the room, so I know what I'll be doing for the next hour or so!  Happy crafting!

Where do the days go to?

My, how time flies!!  The weekends just keep whizzing by and I wonder what I've done with my week!  I am busy at the moment making samples for the Papercraft @Leigh show on Sunday 13th March - hope to see some of you there... it was a fantastic experience to do the October fair, we never stopped all day and I'm hoping this one wil be the same!  Plus, I've had 70 invitations to make and am trying to get some more design work done, or the next disc will never be done! 

I'll post some of the Boys2Men samples I've been making, but in the mean time, thought I would make the most of the beautiful sunshine and take a couple of pics of the 2 cards that we made at our workshop on 19th Feb...

...this first card was a pocket easel card made with various scrapbook papers that Mam had in her stash - we wanted it to be quite generic and not too feminine, so that it could be sent to a man aswell.  The pocket at the top could hold a gift voucher, cash or just a little sentiment card.  The flowers are from WOC and the daisy punch is an XCut one, that I borrowed from Mam...it's great having crafty relatives!  The second card was made using the lovely Verity image and papers that I brought back from our family holiday in Canada - they were in packs of 10 for a dollar (that's about 65p!), oh the joy of Dollarama!

The roses were from WOC, the small white flowers are from a stem of silk flowers that we acquired somewhere on our travels and the lilac rosebuds have been knocking about in Mam's stash for years! I added pearl string 'bits' instead of wire tendrils, to match with the pearls on the nestie corners and the lace was threaded with fine lilac ribbon to tie in the colours.  I love the beaded oval nesties that I used to cut out the Verity image, I had to ink the edges with Antique Linen DI to tone down the starkness of the white.  Everyone was pleased with their creations going home and you could hardly tell them from the original, so well done girls!

Back again!

Well, how about this?!  I did get to sit down at my craft table after putting the boys to bed and this is what I made...

...the image is Verity standing, from Sugar Nellie Stamps and she is absolutely adorable!  I coloured her using PS, though I had to find a new way to go about it because of the pencil sketch style of the image, but she worked out lovely.  I decided to just use the top half of her, to give the image more impact and just had to try out my new beaded oval nesties to frame her!  I inked the frame, whilst still in the die, with Worn Lipstick DI using the Inkylicious dusting brushes - it is something I'll have to practice with...you have to be quite patient (something I'm not very good at!) and build up the colour gradually, but it gives a very soft effect.  The blue flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts, the white ones were from a spray of silk flowers and the tiny pink roses are from Crafts4u.  I finished the posie with pearl bead string and flower stems wound around my pokey tool.  A touch of glamour dust and a few diamantes finished it off, not to mention the beautiful giuper lace from WOC, that I had to put a metre of in my basket when ordering the flowers!  Once again, it's very girly, but I think it's apt for a girly image!

I also thought I'd post you a pic of a card we made at our last workshop...

..this one used the Mo Manning image, 'Sprout'.  It's quite a contrast to the Verity card, but I love it just the same...I'm not sure which one is more 'me' - on one hand I love pink and girly, but on the other I think this combination of green and orange is really funky.  The sentiment reads 'plant a seed of friendship...' and inside the insert reads, '...and reap a bouquet of happiness'.  The papers were from My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus paper pad and the flowers were an XCut punch I have.  Once again, I coloured the image using 'old faithful' and inked all the edges to tone down the billiard green cardstock that I used!  No glitter on this one, amazingly!

Hope you like them and take inspiration!  I'd best be off to feed the troops and get ready for a school meeting - they're (our local council) planning on closing 3 or 4 schools in the area and ours is on the chopping block, so we're trying to find ways of keeping our little village school open...

Hi there!

Well, July has passed with a blur!! As you can see from the pics, I have been busy with other things for the last month! My friend Becky got married on Saturday, and I have been busy doing the flowers for her wedding day. Not only did I have the church flowers, but I made the bride's bouquet and six bridesmaid's too!
I am trying my best to get the design work done for the second disc, as we're off to Canada for our first family holiday abroad! I'm hoping to have the next one done for the Autumn, it's full of designs for the boys and men in our lives - something everyone seems to be wanting! I'm really pleased with the images so far and hope that it's as much of a success as the Plush Pals disc!

I have had chance to do a bit of papercrafting, though mainly card orders for people (not to mention the three I had to make for Becky's big day) I got some fantastic inspiration over at Yvonne's blogspot, she uses her nesties amazingly and I love her white on white combinations, I made this card on the same lines, though don't quite know what to put in the centre yet?!

Easel card

I've got the challenge bug!! Whilst browsing this morning, I noticed that Daring Cardmakers and Stamp, Scrap & Doodle both want easel cards for their challenges, so set to work! I came across this lovely cat picture which is a freebie over on Mo Mannings site and decided to use my nesties (and Mum's!) to make a shaped easel card. Green and orange doesn't seem like an obvious colour combination, but it just seemed right once I coloured the cat picture - which is coloured using my chalks! The leaves are from the Sissix flowers, branches & leaves dies and the flowers are an Xcut flower punch. Of course, I had to add a touch of polka dot ribbon in orange. (If you're one of our girls, don't look too closely as we may be making it!)

Challenges I'm entering -
Daring Cardmakers - Easel Does It!
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle challenges - Easel

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!