Practising with Promarkers

Hi there, everyone!  What wonderful weather we're having, and just in time for the school holidays!  I've spent the last week picnicking and messing about by the river, entertaining the children in anyway possible - so crafting had to take a back seat!
I ordered myself a few treats last week and as they came yesterday, I thought I'd have a play and create something...the first card was made using Sugar Nellie's Daisy stamp - I'm trying to get to grips with my Promarkers and understand them a bit more...I am getting better, but think I need some more lighter colours to get better shading.  Anyhow, I used First Editions paper pad, Spring Feast, nesties scalloped square and labels die, my new Nellie Snellen border die and flourish die (lovin' this one!) and a large rose from Sweet Lilac...

I love the way it turned out, (though the pictures never do them justice).  Next, I coloured one of Mo Manning's freebies - I think this monkey image is great, especially having 2 cheeky monkeys of my own...

...the papers were another of my new buys, by First Edition papers, called Up,Up and Away - I love the blue and green colour combo in this pad, great for boys cards.
Here's hoping the rest of the hols stays dry - we're (boys and me) supposed to be going camping one night next week with a few of my friends and their kids, should be fun!?!  Hope you are all having a Happy Easter and enjoying the weather...happy crafting!  Thanks for looking!

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!

Templates and tutorials

I know it's taken a week, but Val and Laura, you'll be glad to hear that I've managed to sort out the tutorials for the front step card and calendar cube card that you wanted!  I hope that they are easy enough to understand!

So, Val (and anyone else of course!), you can download the .pdf tutorial for the front step card from 4shared here - I've done it in photographic step by step instructions (though the light wasn't great), so I'm hoping it will be easy enough to follow...

This is one of the calendar cube cards made for a workshop last year

...and Laura (and anyone else again!), you can download the template for the calendar cubes here and there's also the card template here which you can print onto A4 card, cut off to 21cm and score and fold in half (A5 half fold) to make a tent fold card.  Score between the grey lines along A5 Gate, then cut along the grey lines up to the score line.  Pop this section down to create the 'shelf' for the cubes to sit on. Hope you understand this once you've printed the sheet out!  If you have any problems, let me know and I'll write some instructions, though it's quite simple...famous last words!

Enjoy!

Decided to make instructions for the cube card anyway, so you can download them in .pdf here.

Boys2Men samples

As promised, here is a slideshow of some of the Boys2Men samples that I took along to Leigh show - hope they give you some inspiration!

Happy crafting!

Leigh show

A big Hi!!! to all of you who managed to come along to Leigh yesterday for the Sincerely Yours Papercraft@Leigh Fair - once again, we had a wonderful day, though it passed in a blur!  It was great to meet everyone and I got some lovely feedback for the discs and samples - which is what makes my job so much nicer!  I hope you all didn't spend too much money - I never even got time to look around the other stalls, so just had to trust Mam's judgment with her 'one for me, one for you' policy!  I did end up with a lovely bag of goodies, so she did a good job!  I'll be posting some pictures of the sample cards later this week and try and post the templates that I promised Val and Laura - I haven't forgotten girls!

It's back to designing again after today, which was spent cleaning my house, washing and ironing...you have to do it sometimes!  So until next time, happy crafting with your new goodies!

Workshop cards

Hi guys!  I'm not really finding time to do much posting at the minute...heck, I'm not finding much time to do anything!  I can't believe it's Leigh show on Sunday -  I'm busy trying to fit everything into a giant bag to take with me, as we're travelling up tomorrow and staying in a hotel !  Would be fine, only I managed to pull a muscle in my neck whilst on the trampoline with DH and youngest son, last weekend !  I wouldn't have minded if I'd been acting like an acrobat, but all I was doing was sitting on the damn thing when it happened!  Seems I have a whiplash type injury and could be stiff for up to a couple of weeks...oh joy!


I thought I'd post the cards that we made at the last workshop - we got the girls stamping and colouring, something we've not done for a while.  The first card was made using a little hedgehog stamp (not sure who by?!)....

..the front of the card was made from acetate and the leaves were cut from a wide ribbon that we've had in the box for ages - we stuck them to double sided adhesive sheets, then cut around before sticking onto the acetate.  We decorated the back of the card with a panel to write on, with the hedgehog image and some light brown grosgrain ribbon...

...Next, we used the Happy Hoppers 'Hoppy Birthday' stamp, coloured with watercolour pencils and simply matt and layered onto different card stocks, and embellished with dotty ribbon and diamantes...

...we left the card open, so it could be used for either a Birthday or as an Easter card.  I love the blue and yellow combination, lovely Springtime colours.

I have joined the 21st century at last - my Promarker pens arrived last week and I've been having a play to make up some samples for Sunday...I need to get the hang of them yet and am not quite sure how to use the Blender pen to good effect yet, looks like I need a youTube video tutorial!  I'll post some pics of the samples I've made after Sunday - they're all packed away in my bag ready to go and I daren't get them out, as I'll never get them back in!

Hope to see some of you at the Papercraft@Leigh show on Sunday, why not come over and say hello?!  See you soon...