Different folds...

I always am interested in making cards with different folds -

so when someone mentioned 'wiper' cards the other day, I immediately got thinking...

Our WIAD facebook group challenge this week too is

Use it Up

...I've been going through my stash recently and realized that I would be able to make about 20 cards with stuff I already have stamped/coloured/cut. I'm willing to bet you all have similar stashes, so my challenge to you this week is to "use it up". Here are the rules: You may not stamp anything fresh, or cut any new die cuts, nor can you cut up a full sheet of paper, except for your card base. Use only what you already have. Also, you can only use embellishments from packages that have already been opened...

How many cards could I make with 'bits' lying round my craft room??

I found card to make my base card in my scrap bag,

a topnote already die-cut,

sentiments already printed or embossed and punched,

a die-cut puppy dog...

Here the card is lying flat on the table

Here it is pulled out, standing up with the sentiment popped up...

Happy Crafting!

My first ever video tutorial

Yesterday my first ever video tutorial went live!!

I demonstrated  this card, made as a project for Pretty Paper Studios, Dubai.

Find the tutorial here

Also yesterday, I was very pleased to see that my most recent set of ATC's had arrived in the UK,

 for the 'ATC Swap UK' page on facebook.

'Anything goes plus a button'

Now looking forward to the next swap 'Things with Wings'!

Happy Crafting!

Nearly the end of May...

Yesterday, I nipped round to my friend Lynn's, with my Big Shot...

We wanted to do some die-cutting and embossing...

First, I put together these little fish and this is the resulting card...

The sentiment is just perfect!

I did some edge embossing of some card blanks...

Here three daisies embossed on the side, with a little colouring, a bow and some gems

 teams up with Bugaboo's 'Smell the flowers'

 to make a very simple card that I am submitting to the

Catch The Bug Challenge Photo Inspiration time

Then this morning I needed to make a Birthday card!

If you have been following my blog you will know that I have made a lot of cards using

 Indigo Blu's 'Blazing Poppies' and 'Poppy Meadow' stamp sets.

This picture shows the ones where I used 'jenni bowlin for Ranger' 'cough syrup' as my ink of choice...

One of these cards went to my Mum for her Birthday at the beginning of May.

Looking through my paper stash I came across a beautiful Stampin Up orange paper featuring poppies.

Orange is one of my favourite colours and definitely my daughter's favourite!

So I chose my Hero Arts Shadow Ink 'soft canteloupe' to stamp with.

After matting various layers, I have added some small gems and gold glitter.
 The final touch was to tie a double bow with some narrow ribbon.

I am going to submit this card to 

Sketch~n~Scrap's Card Guest Designer Challenge

Just one more picture to add and that is for 

the Imagine That FREEBIE challenge

This is using Kris B's Party Animals digi...

I coloured this with Promarkers, and with a few embellishments,

 made it into a very simple easel card - suitable for a youngster!

Happy Crafting!

Sketch~n~Scrap revisited

When I was posting my first card on Sketch~n~Scrap I noticed another challenge

Sketch~n~Scrap Card Challenge #1

Here is the sketch

And here is my card...

Mainly layering of papers from my scrap bag...and a few gems!

Happy Crafting!

Sketches

I quite like following a sketch

so the Monday Mojo challenge appeals to me!

This is this week's sketch:-

And this is my take on it:-

Lots of colours and layers, a background, distressed and watermarked,

 the Indigo Blu stamp from 'Poppy Meadows'...

Then I saw

Sketch~n~Scrap Card Sketch #2 Challenge


This is the Sketch

And the next picture is my card...

I have used a 'negative' stamp which I stamped and then coloured with
 'Sunflower ' and 'Caramel' Promarkers.
 The background was cardstock embossed using the SU Honeycomb embossing folder.
The coloured honeycomb was made with shaving cream and food colouring through a stencil.
(How to: Shaving cream and food colouring)

Happy Crafting!

Backgrounds Galore!

I noticed this Backgrounds Galore Challenge 4 on Indigo Blu

and as I love my Indigo Blu Stamps I thought I would have a go...

I made 3 cards - well actually 3 versions of the same card.

In each case I took a background, cut it to size, distressed inked its edges, 

matted it on to a toning paper and white card blank,

stamped it with a stamp from 'Poppy Meadow' using black (Versafine)

and added a butterfly (using Stampin Up's Beautiful Wings).

Background #1

This is a distress inked background with added 'watermark' using a medallian stamp. 

(Look back to my February blog post giving instructions)

  

Background #2  

Here I have used shaving foam, food colouring and a stensil.

(I gave details in a March blog post)

Background #3

Here I have used a piece of torn card to distress ink towards in different colours and positions.

This is my favourite and I am going to submit this one to the Indigo Blu Challenge

Happy Crafting!

Die cut cards

On Tuesday I ran a beginners' card making class at my house -

 so first, up early to organise the living room...

I was expecting there to be a maximum of 12 -
 in the end there were 9 of us, so we could spread out a bit! 

I demonstrate two cards during the morning then the ladies make their own versions.

The first one was fairly simple using techniques of edge-punching, matting, two-step stamping, bow tying and folding punched circles to look like petals. 

Here are my samples:-

I was quite pleased with my second card!

This involved die cutting with the Big Shot, stamping, bow tying and embellishing.

Again, here are my samples:-

I developed this card having come across the Sissix die which produces the shapes illustrated -

'Card, Layered Elegant'.

The instructions suggest a layer of vellum to cover an invitation.

However I wanted a 'stand up' card so for each card I cut

2 large shapes in card,

1 small shape in paper (for writing the message),

1 small shape in card (this forms a backing for the vellum),

1 small shape in vellum.
The picture shows the order in which they are tied together to make the card.

Of the two large shapes, one is trimmed to have a straight edge and scored to form a fold 

 to help the card stand up. 

The paper 'small shape' is also folded over the back 'large shape'.

The following picture shows the back of my first card:-

And here is the front...it has the Indigo Blu stamp 'Elizabeth Bennett' stamped on the plain vellum

 with a dye ink - in fact a Distress Ink.

 It needs to be left to dry for some time before colouring with Promarkers.

 The whole card is held together by the ribbon.

 It is finished with some embellishments...

I am submitting this card to the Get Inky! challenge 4 - show us some die-cuts!

In my second card the stamp is stamped on the small card shape

 and this time the vellum used is patterned. The words then show through...

After the members of the class left I sort of got busy and started making these:-

 I finished them off today...

This camel was my least favourite - the camel and palm tree were stamped onto plain vellum and left to dry. Then the camel was coloured with my favourite Promarker -'tequila sunrise'.

Various embellishments were added including a gold embossed 'friend' motif.

(It does follow the UAE theme though...)

 The next one took me back to 'Elizabeth Bennett' this time stamped with Ranger dye ink - 'cough syrup'.
 I used 'antique pink' Promarker to colour in the flowers.

Then another Indigo Blu stamp - from the 'Poppy Meadow' set - again stamped on plain vellum,
 allowed to dry then coloured in with Promarkers...

This next card uses a 'Bugaboo' image, brown and blue, and an additional die cut -

 from the KUTZ Royal Series 'fluttering butterfly'.

I am submitting this card to the Bugaboo BINGO challenge

My final card features the Lacy Sunshine image - 'Oscar and Olivia Otter', hand-coloured using Promarkers.

The digi was printed on white card then cut with the die to the small shape.
The vellum covering the image is green, which I think adds to the watery effect...

I am submitting this card to Lacy Sunshines's Challenge "Anything but a square" 

Hope you like my die-cut cards!

Happy Crafting!

ATC's - anything goes - plus a button or two!

These ATC's are for the 

UK ATC SWAP on facebook

'Anything goes...but it must include a button"

I decided to go for different techniques...

This first one is just an image stamped on shiny paper, distressed around the edges, matted,

 and with the die-cut butterfly and button with twine added.

#2 - emboss resist with watercolour wash (using Distress Inks),

plus buttons and twine...

#3 - emboss resist with distressing inks and tool.

plus ribbon and button

#4 - shaving foam and food colouring through a stensil,

plus die-cut leaves and ladybirds...

Finally emboss resist with mister,

plus buttons and ribbons...

Hope you like them - got to get them in the post now!

See more of my ATC's in my recent post for Pretty Paper Studios
Product Spotlight - the Sizzix Big Shot

Happy Crafting!

Happy Days

I recently spotted the 'Happy Days' stamp set from 'Little Claire'. 

I thought it would be a good set to have for more masculine cards -

 and when it arrived it also had a kit to put together.

This is the card that I made:-

I then started thinking of how to use it in a design of my own -

 plus my friend Lynn and I have been looking through our dies!

Look at the lovely 'buzzies' I have made with this little die...

And here is my finished card - a ribbon tied through two punched holes, a few floral embellishments completes the picture. I am submitting this in the Little Claire's monthly challenge 'Blog Hop'

I am also going to submit it in Heart For Handmade Diecut challenge

 as an example of using die-cut embellishments!

Happy Crafting!

Tulips

I love tulips!
In particular, I liked the black ones

 that were growing in my garden in North Wales.

But whatever colour...they are the flowers that I regularly buy my Mum...

When I first came to Abu Dhabi about 7 years ago, I joined a card making group.

 One of the first stamps I saw there, was this 'Terrific Tulips' -

 a Two Step Stampin' Set from Stampin' Up (2001).

Of course it was discontinued - I had to get mine on ebay...

With it you can stamp in two steps to produce flowers like this...

 

And this is the simple card I made way back then...

Of course, since then  I have discovered triple step stamp sets like the ones from 'Kitchen Sink'.

 This is a slider card I made with 'black' tulips using their stamps.

Tulip ribbon - I found this in Lincraft in Australia some years ago - and I still have a little left...

 Which takes us to this sketch...

for Mojo Monday #293

And my take on it...

What do you think?

Happy Crafting!