New video added ...

I have added another card in the style from yesterday and to tell you that the video to make this little card is now on the website.

This link will take you to the Pennant Card Tutorial    and it is very short.

You will need nothing more than a border punch to get the look.

On these cards I have used punches from Martha Stewart and of course this will determine the size of box or envelope you will need to send it in.

The flowers have all been sparkled up with Glamour Dust and they are from  Wild Orchid Crafts  and the close up shows you just how pretty they are.

  Hugs xx

Pennant Card

I was playing around with some card today and this is what I came up with.   Now I know it is not a new idea but this is my interpretation of it and I think it looks very pretty.

It was very easy to do and nothing except a punched border edgefrom Martha Stewart,  was used to get the pattern along the top and bottom.

The paper is from a stack that I have had for some time and it was free with a magazine.

The flowers are a mixture of large and small Roses, as well as rosebuds, in red and white and some Cherry Blossoms added to the spray.  A few sprigs of Ivy leaves and some smaller leaf shapes complete the look.

They are all from  Wild Orchid Crafts

The ribbon is from my "Stash" and the knot is covered with Card Candi from Craftwork Cards

Card Candi comes in many patterns and colours and can be a really useful addition to your crafting goodies.  Use it to add names or ages to personalise your designs.

Hugs xx

Blending Tools

Many of us like to apply Distress Inks to our projects and they can create a very pretty and subtle effect.

But it is something that many of us are afraid to do because we can't get it right and the result is a smudged mess on our cards. 

One of the best ways to apply these inks is with some kind of  Blending Tool  but these can be quite expensive .... especially if like me you are greedy and want one blender for each ink pad .... Yep that's me!

So this is what I did to make my own and the link will take you to the page to show you how to make your own   Blending Tool

You will find all the step by step instructions and then you can have as many as you like.

All I did then was by the foam pads and attach them to the velcro and these can be removed and washed or replaced whenever the need is there.

I store all mine in a large plastic box so that they are always on hand and I have one for every colour ink I use.

And any that I don't use for Inks I utilise by gluing small sentiment stamps to them and store them in the same way.

They are then ready to use whenever I need one quickly. 

Write the sentiment on the handle so that you can see instantly what  it is.

They are so cheap and easy to make and the more you have the more you can use.

It doesn't cost a lot to get them cut and drilled ... or maybe you know some kind person with a saw and a drill that will do them for you.... even cheaper then!

Hope you enjoy making and using your blending tools and get the results that you want.

This card has had the edges of the  sentiment inked with Aged Mahohany while still in the die.

The embossed background has also been lightly inked using these handy little blenders.

Happy Crafting ....

Hugs xx

More ways with flowers

Adding flowers to cards always gives a very girly effect but can cost quite a bit of money if you have to buy them every time.

Over the last few months I have started to make my own ...  but not everybody has lots of different dies or punches to make them.

But even if you don't have a vast choice there is no reason why these beautiful embellishments can't be added to your cards.

The flowers on these cards have all been created from the smallest part of the Anenome Flower Topper from Spellbinders.   

It is the bit that would create the flowers centre ... but it makes lovely Daisy like blooms for this card.

All I did was to use different coloured papers and card to cut them out and this alone will give them a varied look.

I shaped the petals to the flowers just as I did with the Bitty Blossoms and I have added a video to show the process of   making flowers  

Whichever way you choose to make flowers just spending a little time curling the petals will give your flowers a softer look and to me is well worth the efffort.

The first card is made with various shades of pink but the one on the left I created from greens and biege for a softer look.

For the centres I have added pearls on this and gemstones on the first card.

And the "Bling" is the finishing touch for both cards.

Both backgrounds have been created with an inked up embossing folder for a Faux Letterpress effect.

And I am quite pleased with the end result on both of them

Hugs xx

Pink Flowered Tag Card

Adding tags to your cards can create a very pretty embellishment and they are so easy to cut yourself and so save  you the cost of buying them ready made.

For this one I have embossed white Centura Pearl Card and matted it onto some hot pink and added ribbon from   Fantastic Ribbons   around the panel.

The knot in the bow is covered with Card Candi from  Craftwork Cards

This is then matted that onto pink patchwork paper and again onto the hot pink.

The whole lot has then been glued to a white card base.

The close up shows the detail in the tag which has been embossed to add texture and dotted with Cosmic Shimmer   Pearls  in the flower centres

Layering onto some hot pink card and an eyelet added to the top enables me to thread the ribbon through.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the sentiment is from  Lili of the Valley

An easy make that would be suitable for any girly occasion.

Hugs  xx

Pink Scraps

Making cards can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be and there are many ways to conserve your cash without making a poor standard card. 

And by "cheap" I don't mean the quality but the cost as there should be no compromise on the quailty.

From the card you use to the embellishments that you add ...  it always pays to buy the best that you can get in your price range. 

My mum always used to say ....."Buy cheap you buy twice..." and there is a lot of truth in that statement.  

So having bought this card and paper we  need to make it go as far as we can and that is using every last inch of it to full advantage.

These paper strips are some that have been left over from other projects and because the papers are so pretty it was a shame to throw them away.

So what I did here was to find three pieces that would match and blend with each other and I cut them into strips about 5 x 15 cms and glued them together onto a piece of Centura Pearl card from    Crafters Companion

I left a small border around the edge and covered each of the joins in the papers with white ribbon from    Fantastic Ribbons.  

Then the whole panel was embossed to add texture.

I added borders in Centura Pearl  using the Spellbinders   Ironworks Accents and Motifs  and I added a pearl in each corner to hide the joins.... then fitted in the centre panel with foam pads to raise it up.

A pearl has been added to the top of the sentiment and the same ribbon has created a bow. In the centre of the bow to hide the knot I have threaded a button with Bakers Twine  from the   The Hobby House   and glued it in place.

The finished card is  21cms square (8") and it looks much prettier in real life.

Hugs xx

    

Birthday Blue ...

This is a very simple Brithday card that was really quick to make.


The blue ribbon was already in my "Stash" and it is the last piece I have left  .... (sob!!)

But of course the background, tag and border were  created with   Spellbinders.

Well wouldn't be me without a Spellbinder or two somewhere in a card.

This time I have used the  A Side Elegance Embossing Folder and each of the little circles in the design has been blobbed (technical term)  with the Cosmic Shimmer white glue to create a pearl.

Leave them to dry thoroughly before you continue ... probably best overnight.

I layered this panel onto some blue card.  The border is the waste from cutting out the Morrocan Accent  (and that was used on another card)  ... but being the frugal crafter that I am I couldn't throw it away.

I just layerd and offset two pieces of it and edged  it with some distress ink then added the lot  ... on foam pads to the card. I wrapped them with the blue ribbon and added them all to the base card.

The sentiment was stamped in Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink and the cut out with one of the Fancy Tags 3   and inked again while still in the die to edge the frame.

The little Diamante buckle is from The Hobby House  and just gives that little bit of sparkle.

Hugs xx

Oh Baby ...

I thought I would make a baby card for a change with some of the little baby carriages that I bought from  Mei Flower   when I went to the GNPE in Harrogate

They have the most adorable baby range in the softest of pastel colours,  with gorgeous embellishments  and  beautiful ribbons to match.

But once again the Spellbinders have been used to add that special touch to  any card. 

This background has been embossed with the B Side Elegance Embossing Folder and then each of the flowers has had  white Cosmic Shimmer Glue  added to create a pearl  to the centres.

It has been matted and layered onto pink card,  pink check paper,  more pink card and then pale grey card.

White lace and pink organza ribbon have been wrapped around all the layers before being added to the white base card.  A little bow has been added and the centre knot covered with some pink Card Candi   just to stop it looking  bare.

The sentiment is from Lili of the Valley   and there are many beautiful sentiments and stamps for you to choose.

The baby carriage has been layered onto the middle size of the Floral Ovals and the whole lot weaved into the Decorative Oval Window which has been inked in Victorian Velvet Distress ink.

I have been asked  recently where I get my Spellbinders from and the answer is most of them I get from    Scrap-Mart    who are based in the USA.

 Now there are two reasons for this ...

1 .... They are  Cheaper  than they are here in the UK

2... I can get the  Newest Designs   before they are available here in the UK

And even thought there is P&P to pay they are still the best price  and their  service is so quick.

Hugs xx

I'm going to this wedding....

I have made several wedding cards over the last few weeks for other people but this is one that has been made for me to take to a wedding I am going to in June.

I kept this one rather sedate as I am also making one for the Grooms Mother to take ... and she wants hers to be elaborate  in a white on white colour scheme... so watch this space and I will show it to you when it is made.

This one is cream and once again the Bitty Blossoms have been used to create the flowers and the leaves.

The backgound does not show up very well in the photos.

But  both the card base and the box lid  have been embossed with the So Trendy M-bossabilities Folder

The panels behind the sentiment are two different sizes of the Fleur Di Lis Squares and the sentiment itself has been stamped onto cream, heat embossed in clear powder and cut with the Lacy Circles

The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch and the trail is from Want2Scrap 

I am just hoping that the  weather will be kind on that day and no ...... I am not wearing a hat !!

Hugs xx

Cream and Gold

This is another wedding card I was asked to make and the remit for this was precise. It had to be cream and gold with flowers and a lacy look, and  a wediing day sentiment on the front.

The card had to be large,  but flat enough to go into an envelope ... as it was to be placed in a suitcase to be  taken abroad.

The names of the Spellbinders used will be  BOLD  so that you will be able to see what has been used to create this card.

This is what I did to make this card to an A4 size and I bought A4 envelopes to use with it.

I embossed all the base background layer with Butterfly Garden Grand Impressabilities and then layered it onto gold card.

I cut a piece of cream card and embossed it with Paisley Embossing Folder and the cut it into three pieces and added each one to some gold card. These three panel were equally spaced out on the Impressed base.

Gold and Cream organza ribbon was then wrapped around all these panels, a bow attached and a pearl added to the centre to the knot.  The lacy edge was placed under these panels and was created with the Persian Accents border.

I then added it  all to another piece of cream card that has piercing  around the edge and  layered them onto the cream base card.  The  largest Floral Oval  was cut in gold and the sentiment was stamped onto cream card, and  heat embossed in gold,  onto the second smallest  Lacy Circle

Because the flowers had to be kept reasonably flat I decided to make them with the Anenome Flower in the gold and add a pearl to the centre of each one.   I tucked the flourish and leaves from the Belle Rose underneath for a little extra decoration.

I also added the same flourish and flowers to the envelope to match the card.... and it was very well received by the lady who commisioned it.

Hugs xx