Ann Topp - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

I am trying really hard to bring the numbers of subscribers up on both my blog and YouTube as for some reason the numbers are not rising.

 I have admitted in the past that it us very disheartening for all those publishers who work hard to add videos or posts and they do not get any response. And I am not the only one who mentions this fact.

On my Blog I have noticed, for quite some time now, that people are only leaving a comment when it is the Friday Freebie and at no other time and I feel that that is a little unfair on those that  do visit  on a regular basis. and leave me me a comment 

This is why I have said that I will give up blogging.

 But for now  I am going to try something different and that is that I will check back through the comments for the previous weeks and see what names are there and also for the Friday post,  and I am only going to add those names to the draw for the free gift.

This means that those who leave me a regular comment on my posts will see their names appearing more often as the winners on a Friday.

And this is another reason why you should leave your FULL NAME with your comment,  as some that show up are anonymous

My first one is named today and I am so grateful to these regular visitors and commenters. 

 Ann Topp

This week is for you Ann for all your support, and this is my way of saying a big thanks to you.

Please send me your postal address and I will get the pack in the post to you straight away.

Hugs.

Friday Freebie - Dragonfly Delights

 Hi Everybody,

This beautiful set is from John Next Door and it comes with the magazine Simply Cards & Papercraft

It consists of an embossing folder, some Dragonfly stamps and sentiments, as well as the Dragonfly die set 

It is sure to help you make some lovely creations for you to give to your friends and family in the coming months.

So if you would like to have this in your crafty stash then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the ed of this post with tour FULL NAME

You will need to come back and check if your name is shown as the winner and you will have 72 hours in whcih to claim it.  In the event that it is not claimed it will be offered again at a later date.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Flowers

HI Everybody,

Todays cards are all created from the same stamp set and it is one of the Create Your Life bundles that I bought ages ago.

I need to use these more to get my monies worth from what turned out to be an expensive purchase.

 It was the postage costs that pushed then over the top and so I stopped my subscription

This is the Feathered Lilies  and for the first  5x7" card I stamped it in full, coloured it with alcohol markers and then cut it out with the matching die.

Once it was cut out I added to the embossing folder and ran it through the machine to get the raised areas on the flowers.

The backgrounds panels are also embossed and the sentiments are some that I already had on my desk.

For the next two card this is the same stamp coloured again with markers  but this time  after the flowers have been embossed I have cut them in half and trimmed them down to fit an  A6 and a DL

This gives me a twofer and both look really pretty when completed , and you can see the original configuration when you look at them side by side. 

But this is a good way to make large stamps go a little further as well as vary the look for your designs, which helps to break the sameness that can sometimes happen 

I have splattered both with gold paint but on the DL one, because I was impatient, I managed to smudge the splats at the bottom of the card.

But I am not unhappy with any of the looks that I get for these cards and .they would suit many occasions if I swapped out the sentiments. 

Hope you like 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Outline Dies

Hi Everybody,

A couple of weeks ago I gave away the Rose outline die from Crafters Companion and that was quite a large die.

The card shown us also using an outline die though not the same one.

 This one us a really old die that I have from Spellbinders, but it gives the same result

It has been cut from white card and added to a handmade inky background

The sentiment is cut from silver mirror card and added with small portions of foam pad underneath to raise it up.

This is the same idea with the outline die on an inky background  but the centre is cut into an oval 

I have added silver dots cut from card around the edge and it is all added to a wall patterned die cut.

The sentiments have been stamped in black and clear embossed

The top card s a 5x7 and the middle ad bottom ones are an A6, but all have used parts of the outline die cut to their panels 

The result is very pretty and you could colour into the centre of the flowers if you wished and that would make them stand out even more.

This card has used a smaller panel to add the outline shape to and placed over to the left side of the card front, and again has used some handmade paper.

So there you have three very different looking cards from one outline die and some inky papers.

You could use any dies that are in your stash that give a similar outline look so look with fresh eyes at what you already have

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Everyday Items

 Hi Everybody,

This simple idea can give you some unusual patterns for your cards and it is using some cheap washing up liquid to create the background.

It is another item that we all have in our kitchens that can be used  in a different way,

 I have named the video

  Everyday Items - Washing Up Liquid 

and it has been added to the  Everyday Items playlist and all the suggestions there  can give you some pretty results.

You can use the panel just as a background piece or die cut from it for shapes, flowers. leaves, hearts or even stars.

Dress the card up as much as you would like and always be sure that you have papers that will go with your creations whatever your plan.

And making your own backgrounds is far more fun and satisfying than a shop bought paper.

Give it a go I know you will enjoy playing

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx