Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

June 30, 2012

Charlottetown

We have really enjoyed our stay here in Canada and the people are so friendly.

One of the things we were invited to do was dine with Troys parents ...Yvonne and Bob at their beautiful home.

We had a lovely visit and it was so strange to be sat in a Canadian home with lovely Canadian people .... chatting about .... Coronation St.

It is a much loved programme over here although they are several months behind us in the UK.

And this is the lady that gave us a wonderful meal and made us feel so welcome in her home.

Thank you Bob and Yvonne

Hugs xx


June 29, 2012

Craft Shopping ...

Today we decided to make a trip into Charlottetown  and of course the main reason was to go to the big craft shop here called "Michaels"

We spent a long time wandering around and Ooohed and Aaahed over lots of things.

Naomi wanted  the Grand Calibur and that was the first thing crossed off the list.

There it is in the photo with some of the other "Goodies" we bought.... and of course we had to play later in the evening.

One of Naomis friends had paid us a visit and needed a card for her daughters wedding this Saturday and so this is what we came up with as  a joint effort.

Patricia is coming to collect the card today and we are hoping that she will like it as much as we do.


Hugs xx

June 28, 2012

Anne of Green Gables

What a lovely trip out we had today and the weather was lovely for us .... all day.

The roads out here are amazing and so straight.,, and for mile after mile we could have been the only car on the road.  Griff has really enjoyed the driving and I have sat back and enjoyed the view.

We drove through the countryside and  many pretty towns on our route.  St Peters was one of the beautiful places we passed.

Eventually we arrived in Cavendish, and found the heritage site for   Anne of Green Gables.

I read the book many years ago and had forgotten just how enchanting the story was.

But coming over on the plane it was one of the films available to watch.... and so awakened my curiosity again about the place itself.  And it was one of the areas to be visited while we are here.

As we walked through the Haunted Wood a lady offered to take a photo of the two of us.... and here it is.

It has been a really good day and we have lots planned for the rest of our stay.

Hugs xx

June 27, 2012

Prince Edward Island

My Canadian adventure has started and this is the first post from  our holiday on Prince Edward Island.


Our flight from Heathrow  was delayed by two hours and so it was quite a long wait to finally get going.  But once in the air we settled down for our 6 hour flight.... and we spent our first night in Halifax.


We rented a car and once we finally collected it we went to our hotel.   The next day we set off on our trip over to the Island and we took the ferry from Pictou   for the sailing across to the Island.


As we got to the ferry point they were staring to load it up  and we drove straight on. We were the last car to get on so consequently we were the last to get off.  But as we drove towards the terminal we saw some crazy people standing at the side of the road waving a huge Canadian  flag.  


It was Naomi and her family waiting for us and the meeting was such fun. Griff  was driving and as I got  out of the car Naomi had the biggest hug for me. It was lovely to meet them all Naomi Troy and Michael and the welcome was so warm.


We had the next day to settle down and then it was off to start exploring this lovely island.and the sun shine was lovely. 


Naomi took us to East Point and from there we discovered lots more.


This picture was taken on the  Singing Sands and we had such a laugh trying to make them "sing"

Of course my "Film Crew" was on hand to film all the silly aspects.  But we certainly made those sands sing....

It was lovely to explore and we went to the top of the lighthouse and the view was amazing.

We had coffee in a little cafe there and took some more photos and this is Naomi expecting some rain....

There is so much more to do and I will add more photos as I take them.


Hugs xx

June 26, 2012

Big'N Juicy...

I posted a while ago about  Water Colouring with Distress Inks  and I said that the "Big'N Juicy" inks could also give a good effect.  They are good value for your hard earned cash as there are about five different colurs in each pad.

But what ever you do  DO NOT  store them upside down .... or on their side ...  as all the colours will run into each other and you will just have one horrible mess.
Store them right side up and level ...

Because of the amoung of pigment in these pads you would need to take care,  and personally I feel that they are a little too vibrant to get a good skin look.

For this floral image I have used the inks to get the soft look in the petals  and I am quite happy with the result.... and I have used the Hydrangea ink pad. 

This beautiful Poppy stamp is from Clarity Stamp and who says poppies have to be red....

This is another style of flower and and is from  Inkylicous  and this has been coloured using the Waterfall  ink pad.
If you press the closed lid firmly down onto the inked pads then you will get some of the ink transferred to the inside of the lid and this can then be used as your palette.

Alternatively use a white tile so that you can see the true colours.

Hugs xx

June 25, 2012

Not cheap ... but useful

A useful addition for any cardmaker and one that can save you lots of time and frustration if you hate to cut out shapes ..... like me!

I really can't be bothered with all that fiddly stuff and so  I bought myself  a  Die Cutter   a long time ago.

The first machine I ever bought  was the Big Shot from Sizzix, and it has been a little work horse for me from day one.

It can do everything that I need it to do from cutting out shapes to taking some of the embossing folders.
But as the years have gone on and I have started to use more and more Spellbinders  I decided to invest in the Grand Calibur.
Not because there was anything wrong with the Big Shot but purely because of the cutting area.

The Big Shot will only has an A5 area where as the Calibur has an A4 which means that I use the larger Grand dies and the Impressabilites all from Spellbinders.

But whichever one you decide to go for ... and there are lots on the market all with varying price tags ... just make sure that it will do what you want it to do because they are a considered purchase for you to add to your list.

Hugs xx

June 24, 2012

Scoring Board

To me this is an essential piece of quipement and one I use every day whenever I have a card or a project that needs to be folded carefully.

This is the Ultimate Pro from   Crafters Companion  and is one of the best things I have ever invested in.

With this I can score card and papers and the sizes I need are all marked on the  board.   I can make boxes and envelopes to suit my cards and several different styles of card including K-cards, aperture cards, exploding boxes, drawer cards and many many more.

The inside is where I can store my trimmer and bone folders ... which come with the board ... and there are adjustable pegs that will enable you to tie perfect ribbon bows everytime.        It even has it's own paper trimmer stored inside too.
It comes complete with a booklet that gives you all the measuring ...  ready done ... for several box and envelope sizes and detailed instructions on how to use the board so that you can get the best results.

Hugs xx

June 23, 2012

Paper Trimmer

I find a   Paper Trimmer   very useful in my cardmaking as it enables me to get a neat edge to my project.

You can get them with straight edges as well as fancy ones to vary the look on your cards.

This was my choice and I got it for half  price in the local craft shop sale ... so was I pleased or what????

It is  both a  Rotary trimmer and a  Guillotine combined and the trimmer has different cutters that can be changed at the twist ot the knob.

The cutters can also be used freestyle too.

It is from  Purple Cows  and the two pieces seperate to be used individually.

The 12" cutting platform means I can use larger papers and card for everything that I want to do.

Hugs xx

June 22, 2012

Heat gun

So yesterday we got started making cards and we got together some of the basics.

One of the things that will help you is a   Heat Gun   and they are all different prices to suit your particular budget.

This is the one I use and it has a dual heat setting.

The little metal stand at the front of the gun will allow you to stand it down without burning the work top

It was not expensive and I use it to heat  embossing powders to give a raised edge to my designs.

I can heat set any stamped images, dry ribbons that have been coloured and Enamel my flowers.

I can also use shrink plastic to make small embellishments .... and if these terms are alien to you then you can always visit Card Making Magic for a more detailed explanation on each subject covered.

There are lots of other ways to use the tool and there are many on the market ... so shop around to get the best one for your money.

Hugs xx 

June 21, 2012

Tools of the trade...

Everybody needs some basics to start cardmaking with and most of the stuff we need we already have to hand.  You will need the obvious .... card, paper and some glue to stick 'em all together ... and envelopes to send the finished card in.

Then get together ...
  • A space to work in ... could be the kitchen table.
  • A metal edged ruler ... raid the toolbox ... or invest in a clear ruler with a metal edge
  • A craft knife and some scissors .... a pair for paper and another for ribbon.
  • A self healing cutting mat ... to preserve that kitchen table

And that will get you started cheaply and easily.  I used my dining room table for a long time and made lots of cards that I sent to family and friends. 

The only problem is that as you start to gather together items for your "Stash" it doesn't take long before that "Stash" out grows your chosen space and fills the house.

I am sure many crafters are nodding their heads at that statement as they know exactly what I mean and that is when you need to invest in some storage .... or utilise everyday objects.

But that is another story which we will get too in due course ... but for now back to tools of the trade.

So we have got the basics and we have started to make some cards.... Yes??? well it won't be long before you will  want to invest in some of the bigger stuff to make life easier for you as you get addicted to this lovely hobby.

But over the next few days I will cover some of the pieces you may want to get ... but not all of it is needed ... even if you want it.

Hugs xx

June 20, 2012

Silver and White Wedding Card.

This will be my last "live" post for a few days as I am all ready to go on my Canadian adventure to meet Naomi and her family. 

The cases are packed, we have the tickets, the dollars and the insurance all sorted, the house is clean and tidy and I am so excited about this trip I can't sleep.

My "Film Crew" has all his camera batteries fully charged and he is raring to go.... complete with the silly hat !!

But of course to family nothing changes and at the last minute my daughter has asked me to make  her a special wedding card.   This wedding has been planned for months ... but last night she asked me and it is for this Saturday.
So what could I say???
Click to enlarge
Once again the remit was for the ever popular white card with flowers and so I obliged ...and this is what I came up with.


The silver was added in to the blend to give some sparkle.


I have used two different types of ribbon and layered them at the top of the card and added a bow from the same two ribbons with a Diamante centre.


The  beautiful Diamante  "Bling" is from Want2Scrap
 The Spellbinders used will be in BOLD so that you will know what I have used.
Click to enlarge
The  background is created  from the   Regal M-Bossablities folder.

 The sentiment has been layered onto the Floral Ovals and the Labels 20 with  matching "Nestabling" added to the centre Label 20

The flowers are Spiral Blossoms 1 and 3, with the smaller Bitty Blossoms added into the spray and each of the flowers has  had a silver glitter ball glued into the centre.

I have used the small leaves from the Bitty Blossoms and larger ones from the Foliage set.

Click to enlarge
The Diamante has been used around the edge of the card and of course all self respecting wedding cards need a box and so I have added the flowers and the "Bling" to this as well.

The lid has an acetate centre so that the card can be seen through it ...but at the last minute I decided to add silver tissue paper to keep it safe.

So that is it until I get to Canada ... the next few days posts are all done and scheduled to go out each morning .... fingers crossed.

Then once I get settled Naomi and I will be doing some projects together and of course my Film Crew will be on hand to take some lovely photos or our trip to Prince Edward Island .

Thank you for all the lovely messages about my holiday... both here and by email to the website.

Hugs xx

June 19, 2012

Dads' Day

The 17th June was Fathers' Day here in the UK and between us my "Film Crew"  and I have four daughters. And to show their love and appreciation for the things that Griff does he is given a token of their esteem.

It can vary from year to year .... sometimes he gets useful stuff and others it is something funny or frivilous .... especially from Griffs'  youngest daughter ... and this year was no exception.


I had to share this gift with you as we did no amount of laughing over this. 

They like to have their little jokes about us getting on and how they are going to spend their inheritance .... but we are making sure that we spend that before we go !!

So what did Donna get her dad this year ??

 Well it was this  large and rather smart  Ceramic cupcake money box all studded with little gemstones....




Click to enlarge
... but to get the joke you need to read the inscription on the top of the cake.

And she has added a picture of her dad on the cherry ... complete with moustache... it just has a bit more hair than he does !!

But we aren't past it yet and can still give them a run for their money.!!



Hugs xx

June 18, 2012

Water Colouring with Distress Inks

I am sure that you have a collection of Distress inks and that you have found many ways to use them... from distressing the backgrounds and corners to your cards to inking through your Spellbinders to give the edges some definition.

But they also make an excellent medium for water colouring  and the results are superb.
This pretty Christmas image from Lili of the Valley  has been coloured with a limited palette ...  but the card looks very soft.
This is another using the Dusty Concord Ink and of course the Spellbinders.
Because I was asked how to get the look I added three videos to cover the different aspects on the image.
The  First video on Skin  will give you the links to the two other parts on hair and clothes.

And the image I used was from the SWALK collection from Crafters Companion 

The videos cover the skin, hair and clothes and I have used the Water coloured card from the same company.  And because the image is being water coloured then you will need to use a waterproof ink such as StazOn.

This is also a good way to put your   "Big'N Juicy"   ink pads to work too though the colours from them are a lot more vibrant..... so take extra care.

Hugs xx


June 17, 2012

Plaited Ribbon

This is another way to use  your beautiful ribbons and it uses a  Spellbinders  border shape to plait the ribbon through.    
It is not the same as the Braided Ribbon featured yesterday and does not use as much ribbon as it is only plaited.

But this is  another video   and if you have  any  Spellbinders  borders in them then this is one way you can use them for   Plaited Ribbons   

Adding ribbons can really make the card very feminine and the doily in the backgound of this card has the same effect.
The image is from the SWALK collection from Crafters Companion and has been Water Coloured using Distress Inks.

One more Ribbon technique to add to your list is the Ruffled Ribbon  and this creates yet another pretty look for your designs.

Hugs xx
   



June 16, 2012

Braided Ribbon

This ribbon technique is one I learned years ago but it now seems to be coming back in fashion... especially on cards.
The only drawback to this feature is that it takes a lot of ribbon to get the look.   This wreath took about 4mtrs of 1cm wide gingham ribbon to create and the card is an A5 size.

It has been added to some glitter card and the gold corner piece is metal.   The Spellbinder shape has the sentiment heat embossed in gold and is  raised on foam pads.

I featured a PolkaDoodle card earleir in the year with the same  Braided Ribbon   and I added a video to show how to create the look.

This pretty baby card has some really pale pink ribbon and the flowers on both cards are fromWild Orchid Crafts   and they have been sparkled up with Glamour Dust. 
The pearls in the corner just add that little extra and I always like to add that extra bit to all my cards.
The Teddy Bear image is from HunkyDory  and the edge is foiled in silver.

 Hugs xx