Monday 28 June 2010

Zig Zag

I love this Penny Black image, although I'm not sure where I bought it now, despite it being a fairly recent acquisition... however here it is in a card for a couple of challenges.
I decided to combine the 'Paper Patch' challenge from Penny Black with the zig zag challenge from My Time to Craft where this is my DT card.
The papers are Cuddly Buddly, perfect for a patchwork style and the sentiment a Cuttlebug die-cut.
The easel which I am using for this card is a generous gift from Julia at Stamping Ground, the instigator of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, for my participation in the 1st Anniversary Celebrations of her challenge, where participants show off their work space each week. If you've never participated, check out the link on my sidebar this coming Wednesday.
Last night our granddaughter stayed overnight with us. What a treasure she is! Today we brought her back to her parents but we are staying over until tomorrow which is her second birthday!
I really think that she is bright, and having been in the business of educating small children for many years, I think I have a little experience of these matters... not that I am biased you understand... but she can count and recognise numbers to 10, can identify a square, circle, triangle, star, and heart. She knows her colours, she loves to 'read' lots of books and can sing many, many Nursery Rhymes practically word perfectly. I don't believe that many 2 year olds can do this. I'm one very proud Granny!
Tomorrow, I think we are going to visit the Zoo, I think she'll love it!

Saturday 26 June 2010

JUGs Template Challenge

Just a couple of days ago we bought a new gas barbecue for our son's birthday next month. I think that he will find it really easy after using a charcoal one for quite a while. He and his wife work long hours and I think that the time they can save with this new one will be such a help to them.
This is our card for his birthday! The challenge at Just Us Girls this week is perfect! It is to make an Apron Card! A template was available but I chose to make my own, but used the principle from the website.
Other challenges include ABC Challenge, which this week is X - Xtra Dimension... the detachable tag and glove!
Also Charismz Cardz - To make a project for a guy!
I cut the length of card and made the armhole shapes with a Quickutz straight sided oval die. I used the same one to make the pocket by cutting the die-cut in half.
The spatula was made from a peel off and I made an oven glove the same way but it somehow got lost... goodness knows where it has landed up. So I made another from a piece of DP mounted on card.
The sentiment tag and the name on the pinny were made on the computer.
I'm really rather pleased with it.
Thanks you J.U.G.s
I found the oven glove which I had made with a peel off... it had dropped into my slipper and fell out when I went to have a shower before going out this evening!

Spinner card tutorial

ABC Challenge X- Xtra dimension

Spinner cards have an element which spins along a track when the card is tilted... in this case the flower. A few people asked how I made my spinner cards, so I thought I'd show you a few piccies of how I did this one.
1. I began by cutting out 2 Nestie Labels from white card
2. Next I drew a line horizontally along the back of one of the shapes, to use as a guide when punching out the track. I used my Stampin' Up Word Window punch, but you could achieve a similar result by using a craft knife and a hole punch for the rounded ends to the track.
3. I began at one side, and keeping in line with the previous cut and the central line I punched the length of the track.
4. Using dimensional pads I then stuck both shapes together. I used a double thickness of pads to ensure the the spinner had sufficient clearance to run along the track.
5. Because I used a silk flower, I stuck a circle of card to the back of it to give strength.
6. Next comes the little sandwich of the spinner.
  • a penny or other small coin
  • a circular dimensional, (I cut one from a pad with a hole punch)
  • a second coin
The spinner is then inserted into the track; you may have to ease it into position, as the track has to be between the two coins.
I then added this whole element to the front of my card and Hey Presto!
I hope this helps and if you have any questions do please email me!

One Stop Crafts Challenge Pink & Brown

We went to watch Hampshire play cricket in a 20/20 match last night (which they won), and decided to sit in the sunny side of the ground. Sadly that's where the rowdies were and some chaps behind us decided to make Vuvuzelas out of their 6/4 run cards, which they rolled up into trumpet shapes and blew like crazy!. Crikey... what a racket they made.
Eventually they must have felt sorry for us and moved to pastures new! Thank Goodness. I bet they have sore throats this morning!
This card for my friend's mum, is also for the challenge at One Stop Crafts today, do come and join in the fun. The theme is Pink and Brown... lovely combo!
I began this card by using a couple of shades of pink Cats Eye ink to shade the background, then overprinted this in Chocolate chip ink with a fabulous Penny Black stamp. It's called Inclinations!
I die cut the butterfly in a piece of white card, using a Cuttlebug die and then cut the square around it with a Nestie, to use as the masking frame.
I had forgotten that things don't stick to Cats Eye ink very easily, so that's why I used the pearl brads not just to look pretty, but to keep the layers together. The paper is a digi download, I only wish I could remember where it came from!
I made the sentiment in MS Word on the computer, again mounted on Nesties.
Enjoy the lovely weather this weekend!

Friday 25 June 2010

Another Spinner Card

I made some cards for a friend of a friend, using this slider technique. She really loved them, so now my friend has asked me to make a slider card for the friend of a friend's birthday! Could you follow that lot? It's of no matter anyway. She asked for a rolling flower. It's taken me several day's ponderings to come up with this, but now I'm quite pleased, I really like the use of the Nestie label for the slider part.
The flower is from a cheap spray from Poundland and so cost next to nothing. I just added a splat centre and few pearls.
The paper is Clare Curd's Signature range, shaped with a Martha Stewart punch. The Martha Stewart butterfly is twinkled with a little Spray and Sparkle and the sentiment was made on the computer and mounted on Nesties.
The Corrosive Challenge this time is for Black/White + 1 other, so this is ideal!
It's rather fat, so I think I'll have to make a little box for it!

Thursday 24 June 2010

Allsorts

A card for a couple of challenges!
I used the sketch from Allsorts and the theme of Best Wishes from A Spoonful of Sugar.
I cut the squares with a Nestie and added smaller squares of DP which I had overprinted with a crackle stamp. Although it doesn't look like it, there are three different colour papers on this card, but the subtleness of shade and the overprinting makes it all look rather similar.
The stamp is a gorgeous one from Magenta and I printed the sentiment on the computer as I didn't have a stamp in a suitable size or font.
I quite like monochrome cards.
P.S. My name & blog address are just on the piccie... not on the card... I discovered that I could change the angle of the caption when doing this, that's what probably caused the confusion Annie!

Colour Create

My friend asked me to come up with a card for her father's 70th birthday. I always ask for a few details about the recipient in order to try to make the card personal to them... their interests, lifestyle etc. All that Sue could come up with for her dad was that he liked to sit and watch his goldfish in the pond in the garden.
SO here is a goldfish.
I coloured him with Copics and overlaid the image with 3D Clear Gloss Finish. The sentiment is from Cuddly Buddly and the embossing and lettering are Cuttlebug.
The little bits of pond weed are from a Nellie Snellen punch.
The colours are from this week's challenge at Colour Create, where an image from the new Alice in Wonderland film has been used. Really Whacky!
Yesterday I was trying to clean out the moss and other detritus from the block paving in the garden! Goodness what a job! I wanted to clean the garden furniture too, but the jet washer decided not to work! Don't you just hate that!
Hey Ho... today is another day!

Wednesday 23 June 2010

Alter something!

The recipe from Cooking it Up with Katie this fortnight, is
Make or alter an embellishment
Add some Sparkle
Use a die cut.
For this card I coloured some white ribbon with Copics, to match the deep grey pearlised paper, I overstamped the die-cut flowers (Marianne Creatables) with a text stamp and then ran the petals through the Cuttlebug using an embossing folder to add a little texture. Not content with that, I then sprayed the petals with a little Spray & Sparkle.
The layout is in the 'Clean & Simple' style, but I think it conveys the meaning quite well.
I'm not quite sure what make the sentiment stamp is, but I love it!
Katie is looking to extend the DT over at the challenge blog and move the challenges up to a weekly basis, so do pop over and check things out. Why not come and join us!

WOYWW

We're back from our long weekend away at our son's in Suffolk! We had a great time, including having a ride in his new open topped sports car.
On arriving home there were 2 'You were out' parcel cards on the mat. I was a bit upset that I had missed the one which I thought was my husband's birthday pressie. I rang the number on the card and having managed to navigate the automated voice mail system, the long and short of the matter was that I could pick up the parcel between 7 & 8pm last night and so he had his present on the right day after all!
For the curious among you, it was a Sony E Reader. (A gismo which is the size of a large wallet and which can contain up to 350 novels electronically. It will be perfect for our holidays).
Whilst in Bury St Edmunds, I just happened to go to the craft shop, where I purchased a few bits and pieces, and where the shop owner told me about a Craft Fair the following day, in a village nearby. So I just happened to go to that too, where I purchased a few more things. On arriving home there were another couple of packages waiting for me, so now I have plenty to play with.
The stuff which looks like nail varnish is a product called Silkies, which is a type of paint, which I have yet to get to grips with, but my brayer has come out for the first time and I shall be having a go!
Hop over to Julia's to see what everyone else's desk looks like and have a happy Wednesday!

Tuesday 22 June 2010

Yule tide in June

Well, here we are half way through the year and so obviously it's time to think of Christmas... I expect that the Christmas decs will be in the shops very soon! As if time didn't fly quickly enough already!
This is my DT card for this week's challenge at My Time to Craft.
I used a Papermania paper, matched with a digi download, the name and source of which I can't remember, but the two look made for each other. The image is from a Hampton Arts stamp, coloured with Copics. The snowflaky things are from a Cuttlebug die.
I love this jolly santa, he looks really cuddlable. (Is that a word?)
I think that the layout is a subconscious echo of my sketch at OSCC last week, but I quite like it nevertheless.
Hubby's b'day today... I'm not telling you how old he is, but his state pension will help swell the coffers from today onwards!

Saturday 19 June 2010

One Stop Crafts and knot tutorial

I made this card with an image of AJ from The Stamping Boutique. They are sponsoring the challenge at One Stop Crafts this week, so do pop over and join in the fun. The theme is 'One for the boys' and I think that this image is perfect for it!
The sentiment was added in Word Art and the image coloured with Copics.
I think that the thought of a little boy with all sorts of useful things, like pieces of string, in his pockets made me think of using some for the embellishment.
The last time that I used this knot on a card, someone asked how I did it, so this time I took a few pictures along the way to show you how it's done.
The string was a little curly as I'd had a go at some crochet with it and then undid it, it's also a little discoloured where it's been knocking around for ages, but it all adds to the interest doesn't it!
I used 3 strands for each side, but you can vary this according to the effect required.
1. Lay out the first 3 pieces like this
2. Then with a second set of strands, lay them across and under the first set as illustrated.
3. Then working in an anti-clockwise direction, take the piece on the extreme left and lay it over and under then next two pieces thus.
4. The final two weaves are done as in this picture.
5. With this, the knot is finished and just needs to be tightened. Care should be taken to keep all the threads flat and you may just have to sort them out a little before pulling on the ends of the threads to make the flat knot complete.
If you're anything like me, I'd rather look at the pictures than read instructions, so I hope that these help!
When attaching it to the central part of the card, I cut out some little notches in the edges of the panel so that it wrapped around neatly.
Have a great weekend!

Friday 18 June 2010

Sweet Teddy

I bought a bunch of bear images from Pollycraft a short time ago, of which this is one, entitled 'Kiki Ice cream'. Isn't she sweet!
I am using it for the challenge from Teddy Stampers which this week is Summer Bears.
I used the sketch from Friday Sketchers, but made it square rather than rectangular.
The image is coloured with Copics and I used a sentiment from Cuddly Buddly. The border was made with a Fiskars punch.
Papertake's Challenge this week is 'Ice cream flavours' Here we have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry!
Just Us Girls have a colour challenge this time of Light Pink, Chocolate and Vanilla!
I still haven't done my husband's birthday card and I went to Makro this morning to buy his present... of which they had no stock! They rang back later to tell me that some had come in, but they were pink! (I bet you're wondering what it is!!!) I'll tell you next week!
In the interim I've ordered one online, but I don't know if it will arrive for Tuesday!
I'd better get on with the card, or he might end up with nothing!!


Wednesday 16 June 2010

Yummy strawberries!

The challenge from Crafts 4 Eternity, is to use their sketch, plus lace and strawberries.
I kind of cheated by using paper lace... but the Fiskars punch I used is called lace, so maybe it can count.
The papers are Cuddly Buddly and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up mounted on a Stampin Up word window punchie. I coloured the image with Copics and added a strawberry charm.
Short and very Sweet! Yum!

Ladder fold card

This is my first attempt at one of these fancy fold ladder cards.
I'm really glad that I bought my Fiskars trimmer, as it allows me to cut sections in the centre of a piece of card, as required by this type of fold.
I had intended putting the tall section on the left, but somehow I must have scored the wrong bit of the card to start off with and it ended up on the right. However, with this orientation, the giraffe appears to be looking into the card rather than away from it, which is just as well.
The image is Meljen's and the trees are from a Unity stamp. The sentiment is stamped with an Inca stamp and mounted on Nestie Labels 4.
Now I'll have to see if I can make an envelope to fit this size of card!
I got the idea from the challenge at the Tuesday Morning Sketches Blog. I hope they like it.

Yo Ho Ho

I began this yesterday and somehow it just didn't go as well as I had hoped. I think the idea was reasonable but the execution leaves a little to be desired.
Here are the challenges
Teddy Stampers - Film Inspiration - Pirates of the Caribbean
Crafty Creations - It's a Stitch Up
Digital Tuesday - Easel Card
Pollycraft - Let's have a sing song - Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum.
Tuesday Throwdown - Celebrate summer
Simon Says Stamp - 'Shiver me Timbers' pirate card!
The image is from Pollycraft and the paper from Cuddly Buddly. I used the scrap from a Cuttlebug border die to make the waves and the sentiment is cut from a piece of the backing paper and mounted on a slider tag.
It's now 9.30am and I'm still in my dressing gown, I'd better get into the shower!

WOYWW

Good morning all!
Have you ever had 'one of those days'?
Yesterday was a case in point. I began several things, but couldn't seem to get to grips with any of them.
I need to make a card for my hubby's birthday, which is on the 22nd, but I'm away to Bath tonight to babysit until Friday and we're going to our son's in Suffolk for the weekend. SO I really need to get myself sorted, but the mojo is missing!
I began to make a card for him before we went to Spain and it hasn't got much further. Does anyone else have the syndrome that once something has been started you feel that you really need to make it work? I think I should probably just start again on a completely different tack! You may just be able to see the card components on the top of my Copics.
The only thing I did manage to finish yesterday was my DT card for next week's challenge at My Time to Craft... and I can't show you that yet!!
This is my store of off cuts of plain paper and card.
It began a little more tidily, but had gradually become messier as time has passed. It is arranged vaguely in colours and is an improvement from when everything was thrown together into an old nursery box.
One of the things which you can see in the top picture is a sheet of double sided adhesive. It's brilliant for sticking to the back of card before die-cutting, because all I have to do once the letters or shapes or whatever are cut, is to peel and stick, Priceless!
Do pop over to Julia's blog to see what everyone else is up to!

Monday 14 June 2010

Pure Innocence

I love these sweet little digi images by Heather Ellis, this time for a thank you card.
The sketch is from Create4Fun.
The recipe of 1 image, 2 patterned papers and 3 embellishments is from Simon says Stamp.
The Nellie Snellen punched paper flowers are for Floral Delights from A Spoonful of Sugar.
The theme of Thank you is for the Creative Card Crew.
Bloomin' Marvellous is the theme from Bee Crafty, I hope 2 flowers are enough!
The papers are both digi downloads, I think that the hearts paper is from Cuddly Buddly.
I quite like this one!

It's that duck again


Just us Girls - Technique Challenge - digi image
Alphabet Challenge - G for Green
Pollycraft - Song Inspiration - Singing in the Rain
Crafty Catz - Embossing
Pile It On - Summer Showers
Caardvarks - Wet or dry Embossing
Most of the challenges for this card are self explanatory, but I thought that I should just point out that the embossing in this case is triple embossing with clear embossing powder over the coloured image to give it shine and make it look a little wet! I'm not too sure if it shows up too well, but maybe if you zoom in you may see it.
The image is from Digital Delights, coloured with Copics. The spotty paper is from Cuddly Buddly and the stripy is a download, but sadly I don't remember the make. The sentiment is from SU.
I think he's one cute duck!

Back from Sunny Spain

We have just returned from a week in Spain with my daughter and her hubby and Daisy. We had a great time altogether and I'm glad to say that the kids had a real bit of R&R. My husband spent a lot of time watching Mr Tumble on DVD with Daisy during the hottest part of the day and walking around the beautiful grounds spotting butterflies etc with her when it wasn't quite so hot. He was good value this holiday and Daisy just loves him!
We were using our Vacation Points with a company we have belonged to for many years. Their properties are superb and we have enjoyed every one of the many holidays we have spent with them. If anyone would like to try a week for just £150 look at the link on my sidebar. I can thoroughly recommend giving it a go.
But now it's back to card making and blogging. I found three awards waiting for me when I got back, for which I'm so grateful... however it's taken me nearly all morning to do the posting, but now I'm ready to make a card.
Where shall I start?.

Award Time

What a lucky blogger!
Three awards from lovely bloggy friends!
Firstly from Linby, this Beautiful Blogger award. Thank you so much Linby!
I now need to tell you 10 interesting things about me. I don't really know if I'm that interesting, but here goes.
  1. I don't like dessicated coconut.
  2. I don't do dishes, grocery shopping or trash. (the dishwasher, Tescos and the dustbin are my husband's domain)
  3. I used to be our local church choir mistress.
  4. I love a cup of fresh black coffee first thing in the mornings.
  5. I love shoes... I've lost count of the number of pairs that I have.
  6. I've cut my husband's hair for the last 37 years. (What a lot of money I've saved!)
  7. Even though I no longer go out to work, I still employ my house cleaner. (She does it a whole lot better than I could AND she says she enjoys doing it!)
  8. I really enjoy a glass of rose wine.
  9. I love Italian food.
  10. I'm very fond of jewellery. (My husband thinks it's a waste of money)
I now must pass it on to some other friends, so this is for Barbara and Eileen.

The second award is from my lovely pal Victoria.
This is a goodie... I have to tell you 6 fibs and 1 truth about me. I wonder if you can guess which it is ?
  1. I have passed Grade VIII piano.
  2. I have sung in a concert at the Carnegie Hall New York.
  3. I am 5' 10" in my stocking feet.
  4. I can juggle flaming clubs whilst whistling the National Anthem.
  5. My favourite colour is orange.
  6. I once dyed my hair purple.
  7. I once got locked in a public convenience for several hours before being extricated!
Do please tell me which you think is the truth!
I now have to pass this on to 7 other 'Creative Writers'
The last award was a wonderful surprise from Alizabethy who thinks that my card layouts are fab! How great is that!
Thanks so much Alizabethy!
Under the terms of this award, I have to say where I think I'll be, or would like to be in 10 years time.
This is quite a tricky one.
I think I'd like to still be crafting, cruising and generally enjoying the companionship of family and friends.
I'd love to pass this on to June and Katie, both in the good old U S of A.
Quite a long post... I hope you had the stamina to get to the end.
I hope I've done all the links that I was supposed to!

Saturday 12 June 2010

My sketch at One Stop Crafts Challenge

This is my sketch for this week's challenge at One Stop Crafts.

I did two cards for this sketch. One using an image from Digi Sparkle, this week's sponsor and one because I fancied it! Although from the same sketch they seem completely different. The space ship card has papers from Cuddly Buddly and a sentiment from MSE. The corners were made with 2 square Nesties, cut together and the resulting frame cut in half diagonally.The second card has DP made with my SU Vintage Jumbo roller, the sentiment is also from SU, the manuscript stamp is from Stampabilities and the violin from Rubbadubbado. I didn't make the flowers, they are from Prima, but I did punch the splat centres. The corners are my rather overworked Cuttlebug dies. I really love them!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday 9 June 2010

Cooking it Up with Katie #19

The recipe this fortnight at Cooking it Up with Katie is to use Green, Embossing and a Ribbon. The Sponsor for this challenge is Digital Delights and the DT were given their choice of images from the extensive range available on website. I chose Dilly Duck in the rain... quite a cutie I'm sure you'll agree.
I coloured Dilly with my Copics and mounted him/her on a square, embossed with Cuttlebug's random dots embossing folder. I added a sentiment from Unity Stamps. The corner was made with two square Nesties, cut simultaneously, one nestling inside the other and the resulting frame was cut diagonally to make the corner. I believe that the paper was a free digi download... sadly I don't remember the source. The card was completed with the ribbon and umbrella charm. As weather is the theme of the challenge at ABC this week it is for that too!
Before the sponsor at CIUWK came forward, I had already made the card below for the challenge, so I thought that I would show it anyway.
For the embossing in this card I used the Letterpress technique, where my Impressibilities stencil was inked with silver, before the card was embossed by running it through my Cuttlebug with my tan mat. I love the effect, but cleaning the stencil afterwards is tricky, as the filaments on this particular stencil are very fragile and easily bent out of shape. The butterfly is a digi from Chris Dark, the Sketching Stamper (link on my sidebar), the sentiment is from Stampin' Up, the corners are Cuttlebug and the paper from Cuddly Buddly. This is quite a fresh green, compared to the warmth of the colour in the previous card, I'm not sure which I prefer. How about you?

Tuesday 8 June 2010

MTTC Xtra Special

A card for a special occasion! It could be for a variety of things, but the sentiment to me is 'Xtra Special'.
It's my DT card for this week's challenge at My Time to Craft, I'm sure you send cards to someone very special, so this challenge is just for you! Do come along and join in.
I used my Spellbinders Impressabilities stencil for the letterpress embossing technique for the centre panel. I inked the stencil with Basic Gray SU ink and then ran the card through the Cuttlebug to emboss it. I really like the effect. The sentiment is also from SU and the butterfly is from a Tonic punch.
It's incredibly simple but, I rather like the effect. I hope you do too!

Saturday 5 June 2010

One Stop Crafts - Make your own DP

I really love the Vintage jumbo roller from Stampin' Up which I used for this background paper. I began by punching out some flower shapes and laying them on a piece of paper before spritzing it with Shimmer Mist in Antique Copper and then using the roller with Basic Gray ink.
I distressed the edges with a little Cats Eye ink in copper.
The French Script stamp is from Hero Arts and the butterfly is Anita's, which I stamped in SU Basic Gray ink and quickly embossed with clear embossing powder before colouring with Perfect Pearls in Antique Copper. The corners are my old faithful Cuttlebug!
I think that's it!
Enjoy your weekend!

Friday 4 June 2010

Altered Embellishment Challenge

This card was a commission from a fellow choir member. The specific details required were the recipient's name, his age - as it was a 'special' birthday, a bike, as that was to be his 'special' present, and a heart, as he is a heart surgeon.
This is what I came up with. I did discuss with my friend whether the penny farthing would be appropriate, but she thought that the idea was quite fun.
Trying to get a heart into a man's birthday card, when it wasn't for a husband or partner or whatever, was a little tricky, but I decided to substitute the zero from the number 60 with a heart. The only heart shaped brads I had weren't appropriate colours so I heat embossed a silver one with some white embossing powder. I like the effect the embossing has, as it makes an enamelled looking finish, which I rather like.
The challenge from Little Red Wagon this week is to alter an embellishment... just right for this card!
My friend was pleased with the result. Let's hope the recipient will be too!
To answer Anne's question, the image stamp is an unmounted, grey rubber one which I bought on eBay, but sorry... I don't know what make it is.

Wednesday 2 June 2010

A new Challenge Blog

Crafter's Companions have set up a new monthly Blog Challenge.
For the first week they have decided upon a sketch. The only stipulation being that the image should be available on the Crafter's Companion website. As they sell loads of different images in various forms, this doesn't present too much of a problem. This morning I bought some more Penny Black clear stamps and they have a fabulous offer of any 2 sets for £20. How cool is that!!!
This card uses the PB stamp Garden Gossip, don't you just love it!
The paper is a digi download but sadly I can't remember where is was from. The white panel has been overstamped with SU's Vintage wheel, and the panel with the horizontal lines with random dots, both using gold ink.
The flower is made from Nellie Snellen's punch/emboss duo and the leaves are made with an XCut cut/emboss punch.
I just had to pop a little something in the top right hand corner and the Cuttlebug corner won the day.
Looking at it now, I think a little stitching wouldn't have gone amiss, maybe next time!

WOYWW Week 52

For the special week, a little bunting!
Good morning all you WOYWWers!
Not a great deal of interest to show this morning... a few stamps which I didn't have time to clean before going to my choir last night, my box of mini punches which I said I would show at some stage... and the detritus of yesterday's efforts. You may just be able to see my prize from the Penny Black Challenge Blog, it's a big old stamp with some mice on a keyboard... fabulous!
The funny shaped thing to the left of the shot is my attempt at making a pop-up ball like the Sizzix one. I think that I probably won't pursue the matter much further as it involves loads of cutting out. I can see why a die was made for the purpose. Actually I haven't got the proportions quite right, (it's not quite tall enough) but that could be easily rectified on the computer.
On the notice board is a paper with my workings out to make a tri-shutter card from a sheet of A4 card. The tutorials on the web are nearly all in metric measures, which don't tie in with the sizes of card we buy here. SO I fiddled around until I found something which worked and looked proportionally OK.
The card I made with this set of dimensions can be seen here.

Do you remember my set of drawers which went all wonky? Well this is the replacement. There is one fewer drawer, but each one holds more, so everything is accommodated. I must say that with all the bits and bobs on my desk there's not actually a lot of room to work, but I guess that if I had a larger area, it would be so full of stuff that I'd probably only have the same amount of space as I have now. It's the nature of the beast!
Hop over to Julia's and join in the fun! (Link on my sidebar).

Tuesday 1 June 2010

Pink & Green

I was really pleased with this card. The colours look so clean and fresh and I just happened to have card and paper which matched perfectly. I coloured the Heather Ellis, Pure Innocence digi image with Copics and also just happened to have a ribbon which matched the shade I chose too. What a piece of luck. It sometimes happens like that doesn't it... but not often!
At Inspirational Card Sketches this week, it's a chance to choose any previous sketch from the blog. This is Sketch #68 from last week. I loved it so much that I think that I will be using it again and again.
It's also for the Pink & Green challenge at the Creative Card Crew and I love the colour combo.
The paper was a free download and I must say that I really rather like the simplicity of it. Hectic papers can often overpower a card... if you know what I mean.
I sold quite a lot of cards at choir tonight, probably due to the fact that I offered a discount as it was the last rehearsal before the summer break. I also gave another £50 donation to choir funds from the sales this term.

5 a Day

The colours in this card are a little out of my comfort zone. I'm not really an orangey person, and it doesn't appear at all in my palette of colours from 'Colour Me Beautiful' or whatever it is they call themselves these days, so I never wear it.
Anyway, it's for these challenges.
Pink Elephant - Orange
Pile it On - Veggies
Penny's Challenge - Fruit or Veggies
Crafty Angels - Sketch
Totally Papercrafts - Monochromatic
The image is from Cuddly Buddly and I believe that the paper is from Pollycraft. The sentiment is from SU mounted on a Nestie and then a Cuttlebug tag.
The corners were made from a Cuttlebug Vintage square, with the centre cut out with a small square Nestie and then cut diagonally to make the corners. I haven't tried this before but I quite like them. The flowers, brads and ribbons are from Papermania.