Mulberry Wood - Sleding by Rubber Stamp Set

This is a cute Christmas stamp which I have not yet used.  The card is from DH.  He asked if I could stamp the image for him onto watercolour card stock.  He then used watercolour paints to colour it in.  The end result is better than I could have done.

Not quite sure whether to hide the stamps or commission him to colour in more images !!

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a great 2015.

Tonic Balloon Weight Keepsake Box Die

I have been really busy in my craft room scrapbooking Xmas gifts.  Need to scrapbook 40 pages in all by the 25th and I am only just under half way there !  The upside is the pages are 8" x 8" which does make it a little easier.  Couple that together with larger photo's and it is relatively easy.

The other day on a visit to a local craft store I spied this Tonic die which I convinced DH to buy as a Xmas gift for me.  The die was not the easiest to cut out - I needed to use the Big Shot Pro and seem to have a bit of uneven pressure on the rollers.  Had to do a bit of hand trimming to finish it off.  Also struggled with the underneath part as it did not make sense.  Usually I am good at fathoming things out but this seemed to defy logic.  I think I need to try it again.  The Spellbinders scalloped and classic ovals with the Marianne D Rudolph die were used on corresponding sides to cover over an experiment which did not work out.

The idea of this box is that you cut out all four sides with a Tonic die (none of my extensive die collection worked) to get a lantern effect.  Then pop in a battery tea light, attach to a balloon and send off into the sky.  Not something I would do so I will stick to using it as a treat box.

Marianne D - Skates

The background paper on this card is Bo BunnyFather Christmas Stripe.  The sentiment is die cut using a Stampin Up oval punch but I cannot remember where the sentiment came from.  I did it a long time ago and popped it into my stash without writing on the back which stamp I used.

The die cut is from a Marianne D die called Skates

Glitz Craft - Santa Sleigh

I bought myself this stencil at a craft show earlier this year and decided to test it out on a scrap piece of paper.  This is only a part of the stencil - there is a village scene, stars and moon as well.

The stencil was inked using Distress Black Soot and my trusty Dream Weaver stencil brushes.  For a first attempt I was quite pleased.

Memory Box - Glowing Candles

Having bought this die in the earlier part of the year at a craft show I did not remember it until I was searching through my die stash.  I think I have found my quick and easy mass produced Christmas card !!

The die is Glowing Candles from Memory Box used with a Tim Holtz Sizzix embossing folder called Distressed Frame.  I did have to trim the card as the frame is a bit smaller than the cards I have.

Distress Ink on Foliage

This is a plain and simple card where I picked a fern out of the garden and inked it up with Peeled Paint Distress Ink.  I picked up the fern placing it on a scrap piece of paper and lay the green and white leaf design paper on top of the fern gently pressing down.

I have tried the same technique with a feather and other leaves but it ended up a bit messy.  I think the fern gave the effect I was looking for and it also has given me an idea to use it on the Gelli plate.

Art Impressions - Up, Up and Away

This is a stamp I have had for a long time and never used.  I do love Art Impressions stamps as they are so different.

The background to this card is from a Stampin Up Designer Series pad called Welcome Neighbour.  I stamped the Art Impressions Up, Up and Away stamp onto watercolour paper and coloured it in using an aqua painter and Distress inks.  The sentiment is a Lili of the Valley one from the set called Sentiment tags.

Stampendous - Snowy Postcard

This type of stamp makes it easy to turn out multiple cards in a short space of time.

The gold paper background is part of offcuts I bought from a printing shop.  I did experiment with different types of ink with this stamp and found the best to be StazOn Grey. The gold paper was then matted onto a cream card stock and fixed to a dark green card.

CutterPillar Pro trimmer - review

It is extremely rare I will mention a specific product let alone do a review on one but this trimmer has to be the exception.

On my recent international move I decided to leave all my trimmers behind (they were old) and buy a new one in the UK.  I went for a well known brand and have been really disappointed with the poor cuts.  I have had my eye on the CutterPillar Pro for quite a while but was put off by the price tag until I realised I would probably buy numerous trimmers before ending up with the CutterPillar, so why not get it now.

The e-Bay seller in the UK told me I would not be disappointed and, wow, she was not wrong.  It cuts beautifully, even on the narrowest of trims.  The trimmer is backlit making it easier to see in dull lighting - I cannot tell you how many times I have messed up with my other trimmer.  The cherry on the top for me was to be able to buy the metric version.

All in all, the CutterPillar Pro is the best trimmer I have ever had and I think it will even outlast me.  It is definitely well worth the outlay.

Patchwork Christmas Card

I was browsing through Pinterest for Christmas card ideas and came across this one from Scrap Happens.  I thought it would be one I could mass produce but after taking so long to match up the little squares, I think not !  Sometimes colour co-ordination can just be too hard.

The scalloped edged red card was purchased in a pack from Hobby Craft, UK.  The embossing folder is a Cuttlebug one and the three quarter inch squares are from an old Creative Memories punch.  For the sentiment I used two Britannia Dies word sets numbers 041 and 042.

Tote bag using fabric markers and paint

I was looking for an alternate idea to gift bags and recently saw a pack of 5 Natural Cotton Tote bags on sale.  I have done a workshop on fabric painting and thought I could have a go at decorating the bags.

After washing and ironing them (use a steam iron and water spray on the bag which is not quite dry) I looked for a suitable image.  What one can do is take a stamped image on photocopy paper and enlarge to get the size you want.  Pop it on a lightbox and, with the bag on the top, you can trace the image using a soft pencil.  In this instance I took a photo of a puma, used the photocopy selection on Photoshop and ended up with a suitable outline.

I then outlined the image with a black Sharpies Stained Fabric Marker and painted the larger areas using black Dylon fabric paint.  After leaving the ink to dry for a day I heat set the image by ironing on the reverse side for 5 minutes.  The iron must be on the no steam setting at a fairly high temperature.

I do intend trying out acrylic paints which I believe work well as long as they are not applied too thickly.  I have done a number of these bags with images taken from the internet.  Simple outline images work well.

Gift box using One Sheet Box technique

For the one sheet box technique I went onto Splitcoast Stampers to have a look at the tutorial and get the scoring measurements.  I did adapt the measurements as my sheet of card stock was a slightly  different size.  I would recommend you use a sheet of normal printer paper first to practice on.

All the paper used was from my stash.  On the pink background I used a Martha Stewart border punch Doily Lace Edge.  The apron is a die from Marianne D called Apron and the ribbon used is a Stampin Up one.  On the reverse side of the box I used MFT Gift Card Pocket Vertical, inserted a Hero Arts Long & Cute tag and embellished the outside with a sentiment from Lili of the Valley die cut with a Spellbinders Circle.

When using the box as a gift I intend popping in 2 small glass jars with either homemade spice mixes or jams.

Whiff of Joy - Snowburst

I recently picked up this Whiff of Joy Snowburst die in an online sale.  My first try at it was a bit frustrating but I persevered with a slightly thicker card stock, plenty of masking tape to hold the die down and multiple runs at varying angles through the Big Shot.

Adhering these delicate dies are always a problem for me so I stuck double sided tape (small pieces) to the larger areas and used a glue pen for the rest.  The flowers are from a Marianne D die called Poinsettia.  The sentiment is MFT Stitched Stockings in Archival Cobalt ink die cut using MFT Fishtail Flags Stax.

Card Box - Cottage Cutz Baby Cradle

Recently I had the opportunity to make up a few thank you cards for a friend who is pregnant.  After making the cards (see separate post) I needed a box or container to pop them into.  I purpose made this box measuring the envelopes and amount of space required for the cards and, using the Scor-it, just did a simple box (closed on 3 sides) out of a sheet of 12 x 12 card stock from My Mind's Eye.

The decoration is from dies by Cottage Cutz - Baby Cradle and Stork Banner, sponged with Distress inks Tea Dye, Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo. The tab at the top was made using a 1" Stampin up Circle punch.

Thank you card

I made 5 of these cards to go into a gift box for a friend who is having a baby.  When looking for a design I went for a simple card with a touch of softness.

The sentiment is a Cuttlebug one and was die cut using Stampin Up Apricot Appeal card stock.  The ribbon is also Apricot Appeal and it was threaded through a Marianne D Ribbon 1 die.  The die cut behind that is from MFT and is called Bookmark Duo.

Hero Arts - Timely Bird

Apologies for not posting for a while but we moved house, again.  Hopefully, this will be the last move for a while !

On a recent shopping trip up to Camden in London we bought a some items from an Asian store and they came wrapped in a really interesting couple of sheets of handmade tissue paper.  I decided to experiment with it and used 3 colours of Carole's Craft Shimmer Magic spray misters for the background.  I then used Versafine Onyx Black ink for the Hero Arts Timely Bird stamp and wrapped the tissue paper around a square piece of card stock.

The black die cut is from Go Kreate 6 x 6 Frame Wavy #1 and the decoration at the top of the card is a Marianne D Anjas Vintage Decoration die out of CM Storybox Everyday paper.  With still being a little upside down in the craft room I could only find a blue lid to photograph the card on, not sure it was the right thing to do !!

Internet gift wrap

It is DH's birthday and part of his birthday gift is a 1 day art course which I booked online.  The problem was how to package it so I printed out the course details, found an A4 patterned paper (I would have used gift wrap paper but could not find any in my stash) and, laying down the patterned paper first then the sheet I had printed out, proceeded to roll it up.

I then walked around the house trying to remember if we had any elastic bands - you get rid of so many items when you move countries  most of which you find you need months later.  Eventually, I decided to go the string route and topped it with a large Ellison Tags Scallop die complete with a Lili of the Valley Set 61 Quotables Celebrate sentiment.  The tag I found in my stash and suspect it was one I had experimented on using Distress inks.

Inkylicious - Daydreamer

All the stamps on this card are from an Inkylicious set called Daydreamer.  I found that Versafine Onyx Black ink worked better for me than Archival on the main image.  I still had to touch up a little with a black marker as the card stock is slightly corrugated.

The photo corners are from an old EK Success punch,

Stampin Up - Petal Cone die

You may be wondering just who will be the recipient of this Easter treat.  Well, Misty is a horse I have befriended and, on Easter morning, I thought I would pop some chopped up carrots into a bag, insert into the cone and hang it on his stable door waiting for his carer to give to him.  Misty loves carrots and I know his carer will be delighted.

The Stampin Up Petal Cone die was cut from orange card stock with 2 of the scalloped half circles (in the same die) being cut in green.  The stamp is a Peachy Keen one called Easter Patch and I used markers to colour it in.  The handle is an orange pipe cleaner with the label being from the Go Kreate set Concentric Tags #1.  I distress inked the pointy tip of the cone using Black Soot to make out as if the "carrot" had just been pulled from the ground.

Inkylicious - Bird on a Wire

This is a Hero Arts card with score lines top and bottom.  The dies are from the Spellbinders set Resplendent Rectangles with the orange paper being a scrap from a Creative Memories pack.

The Inkylicious stamp Bird on a Wire was purchased at a recent craft show here in the UK and I will say it was not a good idea to stamp it onto watercolour paper.  I think a smoother surface would do the stamp more justice.  I coloured the birds in using Distress Ink and a blender pen.  The sentiment is one from Gina K Designs Purr-fectly Delightful.

Lavinia - Tree Godess Luna

This card is so far out of my comfort zone, I am amazed the concept appealed to me !  On a recent trip to a UK craft show I sought out the Lavinia Stamps stand.  This is a company I have watched online for quite a while wondering whether or not to buy.  What sold me was the product called SceneScapes which are backgrounds like the one used on this card.  There are beautiful designs and when I looked at the range (which I bought quite a few to try out) I could see just how they complemented the stamps, so I bought a few stamps as well.

I did have a problem with stamping out this image and eventually used a rocker type acrylic block plus Versafine Onyx black ink.  It did not stamp well and I needed to go over the image with a black marker.  Afterwards I looked online and someone suggested stamping on top of a ream of paper - will try that next time.  The birds were from an Inkylicious set called Daydreamer and the flowers inked up in Archival Berry Purple were from a Stamps Away set Pilkington Floral Silhouette.  The sentiment is from Flourishes Kids at Play.

I liked having the topper all prepared - it makes it a lot easier and silhouette stamps are a favourite of mine so I am looking forward to trying more out in the future.

Flourishes - Gerbera Daisies

Yet another in the series of small (75 x 65mm) cards.  This time I used the Flourishes image from the set Gerbera Daisies coloured in with aqua pencil crayons and a blender pen.  The leaves are from a Martha Stewart punch and the sentiment is Hero Arts Mini Messages.

Marianne D - Silhouette Couple

I have a number of different shape card packs which I tend to forget about.  This is one I bought at The Craft Barn here in England and it is about 150 x 150mm in size.

The recipe for this card is simple :  2 Spellbinders Circles, 1 Cuttlebug embossing folder, 1 Silhouette Couple to which you add a sentiment from Hero Arts Everyday Sayings.  Creating this card has reminded me to go into my stash and try to use up my large drawer full of blank cards.  Need to start to get my supplies down to a manageable level before we move again !

Crafty Secrets - Feeling Yucky

Another small card (65 x 75mm) using an image and sentiment from Crafty Secrets Feeling Yucky set. The image was coloured in using Stampin Up Barely Banana marker and Tombow 992, 912 and 977 markers.

I forgot just how much fun doing the small cards can be.  It also gives me the opportunity to go through my stamps and dies and to use the smaller ones.

Flourishes - Sunflowers - small card

This small 75 x 65mm card was another one of my quick and easy ones.  I used an image from the Flourishes Sunflowers set, stamped onto watercolour paper with black Archival ink and coloured in using watercolour pencils and an aqua painter.

Tonic Studio Indulgence dies

Another card which I cannot take credit for.  When I went to a craft fair a couple of weeks ago Tonic Studios were giving a free make 'n take.  This was a first for me and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of trying out a die company I had not used before.

The base lattice of this card is Tonic Studio Indulgence Round Window Boudoir Square Base with the bronze and bodice bits being a separate die called Indulgence Round - Basque.

The dies cut really well and this card was quick and easy to assemble.  It was so way out of my comfort zone in design but such fun to make.

Flourishes - Kids at Play

This small 74 x 65mm card is for the card envelope box I posted last week.  I thought I would keep it simple and stamped Flourishes Kids at Play in Black Archival ink adding to the design by extending it to the edges of the card.

Joy Crafts - Butterfly Border

Prior to moving to the UK I had not heard of Joy Crafts dies.  I first saw this beautiful Butterfly Border at a craft show and knew it would be ideal for a quick card.  Think I will be getting a lot of use out of this one.

The sentiment is from a Gina K Designs set called Lovely Labels 2 stamped in Berry Purple Archival ink and punched with a Stampin Up oval.  The paper used is from my stash - I cut up a lot of 12 x 12 sheets into card toppers before we moved and did not note down where I took them from.  The upside is it is really easy to get my hands on a large variety of papers all cut to size in one packet.  Should have thought of that years ago !

Card Holder Box - Stampin Up

The design of this project is not one I can take credit for as I went to a Stampin Up class the other week and this card holder box was one of the projects we did.  As we ran out of time I just took the pieces home and assembled it slightly deviating from the original sample.

This project uses the Stampin Up envelope punch board and 3 pieces of card stock measuring 5¼" x 5¼", 2 of the same  colour and one of a contrasting colour.  The flower decoration on the front is a Marianne D die called Ovals coloured with Weathered Wood and Victorian Velvet Distress ink.  The sentiment is from the Flourishes sets Taglines and Medallion Motif stamped in Cobalt Archival ink.  On the original box a pipe cleaner was used for the handle but I chose to twist a couple of pieces of pink raffia I had left over from another project.  The small envelopes in the inside measure 82 x 72 mm.

Memory Box - Meadow Bird

I also have a lot of cardstock which now needs to be used before I go out and buy more (just simply do not have the space for anymore !).  This card was made using Hero Arts cardstock with a Memory Box die called Meadow Bird and a Stampin Up Cogs Extra Large punch for the gear shape decoration.

A simple card using dies and punches which I tend to forget about sometimes.

Memory Box - Prim Poppy

With having had to reorganise my craft storage area using a lot of plastic crates which have ended up being quite heavy I have decided to change my way of thinking when it comes to planning a card.  I usually start with an image and then try to match it up with background paper and the card.  This time I started with the card (and do I have lots of those - did not realise just how many until I had to pack them all up), chose the background paper and then went for the topper.  I have done about 10 cards altogether which makes it easier for me to unpack the crates only once and chose the paper.  I certainly do not have to enrol in a gym here as will get plenty of weight lifting doing my craft !

The background paper to this card has come from an old 6 x 6 pad made by Fresh Print called Blueberry Swatch book.  The poppy is a Memory Box die called Prim Poppy with the sentiment being a Hero Arts one from the set called Remember.  It was stamped using Archival Cobalt ink and die cut with Sizzix Ovals.

Marij Rahder - Suzy 2

After not being able to craft for so long it was a bit of a challenge as to what to start with.  Seeing we are currently living on a farm with lots of horses I thought a horse stamp would be appropriate.

It is such a pity there are no more Marij Rahder stamp sets around, I just love her quirky images.  The horse and the fence are separate stamps from the same set and I just made a mask of the horse (with a post-it note) to stamp the fence in the background.  I used Momento Tuxedo Black ink on Copic paper which I bought from 7 Kids College Fund.  My Copic colouring in is very rusty so I decided just to stick to just browns for the horse.  The images were die cut with Go Create Plain Ovals using Antique Linen Distress ink sponged along the sides.  Not sure of the background paper as I cut a whole lot into card size before we moved and did not note down where they came from.

The sentiment is from the Gina K Designs Purr-fectly Delightful stamp set and was die cut with a Whimsy Notables 2 die.  Have a great week.