Thank You Card

I cased this card from Tami Mayberry's blog and used Creative Memories paper for it.  The sentiment is from the Hero Arts set called Say it All and it was die cut using a Clear Dollar die which appears to be retired.  The Spellbinders die behind it is Labels Four and the uncharateristic (for me) bling is from Basic Grey's Bling It.

Peachy Keen / Cottage Cutz - Sunny Flowers

Going through my stash I found a couple of completed projects ready to pop onto a card and this was one of them.  I just had to find some leaves and the Sizzix Little Leaves die seemed to be the right size. 

The sentiment is from the Hero Arts set called Hugs and it was die cut onto Spellbinders Circles.

Sizzlits Decorative Strip

This hedgehog image looks like a Penny Black one but I have been through my stamps and cannot the set it came from.  If I do come across it I will update the post.  Anyway, it was coloured in using a blender pen with Distress and Momento markers.

After cutting the image out it was glued onto a Stampin Up scalloped circle which was in turn glued onto the Tim Holtz Sizzlits Decorative Strip.  I find the small circles which come with the strip die are not adequate to hold it together so I used sticky strip (I think that is what they call the red double sided tape) and the larger scalloped circle.  The background paper is from Creative Memories and the sentiment is from the Justrite Birthday Sentiments set.  This was die cut using a Spellbinders circle die.  The ink used for the sentiment is Archival Coffee.  I tried a number of different inks with this particular stamp and not sure if it was the paper but I struggled to get a halfway decent image.

Art Impressions - Surprise Keepers

This is the first time I have used a full Art Impression Card Keeper stamp set and next time I think I might have to adjust the measurements to fit the gift card into the slot.  Not sure if our gift cards are larger here in South Africa or perhaps my measurements were off (very possible) but I ran out of space and had to make a cut in the inside of the card to slot the gift card into.  Saying all that, it is definitely one of the better ways to present a gift card.

I paper pieced the box and coloured in the ribbon using Smooch.  The image was coloured in using markers and the sentiment is a Clear Dollar one.

Kaszazz - Mannequin

I had to purpose make this card as the Kaszazz Mannequin stamp set is quite large.  The background is an unknown embossing folder - don't know why so many companies do not identify their products but it does have a slot in the top.  Anyway, I used Distress ink with the embossing folder to create a more authentic 'brick' like background.

The Mannequin stamp set (3 stamps) is easy enough to cut out and I think it could be quite a versatile set of images.  The Oxford Street sign is from a Paper Artsy set that just has a number on it - HP1208EZ.  I looked up on the Paper Artsy site and HP stands for Hot Pick with EZ being for EZ mount.

Kaszazz - Stork Arrival

I always like to keep a couple of baby cards handy and my stock is all used up so expect a couple more of these cards in the future.

This is a simple image with minimal colouring in - just the beak, legs and baby.  I paper pieced the cloth around the baby - not sure what to call that - and then masked the image to make the cloud background.  The clouds are not hard to do, you just need a sponge, some Distress ink and a couple of different sized scalloped ovals made from acetate or a sturdy clear see through material.  I generally start at the top of the card and work my way down alternating with the different sizes.

The image was die cut with Spellbinders Long Rectangles Classic and Scalloped.  The greeting is a Clear Dollar one which was punched out using the Stampin up Word Window punch.

Cuttlebug Alphabet

I was sitting with a dilemma, what greeting could I put on a raw fish birthday cake for 2 white tigers ?  One of the Cuttlebug alphabet dies came to the rescue.  It is an old one and I could not see a name on it.

The cake is to be made out of cup cakes using slippery elm to bind the fish and the skewers holding the greeting will anchor into it.  It is Angelo and Mich's 4th birthday (see their home at Jukani  in Mossel Bay, South Africa) and we are going to be with them to celebrate it.  The banner is a bit on the rustic side but I didn't think fancy would do for tigers !

Update - Angelo willing those fish cakes to jump off the plate into his mouth with his sister, Mich, looking on.  Needless to say, their treat was enjoyed and their footballs lasted a couple of seconds before they were punctured.

Art Impressions - Surprise Keeper

Wanting to make a quick and easy card I reached for this Art Impressions stamp set.  There are other stamps in it but I just needed the box this time.

I used paper from my stash for the box and coloured in the ribbon part with Cherry Chocolate Smooch.  The stamp was matted onto another offcut with the biscuit coloured cardstock being a speciality paper called Scarab.  It is made from elephant dung (sanitised, off course !) and I always make sure I stock up when passing through Sedgefield in the Southern Cape.  The texture of this paper / cardstock is very different and does not cut cleanly. 

Paper Artsy stamp set

This London themed stamp set from Paper Artsy only has a code on it - HP1208EZ - no name.  I had been looking for a typical London stamp and this set comes with a bus, a taxi, various street sign names and this stamp of Big Ben.

I first did the background by blocking off a card with Post-It notes.  I punched out a circle for the sun and used both the positive and negative.  The inks used are Momento and they were applied with a sponge.  It does help to have glossy cardstock as it makes the inks easier to apply.  The image was stamped using Black Archival ink.  Not sure where the sentiment came from.  I only completed this card a couple of days ago and cannot for the life of me remember where I found the sentiment.  It's called getting old !

Kaszazz - Schooner

I know yachts are not normally done in these colours but this is how I would like to see them.  I think white sails are quite boring and love it when the brightly coloured spinnakers are used.  Anyway, here I used the Kaszazz stamp called Schooner and coloured it in using various pencil crayons (aqua and normal) and a blender pen.  Using Spellbinders Wonky Squares I framed the image.

The sentiment is from the Hampton Art Alphabet stamp set and was punched out with the Stampin Up 5/16" circle punch which fits perfectly into upside down Candi's.  I thought that was quite innovative of me and will definitely be using that again !

Clear Art Stamps - Little Boy

Ok, so I am on a mission with the Dreamweaver's Stencils at the moment.  I really love making my own backgrounds and these stencils make it really easy.  For this card I used a glossy cardstock and blocked off the sections with Post-It notes.  The stencil is called Rolling Hills and I sponged the ink on.

The little boy with the kite and the dog was stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured in using an aqua painter, blender pen and a combination of Distress Inks, Tombow, Stampin Up and Marvy Le Plume markers.

The houses are from a Stampin Up set called Right at Home and were stamped directly onto the card using Archival Ink.  They were then coloured in with a combination of Momento, Distress and Stampin Up markers.  The sentiment is from the Clear Dollar set called Goose Hugs.

Penny Black - Winter Sky

Another simple card using a Penny Black stamp called Winter Sky.  I taped off the background using Post-It notes and sponged on Distress ink for the background.  The sentiment is a Hero Arts one.

Flippin Men - Golf

With finishing this card late at night and it being taken by DH (who commissioned it for a function) I had to take the photo using artificial light.  The true colours have unfortunately not come through.

The Flippin Men Golf image was stamped onto Neenah Solar white cardstock using Momento ink.  With this particular stamp I struggle to get all the image stamped out and have to use a Rock-a-Block which seems to work better.  The colouring in was done with Copics.  The golf bag is from Kaszazz and was stamped onto watercolour paper.  I used an aqua pen and Distress inks plus a few markers to colour it in.

The green background is a Dreamweaver Stencil called Rolling Hills (LJ 910) and I used 3 different colours of Distress Inks.  The multi coloured stripe background was made from scraps of paper and it was all popped onto a large card which had been edged with a stencil from The Crafter's Workshop called Fence Frame.  The sentiment is a Hero Arts one.

Kaisercraft Mini Clear Stamp - Owl

Not the greatest photo as it was taken at night, apologies.  I started by stencilling the background, which is from a Dreamweaver's stencil called Bare Trees (LJ 849), with 3 different colours of Distress Ink.

The owl is a cutie which I bought from Simply Creative a couple of days back - I could not resist her.  I stamped the image onto watercolour paper using Coffee Archival ink and coloured it in with a variety of markers and a blender pen.  The branch she is standing on comes from a Cottage Cutz die called Winter Owl and the sentiment is a Penny Black one.

Katzelkraft - Chat Kipling set

This is the last image of the Katzelkraft Chat Kipling set that I stamped out onto white cardstock.  I then used a couple of Distress inks around the edges of the image and matted it onto white and then black cardstock.

The background paper is from my stash and the sentiment is a Hero Arts one.

Katzelkraft - Chat Kipling - again

This is definitely a set of stamps I will get a lot of use out of.  The images are so detailed that it is not necessary to add any colour to them.

On this card I framed the image using a Sizzix Oval - these dies are narrow ovals and come in really handy.  The border punch is a Martha Stewart one, the sentiment is from Clear Dollar's Something to Crow About and it was punched out using the Stampin Up Word Window punch.  The die behind the sentiment is a Clear Dollar one and the black die cut behind that is from Memory Box Pastry Labels die.

Cottage Cutz - Shower Peepers

Another Cottage Cutz die which I will be getting a lot of use out of.  This chick is holding a sign which is also from Cottage Cutz called Marker Sign.  The sentiment is from the Clear Dollar set Thoughtful Notes.

The paper and the Nestabilities shapes are from my stash.  The border punch top and bottom of the striped paper is a Martha Stewart one.

Katzelkraft - Chat Kipling

I have been fortunate to have visited England a couple of times in the past few years.  Each time I pop into The Craft Barn in Lingfield, Surrey.  Their store is not large but it has a wonderful selection of stamps and dies amongst many other products.  I had not heard of Katzelkraft, which is a French company, but my sister found it on the shelf and we both bought one.  This stamp set is beautifully illustrated and stamps well.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts - Say it All which I purchased from Simply Creative here in Cape Town.

Tag Album - 4

The last of the pages of the tag album I made for my brother's birthday.  As it was for a male I tried to keep some of the pages uncluttered and simple, letting the paper and the photo tell the story.

Marianne D Creatables - Ballerina 1 die

Back again after computer problems earlier this week.  This card started off with me wanting to try out some new stencils I picked up on a recent visit to the UK.  Dreamweaver make a number of interesting stencils and the one I used here only has a code on it - LG609.  I worked with a stencil brush and Distress inks to create the squared off background.

The Marianne D Ballerina 1 die was cut using black cardstock and the sentiment is from the Hero Arts set called Good Friends.

Tag Album - 3

Another page of the tag album.  This time I cut open part of the design (clock) to slide the tags underneath.

Still trying to settle in after being on holiday.  Will start making some cards on the weekend.

Tag Album - 2

Another page to the tag album I made recently.  Again, I used a number of different tags but decided to keep the same raffia ribbon at the top.  Each tag was unique with either embossing or stamping on and the darker ones were plain.

My only complaint about this Tim Holtz album was that I had to hand cut the paper on each page.  There is a Spellbinders die that is the same shape but it does not fit the page.

Cottage Cutz - Splish Splash Ducky

I thought this was a cute figure and made up a birthday card for a friend with her.  I cut out the duck using different colour papers (great way to use up those scraps) and sponged the pieces with Distress Inks.

The sentiment is a Gina K Design one. 

Tag Album - 1

This is one of the pages of the tag album I made for my brother's birthday.  All the stamps are Australian with no name on - I tend to get rid of a lot of packaging if I buy stamps overseas. 

With each page I die cut a number of tags and put reminders of past actions on them - Remember When ...



Tag Album covers

My brother recently celebrated his 50th birthday and I made up a tag album for him using this Tim Holtz album.  These are the front (above) and back (below) of the album.  The Happy Birthday punch is a Martha Stewart one and the quote on the back of the album is from Tim Holtz.

Tag Album - bag - Flourishes Kids Play

The upside of having a husband who plays golf is the goodie bags he sometimes comes home with.  This was one and I decided to cover the label with a piece of calico die cut with the SU scalloped square.

Using black Archival ink (after trying many others, this one looked the best) I stamped one of the images from the Flourishes Kids Play set onto the material.  The sentiment is from the same set.  I used fabric glue to adhere the stamped patch to the bag and used it for my brother's birthday tag album.

Apron Card

This is my brother's second birthday card.  He recently taught himself how to cook and is enjoying it, apart from the time he sliced off his finger tips with a mandolin !

I found the idea for this card in an online craft magazine and made the template up myself.  The pocket in front is the Cottage Cutz die called Peeker Pocket which I cut down and popped a ribbon trim on the top.  The ribbon around the neck and on the pocket is a SU one, the utensils in the pocket are probably a good 5 years old and were bought in Australia.  Inside the card I used a Creative Memories retired corner punch to finish it off.

Gina K Designs - You know you're old when .....

Here is one of two birthday cards made for my brother's 50th birthday.  He is adament he is 40 (again) - so it makes it even more fun to exagerate his age.  By the time this post appears my sister from Australia and myself will be in London.  We have been planning this trip for over a year now and decided to surprise my brother.  Just hope he does not have a heart attack when he sees us !!  It is 12 years since we have all been together as the 3 of us live on 3 different continents.  Here's hoping for 2 weeks of fun and laughter.

Down to the card - a Cuttlebug embossing folder with 2 Nestabilities Ovals in the middle.  The Gina K Designs stamp called You know you're old when  ..... has been partly paper pieced and partly coloured with Copics.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set and it is on a Clear Dollar die called Designer Label.

Hero Arts - Newspaper Eiffel Tower

I do enjoy using background stamps and love the new ones that Hero Arts has introduced.

This was a simple card.  The image was stamped using Cobalt Archival ink.  The background was sponged with a variety of Distress Inks and matted on a dark blue cardstock and then onto a cream coloured card.  The sentiment looks like a Clear Dollar one (not entirely sure - I really must start making a note of what I use !) and it is stamped on a Hero Arts Small Tag Frame with another die from the same set being used behind it.

Cottage Cutz - Watering Can, Tulips

I am a huge Cottage Cutz fan and when I saw this die I knew I had to get my hands on it.  I decided to cut out the entire die in white and coloured in the pieces using Copics.  Yes, I know I copied their suggested colours but it really is a good combination.

The die behind the tulips is a Nestabilities Square matted on a Marianne D Square.  I think the sentiment is a Gina K one (not sure) but it is stamped on a Whimsy Notables 2 die.