Cute Puppy Birthday Card

Another card using a Quickutz download cut on my Silhouette.

When I download a template I tend to resize it for the project I want it for and then ungroup it to make a new sheet for bodies and heads (to cut in brown) and another for ears, eyes and noses (to cut in dark brown) and save them in my Silhouette file.  A bit fiddly in the first instance, but I then have a file I can use again and again without redoing everything. I hope that makes sense??!!

The background paper is baby gift wrap and I have used plastic googly eyes to make the puppy even cuter.

What’s On My Desk Wednesday.

My desk hasn’t seen any action since Saturday night, when, fresh from NEC Hobbycrafts I had a little play with some of my new punches ….  so I thought that I would use today as an opportunity to show you the rest of my shopping ….

The white punches are Martha Stewart – I have wanted a couple of  “nice” butterfly punches for ages and I am very pleased with them as they cut like a dream.

The blue cut and emboss set was an impulse buy ….. I have had a little play, but I am afraid the embosser might gather dust in my punch drawer as I am not over impressed with the result.

This is just part of three huge wallets/boxes of A4 card and paper I bought with favour boxes, bags and bag toppers  in mind, the size is perfect for cutting on my Silhouette.

I love “My Minds Eye” papers and bought these double sided 12 x 12 sheets for a special baby mini book I plan to make over the Easter break.

These wooden baby girl embellishments were good value for £1, at the moment I don’t have a project in mind for them but they were to cute to pass by.

And finally some posh pins and ribbons.  I have seen a lot of these pins used on cards on other blogs and though I would have a go.
Well, that’s it until the November show ….. better start saving again!

Flower Pot Birthday Card

 

The cute flowers come from a packet of the new Accessorize Easter themed stickers (£1.75)

The flower pots are made using a very small pot punch I have had for ages. I have used a black outline sticker under the flower pots and have just doodled the rest.

Bluebird Birthday Card

Birds seem to be everywhere in craft at the moment.
 

I’ve finally used one of several wooden bird embellishments that I have had in my “bits box” for years.  The flowers and leaves are made using punches and all I have added is some small flat back pearls to the centre of the flowers and a black glitterati sticker for the birds eye.

Please excuse the wet glue blobs,   I'm always over enthusiastic to get photos done!

Music and Large Flower Birthday Card

Aggghhhhh – it was busy – by 11.30 Lisa and I decided to go back to the car to chill! But like true troopers we went back to have another go!

We bought tons and tons of A4 paper from Paperbox with cutting boxes and bags on our various die cutters in mind – we had the stall number so headed there as soon as we got in – which was definitely the right thing to do as you couldn’t get near later on.

I bought several punches – these are two of them……. I was desperate to try them out, so the above card is a very crude trial attempt …….. I wanted a tasteful crumpled effect but got a mauled by the dog one instead – but hey ho, I think I need to use a softer paper.   If anyone can tell me how to make nicely crumpled paper I would be very grateful for any advice!

 

I also bought a new set of Nestabilites, which I have used for the flower below – I think they are a fairly new design.  You can no doubt tell that I have been greatly influenced by all the crumpling and making of flowers ……… but again I need practice!

To make the leaves on the card I used the smaller of these two Woodware punches that I already had.  The design is really versatile for card embellishments.

I also bought several packets of spacers for the millions of flowers I have in mind to make, but I am a little disappointed because my brads don’t fit them ….. I think perhaps I should have looked at the brads on the stall too, as they may have been made to fit the spacers - I will have a look at their website.
I  looked and lingered longingly round all the Tim Holtz stuff and though I really love it all – it’s too far out of my comfort zone, I just don’t know where to start – perhaps I should watch his DVD's again and if anyone knows of any classes/demos in the Midlands area please let me know so I could try and go and start my Tim journey ……

Hoppy Birthday

Another card using Accessorize Easter stickers (£1.75)

Two Bird House Cards

I have been trying to use up some of my huge button collection and was really chuffed when I rediscovered these birdhouses, as they are so on trend at the moment, (listen to me, I’ve gone all Gok Wan!)

I’ve used my Silhouette to cut out the branches (Bird Branch), a corner flower punch and nail decorations from Poundland for the flower centres.

I have used such small embellishments to try and keep everything in proportion.

The buttons came in a bumper pack from Create and Craft in the old days when Alan and Barry were in charge!

 

Easter Bunny Chocolate Bar

This is just an experiment, it needs quite a bit of  improving but I thought  I would share it anyway, so that someone can take the basic idea and make it better ……

Underneath all the felt is a small chocolate bar.

There is something about the proportions that isn’t quite right ….. he doesn’t look as cute as I would like, perhaps the eyes should be smaller and the ears a bit longer ….. ?

Present for My Sister’s 50th Birthday

When my sister and I were looking around a very expensive shop in Manchester before Christmas we saw some  “tool boxes” full of retro sweets, but they cost stupid money!

….. But I liked the idea and kept it in mind, so when I saw these boxes in a Poundshop recently I just had to buy a few to keep for an appropriate moment. The appropriate moment has come.

I got a variety of sweets and sealed them in small cello bags using my bag sealer so that  each packet  fitted the compartments exactly.

I then decorated the outside of the box using self adhesive alphabet letters and punched flowers.

What’s On My Desk Wednesday

Well, there isn’t much on my desk today, because I haven’t been out shopping because I have been saving my money for Saturday, when I am off to NEC Hobbycrafts  with Lisa, where we will hopefully meet up with new friends we have made via our blogs, which is very, exciting.

So all I can offer you today is my NEC shopping list, which Lisa says is the same each time we go – these are my basics that I need all the time – but, when I see what else there is on offer, naturally, the list is added too …..

 

My sister found these new stickers for me in Accessorize, the prices are creeping up – boo, the teapot set is £2 and the Easter ones are £1.75

 

These chicks are cute from Clintons, I like them because they are woolly rather than wiry.

These small ice cube trays are very cute too, from Poundland, and yes, you get both sets!

I am going to try them with melted chocolate because I think they will be great in sweetie bags. 

Fiddle Fart Sweet Butterflies

I got the idea for these butterflies from this lady http://www.barbstamps.com/my_weblog/easter/ where she has some brilliant ideas.

I cut the butterflies out on my Silhouette and then simply stuck on a sweetie stick in the middle using double sided tape,  that’s it!

It’s an idea that can be played with and something children would love to make, all be it with a simpler butterfly perhaps.

Gone Fishing Sweetie Bag

I don’t do a lot of men’s stuff, but this is an idea that came to me the other morning …… perhaps I was thinking of Father’s Day!

I drew lines free hand on one side of a cello bag using a black permanent pen.

The bag topper is made using a Nestablities label die to which I have added a strap and buckle and small punched holes.

The bag is attached using double sided tape on both sides of the topper.

The “Gone Fishin” was cut on my Silhouette.

Above is the back view of the bag. The fish are from Ikea.
It’s an idea that can be improved with a little tinkering.

Object of Very Great Desire

IF ……… I don’t spend ALL my money at the NEC next Saturday ……. I JUST have to have this …….

It’s soooooooooooooo lovely!
It’s from http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/

Hi Ho Wolverhampton - Wolves Birthday Card

I don’t make that many cards for men, but when I do they usually have a football theme – and coming from Wolverhampton, most of them feature Wolves.

This is another card using my newspaper design template and a bit of computer jiggery pokery using Publisher.

I’ve done a very simple decoupage layer to make the “exclusive” and Mick McCarthy's head stand proud from the rest of the card.

I have also done the Wolves logo in three layers, using Anita’s 3D clear gloss finish on the final one, to accentuate the Wolves head.