Happy 40th Birthday Newspaper

I don’t think I need to go into great detail for this card. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

The balloons and badge on the jeep are simple decoupage layers.

The champagne bottle and glasses are ready made embellishments from Crafts For Christmas and cost £1.49 for 4 sets.

Birthday Times Card for Science Technician and Biker Lady

 

I was asked to make a card for our biker Science Technician, and it was a joy to make as everything just came together brilliantly.

I’ve used my basic Birthday Times template and then added clip art and embellishments to fit the theme.  The background paper for the bike is part of a page from a road map book, the scale and colours are just perfect.  The bike is a die cut I got from e-bay (in the days before I had a die cutter of my own) and I’ve just stuck large clear flat backed gems for extra bling on the wheels.

The test tubes are free clipart, I have added Anita’s 3D clear gloss finish to the coloured part of them for texture and dimension, and clear flat backed gems for the bubbles.

Cards Using 3D Stickers.

I have see these 3D embellishments in crafts shops and I think they were priced at about £1.99 for 4, so imagine my excitement when I found them on Penkridge Market for £2.25 for 8, which works out at 28p instead of 49p each.

The designs are quite sweet and a little bit different from what I usually use on my Christmas cards – I don’t think I’ve ever used cutesy children before!

I’ve used scraps of paper for the backgrounds but  can’t remember the name of them.  Though I think that the burgundy and white is a Papermania Christmas paper.

What I like about the stickers is that they are already embellished with small gems etc. which it what I would usually do, so it’s saved me a lot of fiddle fart.

I wish I could do cards like other bloggers with lots of fancy cut layers, borders and all the fiddly twiddly bits, but I wouldn’t know where to start …..

……. However I might just set myself a challenge of studying someone else’s template and having a go. Watch this space ….

HobbyCraft Foam Leaf Wreath

When I went to HobbyCraft with Lisa on Thursday I made an impulse buy, something I wouldn’t usually look at, but sort of inspired me, a packet of self adhesive foam leaves for £1.99.  I took them, and put them back, I took them and put them back until I finally put them in my basket, Lisa looked at me as if I had gone mad.

But I’m glad I did because I made this autumn wreath.  I used an old bracelet as the base and tied a thin black gingham on to it before I stuck on the leaves.

I found out, by trial and error, that I should leave the paper on the adhesive side of the green leaves for the first layer, and glue them directly onto the ring/bracelet .........

....... but  remove it when adding the yellow and red leaves.

I thought it was “lacking” something when I had finished the layering and so went through all my boxes looking for some wooden ladybirds, I was thrilled when they looked right and as I saw them in my minds eye.

Then, naturally I needed to add a few clear flat backed gems to look like dew!

The finishing touch is a  larger ladybird glued at the top of the ribbon.

I was thinking the wreath might look nice attached to a Harvest Festival Basket.

Nappy Days – Baby Card

These safety pin buttons are leftovers from a bumper pack I got going back to the days of Alan and Barry on Create and Craft. 

All I have done is add a small clear flat back gem to each pin and a handwritten sentiment.

The Cat Sat On The Mat Birthday Card

 

This is the last of some wooden cat embellishments I had from Mad About Cards a while ago.

I’ve repeated the gingham in the cats scarf in the mat and layering.

And added this tiny mouse button on the tab as an extra cute touch.

Birthday Easel

I don’t think this took me more than 5 minutes to put together, I was in a rush and didn’t have time to make a card  The mini easel and canvas came from The Range.  They are sold in packs of two easels or two canvases which I think cost about £1.99 (perhaps the canvases were a little less)

All I’ve done is a bit of writing and as my friend is cat mad  a couple of feline embellishments. Done and dusted!

Little Blue Boat Birthday Card

This is a dead simple card to make.  I have just taken a little wooden boat embellishment and set it on a background of bazzill waves, sky and sun.

I have also added some doodled clouds, using a white gel pen, a few seagulls and a bit of faux stitching to finish off.

Dodgy Eyed Cat Card

No one will probably notice until I point it out, but this cat has got a decidedly dodgy eye!

I have made this for one of the girls at work who is mad about cats.  The cat is a resin embellishment from a packet of 4 I got from a rotary display unit in a garden centre craft shop. They cost about £1.49 a pack which I reckon is pretty good value.

The backing paper is from a DCWV Pet Stack, mat and layered in my usual way with faux stitching doodles round the edges..

The paw prints are punchies from a paw punch.  I have had it for years but it is so useful for filling in the odd space or adding a finishing touch.  It is brilliant as it can be used for either cat or dog cards.

Last Minute Magnetic Fridge Calendars

Aghh, I remembered I had a packet of unused calendar tabs in one of my drawers and that if I didn’t do anything with them quick they would be of no use.

So this is what I came up with, I made a couple of each design

I covered blank beer mats with American Crafts paper from their “Kids” range. I’ve had  the wooden embellishments and mini bulldogs clips for years, and as I am on a New Year’s economy drive I am dead chuffed I have used them at last.

I have stuck a magnetic strip on the back of each calendar.
I got the mini bulldog clips in assorted colours from E-bay quite a while ago but I have found these  (pink)) which are available at the moment (02.01.10). The gentleman also has red ones which would be ideal for Valentine projects - in fact while I was there I got me a box!

Naughty or Nice Christmas Card

This couldn’t be simpler – and look, no mat and layering !The stockings are from a pack of 9 from Papermania and the Naughty or Nice sticker is  from a set of embossed stickers from The Paper Loft called Flip Flops, but I haven’t got a clue where I got them from -  E-bay probably.

I am not sure if this is a “top tip”,  but, if I am not sure about the design of a card I put it on the window sill in my craft room and occasionally take a quick glance at it, if after a day or two it “looks right”, it’s a keeper, if it still looks dodgy, it goes in the bin!

When I “bin” a card I always tear it up, this guarantees I can’t go back to it and niggle over how to put it right.

I have enough festive ideas to blog up until Christmas Eve, after that I would like to keep things going over the holiday, so I have put together a few posts about the tools I use, like my scoring boards and punches as well as a few Top Tips. Once we have celebrated New Year I will back to normal ....... a bit like Cadbury's I'll be starting Easter!!!!! -  Only joking!

Initial Christmas Tree Decorations

I was sorting out my little “fairing “ gifts, as my Mother In Law used to call them this morning for my friends at work.  I wanted to give them all a “Wish Bauble” (see 8th December) but I didn’t have quite enough ….. aghh…

  

But, I also had these ceramic letters from Hobbycraft (about £1.79) that  I bought a while ago, but they looked plain and boring … and not at all festive.

 

At first I was going to try sticking stars on them, then I remembered  a packet of “Say It In Studs” ( Prima) I got from the NEC in November – wooooo hooooo, everything started to fall into place!

I stuck the studs on first, and then fiddle farted a little more by adding a few tiny flat backed pearls and black dots using a sharpie pen and finally an ivory ribbon.

Job done, a little gift to hang on their tree for years to come for less that £2.00, result!