Sunday, 23 January 2011

Thank You Tag

Thank you for our tea tag
This is a daft little tag I put on a box of chocolates as a “Thank You” for being asked over for a meal by friends. The plate and cutlery embellishment was from a pack of six from Crafty Bitz, it just made a simple gift a little bit more special.

Saturday, 22 January 2011

Two Sheep Cards – For the Sheepish

Picture 018
Two cards today made using 3D foam embellishments I found in Poundworld.  I love Poundshops, you never know what you are going to find, BUT you have to buy what takes your fancy there and then as they very rarely have the same crafty things in again once they have sold out. Poundworld 3D Foam Stickers
When I  am making up a batch of cards like this I don’t often put a sentiment on them, that way they can be used for all sorts of occasions or just as a notelet.
Sheep Card
I’ve used pretend grass, the sort they use on model railways, for a bit of texture and extra interest.

Friday, 21 January 2011

Two Birthday Cards Using the Smirk for Him Decoupage Pad.

I have finally used up all the pages in my Smirk for Him decoupage pad.  This is the design I liked least, the man and car just didn’t do anything for me, but I was determined to use EVERYTHING in the pad. 
SMIRK Car Card
For the first card I've used a blue bazzill paper and a spotty design from Dovecraft's Masculine 6 x 6 paper collection pack.
Picture 158
On the second card I added part of a page from a street atlas as part of the background and then to add dimension used Anita’s 3D gloss finish on his glasses, a tiny clear flat backed gem for a tie pin and silver nail head decorations on the wheels.

Thursday, 20 January 2011

My apologies ....

My apologies, I haven't kept a check on my posts and can't believe I have let 3 x 9 square template cards be published one after another ...... very sloppy and boring!  I am so sorry. 

I write most of my posts at weekends and holidays and do have a long schedule list as there is NO WAY I can actually make/produce items to post each day. But I didn't check at the start of the week what would be published ...... three cards of the same design, all using stickers ..... aghhhhh.  Again I am sorry, and it won't happen again!

So Many Bags …….

So Many handbags Card
The little handbag stickers come from Mei Flower bought from NEC Hobbycrafts (they also have an on-line shop)
So many handbags Card 2
There’s not a lot to this card but it is ideal for a girl who can never have too many handbags!

Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Accessorize Heart Sticker Card

 Accessorize heart Stickers 1
The thing I like best about these Accessorize heart stickers is that several look like a Kath Kidston print.  I wish they would do a whole packet of just that design.
Accessorize Heart Stickers Accessorize Heart Stickers 2
I’ve used my 9 square card template to make the card as it is ideal for using such small stickers.
Accessorize heart Stickers 3
From one packet of stickers costing £1.75, I managed to get 7 cards (though there are only 5 in the photo), which isn’t bad going.
Cards made using Accessorize Stickers

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Meow – Patchwork Cats

This is a design I use quite a lot, especially when I am using small stickers.
Meaow
These cat stickers are from Paperchase (£1 a packet)
patchwork cats
I have punched 9 small squares in three colours  using a scalloped punch and then stuck them onto a larger white square which has been mat and layered on silver. A few dots here and there and a bit of faux stitching finishes off the card.
Picture 035

Monday, 17 January 2011

Girl with a Balloon Card

Girl with Balloon stamped card
I’m not very happy with this card, it needs a lot more fuss and froth, it's far too plain...... and this coming from the woman whose mantra is less is more! I am afraid I can't colour in like the professionals, even though I have used Pro Markers. My flesh tones are more akin to a menopausal hot flush than the blush of childhood excitement! Anyway, I have put it on my window sill so that I can glance up at it now and again and then hopefully get inspiration on how to finish it. I think it needs some writing on the left hand side or something....

Girl with a balloon stamped card 1
As you know, I don’t stamp a lot, but I couldn’t resist this little girl from Stamps Away.  I liked her because she isn't all doe eyed, whimsical and cutsey.  As you can see the stamp is quite small.
Girl with Balloon stamp
The balloon sticker from a set from Accessorize, which is in perfect proportion to the stamp.

Looking again, on screen,  this card is just pants, too pink, the mat and layering is all wrong..... agh!  Oh well, back to the drawing board!

Sunday, 16 January 2011

Happy 40th Birthday Newspaper

Newspaper card
I don’t think I need to go into great detail for this card. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Birthday Times Card
The balloons and badge on the jeep are simple decoupage layers.
Birthday Times

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

Saturday, 15 January 2011

New in at PoundWorld

I nipped into Poundworld in Wolverhampton yesterday and they had lots of lovely sets of puffy stickers …. animals, fish, transport, robots etc. and they are a decent size and quality.
Picture 007
As I am on a huge economy drive at the moment, I held back and just bought a few packs, but I thought the fairies (above) would come in very useful …
Horse stickers
…… and these comic ponies are so funny and very different.  Anyway, if you have a Poundworld near you it might be worth a look, although I appreciate that stocks do vary from store to store.

Cupcake Card

Cupcake Birthday Card
This is the first card I have made using the Dovecraft “Piece of Cake” decoupage pad I bought a while ago…. I am wondering whether I should have bought the matching paper pad, because I found finding a matching background paper a bit difficult,  although I have always found that pink is one of the hardest colours to match up!
 Craftwork Cards
I’ve also used gold “In Circles” sentiments from CraftworkCards, adding two yellow flat backed gems (please excuse the wet glue) for extra bling.
Papermania Cupcake Card
The card is finished off with faux stitching and  “peel off” corners, with a yellow gem added to each one.

Friday, 14 January 2011

Calendar 18th Birthday Card

I’m not sure about this card really …. but it was for my Sister-In-Law who wanted me to make a big thing of the date and age.
Picture 405 
Looking at it now, I should have stuck the bottom part at a jaunty angle instead of being dead straight.
Picture 406
And it’s very, very plain ….. the style best suited for a man really. I should have added a few dimensional flowers or at least a birthday cake.
Picture 407
Too many words and not enough froth ……not a design I'll revisit!

Thursday, 13 January 2011

My 500th Follower!!

JennyC69 - Please e-mail me ..... you are my 500th follower .... and I'd like to send you a small present xx

Golden Wedding Anniversary Card

Golden Wedding Anniversary Card
I make quite a few of this card design throughout the year, each one is slightly different, mainly because I can’t remember what I did the last time!
Golden Wedding Anniversary Card 1
I’ve used a variety of punches for the flowers and foliage, keeping colours to gold, cream and beige.  
Golden Wedding Anniversary Card 3
I’ve used shades of yellow flat backed gems, but think I will have a look to see if RhinestonesOnline have some gold nail heads that would be suitable.
Golden Wedding Anniversary Card 5
I don’t know why, but I was given a pile of this gold A4 paper but don’t use it very often for inserts, but it goes through the printer a treat and carries the golden theme through perfectly.

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

18th Birthday Card Using Quickutz Silhouette and Punches

18th Birthday Card using Punchies
There isn’t too much to this card.  The background is a DCWV paper from Granny’s Kitchen (I think). The numbers and letters were cut on my Quickutz Silhouette.  The design is finished off using small daisy punchies with a red flat backed gem centre and faux stitching using a white gel pen.
18th Birthday Card using Punches 1
Simples!

What’s On My Desk Wednesday

Blank Calendar
This is going to be my long term project for 2011.  I got this blank calendar too late to make up  this year from Hobbycrafts sale for £1.99 last week.
Picture 1013
The rings are not very big, which means I can’t do anything bulky, so I am going to have a go at making up the pictures for each month using digital scrapbooking elements, I hope to show you what I come up with as and when I finish them.

Tuesday, 11 January 2011

Who’s Counting? Fiftieth Birthday Card

Graeme's Birthday card
My sister-in–law came up with the idea for this card for her husbands fiftieth birthday. She’d seen something similar but wanted me to make it a bit more personal for him.

Monday, 10 January 2011

Very Easy Fingerless Mitts

I am really enjoying discovering knitting again, but at the moment I only want to tackle projects that can be completed in a couple of nights and these fingerless mitts just fit the bill!
knitted fingerless mitts
When I was given the pattern it just said use a “50g ball of wool” – so I thought chunky would be best, but as I didn’t have any, I have used two balls of double knitting together (I hope that makes sense)  It’s hard to see the colours, but the wool is a mix of purples, greens and cream.
Easy knitted fingerless mitts
You will need a pair of 4mm or 4.5mm needles.
Pattern
Cast on 32 sts.
Work in K1, P1 rib until work measures 3.5 inches.
Stocking st. 5 rows (P1 row, K1 row)
Increase 1st at each end of next knit row (34sts)
Stocking st. for next 3 rows
Increase 1st. at each end of next knit row (36sts)
Stocking st. for next 3 rows
Increase 1st. at each end of next knit row (38sts)
Work 10 rows stocking stitch
Work 4 rows K1, P1 rib
Cast off loosely.
Finishing:-  Sew ends in, Sew cuff and side, leaving a gap for the thumb, and then knit another one to make a pair!
Easy Fingerless Mitts pattern
I wanted my mitts to be a bit longer so added  another 4 rows of stocking stitch before the ribbing at the end.

I’ve Been Hopping …… Morsbags

up-n-down
You’ve got to visit this site:- http://www.morsbags.com/
I haven’t had time to make a “morsbag” yet, but without doubt I shall be making quite a few this year. The pattern is so brilliantly simple and can be downloaded free from the site.
Morsbag
The idea behind the site/bags is to make cotton bags for you and your friends etc. to try to eliminate the need to use plastic supermarket bags. BRILLIANT!
bags1-751614
http://blog.quiltingonline.co.uk/2007/11/recycle-your-fabrics-with-morsbags.html

Sunday, 9 January 2011

Birthday Times Card for Science Technician and Biker Lady

 Picture 142
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.
Biker Birthday card
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.
test Tubes on a Card
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.