Tuesday 27 September 2011

Gilding Flakes

Well, when I went to Exeter last week I bought some gilding flakes and glue and skootchy sponge - I've wanted to have a go with these for ages, and I really wasn't disappointed, they are FABULOUS!!!

Very short post as I want to go and watch some telly, the stamps are Inkadinkadoo with simple matting & layering - hope you like & back soon (off to catch Holby City).


Sunday 25 September 2011

Oops!

OMG, I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post, I'm so sorry (though not sure who I'm apologising to).  I got a new IPad and have been busy playing on that and neglected to switch on my laptop and download anything from my camera - so much so that I've missed entering two blog challenges that I had actually made a card for, the third challenge (yes I made a card that went across three challenges) is still open, so I would like to enter this card into the Crafters Companion monthly challenge which is Christmas Wishes, and as I have a full set of the new Christmas Humphreys (Woop! Woop!), together with the CDs I thought it would be the ideal time to use them.

I used Crafters Companion water colour card to colour the image (this stuff is brilliant), and I have to say, I am now a convert to rock-a-blocks, I originally thought they were a gimmick and an excuse to get you to spend money - I was sooooo wrong, THEY ARE AMAZING!  All of the papers used on this card are from the CD, even the border across the middle.  Really pleased with how this card turned out and will be using Humphrey for so many more Christmas cards (well, until my snowman delivery from Crafters Companion arrives - I don't work for them, honest, but I sure wish I did!!).

I also went to Exeter Westpoint on Friday and spent soooo much money, had a great time with my friend Alison, and got to meet Stephanie Weightman, who was so lovely, and didn't make me feel stupid for asking for my picture taken with her - I will post this soon (though I feel fat and frumpy next to her, she is amazingly pretty).

Anyway, I hope you like my card, and I will try and return more often, as I have lots to show you, and plenty of pictures from Westpoint.

Saturday 10 September 2011

Catch Up

Well, I've had a lovely day today - I went to an impromptu demo over at Just Tracys, she's just had the new Wild Rose Studio Christmas stamps in and was showing them off brilliantly.  I didn't manage to get everything I wanted as they had already sold out of the snowflakes, but I have got these on order.  I did manage to get one of the gorgeous penguins, some circular sentiments and a lovely snowflake tree.  Tracy was also showing off the lovely WOW embossing powders - have to say they were very aptly named, could also have been called OMG as they are totally amazing they are incredibly fine and emboss to a fab shine.  I also bought some 5x5 card blanks in white and black to replenish my stocks - really must start trying to sell some of my cards, I have made so many and while I do use some up for family and friends, I have loads just waiting to be given, suppose while I think my cards are fab, not sure I handle the rejection of people not buying them well & take it very personally.


Anyway, some more cards to add to the stash ready to sell at some point, these first two are almost like twins and I made them using my new snowflake tree and the sentiment stamp that came with it, on the black on white one, I used the new WOW embossing powder I bought (I've got the snowflake embossing powder on order - that one is sooo lush!).  The white on black I used a white embossing powder from my stash, both of these cards are really simple to make and look fab, just what you need at Christmas when you have so many to make.
These next two are just catching up on some I have made recently - the fall blessings one I'm not entirely happy with, I really liked the idea but I'm not sure it's turned out as well as it could have.  

I took a single leaf stamp and stamped it onto scratch paper twice and cut out, then I put repositionable tape on the back so that I could use them as masks.  Then I drew a circle on the card very faintly with pencil and stamped the leaf using versamark and embossed with gold embossing powder, once this had cooled down I then masked these off and did a couple more leaves and used the same technique until I had the entire circle covered - only it doesn't quite look like a circle.  The leaves were coloured using a shimmering watercolour paint (would like to say it was H2O's but these were the cheapy versions).  The sentiment in the middle is from Waltzingmouse Stamps and I stamped it using the gingerbread colourbox chalk ink.

This last card was made using a lovely digi stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil - her images are just so amazing, I love them all!!  The backing papers are from my Clare Curd Signature range paper pad (still working through those 200 sheets), but I actually managed to alter them slightly.  The green paper with the spots on, was actually originally black and white, but I changed it using my spectrum noir pens, I also used the pens to change the white dots on the brown backing paper to green as well.  I used some of my candi dots in gold in the corners and the circular sentiment is one of my LOTV stamps.  Hope you like

Anyway, that's me caught up a bit with some of the cards I've made recently - Off to Exeter in a couple of weeks for my annual birthday jaunt to the craft show.  Always come back with loads of goodies, ideas and very sore feet, usually soo tired after the show it takes me all weekend to recover (go on Friday).  Hopefully I will be putting in some more posts before then, I really want to ink up my little penguin tomorrow if I get a chance, but with Charlie back at school I've got a weeks worth of School uniform to get washed, dried and ironed before Monday! (no rest for the wicked!).


Sunday 4 September 2011

Happy Christmas

Wow, two posts in one day, this wasn't quite as easy to put together as the other card today, but really it was a fairly straight forward card - I seem to be finding it easier to make cards at the moment and have loads of ideas buzzing around in my head (just hope I can get them down on paper before they disappear again!).

The image for this came from a Kanban set I was given for my birthday last year (nearly round again - how time flies!),  I coloured it with my Spectrum Noirs, cut out with my nesties, simple matting and layering.  The poinsettia is a Marianne Design - I don't think the colours show up too well in the photo.  I did some faux stitching on the base card with a green fine line pen (one of the whispers pens), the sentiment is one of my Lilli of the Valley stamps.

Anyway, another card down ready for Christmas!

Seaside Fun

I had such fun making this card - I decided to just make a card for fun, no occasion or person in mind, no thought to giving it to anyone, just for the fun of it - and it really was fun and kind of made itself in the end.

I had downloaded the papers for the Get Funky challenge ages ago and just left them on my computer, but then whilst blog hopping yesterday, I came across instructions for a tent card and really loved the idea - immediately the paper from the Get Funky challenge came back to my mind and I set to it.  The image in the centre of the card is a digi stamp from the centre of the Simply Cards & Papercrafts magazine - they have these most months and some of the images are just brilliant.  I used a 2 in 1 glue pen and hot foils to create the fins on the fish and I've given the sun a coat of glossy accents.

I really love this card, it makes me smile to look at and I shall probably never give it to anyone - I like it too much! & hope you do too