Lovely as a Tree

This title is of course the name of a stamp set from Stampin' Up and I've used one of the stamps for this card.  It was stamped twice and sections were cut out with a square die and popped onto punched 'postage stamp' shapes which were then laid over the original.  Scraps of card were used to cut out the framework strip and banners for the sentiment.   It occurred to me that this would probably fit in with the Pixie's Snippet Challenge so will enter it this week - it certainly has a few snippets included.

Icelandic Poppy

Yesterday I saw Sheena on TV demonstrating a way of using glycerine with a brayer and applying it to an embossing folder before sprinkling the embossed card with powder.  Sadly I couldn't really get it to work when I tried but maybe my card wasn't suitable because no way was the powder sticking.  Anyway I resorted to the trusty Versamark pad instead with some black embossing powder before sponging the finished piece with distress inks.  I've used the resulting panel along with a stamped and coloured poppy - blue which I think is called an Icelandic poppy. Colours used are spiced marmalade and broken china.  Background paper is from a Tim Holtz pad and the die cut shapes were cut with Die-sire dies from Crafter's Companion.  Sentiment is from a set by Tim Holtz with matching label die cut.

Second Post

What's this - two posts in one day which is quite unusual for me these days!!  This card was made in response to a request from a friend of a friend for a 90th birthday card with some quite specific guidelines which in fact I found difficult to meet but I put my brain in gear and at least made something which may or may not fit the bill.  If the person who ordered it  thinks it won't do then there is no obligation and I can keep it in my box until someone else is looking for a  for a 90th male themed card.  I was asked to post it on the blog so that she can see what she thinks because she lives at the other end of the county.

Background paper was some I came across which fitted in with the nautical theme; the image is a Stampin'Up stamp; 'ship's wheel' is a cog die from Sizzix and the wavy border was cut with an EK Success punch; the sentiment was produced on the computer and popped onto a die cut star.

Floral Card

The weather is beautiful today with blue sky and sunshine - I hope it manages to stay nice for the Easter break as well.  The card to share today is a floral one on which the background was embossed and sponged with Victorian Velvet Distress ink.  flowers were stamped, coloured with a matching DI pen then cut out with scissors. The stamped greeting was layered onto punched ovals and a die cut fancy label (Tonic die).

Boy Card

I've used another Crafter's Companion image to make this card which would be suitable for a boy.  Background paper is from my stash and the wood panel is the wood-grain stamp from Stampin' Up along with some stamped and punched bunting (also SU).  Sentiment was produced on the computer.

I've spent the morning catching up with some of the techniques which we were shown at the machine embroidery workshop - there were eight different ideas to try.  In the class I only managed seven of them, one of which was't successful anyway because the height of the table I had wasn't really conducive to working free machining - I couldn't really see what I was trying to stitch and that does help believe me! Now all that remains is to come up with ideas for using these techniques in a project or three. What I really must do today is to at least make a start on mowing the lawns before the grass gets too high and blocks the view from the windows!!  I might manage one lawn today although I'm really aiming to do both while the weather is nice.

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend

Useful to Have

I think it is always handy to have a few cards available to be sent to people just to let them know someone is thinking of them and I'm sure the gesture is appreciated.  For this card I've used a piece of script background paper and stamped  some pale blue card using the Hardwood stamp by Stampin' Up - I can see all sorts of potential for using this large stamp and despite being so big it does stamp very nicely.  Deco Labels dies were used to cut out the shaped pieces and one was embossed using a wood-grain embossing folder. There has been a free stamp set available recently which matches the shape of the Deco Labels and one of them was used on this with the addition of some stamped and punched Petite Petals with pearl centres.  The sentiment is from a set of tiny clear sentiment stamps of unknown origin.  Corner die is Victorian Romance from Cheery Lynn.

A Quandary

What is my quandary you might ask?  Well I was tempted to get this Birdhouse embossing folder by Crafter's Companion which I love but the thing is that such a nice design deserves to be seen and I tried various ideas before I came up with this simple one which I'm not entirely happy about.  I used a bird stamp from Stampin' Up Touch of Nature set (now discontinued) and a trellis die from Tim Holtz Frameworks range.  The bird image was cut out using SU Deco Labels dies and the stamped sentiment is a punched label shape (also SU).  I will have to keep the brain working on ways of using this embossing folder and maybe try to curb my tendency to 'buy now - think later'!!  In fact I have to much 'stuff' that I really should avoid the 'Buy Now' buttons altogether.

Another Bear

I've used another of the Bingham Bear images to make this card.  Background is embossed using a Sue Wilson folder, image cut out with Sizzix (for Stampin' Up) starburst framelit die and some Spellbinder circles.  The lacy border was cut with Spellbinder border dies and the little stamped flowers are Petite Petals from Stampin' Up with punched centres.  Sentiment is a clear stamp which I curved on the block so that it would fit the Bitty Banner die cut.

A Bingham Bear

This card was made mainly from bits and pieces lying around on my working space - you know how it is you try out a die on an odd piece of card, cut a piece of backing paper, print an image or two and then don't actually make them into anything.  Today I decided to gather some of the bits together, match them up and make a quick card.  The image is from Bingham Bears by Serif, backing paper is from a Debbie Moore CD, corner die is a Spellbinder one, as is the plain kraft circle.  The bear was cut out using a Sizzix thin die (Stampin' Up) and the computer sentiment popped onto a smaller zig-zag circle and a punched label (also SU).  That's a few less odd bits and pieces cluttering up my space!!  I know it is officially spring now but today seems quite chilly to my way of thinking, nothing like as nice as last Sunday.

Make and Take

I've just returned from a Make and Take morning presented by the lovely Jill of Jill Stamps Up where we were shown a selection of Stampin' Up products and used some of them to make this pretty card in Spring-like colours.  The background was stamped using a stamp set which is free at the moment if you spend £45 on SU products (not difficult!!) and other stamps, punches and so on were used to complete the card.  Thanks Jill for some great ideas and thanks to Anne for hosting the morning and providing us with coffee and scrummy cake.

Time Flies...

This saying is so true - where has this week gone??  It is almost a week since my last post here so today I'm sharing a wedding or anniversary card which I made recently using die cuts from Marianne  together with a stamped and punched sentiment from Stampin' Up - what did we do before there were so many lovely dies available??

Banners Again

I'm so pleased I got this set of banner dies because I can see they are going to be so versatile and this card uses them in a different orientation with the addition of a shape cut using Apothecary Accents dies and stamps from the Wetlands set - all from Stampin' Up.  Background paper has been in my stash for ages but it seemed right for this card.  We had glorious sunshine yesterday and the same again today so it seems as if the weather is actually taking a turn for the better.

Banner with Roses

Today's card combines some banner die cuts made using Sizzix banner framelits dies (from Stampin' Up) and some roses stamped using their two-step stamp set called A Rose is a Rose - the flowers had to be cut out with scissors of course.  Colours used are Regal Rose and Rich Razzleberry with a couple of greens for the leaves (Certainly Celery and Wild Wasabi).  Backing paper is from my stash and the sentiment was a clear stamp of unknown origin but it fitted the little tag strip quite nicely.

Bird Amongst the Flowers

I challenged myself yesterday to use a 'chicken wire' die cut which my friend Anne kindly gave me a while ago and after some thought I came up with the idea of making it the backdrop for some flowers.  I started by cutting a frame using Stampin' Up die (Framelits Labels) which I then embossed using a folder from Couture Creations; another shape was cut and embossed for the backing before I sandwiched the 'chicken wire' between the two layers.  Backing paper was a leftover piece from a Prima pad and a border strip was punched (EK Success).  When I was at the Extravaganza Day we used the SU bird punch which made me realise I'd not used mine for such a long time, so inspired by that I've used a punched bird to sit in the flowers which were stamped with Petite Petals set which we also received on the day.  There is a punch to match these flower stamps but unfortunately I don't have it yet so they were cut out wish scissors - leaves were cut with a Tattered Lace Die.  This all took quite a time to assemble but I'm pleased to have made use of the gift die cut.  I'm wondering now if I should have used brown for the bird, but I didn't really want to introduce another colour but I think he might have shown up more if I had.

Thank You Card

I'm filling another gap in my box of cards today with this Thank You card made using the lovely Mexican Tile die from Cheery Lynne.  This die cuts well but I must say it seems to take forever to poke out all the little dots and shapes - well worth the effort though.  As this is quite an elaborate die I've simply combined it with some toning paper and card from Stampin' Up together with a stamp from their Faith in Nature set and a simple sentiment using SU punches.

Brown Bird

Yesterday I spent a lovely day at a Stampin' Up Extravaganza Day where we completed three brilliant projects which I was going to photograph but I see that Karen has been really quick off the mark with photos which you can see on her interesting blog if you follow the link.  The day was presented by Jenny of Stamping Moments and yet again she came up with new and attractive projects for us as well as bringing along lots of attractive samples of cards and other items made using SU products.  I do so enjoy these days as it is great getting together with like minded friends to make things and share ideas.

 I have a quick card to share with you today using a little bird stamp from Stampin' Up,  a doily die cut from an X-Cut die and an embossed panel using a Cuttlebug embossing folder which I've had for ages although it hasn't been used for a while.

Celebration

Celebration is the theme for the challenge on the Male Room blog and it can be any type of occasion as long as it is suitable for a male.  I've used a stamp from the Wetlands set by Stampin' Up and a Cuttlebug embossing folder with just a simple birthday greeting.  The frame for the image was cut using two Spellbinder dies, the framing layers are gold mirri card which looks brown on the scan.  I'm quite looking forward to the challenges starting again after the break - maybe they will give me some impetus to get into the craft room which has been neglected a little of late.  I've just noticed that the picture is a little skew-whiff - the card itself is straight!!

Very best wishes for 2014 to all my friends and followers.

I'm Back!

My computer was returned to me yesterday complete with new operating system so hopefully I will be able to catch up with blogland - I do so hate being cut off from the world and using a tablet is no substitute for the real thing.  I have quite a bit of work to do re installing my programmes and retrieving my files but I'm hoping that won't take me too long and of course I have to get used to the new system but it seems pretty straightforward as far as I can see although some of my programmes aren't compatible so that's something else to deal with.  I have a card to share today which is one I made a while ago but hadn't actually shown. Background is embossed Centura pearl card and the other elements are from various Stampin' Up stamp sets with some die cut leaves and butterflies.

Where Did That Week Go??

I can hardly believe it is almost a week since I posted anything on my blog - apologies.  However I've at last managed to find a bit of time to get into the craft room and make something for the  Make My Monday challenge  This week they are asking for ANYTHING BUT A CARD and CHRISTMAS THEMED so I decided to use one of the box 'blanks' which I bought recently at the Stampin' Up Extravaganza.  The boxes are made from sturdy kraft card and have an acetate sleeve which slides over to cover the contents (mine is empty at the moment) but they are food-safe so could contain some nice home-baked goodies perhaps or even some shop-bought ones which appear to be home made - not that I'd cheat like that LOL!!!  I've added some patterned paper with matching mat layer and die cut a selection of Marianne poinsettias using Centura Pearl card.  The embossed detail doesn't show up in the main photo but the close-up should give you an idea.

Autumn Flowers

AUTUMN FLOWERS is the theme for this week's challenge at Make My Monday and there are some lovely cards by the design team for inspiration.  I've used a silhouette stamp from Stampin' Up, inked using marker pens and cut out using a die from their Apothecary Accents set.  The embossed background is Centura Pearl card with a Creative Expressions embossing folder and the various layers and borders used up some more of my scraps of paper and card which hopefully tone with the image in autumnal colours.