Card Class! - Saturday 26th May

Hi Blog friends,

No card today, I wanted to tell you about the second card making workshop, my friend Amy and I led on Thursday....

We had twelve ladies booked on again (although 2 couldn't make it) and this time we were using the Sarah Kay stamp that I featured in some of my blogs last month. For our first class, we had concentrated on stamping and alcohol ink techniques  and a few of our ladies told me that they had become very keen on inking since, so that was good news! This time we were teaching colouring with Promarkers and using  Spellbinder dies...my trusty Grand Calibur had it's first trip out of the house since I bought it about 18 months ago!

If you are a regular follower of my blogs you will already know that Spellbinders and Promarkers are a must for me, I barely make a card without a Spellbinder die-cut in there somewhere and I use Promarkers virtually every time I stamp, so of course I was in my element.

However, we are still new to teaching and I soon realised that it's easy to sit in your craft room and colour and be confident about it; I have watched the Queen of Promarkers, Nikky Hall (Polkadoodles), many times, including live at the NEC, but to try and teach a group of people, some of whom aren't so confident is really hard! I'll get used to it eventually, just got to keep on getting more confident at showing them how myself.

 The main thing is that people are enjoying themselves and  coming back; we have a few spaces next month, are having a break in July and then August is (I think) full. In between I'm accompanying Amy on a workshop day to one of the leading craft companies and really looking forward to it.

I have a few days off from work over the next two weeks, so I aim to get in  a fair bit of crafting..meanwhile here are a few photos from after our workshop...note to self, next time take them 'during'!!! We get so caught up in it all that we forget!

Amy (smiling) with some of the ladies from our Workshop

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you all have a lovely, sunny Saturday,

Carole X

Emergency Crafters Challenge -Friday 25th May

Hi Bloggers,

Here is my first DT card for Emergency Crafters new challenge - Dreamland. It was a fun card to make using one of LOTV's oh so cute fairy stamps, coloured with Promakers. I think a fairy splashing into a fairy cake is definitely dreamland.

The challenge runs from 12 noon  (GMT) until on 7th June to enter, Happy Crafting!

http://emergencycrafterschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks for stopping by,

Carole X

Steampunk Circles - Tuesday 22nd May

Hi Blog Friends,

Isn't it lovely now that the sun is shining again? I was so happy to see the sun still warm in the sky when I got home from work last night, that I took this project outside in the garden  to photograph it!

I created this piece of art work on Sunday, for Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stampers week 206 challenge, the theme of which is Circles; it was fun and I had no idea where I was going when I started out! I die cut 3 large circles and punched 2 deckle edged circles, all with various pieces of kraft card card I had in my stash. I stamped the cogs from Sam Poole's 'Steampunk Dreams' stamp set, very faintly on one circle and I also stamped the mechanical bug from the same set (he has a round body, I had to!) and "Dare to Create' on another. That stamp and the flower are both from Sam Poole's 'Steampunk Flowers' set.


Having stamped the circles I then spent quite a bit of time distressing them with a mixture of Wild Honey and Tea Dye Ranger inks. I had seen Hels' demo-ing the flower on C&C at the weekend and have the tut from her blog. The demo reminded me that I hadn't made a flower like this in a while, so I was determined to incorporate one on this piece, but I had to adapt it to the stamp I wanted to use, which didn't have the same effect because the petals were closer together and harder to manipulate. I stamped the on grunge paper and also distressed it. After I had made it and stuck it together with Cosmic Shimmer glue, (which is my favourite glue, I use it all the time!), instead of teasing the petals back,  I painted them with some Glossy Accents and did the same to the bug.


To finish off I added a clock face, little brass cog,a faux screw brad and some rusty wire as the hanger. I then die cut some flowers using the smaller dies in the Peony set, distressed them and scrunched them.


It's a whimsy, I had fun making it and it will hang on my craft room wall!


Thanks for stopping by!
Carole X

I made this as my contribution to
Sunday Stampers Challenge - Week 206: Circles
http://pinkleart.blogspot.co.uk/

90th Birthday: Saturday 19th May

Good Morning blog friends and hope you all have a great weekend!


Our day off yesterday ended up with a day in Cirencester, which is only about 20 miles away, followed by the weekly shop in Tetbury on the way home and after a pretty hectic week both at work and home, I was worn out!
I did go to the craft room and try to complete the Sunday Stampers Challenge, but it failed miserably and now the half-finished project is sitting on the shelf waiting for the right amount of inspiration - or failing that, fairy dust (!) to come along and finish it off...so I'll have to try harder next week!
Today's card was a commission earlier this week for a grandad's 90th, with a note that he likes gardening/flowers and bird watching.

I used some scrapbook card (from stash),with a distressed floral design as the base layer on an 8x8 card blank and then matted and layered this with white card embossed using a "That Special Touch of' mask. I then cut a rectangle strip for across the centre using dark green card and matted and layered this with a slightly smaller rectangle cut from card from the same pack as the base green. This was attached to the white and green card and then I tied bakers twine (I think from the vintage selection) around, tying a loose bow. I felt this would give it a more masculine and 'gardener' feel than a ribbon.
 The flowers are die cut from the anemone flower topper in wool felt and the leaves are little dies from the Chateau gate set. Apologies, I was about to pack the card for delivery when I realised I hadn't photographed it and that's why the blossoms are flat.


I finished off with buttons in earthy tones, a flower topper cut from Layered Flowers and a bird cut from Bird Sanctuary. The greeting is printed, cut using Lacey Ovals and distressed with Bundled Sage ink.


Thanks for stopping by!
Carole X

Summer days - Friday 18th May

Good Morning Bloggers!


I was up bright and early this morning trying to create a design for Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stampers Challenge today...but I was having a loss of mojo moment, so thought it a good time to say hello and update!


Today's card was in fact made a few weeks ago, for Christine Emberson's Hope and Chances blog. Christine has started doing a brilliant thing by inviting her followers to submit a project inspired by some photos. It's a lovely idea because there's no competition and we all get to see each other's work.


This was my contribution...

I used this stamp on the bookmark a few days ago..it's really cute and is by Stampavie. I used a 5x5 card and covered the front with kraft card, matted and layered with a sheet from the Spring Jubilee pack that I had free with Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. I then created a strip for the centre using kraft card and coredinations card, which was sanded to raise the polkadots. 


The image was stamped with memento, coloured with Promarkers and die cut using labels 24. I stamped the greeting using an LOTV stamp, using Latte Adirondack and die cut it using the smallest Heart Circles die. Both die cuts were distressed lightly using Spun Sugar. I cut the butterfly from Fanciful Flight and the flowers from Flower Creations and the Aster Flower Topper. The accents were also free with the magazine and the lace, candy and gems were from stash.


As Christine is the only British Spellbinders Design team member, it seemed fitting to make this a bit of a Spellbinders homage...also you know they are my faces anyway!


I took this card into the garden to photograph.. just to carry through the theme!


I'm not going to get much done today, as Tom has the day off too, so it looks like I'll be returning to Hels' challenge project this evening!


I am excited though..next Thursday Amy and I will be delivering our next workshop, full of my favourite things - Spellbinders, Grand Calibur, Cuttlebug and Promarkers...can't wait!




Thanks for visiting, following and commenting!


Carole X

House Mouse Bookmark - Thursday 17th May

Morning Blog Friends!

Today I'm sharing the second of the corner bookmarks I made a few days ago...

  .

Using one of the tiny House Mouse Worker Stamps, coloured with Promarkers, I die cut this using Spellbinders Heart Squares. The base of the book mark is covered with purple card, which had been cut with Grand Scalloped Rectangles and  embossed with one of my M-Bossabilities dies. This was then decorated with ribbon and bordered with card cut from a Martha Steward border punch. 

I am really fond of this little stamp, these worker stamps are really handy parts of stamp sets.

Is it possible to have a day when you are 'crafted out'? I think I might have come almost close yesterday! I work three days a week, which means that I usually get Wednesdays and Firdays to craft (and theoretically do housework!). Yesterday, I had 5 large commission cards to make and I started at 7am, then  I had an early work meeting at home with some colleagues, that lasted just under 2 hours...then back to cards. I did actually get the cards made, which amazed me - usually with commissions I ponder over design for days, then take hours just to make one, whether it was because it was urgent and there was a deadline or they were almost all for the same person who has regularly ordered cards for a number of years so I was feeling more confident, I just don't know....but that's not the end of the story...

After preparing and cooking our evening meal I had to head off to a friend from the library's house ( I work for a charity based in the local library) as she was hosting a Stampin' Up party...so more card making! I think by then  my mind was just not feeling very arty, so just as well it was all quite basic! But also a very social, fun evening with friends from my workplace.


 I don't drive (I know! Awful isn't it? Passed when I was 18 but just never took to it, scares the heebie jeebies out of me and I have have tried to break my fear several times), so Tom had to pick  me up (that's the worst thing relying on husband and friends for lifts, the guilt aspect can even stop me doing things!). As he has a big thing on at work today and I was...wait for it...having to come home and finish a card I'd started for a friend, I left at 9.30pm, which was a shame but couldn't be helped.

So at 11pm last night I was just finishing a card and no kidding, I dreamt card designs last night....shame I can't remember them this morning! Now I have to go get ready for work...have  good day all!

Thanks for stopping by,
Carole X

Spring Corner Bookmark- Wednesday 16th May

Hello Blog Friends!


First of welcome to my new followers! Thank you for following me, I hope you like what you see and please leave a comment, I love to read them. I've been blogging less than a year, but I am so pleased that I started because it is putting me in touch with so many lovely crafty people every day! If you have a blog and I'm not following you, please let me know the address in the comment box and I'll be sure to stop by.

Today I am posting the first of two bookmarks I made after reading  Lindyloo's very inspiring post - see http://creativeharmony.blogspot.co.uk  - and then taking part in her challenge last week. These corner bookmarks are a lot of fun to make and very practical. I am already using the one I made for the challenge. I'd like to make some more complex ones in the coming weeks, but meanwhile I wanted to stick to ones that could be very easily used. I think that they would make a lovely little present for anyone who likes reading and what a great way to give a handmade card that is also a gift.

Here is today's offering:

After the black and white of my earlier design, I decided to go for lots of colour. The little bird stamp is from Stampavie. I like this stamp because it's adaptable for all seasons, even Christmas. I coloured the image with Promarkers and die cut it on Labels 24, cutting a larger coredinations card with the same die and sanding it back to raise the polkas dots. I used some pretty vintage paper that was free with Cardmaking and Papercraft recently and cut the flower border with a Martha Stewart punch. I finished off with a navy satin bow, vintage bakers twine and a lightly distressed wooden button.


Thanks for taking a look!
Carole X