Thank You!!! Sunday 1st July

Good Morning Blog Friends,


First of all, a big thank you to those of you who stop by here, take a look and leave a message. I read them all and really appreciate them...as I also love to visit and comment on your blogs too! The craft world is so caring and sharing, you are all lovely people and it's so nice to have connected with you this way.


Thanks to those of you who left messages about my boxes yesterday, Christine Emberson is so inspiring for us crafters isn't she? To those who hopped over from Christine's blog, left a message and started following me...welcome! I hope you will visit often, I post almost every day and I think I have quite a varied mix of work...except I am a bit of a Spellbinders, Stamping and Promarker addict!


A few days ago, I did say that when I reach 50 followers I will be sending out some Candy..it's still probably a way off though! But I'm almost at 20!

Today's card is a commission: for new followers, a little information: I go out to work three days a week for a local charity, leaving me not enough crafting time! I have started teaching card making workshops with my friend Amy, who co-owns a local gift and craft shop, I make cards by commission, do the very occasional craft fair and am on the design team for Emergency Crafters. This last month I have  also been guest designer for House Mouse and Friends and absolutely loved it!


I like to mix things up a bit with my crafting, it keeps me on my toes! Taking commissions helps me with 'stash' money and makes me design cards 'around' my comfort zone and sometimes totally out of it..this card is 'around' it! Many people who order personalised cards from me, I have never met - some of my customers have been commissioning cards for several years and we have never even spoken! I must be doing something right though as they keep coming back!


This card was requested by a friend of my brother-in-law and I didn't really have a lot to go on...sometimes this is easier: a blank canvas so to speak, but I have to remember that I need to keep these cards 'mainstream' and not go off on one of my steampunk or arty tangents!


I love rubber stamping: I find it gets my creative juices flowing and it is also relaxing. However I do also use digital stamps and some CDs and I also use two digital craft programmes: DoCraft digital designer and Serif Craft Artist. The latter is helpful with scrapbooking. But mostly they are a good source of papers and creating papers. My one bugbear with Serif and some CD's is that they aren't iMac friendly in an interactive way, so rather than using them on my desktop, I have to use my Windows laptop. Digital Designer though is Mac friendly, which is great!


Back to the card (I don't usually waffle this much!)....It's an 8x8, as are most of my commissioned cards and I printed the backing paper and the parcel and flower topper from the Designer, Tatty Teddy package. I also printed Teddy himself, but I had to get my Promarkers out just once on this card, so he is a digital stamp!


The die-cuts are Spellbinders  Labels 23 and the bunting was cut from the Designer Portobello Road programme. I cut the 'Mum' and '60' with my Cricut. I have the 'baby' Cricut, which is just called the cutting machine - no fancy name for mine, so I gave it the rather un-original name of 'Jiminy' ! At the moment it's only cutting Mirror Board, as the blade needs replacing :(


To finish off I added some gorgeous stripey ribbon and tried a new technique in tying it, so that it still remains quite flat for posting or putting in an envelope (I usually present commissions in expandable envelopes or boxes). To check this out - and it really is super cool - take a look at Kirsty Wiseman's video on - it's a goodie!
http://fantasticribbons.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/first-of-our-ribbon-video-tutorials.html

I am sorry today's post has been so long, I will be back in the next day or so...the problem at the moment is that  I have been spending a lot of time on Christmas designs and don't want to bombard you with them just yet!


Happy Sunday and Happy Crafting!
Carole X

Card making' mamas colour challenge 48 - Sunday 24th June

Good evening blog friends,


Today I made a few Christmas cards...check out tomorrow's blog for my first seasonal offering! 


This morning I was inspired by Elaine's blog post http://wheelerscraftiness.blogspot.co.uk and reference to a challenge at  http://cardmakinmamas.blogspot.co.uk/ the theme 'red, white and blue'..like a lot of us Brits this year I have been really enjoying making cards celebrating our heritage and incorporating the 'oh so trendy' Union Jack (and long may the trend remain!)..and what a super challenge blog it is too! Whilst I was there I checked out the digital stamp site bugaboo stamps, http://www.bugaboostamps.com/ where I found a digi stamp for a shoe, just what I'd been looking for to suit another project....and as I looked at the image after downloading, the inspiration for this card and my entry for the challenge came to mind.....

For this card I used paper from DoCrafts Digital Designer, Portobello Road collection as the background and digitally embossed the paper with a floral Union Jack (unfortunately it doesn't show up so well in the photo). I made a rosette using the same paper and also die cut an accent from Spellbinders. The sentiment is stamped in denim and cranberry distress ink, using a Portobello Road stamp.


The main image is the shoe digital stamp from bugboostamps, which I coloured red, white and blue with letraset  Flex-markers and then went over the red sections with an embossing pen and embossed with red sparkle embossing powder. To finish off I added a big red, white and blue bow and covered the centre with a Union Jack button (as I did the rosette) and a red gem. I also added a flag charm and ribbon to the die cut.


This was a fun card!


I wish to enter this in card makin' mamas challenge no 48, red, white and blue


http://cardmakinmamas.blogspot.co.uk/






Thanks for stopping by,
Carole X

New Baby Boy - Wednesday 4th April

Morning!


Aah my first favourite day of the week...I get to stay home and craft! Today's card, was made for my American cousin, Bree and her husband Jonny, in celebration of the birth of their first child. It really doesn't seem more than two years ago we were over in California celebrating their wedding!


As I write the card is on it's way to Florida, where they now live as Jon's career as a US Coastguard helicopter pilot, means they have to move wherever he is posted. Bree is a true California girl, but I guess their first move to Florida is pretty good!


I'm safe posting it, as I'm sure they won't be looking here...

This is an 8x8 card, covered with blue polkadot paper I printed from DoCrafts Digital Designer - Me to You. I think I have said before, that I do have a lot of craft CDs and they do come in useful, but I use them a lot for papers...there is usually something suitable.


I also printed the matching plain blue, but a smaller layer and using the Tim Holz ruler made tiny stitching holes..to think I used to do this freehand!


I took some of the Coredinations polkadot paper in yellow and die-cut this with Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles. This was primarily my choice for this card because it seemed to fit perfectly with the stamp. The stamp is another Lilli of the Valley, which I clouded with Promarkers and die-cut with a smaller nestie. I used some lace to make a border around the larger die-cut and added the flowers before attaching it all to the card.


Finally I added three miniature polkadot buttons and a double bow with a larger button tied with some embroidery thread.


I was really pleased with the finished card, hope you like it!


Thanks for stopping by,
Carole X