Rose Calendar - Wednesday 14th January 2015

Hello Friends,

This is the last of my calendar creations this week...except the one I promised to show you that was a gift from a very dear blog friend...you'll have to wait until the end of the week for that!

Thank you for your good wishes about the website at work this week...my final few volunteers will be trained on Friday and then we just have to 'go with it' and hope that the organisation which owns it, listens to the united voices of 300 Volunteer Centres! One good thing that has come out of this is that we have been conversing with each other via the online forum all across the Country...I would never normally be likely to talk to one of my 'colleagues' in Berkshire or the North for instance, but it's funny how a common cause gets you all talking isn't it? Enough of that now, I won't mention it again!

The Calendar

The calendar takes the form of an easel card, which is matted and layered using foundations Milk card and brown card on both the easel and base. I used a leaf embossing folder on both the top layers and very lightly inked over the embossing using Wild Honey distress ink.

The roses were made using Spellbinders Spiral Blossom One and Bitty Blossoms (the largest bloom). The leaves are from Spiral Blossom One and Spellbinders Foliage 2. The butterfly is Spellbinders 'Flutters'.

I also used a tiny flower die from Spellbinders 'Homespun' and the numbers are from Tonic Advent Drawer Deco die set. I coloured the letters, flowers and butterfly using a mixture of distress inks: Wild Honey, Vintage Photo and  Walnut Stain right on the edges. Once I had completed the card I dabbed glossy accents on the petals and leaves to give the impression of dew.

I also stamped "Don't forget" using a mini stamp from Heidi Swapp.

To finish the card I added ribbon, lace, twine and a button. 

I also used up some of my scrap stash to make a handbag or fridge magnet calendar, I'm going to make a few more and take them in the office for my volunteers.  I simply cut a small piece of scrap card (the one below is by Tilda) just large enough to cover the mini calendar. I folded it  using my Hougie board, making two 1cm folds across the centre to give it a bit of  a spine. 

Then I adhered the calendar to the inside before wrapping bakers twine around the top and adding a little button for decoration. I used the same die as above for the numbers.

On the back I added a little self adhesive magnet so the calendar can be carried in a handbag or used on a fridge.

That's it for today friends, I will be around to look at your blogs..just a little tired this week (head full of useless information type tired) so bear with me :)

Love and Hugs
Carole X

Keep-sake Book - Weds 20th June

Morning Blog friends!


Not a card today but a little keepsake book cover I made after rummaging through all my scrapbooking stash and finding a couple of board books that were just crying out "why have you abandoned us? We just want to be decorated, embellished, prettied up!" So who am I to ignore such a plea?!!!


This started out as a plain white BoBunny board book and whilst I was searching for inspiration I came across a card design in this month's copy of Simply Cards & Papercraft and as soon as I saw it, I thought what a lovely cover for a keepsake book it would make, so I changed a few things here and there and adapted it.

 First of all I took some paper from stash and covered both the back and front of the book cover and then distressed all around the edges of the board pages and cover with a mixture of Spun Sugar and Tattered Rose distress inks, just to give it a vintage aged look.

I coloured some American Seam Binding with the same inks and set it along the edge nearest the spine, then I added a layer of vintage lace and an edge die from Spellbinders Antique Frame and Accents. I used a Heart Circle die off centre and this is coated with micro beads with a  paper rose embellishment made from Spiral Blossom One. The small accent dies are from assorted sets. I finished off with some little heart pearl gems and the sentiments were typed and then the tags coloured with the inks. I used the same sentiments as in the magazine  example because they were perfect for this book, which is being sent to the same couple for whom I made the  wedding card.

 

I do love using these micro beads, but you can't really see their effect in the photo. Throughout the project I used cosmic shimmer glue and red line tape.


Thanks for stopping by!
Carole X

Fairy Cupcake - Sunday 29th April

Good Morning,


Today a  change from the Sarah Kay stamped cards that I've been sharing these last few days (though there are more to come). I'm back to LOTV today with a sweet little fairy cupcake!


I stamped the image on coconut white card and coloured with a mixture of Promarkers and Flexmarkers:
Promarkers: Ivory, Blush (skin), Caramel (hair); Flexmarkers: Sorbet, Wild Orchid (clothing) and I then cut out the image using Spellbinders Grand Scalloped Ovals, shading the edges with Spun Sugar distress ink.


I cut a card blank using Grand Labels 23 and then using a paper from stash, I cut three  more pieces from the same die. Apologies for  not photographing the inside of the card, but I adhered one piece to the front and the other two to the inside, where I also added the stamped sentiment, which came with the stamp set.  

I then cut flowers in purple wool felt, using Flower Creations and Spiral Blossom One and added buttons and embroidery thread to the smaller blossoms. To complete, I added three tiny heart buttons, a Greeting (I think, from Craftwork Cards), some pink ribbon, tiny star gems and some Cosmic Twinkles on the icing and wings.
Thanks for stopping by, 
Carole X