Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon! Sunday 12th April 2015

Hello Friends,

It was good to catch up with all your blogs yesterday, after a week of no blogging or visiting! I was busy at work, it's that time of year when we have end of year statistics and plans to make for forthcoming events, but that's all good.

I was again so pleased to find that my butterfly corner bookmark had won a prize at the butterfly challenge as well!

I've hardly made any cards over the past few weeks, but I have been crafting: concentrating on two special projects that I can't share with you until Thursday. They took up all the time I had spare to craft but I am very pleased with them!

No crafting this weekend as we are out quite a lot, but that's not unusual as I rarely craft on a weekend. I was intending to be home on Monday, but I have to go into work for part of the day to catch up with my two Monday office ladies.

Anyway, I made this card a few weeks ago for a male friend of ours...

I used this cute House Mouse Gruffies stamp, coloured with Chameleon pens...

That's it for today, I will be back soon!

Thank you so much for stopping by,
Love and Hugs
Carole X

Foxy Fun - Tuesday 16th September 2014

Hello Friends,


A very quick post for me today, just squeezed in between getting home from work and starting to prepare the evening meal!

This card was made using Mr Fox, from Sam Poole's Woodland Creatures stamps and I was inspired for the design, by one of Sam's own cards.

I embossed the background with a leaf mask and inked it all over with Bundled Sage distress ink. I then inked through a trees mask on a separate piece of card, coloured it using  Antique Photo distress ink and cut the trees out. I then stuck them to the embossed card and added some Spellbinders leaves. 

Mr Fox is coloured with Promarkers and the little owl stamp is from a set of stamps I have had a very long time! To finish I added the sentiment from the Mr Fox set, some ribbon and candi.

I must be off now, catch you all tomorrow and thank you so much for stopping by!

Love and hugs,

Carole X

Vintage Bathing Belle (1) - Tuesday 4th June

Good Morning Friends,

Today I wanted to share a card with you that I made some time ago but hadn't blogged. I've been playing with this stamp again recently as we are using it in our workshop this week - not this card, I'll share that one with you on Thursday.

The stamp is by Crafty Individuals, which I have to say has become one of my favourite stamp designers over the past year. They are mostly very small and quite 'arty' and 'quirky', but they all seem to have endless possibilities!


When I made this one I was playing around with some 'paper engineering' ideas and decided to make a very simple pop up card.

 I stamped the beach huts on some glossy paper and then created the background using distress inks and gold cosmic shimmer mist for a mottled 'sandy' effect. I then stamped the bather with black archival and heat embossed with clear powder and coloured the parasol and pool of water with watered down distress ink. I also stamped and embossed the seagulls, sentiment and little shell.

Finally for the front I matted and layered on gold and teal card stock.

For the inside I stamped the bather again and added a hint of colour with distress ink and constructed the pop up by making a 'step' in the centre to add her to, finishing off with the sentiment, ribbon and a little silver shell  from my stash  box.

Thanks so much for stopping y and reading my blog, hope you like what you see!

Love and Hugs,
Carole X

In the Pink - Sunday 3rd March

Good Morning Friends!

I hope the sun shone for you wherever you were yesterday...it certainly did here and we were even able to enjoy watching the hens in the late afternoon sun, with a glass of wine whilst sitting on the garden bench!

Today is my March Design Team card for Fantastic Ribbons..our theme this month is Mother's Day...

  I chose papers from Tilda and Pink Petticoat..and some fuchsia satin ribbon from Fantastic Ribbons. I wanted the ribbon to be the focal point of the card and tied it in a criss-cross around the front panel, finishing off with a big double bow.

I also decided to make a small box with the left over card, tying it with a selection of ribbons..the fushcia, a pale pink satin and a white heart Grosgrain..all finished with an abundance of bows!

Friends, if you are looking for ribbon take a look at Fantastic Ribbons there a huge choice of gorgeous ribbons, buttons and wash tape.

Happy Sunday!

Love, Carole X

White Butterfly Card - Friday 1st March

Good Morning Friends,

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I really do appreciate it. I can't believe that it was Monday I last posted..I actually have quite a few cards to blog, I just haven't had time to write them up! Why does everything come at once? Amy and I are doing a one off workshop for a local community craft group next week, we have another workshop on Thursday and I have a craft fair on Saturday next week...I have had to turn down commissions because I just can fit them in!

This craft fair was going to be so well prepped...I would have a good selection of cards, a mini workshop for anyone who wanted to make something and some little felt bunny decorations..well I have a small supply of cards, no makes prepped and one bunny! Oops! I know one thing for sure, once the fair is over I am going to totally declutter this craft room because I can't find a thing!

I have managed to drop in and comment on most of your blogs this week and saw lots of lovely cards and makes...you all seem to be having a busy time too. I didn't show my desk on WOYWW this week though..I was way too ashamed of the state of it :)

So to my card...

This is a really simple little card made using Spellbinders Resplendent Rectangles - such a lovely die that I felt it would make a pretty stand-a-lone card. I nested the two largest dies and cut them to create the aperture in the centre. I also cut the largest die again to form the back of the card, but I actually mounted them on a small card blank. I  backed the aperture with some sparkly paper from my Desert Blooms pad and added  a lacey oval and butterfly from 'Wings of Hope'.

Guess what I have in pieces on my dining table?

It's a bad photo because I snapped it with my camera in artificial light, but yes folks it is my old GC.It is one of the first models and  they apparently had a defect that can cause the screws behind the handle to work their way out..well one was out (that was rattling around) and the other one fell out when I opened it. I wasn't happy with the state of the screws so we are going to look for some replacements at the weekend and then (fingers crossed I should be able to use it at classes! 

Thanks for stopping!

Love,

Carole X

Workshop photos - Sunday 14th October

Hello Blog Friends,

I hope you are having a super weekend everyone! Thanks for your comments on my sporadic posts this week, which has been a particularly busy one - but I did manage to get around most of your blogs and see all your lovely creations..apologise if in my rather too hurried blog hops, I left anyone out!

No card as such today, we had a workshop on Thursday and I had already posted the card we made..so apologies for a bit of repetition. Three ladies who normally come together, couldn't make it at the last minute and they were from my group, so I only had a small group this time - however, two of the ladies  were first timers and had never paper crafted before, so it worked out okay for them!

The card they made is this paper pieced NOEL card, using a stamp by Woodware.

It's not a difficult card, just a lot of cutting out and measuring for the matting and layering, but all the ladies made lovely cards and I think our first time crafters were very pleased with the results. The Dove paper pieced card is going to be used in a few weeks time  for a demo day we are doing at the Library where I work. Our local Council is dedicating a month to encouraging people to take up new activities (Myself and my volunteers had a very successful day encouraging new volunteers this week!) .The library is organising a Hobbies and craft day and we will be giving people the chance to make a card. We also did this last year and it was very successful.

Amy and I have one more class this year, in a few weeks time when will be making a card with Dreamweaver stencils. Then we will be taking  break until January, although we have next year's classes to plan of course!

Not so many photos this time, for some reason the rest of them didn't come out too well...I probably wasn't concentrating!

I still have more commissions to fulfil, but hopefully I'll get something made that I can post tomorrow. I'm awaiting the go ahead to post my next Fantastic Ribbons DT project (which I am really pleased with!) and keep watching because in the next few days I will be posting a photo of the candy I have gathered so far, to send to one of you lovely crafters when I get to 50 followers!

Thanks for stopping by,

Carole X

Patchwork Dove - Tuesday 2nd October

Good morning blog friends!

I promise today's post won't be a marathon like Sundays! I do want to say a big hello and thank you to my new follower, I am slowly edging to 50 followers and sending that Candi out to one of you lovely crafters!

On Sunday's post I mentioned that the Halloween card was made almost entirely using my Cricut and that provoked a few of you confessing to having one and not using  it much..well to tell you the truth I am no better! Last October I made some cards using the Halloween images cut with my Cricut and whilst I was doing that, I cut a load for my stash box, so some more of my Halloween cards will have Cricut die cuts, but I don't know if it's time or because there always seems to me so much pfaffing (is that a word?), I hardly ever use it - and there is Jiminy (how original) sat on my desk in front of me, along with his gypsy friend! At the moment, I need to get a new blade, so maybe when I actually get around to that, it will have a new lease of life! It's the little Cricut that they brought out first and just call it the cutting machine, no fancy name like Expression or Imagine, so I just had to name it!

Thanks to those who commented, I did actually reply to everyone of you who commented up to yesterday afternoon :)

So, to today's card....

This simple little Christmas card is made using the Woodware Patchwork Dove stamp. When Amy and I went to the Woodware Workshop day, we made a similar card with the Noel word stamp (which I showed on here a few weeks ago). I really quite like paper piecing, so when Amy has this stamp for sale in her shop, I decided to buy it. With these stamps, you literally stamp once on base card and then, with this one I stamped 6 more times on the patterned paper I wanted to use, cut out and pieced together. The dove is mat and layered in a square of Kraft card, which I embossed with a snowflake design and they coloured with gold ink.

To finish off I used Cosmic twinkles on the wings and body. It's just a simple little card, that is quick and fun to make.

Thank you so much for stopping by and following me on my crafty journey, crafty hugs to you all,
Carole X

Floral Bouquet - 2nd February

Morning!


I don't know what to call today's project...it's not a card, just a collection of little flowers I made last week and decided to make into a picture. There was no real thought behind it, but it is now on a shelf in my craft room and is rather pleasing to look at...it has certainly given me some inspiration in the type of flowers I am making for cards and other projects!

Where to start with the description? The leaves were all cut from my Matchmakers Brights pad and for most of them I used Spellbinders dies from various leaf sets...however...some were cut with the Cricut Storybook cartridge, which was very naughty of me because it is white core. It was hard to cut, because I couldn't get the pressure etc right and it tore the paper..and didn't do the blade any good either. But I needed the  flourishes and at present none of my Spellbinders dies are big enough.


All the flowers were made with Spellbinders dies: the big pink flower is the Peony die ...I just cut several different sized layers, secured them together with a brad and then crumpled it up. An easy flower. If I had wanted to I could have added inks or micas, but for this project I wanted to keep it simple (and I wasn't in a messy mood!).


Two of the felt flowers, the orange flower and the pink flower were all variations of  a rose, made with the Spiral Blossom One die and the white flower is created with a mix of blossoms from Flower Creations.The large red felt flower was a little more complex....
I cut three layers from the lovely Anemone Flower Topper and then added the centre by just rolling a strip of red felt. For all the felt flowers I used Cosmic Shimmer acrylic glue. It grabs the materials for glueing really quickly and dries absolutely clear. This glue and Pinflair are the only glues I use.


When I look at this particular flower now, I think that in yellow, with orange for the bugle, it would make a gorgeous daffodil, so I'm going to give this a try.


I think I will just call this an exercise.. would be a good one for a workshop, I will keep that in mind!
All the best,
Carole X

January 2012

Hello Bloggers! I hope it's not too late to wish you a Happy New Year! Despite all my plans to make lots of cards in the 2 week post Christmas break I have had from work, I only finally got around to making some on Tuesday! That also happens to coincide with the day that my husband Tom went back to work. Even then, it wasn't a chance to play with new Spellbinder dies and some stamps because I had some orders to fulfill. Oh well, it was still card making and I did manage to incorporate some of my new items!

On Wednesday, I managed to make some stock cards - I have been asked for more wedding, plus acceptance and regret so those are what I have been mostly making, so I will share an example with you...


Firstly however, one of a series of different cards I have made using this really cute stamp that was free with Craft Stamper Magazine that I bought before Christmas. You may know that we keep a few hens as pets and I love these funny little creatures, so if I see something with hens on, I want it!


Cock-a-doodle-doo!I stamped the image with Memento Ink and coloured it with Promarkers. I then cut the image out using a Spellbinders Labels Four  Small die and mounted it on a 6x6 card that I had covered with Polkadot paper from stash. I faux stitched around the edge of the card using my Tim Holz ruler and a white Gelly Roll pen. I cut the flower in felt on my Grand Calibur using the Flowe Creations die. This was one of my Christmas presents and it is really useful. I then added a red button, threaded with Bakers Twine. Across the top I took some red vintage ribbon and ruched it.  A really simple card and I hope you like it...it's good for a whole number of occasions really or just to say 'hello'.

Darn these dark days when you have to use flash to take a photo and you still get shadows..so apologies for this photo.


White Wedding For this one I used a Creative Expressions mask and used it to emboss in the Grand Calibur. It's hard to see, but I have added Cosmic Shimmer Pearl PVA dots, using the embossed card to form the pattern. I then simply typed  the greeting and cut it out using the  heart circles die, which I cut in 2 sizes and again added cosmic shimmer pearls at intervals. I used to be really scared to use this effect, but practice makes...you much more confident!


That's all for now, I'll be back soon, 
Carole x


January 14th


I have two pieces of work to add tonight and what a struggle it's been uploading them! For some reason when I try and upload from iPhoto today, blogger isn't recognising my last imported photos...I had to go the long way round through my files and I still haven't found the one I really wanted to upload...oh well...maybe tomorrow!

Lola Rose 18th This is a  fun 18th Birthday created on an 8x8 card blank. I mounted a pink textured card on the front and cut the '18' with my Cricut in the same pink, with a white shadow. Using Spellbinders Grand Scalloped Rectangles, I cut one in pink glitter and one in white and I shaded the white card with Spun Sugar distress ink.


The image is a Pink Petticoat, Lola Rose digital stamp, coloured with Promarkers and finished with Cosmic Shimmer 'Cosmic Twinkles' on the cake icing. I cut out the image and used sticky fixers to secure it to the die cut shape.


I typed the greeting and cut it out with a Spellbinders Lacey Ovals die, which was also distressed on the edges with Spun Sugar. The card was finished off with ribbon tied through the sentiment and around the number.

Vintage Tag
This tag is part of an as yet unfinished card project, but it took so long to make that I wanted to share it with you.


I cut the shape on Chipboard (it's Spellbinders Labels One Small). It was just a little too thick for my Grand Calibur, so I actually drew the shape from the die and cut it out. I then printed some dressmakers dummy backing paper from the My Craft Studio (MCS) Fabulous Fifties programme and covered the shape with it, distressing the edges quite heavily with Tea Dye distress ink. I punched a metallic eyelet through the top centre and threaded off-white vintage ribbon through, tying it in a bow. On top of this I added a button from stash, tied with a little string bow.


The fifties dress is an image printed from the same MCS programme and although it doesn't show in the photo, the skirt is decoupaged to add a little dimension.


I used brown vintage ribbon along the bottom part of the shape,ruching it to add more dimension. Finally the flower.. I was really pleased with the flower!


Now and then, rummaging in secondhand book shops/charity shops I will buy a cheap, old book with thin paper for the pages. After making sure that I am not destroying a priceless first edition (:D), I use the pages to make vintage flowers.  I cut this one using the Spellbinders Flower Creations die and before constructing the flower, I added Tea Dye distress ink unevenly over the petals. I used five layers for this one (and the added bonus is that with thin paper you can die cut quite a few in one go) and put a glittery metallic brad through the centre to hold them together. I used a bone folder to curl the petals, but with paper this thin they almost curl themselves. I finished it off with thin silk ribbon behind the flower and added some little faux pearls.


It's not often that I get the chance to work on a card like this and I haven't made a tag for a long time.. note for 2012..more tags...maybe I'll get a chance to start those ATC cards yet!
That's it for tonight...hope you like them,
Carole xx

Christmas Designs Preview 2011

I have decided to create a separate blog post for Christmas cards...hope you like them! 
Some, made with Spellbinders Dies or House Mouse stamps, were also featured on my July blog...so if you wish to see how they were made, please refer back. These are just a few of the designs, there are others in July!!!
 I have now given them titles for easy reference:
White Christmas

The Holly & The Snowflake! 

Eaten too much! 

Merry Berry Mouse

close up from above card

Golden Globes

Windy Winter Day: This card in reality is large (A4), but it could be made to any size. The girl is an image from Polkadoodles Paper Boutique, Creative Christmas CD and I covered each part of her clothing with felt. It's a really 'touchy-feely' card. She is set on a white glitter background and finished off with polkadot ribbon. A fun card, especially for a little girl.

More to follow later....soon

October 30th 2011

For my main blog today, please see the October page, but here are a few more Christmas cards..

The first one was made by first of all embossing the front of the card, using a snowflake die and using my Cuttlebug, using the debossed side. I made 2 poinsettias using Spellbinders dies and the Grand Calibur (I love these dies) and finished it off with a greeting and some deep red sheer ribbon.

 I have made quite a few Christmas cards using the Me to You cd... I printed this one and they cut it out with the Picot Edge Circle Spellbinders die, which is ideal for feeding ribbon through! The card was backed with paper from the cd.

This one is a bit of fun for a dog lover! I covered the 8x8 card with red card from stash; matted and layered the photo (from Joanna Sheen's Furry Friends cd) on silver metallic card, leaving just a narrow edge and finished it off with a swirly shapeabilities die, from the 'Fancilful Holidays' set and the 2010 Spellbinders ornaments set. I added a plain satin ribbon, polka dot ribbon and a button...cute!

That's all for now folks x

November 13th 

I have been so busy making Christmas cards for orders, that I haven't even started my own yet..which is very worrying! But I wanted to share a few cards with you from my library, and these are cards are made using my own art, which because I am so busy making the cards, I don't get much chance to do lately.. 

 I am not good at drawing from imagination - I need a photo or some other inspiration and I think this was a Christmas ornament that I sketched. I did this is the days before using Promarkers was the preferred colouring medium, so I used watercolours.

This was sketched from a  Primitive folk art picture (I love Prim art) and again watercoloured. I did several paintings similar to this one.
























                                                                         


Finally, this is a photo I took at Batsford Arboretum in the Cotswolds, on a spring day a few years ago. He was a very willing little fellow and I took quite a few photos, so decided to put them on my Christmas cards that year... I think next year may be time to bring him out again.


I haven't explained how I made these cards as they are all 6x6 and very simple makes...even made before I got my Calibur and Cricut!

August 2011

Hi all, I have been busy these last few weeks trying to get some cards made for my cousin to try and sell at her fundraiser for Cancer Research in a few weeks and it's also been a busy time with family birthdays...and I'm also still determined to get my Christmas cards made!
 I am quite excited to read on her blog that my  'crafting idol' Sue Wilson is soon to bring out her first crafting DVD...oh wow! 

You know how much of a Promarker fan I am? Well Nikky Hall and Martyn Parker simply talked me into trying Letraset's new FlexMarkers on Create and Craft last week...can't wait for them to arrive and share with you my thoughts on them!


Here are a few of my cards to share with you so far...


The first one is my 'grunge bag'! I cut the shape for the bag using my Cricut Storybook cartridge, first on plain white card and then on Tim Holz/coredinations card (antique linen), I sanded it and then stamped the birds. I used brown polka dot paper from stash to cover the bottom of the bag. The 'thank you' was stamped on to a die from the Spellbinders Parisien accents set and the flowers were made from the anemone spellbinders die and flowers/leaves from cricut cartridges. They were curled, sanded and I added a hint of glitter. The card is finished off with a rusty wire handle. This card took a while but it was a joy to make!

This was a simple card made from acetate. I have to confess the paper was from my stash, but it was printed from one of my CDs...I will revisit when and add which one when I have found it!
The flowers and tags were made using punches and the card was finished off with a brad and some ribbon.

I am very fond of Tatty Button and how different colourways work so well. This was made using a deep fucshia coredinations card. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the border and threaded matching silk ribbon through. Tatty was coloured with Promarkers (of course) and the flower was again made by stamping, colouring and cutting out several umberellas from Tatty's 'worker' stamp set.

A new House Mouse stamp to play with! They are just irresistible! Need I say he was coloured with Promarkers, after being stamped in to a deckled oval spellbinders die? The edges were accented with tea rose distress ink.I used a hole punch to make the circle for the easel card to rest on and decorated with polka dot ribbon and buttons from stash. 

This is Tatty Button's little mouse pal, Pip. Again stamped on a deckled oval die, which is inked very subtley at the edges with Spun Sugar distrss ink. I used paper from stash and polka dot ribbon in translucent brown finish it off, together with punched flowers and brads

One last card for now...my first from the Tatty Teddy, Me to You CD I just bought. I decided to buy this one for two reasons...I do like this little bear and I hope he will sell well at fairs, but its the first CD that has been made available that works properly on a MAC!!! You can access the files on most of the others, but I usually revert to my laptop for interaction...this one interacts all the way on my Mac..wonderful! This is one of the digistamp images, which I coloured...the image was printed on to Nenah white card and cut with the deckled oval die...just a simple, fun ca




Friday 26th August
More cards will be added in September; we've been on holiday - a 'staycation' which was absolutely fabulous.. London, Alfie Boe in Les Mis, Tracey Emin exhibition, followed by a host of other arty type trips closer to home: Oxford and the Ashmolean, Bath and the Holbourne (Peter Blake's Museum for Me exhibition was superb) and just exploring our Cotswold countryside. It's sometimes nice just to spend time in the beautiful surroundings on your 'doorstep' so to speak.

I have already started to think about some scrapbook pages from the holiday and will post them eventually! I came home to a lot of orders for cards, so that has put a temporary halt to my Christmas cards, just as I was getting into the swing of it. We have a holiday again in a few weeks, this time off to Italy, so I had better get moving!


It's going to be a card making day today as no work, but I am very excited about the POTW on Create and Craft, because it's Spellbinders! My Christmas present sorted! I am also excited about receiving Sue Wilson's DVD...can't wait!