Patchwork card... made easy!

Ive seen alot of these cards around recently and liked the look, although the thought of pulling out my sewing machine and threading the darned beast up just to sew on cardstock was beyond me! Heres my effort, the cheats way!

Ive turned the patchwork on its side and using a pricking tool and my white gel pen just addes Faux Stitching... I think it works.. The patchwork was glued onto a separate piece of scrap card with some pencilled guide lines then I trimmed to size after gluing all the squares...

I sponged a little green around the sentiment panel, just to make it stand out a little more. Little bit of ribbon and some sticky pearls...

What do you think?

Recipe.
Cardstock: SU! Kraft Whisper White and Rose Red.
Ink: Rose Red and Old Olive.
Patterned paper: All SU! Offcuts.
Ribbon from SU! Pearls from stash.

Again please leave a comment or just tick in a box below!!!

TTFN

C xx

Best Offer EVER!!

Want to snag the bargain of the year?  Stampin' Up!  is offering an opportunity to get over $310 of product for $87.50!!!  Yep you heard me!!  I am amazed at this offer!

(SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW POSTS..... WAAAAAAY DOWN!!!)

"Demonstrator Starter Kit for 50 percent off! November 15-30, 2010"

What do you call it when you get over $310 in crafting and business supplies for only $87.50?  You call it an amazing deal, but we are calling it an amazing opportunity!  From November 15-30, you can purchase either our Standard or Digital+ Starter Kits at 50 percent off the regular retail price of $175 (plus free shipping!)...

Thats great I hear you say, but me... A Demonstrator?  Well, theres many different types of Demonstrator, the beauty of Stampin' Up! is that YOU make it what YOU want.  Its your business, you decide!
Have you been thinking about the My Digital Studio Software?  Well, look at the amazing extras you can get for just $7.55 more than the individual price of just the software!

The Digital+ Starter Kit (valued at over $320) includes;  

• My digital studio software
• 2 wood mount stamp sets
• 1 clear-mount set with clear block
• 2 cardstock packs
• 4 classic ink pads
• 2 stampin write markers
• buttons
• ribbon
• stampin dimensionals
• stampin scrub and mist
• mini glue dots
• SNAIL adhesive
• Decor Elements piece with applicator
• 8 catalogs, business supplies, forms and tools.

Our Standard kit (valued at over $310) includes;

• 3 wood mount stamp sets
• 1 clear-mount set with clear block
• 1 Stampin' Around wheel with ink cartridge and handle
• 1 ink refill
• 2 cardstock packs
• 1 Patterns Designer Series paper stack
• 4 classic ink pads
• 1 VersaMark ink pad
• 2 Stampin' Write Markers
• ribbon
• Stampin' Dimensionals
• stampin scrub and mist
• stamping sponge
• SNAIL Adhesive
• Blender pen
• Decor Elements piece with applicator
• 8 catalogs, business supplies, forms and tools.

If you need advice, just contact me... Im happy to explain anything and answer all your questions.... NO PRESSURE!  Even if you are not interested in becoming a demo...  you should take advantage of these amazing offers... but hurry!  Offer ends Nov 30th!!

TTFN
C xx

2yr old Birthday card...

Im posting this hoping that the recipients mother doesnt see my blog... So far I think Im ok... This was another of my Commission cards... This time the brief was to make a Birthday Card for a 2 yr old Boy...

So I thought, bright colours, a truck, ballons and presents... What more would a 2 yr old boy want!?? I had fun with this one. Stamped with StazOn and coloured with my blender pens and SU ink. I lifted one of the baloons, and the presents on 3d foam and then decided that the card still needed a little Oomph... I used some 3d gloss, (Crystal Effects or Glossy Accents are two really good ones if youre shopping) and filled in the blue balloon, the red number 2 and the hub caps of the truck. (The number was cut out with a cuttlebug alphabet/number die using my big-shot. I cut out a red and a blue and layered the blue underneath to look like a shadow. The photo doesnt show it very well but I also did some sponging on the background and theres little fluffy clouds too! This was just done with some bashful blue ink and a scallop circle punch-out.

Again I remembered to decorate the inside with some strips of coloured cardstock.

What do you think?

Recipe
All products SU! Except red ribbon and 3d gloss.

Commission Cards!

Well, how excited was I last week when I was asked to make some cards for a paying customer!!! My First Commission!!! The process was actually harder than I thought it would be... I usually work from an idea I get from anywhere, clothes, fabrics, home decor, magazines... then I sketch out my ideas and get working. Hardly ever do the cards end up looking the way I thought they would at the start. So, working to a strict brief of likes and dislikes was more challenging...

The first card was quite easy... My brief was Betsey Johnson (the fashion designer) and vintage jewellery... I found this gorgeous Betsey Johnson dress and the ideas started to flow....

A close-up of the detail....

This is the box I had to make for the card... Cute HUH?

Heres the card... I LOVE IT!!

Ive often tried the vintage 'collage' look on cards and cant seem to quite pull it off, I cant deal with the dishevelled, random, placement of trinkets and lace etc.... I love the look, but I cant do it. I have to have things simple, elegant and overall STRAIGHT! (Ask my friends. Im not quite as bad as I used to be... Before becoming an SU! Demo my favourite tool was my trusty ruler! YES! I would measure EVERYTHING to make sure it was centred and straight... Just a little anal huh? Im not so bad now, but I can still walk in a room and tell you which pictures hanging on the wall are not straight.) I think this is a happy compromise... what do you think?

Heres a close-up of the gorgeous flower detail... I lurve making these now... And the lace is a new fave too!!

So lastly a photo of the card and box together. The box was needed as the card was going in the post and wouldnt fit in a standard envelope. Im sooooo proud of this project. Oh yes, the customer was more than happy too! YAY!

Recipe.
Card...
Cardstock: SU! Pixie Pink, Basic Black, Very Vanilla.
Ink: SU! Basic Black and Pixie Pink
Stamps: SU! Frames with a Flourish and Happy birthday from stash...
Cuttlebug embossing Folder "Textile" (Folder brayered with black ink before running through Big-Shot) Flower detail-circles punched with SU! scallop circle punch. Button and pink pearls from stash. Lace made with Martha Stewart Punch.
Box...
Cardstock: SU! Very Vanilla, Pixie Pink, and Basic Black.
Ink: Basic Black & Pixie Pink.
Stamp: SU! Best Yet.
SU! Pink Taffetta Ribbon. Martha Stewart Punch for lace. SU! Small Oval and Scalloped Oval Punches.

I will share the other two commission cards soon...!

Enjoy!

C xx

Book of love...

A really quick post today...
My daughter (who will cringe if she sees this post!) is at that certain age... Ive noticed shes doing her hair every morning, cant wait to get to school, and theres some scribbled heart shapes with initials inside on her school folder... I decided to make her a little scrapbook so she could put 'whatever' inside and no-one would look in it.

Heres what I came up with...

Its a little 4x4" scrapbook made by cutting several pieces of cardstock measuring 4x8", scored at 4", and gluing the pages back to back to make the inside. The cover was made by cutting a piece 4x8 1/4", scoring at 4 and 4 1/4". The extra 1/4" allows for the bulk of the pages. This it glued to the front and back pages. The inside is decorated too but I promised not to look inside anymore so I cant show you!!!

The box is just made 1/4" bigger all round, and the lid 1/8" bigger than the base. Hope that makes sense...

The gorgeous papers came free with a magazine! Hard to believe but they did!!! Ive had them in my stash for over a year, but the pink, flocking and glittering screamed my daughters name! The letters came free too! And the glittered chipboard flower!! AND the thin ribbon!!! Black cardstock from SU! Pink Taffetta Ribbon from SU! Ink from colourbox. "Lace" made from SU! Very Vanilla Cardstock and Martha Stewart Punch. The flower was made from SU! patterned paper and the scallop circle punch.

Anyone interested in a tutorial for making the flowers or the lace? Let me know!!!

More posts to come... I got my first commission! I have to check with the comission-ee before posting cards on here... IYKNWIM!!

Enjoy.
C xx

Colour!

Remember my resolution to use more colour....? Well heres another of those cards. I was aiming for a male card but im not sure I pulled it off.


The colours are very male but what do you think of the finished card? I stamped the main image onto the card blank then again onto another piece of white, then I cut the centre of the medallion out. Next I covered the whole centre with VersaMark ink and sprinkled with clear embossing powder which I then heat set... I love the medallion stamp its nice and big and fills a card on its own...

I need your opinions on this one people! Is it still too feminine? Would it work for a man? Why do we cardmakers have such a hard time making 'men' cards?

Recipe: All SU!
Whisper white, tempting turquoise, basic black cardstock.
Tempting turquoise ink.
Medallion background stamp.
Versamark & SU! Clear Embossing powder.
Stampin Dimensionals, square scallop punch, paper piercer, rhinestone brad.

TTFN

C xx

Craft Monster!

In the long, long, looooong week between Christmas and New Years my daughter left a little message for me on a note pad... Can you make a box lid for me? There were some measurements and a little heart.. Cute! "Ill do it when I craft next honey... Im trying to think of 1,000 ways to cook with leftover turkey at the moment!"

Well, a few days later I was subtly reminded. She asked me for some pink card... I told her to take it from the scrap bag and she handed it to me and asked me to make the box lid. I did, then she told me to go away! I did!! (shes scary!) Other than the bits with sharp instruments involved this is what she made... Before & after photos...

It fits a treat, nice and tight, so no need to glue it on. And (as she pointed out to me) we can take it with us when we move!!!

Ive created a creative monster! ARGH! I have visions of 'Elbows at Dawn' poised and ready to fight over the craft mat and the trimmer... AHA! BUT - Only I know where the heat gun lives!!!!

Anyway enough early morning ramblings from me (Sorry - Im typing this pre-caffeine today!) Im off now to walk the dog in thick fog. Ooo. That rhymes. Boy do I need caffeine...?

TTFN

C xx

New Year, New Colours!

Well, for me anyway! I rarely make New-Years resolutions but this year I made a crafting one... To use colour.... More of it, and using colours I havnt used in a while! Heres the first one.

This card has a 'recessed window'. I didnt think of the idea, I got it from Splitcoast Stampers, but the instructions were for a square card and window, so I changed it up and offset the window in a regular sized card. I also did some colouring with my SU! Markers and a blender pen...


Papers are from SU! Tea & Crumpets DSP, card is Kraft. Inks are SU! Markers.

Heres a link to the tutorial for the recessed window....

Top 10 Countdown... Part 2..

As promised, heres the last 5 projects...

Number 5.
Really two techniques here or even three! : 1) Two-step stamping. 2) Decoupage (cutting out and sticking back on!) 3) Paper Piercing - Ideal for a simple border.

Number 4.
Bling!!

Number 3.
Watercolouring. This was all done with the SU! Markers and a watercolour brush pen...

Number 2.
Not really a technique but an essential in my book... A sense of humour. The story behind this was... I was completing a challenge on ILWS, the category was 'Anything Goes'. The Mod (Rachel) stated 'Anything, as long as its not Santa doing the Hula'. Well I had to... Didnt I?

Number 1.
The technique is to use stamps another way... (Roses at Christmas?) I wasnt too sure of this after I made it but got some lovely comments and it has now become my favourite card of the year... Unfortunately I posted it to a lovely lady for Christmas and will have to make another one to keep for myself!!!

I hope you have enjoyed my top 10 list. I feel like a DJ! (Now then, Now then Pop-Pickers!!!) PLEASE leave some comments and tell me your fave techniques and projects. I may even feature your picks in upcoming posts...

Wishing you all A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2010.

Thanks for visiting, TTFN!

C xx

Top 10 Countdown, Part 1...

Well, I thought I would do a countdown of my favourite cards & techniques from last years blog posts. Heres part 1... (10 thru 6)

Number 10.
Shaped cards... I love to do these when I have the time...

Number 9.
3d projects, boxes, bags n stuff. Makes a gift really special...

Number 8.
Layering. I loved doing this card for Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. It was so simple to just layer and collage the papers. I like the effect. Definately one I will use again.

Number 7.
Sponging. I have now got a set of SU! Sponges and I have to say its soooo much easier now... Right tools for the right job!!

Number 6.
Not the box, but the flowers! Gorgeous! Mental note... MAKE MORE OF THESE!...

Tomorrow I will finish my top 10 faves of the year so come back soon!!!
TTFN

C xx