Monday, November 29, 2010

Recycled Postage Stamps

I cannot discard a beautiful postage stamp, and most of my friends know that and keep theirs for me. The first card uses Christmas stamps from the U.K. I floated the stamps off in a saucer of water, let them dry and mounted them on dark blue card stock, then silver and finally onto the main card. Added a peel off greeting and a beautiful, simple card ready for posting.

The second card is a selection of South African stamps featuring fish in our waters. Beautiful colours. This kind of card is ideal to use for a male's birthday/greeting card. We all know how difficult it is to make those cards!

Using stamps, you can generally find a selection that will suit the occasion and or the recipient.

Don't throw them away - recycle.......

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Oriental Look

Here I used scraps of paper I had in the stash. The first card I mounted the scraps onto a red square and used a peel off for the centre block. Added some coloured cord  on the side.
The second card, I used recycled gift wrap and made up an iris folded square, used peel offs again and some bling on the side!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Fabric on Cards

I raided my patchwork stash and found these lovely little bits of fabric which would be ideal for cards for someone with this interest.
I cut out the little pieces and glued them straight onto the card, added peel-offs for the sentiment, a few small buttons and simple, quick cards ready for use.
Do look at your fabric stash - heaps of lovely designs are in there..........

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Recycled/No Stamps Cards 1

I was asked by my friend Maureen, to help her get some ideas for cards together, to show her quilting/beading group, that cards need not be that complicated and you don't need R1,000's (??) worth of stash, to get a card together. Considering that years ago I made cards with only one stamp and a coloured stamp pad, it was the best exercise and excuse to revisit all these wonderful ideas! I had a ball and could not stop producing these cards.
None of the ladies own a stamp or stamp pad, but can print out sentiments on the computer and there are always the peel-offs available.
The top two cards were made from pictures that appeared on our Mass leaflets. After reading them every week, I cut out the picture on the front and add them to my stash. Wonderful for a fellow christian that needs a card for whatever reason. The bottom left is recycled Christmas gift wrap turned into and Iris folding design. Next to it is a recycled tea bag..... yes, that's correct... not the best picture, see below for close up. The tea bag is dried and slit at the back and the leaves emptied. I then used glass liners and squiggled a tree and added bling with glitter glue!
Stay tuned for more inspiration......

Monday, November 22, 2010

Using up.....

 I have been coming across partially completed all sorts in my stash and have had a ball clearing them out, mostly by using them all up in cards.
Both these cards had minimum amount of work left to get them completed. Just to select backgrounds, a little stamping and assembling and I have another two cards to add to the pile!
There are an awful lot of birthdays in December, so these will come in handy.


Now to get my mind around Christmas cards - hmmmmmmmmmm.... no stash - so it is back to the drawing board.....






Moz Bearz

Just to let you know that I have created a tab that will link to my bears.
I will be showcasing my bears on this page and will at a later date, add another page with the title Moz Bearz For Adoption!
I'm very excited about this, as I have longed to place my bears up for adoption, but have had rather bad experiences placing them in shops on consignment. This way, they get to stay with me, until we have agreed on a suitable new home for each of my babies!
Will keep you posted.......
Hugz

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Orange Bouquet

Go back a couple of posts and there is another card with the same bouquet. I love how this one turned out - I think it is the orange, or perhaps that I shaded the flowers with more intensity??
I used the big scalloped circles nestie for this one and underlay a doily for interest. Mounted onto some very understated dp, a few pearls and a butterfly pull it all together.....

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Tiffany Doodles Digi

I really love the combination of birds and flowers and this digi appealed to me. I Coloured it with Copic's and 'fussy' cut them out. I had this embossed background in my stash and thought that it would look good with the bird and flowers. I rounded just one corner top and bottom and mounted it onto a green card base and added a couple of pearls. The sentiment was cut out with a SU tag punch and a few micro tiny pearls were placed to one side.
Pretty.....

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Pink Bouquet

This was one of those cards, that all I had to do was stamp the sentiment, as everything else was already stamped, cut out etc.
The bouquet stamp is one I have had for ever. In the 'old' days I used to stamp and emboss in gold and then colour in. Somehow, there was not impact and because of that, the stamp was side lined. This time around, I stamped with Memento Black and coloured with my Copic's. What an improvement! I had 'fussy' cut the image out and placed it in my ready to go box. I had the pink square card in my stash, and hooked a piece of paper out of the W&M pads I bought and attached it. I found these awesome heart doilies at our local 'they have got everything kind of store - Denson's' and used that on top of the butterfly paper. Even the flourished tags were waiting for me as were the butterflies. I think a little bit of Stickles glue would look good on this, so will add some.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Dozens of Daisies

I stamped off several colour combo's of this Hero Arts Clings stamp I bought from Niki Zip (Paperchain). I inked up the stamp using Memento Dew Drops and using the Fiskers Stamp Press (which I have had for years and never used!!) stamped onto cardstock, trimmed, mounted onto coloured card that had been punched with a EK Success border punch, a bit of ribbon and paper flowers and finished the card off with the Paper Inspiration stamp Birthday Joy Calligraphy stamp, also from Niki.
They came together in a blink!
Thanks for the visit.
Hugz







Saturday, November 13, 2010

Folded Poppy Card

 This is such an easy folded card, ideally suited when you have several messages you would like to insert, or perhaps lots of people who need to sign the card. I have not yet inserted sentiments/verses - was just too excited to share this card and no extra postage required as it fits into the standard 22cm x 11cm envelope!

Cut 28cm x 9cm card. Fold a front panel at 7cm. Cut another piece 21cm x 9cm.  Fold a front panel at 7cm. Slip this piece into the first card and glue the two 7cm pieces together. You will then have the tri-fold card. Decorate as you desire.
Enjoy!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Lovely Dahlia's follow on

Following on from the last post, I used up bits left over from a trial run of a project. The background was stamped using Memento Cocoa and masking the flowers. I also used Copic's to colour and 3D'd the flower, added a tag with a sentiment and some pearls.
Really great to use up all the leftovers.....

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Lovely Dahlia's

Before I start working on a new swap, I normally put together all my options, make up samples and then decided what I want to go with. The last project caught me in a rather rebellious mood. Rather than conform with the 'expected' - as per this card - I went totally OTT. But that is another story......
I decided to use up my samples in cards and this is one. I stamped the background onto the light orange background using Versamark Watermark, masking the flowers, until I had filled the background. I then stamped off the flower using Memento Cocoa, coloured with Copic's and cut out. The flower is 3D'd. I cut up a doily and placed it into the corner, mounted the flower and leaves with foam squares and added my favorite sentiment on a nestie label.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Tea Goddess ATC

I have just finished a project and had some bitties left over, so I thought I would put together a couple of ATC's, which I have not made in a long while...... crazy, because I love them!
The background was made using Acrylic paint daubers and a flourish stamp. The stamp of the 'goddess' was a bargain bin special I picked up web shopping some time ago. She is actually perched on top of this awesome cream cake which is on a cake stand - unfortunately I had to cut off the stands legs to fit the ATC. She was coloured using Copic's. The icing was glittered and micro beads were added for effect. She was mounted using foam squares and bits of flourishes were added for colour.
I will show you the project when I receive the swap back.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Embossed Resist Card

This was and experiment and I decided to turn it into a card. I used the Unity Feel the Joy set, stamped onto white card stock and embossed with clear ep. I then worked Momento Cantelope with a sponge around the card and highlighted the flowers with a lovely soft orange from a mixed Brilliance pad. The flower was also an newbie - you weave organza ribbon up and under spokes on a circular card base, twisting as you go. A bit of bling in the centre and a flourish finished it off. Have still to add the sentiment.
Thanks for the visit!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Magnetic Photo Board

This magnetic photo board was made for a 25th Wedding Anniversary gift. I do not know the recipient, but was asked to keep the frame dark to fit in with her colour scheme. I decided to keep it rather understated bling wise so added a couple of old gold butterflies and several buttons from my Gran's button jar. Long may this stash last - there are the most amazing buttons in there! I added some pearls and ribbon, with a hint of bling, to the plain off-white buttons. The 'wash line' was adorned with old gold hearts and black and gold pegs on a black velvet zig zag ribbon, with a lovely cross in the centre. Sylvia was delighted with it and will be giving it to her daughter and husband in November for their anniversary.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Wedding Invitations

I have been asked to make wedding invitations for a colleague at work. Having just learnt how to make those lovely scrunched flowers, I immediately made a couple in lovely shimmery paper and could not resist sticking it onto this trial run card. Whilst this is far removed what they settled on, I thought I just had to share the prettiness of it all!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Two Needles Socks

 A few posts back I mentioned that I just had to try my hand at knitting socks on two needles, although I am a four needle fan. It was an interesting experience, but I think I will stay with my four needles, until my new book by Cat Bordhi arrives and I can try knitting socks using a new method. The pattern you follow in this book is unique to each person, as you draw around the foot onto cardboard and cut this out, and that is the pattern you follow. So you get a perfect fit. This will be great for my husband as he has large broad feet and in 30 years he has never been happy with socks I have knitted. So, one more try and then I will have exhausted all avenues in the 'big feet socks' arena.
Back to the two needled version. For someone who has never knitted socks before, this is great. The pattern is easy to follow and all you really need to know is how to sew a flat seam when joining them up. I found the joining tedious as I am accustomed to only sewing in loose threads top and bottom. The toes are joined using Kitchener stitch so they are actually grafted together. The photo below makes the socks look a little out of proportion, but that is because I chose to rib all the way down to the foot shaping as I was knitting in cotton and it is known to stretch. They feel fantastic on - soft and snugly and being cotton just right for the cooler summer days when you need socks for comfort not warmth.
All in all, a great exercise - glad I tried it and if I need to teach someone sometime, I'll start with this pattern.

Thanks so much for the visit and have a fantastic week!