Thursday, June 30, 2011

Wedding Tag Card

Carrying on with the request for Wedding and Engagement cards I made this tag card.
Using a couple of co-ordinating Fab Scraps dp I attached a piece of the one to a background board. I then just measured the size I wanted the tag holder to be and cut off the section for the front of the holder and glued it back, face up after scalloping the edge with a MS punch. The Tag is cut from the Spellbinders Labels Ten, distressed with Tattered Rose Distress Ink Pad, and punched for the ribbon topper. A tiny tag with 'best wishes' was attached together with a blinged up rose. Tiny pearls were glued under the scallop indentations on the tag front.I also found a card with these gold sticker 'rings' and thought they just added enough to the ensemble for people to know it was a wedding card. 

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Baby Fairy

Isn't she just so adorable? This is Baby Fairy Flora from Mo's Digital Pencil. I coloured her using Copics and touched here and there with a Sakura Gelly Roll Clear Star pen I bought from Niki at Paperchain.
I used a Cuttlebug Embossing Plus folder for the first time. Very impressed. Not only does it emboss, it cuts out at the same time saving a heap of time and stress about getting alignment right. The oval that came out of the middle is beautifully embossed and I can use it on another card. I cut the image out with a nestie oval and glued it into the aperture. Added some ribbon and ribbon daisies and a pasted a piece of lilac paper into the inside of the card so that the colour peeps through the die cuts. So pretty IRL.

Thanks for stopping in!



Sunday, June 26, 2011

Engagement Card

The gift shop I supply cards to has requested more wedding and engagement cards.
I was tickled with these adorable vintage images and just had to make a card using them.
I love that the 'single' birds were blue and pink and then they shared a 'cage' and it was a neutral colour.
 The layout was very simple so as to get the most out of the pictures.
I picked up this tip on my blog travels. If you have a paper crimper, insert the edge of the card and just give  a couple of turns and you end up with a lovely border around the card! I will certainly use this tip again.
I ran some seam binding under the pictures and tied very simple bows on either side adding a bit of pink ribbon for interest and also perhaps to say 'girls rule'?? Simple sentiment heat embossed using gold e.p.
Thanks for the visit.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Quick Fathers Day Cards 2011




All the above cards were put together using designer paper and  computer generated sentiments.
Nothing out of the ordinary regarding the assembling.
Thanks for the visit.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Father's Day 2011

Happy Father's Day to any Dad's who may read this post!
I am blessed to still have my Dad and we enjoy a very special relationship. I don't see him as often as I would like, but talk often on the phone. We need to get Skype sorted as that is such a lovely way to stay in touch.
I'm into tags, yes, way behind everyone else! This manila tag was swiped with Distress Stains in Peeled Paint, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo, spritzed and 'worked' till I was happy with it.
The edges were distressed and treated to Walnut Stain using the pads and applicator. I tore the bottom edge off at an angle before treating the edges.
The stamps are from the Darkroom Door set called Vintage Automobile, stamped using Memento Rich Cocoa.
I used the same dp on this card that was on my son's birthday card, but darkened it with Vintage Photo pad and mounted it onto a natural colour card stock. Before doing this I wrapped some twine around it and threaded it through a button.
I was surprised how quickly this came together and realise is you have an idea to work towards, or a design map, it really is painless.
I'm learning.......

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Flower Soft

I was asked to make a few samples for a shop that is wanting to promote the Flower Soft products in stock as well as Martha Stewart round the page punches., both new in Pietermaritzburg and most people do not know how to use these products ~ yes we are way behind the rest of you guys!!
I first punched the edges using the Vintage Floral set from Martha Stewart.
I used a Hero Arts cling stamp I bought from Niki Zipp at Paperchain and I stamped it using Versafine Black ink and coloured the flowers using my water colour pencils, bearing in mind the colours of Flower Soft that I was going to use on top. I then covered the flowers with the Flower Soft glue and dabbed the Flower Soft onto this glue. I threaded ribbon through the loops and tied a bow at the base. Mounted onto white card and a coloured, stamped tiny tag with a bling filled the center. In hindsight, perhaps not the best place for the tag to be.....
I hope this helps people understand the concept of Flower Soft. I have several other samples I will post later.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Choc Wrapper

I needed to give a little thank you gift last week and what better than chocolate!
The wrapper is very easy to work out, just look at the pictures. I used an EK Success Bracket punch for the front bottom edge and ran a gold marker along the edge. The sentiment is from a SU set sent out to me by a friend in the States. It was stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa. The flower was made using the Sizzex Tim Holtz Alterations, Tattered Floral die. I used pages from an old book and some gold tissue paper. Mounted and held together with a gold star brad. The leaf is a punch I got from Paola ~ love this punch. All tied together with seam binding from Amelia.
The recipient loved the presentation and I am sure, the chocolate as well.



Such a lovely, quick way to say
Thank You!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Vintage Tag

As promised, here is the tag from the set Vintage Garden, featured in a previous post. I cased this tag from the article in the Craft Stamper. It was designed by Kim Costello, a very talented lady.
I started off with a manila tag and used Distress Stains Peeled Paint and Broken China, direct to tag and spritzed with water, heat dried it and carried on with this method till I was happy. I stamped the floral borders off the edge using black Versafine ink. A torn strip of dp was placed off center and was distressed and inked with Vintage Paper ink. The floral image was coloured using Derwent Inktense and Staedler Karat Aquarell pencils and a water wash. I cut it out with a Marriane die and mounted it onto the tag. Stamped Carte Postal ~ none to straight! ~ at the top threaded twine through the ring. Finally I placed a paper flower that I had made and crunched and sprayed with Glimmer Mist.
I just love this look and enjoyed using the stains and colouring using pencils. They are a lot softer and lend themselves to the vintage look.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Al's Birthday Card

My 'baby' turns 28 today. Where have the years gone?
Lovely warm, happy memories of this special son, growing into an amazing young man. I still see the gorgeous curly red headed baby with shiny 'apple' cheeks and huge brown eyes, when I look at him.....
I kept the card simple and out came the Kraft board, again....
Found a lovely pieces of dp for the bottom, topped it with a strip of ribbon, three toning buttons threaded with matching cord and a Hero Arts sentiment stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa finished it off.
Simple but suitable for man's card.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Vintage Garden

I am the lucky recipient of a birthday subscription, from a dear friend, to The Craft Stamper magazine and I wait with gleeful anticipation every month for it to land in my mailbox. A couple of months ago, there was an article on adapting a layout and using it for a card, or tag, or bookmark, by following the layout loosely. The stamp set used was from Stempelglede and called The Vintage Garden. I was smitten and just had to have it. Not an easy purchase as the distributor will not sell to South Africa, but I tracked it down, ha-ha.
It is a stunning set and I could not wait to play with it. I used my Derwent Inktense and Staedtler Karat Aquarell water colour pencils to colour this image. I love the softness of water colouring which suited this image perfectly. I also seized the opportunity to use my Ranger Stains from Niki at Paperchain and created the soft aqua green backgrounds. Lovely fun working with these stains. I cut the image out using a Nellie Snellen multi frame die from Joand at Country Crafts and mounted it onto my 'stained' background, cut out using a circle nestie and then onto a Lacy Circle die cut background. The tips within the Nellie Snellen die bend back and into that area I glued a bling with a bevelled back which nestled into the area perfectly. This turned into an round easel card beautifully and I am so chuffed with the stamps, I can see them becoming a firm favorite. I have also made a tag following the layout and will post that soon.
,

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Kraft Board & Paint Swatches

There seems to be a lean towards using more Kraft board in projects and I must say I personally love this look.
I wanted to do a few quick cards ~ behind with the birthday cards again ~ so a quick scan around the craft room and out came the Kraft board for starters. I had just received an awesome parcel from a dear friend in the States and in the parcel was a mound of paint swatches in all colours and sizes. I was blown away at the great selection of swatches available the the States. I hooked out several of these swatches and my MS lacy punch and got busy. I also used a swatch for the butterfly's and my new Marriane butterfly die from Country Crafts. Bits of ribbon from Paola, a PTI sentiment and a few dew drops pulled it all together.
It is not often I can get a card together so quickly, but this worked for me.
Another CAS card, or two.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

W.I.P. completed

At long last this project is complete.
It has taken a couple of years, mostly in the UFO cupboard, but I am happy with it. Far from perfect, as I have not done bead work or embroidery for several years. Unfortunately the photo does not do it justice. It is stunning IRL.
This design was screenprinted onto the suede like fabric and was designed by Hazel Blomkamp, as a bible cover. However, I wanted to turn it into a carry-all for my mass items. I really had to apply the 'loaves and fishes' approach to get it out of what fabric I had. Here too, I had not done any 'construction' work for ages and it was a hit and miss approach.


The inside I quilted onto a firm bag
lining fabric and fitted a pocket for bitties, a loop for my mini rosary and elastic straps to hold all the leaflets etc that I normally like to have with me.
I would like to change some things, but when I look at the rest of the UFO's waiting in the cupboard, I guess I can be lenient on myself and let it go. It is the Virgo trait to get something perfect - guess I need to work on the fact that not everything in life has to be perfect. I'm, God's child and he loves me and my blupsies, just the way I am and I am happy with that.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Sarah Kay


This lovely image was stamped for my by one of my blogging friends. I tried to keep her colours toned down rather than pretty, as I think this lass is a bit of a tom-boy, given how she is dressed. I coloured her using Copic's and am trying to get my shading more subtle and even. I was pleased with this finished image.
I had this paper in my stash - I think it was from Paola - and used a natural kraft colour card to mount it onto. Cut the image out using Labels Eighteen nesties.
Behind the mounted image I used a new Nellie die border. It is a super die and it cuts only the edge and you can decide on where above that you want to cut, if necessary. The seam binding is from Amelia and the flowers from Paola. I used different leaf punches and a PTI Tiny Tag and stamp and a few pearls to pull it all together.
Just wanted to add a bit of the feminine stuff, after all, she is such a cute girl!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Could not resist it.......

Another tea cosy - crochet flowers, two different patterns.
The cover is doubled over so that it is super insulated and super warm.
Lovely to knit and crochet. Was able to get this done in the evenings whilst sitting with DH, watching tv.
Soon my tea pots will have more 'jersey's' than I have......