It's still clean...

Happy Thursday,

Today's card is still on the clean and crisp end however a little more complicated than yesterdays.  I made this using the recessed aperture which is really simple to achieve.  I die cut the largest die from spellbinders Radiant Rectangles die into white smooth cardstock and foam mounted the piece over a sheet of light grey card from the same First Edition pack as yesterday I'm really sorry but this one has lost its cover so not sure which pack it is it may be a plain sheet from Nordic Christmas!?!

Update Blogger crashed and lost half this post sorry guys!  I've uploaded it quickly and will update later with ingredients etc...

Sorry....

Keeping it Clean...

Happy Wednesday,

I've titled today's post keeping it clean as this card just seems so clean and sharp to me.  Maybe its the base white or maybe its the use of teal and other simple colours but they all look as well clean, I hope you agree.

A very simple card to make with layers of backing paper from First Edition and a strip of teal card that has been letterpressed in white with a floral embossing folder (not sure which one sorry)  then a set of looped and standard circles.  I even tried to keep the bow on this one small, or maybe its smaller because its a larger card!







Ingredients:
Card size 18 x 18cm
First Edition paper
Spellbinders standard circles die
spellbinders Loop circles die
teal & white cardstock
white seam binding
Creative Expressions Sentiment Stamp

Enjoy...

A little fussier...

Happy Tuesday,

Today's card is another one made with a borrowed die from Val in Spain.  This lace strip was a piece I cut whilst at Wendy's craft group and didn't know what to do with it.  The card base had been cut for weeks and I didn't know how to finish it off.  You could therefore call this card a marriage of convenience yet somehow it worked!

I really like the mixture of the teal, white and soft gold even though this isn't a traditional pairing

Ingredients:
Spellbinders lace die
Marianne rose die
spellbinders Mystical embrace die
white seam binding
white, teal and soft gold cardstock
crafters companion sentiment stamp.


Enjoy...

A Little more Sue

Happy Monday,

I have now managed to get a rudimentary Craft space ready so there should be some new creations this week, I have handed one of my two desks over to Mr ND so that it can be used for the PC's printers etc however I have managed to add a large table for the die cutting activities!

Hopefully some pictures and more description when it is complete (awaiting some more info before ordering some accessories which should make crafting even more of a pleasure?!?)






Back to today, I have said a few times on here that I love a die that can be used in many different ways and the Sue Wilson Spanish collection dies just seem to meet this so here we are again with another classic Sue die card!

I cut the Spanish background twice in white PMD card stock and inked through the die using navy permanent ink.  Next I cut the centre section out form the die cut shape using my scalpel to create 2 frames.  These I layered between each other to make the 2 rectangular shapes into a square.






This was then mounted onto onto navy card and the centre square was cut out and I cut around the shape.  This was then foam mounted onto a card blank in white 18cm x 18cm onto which I had layered a navy piece which I added a border of dots, using the edge of the die and the dots there as my template, using silver pen.  I also used the silver pen through the die in each corner to give a little f the pattern.

There is then a layer of white with a couple of strips of white grosgrain ribbon over two of the edges.




Finally I stamped the sentiment in white embossing powder on a square of navy card which I adhered to the back of the card.

A complex description but hopefully worth it!

Enjoy...

Simple Sunday...

Happy Sunday,

Well as I am sure you can tell from yesterday I am really running out of items that were premade to post.  Now this is not strictly true as I do have a folder of pictures called Not Blogged.  This folder contains cards and creations that just don't cut it with me, I know previously I have shown Wendy some of these and she loved them they then made it onto the blog and I have to say that the comments have been positive.
























I decided, therefore, to post some of these today and let you tell me what you think!  It's not necessarily simple but it is a simple post for me! lol

Enjoy...

Spare Saturday...

Happy Saturday,

Well it had to happen It's all well and good scheduling ahead a few weeks to cover the move to the U.K. however I have simply run out of Something Different's!  I did say I thought this would happen, what am I to do....

Well there a few projects I have made and photographed over the last year that Just haven't made it on here.  One of the main reasons for this is that they were for specific people or occasions and so had to be parked.  Well today's project is one of those, it is a basket / bouquet of sweets.  I had held it off as this was a prototype for the Card shop and it is also to be used, in a different format, for Mr Next Door's sisters wedding next year!

The bouquet is made with mini mars and twix bars, wrapped in cellophane and tissue paper and stuck into a foam ball in a basket.

I hope you don't mind this 'spare' different let me know what you think do you want more on this crafty idea?

Enjoy...

Getting Busier...

Happy Friday,

Today's card is made using the same background as yesterday which Val kindly informed us was Spellbinders Cris Cross die.  I also felt really bad as I didn't mention that the card was made as a thank you card for Val and it was in her possession, sorry Val!

I started by cutting the background die using a piece of mid blue card from my stash.  I then made a frame using spellbinders labels 35 in white by using the largest and next size down.  Next I cut a mat in White using the largest die in the set and foam mounted the background over this and added a few pearls.  The frame is then foam mounted over the top of this to give a lovely set of layers and dimension.

I repeated the technique, however this time I didn't add the foam and placed a pearl in the centre.  This was rotated and foam mounted onto the from adding a bow made of seam binding.  The whole piece was mounted onto a hand cut card blank at 12cm x 12cm with layers of white and blue added by making each square half a centimetre smaller each time.

Finally I added the sentiment which is just stamped onto a die cut tag from DoCrafts and a few of Wendy's beautiful hat pins ( don't worry the wonderful Wendy has supplied me with a hundred or so of her handmade pins so these will continue for a while at least!)

Ingredients:
Spellbinders Criss Cross background die
Spellbinders labels 35
White and Blue card from Stash
DoCrafts tag die
Creative Expressions Sentiment Stamp



I have finally got round to starting the unpacking of the craft stuff and am hopefully having 2 desks delivered tomorrow (I use a LOT of space) so there may be some UK made creations next week!

I love the clean crisp look of this card and would suit any occasion or person!

Enjoy...

Pale Blue Family...

Happy Thursday,

No New New card today I'm afraid as not yet got a craft space fully up and running and yes it's getting me down lol!

Today's card is a quick one I'm afraid, firstly because I am low on time secondly for some reason I only took 2 pictures of this one!

This is the card I gave to my boss in the bar when I Left.  I worked there for 2 years, until last month when I left the country, as a chef and barman and it was a family owned place with a wonderful family running it.  As soon as I saw this sentiment stamp from Crafters Companion I know that the card I made for them would be centered around this!





This is another example of my love of cutting apertures from the centre of cards and foam mounting behind to create lots of levels.





Ingredients:
Spellbinders Elegant Ovals
Spellbinders Classic ovals small
Spellbinders Heirloom Legacy
Blue and white PMD cardstock.

Enjoy...

Last Spanish Card...

Happy Wednesday,



I thought today I should show the last card I made in spain before my return, now there may be more cards made in my old crafting space popping up as I have a small bank of cards, photo's and posts ready and waiting to any untoward occurance.  However this is the final card I actually made before packing the final bits of craft equipment in the car and driving off into the sunset and returning to live here in the U.K!




The background for this card is made with a spellbinders background die that I borrowed form Val in Spain at one of Wendy's craft group meetings I'm hoping Val can tell us which one it is?!?



I started by die cutting the background in the centre of a sheet of soft gold embossed card that I bought when shopping in the closing down sale of the loacl craft shop (sadly the last craft shop in the local area in spain the owner had to move back to the U.K. and wasn't able to find as buyer in the short time she had!)  Happily now being back in the UK I have more options for Crafty Shopping!

The frame is made by using spellbinders matting basics set B, following that I simply layered different frames of white and soft gold to create the whole card.  This is all mounted onto a large 18 x 16cm card blank and a strip of gold tulle and white seam binding added to the front, to balance the flower and bow.

Now I know that not everyone is into big bows however the rose needed something to make it stand out and this was the best Idea I had.











The rose is made using the spiral rose die and I ran a gold marker pen around the edges of the flower before rolling it up (similar to my Christmas poinsettia wreath from Christmas In July)



A simple sentiment and seam binding bow and a few (dozen) pearls and finished.

Ingredients:
Spellbinders Spiral flower one
Spellbinders background die 
Spellbinders matting Basics set B
White seem binding
Gold marker pen (Sakura)
Soft gold card (local craft shop bargain)

Enjoy...

Curved corner brown and gold

Happy Wednesday,


Monday & Tuesday Summery, today autumnal I'm not sure what weather will be greeting me now I am back in the U.K. (hopefully I am scheduling this in early July to be honest to cover my travelling) at the moment it is hot and sunny but I know this rarely lasts.  Therefore a little bit of autumn shade can't go amiss!

Ingredients:
Spellbinders Embossing folder
Spellbinders Curved border one
Spellbinders Elegant Ovals
Core'dinations cardstock
Ranger Gold Perfect Pearls


Enjoy...

HOME for a Purple Flower...

Happy Tuesday,

Well firstly I would like to thank each and everyone one of you for your wonderfully warm messages of safe journey!  We are now HOME and I've got to admit that whilst it was trying, the journey was worth it if only to be reunited with all my craft goodies which have been here for nearly 2 weeks!  When I have more time I will hopefully add a few pictures we took along the way however suffice to say that the journey was mostly smooth apart from 2 hours of golf ball sized hail stones along with torrential rain through the Pyrenees on the Spanish french border. I think my little blue car is still shaking and checking his scratches as I write this!  The remainder of today's pots is a scheduled one readied to go today as are the remainder of this week to give me a little breathing space.  There may be something new on Saturday as the gorgeous new striplet from Sue Wilson i bought last week was waiting for me on the door mat along with a few other purchases i had made along the way!  Once again thank you from the bottom of both our hearts for the warm wishes which I am sure helped make the journy, relatively, smooth!


Still on a summery kick with another flower, now I know I am not, classically, a flowery type of crafter but the simple effectiveness of these spellbinders create a flower dies really appealed to me.  The Iris die is one of the easier to die cut at least as it uses a lot less petals than yesterdays sunflower.

 I started by distress inking the mask onto a sheet of super smooth white PMD cardstock, once I had inked the design I also inked around the edge to give a crisp clean border.  I then die cut a small oval from the centre then arranged some of the elegant ovals, cut as frames, with foam tape over the aperture.  I then stamped the sentiment into the cut oval and foam mounted it behind the base card to give a depth to enable the flower to sit properly as this die makes a large stem.








I made up the Iris using Twinkling H2O's to paint the yellow onto the leaves, these show against dark cards so are perfect for giving a highlight on the purple.  The ivy and leaves are cut form a sheet of shimmer card form DoCrafts from my stash and simply arranged around the edge of the ovals to balance the flower.




Ingredients:
Spellbinders Create an Iris
Spellbinders Elegant Ovals
Spellbinders Classic ovals small
Joanna sheen Ivy Flourish
Creative Expressions sentiment stamp
Mask (packed so don't know which one!)
Twinkling H2O's (Creative Expressions I think)

A card that would take any flower and any colour,

Enjoy...

Lonely Sunflower...

Happy Monday,

Today's card is the ultimate antidote to the Christmas of last week what could bring us back to the summer than a sunflower!

I know I am saying this a lot lately but this is not a difficult card or creation however it is time consuming as the flower dies from spellbinders, whilst easy to follow and make up do take a while to put together properly.  There are numerous tutorials on you tube on the making of this and the other flowers in the range.

I have to say that they are very effective and whilst quite big a smaller card does show them off well.  I started this card by making the card blank using the largest die in the labels 38 set from spellbinders. I folded a sheet of A4 card in half and placed the die over the fold ensuring that the fold is inside cutting line, ensuring that the fold is not cut.  Once run through your die cutting machine you will get a shaped card out with fold intact.  I then drew round the inside of the same die on a sheet of white card and cut out the shape.  This creates a perfect mat that fits the card blank, using the next die down leaves too large a border.

I then cut a frame using the next 2 sizes of the labels die and embossed these.  This was then foam mounted in the centre.  The sentiment strip is cut using spellbinders curved borders 2 i then cut this into a strip and added a thin layer of yellow to balance the flower.

Finally I added the flower with a selection of leaves that come in the set and a nice sunny card is created.


Ingredients:
Spellbinders create a sunflower die
spellbinders labels 38 die
spellbinders curved borders 2
yellow, brown & white cardstock
Crafters Companion Sentimentals stamp.

A summery card that would be great to send wishes to anyone.

Enjoy...

Something Simpler....

Happy Sunday,




Now today's card, the last of Christmas in July and again not in traditional colours, is a simple stamped affair with no die cuts at all.  I used the same stamping technique as earlier in the week and I hope to give more details today.  I stared with a sheet of smooth cardstock in a simple cream shade.  The card must be super smooth otherwise the mica sicks to the raised surface.












Firstly I inked up my stamp in versamark or similar perfect medium style of ink pad and stamped each image.  Then using a small soft haired brush I brushed the mica powder, this time in a silver and a blue, over the area I had stamped.  I them used a large soft brush (I use an old blusher brush of my mums for this) to dust off the excess and polish the stamped image.  I then moved on and stamped the next bauble and used the same colours.  As you can see from the card I have used two colours on one of the baubles which is achieved by using a small brush and placing the powder carefully in certain places.










To set the design I sprayed the sheet with hairspray, Wendy tells me this is the technique for chalking, and then stamped on the lines using archival ink in black.  As you can see from the bigger picture of the backing, above, the mica gives a really clear image with a beautiful shine and shimmer which catches the light.







The border, foam mounted over the image, is made by hand cutting a frame in white hammered card and then the frames are scored using my scor-pal.

I hope you like this simple card and again whilst the colours may not be your idea of a classic Christmas it is a technique that can be used in loads of colours.  There are hundreds of mica colours available out there!

Ingredients:
Versamark Ink Pad
DoCrafts Christmas stamp set 2013
Archival ink pad black
Super smooth cardstock



Enjoy...

Christmas Sneak Peak Bonus!

Happy Saturday Night!,

Here is a bonus post showing some of my Christmas projects for 2014 that I have been working on or trying out in Spain before my return.  Now these are by no means finished projects and are, at the moment, simply prototypes.  Some of these may not even make it onto the blog or may be radically changed before they do!

I hope you enjoy this sneak peak and bonus post, keep an eye out I will give some more ideas as to when these are finished and are ready to be presented in  August.

Enjoy...