Long time no blog...

 

 

Hi,

Yes...I know. No excuses, just life getting in the way.

 

So, we have a few milestone events coming up this year beginning with my eldest daughter Cheryl and her husband Darren's 25th (Silver) anniversary which is today.

Actually, the day of the wedding was very much like today weatherwise. I remember that while the photographs were being taken, lots of us turned a bit blue. It was freezing and cloudy. The following week it rained every day but the week after summer arrived, so there is hope yet.

 

I used navy blue pearl card for the base and, after practicing on some copy paper, I printed the sentiment in gray. The ink from an ink jet printer stays wet enough to emboss on pearl card so I used some silver embossing powder as soon as the card came through the printer.

I used a stencil from Alexander Renke and some clear embossing paste. After carefully removing the stencil I covered the design in silver embossing powder and heated it.

Then I just added lots of diamonte gems of various shapes and sizes.

The next couple of months see's more milestone events so you just might see me a bit more of me.

Thanks for popping in x
 

Delighted to share

 

 

 

Hi

I'm just making a quick visit to my blog to share the card I made for my daughter in law's birthday.

 

I used the stencil, Flower petals, from Alexandra Renke for the background and the flower stamp and die, Delighted for you by Pink Fresh Studio.

The flowers are coloured with various brands of marker pen.

I added some Mother of Pearl sequins to finish.

Thanks for popping in

Less is More # 497

 

Hi there!

Todays challenge at Less is More is a goody, it's also a saddy as it's our last challenge of the year.

It's alphabet fortnight and we are up to the letter D for Deck the halls.

My card is exactly what it says on the tin, a Deck the halls card,

White card from Papermill Direct

Square dies for frame from Die-namics

Holly die from Alexandra Renke

Sentiment by Sugar Pea designs

Banner die from Catherine Pooler

I also added a tiny scrap of paper that was left from a sheet printed from a CD by Artilicious designs and some tiny red gems for berries from my stash

All thats left is for me to say,

 

Merry Christmas

& A happy New Year

from us all

 

Feel better soon.

 Hello there,

I've popped in today to share a card I made for my sister in law who has just had an operation for breast cancer.

She is the most positive person I know and is  dealing with it wonderfully. 

It's a nice simple card as she doesn't do fussy.

I used an embossing folder from Spellbinders. It's a 3D one so some lovely depth to it.

The flower is made using a die from Alexander Renke using a scrap of smooshed paper and the leaves are part of another flower set from AR.

The sentiment is PC generated.

Thank you for coming to my blog today.

Less is More # 491

 

Hello there,

We have a super new challenge for you at Less is More this fortnight.

Any goes is always a thrill to see when you have free reign. Just remember to keep it CAS. Lots of white space and few embellishments.

 

This is the first outing for me, for this die set from Alexandra Renke called Artist Leaves curly. I teamed it up with a leafy stem from the Magnolium die set, also from AR.

The pink solid leaves are cut from a piece of card I'd smooshed ages ago.

The sentiment is by Avery Elle.
 

My second card is using an aperture die from Pink Fresh Studio.

I cut and aperture in the card panel very slightly smaller than the die then adhered the die cut carefully.

I used another piece of smooshed card, this time in greens and probably made using Twinkling H2 O's behind the aperture.

The sentiment is, again from Avery Elle, stamped in clear ink and embossed in white powder on black card.

Please visit the Less is More blog for some super inspiration from the rest of the DT

Thanks for popping in

Birthday Card

 Hello there,

I'm popping in today to share a card I made for my amazing mum in law who was 98 last Saturday. The care home she lives in had a summer fayre on the same day so it was made into a bit of a party for her. 

I used part of an Alexandra Renke stencil and some Nuvo embellishing mousse in pale green for the background.

The butterflies are made with a Memory Box die and 3 colours of tissue paper. I folded the tissue paper so ther were 4 layers and cut two of each colour making each one 8 layers thick. After sticking each layer together I fanned out the wings to look as if they're in flight.

The sentiment is PC generated.

Thanks for popping in

Less is More #481 Anything goes

 Hello there,

 We're back with another wonderful challenge for you at Less is More,

It can sometimes be a bit of a risk giving me an open brief like "anything goes but keep it CAS"

I hope I haven't got too carried away.

I think I've managed to leave enough 'Clean Space'

I started with an A4 sheet of mid grey card from Papermill Direct, cut to 15cm square.

I then cut another smaller square with quite a good size border around.

I then used the blank cutting die from Alexandre Renke Arabian Motif die set to cut the shape in the centre of the smaller square.

I used a scrap of dark purple card for the back of the small square.

I used some double sided adhesive sheet on the back of some more grey card and cut out 4 of the top die, stacking them to give it some depth.

Before placing the stack in place I used some gold cord to tie a purple pom pom onto the centre of the motif.

The sentiment is from Sugar Pea designs, stamped in clear ink and embossed in gold EP.

Don't forget to check out the othe DT posts for some fabulous inspiration

Thanks for popping in

Christmas cards 2022

 Hello there, 

It seems ages since I posted a card that wasn't for a challenge. I thought I'd better start showing some of the cards I've batch made for this Christmas.

I used Burgundy pearlescent card from PMD. I also made some deep green ones but forgot to photograph them Doh!

I ran a panel through an embossing folder from Spellbinders, then mounted it onto some gold card before adhering it onto my card base.

The holly is a die from Alexander Renke cut from some brushed Rose Gold card from Sizzix.

I added some red flat back pearls forom my stash.

The sentiment is by Mama Elephant stamped and embossed in gold EP.

Thanks for popping in I'll be back soon with another design

Congratulations

 Hello there,

I'm popping in to share a wedding card I made for friends of my son and DiL. I was asked to make their wedding invitations at quite short notice but they paid me double the asking price so the least I could do was send them a card.

The colour scheme was emerald and I found a couple of pieces of card I'd smooshed ages ago  in different shades of green. I like to give my smooshed cards a quick spray of glimmer mist in either gold or silver. I love the subtle sheen when the light is right.

I started by using a heart die to emboss the front of my card as a guide. I then cut lots of the leaf branches from the curved leaf branch die set by Alexandra Renke, from scraps of white card just to play about with until I got a layout I was happy with.

Then I cut the leaves from the smooshed card getting a good mix of shades of green and swapped the white leaves for the green ones. 

I cut the congratulations with a die and 3 layers of white card and one of old gold pearl card.

The whole card was extremely fiddly and took forever but I'm really pleased with the end result. I don't think I'll be doing another one just yet though.

Thanks for popping in...

A card for Ruby

 Hello there,

I'm popping in today to share the card I made for grand daughter Ruby's 14th birthday.

I water coloured various flower die cuts from Alexandra Renke and Simply Graphic.

I also used some purple watercolour paint to splatter the base card before adhering the flowers.

The sentiment is PC generated and I finished with a few sequins.

Ruby is doing really well. She's 5 years cancer free now and thriving. She's doing well in school and simply enjoying being a teenager. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Thanks for popping in

Less is More # 468 Emboss

 

Hello there,

We have a brand new challenge over at  Less is More and it's a super (aren't they all?)

We'd like to see embossing on your cards this time but remember to keep them clean & simple with plenty of clean space.

I'm sitting comfortably in my happy place with this challenge. I really do love a bit of embossing, in fact it was the first thing I attempted when I first started making cards all those years ago.

One of the first pieces of equipment I bought was a heat gun and some embossing powder and even now I get a thrill from watching the powder melt as if by magic. So I might just have got a bit carried away with my inspiration samples this time.

Dry embossing

Dry embossing can be done with an embossing stylus or an embossing folder. This card is simplicity itself.

I used my Crafters Companion box maker and a stylus and just scored the lines until I thought the panel was wide enough.

I cut my flowers from watercolour card and gave them a wash of water colour paints.

I added a sentiment stamped and embossed in gold.

The crocus and  Illarius are from Alexandra Renke, the tulip is Simply Graphic

Texture Embossing

For this one I used a stencil called falling petals from Alexandra Renke and some Nuvo embellishing Mousse.

I used some more of the same flowers

Heat embossing

This one is slightly different and I'm not sure it's CAS enough so I've left it until last.

I used some mid grey card for my base and a piece of light grey for the panel.

The leaves are from a  set by Crafters Companion that were free with a magazine ages ago.

I stamped them in clear ink and embossed the in gold EP before fussy cutting them.

I added a strip of black to the top of the panel and then added an eyelet in gold.

The sentiment is another really old Papertrey ink stamp, stamped and embossed in gold.

I finished off with some waxed thread in gold.

Sympathy cards are not the nicest ones to have to make but I do like to have a couple ready made because sooner or later I know I will need one.

I do hope I've given you a little bit of inspiration, please pop over to the Less is More blog for some super creations from my teamies.

Birthday card

 Hello there,

I'm popping in quickly with a birthday card I made for my eldest grand daughter.

I used the die set from Alexandra Renke Glory flower set and cut the main flower, stem and leaves in thick white card.

I read on someone's blog post that good thick card is alright for watercolouring onto so I gave it a go. Now I'm not trying to convince anyone that using thicker card has turned me into an artist ha ha but it turned out quite good for me. I gave the flower head a slight colour wash in purple. The stem and leaves had a slightly deeper colour wash in greens. 

The second part of the flower was cut from deep purple pearl card and the stamen from some rose gold pearl card.

While I had the paints out I gave the panel a few splatters in purple.

The flower is quite large so fit nicely onto a slimline card

The sentiment is Avery Elle cut with a Cathrine Pooler banner die

Thanks for popping in

Less is More # 461 Pink and Gold

 Hello there,

It's time for another super challenge at Simply Less is More and this time it's a colour challenge,

I do love a colour challenge and I loved this combo so much I made 2 cards.

I made this card as a DL to accomodate the flower. I made a panel with a scallop die and used a stencil with some embossing paste as background.

I cut the flower, from Alexandra Renke out in gold and chopped it's head off, then cut the flower head again in pink card and attached it to the stem.

The sentiment is from Sugar Pea designs Birthday wishes set

My 2nd card was a lot more simple to put together. 

I started by scoring some lines with my box maker onto a snippet of white card, then cutting it out with stitched square die.

The leaves are part of a large leaf branch die from Pink Fresh Studio, cut from gold mirror card. The flower is 2 punched daisies laid on top of oneanother and the butterfly is another punch. The flower is dark pink in reality although it looks red on my screen.

The sentiment from Personal Impressions is stamped in Versamark ink and cut with a stitched rectangle die

I'm really looking forward to seeing your creations. Don't forget to check out the blog for more inspiration from the team.

Less is More #460 A Bit of Bling

 Hello there,

It's time for another challenge at Simply Less is More and this week it's a recipe challenge

I'm sure we all like just a little bit of bling now and again whether it's glitter, gems, sequins or something else. We can't wait to see what you come up with, just remember to keep it clean and simple.

When we say keep lots of white space, we really mean clean space so it's ok to use coloured card as long as it's CAS.

I've used some teal card from Papermill Direct for my base as it makes the gold look really rich.

I die cut the star, from Alexandra Renke, from adhesive backed glitter paper, placed slightly off the edge and tidied the overhanging edges with my trimmer.

The sentiment stamp is by Sugar Pea designs  Birthday wishes set, stamped in embossing ink and embossed in gold EP.

Finished off with just 3 gold sequins.

Thanks for popping in

Another great grandchild

 Hello there,

Our 5th great grandchild, Ivy Rose was born on 1st February weighing in at 4lb 13oz. When did I get old enough for great grandkids?

Naturally I made a card,

 

 I'd been hankering after this coverplate die from Alexandra Renke for ages but they've stopped delivering to the UK. I managed to get my hands on it by having it delivered to a family member in the EU and them bringing it here for me along with a few others ofcourse.

Sadly after all that faffing this is the first time I've used it. Now that I have, I have so many ideas for it. Valentines, weddings, anniversaries, the list is almost endless. Be prepared to get sick to death of seeing it.

I cut the coverplate from linen effect white card. The solid card beneath is baby pink pearlised card.

I cut the tag from an offcut of linen card after printing the sentiment on it, I added one tiny heart cut from the coverplate in baby pink and finished off with a tiny pink gem stone.

Edited...I'm adding this card to the challenges at Addicted to CAS and Inkspirational

 
 

Just to show off a little bit I'll leave you with a pic of Ivy Rose.

Thanks for popping in x

 

 

 

 

 

Less is More # 455 Winter Whites

 Hello there,

Because there are 5 Saturdays in October this year, we have a lucky dip for you. This time it's Winter Whites and a great opportunity to catch up on those last minute Christmas cards maybe.

Just remember to only use white and keep it CaS.

Aperture cards were always my go to design at one time and then I began other techniques and design elements but for this card an aperture seemed the only way to go.

I used a Spellbinders Circle Nestie to cut out the aperture from a panel of white card.

I use an A4 sheet of card to make a 15cm x 15cm card and keep the piece I cut off the bottom. I use these for alsorts of things. They make great gift tags or smaller panels for inking or embossing. Or, in this case for cutting out the Holly die cut from Alexandra Renke.

I've simply used some white glitter on the outer edges of the Holly leaves and used some white pearlmaker for the berries.

The sentiment is from Avery Elle and is perfect I think for a WoW card

 

 

Thank you for popping in

Embossed birthday card

 Hello there,

Another quick post to share the card I made for my son to give his partner. He decided to ask me right at the last minute so not a lot of time to think about making something fancy. I'm rather pleased with how this one turned out though.

 

I used my Crafters Companion box maker score board for the embossed lines.

The circle was made using circle dies from Die-namics and Spellbinders.

Flowers are from Ebay.

Leaves are by Alexandra Renke

Sentiment is PC generated.

Thanks for popping in

Less is More #450

 Hello there,

Time for another dreaded one layer challenge at Less is More and this time we have Spots as the theme.

After a five minute panic I went through my stamp collection and found a surprising number of stamps I could have used.

This design came to me in a very rare moment of inspiration and |I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.

The tiny dots are made using a stencil ( Alexandra Renke) which I masked off before sponging with Versafine Onyx ink.

I stamped the Visible Image circles/ spots at random angles around the dots and coloured them with Spectrum Noir markers.

I chose the colours carefully so that each of the overlapping circles looks like a mix of the two main colours.

For my second card I used this cute spotty dinosaur stamp  from My Favorite Things and coloured him in two shades of green SN markers. 

I added some grass to ground him. 

Please head over to the Less is More blog for more fabulous inspiration.

Thanks for popping in

Less is More #440

 Hello there,

It's our first challenge for April and it's a colour challenge, Pink, Grey and Gold.

We can't wait to see your creations using these gorgeous colours. There is some fabulous DT inspiration on the challenge blog. Please check them out and leave them some love.

I do love a colour challenge but I have to admit, this one really was a challenge. I do think it was lack of mojo rather than the colours though. Still, that's all part of the fun and it wouldn't be a challenge if it was too easy would it?

For my first card I began by die cutting a stitched rectangle from a piece of white card.

I then die cut a square of dark grey card before embossing with an EF.

With a piece of scrap card I inked a strip at the top with  pink pigment ink, big enough to fit the flower heads only before die cutting them. I then cut just the heads from a scrap piece of gold card, using a tiny bit of double sided tape I removed one piece from each flower and replaced it with the gold.

The sentiment was stamped and embossed in gold EP before being die cut with a small stitched rectangle.

This card came about out of frustration.

Among other things I've seen a fabulous stencil which is a grid pattern made up of dots, on a site in the EU. Unfortunately, since Brexit they have stopped selling to the UK because of our taxing system. To say I'm upset is an understatement but hey ho.

So I looked through the stencils that I do have and thought I could maybe get a similar effect from this one. I'm quite pleased with it.

 

After much masking with many post it's I used a tiny bit of embossing paste and then smothered it with gold EP. Once dry I melted it with my heat gun and here it is.

I then made a multi winged butterfly using 5 layers of bright pink paper from the plain butterfly die and the top layer from the cut out butterfly. The body was cut from a small piece of gold card.

 

The sentiment is stamped and embossed in gold EP and cut with a stitched rectangle die and I've added some small gold sequins to finish.

Dies- Die-namics, Memory Box,Spellbinders

Stencil- Alexandra Renke

Embossing Folder- Cuttlebug

Sentiment stamp-Avery Elle

 

Thank you for popping in x

Batch Christmas cards

 Hello there,

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. I know the restrictions made it really hard for a lot of us but I hope you made the best you could of it. Here's hoping the new year brings us more joy.

I'm a bit late posting this, should have done it weeks ago but Christmas got in the way and I'm always last minute as you know.

These are, in my opinion, a cop out. All I've really done is stick DP on the card base and die cut the two part greeting. I am quite pleased with how they look though and I did make a dozen of them for friends and neighbours.

I used some very pale green pearlescent card from Crafters Companion for greeting, it matches perfectly with this cool DP.

For this one I picked out the gold on the DP and added some gold sequins

DP is from the Works

Die is Alexandra Renke