Thursday 29 June 2017

22nd Birthday!!!

Hi again!

Today is my sons' 22nd birthday and as a treat (hahahahahahahahahaha - I do tell fibs don't I?), he's having a lie-in!!!
That boy is more horizontal than vertical even on  his birthday!

Anyhoo, I'm waiting for him to get up so I can take him out for lunch - It'll be dinner at this rate and I'm starving!

I made his birthday card, which he loves (he did get up for cards and prezzies earlier before going back to bed "for a little snooze"!!!).


I layered spotty paper onto teal cardstock then both onto a 5 x 7" white base card.
I die-cut a rectangle then cut a square into it and added 3d foam to the back to create height.
I stamped, coloured and die-cut the Tim Holtz Crazy Birds.
I then die cut a square within a square to create the frame for the front and added the coloured birds on and behind the frame.
I also added a Marianne design die-cut birthday box and ribbon and some balloons (can't remember where I got the balloon die from).
I typed the sentiment into my digital designer then printed it onto white cardstock, die-cut it out, and added it to teal card with 3d pads on the back again!
The little number 2's were cut from black card and added to a balloon.
Everything was coloured using Spectrum Noir and Tonic Nuvo pens.
Sequins and tiny stars just finished it off.

Ok, so I'm off out for lunch now.

See you all soon, and don't be too jealous of my probably very naughty and  un-Slimming World friendly lunch that I'm about to have!!!
(May the Slimming World Gods forgive my moment of weakness.....!!!)

TTFN
L xxx




Ooops!!!

Good morning peeps!
I've just realised I haven't posted my final card for Sassy Chery's stamps - and this is my favourite one too! I made a circular shaped card for a change!


Before I cut out the digi image, I stamped some Leonie Pujol flowers around her then cut them all out together within the circular frame!

The sentiment is from Docrafts.

I've used Spectrum Noir and Tonic Nuvo markers for the colouring and unbranded circle dies for the card base and frame.
The flowers I bought online - again unbranded!

She's really sweet!

Thanks for looking today :)

TTFN
L xxx

Saturday 24 June 2017

Sassy Cheryls Stamps - again!

Hi all!
This wasn't intended to happen but when creativity takes hold, it's important to go with the flow, make what needs to be made then blog about it - even though it wasn't expected!!!
Sometimes it just happens!

So, I made yet ANOTHER card for Sassy Cheryl's Stamps - Making Cards magazine call out!

This time, I chose the Final destination digi stamp as this little fella is just so cute watching the cuddly caterpillar wriggle on by!

I have used white cardstock and an unbranded patterned cardstock to make the card, along with Spectrum Noir blendable pencils, alcohol markers, and unbranded coloured gemstones.
I saw the sentiment online and typed it into my digital designer before printing it off onto white card.

I started with a 7 x 5" white card base and added a layer of patterned card to the front leaving a 5mm white border all around.
I die cut 2 pierced rectangles and took the centres out of each one to create a frame and glued the smaller one to the largest.
3D foam is added to the back before placing centrally on the card front.
Once I'd finished colouring the digi image, I die cut it out using a smaller pierced rectangle die then drew a contrasting border around the image for interest.
This was glued to the centre of the frame and sentiments added.

All finished!



So, again,  that's all for now folks!!!

See y'all soon.

L xxx

Thursday 22 June 2017

Sassy Cheryls Stamps

Hi de hi peeps!

My last post mentioned the British weather - the rain.
Well, since then "the sun has been cracking the flags" as we say here in Lancashire!

Yes, summer has arrived and it has been fabulous. I love the hot weather (just not the hot nights when you find it difficult to sleep 😞 ).

So, as tired as I've been, I've still managed to find time "In My Craftroom Daily" (check out my new  Facebook page!) to create this lovely card for Sassy Cheryls stamps.
Cheryl's designs are just so darned cute and I couldn't resist making this lovely card for her "call-out" for cards which may possibly be featured in an issue of Making Cards Magazine!
How exciting!

I hope you like her - I know I do!



I purchased the Be your own kind of beautiful digi image from Cheryl's store and printed her onto white cardstock.

If you'd like instructions as to how I made the rest of the card, please do get in touch!
I took inspiration for this from QCME magazine design team member Julie Gibbs.

That's all for now peeps!

TTFN
L xxx

Friday 16 June 2017

Tiddly Inks Design Team card entries - 3 to choose!!!

Hi all!
Have you all had a good & crafty week? I did!

As I'm British I'm going to discuss the weather.
                     It's raining.......😢
Ok, that's out of the way so.......................!!!!!

..I've been busy with lots of everyday mundane stuff but the fun stuff  always happens in the craftroom and I've finally finished 3 cards which I'm submitting to Tiddly Inks for their much desired Design Team positions!

I've really enjoyed making my cards and I love the drawings Christy Croll (owner/designer) creates. They're fun and cute and super versatile and, as I mentioned in my last post, I've used them oodles of times too.

So, here are my entries!

My first card is an uber cute image - Amy and her mini mermaid friends -  digi stamps.



I decided to make a "frame" and place the mermaids in and out of the frame to give depth and dimension - something I tend to do alot of!!!
I printed the minis onto white cardstock and coloured them using Tonic Nuvo and Spectrum Noir markers.
I fussy-cut the mermaids and the little fish out leaving a little border around each one.
On a 6" card base, I layered a sea-green and white patterned paper (I think it was a magazine freebie once upon a time....) then cut a 5 1/2"  square from white card and used an edge die to create the mini scalloped border all around it.
With a 4" square piece of card, I drew wavy lines and dots with a versamark pen before adding clear embossing powder and heating it up. I splodged some Spectrum Aqua marker inks onto a craft mat, dipped a water brush in to pick up the inks and swiped them across the card so the embossed sections would create a "resist" and the ink wouldn't settle onto those lines.
I glued this piece to the white square then die cut a circle into the centre of both pieces.
Placing 3d foam to the back of this piece lifted it away from the patterned paper when placed in the centre.
To create the frame for the aperture, I cut another circle into white cardstock then used a scallop die around it and die cut it again - et voila! a frame (!).
The minis were placed in and around the frame with glue and 3d pads and I added some glossy accent "bubbles", clear pearls, a turquoise gemstone and a sentiment.

.........................

The second is a simple card using the Wryn - bake me some love digi stamp. (Wryn is my favourite "girl" stamp!)


























I created a 6" card base with white cardstock and covered it with this gorgeous paper (can't remember where it came from sorry ) then added a contrasting strip of pink pearlescent cardstock across the centre. I inked up a stamp (Ranger distress ink in pistacchio) which came with a Creative Stamping magazine recently and used it to create a background on a piece of white copy paper for the centre of the pink strip. From the same set I stamped the sentiment stamp onto the front with black Memento ink.
I then tied some pink and white bakers twine around the whole thing before attaching it to the card base.
As for Wryn? Well! I printed her image onto white cardstock and thoroughly enjoyed colouring her with Spectrum Noir blendable pencils before fussy-cutting her out along with the side table!
I added 3d foam to the back and positioned her onto the front of the card with a few sequins for added sparkle!
.........................

My final card is bright and colourful and cheery!

I've used the Best Friends digi stamp because I love the dog and cat with little gifts and lots of cuddles!









They're coloured with the Spectrum Noir blendable pencils and I drew little paw prints around them for fun before doodling a couple of black square "frames" around the whole image.
I made this with square mats and layers in differing sizes on a 6" white card base.
I used contrasting bright papers (from unbranded paper stacks) just to show I don't just do fussy cutting and layering with 3d foam !!!
I love the little buttons on here too and it's a shame the Spectrum Noir sparkle pen doesn't show up on the images :(.

All in all, the last one was the quickest of the 3 cards to make and I do believe card-making really shouldn't be all about the time it takes but how much fun I get out of the creative process.
 And I do!  OODLES!!!

So, I'll sign off for now.

If you've fallen upon my blog (by accident or by design), I hope you enjoy looking at my cards and if you care to, you might have a pootle around the other posts as there are some other bits n bobs I've shared for everyone to have a peep at.

Have a great weekend

TTFN
L x







Saturday 10 June 2017

Tiddly Inks DT Call

Oh My word!

I have just found out that one of my favourite digi/clear stamp companies has put out a Design Team shout-out and I am sooooooo gonna apply!

I've been using  Tiddly Inks Stamps on my creations since 2014 because they are just so cute and lovely and great fun to work with!

There are several posts here, on my blog, showing makes using Tiddly Inks stamps although I have actually made loads more but, due to my blogging hiatus, I haven't posted as many as I should have.

Anyhoo, as I haven't yet had the chance to create anything for this call-out, I am now making it my most important, top of the list, must-be-done task this weekend!

I will post my creation on here as soon as I'm able .

That's all for now as I've just been to Subway (other sandwich shops are available!) and my salad is a-calling :).

TTFN
L xxx

And again!

Back again as I forgot to post the baby card!

I made this for my daughters friends' who have just had a baby girl (obvs...!)

I had yet another cute image to use from  Lili of The Valley - again super gorgeous!

This time I used 3d foam on the back of the card front to lift away from the image then added a die-cut frame around it. I think it makes you focus on the image when done this way.
I've inked the cardstock and then splashed with some contrasting colour and a sparkle pen for some shimmeriness! I die-cut a scalloped border for extra interest.


Products used :-

Unbranded cardstock, tag die and embellishment sequins/ribbon.
Ranger distress ink - spun sugar, abandoned coral
Spectrum Noir sparkle pen and blendable pencils.

Hope you like this one - I do!

TTFN
L xxx

Not so sunny Saturday :(

Howdy y'all!

Yes, here in the UK we have started BST - which means it's raining!!!
So, nothing unusual in that I hear you say but, it has rained so much there is water IN MY SHED!!!
Thankfully no harm has come to any of the OH's bits n bobs but "how annoying"! It's been stood in the same place for the past 3 years dry as a bone,  and now??? Oh well, once we sell this house and move on, it won't be our problem anymore! Muahahahaha (evil chuckle!)

So, as the weather has been really horrid (and who really needs an excuse to play in their craftroom anyways?). I've been busy making wedding cards and a new baby card.

The wedding cards had to be made in black and white (by request I assure you!) and I just had to buy this uber cute Lili of The Valley Stamp - Wedding Couple which I coloured with Spectrum Noir pencils. So gorgeous!




 The LOTV image is actually fussy cut and made into a shaker card using some sparkly hearts and sequins bechind the acetate.
The Ribbon bow card is a much simpler design - an embossed background and grey inked to soften the whiteness.

Products used in total  (most unbranded!) :-

White and black cardstock.
Textured white cardstock.
 Lili of the Valley digi stamp
Pearl lace ribbon
Organza ribbon
Silver/Grey satin ribbon
Spectrum Noir blendable pencils
Distress Ink
Sequins
Pearls
Acetate
Printer (for sentiment and inserts)


Thanks for looking x

TTFN
Lx



Monday 5 June 2017

Happy Monday!

Good morning all!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

We went to view the new house we will be moving into as soon as this one sells - fingers crossed it'll be sooner rather than later - then we went out for brunch and a little shopping.
Thankfully, we had no rain - but today is a different story. I put the recycling out for collection this morning and was wet-through before I got back into the house - yes, it was raining ALOT!
Brrrrr, and chilly too!
Still, this is a typical British summer so we've had some sun now and I shouldn't complain!

Anyhoo, onto today's post.

This weekend, I've been busy creating a couple of cards for the Reader Tester Team over at Papercraft Inspirations magazine.
Obviously I cannot post these yet as they need to be published first!
But, I did make a lovely notelet card just because I can!
This is for using with snail-mail - sending a little note to someone is usually electronic nowadays but everybody loves to receive real mail - that's through the post and through the door!
 It's great seeing a letter from somebody just sitting there on the doormat instead of a bill or a flyer for a local take-away! Therefore, this card would be perfect to send and receive!


Products used :-
Yellow and White cardstock
Unbranded sparkly (you can't see the sparkle tho :( ) spotty card.
Tonic Nuvo markers
Scalloped square dies - unknown brand!
Coloured gemstones
Memento black ink

My photography skills are not too bright but at least the card is!!!

Hope you have a great week.

TTFN
L xxx

Thursday 1 June 2017

Tiddly Inks!

Hi all!

The title of  this post is not a reflection of how I'm feeling this morning!!!

Today's card is made with a lovely digi stamp image from Tiddly Inks  for their Blooming Beautiful challenge this month!

I decided to make the cute image stand out so I stamped some flowers around it then fussy cut it all out so she would be inside a frame, then inside another frame - If you see what I mean!!!

(Oh dear, not a very good explanation but, Hey ho!)

I then stamped the top card with Happy Birthday and Sending Love stamps in bright colours to reflect the cheerful nature of the card but I kept the backing paper muted so the rest of it would stand out - or Pop! (if you're using the buzz-word of the day).
I added some fussy cut flowers to the front instead of pearls, sequins etc, and some bright pink ribbon with a 'backing paper' button!

Products used :-
Tiddly Inks digi image Annabelle - be my sunshine
Tonic Nuvo markers
Unbranded frame dies
Unbranded cardstock and DSP
Pink ribbon
Papermania mini ink pads



I'm also entering this card into the challenges at :