A Christmas Card

This project should have been for a Crafty Cardmakers challenge. That blog has ceased to exist, but I had posts scheduled and decided to continue to post my projects on the scheduled dates..

I made a Christmas card using an stamp from Woodware that I coloured with Promarkers. I added a stitched frame. I pierced the holes using a template I recently got which is actually intended for pricking holes in leather. There are some basic frames and a grid of holes too, although because it's intended for robustness, it's about 5mm thick and therefore quite hard to hold in place. Having said that, it worked fine for this frame. I completed with a layer of mirror card and I embossed the base card with snowflakes to add a little more texture.

A Handbag Gift Box

This project should have been for a Crafty Cardmakers challenge. That blog has ceased to exist, but I had posts scheduled and decided to continue to post my projects on the scheduled dates.

I decided to get out a trusty Tonic die set, and made this:

The structure of the bag uses standard heavy weight card in a dark brown. For the upper layer, I created some faux leather using a Sheena Douglass technique. I didn't have enough Kraft card for the project, so I just used some fairly heavy paler brown card as you can see. I must say, it looks the part, although it got a lot softer and generally seemed less robust than when I've used Kraft card in the past. I completed the box with gold mirror card accents.

A Couple of Christmas Cards

This project should have been for a Crafty Cardmakers challenge. That blog has ceased to exist, but I had posts scheduled and decided to continue to post my projects on the scheduled dates..

I've made a couple of Christmas cards.

I've used a Julie Hickey stamp set, and stamped the central image with three different Versafine colours before colouring the image with coloured pencils. I created the background by first coating some card with acrylic paint and then using the branch stamp from the set to create a background. I used another small leaf stamp which was a magazine freebie just to add some further interest. And because I could do it, I did another card in pretty much the same way!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 265

The challenge for this fortnight is to make a tag. I normally find the smaller format of tags to be awkward, so I rarely do anything more complicated than a single die cut, but I decided I needed to try something more interesting for this challenge.

And in the end, I made two!

For both tags, I started with a John Next Door media plate, which I inked with Distress ink, before sprinkling on some dissolved Brushos and printed to my card. When it was dry, I stamped some images (all stamps from Creative Stamping magazine) using Versafine Clair ink.

The tags were cut using a Sizzix die set.

I do hope you can join us.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 264

The theme for this fortinght is Shabby Chic.

Now, I've never really got the hang of exactly what is and isn't shabby chic. So, I've got a couple of different projects to share in the hope that one of them fits!

I'm scheduling this post in June, and at this time, the hospital where I normally volunteer (but currently can't visit because of public transport restrictions) asked for donations of face masks for volunteers and visitors. I've made quite a few for my own family, and to make it more interesting, started stamping and shading plain cloth before hand-stitching the result. This is what I started with:

And these are photos of the finished result:

The instructions I used to make the masks is here. I'm not in any way a sewing expert and I don't own a sewing machine so the masks have all been hand-stitched. The edge pieces are the same cloth as the main part - I just didn't stamp or shade it at all.

The stamps are from a range of suppliers including Inkylicious, Craft Stamper magazine, Crafter's Companion and the inks are either Versacraft or Versafine Clair. The former is intended for stamping on cloth. The latter isn't, but in my not-very-scientific tests, when I heat set the images with an iron, they seemed to last as well as the Versacraft in a single wash. Beyond that, time will tell!


The second project is a card.

I recently saw a faux bleaching technique demonstrated on Create and Craft and liked the effect so much I had to have a go. I created the background by blending four shades of Distress Oxide ink on glossy card. I placed a Crafter's Companion stencil over that and sprayed with water. When it was dry, I replaced the stencil, slightly offset from where it had originally been, and dabbed black ink. Finally, I added some butterflies from a different stencil - this one from Imagination Crafts. I matted the result on black and then pastel green (not obvious in the photo against the white card) and that's it!
I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 263

The challenge at Crafty Cardmakers this fortnight is to make something with a recycled element. Other that that, you can make anything you like!

I spent a lot of time this spring making masks. Because of my (admittedly limited) experience volunteering in an isolation ward, I know that masks shouldn't be reworn (without washing) and should be handled carefully, so I made quite a lot for my family, and when the hospital asked for some to give to visitors, I made for them too. Most of them were the pleated variety, as I'm not a sewer, and don't own a sewing machine. But, I decided to have a go at a shaped mask and used the pattern I got here. For fabric, I used an old nightie which was otherwise supposed to go for rag recycling!

I was quite pleased with the result, and I've got to say, the fabric is very soft and comfortable - much more so than the ones I made using new woven cotton.

Having said that, I enjoyed making the others more because I got the chance to decorate using my range of  stamps and stencils. Some of the more recent ones are below, and for these, I used the instructions I found here.

The top mask (closed and open) uses a Tatty Teddy stamp I've had forever. I think it was a magazine freebie which I picked up at a craft show. I stamped it with Versafine ink, and added some background texture and colour using Versacraft ink. I used some of the Versacraft to tone Teddy's patches orange too.

The lower mask (which for some reason I photographed upside-down and I no longer have it) uses stamps from Printable Heaven and Crafter's Companion and a mix of Versafine Clair and Versacraft inks.

See what I mean? Much more fun! The ink fades a little, but is definitely still visible after a few washes.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, with a recycled element!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 262

The challenge for this fortnight is Things with Wings, so you've got a lot of options!

I have often seen waterfall cards and fancied making one, so I went in search of a tutorial and found this one. It allows for six layers in the waterfall, and I decided to get out my Ching Chou Kuik stamps to fill it.

I left the front fairly plain as a contast to what's inside.

The images were all stamped in Memento ink and coloured with Promakrers using a fairly limited range of colours in coral and teal. I edged each image with a die cut and assembled following the instructions on the video.

I must say I'm quite pleased with the result and will probably make more of these!

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 261

The challenge for this fortnight is to use lots of layers.

I love stitching on card, and dies that prick the holes for you make it easier. I loved this set of dies from Tonic when I saw them, and decided to give them a whirl for this challenge. I cut the various layers and stuck them roughly using a minimum of glue towards the centre. Then I pricked through each layer's holes to the layers below and stitched the whole thing together. Believe me, by the time I was stitching the top layer, I really knew there was a lot of card to get through. I even had to change to a bigger needle after I broke to finer ones in a couple of minutes. I rather like that this design gives several options of how to stitch, although I could wish the holes on the knotwork die closer together to allow better filling of the pattern. Because the dies in this set are Verso, I can see there are options for cutting in to a section rather than cutting it separately which should mean there are more ways to use the dies.

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 260

The challenge for this fortnight is to create your own background.

I started with a couple of Crafter's Companion rotating background stamps and came up with a couple of different effects.

This card uses Memento ink in four shades to create the background.  I cut a window in the card using a Sizzix die which actually double cuts, so I had a separate 'frame' die cut. I used foam mounts to attach the background, then added the frame tight to the gold coloured background. The flowers were created with a die set from Elizabeth Craft/Susan's Garden Notes.

The process here is the same, but instead of four different ink pads, I used a single, Kaleidoscope pad. Again, I cut an aperture in the floral background, and again, the flowers were made using dies from the Susan's Garden Notes collection.

I have to say I'm a little disappointed with the rotating dies. Having watched Sara demonstrate them, they seemed fairly foolproof, and I assumed they'd work well with my Tim Holtz stamping platform. To be honest, they didn't. It simply wasn't possible to arrange things well enough to get the desired result - even placing the stamp as close to the centre of the card didn't seem too work. Of course, using that platform, I left the stamp in place and rotated the card (which I'd placed at the corner to be sure of repeatability.)

Anyway, I managed to find the Crafter's Companion stamp platform and magnetic base at a good price (ie, not much more than the platform alone) and decided to get it, at least partly because having a non-hinged platform seemed to have some advantages. Unfortunately, the result wasn't any better, initially. Because with this system, you leave the card alone and turn the stamp, it's important to place the stamp in the dead centre of the platform. And there lies the problem. Even getting it as close to the centre as eyeballing it will allow, there's still a bit of a mis-match between rotations. That may be because, unlike the Tim Holtz platform, there's quite a lot of wriggle with the Crafter's Companion  platform. It's definitely possible, even with the platform feet in the recesses in the magnetic sheet, to get up to a couple of millimetre's wiggle when you stamp. The result (providing you line up the grid lines on the platform and base as well as you can) is ok  and I'll definitely use the stamps, but I don't think I'll be using this platform as much as the Tim Holtz.

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 257

The theme for this fortnight is Butterflies. Like flowers, I find butterflies such an easy thing to add to a card; a beautiful embellishment for any occasion.

I started with a Woodware stamp. I've bought quite a few of theirs recently - such lovely designs. I  coloured the butterfly and a couple of small details on the image with Promakrers. Then, to give it a vintage appearance, I shaded the background with Distress Ink before matting on to some mirror card. The background paper is from a pad I bought second-hand from a friend who was giving up cardmaking. I'm not sure whose it was, but it's an odd size of sheet (maybe 6" by 8", so I suspect it was made for the US market. But, the papers are lovely, and the colours gentler than I'm usually drawn to. I finished the card with a die cut butterfly, cut using a couple of Spellbinders dies.

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 255

This fortnight's challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is to ignore our blog title and make Anything But a Card!

I decided to make a special gift box for my sister's birthday.

I've kept the outside quite plain because, despite my temptation to cover it with flowers, it's probably going to have to be posted to her so the plainer the better.

Inside are pictures of our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and our very much younger selves.

And finally

I am going too make a small gift box to go inside to complete the gift.

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 254

The challenge for this fortnight is to celebrate Easter in some crafty project or other.

I made a card.

The main stamps are from Creative, and the background was created using stamps from Card-io and Rubber Stamp Tapestry. I used Memento ink throughout, and completed the card with a die cut flower which I shaded using the same ink.

 I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 253

For this fortnight, our the theme of our challenge is Spring. Not too hard, I suspect!

I made a card using a beautiful stamp from Crafty Individuals as its focus.

I stamped with a Big and Juicy ink pad, then added some colour with Promarkers. I layered a second copy of the bird on top to add a little dimension. Given the lacy theme of the stamp, I added some shimmer card stamped with a lacy panel from Stamps by Chloe. The lacy doily was cut using a die from First Editions and I completed the card with some daisies made using die cuts from Susan's Garden and Sizzix.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 252

The theme for this fortnight is Green.

I have a son with a birthday at this time of year, and since there's normally a 'green' challenge around now, he seems to always end up with a green birthday card. And this year is no exception.

I started with some card which I treated with Distress Oxide ink in a variety of green shades. When that was dry, I took the larger piece and added some Pixie Powder in Peacock Green. The smaller piece I stamped using green Versafine ink. The stamps come from a couple of Creative Stamping magazine issues. To finish the card, I found a border die which I think was made by Crafts Too. and that's it! I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 251

As I said in my last DT post for Crafty Cardmakers, I recently did a session on rubber stamping for my crafts group. And this time, I've got another card that I made as a technique sample.

I wanted to show how you can combine watercolour with heat embossing. I embossed two sizes of the image (a very old mounted stamp from Hobby Art) in clear, then created a coloured background using Promarker water based pens. I used the same pens to give a bit more definition to the butterflies. The three foreground butterflies were stamped with Versafine ink and embossed in gold. I added colour to them, again, with Promarker water based pens.

The sentiment also uses a very old stamp. A long time ago - I'd estimate around 15 years - there was a craft show at Olympia which started out s a knitting and stitching show, but also covered papercrafts. And one time when I visited, someone was selling pre-inked stamps. They're a strange design. I call them stamps, but it's more as if there's a slit in a plastic layer in the shape of the wording. Anyway, they are filled with black ink, but it's slow enough to dry to be embossable. And that's what I did here.

And that's it. I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 250

250 challenges! Where has the time gone? My first challenge for this design team was challenge 25. That was way back in 2009. The amazing thing is that so many of my craft supplies date from then. (A lot are more recent, of course. But things do last!)

Right. on to the challenge. The theme is All You Need is Love. And I've made a Valentine card.

 I recently did a session for my crafts group on rubber stamping. Now, I definitely don't consider myself to be an expert, despite having been trying since well before 2009, but the group is very mixed in terms of experience, and none of them had tried stamping before and they were particularly interested in heat embossing. So, I put together some stamps, inks, and samples of different techniques and let them play. I made a point of looking out all my old mounted stamps as if you've got lots of people trying things out, it seemed like a simpler option than having to have a lot of acrylic blocks. This card was one of my samples - showing heat embossing on coloured card. The stamp I used here is very old, and, unusually for mounted stamps, doesn't have a manufacturer's label, so I don't know who to credit. Despite the rose, I've tried to keep it from being too 'girly' as it's for my husband who, as I've mentioned many times on this blog, prefers things uncluttered and plain.

The background paper is from a pad I bought second hand from someone who was getting out of cardmaking. It's a strange size, and the paper is a lot rougher than most commercial pads, but it's got some lovely patterns, and this is one of them.

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 249

The challenge for this fortnight is to use Black and White only. Now, that's something I would have found a lot harder when I first started cardmaking. It's still not something I find easy as I love colour.

The first thing I thought of for this challenge is a stamping cube from Stampers Anonymous that I bought many years ago from Blade Rubber Stamps in Bloomsbury. When I first started stamping, there were only two shops available: Hobbycraft, the closest of which (then) wasn't at all easy to get to, and Blade Rubber Stamps which, being in central London was at least just a train journey away. I still visit it from time to time - more often recently since I volunteer two days a week just around the corner. But enough of my rambling.

Having thought of the stamp, I then thought that one of my Sizzix Susan's Garden grid dies would work well with the images. And that was true, but of course, the one that gave the right sized grid is a grid of 6, not 4. Still, a bit of re-positioning mid-cut, and I've got a four hole grid. I stamped each image on the cube in Versafine Clair ink in black, then cut the images using the same grid die. I layered up some black and white, and added the black grid outline, then finished with the four images on sticky foam so that they are proud of the grid. And, tempting as it was to add some colour to the images, I didn't.

I hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 248

Welcome to the first Crafty Cardmakers challenge of 2020, and to get it off to a really easy start, the theme this fortnight is Anything Goes!

I decided to make a new home card for a friend, but instead of a flat card, I went with a pop up box.

The base die is from Spellbinders, and I covered the panels with paper from a Joanna Sheen box magazine.

I added a tag using a Tonic die. The flowers were made using dies from Crafter's Companion and The Works, I added shading using Pan Pastel and flower centres and the berries using Liquid Enamel.

I do like this style as it's possible to fold them fairly flat for postage, although I used a piece of scrap card inside the envelope to give it a bit of extra rigidity, and am keeping my fingers crossed it arrives safely.

I hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 247

The theme for the last challenge of the year is Christmas.

I recently discovered a site which sells pricking patterns for paper embroidery, and some of the designs are gorgeous. Needless to say, I had a few, three of which are Christmas themed, and this is what I came up with.

One of my favourite colour combinations here - I do love turquoise and gold!

I do love this pattern! To back it, I've used mirror card and I stamped a repeating tree pattern on some white card using a Kaleidoscope ink pad in Berry Blaze. In fact, I liked this so much, I did another in the same colours (although I mixed up the order a bit.)

 This time I stitched on some pearlescent grey card. Again, I've matted with mirror card, and the backing this time is a silver and white vellum that I've had for many years.

And finally, there's this trio of trees. I stitched this in a multi-coloured thread, and completed each tree with a silver star. Again, I've matted with mirror card, and again used some of that white/silver vellum in the background.

One of the things I like about paper embroidery is that it's easy to travel with. I did most of the stitching for these while my husband and I spent a few days at the seaside this summer. Most of the crafting I do needs too much 'stuff' to be practical to take, so this is ideal!

I do hope you can join us this time, and I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2020!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 246

The challenge for this fortnight is to do away with patterned paper. Leave your stash of pretty papers alone, and other than that, any project is allowed!

I made a card and matching box for a friend who retired last month.

I started with some white card which I coloured with Distress Oxide ink in several of my favourite shades.

Then, I embossed two roughly 8in by 8in pieces using an Embossalicious folder. I then added a little more distress ink on some of the embossed areas and finished with a little gilding wax.

I made some flowers using dies from Sizzix's Susan's Garden range, Elizabeth Craft's Susan's Garden Notes range and finally a die from Printable Heaven along with some greenery cut using a Sue Wilson die. To complete both the box and card, I put together a label in Photoshop Elements which I die cut using Spellbinders dies. After photographing, I removed my friend's name from photos of both the card and box because I don't think it's fair to include that sort of detail in public without permission.

And that's it!

I do hope you can join us this time.