All in my Head - Part One

I can see all the decoration in my head, but every-one else will have to wait till tomorrow.

I just can't believe it's Thursday already.  As I am choked with the cold, my crafting is mostly being done in my head again.  I am working on some requests for special cards which are all at the work-in-progress stage.  I have got them all just about planned out in my head (although my plans have been known to change!).  I have made bases for two of the cards though.

Just for fun I thought I would share this one as part of a Card a Day Blogging.  It's a twisted easel made with A3 centura pearl card cut down to an 8" by 8" size.  Then I have made some layers with silver mirri and holographic plus a couple of sheets from my Hunkydory Christmas Multi-buy.  It's not showing too great in the photo but there is some organza ribbon from my stash and some Anita's ribbon that says 'Happy Christmas'.

Although I have inked the white edges of the card, I have worked really hard to keep the look very clean (no faux stitching, yet). 

Hopefully, I'll be fit to post the final result tomorrow.  I'll be using a matching Hunkydory topper, plus some paper flowers and snowflakes and a very tasteful bit of bling.  May be some more ribbon too.

Well, time for some hot tea now, then back to playing with my paper flowers xx

Puppy Treats

Puppy treats any-one?

Just a super quick post from me. The sore throat thing is turning into a cold/flu thing and I feel quite yukky.

There's loads of crafting going on in my head, but not much actually taking place.

Here's my bit for A Card a Day Blogging.

It's a little treat bag from Cupcake Crafting Magical Christmas Moments cd.

I've printed on neenah card, cut out and folded on score lines, then stuck together with extra sticky tape.  I was a bit naughty, it doesn't really need anything but I inked edges and added faux stitching on sides and white and gold peel-offs on front.  I loved adding glossy accents on the puppy noses and stickles glitter on snow.  Last touch is a green ribbon tie.

This was a yummy project and easy as lots of work done by the CD, but it is the artwork that I have fallen in love with.

Oh, and here's my friend's new puppy who was enjoying the snow here the other day.

Ellie - cute or what?

Now all I need to do is get some little doggy treats to go inside.

If you like this, you might like my other doggy post:

Puppy Love.

Christmas Poker

gift bag for a poker lover (only Santa and I know what is going in here)

going for a co-ordinated look



Update: My chesty cough is back with a vengeance, but there was a Victorian Christmas Fayre on locally tonight so I wrapped up warm and went with Mr FantabulousMayhem and his Mum.  No Christmas tree up for me yet, I like to leave it to nearer the main event.  It’s not a card but I will be posting this project as my contribution to a Card a Day Blogging, it does include a gift card and tag though.

Inspiration: Pushing on with some practical Christmas makes for family.  Number one son plays poker (and he was in Las Vegas in the summer for a friend’s wedding, lucky him!), so that’s the theme for these gift bags.  I saw the topper sheet at a craft stall while in Whitby and the foiling really caught my eye.  I will never forget the year when number one son came home from university at Christmas, took one look at the Christmas decorations I had put up and said ‘haven’t you heard less is more mum?’  This sums him up, but I do still love him and my decorations.  He doesn’t like a lot of frills but he does seem to appreciate some of the hand crafted cards I have made for him (just not the house lit up like Las Vegas!!).  I am trying to stick with a theme so the gifts look co-ordinated (I have some plain red and kraft wrapping paper with stars that will go well too).

• Products: Kanban topper ‘Large Playing Cards’ PCT9806; Kanban Christmas backing card 900373, 900488, 900492, 900516; plain black card and mirri card from stash; do-crafts kraftstax; do-crafts back to basics gift bags; 3 for a £1 bottle bag; Anita’s Christmas ribbon (red), Dovecraft creative ribbon (green), Raffia from stash; gold fishnet ribbon from stash (bought in a bargain shop); letter tiles from WH Smith (didn’t keep the label so I’m not sure of the brand); cosmic shimmer coloured pearlescent glue; Hunkdory bling; black and white buttons from stash (papermania a few years ago); small heart punch; white peel-offs; white sakura gel pen; rusty hinge and barn door distress ink to ink edges.
• Techniques: Just a decoration job really, but lots of fun in laying things out and deciding what would go where.  I was aiming at a layered, not too busy, random collage look.  I love the quality of the Kanban card and the foiling but I still like to ink the edges, as the card is matt it takes a touch of ink very well.
• Favourites: Kraft card; layers; inked edges; dots and dashes; bit of personalisation.
• Extra bits (just because): tried to keep to a minimum but I do think the cosmic shimmer glue blobs make a nice effect, I do need to practice though as they are not totally regular (and with no ‘e’ in David I could use some of my remaining letter tiles!).  I've used the cosmic shimmer glue to stick on the buttons and to make a faux thread.

Watch this space: itching to do some colouring in, if I can stop coughing long enough but I’ve got a new Funky Hand cd to play with too so I’ve got a real dilemma on my hands.

If you like these decorated bags, you might like this project:

Quirky Monochrome

First Anniversary with Paper Flowers

I love this Sarah Kay image and I love making paper flowers

Update: It snowed here last night, so that should help me get in the Christmas mood.  I've certainly got plenty to do, with several requests to complete (including one from number one son!).  Unfortunately, my cough from hell has returned.  Meantime, think it’s ok to share this one now, it will be my card for A Card a Day Blogging.

Inspiration: I was asked by a friend to make a first wedding anniversary card and we agreed that earth tones would work as these were the accent colours at the wedding.  It went with this Sarah Kay image because I think it’s really lovely.

Products: Sarah Kay stamp ‘Sweet Romance’; Rich Cocoa Memento ink; Copic pens in warm greys mostly; papermania 8” by 8” card with gusset envelope; papermania cream card; kanban card with damask pattern; brown & taupe thin card (which has a lovely sheen) from my local shop Craft-ed Creations; Marianne and Spellbinder dies for flowers; few brads from stash; bling in some flower centres and sentiment stamp from Stamps by Chloe; flower punches; Cheery Lyn die for swirls; button; Tim Holz pin; butcher’s twine; darice embossing folder; spellbinders fancy rectangle die; peel-offs; glitter.

Techniques: Image hand stamped and coloured with copic pens.  I loved colouring in warm greys for a vintage effect.  I’ve used some earth tones and pink for the faces and the flower.  There is a little bit of embossing and sanding on the Kanban paper, and a little ink on edges of cream card, but most of the texture comes from using different sorts of paper and card. Most of the design was about making a tactile card in layers so I played about with the various layers before I decided on the final layout.  For definition I have added some dots and dashes and some white peel-offs on the slightly textured taupe card.

Favourites: Faux stitching; paper flowers; extra details inside card (but I forgot to take photo!)

Extra bits (because I love them so): there’s a lot of flowers (plus a few hand cut leaves) but I think I can get away with it because I have kept to just three tones and what could be better for your paper anniversary than paper flowers?  I loved adding a bit of bling and the Tim Holz pin too.

Mr Fantabulous Mayhem and I are just back from Whitby where we went as our first anniversary treat (we went there last year just after we got married too as we love the atmosphere and the vintage feel of the place).  Here's a wee pic of me and my shadow!

Need to get back to some Christmassy things now and a nice hot cup of tea xx

If you like the paper flowers you might like these projects:

Wedding Day

Golden Wedding

Goose Girl

Rose Red

Anna Karenina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy Love

lots of puppy fun

little Ellie, a friend's new puppy

snow on the Ochil Hills (near where I live - photo by a friend)

Out of my routine after having a few days away in Whitby.  I had a lovely catch up with friends last night and I have done some digital designs for a request today plus a little bit of work on a word book but nothing completed yet.  I've been enjoying the Funky Hand and Tiddly Inks Blog Hop too. Here is my contribution to a Card a Day Blogging.

I'm not sure if this card is finished.  Can't decide whether to add a sentiment or not (and what to make it).

Inspiration: I was charmed by the Cupcake Crafting 'Magical Christmas Moments' CD as it has lovely images of animals which have a beautiful hand drawn feel.  I don't have any pets myself (just a husband who is as messy as I am), but I have a number of friends whose pets really are another member of their family and I thought I would make them something appropriate this Christmas.  This image is just right at the moment as it is so crispy cold with snow on the hills here.  One of my friend's got a brand new puppy yesterday that looks a bit like one of the puppies in the sledge.

• Products: Cupcake Crafting CD 'Magical Christmas Moments'; Neenah card; plain red and peach card; Core'dinations Core Impressions Classic Christmas; ribbon from stash; stickles; glossy accents.
• Techniques: topper printed on neenah card, glossy accents on sledge and doggy noses and eyes.  Little bit of stickles glitter highlights on snow.  Added a bit of real ribbon on top of the faux ribbon. Topper enhanced with a few neat layers with some dots and dashes (picking out puppy and sledge colours).  The background is core'dinations card that comes already embossed with snowflakes, so just needed a little sanding.  I tried to keep things simple so that the puppies steal the show.

Hope you like it xx