January 2011 Card Group Projects

Today was our first card group get together for 2011. Hmmmm, I said I was going to give the group something a bit more challenging in January but that hasn't happened - I'm not up to feeling challenged myself yet LOL! Definitely got that post Christmas feeling!

A couple of the ladies wanted to know how to use brass stencils with their Big Shot machines so the first card uses the dry embossing technique. I embossed the flowers on a strip of pink Core'dinations CS and then embossed the whole stencil on green. After scuffing with fine sandpaper, I popped up the flowers and I've outlined each flower with Rhinestone Stickles.

The second card also has dry embossing but this one uses the lovely leafy Cuttlebug folder. I absolutely love the leafy silhouette stamp from the SU! Just Believe set and I think it looks lovely stamped offset in contrasting colours. The sentiment is stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate ink on a strip of vellum. I gave it a quick blast with the heat gun so the ink dried a bit faster. I've wrapped the strip around the white panel and taped it to the back. I also fixed gold brads to the strip. I then finished off the panel with a celery die cut photo corner and added white gel pen dots to the scallops. The last touch was the pale green ribbon.

The last card is a very bright and cheery little number, I wanted to use bright colours with some black and white thrown in. The A6 size card is made with So Saffron CS and I've used Marina Mist and Melon Mambo accents. I cut 1/2" off the right hand side and glued a strip of Marina Mist CS on the inside back of the card. Most circle images are from the SU! Circle Circus set but the scalloped circle uses stamps from the Vintage Frames set. Various size circle punches were used to cut out the images and mats. The circles are glued flat to the front of the card except the scalloped sentiment circle which I've popped up.

This photo shows the card open so you can see the shaped front.

Supplies for dry embossed flower trio card:
Stamps: SU! Just Believe set
CS: Anita's cream A6 card blank, Core'dinations CS in Amazon and Fuchsia
Ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves
Tools: Lasting Impressions brass stencil
Embellishments & accessories: Rhinestone Stickles, fine sandpaper, 3d foam pads

Supplies for leafy just for you card:
Stamps: SU! Just Believe set
CS: Craft Creations hemp textured square white card blank, Core'dinations Amazon, SU! Certainly Celery, white vellum
Ink: SU! Certainly Celery, Memento Bamboo Leaves, Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate
Tools: Plain and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities dies, Cuttlebug Leafy Branch Cuttlebug embossing folder, Sizzix Sizzlits Photo Corners die
Embellishments & accessories: Offray satin ribbon, gold brads, white gel pen

Supplies for circles Happy Birthday card:
Stamps: SU! Circle Circus & Vintage Frames sets
CS: SU! So Saffron, Marina Mist, Melon Mambo & Whisper White, black CS
Patterned paper: Doodlebug
Ink: SU! So Saffron, Marina Mist & Melon Mambo
Tools: 2", 1 3/4", 1 1/2", 1 1/4", 1" & 3/4" plain circle punches, SU! Scalloped Circle punch
Embellishments & accessories: 3d foam pads

Winter Trees Thank You Card

I've spent the last few days having a sort out in my craft room.  I have purged.  A lot.  I have finally realised that if I haven't used it in the last 12 months or more then I'm not going to use it at all.  When I've had clear outs before I've always held on to certain things, telling myself  I'll be bound to use them.  I've been making cards and so collecting supplies for years now but I've recognised my style and tastes have changed.  There came a point when I had to be honest with myself about what I actually do use and just let the stuff that I don't use go!

I've been putting it off but now I am SO glad I did it.  It feels great!  It's so nice to be tidy and organised again.  I love that I don't have piles of stuff in my stash that I feel guilty about neglecting.   It was getting me down and it just felt overwhelming to have so much stuff.  I've got supplies to sell on eBay and I gave away loads to people in my local Freegle group.  They were delighted and I'm delighted the stuff has gone to a new home!  Edited to add:  my doorbell just rang and a lady that collected a bag of craft stuff was there with a box of chocolates for me, that was so unexpected and very kind of her!  I just hope that I've learned from this and will buy more wisely in the future!

So now it's back to creating cards.  I saw this lovely card on Dawn Griffith's blog a while ago and I wanted to make my own version using supplies I had.  I made my panel rectangular instead of round and I've added a photo corner with a  punched snowflake.  I've sprinkled glitter on the trees and ground for a bit of sparkle.  This card will go to our neighbours Kath and Jim to say thank you for their Christmas gift.

I hadn't used my SU! Elegant Thank You stamp so I inked that up for the inside of the card.  I inked the whole stamp in Marina Mist ink but wiped that off the flourishes and then inked those with a Night of Navy marker pen.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Lovely As A Tree & Thank You Kindly sets, Elegant Thank You stamp
CS: SU! Night of Navy, Marina Mist & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Bashful Blue, Marina Mist & Night of Navy
Tools: Rectangle & square Nestabilities dies, snow flurry embossing folder from Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland folder set, SU! Photo Corners punch, circle punches, X Cut mini snowflake punch
Embellishments & accessories: Crystal ultrafine glitter, clear gem, circle twinkle sticker, Post It note for masking

Flowers Just For You December Stamper's Ten Make & Take Card

This is the card I made at Joanne's December Make and Take evening.  We had three projects lined up, two cards and a Santa chocolate holder.  I'm afraid to say I was far too interested in chatting and eating Joanne's delicious home made mince pies with her utterly fabulous brandy butter and I only got this one card made!  I did, however, start the second card but disaster struck.  It was a beautiful scene card using the Lovely As A Tree set and involved masking, sponging, stamping off and using the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.  I had done ALL that and then I dropped the open Early Espresso ink pad right on my card - arrrgh!  My friend Jan said the expression on my face was priceless!  Sadly, I wasn't able to rescue the card so I'll remake it later on when I get my own espresso ink pad. 

I loved the Just Believe stamp set as soon as I saw it in the new catalogue and it immediately went on my wish list.  As a result of designing for the UStamp with Dawn & Friends Get a Jump on your Jingle event I was able to choose some SU! goodies and I chose this set as my gift.  It arrived a few days ago - together with my other gifts for designing for the Year End Blow Out event.  Being asked to design was a thrill and getting free SU! goodies on top is just the icing on the cake!  Huge thanks to Dawn for her generosity.  I'm looking forward to playing with my new stamps so much!

Anyway, to make the card we used Crumb Cake CS.  We inked the stamp with markers and then spritzed at arms length with water and stamped onto Confetti White CS.  This gives a watercolour look to the image.  Then we got to play with the Color Spritzer tool.  We put a Crumb Cake marker pen into the tool and spritzed the panel  to add speckles - great fun!  A stamped leafy border, a fancy punched border, some ribbon and a sentiment and the card was finished. 

I asked Joanne if I could stamp inside my card too - surprise, surprise!  I used the gorgeous leafy frame and the thank you stamps.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Just Believe set
CS: SU! Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler & Confetti White
Ink: SU! Certainly Celery, Cherry Cobbler & Chocolate Chip ink pads, Certainly Celery, Cherry Cobbler & Crumb Cake marker pens
Tools: SU! Scallop Trim Border punch, SU! Color Spritzer Tool, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Certainly Celery 1/8" taffeta ribbon

Joy CandleLight Sleeves

These are the sleeves I made to decorate our Philips Imageo CandleLights for Christmas.  I have taped the sleeves together, nothing is adhered to the glass.  That way I can slide the sleeves off and on when I need to recharge the CandleLights.

I used some of my fave old Basic Grey holly paper and have added popped up punched circles over the paper.  For the stamping, I inked up clear stamps designed by Paula Pascual for Personal Impressions, the fab Joyful Bubbles set.  I inked the edges of the vanilla circles.  To finish off I added a deep red crystal to the snowflake centre.

Here they are lit up.  I absolutely love candles and these look so realistic with a lovely warm glow.  I love that I can place them anywhere in the house without the risk of scorching anything - they are great for outdoors too.  Sadly, I have a bit of a reputation after scorching two lampshades at a friend's house after I lit some candles placed too close to the lamps!  These rechargeable CandleLights are perfect for me LOL!  I was so mortified and I've been extra careful with candles ever since.  Kevin was a very forgiving friend and has even allowed me to house sit and light candles even after the incident!

Supplies:
Stamps: Personal Impressions Joyful Bubbles clear set
CS: SU! Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive & Very Vanilla
Patterned paper: Basic Grey Fruitcake holly paper
Ink: Memento Rhubarb Stalk & Bamboo Leaves
Tools: Plain & scalloped circle punches, sponge dauber
Embellishments & accessories: Deep red crystal, 3d glue dots

Snowmen Diorama Card For Owen

Owen has loved the diorama cards I've made this Christmas.  He has also loved any card where I've stamped the Santa and sleigh over a moon.  So I decided to make his Christmas card a diorama incorporating Santa's sleigh over a moon.  I'm so pleased how this card came out and Owen was delighted with it!

I stamped snowflakes randomly over the Marina Mist card base as a background.  Labels Eight dies were used again to cut the apertures.  I stamped my Hobby Art large and giant snowmen onto watercolour paper and coloured them with ink and a waterbrush.  I used red crystals for the holly berries on the hats and I added Stickles to the noses and snow on the hats.  For the back panel, I stamped the line of trees, made a moon mask with a 1" circle and sponged on Bashful Blue ink with a touch of Marina Mist also.  I masked off two reindeer from the sleigh stamp and stamped over the moon.  I added the sentiment and punched snowflakes with crystal centres to finish off the front.

Then I decorated the back of the card.   I stamped the sentiment in Marina Mist ink but wiped it off from 'heart' with a cotton bud and then inked the 'heart' with my Not Quite Navy marker pen.  Nellie oval dies were used for the sentiment.  I've sponged edges with Marina Mist ink and I added a silver heart brad to the sentiment oval.  At the bottom of the white panel I stamped the snowflake border from the My Cute Stamps Let It Snow set - what a gorgeous stamp that is!

Well, that's the last Christmas card I made for 2010.  Each year I've said I'll carry on making them in the New Year so I've got a good start for next year but it has never happened yet LOL!  However, I have a new set of snowman stamps that haven't been inked yet so that just might spur me on - we'll see!  I have some new non Christmas stamps that I'm itching to play with though so I'm not entirely hopeful!

I'm so chuffed to have received a Stylish Blogger award from Pauline - thanks so much hun!  Pauline makes fab creations so please visit her Craft Obsession blog to be inspired!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hobby Art Giant and Large Snowman stamps, SU! Lovely As A Tree set, All NIght Media Santa & Sleigh stamp, PSX Snowflake Medley stamp, Personal Impressions Christmas Messages clear set, back sentiment from Penny Black, My Cute Stamps Let It Snow clear set
CS: SU! Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy & Whisper White, watercolour paper
Ink: SU! Marina Mist, Bashful Blue & Not Quite Navy, VersaFine Onyx Black
Tools: Labels Eight Nestabilities dies, Labels Trio die, 1" circle punch, X Cut snowflake punch, Nellie Multiframe Oval dies, waterbrush
Embellishments & accessories: Crystals, Star Dust Stickles, Orange Peel Stickles, heart shaped brad

Diorama With Dangles!

I've loved making a few diorama cards this Christmas and I've been wanting to dangle something in the apertures.  I decided punched baubles would make the perfect dangles.  This is the card I made to give to our lovely friends Jan and Alan.

This card fit into a 6" square envelope.  EDITED TO ADD:  I've been asked for measurements for this card so I'm updating the post.  You need 2 pieces of 7 1/4" x 5 3/4" CS - score these at 1 1/2" on the left and right of the long sides.  These 2 pieces form the front, back and sides of the card.  For the middle piece (the Not Quite Navy panel on my card) you need 1 piece of 5 3/4" x 5 3/4"  CS - score this at 3/4" on the left and right sides.  Once you understand how a diorama card is constructed you can tweak the measurements to make different shape and size cards.  Just make sure you measure an envelope first and cut and score your CS accordingly so it will fit inside the envelope!  There is a diorama card tutorial here on Splitcoast Stampers.

Something else I've loved this Christmas is the Marina Mist with Not Quite Navy and Old Olive colour combo.   I stamped the tree bough and then added some glitter.  I sandwiched the green cord between two punched baubles, attaching the two shapes together with 3d foam pads.  You can't tell from the photo but I've added glitter to the dots on the baubles for a touch of sparkle.  I then taped the cords behind the apertures.  I then added the sentiment and the sweet little pine cone image.

You won't be entirely surprised to see that I decorated the back!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Contempo Christmas & Lovely As A Tree sets, Hero Arts Real Pine, back sentiment from Penny Black
CS: SU! Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive & Very Vanilla
Patterned paper: SU! Merry Moments Designer Series Paper pack
Ink: SU! Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy & Old Olive
Tools: Labels Eight Nestabilities dies, SU! Ornament punch
Embellishments & accessories: green cord, Crystal ultrafine glitter, 3d foam pads

Thank you so much for visiting and have a very...

Christmas Card for Jan From Alan

Every year Alan asks me to make his wife Jan a Christmas card.  This is the card I made this year - I hope they both like it!  I took the colour scheme from the lovely My Mind's Eye Berries paper.

The card measures approx. 5 3/4" square and I used SU! Sage Shadow CS with Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White for accents.  The large snowflake is from the Serene Snowflakes set and I stamped on sage CS and again on the reverse of the patterned paper.  I've cut out the red portion and popped it up.  I've added a gorgeous brad to the centre of the snowflake.  I just designed a project for the UStamp with Dawn & Friends Year End Blow Out event and I got to choose some SU! goodies from the USA catalogue as a thank you gift.  I chose a stamp set and a pot of Antique brads that aren't available to us here in the UK.  I have a feeling these brads will be carefully hoarded but I was very happy to use one for a card for my good friend Jan!

I also used a new to me Martha Stewart border punch on this card.  It punches such a delicate design and I was a tad concerned it wouldn't cope with SU! CS all that well but it punched beautifully.  I also used Ticket Corner, snowflake, heart  and Photo Corners punches on the card.  I finished off the front with some white grosgrain ribbon, some deep red crystals with clear crystals on the small snowflakes.

Then, of course, I had to work on the inside of the card!  I used the same border punch, I know it's not Christmassy but it is gorgeous and Jan does love her fancy borders!  Some more patterned paper and a punched heart added to the sentiment finished off the inside.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Serene Snowflakes set, Personal Impressions Christmas Messages clear set, inside sentiment from Penny Black
CS: SU! Sage Shadow, Cherry Cobbler & Whisper White
Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye I Believe 'Berries'
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black, SU! Sage Shadow & Cherry Cobbler
Tools: Square Nestabilities dies, Martha Stewart border punch, SU! Ticket Corner punch, SU! Photo Corners punch, heart punches, X Cut mini snowflake punch
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Antique brad, white grosgrain ribbon, deep red crystals, 3d foam pads