"Thank You" basket & card order

Wooohooo!!!

 

Its the weekend and this means its craft o clock!  I had a couple of the lovely quilling dies delivered this week from Crafters Companions so that will be my very first crafty stops.  I watched the Video that Leann posted and they look just awesome when they are all made up.  I have also saved some bottle tops so I think I am going to pop these through the Grand Calibur and make some embellishments. 

 

I haven't done any smelly things in a while and this is the first basket I have been asked to put together this year.  It has a very Easter colour type feel.

 

This was an order from my Brothers Fiance for a friend and she also required a wee Thank You card to go along with it.  As I was working and it was a bit last minute I used the really lovely Crafters Companion Fairyopolis Card Kit and just used the 6x6 card blanks rather than making my usual 8x8 size.

 

The card blank is from the kit and is already a beautiful design.  I cut a shape using the Grand Calibur and embossed using the Darice Flower Embossing Folder.  The fairy and the butterfly are from the Fairyopolis Kit and are decoupaged using 3D glue gel. 

The "just a note.." is a Darice Border Embossing Folder which I have embossed onto Core'dinations Card Stock, sanded and distressed and then added a piece of ribbon.

I have then just added flowers to finish.

This is just another view to show the dimension created and the lovely paper used for the insert.

I also put together a quick card for Davids Niece to hold her Easter gift.  Very simple but it is still handmade and with this kit everything that is put together is just gorgeous.

This is a card blank from the kit, already covered in the lovely butterfly paper and the faux bow.  I added the topper, some flowers, a little sparkle and a lovely paper insert.

I know all us crafters will be sitting down to craft this Easter weekend so have a very lovely time and I will be looking out for all your lovely projects.

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

Hunkydory Flopsy Bunny Kit Cards for Easter

Happy Friday Friends

 

I am working today but will be off for a few days over Easter which is good.  This means lots of crafting time for me which is well overdue and much needed to help relax.

 

Woke up today for the first time this week to no snow lying on the ground and the sun shining so I may even be able to do some Easter gardening!

 

Well I popped together a couple of very lovely Easter cards using the Hunkydory Flopsy Bunny Kit.  The quality of the card stock and toppers are just fantastic and they are by far one of my favourite crafty companies only second to Crafters Companion who have provided all the tools needed for me to get creating in the first place.

 

Anyway, I highly recommend getting this kit out, it is perfect for this time of year and also for some very young peoples birthdays.

The flowers are all I thought was needed to finish as already a beautiful card and sometimes simple is best,  things don't always have to be fussy.  The flowers come plain but I just used a ball tool to round them some and then added a gem or pearl to the centre.

This topper was a pyramage design topper, all perfectly foiled to give a beautiful finish.  Pretty impossible to make a bad card using Hunkydory products.  I used 3D glue gel rather than foam pads, just to allow some movement to ensure that I lined the layers up properly.

Just a topper, sentiment, some flowers, gems and 3D glue gel.  Great result though.

This just shows the structure of the rocker card.  There is plenty of room on the inside for a sentiment and also your own hand written message.  I used a sentiment from the kit.

A simple card using a Flopsy Bunny topper and the Darice Embossing Borders.  This was a cinema themed card as was to contain cinema tickets as an Easter treat.

These were very quick to put together but as proper advanced craft crafters I am sure there are much more advanced and crafty things that could be done with them.  I think they are so lovely though and not much is needed as Flopsy is just gorgeous and shouldn't be messed with ;)

 

Have a great Easter Bloggers,

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

Candle Decorating

Hello Bloggers

 

It is lovely to have a day off during the week.  Today I will be making my Easter cards for the family using the wonderful Hunkydory Flopsy Bunny Kit.  It is just the perfect thing for this time of year and Flopsy is just gorgeous.

 

As promised though this is a post about the candle decorating that I finally tried after watching Mel Heaton on Create & Craft.  She is such an inspirational crafter and has a blog aswell which is well worth following if you love her work as much as I do.  This is the link, the blog is called Paper Dreams.... http://bramwellsblog.blogspot.co.uk/

 

So all I need was some large candles, tissue paper, my chosen stamp, I used a black Momento Ink Pad, good quality watercolour pencils, Mica Flakes, wax paper and a heat gun. 

 

For the boxes I used the Crafters Companion Ultimate Pro, plain white A4 card, Centura Pearl Card from the Darks Collection, ribbon, dew drops, 3D glue gel & peel offs.

 

I stamped the image onto the tissue paper, coloured, cut out and layered onto the candle, held this in place tightly with the wax paper and used the heat gun to fix in place.  you can see that this is working as the wax comes through the paper slightly.  Be careful not to heat to much, it is a surprisingly quick process.

I used mica flakes as the butterfly trails.

The box maker on the Ultimate Pro is fantastic and it was easy to engineer the boxes to fit the candles perfectly.


The constructed box.

These will be my Easter gifts this year instead of chocolate.  I am super pleased with how they turned out. 

 

My next venture will be to try printing onto the tissue from the ever growing selection of crafting Cd's that I have, I am ashamed to say that I still have not replaced my ink cartridges and this is the only reason my cards and gifts will not match this year.

 

I have a lovely Tatty Teddy CD ROM and the matching paper kit so it would have been lovely to have the Tatty Ted candle with matching cards but nevermind.  Its in the pipeline :)



Finished gifts.

I also popped together a couple of cards to go with these.  They were very simple, just some lovely fibrous papers, & peel-offs coloured with Promarkers.

Happy Crafting,

Amanda xx

Finished Painting

Good Morning

 

Just a wee quick post today as off to work in a wee bit.  It is Wednesday though so all down hill till the weekend and a day closer to the Easter Holidays for some.  Its a great time to get crafty!!

 

I just thought I would finally post the finished painting that I started in May last year and if you have been following me since then you will have seen the beginnings in a blog around that time.

 

It was started in Oils and hasn't really been tinkered with since the summertime last year so was finally dry.  Instead of continuing with oil I have work with it over the weekend and last couple of day in acrylic paints, adding in some mica powder painting and gilding to finish off some of the detail. 

 

I don't think it will go down in history as the best painting in the world but I am happy with it.  If you stick it on the wall at the opposite end of the room, take off your glasses, squint a wee bit and turn out the lights, there is a tiny little resemblance to the original photo and to be honest art really isn't about making a carbon copy (that's my excuse).

 

It is going to be an Easter Gift for my friend who's garden and kitty it is, I am sure he will appreciate the time and love that has gone into it and that makes it all worth while.

Finally, the finished painting!!

 

A close up of the texture, the gilding on the cat silhouette and the Mica painting on the sun face ceramic.

I have had a go at the candle decorating and will post this when I have a little more time.

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

Mini Barrel of Smarties

Good Morning All

 

It is such a beautiful day today compared to what we have had over the last few days.  Still cold but at least the snow is gone!!  This time last year I had started planting in the greenhouse but this year it is still just far too cold for that, hopefully get started next week? surely the weather has to change?

 

Well yesterday it was Davids birthday and as I am completely rubbish at cooking and baking I decided to steal an idea that I have seen around the Web/ Facebook/ Twitter.  It all started with the lovely "Little Piggies Swimming in Nutella in a Kit Kat Barrel" on the So Delicious blog.  It is just amazing and I saved this for future reference.  This is the link - http://sodelicio.us/2013/02/little-piggies-swimming-in-nutella-in-a-kit-kat-barrel/

 

I didn't ever think I would get around to making though as the pigs I found could not be bought and had to me made!!  Then, just when I though all hope was lost, the lovely Anne-Marie from Hunkydory made a take on the cake using smarties, now that I could do, well attempt anyway. If you have Facebook and you are not already a follower, Anne-Marie is always posting sneak peaks to new kits and other lovely crafty things - just search for "Anne-Marie Hunkydory".  

 

I wasn't going for the full size cake as there are just too many calories involved in that so I made a wee individual one just for David to eat on his own.  I bought a cupcake, covered in choc fudge icing, surrounded with dark choc kit kats and added a wee pack of smarties and a bow.  Looked the business and well after all its the thought that counts........isn't it?

 

I would definitely advise trying this is you like making cakes, I however, should really just stay out of the kitchen!!

 

Anyway, I am off to get ready for work, Tuesday already!  Enjoy the rest of your week whatever you are up to.

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

A5 Tatty Ted Card using left over bits & pieces

Good Morning Crafters

 

Happy Friday to you all, hope you have some lovely crafty plans for the weekend?

 

This is just a quick post to show the card I put together using some of the left over bits from the card I made yesterday.  It hasn't been made with anyone in mind and will just be added to the pile of cards I have made to date along my crafty journey.  Things are progressing nicely, although I am still making mistakes with colour and layout but I learn as I go and hopefully do not repeat that mistake.

 

I also find it good sharing with you all in the hope that at some point someone will give me some advice and assistance or just say hi.

 

This is A5 in size.

I layered a piece of Brown Centura Pearl on the front of the card blank and punched holes in the bottom corners also adding eyelets to strengthen & finish.  I wrapped a piece of bakers twine between these & knotted again this is a mans card so as stated before i am using this more and more instead of ribbon.

I then distressed the edges of the Core'dinations Card and added a tiny bit of the blue nose colour before attaching to the card with 3D Glue Gel.

The Tatty Ted Topper was layered onto a piece of Silver Mirri Card after being inked around with a matching blue and I also coloured in the low lights on the tree just to add more of that blue colour.  The topper was also attached with 3D glue gel and brown gems added for a little sparkle.

 

The inside of the card is just using the same colours, gems and a sentiment to match Tatty Ted on the card front.  The sentiment is layered onto a piece of Silver Mirri Card and this plus the paw prints are attached with 3D Glue Gel.

The card has lots of dimension but a good quality card base such as Hunkydory Card Blanks allows the card to stand perfectly.

I will be hoping to share some nice Easter projects next week if they work out OK, fingers crossed.

 

Have a fantastic weekend & Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda x

Cards using Hot Diggity Dog Toppers & Darice Embossing Folders

Good Afternoon All

 

I have been neglecting my blog and crafting again due to having lots of overtime at work.  I am hoping to catch up with all my housey things this weekend and use my days off next week to make some kit cards using the pile of Hunkydory Magazines from which I have shamefully only made 2 cards from to date.  This is not due to them not being good, in fact it is the complete opposite, the free gift card kits are just too lovely to use!!  Mel has just been on C&C though and has stated that paper and card is just paper and card, we need to use it, she is so very right.

 

I also think I am going to try my hand at stamping onto tissue and making some decorated candles, looks alot easier than I had imagined and is a super cheap way of creating something lovely for Easter gifts.

 

So it is Davids birthday this coming Monday and instead of making him a card I purchased one from the lovely Craig Laird.  Craig was part of the Kanban Design Team and his creations are just gorgeous and the card he made is just perfect in every way.  This is a link to his Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/#!/craigscardcreations

 

I felt quite bad about this as I have managed to make everyones card this year so far so rather than buy a couple of cheap cards to give from the animals, I decided to make them.  Yip its a bit crazy but as we don't have kids or a huge family its always nice to get a couple of extra cards so he gets one from the band of ferrets and one from the crazy cats.

 

The cards are both 6x6 in size.

The photos of this card just didn't look that great at all but it is lovely when you see it.  I have just used a piece of plain Gold Mirri Card as the background, a couple of pieces of Core'dinations which were embossed with the 12" Darice Paw Prints Folder.  These were sanded back and attached to the card using 3D Glue Gel.  The swirls were cut using the Xcut swirl die and sequins added just to give some sparkle, these and the sentiment were attached also using 3D glue gel.  The sentiment was stamped and embossed with silver embossing powder.

 

 

This shows the inside of the card which is simply a sentiment and a few of the cut out paw prints, again to give a nice dimension I used 3D Glue Gel.



Another simple card, I have used a plain piece of Brown Centura Pearl Card for the background.  A strip of Cord'dinations card embossed with the same folder, before attaching to the card with 3D Glue Gel, I wrapped some bakers twine around the back and knotted.  I am loving the bakers twine for men's cards, it is a great alternative to ribbon.

I have then just used two small Hot Diggity Dog toppers & a sentiment.  These are all cat themed as the card will be from the cats.

 

This just shows the dimension of the card and the ready made Hot Diggity Dog Toppers.  I have not put an insert in the inside of this card as I will write a wee diddy poem from the Kitty's instead.

That's it for today, going to make tea.  Its funny how you forget to eat once the craft stuff comes out!!

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

Postcard - Wizard Of Oz

Hello Bloggers

 

Mid week means "Hump Day", all downhill till the weekend.

 

So this months postcard swaps theme is Wizard Of Oz.  This is one of my all time favourite films and so I thought I would find this really easy but the fact is, it was probably the hardest out the themes this month.

 

I tried alot of different techniques on this and I am not 100% convinced that they all work that well together.

 

The background was done in watercolour pencil and washed out with a damp paintbrush, this was really just to get rid of the harsh white of the card and give a general feeling of where the sky and land are.

 

I then used a Versamark Pen to add lines of Green Glitter Embossing Powder, this is to give the idea of the Emerald City in the distance. 

 

I covered everything with a coat of Clear Ultra Thick Embossing Powder.  I then added another layer of this but sprinkled in some Gold Mica Flakes to give the magical shine of the yellow brick road.

 

This was all then popped in the freezer, taken back out and cracked enough just to flatten it all out.  I then rubbed a sparkly gold ink pad into the cracks just to age and sparkle.

 

The yellow brick road was made by using gilding flakes on sticky black plastic then cutting road shaped pieces from Gold Mirri Card.  The Mirri Card was attached to the flake background with double sided tape and then to the card with 3D glue gel.

For the characters I decided to use stamps.  I had a look online for some actual rubber stamps but couldn't see any that I wanted, the vintage ones are gorgeous but outwith my price range at the moment and so I decided on digi stamps.  These are fab as it means they can be resized, printed perfectly every time and also used in conjunction with Serif Digital Craft Artist.

 

I managed to get a really lovely set from Spesch Stamps designed by Max and I love his interpretation of the characters, they were great to colour.  As I was using them in such a small size I coloured using watercolour pencils in pastels & metallic.

 

If you like digi stamps the website below is a fab and well worth a look -

http://speschstamps.com/category_4/all/Stamps-by-Max.htm

 

Finally, I just attached them to a new postcard which was inked around the edges using a green ink pad, I added gems and peel-offs.

 

 

 

Not sure how I feel about them but they are done and I tried lots of techniques so I guess that's what it is all about at the end of the day.

 

I cannot wait to see what the rest of the group have done, this is the exciting bit.

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

 

Tags - Vintage Lace

*yawn* Morning

 

What crafty things are you all up to? 

 

I have no crafty events coming up and wondering what to get up to on my days off.  I am thinking maybe some sort of crafty book in a box type thing, actually get myself organised for the rest of the years birthdays? oh I really don't know and I just walk into my craft room and get completely overwhelmed.

 

In writing all that I think I might actually finish the painting that I started this time last year.  The oil paint will be well and truly dried and I can do the finer detail in acrylic, quite fancy finishing it with a little gilding flake which might be cool.

 

Anyway, I am sure you will be updated with what I finally decide. 

 

This months tag swaps theme is Vintage Lace, I am rubbish with all things vintage and had to go to Remnant Kings for lace so this was pretty much outwith my crafty comfort zone.  That was until I remembered I had a kit called Vintage Lace and that sorted the issue right out.

I used a piece of paper with a lace design as the backing, I wrapped a piece of ribbon along the bottom and added a sentiment on top using 3D glue gel. I then attached to a piece of pink Centura Pearl, punched a hole and used a piece of the lace as the tag tie,

I covered the back of the rose topper with red line tape and attached lace around the back of it by pinching and sticking to give a lovely rounded feel.  This was then attached to the card with 3D glue gel to add dimension.

Adhesive pearls were added to finish, giving that old vintage feel.

This was pretty simple, I just cut a piece of lace paper and backed around the edges with red line tape attaching lace.  I added the sentiment with double sided tape, the topper with foam tape and adhesive pearls to finish.  The whole thing was attached to a piece of pink Centura Pearl with 3D glue gel.

I punched a hole and again used lace as the tag tie.

I hope the week is going well for you all.

Happy Crafting Friends,

Amanda xx

ATC - Oriental

Good Morning

 

It was a super quick weekend and this is my early week at work so I am going to be uber tired, I do not foresee much crafting this week, just lots of early nights.

 

The crafty swap group themes have been published and I could not wait to get started.  I was most looking forward to doing the Postcards and thought I would struggle with the ATC's but funnily it was the other way about.

 

This months theme was Oriental.  Its not really something I have in my crafty stash and so I instantly dismissed it and thought I wouldn't take part in this section.  Instead it was the first things that I completed and it was alot simpler than I thought.

I used acetate with a printed picture of an oriental figure on it.  I then stuck this onto a piece of double sided adhesive and then into a tub of gilding flakes.  This gave a lovely sheen to the figure and I cut around this to finish.

 

The backing paper was a lovely fantasy floral type which I attached to the piece of ATC sized Kraft Card with double sided tape.  I added the figure with 3D glue gel and gems.  They are both very similar but it was just easier for me to keep it simple.

 

Well that's me for the day, have a good one peeps,

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

Hot Diggity Dog - Mother's Day Card 2 - Pink

Good Morning Bloggers

 

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mum's out there.  I do hope you all have a wonderful day and get spoilt like you deserve to be.

 

This is the other card that I made yesterday and this one is for my mum.

 

Again I used a Hot Diggity Dog Kit but this is a Stepper Card Kit and was great to do.  All I added to this was a bit of ribbon, peel-offs, gems, a piece of Holographic Mirri Card, a printed sentiment and all the usual adhesives.

The Hot Diggity Dog Kits are a definite plus for all levels of card makers, I will always have these in the crafty stash for when good quality quick cards are needed.

This is the first stepper card that I have put together and I think it may be my new favourite design, it looks great as a finished card and will definitely be different from the other on the mantle piece.

This just shows the decoupage on the topper which I built up using foam pads.  I also added gems along the middle and the sentiment was layered on foam tape just adding further dimension to the card.

The ribbon was attached to the back of the layered paper using red line tape.  Rather than tie a bow I simply knotted the ribbon around the main piece and cut the ends like the end of the tails, the cat topper was added using 3D glue gel.

I added peel-offs and gems to finish.

The sentiment was printed in Word then layered on a piece of the paper used on the card front and attached to a piece of Holographic Mirri Card just to lift it a little.  Gems were added to tie it into the main card and add a sparkle.

Well I am off to see my Mum and say thanks for all that she does.

Happy Crafting,

Amanda xx

Hot Diggity Dog - Mother's Day Card 1 - blue

Evening Peeps

 

I do hope you are all having a fab weekend?

 

In true Amanda style I have left my Mother's Day Cards to the last minute and have spent the afternoon getting these done.

 

This one is for David's Mum. 

 

I used a Hot Diggity Dog A5 Card Kit, some Holographic Mirri Card, a printed Mother's Day sentiment, a piece of ribbon, a flower embellishment, some gems, 3D glue gel, double sided tape, mini foam pads, foam tape & red line tape.

The card base was build up using die cut decoupage from the kit.  I then matt & layered two of the sentiments into one, I used double sided tape for one part & foam tape for the other just to add some interest.

This just shows the layers of decoupage and the mini foam pads used to put it together.  I actually tend to use more 3D glue gel as it looks much better, not sure why I didn't today but it still looks good as a finished piece.

The ribbon was attached to the back of the insert paper using red line tape as it is very strong and perfect for this use.  I added gem and also a large flower embellishment which I attached using 3D glue gel.

The sentiment was matt & layered on matching paper and a little Holographic Mirri Card then attached with foam tape to give a little dimension.

So this with a voucher and a wee gift to open will hopefully be happily received tomorrow. 

 

Believe it or not I actually went into a shop to buy the cards but the queue was massive, I am very pleased I made my own as they have turned out just fine.  These card kits come very highly recommended by me to you especially if you are a new crafter.  Its great for getting to grips with the basics, decoupage, matt & layering, different types of adhesive etc.

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

The swaps received from my crafty friends.

Afternoon All

 

Well we have nearly almost made it to the end of another week. 

 

Remember it is Mothers Day on Sunday, a day that is set aside for us to say thank you to our Mum for all that she does for us through the year.  I am always very grateful but as we are all so busy with our lives, work etc it is good to have that one day which we know is a date in the diary to keep free.  In saying that I am completely unorganised as always and have still to make the cards!!

 

I had a lovely surprise from my postman yesterday just before I left for work, he delivered the crafty swaps from my crafty bunch of ladies.  They are fantastic as always and I am very happy to be able to share them with you all.

ATC - Rain

by Angela Drummond

by Ina Wilkinson

Tags - Love & Romance

by Angela Drummond

by Christine Stuart

Postcards - Flower Explosion

by Ina Wilkinson

by Katrina Polson

They are all just fab, aren't they?  The girls are just so talented and as you can see we all always have such different takes on the themes that we are given.  Its just so exciting waiting for the swaps to come through the post.

 

So I had better get myself off and make these Mothers Day cards then.......

 

Happy Crafting,

 

Amanda xx

"Thinking of you" cards using Darice Embossing Folders

Afternoon All

 

I have been playing again with all the bits & pieces of card that I embossed over the weekend.  I also finally tried using the gilding flakes which are fab and so so easy to use, I want to put them on everything now.  Finally, I also stamped on some shrink plastic just for a wee change and a different little embellishment.

 

I embossed the reed folder on three different pieces of Core'dinations Card stock which came with the folders, instead of using my trimmer I tore around the edges and sanded back.  The piece of Kraft card I attached them to was also torn and I then flitter glued the edges and added gilding flakes. 

To put the card together I attached the orange & green reeds to the piece of craft card with double sided tape and the pink one with foam tape.  I then attached the bakers twine to the reverse using red line tape, and the "thinking of you" sentiment which was also stamped with flitter glue and gilded, was attached using 3D glue gel to add dimension.

The finished topper was attached to the card blank using foam tape.

This was quite simple to put together but I was pleased with how it worked out, will be a good "just because" card, something to keep on hand for those moments when you just need a card.

For this I started with a plain piece of white card, stamped & used gilding flakes as a background.  As I used a bumble bee background it fitted perfect with the bumble bee embossing folder and grassy shrubs.  These were just embossed trimmed and sanded back.

To put the card together I inked around the edge of the white card, attached using double sided tape, attached the green piece of Core'dinations in the same way and the yellow piece with foam tape.

In the inside of the card I added the embossed "Smile" sentiment.

This is just simply two of the embossing folders on Core'dinations Card stock sanded back to show the detail.

The pink piece was attached to a piece of Kraft card with double sided tape, the green with foam tape.  The topper was then attached to the card blank with foam tape and a couple of gems to finish.

A stamped and gilded "Thinking of you" sentiment was added to the inside of the card. 

My fav out of the quick cards was this one.  I never tire of seeing shrink plastic do its thing under the heat gun.

I used a beehive stamp on the card blank and then stamped this same stamp on shrink plastic to make matching embellishments. 

I used the other two bee themed embossing folders, simply trimmed and sanded back.

Well that will be me for the week I think as I am booked in for some big shifts at work.  Its a bit of an inconvenience as there are still Mother's Day cards to be done, looks like I will be last minute again this year!!

 

I also have the themes for this months group swaps and they are fab, been keeping me up at night with all the ideas, again just need the time but don't we all?

 

Hope your week has started well, happy crafting,

 

Amanda xx