Birthday Blooms.

I am always using mirri card to mount my die cut images, but I tend to use the positive rather than the negative.

This time I decided to use the negative. Well... it survived going through my big shot  with it's very cut up and warped cutting plates, so I decided to use it as the background for the birthday blooms stamp.

I mounted the image onto black card stock.
I decided to hold off on adding a sentiment for now.  As I don't know what occasion this car will be used for.
The stamp set is called birthday blooms, but you can use it for pretty much any occasion and it's still available from S.U.
I coloured the image with copic markers.

Evie's Birthday Card.

Today's card is for a young lady who will be celebrating her 4th birthday later this week.
I used the now retired "Styling Girl" stamp set  from stampin' up!
 I coloured the image with Copic markers.

I think almost everything I used on this card is retired.

The Polka dot background was created using the retired  S.U Polka dot background stamp along Almost Amethyst ink pad stamped onto whisper white card stock.
All mounted onto Almost Amethyst card stock..also retired.
.
The dies I used to cut out the letters are an early set of alphabet dies that S.U sold sometime ago and are no longer available. 
As a hobby demo I don't tend to sell my retired sets as so many demonstrators do. I bought them because I liked them and every now again I 'll dig out the older stuff and create something new, as I have today. 

Watering can and Robin.

 I had some money given to me out for my birthday,   So Hubby took me to a  little craft shop in Farnborough another in Lyndhurst in the New Forest to spend my dosh.
 I found this this watering can and robin stamp in farnborough and the Sue Wilson  embossing folder in Lyndhurst.
I also found a lot more stuff  in the Lyndhurst shop that I bought but haven't made much with... yet.

Christmas parcel card

Hubby said he didn't like this card. so I shared it with a card making group on Facebook with the title Hubby doesn't like this one.

The response it got was amazing.  Every comment was positive and some were hysterical.  I laughed my socks off when I read them.    I even shared them with Hubby.  Luckily he took it all in his stride and laughed along with me.

I used the Sue Wilson Swirly Vine die for the background.

 The parcel stamp is a very old stamp  I have no idea where it came from.
This card would work as a  Birthday or Christmas card  depending on the colour it's made in.

Handmade Christmas card

Another Lili of the valley digital stamp. Don't let the digital bit put you off , they also do rubber versions of most, if not all of their stamps.

This is my first attempted at colouring this image. I can't say I enjoyed colouring all that night sky blue. But now I have done it once,  I have come up with some other ideas to conserve my ink.  I just have to try it out before I share.

Snow Globe card

The di e used for this snow globe card is another Sue Wilson  die, called snow globe, surprisingly.
Now I have to say I love snow globes but I am not really sure about the ring around what would be a glass ball on the real thing.
 I am planning to make one with out the ring around the globe to see what that looks like.
The image I used for the centre is another Lili of the valley image.  A digital image again.
The beauty of the digital image is that they can be re sized. I  made this one smaller so that it would fit in the snow globe die.

 I  am wishing now,  I had bought the treat cups that go with the snow globe die... I could have really gone to town with this one.   Think I may have order some,, he he ..... Shhhh.. don't tell  hubby.
Again I have used the retire  wheel stamp from S.U  and the white craft ink to creat this black and white background.

Christmas Jumper card

This is another lili of the valley image. It's a digital image  I purchased from the website.
I don't buy many digital stamps, I am always afraid that I will lose all my images if somethhing went wrong with my PC and it's a very old PC,  so the chance of that are very high.

 I thought this was a great image and it  reminded me of my son's reaction to some his Christmas presents over the years.  Not that I have ever bought him a Christmas jumper. The image as always was coloured with Copic markers. The background was created using a wheel stamp and white craft ink.

Those Rats Again.

I know,  I keep calling the House Mouse images rats but to me they look more like rats. Probably because the tail lacks hair like mice have.
I prefer to colour the tail the same colour as the body rather than the flesh colour most people tend to use.
Other than that, these images are really cute.
I like this image as it would also be suitable for a birthday card as well as a Christmas card.  here I have used an old S.U wheel stamp with white craft ink to create the background.  The image was coloured with Copic markers. the sentiment is from a retired S.U set.

Nut Cracker Cards

Other than making a tag with this stamp  I haven't actually done anything with this stamp until last week. here are two cards using the Nut Cracker stamp from the "Staching through the snow" stamp set and the mustache die,
 The background  was created with a wheel stamp that has been retired so long I can't remember what is  called. I used white craft ink on the wheel stamp and rolled it diagonally across the card stock.  By stamping diagonally across the card means it doesn't show very much if your rolling isn't quite straight or the spacing between rows isn't even.
The sentiments on these cards are from another retired S.U set  it's called Greeting of the Season or Seasonal Greetings.
Both images were coloured with Copic Markers.

Staching through the snow

I know I promised to share my big project with you next, but it's taking me sometime to type it all up and upload the photos, so I am sharing a few Christmas cards I've been making.

 This is a quick Christmas card  made using the Sue Wilson Swirly Vine background die  and the retired  S.U stamp sets " staching through the snow.


The sentiment is from another retire  S.U set called Riveting.
I used Cherry Cobbler  and Whisper White card stock,  both from S.U.
I coloured the Santa image using Copic markers.

Hogs and Kisses

I admit this is not the most exciting card or is it elaborate card I have ever posted and I am wondering if it is worthy of a spot on my blog.
I guess I was thinking,   less is more  while working on this one or maybe I 'd just lost my mojo.

I used the new stamp set from S.U. called "This little piggy" to create this card.

I coloured the imaged using Copic Markers and mounted it onto cardstock layer which I had stitched together using a zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.


My next post will be very long,  the project is very elaborate and I will probably bore you all senseless with my drivel on how  long it has taken and the how
project was created  That should make up for this rather under whelming card.

Howzat!

This is the last of  my
Lili  of the Valley digital image cards ....for today anyway.
  
This one I have made for a cricket fan.

Again I have use Copic mark to colour this image.





There is no ball on this image.
I added a flat back self adhesive pearl that I had  painted  with alcohol inks to make it look like a cricket ball.  
The sentiment for this Card is from a retired S.U. set called Riveting.

Wedding Anniversary Card.

Another Lili of the Valley image.  This time I used the rubber stamp version.
I  had actually bought an anniversary card for hubby, but lost it.  
So I went into panic mode and made  him this card on the day. 

I chose the colour scheme of our wedding  for this very simple card. 
I chose  this image simply  because I had a few of the images coloured in already after making my friend Sharon's wedding card. 

Hubby would not have been impressed if he didn't have a card from me.
You'll have to forgive the frayed Cherry cobbler ribbon, I didn't have time to photograph the card before I gave it to him.
The consequences being,  it's had a couple of months to fray.

Toot toot!

This is another of the Lili of the valley images. This one can be found in the men and boys collection on their website.

I love the cute images they produce. This one I think is called Toot toot.

I have coloured the image using Copic markers and mounted it onto  a piece of S.U. DSP.
The sentiment is from  an S.U stamp set called Rev up the fun.

Gone Fishing

So this summer must be the wettest summer on record. I really can't remember a summer as wet as this. It's really getting me down now. It has stopped me doing all the jobs I have wanted to catch up on this holiday.

I shouldn't be surprised really, there is always something to mess to up my plans. Usually it's something involving me injuring myself and being incapacitated for several weeks.

                                 

I guess the wet weather is a good excuse to stay in a craft, and that's exactly what I have been doing.
For these cards,  I purchased digital stamps from

www.liliofthevalley.co.uk  
(Click on the  link to go to the website.)

You can buy the images as rubber stamps as well as in digital form from the website. 
I usually buy the rubber version when I go to craft shows, but I was in  hurry and the craft show isn't until next year and I wanted something I could colour RIGHT NOW,  so I chose digital stamps. 

The plus side to digital stamps is delivery is almost instant and I didn't have to leave the house to get them, saving me time, postal costs and hubby's fuel. lol. 
If you have never tried digital stamps yet, I recommend you give them a go at least once. The bonus to having digital stamps is you can re size the images to fit any card.
The down side to digital stamps is if you don't back up your pc (like Me) and your pc goes kaput,  you've lost your entire collect of images. 

The background for the two cards above were created by sponging three different coloured inks randomly over the card stock until the card was covered and the colour was quite intense, then I over stamped used a seaweed stamp and the darkest ink of my three. 

I used  Stampin' Up s:  Marina Mist,  Night of Navy and tempting turquoise on the top card.... Bashful Blue , Almost Amethyst and Night of Navy inks on the card card in the middle. I over stamped the sponging using the seaweed stamp from the by the tide stamp set.
The last card I used  printed paper in  masculine colours. I won't add the sentiments until I know who the card is going to and what the occasion  is.

Gorgeous Grunge Cards.

 I enjoyed making these very quick cards.   I used  a selection of the stamps in the "Gorgeous Grunge" set  and  several neutral coloured inks.

Floral Cards

 This card was an experiment to try out my new "Burlap"  background stamp.

I got a little carried away and ended up using stamps from five different sets for this one: Burlap background, You've got this, Riveting, Sharing is caring,  and You've got this.

I coloured the flowers with Copic Markers.

For the  second version, I used the retired Background stamp called
" Friendly".

I haven't added a sentiment to this one yet as I don't know what occasion this will be used for,  or who this card will be sent to.

You've got style

When I saw the "You've got style" stamp set it made me smile so I just had to buy it. I haven't done a much with it though.  
This is a very simple cards just using  a a sheet of background paper and two stamps from the set.
I used copic markers to colour the image.

Sorry for everything.

 I have been playing with post it notes again.
 Sponging various coloured inks over the edges of the post its to form the coloured section.

Leaving the post it's in place,  I  over stamped the coloured section using the French foliage stamp set  and dark brown ink.

The sentiment came from the  "Sorry for everything" stamp set from   S.U.

Sharon and Terry's Wedding Card.

This card measures 8 x 6 inches , I made this one  a while a go for a friends who got married this yesterday.

I used a lily of the valley stamp for the image on this card. I coloured the image with Copic markers and then die cut the image using oval dies.

 The background was created  by using two deep border die by Sue Wilson and running one down each side of a piece of white card stock.

The flowers were purchased from Hobbycraft and the horseshoe die used was from a wedding set of dies by First Edition.



I chose purple and white for this card as they are Sharon's wedding colours.
I did make and decorate a box to house this card, but forgot to  take a photograph of it.

Tasha's baby shower card

 I needed a baby shower card last week, not having much in the way of stamps for this type of card I trawled the internet for a suitable image.

This black and white image  seemed  the most appropriate and nicest for the occasion.
I coloured the image with Copic markers and mounted the image on pink card then onto blue. I added a lacy die cut and adhered it to  some yellow polka dot backing paper.
then added a flower and foliage.
Inside the the card I created a pocket to hold a gift card.
After I took this photo, I added a narrow banner with the words "baby shower"  sprouting out from under flower.

For the envelope I needed more of a box type envelope to get the card in without crushing the flower.
I used the same lace die cut, flower a tag and papers to decorate the envelope.
I used  a strips of magnetic sheet as a closure.

Sympathy Card

 This car was made because  I needed a sympathy card for a friend this week.
I have owned the Spellbinder "Reflective Moments"  die for quite a while and hadn't got round to using it until now.

DIES USED.
Heartfelt Creations die "Delicate Asters" to create the flower  focal point.  Spellbinder's "Reflective Moments" for the base card.

This card is a little different from my usual style and I was a little worried it may not be suitable for the occasion after hubby said it was too fussy.
So I posted a picture on a facebook card making page I am a member of.


I was astounded when it got well over four hundred likes and lots of  truly wonderful comments from the other members.
Of course there were  two or three negative comments. But I can live with that..  We don't all have the same taste after all.
 Amongst all those comments were a few questions,   this post will answer all the questions.
I forgot to take photo's of the construction of the original card, so I have done a mock up in pink to show you the steps in part.


                   For this card to stand well you either need to use a heavy weight card stock for the front and back  die cuts...  or....if you only have thin card,  cut out twice as many as you need and stick the layers together for strength.
I recommend using the extra wide double sided tape to the back of two sheets of card BEFORE you die cut it.   It makes sticking all those skinny scrolls together a cinch.

The next step was to cut  a piece of card twice the length of the solid centre panel and exactly the same width.
9 7/8" x  4 7/8"    scored at 4  7/8ths.

  

Fold the card on the the score line, apply adhesive to one half and  adhere to the back of the die cut lining up the edges with the edges of the centre panel.

Repeat on the back of the card if you wish. The card will stand perfectly well even without the die cut on the back (see photo above).

Cut some layers for the front panel and decorate anyway you like.
I chose to use the aster die and inked the edges after cutting to give more dimension to the flowers.

rainy day card.

I have been a little bored with my stamp collection late, so I thought I'd try something different,.... until the new Stampin' Up catalogue comes out in June that is.

I did a Google search for free digital images and this gorgeous image came up.  So I printed it off  and coloured  it in.  The sentiment is from S.U and is one of the stamps in the "Beautiful You" set.

I think this has worked well as a card.

Stippled Blossoms in black and white.

Today I have a quick and simple two step stamping card.
I used my  all time favourite Stampin' Up  set called Stippled Blossoms to create this card.

I inked the up  solid image  with white craft ink  and stamped  the solid images onto yellow card and allowed the ink to dry. Craft ink takes a  little while longer to dry than than the dye based inks so a little patience is required.
Once dry I over stamped the white areas with the coordinating detail stamp and black Versafine ink and allowed  it to dry thoroughly.
All that was left to do was add a ribbon and mount onto black card then on to a card base.

 I'm not sure why, but I can't help of vintage fabrics when I look at this card.

Giant Dice Table Decorations.

These giant dice  are 6 inches square. They are the stands for the giant martini glasses, which will make up the centre piece of the table decorations for Hubby's surprise  birthday party.

I  used two photos of each Bond actor and adhered them to opposite sides of each dice.

I decided to have tables named after the Bond actors rather than table numbers.
To make the dice I made cube frames from wood and covered each cube with chipboard. I painted three black and three white.




I die cut lots of circles in black and gold for the spots on the dice.
I die cut two photos and two gold mounts for each die.

I had difficulties finding props for the party. So I had to make the gun from gold mirri card.

 I bought black napkins and folded them into bow ties.

The gold bullion favour boxes I bought from a party supply company.

Each table had two little books containing 20 questions on Bond  movies which I downloaded from the internet.


These seemed to be quite popular even though some of the questions were a little hard for some of the guests.

2 inch transparent red dice.

I hunted high and low for one and a half inch transparent red dice.  The only place I could find them was in the USA and they were very pricey at £20 a pair plus shipping.
 I wanted 12 in total, which made my idea for table decorations very expensive.  I had spent such a long time trying to find these dice that the party date crept up on me so quickly there wasn't enough time to ship them here.
The only option left for me was to make them.
 I order some thick sheets of red acetate and set about making one cube.
 This was very time consuming and I wasn't entirely happy with the end result. Then I remembered,  I had some clear acetate gift boxes 2" square I had purchased from  Stampin' Up. They were a little larger than I wanted, but that meant I didn't need as many. So I decided to line each of the gift boxes with the red acetate.
  After cutting the acetate to fit the boxes,  I stuck the dots to red acetate before placing in the gift boxes. This gives me the option to re use the gift boxes.

Hubby's 60th Birthday Celebration Preparations.

 

This is one of the many invitations I have been making for hubby's birthday celebrations.  He doesn't know it yet but I am organizing a surprise party. 

To get him to his own party,  I've had to make one bogus invitation and send it   us.

He thinks,  he is going to a  Pearl Wedding Anniversary party  being hosted by a friend/colleague.

The invitations needed to be quick makes and not too fussy, as I needed quite a few. 

I used the banners die set for the shirt and the bow punch  both  available from Stampin' Up. 

Unfortunately the bows got crushed in the post so they didn't look as good when they arrived

Hubby's Birthday Card This Year.

This is a design I saw on Facebook and loved it.
Just perfect for hubby's birthday this year.
I changed the colours and used patterned paper for the background.
The toilet roll was made by tightly rolling up a long strip of  foiled card  for the holder and glued down the end.

I cut a long strip of   off white textured card  slightly narrower than the silver roll and wound it tightly around the centre of the silver  roll applying a little glue.

to stop the the roll from unravelling.

Using a  1/4" circle punch,
I cut two silver circles and glued one to each end of the silver roll to complete the look of the toilet roll.

Here's hoping he  likes this one.

The image on this card was a big experiment for me and it took most of the day to make this card .
I am not very good at drawing especially drawing detail on a small scale.
So I drew this image on a much larger scale than used on this card. The original drawing almost filled an  A4 sheet of paper.
Once I had finished scribbling,  I scanned the image into my PC and then reduced the image down to a quarter of it's original size. I  printed it off and coloured the image using Copic markers.


The next image was created a little differently.
Instead of drawing the whole image as you see here.  I drew the single rose. On another section of my A3 sketch paper, (nowhere near the single bloom) I drew the bunch of rose buds.
Then I drew a single leaf followed by the little bunch of blue flowers and the Rose hips.
None of the sketches were connected as they are here.

I took a sheet of tracing paper and a fine black pen and began tracing off the rose, then I moved the tracing paper over to the next image and traced over the leaf  placing  several leaves around the rose.   I kept moving the tracing paper over the drawings,  and tracing off  the different pieces until I had an arrangement I quite liked.  The tracing paper was then put into the scanner and then printed off  the final image onto  silky, smooth, thin card using a laser printer.  I chose the laser printer so I don't get any ink smudges when I colour the images.
 I have decided to share my rough drawings after a request on FB.  So if you like the images,  you can print them off , colour them and use the images for your own personal use.
 Click on a picture,  to get larger image then right click on the image and save to your computer. Then you ll be able to  print it off and resize as much as you like.


                                                                                    Image 2

                                                                                 
                                                                                   Image 1

Image 3

Collage of stamps

I thought I would have a go at using lots of random  non  S.U stamps to create a collage for this card.
This is the result, I am loving the way this turned out. I think it maybe the colour combo that does it for me rather than the stamp combination.
Copic markers were used to colour all the images and background.
I can't tell you what stamps I used they are all stamps I have had for many years and have been hidden away in a rarely visited stamp drawer.
I am not entirely sure the sentiment is right on this,  but until I find something more fitting this will suffice.

Easter cards 2

I absolutely love polka dots so this DSP is right up my street and I tend to use a lot of polka dot papers on my cards.
This time I am combining it with the Stampin' round Easter egg wheel stamp.

The first  card is a large card  7"x 5"  and the second card  is just 4"x 4".

 I used Copic markers to colour the eggs.







These are the last of the cards made with this stamp for this year. I hope like them. Thanks for dropping in.

Laura.

Easter Card

Hubby says "you always do circles or squares on your cards, why don't you do other shapes". So this is me trying a different shape.  I then reminded him, I do oval too. So I tried doing something a little  different and out of my comfort zone. I am really not sure about this one though.

I used  the wheel stamp I mentioned in the previous post and coloured the eggs using Copic markers.