Maybe back?

Ha, well that didn't work did it! I said I would post more often and then didn't post for a year. Thank you to those of you who were kind enough to visit during the year.

I have made loads of cards, unfortunately most of them were last minute and I didn't take pictures. Here are a few of the ones I did manage to get!

This one uses a Sizzix die cut. I didn't actually buy this die (don't all pass out), I figured that I wouldn't use this much to cut anything other than white card and so I just bought a pack of die cuts from Ebay. I thought that this was a good teenage card - my niece may get it in a couple of weeks.

The background paper is the very last scrap I have of this. I think it was doodlebug and I used loads of it. The sentiment was printed on the computer.

This was a quick new home card and uses one of my all time favourite colour combinations, blue, chocolate and white. The key, letters, tag and ring were all cut using my big shot. I cut the ring and key twice, once on the right side and once on the 'wrong' and stuck them together, even though you can't see the back - I guess I am a little too fussy!

The white layer has been embossed using a paisley cuttlebug folder. I love these, although wish they were slightly bigger so that they would cover the front of an A6 card. I got all excited about the sizzix folders but they are too big - there is no happy medium! (Please insert your own jokes about Yvette Fielding etc)

I was really pleased with this card and plan to make a few more for my stash.

Alison

70's Vibe

Not sure why, but I have been having a retro day today. I keep seeing birds made in patterned fabric and this inspired me to use patterned paper. All dies are sizzix and I think the paper is Rob and Bob, but as it is all cut up I can't now check. Hope you like them!

DCM Challenge

This card is for the DCM challenge for using white space. This is a card I made for an artist friend of my Mum's. Although you can't tell, the black square frames an aperture. The flower has been punched twice from turquoise card and once from acetate. the acetate has been embossed with the cuttlebug snowflakes folder and I have added glitter. I attached the acetate flower to the first blue flower with a brad, wrapped wire around the back of the brad, and then stuck a second blue flower on the back to hide the brad's legs. The wire has then been twisted to make a leaf and then around the black frame. Finally the black frame was stuck down. The flower is free to move.

More Butterflies

I really like this new cuttlebug butterfly die and embossing folders. This time I have cut the butterfly in white card and in parchment and then embossed them both. I have used a Versa chalk ink to colour the raised bits and stuck the two together in the middle. Although it does not show up in this scan, the parchment layer lifts up above the card layer giving a 3d effect. The paper is from a PM Colossal stack which was half price in Hobbycraft. The sentiment was stamped in the same blue ink and is a 99p Studio G stamp I bought yesterday in the range. Although it is quite faint, I like this as it has a cloudy / dreamy effect.

This next card is a combination of the above and the post below. I used the same papers / inks as for the retirement card but also added a parchment layer behind the butterflies to give them extra depth and give them a little more white so that the sentiment is not overpowered. I cut the butterflies in parchment and then cut them into 4. This meant that I could stick them behind the wings to give a shadow effect. The sentiment is straight - it is just my poor scanning!

Spread Your Wings

This card was made for a colleague taking early retirement. She plans to spend a lot of time travelling in the US, and so the sentiment 'time to spread your wings' seemed appropriate. This then made me think of butterflies. The card is 5x7 inches. The brown patterned paper is Stampin Up, the butterflies were cut and embossed in blue card with my new Cuttlebug dies and i then sponged some ink over them. The blue card has a slight shine to it. The sentiment was generated on the PC, but looked a little 'clean' so I sponged some ink over that too. I may have overdone the ink! Eyelets and some ribbon finished it off. I may make this one again, altering the sentiment so it is for a birthday.

My Paperworld Challenge

These are my two attempts at the challenge on My Paper World. I love the cards on this blog - but I don't know the name of the blogger! Both of these cards have stretched the sketch slightly as I don't tend to use a square base (I haven't got any square envelopes!)

Anyway, the first card is a 5x7 size and was made with a Christmas paper stack from papermania from a year or 2 ago. I don't think I made any Christmas cards with it but I love the colours. The flowers were punched with an EK success punch and the white panel has been cuttlebug embossed with the happy birthday folder.

The second card is 4x6 and uses a stamped image that I have. I don't have the stamp, so don't know what make it is, but the dog looks really happy. I have had the image for ages and then when I got this footprints paper I knew just what to put it with! I used my watercolour paints to colour him in and a gelly roll on his eyes and nose to make them shine. I used an ink pad to make the bottom layer look 'muddy' and then again to stamp the congratulations.

Stamping isn't usually my thing, but at the next session of the craft club I help run we are doing stamping and so I have had to do some more to practice.

Easter Cards

These were the only 2 Easter cards I made this year. The chocolate themed one was made with an Ellison die (eggs) a Cuttlebug embossing folder (Paisley - white circle) and a stamp. The white circle and pink frame were cut with a Cuttlebug die. This turned out to be a really good match in size for my Giga Scallop punch.

The Cross card was made by embossing 2 pieces of white card (one oblong, one round) with the Cuttlebug floral frenzy folder. I cut a cross from the middle of the circle with an Ellison die. I mounted the circle on foam pads to lift it up. The 'black' bits are actually mirror card, it always scans as black. I was very careful to match the patterns of the circle and base. I think it would also have worked with a mirror card circle, but I wanted something really simple.

Su has got another challenge, and again I am too late. This time it was the fault of the norovirus! The challenge is to make a valentine card using a heart and a Stampin' Up stamp but no pink or red. Here is my belated take on this challenge. I have cuttlebugged the background and then made a heart stencil to sponge Antique Linen ink through. (Actually I think I sponged then embossed). The birds are a new sizzix die and the branch is an old one. The flower is an SU stamp and I have punched it out (inaccurately). I then added glossy accents as that is another new toy. I corner punched and added dots and a faux stitched border. I think it would also have been nice with a darker background and lighter birds and the heart as a moon, I might try that later.

Green and pink extravaganza!

I was recently asked to make a baby girl card and also a big sister card. I had just come back from a trip to the Papermill Shop and this green and pink were calling to me from the box. I liked the idea of the baby flower coming from the joined two hearts - a bit sentimental and yeucky I know but new baby time is a good time for sentimental! The feet were embossed with a cuttlebug folder on a circle cut with my nestabilities. The flower, baby and hearts are all sizzix dies.

The big sister card uses the same colours and (of course) the marvelous swirls die. Everything was cur with sizzix except the flowers which are an x-cut punch. I am not sure how old the big sister is but I thought all little girls like bling so added some gems to make the dots on the 'i's.

This is my final (for now) pink and green card. The flower is stampendous. Stamped onto pink and green card and paper pieced. I went over the lines on the flower with a pink / glitter gelly roll pen (although it doesn't really show here). The stamens are raised using a black gelly roll. I drew the stems in using a green felt tip and a black fineliner and added knotted ribbon with a brad to tie it down. I did think about having the knot the other side and a sentiment on the right, but decided that it didn't need one. I gave this to my sister in law for her birthday. this card is a 5x7 and the others are A6. I just realised that they all look the same size on the blog.

Poppies and Swirls

Two more cards to show today. The red and green card was for a colleague who left yesterday. Although I have only been working there a few months, it was very sad when she left. The poppy is a Stampendous stamp which I have stamped on red and green paper. The centre was paper-pieced from the green version. I went over the stamens (?) of the flower and the black bits in the centre with a black gelly roll pen. The back ground is a cuttlebug embossing folder and the sentiment is a rub-off.

The blue and cholocate 50th card was a comission. I love this swirls sizzix die and the big daisy goes so well with it. It needed something to balance it in the top right corner so I added 2 little paper dots cut with my crop-a-dile. The numbers were cut with an Ellison thick cut die. There is a brown brad in the centre of the flower, not sure if you can tell from the picture.

The next card was actually sort of the first version of the above. I made this and then decided that I liked the idea and so would use it for the 50th card but with a bit of tweaking. I think they both work, but i prefer the 50th version. The sentiment is printed and then cut (and embossed, and mounted) with my new nestabilities dies. These were my Christmas present to myself. The only problem with them is that they are easy to lose - especially in the mess that is my craft room. I might have matted this sentiment with a plain rectangle except I have already lost that size!

I'm Back!

Well, it has been a while, but I thought I should start blogging again. I started a 'proper' job in September, together with looking after 2 boys and a husband, helping to run a card making club and making my own cards (of course). I am enjoying my new job, but it does eat into card making time!

As this is my first one for ages, I am just going to show a load of cards and you can work out how they were made (feel free to ask questions!)

Christmas Bling

Today's DCM challenge is Time. I nearly went with a clock idea and something like 'time for fun' but when I went into my craft room I saw this Ellison cut and emboss folder on my desk and thought Snow-Time (in a Jim Carrey kind of voice!) The background is cuttlebug embossed and then highlighted with glitter. The blue glitter snowflake spins and is in an aperture so the navy behind it is actually the inside of the card (thanks Erin!).

This is not my first Christmas card of the year - I have been making them since June. Something about summer always makes me think of Christmas. By December, I will be making Spring cards!!!

Birthday Wishes and Butterfly Kisses

This card was inspired by this card on Ana's blog. Hers is much much more beautiful, but I tend to do things more simply and so I 'minimised' the idea. The blue is DCWV so I had to carefully go round the scallop punched edges with a felt tip to hide the white core. I cut the circle with a cuttlebug 3" die and then embossed it with my swirls embossing folder. I use this all the time as it seems to go with everything! The butterfly was cut 2 times from the DCWV card and once from blue vellum. I then layered it so the card is the bottom layer, then vellum, then a card body and head. Wire for the feelers and ribbon for a trail. The greeting was printed on the pc. It doesn't show up so well on here, but I curled the bottom layer of the wings down and the top layer up to give him a little 3d ness. I have also made this card in pink but have already sent that to someone without scanning it first - emergency birthday!

Little Paige's Birthday

This card was a commission. I love making cards for babies and toddlers, which is silly really as I know full well that they are not remotely interested in cards.

The background is cuttlebug embossed, the bunny is a quickutz die and the name was made using a sizzix alphabet (and mirror card - not black!) I printed the number on the pc and hand cut it from white which was matted onto mirror card and hand cut again. The ribbon was part of a bulk buy from ebay. Some friends and I run a craft club and we bought 50m of this ribbon in each of 5 different colours. We used some of it for craft club and then paid for 10m of each colour for ourselves. I have load of pink and purple left but only 1m of the turquoise. How have I managed to use 9m of turquoise ribbon???

I have also made this design in blue for a boy and using a 2 for a girl. The 1 works better though as the bunny has to be at a funny angle on the 2. I also prefer the girl card because the boy bunny can't have a flower by his ear!