Big!

After a week away from home, and keen to get back to cardmaking, I was eagerly awaiting my order from Craftwork Cards. I had sent for some of their new 8" x 8" blanks. I wanted some square cards that were a bit bigger than my usual ones, so I thought I'd give these a try. I didn't bother to visualise 8" x 8" beforehand, so I was a bit taken aback when they arrived to realise just how BIG they actually are! They are HUGE! I usually work with much smaller canvases. Miniatures fascinate me. ATCs, Inchies & the like are my thing. The fact that my workspace is small might have something to do with it.

Okay, I thought. Here's a challenge then. How to fill such a big space (having first cleared some room on my desk!), and then, since I'm not used to working on such a scale, how to fill it with something that looks in proportion. I had also ordered a Craftwork Cards Goody Bag, the Chocolate one of course. Had to have it. I was delighted with the contents. Great value, apart from anything else, but all sorts of papers, flowers, ribbons, card candy and bits and pieces, all yummy, along with some good quality square blanks, somewhat smaller than the 8 by 8s! I hadn't tried their goody bags before, but can see myself ordering more. Check them out on their website. I'm not usually a cut-and-stick person, preferring ink, stamps and paint, but these goodies were so pretty they were irresistible.

Anyway, after taking inspiration from the Craftwork Cards galleries, which are very much worth a look, here are my first two attempts with the BIG cards. Everything from Craftwork Cards except for the background flourish stamp on the first card, which is by Stampington, along with the printed picture by Crafty Individuals. The ribbon on the second card was a bit I've had in my drawer for years and which was just the right colour. I knew it would come in useful one day! The background is Cuttlebug embossed and I stamped the flowers on Nestabilities Labels 2 frames.





After that I went back to Lilliput Land and made this one, a mere 5" x 5"!



It's difficult to get a sense of scale from the photos, but the fact that the flowers are the same size in each might help. Clicking on the pictures to open up the larger image will show the detail better.

Miniature landscapes

Had a hectic week. Both my computer and my car have needed attention, and we had family to stay at the weekend, so I haven't had much time for crafting or blogging. However, I did manage to get a few cards made.

I was inspired by a project from the New Designs Clarity Club by the wonderful Barbara Gray, owner and inventor of Clarity Stamps. The project showed how to make landscapes using frame stamps and masking. They are quite simple to do but look very effective. I tried out a couple of Barbara's ideas to get used to the method, and then came up with a few designs of my own.

The backgrounds are sponged with torn paper masks to create the hills and then overstamped. On the two square cards I've used a Cherry Pie landscape stamp (all one stamp). The large silver birch in the background on the white square card is by
Beeswax.



The ferns and grass on the blue card are from Crafty Individuals.





On the purple card I've used some Craftwork Cards stamps for the tiny landscapes. These actually qualify as inchies. I think the grasses in the background are by
Stampscapes.


It's a bit difficult to see some of the detail in the small photos, but if you click on them to open the larger image they are much clearer.

Just for once

I don't do cute. It just doesn't appeal much to me. Most of my work is likely to be nature-inspired, or tending towards "arty", but when I found this Sarah Kay stamp at a show the other day I had to make an exception. Until she got married & changed her surname, my daughter was Sarah K! When she was young she collected all the Sarah Kay stickers. We still have the album. I just had to buy the stamp as it reminded me so much of her childhood.



I painted the picture with Twinkling H2Os & stamped the base card with a flourish from the "Choko" Japanese Doll set by Craftwork Cards. The frame was cut with my Nestabilities and I embellished the card with some sheer ribbon and a few Prima flowers.

Hmmm. Maybe cute is growing on me......

Punch cards

High on my wish list of future purchases is a Martha Stewart border punch. Well, okay, several Martha Stewart border punches. Their attraction for me lies in the crispness and fine detail which most other brands struggle to emulate. Unfortunately, they seem very difficult to get hold of here in the UK, and they are very expensive to order direct from the USA. So until such time as I can find a supplier who isn't going to want a month's wages for one, I thought I'd see whether I could get a similar effect with punches I already have.

All the punches I used are corner punches. The flower one is by Dovecraft, and it comes with removable corner guides, so it is easy to make borders with it also. The other two I have had for a long time and neither has a maker's name on it. The corner guides on these two were fixed, but it is possible to remove such guides by carefully inserting a thin object (I used a metal nail file) and gently pushing them out. I was then able to make borders with them.

The first card uses a background paper by
Crafty Individuals, who also make the flower stamp. The quote is from Penny Black. Each daisy on the label is made from two tiny punched flowers stuck together with the petals offset. I then tinted the tips of the petals with Distress ink. A jewel forms the centre. The label is one of the Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio, from Once Upon A Stamp.



The second card also uses stamps from Crafty Individuals, except for the background lettering, which is by Judikins.





I made a background (seen behind the punched border) for the third card by sponging Distress inks on to shiny card and then lifting off some of the colour by dabbing it with a babywipe. The embossing above the border is the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder. Above that is a butterfly background paper from PDA Cards and Crafts. The flowers, by Craftwork Cards, are stamped on to a Nestabilities Large Label, again from Once Upon A Stamp. I coloured the label using Distress ink and a brayer. This had the effect of leaving a thin white border around the embossed part of the panel. A ribbon to hide the join and a couple of punched butterflies added the finishing touches.

They may not be Martha Stewart, but I wasn't too unhappy with the results. (Still saving up for a genuine MS though!)

We have a winner!

The names have gone into the hat, the independent person has drawn one out and the winner can now be announced! The blog candy from my post on 22nd April 2009 goes to........

~*~MimiAnn~*~

However, since I have a few more papers & bits and pieces, and since all the comments were so lovely, I have decided to award three runner-up candies too! These will contain 10 sheets of 6" x 6" paper, an unmounted stamp and a couple of extras, and will go to...

Lesley,
Sally H
and
Go Canucks Go.

Please email me with your snailmail address and I'll post out the goodies asap. Thanks very much for entering and for all the lovely comments, much appreciated. Hope you enjoy the candy!

Twice in one week!

Well, I have been given another "Makes my heart smile" blog award, this time from Sally. Thanks very much Sally, it's much appreciated. Since I still have a few left to award, one of them is coming back to you, for being a brilliant blogger and a wonderful friend.

Another is going to Ikki (Eileen) for her wonderful ideas and inspiration. See my post here for your award!

Back in the box

A few days ago I was driving north up the M1, heading for the M18, when something made me turn off at junction 29. I couldn't imagine what, but after a couple more miles I suddenly found myself outside Once Upon A Stamp. "Well," I thought, "since I'm here I might as well go in." I was drawn to the Spellbinders display. "Ah!" I thought."So that's what it was. A magic spell!"

I thought I'd better buy something. The Large Labels Nesties and Ribbon Tags Trio found their way into my basket, along with some Distress Ink re-inkers. Once I'd handed over the money, the spell seemed to be released, and I was able to leave the shop & continue my journey.

Anyway, after the horrors of my previous creations, it was a relief to get back to my usual style, which I like to think is a bit more subtle and sophisticated. All of my recent purchases made an appearance on this card. The background uses Distress Inks sponged on to glossy card and misted with water, with a darker colour sponged around the edge for definition. It was then overstamped with my favourite flourish. The music was stamped on to a Large Label, which was then lightly sponged with the inks. The Ribbon Tag was coloured in the same way. All stamps from Crafty Individuals, as is the printed picture.

My first blog award!

Wow! Thank you so much, Lisa, for giving me my first ever blog award. I'm thrilled to receive it. It is so lovely to know that other people appreciate one's work. I will have no trouble passing it on. There is so much talent around, the difficulty is in selecting who to choose.

Can anyone tell me, though, if I can award it to someone who has already had the same award? I understand that the award is to go to 10 people, so here are five to begin with, who I don't think have yet had this one. If the same award can be won twice, I'll add some more later.

Piddawinkle (I love your style), Megan (fab photos), Robert (a great artist), Judith (beautiful cards & interesting posts) ,Phill (generous in sharing his talent).



Please display this award with pride on your blogs.

Probably the worst card I've ever made....

The cards with freebie papers went down well at my class on Wednesday. I took along some sketches & papers, and some of the ladies had brought their own papers, and they made some great cards. However, Brenda had some papers she couldn't think what to do with, and she challenged me to see what I could make with them. Well, red rag to a bull, and all that. Or, in this case, strawberry red, lime green, orange and acid yellow. In a strange mixture of fruits, butterflies and patterns which didn't really seem to co-ordinate with each other. I almost had to put my sunglasses on to look at them.

Anyway, I thought, I'll have a go. The first one doesn't look too bad, I suppose, if you like that sort of thing. Other than the base card, a peel-off border and a Craftwork Cards greeting, I only used the free papers.



I had just bought a new Dovecraft punch which I was dying to try out, so I put it to use for the second card. I was at first totally uninspired by the paper with spots on, until I had the idea of turning a few of them into a flower to go with the border. I drew around the spots to make them stand out. One of the other patterns was a leaf print, so I cut out a couple of leaves and a stalk. Another had the butterflies all over it, so I cut out a few of those too. A Craftwork Cards button greeting for the flower centre finished it off.

I think this is probably the worst card I have ever made! I can't imagine sending it to anyone.

On the other hand, it's Brenda's birthday in May......... ;-)

Pink! And blog candy!

Here's another card to go with my three previous ones. Same rules. Pink, I have to say, is not my favourite colour. But that was the colour of the papers I had to work with, and I must admit I'm actually quite pleased with the result. The sketch didn't seem the most exciting to begin with, but in fact its simplicity turned out to be its strength.

The flower stamps are Elusive Images by Graphicus. The word is by Starving Artistamps. The ribbon was a free gift, as were the papers.



Now for the blog candy! I'm going to give away some background papers. 50 random sheets of 6" x 6". I'll pick them from various manufacturers, eg. Papermania, Crafty Individuals, Basic Grey, K & Co, etc. I may throw in a couple of unmounted stamps as well, or other bits & pieces.

Posting a comment here will gain you one entry. You can get another by posting a link to a picture of a card you have made with magazine free gift papers! For a third entry, become a follower of this blog. (Current followers will automatically qualify for the extra entry if they leave a comment here.) If you'd care to put a link on your blog to this blog candy, your name will go into the draw for the fourth time. (NB. You don't have to do all of these, only those you'd like to!) I'll put all the entries received by the May Day bank holiday (May 4th) in a hat, get an independent person to make the selection & will post to the winner anywhere in the world.