Winter Birthday

Good Morning everyone, i hope you had a lovely weekend.

Its time for a new challenge over at Make My Monday, the theme for the next 2 weeks is

WINTER BIRTHDAY

Funnily although most of my family's birthdays are in December and January ive never actually made a winter themed birthday card and found it harder than i expected.  I eventually decided on my snowdrop stamp set as the snowdrops are just coming out to flower in my garden. 

5x7 white linen cardblank.  I first stamped the snowdrops in black archival ink.  I then dry embossed 2 sizes of stitched rectangle dies to give frames.  One around the outside of the cardblank to frame it and one where i wanted the sentiment to be.  I think this is also my first totally flat one layer card too. 

I added masking gum to the snowdrops.  I then used a circlur leaf stencil centreed in the middle of the card and inked through with 2 distress inks, where the 2 green met they created a 3rd shade.  Evergreen bough & twisted citron.  Once ink was completely dry i removed the masking gum to reveal the white snowdrops underneath.

I then stamped my sentiment into the smaller embossed box.  I very lightly inked the outside card edge with evergreen bough DI and lightly embossed some small circles in the corners to add interest.  I think it will be the year of the stencil in my crafting😀, the more i use them and get the hang of the stencil brushes the more i like the effect, i guess like everything you learn each time.

A close up of the embossed stitched frame die and sentiment.  You can emboss any thin metal die by using a rubber mat. 

Close up of the snowdrops.  I left them completely uncoloured but added some clear glitter to the flower heads to help them stand out against the busy background.  I also went around them with a very pale grey alcohol marker.

Items Used:

Chocolate Baroque 'Spring is in the air' stamp set

Dots stencil

Leafy burst stencil

Double Stitched rectangle dies

TH Distress Ink - evergreen bough & twisted citron

Stickles twinkle glitter glue

CraftUk white linen card

If you fancy joining in or some inspiration for winter birthday cards please do hop over to MMM - im looking forward to see what everyone comes up with.

I hope you all have a good week and get some crafting in.  Thank you for stopping by and all your amazing comments last week. Hugs Emmax

A Mixed Medley

Good Morning everyone.

Today im sharing a mix of cards i made last year and didn't get around to sharing.

6x6 Ivory card base.   I used papers from kaisercraft , all matted onto a dark green cardstock.  I stamped the greeting onto a die cut oval from the same preembossed ivory card i used for the base. Flower die cut from a chocolate paper from the pad. Green pearls to finish.  I followed a sketch by a friend.

Papers are: Kasiercraft 'Botanica'

A close up on the flower.

This one uses the same flower die as the one above.  I die cut a tag from white linen card and then die cut the spellbinders die in it, i them die cut the same die from black card, added it over the top of the white version and inlaid it back into the tag.  I mounted this onto gold mirror card coloured with red alcohol inks.  Then onto black card and a white card base cut to a tag shape.

Flower die cut from the gold mirror card coloured with red alcohol inks. Black gem for the centre.  Stamped greeting die cut into a small oval to finish. 

This photo shows the mirror card up better, adding a couple of different colours of alcohol inks to the the mirror card you get a nice marbled effect. 

6x6 black cardbase.  Using a floral stencil i used blue glitter texture paste multiple times onto black cardstock.  Once dry - best left over night die cut into a hexagon.  Mounted onto orange card and black base card.

from the orange gemstones core-dinations card i die cut butterflies the green circle and white banner were also cut from the gemstones card - it has a subtle shimmer.  Stamped greeting and gems added to finish. I think the stencil is imagination crafts.

This shows the colour of the texture paste better, it really is very glittery in the light. 

A New HOme card, using papers all from the same paper pad, mounted onto a dark green cardstock, i followed a sketch by a friend.  The little houses on the main panel i cut out from a spare piece and decoupaged on top to add a little depth. 

Papers are American Craft - Amy tangerine 'Yes Please'

Another one following a friends sketch.  last year my craft resolution was to try and do different layouts, i did start off well before falling back on my old tried and tested layouts, i shall again this year try and do different layouts again.  This one uses papers all from the same pad.  All mounted on navy blue cardstock.  Die cut birthday sentiment and little flower from white linen card.  Twine and gems to finish. 

Papers are: My Minds Eye 'collectable - remarkable'

And lastly another one following a sketch - 5x7 in size.  Autumnal papers mounted onto brown cardstock and white linen card.  I die cut the focal point using a thin stitched die 3 times from the same piece of paper and lined them up again on the front so that the pattern in the paper is complete.  Twine embellishment and die cut sentiment to finish.  This one is papers from poundland - 'changing seasons'

Items Used:

Spellbinders - celtic medallion 1

Spellbinders sentiment die

Spellbinders oval dies

Spellbinders circle die

MFT birthday circle die

MFT Stitched rectangles

MFT pierced fishtail banner dies

Cross stitch tag die set

Cross stitch rectangle die set

Stitched oval die set

Wonky stitched circle die

Stitched Hexagon die

Flower die set 

Various Designer paper pads

Thank you all for stopping by and all your comments lately.  I hope you all have a good weekend. Emmax

Trains, Plains & Automobiles

Good Morning everyone.

Its time for the first challenge of the year over at Cardz4guyz with the theme for the next 2 weeks being

Trains, Planes and/or Automobiles 

So a good theme for start with alot of scope.  I made this card for my brothers birthday last week.

I first made a card 6x6 cardblank from a lovely pre-embossed ivory cardstock.  I covered the front in a brown and cream paper with a travel theme.  Using the same ivory card i used for the base i used curved border dies on the bottom edge and cut a panel to cover 3/4 of the cardfront. I die cut an oval into the middle and then added it to the front with foam tape.

I then die cut a map pattern paper with the same oval die and glued it into the oval aperture.  I added a small strip of the brown paper to the top edge and added die cut screw tops to the corners. 

I stamped the vintage car stamp onto cream and then a pale red paper, i paper pieced the red version onto the cream version and then cut the whole car out and added to the middle of the oval.  

Ive had this paper pad for years, nice to get to use a few papers from it on the same project. The vintage car stamp is also eons old, so good to start the new crafting year using up some very old products!

Items Used:

Graphic 45 'come away with me' 6x6 papers

MFT die-namics scalloped edge border dies

Spellbinders 'nuts & bolts' die set

Spellbinders oval die

Wildrose studio 'vintage car' CL095 stamp

Ivory embossed cardstock - payper box

Please do hop over to cardz4guyz to join in and see what everyone else comes up with, a good theme to kick start the mojo😊

I hope you all have a good week. Emma

Dads Birthday

Good Morning everyone.

Today im sharing the 2 cards i made for my dads birthday last month.  The first one is another one of those triple panel cards ive been making and the second one isn't an normal male card but i was given a lovely stamp by stampendous and a Mo Manning lady cycling image and it just reminded me of fun postcards you can get in France which my dad has collected over the years of going to Brittany.  He loved both of them. 

So to make the card blank, take an A4 sheet of card, from the left score 3", 1", 2.5", 1" & 3", cut off the extra on the end.  And then cut as high as you like, i used a 6x6" paper so by the time i added my 2 layers for matting it took the card height to 7".  You can easily change all these figures, but its a starting point for those of you who asked how i made them. 

After picking the tree pattern paper i picked out olive green and Chocolate brown mirror card to mat and layer.  I die cut the MFT leaves from the olive green and chocolate mirror card and layered together.  I die cut an oval from the same cream card i used for the base card and layered up on larger ovals.  Computer printed sentiment die cut into a circle. Copper nail head gems to finish.

Just a close up.

Onto the 2nd card i made dad.

A5 white cardbase. I stamped the image & sentiment onto white hammered cardstock, doodled in some ground and a breton style hat, i then watercoloured with distress inks.  I stamped a second image and cut out and decoupaged onto the first one to add some dimension.  Mounted onto black card and then the cardbase.  All corners rounded. 

A close up.

Items Used:

MFT layered leaves die set

Spellbinders oval dies

Tree pattern paper

Penny Black slapstick Mo Manning 'Enjoy the ride' stamp

Justrite sentiment stamp

CraftUk ltd white card

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you all have a good weekend.  Hugs Emma

Using Words

Good Morning everyone. 

Time for the first challenge of the year over at Make My Monday

The theme for the next fortnight is

WORDS

Use Words or a Sentiment 

After digging through my stash i found a fabulous sentiment stamp by justrite it says -

May a Rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue. And may Happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.

7x7 scalloped card base.  I first stamped the sentiment onto a yellow patterned paper.  Into a piece of white card i die cut a inverted scalloped circle and kept the 'negative' piece, this i coloured with wink of stella pens in rainbow colours.  I then cut another piece of white card with a circle die to give a bigger aperture window.  This panel i embossed with a flower EF.  

All these layers i mounted up with foam tape to sit over each other.  Mounted onto white card and then rainbow mirror card and added to the cardbase. I added yellow wink of stella pen to the middle of the flowers on the embossed panel.  I then added all the ready made flowers and leaves. 

Red gems following the curve of the circle in the top left corner to finish.  This is a very bulky card but its also for a special person so they are worth it😊

A close up. I also added a small circle frame of white card to the wink of stella layer to help draw the eye into the sentiment. 

Items Used:

Justrite Stamps - wishing you rainbows CR-02118

Spellbinders Mbossibilites embossing folder - EL-005

Spellbinder plain circle dies

Spellbinders inverted circle dies

Rainbow holographic silver card

Wink of Stella Pens

Ready made paper flowers

7x7 scalloped card & white card - CraftUK ltd

Please do hop over to MMM to join in and see what everyone else comes up with using Words.

Thank you all for stopping by, i hope you all have a good week. Im starting my annual craft stash sort out, it always seems to get in such a mess with Christmas crafting.  Hugs Emmax

Use some Stitching

 Welcome to a New Year, hopefully full of lots of good things and plenty of crafting😎

Its time for a new challenge over at Alphabet Challenge with the theme for the next 2 weeks being:

U is for USE SOME STITCHING

Real or Faux

Being that I'm a danger with a needle and thread i went with faux stitching and dug out some stitch edge dies.

I first dug out a pile of offcuts/snippets made with a mix of inks, brushos, pixie powders and die cut them with curved stitched edge border dies. I layered them up over each other in a random way and added black card with pixie powders on the top and bottom edges.  Mounted it all onto white linen cardbase. 

I then die cut a stitched daisy flower from snippets of black card with pixie powders on it.  It really shimmers in the light.  Stamped greeting die cut into a pierced fishtail banner. For the repeat stamping of the thank you, I used the stamp platform and moved the card along so that it stamped in a nice even line.  Blue gemstones to finish. 

You can really make out the colour of the pixie powders in this photo on the black card.  

I was quite pleased with the end result so think i shall be using up some more of those off cuts this way.  Very simple but effective I think. 

Items Used:

MFT Stitched curved border dies

Stitched daisy die

MFT pierced fishtail banner die

Various inks

So if you fancy joining in and just to see what everyone comes up with using some stitching do hop over to Alphabet Challenge

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Hugs Emma

Id like to enter the following:

pixiescraftyworkshop - challenge 342

Happy New Year to you All!

Good Morning all, well my last post of 2018. Sharing my last Christmas and New Year cards.

The photos don't really do these justice, i used pearlised white card, then a glitter card and then a satin board, so very blingtastic! 

4.4x6" size card.  I cut the first tree layer die from white pearl card, the second tree layer from glitter card, i mounted these onto a matching satin board with foam tape to add some dimension.  I wrapped a vellum strip around the front and then added my sentiments die cut from black card. 

A close up, this one shows the light hitting the satin board better.  This version is reds. 

And a pink version

close up

Not a great photo, this is a purple version

You can just see the purple satin board in the background here.

Bronze version with champagne glitter card, i die cut this sentiment from

 chocolate mirror card

Close up.

These tree backing layering dies cut beautifully but very time consuming poking all the bits out.

Items Used:

Christmas tree layering dies

Concorde & Ninth sentiment dies

Jellybean Glitter Card

Mirri Satin board

White pearl card  - payper box

Vellum

Thank you once again for stopping by and all your support this year.  So its time to wish you all

 A Happy & Healthy New Year! 

Hugs to you all Emmaxxx