Hollyhocks for mum

Good Morning everyone

Today Im sharing the card I made for my mum for Mothering Sunday.  I used metallic flakes, printed acetate and my very old well loved hollyhock die to make a DL card for her.  Nightmare to take photos of though with all the shimmer and shine!

DL (8x4") white linen cardbase which i lightly inked the edged with cracked pistachio and tumbled glass distress inks.  I die cut a lacy panel from white linen card and added to the front.

I adhered a sheet of double side adhesive to white card and on the other side rubbed in the metallic flakes and then die cut them with the hollyhock die.  I die cut foliage from pale blue and pearl teal cardstock.

I have packs of 'clear prints' from stamperia which is very very heavy weight acetate with beautiful printed images, so I die cut a jar from one fo them.  Now this acetate is so thick the die doesn't cut right through but enough that i could then finish cutting it with scissors and get a clean edge.  I added this to the card front with pinflair glue gel and then got arranging the flowers and foliage. 

I added a torn scrap of green paper under the jar to 'ground' it

Side view of the dimension.  I added curve to the hollyhocks with a ball tool

The acetate jar has a lovely shine which adds interest and another texture.  I debated where to put a sentiment but decided against it, I know mum will have this on display for months so doesn't really need a sentiment on the front. 

Here you can really see the colours better, the metallic fakes really are shimmery and gorgeous but I do so hate them! lol

No matter how hard I try every time Ive used guilding flakes or metallic flakes they go everywhere and stick to everything - for weeks afterwards they turn up somewhere, for days the cats had red speckled fur - one even had a red sparkly nose for a few days,  the hoover has a lovely coating of them where they stuck to the warmth of the outside plastic areas.  So I did use the whole pot up in one go adding to adhesive sheets to get it over with - I still have them to use.  I was give the pot as a Christmas present and the effect if beautiful with the different colours in them but yep a product I still Hate to use😒

Items Used

Cosmic shimmer metallic flakes

Stamperia clear prints

Impression Obsession hollyhock die

Jar & foliage dies

Various printed papers 

Distress Inks - tumbled glass, cracked pistachio

Thank you for stopping by once again.  I hope you all have a great week. Emma

Id love to enter the following

https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2025/03/ellibelles-garden-party-no-1-anything.html

**

https://mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/03/mttc-556-theme-is-celebrate-someone.html

**

https://beautifulblossomschallenge.blogspot.com/2025/03/beautiful-blossoms-challenge-anything.html #2

**

https://dragonflydreamschallenges.blogspot.com/2025/03/march-challenge-gardening.html

**

 

Don't be so square

Good Morning everyone

Im honoured today to be guest designer over at lets squash it challenge blog, which encourages us to use our embossing folders. I really should use mine more as have so many of them and they always give a lovely effect. 

  The challenge this time is to make a shaped card, so i eventually decided to dig out my old crealies patchwork die set and make an octagonal card and use 2 different embossing folders.

Size approx 6x6"  I first made a background paper to use for my flowers in tones of orange using brushos and lots of shimmering pixie powders and put it to one side to dry.  

I die cut the bigger patchwork dies from white card and a pale green glitter card, i decided on the green glitter card as it contrasts with the orange.  I embossed the white panels with 2 sizzix embossing folders and very lightly inked over the top with lilac distress ink to just highlight the embossing.

I adhered the glitter panel to a white card blank and then cut around the outside edge with my guillotine to give my shaped card.  I then added the embossed panels with foam tape.

I die cut several hollyhocks from the background i made, then arranged them on the base.  I didn't want to hide too much of the embossing so thought the hollyhocks ideal plus they are just coming into flower in the garden

I used a lovely sentiment stamp from clearly besotted that reads 'Sunshine is the best medicine', die cut it into an oval and added to the base with foam tape to finish.  We definitely have plenty of sunshine this week in Cornwall.

Just showing it stood up 

I think you can just make out more of the shimmer from the pixie powders here, this one has a red tone when the light hits it.  

Items Used:

Sizzix embossing folders #657398  & #657811

Crealies patchwork dies

IO hollyhock die

Clearly besotted sentiment stamps 'seasonal sentiments'

Distress ink shaded lilac

Brushos 'gambage'

Cosmic shimmer pixie powders 'mango blaze & scarlet mist'

Thank you all for stopping by. Do hop over to lets squash it to join in the fun.   I hope you all have a great week and are keeping cool. Emmax

Id also love to enter the following:

https://tuesdaytaggers.blogspot.com/2022/08/summer-blooms.html

***

http://dreamvalleychallenges.blogspot.com/2022/08/challenge-275-shaped-card-no-squares-or.html

***

https://thefourseasonschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/08/august-anything-goes-summer.html

***

http://useyourstuff.blogspot.com/2022/08/454-nature.html

***

 

Bookmarks

Good Morning everyone

I had lots of small strips of white card left which i thought would be ideal for bookmarks.  As part of my using old stash i dug out my much neglected ribbon box too.  I used a funky fossil paper pad which had gelli print backgrounds and is lovely to stamp on.

Set 1 A side.

I cut patterned paper to fit my white card strips and stamped little scenes on them, here i used mostly lavinia stamps.  And some doodled details with black and white gel pens.  I added tim holtz chit chat stickers with positive messages.  

Laminated, hole punched and ribbon added in co-ordinating colours. 

Set 1 B side.  This is the back of the above 3 bookmarks.

***

set 2

Set 2 A side

Here i used the same woodware floral stamp by stamping it onto the paper and then cutting to size, i put half of the stamped image on the front of the bookmark and the second half on the back.  Details added with acrylic paint pens.  Positive quotes added again

Set 2 B side - this is the back of the above bookmarks

***

set 3

Set 3 A side.  

Some pink ink stamps used here with the fungi & flying keys

Set 3 B side.  Showing the back of the set above

Items Used:

Various Lavinia stamps - hares, fairies, house, crows, hedgehogs, fox, owls

Pink Ink stamps 'thistlehogs' 'brock' 'shitake'

aall&create stamps 'bouquet border' #162

Woodware stamps 'wild meadow'

Funky Fossil paper pad 'kaleidescope'

Staedtler Coloured fineliner pens

Posca white pen

Grey alcohol markers

White card

Laminator

Thank you for stopping by once again and all your previous comments.  I hope you enjoy the rest of the week and weekend, although the weather doesn't look too good - ideal for staying in the dry crafting.  Hugs Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

https://riverofcreativity.blogspot.com/2022/02/river-of-creativity-challenge-10.html

***

https://creativecrafterschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/02/challenge-49.html

***

 

Marbled Hollyhocks

Morning everyone, i hope you had a good weekend.

Today im sharing a card i made for my sister in laws birthday, i die cut up some of my marbled card using my most used flower die - hollyhocks.  

6x5x5" white cardbase.  I die cut the Tim holtz corner die in the top left corner. I used a black & white patterned paper for my insert so that it peeked through the corner die cut and helped my multi colour flowers stand out.  

I die cut several hollyhocks from marbled paper, using a ball tool i gently shaped the flowers into a cup shape.  I first stamped my greeting and then using the same colour inks i used for the marbling i added ink splashes to the background.  I then arranged my hollyhocks.  I added a strip of the black and white paper to the top and bottom edges.  Glitter glue highlights to finish. 

A close up showing the side so you can see how i added the insert and the mix of colours in the hollyhocks. 

Items Used:

IO hollyhocks die

Tim Holtz Mixed Media corner die

Sentiment stamp

B&M paper 'B&W'

Spectrum Noir aquatints

Stickles diamond glitter glue

CraftUK ltd white card.

If you missed my marbling post you can take a peek here   Thank you for all your comments on my marbling - and im pleased to hear a couple of you had fun trying - i wonder who first came up with the idea of using shaving foam? Very inventive.

I hope you all have a good week whatever your plans are. Emma

********

allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2019/05/week-5201-happy-10th-birthday-allsorts

***

die-cut-divas.blogspot.com/2019/05/flowers-all-year-round-in-may

***

Sympathy Cards

Good Morning all. 

Well today im sharing a couple of sympathy cards, not the kind we like to make.  These were for 2 very good craft friends. As i had to make them at the same time i used a similar design and the same inks.

5x7 Cardblank.  Unusual for me i went for pastel colours.  I first inked a sheet of A4 white card with oxide inks in pistachio, tumbled glass & distress ink in shaded lilac. I then die cut the wheat a few times. 

I cut the circle wreath into the front of the cardfront, i then cut a panel to frame it using circle dies, this bit i inked with the same inks, i then took a piece of white linen card slightly smaller than the cardfront and cut a circle into the middle to fit around the star aperture, this panel i added with foam tape.  To line them up i actually found it easier to cut the circle in the top panel first and then draw a pencil line around it onto the card front so that i then knew where to put the star die. 

Stamped greeting in grey as its a bit softer than black.  I then arranged my die cut wheat and added a bow from cotton cord. 

Close up of the wheat, shows the colour a bit better, you can see that you can peek through the stars to the inside, i added a lilac pearl insert that does shimmer through the stars.

*****

And the second card, made the same way as the first one, i just used my very well loved hollyhock flower dies.  I will admit i got a grey ink splodge on the front, hence i added a few loose flower heads and turned them into part of the design.

Close up, you can really see on this one the star apertures peeking into the middle of the card. 

Items Used

IO Hollyhock flower die

IO Wheat die

Star circle wreath die (unknown brand)

Spellbinders circle dies

Clearly besotted sentiment stamps

Distress Oxide inks - cracked pistachio, tumbled glass

Distress ink shaded lilac

CraftUk Ltd white smooth & linen card

Payper box lilac pearl paper

Thank you all for stopping by.  I hope you all have a good weekend and see some sunshine. We've had lovely weather this week in Cornwall, starting off with our usual mizzle and then brightening up late morning. Emmax