Easter cards

Before you think I'm really organised for next year I must put you straight, these were cards made for Easter 2012!

The digital image on this first card came from Stitchy Bear and was coloured with water colour pencils.

I used digital images again on these quick little cards, this time from DigiStamp Boutique. It's the easiest way to find four different images for our grandchildren who are all in the same family. I used Copics and Promarkers to colour the images and the free background papers came from here  .

Birdcage Birthday Card

I made this birthday card for the lovely Sara who tirelessly runs (and owns) the the Cardmaking Paradise website.
The birdcage was stamped onto the same patterned paper as the background and then placed so the patterns matched up - a bit tricky, that was!
  

Card Recipe
Card/paper
Anna Marie's Simply Card High White
Black card
Green Bazzill card
Crafty Individuals Shades of Summer paper
Inks
Victorian Velvet Distress Ink
Vintage Sepia Versafine
Stamps
Crafty Individuals plate CI-329
Other
Lace from The Ribbon Girl
White ribbon coloured with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink
Gold Glamour Dust

Quick cards

March was such a busy month for card making. By the start of April I was beginning to flag so I made a couple of quick cards by swiping Distress Ink over the inside of embossing folders, just adding simple embellishments to the results.

 

Card Recipe
Xerox Colortech+ card
Distress Ink - Rusty Hinge & Wild Honey
Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby paper
Tim Holtz embossing folder
Martha Stewart punch
Computer generated sentiment

Card Recipe
Anna Marie white smooth card
Core'dinations Core Color cardstock
Spun Sugar Distress Ink
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Pink rhinestones

A Hanging Smile!

"Have you heard of the crafty way to give a smile to someone? It’s a similar concept to the Artist Trading Card, however unlike an ATC, a smile is intended to be given away, although you can, of course, swap smiles!" said Sara at Cardmaking Paradise. So that's just what I did by taking part in their Hanging Smile Swap. The theme was "Happiness is...." 

The lovely happiness Smile that popped through my letterbox came all the way from Linda in Canada.

To see Smiles from around the world go to the gallery at Cardmaking Paradise and click on Hanging Smiles Swap February 2012.

A Pink Phase!

I intended to make a drawer easel card but had trouble getting the drawer to slide properly so I abandoned that plan as I was fast running out of time. Why do leave things to the last minute? I've known for years the date of this 40th birthday! So instead I made a box to hold the card and a gift voucher.

 

Card Recipe 

Card/Paper

Pearlescent Bazzill

Black card

Anna Marie's Simply Card High White

Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby paper

Papermania kraft card

Inks

Distress Ink & Distress Stain - Spun Sugar

Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamps

Paper Artsy Script

Tim Holtz Good Thoughts CMS085

Embossing/dies

Creative Expressions embossing folder - Flourish

Tando mask - Leaves

Tim Holtz Tattered Florals

Other

Viva Gold

Gold pen

Brads 

I've gone all cutesy on this next card! The background paper was a free download from the scrapbooking section on the Mr Printables early learning resources site.

Card Recipe

Card/Paper

Anna Marie White Smooth Card

Background paper - free download Mr Printables

Computer paper

Xerox Colortech+

Pink card

Ink

Memento Tuxedo Black

Stamps  

Polka Doodles (free with a magazine)

Other

Bakers twine from The Ribbon Girl

Martha Stewart punch

One Stamp, Three Cards

This stamp of an allium head worked overtime for a few days.

For this first card I coloured the stamp with Marvy Le Plume markers, spritzed water into the air and wafted my stamp through the mist before stamping and adding some glitter.

Card Recipe
Card
Card blank Craftworkcards
Xerox Colortech+
Stamp
Stamp Addicts Wildflowers plate SA5029
Inks
Brilliance Pearlescent Orchid
Marvy Le Plume pens - Jungle Green (no. 96), Bubble Gum Pink (no 107)
Other
Diamond Stickles
Label One Nestabilities
Martha Stewart punch
Butchers twine

Sometimes an image just speaks for itself, so I kept things simple on this next card. The black card had a lovely sheen to it which doesn't get picked up in this photo.

Card Recipe
Black & white pearlescent card
Xerox Colortech + card
Stamp Addicts Wildflowers plate SA5029
White detail embossing powder
Craftworkcards Candi

I've saved my favourite of the three cards to last. I used a Dreamweaver brush to apply Distress Ink around the edge - it gives such a lovely soft effect.

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Simply Card High White
Xerox Colortech+
Black card
Ink
Memento Tuxedo Black
Black Soot Distress Ink
Stamp - Stamp Addicts Wildflowers plate SA5029
Other - Diamond Stickles

A hug and a dress form

A friend was in need of a hug but as I wasn't able to give her one in person this template from Cardmaking Paradise was the next best thing. This particular template is free and can be found here. While you're visiting the site go to the home page and watch Sara's tour guide of Cardmaking Paradise.

This next card was my design team contribution to accompany the Cardmaking Paradise dress form template. A form  that you can dress up to the nines or keep simple as I did.

Just wish I had waist line like that! Even the mere hint of a waist would good!

                                  

Domino Swap

Back in February I took part in the Cardmaking Paradise Domino Swap. The only dominoes I could find measured one and half inches by three quarters of an inch - much smaller than the norm! The smaller images on the Crafty Individuals plate CI-329 were just the right size to make a domino book. I used copier paper for the pages so it wouldn't be too bulky when closed. 

The bird images were stamped on tissue paper before being glued to the alcohol inked domino covers and then Viva Gold applied to the edges.

 I decorated a matchbox for the book to go into.

Domino Book Recipe

Paper

Copier paper 90gsm

Tissue paper

Inks

Alcohol inks

Distress Inks - Faded Jeans, Broken China, Tumbled Glass

Stazon - Jet Black, Midnight Blue 

Archival Ink - Coffee

Stamps 

Crafty Individuals CI-329, CI-234

Darkroom Doors - Wildflowers

Leaves - maker unknown

Other

Spellbinders metal

Inka-Gold

Ribbon

Ronseal vanish

Box  recipe

Matchbox

Crafty Individuals "Shades of Summer" paper

Stamps - Crafty Individuals CI-329

Broken China Distress Stain 

I received in return this lovely domino fan from Heike in Germany. Thank you Heike - it's a lovely way to send a special message.

To see all the other swapped dominoes go to Cardmaking Paradise and click on Altered Domino Swap February 2012..

Beginning to catch up

Looking back over the past three months of blog posts you would think I had been twiddling my thumbs and only made three tags and watering can card. Well that's not the case, I've just been lackadaisical in posting. So without further ado and a break from watching yet more rain fall and the grass growing out of control  I will start to bring all my crafting endeavours over the past months up to date.

If you're a crafter where do you start when making a card?  I usually start with the images and let things evolve. The downside of working like that is I often finish up with cards that don't fit in any of my stock of envelopes! With this card I wanted to use some of  the elements from the Crafty Individuals plate CI-335 but after arranging and re-arranging and yet more re-arranging there was no way I could link the images into a pleasing design and finished up ditching the perfume bottles. This was the end result.

Card Recipe
Card
Xerox Colortech +
Pink Bazzill  card
Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby paper
Inks 
Versafine Imperial Purple, Worn Lipstick Distress Ink, Sugar Spun Distress Stain 
Stamps 
Framed Silhouette from Crafty Individuals plate CI-335.
Lace background by Inkadinkado
Other
Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes die
Brad
Flat back pearls

The next card was much more straight forward (in as much as it all came together well) but it probably took as long to find the right backing paper as it did to actually make the card!

Card Recipe

Card

Anna Marie white smooth card

Xerox Colortech+

Black card

Computer copier card 

K &Co background paper

Stamps

Crafty Individuals CI-302 & CI-329

Inks

Versafine Vintage Sepia

Distress inks - Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Frayed Burlap, Broken China, Vintage Photo, Pumice Stone, Old Paper

Other

Lace from The Ribbon Girl

Martha Stewart punch

Flat back pearls

Tim Holtz Challenge - April

Easter has been and gone without even a sniff of a chocolate egg and here we are nearly at the close of another month. At least I have finished my Tim tag with a few days to spare.

Yet again I didn't have all the items so had to put my thinking cap on and remember what I had tucked away that I could use instead. I found a picture online for the bird on the branch and traced it onto my Grungepaper and then cut it out. Time consuming and fiddly but I think made a pretty good fist of it. The colours are lighter than the photo suggests.

Tag recipe

Card/paper

Xerox Colortech+ 

Grungepaper

Stamp - Dance Dictionary Background from The Artistic Stamper

Inks - 

Versamark Onyx Black

Background  - Wild Honey, Broken China, Iced Spruce, Vintage Photo Distress Inks

Grungepaper - Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, Stormy Sky, Wild Honey Distress Inks 

Other 

Cuttlebug embossing folder

Broken China Distress Stain

Peeled Paint Distress Embossing Powder

Spell binders die & metal  

Sentiment computer generated and printed on Safmat

Twine & seam binding from The Ribbon Girl

Key charm

Tim Holtz Tag Challenge - March

Well I'm keeping up with Tim's tags. OK, it is only the second month and I've only just got this month's done by the skin of my teeth before March departs.

Like the first tag I didn't have all the items so improvisation had to come to the fore again including using some wood grain embossed cardstock  and swiping Walnut Stain Distress Ink over the top to emphasise the grain.

Tag Recipe
Card/Paper
Wood grain embossed card stock
Anna Marie white smooth card
Scrap booking paper offcuts
Inks/powder
Alcohol ink - Rust (Ranger), Burro Brown (Jacquard Pinata )
Versafine Onyx Black
Distress embossing powder - Peeled Paint
Stamp
Tim Holtz Collection Good Thoughts CMS085
Dies/punches
Spellbinders butterflies
Tim Holtz - Tattered Florals
Woodware flower punch
Other
Seam Binding (The Ribbon Girl)
Brads
Double sided adhesive  paper
Glossy Accents

Watering Can Template from Cardmaking Paradise

Not content with stealing February, the month thief has now stolen March as well!

I used the watering can template from Cardmaking Paradise to make a Mothering Sunday card. This template can be dressed up to the nines or embellished with restraint. 

The base card was a peachy colour with a sheen and the edges distressed with Distress Ink but the photo isn't faithful in this respect. The paper roses (cue for a song!) were made using a punch and a recycled envelope.

Card Recipe 
Card
Peachy coloured card with sheen
Green Tim Holtz ColorCore cardstock
Distress Inks - Frayed Burlap, Fired Brick
Other
Paper flowers -  recycled envelope
Marianne bird on a Branch die cut
Flat backed pearl


If your looking for templates, want to met new crafty friends by not only joining in a lovely friendly forum but taking part in lots of challenges and swaps then look no further than Cardmaking Paradise.

As an adjunct to the Cardmaking Paradise community Sara, who owns the website, has set up a new charity called Crafty Smiles and 10% of all Cardmaking Paradise membership fees will now go directly towards bringing arts and crafts to children spending long periods of time in hospital having treatment for cancer.

You can join in Cardmaking Paradise fun wherever you are in the world!

Tim Holtz Tag Challenge - February

Own up, who stole February? Another month nearly over and not much to show for it!

I never did find time pre Christmas to join in with Tim's 12 days of Christmas tags. The last two years I've started doing them after Christmas but didn't get very far before the spark was extinguished. So now that he is doing one a month I feel it much more do-able.

I didn't have all the ingredients that Tim used but that's all part of the fun being ingenious with what I have in my stash and using stuff that probably hasn't seen the light of day for some time!

Tag Ingredients

Card/paper 
Xerox Colortech +
Background paper from stash
Inks, stains, embossing powder
Versamark
Distress Ink - Frayed Burlap, Festive Berries, Worn Lipstick
Sugar Spun Distress Stain
Wow clear gloss super fine embossing powder
Stamp
Script Stamp from Tim Holtz Papillon Set CMS106
Other
Tissue Tape
Red glitter
Red acrylic paint
Glossy Accents
Beads and charms
Seam binding (from The Ribbon Girl)
Sentiment computer generated

Haute Couture

The centre panel of this card was cut out and the wording placed behind the aperture. The figure which had been water coloured with Distress Ink was raised up with silicone glue.

Card Recipe
Card
Xerox Colortech+
Inks
Distress Inks - Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Shabby Shutters
Ranger Archival Coffee
Stamps
Tim Holtz Papillon CMS 106
Crafty Individuals CI-322
Other
Pink rhinestones
Spellbinders Labels Four die

Being an inquisitive person I googled the London address on the word stamp expecting to find an interesting old building but no, this is what stands at 33 King William Street, E.C.

That's rather shattered my illusion!

Finding my mojo

My mojo went missing over the Christmas period. I came to the conclusion that the state of my craft room may well have been to blame so I embarked in a big tidy up and clean. As my blog title suggests - not a favourite pastime of mine! When I'd found my desk and the floor the fingers began to get restless. So I decided to start small and make some ATC's . In the tidy up I had found some small pieces of background card that I had previously coloured using the alcohol with water technique and limited myself to some Paperartsy stamps, a Versafine black ink pad, a couple of Copic markers, Faded Jeans Distress ink, a pot of Twinkling H2O's and a gold pen. These are the results.

 I really enjoyed the process and I hope I'm now back in the swing of things. As for the craft room well that's tidy but there is the small matter of the stuff I removed and dumped in the bedroom!

Many happy returns!

It was my birthday recently and I received these beautiful cards from follow crafters. I'm afraid my photography skills are a little lacking and I haven't done these wonderful creations justice. Sorry ladies!

 

Christa

http://craftychris.webs.com/

Pam

Linda

Netti

Heike

Marion

Chris

http://themessycraftroom.blogspot.com/

Glennis

http://creatingcards-grf.blogspot.com/

Jill

Hilda
www.hilda-aplacetoshare.blogspot.com

 Annie 

Lynn

Thank you everybody!

Bee thankful!

This thank you card was made to accompany a jar of Bedfordshire honey.
The background was Distress Inks applied with Cut-n-Dry. I put specks of gold Twinkling H2O on the dots of the honeycomb and glitter on the 3D wings of the bee.

Card Recipe
Card
Xerox Colortech+
Inks
Distress Inks - Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey
Stamps
Honeycomb and Bees - Stampotique
Thank You - Crafty Individuals
Other
Twinkling H2O - Solar Gold
Diamond Stickles

Thomas and Friends

Our grandson was three last week and is an avid Thomas the Tank Engine fan. I may have an ever growing number of stamps but I don't have any of Thomas and his friends! I had to resort to Mr Google to find me some images to use on his birthday card. I didn't feel entirely satisfied with it but Max liked it and that's all that matters in the end.