Simply Elegant Card Collection

These are my cards created with the latest release of Do Crafts products from the "Simply Elegant" range. There are colossal paper packs, sticky ribbons, brads, stamps, outline stickers and more all designed to co-ordinate together. I am based in the West of Ireland and available for demonstrations through Design Objectives Ltd - see www.docrafts.co.uk for contact details or I also undertake work as a freelance craft tutor, demonstrator and designer. Please E-mail your details and the nature of the work you would like to discuss.
If you are a cardmakeer/crafter and require any info regarding any of my cards/LO's and designs please contact me via the comment section or E-mail.

friday sketchers - challenge 4

Sketch no3 totally passed me by... so here's my attempt at No 4. I've been playing with the last kit I got from Do-Crafts, so all the materials bar the ribbon, which came off a chocolate box (great reason to eat chocolate on a regular basis) are from the Do Crafts ranges.
I have to say I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the new products that they are distributing from June - my must haves would be Basic Grey - yee haaa - the card kits look gorgeous and the scrapbook papers are always divine and Doodlebug design range - always really fresh and funky. The new magazine looks really interesting, very paper arty and apparently you can blog on the Do Crafts website as well - must go have a look at that too.
Back to the card- it's a lot of stamping for me! The stamp is the current limited edition daisy stamp from Papermania but I thought it was perfectly matched to the yellow vellum I had and so now it's a Sunflower. I stamped the image once onto white card and coloured it with my Whispers brush markers, then I stamped the image twice onto Papermania yellow vellum. I cut out the flower only and on the 1st layer coloured every second petal light orange. I then pinched the each orange petal to give them some shape and attached to the card stamped image with foam spacers. I slightly off set the second image to give it more dimension. For the top flower layer, I pinched each flower petal on the ends and layered with more foam pads. The leaves are hand cut from green vellum, I then folded down each leaf to give them veins. The image is then layered onto Papermania brown card and then a piece of the Papermania embossed creams collection. I used a Papermania border stamp to stamp directly onto my card blank - rather than ink I used the Whispers brush markers to colour my stamp, they give me a lot of coour choices for no extra cost. The patterned paper is the colossal paper pack Simply Elegant collection and I added 2 eyelets with my X Cut easi eyelet setter. Ribbon simply wrapped around and then a 2nd knotted piece of ribbon placed over the corner.

house mouse birthday card

Little Monica house mouse stamp - coloured with pencils. Papers are all Crate Paper. Rub ons by Cherry Arte and sentiment by 7 Gypsies.
Quick post cos it's time for bed

Lads n Dads card demo preview

 
Here's a preview of the cards I'll be making in Castlebar

chasing my tail

or at least chasing dd around. She just wants to be outside all the time now, from morning til bedtime, apart from half hourly forays to the freezer to see if I'll cave and let her have more ice cream.
My craft projects are piling up everywhere - I have so much stuff in my head and nothing to show for it. All week any free time has been taken up with "more important" stuff - I need a weekend to myself, just to play around with ideas - anyhow, it aint going to happen, so just have to squeeze the odd hour in once dd is tucked up.
I was asked to make the baby card last week but my first attempt went horribly wrong - I tried using a cream hammered card and it just looked terrible, no matter how I tried to I could not get any balance between the blue, cream and a third colour. So I threw this together tonight - white leather card with blue cuttlebug panel. Baby vest hand cut from BG Oh Baby collection, poppers made from brads and pencil faux stitching. Butterfly accent by Papermania and tsgs and die cut letters using the Impress Machine by X Cut.
The pink card is for a wedding - quite modern in both style and colour. The large flower is made using a sheet of Papermania vellum, which I cut with 2 sizes of Nestabiliities scalloped circles. Cut along every other scallop to make "petals" and emboss edges and details onto each petal. Secure with large brad. It is mounted onto a square card which then slides into the pink envelope with Papermania adhesive gems.

More blog candy

http://whatever-the-weather.blogspot.com/2008/05/more-blog-candy.html
Look at the fab blog candy on offer here.Perhaps I should be keeping these a secret cos I'd so love to win this one - there is some awesome stash in this pile.
Off to Co Donegal in the morning so happy weekend one and all.

my paper world sketch challenge

Today I played with some Whispers brush markers - trying to get a feel for them for my Do Crafts demo on Saturday (I must be crazy - 6 hours of travelling and an overnight stay so that I can play with paper - then have to get back home again. I have 25 minutes between my demo ending and the coach leaving for Galway, so I wont see much of Letterkenny this time around).
Anyhow, colured this little Monica House Mouse stamp with them and it's ok for a first attempt - I only have 12 colours to choose from, so the lighter colours were tricky enough - a pale pink, peach and a light grey would have made it a lot easier. Basically I coloured the markers onto the end of my X Cut glass mat and blended them together with a slightly wet brush. I painted this onto the image - it's actually quick and easy, so much easier than "real" watercolouring.
The patterned papers are Crate Paper - Baby Bee collection and rather than mount onto a crad blank, I put the piece onto a beermat which I covered with patterned paper too, to make a single sheet card - although I think I'll add a hanger or a standing leg to the card tomorrow. The little flowers on the card and cover are by Papermania and the orange flower is an X cut punch. I hand cut the leaves and put them through my paper crimper to add the veins. I love how they turned out. The cover is a simple slide over cover made with more crate paper. The quote is computer printed - font catholic school girl and the adhesive gems are also Papermania.
thanks for looking.
GRAB SOME CANDY -
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wedding card

An easy little card today - another I've been asked to make. Easy as there was no measuring at all involved (I hate measuring) - just a few score lines on my crafters companion board. I've been eyeing up the scor-pal which has taken the US by storm - it's an all singing and dancing score and fold board and looks so easy to use. Next time I hear of someone going over to the uS I might have to beg for one of these little beauties.
Back to the card - I used the cross over card idea with band to make the "envelope" and then a plain tent fold card slots inside. The papers are DCWV luxury stack and the heart and flowers are punches - going back to using my basics. All the gems and pearls are my Papermania, as is the sentiment. And there's nothing more to it - except I have added a band across the base of the inside card with the couples names and wedding date on it.

Friday sketchers - challenge 2

I've been asked to do a couple of cards this week. The first I used the Friday sketchers challenge to make this Holy Communion card - I quite like how it turned out but I'd have preferred a funkier font than the one I used but I was too far into the card to start again.
I've used a new Tilda and put her into a stripey frame cut with my X Cut shape cutter. the flowers are punched and Prima daisies with handcut leaves and adhesive pearls. All matted on pink paper - I did a bit of hand sewing across the top and bottom of the card, brads and a little Making Memories "love" metal charm.
Across the bottom is a ribbon rosette with a button centre on a piece of ribbon layered on more pink paper.

playing catch up

This is my take on the new Friday Sketchers challenge (follow the link on the right). The new challenge is up for today but I've only just got around to doing the other one!
I've used one of my new Tilda's and a paisley cuttlebug panel. The ribbon is from the 2 euro shop and the eyelets came free with my silent setter. The stickers were a freebie from Pearse and are by Love Elsie.
Next up is the challenge by Bernie to use up some old stash. I was so desperate for the Basic Grey Fusion paper pad when it was released I sent to the US for it - and shame faced must admit I only ever used 2 sheets out of it. So I decided it was time to give it an airing - the rose leaf stamp is one I have for ages and never even inked up until now, it is stamped onto BG with green ink and then clear embossed. The Got Daisies have also been in my craft room for donkeys now - I used them on everything when I first got them but they have gathered dust for a while. The red ribbon is a scrap of fabric from a dress.

celebrations card organiser

I've not had a lot of time to myself recently - dd is refusing to do anything on her own recently. She wants me at on hand all the time, preferably doing exactly what she wants! So I've only managed a couple of quick makes. Neither are finished - they are in their bare bones state - they need photos and a bit of embellishing but if I don't get the pics posted now I never will.
The card organiser is 6 sheets of folded 12 by 12 cardstock - some double sided making memories card that I have had forever. The image is by Stampibilites - the Gruffie collection "I Dream of Cake" - simply coloured with pencils. The primas are Got Daisies with pearl centres that are an old necklace from Claire's cut up. All the fabric strips I got off a friend - she knows someone who alters debs dresses and they are all the off cut bits. I punched and bound the book with my bind-it-all.
My other mini album was made with the DCWV Rock Star foiled stack - I thought it was time to christen it, rather than simply admiring the papers and then putting it away again. I cut the pages to 6 by 6 and then glued two pages together to give a double sided card. It is all punched and bound again with the BIA - the letters on the cover are Imagination Project coaster board and I added some Crystal Ice stickles over the letters for a bit of bling. The charms are MM monogram letters and a Betty Boop phone charm.
tfl

new blog discovery

I've just discovered the most fabulous blog http://www.kristineskort.blogspot.com/. Her cards are amazing - the attention to detail and the time that goes into them is really amazing. Not only does she decorate the front but the insides and the back of the card as well! I've used her shabby chic style to inspire this 3 panel card with diagonal pocket. IT is nowhere near as elaborate as Kristine's but it's a style I find difficult - I'm happier with straight lines! SO I'm pleased that I've tried something different.
I also made a couple of little maze books using a sheet of 12 by 12 - Pearse had posted a link to a great CraftTV weekly archive episode with the queen of the mini book, Tricia Morris. Yet again I had problems trying to make them with Bazzill, it is too substantial and textured - so I did one with a sheet of Imagination project paper, Sutton Place (it came out fine also some of the folded edges did start to show the white core but perhaps I'm being overly critical). For the second I used a sheet of Sassafrass Lass "In Stitches" and it turned out really well. The knack to these books is to spend the time getting the folds exactly right - otherwise it will end up quite lopsided looking.
I've taken a few photos of my shabby style card - I couldn't get a proper view of it. I think it is one of those cards that look far better in real life. It is simply a sheet of 12 by 12 Crate Paper folded into quarters and then cut up one quarter panel. I folded one quarter across on the diagonal and folded the remaining triangle back to form a pocket for the stamped tag. I made an A4 maze book with photo aperture for the other side of the card and glued it in place with Aleene's tacky glue. The embellishments are a whole mixture of things - PM chipboard and gems, foam stamp, ribbons, prima Got daisies, BG Infuse paper pad, Pebbles Inc labels, odd buttons and ribbon.
tfl

scrapbook LO's

Decided it was time to try and catch up with dd's scrapbook. 2 of the LO's are not quite finished - the muck grub one is missing something - I couldn't decide how to add the journalling, so I've left it alone for now and the throw caution to the wind one also lacks a finishing touch - but rather than keep at it I've put it in the album until inspiration strikes!

Busy Saturday

I had a little kitchen gathering of crafters on Saturday - really enjoyed meeting some new faces and catching up with some old. It turned into a cardmaking session and I managed to make nothing all day - bar sticking one photo to one piece of card but I'm determined to finish al least one LO tonight, so I'll have something to post tomorrow.
In the meantime - oh look how she has grown - where has my baby gone? A little girl has taken her place and a wilful, stubborn and determined girl at that, who is afraid of nothing when she chooses.

quick post

with a couple of cards I managed to get finished. One for the men - Birty Shirt from the Arty Farty template range. I have had this for absolutely ages but never got around to trying it and it's so quick and easy to do and quite effective as well I think.
The other is my fave house mouse stamps again - I used the sketch on this weeks Card Positioning Systems as my jump off point.
Have a great weekend one and all.

at last

A blog post. I did make a dozen cards last week and photographed them all for my gallery and then when I went to upload them, I had somehow broken the memory card. On top of that I seem to have lost my Pink Petticoat folders - I supposedly put them onto my portable storage thingy but there's nothing there. Pants.
On a happy note I have new Crate Papers, House Mouse stamps, KI Memories lacy cardstock, prisma pencils and new chipboard flying home with me! Plus quite a few finished and half finished cards.
I'll be lost when I get home and don't have baby minders on tap but there is a crafty Saturday to look forward to as well - so Friday will be spent unpacking and trying to get my craft stuff together.
So a few cards using house mouse stamps plus the black and white one has a big red flower made using the nestabilities circle dies. I can't find my large embossing tool to do a How to but basically you cut 2 circles from thick handmade paper - fold into quarters to find the centre then cut down every second scallop to within a quarter inch of the centre. This forms the petals. With the wrong side facing, emboss the end of each petal in a circular motion - the petals with start to curl upwards. Emboss a line down the centre of each petal. Now turn the the flower over and emboss the centre of the flower in a circular motion. Repeat with the second flower. Layer on top of each other and pierce a whole through the centre, add a brad et voila. Finished flower.I've used the same technique but with Papermania patterned vellum on the pink flower card.