June Rudolph Day Challenge

I have been trying to get back in to making my Christmas cards for posting on Sundays, sadly I keep getting side tracked by all the lovely stuff I have to play with and all these new things I want to try.....so a bit of discipline is needed.....so making a card for scrappymo's Rudolph day challenge was just what I needed

these are the new Tonic Rocco dies and the new Christmas sets....how naughty was I they are such fun to work with so expect to see lots of them!
Hope you are having fun crafting.....

Heartfelt creations fuchsia.....my second card

now I am getting into the swing of making these flowers!

I have cut one of the 6x6 card fronts again....yes really I have cut into the paper pad!....matted the layers up after cutting out 3 layers using the cut matt create dies....stamped a sentiment and made my flowers......wheeee.......

working with Tonic dies

I put up a photo of a card I made over the weekend on another forum and was asked if I would do a tutorial on how it was made....so here goes...please be kind this is my first photo tutorial.....
this is the card

so here are the dies I used....

and this is the required amount of die cuts

the largest die shape is achieved by drawing round the largest of the Petunia trellis shaped dies...on the outside to give an extra 2cm boarder....I cut this out on my scan and cut...there are copyright issues and designs must never be saved into the machine...only cut out as you would with scissors.
the next stage is to make the easel card buy scoring the base cards

1.5 cm to form a hinge...on the base card

1.5cm and 7.5cm to form the fold for the easel ....then glue on on top of the other at the hinge....

I use a very strong wet glue....whilst you are waiting for that to set start assembling the front of the card

I have stuck all 4 layers of the sentiments together just off setting the white layer to give a shadow effect...cut another white layer to put on the inside of the card....so the last bits are the real fun bits....stick the front to form the easel

making sure that the glue is only on the bottom half....and line it all up

then stick the centre panel on...I have done mine flat but you can always add extra dimension by using foam pads to lift the centre section up

now to line the inside....trim the white layer to fit....

now fit the easel stopper I used the happy birthday sentiment

goodness I wonder if you are still with me .....its time to decorate with any flourishes leaves and flowers you choose...I used spellbinder spiral blossoms and Marriane design leaves....
so the finished card

the centres of the flowers are filled with clear micro beads.
How did I do?

Christmas card club challenge 13 Karen's choice....Pink and white

as you know I am using up stash......that's not to say I have been good......I have given into stuff this week, but hey a girls got to cheer herself up ......so....... this is from a Dawn Bibby christmas kit from 2 years ago I am nearly through it!

I love these pink cupcakes they make such a fun card.......eveything is from the Dawn Bibby Happy Christmas kit...with the addition of pink gems and raspery stickles......
Please pop round to the other girls blogs and see their lovely creations their names are on my side bar....
If you fancy getting ahead for christmas and would like to join us just contact me.......

Heartfelt creations Fuschia....

this set is just beautiful......the paper pad ....yes I have cut into it.....is divine....

I cut one of the 6x6 card fronts from the paper pad and then cut out the centre with my cut matt create dies and used foam strips to give the frame dimension...making the fuchsia was a bit fiddly at first but it got easier once I had the technique....the sentiment is justrite.....enjoy the day clear stamp set,the leaves are the heartfelt classic leave set....
great fun....hope you are enjoying your crafting and having a lovely day.

True love

I bought this die last year....had no inspiration at the time and put it in my storage......now I am making lots of anniversary cards and it sprang to mind....

its a marianne creatables...Petra's birds....I just loved it when I saw it....I cut the bird out twice so they could be decoupaged up,the flowers are Marianne's craftables...forget me nots...
.craft card and distress ink fired brick and the LOTV  sentiment....t
he embossing folder is Sue Wilsons floral brocade...I was looking for something with the same kind of little flowers and swirls.....
Hope you are enjoying your day.....

Friday...share an oldie......

its Friday and time to share an oldie over with Erica  at snappy crafts.....I was looking back at some of my photos of cards before I started my blog and found the first card I made using what was then new my cricut machine,,,,lugged back from the states in my suit case!.....bought on e bay whilst visiting my niece....wrapped in all my undies to keep it safe...bet customs had a laugh......

I was sooo thrilled to get this machine and love it still.....I have had to look back through my cartridges to see which one I used it was Children's nursery rhymes and this is the lady bugs....it was all so new to me and a real challenge.....
I hope that you will pop over too and find one of your oldies and join in!

A Sue Wilson card

lacking inspiration today so I went onto Sue Wilsons blog and watched one her videos....I had seen Sue demo this card on her shows on create and craft and wanted to do the background technique of encapsulating mica flakes.....so here is my attempt

this was so much fun to do...
I  used everything from my stash....lucky  I had bought the Greek Island collection when it first came out.....I had acetate...Stamps away silver mica flakes...bought years ago....the creative expressions dazzler settings...wow I used up stuff!...my only panic moment was sticking the mica side to the matting and layering Sue didn't say what she used...so on the basis she usually uses cosmic shimmer I did that...oh goodness it showed through white...panic....but it did dry clear eventually......
the sentiment is a tonic die as I wanted a very generic card I could use for most occasions....
I hope you have inspiration to craft today and are having a lovely time.....

another anniversary card.....

better get my skates on I need 3 more cards made this week!

I am sorry that my photo doesn't do justice to this card the mirri always seems to skew the metering....
made with a Diesire create a card A6 ...Adore....and Marianne designs LR0298...the flowers are from wild orchid....lots of pearls from creative expressions...its crafters companion Ivory centura pearl card and is a lovely creamy colour.....sorry again about the photo......
Hope you are having fun crafting today.....

Christmas card club...Kate's choice.....Christmas scene

when I read Kate's choice my mind sprang to the song "coming home for Christmas by Chris Rea....

I chose the colours to go with the poinsettia I had printed from the crafter's companion Bebunni christmas cd,..as cold and frosty as I could.....the stamp is Stampendous...Train....matted and layer using Sue Wilson embossing folders frosty swirls and snowflake lattice....I added stickles and cosmic shimmer Diamond snow everywhere....and micro beads for the centre of the poinsettias.....
Please go and have a look at all the other girls makes...their names are on my side bar...we are determined to be ready for Christmas.....

another Poppy card

I am just loving the Shenna Douglas poppy stamps.....

I have made the background from Sue Wilson's Portuguese background ...a voyage of discovery as its the first time I have cut it...very pleased with the results.....
The poppies are coloured with aqua tints and scrunched up while wet....
Another wet day here so back to my crafting!.....

A birthday card for my Aunty Sylvie

I wanted to make a really pretty card for my Aunts birthday as she will be 85 this year....

the side boarder is cut with a Martha Stewart punch and matching butterflies small butterfly punch cut out of the nitwits paper....the centre panel is a memory box die that I won some years ago...the sentiment is a creative expressions one,the flowers are from wild orchid and the leaves heartfelt creations a few pearls from my stash.....
I hope you are having fun crafting today.....

an anniversary card

I thought I had a cache of cards made but no anniversary cards so off I go.....

made using the spellbinders botanical swirls and accents set using the corner die.....matted and layered.Sue Wilsons lattice hearts embossing folder....tattered lace sentiment and heartfelt creations Arianna blooms and classic leaves...
the centre of the flower filled with yellow stickles and then micro beads stirred in....thats one down 3 more to make...and that's just for the June anniversary's....
Hope you are having a crafty day of fun.....