Tailormade Card (for Creative Expressions)

Tailormade Card

Another part of this month’s DT goodie pack was the That Special Touch ‘Rulers’ mask. I wanted to use it with the sparkle texture paste and came up with this card design, revisiting the fabulous Creative Expressions Antique Dressforms stamp set.

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Even more samples on TV…

Being on a design team is all about working to deadlines. Julie Hickey does such a stunning job when presenting on Ideal World/Create & Craft TV, you really don’t get even the slightest hint of the frenetic activity behind the scenes. Now I have no idea what was happening at Craftwork Cards HQ, but I do know that the samples that I had to make up didn’t arrive as planned and had to be emailed to me at about 10:30 and I had these three samples into the post by 4:15pm for special delivery the next day for the show that evening. How’s that for pressured deadlines – and I wasn’t the only one… being on a DT isn’t all fun 😉

All three projects feature the brand new Country Garden papers. The first is a small pop-up box card with punched roses. The second is an adapted large pop-up box, with freehand cut vase filled with roses. I cut one of the sheets to resemble a table cloth, cutting the corners off the flaps and adding two pop-up triangles to create the ‘table’ surface as the card opens up. The vase and flowers are mounted on springs:
Springs_wThis way, the card still fits in the envelope, but depth still appears as the card opens. The card is braced by a tabbed insert that keeps it open and the table top taut. The final one is a self-closing collapsable box which I have created and decorated up. All of the papers are edged with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink for a bit of definition.

The samples all featured on the Craftwork Cards Pick of The Day shows on Tues 1st – Wed 2nd April, although if you blinked you’ll have missed them as the paper packs and card packs sold out and the samples weren’t featured in later shows. Good for CWCs, but not so much for me 😉

Glittering Starburst Card (for Creative Expressions)

Glittering Starburst Card

 

I’ve been sent some new goodies for April DT posts for Creative Expressions 🙂

First up from my goodie package are the brilliant Sparkle Texture Pastes from Cosmic Shimmer. These are slightly thicker than their clear texture paste, so keep to shape a little better. The coarse glitter doesn’t interfere with smoothing on too much, so this stencilled card was quick to make (aside from drying time). I did the stencilling in two goes, one for each colour, but more precise appliers may be able to do it in one go.

Just before the shopping list, don’t forget the BSSBS on 12th-13th April at Ally Pally, early; bird discount of £1 off for tickets booked before 8th April. See you there! Click for details:BSSBS LOGO Original

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Watercolour Card using Reinkers (for Creative Expressions)

Watercolour cardThis is the last of my posts using this month’s featured stamps. I’m back to the Creative Expressions Singles ‘Scentiments’ and taken the image from the thank you stamp to paint with Distress Reinkers. Quite a quick make in a clean and simple style.

Just before the shopping list, don’t forget the BSSBS on 12th-13th April at Ally Pally, early; bird discount of £1 off for tickets booked before 8th April. See you there! Click for details:

BSSBS LOGO Original

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‘Scented’ Quadrant Card – for Creative Expressions

Scented Quadrant Card

Oh I’m so not at my creative best at the moment with a head full of snot cold threatening to drip on my creations (too much info?)… And this card isn’t highly perfumed because of my lack of a sense of smell at the moment! Despite feeling rotten, I managed to continue using the perfume-themed stamps sent to me this month by Creative Expressions – this card features silver embossed ‘Scented Corner’ and ‘Scented Border’, coloured with Cosmic Shimmer Iridescent Watercolour paints and embellished with coloured PVA.

Just before the shopping list, don’t forget the BSSBS on 12th-13th April at Ally Pally, early; bird discount of £1 off for tickets booked before 8th April. See you there! Click for details:

BSSBS LOGO Original

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Two watercolour effect cards (for Creative Expressions)

ScentimentsThis month’s Creative Expressions Design Team projects include two new Singles stamps: Get Well Soon and Thank you. I’ve embossed the outlines onto watercolour paper, adding to the attractive distressed look and coloured using Distress Markers and a water brush. The clean and simple look is finished off with matting onto card and a few dots of coloured PVA from Cosmic Shimmer.

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My cards go international

At Anaheim, CHA 2014Thank you to Cathi who was lucky enough to actually to be at the Craft & Hobby Association exhibition (big big trade show) in Anaheim, California, this week – she took this photo of my ‘Time Flies’ cards on the CHA UK highlights stand in the Craftworks Cards section. Exciting 🙂

And another pic, courtesy of Julie Hickey, of the Craftworks Cards stand showing off the rest…CHA 2014 - on stand

 

Rose Blossom Purse Card (for Creative Expressions)

Rose Blossom Purse CardWelcome to another year on my blog, and we kick off with a card featuring the latest Creative Expressions Singles stamp – Rose Blossom Purse. The Singles range are rubber stamps pre-mounted on cling foam and cut out ready for slapping onto acrylic plates for stamping. I’ve done a simple card, concentrating on using lots of different colouring techniques for my tutorial…

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Time Flies – thirty cards and a gift box

CollectionI fell in love with the ‘Time Flies Collection’ from Craftwork Cards at a recent Woodware Retailers’ Day. I got hold of the 8×8″ paper pack and the elements pack and set to work to create as many individual cards as I could using the elements and as little additional kit as I could. Using mainly Pumice Stone Distress Ink and double sided tape or glue, I made 30 cards and decorated a left-over chocolate box to make a gift box. Additional materials include foam pads; Onyx, Majestic Purple and Pewter Liquid Pearls and a bit of ribbon. A really fun project for the bits in between all the Christmas festivities, and a super collection of papers and die cuts. Several of the cog background cards are suitable for the ever elusive ‘man card’ as well. Clickable gallery follows…

UPDATE 02-JAN-14: Anyone attending CHA 2014 may just see some of these 🙂

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