An Untraditional Traditional Christmas Card

Back this morning with another Christmas card. This time, one made using a topper from an old Kanban kit - no idea of the name of the sheet. It's a very traditional image - with very untraditional colours.

For the base, and for matting and layerin, I used Papermill Teal card along with some gold mirror card - have to admit Christmas is the only time I seem to use mirror card these days. The paper is from a Crafter's Companion CD - but I have to confess to not being sure which one - maybe Vintage Christmas. And finally the greeting is Die'sire Essentials Only Words - all finished off with some gold ribbon and pearls.

Cxxx

Party Paws Christmas!

Afternoon - I can finally start sharing some of the Christmas cards I have made this year. The majority of my cards were made with remnants of Kanban card kits - of which I still seem to have many!! But the one I am sharing today is from the fab Party Paws Christmas CD from Crafter's Companion. This was for one of my nieces - and uses a Topper companion printed at full size, combined with co-ordinating papers, on an 8x8 card.

I kept it really simple with just the name (cut using Die'sire 1" Decorative Alphabet), a little bit of glitter glue and some pearls.

Cxxx 

Halcyon Days Cat

Good morning!! Thought I'd get in early today before I head off out later this morning. Another birthday card - will hopefully start the Christmas cards tomorrow! 

This one is from Crafter's Companion Halcyon Days CD - from which I took the image in the form of a Card Companion. I used some pink Bazzil card for matting and layering - and added some ribbon, paper flowers and pearls. The letters are cut with Die'sire 1" Alphabet.

I have had a recent surge in like in my FB page, so if you'd like to follow me over there, the page name is Papercraft By Carole. I'm also on Pinterest, and Twitter with the same name. And over on the right are a couple of ways to follow my blog - email, Bloglovin etc.

Thank you for popping by.

Cxxx

Not a Christmas Card!!

A very good evening to you!! Well, it's been pretty much a whole month since I last blogged. I have felt a little bogged down with needing to get ready for Christmas - and not really having any enthusiasm to do anything about it. So it's been pretty much an avoidance of doing anything. But today, I finally finished making my Christmas cards - and posted the majority off. Because no-one has received them yet, I can't post pics - so instead, I am sharing a birthday card I made for a friend of mine.

I used Crafter's Companion Kimono CD for the papers and image - and one of the dies from the Kimono collection to cut out the peacock. I made the base card with dark blue card - and matted and layered with white card. A little organza bow and pearl flower embellishment finished it all off.

Will try to blog more frequently - have quite a few things to share - so hopefully will be back soon.

Cxxx

A Little Baking!!

Evening! Thought I would share with you the card I made for my niece's birthday. She loves baking, so this Baking Shelf image from Just Inklined - coloured with my Spectrum Noir pens - was perfect for her. She also loves purple - hence the colour scheme.

The colours I have used are as follows:
Shelf- EB6, 7; Wooden Spoons - GB8, 10; Packets - EB1, 2; Metal - IG3, 5, 7; Purple Handles and Pot Label - LV2, HB3; Packet Labels - HB2; Handles and Vanilla Bottle - LY2, 3. 

It doesn't really show up on the picture, but the base card has a really lovely pearlescent sheen to it. The yellow and purple card is from my stash, as is the ribbon and the button. 

The letters and numbers are Crafter's Companion Die'sire 1" Alphabet and Numbers.

I would like to enter this into:
Fan-Tastic Tuesday - Anything Goes with a Twist - Use some Purple

Get Creative Challenges - #28 Birthday

Back soon,

Cxxx

Camouflage Swing!!

Morning - a quick card to share with you today. This one was made with an old Kanban image - Birthday Swing! 

It came in a pack with the camouflage card - and the cloud card came from my local market. The number and letters are cut with Die'sire Contemporary Alphabet!

Like I said - just a quick one today! 

Cxxx

Scruffy Little Kitten

I love some of the cute images from Scruffy Little Kitten - just right for those young girls who are just a little too old for all the real cutesy images. I used this lovely one for my friend's daughter's 11th birthday card.

I used papers and a topper companion from the CD - teamed with coffee coloured card card and some pink Bazzill. The little butterfly is Bebunni Butterfly die, and the letters and numbers are cut with Die'sire 1" Contemporary Alphabet and Numbers.

A little sparkle from glitter glue on the the toadstool and flower, along with a few pearls, finished the card off.

Take care,

Cxxx

Ahoy there!!

Afternoon!! A very quick post today!! I have a pirate card to share with you!! The topper and papers for this one are from Crafter's Companion Angelica and Adam CD.

The fancy frame is Die'sire Nouveau Stamping Frame - and the letters are cut with Die'sire 1" Contemporary Alphabet.

Told it was quick!!

Cxxxx

A Little More Downton!

Morning!! Just sharing these three Downton Abbey makes that are in the current issue (126) of Papercraft Essentials. 

All three use the CDs, dies, embossing folders and some of the fab new embellishments. 

All the details of how to make them are in the magazine.

Back soon.

Cxxx

A Little Bit of Downton

With all the gorgeous new Downton Abbey papercrafting elements, I thought I would share a make from the previous launch of the CD.

This is a little set of cards made with toppers, tags, sentiments and papers from the CD. The box that they sit in, is made from Centura Pearl with panels embossed with the Downton Abbey Leaf Flourish embossing folder, and embellished with the Downton Abbey Ribbon Brooch die.

Each card is roughly A6 in size, made from Centura Pearl. I used Core'dinations card for matting and layering.

The bands across the centres are embossed with one of the four Downton Abbey embossing folders: Leaf Flourish, Downton Damask, Thistle, Fleur de Lis.

For embellishment, I used Die'sire Essentials Decorative Corners 1 & 2, and Essentials Flower Buttons.

I then made a matching envelope for each on the Enveloper board. 

Back soon!

Cxxx

Wedding Card

Good morning!! It has been a little while since I blogged - not because I had nothing to share - but because the day job has been a bit frantic - and I've not been feeling 100%. But I've a little time today, so thought I would pop on and share a wedding card I made for a friend to give to her son and his wife.

The 8x8 base was made from a piece of A3 double sided Fresh White Centura Pearl. The coloured card for matting and layering is from Papermill. The hearts are cut with a combination of XCut and Die'sire Essentials Hearts dies - with the little decorative one being a Tattered Lace mini die. The decorative panel is Crafter's Companion Die'sire A6 Adore Create a Card.

The "Congratulations" sentiment is another Die'sire Essentials - and I used a variety of other Essentials Only Words to cut the letters for the names.

The box is also Centura Fresh White - and decorated in a similar way. The little hearts are waste from the Create a Card - as in the heart inside the box.

Back (hopefully) soon,

Cxxx

The Mirror Crack'd - Challenge 14 - Wall Hanging or Tic Tac Toe

Well - back again this afternoon, as it is also time for the latest mixed media challenge at The Mirror Crack'd. And yet again, this is another sad post, as I am stepping down from this team too. I've had a fabulous year since the team first started, and have loved creating the mixed media projects - another big thanks to Lin for letting me be part of this wonderful team.

So, the theme this month is Wall Hangings or Tic Tac Toe.

                                                 

I decided to go with the wall hanging, and add in the time and textures element from the middle row of the tic tac toe.

I used an old box canvas that had been used for another project, and painted over with white gesso. I then used Deco Mache papers (Pink Roses, Red Roses and Crackle Brown), applied with Matt Mod Podge.

Over the top left and bottom right corners, I used That Special Touch Cogs Mask. With a stencil brush, I applied Pebeo Deco Matt Burnt Umber bottom right, and Ash Pink top left.

For texture, I mixed Dreamweaver Metallic Gold Embossing Paste with Burnt Umber paint, and applied through That Special Touch Distressed Dots folder over the bottom cogs. And then similarly with Ash Pink paint over the top cogs. I then splodged more of the texture pastes over other areas of the canvas. Once dry, I applied a little Pebeo Renaissance Gold Gilding Wax over the top. A strip of hessian across the middle added more texture.

The time element comes with the deconstructed clock - cut with Spellbinders Circle die, embossed with Crafter's Companion Textures Distress Folder, and highlighted with Pebeo Renaissance Gold gilding wax. The numbers are CC original 1" number dies, and I cut out the clock hands with scissors. This links with the Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Just Thoughts sentiment - " Learn to pause ...... or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you." 

The other piece laying on the hessian is made from pouring Pebeo Light Plaster over Papermania's Square Urban Stamp - Beautiful Time Pieces. Once dry (and it really needed to be left overnight) I painted it with Pebeo Deco Matt Ash Pink paint, with Burnt Umber and Antique White splodged over the top. I finished it off with more gilding wax.

Be sure to check out all the fabulous inspiration from the team over on The Mirror Crack'd blog.

And as for me, I will be having a pause and hoping, for the minute, that nothing else quite catches up to me........

Cxxxx 

CCM&M Challenge 49 - Circular Cards

Afternoon!! Today's post for Crafty Cardmakers and More is a very sad one as it is my last as part of the Design Team as I have decided to step down. I have had almost 4 wonderful years as part of this team - the first I ever joined!! A big thank you to Lin for giving me the opportunity to be part of such a fantastic group. I'm sure I'll be popping back to take part in the occasional challenge!! 

Anyway, the theme for the fortnight is Circular Cards - and the lovely Kim is hosting. Be sure to check out the rest of the inspiration from the DT on the Crafty Cardmakers and More blog.  

I started with a Craftwork Cards Circular Easel Card - but it was still too rectangular, so I used my Spellbinders Grand Scalloped Circle dies to make all parts circular.

The cake topper and "Congratulations" sentiment are from an old Kanban set - as are the papers. I've added in a bit of blue and cream Bazzill card too. I used ribbon and pearl flowers to embellish.

Will be back very soon!! 

Cxxxx

Crafty Cardmakers and More - #148 Make It Sparkle

Afternoon! It's time for a new challenge over at CCM&M. This fortnight Sally is hosting, and she wants you to 'Make It Sparkle'. Any form of sparkle will do - glitter, gems, pearls, shimmer sprays etc!!

Now, I struggle with glitter. I love the effect of it - but I really don't like the mess of it!! So I decided I would really challenge myself - and use loads of it!! 

I started by making a roughly 8x8 base card with Crafter's Companion Matt Black Card. I then took another piece of the card, taped down Sheena Douglass' 7x7 In the Forest stencil, and used Crystal (clear) texture paste that I got ages ago from Lidl. Once the stencil was removed, I tipped loads of black glitter over the top, tapped off the excess, and left to dry.

On another piece of Matt Black card, I used a sponge dabber with Pebeo Studio Acrylic Paints - 354 Iridescent Red Blue, 356 Iridescent Violet Blue and 356 Iridescent Blue Black. This created the background mat, and I also cut some of the flowers from the offcuts.

Despite the fact that I am not a glitter fan, I have a huge stash of glitter card from the early days of my crafting, so used a combination of black and lilac to create the mats. The corners are also cut from glitter card using Die'sire Essentials Lace Corner 1. The little branch and flowers were cut using Crafter's Companion Kimono Branch die.

The flowers are Die'sire Essentials Flowers for All Occasions 4, while the sentiment is Dies'sire Only Words. I finished it all off with some small pink gems, and ribbon.

Make sure you pop on over to the Crafty Cardmakers and More Blog to check out the inspiration from the rest of the team.

I would like to enter this into:

Allsorts Challenge - 329 Sparkle

Crafty Friends Challenge - 14 B is for ....... Black

Back soon,

Cxxx

Downton Abbey - Gift Box!

Morning. Did you manage to catch the start of the last series of Downton Abbey last night? And what about the launch of the papercraft range on Create and Craft this morning? It's already flying out the door!!  

I used a papier mache box, and painted it with a mix of white Pebeo Gesso and a little black paint. The Card Companion is from CD2, along with the papers and embellishments. 

I used blue Core'dinations card for some matting and layering, and made the buttons 3D using a ball tool and foam mat.

I part filled the inside of the box with blue tissue paper, and added a body puff, soap, bath salts and a little candle. For each item, I made a co-ordinating wrap with the Core'dinations, and flowers cut using Die'sire Essentials Blossom.

Watch out for more shows on Create and Craft - and lots more inspiration from the team. 

Back soon,

Cxxxx 

Downton Abbey - not long now!!

Afternoon!! Only a matter of hours until Downton Abbey series 6 arrives on our screens!! And just a little longer until Sara in on Create and Craft with the launch of the fantastic Downton Abbey papercrafting range.

Today I have a very masculine card to share with you. I have used a card companion for the image, combined with a couple of matching papers.

I scored one piece at 10cm, 20cm and 28cm, then attached the second piece to the 2cm flap at the end. I then trimmed the excess off the end of the second piece.

To the front I attached the Card Companion, and decorated with ribbon and buttons from the card companion sheet. I made these 3D by rolling them with a ball tool on the back of a mouse mat.

For the inside, I used the Downton Abbey Icons dies, alongside the smaller image from the card companion and a cameo from an embellishment sheet. I did a little teabag folding for the far edge of the card.

I used both tags from the card companion to make the sentiment inside.

Don't forget to tune in to Create and Craft at 8am tomorrow for the launch of this great range.

Cxxx

Downton Abbey - Gatefold Card!!

Morning. Thought it was time I joined in with all the Downton Abbey sneak peeks!! I have been a bit of a fan of the series and am looking forward to the start of the last one, this Sunday. Sara will be on Create and Craft at 8am and 1pm on Monday, as well as 9am and 3pm on Tuesday. Fiona will then be on at 2pm on Wednesday and 5pm on Friday.

I made this gatefold style card by first printing the papers from CD1 direct onto Sheena Stamping card - to make a piece of double sided card. I then scored landscape at 16cm and 24cm for the folds. To make the curves, I just drew round the inside edge of a roll of tape.

The images are from one of the Card Companions on CD 1 and all the embellishments are from the CD - printed onto Printable Light Card.

The gorgeous bow at the top is cut using the Downton Abbey Ribbon Brooch die. 

I used some glossy accents on the sentiment and on the cameos to add a little dimension, and finished off with some co-ordinating flat backed pearls.

Keep an eye out for more sneak peeks from the team, and I'll be back soon with more myself.

Cxxxx

Crafter's Inpsiration 8 - My Makes

Morning - have been away on holiday, so just getting back into the swing of normal life! Thought I'd just share a couple of pictures of my makes as featured in the latest edition of Crafter's Inpsiration from Crafter's Companion.

The first is my pincushion. The design from the free CD was printed onto printable fabric, and then I added a little embroidery, and a button to decorate.

The second is a sewing box that I made. I loved making this - and I adore the way it has been photographed for the magazine!!

Back soon.

Cxxx

CCM&M Challenge 147 - Flower Embellishments

Afternoon! It's time for a new challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and More - and this fortnight the lovely Julie would like to see your flower embellishments! Flower images alone will not count - it needs to be 3D embellishments!!

So, I decided to raid my stash for this card. I made a tri-fold base from double sided Fresh White Centura Pearl, 

The pink paper is from Kanban - Love and Marriage pad, the pink from Kanban - Birth and Celebration pad, ad the Flower from Kanban - Well Wishes and Celebrations. 

I have a feeling the coloured flowers may also be Kanban, but I popped them out so long ago it's hard to remember. In addition, I cut more flowers from Fresh White Centura Pearl, and some cream card using Crafter's Companion Essentials Flowers for all Occasions 1 and 3 die sets. The leaves are Crafter's Companion Die'sire Quilling Leaves.

Make sure you pop over to the Crafty Cardmakers and More blog to check out the rest of the inspiration.

Back soon,
Cxxx

Gardening Card!!

Morning!! Am back today with a birthday card I made for my brother-in-law whose birthday it is today! Like me, he loves gardening, so I used these Kanban Pottering About toppers.

The dark green stepper card is made from a single sheet of A4. With the card portrait, along the bottom of the card, draw a faint pencil line at 6cm and 15cm. Turn the card landscape onto your Big Score, and score at 2cm, 4cm and 17cm - go from the edge to the 6cm line, and from the 15cm line to the other edge. Then on your Ultimate Pro, score 1/2 A4 but only between the 6cm line and 15cm line. With your craft knife, cut from the end of the 17cm score line down to the end of the 2cm score line. Do this on both sides. This will then fold into your stepper card.

I used some very old Create and Craft Orange texture effect card, along with some leafy print card from my local market, and more dark green card for matting and layering the topper. The embossing is with a Spellbinders Grand MBossability. I cut the letters with Die'sire 1" Decorative Alphabet.

Back soon,
Cxxx

CCM&M 146 - No DP's

Afternoon - it's time for a new challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and More! Leslie is hosting this fortnight and she would like to see your creations without using any patterned or design paper.

I made this easel card using Centura Pearl Hint of Silver. I cut into the edge of the easel with Die'sire Doily Lattice Edge'able, and used Centura Pearl Purple and Papermill Teal card for matting and layering. For texture, I embossed some of the Hint of Silver with Embossalicious A4 Dainty Floral and 8x8 Elegant Orchid.

The sentiment is Die'sire Classiques Only Words, mounted onto Essentials Ovals and Scalloped Ovals. To finish I decorated with ribbon and resin flowers. 

Be sure to check out the rest of the work from the DT! 

Cxxx

On the edge!!

One of my new favourite things is the collection of  Die'sire Fancy Edge'able dies. Have to admit they were a little shorter than I had envisaged when I got them - but I'm actually finding that they are really quite versatile dies. 

This birthday card is for my eldest stepdaughter - and uses the Butterfly Dreams Fancy Edge'able! The base card is made from Crafter's Companion A3 double sided Polka Dots and Gingham card, and I cut into each side of the A5 tent fold with the Edge'able die.

I then used more of this card with some Mink Centura Pearl, along with Papermill Teal card, to matt and layer across the front of the card. The shoes are cut with Tattered Lace High Heel Bella, layered onto a Die'sire Essentials Decorative Frame 1. I cut the name with Die'sire 1" Decorative Alphabet, and embellished with a Bebunni butterfly - and a little heart charm! 

I would like to enter this into:
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
Dream Valley Challenges - Add a Charm

Cxxx