About Me

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I'm a retired primary school teacher, who started paper crafting in 2008, when I had a fancy to make my own Christmas cards. Since then, I have tried all sorts of techniques and styles - and I kind of like them all. I have been lucky enough to be on blog teams and large design teams and to do a bit of freelance demonstrating - and I love the challenge of working with different products. My crafting style is very varied - from junk journaling and art journaling, bookbinding and journal making, to quilting and patchwork - and of course I still make cards. This variety keeps me interested - and my crafty stash growing!! I'm always seeking inspiration for new projects.

Tuesday, 7 February 2017

I want to ride my bicycle!!

Morning! Thought I would share another Diamond Press card. This one is using the "Bike" mini stamp and die set. 


It's quite a simple card, using papers from the May 2016 download from the website. I stamped the bike in Versafine Smoky Gray - onto white paper, the green paper from the download, and also onto Shrink Plastic.

I layered it up to create the effect of the bike being on the grass amongst the trees, and created an embellishment from the shrink plastic.

Enjoy your day!! 
Cxxx

Monday, 6 February 2017

Multi Faceted Box!

Morning! Today's offering combines one of the fab projects from the Advanced Big Score DVD, with the gorgeous Ice Blue Luxury Card Pack and one of the amazing Die'sire Everyday Edge'ables - this one is Butterfly Love.


As I said, the base box was made following the instructions on the DVD, using a sheet of A3 double sided card from the Downton Abbey collection.


I used the mirror card from the Ic Blue Luxury Card pack to cut the Edge'ables, leaving a strip at the bottom to go along each side of the box. I backed this with the glitter card from the back, then more mirror card underneath. I created the topper in the same way. 

I finished off with a bow and lots of sparklers!

Cxx

Sunday, 5 February 2017

Floral Lace Heart

Hello! Today I have a straightforward easel card, made using Crafter's Companion Die'sire Everyday Create a Card - Floral Lace Heart!


The base is made from Crafter's Companion White Linen card, and the matts and layers are the glitter and matt mirror card from the Silver Luxury Card pack. The red is from Papermill.


I used the Congratulations sentiment Create a Card die for the easel stopper, and decorate with pearls and a ribbon bow.

With Valentine's day coming up, this could easily be adapted to make a great Valentine's card!
Cxxx

Saturday, 4 February 2017

World Cancer Day

Good morning! You may - or may not - know, that today (4th February) is World Cancer Day - time to raise awareness of this horrible disease that we need to keep fighting. It also happens to be the second anniversary of my Dad passing away from Cancer. It's strange, but oddly comforting,  that the two dates will always coincide!


You may also be aware, that the lovely Jen Fisher, one of my lovely friends from Crafter's Companion is on a campaign to get us all scrapbooking this year! So I decided that I would scrapbook a photo of my lovely Dad.

Her first video tutorial is available to view - just sign up for the 12 months of scrapbooking for free via the Crafter's Companion FB page - and be inspired.

I didn't have the kit with all the gorgeous English Country Garden stuff, so I have improvised and slightly adapted the layout to work with what I had left in the Downton Abbey 12x12 paper pad.


After watching the video, I worked out the layout below (although you will see from the end product I added another light strip in - to break up the blue). 


All these blue tones fit really well with the photo - and I chose to ink the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.


I then added in flowers cut with Sara Signature English Country Garden Lazy Daisy and Grand Floral. And the flourishes are from the Butterfly Lullaby Collection. 


I'm really happy with the result - and may well make all my pages for the year using photos of my Dad. I certainly have plenty to choose from!!

Enjoy your day!! 
Cxxx

Friday, 3 February 2017

Everlasting Love

Morning!! Today I have a card made using Leonie Pujol's Everlasting Love, coloured with Spectrum Aqua Markers.  If you know the stamp, you will know that it only has two flowers, and I wanted three, so I used Pebeo Masking Gum to mask out the first stamp, and then inked up only the extra piece I wanted.


I then masked the third flower off so I could do the background - essentially a wet on wet technique. I did this on another piece of card, too, for an extra layer for the card.


I then built up the colour on the flowers. 


And, as always seems to happen, I forgot to take anymore photos!! So, I completed the flower, leaves and stems, and then matted and layered to complete the card. 


The main Spectrum Aqua colours I used were: Florals - Marigold, Jasmine, Sunflower, Bud Green, Leaf Green, Orchid, Heather.

Cxx

Thursday, 2 February 2017

Elephant!!

Good morning!! I'm still trying to catch up with sharing cards I made last year - and this is one of them. I made it for my step-daughter for her birthday, just before she when to Thailand. Part of her trip included spending some time at a elephant sanctuary - so I thought this would be an appropriate image to use.



It is, of course, Sheena Douglass' Marching Elephants from her Taste of India collection. I coloured the image with my Spectrum Noir markers: Elephant - IG3, 4, 5, 7; Ground - IG1, 2; Cover - FS2, 3, 4 & GT1, 2, 3; Tusks - TN1, EB1,2. I added a little sparkle with Spectrum Noir Clear Overlay Sparkle pen. 



I then embossed teal card from Papermill with the co-ordinating folder, and then swiped Pebeo Silver gilding wax over the top. The papers are from two different pads from The Works: the peach from the Pretty Pastels, and the teal stripe from the Vintage Chic.



The sentiment is from Crafter's Inspiration 6, stamped with Memento Gray Flannel. I finished it off with ribbon and Hobby House flowers.

Cxxx

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

Tropical Nectar

Morning!! Fiona is on again today with the Spectum Noir Illustrator pens. 


This tag is made using Sheena Douglass "A Little Bit Sketchy" Tropical Nectar stamp, coloured with:
Flower: Basics - Flame Red, Portrait - Cream, Hues - Gold 
Leaves/Stem: Tints - Pale Citrus, Hues - Pear Green

The sentiment is from Crafter's Inspiration 6, stamped with Versafine Onxy Black.

Enjoy your day!!
Cxxx