One layer cards

Here are a few quick makes from last night.. one layer cards are a bit stressful though aren't they! I have to repeat the mantra from the Simplicity blog - "IT'S ONLY PAPER"!!!!

These were both made with wood stamps... I can't quite get the hang of them, clear stamps are soooo much easier to use! Although I do find that clear stamps don't stamp distress inks well - does anyone else get that?!

Anyway, less waffling.. on to the pictures

The heart is a wood stamp that cost £1 and the sentiment is from a papermania birthday set. The purple ink is Distress Dusty Concord and the pink is a cats eye Dusty Plum by Colorbox which I also splodged around the edges.

I've entered this for the Allsorts challenge - one or more hearts.

This is another £1 wood stamp which I've never used! Stamped in Distress pumice stone. After stamping the sentiment in green, I couldn't find ANY embellishments in my stash that matched the colour! Frustrating! But it'll do as it is! My critical eye also notices that despite the care I took, I didn't manage to stamp straight OR central!!! The sentiment balances it a little at least.. I wonder if anyone else would notice!!! Please let me know what you think - honesty is good!

I enjoyed making these. Once the preparations were finished (practice stamping to get it central!) they came together very quickly. I wish I'd gone for a different colour green tho!

Brooch card

This is one card I'm a bit excited about sharing :) because it worked so much better than I thought it would!

I came across some lace offcuts really cheap recently in a whole heap of colours, and I've been flirting with the world of sewing...! I happened across this tutorial on youtube and wanted to give it a go (tho mine aren't so glitzy as hers!)

So I ended up with a couple of flowers like this, in a few different colours, which I stuck brooch backs on to.

I put them on a little piece of card cut form a ticket die and embossed with a pretty paisley with the intention of giving them as gifts

and then decided that i might as well make them a card and gift in one, like so

The ticket is stuck to the card blank with foam pads and then a simple sentiment stamped underneath. Sorry for the shoddy pics - the lighting in my flat is not good!

I'm sending the grey one to my sister in law and the purple one I'm saving until my sister's birthday in April! There's a little note on an insert inside saying "the lace flower on the front of the card is a brooch".

I'm entering this design to the following challenges:
Allsorts - needles and pins
2 sisters challenge - embossing
The Pink Elephant - favourite colours
Totally papercrafts - make your own flowers

Thanks for stopping by :)

Hectic times!

Well I haven't posted in a while...things have been really hectic. I started a new job at the beginning of January, and there's a lot to learn! I've been getting home and pretty much going straight to bed!

I do have a few projects to show though, so I'll be doing a few posts today..

Three cards for my first post...

This first card was a really quick make - a few hearts cut from lace and adhered to a square piece of V & A linen paper (which I LOOOOOOVE!) and a sentiment on a foam pad. Sent this one to my Mum with a pack of crafty bits she's been after!

I'm entering this for the Penny Black and More challenge - love and hearts and the St Luke's Charity challenge - recycling (the white lace is an old lace curtain I saved from a perilous end!)

The next card was quickly whipped up for a lovely lady my husband works with - he asked me very last minute if I'd make her a card and it just so happened I had a new set of birthday cake stamps... so excellent timing! The cake is paper pieced.

I'm entering this one for the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - food and drink.

And the final card for the post was the bane of my existence...remind me never again to make anything that needs such precise lining up! Every aspect of this card had to be placed perfectly to ensure it didn't look skewiff.. I think I just about managed it after much sweating over placement! This card really isn't my colour (I'm not into pink) but I actually really love the way it has turned out.. and despite the frustration it caused me, I'm thinking about making more in other colours! The flower in the middle is iridescent glittery although it doesn't show very well in the picture.

I'm entering this one for the 2 sisters challenge - embossing; the 4 Crafty Chicks challenge - Summer in January and the Chocolate, Coffee and Cards challenge - glitter

We All Live In a Yellow Submarine...

A quick post today.. inspiration struck (that translates into "my husband gave me a great card idea" which happens all the time - he is like my creative director!) for a birthday card for a friend. His birthday is not until May, but why wait?!

He's a huge Beatles fan, so I'm sure he's going to love this.

Entered into The Pink Elephant - Anything Goes and Craft Your Passion Challenges - Anything Goes plus Distressing.

Wedding card

I hope you all enjoyed your new year. I know I did - sat at home, Michael McIntyre on the TV, a glass of bubbly and an evening of craft stuff. We did pop outside for a few minutes at midnight to watch some local fireworks, but after spending the evening in the warm we were quick to come back in!!!

I made this last night for a friend who is getting married in February, and whose wedding colours are red and white.

It should have been so quick to make, but it took ages as I agonised over each element! I'm not good at making 'clean and simple' cards - they always look unfinished! But I'm happy with how this one turned out, in the end.

Red ink with clear embossing powder to make it pop (my favourite colour to watch changing - it's amazing how it turns to goo!) and an xcut heart die impressed into the card blank. The stamps were both free from a magazine ages ago.

The ink is actually fluid chalk which I've read that you can't use with embossing powder - but it works better than my distress inks for embossing so I'm not sure what that's about!

Entered into Allsorts Challenge and Sweet Stampin - New Beginnings challenges, and Penny Black and More - Love and Hearts challenge.