I Did It!

How yummy is this card?  It's soft suede with Spice Cake paper...super yummy in fact.

I cased the card from Mickey Roberts. A link kindly sent to me by Susie, the ever faithful blog hopper over at Paper Alchemy.  However, I only looked at the picture and didn't read the instructions.  Silly me!  Consequently I used a lot of cardstock trying to work out how she got the lace border to be even and I discovered something I hadn't noticed before.  The LB punch is different at each end.  A ha!  That makes getting the two sides even more challenging than ever.  Because just when you think you've got it, bam you figure out that the top and bottom are not the same.

Anyway, it's gorgeous, I sussed it out and I'm a happy crafter.  

Tip:  Don't just look at the pics, read the instructions too.  :-))

Have a great weekend.
Karen

Leftovers

Why are leftovers always so yummy?  Is it because you were able to just "heat & eat", or maybe it's that the flavours develop?  Anyhow, regardless of the why, it's absolutely delicious to sink your teeth into leftovers.
This is also true for paper leftovers - no, I don't eat them!

But look what happened when I found some leftover green bits on my desk.......

And leftover pink bits.........

The silver hardware was also lying around.  No idea where I got them but I've had them for years. SU's Hodgepodge Hardware would also work nicely, dontcha think?

That said, what will you make with your leftovers today?

Cheers
Karen

Easter Basket

Every year I make some sort of easter basket.  This one started out as Box #2 for the Big Shot - you need one of these!!

I used the Top Note, also for the Big Shot.   Remember the green Top Note frame I used yesterday?  Well today I used the die cut to make this little box.   I've added some gorgeous DSP from Bella Rose, now retired, but still a favourite.

The pink scallop strip is a sneaky peaky at the edgelit that's coming in the Autumn-Winter mini available April 1st.  It has cute 'bumps' on each scallop.

Guess where those Riding Hood Red Boho Blossoms came from.......yep, they are the flowers from the stencil I used yesterday as well. 

Oh it's so satisfying to use up EVERYTHING!

Happy Tuesday!
Karen

When negative is good

Think positive, stay positive, look on the bright side, the glass is half full.  This is me.  However, when we're crafting, we can overlook the negative side of things........and it's a shame when we do.
What is she talking about?  Well, everytime you die cut a shape with your Big Shot - you need one of these - or you punch out a shape with your punches, you are left with a negative, or the bit of cardstock that the shape came out of. 

But look what you can do with it.......

The frame on this card was made by attaching the negative from a Top Note die cut to my card front with a bit of low-tack tape (I use drafting tape).  Then I used a sponge and Pink Pirouette ink to define the frame.  I like to dab all the way around the shape so I get an even colour, then I go back over it building up the colour as I go until happy with the results.  I gradually get lighter towards the middle and actually left some of the cardstock white in the centre.

Next, I got my scrap of cardstock that I'd punched repeatedly with the Boho Blossom punch for a previous project.  I used a dauber with Cherry Cobbler & Wisteria Wonder to stencil the flowers.   Once done with that, I used some leftover punched flowers as masks and stamped the flourish from Vintage Vogue in Pear Pizzazz.  

Tip:  A sponge is a piece of sponge - I like the soft, light ones from SU.  I cut them into wedges & staple a piece of cardstock to the top. It acts like a handle & makes it easy to see which colour it's for.
A dauber is one of those little plastic things with foam on the end that you can put on your finger.

The green punched flowers were the ones I used as masks.  I liked that some of them had ink on them so I used them to highlight 3 of the stencilled flowers and added rhinestones for bling.

Do you like the sentiment frame?   Well, it's the Decorative Label punched twice.  The Wisteria Wonder one is just the two shorter ends cut off and stuck behind the oval stamped image.

So, there you have it.   Hope you find some time today to craft.  Make it a Monday to remember!
Cheers
Karen

Beautiful Fabric

Our fabric is so lovely.  The fact that it coordinates with other products makes it very easy to use in your projects and you can make gorgeous accents really quickly when you use it in the Big Shot - you need one of these!

This card started off being all about the lace border punch.  I had intended something completely different - no surprise there - but after I'd punched once, realised what a nice feature that was all by itself.

Supplies used:
Stamp Set:   Established Elegance & Vintage Vogue
Cardstock:  Pacific Point, Whisper White
DSP & Fabric: Beau Chateau & Spice Cake
Ink: Pacific Point & Marina Mist
Big Shot, Fun Flowers Die
Linen thread, Rhinestone brad, tiny rhinestone Jewels & a button from the brights collection
Lace Border Punch
1/2" circle punch
Small oval punch - the retired one

Happy Friday
Karen

Established Elegance

I've been wanting this stamp set for a while, and my darling girls bought it for my birthday. 

What a surprise!  Yes, they were clever and called my friend Tracy, also a Stampin' Up! demo and ordered it with her.  How sweet is that?!

Anyway, I started to play with it yesterday after my friend Susie sent me a picture of the dress form with a cute punched out dress on it.  I didn't keep the original so can't remember where it came from, but here's what I made:

You may know that I'm having an affair with the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper in the current Sale-a-Bration promotion.  So this card got the full treatment too!   I've used the 2 3/8" scallop circle punch to make the skirt.    I'm working on a video to show you how to make it - check back soon!   The bodice is made with the largest heart in the heart to heart punch.  I've wrapped the waist with ribbon - yep, from the SAB freebies as well.
There's a couple of sneaky peaky products from the upcoming mini on this card too.  Can you see them........sssshhhhhh!  But I'm not naming them, you'll have to guess and wait a couple of weeks to see if you're right!

The card base is Pear Pizzazz with a band of Calypso Coral over the top.   I am lovin' these colours together.    Anyway, dinner time!   Off you go.  Have a nice evening!

Karen

Vellum

Vellum is an unusual paper often used as an overlay for cards - think white on white and wedding.  But there are other ways you can use it - lots in fact.  We'll be exploring some of the ways in our upcoming classes.

Anyway, here's a couple of baby cards I made using a technique called Revitalised Vellum.

This is one way to give your vellum a pattern and turn it into an interesting background for layering on your cards.

I've used my ink pads in a direct to paper technique to kind of "wipe" them all over the vellum.   It takes a bit of time to dry, especially if your inks are super juicy.  You can speed up the process with a heat tool but I don't like to use mine because the vellum curls up and it's a bit of a pest to flatten out.

Tip:  Ensure you put adhesive right to the edge otherwise the vellum will curl off the card - ok if that's the look you're after!

Hello baby!
Karen

In a Hurry

Want a super quick way to wrap gifts? 

Here's how: 

Keep a stash of white paper gift bags, the kind with string handles, in the cupboard.  Then when you have a gift to give you can whip out your stamps & inks and do a gorgeous, personalised bag.  Add a few pieces of coordinating ribbon to the handle and a tag and you're done. 

Supplies used:
Rich Razzleberry Ink with Delicate Doilies Stamp Set.
Rich Razzleberry cardstock with the Fun Flowers Die & Big Shot - this was out of my stash from ages ago! 
The greeting is from a retired set called Yummy which I stamped on Whisper White CS and fussy cut.

The white gift bags are available in all sizes from various places.  I got mine online and bought white tissue paper at the same time so I'm always ready to wrap!!  Oh, and it's also good for using your stamps & wheels on to get a really gorgeous co-ordinated finish.

Happy Monday!
Karen