Catching up!

I realise to my horror how long it is since I've been blogging. I'm sure no-one is still following me and sad to say I've not been following others either as been having screen breaks after work.  Anyway enough babbling...

I originally set this up as a sort of online crafty resume so I can look back on what I've made. So I'm going to try get some pictures up of things I've made recently to get things back on track. First off a really cute card using a Humphrey stamp I love:

Just a little stepper card. I've layered up with pretty papers and flowers and coloured in using my alcohol markers. Cute isn't it?  I'm really liking the blue and pinky-red.  Here's a close up of the scrumptious elephants and their ice cream sundae:

I'm craving a sundae now... Anyway see you soon.


Helen x

Absolutely Fabulous Red and White Flowers

The sentiment 'Absolutely Fabulous' was just made for this over-the-top glamorous card:

 This is a twisted easel card made with one of my many Craftwork Cards goody bags.  The flowers are just held together with teeny tiny amounts of PVA tacky glue. That's all they need!  Just decide how they will join and then add a smidgen with a cocktail stick. Amazing! This is the side view showing the construction.

The leaves and butterfly are trusty Martha Stewart punches, and the antennae lovely Karen gave to me!  Here's a view from above to show the sentiment:

Now I need to pick one of my absolutely fabulous friends to send this to. I did a purple version of this card some time ago. I purposely didn't look at the previous card so it wouldn't be a straight copy.  Now I can't decide which one I prefer!

I've another cake creation coming  up, and some more floral cards and fancy boxes so watch this space! Hopefully it'll mean you'll be seeing me once again in blogland and I really hope I get around to visiting some blogs and making comments again.  I've missed seeing what amazing creations all you fabulous crafters have been making, but I'm still getting back on my feet after a health setback in the summer. But the approaching Christmas season is getting my creative juices running again :-)

Helen x

A few more everyday cards

Very simple buttons and sentiment with some faux stitching.

I found this topper I'd embossed ages ago. Loving the ribbon!

Craftwork cards flowers and candy with a patterned Kate Knight paper inside. Oh and trios of liquid pearls again.

That's it. Short and sweet but glad the crafting bug is continuing. Hope you are in and keeping warm in this dreadful weather.

Helen x

70th Wedding Anniversary - Platinum

I got a commission this month - well two really.  One of my best friend's parents-in-law were celebrating their 70th Wedding Anniversary.  Well first we had to look it up and apparently it is Platinum, and secondly you can't find many cards out there for a 70th Wedding Anniversary (or any for that matter).  Imagine how special it must be to celebrate 70 years! So it gave me chance to totally personalize the cards - one from the two of them, and one from her dad. Their's had to take centre stage with the one that they sent off for from The Queen so I knew it had to be special. So I did a bit of research and found out that the lovely bride had pink roses in her bouquet on her wedding day in 1943, and so along with platinum theme this is what I came up with:

It is quite a large card - 8"x8", custom made from Centura Pearl in Ivory, which has such an amazing sheen to it.  The roses are Anna Griffin decoupaged stickers, which I formed into a wreath, overlain on a Anna Griffin background paper, punched in a circle, and accented with Platinum Liquid Pearls (this months obsession!). The sentiment is bespoke as well! Here's a little close up.

Well of course such a special card wouldn't go in any normal envelope so out came the boxer board as well:

 

I completely forgot to take a picture of the insert but I had found a very special Christian-themed verse online which was perfect for them. Apparently the special couple were over-the-moon with the card, especially the effort that Jane had made in getting it so personalised.  There is no greater compliment to the crafter than the giver and the recipient both being pleased with the results. Probably not my usual simple style but you have to adapt to those in a different generation don't you?

The second card was a smaller card just focusing on the platinum theme.  This was definitely a good stash buster - card blank I've had for ages, a ribbon offcut, and bead embellishment from who knows where, and scraps of cards punched out for the sentiment. But doesn't it look elegant?

I hope you like them.  Sorry most of the photos are on a funny angle.  I must have had a wonky head that day, and trying to fix on the computer was making the pics blurry so you'll have to tilt your heads too to really appreciate them :-)!

I've got another couple of dolly mixtures cards nearing completion so I'll be back with them soon.

Helen x

Time for spring

Don't you think it is about time for spring!  Well May Day started with frost here in Oxfordshire but the sun soon came out to play and it has been a beautiful day.  Really hoping it will last this time.  I didn't make it to May Morning in Oxford as it was just too early.  Missed sleep = a week of misery for me. So how about a little card sprinkled with the spring daisies that are starting to pop up in my lawn?

I started by creating a custom gatefold out of some A4 Kraft Card from CWC, as are most of the bits on this card.  The daisies are one of the Delightful Daisies wreaths cut out and split in half.  I used some flowers from the Privilege kit but also punched some out and added some from my stocks to jazz them up. I love the pink and green checks. So fresh and classy.  Here's a view to see them in a bit more 3D:

And then opening up the card to see what's inside:

And finally the full inside:

I've not made a gatefold card in such a long time and I actually really enjoyed it.  The papers are from the Colleen Dolly Mixtures pad - not a duff paper in the whole pack. Love them all. I've also been encouraged by some blog posts to get out the liquid pearls and stickles for accenting again. Love them!

Hope this card has brought a little bit of spring cheer to your computer.

Helen x

Delightful Daisies

 

So the name of blog kind of gives it away, but I kind of love daisies!  My favourite little flower especially the little tiny, find them in the middle of your lawn type.  Anyway, these daisies are probably never going to be found in your garden.  But they are crazy and colourful and cheerful which I love.  From Craftwork Cards of course.

 I used an 8x8 scalloped blank, and tried to make the daisies stand out which you can see from the side view. And again totally loving the buttons. So perfect for the flower centres.

So the daisies and dandelions in my lawn still need sorting but can't bear mowing them down. Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

I'll be back soon.

Helen x

Well Hello Dolly

As regular readers of my blog, and crafty friends will know, I kind of love all things that come from the Craftwork Cards company :-). I won a privilege club membership a while ago and the goodies were so good as a member that I kept it up.  I've really enjoyed the member kits and the challenge to try new things. Nearly every card I made includes a craftwork cards card blank, as well other key embellishments or Card Candi. One of the latest ranges to come out is a lovely collection called Dolly Mixtures.  I knew I had to get some of the dollies and papers as soon as I saw them and you can find them here. Not all my friends would appreciate some of the cuter images that are around in craftworld at the moment, but I still love my colouring in with alcohol markers, so these more grown-up images hit the mark. 

I've made 3 cards to showcase each of the Dollies.  I hope you like them as much as I do!

Amy

Here's the first of the dollies:

Amy has been matched with the Coleen papers, which includes lots of pretty pinks and greens (of course my favourites!).  The stepper card blank is also CWC, as are the flowers and sentiments etc.  Here are a couple of close ups:

Coleen

I just love this Dolly with the little scottie dog in her bag.

Again another stepper card using the Coleen papers, along with some snazzy spotty washi tape from Paperchase. Again a close up of the side view and you can see my favourite paper of the bunch on the back step - lots of funky little scottie dogs:

This card has already gone off to my friend Karen who is having a rough patch at the moment. Hoping and praying the appointment to sort out her medication goes well this week!

Cheryl

Last but not least is Cheryl in all her elegance!  I love the big flower in her hair.

Not as big as the ones Kirsty Wiseman has been making but I think Cheryl's been following her blog ;-)

For this card I use and elegant square card blank to form the easel card, and jazzed up the heart with a bit of glossy accents and stickles. I gave her auburn hair to match the colours coming through in the papers.  I'd love hair like that!

And here's a quick look at the inside:

So there are my 3 lovely ladies. Hope you've enjoyed seeing them.  Back soon with a boy card :-).

Helen x

Birdcages, bows and roses

I love the trend of vintage birdcages (even though caged birds make me sad) so when craftwork cards brought out some pretty little birdcage diecuts I had to indulge...  And this is what I came up with when the creative juices were in full swing:

I think this is one of the prettiest little cards I've made (not even going to try to be humble as I love it!).  I inked the birdcage with a flexmarker, shaped it so it was domed, and added some gorgeous little paper flowers, some punched leaves, and of course the obligatory ribbon. You can see how it is domed a bit better here:

This time the ribbon is seam binding that had been dyed subtle greens and pinks with distress inks.  I'm loving adding buttons at the moment, and if you are short on supplies HobbyCraft do a massive bag of odd buttons in their value range. The top patterned paper is Laura Ashley and the base hunkydory.

There is a bit of gorgeous washi tape behind the cage that you can just about see peeking through.

This was another card that was reluctantly given away but I know my friend would love it as she really appreciates all things pretty and handcrafted.  I need to get making some male cards as there has been an overabundance of twee on this blog for some time :-).  Hope you don't mind.

Helen x

More Everyday Cards

My crafting bug has been running on overdrive recently.  Like the previous post I've been trying to use up some prepared toppers.  Here are a few of the cards I have scrambled together. Always useful for the emergency box when I forget a birthday or need a 'thinking of you' kind of card!

Notice any recurring themes?  Green and pink perhaps, and always a bit nature inspired? At least it looks like I'm developing a signature style! Like Karen's blog is called Stamping in Pink maybe I should have been 'nature crafting with green and pink' - not that catchy though... Keep on the lookout for some crochet creations that might be appearing here soon as well. Yes there is another new craft creeping into my obsessions :-)


Let me know which card you like best if you have a moment. Love the comments!

Helen x

Spotlight on Colouring with Promarkers and Flexmarkers

I've recently come across a few coloured images I've done from time to time but never made into cards. It was about time they were used so here you go.  I've especially chosen images created with Promarkers and Flexmarkers to share. I've still a long way to go and some of the pictures aren't brilliant but they were perfect for some everyday cards. Here the cards:

 And some close ups to spotlight some of the shading, skin tones, and shadowing:

A couple of people have asked for some hints on colouring with these alcohol pens so I've posted below some of my lessons learnt. Believe me I'm no expert and still learning but I was really appreciative of the advice and hints and tips I got from other people so thought someone out there might find them useful as well.... I've included links to my favourite tutorials and stores. Ignore all you experts out there :-)


Hints and Tips on Colouring with Alcohol Markers

• Always use a card that is designed specifically for alcohol markers like the Crafters Companion Neenah Card, or the Craftwork Cards Digital Cardstock
• Put down more ink than you think. Go over a few times, this gives a more even colour and helps keep the area wet when blending which helps the colours mix more smoothly.
• Before you start decide where your light source is coming from so you know where your shadows will be. 
• When choosing what colours to do dresses etc then first of all decide on the design of the whole card. If you have a particular paper you would like to do then choose your pens to match in and bring the whole thing together. I did this here.
• Always pick 3 coordinating pen colours when colouring larger areas. Lay down the lightest first (remember lots of ink), then use the medium pen to shade around the edges or where you need shade - go about 1/3 in. Go over the whole thing again with the lightest pen to blend in. Then use the darkest colour to put around the edges again but this time barely going into the area at all. Again get the lightest shade and going in tiny circles move the colour into the image.  If the middle of the image gets too dark use the blender pen to take out some of the colour.
• When colouring very light areas go over the whole image with a blender pen first to wet the card, and then bring in the light shades at the sides. Use the blender like your lightest colour above to bring in the colour gradually. See the elephants here and here for an example of this. 
• When colouring images that don't have a background (like the gorjuss girls or animal characters), always go around the entire image with a light pen. This helps the image to stand out from the page. Favourite colours to use for this are Flexmarker Blue Grey 1 and Flexmarker Antique White depending on whether it is a 'cool' or 'warm' tone image.  Flexies are particularly good as the brush tip gets right into the intricate bits. 
• Get some fine tips for the promarkers - I have one or two for each colour group and swap them around. Essential for small or fiddly areas.
• For hair you might need 5 or 6 colours in one shade to achieve depth and make it look shiny. Fine tips are essential :-)
•  Favourite Caucasian skin colours for me are: base colour satin or almond. Shade colours dusky pink, march hare, coral. Cheeks Pale blossom, pastel pink, budding rose. For other skin tones I'm not going to repeat what is suggested so expertly here!
• Use Memento or Adirondack ink when stamping so it doesn't run.
• All time favourite promarker colour that appears in most of my projects is pear green! (Leave me a comment to tell me your favourite colour if you like)
• For the best tutorials and videos look at these Letraset Tutorials, Kirsty Wiseman tutorials and try and catch Nikky Hall from Polkadoodles when she is demoing on Create and Craft.

To see examples from my archive blog posts, and how I store them then click on promarkers under labels to the right. Any questions then do ask - what colours did I use, how did I achieve certain effects, and please let me know any of your top tips!

Warning - once you start colouring it is a bit addictive!  But you'll love it...

Helen x

Another wreath - this time on a card!

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you had a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year (unlike our family where the dreaded lurgy was doing the rounds...).

Karen was right when she said great minds think alike when we both made some wreath cards for Christmas. Unfortunately I forgot to take pics of the card I sent to her, but she has kindly sent some photos so I can get put up on my blog.

It is mainly made of Craftwork Cards products (by the way don't look at their sale section if you are trying to be good in the New Year!). The card blank, flowers, base for sentiment and card candy are all CWC. The leaf is from a Martha Stewart punch. Here's a close up:

The sentiment is an Anna Griffin stamp and I've added a tiny bit of bling as I know Karen loves it!

Plus here is the obligatory ribbon.

I was so pleased they like it and Karen blogged about it. You can see her card here.

Hopefully I'll get to blog more in 2013. Thank you to all the people who follow me and leave such lovely comments.

Helen x

Dandelion Fairy

Anyone who has visited my garden knows that I am quite a fan of the humble dandelion (well that is my excuse as to why there are so many in the lawn!).  It is a cheery little plant though and the buzzy bees seem to like them, and they are friends with my favourite little daisies :-).  So I just had to get the Dandelion Fairy stamps from Clarity Stamps, and I had the excuse to make this card for my lovely friend Karen on her birthday. I've been dying to post the photos but it's taken ages for us to meet up... Anyway, here it is:

The stamped images are created with a Versamark inkpad and dusted with Cosmic Shimmer powder - I tried about 3 different types of powders, embossing etc until I got the detail I wanted. Here are a couple of close ups:

Karen being a bit of a perfectionist and finishing off her cards so well, she needed a matching insert as well!

Anyway, so glad we got to meet up, do crafty shopping, compare notes on new purchases, and of course have coffee and cake! Just what we both needed I think (best not mention the dress that forced me to buy it in Laura Ashley though - naughty dress)...

Bye for now,

Helen x