Celebrate

8 x 8 inch card made with DCWV patterned paper and panels
Sentiment die is by Crafter's Companion
Border die is Spellbinders

Celebrate

For years now I've made sample swatches of card, paper, ink-pads etc etc. It's really helpful when shopping or for when trying to colour match for projects.

Papermill Direct will send out samples of their products, ten pieces for £1 inc p&p.
I recently bought some of their pearlescent card samples and they are quite generous in size, by the time I'd cut them down to suit my swatch rings I had lots of little strips left over.

Looking at the strips on my desk I thought they were too nice to throw away so made this quick card.
The sentiment die is by Crafter's Companion.

Impossible Card

I spotted several of these 'Impossible' cards on Pinterest recently and thought I'd have a go at making one.
My favourite tutorial videos are usually about ten or fifteen minutes long, just enough time to enjoy a cup of tea whilst watching them.

The particular video I watched for the Impossible card went on for quite a long time.
After about thirty minutes I just had to switch it off but at least I had all the vital measurements.

I sat down to make the card and then realised the measurements did not work. So, now I know why it's called an Impossible card!

I wouldn't let it beat me but it's not possible that I'll be making another one ;)
The gears/ cogs are Sizzix dies, sentiment is by Crafter's Companion.

Celebrate

Double-Z -fold card
All products are Stampin' Up!

Celebrate

I've used 'Ornate Lace' 3-D embossing folder by Crafter's Companion.
I embossed two pieces of black card, cut the decorative edges from one piece, and layered them across the other.

I added some Pebeo gilding wax, it's so creamy and just glides on, fabulous stuff!
Sentiment die is also by Crafter's Companion.

Celebrate

I made this flower using a piece of Foamiran, cut with Papertrey dies, and shaded with some Colour Cloud inks.
I was pleased with it but I know it's nothing like the beautiful flowers people can make with Foamiran  (YouTube has tutorials).

Celebrate die is by Die-versions.
Swirl die is by Memory Box or Poppystamps
Linen card is Papermill and I've shaded with Colour Cloud.

Woven Celebrate

Last year one of my ladies very kindly lent me her Sue Wilson weaving dies. I promptly cut four panels and put them in my 'to do' drawer where they have languished for months.
Every time I looked in the drawer I could see these things staring at me so a couple of weeks ago I finally managed to cobble a card together.

I enjoyed the weaving bit but to be honest I wouldn't personally buy these dies as I wouldn't know how to make any different styles using them. To get the effect here you need both weaving dies and together they are over £30. For that amount of money I would rather have dies that can be used in a larger variety of ways.

Most of the other dies here (flowers, flower outlines, frame and leaves) are also Sue Wilson, just the sentiment die that is Sizzix.

Celebrate

Sue Wilson striplet die. I backed the die-cut with adhesive sheet before covering with gilding flakes and then scrubbing off.

Celebrate die is by Sizzix.

Celebrate

This is for a 'pink' challenge over on CM&P

Celebrate is a Sizzix die, flowers are Prima.

Celebrate

Die is by Sizzix
A quick one made from the scraps on my desk from the previous card!

Celebrate

Topper is by Papermania
It was a struggle to find something to fit across without obscuring the roses or the writing, nothing looked quite right. I'm still not happy with the 'celebrate' but it was the only thing I had that didn't make it all look un-balanced.

The bottom left and top right corners have been sprinkled with Frantage embossing enamel. I love this stuff but have found it doesn't like melting through multiple layers! Also much easier using a hairdryer style heat-gun rather than the long thin type, the heat is spread gently so it doesn't blow the speckles off before they have chance to melt.

Celebrate

Paper  -  Craftwork Cards
Flower punch  -  Martha Stewart
Chicken wire die  -  Die-namics
Celebrate die  -  Sizzix

Celebration

Lace effect stamp is by Kaisercraft
Sentiment stamp by HOTP

Celebrate

Sentiment stamp is by Waltzingmouse
Flower made with a Memory Box die
Embossing folder by Sizzix

Chocolate Box

 When it's someone's birthday at my card-making club we like to give them a small inexpensive gift.
Cadbury's Dairy Milk is currently on offer at Tesco so I stocked up on a few bars thinking they would be ideal for the card-making ladies. I just needed to design a box to make them look a bit more exciting.

I decided on this wallet-style box, made from a sheet of plain 12 x 12

I've since made some with patterned card-stock and also tried stamping my own patterns on plain. It's a good way of using up patterned card-stock that I have been hoarding and don't know quite what to do with.

Score the sheet at 1 1/4" and 2" from the left and right hand sides, then score at 3" and 3 3/4" from the top and bottom.

Cut off all four corners where the lines intersect, that should give you something like shown above. Fold all the score lines inwards.

Put a couple of strips of super-sticky tape just on the bottom flap. If you want the top flap to have a fancy/ punched edge then do that now.

Adhere the bottom flap to the sides. This should now be a basic wallet-box.

It's just the right size for a 230g bar of Dairy Milk.

My craft club ladies have suggested punching holes in the top and threading ribbon through to make it look like a handbag. I just used some ribbon wrapped around and tied in a bow then added a matching tag.

Another suggestion was instead of using it for a bar of chocolate to put a bulky card inside, something like decoupage, that wouldn't fit in an ordinary envelope. I like the excuse of buying bars of choccy though...

Celebrate

Paper is by Authentique
Sentiment by Sizzix
I've added a SU brad and some baker's twine

Bee

Paper by Echo Park

Sentiment is a Sizzix die

Prima flower with a MM button brad

Striped ribbon is by SU.

Celebrate

Paper is Echo Park
Sentiment is a Sizzix die

Celebrate

Star and sentiment are Sizzix dies, star has been embossed with a SU folder.
Paper is from stash.

Celebrate

Paper is Papermania. Metal word was free with a magazine.