Dragonfly Dreams

Hello, if you've been following my blog we've made it as far as card number five of the book box set. This time I revisited a card using Dragonfly Dreams that I'd made at Coffee and Cards with Susan at Craftyduckydoodah.

These are the cards made with Susan. I loved the colours used, however, this time I needed to use a particular colour palette for my project.

Once again my colour palette was based on the Delightful Daisy DSP, using Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Whisper White.

Calypso Coral

Old Olive

Daffodil Delight

Whisper White

I used Gorgeous Grunge to stamp the Whisper White base card using Old Olive and Calypso Coral. The stamped lines replaced the washi tape on the original card. Then I added a Stitched Shape square with a border in Calypso Coral.

The dragonfly was stamped and coloured with Watercolour pencils; I used the blender pen so that I didn't end up with any blocks of colour or harsh lines. I then fussy cut the image out. There is a slightly smaller dragonfly die you can use if you really don't like fussy cutting! The dragonfly wings were gently shaped so that it didn't lie flat against the card.I arranged the leaves - not Stampin' Up this time - and added Silver Metallic Thread that had been looped around my fingers first.

Typical me, managed to get a tiny ink mark on the inside of the card so to cover it up I decorated the left hand side for a change. In crafting there are no mistakes. I like to think of them as happy accidents.

I like to add a little image on the inside of the card and also on the envelope for a cohesive look. I don't know about you, but I always open cards with a decorated envelope before plain cards. They are just that little bit extra special.

My sentiment was stamped directly onto the base card. As I don't feel confident at stampin straight I try to use my stamping precision press. I'm really not as bad as I think I am but it really does take the worry away.

Jar of Love meets Delightful Daisy

Hello, I've finally made it into my craft room. End of term just can't come soon enough, while I love my job in college, it really doesn't leave me as much time as I'd like to be creative now that I'm full-time.

A while ago I made a book box and filled it with cards as a little thank you to a work colleague who sometimes gives me a lift home. She lives in the same village as me luckily and I have to say I really appreciate her kindness, especially at the end of a hectic day.

Pool Party

Smoky Slate

Calypso Coral

Old Olive

Whisper White

Today I'm going to show the first of the cards I made. I based them all on the colour palette of the Delightful Daisy Designer Series Paper although I did use various stamp and die sets for a range of cards that hopefully cover most life events.

For this card I went back to one of my favourite stamp sets, Jar of Love. I chose to use a Whisper White card base for this birthday card. My DSP was cut smaller and using a collar fold mounted onto Calypso Coral. I really like collar folds as it shows off both sides of the DSP. This in turn was stuck onto the front of the base card.

Using a scrap of Whisper White card and the Pool Party ink pad I stamped the small jar and mounted onto the card to the left hand side. I don't know about you, but I love stamping and die cutting leaves, flowers and butterflies so that I can use up the smallest scraps of card stock. I hate throwing any away and if it's big enough to take a die or punch then I put it it in my scrap folder for later use. I arranged the flowers and stuck down using dimensionals once happy with the layout

A small bow using Pool Party ribbon and birthday sentiment taken from the Cake Soiree stamp set completed the look. As usual I decorated the inside of the card and the envelope, this time by adhering a strip of the DSP along one side.

So, this is card number one, I hope you like it. Keep an eye out for the other four cards and the book box I made for them to go in.

Why do I always leave it to the last minute?

Hello again, by the time you read this, the recipient of this card will already have had his birthday. Goodness, how time flies, my son will be 28 the day before Valentines Day. Seems like just a few short years ago that he was so eager to enter the world at 10 weeks early! If only I'd been able to see into the future to know he wouldn't have had the issues expected and that he'd grow into a strong, tall young man.

Anyway, Adam is a tyre fitter, working at a garage in the next village. When he isn't working he still tinkers on friends cars but I guess it keeps him out of mischief. It was with this in mind that I thought I'd try my hand at my first stepper card. I know there are dies out there but honestly, save yourself the expense; they are so easy to make using a paper trimmer and scoring board.

Real Red

Basic Black

Silver Foil

Whisper White

I had seen a fabulous card by Lisa Ann Bernard on Pinterest that was perfect. Click on her name to go to her blog post. Adam, like many mechanics, has a large red upright toolbox that takes up a considerable amount of shed space. I remember it being at the top of his wish list for a long time until he was able to acquire one. So, it was obvious the stepper card would replicate that in some way.

I was able to create tyres by diecutting a circle in black and then using a round button die - not a Stampin Up one - cut in silver foil for the hub cap. Ok, it isn't perfect but it does show that necessity is the mother of invention! It also saved me a little money as I didn't need to buy any extra dies. I don't know about you but I love it when I can find other uses for my crafty stash. I added some small tools and a creeper board, made from the hardwood stamp on a piece of crumb cake card stock. I also wrote Happy Birthday on a "drawer" front with a silver pen to like like it had been scratched onto the chest of drawers.

Coffee Cafe with a Sweet Cupcake

Hello, a while ago I made a birthday card for a colleague at work. I find designing something for a man quite difficult normally, but Phil loves his coffee...

                                ...and cake when there is some.

Island Indigo

Crumb Cake

Pool Party

Whisper White

I'm so pleased I succumbed and bought Coffee Cafe; it originally wasn't on my wish list but having seen some fabulous makes by other crafters, I thought I ought to get it. If you have read some of my previous blog posts you may have picked up that I only buy stamp sets and dies if I can easily design at least 5 different cards. I like to make my stock earn it's keep.

I already had the Sweet Cupcake bundle; it teams up with the coffee cup so well. I knew that I wanted to use Crumb Cake so set about going through my stock of DSP for some that would be suitable. It wasn't long before I stumbled across Serene Scenery, the colours were perfect; Crumb Cake and Island Indigo. This DSP is sadly discontinued. I really should have bought more when I could, I love it.

Oops, the darker DSP is from Blooms and Bliss, another discontinued pack. Sorry!

Flower Shop again??

Hello, if you saw my last post, you'll recall I woke during the night with an idea for a card. Well once I started, I had ideas flooding in from goodness knows where using the same stamp set! This is the second card, again using soft pink and white.

Pink Pirouette

Pear Pizzazz

Whisper White

First of all I took my Pink Pirouette inkpad and stamped one of the flowers from Flower Shop over Whisper White card trimmed a little smaller than the card base, leaving the centre clear. I made sure to leave enough space so that I could add small flowers from Petite Petals for a little variation. When creating your own background paper, I think it looks more natural if some of the stamping is off the edge of the card as you can see below.

Next I die cut a circle from it before mounting onto a slightly larger piece of Pink Pirouette. The die cut circle was then die cut again using a slightly smaller Stitched Shape Framelit circle and them stamped with the sentiment. I love that the pink background forms an edge around it to make it pop more.

I stamped and punched one larger and two smaller flowers alongside some leaves, arranging them to the lower right of the sentiment. Once again, I stamped inside the card and on the envelope for a cohesive look. Another quick and easy card, I hope you like it.

Flower Shop

The other night I woke in the wee small hours with an idea implanted for a card. Unfortunately I didn't have the customary notebook and pencil nearby as I'd been sketching designs in the craft room earlier in the evening. I felt so lucky that when I finally got up, I could still remember what I wanted to make!

Pink Pirouette

Pear Pizzazz

Whisper White

I wanted a soft background so created my own using clear powder to heat emboss one of the flowers out of Flower Shop all over the white card. My sentiment was stamped and heat embossed on a stitched Framelit circle. To get the pale pink text I inked up the stamp first using Versamark before then inking in Pink Pirouette immediately afterwards. Clear embossing powder was heated over the top. I used dimensionals to raise the sentiment slightly.

Using a scrap of white card I stamped, heat embossed and punched out one flower. It was coloured using a pencil with blender pen before the petals were shaped. A couple of leaves were punched and strategically placed but I still felt it lacked something. I personally think the loop of mini silver sequin trim just finishes it off. It really doesn't take much; there numerous ways to use just a small amount of special trim and still get a fabulous finish.

Challenge Accepted ... using Beautiful You

At Coffee and Cards, I was given the opportunity to try out the new Stampin' Blends. I have to to admit to being sceptical but they are amazing!

The ink just glides so beautifully over the paper and as usual, the colours are designed to match the corresponding card stock.

Susan, who runs the Coffee and Card group gave all attendees a challenge to create a card with the image we had coloured in. The winner is to receive the 2 colours they used to colour in the image.

Pool Party

Calypso Coral

Smoky Slate

Whisper White

Not one to run away from a challenge I set about coming up with a design I was happy with. I also decided to challenge myself by using DSP. I've gradually built up a collection over the last few months but really don't use it as often as I could or should.

I chose to use Pool Party, one of my favourite colours. So next on the list I had to find coordinating DSP. Luckily Foxy Friends includes PooL Party, alongside Calypso Coral and Smoky Slate and the banner design was just perfect.

I double mounted the stitched shape with my image, adding a band of ribbon and stamped sentiment. Then I die cut You and added it at an angle

Three balloons completed the front. As usual, I stamped the inside of the card and the envelope for a more finished look. I think it really does make a difference. I know I always open card with decorated envelopes first.

Is It Really Emily's 2nd Birthday?

Hello, goodness how time flies. By the time you see this my grandaughter will just have had her 2nd birthday. Talk about getting organised! I made this card way back in June during a heatwave and have been waiting to be able to post it.

Where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday her mum and dad came to stay when she was a few weeks old so that Huntingdon based friends and family could meet this little bundle. And what lungs she had, plus an innate sense of mixing day and night! I'm sure she thought she was Antipodean. I'd love to be able to post a picture of her but her mum doesn't believe in putting Ems pictures online.

For her 1st birthday I used the stamp set From the Herd. This time as the family have 4 cats (and a dog and 2 tortoises) I decided Pretty Kitty would be suitable. I'd seen Peekaboo cards and thought this would be a fun fold  for a toddler. A quick search online and I found a great tutorial by Jan B on You Tube. Please click here to view it if you'd like to try this type of card. It is a little on the long side but the instructions are very clear.

Melon Mambo

Whisper White

I love Melon Mambo so this was my starting point. Luckily I had some Sinshine and Sprinkles DSP to hand; such a shame this is discontinued, I love the colours used in this paper. The 2 stamps I chose to use were the kitten in the plant pot and the kitten sitting in the garden with a butterfly on its tail and I took the colours from the DSP to colour the images.


I chose to make an oval aperture rather than round which I think works well with the images used

I also added a die cut "2" from the Large Numbers Framelit dies and put it on a slightly smaller oval so it stood out. That was then backed with Melon Mambo to give a cohesive look.

As this card is for a toddler I havent added much in the way of embellishments due to safety.

I had been lucky enough to receive an assorted pack of spare diecuts from my friend, Susan, aka Craftyduckydoodah. Amongst the stash were some great flowers made with the Petite Petals stamp set and punch. As luck would have it they were just the right yellow so tied in beautifully. I used one of the small stamps from Papillon Potpourri and punched it out with the Bitty Butterfly punch. Such a shame that these 4 products were discontinued at the end of May to make way for the new products in the Annual catalogue release on 1st June.

The Joy of Sets Design Challenge 7 (Letter W) - Wild about Flowers

Goodness, we’ve already got to the 7^th challenge, time is flying by. If you haven't already looked, I suggest clicking on the link to take a peek at the fabulous designs on the Joy Of Sets Challenge Blog. 

I was in the craft room about to reach over for the Wild about Flowers stamp set when my notifications pinged to let me know that for this challenge we would be using a set with the letter “W” in the title. The timing was impeccable; I couldn’t have made it up!

After so much rain, it certainly shows what a difference a bit of sun makes, today's colours are much lighter and brighter than in previous days where black seemed to play a prominent part.

Pear Pizzazz

Calypso Coral

So Saffron

Soft Sky

Whisper White

First of all I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock a ¼” smaller than the folded base card which is also white. As you can see, I masked the edges of the piece of card with scrap paper, torn edges towards the centre to give a soft edge. I also used a circle to mask what would be the sun. Using a dauber, I sponged Soft Sky onto the card working from the edges inwards so the ink didn’t get behind my mask. I then used Pear Pizzazz to create the ground, again working in from the edges and using more torn paper to create “edges” to look like the ground was uneven. Once I was happy with that, I took the circle away and used the paper the circle was cut from so I could colour the sun without the ink merging with the sky.

When I was happy with the background effect, I removed the side masks so that my focal image could fall over the edge of the sponged area. I left the masks top and bottom though. Calypso Coral for the flower heads added a bit of zing.

I used dimensionals to mount this panel onto the base card. The sentiment was stamped in Smoky Slate (black would have been too harsh) and using the smallest oval from the Stitched Shape thinlits die cut it out before adhering with dimensionals once again.

I hope you like this card as much as I do. It's one that came out exactly as planned, I love white on white and simple designs. I'm now off to see what other stamp sets I can use in this way!

Birthday Blooms in the Spotlight

Hello, a while ago I showcased the spotlight technique, using the gorgeous stamp set, Lovely as a Tree. At the time I also made this card using the same technique but in a slightly different way.

If you've seen many of my blog posts, you'll already be aware just how much I like Birthday Blooms - and how much it features in my cards.

Now normally I love colouring this large stamp in, however this card only needed a hint of colour - in the area spotlighted!

Daffodil Delight

Old Olive

Whisper White

I stamped my image on both Daffodil Delight and Whisper White card. Next I die cut a circle out of the image on the yellow card and put to one side for a moment. Using my watercolour pencils and a blender pen, I coloured in the corresponding area on the white card. The white card was placed behind the yellow, carefully matching the image up, using dimensionals for depth. This was then mounted onto a slightly deeper piece of Old Olive card to create a border top and bottom.

The Joy of Sets Design Challenge 6 (Letter T) - Summer by the Sea under a Sheltering Tree

It's no secret that I adore the retired stamp set, Summer by the Sea. So far though I've only used the girl gazing into the distance; I'm sure that will soon change though.

For the Joy of Sets Challenge Blog, I chose to combine this gorgeous set with with a current one, Sheltering Tree with the sea stamp from High Tide and the dog from Sitting Here. I loved making this card.

Lovely as a Tree - again????

Hello again, while the Lovely as a Tree stamp set was out I thought I'd make a second card with it. Luckily it was still visible under the mess on my desk. Normally I try to have a tidy up at the end of the day but I've been so inspired recently that ideas have flowed thick and fast. Now this doesn't always happen, sometimes I can sit staring in space for a while before a glimmer of an idea comes to the fore. I'm certainly not complaining about my messy desk, as it means I'm working; long may it continue - as long as there are a few inches of space to work on.

This really is such a classic set, I can't think there will ever be a time it retires. Once again I chose a white on white design, using only 3 other colours although Very Vanilla would also look great for the base colour.

Garden Green

Early Espresso

Whisper White

This time I made a tent card. I masked off an oval and created my sponged background, using Soft Sky and Garden Green. I stamped my trees across and the stamped the larger tree so that the majority was on white space. Sadly I didn't take photos of the process. I really must learn to take them as I go along. I then took a 2nd piece of Whisper White which was the same size and die cut an oval, this one was just very slightly smaller. It took a little time and effort to make sure it was in the right place. I then stamped the large tree again, this time on the card with the aperture, matching up as closely as possible to the tree on the background as some of the branches showed through.

Handy tip; cut the oval first and place it over the card you're going to sponge on then draw around it so you know where the ink needs to be. This card evolved as I hadn't originally planned to add an extra layer!

I wrapped some Linen thread around the top card, securing from behind with a couple of glue dots before using dimensionals to adhere to the sponged card. This in turn was secured to the base card, I added a sentiment and to create some balance coloured and stuck a wooden embellishment in the opposite corner.

I hope you like it. I decided to add to my collection of male birthday cards but depending on the sentiment you choose, this is suitable for many occasions. 

Nailed It with Jar of Love, well almost!

Hello again, as soon as I saw the Nailed It bundle it reminded me of a friend that stored his nails, screws, nut and bolts in old coffee jars. Since I also have Jar of Love it just had to be done! I adore the Jar of Love stamp set and corresponding dies; they are so versatile. I know, I say it every time but it's true so I'm really pleased they are in the new catalogue, released on the 1st June. I was disappointed though that Nailed It was retired as it makes creating cards for men so easy.

Oops, did you spot the lids?

To be perfectly honest, I started this card several months ago, putting it to one side as I wasn't happy with the original results. A friend did happen to point out that I'd managed to stick the lids upside down but even placing them the right way round still didn't solve the problem. It just looked dull; I love the idea of it but in reality it doesn't work for me.


So, what to do? Well, I've changed the colour of the lids and screwdriver handle. Any better? A little but not much. Should I just scrap it? Like I say, I love the idea.... then I had a thought. Why can't I just show that sometimes we all have cards that don't quite work for one reason or another? It's only time, a bit of card and adhesive that's wasted so not the end of the world. And really it's a learning curve, I might not be able to work out how to improve this card, but at least I know what doesn't work on the next one! Who knows,  someone else might see it and love it.



On reflection, I think that the problem may have been the use of Pool Party card stock; I was trying to get an effect of painted and slightly distressed wood but it looks too heavy. Maybe using white card and giving it a light colourwash would have worked better. I think maybe another day I'll have to make some time to experiment with some background techniques. All that remained was to add a sentiment, I think it managed to lift the colour a little in the end

Coffee and Cards - Dragonfly Dreams

A while ago I managed to get to my favourite card group for a chat, coffee, cake, oh and to create a couple of cards in the process. I find the whole event quite relaxing as I don't have to think about the design; that isn't to say I follow slavishly. I don't, sometimes developing my own take and not completing them until I get home. The smaller of the cards showcased here is a point in case. We used the gorgeous Dragonfly Dreams for both cards.

For the first card we stamped and coloured 2 of the bees before fussy cutting them out. Those that are eagle eyed will have noticed that there is a bee die to correspond with the stamp, however, it doesn't just cut around the edge which we wanted for this design.

Now although I loved the little bees, I decided that I wanted transparent wings. I chose not to attach them to the card until I had adapted them. Once home, I stamped the bees onto vellum.. I fussy cut them out and used Wink of Stella on the wings for a touch of shimmer. I then cut the wings off the originals before mounting onto the vellum for a slightly more delicate effect. You can see the difference it makes here.

I also chose to mount my embossed card at a 45° angle for interest as well. In fact even my sentiment was positioned in a different place! Good job I didn't completely alter the second card...

For the second card we created a similar design but stepped up. This time we used the dragonfly, coloured with the water colour pencils and blending pen. I'm not sure why I don't use the pencils that often; they blend beautifully as you can see in the picture below. Again I used a Wink Of Stella on the wings, sorry it doesn't show up too well in the photo.

You may have noticed I used Washi Tape; it certainly gave Susan a bit of a surprise. I even tore it too. I actually liked the effect on this card even though I'm not known for my love washi tape or grungy effects. My only concession was that I chose to use the same design above and below the narrow tape rather than three different ones.

The finished cards

Pretty Kitty

Late last night I was asked to make a card for a friend. The brief was that the recipient was going to be 19, liked the colour blue and loved cats and baking. I didn't get the Perfect Mix stamp set when it was available as I didn't think I would use it enough. On reflection, maybe I would but not to worry, as a hobby demonstrator I have to pick and choose my sets carefully. Perfect Mix lost out to Pretty Kitty, which is a regular on my craft table.

I decided to use a soft, pastel palette and so based my colours around the base card in Soft Sky. I can't deny that for this card I took my inspiration from one I saw on Pinterest made by Kirsten Aitchison. I loved the clean simple lines.

Soft Sky

Whisper White

Dapper Denim

Wild Wasabi

Just a selection of the colours used! I can't believe that I actually used 10 ink colours; 3 of them on the ginger kitty.

First of all I stamped my sentiment on the bottom right of a piece of Whisper White card. Then I die cut the word "congrats" carefully keeping the tiny pieces from the middle of the letters for later.

I chose 2 designs from Pretty Kitty that work really well together and stamped them as close as I could so it looked like one image. A spot of colouring using ink pads and blender pens and the card was ready to mount on the base.

Remember I said to keep the little bits from the die cut sentiment? A quick tip when using a sentiment in relief. Place the diecut back in the space as shown above so you know where the tiny bits need sticking onto the base card. Once they have adhered you can remove the sentiment to use on another project.

The sentiment is actually in relief although it doesn't show up on the photograph