PAPERCRAFT INSPIRATIONS

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a happy Monday!

My days spent with Mr Heart have been wonderful and really enjoyable .. we have had a really good week .. .. even though it has poured it down with rain for the majority of the time.  But don't worry .. .. he will be returning to work tomorrow (boo hoo!) so I am guessing the weather will make a dramatic turn for the better.

Come tomorrow though I will need to whip myself into action and get my head down as there hasn't been an awful lot of crafting done here.  Just ordering materials, making of wedding samples for interested couples, the posting of proofs and a trip to IKEA for some table plan frames is as much work as I have done .. .. tut tut!!  I did work extremely hard the week previous though, and far too late, so I haven't felt guilty .. .. and must admit I slept far more last week than I have in years!!!

Today I was with Mum and found that Papercraft Inspirations Issue 193 was on the supermarket shelves .. . so to wake my blog up I will share my creations for this edition which was all about paper piecing and masking using some wonderful new stamps from a company called Picture This.  They make the most amazing stamps which also look wonderful watercoloured .. .. or even just stamped and nothing done to them at all!!  Just amazing!

This first card is the beginner card which incorporated lots of colouring a paperpiecing.  I wish I owned the building on the right.  I could open the bottom as my wedding stationery shop and live above it .. .. with a floral roof!!  LOL!!

The second card was much more labour intensive and was all done with just four stamps (one of those being the sentiment).

The card folds to meet in the middle and then opens out to create a huge scene.  It took a bit of planning to get the background to look like it was one continuous stamp but the stamps are so well thought out it worked beautifully.

Paperpiecing, ProMarkers, Distress Inks and Glossy Accents all working together to give an interesting finished look.  Not easy to photograph but I did my best.

So that is me with a woken up blog .. .. .. and a forfeit to pay for not posting a Christmas card last week!!  That will teach me to be far too relaxed for my own good!!

Catch you again soon.

NUMBER 30

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a really lovely weekend.

Running really late this week with my Christmas make .. .. trying to fit far too much into a day (as always).

My Christmas card for this week is for taking over to the Christmas Kickstart Challenge number 12 .. .. where the theme this fortnight is "The Elves and the Shoemaker"

This used:

Image:  Polkadoodles "Hollybobs Little Elf"

Sentiment:  Penny Black "30-310" Believe

Backing Paper:  Free with a magazine years ago

X-Cut Small snowflake punch

ProMarkers
Crystal Glamour Dust

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is it!

Christmas card number 30 in my stock box!!  Woo hoo!!

Catch you again soon hopefully.

I spent all last week trying to get on top of as much work as possible (hence the serious lack of blog posts) as Mr Heart is on annual leave this week.  This of course means my little world will be plunged into even more turmoil than usual .. .. .. and the weather forecast for the week .. .. .. rain, rain and more rain until Friday!!  Typical  LOL!!

NUMBER 29

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a really lovely weekend.

I am flying in super quickly with my Christmas card for this week which I am entering into the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where the theme for this fortnight is "Christmas Kids".

This used:

Image and Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat (now known as The Lovely Studio) "Ice Christmas"
Backing Papers:  Winter Wonderland Paper Pad from The Works
Ribbon
Nail Heads
ProMarkers
Crystal Glamour Dust
A little bit of chalk for those rosy cheeks!!  

So that is me for today.

I decided that a card for a child doesn't need loads of layers and stitching .. .. .. .. they just want a fun image and bright papers.  But now I have finished it I must admit I wouldn't mind receiving this card myself.  Perhaps that means I am still a kid at heart .. .. .. I hope so!!!

So this puts Christmas card number 29 into the box!!  Yay!!! 

Enjoy the sparkly new week that is just around the corner.

WAYS WITH RIBBON

Hi Everyone

I hope all is well with you and if not that things improve very quickly.

All busy again here these last few days, after what was probably a rather "too" relaxing bank holiday weekend .. .. but you have to charge your batteries up at some stage don't you?

No crafting that I can share at the moment as things are going up a gear on the wedding front, so this is a scheduled post today which gives a peep at just a few of the creations I put together for the latest issue of Papercraft Inspirations magazine.

I worked on a commission to use ribbon in 10 different ways .. .. and here are some of them .. .. which range from simple bow tying, pleating between layers of card, twisting inside a shaker element and even the odd french knot here and there.  I came up with other ways but these were perhaps my favourites:

So that is me for today.

I would imagine that as this goes live I will be gathering all my wedding samples, table plans and colour charts together ready for meeting up with a sparkly new couple later today.  If only we had "just one more room" where I could simply display everything rather than keep putting everything away and getting it out again.  But never mind .. .. there are far worse problems to have .. .. and running up and downstairs with everything is a good bit of exercise!

Have a great weekend when it arrives everyone .. .. and I hope there is some crafty time somewhere in it for you.  I am looking for lots and lots of it over the course of mine .. .. along with some sunshine!!

TEENY, TINY TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a really good Tuesday. 

Here today with a "teeny, tiny" 3.5 inch square card which I must admit I am secretly quite pleased with. 

This used: 

Image:  Docrafts Papermania "Hampstead Collection" - Sketch Flower (a really old set that I still enjoy using)
Sentiment:  Hobby Art "CS-13D" Floral Greeting
Poppystamp Dies "Simple Little Tags"
ProMarkers
VersaMark Clear Ink Pad
Memento Ink Pad "London Fog"
Brass Embossing Powder
Ribbon
My Trusty Sewing Machine

In the past I have often tried to colour images I have heat embossed only to be disappointed .. .. .. but then today I had a bit of a brainwave.

First I used my stamping platform to stamp an image using Memento London Fog Ink .. .. leaving the stamp inside the stamping platform for later. 

The image was coloured with Promarkers and was then returned to the stamping platform to stamp the image again on top of the original, using VersaMark Embossing Ink.  This then had brass embossing powder added and heat set.

Looking forward to trying this technique again.

DANCING DEER

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

Here super quick to share my Christmas card for this week .. .. .. before the week disappears and I have to do a forfeit..

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "40-258" Dancing Deer
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat
Snowflakes:  Docrafts "PMA 907941" Bellisima Christmas
Background Distress Inks:  Shaded Lilac, Tumbled Glass, Evergreen Bough and Faded Jeans
White embossing powder
Crystal Glamour Dust
Diamante Gems
Glitter Card
My Trusty Sewing Machine

so that is me for today .. .. .. and Christmas Card number 28 goes into my box.

Catch you again soon.

BUNNY MOON

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday!

I hope you are all having a good week.

A scheduled post from me today as I am cramming rather a lot into this week and need to keep my head down (and I don't mean on a comfy pillow LOL!!)   .. .. hence no blog visiting at the moment unfortunately .. .. but not to worry, the looming bank holiday weekend will see things being a lot more relaxed as lots of work will have made its way into the delivery system, or it will be lined up ready for collecting by happy couples on Saturday.  

So here is today's share:

This used:

Image:  LOTV Digital Image "Bunny Moon"

Sentiment:  Waltzing Mouse Stamps "Little Darling Sentiments"

Backing Paper: Pink Petticoat (now known as The Lovely Studio)

Spellbinder Nestabilities Dies

ProMarkers
Nail Heads
Metallic Cord

My Trusting Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.

Have a great day and I hope you find a bit of crafting time somewhere within it.

CROSSING BRIDGES

Hi Everyone

I hope your weekend has got off to a good start.

A bit of everything done here today .. .. which thankfully included some crafty time as I still need lots of  birthday cards .. .. hence this little make:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3206J" Crossing Bridges
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using font "Aracne Condensed"
Backing Papers:  Make & Create "Sweet Garden Roses"
X-Cut Corner Rounding Punch
ProMarkers
Nail Heads
Ribbon
Diamond Stickles
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is it!

A quick post and a late one too!!

Hopefully catch you again soon.

BRUSH PINES

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday!

After a gorgeous week of sunshine .. ..  today doesn't look quite so exciting on the weather front here in my neck of the woods .. .. .. but hopefully it is going to be exciting on the crafting front!

In fact it needs to be exciting on the crafting front over the next three days because there is a mountain of work to be done before Monday .. .. but thankfully I am excited about every single task on the list!  Not a single boring one anywhere to be seen!!  Yay!!

So I decided I had better get my Christmas card for this week over and done with before everything  else takes hold .. .. and here it is using my very first Penny Black brush style stamp.  Really enjoyed using it and can see some more of this style making their way into my collection.

I am entering my creation into the Winter Wonderland Challenge where the theme is "don't be square" .. .. .. so I have gone for a simple rectangle:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black Slapstick Cling Stamp "40-408" Brush Pines
Sentiment:  Penny Black Clear Stamp Set "30-316" Season's Gifts
Distress Ink:  Tumbled Glass
Dewdrop Memento Ink Pads
Watercolour Brush Pens
Stampendous Frantage:  Chunky White
Gold Metallic Twine
Wooden Button
My Trusty Sewing Machine

I have come to the conclusion that if I don't make something for my blog very first thing in a morning then "it just isn't going to happen".  As proven over the last couple of days.   Must try hard to get a new routine sorted .. .. sigh!!!

Back to the weddings now though, but before I go I would like thank everyone for the messages and good wishes regarding the hospital appointment that Mum and I went to on Tuesday.  All went well thank you!  Some of her tablets have been altered so we will wait and see if that can improve things a little more for her.  It would be good if they did.

Hopefully catch you again soon .. .. but for now that is Christmas card number 27 dropped into the box!  Yippee!!

TEENY TINY TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Tuesday!

Another gorgeous day today .. .. following on from the beautiful one we had yesterday.

Dashing in and out quickly today with a teeny, tiny make (a whole 3.5 inches square) which I created first thing this morning .. .. and using one of my very favourite techniques .. .. paper piecing..

This used:

Image:  WOW! Clear Stamp Set "Gratitude"  (may be discontinued now)
Backing Papers:  All from my snippet box
Nail Heads
Button
My Trusty Sewing Machine
We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board

Time to dash off and take Mum for a hospital appointment now.  I am hoping they will be as pleased with Mum's progress as I am .. .. and they don't throw any more spanners in the works!!!

Catch you again soon.