House Mouse Wiper card

A while ago someone gave me some House Mouse stickers. They really are good because when they are stuck onto something only the picture shows, not the peel off edges or background paper. It's almost like a  ready-coloured stamp!

I wanted to make a special sort of project with them too so I chose a "Wiper! card (so called because of the windscreen wiper motion of the pop up insert)
It comprises of 2 pieces of card measuring 11.5cm x 17cm. Each piece is scored at 12.5cm and 14.5cm. Turn 1 piece of card around so that the score lines are at the opposite end.
Cut a small piece of card for the mechanism measuring 3cm x 10cm. Stamp or stick required greeting on the top. Measure 1.8cm from the bottom left hand corner up and from the same corner along. Join the 2 points forming a triangle.  Score this line and fold it towards you.
Working on the larger card with the score lines on the left, stick the triangle on the little card (and only the triangle!) 3cm down inside the first score line. It's a good idea to use wet glue for this because it's stronger.
Apply glue up to the same fold and stick the unfolded edge of the other larger piece of card on top. Repeat on the opposite edge, gluing front to back. Decorate the narrow sections either side of the main card with coloured strips of paper or peel-offs. (I'm sure there will be better instructions than these on the net if you have a look!)

Once the glue is dry, you should be able to push and pull the card to make the Wiper part pop up.
Good Luck and Happy Crafting! Pat x

3D no more!

Multi-layers were very popular at one time but with the added postage for extra thick cards nowadays, that's not the case any more. I still have a few papers that I want to use though, so I decided to make them up minus the 3d effect. I stuck all of the layers together and glittered the edges to make them stand out. Simple!
It looks quite pretty and I really like the effect. Why not have a go and see what you think?

Bye for now....

"Celebrate in Style" stamp

When I first had this stamp I couldn't find any inspiration on the web at all. So, I just had to come up with something myself.

First I stamped the image onto a piece of paper and cut it out. I stamped the same image onto the centre of the card, then covered it with the mask and stamped one to the left and one to the right. I then removed the mask and coloured the ladies in.

I took a piece of acetate half a centimetre longer than the card and the same width. Then I cut 2 strips of brown card 2cms wide and deckled the edge. I folded each strip down the middle. I stuck the acetate onto one of the strips up to the fold then applied it to the main card on the left hand side. I applied peel offs to the back of the acetate (so that they wouldn't come off easily) 1cm from the top and the bottom and 2.5cms in from each side (starting at the fold line on the brown card on the left) The easiest way to get a straight line is to use the grid on a cutting mat as a guide.

I then stuck half of the brown strip to the right hand side of the card (only) Once the glue had dried, the acetate was fed inside the lip on the strip of brown card on the right to create a sort of window. This gives the card a 3d feel and the acetate can be taken out of the "lip" for postage. (You'll probably have to slip a little note to the recipient so that they know where to put the acetate when they receive the card but still.......)

The greeting was stamped  and cut out in a bubble - style shape, then applied onto the card itself, at the front of the ladies, with 3d pads.

Hope you'll try this style of card for yourself and have a little fun with it.

Till next time
Happy crafting
Pat x

George and the Dragon / Hearts and poppies

I've always loved this Craft Creations decoupage paper and as Valentine Day is only just around the corner it seemed an ideal opportunity to use it! After I had cut out the design, I stuck it to a piece of white card before applying it to a striped green card blank. I put a die cut heart above the face of the creature, which read "To my George from your Dragon" On the smaller hearts it reads "be mine"... and that's all there was to it.

I also wanted to make some cards with Valentines Day in mind but that could also be used for other occasions, like an anniversary.

HEARTS AND POPPIES;

Both cards were made using an IndigoBlu Wild Flowers stamp. I stamped 2 separate images onto cream card. (piece 1 and piece 2)

Piece 1 - Cut to fit card (as required) then deckle edges. Using a die, cut a heart shape over the poppies then ink the inner edge.

Piece 2 - cut slightly smaller than piece 1. Colour poppies and grass underneath.

Using 3d pads apply piece 1 over
 piece 2 (matching pattern)

I used an A5 card blank in cream and wrapped a piece of black card over the fold. ( I cut it 4cm long at the back) I applied the poppy design to the top and added peel-off dots to the corners.


The bottom card was made in a similar way to the one at the top only this time the plain stamped card sat at the back of the design. The heart was cut out and coloured. The edges were inked, then it was applied to the front of the plain stamped card on 3d pads.

I don't do very much stamping but I really enjoyed creating these designs and it was such a lovely stamp to use!

Until next time
Keep crafting x

My Minion

There seem to be a lot of Minions on the net at the moment, so I wanted to have a go at my own. Although the shape is quite simple, it was more challenging than I thought. Anyway here is my version, which stands like an "A" frame.

Time for tea!

For this card, I used a Hobby Art stamp, which funnily enough is called "time for tea"

The brown card measured 21cm x 14.8cm and was scored along the long edge at 2cm 4cm 17cm and 19cm. The first score line (each side)was valley folded and the second mountain folded to form the shop front. I cut an aperture into the front of the card, (see picture) then I took a piece of acetate and applied peel-off strips to it to create the windows. (TIP - it's best to make up the windows before sticking the acetate onto the card so that the panes don't end up too small...use your cutting  mat as a guide for placing the strips)

I stuck the acetate into the back of the brown card. Then I stamped up my time for tea sign and stuck it above the window. I also made strips for each side and a sill for the bottom. I marked the base of the card with faux bricks. I then used one of the stamps to make some bunting and stuck it inside the window to look like a fancy blind.

Next, I cut my white card to 14.8cm x 17cm. I drew a box onto the centre of it, so that my stamping pattern would fit nicely. (some of it will overlap the edges so that there would be no gaps showing when you look through the window of the card.) I stamped each image separately, using the masking technique and then coloured the design with pro-markers. I like anything I make to be standing on a surface so I drew lines in pencil either side of each item, except where they overlapped.

I applied double sided tape to one short side of the brown card between the edge and the first score line. I stuck this to the short edge of the white card with the stamped design. (check its the right way up first!) I put double sided tape on the opposite short side of the brown card as before. Fold this strip at score line and flatten the card as you stick it to the opposite side of the white piece.

NOTE: -  If the marker pens you have used have "bled" through the white card (at the back) add a further piece, cut to the same size and stick one on top of the other.

Hope this hasn't left you feeling totally confused, and that you will try a bit of masking for yourself.

Until next time,
Happy crafting   x

Cone card

When the Great Gatsby film was released earlier this year, it inspired me to create this card using a Kanban stamp.
I drew out the card shape and then made a smaller version in black. The fold is on the left hand side and the card is joined by a "tab" on the right. The front and back is the same shape. Peel off lines were stuck onto the black part of the card to form sections and all the way around the edge.
 The figure in the middle was stamped onto a separate piece of card. It was coloured with pro markers using a flesh tone and different shades of ONE other colour. I then curved the figure a little and attached it to the card with 3d pads. Gems were applied to each section, one either side in the middle and one in the centre of each other panel.
The card stands when the whole thing is formed into a cone shape, but when flattened fits easily into an envelope.
A little bit of class

Till next time
Happy crafting x