Christmas eisel card

Next, cut a strip of card, cover it with a complimentary paper (if you wish) and, using 3D pads, stick it below the mark that you just made. The edge of the "tent" shape should then rest against the strip.

Finish off by sticking the bottom half of the topper to the lower section of the "tent" shape only. Lift the card up at the front to allow it to close, and that's it!

Not long before Christmas now! Hope you've managed to get all of your cards finished...I've just done the last of mine!

Until next time,

Happy crafting,

love Pat x

Roses Christmas card

As Christmas gets ever nearer, I like to make a special card for my granddaughter, and here it is.

Its a pyramid design of a Santa holding a fairy in his hand and its really sweet! Once I had made up and mounted the picture I turned it into an eisel card. I love eisel cards because they are so versatile. Simply make up a topper (decoupage, stamping, paper-folding etc) Take a strip of card which measures the same width as the topper and twice as long and fold it in half. Fold the top piece in half again to form a "tent" shape with a flat base. Allow it to find its natural resting position on the base and mark where it lays.

Christmas in black "n" white

I think that black and white designs always look stunning and it's nice to find one that's suitable for a man too.

I printed the silhouette on to white copy paper. This was then attatched to some thin black card and cut out with a craft knife. The copy paper was then removed leaving a white as well as a black image .I took an A5 card blank and added a black card matt. I stuck the white tree to the right of the card (using the black image to help me to position it.)I attatched a circle to the left-hand side for a moon.

I then took a piece of vellum and stuck it to the card. The black silhouette was placed over the other 2 layers and glued in place. I added 3 peel-off stars to the centre of the image, a silver edge and a Happy Christmas sentiment.

I think that the effect is quite magical and with the current spell of foggy weather, very appropriate too. Looks like I've made my husband's Christmas card as well!

Till next time,

Happy crafting,

Pat x

Haunted woods?

I don't consider myself to be a very good photographer, but we've had a new camera recently and now that Ive had the chance to have a little play with it I've become quite keen!

This photo was taken above Bakewell a couple of weeks ago and I feel that it really captures the mood at this time of year. Perhaps it has its own "Headless Horseman" Whooooooooo!

Sorry it's a bit late for halloween but I'm not THAT much on the ball!

Until next time ........

star over Bethlehem

I love the "Starform" peel-offs and this was an ideal opportunity to show one of them off!

I took a midnight blue card and made a 14cm square card blank. I then cut out an apperture on the right-hand side, slightly longer and wider than the star.

I embossed a swirly pattern on a piece of white card and cut out a square on the right (to correspond with the one on the card blank.) I then rubbed chalk over the embossing to colour it. ( The chalk can be sealed with a fine application of hair spray to stop it comming off)

I stuck 2 of the larger peel-off stars, 2 of the medium size and 2 of the smallest ones onto white card and cut them out. I then decoupaged them in sets of 3, so that I had 2 complete stars.

I attatched some fine silver cord to the back of one set of stars, (with masking tape) I applied glue to the whole thing and stuck the second set of stars on top. The silver cord was then stuck

above and below the apperture in the card blank so that it was fairly taught. The white matt was then applied using double-sided tape.

"Bethlehem" was taken from a magazine but there are other possibilities here. You could take one from a book yourself , draw one, or even use something from an old Christmas card! If you are cutting it out from black card (as I did) photocopy the pattern onto paper, stick the paper onto the card and starting with the windows and any small details, cut it out. Be aware, however that the image will be in reverse when you turn it back to the right side.

Apply "Bethlehem" to the bottom of the card. Tare a small strip of card or paper and attatch at the base. Glitter the town and strip as required.

Hope this explanation hasnt been too confusing!

Till next time

Happy crafting

Pat x

Simple Santa

Just a quickie this time.

This is a square card with 2cm taken from the right front-hand side. The topper consists of a green card with a white matt. I attatched another piece of the Christmas backing paper, with a further gold matt. The "Santa" is a rub-on (for a change) on white card. I made my ribbon from strips of paper, which formed the strip itself, a loop for the bow and another roll of paper for the "knot"

By the way, did you know that the original "Santa" was dressed in green or brown and that it was "Coca-cola" who gave him the red costume, and thus invented the Santa we all know today?

Until next time,

Happy crafting,Love Pat x

A little Christmas book 1

Here is a little gatefold book for Christmas. I love making up this design because its so versatile. You can use all sorts of media to embelish them too, but in this case, I thought I'd try out some "Stickeroos" by Penny Black" I really like these stickers because the backgrounds are transparent and blend into the base card for an almost "stamped" effect.

The book is made up of an outside cover and 3 small gatefold cards. These cards are stuck around the flaps either side of the centre.The back of the middle panel is then attatched to the outer card which overlaps at the front.

A Little christmas book 2

Here is the inside of the card, which shows the 3 seperate sections of the book. Firstly, I added a foiled matt to the front of each piece followed by a white one. I used the stickeroos to decorate each panel and added a "Merry Christmas " peel-off to the centre. I put a foiled strip on the edge of each of the smaller doors.
The book closes by folding the right, then left sections over the middle one, allowing the flaps to fold in as you go. It can be fastened with a ribbon around the card itself (and under the front picture) or with a velcro sticky dot.

Until next time,
Happy crafting
Love Pat x

snowflake bauble

This card is quite a simple one to make, providing you have a bit of time! Simply cut a circle apperture into a 14 centimetre square card. Chalk the inner edges of the circle, at the front, using a stamp pad and sponge. Open the card. Punch out several snowflake shapes ( I cant say how many you will need, it depends on how you put them together) and stick them over the apperture, interlocking them as you go. (A fine nozzle applicator is quite handy when you are doing this!) Once completed close the card again. Put a piece of scrap card inside and lightly colour some of the snowflakes on the front. Add gems to the larger ones and dotty peel-offs (which can be coloured with a permanent marker) to the smaller ones.

Cut a piece of ribbon long enough to fit from the top of the bauble, over the card front and inside the card about 1cm down. Glue at each end not right along the strip as the glue can mark the ribbon. Tie a bow and stick it to the front of the card as shown. Add a few snowflakes to the front and a Merry Christmas peel-off.

Note; If your snowflakes bow at all put the card in a book and they will flatten!

Good luck! Bye for now, love, Pat x

First Christmas cards

Even I have had to give up and admit that it's time to start making Christmas cards, so here is my first one, which is a piecing project.

The main part is made from red card, with a light pink face, dark pink cheeks, and white beard, moustache, hatband and bobble. All of the pieces are edged in brown using a baby sponge and ink pad.

... and just in case you're wondering this is how the card is held together - with a little "lip" at the top. It's a bit like a handbag really.

I felt that this design could be adapted, and with that in mind, (and with a little help from a friend) I made a reindeer card...

simple piecing projects

...and here he is! He's made from different shades of brown, and the card fastens under the fringe this time. To finish off, of course, he had to have a bright red shiney nose!

Until next time, Happy crafting, Pat x

autumn mushrooms for Helen

Autumn is my favourite time of year because of all of the beautiful colours. September is also Helen's birthday, and this is the card that I made for her. I used a "Papermania tunnel card template" and the card was covered with my minds eye designs. I then added a few flowers from the papers and made some mushrooms for the inside. Although the design doesn't make up as a very big card, it was nice to make something different! What matters most of all is that Helen loved it! Hope you like it too! Happy crafting, love Pat x

summer strawberries 2

I added the waste from a chain peel-off as the seeds on the strawberry and some sequins for the centre of the flowers.

My daughter couldnt believe she was 25 already (!!!) so I added the bee (using the "Versamark" pen again) and wrote the sentiment on the pop-up strip.

I really love the wiper card mechanism and enjoyed creating my own image for a change.

Look out for Helen's card next time.

Until then,

Happy crafting

love Pat x

cupcake exploding box

Couldn't wait to have a go at another exploding box, so when my daughter Sam passed her G.C.S.E. english and maths exams recently, it was just too good an opportunity to miss! She loves baking so these papers were ideal.

The central pieces (i.e. presents, roses and hearts) were all put on acetate strips as before (see previous post) This time though, I wanted to create icing with a cherry on the top for the lid. The icing was made from 2 strips of paper which were concertina folded then glued into a circle, like the cases for cup cakes. The folds in the centre are then bought together and glued onto another circle of card. You have to hold this down for a while though to make sure it sticks properly!

The cherry was made from several punched circles of card stuck together back to back. I glued a double piece of green acetate into the centre as a stalk. (This also provides a means of opening the box quickly) I was really pleased with the finished effect and even I can't leave the box alone!

Tip: If the box is stored without the lid (before you give it as a gift) the explosion is more effective

That's all for now folks

Happy crafting!

Love Pat x

!

poppy design

There are quite a few poppy designs around at the
moment so I thought I'd have a go at one myself.

This flower is made from red copy paper. I drew a
"fat-bodied" 8 shape twice, cut it out and screwed
it up. Then I inked the edges. I punched out 2 daisy
shapes in black and attatched them to the centre
of the flower with a diamond brad. I then
mounted the flower onto some patterned acetate,
and a diamond of white card. ( I used the brad to
attatch all of these pieces together) I took a
14cm square card blank, and added a brown
"speckled " mount. I added 3d pads to the
white diamond to attatch it to the card. I then made some leaves and a stalk to finish off the project.

Hope you like it!
Happy crafting, Pat x

mache butterfly

I think that this is the most unusual way of using a rubber stamp that I have ever seen!
You need a "solid" image not a decorative one for this project. Mix a small amount of P.V.A. glue with twice as much water. Take 7 sheets of tissue paper ( I used make up tissues) and glue them one at a time to your stamp. Once all the tissue has been used gently remove the paper from the stamp and allow to dry overnight. Colour the image using ink pads (I used cats eyes chalk pads from Colourbox) and a cotton bud. How simple is that!
A couple of tips I'd like to pass on;
1. In order to ensure that the design is as clear as possible push the stamp into the paper mache before you remove it for drying.
2. Put the image onto acetate while it dries so that it can be removed easily. If you dry it on paper, the paper will stick to it.
3. Add the finished piece to your card with brads so that the image does not get flattened.

Hope you'll give this a try sometime.........I' love to know what you think and how you get on!
Happy crafting
Pat x

exploding box

Helen (the traveller at the beginning of this blog) has recently got a job as a Marketing Account Executive! I wanted to make a special card to mark the occasion, so I chose an exploding box.

This one was made up of 3 layers, which were decorated with flowers and peel-off centiments. Then extra flowers were added to the centre and side to give a more explosive effect. The lid had a concertina-shaped flower with a loop in the centre to make it easier to open the box.

I really enjoyed making this card and I just wanted to say, well done Helen and all the best for the future!

Until next time, Happy crafting,

Pat x

a little mattie

I love these "mattie" designs. The decoupage is so easy!

The card on the right, has an apperture in the front and the picture is then attatched to the inside.
The decoupage is added to the outside of the card and hopefully you will be able to see the little dragonfly (top right-hand side of the apperture) which has been attatched to a piece of acetate so that it looks as though it is flying over the lillies!

The main picture in the second card has been set into a recess to give it depth. The decoupage is applied as before, together with a peel-off border and the birthday greeting. I couldn't resist adding the ducks/ducklings because they were so cute!

These pictures don't really do the designs credit, but I hope they will show the effect of 2 very different ideas.

Happy crafting,

Pat x

mushrooms

I love toadstools, even the "real macoy" so this design (that I saw in a craft magazine recently) really appealed to me.

It used the "my minds eye" papers, which I think are really good quality.

To start with the pattern needed to be enlarged by 155%. It was a print of the finished design as a whole,so I had to take it apart to form the background and seperate mushroom pieces. When it came to the grass I realised that I needed a"Sizzix Big Shot" and a grass die! As I don't possess either I struggled to design my OWN.

Undeterred, I put all of the pieces together but then realised that I didnt have a fence. I drew one in, and it didn't look look too bad. I cut out the top shape and folded the card together. The front fold cracked and the little orange mushroom flipped up on the left as it was over a fold and needed to move! I tried to flatten the whole lot in a book but then the grass pieces cracked as well. When I looked at the picture in the magazine I realised that the front fold on their card was also cracking and any others had been hiden by the display. It had taken a lot of time and work but eventually the card ended up in the bin!

Wouldnt it be refreshing if some of the magazines gave us whole patterns that didnt need to be enlarged and for which no special equipment was required? Surely then the nock-on effect would benefit everyone!

Fell better now Iv'e got that off my chest.....normal services will soon be resumed!

Till next time,
happy crafting,
Pat x

simple flowers and acetate

There are some beautiful printed acetates on the market at the moment and I couldnt resist this one for a special anniversary card.

I attatched a 13cm square of pink paper to a 14cm card blank. Then I made the central rose. I pushed the brad through the middle of the rose, then the acetate and then the white card behind that. I stuck the diamond shaped card to the pink layer with double-sided tape. I attatched a silver peel-off to each corner of the acetate to complete the card.

I really love making the flowers as they are appropriate for so many projects. For more ideas and a full tutorial visit www.thepinkshopblog.com Have fun!

Until next time,
happy crafting
love Pat x

oriental stamps

These oriental stamps are a pleasure to use! The images are just lovely!

I stamped the flower onto some card as a base. Then I stamped the same image again onto a green and a white card, and cut them out. I applied the green and white pieces to the original card and cut the whole lot out a again. I did the same with the little girl, so that it looked as though she was wearing a red dress and shoes. The hair and leggins were coloured with a black felt pen.

Then I created a "view box" I applied the stamped pieces to acetate and stuck them into the box. The fan and sentiments were put onto the front of the box together with a gold peel-off edge, and a little bit of green paper for grass.

Hope you like it!

Until next time,

Happy crafting

Pat x

Oriental butterflies

There are some lovely oriental papers on the market at the moment and I couldn't resist having a little go with them!It's a butterfly card (of course)

I stuck 2 matts onto a square card blank, then concertina folded another piece of paper to hold the butterflies. I threaded cocktail sticks into the edges and made some black beads for each end. I didnt have any butterflies that I hadnt used so I lifted the "waste" butterflies from a peel-off sheet. These were then stuck to the "blind" and the blind applied to the centre of the second matt. I added 2 strips of paper and 6 more beads to the side, and an Chinese greeting peel-off on a mount of black card. It reads "friend"

Although these papers are of an oriental theme they are very versatile and some of them could be used for other projects.

Seaside Butterfly

Having spent a few days at the seaside chillin' out last weekend I was feelin' all relaxed and summery! So this weeks card is made from a 6 x 6 paper in "seaside" blues.

I made the butterfly from 2 circles of paper which were concertina folded, then held together by a piece of beading wire wrapped around them. You have to leave a short piece of wire at the beginning, and at the end to form the antenae.

The flowers at the bottom were layered, to give a more 3-d effect and added to the paper with pads.

Using a card measuring 14cm x 21cm, I added a deckle-edged mat in a complimentary paper, then a white mat, followed by the picture. Although its hard to see from the photo, I added some stick-on pearls and small butterfly peel-offs. Finally I glittered the folded butterfly and flowers.

I think that this design would probably work with any corresponding papers that you might have.

Till next time, Happy crafting,
Pat x

"Mr. Bluebird"

When the wings are pulled the centre of the bird comes open to reveal an egg! (The original was an orb, but I thought that in this case an egg would be more appropriate)

It took quite a while to perfect the design and I'm hoping to create more cards from the same basic pattern in future.

Hope you like it!

Until next time, Happy crafting,

Pat x

"Mr. Bluebird"

Some time ago I was asked to have a go at a "spring card" with a difference. The original design was of a ladybird. Once I had managed to master the pattern, I adapted the details to create my Bluebird card.

It was quite a difficult design and took me about 6 weeks on the "drawing board" so to speak.

Sams "Big Zip"

Just wanted to congratulate my eldest daughter Sam on completing her "Big Zip" ride for Marie Curie Cancer Care. She launched herself from a crane, on a zip wire, over the river Trent on 13th June. She raised a total of £130.00 and we have since heard that the final total was in the region of £50,000! Well done to Sam and to all of the other people who took part on the day!

waterfall tree

When it was my husbands birthday recently, I wanted to make something personal that was a bit different. So while we were at Shipley Park(in Derbyshire) I took several snaps of a twisted tree he's always been fond of. Once they were developed I created a waterfall card with them.

I must admit that it was quite a large project that I had to make a special envelope for but I was really pleased with the effect!

I think it's a good thing to mix your media and I wouldn't mind using photography for other cards in future.

Happy Crafting x

Missing Helen

Here are a couple of little novelty cards that I made for my daughter, Helen while she was on her travels.

The one on the left is a mini "post through" card that I stamped with 2 images and text that read "trip" "discover" and "explore"

The one on the right is a creature that I created based on something that I saw at a museum. Mine is called a "Boggle" Its just made up of a few scraps of card with a bit of doodling added.

Helen is back home now with an enviable tan and more of a (what I believe is called) "life experience"

Bye 4 now!

Happy crafting!

Butterfly Ball

It was my birthday in March and one of the gifts I received was wrapped in beautiful butterfly paper, and you know how much I love butterflies! It seemed a shame to throw it away so I decided to re-arrange the elements to create this card.

It's a kind of 3d box. As the paper was already foiled it had an irradescent appearance, and some of the design has been lifted on pads to create a further feeling of "movement" I added a peel-off boarder and some dots to complete the effect. Its a sort of "Butterfly Ball!"
Hope you like it!

Until next time, Happy crafting x

Zendoodle

While I was "surfing the net" the other day I came across something called "Zendoodle"

What's Zendoodle? I hear you ask....well, its drawing patterns in a random fashion until you create an image that you are happy with. There are no rules, and its very relaxing. You just let yourself go and the design creates itself! (or just about)

This is one of my first attempts which was drawn with a fine line permanent marker. Then I took a piece of black card, cut 4 slits into it and inserted the Zendoodle pattern. I added brads to the corners and a few peel-off dots. The whole thing was then mounted, on pads, onto a square card blank.

I hope to create more Zendoodles in future and if you would like to have a go too you will find more inspiration at millande.ning.com (art community for women)

Happy crafting!

back to peel-offs

Like most crafters, I never underestimate the value of peel-offs! I suppose these cards are a sort of "altered art" but I must say I was really pleased with the finished results!

card 1 - DAISIES
I took the flowers from a daisy peel-off and stuck them onto some shiny wrapping paper. Then I cut them out and arranged them onto a white card. I replaced some of the waste (from the peel-off) and added it to the centre of the flower. I used a chain peel-off for the stems and coloured the middles with a black pen. I took the leaf shapes (left over from a black peel-off )and put them onto silver holographic card before adding them to the design. This topper was then mounted onto black card (at a jaunty angle!) before adding to an A5 card blank. I used a "Happy Birthday" greeting and 4 silver dots to complete the project.

card 2 - KISSING FISHES
First of all, I made a "spring" card,( which is simular to a card recently shown on my blog ) then I took some left over teabag papers and stuck some fish peel-offs onto them. I cut out a "sea weed" shape, and decorated the base with more tea-bag papers. Then I added a few bubbles for effect. The black "spots" on the fish are made by colouring the waste pieces and reinserting them into the design.
I think its really querky and something that would be quick to put together if you needed an anniversary card in a rush! Of course, the fish peel offs could be put onto any sort of paper. It doesnt have to be tea-bag.

Hope these ideas have made you want to create some "altered art" of your own.

Have fun!

An easier t-bag design

Here is a less complicated design for t-bag folding.

Each butterfly is made up of 4 tiles ( a traditional pattern uses 8) and arranged on a square piece of card. This is then embelished with punched daisies, open circles and gem stones; the edges have been deckled to create a lacey effect. The topper has been matted onto dark then metalic card.

If you would like to have a go yourself, try a book called "Tea Bag Folding" by Tiny Van Der Plas & Janet Wilson. It's full of easy to follow instructions. (Perhaps you could borrow it from your local library) While you are perfecting the technique, ANY paper will do, but its well worth buying the proper papers once you are ready to make a card etc. There are websites where you can download papers for free, with or without dividing lines.

I hope you will try it for yourself some time because its always nice to do something which is so creative.

Until next time.... happy crafting!

More t-bag folding

Here's a really advanced form of t-bag folding which just goes to show how different each image can be from the last.

This design is made up of 24 "tiles" which have been formed into a layered "mandela" It's not really for the beginner, but anyone can do it with a little practise ( and a bit of experimenting!)

I don't want to put you off completely though so my next design is much more simple....

teabag folding

Its ages since I did any teabag folding so when I came across these papers the other day I decided to create this oriental-style card.

The front and the back of the far left-hand section of the card have been glued together ( to create a more unusual spine) and decorated with paper beads. These were also made from the teabag paper, and threaded onto paper string before attatching to the card.

Although teabag folding can seem a bit complicated at first, its well worth mastering as it enables the card maker to create some very unusual designs.... and dont forget that you dont have to use teabag papers every time, you can use ANY papers providing they are cut in to 4cm or 5cm squares.

Look out for more examples next.........

How to make a cracker card

I recently had a go at some origami (for a change) and I wanted to put it onto a different-shaped card. So I thought I would try this Cracker-style.

It was made using 6 x 6 backing papers, in the same colour as the folding. I mounted it in the middle of the design and added a double-punched daisy (ie.punched twice then interlocked) with a gold brad.

In my last 2 posts, I've tried to show how the card looks when it's opened out and give instructions on the card dimensions. Ive worked "backwards" so that it's easier to scan downwards and to follow. Hope you will try it for yourself sometime.

Bye for now. x

Here is the pattern that I used to create my card;

You need to create a card blank measuring 28.4cm x 9.8cm. (this is the longest card that can be created on an A4 sheet because it comprises of 3 EQUAL squares)

Working across the longest edge (ie. top and bottom) and taking each measurement from the last mark made, measure 4.9cm, another 4.9cm, 9.8cm, 4.9cm and a final 4.9cm. Score all of these lines. Mark out the angle lines (shown in green) and score these lines as well.

All of the red lines should be folded inwards (valley folds) and all of the green lines should be folded away from you (mountain fold) Crease well using a bone folder.

You should now be able to fold the card into shape and to decorate the centre as you wish. Good luck!

frog on a blog!

Do you know that stuff called "scratch" that anybody can make anything from ? Well, I found some of my own the other day and decided to make a pattern out of it! It' quite a simple creation really. The top is hinged so that it opens into a card and the front is balanced on legs. Although it stands on its tippie-toes I think that makes it look a bit more querky. Its just for fun - my "frog on the Blog" Hope you like it! See you soon. Happy crafting!

creating a stencil design

I wanted to do something really different this week so I thought I would have a go at stencilling.

I took the design from an old magazine. It was only the daffodil but I added the stained glass background for effect.

The picture on the right is the one made from the original stencil by putting the pattern (which was on white paper) onto black card and cutting through both.

I created the picture on the left by gluing the main pieces (taken from the picture on the right) onto white card. I then cut around the image creating a frame, so that the picture was attatched in several places. I used black and white card throughout for a more dramatic effect, but Iwanted to know how different these pictures would look in colour, so I thought I would find out.

light and dark daffodils

These stencils show the daffodil design only in "sunshine" and "shade"

The picture on the right was chalked in pastels using pure colour. The one on the left was chalked in darker shades, some of which were "mixed" with black to give deeper tones.

stencils - stained glass window

This picture shows the original paper cut out and the stencil made from it.

I couldn't resist colouring the paper so that I could create one last design. There are 6 in all, and I don't think that's too bad
from one stencil!

Hope this has inspired you to try something new, and that you will have as much fun as I did!

Although the "Fairy Doodle" images have been around for some time now, I still love them and they are great to use for most styles of card.

This one is what I call a "post through" card because the main image comes through the centre when open and is hidden when the card is closed. This is so that it will fit easily into an envelope!

It's a really great stamping project (not really suitable for a 3-d one) and I must thank my friend Julie ( you know who you are) for the inspiration!

Waterlillies

Here is another idea for using up your 6 x 6 papers.... cut the picture out and re-use it. The basic format is the same except that I added a dragonfly peel-off and text as an embelishment.

Hope these last few posts will inspire you to use up some of your old bits and bobs too. Happy crafting!

Just add a stamp!

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I had some really lovely hand-made cards! One of these was a design made from a paper with butterflies,(just right for me)and it became a scource of inspiration for my latest card.

There always seem to be a few papers in a pack that I can't find a use for and that get left to one side. The ones that I chose were from a black and white set that I had some time ago. It has a large flower surrounded by smaller daisies. I have stamped it with butterflies (using one from the "20 best friends stamps" by Royal and Langnickel) and added glitter to the stamen, then I cut it into strips to form 2 "different" sized cards. The finished effect is very simular to the one on the original birthday card,and I am really pleased with the result!

So next time you are left with some papers that you don't know what to do with, try adding some stamped images to embelish the design!

Just had a look at this post and I've noticed that you can see how the picture was taken...I had to prop the cards up on a cushion on the table! It gave me the clearest image. If you have posted blogs yourself you will know how difficult it can be to take a good photo so please concentrate on the main picture and try to ignore the surround!

Bye for now!

Something for Easter

I have been crafting for some years now and my friends often ask me what to do with spare backing papers, especially those that remain unused in 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 packs. Well, here's one idea which may come in useful for Eastertime.

I drew out an egg shape and copied 12 of them onto 2 different coloured pieces of 6 x 6. I cut them out, and folded each piece in half. Then I glued them together with the folded edges in the middle. The last half was stuck to the first one, to form a sort of "circle. " When the sections were opened up the egg was completed. Finally I wrapped a length of acetate ribbon around the egg and tied it in a knot.
If you made a few of these 3d shapes, they could be hung onto twigs and used as a decoration.

There'll be more ideas for spare papers comming up over the next few weeks, so watch this space!

nectar card

Anyone who follows this blog regularly will soon come to realize my passion for butterflies! I just love them. I even kept a moon moth for a few months last year, and I reared it from a coccoon. Anyway back to my latest creation.

I stamped a butterfly image onto white card 3 times to give me different shades of black and grey. Then I arranged the images onto a piece of holographic card starting with the lightest colour first, then the medium, and finally the black. I completed the design by adding some little punched butterflies, and mounted it onto a piece of white deckle-edged card. This was then added to a 14 x 14 cm card blank in black. I embelished the card with silver corner peel-offs.

I hope the photo will give you some idea of the detail of the design because it took ages to do!

More moveable decoupage

Here is another of the moveable decoupage designs which I
made for Valentines Day. She is quite saucey and moves her
hips from side to side. She looks absolutely nothing like me
but I'm sure she got the message across! Isn't it amazing
how versatile paper can be!