Monday, 7 September 2020

Round of Golf


Today is my Father In Law's birthday and inspired by a pop up snowman card I had seen online I thought I would make a pop up golf ball. Little did I realise what I was letting myself in for though.....

I started off making the golf ball. I found a template online to make the ball and made it out of white card. I used 200 gsm and it seemed too thin so I did a slightly smaller version in thicker card. This still seemed too thin. I tried to use an elastic band to do the pop up bit but it ripped the card so I used some elastic instead and this seemed to hold up better.

To emulate the texture of the golf ball I used an embossing folder and cut the panels slightly smaller than the template, then taped them on with strong red liner double sided tape. After some manipulation I realised the joints would not hold very well especially where the sides were held together with the elastic so I ended up having to do some more strengthening. I was losing the will to live by this stage and seriously considered binning the blooming thing! I decided it was as good as I was going to be able to get it and stop messing with it.


I was lucky to win a challenge recently and the prize was a gift certificate for DRS Designs. They had some lovely rubber stamps and I chose this fabulous Golf Is…… image. I really liked the frame of golfing terms and thought it would be nice for Dad as he is golfing crazy.


I coloured the image with a combination of Promarkers and Spectrum Noir pens. I mounted this onto silver card and added some ribbon and a plaid glittery patterned paper in green.  I added some peel off stickers for the sentiment and some foam alphabet stickers that have silver glitter on them for Dad. This is the inside left hand side of card.

The pop up ball is on the right hand side of the inside. I added some handmade green paper which has a lovely texture for the 'grass' and a silver cardboard hole that the ball goes into. This is the side profile of it. It doesn't completely spring into a round shape. If I pulled the elastic tighter then it made the ball go a weird shape so I had to compromise.


This is what the inside looks like with both sides in view.


To keep the card closed in the envelope I realised that I needed to add a belly band to it. I used a cupcake die that I received in a mystery clearance bag from Crafter’s Companion. I cut it from black card and then added a layer of silver underneath it so it made it stronger and added contrast. Where the band is die cut was quite weak when the golf ball was pushing against it. I added some silver gel pen and clear glitter to the embossed detail in the cupcake.

The patterned paper has been cut using a die from Julie Hickey Designs.

I was quite pleased with it once I had finished with it. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong or why I couldn't get a good balance with making it springy and tearing the card but I managed it in the end with some perseverance and a lot of swearing...... I just hope he likes it :)

Card Details -

 

Size – 6” x 6"

Rubber Stamp – Golf Is…… by DRS Designs

Dies – Sweet Treat by Crafter’s Companion, Square Layers, Frames & Banners by Julie Hickey Designs

Embossing Folder – Tiny Bubbles by Cuttlebug

Colouring Medium – Promarkers & Spectrum Noir, silver gel pen and sakura clear glitter pen

Embellishments - Ribbons, Peel off stickers, Foam glitter stickers

 

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)

 





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Wednesday, 2 September 2020

Sparkly Snowman Guest DT

 


I was recently approached on my blog by Donna at The Paper Funday Challenge and asked to be a Guest Designer for 3 months. I was so flattered to be asked and today is my first card for the challenge.  



We are sponsored for this challenge by AMB Illustrations.


Now I have to be honest,  I was not previously aware of this designer but OMG she has the most amazing store on Etsy with digital stamps, clip art, papers and cutting files. We were able to choose one file from the store and I instantly fell in love with these Christmas Faces Stamps.


I absolutely adore snowmen and I love the face on Mr Snowman so that is what I chose to use. 

I did a rough mock up of the size of body I wanted to use and sized the head to be printed accordingly. The image has been coloured with Promarkers with a white gel pen for the berries accent and a Sakura metallic pen for the hat detail and dots on scarf. This has been fussy cut and mounted onto 3D Foam squares.

The base of the card is a sheet of A4 cardstock. I added some paper from a very, very ancient Papermania pad, the colour was perfect for this as I wanted it to look like a dull grey snowy sky.

The body has been cut from a thick handmade card that is covered in iridescent glitter. I have added some buttons and the arms are actually tree trunks from a Sizzix die. I simply trimmed the lower branch off to make it look like a stick arm.


I wanted the snowman to be looking up in wonder at the snowflakes as they fell so needed a really big sparkly one to capture his attention. The ensemble is a combination of 2 snowflakes. Both of these have been recycled (or I like to call it rescued) from shop bought cards that have been received. Quite often there are little elements that can be re-used on other projects. These are far too nice to just throw away in the recycle bin. I mean, just look at all that twinkle that would have been thrown away..... my mission is to rescue the twinkle and give it another life. The sentiment is a foiled one that has also been rescued. I have used a die to cut the decorative shape and raised on 3d foam.

I really love how this card turned out. It is so sparkly and bright & cheerful. Definitely one of the best snowman cards I have ever made.

I hope you will join us at The Paper Funday Challenges and see what the fabulous team have made using these great images.

Card Details -

 

Size - A5

Image - Christmas Faces Stamps from AMB Illustrations

Dies - Home Sweet Home 2 from Sizzix & Petite Labels 1 from Spellbinders

Colouring Medium - Promarkers, Sakura Metallic gel pen, Pentel white gel pen

Embellishments - Buttons



I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)



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Saturday, 29 August 2020

Snowman Family


Any regular visitor to my blog will know I LOVE snowmen. I always built them if we had snow when I was little, especially baby snowmen.  I used to love putting a row of them on the garden wall when I was a little kid in Leeds. We seemed to have more snow oop North and proper regular winters. Going back in time and before global warming seemed to be as much of a problem as it is today.

Anyhoo, I digress....... This card has been made with the most gorgeous image Snowmen Family which is from the Snowman Set from Beccy's Place. I just fell in love with how many little snowmen are in this image. It is coloured with Promarkers and I used a new set of dies Scalloped Edge Oval 2.  I got a mystery bag from Crafter's Companion for only £20 with loads of dies and stamps in. This set is on their website for £12.99 so the mystery bag is amazing value.

I used some Stickles glitter glue on the body of Daddy snowman. There is a Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen on the 2 older Grandparent snowmen but it doesn't show up very well in photos (believe me I have tried). I then used some fake snow to create a snowdrift to 'ground' the snow family. It is really fluffy and there is a little sprinkling of glitter in it. You can see this in more detail below.


Over at Jingle Bells challenge they are asking you to CASE any card on the blog that has been created by Stephanie or Lauren.

I really liked the layout of this card that Lauren did in April last year. I rotated it to suit my image.  I don't have any Christmas washi tape at all and considered making it in paper strips. 


However I had previously bookmarked another card that Lauren made in June which the background was made using ribbons. I have a reasonable amount of ribbons so this definitely appealed to me.



The base of the card is a folded A4 sheet of 300gsm white card. The blue panel is a sparkly card. I have added strips of ribbons on it in various shades of blue and white. Some are self adhesive, some have sticky tape added onto them. There are different textures and widths, some are little remnants from some grab bags at Crafty Ribbons which are excellent value. I wrapped the raw end of the ribbon under the card and taped this panel to the card blank.

The image and sentiment have been mounted with foam squares. I have used an assortment of snowflakes, some are my own dies, some have been recycled from shop bought Christmas cards. One is from a cheap Christmas decoration I got years ago from Poundland that had hundreds of thick plastic metallic & hologram snowflakes in blues and silvers. I am always on the lookout for craft supplies that are not necessarily sold for that purpose. I guess that goes back to my early days of cardmaking and seeing potential in anything I could possibly use to make a card.....

I had so much fun making this card. Thankyou to Beccy for a fab image and Jingle Bells for the inspiration on the finished card.   


Card Details -

 

Size - A5

Image - Snowmen Family from Snowman Set by Beccy's Place

Dies - Scalloped Edge Oval 2 by Crafter's Companion, Snowflake 2 Embossing Folder/Die from Sizzix, Create a Flake 3 by Spellbinders

Colouring Medium - Promarkers

Embellishments - Lots of ribbon, Stickles Glitter glue, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Overlay, fake snow, self adhesive metallic dome


I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)



 

613 Avenue Create – #236 Anything Goes

All Fun Challenges - #14 Anything Goes

As You Like It – Favourite way to use ribbon (I like to add as a wrap around cardstock. Usually as a border. Never done a whole background wrapped before this though)

Aud Sentiments  – #258 Anything Goes

Beccy’s Place - Anything Goes

Christmas With The Cuties - # 41 Bring on the Bling

Colour Crazy Challenge - #33 Anything Goes

Crafting Happiness - #63 Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge - #505 Anything Goes / Something beginning with S (lots of snowmen)

Crafty Sentiments Designs – Anything Goes

Createful Heart Design - #23 Anything Goes

Creative Craft Cottage - #132 Ribbon, Lace or Pearls

Crimbo Crackers - #214 Anything Christmas Goes

Digi Choosday - #34 Anything Goes

Everybody Art – #473 Anything Goes

Gem of A Challenge - #18 Anything Goes

House That Stamps Built – A2620 Anything Goes

I Love Promarkers - #417 Use a Die Cut or Punch

International Art & Soul - #90 Inspired by a Book (The Snowman)

Jingle Belles – CASE a Jingle Belle

Krafty Chicks - KCC #522 Card for any Occasions

Lemon Shortbread - #127 Anything Goes

Little Red Wagon – #564 Use a Digital Stamp

Merry Little Christmas - #25 Anything Christmas Goes

Polkadoodles - #34 Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

Stinkin’ Inkers – Monotone / Monochrome

Time Out Challenges - #169 Season (winter)

Word Art Wednesday - #454-455 Anything Goes



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Tuesday, 25 August 2020

Dusty Doe Eyes

 


It is time for another challenge for Team B at Through The Craft Room Door


The sponsor for this challenge is Oddball Art Co.
There is a prize of $10 to spend in the store for the lucky winner.


I chose to work with Dusty Doe Eyes. There are 2 different versions included, a sad face version and then this one which is a more shy version.


I have used just the image and coloured with Promarkers and Spectrum Noir pens.  I used a Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles die to cut out the image and mounted onto 3d foam squares. I used a black ink pad to distress the edges. I have added Glossy Accents to the eyes, mouth and heart.

I used a sketch from the latest Unicorn Challenge for the layout and adapted it to fit a rectangular card.



The card base is made from a sheet of black A4 card. I added a layer of pearlescent red paper. I used papers from a 6'x6' pad Festive Fun which was only £1 from Poundland. I love the colours of black and red which I thought suited the image so much. The 2 papers are covered with an offcut of glittery black card. Onto this is an iridescent snowflake trim which is slightly padded and really shimmers.

The poinsettias are die cuts from an old Craftwork Cards pad. I added some shaping to them and mounted onto 3d foam. Gems have been added and some Stickles glitter glue.

Finally the sentiment is a foiled die cut, mounted on a scrap of black card. I used a gold star shaped eyelet and a thin ribbon. I absolutely detest the ribbon hanging loops on new clothing and cut them off straight away. I find they are much better suited to being re-purposed as craft ribbons ;)

The snowflake paper I added silver glitter glue to the centre of each one so there is a lot of sparkle to it.

Our challenges at Through the Craft Room Door are always Anything Goes so easy to enter. I hope you will join us.

Card Details -

 

Size - A5

Image - Dusty Doe Eyes IMG 119B by Oddball Art Co.

Paper - Festive Fun 6'x6' from Poundland

Dies - Romantic Rectangles by Spellbinders

Colouring Medium - Promarkers & Spectrum Noir

Embellishments - Snowflake ribbon, black ribbon, gems, eyelet, Stickles Glitter Glue, Glossy Accents


I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)





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Monday, 24 August 2020

Hope Butterfly for a Sad Reason

 


As some of you may have seen in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic I had made some cards to give to our friends and neighbours using the same 3 part Statement Butterfly die from Crafter's Companion and a digital sentiment from McMahon Five Designs (they are no longer in business so this is retired)

This card has been made for entirely different reason. My younger sister has had issues in the past with breast cancer and now has scans every year at the hospital so they really are keeping on top of it. She had a scan on Wednesday and she was really worked up about it. I did the big sister thing and tried to re-assure her, don't worry etc.  Well bugger me, the following day they phoned her to say they can see a mass in her breast. They will need to get her back in for a further scan and to take some cells for analysis. Of course, panic then ensues. To then balance things out the same day her eldest daughter had an ultrasound scan as she is expecting a 3rd baby. She has had twins who are 7 at the end of August and she has had some miscarriages so the scan is an important milestone for her (and us of course)

Fortunately all is well (touch wood) and baby is due early March and I will be a Great Auntie again. Just need to get my Sister sorted in the meantime.....hopefully she won't have too long to wait for her appointment.

She is quite senior in a care home and has worked all through the pandemic. She had a few weeks with a lot of deaths in quick succession so she has had a lot to deal with (fortunately not virus related thank goodness for that)

She needs a bit of cheering up so I made this card for her. This sentiment is perfect not only for spreading hope during these pandemic days but definitely for what she is going through at the moment. 

Her living room is teal and I wanted to make the card to match that so she can possibly frame it too. The card is 8" square and has been covered with some flower paper that was a magazine freebie a long time ago. The frame around it has been adapted from a shadow box frame kit from Crafter's Companion. It came in a mystery bag and has decorative panels that you overlay on a plain background. I have a Big Shot die cutter and tried to use a combination of plates I had but as this die is longer I just couldn't get the intricate dies to cut. It is my birthday next month and I have asked for the large Gemini die cutting machine so that should resolve that problem.... :)

So plan B was to use the black panels I had already cut, trim them shorter to suit the card size and add some narrower ones in a teal core'dinations card which has a lovely sheen to it.

The butterfly is cut from black card, some teal glittery card which was in my scraps and some iridescent vellum. The body has black self adhesive gems on it. I stick the bottom layer down and leave the top 2 loose so the butterfly is flying. You can see the detail in the side photo below.


The sentiment has little hearts that have been coloured with a Promarker. It is framed in the Lyon cut and emboss frame from Crafter's Companion. I used the same Core'dinations card and sanded back the embossing. I then used a slightly darker teal rub on wax to highlight it. I added a silver mat around it and fussy cut. This is raised up on 3d foam squares.

For a final touch I added lots of small gems onto the big flowers in the background. 

I am hoping that this is all going to be worrying about nothing and that is isn't the big C. The waiting both for the appointment and the the results is going to be horrid. I am just grateful that the annual monitoring of her will hopefully mean they will be able to nip it in the bud. I am also very grateful that I was included in the pre-50's trial in our area last year and had a clear scan.

Edited 29/08 - Her appointment has come through for 4th September. From what she has been told the mass is 2.5cm and is in her right breast. All previous masses have been in her left one so she is definitely worried now. Thank you to everyone for your good wishes for her, that really is lovely of you

Card Details -

 

Size - 8" Square

Digital Sentiment - McMahon Five Design (retired)

Dies - Shadow Box Frame & Statement Butterfly by Crafter's Companion

Embossing Folder - Lyon Cut & Emboss Frame by Crafter's Companion

Colouring Medium - Promarker

Embellishments - self adhesive gems



I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)



 

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