The Other Side Of Me

After a great deal of dithering, I have finally made a card for my BFF.  I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this, which is a good job, as I definitely don't want her to see this before I send it. When I'm making a card that I know will have to be posted, I tend to be a bit cautious, so I love an opportunity to make a card for someone I know I'm going to hand over in person and so can be a bit more lavish.  I'm prepared to go OTT and make a box for it if it doesn't fit in an envelope.  I was surprised to find this easily fits in, though. If you're going to make one of these, you'll need two 6x6" card blanks.  Cut the tops off the outside flaps diagonally and stick the card backs together, one inside the other.  Cover the two triangular sections with your chosen DSP and a border using your favourite border punch, then stick one down on top of the other.  Stamp your image and back it with a scalloped border (square works just as well as round) and s

Good afternoon blog friends!  How cheerful am I, considering I have raging toothache?!  I am going to have to phone the dentist as soon as I've done this, which is not something I'm looking forward to.  Maybe I'll linger in blogland a while first! Anyway, I did say yesterday that I had a card to show you that was very quick to make.  As soon as you see it, you'll see why! I was gazing lovingly at the Less Is More challenge this week, which is to use silhouettes, when I realised I had this stamp (from Little Claire Designs) and hadn't even used it yet.  I am so excited to be able to enter a card on my favourite challenge blog! I've used the Labels 1 die from Nestabilities to cut the shape and stamp the image on it, then drew round the die on the red card to make the frame.  I do appreciate the irony of buying a set of dies only to draw round one and cut it out by hand, but it's a really easy shape to cut neatly and well worth the effort.  Although I prom

Over on the Cards For Men challenge , they want to see 'Fancy Folds'.  I didn't even know that's what I was doing until I'd finished the card.  I'd been fiddling at my desk for ages and discarded loads of stuff and then got my Rudolph stamps out (from Woodware) and decided to have a play.  This is the result. I think it would make a great card for your brother or uncle etc.  I've been wanting to use this embossing folder for ages, but cut it square instead of leaving it as the usual rectangle.  I am very careful whenever I make a card like this, to make sure it's still going to fit in an envelope. And I'm obviously in recycling mode, as the red card used is actually from some old file dividers that hubby brought me home from work.  You've got to appreciate a husband that goes through his office, sees some card and thinks, 'Hmm, I know where this should go!'  Well it's better than throwing it away, isn't it?! This card was quite

I am loving using doilies on my cards.  Here's one I made earlier! The great thing about this card was that I found another way of using my beautiful Prima 'Melody' papers.  As soon as I saw these I felt that they are the sort of papers you want to use in their entirety, i.e. not cut up at all, but I wasn't sure how to do it.  This turns out to be a very good way. The card is 6x6 square.  I've covered the inside with one whole sheet.  It's got a beautiful space in it where you could write your greeting. Then I cut the front of the card in half diagonally, and covered the triangle with another sheet of matching paper, so when the card is closed the front and back line up exactly.  Quite honestly, these papers are so pretty, I could almost have walked away there and not done another thing to them. But no!  I've added a doily that I've stained with Old Paper distress ink and inked it round the edges.  I've cut a scalloped circle from another paper i

I can't believe how quickly this week's gone by, and have only just realised that I haven't posted on Wednesday like I normally would.  I have been having fun with my Dot Dot Dot stamp.  I am so glad I got the Stamp-a-ma-jig at the same time!  Check this out: Over at the Less is More blog a couple of weeks ago they had a challenge using red and orange.  Loads of people said they didn't like orange.  I was really surprised as I love using orange, as I think this card shows! Do you have an 'oddments' box where you make a topper or something and then decide it's not quite right for your project but keep it anyway as you know you'll find the perfect use for it one day?  I made this little topper a year ago, and just thought it was cute, so I kept it in my box.  I pulled it out when I made this, and realised it was the perfect thing. Then I left it for a whole day as I felt it needed a seniment but couldn't decide where to put it.  I felt I'd rather

I'd like you to meet the card I made that made me take the plunge with Stampin Up!: This beautiful dove is from a stamp set called 'Special Blessings.'  As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it and I bought it in the nick of time before it retired.  It comes with a cross in the same design and some sentiments regarding baptisms and weddings.  The cross would be beautiful for a sympathy card and for Easter. I'd seen this card in a book by Kimber McGray and it's another one of those that took me a month to collect everything together so I could make it. I've run the white cardstock through my Bigshot with a polka dot embossing folder, then stamped the dove and the polka dots on the kraft card.  I didn't think it was very bright so I heat embossed it with white embossing powder and was very pleased with the result.  The ribbon was a bit of a bargain in Derby market, as it was only 19p a metre.  I decided to splash out (the last of the big spenders!)  Hope

Hi there!  I've had a strange week where I've not been very well at all.  You know you have those times where you make something when you're ill and look at it later and wonder, 'What was I thinking?!'  BUT having said that, I have made a card for my middle grandson's birthday later this month. The papers are by October Afternoon.  The giraffe is something I've had in my stash since I very first started cardmaking.  The length of him suits this card perfectly.   The wording and the FIVE are stamped with Marina Mist ink, but the true significance of this card, is that it's a gift card, look: This is made from a piece of double-sided paper 12"x6".  Score it at 3", 6" & 9" and fold along the score lines.  Make sure the middle one points towards you.  Lay it down and cut along the centre score line, but not right to the ends.  Stick down the three sides and cut out a semi-circle with a circle punch.  Your gift card fits

Hi everyone, I hope you've had a good weekend and enjoyed the fireworks on Saturday (here in the UK.)  I am pleased to say, despite the workload, that I've been able to keep on cardmaking, much to my joy. A couple of monthly challenges have popped up that have inspired me, so this card is for: St Luke's Charity Card Challenge      and Ready-Teddy-Go Challenge. If you don't know by now, let me tell you that I have a bit of a thing about bears.  There is always room for one more in my house, and always room for one more in my stamp collection.  I tend to use them a lot on cards for my hubby, whether it's birthday, Christmas or our Anniversary.  I tend to buy a new stamp for these occasions, use it on a design for him first, then 'release' it to be used for other people. This is a Forever Friends bear, which I think I bought from The Glitterpot last Christmas.  Over at St Luke's they want to see a Christmas card, and for Ready-Teddy they want us to ma

Helloooo! Hope you are all well.  It's been an extremely busy week and will be now throughout the winter as the horses are in at night, which makes a lot more work for me.  I won't be making a card a day like I have through the summer, it'll only be 2 or 3 cards a week now, especially with no craft class either for the next few weeks. BUT I have made a card for this week's Sunday Sketch and Stamp Challenge , which has a lovely sketch for us to use.  Here is my card: You probably all know this image called 'Dropping The Shopping' by LOTV.  I saw it in a magazine last Christmas and absolutely fell in love with it.  The papers are Henbury Lane and the sentiment is by Little Claire's Designs.  I've added glitter to the little girl's hat and coat, and used white embossing powder at their feet, which I find perfect for snow.  I tried some fluffy stuff last year but didn't get on very well with it at all.  Embossing powder really does the trick for m