Green Portrait, Yellow Landscape - which do you prefer?

Hello friends

Did you have a nice weekend?

Mine went by in a blur of craftiness along with popping the heating back on

as it felt so cold! 

I delved into my dies and decided to design with Blooming Garden 

Collection - created by Marisa Job and all in stock on the website here.

I put together two cards using the same

design just switching out the colours and the orientation.

The main dies are Swirl Lattice Panel.

Swirl Happy Birthday Frame.

Both dies coordinate beautifully together with their swirls.

Here's my first card, portrait in pale green.

Here's the second, landscape with yellows.

Now which do you prefer?

I made the green first convinced I would prefer that one, but actually

I think I like the yellow more.

The flowers are Blooming Roses and Rose Buds.

I chose to slice the frame die cut in half, stretch it across my card

and add vellum.

For a full tutorial there's a video.  

I'm getting into the swing of these,

Mitchell is chief editor for which I'm eternally grateful as during this filming

one of our cats was very vocal and demanding her tea! 

Now with the magic of cutting sections you don't hear her or me 

laughing and saying sshhh! 

Items used for these projects with clickable links:

Swirl Happy Birthday Frame

Swirl Lattice Panel

Rose Buds

Blooming Rose

Hemstitch Circles

3D Foam Squares

E-Z Runner

Take care friends, stay warm and dry today.

Leaves So Very Gorgeous

Hello friends

OK, not so bright today, this project is a definite return to

my white phase.

I'm featuring Leaves So Very Gorgeous.

This is one of the Good Vibes Only dies designed by Stephanie Low

for Spellbinders.

There are two designs of leaves but actually four dies.

My card is very clean and simple using one of the outer dies as an aperture

and then inserting the die cut.



The quote/message has been printed straight onto the card front.

For the full tutorial I have a little video, you can view it here or on You Tube if you wish.

Leave So Very Gorgeous is available on the website here.

You may want to take a look at the full Good Vibes Collection on the website here.

And this is the same die with a mixed media look created by the lovely Linda Lucas,
Spellbinders Ambassador in Australia.
Pure coincidence that we picked up the same die to create with and blog today,
we must be sending creative vibes across the miles!

Take a look on her blog here to see her gorgeous card tutorial.

I'm rushing around this morning with catch-up jobs,

food shop etc.  I think we are in for a wet weekend, thankfully there is a

solution for that...craft!

Take care friends.



Friday Die Day

Hello friends

This week has flown by and Friday Die Day was upon me before I really had

chance to prepare something fully so a slightly abbreviated FDD this week.

I'm featuring Sweetheart Swirl,

this is one of the new Becca Feeken dies from Romancing the Swirl Collection.

Becca's designs are very distinctive to her romantic, elegant style.

There are four dies to the set and the approximate measurements are:

Frame Outline: 4.55 x 5.95 in 11.60 x 15.10 cm

Frame Pattern: 4.35 x 5.75 in 11.00 x 15.60 cm

Oval Insert: 2.05 x 3.20 in 5.20 x 8.10 cm

Swirl Accent: 1.70 x 1.70 in 4.30 x 4.30 cm

 

 I used the largest swirl die (with the small oval for the aperture)

to create an oval white frame onto a matted card.

I opted for BRIGHT yellow polka dot paper for the middle,

sort of making up for the sunshine that seems to have disappeared!

The flowers are Blooming Rose and Rose Buds,

coloured with distress inks, spritzed and shaped.

Clustered flowers with a twirl of narrow ribbon and twine.

Tiny 'thanks' sentiment nestled among the flowers.

It's so bright isn't it!

Makes a nice change for me, I could be coming away from my white, ivory

and mirror card phase and entering the world of COLOUR...

watch out everyone!

Items used today with clickable links:

Sweetheart Swirl

Rose Buds

Blooming Rose (due back in stock soon)

5 x 7 Matting Basics

3D Foam Squares

The full Romancing the Swirl Collection can be viewed here.

I'm planning either Facebook Live or a video this weekend,

keeping the boys busy!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Take care friends.

Let me count the ways....with Floral Gatefold

Hello friends

I've featured this die a few times because I really really like it!

And also one of my blog followers likes it too and sent me a project photo

which spurred me to write this blog post.

The die is Floral Gatefold designed by Sharyn Sowell for Spellbinders.

It's one die, a really good sized die.

Here's some different ways to use it including Sheila Howard's lovely card.

In this project I've used watercolour paints and cut the die cut to create card corners.

Keeping the die cut white with a silver mirror card drop shadow and

stamping around the outer edge.

Using it traditionally as a gatefold card. 

And this is Sheila's card lovely card.  When I first looked I thought 

she had coloured the die cut and stamped over it.

It is actually DCWV paper offset with green die cut behind,

looks very effective.

Thank you Sheila for sharing your card.

Floral Gatefold is available on the website here 

and in the sale too.

Today back to city job, it comes around way too quickly and severely

hampers the crafty stuff! ;) 

Take care friends and please stop by tomorrow for Friday Die Day.

Hump Day Giveaway

Hello friends

A fun day yesterday with the Hochanda filming,

the weather stayed dry thankfully.

It took a couple of hours which is quite scary since the finished piece will be

quite short.  It possibly took longer because I somehow couldn't pronounce the

word 'innovative', I could at first and then it just went, lots of hilarity after that.

Bella just posed mostly...

Now, the order of the day as it is Wednesday is...

Hump Day Giveaway Day!

Last week's giveaway was a set of Spellbinders stamps - Moon Flower.

It proved to be very popular.

And the winner is...

Teresa Doyle 

Congratulations Teresa, please email: 

hope-chances@live.co.uk

with your details and we will post your prize out to you.

Now onto this week's giveaway and this time a fun stamp by

Spellbinders - a Happy Grams stamp.

Here's a project made using this stamp.

With a cling rubber backing these work perfectly with your acrylic blocks.

If you would like to win this week's giveaway

please leave a comment on today's post 

A winner will be picked and announced next Wednesday.

Good luck everyone.

There's a lovely selection of Spellbinders stamps on the website 

and more arriving (including some pre-loved unused stamps soon)

so please keep an eye, details are here.

Take care friends, have a nice middle of the week.

A Big Cabin Clear Out and some Swirly Romance!

Hello friends

You may have already seen on Facebook that yesterday was a 

big clear out day in the cabin.

It has been a long time coming, I just needed a nudge and that nudge

came in the form of Hochanda telling me they were visiting.

Today they are going to film me doing some crafty stuff in my cabin.

At first I thought I could just flick a duster about but no, it needed a bit 

more than that.

After quite a few hours and also sneakily storing stuff in Dad's workshop

(just temporary you know!) I'm pleased with the end result.

I now have pastel square tins affixed to the wall that hold my 3D Foam Squares

and adhesive tapes.  

I bought these tins over a year ago online and just got around to putting them up.

Mum and Dad have been busy sprucing up the garden too,

fingers crossed the weather stays dry.

Before I embarked on my big cabin clear out I did make this card.

This is A2 Corner Cotillion, one of the new Romancing the Swirl dies

designed by Becca Feeken.

I've used the main A2 die first cut into kraft card and then 

overlaid gold mirror card, just slightly offset.

I used the oval die to make an aperture for the stamped sentiment.

The flowers are from Swallow and Heart, I coloured these

with Colour Cloud inks.  Little pearls to the middle.

Ribbon and cameo charm to finish.

The charm was a gift from one of my crafty friends at the weekend.

It's so swirly!  As is this whole Romancing the Swirl collection,

available to pre-order on the website here.

It's bound to be another huge Becca seller.

Items used today with clickable links.

A2 Corner Cotillion

Swallow and Heart

3D Foam Squares

Take care friends, have a lovely day and please stop by tomorrow

for Hump Day Giveaway.

Charity Kit Winner

Hello friends

A sunny Sunday and time to announce the 

winning number from this month's charity kit.

This month's kit featured some of the 3D Vignette dies, these are the 

'flying dies', once in stock they fly out again! 

If you happen to have any on pre-order the distributor has confirmed

they should be with us within the next week or so - apologies

that the dates keep changing, I hold my breath every time I contact them! 

There's a few designs still in stock here and the remaining available to pre-order.

Now time to please rummage in your kit bags and see if you have this number... 

If so - congratulations and please email 

hope-chances@live.co.uk

with your details and a goody bag will be sent out to you.

If you missed this month's kit there is still a few available on the website here.

Also some previous workshop kits are available too.

Take care friends, have a happy sunny Sunday.

Butterflies are still wandering...

Hello friends

 

Today's project has just appeared on the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L

blog here and features a silver and black card.

And look...it's that Vintage Background stamp again,

I wonder if Mr Martin knows how much use I'm getting out of this stamp!

 

 

The die featured is Wandering Butterflies, yet again I adore these,

just cannot resist a butterfly.

Cut from black cardstock and I've gilded the edges with silver gilding polish.

 

I've used photo corners which frame the black card mat nicely,

who knew Creative Photo Corners could be used in different ways.

 

The flowers are from Bird on Cherry Branch die set.

I decided a shot of red was needed with this silver and black card.

 

There's a full post with this card over on the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L

blog here.  The new 3D Foam Circles fit perfectly on the butterfly die cuts.

 

Products used today with clickable links:

 

Wandering Butterflies

Bird on Cherry Branch

3D Foam Circles - Black

MyStik Adhesive Dispenser

Creative Photo Corners - Silver

 

Tomorrow I'm off to Milton Keynes, as I'm not around to do Facebook Live,

I have a video appearing on Facebook

and You Tube so if you fancy a quick tutorial with one of the new

Good Vibes dies please take a look.

 

Take care friends - remember sun screen and hats!

 

Friday Die Day

Hello friends

 

It's Friday already!

For this week's Friday Die Day I'm featuring Swirl Tags.

This is one of the new Romancing the Swirl die sets designed by

Becca Feeken for Spellbinders.

You are always guaranteed stunning dies with Becca!

 

This is a 9 piece die set and the approximate

measurements are as follows:

 

Arch Tag 1: 2.00 x 3.16 in 5.10 x 8.09 cm
Arch Tag 2: 1.74 x 2.90 in 4.40 x 7.40 cm
Scallop Tag 1: 2.10 x 3.16 in 5.30 x 8.00 cm
Scallop Tag 2: 1.84 x 2.90 in 4.40 x 7.40 cm
Loop Swirl: 0.95 x 1.78 in 2.40 x 4.50 cm
Heart Swirl: 0.77 x 1.84 in 2.00 x 4.70 cm
Scroll Swirl: 1.03 x 1.81 in 2.60 x 4.60 cm
Fleur Swirl: 1.18 x 1.34 in 3.00 x 3.40 cm
Tag Hole: 0.25 x 0.25 in 0.60 x 0.60 cm

 

I've chosen to use four of the dies and this is how they look cut/embossed

(and a tad wonky, I must wear good glasses when taking photos!)

 

I've used Walnut Stain distress ink on the edges of the die cuts.

The flowers are Rose Buds, cut from watercolour card and inked.

Rose Buds is one of the new Blooming Garden dies - very sweet.

 

Now, if you watched my Facebook Live from last Sunday you may notice this

background is similar...oh alright, it's the same!

I prepared two and I didn't want to waste one so, being frugal, 

my ivory card background is stamped with

Vintage Script (Phill Martin) and the corner floral is a

stamp from the Stamp Doctor, although Wednesday's giveaway here

is a very similar stamp.

 

 

I also added Walnut Stain distress ink to the edges.

I layered up two of the tag die cuts. 

 

Added swirls to top and bottom of the vertical tag.

I then began to place my flowers.

 

A few more flowers and a stamped tag.

 

The finished card with a burgundy 5 x 7 card mat,

mounted onto an ivory card base.

Small pearls added to the flower centres.

 



 

Items used today with clickable links:

 

Swirl Tags

(one of the new Romancing the Swirl dies, full collection can be viewed here)

Rose Buds

5 x 7 Matting Basics

 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

I'm up in Milton Keynes on Sunday so instead of Facebook Live

I've prepared a little video, more news on that to follow.

 

Take care friends.