Sunday, 6 May 2012

Guess where I'm going...??

Hello dear friends,
So excited...guess where I'm going today.....????
Do you recognise it?
How about a quote...
 "I couldn't have electricity in the house, I wouldn't sleep a wink. All those vapors floating about."
Have you guessed?  I'm sure you have..
Yes Downton Abbey - well actually it is Highclere Castle.  
I'm going away, just today and tomorrow and visiting Oxford and Henley on Thames too.
I promise to take lots of photos.  
Do you remember back in February I managed to photograph some of the beautiful costumes 
from Downton....



Can you tell I'm a huge fan!
Honestly I haven't been this thrilled with a TV production since the adaptation of Brideshead Revisited, 
(I still watch that over and over!)
So please forgive me ...no crafty project today but lots coming up...
Have a wonderful Sunday and if you could just look up at the sky and ask it not to rain please....
Take care friends.




Saturday, 5 May 2012

Carnation Card

Hello friends,
Following Friday Die-Day tutorial for Carnation Creations I thought I should put the flower to use.
I went for a very simply designed card using the Valor M-Bossabilities™ embossing folder
for my background and made the carnation flower the absolute feature.
A tiny butterfly had to just creep in somewhere though..
So it's the weekend, and a Bank Holiday one (please don't let it rain!)
I have plans for tomorrow and Monday...exciting ones...I will tell all tomorrow!
Take care friends and hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

Friday, 4 May 2012

It's Friday Die-Day!

Hello friends,
Quick addition to this blog post with an apology to anyone who received a frightening Malaware warning this morning, I've discovered the problem and it should be fine, even though my blog looks a bit bare now! 
I have in fact got a blog makeover coming up...thankfully!
Right..normal post resuming....
Well these Fridays come around fairly quickly - not as fast as Mondays though..!?
'Chloe's Nan' asked if I could show Donna Salazar's Carnation Creations...absolutely - I love them!
So here goes...
There are a whopping 10 dies with this set, 7 flowers and 3 leaves.
 This is how they look cut and embossed.
Again, brilliant with cardstock, patterned paper, fabric, felt, foils and more...
 Take each petal and using something slim (I've used a file but a paintbrush, kebab skewer would work too),
curl both sides of each petal inwards.
 Do not be afraid to really manipulate your petals, lift them up and use your fingers as well as tools.
 Use the same method on each of the flowers.
 Layer them in size order with a dot of glue in the middle, when dry manipulate the petals a little more..and more..and then return to it and a bit more... that's if you're like me and cannot stop!
 A photo from a different angle.
 These are great to make, I like to prepare some and sit in front of the TV curling them!
I also wanted to show you the effectiveness of stencilling through your dies,
I've done a set here with pink cardstock and stencilled through with distress ink.
And here is a shot with a helper!
Always a challenge crafting with a puppy and three cats in the house!
Also, if you prefer to see a video with me creating these gorgeous flowers, I did one a while back also featuring the Hexagon Pinwheel Top Box
Click on play....and if Blogger has been kind it should work!
Thanks for stopping by, please let me know any 'Die-Day' requests.
Take care friends, happy crafting.

Thursday, 3 May 2012

Scrapbook Adhesive by 3L™ and Webster's Pages - Blog Hop - Butterflies!

Hello friends,
Firstly thank you for your wonderful comments and support with the hop yesterday, truly appreciated. Today...oh I had such a lovely time making this..can you guess why??
Of course butterflies!  I was wondering what the collective noun was for butterflies and apparently we have a choice - swarm, rabble, kaleidoscope - I think I prefer the last one!  
I put this card together for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™  and Webster's Pages blog hop - 
if you zip over there and leave a comment you are in with a chance to win lots of goodies - just click here.
So, my project - it's a card - a busy one, in fact I think it looks like a mini scrapbook layout!
The papers are Webster's Pages - Everyday Poetry - they feel so Victorian.
All held together by the wonderful Scrapbook Adhesive by 3L - the foam pads, the E-Z Runner® and Crafty Power Tape.  I have used masses of adhesive over my crafting years and I have to say that this stuff really is the business.  It is so great to use - anyone else struggle with removing the backing of foam pads?  
No problem with these - just peel away easily.  
And, when it says permanent it is permanent - none of this holding up your card and something falls off!  
As for getting your hands on some..Tonic Studio is a UK distributor.
So a couple of close up shots too - I just couldn't help myself, kept taking more photos of the butterflies!
Hope you feel happy and fluttery today!
Back tomorrow...Friday Die-Day!!
Take care friends.

Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Spellbinders™ Spring Blog Hop and Giveaway Day 3


Hello friends.
It's the Spellbinders™ Spring Blog Hop and today I have something special to share with you.
Two creations featuring the beautiful Classic Decorative Inserts Six. 
These are Edgeabilities® die templates that fit within the Classic Edges to create decorative borders. 
When they’re used alone, you won’t get a cut edge, but you’ll get this wonderful embossed and pierced decoration. Each pattern repeats at one inch intervals. 
I have used this set to create a mini box and matching gift card.

Spellbinders™ Supply List:

Cross Promotional Partners:
Worldwin Cardstock - White and Ripe Tomatoes
Clearsnap - Colorbox Archival Ink - Fireberry

Position your Bracket Edge Box die templates on your Grand Calibur ® base plate.
I chose to use red for the box lid and white for the box base.
Cut and emboss.
These are Decorative Inserts Six.
This lovely set features one Classic Decorative Insert with butterflies in flight (yes butterflies!!)
The second is a floral design, eight petals with a round centre and a double row of zig-zag piercing.
The third features two rows of round dots in a pattern.
Using removable tape position, adhere your butterfly Classic Decorative Insert die template to the edge of your box lid.  Cut and emboss.
You can see how beautifully this has cut through the edge of the box lid.
Repeat this step for all four sides of your box lid.
Keep hold of the butterflies that fall out!
Assemble your box.
Cut and emboss a white cardstock tag from the Home Sweet Home die collection,
position this over one of the flowers in the floral design Classic Decorative Insert, cut and emboss.
Using the same floral Decorative Insert and white cardstock, cut and emboss two flowers.
Reposition the Decorative Insert aligning the zig zag edge to create a duplicate design.
Fold a piece of red cardstock to create a mini gift card, tie the tiny tag with twine around the top with a bow.  Stamp the base of your card decoration and adhere with foam pads.
To create the box lid decoration, tape the edge section of the floral Decorative Insert to a small piece of white stamped cardstock.
You need to position and tape this to the very edge of your blue base plate as this is the only section you wish to cut and emboss.
You will see that the majority of the Decorative Insert is outside of the plates and Grand Calibur.
This enables selective cutting and embossing.
For a final touch use the butterfly fallout to decorate the box and tag.

The Spellbinders™ Spring Blog Hop will begin April 30th, and will end on May 5th, 2012. It consists of 16 individual and one grand prize drawings.  Enter the Spellbinders™ Spring Blog Hop by visiting the participating blogs each day.


From each Blog Hop post, click on the Blog Hop "Enter HERE" at the end of each blog to open the entry form. You may only enter once from each blog each day.
Spellbinders™ will randomly draw one winner from each participating blog to receive all of that day’s products. The Grand Prize Winner will be randomly drawn from the pool of entrants that sent entry forms from each and every participating blog during the 48 hours each blog was open. For the full list of official rules please click RULES.

**Enter the contest by clicking HERE**

I do hope you’ve enjoyed my little Spring Blog Hop box and gift card.  Make sure you pop over to all the other blogs to see some amazing projects from some super talented designers. 
Remember there are even more chances to win!
Make sure you hop here next....

No entries will be accepted at this email address. 






Tuesday, 1 May 2012

May Inspiration Day

Hello friends,
I am thrilled that lots of you like the idea of the kits.  I will be sorting those shortly so please look out for them.  Back to today....what does May mean to you?
Maypoles? May Day? May flowers?
One thing that springs to my mind is that it is the shortest month to write! When I was in school (few years ago!) you always had to write the date in the top right hand corner of every page - May was speedy!
I have put together a collage of May pictures which I hope you will find inspiring.


I would absolutely love to see your creations - cards, tags, layouts, mixed media - anything! 
Like last month, I will feature them here on my blog and I will send out goodies to those that join in.
Please send me an email with an image of your project to: christine.emberson@blueyonder.co.uk 
by next Monday, (May Day Bank Holiday) and I will feature them on Wednesday 9 May.

Please stop by tomorrow - it's the Spellbinders™ Spring Blog Hop 
and I will be featuring my project!
Happy crafting dear friends. 


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