Showing posts with label punches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label punches. Show all posts

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Pretty in Pink

Well yet another wet bank holiday weekend is over, the good news is the house is 'spick and span'. I spent Saturday gardening (it had finally stopped raining, albeit a little shower or two!). The borders are looking good, baskets and pots all filled and set to bloom in the summer (well it sounds good... and I always have high hopes for my little plants), but oh do my legs ache today! I was going to do the ironing but as Tuesday was my last day off before going back to work, I spent  most of the morning blog hopping, watching tutorial (so many skills that I want to learn), and generally pottering around the house.

I always struggle with ideas of what to create on my cards and look to blogs and challenges for inspiration, so I made an easel card. I planned to do a 'lots of layers' card as I spent lots of time in the  morning looking at lots of layers! But then I popped over to the Crafty Ribbon site and this week the challenge is an easel card, so that was it, my next card was in the making... an easel card with lots of layers using my favourite things flowers and butterflies. I have made a few errors but overall as a first attempt I'm pretty pleased. I should have used foam pads to put my stamped image on and not tape, which I realised too late as it had stuck solid (although I did mange to put a few behind the top half of it) the bottom half looks a bit squashed! I also made my fold in the wrong place, it should have been more even, which means it sits at an angle and is too far back. I think it's the most'bits' I've ever used on one card, it was to late to post last night so here I am doing it now as I woke very early as usual.






I used the following materials:
  • A white scalloped card, Pink plain and textured card stock for matting
  • Pink checked, word papers free download
  • Butterfly paper- freebie magazine.
  • Doily-Tea party from Dovecraft
  • Sarah Kay stamp coloured with Promarkers
  • White lace,pink braid,satin ribbon,punched border and pearls from stash.(eBay purchases)
  • White roses,pink roses and rose buds bought at craft fair last week and sadly didn't keep the details as would love more!
  • Rose washi tape -magazine freebie
  • Sentiment and love chipboard's - yes more magazine freebies
  • Punched butterflies (with left over pink card stock)- Tonic (since buying it last week at the craft fair I haven't stopped finding paper and card scraps to punch out more !..I love it.

Also check out my side bar for my new Dilly Beans challenge winner badge... I am so happy with it and another bonus I also get too choose 3 cool digi's... how lucky am I? Thank you very much to Dilly Beans designers.

I would like to enter the following challenges -

Challenge 20-easel Card- crafty ribbons challenge

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Flowers, Fun and Firsts

What a busy weekend... I had a wonderful time at the Chelsea flower show on Friday. The weather was perfect and we had a great day out. The gardens and displays were both inspiring and amazing some were a little bit over the top and not my cup of tea, but you can see the passion and commitment that has gone into every one and the attention to detail was phenomenal,definitely a joy and a pleasure on all the senses.

Saturday was grocery shopping, housework and gardening day. With the bad weather we have had over what feel like months it has been left a bit neglected  in desperate need of some TLC. Sunday was another great day, whilst reading my card making magazine I discovered that there was a card and craft fair on locally, I convinced hubby to take me along, (bless him he is wonderful) unfortunately much to his discomfort I spent two hours in heaven, I made some essential purchases of must have items although if hubby had not been there I think I would have spent a teeny bit more... Happily buying one of everything. I did educate him along the way, explaining what everything was and how it was essential to purchase, although I don't think he was convinced. The next fair is in October and I'm already planning my purchases. We have decided though that he drops me off and collects me later, that sounds like perfect plan for us both!

Once home I thought I would put my purchases to use. Its my step daughters birthday next week and hubby had suggested I make her card which I finished last night. So far I haven't actually made a card for any reason in particular other than enjoyment and or felt they were good enough to give to someone so this was my big test, I hope she likes it! For the card I decided on a cute little bear from LOTV, coloured using my promarkers and testing the new ones I purchased at the fair (my collection is slowly growing but still a long way off completion).

The floral and matching stripe paper was matted onto blue card where a magazine freebie from Raspberry Road designs luxury paper collection, it's a great pack of 48 designs on A4 sheets all of which are beautiful, so nice, that I'm reluctant to use them. The edges and flower were inked with broken china, although as before with my last card I'm dissapointed as its much darker than I wanted... possibly the wrong colour to use, but I didn't have another blue. I also dont have the right tools for the job nor have I got the technique right yet and in my excitement at the craft fair I forgot to get some blender pads. I used bakers twine and made a bow,  attaching a heart charm, yes you guessed it... new purchases (I was trying to see how many of today's goodies I could use on one card... I didn't quite manage them all). The flower does have a sparkly glitter centre although I didn't think was quite right for this card, so I covered this with the same candi as used to decorate the sides, happy birthday stamped sentiment, faux stitches, little blue pearls around the stamped bear and paper butterflies (using my new punch... purchased today). 

'Birthday bear'  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
The butterfly punch is definitely my favourite and best buy of the day, its also my first punch, I've relied on eBay purchases for punched butterflies, flowers etc, which is good. but meant I've been restricted with choices and haven't always had the exact colour I wanted, its a dream to use and I plan to make many more with the leftover pieces of card and paper that I've collected... which is a rather large pile for a relatively short space of time, due to my appalling measuring skills and inability to cut a straight line. Finally... another first was completing the inside of the card, until now I've left them blank. I used white card with the same floral paper as on the front and a punched butterfly to the top and bottom corners to finish.                                


The challenges I would like to enter this week are: