Poker Pop Up Card

Just before Christmas I had a voucher for Dreaming Tree who sell SVG files for use in electronic cutting machines. I purchased a few files including one for a Poker card which I thought would really suit my brother in law. 

I sat down Saturday afternoon to make it with my Cricut Explore, a new blade and a new mat (I didn't realise how blunt my blade was until I put the new one in)

The files were very easily to upload to Design Space but there were quite a few layers which also meant a lot of paper and card stock. 

And that's not all of it!

The instructions were really helpful for cutting the pieces. I then used the YouTube video on their site to help with the construction. It was pretty self explanatory but the video really helped with positioning. 

And this is the final card:

It took about 2 hours with all the cutting and layering. I also made the matching envelope. 

The only negative I would say is that it's hard to see the poker chips front the front (it looks more like a no entry sign front behind the queen) and also next time I'd used black card instead of the dark blue suggested. 

This file is usually $1.99 and can be found on 3Dsvg.com

His and her Mickey Mouse birthday cards

It's my husbands Aunt and Uncles birthdays at the end of the month and as they're currently in Florida on holiday visiting Disney I thought I'd make them Disney cards. They're birthdays are a day apart so I've made the matching cards.

For Wendy's card I printed a leopard print design on some goldish Centura pearl and then cut this on my Cricut Explore.. I cut a bow on the Cricut too from the Mickey and Friends cartridge with the button bit from double sided adhesive sheet. The text was also cut from adhesive sheeting. I cut some black card into a 6 x 6 size and lined the outside with red liner tape and then put gold gilding flakes over it. I stuck the text onto the card then guilded the button on the bow and text.

 

With Malcolm's card I guilded the text as per Wendy's card but decided to just used coloured card and buttons for the rest. 

I love how these have come out!

Hunkydory Smudge & Mitten Birthday Card

I think this is the most 'luxurious' cards I've ever made, it has so many layers and I made it for my little sister whose birthday was this week.

I used the Hunkydory Smudge and Mitten papercrafting kit and paper pad along with some silver mirri. 

In the top right corner I also added a flower I made from Craftwork Cards Candi (I've only recently got into Candi!)

Fun with distress inks and stamps

I've always been quite a clean crafter, ie minimal stamping and just colouring with my Spectrum Noirs, however I always wanted to get some distress inks and after buying some in America I seem to be using them a lot around the edges of my card layers. A few weeks ago I found myself bored in the study and just started playing with a brayer, distress inks and some stamps and made the below which are very different to my normal style but loved how they turned out. The oriental stamps were a free gift with a stamping magazine and the 'home' stamps were from the Kirstie Allsopp range at Hobbycraft

Using stamps from the Kirstie Allsopp range at Hobbycraft

My Sisters Christmas Cards

Finally got my bum in gear and started my sisters Christmas cards. I've done quite a lot of mine (hunkydory kits) but still have cards to do for my sister, parents and parents company and Christmas is sneaking up fast!

I brought the Mulberry Woods kit for myself initially (in the sale in July) but then my sister loved it so I said she could have cards with it, plus it meant I would have to buy the Hunkydory kits (I think I was just looking for an excuse!)

I made the below cards with the Crafters Companion Mulberry Woods Christmas kit along with some card blanks, peel offs & sequin dots from the DoCrafts goody bag. I also added in some die cut snowflakes.

After a random morning I'm in the craft room!

This morning Lee told me he was getting up and was going to do some housework.....a little while later I heard a really weird sound but thought I must have dreamt it until Lee came running in and advised me the oven door had exploded! He cleaned the oven, shut the door and BANG the glass shattered and he was left holding the oven door handle! Glass went as far as 2 1/2 metres, it proper went! 

So home insurance people sorting that out tomorrow phew! Although it'll be microwave meals, takeaways and a lot of hob use for a while.

I then took Lee off to his guitar lesson and waiting in the car with two craft magazines and a coffee - Simply Homemade and Creative Stamping (lovely free stamps which was why I got it lol)

This afternoon I've managed to get in the craft room and investigate the DoCrafts Goody Bag I brought yesterday. I've never brought one before but it had lots of things I wanted anyway, Kraft card, tacky glue and loads of embellishments. I love things like this where you get a bundle of stuff you don't have and don't usually buy and you can make things you wouldn't. 

For example this card which I just made - I love the bells and spent a good five minutes playing with them. 

I've still got lots of Hunkydory Christmas kits from their Pick of the Week in the summer but have decided that I'm going to try as keep some of the kits for next year and make more cards with the new stash I have. I'm also going to be making an advent treat jar for my hedgehog with some dreamies in and will post once I've completed it.

Back to crafting and trying to tidy up a bit

Hedgehog Card, Stickyback Fabric & Spellbinder Dies

I got round to playing with some spellbinder dies I bright from eBay a few weeks ago. I brought two different medallion dies as I wanted to added more intricate designs to my cards. I decided to made some hedgehog cards using these and the DoCrafts sticky back fabric I brought from Hobbycraft last week. I used the apple print fabric (I also brought a tartan roll and knitted jumper style roll for Christmas)

I have quite a few hedgehog stamps and dies as I love hedgehogs, my real Pygmy hedgehog Spike Pricklepants especially!

These are 5 inch square cards and images were coloured with Spectrum Noirs and then I used distress ink around the outside of the image 

The bottom card isn't quite finished yet, I just need to add a sentiment.

The sticky fabric roll is quite hard to cut as when you unroll it and flatten it there are rucks in it where it's not completely stuck to the paper backing when flat and it won't cut in a gulotine (where you pull the arm down) so I used a craft knife to get a perfectly straight line but did get a bit of fraying as you will see on the pictures a little.

It does add interest to the card and more texture. It would have been helpful if they printed a grid on the backing paper so you can use it as a guide (like you do with some wrapping papers)

Some of my uses of Crafty Creatives packaging

I love the Crafty Creatives boxes and one of the things I enjoy seeing is that months packaging paper/material.

For my valentines day cards I used the Halloween theme box rose material (I only sent one card but made cards for friends and family to give).

This month I loved the polkadot print and used it for my Mum's Mother's Day present (a handmade pin cushion and some flower head pins). I wrapped this with some twine (similar to that in the box this month but I have lots of reels of different colours from a competition) and also used a tag I think was in a past box. No tape needed at all either!

I've used the printed brown paper for small gifts previously too as think it looks so lovely and have used it in my Big Shot with my hedgehog die as it gives a great texture and colour for my hedgehogs. (The picture below shows this on our hedgehog's house sign, he is such a messy hog, he rearranges his cage at night)

What have you used your paper wraps for?

Finished cards from today

Hedgehog Card from Peerless Designs CD Hedgehog Garden Adventures

Box card made from Fee J's Magical Dreams and Love Be Mine

Sugar Buttons Stamps

Firstly I apologise for the bad quality photos as they were taken in bed on my phone.

Today I've been unwell and after trying to get better and get into work, I ended up back in bed at lunchtime.

To feel better I did a bit of colouring in using my new Sugar Buttons stamps.

Below are some examples of the stamps from the Sugar Buttons kit from Create & Craft, and some coloured images.

I love these stamps as there are some lovely large images and all the characters have dotting on the stamps for shading.

I can't wait to make cards with these. I think they may also make an appearance on my Christmas cards next year.

My First Craft Card Makes

I recently found this photo of some of the first cards I made after taking up card making. These were made in the days between my birthday on 9th April, and my wedding on 12th April this year. My husbands (then fiance's) family brought me a few card making kits which were lovely as it took my mind off of worrying about wedding plans! (and shut me up about talking about the wedding and annoying Lee)

A lot has changed since then, not just my last name! I moved my crafting from the kitchen table (pictured above) into the study after I started taking over the living room...boxes full of Crafty bits under the chair in the living room, Big Shot at the side of the sofa and cutting mat up against the other side of the sofa! My sewing machine and box still lives in the living room but that's hidden away.

Once I've tidied the study up after Christmas, and hopefully get more storage, I will post some photos of the study/craft room.

I'm also hoping to get the Ultimate Pro from Crafters Companion so I can craft away from the study if I want to (and let Lee play his guitars in the study)

Updated - Sugar Buttons - The Most Glittery and Girly Set Ever!

My order finally came from Create and Craft of the Sugar Buttons Kit from Kanban. I cannot wait to have a play with it at the weekend. 

I brought it mostly for my little cousins Georgia and Paige, so I can make them some lovely girly cards.

Picture from Create and Craft

The kit came with the papercrafting kit and four sets of stamps. I've taken a quick picture of them below but will be trying them out and will post some pictures of them stamped and coloured at the weekend or early next week. The stamps are not just for childrens cards, they look great for weddings and thank you cards too.

The papercrafting kit as so many sheets including lots of background card, decoupage and toppers. My favourite bit, which you can slightly see in the photo above, is the glittered acetate with starts, butterfly's and lots of glitter.

Such a lovely kit to kick start my non-Christmas card crafting.

*Update*

One of my favourite papers is shown below from this kit. I love it so much I could see myself not using it but after seeing some examples I decided to cut it up and use it for a few cards. I had originally thought about using the paper as it was and frame it with some decoupage on but then I wouldn't have displayed it anywhere.

 

Firstly I cut out the castle and layered some paper round it to make a frame. The card is so thick that my Fiskars circle cutter didn't like it and I ended up using scissors (I really need some circular and curved dies for my Big Shot for this type of thing).

I then put the fairy wand backing paper on top (cutting out a larger oval) and topped it off with a princess topper and sentiment. 

 I then used the rest of the scene background and matted and layered it onto an A5 card. I used two layers behind the main background cards and cut the middles out of the two backing cards so I can use these again at some point and I'm not wasting card.

I then used the prince and princess decoupage toppers. These came with oval toppers which matched but by using the decoupage parts separately I'm able to us the background toppers on some other cards.

 

I think this is one of my favourite kits ever! (can you tell with all my blog posts?)

Tealight Christmas Cards

Following on from my chocolate window cards I have changed the sizes and made cards for my work colleagues with some glittery frankincense and myrrh tealights in.

We don't give each other presents normally or do secret Santa anymore due to our team always changing and getting smaller (grrr to restructuring) but I thought I'd make cards with year with some little scented tealights in. They worked out really reasonably priced too as the candles were on 3 for 2 in waitrose (2 candle tins for me and got the tealights free technically for the cards, they were on £4 anyway for 12). The card was from the free members gift a few months ago with Creat and Craft TV and the decoration was from Crafters Companion magazine and Papercraft inspirations magazine.

I'm really please with these. I will too them off with a bow to hold in the candles at the top.

By using Kanban card it helped as its longer than A4 cards and I used the too black bit from the card as the flap to stick down. My cards were 12 cm tall so the perfect height for my 3 candles.

Now I just have to make box envelopes for them....or slip them into bigger envelopes.....so hope I get a Crafters Companion Ultimate Pro for Christmas!

Please excuse the paper clips in the photo, they're just there while the cards dry completely.

My First YouTube Video - how to make window cards

I've just made my first YouTube video on crafting! The video give brief details on how to make and put together a window card.

I must admit its not great but I thought I'd give it a try. Think I remembered most things but if you have any questions please drop me a note and I will respond.

Off to decorate my cards now! Then upload later

Chocolate Treat Christmas Cards

I saw on a YouTube video a while back some cards which had a panel in the side for candles and sweets so I thought I'd have a little go myself. I made a quick candle card from some old scraps and it seemed easy enough... So I decided to make some special cards for a few people/children.

I've done two with side panels and another that opens to reveal a giant chocolate coin. Below are pictures of the two side panel cards (I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the giant coin one before writing with a glitter glue pen on the front and know I'll smug it if I move it!) - On another note, if anyone is looking to get glitter glue I'm selling a bunch on eBay for just 99p per tube. They are so easy to use, just follow this link and look at my items: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/saraleighuk/m.html?item=170940206542&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

The two cards below have also been glitter after the photos with the recipients names on. Chocolate teddies are for the girls and coins are for the boys.

I hope you like them