Girly Birthday Card

I've been a bit quiet recently due to a chest infection which I still have but thought I'd post some cards which I made recently. I'm loving my new corner rounder (as you can see) and think it adds a whole new dimension to the cards. 

This card was made using Panda Paws backing card (I used it for the backing and the topper was actually from the background card too!). The sentiment and lacy pink card was from Hunkydory (the spring kit I believe). 

This card was used using toppers and backing card from Kanban Sugar Buttons. It's such a shame Kanban are no more, I love their toppers. 

The pink card and button card are glittered so this card really sparkles.

I'm going back to coughing and knitting now. Have a great weekend

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?)

Goodbye Christmas Card Making...Hello Knitting!

I've never knitted ever before but after seeing an article in the Daily Mail my Mum brought a Christmas knitting book and has taught me how to knit!

I cannot start a row but I can knit and purl now....with a few errors, but I'm working on it. I'm currently making a Christmas cracker character which is straight stitching with mostly all the same wool and have already confused what row I've done last and kept knitting not doing any purl rows...whoops. 

I've not got to the stage yet where I can knit without consentrating...ie I can't talk and knit...or even listen and knit! They make it look so easy on Create and Craft! I'm sure it will get easier when I get the hang of it. I'm using circular needles which seem much easier for me and they aren't as heavy and long.

It is nice to do a different type of crafting and learn something new. I did buy the sugar button fairy Kanban kit today on Create and Craft as it looks great for kids cards (and those who like pink and sparkly things!). I finally packed up all my Christmas card things and put them in the bottom boxes in my study getting my non-christmas bits higher on the pile. My study looks so much tidier! Really hope I get the drawers for Christmas to organise the study better. At the moment it's just random boxes around the room and I have to lift boxes to get to those underneath.

Well I'm going to get back to knitting with my hedgehog friend on my lap snoozing and my snack of choice....fizzy cola bottles!

Saturday Crafting!

Today I used the pack of random cardstock and toppers I got from eBay (100 sheets for £9.99!) There were some amazing backing papers which used on my Mother-in-Laws birthday card (with a London Line stamp as a topper) and I also used the paper on a wedding card for my husbands aunt (using Kanban word toppers).

My favourite type of card designs and ones I'm not to keen on

Recently I've been looking for more card toppers from Kanban as I really like the Create and Craft members gift they did (Christmas designs) and the So Macho toppers set. I saw that Create and Craft were launching an offer from Kanban and got all excited, but then saw what it was but it wasn't really my cup of tea. It got me thinking about what styles I like and dislike, I won't say hate but there are some styles which are just not my thing.

I've watched a Kanban show before and saw a set and thought...hmmm don't like those, then found myself thirty minutes later wondering if I should by the set as some items were nice. I think it was on their mega deal weekend where you brought a set of Kanban toppers and got two free.....the ones I wanted were the free ones! I didn't buy them in the end as I thought it was pointless if I was only buying something for a third of the items in the set. 

I'm not really into steampunk designs or overly floral images. I like pictures, cute cartoons drawings (such as the Snow White style stamp image I have) and modern designs. I'm not really into dark images and I'm not very keen on the Victorian ladies etc (you probably know the ones I mean). I may change my tastes at some time, but think it could just be that I don't like overly complicated pictures or designs. I think the type of card you pick up in Clintons or Marks and Spencer. I think that's probably where my taste in cards comes from as I've always brought my cards from places like that so that's the style I'm use to.

My craft stash is mostly made up of cute bear/hedgehog/dog stamps (some of which I've brought and some, mostly Christmas ones, that have come from magazines), word stamps, outlined stamps of flowers and butterflies, cartoon animal toppers, SWALK toppers and now my So Macho Kanban kit. 

I've got magazines before and some of the free gifts I've ended up giving away or chucking as they're not my style and I've thought of making them into cards to sell but if I'm not 'feeling' the design on the card and don't like it myself I don't think others will like it and feel I'd have to price it really low even though other people may love it.

I've never given a card I've not been happy with. This morning I made my Dad a card as he had fractured his arm and thought it would be nice to cheer him up. I made a simple card with 'get well soon' stamped all over in various fonts, however 5 minutes after stamping it with 'fast drying ink' it hadn't dried and got smudged as I folded the card so I made another card. This time I just put a simple gardening topper on top of a blank white card and it was simple but looked amazing and just like a card you would get in a shop/garden center. 

I've recently ordered a sheet of wedding Kanban toppers for my husbands aunts wedding later this month as I've become addicted to Kanban and the high quality cards I can produce with their toppers and think it will look far better than going through my stamp collection and making a mediocre card.

I guess our tastes in things change as I would have never through I would have got Kanban toppers before but after getting the free members gift from Create and Craft, liking the results and then getting the mens toppers (as mens cards are so hard to make), I have fallen head over heels for Kanban.

*****I'm not getting paid or given anything for saying this by the way*****

Anyway I'm off now to clean out my hedgehogs wheels.....*yucky* but then I'm going to relax on the sofa with my husband, a glass of wine, popcorn and American Pie the Reunion.

Finally some male friendly cards

These were all made with Kanban's So Macho pack from Create & Craft.

I'm so happy with how these turned out!

I must also say how great Kanban's customer service was as one item was damaged and they kindly sent another sheet of toppers to replace the damaged ones.

Another purchase from Create and Craft...but it was needed!

I got my Create and Craft membership a month ago and although I don't usually like couriers delivering (and Create and Craft use couriers) however so far the couriers have actually left items with out neighbours which I am grateful for, but still don't really like having to rely on them (so far of the three items order, only two have had to be given to my neighbours, two different ones).

The items I've brought from them were some SWALK decoupage toppers, the free members gift of Kanban Christmas toppers and some card blanks. 

Last night I happened to log onto their website and saw that the pick of the day was some Kanban toppers in a set for men and a set for women. I thought the set for mens cards looked good from just the picture on the site (shown below) but was kind on trying to be good and not actually buy and more craft things for the moment, although I find it hard to find things for mens cards and I think people will get bored soon getting the same mens cards all the time!

This morning I ended up buying it and then an hour later watched the show and saw it had just sold out! So very glad I got it as it looks like a really set of toppers and backing sheets. There are 40 sheets in total with toppers and backing papers with images of golf, rugby, football, gardening, cars, music and many more! One set of toppers is very Ed Hardy with some black glittery skulls.

I can't wait to get this and start making some nice mens cards! At the moment my mens cards are very plain and usually just have 'happy birthday' on or some mice blowing out a cake! 

The set was only £22.49 and there are so many toppers I'm not going to be stuck for male cards for a very very very long time!

If you want to buy this set, they are still selling the 'so macho' set along with the ladies set 'so feminine' at the blockbuster price of  £31.48 for club members here which is great value (I only needed male toppers so thats why I didn't get the joint offer)

Kanban have such quality die cuts and you just need to cut the little notches out and the images virtually all have foiling or glitter on too. I can't wait to get these and make some cards! I'll post when I've got them and show some of the things I've made.

Images from Create & Craft TV

Images from Create & Craft TV

Kanban Create & Craft Members Gift

I received my Kanban papers from the Create and Craft Members Gift last week and yesterday popped into the study with the intention of making a birthday card and ended up making Christmas cards with some of the Kanban papers and die cuts! I'll load photos shortly but have just painted my nails and don't want to mess them up (trying hard not to hit them on the keys as I type!)

Create & Craft Kanban Members Gift (some still remaining for members as at 09th Sept 2012)

I ended up making 3D dangling bauble cards from the circular dies from the kit. I wasn't sure how to use them first as they were some small circles but got my Fiskars Ultra Shape Xpress Cutter and stencils and cut circles out of the from of my cards, larger than the circular dies cuts, and then dangles the die cuts with some bakers twine I got from Papercraft Inspirations magazine.

I've gone through my craft stash and added a few more things on eBay including the hessian from Crafty Creations Box 2 as I can't find much I want to make with it so thought I'd sell it rather than just hoard it! Its only 70p on eBay at the moment http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170907284201 

I've just used my £10 voucher from my Create and Craft membership to buy a pack of 100 mixed card blanks and envelopes ready for Christmas! Only cost me £6 (including postage) with my voucher :o) very happy Sara. Now must stop buying craft stuff!