Just...

... a few cards using Les Editions Infocrea....6x6 papers. lovely bright pinks and turquiose, something just that little bit different.

 

Love the pink check.

Playtime...

...boys toys! sometimesyou may need more than a just card but not quite a full blown gift..this might fit the bill.It is just a box with an aperture cut in the front... (I used a Tim Holtz movers and shapers die...) a toy car mounted in the opening, decorated with these Pion papers..

The papers are 12x12 and have lots of bits and pieces to cut out... banners, borders, butterflies and tags.

 

I used as old pencil for a handle..

 

 

tha papers are great for square cards too as they are divided into four 6x6 sections.

you can get your paperpack here

Sweet Pea Stamps

Hello, I have another card made from the Sweet Pea stamps, found in the shop here.

The image was stamped with Memento black ink and coloured with Copics. I added some sparkle with glitter and a glue pen and the papers are October Afternoon, love Andrea x

Sweet Pea Stamps

Hello, it's Andrea here with a card that features one of the gorgeous Sweet Pea stamps.

The image was stamped in Memento black ink and coloured with Copic markers and the papers are Basic Grey

Pretty Butterflies ...

Jean sent me this gorgeous set of butterfly stamps and I couldn't wait to use them on a card.

I used the biggest of the butterflies which measures about 7.5 cmc wide. I stamped in black Memento ink and coloured with Copic Markers

I just used the darker colours in the centre fading out to the lighest on the edges of his wings

I coloured two of the same butterflies, cut the wings from the second and glued them on top of the first, curling the edges of the wings up

I used a second stamp from Jean, the For You greeting block by Purple Onion Designs. I didn't have the right colour inkpad so I used a Stampin Up marker to colour all over the stamp before printing.

I cut it into a tag shape by drawing around the lid off a jar of flowers :)

I kept the design of the card really simple by leaving off any patterned paper and getting all the colour from the coordinating ribbon, cardstock, ink and the coloured butterfly

I used:

Purple Onion Butterfly stamp

Purple Onion Greeting block stamp

Kaisercraft Rhinestones

The Finger is Back!

A quick post.... those fingers are back!... a few note cards.... I don't think they need much explination. You can find the stamps here and the paper here.

Add any small butterfly or insect stamp! If you haven't got the right sentiment... print it out on your computor and cut out the individual letters!
Hope you like it
Effie
XXX

Speedy, Quick and Easy ...

Hello, today I want to share a couple of cards for those moments in life when you realise you have less than 20 minutes to make a card for someone because you forgot all about it. I can't possibly be the only one who has those 'panic panic, what will I do?' moments. No? I didn't think so :)

The first card is super simple to make. Everything I used came from Jean apart from the pens and border punch. Have a dig around in your scrap box (or like me use a couple of brand new sheets of paper) and select a couple of coordinating patterns. Trim paper to fit a blank card, cut a paper doilie in half and glue onto both sides of the papers, attach to the card with dimensional foam pads. Cut a strip of paper and add a decorative edge with dies, punches or something frilly, add this to the card with dimensionals. Stamp the doodled frame, cut out and colour with a marker, use a fine tip pen in a coordinating colour to fill in the spaces in the doodled lines. Stamp a greeting onto the frame, add a couple of pretty dewdrops, attach with foam pads and your card is done.  Time taken - 15 minutes!!

I used:

DeLovely 6x6 paper pad

Small paper doilie

Doodle frame stamp

Happy Birthday stamp (may be out of stock)

Dewdrops

My second card is just as quick. On your computer print a sentiment close to the bottom of the paper, trim to fit a coloured cardblank, adhere and attach a few sparkly gemstones. Use the Doodled Heart stamps to stamp a pattern block in coordinating ink, add glitter to some of the hearts and trim. Mat onto coordinating card and add a frilly border to each long side with a die, punch etc. Tie a matching ribbon around the pattern block and attach to the card with foam dimensional pads.  Tada! one finished card in no time at all :)  This card made, written and on it's way to the post office within 20 minutes. It was only after I popped it in the post box that I realised I hadn't taken it's photograph so I had to ring the recipient and ask them for it back!!

I used:

Doodle Heart Set stamp (I think it was probably designed to cut into seperate stamps

but I love using it as a large block so have kept mine in one piece)

Kaiser Rhinestones in Hot Pink (gorgeous!!)

Man Cards ...

I don't know about you but I often struggle with making cards for men.  Little boy cards are fine, teenagers and even young men I can cope with but when they get a bit older - like Dad age - I suddenly find myself in the realms of those awful cards that your Aunty Gladys sends to your Dad with pints of beer, footballers and sailing boats on the front - I'm sure you know the kind I mean.  When I look at my small amount *ahem* considerable okay them ever increasing :) stash I see flowers, pretty colours, glitter, sparkle and in general lots of feminine embellishments and papers so perhaps this is why I struggle with male cards.

So, I set myself a challenge to make some cards for men and off I went to rummage through the shelves of Jean's shop. It didn't take me long - in fact I just clicked on the New Products link - to find some really lovely papers and stamps that I thought might make some nice cards and this is what I did.

My card

I used the Music Background stamp to create my own background paper and stamped in brown ink onto kraft cardstock, then cut it out, layered onto black card and stitched around the edge with my sewing machine. Then I used foam dimensional pads to adhere it onto a white folded cardblank

I loved this black and cream spotted paper from the October Afternoon Thrift Shop paper pad so trimmed a smaller piece, layered onto more black card and stitched around the edge. I used a Making Memories slot punch to create a hole, threaded the ribbon through (who said male cards can't have ribbon?) and tied it in a knot

After using foam pads again to adhere the panel I then created a greeting with the Birthday Wishes sentiment stamp, trimmed and then layered onto the scraps of black cardstock

As a final touch - and because a card just isn't a card without some glitter and sparkle! - I added 3 black Kaisercraft rhinestones to balance the design

I hope you're feeling inspired to make those men in your life some of their own cards, love Andrea x

They say it's your birthday ...

... well if it is your birthday today then I hope you have a very happy day, if it's not then you can still have fun by making this bold and bright birthday card.

Jean has some gorgeous sticker strips in the shape of flags and banners and coordinating 6x6 paper from the Sassafras range (sticker strips out of stock but I think she's getting more in) which I fell in love with and used to make my card

Step 1: Doodle an edge around your folded cardblank with plack pen - doesn't have to be straight doodles never are!

Step2: Cut one of the flag stickers to length and adhere to card, add a few of the smaller strips across the top

Step 3: Glue one dew drop on the bottom of each flag. I love these dewdrops and use them stacks as flower centres, on the corners of my cards and as little design extras to fill up the spaces on my cards. Even better - they last forever!!

Step 4: Tear lengths of coordinating paper into strips. Curl up the edges and glue together.

Now you could have a dig around your scrap box to find small scraps to make your paper strips with but everyone who knows me knows that I don't 'do' scraps very well at all so I was perfectly happy to break into new pieces of paper to make my torn strips. Ha Ha! I came out in a cold sweat just thinking of even keeping scraps :)

Step 5: Create a sentiment or greeting on your computer or use a rubber stamp - I would have used a rubber stamp but I couldn't find my black under under the mound of 'stuff' on my desk so made do with my computer and printer. Trim it, round the corners and doodle an edge around it

Step 6: Glue onto the back of your paper strips and then glue everything onto your card

Step 7: Glue a length of black rikrak across the paper strips and add a button tied with string or thread to finish your card

There you have it, a fun birthday card to make someone smile

And, just because I had all my tools and the rest of the paper out on my desk I made another card using the same paper as I love it so much

Have fun, Andrea x

What To Do With a Lumpy Bumpy Card ...

... Or, that's a lovely card but how are you going to get it in an envelope?????

Have you seen the gorgeous Webster's Pages paper pads in the 3DJean store? Mmmmmm, totally delicious. I used some of the papers from the Collection Triple Pack which includes the seaside retreat, garden gala and nature's storybook collections.

Here is the card I made using the gorgeous papers, some felt, hand stitching, a paper rose and a bit of paper curling which is my newly found addiction. I recently discovered Stacey Cohen's blog and love how she incorporates paper curling into her projects.

Anyway, I made this card at our last crop day. I drew the big flower shape onto the back of the paper, cut it out and then glued it onto felt before trimming around it and adding some stitching around the petals. The paper rose is just a circle shape cut from paper then cut into a spiral, twisted around and glued with glossy accents at the bottom to anchor it. I poured glitter into the flower to cover the glossy accents then just tipped the excess out when the glue was dry. When the card was finished I gave it a generous spray of Shimmerz Spritz to give it some subtle sparkle.

Once I had finished my card I sat there contemplating the beauty of it - as you do at crops when you actually manage to fit some crafting in between chatting and eating and even more so when you actually finish something!! when I heard a voice from the other end of the table (Jean)

"that's a pretty card, don't know how you're going to get it in an envelope though?"

Easy I said, I'll make it a box :) and this is how I did it ...

From cardstock cut two shapes like this, fold along the lines - this is where a scoring tool and board comes in handy but if you haven't got one then use a ruler and a blunt pair of scissors to score

You'll have two pieces of cut and folded card, one running across and one running upwards

Tape the folded flaps of the piece that goes from side to side (the first piece in my photograph) and join to the other piece making sure the flaps are in the inside of the box, tuck the flap in at the bottom and tape that too. The big flap at the top goes on the outside and will be decorated.

Now you'll have a plain box

Trim and glue coordinating papers to cover the front, back, sides and inside too

Add some embellishments to the flap using the scraps from making the card and the box and tie a pretty ribbon around from top to bottom which will keep the box closed. I sprayed my box with more of the Shimmerz Spritz to give it just that little bit more glitter and sparkle :)

My card

My box

My finished project

Supplies:

Webster's Pages paper pad and Shimmerz Spritz from the 3DJean shop

Martha Stewart border punch

Felt

Scalloped circle punch

Embroidery cotton

Rikrak

Papertrey Ink sentiment stamp, ribbon and flowers and scallop die

Glitter

Glossy Accents

Glazed brad

Have fun, love Andrea x