A Christmas Wreath Card with a Sepia Twist

Good morning all! It feels like Autumn here, even though I know it is technically not yet! With Christmas fast approaching, it was time to start some card making in the Lisa B. Designs classes, so this month I am working with a Nellie Snellen Wreath Stamp. If you would like to see how the card below came about, please visit me over on Lisa's Blog!

Love

Martina

xxx

There are Always Flowers...

Good morning crafty people!

It's nearly the end of the holidays and I am relieved! Trying to please 4 children from 13 years old to a 1 year old has been very testing. Combine this with a limited budget and limited use of a car...holiday, anyone? Adults only though please!

Anyway, I have the card below over on the Lisa B. Designs Blog today, please pop over a take a look if you would like to see how it came together (mistakes and all!)

Much love,

Martina

xx

A Card-io Jigsaw Card

Hi crafters! I have another Card-io card for you today, this time building on the aperture scene card I made last week.  If you would like to know more, please join me over on the Lisa B. Design's Blog!

Love

Martina

xxx

Card-io Stamps used to Create a Mini-Scene Card

Good morning all! I have been dabbling with my Card-io stamps again over on the Lisa B. Design's Blog today, please join me and pop-over to see a step-by-step for the card below!

Lots of love,

Martina

xxx

Card-io Stamps: Bugs and Wild Flowers!

Good morning crafty peeps!

I have a post using some Card-io Stamps over on the Lisa B. Designs blog today, please pop over and take a look if you would like to see a step-by-step for the card below.

Love

Martina

xx

Rare Oddities - Graphic 45 Papers to make an Ink Storage Solution

Good evening crafters! As promised, I am back with another crafty storage make for my 'organised' craft room.

This unit is designed by Stamps Away (or 'Clevercut) and is meant for small square inks (Versacolor etc). The unit comes flat-packed and is easily assembled with strong PVA glue to secure. Once dry I always fill the 'joins' with decorators' filler and sand the excess off ( I like the surfaces to be smooth). With a perfect base created, I painted the whole unit using DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint in Remembrance. This does take a while, but only one coat is needed, as the DecoArt Paint is fabulous to use.

To smarten up the trays (yes I know the inks will hide most of it!) I added some Imagination Craft's Starlight Wax to 'distress' it and then used lots of little Lavinia and Cardio Stamps in each of the cavities. The final touch was a light spray with gold Crafter's Companion Sparkle and Shine.

I also added some wax to the edges of the unit and the inside.

I did not want to make the outside of the unit too 3D, but it was a perfect excuse to use some of my gorgeous Graphic 45 Rare Oddities Papers! (that way I can always look at them and also not give them away!) I finished the edges with some purple braid from my stash.

 

Here is the finished unit! All ready to go and in use already.

Thank you for reading,

Love

Martina

xxx

Back from a Crafty Blogging Break!

It has been a while since I have blogged, I know! There are two reasons for this really: I had my 4th baby in March and prior to that I have been posting each week on the Lisa B. Design's Blog! So, I have been busy, really! Along with all this I have managed to retreat into the crafty nook (otherwise known as my study) occasionally, and have made cards as often as I can! Here are a few things I have played with...

Sheena Douglass Perfect Partners dies and stamps, Distress Inks, Imagination Crafts stencil...

A card with an acetate front, Imagination Crafts Sparkle Medium, Tattered Lace Dies, Just Rite stamps, Spellbinders Dies and a Sue Wilson Border

Various Card-io Stamps, Versafine Inks

Polkadoodles stamps, watercolours, Distress Ink, Card-io stamps

Inkylicious stamps, Memento Inks, Clarity Stamps

I am still part of the Lisa B. Design's Design Team, so I will be posting a new project each week over there, each time explaining the products and methods used. Click HERE to see the blog and regular posts from the team!

Spring Flowers With Love

Moving away from Christmas into spring now!
These cards have been made using 7x7 white Centura Pearl cardstock. I have then chosen some backing papers from the First Edition pad 'Dreamcatcher' and some co-ordination cardstock to pick out certain colours.
The first two layers are co-ordination card to which I have added a 'dot-dash' pattern using a Micron pen. I have then cut a piece of white Centura Pearl card to fit inside this and using Spellbinders D-Lites flower dies, cut several shapes. Some more Dreamcatcher card has been added behind the cut -out flowers to show through to the front. I have also cut several more Spellbinders flowers in all sorts of co-ordinating card, embossed them to make them 'pop' and added them randomly. The little butterflies are actually from a Card-io set called 'Sketchy Spring Floral' and I have added little 'tails' to them. Finally, the sentiment is from one of the Flower Fairies stamps from Crafter's Companion. I am going to enter this card in Lisa Baker's blog challenge - 'Anything Goes'.

Card-io Altered Art CD Crate - More Fairies!!

 

 Following on from the last projects, I decided I wanted to try and use the Card-io stamps to create larger pieces of work. My daughter has just had her room painted and so I thought I would make a piece of useful 'art' for her. This also happened to coincide with a clear-out and an old plain CD rack needing a new home... I painted the CD rack with acrylic paint in a purple colour. Once dry I decided I would use the Cardi-io stamp sets 'Sketchy Spring Floral' and 'Fairies' to build pictures all around the parts of the rack. Again I used Versa Color pads in various shades of purple, and also some white ones for a change. Black was used for the outline sketchy flowers and butterflies to make certain ones 'pop'. The fairies were all stamped in black as well, dotted all over. At the very top of the frame I layered some co-ordinations card as there was an indented emblem which still showed through the paint. The centre wording is from Katy Sue designs. Once all the elements were stamped the last step was some glitter, (of course) which I added using Stickles. She was very pleased with the end result!

 

Card-io Tapestry Style Flower Cards

 Another of Lisa Baker's classes, this time focusing on Card-io stamps. These stamps come in selection packs which can be used alone or interchangeable with others. I haven't really used this style of stamp for some years, and back then they were all called 'Tapestry' stamps. These cards were made using colours from the small square Versa Color pads. The stamp sets used were 'Sketchy Spring Floral' and another with hydrangea style flowers. The bow to the left has been created using the new Sue Wilson Classic 3D Bows die just in white which is really effective. The card below showcases a large Sizzix Bigz die and gives an interesting open front to the card.

Christmas Post

Well, it had to start sometime! I started some Christmas cards a few days ago using the Craftwork Cards Christmas Post collection. The first one on the left was made using papers and toppers from the collection, along with some Christmas Paper Bows from the same company. The 'tree' was made using 3 of the bows and topped with a small poinsettia flower from Marianne Creatables and some Card Candi. The tree was then backed onto coordinating red card embossed with the Crafter's Companion Christmas Patchwork folder. The pot is a Card-io stamp stamped onto kraft card and distressed at the edges with vintage photo distress ink. The main background paper was also distressed for that vintage feel and matted onto coordinating green card with a kraft card blank. The circle sentiment was backed onto a Spellbinder's delightful circle die.
The two cards below are made using the same collection and accessories, again with similar colour tones. I have also used red perfect pearls for the flower centres and found some cream and gold ribbon to add an extra touch. The card on the right was inspired by a card I made at a class this time last year with Lisa Baker, this time adapted for use with the Christmas Post collection. The card has been cut apart with some Hunkydory Snowfall acetate added and then reconstructed again. As Lisa's blog challenge is 'Traditional Christmas' I will enter these for this month...

 

Cute Companions Peek-a-boo!

Ok, made this last night and not sure... Have never really used tapestry stamps before so first attempt was a bit manic. On this card the fence layer swings forward and you can also see the cute mouse from behind standing on a pot to peek over! This mouse is from the Cute Companions Summer Stories range. I have used Distress Inks, Versamark cubes for the tapestry and Promarkers for the mouse...what a crafty mess my lounge was in for such a small card! The pots and the watering can stamps were from Card-io stamps. A bit of a Heinz 57 card I think!