April Showers

The current challenge at an Oldie But A Goodie challenge is the very apt April Showers, and that’s the inspiration for this cute Umberella Card.

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Hunkydory
Colouring Mediums: Memento Cocoa Ink Pad, Promarker Pens
Paper & Card: My Minds Eye, pearlescent card from stash
Tools: Tonic Studios Trellis Wall Die, Pick of the Bunch Punch & Stamp Set, Silhouette Cameo, Grand Calibur
Embellishments: double satin ribbon 5mm, crystals, pearl-ended stamen, buttons

To make this card, using my Silhouette Cameo, I cut the umbrella-shaped card base from pearlescent cardstock, with accents cut from double-sided My Minds Eye card.

I stamped the Hunkydory image three times, twice onto plain cardstock and then also onto offcuts of the My Minds Eye card. I then paper-pieced the layers together, combining using fussy cutting patterned card for the umbrella and flowers alongside colouring the main element of the image with Promarkers pens. Love the tiny baby penguin picnicing with the Hermoine Hedgehog!  Tonic Studio’s Trellis Wall Die provided the perfect backdrop for my finished stamped image.

Finally, I embellished the card with flowers created using the sepal punch from the Rose Pick of the Bunch Punch & Stamp Set. I stitched a recycled mother of pearl heart button to my satin bow. The little basket is a button that I’ve had in my stash for about 10 years!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Love to Create - Bingo (Flowers, Die Cut, Ribbon)

Hope you like this; do leave a comment, I always appreciate them!

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Sewing Bee Altered Button Tin of Haberdashery Lovelies

Have you, like me, been glued to the television on Tuesday nights watching the Great British Sewing Bee? Such clever hands at work, which I really envy. Whilst I’m not a sewer, I do use sewing items in my crafting, so thought I’d create a little altered tin of haberdashery goodies.

I transformed this from an empty sweet tin and a single sheet of K&Co double-sided cardstock.

Project Recipe:
Stamp: Tonic Studios Pick of the Bunch Punch & Stamp Set Rose
Colouring Mediums: Tim Holtz Weathered Wood Pad, Promarker Pens, Tattered Angels Glimmer Spritz
Paper & Card: K&Company
Tools: Tonic Studios Pick of the Bunch Punch & Stamp Set Rose, Embossalicious Button Box Folder, Spellbinders, Grand Calibur, Tonic Studios Daisy Circle Die
Embellishments: Lace, pearl buttons, flat-back pearls, double satin ribbon 3mm, hand-made beaded Hat Pins, pearl-ended stamen

To alter the tin lid, I cut base circles using my spellbinders dies toped this off with a die-cut daisy doily using my Tonic die. For the top of the tin, I cut the centre out of the doily using a circle die. These lined both the top and underside of the tin lid.

To embellish the tin lid, I made the rose using Tonic Studios Pick of the Bunch Punch & Stamp Set Rose. This provides lovely detail to your handmade flowers as you can stamp each punched petal with a co-ordinating stamp. I stamped my petals using Tim Holtz Distress Pad in Weathered Wood before spritzing the petals with Tattered Angels Glimmer Spritz to give them a soft subtle sheen. With the Daisy

Circle, I took the little daisy offcuts from the die and as I had cut these from double sided cardstock, I inset them back into the circle but using the reverse pattern, before finishing with tiny flat back pearls.
Inside the lid, I lined it with a circle of paper embossed, very aptly, with my Embossalicious Button Box Folder from Crafters Companion, before topping with a doily cut with my daisy circle punch.




 

The tin was trimmed with a strip of cardstock. Using a Promarker, I then coloured some 3mm double satin ribbon to co-ordinate with my paper and threaded it through the Lace trim.  I also used the same Promarker to cutom-colour the thread I put through some pretty mother of pearl buttons as a finishing touch to the lace trim.

Finally, I distressed a doily with Antique Linen and Weathered Wood and used it to line the tin. I used the final bits of my 12” double-sided cardstock to create card tags to hold a selection of lace, ribbon, buttons, brads and hatpins to put into my tin of haberdashery loveliness.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
2 Sisters Challenge - Colour Challenge
Allsorts Challenge - A Passion for Flowers 
Fussy & Fancy Friday - Vintage
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Ribbon Theme

Hope you like this; it is always good to read your comments. Pin It Now!

A Girly Card In Peaches & Greens .....and some news that's a real tonic!

I have some news which I'm very thrilled about.  Last week I was contacted by the great craft tool specialists, Tonic Studios, and asked if I would showcase some of their products.  The answer to that would be a resounding "Yes!", they produce fantastic crafting tools and accessories, which are a pleasure to use.

So this week's card is my first project using some of the lovely Tonic Studios tools, and is a very girly card in peaches and greens, especially for the new Make It Girly challenge over at an Oldie But A Goodie Challenge, I hope you'll pop over and join in too!

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Crafter’s Companion
Colouring Mediums: Memento London Fog, Promarker Pens
Paper & Card: Tonic Studios Butterflies Beautiful, Silver texture card from stash
Tools: Spellbinders, Grand Calibur, Tonic Studios:- Daisy Circle Die, Large Butterfly Gift Tag, Petal Pairs Box Set 1, Simplicity Daisy Border 2 Punch, Simplicity Butterfly Strip Punch
Embellishments: Seam Binding, hand-made beaded Hat Pins, crystals, pearls, felt

To make this card, I punched a decorative edge using Simplicity Daisy Border 2 Punch along the short edge of my base card. I then punched a co-ordinating strip from the double-sided patterned Tonic Studios Butterflies Beautiful casrdstock stack and adhered it to the base. I layered the reverse of the Butterflies Beautiful patterned card onto a mat of silver textured card, and stitched this to the decorative front, before embellishing with flatback pearls and seam binding.

If you like the hatpins, take a look at my Creating Hatpins Tutorial, they are so easy to make, but be warned, creating pretty hatpins can become addictive!





The main image is a new Crafter’s Companion Frou Frou Girls stamp and I coloured this by matching my Pro-Marker colours to the colours in my patterned cardstock. I added 3D gloss to the table top.

For me, the test of a good die is whether it can handle fabric as well as cardstock. The Daisy Circle die cut my peach coloured felt like a dream and it retained all the detail including the tiny little punched holes. I was even able to use the “bits” by adding the some of the tiny punched out daisies as accents to the finished card.

I also used the gorgeous Large Butterfly Gift Tag. The base layer is cut from the co-ordinating cardstock blanks that come with the die, which I’ve coloured with Pro-markers. I then cut the Butterfly element again in patterned cardstock, snipped this out of the tag, layered this on and added some lovely crystals..

I do like to add flowers as a finishing touch to my cards, and this time I was able to co-ordinate with the patterned cardstock by using Tonic’s Petal Pairs Box Set 1. My flowers were created using 3 layers in alternating colours of the double-sided cardstock.

My border was created using Simplicity Butterfly Strip Punch.  It can be tricky sticking down a detailed cut-out border such as this one, but it was so easy using Scrapbook Adhesive 12" sheets.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Crafters Companion - Flowers
CountryViewCrafts - Butterflies
Pretty Little Ribbon - Spring is in the Air
Simply Create Too - Use Your Stash

Hope you like this; please do leave a comment, I love to read them! Pin It Now!

Card Presentation Box with Lid Tutorial

This tutorial shows you how to make a presentation box for a card. It makes a double-walled base and a single-walled lid, which makes a stronger box more suited for sending through the post. You also need to make sure that you use a heavy-weight card for box making. I use a 550gsm white box board for the base and use a decorative card such as 290gsm Stardream for the lid

First, you need to measure your card to work out what size to cut your box base and box lid. Your base needs to be card size plus 6.9mm and your base lid needs to be card size plus 3.2mm. 

  For example, if your card is 15cm x 15cm, then you will cut the following:
Card Base = (15+6.9) x (15+6.9) = 21.9cm x 21.9cm
Card Lid = (15+3.2) x (15+3.2) = 18.2cm x 18.2cm
This will make a box base that is 15.5cm x 15.5cm x 2cm and a box lid that is 15.8cm x 15.8 cm x 1.2cm.

 

This also works for rectangles, for example if your card is 21cm x 14.9cm, then you will cut the following:
Card Base = (21+6.9) x (14.9+6.9) = 27.9cm x 21.8cm
Card Lid = (21+3.2) x (14.9+3.2) = 24.2cm x 18.1cm

Having cut your card base and card lid materials to size, you will need to score them. I find this easier using a trimmer fitted with a scoring blade, but if you are using a scoreboard, you may need to mark your measurements in pencil on the inside of the cardstock to see where to score. You are going to score the base twice along each edge but the lid once along each edge.

Starting with the box base, score each side at 1.2cm and 3.2cm from the edge. With the box lid, score each side 1.2cm from the edge. Trim each corner as shown (for the base).

Now use a bone folder to firmly crease each score line.

You are ready to start sticking your box base together. To achieve a lasting result, you need to use a wet glue, NOT sticky tape (not even super sticky tape). Firstly, apply a dab of glue to the back of each tab (as arrowed in picture below) and stick together all four corners. It helps to hold the sticky tab in place for about 30secs for the glue to grab. Do this for all four corners. Your lid will now be complete but there is an extra step for the base, as it is double-walled.

For the base, apply a thin layer of glue along the inside of the top tab. Use your bone folding tool to press this tab down. Don’t panic, it won’t stick immediately. Just keep pressing down and along with your bone folder until the glue “grabs”. Repeat along each side.

Leave your base and lid to dry for 30mins, then it is ready to use.

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