Cardstock - My Recommendations

Hello, my name is Dips and I'm a cardstock addict!  When I explain that the picture below is of my current stash of plain A3 cardstock, perhaps you'll understand!

And the above is the slimmed down version - I used to have twice as much as this!

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Sneak Peek - Tonic Studios Elegant Vine Square & Bauble Tag Die

HoHoHo - would you like to see what Santa's delivered early to Tonic Studios Towers? It's their new Elegant Vine Square Die Set which I've used with Bauble Tag Die, combined with the Antique Frame Tag Die.  

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Joanna Sheen House Mouse, Kanban
Colouring Mediums: Promarker Pens, VersaMark, Encore Metallic Ink Pad, Peebles Inc Chalks
Paper & Card: Stardream, HOTP, Mirror, Glitter
Tools: Tonic Studios Elegant Vine Square Die Se, Bauble Tag Die, Antique Frame Tag Die,  Grand Calibur
Embellishments: Sheer Ribbon, Crystal Button, Jingle Bell,  crystal beads, pearls, pins, brads, eyelet

As I've admitted previously, I'm not really a Clean & Simple (CAS) card-maker, I really enjoy using lots of different techniques and effects on my cards, and this one includes the following (can you spot them all?): 

Paper piecing ● Ribbon threading ● Stitching ● Dry Embossing ● Stamping (digital and traditional)●  Manual Die Cutting ●  Eyelet Setting ●  Masking ●  Accenting ●  Decoupage ●  and (of course) Hat Pin Making!

So let's have a closer look at some of these.  To create the focal point, I used a Joanna Sheen Digi-stamp which I resized to fit onto my tag.  I printed the image out three times, twice onto Elegance Satin stamping card and once onto a small piece of patterned HOTP paper. I coloured the image in with Promarker pens, decoupaged the mouse, then cut out and paper-pieced the ribbon from the patterned paper.  Then, I masked the image, chalked the tag with shimmery Peebles Inc chalks and rubber stamped small snowflakes all over the background using the gorgeously rich Encore Metallic ink pad in purple.  Finally, I printed the Merry Christmas sentiment onto an offcut of stardream card, with I die cut using the tag element from Antique Frame Tag die set.  The tag has been mounted onto the new Tonic Studios Elegant Vine Square, and I used a craft knife to cut into each side of the tag so that I could thread my sheer ribbon through it.

Do you like my bling-tastic ribbon embellishment charm? I've had some glittery Jingle Bells in my stash for ages, and I attached one to the crystal button using jump rings before stitching it to the ribbon bow.  I made the hatpins myself and if you'd like to have a go, take a look at my Tutorial on More Decorative Hatpins.

I love to know who's visited my blog, so why not leave a comment and tell me what you think of this card, it would be much appreciated!

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A Tribute to Kanban - Betsie Bob Cute Girl

I was very sad to learn that one of my favourite UK craft companies, Kanban, has gone into Administration and will be closing down.  Like many UK card makers, Kanban has featured frequently in my craft room purchases.  Kanban are best known for their lovely cardstock and card-topper kits.  However, I am also a really big fan of their range of acrylic stamps and you will find many varied examples of these on my blog, just click on Kanban Stamps in my labels list.  So today's card is a tribute to Kanban, and my thoughts are with all those at Kanban during these troubling times.

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Kanban Betsie Bob Cute Girls
Colouring Mediums: Memento Ink Pad London Fog, Promarker Pens
Paper & Card: Laura Ashley paper pad, Stardream, Hammered, Elegance Satin
Tools: Spellbinders, Grand Calibur,
Embellishments: May Art Floral Vine ribbon, Lace, hand-made pearl Hat Pins, metal corner, mulberry flowers, crystal glitter

I stamped my image with Momento London Fog and coloured with Spring Edition 2012 pro-marker pens.  I rounded the corners of the image and highlighted the edge with a glue pen and crystal glitter.
The card base was cut from a warm yellow hammered cardstock that I had in my stash.  The mounts were cut from stardream card using Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles.  The vertical panel tucked behind the stamped image was created by cutting the largest Romantic Rectangle in half, adding a pretty Laura Ashley paper and then accenting with some Laura Ashley flock rub-ons that I've had in my stash for years.  They are a bit fiddly to use but give a lovely result.   You can just see one in the bottom left of this photo.

To finish the card, I used a glue pen and crystal glitter around the edge of the card to echo the glitter on the stamped image. I trimmed the card with some lucious May Art Floral Vine sheer ribbon which is trimmed with sheer flowers with pearl centres (unbelievably gorgeous), cotton lace, mulberry paper flowers and my own hand made pearl decorative hat pins.
  I love to read your comments, they are a highlight of my day, so do let me know what you think of this or if you have any questions.  Thank You! Pin It Now!

New Baby Girl Card

If you already seen my NewBaby Girl Cookies post below this one, you’ll know that I became an Aunty at the weekend to the lovely Lucia Isabella.  So this week’s card just had to be the card I made to celebrate her arrival into the world! 

Card Recipe:

Stamp: QVC

Colouring Mediums: Memento Rich Cocoa, Promarker Pens

Paper & Card: Melissa Frances, Elegance Satin,

Tools: Spellbinders, Sizzlit, Grand Calibur

Embellishments: Lace, hand-made Pearl & Crystal Hat Pin, mulberry flowers, pearl swirls, baby shoe charm, ribbon charm, silky crush ribbon

This card shows that you do need to dig about in your long-not-used stash when a new occasion presents itself!  As I don’t go in for much “cute” with my cards, I was struggling to find a stamp suitable for a new baby.  However, I looked in my craft over-flow cupboard where I keep the stash that I no longer use and found a set of naïve stamps that I bought from QVC when I first started rubber stamping.  Within was this cute teddy, just perfect for our new little star!

So I stamped image onto Joanna Sheen’s Elegance Satin cardstock using Memento ink in Rich Cocoa.  This was coloured in with Promarkers and then I accented the image with glue pen , crystal glitter and rhinestones.  I cut it out with Spellbinders basic circle and lightly coloured the debossed edge with pink to achieve a faux mat. This was then mounted onto Spellbinders Vintage Lace motif, from which I hung a little baby shoe charm.  

The paper is from Melissa Frances, which has also been in my craft room for some time!  To finish, I added die-cut Vintage Lace corners and a die-cut heart, accented with glitter and rhinestones.  On went my mulberry paper flowers, handmade hatpin (see my tutorial on how to make hatpins) and a ribbon charm which I altered with Promarkers to emphasising the wording.  I do love a lot of detail, and hope you do too!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Country View Cards - Pick & Mix

LEJ Designs - For a Lovely (little!) Lady

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - Swirls and Lace

I love to read your comments, so if you have enjoyed looking at this card (or even if you haven’t), do leave a comment, I do appreciate it!

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Lavender & Lace

Lavender and Lilac colours are my absolute favourites and this card is my June birthday card for a Birthday Card Swap that I run, so I hope it is well received.

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Rubber Stampede
Colouring Mediums: Memento London Fog, Promarker Pens
Paper & Card: K & Company, Stardream, Nenaah
Tools: Martha Stewart Punches, Sizzlit, Quickutz, Big Shot
Embellishments: Lace, hand-made lace flower, handmade felt heart motif, hand-made Pearl & Crystal Hat Pins, mulberry flowers

To make the card base I punched “around the page” using a Martha Stewart PAP set and inked the edges. Onto this I mounted a background page from K & Company, and used a second page to cut out the butterfly and hydrangea to decoupage up.

I stamped the Rubber Stampede Lavender image onto Joanna Sheen's Elegance Satin cardstock using Memento ink in London Fog, which gives a softer result that using black. This was coloured in with Promarkers and then I hand-stitched the border with a lavender glitter-metallic fibre.

And so to the element that is so my style: lots of hand-made embellishments! On this card, they include:

• Hand-pleated, delicate lace border on the stamped image
• Hand-made felt heart motif, cut using sizzlit dies primitive heart and embellished with mother of pearl buttons, satin ribbon and hand stitching
• Hand-made lace flower
• Hand-made butterfly hat-pin with bicone beads

To finish, I added die-cut flourishes, my decoupage flowers and butterfly, all embellished with flat-back pearls and crystals. On went my lace flower, mulberry paper flowers, felt heart motif and hatpins. I do love a lot of detail, and hope you do too!

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Ship Ahoy!

With Father’s Day fast approaching, I thought I would share my card for my dear Dad. Now my Poppy will actually be arriving in New York on the Queen Mary2 on Father’s Day (that’s the way to spend Father’s Day in my book, just wish I was there too) so a nautical theme seemed appropriate!

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Kanban
Colouring Mediums: Memento Ink Paris Dusk, Promarker Pens, white gel pen
Paper & Card: Deni Mechelle Design for PaperWhite, Elegance Satin


Tools: Spellbinders, BigShot, Martha Stewart Punch, Tim Holtz RulerEmbellishments: Raffia, miniature bottle, starfish, shells, sand

I stamped the Kanban Stamp nautical image in Memento Ink Paris Dusk onto Elegance Satin card and coloured in with Promarker Pens. I then cut the image out with a spellbinders circle die but with 2 sections coming outside the die. This was mounted onto a spellbinders scallop circle, which I then doodled a faux-stitched effect to the outer edge with white gel pen.However my needle and thread came out for real when I hand-stitched the background textured pearl card. The larger mat had one edge punched with Martha Stewart Bubbles punch to compoliment the nautical theme.

I had the perfect papers in my stash for this card, a series of nautical designs by Deni Michelle for PaperWhite.

To finish the card off, I added a “Happy Father’s Day” message to the miniature bottle (an Ebay find) part filled with sand from Dunelm Mill. The shells were also from Dunelm Mill and the starfish was also in my stash along with my raffia.


Hope you like this; do leave a comment if this has pleased you. Pin It Now!

Dressed In Roses Card

Today’s card features my Dressed In Roses stamp from Hampton Art Stamps, which is such a lovely fresh and summery image. The colour theme of the card was inspired by the pretty Sangria Afterglow Floral papers from Karen Neuburger which coordinated perfectly with my all time favourite Präsent cherry blossom woven ribbon.

More often than not, a card from me has to have a beaded hat pin and this card was no different, and this one combines pearls, crystals and tumbled beads. The frosted flowers are also a favourite, with their beaded stamens. The swirly flourishes (quickutz) are embellished with pink crystals - yum!

Card Recipe:

Stamp: Hampton Art Stamps Dressed in Roses

Colouring Mediums: Promarker Pens, ColorBox Cat's Eye Fluid Chalk Ink

Paper & Card: Paper Adventures Karen Neuburger Sangria Afterglow Floral, Stardream Serpentine, Elegance Satin
Tools: Spellbinders, Quickutz, Crafters Companion

Embellishments: Präsent ribbon, hand-made beaded Hat Pins, crystals, mulberry cherry blossoms, beaded frosted acrylic flowers, Dovecraft gem brad.

Please do let me know what you think, I love to read your comments.

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Party Presents Mice Birthday Card

Spring is definitely in the air today and must have influenced my colour choices for this super-cute Party Presents Mice Card.

The background papers are Fresh Print Blue Raspberry by Déjà Views and I think they certainly are fresh.  I’ve used double satin ribbon to accent the Crochet Lace Trim (by May Road) and narrow double satin on some of the buttons

The stamp is by Lili of the Valley, I really love Mice stamps and have quite a collection.  This was the first time I’ve used this image and it is stamped with a Rich Cocoa Momento pad onto Elegance Satin

and coloured using, what else, Promarkers.

The main image and greeting have been die-cut using spellbinders, and the background lattice is using a Martha Stewart deep border punch.

Thank you for looking!

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