A Poinsettia's For Life, not Just for Christmas - Version 2!

I hope everyone had an excellent Christmas, with lots of crafting goodies?  No doubt, with Christmas over, you're about to put away your Christmas crafty goodies for another year. However, don't be too quick to pack them all away.  I said this last year and I'll say it again, A Poinsettia's For Life, not Just for Christmas!  Look how I've used a PSX Poinsettia Stamp for a Get Well Card, instead of a Christmas Card.
Card Recipe:
Stamp: PSX
Colouring Mediums: Memento London Fog, Promarkers
Paper and Card: Oyster plain card, HOTP, Satin Elegance
Tools: Tonic Studios Indulgence Boudoir Square,Verso Holly Rings, 10mm Corner Rounder, Super Trimmer, Grand Calibur 
Embellishments: lace, double satin ribbon, flatback pearls, crystal button, hand-made hatpins

This card uses a "stamp outside the frame" die-cut technique, as well as decoupage.  I stamped my image twice onto Satin Elegance stamping card with Memento ink, leaving plenty of space around the first image.  I coloured them both in with Promarker pens, fully colouring the first image but on the second only the poinsettias.  I fussy-cut out the poinsettias as a decoupage layer to add dimension to my card.

This is the first time I've used my Indulgence Boudoir Square die to create the lovely trellis mat detail.  I defy anyone to use this die and not be over-whelmed by the urge to add flat-back gems.  As this was a Get Well Soon card, I didn't want it to be too bling-y, so I used some lovely flat-back pearls this time.

My sentiment was computer generated and die cut with a label tag, then washed over with a Fresh Meadow Promarker pen, from the 2012 Special Edition set.

However, a little bit of sparkle always adds some cheer if you're feeling under the weather, and this crystal button sure does add some sparkle.

I've had these little bronze flower beads for ages but this is their first outing, and they work perfectly to tie the hatpins into the colour-scheme of the card.

If you'd like to see the original version of A Poinsettia's for Life, Not Just for Christmas, click here.

Please do leave me a comment, I love to know who's visited this page and what you think! Pin It Now!

Football Men's 70th Birthday Card

This week's card combines a Men's Football 70th Birthday card with a review of the new Loopy Lace Verso Die Set and Punch from Tonic Studio's.

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Crafter's Companion
Tools: Tonic Studios Loopy Lace Die Se, Loopy Lace Border, Grand Calibur, Cameo Silhouette
Colouring Mediums: Promarker Pens, Momento Ink Pads, Versamark
Paper and Card: HOTP, Neenah, Stardream
Embellishments: Buttons, Metal Corners, Pearl Gold Embossing Powder

Despite this die set being named Loopy Lace, I actually don't think that it's overly froufrou or feminine, so I've used it on a Men's Birthday card (which I find can be a bit tricksy, don't know about you?).

The largest die in the Loopy Lace Die set is approx 11.5cm x 14.5cm, the perfect size to be a frame for many stamped images.  So if like me, you love to stamp your card's focal point, then this die set will prove to be very useful.  I cut the oval of stamping card using my Cameo Silhouette, so was able to create the perfect match for my die cut frame.

This birthday card was a commission for a 70th Birthday Card for an ex-West Ham footballer.  I wanted a football themed image but something a bit fun, not just a football shirt or boots, and Crafter's Companion's Popcorn Bear fitted the bill perfectly!  It has been stamped onto Neenah cardstock and coloured with Promarker Pens.  I also 3D- decoupaged the football, so it looks like it's in-flight.

The medium size die makes a super frame for a sentiment or message, and makes a lovely change from a scalloped circle! And the coordinating border punch is so easy to line up, as per usual from Tonic.  Here I've punched along the top and bottom of an offcut of Startdream cardstock.  You can also see here clearly the difference in result from die cutting (which also gives an embossed finish) and punches (which give a flat finish).  

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the 70 from claret coloured cardstock from my stash.

I don't have a lot of gold-tone embellishments in my stash (and by not a lot, I think I mean none!) - but I wanted something to "finish" the corners of this card.  So I took some white metal star corners, dabbed them with Versamark ink, covered them in pearl gold embossing powder and heat set them (be careful if you do this too, the metal gets very hot under the heat gun, so I did this on my Tonic Glass Mat and left it to cool for a good 5 mins before touching them).  It needed two layers of pearl gold embossing powder to completely hide the underneath colour, but I like the old-gold finish - not too glitzy.



Here's one final peek, I think Tonic Studios have "hit the back of the net" with this lovely die set!

Thank you for visiting and Happy Crafting! Pin It Now!

Poker Face Saucy Birthday Card

As soon as I saw this Poker Face Stamp, I knew I had exactly the right embellishments and papers to go with it (from a very old Kanban Men's Kit that I had unused in my stash). So, this mixture of old and new made the perfect match for my fortnightly Design Team card for An Oldie But  A Goodie Challenge and I couldn't wait to use it.  This fortnight our theme has been chosen by the lovely Helen, so get your needles primed, as the theme is Stitching. 

 

 

Card Recipe: 
Stamp: Crafter's Companion Frou Frou Poker Face
Colouring Mediums: Memento Black Ink Pad, Antique Linen Distress Ink Pad, Promarker Pens
Paper & Card: HOTP, Neenah, Stardream, Kanban, Linen
Tools: Tonic Studios Love Birds & Scrolls Die Set, Tonic Studios Doily Strip Punch, Grand Calibur

Embellishments: Double Satin Ribbon, Glossy Accents, Kanban die cuts, Bramwells Crafter's Cord

 

To make this card, I stamped the main image twice onto Neenah Classic stamping card, but I also stamped the pouffe onto a piece of HOTP striped paper.  I cut this out and layered it over my base image.  Then I decoupaged the lady over the top of both layers.  The image is, of course, coloured with Promarkers, and then I distressed around the image with Antique Linen ink pad.

I printed the birthday sentiment and the Oscar Wilde quote out from my computer, and mounted the former onto the Scroll die cut from the Tonic Love Birds & Scrolls Die, and the latter onto one of the card die cuts from my Kanban playing cards topper sheet.

I stitched around both main mat layers with using my Tim Holtz Pricking Ruler and Bramwells metallic Crafter's Cord.  I also used the versatile Love Birds Die Set for the scalloped heart tucked behind the main image.  After I had die cut it from red linen cardstock, I used a craft knife to trim away the love birds to reveal a lovely heart.  You may just be able to see that I accented the embossed heart at the top with glossy accents.

I choose my colour scheme to co-ordinate with the Kanban Playing Card backing paper, a very sassy Red Linen cardstock and a hot, summery Gold Stardream pearlescent card.

Please pop over to the main Oldie But A Goodie Challenge Blog to check out the gorgeous inspiration from my lovely DT buddies. To enter the challenge yourself, you can make anything you like Card, ATC, L/O etc as long as it fits in with the theme and that you use something on your project that is over 6 months old.  My "oldies" are all my paper and card stock, colouring mediums,  ribbon and thread.  I'm sure you've also got lots of stash to use up too!

Challenges I would like to enter are:
Crafts & Me - Something Old (Everything apart from Dies and stamp are over 6 months old)

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

 

Thanks for popping by to see me today - you are always welcome - and I always look forward to reading any comments you may leave.

Pin It Now!