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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Vintage Lace Christmas Cracker Place Settings

It's Christmas in July over here at DipsDesigns and this week's blog uses the fabulous Tonic Christmas Cracker Die to make Vintage Lace Christmas Cracker Place Settings.  This it the sort of project that you can start now, and then come Christmas Day, everyone will think you are a SuperStar with your gorgeous, bespoke Christmas table settings!

Project Recipe:

Stamp: Crafter's Companion

Colouring Mediums: Promarker & Flexmarker Pens, Fluid Chalk Ink, Memento Ink

Paper & Card: Glitter Card, PaperCraft4You, Neenah Stamping Card
Tools: Tonic Studios Christmas Cracker Die, Star Box Die, Butterflies Beautiful Dies, Crafts-Too Embossing Folder, Martha Stewart Score Board, Grand Calibur

Embellishments: Rhinestone crystals, glitter, double satin ribbon, lace

I used my Tonic Studios to make the cracker but I extended the die to make a longer cracker - you can see how I did this on my blog for Tonic Studios here. 

To make the topper, I stamped the pretty little holly sprig from a great set of A-May-Zing Christmas Stamps from Crafter's Companion twice onto Neenah Stamping Card and coloured with Christmas 2012 Limited Edition Promarkers, before washing the whole tag with Antique White Flexmaker Pen. Finally, I cut out the holly leaves fromone image to decoupage on the other, before adding some sparkling crystals as berries.  To make the cracker into a place setting, from my computer, I printed "Mum" out in a pretty font in pink ink onto a tiny banner die cut, also washed with Antique White Flexmaker Pen.


I used my Tonic Christmas Star Box die, but once again, cut off the tabs and then used my Martha Stewart scoreboard to crease the star so that I could fancy-fold it.  I glittered the edge with a quicky glue pen and Martha Stewart glitters.  Finally, I cut a 3.5cmx30.5cm strip of patterned paper and scored it every 0.5cm, concertina folded it and made a rosette from it before putting all the elements together.

To make the cracker, I cut strips of polka dot patterned paper and embossed them through a Crafts-Too polka dot embossing folder.  I then trimmed the ends with a pretty cotton lace and pink double satin ribbon.

Hope you've enjoyed this little festive post for Christmas in July, Seasons Greetings to all my blog readers - Ho Ho Ho!

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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.

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Damask Diva - Shaking her tail feathers!

Oh-La-La – this is a very theatrical card for a work colleague who is involved in Amateur Dramatics! There are lots of layers creating texture and, I hope, interest.

Card Recipe:

Stamp: Kanban
Colouring Mediums: Brilliance Black Pigment Ink, Promarker Pens
Paper & Card: DCWV, Centura Pearl Ivory, Stardream Black, Neenah stamping card
Tools: Silhouette Cameo, Spellbinders, BigShot Pro, The Crafter’s Workshop Mask
Embellishments: Feathers, Mulberry Gardenia, Cherry Blossoms & Rose Bud flowers, Satin Edge Sheer Ribbon 25mm, hand-made beaded Hat Pin, Crystals


I started this card making good use of my Silhouette Cameo; I made the A4 shaped card base (this is one of my favourite techniques now I have the extra long cutting mat) from Black stardream card along with the scroll frame and key. I used the mat tool to cut mats for the scroll and key from centura pearl, and I then embossed both of these in my Big Shot Pro with a 12” Crafter’s Workshop Mask.

My image is from Kanban’s Damask Divas stamp set and is one that I really love, stamped in Brilliance Black and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I couloured the main image with Promarkers, but I also stamped the bodice onto an offcut of flocked DCWV card and cut this out. To this, I then attached a fibre thread as the lacing and black feathers at the base, then mounted the bodice to my main image. I cannot lie, this was very fiddly to do, but I was pleased with the effect!


To ensemble, I mounted the scroll frame and scroll key onto their respective embossed mats and decorated with rhinestone crystals. I threaded a lovely wide cream satin edge sheer ribbon around the card base, and mounted up all the layers. The stamped image was mounted onto the paper-pieced mat, and this was mounted onto the card, ensuring that the picot edge ribbon on the mat aligned with the same ribbon on the card. The card was finished with mulberry flowers, a hand-made hat pin and ribbon bow.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge - Girls, girls, girls


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