Pearly Thank You

Hi All,

Another day, another card!  I really should be making wedding invites but this just came to me last night and I had to make it there and then.  It's another Spellbinders card and I have used kraft cardstock again. 

After pink, turquoise is definitely my next favourite colour.  The turquoise colour on this card is from Coredinations cardstock.  I stared with an 8x8 piece and attached to my card blank with double sided sticky tape.  My main layer is kraft cardstock which I embossed with an Embossalicious embossing folder that I had inked with Versamark on the debossed side.  I ran it through the Grand Calibur and then covered in white embossing powder before heating with my heat tool.  I inked around the edge with Broken China Distress Ink from Tim Holtz.  My ribbon is Creative Expressions Silky Crush in gold and Ribbon Kings sheer ribbon in turquoise. 

I used the Spellbinders Grand Decorative Ovals for my base topper and inked again with the DI.  The pearls, from Creative Expressions, were all in one but I cut in half and then added on top.  I used the Spellbinders Standard Ovals Large in Coredinations and kraft for the next layers and stamped the same Thank You sentiment stamp in Broken China again.

I hope you have lovely plans for the weekend.  I'm sure it'll be Monday before we know it!

Happy crafting,
Rachel x

Love is like a butterfly...

Hello Crafters,

I have a Spellbinders card for you tonight.  I luuuurve Spellbinders!  It's the Pick of the Day on Create and Craft and Ideal World tonight/tomorrow but would you believe it I have them all!  Well, nearly all of them!

For this card, I started with some purple pearlescent card and embossed it with the Ornamental Iron M-Bossability folder.  I managed to extend the pattern by placing the folder over the edge of the plates on the second embossing run.

I used a Debbi Moore stamp and then cut it out with Spellbinders Beaded Squares.  I inked through the die with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Dusty Concord.  This is the first time I've used my proper blending tool and it was a doddle!

I cut two squares, one black and one silver mirri-paper with my flimsy knock-off dies - that'll teach me!  The ribbon is also from Creative Expressions.  The butterfly is another Spellbinder and came from the Wings of Hope set.
 

I really do love using Spellbinders and can't wait to see what will make it onto my next card.  Hope you are all enjoying crafty days.

Happy crafting,
Rachel x

Les Papillion Birthday

Hi All,

Hope you have been enjoying your Saturday.  We've had a very sunny day but I've been enjoying it in my craft corner!  I have a card made with the new Spellbinders for you today.  I just couldn't resist the wonderful dies and had them ordered within about 3 minutes!  Create and Craft will be the financial ruin of me!  Did anyone else take the plunge and order them too?

I love the new butterfly dies called Les Papillion and knew these would have to feature on my first card.  I started by matting and layering the pink pearlescent and gold cardstock.  My embossed cardstock was made using the Elegance M-Bossability folder from Spellbinders.  My border strips are from the Asian Accents set.  I used Scalloped Labels One for underneath my butterfly.  I cut the top layer of the butterfly from the Spellbinders packaging and actually passed it through the Grand Calibur about 30 times.  Unfortunately, due to the intricacy of the die it just wouldn't quite cut through.  So out came the old fashioned technique of cutting with scissors!  I attached with Pinflair Glue Gel.

The sentiment stamp is from Create and Craft and layered onto Fancy Framed Tags One.  These really need to be cut with greaseproof paper.  I ended up ripping three just by not using this technique. 

Have any of you got crafty plans for tomorrow?  I'm hoping to work on a Fab'n'Funky challenge idea but I'll keep that one under wraps until Wednesday!

Happy crafting,
Rachel x

Fab'n'Funky Challenges #131 - No Stamped Images

Hello Crafty Friends,

We loved your handmade flower projects last week - a great variety.  Check out the Fab'n'Funky Challenges blog to see if we picked you as our lucky winner.  The Top 3 have also been posted.  Don't forget to grab those badges too.

I had better get cracking with this week's challenge.  The talented Ginny is our host and she has chosen a clever challenge...

No Stamped Images

I kept going to reach for my stamps and then realised that I wasn't allowed!  In the end I created a Spellbinders card.  Not quite up to Sue Wilson standard yet but I do love checking out her inspirational blog. 

Our sponsor this week is Joanna Sheen.  The lucky challenge winner will receive a £10 gift token to the Joanna Sheen store. 

I began by printing out my patterned snowflake paper from the Debbi Moore Shabby Chic Christmas CD-ROM.  There are loads of great papers on this CD so it was hard to choose which one to print first!

My card blank was made with Spellbinders Grand Labels Eleven.  I also cut the base layer with this Label but used the next size down.  The next layer is silver mirri-board cut using Spellbinders Labels Twenty.  I topped this with the Cheery Lynn Frency Pastry die in the DM paper.  This is the first time I've used a Cheery Lynn die and was really impressed with them.  I have another die that I bought at the same time but I'll keep that one for another time!

My snowflakes were also Spellbinders and I used 2011 and 2012 Snowflake Pendants.  I attached these with either foam pads or Cosmic Shimmer dries clear glue from Creative Expressions.  I added a silver pearl to the middle with the silver Cosmic Shimmer glue.  This is also how I made the pearls around the edge.

Don't forget to check out the other DT members' creations.  Can't wait to see what you come up with for our challenge.

Happy crafting,

Rachel x

First Christmas Card of 2012

Yes, you read right!  I've started my Christmas crafting very early this year.  Well, early for me.  Last year I was still sticking things together on Christmas Eve!  Although I did have a half finished kitchen in my living room where I craft!


Enough of my babbling and on to the card itself...

I've started with a 8" scalloped card this year.  I used Nigel May's A-May-Zing Craft Into Christmas CD-ROM to print the backing paper, ribbon border, topper and sentiment.  Nigel produced the CD in conjunction with Crafter's Companion and it really is a must have for your Christmas projects.  I printed off about 10 sheets and then remembered that I had only looked at the first CD!  Brilliant!

I covered my card blank with the blue snowflake paper and then cut around the scallops with a craft knife on a glass cutting mat.  I added my ribbon border with a tape runner and then trimmed the edges.  The topper is mounted on a piece of Cor'dinations cardstock that I cut with a square die and my Grand Calibur.  You can't really tell from the photo but I have also decoupaged my snowman with foam pads.  My sentiment is mounted onto the same green Cor'dinations cardstock.

The snowflakes came from Spellbinders Create-A-Flake Three, Create-A-Flake Four and 2012 Snowflake Pendant.  I added glitter with my Quickie Glue pen and used MCS ultra fine glitter. 

I'm not sure that this photo really shows up the glitter but I added a little to each snowflake.  To finish off I added some faux stitching around the edge of the scallops with a black fine liner pen.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

1.  Charisma Card Challenges #25 - Anything Goes
2.  Incy Wincy Designs - Anything Goes

3.  Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #192 – Christmas
4.  Tammy's Scrapin Corner #16 - Anything Goes

Happy Christmas crafting,

Rachel