A late start to 2012......Get Well Dad

Oh my.....it's been a while!
Card making and all things crafty have taken a back seat unfortunately since Christmas due to work commitments, but none the less I thought it was time to at least post.... something.  Although, I've not had the time to sit and craft for endless hours, I've been making the odd creation here and there for family and friends so here goes......my first post of 2012!

Dad was admitted to hospital earlier in the year for a heart valve replacement and this is the card I made him.  Being an avid ornithologist (or bird-watcher to the rest of us) I thought it was very appropriate.

The paper and card was from a random selection purchased on Ebay a while back.  The digi-stamp was from Meljen Designs and is called Garden Bird House.  I coloured this using Promarkers and then added a decoupage effect by creating a second layer for the birds, bird house roof and two of the flowers.  The ribbon and buttons were from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Christmas Humphrey - Make a wish

I'm just loving the Humphrey decoupage sheets that I bought the other day by Crafters Companion.  This is my second creation and I decided to have a change from the usual red and green and instead match up the colours in the decoupage.

I've used lightweight card from my stash and the blue swirly paper is downloadable from Shabby Princess.  This is from the 'Holiday Magic' collection.  I've used my Martha Stewart scallop punch and the ribbon and stars were also from my stash.  I thought the sentiment was a lovely match to the picture and this is from my Daisy & Dandelion collection.  The decoupage image has been finished with varnish.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Christmas with Humphrey

Sorry no cards for a few days, had to make the most of the glorious weather while it lasted :)

I saw some lovely Humphrey decoupage sheets from Crafters Companion on Ebay last week so just had to give them a try.  It felt a bit weird creating Christmas cards while the temperature was in the high 20's but I still enjoyed it none the less :).

The decoupage sheets were diecut so extremely easy to use.  Again, I've used my Dovecraft Jolly Christmas papers for backing and used stamps from Daisy & Dandelion for the sentiment and snowflakes.  The bow was from my stash and I've finished the decoupage with clear decoupage varnish.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes, Ribbon

Crafts 4 Eternity - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by! x

A Pepper fireside scene

I don't know about you but I just love the 'Pepper and Friends' range by Trimcraft.  There's a lovely Christmas Party edition of the range and there's plenty of papers, decoupage and stamps etc available on Ebay.  I ordered some of the 8 x 8 papers and a small pack of the decoupage sheets and was really impressed with the quality.  Many of the papers have a lovely glittery finish and there are some lovely designs.

I think the layout is pretty self explanatory but I've used a sentiment stamp from my Daisy and Dandelion stamps to make the finishing touch.

The decoupage sheets were pre-cut which always makes things easier.  I always use an old nail file to gently sand around the edges of each layer, this just helps to remove any jagged bits from where they were attached to the main sheet.

Thanks for stopping by! x

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

Creative Inspirations - #129 Anything Goes

Bearly Mine Challenges - #19 Button It Up

Cardmaking

I took up the hobby of cardmaking a couple of months ago and am now completely hooked!  My initial plan was to try scrapbooking but seeing as I had all the bits and bobs I thought I'd throw a few cards together and I'm now much more into this then I ever thought I would be.

I have an odd afternoon every now and then, surrounded by all my crafting kit and find it really therapeutic.  A's took an interest too and has had lots of fun also making cards.  I wasn't the most creative person when I first started out but with a bit of practice and a little help from various magazines and websites, I can see my cards are slowly getting more creative.

The only problem is, there are so many crafting goodies on the market to choose from you can end up spending a fortune!  You really have to sit down and think about the kind of craft technique you want to use and then look at which tools/gadgets would be most useful.

Many of the cards I've made so far have been decoupage.  This is a method of layering images which then gives you a 3D effect.  This can be very time consuming as most of the decoupage creations I've made have been cut out by hand.  The Beatrix Potter ones in particular were tricky (especially Jeremy Fisher!) as the figures were quite intricate.  My masterpiece so far has to be the decoupage Owl card I made for A's Brownie leaders when she finished back in the Summer (picture to follow soon!).  Of course you can cheat and buy the pre-cut decoupage sheets which make life so much easier, but somehow not quite the same sense of achievement.

Hope you like a few pics of my handiwork so far :)

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