A Twenties Feel...

Happy Tuesday,

Todays card has a really simple feel which, to me at least, also have an art deco 1920's feel to it!  I love the combination of the vintage silver against the black.

I started by die cutting Sue's tethered hearts striplet die, without the outside cutting edge, into Vintage silver foundation card.  I then, simply (sorry Maggie for using that word!) foam mounted the piece over black card stock.  The remainder is just a little matting and layering and the sentiment panel.  I made this by stamping an old Creative Expressions sentiment onto black card with perfect medium then embossing it in detail silver powder onto black card.  I cut it out using the centre panel form the Austrian collection background die.  I mounted this over a hand cut mat of the same silver.

To finish off i added a few black perfect pearls from Ranger around and finished.

Ingredients:
Sue Wilson Tethered Hearts striplet Die
Austrian collection background die
Vintage silver and Black foundation card.


Enjoy...

Gilded Screen...

Happy Monday,

Yesterdays post went out, for some unfathomable reason, at lunchtime so I apologise to those who like me are early risers and like to check blogs first thing!  If you did miss yesterdays post there is one if you scroll down after this one!

Back to Monday and I have a three fold screen card for you today, most of my lovely blog family will know that I do like things in rows and seem to have a thing for threes!  I was talking to an American friend the other day who pointed to that we, the British crafting fraternity, seem to be heavily into things in threes, especially me and hatpins!

I started by die cutting the centre 2 dies into the main body of the card using Sue Wilson's Austrian Salzburg set three times equally across a sheet of coconut white card.  I took 1 cm off the top and side of the A4 sheet so that I could have a border all the way around when finished and simply measured and folded the card first to ensure that the three cuts lined up.

Next I cut three of the largest ovals form the set using more card covered in an A4 double sided adhesive sheet and 3 of the smallest centre dies and gilded all six pieces.  The three largest cuts were placed behind the filigree sections with the smallest ovals foam mounted in the centre s on the front.

The reminder is relatively simple with the left leaning die from petite vinery cut in vintage silver foundation card added to the fronts and then decorated with ivory pearl PVA glue dots.  The border across the top and bottom which doesn't show well on the photo's is made with thin double sided adhesive tape onto which I have added gunmetal polished silk glitter, just to add  little bit more sparkle and texture.

I left this card without a sentiment as I wasn't sure what occasion this would be suitable for, any suggestions?

Ingredients:
Sue Wilson Salzburg Die set
Sue Wilson Petite Vinery die set
Silver Dawn Gilding flakes
Gunmetal Polished Silk Glitter

Enjoy...

Simple Sunday...

Happy Sunday,

Today's simple project is not really simple I'm afraid however it is simply a continuation of yesterdays project.  This time I made the smaller heart shaped wreath and added just a simple spray of the Classic Poinsettia die, along with Holly Sprigs and Pine Boughs in Gold and Silver.

This is a quicker project to make from yesterdays and requires far less cutting meaning that these can be finished a lot quicker whilst still, I feel, maintaining the wow factor we need at Christmas.


Ingredients:
Sue Wilson's Dies
Holly Sprigs
Pine Bough
Classic Poinsettia
Filigree stamp set (same range)
Gold Vintage foundation card
Detail Silver embossing powder
red apple twinkles (cosmic Shimmer)

Enjoy...

Something Different Saturday...

Happy Saturday,

Today's something different is one of the samples I made for Ally Pally.  I loved the candle wreath I made and blogged a couple of weeks ago however I wanted to try changing the colours and style slightly.  I started with an old wreath that I have had for a few years and have changed many times.  Wrapping ribbon round these allows them to be easily changed each year as to remove the decorations simply unwind the ribbons.

I chose, as my colour pallette, a range of blues and silvers which I the colour scheme I would like to use for my Home scheme this Christmas.  Might get away with it in the living room as it is In Browns, Beige's, teals and blues (my favourite colours) however not sure how it will work in the rat of the house as I have to have at least 3 Christmas trees!!!

Now I have everything prepped for a Video demo on this one so Just the ingredients list as well.  However I have written a pictorial inspiration sheet for the wreath so If I don't get the video done I will blog that for everyone to download!

Ingredients:
Foam Wreath 25cm
Blue satin ribbon (the wider the better as it saves time)
Californian Blue, Cobalt and Vintage Silver foundation card
Sue Wilson Stamp Set filigree poinsettia
Sue Wilson Classic poinsettia die set
Sue Wilson Pine Bough die
Sue Wilson Holly sprig die
pale blue PVA glue

Enjoy...

Peace on Friday...

Happy Christmas Friday,

Peace, as they said in the sixties (and probably still do!) these days it seems to be a classic Christmas sentiment.  Today's card uses only one die the peace die from Sue Wilson as all of the decoration and shine in this card is made with the glitters and embellishments.  Now my long term followers will know I am not usually a glitter person however I have found the Polished silk glitter so easy to use that I seem to be using it all the time (good job Christmas is on the horizon!)













I started today's card by die cutting a sheet of cardstock onto which I stuck a double sided adhesive sheet.  I due cut the piece just once in the centre of the GC so that only the top sheet of the adhesive was cut.  This then allowed me to pull off the sections of the die cut individually.  I wanted to use three coordinating shades of the glitter so I started by removing the backing from all the pieces within the shape and rubbed the copper glitter into these.  The joy of the polished silk is that you scrub the which means that all excess comes off and when you add the next colour the excess doesn't contain any of the first colour (I hope this makes sense!)  I then took the backing off the Peace section and rubbed in the lightest gold, followed by the outside onto which I added a light copper.

I hope this shines through in the pictures on everyones screens as in real life the colours really show differently.

The remainder of the card was made to show this piece off and that fact that whilst the topper would make a beautiful small card the addition of the ribbon, bow (sorry Lydia!) and the embossed background of Vintage Gold card, you can make it into a large card for a special someone.

Ingredients:
Sue Wilson Peace die
double sided A4 sheets
Polished silk Glitters (gold set)
Swirling Holly A4 embossing Folder
Gold Silky Crush ribbon

Notes: To answer a few questions asked this week, on the wreath card I just kept cutting the Holly Sprigs die until I got fed up so cant say how many I used (as I had to cut about 100 for Ally Pally, it's a glamorous life I also had to cut over 500 pine bough die cuts) Best advice on this one is to cut them till your arm aches and just use as many as you need to get the fullness required, they are always useful and I have a bag of ones I have cut for further Christmas Projects and they are great for last minutes cards and decorations.
The foundation card that everyone has been asking about is form Creative Expressions and comes in loads of colours. It is available through Create and Craft and is usually featured on the Creative Expressions shows.  However if you click HERE you will be taken to the CE website which lists all local shops and online retailers that have the card (and other CE products) available.

Enjoy...

Thursday Flowers...

Happy Thursday!

 I know I am always saying that this and that card is an easy one however today's card is a bit of a change it looks simple but took a while to figures out!

I started by die cutting the medium sized daisy die four times in a square of coconut card however i had to measure to get them in the right places.  Now I may not have mentioned but in typical bloke fashion measuring and me don't go together but I managed it!

I mounted the die cut waste piece over a piece of pale blue card and foam mounted it.  I then die cut four more of the daisies in the same pale blue and mounted them into the apertures.  This still looked a little plain so I cut four of the outlines in the Coconut card and added these on top.

I wanted the backing to show and the fact that they were cut out so I shaped each petal to give depth and a peek at the background.  As per usual with most of my flowers I added a pearl in the centres and mounted the whole piece on a few, foam mounted mats and layers of the blue and white card to give the larger square card I seem to be making at the moment.






The front still looked a little blank however I thought a sentiment would finish it so I cut a tag from the French collection Borders and tags set, inked it in broken China distress Ink and stamped the sentiment.


I have added a picture of the daisy in close up so you can, hopefully, see what I mean about dimension.  I love the way the flower seems to appear form the very centre of the card!








Ingredients:
Sue Wilson Dies - 
                            Delicate Daisies Full
                            Delicate Daisies Outline
                            French Collection Borders set
CE Sentiment Stamp
Pale Blue and Coconut foundation card
Pearls form stash
Broken China Distress Ink


Enjoy...

Creative Wednesday...

Happy Wednesday,



Well after the busy times of the last week its back to the Creative Expressions design team project.  The design team this month were asked to create Christmas cards using the Sue Wilson die and stamp range.  I loved this challenge and created a set of 5, hopefully, different cards.  Today's card is also one that was featured on Sue shows a couple of weeks ago on Create and Craft.

I loved making this card as the layering of such an intricate, and yet easy to cut, die gives the most stunning effects.  I started by cutting a circle frame and simply using the die cuts around this to create a full 3D wreath.  The wonderful thing about the Sue Wilson Holly die is that you get the same sprig going both ways making flourishes so much easier as you get the left and right hands.

I added the wreath to a sheet of vintage gold foundation card (for those who asked the foundation card will be available on Sues show on the 16th however I will try and find other suppliers for those who have asked) which I embossed with the quilted flower A4 embossing folder.

I simply added this to a matted and layered card base in the darker green, a bit of the red to balance the design and finished with the vintage gold.  The bow is made with the solid and trellis paper bow dies form Sue Wilson.  Finally a die cut from the believe die and finished.

As per if you could click over to the Creative Expressions blog and leave a comment I would be grateful (got to show them I am worth it as the advert goes!) lol  Click HERE to see the CE blog and what other creations the design team have come up with this week!

Ingredients:
Sue Wilson Dies -
                            Holly Sprig
                            Trellis Bow
                            Plain Bow
                            Believe
Foundation card in Red, Brunswick Green, Light Green and Vintage Gold
Red Apple Twinkles

Enjoy...

Extra, Extra, Read all about it...

Happy Tuesday,

Well today I can finally reveal my final piece of news, although I think quite a few of my regulars have guessed.  I can now confirm that I will be appearing and demonstrating on Create And Craft TV!  It has been so hard keeping this quiet as I am sure you can all imagine it's one you want to share with everyone.  However yesterday I got the O.K. from Creative Expressions and the green light (is that the correct term?) from C&C that my first show will be on the 16th October.  I had my screen test last Thursday before Ally Pally and I demoed the card I blogged that day, which is why I have been holding that card back but was able to post then.

I am also doubly lucky as I will be working with the great Sue Wilson who will be introducing me on a couple of her hours as she is doing the One Day Wonder, see the new sidebar listing for show times.  I don't know which 2 hours I will be doing as yet however I will be doing a demo each hour so those of you who weren't able to attend Ally Pally and wanted to see me work can now do so from the comfort of your own armchairs.

I have been busy beavering away for a few weeks making show samples and getting my demos ready and prepared and as I am sure you can all imagine I have a lot more to do!  I can't say how excited, nervous and a little overawed with this and everything I have achieved since returning from Spain I am.   However I know that the encouragement and support from my blog family has been a wonderful help.

Choosing Today's crafty creation was a little difficult as it is a little early to do a sneak peak of what will be on the shows however, obviously, I wanted something special for today.  AS my demoing at Ally Pally is part of what I will be doing I thought I would give a few pictures of some of the demo pieces I made whilst on the stand.  Also it's only fair to show the results of the challenge set for me by Sue and her Auntie Mary!

The first card is one of the techniques I was asked to explain and demo the most, I had my triple stamped Christmas card from a couple of weeks ago on the stand and so many people wanted me to show them the technique.  The let it snow card is actually just the piece I made to show one group made up into a card.  The stamping, embossing, matting, foam amounting and glue dotting was all done in situ and so the front piece was completed there. All i have done for today is add the bow and the layers to frame the piece and make it into a card.

As I was primarily covering die cutting and embellishing I kept cutting the Let It snow die, which I used on the front of this card and showed lots of techniques on how to embellish it.  these show it covered in iced snow, letters picked out in twinkles and Cosmic Shimmer pearl PVA as well as Diamond Sparkle.  I did do one in silver gilding flakes which was, if I say myself, beautiful (mainly due to the gilding flakes and not my skill in application) however that vanished from my table soon after being made!

Finally for the challenge, Sue and Mary said that they love the Sue Wilson Austrian Collection however they only make square cards so it was of no use to them.  They said if I could make a square card in five minutes they would be impressed.  Well never one to turn down a challenge, certainly not one from two ladies, I took them on.  the next card is the result, all I have added in the bow and ribbon and mounted the card I made onto a slightly larger base card.  You can tell that this was made in a hurried challenging environment as there are flaws all over it however a promise is a promise and one square card, made form a rectangular die, completed.

So Pleased to be able to finally share all my news I promise that is all I have for now!

Enjoy,

John x

In The Pink!...

Happy Monday!




Its now 05:42am Monday morning, when I got back home from Ally Pally I had 2 options, write today's post before going to bed or get up early this morning and write it.  As you can tell from the time I am typing this bed won!  I had a fabulous weekend however could not keep my eyes open last night so alarm set for 5am and here we are (its also helped that Mr ND had to be up for work at 5am! lol)

Thank you so much to all the wonderful people I met during the weekend I was amazed at the reception I received from my first live demonstrations and all the demoing I did on the Creative Expressions stand.  I just hope I managed to answer all the questions people asked correctly!  The atmosphere was amazing and meeting such talented people, crafters and demonstrators, was a real pleasure. I have to put a shout out to the brilliantly helpful, friendly and supportive team.  I learned so much form Phill Martins, Julia Watts and Tracey Laugton who were demonstrating as well.  It became quite a joke over the weekend as at various times I was John Next Door to Julia, then Tracey, then Phill.  The Creative Expressions team on the stand worked their proverbial's off and I have no idea how Christine the office Manger coped with it all!

Finally I have to send massive Thanx to Sue Wilson giving me the opportunity to do this event and for the fantastic encouragement and support.  It t all goes without saying none of the opportunities and simple fun I have had would of been possible without the wonderful blog friends I have made on here!

So Today's card is an unusual colour choice for me however it felt appropriate as I am feeling, in the Pink!

I started with a strawberry pink card form my stash and the Tethered Hearts striplet die form Sue Wilson and simply cut three as an aperture in the pink.  I layered this over chocolate foundation card which I had embossed using the checker board pinpoint embossing folder.  I then added a brown cut form the striplet which I cut using the outline die as well to give a separate piece, i mounted this onto a die cut in the pink using only the outline.  I added a piece of the double sided adhesive sheet, stuck on the chocolate die cut and dusted the piece with Iced snow ( I feel sorry for whoever is cleaning under my demo area form the weekend as I used so much of the glitter jewel range that it must be everywhere!)

For the main sentiment I used the same technique, this time using the Auvergne die from the French Collection,  using the smallest die as the top in pink stamped with the sentiment.  The whole colour scheme for this card was based on the beautiful grosgrain striped ribbon in chocolate and pink so, of course, I had to add a double bow of finished with a couple of the three bead pearl hatpins and a pearl dazzler (you know me there has to be a pearl somewhere!)

The backing of the card was simply made by layering the chocolate and brown card to ale a 20 x 20cm card blank with the final pink layer dusted, again using a piece of the double sided adhesive sheet, with the iced snow.

I love this card and it was given away yesterday ( having been made especially for)  Mr ND's niece for her sweet 16th!

Ingredients:
Sue Wilson Tethered Hearts Striplet
Sue Wilson Auvergne Die set
Iced Snow
CE Sentiment Stamp
Pink & Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon


More tomorrow with Sue and Mary's challenge they set me at Ally Pally and some of the samples I made on the stand (if I can find them in my crates!)

Enjoy...

Simple Sunday

Happy Sunday,

Well this one is really simple as I'm not really presenting a card or creation today just a quick report on Ally Pally! Now I only managed to take a couple of pictures as soooo busy I am hoping that mr Next door can add some of the photos he has taken.  He took quite a few pictures this morning so hopefully he will add these to the post.

I am having a fab time and have met some wonderful people, including jackie, jan ( creations by jan) and sue and Mary from stichted greetings.  Now sue and Mary set me a challenge to make one of my demo pieces into a card, which I hopefully achieved however I wasn't able to get a photo so it will go on next week along with a more detailed description of the show and what I was doing there.

Now I have a couple of pictures of my own, the first is myself with sue Wilson, a shot that has to be taken the first time you work for / with her I guess! The second is sue under the Sue Wilson dies sign, which we found really funny !!!

Sorry it's not a crafty post but I am sure my friends and followers will allow me this one!

Ingredients:
Lots of CE products
Lots of lovely people
Sue Wilson
Fun!

Enjoy...

Something Different Saturday....

Happy Saturday,

As I am sure you all know I am AWOL today as I am at the big stamp and scrapbooking show at Ally Pally in London.  Todays something different is a bit of a spare as it is a demo I have prepared just in case I need it for tomorrow!

I have added a list of ingredients and lots of photos as Serioulsy low on time due to prepping (writing this post at 5am on Friday morning! lol)  The basis of this Christmas Centrepiece is Creative Expressions Ploished silk glitter onto which I have stamped and embossed snowflakes.  I have made some of the mosaic poinsettia dies which I have dusted with Icicle snow.

Ingredients:
Polished silk glitter in 5 matching colours
Silver detail embossing powder
Sue Wilson mosaic poinsettia die
Icicle snow glitter jewels

Hopefuly tomorrow some pictures of the show!

Enjoy...

Christmas Friday...

Happy Friday,





A little bit of a mixed card today with the formality of the the stamped and die cut poinsettias mixed with the gentler embossing and distress inking.

I started this one by embossing a piece of milk coloured card through a DoCrafts Christmas embossing folder with the legend Let It Snow.  I then used added linen distress ink to highlight the words and the embossing, following this I added some PVA glue pearls on the dots in the folder and on the centres of the beautiful snowflakes.

The poinsettias are stamped with the filigree stamps that match the classic Poinsettia die from Sue Wilson.  I stamped these in perfect medium and embossed them with detail silver embossing powder. onto vintage silver foundation card.  I shaped them and made them into 2 full flowers and added some more of the pearl PVA as the centres.

The spray of flowers are added on top of 2 of the foliage die cuts form the Sue Wilson Grand Vinery die which is then spread across the left hand corner.  This, I feel, frames the sentiment and adds some interest to what could of been a plain card.

The remainder of the card is simply made by layering Vintage gold, Milk and Khaki foundation card (all form the naturals pack of card form Creative Expression) to frame the piece.

Ingredients:
DoCrafts Christmas Embossing Folder
CE Filigree Poinsettia Stamp Set
Sue Wilson Classic Poinsettia die
Sue Wilson Grand Vinery Die
Detail Silver embossing folder






I am travelling down to Ally Pally later today and can't wait to meet those of you who are going tomorrow and Sunday.  I will be on the Creative Expressions Stand during the days and demonstrating at times to be confirmed lol  Please come up and say hello as Mrs Duck says I don't bite!

Enjoy...