Under the Sea with Foiling...

Happy Thursday,

As promised its Go Press and Couture Creations day!  I think this makes a real change form all the christmas and allows me time to sort out what is happening with the Instructional video for the Large Lantern, sorry I will get it working!

I spritzed a piece of watercolour card with the Izink Spary inks in Ocean and emerald then embossed this with an embossing folder from my stash.  I then dry brushed gold lustre paint over the raised area to give a real random mixed media feel to the background.




















Next I foiled the seahorse hot foil stamp form Couture Creations singly Go Press and Foil onto Kraft card.  I added some gold paint arround the edge of the card and distressed the edges.  I added a die cut of the seashore fare with coloured vellum behind and other pieces cut from the same collection.


I added all the pieces as shown to make a real mixed pice with large mica flakes added for more texture and to give an underwater feel to the piece.









Enjoy...

Gliding the Shore...

Happy Thursday,

Today I thought it was time too share something other than Christmas and I wanted to start a feature I have had planned for a while now and make thursday the Couture Creations and Go Press foil day on the blog.  This coincides with the launch of the Spellbinders version of the Go Press foil machine.  So they Hotfoil stamps should work in either machine!

For todays card all the items I've used are from the Couture Creations Seaside and Me collection.

I started by hot foiling the Swirling seas hot foil stamp onto oyster pearl card using the Go Press and foil machine.  I then cut this into a square, matted it onto distressed Kraft card and then blue card.  I repeated this to make 4 panels and foam mounted them over a pice of Kraft card I had crackle painted.

Next I cut a selection of dies from the range, again in Kraft card which I shaded with black ink and arranged around a strip of rope tied down the side.  I added a few starfish cut in black to add depth.

I stamped the sentiment and distressed the edges again shading in black ink and added this to the side of the main arrangement.

A different kind of card for me but I really loved making it, I know that the distressed look isn't everyones cup of tea but its fun to do something different and the Foiling really adds a touch of class to the finished card.

Ingredients:
Couture Creations
Swirling Seas hot foil stamp
Seahorse and Starfish Die set
Seashells edger


Enjoy...

More Foil...

Happy Tuesday,

I had a fab day yesterday taring techniques in the Izink range as well as learning some great new ideas from the other fab demonstrators at the event!  I thought I would share another card made mixing Izink and GoPress hot foiling machine!

I made a background using the izink pigment dropper inks in Topaz, silver and amethyst onto acetate.  I then dried this with my heat gun to make sure it was totally dry.  I then added this to the GoPress with silver foil and a couple of hot foil stamps from Couture Creations.

Ive found that on these dark atmospheric background the foliage really shines where as standard stamping just disappears  It also gives a professional finish.

I cut the dragonfly detail dies in white and again, as like yesterdays card, added coloured acetate solid dragonflies over the top.

A frame of mirror card cut with the Press Cut stitch dot rectangle dies with a thin layer of black to finish.

Enjoy...

Men Only...

Happy Sunday,

I'm back on Hochanda tomorrow night with the One Day Special featuring Dies by Sue Wilson and some amazing new colours of Alcohol Inks from Ranger.

I thought today I would blog this card which reminds me gof the men only range of wallpaper form the late eighties!

This is made just using the Couture Creations Roman set of dies which has 2 Fluer de Lys dies ( 2 different sizes)

I cut the dies into a piece of gloss white card and framed it using the double pierced rectangle dies.

I used the stitched flags across the centre and the positive die cuts to decorate.

Enjoy...

In the pink...

Happy Thursday,

Another sample from this weeks shows with Couture Creations today and something lighter than yesterday and in pink!

I stared by cutting the wedding rose die three times in coconut white foundation card I shaded through the die with basil leaf colour cloud blending ink then coloured the rose using scarlet woman colour cloud.  I adde d a little more of the green and grouped the three together with a satin bow too make a bouquet.

I cut the scallop edge die four times using 2 placed together and adhered to velum for the backing of the
roses.  I shaded the reveres on this with more of the scarlet woman colour cloud and added this over a panel of embossed card.  I used the remaining 2 die cuts as closures over the edges of the card.

A few layers of raspberry and coconut white foundation card and a  couple of 8mm white pearls and finished.

Again a little different for me but I like the effect.

Enjoy...

Monochromatic...

Happy Wednesday,

I prepped far too many demos for my Hochanda shows earlier this week as i always do!  I just seem to get so caught up in the crafting I end up playing rather than using the demos I have prepped.  Today's card is another demo that I didn't manage to get to however it still deserves its day on the blog especially as I have a real fondness for monochromatic!

I do love a kinetic card so this die just sang to me with all the options for making folds.

I stared by scoring apiece of card with 2 gate folds to which I adhered one of the Couture creations die cut to.  I then cut around the edge to make the scalloped doors to this card.

I used a piece of 12 x12 paper form the damask pad by couture creations in the centre and added a piece of
bright white card in the centre with the stamped sentiment from my Winters child clear stamp set.  I used the snowflake stamps that come in the set around the edges which seem just right for this wintry weather!

I added a piece of dotty ribbon from my stash across the back of this folded card and added layers of white and black allowing me to fold the gates back in and tied these in a bow at the centre finishing with a Craft Consortium pearl embellishment.

Enjoy...

Blue Butterflies...

Happy Tuesday,

I hope you all enjoyed the shows yesterday as much as I didi it was nice too do some construction and some scrapbooking something I really enjoyed and intend to do more off.

I decided to share this card today made using a collection of Couture Creations dis form the boxing day and new years day shows but featuring the beautiful stained glass butterfly.

I stared by making the background using the elegant square die into a piece of coconut white card twice.  I
then cut the die out of periwinkle foundation card twice and mounted the die cuts in opposite corners to make the square background.  I also placed the squares from the centre in opposing corner to give the finished background.

I cut the mirror die and the doily die from yesterdays shows in blue and white and foam mounted these in the centre.

I simply then cut the butterfly three times from periwinkle and placed these, with an 8mm pearl, flying across the page.

Enjoy...

New Year New Shows...

Happy 2017!

Im back on Hochanda tonight at 8pm for the launch of the One Day Special with the Couture Creations Big Save show.  I have 2 fantastic bundles with Big Savings as well as a host of Dies one set I really Love!

















Today's card is made using the contents of one of the bundles and has a matching box.  I will also be doing

some scrapbooking and making some albums and sewing books/ gifts as well!

 Tune in at 8pm tonight or tomorrow at 9am, 12pm, 4pm or Last Chance at 7pm to see how this was done!

Enjoy...

Boxing Day Save Shows...

Happy Boxing Day,

A reminder that I will be back with a Creative Expressions Big SAave show tonight at 8pm on Hochanda!  There is a selection of some of my stamps, embossing folders and dies at great prices along with some really nice ink pads and embossing powders.

I know we all have very little time wit the wrapping paper clear up today so juts a few shots of the cards I will be making!

enjoy...

Day 6...

Happy Tuesday,

I'm starting to feel bad about these short posts I really hope you all don't think I'm just "phoning it in" lol

Today's card is hopefully giving you some sunny colours that will match the weather I hope you are all getting!  I have just checked and where I am on holiday the temperature is supposed to be over 45 degrees!

This is the last sample I made for Julia Watts and is again using the new collection form Couture Creations Whilst discussing Couture Creations I must say a quick Hi to Carol form Australia (which is where these dies come from) who should be home in Ox by now and brought me a beautiful paper based gift form there when she was over last month (I will be showing some creations with this later in the month)

Although it looks complex today's card is just a series of squares cut in the primrose card I had on my stamp shows in April and coconut white.  I let the die cuts do all the work on this one and just added some raw silk double sided satin ribbon around the back and a bow to balance (I know some will think this is a little large but it is a large 21 x 21 cm card!)

Enjoy...

Day 5...

Happy Monday,

I hope you have stuck with me through these quick posts there are only a few more to go as I am back on Thursday or Friday (details details lol)

A shaker card today made using the couture creations dies form Julias shows.  Today I teamed them with Aqua and white using the Tied Together embossing folder which has always been a favourite of mine form Couture Creations.  behind the acetate I have added some iced snow so that when you move the card the iced snow moves.

Enjoy...

Creative Wednesday...its couture all the way

Happy Wednesday,

What could be better than a couture Wedding?  Well today's creation for the CE Design Team is a couture Creations themed project using singles stamps from Creative Expressions.  These are designed to alert wedding guests of the date of the approaching nuptials.  The tradition of Save the Date is American and is designed to give people a good years notice of an appending wedding prefect if its in the summer as we know how quickly summer weekends are all booked up.

Today's project would make the perfect gift for a bride to be, a set of save the date cards and a Couture Creations die cut box to hold them in.  I stated by making the card banks at 10 x 10cm and stamping the Heart and Roses single stamp and colouring the flowers in distress markers (you could colour these to match any wedding theme or simply change the colour of the card to match.  Next I stamped the Save The Date legend from the Bold Flourish wedding stationary stamp set, this set is remounted and cut and contains all the sentiments you need for any wedding stationary even a order of service!

Next I made the box by making a simple 11 x 11cm box and die cutting the Couture Creations Love Abounds die.  I then added a piece of coconut white foundation card behind the die cut aperture onto which I had added a piece of Creative Expressions double sided adhesive sheet.  I then replaced the die cut into the aperture and added a sprinkling of Iced Snow for the Glitter Jewels collection into the spaces.

Finally I added a seam binding tie and bow and the gift is made.  Click HERE to see what the rest of the team have come up with or the enter the CE Blog challenge it would be great to see some of you enter and display your work to us all!

Ingredients:
Couture Creations Love abounds die
CE Bold Flourish Wedding stamp set
CE Heart and roses single stamp
Coconut White Foundation card
Iced Snow
White Seam Binding.

Enjoy...

A Day Late...

Happy Thursday,

With all the excitement and rushing to be at C&C for 8am to set up I completely forgot my DT card for Creative Expressions yesterday!  Naughty I know so I'm afraid its a day late lol so those of you who pop over to the CE blog will have had a look at today's card already, a day earlier than I have posted it (its a good job Sarah who runs the DT is snowboarding in Italy isn't it?!?)

I used the CE Craft dies by Sue Wilson Bevelled Glass triplet to create this square background using the same technique as I used for the butterfly card last week.  This time I aligned the die so that a square section was left in the middle.  The die lends itself to being repeated in this fashion all I did was to cut the first aperture then line up the long edge against the short edge on each turn, the pictures should help to show you what I mean.

Next I cut a square aperture using an old square die from spellbinders and inked the edges of the piece using antique linen distress ink.  I cut a larger square using vintage gold foundations card (hard it see the gold ninth pictures but the soft colour and sheen really shines through in real life)   I cut a smaller square aperture in the centre of the gold piece and added a further layer with a piece of white cut with a smaller still square.

The centre panel is made from a sheet of the Couture Creations 12 x 12 paper pack vintage rose garden which has the sentiment already printed on it.

Finally I hand cut some of the flowers and a postage stamp from a further piece of the paper pack and foam mounted it around the centre to give a focus.

Don't forget the challenge is still running on the CE blog so there's time to get your Easter themed entry in for a chance to win some Creative Expressions goodies, click HERE to have a look and perhaps throw your hat into the ring.

Off tho the NEC today for a look around, Ive never been to the show before having been living in Spain for a few years till the middle of last year.  I can't wait to see what all the fuss is about!  lol

Enjoy...

Creative wednesday...

Happy Wednesday,

I have had a play with the brand new Couture Creations heart dies for this weeks DT spot for Creative Expressions and decided to make a white on white wedding congratulations card!

I stared by die cutting the Couture Creations Heart Bouquet die in Coconut white foundation card.  Next I embossed a piece of the card using the great dandelion embossing folder from Couture Creations.  I stamped the congratulations on your wedding from the Justrite Mr & Mr's vintage labels 4 stamp set, in perfect medium and embossed it with cosmic shimmer detail what embossing powder.  I then cut it out with the vintage labels 4 matching die set using the tag die.  I then punched 2 eyelet holes and threaded the tag into a piece of white seam binding tying it, with some foam tape behind, onto the embossed and mounted piece.




I

tucked the heart die cut behind the label just popping out and added 2 felt roses made using the Spellbinders spiral blossom four die set.  The felt is form Creative expressions and was selected by Sue Wilson to be perfect for die cutting, i have tried lots of felt to cut and have found this, which has a high polyester content, the best!

Finally 2 hat pins form CE, I'm still waiting for my order for Sue;s new stick pins elements set to be delivered however I love these simple pearl ones.

The whole piece was mounted on a 21x14cm card blank and finished.  To send this I would normally make a box to go with it so that the flower aren't crushed, however the felt roses will not get crushed went sent through the post!

Ingredients:
Couture Creations Products
Heart Bouquet Die
Grand Dandelion Embossing Folder
Justrite Mr & Mr's vintage labels 4 stamp set
Justrite Vintage labels 4 die set
Spellbinders Spiral blossom 4 die set
Coconut White foundation card
Cosmic Shimmer Detail white embossing powder
CE hat pins

Don't forget Creative Expressions are running a Challenge on their blog for all of march, click HERE to read all about it and perhaps post an entry, there are prizes!

Enjoy...

Something Blue...(ish)

Happy Blue Friday,

The first question is doe s really purple shade of blue count as blue?  OK its purple however I love this card and the rest of the samples I have made in my Blue phase have some over to CE towers to be used as show samples for Sue next weekend so I can't show them at the moment!

Today's card is one from my couture creations show at the beginning of the month its a real mix of styles.

The background is a piece of the white ribbed card from the special finishes pack which I inked with the that special touch mask in milled lavender deists ink.  I then shaded around the square of card (20x20cm) to age the card and show the lovely embossed line pattern.

Next I cut the couture Creations art deco background die in more of the white and mounted it onto a mat of heather foundation card  The sentiment, from the friends sentiment set (which was due to be on the show but stock levels didn't allow however I do have this set on Sundays show as I have been using it so much recently I just love it!) is stamped onto the Mirror Mirror die cut in white and inked in the same distress ink.  To highlight the sentiment piece I cut a couple of the flourishes and then the waterlily die in Velum which I inked and scrunched them up.




I love the look of the flowers cut in vellum and the way they seem to flow!

Ingredients:
Couture Creations Dies
Art Deco
Mirror Mirror
Swirl
That Special Touch Openwork mask
Friends Sentiments stamp set
Distress Ink milled lavender


Enjoy...

The winner of this weeks Card giveaway is Gail, if you send me your address out to Lockers@live.co.uk I will post it out to you!  Another giveaway on Monday...