Seasons Greetings...

Happy Saturday,

As promised here are a few snaps of the cards I made for my Friends and Family.  Id like to take this opportunity to say a big Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to my entire blog family.  Im so grateful for the support and comments I have received this year and for everyone who tunes in each day to see what I have made!

I have made a special project for tomorrow so pop along if theres time amongst the festivities!

Enjoy...

Last Christmas Friday...

Happy Friday,

I guess I miscalculated as I had planned to show the simple cards I made for Friends and  family for the last Christmas Friday which I thought coincided with Christmas Eve!

Therefore tomorrow I will show the simple cards I made this year and so I have given this card its day on the blog I thought I had posted it but I can't find it!

I added the retro mask ( from the Christmas range by That Special Touch) to a piece of card covered in double sided adhesive sheet.  I covered the mask with perfect medium so that it didn't stick to the adhesive.  I added mulled wine gilding flakes onto the adhesive through the mask and scrubbed off the excess.

I removed the mask and added white microbeads over the remaining exposed adhesive.

Next I cut the outline form the snowflake die into this "background" then cut the reminder of the dies in the set in antique gold and bright white alternately

I finished with a spray of the foliage from the Christmas rose die set covered in microbeads and gold mica flakes .  A bow and a muse token ( by Tim Holtz) and finished.

Enjoy...

Christmas Friday marathon...

Happy Friday,

as this is the last Christmas Friday before the last posting date I thought i would share a selection of cards that I haven't shown to give a few last minute ideas.  Next Friday I will show the simpler cards i made to send to family and friends.

Enjoy...

Christmas Friday...

Happy Friday,

well this is the second to last christmas friday for a while and I still have loads of cards to share.  I think I may have to have a christmas friday marathon next Friday to cover a few more off.

back to todays and I thought I would are the very first christmas card I made this year back in May, the festive dies arrived at the same time as the fabulous new Foundations Pearl card so I decided ti tie the two toegther and make this card using all three of the white shades along with a selection of the festive dies.

I stared with vanilla pearl card and cut the stare night background from this backing it with icicle pearl card to give a differential in shade.  Next I cut the country cottage set in uncle pearl and foam mounted these ( using quite a few layers) at the bottom of the background.

Next I adde cosmic white PVA dimensional glue as snow on the country cottage die cuts and added a piece of acetate and a frame cut with the stitched lattice shadow box die set.  I then added cosmic white PVA as snow on the acetate along with some of the stars that fall away from the background die cut.

Next I cut the poinsettia additions complete petals in vanilla pearl foundation card and added the open petals around these cut in ivory pearl.  I then cut the holly die in icicle pearl card and added theses around the farm to place the poinsettias.

This is a deep card but isn't that large so is probable best hand delivered!

Enjoy...

Christmas Friday...

Happy Friday,

Another Christmas card as we are getting very close to the main event, meaning theres not much time if you haven't got those cards finished.

I wanted to show this card made using the 2016 Christmas Angel die rotated to face different directions.



There is a simple way to make this die cut go in both directions by cutting it in Funky Foam, the funky foam ( or EVA if you prefer) does not emboss and cuts the same on both sides meaning that it is very difficult to tell which is the correct way.








I backed each angel with heat emboss acetate and painted cosmic shimmer dirs clear glue over the back in weaves adding different colours of Oilseed silk glitter in turn.  I used sharer and rose gold for the body and shirt and silver chrome for the wings.

Hopefully there is something in this card you can take for simpler ones I think I might repeat this on a few of my simpler cards which I have yet to start!

Enjoy...

Double Christmas Friday...

Happy Friday,

Its back to Christmas Friday as its getting close the sign ion my local supermarket said there were only 30 sleeps left so not much time left!

Today's first card is one I made quite a while ago but forgot to photograph so Im afraid it got marked while waiting sorry.

I started by cutting the frame die from the poinsettia mini background into a piece of white foundation card.  I backed this with double sided adhesive sheet then cut the centre out using one of the double pierced oval dies.  I then removed the carrier sheet and added gold microbeads into the patterned frame.

Next I cut the country cottage dies in white ( making sure to emboss the dies as well) I mounted these behind the opening using mounting cushion.  Next I added cosmic shimmer dries clear glue over the snowy areas of the cottage scenes and added diamond snow to make the snow area shine.  I cut the starry night background from white card and mounted this over black card.













I finished the card, and this is an actual card, with layers of black and bright gold pearl foundation card.  A simple looking card but the depth really works and would make a great card for those who celebrate the holiday but not christmas.









I thought it might be nice to see the opposite version using black and silver.

Back tomorrow with another sample for my Hochanda shows!

Enjoy...

Gold and white bright...

Happy Saturday,

A little over the top for some I'm sure but i do like the gold and white on today's card and its a little less bright in real life ( not a good set of pics I'm afraid!)

I simply used the Greek collection with a box of Portugal for this card in simple antique gold pearl and bright white.

The Greek collection border cut in the gold is used down each side with a simple ribbon and microbead strip across the middle.  The centre panel is the Portugal syntra die cut in gold and backed with are of the white microbeads I stamped my Christmas rose sentiment in gold brilliant sparkle embossing powder and cut t with the centre die from the syntra.

I stamped my Christmas rose clear stamps ( using the solid roses rather than the outlines) in more of the brilliant sparkle onto velum.  I cut the roses out using the matching Christmas rose die and shipped them.

I cut the holly foliage die from the rose set and covered these with more white microbeads and arranged the foliage, a gold bow and the roses across the centre of the panel.  I added centres to the roses using the centre dies that come in the rose die set covered again in the microbeads.

A little ott for some but I like it!

Enjoy...

Christmas Saturday extra...

Happy Saturday,

Join me today at Samuel tailors in Leeds if you around why not pop in and say hi!

I thought I would go for a Christmas weekend theme as I seem to have made so many Cards for the festive season this year!

This is an simple card that could be altered for any season.

I stared by adding silver moon sparkle texture paste through the snowflake mask onto gloss black foundation card.  Next I removed the mask and sprinkled midnight blue and aqua lagoon pixie powders over the top.  Once dry, which takes about an hour, I gently dusted off the excess powder using a soft brush.  The powder only sticks where the texture paste is and because Sparkle Texture paste by Cosmic Shimmer is water based the pixie powders spread through the paste showing all the different colours.

Next I cut the layers in the snowflake filigree frame die form more black gloss card and backed wit with card I had coloured using the same pixie powders.  I added a strip of seam bonding and bow made with white seam ending coloured again with the pixie powder ( I do
like things to match)

I finished with a pearl embellishment form the Craft Consortium always and forever range over the silver 4mm metallic linx pulled out to add some more sparkle  A few layers of cobalt and aqua and finished.

A technique you could use through any mask to change the colour and texture of you Sparkle Texture pastes for any season or occasion!


Enjoy...

Christmas Friday...

Happy Friday,

Its back to Christmas fridays today as I have so many samples to show and so little time left lol, in fact it may be christmas weekends from now on!

Today's card is a sample I made for my last Festive dies hspows last week and a lady emailed me to ask if I could show this card in detail, happy to oblige but sorry can't remember who!

I cut the centre die from the poinsettia mini background die in icicle pearl card. I then added a backing of double sided adhesive sheet and covered the exposed adhesive with gold microbeads.  Finally I added gold sparkle PVA dots in the centre of the flowers.

I repeated the above 3 times to make 3 panels and added these to a larger piece of the icicle pearl card matted with antique gold pearl card.  I added the whole piece to a larger set of icicle and gold and tied a peice of silky crush ribbon in gold around the side.

I cut the two wreath die twice in white and gold and tucked it behind the ties on the ribbon.  I cut one of the merry christmas perspectives die and added this across the front.

A few layers of icicle and gold and finished.

A modern card with a traditional twist.

Enjoy...

Simple Pixies...

Happy Sunday,

A simple christmas card today just featuring white pearl card and purple violet pixie powders that couldn't be simpler.

I sewed by spritzing a piece of watercolour card with water then added pixie powders in purple violet, I know its annals for me too use just one colour but I wanted the intensity and of course the pixie powders contain more than one colour in each bottle.  I smoked the acrd with water and left the piece to dry naturally this let the different colours spread and colour thew whole sheet.

Next I cut the background die, from the festive collection, into white pearl acrd and cut around the edges of the die to get a piece the same size of the die.  I then mounted this onto a pice of the piece powdered paper.  I next used the snowflake filigree frame and cut the detail of both main dies in the set in white and backed these with more of the purple.

I added 2 strips from the triple merry christmas, using just the negative pieces, and added these to a strip of the purple.

Finally I made up the card as shown and studded 3mm rhinestones to highlight the detail and add to the bling.  This card really shines in real life thanks to the pearl card and the mica in the pixie powders.

Enjoy...

Traditional twist christmas...

Happy Friday...

Wow what a  few days I can honestly say Ive been racing this week but its a gentler day for me today promise.

I thought i would share a christmas card form my shows earlier in the week that uses traditional chitsmas colours but with a modern twist.

I stared by using silver moon sparkle texture paste through the that special touch holly background mask and left it to dry.

Next I cut the triple merry christmas perspectives die in white pearl card and took the merry christmas strips out.  I added these to a piece of card which I had cut with stripes of rich red and brunswick green foundation card ( 1cm strips)

I simply matted and layers this overt the masked background ( one dry about 1 hour)and added a spray of striped ribbon from my stash and one of the pine cone em,belishments.

enjoy...

shows continue...

Happy Tuesday,

I hope all of you enjoyed the launch of the festive dies ODS last night.  I haver to admit that working with christmas dies is my favourite time of the year!

Another demo form todays shows remember Im back on at 9am, 12pm, 4pm and last chance at 7pm and will hopefully be working through loads of different ideas and techniques today!

Todays card is a change for me a clean and simple card however there is a twist as this is a light up card using some of the items I have on the DCWV shows tomorrow ( yes its a Hochanda week for me as Im back tomorrow and thursday!)

This is a hard card to explain so tune in or watch on catch up to see exactly how it was made however Ill try to give you a run down.

I stared by cutting the festive shadow box die into white pearl card.  Next I repeated the process with several layers of funky foam to give me the dimension. Next I layered these together and placed the lights inside before adding a layer of vellum, another layer of foam and a final layer of the die cut.

I then cut some of the smaller festive shapes in the set and adhered these to the front in the windows.

I added a spare of roses made with the gilding polish and my Christmas Rose stamps ( I will be demoing this technique on the shows as well)



A really different card for me but I have to admit it is fun!

Enjoy...