Holiday!

Happy Thursday,

Well I have managed to find a week where I don't have a demo or workshop so have squeezed in a weeks holiday in the sun (hopefully)  Therefore this week I am going to show a series of quick posts of the cards I made for Julia Watts shows on Create and Craft a couple of weeks ago.  I believe all the Couture Creations dies I have used this week are available on Julia's online shop however they are limited editions so stocks may not last or have lasted.

I hope you don't mind some quick posts!  I do have a habit of Holiday Quickies for when I am away!

Enjoy x

Busy Creative Wednesday

Happy Wednesday,

Firstly Ann you left a comment on Monday that you didn't get your card form Create and Craft if you email me your address to Lockers@live.co.uk  I will send one to you personally!

back to Today and its my turn for the Creative Expressions design team today and this month we are working with the Lisbon die set from the Portuguese collection.  I started playing with the Lisbon set and the border form the collection and came up with this busy design that it, deceptively, really simple as it is a basic monochrome card!

Click HERE to see what the rest of the team have come up with this week, it would be great if you leave a comment over there as well!

I started by making the background using the Border and taupe and Cobalt foundation card.  I cut the border twice in the cobalt and the taupe and simple mounted them, using spray glue, to strips of the contrasting colours.  I mounted the cobalt borders facing each other and added some pearls at the junctions.

To make the centre piece I cut 2 of the cobalt shapes using the largest three dies in the Lisbon set.  I then cut the taupe using just the 2 outline dies stuck the cobalt filigreed frames over the top.  I then mounted these , with foam pads of course, on top of each other rotating them to make this squarer shape.  I often cut 2 of a particular shape and rotate them to see what shapes appear with the Lisbon set I love the centre panel as it gives you a while new shape.  In this card you see the borders through the centre of the piece which makes a myriad of patterns that just come form the simple shapes.






Finally I stamped the sentiment, from my Daffodil Elements clear stamp set, in cobalt archival ink and cut it out using the smallest of Sue's pierced flags using the medium size as a mat for the sentiment panel.

I know this looks complex however it is just a series of 2 dies simple y cut in 2 colours!

Ingredients:
Craft dies by creative expressions by Sue Wilson
Portuguese collection corner, border and take
Lisbon set
Pierced flags
Cobalt and Taupe foundation cards
5mm cream stick on pearls.

Enjoy...

Its not blue...

Happy Tuesday,

I've been on my travels again this weekend visiting the lovely Crafty Knits in Chorley as well as spending a day in the brilliant Craft Barn in Redhill I meant a wonderful bunch of people in both locations and had a great weekend!


I'm sorry to ask this again but is it too dark? lol  I made this card after the dark one from last week (I do tend to make cards in series using the same range of colours as you may be able to tell form my Blue fetish!)

I cut and embossed the Greek Island collection background in taupe card and inked over the embossing with shabby shutters distress ink and a smoothie (which are back in stock yay!)  I then used Vintage photo on the trellis to give some definition and foam mounted the piece over a mat of the taupe card.

I edged the piece with more of the vintage photo then layered it with a piece of Brunswick green foundation card that I embossed with the A4 rambling blossoms embossing folder from CE.

Next I cut one of the Greek island collection borders in the green and ran it down the left hand side.  Next I cut the Best Wishes expressions die in the green and the taupe and using spray glue, offset them with the taupe on top so that a shadow is given around the words.  I mounted this onto a shaded piece of taupe cut with one of the shapes in the Greek island collection and finished.

The question is again is this a little dark, this is the last of my current shaded dark cards and I really want to know if I should start another series? lol

Ingredients:
Creative Expressions Craft Dies by Sue Wilson
Greek Island collection background
Border corner and tag set
Rhodes die set
best Wishes expressions die
Distress ink in Shabby shutters and vintage photo
Brunswick green and taupe foundation card

Enjoy...

Tied in a knot...

Happy Monday,

Today's card is blue and white again however a different technique as I have used the frames I made using the dies in the Rhodes die set form the Greek Island collection.  Again it was a demo card so I really hope you managed to catch the show as this is easy to show but hard to explain!

I made frames using the largest and next outline die form the Rhodes set 4 times twice in blue and twice in white. I then added the filigree section that fits within the frames and cut this once in blue and once in white.  I layer them together to make 2 frames that are mirror images with one white on blue and one blue on white?!?

next I made a cut in one of the frames (hidden by the ribbon and bow) and twisted the frames together to give this knot look where they appear to be tied over and under each other (this is the difficult bit to explain!)  I then threaded a piece of the bluebird satin ribbon through this knot and added a large bow, tied in the same ribbon, a blue dazzler and a couple of stick pins ~I made to match using Sue's stick pin elements.

To make up the card I made a set of layers in embossed card plain card and Pearl corners.  I shared the embossing with summer blue gilding wax to match and polished it off using a dry wet wipe.

Ingredients:
Creative Expressions Craft dies by Sue Wilson
Greek island collection Rhodes
CE Embossing folders 
Scored lines 8x8"
sparkle square 5 x 7" 
Summer blue gilding wax
Bluebird stain ribbon pack
Blue dazzler & stick pins from CE

Enjoy...

Sunday Stamping...

Happy Sunday,

A simple stamped project today using my daisy quit striplet stamp and the summer garden mica pigment set.

I stamped the triplet using perfect medium and brushed different colours form the mica set over the stamped area.  Once brushed off the mica sticks to the stamped area and adds colour and, in real life, a beautiful shine.

Next I cut the centre die form the bevelled glass triplet in a piece of blush card.  I added a panel of card covered in CE double sided adhesive sheet and brushed the same shades of mica over it.  I cut a matching aperture next to the die cut using the outline die form the set and foam mounted the stamped image behind.

A stamped sentiment, stamped in the same method with mica, form my diary chains clear stamp set was added to the front along with a heart dazzler and a blush coloured stain double bow.

Ingredients:
John Lockwood striplet stamp daisy quilt
Daisy chains clear stamp set
bevelled Glass striplet die
summer garden mica pigment set

Enjoy...

Something Different Saturday...

Happy Saturday,

As promised yesterday another use for extending your classic weaving die.  I had promised Sue that I would make a basket with this die as its the first thing I saw when I cut the die.  This is the result of quite a lot of experimenting!

I simply extended the pattern twice in coconut white to make a long strip.  Next I cut 2 sets of the classic weaving die, in lilac, and cut it into strips and simply wove the piece.  To finish the edge I used the  Cygnus gemini die cutting the outside edge then adding the detail to emboss.

I made the handle with a longer strip of the weaving and added some flowers I made in the lilac card using the cornflower die.  I coloured the edges of the flowers using dusty concord distress ink and added different sized dazzlers from the purple selection which has 3 sizes and a mix of colours and, like nature, allows different coloured centres for the flowers.

Ingredients:
Creative Expressions Craft dies by Sue Wilson
Classic Weaving die
Gemini Cygnus die
Cornflower die
lilac & coconut white foundation card
Mixed purples dazzlers
dusty concord distress ink pad


Just a quick note on the Pin IT button,  I have added a new button to my blog so that you can pin any picture you want form it, past or present.  If you hover your mouse over the picture you want then a Pin It button in red will appear in the top left corner simply click it and it will open your pinterest and ask which board you want to pin it to.

Enjoy...

Blue Friday...

Happy Friday,

I know there has been a lot of blue this week but I couldn't let Friday pass without showing another blue card.  This is another of the demo cards I did however this was for the Pick of the Day show on Ideal World and Create and craft as few weeks ago.  I thought I had posted this one but I guess not as I can't find it lol  If you have spotted it before please let me know!

I stared by die cutting the classic weaving die out of coconut white foundation card however this time I placed the die back on the card further along to extend the lines.  The great beauty of this die is that it doesn't have a cutting edge at the bottom so by slotting the die back into the cut lines further on you can make the strips as long as you need.

Next I cut 2 sets of the classic die in periwinkle blue card and simple wove the 2 colours together to make this longer panel of the weaving.  I hand cut an aperture in a square (18x18cm) of coconut white card then embossed it with the A4 fine finials embossing folder.  I simply rubbed enchanted gold gilding wax over the raised are and polished it off with a dry wet wipe.

It make the centre element I cut a piece of periwinkle using the santorini die I used the largest and the filigree section to cut this then cut a piece of the white using just the largest die to make a mat.  I cut the next outline down in the set in coconut white and stamped the sentiment, form my cherry blossom stamp set, in the centre

I made a cut on each side of the piece and threaded a length of bluebird satin ribbon through like a buckle and foam mounted this onto the front.

To finish the card I added PVA pearls using the summer blue cosmic shimmer and added a few mats of the blue and white to make a 21 x 21cm card finished size.

I also used this technique of extending the weaving for tomorrows project and the great news is it isn't in blue! lol

Ingredients:
Creative Expressions Craft dies by Sue Wilson 
Greek Island collection Santorini
Classic Weaving die
Periwinkle & coconut white foundation card
Cosmic Shimmer summer blue PVA
bluebird satin ribbon pack
Enchanted gold gilding wax

Enjoy...