Saturday 31 December 2011

Orphan Cards

 Hi guys and Happy New Years Eve!  I got a laugh a few days ago because someone posted a comment asking if I ever do a bad card?  Ha Ha Ha Ha!  Of course I do, all the time!   Today's post is some (I couldn't get all of them to load!) of the cards that I did this past year that I truly did not like when I finished them. Either the colours didn't work together or the layout wasn't right, I don't know, but for some reason they missed the mark.   They just didn't "sing" to me.  I realise that I am probably more critical of my own work than you would be but I wouldn't waste a day's post to show any of these individually.  The last day of the year, though,  it is worth a post to show all of them together!  The two or three Christmas ones aren't perhaps as terribly bad, but it's too late to post them so I threw them in!  Help me pick the worst of my worst, what is your pick? 

  Since these cards are orphans and need a good home,  I will  randomly pick a  number from the comments left after this post to find them a new home.  I will post the winner on the 3rd (as well as the winner to the comment game from yesterday) All for now, Sue x







Friday 30 December 2011

More Candy and A Card For You



Hi there blog friends!  I have a card today and new candy today for you.  I hope either one or the other will appeal to you!  The card for today's post was fun for me because it was a little bit different. I was trying to get the gold and copper crocheted ribbon to work together on this card so I used a metallic gold cardstock that I embossed with the Grand Impressibilities.  I lightly sanded it and then inked the embossed areas with Vintage Photo Distress ink.  I was pleased that the vintage photo ink picked up the copper quite nicely.  I cut a large lacy circle for the background and cut it in half, mounting it behind my embossed panel.  I cut two more of the smaller sized lacy circles for my focal element.  I stamped my sentiment and cut it out with a fancy tag die then inked it lightly with vintage photo.  I added a bow of black vintage ribbon and topped it with a flower made from the copper crochet ribbon.  I added a few more flowers, one from the gold and one from the copper ribbon with a few foliage sprigs.  Black rhinestone swirls finished the piece off.
If the card isn't your cup of tea, how about this lot of blog candy?  Five stamp sets, Tim Holtz numerals, TH grunge board, Adirondack ink pad, archival ink pad, acrylic block, rhinestone swirls, two distress inks, two mounted rubber stamps, two Cosmic Shimmer embossing powders and a huge pile of ribbons!  What would you do with this lot of candy?  Got any plans?  When we reach 2200 followers, I will draw a name.  To be part of the draw, you need to become a follower and email me your details. And if you leave a comment after each new post (not mandatory) but you will receive extra entries to increase your odds!  I like to reward you if I can see you have taken the time to stop by the blog.  Also, don't forget that we are still playing the comment game so there are more prizes for the posts that have 100 comments or more.  What do you say, do you want to play?!  If you have any questions, just email me at americansue1@gmail.com  All for now, Sue x

Thursday 29 December 2011

A Kraft Card

Hi there blog friends!  This card was made using the bits and pieces of left over pieces of kraft card and other earthtoned decorative papers that I had.  Every once in a while you want to put something together and don't seem to have enough decorative paper to do exactly what you want so you end up with a card like this instead.  I cut a frame from black card for my focal element from Labels eleven and labels fifteen on the inside I used my houndstooth embossing folder to give it texture.   I stamped my sentiment on a piece of natural kraft card and then cut a faux labels eleven nestie from it.  Using my edgeability dies, I cut a small heart border in black and added it to a larger heart border that I cut from kraft card.  I mounted small black card behind the hearts then mounted a piece of kraft card from the Tim Holtz decorative kraft pad.  I added another small piece of this to the top of the card for balance.  The three small black hearts are the ones that I removed from the border cut outs earlier.  I added some black vintage ribbon , a button and some Bakers Twine.  The entire card was mounted on to a piece of black card and gold PVA glue dots were added to the edge to complete the card.  If you have some scraps you need to use up, give this one a try!  All for now, Sue x

Wednesday 28 December 2011

It's A Mystery





Hi blog friends,  I found another Steampunk styled card done in gray and wine for today.  This one used a really fun technique which involves using Artist's Spackle and spreading it through a mask. Carefully remove the mask and  let the spackle dry thoroughly.  Be sure to clean your mask right away as you do not want the spackle to dry on to it. There is silver embossing in the recess of the grid lines if you look carefully.   I haven't posted this card until now for a good reason.  I cannot for the life of me recall how I did that part.   I thought that I probably inked the mask with clear Perfect Medium before I spakled through it, but I am sure the embossing powder woukld have stuck to the spakle and it clearly didn't so I am baffled.  Now, here is a question for you, how do you think that I got the silver embossing into the recess of the grid lines?  I am hoping that some one's explanation will trigger a memory for me.  I can't often look at a card I made and not remember the technique I used, occasionally the exact colours may elude me, but never an entire technique!   Must be old age!  LOL!
I painted some chipboard pieces silver and added some of Tim Holtz gears and cogs as embellishments, as well as a steampunk charm from my craft stash.  I stamped the train track stamp from corner to corner and I edged the two locomotive pieces with Aged mahogany Distress ink.  But I am still at a complete loss as to the silver in the grid lines!  Well, aside from that part, I hope you have enjoyed the card.  All for now, Sue x

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Winter's Magic Wand

Hi guys!  There is no snow on the ground in my part of town so I'm bringing it to look at through my card.  So much less cold and easier to manage, I think!  For this card, I started with a piece of blue card and embossed my sentiment in the corner using a clear Perfect Medium pad and white embossing powder.  From there, I added my trees in the same fashion and drew in some hill lines with my white Inksential pen.  Next, I tore some white card to create my hills.  On the torn edge, I used my perfect medium pad and inked randomly along the edge (I didn't want a distinct line here so I pushed it into the pad).  I embossed the edges with Cosmic Shimmer Aurora Sparkle embossing powder to give it that snowy (but a bit blingy) feel.  Rather than adding more hills, I decided to leave a large open area to add an ornament to my card.  For this, I cut eight thin strips of white card.  I formed a loop by gluing the ends together on each one, taking care not to crease them.  I used an acrylic block to secure the ends while the glue dried.  Next I punched a small circle out of white card, then added a bit of Cosmic Shimmer dries clear glue to it.  I put the ends of each of my loops on their sides into the glue to form a rosette and set them aside to dry for a bit.  I cut one of the Holly accent pieces out of blue card and attached it to my main card in the corner.  Once my rosette was dry, I carefully applied glue to the top edges (this will run a bit but no problem) and I sprinkled it with the Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Jewels.  These are fab for this as they are chunky and blingy.  I added a white button with blue Bakers Twine to the top to cover all the centre pieces and finally glued it atop the blue Holly accent piece.  To complete the card, I cut the largest size of the Grand Scallop rectangles in white card, matted my card with this and added some pearl PVA glue dots to each of the scallops.

You can see a close up of my rosette here.  Don't you love the way the  Glitter Jewels give it a real frosty feel?  The Holly accent piece just peeks out below it to grab your eye to it.  I hope you have enjoyed my snowy piece for your winter day.  See you again tomorrow.  All for now, Sue x

Monday 26 December 2011

Winter Easel Card


 Good morning all!  I hope everyone had a lovely and relaxing  Christmas Day. I for one, am still full from eating way too much!  How about a quick easel card for today's post.  I have used the winter trees for this one and embossed the larger ones in gold and the smaller ones in the background are embossed with clear powder.  I used a fine tip black pen for the star in the corner and added a small rhinestone for the centre.  This first picture is how the card looks closed, although I couldn't get it to sit very flat!  I attached the Fleur de Lis rectangle to the bottom of the card only.
You can see the card here when it is opened and made into an easel.  With only the bottom attached, it allows the front piece to be folded downward and propped on to the sentiment on the inside of the card. I added some rhinestone swirls to the side of the sentiment for a bit of bling.  A bow of vintage ribbon was added to the front of the card with a fancy button from my craft stash.  This card was a very quick and easy card if you are a bit time challenged.  I hope you have some time now that Christmas is behind us to give it a go!  All for now, Sue x

Sunday 25 December 2011

Oh Christmas Tree (s)


Merry Christmas to all!! This is a rather long post today but I thought that I would share a few trees with you today instead of a card seeing that it is Christmas day. I was hoping to show you all the different trees that I have decorated through the years, but unfortunately I was only able to locate a few pictures. I guess I will just have to bore you with those! The first picture is of a tree that I did for my daughter when she was about five years old. She loved Sesame Street, in fact, she wanted her room decorated with Burt and Ernie so I thought I would show you how serious she was about her two boys (and the cookie monster) first, then the tree!  This was my daughter's room when she was a little girl.  I love this picture as I truly believe it is the only time I ever captured her room on film while it was tidy! LOL

Here is her Christmas tree, her very own Sesame Street themed tree (I bet you have never seen one of those before!) LOL  This photo and the other two pictures above and below this one, by the way is a picture of the pictures because I couldn't get my scanner to work so it is a bit grainy.  This tree was probably the fattest real tree I have ever seen as it was only about 4 ft. tall!  It had multi coloured lights on it so it was very fun when lit up too!  All the kids in the neighbourhood really liked this tree.

 This next tree was my Victorian themed tree, my very first tree I had at my own place some thirty odd years ago.  I made all the ornaments on the tree except the tree topper, the birds and the beaded pearl garland.  I took a class in doll painting and made the Victorian dolls that hung on it.  There were potpourri balls and scented sachet ribbon hearts, lace fans, velvet hats, hand painted swans, floral nosegays and a few more things I can hardly remember now.  The very centre tree trunk was wrapped with white lights very tightly then dried baby's breath was put over them so when lit, they illuminated the centre of the tree softly.  You can actually see it towards the bottom of the tree in this picture, but you may not realise what it was.  The tree was all done in cream, dusty rose and burgundy.
The pic to the left is of my Christmas tree today (at least one of them).  It is all done in  copper and gold.  I know it is an unusual choice for a Christmas tree, but I really do like it.  When I moved here, my other half had only a few ornaments and one of them was this copper and gold velvety ornament with a sort of harlequin pattern on it.  You can see it in the close up below to the left side of the tree.  I really liked this ornament so I decided to go from there and this is where it ended up!  I added a few things every year to it, but I think it is full up now.  I do like my trees busy and full of stuff (kind of like my cards!)


 Finally, this is my little silver and white tree.  We wanted the house to look festive when the kids came home for Christmas so I found a small artificial tree for the dining room.  It is a very narrow tree so it easily fits in the corner.  I wanted something totally different so I chose a more classic colour for this one.  I had a white snow flocked tree when I lived in California and this reminds me of the feel of that one.  There are lots of big silver bows and icicles on this tree and it has little bits of silver branches sticking out from it.
I love decorating trees so this is one of the Christmas traditions that really gets me in the festive spirit.  Even though this has been a difficult time for me, I am really glad that I put the trees up.  I am also very thankful for the wonderful emails, comments, cards, flowers and general support and love that I have felt from all of you through this time.  Keeping my blog up has actually been a godsend for me, so thank you for taking the time each day to come by and visit.  You are all very remarkable and I am so blessed to be part of this crafting family we have here in the UK.  Thank you for taking time out during your Christmas day to spend a few minutes with me here.  Merry Christmas, Sue x


Saturday 24 December 2011

Butterfly Buckles

 A very good  Christmas Eve's morning to all!  Sometimes when I finish a card, I end up having some nickname for it and this one was my buckle card as that is what it reminded me of.  I cut the "buckles" using two of the large label dies to create little frames that were just the right size for the cotton hemp ribbon to fit through.  The teal piece I cut to go across and secure the ribbon was one of the fancy tags and I think it worked a treat for this.  I decided to tier them down so I would have a place for my sentiment in the corner.  I offset it with a bow in the opposite corner.  I really like how the backing paper (Graphic 45) has a real country feel to it and so does the ribbon and twine.  I inked around the edge of the paper with Frayed Burlap to distress it a bit more too.  The butterflies were actually cut out of tracing paper I found (I was looking or vellum for these originally) and I really liked the softness that all the layers of the tracing paper gave them.  I added three small pearls to the centre of each of the butterfly bodies to define them.  There is a close up below for you.  And piercing, where would I be without my trusty piercing ruler!  I hope you like it as it is a bit different.  All for now, Sue x

Friday 23 December 2011

Purple Treasure

Hi there blog friends!  Yes this card is actually purple, white and black, honest.  I started with the backing paper (another one of those that I purchased while in Florida at an amazing shop called Scrap and Stamp Art Studio in Inverness if you ever get out that way!)and using the dies that I had on the last show, I began with the Fleur de Lis rectangle cut in black.  I did use a bit of white card behind it to set it off.  I cut two of the postage stamp dies in lilac and matted them with white card also.  I used the die as a template and followed the inside of it with my white inksential pen to give them a little accent.  I stamped my sentiment, cut it out using the fancy tags and inked it using Dusty Concord Distress ink before I took it out of the die so it would have a soft frame.  I had some purple felt so I cut a spiral blossom from it for my flower (don't you just love that die, I sure do!)  I added a bow using the white frilly edged ribbon and put my felt flower in the centre.  The card was in need of some piercing and a couple of decorative pins to really dress it up and finish it off.  Now it looks like a Sue card, huh?! LOL  I hope everyone has all their Christmas shopping sorted and you can spend the next few days relaxing and enjoying.  No, me neither!  All for now, Sue x

Thursday 22 December 2011

Just For You

Good morning all, I know it is so close to Christmas and I should be posting Christmas cards for you, but I have always been a bit of a rebel of sorts so no green and red!  How 'bout pink and grey today?  I like this card as it could have just as easily said "On your special day" and be used for a wedding or anniversary card, don't you think?  I think the white organza flowers really give it a romantic feel too.  I started with a beaded circle die cut in dark grey for my focal element.  I cut a lacy oval die in a pale grey and layered it on top.  The pink die was cut from the fancy tag die set then I cut it in half so that I could arrange the two ends to be peeking out of the top and bottom of the lacy oval.  It wasn't quite long enough without cutting it and separating the two pieces.  Then I cut two of the lacy squares and layered them in a diamond fashion.  I stamped my sentiment before cutting the smallest one and inked it with Tattered Rose Distress ink while still in the die.   I decided to do the layout on a diagonal cut for interest.  The bottom half of the card was embossed with the Ornate Diamond embossing folder and then lightly sanded to bring out the pattern a bit more.  I added the roses across the diagonal line between the two papers and added some pearls and ribbon which I wove between them.  Still wanting a bit of that romantic feel to come out, I added some pearly swirly bits to the sides of my focal element.  The card was matted and layered and paper pierced to complete the card (because I never do that, huh?) LOL  Oh and that is not an oil stain in the corner, it is another of my infamous shadows, you can almost make out my head in this one!  I know what is going to be the top of my resolution list in the new year. 1). Learn to take decent photos!!!
Shadow aside, I hope you like today's card!  All for now, Sue x

Wednesday 21 December 2011

A Warm Smile

Hi blog friends, a warm smile is exactly what this card gives me.  It doesn't even need much explanation as it is straight forward and easily replicated if you would like.  I used an assortment of papers that all had a butterscotch colour to them and pared it with black for a sharp contrast.  The black back piece was cut using the Fleur de Lis rectangle die.  I cut out a heart circle and used one of the smaller postage stamp dies to cut a frame for my sentiment.  I did ink around the edge of the opening just slightly to highlight it too.  I added a big bow made from the frilly edged ribbon, a black button from my craft stash and a couple of decorative pearl pins.  I finished the card by adding some faux stitching lines around the edge using a fine tip black marker.  In case you are wondering, the background paper had the print already on it, it wasn't a stamp, but just enough to add a bit of interest to the card.  I wished I had timed the making of this one for you, but it was a really quick card to make and I think it is one that would definitely work for the males in our lives, don't you think?  All for now, Sue x

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Navy And Cream Treat

Good morning my crafty friends,  today I would like to share with you a card that I was really happy with when I finished, but did not have a clue where I was going when I started it!  I purchased a pad of papers that were all cream and navy in their patterns while I was in Florida.  I just wanted to have a play with them so that is where I started.  My cards are somewhat predetermined in that I am restricted to certain dies and products that I need to use, this is no exception.  Luckily I had some chipped sapphire distress ink on the show to use so the papers were a nice fit so I was off and running.  I used the In Spades border on the top and bottom of the card and used the small piece of the die to "clip" to the edge of the card.  I think it makes a really nice accent on the top and bottom.  I cut a beaded circle die in navy blue and layered it with the lacy oval die that I had cut into a frame so that the blue would show through.  I stamped my sentiment and cut it with one of the lacy circle dies and inked it while still in place in the die.  I mounted it cross ways to complete my focal element.  I cut a spiral flower out of the navy blue card so that I could have some balance and added another flower which I made from the cotton hemp ribbon.  If you have never used this ribbon, it is quite versatile as you can stamp on it, emboss your stamp and it makes several different styles of lovely flowers too.  I added some foliage in cream, a couple of decorative stick pins  and a swirly pearly spray (sorry about the reflection there) to complete the card.  I have a close up pic for you below.  I have tried to do this recently to compensate for my atrocious lack of photographic skills!  See my shadow in the pic above, I just don't see them until I need to put them on the blog!  No moonlighting as a photographer, huh, I guess I will stick to card making! LOL Well I hope you like the card in spite of all of that!  All for now, Sue x


Monday 19 December 2011

Thank You

Hi everyone,  I just wanted to pop in and announce the winners of the blog candy drawing.  First, though, I would like to say how overwhelmed I was at the outpouring of emotional support for me the past few days.  I do truly think of you as friends and feel a connection to all of you even though we may never have met, but that connect feels stronger than ever for me.  Never having gone through losing a parent,  I didn't realise how much it would help to have so many people send their wishes and thoughts to me.  I didn't feel so alone, it was truly appreciated.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart. xxx

I am going to pick two winners instead of one for the comment game.  From the post dated December 15th (Tied Together), I have randomly selected numbers 33 and 42.  That corresponds to comments made by Nadine and Fluffycat!!

Now for the BLOG CANDY CONTEST WINNERS.  Beginning with the third place prize and working our way up to the grand prize (which will be at the bottom of the post with lots of dots or also known as my version of a drum roll).

The winner of third prize is........................................................
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suzieb !!!!!!!!

The winner of the second place prize is..........................................
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Cumbrianlass (janet)

And now, what you have all been waiting for, the winner of the GRAND FIRST PRIZE is....
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Mags!!!!!!!!

Congraulations to all the winners!  Please email me at americansue1@gmail.com to confirm your postal details before I can send out your prizes.  As always, the blog candy contest continues and we will draw again when we reach 2200 followers.  I will post the new prize in a few days.  Thanks to everyone for the support.  All for now, Sue x

What's Red and Black and White All Over!

 Hi guys!  It's a bit early for Valentines Day and this certainly looks as if it could pass for a card for that special day, doesn't it.  Using the heart circles, the heart edgeabilities and the three hearts in the right corner, one would think it was for Valentines Day, but I wasn't even thinking along those lines at all for it.  However, when I finished it, that was all I saw!  Oh well, sometimes we just end up somewhere completely different than where we started from, huh?  I actually cut three of the heart circles, one in red, one in white and one in black.  I snipped between each and every heart around the circle so that they could be pushed forward to create a frilly edge to the circle.  I embossed the background with the folder called Intrinsic to create a swirly texture background.  I used the white Inksential pen to faux stitch around the inner and outer black mat on the card as well as the centre of the border.  The border was created using several of the edgeability dies with hearts in them.
I added a black and red plaid bow from ribbon in my craft stash.  A black button with Bakers Twine and two decorative pearl pins complete the bow.
I used three hearts that were leftover from cutting the circle heart die and added them to the corner to complete the card.   Maybe I should have kept this card to post in February, who knows! LOL  All for now, Sue x

Sunday 18 December 2011

Black And White Trees

Good morning all!  I love the simplicity of this card and I bet you are stunned, no ribbons!  See, sometimes I do know when to stop! LOL  I stamped my trees in black archival ink and clear embossed them on the left hand side of the card.  I stamped the large tree again on black card and white embossed it this time.  I also stamped one of the medium sized trees and embossed it in white  on the right.  I cut the large tree stamped in black just past the tree trunk and lined it up with the exact spot with the white embossed tree.  I taped them together then cut all the outside edges even.  I added white snow dots and a star using the white Inksentials pen on the black card.  I added black pen dots on the white card.  I matted this entire piece with black card that I pierced around the edge.  I stamped the sentiment and cut it out using one of the fancy tags.  I cut another of the same die in black and added it below the tag with the swirl facing the opposite direction.  It added a nice shadow but with a little added interest too because of the swirl detail.  Interestingly, my photo shows another shadow above the tag so it looks almost framed.  I pierced all the way around the outer white mat layer to frame and finish the card.  Clean and simple, what do you think?  All for now, Sue x

Saturday 17 December 2011

On A Sad Note

Hi everyone,  I don't usually post much on my blog in the way of personal matters, but I often get emails asking how my family is doing since you know that I have been going back and forth to visit them.  I thought that I should let you know that I got the call last night that my Dad had passed away quietly in his sleep.  It was not unexpected as his health had been steadily deteriorating since I was there during the summer.  I did get to spend some good quality time with him and my Mom at Thanksgiving and I am so grateful for that gift. He was an amazing man and I may post something else at a later date about him, but it is still too raw right now.  He will be so missed.
  I had already scheduled several daily blog posts for the week and they will go forward.  I do know that we have reached our goal for the blog candy draw and I need to draw a winner for the comments game too.  I am going to have a quiet weekend for happy reflection and some more tears, I am sure, and I will sort all of that out on Monday afternoon.  Sue x

Faux Stitched Aperture

Hi blog friends!  Ho ho ho is getting closer, are you all ready yet?  I'm not, but I have made some headway at least.  Christmas trees are decorated (yes, I do a big one and a small one). I love decorating the Christmas trees once I have untangled all the lights, what a chore!  I was thinking about all the different trees I have done over the years.  If I can find the pictures of them all, I will post them for you to see.  I think you will understand my need to craft when you see these! Enough waffling, on to the subject at hand, today's post.  I had this decorative paper leftover from the last time I was at my Mom's and I was looking for the right card to use it on.  I thought it would look really nice behind an aperture from one of the Grand Label dies.  I decided to use Grand Labels Eleven for the card.  Using a white inksentials pen from ranger, I did some faux stitching all the way around the edge of the aperture and the mat layer edges too.  I made two flowers using the Spiral blossoms one die. One flower was made from matching card and the other was made from black felt.  I like the different textures together as I think it adds more interest sometimes.  You can see the close up of the flowers below. 

I stamped the sentiment all in one line by cutting it out of the rubber set and mounting it on my block as a single line (it was originally designed as two lines).  I cut the ends of the strip into a forked V and adhered it to the card in a diagonal fashion.  I also gave it a bit of shape with a little bit of mounting foam under a section of it to raise it up.  Finally, I used the Fancy Foliage dies to add several different styles of leaves for my flowers.  Definitely love my teal tones, I hope you aren't tiring of them!  All for now, Sue x

Friday 16 December 2011

Just For You

Hi everyone!  I am using the Postage Stamp die set today which I really like and I think has a lot of potential.  This card, though more feminine as is, could easily be altered to suit a masculine recipient, don't you think?  A change of colour, remove the messy bow and stick pins and voila!That is one of best features of this die set, I think, that it lends itself to so many different looks and layouts.  I went with an aqua and chocolate color scheme on this one as I love those two colours together, they always just seem to be pleasing to the eye.  I used the In Spades border and cut two of them so that I could thread my viontage ribbon through them and have them border my focal element.  I tucked the ends around the back of the card and secured them and added the bow with a sticky glue dot.  I cut out two of the Postage stamp dies with the two largest in the set, one inside the other to cut a frame.  Since these were the same size and I wanted them to look like they had been interlocked, I had to cut the dies in a few places and then reassemble it so it looked like it was going underneath the second die in places.  If you have a good look at the close up below, you can see that I could not have achnieved this look without cutting them (or the help of Houdini! LOL)  I stamped a sentiment for the centre of the dies and inked it slightly with Frayed Burlap Distress ink and mounted it on 3D foam pads.  The background used some coordinating papers that I had in my stash, but the name had been cut off already, so sorry.  I really like the simplicity of this one, I hope you do too!  All for now, Sue x

Thursday 15 December 2011

Tied Together

 Hello blog friends!  You may be wondering what the title of this post has to do with anything, but it is the name of the embossing folder that I have used here.  If you recall, I said that there had been a mix up with the embossing folders from the last show.  I thought that this one was to have been one of the products, but it was delayed.  Well it is finally here!  For this card, I stamped my sentiment and then scored a line above and below it.  I used the Tied Together folder and embossed the area below the line first, leaving the top half out of the folder.  Then I embossed the area above the line, leaving all of the rest of the card out of the folder and off the end of the base plate so that it would not be flattened.   I used the Cosmic Shimmer Gold PVA glue to make dots at every intersection in the embossed piece and I set this aside to dry well.  I wanted to be able to see the dots from below the ribbon so I had to do them first and allow them sufficient time to dry.  I attached a piece of ribbon across the front of the card then I tied a big double bow using the champagne coloured frilly edged ribbon and attached it to the front with a glue dot.  I find this easier to do than to tie the bow from the ribbon that I have wrapped around a card and I can usually get the bow to sit the way that I want this way too.  Using a piece of decorative card from Graphic 45, I cut a spiral flower and attached it to the centre of the bow.  The rest of the card was matted and layered with gold metallic cardstock to match the PVA dots and cream card.  I did a bit of piercing on the edge to frame the card.


 I have included a few close ups for your perusal too.  I think this would be lovely in a white on white format for a wedding card too, just using the pearl PVA instead of the gold and a simple  change of sentiment.
 If you have not tried any of the Cosmic Shimmer Pva glues, they are a sheer joy to use and I think they add so much extra to a card.  I highly recommend them (but I'm biased! LOL)  I hope you like today's choice for the blog.  All for now, Sue x


Wednesday 14 December 2011

Faux Pyramaged Trees

Hi guys!  The past few weeks I have been using the Winter Trees stamp set for my samples.  I haven't had a play with this set before, but what fun, don't you think!  I made a quick faux pyramage card here and it only took very little time.  I started with a piece of white card and I cut out a mask for my moon and placed it down with some removable adhesive.  Using Chipped Sapphire Distress ink, I inked the background sky area.  I wanted it to be rather intense and then fade out towards the background, but as I was doing this I decided to not do the entire background.  I ended up with a circular sort of look to it and I rather liked it. I removed the mask and stamped the trees and sentiment with jet black archival ink.  I lined up four alternating sizes of Grand  Labels Eleven, centring them over the scene and taped them into place.  I cut them and then removed them and added 3D foam pieces to the back of each ring, progressively adding another layer of it to each ring inward.  The result is a card that looks like it has been properly pyramaged.  I have included a pic shown from a side angle and you can see the layers in it.  I cut a Grand Labels 23 as a background in white then used that die to draw around the edge and make a faux nestie in dark blue to mat it with and complete the card.  This is a really fun and easy card to make if you get the chance.  All for now, Sue x

Tuesday 13 December 2011

A Treasured Friend

Good morning crafty friends, I hope we are all doing well this December morning!  As promised, here is a sneak peek at one of the cards for the shows today. I was chatting away to a friend in California while I made this card late one evening and I told her I would put it up on my blog today so she would be able to see what I was trying to describe over the phone to her!
I found this lovely decorative paper while in Florida and have been using it quite a lot.  It is metallic gold and black with some cream and tan thrown in with lovely little patterns that are great for card makers. I used several of the patterns for the background on this card.   The focal element was made using the Spellbinders Lacy Squares.  I cut two of them and interlocked them going in different directions to form a sort of frame for my sentiment, which was stamped and cut out with one of the fancy tag dies.  I did a bit of inking with Frayed Burlap while it was in the die, but it doesn't show up as well in the picture as in real life.  I added one flower made from matching decorative paper, another made from the black vintage ribbon and the last one is made of felt.  I like the mixture of the different styles and mediums for the flowers.  I think it adds great texture and interest to a card.  There is a close up picture below for you. 
I was sent an email from a follower some time ago with a picture of a card they had made.  It was a lovely creation and it had a feather on it.  I have seen some cards with feathers prior to this but they always looked a bit garish to me, but this one was really  lovely.  I asked her if I could borrow her idea sometime and said that I would give her credit, but for the life of me, I cannot recall who it was that sent that email.  I do apologise as my memory has been so bad recently, but please let me know if you read this and that was your idea, send an email to remind me please.  Anyways, I just felt that a little black feather looked quite pretty on this card so I added it as an accent.  I added some rhinestone swirls to accent the other side of the card.  I hope you will tune in for some of the shows today and tomorrow (or by computer at www.createandcraft.tv)   All for now, Sue x





Monday 12 December 2011

Frilly Flowers and Butterfly

Happy Monday all!  If blogger is being kind to me then you should be seeing this post as I am half way over the Atlantic on the way back home to England.  I will keep my fingers crossed and hopefully it will go up on the blog without a hitch!  This is one of my favourite cards from the last bunch I did.  I can't really say why but I was pleased with the way it turned out even if my photography doesn't do it much justice.  I used one of the Grand Impressibilities to emboss the black background.  I cut an aperature out using Labels 21 and then I cut a frame to mount over the opening for emphasis.  I used a little touch of striped paper to add some colour and I apologise as I cannot recall either of the paper names I have used here.  I used the coordinating pattern to cut the butterflyfrom the Fanciful Flight set and also to add some sprigs to the floral element.  I like to use papers like that as it just feels more balanced to be able to bring it in again in another place on the card.  The flowers were made by cutting the frilly edged ribbon down the centre.  I used about 24inches for the largest flower and about half that for the smallest flower.  Attach the redline tape to the cut edge so that it just covers the bottom of the ribbon by about 1/8th of an inch (just enough so it has something to tack on to).  Fold the very corner down so that if the ribbon would fray, it will not show, then roll to get the centre of your flower.  Once you have a small tube, then begin to add small gathers as you roll.  This will cause the flower to open up more and begin to take shape.  Do this to the end of your ribbon and try to keep the outside top edge of the ribbon relatively even (so the tape will be moving up the side of the flower a bit as you go).  If your tape on the bottom of the flower seems too thick when you are done, you can cut it down with a pair of sharp scissors.  I did try to do a visual tutorial for you on this and quickly realised that I cannot take photos and show what I am doing at the same time so I will need to enlist some help on this after I return.
I cut a few leafy pieces from the Fancy Foliage set and added some black vintage ribbon to complete the floral embellishment.  There is a close up below for you of it. I just love the little bit of waviness you get from the frilly edged ribbon for these flowers.   I added some black rhinestone swirls as a final embellishment for the card. 
I will post a sneak peek tomorrow for the shows that I will be doing beginning Tuesday evening so please be sure to check back tomorrow won't you?  All for now, Sue x


Sunday 11 December 2011

Just A Note

Hi guys, I wasn't quite sure about posting this one as I wasn't completely happy with how it came out.  I have decided to let you be judge and jury on it (be honest but be kind, I have very thin skin!)  I have used the Parisian dies for this, but rather than having them hold hands, I decided to have them hug their background colour square.  The edges of the die all tuck behind the green squares so nicely, I haven't even glued or taped them in place.  Using the small fleur de lis die from another set, I used it as an accent for the centres of all the squares.  The sentiment was stamped and cut out with one of the Parisian accent dies, then I cut two more, one in turquoise and one in olive card.  Those two were cut in half and layered behind the original by just mounting them outward a bit each time and taping them in place on the back.  I cut two Parisian border die pieces and used them on the sides of the card and laced the frilly edged ribbon through them as a holder for my bow.  I added a button and some twine for the centre of the bow (as I always feel they look naked otherwise!).  Okay, what's the verdict, what would you think if you received this one in the post?  All for now, Sue x