Masterboard.... the final!....

After I'd finished my Masterboard projects for the PaperArtsy blog (you can see them HERE), I had one label remaining...

If you read and remember the projects from this masterboard, you'll realise I like to use every last piece.

I didn't want to make another card, I wanted to make something different, and so I thought why not co-ordinate the envelope with the card..

....and keeping it simple I punched hexagons (love!) out of the stickers sheet:

 I  punched 4, selected my 'favourite' and used it as an envelop seal.

I still had lengths of the painted masking tape left over too...

so I used it as decorative strip to write the recipients name onto..

Thats it.. all gone!

x

Just playing...

... with a new die before I began working on a bigger project... I like to create something small before starting on something bigger - a sort of warm up exercise..

Its the matchbox die from Sizzix/Tim Holtz and its a dinky little thing! I decorated it using bits left over from recent projects - seemed a shame to throw them away.

The die is basically a matchbox, and I added a little pull tab to encourage people to open it (and open it the right way, so the content isn't 'upside down', using the Tiny Tags & Tabs die), cut from kraft card. The stamps are from JM12,  JOFY23 & 24..

Here's the inside (flower is painted in Lade Wanaka Fresco Finish - such a gorgeous blue!) stamps from JOFY22, 11 & JM12

... and the side - I do love a bit of scallop border...

Also on the desk is a pile of postcards I've made (again, just because..) and this one looked great with the box - LOVE the retro design on the papers (DoCrafts 'Happy Days' range from last year)
(text block stamp is JM40). The tab on side of the card is a great punch by Stampin Up that I 'rediscovered' while trying to find something else - don't you love it when that happens!

This was a simple project but a lot of fun to put together..

I've been meaning to blog about the new Tim Holtz/Tonic scissors... and I thought I do it now as when I looked at my desk while making this project both pairs of 'Tim' scissors were on the desk!
I bought mine from The Stamp Attic and am so pleased I did - I love my short scissors but the longer scissors are even more fantastic - you know when people say 'like cutting through hot butter' well they really do make cutting paper, card, fabric & cardboard just like that!  and you get that nice crunching noise too - like biting into an apple - very satisfying! lol

Also in the picture is the Tiny Attacher - small but fiesty little stapler! I used it to attach my little tab - a standard size staple would've been too bit but the Tiny Attacher staples were perfect size - and quite discreet.

I'd really like to make more of these boxes but unfortunately my BigShot may have sustained a fatal injury during a class on Sunday... its gone the craft hospital to see what can be done but I fear it may be headed to the great craft shed in the sky.... :o(  so no more die-cutting for a while - I didn't realise how much I used my BigShot until I didn't have it any more...

ah well.. onwards and upwards  :o)

x

Introducing Agatha - My She Art Girl!

 I recently took Christy Tomlinson 'She Art Girl' online class.  I love how she builds up layers of background, and creates these 'art girls'.  My one, Agatha, is created on recycled mount board (6x12in) - I'm proud of the fact I didn't use a pattern - I just drew her, cut out the pieces and stuck them down - normally I would make sure the everything was symmetrical (like her dress and body shape) but ooh no this time I just stuck the bits down!  Very liberating.

I really like her boots! - she was going to have slouch socks too but, ahem, I forgot to stick them on before the boots! oops - nevermind - I'll just use them on another Art Girl.

 I like the fact that she doesn't have a face - if the face is wrong it can spoil an image - so best to leave it off. :o)

I thought I'd show you Agatha and her sketch - it helped to sketch it out so I could see where everything would sit on the canvas and how/if it would look balanced (I reeeeaaally like the sketch! - its just pencil on a board - I might sketch over it in pen & keep it...)

Rudolph the {not so} red nosed reindeer....

OK, I don't want to scare anybody but its only 51 days 'til christmas!!!

I'm easing myself into this gently - afterall I completed christmas projects for Craft Stamper (what seems like) ages ago & taught christmas classes in September, so Christmas seems to have been coming for a looooong time.  ho ho ho!

Another tag today - this one is made up of 3 layers -
*  bottom layer is PaperArtsy Rum&Raisin papers stamped with a Stampin-up stamp 'Bella Toile',

*  middle is the torn edge layer which has been embossed with a Cuttlebug xmas embossing folder and coloured with distress inks (frayed burlap- I like that colour a lot) and faded jeans (or maybe broken china),
*  top layer is acetate run the the 'bug with the Swiss Dots (goes with everything) embossing folder.

The reindeer is cut using another of Tim's dies (reindeer flight) - cut from a paper I made using same Stampin Up 'Bella Toile' stamp embossed in clear and coloured with the faded jeans/broken china. I accented its underbelly with frayed burlap ink which seemed to give it a bit a dimension and stopped it looking so 'clean'.

The cute little rosette is made with Tim Holtz' 'paper rosette' die - love these - it makes creating rosettes sooooo easy! Love it!

The rosette on the tag is the smaller of two I've made using the same die. The picture above shows the original and smaller size- create the smaller one by cutting about 1cm off the depth of the diecut (remember to run a length of sticky tape along the reverse to avoid the folds tearing)

Thanks for popping by!

Jessica's card

Birth card for a friend's new arrival - I can blog it now she's recieved it.  It has a lot going on and I love how it turned out! (am patting myself on the back.. lol) Its sooo girly and pink, with sparkles (obviously!). I always like to make baby cards special but I wanted this to be extra special because this little lady arrived 8 weeks early and weighed just 3lbs 10oz!!  She's at home and doing well, and I'll be popping round for a cuddle very soon! Big congrats to V&T!

been 'busy'....

.. I was having a quick look back through my recent blog posts and its been a while since I posted pictures of my actual work - it all seems to have been pictures of my desk (which is fine), or things I've found inspiring or just generally pretty pictures ... but none of my work.  Sometimes this is because I can't show it for one reason or another ie magazine work, dt pieces, samples for teaching or I'm working on pieces that will go for sale ... etc etc etc

aaaanyhoo enough is enough - lets put this right:  here are some pic's of a couple of things I made earlier today:

playing with my new favourite punch - the bird/branch from Stampin up.. they've got a great new stye of punch- nice and flat and stackable and much kinder on the hands.

and another card made using quite a few of my favourite things - sewing, punchouts, sewing, and the gorgeous 'brook' paper from Crate Paper.

Thanks to the everyone who left a comment about Bertie and his debut on WOYWW but before you all get too taken in by those 'butter wouldn't melt' cute looks of his check this out.. this is what I have to contend with - the little furball has no manners! lol I spend a lot of time picking him up off the desk and putting him back down on the floor... he's like a jack-in -the-box... gotta love him though- its all part of his charm... apparently!

Simple, modern, abstract cards

....are what the 'client' wanted and what they got!

For men:

LOVE the notepad edge punch from Stampin' up, and the star stamps from Banana Frog!  And the barcode stamp ...  oooh, hmmm, can't remember what make that is... but goes with everything! lol

For the girls:

I made this one using a set from Cuttlebug (square frames) -I  think these are going to be really useful -great that you get a frame and a square - bonus!  and even better if the paper is double-sided - it halves the die cutting!
the cute little cupcake is from Banana Frog.
 
All the greetings are Banana Frog.

Christmas cards...

I need to pace myself! lol No posts for 2 weeks and now 2 in a day! Phew!

Here are some of christmas cards I made (though I will confess that due to teaching, commissions and a sick cat I didn't have time to make all our christmas cards and so we did send a few bought cards (shock, horror and the shame of it!! and me a card making tutor! rofl) Normally I make all my christmas cards from scratch but this year due to the reasons stated I bought some embellishments to work with... which was good because it was a learning process - adapting things to your own style etc etc etc....

Using Stampendous sticker sheets...

Using Basic Grey card making pack - It's useful to buy if you're in a hurry but I'm not sure I would buy one again - it takes away a lot of the creativity - I bought it as a base start from and I added peel-offs and gems to the paper supplied and I still have lots left over (this isn't all the cards by the way) - even though I did customise nearly all the cards and only followed the directions for one in particular as it was such a definite design with provided embellishments.... (still gotta love Basic Grey though!)......

K&Co papers - lovely vintage feel to their range...