Thursday 6 November 2014

Glitter - it must be Christmas!



The "Ornamental Pine" stamp set doesn't look very much on the box, but I have seen so many beautiful cards made with it, which have been posted on Pinterest and Facebook, that I just had to have a play myself.
I stamped the pine branch a couple of times onto a piece of whisper white card with mossy meadow ink and then did some secondary stamping along the bottom of the card to create the faded branches. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure I had lined up the bauble and the hook where I wanted them. I used cherry cobbler ink for the bauble and encore metallic silver ink for the hook. 
I sponged around the edge of the card with the mossy meadow ink to soften the edges.
I then got out my glue pen and set to adding highlights of glitter. This was my first serious glitter play of the season, but I know it won't be the last.
I matted the card front onto some silver mirri card, before attaching it to a square card blank.
I love this card. it wasn't complicated, but it looks it.Always a boost to your ego and confidence.

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

I have got the first of this months craft fairs tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing the lovely people at Manor School in Raunds.

Keep warm and as it is too cold to be outside, why not get out your glitter stations.

Helen
xx



Wednesday 5 November 2014

Just whizzing in to say - It is Wednesday. Don't forget to check out the weekly deals.

Helen
xx

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Get yourself sorted!

Today has been a day of wading through the chaos that had descended on my craft room and trying to create a tidy organised space that I can work in. Over the last couple of weeks I had gained a lot of resources and some new furniture and it has been no mean feat to try and organise it all. I am not quite finished, but I can now see the floor and I am beginning to feel a little bit more in control.

This is, of course, a time of sorting and planning and new things for Love-a-Duckie, as I work to make a part time hobby a full time vocation.
One of the things I have trailed over the last month is a couple of all day workshops. These were a great success and enormous fun and something I plan to do more of in the future.
At the first we took one stamp set - the "Festival of Trees" - and created 6 different cards and a bag to carry them home in.
The second was the wreath workshop I shared earlier in the week.













If you have any ideas for things you would like to do, please let me know your suggestions.

Helen
xx

Monday 3 November 2014

Oh Joy


Another Christmas Card for you.

This time I used the "Wondrous Wreath" stamp set to create the focal point. Because this set is made from clear photopolymer, which you can see through and has the ingenious tabs on the side of the stamps, which mean you always know which way to line them up, you are able to layer up the stamps using different colours to create variegated wreaths with berries. There is then the matching thinlit dies (also with the alignment tabs) which enable you to die cut your wreath. The thinlit die set also includes dies for the bow and for the words "joy"and "noel"
So onto whisper white card I stamped up the wreath using pear pizazz, mossy meadow and real red. I also stamped a bow in real red. Using my big shot I cut them out. I also cut the word "joy" from gold mirri card, Whilst my Big shot was out, I cut a frame using 2 oval thinlits from mossy meadow card.
Using the decorative dots embossing folder, I embossed a panel on the front of my card blank. I then used my now retired edgelit die to create the patterned border along the edge of the card. I attached a strip of mossy meadow card behind this edge to highlight it, whilst still leaving the front of the card marginally shorter than the back of the card. I used a wet glue (tombow) to stick my frame, wreath,bow and sentiment on. As a finishing touch I used dots of cherry cobbler dazzling delights to highlight some of the berries

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

I love this stamp set - and a wreath isn't just for Christmas. You can use browns, oranges and reds for autumn. Add blossom for spring or summer. There is lots of potential. All I need is to find a door small enough to hang it on.

Sunday 2 November 2014

Colouring Christmas.



My Father Christmas images always have to be round and jolly with a large fluffy beard- else they just don't past muster with me.
This stamp ticks all those boxes and I got to colour him in with my blendabilities, so even better.

I used a notecard in whisper white and added a mat of DSP from the fabulous trim the tree dsp stack.
I stamped my Father Christmas from the "Get your Santa on" stamp set with black memento ink. I then coloured in the image using the cherry cobbler blendabilities set for Santa's suit and with the palest grey from the smoky slate set for the shading on the fur of his suit. The dark grey was used for gloves and boots and the shading on the ground. His face was coloured with pens from the skin tone assortment.
I cut out the image using an oval framelit and then using the next 2 sizes of framelit up, I cut mats in the same dsp as the card background and whisper white card.
I tied some cherry cobbler ribbon around the rectangular dsp mat before attaching it to the card front. This particular ribbon is now retired, but there are lots of lovely alternatives in the catalogue - perhaps the striped gross grain or chevron ribbon?
I then layered up the image onto its oval mats and attached this topper to the card front with dimensionals. I stamped 3 small snowflakes from the "Letterpress Winter" set in cherry cobbler ink on whisper white card and punched them out with the banner punch. I added the three snowflake banners to finish.

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.


Now we are into November the journey to Christmas starts in earnest. Hope you will enjoy journeying with me,

Helen
xx

Saturday 1 November 2014

It's a new day..

Well yesterday saw me saying a final goodbye to my job as a Family Support Worker. November brings with it a whole new chapter in the Love-a-Duckie story as I seek to make this passion my
 full-time occupation. And what better way to mark this new step than surrounded by 8 lovely ladies, spending a day making a paper crafted wreath with gorgeous Designer Series Papers and a Father Christmas Gift Card as well.
There was a choice of colour and designs and as always, everyone's project was a little bit different. You can tell when everyone is engaged, because no one was in a hurry to eat their lunch and at some points during the afternoon  it was really quiet around the table.


Sally's Origami skills
A festive holder for your gift cards.

The ladies in action



If you would like to order yourself some paper to make a wreath of your own, then do get in touch.
Here are some of the goodies that made up the wreath kits.

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.


Now all that remains is to tidy up.

Helen
xx