Monday, 26 May 2014

12 x 12 Card stock - 3 Card Bases

Hello Friends,

My aim today, was to make 3 cards and I remembered that I'd saved the link on a very scruffy piece of paper on how to make 3 base card blanks out of one 12 x 12 sheet of card stock, thank goodness I found it!  I was looking at something on Pinterest a week or two ago and saw a link that took me to this great blog post by Brenda!

I followed the cutting instructions and made these 3 great cards......




My lovely upline for Stampin' Up set us a Sketch Challenge, similar what you see from the cards I made, to get us all crafting (she is so sweet) and my first thoughts were that I'd only use it for the first card but then it seemed easier (I didn't have to think) to stick with it.  I continued with that same inspiration and the other two cards seemed quick and I'm sure if I hadn't followed ideas from that same sketch, I'd still be sitting here with two cards to make out of my newly created card blanks!

Enjoy and I hope you find some time to craft today.

Carole x


Saturday, 17 May 2014

Water colour for card makers - Day 11

Hello friends,

I tried one of the other techniques that we were taught in class late last night.

It was a lesson by Tim Holtz, he used his distress inks, water, stencil and watercolour paper, that's all!


The colours I used for this card were: Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint & Scattered Straw.

I love the messy watercolour look!

Have a great day and happy crafting.

Carole x


Friday, 16 May 2014

Watercolor for card makers - Day 11

Hello friends,

I've been missing in class for a couple of days - whoops!!!  Funny that the two days that I missed were the most difficult!

Luckily I'm back on track today - we were shown a great video about water coloring onto vellum.  I loved using vellum some years ago and couldn't wait for the video to finish so that I could dash off and find some!

I ended up cutting and messing about with my finished artwork so much that I nearly didn't make a card of it, but I am pleased I came up with a card design that the water coloured vellum worked out okay on!


You can probably see how tight my piece of vellum got, but I don't mind.  If I make another one, I'd be a bit more careful....it's all about planning....and I hadn't planned on how I was actually going to use my piece!

Normally I'd say cards look much nicer in real life, but on this occasion, I'm sure the photo of it looks best!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting.

Carole x


Silhouette Cameo - Adapting files using Offset

Hello friends,

Firstly I'd like to welcome my two new follower's Kristie and Barb, thanks for becoming follower's, I really appreciate you wanting to see more of what I make.

The card I want to share with you all today, was made by adapting some of the Silhouette Software designs, that I felt were a little too fiddly to cut out with my ageing blade!

I made a small offset of the butterfly and the word "friend", which made them just that little bit easier to cut out on my Silhouette Cameo.  I also released the compound path of the doily and removed a whole ring of little squares from it, which I felt, were unnecessary on this card and would have been extra stress on my poor ageing blade.



I hope you like my card today.  Thanks for popping by.

Happy crafting,

Carole x

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Watercolour for Card Makers - Day 8 & Silhouette Cameo

Hello Friends,

I was so excited by the lessons today over at the Watercolour for Card Makers online class.  Another day, another 3 awesome videos and 3 different takes on the lesson.

I'm a little bit ashamed to say it but I used the lesson that seemed the easiest to me again!  Laura Bassen used a die cut stencil to work with.  I searched through my own dies and didn't have any that I could really use, like she had used, so I headed straight back to my computer and opened up the Silhouette Software!

I cut out my most used image ever, this beautiful flower and used that.....


...it turned out to be very similar to yesterdays card, but today, I took a lot more time, waited for layers to dry and edged the whole thing with pencil, trying to make it look like I'd drawn it and then watercoloured it - so naughty!!!  Well I feel it's naughty, but it was the most fun and it's not naughty at all!

You should have seen the concentration on my face and you could have heard a pin drop whilst I was so very carefully trying to make this look like a great watercolour - lol!  It's not anywhere near as lovely as Laura's card, but I'm pretty pleased and want to practice some more.

I think this class is one of the best that Online Card Classes have bought us, or at least the one that has stretched me the most.  I feel that I will be heading back to that classroom regularly, when I have time to have a go at some of the more difficult techniques they are sharing with us.

Right I've got another project to do tomorrow, I'm doing a friend a favour, helping her make a couple of cards that 200 people have to sign (what a task!), so my desk has to be clear and tidy so that when she arrives we can get on!  I'll post pics of the project I make with her, if I get to photograph them before they go!

Happy crafting and thanks for popping by.

Carole x


Monday, 12 May 2014

Watercolor for Card Makers - Day 7 & Summer Silhouettes

Hello Friends,

We are on to our second week of the Watercolour for Card Makers class and to tell you the truth it is a great distraction, which is just what the doctor ordered!

My card today is using a technique called Faux Hand Painting, I hope you like it....


I stamped the stamps, from the Stampin' Up stamp set, called Summer Silhouettes with a very light coloured ink and painted over!  Really easy!  I used my Stampin' Up ink pads as my watercolour palettes for the card.  The colours used were Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pear Pizzazz and Always Artichoke.

Hopefully I will be back with another card tomorrow.

Happy crafting and thanks for popping by.

Carole x



Friday, 9 May 2014

Watercolor for card makers - Day 5

Hello Friends,

To be honest I've been a little stressed lately.  I've said "yes" to stuff when I really shouldn't have!  There is nothing wrong in doing what you can, when you can, but when your mouth says "yes" and your heart sinks you know you've done it again!!!

Oh well, after a very rainy start to the day, the weather has gradually improved and right now the sun is shining, which is making me happy!

The other things that is making me feel a little happier and much calmer is my lovely watercolour for card makers class!  I sat myself down with a cuppa and watched the videos from today's class and loved each one of them.  My favorite being, a video from one of my favorite designers, Shari Carroll.  She showed a great colouring technique that, even those of us who cannot paint, can do very easily.  Here is my card using the water colour technique she shared with us....


I hope you like my card.

Thanks for popping by today and happy crafting.

Carole x

Thursday, 8 May 2014

Watercolor the AI way! Water Color for Card Makers - Day 3

Hello Friends,

Oh me, oh my, this takes me back absolutely years and years!  I am currently enjoying the latest On-line Card Class, Water Color for Card Makers and yesterday Kristina shared a card she made using AI stamps, some of which I have!

I started a little crafting business with these stamps, which has to be at least 10 years ago, I used to go to various women's groups with my stamps and pens and give a whole demonstration/comedy act on how to paint if you couldn't draw!  The ladies loved them and I actually did quite well and gained quite a few customers.

I moved on after a while, sold lots of my originals, but rummaging around in my garage, I found these boxes....

.....here are my pens, I used to sit ladies in groups and they'd all have a set of pens and a set of stamps to borrow, which is why I have to many of the same color.



Here is a really clean looking box, some are used and some are not, all priced up for sale!.....


and here is one of the working boxes I had, trying to date these stamps is difficult, but you see that red blotch on the Happy Birthday stamp, it's part of a perished/melted rubber band that was holding some the the peel-off together.  How funny, I hate peel off's now, but they were useful when I was going around demonstrating this...


After watching the class yesterday, I went off looking at YouTube and found so many wonderful videos of Bonny Krebbs, I didn't get a thing done!

This morning, I dusted off those pens and the ones I tried, all worked!  Those Marvy LePlumes were good!  Here is my card......


I made it using the AI stamps and Marvy markers and of course, my plastic palette (I have many of them too)!  The card shape is cut on the Silhouette Cameo, as I'll be sending this card to a lady who I'm doing a Silhouette Cameo Swap with, this month.

I hope you like it, now I'd better go and check out the rest of those stamps.....just wish I knew where the rest were (I might have sold them, or I may have to rummage further in my garage)!

Happy crafting.

Carole x



Wednesday, 7 May 2014

New Baby Pocket Card - Silhouette Cameo

Hello friends,

I made the pocket part of this card at least a week ago, but with one thing or another happening around here, I've only just finished it, by making the part that slides in!

I've made the pocket part of this card, out of pretty thick coated card stock, hoping that the grandparents will use the pocket to carry photo's around with them of their new grandson.



I've used products from: Stampin' Up, Bazzill Basics, Sizzix and of course the Silhouette Cameo!

I hope you enjoy your day, thanks for popping.

Happy crafting.

Carole x



Monday, 5 May 2014

Watercolor for Card Makers - Day 1

Hello Friends,

The Watercolor for Card Makers class has begun!

There are 3 video to watch in the classroom and I've tried all three techniques taught today.  This one definitely worked out the best for me.....


It was another resist emboss with a watercolor wash background.  I really quite like how this one turned out.

I used Stamps from Stampin' Up and Tim Holtz and that little butterfly is from a Stampin' Up Embosslits.

I hope you like my project, thanks for popping by.

Happy crafting.

Carole x