Friday 28 August 2015

Adhesive Corrugated Paper - Silhouette Cameo

Hello Friends,

I can't tell you how excited I am!  I've had a pack of Silhouette America's adhesive corrugated paper for a few weeks and it's taken until now to give it a try!

I can tell you that it cuts like a dream.  Here is a shaker card I made using it....


I love the natural colours, there are three sheets of white and three sheets of kraft in the pack.  It cuts on the setting designed for it, in the Cut Settings window, perfectly first time, it even leaves the backing sheet uncut - awesome!

I used two files from the Silhouette America store; Artisans nesting rectangles & Starburst.

To make the shaker part I used my WRMK Fuse tool and sequins from my stash.

Enjoy, I hope you get to play with your Silhouette machine over the weekend.

Carole x





Thursday 20 August 2015

Embellishment & card swaps with Stephanie Ackerman Sizzix dies

Hello Friends,

Oh what a week and it's only Thursday!  I won't bore you with the details, but believe me, its been a stressful one for me, for sure!

Thank goodness I'm able to craft, otherwise I'd probably be in the "funny farm".

A couple of weeks ago I signed up to a UK craft swapping group and agreed to make a couple of swaps.  I thought it would be fun, something different and would give me inspiring ideas of things to make.

The two swaps I signed up for were easy ones.  I decided to start gently, tread the water as it were, before I signed myself up for making anything too difficult or new to me.

Here is a picture of my swaps....





The first two pictures show my embellishment swap.  The remit was to make 3 embellishments for the front of cards.  I looked through my stash and found two of my favourite Sizzix dies, both by Stephanie Ackerman.  One of the dies is called "Flowers w/Stems, Leaves & Heart" and the other, which is much more recent has a number "659960 Flower #4".

I used my new WRMK Fuse tool to make the little shaker pockets for the middle of two of the flower embellishments, along with my old trusty Nestabilities to cut away the centres.  The papers and card stock are all from my SU stash!

The third picture shows my general card swap.  I understand that sometimes ladies swapping put a little crafty surprise in with the swap, so I decided to make one of these zipper type cards.  Behind the zipper is another die cut flower, just like the one on the front, so that the lady who receives my swap will be able to make a card using it.

I always feel better when I'm crafting and there are some gorgeous crafty people out there who do lift my spirits.  Stephanie Ackerman is one of those special ladies and just thinking of her and using her dies has made me feel so very much better.  She has given me a little boost which will help me to forget the bad things of this week and carry on with the good things I must do.

Happy crafting and thanks for stopping by.

Carole x




Tuesday 11 August 2015

Silhouette Cameo & Silhouette Portrait lessons

Hello Friends,

This morning I was supposed to be getting our home back to normal, after teaching for the last couple of days, but I felt inspired by the lovely ladies who came for lessons, that I spent most of the morning designing and making this card instead....


I always feel it's a pleasure to teach the basics of the Silhouette software.  People buy a Silhouette Cameo or a Silhouette Portrait thinking it will make for easy card making and scrapbooking and are sometimes a little disappointed when they realise there is a learning curve with the software.   Once the basics are learned crafting can be more precise and embellishments are much cheaper.

It took me quite a while to get my head around the software, when I first had my Silhouette SD,  a few years ago.  Only with the help of my computer minded husband, and my shear determination to learn all the basics, did I master the software to the level I now have.

Looking back, if I could have spent a day with someone learning all those basics, I could have saved myself at least 6 months of trial and error, wasted paper and card and many hours on YouTube!  This is why I decided to set up my little teaching business on the software.  I normally teach one-to-one, but now have the technology and space to teach 3 students at once.

The ladies I taught over the last two days were friends and came from different parts of the country.  They turned it into a girlie long weekend by staying in a Travel Lodge pretty close.  So if you think Oxfordshire is just a little too far, it's worth a thought about booking reasonably priced accommodation!

My email address is just over on the right of your screen, email me for details, if you'd like to know more.

Happy crafting and Silhouetting.

Carole x







Saturday 8 August 2015

Silhouette Studio teaching & Celebrate Balloon Card

Hello Friends,

I'm just popping in very quickly, as I'm supposed to be getting ready to teach tomorrow.  I'm having to think about my teaching area and how best to set it up, ready for a group of friends, who've booked me to teach them all the basics of the Silhouette Studio software.

This will be the first time I've taught a group of ladies and to be honest I'm really looking forward to it, I'm thinking it should be great fun as I have heard that they are a "giggly bunch ;)".  I'll be linking one of our t.v.'s to my computer, making it easy for them all to see.

Back to the main reason for my blog post today.....it's one of my friends birthday's today, this is the card I've sent her....


.....I'm hoping she has a wonderful day.

The card was made using my Silhouette Cameo.

Hope she likes it.  Thanks for popping by today and happy crafting.

Carole x

Thursday 6 August 2015

Silhouette Cameo Lessons, Envelope Punch Board Calculator & a Thank you!

Hello Friends,

Last week I was pleasantly surprised when Jules, over at Always with a Heart, left me a comment on my Crafty Envelope Punch Board Calculator page, saying that she had posted news of this great tool, on her blog!  From her blog post, I have had lots more crafty people, check out this useful tool and a few new subscribers.  I'd like to thank Jules and all my subscibers, for joining me on my crafty journey.

After my frantic week of trying to make all those backgrounds and cards for the On-line Card Class, last week, I needed to catch up and get ready for a couple of Silhouette Studio Lessons I have booked in on Sunday and Monday.

I have three ladies coming to the lessons, so to save lots of Cameo cutting time, I've actually cut out all the bits ready for them.  To package them up neatly (and so they don't lose any of the smaller bits) I've made these envelopes using my Crafty Envelope Punch Board Calculator 



Sometimes, when making an envelope using my Crafty Envelope Punch Board Calculator, you just need a little extra measurement length, like I did this time!  Here is what I do.....


....it's a part of my Stampin' Up Grid Paper, stuck to a piece of card stock and carefully placed on the edge of the board with Washi Tape ;)!  I think the photo below shows it pretty well....


I keep this little measuring extension in the box with the Board!

I'd better get on...., still lots to do before my ladies arrive on Sunday.

Happy crafting and thanks for popping by.

Carole x

Saturday 1 August 2015

Background Check - Day 6

Hello Friends,

I'm feeling quite sad that this is the last day of the Background Check class :( !  I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed it.  Just in case any of the teachers are taking a look at my little blog, I'd like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to them.  They are inspiring, inspirational and one of them just makes me smile (in fact, she cracks me up)!  What a great team!

So after watching all the videos of the teachers making their cards, with all the backgrounds made over the last two days, I decided to start with one of the backgrounds I haven't actually shared with you (because I thought I'd messed it up, I didn't feel the embossing was deep enough)!

I'm really pleased with the card though, it just goes to show that we shouldn't give up on something we thought wasn't quite as good as we'd wished!...


To make the background, our teacher used a large die which she used with a rubber mat to emboss the design into the card, in a letterpress type of style.  I looked for a similar die and couldn't find one, but I did find these....


....my really good and very talented friend, Keren Baker, bought these for me as part of my birthday present (bless her)!  So whilst they were still well held onto the backing sheet, I ran them through my die cutting machine with a piece of card and my rubber mat.  I felt the design was okay but felt the need to try again adding ink.....well you can see from the picture that the inked one didn't turn out quite as perfect as I'd have liked ;)!


I hope to come back and share some more cards soon.  I have many backgrounds needed to be turned into cards, but before I make any more, I need to clear up my work space.....desk/floor/shelves/top of my cupboards and my husband needs feeding ;)!

Thanks again for popping in to see what I've made and for all the comments from my previous posts.

Thanks again also, to the ladies who organise such inspiring and fun On-line Card Classes :)!

Happy crafting.

Carole x


Background Check - Day 5 (Embossing Paste)

Hi Friends,

I'm back with another background learned from one of the lessons yesterday, over in the classroom at On-line Card Classes!

For this background I used good quality watercolour paper, which I brayered with ink.  I then stenciled embossing paste through a stencil to get this effect.....



I photographed it both landscape and portrait, not sure which way I like it best!  I can't wait to see how our lovely teacher turns her piece, like this, into a card later.

Hopefully, by time I learn how to make this into a card, it'll be dry ;)!

Catch you later.

Carole x

Background Check - Day 5

Hello Friends,

I'm feeling a little behind with my homework from my On-line Card Classes class, Background Check!

Here are just a couple of quick backgrounds....


These were two ideas that Kristina shared with us.  The one on the left is made using my scoring board.  I scored random lines diagonally and then brayered over the top with a light blue ink (Soft Sky, by Stampin' Up).  The one on the right was made by using part of an embossing folder at the top of the card, then I turned the card and used the same embossing folder on the bottom section.  To make it easier to line up and as my scoring board was on my desk, staring at me, I scored a couple of lines as guides as to where I'd like the unembossed section to be ;)!

Hope you find time to craft today.  I hope to get some time to make some more backgrounds later and a couple of cards, when the class comes in at 2 p.m. ;)!

Happy crafting and thanks for popping by.

Carole x