Friendly Flowers!

It seems to be a sad reality of late that I am needing to send a lot more sympathy and condolence cards 😢 and as my stash of these is becoming rapidly depleted,  I needed to add a couple of new ones. 

I wanted to keep these fairly flat so that they could just be popped into the mailbox at a moment's notice with standard rate stamps, which I always try to have on hand, thus avoiding any last minute trips to the Post Office for additional postage because they are too thick or heavy.   I wanted to use a larger stamped image that I could color and add as a flat layer to a plain card base and the new Friendly Flowers stamp set from this month's Simon Says Stamp card kit was perfect.

Friendly Flowers

I began by adding a narrow gold foiled border onto a piece of cream cardstock using my Cricut Maker  and then I stamped the large flower image with Versamark ink and heat embossed with the cream embossing powder, also included in the kit.   I colored the image with my Promarker alcohol markers and then added a sentiment, this time embossing with matte gold.   I matte a piece of pale pink patterned paper onto a cream notecard (both also from the card kit) for the base, but then decided that it needed just a little dimension, so cut out the middle section of the colored layer and popped it up slightly on a thin double sided foam tape which I liked much better.  Finally, I added a few sequins, which lay much flatter than crystals, using a dot of art glitter glue.  

I usually only stamp and color onto white cardstock, so this was a first for me.  I like the finished result and think the cream card definitely gives it a soft vintage look.  Of course I then had to make another one on white card this time so that I could make a comparison 😊 

Two slightly different looks but using the same stamp set and the same color markers.  I think on balance, I prefer the white one.  What do you think?  Which one is your favorite? 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Stay safe!

Bev x

Birthday Bucket List!

Hey friends!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Mr Crafty Cow had a birthday this past weekend and so obviously that meant more guy card inspiration!  This one, I made for The Teen to give his Dad after being inspired by something similar I saw in a card shop a while ago.

I created the top layer in Cricut Design Space by creating a text box for the ‘Birthday Bucket List’ using the Boys will be Boys font and then another text box this time using American Typewriter font for the list.  Once I had them positioned where I wanted them I attached them both to a white layer 4.5” x 6.5” and then flattened to turn it into a Print then Cut layer and cut it out on my Cricut Maker.  I cut the bucket using another Design Space Image in black and silver and dry embossed the top layer to add some texture.  I also found the beer bottles on DS and cut 5 of those, again using the Print & Cut feature.  I added some orange card from my scrap box and mounted the bucket on 3D foam tape, tucking the bottles into the top before adding a few sprinkles of clear seed beads to look like ice around the base.   The Dad sentiment is an Anna Griffin die which I cut separately on my Gemini and added to the front of the bucket.  I matted the finished front panel onto some green card stock 1/4” larger all around and then added it to a white 5” x 7”card base.  

Loved how it came out and will definitely be recreating this one again in the future!

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again next time!

Bev x

One for the guys!

Hi folks 

Just dropping in to share a card that I made this week for a friend (actually, it was to give to my DH for his birthday this past weekend as she couldn’t find anything she liked in the shops 😆).

I don’t know about you but I always find cards for the guys the most tricky.  When I get time to craft, I often start with the intention of making a few men’s cards for my stash so that I always have one on hand when I need one, but then when I find inspiration lacking, seem to just switch to auto pilot and before I realise it have made half a dozen cards for the girls!  Doh!

As this was a special request (and also for Mr Crafty Cow’s special birthday!) I had no choice but to dig deep and crack on.  Clearly though this is the best approach for me as I loved the result ... and so did he!

I created a Z card from white card stock and added mats in gold mirror and navy.  I then used my Cricut Maker to cut/draw all the other elements.  Easy peasy!

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again next time.

Bev x

Under the Sea!

Hey Friends!

Bringing you another card today with a painted background, this time using Spectrum Noir Sparkle Glitter inks.   The sparkle doesn't really come across very well (if at all) on a photograph but trust me, it's there and in real life gives a the most beautiful sparkle and shine!

I blended a combination of Icy Blue, Frosted Rose & Winter Plum inks with a wet paintbrush onto smooth white card to create this background, dabbing off on a paper towel as I went to catch any pools of color that I didn't want.  Once it was dry I spritzed it with water to create the 'bleached' effect in places.  The sparkle of these inks really intensifies as it dries - so pretty - and it immediately made me think of an under the sea theme, but instead of maybe the obvious mermaid, I decided I wanted to use a cute octopus (don't ask me why! 😂)

I found this one on Cricut Design Space (free if you have a Cricut Access subscription) and resized to create one large and two small and mounted them on some foam tape.  I trimmed the background panel down to 3 3/4" x 5" and matted it on some foam tape and then on a piece of hot pink card cut 1/8" larger on both sides.  Then, I mounted both onto a light blue A2 card base.   The sentiment is from an SVG file from Kadoodlebug Designs called 'You're my Squishy' which also comes with several cute sea creatures but on this occasion I decided to go with the Cricut image.  

To finish off my card, I added a few hot pink spots to the octopi with a Fuchsia Promarker pen and topped with some Nuvo glitter drops and added a pair of googly eyes on the larger one.  Finally I added some sparkly shell stickers that I have had in my stash for ever and a day (thinking they are now a bit much but can't remove them as they are stuck on firmly!) and a few flat pearls.

I entered this card into two challenges this week over at Splitcoaststampers.com -  Color Challenge and Free for All challenges.

Thank you for you looking!

See you soon
Bev x

Congrats Grad!

Well, what a strange time it has been of late!  I hope you are all staying safe and well and finding ways to keep yourselves occupied during this time of uncertainty.   Right now,  looking after our mental health is just as important as looking after our physical health and whilst we are all under various stages of lockdown/stay at home orders, what better way than to lose yourself in a few hours of crafting!

This afternoon, I disappeared into the Crafty Cowshed to make a card for our son, who will be graduating from High School this coming week - albeit via a 'Drive In' ceremony!  I had made him a card a week or so ago, but wasn't really that enamored with it, and whilst looking for inspiration over my morning coffee came across this super cute digi stamp from KLM Designs and knew I had to use it!

As I am hopeless at fussy cutting, I uploaded the digi into the Cricut Design Space app as a Print then Cut image, resized it to fit a 5.5" square card, sent it to my printer and then had my Cricut Maker cut it out for me ... much easier!  I used Promarker alcohol ink markers to color it in and mounted it on a stenciled background, using a cloud template from Simon Says Stamp and some distress ink, on which I had previously printed my sentiment.  The 2020 image also came from the Cricut Design Space library.  I added a mat in gold mirror card and mounted to a white 5.5" square card.

Of course, like most 18 year old boys, he will probably give it the cursory once over,  mutter a quick "thanks" and never give it a second glance! 😆

Hope you have a go at something crafty this week - it really is a great anxiety buster!

Stay safe friends!

Bev x

Keep on Truckin'!

Afternoon all!

Blimey, these blog posts are beginning to look a lot like buses aren't they?  There's none for ages and then two come along at once! Now that I'm back in the groove I didn't want to lose momentum so thought I would go right ahead and move along.

It's a cold day here in the desert!   It's not very often that I have to break out an actual jumper (or sweater depending on which side of the pond you are reading this) but today is one of those days.  Not only a jumper either, but jeans and furry Ugg slippers as well! Brrrr!  Still, I know we can't really complain compared to the weather almost everybody else has been having of late ... and at least we still have that blue, blue sky that I love so much here and bright sunshine.  Perfect!

Anyway, enough wittering about the weather and on to today's project - this adorable Vintage Truck!

 

I love making 3D paper craft items and am a big fan of the designs over at SVG Cuts since discovering them a few years ago. All the pieces are enclosed within a SVG (scaleable vector graphics if you're interested) file that you then cut out on an electronic die cutting machine (I used my Cricut Maker). All the projects that Mary, the designer, comes up with are just incredible and her attention to detail is second to none.   If you get chance, go on over to svgcuts.com and have a look - it's AMAZING what can be created with just paper and glue!  

I fell in love with this vintage red truck ...

and had fully planned to make it as a decoration for Christmas and maybe add a tree and some parcels in the back, but completely ran out of time 😐  I still wanted to have a go at making it though so thought I would try it in a different color.

After uploading the file to Cricut Design Space and cutting out all the pieces, (there were eleventy billion) I almost gave up right there and then when I looked at the pile and realized just how time consuming it was going to be to actually fold them all and glue them together!

aaaarrrghhh!

Determined, not to be defeated, and equipped with Mary's excellent video tutorial, I took a deep breath and got going.  Despite the huge number of pieces, it was actually fairly straightforward to put together (the most stressful part being the 30 minutes I spent rummaging through the bin after realizing I had chucked away the two tiny silver door handles thinking they were rubbish! 😩  Why I didn't just cut two new ones I will never know!)

truck body coming together ... complete with pesky door handles!

The best bit of advice I can give to anyone wanting to give it a go themselves, is to go slowly and take your time; use wet glue with a fine tipped nozzle and apply sparingly so that it doesn't all ooze out of the sides and if you get frustrated ... walk away and come back a bit later!  Those all worked wonders for me ... oh ... and swearing ... that helped a lot! 😂

Love it!

I love how it turned out!  You could totally adapt this for every season - maybe a pastel colored one filled with spring flowers or some decorative eggs for Spring would be nice?

Thanks for stopping and see you next time.
TTFN x