DAD

Well if you make a hanging card for MUM (see post 2019) then you can't leave DAD out can you?
I decided to stay with the hexagon shape but this is far more simplistic. No pretty ribbon framing it or tying it together.
For DAD I used kraft card and embossed each piece before inking in brown, blue and pale violet.
Again I shadowed the letters to help them stand out and then added HAPPY, BIRTH and DAY to each piece.
I used some blue starry ribbon for the hanging but to join each piece together I used 14 mm binding rings. They were so hard to open up that after a couple I got hubby on the job to finish them off.

I hope I achieved the masculine look I was aiming for but I'll let you be the judge.

Thanks for stopping by and please call again
Karen :-)

Devils and Angels

Yesterday I read an awful story about  someone having stolen a PS4 from the local children's congenital heart ward. Only the empty box was left. This game was something the children, having just had an operation, would look forward to playing with.
I decided to make some cards to sell to help contribute towards buying a new one.
I had recently bought a card kit from create and craft. Not something I would normally purchase but  thank goodness I did. What a haul.

This kit allowed me to make up 20 cards in next to no time complete with inserts. They are all the standard right to left opening cards apart from a couple that are tent fold.
Fingers crossed they all sell.

On a brighter note, a lovely young man has since donated a new PS4 to the hospital having also read about what happened. So there are angels after all. Yeah! I hope my funds will go towards a new game for the PS4.
I'll let you know how much I raise in a later post

Hope you like the cards.
Thanks for stopping by
Karen :-D

2019

Well after a horrendous second half to 2018 finishing with an operation I'm back and moving into 2019 a new woman with a crafty purpose.

Looking forward to the year ahead and my continued crafty journey. Whilst I've not been able to craft I've spent my time designing different projects to do in the months ahead. Hoping everything works out fine.

But to kick off 2019 here is a card I've made with my late mum in mind who would be 100 this month if she were still with us.
The idea originally was to use circles but I came across the hexagons I'd forgotten I had and bingo.
These are by Christina from Card Making Magic dies, only available from Craft Stash. A fantastic on-line store for all your crafty goodies.
The flowers are also from Craft Stash.
The ribbon is berry burst from Stampin' Up! and the lacy ribbon I've used to edge it is from Embellishment Attic and it came in a bundle of ribbons I bought but I've been unable to locate it independently. However, lacy ribbon can be found in abundance from good craft stores or haberdasheries.
The large letter dies are unbranded and I bought them from E-bay. They are 5 cm high and a brilliant size for statement pieces. They cut really well too and you can also get numbers in the same size too.
I used 300 gsm white card to cut 6 hexagons. Three for the front and three to cover all the ribbon on the reverse.
The hexagon set includes a couple of lovely panel pieces too which I used to cut three pieces from a sheet of A3 card Pinks and Peaches from Crafter's Companion and lined them up with the base hexagons.
I shadowed the large letters to give it more oomph.

As you can see I also decorated the reverse leaving a space to write a message. I was thrilled with how it turned out and I do hope you like it.

Now to make a box
Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year
Karen

acetate bowed card

Always nice to have a weekend away and when it involves some lovely family it's even better.
In this case one of my dear sisters-in-law and her husband are celebrating 40 years of wedded bliss.
Unbeknown to them however a surprise party has been organised and we will be there to wish them all the best.
Of course a card is required and a special one at that. Special occasions require special cards.
I wanted to do something different but my husband's favourite is the bowed card. Of course, as it is his sister I agreed.

I had some gorgeous black and gold card by Crafter's Companion that I hadn't had chance to use for a while and decided one of these would be a perfect base.
I used a 'Romantic Couple' die from Robert Addams for the background scene, in front of a circle in silver mirror card.

The front of the card I decorated with paper flowers and foliage and then added a little glitter.

A '40' in gold mirror card and a stamped Happy Anniversary finished it off.

I decided on the gold leaf patterned acetate for the bowed effect instead of plain and some gold ribbon to tie the sides together over the acetate. Others could tie far better bows but overall I'm really pleased with this.

Decided on a bag to put it in and a couple of tags with their initial on to finish it off.

I do hope they like it.
Another couple of bowed cards I have made, this time for weddings

.

Others I have made for friends birthdays

Thanks for stopping by,
Karen

craft club party

What's the best way to while away a couple of hours whilst at work? Have a party with your craft club members that's what.
Food and non-alcoholic drink galore. Fabulous. A crafty gift swap and a craft swap of all those unloved craft items we all have. Either used and moved on or never loved in the first place!!!
We were asked to design a name badge and mine was one of four that won a wee prize.
Hope you like it.

We also received a little goody bag with goodies included. A very useful linen bag, a fineliner pen which will come in very handy, (also great for Zentangle), a colouring book, some wooden hearts, an owl charm, some very useful snips and an MDF stand.
I decided to decorate the stand to give it to the organiser as a thank you. I simply covered with some lovely floral paper, added some roses and punched flowers and a lovely sized Thank you die from Card Making Magic, which can only be purchased exclusively from Craft Stash

And of course I had to make a little bag to gift it in.

This one is courtesy of Mixed Up Crafts although I used ribbon instead of card for handles. And the mistake which I can live with is I fastened the ribbon on upside down. Duh! When you lift the handles up they cover over the fastener but hey ho.
As well as winning chocolates for my badge I also won a pass the parcel, which I so wanted someone else to win instead. I felt a tad greedy winning two things and tried to pass it on to no avail. Anyway I am the owner of a make it up yourself little bag. Make-up, pens, clutch bag, the choice is mine really but I am leaving that little project for another day, maybe when the nights draw in. I will show you (and surprise myself with) how that turns out later in the year.

We're very lucky to have a gym and swimming pool where I work (if you like that sort of thing) and a little cafeteria. It is open to certain external groups as well as staff. In the cafeteria today, as we were finishing off, were some ladies who run a group for disadvantaged families and once a month use the pool followed by a light lunch provided by the gentleman who runs the cafeteria.
A short talk later with our club organiser and I am doing a craft session on the 22nd of August for these ladies. Another crafty colleague was called upon to bake some of her rather delicious buns. Now what to get them to make I wonder. It will be different and something to write about in my little blog.
Hope you like these little makes today and come back again to see how I get on with the group.
Thanks for stopping by
Karen

Workshop

Remember I said I'm a member of a craft club at work? Well myself and another crafty lady were chosen to attend the summer festival at Warwick university. Amongst footballers, squash players, tennis players, anglers, runners and other sporty types we did our bit with a group of other like minded card makers.
Not having a clue what to expect we arrived with some basic (very basic) crafty tools and were left to do our thing with some pretty card. Christmas seemed to be the theme of the day but not exclusively as I'd taken some birthday type stamps with me.
I chose some card and along with my own stamps, a bit of bling  and imagination I managed to pull some cards together.
This one is as simple as the sentiment.

You can't really see the sentiment on this topper very well but it was an afterthought anyway. I was more interested in the poinsettia and holly leaves weaving in and out of the gold ribbon.

I chose to make this card as an Easel card. I particularly liked the punched out JOY and of course the little hedgehog with his holly berries.

I spent some time mingling with my fellow crafters and promoted the benefits of having a craft club at work. My colleague even brought along some newsletters of ours and they were well received.

There were some stunning creations, my favourite being a rather huge peacock with the coloured card feathers attached to the top of a card rather than on the card. So wish I'd taken some pics of other crafters makes. With their permission of course.
For the wreathe on this card I drew around the inner and outer sides of a ring of double sided tape, cut it out and then wrapped it in ribbon and decorated it with coloured beads. I love how it turned out.

Anyway, by the time we stopped for the day (the quarter final of the World Cup which of course England won was beckoning) I had five cards to take away. The last of which was a birthday card with these really cute teddies and a floating balloon.

I do hope you like them
Thank you for stopping by

Hot hot hot

Well isn't everyone hot just lately. This spell is particularly prolonged that any spare time I have I just want to sleep.
My little crafty space is like an oven so sitting there for any great length of time is a no-no.
So, I punched myself some circles and flowers using the Stampin' Up! pansy punch and along with my snips, wet glue and a couple of inks I found myself a cool spot in the lounge and set about making myself some embellishments to use in my crafting when the air cools a little.

This first flower has been going around for a lifetime so you probably have done this yourself at some point. And they are so pretty. Just in case this is new to you, this is how I made mine:
I punched three, 5 petal pansy punch flowers.

Flower 1 - make a snip between two petals to the centre of the flower (see picture)

Flower 2 - make a snip between two petals to the centre of the flower and repeat at the petal next to it so you cut this single petal off. You should now have four petals and one petal. (see picture)

Flower 3 - make a snip between two petals to the centre of the flower and repeat at the next but one petal so you cut of 2 petals. You should now have three petals and 2 petals. (see picture)

Take flower 1 and join the petals together where they were cut. This will make the petals curve in. (see picture)

Take flower 2 and do the same with the four petals. The single petal will join to itself and is a bit tricky. I use a cocktail stick. (see picture)

Take flower 3 and

do the same to these two sections. (see picture)

Now it's time to join these petals together.
Take flower 1 and add a little drop of glue to the centre.
Take the four petal section, snip and discard a small section off the base and insert the petals to the centre of flower 1, aligning it so the petals are slightly off. Add a drop of glue to the centre.
Take the three petal section, snip and discard a small section off the base and insert the petals to the centre of the forming flower.
Continue until you have joined up all the pieces. Your resulting flower should have a passing resemblance to a rose. (See picture.)

You can add the rose to the circle with some die cut leaves, which I will do when it's cool enough to stay in my crafty space for more than a few minutes!!!

You can leave the petals as they are, curl them, ink them or even add a bit of glitter. (see picture) Also very pretty with an added glaze. I use Ranger's Glossy Accents if doing this.

These are perfect for keeping for that very special card for that very special occasion. They are also ideal for decorating gift bags and boxes.

I'll come back to these again another day and show you how I used them.


TOP TIP - If you don't have the pansy punch a suitable die shape will do. Also this is a really simple flower shape and can be easily drawn and cut out. I used to draw round a 2p coin five times in a circle and then cut that out.

Hope you enjoyed this and thank you for stopping by.