Elegant Engagement

At Christmas my niece and her boyfriend announced their engagement. So I could wait to make a card for them.I made the topper, insert and papers on "My Craft Studio", then printed them all out onto photo paper for good quality images. On the topper, insert and design paper, I used a sakura glitter pen to highlight the flowers. I used small prima flowers with gold gems on the topper and mounted it onto gold mirri card.

To make the card I used cream ribbon tied in a bow and wrapped around it around the design paper on mirri card. Then added the topper on top. A three layer butterfly in various colours and sprayed with glitter, with gems for its body. And an extra few gems to add dimension next to their names.
Hope you've had a great day.
Tracie X

Candle Celebrations

I made this candle set for my sister's birthday in January.I diecut a spellbinders scallop & plain circles, stamped a "sarahkay" image into the plain circle and coloured her in with whispers brush pens. For the band around the candle I cut to rectangles and border punched each long edge and layered them on top of each other. I attached the band around the candle with silicone glue. Then I glued the stamped image to the band and used prima flowers, some ribbon and a plastic greeting tile.I made a box to match and decorated it with curly ribbon.

*Remember to stick a label on the box telling the recipient
to remove decoration ... if they wish to burn the candle.*
back soon.
Tracie x

Baublelicious

Hello everyone, I don't know this years just been full off illness for me, I've had a major chest infection over the last week, to the point I've needed to take steroids and antibiotics. And I'm still feeling run down, but wanted to show you a quickie today. Before the chest infection I purchased these baubles real cheap (I mean 8 for 49p cheap), but they were plain and boring. So with some poinsettias I had in my stash, I jazzed them up a little. I just removed the tops, added the flowers and replaced the tops and added ribbon, so easy even the wallpaper could do it.

Hmm, maybe I need to go back and buy other colours?
Hope you like them and good health to all.
Tracie x

Monochromatic Elegance

Today I've made a card for my cousin and her husband who are celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary.
I've used decoupage with silver foiling and kept the card colours monochromatic (black, silver and white).

I did a main mat with white (swiss dots), then backed that with a narrow border of black and then silver. I rounded the corners, to give the card a softer look. Then I used my scallop nesties to make two mounts for the decoupage and greeting. I also diecut a ribbon slider, for the wedding anniversary number.I used the ribbon slider on white organza 1" ribbon and added a a double bow to match. Then I used some silver gems to finish the card.

Thanks for stopping by.
Tracie x

Pocket Full Of Makeup

Morning everyone ... I've made this card for a friend to give her niece on her 13th birthday, the concept was ... she loves jeans and makeup, but she only wears black and red. That in itself caused a problem, as you know it's not always easy to make a card from just two colours. So I decided I needed to add white and grey and try and keep it as grungy, yet young as possible.I found some fresh papers and grunged the edges with black chalk and cut three mats and layers and arranged them randomly on the card. I then stamped a jean pocket on grey with black ink and added red hearts and brads with a pocket label with her name on. I made a large tag to go inside the pocket and decorated it with quickutz makeup dies in colours to match card.

Then I just added co-ordinating flowers and ribbons to finish. I just hope she likes it.

Have a great day, everyone.
Tracie x

Spring Milly

Milly's back, this time I wanted to make it look like you were looking through a woodland into a clearing. So I stamped Milly and coloured her with Whispers brush pens, then I cut two mounts (one green and one cream and used a nesty for the aperture) and cuttlebug embossed the cream layer and tinted the edges with mauve ink.

I punch loads of ash branches in two shades of green and glued them to the back of the cream mount, then glued the green and cream mount together. I placed the mount over the milly image to align it and taped it in place, then glued the whole lot to the card base.
I finished by adding some paper flowers etc and a greeting.

Tracie x

Playful Kitty

Well, April turned out to be a nightmare on the pc front, it totally put me off my stride and I have so many cards to show you because of it, never mind eh!

Ok I purchased this stamp at Hobbycraft, I just couldn't resist it, it's so sweet.I stamped the image onto water colour card with stayzon and coloured it with water colour pencils (both wet and dry to add extra detail). Mounted it onto black card and silver mirri using photo corner punch. I stamped the base card with dandelions and coloured them with a red sakura gel pen. I added paper flowers with brad centres and leone em ash punch branches, with a giant red bow to finish.I can't wait to try different colour kitties, I did this one grey because we have a grey cat (called Misty ... very original) and he chases anything that buzzes.

Back later
Tracie x

Knit One For Mother

Can you knit?I used b-b-q skewers to knit on (20 stitches/15 rows), which turned out to be an absolute nightmare, they kept splitting and catching the yarn, by the time I was finished, I'd come to wish I hadn't started. I used wooden beads on the end, once I decided how long I wanted them.I used a ready made handbag card that I had in my stash. I printed a knitting pattern and wool label (both personalised with recipients name). I draw around a pair of small scissors from my tool kit, cut out all the pieces and attached them with a gold brad.I made a pocket out of contrasting paper and ruffled the bottom edge, so that the pocket actually stands out away from the card, so that I could add my items into the pocket. Went around the card with faux stitches.To finish the card I added dark blue flowers with punched centres and a gold mini brad, with Leone Em ash branches punched from white paper. Finally I added a mini blue envelope and white greeting card with mini flowers.

Tracie x

Lipstick Diva

How cool are these new cards and toppers from Kanban? They're called 'lipstick diva's' and have several variation within the kit, available from QVC, UK. I've made this card for my best friends daughter, who is turning 14 in a couple of weeks, this kit is just perfect for teenage girls.

I used a card, one topper that I matted onto silver mirri cut with scallop nestability die. I then did some spirelli with dark pink thread and added flowers and ash branch's and three gems. I added a border also matted onto silver mirri and added gems to the glittered flowers on the border. I did spirelli on the small scalloped circle and added a small butterfly topper from the kit, I then punched tiny holes into the circle and used a beaded pin with knotted ribbon. With a sentiment to finish.

Quick to make, with great results and all diecut and glittered for you ... great fun!

Tracie x

An Orchid Moment

When I came to make this card, I only had blue orchids, when I needed purple/pink ones.

So having recently purchased a 'my craft studio' cd rom, I thought I'd give a go at changing the colour ... if I was a little sceptical ... but I'm amazed. It was so easy, as long as your orignal image is a jpeg you can import the pic and change it to any colour, size, opacity etc ... no limits ... I can see this becoming one of my most used items.So to make this card I used pink/purple orchids and a purple background (both colour changed on 'my craft studio'). I matted the background paper onto silver mirri and stitched around the edge with silver thread. I used purple grosgrain ribbon across the card with a bead cap, gem and beaded heart pin and punched leone em ash branch in mauve to finish.For the circles, I cut two in the different background layers one slightly larger than the other and mounted together and edged with fine silver peeloffs. For the main image I layered to scalloped circles and placed the decoupage on top. I raised the scalloped circle up with extra thick 3d foam so that I could pass the ribbon behind it and so that you can still see the pink card underneath through the circle.I finished the card with a 'to you from us' sentiment, cut with labels 2 nestabilitie die and three purple gems.

Tracie x

For the Love of Lauren

I made this card for my son Ashley to give his girlfriend for valentines day. I used spellbinders labels 2 dies to cut out a single layer of decoupage and the outer frame. I simply added these to a 5" square card that I had swiss dotted. The frame was raised with foam pads.

I used quickutz metro alphabet for the love sentiment, cut from red to match (though on reflection it may have looked better in black, to balance the card a little better?) I used black silk flowers, with a silver finding and a brad in the centre, with the ash branches in yellow. I added a heart ribbon bow to complete the card.

Isn't young love sweet!

Tracie x

Badgers Set

I thoroughly enjoyed designing this card, restricting myself to three colours, the decoupage was a little tricky to cut, but think the end result was well worth it.I matted and layered the decoupage on black and white card. Added hydrangea and prima flowers with fancy brads, some narrow black ribbon with a double tag. I punched some teeny flowers and added them onto the decouage for extra dimension and finished the card with a black ribbon bow. I completed the card by stamping and colouring the insert and envelope to match.Time for a cuppa, back later.

Tracie x

More Milly In The Rain

Well once I started I couldn't stop. I think Milly is so sweet. On this card I went for the vintage look, using browns and creams.I distressed the edges of the mats, hand sewed around the edge (was late when I started, so couldn't using sewing machine). Then I sewed pattern in each corner. I used prima silk flowers and layered them up with a gold bead cap and brad.

I stamped Milly with whispers dye based pad in dark brown and coloured her using whispers pens, cut her out (single layer) and attached her to the card. The background paper is by papermania in a set called antique creams.

These stamps are so much fun to colour and so utterly adorable.

Tracie x

Young At Heart

There's nothing more satisfying than to sit down with a few stamped images and colour to your hearts content. Magnolia stamps have to be among my favourite stamps to colour and you always seem to get a good result, too.I simply used dotty and flower background papers, stamped the fabulous magnolia girl with black stayzon and watercoloured her (with Whispers Brush Markers), mounted the image on matching card. I diecut the letters with quickutz metro alphabet and added prima flowers and purple pearl brads. Couldn't be easier.
Tracie x

Breathless Passion

I adore this design, I've made so many variations of it, it simply ticks all the boxes for me.

It's incredibly easy, just layered wide satin ribbon over a card base, some prima flowers in contrasting colours layered and attached with a brad (you could quite easily use stamped flowers instead of silk ones), the ribbon is gathered and stitched under the flower corsage, which gives it the gathered look that shows really well on this card. On this particular project I made leaf branches using punched rose leaves and sugarcraft wire (three leaves per branch ... note to myself - must do tutorial). With pearl ribbon and a couple of pearl hearts ... this card to me is breathtaking and always warms the heart.
Tracie x

Swell News

We had some swell news this new year, my nephew and his fiance are expecting a baby. I'm already a Great Aunt, my eldest niece saw to that fourteen months ago, with a gorgeous great nephew, Toby. For our family 2008 had been pretty rough all round and the news of a new addition brought everyone to tears.

So naturally, I had to make a card for them.Made using handbag cards I got from a £1 shop (six handbag cards, envelopes and a bag of gems for £1, what a bargain) and magnolia "expecting tilda" and "fence" stamps. I coloured the images with whispers brush stroke pens. Diecut the mount using nestability scallop dies, the tilda is cut out and layered with silicone glue, to add extra dimension. I added prima flowers with pearl brads and punched grass. For extra detail I added fake stitching around the handbag.

Now we just have to wait for the happy event in July.

Tracie x

Sun, Sea, Sand and a ... Martini

I had so much fun making this card, though it turned into a labour of love and took forever to finish.

But with a friends, daughter travelling to Greece to work for six months, it was the ideal opportunity to try this pattern (by Arty Farty). I stuck to the Greek theme by making my own background paper using various stamps and inks.

I made the glass from acetate and stamped a swirl design onto it with white stayzon and white glitter around the edges, so that they were easier to see against the background. Punched leaves with prima flowers and pearl brads, ribbon, quickutz starfish diecuts and a funky cocktail parasol ... cool ... or should that be hot!

Until next time ... bye for now.

Tracie x