Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

November 15, 2013

Spectrum Noir ...

Hi Everybody,

This is just a quick post to let you know that today at 12 noon the next generation of  Spectrum Noir pens is being launched on Create and Craft

This image is from "The Next Big Thing" CD from Just Inklined and I make my apologies every time I use this as it is no longer available.

Colors used ...
 PP1, PP3,  PP5  DG2  DG4  TB2  TB4  IG4

The pens have been improved but the color coding will still be the same numbers as the classic set so all your refills will still be usable.

They are still one of the best alcohol pen collections for the crafter and they blend beautifully.  So take a look and see what the new pens are like.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


November 14, 2013

Tattered Lace ...

Hi Everybody,

I have been lucky to get the pick of the week from Create and Craft and it is the Chantilly Lace sets from Tattered Lace.

It is so intricate and I can't wait to play with the dies.

One of the dies in that set was the Chantilly Bow and it would seem that this is the one that a lot of people want.

But it would also seem that this is the die that sells out super fast.

JGDCrafts  will have this particular  die  back in stock soon so leave them your email address  and they will tell you when it is back in stock.

There are other Tattered Lace  dies for you to be going on with and you will be spoiled for choice

I will post cards soon using the dies ans they are winging their way to me as I write ......


More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

November 13, 2013

Parisian Accents

Hi Everybody,

 This card looks much prettier in real life than the photo shows and it is created in white linen effect cardstock.

The card  is embossed with the A4 folder Picnic Plaid from Crafters Companion.  and it is fast becoming one of my favorites.

The beautiful satin ribbon is from  Mei Flower   and it ties in the softest of bows.

I cut the shape from Parisian Accents and the video will show you how I created the card.


The Ivory flowers are from  Wild Orchid Crafts  and I have added Glamour Dust to sparkle them up.

The pearls around the sentiment are from  Want2Scrap  and they are designed to mach the Fancy Tags Three.

Just peel them off the carrier sheet and stick them to your tag for a really luxurious look to your cards.










I hope you enjoy the video and thank you so much to all of you who have written to say how useful you are finding them and it encourages me to make more especially for the blog pages.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx




November 12, 2013

Layered Scalloped Posy

Hi Everybody,

No video for this card today and this is a scheduled post as I will be at the dentist .... not my favorite place !! But he's a very nice man ...

I have used the coffee colored Centura Pearl card as the backing to the filigree shape and that is Scalloped Posy which has been cut twice to create the oval.

The stain ribbon is from my "Stash" and the centre of the bow is one of the bargain buy bracelets from Primark that I showed you a few weeks ago.

The card base has been created with the matting basics dies as they always give a really neat finish to any cards.

On the inside I have added in a Branching Out panel which you can just see.

The pearly flourish is from Want2Scrap  and I have only used a tiny portion of them.

It has been embossed with the A4 Picnic Plaid folder from Crafters Companion

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx





November 11, 2013

Fancy Lattice ...

Hi Everybody,

 For this card I have used the combination of white and cream Centura Pearl again and the background is another of the extendable patterns from Spellbinders.

This is the Fancy Lattice and it can sometimes be a bit awkward to cut.

But should you have a problem with it just slide it to one side of your cutting plate and run it through again.

Turning the die a quarter turn can also help it to cut


The inside of the card is embossed with one of the new A4 folders from Crafters Companion  and it is called Picnic Plaid

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and I have used just five to create the display.

The wide satin ribbon is from Mei Flower and I have tied it in a double bow.

Let the video show you how I made this pretty card.











This is the list of the dies I have used but shop around for the best deal you can get on prices.

And collect Spellbinders with discerning eye as you build up your collection.  Make sure you can get a lot of use from any one die in lots of different ways.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


November 10, 2013

Botanical Swirls ...

Hi Everybody,

 This pretty card uses the  Botanical Swirls  from Spellbinders and it creates a really  intricate background for you in one simple pass.

It is an extendable die and so has no cutting edge around the outside of the pattern and once it has been cut it still needs to be hand cut some more to release all the beauty of the pattern.

The video will show you exactly what I mean and then all will become clear if you are not used to this type of die.


Look at any of your dies carefully and make sure that they are those with a cutting edge before you start to worry that they are faulty or that you are not using them correctly.

Not all of them will cut ... some will emboss and now some will deboss and add extra pattern to your designs.

The flowers on this card are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and they have been sparkle with Glamour Dust.

The Diamante is from Want2Scrap  and I have used just a tiny piece to decorate the sentiment.




So over the next few weeks I will try to show you how I use these dies and the difference in the edges and hope fully it will help you to see what you can do with them as you work.

Grab a cuppa and a biscuit or two ... or three ... and enjoy the video

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

November 09, 2013

Baby Card Tutorial ...

Hi Everybody,

This cute card is ideal and is so easy to make and in the video we will create our own template to be saved and used over and over again.

It is all hand cut and there is not a die cut in sight ... so anybody can make it easily.

If you have lots of invites to baby showers to make then this would be ideal ... or as a card to welcome a new baby into the world.

Every part of this card to the left is hand cut and the video takes you step by step through it all so you can get the look you want.

I hope you enjoy it and the finished card will fit into standard size envelope so no extra postage costs either.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx





November 08, 2013

Parchment Front ...

 Hi Everybody,

Elements from three sets of dies have been used to produce this pretty card.

But the focal point to it has been cut from Parchment.

I have used Parchment Paper from AnnaMarie Designs  and it is a really good quality.

I added it to the A4 embossing folder Ornate Butterflies from Crafters Companion  

Once the base card was created with layers of white and lilac I cut the parchment in half, and cut the shaped panel for the front.
I used the other half and cut out just two of the butterflies and then decoupaged them onto the main panel

The verse is stamped and heat embossed in silver and add to Labels Thirty Three.

The butterfly has a pearly body and trail cut from "Bling" from Want2Scrap


A really pretty and easy to produce card

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx





November 07, 2013

How about a Birthday card ...

Hi Everybody,

I thought I would move away from Christmas for a little while and add this pretty birthday card.

It is a 7" square and has lots of layers using the Grand Squares ... and I have added it to my Etsy Shop

The filigree panel is from Adorning Squares and the flower corsage ha been added to one of the ovals shapes and then added to the panel.

The ribbon is a beautiful satin and tied in a large bow with a pearl and silver centre to cover the knot.

The inside has been embossed with the new Ornate Butterflies Folder from Crafters Companion

It is an A4 folder and I really like these bigger folders.

The pearls have been added around the edge of the card and the inside and  they are from Want2Scrap 


The pretty organza butterflies I already had in my "Stash"  and the "Happy Birthday" sentiment, which has been heat embossed in silver,  is one that most of us have

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and they have been sparkled up with Glamour Dust.  I added a white feather to the display as well as a lovely pink pearl hatpin.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

November 06, 2013

Baby Cards ...

Hi Everybody,

I thought I would go back to making some baby cards this time.

I have Grand daughters in their twenties whose friends are now of that age where they think about starting a family.

So now I have cards ready for them to give when the time comes.





This image is Mulberry Wood from  Crafters Companion

I have made the puppy look different  each time by changing the colors.

The addition of the ribbon also alters the look of the card and of course it wouldn't be me if I didn't add in some "Bling"





Here I have taken just one of the pearl flourishes
from Want2Scrap and cut it up between the three cards.


A little goes a long way 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

November 05, 2013

Look at those ears ...

Hi Everybody,

Todays card was one I made as a Design Team member for Spectrum Noir and of course the subject was coloring the soon to be released stamps of Bebunni.

Those stamps are now on sale  from Crafters Companion and they are delightful.

But because of this card I was asked to show how I got the ears outside of the frame as many people may not know how to get the look.



 And so a video was created to show the technique and it is now available to view on the Spectrum Noir Blog

It is very easy technique and yet can bring to life all the little characters that you may have in stamp or digital format.

If you are new to card making then please give it a try ... you will be delighted with your results.





And if you are a seasoned card maker and know all about how to do it .... then sorry I don't mean to teach you how to suck eggs... if you know what I mean.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

November 04, 2013

Coloring Holly ...

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is another for Christmas  ( talk about stating the obvious ....) but the focal point is the subject of a video tutorial.

I was asked  if I would  show how to color in Holly especially with Christmas being well on it's way.

The Spectrum Noir colors used are ...
 DG2, DR4, DR6, IG7+Blender,  DG2, DG4, TN3, EB3, EB5

For this card I have colored and cut out the second image and decoupaged it onto the card.

The stripes in the ribbon are created with the blender pen.

The image is from the CD "The Next Big Thing" from Just Inklined ... but sadly it is no longer available ...unless you can find a  copy on Ebay.

So here it is and it will show you how to get the look that I have created here.





I hope you enjoy the tutorial and there are more on the way .... just as soon as my "Film Crew" has watched the Formula 1 ....

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

November 03, 2013

Blue Foiled Card

Hi Everybody,

Today I am sharing two cards that I made using the beautiful foiled card from Hunkydory

It is foiled with silver and it is much nicer in real life than the picture shows.

The blue ribbon is from my "Stash" as are the two snowflake brads that are in the centre of each knot.

Apart from the Diamante around the sentiment there is no other embellishments as the card does it all for you.

Both cards are created in the  Hinged Card   style and both are lined and decorated inside.

The sentiments are from JustRite Stampers and are from the Holiday Sentiments set... and heat embossed in silver

The Diamante  to match the Labels One is from Want2Scrap

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



November 02, 2013

Let it Snow ...

Hi Everybody,

I don't know about you but I am well into the swing of Christmas Cards.

This is very early for me as I am usually on the last minute rush bus ....

However now that I have made a start I can't seem to stop and I will be adding some  Christmas Cards to my Etsy shop in plenty of time for buyers to send them on.

This one is all on the white theme and there are quite a few layers to this one.

The satin ribbon is from Mei Flower  with a large pearl cluster in the centre.

But the beautiful embossing is from one of the new folders at Crafters Companion 

This one is Picnic Plaid and it is gorgeous and you can see it more on the inside picture of the card .

It has to be one of my all time favorites.


The simple sentiment is from JustRite Stampers and is one of the many ...

Fancy Holiday Sentiments
and I bought mine from the craft show.


More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx