What a day!!!!

Hi Everyone. Well, the most anticipated Royal Wedding for decades has come and gone.. Was it worth waiting for? You bet your socks it was!!! If ever there seemed a perfect Wedding, then that was it I think!! Even the notorious British Weather was on side!! Which is saying something for April!!And did they? Yes they did!! Twice!!
The future of the British Monarchy looks is very safe hands..
Today I wanted to share with you my last 40th Birthday Sample... Having made this one and having no more time to make anymore before the party I have made my decision on which one to give...Again, this one is very simple in it's make up but think the colour combination really makes it stand out!I punched a couple of border strips using the Martha Stewart Garden Gate Trim Deep Edger Punch in Some Red and White Polka Dot card stockadding them to a prepared Easel card. I also added some Red Gem Stones to the centre's of each flower shape.Using an image form one of the new Kanban Sassy Soho Ladies, I matted it onto some Red Mirror cardand applied it to the side panel of my Easel card.I then cut out my sentiment in the same Red and White card stock used for the base card. I used the Plantin Schoolbook Cricut Cardtridge, using the shadow function to give each element some depth.The sentiment was applied to the front of the card,but can also be seen when the side opening easel is put together...So, which one have I chosen to give this afternoon?This one....
So, once I've finished teaching today I'm off to party!!!
Have another great bank holiday weekend everyone and thanks for checking us out.
See you soon..
Andy.

More 40th Samples....

Hi Everyone.. Well, only one more day to go until the Royal Wedding.. The TV Channels seem to have gone into melt down. God knows what it's going to be like tomorrow!!Each to his own I say, so we are well and truly getting into the spirit of the occassion here at Pinnacles... Bucks Fizz for us all in the morning... hic!!!
Further to my last post here are a couple more samples of the 40th birthday card I'm trying to decided on..This first one I have to admit is my favourite so far, for the colour combination and the simplicity, although I feel that it is more of an invitation type card than one that your would send.. So it will be resigned to the shop shelves as a sample.. But, here's a step by step none the less...I cut out a few swirl shapes in pearlised Black card stock using a die from the Marianne Creatables set Frame Circle (LR0112).It was whilst taking the previous picture that I noticed that one of the shapes looked like a sophisticated letter "S"and then when it was turned around it looked like a letter "C". As it is Sarah who's birthday it is how appropriate that an "S" should appear.. Co-inkidink? or fate??.. oooohh spooky!!How great would an invitation look with these initials on them. OK, I grant you this find has it's limitations as you would have to know someone with one or both of these initials, but I think it is a great additional use for this shape. I'm a glass is half full kinda guy!! (not half empty for those that do not understand that expression)..So, once I had finished telling everyone that would stand still long enough to listen, I cut a Scalloped Oval in Black pearlised card and a Plain Oval in Teal coloured card stock,layered them together adding the "S" for Sarah to the top layer.For my base card I cut a DL card from A3 card stock, notice the crease on the shortest side.. Added a matt of the Black and Teal card stock and a couple more of the swirls.Adding my topper to the centre. As I said, more invitational than a greetings card, but quite striking if I do say so myself!This next one is again very simple. But knowing that Sarah loves "From me to you" bears, it is also very apt!!
When I saw the new Do Crafts Creativity Magazine (Issue 27) which came in this afternoon this idea sprung in to my head... I decided to use one of the FREE stamps which comes with this magazine for this sample as opposed to one of the other stamps which form part of the range.I stamped the image using London Fog Memento Ink and coloured the body in using Cool Grey #1 (C-1) Copic Pen and the essential Blue Nose using Pale Blue (B23).The image was cut out and embossed using the large die from the same set I used in the project above Circle Frame (LR112)..I then simply threaded some ribbon through all the loops creating quite a good effect I think!You may have been thinking "hey Andy, you stamped, you coloured but no Glossy Accents!!" What's going on!!! Eh voila! As if I would forget that!!!Whilst the image was drying I printed my sentiment onto some Safmat, which is an adhesive film..The sentiment was cut out using a die from the Fleur DE Lis Doily Accents Spellbinders set (S5-042).I was tempted to leave the backing on the Safmatbut peeled it off and applied the sentiment to the inside of a prepared Acetate card... On Acetate the Safmat gives a frosted effect, but when applied to solid card stock it will be clear and you will only see your printed text or image.Finishing the card off by adding the Tatty Teddy image...
So, now I have a choice of 3 cards to give this weekend!! Well, it's actually 4, but I'll show you the last one on Saturday.... I know I'm a little tease.. I've been called worse! No, really I have!!!
I hope you all enjoy the Royal Wedding tomorrow if you are watching it.. Apparently it has a very British theme, so hopefully it will put some pride back into this great nation of ours....
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon..
Andy.

1971, a classic year!!

Hi folks. I hope you all had a good Easter Weekend break? If, like me you were working then, just like buses there will be another long Bank Holiday Weekend along very soon. This weekend in fact, courtesy of the Royal Wedding on Friday and then the May Day Bank Holiday on Monday!!
Along with the wedding I have another celebration this weekend. Many of my friends are turning the BIG 4 Oh! in the coming Months, myself included!! And this weekend sees by best mate's Sisters' (tenuous link I know) 40th Birthday Bash...
I've had lots of ideas as to what I want to do for her card but I'm not sure whether to make it serious or comical. So over the next couple of post's I'll be sharing with you some of my ideas. And hopefully by the end of the week I will have made a decision!!
So here's the first one. A bit of 1970's retro!I started off by cutting out my silhouette image in Black Mirror card at 5" from the Forever Young Cricut Cartridge. I also cut the Trouser Suit at 5", remember the machine will size the other elements to the largest image. It's that clever!!!I then layered the two images together.Next I cut a plain circle and a scalloped circle using the Spellbinders Grand dies through the Grand Calibur machineand layered them together adding letters which I had cut at 1" using the Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge...For the base of the card I decided to make another twisted easel.
I found some brightly coloured card stock, ok not totally 70's but it's on its way!!I scored it in half and cut it to make a 5 3/4" square, then scored the front of the card from corner to cornerand folded it to form the twist!I then cut two triangles from a separate sheet of cardusing one to form the stopper for the easeland using the other one to cover one of the White side panels.I then added my image to see how the whole this was coming along.For my sentiment I printed the words in a 70's style font from my PC, matting and layering it using a plain circle and scalloped circle Nestabilitie and applied it to the card."Yeah Baby"! Sorry, couldn't resist!!!I made sure that the card would lay down flat and go into and envelope before finishing off the card. I've been caught out like that before!! Oh you have too!!!So, just to finish it off I added some pre made Prima Flowersto give the project a bit more of a 70's flourish...I hope if I decide to give this one to her that she gets the concept of the card, after all, 1971 was a classic year! It was the year I was born! And aren't we all grateful for that!? Answers on a post card... nah, forget it!
Thanks for checking us out and see you soon..
Andy..