Pinnacle Crafts

Love Hearts.....

2012-01-28T08:00:00.007Z

Hi everyone, I hope your weekend is getting off to a good start? Almost at the end of January now!! Wow! where has that Month gone? So, February arrives next week, the Month of Love, which means Valentine's Day, is not too far away!!So, with that in mind, here is a simple, but effective little Valentine's card to make for the one you love...I cut out the two largest shapes from the Spellbinders Heart Circles Die (S4-316) using Red card stock. I also cut out the corresponding sized circles in White card stock using the Spellbinders Classic Circles Large Die (S4-114).And layered all of the shapes together.
For the centre I tried a few different dies, just to see which one worked best...The La Rue Heart...Nope!!The La Rue Flourish...Nope!!!Or the Quinn Flourish...Could be!!.. Is anyone getting a bit of Déjà Vu about Hong Kong Phooey?? No? Well, I guess you have to be of a certain age!! to appreciate where I'm coming from.. This is Rosemary, you're telephone operator!! OK, I'll stop now....
So, Yes the Quinn Flourish was the Die I went with, placing it in the centre of the previous dies I cut. These were then positioned on to my base card to which I had added some of the "waste" Hearts which were left over when I cut out my Heart Circles...To add some Valentine's sparkle I added some Heart Gems around the edges of both the larger and smaller Heart shapes..And there you go,....
Thanks for checking us out and enjoy your weekend..
See you soon.
Andy.

A Box full of Memories....

2012-01-24T07:18:00.013Z

Hi Blogland... This week’s challenge over at the Cuttlebug Blogspot is to create a box... Occasionally, when you get a bit carried away with your crafting, you may find that your project does not fit into a standard sized crafting envelope and to cut the project down so it does fit would ruin it.. So, what's left to do? Make your own box or envelope to fit of course... There are many scoring boards on the market such as the Hougie Board or Envelobox Creator which will help you to make standard and out sized envelopes and boxes, and once you have mastered the instructions they are a God send.. However, I decided to make my own from scratch.. ! Why?, because it was a challenge and it's something I've been meaning to do for some time now..So, here it is... My box and a project to keep inside it.. Fancy giving it a go? Here's a step by step guide if you do..I started off with four 6"x 2" pieces of Grey Board.And glued them all together using Glossy Accents.I cut strips of my chosen card stockand applied them to the outside and inside edges of the box.The box is reasonably sturdy like this, but just to add a bit more stability I cut short lengths of the card stock, folded them in halfand glued them to the Four outer and four inner corners...To hide the Grey board and also to add a bit of age to the box I went around all of the edges and corners with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.To make a base for the box to sit on I cut 2 pieces of my pattered card stock and also a piece of 290gsm card stock using the largest die from the Spellbinders Grand Scalloped Squares.Layering them all together to form a nice thick layered shape. To hide the White core of the card stock I again distressed the edges using both Distress Ink and Distress Stains in Brushed Corduroy.I ran some Pinflair Gel around one edge of the box, applied it to the base and put it to one side to dry.To make the lid of the box I started off by cutting four strips of the Grey Board 5 3/4" x 1/4"and joined them together in the same way as I did the sides of the box, securing the corners with some extra pieces of card stock.I then stained the Grey Board with the Distress Stain as before.So that I could adhere the frame to the lid and so that it would line up correctly I positioned this smaller frame inside the base of the boxand ran some Pinflair Gel around the edges.Placing the lid of the box, (which was made exactly the same as the base, using 2 pieces of my patterned card stock on one extra piece all stuck together) onto the Gel and then setting it to one side to dry..Once the Gel was dry, I lifted the lid off which brought the inner frame with it. This inner frame will make the box lid have a nice tight fit when it is placed onto the base of the box..To add a little bit of decoration to the box I added some matt Black Gems, which made the box look like it was tacked together.To decorate the lid I cut out some shapes using the Memory Box Die Madera Corner (98237). This was cut out 8 times using the same patterned card stockand then positioned onto the lid of the box in my desired pattern.
As nice as this effect was, I think it looks like the pattern has been carved into the box!, I wanted to add a little bit more to it.So I took my Gilding flakesand applied them to the cut out shapes.And there you go.... I've decided to keep my "Book of Holly" (my Dog) well, volume One anyway! in this Memory Box, as well as her first Collar which she has grown out of, her puppy teeth we have found and a few other nic naks of her first few Months with us.. Once this box is full, I can think about making another one for volume Two...
Don't forget to pop on over to the Cuttlebug Blogspot to see what my fellow Design Team Members have come up with under this theme and why not take part in the challenge whilst you are there?!
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy..

Valentine's Heart...

2012-01-19T08:18:00.007Z

Hi Blogland... With Valentine's Day just around the corner, today I thought I'd share another idea for a card for the one you love...It's quite a simple idea but the result looks very opulent. When I have time I might even try it is some other colour ways as I think that it has the potential for not only a Valentines card but possibly Wedding etc...I started the project off by preparing my centre panel. I used the Marianne Designs Die called Anja's Corner (LR0200). Now, this is not a corner in its traditional sense. I.E it does not cut out a whole corner shape.Notice in this picture that the cutting edge is only around the top part of the die and the centre pieces.This will mean that when you place your die on your card stock and pass through your die cutting machineonly these pieces will be cut out, therefore leaving the image attached to the card stock.. This feature has huge potential as an inverted corner for photographs for scrapbook pages and lots of other projects.. Watch out for future posts to see this in action!!So, as the die cuts in to the card stock I used this to my advantage to make a nice big centre frame.. Something perhaps other dies cannot do?! So I lined up the die with my previous cut and ran it through my machine.As the two images line up it's starting to form my panel..Line up the other two cuts and "ta da" there you have your centre panel..I prepared my base card, using some Gold printed card stock and a piece of Gold Glitter card.Adding my die cut image to the Glitter card. I used foam pads, just to lift it slightly away from the Glitter card.Next, I cut out an image using the Memory Box Die, La Rue Heart (98255).This was then placed into the centre of the panel.As happy as I was with the design so far, the open areas of the card looked a little bit bare and bland.. So I cut another one of the corner diesand finished off the cutting edge manually with a pair of Scissors.I did this Four times,one for each corner...And there you go, all done...
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon.
Andy.

Up, up and away...

2012-01-17T17:18:00.007Z

Hi Blogland.. I hope you found some time over the weekend for yourself and were able to get some crafting done? Life does seem to get in the way of crafting sometimes don't you think!!I started this particular project on Friday and only just finished it yesterday!! Life, life, life, life, life!!
Anyway, here's a quick step by step how it was made.I embossed a piece of Black Mirror card using the Ascension Embossing Folder.Using a craft knife, I cut away some of the panels of the Balloons.As the back of the Mirror card is White, once the panels were cut out this showed through, so I went around the inside edges of the panels with a Black ProMarker Pen to cover these White areas.I then cut out the Two Balloons.
The reason for cutting away the panels was so that I could use a different colour card stock to alternate the colours of the Balloon canopy,so I turned the balloon shape over and placed it onto the back of some patterned card stock, drew around the largest balloon and then cut out a template.This was when I realised that my card stock had a header on it, notice it on the right hand side of the image!! Ooops, I'm sure I will be able to disguise it within the card!!I also made a template for the smaller Balloon.I added some Pinflair Gel to the back of the imagebefore placing it onto the patterned card stock. The Pinflair Gel gave just that little bit of dimension and depth to the image...Once dry, I placed the Balloon image onto some "sky" background card stockand applied my sentiment which was from a stamp set which is part of the Portobello Road range of products..Air Mail, Birthday Balloons.. I think you get the gist??
A really different way to use and embossing folder I think you'll agree?
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon..
Andy.

Plain and Simple....

2012-01-13T16:48:00.008Z

Hi everyone.. How's the first full working week of 2012 been for you? Seems like Christmas was yonks ago now doesn't it.. All that preparation etc etc.. Still, there's only 49 weeks to go until the next one comes along, (Andy duck's for cover!) if we make past December 21st 2012 that is!!
I've been having a right old play this week with some new goodies I've been allowed to get my hands on.. To be honest, I've got nothing specific in mind to get made, so it has been a great opportunity to just play and see what happened!This is one of the projects that I made.. Plain and Simple, (who said "just like me"??!!)During my mega paper clear up and sort out between Christmas and New Year I came across some rather nice printed paper which, like most crafters I had forgotten I had! This was my inspiration for the project and it was cut to size and stuck together to form my Easel card.From some of the scraps left over from creating the Easel I matt and layered them togetherand added them to the back of the card, just for fun putting it on a jaunty angle..Next, I took a piece of Cream coloured Pearlised card stock and ran it through the Cuttlebug using the Vintage Dressmaker Embossing Folder, which is another folder from the World Fair range of folders from Couture Creations!This was matt and layered onto some Black card stock and applied to my base card.I then cut out, using the same Cream card stock, the Amira Flourish Die (98183) from Memory Box,and applied it to the side of the card.
It could do with a little bit of a lift, not a Ribbon and definitely not a bow!!Perhaps some leaves? Fortunately I had some felt leaves on a strip..So I snipped a couple offand applied them to the Flourish,finishing off with a Square Gem..For my stopper, I cut a piece of the pattered paper to size and matt and layered it with some Black card stock as before. Placing it on the bottom of my Easel card in the centre.Adding another Flourish,a couple of leaves and a gem to finish the project off..Would make a great Wedding card, Anniversary, Engagement, any occasion really!!
I hope you find some crafting time to play this weekend..
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

In the deep mid Winter...

2012-01-10T08:49:00.008Z

Frosty winds may blow... Hi Blogland.. After a brief hiatus for the Christmas and New Year Holidays the Cuttlbug Blog Spot Challenge is back.. This weeks theme is Winter.. And although we here in the South East of the UK are basking in somewhat unseasonably warm January weather we are most definitely in Winter.. Just wait until it starts turning colder at the end of the week bbbrrrrrrr...
So, that's the theme of this weeks challenge. Winter... using texture, buttons, twine, ribbon etc...I could have gone with a wintry scene as requested, but I just kept on seeing Christmas, so I decided to go with some frosty flowers instead... Now, I know this main picture doesn't capture the frosty nature of these flowers! But, just wait and take a look at them a little further down this post to see them encapsulated in all of their frosty glory.. Sorry, I've been watching too much of Nigella over the holiday's!! She just loves an exaggerated description or two don't you think?!Any hoozlebee's, starting off my project was quite simple.. I chose an Art Deco image from a Decoupage set from the Glitter Girls and cut it out.. It was the Blue of the dress that caught my eye and gave me the colour theme to work with...To cut my flowers I used the Spellbinders Die Spiral Blossoms #1 (S4-351).Cutting out the shape and then Quilling (rolling) them into shape securing them with Pinflair Glue.Next, I took some fibrous cordand inserted it into each flower to give them a frosty look...To continue the "Art Deco" theme, I embossed a piece of Matt Silk card stock using the Deep Sea Diver Embossing Folder which is part of the World Fair range of embossing folders from Couture Creations.. Deep Sea Diver!! Where do they get these names from!!?Once this was embossed I added it to my wintry swirl background paper,adding my Deco Ladyand frosty flowers...Finishing off the project with some complimentary "Deco" Buttons...Very apt for a wintry Birthday I think.. Don't forget to hop on over to the Cuttlebug Blog Spot to see what my fellow Design Team Members have come up with under this theme, and whilst you are there why not take part in this weeks challenge?!
Thanks for checking us out...
See you soon..
Andy..

It's not Terry's......

2012-01-06T09:12:00.010Z

Hi everyone.. After the excesses of Christmas, I guess the next big event most of us can look forward to to legitimately pig out on Chocolate is Valentine’s Day...
So, here is an idea for you to make for your loved one and the best part about it is NO calories!!!This is an idea I got from Sam Poole, take a look at her wonderful Blog, she has some great crafting ideas for you....I started off by cutting out 20 x 1" and 20 x 3/4" squares using Chocolate Mocha coloured Core'dinations card stock. I used my Cricut to cut out the Squares for quickness, but a couple of Punch's of these sizes could just as easily be used..I then went around the edges of each of the Squares with a Copic Pen. Any dark colour or Pen, such as a ProMarker can be used as it is really just to add an element of shadow to the Squares. Although I did all 40 of the Squares, you really only need to do about half of each size as some of them will be covered up later on in the project.Once coloured I layered the smaller Squares on top of the larger ones using double sided foam pads.Next, I cut a piece of the Chocolate card stock at 4 1/2" x 6"and spaced out the layered Squares to form my Chocolate bar..Take a 6" x 6" piece of candy stripe paperand tear it towards youand then wrap it around the Chocolate Barto form some wrapping.I stamped my sentiment (taken from Sam Poole's set called - Chocolate) onto White card stock using some Distress Inks in complimentary colours to suit my projects, Festive Berries, Broken China and Brushed Corduroy. Each sentiment was cut out using Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four.To line up my sentiment with my Ribbon, I found it easier to stick the label to the Ribbonbefore applying it to the project..The bar of Chocolate was then applied to a complementary luxurious piece of card stock, (well, it is for Valentine’s Day after all!) adding a Big Chocolate Box Ribbon to the side of the project to finish it off....So, that's one for her,One for Him,One for someone else,And I'd be happy with this!! No, it's not Terry's, it's mine!!
Thanks for checking us out..
See you soon.
Andy..

The best laid plans

2012-01-03T08:01:00.012Z

Hi Blogland, and how is 2012 treating you so far. I guess for many it is/was a return to work today after the New Year Holidays. What a day to go back! It was rather windy out there today don't you think?! It was fun taking Holly for her morning stroll this morning! Those of you who visit us here at Barleylands will know that the car park, albeit FREE really could do with a wind break at the best of times, but when it is blowing 50 - 60mph you don't really stand a chance.. Still, Holly had fun chasing any leaf or bit of paper that got whipped up in the wind!!
Now, with every good intention and the best laid plans to get a friends card made yesterday for their Birthday and then posted in Blogland Today somehow, a rather busy first day of our sale put paid to that plan! And I had to do the ultimate crafting No No and go out and buy one!! So, as I still haven't had a chance to get one made, Today I'm going to offer you another Christmas card.. This will make 11 so far this year and it's only January 03rd.. Get in!!This is a card I made for a very special Pinnacles Friend.. She said that her Grandson said that she received it because it was old looking.. I know she corrected him saying that it was Classic and Vintage, just like her!! Touché.....
Late last year I had a week’s worth of lessons where we used Alcohol Inks.This was one of the samples I produced and kept, as, although I had no plans to make a card with it at the time; I knew it would come in handy in the future!
It initially started off as a piece of White Glossy card stock (sorry, I don't have step by step photos of this stage). I added a couple of Alcohol Ink colours to it and then Embossed it using the Christmas Vine Embossing Folder and then went over the embossed image with the Alcohol Ink Gold Mixative..I then cut the largest die from the Fleur De Lis Rectangles and then matched it up with its counterpart Chipboard shapeso as to make a much thicker and sturdier image.I prepared my base Easel card using a 12" x 12" piece of backing paper which was a Christmas Wreath image and cut it so that it roughly resembled its original shape..Adding my Embossed image and a vintage die cut topper to the back of the card.This particular piece of card stock has served me well over the past few Months and the particular Carol on this piece is very apt! After all, my dog is called Holly!!This was also added to the back of the card.
For the stopper for the Easel card I decided to make Poinsettia's.I cut out my images using the Spellbinders Poinsettia Creations Die (S5-055) using Red card stock.To make them slightly more aged and vintageI applied some Gold Ink to them using a Stippling Brush.And then layering the pieces together to form my Poinsettia.I then took some pre made leavesand added some of the Gold Ink to them to tone them down to fit in with the project.Finally adding the Leaves and the Poinsettia Images to my card to finish it off..Another one for your Christmas 2012 pile.
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon..
Andy.

Happy New Year......

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000Z

Hi Everyone, and "Happy New Year". I hope 2012 is a great Year for you..Have you made any New Year's Resolutions yet? I've made a couple and the main crafting one is to get my Christmas cards for 2012 on the go straight away.. Each year I say it, and each year I find myself on Christmas Eve finishing of my immediate family and friends cards, when really I should be down the pub!!
So, with that in mind my first Blog Post of 2012 is a..... Christmas card.... Hopefully to help and inspire you to get going with your cards for this year and in the greater scheme of things help us all not leave it to the last minute again! Periodically I will be posting Christmas cards throughout the year, so don't be surprised to find a Crimbo card posted in the middle of summer!
So, here we go with our first one.
Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with a little bit of Black and White,or even White and Black.Notice the difference in the colour ways of the Baubles!I started off by cutting out my border using a Memory Box Die (98146 Snowflake (Frostyville)). These dies are new to us here at Pinnacles and have already proved immensely popular. They go through all of the main die cutting machines and are used in the same way you use your Nestabilities.One suggestion I would make when using this particular border die is to have the "straight" edge facing inwards on your card stock,this way you can either add it as a decorative edge directly to a base card or,as in this case cut the edge to the width that you require for your project.If you place the "straight edge directly or near to the edge of your card stock,when the die is cut you end up with a very thin edgewhich doesn't really leave you much room to add any adhesive to the cut piece to add it to your project..
I put the border to one side whist I prepared my Baubles...I used the Memory Box Die 98231 Snowflake Ornament to cut out an image in Black and White card stock.I used 225gsm - 240gsm card stock as this weight card released the pieces from the Bauble much easier than my preferred 290gsm card stock.I then ran my Tape Pen over an area on a scrap piece of card stockand stuck one of my Bauble images to it.I then filled the spaces in the Bauble with the waste from the corresponding image in a different colour.. Now, for those of you who are aware of Memory Box dies, you may be saying that there is a solid image of the Bauble that you could lay the more ornate image directly onto to give this effect!.. That, my crafting friends is very true.. However, firstly I don't have that particular die and also, for me, filling in the image gives a much fuller shape to the Bauble. It doesn't take long to pop the pieces back in and makes good use of the waste and is quite therapeutic to do, a bit like a Jigsaw Puzzle..I did this for both colour waysand then cut each image out.
I then had a "dummy run" to see which colours went best together on my prepared base card.All Black Baubles,all White Baublesor one of each!Decision made, I cut two strips of card 1/4" wideand applied them to the back of my Snowflake border to which I had added some foam tapeand then attached it to my card.I added one layer of foam tape to the back of one of the Baubles and Two layers of tape to the other Bauble.This would give the Baubles a bit of dimension between each other when added to the card.I then finished the project off with some Gems, Bows and a Sentiment...And there you go....
Now, not all of my friends like Black and White, and also to make it a little bit more interesting for me to churn them out I tried a few other colour ways..Green and White or is it White and Green? These were obviously made in exactly the same way as before..But instead of opening another packet of Green Gems to finish the project, I simply coloured some Clear Gems used on the Black and White version with a ProMarker Pen.. Also colouring a Silver Peel Off to match the project.How about Lilac and White or White and Lilac?Turquoise and White or White and Turquoise?And last but by no means least, my favourite.. Red and White or White and Red!!
There we go; we've already done 10 cards for this Christmas...
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon.
Andy.

An Update...

2011-12-06T20:30:00.002Z

Hi Everyone, I'm just popping into Blogland to let you all know that I'm afraid that this will be my last post for this Year.
For those of you who are unaware, my Nan has been suffering with Dementia for the last few Years, and recently her physical as well as her mental health has started to suffer also. So much so that she has now been taken into hospital and the Doctors have advised that it is only a matter of time before we have to say our goodbyes to this wonderful woman...
My Mum (her Daughter) has been spending every day with her. So, I have been taking her lessons so that she can spend as much time with her Mum as she can... This meaning, that I am getting very little else done (which is fine).. So as not to keep you all in suspense and wondering when the next Pinnacles creation will be gracing your Computer Screens I have decided to take a break until the New Year. I hope you all understand?
I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope to share with you some more crafty creations in 2012...
Thanks for checking us out...
Andy..

and the winners are......

2011-11-21T08:10:00.009Z

Hi Everyone... First things first... Our Blog candy Winners are....... Jovan and Jenny...Jovan wins the Autumn Set of Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Jenny Wins the Winter set..Congratulations ladies, I hope you have fun using them when you receive them.
Thanks to everyone else for taking the time to enter. There will be plenty more chances to win some Blog candy in the very near future...Anyway, here we go with Today's project.. I've been very lucky to have been given one of Martha Stewart’s new Punch All Over the Page punches called Nordic Snowflake (M42-90006) to play with.. And this is what I came up with.. Not only a card but a candle holder too...I started off by punching my design onto some printed backing paper and trimming it to size.I then mounted the sheet onto some Acetate to give the flimsy paper some stability..Next, I made my stepper card using my Hougie Board, scoring the A4 Acetate sheet at 2", 4" and then manually folding the largest part of the sheet in half. The measurement for this fold should be 7 3/4", but as the Hougie Board does not measure in 1/4" this bit had to be done manually, which really was no big deal!I then added my punched image to the back of the stepper cardand some prepared Decoupage to the front step of the cardto add some dimension to the project...The fretwork which can be created with this punch seemed perfect for creating a Candle Holder.So, I punched out my design onto an A4 piece of patterned paper, trimming off the excess and then rolled it into a cylinder before placing it over my Candle..Pretty effective if I do say so myself...Great in other colours too to match your Christmas table setting perhaps..And how about this for a backing paper for all you Scrapbookers out there!!..All in all a pretty useful Punch...
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

Turkey fun and Blog Candy!!!

2011-11-15T08:13:00.007Z

Hi Everyone... It's another Cuttlebug Blogspot challenge today... This week’s theme is Gobble, Gobble, Gobble... Do something fun with a Turkey... So hop on over to the Cuttlebug Blogspot to see what the other Design Team Members have come up with under this theme and why not take part in the challenge yourself...?Now, we don't really do Thanksgiving here in the UK, so my project is a Christmas Card.This image is a Digital Stamp; unfortunately I can't remember where I got it from, sorry! I coloured it using Copic Pens and then Glazed with Glossy Accents.Once it was dry I cut it out! Which was when....? The Glossy Accents cracked!! Ouch!! I guess that is one of the draw backs when I am using Digital Stamps. My printer does not take thick card stock, i.e. 290 or 225 gsm card stock, so I have to print on 160gsm max. As the Glossy Accents has Water in it, it makes the thinner card stock buckle a little.. Which, on this occasion caused the Glossy Accents to crack when I was cutting the image out. This is the first time this has happened, and guess it won't be the last!! Ho hum!!Whilst the image was drying I prepared my base card.I printed my sentiment from my PC onto White card stock, yes 160gsm card stock!!To tie the colour theme in with my project I coloured around the sentiment using Evergreen Bough and Iced Spruce Distress Inks which are part of the Winter 2011 Seasonal set of Distress Inks from Tim Holtz...
BLOG CANDY ALERT!!!!It's been a while since I gave away same Blog Candy! So, seeing as I have just passed my 200th post (Today’s post is 205) and also to celebrate 83,000 visits to our little Blog I think it's time to share some goodies with you all..
So, any comments left on this post "only" will go into the random draw to win either the Autumn (Fall) or Winter Set.. Just state your preference at the beginning of your comment to be in with a chance of winning.. Good Luck!! Entries close at midnight (UK time) on Friday 18th November 2011...The Autumn (FALL) set consists of Gathered Twigs, Ripe Persimmon and Seedless Preserves. And the Winter set consisis of Iced Spuce, Evergreen Bough and Festive Berries..
Anyway, back to the project..Once the card stock was coloured I cut around the sentiment using a die from Spellbinders Labels Four.Edging the shape using the NEW Green Metallic marker from Letraset to add a little bit of definition.Adding the sentiment plate to my card to finish it of...
Well, the brief was to do something fun with a Turkey! And let's face it, after a Turkey Christmas Dinner who wouldn't want to have a little snooozzzee to sleep it off!!
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon..
Andy..

Keeping it simple...

2011-11-11T16:19:00.006Z

Hi Blogland... I just wanted to share with you a couple of very quick and simple cards I made recently..Apart from the drying time for the Glossy Accents they are very quick and simple to do.I started off by stamping my Tree image using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.I then coloured parts of each image using my Cool Grey #1 Copic Pen and then glazed each tree with Glossy Accents.Once they were dry I cut them outand mounted them onto my base card to which I had added a strip of complementary "Tartan" card stockand a simple Peel Off..It was so effective on the White card stock that I just had to give it a go on Black card stock.This time stamping the image using Adirondack Snow Cap White Ink.Then glazing with Glossy Accents.Once dry they were cut outand then mounted onto my base card using the same "Tartan" card stock as I used on the White version.Both versions are quick, simple, elegant and very effective me thinks! Although the White one is probably my fave..
Have a great weekend everyone... and thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

Happy Birthday Sis...

2011-11-07T09:41:00.010Z

Hi Everyone. I hope you had a good weekend? Yesterday was Joanne's (my Sister) Birthday. And here is the card I made for here...
It was an adaptation from a beautiful card that my Mum received for her Birthday back in September from Mrs Harrison (Pat)..Last week we received a delivery of the new Quilling Punches from EK Success and I was dying to give them a go, so using them on Joanne's card was the perfect opportunity to get them out of the packaging and have a play.I punched one of the designs out of Black and White card stock alternating the colours on each flower just to give a bit of diversity to the flowers... Take a look at this simple video to see how you can create effective flowers with these Punches.
I put the flowers to one side whilst I prepared my base card.I cut out some shapes using the Go Kreate Die XXL Square Frilly Frame #3 and matt and layered them together.Next, I cut out one of the Butterfly images from the Spellbinders Grand Dies Wonderful Wings FL-006. Although these are classed as Grand Die's, each image will fit through the Cuttlebug,Big Shot or Vagabond Machines quite comfortably as well as the Grand Calibur Machine..This was then added to my base card to which I had added the Go Kreate matt and layer and a Peel Off Sentiment..I then added my Quilled flowers.. I guess you can't go wrong with a Monochromatic card, but I felt that it needed just a little something extra to finish it off..Along with the new EK Success Quilling Punches we received the NEW Garland Punches and also the Layering Punches. Take a look at the videos to see these new products in action and with the Layering Punches how you get 3 Punches for the price of one!!So, once my Butterflies were punched out,I gave them a little bit of dimensionbefore attaching them to my project,which really finished it off for me!...
As for Joanne's Birthday present! You may recall last year I got her some Cinema tickets for the Harry Potter film and made it as part of her card. Well, if it ain't broke...So I did something similar this year. But this time for the new Twilight Film, Breaking Dawn pt1.. I have had this idea for ages; as soon as I saw the Immortal Love papers stack from DCWV. The papers in this stack were just made for this film.So, I cut a couple of the sheets down to size and made an easel card with them, printing her Cinema information inside...When I spoke to her on her Birthday she asked my where I had got it from! "Got it from"!! I made it!! Cheek of it!!And for all you Holly fans out there.. Here is the card that she sent Joanne... Yep, she knows how to lay on the cuteness! And is certainly growing up fast. She has now had all of her injections and a full M.O.T and is now allowed out into the big wide world!!
Anyway, thanks for checking us out and see you soon.
Andy.

Stamping & Embossing made easy.....

2011-11-01T18:23:00.006Z

Hi Blogland.. Well, here we are in November already!! I probably don't have to tell you how fast this year has whizzed by!! and how fast Christmas is approaching!!With that in mind, here is another idea for you if you are struggling to get those Christmas cards made.. And if you haven't started yet.. "GET A MOVE ON!!".. Hands up who said back in January that you were going to make a few Christmas cards a week throughout the year, so that they were all made, written, enveloped, and sent out by the 1st of December? Yeah, me too!! Will that happen? What do you think?!
Today's project is part of my submission to the Cuttlebug Blogspot Design Team... Yes, that's right; the site is now back up and running.. So, hop on over to see what the other Design Team (DT) members have been up to. The theme this week is anything goes, so why not take part in the challenge.. Cos "BLOMMING ECK" the prizes for the winners are a-ma-zing!! If I could, I'd take part myself just to be in with a chance of winning one of the prizes on offer!!Anyway, back to today's project. I started off by opening my new Sizzix Stamp and Embossing Folder Holly Background Set (657769). This NEW range feature background stamps with co ordination embossing folders.Generally, you stamp your image firstand then line it up with the embossing folder and pass it through your embossing machine.The pattern around the shapes will be embossed which really adds definition and dimension to the project..I then matt and layered the image with Silver Mirror card and White Card stock adding some Clear Gems as the Berries of the Holly.I also made a smaller version to fill up space on my base card.I also punched a border in the Silver Mirror card using the Martha Stewart Snowflake Trim Punch (M42-70016)adding it and the embossed images to my base card along with a simple sentiment. Nice and Christmassy....
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon.
Andy.

One Embossing Folder, 3 differents ways.. Part 3

2011-10-25T17:50:00.007+01:00

Hi Everyone. Well, here we go with my last project (for now) using one embossing folder in several different ways...
To be honest, this is going to be a very short post as apart from the drying time this project took moments to do.. Which, when you are in a rush and churning out your Crimbo cards is a blessing... But, although the process took no time at all the effect is no less effective I think!!I started off by embossing my image onto a White piece of card stock and then went over it with some Silver Ink. Parts of the Windows and the Trees had very intricate detail so it was difficult to get into all the nooks and crannies, but I actually like the effect it has given..I then went over the Church, Trees and Hills with my trusty Glossy Accents and once it was dry matt and layered it onto some Silver Mirror card before adding it to my prepared base card...Simple, yet oh so effective. In this colour way I suspect it would also make a great Wedding card!!So, there you have it. One Embossing Folder, 3 different ways!! I hope these last few posts have given you some inspo to try using your Embossing Folders in some interesting ways?!!
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon.
Andy.

One Embossing Folder, 3 different ways.. Part 2

2011-10-21T16:51:00.006+01:00

Hi Everyone. Today I'm going to share with you the second project I have made using the Winter Village Embossing Folder (EF).. But not before I let you know how our new recruit (Holly) is getting on..As you can see she is growing at a rate of knots.. These pictures, taken just 2 Weeks apart show just how much she has grown and how beautiful her colouring is.. She certainly seems to be a very happy puppy and is not short of love and affection or cuddles!!
On to equally important matters.. Crafting! Well, almost as important as the Holster!!This was the first of the 3 projects I made with the EF and therefore probably my favourite... I love how the whole thing came together and the fact that the EF has enabled me to Decoupage it has added a whole other dimension to its use..I started off by colouring a piece of White card stock with Weathered Wood and Worn Lipstick Distress Inksand then ran the image through the Cuttlebug Machine.On a separate piece of White card stock, I embossed the image first this time and then applied Shabby Shutters Distress Ink to the image to highlight the Treesand then cut away the skyline.On a Third piece of card stock I again embossed the image first and then coloured it with Pumice Stone Distress Ink to highlight the Church. This time cutting away the skyline and the Trees..Finally, I embossed the image on a plain piece of White card stock and cut away the skyline, the Trees and the Church..I then mounted all of the layers together to form my winter scene. Adding some Crystal Stickles for some Christmas Sparkle..This is such a diverse EF and really could be used for several different occasions other than Christmas.. Hence the fact that I have yet to put a sentiment on it!!
So, that's two down, one to go.. Back next week with the final instalment.
Have a great weekend and thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

One Embossing Folder, 3 different ways.. Part 1

2011-10-18T16:53:00.006+01:00

Hi Blogland... I've decided to do another series using one product in a few different ways.. Just like I did with the Snow Cuddles Stamp recently.. OK, I can hear the groans from here!!
But this time I will be using an Embossing Folder..
We all have them, probably far too many of them.. But how often do you use them more than once? I don't mean like a Snowflake background which can be used on a batch run for your Chrimbo cards, I mean like use the same Embossing Folder (EF) to create different looks, for different occasions! Basically to justify you getting it!!So, here are the 3 projects I have made using the Winter Village Embossing Folder.And here is Today's project and of course a step by step...I started off by embossing a White piece of card stock with the Winter Village Embossing Folder and then went over the whole piece of card using Antique Linen Distress Ink. There's a reason why I chose Antique Linen, which I will come to in a mo..I then matt and layered the image using some Burgundy card stock and put it to one side..The reason I chose to use the Antique Linen Distress Ink was because I came across this backing paper from Graphic 45 which had a selection of Christmas Carols on one side of the double sided paper.. Seeing as it was in a Creamy Colour the Distress Ink which complimented it the best in my opinion was Antique Linen...I chip chopped all of the Carols, some were full images, some had bits cut out of them depending on where they were positioned on the sheet, all usable though as I will show you at the end of this post... You're certainly getting a lot out of me on this one.. And I’m more than happy to share as always...So, I chose one of the Carols to work with my projectand matt and layered it with the same Burgundy card stock used to matt the Winter Village image.Adding the two images to the top of my prepared Easel cardand a bit of extravagance to the bottom layer with a prepared Winter Sprig as a stopper for the Easel...Really love how the colours work together on this card.. It defo says Christmas to me...As I said earlier about using all of the bits from the Graphic 45 backing paper, off cuts and all!! Simple and effective and quick and easy... yada yada yada...
Back later this week with another step by step using the Winter Village Embossing Folder...
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

Christmas Poinsettia....

2011-10-15T08:21:00.006+01:00

Hi Blogland.. A very cold start to the weekend here.. Just how October should be!!, But, that does depends on where you are in the world and what you are use too I guess..
Just getting ready to watch the Rugby this morning.. C'mon Wales...Today I wanted to share with you a quick and simple card I made as a sample for our lesson this week here at Pinnacles which was "Have a Black & White Christmas..So, obviously I made it in Black & White too.I started off by cutting out and embossing 3 full sets of the Spellbinders Poinsettia Creations Die (S5-055) in Red card stock and the largest of the Dies in Green card stock.Layering them together and adding a gem in the middle of each full Poinsettia.These looked great and very realistic, but needed some Christmas sparkle...Before being applied to a prepared Side Stepper Card...
See, I said it was quick and simple....
Have a great weekend and thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

Demo Day, Distress Inks & Doggies...

2011-10-11T17:14:00.007+01:00

Hi Blogland. I hope you had a good weekend? Before I share with you Today's project I thought I'd show you some of the pictures I took of our Demo Day with Lindsay Mason on Sunday..She brought along with her some wonderful samples for all of our crafters to look atand see what can be achieved with Alcohol Inks, Stamping and a little bit of imagination..She certainly kept our eager crafters enthralled with her techniques and dare I say "crafting banter".. An absolutely brilliant day.. I know I learnt a lot from Lindsay and dare say, so did everyone else. Can't wait to put all of the techniques into practice!!
Thanks so much for coming to visit us at Pinnacles Lindsay; we look forward to your next visit..Needless to say, one member of the Pinnacles Team slept through most of the day!! But she did enjoy all the cuddles in the brief moments she was awake..This puppy is certainly getting the love and attention she needs and deserves.....
Anyhoo... On with Today's project..Quite a simple one today...And although I have put a Christmas sentiment on the card, to be honest I think that it could be used for a Winter Birthday, or any other Birthday come to that!!I started off by colouring a piece of White card stock using Stormy Sky Distress Ink before embossing it with the Pine Tree Scene Embossing Folder.I then coloured from the bottom of the card stock using Shabby Shutters Distress Ink. Coming in from the bottom of the card stock potentially means that I will only get the Tree's as opposed to the Sky with the Green Ink.However, the foreground did catch a little too much of the Green Ink in my opinion, so I decided to cut it awayand mount it on to another piece of White Card stock to form a snowy foreground.Next, I matt and layered the scene onto some Silver & Blue Mirror cardbefore mounting it onto my prepared base cardand finishing off with my sentiment.
As I said before, although I have used it as a Christmas card it really could be for any occasion.. Which is great to get more than one use out of any piece of crafting equipment eh?!!
Thanks for checking us out..
See you soon.
Andy.

Gingerbread Cukoo Clock...

2011-10-07T15:30:00.006+01:00

Hi Blogland. Just popping by to share with you another project I made using one of the new Spellbinders Dies..
This one was made using the Cuckoo Clock Die (S5-075).I started off by cutting out the largest shape in a Gingerbread Brown and a Sugar Pink coloured Card stock, cutting the "Eaves" and Mantle of the Clock in White Card stock.Next, I cut off the Chimney and the Pendulum of the Pink Clock imageand then layered all the pieces together with Silicone Glue to add dimension.Once the Silicone had "gone off" (started to dry) I added the Clock Face and Bird Perchand some Christmas candy coloured gems to make it look really sickly sweet!!Finishing the project off by adding the image to some Snow Dotty card stock and a simple sentiment...
Good enough to eat!! mmmmmmm
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon..
Andy,

Someone wants to say Hello...

2011-10-04T18:46:00.007+01:00

Well, obviously I do as always.. But so does this little cracker...Say Hello to Holly... She is my new Tri Coloured (Black, White & Tan) Border Collie Puppy.. Yeah, I know, that makes her "Holly the Collie"!! I know everyone says it, but she really is the cutest bundle of fluff you ever saw!! She is showing true potential already as a crafter..Mapping out her design, paintbrush at the ready..Let's get to work...Protecting her designs as all designers should...The Grand Calibur or the Cuttlebug?? The choice was obviously too difficult, so nap time won!!Too many Spellbinders to choose from, another nap me thinks...And yet again at the end of a very busy day for puppy..
I'd been on the look out for Holly for quite a while and in anticipation I had produced a few projects in Black and White in her honor for when she eventually arrived.. As time drifted by and no sign of Holly these new Time related Dies (Retro Mod Clock S5-074 & Cukoo Clock S5-075) from Spellbinders seemed pretty apt for a couple of the Black and White projects.
They also make great masculine cards..
We actually had a visit from 2 guys from Spellbinders themselves today.. All the way from the States to our little shop here in Billericay. Yes, they saw Holly too..
I'm enormously proud to say that they were suitably impressed with our rather large range of their products (and the shop in general for that matter!) and also the samples (including the ones I am about to share with you) I had made using them. They even took pictures of our samples to take back to Spellbinders.. One of the guys said that our shop was a pretty "Hoppy" place.. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I took it as a positive... Any American followers able to explain what "Hoppy" means?Anyway, I cut out every shape from both sets of dies in both Black and White card stock,alternating the images Black then White etc...For one of the projects I cut and embossed the largest Die from the Spellbinders Beaded Squares (S4-315) in Black Mirror Card,Matting it with the Second largest Dies for the Classic Large Squares Set (S4-126).Adding it to my base card in a Diamond to add quite an interesting dimension I think!Finishing the card off with a White Clock from the Retro Mod Clock Set... I think this card has a touch of Chess about it!For the second project, I embossed a piece of card stock with the Wreath Embossing Folder from Crafts Too.Matt and layered it onto my base cardbefore adding a Black Clock this time...
Two similar projects, but with slightly different outcomes!!!
Right, I'm off to see if Holly is awake for a change.. That dog can certainly sleep!!
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon..
Andy.

Santa's little helper par deux!!

2011-09-27T17:34:00.007+01:00

Hi Everyone. Today I wanted to share with you a card I made using the other image from the Lindsay Mason Stamp set "Have an Elfy Christmas".
Both characters in the set are great, but this one has to be my favorite.. If nothing else because he looks like he's as drunk as a skunk!! Me thinks he has been enjoying the Christmas Spirit a little too much..So, that's what I decided to do with him on this card.Firstly, I stamped, coloured and glazed himand then cut him outso that I could prop him up against my wall card stock.I then punched out some bottle shapes,coloured them in with a Copic Pen (Mignoette YG11)and then glazed them with some Glossy Accents.Positioning them around him so it looked like he had had a few!!..
I also wanted him to look as though he had stumbled out of the "Santa's Workshop" Christmas party so I decided to make a pub sign.I cut one of the shapes from the Spellbinders Large Labels Nestabilitie Setsand added my text using Peel Offs,before applying it to my card to which I had already added a shape cut from the Spellbinders Elegant Posts S5-032 to form my pub sign..
Looks like someone had a very good time at the crimbo party!!
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon.
Andy.

Santa's little helper.....

2011-09-23T08:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone. See, I said it wouldn't be too long before I was back! Although I don't want to set a precedent!!I've been lucky enough to have a chance to play with some of Lindsay Mason's stamps before she comes to visit us on the 09th October for our Demo Day with her..
Now, I've done a bit of stamping in my time and am always a bit dubious when using a new stamp, and in particular a resin or polymer clay (clear) stamp, as you can never be quite sure if they will bleed or even bead the ink when applied to your card stock. I have been disappointed on many occasions..
However, I am pleased to say that these stamps ink up and stamp rather darn well in my opinion!Which makes the colouring and glazing of the image much more pleasurable..This Elf image is from Lindsay's Stamp Set "Have an Elfy Christmas" (PICSA6260) and comes with not One but Two cute little characters and some Sentiments..Once the image was dry, I matt and layered it with some Red Mirror card and some White card stockbefore mounting it on to my base card and then adding a whopping great big ribbon to finish the card off...This was such a fun image to play around with that I have made a few more samples which I will share with you in the next few posts...
Thanks for checking us out & see you soon.
Andy.

Time to catch up...

2011-09-21T08:17:00.011+01:00

Hi Blogland, how are you doing? I know, I've been a very bad blogger of late. These past few Months have been extremely hectic.. The Summer Months are usually our "quiet time", but not this year! Perhaps due to the fact that we really haven't had a summer to speak of Weather wise!! Anyway, in between all of the day to day runnings of Pinnacles I have been kept rather busy finishing off some Wedding Stationery!! No, not for my wedding!!
You may recall back in March that I finished off the Invites and RSVP's.. Well, now it's time to share with you:the Menu's,All 22 of them! I just love how these came out.The order of Service..All 110 of them!The Place Names..Another 110..The Table Names..I knew I'd find a use for the Tim Holtz Small Easel stand!!The couple's Wedding theme was Tea, hence the choice of table names and the shape of some of the stationery...And the Table Plan...
Well, they have all been collected now as the Wedding is this Friday.. So, here's hoping the couple have a great day and a very happy future together!!
In between making all of these I have been "normal" crafting too..
September is a very busy Birthday Month family wise.. With my Dad's, Mum's, Nan's and of course MY Birthday..Here's the card I made for my Dad's Birthday last week...
It was great to get away from the Tea theme of the wedding stationery just for a few hours to put this card together for him.I started off with a Fern Leaf Stencil and some 290gsm weight card stock.I placed the Stencil directly onto my Cuttlebug A plate.. I know, a Green one! Posh eh!!I then placed a Square of 290gsm card stock on top of the Stencil,followed by my No Shims Mat,a couple of Shims of 225gsm weight card stockand finally my Cuttlebug C Plate and passed the whole "sandwich" through the Cuttlebug machine.Not much to see here,but with the addition of a few Distress Inks... the background and the now embossed Fern Leaves come to life!For the base card I took a piece of text paperand coloured it with some of the Distress Inks used to colour the Fernbefore mounting it onto some Gold Mirror card and adding some Leaf embellishments.Finishing off by mounting the Stencil image in the middle of the card..Nice and Autumnal, which is pretty apt for the kind of weather we have here today!! Yup! It's raining!!..
Anyway, have a great day whatever you're up to.
See you soon, promise!!
Andy.

Happy 8th Birthday Pinnacles.....

2011-09-05T06:57:00.009+01:00

Hi Blogland... Well, that was a weekend and a half!! We have just celebrated our 8th Birthday here at Pinnacles..
We always try and do something a little bit special for our Birthday and this year we had the wonderful Lynne Gilbert from Creative Expressions demonstrating for us... Now, we have had demonstrations before, I myself have even been known to don my demonstrators hat.. But, I have never before seen a demonstrator hold their audience in the palm of their hand like Lynne did on Saturday... She was demonstration techniques using Cosmic Shimmer Mists, Mica Powders, Stamping and Embossing... Perhaps products that we have all got but never realised their potential and how to get the most out of them?! Well, Lynne certainly pulled out all the stops with what she decided to demonstrate.. I myself learnt sooo much from her as did many of those who turned up to celebrate our Birthday with us.. If I heard "My head is buzzing with ideas" once, I heard it dozens of times.. And the empty shelves of the products Lynne was using is testament to her enthusiasm and creative skills..
Here are some pictures of the day...Sorry ladies, standing room only!!It's a messy job, but someones got to do it!!Someones lost their marbles..(You'll know what I mean if you saw this part of the demo)...Spritzing a Mask,Roll with Kitchen Towel,Eh viola!!This has got to be one of the funnest techniques ever!.. Shaving Foam..Adding some of the Cosmic Shimmer Mists,and a few more colours,mixing the colours with a tool from Maccie D's (McDonald's),In goes the card stock,and out it comes again,a quick clean,
and look what you get...
Thank you so much for coming Lynne and sorry that you didn't get a break all day!! I hope that you were able to get your "Inky Fingers" clean enough to hold your new Grandson for the first time on Sunday!!!
Thanks also to everyone who took the time to come and see us on Saturday. Thank you also for all the kind Birthday Wishes, Cards, Ballons, Cakes, & Prezzies. We look forward to seeing you all again at our next demonstration day on the 09th of October with..... Lindsay Mason.. Yep! She's on her way to Pinnacles...
Thanks for checking us out.. Back later in the week with some crafting..
See you soon.
Andy..

Embossing with a difference...

2011-09-01T07:31:00.012+01:00

Hey Blogland.. September already eh!! Soon be Christmas..
Today, I wanted to share with you a project I made as a sample for this weeks lesson here at Pinnacles..
This week we have been playing around with Embossing.. Now, not the traditional embossing i.e with Embossing Folders. You must know me by now? and that I like to try and get a little more out of a product other than it's intended use..So here we go with a project using a Mask... These have become so popular recently due to the increased use of Mists and Inks. But is that all you can use them for?! Me thinks not!!
Here's a "how to" guide if you fancy giving this project or something similar a go..
There are several different ways to emboss a Mask, and this is what works for me using the Cuttlebug.. If you have a Big Shot, Vagabond or Grand Calibur machine then have a play with your plates to get the right combination and see what you come up with..So, I placed the Mask directly onto my Cuttlebug A Plate,followed by my 290gsm card stock,my No Shims Mat,2 x 225gsm card stock to bulk out the "sandwich",finishing off with my Cuttlebug C plate and passed the whole thing through the machine.Mmmmmm, to be honest, not much to be seen here I grant you!But, with the addition of a little bit of London Fog Memento Ink...and a bit of matt and layering.. Viola!!My intention was to make this project into an Easel card.As every Easel has to have a stand I decided to play with one of our new EK Success Deep Edger Punches... So, I took the Flower Burst Punch and a 2.5" wide strip of card stock. Normally if I was just punching a border I would start roughly in the middle of the strip of card and punch away.. But this punch looked like it had potential to do something much more interesting so I had to line it up at a specific point.. You'll see why in a mo..I chose to line up the end of my card stock with the centre of the pattern on the punch and punch a full border along the card stock..Nice eh!!?But, if you turn your card stock over and line up the end of the card stock against the same guide you used previously and punch a border,you get this!! Now, that's getting good use from a punch don't you think!?This Flower Burst border was added to my prepared Easel Card as it's stopper.To add a little bit more interest to the Flowers, and the card in general I punched out a few Butterflies using the Martha Stewart Large Monarch Butterfly Punch.Adding them on top of the Flowersand to the Embossed image which had now been added to the card.And there you go. Quite a soft and subtle project but very effective and a great way to use this Mask in a very different way than it's intended use..So good in fact that I made another one in a different colour...
So, why not give it a go?...
And don't forget, it's our 8th Birthday Celebrations on Saturday (03/09/11).. A Free Demo with the very talented Lynn Gilbert from Creative Expressions, a 40% sale on all 12" x 12" single sheet papers, 12" x 12", 8" x 8", 6" x 6", A4 and A5 backing paper stacks and all Scrapbooking Albums.. Remember, Pinnacle Crafts Club Members can add their standard Discount onto these items making them Half Price.. Not only that!! Enter our Birthday draw with any purchase on the day and you could be one of the FIVE lucky winners drawn at random who can win one of the new release Spellbinder dies of their choice... Wowzers!! Sorry, new word I've picked up!
Thanks for checking us out, and see you soon.
Andy.

From "Owl" House to your House....

2011-08-28T07:45:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone. Yes, I am still around.. I know it's been a while since my last post but things here at Pinnacles have been a little hectic of late and finding time to blog has proved a little difficult.. But, I'm back now and I hope to share some of the projects I have been working on over the past few weeks with you on a bit more of a regular basis...
So, here we go with Today's offering...Back in January I was asked by Liz from Cricutolics to be a guest designer on her website.. Obviously, I said yes, as I think it's such an honor to be asked to showcase my work other than here on my Blog... As Cricutolics is a forum for those of us who have been bitten by the Cricut bug my project obviously had to be Cricut relate..So, here is what I came up with.I cut out the Birdhouse shape from the Stretch Your Imagination Cricut Cartridge @ 3.75". Cutting the shape in Grey card stock using the Blackout and Silhouette functions and the "normal" image in Pink card stock..Layering the images together with some Pinflair Gel to give them some dimension..I then punched a border in White card stock using the Martha Stewart Drippy Goo Punch,adding it to the base of each of the 3 Birdhouses that I had cut to act as snow...I then cut out a few Branch shapes using the Mariannes Creatables Pine Tree Branch die (LR0181) using some Green Glitter card.And then added them to my base card which I had already placed my Birdhouses onto.Next, I cut out these little Go Kreate Owl figures adding some googlie eyes to give them some character,before popping each one on it's perch and finishing off with a "From Our House" peel off as my sentiment...So, there you go.. Not only a Christmas card but I think the concept could be used as a New Home / Moving card too?!.. And, for all you Cricut fans out there, just look at all the new Cricut Cartridges that will be winging their way to us at Pinnacles very soon...
Anyway, it's good to be back and hope to see you again soon.
Thanks for checking us out.
Andy.

Fizzy Moon...

2011-08-02T07:14:00.007+01:00

Hi Blogland. I've got a couple of quick & simple Christmas projects for you today!!
Both using similar products, but end up looking totally different.This is the first one using one of the new Fizzy Moon Stamps...After stamping with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, colouring with Copic Pens and glazing with Glossy Accents I matt and layered the image with some Purple and White card stock.I then highlighted a piece of pre embossed card stock using Milled Lavender Distress Ink and applied it to my base card which had been backed with a piece of Design Paper also from the Fizzy Moon range, and then mounted my stamped image on top. I also added some Crystal Stickles for some Christmas sparkle.Finishing the project off with a simple piece of ribbon.This next one took no time at all.I embossed a piece of White card stock with the Spring Flowers Embossing Folder from Craft Concepts. Spring Flowers!! I see Snowflakes... It's great to try and get an additional use out of a product other than it's intended purpose I think! I highlighted the embossing using Weathered Wood Distress Ink.The embossing was matt and layered onto some Slate Grey Mirror cardand applied to my base card to which I added some ribbon and my Fizzy Moon Die cut image...And there you go.. Another Two Crimbo cards done for this year.
Thanks for checking us out..
See you soon.
Andy..

It's been a while!!

2011-07-28T08:50:00.007+01:00

Hi Everyone. Well, it's been a while since my last post! Not like me I know, but I have had lots of little things to do! Which, like your probebly know, lead into one really big thing that you wish you never started!! So it has left me little time to blog :-(I have still been crafting though, and here are a couple of projects I have been working on..I coloured 3 pieces of pre embossed card stock using Broken China Distress Ink.Matting each piece with some light Blue Mirror cardand adding them to my Easel Card.I'm not quite sure what the embossing is, a Star Burst, Firework, Snowflake? But they were crying out for a little bit of bling to be added to the centres!!
A few posts back you may recall that I sent a card off to Marianne from Marianne Designs? Not only did she send me a Designers Badge for my Blog but she also sent me some goodies to play with.. In fact she sent my the whole of her August releases!!This was one of them.. Which I cut out several times onto some light Blue Glitter Card.Attaching them to my base card with a die cut sentiment which was White, but I coloured using the Broken China Distress Ink to keep the Blue theme going through the card.I also made one in Pink & Red.. using Victorian Velvet and Spun Sugar Distress Inks instead of the Broken China...
Thanks for checking us out.
Andy.

Calling Card..

2011-07-12T12:49:00.016+01:00

Hi Blogland. I hope you all had a good weekend?
Today I wanted to share with you a project I have made and have decided to enter it into a Design Team Call with Creative Expressions!
Part of the requirements for the call is to use stamping and an ATC (Artist Trading Card) on the project..
So, this is what I came up with...You may be surprised to learn that the box actually started off life like this?! A plain White pre-made cardboard box...I coloured the box using Vintage Photo Distress Stain.What a complete contrast from the original box!!I then added some "Tim Holtz" corners to each corner of the lid of the box, to give it a more of a robust, vintage look.Next, I took a piece of Grey Board and White card stockand coloured them, again using the Vintage Photo Distress Stain.Notice the colour contrast on each piece of card stock, I guess the Grey Board just soaks up more of the Ink, but actually dries lighter than the White card stock..
For those who came to our Tim Holtz Day a few weeks ago, you will have had a go at this little ATC... But for everyone else, here's a step by step.
I de-bossed the Rain Man image from the Tim Holtz Textured Trades Folder Set Artful Muse,filling the image in with some Glosssy Accents.Once it was dry it adds a great effect to the ATC...I then cropped the edges of the ATC to add a little bit of interest,and also, hand on heart, to make it fit onto the top of the box!!
I then stamped my image which was from the Vintage Treasures Stamp set by Sam Poole..And then applied it to the top of the box...The sides of the box were looking a little bit bare in contrast to the top so I stamped some "creative" text using the Art Collage stamp set..The Black on Brown is making me feel that this box is looking just like an old tea chest!For the card which was to go inside the box, I stamped my image onto another piece of card stock which had been coloured with the Vintage Photo Distress Stain. The stamped image I used was from the Vintage Inventor Stamp Set.I then attached some Faux Screw Brads to make it look as though the image was screwed to the eventual card it was going on to.This has got to be one of my favourite sentiments! It sums a lot of us crafters up I think!!This, and the Inventor image were applied to a small card which had been distressed using Brushed Corduroy Distressing Ink and then popped into the box I made earlier!!.And there we go... Something a little bit different!! And you end up with a little box to keep all of your ATC's in too..Thanks for checking us out.. See you soon.
Andy.

One Stamp, 6 different ways. Pt 5 & 6

2011-07-06T20:04:00.013+01:00

Hi everyone. Well, here we go with the finale of using one stamp in 6 different ways.
I must say that I've enjoyed playing around with this stamp, but I think It's time to put it away for this year and move on to something else.. But not before I share with you the final 2 cards made with it..
Both were pretty simple to make, well to be honest, so were the other 4.. When it comes to churning out the Crimbo cards, quick and easy is defo the way to go.. But I have started very early this year so hopefully I will have more time later in the year to do something a little more extravagant!! mmmmmm, we'll see!!Anyway, for the 5th card in the series,after stamping, colouring and glazingI cut around the image using a die from the Marianne Creatables set Frame Circles (LR0112). This is the same set of dies I used for the Swirls in card #3..I added some Jimmy Gems to the flower centres and put it to one side whilst I prepared my base card.I cut a piece of patterned Vellum 5 3/4" x 5 3/4"and mounted it onto a piece of Blue card stockand then onto my base card. Adding the Frame and the stamped image to the centre of the card.I then cut out some Snowflake shapes from the Spellbinders Set Snowflake Wonder (S4-085) in some Blue Glitter cardand applied them in between the flower shapes of the Frame Die..Me thinks that the "Snow Cuddles" (name of the stamp!) couple look quite cosy in their little igloo!! And there we go, that's #5!!Now for #6!yada, yada, yada re the stamping, colouring and glazing of the image!This time I cut the image out using the Spellbinders Wonky Squares die..A much underrated die in my collection. Must try and use it a bit more...I then punched around a 5" Square piece of White card stock using the Martha Stewart Vintage Floral Punch (M40-60043, aka Deco Flowers).Matting it onto a piece of Lilac Glitter card and adding a few Gems.Mounting the image in the middle.I then cut a Snowflake from the Spellbinders Snowflake Wonder Set (S4-085)and attached it to the imagebefore mounting the whole thing onto my base card to complete, not only this project!, but all 6!!! Yeah finito!!!Well done if you have followed all 6, which one was your favourite?? For me, it has to be # em!, #2..I think you'll agree, 6 totally different looks, using just the one image.. Why not give it a go with one of your stamps!!!
Anyway, thanks for checking us out, and for those who are coming along to our Christmas in July event at the weekend, I'll see you there..
Andy.

One Stamp, 6 different ways. Pt4

2011-07-04T23:58:00.005+01:00

Hey Blogland. Here we go with project 4 using just one stamp...Something a little more "traditionally Christmas"!For this project, after stamping, colouring and glazing I chose to cut the image out using Labels Four Small,matting and layering with Labels Four.What could be more Christmassy than a few Poinsettia's? I punch out several images in Green and Red card stock using the Martha Stewart Medium Pop Up Water Lily Punch (M42-20008).Layered them togetherand adding a gem in the centre of each for some Christmas Bling!!I also punched out some leaves using the Martha Stewart Pine Branch punch,adding them to the Poinsettias.For my base card, I cut a shape using a die from the Grand Labels Four Spellbinders set. Making sure that the cutting edge on the left of the die hung over the spine of the folded card so it kept the card together...I then added my stamped imageand positioned the Poinsettia's around the top and bottom edges of the image..It was as I was about to take my final photo that I realised that the card would not stand up on the point created by the die, so rather than dismantle the card and mount it onto a traditional A5 card, I decided to chop the points off!! I think it still works? I guess the straight edge at the bottom ties in with the straight edge on the left, as the pointed edge at the top ties in with the pointed edge on the right!! I meant to do that!! Yeah right!!Anyway, there we go.. #4 done.. Two more to go..
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon..
Andy.

One Stamp, 6 different ways. Pt3

2011-07-02T07:35:00.006+01:00

Hi Blogland. Today's post is part 3 of my self set stamp challenge...It's a very simple one today, but it really does show the differences which can be created by just changing your choice of colour, layout and products used.
I stamped, coloured and glazed my image as I did before in my previous two posts under this title.This time I cut and embossed the image using the Labels One Small Nestabilitie die, alternating the layers cut out using the Labels One Die for the Green Layers and Labels One Small for the White layers.You'll notice that the distance between the layers is just enough to show the Green. This is because Labels One Small reduced the space between the layers of Labels One form 1/4" to 1/8".. I'm wondering if Spellbinders will introduce these smaller dies for some of their other shapes in their future releases? Not long to find out now.. Follow all of the new releases being launched at CHA on Spellbinders Blog Frenzy..I then cut out some swirls in the same Green card stock used for the matt and layering of the stamped image. I used a die from the Marianne Creatables Frame Circles (LR0112) to create the swirls.These were added to a sided folding DL card which was created from an A3 piece of card stock.I then popped the stamped image onto the card with foam tape to give it a little bit of dimension..
There we go, #3 done! 3 more to go!...
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

One Stamp, 6 different ways. Pt2

2011-07-01T17:55:00.009+01:00

Hi Everyone.. Here is project two of my self set challenge of using one stamp in several different ways..I think you'll agree that today's offering couldn't be much further away from my last post even though I have used exactly the same stamp!! By the way, for those that have asked, the Stamp is from Stampavie and is called Snow Cuddles (PEN29). The starting point, as with all of the projects under these titles is exactly the same. Stamp with Memento Ink, Colour with Copics and galze with Glossy Accents.. Hey!, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!Once the image was dry I cut it out and embossed it through the Cuttlebug using the second largest die from the Wonky Rectangles (S4-306) Spellbinders set.. I also cut and embossed the largest die from this set onto some Light Blue Mirror card.
These two shapes were then matt and layered together...Next, I embossed a piece of White card stock twice, using the Marianne Designables Swirls (DS0907).The White card was matt and layered onto a complementary piece of Teal card stockand then the stamped image was mounted on top.Now, for a little bit of inky fun!! I took some White Prima flowers (#546267 )and gave them a good spritz of Teal Cosmic Shimmer Mist..Look at the colour difference, and matches perfectly for this project.. Oh the possibilities with all the other Cosmic Shimmer colours!!Anyway, there we go, #2 of six... Back soon with part 3!!
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon.
Andy.

One Stamp, 6 different ways.. Pt 1

2011-06-30T08:12:00.008+01:00

Hi Everyone.. Well, we all have them, but how often to you actually use the same stamp more than once? Obviously, some you will use more than others.So, over the next few posts I wanted to share with you some projects I have made using the same image. But, by changing the colours used can make each project so individual...
So, here we go with the first one...Now I know they are not traditional Christmas colours, but I'm in a bit of a Monochromatic, non Christmassy colour mode at the moment!Firstly, I stamped my image using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and coloured it in using my Copic Pens.. Of course the image had to have a glaze of Glossy Accents to bring it to life!I then cut out the image using the largest shape from the Standard Circles Small set of Nesties, I also cut a shape from the co ordinating set of Scalloped Circles small in some Copper coloured Mirror card. Again, I used the largest sized Scallop.And then matt and layered the two shapes together..I then punched a border in the Copper Mirror card using the Martha Stewart Footlights Border Punch (M42-40087).This strip and the stamped image were attached to my base card.Next, I cut and embossed some leaf shapes using the Spellbinders Foliage Die (S4-328).. Just to point out, this set of dies has 6 different leaf shapes. One of which is a single leaf and another which is the same leaf shape but on a branch.To save myself some time, as I needed several of the small leaf shapes, I cut out several of the branch shapes and just snipped the leaves off of the branch.. Five leaves for the effort of cutting one!! Don't ask my why they look Pink in this picture; they were Beige when I cut them out..I attached the leaves to some pre made Prima Flowers (#548186) which I had also added a few Pine Leaves to, which had been punched out using the Martha Stewart Pine Leaf Punchand then applied them to the card to complete the project...So, that's the first one down, check back soon for part two.
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.

Rudi!!!

2011-06-28T20:09:00.006+01:00

Hi Blogland... I hope you all had a good weekend? And I hope that those who could stand it here in the UK enjoyed the mini heat wave we have just had!! I must say, that 34 degrees c is not my idea of summer weather here in the UK. I did however drag myself into the garden on Monday and have turned a resounding shade of Burnt Sienna, or more appropriately, Burnt Andy!!
Anyway, weather report over and done with how's about some crafting!!?
When I came in to work this morning I was greeted with an e:mail from Marianne... Yes Marianne herself from Marianne Creatables!!
I had sent the projects I had made a couple of posts ago to her as part of her "Designer for a Day" project..And she sent this back to me... Which I am going to proudly display on my little blog... She said I was the first one in the UK to receive it! Now there's an honour!!So, over the moon with this little award, and seeing as her July Die releases are now in stock I decided to put a couple of them to good use!!I started off but cutting out and embossing the Rudolph (LR0179) Die through the Cuttlebug using some Copper coloured Mirror card..
The image cuts and embosses very well, but I was a little put off that the eye gets cut out too, It makes "Rudi" look a little bit evil to me! Could this be where the term "No Eye Deer" comes from?? (Laugh if you feel you need too, but I suspect there may be a few groans).. Sorry, just my sense of humour!!Anyway, as my first image had left the eye in the die I decided to leave it there and not pop it out as I would normally do,this was so that the next cuts would emboss the eye as opposed to cut it out!!.. Anyone getting squeamish yet!!?Next, I cut out the Sleigh (LR0178) image..And applied the Reindeer and Sleigh to some Night Sky printed Acetate which was mounted onto a side folding DL card.I then took the Martha StewartGifts Deep Edger Punch (M42-70014) and punched into some Gold card stock,cutting along the bottom of the Gift images to release them from the border and make them into individual gifts!These were then added to the Sleigh with some Silicone Gel..And what does every self respecting lead Reindeer need? A Red nose of course! It is Rudolph after all!!I was thinking about adding some reigns for the Reindeer, but most things that I tried just spoilt the effect in my opinion, so best left alone I think!!
Anyway, thanks for checking us out and see you soon.
Andy.

Contemporay Christmas

2011-06-24T15:24:00.004+01:00

Hey Bloggers... Today I thought I'd share with you something a little bit different than the "normal" Christmas colours in these cards.. A bit more contemporary if you will...It's fun to ring the changes a bit I think, although notice I have not put a sentiment on these cards as yet as I'm still not 100% convinced that they say Christmas to me! And also, you never know, I may need an emergency Birthday card at some point before the end of the year..This is one of the reasons I love this "Poinsettia" Die so much. It is very versatile and doesn’t necessarily have to be used as intended!!We had some Silhouette card in recently,and you know me,I had to make one in each colour...!
Very simple, very effective...
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy..

5 for the price of 1!!

2011-06-21T19:07:00.007+01:00

Hey Blogland... Well, after a brief respite from Christmas so that I could post my Dad's Father's Day card, I'm back on it!!And here is a selection I made in a very short space of time.. Once I had come up with the idea I churned them out in no time at all and in as many colours as I had to hand!!Using the Marianne Creatables Poinsettia (LR0122) I cut out 2 shapes in White card stock and 1 in Green.Layering them all together and off setting them slightly, adding a gem in the middle as a focus point...I then embossed a piece of White card stock using the Marianne Designables Embossing Folder called Classic (DS0911).This was matt and layered onto the same Green card as I had used for my Poinsettia leaves so as to keep the theme running through the project.I then mounted my completed Poinsettia on to the embossed imageand then added the two elements to my base card to which I had already added a small strip of the Green card to..
Quick, simple and effect!! It says "Christmas" to me! How about you??
So, that one done and out of the way, it was only a hop, skip and a jump to make a few more samples...Something a little more contemporary!!And something a little more traditional!Then back to contemporaryfor my last couple...I hope that these simple examples give you some inspo to get your Crimbo crafting under way, if you haven't started already that is!!
Thanks for checking us out & see you soon.
Andy..

Happy Father's Day!!

2011-06-19T07:15:00.000+01:00

Hi Blogland... Well, today's the day we celebrate those great guy's in our lives! Our Dad's... I had several ideas of the kind of card I wanted to make for pop'sand "eventually" settled on this one!
It's grunge(ish), it's vintage, it's distressed, it's Steam Punk.. It's all the things I enjoy playing with.. It's me in a card really!! Can't get much more personal than that can you?..I started off by Brayering a White piece of card stock with some Latte (Beige) Adirondak Ink.And then embossed the piece of card through the Cuttlebug Machine using the Pocket Watch Embossing Folder from the Tim Holtz Textured Fades Embossing Folder Set Pocket Watch & Steampunk.I then brayered over the image using Slate Adirondak Ink to highlight the embossing.Then matted it onto some Slate coloured Mirror card.I got the idea for this card from my last Brayering lesson, a day spent with some great crafter's who were not afraid to get a little bit mucky!! Hands covered in Ink, and in some cases forearms and up to the elbow's too, eh Emma!!For the next part of the project I Brayered another piece of White card stock, again using the Slate coloured Ink. I also stamped my image using the same Ink, tone on tone can look so effective and I think that if I had used a Black Ink it would have been too much of a contrast! This train image is from a stamp set by Sam Poole... A great UK artist with a great style.. Take a look at her Blog for some great inspo...I also matted the Train image with some Slate Mirror card to tie the theme with the Pocket Watch image.On one of Sam's (Sam, get me using her first name! like I know her personally! Don't you just find that you do that with the crafting elite! Sam, Tim, Martha, Dawn.. lol)! Anyway, on one of Sam's other set's of Stamps is this Ironic Sentiment.. Which sums me up to a tee, and many other's no doubt! Again, this was stamped using the Slate Ink onto a piece of card stock which had also been coloured with it.. Then matted onto some more mirror card.
I put these images to one side so that I could get on with making my base card.I had a piece of this Clock backing paper left over from another project. As it is White it would not work with this project,so I coloured it using the Antique Linen Distress Stain, going over the Clock faces a second time to give a contrast to the background. Once the backing paper was dry, (it doesn't take long!)I cut it to size and added it to a prepared Easel card.Adding my embossed and stamped images to the front.
For the stopper of the Easel card I wanted to keep the Steampunk, Vintage theme going..So, I cut out some shapes using the Sprightly Sprockets Die from Spellbinders!These shapes were cut from some new Mirror card we now have in.. Now, you know I use a lot of Mirror card on my projects! I also feel that I waste a lot of Mirror card!! A little while a go I found a whole box of Mirror card off cuts (and shamefully some whole sheets too!!). I totted it up and there was £75 (US$120) worth of Mirror card in the box!! ouch!! I have put it to good use now though!
So I think that this new Quad cut Mirror card is going to help me no end.. Sometimes I either only need a little bit, or certainly don't need a whole sheet.. So I can now be a little bit more economical with it! Why didn't they think of this earlier!! Lesson learnt!Once the shapes were cut out I applied them to the bottom of my Easel card to finish the project off...Ta Da!!! Have a great day all you Dad's out there and thanks for checking us out..
See you soon.
Andy..

Oh Christmas Tree!!

2011-06-17T08:20:00.008+01:00

Hi Blogland.. Well, I can come out of hiding as no one has shouted at me (yet!) about doing Christmas in my last post..So, I guess you are all up for it?!! So here goes with another offering!I cut out 4 Trees in 225gsm card stock using the Marianne Designs Creatables Tree #3 (LR0176).Each Tree was then stuck directly on top of the next one.I then embossed a piece of card stock using the Frame Embossing Folder from the Forever Friends Black & Gold range.My plan was to emboss the Tree shape into the middle of this frame. So I placed the Tree's in the middle of my Cuttlebug A plate.Added the Frame embossing on top of it,then my No Shims Mat,followed by a piece of 225g weight card stock as an extra shim as I have always done when making my own embossing,and finally my Cuttlebug C plate.Looking back I don't think that this particular "sandwich" required the shim of card stock as the holes in the Tree's are quite deep and I think it slightly over embossed! I kinda like the effect though!I then added some Crimbo Gems to "Bling" it up a bit!! and put this element to one side whilst I prepared my base card.I decided to put the tree onto a side stepper card, take a look here to see the measurements you will need to make this type of fold..From a separate piece of card stock I punched an edge using the Martha Stewart Pine Forest Edger Punch (M232304w)and cut the pieces to sizeto fit on the steps of my base card.Adding the embossed Tree to the step on the other side. Finishing the project off with a die cut sentiment..And there we go, another one done!!
Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

Like Marmite! You'll either love it or hate it!!

2011-06-14T20:04:00.011+01:00

Hey Blogland.. Now, I know some of you are going to start shouting at me and some of you are going to enjoy today's post!! Today I'm sharing my first project of the year featuring the dreaded C word!! No, not that one, nor that one either!!! But Christmas!!! (covers ears!!)And yes, we are in summer here, but you know you've got to start some time! So maybe it will fool your subconscious into cooling down a bit!!So, here we go with our first Crimbo step by step!!
I started off by embossing a piece of White card stock using the Petal Embossing Folder from the new Black & Gold Forever Friends range..To me these little petals look a little like Snow Drops.. Not that I am much of an aficionado when it comes to plants!! I felt they needed a little bit of something to really make them pop off of the card. Initially I thought of adding gem stones to each set of petals! However there are 78 of them! (Thumbs up if you are now counting them!!) So that would have worked out too expensive. So I took some Pearlised Glue and added a dot to each set of Petals...Great effect huh!!Whilst the Glue was drying I took a piece of White card stock measuring 6 3/4" x 5" and punched around it using the Martha Stewart Vintage Floral M40-60043 Punch Around the Page set.. This set of Punches is also known as Deco Flowers..The space created in the middle of the punched area was just perfect to sit my embossed petals into.I had already prepped some die cut Decoupage, so this was added on top of the framed embossing.. It's all coming together now!!!I prepared my Easel card using some pre embossed dot White card stock,adding a second Decoupage image for my easel Stopperand then adding the framed images to one side of the cardand my sentiment to the other side of the card!!And there you go, one Crimbo card down, several more to go!...This card and many more will be on show at our Christmas in July Event on 09th & 10th July... So you can come and see it in the flesh if you are in town!!
Thanks for checking us out..
See you soon for some more inspo...
Andy..

Happy Anniversary

2011-06-08T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Blogland. Yesterday was my Parents 42nd Wedding Anniversary.. And, like most events in the family I know exactly when it is, but do I get the card made in advance and put away for safe keeping? Yeah like that's ganna happen! And even if I did, it would probably be in a very safe place and I would have totally forgotten where I put it! Oh, you've got a place like that too!Anyway, I eventually made it on the day, so at least I could give it to them on the correct date.. Phew!!I started off by selecting my goodies which I was going to use for this project.. It's always a good idea having everything you need at hand so you don't have to go hunting for things..I punched a circle from a post it note.. Make sure you punch including some of the sticky on the back so that it adherer's to your card stock..I then turned my card stock the way that I was going to apply my Brayer and Ink.
Now, applying the Ink with the Brayer is a technique that has to be learnt, see Reene, this time I didn't say learned or learndid! My English is very bad some times!! So it is impossible to show you the application of the Ink in photo form! Perhaps I should start doing Video tutorials...!Anyway, once you have applied your Ink, this is what the card stock looks like,and by removing the Post It Note circle, you now have a Moon!!I then stamped my image using Stazon Black. The Stamp is a Clarity Stamp LOFRAME-GG (Love Frame).I then positioned the second image inside the "O", this was also a Clarity Stamp.. Sorry, not sure which set this came from as there was no reference code on the packaging!!I then added my Peel Off sentimentbefore matting the card onto some Light Blue Mirror card...For my base card I took some Kanban printed Acetateand applied it to a White A5 card,adding a complimentary piece of Ribbonbefore finishing the project off by adding the stamped topper...Phew! done.. And on the right day too... Right! let's see if I can get ahead of myself for once... What's next on the list!! Father's day and Christmas.. Yikes...
Thanks for checking us out and see you soon..
Andy..

Making use of my scraps....

2011-06-06T08:22:00.007+01:00

Hi Blogland.... Eeek!! It's raining this morning! Something I haven't seen in ages, rain that is not the Morning!! But it is much needed here in the South East, so let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!!Today, I'd like to share with you a project I made using a couple of left over pieces of stash from previous projects.. It really does make sense using them up, leaving them in a box is just a waste!!So, here we go... The first scraps I used was some waste White card stock. I cut out 4 images using the Marianne Creatables Die Doily Round (LR0168).Then stuck each of the layers together.I then laid them directly on to My Cuttlebug A Plate,adding a left over piece of Blue card stock,a Tan Mat,another piece of waste card stock to really bulk out the "sandwich"and finally my C plate before passing it through the Cuttlebug..To make my own embossing!I decided to make a frame in the middle, so I took a Circle Nestabilitie and cut it out,matting the frame onto some White card stockand then onto my base card.Adding a Ribbon, a Flower and some Distress Stained leaves left over from a previous project.Before finishing off with a Peel Off sentiment..Amazing what you can achieve with a few left over bit's an pieces eh!!
Have a great day and thanks for checking us out..
See you soon.
Andy.

Happy Birthday Leigh Leigh...

2011-06-02T08:01:00.005+01:00

Hi Folks... The weather is set to be hot, hot, hot here today.. So that means that the pins (legs) are out. Well, whilst they are still brown form my holiday I might as well enjoy it!It's one of my best friends Birthdays at the weekend, so I thought I'd share with you the card I have made for her..
She is Purple mad and every year I usually make her card in a shade of it, and I'm sure she will expect the same this year, but I thought I'd ring the changes a little bit and do anything BUT Purple... Or maybe I will just do the whole thing again! We'll see...And look what arrived just in time to start this card. The new Marianne Designables!! I just knew I had to have these when I saw them a couple of Month's ago..It was a difficult choice of which one to use first but I went for the Classic Design (DS0911) for this project...
If you have not used these products before, they are just like normal embossing folders such as those from Cuttlebug or Sizzix and can be used through most of the leading manufactures die cutting machines including the Grand Calibur, and now with the introduction on the new embossing plate for the Calibur they will go through the machine much easier... These Designables not only emboss but also cut at the same time...I thought that the circle frame in the middle was just crying to be cut out, so I took a Circle Nestabilitie which fitted the shape and cut it out.I added an even layer of double sided foam to the back of the imagebefore matting it onto some Gold Mirror card.This was then mounted onto my base cardwith a piece of Ribbon attached to fill up the space on the side...Finishing the project off with a pre made Decoupage character from the new Fizzy Moon range from Trim Craft.. And there we go, and nothing Purple either!!
Have a great day everyone, I hope the sun will be shining where ever you are...
Thanks for checking us out, see you soon..
Andy.

Back in the land of Blog....

2011-05-31T19:14:00.006+01:00

Hi Everyone.... I hope you are all well? It's been almost a week since my last post and with every intention of getting something put up time eluded me day after day! But, now I have gotten another Club Members Weekend out of the way, I can now share with you again some crafting goodies.. Don't get me wrong, I love CMWE's, it's great seeing all our crafters come and see us and all the effort we put into getting prepared generally makes these weekends go so very fast, the fact that this CMWE was a four day'er is testament to that! Last Wednesday's post seems like I only posted it yesterday!! Anyhoo, enough with the waffle let's get on with some crafting eh?...I wasn't going to show this card for a while, but so many people commented on it over the weekend, I promised to get it on here sooner rather than later... So here it is..
And of course here's a step by step for all of those who purchased the goodies to make it!I started off by cutting out 2 full sets using the Spellbinders Die S5-048 Sprightly Sprockets (just gotta love that name!), using some 290gsm weight White Card stock.I then embossed each image using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Folder.Once embossed I coloured half of the images with Weathered Wood Distress Ink Stainsand Half with Faded Jeans Distress Ink Stains..And then spent about half an hour playing around with the images to see where they went best together!! and then discarding them so I could get on with the base card.This new Teresa Collins card stock was ideal, but the wrong colour...Da da da da... Ink stains to the rescue... These Inks work best on non porous material such as card stock, so I coloured the whole piece in the Faded Jeans Distress Stain. It's a bit wishy washy, but I quite like that effect, a bit more patience and a bit more Ink I suspect you would get a much more even coverage though!I then prepared my twisted easel cardand applied a 5 3/4" square of the now Blue card stock to the base...Cutting a Triangleto form the stopper of the Easel card...Adding another Triangle to the back of the card before settling on my final layout for the cogs and applying them to the project with some double sided foam for dimension...And there you go.. A great masculine card I think, perhaps that's why it was so popular!? It was going to be my Dad's Father's Day card, I say "was", it still might be.. Don't look Pop's!!!
Thanks for checking us out, and see you soon..
Andy..

Subtle bling..

2011-05-25T07:56:00.008+01:00

Hi Folks... I've got another simple card for you today as I'm still settling back into the daily grind after my holiday!Whilst I was away we had a delivery of some Nestabling! And, as I have a couple of Anniversary cards to make for the coming weeks I thought I would give this new product a go..I chose to use the Scalloped Hearts White Pearl Nestabling, which co ordinates with S4-137 Scalloped Hearts Nestabilitie.Although, I couldn't find my Scalloped Heart Nestabilitie I decided to use the Classic Heart Nestabilitie S4-136 and see if the Nestabling would work with that die too.. Which it did!The work which has already been done for us in the make up of these designs will save so much time than if you did it yourselfand probably look a lot better than if I had tried to do it manually myself!!I found a piece of backing paper with some printed frames on it,chose the design I wanted for my projectand cut it out.Layering it onto some Pink Mirror card.I prepared my Easel cardand attached the matted backing paper to the back.Adding one of the bling'ed up heart shapes to the paper...I then cut a border strip from the same card I used for my easel card using the Martha Stewart Doily Lace Trim Punch.Matted it onto some of the Pink Mirror cardbefore applying it to the Easel card as my stopper.We have also had a delivery of some great new Prima Flowers and Leaves whilst I have been away.. Now, these White leaves will look great on some of my Christmas projects, but they are also crying out to be inked within an inch of their lives!!So that's what I did.. I have been meaning to play with our new Tim Holtz Distress Stains, so this was the perfect opportunity. I tried several colours (as you may have noticed on the first pic in this post?!) but settled on using Peeled Paint and Forest Moss for my leaves.Once dry the leaves looked much lighter than when they were wet, der!!! So if you want a darker colour then a second application should give you just that!I then took the largest flower from another set of Prima Flowersand applied it and the leaves to the Easel card for some decoration.And there you go.. I've just got to add my Anniversary sentiment when I am ready and pop it in the post!.
Thanks for checking us out and see you soon.
Andy..