Circle Acetate Window card

I wanted to have a go at doing some acetate windows in a card, so I thought this DCWV Latte cardstock would be perfect for the job. I picked the wildest patterned paper in the set, because I knew that having the cut-out windows would need something strong around it to balance the card.

If you don't have any suitable patterned paper, you can always stamp a repetitive background, or try printing some of your own paper using digital stamps - there's some nice freebies on MyGrafico.com - but you can make your own patterned paper too by just being inventive with the stamps you already own.

I chose the word 'smile' for this card, because it was for a friend (now family!) who was getting married on their actual birthday - BIG day. She had lots to smile about on that day and she looked stunning (bless you, Vicky!).

As usual, I did loads of faux stitching, but it worked really well on this card. I also decorated the envelope with some of the circle cut outs that I'd taken from the card base and from the purple & blue window frames.

A pretty labour-intensive card, but it was just right for who I needed it for, so was worth the effort.

Below is the card tutorial, as usual, don't forget to click on the HQ button in the right hand corner after pressing play....please head over to my YouTube channel to rate & subscribe. Thanks for watching ;0)

MyGrafico.com digital stamps tutorial

The lovely people at MyGrafico very kindly asked me to do a video tutorial for them to show their viewers how easy it is to download and use digital stamps. And, having never used digi stamps myself, I thought "Why not - it'd be a great opportunity to demonstrate from one beginner to another!". And it really is easy, great fun and they're very versatile.

I'm not saying I'm going to throw out all my acrylic and rubber stamps just yet (never!!!) - I still love using stamps cos there's something satisfying about physically stamping, but I really enjoyed using the digi stamps too, as it's a different approach to stamping. There are positive's and negative's for both of course, as with all things.

But for this project, I also tried some sewing. I've always been put off by how time consuming it appeared, but actually it wasn't too bad. This flower took me about 10 minutes, and it's a nice touch to a handmade card. I'm an embroidery lover anyway (when I find the time) so it was nice to encorporate my hobbies.

I have to give credit for the ribbon stapling technique - Kristina Werner came up with this brilliant idea, and I love it! Thanks Kristina!

Below is the video tutorial. Don't forget to click on the HQ button - after pressing play, it's in the bottom right hand corner. Take a look at MyGrafico.com - they've got some GREAT freebies (yes I said freebies!!) so there's no excuse not to give digital stamping a go....

The Big day!

I wanted to make a wedding card with a BIG flower on it. So I made one that nearly didn't fit in the envelope it was so big!!!

Seriously, I've made this with some leftover tissue paper in bright pink. It's a really simple process explained in detail in the video below, but essentially, it's loads of circles (in two different sizes) scrunched up, then held together with a brad. I have embossed a pattern onto the tissue paper before assembling it, but this is completely optional. It's hard to see in the photo's but in real life it adds a nice 'twinkle' to the flower.

I originally wanted to use a rub on in the circle cut out on the right, but unfortunately, the rub on refused to rub onto the paper...so much so that I trashed the base card by rubbing so hard I practically embossed a hole in the card! But it was fortunate, cos in the end I preferred the kraft coloured base card!

...and no faux stitching! This must be a record for me! ;0)

Anyway, please have a look at the video below. I hope it inspires you to make a tissue paper flower, cos they're so quick and so much fun. This idea was my own take on a combination of a few ideas I've seen on blogs recently - there are some really good recycling ideas out there at the moment!

As usual, please click on the HQ button in the corner of the video after pressing play, this will give you a much better quality viewing. Please hop over to YouTube to rate & subscribe, and leave a comment over there or on my blog. Thanks for watching! ;0)

Welcome Baby Girl!

Well, I fancied a bit of a change with this card...so I drew a scallop/cloud effect on the top of the front of the card and cut around it. To emphasise this, I doodled a border all around the edge of the card, using a repeat pattern of circle-dash-circle-dash just to have some variation on the usual faux stitching I favour.

The 'baby' stamp was done using a super cheap stamp set I picked up from a seaside bucket and spade shop of all places, for only £2! Even on holiday I'm looking for a crafting bargain ;0)

I also tried to make a faux button, simply using a circle punch out of a bit of pink card, and several layers of ultra thick embossing powder (UTEE). I really liked this effect, but when I do this again, I will definitely do some dry embossing on the card to begin with to make the starting piece have a more '3d' effect like a button normally does. I'd do this by debossing a slightly smaller circle in the centre of the button, just outside of the two punched holes. I'll be trying this soon and show it on video so you can get a better idea - it's really hard to explain without pictures/video!

Here is a close up of the 'button' - trust me, it looks better in real life, and it was worth doing, cos it was a lot of fun to play about with!

Below as usual is the video tutorial. Don't forget to watch it in high quality (press play and click on the 'HQ' button in the right hand corner of the video). Please head over to YouTube to rate and subscribe. I love hearing from you guys, so feel free to email me with any requests/comments/questions either below or over at YT. Thanks for watching! ;0)