Shining Bright

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last few days...I haven't forgotten you all...I'm just busy getting ready for the QVC Craft Extravaganza that's taking place in London at the end of the week. If any of you are lucky enough to be attending, then I'll be demonstrating with The Crafthouse Press...come and say hello!!

Anyway, today is just a quick share but I hope you like it! I had a lot of fun making it, colouring it and adding it's little glitter highlights. I think it's just an adorable image and so very cute.

Well, I've got a little bit more work to be done and then, I'm going to collapse on the sofa with a nice hot cocoa and some cookies before I get some sweet dreams...

Hope you're all having a fabulous week and wish me luck for Thursday and Friday....

You're Invited!

The weather is absolutely beautiful and as the sun streams through my window, the soundtrack to my day comes courtesy of the Scissor Sisters and Kylie Minogue. And seeing as I have a feeling that next week might be quite busy, I'm going to take this opportunity to relax and enjoy this weekend....

So, what better way to do it ~ than a barbecue and here's what I thought would be a fabulous invitation...

I  was fiddling around with folds and wanting to make something different, when all of a sudden, this style of card, came to me and I really like it...I think it makes a fabulous style for an invitation or menu and it would look wonderful, decorated with beautiful papers to make wedding stationery!

The image itself, once again comes from Lili of the Valley, stamped onto white card, die cut with a Nestabilities die and I used Promarkers to colour in and highlighted with some Stickles Glitter Glue. I combined it with some papers from one of my very favourite companies, K&Company and punched along the border with the Martha Stewart Pansy punch and matted them with some Bazzill Basics cardstock. As finishing touches, I added this glorious fabric flowers from Petaloo, which can be layered to give a dimensional effect and then I attached a button in the centre. I added die cut leaves, buttons threaded with twine and some glitter paper flowers.

The invite itself is just run off on the printer and then I used the corresponding punch from Martha Stewart on the corners.

Whatever you're doing this weekend...have fun, take care and enjoy!!

Emma

xx

Distressed...

Well, I started this week loaded with good intentions and one by one...it all went horribly wrong, culminating in a complete internet shut-down yesterday! But as always, I'm looking on the bright side and this time next week, I will be demonstrating for my very first time at the QVC Customer Craft Event in London! Am I nervous?? ...hell yeah but I'm really looking forward to it and I can't wait to show off all the wonderful goodies from The Crafthouse Press.

But back to today and the card that I want to share with you....

I am really proud of this card...and this is my very first project that I've made using the Melting Pot. And believe me, it will be the first of many. I've actually wanted the Melting Pot for a very long time and I was lucky enough to be given it as a present for my Birthday and I LOVE it....it's everything I expected plus more....

I combined my Melt art, which you can see in the shot above, together with some other fabulous products from Ranger and Tim Holtz, including Perfect Pearls and Tim's ~ Urban Chic Rubber Stamps, Distress Inks and Distress Stickles. I adore experimenting with new techniques and these just suit my style perfectly.

Using Perfect Medium, I stamped the images onto some black Co-Ordinates card, which I had lightly sanded to give a distressed look. Then, I dusted over the stamped image with the Perfect Pearls, which leaves this beautiful, pearlescent shimmery appearance to the image. Once all this is done, it's just a matter of building up the card with some matting and layering and then, using the stamps to give this wonderful collage effect to the overall appearance. I even stamped the flowers, so that they appeared grungy and in keeping with the rest of the card.

Even if you don't think you can do the grunge look on cards...give it a go! You only need to make it as grungy or distressed as you want...but once you start, there will probably be no stopping!! Me, I'm just a happy stamper, who loves getting messy and will always find new and inventive ideas to work with.

Lazy Days

Well, the weekend got off to a rather lacklustre start with the England game in South Africa, not really going the way we would've all hope for and liked but....as always, there's light at the end of the tunnel and things could only get better. And they did....

I spent a lovely day with my Dad yesterday, treating and spoiling him for Father's Day. There are times when there's nothing better than being quintessentially English...summer garden fetes,cricket being played in the parks and the chiming sound of the ice cream van, signalling it's arrival...how better could you enjoy a Sunday afternoon, than this?

And to be honest, the card I'm sharing with you today, makes me think of those sort of times! Lazy days full of gooey chocolate chip cookies and soda...absolutely perfect!!

Once again, the image is from Lili of the Valley. If you haven't checked out their range of stamps...you must!!! They are adorable. I matted and layered DCWV papers, together with Bazzill Basics cardstock onto a scalloped card blank from Craftwork Cards. I then die cut the octagonal shape using Spellbinder's Nestabilities, stamped the image onto one of the die cut shapes and used Promarkers to colour it in. And I was thinking when I was colouring this in...how many times do we ever do red hair on our images? So for a change...this little boy is a cute lil red head!! As finishing touched I added flowers, buttons, a greeting plaque ~ threaded with twine and some card candy.

I hope you all have a fabulous week....

Emma

x

Footballer's Wives!

Later today, England's football team takes to the pitch in South Africa for their second match in the World Cup. But if football isn't your thing then why not join in with the second sketch challenge from Craftwork Cards. The sketch to follow, is below and you can see some of the Design Team's cards for inspiration over on the Craftwork Cards blog...

And here's my card for the challenge....

I used the beautiful Blossom collection of papers which are absolutely stunning and as usual the quality is superb. The various products come in a variety of seasonal colours, including pinks, blues, greens and yellows and there is something for all your crafting needs!

I chose to go for a summery feel to my card and was inspired by the colours of Neopolitan ice cream...strawberry, vanilla and chocolate. I combined Spellbinders dies and Martha Stewart punches to make my flowers and butterfly and added these to matts and layers of the Blossom collection papers. I added a greetings plaque, again from the collection and some beautiful organza ribbon.

And there it is...a card which every single time I look at it...makes me crave for that Neopolitan ice cream...

Good luck to our boys in South Africa and hope you all have a wonderful Friday and a fabulous weekend!!

Emma

xx

Sing Little Birdie...Sing!!

I've been so busy over the last few days that I totally forgot that it was Father's Day on Sunday! So, today I thought I'd better make a card for ~ in my opinion, the best Dad in the world!! My Dad suffered from Prostate Cancer a few years ago and since then, I cherish every day I have with him...

And here's his special card...I hope I've done him proud and that he will love it...just as much as I loved making it...

As many of my followers know, I love Tim Holtz and I think my main aim in life would be to own every single product he's ever made or put his name too! But when I showed my Dad some of Tim's work, he fell in love with it, just as much as myself. So, I knew exactly what I wanted to create for his Father's Day card...and here it is...

I used Tim's fabulous new Elegant Flourishes, Vintage Market Alphabet and Caged Bird dies from Sizzix and combined them together, with the Spellbinders Flower Creations Dies. Once I'd die cut Tim images, I painted the cage and the flourishes in Brushed Pewter Crackle Paint and allowed to dry. On the bird itself, I used Distress Inks to colour the image and then covered the wing in Distress Stickles Glitter Glue, to give a glassy, twinkly look.

So, now for the flowers....yes, I did cut up an old book and used the pages to make my flowers!! My only tip here is...just make sure that there's nothing in the print that you wouldn't want people to see or read...you don't want to embarrass them!! I inked the edges and then built up my flowers and as a finishing touch, added card candy to the centres.

Hope you all have a fabulous day and don't forget to spoil your Dad on Sunday!!

Emma

xx

Here Come The Girls...

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and didn't get too disheartened over the football. Hmmm, our goalkeeper seemed to have a touch of nerves on the night and a bad case of butterfingers but as they say, ~it ain't over 'til it's over!!

Anyway, today I thought I would bring some femininity back to this blog! Don't get me wrong, I'm supporting our boys over in South Africa during the World Cup but I think it's time that we left the football cards behind for a while...

And you couldn't get more adorable and pretty, than this...

It's another lovely stamp from Lili Of The Valley and I thought it worked perfectly with a scalloped card blank from Craftwork Cards. These images all remind me of time gone by...and I wanted to capture that feel within the card. I matted and layered it with Bazzill cardstock and some gorgeous papers from DCWV. The image is once again stamped onto white card and coloured in using Promarkers. As finishing touches, I added a greetings plaque, spotty grosgrain ribbon, tied into a bow and some of these pretty little flowers from Petaloo, which I then popped adhesive gems into the centres of.

Football's Coming Home...

Three lions on the shirt

Jules Rimet still gleaming

No more years of hurt

No more need for dreaming 

In honour of England playing their first match in the World Cup today, how could I not make something to show my support for the team! And here it is....

I chose to make this a wardrobe style card, something a little bit special and all tied up with a lovely satin ribbon. The card blank, is covered with a red and white spot paper, which I also cut into strips, to make the St. George's Cross on the back and front of the card. I combined all this, together with some white Bazzill card which I embossed with an embossing folder through the Cuttlebug.

Once again for this card, I used the adorable little footballer image, rubber stamp from Lili Of The Valley and coloured it in using Promarkers. I stamped the image onto a large scalloped square, which I die cut using a Nestabilities die but stamped the football twice, covered it with glossy accents and then decoupaged it, to give the feel of it flying through the air. As final touches, I added some card candy, a greetings plaque from Craftwork Cards and adhered some more die cuts using various Nestabilities dies, to the front and back of the card, for the sender's personalised message!