Just dropping by...

It's been a very busy and extremely eventful week and I haven't managed to drop in very much but I just wanted to say hello to everyone and wish you all a very happy weekend and let you know that whatever you're doing, never let go of your dreams ~ they can come true...

....and whilst I'm here, I also thought I'd share a card...

This is a variation and different colourway, of the "Moonbeam" card that I've previously posted. It's made in exactly the same way and once again, I used Tim Holtz's wonderful distress inks on the background of the main stamped image and yes, I flicked those droplets of water all over it to get that starry effect. The papers are by the wonderful K & Company and I used Martha Stewart's border punch for a decorative edge. Finally, I stamped a message on the tag using a sentiment from American Crafts, added a silk flower and little ribbon to complete the card.

Anyway, I hope that you all have a great weekend and that most of you can enjoy this beautiful, yet cold weather that we are loving in London at the moment...

Just because....

I think every crafter, if we're honest, is also a bit of a collector ~ I know I am! I look at my paper stock and sometimes think "this is way too beautiful to cut into", I look at my silk flowers and think "Hmmm, maybe I should save them for that really special card I'll be making" and then there's my rubber and acrylic stamps. Yes, I definitely have those in abundance and I'm always telling myself "no more" but then I came across Sugar Nellie Stamps and that promise to myself, it kinda went through the window. But, as soon as I saw the range and especially this one called "Blossom" by the wonderful illustrator Leanne Ellis, I just knew that I had to add it to my collection. Hey, a girl can never have too many stamps in their craft box... Well, that's my philosophy and it works for me!

I stamped the image onto a scalloped die cut shape, which I'd shaded the edges of using Distress Inks and then coloured in the image using Promarkers. Once that is done, I layered some gorgeous backing papers from Brenda Pinnick's, Sucerie range onto some scalloped card stock. I bought this cardstock, together with my much loved "card candy" which I have used quite a lot on some of my recent designs, from Craftwork Cards. The quality of their products is second to none and I can really recommend them.

As finishing touches, I handstamped a message using a stamp from American Crafts and added a DCWV flower, complete with a card candy centre.

I told you I loved them...

*smiles* And because I loved these stamps so much, this is another card, using the same rubber stamp from Sugar Nellie as in my previous post but this time, I chose a different colourway and these stunning backing papers from Trimcraft.

It also shows how using different mediums to work with make so much difference to the overall look. Stamping the image on varying shapes and sizes of card and just small touches of ribbon and card candy, give a totally different feel.

I love the use of silk flowers in card making, they give texture and dimension to a card and can take the design to a whole new different level. I recently bought some beautiful glitter flowers which you can just see in the photos from Petaloo but on this design, I chose to use grey and black flowers from Prima and put a little pink button in each. I stamped a sentiment from American Crafts onto a die cut greetings plaque which finished off the card.

A little birdie told me....

This is what the UK woke up to this morning...SNOW and lots of it!! 

And when it snows, there is only one thing a crafter can do and that's make cards. So, after taking a few photos of snow, then taking down all the Christmas decorations and generally tidying up, I decided it was time to get creative and do what I do best...cover myself in glitter and get messy!!

And talking of card making, one of my favourite techniques has to be stamping. Why? ~Because you could stamp the same image over and over again and with so many various ways to change the look or appearance of a rubber stamped image...if you want, that image will never look the same twice. On these cards below, I used a stamp from American Crafts...it comes in a collection of acrylic stamps but it has to be one of my best buys. I find myself using it all the time...whether it be on cards or just as a message on the envelope, it is just so useful and makes such a wonderful, little finishing touch.

On both of these cards, I've used stamps. From the on-trend flourishes to the stunning tree and owl image, which followers of my blog might recognise from previous posts...all are stamps and all can be made to look completely different, as to how you choose to use them. Add the stamped images to backing papers and with a few final details, you can make yourself a beautiful, card...that anyone would be proud to receive!