Pretty Petals

Hope you all enjoyed the weekend and now ready for another week. As promised, today is the first of my Clarity shares from the shows this weekend. I know many of you probably watched the shows but as always I thought it would be nice to show the cards throughout this week on my blog, so that you can see some of the detail that can be missed on camera...and here's the first, I hope you like it!!

This card was made for the Classroom show and features the Pretty Petals stamps, which I stamped with Memento Inks and then made into a dimensional flower and the Butterfly stamp which I coloured with Distress Markers.

Thank you for stopping by to take a look at my little piece of artwork and I really hope that I've inspired you with what I've created using these stamps. I'll be visiting all your blogs later today and then, back tomorrow with another Clarity share but 'til then...enjoy the rest of the day and have a wonderful evening!!

Bye for now and see you soon!

Love Emma xxx

The Royal Guard

Yay, it's the weekend!! Another week has gone in a flash but...it's been a very productive week for me and has ended on a bit of a high note because...

I've made the cover of Making Cards Magazine with my Union Jack Simply Beautiful card projects!!!

I still get such a buzz when this happens and I see all my hard work come to fruition...it's one of the best feelings EVER!!!

So, *breathes and comes back down to earth*...it's now time to share another of my Clarity makes and this one was definitely one of my favourites from the show. I actually love anything to do with London,  the Jubilee and the Union Jack...so, this was perfect for me and I hope you like it too...

To make this card, I actually combined two of the stamp sets together...the London Icons set and the Union Jack Flag and I thought they went hand in hand and worked perfectly together. The background is created from Distress Inks and the flags are stamped in Memento Ink Pads. I coloured the Guardsmen with Promarkers. The Candi and cardstock are from Craftwork Cards.

Well, that's it from me for today...I'll be back tomorrow with the final card from my Clarity makes. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a look. I'll be round to visit all your blogs later tonight, when I sit down...or should that be collapse, on the sofa.

Bye for now!

Love Emma xxx

Never Forget...

Today, my thoughts are with all the people who lost loved ones on 9/11, As we watched that day's events unfold minute by minute, hour by hour...these acts changed the world we live in for ever and none of us will ever forget the bravery of the people who lost their lives and who are still living with the repercussions of these events.

Before I leave you...here is my final card from the Clarity samples that I made for last weeks shows!

I hope you loved them all, as much as I love hearing all your comments.

I'll be around later to visit all your blogs and to look at all your lovely creations and I'll be back tomorrow for another exciting week in Chez Williams'.

See you all then and have a wonderful evening!

Love and hugs, Emma

xxx

Fly Away

It's another glorious day in London town and I'm getting so frustrated that my shoulder is still causing me problems and I can't get on with what I need to do... Oh well, I'm sure there's something crafty that will keep me occupied until it feels a bit better!

And on the subject of crafting, here's today's share from the Clarity shows...hope you like them!

These cards never actually got to be shown, as the stamp set sold out quickly but as always, I like to show all my loyal friends and followers what you can make with these sets and hopefully inspire you, just a little bit!

This card was made using the two flourish stamps, which I think have to be my all time favourite stamps from Clarity, together with the butterfly stamp. I stamped each butterfly onto ultra smooth card and then coloured them using Promarkers. The bird cage is a die from Marianne Design Creatables and I love the look of white on white but of course sometimes, it doesn't show up! So, for this birdcage, I used Centura Pearl card to give that little bit of shimmer, to make it stand out from the background card. To complete the card, I used matts of Bazzill card, stamped the flourish onto the background and then adhered all my embellishments, adding the final touch of some handmade roses.

For this second card, I combined two of the stamp kits to make it. The butterfly is from the above kit and then the postage stamp stamps are from another kit that is available to buy from ClarityStamps themselves. But I really thought this worked well and loved the idea of having the butterflies popping out of the postage stamp images.

Hope you all have a wonderful day and as always, thank you to everyone who commented on the last post. I can't wait to hear what you think of this set!

See you tomorrow with some more cards.

Love Emma

xxx

Dreaming of a white Christmas...

Another weekend has come and gone and even though I had a great one, I'm now coming back down to earth with a bump and a cold, which in the life and times of a very busy crafter...isn't the greatest of timing but...the show must go on!!

So, today is going to be a quick share and then, on strict orders from someone who knows who they are, I'm going to rest!!

And here is the card that I want to show you all today...

I actually came across the shape of this card by accident. I love trying to create new shapes and I was just  messing around with pieces of card and card blanks and all of a sudden, this happened and I love it. Hope you do too...

So, what did I use to make this card?

Snowman Window Stamp: Imagination Crafts

Message stamp: Kanban

Snowflakes and Label Dies: Spellbinders
Snowflake Embossing folder: Cuttlebug

Punches:  Martha Stewart PATP snowflake

Colouring Mediums: Promarkers
Backing Paper: Die Cut With A View
Inks: Memento/Versamark

Glitter: Stickles

Ribbon and button to complete the card!

I'm now going to snuggle up on the sofa and take it easy for the rest of the night...
Thanks for stopping by...see you again soon!
Love Emma
xxx

Absolutely...Fabulous

First of all, I have an apology...I was a bit of a bad blogger last week but it was just one of those weeks, where everything I touched seemed to go wrong. It was like a disaster movie, one thing after another but I did manage to make a few cards along the way. And I did receive lots of exciting new products from Clarity Stamps and The Crafthouse Press, which I've started work on...and that you will all get to see, over the next few weeks.

So, now it's a new day and a new week and time to share some more cards and this card features just one of those new items that I received. It's part of a new stamp collection that The Crafthouse Press are launching and includes images from their new Fabulous range, Dandelion the Rabbit and last but not least, they've included something that we all struggle with and can never find and that's...stamps with images for men from their Vintage Memories range. There really is something for everyone and are beautiful, good quality rubber stamps, ready mounted for you to use.

And this is what I've made using the shoes from the Fabulous range....

I used the Spellbinders' Peony die to make up the handmade paper flowers, in the same paper that I used for matts and layers. The image itself is stamped in a Memento ink pad and coloured with Promarkers. As a final touch, I used a message tag from Craftwork Cards.

I really hope that you like what you see so far and that it will tempt you to look out for these fabulous new stamps. Hope you all have a wonderful week and as for me, I'm keeping everything crossed that this week goes smoothly, unlike the last.

Love Emma

xxx

Dancing On Ice

First, I wanted to say a big hello to all my new followers. It's always lovely to see new faces coming to view my blog and I really hope that I'll be able to inspire you all and that you love what you see, just as much as I love making them!!

So, for today's share...we're going Christmassy. As some of you know, I love this time of year and the thought of Christmas coming is always such a joy. For me, it's the preparation that excites me...choosing or making gifts to give to friends and loved ones, cooking the Christmas fare and stirring the Christmas cake mixture and finally, decorating the house and putting up the tree. I'm one of those people who always finds this a pleasure, never a chore!!

And this card and image from Lili of the Valley, is perfect to capture one of those moments...the little girl, dressed up all warm and cosy and coming home with her shopping, full of surprises for Christmas Day.

I used matts and layers of Bazzill card, which I punched using the Martha Stewart holly border punch, and backing papers from Dovecraft and these work so well, with the image, which once again I stamped with a Memento ink pad and then coloured in using Promarkers. For a twinkly effect and to give some texture to the flat image, I used Stickles glitter glue on the fur on her clothing, which looks stunning. As finishing touches, I used these beautiful mulberry paper poinsettias from Wild Orchid Crafts, some organza ribbon tied into a bow and a "Merry Christmas" greetings plaque.

Well, I hope you are all having a wonderful Thursday and that you're experiencing some of this lovely sunshine we're having in London at the moment. I'm off to work on some more Halloween goodies to share with you all!!

Take care, love Emma

xx

Love....Bites!!

The start of another week and I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and enjoyed World Card Making Day on Saturday. Today's card is another of my Halloween projects and this one is in stark contrast to my last post. I don't think I could've done more opposite if I'd have tried.

 I absolutely LOVE this image from Kraftin Kimmie and every time I see it...it brings a smile to my face!! I decided to use traditional Halloween colours for this card and as you can see from the photos, I also used a new style of card blank. This is one step on from the easel card that we all know and love and is called a tent card and I think it's wonderful to showcase all our little works of art that we take so much time over.

The image itself is stamped in Memento ink and coloured with Promarkers. I matted and layered with papers from Papermania and die cut the bats using my Spellbinders Bat Shapeabilities Dies. As finishing touches, I used satin ribbons and a beautiful mulberry flower from Wild Orchid, then stamped a tag with the "love bites' sentiment.

 

 

So, I hope you love the second of my Halloween projects and believe me, there are plenty more on their way, including some that contain...chocolate!!

Hope you all have a wonderful crafty week!

Love Emma

xx

Domestic Goddess

It's been another manic Monday and I don't even know where the weekend went, it just flew by in a flash. My mum is feeling a lot better, even though she's not 100% yet but I think it will be a while before she ventures into her beloved garden to do some plant trimming again...much to my Dad's dismay! If there's one thing he hates...it's gardening!

As for me, I've been busy putting the final touches to the top secret project. Here's a sneaky peek for you all...

Sorry...I know ~ it's not very exciting, is it? But I promise you, all the design team have worked very hard on this project and it will definitely be worth the wait. So now, all the work that I've done, is on it's way to it's final destination and fingers crossed and with a little help from Royal Mail, it should be there tomorrow!!

But in the meantime, I couldn't not say a happy Monday to all my lovely friends and followers and a very "big hello" to the new ones and here's a little card that I wanted to share with you all. Hope you like it...

How did I make it?

PAPERS: My Minds Eye

CARD: Bazzill

STAMPS: Kanban

DIES: Spellbinders Nesties Scalloped Circle

FLOWERS: Papermania

COLOURING MEDIUMS & INKS: Memento Black Tuxedo, Promarkers, Distress Inks

Stickles Glitter Glue, Buttons, Ribbon

Umbrella Emma

The last few days have been quite eventful. On Sunday, my Mum got bitten by an insect, whilst in the garden. At first we didn't think anything of it but during the night, her face started to swell and she was having difficulty in swallowing and breathing. On Monday, she had to go to hospital and was told that the bite had caused a massive infection and was causing her face to fill with fluid. Thankfully, she's back home now but on antibiotics and the swelling is going down slowly but she really did give us a scare. Now, I'm doing my Florence Nightingale act and looking after her and in between times, I've also been working on my top secret project. All I can tell you at the moment is...and shhh, don't tell anyone else, but....I love it and I think you will too!!

So, back to today's card that I'm sharing with you all and as I'm writing this post, there is only one song that is in my head...

"Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella"

Yep, it's Rihanna's fabulous song, Umbrella and for all my friends who read this, they will know exactly why that song springs to mind and that's because I do have a thing about umbrellas. Don't ask me why...but I just love images, photographs and umbrellas!

I've even started to collect rubber stamp images, that show umbrellas...I'm obsessed!! But now, you can see why I had to have this stamp from The Greeting Farm...and wait for it...it's called "Umbrella Emma".

When it came to making this card, I really wanted to have Umbrella Emma standing in a shower of rain and to do this, I cut some acetate strips and just dotted little gems on them, then tucked the strips and adhered them underneath one of the matts of cardstock and just left them to dangle to create the effect of falling rain. The image itself was stamped with a Memento ink pad and coloured in with Promarkers but I used a Sakura Glaze Gel Pen on her little boots to give them that shiny finish.

But the real piece de resistance for me, was that backing paper...it's from K and Company and I just love it and it worked so perfectly with this card. To be honest, when we make a card, I know we always say that this one is our favourite but...this one is kind of special and I was so proud of the way it turned out, that I think it will always remain one of my favourites.

I hope you all have a really happy Wednesday and a big hello to my new followers and a bigger thank you to all those who leave comments. They are greatly appreciated and I love hearing from you all!!

Emma

xx