FLORAL STEP CARD

I am really enjoying myself at the mo, i seem to have managed to find some "me time"  this past few days and enjoying every minute.

I went a bit mad and treated myself to a whole heap of cutting dies, and rather than putting them away for later and forgetting about them  i decided that i would try each one and see what the end product looked like.

needless to say once i got stuck in, i couldn't stop.....typical Crafter syndrome.

I thought i would go for Blue and Green, not my usual colour combination but once i started i thought it looked pretty good.

I didn't have a theme for this card either, i just started cutting out the dies and playing about with the lovely flowers, swirls and flourishes with a few Prima flowers mixed in for good measure.

 I left the Tag blank so i can add a sentiment later on

BABY GIRL DOILY CARD

Most people use Doilies as a backing element behind the main image or just a little bit poking out of the side.

I decided that i would make a card using Doilies as the main card itself, and i must say i am quite pleased with the result.

I am sorry the photo's are not as bright as i would have liked, but the card is very pale with just hints of colour and the elements are cut from shimmering card (Always difficult to photograph)

I thought it looked very Shabby Chic.

I have included some photos of how it all began using the Doilies as the main card.

I hope you like what you see and i also hope it gives you some inspiration.

Here are the pics of the way it all began..

Chelsea Footie Card

Now you have heard me mention my very talented friend Kim and how good she is at making cards for the male population, well here is one that she made for a customer who is a Chelsea Fan.

it's an Easel card and so much work has gone into it.

Just look at those little footballs and footie boots, i happen to know that she stamps, colours, cuts and triple embosses them to make them look like epoxy.

I am also going to add a picture from her son Luke who made me this get well card.....Hmmm!  from the look on my face i think i was worse than i thought.

Love you Luke x

The big brown blob in the middle  according to the gospel of Luke, is in fact a Doggie doodo, which one of my 3 dogs produced.
when i find out which one did it, i shall have serious words...Thank you Luke for bringing this to my attention......we all need a little humor in our lives and this certainly made me smile.

R.S.V.P

Now here is something you don't see very often these days.

RSVP or Text or Telephone or Email or Facebook but not usually a card.

I was asked to make a special RSVP card for a neighbor, and as i have never made one before i though it would be a challenge, so here is my effort.

I am not entirely sure if i got it right, but i thought it looked quite good.

I have used a good selection of dies and used shimmer white and Cream card, with a hint of pink for the Butterflies and a very soft green for the foliage.

Comments are welcome as it will help for future requests for this kind of thing.

the bottom picture is the inside of the card

WEE SNIPPET

Just a little card i had time to make this week.

Oh! the joys of having a few hours to play...sadly this does not happen as often as i would like, but the few hours i get is pure crafting bliss...

Isn't she just adorable?? I just love the Whimsy stamps, they are so cute and just crying out to be coloured.

I hope you like it.

Are those corners just divine or what!!

LILLI OF THE VALLEY CARD

Well another week or so has passed by and i have only just managed to get to play for a few hours.
Work seems to have taken over my life lately, and i feel that i never find any me time.
Anyway my friend Kim came over to visit me on Friday and she always manages to inspire me with her beautiful creations.
She has made this stunning card which i am hoping to steal off her so that i can put it up here on my Blog.
It is a true piece of eye candy and no mistake.
I can't wait to get hold of it.....yum!
anyway this is a little something i had a play with today, as i do love my LOTV stamps and such, but i decided to buy a few of their images whilst at the Craft show earlier this month.
I don't normally go in for this kind of thing, but i thought a few already coloured images would be great for a quickie card.
and how right i was too. this one took o time at all.
I hope you like it.
I am seriously thinking about starting a challenge, so if you would be interested, please let me know.

HEAT EMBOSSING A DOILY WITH SPARKLING EMBOSSING POWDER

Well I did say I would do some demo's, I just seem to have got carried away....I'm enjoying playing.

I have just got these fab new 5.5" Normady lace Doilies in, and as ever i thought i would try heat embossing on something a bit larger than i usually do.

As usual the Doilies are available from my Website and my eBay store

I generally only emboss smaller Doilies, but these are so pretty i had to have a go.

I used WOW! Nice Ice Blue embossing powder and my VersaMark pad.

I was really impressed with the result as I think you will agree, it looks lovely.

It took the powder beautifully and evenly, and the Doilies are really tough and a good weight for such harsh treatment.

Personally i have tried to do a few of the home made Doilies using a selection of Dies, but i couldn't be bothered with all the hassle picking out all the bits, and even having to turn the dies and roll them through the Big shot 3 or 4 times to make sure they cut properly and pick out all the left overs out of the Die before i could use it again....anyway hope you like the end result of the Heat embossing.

Doily toppers

Here is another sample of how to use Doilies.

This is a piece of a Doily cut out and heat embossed in Black, then layered onto black and gold mirri card.

a few little gems were added.

also shown is the whole Doily which was brushed over with a black ink pad, and also a section heat embossed in gold.

                                  This is a Doily called Victoria  for sale in my website or eBay store

WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH A DOILY

Now, Forgive the overkill on this one, but i have done this purely for demonstration purposes only.

I have been asked so many times... How do you use Doilies on a card? and what can you do with them other than stick them on?

So here is a little demonstration of what and how.

I have taken a plain 8" x 8" card and used a 6.5" round Doily.

I used the Doily as a stencil and using a distress ink pad and a cotton ball, dabbed the ink which has given the lovely mottle effect.

I also used distress ink to colour the edges of the Doily and the rose pattern.

I cut the center of a doily out and flattened it to use it as a lace border trim on the bottom of the card.

On the right hand corner i again used part of the doily as a stencil and glittered it, and on the left side i heat embossed a part of the Doily in gold to look like a metal corner.

The center Doily is coloured using my Distress inks and stickled with gold  following the embossed design on the Doily.

I will add a few more Idea's later on, but this was a quickie to demonstrate a few ways to use Doilies on your cards.

Above is a Doily that has been heat embossed in Silver, you still have all the fine detail.

Idea's to Inspire Lili of the Valley card by KIM

It's not often people put other artist's work on their Blog, but i just felt i had to put this one on.

My friend Kim is such a talented artist and card maker, she has more certificates for her art and design than i have made cards.

When she showed me this lovely LOTV card, I just loved it and had to share with you all.

Kim is more an altered artist (A Tim Holtz fan) and just loves Steam Punk and anything out of the norm.

We travel to as many Craft shows and craft shops as possible together (Our road trips)
Kim has a special talent when it comes to male themed cards (Something we all have problems with) and you can be sure she will come up with something just perfect for the occasion as this lovely card she made for her fishing lover Brother.

I hope she will get her own Blog up and running in the near future, it will be a feast for the eyes and an inspiration to all.

                                      Aren't those Brads just gourg! and those distressed Buttons

                                                                    The inside of the card

love the layering on the cap and shirt which matches the backing papers.  and that measuring tape is to die for.

Another Christmas card

I just love doing the Boxes of presents, they make such a lovely center piece and are so quick to make.

how sparkly is this?

A Christmas card

Here is a little commission card i made for a customer using the lovely LOTV stamp.

5" Square doilies are back!!!!!!!YIPPEE!!!!

Hi everyone.

just a quickie to let you all know that i have the popular and much loved 5" square paper lace doilies back in stock.

As you know they are like Gold dust to get hold of, but i was fortunate enough to find some.

I believe I am the only stockist in the UK and Europe to have them as they were discontinued last year.

They are available from my web-store poppyscabin.co.uk and also from both my ebay stores  The Doiliy dealer and Pinkthoroughbred where I also sell my Toppers.

just click on the links to grab yours now before they all go.

Just to remind you how beautifully intricate and embossed they.......

Wedding day card

I know i am a bit slow these days with my posts, but i have been so busy i have hardly had time to think.

Anyway, here is a card i made this week for a wedding which is next week.

I thought the Cream and gold colours were appropriate as they have 2 children and its a December wedding.

I hope you like it.

More Shoes!

This one was a rush job, and you can probably tell as i didn't put as much into it as i usually do.

being plagued with a sticker of a head cold, i just couldn't think straight,  but the customer was happy.

Shoes Glorious Shoes

Here is another Card i made recently for a customer's Daughter.

She wanted Turquoise for the colour scheme and i cut the shoe to fit the 8" x 8" card

I used my beautiful Anna Griffin papers and glitter card for this one 

40th Birthday card for a Man

Well at last i have found a few minutes to post something on my Blog.

It has been quite a while, with work being so hectic orders to be packed and posted, and my die cutting machine breaking down.

I have managed to get a few cards done recently, but not had time to post them here.

so here are a few i have done.

This one i did for a customer a few weeks ago for a male 40th Birthday.

I used various papers for this one and holographic mirri card to give a bit of sparkle