When it is cold and snowy outsite

It's the best time to stay in and color in! Using Copics I colored in this Chipboard circle and scalloped framed. The stamp is from Penny Black and the message is one of my Essentials Circles. The main card was a 12 x 12 die cut paper from Yellow Bicycle that is really thick so can be made as the blank card.

By the way, the Fiskars trimmer I reviewed the other week is available online now.

More Sequins

Yes, I know this is not Strictly Come Dancing, but sequins are not just for dancing costumes you know!
To be honest I hadn't used many sequins in my cards until recently, but I find myself using more and more of them lately. The stamps are from Penny Black.
By the way, Craftwork Cards is offering Blog Candy in their blog. Their products are one of my top favourites as you may know by now. Click here for more info.

Gold Leaf - Part Two

This one belongs to the same article as the one posted yesterday. The technique for this card is simple. Apply to the card or acetate double sided adhesive, it could be just tape or sheets that you can die cut or just trim. Then, I just stamped the Winter Scroll with black StazOn Ink on the front of the acetate so it floats.

Gold leaf - Part One

Last year this card was featured in Craft Stamper as part of an article I did on gold leaf, actually the fake stuff, as it would be a bit too expensive to use the real stuff.
For this particular card, I use Stamp and Bond embossing powder, something I did not get on at all until the super stamper Kim Reygate taught it to me, do not over heat it and the fresher is the powder the better -ie old powder no good. Also, it was Kim that told me to use gold Perfect Pearls over the top to cover up any gaps without gold leaf.
The message is a PaperArtsy stamp and the Scroll is from Penny Black called Winter Scroll.

Back to everyday cards

Another Penny Black image. The village I grew up in -Campanet, Mallorca, Spain- has a few fields that in late spring get spotted with beautiful and fragile red poppies. They are such a delicate things! So I could not resist this image from Penny Black.
Again forgive my coloring in.

I just realized I haven't post anything other than card and little explanations for the last few weeks. The thing is that my life is pretty boring, so nothing much to share. Maybe I just should mention how hot it is here today, about 30º C (no idea Fahrenheit!). It is lovely when you know it's going to pass soon as it makes you enjoy the sun and the heat, back in Spain, it is hard to know that for the next two months it is going to be pretty much like this or hotter. For me that is not good!

Maybe I should share that I have been designing new products, new craft designs rather as they are nothing revolutionary. I do enjoy designing stuff so much, whether be cards, layouts, workshops or just papers, die cuts and so on. One of the greatest things is to see the actual thing you designed be used by other crafters, every time I see in a shop or over the internet my messages InCircles -manufactured by Craftwork Cards- I get so happy, so proud that people are enjoying and using something I created.

Too early for Christmas?!

Not for us cardmakers! There are some of us that are really organized and make Christmas cards all year round. Personally, I always leave it to the last minute so I can use the latest season products, ie scrapbook patterned paper that only arrives to the UK in November the earliest so the excitement of the new product makes the whole process even more enjoyable- yes I do love making all the cards that we need to send out.
However, I often get commissions for magazines articles in summer so I think Christmas all year round. So, I have learnt the lesson of stocking my christmas product box all year round. That is how I got this Penny Black Stickers called Christmas Everywhere. They are gourgous and quick and easy for a great look without breaking the bank - The Glitter Pot stocks them here. The message is one of my InCircles and the red heart pin is from Sugar and Spice which stocks an amazing range of loose embeelishments perfect for someone like me that is so picky about colours and shapes and sizes.
By the way, today there is a three hour -14:00-17:00- craft program on QVC dedicated to Christmas Cardmaking. Dawn Bibby is hosting it, I hope that I get to see some of the cards I did for some of the kits last week.

Coloring In

Coloring is something of a love or hate thing for me. I have always opted for rubber stamps that featured solid images. Part of it is that my coloring is not that great. The thing that, although I don't think I do it properly, I enjoy coloring in as I find it relaxing. So, forgive me if the colouring in is not up to your standards.

This is one of my favorite cards at the moment. The blue paper in the background was a left over from a Cuttlebug demo. I used the back to write "Gone for lunch, back in 15 mins." But as I love the blue shade I decided to recycle it

I used for this card Penny Black stamps: Splendor No. 3977H - splendor and salutations
30-014. Making Memories felt button and generic buttons.

And the third Penny Black card

This one was a bit of a miss from the word go. But even though is not perfect -not even the photo is good!- I kind of liked. Reminds me of having fun while making cards, not to worry too much about card perfection but learning during the process.
For this card I used queen anne's lace 3939K and allegro 30-033.

More Penny Black

Following yesterday's post, I kept Thinking Inking and did this other card. Like yesterday I used distress inkpads from Ranger.
Yesterday's card had a message that read " Too Much of a Good Thing is Wonderful" and kind of thought it is absolutely true only if one is able to appreciate it. We often forget all the goodness that surrounds us because we often concentrate in the not-so-good stuff.
For this card I used hillflowers 3938K and the message is from the clear set sentiments 30-025.

Stamping just for fun

One of my favorite card makers, Jennifer McGuire is doing a series of video tutorials, Thinking Inking, on Ranger inks and stamping and invited everyone to participate. I have been watching the tutorials and been very inspired to have a proper play with the inks and some beautiful stamps.

Last week I got a load of Penny Black stamps. I love them, in my opinion, they are some of the best traditional rubber stamps out there. I love their images. And they have stamps to suit every taste! So I decided to use some of them for the Thinking Inking.

For this card, I use the japanese maple 3932K and allegro 30-033.

By the way, yesterday early afternoon I had the delivery of the iPhone. It's so cool! And sending sms is so easy. I used to hate sms and since I had so many minutes included used to by default call rather than sms. But I think that is going to change now!

Penny Black

The new release is out, well has been for quite a while now, and I have just got a nice parcel with some o the stamps. I am dying to use them but I have been and will be really busy for a while so I will have to squeeze them between projects.