Must haves!

When does want become need? when does 'I would like' become 'I must have.....NOW!' and no, I'm not talking about wine, chocolate or shoes but a couple of new Sizzix Bigz dies which cut the most divine 3D flowers ever.

I've used card for this piece but they are Bigz dies so they would be just as effective in textiles and a host of other other materials too.

The dies concerned are Bigz Flowers 3-D #3 and flowers 3-D #4. click on the links for a closer look.

I started with a blank wooden frame which was just crying out to be altered in some way, shape or form. I applied a little gesso (white acrylic paint will work too) to a craft sheet and rolled it out into a thin layer with a brayer before applying it to the frame.

I chose a text stamp from Tim Holtz' Stampers Anonymous range and used a mid brown Distress Ink to add the text in a random pattern onto the frame.

I used both dies to die-cut white paper to give you a better indication of what they are all about. Next, I went through my paper stash and pulled out some My Minds Eye papers from the fabulous Lost & Found ranges and die-cut the three different flowers.

I used Old Paper and Vintage Photo Distress Ink pads to add a little contrast to the edges of the petals and then I applied a little glue to the tab to create the 3-D effect, I also curled the petals back to create a more naturalistic effect.

I die-cut the long centre strip and used a pair of scissors to snip down the centre of the sticky-outy bits (technical jargon alert!!!). I inked the tips and rolled the strip using a pair of tweezers before bending the individual bits back to create the flowers centre. I repeated with the other two flowers and attached the centres accordingly.

I die-cut a selection of 3-D spiral flowers and inked the edges of the lighter ones before gently sanding the tips of the darker ones.

There are various theories as how best to create the 3-D flowers but I like to use a pair of tweezers and roll the shape keeping the tweezers facing the centre. Once the petals are rolled all the way simply add a blob of hot glue and allow the flower to slightly unravel as much or as little as required before the glue sets.

Use the tweezers to bend the tips of the petals over to create a natural looking bloom.

I added some natural twine to the top of the frame before arranging the flowers as shown. 

I'm sure that I will be returning to these dies again and again in the future.

Boxing Clever

Boxing Clever is an interesting idiom which I have hijacked for another of my cringe worthy little word plays. Pillow boxes it seems are a favourite amongst the paper crafting community when it comes to customisation (there are some stunning owls out there!) so I decided to create some festive themed custom jobs just for you.

the ideas are not completely original however I will show you a few little tricks of how to give them a little extra spice by using your favourite Sizzix dies.

Here is a list of dies used, click on each link to see the products:

• Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - Pillow Box w/Labels by Tim Holtz
• Sizzix Framelits Die set 8PK - Circles#2
• Sizzix Framelits Die Set 8Pk - Squares
• Sizzix Framelits Die Set 6Pk - Squares, Scallop

I wanted to make a couple of festive gift boxes which will compliment each other and what better double act than Santa and Rudolph.

I started by die cutting and assembling the box from red patterned paper (My Mind's Eye Collectable Collection) 

Next, I die cut a scalloped square from gold matt card and a square of black card. I then cut a strip of black card long enough to wrap around the box and trimmed one end to a point. I scrunched the strip and black square into a ball to add a little texture before lightly applying a little pewter coloured gilding wax with my fingertip.

 The rest was easy, I wrapped the 'belt' around the box and matted the black square onto the scalloped buckle before attaching to the belt. For the finishing touch I threaded a couple of small wooden buttons with raffia and attached to the box using a glue gun.

Isn't it amazing how a few simple shapes and colours combine to leave you in no doubt as to who or what the image represents?

Rudolph is a little more challenging and even though you can find some ideas on the internet, I made this without seeing any of them as I had a few ideas I wanted to try out.

I wanted to start with Rudolph's eyes. He may be the baby of the reindeer team but he's been pulling that sleigh for centuries now so I wanted to give him a Sagacious, world weary disposition and the best way to convey a characters emotion is through the eyes which after all are the windows to the soul!

I folded a piece of white card in half and placed a circle die so that it slightly overlapped the crease, I ran this through my trusty Big Shot and ended up with two linked circles. I then repeated these steps using a slightly larger circle and corrugated card.

I folded the two corrugated circles back together and trimmed at an angle to make Rudolph's eyelids. Next, I die-cut two small black circles and carefully snipped away a couple of triangles before attaching to the whites of the eyes, This adds the illusion of highlights (Check out early Mickey Mouse cartoons). Finally, I gently inked the edges of the eyelids to add contrast using Vintage Photo Distress Ink and attached them in place with adhesive foam pads to add a little dimension.

I die-cut and assembled the pillow box from corrugated card and gently inked the edges before mounting the eyes. The nose was cut from red glitter card, after all, as the song says, it was 'very shiny' 

To create the ears I die-cut a circle from corrugated card and folded it in half before placing my circle die back onto the folded card in such a way that I ended up with two leaf shapes which I then inked around the edges.

The ears were attached with a glue gun and the last thing to do was brave the elements and collect a few suitable twigs to use as antlers. I sealed the top of the box and used a craft knife to make a couple of slits at the corners into which I inserted the trimmed twigs.

I think they make a lovely couple, I hope you agree?

Scraptastic!

I know I don't often feature Scrapbook layouts on this blog mainly due to time constraints, but I do love scrapbooking, especially as it is responsible for so many great products to play with and innumerable cool techniques to learn, all of which filters into my other crafty interests.

I was going to make a card with the magnificent Thinlits Die Set Winter Borders and Rosette designed by my good buddy Paula Pascual. this is one set from Paula's new Everyday Collection released this month, I implore you to check it out (if you love delicate butterflies then look no further!!!)

When I say I was going to make a card, I promised Barbara at a show in Manchester that I would do just that, however I couldn't resist doing a little layout, I hope you will forgive me?

Below you will see the die set mentioned previously, an 8" x 8" square of card (all the card is from the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found 3 Collection) and three photo's of my daughter Poppy taken in the heavy snow we had in the UK a couple of years back.

At this point I have no idea what I am going to do!

OK! I now have a rough plan/idea so I'm going to start by die cutting a circle from Kraft card using the largest Circle Framelits die. I have combined both sets of Circle Framelits and between them I have every size I need ( 657551 and 658604). After die-cutting the first circle I place the die which is the next sized down onto the die-cut circle slightly offset. I repeat this twice more until I have three thin kraft card rings. Next, I use a brayer to apply a thin layer of gesso.

I cut a rectangle of the pale blue dotty paper and trimmed away one edge using the snowflake border die. I applied some rows of faux stitching using a pattern makers wheel and a white gel pen before attaching all the separate elements to the layout together with a die-cut silver snowflake border.

From the same dotty card I cut two halves of the snowflake rosette and proceeded to lighten the tips by dry brushing with gesso. Next, I concertina folded the two halves before attaching end to end to form a crown before folding in toward the centre to create the rosette. I usually secure this at the rear with a piece of scrap card attached with a hot glue gun to get a solid bond. I next die-cut a deep blue circle, a silver snowflake and a deep blue border strip whose edges I gently sanded to add a little contrast.

I attached all the elements to the layout together with the photos and a rectangle of green patterned card which has been lightly distressed. I covered a piece of mount board with the deep blue card and used the Block Talk Lowercase Alphabet Die to cut the letters and printed the word 'Princess' onto the green card using my PC. I have a set of similar alphabet stamps which would work equally as well. After attaching the words to my layout I started to add a little bling in the form of assorted adhesive pearls and gems.

Finally, I die cut a circle from card and used it as a template around which I attached a row of clear adhesive gems using my trusty tweezers before removing the card circle.

Here is the finished article, lots of fun to do as always, I think the green really lifts it especially as I could use pearl gems of a similar colour. I love the way the circles give it a sense of movement. 

So many photos...so little time!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The title of this blog refers to one of Roald Dahl's fabulous collection of children's books illustrated by the genius that is Quentin Blake. I am particularly partial to children's book illustration as is my good buddy and fellow designer Debi Potter.

Debi and I trained as illustrators at the same time, in the same college where I specialised in cartoons and she specialised in children's book illustration which brings us neatly to my point.

Debi has designed a range of woodland themed dies which are just adorable so if you like Die-cutting, foxes and owls you need look no further. Luckily for us Europeans it is exclusive to our region too.

For today's post I chose the Sizzix Bigz Die - Fox Face (659910) which I have used quite a bit recently for both paper and textile based projects. I began by die-cutting the face from ivory corrugated card and some Orange patterned paper from the My Mind's Eye Collectable range. I inked the edges of the die-cut shapes and attached the corrugated card shapes in position.

Next, I employed one of my favourite paper craft cheats by using a pattern makers wheel and marker pen to create a faux stitched effect around the perimeter of the die-cut shapes. Sometimes, life's to short to pull out your sewing machine and change the bobbin! I die-cut the nose from brown card and attached it with a 3D foam pad. I used adhesive black pearls for eyes although you can die-cut them if you prefer.

I folded an 8 x 11 cm base card before trimming to my desired shape. Next, I applied Distress Ink to the edges to add definition and added my faux stitching.

I wanted to make a tail, so I die-cut the fox's cheek from orange patterned card and ivory corrugated card. I trimmed off the top of the ivory card and attached it to the orange die-cut before adding the stitching.

The next bit is all scissor work, I decided to smarten up Mr. fox by adding a collar and tie. The collar is cut from stiff ivory card and the tie from patterned paper from the Collectable range. I inked the edges and crumpled the tie before attaching both to the base card along with the assembled tail.

And here is the finished card, Quite dapper I think?

Hexagon Fun!

Hexagons are such a great design feature in the card maker's arsenal, they're like a circle designed by an engineer. I love their versatility and they are an essential for modern paper crafting styles.Having said all that I didn't know that they could be fun too!

I was looking through some old dies when I came across a decorative strip die called Flower, Folded which is basically a collection of perforated circles which when put together form a really cool 3D flower. I started to wonder what you could do with other shapes to create a similar effect when that little light bulb appeared above my head (maybe that's what caused my bald spot!!!)

It was at this point I grabbed my hexagon Framelits set and the rest as they say is history.

I started by die-cutting six identical hexagons from paper with a different pattern on either side (My Minds Eye - So Sophie range) I then used a tool to crease each one as shown in the diagram below. Once I had all six I placed them carefully onto a rectangle of adhesive tape sheet.

Once they were all stuck down I placed a pearl brad through the centre and matted them onto two further hexagons in contrasting shades of patterned card. Next, I folded a rectangle of stiff ivory card stock in half and placed my large hexagon die overhanging the folded edge (as indicated by the white arrow), this forms the hinge as the die cuts through both layers.

Finally I attached the matted layers to the hinged base card, I think the finished card is pretty cute!

I couldn't stop at one card so I thought I'd try a different colours, I know it's a bit early for Christmas cards but it made such a wicked snowflake. This time I folded the flaps closed and strategically applied some Pinflair Ice Diamond together with a pearl charm in the centre.

I was about to pack my tools away when I thought 'what would it be like using say... Framelits hearts' well here's the answer.I cut six hearts as before and used a set square as a guide to add the creases, this end of the set square has an angle of 45 degrees which was perfect as luck would have it.

And here is the finished card. I'm sure that there is more mileage in this technique but I have to move onto more pressing matters. If you can think of any variations on this theme I would love to hear them.

Tag team

I made some tags for the excellent Dutch magazine HobbyHandig  this week and I had forgotten what a fun format it is to work in. The large Movers & Shapers Tag & Bookplates by Tim Holtz is about 8 x16cm and the restricted size seems to stretch your creativity which is no bad thing if you ask me, and let's face it, Tim doesn't seem to struggle does he?

I thought I would play around with a few inks and acrylics on the bookplates which come with this most excellent die. I had so much fun that I may turn this into a mini-series so look out for 'Return of the Tag'.

This die is a Bigz L which means it cuts super thick materials like the mount board I have used today. It's a great investment and something you will return to time and again.

I started by die cutting the bookplate from a scrap of old mount board and painting it with gesso which for those of you who don't know is a super thick paint used to prime art canvases, it's also great for creating a variety of textured effects. 

Once I had applied a nice thick layer I dabbed it with my brush to add random texture, I'm going for the flaky plaster look. Once the gesso is dry, (you can use a heat tool to speed this up) I painted a thin layer of  pale blue acrylic onto the surface before removing most of it with some cotton wool. This will give you a lovely subtle distressed look.

Next, I die cut two sizes of flower and a couple of leaves using the Tattered Garland Decorative Strip Die by Tim Holtz to create a couple of 3D roses. I didn't post the step by step instructions for this as I covered this a few months back (New Blooms part 1, January 8th) using the Tattered Florals flowers, obviously this is done on a much smaller scale.

 I then added a layer of the gesso don't worry if it is a bit gloopy, it all adds to the effect. once the gesso was dry I applied the pale blue paint using a dry brush effect. I used the same techniques to distress an angel made from resin which is part of a set from those clever people at Prima Marketing

It's time to cut my tags, I cut one with a subtle damask pattern and one from wood grain paper both from My Mind's Eye collections. I trimmed away part of the base of the damask tag and applied distress inks to the edges of both in a very subtle fashion. Next, I used a paper distressing tool to rough up the edges of the damask tag a little and scrunched up the bottom. I'm going for a tattered, peeling wallpaper look! Finally, I attached the two tags together.

And here is the finished Tag, the bookplate has a piece of inked card behind it with a couple of word stickers from the Chitchat idea-ology pad by Tim Holtz added. I mounted the bookplate with a length of pale blue organza ribbon before attaching the matching cherub and roses. Finally, I threaded some stained lace and organza ribbon through the hole at the top of the tag.

I hope you can tell from the photo but the resemblance to plaster is quite uncanny, Maybe we'll go for rusty metal next week?

A Good Vintage!

Just to clear up one thing before we start.....I'm not referring to my Mum in the title of this blog, but to the style of card so if you are reading this Mum I'm sorry for any confusion!

Last week I had the absolute pleasure to be invited to a wonderful event in the beautiful city of Maribor in Slovenia. I was one of several workshop instructors from around Europe and the US teaching a wide range of skills including card making, jewellery, Painting, felt work and much more. It was so well run and attended, the customers and staff were so friendly and helpful and the organisers Primoz and Mihaela were such gracious and attentive hosts.

If you ever find yourself in that (very beautiful) part of the world drop in and see what they are all about, you won't be disappointed. To find out more, follow this link.https://www.facebook.com/art.trade

This week I am featuring a card which was very similar to one of the workshops I did in Maribor with a few minor tweaks.

I used My Mind's Eye paper from the Lost & Found 2 collection, an assortment of Distress Inks and thats pretty much it with the exception of my dies and folders.

I used the butterfly Sizzlit and Tab Framelits die from the Big Shot starter Kit I'm sorry if you don't have these dies but there a dozens of similar dies which you could substitute achieving equally stunning results. The Embossing folder I used is the Circle Frame & Rosemary Set which is currently on sale so click on the link and grab yourselves a real bargain. I also used some tiny flowers from the Susan's Garden Yarrow, you could also use the Black-eyed Susan, the Sunflower or the Forsythia to create a similar effect.

I started by debossing a 13 x 13cm piece of the spotty card and I then used my craft knife to trim around the pattern in the centre to create an aperture. I then used an Old Paper Distress Ink pad to enhance the debossed motif by gently rubbing over the pattern in a circular motion with my foam applicator.I also took special care to ink around the outer part of the square.

Old Paper is quite a light shade and I always work gradually starting with the lightest colour and working through. The other colours I used were Mustard Seed, Wild Honey and Vintage Photo the last of which I use very sparingly and with great care. As I add the colours I do so in a random fashion working heavier in some areas than others, I concentrate mainly on the pattern and edges.

Once the inks are dry I scrunched the corners and sanded lightly over the creases before distressing the edges for which there is a fabulous little tool designed to do the job, failing that you can use the blade of your scissors.

The photograph I found on the Internet and printed it out onto matt white photo paper before trimming to size and adding a little colour with my inks to age it further and help it to blend with the rest of the card.

I die cut two butterflies from the spotty card and trimmed away the right hand wing from both before inking. I then attached them together at the body and curled the edges of the top wing to add dimension prior to attaching them to the rear of my photo.

I die cut several tiny flowers and inked the edges prior to shaping them using a stylus and foam mat from the Susan's Garden Tool Kit . Next, I attached a row of flowers to the fairies head forming a garland and added a tiny pearl gem to the centre of each, I used the rest to decorate the aperture card.

Finally, I used my PC to create the Mother's Day phrase (Muffaroo for all you font fans)  and printed it onto the spotty paper before die cutting with my Framelits die and attaching to the card after inking of course!

And here is the finished card, I attached the assembled aperture and fairy to a 15 x 15cm base card at a slight angle using 3D foam pads and added a vintage looking bow to give a softening effect.

I do hope you like it (I hope my mum does too!)