Other Stuff!!

   
Hi! Hope you had a lovely Christmas! 

It’s this weird even twilight time between Christmas and New Year when it’s easy to even forget what day it is!! 

I thought I’d show you these two cards that were created for a very specific commission to celebrate two different women’s Birthdays.

   
This first one was for a lady who loves baking and it seemed like ‘Baked With Love’ from Lawn Fawn would be the perfect set.

I love creating these ‘table top’ scenes. Much more fun to receive than your flat card, altho, yes, the envelope does need a little more attention!!  

 I used alcohol markers and some die-cuts extras from MFT ( some ancient number does), a Technique Tuesday ‘happy’ die and the ‘birthday’ stamp was from Clearly Besotted. 

The second card had to incorporate Cameras and dogs!!

 
Granted- you don’t normally take Polaroids with mini dogs rolling out, but this is art right ?! 😉

I used an Avery Elle camera stamp combined with the same MFT number dies and my 2015 favourite ; ‘Playful Pups’ by Mama Elephant 

 I hope they fitted the brief- the lady who commissioned them seemed pleased with them!

What’s the hardest commission you’ve ever done? Did they like it?!

Righto! I’ll be off. I’ve some lovely new releases to prepare for.

If I don’t get chance to come on before the New Year, can I thank each and every one of you who has visited and commented and generally made me smile on a regular basis. You all mean a lot to me. 

See you soon! xx

Happy New Job (escape) card!

  

Hey! How are you all?

Ok.. this card will take a little bit of explaining. 

It all started as I was thinking about the Lawn Fawn Ready Set Snow Shaker die set. It’s temporarily out of stock at Make The Day Special but this die will work perfectly instead. 

 
I got thinking about snow globes in general and about the poor little people and animals who are permanently stuck inside the globe and can’t get out. This led me to thinking it would be fun if they made a bid for freedom and so the ‘new job…escape from the old job’ idea came into being.

I was explaining the idea to one of my daughters and she looked at me and said ‘Mum are you doing drugs?!!

Well I wasn’t, but granted, it’s a slightly ‘out there’ idea! 

  I had so much fun creating the scene. You wouldn’t believe quite how many different Lawn Fawn sets I’ve used…

How many can you see?

Here goes…. Milos’ ABC’s ( for the sentiment) 

 Thankyou Tags (for the diddy bird)

Joy To The Woods (for the bird, chipmunk and fox)
Hello Baby (for the little rabbit)
Happy Trails (for the trees and the landscape line)
And last.. but not least..Penelope’s Blossoms
AND they’re ALL in stock. Every single set! 
 I hope you like my little furry friends sliding down the outside of the snow globe. I had to choose the smallest critters so they’d look more in proportion with the globe!

Anyhow, enough from me!

I’m back tomorrow with a Winnie and Walter post and then lots of new goodies lined up next week as I help Winnie and Walter celebrate their new release.

Xx

One Die, Two Ways

Hey! It’s that time again…that time when all my kids want presents for their teachers. Some have several which makes it tricky! So- I only ever really handmake stuff or bake- but you need tags and cards don’t you!  

  I’ve used my favourite ‘teacher’ type of set…Lawn Fawn’s ‘A Good Apple’ 

   
To add the chunky straw in, I’ve added little snips to help it stay flatter. If you add the cardstock into the die by ignoring the hole die bits, you get a pocket shape that’s perfect for slipping gift cards in or just adding stability  

   
However- just look carefully at the shape once cut out…

It’s perfect for creating a mini book. Just add a score line slightly the right of the holes. Add a few ‘pages’ and secure with ribbon.

    
  

I’ve used the Really Rosemaling set, available at Make The Day Special Stamp Store here

 

This is what the die looks like  

 
Well, I need to go and make a whole load a calorific naughtiness ready for the end of this week and next. They finish at different times and for different amounts of holidays!! 

See you tomorrow with a fun Christmas set…not done in a Christmas way though! 

Something a Little Different

 

Hi! Wow- I’m glad it’s Friday! 

I’m here with a card with a difference. I totally love 3D- I’d spend all my time creating things like this if I had the choice.

Here’s how I created it 

Using circle dies to trace around ( why not make products do double duty?!) 

Next sketch out a maze type design onto the circles regularly spaced. Use your craft knife to cut the inside and side parts of each tab  

Using the dies as a template, use an embossing tool to run along the outer edges ( the uncut ones) of each circle.

Now carefully ease them upwards   

 

 Add some patterned paper underneath and then add a raised outer ring and some flowers from the Lawn Fawn Penelope’s Blossoms set 

 

You can see some slightly dodgy folded edges- problem being that thick cardstock doesn’t really want to curve like that. It wants to be a straight edge really.

I have plans- I’d love to create this into something a little more commercial. Have a range floating around in my head! 

Well better be off- I’m hoping to avoid injury today.

Wednesday saw me stabbing myself with a needle and bleeding all over a commissionned project.

Thursday saw me being accidentally head butted by the pooch. My lip swelled and is bruised today.

Today? Well …it’s not over yet 😉.

Have any of you any craft related injuries ? x

Easy Kids Valentine & Bad Valentine

Here’s a quickie valentine idea using some hearts I spied in Marks & Spencer the other day. Used Milo’s ABC’s which you could easily swap in Violet’s ABC’s available here at Make The Day Special Store

I’ve used Reverse Confetti’s Circles ‘n’ Scallops

plus Lawn Fawn’s Let’s Polka papers and twine. I used the papers slightly offset to the aperture to give a decorative effect. The aperture I’d removed from the front, I sponged Festive Berries Distress ink onto and anchored the chocolate heart onto that.

The cute sentiments are combining the Milo’s ABC’s stamps plus Hello Baby from Lawn Fawn and will he gracing the bottom of my kids beds on Valentines morning.
One of them has already been hinting about having a Valentine treat already. Hopefully these will suffice.

I had to giggle seeing this Valentine from Paperchase. Possibly the most unromantic card I’ve ever seen

fortunately Steve will get one that’s a little more sensitive!
Well, be seeing you soon- with another Valentine. Sorry. Hope all this ‘love’ isn’t too tedious 😋
At least my littliest would approve of that Valentine- he’s so against any expression of sentiment, it’s very funny! His worst day ever at school was the other week when one girl dared another to kiss him.
He was disgusted and you’d have thought he’d been scolded by the Headmistress such was his downcast face when he’d come out of school.
So beware. Kiss him at your peril!!
xx

Dazzling Diva Challenge #59

Hi! Happy Wednesday to you all!
We’ve got a challenge to use ‘music’ somewhere in our projects and also kinda sneak in a Valentine Day theme if we can

I’ve done a 3D effort- similar to a card I did back with Gallery Idol- it was really quick to make and uses Scarlet Red metal for the tiny hearts
You can see more clearly how I’ve done it- spot the error in the photo!

Yes- I took the photo before completing it- I realised that it really needed a sentiment. All dies and stamps are Lawn Fawn.

Do join in- we’re getting some fabulous weekly entries- just join in here and you could win a voucher to spend on lovely Add A Little Dazzle goodies

See you tomorrow- with some more Winnie & Walter! xx

You Moose Be My Valentine & This Week!

I know yesterday was ‘Blue Monday’ where all the fuzzy ‘after-Christmas’ feelings apparently vanished (yeah, right!), and if you’ve noticed that the shops are getting in all Easter goods.. my mind went to Valentines Day.

I’ve had this Critters Set in a little while & hadn’t looked at the sentiments- I’d just dismissed it as a Christmas set.

Well it’s not!

And.. with 15% off..it’s only £8.95.

If you’re not a mad fan of fussy cutting..look no further than the dies that match

and as these are also on Special Offer, it would criminal not to get them together 😉

To create it, once I’d stamped the moose and die-cut it out, I simply die-cut the hearts from this set plus a couple of smaller sizes from other Lawn Fawn die sets. I used the papers from Sweater Weather & Snow Day to create the grass and hearts plus some gold mirror card (which in small quantities is actually pretty useful!!)

Attach the hearts to some string and attach to the reverse of the moose. After all, what else are antlers for?!

The sentiment is just perfect for any love card or a secret Valentine too!

Hope you can show these little fellas a little love. I have plans for some fun stamping using just his antlers!

So far this week I’ve sent a commission off without taking photographs so I’m going to have to write the copy without any sort of idea of what the projects looked like.
I’ve managed to go to the school run with soup dried onto my coat (because it’s so freezing in the house I ate my lunch wearing my coat, spilled the soup (unknowingly) and now look like an utter meff!).
I’ve been knitting furiously. I managed to turn the pattern the completely opposite way (I’m calling it a design feature!).
I’ve managed to split cream, shrink a jumper (even further than it was) and break my hoover.
Go me!
On the positive side, I’ve got dressed every day (including make-up), remembered to both take and pick up my kids from school, wash their clothes, cook their meals and stay alive.
Go me (again!).
I’ve figured out that regularly changing the Wi-Fi password is proving a both a consistent deterrent (for the younger) and a perfect punishment (for the older kids) so this week isn’t all bad 😉
I’m hoping I don’t wreck / break any more things, because, please, it’s only Tuesday!

Hope your week is going spendidly!

xx

Simply Cards & Papercrafts & Haven’t gone completely

I know, I know. Where have I been?!
Happy belated Christmas to you all, and hope you’re enjoying this special season. As we stare down the oncoming New Year, I though I’d pop on with a couple of projects from the current issue.
I had the challenge of ‘masking’ in its basic form to create 6 projects.
This project was one of the more advanced ones. Stamping out larger images to create large masks and after stamping the images onto the base card, then sticking the masks over that and adding the distress inks.
You have to use plenty of repositionable adhesive to make sure the distress ink doesn’t leak under the masks and spoil the white trees. I’ve used the Lawn Fawn set ‘Into The Woods’ with some Distress Inks.

If you head out to your local shop that stocks the mag- you’ll find this one

It’s well worth a buy- you can see one of my projects on the front cover too!

I’ve never had such a large break from my blog- but it’s done me the world of good.
I’ve still been creating – but much much less.
Despite giving up demoing, I still have plenty to do! I’ll be popping on with some more magazine projects shortly plus details of a competition.

See you soon,
xx

Arctic Sleigh Silliness!

Hi! How are you? Hope you’ve had a good day.

I’m here posting a silly card I created for Make The Day Special Stamp Store using two Lawn Fawn sets : Milo’s ABC’s

and Critters In The Arctic

I imagined what the Narwhals might look like in formation pulling a sleigh.. thought I’d colour their spears like a candy cane and gave them slightly different looks by angling and placing the hats at different positions on each of their heads.

I had fun creating the sky- a little moodier than usual- with distress inks and a cloud shaped piece of card as a template. The sledge edge was using Snow Days paper and I pierced their bodies to thread red embroidery cotton through so they could have their reigns all gathered together on the inside of the front of the card.

Simple and silly.

Much like me.

I am demonstrating for docrafts at Lady Green on Saturday. I have to tell you it will be my very last demonstration as a docrafts demonstrator. I’m stepping down and hopefully going to pursue other things. Feel free to come and say hi!- I intend for it to be a real party atmosphere!!!

Have to dash- I’ve a Christmas notebook to maintain with lists of lists of things to do. I’m great at making the list and less good at actually getting the list done! Are you super organised and all sorted for Christmas. If one more person asks me if I’m sorted for Christmas, I may have run in the opposite direction!

See you tomorrow.. and there will be two posts!

Keren x

Pic’N’Mix Christmas & Bruises!

Hi! How are you all?

I’m over on Make The Day Special Stamp Store today- sharing this card- a Christmas card using mostly non-Christmas supplies.

The dies for ‘joy’ are Louie’s ABC’s which are perfect

and the paper is ‘Snow Days’ by Lawn Fawn

I have used a whole bunch of other supplies from Lawn Fawn- Forest Border die, Critters in the Snow (snowflakes), Year Four (the musical notes).

It’s a quickie post as I’m trying to finish some work. I’m also recovering from hurting myself twice in one day!

The first? Getting into the shower to try and fix a problem. The bottom of the bath was wet as someone had already been in there.

One foot in, one leg outside the bath. One foot went left, I banged myself against the bath and did a fairly inelegant split. I have a cracking bruise to show for it.

Fast forward to the evening. I was helping Will with some maths homework on the computer.

One of the chairs was slightly broken by the kids. I wasn’t looking when I chose a chair to sit on.

You can tell what’s about to come next can’t you…

Crack, split, and down I went.

I was shocked more than hurt.

Will was really upset- and worried.

So two bruises in one day.

Fabulous!

Well, see you tomorrow with a fun bit of stencilling,

xx