The Blues

One of my favourite techniques is resist, so when I saw Lily Pad Cards' Resist Challenge, I just couldn't resist making a card.


Stamps (Hero Arts) - Exotic Bloom, Starburst Lace & Messages.

I used the sketch from the Square Sketch Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.



To start with I embossed the Exotic Bloom in white on white card and applied a few of my favourite distress inks - tumbled glass, broken china & faded jeans. The butterfly was punched out of a scrap left over from another project (vellum white embossed with Starburst Lace). I also used the resist technique on the sentiment and added a few gems to the card to finish.

Sending U Warm Fuzzies

Today I wanted to make a card with a mix of textures and materials. It started out because I was doing a sort out of my kids’ clothes and saved pieces of worn out jeans. Bits and pieces of these will probably end up on a patchwork bag but I took a little bit of denim for the card below.


Stamps (Hero Arts) - Everyday Sayings & Envelope Pattern

For the denim card base I adhered a piece of denim to a piece of card and die cut a scallop circle. The flowers were die cut from the denim and some pink felt. A “u” was also die cut from a little scrap of the felt. I had only one button with a check pattern on it, so for the smaller button I used a plain blue button and white embossed the envelope pattern on it. Appropriately enough, the sentiment was stamped using faded jeans distress ink.

I'm submitting the card into the following challenges:

Moxie Fab World - Fabulous Felt Challenge
Lily Pad Cards – Felt\Fabric Challenge
Creative Card Crew - Hand Made Flowers
Paper Creations Ink - Show Us Your Flowers

Thanks with Kanzashi Flowers

Recently I came across this great video on how to make kanzashi flowers. I'd never heard of these before, but thought I'd give them a go.


Stamps (Hero Arts) - Classic Fabric Design, Antique Engravings, Scattered Leaves and Messages.

The petals of the larger flower start off as 2 inch squares and these are folded over a few times. On the smaller flowers the squares are only one inch, so they proved to be a bit more fiddly, especially with slippy fabric!



To start with I clear embossed the Classic Fabric Design on white card and applied shabby shutters and forest moss distress inks. The flowers are made from shot silk and I added some pearls to the centres from an old necklace. The butterfly was stamped with a brown chalk ink and I just added some pearls and thread to finish.

I'm submitting the card into a few challenges:

Lily Pad Cards - Fabric\Felt Challenge
Hero Arts - August Challenge
Creative Card Crew - Hand Made Flowers Challenge
Paper Creations Ink - Show Us Your Flowers

Fabric Flowers for Friends

I love making fabric flowers and over the weekend spent time making them for some friends. Instead of just putting the flowers in an envelope, I make a holder for them and also a little card with a tiny fabric flower to match.


Stamps (Hero Arts) – Be Happy, Clouds Background, Antique Engravings & Sew Artsy

A tutorial for the fabric flowers can be found here. I applied tumbled glass distress ink to the Clouds Background, lightly spritzed with water and stamped on white card.



The butterflies were stamped on scraps of white card which had barn door distress ink applied. I used some patterned paper for the grass\leaves and a little piece of baker’s twine for the flower stem.


Just to show the size of the tiny flower on the card.

I'm submitting these projects into the Fabric\Felt Challenge at Lily Pad Cards, Creative Card Crew's Hand Made Flowers Challenge, Paper Creations Ink's Show Us Your Flowers Challenge and also the current Hero Arts Challenge.

Happy Birthday Honey

I love the cute little bees from the Be Happy set and decided to use them on my hubby’s birthday card this year.


Stamps (Hero Arts) - Be Happy, Clouds, Magical Background, Birthday Messages, Envelope Pattern & Heart Owls

The clouds are stamped with tumbled glass distress ink which had been lightly spritzed with water. All of the hills and the sun came from pieces in my scrap mountain. I coloured the little bees with a ProMarker and colouring pencil. To finish I just added a little diamond stickles to the bees’ wings and Glossy Accents to all the hearts. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the red background is stamped with the Magical Background using VersaMark.

A quick post today, but right now I have a slice of birthday cake calling me!

Coffee and Cream Hydrangea

Every time I’ve looked at the examples of botanicals at the Fanatical About Botanical Challenge in the Moxie Fab World, I’ve been drawn to all the gorgeous fabrics. So I thought I’d have a rummage through my stash of upholstery fabrics to see if I could use any of them on a card. I had decided on coffee and cream colours and found a couple of fabric pieces that I could use.


Stamps (Hero Arts) – Hydrangea, Old Letter Writing and Every Day Sayings

I stamped the Hydrangea on a piece of frayed fabric, added liquid pearls to the flower centres and once dry added some diamond stickles (unfortunately, I can't seem to catch the sparkle in a photo). The sentiment was stamped on cream card with walnut stain distress ink and some antique linen distress ink was applied around the edges of the tag. I stamped the punched butterfly with the Old Letter Writing using antique linen distress ink and made a little bow from some Hero Arts lace.

Flying Around in Circles

I wanted to try something a little bit different with the Antique Engravings set for the Fanatical About Botanical Challenge in the Moxie Fab World and the current Hero Arts challenge.


Stamp (Hero Arts) – Antique Engravings

Because I really enjoyed using the cracked glass technique the other day on the card here, I decided to use it again a little bit on this card. I applied distress ink (spiced marmalade, broken china or walnut stain) to circles of white card, spritzed lightly with water and then stamped with the butterfly or dragonfly.



Then I clear embossed the circles. In the case of the orange circles I clear embossed them four more times (really need to find a shop here with UTEE!) and cracked them. To finish I just added some gems. The butterfly\dragonfly circles are added to the card using different heights of adhesive foam pads.

Hope you are all having a brilliant weekend!

Froggy You're So Special

This is a card I made for a special little boy and I'm submitting it to Lucy’s Lovely Lines Challenge at Lily Pad Cards and the current Hero Arts Challenge.

My original intension was to make a CAS card but I just can’t seem to keep myself from adding bits and pieces! The little frogs are stamped on patterned paper and I added some extra colour to them with ProMarkers as well as glossy accents. For the green background I applied shabby shutter distress ink to some light green card and embossed it.


Stamps (Hero Arts) – Froggy & It’s a Day for a Cupcake

The sentiment was stamped with broken china distress ink. The twines were a yummy pressie from my friend Linda – thanks again Linda:) I was lucky to have won a fab prize at Lily Pad cards for this card and was amazed with the wonderful box of ribbon I received from May Arts. The green leaf ribbon, which I love, was part of the prize. As for the big red heart I haven’t a clue where it came from – maybe a Christmas cracker or something!

Cracked Bird Collage

I made this card for a couple of challenges, the Fanatical About Botanical Challenge in the Moxie Fab World and the August Challenge at Hero Arts.

I love the look of collage cards but have never tried making one. So I got the Collage Bird stamp a little while ago to ease myself gently into something that isn't my usual style. I wanted an aged look on the Bird Collage image so I stamped it on cream card, coloured with ProMarkers and applied antique linen and pumice stone distress inks. After that I clear embossed the whole image about 5 times and had some fun cracking the embossing for a more distressed look.



Stamps (Hero Arts) - Bird Collage & Old Letter Writing

My friend Trinh sent me the gorgeous background paper. Sometimes I find it hard to cut into gorgeous papers (or fabrics) so I just braced myself and went for it here! The flower embellishment is all thanks to my friends – my mum for the button, Sally for the seam binding (applied antique linen distress ink to it), Linda for the cream flower (applied antique linen distress ink and stamped the Old Letter Writing with walnut stain distress ink) and Trinh again for the green flower (applied copper stickles to the edges) – thanks again everyone:)