Storage Ideas - Ribbon

As I've been crafting for some time now, like most crafters I have lots of ribbon. I have been keeping my Create and Play Club ribbons still on their spools in a separate container, but as I collect more types of ribbon I may change this method of storage.

I drink lots of  Moccona Coffee, and have found the jars to be excellent for ribbon storage. I keep each colour in a separate jar, and store the jars in a deep drawer that is meant for files. I read  a book that suggested that visual people should store things in clear containers and I have found that it works better for me.

 I'm not a naturally well-organised person, but having spent ages cleaning out my craft room, I determined for it not to return to its old chaotic state!

Happy creating,

Helen.

1 Stamp Set 2 Ways

Here is a birthday card that I made using the Memories Collection stamp set. I thought that the stamps looked a bit like poinsettias, so using the same materials, but different colours, I made the Christmas card below.

I used cardstock from the Super Assortments So Mod paper pad. In the Christmas card, I stamped the flowers onto red card and glued 2 images together to make each flower. In the birthday card, I stamped the same flowers onto 2 different shades of pink card, cut the centres from the darker pink card and glued them to the lighter pink flowers.

 The edges of the birthday card were inked with pink ink and the Christmas one with Venetian Lace ink. I used the same inks to colour the lowercase chipboard letters, but they didn't stand out enough so I highlighted them with white and black gel pens. The "birthday" and "Christmas" words were stamped using the alphabet from the Creative collection stamp set. I also highlighted the leaves with a white gel ink pen that was smudged to give a more subtle look.

I share some more Christmas cards soon!

Happy creating,

Helen.

Gift Card Holder

A very clever friend of mine, Frances Byrne, showed me how to make these terrific gift card holders. Above is what the front of the card looks like, and here is the inside:

As I'm giving my nieces I-tunes gift cards this Christmas, I'll be making a few of these.

Frances has posted a video link that gives directions for this card. Check it out here.

I have used a sheet of Gulfstream Foundations cardstock for my card base and embellished it with items from the Santa's Workshop kit. To make the speech bubble inside the card, I traced the frame of the speech bubble die-cut onto white card and cut it out.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Shaped Cards - Christmas Present

Here is another shaped card made with the Doodlebug Essential's Santa's Workshop Collection kit.

To make this card, draw a square  the size that you would like your finished card to be onto a piece of stiff card, then draw a few loops at the top of the square, to look like ribbon on top of a present. Cut out this shape. This is your template.

Fold in half a piece of green card that is the same width as your template. Place the template onto the green card, with the left side of the template against the fold of the green card. Trace and cut out.

This is what the inside of the card will look like when finished. I added a die cut from the kit that a message can be written on.

Now to embellish the card:

1. Trace the square part of the template (without the bow) onto a piece of patterned paper. Cut this out and put aside.
2. Cut a strip of red card that is the width of the piece of patterned paper you have just cut out. Adhere to the top of the patterned paper. (I used part of the strip of one of the patterned pieces of paper that displays the company's name and is usually cut off and thrown away. Don't waste anything! :) )
3. Adhere a sticker and a die-cut from the Santa's Workshop kit to this patterned piece of paper. 
4.  Accordion-fold a piece of red tulle so that when gathered at the bottom, it will cover the bow part of the card. Staple the tulle a couple of times at the bottom to hold its shape. Attach to the front of the card base with double-sided tape. If necessary, trim the tulle.
5. Using double-sided foam tape, attach the patterned and embellished piece of paper to the front of your card. If desired, add a journalling die-cut from the kit to the inside.
6. You're finished!

This shape can also be used to make birthday cards. All materials used are available from Create and Play Club. Please contact me if you wish to place an order :)

Happy creating,

Helen.

Shaped Cards - Christmas Tree

I like making unusually shaped cards and construction cards. Making a tree-shaped card is relatively easy. Onto a piece of stiff card, draw a triangle that's about the size of the card that you want to make, then draw a rectangle at the bottom for the trunk. Cut off the bottom left hand corner of the triangle part, then cut out the rest of the tree. This is your template.

(You could use the Large Bunting die for this project to save some time. Remember, for every nesting die set that you purchase from Create and Play Club this month, you will receive one free! I'm going to buy this bunting nesting die and the scalloped bunting nesting die set as I think that they will be great to use in many Christmas projects. Contact me if you would like to place an order.)

Fold in half a piece of green card that is the width and length of the template. Place the cut-off end of the triangle part of the template against the fold of the cardstock, then trace. Cut out through both layers of the card.
Now all you need to do is embellish your card.

This is what the inside of the card looks like.

This is how I decorated the tree:

1. Trace the tree template onto a sheet of double-sided adhesive jak paper (Available from Create and Play Club).
2.  Carefully peel off one of the layers of backing paper from the jak paper, and adhere it to your card base.
3.  Trace the base of the tree template onto a piece of brown card. Cut out and stick to the base of your card.
4. This is where you can use up all of your paper scraps. Cut varying pieces of co-ordinating patterned papers into strips. The width of the strips is up to you. You can make them all the same width or vary them if you like. All the papers that I used in this card come from the Doodlebug Essentials Santa's Workshop Collection.
5.  Starting from the top of the tree, layer the strips onto the sticky top of your card. Trim each layer of papers to fit the card base as you stick it down.
6. Place a layer of double-sided tape along the horizontal join of each paper layer. Place varying colours of velvet scalloped ribbon along the strips of tape. Trim to fit the card.
7. I added a die-cut from the Santa's Workshop Collection kit to the bottom left corner of the tree, and an elf cut from one of the papers to the tree top.
8.  Add some Glitzin Glamour, and you're finished!

Tomorrow I'll show you another shaped Christmas card.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Ann's Birthday Card

My cousin Ann's birthday was on Monday, and as usual, my card will be late! (Those November birthdays sneak up on me!)

Here is another card made with the Doodlebug Essentials Colorwheel kit. This time I made the card from a piece of double-sided printed card that is provided in the kit. The bracket shape on the bottom edge of the card front was made by tracing one of the die cuts. (Don't throw those left-over pieces out - they make great templates!) I then inked the edge with Artichoke ink.

The row of dots in the middle of the card front was cut from a piece of the patterned card, and then edged with a black pen to make it stand out.

 The section in the middle of the card was also made by tracing some of the die cut frames from the kit onto white and green card, and then cutting them out and inking the edges. (Of course if you already own dies in these shapes, you can then cut them out with your Cuttlebug to save time. I'm just trying to show you how versatile these kits can be).

Happy creating,

Helen.

November Specials

Create & Play Club | November 2012 Promotions

 

Create and Play with Couture Creations Nesting Dies

 

Take advantage of our November special and add to your nesting die collection.

 Buy One Get One FREE Promotion is available until November 30th 2012

Create and Play with Provocraft Cricut Expression V2 

with a BONUS FREE Cricut Cuttables Stamp Kit

Purchase a Cricut Expression V2 Machine and receive a Bonus FREE Cricut Cuttables Stamp Kit.

A fabulous Christmas gift idea.

Lets you create your own clear stamps from any cartridge image you choose.

Create your own stamps for any special occasion.

 

This offer is available until 30th November 2012 or while stocks last.

Colourwheel Birthday Card

I realized on Saturday afternoon that I hadn't made a birthday card for a friend of mine, who I was seeing on Sunday. The Doodlebug Essentials Colourwheel Collection paper and embellishments kit is great for when you want to make cards in a hurry.

I made a square card out of hot pink cardstock, and glued the semi-circle cut-out from the kit onto the front of the card. I then cut away the pink card around the scalloped edge and adhered a piece of purple card to the inside of the card.

 I then cut 3 flag shapes out of some of the papers in the kit and glued them to the card front. Letter stickers, also from the kit, make up the saying and the rest of the embellishments are also from the kit.

I added a cut-out from the kit to the inside of the card. (As you can probably guess from the smudged writing, yes I am left-handed :)  Luckily my friend won't mind!)

This Colourwheel kit costs $35.00 and is available from me. Please email me if you would like to place an order. All orders over $100 will receive 10% of their order cost in free products from the catalogue. 

Happy creating,

Helen.

Bec's Birthday Card

My daughter turns 20 on Tuesday, so I made her this card.

I embossed most of the pink Core-dinations card front with the Bouquet embossing folder, and then sanded it to make the image stand out. All the rest of the embellishments are from the Doodlebug Essentials Colorwheel kit, except for the chipboard letters and numbers, which I covered in Purple and Violet Glitzin Glamour.

The Happy Birthday message on the card was created using the alphabet rub-ons in the kit. The frame surrounding the number 20 was made from the 2 bracket die cuts in the kit, which were stuck to some white card and then cut around.

Some of the embossed flowers were coloured with a white gel pen to make them stand out.

I have quite a lot of friends and family celebrating their birthdays in November. Every year I say I'm going to be organized and make them early, but it never happens!

Happy creating,

Helen.

Storage Ideas - Scrap Paper

This may not look very organized, but it seems to be working okay for me!

I file scraps of paper by colour in separate clear folders. These folders are then stored in a large clear container, which just fits onto a shelf in my craft room. Before I cut into a sheet of card, I check my scrap box to see if there's any suitable in there.

As I collect more Create and Play Club card, I will make a separate scrap box for it too.

I have seen a few scrap paper storage systems that are much tidier than this, but this is a lot better than how it used to be stored, which was in piles all over my craft room! :)

Happy creating,

Helen.

Ho Ho Ho Collection Cards (Merry Xmas No. 3)

 

Here is the last of the 3 cards that I've made with the Merry Xmas Embossing Folder from the Ho Ho Ho Collection.

I embossed the image onto white card, then coloured the embossed areas with a gold gel pen. I then embossed the Merry Christmas label  only from the design, cut it out, then coloured the raised areas with a pink pen. I cut the inside of the frame, including the words, from the image that I coloured with pink pen, and glued this piece onto the image coloured with the gold pen.

Some Pink Diva and Seaspray gemstones were then added to the ornaments, and a strip of Taffy coloured scalloped velvet ribbon was adhered to the top of the card with double-sided tape. The white card front was then attached to a teal folded card, which was made from a sheet of one of the Super Assortments pads.

 

 Here again are all of the 3 cards that I made with this embossing folder. These folders are very versatile. All the materials used in these cards are available from the Create and Play Club, and I can organize shipping straight to your door, or if you live in the Brisbane area, I can personally deliver them to you if you prefer. For more details, please email me at createandplayhelen@gmail.com.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Ho Ho Ho Collection Cards (Merry Xmas No. 2)

 

Here is the second of 3 cards that I've made with my Merry Xmas embossing folder, which is from the new Ho Ho Ho Collection.

This time I embossed the design onto white card. I then inked one side of the embossing folder (the side with the Couture Creations logo on it) with a cranberry ink pad, which is one of the colours in the Tulip Fields pigment ink set. To clean the embossing folder, I wiped it with a baby wipe and then dried it on an old towel.

If you like "fussy cutting" like I do, you'll like the next step :) Cut around the Merry Christmas label and the birds and the ornaments, then mount them with foam tape onto the embossed white card front. It's hard to see in the photo, but I then highlighted all the embossed areas with Crystal Glitz'N'Glamour. (Love this stuff!)

The card front is then mounted onto a red folded card.

In my next post, I'll share the 3rd card that I made using this embossing folder.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Ho Ho Ho Collection Cards (Merry Xmas No. 1)

Today I finally had time to play with one of my new embossing folders from the Ho Ho Ho Collection. This one is called Merry Christmas. (CO723271).

I made 3 cards using this folder. For my first one, I used purple card from one of the Super Assortment pads. After embossing, I sanded it with the Couture Creations sanding block. It's a bit hard to see in this photo, but I edged the frame in silver Glitz' N' Glamour and added some crystal gemstones to the centres of some of the ornaments.

I tied a knot in the middle of a piece of white tulle to make a bow and added it to the card with some 3L Dods. This purple card front was adhered to a piece of white card, then to a purple folded card.

This card was pretty quick to make. (I tend to "fiddle-faddle" a lot with my cards!:) )

In my next 2 posts I'll share the other 2 cards that I made with this embossing folder.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Christmas Tree Boxes

A friend of mine, Joy, showed me the pattern for this Christmas tree box, and I had to have a go at making a couple of them.

(I'm happy to share the template but first have to work out how to do that on this blog. All suggestions gratefully received! :) )

I traced the template onto green cardstock, then traced and cut out the trees from white card. I then coloured the berries and the leaves with metallic gel pens. After assembling the box, I poked a hole through the top of both the trees and added a star brad. I didn't have any gold or silver star brads, so I  used a pastel coloured one from my stash and covered it with silver glitter glue.

These boxes can easily fit 2 Ferrero Rochers. ( You can squeeze three in if you like.)

 

Here is another  version of the same box. it is made the same way, but this time I made the base from white card and the trees from green card, and used the Merry Christmas words embossing folder.

After embossing the trees, I sanded them with the Couture Creations Sanding Block.The card that I used has a white core which is exposed when sanded.

Materials used:

Card: CD222 Grasshopper, CD 87 Bright White

Embossing folders: CO723153 Alora, CR900050 Merry Christmas

Hybrid Gel Grip pens: PK230MB Metallic Red, PK230MD Metallic Green

Glitter Glue: CO721970 Silver

CO723060 Couture Creations Sanding Block.

Remember, there are only a few days left to take advantage of our Embossing Folders Sale - buy 5 and get 5 for free! Please contact me for more details.

Next I'll show you some creations that I've made with the new Ho Ho Ho Christmas embossing folders.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Doodlebug Classic Collection Mini- Pizza Box

Here is the mini-pizza box that I made to hold my 4 mini-cards. I found the pattern on-line, but I think there are a few versions of this box available. The second photo is of the top of the box, again using items from the Doodlebug Classic Collection kit.

I'm planning on making a few of these sets as Christmas presents for friends, using papers and accessories that I have in my stash.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Doodlebug Classic Mini-Card No.4

Here is the 4th mini-card that I've made from the Doodlebug Essentials Classic Collection kit. This time I've added some purple card from my card scrap box, a piece of Create and Play Club's black scalloped velvet ribbon and a couple of Adalyn white flowers. (The smallest flower was coloured purple by using the Grape dye ink pad and a sponge dauber).

 The black butterfly has a strip of purple card wrapped around it to make antennae and the words were again made with the black alphabet rub-ons that came with the kit.

I've had this purple patterned paper in my stash for about 10 years! I'm trying to use up some of my older stuff so I used it for the card insert and to make the envelope.

In my next post I'll show you the mini-pizza box that I made to hold these 4 mini-cards and envelopes.

I really want to start making my Christmas cards, but have just realized that I have 6 birthday cards that I need to make before then! I always say that next year I'll be organized for Christmas early, but it never seems to happen!

Happy creating,

Helen.

Doodlebug Classic Collection Mini-Card No. 3

Here is the third of my mini-cards that I've made with the Doodlebug Essentials Classic Collection kit.

I've added some red card and white tulle this time to the kit. The tulle is wrapped around the spotted paper and adhered at the back. The oval frame is a die-cut and the words are made with the rub-on letters. I ran out of the letter "y" so I made one out of the letters "u" and "n". I added some images that were cut out of the patterned papers.

Back with one more mini-card soon.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Doodlebug Clasic Collection Mini-Card No.2

Here is the second of my mini-cards made with the Doodlebug Essentials Classic Collection kit.

This time I've added green card and a scrap of green ribbon to the kit. The tag is a die-cut, to which I've added a small square of white card and edged that with a black pen. The "4U" is made from the rub-on sheet. I punched a circle of green card, added a flower sticker on top and glued this on the bottom right corner. The brad attached to the tag is actually black, but adding Crystalina Glitzin' Glamour to it has actually made it look green!

The matching envelope is made from a square of white paper. (You can make 4 mini-envelopes from one 12" x 12" sheet of paper). I've lined this one with a piece of spotted paper from the kit.

Another mini-card will come soon.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Doodlebug Classic Mini-Card No.1

After making a scrapbook lay-out and a couple of cards with the Doodlebug Classic Collection kit, I still have quite a lot of it left. Below is one of the 4 mini-cards and matching envelopes that I have made from the kit.

Like most crafters, I have amassed quite a large collection of card scraps,ribbon and other bits and pieces that need to be used up, so I've added a few of these to the card set. (In future posts, I'll share with you how I store all of this stuff).

I admire the "clean and simple" style, but find it very hard to create those sorts of cards - I keep adding more and more bits and pieces :). If you prefer a simpler style, you can pare down the cards by removing some of the embellishments.

The beauty of this kit being in just black and white is that you can add any one other colour to create an entirely different look.

I've made a 3 1/2" x 7" card of black cardstock and scored down the middle. All the materials used in this card (except for the black and peach cardstocks and a scrap of peach ribbon) come from the Doodlebug Classic Collection kit. A scrap of peach card has been embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. I've layered one of the die-cuts from the kit onto the peach card. "Thinking of You" is made from the rub-on alphabet. All the flowers and leaves (except for the peach ones) are stickers or images cut from the patterned papers.

Tip: Keep your left-over bits from die-cut and sticker sheets as they make great templates.

The edges remaining from a flower sticker are stuck onto a scrap of peach card, traced and cut out to make the peach flowers.

Some of the images on the card are raised using foam tape, and I've gone crazy with the Crystalina Glitzin' Glamour as usual :)

The matching envelope is made with some peach card and finished off with a flower sticker.

I'll share some more of these cards over the next few days.

Happy creating,

Helen.

New Couture Creations Folders!

Aren't these beautiful! I can feel another order coming on! :)

Contact me if you'd like to place an order too. Remember, if you order 5 folders you get 5 more for FREE!

Happy creating,

Helen.

October Specials

 

Hostess Special for October

Book and host a Workshop during October and receive a Bonus!
1 Couture Creations Stamp Set FREE plus 10% of sales in product

Couture Creations & Craft Concept
 

Embossing Folder Special
 

Purchase 5 and receive 5 FREE
 

(the same or lesser value) 

 

Contact me for more details.

 

Helen.

 

Doodlebug/ Doily Collection Card

 My friend Coral's birthday was this week and we are celebrating tomorrow with a special lunch. This is the card that I made for her.

I used my new Doily Collection stamp set and the Doodlebug Essentials Classic Collection paper kit. The pink card from the Super Assortments paper pad was embossed using the Bouquet embossing folder, and then distressed with the sanding tool. I also added some white tulle.

Coral loves bling so I hope this is "blingy" enough for her :)

Happy creating,

Helen.

My First Create and Play Lay-Out

I'm back from holidays and finally have my computer fixed, so I can start posting again! Our holiday was wonderful. I took over 900 photos and now I have to upload and edit them all, so I won't be running out of pictures to scrapbook in a long time!

I have lots of old photos to scrapbook too, and this is one of the older ones, taken on our 3rd anniversary on New Year's Eve, 1986.

I've used the items in the Doodlebug Essentials Classic Collection kit (DB3163, p.14 of the catalogue) and yellow and green cardstock from the Super Assortment cardstock pad (p.52, CDSAE). I sanded  the green piece of card with my sanding block (CO723060, p.58). The edges of all the frames were inked in black.

A piece of striped paper from the kit was added to the left side of the page and edged with white crocheted lace (ACR58208, p.17). A couple of the Adalyn flowers were inked using a yellow ink pad. Brads and stickers from the kit and flower motifs cut from one of the papers completed the lay-out.

This is how I made the picture frame:

I traced the die cut (which is on the right side of the frame) onto the lined paper in the kit, and used another piece of patterned paper from the kit to join both pieces to make the frame big enough for the photo. To make the scrolled edges on the top and bottom piece, I traced and cut around part of one of the smaller  frames in the die-cut sheet.

Today I received another order from Create and Play Club, which included some patterned paper pads. The designs are beautiful! I'll be creating some items with them soon.

Happy creating,

Helen.

50th Card

I'm leaving for Europe this Saturday but needed a quick 50th birthday card for someone before I left. I made this card using papers and stickers from the Doodlebug Essentials kit called Colorwheel (DB1164).

Using a sheet of card from the Super Assortment So Mod paper pad and the Blossom Yarn Doily Die (CO723114), I cut the doily which is in the centre of the card.

(Tip: Always use a sheet of wax paper between the die and the card when cutting to make it easier to remove the die cut from the die. Also the piercing tool from the Handheld Essentials tool kit (CO721986) will remove any tiny bits that haven't quite separated from the inside of the die).

I inked the chipboard numbers (Numbers Board CO723169) with Taffy ink (from Pearlised Accent Inks: Siren & Taffy set, C70451). They will need a few coats, letting them dry between each one. I then adhered the numbers to the card and then covered them with Crystalina Glitter Glue (CO721971). I also added the glitter glue to the centres of the flowers.

The green scalloped piece in the middle is a die cut from the Doodlebug kit. (I added a couple of flowers that I cut out from one of the papers to cover up a smudge that I made from one of the inked numbers. Don't you hate it when you do that?!)

The butterflies and tags are also from the Doodlebug paper set. I didn't want the word "together" that originally was on the bottom tag though, so I covered it with white card and stamped the word "birthday" (from the All Occasions Phrases Collection Stamp Set - CO723122) in black ink on top. 

This paper pack is great for creating quick cards. When I come back from holidays I'll make some more cards with this kit.

This will be my last post for a while but I'll be back after I return home on the 11th September. I'm very excited but have heaps to do before I leave! :)

Helen.

It's A Girl!

My cousin recently had a baby girl, and also my daughter's best friend is expecting a girl, so I wanted to make them cards before I go on holidays.

I saw  a card in the supermarket recently that I liked but it was quite a big size, and I wanted a standard sized one, so I thought I'd have a go at making my own template. After much fiddling, I came up with this.

I would have liked to have used the "Welcome" stamp from the Animal Crackers Collection stamp set instead of the printed ribbon (from my old stash) but I don't own it yet. (It's a very cute set). Cardstock used is from the Super Assortments So Mod collection.

The children enjoyed making the Father's Day cards yesterday (see previous post), but there are still about 40 cards that need to be finished, so that will keep me busy tonight :)

Happy creating

Helen.

Suit Card

I was happy to receive some of my back-ordered Create and Play Club items today. One of the items was the Doodlebug Essentials Classic Collection paper pack. Here is what is in the pack:

There are 4 sheets of double-sided papers in this pack. This photo shows 1 side of each of the papers and a sheet of stickers.

Here is the other side of the papers and a sheet of frame embellishments.

The paper pack also includes 2 packets of brads and a sheet of letter stickers.

I want to use this kit to make a selection of cards and will buy another one later to use in scrapbooking lay-outs. Here is my first card using this paper pack:

A friend gave me the original instructions for this card, but the size was quite a bit bigger and I wanted to make it as an A5 card, so I had a play and changed the measurements of the templates to suit. Apart from the Jet Black and Smooth Snowcap cardstock, and a small piece of red tissue paper, everything else comes from the Classic Collection paper pack.

I have to make 50 kits up of this card by Sunday, as I'm making it with a group of Sunday School children as a Father's Day card. (I'll use papers and embellishments from my stash for these cards as I don't have enough of the Doodlebug paper). I would have liked to teach this card from my home too as a Father's Day class, but I'm going overseas in 2 weeks and just don't have the time to fit it in before I go. I'm thinking of teaching it as part of a Male Card class later though, so if you think you might be interested in that class please email me at createandplayhelen@gmail.com and I'll let you know when the class is available.

I'd better get started with making up all those kits! As soon as they are done, I'll share a couple more cards that I'll make with this pack. I also bought the Doodlebug Essentials Colorwheel Collection paper pack, so will share some cards made with that soon too.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Sparkling Spring Hearts

Here is another card that I made today using the Sparkling Spring Collection stamp set. I stamped the image twice - once with Artichoke ink and another time with Strawberry ink. I cut the hearts from the Strawberry image and adhered them to the Artichoke image. (On 3 of them I used mounting tape).

I rounded the corners on the red and white pieces of card by placing a Glitter Glue bottle on the corner, tracing around it, then cut it out. The black piece is punched using the Floral Lace border punch (M284002). The punched black flowers and the brackets were made from off-cuts from the punched image.

The Get Well Soon image is also from the Sparkling Spring Collection stamp set and is stamped in Strawberry ink.I highlighted the centres of the hearts and flowers with silver glitter glue.

Happy creating,

Helen.

Flower Power

Finally I have gotten over a nasty dose of flu (even though I had the flu needle) and bronchitis and can get back to creating.

For this card, I stamped the large swirl from the Finishing Touches stamp set twice in Guava ink.

TIP: It is a good idea to buy pens in colours that match your ink pads. Then if you miss stamping a bit of the image, you can fill it in with the co-ordinating coloured pen. Create and Play Club sells some lovely blending markers (pages 24 and 25 of the catalogue), which I need to start collecting. As I don't have any of them yet, I used a gold pen to fill in a small gap and also to highlight parts of the image.

I wanted to colour various parts of the main flower image (from the Sparkling Spring Collection stamp set), which would have been easy to do had I owned some of the above-mentioned pens. (Colour various parts of the stamp with different coloured pens, "huff" on the stamp to moisten the ink, then stamp on card.) I decided to experiment with colouring various parts of the stamp with sponge daubers dabbed into Banana, Guava and Artichoke ink pads. (Use a separate dauber for each coloured ink and wipe off the the dauber after dabbing onto the ink pad and image to avoid transferring the colours onto the ink pads and muddying them).

I felt that there wasn't enough pink in the image, so I inked a dauber in Guava, wiped the excess onto
scrap paper, then lightly sponged over parts of the flowers. (It's a bit hard to see on the photo). I then layered the image onto a piece of pink card and sanded the edges. Gold photo corners (which I received in my Basic Tool Kit) were placed on each corner and the centres of the flowers were highlighted with crystal gemstones and Crystalina glitter glue.


I would love to be able to afford to own all the specialty ribbons now, but like most of us, I'm on a budget and have to start out with a few varieties and gradually add to them. The white crocheted lace is very versatile as it can be coloured with sponge daubers and ink pads. I coloured one side of a piece of white crocheted lace using the Banana ink pad and the other with the Guava ink pad. It was then tied around the card.


Finally, the main image was adhered to the card and For You (from the Sparkling Spring Collection stamp set) was stamped in Guava ink in the bottom corner.

(The card was photographed a bit lop-sided, sorry!)

This card and the previous one were made with white card and the Super Assortments So Mod paper pack. This time I stamped the image 3 times: once each in Guava, Artichoke and Grape ink. I then cut out the Guava flowers and the Grape butterflies and mounted them onto the artichoke image. (I've just realised that one of the flowers is still green - whoops! :) )

The reason that I cut around one side of the flowers is because I'd smudged ink on the white card! I'm a messy stamper :) I highlighted the bobbles on the pink ribbon with Guava ink (hard to see in the photo) and adhered it to the front of the white card on one side and under the card on the other side.

 A flower border from the Borders Collection stamp set was stamped in Guava onto a strip of pale pink card, layered onto a strip of darker pink card and then attached to the white piece, covering one end of the Pom Pom ribbon. This whole piece was then layered onto pale pink and then dark pink card. I stamped the top and bottom of a purple card with a small image from the Sparkling Spring Collection stamp and then attached the main piece to the front of the card.

The  Frame  (from All Occasions Phrases Collection stamp set) and For You (from the Sparkling Spring Collection set were stamped in Guava. The frame was cut out, sponged with Grape ink and attached to the card.

 Most times I can't resist adding Crystalina glitter glue to my cards and this was used on the flower centres.

A lot of the items I used were from the Basic Tool kit (photo corners, adhesives, gold pen, sanding block) and the Introductory Stamping kit (ink pads, sponge daubers and 2 of the stamp sets) but these items are also available separately. Other items used were:

Stamp sets - $22.00 each - CO723124 Finishing Touches Collection

                                       CO723122 All Occasions Phrases Collection

CDGXCF88 12" x 12" Smooth Snowcap cardstock ($7.50 for 10 sheets)

CDASM Super Assortments So Mod cardstock ($67 for 80 sheets)

Specialty ribbon - $5.00 each: ACR58244 Blush Pom Pom (3 yds)

                                            ACR58208 White Crocheted Lace (2 yds)

CO721996 Crystal Gemstones - $2.25

CO721971 Crystalina Glitter Glue - $4.00

Hopefully I'll get the chance to make some more cards tomorrow :)

Happy creating,

Helen.

                                            

I used my supplies for the first time today, and made 3 cards. Here they are:

I embossed 3 pieces of card (one black, 1 white and 1 pink) with a Romantique Embossing Folder on page 73 of the catalogue called "Breeze". (Item no. is CO723164). These embossed images were the basis of the 3 cards that I made.

For the card above, I cut off the top half of the black embossed piece and adhered it to the white embossed piece.I then cut the middle section out of the pink embossed piece and adhered it to cover where the black and white pieces met.

This is where I made a boo-boo: I glued the wrong side of the pink piece! There are never any mistakes in card-making though :) so I glued the correct side down and then covered the exposed glued side with glitter.

I then trimmed this piece down and layered it onto some pink card.

I filled in the black raised areas with a silver gel pen (item no. PK230Z) and the white raised areas with a black Millenium pen (ZMS05010). Both of these pens can be found on page 23 of the catalogue and were received as part of the basic tool kit.

The Happy Birthday frame was stamped in Guava ink using the All Occasions Phrases Collection set. (I cut the happy birthday stamp in half so that I could stamp it length-ways). I then cut out the frame and adhered it to the base card.


I was going to stamp the 3 butterflies from the Springtime Collection stamp set  in a ColorBox Bubblegum dye ink pad - until I realised that I didn't own a bubblegum ink pad! The only pink ink pad I have is Guava (CO8110) so I stamped them in the Guava ink onto some matching pink card. I cut them out, added some detail with the same black pen that I'd used earlier, then mounted them (using CO721964 Foam Mounting Tape) onto the base card. They were then highlighted with Silver Glitter Glue. (CO721970).

The white flower is from the Adelyn Flower Collection - Floral Sampler (CO723073) and I attached it to the card with a black brad from my stash. (I'm waiting on the arrival of 2 Doodlebug Paper sets that I have on back-order. These contain brads, as well as papers and other accessories).  I should have attached this before layering everything onto the pink base card, but it doesn't matter.

This card uses the remaining pieces of the embossed pink card piece. I sanded the raised images on both pieces and coloured in part of the bottom image with a dark blue pen from ZWSBRO2 Zig Watercolour System Brush Markers.

The Best Wishes stamp is from the Springtime Collection Stamp Set and The Frame is from the All Occasions Phrases Collection set. I coloured them with the same blue pen used above, using the flat side of the broad tip of the marker. The butterfly is also stamped by colouring in the image with the blue pen. The top pink piece of card is trimmed with some Blush Pom Pom ribbon (ACR58244) and then both pieces of pink card are adhered to a dusky blue card.

I then sanded around the edges of the card. Also I coloured a sponge dauber with the same blue pen and smudged it around the edges of the card, the stamped frame and a white Adelyn flower. The butterfly was then mounted onto the card and the frame and flower were adhered. Some pearls and Crystalina Glitter Glue finished the card.

This is the last card that I made today, using the remaining piece of embossed black card which was sanded and then adhered to a yellow card. The image at the bottom is from the Springtime Collection (stamped in Licorice ink). The With Love and Frame stamps are from the All Occasions phrases sets. The frames and the words in this set are separate from each other so that they can be mixed and matched.

The butterflies from the Springtime Collection set are stamped in Banana ink onto white card and highlighted with the black pen before mounting them onto the base card. (I tried to highlight them also with a white gel pen but my old one died - I need to order a new one).

Both the top embossed and the bottom stamped images are also highlighted with a gold gel pen and a black pen. A white Adalyn flower is attached and the whole card is then finished off with some Crystalina Glitter Glue and some Crystal Gemstones.

Here are the materials that I used in the 3 cards:

Stamp sets: CO723121 Springtime Collection $22.00

CO723122 All Occasions Phrases Collection $22.00

CDGXF88 Smooth Snowcap 12"x12" Cardstock - $7.50 for a pack of 10 sheets

CD90 12"x12" Jet Black cardstock - 90 cents per sheet

The pink, yellow and dusky blue cardstocks used were from the Super Assortments Collection Pads on pages 52 and 53:

CDSAE Super Assortments Elements

and

CDSASM Super Assortments So Mod

These pads each have 80 sheets (2 each of 40 colours) and are $67.00 each.

I used a lot of items that I received in my basic tool kit, including: 

PK230X Gold Pen - $5.25

PK230Z Silver pen - $5.25

ZMS05010 Black journal pen - $5.50

CO723060 Sanding Block - $6.00

I used Premium Dye Based ink pads that I received in my Introductory Stamping Kit:

CO8107 Licorice

CO8105 Banana

CO8110 Guava

All these pads cost $6.75 each if ordered separately.

I also used these items from the same kit:

CO721949 Acrylic Block set (to mount stamps on when using them): $22.50

CO723061 Sponge Daubers (set of 10) - $17.00

Extra items used were:

ACR58244 Blush Pom Pom ribbon (3 yards) - $5.00

CO721996 Crystal Gemstones - $2.25

CO721998 Moonlight pearls - $2.25

CO721970 Silver Glitter Glue - $4.00

CO721971 Crystalina Glitter Glue - $4.00CO723073

Adalyn Collection Flowers - White Floral Sampler (pack of 24 flowers) - $12.00

If you want to order any of these items, please email me at

createandplayhelen@gmail.com

I think that's the lot! Hope you like the cards. I'll be back with more soon! :)

Happy creating,

Helen.