Send a Smile

Shopping List

Stampendous SSC 1048 Changito Shamrock

Magenta memor 216 Peacock Blue 

Sakura pencils

Crafty Edger+CP43-03 Scallop Flower cassette

6"x6" white linen card blank

Corner rounder punch

Lime & turquoise card 

Versafine Onyx Black

All available from:-

www.woodware .co.uk

Your local stockist is:-

Japonica

22 The Parade

Exmouth

EX8 1RW

01395 271739

Our theme this week is "Send a Smile" (we can all do with one of those sometimes can't we?) & no one sends a smile quite like Changito! I have chosen simple stamping & colouring with Sakura coloured pencils- have you tried them out yet? They are great & now available individualy ! I've used a piece of Magenta paper Peacock Blue for the background & given it the Crafty Edger treatment with one of the new cassettes which came out in July & this one is called Scallop Flower. As you can see I've kept it simple, layering onto the lime & turquoise card & rounding off all the corners. I think this is a charming little card for a best friend don't you?

Don't forget you can see the design on display at Japonica!

It's Blog Hop Week

Here's my second design for the week

Shopping List

Dreamweaver  stencils:-

Daisy Background LX7014

Birthday Words LG704

Dreamweaver Silver metallic embossing paste

Perfect Pearls powders

Versamark pad

Embellishment pins

Navy & pale gold organza ribbon

S/A pearls

Permanent marker

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Continuing our Dreamweaver blog hop week here's my second offering. I've chosen one of the new stencils, Daisy Background & stencilled onto navy card using silver embossing paste. When the paste was dry I replaced the stencil & applied the Versamark pad all over before softly adding green & gold Pearl powders to some of the flowers. The greeting comes from Birthday Words & I have added the yummy Dreamweaver embellishment pins with a mixed  ribbon bow. Some self adhesive pearls which I have coloured to match the pins with a permanent pen just completes my design.

It's Blog Hop Week!

Here's my first Dreamweaver design for this week

Shopping List

Dreamweaver Stencil LX7016 Season of Joy

Metallic gold embossing paste

Ultrafine Crystal glitter

Star border peel off

s/a pearls + Stickles Diamond

Black & white linen card

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local stockist is:-

Japonica

22, The Parade

Exmouth

EX8 1RW

01395 271739

I have used one of the lovely new Christmas designs from Dreamweaver for our blog hop week & have employed 2 different techniques using the same stencil to show how versatile they are.

For the outside of my card I have passed the stencil through my Cuttlebug using white vellum. For this you will need A plate+B plate+stencil+vellum+sillicon mat+B plate + some shims of card (you'll need to play about with this until you get the pressure just right so use some card scraps first). I have cut an aperture & have matched the vellum panel over the golden version on the inside of my card which gives it a sparkly frosted look.

If you haven't used stencils with embossing pastes before below is a step by step guide from the Dreamweaver team to help you.

Using Embossing Paste with Brass Stencils

This technique looks especially nice on dark card stock. It has a sharper edge to it than either dry or thermal embossing and, like dry embossing, it can also be stenciled with color. When iridescent powders are added to the regular embossing paste, the embossing almost has an "Indian sandpainted" look to it.

1. When using embossing paste on the brass stencils, you need to work quickly, because the paste sets up in 20-40 minutes and you don't want it to dry into the fine bridgework of the brass stencils.

2. Make sure you are working on a hard flat surface and the stencil needs to be flat against the surface, because, if it is bent, the paste will pull under the bridges and smear.

3. Tape out the edges well with removable tape.

4. Pick up the paste on the bottom of the metal palette knife and smooth over the stencil's cut out areas as if applying icing to a cake. Now the paste on the stencil is about 1/8"- 1/4" thick. At this point, scrape off the excess paste until all the holes are filled evenly and the stencil surface is smooth.

5. Immediately take off the tape and pick up the stencil from the paper--lifting it off in a straight up manner as much as possible. It is important to clean the stencil off immediately, so drop it into a pan of water until you have time to scrub it with a vegetable or nail brush. If there is a film or residue of paste on the stencil, use a rubber stamp cleaner that removes permanent inks. Apply it generously and scrub with a dry paper towel.

6. Set aside the paste project for 20-40 minutes and, when dry, put the cleaned stencil back in place and stencil with a variety of mediums.

Here is the inside of my design using the embossing paste technique & I have added a little crystal glitter to the trees & snow to add some frosting. The starry border is a peel off in gold & I have finished off the outside of the card with some pearls which I have frosted with some Stickles.

 See you tomorrow!

Paper Piecing

Shopping List

FRS216 Fields of Tulip

FRS111 Double Birthdays

Crafty Edger cassette Garland CP43-13

Magenta paper Pretty Gourds (221)

Artquest palette Stargazer

Ass Magenta scrapbook papers

Mark Richards orange Elements

Versafine Onyx Black

A5 gatefold cream card blank

Black card for mounting
All available from :-
www.woodware.co.uk
Your local stockist is:-
Japonca
22 The Parade
Exmouth
EX8 1RW
01395 271739

Paper piecing is, as my friend Jan Caudrelier always calls it, colouring in with paper! This great singles stamp by Francoise Read is just perfect for this theme. Simply choose papers that will lend themselves to your theme & which will compliment each other. Stamp your image onto each of your chosen paper & onto a plain piece of card which will be the base of your design. I have stamped onto a piece of cream card & colour washed it using the pearl Artquest Stargazer palette. Simply cut out the various pieces in your design & stick them onto the background. As you can see the result is very different & effective. It's also a chance to use up all those pieces of paper that we can't bear to throw away- yes we all do it don't we?! I have stamped the birthday greeting onto a piece of the Pretty Gourds paper & layered both pieces onto black card. I've also used this pretty paper to form borders for the sides of the card blank with one of the great new Crafty Edger (product of the year at the Cardmaking & Papercraft awards for this year!) cassettes which is called Garland. There are also 4 more new ones to chose from as well as all the originals, some with corresponding corners too. 

I have also stamped the plain image inside the card as I thought that it added a surprise element to a gatefold card. Have a go at paper piecing, it's fun!

Here's the inside of the card

I just couldn't help myself!

I just had to buy this lovely wicker heart at Japonica last weekend. I've had my eye on one for a while but I just couldn't resist getting out my punches, buttons, ribbons etc. & giving it a make over. It looks great in my hallway & makes me smile whenever I pass it! Little things!! 

Colour Splash

Shopping List

Magenta 26-042R Multiflower Frame Square

Brilliance Graphite Black & Moonlight White inkpads

Sakura Jelly Roll, Metallic & Stardust pens

Black & white card

6"x6" white card blank

Black s/a pearls

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local stockist is:-

Japonica

 22 the Parade 

Exmouth 

EX8 1RW

01395 271739

Colour splash normally means working in black & white with a splash of one colour, in this case blue. I kept it simple this week (didn't feel like being a smarty pants!!) & I have used a classic wooden mounted stamp from Magenta. I know we all favour our clear stamps & clings these days for ease of use,value for money & storage but there is nothing like the feel of a good wooden stamp is there ladies? (& gentlemen?) This is a large stamp from Magenta & I think it lends itself well to this weeks theme. Stamp twice with the constrasting inkpads & card & cut out the frames with a craft knife. If you find it difficult to get a good print with a large stamp simply place you craft mat on the floor & apply even pressure with your foot. After layering the contrasting frames back together I mounted the image onto black card before attaching to the card blank. As you will see I have used the Sakura pens to highlight some of the design & to add my colour splash at the centre & spilling out to the edges of the card. Some black pearls just finish my design.  

Here is the original stamp.