Just love him..

He is so adorable and truly scrumptious!
My Grandson Jake, just had to blog this cutey! x

Just loving..

These new stamps from Papermania, Portobello Road.  I know that there are papers, embellishments and ribbons that match these stamps but to be honest you really don't need them.  These stamps are just brilliant on there own. 
I had such fun creating this card for Dad, his passion for buses and stamps fitted with these sets beautifully.  I have used both sets of Portobello Road, Urban postage and Urban Vintage.  I stamped randomly using Stampin Up! Not Quite Navy, covered the lower half with the blue cardstock and then stamped Big Ben using Archival black on white cardstock, the Taxi uisng versamark onto black cardstock and then white embossing powder, the bus was stamped using the Archival onto red cardstock but stamped this bus twice.  Cut out the images, layer up the bus so that it is more 3D using foam pads.  Tuck Big Ben and the Taxi into the blue egde and glue down.  Lay the Made in Britain ribbon across the blue cardstock and glue down, now add the bus in between the other two cut outs.  Cut the words Dad from the Tim Holtz Inside Out die in blue and white, glue onto strip of red cardstock.  Next stamp the postage stamp using Stampin Up! ink Ruby Red, versamark all over the image and then clear embossing powder and heat until shiny, cut out, add foam pads to the back, do not add this at this stage as I stitched in red around the artwork.  It needed some red at the top either side to balance out the colour so I stamped just GB 2012 from the postage stamp again and cut out and put foam pads behind and added a red gem at the top of Big Ben.  All card stock is from Payper Box. Finally add the postage stamp at the bottom and of course make an insert for your card and you are all done.  Really, really love this card, going to see what else I can create.  I think its very fitting for the currect trends-Olympics, Diamond Jubilee and lets not forget ...lets keep it all Made in Britain! x

Cool Nation..

My good friend and I met up "for a catch up" a while back and she went on to tell me about her son and his new found activity...making ginger beer. I think she was just taken aback at just how much he had made and how every container available had been used.  For me, this provided a great start for a card for his Birthday.  I wanted to use an iconic fridge design, something a bit retro but also very now and the Union Jack Smeg fridge fitted the bill with its rounded corners, the large handle and of course the Smeg brand.  I thought it would be a clean and colourful design and when opened it would offer some of the ginger beer bottles that had been made.

I have used Payper Box cardstock on this card along with Stampin Up! 1" and 3/4" punches and the new Tim Holtz aphabet die Inside Out.  This fridge card would be great for a lot of occassions, you could use it for beer, wine, chocolate, fruit, anything that you would normally find in a fridge that the recipient likes.  I have been thinking of creating an American themed fridge with stars and stipes on the outside and inside having things like, Dunkin donuts, Herseys and Root Beer.  You can see where I am going with this? Let you imagination help you create.  It's amazing where we get our inspiration from, so as they say, just do it! xx

Patchwork card..

I have always fancied having a go at patchwork with cardstock and when I realised that my long time friend and art teacher's birthday was next up,  I wanted to give it a try.  I wanted to start with something simple and now that postage has increased so much I knew I had to keep it lighter and not too 3D.  With that all in mind I wanted to make something in "rustic" sort of natural colours and with Mrs G having a passion for elephants I also knew I had to incorporate that too.  I made my template from scrap paper and after many attempts, the shape is simple but effective.  I have used Sizzix embossing folders to give texture to the cardstock, the swirly one and the Tim Holtz, shattered glass one for the ear.  I platted some sewing thread for his tail and that moves around and gives the elephant some character.  It is all stitched in zig zag on the machine with a black brad for the eye.  All cardstock is from Payper box. Not too bad for a first attempt, now I just need to be brave enough and try something a little more complicated. x

Special order..

I have to say that I am very privileged to have so many special orders, it is quite an honour and an incredible amount of trust when someone asks you to make invitations for their special occasion.  Here is one order that I have just completed for a 30th Birthday, its glitz and glamour all the way and the cardstock is a combination of Payper box and SU designer cardstock, black wired ribbon, crystal ribbon buckle, black glitter cardstock and gems. The inserts are a heavy weight silver paper, printed with all the party details on them. These are very luxurious, just like the venue and the lady only deserves the best! x

Jake's 1st Easter..

I couldn't let it pass without mentioning my adorable Grandson, could I?  It was his first Easter and usually our family have an Easter egg hunt with a difference.  It's usually full on and quite unusual and each year had got more intense and clever, the family are very competetive(and sometimes cheat, you know who you are!)  It usually involves, a car and a set of clues.  The clues have varied from places of family history, once they solve that clue they go to the next destination and solve the next and so on. Or, it has been find 23 things that are Easter related from anywhere you like, you can beg, not steal and ask to borrow, using a camera for evidence. To solving puzzles in local destinations and taste testing 23 types of chocolate to identify what brand and flavour they are, how sick of chocolate were we after that one.  And so the Easters go on... This year I am fortunate to have my grandson over and the rest of my family and as it was Jake's first Easter,  I wanted to make it easy.  I was hoping for a lot of lovely photo's of Jake "finding" the eggs so that I could scrap them at a later date.  I had not quite planned on my Mother gathering them all up in her Easter basket leaving very few for my Grandson, my Mum on the other hand was very proud of herself for doing so well.  I had to smile. Still, Jake was very pleased with his findings of the Kinder eggs which he took great delight rolling round the lounge floor, it provided hours of entertainment for him with no chocolate eaten!  By the way, Yes, he is wearing a lamb's outfit bought by his Auntie Suze. Happy Easter. xx

Hardcore!

You might think that I have "lost the plot" but its that time of year again when I need to design a card for my good friend Al.  He loves saucy but this time I think I have probably gone too far?  This card is very "hardcore" and not for the faint hearted. Last year you may remember that I made him a bouncy bottom in lacy pants and suspenders, this time I thought that I would do the top half, still in the same colourways though.  I initially made a sketch and then a template to see if it would work out, as I had tried in the past and it just didn't look right, that is until now.  I knew that I wanted this woman to have big "breasticles" and that she was going to have a studded bra, then came the tattoo's and finally she had to have a piercing! The main body is made from pink Bazzill cardstock which I cut out from the template that I drew, the "breasticles" were cut using creative memories circle cutters, the nipples were made using the SU 1" and 1/2" punches, the same cardstock just coloured in using the copic flesh coloured pen.  The circles are layered up in different sized circles with foam tape and edged in the same coloured copic pen to add definition.  The I cut the bra using my template from shiny black cardstock to give it a PVC kind of feel and added the studs.  The studs were from Creative Beadcraft and they just push through the card and you fold back the "legs", so easy.  I added the nipples afterwards through the peephole studded bra, again using some foam tape and added a jumpring for the piercing.  With some extra shading on the woman's body and the rub on tattoo's (from Stamp Attic) it makes this hardcore card complete.  Happy Birthday Alan.  x