Happy birthday Hayley!

Today is my good friend Hayley's birthday and in the spirit of crafting and needlework here is the card I made for her.



Paper patchwork is just as much fun as fabric pathcwork, but much quicker! I still go a bit wonky though!



So simple to do - squares fo different DSP (retired Springtime Vintage and Newsprint in this case), stuck on to a plain piece of card then cut out in the Big Shot with the Top Note Die.

Then finished off with a couple of buttons and a ribbon made from the Victoria Crochet Ribbon.

We're celebrating Hayley's ageing this evening with food and booze.

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A little Something for Christmas

Back to the Christmas prep today - not long to go!

My cards this year will be focusing on the Something For Christmas stamp and the Holly Berry DSP.

I've also gone a bit crazy for embossing powder!



First up, a quick and simple card. I stamped in Cherry Cobbler and used Clear Embossing Powder. A bit of matting and it's good to go.



And then, some Gold Embossing Powder and the Holly Berry DSP. These patterned papers are gorgeous, and some even have glitter! I shaped them with the Top Note Die on my Big Shot.



Did I mention how much I love heat embossing powder?! Great effect.

Now to write my list for Santa. I have been really good this year. Honestly!

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A big load of Big Shot cards

Well, I have made it back for a quick blog again!

Not sure where I'm up to with letting you know about my life, but I have just moved house, so that has been providing me with much stress and hassle the past few weeks. And little time for crafting.

But I have had to make a few new cards, and the Big Shot came in very useful for saving me time!



I managed to make these four very quickly. Well, once I had dug everything out and stopped faffing about!

I have also mastered the art of making more of one of the same card at each time - economies of scale and all that!



Here I used the Fun Flowers die, which is simply marvellous. They are a really good size so you can use them as the main focal point. They're also perfect for brooches from fabric or felt.



And the Beautiful Wings Embosslit makes the sweetest little butterflies!

I teamed the butterflies and flowers with Springtim Vintage DSP, and added the Top Note die embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder for added dimension without taking away from the main focus.

Weekend is here again already, and this time I'm off to our Buns & Roses WI 80s party tonight, and the Embroiderers Guild meeting tomorrow. Then I shall attempt to chill out and watch the racing!

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A motorcycle card on a motorsports weekend

Is somebody stealing time at the moment? I think so! At least, mine is going somewhere!

Actually, I do know where its gone - I have moved house, had loads of work on and many things to do for the WI.

I was in London for a couple of days to visit the National Federation of Women's Institutes HQ and also for a spot of tourism - I went to the National Portrait Gallery and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

I managed to get (almost) everything in my new house with the help of my lovely friends.

Work has been crazy busy and is keeping me out of trouble.

And the WI seem to keep finding things for me to do as well!

All this means not much crafting has been going on. I can't even remember the last time I made a card! Hopefully next week when I have my craft space set up again I will be able to rectify the situation.

Now, in honour of the motorsport weekend (both Formula 1 and MotoGP this time!) here's a card using the Motorcycle stamp.



I also used the Big Shot and the Top Note and Swirls Scribbles dies. The sentiment is made from Basic Phrases.

All my cards are now for sale at Leeds Kirkgate Market as part of the community stall, where Buns & Roses WI are selling lots of goodies. If you're local, do go in and buy our goods!

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Getting back on board with blogging

I've been a bit of a naughty blogger reently and not managed to update as often as I would like. In a way it's a good thing as it means I'm so busy, but it also means that my busy-ness hasn't been through cardmaking, which I am sad about. I hope to have a good session this weekend though and build up my cards for upcoming craft fairs, so I should be able to build up a stock of photos to share in future!

It's my dad's birthday today. I sent his pressie and card in the post so I hope they arrived safely and on time! I got him a Lewis Hamilton McLaren baseball cap, which I know he will appreciate and use. He likes to wear a cap when he flies his model airplanes. I bought him one from the MotoGP at Donington Park many years ago, but it is a bit knackered now, to say the least! So the new Hamilton one should keep him the sun out of his eyes this summer.

I also sent him a card using the Motorcycle stamp from Stampin' Up!, but I have already shared that with you (it was the swap I made for the Jems when the Mini Catalogue came out).

So instead, here is a card I made for Helen's dad, who had his birthday a few weeks ago.



This is the Sail Away stamp, another of the single ones in the new Mini Catalogue. I knew the page from the Newsprint DSP with the maps on would be perfect, but unfortunately I only had two tiny scraps of that one left, so I just scrumpled and inked them up and had them poking out from behind the image.



I used the Top Note Die and Square Lattice Embossing Folder in my Big Shot to make a nice background. Then I used the Jewellery Tag punch to make the label and attached it to a button with Linen Thread.

Daddy Helen was pleased with it, I am told!

I have lots of exciting WI news to share with you, but I think I will leave that until tomorrow as we have our Buns & Roses meeting tonight and there'll be more gossip from that too!

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Beautiful Wings Embosslit card for my grandma

Before I went home I needed to make a card for my grandma's 80th birthday. She likes pretty things with roses and butterflies and is always in her garden (her strawberries are to die for!) so I went with lots of pink and made the most of the Big Shot and accessories.



Here is what I came up with. I made a blue one to go in my craft fair box as well.

I made the most of the beautiful Springtime Vintage DSP, using a bit for the background and then another cut with the Top Note die on my Big Shot. I trimmed this one down along the perforations and cut another in plain cardstock for the frame.



The butterflies were cut with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit, which I simply adore. I also added some decoration using the Swirls Scribbles die. A few Pearls finished off the butterfly.



The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations, which works just perfectly.

My grandma loved it! I also gave her some yummy smellies made by my friend Sam over at Corsets, Crafts and Cupcakes.

Tomorrow I'll have some Christening pieces to share, with stitching as well as card making, so please come back!

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