Never Stop Learning

Monday 7 December 2015

Kraftyhands December Blog Challenge

Christmas Card using one die



The challenge says one die but it does not say how many times you can use it.
I chose this cute image of Santa from the Create It Magazine the Christmas edition. The papers have a very nordic feel and the picture s a little unusual showing Santa's sleigh being pulled by a little pony rather than reindeer. 
The die I used is a Tattered Lace one Ivy. I embossed it twice once with green and then with a frosted snow powder from Wow. I placed some of the cut pieces on whole and a couple cut up.
 The card is 8 x 8.
This is a very busy time of the year but it would be fantastic if you could join us on the Kraftyhands Blog for the last challenge of the year.

Saturday 7 November 2015

Need for Speed


Back to the Future.




The date used in the film has recently arrived and passed. Who would have thought we would have had a Back to the Future Day?
I chose this image from Motor Mania which is rather  ' DeLorean'  like.
It is not easy to see on the picture but the car is decoupaged. 
For the background I chose this crisp chequered  paper. 
The embellishment of laurel leaves was cut from the Cut n Scan built in library of shapes as was the DAD. The decoupage of the car was also cut using the Cut n Scan



Saturday 10 October 2015

Totally Tiffany Acetate Card





The Totally Tiffany CD was released today. Rather different in presentation form Kraftyhands.
 Instead of the ordinary CD plastic box they have decided to go with a slim folder which can be added to a binder folder, there is a pocket for you CD and best of all some scrumptious vellum paper to print on.
Tiffany to me just conjurers up images of beautiful lamps and this CD has that feel.

The vellum is beautiful to print on but for a try I decided to use acetate so I could put glitter on the reverse.

You will need
  • 8 x 8 die to make as an easel card by cutting two and joining
  • acetate that you can print on. I think I got mine from Office and it is for printing overhead projector sheets
  • Crafters Companion spray glue
  • Glitter,  I used My Craft Studio. 
  • small corner dies. The ones I used were free on a magazine.

Crafty Wishes



Wednesday 7 October 2015

Cute and Cuddy




It is lovely when your idea for a card just falls into place and when it is finished you are really pleased with the result. This happened with this card. Hope you like it.

You Will Need
  • 8 x 8 white card
  • topper of ginger kitten from Kraftyhands Cute Puppies and Kittens Double CD
  • some dotty paper
  • leaves backing paper from CD
  • Ginger coloured ribbon
  • Bell from a Lindt chocolate bunny (I save these)
  • Thinking of You embellishment from Kraftyhands 

Happy Crafting
Crafty Hugs
Laura.

Thursday 1 October 2015

Garden Journal Jar

 

Hope you like my Journal Jar.This one is for a Garden but there are lots of ideas for different jars depending on how you decorate them.

I made this one with the idea that you would give it as a present to perhaps someone who cherishes memories but is not into scrap booking.

They are inexpensive to make and would make a different kind of Christmas Present, perhaps with some seed packets inside for the keen gardener.

It was very easy to decorate the jar, I think making the suggestion list took the longest time. So I thought I might list my ideas here to give you some ideas. I printed mine out on the PC and then added them to the tag of course you could hand write the list.
  • A photo of each season in your garden
  • Record your happiest days relaxing or working in your garden
  • A list of plants you grew that year
  • Sounds in your garden
  • The smells of your garden
  • Write about your favourite plants
  • Record the first and last day you cut the grass
  • Get friends to record a visit to your garden
  • Photos of you, your friends and family in the garden
  • Visitors to your garden, birds, insects and animals.
  • Plans for next year.
If you have a great number of photos perhaps a memory stick might be an easy way to add them to your jar.

Happy Crafting
XXX



Friday 7 August 2015

Patchwork


Using the title Patchwork I wanted something light with a small pattern. I love this Cute Kittens and Puppies double CD and decided to use it. The images of all the cats and dogs are lovely but this one caught my eye.



  1. The card is 8 x 8 with a scallop edge.
  2. To get some texture I used an embossing folder with a linen finish.
  3. From the backing papers I chose three colours, blue, pink and the neutral grey to match the bow.
The hexagons were cut on my Scan and Cut machine and it was very easy to add a small border of silver. The image of the Dalmatians was also mounted on silver.


Click on above image to go to Kraftyhands Website.



Thursday 6 August 2015

Bailey the Puppy

Thought I might try and liven my Blog up with some other things in my life apart from cards.
This is our lovely little puppy Bailey. She is a cross between a miniature Dachshund and Jack Russell. She is very into crafting especially distressing every piece of paper she can get her teeth into.




Crafty Wishes
Laura
and Bailey

Tuesday 7 July 2015

Karaftyhands Challenge Gift Boxes





I used the Chic Boutique cd for this months challenge. I love the little shops on this cd and decided to use them round a box.
The box is slightly smaller than a tissue box size. The lid fits on the box with an inside the top. 

I used matching papers on which to stamp the flowers in black embossing powder, three for the  top and one for the side. 

The sentiment is one of the Crafters Companion Desire range.








Sunday 7 June 2015

One for the Dads

June Kraftyhands Blog Challenge

Fathers Day is fast approaching and it is time to thank our Dads and the men in our lives for all they do for us.




I chose the Motor Mania CD to look for a suitable image and decided on the bright yellow motor bike.

  • The card is 8 x 8 pale golden pearl card. The background image had to be trimmed slightly to fit the card and mounted on black card just to give a very narrow border. 
  • The motor bike was then decoupaged using silicone glue. The card was shaped slightly to give the idea of the curve of the wheel and the bodywork.
  • Letters saying DAD were cut out of backing paper on the CD, the edges inked and a little gilding wax (silver)
  • Cogs were cut out of craft card and then inked with a green ink and gilded with silver.
  • To add texture I added a black ribbon (free of some pyjamas, it was wrapped around them)
  • Two flourish were cut from black card. The hubs on the cogs are card candy coloured with the gilding wax.

Happy Fathers Day  on the 21st of June to all those unsung heroes known as

DAD 

Thursday 7 May 2015

Lace and Pearls Kraftyhands Blog Challenge



This months challenge is Lace and Pearls so I went straight to the Kraftyhands Vintage Treasures CD. It is full of beautiful lacy designs with jewel embellishments, 
Green is not a colour I usually work with but I thought I would give it a go.

  • Use 2 6 x 6 cards and glue them together to make an opening card. Fold back each of the front sides halfway.
  • Print off 3 sheets of the design you want. I printed one on paper for the back insert.
  • Glue the two side pieces in place being careful to get them aligned with each other on the front fold backs.  Prior to glueing them I distressed the edges particularly the corners to give it an aged look.
  • For the central image I added Glossy Accents to the pearls to give them a 3D look and also to the picture to make it look like it was behind glass. I added two real hat pins with some added matching seed  beads.
  • Before adding the image to the card I backed it to make the hat pins safe and also give a better finish for when the card is open on display.
  • Pearl corners were added from Creative Expressions.

I hope you like the card and maybe join us in the Kraftyhands Challenge this month.

Tuesday 7 April 2015

April Krafthands Blog Challenge

Natures Work.





I love butterflies so for this card went straight to the Butterfly Botanicals CD. This image was already enlarged by me for another project. It is printed twice, one copy cut out minus the antenna. It is to hard to cut these out perfectly. The image is then layered over the bottom butterfly after the paper has been inked with distressing inks to make it less white and stark.
The flowers are stamped on vellum and embossed in yellow Wow powder. The centre of the flower  is made with a drop of green Stickles.

I did not add a sentiment but one can easily be added to the bottom right hand corner.

Saturday 7 February 2015

February Krafthands Blog Challenge

Hearts and Flowers.


It is not easy to see on the picture but the front of this card is acetate. I wanted to make the toppers on the front of the card look light and airy as if they were floating. I chose the Edwardian Rose Garden CD because of the beautiful flowers. The added bonus which I had forgotten about was that the gorgeous lacy backing papers have heart shapes on them.I cut the two hearts out of red paper and also the sentiment which is a new Tonic Die which just says I Love You. Some cream and red roses were added around the topper.

Tuesday 6 January 2015

January Kraftyhands Blog Challenge - Winter Blues




This months challenge is Winter Blues. Now this could mean the sadness if winter, being cold and miserable with Christmas over, or it could mean the winter colours and beauty of blue.
I love my hydrangea bushes and always leave the flower heads on over winter. I tried to catch the winter look of these last year blooms with distress inks and sparkle frosts on the flowers.