Mans World - 16th October to 6th November

Hi all 

so on docraft.com I came across a card challenge that I wanted to enter. 

the challenge was to design a card for men but cant be for kids of teens. Ok I thought I like a challenge and card for men is always difficult. 

So last night I went through my CD-ROM's and hunted for every male ones I can go through. and I kept going to my fall back Programme and CD-ROM. "MyCraftStuido" 

the disk I went for was "From a mans point of view" collection. I must have spent hours picking out the backing paper and toppers for these cards but that is where most of the fun comes from when I am designing. 🙂

I do keep forgetting to do this but I don't have the design sheet to show you what it looked like before I made the card but never mind one day I might remember and I can show you. 

Design number 1. 
Sail boat birthday card

I trimmed the boarder and cut  tag out to put as part of the topper.

 

 Design number 2
Giraffe design

So sorry the photo was a bit dark I did not turn the lights up to bright and the flash was not detecting it was dark, but I hope you all like it. 

March Card and craft makes

Hi everyone, So last time I shared my cards I made over February.

I really wanted to do the same for March.


Birthday Card 

I printed this sheet years ago and could not think what to make out of it. 

This Came from My craft Studio Package and I detailed the flowers by using flower soft to give it texture. 

I do apologise the camera was not great that day so the detail is not clear. 


Mothers Day Makes

So last year, my mothers day gifts were bag charms with fairies. I wanted to do something a little different yet still hand made.

I studies load and loads of you tub videos on how to make chocolates from moulds. My mum is a diabetic and cant have  lot treats due to strict diet. So I bought some special diabetic chocolate on line and made these just for her. I had so much FUN!!!!!😊 make them. 

I made the box to go with the chocolates using my ultimate tool. and used some of my free papers I have stashed away to make my lid. 

Mothers day Cards 

I do love stamping and I felt that I don't play with my stamps and inks enough. For these cards I experimented with masking and used one of my larger stamps and multi ink pads and stamped around a piece of white card. I then die cut some butterfly shapes to make my cluster embellishments. 

That's all my cards for March. I do hope you like my creations. Have a lovely day and happy crafting guys. 

Cards I made over Feburary

I have just uploaded my photos from my Camera on to my laptop this evening. 

I wanted to share what I created over February 2017 with you all. 

Please feel free to leave comments as they are much appreciated. 

Hope you like them.

Vintage Lady Birthday Card

I made this birthday card for one of my Aunties, I made this lovely Vintage lady in a blue dress and embellished to match. 

The CD rom I used was La Femme by Craftartist.


Vintage floral card

I made this card for my mum's birthday. for the centre of the flowers I put gem stones to make them sparkle. 

I used my craft artist software and used the Vintage Lace digital pack to make my card.


Danny, the Champion of the World

I love using any of my Rolad Dhal CD Roms, I made this one for my dad. I really enjoyed reading this book when I was a child and I found a really nice image to make a toper and edge the corners with dark blue crystals gems.

June crafting

Hi everyone

Really sorry I have not posted anything in ages. Work has got me tied up but its the end of the year now and most of my students have gone for the summer. Which means I am free to do me time :-)

So Ladies and Gents where should I start....
 
This month I have made the following cards.
 

 

 

A friend of mine at work is getting married next month. Using the Serif CraftArtist 2 software for this cute wedding couple bear. I also copied and past the main image so I can decoupage and give actual depth to the card. 

 

 

Same software, I created this card for my Aunt's birthday. I loved the frame of musical notes. I also copied and pasted the ballerina so I can add my personal decoupage to the card.

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I do love digital crafting. It's so much fun making your own topper and backing papers to make a card.

 

But where is the fun if your not using scissor and making shape with paper. 

 

 
Father's Day
 
This was fun. I used a Crafters Companion Die'sire Create a Card Accordion Die, to make a fathers day card. Then I die cut sheets of free papers I collect from magazines that where male related to put either side.

Stamping a frame to add dad in the middle. I lost the instructions to connect them but figured it out in the end.

 

 

 

ha ha ha

 

for my Minions card now I might do a special on this on next week as I loved making it and want to go into detail how I did this backing paper.

 

 

so a few months ago (Feels longer) me and my mother in law went to the ally pally craft fair in London. We saw a demonstration on a product called Brusho. It looked like so much fun I bought a pack. and its been sitting in my stash ever since.

 

My sister in law loves minions and I could not think how I was going to do a card then it hit me. Brusho.... The colours was amazing it was exactly what I was looking for pick out the main colours of the minion characters as the backing paper them add a group shot of them as the topper.

 

The other half thought I lost the plot till it dried up and had a trim and it looks so cool now that its come together.



 

the last card I have done this month is an anniversary card.

 

I made it for no reason at all. in fact I made quite a few of these because I had time in my schedule of not working.

 

So I have added this on folksy for a cheap deal £2.50 and very proud that I made them. I love this card because its all cute and lovey dovey. 

 

 
 

 

so yes that's what I have done this month. College is coming to a close and we are at the wrapping up stage. I have lots of project of crafting and cant wait to show you guys.  I promise I will write a piece about brusho I am so excited to explain what I did and the techniques that are best for me and my card making very very soon. 

Birthday Cards

Hi All

If you saw my post yesterday I was talking about how I started to improve on my digital crafting using CraftArtist 2 software by Serif.

After I had a play following the steps on the mother's day theam I started to have a go for this months birthday cards.

My first one was for my Aunty Maureen. I have gone with the same design as my magazine.

The design from Serif Software

Final card

My second was for my Mum. This time I went with flowers.Now you card see it but I have added glitter glue on the flowers. 

                                 

My final card was for my Dad. I used the Roald Dahl collection to make this.

 




















So I hope you guys like these. I know my family will. Next month I think I will do more jewelry pieces and print our my mother's day cards. 

Have a lovely weekend and happy crafting. 

Autumn Half Term

Hi all hope you are all well?

It's the autumn half term. I am so excited. I have 2 weeks of quite time and 1 week to get everything back to scratch (no pressure) I walked through the college building and it was so quite with most tutors in training. 

So just to recap crafting wise. Last week I made a bracelet for wear it pink. It had such great reviews that I plan to make Christmas bracelets and working on the next week. I can't wait to show you all. 

I also wanted to share a birthday card I made last week but forgot to share on my blog. 

Fairy birthday card

Oh I nearly forgot...

During my week off next week I am planning to make my Christmas cards for the family. I am really excited about this as I have everything I need just need to cut stick and put together. Then a bonus came through my door. My monthly craft magazine arrived and part of my free gift.

a free gift from Cardmaking & Papercraft

A free Partridge in a pear tree die cutting stencil. I am buzzing with ideas my scrapbook of thoughts is filled with sketches.

Preparing for Christmas

Evening all

I know its been a while. (OK May 2015) since my last post. I have had a very disruptive summer. My die cutting machine broke and had to fixed it, trying to clear out my living room from wooden stamps. sorting out my craft space and clearing out my cupboard. (Horrid job absolutely horrid) Had to get rid of lots of papers, and kits I will never use to make space for new stuff coming in.

Now I am getting back to crafting and creating new ideas for my cards and Jewellery making. So I thought I share some projects I am planning to do over the net few months before Christmas. :-)

if you have been following my blog since the beginning you will be aware that my crafting space gets taken over by the Christmas tree during the Christmas period. Early this year we sold our dining room table and chairs to make space for our new 360 litre fish tank. It is stocked with tropical fish and they are enjoying there new home since March.



Family Fish tank: Yes there are 14 tropical fishes, but they love to hide when the camera comes out

But then in June me and Dave looked at our living room and then it dawned on us. How are we going to decorate the living room now that we have the tank? Where will I work once the tree comes in and we have no dining table for me to finish up with the cards?

Oh no...What will I do?

The solution is to start my cards in October. Have them all made for my family and friends and come December I can move the table out and tree comes in. Also I will not have access to the printer for one month in December, so really need to get started and have inserts printed soon. (Project 1)

This month I celebrated my 32nd Birthday and my family have spoilt me rotten with loads of crafting goodies. I have a new book on Kumihimo knotting and loads of cords and accessories. with the addition of other card stencils, (oh my its was 3 weeks ago I had so much I cant recall what I got. LOL)
        Back to new skills :-) I have been practicing the basic for a bit and its great fun especially now I can do this on the sofa and watching TV and get lost in to it. I cant wait to show you what I do in the next few weeks.

Once I have made a few I plan to make bracelets and give them away as gifts to friends for chrstinmas. (Project 2)

I have treated myself with a few CD roms from Crafters Companions and cant wait to have a play with them in the next few months and see what cards I come up with. From now till the end of the year I have 4 birthdays and 1 wedding anniversary cards to make but I know I will get them all do and done by November. (Project 3)

Over the summer these are the cards I have done but did not have time to share with you all. Hope you like them.

Roald Dahl

For fathers day this year I had a browse through my  CraftArtist 2 software and created this card for my dad.

Using the same programme I used a different designer and made this glittery anniversary card for my parents.

 

Quilling

I tried quilling over the summer. I tried the basic circles I think I did very well hope to do more shapes and get better. ooh I have an idea for a birthday card coming up.  

 

Half Term

Morning All

What a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun is out and I am just watching you tube videos and watching Tottenham V Sydney FC friendly on BT Sport 1.

I have had a lovely week. My work place was so quite because its half term and majority of our students should be studying and revising for there GCSE exams coming up next week. So I used my time wisely 4 days catching up with paperwork, emails and enquiries  for IT courses. 

I have to admit 4 day week was too short and wish I had more time of the quite and not being interrupted by the door. :-) 

I have been doing a bit of crafting this week. I made a Shambarla bracelet. was quite surprised how well it turned out as I have not done it before and they look complicated. but it was not. really enjoyed making it and have been showing it off at work all week. 

Later today I am going to a family friends 50th Birthday and I made this cupcake shaker card for her. I used the paper-mania cupcake range and stamped and coloured the toper using my pro markers. 

 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend I am going to finish off the friendly game then get ready to leave for a birthday party. 

Love Mel xx

So tired

I love birthday's making cards for girls/ladies they are so easy I have so much card & paper stock, embellishments and ribbons I can make a card in no time. However for men "WOW" that's hard. I just can't find the right mix that is manly enough, even if I have CD rom's to make a card. 

So when I found out that a member of staff at work's (Male) birthday is coming up my heart sank. There is no way I can make a card that will fit his personality and have bits to create a card. 

Luckily the idea hits me... Peter (The Birthday Boy) it a bit of a joker and love telling us jokes, so I made a very nice male card with a sail boat but the insert was filled with loads of jokes I found off the internet. His personal Joke book. So it was more like a card and present combined. He absolutely loved it that its on his desk and uses the joke to entertain us. 

Return from Bank Holiday...

Why is it when you come back from a bank holiday weekend all nice and refreshed the next 4 days becomes over worked, over tired and wonder to your self what just happened? This week I had to work over time for 3 day's doing 12 hour shifts since Tuesday - Thursday catching up with Reports, Calls and emails and supporting Adult Students with there course work. Yep have not had much sleep :-( 

By Friday it was time to get crafting. My friends baby girl turned 4 this week and we were invited to her birthday. I was so sick of making Frozen cards (Cant understand why this has not gone yet) I made this really lovely owl card for her. 

Saturday afternoon the card is ready and the birthday present is in my bag half way down the road I realize that I forgot to bring my phone so had no pictures. My Friend had hired Elas and Anna to come and wish happy birthday and play and dance with the kids. In all my life I have never met so many shy and quite children in the same room LOL. The one day I forget to bring my phone and the funnest moment happens. Oh well.  

Future projects...
I was talking to my husband this week and I was telling him I really want a new jacket to wear when I go out at weekend, friends house you know nothing special just to put over a top. But this year I want to make it myself with my own style. 

It all came about when I was trawling through crafting websites and saw that there are loads of projects that can be done with the sewing machine and I thought it would be fun. 

All the prep work has been done. Large roll of paper, pattern design and I think I know what fabric I want to have. I just need to put it all together and sew it. 

Oh and another project I want to do this month is clear my craft room as I have so many stamps stuff that I will never use. My plan is to set them on ebay and wish they go to a good home. So please keep your eyes on my blogs as I will share the link to you guys as well. 

Hope you all have a lovely week and have lots of crafting projects to work on. 

Away for the weekend

Hi guys

I was meant to send this weeks ago but for got to hit publish. It was only for my checking it on the computer I saw it was sill in draft mode. 

Originally typed on 16th March 2015...

There are no cards this weekend but I did want to share my weekend of peace and quite. 

My friend Kristy had a surprise birthday trip with her close friends. We organised a lovely trip to a spa hotel with afternoon tea just before mothers day for her. 

She loved it as the photos can tell. 

We stayed at the Chesford Grange in Warwickshire. They have great rooms.

Our afternoon tea with sparkling wine. Wonderful 

Me and Kristy toasting to her birthday surprise.

Me, Kristy and Andrea

Me and Kristy for dinner

A Busy Weekend

Evening all 

Hope you are well?

I have been busy this weekend. My mission is to make 2 Birthday Cards, 2 Mothers Day Cards and 1 wedding card.

As you can imaging that will take a lot of planning. So I went with Mothers Day first. its only 1 week away and one of them I need to post out to my mum. I look for inspiration in Magazines and web forums. 

You might recall in my previous post, I am currently selling a set of "I love you Mum" Cards on folksy and I showed a draft version of what I was selling. here is the final product which I am sending to my mum this week. I do hope you all like it?

I have added a red backing card to take off the white edge and trimmed it down a little. I wont know till Monday if my mum loves it but I think she will.








For my mother -in-law It needed to be more pastel and soft. I bumped into an email from crating.co.uk loved the photos and downloaded the free paper pack and made something similar.

I created the sentiment using My Craft Studio and found some lace boarders in cupboard. 

I loved making the flowers it came with the pack and the shaped them to have the 3D effect and brushed a pink shimmer paint to make them shine a bit.

Mother's Day card down 3 more to make. 

Inspiration for Mothers Day Card

My friends birthday is coming up there personality's make my ideas easy to come up with. 

My friend Kristy is a girly girl and who better to get inspiration the our lovely beautiful Marylin Monroe. The best thing about CD Rom's is that my cupboard is not stacked up with paper stock that might not be used for ever so I printed off the sheets needed and made this card. I would be able to give her card and present till next week but I know she will love it. 

Another card I have made today is for My friend Ben. We recently watched The Guardians of the Galaxy and we all loved that movie that most of us have been either quoting lines or Signing the old songs that were in the film. 

So you can imagine my surprise when I found a "Music Mix Collection" from Do Craft download files and became very excited. 

I was tempted to add Mix Tape Vol. 1 on the cassette but I did find much fun making this card and cant wait to hand over in a few weeks time. 


2 more cards down 1 to go. 


My final card was the one that took the longest.

A friend at work is getting married in 6 week's. She is a Lovely lady and we work so well together even though I have been working in the department for 6 months. I used to think making a wedding card is easy as long as you have a design or template. But I found it hard as I really want her and her new husband to like it. 

So with much playing around here is the card I made for the newly weds. 

My weekend is done there is a few hours left in my Sunday, so I am going to watch Stargate SG1 with a cup of tea. Have a lovely week guys. 

Mel xx