Christmas Candles & Memo Block or Post It Note Holders

Today, I've been experimenting with a post it note box or memo block holder that I saw on Betty's Blog. She has lots of fantastic tutorials for boxes and gifts etc. Do take a look if you get a moment. I've tried to follow her instructions, but have adjusted the measurements according to the size of my memo pads, which I bought from Wilko's for 36p each! I've tried flipping the papers and cardstock on this version to give it a slightly different look.

As my first attempts they are a little big rough around the edges and could do with a little bit more refinement! However, they were really quite easy to make.

I seem to be having some sticky issues just lately!!! Firstly my bauble money holders wouldnt stay stuck down when money was placed inside them, so after a few attempts, I decided to raise the spotty pocket by using foam pads, so I'm hoping that its fixed that problem! I don't know why I didnt do it that way to start with! Pregnancy brain has well and truly set in and everything seems to be hard work at the moment! The second sticky issue was with my candle gift boxes. After about a day the acetate window fell off as the ds tape wasnt strong enough to hold it on. Then I had a thought! Why not use the glue gun that I've had sat in my draw for 3 years that I've never even take out of the box! And hey presto! it worked! I've even gone on to make a couple more boxes which are much stronger now! I also decided to add a punched snowflake to the top of each candle just to give it an extra touch! I have put a disclaimer in the box though, to remind people to remove them before lighting the candles!!!I had a go at doing a flowery version too!
After fiddling with the wire handles on my candle jars, I got really fed up and went off to hobbycraft where I bought this much thicker and coloured wire, which made making the handles 100 times easier. I've stuck on the snowflake and ribbon using my glue gun, as I'm guessing the heat of the candle will probably just make it all fall off if I use my ds tape! Again here, I've added a snowflake to the candle.

Thats all for now, I'm not making any more cards or gifts, I've packed my craft knife away! well until after the weekend anyway, when I have my sons pre-school christmas craft fair. I have a few orders for Christmas cards from friends but I'm going to wait and see what I've got left over before I make any more!

And last but not least....my Christmas Cards

Can you see a theme running through my Christmas Cards this year??? My new Cuttlebug Snowflake!!! I wanted one of these last year! But finally went ahead and bought myself one a month or so ago and I have to say its been really well worth the money! Here I've created some really simple cards using the snowflake, my cuttlebug embossing folder and some coloured card. The concept of this card came to me in a dream! So as soon as I got up I had to make it before I forgot about it. How sad is that? dreaming about making Christmas cards. It just goes to show how much I've bee doing lately! This first one is my favourite! I'm loving red and white this Christmas. Followed by my second favourite, the Lilac one!
This one is in dark navy pearlescent which I think is quite striking.And a slightly paler blue pearlescent version too!

I then found some pastel green pearlescent card too in my stash, so gave that a go too!
And here is a little something I decided to have a go at for the craft fair as a stocking filler. I made the box using a very made up template! and I've just filled it with 4 tealite candles. I've used my nestabilities to cut the square in the lid and have then embossed some acetate with my snowflakes embossing folder.

My next task is to make some money walletts, so I'm off for a browse to see if I can get inspired!

Christmas Snowflakes

Well I don't have any new Christmas cards to show today! I've spent the past few days "bulk making" some of the cards I've already done, ready for a couple of craft fairs I've got coming up soon. So I thought I'd take a break from that and have a go at something different! I had some of this tall slim notepads left over from last year and decided to do something with them. I spent most of the day working on this first one, but now its finally done I like it! So I decided to use the same layout for the others but just changing the colour scheme.

It opens up like a book and inside there is a small wallett flap for you to tuck things into! I've also decorated the top strip to finish it off.And the Red & White version! I'm not sure which one I like best, but I think this red/white one is quite striking. I think I may do a few cards like this too. Today I had a sudden flash of inspiration! It doesnt happen very often, so I thought I'd better get on and make these before I completely forgot I'd even had the idea! They are simply tea light holders, using re-cycled baby food jars. I saw one on the Elzybells blog back in the summer which had little flowers stuck all over it so initially I wanted to stamp some holly or christmassy images and stick them all over the jar too, but it turned out to be way too fiddly so I decided to use the same snowflakes as the notepads above! I've created a little handle using some craft wire and finished it off with some ribbon and adhesive stones. I have to collect some more jars now as I think they'd look nice in pairs or a set of 3 maybe.

And finally! a little birdhouse tree decoration. I've had this made for some time now, but kept forgetting to photograph it. It was inspired by the Papertrey website, who have a free template, for personal use. You can find it here! Its such a sweet little touch. I might have to make a few more for my tree.

More Christmas Creations!

You might remember this chap from a couple of posts ago! Well I've really struggled to make a card with him. I had a flick through some of my old cards to see if any of the layouts inspired me and this is what I've finally come up with! I printed the sentiment using paint shop pro. The Santa's list is part of a great stamp set I picked up recently in Hobbycraft, called Holly Jolly Christmas by Hampton Arts. It must be an old set as I've not been able to find any cards made using these stamps or anywhere else that sells them!

And another version, using one of my old layouts. I've decided to keep the colour scheme to all of my cards fairly similar this year. It saves on buying lots of different papers etc and I like to have some sort of theme to my Christmas cards.

I saw this card on Julie's blog last year and absolutely fell in love with her poinsettia. I didnt have a go at it last year, but was brave this year so have given it a try and am quite pleased with the result, although it was a little time consuming. I love the idea of using the paper ribber tool for the petals. I tried to vein them using my embossing tool, but they didn't look as effective. So a big Thank You Julie for your inspiration! I wanted to keep the card very simple, so as not to take the attention away from the poinsettia so have based the card on one I made last year, only I like this one better!

A Close up of the poinsettia!

I think this next card is probably my favourite of the christmas cards so far . I was so pleased with how this little punched penguin turned out! I've stamped some snowflakes onto some Kraft card for the background, then used a few torn strips of heavy vellum with the edges glittered as the snow. The sentiment is stamped from my new Hampton Arts Set. The large snowflake is a Cuttlebug Die, which aslo comes with a matching embossing folder too! All quite simple again, but quite effective. I think the orange brad just finishes it off, taking the colour from the penguins nose!

I've been crafting all day today and I've only actually made two cards! I have been playing around with a box template as I'm planning on making Christmas Cookies to give as a gift this year. The first box was a bit big and the second one was about the right size but the cookies are a bit too big! I made a test batch yesterday, like the ones you get in Tesco's or Millies Cookies, the slightly gooey ones! I'm thinking that I might be better off making a slightly smaller cookie as' I'll get more out of the mixture and these are little on the large side! Delicious though!

Thats all for now, I'm afraid. I'm off to re-create some more of these cards ready for a couple of craft fairs I've got coming up, and to finish off working on my cookie boxes! I may have to test a few more cookies first though!

Thanks for stopping by and reading.

Pink & Girly

I've had a few Children's parties recently and here are a couple of cards I made for my son to give. The first being this cute Peppa Pig card. I've used my new hearts embossing folder which I love! The papers are from Imaginisce and are from the Happily Ever After range (I think!!) I've stuck some gem stones onto peppa's crown and have used some glamour dust on her wings.Using the same layout and paper! I've gone for a Disney Princess image this time, both of which tie in with the presents we gave! Hopefully both of the recipients were happy with them!
And another of my "number" cards, only this time in Lilac/Purple, which I'm quite happy with. not a colour scheme I would usually make this card in but it works!And finally, a card for my friend to give to one of her friends who has just found out that she's expecting! I dont get asked to make may of these, so I offered! I love this Lola Rose image from Pink Petticoat. All papers are Pink Petticoat too! The sentiment is part of a Hero Arts sentiment set. The baby bump is layered using foam pads to give it that extra bit of dimension!

I've been getting ready For Christmas! and its only October....

Well as the title says I've been getting ready for Christmas. It is a little early for me. Usually I don't make any Christmas cards until at least the end of November. I have however been really inspired by all the fab cards and gifts on Splitcoast Stampers and also I'm loving the use of Kraft card stock with white brown's & reds, by the Elzybells team. I'm severely lacking in funds at the moment so the option to buy all the gorgeous new Christmas stamps is just not available! So I've set about making some of my own embellishments using my punches and a pair of scissors! I'm actually really pleased with how they have turned out, but as yet have only made a card using the punched Robin. I thought I'd share them with you though, so here they are! I first saw a punched Robin card on Ruth M's blog which is what first inspired all my punched characters!

The Robin!

I wasn't really sure what to do with the little Robin once I'd made him but after a bit of inspiration surfing, I came up with this. Something quite simple really. I really love these gingham ribbons. I've stocked up as I have a feeling they are going to be the theme of my cards this Christmas!The main man! Santa! I had good fun making him. I'd seen a couple of examples but thought I'd adapt them to come up with my own version. I've used my nesties to cut out the beard and a flower punch for the moustache. I've inked all the edges in charcoal ink to give him a bit more definition. I love my little penguin! I didnt really know what i was doing when I was making him, so made him up as I went along. I'm really pleased with how he turned out. I think I might make a little bobble hat for him though or maybe a santa hat.
Frosty's not really a punched character! I used my nesties again to cut him out, but wanted to go for a bit of a rustic look. So I pulled out my gingham ribbon again and added a button as his scarf. I've used Kraft cardstock for his buttons and hat, all of which have been inked. I decided to go with an orange brad for the nose rather than trying to create a pointy carrot type nose. The string for the arms was an after thought. I'm really pleased with how it looks though. To finish him off I've just added some highlighting with my white marker pen.

I saw Kath's card which had been made using the free template from papercraft inspirations which was what led me to make this card! I've used a combination of doodlebug card to make this card and again have inked all the edges to define him a bit more. I've used foam pads to stick his nose on to make it stand out a bit more and have highlighted it again using my white pen. The snowflakes were cut using a cuttlebug die, but I've now invested in a snowflake punch which is a lot less time consuming! Finished off with some star shaped adhesive stones in the centre of each snowflake. I never seem to use the stars so thought this would be a good way to utilise them! I then finished the card with some brown & red gingham ribbon topped with a sparkly snowflake and a brown brad. I wasn't sure whether to add a sentiment or not, but I dont think it really needs it! I think most people would gather that its for Christmas! I hope!

The reason I've been a bit absent...

...I'm having another baby! and I've been feeling so ill this time round. I'm currently 16/17 weeks and just starting to get a bit of energy back! Its been a really tough few months, as we have had lots of tests carried out to see whether or not this baby has the same disease that we lost our little girl Rebecca too. The results have come back all clear, which is fantastic news but its been an extremely stressful and worrying time.10 weeks12 weeks

I've made some cards too! The first is a variation on a card from my last post. I was asked by this lady to make a card for her Aunt who is having a tea party for her 70th birthday. I had a go at trying to fold a little table cloth, and as it turns out, its a lot harder than you would think!

I bought a few quickutz dies from ebay recently and decided to make a few simple cards for my box! I've made this card is several colours. The sentiment and border are printed directly onto the card. I've got a few orders that I need to get working on, so as soon as they are finished, I'll upload some pictures.

Thanks for stopping by!

Its gonna be a long one! grab a cuppa!

Sorry for the long post...I've been such a bad blogger lately. I just dont seem to be able to keep up! In all honesty, i've not actually made many cards recently and the ones posted below have been made over the past couple of months. I thought it would be easier to put them into categories, so here goes!

Girly:This card was made for my mum's friend, who wanted something pink with butterflies. What made it easier is that it was for her 85th Birthday, so I started with my trusty old number style card and embellished with butterflies and lots of adhesive stones. It was quite a difficult card to photograph with the mirrored butterflies.

This card is for my friends little boy and girl to give to their auntie. The request was for something pink and princessy with an image of a little boy and girl on it. I've stamped the Edwin and Tilda images but then scanned in the Tilda image to the pc and re-sized her so that she is slightly smaller than her big brother! I love these papers so much, very girly and sparkly! they are from the raqnge Fairest of them all by Imaginisce.
This card is for the same lady as the one above. Her sister has paid for her to have ice skating lessons for her birthday and wanted a card to match. I found a template on the internet for an ice skate and decided to use this papermania paper in the background as it has a swirly pattern, hopefully made to look like it has been skated on! I've added some extra glitter too! I'm really pleased with how this one turned out.

I was asked to make this card for a family who have recently lost thier teenage daughter. The lady asked for something with rainbow's and angels, but I couldnt find any angel images that I felt were suitable, but in a flash of inspiration I thought I'd use butterflies instead. The background image is one I found on Google. I'd be quite touched if I'd have received this card when I lost my little girl, and hope that the family that receive it feel the same too.

For my Mummy:

Tomorrow is my mum's birthday. I like to try out a new idea or project when it comes to my mum's birthday. I like to give her something a bit more special, something that's had a bit more effort put into it. This is my first flowerpot card. I used the tutorial found on Joanne's blog, which you can find here. I love Joanne's blog, its so inspiring and has many ideas for "no tools" flowers.
I found that placing the flowers was the most difficult part. I spent a very long time moving them around, trying to get them in the right place, but in the end had to settle and just stick them down where they were before it drove me completely insane! I tend to do that all to often with my cards! Not bad for a first attempt, but there are definately things I will do differently next time.I've made another slightly different version for my son to give to his Nanny tomorrow. I've used a different stlye of flower punch and less flowers. This one was a lot quicker and easier to put together. Hopefully she will like them both. I wonder how long it will take her to realise how to find the message though! lol. Also I have added a little stand to the back of each of the flower pots so the stand up nicely.

I've bought my mum a nice boquet of flowers, which she had delivered today, and to go with them I bought her a small box of choccies. I've been wanting to make a little treat box for a while now, so today I set about making this one for her. I saw a box recently on Mandy's blog, which was shaped like a bird box. I thought it was really cute, and after a lot of searching, I still couldnt find a template anywhere. I've made this box myself based on the measuremenst of the choccies inside. I'm quite pleased with it. It's not quite how I imagined it would turn out, but a good first attempt. I've made the lid so that it just lifts off with the ribbon threaded through the top of the lid. And finally, I made this card for my step-dad to give to my mum. I'd been working on this little paper pieced cake stand a few days ago and thought it would be ideal for my mum. The cupcakes are actually from one of the Pink Petticoat Lola Rose images which I've printed and cut out and then have heat embossed the tops with clear powder, to make them look like they have frosting on them, and then just coloured the topping in red. The teapot is also a Pink Petticoat image. The cake stand is made by simply using my Stampin Up Scalloped edge punch and a swirly punch for the legs. I'm really pleased with it! I've been looking around for a stamp with a nice cake stand on, but now I dont think I need one anymore!

Craftwork Cards Inspired:

I've had these little Craftwork Cards sentiments in my draw for quite some time now, and I really love them, but I dont use them as often as I should! They were my starting point for this card & candle gift set. I love the shape of the background on this card, not sure what the shape itself is called but I know there are a set of nestabilities out there like this, with my name on them!!!! one day I will own them! but for now I just drew my own template out of card and hand cut the shape. I've gone round the edge with my quickie glue pen and then sprinkled on some glamour dust for that bit of sparkle! I've then gone round the edge of the shape with my pokey tool and pierced the card. Then just a few adhesive stones to finish.

I love these flowers. They are quite large and were a freebie with one of my magazines a few months ago! The papers are from Pink Petticoat. I've used a few pins to firmly attach the card/paper and ribbon to the candle.

This card was inspired by Julie who's blog I came across whilst looking through the Craftwork Cards blog. I've spent a long time looking over her blog and her wonderful inspiring creations. I love the use of a single colour on this card, but I decided to add silver edges to the embossed squares and flowers and a touch of silver ribbon too.

I fancied having a go at one in colour too, and this is what I came up with. Something for the fella's this time!

Something for the kids:

I'm always really inspired by Kerry's blog and was particularly inspired when I saw a card with this layout! I had this Edwin image coloured in and sitting in my box for a while so decided it was about time he was put to use. I found he co-ordinated quite well with these Basic Grey Abrosia papers.

Using the same layout again, but this time with Tilda, whos so cute! and some more Basic Grey papers. I think this is the Bittersweet yummy chocolatey collection. Such a simple, yet striking layout.

This card is for my friend to give to her little boy on his 2nd Birthday. I've layered Thomas's face with 2 layers of foam pads and have layered the middle of the cloud with 2 layers of foam pads but have stuck the sides down with tape. The tunnell is hand cut/drawn and the train lines were downloaded from the internet and printed onto clear ascetate. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I think I may try this with tyre treads for car cards too if I can find some to download!

Weddings & Anniversary's:

This is a copy of a card I made a few months back, only this time in Sapphire Blue! I really love the simplicity of this card and have since made another one for a friends wedding recently.
This card was made for a couple who recently got married in Canada. My friend asked me to make it incorporating a Canadian theme somehow! As soon as she said that, I instantly thought of the Maple leaf and decided to copy a card I'd made in the past with the images of Tilda and Edwin sitting inside. I was really pleased with how it turned out.
I made this card for my Mum and step-dad's wedding anniversary last month. It was a bit of a last minute card, but I was so pleased with it. I've used a stamp that came free in a magazine and have stamped it using sliver ink and heat embossed the hearts. Finished with a nice silver bow and a few heart shaped adhesive stones.
This is a card I was asked to make recently. The lady had seen one of my cards with the champagne glasses on and had asked for it to be personalised with the names/dates. She also wanted to incorporate light turquoise too. I've used this pistachio card from doodlebug. I hope its the right colour for her. Its the nearest I had to light turquoise! I've added a few punched flowers and adhesive stones to finish. Again, with all the mirror card used, this was a really hard card to photograph!
And last but not least! Hubby and I will be celebrating our 6th Wedding Anniversary tomorrow. We've actually been together twice as long! It took him a while to propose! The colour scheme for our wedding was Ivory/Gold and I like to make our Anniversary cards in gold to match. Not that I guess he would make that link though. Again the hearts on this card were a free stamp from a magazine, which I've stamped in gold and heat embossed. I've embossed a strip of white card with my swiss dots folder, added a strip of gold ribbon and edged it on some matt gold cardstock. The sentiment is stamped in gold too! There is A LOT of white space on this card, not something that I'm all that comfortable with, but I know its the sort of card that my hubby likes! Hope he likes this one too!

Well if you got to the end of this post, thank you for stopping by and reading. Hopefully I will update a bit more often in future!