30/01/2012

All Dressed Up.....

 ...for the Theatre maybe? Hope you all had a great weekend. I did! Hubby and I met some some friends in a fab Indian Restaurant, Dishoom, just off Leicester Square on Saturday. We stayed for 4 HOURS!!! I thought that they were going to throw us out! We then went on to the Aldwych Theatre to see 'Midnight Tango' starring Flavia and Vincent from Strictly. Wow! What a show! The dancing was fantastic! If my hubby didn't have two left feet and danced like he had a broomstick up his jumper I'd take lessons!!!
Anywho, back to the card! I just love the colour combo and the lace-look paper from the DCWV 'Street Lace' 8x8 pack. The card base is a C5 Z-fold card. I added a scalloped panel to the front of the card, and added a stunning dress cut from black lace paper over hot pink mirri. The front of the card was finished with a black bow, WOC bloom and a trio of pearls.
The inside of the card was finished with a smaller scalloped panel and the 'all dressed up' sentiment cut from black glittercard and adhered flat.
Carts used:
Scalloped frames- Elegant Edges
Dress- Formal Occasion
All Dressed Up- Forever Young
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

26/01/2012

Non-golden 50th anniversary......

 I think that we can sometimes get a bit bogged down with standard colours for certain special cards, like red, silver and gold for the big three anniversaries, using white and silver for wedding cards and pink and blue for baby cards. Then you end up tearing your hair out because you haven't got the 'right' colour paper for that certain card. Well what's wrong with using unconventional colours for these cards? Nothing!!!! That's what I did for this 50th anniversary card. I had plenty of the 'right' coloured paper but I wanted to see what I could do with other colours. I turned to the First Addition 'Isabelle' 8x8 stack in soft teal and beige. These  photos don't do this card justice- it's much prettier in real life! In fact I sold this card to one of my ladies at at workshop, she liked it,asked if she could have it so off it went.
The '50' was adhered inside a frame decorated with Prima and WOC blooms and a satin bow.
The inside of the card holds a smaller panel and the 'anniversary' word art.
Carts used:
Frame- Elegant Edges
50- Quarternote
Anniversary- Designer's Calendar
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

23/01/2012

Ride A Cock-Horse......

 I've got a couple of kiddie's cards for you today. I just love these two rocking horse images, I've used them lots of times before, and they are especially fab when you put them on Papermania springs so that they really rock!
The card bases are C5 Z-fold and the papers are Me to You 'Spring Chic' with a little gingham thrown in for good measure. Both images were cut from glittercard and adhered with a spring to a picot edged panel on the front of the card. Both panels were trimmed with ribbon.
For the inside of the cards, I cut another panel slightly smaller than the one on the front. The verses, 'Ride a Cock-Horse' and 'Horsey, Horsey, don't you stop' were computer generated onto Safmat, cut out and applied to the panels, which were then adhered to the inside of the cards. Some Card Candi complete the cards.
Carts used:
Picot-edged panels- Elegant Edges
Girl on horse- A Child's Year
Boy on horse- Nursery Rhymes
Thanks for dropping by today!
Heather  xxx

18/01/2012

A Fishy 21st.......

I was commissioned to make this card for the shop and it was one of the hardest cards I've ever made, due to the extensive brief I was given. I gave it my best shot, this is the 2nd attempt, and the customer (or rather her husband because she was ill and couldn't collect it) was chuffed with it. So far we haven't heard anything to the contrary!
The brief for this card was as follows:
For a 21yr old sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy so it should be Naval themed
She's serving on a Patrol boat and going on a Fish Recognition Course so there should be fish on it
The card should be fun!
It was the 'fun' bit that threw me!
I don't mind telling you that the 1st card was CRAP!!! It duly went in the bin!
So after much brain-wracking I came up with this one and I was MUCH happier with it, although I don't think that it's at all feminine! But heyho, the customer gets what the customer wants!
To start with I trawled (ha! ha!) Google Images and found a fish chart which I printed out onto Safmat (that's the fish bit!). I then created a little diarama with sky, waves and a cute whale (thats the 'fun' bit!)and put it into a porthole along with some acetate 'glass'. The diarama is three layers thick so I tidied up the porthole with a strip of cardstock around it's circumference to hide all the foam pads. The completed porthole was adhered to a thin panel of cardstock, then adhered to the front of the card leaving a border around it. The border was filled with fish cut from the Safmat and applied at equal(ish) intervals around the edge of the card. A shimmery '21' and 'Happy Birthday' and four little anchors (that's the Navy bit!) complete the card.
PHEW!!!
Carts used:
Porthole- George (I cut the centre out using a smaller circle as a template 'cos I couldn't get Centre Point to cut a circle centrally out of the larger circle)
Whale-Just Because Cards
21-Quarter Note
Happy Birthday- Wild Card
Anchors- Life's A Beach
I think that I more or less filled the brief don't you?!!!
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather

15/01/2012

Rule Britannia!!!!!.....

 How canny were Papermania in releasing Portobello Road this year??!!! The Olympics, The Queen's Diamond Jubilee?? There are so many occasions that you can use these fab papers for, as seen in Sofia's card yesterday. I love this Union Jack paper! It has teeny red roses in the red portions of the flag making it quite feminine, but you could easily make a masculine version of this card by using the blue crown paper (as seen on the front panel) and changing the sentiment to 'King for a day!'
For this card I used a square z-fold base card and the 6x6 paper pack because the flag paper sits better on the 6x6 card, although you could use the 12x12 paper (which I also have!) on an 8x8 square card. I used one piece of the UJ paper on the inside back of the card and a 1/2 sheet for the front after carefully matching and cutting the 2nd piece, so that when closed the front appears to be a complete UJ.
The shaped front panel was cut from red & white cardstock and blue crown paper. A scalloped embossed circle holds a golden crown with a red lining. A few gems give the crown some regal bling!
A plump red sheer ribbon bow and a blue ribbon rose with a gem adhered to the centre of it completes the front of the card.
For the inside of the card I adhered another, slightly smaller red and white panel, adding 'Queen' cut from gold mirri and 'for a day'  which was computer generated onto Safmat.
Carts used:
Shaped panels- Elegant Edges
Crown- Home Decor
Scalloped circle- Winter Woodland
'Queen'- StoryBook
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

14/01/2012

Sofia......

No 1 son has a very pretty and sweet girlfriend called Sofia. She is of Italian parentage, hence the spelling of her name, and yesterday it was her 21st birthday. Krishnan asked me to make her a card for him to give to her, whilst he was at home for Christmas, and I duly obliged! I used the fabulous new Portobello Road papers from Papermania. The card base is a standard C5. I used three different papers, some navy blue BoBunny ribbon and a ribbon rose as decoration. The shoes and handbag were cut from the papers in differing combinations with teeny buttons as embellishments, and the '21' & 'Sofia' were cut from glitter paper from the Papermania 'Paparazzi' collection. 'Sofia' was adhered flat and the remaining elements were adhered with foam pads to a shaped panel, which was adhered to the card front with foam tape.. A trio of teeny buttons completes the card.
Carts used:
Shaped panel- Elegant Edges
'21' & 'Sofia'- Quarternote
Shoes & handbag- Forever Young
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

08/01/2012

Christmas Day 21st .......

On the Monday before Christmas I got an e-mail from Debbie, one of my hubby's secretaries- could I please make a 21st Birthday card to be delivered on CHRISTMAS DAY?!!!- no pressure then!!! How to get it made, then sent from Hampshire to Berkshire in 5 working days in Christmas week? Luckily for said secretary, hubby was going to the hospital on Wednesday so he could deliver it then. So I made it on Tuesday, he delivered it to Debbie on Wednesday and she gave it to Holly in time for her birthday on Christmas Day!
I've made other cards for Debbie for her three daughters, Paige, Sophie & Jade. The brief for this card was for an A4 card with a ballet theme. I used papers from a Papermania 12x12 pack (Summer Garden or something like that, I think) and a beautiful ballet dancer image cut from pink mirri card. I adhered her to a frilly frame with foam pads. '21' and 'HOLLY' were cut from pale green glittercard shadowed with pink mirri. 'HOLLY' was adhered over a piece of sheer pink ribbon, and '21' was adhered inside the frame. A bow, floral arrangemnet and some pearls added to the ballerina's hair completes the card.
Carts used:
Ballerina- Wall Decor & More
'21' & 'HOLLY'- Winter Woodland
Frame- Elegant Edges
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

05/01/2012

Boxing Day Birthday.....

 Pia, the eldest daughter of our friends Khalid and Adele, was 21 on Boxing Day. Khalid was my OH's Best Man at our wedding, and Adele and I were pregnant together- me with Krishnan and Adele with Pia. Pia is now at Uni studying Medicine and Krishnan is studying Law in London- in fact he's in his final year now! Time sure does fly and it seems like only yesterday that they were both babies!
For Pia's card I used a Z-fold A5 card base and First Edition 'Dreamcatcher' papers. I've used this 'girl on a scooter' image before albeit yonks ago, so I decided to give it another airing. I cut her from purple glittercard and adhered her with foam pads to a large shaped panel along with some BoBunny ribbon and a lilac glittercard '21'.
A smaller panel inside holds the 'Happy Birthday Pia' sentiment cut from  more glittercard. A WOC floral arrangement completes the card.
Carts used:
Shaped panels- Elegant Edges
Girl on scooter- Sweethearts
'Pia' & '21'- Quarter Note (font 1)
Happy Birthday & 'Congrats!'- Wild Card (RDS on)
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx

01/01/2012

Have a SUPER day!........

 Happy New Year everyone! I've been neglecting my blog over Christmas so I'm getting my finger(s!) out today to show you the card that I made for my youngest brother Nick for his 43rd birthday which was on 12th December. I'd just taken possession of a new cart and it has this great Superman image on it. So I dug out some sparkly blue and holographic cardstock to make the base card which is an A5 Z-fold. I cut the cityscape from silver holographic cardstock and adhered it along the bottom edge of the card. Superman was cut from black, flesh, blue & yellow textured cardstock, then adhered with foam pads to the front folded back section of the card.
I cut a circle from more holographic cardstock and added a '43' cut from blue sparkly card. The completed circle was adhered to the card with foam pads. The name and sentiment were cut from holographic card and adhered flat. A smattering of punched stars completes the card.
Carts used:
Superman- Summer Celebrations
Circle- George
Cityscape, '43'and both sentiments- Plantin Schoolbook
Well, that's Christmas over for another year! It comes and goes so quickly doesn't it? Now it's nose to the grindstone preparing for all new Workshops starting next week. No rest for the wicked!!
Thanks for dropping by!
Heather xxx