Caroling Duck

This card has been inspired by Michelle at Planet Pootle. I wasn't sure about this paper to start with but now I quite like it! I have had this little duck for a while but this is the first time I have inked it up. 'Caroling Duck!' has been stamped with Stazon ink and coloured with watercolour pencils with glitter on his hat; mounted up with Watermelon CS and 3D foam. The base has been made by layering up more Watermelon CS with the Pebbles paper and wrapping white grosgrain ribbon around. The message panel has been attached with red ribbon.

• Card blank by Craftwork Cards
• Cardstock by Bazzill Basics
• Paper by Pebbbles Inc
• Caroling Duck! by Penny Black
• Sentiment stamp by A Muse
• Ribbon by Ribbon Oasis

Piggy Christmas

This card has been made by stamping 'Merry Wishes' with black Stazon ink and colouring in using watercolour pencils. I have added glitter to the hat and jacket and mounted him up onto Watermelon CS; this has then been attched to base using 3D foam. The base has been made by layering up more Watermelon CS with some Pebbles paper. The greeting is a rub-on also mounted up with Watermelon CS and 3D foam.

• Card blank by Craftwork Cards
• Cardstock By Bazzill Basics
• Paper by Pebbles Inc
• Merry Wishes by Penny Black
• Rub-on greeting by Pebbles Inc

Balloon Boy

Sue from Slumber Cards sent me a lovely Get Well Soon card last week along with some Sugar Nellie images, thank you Sue, they are gorgeous! I am feeling much better now but still not right. This card is made with the Balloon Boy image. I have coloured him in using watercolour pencils and matted up using Pinecone CS. This has been attached to base using 3d foam pads. The base has been made by layering up Stonewash and Pinecone CS with Lacrosse paper. The corners have been cut using my Fiskars corner scissors with brads added. Sentiment has been stamped on to Fawn CS and popped behind the image panel. This card uses a lot more layers and detail than I usually use so I would appreciate any feedback that you have please.

• Card blank by Anita's
• Cardstock by Bazzill Basics
• Paper by Doodlebug Designs
• Image by Sugar Nellie
• Sentiment by Stamping Bella
• Brads by Bazzill Basics
• Fiskars Corner Adorner Scissors - Rounder

Happy Birthday Tilda

My Magnolia's came yesterday so I had to have a go with this cutie! I have stamped her then coloured her in using watercolour pencils and mounted her using Pertunia and Walnut CS. She is attached to base with 3D foam pads. The base has been made by layering up patterned paper over more Pertunia CS and then another strip of pertunia accross this. Greeting is stamped onto white CS and slipped underneath strip. Prima Flowers added to the top with pink brads.

• Card blank by Anita's
• White cardstock by Craftwork Cards
• Cardstock by Bazzill Basics
• Patterned paper by Partners the Stationers
• Tilda stamp by Magnolia Sweden
• Sentiment stamp by A Muse
• Flowers by Prima Marketing Inc
• Brads by Papermania

Christmas Mice

I made these cards a little while ago but as I am trying to get my Christmas cards made at the moment, I thought now would be a good time for me to post them. I really like this little mouse, I think it is open to lots of different colour schemes. I usuallky pick one each year e.g. red, gold and green or blue and silver but this year I thought I would go with whatever I felt like for individual cards. Both these cards have been made using the same products. I have stamped 'Thinking of You' with Stazon ink and then coloured using watercolour pencils and a waterbrush with glitter added to the hats. Corners rounded with corner rounder punch and matted to Lilac card. These have then been 3D foamed to bases. The bases have been made using Lilac card and 'Sprinkles' paper. Crystals have been added using Anita's Tacky Glue. The sentiment on the first card is a stamp and the second one a rub-on.

• Card blanks by Anita's
• Cardstock by Doodlebug Designs
• Paper by Doodlebug Designs
• Thinking of You by Penny Black
• Sentiment stamp by A Muse
• Sentiment rub-on by Karen Foster
• Crystals by Rhinestones Online
• Glitter by Stampendous

Skiing Snowman

Ruth sent me this lovely Penny Black image a little while ago and I have been eager to use him. Thank you Ruth, I love snowmen! The image has been coloured using watercolour pencils with glitter added to his hat and bits of the snow; mounted up on to 'Swimming Pool' cardstock and 3D mounted to base. The base has been made by layering up 'Sprinkles' paper on to CS. I have then run more CS through my Cuttlebug using the Snowflakes embossing folder and mounted this on top. Die cut photo corners added to the image panel. Sentiment stamped in bottom RH corner with Stazon Ink. I hope you approve Ruth! :0)

• Cardblank by Craft Creations
• Cardstock by Doodlebug Designs
• Paper by Doodlebug Designs
• Image by Penny Black
• Sentiment stamp by Studio G
• Snowflakes embossing folder by Cuttlebug
• Photo corners by Sizzix

Merry Wishes

'Merry Wishes' stamped then coloured using watercolour pencils with glitter added to his jacket and hat. This has then been mounted to 'Kisses' card then 3D foamed to base. The base has been made by layering 'Christmas Magic' paper over more 'Kisses' card. The paper has a lovely subtle design of spots on it but sadly this cannot be seen in the photo. 3 Brads added to the top right hand corner. The sentiment is a rub-on. I love this little piggy! :0)

• Card blank by Craftwork Cards
• Cardstock by Doodlebug Designs
• Paper by Doodlebug Designs
• Image by Penny Black
• Glitter by Stampendous
• Brads by Papermania
• Rub-on by Pebbles Inc

Get Well Tilda

Sue sent me this gorgeous Tilda image last week and I couldn't resist any further, she needed some colour! Tilda was stamped on to textured card which is something I have never thought of doing before but I think it is really effective. She has been coloured using watercolour pencils and mounted to 'Lilac' card then 'Gumdrop', this has then been 3D foamed to the base. The base has been made from 'Gumdrop' card with the new Doodlebug paper 'Lilac Velvet' (Yay! it eventually arrived!) on top. 'Get Well' has been die cut also from 'Gumdrop' and adhered with a Quickie Glue Pen. Prima Flowers (with brads in the centres) added to the image panel. Brads also added to the top and bottom of the card. A BIG thank you to Sue for the image. This card has been inspired by a great stamper over on SCS called Inge. I think I will give this card to myself in the hope that I get better quickly!

• Card blank by Anita's
• Cardstock by Doodlebug Designs
• Paper by Doodlebug Designs
• Image by Magnolia
• 'Get Well' by QuicKutz
• Flowers by Prima Marketing Inc
• Brads by Doodlebug Designs

With Gratitude

This card was made to say a big thank you to Sue, who sent me some lovely stamped images last week. I used my Nestabilities dies again for the sentiment panel which was mounted using 3D foam pads. Maya Road flower has been coloured using the same chalk ink as the sentiment was stamped. This was then attached with a Prima Flower and large brad. This design was inspired by a lovely card by Nichole Heady, unfortunately it didn't come out as planned but I am happy to have found out that this is Sue's favourite colour :0) Sorry the photo is so dark but I didn't get the card finished until late.

• Card blank by Anita's
• Cardstock by Bazzill Basics
• Sentiment stamp by Papertrey Ink
• Chalk ink by ColorBox
• Sheer Flower by Maya Road
• Small flower by Prima Marketing Inc
• Brad by Papermania
• Ribbon by Papermania

Nestabilities Dies and the Cuttlebug

I have had quite a few people ask me about the Nestabilities dies so thought I would add a bit here about them. First of all they come in 4 different shapes: square, rectangle, oval and circle. They come in both classic shape and scalloped and in two sizes: small and large. They are designed so that you can also add an embossed edge to the shape if you wish. You can use the shapes alone or together; depending on what look you are after you can use the small classics with the small scallops or the small classics with the large scallops. I only have the the small with the small as this is the look I have gone for. This also lowers the cost of buying them! Please see some of my cards below for the finished result.

I am only able to expalin how to use them in the Cuttlebug as I only use this machine. (I also have the Sizzix Sidekick but have not tried the Nestabilities in it yet). To use the dies in the Cuttlebug you need the following: the Cuttlebug, Nestabilities dies, Spacer Plate A, Cutting Plate C, 2 Cutting Plate B's, the tan mat from the Wizard Embossing Kit and 3 pieces of card the same size as the mat.

Here are the sandwiches you need:
For cutting, bottom to top:

Spacer Plate A
Cutting Plate C
Nestabilities die
Card with pattern/texture facing downwards
Cutting Plate B

If you want the embossed edge you need to then run it through again using the sandwhich below:

Spacer Plate A
Cutting Plate B
Nestabilties die with card still in
3 pieces of thick card
Wizard tan mat
Cutting Plate B

The embossing works best if using fairly thick card and also non textured card. I haven't been able to play around using different cardstocks yet. I really like these dies, they are good value for money and give a neat clean finish. I love that they can emboss too. You can actually emboss without cutting the die out but I haven't had a chance to do this yet. Please see Nichole Heady's blog for details. She has done a really great section on using the dies and using different machines too. The only slight problem I have come accross with these dies is that some of the metal comes off onto the sides of the die cut but this is minimal and can be scraped off. This should stop after the dies have been used a few times.

For You

This is a little card that I sent to Jules (Julie's Japes) accompanying some stamped images. The sentiment has been stamped using chalk ink and cut out using my Nestabilities dies again. I really like these dies they are really easy to use. I have attched some organza ribbon accross a small linen card blank using my Xyron machine and 3D foamed the sentiment panel on top. 3 small Prima Flowers added to the bottom right hand corner with gems stones added to the centres.

• Card blank by Craft Creations
• Cardstock by Bazzill Basics
• Sentiment stamp by Papertrey Ink
• Nestabilties by Spellbinders
• Ribbon by Ribbon Oasis
• Chalk ink by VersaMagic
• Flowers by Prima Marketing Inc
• Gem stones by Papermania

Here's One I Made Earlier

I am still not feeling too well unfortunately so here is a card I made last week. Thank you all very much for leaving get well soon messages for me, they are really appreciated. This card has been inspired by a very talented card maker in the US called Rhonda Maynard (Crafty Blessings). I have stamped the spiral flower with dark green chalk ink onto 'Lagoon' card and added a small gem stone to each centre. This has then been mounted to 'Aqua' card and attached to card blank over some organza ribbon. Sentiment has been stamped using the same ink as the flower and cut out using my Nestabilities dies. A scalloped mat has also been cut using 'Aqua' card stock this has been mounted to card using 3D foam pads. Simple but effective I hope. Oh by the way the card is straight IRL, I am not sure why the photo came out wonky! You may have noticed my new watermark, I have one for cards I add to Do Crafts and SCS but don't like it that much so I am working on a new one.

• Card blank by Craftwork Cards
• Cardstock by Bazzill Basics
• Spiral flower stamp by A Muse
• Sentiment stamp by Papertrey Ink
• Nestabilities by Spellbinders
• Organza ribbon by Ribbon Oasis
• Gem stones by Papermania

Cosmo Bella

I have been lucky enough to have yesterday and today off so I have been able to make a few cards :0) It does mean that I have to work at the weekend though! I have had this Bella for quite a while but this is the first time I have inked her up. I liked the layout so much for the baby card that I have made this one the same. I have masked off Bella's feet and used chalk for her grounding then coloured her in using Whispers brush markers and Copics. I have coloured in the glass contents using a Stardust pen. I have then cut and embossed her out using my Nestabilities dies and mounted up with 3D foam. The card blank has been layered up using purple and white card with ribbon wrapped around the final piece. Sentiment stamped in the corner using chalk ink. The bottom corner has been rounded using a corner rounder punch.

• Card blank made from Papertrey Ink cardstock
• Purple cardstock by Bazzill basics
• Cosmo Bella by Stamping Bella
• Sentiment stamp by Papertrey Ink
• Ribbon by Ribbon Oasis
• Nestabilities by Spellbinders
• Corner rounder punch by X-Cut
• Stardust pen by Sakura

Baby Boy Green

My cousin gave birth to a bouncing baby boy yesterday :0) This is my card to them. I have stamped the giraffe with chalk ink and cut/embossed out using my new Nestabilities dies. They give a lovely embossed edge to the die cut. White card has been mounted to a blue card blank with ribbon wrapped around then the giraffe panel mounted to it with 3D foam pads. The greeting has been stamped with the same ink as the giraffe. The bottom right hand corner has been rounded off with a corner rounder punch. This layout has been inspired by Nichole Heady. I know it is a simple card but I hope they like it!

• Card blank by Craftwork Cards
• White cardstock by Papertrey Ink
• Giraffe stamp by A Muse
• Sentiment stamp by Stamping Bella
• Nestabilities by Spellbinders
• Ribbon by Ribbon Oasis