Wedding Day

Hello there, today I have a card to share using the new Wedding Day stamp set from Pink Gem Designs. I have kept the design quite simple but I have used shimmer cardstock for both my base and panel. I think it gives it a little elegance for wedding cards.

SUPPLIES:

If anyone has ever tried photographing shimmer cardstock you will know how difficult it is to get a good picture, hence the photos from varying angles!

Thanks so much for visiting me today, please pop back tomorrow for the start of Clearly Besotted Teaser Time.

Storage Sunday - Thin Dies

Hello there, sorry for the large hiatus but I am back with another Storage Sunday. Today I am talking about how I store my dies. I mainly have the thin metal type that most companies are now selling. Apart from my Clearly Besotted dies, which I keep with the stamp sets, I keep my dies in EZMount Clear Enclosed Binders by Crafters Companion. I have been using this system for many years now and it still works for me. I started off using the A5 binders but changed to the A4 size last year. I have a lot of dies and can fit a lot more in them this way.

 

I was tempted by the Jennifer McGuire idea of storing them in CD sleeves but the folders fit quite well on my shelving unit, so I am sticking with them for the time being. I have them lined up on my bottom shelf, and as you can see they are all labelled on the side. I store mine by manufacturer since I pretty much know what die is made by who and can find it easily that way.

 

You buy the binders and the inserts separately. I technically use the inserts for stamp storage. They now sell inserts that are completely magnetic to store the dies but they didn't when I started and I don't want to change them now! I just take some magnetic tape or cut a piece of magnetic sheet and stick it to the binder insert. The die then sticks to it. I have labelled mine with a permanent pen and have a purple dot next to the name if I have a co-ordinating stamp set to match.

 

Here is a video showing you what they look like a bit more up close ...

 

 

To watch the video direct on You Tube please visit HERE

Like I said in the video. I do have some other dies that are not in these binders like Sizzix Sizzlits but they are just in one of my drawers at the moment.

 

Hope this helps some of you that aren't sure how to organise and store your dies. I do like that they system is enclosed and also that all of the sizes can fit together in the same place. Unfortunately I cannot link the binders directly as at time of writing the full size binders and inserts are out of stock at the moment.

 

Thanks so much for visiting me today. Hope you are having a lovely weekend so far.

Happy Birthday Marlou!

Hello there, last Sunday it was my friend Marlou's Birthday and here is the card I made for her. I had seen a few different people take die cuts and cover them with Distress Glitter and I loved the look. I like that the Distress Glitter isn't really shiny and I think it gives a nice look. I also like that you can see the colour underneath when using the Clear Rock Candy. So for my butterfly I first die cut it using an MFT die and then inked it with two Distress Ink pads and a blending tool. I added some  Glossy Accents and then covered with the glitter (a big thank you goes to Debby Hughes for explaining how to do it).

SUPPLIES:

Marlou has sadly been suffering with her health lately and I know first hand how horrible that can be. Sending you get well prayers Marlou :0) Thanks so much for visiting me today.

Sweet Roses - DTDF

Hello there, today I am sharing with you a quick card that I made for the DTDF Blog. It uses the pretty MFT Sweet Roses stamp set. The set does not come with stems for the flowers so I had to improvise and make some with a Copic Multi-Liner!

SUPPLIES:

I am not particularly happy with this card but still thought I would show it anyway. As always, thank you so much for visiting me today, I really do appreciate it :0)

Cardstock Comparison 2

Hello there, if you saw my Cardstock Comparison post and video you will know that I have been looking for a cardstock that is comparable to the Papertrey Ink Stampers Select white cardstock. In my last video I tested and compared 16 different white cardstocks to see if they a. stood up to being used as a card base, b. how well they worked with stamping and c. how well they worked with Copic Markers.

 

Since then I have been given some more suggestions (thank you) and I have three here that I think are very good. They are Craftwork Cards Premium Smooth White 250gsm cardstock, Kanban 300gsm Stamping Card and the Joanna Sheen Elegance Satin Ice White 300gsm cardstock.

 

Here is what I thought of them ... 

 

 

As I addressed in the video, the gsm of the cardstock is not how thick the cardstock is, that is measured in mic/Microns. My thinking is that the heavier the cardstock, the thicker it is more likely to be; obviously this is not always true and I apologise if anyone was mislead by my original video.

 

Thanks so much for visiting me today and I hope your week is going well!

You Said ... Happy Birthday

Hello there, today I am sharing a card that combines two of my favourite loves - Clearly Besotted Stamps and Doodlebug Design; and doesn't the SU Embossing Folder match that blue striped paper perfectly? I love it when things come together like that! The sentiment is from the 'A Little Sentimental' set and is cut using the 'You Said It' die collection.

SUPPLIES:

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today. I hope that you are all well.

Delicate Flowers

After seeing so many beautiful cards on Pinterest using this Hero Arts Delicate Flowers set I just had to ink it up myself. I went with the no lines colouring technique for the image, it think it looks quite pretty.

 

ETA: I have had a few comments asking what the no lines technique is. What you do is stamp the image in a light colour (I used Memento London Fog which is a pale-ish grey colour) and then you colour as usual with Copic Markers. The result is different compared to stamping in black ink as you do not see the outline of the image. It makes it look a bit more like it has been painted/watercoloured.

SUPPLIES:

COPIC MARKERS - Flowers: V22, V25, V28. Stems: G82, G85.

While editing the photos for these cards I noticed a little smear of black ink on the side of the card, I'll have to make sure I cut that off before I send it out! As always, thank you so much for visiting me today.

Stampin' Up! Haul #2

Hello there, how are you all today? Last week I made another order from Stampin' Up! and I thought you may like to see what I bought. I usually save up and order a large amount in one go, that way you get the hostess benefits and can earn free products but this time around there wasn't too much that I wanted needed so I just did a small order.

This also gave me a good chance to try out the new online ordering system. I think it is good, you still order though a demo, mine is Julie Kettlewell, but it means you can order 24 hours a day if you so wish!

Here is what I got ...

PRODUCTS:

 

Like I said in the video, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Stampin' Write Markers if you have used them before/still use them. I have been interested in the possibility of purchasing some pens to use like watercolour pencils/markers. I asked on my Facebook page about what people thought of the Distress Markers so I would love to hear what you think of the SU Markers too. I have just ordered a couple of the Distress Markers to try so if anyone is interested, I may do a little review/comparison when I have tried them both out. I know they have both been around for a while but thought it may help some people. What do you think?

For The Birds - DTDF

Hello there, today I am sharing a card I have made for the DTDF Blog using another Tiddly Inks set. This one is called For The Birds - very cute! I stamped the image and then masked it off to be able to make the background. For that I cut the clouds out of Stamping Mask Paper, added them on to the image and them inked around with a blending tool. The image has been coloured with Copic Markers and I have then added little alphabet stamps to the banners for the message.

SUPPLIES:

COPIC MARKERS: Tree branch - E24, E35, E37. G82, G85. RV63, RV66. Birds - B91, B93, B95, B97.

Thank you so much for visiting me today, hope you are keeping warm. The temperature seems to have really dropped this week here!

Thinking Of You

Hello there, when this Thinking Of You set came out from Clearly Besotted Stamps I fell in love with it. My favourite flowers are Lilies and there is just something so beautiful about Orchids too. I didn't get a chance to ink it up when it first came out so I knew I needed to rectify that. I simply combined the image with some inking to showcase the beautiful flowers.

SUPPLIES:

What do you think of my new look blog? I spent the other morning re-designing it as I fancied a change. Since I like to have everything matching I knew I needed a new watermark. So I asked the lovely Janet from Pink Gem Designs to make me a new one, thank you Janet! If you are interested you can see them for sale here. Thank you so much for visiting me today.

Blogoversary Candy Winner

Hello there, massive apologies for not announcing the winner of my six year blogoversary candy earlier. I caught a cold a few days ago and what with still recovering completely from pneumonia it has pushed me back a bit again :0( Anyway, you came to see who the winner is, so without further ado, Random.org picked ...

 

Comment number 35 which is:

Carole

 

Congratulations Carole! Please could you email me your address and I will get your new goodies out to you asap.

 

Can I just take this opportunity to thank EVERYONE who entered and especially those who commented on that post. You were all so lovely with what you said. I am truly blessed to have such a lovely following, thank you! :0)

Birthday Wishes - DTDF

Hello there, today I am sharing a card with you that I have made for the Dies to Die for blog using the very cute Tiddly Inks Birthday Wishes stamp. I haven't coloured with my Copic Markers for so long I had to try and remember how to do it!

SUPPLIES:

Copic Colours: Skin - E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20, V95 (for shadow). Hair - E21, E23, E25, E27, E29. Dress & Hat - R81, R83, R85, C3 (for shadow). Cake - E50, E51. Candles - R83, Y19. Shoes - C5, C7, C8. Ground & Shadow - Blender, C1, C3, C5, C6.

Thanks so much for visiting me today. I have a question for you, does anyone like seeing what Copic colours I have used to colour the images or does it not matter to you? I am never sure whether to list them or not! Please let me know what you think. ETA: A few of you have left comments saying that you would like the colours listed so I will go back to doing that. Thank you for your feedback.

Clearly Besotted Challenge - Stamp Your Own Background

Hello there, today there is a new Clearly Besotted Challenge being set. This month the challenge is to stamp your own background. For the background on my card, I have stamped the dots from the Background Builder set on to some PTI Winter Wisteria CS using Versamark ink. I have then taken one of the hearts from the Love Hearts Die Collection and cut this from some PTI Royal Velvet CS before running through my Cuttlebug using the Sizzix Plaid EF. I then cut the banner die from the Tag Along Set and stamped the sentiment from the A Little Sentimental on to it. I have finished off the card by cutting the smaller of the two butterflies in the Butterfly Wishes Die Collection with vellum and glittered them using the Wink Of Stella pen and added rhinestones to their bodies.

SUPPLIES:

The winner of the challenge will receive four Clearly Besotted stamp sets. For full details please visit Stephanie's blog and take a look at the other DT creations as well! Unfortunately I have some sad news to share as well. Maureen (Moe) is having to step down from the DT to concentrate on her studies. She will be surely missed but I wish you all the best with your Masters Moe! Thank you so much for visiting me today.

Doodlebug Design Haul #3

Hello there, hope you are all well. One of my first loves in the crafting world was Doodlebug Design. I was drawn to their bright beautiful colours and pretty patterns. To this day I just love their products, they are good quality and I am still a sucker for those colours. The Glitter Pot got some of their new stuff in the last week so I just had to buy a few some of their new goodies!

 

Here is what I got ...

 

 

Are you a fan of Doodlebug? I am in love with those sprinkles :0) Like I say in the video, the papers are a bit more patterned than some of the previous Doodlebug pads but are still nice. Thanks for visiting me today, I hope you are having a lovely weekend. It has got a little chilly here in Surrey today.

Simon Says Stamp Haul

Hello there, I am still catching up on my haul videos from when I was sick. Here is my Simon Says Stamp haul. I got 10% off my order from being a student on the latest Online Card Class and I wanted to take advantage of it so I ordered a few bits.

Here is what I got ... apologies in advance for the coughing but I couldn't help it :0(

Thanks so much for watching, I will be back over the weekend with yet another haul, this time Doodlebug Design (then I am all caught up!!). Thanks so much for visiting me today.

Halloween Treats - CBS Teaser

 

Hello there, today I am using the new Clearly Besotted Fright Night & Boo To You sets for my teasers. I have made a cute little sweetie bag and a matching card combining these sets.

For the sweet bag, I have taken a PTI Glassine bag and stamped it randomly with the spiders web from the Fright Night set. I have then wrapped a little Doodlebug washi tape around the bottom. For the tag, I have used one of the fab pumpkins from the Boo To You set. I have stamped it out using Memento Tangelo ink and then added a bit of shading with a Koor-I-Noor pencil before cutting out using the coordinating die. The sentiment is from the Fright Night set.

 

I have used the same Boo To You set for the pumpkins on the matching card. This time I have placed them on the banner die from the new Tag Along Die Collection.

SUPPLIES:

So today is THE day. All products will be released tonight at 12 midnight. I haven't managed to use all the products yet from the new release for my samples unfortunately. There are some other great sets and inspiration for those and all the sets can be found on Stephanie's Blog as well as the rest of the DTs. Thank you so much for visiting me today.

Autumn Flowers - CBS Teaser

 

Hello there, I am back today with another Clearly Besotted Teaser for you. Today I am using the beautiful new Autumn Flowers Stamp Set (coordinating dies can be purchased separately too) along with the Many Messages set which was released last month. Aren't those leaves beautiful?

SUPPLIES:

The stamps and dies will be available to purchase on the 6th of this month. I also have some CBS candy up for grabs which you can find HERE. Please visit my DT teamies as well as the GDTs for more inspiration. Links can be found on Stephanie's blog. Thanks for visiting me today.

Card Making Haul - July & August 2013

Hello there, how are you all today? I just wanted to say a big thank you to all that commented on my card yesterday, it was very difficult getting back into making cards after such a long break. I am still having to take things easy as I am not fully recovered yet, but it was nice to be back :0)

 

Today I have my card making hauls to share with you. Since I couldn't make one for July, I thought I would combine the two months into one. As you will see in the video, I didn't buy much; mainly because most of the time I was even too ill to order online. I did make an order from Simon Says Stamp though which I will film separately.

 

Anyway, here is what I bought ...

 

 

 Hope you enjoyed seeing the little haul I got. Thanks so much for visiting me today, I will be back tomorrow with another Clearly Besotted Teaser. Have a lovely day!

Mini Love Hearts - CBS Teaser

 

Hello there, so I finally got back in my craft room :0) There is no better incentive than to get to play with some new Clearly Besotted goodness! Ok, so my mojo still appears to be off sick and this card took me three (yes three!) hours to make but I got there in the end.

 

Clearly Besotted Stamps are releasing new stamps and dies on the 6th, with teasers/sneak peeks from now. Please visit the DT blogs (links on Stephanie's Blog) and also we have three new amazing Guest DTs this month - Anita, Cornelie & Inge.

 

For my card today I have used the new Mini Love Hearts stamps and co-ordinating dies plus the new Tag Along Die collection as well. the sentiment is from the Paired Up stamp set.

SUPPLIES:

Thank you so much for all those that have left such lovely comments on my 6 year blogoversary post. They are so so appreciated. If you haven't already entered my candy, you can do so below. Thank you so much for visiting me today. I hope to be back soon!