More Frillies!

Following on from the last post I seem to have a lot of PP undies in my scraps file. I need to dig a bit deeper, but at least it feels good to be making cards again.

Oo la la!

I keep thinking I haven't got time to make cards and last night was no exception, I was whining on to myself that I wanted to watch "Brothers and Sisters" and I couldn't make cards if I did that. I've tried making stuff before in front of the TV and I keep having to trot off to get this and that and it stops being enjoyable. Then I thought I could do something if I tried hard enough. So I pulled a folder out of my craft stuff cupboard with scraps of paper and various half started projects tucked away in it and thought I could try and make something (anything) using only what was in the folder. And these two cards are what I came up with, not too shabby considering the restraints I put on myself. I did half compose another two that I was quite pleased with but the images I chose for the central focus were just off slightly colour-wise and I couldn't bring myself to glue it all into place :) .What I particularly like about this little exercise is that the images and papers are quite old. In crafting (as in much of life) everyone seems obssessed with having the latest trend in everything. The newest rubber stamps, the most recent embossing folders etc. etc. I like what I like and it doesn't matter if it's last seasons (or even the season's before) Pink Petticoat image stamp or the most up-to-date ones, I am going to use it only if I like it. I think this is why I have way less stuff than most crafters I know, I'm simply not "A dedicated follower of fashion!"

Ooooh, Arrrrgh Mrs.

Well it's that time of year again, how quickly it rolls around. Yes tomorrow will be September 19th and of course that means it's "International Talk like a Pirate day" I shan't sleep a wink tonight, I'm so excited. Needless to say I couldn't let the day pass without making a card to mark the occasion, I'm only sorry I didn't have time to make them for all my friends and family. Next year I will plan ahead and be more organised. Anyway I used the Pirate Bear Printables set from Cuddly Buddly, scalloping the edge of the top layer with my corner rounder punch. The sentiment was printed directly onto the backing paper using Paint Shop Pro, adding a 3D drop shadow in a darker toning shade of blue.

This little piggy went home!

I'm usually in such a hurry to try something out that I never seem to upload a polished finished project and this little piggy is no exception, I'd like to have embellished him a bit more. Linda recommended a site called A time for crafting where they have fab templates, and as soon as I saw this one I couldn't wait to cut him out. I have inked round his face and snout with a darker pink than the card to add a bit of definition, popped on some googley eyes and written "Hogs & Kisses" on the inside. I stuck the face on at a jaunty angle as it gave him a slightly quizzical look. Next time I use this template I will draw his trotters in as well, actually I think I will use this template over and over again, it is so adorable.

Oh Tannenbaum!

I ordered the new Pink Petticoat doodle-icious Christmas and Rainbow collections in the week and I thought they were just the thing to pair with this beautiful filigree Christmas tree craft robo template from UKS. I dotted the tree with loads of Papermania adhesive gemstones so represent fairy lights (I've actually stuck on a few more - loads more! - since I took the photo) I am well pleased with how it turned out although the delicacy of the cut-out made it tricky to adhere to the card. TheCountryRose who designed the template has shared an angel and a reindeer design in the same filigree style, I think you may be seeing more in the next couple of days.

Take two.......

I had forgotten about this card and just found a photo of it. It was one of the first things I made on the Craft Robo and I used Microsoft Clipart for the design. I cut out the design in card to start with put realised it wouldn't be easy to stick onto the base card as the design was so spindly. I had bought some cheap "Peel and stick" metallic paper in Wilkinsons and I tried it with that, turning the paper upside down so that the robo cut through the backing sheet first. It was so easy to just peel off the backing and stick it to the card. The letters were cut using my Sizzix alapha bars on scraps of the "peel & stick" - not really a good match for the design but it was my first attempt :)

Pumpkin Carving

A few years ago, my friend Sadie sent me some white pumpkin seeds and I managed to grow two decent sized pumpkins (I'm no Alan Titchmarsh so even that was a miracle)It was round the time that the film "Wallace & Grommit - The curse of the Were Rabbit" was at the cinema and while browsing the website I found some Pumpkin Carving templates of W & G and set to, carving out the pumpkins for Halloween I was actually well pleased with my efforts, especially when the trick or treaters recognized them. It occurred to me the other day that Pumpkin Carving and silhouettes for the Craft Robo need to have similar characteristics, so I quickly rustled up the attached, just as an experiment. I think if you were going to make a card you would have to use just one character as you couldn't make the templates any smaller (This is an A4 sheet) However at this time of year there are loads of Pumkin Carving templates on the web just waiting to be plundered and used on the Craft Robo, I feel a project coming on.

Little Boxes on the hillside

I haven't had much time to be crafty but I whipped these little boxes up in no time at all. Back in the dim and distant past when I first wanted to have a go at card making there was so little equipment available and I became obssessed with the idea of getting a ribbler. No, it's not something saucy you have to buy at Anne Summers or a villian from Batman, it's a little instrument with two ridged rollers that you feed a piece of card or paper between , rolling it through and as the paper emerges from the other side of the rollers it is corrugated. I had to have one, but in fact I have rarely used it so this project was a chance to dust the cobwebs off it and actually get some value out of it. I used a tutorial here which was excellent (You have to scroll down a bit to get to the right section) but wouldn't they be wonderful for putting little Wedding favours in or at the Christmas lunch table instead of crackers. They took me about five minutes to make both of them and best of all I got to use my ribbler.