Handmade Harbour Midweek Papercraft Party #30

Howdy bloggers!!

Long time, no hear from!! Its been a difficult few months here, with my shoulder (and hips) giving me some grief. I have missed out on a few Papercraft Parties, but hopefully, with my last cortisone shot in the shoulder done and dusted, things might just improve (it was bad for a few days there, after the shot, but things seem to have settled down now, nearly 2 weeks on). So, on with the post . . .

Our theme this week at Handmade Harbour is "Sunshine, rain or flowers". Well, I didn't have any rain-y or sunshine-y stamps from Handmade Harbour, but I do have a lovely stamp with lots of flowery goodness, #195 "flowers in a frame".

Here is the card I made - I jumped on the "card-in-a-box" bandwagon and made this one...

I printed some papers from Handmade Harbour too: "Ladybug Parade Natural". These papers print out so nicely, and I love how you can resize them to whatever size you like (I shrank mine down a bit to suit the size of the card). 

I printed a few copies of the flowers stamp, and blanked out the word "thanks" on the sentiment so I could write "hello" instead. The flowers are cut out individually and adhered to strips of clear plastic, which gives the illusion that they are standing up all on their own. Groovy, don't you think?

I used the stripey paper for the outside of the box (including the back).

I coloured in the flowers with my Crayola watercolour pencils, but didn't blend them at all - I liked the intense colours and didn't want them muddied or lightened.

There are plenty of tutorials out there for "card in a box" cards. I pinned a few to my "Cardmaking Inspiration" pinterest board (if you want to see, just click on the link up there on the left to get to my pinterest boards).

I hope I have inspired you to pop over to Handmade Harbour and join in with our weekly papercraft party!

Thanks for stopping by.

Take care and ciao for now,
 

Handmade Harbour Midweek Papercraft Party (16)

Welcome to another Midweek Papercraft Party post!! This week, our theme is "Fur or Feathers". How cool is that?  Being so close to Christmas, I am sticking with the Christmas card theme and the two images I have chosen are just so cute - both are 'feathers'.

This first one is great as a card to send from my family to someone else's - we are a family of 5 and the birdies in the image could easily be us: across could be Zac, Madz, Michael, me and Em. I just totally love this stamp. Colouring it and cutting it out to layer it were fun. I have even used the image, with permission from Wendy, to teach my Monday ladies. They loved it too!! The birdies, holly, stocking and the sentiment are all popped onto mounting foam for dimension.

Digital Stamps: 228 robin family on branch & 226 Christmas tags and sentiments

 from the Christmas collection

I have used: Crayola watercolour pencils, patterned papers, textured cardstock, ribbon and Fastenator with Christmas designs, Kinyglitz

Techniques: watercolouring, distressing, layering

This next card hasn't photographed very well, but I have done my best to fix up the photo and it looks much better if you click it and see the larger image. Anyhoo, I chopped off part of the image from the owl stamp (the branch, stars and "Santa stop here please" sign) because I wanted him to be sitting on a sign post. The post of the sign was made by simply cutting a thin sheet of card, colouring it to match the sign, rounding it and popping it on mounting foam.

Digital Stamps: 232 owl waiting for Santa & 226 Christmas tags and sentiments

 from the Christmas collection

I have used: watercolour pencils, patterned paper, cardstock, ribbons and Fastenator with Christmas designs, Kinyglitz

Techniques: watercolouring, distressing, layering

How to play along with the Midweek Papercraft Party...

Now, if you want to play along with the Midweek Papercraft Party, simply make a card within the theme (this week's is "Fur or Feathers"), upload it to your blog and then pop a link on the Handmade Harbour Blog under the post for this week's party.
Remember too, that if you use a digital stamp from Handmade Harbour, you will be in with a chance to win 3 digital stamps from Handmade Harbour.

Easy peasy. 

Take care and ciao for now,
 

Blog update and other bits

Hi everyone,

I am in the midst of updating the look of my blog. Because of a few little glitches, I have changed to a very simple template for the time being. I will pretty it up as I can. I think it will load much faster now, but I am not used to such a plain look. Please bear with me {smile}.

On to the bits....

Craft Queen is having a great giveaway at the moment, and I am popping it on here so that I go into the draw to win some really great stuff! If you want to have a chance to win too, pop over to the Craft Queen blog and follow the instructions on the 7th Birthday Giveaway post.

I know how good the prices and stuff are over at Craft Queen, because I had the pleasure of working for her at the Penrith Paper Arts Festival recently. Be sure to get in before it closes.

Head on over for your chance to win!

Take care and ciao for now,
 

Handmade Harbour Midweek Papercraft Party #14

Howdy everyone!!

Firstly, I would just like to say that I am extremely grateful to Wendy over at Handmade Harbour for her understanding, as I have been absent from my DT duties for a little while. A few things here and there have meant I haven't been able to meet my DT commitments but, hopefully, things will improve now.

The major issue I have at the moment is tendinosis and bursitis with impingement in my left shoulder. It is a total pain (haha - no pun intended there) and very restricting on what I can do and for how long. Long story short, I am having a cortisone injection into my shoulder next week, so I am truly hoping that does the trick, as anti-inflammatory medication did not.

So, back to the Handmade Harbour papercraft party!

This week's theme is "Friends and Family". And what a lovely theme that is. I have a few cards that kind-of fit that theme - then again, perhaps they fit quite well, as these are cards I would happily give to friends and family. Click on the cards to see them in greater detail.

First up is one of my favourites, seeing how sarcasm is rife at my place hehehe. This would be perfect for any of my brothers.

The digital stamp is:  219 sarcastic comment

from the Humorous collection 

I have used: Crayola watercolour pencils, a Stampin' Up! stamp (retired), textured cardstock and DCWV patterned paper.

Techniques: Watercolouring, distressing, stamping

The next card is a really lovely image of a beach house. It is such a lovely, peaceful image. It would be ideal to send to someone who needs cheering up, or just because you want to send them a card.

The digital stamp is:  225 Beach hut 

from the At the Seaside collection

I have used: Crayola watercolour pencils, Ocean waves embossing folder, kitchen string, textured cardstock

Techniques: Watercolouring, distressing, embossing

Next is a very cute birthday card with a little monster on there - perfect for the little monster in your life, or the monster you know in someone else's life hehe.

 The digital stamp is: 196 Monster with sign 

from the Birthdays collection 

I have used: Crayola watercolour pencils, DCWV patterned papers, printed ribbon and coloured brads

Techniques: Watercolouring, distressing, layering

 And last, but not least, a going away card, ideal for someone who is off on a long holiday, or a camping holiday. I know a few people who have gone around Australia on a camping holiday and this would have been just perfect for them.

The digital stamp is: 220 car and caravan trailer 

from the General collection

I have used: Crayola watercolour pencils, patterned paper, textured cardstock, brads, tiny letter stickers

Techniques: Watercolouring, distressing

How to play along with the Midweek Papercraft Party...

Now, if you want to play along with the Midweek Papercraft Party, simply make a card within the theme (this week's is Family and Friends), upload it to your blog and then pop a link on the Handmade Harbour Blog under the post for this week's party HERE > > > Midweek Papercraft Party (14)

Remember too, that if you use a digital stamp from Handmade Harbour, you will be in with a chance to win 3 digital stamps from Handmade Harbour.

Easy peasy. 

Thanks for visiting today xx

Take care and ciao for now,
 

Handmade Harbour Stamps - Humour

Howdy bloggers! Today I am sharing some cards I made using some great stamps from Handmade Harbour. You can see the cards larger by clicking on them, or right-click and open in a new tab.
The cute stamps are from the Humorous section. I love a stamp that puts a smile on my face!!

As you can see from the first photo, Smudge photo bombed again. Not only that, when I shooed her away, she decided it would be a fantastic idea to attack my leg and feet (and I'm ticklish!!). Yes, I'm still in my pjs, don't judge me (smile). She is a cat who absolutely hates to be ignored!!

So, onto the cards! I really like the sentiment on this stamp. I can see this getting a workout as my friends are getting older, along with me (hehehehe). I used a black marker to outline the words "good" and "longer", just to emphasise the point. 

The stamp is 205 Birthdays are good for you 

Other stuff I have used: Printed onto Express-it specialty cardstock, coloured with Copic markers, a lovely flower, a skeleton leaf and patterned paper from DCWV.

This stamp I used for the next card appealed to me for a few of reasons - I really like cupcakes, I like the table and chairs that they are sitting at, plus, the humour appealed too. Before I show you the card, I need to share this terrific discovery I made when I coloured the image in:

I used watercolour pencils to colour this and there was NO BLEED of the printed ink. Wanna know why? Because I printed the images onto good quality (and by that I mean very expensive lol) watercolour paper. Its the kind I use to draw my Zentangles on. I was so thrilled to make this discover, because my preferred colouring medium, as everyone who knows me knows, is watercolour pencils. 

I use a couple of good brands of watercolour paper, but this particular one is made by Windsor & Newton. Its a Smooth surface cartridge pad, heavy weight, 100lbs/220gsm, smooth (santinee) A3 pad. I buy the biggest pad and cut the sheets to sizes I need, as it is the most economical way, I have found.

Ok, so now, you can look at the card. . . . . 

 

This stamp is 198 I only eat one cake a day

Other stuff I used: patterned papers, satin gross grain ribbon and a button.
You can't really see it in the photo, but I crimped the striped paper for a bit more texture.

I hope you enjoyed your visit today. Don't forget to check out the Midweek Papercraft Party over at Handmade Harbour Blog every Wednesday and remember, if you use a Handmade Harbour digital stamp, you could be in the running to win a prize of free digi stamps (see the blog for full info.)

Take care and ciao for now,
 

Handmade Harbour Midweek Paper Party - 2

I nearly missed mentioning the Handmade Harbour Midweek Paper Party - 2!

It's on right as I am typing this. If you want to play along and be in the running for a free digi stamp, be sure to pop over the the HH blog and check out the challenge. You will see my cards from my last post and a couple of other very nice cards from other members of the DT over there too.

Hope to see you over there!

Take care and ciao for now,
 

Cards for Handmade Harbour and a challenge with a prize

Hi everyone!

Today I am sharing with you some cards I've made with digital images from Handmade Harbour. I know I have said before how much I love their images, but I am going to say it again - I LOVE their images lol. I love the sketchy feel of the drawings by Wendy, and with so many different stamps available, there is something for nearly every occasion! Be sure to go and check out the Handmade Harbour shop!

Before I share my cards with you, I thought I would share a couple of pictures of my ragdoll Smudge "helping" me to take photos (she wanted to eat and play with them). I had to move to another spot hehehe. Thanks Smudge xx

Here are my cards - you can see there was a bit of a kitty cat theme happening for me (smile). You can enlarge the images by clicking on the photos.

1. Kitty asleep on the couch. I really like this stamp. I have made it 3D by printing several copies of the image (all the same size of course) and colouring selected areas, then cutting them out and layering them onto the bottom image (see the second photo).

 The image I used from Handmade Harbour was 108 Cat on armchair with patchwork quilts
For those who may be interested in the mottled background of this one, it was a very easy scrunch and smoosh background, done with paper and inkpads. I will put a quicky step by step up soon.

2. Kitty on the cushions. Another lovely stamp. I don't usually go for red and blue together, but I decided to go with those colours and then a grey cat. Seemed to work.

 Here is a close up of the card so you get an idea of the dimension.

The digital stamp used for this one is 035 Cat on cushions

 And last but not least, card no. 3 - another kitty on the couch. I thought a ginger tabby would be nice for this one, so that's what I went with. Again, red and blue cushions, but slightly different shades to the card above.

 Another close up so you can see the dimension.

The digital stamp used for this one is also  035 Cat on cushions

Other stuff used to make the cards:
   Textured cardstock, flowers, pin, brads, mini letter stickers, ribbons and mounting foam. The images were all coloured in with Copics.

Now, for the challenge & prize . . . Each Wednesday, over on the Handmade Harbour Blog, Wendy is putting up a challenge called the Midweek Papercraft Party  Sounds like fun, doesn't it? You are invited to join in the challenge and be in the running for a free digital stamp from Handmade Harbour. To play along, simply head over to the Handmade Harbour Blog on Wendesday and follow the instructions for the Midweek Papercraft Party.

Take care and ciao for now,

Announcing my news : I'm on the Design Team for Handmade Harbour

 At last I can announce my announcement!

I was one of the lucky people to be asked to join in the awesome Design Team at Handmade Harbour!! Woot!! (see my badge over there on the right? Nice, isn't it?? hehehe)

I am very excited! Its been a while since I have been on a DT and Handmade Harbour has such a terrific range of images to choose from. My mojo has been on the go again since I found them.

So, what's the DT all about? We will be designing for this wonderful site for challenges that Wendy will be putting up each week. You (the viewer/crafter) will have the opportunity to participate in the challenges and even be in the running for PRIZES!! I like prizes! I am sure you do do. Challenges will begin this month and will go up on the Wednesday. To be sure you don't miss out, why not subscribe to the HH blog.

To find out more, be sure to pop over to the Handmade Harbour blog, and check out the Digital Stamps Store too.

If you are like me, and you have other crafty interests as well, you might also enjoy Handmade Monday - its a linky party where you get to link your own crafty things or follow links to other crafty peoples' crafty things. This excerpt is taken right off the blog "It’s got a bit of a community feel to it and has been likened to an online coffee morning.  If you blog about something creative that you think fits in with the handmade ethos, you’re very welcome to join in. You don't need an invite!"

So, be sure to pop over and have a look. You won't be disappointed.

Take care and ciao for now,
 

Handmade Harbour - Adding a button to your blog sidebar (and a free digi stamp!)

Hi all!

You know how much I love stamps. Well, my new favourite place to get digital stamps online is Handmade Harbour. Well, Wendy over at HH has produced a shiny new blog badge for her online shop. If you like Handmade Harbour and are kind enough to want to help spread the work and would like a shiny new badge on your blog (and a free digi stamp), this is what to do (if you already know what to do, just scroll down to find out how to get your free digital stamp):

<div align="center"> <a href="http://handmadeharbour.co.uk/" title="Handmade Harbour digi stamps"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX83gWEnfi8pyZx4dc2lA5U4_wgp4mkkUVLIhwxKgbXvKSti2H0vEjNlKtoT86wEazwSKUMiTt6y94kzjD4t7MpINDBxnaCVLuKchEmJQDJdvAsY1pC3dMkzMPRECOFnei3ai3cZtBvmWp/s200/blog+button+instant+downloads.jpg" alt="Handmade Harbour digi stamps" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Click on the code box under the blog button above and scroll down until you've highlighted all the code. Right click and select Copy.

On your blog's main page (the one viewable to the public), click on Design in the top right corner, then Layout. Or, if you are already on the dashboard, just click on Layout.

Depending on the layout of your blog, you probably have a few places showing up saying Add gadget. One of these will be where you can add your button. Click on Add gadget.

In the box that pops up, scroll down until you find the one that says HTML/Javascript. When you click on that, another box comes up. In the larger of the two boxes showing, paste the code you copied earliler (right click in the box and select Paste). In the smaller box, you can type a heading if you choose to, such as Buy Digi Stamps, or I love... or you could leave it blank. It is easier to organise your gadgets if you have a heading though.

Clilck Save. 

After you've saved it, you'll be back to the layout screen. If you choose, you can move around your buttons just by dragging them. You'll need to click Save Arrangement to finalise it.

Check it's all working fine by clicking on View Blog. 

And you're done! 

If you need to adjust your blog column widths to accommodate your new badge, just go to Templates then Adjust Widths. 

Have you added the Handmade Harbour blog badge to your blog? Email wendy to tell her about it (remembering to include your blog link): wendy@handmadeharbour.co.uk and she'll send you a digi stamp to say thank you. Please be patient - unlike the stamps you buy, this one will be sent manually. She'll be as quick as she can though!

Here's a disclaimer in case Wendy gets overwhelmed: This free digital stamp offer is a temporary one and may be removed at any time. It only applies to the Handmade Harbour shop badge and NOT to the Handmade Monday badge.

Take care and ciao for now,

Tutorial - Straight Stick Trick

Hello and welcome to one of hopefully many new blog posts to come.

I was lucky to be asked to create a tutorial for Handmade Harbour and Totally Tutorials blog. The only catch - I had to want 5 free digital images. Gee, that was a hard one to accept (NOT!) hehehe.

So, here is my tutorial for you using THIS wonderful image from Handmade Harbour. My tute will show you a simple but excellent way of making sure your card layers line up perfectly every single time - the "Straight Stick Trick". I have been teaching this "trick" to people attending my card classes for years and they love it. I have heard that this is also a technique taught at design school. 

First of all, here is my little kitty Smudge, helping me to colour the image by laying all over my spot lol. She loves to sit next to me while I am working at my craft desk (that's why that little pink blanket is there - she know's that's her spot).

Here is the card I made. I actually made a different card, which was almost the same, except silly me, didn't have an image from the lovely Wendy at HH. oops. So, card re-do and voila! here we are.

The image has been coloured in with Copic Markers. I actually prefer using watercolour pencils and a waterbrush, but the printer ink is water-soluble, so the Copics work best. I have also used Copic paper.

Ok, my first tip: I actually put my tape on my wrist like a bangle, as I find I have greater control. I also tear my tape, as opposed to cutting, for 2 reasons; 1. cutting the tape gums up your scissors and 2. it's quicker and easier just to tear it.

STEP 1: First things first - apply the tape on all 4 sides of the paper or cardstock you are adhering. Also, make sure to place a strip of tape diagonally across the centre of the piece. This centre piece is very important, as it holds the piece in place while you remove the bits from the sides.

STEP 2: Next, peel back and fold a small portion only of each piece of tape backing around the edges of your card/paper. Be sure to press down so the tape backing is folded out at a right-angle. Remove the tape backing entirely from the centre diagonal strip.

STEP 3: Here, you can see I have plonked the prepped paper onto the card. The peeled backing acts as 'feet' and suspends the paper over the card, so the sticky centre isn't touching the card base at this stage. This is the time when you line the paper up exactly where you want it to be. 

Once you are happy with the placement, you press the middle so the exposed centre tape adheres to the card base. You need to keep your fingers pressed to the middle while you peel away any 2 of the exposed backing tapes.

STEP 4: You can now release the paper and peel the remaining backings from the patterned paper.

In this photo, you can see how the stamped image is suspended by the peeled and folded tape backing.

Simply repeat all the steps to adhere the stamped image in place.

Ta-da! You have now got a perfectly lined up image and mount on your card. yay!

 And here is the card finished. 

And that's all there is to it. I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. It is very handy to know, especially if you are very particular about your edges all lining up perfectly.

Here's a list of the materials I have used
Stamps: 043 Sewing Machine (Handmade Harbour), Sew Suite stamp set (Stampin' Up!)

Markers: - Copics

Cardstock and patterned paper - Die Cuts With a View
Other: ribbon, paper flowers, buttons, letter stickers, round adhesive diamantes, Kindy Glitz, white gel pen for "highlight" on sewing machine.

Take care and ciao for now,