Plane Card

I don't blame you if you've lost track of all my nieces and nephews, I think I do sometimes too! I think I can count nine of them these days, and one of them celebrated his third Birthday last month! I spent a while trawling through the Cricut Design Space to see if anything caught my eye... Well actually, a dragon caught my eye first. But it was just one of those Cricut disasters - I think I was trying to cut too intricate an image from too thin a paper on too small a scale! But then I found this little plane, and I fell in love. OK, slight exageration, but it is adorable! This design is number #M3F228 from the Wild Card 2 cartridge. I cut the base out of plane white card, and the clouds out of a hammered white card because I love the additional texture! The plane is cut out of various cards I had in my stash - it's not a standard colour combination but I think it's funky. I added some final detail with gold Liquid Pearls - it reminded me of little rivets holding the plane together! :) I love how this design stands up with the clouds pushed back, giving it greater depth, and it has such clean lines.

Papercut Thank You Card

I made this card quite early in my Cricut adventure-ing. Hence the tiny crease where it shouldn't be...! The papercut is done in this amazing dark blue/gold card my Dad gave me - you can see how much it changes depending upon the light. The colourful background is from my favourite collection of marble printable papers, and there's some gold liquid pearls for accents :)

Oriental Fan Card

I wouldn't say that this card fits my typical style aesthetic, but the recipient was really pleased with it! The background has a piece of tan coloured fine fibre paper (I'm sure there's a proper name for it?!) The fan is cut using the pattern "Japanese Fan" which is available in the Cricut design space, using card from my stash and some free printable floral paper. I added accents using raffia, golden beads, and golden Liquid Pearls! It is on a textured cream card stock rather than my usual smooth white, as I thought it worked better with this colour scheme.

Colouring: LOTV Bunny Stocking

I love all the freebies being given away as part of Advent Calendars this December! This freebie came via a group called Kit and Clowder on Facebook. Behind the door of their Advent Calendar yesterday was this gorgeous stamp by Lily of the Valley (who you may have noticed I have been slightly obsessed with lately!) and I just had to colour it in right away. I used my ancient WHSmith pencils because they've got much softer leads than their newer pencils. I used white acrylic paint to add some fluff to the stocking and pom poms, as well as Liquid Pearls White Opal on the stocking trim and a Stickles glitter glue on the pom poms! They look so cute :)

"Thanks a Bunch" Cards

I made these card several months ago to say thank you to a couple of people. I used these free printables from Cardmaking and Papercraft, and they came together into quick cards. I added hammered ivory card from my stash, and some interest using my favourite Liquid Pearls. I was really pleased with how pretty these turned out, especially for a quick make.

Balloon Birthday Card

For this Birthday card I used these free printables from Papercraft Inpsirations. I was really caught by the beautiful balloon paper, so printed it off and mounted it on some pearly paper. I cut out a second layer of the balloons and mounted them using 3D foam, and added strings with Liquid Pearls (not that I've perfected a smooth line yet!) I also cut out the "Happy Birthday" sentiment in glossy white card using my beautiful new Cricut Explore Air 2 - so useful!

I love having decorated envelopes, so cut out some more balloons to attach to the envelope, adding some strings with a silver gel pen. I think envelopes should make people smile :)

Happy Birthday Papercut Card

I was recently gifted a Cricut Explore Air 2, and one of the first things I had to try was this complex Happy Birthday papercut. I cut it out from a dark blue card which has a slight metallic gold sheen, and it worked so well! I mounted it on one of these printable marble papers by TwigsandTwineArt - they make such beautiful backgrounds. This one reminds me a bit of a galaxy. The circle is then mounted with 3D foam tape on to some dark purple card and a white card back, with some Liquid Pearl embellishments.

The Perfect Cup of Tea [Card]

How beautiful is this cup of tea?! I found it in a series of free printables of British biscuits here. It includes watercolour illustrations of (my favourite) party rings, custard creams, and this gorgeous cup and saucer. I mounted the cup and saucer on some cream hammer card, and pink polka dot paper which is included in the printables. I used Liquid Pearls for the added details - you know I can't resist a bit of shimmer or sparkle! A lovely, pretty, summery card. I think I'll be using these downloads a bit more in the future!

Totally Turquoise: Butterflies

Whilst on my turquoise spree last month I also got a bit distracted with some other free printables I found on Create and Craft. Specifically, these Debbi Moore Flutterby Dreams.

 

The PDF file includes some lovely imagery to use as card toppers, as well as some sentiments and paper. I opened the PDF in Photoshop to tweak the images so that it only printed the elements I wanted and at the sizes I wanted, and assembled the bits to make these two cards.

I added extra sparkle to both cards with Liquid Pearls, mini gems and pearlescent paper. Some of the shapes in this download are a bit fiddly to cut, but with a bit of patience they worked out ok!

Festive February: Bauble Gift Tags

When I thought about making gift tags, I decided I wanted to stick with my Christmas card theme of baubles - made much easier with a large circle punch! I took a large sheet of textured cream card, and painted stripes of white and metallic gold across it in different widths. I then punched out the circles I needed, and added extra details to them with Liquid Pearls, before attaching them to presents with sparkly gold thread. I thought they also looked a bit like planets! Maybe that will be a future project...

Red and Gold Chinese-styled Card

A bit different from my normal card making adventures, I do hope I've titled this one appropriately! This beautifully detailed stamp is another one I inherited last summer, and is inked on to a thin cream paper. This is mounted on red paper and another styled with Chinese lettering. I added gold highlights to the lady's dress and hair using metallic paint, and some extra hair highlights with gold Liquid Pearls. I love the rich red and gold against the black outlines, it makes me think of Chinese New Year!

Flower Pot Card

This Flowerpot Stamp is another I received in last years huge stash inheritance. It's a lovely stamp, with so many possibilities for both decorating the pot and the colours of the flowers. This time I went for a simple terracotta pot and some daisies, primarily painted in watercolour with a touch of Whispers Strokes pens. I added Liquid Pearls to the centre flower, as I like a card to have a bit of shimmer! I mounted the image on some hammered ivory paper and some green polka dot paper from a craft paper bundle with Craftseller magazine. I thought it made for a nice cheerful spring card :)

"When the Wind is High..."

When I was a little girl, I'd sometimes venture into my Dad's study late at night. He'd put his record player on, and we'd dance... One song I vividly remember from these times is Kites, by Simon Dupree and The Big Sound. I wanted my Father's Day card this year to reflect these memories... a snow white kite, hints of gold, soaring high above... I made an origami kite, framed in gold. I added Liquid Pearls for highlights, and stamped on a few words from the song. I hope he recalls these memories like I do.

Wedding Anniversary Card

A simple card for my parents-in-law's wedding anniversary. A pearly gold paper, topped with hammered ivory paper. I added some gold liquid pearl dots for interest. The two hearts are cut using my own template from different shades and textures of red card. A corrugated maroon that I love, and a brighter red with a near-spongey texture. A card doesn't need to be fancy to convey beauty and meaning.

Watercolour Stamped Mousey Card

I have started to accept that in life there is always another card to make, and as long as I have inspiration, I'm ok with that! This mousey stamp (Funstamps Daisy Mouse) is another from the stash I inherited last year, along with the spring coloured tartan card, the ivory hammer card and the gold Liquid Pearls, which I have used in the centre of the flower to add interest. I used my wonderful water brush and my trusty watercolour paints, and I love the combination of the cute factor and cheery summer colours!