Memory Box Window Card & Feature on Sizzix Blog

 I just like playing with paper! I started this card last night and finished it this afternoon - just one of those cards with lots of little bits of paper, which I enjoy fiddling with.

I used some pretty old Basic Grey papers, and the Memory Box dies listed below, plus Karen Burnston's Birds on a Wire die for the little bird. 

I wanted the scene in the window to be a little hazy, so added a layer of vellum behind the window frame first.

The edges to all the pieces were inked with Distress Ink.

Also today on the Sizzix Blog is a post by Karen Burniston, featuring lots of her Label and Frame dies, and including a couple of cards by me.

Some of products used:


   

Pop 'n Cuts Thank You Teacher Card

A quick card since the kids came home from school (seeing as all my mess was already out!)...

I wanted to make a Thank You card for one of the kids' teachers, and used the original Pop 'n Cuts base die, with the Ornate Square Frame insert.

 The papers are from Tim Holtz Kraft Resist pad, and Teresa Collins' 'Now & Then' 6x6 pad.

I used Papertrey Ink's apple die, and chevron die, and also Tim Holtz's Tattered Banners die and stamp set.

The smaller hearts are from a punch, and the larger one from Owl #2 Bigz die.
There is some acetate in the frame, which I used foam pads to stick the apple to.

Some of products used:

   

Pop 'n Cuts '3-D Label Window' Butterfly Card

This is another card I made as a commission for a friend - my only brief was to have it butterfly themed.

I used Karen Burniston's 3-D Label Window insert in the lovely Square Card with Ornate Edge base die.

I used the 'Butterflies & Labels' Bigz die to create the background layers on the pop-out label parts, and 'Edge & Scroll' Biqz die for filling in the back of the card.

 The card front. (Papers are from Tilda 'Sewingbird' range, and the plain papers are from various Basic Grey pads.)

For the butterflies, I used Karen Burniston's new Movers and Shapers Butterflies for the little ones, Tim Holtz's Movers and Shapers Butterflies for the medium one (which is the cut-out in the bottom right-hand corner), and the large butterfly and butterfly bodies are from Memory Box - the Darla butterfly. I used the Movers and Shapers base tray to cut-out the butterfly shaped windows, once the rest of the card was made.

Some of products used:


   

Eileen Hull's 3-D Birdhouse Project

After another crazy weekend (drove to Northamptonshire to try out an 8 mile hike in advance of a youth camp I am organising, drove home to pick up my daughter and a friend, then drove to Watford to a Hawaiian themed dance, then back to Northampton on Sunday... LOTS of driving and walking, but good fun!) anyway, I compiled a pretty good To Do List this morning to catch up with the house, but then the post came, bringing in it Eileen Hull's 3-D Birdhouse Sizzix Die... figured housework can wait!

I've wanted to get some of Eileen's dies for a while, but they keep being out of stock in England, so I was really happy to get hold of this Birdhouse one.

I made three houses from First Edition's Floral Pavilion pad (it worked fine just using cardboard instead of chipboard or mat board, though I put in my own creases), and decorated them.

 For the first, I added buttons to the roof, and pom-pom trim round the roof edges. For adhering heavier items like those, I use Beacon's 3-in-1 glue, because it dries so quickly (kind of like glue-gun glue, but cold).

I added some leaves cut with the 'Branch with Leaves' Sizzlit, which I painted with Antique Linen Distress paint, and added some paper roses, and a little punched butterfly, with adhesive pearls.

 For the second, I added a metal Stampin' Up book plate, and made a mini strand of bunting (I put some twine through holes on each side of the roof, and used the Beacon 3-in-1 glue to add the tiny flags), and added more butterflies, and a strip of ribbon to the roof.

 And for the third, I added some Stampin' Up pink ruffled ribbon, and swirls cut from Tim Holtz's Festive Greenery die, a couple of paper flowers, and some birds cut from Karen Burniston's Birds on a Wire die.

I was also really chuffed to been chosen as one of Country View Craft Blog's Top Three winners, for their Die Cuts challenge, last month. I get to be a guest designer next month, and was sent this blinkie...

I entered a couple of different projects to the challenge, and they picked out my tealight holder:

Some of the products used:


   

Tanya Whelan Butterfly Accordion Album Birthday Card

 A friend of mine asked me to make a butterfly themed birthday card for her Sister-in-Law.

I know she is keen on the Cath Kidston/Tanya Whelan type patterns, so I went for a summer garden type feel to the card with an assortment of Tanya Whelan papers from my First Edition's 'Floral Pavilion' pad.

Thought I would photograph it in the garden for a change, seeing as there are lots of little 'windows' to see through, in the card.

I used Karen Burniston's Accordion Album die, and the 'Frame and Label, Bracket' die, PLUS her super-duper gorgeous new Movers and Shapers Butterflies dies. I love how one of them cuts out a beautiful little butterfly wherever you want it, and the other cuts out an oval shape with the butterfly inside, again wherever you want! (This fits inside the centre of the 'Fancy Frame' die cuts really well!) 

I used the Movers and Shapers Base Tray to run my nearly completed card through on, to add the butterfly cuts, with no damage to the rest of the card.

I rounded off the corners of the outer frames with a Zutter cutter (great for thick card board and chipboard etc.), and stamped a Tim Holtz  'Happy birthday' in another of the Fancy Frames. (I had to trim the edges of some of the Fancy Frames, so that they would close up properly when the card shuts.)

 I loved the shadow, in this photo!

And most impressively for me, I actually made a card which can fold down totally flat, and can easily fit inside an envelope!

Products used:


   

Thank You card for Karen

Now I know that Karen has received her card OK, I'll share some pictures of it... I wanted it to be a surprise!

I made this for Karen Burniston, who has been just absolutely lovely to me since we came across each other on-line a couple of months ago.

I used her new Square Card with Ornate Edge Pop 'n Cuts base die, with the Funky Label insert (it's such a gorgeous classic shape), and the Funky Label Framelits set for making the layers under the sentiment.

The 'Thank You' is from Tim Holtz's Typeset die, and the papers from Tilda's 'Sewing Bird' pad.

 For the outside, I made an opening door (to give me somewhere to write a message), by folding over some card, and cutting all but one side in an oval cutter from the Wavy Label Framelits set. The light pink card behind it is cut from the same set.

After I took the pictures, I also added a little key brad to the side of the door, which swivels round, and can keep the door closed.

 I coloured some Tim Holtz Crinkle ribbon with Distress Stains, and added a little metal bird brad from my stash, and some flowers from Tim's Flower Garland die.

The flower centres were cut with a punch from L-Em.com.

Products used:


   

Sizzix Pop 'n Cuts Girl Owl Birthday Card

Well we have had a wonderful, but truly hectic weekend (Book club, Scout camp, friend stay over {who arrived at 1.30am on Saturday, on her way back from Rome!}, shopping expedition to Cambridge, church BBQ, house clear-up, church, friends over - me cooking for 19, and goodbyes to friends who are moving to America...)

So today, now that everywhere is organised again, I've enjoyed quietly making a card!

I wanted to do a girl owl card, and used the new Pop 'n Cuts base die, and Sizzix Owl #2 die, along with papers from Echo Park 'This & That Graceful' pad.

For the sentiment I used a Tim Holtz stamp, and Karen Burniston's versatile Fancy Frame die.

I inked all the edges of the die cuts with Distress Ink, using a blending tool.

 The scroll is an additional piece which the base die cuts, and the heart is from the Owl die.

I gave my owl a tummy cut from the smallest oval in the Movers and Shapers magnetic Sized Ovals set, and some hand cut eyelashes and bow.

I'm putting this card in the Simon Says Stamp 'Anything Goes' Challenge.

Some of products used:


   

Accordion Album Sewing Themed Card - Papertrey Ink & Tilda

I have a good friend who is a keen sew-er (I typed that, then realised it said 'sewer' - as in the smelly drains kind), anyway... she does everything - cross stitches, quilts (she helped teach me to quilt), knits and does all sorts of clever stuff, and I wanted to make her a 'just because' sewing themed card.

I used Karen Burniston's Accordion Album, and 'Frame & Label, Brackets' die for the white panels and patterned surrounds.

 I absolutely LOVE these papers - all from Tilda's Sewingbird pad.

I used Tim Holtz's Movers and Shapers Mini Sewing Room die for the dress stand, and then some stamps and dies from Papertrey Ink's 'Hanging by a Thread' and 'Stitched Sentiments' sets.

 The sewing machine and 'you're sew nice' stamps are from Hero Arts 'Sew Artsy' set. I stamped patterned paper, and cut it out for the sewing machine, plus used some Copics,  and then sewed a couple of bits of fabric together to have them coming from the machine.

I'm putting this card in the 'Die Cuts' challenge at Country View Crafts.

Some of the products used:


   

Accordion Album Wedding Card

A friend asked me to make a Wedding card a week or so ago, with the following brief: Three pages of an Accordion Album, with a bride on one, a groom on the next, and space for a message on the third, in the colours gold, ivory and red.

I'm not so good at making something to order - I prefer the freedom to make-it-up-as-I-go-along, but hopefully my friend will like it!

 I used the dies listed at the bottom, plus an old Cuttlebug corner die.

The dress and suit I cut by hand.

Dies used:


   

Tim Holtz Birdcage Tealight Candle Holder

 I started this project last night - just felt in the mood for fiddling around with chipboard, and wanted to use these lovely Tim Holtz Box Feet.

  I cut four birdcages and a square base, and painted them first with Tim Holtz Distress Paint, and Stains, (Bundled Sage, Brushed Pewter and Frayed Burlap)

and then covered them with a mottled layer of Distress paints (Picket Fence and Antique Linen). I used quick drying glue to join the edges, and then painted in the edges which got missed, with an artists brush.

The leaves are cut with Sizzlits Branch with Leaves, inked with more Distress Stains (Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sag and Frayed Burlap.) I also used these three stains, diluted with some sprayed water to colour the Tim Holtz Crinkle Ribbon, and the paper flowers.

 The birds were cut with Marianne Design dies, and inked with the above Distress Stains, then coated in Ranger Crackle Accents for one, and Thick Embossing Powder for the other.

I used a battery powered tea light candle inside - I wouldn't recommend using a live flame!! I put the tea light inside a tube of pale blue vellum to diffuse the light a bit.

The challenge at Country View Crafts, is to use Die Cuts, so I am entering this project..

Some of the products used:


   

3-D Butterfly Pop 'n Cuts Thank You card

 A thank you card using Karen Burniston's beautiful new Sizzix 3-D Butterfly Pop 'n Cuts insert, and also the companion Bigz Butterflies and Labels die.

I layered up vellum butterflies, which I embossed with the Brenda Walton Trellis embossing folder.
I'm not normally an orange fan at all, but I thought the lovely delicate flowers on the card stock would look nice with the butterflies.

 I also used the Memory Box Catalina Wreath die, and cut section from it, and embellished them with white sequins (from Jeanette!)
I then just added a hand cut banner, and some scalloped border, cut with a Stampin' Up border punch.

Some of the products used:


   

Male Birthday Card

A birthday card for my brother-in-law, using Pop 'n Cuts 3-D Label insert, in the new base die, and the companion Bigz Butterflies and labels die.

 I used paper from Tim Holtz and K&Co 'cutNpaste', and Sizzlits Card Phrases Set 3 for the 'Happy Birthday'. I also used the panel cut from the Edge and Scroll Bigz die, which is the perfect size for filling in the space left when the labels pop out.

Some of the products used: