Yet more cards with my favourite paper pad

As I said in my previous post, I am really enjoying using the Christmas Cheer papers from Simply Creative.

Usually, I find something I love, then new toys arrive in the post – my good intentions of trying to use what I’ve got and not buy new failed spectacularly – and I put the current favourite away and often forget about it. 
In the case of my Christmas Cheer papers, though, I have somehow managed to put the new toys to the side (actually, I don’t know where my build a scene dies went… They got hidden from His Lordship. And apparently me) and keep using the same paper! I have got 6 full sheets of the original 30 left, and my scraps. I’m so proud of myself!

I have to admit that I’ve never yet used up a crafty kit, or a paper pad. If a mini Dawson does come along that’s going to have to change, we so desperately need the space, but this whole making a baby thing is a whole different story (I wish it was as easy and rewarding as making a card; unsuccessful fertility treatment is definitely lacking satisfaction of any kind).

Anyway, I thought I’d show you the cards I’ve made with my papers since my last post.

Simple, scrap busting, using an old free stamp. I really like this one

Showcasing my Little Claire Designs stamped image on another very simple layout

I was going to properly steampunk this up, but I think i like it simple. It might evolve

I do love a shaker card. I used my Trimcraft stag die and used the negative. Another scrap buster.

I love this season’s greetings paper, it looks like ribbon when used in a strip

Dreamees doily die, Kathryn Coyle Little Red Boots stamp and die, and several subtle layers

Does tartan holly work? I do love the tartan stags

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Using my current favourite papers

I’ve been using my current favourite papers, a 6×6 pad with vintage style design, Christmas Cheer by Dovecraft. I’ve made several cards, and thought I’d show off the papers.

Using my Kathryn Coyle stamps and an old freebie

How stunning is this paper?

A teensy bit of glitter glue totally changed the feel of this

A previous blog post

Lots of layers and a busy card, but i do like this

Unusual for me, celebrating the white space

The die this is the negative from is free with issue 167 of Simply Cards and Papercraft, love it

Steampunk, Christmas, vintage. Win

This sentiment really is legible in real life

Experiments with new techniques

As I’ve admitted before, my name is Michelle and I am addicted to paper. I have bought two new Christmas paper pads. There may also be two little vintage 6×6 ones which don’t count (essential, honest), as well as a Christmas paper crafting kit, and the papers I bought today.. Oh well, it’s still cheaper than therapy.
Sometimes I find that I love my papers too much, or that I can’t think of ways to use them as backgrounds. I do like using my favourites as the focus of the card, and I showed one of my go to techniques in this blog post. 

I’ve seen lots of examples of other crafters creating 3d sentiments which stand proud but are cut from the main design. I’m sure there’s a real name for this technique, and I’d be really grateful if anyone could enlighten me. 

One of the vintage 6×6 Christmas paper pads which doesn’t count has been sitting on my desk getting a lot of use. It is Christmas Cheer by Simply Creative. I have every intention of a post to show off the papers (they deserve it, gorgeous designs), but I’m yet to photograph them. 

There is a beautiful poinsettia design in the pad. I love poinsettias, they always make an impression. The images on my paper are small. I have used it as a background, but I thought it would be good to really celebrate the paper, and decided to try the 3d sentiment effect.

First, I had to buy a Christmas sentiment which wasn’t fussy. This was no mean feat! I tried eBay and got bored of looking through nos, The Range had lovely fancy styles , so did Hobbycraft. Feeling a bit despondant I went to The Works and struck gold. I left with Dovecraft Christmas Basics, 7 festive sentiment dies which are lovely and simple.

I made my card front by layering up the same paper, using Kraft card as my mats and layers. I die cut merry and Christmas five times each from kraft card and glued them together. I also cut the words from the middle of my card front, and therefore from the layer below as well. I glued the patterned sentiment on top of the kraft stack, then positioned the stack in the negative space. 

The card looked bland, so I stamped and die cut a stag’s head and placed it in the top left hand corner. I think I like this card, I keep looking at it and wondering whether to add more embellishments, but I think overall it needs to be simple.

I’ve got the blues

I’ve been dragged kicking and screaming into the Instagram arena (hazellovescrafts) . I’m actually quite enjoying seeing reactions to my makes, and I love seeing other people’s projects and getting inspiration.

Heartfelt Creations showed a stunning blue and white card which I liked and commented on (His Lordship was not anywhere near as impressed as he should have been that I figured out how). I thought I may be able to use the idea for a card of my own.

I have a great paper pad called Blue Skies from the Dovecraft Back too Basics range. It’s full of blue papers, a lovely range of patterns including this very feminine vintage-y feel paper I used for my background.

My initial thought was to use some of my Dreamees flower stamps, but the lazy side of me jumped for joy when I found my forgotten stamp and die set from The Works. I stamped three different size flowers, two patterns, in dark blue ink onto pale blue paper and cut out the 15 flowers and used the time I didn’t fussy cut for a cup of tea! All the flowers were shaped using my ball tool and foam mat.

The sentiment is much more soppy than I’d usually pick, but it’s my wedding anniversary tomorrow and apparently I’m feeling the love. I almost never use a focal sentiment, and this was a good challenge for me. It’s a Dreamees stamp.

I chose a textured dark blue card for the sentiment and die cut an oval. I stamped the sentiment centrally on the oval and heat embossed it. I seem to have misplaced my white embossing powder, so it was a gorgeous sparkly one or nothing – the glitter is a tad too big for the writing and it didn’t work perfectly, lesson learned. 

Because the sentiment has a hint of bling, I wanted matt matting and layering, so chose a slightly textured grey card. I like the contrast of the dark blue on it. It actually looks like the blue is sunken on the photo, which gives me an idea for another card.

The oval topper was attached centrally on the card front, then played with the layout of the flowers down the left hand side until I was happy, then I got gluey. There was an ‘and’ on the second to last row, but it really didn’t like the big glitter and didn’t emboss well, so it was hidden under a petal. Finally, I put a silver liquid pearl on the middle of each flower.