Madgesty - Love to Create

CUPCAKE DECORATION CLASSES

2011-10-25T07:08:00.003+01:00

Well I just wanted to let you all know that the cupcake decoration classes are going really well and the ideas keep flowing. I have now completed two designs for the forthcoming Christmas workshops and I thought you might like to see the photographs.

There is quite a lot in the melting pot at the moment, with a plan to do On-line cake decoration classes, so those of you who are outside the UK and would love to learn how to create the perfect cupcake and decorate them - this will be perfect for you.

If you would like to register as a follower on my blog and also add a Like to my Facebook pages I can keep you posted.

Ann xx

http://www.facebook.com/CreativeCakeAcademy

http://creativecakeacademy.blogspot.com/

CATH KIDSTON STYLE CUPCAKES

2011-09-26T17:50:00.004+01:00

This is just one of the 12 cupcakes that I have designed in the Cath Kidston style for my forthcoming Cupcake workshops - The Creative Cake Academy - at Farncombe Estate, Broadway in the Cotswolds this coming Sunday 2nd October.

More details here:
http://www.facebook.com/CreativeCakeAcademy
http://creativecakeacademy.blogspot.com/

Ann xx

CUPCAKE WRAPPERS - A NEW DESIGN

2011-09-01T21:07:00.005+01:00

These are a new range of Cupcake Wrappers called Rose Garden. They are in a pdf digital download format and come in a set of 3 wrappers, matching tags and a sheet of pretty matching spotty paper to print on the reverse of the wrappers. The beauty of Cupcake Wrappers that are digital is that you can print as many off that you want, whenever you like, so you never have to keep paying for the wraps over and over again. They are shortly to be released with some freebies on offer, so if you are interested in knowing more about them please register as a Follower on this blog page and on our Facebook page to be kept informed of their release.

http://creativecakeacademy.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/CreativeCakeAcademy

There will also be a really pretty range of Digital Craft Papers and tags following the Rose Garden theme which will be released in the near future - again in a download format.

Ann x

THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW WHAT I AM DOING!!!!!!

2011-07-13T16:08:00.002+01:00

Well it has been quite a while since I uploaded a card onto this blog page, but for those that still follow me, I thought you might like to see what I am now doing in continuing my love of creating beautiful things.

Come over to my new blog and let me know what you think.

Ann xx

http://creativecakeacademy.blogspot.com/

A LA MODE – THE NEXT LEVEL – CHALLENGE 6

2009-07-06T08:44:00.001+01:00

The Challenge this week at The Next Level is a theme - Buttons and Bows. I decided to make my card with a new stamp from Stampington & Company, Fairytale Couture, Flora 2 and also to keep the design of the card fairly simple. I used a gorgeous digital range of papers called French Linen Collection from ScrapGirls.

The corners are metal embellishments - I am sorry I cannot remember where I got these from, part of my stash. They are silver, but I coloured them with a Black Copic marker to give a more vintage look. The gingham ribbon is american folk art style from my local garden centre.

The inside I have matted and layered with toning dotty paper, and featured again the range of papers from the digital kit. The chandelier is a digital image from Chandelierious Brush set No. 1 from Designer Digitals.

I cannot make a card without an envelope as I am sure you are aware by now - lol - but I decided to make this a very simple one as the beautiful papers from the kit really do speak for themselves.

If you stop by to look, if you have the time, please leave feedback, I would love your thoughts.

Thank you, Ann xxx

ROSE GARDEN - THE NEXT LEVEL - CHALLENGE 5

2009-06-29T06:56:00.005+01:00

At The Next Level this week, our Challenge is a really pretty Sketch, and it is amazing to see how each DT card has a completely different take on this and is really inspirational.

I decided to go 'old fashioned' and produced a really 'girly' card, which I have to admit are my favourites, with another one of my h'Anglar images, the cute little hooded girl sitting on a branch. The papers I used this week are predominantly from a digital kit called Summer Cottage Collection from Raspberry Road Designs. The really pretty flowers were from Joanna Sheen and I used a Fiskars punch to create the circle.

The image was layered up to create dimension and was coloured with Copic Markers.

The inside again used another image and featuring the papers from the kit. The rose spray stamps are from Magnolia

I made a thick box envelope to fit the height of the card and embellished this with a matching tag and string to follow through the garden theme.

Thanks for looking, Ann xxx

HAPPY CUPCAKE DAY - THE NEXT LEVEL - CHALLENGE 4

2009-06-22T08:24:00.001+01:00

The Challenge this week on my magazine blog, The Next Level, is to create either a Stair Step Fold card or a Pop up Freestanding Card. I chose the Stair Step Fold card to showcase because I just so loved this new set of h'Anglar stamps, I thought this would be the perfect way to use them.

For details on the dimensions for the Stair Step Fold pop over to The Next Level tutorial section where I have put the basic information on how to create this shape and style of card. What I will do here on my own blog is just to add a little more 'meat on the bones' on the individual make up of this card.

First of all I started with a choice of just 2 papers that I wanted to use as my card base, two very simple digital checks, but with colouring that would follow through to the images to complete the overall look. I cut out the cardstock base and the top layer and then did a zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine to seal them both together (following the amazing Tutorial that True did in Issue 2 - which really helped me get my stitching right!!!). I then scored the card following the sizes on the tutorial and this made up my base.

I wanted to have my images all standing proud of the folds on the card, so at this stage I needed to make sure that the backs would look good. With Copic pens, which is what I used to colour the images, you usually get a bleed through to the back of the paper. I thought this would not look good when the card was flipped over, so I stamped the images on my check paper, scanned them and loaded them into my imaging programme, then flipped them horizontally. This meant I had a stamped reverse image that I could cut around and they would paste on the back of my coloured images and be a perfect fit. Now I know this sounds complicated, and a much simpler method is just to stamp your images on the back of your patterned paper, and when you cut round them you will have the same effect, but without the stamped finish, but the correct shape in your patterned paper to mask the rear. I did this method on a couple of the images and finished the rear effect off by adding some faux ink pen stitches. It does take a little time and effort to do this, but I am sure you will agree that when viewing the card from the rear if does give a much more finished effect. I also added a little cupcake to pretty the rear up a little.

To close the card fully so that it would fit nicely into the box envelope, I folded a ribbon right round the card and put two pins where the ribbon met, and stitched this on the sewing machine. I added a little bow to the front, and this now slides on and off completely.

I also made a box envelope that is three-quarters of an inch deep which takes the full thickness of the card with a little room and completes the gift card.

I hope you have enough detail here to help you make one of these cards if the fancy takes you. If you have the time and you stop by, please leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Ann xxx

A GIFT OF A FLOWER – THE NEXT LEVEL – CHALLENGE 3

2009-06-15T09:18:00.004+01:00

This week on The Next Level the Challenge is a Sketch with pretty curved detail which can either be cut away or matted and layered into the design. I decided to keep a solid front and chose as the basis of my design some really pretty paper from K & Co. called Chateau Florals. From this I chose a selection of other complimentary papers, all the rest being digital from my vastly growing stash. I have detailed on the Hints and Tips section of The Next Level how I select my papers for a design and this makes it very easy to pull a theme together.

The images I used are from the new collection from h'Anglar and feature a little boy and girl holding a pretty flower. I added some stitching to the front and chose to add just ribbon detail, the ribbon being from a past Raspberry Ribbons kit, and keep the rest of the card fairly embellishment free, as the papers themselves were quite busy.

On the reverse of the pull out tag is another image of the little boy holding the flower and inside the card I have matted and layered the papers and added more stitching.

I made a Box envelope to fit the card, making it slightly thicker this time to take the height of the ribbon comfortably.

The images were coloured with Copics and the colours used were :
Clothes : G000, G00, V91, V95, W1, E31, E43
Skin : E000, E00, E11, E50, R20
Flower : G21, G63, V91, V95
Hair : E55, E57

I hope you have time to leave a comment if you pass by.

Thanks Ann xx

ENCASED IN RIBBON - THE NEXT LEVEL CHALLENGE 2

2009-06-08T09:28:00.002+01:00

After another busy week over at The Next Level, I finally managed to grab a few moments over the weekend to put together my Design Team card. The Challenge for this week is to encase your image with the really pretty Ribbon Border, originally designed by Claire Brennan, and the tutorial for this can be found in this week's issue.

I decided to use a stamp set by Hampton Art, Clear Expressions range, designed by Diana Kovacs, Interactive Corset ATC. The set has several different basque's, tiny buttons, lace etc - and is a really pretty. I embossed the image with black shimmer, and layered the basque up with a split front, and added tiny hooks for authenticity.

The paper again are my usual mixture of digital, but the floral border one is from Lola's Boudoir range from Pink Petticoat. The really pretty flowers on the front of the card and the tiny roses are both from Joanna Sheen. Inside the card I added another basque embossed image from the set. The images were coloured with Copic markers.

I made a box envelope to take the height of the card with the various embellishments and added another little basque detail on this in addition to the matching ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look and if you have the time please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Thank you xxx

A PRETTY OUTLOOK!!! - THE NEXT LEVEL CHALLENGE 1

2009-06-01T06:12:00.001+01:00

Well what a manic week it has been getting ready for the big Lauch of The Next Level, I just about managed to get a card in!!!!!!!!! Dawn and I had no choice this week as the Design Team do not join us until next week - so after a break of nearly 2weeks I put my creativity hat on again.

The theme for Challenge 1 was an Aperture card coupled with a hand made Lollipop Flower - both of these were going to be a challenge for me as I had never done either before - but wow did I just so love those flowers - there really will be no stopping me now. There is a Video to support the making of the flower on The Next Level and I also made a photo tutorial on there to support anyone who wanted to print something off to follow as you made your flower.

I decided to make a little set, consisting of a card, a box envelope and a little soap gift package. The card image uses the absolutely fantastic Front and Back Annie rubber stamp from Art Impressions - I just adore this stamp. I first saw it on Bev's blog - All the Things I love - and I was in love. This stamp and others from the collection are available from SirStampalot. Like everything else, I had to make it difficult though. I decided to cut a hole through 6 layers of cardstock (3 on the front and 3 on the inside left cover) which all had to match up so that she could be peering through an imaginary window from the outside in. Took me ages, but got there in the end - I hope you think the effort was worth it. I formed the shape in my Craft Robo software and then just printed out the different colouring cardstock and then shaped it all to size. She does look so cute though when you see her peering from the outside in when you open the card!

I also layered her little pinny to give it some extra dimension. On the inside right I created a dreamy garden scene, so that when she was peering through the arch from the front there was a sky in the background. This however made it difficult for anywhere to write on the inside of the card without spoiling the design, so I added an oval frame tied on with pretty bows on the rear of the card for this purpose. I also made the box envelope to go with the card again using a Lollipop flower for decoration - I told you these would keep popping up everywhere!!

Many of papers I have used are from The Digichic Boutique and this pack was called The Twist Collection. One or two extra touches were freebie downloads from Summer Driggs blog - full details on The Next Level. I am often asked where I get my digital papers from, it is so difficult for me to answer this question, because some I buy as digital packs, and I download lots of freebie packs. When I come to make up a theme or design I pick and choose from everything I have, and then colour it digitally to make my paper pack up, so it really does make it difficult for me to tell people to go to a specific download.

The little soap gift package finished off the set - and guess what - yes you are right, another Lollipop flower appeared on there!!! - they are just growing everywhere!!

If you have the time when you stop by please leave your thoughts - I do so love to hear what you think.

Thank you xxx

Life is Good!!!

2009-05-17T15:28:00.006+01:00

My entry this week for the Friday Sketchers, which follows a gorgeous sketch from Claudia with lots of detail, is called Life is Good. It features a pretty little h'Anglar stamp and ribbon detail. If you want to see any of the images in more detail, just click on the photographs and they will open up in a large format.

The image has been paper pieced in part and coloured with Copic markers. The papers are digital (as usual!!!) and I have built up the image in several layers and this is shown in more detail above.

Inside the card I have followed the papers through and have added another layered up image. The matching box envelope has similar detail to the front with matching ribbon bow detail and is lined in the constrasting floral paper

I hope you have the time to leave a comment - thanks for looking xxx

Singing in the Rain!!

2009-05-11T13:28:00.011+01:00

Well I decided this week to make a card for the Friday Sketchers Challenge, I loved their sketch, and also to fit it in with Just Magnolia, with a card that features stitches.

My card is put together with a range of papers that are all digital, and the cute little Tilda image is from the new collection for Spring. I have made the image up of several layers to give depth. The flowers on the front of the card are also coloured and printed, and then use a ball tool to give the shape and depth. I have machine stitched all the different layers, including the inside. The image is coloured with Copics.

The inside of the card follows the same colours and papers and on the left hand side there is a pocket on the bottom half, that you can slip a separate note, or a voucher into, behind the tree. I have made a box envelope to match as usual, to take the height and size of the card.

Would love your comments if you stop by xxx

A Posy for You

2009-05-03T14:57:00.011+01:00

My entry this week for the Friday Sketchers Challenge, follows a lovely sketch from Beatrix, and I have called it 'A Posy for You'. It certainly was out of my 'comfort zone' not to make a square card, but in the end quite liked the 7 x 5 inch format I chose to use. Please click on the photos if you would like to see more detail, they will all open up in a large format.

The papers are all digital and the image is a really cute h'Anglar little girl holding a posy. The image is coloured with Copic pens and I have also added a little Magnolia butterfly to the front of the card. The ribbon is one from a previous collection from Raspberry Ribbons. Inside the card I have followed the design through and using Nestabilities circle and scalloped circle created a frame for a smaller version of the image.

As usual I have created a boxed envelope, this time for a 7 x 5 inch card. To make this I used the Enveloper Pro, and used D1 and C. To create the box effect, after I have scored the lines as per the recommendations for the card size, I carefully moved the card just under half an inch to the right of the first score line, and then carefully score a second line parallel - I do this to all sides, and this is how the box frame is made.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, I would love it if you could leave your comments, I really do appreciate them. Thank you xx

Ooh-La-La - Tilda in Paris!!!!

2009-04-26T09:14:00.008+01:00

I decided that as it was Spring, and Paris went beautifully with Spring, I would make a card on this theme, and have followed the great sketch from Mumur for my entry for Friday Sketchers. The card also fits in with this week's Papertake Challenge just announced which features stripes and spots.

There is quite alot of detail in this card to explain, but quite simply the papers again are a mish-mash of digital downloads, but I am proud to say that some of them I even made up myself - gosh I am learning. The photo below shows a close up of the detail of the front of the card. I have paper pieced some of Tilda's clothes, and the flowers were made using a paper punch and then using a ball tool to curve them. The flowers are Mulberry which have had a small amount of glitter added.

The inside of the card is made up with the Magnolia Eiffel tower stamp and another Tilda image. I have matted up the papers on the inside so in the end this became quite a heavyweight card.

The front of the envelope box features the same inside detail on the front with a black bow and the inside of the envelope has the same spotted detail taken from the front of the card.

I would love your comments if you have a moment if you stop by. Thank you xx

A Pocket Full of Posies

2009-04-20T19:30:00.007+01:00

My Pocket Full of Posies card fits beautifully with the brilliant sketch for 2 Sketches4you. I have turned up the corners of my paper to form a pocket, which is then tied with a ribbon and filled with pretty flowers.

The flowers are all the same digital flower, which I have digitally coloured to match the papers and then shaped and curved with a ball tool. The flower centres are finished with small pearl brads. The flowers are layered up using 3mm double sided sticky tape. The papers used in the card are all a mixture of digital papers which I gather together to form the colour theme that I was looking for to complete the design.

The inside of the card has again been finished with pretty papers and ribbon and I have made a box style envelope which is thick enough to take the height of the card after the layering. The front of the box envelope follows the same design as the inside of the card and is finished with a butterfly and ribbon.

If you would like to see more detail of the cards, click on the photographs and it will give you a full size view. Thank you for stopping by and I would love your comments if you have the time. xx

Pretty as a Picture

2009-04-13T19:54:00.008+01:00

A triple entry for my card this week, called Pretty as a Picture. The card follows the theme and sketches for Cute Card Thursday - a floral theme, Papertake - a pastel theme and Splitcoast Stampers - sketch SC224.
I have made a recessed window card, forming the frame following a template I found on Splitcoast stampers under their resources page. I wanted the effect of this card to be almost like a picture on the wall, with a 3D effect.

The papers are digital downloads from various sources but the main floral paper is from Kate Pertiet, Blossom n’ Grow - downloadable from Designer Digitals. The stamp is a PSX stamp – Tulips in a Bucket. I am a massive fan of PSX stamps, a company that went out of business some years ago, but there is a strong following now, especially in the United States for collectors. After I stamped and coloured the image 3 times, I then covered the tulips with Glossy Accents, cut out the tulip heads and layered them onto the main image two more times. I wanted to create a feeling that the tulips closest to the front were actually reaching towards you. The background to the stamped image is a digital design I created from various images.

The inside of the card features green gingham paper onto which I digitally created a design to form a botanical scene. The envelope carries through the botanical design and is finished with matching ribbon. The image has been coloured with Copic Marker pens and the ribbon is from Ribbon Oasis.

I would love your comments if you are passing by – your feedback is always welcome. Thank you. xx

Happy Easter in Lilac and Mint

2009-03-31T07:00:00.010+01:00

My entry this week for the Papertake Challenge is an Easter theme, using 3 stamps, a pretty h'Anglar girl holding an easter egg, a Magnolia Easter Egg and also a Magnolia Butterfly. I decided to do something different from my usual 6 x 6 shaped card and opted for a flap down card with a shaped top. The card is hinged uder the Happy Easter circle which is held in place with a flower eyelit.

The front of the card features all three stamps, layered up to give a 3 dimensional effect and this is shown in the picture. The papers are all digital downloads, mainly taken from Nitwits - Lilac Flowers.

The inside of the card again shows the same colour theme, with Prima flowers. The really lovely lampost was a freebie digital download and I thought the colour and design fitted in really well with the papers I was using. I made a matching envelope and again followed all the design shapes and embellishments onto the front of the envelope and the rear is sealed with the Happy Easter circle.

I have been asked if I could give details of the Copic colours I have used on the image, so here they are :-

Lilacs : V17,BV000,BV11

Greens : YG05, YG06, YG07

Yellows: Y11, Y13

Hair: E31,E57, Y17

Skin: E000, E00, E11,RV11

I would love your comments if you stop by. Thank you xx

A Double Take in Powder Blue!!

2009-03-23T18:29:00.005Z

This week I have decided to enter both the 2Sketches4you and Papertake Challenges with the same themed card, but making up 2 different cards following the different sketches . I love to take my time during the week deciding on an image, then on the papers, the embellishments etc. and where sketches form the challenge it is easy to make up the whole card on the inside, make the matching envelope and colour the images over the weekend and then wait to assemble the front when I know what both the sketches are.

This week I used a really pretty set of papers which are a mish-mash of digital downloads, that I pulled together to follow my ideas/colour choice. The h'Anglar image is a really pretty one, and I have coloured her to match the papers with my Copic pens with attention to the detail in her hair using Sakura 3D glaze pens to create a raised effect and liquid pearls.

The 2Sketches4you card shows the make up with ribbon from Ribbon Oasis, and silk flowers from Joanna Sheen.

The card insides have been finished with a ribbon tied label, and the envelopes have the same finish.

I have found that when I take the photographs now I am not limited to daylight as I have purchased a really good daylight lamp, and in many instances I do not even need to use the flash on my camera - the colours are really very true now.

I would love your comments if you stop by. Thanks for looking xxx

Cupcakes and Gingham !!!

2009-03-16T20:42:00.011Z

My entry this week for 2Sketches4you and the Papertake Challenge is a card I made for my friend, who adores cupcakes. The papers are all digital downloads from various sources, and the images are Magnolia Tilda and various Cupcakes, also from Magnolia.

I made a sliding tab which slips inside the heart frame, which has a full recipe for making cupcakes. I finished the inside of the card with stitched layers and a large cupcake which is suspended on a strip of acetate to give a pop up effect when the card is opened.

I also made a matching envelope to finish the card.

Would love your comments if you stop by. xx

A Glimpse of Spring

2009-03-10T05:33:00.005Z

I really felt this week that Spring was just around the corner – well I hoped it was!!! My entry this week for the Papertake Weekly Challenge therefore has a springlike theme. My build up to the card this week followed my receipt of a newly purchased PSX retired stamp from America and could not wait to find an excuse to use it. I decided that I wanted to sit Tilda in the Clematis Heart vine and found that she fitted in beautifully. The papers I chose were a digital download from Designer Digitals, Katie Pertiet, Botanist No. 16. So I had the papers, the image, and now all I needed was the sketch!!!

At the moment, due to my work commitments I am only managing to put together one card a week!! – not very prolific I know, but I put all my energies into the one card. My cards just recently have been quite heavily layered and embellished and were getting to the point where my usual handmade envelope was stretching at the seams – so to speak. So I played around in the week and managed to make a really cute little box style envelope, which perfectly fits a 6 x 6 inch card that is quite thick. I have put the detail below of how to make this.

So now armed with my image, all coloured and ready, my papers, and even my matching box, I was really pleased to see that the sketch from Dawny P fitted in well with my image. I layered the papers up, cut out the vine stamp and layered that again with a cut out Tilda sitting on top. The flowers are Mulberry, the ribbon from Ribbon Oasis and the butterflies are made with a Martha Stewart punch. The inside of the card features the lovely papers from the kit, and another Tilda sitting on a matching frame.

Dimensions for Card box envelope : I use the Enveloper Pro. I printed out my card on A3 paper, setting the paper dimensions at 26cm x 26cm. On the Enveloper Pro, score the card at D and again at D1 on all four sides. This then forms into the 6 x 6 box with a height of over half an inch, perfect for the embellished cards. On the other side of the envelope I punched two holes in the flap and a corresponding pair in the bottom part of the envelope and threaded ribbon through to make a pretty bow.

I would really welcome your feedback if you visit my blog - I love to read your comments. Thank you xx

Big, Bold and Beautiful !!!!!

2009-03-02T22:19:00.005Z

My entry for the Papertake Weekly and 2 Sketches 4 You Challenges this week features another ‘off the rails’ humorous style stamp called Agnes from Art Impressions. I love these unique stamps as much as the cute ones from say Magnolia or Sugar Nellie – so I tend to swing from one style to the other each week. The brief this week for the Challenge was to use the colours pink, orange and brown. My papers are from a selection from my digital download stash, and the image has been paper pieced and also coloured with Copics and Pro Markers. I machine stitched the layers and embellished the card with a satin ribbon from Raspberry Ribbons.

I decorated the inside of the card and made a matching envelope. The envelopes are really simple and easy to make – but it does require an A3 printer to get the paper to the required 25cm square, printed on both sides – otherwise use 12 x 12 craft paper cut down. I then use the Enveloper Pro to score the envelope to fit a 6 inch square card.

I made the card with a special friend in mind – I hope she sees the funny side of it – lol. xxx

A Vision in Lilac!!

2009-02-23T22:26:00.005Z

This week I have been putting ideas together to use the fab stamp from Stampotique, Moth Fab – well you either love it or hate it, there must be a weird side of me, because I really love her. The stamped image is quite dark and heavy, so I decided to use rich shades of plum and lilac as the theme. Her dress is coloured with Copics and Pro Markers and then embossed with black sparkle.

I made a matching envelope and used a heart stamp that followed the design through from the front of the card, to the inside, and the matching envelope. On the other side of the envelope I have stamped a swirl design around the edge and placed a heart with a bow in the corner.

The papers I have used are all Pink Petticoat, the main design paper being from Lola’s Boudoir set. Thanks very much for looking – let me know what you think of the stamp xxx

Dressed in Roses Gift Set

2009-02-16T21:08:00.009Z

The theme for Cute Card Thursday is Spring and the Papertake Weekly challenge was to create a Matched Set, a card and an envelope, or gift box. I decided to create my card with a lovely new stamp called Dressed in Roses and used the theme to follow through with really pretty papers from Nitwits Possibilities and Tea Party from Krista Designs

The dress was coloured with watercolours which gave a very soft dreamy effect as opposed to the harshness of Markers. I followed the theme through with a bunch of delicate paper roses, and ribbons from Ribbon Oasis. I made an envelope to match and lined this with the check paper.

I made a matching gift box to finish off the set.

Unfortunately by the time I finished this off the light was really bad for photographs.
I would love your comments if you stop by to have a look.
Thanks xx

A Valentine with Heart entwined envelope

2009-02-09T23:34:00.014Z

Well following on from the success of my Valentine card last week, I was so inspired this week to create the elements for another Valentine card. I fell in love with the envelope with entwined heart seal which I found on Splitcoast Stampers. To make this envelope is really quite simple, although it looks quite complicated. To fit my card I cut a square 24.5 cm, then folded all corners into the centre. I then scored another line one quarter of an inch inside the first fold lines. I then cut out the corners, and created a box frame that would carry the height of my card with all the elements. I then stamped Stamping Up Always heart several times and attached this to the flaps, only gluing on the left hand side, to enable the hearts to be locked into each other.

I embossed the frame for the main card and another heart with gold. I coloured my image with a mix of Copic pens and watercolours, just to get the right shades I wanted.

The inside of the card has the same hearts joined with ribbon. The papers I have used are a digital download from Katie Pertiet called Engraved Birds from Designer Digitals.

I made the inside of the card up and embossed and coloured all the elements over the weekend and waited for the Papertake Challenge this afternoon to assemble the front of the card. My design I hope is acceptable, although I did not use the squares for the image and the shape underneath, I used the frame and heart instead - I hope no-one minds!!! The card also links in well with the A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge this week featuring doodles and scrolls.

If you drop by and take a look, please let me know what you think, I really do appreciate all the comments. xxx

Roses and Lace Valentine

2009-02-02T14:59:00.009Z

I have had a fantastic weekend creating a valentine card. My idea for the card started off with the heart template which I got from Splitcoast Stampers, then I thought how nice it would be to create the heart with a flower effect and with an image inside it, so I chose the cute little image from h'Anglar. This led me to the beautiful Botanist papers from Katie Pertiet which is a download from Designer Digitals, and then my creativity went wild. It was the first time I have put together a card with a fully finished inside and a matching envelope, and I have to say I am really pleased with the finish effect. Hope you like it xx

Chill Out – Take a bath!!!

2009-01-27T05:01:00.002Z

My entry this week for the Papertake Weekly Challenge is using a cute little stamp from My Favourite Things called Chill Out and the layout is from another gorgeous Dawny P sketch. The papers are all pulled together from my digital stash, so no particular range or pack to quote. I tried to pull the themes together for the bath, with the flowers and the spots, and then just grouped them all together. The jumbo brads and the ribbon again are all from my stash. The sliding ribbon tag was made with a Nestabilities die.
If you stop by, please leave your comments, I really do appreciate them xxx

Sugar Nellie - Wish

2009-01-13T14:25:00.003Z

My entry for the fab Dawny P sketch in the Papertake Weekly Challenge and also the paper piecing theme in A Spoonful of Sugar Challenge this week is another Sugar Nellie card, this time using the Wish stamp from the new range by Leanne Ellis. The image has been paper pieced together using the background papers which are a digital download called Rue 88 collection from Prima Hybrid. I also used shrink plastic for the first time to produce the little tag of the Wish Image – the plastic being designed for an ink jet printer, so was really simple. The card was finished with ribbons from Ribbon Oasis and Prima flowers.

Sugar Nellie - Snowflake

2009-01-10T15:14:00.003Z

I decided to enter the Sketch Saturday Challenge this week which gave me another opportunity to showcase the gorgeous Sugar Nellie stamps, this one being from the Sweet Art and Ebony range, and she is called Snowflake. I am trying to complete as many cards as I can as a Guest Designer for Sugar Nellie before I go back to work after a fantastic Christmas and New Year break.
The papers are a digital download from NitWit Collections and are called Winter Wishes. The image was coloured with ProMarkers and the ribbon is from Ribbon Oasis.
If you stop by, please let me know what you think. xx

Sugar Nellie Luvvie and A Good Book

2009-01-05T21:49:00.006Z

Well after a great Christmas and New Year break I managed to create two more cards as Guest Design Team member for Sugar Nellie, and chose a green and pink theme. The first image is the new stamp from Leanne Ellis called Luvvie, she is so cute
The second stamp is called A Good Book from the Sweet Art Ebony range. The papers are a digital download called Sweet Love from HM Scraps Design. Both images were coloured with Pro Markers, ribbon trim from Ribbon Oasis.

Dottie and George - Sketch Saturday

2008-12-29T19:38:00.007Z

For the Saturday Challenge this week, the sketch was our own choice from previous weeks. I chose Sketch 9 and really enjoyed using the Dottie and George under the umbrella image, from the Love and Marriage collection, a digital download from Charmed Cards and Crafts. It gave me my first opportunity to fire up my Craft Robo and test how good it was at cutting out complex images. I was really impressed with the final result - the hardest part is preparing the image in the programme but now the file is saved it can be produced whenever I need it in the future. The pretty papers are also from a digital download from Misstiina Designs - Gimme Cake papers. The sliding ribbon tag is Nestabilities and the flowers from Prima.

Thanks for looking xx

Sugar Nellie - Blossom - DT1

2008-12-28T20:03:00.004Z

Well its my turn to become a Guest Design Team member for Sugar Nellie and I have just received a lovely little package containing some of their new stamps, so I could not wait to get to work with this lovely Leanne Ellis stamp called Blossom. I used the fab sketch from Dawny P in this week's Papertake Weekly challenge as the template for the card. Blossom was coloured with Pro Markers and the papers were from Krista Designs called Blue Skies and Sunshine. Embellishments include a tag cut with a Sizzix red die, lace, and Prima flowers.

If you stop by my blog, I really would love your comments. Thank you xx

A Blue Snowman

2008-12-09T07:06:00.003Z

With a really gorgeous sketch from Dawny P to work from this week in the Papertake Weekly Challenge I was able to piece together the work that I had been doing last week using a really lovely stamp I purchased from the States from Plum Purdy. I stamped out the image, scanned it into Photoshop and then paper pieced most of the elements of the snowman together from the download paper collection called Misletoe Magic Papers from Ali Folendore. Unfortunately the image did not photograph too well as it was late last night when I had finished it, so I will try and re-take the photo again later later in the week.

Twinkle Toes – A vision in Pink!!!

2008-12-02T06:35:00.005Z

For the Papertake Weekly Challenge this week, the theme is a recipe of 2 rectangles, 1 ribbon, and 3 small round embellishments. For the main image I have used the really cute House Mouse Twinkle Toes stamp. It is difficult to see from the photograph, but on top of the stamped image, I have paper pieced the ballet skirt with a deep rose/lilac vellum over-skirt which I carefully glued in place to allow it to stand out a little from the image. The papers are from a kit called Vineyard from Tinker & Co, the flowers are Prima. I used Nestabilities to make the two labels, my Martha Stewart punch made a rare appearance, and the ribbon was from Ribbon Oasis. The image was coloured with Pro Markers. I hope you like it xxx

Tilda waiting for Christmas!!

2008-11-24T20:46:00.005Z

For the Papertake Challenge this week I used Dawny P’s template as the basis for this festive card. I had to adjust it slightly as the Tilda stamp combined with the present is quite tall, but I think it makes such a cute image. The papers are from Kate Pertiet, Framboise kit, as a download from Designer Digitals, the heart is a Magnolia stamp, and the ribbons are from Ribbon Oasis. Tilda was coloured with Pro Markers and touches of shimmer were added to the present bow with Twinkling H2o’s in Oyster and gold Stickles.
Hope you like it xx

A Blue Christmas - Take Two!!!

2008-11-18T05:48:00.008Z

Well for the Papertake Challenge this week, I have created my second Christmas Card ever!! The challenge was to use a snow theme, so it was an opportunity to get out my gorgeous Whiff Of Joy stamp that I had not got round to using. The papers are from a download from Designer Digitals by Kate Pertiet, called Vintage Winter. The ribbon and snowflakes are from November's Raspberry Ribbons kit and the image was coloured with Pro Markers. Hope you like it xxx

Tilda's First Christmas!!!

2008-11-11T06:00:00.002Z

Yes I know it’s a strange title, and it clearly is not the first Christmas for Tilda herself, but for me, this is the first Christmas card I have made ever!!!!!!!!! Well I say ‘ever’ perhaps I did make one or two for my Mom all those years ago, but I cannot remember. I am just sooooo loving this card making, I am obsessed by it. I know my productivity levels are low, but I enjoy the planning and creativity side of the computer imaging as much as putting the final card together.
I have been working this week on the adorable Magnolia stamp from the Christmas collection I decided to use with the Fir tree branch, again from the new collection. However the branch is quite large, so I stamped it, scanned it, and then reduced it to a size to fit well with Tilda. I also added the baubles to the tree to match the one she is holding in her hand. The papers are from a download called Fraise by Kate Pertiet from Designer Digitals, the ribbon is from the Raspberry Ribbons October kit. I coloured Tilda with Pro Markers, with a few touches from Sakura Stardust pens and a little glitter here and there. Dawny’s sketch created a lovely layout for the prepared image, but I did have to increase the card size to get everything in!!!!!!!!
Thank you for looking, your feedback is very inspiring and I love to hear your thoughts. xxx

Tilda on Bonfire Night

2008-11-04T07:49:00.003Z

Well I burnt the midnight oil again last night, but enjoyed putting this card together. I 'surgically removed' Tilda's hand that was formerly holding the bird, and gave her a new mitten holding the sparkler. The ribbons are Raspberry Ribbons, and the background and sparkler were given a hint of sparkle to add the finished touch. Tilda was coloured with Pro Markers. Would love your comments.

A Celebration in Blue

2008-10-30T14:55:00.002Z

My entry for this week's Cute Card Thursday is made up from a decoupage kit from Jolly Nation. Unfortunately the lighting does now show the layers in the card, which are five deep in some parts. A really simple card in design, but really quite fiddly cutting all the layers. The champagne tag is from the same kit, and the ribbon is from Ribbon Oasis. Hope you like it xx

A mixed up Angel!!!

2008-10-29T14:27:00.005Z

Well I know this is a strange title for my entry to this week's Whiff of Joy Challenge, but the simple truth is that I loved the sketch from last week's challenge, but did not have the time to enter it. I had however got together some gorgeous papers which I had downloaded and coloured one of my favourite WOJ stamps, and with this week's burgundy and green challenge -I hoped I could combine the two. Yes I know there is quite a lot of raspberrry pink in there, but the papers have the most gorgeous burgundy and green shades in them and I did add the burgundy and green ribbon to the flowers, so I hope I just make it through!!!!

The angel image has been paper pieced in Photoshop, so she is wearing a check shirt and flower printed pants. The paper is a download from Designer Digitals, designed by Lynn Grieveson and is called Bellisimo.

Hope you like it xxx

Autumn Tilda sporting a Spotty Dress!!!!

2008-10-27T20:43:00.002Z

For the Papertake Challenge this week, the great sketch from DawnyP gave me an opportunity to put together a card from the autumn themed papers I had downloaded a week or so ago and was looking for an opportunity to use them. The papers are from Designs by Krista - Candy Apple kit http://heyitsjustme-krista.blogspot.com/. I used some of the papers in the card, but also reduced the size of others in Photoshop to create the hat, shoes, dress, basket and the Magnolia triple heart stamp. The ribbon is from a set by Cosmo Cricket, Mr. Campy range.
Hope you like it – I would love your feedback. xx

Halloween ‘Couture’ Tote Bag

2008-10-21T06:11:00.002+01:00

I was burning the ‘midnight oil’ last night to complete my entry for the Papertake Weekly Challenge as I have a manic week ahead at work. I have also entered the little bag into A Spoonful of Sugar Challenge. The theme this week was for a Halloween item. I am not mad keen on Halloween colours, so I decided it would have to be a ‘little Designer bag’ in softer shades, full of sweets to fill the brief. I enlarged a bag template I had to accommodate the lovely Halloween Tilda image and to get in all of the little extras I wanted to add. Tilda was coloured with Pro Markers and I used glossy accents on the hanging cat emblem and the buttons to give them a lift. I used Eye Candy 5 Impact plug- in for Photoshop to create a glass and bevel effect on these – I could play with this for ever – I keep thinking of all the buttons I can create, there will be no stopping me now!!!!!!!

A Thank you card for Sugar Nellie

2008-10-14T14:47:00.003+01:00

I was absolutely blown away by the fact that I have been chosen as one of the Guest Designers for Sugar Nellie and just cannot wait to get creating with their new stamps, some of which have been sneak previewed on their blog site - so take a peek, they are gorgeous. http://www.sugarnellie.blogspot.com/. Anyway I thought what better way to thank them was to create a card combined with the great sketch from Katharina this week for the Papertake Challenge with one of my favourite Sugar Nellie stamps, Winter Nellie.

The papers I have used for the card this week are from the Shabby Treasures kit from Designs by Krista - I just love her kits and you will find a link to her blogsite in my list of favourite blogs.

I coloured Winter Nellie with Pro Markers, and was really impressed with the fact that you can still create lovely pastel colours with these type of pens, which I must be honest I thought only could be achieved with watercolours.

I would love your feedback as usual. xxxx

3D Bashful Edwin with free papers

2008-10-10T07:02:00.006+01:00

I have never entered the Cute Card Thursday challenge before, but when I checked out the theme for this week which was buttons and ribbons, and the lovely work of the design team, it inspired me to create a 3D effect card with one of my favourite images of Edwin as the central image. I have used the wonderful papers from Summer Driggs, from her Energy kit, and these are all free downloads, so well worth a visit. http://summertimedesigns.blogspot.com/ The elements were layered and cut to build up the picture. The button was made using 4 thicknesses of card and then glazed.

I would love your comments as usual xx

A Double Celebration

2008-10-06T20:43:00.005+01:00

Well by luck this week the Papertake Weekly Challenge, which is my favourite challenge gave the option of a 1st celebration card, whether it be birthday, anniversary, christmas etc, or a card with no stamping. Well last week I made a card for my dog Charlie's 1st birthday, but I did not put this on my blog as I though people would think I am 'nuts' making a card for my dog!!!! Well I am really, but no reason to share that information - but in any event I thought that I might as well show the card that I had made as it fitted the brief. However, I felt that I should make an effort also to make a card for the Challenge, so this evening I made a 1st Anniversary card, specially dedicated to the Papertake Weekly Challenge. The papers used for Charlie's card are PP and the number 1 is from their Big Bloomers set. The stamped image is from Penny Black. The little balloon is from a Jolees collection and the ribbons were from Ribbon Oasis.

The 1st anniversary card was very simple to make, thanks to the lovely download pack of papers called Tweet by Jennifer M. Trippetti, http://www.jmt-art.com/ The pack also includes additional birds on branches, some gorgeous papers, birdhouses, etc. The hanging No. 1 is from an alpha set within the September Berry Sweet Collaboration set of papers and embellishments, available from http://ahhhscrap.com/catalog/ I layered the birdhouses and the No. 1 but unfortunately the poor lighting when I took the photo this evening does not really show the depth in the card. The curved words were done in Photoshop and layered onto the papers which were built up into the image also in Photoshop - all I had to do then was print the card and layer the embellishments and voila - quick and simple.

Would love your comments as usual. xxxx

Tilda goes 'Green' !!!!!!!

2008-09-29T18:53:00.003+01:00

My entry for the Papertake Weekly Challenge this week is using papers from a fab digital download from Designer Digitals. They are from the Woodland range from Lynn Grieveson, with a wonderful rabbit theme in shades of blue and green. I also had tremendous fun with my new Pro Markers, which I used for the first time to colour Tilda. I am so impressed by the wonderful depth of colour and the ability to really control the placement of the colour, that I can really understand why Dawny (of Pink Piggy fame) raves about them so much – she is absolutely right. The buttons are computer generated, printed off and then sandwiched together in four thicknesses, and then glazed over – a really cheap way to produce buttons. My investment in Nestabilities came in handy again with the circles – I think I may have to invest in yet another set - hmmm.
I would love your comments as usual – thank you. xx

A Golden Bird in Boots!!!

2008-09-24T13:30:00.004+01:00

Hi everyone. A bit of a rush job this week to complete the Papertake Challenge, due to the pressures of the 'day job', but I so wanted to complete this card and post it off to Steph as it is in aid of the Children in Need Charity, and for every card Steph receives she is going to donate 25p to the Charity along with the card. They are hoping to create a giant Pudsey Bear with all the cards donated. So if anyone is passing by and would like to help support the Charity, please check out the Papertake Weekly Challenge, link in my list of blogs. Thank you xx

Delphinium Blue sexy underwear

2008-09-21T14:28:00.002+01:00

I have made a card for this week's Saturday Sketch with papers from Pink Petticoat and the gorgeous sexy underwear image, also from PP's Lola's Boudoir. The image was coloured on the computer and then finished with glitter. The flowers are also prepared on the computer and then printed. I embossed them to give shape and finished with sequins and deep blue glitter.

I would love your comments as usual. xx

Sundae Shoes - Papertake Challenge

2008-09-15T20:20:00.006+01:00

I had real fun making this card this evening. It gave me a chance to use one of my new stamps from Stampendous featuring Sundae shoes. The papers are all Pink Petticoat and are from their Big Bloomers set. I have finally figured out how to do the words in a circle using WordArt, the circle was cut out with a scalloped nestabilities set, and the centre with the large circle set. The sentiment was then embossed with the Cuttlebug pin dot. The ribbon for the bow was part of the new Raspberry Ribbons September collection which is absolutely gorgeous.
Would love your comments as usual - thank you xx

An autumn theme for Edwin (still on his pencil) !!!

2008-09-08T21:17:00.019+01:00

Well another week has gone by, and I have to admit that my turnover of cards really is at an all time low, with an average of one per week!!!! I love the Papertake weekly challenge, and really store up my energy and creativity to produce my weekly entry. The papers I have used this week are from a free download from a wonderful blog site I have been following for some time, and were designed by Summer Driggs. She does some absolutely beautiful work, and produces everything for free. The autumn theme for this week's challenge lends itself beautifully to the papers from her Moments kit, and anyone interested in acquiring these, here is the link to her blogsite http://summertimedesigns.blogspot.com/ I tend to create most of my designs on the computer using the papers I download and there is a link in 'my favourite blogs' section to the freebie digital search engine. I tend to browse this every evening looking for bits and pieces which I store and then use to follow a particular design or theme for my cards.

A big thank you to everyone for the lovely comments you are leaving on my blogsite, it really does spur me on, so please let me know what you think of my entry this week xx

Update: Tuesday 9th September - I have now added the second card of Tilda alongside the original of Edwin. This shows the inside of the card which has a lovely tree losing its leaves - again another image from the freebie website.

Papertake Challenge - 'A Sweet Creation'

2008-09-01T19:22:00.007+01:00

Well, after a whole week of not have a minute to make a card, I have had a fantastic afternoon creating my card for this week's entry into the Papertake Challenge. Katherina's sketch this week was a really interesting one, so I decided to use my new stamp which is Stampendous M162 Tiers or Treats. The papers are Pink Petticoat, using a mixture from different collections, but all with a Lilac base. I decorated the cakes with watercolours and then added tiny sequins for the cherries with a small amount of glitter. I would love your comments as usual please. xx

Papertake Challenge - Tilda goes 'Antique'!!!!!!!

2008-08-25T17:12:00.005+01:00

Well, after winning last week's Papertake Challenge ('excited' was not the word to describe my voodoo type of dance around the kitchen when I found out - my husband thought I was mad - nothing unusual here!!) - I was even more motivated than ever to make up my new card for this week's Challenge this afternoon. I have had a relaxing weekend playing around with some papers and embellishments I had downloaded from Krista Designs (as per my entry of last week with links below in my list of favourite blogs) and other predominantly scrapbooking websites I had spotted on the web. These papers are ideally designed for scrapbooking , but I just loved their antique effect , so when the Challenge for this week was to feature 'stitches', I thought they fitted the brief nicely. The hard part was finding enough colours in the watercolour palette to colour the Tilda stamped image and still keep within the colour tones of the embellishments and papers, I think I just about made it!!!! I would love your comments xx

Papertake Challenge entry with free download papers

2008-08-18T19:42:00.002+01:00

I have had immense fun this afternoon putting together the Papertake Monday challenge with a really lovely sketch design from Katharina. I had downloaded some really fabulous papers from Designs by Krista (check out the link in my list of favourite blogs) and what was even better was that it was a freebie from Krista's site. I printed them all off over the weekend, and the challenge today gave me a perfect chance to put them all together. I hope you like the card.

I've got Buttons all Wrapped Up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-14T14:06:00.003+01:00

Well, here I go again, I am just crazy about bag cards at the moment and have now made 3 in the pretty Melon PP papers, each one a little different. I however quickly realised that I had not got an envelope that would fit the adjusted template I had made for the bag, having increased it from the original A6 size on the PP Template download, to almost A5. The finished bag is slightly taller than the standard C5 envelope - so I thought I would make a wrap to cover the card. The picture shows a melon bag and alongside it the wrap, featuring again the Melon buttons, with another bag inside it to show how it looks altogether. My husband thinks I am absolutely mad, his comment being 'What's the point of that, you cannot put it in the post' - aghhh - some men just do not understand 'creativity' do they??????

Papertake Challenge - Melon Couture Bag

2008-08-12T18:32:00.000+01:00

I am still enjoying making the handbag cards following my previous posting, so decided to make another one, this time using the new PP Melon kit. I used my computer to cut out images from one of the papers and from this I created the flower and button embellishments in Photoshop. I hope you all like it - would welcome your comments.

Hooked onto handbag cards

2008-08-12T18:20:00.001+01:00

I downloaded the Templates file from the Pink Petticoat website and just fell in love with the handbag. I looked at the inspiration section of the website and saw a gorgeous handbag by Designer Stephanie Jo Mayne, and I could not resist having a go at it. The photo shows the bag I have made, but the design idea is totally Stephanie's and not mine. I wanted to do this design particularly as I felt it would really test all of my skills and it sure did. I am so proud of it, it sits on my dressing table - goodness knows how long I will leave it there - probably until I make another card I love as much.

The main bag paper is PP and is actually black and white, but I coloured all of the flowers with Lyra Watercolour crayons which are my favourite find at the moment. I just love this hobby, it enables me to mix my love of art with creating really lovely cards for myself and my friends.

I have been creative again!!!!!!

2008-08-08T20:27:00.002+01:00

I did a couple of cards today, one for the Papertake Weekly Challenge and the other just for fun. I have also had fun designing the inside of the cards, to match the outer. Hope you like them.

Henrietta the Pink Petticoat Hippo

2008-08-04T17:58:00.002+01:00

Dawn thanks for the fabulous comments. You are right, there is definitely no stopping me now!!! Been busy again today doing another Hippo design. I coloured the image totally in Photoshop, laid everything out on a new A4 image, and then was able to cut all the decoupage pieces from one print. The paper on the front and back of the card is also from the Big Dots range from Pink Petticoat.

Thought I would add Cards 2 and 3

2008-08-02T19:52:00.003+01:00

These cards were made for some friends who were getting married. I could not decide which one to give them, in fact how strange it is that when you make a card to give to someone, you enjoyed making it so much you want to keep it. I nearly ended up going out and buying one, but I did give one up in the end. The cards were made all from papers and images from Pink Petticoat, my favourite site at the moment.

2008-08-02T18:12:00.002+01:00

2nd August 2008 - Well here it is, my new creation, and only the fourth card I have ever made. I have to admit I loved this one so much that I did not want to give it away, so I made another one to keep. The image and paper is from my top favourite site Pink Petticoat - you really cannot go wrong with the absolutely stunning images and papers to download. I'm off now, ready to think about my next creation xx