Docrafts Papermania - Lucy Cromwell Home Toppers Thank You Card

 

Hi everyone,

Edited to Add:  I just learned that this card was a Design Team Favourite over at the A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge.  Thank you so much!

Today I am sharing a Thank You Card that I made for my grown-up daughter to say thank you for all the baking that she has been doing for me.  About 6 months ago, I had to make some dietary changes due to some newly discovered food intolerances.  I am feeling so much better - but it has been a steep learning curve and quite frustrating (at times) to learn how to modify recipes to accommodate those intolerances.  My daughter has always done alot of baking (which I instilled into her from a very young age because I have always baked just like my late Mother) and was up for the challenge - and she has been amazing at always making sure I have something yummy to eat.  So, I wanted to acknowledge my appreciation with a card:

Sorry the photo is a little dull.  It is Winter here and foggy so it is hard to take a decent photo when it is like that.  When I tried to brighten my card in my photo editing program, it made it look even more washed out.  Oh well!

Challenges

I am entering my card in the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to each Challenge:

• Splitcoaststampers - Free for All F4A820 - Food/Recipes/Cooking

• A Perfect Time to Craft - June - Open Challenge and Anything Goes

• Neglected Stuff Challenge - June - Using OLD supplies that you forgot about.  Mine is the Card Topper which is more than 10 years old which I definitely forgot about it.  I found it when I was looking for something else which was serendipitous because I had it in the back of my mind to make a thank you card for my daughter for all her baking.

The main image is a topper by Docrafts - Papermania - Lucy Cromwell called 'Home'.  I bought this sheet of toppers years ago from a Craft Show so you probably can't get it anymore and I couldn't find this particular sheet in my online search.  All the toppers have some glittery elements on them and are just so pretty.  The image was just so perfect for what I needed.

I used to love going to Craft Shows and picking up the latest Docrafts range.  They had such amazing collections and my all-time favourite was the Wellington Bear range because it was fantastic for masculine cards.  I still use this collection because I stocked up and I am so glad that I did.  I am not sure what happened to Docrafts and haven't seen anything by them for a REALLY long time.  I think the whole cardmaking industry seems to be shrinking with many companies no longer around like My Favorite Things, Avery Elle and Impression Obsession to name a few: it's so sad 😞 Anyway, I am digressing.......back to my card........

All the designer papers are by Mintay - Elodie which were first released in February 2023.  I love how well they matched the topper.

The bottom panel Pink Cardstock was punched using a Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edge Punch.  I still adore this punch as much as the day I bought it.  It is so pretty and feminine.

The Silver-edged Pink Ribbon is from my stash.  I attached it in two separate elements and glued the bow on using Helmar's Fabric Glue.  I find it easier to do my ribbons that way because it isn't as fiddly and it looks alot neater.

The sentiment is by Crafter's Companion - Popcorn the Bear - Someone Special Stamp Set.  This is another old set released in the early 2010s and was bare rubber.  This is one of my favourites that I have used alot over the years.  I stamped the sentiment using Stampin' Up Gray Granite Ink as I didn't want to use black ink because it was too stark - and the Gray Granite Ink matched the rest of the card much better.

I used my EK Success Arrows Border Punch to punch some tiny hearts from Blue and Pink Cardstock - they are the leftover punches that look like tiny hearts to me - then added some Uniquely Creative Clear Glitter Brush to them for some sparkle.

The sentiment was diecut from White Cardstock using my Big Shot and a Cuttlebug Tiny Tag Die but trimmed it down.  These dies were first released in 2007 so very old now but one of my most-used dies.  You can still pick them up second-hand in my searches online - mostly on EBay.

When I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is:  152 x 107mm or 6-1/8 x 4-1/4".

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Crafter's Companion Popcorn the Bear - Someone Special PST-SPC

Ink:  Stampin' Up Gray Granite

Designer Paper:  Mintay Elodie 6" x 6" Pad

Accessories:  Big Shot, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Helmar's Fabric Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Silver Edged Pink Ribbon 1/8"-3.5mm wide (stash), Docrafts Papermania Lucy Cromwell A4 Diecut Glitter Toppers - Home PMA157128, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Cardstock - Powder Blue, Pale Pink + White

Dies:  Cuttlebug Tiny Tags 37-1222 (retired)

Punches:  Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edge, EK Success Arrows Border

Stampin' Up Sketched Butterflies Thank You Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

Today I am sharing a Thank You Card for a nurse who works at my local GP clinic:

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge:

• Allsorts Challenge Blog - #830 - I Spy Something Beginning with B or Anything Goes if you find the former too complicated

• Can You Handle the Pressure (Dry/Heat Embossing) Challenge - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Balloons

I pulled out a recent purchase from Stampin' Up:  Sketched Butterflies - but just used the accompanying Sketched Butterflies Dies on my card.  This bundle was on the Last Chance List but is no longer available.  My Stampin' Up Demonstrator - Rachel - did a class back in March using this bundle and I just loved them and couldn't add them to my cart quick enough when I got home after class 😀  Just as well that I did because they disappeared a week or so later!

To make my card:  I watered down some Ranger Distress Inks in the colours Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade and Evergreen Bough then added some white paint from a White Posca Pen to the colours to make pastel shades - then used a paintbrush to paint them onto 300gsm/140lb Watercolour Paper.  I made sure I had plenty of variation in the tones.  I then diecut the butterflies using the 2 different butterflies - one is the base and the top is the detailed die.

I wanted to add a bit more life to the butterflies so splattered on the same ink colours but in full strength as well as some White Posca Pen, then some watered down JoSonja Pale Gold Acrylic Gouache Paint.  To add some subtle sparkle, I coloured the top butterflies with a Uniquely Creative Clear Glitter Brush - alas not picked up by the camera.  I only glued down the centre of the top detailed butterfly so I could bend up the wings for dimension.  I added some tiny matching Self-Adhesive Rhinestones to the butterfly centres.  Even though the rhinestones are self-adhesive, I added a tiny dot of Designer Dries Clear Art Glitter Glue fitted with a fine tip to make sure they didn't fall off or move.  I have learned from past experience that they just don't stay put - the glue dot just isn't strong enough especially when alot of my rhinestones are quite old and seem to have lost a bit of their stickiness over that time.

 

The dry embossing is a Stampin' Up embossing folder called Eyelet.  It is a 3D folder so I sprayed the white cardstock with water using my Ranger Mister so it wouldn't crack when I put it through my Big Shot.  Isn't this embossing folder gorgeous?!  It is still current so go grab one!

I used a 3/8" WRMK Corner Chomper to punch the two bottom corners of the embossed panel then glue the panel to a Uniquely Creative White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  I punched the two bottom corners of the card base using a 1/2" Corner Chomper.

I had so much trouble with the sentiment.  I seemed to spend hours messing it up.  First, the scrap of white cardstock that I stamped it on was lousy quality and when I heat-embossed it, it turned out really flat.  So I tried better quality and it turned out fine - but because I was originally using a two part sentiment, I kept stamping the 2nd one crooked despite using a Stamping Platform.  When I finally got it right, I used an oval die to diecut it and messed up the diecutting several times.  In the end, I figured I should just use a different sentiment.  I don't know why I didn't just do that before I messed up countless times - but sometimes you just don't know till you are at the point of giving up - however, I find it hard to give up on something because I am always so determined, sometimes to a fault 😏

So, I used a sentiment which is from a free stamp set that came with a UK Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine ages ago and it worked out perfectly first time around.  I stamped it using Versamark Watermark Ink and heat-embossed it with Ranger Superfine Detail Gold Embossing Powder.  I used a Powder Tool before stamping to take care of any stray embossing powder.

I diecut the sentiment using a Lifestyle Nesting Rectangle Die then cut an angle on the RHS.  I layered the sentiment onto diecut Kaisercraft Gold Foil Paper and adjusted it to the right and down which added a tiny border.  I popped the sentiment up on Kaisercraft Double-sided Foam Pads but added a little bit of Tombow Mono Multi Glue to add a bit of extra adhesion to the dry embossing.

Lastly, I bent up the wings which you can see in this photo:

I decorated the card inside later on but it was too late to photograph it as the sun was setting and it was dreary.  It's always hard to photograph cards in Winter let alone later in the day - plus I wanted to write in the card and have it sitting on my handbag for giving to the nurse first thing tomorrow so I didn't forget to take it to my appointment with her.  They have forecast a ton of rain here tomorrow so I figured that I was unlikely to be able to photograph it in the morning and was also worried that I might forget it altogether!

The great thing about the card is that you could use it for many different occasions just by changing the sentiment.

Finished size is 105mm x 148mm which is a standard A6 card in Australia - or 4-1/8" x 5-13/16" if you go by imperial measurements.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sincere Sentiments - SC Design by Simmone Clay (free with magazine)

Ink:  Ranger Distress Picked Raspberry + Squeezed Lemonade + Evergreen Bough, Versamark Watermark

Designer Paper:  Kaisercraft Foil Paper Pad FC220

Accessories:  Big Shot, Stampin' Up Eyelet Embossing Folder #163414, Ranger Mister, 300gsm/140lb Hot Pressed Watercolour Paper, Uniquely Creative Clear Glitter Brush UCE1811, Molossi Pink + Blue Rhinestones, Franceville Gold Assorted Rhinestones, White Posca Paint Pen, JoSonja Pale Gold Acrylic Gouache, Paint Brush, Powder Tool, Heat-Gun, Ranger Superfine Detail Gold Embossing Powder SFJ06961, Stamping Platform, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Designer Dries Clear Art Clear Adhesive, Uniquely Creative White Cardstock + Card Base

Punches:  We R Memory Keepers 1/2" + 3/8" Corner Chompers

Dies:  Stamping' Up! Sketched Butterflies #163491 (retired), Lifestyle Nesting Rectangles L-CC-006 (retired)

Paper Tole Rose Thank You Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

This is my third Thank You Card that I've made to thank people for their support following my Mum's passing in June:

I am finding being in my Craft Room and creating is like a healing balm for my soul.  Even though Mum's passing at age 94 wasn't unexpected, it has been difficult because she would go downhill then rally, then go downhill then rally again - but she would just become more and more frail each time.  I have taken comfort in that she passed peacefully in her sleep.  

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge:

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge #697 of Anything Goes

The Paper Players - Tic Tac Toe Challenge - PP744 - choose at least 3 elements across, down or diagonally.  I chose Flowers, Diecut and Embossing.

I again decided to use a Paper Tole or Diecut Decouage image by Reddy Creative Cards but did trim the image down a little.  I used 0.5mm Self-Adhesive Doublesided Foam Squares between each layer.  

The designer papers are by Uniquely Creative - Dear Diary - which were released in June this year.  These papers are so exquisitely beautiful - I adore them!

The cardstock layers are Dusty Rose and Sage - and the dark green layer is actually some designer paper called Elation P2607 from Kaisercraft's Peace and Joy Collection which was released about 2019.  I couldn't find the right shade of dark green cardstock in my stash so this fitted the bill perfectly.

The dry embossing across the middle is my old favourite:  Cuttlebug Textile Embossing Folder.  I have used this folder so many times over the years and still love it as much as when I first bought it.

The sentiment is by Kaisercraft - Banksia Rose Collectables - which is a recent release.  It matched so perfectly like it was just "meant to be".  I diecut some Dusty Rose Cardstock using my Big Shot and Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Circle Nestabilities and glued that underneath the sentiment using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Both the main image panel and sentiment are popped up on scraps of white cardstock.

I diecut 5 x Dusty Rose Cardstock Hearts using an Impression Obsession die called Heart of Hearts.  This particular die cuts out a myriad of different styles and sizes of hearts which comes in very handy.  I glued four around the main image and one on the sentiment panel.  I added some Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to the hearts which added some subtle sparkle.  

Lastly, I glued on some Pale Green Sparklets using Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive then attached my card front to a Kaisercraft White Card Base.

Finished size is 5-5/8" x 5-5/8" or 143mm x 143mm.

And now here is a pic of the card inside:

I again used the Uniquely Creative Dear Diary Designer Papers for the main background.  I glued on some flowers and leaves from the Uniquely Creative Dear Diary Creative Cuts but also fussy-cut some flowers and leaves from the papers.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Uniquely Creative Dear Diary 6" x 6" + 12" x 12" + Creative Cuts, Kaisercraft Peace and Joy - Elation P2607 12" x 12"

Accessories:  Reddy Creative Cards Diecut Decoupage #83873, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Pale Green Sparklets (EBay), 0.5mm Self-Adhesive Doublesided Foam Squares, Big Shot, Cuttlebug Textile Embossing Folder, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, Kaisercraft White Square Card Base, Cardstock - Dusty Rose + Sage + Scraps of White

Dies:  Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, Impression Obsession Heart of Hearts DIE052-I

Thank You Acetate Card

 

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing another Thank You Card:  

The main image panel is a Pre-Coloured Acetate Overlay that already has the silhouette images printed on it.  I bought a bunch of them years ago from Bellbird PaperArts at a Craft Show and found them in my stash when I was looking for something else.  The Acetate Overlays came in a bunch of different colours.   I had totally forgotten about them - but you do forget what you have, don't you?!  

I trimmed the overlay to a square then stamped the Thank You Sentiment with Stazon Jet Black Ink using a Stamp Positioner so I could stamp the sentiment a couple of times to make it nice and dark.  The sentiment came free with a whole set of sentiments from a UK Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine ages ago, and was designed by Simonne Clay.  This set is one of my most-used sentiment sets and I just love the fonts in the set. 

I added some white cardstock behind the acetate and used 3mm Pale Mustard Brads to attach them together.  You can't use glue because it shows through.

I glued the panel to Black Cardstock then to Mustard Yellow Cardstock - then to a Cream Card Base.

I glued on an Acetate Butterfly with Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive along the butterfly's body but left the wings so I could bend them up.  I also bought these butterflies when I bought the Pre-Coloured Acetate Overlays.

Finished size is 5-3/8" x 5-3/8" or 137mm x 137mm.

This card will be going to the Nursing Home who took such good care of my late Mother.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sincere Sentiments by Simonne Clay (free with magazine)

Ink:  Stazon Jet Black

Designer Paper:  None

Accessories:  Pre-coloured Acetate Overlay, Acetate Butterfly, Kaisercraft Paper Trimmer, Pale Mustard 3mm Brads, Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Doublesided Tape, Stamp Positioner, Square Cream Card Base, Cardstock - Mustard Yellow + Black + White

Kaisercraft Magnolia Grove Thank You Rose and Lace Card

 

Hi everyone,

My Mother passed away a couple of weeks ago, aged 94, and her Memorial Service was 8 days ago - so I have been in my Craft Room making some Thank You Cards for various people who have supported our family.

When I was planning out my card, I was thinking about how much my Mother loved roses and also how much she adored her wool and haberdashery business that she ran in the 1970s, and used this as my inspiration (read on for the explanation).

The rose is Paper Tole aka Diecut Decoupage - and is by Reddy Creative Cards.  I have had this particular sheet for some years so I don't know if it is still available or who stocks it.  I bought this sheet at a Craft Show here in Australia from a vendor who specialised in these types of products but I can't remember their name.

Once I popped out the images, I layered them together using 0.5mm Doublesided Foam Squares.  It was easy to put together and I just love how beautiful the rose is.  Here is a close-up:

I layered the rose panel onto some Dusty Rose Coloured Designer Paper then onto Oive Green Coloured Designer Paper which are both from the Kaisercraft - Magnolia collection.  My borders are 1/16". 

The bottom designer paper on the card base is also by Kaisercraft - Magnolia Grove.  The collection was first released in 2012 - so long retired.  The top designer paper is by Kaisercraft - English Rose - first released around 2010 - which I thought matched the rose so beautifully.

The strip of Cotton Lace across the middle originally came from my Mum's wool and haberdashery shop and is around 50 years old.  The colour of the lace was cream but I wanted it to look more aged, so sprayed it with some watered-down Parisian Essence then left it to dry.  Parisian essence aka Browning Agent is a flavourless browning agent that is usually used to add a rich, dark brown colour to gravies, soups, puddings, baked goods etc.  It is readily available from the supermarket and very cheap.  I have used it alot over the years in all sorts of projects when I want something to look old.  Years ago, when I went to the Stitches and Craft Show here in Melbourne, one of the exhibitors was using it to age some calico and it was a real "aha" moment - so I have used it ever since.

When I gave the Eulogy at Mum's Memorial Service, I talked about Mum's shop and how I started working in it on Saturday mornings when I was 12.  It was a great learning experience for me and I gained alot of knowledge about knitting and sewing.  I still have bits and pieces from the shop like buttons, lace, ribbons, yarn, dressmaking materials and embroidery floss.  I felt it was really important to include something on my card that connected that time to now.

I threaded some Dusty Rose Satin Ribbon through the lace just to tie in the colours from the rest of the card, then glued the lace/ribbon on using Helmar's Fabric Glue.

The circular sentiment is by Kaisercraft - Banksia Rose - from their Collectables.   I was so rapt that it matched the rest of my card so perfectly. This is a much more recent release and still readily available.  I diecut the Dusty Rose Designer Paper using my Big Shot and a Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Circle Nestabilities die and glued that underneath the sentiment.

Both the main image panel and sentiment are popped up on scraps of white cardstock.

I used an Impression Obsession die - Heart of Hearts - to diecut 3 x tiny hearts from the same Dusty Rose Designer Paper.  This die cuts out many different styles and sizes of hearts so it was perfect for what I needed.  I've had this die for many years so it is probably retired.  I glued two hearts around the rose and the third on the sentiment panel, then added some Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to them just to add some subtle sparkle.

I attached the three Green Sparklets on the top RHS using Helmar's Quick Dry Adhesive - then glued my card front to a Cream Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  Finished size is 145mm x 145mm which is about 5-3/4" x 5-3/4".

I will be sending this card to the Clergy who officiated at the Memorial Service. They were a great support to our family in our time of need.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Kaisercraft Magnolia Grove 12" x 12" (retired), Kaisercraft English Rose 12" x 12" (retired), Kaisercraft Banksia Rose Collectables

Accessories:  Big Shot, 0.5mm Doublesided Foam Squares, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, Helmar's Quick Dry Adhesive + Fabric Glue, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Cream Cotton Lace, Parisian Essence, Dusty Rose Satin Ribbon, Reddy Creative Diecut Decoupage #83875, Kaisercraft Trimmer, 3 x Green Sparklets (EBay Australia), Square Cream Card, Scraps of White Cardstock

Dies:  Impression Obsession DIE052-I Heart of Hearts (retired), Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Circle Nestabilities Small S4-117 (retired)

Penny Black Butterfly Bear Thank You Card!

 

Hi blogging friends 😁 

Today I am sharing a Thank You Card that I made for a lady who recently helped me: 

This is also my card for following Challenge:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - March - Anything Goes or On The Farm (obviously I did Anything Goes).  

Back in 1970 when I was very young, my Father (who has been gone around 30 years now) gave me a set of Staedtler Watercolour Pencils and told me how special they were because you could paint with them.  I was completely blown away at this concept and I filled my books with countless paintings of birds because I loved Australian birds.  Birds were always a passion of mine even from a very young age and they still are.   I took very good care of my pencils but did somehow manage to lose one of them over the years.  

Recently, I have been swatching my other pencils eg: Derwent Inktense, Lyras etc. and it was easy to find colour charts online but I couldn't find one for my old pencils.   A couple of weeks ago, I contacted Staedtler in Australia to see if they had a colour chart for these pencils and eventually they tracked one down for me.  No easy task for 55 year old pencils!  The lady was so helpful and really went out of her way to find one which I really appreciated.  So I thought it was fitting that I send her a card that I painted using those pencils.

After painting the image, I re-stamped it and fussy-cut the butterflies then glued them on the base image to give a bit of dimension to the butterflies.  I went over all the black lines using an Copic Black Multi-liner to darken them up.

The sentiment is by Impression Obsession from a set I bought years ago so long retired.  I was careful to use a Stamping Platform so if it didn't stamp clearly the first time, I could re-stamp.

The main image panel and subsequent cardstock layers were diecut using my Big Shot and Labels 1 Nestabilities.  All the designer papers are by Cocoa Vanilla - Unforgettable from their 6" x 8" paper stack which was released in 2019.  

I glued on the teal satin ribbon using Helmar's Fabric Glue then added 3 x Aqua Couture Creations Self-Adhesive Gemstones underneath the main panel.  I added some Fray Stop to the cut ends of the ribbon to stop them from fraying.

Finishing touches were adding Kindyglitz Crystalina Glitter Glue to the butterflies and the teddy's cheeks.  Here is a close-up:

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a white card base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Butterfly Bear 3696H wood-mount, Impression Obsession Sentiments 1 WP16 clear set (retired)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Cocoa Vanilla Unforgettable 6" x 8" Paper Stack (from 2019 and retired)

Accessories:  Stamping Platform, Copic Black Multi-liner, Teal Ribbon 9mm - 3/8" wide, Fray Stop, Big Shot, Couture Creations Gemstones Aqua, Kindyglitz Crystalina Glitter Glue, Fussy-cutting Scissors, WRMK Perfect Layers Tools, Helmar's Fabric Glue, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Staedtler Tradition Aquarell Watercolour Pencils, #4 round Paintbrush, Ranger White Watercolour Cardstock, Other Cardstock - Navy Blue + Teal, Square White Card Base

Dies:  Spellbinders Labels 1 Small S4-308 + Labels 1 S4-161

Penny Black Celebrating Thank You Card

 

Hi everyone 😀

Today I am sharing a Thank You Card that I made for our new Vet who has been helping Ruby recover from her illness.  Unfortunately, the correct diagnosis was missed so I am glad that I sought a second opinion. Ruby is slowly gaining weight and certainly brighter in herself and has more of her sassy side back - and enjoying her new Hypoallergenic diet food.   Ruby has a check-up next week so we will see what the Vet says.  Nonetheless, I am being cautiously optimistic.

I didn't have alot of cat stamps that I thought were suitable - and eventually settled on this one:  Penny Black - Celebrating - which is an old wood-mounted stamp.  I thought the balloon would put a smile on his face because, let's face it, who doesn't like a balloon no matter what age or gender you are?!

This is also my card for the following Challenges:

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - May - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz - Challenge 593 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of use your 3 favourite colours 

Critter Crazy Challenge Blog - Challenge #62 - Anything Goes with a Featured Critter 

I stamped the image onto Ranger watercolour cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black ink and coloured it using Lyra watercolour pencils and a #2 round paintbrush.  I went over any of the black lines using a Zig Millenium .03 black pen to darken the lines up again.

I added Glossy Accents to the balloon to add some shine.  The sentiment is by Lili of the Valley which is unmounted rubber that I bought before they went digital.  I diecut some stars from the blue part of the designer paper using my Big Shot and a Memory Box die set - Hearts and Stars - and glued them on using Tombow Mono Aqua glue.   Here is a close-up pic:

The designer paper is old and retired - Kaisercraft Pet's Paradise - and I think was released in 2012.  I bought a stack of it on clearance at a Kaisercraft store.  The dotted cardstock was made using a very old embossing folder - and the first one I ever bought - Cuttlebug Swiss Dots.  I still get such a kick out of embossing cardstock and think that it such a cool thing to be able to do yourself.  All the layers were trimmed to either 1/16" or 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools.

The ribbon is from my stash.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

I decided to decorate the card inside as I had a strip of the dry-embossed cardstock and the designer paper leftover - so put them to good use.  I also added a diecut blue star to the bottom RHS.  The 'Thank You' came from an assorted pack of sentiments I bought at a Craft Show and just happened to match everything perfectly.

Once I had finished the card front, I glued it to a kraft card base using Tombow Mono Multi glue.

I hope the Vet likes his card.   

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black - Celebrating - 1472E - wood mount, Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Kaisercraft Pet's Paradise - P229 - Pampered Pet - 12" x 12" (retired)

Accessories:  Perfect Layers Tools, Zig Millenium .03 black pen, #2 round paintbrush, Lyra watercolour pencils, Glossy Accents, Big Shot, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, ribbon (stash), Tombow Mono Multi and Mono Aqua glue, Cardstock - Ranger Watercolour, Colormates Deep Creamy Cocoa, scrap of greyish brown, white, kraft card base

Dies:  Memory Box Hearts and Stars #98755 (retired - first released 2014)

Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft Notes Thank You Card

Hi everyone😊

Today I am sharing a 'Thank you' card that I made for a friend:

All the designer papers and the main image are by Docrafts from their Forever Friends Kraft Notes Collection which came out years ago.  I have always loved this collection and made alot of cards using it.  

All the layers were trimmed to 1/16" using my Perfect Layers Tools.

The side panel was punched using a Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop edge punch.

The sentiment is by Stampin' Up! and came from their Looking Up Card Kit (still in their current catalogue).  Just as an aside:  this is a fantastic Card Kit and everything is included - even the ink pad - and the cards are perfect for guys.  You can find it HERE.   I stamped the sentiment using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink which I thought matched the rest of the card's muted tones.  I diecut the sentiment using my Big Shot and a Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities die and layered it onto the pink designer paper which was diecut using a Spellbinders Scalloped Oval Nestabilities die.  I added a Kaisercraft Epoxy Sticker from their Candy collection.  I just looked online and it appears that they have been discontinued.....sigh.....wish I had bought more of them......

You can't tell from the photo but I added sparkle all over the heart using a Wink of Stella Clear Glitter brush. 

Lastly, I tied on some ribbon from my stash and popped the card front onto a white card base using Tombow Mono Multi glue.  Finished size is 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" or approximately 14cm x 14cm.

I think you could use this image for many occasions - love, anniversary, Valentines, friendship.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sentiment from Stampin' Up! Looking Up card kit

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia

Designer Paper:  Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft Notes (retired)

Accessories:  Image from Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft Notes (retired), Big Shot, Perfect Layers Tools, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter brush, dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi glue, Kaisercraft Candy epoxy stickers (discontinued), ribbon (stash), white cardstock & white cardstock base

Dies:  Spellbinder Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities

Punches:  Martha Stewart Pinking Scallop edge

Vintage-inspired Roses thank you card

Hi blogging friends,

Today I am sharing a Vintage-inspired Thank you card which I made for the owners of the holiday house where we stayed at Bright in March.  We have been staying there since my daughter was in a Port-a-cot (she is almost 11 now!) and they have been so kind to us over the years.   I specifically chose a rose for my card because the owners love roses plus they gave us a rose to plant in our garden when we left the holiday house - so it only seemed fitting to use a rose image:

The rose came already diecut but I did trim a few parts that weren't perfectly diecut and then used a matching green and red Tombow pen to go around the edges of the diecut pieces to eliminate any white showing.  This makes a huge difference to how a papertole (or decoupage if you are in the UK) image looks once you have finished layering it up and helps the edges blend in alot better.

Now I am not very good at Vintage cards or distressing:  I think I am too neat and maybe my style is a whole lot more simplistic compared to other seasoned cardmakers of that genre - but I do love what other people do with their cards.   I often look at that style and almost envy their ability to add this and that and then a whole lot more bits and pieces, and then tear the paper etc. and their card looks just perfect.  Yet, if I add bits and pieces, my cards look too busy!  So that is why I called my card "Vintage-inspired".  If you don't hear from me again, you know that the Vintage Card Police got me LOL!

Here is a close-up so you can see the dimension of the rose:

The designer paper is by Graphic 45 - Little Darling Collection - Precious Poesy (yes, that's how it's spelled!) and just seemed to match my image perfectly (I love it when that happens!).

Believe it or not, each layer has been roughed up a little with a distressing tool and then I used my Ranger Blending Tool to add Hero Arts Soft Sand Shadow ink to each layer around the the edges including the rose panel.

The sentiment is from a Stampin' Up! set called Simply Sketched and was stamped with Versamagic Tea Leaves chalk ink then I added 3 Split Pea Kaisercraft rhinestones.

The gorgeous silk ribbon is by May Arts and which I purchased a long time ago from Sharon Johnsons' online store Stamp Simply.  I am sorry that I can't remember the colour name:  it is either Moss or Olive and both are available at Sharon's store.  I added the ribbon in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy and was glued on using Fabric glue.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying as silk frays terribly!

All the layers were trimmed to 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools.  The bottom panel was punched using a Martha Stewart Doiley Lace edge punch (my favourite all-time punch!) which I recently replaced because I wore my old one out!  There is a Scor-Pal line above the punched edge (a bit hard to see in the photo) which gave me a straight line to butt the designer paper up against.

Challenges

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

CraftyCatz - Challenge #228 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and for any comments that you care to leave.

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sentiment from Stampin' Up! Simply Sketched set

Ink:  Versamagic Tea Leaves chalk, Hero Arts Soft Sand Shadow

Designer paper:  Graphic 45 Little Darlings Collection - Precious Poesy #4500451 12" x 12"

Accessories:  Image from Reddy Creative Cards diecut sheet Ar.83873, dimensionals, Perfect Layers Tools, Big Shot, Spellbinder Oval and Scallop Oval Nestabilities, Kaisercraft Split Pea rhinestones RS407, Ranger Blending Tool, We R Memory Keepers heart-shaped distresser tool, red + green Tombow pens, Bow Easy, May Arts silk ribbon 1"/2.5cm wide, Fray Stop, Fabric glue, Scor-Pal, cardstock - light olive green, dark olive green, cream

Punches:  Martha Stewart Doily Lace edge

Lili of the Valley Teddy Topper friendship card

Hi blogging friends

I made a special thank you/friendship card for my beautiful friend C who has just been so amazing with her support of our family as we continue to go through the ups and downs of our loved one's ongoing medical condition.   I love our chats on the phone and because C loves cardmaking too, we have so much to talk about. 

One thing that I have found through caring for my loved one, is that it is very socially isolating; others move on with their busy lives and you get left behind because you have so little downtime: and you almost feel like your situation is "old news".   I honestly don't think I could have gone through all that we have without C - and I know, that if I am feeling down or I want to chat about anything, I can just reach for the phone and call C.    Knowing that I can ring someone who completely understands how I feel has been a tremendous help and made me feel not so alone.  Now that C has the card in her hot little hands, I can share it here on my blog:

The cute little teddy in his field of daisies is a Lili of the Valley (UK) Teddy Topper which has been retired as I cannot find it on their website anymore.  LOTV do have an EBay Outlet Store where they have lots of their retired toppers and if you are lucky enough, you might be able to find this topper.  You can find the link to their EBay Store HERE.  They do post to overseas but you have to ask for a quote first.  The sentiment is also by LOTV and was stamped using Versamagic Pretty Petunia chalk ink.  I used my Martha Stewart Lace Heart edge punch to punch the yellow heart (ie: the heart is the leftover punchie) which is popped up dimensionals.  I added Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue to the heart, butterfly and all the flower petals and the teddy's cheeks (not that you can see it in the photo as the weather was so dull and difficult for photography).  I corner-punched the topper using a SU corner punch.

The designer paper is digital by NitWit Collections -Just Ducky Too.  The white embossed base is a 6" x 6" embossing folder by Crafter's Companion - Floral EF6:  I love this large folder - so perfect for card bases for those of us who make square cards!  Just as an aside, Crafter's Companion have just released some Christmas 6" x 6" embossing folders - ohh, there are some really pretty ones and I have ordered the snowflakes one as I have wanted a larger snowflakes embossing folder forever!!   

The yellow ribbon was added in two separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy; I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

Thanks for stopping by - have a fab weekend!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Lili of the Valley UK - General Greetings Small ST063

Ink:  Versamagic Pretty Petunia chalk

Designer paper:  NitWit Collections - digital - Just Ducky Too - Copyright Mary Fran © 2006- 2013 Nitwit Collections™

Accessories:  Big Shot, Spellbinder Scalloped Square Nestabilities, My Favorite Things Die-namics Scallop edge die, Crafter's Companion Embossalicious Floral EF6 6" x 6" embossing folder, yellow organza ribbon, Fray Stop, Bow Easy, dimensionals, Perfect Layers Tools, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, cardstock - white, lavender

Punches:  Martha Stewart Lace Heart edge (yellow heart), Stampin' Up corner