Kraftyhands on Create & Craft

 I have fabulous news - Kraftyhands  are on Create & Craft tomorrow, Tuesday 30th April at 10 am. The show will feature  three of  their fabulous CDs: Man About Town, Kew Floral Collection and Miranda and Mo. 

I thought I'd show a card I made with the Miranda and Mo CD.

I used an A5 card blank and covered the front in one of the gorgeous funky backing papers. I made the matching insert smaller and printed that out. Then I cut it down and wrapped ribbon around it. The peachy polka dot paper is also from the CD. I matted it onto plain card.

The image is actually half of one of the fun shaped cards that are on the CD. I printed it twice and cut out Miranda and Mo to decoupage it.

I finished the card by adding the sentiment and three buttons to the front and creating an insert for the inside.
I hope you can tune in to watch Mike and Ian at 10am in the morning, there will be lots of lovely crafty items to choose from.

Crafting Cafe Blog Hop

Good Morning hoppers. Welcome to the 2nd Crafting Cafe Blog Hop, you should have arrived here from Debbi. If you've only just found the hop and want to start at the beginning then please visit the lovely Nikki. 
The Crafting Cafe is a friendly, eclectic group of crafters on Facebook who like to share their crafting journey. Please feel free to come and join us. You can share your projects, ask crafty questions or just enjoy a coffee while you hang out.

The theme of this hop is "Celebration".

It was chosen by Nikki Smith as she has recently celebrated a "BIG" birthday. We've had quite a few reasons to celebrate in our family recently, including three engagements. Here is the card I made for the latest couple to announce their intentions.

I used papers from MCS Quintessential Country Garden and distressed the edges with scissors. I soaked the panel of lace in cold tea to age it. 

The images are two digis from Simply Betty. I used Emma and Mercius and merged them in MCS before printing and colouring with Promarkers. I cut them out freehand and used Antique Linen Distress Ink to colour the background.

I printed the sentiment on the computer, punched it out and mounted it onto a Spellbinder die that I'd inked lightly in brown and rubbed with  metallic gilding wax. 

I made the embellishments with tags, ribbons, buttons, a peg, a metal charm and more gilding wax.

To those of you blog hopping, your journey is now complete. Thank you for joining in and I hope you enjoyed your hopping. Don't forget to come and visit the Crafting Cafe to make some new friends and catch up with old. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Flowerbed Fred

I have made this card for the latest challenge at Lacy Sunshine where the theme is Spring Fever. I just couldn't resist the wonderful freebie digi by Heather Valentin and it would be so rude not to use it to enter the challenge.

I chose a blue and yellow colourway for this card and covered an 8"x 8" card blank with a paper from MCS Quintessential Country Garden.

The adorable image is called Flowerbed Fred and I coloured it with Promarkers before cutting it out and mounting on a couple of die-cuts.

I created the sentiment on the computer and used my favourite Cheery Lynn leaf flourish die and flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts to embellish.

Remember to visit the Lacy Sunshine shop to purchase any of Heather's wonderful digis, it's the only place to legally buy them.

Kraftyhands April Challenge Reminder

Today I want to remind you about this month's challenge on the Kraftyhands Challenge Blog. There are 8 days left to enter. If you use a Kraftyhands product on your entry you could win a £20 voucher to spend in the Kraftyhands webshop so pop over there to see what fabulous goodies you can pick up.

The theme is:
"April Showers - Shades of Blue"

For a mid-inspiration card I have used the fantastic new Kraftyhands CD, Man About Town. It contains a wealth of fabulous papers and toppers especially designed to make male cards. It also has wonderful layouts to make Gatefold and Stepper cards.

I printed out one of the Stepper Card sets and assembled the base. I inked the edges of the panels and pyramage in Salty Ocean Distress Ink, added two Spellbinder triangle dies as an extra mat and mounted the pyramage on foam pads.

The sentiment is from the CD and I added the Cheery Lynn leaf flourishes.

A full list of the challenge rules can be found on the Kraftyhands Challenge blog. There is a £20 voucher to spend on the Kraftyhands website for the lucky winner if they have used a Kraftyhands product, and blinkies for the top three entries.  Please pop over to the blog to see the wonderful cards the other DT members have created for your inspiration.

Emma's Crafty Challenge #15 Reminder

I'd just like to remind everyone about Emma's Crafty Challenge  this month. It's proving a popular challenge and we're really enjoying seeing all the lovely creations. 

The theme is:

"Butterflies"

Our sponsor for this challenge is Stix2 and they are generously providing a goody bag of their products for the lucky winner. There is a picture of the prize at the bottom of this post.

Both the image and matching paper are from the Joanna Sheen CD Enchanted Dreams which features the amazing artwork from Josephine Wall. I used plain card coloured with Blossom Promarker for the mats. The beige cotton lace is from my stash.

There are several pages of embellishments on the CD and I cut out one of the butterfly sets to add to the topper.

Also on the CD are bookmarks. I took one of the blank sides of the coordinating bookmark and added a verse in MCS.

These are the goodies from Stix2 you could be lucky enough to win.

You have another 7 days in which to enter. Why not pop over to the Challenge blog to see more DT cards for your inspiration.

Man About Town City Retreat Papers

I hope you managed to see at least one of the shows yesterday on Ideal World and Create & Craft featuring the fantastic new CD, "Man About Town", from Kraftyhands. Unfortunately, due to last minute re-scheduling, the shows were not on at the advertised times and channel.
If you did miss the shows you can still see inspirational samples from the talented DT in the Gallery at the Kraftyhands Webshop and on the Kraftyhands Blog. The CD is now available to purchase from the Kraftyhands Webshop along with papers, postcards and the die-cut Stepper card set.
I have the last of my current samples to show you today.

I layered an 8"x 8" card blank with pale blue Papermania Textured Card and matted with one of the fabulous City Retreat papers from the CD. I tucked brown ribbon across the top right corner before fixing. I mounted the gorgeous Top Topper image on a Creata die-cut and cut a mat for it freehand. I printed one of the Ribbon Threaders and threaded the brown ribbon through before attaching to the card. The sentiment is from a Gatefold Card set.

I printed one of the embellishments from a Gatefold Card set twice and stuck them back to back. I coated both sides with Craft Glaze and attached with jump rings to the corner ribbon.

The inside was created by layering another one of the beautiful City Retreat papers onto gold card and adding one of the sentiments.
I really hope you treat yourself to this CD, you won't be disappointed. Not only is it perfect for male cards, but the papers are wonderful enough to be used for so many other projects.

Man About Town Papers

Today is the day! Mike and Ian will be on Create & Craft at 12 noon and again at 3pm with the latest Kraftyhands CD, "Man About Town". There is so much on this CD. Besides the two card making sets there are two folders of beautiful vintage papers, three more sets of fabulous backing papers, ribbon threaders, sentiments, alphabets, toppers and matting layers. Everything coordinates so well, it's perfect for mixing and matching and creating wonderful male cards for any occasion.

This card uses one of the Bonus Distressed Papers. I edged the layers of a pyramaged topper from an Easel Card set with red ink and attached a fob watch embellishment with jump rings to the sentiment. Items not on the CD are the red backing card, the lattice die and the Kraftyhands Eazy Bow.

 

 

For the inside I used a paper from the coordinating Gatefold Card set and added the sentiment before printing.

 

 

For this card I used another of the fabulous Distressed Papers, one of the Top Toppers and a Base Topper. The sentiment and corner embellishments are also on the CD. I simply added a silver backing card and a few lengths of grey ribbon.

 

 

The inside is again a paper from the matching Gatefold Card set. I added the sentiment on my computer before printing.

 

It's so easy to create fully coordinating cards with the CD. Make sure you don't miss the shows today. There are lots of fabulous goodies available at the Kraftyhands Webshop and you can view the Gallery for more inspiration while you're there.

Man about Town Stepper

Today I have another card to show you made from the fantastic new CD from Kraftyhands called "Man About Town".  Mike and Ian will be on your screens tomorrow, 17th April, on Create & Craft. They have shows scheduled for 12 noon and 3pm. They will be bringing you some other fabulous goodies along with the CD.

There are ten Stepper card sets on the CD which contain everything you need to make a fabulous card. Even the matting for the pyramaged toppers is included. For the eagle eyed, this is the same image as on the card I showed yesterday, it's my favourite.

 

I printed one of the wonderful backing papers from the CD on the reverse of the Stepper base before assembling it so the card would have a nice inside. I then added a sentiment and some embellishments.

 

The only things I added to the card that are not on the CD are an Eazy Bow  available from the Kraftyhands webshop and a chopped up die-cut from Memory Box.

 

For more inspiration from this CD visit the Kraftyhands blog where some of the DT cards are being showcased this week. There is also a Kraftyhands Facebook page where you will find up to date information.

Man About Town Gatefold

This week sees the debut of another fantastic Kraftyhands CD. This one is called "Man About Town" and, as the name suggests, it's male orientated. The launch show is on Create and Craft this Wednesday 17th April at 12 noon with a second show at 3 pm.
There are two design sets on this CD, the fabulous Stepper Cards and the new Gatefold Cards. There are also some gorgeous vintage papers.

This is one of the Gatefold cards that I made. I just love the papers and colours in this set.

 

 

Everything you need to create a 6" Gatefold card, apart from the card base,  is contained on two pages including the backing papers, sentiments, embellishments and toppers. There are ten sets to choose from.

 

 

I made the Gatefold blank slightly larger than the 6" and edged it with Salty Ocean and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks.

 

 

I have added a couple of chopped up die-cuts from Memory Box and Cheery Lynn as embellishments.

 

The artwork on the CD cover shows a few of the wonderful toppers and papers on the disc.

 

Don't forget to visit the Kraftyhands Webshop for your crafty needs. You can also view the gallery for more inspiration. We also have the Kraftyhands blog which is showcasing some of the cards made by the DT in readiness for the C&C shows this week.

 

Congratulations!

We have had some good news in our family this week. On Sunday one of my  beautiful daughters got engaged to her wonderful boyfriend and on Monday her equally beautiful sister passed her driving test. I'm absolutely delighted for both of them. It's also made me realise that they are both so grown up now ~ at the ripe old ages of 23 and 17 ~ and don't need me quite so much anymore.
I have managed to make cards for the girls to commemorate these exciting occasions.

I used an A4 silver embossed card blank from Kanban. I kept to monochrome by using silver mirri and white Centura Pearl for the dies. I layered the Grand Decorative Circles on foam pads for dimension.

 The other dies are from Cheery Lynn and Memory Box. I cut out four hearts, matted them and used peel offs for the names. I tied a bow with wired ribbon and created the sentiment on the computer.

I used an 8"x 8" card blank and layered with pink Papermania textured card and a map of our local area, Pembrokeshire, printed from the internet. The car topper is from Kanban and I mounted it on a spring so that it wobbles.

The dies are from Cheery Lynn and the flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. I created the sentiment on the computer.
So, Congratulations girls, I'm very proud of you both.

Kraftyhands Floral Collection

I just wanted to let you know that the Kraftyhands boys will be back on your TV screens this Tuesday afternoon. They have a show on C&C at 2pm where they will be showing more of the beautiful Floral Collection artwork from their CD and paper packs.
I love the vintage looking images and papers in this range and I've made another couple of cards to show you how wonderful they are. I have used the 6"x 6" paper pack, the mini postcard toppers and square doilies  for these samples.

I gathered a strip of crocheted lace to create the flowers and added gems to the centres.

The postcard toppers have a genuine vintage look and feature beautiful flowers and birds.

There are two of each paper in the pack, so plenty to play with.

I used a mix of Pan Pastels and Promarkers to colour the card bases, mats, ribbon, doiley and dies.

The paper pack and toppers coordinate perfectly.

 

Don't forget to show your support for Kraftyhands by watching the programme on C&C at 2pm today. There are some fantastic bargains to be had. If you want to stock up on other Kraftyhands products not in the show, then you can visit the webshop.

Kraftyhands April Challenge

It's the first Saturday of the month, so, that means a new challenge on the Kraftyhands Challenge Blog. This month our theme is

"April Showers - Shades of Blue"

If you use a Kraftyhands product you could win a £20 voucher to spend in the Kraftyhands webshop so pop over there to see what fabulous goodies you can pick up.

For your inspiration I made a circle easel card by die cutting an 8"x 8" card blank with a Spellbinders scalloped circle die. I left a portion of the spine joined and folded the front in half. I then cut a matching circle for the new front and inked the edges with Salty Ocean Distress Ink.

The next layer for the front and base is a smaller scalloped circle cut from a paper on the Vintage Treasures CD called Billowing Silk, in a gorgeous shade of blue. I then enlarged one of the beautiful toppers from the Kew Floral Collection CD and die cut it for the main image. I also printed one of the butterflies on the CD a few times in different sizes.

I created the stopper with a sentiment from the Kew Floral Collection and added a small butterfly. I cut the leaf flourishes from royal blue Core'dination card using a Cheery Lynn die.

A full list of the challenge rules can be found on the Kraftyhands Challenge blog. There is a £20 voucher to spend on the Kraftyhands website for the lucky winner if they have used a Kraftyhands product, and blinkies for the top three entries.  Please pop over to the blog to see the wonderful cards the other DT members have created for your inspiration.

Emma's Crafty Challenge #15

I hope you've all enjoyed a lovely Easter weekend.Welcome to Emma's Crafty Challenge # 15. Thank you to all who took part in last month's challenge. The standard was very high and the winner will be announced in a few days.

This month we have a theme that I know you will all love, it's

"Butterflies"

Our sponsor for this challenge is Stix2 and they are generously providing a goody bag of their products for the lucky winner. There is a picture of the prize at the bottom of this post.

 This time I've made an 8"x 8" box from Centura Pearl card and cut an X in the top to create a frame.

I matted and layered a Kanban card onto gold mirri to use as the background. The butterflies are from the Kanban Mackenzie collection. I used acetate to make them stand proud of the background.

I decorated the outside of the frame with a Spellbinder die and flowers and mini butterflies from the Mackenzie collection.

This is the goody bag donated by Stix2 waiting for the lucky winner.
Please visit Emma's Crafty Challenge blog for a full list of the challenge rules and to see the other fabulous projects from the Design Team. Your entry doesn't have to be a card, any new crafty creation with a butterfly theme is welcome.We can't wait to see what you create.