05/02/2012 by Gwyneth.

I’ve had my new Silhouette Cameo cutting machine out again!  But not all the cards I made yesterday have been totally cut by machine, so have a look and read below to see which cards are all cutting machine, partly cutting machine, or all hand cutting.

 Cards:

(Remember that you can click on the thumbnail images to have a better look at each item.)
(Clicking on the text links below each set of images takes you to the pages where you can see some of what I used to make the cards.  These linked pages also have a longer description of how I made the item.  Leave me a comment if you want any further information.)

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1. BLUE TIT & BLACKBERRY BRAMBLE LUNCH SCENE BUILDER CARD FRONT by Elaine Sheldrake and decorated with flowers from 8 Petal Layered Flower by Hazel Kinvig-Paul and FRAMED FLOWERS by Clive Couter (For making this card I got my scissors out to cut out the decoupage layers on the main image, which had some fiddly bits so isn’t the easiest type of card if you’ve got dexterity problems.  I then used my Cameo to cut out a small number of flower layers which were parts of cutting files I’d got previously.  A great way to put elements of cutting files to use outside the whole design they were originally a part of.)
2. Roses for Mum by Angela Burke (There are more than one variation of the base card in this cutting file.  I chose the one without the word Mother down the middle.  This was an easy card to make, and I’ve purposely kept it flat so that it could be posted.  I simply cut out the panel to put inside the card out of vellum which has a gold flower pattern on it, and also used the same vellum for a small panel to go on the front.  The gold oval panel is a die-cut element from a sheet in my crafty stash.  The decoration is simply two corner peeloffs which are gold on white roses, and three peeloff gold letters - MAM.)
3. My favourite garden rose by Bodil Lundahl (This is a star pyramage topper so the cutting out is all straight edges, making it easy to cut out and put together.  The base card is made by scoring and folding an A4 sheet of Centura Pearl Snow White card-stock.)

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1. PURPLE ROSES WITH WHITE DOVE IN WINDOW FRAME by Nick Bowley (This is a decoupage style topper.  The cutting out was a bit fiddly for me, mostly around the wings, but I don’t suppose it would be any problem for those who don’t have any dexterity problems.  I used the same Centura Pearl Snow White card as a base card but trimmed it to match the size of the topper so the provided image covered the whole of the card front.  The only embellishment I used were two corner peel-offs from the same peeloff pack as previously.)
2. Ladies rose by Terri Hawley (This is another decoupage style topper that I cut out by hand and has some ins and outs to cut out.  There isn’t a lot of layers though so it’s not a long job.  And it’s the sort of image that you could leave with just one, or even no decoupaged layers.  The base card was from my crafting stash, and I think it’s a Hunkydory silk art cardstock with an embossed gold detail down the side.  I just used some sticky back faux pearls at the corners of the base layer for embellishment.)
3. Daisy Ring Topper…Studio by Tina Fitch, embellished with a butterfly from the cutting file Morning glory over the edge card gsd file by Lyn Simms and flowers from Nesting Flowers by Claire Norman (I actually cut out the Daisy Ring Topper twice.  Once out of iridescent white card and once out of iridescent white vellum.  I then decided to snip between the inner and middle row, and the middle and outer row on the vellum.  I stuck this single, middle, layer of daisies over the corresponding layer on the card version, just putting small spots of glue gel every other daisy. I lifted the edge petals of this layer of give some dimension to the card.  The smallest row of daisies on the card version was stuck to a die-cut gold circular mat before attaching to the card front.  The main card and the butterfly were cut out of Satin Board.  I just used some sticky back gems to embellish.)

I’ve also had a little project to cut out and make up one of the very talented Tina Fitch’s designs for her to use an exemplar on selling sites.

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1. This first picture shows the basic card, just cut out of alternating layers of white and cream card-stock.
2. The second picture shows exactly the same base card, but having been decorated with a plaque of cream card with gold lettering on it.  Both the plaque and the gold lettering were also cut out using my new Cameo, the gold lettering out of iridescent, sticky back, paper.  The flowers that are stuck in and are showing round the edge of the plaque are from a Glitter Girls flower box and the paper flowers were also cut out using a cutting machine.

The cutting file design is called “Scalloped Birthday Layered Card” and is available to buy on Tina’s own site - Forever Memories For You and from craftsUprint (it is available in other cutting formats so please do have a look at Tina’s page to see all she’s got uploaded.)

CUP Update:  

CUP Newsletter Mailer - A copy of the mailer sent out by the busy team at CUP HQ on February the 3rd can be seen by clicking - here.  In addition to a Showcase of designs by CUP Gold designers, and a CUP TV episode by Ann Smith, there are some really beautiful “Floral Butterfly Decoupage Quick Cards” by the very talented Pam West.  On top of the card designs there’s a section of the latest news as well.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

Thank You Very Much To Those Of You Who’ve Left Comments On My Various Blog Posts
I really appreciate the nice things you’ve said about my crafting efforts.

(Please note!  - Due to having occasional problems with Spam/advertising posts that are absolutely nothing to do with the content of my posts I now moderate all comments before they go live.)

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | 3 Comments »

02/02/2012 by Gwyneth.

In my last blog post I showed you a tray with lots of bits I’d cut out earlier in the week using my brand new Silhouette Cameo.  I’ve not used all the pieces yet, but I’ve got the pictures and details of some of my creations to show you today.

Cards and More Papercrafting:

Cards, a box to go with one of them, and some bunting make up my paper-crafting of yesterday and today.

(Remember that you can click on the thumbnail images to have a better look at each item.)
(Clicking on the text links below each set of images takes you to the pages where you can see some of what I used to make the cards.  These linked pages also have a longer description of how I made the item.  Leave me a comment if you want any further information.)

1  2  3  4  5

1. This tractor was a cutting file download from the Silhouette design shop site, but, rather than cut the pieces out from lot of different coloured card-stock and paper-piece together, I decided to digitally colour in the pieces and put in an offset cutting line outside the whole design.  I then sent it to my printer before cutting out in my Cameo.  For this card I use two colours of Coredinations from the Nostalgia pack.  The pale blue “sky” layer was cut out with a wavy edge, as was the main dark green “grass” layer, but then, after sticking on the tractor, I tore a strip of the green to give it a rough edge and used my scissors to “feather” the edge before sticking it in front of the tractor.
2. The base cardstock for the card was an A4 sheet of Centura Pearl Snow White card, so I used an A3 sheet of the same cardstock for this gift box.  Scored using my Hougie Board.  I wanted to keep the decoration on the box matching but not as decorated as the card so simply put on a tractor image and the front grass layer.
3. I designing the bunting, triangular, shape and putting in the round holes was easy in the Silhouette Studio software.  I made them of a size that four would fit on an A4 sheet.  The backgrounds were four of the ones from 12 sheets of A4 Background Papers yellows and blues by Jacqueline Hatton.  These were printed onto Super Smooth white card and then placed in my Cameo for cutting.  (I think I need to tweak my settings for this type of card as it wasn’t quite as clean a cut as everything else I cut that day.)  I typed the letters I wanted into another page in Silhouette Studio, re-sized them and unlinked them so that I could space them out before creating an offset layer.  The original, inside layer, was drawn in blue ink using a pen in the Cameo before I changed it for the cutting blade.  These were cut out of 160gsm heavyweight paper. I then simply stuck my letters to the bunting shapes.
4. I used another sheet of the A4 Centura Pearl Snow White as a base card for this card, simply scored with my Hougie Board and folded in half.  The decoration on the card was all made using two different pieces of cardstock.  The purple card is from a pack of Bold coloured A4 Satin Board, and the “golden” card is some Super Smooth white card printed with one of the designs in 12 Sumptuous Satin Backing Papers - Marvelous Metallics by Emma Winnell.  The cutting files I used for the card were - Ballroom Dancers by Claire Norman, Lattice scalloped squares by Sue Bryant and Nesting Flowers by Claire Norman.  I also designed my own frame and mat shape which I cut and used as a base for the design and as a “window frame” that the lattice squares were stuck to as “windows”.
5. The base card was cut out from another sheet of the purple A4 Satin Board as I used in the previous card.  The card template is Scalloped Border Card by Rae Carr.  I used 3 sheets of A4 Metallic Medley Vellum to decorate the card.  The darkest sheet I used as apage behind the scalloped border to highlight the cut, and also as the largest mat, which I’d cut with a wavy edged trimmer.  The lightest sheet I used to cut the smallest mat out of, making it around 1cm smaller than the larger mat in each direction and, again, cutting it with the wavy edged trimmer.  The third, middle toned sheet I’d chosen I used to cut out some Fancy Spiral Flowers by Ann Smith in two different sizes. As well as shaping and gluing these flowers in shape after cutting them out, I also used some purple flowers from my crafty stash to decorate the card.  I think that these came out of a Glitter Girls flower box.

I’ve still got the keys I’ve cut left to craft with, and also an aperture for an Iris Folding design I want to make up.

Knitting:

Having knitted my fingerless gloves with the matching hat and scarf, I still had a bit of the yarn left over.  So I made a further scarf with the rest of the yarn.  You can see the gloves and hat I made for myself - here - and the first scarf - here.

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This scarf is a bit narrower and shorter - just right for a child.  The second photo is a closeup of this scarf.  It’s got a fleck of silver in it, but that hasn’t come up well in the photo.  The yarn details are in the first post.

CUP Update:  

CUP Newsletter Mailer - A copy of the E-mail sent out by the CUP team on Wednesday, 1st February, can be seen by clicking - here.  Sandie Burchell has come up with a new card concept that look stunning.  There’s designs by CUP Silver designers being showcased.  Plus lots more, so please do click through to have a look.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

For Those Of You Who’ve Left Comments On My Various Blog Posts
Thank You Very Much!
I really appreciate the nice things you’ve said about my crafting efforts.

(You’ll notice that comments don’t go live the minute you post them - I moderate all comments before they go live because of having occasion problems with Spam/advertising comment posts.)

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | 5 Comments »

31/01/2012 by Gwyneth.

After talking about it, and saving up for it, since I first heard that it was being released - I’ve finally got it!  And the ‘IT’ in question is a Silhouette Cameo.  Having had the CraftROBO 330-20 for a few years, and loved the crafting I’m able to do with it, when I heard that the new Cameo had a larger cutting mat (and was therefore able to cut out larger items), and had a stronger motor (and was therefore able to cut heavier weight cardstock) I knew it was time to save up to upgrade to this new machine. Being a member of the Create & Craft Club, and having the 10% discount, plus the fact that, as this is a larger item, it is available on flexipay, I decided to order it from there.  Ordered on the 26th, delivered on the 30th.  That’s good going for delivery from C & C.

Cards:

Sorry, but I haven’t actually made any cards today.  I’ve been too busy “playing” with cutting out different things to see how my new Cameo works with different media.  I’ve ended the day with a tray of pieces that I’ll need to use to make up cards over the next few days.

These include: keys from silver mirror paper; swirls to shape into flowers from iridescent gold vellum; an assortment of items, that include a fine lattice window, a silhouette of a couple dancing, small flowers, a card with a decorative edge, from purple satin card; letters that I first drew the shape with a blue silhouette pen and then cut out a mm outside to create the letter, from 170gsm good paper; a print and then cut tractor from 120gsm good quality paper; red and orange flower layer shapes from 80 to 100gsm photocopier paper.

Hopefully I’ll have some time to put them together over the next few days and you can see the finished effect.

CUP Update:  

CUP Discount Code - The discount code “BINGO” is still valid until Midnight GMT, on the 31st, January 2012, therefore there’s still a tiny bit of time to add some digital downloads to your digital library from the vast number of crafting items available on craftsUprint.  And if you don’t like to download and print out your own sheets for crafting, then don’t forget that craftsUprint now offers to “Print & Post” lots of designs, so you can have a design printed onto good quality paper posted directly to your home.

CUP Newsletter Mailer - The main, showcase, section is given over to the work of Silver Designers in the mailer sent out on Monday 30th.  Please click - here - to go and have a look at an online version of the mailer and have a look at all the designs and CUP news.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

Please feel free to leave me a comment.  I really appreciate every one I receive.
Following a spait of advertising Spam that’s totally unrelated to my crafting blog you’ll notice that comments don’t go live the minute you post them, as I now moderate all comments before they go live.

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | 5 Comments »

29/01/2012 by Gwyneth.

Right, I’m back with the other two cards I should have posted their pictures up yesterday but a bit of a mix up when I was taking pictures meant I’d missed them all-together.  The light conditions were not fantastic for taking photos today, but I managed to get some between the clouds.  I’ve also made another card using a digital download printed onto card and then decorated with further die-cuts from my crafty stash.  I’ve also put up a picture of the finished scarf I’ve made.

 (Remember that you can click on the thumbnail images to have a better look at each item.)
(Clicking on the text links below each set of images takes you to the pages where you can see some of what I used to make the cards.  These linked pages also have a longer description of how I made the item.  Leave me a comment if you want any further information.)

Cards:

Mostly raiding my crafty stash of die-cut decoupage, etc., but shaped, cut, put together, etc., with my own touch of ideas.

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1. Pussy Cat on Piano (If I remember rightly the main topper is another Doolicraft die-cut sheet.  The peel-offs are from a Border and Corner set, and the base card is a Hunkydory one if I remember rightly although I’m not 100% certain of that.)
2. Three Young Dogs (Another card where the base card and die-cut topper sheet that were Create & Craft branded, like the second batch of cards in my last post.  This card was scored and stuck to make an easel card.  I used corner peeloffs on the top outside corners and the front of the base to further embellish.  The stop is simply a piece of linen effect gold card stuck in place with 2mm deep, double sided, foam tape. The greeting peeloff (”Penblwydd Hapus” which is Welsh for Happy Birthday) has been put onto the stop.)
3. Blue floral backing sheet by Sharon Poore (For this card I printed the background onto Super Smooth white card, trimmed, scored and folded it into a tent fold card.  I raided my crafty stash for bits and bobs to decorate the card with.  I used some peel-offs from a Border and Corner set, periwinkle die cut flowers and another white one from another sheet, plus some die-cut mats.)
4. Blue floral insert by Sharon Poore (This is the insert I put in the card above.  It was printed onto good quality, 100gsm, white paper.  I’ve left it without a greeting so that there’s enough space for a hand written greeting).

Knitting:

Back on the 7th of January I put up a post that showed a hat I’d knitted on a circular knitting loom, a pair of fingerless gloves I’d knitted on a smaller circular knitting loom, and this - - the start of a scarf (colour looked a bit dark due to the different light conditions at the time the photo was taken).  Well, the scarf is now finished and can be seen to the right.  Nice and light and fluffy, it weighs less than 100gms but it’s lovely and warm.

You can see the other, matching, items in the earlier post by clicking - here.

CUP Update:  

CUP Discount Code - Don’t forget that there’s an end of month promotion currently running on the craftsUprint site.

Simply type the word ‘BINGO’ into the REDEEM VOUCHER box on the basket page before you check out then click UPDATE BASKET to save a whopping 20% off your total order value!   Yes!  You read that right!  A 20% Discount!  The code expires on the 31st, January 2012 at Midnight GMT,  so you have a bit of time to browse around and make your choices.

So it’s an excellent time to add some more designs to your digital library.  Even within the Card Making section there’s such a lot on offer.    Please don’t think it’s just a site of digital card fronts that you just buy, download, print off and stick on.  Have a look at the list of categories of digital downloads available:

So if you are into digistamps, Iris Folding, decoupage, Paper Piercing / Ornare, Tea Bag folding, Stackers, Shakers, and so much more, you are sure to find something that will be useful in your cardmaking on the craftsUprint site.

And if you are looking for some sort of digital design and can’t find something suitable on the site you can always “Ask a Designer” on Craftforums.

Craftforums:

craftsUprint’s sister site, Craftforums, is a wonderful forum where crafters interact and chat, not only with other crafters but with the designers of the digital work we buy from craftsUprint.  The Ask An Expert / Designer forum area is the place where a crafter can post if they are looking for something specific but can’t find it on craftsUprint.  Designers then know what crafters are actually looking for, and any who are able can design and upload a suitable design to CUP for crafters to buy.  This forum area is also handy if a crafter needs specific help with a particular design, when not only will the original designer have the chance to help, but other crafters who may already have made up the design (or something similar) are able to help out from their own experience. Craftforums also has a lot of other “Departments”, forum areas, and includes a whole section of “Card Making Tutorials”.  So pop over to have a look, and join to get involved.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

Please feel free to leave me a comment.  I really appreciate every one I receive.
You’ll notice that comments don’t go live the minute you post them as I now moderate all comments before they go live.

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | No Comments »

28/01/2012 by Gwyneth.

I wanted to make something on Friday, and with 4 birthdays in the family in February I felt I should make a start on something suitable.  Plus - my mother had already mentioned that she’d be needing some cards to send to the same people as well.  But I wasn’t feeling up to doing much, or had much inspiration of what to make either.  So I raided my box of bought in, die-cut, sheets of designs and dipped in to see what I’d come up with.  I landed up with 6 cards by the end of the day.  Unfortunately, when I was taking pictures of the cards I’d made, I got a bit mixed up between the bundles of those I’d taken and not taken pictures of and landed up with two lots of pictures of four of the cards and no pictures of the others.  I would have taken pictures of the rest today but some of the family members, who a couple of the cards are for, were here all day so I couldn’t get the cards out without them seeing them before their birthdays.  So in this blog post you’ll just see pictures of 4 cards.  I’ll get photos of the rest and upload them as soon as I’m able.

 (Remember that you can click on the thumbnail images to have a better look at each item.)
(Leave me a comment if you want any further information.)

Cards:

This first batch of two cards are made using die-cut sheets and background sheets from Doolicraft.  They feature members of the McDooli Clan.

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1. This is made up on a square card with some tartan background paper and tartan paper ribbon.  Just used 2mm deep, double sided, foam tape to build up the pyramid.
2. Also made up on a square card with tartan background, this time put in the centre rather than the side, with two strips of tartan paper ribbon either side.  This time, although the design was an oblong pyramage, I trimmed off the top of the layers around some of the background contours and hat to give some added shape, without having to go to the bother of cutting out individual elements to make a decoupage.

This second batch of cards were made using base cards and die-cut topper sheets that were Create & Craft branded.

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1. The card base itself was to make a tent like card with a base, but I scored the middle panel along the centre and stuck the base image layer to one side of it to make an easel card.  I used foam tape for attaching the bottom layers of the decoupage and glue gel for the top layers after giving them some shaping. I used some corner peeloffs as decoration on this card.
2. For this card I trimmed off one of the panels to leave an ordinary, tent fold, base card, decorated the corners with corner peeloffs and put on a greetings peel-off, then used foam tape and glue gel to attach the decoupage layers.

CUP Update:  

CUP Discount Code - There’s an end of month promotion currently running on the craftsUprint site.  Simply type the word ‘BINGO’ into the REDEEM VOUCHER box on the basket page before you check out then click UPDATE BASKET to save a whopping 20% off your total order value!   Yes!  You read that right!  A 20% Discount!  So it’s an excellent time to add some more designs to your digital library.  Remember that the digital items available from craftsUprint are not limited to decoupage and pyramage sheets for your card-making.  craftsUprint is a site that has backgrounds and inserts, cutting files and knitting patterns, needlework patterns and cross stitch, crochet patterns and scrapbooking.  The code expires on the 31st, January 2012 at Midnight GMT,  so you have a bit of time to browse around and make your choices.

Play Crafty Bob’s Tombola -  And there’s another bonus to ordering digital downloads from craftsUprint - Every new order placed will be entitled to a FREE play of Crafty Bob’s Tombola.  Everyone wins a prize and over £250 in prizes are given away EVERY DAY!  You can see a list of the latest prices given away by clicking - here.

CUP Newsletter Mailer - The latest CUP mailer, that was E-mailed out on Friday, 27th January, can be seen by clicking - here.  It’s the work of Bronze designers being showcased this time.  Plus of course there’s lots of other work on show and lots of news, and if you scroll down to near the bottom of the right hand column you’ll see “Crafty Bob’s Thought For The Weekend”.  Can you work out the puzzle?

Free Card Verses - Did you know that, amongst all the other items available via the craftsUprint site, there’s now a section giving you the choice of over 3500 free Card Verses?  So if you are struggling for the right words to put into any of your cards why not pop over - here - for a look.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

For Those Of You Who’ve Left Comments On My Various Blog Posts
Thank You Very Much!
I really appreciate the nice things you’ve said about my crafting efforts.

(You’ll notice that comments don’t go live the minute you post them - I moderate all comments before they go live because of having occasion problems with Spam/advertising comment posts.)

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | 1 Comment »

26/01/2012 by Gwyneth.

Not done a lot of crafting the last couple of days.  Haven’t really felt up to doing much, although I’ve got a lot I’m planning in my head, so you’ll have to wait and see what comes out of my head and into paper format over the next few days.

 (Remember that you can click on the thumbnail images to have a better look at each item.)
(Clicking on the text links below each set of images takes you to the pages where you can see some of what I used to make the cards.  These linked pages also have a longer description of how I made the item.  Leave me a comment if you want any further information.)

Cards:

Just two cards this time, but three pictures as one card has a matching insert.
1  2  3

1. Rose in Hexagon frame by Linda Whittles (You may well be shouting - but a hexagon is a polygon with six edges, and this card doesn’t have that - and you’d be right!  But that’s the title the designer has given to the design.  By my reckoning the outer is a square and the inner frame is a Dodecagon.  But none of that alters the fact that this is a simple card to cut out and make, but looks really lovely.  Straight edge cutting only to cut out the design, and I raided my crafty stash for embellishments to just stick on.)
2. Blue textured spot backing sheet by Sharon Poore (What could be easier than printing out a background design onto card, trimming with a paper trimmer, scoring and folding and using a paper punch to round the corners!  All the elements on the card come from my crafty stash of bits and pieces and die-cut elements that I’ve collected over the years.  Non required cutting - unless you count trimming the ends of the bit of ribbon I used at an angle - though there was some folding of the ready cut patterned panels.  It really was a quick and easy card to make.)
3. Blue textured spot insert by Sharon Poore (Just printed, trimmed, scored, corners rounded, and stuck into the card described above.  Simple!)

I think I really need to use more of the bits and pieces that I’ve got in my crafting stash that I’ve found so far during my mini-clear-up of crafty stuff (which I started back in the autumn and still haven’t finished).  I’ve picked up a lot that I’ve forgotten I had over the years, and there’s some lovely bits and bobs there that would make simple finishing touches to some of my cards.  The problem is, the couple of boxes of bits and bobs I’ve got seem to be getting fuller as I find things, rather than getting less full as I use things.

CUP Update:  

CUP Newsletter Mailer - A copy of the E-mail that was sent out yesterday, 25th January, can be seen by clicking - here - if you don’t receive it directly to your inbox.  Being showcased in this mailer is some of the work of the “Titanium Trio” - the three top designers who’ve sold the most designs via CUP - and also some cards made by some of the top card makers on CUP.  There’s lots of variety to be seen, from humorous to stylish, from children’s to adults.  Of course, as usual there’s a lot more bits of news, new CUP TV episode, etc., as well, so do please click through for a look.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

A BIG Thank You to all you lovely people who’ve left such nice comments on my various blog posts over the last few weeks.  I really appreciate every one of them.

(You’ll notice that comments don’t go live the minute you post them.  Having occasionaly had problems with unsuitable Spam/Advertising comment posts [150 in one day alone once] I now moderate all comments before they go live.)

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | 2 Comments »

24/01/2012 by Gwyneth.

I haven’t made a lot of cards the last few days, but I thought I’d show you what I have done now, rather than waiting until I’d made more before I posted again to my blog.

 (Remember that you can click on the thumbnail images to have a better look at each item.)
(Clicking on the text links below each set of images takes you to the pages where you can see some of what I used to make the cards.  These linked pages also have a longer description of how I made the item.  Leave me a comment if you want any further information.)

Cards:

Although all these cards use digital downloads from the craftsUprint site  I’ve tried to give them a different look by using different base cards or embellishments with them, to make them my own.  I don’t have a particular style, other than the fact that my health and fluctuating disabling conditions do mean that very intricate cutting by hand is out of the question as far as I’m concerned.  But the very fact that my dexterity fluctuates does mean that I can manage more some days, and no crafting at other times.

1  2  3  4  5

1. Fairy in pink and green oval pyramid by Amanda McGee & 12 Colour Haze Background Papers by June Young (The background and pyramid were printed onto Super Smooth white card.  Only oval cutting of the topper and straight cutting for the stepper card were involved.  I used my Hougie Board to score the side stepper card.)
2. Girl in Basket Wavy Side Stacker by Sarah Edwards (Again this was printed onto Super Smooth white card.  The cutting out of the design was only straight and wavy cutting, so nothing intricate to cut.  The base card was bought in already cut and scored to this design - a Hunkydory card if I remember rightly - so the card looks quite intricate without any of the difficult work to make it look this way.)
3. My husband’s Hawaii plant by Bodil Lundahl (I used Centura Pearl Ivory A4 card scored and folded in half to make this card and kept the ivory theme going throughout by using ivory organza ribbon and ivory, faux pearl, embellishments.  For this card, and the next two, I printed the design sheet out onto 150gsm glossy photo paper.  The topper, including the frame and pyramid elements were all quite easy to cut out using a pair of scissors and no intricate cutting was involved.)
4. Spanish daisies, pyramid by Bodil Lundahl (Another base card that I’d bought already cut and scored, from a Hunkydory special offer pack.  The topper is all straight cutting so an easy card to cut and make up.)
5. 12 Colour Haze Background Papers by June Young & African silhouettes by Debra Jenkinson & 6 Mens Belts by Vicki Avcin (The three kits used to make up this card are “Designer Resources” so I took them into one of my graphics software and arranged them to make the image I wanted before creating some layers and printing the lot out.  I purposely made the design with just straight edge cutting involved and used the same type of Centura Pearl card as for card 3.  A simple to cut and make card that has some dimension.)

CUP Update:  

CUP Newsletter Mailer - The last mailer was sent out by the staff at craftsUprint HQ on Monday, 23rd January.  You can see a copy by clicking - here - if you don’t get it sent directly to your E-mail box. You’ll see lots of designs that you can buy and use in your cardmaking, some of them completely new, lots of news, and the latest CUP TV episode.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

A BIG Thank You to all you lovely people who’ve left such nice comments on my various blog posts over the last few weeks.  I really appreciate every one of them.

(You’ll notice that comments don’t go live the minute you post them.  Having occasionaly had problems with unsuitable Spam/Advertising comment posts [150 in one day alone once] I now moderate all comments before they go live.)

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | 7 Comments »

21/01/2012 by Gwyneth.

I made the small number of cards I’m showing you today the same day as those I put up in my previous post, but, as the last post was themed, I kept these for a separate post.  These are a very mixed assortment of cards suitable for lots of different occasions.

 (Remember that you can click on the thumbnail images to have a better look at each item.)
(Clicking on the text links below each set of images takes you to the pages where you can see some of what I used to make the cards.  These linked pages also have a longer description of how I made the item.)

Cards:

1  2  3  4

1. Scalloped Oval Layers……Studio by Tina Fitch (I used a bought in base card for this card.  When cutting the ovals out of Silk Art card on my CraftROBO I needed to double cut, as the Silk Art card is a bit too heavy to be used in a CraftROBO really, but decided to risk it.  Just decorated using peel-offs and sticky back gems.  So no hand cutting - other than chopping the bits of foam tap for the back of the layers!)
2. Cat and Sundial by Pamela West (The Cat and Sundial image is a Designer Resource, which meant that I could play around with it in one of my graphics packages before printing out.  For this one I added the frame, in a blue colour to tone with some of the flowers in the image.  I also created some oval pyramage layers.  I could, of course, have gone to town creating corner stackers, or decoupage, or any other style of card, but wanted to keep it simple to cut out while still having some dimension, and oval stacker layers are reasonably easy to cut out and are forgiving of a little unevenness when put over the layer beneath.  Framing the image before printing meant that matting and layering were not needed after printing.  I just used a corner rounder punch on the right corners of the base card and each corner of the framed image.)
3. Cow Iris Folding Pattern by Margaret Jones & Someplace Backing Paper 2 by Carol Lepard (When I saw this pattern for Cow Iris Folding up on craftsUprint I just had to buy it because I thought it would go perfectly with this background which I’d bought previously.  I printed the background on one side of the paper and the Iris Folding pattern on the other before cutting out the aperture - I have to admit that I set up a cutting file in the Silhouette Studio software to cut the outline out as I didn’t feel up to cutting out by hand that day, and just tore ready cut iris folding strips to the right size, so didn’t do any cutting to put together the image.  I did use a paper trimmer to cut the finished image to shape to fit my card front after finishing the iris folding, and for cutting the splodges of colour for sticking on top of the cow to give the markings.)
4. Scalloped Layered Cross Toppers…Studio by Tina Fitch (White and silver were used for this cross design, again cut out using my CraftROBO.  I then felt that I wanted some colour, without going over the top, so used some Mulberry flowers from my crafting stash.  So a simple to make card with no hand cutting at all.)

Knitting:

1

1. This is another pair of fingerless gloves, knitted on the same circular knitting loom as the pair I showed you in my blog post of the 7th of January, that you can see by clicking - here - only this time I’ve knitted it in more utilitarian yarn to make a pair to ware to take the dog out, rather than the mohair mix yarn that I’d made the last pair from “for best”.

I’m still working on the scarf to go with the original pair of fingerless gloves, but I put it to one side to make this pair of gloves as my hands were freezing one morning when out in the garden with the dog.

CUP Update:  

CUP Newsletter Mailer - If anybody hasn’t seen the mailer sent out by the CUP team on Friday, 20th January, then you can see it by clicking - here.  The main showcase section this time are designs created by CUP Exclusive designers who’ve reached the Platinum level by selling 10,000 and more items.  You’ll also see the usual “CUP LATEST NEWS” section with lots of snippets of news, so click through to catch up with the latest from CUP land.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

A big THANK YOU to all you lovely people who’ve left comments on my various blog posts over the last few weeks.  I really appreciate every one of them.

(You’ll notice that comments don’t go live the minute you post them.  I’ve had occasional problems with unsuitable Spam/Advertising comment posts (150 in one day alone) so I moderate all comments before they go live.)

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | 1 Comment »

19/01/2012 by Gwyneth.

You may not know it, but in the same way as Valentine is celebrated as a saint for lovers, Wales also has a patron saint of Welsh lovers - and her name is Dwynwen.  As Dwynwen lived so long ago there are certain variations to the details when her story is told, but you can read up a bit about her by clicking here -> National Museum of Wales; Cadwyn; Historic UK.  St. Dwynwen’s Day is the 25th of January, so I decided to put together a few ideas for cards for the occasion now as there’s less than a week to go if you plan on celebrating with a card and a gift.

 (Remember that you can click on the thumbnail images to have a better look at each item.)
(Clicking on the text links below each set of images takes you to the pages where you can see some of what I used to make the cards.  These linked pages also have a longer description of how I made the item.)

Cards:

I’ve purposely just put “Gyda Chariad” (Welsh for “With Love”) on these card so they could be used for either St. Dwynwen’s Day or St. Valentine’s Day.

1   2  3  4

1. Red Roses Backing Paper by Katy Kinsey & Scalloped Heart Toppers 2…Studio by Tina Fitch & Cream Roses Backing Paper by Katy Kinsey (This is an A4 card.  As all the cutting of the hearts was done using my CraftROBO, and all the decorations were little flowers from my crafty stash, there is no difficult cutting involved in this card.)
2. Cream Roses Backing Paper by Katy Kinsey & Scalloped Heart Toppers 2…Studio by Tina Fitch (This card was made using the same style of hearts cut out using my CraftROBO, but because I decided to hang it in an aperture, rather than stuck on the front, despite using my CraftROBO to cut out the largest heart shape as an aperture in the backing sheet, I did have to cut the heart shape out by hand with a craft knife on the front of the card itself, using the aperture in the backing as a guide.  The card itself was made from an A3 sheet of Centura Pearl Snow White card, with a 2cm spine to allow for the depth of the heart, so it wouldn’t go through my CraftROBO at that size.)
3. Scalloped Heart Toppers 2…Studio by Tina Fitch (This is a closeup of the heart removed from the aperture of card 2.  I made it to tie up in the aperture with a bow, rather than using one piece of fixed ribbon between the heart and the top of the aperture, so that the heart can be removed and kept as a keepsake or hung up as a wall hanging.)
4. Scalloped Heart Toppers 2…Studio by Tina Fitch (This is a side view of the heart showing how dimensional the whole thing is when made up double sided and stuck using 2mm deep, double sided, foam tape between each layer.  It could be made even more dimensional if 3mm deep tape was used.)

Box:

I’ve made lots of boxes for various things from various pieces of jewellery to hand made chocolates, but today’s box is made of a card printed with a bubbly chocolate design and hides a box of chocolate truffles.  A perfect packaging to make a small gift look extra special.  A perfect gift for St. Dwynwen’s Day.  I’ve purposely kept the tones of embelishments to brown so it’s a suitable box to send a gift to a man, not just a woman.  You could even make the box a bit deeper than the box of chocolates and pop a Love Spoon in on top.

1

1.  Lovely Bubbly A4 Backing Paper in Chocolate Brown by Katy Kinsey (I printed the backing design out twice onto Super Smooth white card.  I measured the height, width and depth of the box of chocolate and trimmed and scored both pieces to make the box base and lid.  I used Template Tape to stick the flaps together.  The tag on the lid was cut on my CraftROBO and is one layer of Scalloped Oval Layers……Studio by Tina Fitch, with a very narrow brown ribbon threaded through one of the scallops and tied into the knot of the wider brown organza ribbon that’s tied around the box.  The greeting “Dymuniadau Gorau” is Welsh for “Best Wishes” and is suitable for many different occasions.)

CUP Update:  

CUP Newsletter Mailer - A copy of the latest mailer sent out from CUP HQ (dated Wednesday, 18th January) can be seen by clicking - here.  The designs of some of the craftsUprint Gold designers are being showcased.  I you celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, not St. Dwynwen’s Day, then there’s lots of designs suitable for the occasion to be seen - although some of the designs are very suitable for both occasions.  Of course you’ll find a lot more in the mailer, so please do click through for a look.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | 3 Comments »

17/01/2012 by Gwyneth.

A topper design I’ve been playing around creating using Designer Resources from craftsUprint, used in conjunction with a background from a kit in the CUP Card Making section printed onto card-stock to make the box lids.

Cards and Boxes:

1  2  3  4  5

1. Card made using a topper I created using Designer Resources as below stuck onto a bought in Hunkydory base card with a decorative edge.  The topper has a small round pyramid of a few layers over the daffodil heads.
2. Insert to the card above made using the same Designer Resources but with the daffodils shrunk down and the greetings panel removed so that there’s a nice, clear, area for a greeting to be written inside the card.
3. A box to place the card in.  The lid is one of the backgrounds from the kit listed below printed onto cardstock with the same topper as on the card on top, but without the layering, stuck on top.
4.  A similar box, but this time a gift box that’s deep enough for a little gift, such as some hand made chocolates.  Made exactly the same way as the card box, but this time scoring so that the depth is deeper but the dimensions across the top are smaller.
5. All four matching items together.

To create these cards and boxes I used the following Designer Resources to make the square topper design seen on the items show in photos 1 to 5:

1.  5X5 Card Fronts set 11 by Cassandra Campsall
2. A Vase Of Daffodils by Frances Dent
3. Etched Metal Corners & Ornaments by Carol Lepard

The yellow toned floral background used on the box lids is from the Card Making item:

1. Pale Floral Papers by Chris Harland (Although I’ve used one, yellow toned, floral background as a background to the lids of the boxes, the whole kit of pastel shades of floral designs is a great one for anybody’s digital library as they will work well as backgrounds, mats, etc.)

And to finish off, something quite simple, but dimensional, so it will also need a little card box or envelobox made to send it in.

1

1.  5X5 Card Fronts set 11 by Cassandra Campsall (This is the second card I’ve made using a 5″ x 5″ card front from this set.  This time I simply used my graphics program to place it in such a way on an A4 page so as, when it was printed out, I could just score, trim and fold into a base card.  This was simply decorated using three flowers that I’d made up some time ago and placed in my crafty stash, together with a leaf, a butterfly, and four clear, sticky back, gems.)

CUP Update:  

CUP Newsletter Mailer - The last mailer sent out by the CUP Team on Monday, 16th January, can be seen by clicking - here.  As usual there’s a lot of varied designs being showcased, this time the work of the craftsUprint Gold designers. The latest CUP TV Episode is showing how to make up a Gatefold Spring Down Card that’s been cut using a digital cutting machine.

You can see the cards I’ve made using design sheets from CUP in my “Crafter Showcase Area” on Craftsuprint.com - here
(Just scroll down past the top boxes to see the cards.)

You can see my page on Facebook by clicking - here.

-oOo-

Posted in craftsUprint Cards | No Comments »