Charisma cards challenge

Happy Monday everyone! Or not... it looks very grey and dreary over here. But nevermind, I finished clearing my craft corner last night so I could get to work this morning. It is 5 days and counting until my next craft fair so I'm trying to get organised.

Today I used the Docrafts pink Capsule Collection papers for the first time and I absolutely love them! They were just perfect for this card.

Don't know if you can see it but underneath the teddy it says "Its a girl". I would like to enter this card for the Charisma cards challenge which is, pretty in pink!

Thanks for dropping by!

Hayley x

Love is in the air

Valentines Day is fast approaching and I have signed myself up for a craft fair on 4th Feb so I'm getting stuck into some Valentines cards. I spent the last two weeks looking for valentines sentiments and I couldn't find any anywhere! I finally got some stickers from Hobbycraft but they just say "Valentine" not even "To my Valentine" *sigh*. Has anyone else had this problem? Seems to me that theres a huge gap in the market there.

Anyway enough moaning, I made do with what I've got and heres what I've come up with so far.

Not a bad start but I've got plenty more to do over the weekend. Have a good one!

Hugs,
Hayley x

Finding Inspiration when card making

Hope everyone is having a fab week! It's been a good one for me, I turned 21 yesterday and was completely spoiled by friends and family, had a very successful shopping trip today and on Saturday I'm heading to a spa weekend to be pampered with the girls.Life is good =D

So anyway, this is my second post in a kind of blog series that I have started to help beginners get into card making. If you want to read the first post you can find it here.

This week I want to talk about inspiration. After all, you can have as much equipment, paper, card and embellishments as you want but without some kind of inspiration it can be really difficult to decide what to do with them. So how do we find inspiration if it doesn't just pop up out of nowhere? Here are a few ideas that may help.

• Sort through your craft stash- You might find something that you forgot you had and think "Ahh I can use this to..." I have done this several times and it hasn't failed me yet.
• Keep a notebook with you- If you are out and about and an idea begins to form write it down for later.
• Look at cards that you have made or received in the past- Do you like the design? How could you improve it or change it for a different occassion?
• Choose a colour scheme and try to make a card using those colours- Sometimes just choosing which colours to use can spark an idea.
• Take a break- Go for a walk, bake cakes, watch tv. When you stop looking for inspiration, ironically it can appear from nowhere.
• Tidy your work area- Normally I'm not what you would call a neat freak (my mam will definately vouch for that!) but if I find it difficult to concentrate if my desk is really cluttered and a couple of times I have gotten an idea while clearing my desk.

Tidy(ish) work area, tidy mind

Hope this helps! If you have any other suggestions then please comment below.

Bye for now!
Hayley x

An introduction to card making

Well I've been card making for several months now and it occurred to me that when I first started, I used a multitude of websites, blogs, books and magazines to learn about the craft. I had to learn about one aspect of card making from one source, another aspect from a different source and so on. It would have been handy if I could have gotten all the information I needed from one place. So I've decided that over the next few weeks I will attempt to blog about different aspects of card making, I kind of go-to guide. I'm not for one minute saying that I'm an expert because I'm not, but I hope that sharing what I have learnt about card making over the last 8 months will help someone else who is interested in taking it up. So here goes...

Essential tools

• Scissors
• Paper trimmer
• Ruler
• Craft Knife
• Pens, markers or paints

Not essential but very handy

• Hot glue gun
• Bone folder
• Paper punches
• Diecutter 

Card blanks and envelopes
  
There is a huge range of pre-cut card blanks and envelopes that you can buy from craft shops and larger department stores, that come in just about every size shape and colour you can think of. Alternatively, if you want to make your own card blanks, you can buy packs of envelopes, unless your card is an unusual shape then you may have to make your own envelope too.

Tape and Glue

When it comes to finding the right kind of glue or tape, you are spoiled for choice. Personally I find that double sided tape is essential for sticking down card, paper and sentiments. Double sided foam is extremely useful for giving a 3D effect to sentiments and card toppers. Glue pens or sticky dots are great for sticking small embellishments, while silicon glue or my personal favourite, a hot glue gun, are used to secure bulkier embellishments. A glue stick is also useful to stick lightweight objects and paper or card.

Paper

Craft shops, stationery shops and department stores offer a massive range of plain and patterned paper and card. Below is my list of different types of paper and their uses.

• Patterned paper- Comes in all colours and patterns, used to create a background on your card blank.
• Textured paper- Either handmade or embossed with a pattern. Adds texture and dimension to cards.
• Glittered paper- Popular on female and childrens cards.
• Holographic/mirror card- Popular on childrens cards. (Bare in mind that if you need to photograph your cards, holographic card shines and can make it difficult to take a clear photo)
• Accetate- Not really a paper but is transparent and used to create windows or is stamped on to give a "floating" effect.

 Embellishments

An embellishment is an item that you attach to your card and there is a vast amount to choose from. For example:

• Card toppers
• Paper/card flowers
• Ribbon
• Stick on gems
• Chipboard shapes or characters
• Sequins

Stamping and decoupage

Stamping and decoupage are both very popular techniques for decorating cards. Stamping requires ink, some stamps and a medium such as markers, pencils or watercolours to colour them in (I use Promarkers). Decoupage is the technique of layering numbered pictures on top of each other with foam pads or hot glue to give a 3D effect. Decoupage sheets are used for this technique and can be found at your local craft shop.

Well I think thats the basics covered! Hopefully it makes sense and I haven't missed out something important. Feel free to leave a comment, letting me know what you think! Also check back in a few days for the next installment =)

Thanks for dropping by!
Hayley x

Back to normality

Hi everyone! Yikes two weeks since my last post! Sorry for the absence but for a few days work caught up with me and then I've spent the last week in bed with tonscilitus so bad I could barely talk and had to eat nothing but soup and icecream. I'm still on the antibiotics and not feeling 100% but I have vowed to start crafting again now I'm feeling a little better. After all Christmas is getting steadily closer and I have a lot of Christmas cards to make! I've also signed up for a Christmas craft fair on the 4th December so I need to get my bum in gear!

I also need to (belatedly) thank everyone who commented on my entry for the DT call at Crafty Cardmakers. Unfortunately I wasn't one of the lucky chosen ones but I genuinely had fun applying and it was great to see all the lovely comments from people wishing me luck. Thanks to the very talented people from Crafty Cardmakers for the opportunity!

So back to crafting tomorrow (yay!) and hopefully I'll have a new project to post on here very soon! Now I must go to sleep as it's waaay after midnight and I still haven't managed to drift off, hence the quick update lol.

Bye for now!
Hayley x

Crafty Cardmakers DT call

I noticed a few days ago that Crafty Cardmakers are having a DT call so I've decided to have a go. Well you never know unless you try and I'm always up for a challenge! To apply I needed to make a new card on the theme of  "New Beginnings" and showcase my three favourite cards that I think show off my style. So firstly my New Beginnings card.

When I think of New Beginnings, the first thing that springs to mind is the birth of a baby. After all its not only a new beginning for the baby, its a new start for the parents too. So here is what I came up with:

I'm in love with easel cards at the moment, they are much simpler to make than you think but they look so effective. I used my baby boy stamp by Kars and coloured him in with my Promarkers. Papers and sentiment are from my stash.

So on to my favourite cards. This one is a card I made in July for my friend's birthday, so I went very summery.

I think this card shows how I often use the month or season to help me decide on a colour scheme/combination. It also shows my love of stamping and using my Promarkers!

Next I have a card I made last week for another friends birthday.

I used parts from a Kanban kit to decoupage this card. I like the 3D effect you get from layering pieces on top of each other with foam pads.

So finally here is a card that I think shows how I like using embossing folders to add texture. It also shows my love of making cards for children. Kids cards are the most fun!

So there we go, my three favourite cards! Hopefully they show my style of cardmaking and my favourite techniques. Well this my entry, fingers crossed!

Thanks for visiting!
Hayley x

Papertake challenge entry

Hi everyone, hope you are all well. It's just a quick post tonight to show the card I made for my friends Birthday on Saturday. I used a Kanban card kit and I think it worked well. My friend loved it anyway =)

I would like to enter this card in the Papertake Weekly challenge with this week is Creature Comforts.
Bye for now,
Hayley x

Wizard Easel card- Cute card Thursday challenge

Hi everyone, hope you are all well! Its been manic the last few days and I have a bit of breathing space this morning before a particularly busy afternoon so I decided to upload this easel card I made a few days ago.

I used my star embossing folder to create the background for the wizard and the sentiment is from a large pack I bought from a craft show. I decided to keep it simple so that the easel card didn't look crowded and I think it paid off.

I would like to enter this card in the Cute card Thursday challenge which this week is- anything goes!

Thanks for dropping by!
Hayley x

Pirate Birthday card

Now that I've finished my bedroom I have finally been able to have a proper play with my Bigshot! I used both a diecutter and an embossing folder for this project and I think it worked really well.

I used my new pirate stamp, which I picked up at the Ross Paper Show when it came to Sunderland a few weeks ago. He is so much fun to colour in, I used my promarkers. I used a nesting die with the gold card to create a background and a Cuttlebug embossing folder to create the star border along the bottom of the card. Then I just added the sentiment and age to finish. I'm really happy with how this turned out.

I would like to enter this card for the Creative Inspirations challenge which this week is, anything goes!

Thanks for looking!
Hayley x

I might be missing for a while

My room is getting redecorated over the next couple of weeks so I've to pack all of my belongings into boxes. I can't wait for my room to get finished because it desperately needs updating (when I was 14 painting the walls bright purple and getting liliac fabric covered wardrobes seemed like a GREAT idea but now 6 years later it doesnt feel so great!) Plus I really need shelves and more storage space since I unleashed my crafty side and collected a ton of papers, stamps, promarkers and embellishments.

So the good news is soon I'll be way more organised and won't feel embarressed about my room anymore but the bad news is my craft stash is at the bottom of a large stack of storage boxes, so no more cardmaking until I'm sorted... gulp.

I won't be posting new projects for a while but I will return =) and until then I'm just gonna lurk around the blogsphere until I can start crafting again.

Until then.
Hayley x

Crafts and me challenge entry

I know I've been raving on about Molly Blooms stamp lately and this one is my new favorite, George in Wheelbarrow. It was such a joy to colour in and this is what I came up with:

I would like to enter this card in the Crafts and Me challenge which this week is- favourites
Have a good weekend!
Hayley x

Life's a picnic!

I've made another summery card today, it must be the sunny weather we have had the last few days, it's getting to my head! Although there has been a lot of thunder too. On monday I burnt my neck and shoulders while sitting in the garden, then on the night we had thunder and torrential rain. There was something ironic about watching the rain pelt down, while applying aftersun to my sunburn! So here's my card:

 Yes I got another Molly Blooms stamp! (Two more actually but youll see the other one later.) This one is Molly with Catapillar and I coloured her in with Promarkers. Everything else on the card is from my stash.

Bye for now =)
Hayley x

Weekend crafting

Hi everyone, hope you've all had a great weekend! Yesterday we had torrential rain and thunder but today is red hot and sunny. Great, although I can see some large grey clouds moving in, so it may not last very long! I've been crafting over the weekend and here is one of the cards I came up with, I'll try to remember to upload the other one later!

The cute balloon paper is from Abi's Craft, the koala stamp was a free gift off Quick cards magazine and the party hats and greeting are from a pack of stamps I got from Wilkinsons. Stamps are coloured with Promarkers and it was really quick to make.

Enjoy your Monday!
Hayley x

Here comes the sun!

Or not... The weather here is awful at the moment, sunny for a little bit, then pouring rain and black cloud for the rest of the day! I've made a summery card anyway seeing as its June, hopefully the weather will brighten up sometime soon! So yesterday I was raving on about my Molly Bloom stamp and how much I love it, so I've made another card, this time with a bit more detail:

I remembered to take note of which promarkers I used this time, so here we go:

Face- Soft peach, blush, sunkissed pink
Arms, legs- Soft peach, bluss
Hair- Lemon
Top- Antigue pink, rose pink, blossom
Shorts and hat- Saffron
Wellies and bandana- Antigue pink, blossom
Sunflower- Lemon, cocoa, leaf green

The papers and ribbon are from my stash and the sentiment is an Anita stamp. The flower is a metal shape onto which I glued a punched out flower and a stick on pearl. I would like to enter this card in the Papertake Weekly challenge which this week is summer themed.

Bye for now =)
Hayley

Playing with Molly Bloom stamps

Yesterday I found this adorable Molly Bloom stamp in my local craft shop and I couldn't wait to ink it up and start crafting! I loved it so much I made two cards straightaway!

So I made this one first in sweet pastel colours, I coloured and shaded with promarkers (sorry I forgot to list exactly which colours I used). Then I decided to make another one in brighter colours.

Its such a sweet stamp, I'm half way through colouring another one in, think I'll try blonde hair this time =D
Hugs,
Hayley

Polka Doodles challenge- Things with wings

Hi hope everyone is having a good weekend! I'm having a very lazy one up to now, I've got tonsilitus so I have to stay at home and take lots of tablets *sigh*. I'm feeling much more cheerful now though because staying at home has given me loads of spare time to be crafty and I found out this morning that I am one of the lucky blog candy winners from the Polka Doodles blog hop. Yay!

So while I'm still on the subject of Polka Doodles, here is my entry for this weeks challenge- Things with wings

The stamp is a freebie off this months issue of Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine, which I coloured with my promarkers, I found the papers at my local market, flowers, ribbon and sentiment are all from my stash. I added waterfall stickles to the fur trim on the fairy's dress and hat to make it sparkle, don't know if you can it on the photo (I can but I know its there =D)

Enjoy whats left of your weekend!
Hugs,
Hayley

Using promarkers

When stamping in cardmaking there are a few options for colouring in your image. The first stamps I used were quite small and I used ordinary colouring pencils to colour them in. This worked quite well but I was curious about Promarkers and Copics and when I got some slightly larger stamps the colouring pencils didn't look very professional. I bought a few Promarkers from my local craft stop and started experimenting, I bought singles, not a packet of markers so I didn't have any instructions to follow. I decided to make a quick tutorial for anyone who is interested in using Promarkers but wasn't sure where to start. This is my first tutorial so please let me know what you think and tell me if its hard to follow or doesn't make sense!

1. Equipment

You will need a stamp, an ink pad, some card to stamp onto and a few promarkers. I bought 10 markers to start with in colours that I thought I would need the most. Theres a huge range of colours to choose from.

The type of card you choose to stamp onto is really important, anything shiny or glossy and the ink will rub off. At the same time some card/paper is too absorbent- I tried to use promarkers on a sheet of handmade paper from a craft shop and the ink spread outside of the lines of the stamp and went really blotchy. Normal paper and card without a glossy finish work fine but I like using scraps of linen card- it stamps and colours really easily and looks professional.



The stamp I'm using was a freebie from Quick Cards magazine

2. Stamping

Peel your stamp off the protective backing that it comes with and attach to a clear acrylic block - Note- This is what the instructions on packets of stamps tell you to do, I didn't have any acrylic block so for small stamps, I place them on the lid from my ink pad, they usually stick to it naturally and this works just as well as a clear block. For larger stamps you can use a clear CD or DVD cover.

Ink up your stamp and press firmly onto your card or paper then lift it off carefully so you don't smudge the ink.

3. Colouring

Finally, the fun bit! :) Promarkers have 2 ends, the fat end for colouring larger areas and the pointy end for smaller areas and detailed bits. Colour your stamp in small strokes, always going in the same direction or your stamp ends up with streaks like a bad fake tan! Colour in the sections that use lighter colours first- if you go over the lines into another section no one will notice if you put a darker colour over the top. If you do this the other way round its very noticible... Trust me on that one lol.

Lightest colours first, that way its much easier to fix mistakes

And there you have it! All done =) If you go over the lines of the stamp- very easily done until you have had some practise- like I have on the bottom present (on purpose to demonstrate... *ahem*) you can cut out the stamp and no one will ever know.

I hope this has been helpful and actually made sense. I haven't decided what to do with my newly coloured in koala yet but he will probably feature on a card very soon!

Bye for now
Hayley x

Just gone fishing...

Men are famously difficult to make cards for, so I was a bit stumped when it came to making my Dad's Fathers Day card (I know I'm a little early lol). I was in my local crafty shop when I found the perfect stamp by Daisy and Dandelion, my Dad likes fishing although he doesn't do it often. So without further ado here is what I came up with:

Papers are from stash, stamp is coloured with promarkers, sorry forgot to note which markers I used. I would like to enter this card for the Charisma Cards challenge which this week is Boy oh boy (cards for boys/men)
Hope everyone has a great bank holiday weekend!
Hayley x

Thank you Teacher card

As I'm looking at selling my cards at school fairs this summer, I decided to have a go at making Thank you cards for teachers. Here is my attempt. Sorry about the photos, I have to get better at taking pics of my cards!

Papers and apple border are a free gift from this months Simply cards and papercraft magazine. Thankyou stamp is Docrafts, bear stamp is Fizzymoon and I printed the sentiment off my computer. I'm quite pleased with it for a first effort and I'll be making some more later =]

A busy weekend

Sorry everyone, its just a quick post tonight! I've had a very crafty weekend, especially yesterday and got a few cards done.

Sorry the pic isn't very detailed, I tried a few different styles of cards and some of them are the same but different papers/colours. I made some more cards today but they are not on the picture cos I took it last night. I'll try to upload them tomorrow. I'm feeling very productive at the moment so I'm making the most of it! The reason I've started mass producing cards is I've decided to take the plunge and start trying to sell my cards. Yikes! I'm thinking of setting up stall at the local school summer fairs and I suppose I can sell to family and friends but I'm a little embarrassed and daunted. So my lovely followers... do you have any advice or tips? Please let me know. Excited and scared in equal measures...

Hayley x