Latest docrafts Creativity Magazine is here!

I'm lucky enough to be one of Docrafts Demonstrators which means I regularly get to play with their amazing products in shops - enticing other crafters :-)

 

But better than that I get to create projects for the magazine (which in my opinion is the best crafty magazine out there).

 

 Here's the latest cover...

 

 

There are amazing projects in here from the new 'Home to Nest' to 'Ahoy' ranges. And you'll find Forever Friends makes from my crafty pal Claire Green (very talented). And if that's not enough the wonderful Jo Austin's having fun with felt making a very posh 'Mr Fox'.

 

 

 It's jam packed with projects and ideas that will keep you busy for hours :-)

 

My challenge was to create something 'pinwheel' with the new Bold Spots and Stripes Capsule Collection...

  

 

I made 4 carton boxes (thanks to my Hougie!!) and also a base box and carry handle.

 

 

Finally a card to match..

 

 

What's lovely about the magazine work is you can go wherever your imagination takes you. The projects are there to inspire other crafters so you really have to push yourself to come up with something different.

I really feel blessed to get to do this kind of creative work with the very talented docrafts design team :-) It's improved my skills and confidence. I never would have applied for the Card Crafters Circle design team if it wasn't for my docrafts work and now I'm part of a wonderful group of ladies.

 

So, whatever your reason for crafting is - have fun doing it :-)

 

Smiles on a Monday

 

Teresa xx

 

 



Here comes the boys...

New weekly challenge over at Card Crafters Circle! They run from Friday to Friday.

 

And that's right we're all about our men this week (and not a flower in sight) :-)

 

This week our sponsor is the fab Digi Darlas.

 

 

Head over to their website for a nose... (click on their icon above)

 

I got 'Western 4' this week. Yeehaa! Here come the cowboys :-)

 

 

The card is made from 2 5x5 Kraftstax card from Papermania.

 

Take one of the 5x5 card and open it up. Score the left hand panel in half. Do the same on the right hand panel. Then score the furthest section on the right hand side in half again. (These folds are a breeze if you've the hougie board).

 

Take the first fold on the left hand panel and stick this to the inside of your first card.

 

From the side it'll look like this....

 

 

As you can see, the first card doesn't change at all. It's just the second card you do the work on.

 

What this means is you can do this with any matching two card blanks. Have a go and see what you can create :-)

 

Here's a closer image of those fab cowboy boots (I can hear Billy Ray Cyrus in the background!!)

 

 

 

 

The 'hey cowboy' is stamped from a brilliant set of individual letter stamps I picked up on ebay :-)

 

 

The papers are a mixture from my stash and for the embellishments well then I needed my Card Candi. If you've not heard of these they are faux brads and they do them in a range of brilliant colours. If you're buying on line then have a look a the link on the left for Art of Craft.

 

 

Another shot of the card from the side. This staggered card is great fun for decorating and stamps up pretty sturdy as long as you've a strong card base.

 

All the papers etc have been inked up with Tim Holtz 'Vintage Photo' ink pad.

 

If you notice the ribbon is stapled on which is great on men's cards.

 

Have some fun with your boys cards and who knows, maybe it'll be yours I stop by and leave a message for...

 

Happy crafting

 

Teresa xx

 

They're finally engaged!

My lovely work pal, Clair and her fabulous boyfriend of seven years got engaged on the weekend.

Clair was displaying her lovely new ring at work on Monday :-)

 

So of course they needed a card (any excuse to play with paper!)

 

And who else to pull out to help celebrate than Forever Friends....

 

 

The stacker is on the Forever Friends Retro CD rom.

 

Embellishments came from Boofle CD rom. I re-sizes the A4 stackers to slightly smaller which meant I could fit all my flowers; buttons and sentiment on the one A4 page.

 

What I love about CD rom crafting is you can re-size the images to what suits you and what you're making.

 

The floral backing paper is from my stash and not CD although there's lots on there to pick from :-)

 

I've embossed the green card with a lovely sizzix folder.

 

The leaves are punched from my well used Woodware leaf punch.

 

All I need now is for them to set a date so I can make the wedding card!

 

Anyway, better go as I'm working on my Docrafts Creativity Magazine commission for July :-)

 

Crafty smiles

Teresa xx

 

 



Challenge Friday #71 April Showers

So, it's finally Friday! Don't know about you but it's been a loooonnnng time coming this week :-)

Funnily enough our challenge this week over at Card Crafters Circle is all about the rain and we've had  bit this week here in the UK!

Dig out your umbrella templates, stamps and whatever will make puddles and play along.

Our sponsor this week is Milk Coffee Stamps, click on their logo to go shopping. And trust me, once you see what the design team have used for our creations this week, you'll want to shop :-)

I got to play with the adorable 'Cutie Button Girl'

I've taken a scalloped square card and folded the left hand panel in half to make a fold back card. When you've too many ideas to put just on the front, make yourself some more room to play!

This little cutie is coloured in with my trusty Spectrum Noirs. I used to be frightened of alcohol pens 'til I found the tutorials on the Spectrum Noir blog. After that it's just about playing and having a go :-)

Next for the decoration. We've seen lots of rosette's and there's no surprise why. They are a really easy but stunning embellishment to make. This one is the length of an A4 sheet. Do the border punch first - I've used my lovely Martha Stewart Doily punch on here. Once you've punched the border, trim the strip taking into account how deep you want your rosette.

I used my Hougie board to score 1cm lines all the way across the strip. Mountain and valley fold (concertina) the strip and stick ends together with strong double sided tape or wet glue.



You'll then need to cut a circle and load up with wet glue (or hot glue gun works best) and stick your rosette onto this.

To finish off, cut a circle of patterned paper and secure with glue, finishing off with a big fat button :-)



The sentiment is from Kanban and it's a wonderful collection of blank tickets and sentiments you can swap in and out.

The 'sprig' is cut from my 'Storybook' cricut cartridge.

Finishing touches are mixture of ribbon and beads from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you like the make and can't wait to see what you create :-)

have a great weekend all

Teresa xx



Diamonds are a girls best friend.....

So April's product focus is the fabulous Hougie Board.

Type Hougie into my search box and you'll find other makes using it.

 

Tonight I've made a diamond fold card and it's from Hougie Project Book 3.

 

Head over to www.hougiecrafts.com to spend your pennies :-)

 

 

As with all the projects I'm posting, they are there to give you ideas and get you interested in the Hougie as I think it's amazing.

 

I won't be posted 'how' to make the card as that wouldn't be fair to the hard work of it's creator - Kay Rutter.

 

I've used Hunkydory 'adorable scorable' card here which is vibrant and a brilliant base for any card.

 

 

The main section at the front I've decorated with free hand circle's cut from Forever Friends Ultimate Decoupage kit that docrafts released in January. It's a fab range of different backing papers and of course lots of the bear in different guises. This goes to show the versatility of the pack as you don't always have the use the bear...

 

I used the flower backing paper and cut out some of the flowers to use as embellishments :-)

 

The buttons are from my stash and add a little extra depth. All the papers were inked with Papermania pink dye based ink pad. The faux stitching is achieved with your pokey tool and mouse mat!

 

Here's a view of the card from a side angle so you can see all the score lines and notice how there's no cracking in my card! This is thanks to doing the 'hougie trick' :-))

 

I'll work on another project this weekend. If you've seen something in the projects books you'd like to see made up then get in touch. I'd love to hear from you :-)

 

Have a good week.

 

Teresa xx

 

Challenges entered:

www.melonheadzfriends.blogspot.co.uk - Fancy folds

www.clearitoutchallenge.blogspot.co.uk - Button up

www.scribblesdesignschallenge.blogspot.co.uk - #4 Shapes or easel

 

 

'Little Weed' I think not.....

The new die cut from Crafts-Too I've used on this card is called 'Little Weed' - that's the last thing I'd think of it as!

 

I've used it to make my mother-in-law's birthday card (which is tomorrow!)

 

Couldn't resist this little magnolia image...

 

 

The sentiment stamp is from Anna Griffin and I just love it.. what a super thing to say to the person you're giving the card too..

 

Here's a closer look at this little cutie pie. I've coloured her in with my trusty spectrum noirs.

 



Lastly, here's a closer look at 'little weed' die cut. Once cut, I brushed a little 'vintage photo' ink over it to darken it off a little.

 



 

The rest of the embellishments are from my trust ribbon stash :-)

And by now you'll be used to me using beads instead of gems.

 

Oh yes, nearly forgot the backing paper is pre-embossed Core'dinations stock from Crafters Companion which I love! All you have to do it cut and sand :-)

 

Happy Sunday all

 

Teresa xx

 

Challenges

www.bearlymine-challenges.blogspot.co.uk - Spring flowers

www.craftroomchallenge.blogspot.co.uk - So sentimental

www.magnolia-liciouschallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk - Buttons, bows or beads

www.tuesdaythrowdown.blogspot.co.uk - Focus on the sentiment

www.twistoffaithcards.blogspot.co.uk - #33 birthdays

www.alotarubberstamps.blogspot.co.uk - #105 ALOTA105

www.blog.oozak.blogspot.co.uk - Lace, ribbon, pearls





Challenge #70 Card Crafters Circle: Die Cuts/Dry Embossing

Yep, here we go. It's Friday so it must be challenge day over at Card Crafters Circle

 

This week we're all about die cuts and dry embossing.

So, drag out your Calibur; Big Shot or Cuttlebug and get creating :-)

 

Our sponsor this week is the fabulous Floppy Latte

 

 

click on their logo to get into their shop :-)

 

Here's my make to give you some ideas. Don't forget to head over to our blog for more from the lovely Design team...

 

 

The digi stamp is Floppy Latte's 'Doves and Heart frame' and I love it!

Thought I'd do a soft and simply constructed card today.

 

I cut the image out on Xcut oval die and backed it onto pearlescent grey card using Xcut scalloped oval die. I printed the stamp out twice and decoupaged the doves.

 

 

I've used spectrum noir pens: GG1 to highlight the dove wings and colour a shadow line around the whole stamp. Then I used BGR2 for inner shading on the heart.

You'll spot 'Glossy Accents' used on the heart ribbon and outer wings on the dove to bring the image to life.

 

I've used Crafters Companion; Centura Pearl card which is amazing and has the most superb sheen. It's embossed with CC's new A4 embossing folder 'floral vine'. A link to their shop is on the left hand sidebar.

 

I picked up the heart embellishment in my local craft shop 'Art of Craft'. I definitely think it adds a little 'charm' to the card. The topper is from a sheet of wedding sentiments I picked up a couple of years ago at craft fair. Have a good look at your topper stash as it may be you've a small die cut that will give you a nicer shape for your card other than square or rectangle.

 

Finally, here's a closer look at the decoupage and glossy wings.

 

thanks for stopping by and hope it's got you playing..

 

have a great weekend

 

Teresa xx

 



 

Critters Challenge #159: Washi Tape

So when this fab tape first came out I kept getting the name wrong and calling it 'wasabi' at my demo's. What a mistake to make!

 

Problem is it's stuck :-)

 

So if you've got some wasabi tape, sorry 'washi' tape then get it out and have a play. Once you've created something you like then post it on our challenge blog:

 

www.critterschallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

One of our sponsors this month is the fab Guylou

 

 

I've used their mermaid image and instead of the usual 'water' colours, I've gone for a pink and brown tonal card. And of course some much needed glitter on her tail :-)

 

 

My fab mermaid is coloured in using Spectrum Noir's and Pro-markers

 

 

I've started using small beads instead of gems. You get tons more in a little pack (I buy mine at The Range where they are 99p a pack!) They are much more dimensional and I don't mind putting lots on my card as they're such good value. I use Pinflair glue to secure to my card, Crafters Companion 'Collal' 3D glue is really good too.

 

 

The die's both scalloped oval and standard oval are Xcut's

 

 

 

I've gone for a monogram on this card for something a little different. The glittered 'J' is from an alphabet set I bought at The Range.

 

And lastly, considering this is a wasabi challenge - I've used Papermania Washi tape from their recent 'vintage notes' and 'spots and stripes' collection. The 'with love' is from vintage set and pink spotty is from (funnily enough) spots and stripes.

 

 

 

I hope you like my make and it's inspired you to get your tape out. Especially if you bought some a while ago and found you've not used it yet!

 

Crafty smiles

 

Teresa xx

 

Challenges entered:

www.cardmaniachallenges.blogspot.co.uk  #18 Punches/Die cuts

www.houseofgilli.blogspot.co.uk  #51 Flowers and or ribbon

www.melonheadzfriends.blogspot.co.uk  Make it Girly

www.songbirdchallenges.blogspot.co.uk  #17 Colours in her hair

www.stampandcreateblog.  Use a die cut

www.greatimpressionsstamps.blogspot.co.uk  Pastels

www.shellysimpressionsblog.blogspot.co.uk  Use scallops

www.kaboodledoodles.blogspot.co.uk  #166 Any shade of pink

Challenge #69 at Card Crafter's Circle... Bug Up!

Hi everyone :-)

 

Well, with one thing and another it's been quite a week in the Ewington household. We've had sick family; injured son; leaking pipes and a full week of work on top of that!

 

Enough of that mayhem - onto the card making :-)

 

Our challenge this week is all about BUGS. Search out those ladybird stamps or butterfly toppers and join in.

 

Our blog is: www.cardcrafterscircle.blogspot.co.uk

 

Our sponsor this week is Eureka Stamps. Their images were amazing to work with and I've already been buying up a few new images for the digi stamp collection!!

 

 

Here's my easel card. I used Butterfly & Sunflower stamp; Home Streak Butterfly and Lacy Butterfly

 

  

 

This card is a double easel with each 'easel' section being held at different points on the card. 

Score your card front in half as you would normally do for an easel. 

Then work out how wide you need part of  easel so you can fit your topper on it. Cut along your card front so you 'split' it into two section.

 

When you make your usual easel 'stoppers' you'll need to have two. On this card my first stopper is a strip of blue pre-embossed Core-dinations cardstock. So you've got height on your stopper use foam tape. The sentiment section is 'stopped' by the yellow butterfly.

Here's a side view of the card...

 

 

The sentiment stamp is not Eureka's but one from my stash and it's Anna Griffin's (love all her things!!)

 

 

Never more true words spoken....

 

I cut around and into the digi stamp so the patterned papers could be seen from behind.

 

 

I've coloured in using my Derwent watercolour pencils. I wanted to keep the colouring quite soft as the card and paper are vivid.

 

 

So, if you've never created an easel before give it a go. And if your a seasoned 'pro' then have more fun splitting your easel and staggering your card :-)

 

Crafty smiles

Teresa xx

 

Challenges entered:

www.brownsugarchallenges.blogspot.co.uk: #36 Spring

www.cceestampers.blogspot.co.uk CCEE1314 Things with wings

www.twistedtuesdaychallenges.blogspot.co.uk Animals and flowers

www.brokenboxstock.blogspot.co.uk  #23 Think Spring

www.allsortschallenge.blogspot.co.uk  #201 Spring has sprung

www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.co.uk  #74 Anything goes

www.happycamperscc.blogspot.co.uk  #14 Flower power

 

 

Are you a Joanna Sheen fan.....?

For me the answer is simple; YES!

It's where I first found the adorable, 'House Mouse' collection (soooo cute)

It's also where I find great inspiring galleries on her CD roms. No one shows off their CD roms better than Joanna Sheen.

 

You'll probably have seen that I'm a fan of entering some challenges with my cards. What I didn't realise is that Joanna Sheen has a challenge blog!

 



 

Up to Thursday this week the challenge is 'rain or shine'. They set new challenges each fortnight and as you'd expect from the Joanna Sheen team, there's great prizes!

Head over to her blog for more details. I know I'll be playing along :-)

 

In one of my product month focus I'll definitely be picking out one of her CD's to play with :-)

Question is whether it's 'Viva La Diva' or 'More than Words' or .........

 

Have fun

 

Teresa xx