Happy Birthday Lauren

It's my lovely pal Lauren's Birthday today and I'd like to send her happy wishes and hope she is being thoroughly spoiled with lots of lovely gifts and loads of CAKE ! In my book every birthday should have CAKE, Happy Birthday Lauren..... mwah mwah Daaahlink x

Hopefully Lauren will have already opened the card I sent to her so adding it on here won't spoil the surprise !

I created the background using Distress Inks brushed on with my Inkyliscious brushes, before stamping the Indigo Blu number stamp using the same DI over the top.  I applied some random spots over using a silver pearl pen.

After matting the background layer over a couple of layers of dark blue and white, I added a narrow strip of the dark blue cardstock across the centre then attached the sentiment 'focal point' in the centre. 

I must apologise but I can't recall the manufacturer of the sentiment stamp I used as this is one of the cards I made a while ago whilst I was still quite ill but wanted to get back to a little light crafting.  I'll try to find out if I can and will update this post later.  

After stamping the sentiment I inked up around the edges of the layer with the DIs, finally spraying Goosebumps over the top (which unfortunately is showing up as grey on the pic) to seal the inks and add a little texture.

That's it from me today, a simple design but it's in Lauren's favourite colour so I hope she liked it.

Thanks for stopping by today, have a great day.

A Different Kind of Thank You

Hi there folks, I hope you are well and are having a wonderful day. 

I thought I'd share one of my little sewing projects with you today.  After Christmas (or any time of year) there are always Thank You cards/notes to send, but I decided to create something slightly different this year. 

I made these little lavender bags to say 'Thank You' for some of the gifts I received. Wrapped up prettily with gold tissue and tied with red ribbon they looked so nice.  Making them also used up some of the smaller pieces in my (large) fabric stash.

Here are a few of the bags

and a close up shot of a couple of them

They were very simple to construct, just squares cut from fabric and stitched together round the outside edge with right sides facing - leaving a small opening for turning.  They were then turned inside out (after clipping the corners off close to the stitching to minimise the bulk in the corners) and pressed before top stitching around the outside edges.  I filled them with dried lavender flowers and they are lovely to keep in lingerie or linen drawers to keep everything smelling sweet.  They could be refreshed with a couple of drops of Lavender oil once the natural flower scent has worn off.

I hope you enjoyed today's little project, I've a couple more sewing projects to share with you over the coming days.  Thanks for dropping by today, I really appreciate your taking time out to visit.  

It's Been a While !

Well, it's actually been a long while since my last post on here.  I'd like to thank all you lovely people who have continued to visit and check out my older posts while I've been 'away'.  Truth is I've not had very good health since last Christmas and that has taken a toll on my crafting, feeling so ill hasn't helped on the inspiration front.  Good news is that I'm at last starting to feel a little better and have been doing a little crafting in the past few days.  I have actually been doing some sewing and knitting and I'll share pix of my projects in future posts.

For today's post I selected this project to share with you

I decided on this project for a number of reasons, I created it in the last couple of days; I've used a new to me technique using Bleeding Art Tissue - inspired by the amazing work of Eileen Godwin (if you haven't seen her work or follow her Blog you really should !)  Eileen has produced a YouTube vid demonstrating a way to use the Bleeding Art Tissue. Also, for my great crafting pal Kathy who was wanting to see the BA tissue at work !

I've created a number of backgrounds using the tissue on Crafters Companion water colour card, which is a nice weight.  For this card I punched out some circle and flower shapes using SU! punches.  I loved the effect I achieved by laying the tissue pieces on the card, adding water with a brush and leaving for a few minutes.  After removing the tissue I spritzed with water to encourage some of the colours to spread - a great tip from Eileen is leave to dry naturally as using a heat gun takes away some of the vibrancy of the colours.

To turn this background into a card I added a focal point using my Glitzcraft Bird of Paradise stencil and Archival Black ink.  I then stamped the KaiserKraft 'Arty' stamp at the bottom using Adirondack Wild Plum ink and then randomly splattered the whole panel using Dylusions Ink in black and white .  Finally I matted the panel over a layer created from two colours of SU! cardstock before attaching to the base card.

Using the JOFY 11 set of stamps I created the sentiment, stamped directly onto the 6 x 6 base card with black Archival ink.

I hoped you've enjoyed today's project, it is nice to be back in the 'crafty zone' I have to say.... watch this space for more projects in the coming days.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day wherever you are and whatever you have planned for today. 

Christmas Gift Bags

Happy Saturday dear friends, I hope you've survived the wonderful festive craziness - all that fabulous food and time with family and friends for many of us.  I always spare a thought for those less fortunate, who may be spending Christmas alone, sick or homeless and give thanks for the Blessing of my family and friends - and not just for the holiday season.

The sun is shining in my little part of Cornwall at the moment, such a welcome change after the last couple of days of rain and dark skies, we are luckier than many parts of the UK who have had snow overnight - stay safe if you are affected by snow and ice in your part of the World.

The project I'm sharing with you today is a set of gift bags I created to give to some of my pals as wee Christmas gifts.

Here they are nestled under my mini tree

and a close up shot of a couple of them

I sewed the bags using some Christmas fabric I had in my stash and added silky red cord for a tie.

The gift tags were created using the large tag die from the Stampin'Up! 'Chalk Talk' stamp and die bundle.  The sentiment and snowflake were from a set of Sizzix HeroArt stamps and dies, stamped with SU! white ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  The bags contained some yummy chocolates for the festive season.

I'm looking forward to getting my new (Christmas Pressie) sewing machine onto the table today and having a lovely play and 'get to know you' session with it.  I have a project in mind for today, again using up some fabric scraps.... watch this space.

Have a great day, whatever you have planned. 

Thinking of you

I'd like to wish all my Followers and everyone that has taken the time and effort to visit Stamping Grandma during the year and to wish you all

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND A HAPPY, HEALTHY

AND PROSPEROUS

NEW YEAR

 

 

It's Christmas Day but it's also Thursday so we have a new challenge starting over on the Cute Card Thursday Blog.  This week our theme is 'Anything Goes' and our prize is sponsored by Rick St Dennis.  



For my DT card I decided to made a 'Thinking of You' card.  I'm sure most of you have someone who is not with you to celebrate Christmas or maybe they are going through a difficult time.  Just sending a card to them somehow makes them feel closer and lets them know they are in our thoughts.

So, here's my card

 

The image is a Lili of the Valley stamp, coloured with Copics.  Glossy Accents over her hair ribbon and boa with a very generous sprinkle of Glamour Dust over the top.  I used a clear Wink of Stella pen on her shoes to add even more twinkle.

The background papers were magazine freebies which have been lurking in my stash for waaay too long and I found the little wooden heart when I was rummaging through my stash looking for something else ! 

Finally, the sentiment was stamped using the Inkyliscious Ikebana stamp set.

Thanks for taking the time to visit, if the Big Day has already passed before you dropped by, I hope you have had a wonderful time.

Not a Christmas Card !

Happy Christmas Eve eve my friends, I hope you're almost ready for the Big Day.  I'm just about done, will be cooking my ham and making soup later today and this evening I have lovely pals coming round for a little crafting and relaxing.

I thought you might be a bit sick of seeing Christmas cards, so today I'm sharing a birthday card I made for my nephew who celebrates his birthday very close to Christmas.

I created a background using Brusho paints then overstamped using stamps by Ryn.  After stamping I added small highlights using a white gel pen then Glossy Accents over each droplet.

Here's a close up shot

Using a Sizzix die I cut out the man with brolly from black cardstock and attached over the background, then added this layer over a slightly larger piece of black cardstock.  Finally attaching it to the left of centre on the base card, leaving room to stamp the sentiment down the right hand side.

I added the sentiment using a set of PaperArtsy JOFY stamps - this set of words is so versatile, great for many different occasions depending on which ones you use.

Thanks for taking the time to visit today, I hope you have a great day whatever you have planned.

Sparkles

Hi Folks it's Thursday again and I have something different for you this week for my Cute Card Thursday DT project.  No card from me this week but a festive home décor project. 

This week our theme for the CCT challenge is 'Sparkles' and our prize sponsor is Whimsy Stamps.

 Side view

 

 

close up showing the glitter/sparkles a little more clearly

 

I used a chipboard birdhouse kit from Tando Creative - which I purchased from a craft store at Barleylands in Essex on a day out with my lovely crafting pal Lauren.  I painted the components with PaperArtsy chalk paints before assembling.

Using Aleene's Glitter Snow (I love this product) I added lots of  'snow' and whilst it was still wet dusted the whole thing with lots of Glamour Dust for maximum sparkle.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing today's project, do check out the fabulous creations from the rest of the DT over on the CCT Blog.

Thanks so much for finding time to visit Stamping Grandma, I'm sure you're at least as busy as I am right now and I really appreciate you dropping by.  It soothes my soul to spend time creating and is my little oasis in the craziness that is the festive season !

Have a great day.

Bells and Bows

Happy Thursday, got all your Festive preparations finished ?  Gifts all wrapped ?  Cards all sent ? Christmas deccies up ?  Christmas dinner food shopping done ?  No ?  me neither !   Well, some of these things have been completed in the 'House of Happer' but mostly due to the fact that I'm meeting up with my family on Sunday and, as they all live far from me, we'll be doing a gift and card exchange meet up half way between us.  So, this has concentrated my mind somewhat.

Anyway I digress, I'm sure you've dropped by today to see my latest DT project for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge.  This week our theme is 'Bells and Bows' and our prize is sponsored by Whiff of Joy Stamps.

To create my card I used some snippets of lovely rich looking Christmas papers, which I found in my box of 'all things Christmas'.    The NOEL image was already stamped and in the box also, so I coloured it then added Glossy Accents over the top to give the letters dimension.

The central die cut element was made using a Marianne's corner die and I found a scrap of cardstock which was a perfect colour match to the papers. I mounted the NOEL onto another scrap of card and punched out a poinsettia using a Nellie Snellen punch and emboss set using the same cardstock. 

Jingle Bells were also from my Christmas bits box and I attached them using a little red cord, joined just at the top so that they can move around.  The little red ribbon bow was added at the top of the cord to finish it off.

A little red Stickles added over the join between the different papers and a generous scattering of red gems completed the design.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing today's project, I'm hoping to get back to more regular posting on here once I get all the Festive preparations completed.

Have a great day, whatever you have planned.

Gold and Gems

Hi there Crafters, I have just a quick post for you today as I'm up to my elbows in wrapping paper !

I created a base card from gold cardstock just a small 4.5 x 3 inch size - not so good for sending through Royal Mail but fine for hand delivery. 

Using Memory Box dies I cut two layers from gold mirri board and layered them up.  The scrap of pretty gold ribbon was from my stash and the gorgeous gold gem added over the top was also from my stash.

I heat embossed the Merry Christmas sentiment using black sparkle embossing powder.

That's it from me today, short and sweet - I hope you like today's card.

Little Angels

Another Thursday has rolled around again, how the weeks are flying by right now - always way more things being added to the 'To Do' list than the items being crossed off I'm afraid.

We have a new challenge starting today over on the Cute Card Thursday Blog and our theme this week is 'Little Angels' with the prize sponsored by Bunny Zoe Crafts.

Here's my DT card

I decided on a simple layout for my design, making this sweet Angel trio the focal point.  The stamp is from Lilli of the Valley and stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Just a little colour added to the image using my Copics and a sentiment from a set of stamps by Clearly Besotted stamped under the angel image. 

Clear Wink of Stella pen added over their dresses and wings and Stardust Stickles added to the stars in their 'halos' and on the clouds below their feet to give a little sparkle.

Here's a close up shot showing the sparkle a little more clearly

The image was layered over a scrap of gold mirror card then attached to a 5 x 5 black base card.

Thanks for dropping by to check out today's project, I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a great Thursday Everyone.