Broken Shoulder - quite a good reason to be quiet!!

I thought it might be time to put up a post explaining my absence from my blog for so many weeks. I fell about 6 weeks ago and broke my shoulder. Sadly the doctor I went to told me I was fine and it took another 9 days for me to get up the nerve to go back to another doctor . I was sent straight for an Xray and then put in a stablishing sling for the last 5 weeks or so!!!

Needless to say I had tried to work during the 9 days and really didn't do myself any favours, so its taken a bit longer to heal then normal. I am now trying to work but as you can imagine if there was a speed slower then SLOW, then that the one I am working at. I a went to the fracture clinic today and I am allowed to slowly get used to being without the sling but because the pain in still so bad they are sending me for an MRI to check out if I have maybe torn muscles as well in my arm.

As this Saturday is the start of the demos for March and April I will be working away at getting demo samples ready so I am hoping that next week I can start uploading cards and projecs.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck around while I fell off the blogging planet and I promise I will be back on track as soon as I can.

As I only got to photograph a few of my cards in January I thought I would pop them up tonight so I had something to show you. As soon as I can lift my arm up high enough to photograph the rest (or bribe my daughter to take some photos!!!) I will pop some more on :) The range of cards below were all made using the Country Companions Range from Docrafts.

Happy Crafting everyone :)

Art Deco Box Frame Card

Just a really quick post today.

This is another card from the Art Deco range from Docrafts. The picture nestles in a dropped frame within the card. I forgot to photograph the box I made to go with it.............at least I forgot to photograph the box before I sat on it!!! Yep............I did it!!!  Not to worry the main thing I wanted to show you was the card itself!

Happy Crafting Everyone :)

Art Deco Boxed Window Card

Well I am working away on a huge commission at the moment all my demos and my classes so with a crippled laptop (it only works when it feels like it) it has become a bit of a challange to get a blog post up!

Today's project was one I was showing in my November December demos for Docrafts. It's been a few years since I made one of these cards and I honestly can't understand why............I love them. I think maybe I didn't make this card in a while because until last year I couldn't make a box to save my life and now I make them all the time!!

This is a stunning card for the receiver or you could use it so that when the card is lifted out  a gift card is nestled in the tissue paper.

Box Side View

Box Front View

Box when first opened

Tissue paper opened up

Window card side view.

Happy Crafting Everyone.

Art Deco Pop up Card

Well I have been away from the blog for a couple of weeks now as my laptop is a sick little puppy. I have a horrible feeling that I may have to get a new one at some stage in the near future!!!! After taking off a heap of stuff the laptop and putting it on an external hard drive it is finally letting me do a post, but oh boy it is taking ages!

For Christmas my fab hubby bought me an IPad and I have been able to roam the internet but have been unable to do any blog posts! I tried to do some housekeeping on the blog with the IPad and managed to delete about 100 lovely comments left on my different blog posts. I was actually trying to delete all the spam that arrives on the blog every day.. So I am sending out a massive apology to everyone who took the time to make a comment on the various blog posts. I promise I have learned my lesson and will double check everything before I touch the delete button again!!! 

So today I thought I wiould show you one of the pop up cards I made from the gorgeous Art Deco range from DoCrafts. I will be showing quite a few cards made with this range on the blog as I just loved working with all the images.  This card contains 2 pop up mechnisims. Its lovley and luxourious on the ouside and when you open it up both the images and the greetings pop up and stand.

Front of the card

Card when opened up

Looking down on the pop ups.

Well I hope you like it. Happy crafting everyone :)


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Christmas Bows

This post is a shout out for Helen Mangan (my very talented mom). She came up with this brilliant design using the excess left over from little flower lights I was making.. Mom was cutting out all the petals and then ran with making the excess paper into a card. I always struggle a bit with bows and this card is just a genius way to use them.

You could use any die cut shape or punch for this card - circles, squares rectangles.........anything. This has proved to be an extremely popular card at my demos and in fact it tended to be the first card I was asked about by customers. Mom you put me to shame :)

Happy Crafting Everyone :)

Double Opening Card Tutorial

This card goes to prove that crafters are forever thinking about folds and a lot of the time we hit upon the same ideas. I came up with this fold about 2 years ago. At the time I loved the fold but just couldn't take that step to decorate it and make it pretty.

2 years later and I am surfing crafting sites and I find a girl who has come up with the exact same fold and measurements as that's the way this card just works! What was wonderful was she had taken the step I had failed to ............decoration. So all enthusiastic off I go in search of my original fold..........not an easy job as I have boxes full  of folds that I try out, promise myself I will get back to and then get distracted by the next thing!! Well this girl just inspired me to find the card and go for it. I can't find her blog anywhere now and if any of you come across it on your travels please drop me a mail as I would love to give her a shout out for her decoration inspiration. :) This is a great way to use all those teeny tiny toppers that you have hanging around after you have made all your other projects. So go on...........dig them out and give it a go.

 

 Cut a piece of card to 12" long x 6" high (you can adjust the height of the card if you wish)

Score at 1", 2", 4", 8", 10" 11"

Left hand side scores

Right hand side scores

On the left side fold inwards at the 4" score

Then outwards at the 2" score

Fold inwards the 1" score

This is how it should look now.

Now do the same on the right hand side. Fold inwards at the 8" score, outwards at the 10" score and inwards at the 11" score.

Your card is now ready to be decorated.

Cut out        6 x ¾“ wide strips of patterned paper

                   2 x 1¾“ wide strips of patterned paper

 The height you cut these depends on how tall you are making the card. What you are aiming for is a nice little boarder all the way around.

See photos below for where the strips will be placed.
2 on the outside 1" panels

4 on the inside 1" panels.

Now on the outside 2" panels place the 1¾“ strips of paper. Do this on both outside panels.

This is what your card should look like now.

If you flatten out the three right hand side panels you will see there is a strip not decorated. Place strong double sided tape along this piece.

Remove the tape covering

Fold this piece down onto the 2" section as shown below rubbing over it to ensure the tape takes hold.

This is what it will look like now.

Do the same on the left side and the card should now look like these photos below.

 Decorate the inside......

Get your 3 mini toppers and mount them onto some matching or contrasting card. These toppers need to be less then 2" wide.

 Now place your tape on the back . Two with pieces of tape on the right and one with tape on the left.

 Stick your toppers down on the left or right panel of the card. This card has two stuck to the right panel and one stuck to the left panel.

 See the way they interlock.......so cool.

Now you need another 2 toppers. I have made mine circular and again they need to be less then 2" wide.

 These go on the outside 1" panels. Stick one on the left and one on the right.Make sure these toppers stay within the two 1" panels as if you don't they will get crushed when you open the card.

Place a piece of double sided tape on the back of the card centrally (ignore the ribbon in the shot at this stage, I just forgot to move it!!!!)
Now place a piece of ribbon over the tape on the back whilst leaving plenty of ribbon either side.

 Wrap the ribbon around the front of the card and tie a bow.

Hope you all give this a try.

Happy crafting Everyone :)