Merry Christmas!

 

 

Oh dear! My poor abandoned blog. I have been hopeless. The card above should have had a snowflake made with a lovely snippet of furry, flocked paper. Well it has...but I stuck it upside down!

 

I haven't really made any cards recently. I ended up making cold process soap instead and that led to me getting my safety assessments done and selling my soaps at fairs, online and in a lovely local shop. I did get a bit of label stamping done though!

 

 



 

 

 

My soaps have kept me seriously busy, but I do hope to get back to a bit of stamping just for fun! I have always been a serial crafter and I just have to follow where the latest obsession takes me. It's been great doing pottery this year followed by the all-encompassing world of soap. I do miss a bit of blog-hopping though, so will try to do more of that next year. That is my resolution!

 

I am dropping in at Pixie's Snippets Playground to send Christmas wishes to Di, Parsnip and of course, Dudley! Thank you for the lovely card, Di. I hope mine reached you! xx

 

Wishing you a lovely crafty Christmas and a very Happy New Year! April x

Pocket Cards

 

 

Hello! I haven't done a lot of card-making lately. I have been jewellery making and going to weekly pottery classes. So far I have made a bowl and a quail who looks like a potato. He started off life as a pigeon but progressively got fatter and looked more strange as I went on. I have other 'bird potatoes' on the go too. They are found on the shelf and people say,  'Oh it's just one of April's bird potatoes!' Hopefully I will soon have a finished one to show you here!!

 

My pocket card was inspired by the colour scheme over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.

 

 



 

When I was on the Design Team of this lovely challenge blog, I must confess that combinations involving yellow and orange used to make me gulp a bit! However, now I feel strangely drawn to them as a festive combo, so here is the result! I have used Merry Patterns, a SU stamp set from last year with Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie and Real Red.

 

I found the card design here. It is a great way of using up snippets, so I made another one  -

two cards in one day!!

 

 



 

 

I have been AWOL from the Playground for far too long!! Sending Di and Parsnip a big hug at Pixie's Snippets Playground.

 

Happy crafting! April x

One Layer Card

Hello! I haven't blogged about a card in ages! I got some Distress Oxide ink pads for my birthday and they are fabulous for making great backgrounds. I know I am very late to the party with these inks, but I was pleased with my first attempt.

This is a one-layer card for the challenge over at Cards in Envy. Of course what do you do when you mess up stamping your sentiment on a one layer card? You use the inlaid die technique of course! I could have used a stamping platform, but there is something about one layer cards that makes you want to live dangerously I think!

My card was made using a combo of Distress Oxides - Bundled Sage, Tattered Rose, Squeezed Lemon, Evergreen Bough and Shaded Lilac. The stamps used were SU's Timeless Textures. Hope you like it!

Happy crafting, April x

Santa in Spring

Well it feels slightly more springy today - definitely more sunshine around. The theme over at my old stamping ground 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is

 

 

 

 

So I thought I would give a wave to my friends there and make a Christmas card. I love this Tim Holtz vintage Santa. He looks shocked, like he may have just sat on a piece of holly! I have stamped him in Real Red and then clear embossed him. The tiny little 'Joyeux Noel' stamp is from Stampendous' Christmas Charms and the die frame is a Spellbinders one. I have also added some vellum snowflakes and white sequins. The paper is an old piece of SU dsp that has been stamped with spatters from Gorgeous Grunge and the baker's twine is Lawn Fawn. I hope you like him!

 

As well as 52CCT, I would like to enter my card in Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #377

 

Happy crafting! April x





Black Ice

 

 

Hello! My friend Tracey posted about the 'Black Ice' technique on Fb and I was desperate to have a go. I made these two cards last week and then saw that that Di's guest designer, Kathy at Pixie's Crafty Playground had used the same technique to make a fantastic motorbike card (there is also a link there to the tutorial I used). It is such a lot of fun! The only really important thing is to make sure your stamping is really dry with your heat gun (and walking away and leaving it if you possibly can!) I've always enjoyed techniques that involve swiping your inkpad around, so this technique reminds me very much of faux woodgrain techniques that involve the same thing. It's also nice to find a technique where I actually had all the stuff!

You can't really capture how 'foiley' these cards are in real life. I am sending them over to Di and Parsnip at Pixie's Snippets Playground where Di and I have been developing techniques whereby you reduce body weight by brushing yourself with very large paint brushes (I sense a video and book deal...!)

Happy crafting (and inkpad swiping!) April x

Panda Love

 

 

Hello! I haven't posted anything in ages as horrendous flu kept me from crafting. I did manage to make a couple of Valentine cards for my husband and daughter when I was finally on the road to recovery.

 

This cute panda clutching an envelope is another of the Party Panda Saleabration stamps. In my weakened state I needed a super easy and quick card! I die-cut a heart from a piece of scrap card and then used a sponge dauber to create a pink, inky background. Then I stamped some details on top of the heart with the same ink (Powder Pink). To complete my card, I just needed to add my panda, a sentiment and a couple of sequins!

 

I would like to send my panda valentine over to Cards in Envy where the current theme is 'Give it Some Heart'.

 

Happy crafting! April x

Heartfelt Blooms

 

 

Hello again! I thought that I would show you this amazing stamp today. It is called Heartfelt Blooms and it's a new type of stamp from Stampin' Up called 'Disinktive'. It lays the ink down in different opacities to create greater depth and gives an amazing photorealistic look to your stamping.

 

This is unbelievably a one-step stamp and when you first use it you do look at it with a bit of a double-take because it looks as though there's not much there to stamp with! However as soon as you start to add colour with your inkpad (and a swiping action combined with a bit of a tap seems to do the trick) the image magically appears.

 

Even more amazing, is that this lovely stamp set that includes three sentiments is absolutely FREE with orders of £45 (excluding p&p). Your order can include products from either the annual or spring catalogues and it is very easy to order directly from my website.It looks fabulous in so many different colours, but I have gone with Dapper Denim here. I hope you like it! April x

 

 



Product List

Heartfelt Blooms Clear-Mount Stamp Set

[147202]

Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper

[144185]

Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad

[141394]

Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock

[141419]

Seaside Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

[141481]

Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies

[145372]

Basic Gray Archival Stampin’ Pad

[140932]

Tranquil Tide A4 Cardstock

[144252]

Twine Baker's Whisper White

[124262]

Glitter & Clear Epoxy Shapes

[145632]

Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper

[135315]

Pool Party A4 Card Stock

[124391]

Liquid Multipurpose Glue

[110755]

Bird Banter Matchbook

Hello! I love the Bird Banter stamp set. This toucan seemed perfect for making a matchbook to hold a tropical green tea bag. The matchbook was made using Mary Fish's measurements here. It's the perfect size for a teabag sachet!

 

 I think he's definitely a cute little guy! It's a fairly small project so quite snippety. For that very reason this toucan is flapping off towards Di and Parsnip at Pixie's Snippets Playground. Ironically my sand eraser came in VERY useful for this card as I stuck lots of things in the wrong place and made a complete mess, so THANK YOU Di!! I'd also like to enter my card in the 'Anything Goes' challenge over at Crafting with Friends. April x

 



Product List

Bird Banter Photopolymer Stamp Set

[145852]

Old Olive A4 Card Stock

[106576]

Basic Black A4 Card Stock

[121688]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[145058]

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[144603]

Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[144599]

Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad

[126953]

Layering Circle Framelits Dies

[141705]

Old Olive 1/4" Stitched-Edge Ribbon

[144123]

Leaf Punch

[144667]

Tranquil Tide A4 Cardstock

[144252]

Liquid Multipurpose Glue

[110755]

February Workshop

 

 

Join us for a relaxing, fun evening making cards on Friday, 9th February at 7pm.

We will be making four cards using fantastic products from the new Stampin' Up Spring and Saleabration catalogues. Lots of inspiration and tips will be provided and you are welcome to either follow the example cards or create your own fabulous designs. A variety of sentiment stamps will be provided so that you can tailor your cards to the occasion of your choice.

All card, inks, embellishments and the use of stamps are included in the cost of £12. Please bring your own adhesive.

You will need a strong glue and may wish to use dimensionals. Please let me know when you book your place on the workshop if you would like to pre-order adhesive. Multi-purpose liquid glue is £3.75. Stampin' Dimensionals (300) also cost £3.75. Snail Adhesive is available at a cost of £6.25 (refills are £4.00) and Mini Glue Dots (300) cost £4.75.

All bookings are non-refundable. In the event of being unable to attend the workshop, you will of course receive the materials and instructions required to create all the items that we make during the evening.

 

This workshop is suitable for both beginners and more experienced crafters. Please contact me for any further information and for Bebington venue directions. Hope you can join us!

 

April x



Party Pandas

 

 How cute is this little guy with his balloon?

 

I love Party Pandas and the best news is that they are FREE with any £45 order from the annual or spring catalogue (excluding P&P).

 

Here is one of the party animals combined with Tranquil Tide cardstock and Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper. I've used paper piecing for his balloon. I could have coloured it, but I quite like the solid appearance of the paper (from Colour Theory Designer Series Paper Stack).

 

I really enjoyed making this card and I'm looking forward to making a whole array of panda-themed creations!

 

April x

 

 



Product List

Tranquil Tide A4 Cardstock

[144252]

Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper

[144185]

Color Theory Designer Series Paper Stack

[144193]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper

[135315]

Liquid Multipurpose Glue

[110755]

Pool Party A4 Card Stock

[124391]

Paper Snips Scissors

[103579]