Christmas wreath

Hello lovely people,

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas? I hope so but sending hugs to those who had to work or find Christmas a tough time.

I thought I'd squeeze in another Christmas card for my Dies to Die For DT post this week.

I have a bit of a thing for the Pretty Pink Posh wreath stamps and dies.

For this one I've coloured and die cut the wreath then stamped some additional elements on a separate piece of white card, using the wreath to work out where I wanted to position them. I then popped the wreath over the top with foam pads.

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a fabulous day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Winter wreath stamps - Pretty Pink Posh
Winter wreath dies - Pretty Pink Posh
Candy Land 6x6" paper pad - My Favorite Things

Other ingredients;
twine - from stash

Copic colours;
Red: R24, R29, R46
Greens: G20, G40, G21, G24, G46, G28
Yellow: YR21, YR12

Snow Time!

Hello lovely people,

I should make more shaker cards.

They are just so much fun...or in the case of today's Dies to Die For DT card I should say 'SNOW' much fun - lol!

Now, I should add that I only want to make more shaker cards with the MFT pouches because they make it super easy to put together and I am not into faffing about.

By happy coincidence I had just nabbed myself the snow globe shaker dies and pouches when these beautiful sequins from Pretty Pink Posh caught my eye and they are utterly perfect for that sparkly snow effect.

All the elements of the snow globe are in the die set, including that adorable snowman :-)

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Classic snow globe die-namics - My Favorite Things
Classic snow globe shaker pouches - My Favorite Things
Candy Land 6x6 " paper pad - My Favorite Things
Mini merry messages - Mama Elephant
A2 stitched rectangle STAX 1 - My Favorite Things

Mini tags - Mama Elephant
3mm sparkling clear sequins - Pretty Pink Posh

Other ingredients;
twine - from stash

The aliens have landed!

Hello lovely people,

I can't tell you how excited I am with the Dies to Die For DT card that I am sharing today; I am literally hopping with glee to show you because 'fun' doesn't even begin to cover it!

I LOVE an interactive card but would never have attempted a picture change card without something to help...like the cool magic picture changer die from Lawn Fawn!

And slide...

I really couldn't believe how easy the die set made it to figure out where to create my images and cut out all the pieces. You get the square frame and the pull tab pieces all included and I just added in the stitched rectangles.

I literally can't stop sliding the picture back and forth - lol!

Shall we go again?!

Yeah...

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a fabulous day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Beam me up - Lawn Fawn
Magic picture changer - Lawn Fawn
A2 stitched rectangle STAX 1 - My Favorite Things
A2 stitched rectangle STAX 2 - My Favorite Things
Surprise party 6x6 paper pad - Sunny Studio
Fishtail flag trio - My Favorite Things

Copic colours;
Blue: B24, B26, B29
Red: R24, R29, R46
Green: YG03, YG25, YG17
eyes on left hand monster / glass on spaceship: B000
Planet: N0, N1, N2, N3

Snow globe tags...and not tags!

Hello lovely people,

If you're not into Christmas stuff just yet then look away now!

For my Dies to Die For DT project this week I have been playing with a super cute snow globe tag.

I inked a piece of card before using the die with holes in to make the inner piece, then cut the piece behind it from sparkly card.

I grabbed this cute little Santa who was left over from last year to add on top of my tag, added a sentiment, which is from the Santa stamp set, and a couple of sparkly stars to finish.

But of course you can use the snow globe on cards as well as for tags...

I cut off the hanging loop at the top because I wanted my snow globe to be free standing.

I've used a section from one of the 6x6 papers for the image in my snow globe...brilliant if you want a quick design without colouring :-)

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a great day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Snow globe gift tag - Lawn Fawn
Little Santa agenda - Mama Elephant
Snow day remix petite paper pad (6x6") - Lawn Fawn
A2 stitched rectangle STAX 2 - My Favorite Things
Stitched mini scallop square STAX - My Favorite Things
Mini wreath - Lawn Fawn (currently unavailable)

Other ingredients;
twine - from stash

Copic colours;
I coloured Santa last year so no idea what I used, sorry!

A little monkeying around!

Hello lovely people,

I'm doing a revisit of some old stash for this week's Dies to Die For DT card.

I have quite a few of the Little Agenda sets from Mama Elephant (yes, totally addicted - lol!) and they fit just perfectly in the cute photo booth strip die from MFT.

 

I used a polaroid die to cut black squares with apertures just slightly smaller than the ones on the strip die so I could layer them behind for a black inner border to each aperture.

This layout would work for any of the teeny agenda stamps..I'm thinking a Christmas one next?!

The sentiment is from Uniko, and I adore these block sentiments. They aren't available to buy from the DtDF shop but they are usually available at shows...if you needed any encouragement to come and visit us at one of the shows - lol!

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Little monkey agenda - Mama Elephant
Photo booth strip - My Favorite Things
Precious polaroids - My Favorite Things

Other ingredients;
Dots and stripes jewel tones 6x6 paper pad - Sunny Studio
Simply said blocks - Uniko (not available from DtDF online but usually available at shows)

Copic colours;
Monkeys: E31, E35, E35
Monkey faces / tummies: E40, E41, E42
Monkey ears: R01, R02
Green: YG03, YG25
Orange: Y38, YR16
Red: R24, R29
Ground: N0, N1, N2, N3

Big Fifty

Hello lovely people,

Last minute cards...we've all been there, right?!

So, how about this as a seriously quick but stylish idea...

I've used some gorgeous Sunny Studio papers which are sadly now unavailable but since this design only uses little bit of paper it's a great way to use up any scraps you may have; just mix and match your papers any way you wish!

I've spelled out the age as I thought it gave a fun twist, but you could use actual numbers instead or put the name of the recipient.

Then all you need is a cute sentiment to stamp underneath and I've raided my MFT stash for this one; they have so many great options.

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a lovely day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Impact alphabet - My Favorite Things
Bitty birthday wishes - My Favorite Things
Large dotted square stackables - Lawn Fawn

Other ingredients;
Dots and stripes pastels 6x6 pad - Sunny Studio
Polka dot parade 6x6 paper pad - Sunny Studio
Classic gingham 6x6 paper pad - Sunny Studio

Party at your own pace!

Hello lovely people,

I heard a little rumour that the DL size card may be making a comeback and I have to say that I'm not sure I'm into it as I always found it hard to design on this shape card...

...but I'm always up for a challenge so thought I'd give it a go for my Dies to Die For DT card this week.

I've combined the tortoise from one super cute Stacey Yacula MFT stamp set with a balloon from another to create my image and gosh, it felt like so long since I did any colouring!

I tried out adding a little white gel pen for highlights and really like how it turned out :-) There is also a tiny touch of glitter on the party hat pom pom.

One of the major drawbacks of this size card is that all my papers are 6" square and therefore not big enough for a DL card, so I had to get creative!

You may also notice the return of stitching on this card! I realised I had missed doing it so will be using it again on some of my designs :-)

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a great day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Sending sweet celebration wishes - My Favorite Things
It's a mice time to celebrate - My Favorite Things

Blueprints 29 - My Favorite Things (for fishtail flag)

Playful patterns, bold 6x6" paper pad - Taylored Expressions

Copic colours;
Body: E50, E30, E31, E55
Shell: YG01, YG03, YG25, YG17
Balloon: R24, R29, R46, R39
Hat: red as above, B02, B04, B06
Party horn: red as above, T2, T0
Ground: T0, T1, T2, T3, T4

Something new...(or old?)

Hello lovely people,

I have something a little different for you today...although if you've been following me for a while you'll know this is more like a throwback than something new for me!

I have admired the gorgeous Tracy Hey stamps for such a looooong time so I finally nabbed myself some, and this is the result...

I loved using all the little elements to build my scene.

I added lots of tiny glitter dots; you can see some of the ones at the bottom of this photo but they are all around the image.

And yes, the stitching has made a comeback! I used to do this all the time but it's pretty time consuming and stitched dies took the place of a lot of it...but for this special card I wanted to throw it back in the mix :-)

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a great day!

Lovely things I've used ;
Rocking the wreath stamp set - Tracey Hey in association with Alpaca Pals
Hugs and kisses 6x6 paper pad - Your Next Stamp
Stitched borders 3 - Pretty Pink Posh
Stitched ric rac - My Favorite Things
Birdie Brown alphabet and numbers - My Favorite Things
White blizzard Nuvo glitter drops

Circle dies, Kraft card, twine - from stash

Copic colours;
Bear: E41, E42, E43, E44 (R30 in ears)
Flowers: R81, R83, R85
Leaf sprays: YG01, YG03, YG23
Flower leaves: YG03, YG25, YG17

Oceans of love

Hello lovely people,

It's shocking how long it takes me to get round to using the crafty stash I buy sometimes...like these gorgeous little mermaids!

They finally came out to play for this Dies to Die For DT card - yay!!

I am enjoying inking sooooo much more now I have the lovely Taylored Expression brushes :-)

It was so quick and easy to brush patches of colour over card and blend them together for the ocean background, which I then spritzed and splashed with water.

It's probably not very obvious in the photos but I added glossy accents on the stamped bubbles.

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a fabulous day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Little mermaiden agenda - Mama Elephant
Little mermaiden agenda matching dies - Mama Elephant
Mermazing - My Favorite Things (for the sentiment)
Gill Friends - My Favorite Things (for the plants and bubbles)
Stitched hillside borders - Lawn Fawn
Blender brushes - Taylored Expressions (available for pre-order and due in 15th Sept)

Other ingredients;
Distress Oxides in Tumbled glass, Broken china, Mermaid lagoon, Shaded lilac and Wilted violet
Glossy accents (on the bubbles)

Copic colours;
Skin: E51, E11
Pink: RV52, RV55
Green: YG03, YG25
Blue: B02, B04
Yellow: Y15

Inky Hey!

Hello lovely people,

WARNING: this post contains a lot of enabling because I have been playing with lots of new stash for my Dies to Die For DT card this week.

I'll show you what I made first and then we'll talk details :-)

I love the idea of creating inky backgrounds and effect, but am usually disappointed with my efforts when I give it a go. I'm left wondering if  it's my tools or my cardstock, or maybe my technique is just rubbish.

So, I took the plunge and bought a set of the Taylored Expressions blender brushes to see if that would help...and OMG, they are a HUGE game-changer for me!

I think I still need some better cardstock but I found that they made it easier to blend colours into each other, didn't leave any 'edge' marks on my card and required a lot less pressure to get a smooth blend.

For the background I placed a square of card onto a glass mat, popped the the star stencil over the top and taped it down. Then I just brushed 3 or 4 shades of inks in diagonal stripes over the stencil and that's it!

I brushed stripes of the same inks onto a strip of card and die cut the letters from that, then added them to my card with 1mm foam pads to make them pop out.

Oh, and the additonal enabling (other than the brushes)...those alphabet dies. They are definitely an investment but I just know how much I am going to use them so it is 100% worth it.

They team up so beautifully with the new bitty birthday wishes sentiments too...yes, more enabling!

The brushes are available for pre-order and are due to arrive in August so go and check them out! 

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Blender brushes - Taylored Expressions
Impact alphabet - My Favorite Things
Bitty birthday wishes - My Favorite Things

Scattered stars stencil - Taylored Expressions

Inside and out stitched square STAX - My Favorite Things

Distress oxides;

Combo 1 - picked raspberry, spun sugar, peacock feathers

Combo 2 - mustard seed, spiced marmalade, ripe persimmon, candied apple

Combo 3 - cracked pistachio, broken china, faded jeans

Unicorns, cupcakes and sparkle!

Hello lovely people,

Do you like unicorns, cupcakes and sparkle?

If so, you are in the right place because I have a Dies to Die For DT card featuring all those things!

Oh, and I certainly love all those things PLUS I love rainbow colours, polaroid frames and cute # captions so you can probably get a good idea of how happy I was creating this card - lol!

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a fabulous sparkly day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Party unicorns - CC Designs
Polaroid shaker frame - My Favorite Things
#captions - My Favorite Things
Stitched borders 3 - Pretty Pink Posh
Sweet Celebration 6x6 paper pad - My Favorite Things

Other ingredients;
twine, glitter card - from stash

Copic colours;
Unicorn: C00, C0, C1
Hooves: C5, C7
Nostrils / inside ears: R00, R30
Mane / tail: R81, R83, R85
Hat / cupcake top: Y21, Y35
Cupcake tops: BG32, BG34
Cherry: R85
Cupcake wrappers: BG0000, BG000, BG01

To plant a garden...

Hello lovely people,

I suppose all the recent (and seemingly never ending!) rain is very good for the garden but I do wish the sunshine would come back now!

This gorgeous Curvy Girl Gardener on my Dies to Die For DT card looks like she has been having a lovely time outside though!

It's not often I use so many colours all together but I was very much inspired by the pretty floral paper that I chose.

I also don't often reach for the sequins but they seemed just right to finish off this card :-)

I always have the best time colouring Stamping Bella images, and isn't that just the loveliest sentiment too?

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a bloomin' lovely day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Curvy girl gardener - Stamping Bella
Spring fling 6x6 paper pad - Lawn Fawn
A2 stitched rectangle STAX 1 - My Favorite Things
Scallop borders 2 - Pretty Pink Posh

Other ingredients;
twine / sequins - from stash

Copic colours;
Skin: E50, E51, E21, E11
Hair: E53, E35, E59
Dungarees: B00, BG01, BG02, BG05
Pink: R81, R83, R85
Green: YG03, YG25, YG17
Yellow: Y15, Y19, Y38
Flowerpot: E97, YR27, E99
Watering can / trowel: C00, C0, C01, C02, C03
Flower centres: C5, C7

Heart tree

Hello lovely people,

It's back to die cutting this week for my Dies to Die For DT card because I fell in love with this cute little MFT tree die; it's not new but I somehow missed it at the time it came out.

There are lots of options for using this die...but I limited myself to just the one card this time!

I've inked a slightly shimmery card with Distress Oxides and placed that behind the die cut tree, then die cut the trunk in Kraft and hearts in silver to piece back into the holes.

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a fabulous day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Heart tree - My Favorite Things
A2 stitched rectangle STAX 1 - My Favorite Things
Inside and out stitched rectangle STAX - My Favorite Things
Mini tags - Mama Elephant
Mini everyday messages - Mama Elephant

Other ingredients;
Distress Oxide ink pads in Twisted citron and Mowed lawn

twine - from stash

Fairy Time!

Hello lovely people,

By now you may be getting the idea of how much I love the Mama Elephant Little agenda stamps so you probably won't be surprised by what's on my Dies to Die For DT cards today!

You wouldn't believe how long I faffed around with various sentiments before realising that once again vellum was the answer!

I actually coloured up about 30 of these little beauties all at once, so I still have plenty more left to use on other projects!

If I've tempted you with any of the lovely supplies I've used then you can go straight to the individual products via the links below or just pop over to Dies to Die For and have a little browse around!

Thanks for popping in and I hope you have a fairy lovely day!

Lovely things I've used from Dies to Die For;
Little fairy agenda stamps -  Mama Elephant
Little fairy agenda dies -  Mama Elephant
Inside and out stitched square STAX - My Favorite Things
Puffy cloud borders - Lawn Fawn
Fairy happy - My Favorite Things (for the sentiment)
Dots and stripes pastels 6x6 pad - Sunny Studio
Vellum - Lawn Fawn

Other ingredients;
Crystal Glamour dust for the wings

Copic colours;
Skin: E000, E21, E11
Hair: various combos that I didn't write down - oops!
Errrr...actually it appears I didn't write any of it down, so sorry :-(