Summer Garland Card

When I make a paperweight for my mother-in-law last year, I originally stitched the design onto 18hpi aida.  This was too small for the paperweight so I put the design into my 'finished cross stitch' drawer and stitched it again on 16hpi for the paperweight.  I've recently been gifted a lot of tri-fold card blanks and this small red card had the perfect size aperture for the small design.

To make this card I used:
     4.5" x 3.5" red tri-fold card blank
     Framecraft 'Summer Garland' cross stitch chart
     18hpi cream aida
     DMC threads.
     
To make this super quick card, I trimmed the fabric and attached it to the rear of the aperture before folding the card over to cover the stitching.  I've plenty more designs in my 'finished cross stitch' drawer so need to make them into cards too!

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Layered or Flat (definitely flat for me as they are cheaper to post and also fit my CAS style and my cross stitch designs)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Cardz 4 Galz - Stitching, Real or Faux
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Kath x 

Happy Christmas

I stitched this card for the Christmas Kickstart 'Let's Wreath It Up' challenge using a kit that had been a magazine cover gift.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white linen card blank
     Debra Page 'Happy Christmas' cross stitch kit (from Cross Stitch Card Shop magazine)
     White DMC thread
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics' die
     Snippet of white linen card

I stitched the wreath using the chart in the kit.  The white flowers should have been left unstitched, but I used some oddments of white thread to fill in the flowers .  It took a bit longer to finish the design but I thought it looked better.  I trimmed a snippet of white linen card so it was slightly small than the card blank and die cut a stitched circle from the centre.  The fabric was attached to the back of the aperture and the panel was then attached to the card blank.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Let's Wreath It Up
     Little Red Wagon - Circle of Life
     Try It On Tuesday - Going Round in Circles (I have used a circle aperture and wreath)

Kath x

Cross Stitch Poppy Card

I took some cross stitching with me when we went to Anglesey, and this is one of the designs I completed.  I made it into a birthday card for a friend who loves poppies.  

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Carolyn's Garden 'Poppy' cross stitch kit
     Snippet of white hammer card

After completing the stitching I mounted it behind a stitched square aperture that had been die cut in the front of the card blank.  A piece of the same card was attached to the inside of the card to cover the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Sparkles Monthly Challenge - Flowers

Kath x

Cross Stitch Red Poppy

This lovely RTO cross stitch kit was another charity shop fine - a 75p bargain!   This is the first RTO kit I've bought but it was a joy to stitch as it was very good quality and contained Zweigart fabric, DMC threads and John James needle.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     RTO 'Poppy' cross stitch kit
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Square STAX Die-namics die
     Snippet of white hammer card

After completing the stitching I washed it to remove the creases in the fabric and set it aside.  I used the stitched square die to cut an aperture in the front of the card blank.  I trimmed the fabric and attached it to the inside of the aperture.  To finish I used a snippet of white hammer card on the inside of the card front to cover the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Little Red Wagon - Make it Sew (I've used cross stitch and a stitched die)

Kath x

Merry Christmas Poinsettias

I enjoy stitching small designs and have a drawer with lots of small pieces of cross stitch waiting to be made into cards. I've spent a few hours today making some of them into cards.

To make this card I used:
     5.5" x 4.25" white matt card blank
     Christmas Cross Stitch Favourites 'Poinsettia' cross stitch chart by Debra Page 
     Snippet of aida
     DMC threads
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics' die
     Snippet of white matt card

I used the chart in the magazine to stitch the lovely poinsettias.  To make the frame I used the rectangle die on a snippet of white card  My rectangle die was the correct width (one block wider than the stitched frame) but was too deep so I cut the top half of the frame and then moved the die so it was the correct depth before cutting the lower half.  I then trimmed the frame so it was slightly smaller than the card blank.  The stitching was attached to the rear of the frame and then to the centre of the card blank.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Cute or Floral (it's definitely floral for me as I love flowers and floral designs are my favourite to stitch)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Positively Poinsettias
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Christmas Foliage

Kath x

Sending Hugs

I was lucky to be the winner of the Uniko 13th Birthday Linky Party and received an eGift code. I chose to spend my prize on two sets of Flower Power stamps and coordinating dies.  The pretty flower and lovely sentiment were perfect for this notecard for a friend who's having a difficult time at the moment.

To make this card I used:
     4" x 4" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'Flower Power 1' (sentiment) and 'Flower Power 6' (flower and stem) stamps and coordinating dies
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Square STAX Die-namics' die
     Versafine Spanish Moss and Habanero ink
     Snippet of white matt card

I used the stitched square die to emboss a frame in the centre of the card blank and then placed it into my MISTI to stamp the sentiment in green ink in the lower corner. I used orange ink to stamp the flower onto a snippet of white card and the green ink to stamp the stem and leaves.  These were cut with the coordinating dies.  I attached the stem onto the lower corner of the embossed frame and attached the flower with a foam pad.

I am entering the following challenges:
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Any Occasion
     Allsorts - Spring Flowers
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Feminine
     Simply Clean & Simple - Anything CAS Goes
     Stamping Sensations - Flowers

Kath x

Iris' Card

Although I've not done much papercrafting over the last few weeks as we've been away in our campervan, I have stitched a lot of small designs which will be made into cards.  I always take a few of these small designs away with me for when I want a change from reading a book!

The lovely floral design is from Carolyn's Garden by Serendipity Designs - another of my charity shop finds - and will be a birthday card for my friend Iris.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Carolyn's Meadow 'Iris' cross stitch kit
     Small piece of white aida 
     Extra DMC threads to match colours in kit
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Snippet of white hammer card

The kit has been started but the stitching didn't look like mine, so I used a small piece of white aida and some extra threads to stitch the design from scratch.  After completing the stitching I mounted the fabric behind a stitched square aperture that had been die cut in the front of a 6" x 6" white hammer card blank.  A piece of the same card was attached inside to cover the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Cute or Floral (I love to make floral cards - whether stamped or stitched - mainly because I love flowers and gardens. - although I do make cute cards for the small people in my family)     
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Kath x

Everyone Needs a Friend Like You

This is the card I made to send to Brenda for the February Card Chain Challenge.  I used the Colour Option (Cherry, Butter & Sage), the Theme Option (Hearts and Flowers & Friendship) and the Product/Technique Option (Embossing Powder & Die Cutting).

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Bubble Bloom Jeanie' and 'Stamps for All Occasions 'Sentiment' stamps
     Sizzix 'Floral Hello' heart die
     Versafine Olympia Green ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Promarkers - Pear Green and Pastel Yellow
     Glossy Accents
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white matt and red matt card

I trimmed a snippet of white matt card to a 5" x 5" square and placed it into my MISTI.  The flower stamp was too upright for the card, so I snipped between the leaves so I could bend the stamp onto my card.  I then placed the sentiment in the lower corner of the panel.  I stamped the flower and sentiment with green ink before embossing them with clear embossing powder.  I coloured the flowers, leaves and 'YOU' with Promarkers.  The panel was layered onto a slightly larger square of red card and attached to the card blank.  I die cut two small hearts from red card and attached them on each side of the sentiment.  To finish I added Glossy Accents to the yellow flower bubbles and a Wink of Stella to the leaves and 'YOU'.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Anything CAS Goes
     Allsorts - CAS
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Stamping Sensations - Hello Spring
     We Love Stamping - Hello Spring

This is the lovely card I received from Michaela:

Kath x

Cross Stitch Anemone

I made this card to send to a neighbour for her birthday - she is the person who has gifted me lots of cross stitch items so I always stitch a card for her.  

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Carolyn's Garden 'Anemone' cross stitch kit
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Snippet of white hammer card

I used the stitched square die to cut an aperture in the centre of the card blank.  After stitching the flowers I mounted the fabric behind the aperture and then added a piece of white card on the inside of the card blank to cover the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Feminine or Masculine (I always prefer making feminine cards, especially cross stitch cards as I love to stitch pretty flowers)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes

Kath x

Birthday Gift Tag

I was so pleased when my 'Floral Anniversary' card was a Top Cut for the Cut It Up 'Something New' challenge.  The team invited me to be Guest Designer on the 'Tie It Up' challenge and I decided to make a gift tag for a friend's birthday present.

To make this tag I used:
     Creative Expressions 'Pierced Tags' & 'Mini Expressions - Stacked Happy Birthday' and Tattered Lace 'Mini Butterfly' dies
     Sizzix 'Floral Hello' stamp and coordinating die
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Promarkers
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white and brown matt card, Lili of the Valley 'Antebellum' paper and white ribbon

I attached the Antebellum paper to a snippet of white card and die cut the largest tag before using my embossing mat to emboss the edge of the tag.  I used brown ink to stamp the flowers onto another snippet of white card, these were then embossed with clear embossing powder before being cut with the coordinating dies.  I coloured the flowers pink, the flower centres gold and the leaves green.  I die cut the sentiment and small butterfly twice, once from white card and once from brown card.  I layered the white die cuts onto the brown ones, offsetting them slightly to give a shadow effect.  I attached the sentiment to the bottom of the tag with the butterfly above it.  The flowers were attached to the top of the tag with a foam pad and then highlighted with a Wink of Stella.  To finish I attached a snippet of ribbon to the top of the tag and then tied a small ribbon bow around it.

I am entering the following challenges:
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     As You Like It Challenge - Feminine or Masculine (my favourite is feminine as I love to use flowers and pretty colours - in fact I struggle for inspiration with masculine cards!)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies & Blooms (I have chosen butterfly and blooms)

Kath x

Mother's Day

I made this card to send to my mother on Mother's Day using a pretty Hunkydory kit that I've recently been gifted.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 7" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory 'Wildflowers - I'm So Excited' topper and cardstock
     Creative Expressions 'From the Heart - Female Relations' die
     Gold Mirri

I trimmed the plain section of the cardstock to a 6" x 6" square (saving the patterned section for another card), layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the card blank.  I removed the topper and frame from the backing sheet, snipping the 'pips' and attached it to the centre of the card blank with foam tape.  I used a snippet of gold mirri to die cut 'Mum' and attached it to the lower corner of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Feminine or Masculine (definitely feminine for me as I love to make pretty floral cards - I always struggle with masculine card probably because I don't make many!)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     The Flower Challenge - Feature the Colour Pink
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies, Blooms (I've opted for blooms)

Kath x

With Sympathy

I dislike making Sympathy cards when they're needed, I would rather keep one or two in my card box 'just in case'.  For this card I used a lovely Uniko stamp I bought with a gift voucher I won in the Uniko 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'So Much' and Clearly Besotted 'Mini Calligraphy' stamps
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics' die
     Versafine Olympia Green ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Sakura Gelly Roll Clear Star pen

I used the largest die to emboss a circle in the centre of the card blank.  I placed the card into my MISTI and laid the flowers and sentiment stamps inside the circle.  These were stamped with green ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.  I then used a Clear Star gel pen to colour the outlines of the flowers and leaves.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to CAS - Center Focus
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Any Occasion
     Allsorts - Close to Nature
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     CAS on Friday - Flowers
     Daisy Chain Challenge - No Design Paper
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Something Old, Something New (my old Clearly Besotted stamp and my new Uniko stamp)
     Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Something New (my new Uniko stamp)

Kath x

Floral Anniversary

I made this anniversary card for the AAA Cards 'Follow the Leader' challenge and used a few more of my white snippets.

To make this card I used:
     C6 white matt card blank
     Creative Expressions 'Finishing Touches - French Marigold', Tattered Lace 'Mini Butterfly' and Sizzix 'Floral Hello' dies
     Snippets of white matt card and red glitter card

I die cut the three different size flowers, two large leaves and a small butterfly from white matt card.  The flowers were layered and attached to the corner of the card.  The leaves were tucked underneath the flower and the butterfly attached above the image.  To finish I die cut a small heart from red glitter card and attached it to the centre of the flower.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Any Occasion
     AAA Cards - Follow the Leader
     Allsorts - Close to Nature
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Cut It Up - Something New (('ve used a new 'to me' idea of following the leader and taking inspiration from their design)
     Daisy Chain Challenge - No Designer Paper
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 498 (Love is in the Air)
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Blooms & Butterflies (I have used Blooms and Butterflies)     

Kath x

Summer Garland Paperweight

I was struggling to know what to give my mother-in-law for her birthday and decided to stitch a design to fit into a glass paperweight.  I'd bought the paperweight several years ago and never got round to using it, but thought it would make a good present.

To make this paperweight I used:
     Glass paperweight - make unknown
     Framecraft 'Summer Garland' cross stitch chart
     Snippet of 16hpi aida and iron interfacing
     DMC threads

The original chart was for a design on 18hpi aida to fit inside a handbag mirror, but when I had finished the stitching it was too small for the paperweight so I stitched it onto 16hpi to make the design a little larger.  After stitching the design I attached thin iron on interfacing to the back which helped avoid the fabric fraying when I cut it.  I used the paperweight as a guide to trim the fabric which was then placed inside the paperweight with a small piece of white card behind it.  To finish I attached the self-adhesive backing to the paperweight.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Kath x

Christmas Rose

Whilst sorting through one of my craft drawers, I came across this lovely Hunkydory Deco-Large set and used it to make a quick Christmas card.

To make this card I usaed:
     7" x 7" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory 'Christmas Rose Deco-Large' backing card and topper
     Gold mirri

I trimmed the backing card, using the section that was plain and had the floral band (the remainder of the card with the Christmas Rose design is in my snippets drawer for another card), layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the front of the card blank.  I removed the decoupage pieces from the backing card and snipped a few small 'pips' from around the edges.  These were layered onto the circular base image (I didn't use all the layers as the card was getting too thick) and attached it to the top of the card.  I attached the thin floral strip across the bottom of the card and then layered the sentiment on top using foam tape.  

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - U for Unusual Christmas Colours
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - All Occasions
     Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Use the Word Christmas on Project

Kath x

Butterflies and Buddleia

This is another cross stitch kit I found in a charity shop - the kit was to make a needle case but I stitched it for a card instead. 

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" kraft card blank
     Textile Heritage 'Butterflies and Buddleia' cross stitch kit
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Square STAX Die-namics' die
     Snippet of kraft card

After stitching the design I trimmed around the edge of the fabric so it was slightly smaller than the card blank.  I trimmed the snippet of kraft card so it was a little larger than the fabric and die cut the stitched square from the centre.  I then used double sided tape to attach the stitching behind the frame and the frame to the card blank.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Favourite Cardbase Shape (6" x 6" square cards are my favourite size and shape as they're perfect for CAS cards as they don't look too cluttered and they're the right size for my cross stitch)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Kath x

Clarissa Bubble Bloom

I made this card to send to Julia for the September Card Chain Challenge.  I have used the Colour Option (Red, Bronze & Blue), the Theme Option (Friendship) and the Product Option (Embossing Powder).

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Bubble Bloom - Clarissa' and Clearly Besotted 'Dandelion Dreams' stamps
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Promarkers
     Wink of Stella
     Glossy Accents
     Snippets of white matt card and bronze paper

I trimmed a snippet of white card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and placed it into my MISTI.  I placed the flower and sentiment stamp onto the card and used brown ink to stamp them a couple of times to get a good depth of colour.  I then embossed the image and sentiment with clear embossing powder.  I stamped the leaves onto bronze paper and fussy cut them before attaching them to the panel.  The flower was coloured with red and blue Promarkers.  I added Wink of Stella to the circles and then Glossy Accents.  Once the panel was dry I layered it onto another piece of bronze paper and attached it to the front of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     
This is the lovely card I received from Imke, who also kindly enclosed some die cuts so I can make another card.

Kath x

Sister

I found some lovely Hunkydory 'Florabunda' toppers and card in a charity shop bundle and have made this card for my sister's birthday.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 7" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory 'Florabunda' backing card and toppers
     Creative Expressions 'From the Heart - Female Relations' and 'Finishing Touches - Dainty Butterflies' dies
     Snippet of gold mirri card

I trimmed the kraft card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and attached it to the centre.  To raise the topper from the card I attached it with a foam pad, setting it to the left side of the card.  I die cut 'Sister' from both gold mirri and another Florabunda topper which was the same colouring as the main topper.  I layered the floral topper onto the gold mirri, offsetting it slightly to give a gold shadow and then attached it to the top of the card.  I die cut two small butterflies from another small Florabunda topper and attached them to the lower corner of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Cardz 4 Galz - It's Hip to be Square
     Sparkles Monthly Challenge - Use One or More Butterflies
     Triple B Challenge - September Challenge (I have used Blooms and Butterflies)

Kath x

Peony Posy

I made this card for a friend's special birthday using a lovely Hunkydory image and card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory Deco-Large 'Peony Posy' card and topper
     Memory Box 'Classic Numbers' and Tattered Lace 'Mini Butterfly' die
     Snippets of gold mirri

I trimmed the backing card, layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the card blank.  I layered the peony posy with foam tape and attached the topper to the front of the card - I didn't use all of the layers as it was getting very bulky but used enough to give some dimension.   To finish I die cut '70' and a small butterfly from gold mirri , I attached the numerals to the lower corner and the butterfly to the topper.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Cardz 4 Galz - Pretty in Pink
     Daisy Chain Challenge - For the Girls
     Pearly Sparkles - Floral
     Triple B Challenge - August challenge (I have used Blossom & Butterfly)
     Try It On Tuesday - Make it Feminine

Kath x

Genetian Cross Stitch

Whilst we've been away in Scotland I've stitched a few designs to make into cards on our return.  This card is made from another lovely Carolyn's Meadow kit from Serendipity Designs.  

To make this card I used:

     5" x 5" white hammer card blank
     Carolyn's Meadow 'Genetian' cross stitch kit
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Snippet of white hammer card

After completing the stitching I mounted the design behind a stitched square aperture that had been die cut in the centre of the card blank.  A piece of the same card was attached to the inside to cover the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Triple B Challenge - July Challenge (I have used Blooms & Butterfly)
     Try It On Tuesday - Things With Wings (I have used a butterfly)
     
Kath x