Love is in the air <3

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, I thought I'd share a few sweet treats with you! I created three little projects for Creative Stamping issue 39, using the FREE Truly Scrumptious stamp set. This fabulous issue went on sale 26th January and is jam-packed with cool ideas from a talented design team.

For these projects I used basic paper-piecing techniques using the Pebbles My Funny Valentine paper pad and masked the sentiments to create custom greetings.

This cute sweetie gift box started its life as a paper cup, which is a quick and easy solution - I just cheated because I'm not one for templates! hehe 

I made the cute pompom from baker's twine and added a simple die-cut tag :)

If you want to get your hands on this issue of Creative Stamping click here! There are so many cool ideas in this magazine, and at £7.99 it's amazing value for money.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! <3

N x

Unknown

Happy Wednesday!

I'm catching up on a few card features from recent issues which I've neglected to share.

This lovely tea-inspired project features fabulous dies from Apple Blossom which were designed by my dear friend Vicky! I was so inspired by her amazing dies the that... I... got... girly!

You can see the full feature in Simply Homemade issue 67 which is available here!

Until next time...

N <3

Unknown

Evening all,

I was lucky enough to work with the Fancy Pants Designs Happy Place collection recently for Papercraft Essentials which was total bliss!

This collection has everything I look for in a papercrafting range - contrasting colours, contemporary icons, a mix of patterned papers and quirky sentiments! I didn't have to use much else having been given the full collection, I just used my reliable Washi to add a bit of bling... it's a must. 

This is just a sneak peek of the cards I made... I hope you like!

This is my favourite card! As the Happy Place range is quite scrapbook-orientated I thought that it would be lovely to incorporate a Polaroid pic of me and my best friend Zoë looking rather glam at a hour party!

Issue 129 of Papercraft Essentials is available now and comes with a free Dali die! And you can grab your copy here!

N x

Unknown

Hello blogworld!

Apologies AGAIN for my absence, I've been so busy with life and wedding prep that i've scarcely had the time to sit down and make any cards!

That said, I missed the release of Simply Homemade issue 62 which has a rather exciting Hero Arts feature done by yours truly! It was an honour to feature in best-selling multi-crafts magazine Simply Homemade which brings the best from the craft world into one magazine each month!

This feature is all about on-trend colour layering with the latest ranges - a perfect combination for creating a stack of quick cards you can grab anytime for any occasion! I used the Ombre inkpads that i fell in love with on my last Hero Arts feature, and added plenty of twine, Washi and sequin bling which balanced well with the clean and simple look!

The cards in this collection feature the Color Layering Butterfly & Hibiscus Stamp sets and the Light to Dark Peach & Pink to Red ombre inkpads. I can't decide which card i like the best, but know they are all going to come in handy as i'm terrible at remembering special occasions until the very last minute! I hope this feature has inspired you to make some special cards of your own!

 To grab a copy of Simply Homemade 62 to see the full range click here!

Thanks for stopping by! N x

Unknown

Hello!

Despite the ever-changing weather and sudden hayfever-like symptoms [24 years later!], i'm feeling reflective and i've decided that life is very good. 

I'm excited to say that i've booked a holiday to St Ives in June, and i'm so looking forward to the sun, sea and sand [fingers crossed]! It's amazing how a bit of sunshine can brighten your day, and colour!

When it comes to crafting i'm not very brave with colour, so i'm trying to break my own rules!

Behold, a lovely orange inspired card to celebrate the good times! The cute hot air balloon die is American Crafts teamed with Amy Tangerine papers. I think you can never have too many chevrons.

I hope you like it!

N x

Unknown

Good afternoon!

Today I want to talk about a special project that I've been working on for over a year [slowly!]
I'm creating a scrapbook for my mother dearest for a special birthday which falls on 10th September next year.

I've never made a scrapbook before, and it's actually more daunting than i thought having a 12x12 space to work with. I decided to break the rules a bit but having many images on one page rather than a solo picture, my dies and embellishment stash has come in handy!

Here's a page which features some snaps from the year my meem was born, with her mother and father. I decided to go bright with the colour scheme to lift the black and white imagery.
I hope you like it!

My beautiful nan in the 60's...

N x

Unknown

Hi all,

I want to share a brand-new card i made experimenting with stitching on cardstock, this crossover of crafts is something i love doing and should do more!

This fab idea came from my crafty partner in crime Betty, who has been experimenting with embroidering her own sentiments onto cardstock with different threads. Head over to her blog to see her inspiring makes... http://www.makeitbetty.com/

The main feature of the card was made using the Lil'inkers Polaroid die that i purchased recently. As the die is already stitched, it was easy to stitch with metallic thread. The adorable him & her image is from the Hey There Amy Tangerine stamp set, and the sentiment stamp is from Clearly Besotted. The patterned paper is from Fancy Pants Designs. I hope you like it! N x

Unknown

Good afternoon!

After a lovely birthday, I decided to take today off to enjoy a cheeky three-day weekend!

The plan was to spend this time creating a variety of beautiful things - spending most of my time on my sewing machine. Alas, the housework has somewhat ruined that plan - but i have made a special card for a special lady!

I bought this Spellbinders D-lite die from a show a while back, but haven't had chance to use it as it involves a lot of construction and time... several layers of petals later ta-da!

I used Fancy Pants Office Suite papers, AC Washi for a contemporary twist - i hope you like!

 N xoxo

Unknown

Hello crafty ones,

I've been inspired to Shake it! I admit this moment of inspiration may have been a combination of Taylor Swift's rather catchy song and Lucy's fabulous new range of sequin shaker selections [try saying that after a few scoops...]

I need to get my hands on some of these beautiful sequin combinations!

http://www.lucys-cards.com/

https://folksy.com/shops/lucyscards/collections/239493

My offering this evening comprises Core'dinations Vellum Quotes, gold sequins and Fancy Pants Office Suite patterned paper! And my rather handy sewing machine... i hope you like!

N x

Unknown

Hello all,

It's been another whirlwind weekend and I'm loving April thus far [not just because my birthday is rapidly approaching!]

I decided to get all sentimental today and make use of the fab new Lil' inkers Polaroid die I received in the week - i love crafty mail!

I had a root through some of my photographs, and found this beaut of me and David on a night out during Uni a few years ago... i'm surprised we look so sober! [I don't actually remember the night.]

I opted for a contemporary colour palette which i love - pink, gold and black. I think this die is perfect for scrapbook layouts too - I can't wait to use it again!

I hope you like it!

N x

Unknown

Here's a card a made for a very special friend this week, i think more people should send happy mail - not just for the Hallmark holidays. I hope you like it! 

For this card I used an American Crafts stamp set, patterned papers, hessian and Tim Holtz label letters. N x

Unknown

Being a girly... I often get carried away creating projects for all the ladies my life, or myself - it's not often that i sit down and make a card for a fella!

So, this evening i thought i'd go against the grain.

I present to you a simple Birthday boy card made with some of my favourite stamps from Amy Tangerine and Stampin' Up! I stuck to a simple colour scheme and used recycled cardboard for the card blank and sentiment banner. I'm loving the embossing powder + watercolour look...

There's no recipient for this card thus far... another one for the stash!

N x

Unknown

Hello all!

I'm sorry to say that it's been a rather taxing week... and it's scary to think that we are already well into the month of March!

So, I thought i'd spread the love with a little card make. Spring is upon us, and it's amazing how much more positive i feel with the sun shining though my craft room window!

This card is an eclectic mix of all the supplies i like to use - cardboard [recycled!], watercolours, fabric strips, twine and of course American Crafts dies!

I hope you like...

I really enjoyed my recent sewing project, and have seen a few tutorials for adapting clothing, so i'm hoping to hit the charity shops this weekend.

N x

Unknown

Evening' all,

I had a good long think today about whether i consider myself to be a hoarder. On the one hand i can't do certain tasks without OCD tendencies [e.g wiping the kitchen work surfaces] but on the other i tend to want to recycle and reuse everything. As a child my mum would hoard wrapping paper from my birthday gifts which i thought was bizarre... but i now find myself doing it! I cant even throw away a pair of old jeans... clinging onto the thought that i might turn them into a 90's throwback bag. [i haven't been drinking]

The mind boggles... With this in mind i made a few scrap-themed cards to use up some odds and sods. Plus brand-new American Crafts Washi tape - it would be rude not to.

N x

Unknown