Later in the month I'll be taking Sandy Allnock's Copic Jumpstart class; I am comfortable doing what I do with Copics and I like the results I get, but I know there is so much more to learn. As a bonus for signing up early Sandy created this cute "squirrel with a marker" digi stamp… Continue reading Birthday: Squirrel!
So. I have, for one reason or another, been a rubbish blogger this year. I created this blog so that I would have a record of the cards I make and I just haven’t managed to do that over the last few months; I’ve got a few cards fully written up and posted, but there’s… Continue reading Bad blogger
Time caught up with me and I realised that I needed to get a card made for an old friend who now lives abroad. My main aim was to make something pretty and I took my inspiration from one of the cards from the first day of the Clear and Sheer class. How: I had… Continue reading Birthday: Vellum butterflies
Another technique learned in the Clear and Sheer class: using Copic markers to create a watercolour-like effect on heat-embossed acetate. This gives a really pretty effect and makes a nice alternative to colouring on cardstock. How: I started by preparing the acetate for heat embossing. Acetate is a remarkably static-y thing and you will end… Continue reading Birthday: Copic on acetate
So many new ideas to try in this class. The next step on from just having a plain acetate card base is to have an embossed one; it’s an interesting technique, but it does warp the acetate so, depending on the embossing folder used, it could be more appropriate for creating embellishments. How: For the… Continue reading Embossed acetate cards
Another thing ticked off the “must-try techniques” list: creating a card using acetate for the base. I kept the design simple in the hope that it wouldn’t take too long to do, but I didn’t factor in all the fussy cutting that is needed to create not only the coloured elements, but also the plain… Continue reading Celebrate: Uplifting acetate card
Day 2 of the Clear and Sheer class and we started by making a card with a coloured vellum front. Theoretically the vellum I have is at least as heavyweight as the ones they use in the class — and it does do the job — but I would like it to be a little… Continue reading Birthday: Coloured vellum
Some months I am inspired and organised early on, some months it’s a last-minute dash to come up with an idea and get a card created, and then there are months like this one where I had a pretty good idea what I was going to do soon after getting the new challenge image, but… Continue reading Thinking of you: Monkey
On a whim I signed up for the interactive Clear and Sheer class from Online Card Classes; I’ve always stuck to the self-paced classes before. It will be interesting to see everyone else’s creations at the same time as making my own. How: I started by stamping the rose twice with Versamark and heat embossing… Continue reading Smile: Watercolour roses
I’ve been meaning to join in with the Seven Hills Crafts monthly challenge for a while and this month I actually managed to create something… only just in time though… For a change, I left my Copic markers on the side and went back to basics with some stencilling and stamping. How: I started by… Continue reading Hello: Stamped flowers with stencilling
Crafting is not all creating and shopping, there is also a certain amount of organising and maintenance to be done. I signed up for Sandy Allnock's Copic Jumpstart class next month, so I figured it was time to freshen up my colour charts and, at the same time, check over my markers and do a… Continue reading Copic marker maintenance
Time for another masculine card; this one for my other half’s dad. Luckily he, my other half that is, even came up with an idea for it, though it was definitely outside of my comfort zone. How: First find your inspiration. After trawling through Google images for pictures of Port Talbot and finding a couple… Continue reading Birthday: Port Talbot docks
Another month, another cute digi stamp from Gerda Steiner to play with. I can’t believe that it took so long for it to dawn on me that making a whole row of small frilly-topped carrots might just be a little fiddly to colour. Or that fussy cutting several individual carrots might also be more, well…… Continue reading Easter: Bunny with carrot
How quickly time flies; a year has already passed since I was making a welcome card for baby Amelia. Of course, I forgot to put her birthday on my cards to-do list so I didn't get a reminder to start making this card — I normally give myself plenty of time to come up with card… Continue reading 1st birthday: Pink and sparkly
I’ve been meaning to take part in Seven Hills Crafts’ monthly challenge for quite a while, but I keep forgetting about it until it’s too late… This month the challenge sketch was still fresh in my mind when I got the “from all of us” set from Clearly Besotted with its lovely bluebells and I… Continue reading Bluebells
Crafty Rat 