About Me

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Hi, I'm Pam and thank you for visiting my blog. I have been making cards for over 10 years and am an independent demonstrator for Creative Expressions. I am lucky enough to teach on cruise ships and also get the chance to demo at The Big Stamping and Scrapbooking Show at Alexander Palace. I run workshops for a local craft shop and if anyone would like details of the them please e-mail me at stephen.smith870@ntlworld.com I love to scrapbook but my all time favourite thing is to get messy with ink!

Thursday 31 December 2015

Should Have Been For Boxing Day!

Good Morning All and a Very Happy Thursday and New Year's Eve!

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and that Santa brought you everything you wished for!

A little while ago, I was asked how to make a box for 8x8 cards if you don't have a boxmaker.  I scratched my head, got my ruler out and came up with the measurements.  It's great to make cards with beautiful embellishments but sometimes they just won't go in an envelope!
Anyway, here goes.....

For the base:
Cut a piece of card to 10 and a quarter inches square.
Measure in 1 inch on all four sides and score.

Cut up to the score line on all four corners, alternating the direction of the cuts.

Snip off the corners to make triangle shapes.
Fold along the score lines and glue together.

For the lid:
Cut the card to 10 and 6/16ths of an inch...it's just 2/16ths of an inch bigger than the base.

Repeat all of the previous steps and you'll have a lid that's a good fit!
Do use Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear Glue, it's strong enough to hold the box.

Although in the photo the box looks flimsy, it's actually quite sturdy.  It gives a height of an inch for the embellishments and should leave enough room for tissue paper to help protect the card.

I hope that you find this useful.  I quite enjoyed working it out!  If you want to decorate the lid, do it before gluing it together.

Well, that's all for this week.  I'm home on January 4th so I'll try and get something ready for the following Thursday.

Many thanks for visiting and leaving comments...much appreciated.

Until next time, have a happy, crafty week!

Thursday 17 December 2015

More Sparkle!

Good Morning All and a Very Happy Thursday!

Today, I thought I'd show you a card I taught at a workshop last month.  It's a nice contemporary design and quick to make.

So let's get started....

Cut a rectangle of Coconut White card and emboss with the A4 Swirling Holly Folder.
Matt and layer onto Foundations Black Card.

Cut 5 different size squares of Double Sided Adhesive.
I started at 2.75 inches and dropped half an inch in size each time.  For the smallest, you need to cut a rectangle otherwise you can''t roll it.
Place the squares onto some copier paper.  Cover with different colours of Cosmic Shimmer Polished Silk Glitters.
Cut out and roll.  Glue together with Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear Glue.  You will need to hold them until they stick as you're glueing glitter to glitter.
Emboss another piece of Coconut White card large enough to fit the tree on.  Matt and layer with black card.
Glue onto the background.

Glue the rolls of glittered paper on.  Cut out a small piece of silver card for the tree trunk.
Die cut a small snowflake for the top of the tree.

Cut a strip of white card, emboss then matt and layer.  Glue into position.
Die cut a matt from Black card.
Stamp the sentiment with Black Archival Ink and heat emboss (the stamp is from one of the Elements sets)
Die cut with an oval die.  Glue together and add the sentiment with 3d foam pads.
And that's the card finished!  I hope you like it! 

I am sorry there are no step by step photos for these projects but I think they're probably easy enough to make.  Normal service will be resumed in the New Year when we get home!

Everything used is from Creative Expressions as always...apart from the copier paper and the small strip of silver card!

Well, that's it for this week...many thanks for stopping by and leaving comments, they're much appreciated.

I won't be on here next week as it's Christmas Eve so I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous, Crafty New Year!

Until New Year's Eve.......

Thursday 10 December 2015

Time to Sparkle!

Good Morning All and a Very Happy Thursday!

I'm still bobbing around the Caribbean...check Facebook to see where I am (Pam Smith) but do not fear, I haven't gone away and left you without a project!

For this card, I've used a technique called "grouting" which John Lockwood showed me at Ally Pally in September.

Start be embossing a piece of Coconut White card with the A4 Poinsettia Folder.
Turn to the debossed side and spread Cosmic Shimmer Red Berry Sparkle Texture Paste over it, making sure to scrape off the excess.
Leave to dry.
Emboss another piece of Coconut White with the same folder.  Matt and layer onto Foundations Black Card.
Attach a piece of black seam binding before sticking onto the card blank.
Die cut 2 of the Labels using the Finishing Touches Collection from the card with the texture paste finish.
Matt and layer onto black card.
Die cut a smaller label.
Ink up the holly border from the Holly Tree Elements stamp set.
Stamp down the side of the tag and heat emboss with clear powder.
Ink up the words using black archival and stamp and heat emboss.
The stamp is from the Peace, Joy Love stamp set.
Matt and layer the tag.
Attach seam binding to the tops of the tags.
Stamp and heat emboss poinsettias from the Poinsettia Elements Stamp Set.
Cut out and glue into position.
Attach the tags with glue on one, then with 3d pads on the others.
Add some Dries Clear Glue to the flower centres and sprinkle Cosmic Shimmer Fire Red Polished Silk Glitter to finish.
Hope you like it!

It's worth making up a batch of the grouted backgrounds at the same time.  It looks very effective when done on black card and is so easy to do.  It also gives a different way of using your embossing folders.

Well, that's it for this week...I've got another sparkly card next week.

Everything used is from Creative Expressions.

Many thanks for stopping by and leaving comments.

Until next time, have a happy, crafty week!

Thursday 3 December 2015

Oh Glitter Tree!

Good Morning All and a very Happy Thursday and a Very Happy December!

I'm still bobbing around the Caribbean but made a few quick cards to tide you over until I get back!

Unfortunately, I don't have step by step photos for this one, but it should be easy to follow.

Die cut a square of Silver Mirror card using the large Noble Pierced Square Dies.
Cut a smaller square of Coconut White card and emboss with the A4 Twinkle, Twinkle Folder.
Pick up some Flake and Glitter glue on a piece of Cut 'n Dry Foam and dab over the embossed card.
Sprinkle Cosmic Shimmer Diamond Snow Glitter Jewels over it.
Matt and layer onto the gold card.

Place a piece of Double Sided Adhesive onto some white card.
Die cut the Festive Collection - Christmas Tree Greeting.

Carefully peel back the protective layer from the double sided adhesive from the base up to the top of the word "Christmas".
Sprinkle Cosmic Shimmer Polished Silk Glitters on.
Peel back to the top of the next word and apply a different colour glitter.
Keep going until you've covered it all.  I've used a mix of blues and purples. 
Glue the tree onto the embossed background and add a star embellishment.
And that's all you need to do!

The good thing is that it's flat so easy to post!  It's also handy to be able to make your own glittered, embossed backgrounds!

Everything used (except for the silver card) is from Creative Expressions.

Well, that's it for this week.  I'll be back next Thursday with another card.  Many thanks for stopping by and leaving comments...always much appreciated.

Until next time, have a happy, crafty week!