Simply Cards & Papercraft 192 - Nautical Scenes Dies

This months copy of Simply cards mag has a Nautical set of dies as a freebie

They are a bit fiddly to use - the little seagulls were so small that it is easier to draw them on with black pen!

Its hard to line up all the different waves and backgrounds too

But it is a good way of using up some of the off cuts of coloured card that we all seem to accumulate!

It's A Cats Life - Hunkydory

 As a keen cat lover and home to 4 of those furry felines, I couldn't resist the new range by Hunkydory called It's a Cats Life

Their images are just adorable and feature several different breeds of cats - plus very cute kittens!

I bought the papercraft A5 pad, but they also have luxury toppers, stamps and papers in the range!

Creative Stamping Mag - Love & Laughter Stamps

This months copy of Creative Stamping Magazine came with some fab wedding and birthday stamps!

So, it was very easy to rustle up these 3 rustic Wedding Anniversary cards!

Bon Voyage Cards

Something a bit different - a couple of Bon Voyage and Good Luck cards. Put together using some old scraps that have been around for ages along with some little wooden embellishments

Embossed Butterfly Cards

Three different cards using the same Butterfly Border stamp from Honey Doo. It has a lovely amount of detail on it and stamps beautifully each time

A bit of heat embossing ...

I haven't done any heat embossing for ages , so it was time to get out the gold powder and heat gun!

This card was inspired by the blooms die and stamp set from this month Simply Cards & Papercraft Mag

I also dug out some old stamps that haven't seen the light of day for a long time!

I bought this  Woodware stamp 'Gone To Seed' back in 2013. It also featured on my blog in 2016. Plus it was also used on one of the most re-pinned cards I have on Pinterest!

Tattered Lace Magazine no 65 - Cute Elephant Die!

I don't often buy the Tattered Lace Magazine as it is one of the more expensive crafting  mags out there, but I couldn't resist the sweet little Baby Elephant die that came free this month!

It is ideal for birth congratulation cards as well as birthday cards for little children.

I also like the free downloads of the image  and backing papers in lots of different colours, so you can use it time and time again.

And with most tattered lace dies, you can snip bits off and decoupage it too!

Some more Brushos Cards!

Still playing with the different brushos colours and making a variety of different backing papers.

Plus using different dies with them - ashamed to say the wave and dolphin die had only been used once before!

And who wouldn't want a birthday card with a green dog on it!

Experimenting with Brushos

I bought another couple of pots of Brushos yesterday when I went shopping at Keep on Crafting - in yellow and brown shades

I hadn't played with Brushos for ages( emm..possibly July last year), so checked out a couple of demos on you tube before making these cards

Great fun and a little bit messy too!

Supporting our Independent Craft Shops

Today I travelled over 20 miles just to visit a local independent craft shop - Keep on Crafting in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. 

There are loads of these little papercraft shops scattered around and they struggle against the big craft shops like Hobbycraft and The Range. But they are little gems, full of treasures and more importantly people who are passionate about papercraft and who love to pass on hints and tips to others.

Keep on Crafting is small but packed with the latest products and examples of how to use them, plus they hold regular workshops, today one on candle making was in progress. So, I can highly recommend that, if you are in the area, that you pop in and have a browse!

Die Cutting Essentials Magazine - issue 49

The latest copy of Die Cutting Essentials magazine caught my eye in the newsagent yesterday with its Paris themed freebie

These two cards were made by cutting the whole die using yellow and pink cardstock then snipping out the Eiffel Tower and a rose and swapping them over along with the borders. Different background papers, sentiments and embellishments help to give two elegant birthday cards!

This card again used just some of the die with the border cut from Kraft paper against a Vintage French backing paper I have had for years!

Costic Shimmer Metallic Gilding Polish

I must confess I have had these pots of Metallic Gilding polish  by Cosmic Shimmer for some time, but never really got on with them - I found the paste sticky and difficult to apply.

But them I spotted them being demonstrated on Hochanda the other day and realized what I had been doing wrong - apparently you need to create a 'ski slope' of the paste with the applicator at the side of the pot to get it out! And give a spritz with water before you close the lid.

A quick whiz over embossed  card gave a great effect with a lovely shimmer - so now I must get them out more often!

Spellbinder Shapeabilities Oval Heirloom Dies

I know these have been around a long time, but I have only just discovered them whilst looking for a nice oval border die!

I like their flexibility so that you can cut a matching fussy edge background to layer the border

plus there is a fancy label to go in the centre - that just matches the oval sentiments from Craftwork cards that I use all the time

A bit of Stenciling today

Today I've done some stenciling to make backgrounds using the waste from some 'Craftwork cards' die cut sentiments and stars shapes

I used the ink dusters and a couple of the Ranger Distress Oxide inks that I picked up at a car boot sale last month to make both of these cards and finished them off with a wooden guitar or cat

And I'm quite pleased with the results!

Debbi Moore Magazines

I bought 3 old copies of Debbi Moores Magazines 'Bringing Inspiration to You' off eBay at a bargain price. 

They didn't have the  CD's - which is fine, because I just wanted the printed papers and ideas

Plus I don't have a CD drive on my computer any more!

I like the fact there are loads of  embellishments and sentiments to go with the main images in each issue