A Patterned Paper Wreath, For You

Hi everybody,

Jill here, and this week, I'm building a wreath...

Using Patterned Paper and Paper Smooches.

I used the brilliant Paper Smooches Wreath Builder Dies, with the beautiful Simple Stories Claus & Co 6x6 Paper Pad to create my wreath.  These Paper Smooches dies are amazing.  They're designed to 'Build-a-wreath', obviously, but you could use them for so much more - Christmas Trees, Winter Sprigs, all year round foliage, they're incredibly handy to have in your stash!  

I cut the various dies from a mixture of papers from the Claus & Co pad alongside a simple 'ring' shape, and built up my wreath.  Once I was happy with how it looked, I adhered all the pieces down.

I then cut my sentiment using Lawn Fawn's Scripty For You die from white card, and heat embossed in red, giving it a couple of coatings to achieve this really high gloss effect.

I dry embossed a panel of white card, using a wood grain folder from my stash, to use as a backdrop, and added a twirl of bare twine before sticking everything in place.  I then decorated my wreath with a scattering of pearls and gems, and added a simple twine bow to finish.

I really hope you like it, and only wish I'd had a more time to really stretch what these little cute dies can do!

As always, everything I used is linked below.

See you next week.

Jillx

       

Snowflakes and Sequins...

Hi everybody,

Jill here, and this week, I am eventually facing the fact Christmas is around the corner!

I've noticed a lot of projects around blog land using a striking red and teal colour theme, and really wanted to try it myself, (there's a couple of cards in particular which I took inspiration from, so will link them at the bottom of my post), and here is my effort... 

I started by inking up a piece of watercolour card using Distress Ink, (Peacock Feathers and Broken China), creating a dark to light gradient, and adding a shimmer by spritzing with water mixed with mica powder, finishing with a few flicks of white.  Once I was happy with my background, I took my Lil Inker's Snowflake's Die, and cut three from my background, (leaving me 3 pretty snowflakes I can use on another card).  I was going to simply add a layer of vellum behind, but when I see a chance to add a wee little shaker to my card, well, I just can't pass it up!  So added some sequins and glitter behind each little flake. 

I cut Mama Elephant's Merry Script Die and coated in a couple of layers of red embossing powder to give it a really high gloss.  I finished my sentiment by white heat embossing a simple 'Christmas', from Lawn Fawn's Trim the Tree, on black card, and cut into a banner.

I added a wrap of bare twine and a cute little bow, and adhered my greeting over the top.  I added some silver Stickles around my snowflakes, and a scattering of sequins to finish off, and there you have it.

I really hope you like it, as always, everything I used is linked below, and below that, the stunning creations that inspired my project.

See you next week.

Jillxee

      

Inspo:  This, (which I think might be one of the most beautiful cards I have ever set eyes on!), and This stunner from the amazingly talented Debby Hughes -

and this beauty from Giovana Smith.

Spring Blooms in Winter...

 Hi everybody,

Jill here, and this week, I'm hoping to bring some Springtime vibes to your day...

With some 'no-line pencil colouring', on kraft.

I used Wplus9's 'Spring Blooms' , and Paper Smooches 'Happy Birthday Words Dies' to create my card.

I started by masking off a border around my panel, and stamping out my design, using a selection of the beautiful blooms and foliage from the Spring Blooms set, in a light ink (I used Antique Linen Distress Ink but you could afford to go a little darker than that as your pencils will cover it - trust  me - it was blumming hard to see where I'd stamped!).  Once I had my design in place, I went in with my pencils.  I used the Spectrum Noir pencils, but use what you have for a similar effect.  I followed the outline of my stamping to give me an idea of where I was going, then blended my pencils in light to dark shades.  Once my colouring was complete, I outlined the whole piece with a white pencil, just to help the images 'pop'.  I then took Paper Smooches 'Happy Words Die' and cut it from the front of my card, over my main design.  Initially, I was going to just build up my die-cut using cream card, and in-lay the piece back in, but it didn't stand out enough, so decided to cut the piece once more from vellum, and add this over the top using 'Stick-it', so no adhesive showed.  I love how this turned out and think it adds a real prettiness and softness to the masculinity of the kraft card, whilst still allowing the design to show through.

I added some white highlights to my blooms and foliage, using a white gel pen, and added a scattering of tiny Glossy Accent dew drops over the whole piece for a little added interest.

And there you have it.

I really hope you like it, as always, everything I used is linked below.

See you next week.

Jillx

     

Faux Cross Stitch Cutey...

Hi everybody,

It's Jill here, and this week, I've got a little bit of cross stitch for you!

I've been so excited to play with this Neat and Tangled Hoop die for a while now, and it is BACK IN STOCK!  So perfect time to show it some love.

I thought it would be fun to create a little cross stitched scene, using another stamp set, within the little hoop, so chose the Playful Pups set from Mama Elephant.

I found a piece of patterned paper that had a grid on it, so was perfect, but you could definitely create your own, or pick up a cheap pad of grid paper.  I stamped my cute little Playful Pup out, and created a little scene around him using elements from Mama Elephant's 'In My Heart'.  I then coloured my little scene by drawing a tiny little cross in each box, in various colours, exactly like you would 'stitch' in an actual cross stitch.

I cut the Hoop Die from some kraft card, which I had stamped with a wood grain background, so it looks like a real wooden hoop, and cut the screw part from a piece of card I had heat embossed in gold powder.

I wanted my card to look like it had been lifted directly from a wall in a small old cosy cottage, so stamped my background panel using a wallpaper-esque design, and aged using Distress Ink.  My sentiment is from Mama Elephant's Bloomsies set and is stamped onto cream card and fussy cut.  I added a doily and a twirl of twine behind my cross-stitch, and mounted it all onto my background panel, embellishing with a scattering of pearls, and adding the whole thing to a kraft card base. 

I really enjoyed this little project and can only begin to imagine how many possible 'cross stitches' we could all create using our collections!

I hope you like it, and that you give it a go!

As always, everything I used is linked below.

See you next week.

Jillx

                   

  

Christmas Elf to Birthday Pixie

Hi everybody,

Jill here, and today, I'm mixing up a brand new Christmas set...

By taking the cutest little Christmas elf out there, and changing her into the cutest little Birthday Pixie...

I have no doubt you are all in the same boat as me, whereby we want NEEEED all the newest sets as soon as they're released, but obviously we don't all have a bottomless pit of money, so sadly, we need to reason with ourselves make excuses on how we can justify our spends haha.  And, again, if you're anything like me, no time does this come more into play, than with the Christmas releases.  They're always awesome, always adorable, and always impossible to resist - but because you only use them once a year - it makes it all the more important to be able to stretch them.  So that's what I've hoped to do for you today.

I used Mama Elephant's 'Chrismtas Spirit' set, changing it up into a little 'Happy Birthday' scene.  I die-cut a panel of card into various pieces to create my scene, using Mama Elephant's Landscape Trio, and Lawn Fawn's Grassy Border, watercolour washed them, and die-cut a circle from it.  I also die-cut a circle from by plain white background panel  and in-laid my scene into it.  I then stamped out my little cute character and several presents from the 'Christmas Spirit' set, and a couple of balloons from Paper Smooches Hullabaloo set.  I then watercoloured and fussy cut them all and built up my scene using foam adhesive.  I then stamped out my sentiment from Mama Elephant's 'Woodland Gifts' set.  I added some black strings to my balloons, mounted onto black card to make my scene 'pop', and there you have it.

I hope this has gave you the excuse you need to get EVERYTHING you want haha - Go on, you deserve it - there's always other ways to stretch our sets :)

As always, everything is linked below, so be sure to have a peek in store.

See you next week.

Jillx

      

  

Need a Hug?

Hi everybody,

Jill here, and today, I'm offering up some hugs!

I used the new Paper Smooches 'Comforting Hugs' set again this week.  I just can't put it down, such an incredibly delightful set of images and sentiments.  The designs themselves are oh so sweet and simple, so I stuck with a pretty simple design of my own.

I started by stamping out my sentiment and this cute little cactus onto the centre of my card, and colouring the cheerful little chap using Distress Inks as watercolour.  I then gave him a wash of clear Wink of Stella, a layer of Glossy Accents, and left to dry completely.  I then created a circle mask, and used a chevron border stamp to create a background within the circle, using Versamark ink and clear heat embossing to act as a resist.  Whilst the mask was still in place, I washed over a mix of  Distress Inks, (Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, and Mustard Seed), not taking too much care as I wanted it to spill and splodge around the edge.  I then created a few little flicks of the same inks to create a little more interest to the backdrop.  I embellished with co-ordinating enamel dots and a scattering of clear sequins, matted onto black card, and mounted everything onto a Kraft card base.

                             

This set is one of those rare finds for me, whereby I want to use every single image, and every single sentiment from it!  I just think it's so adorable!  

As always, everything I used is linked below, and I have also linked an almost identical chevron set to the one I used, so be sure to check it out.

See you next week.

Jillx

         

Paper Smooches Paper Piecing...

Hi everybody,

Jill here with some pretty simple paper piecing for you...

I used Comforting Hugs from Paper Smooches newest release to make my card, and boy what a release it was!  And Lawn Fawn's Let's Polka Mon Amie, 6 x 6" paper pad.

This Comforting Hugs set is just so cuuute!  I am a hugger, and a hug lover, so it is perfect for me!  So many cute images, and sentiments that can fit so many occasions!  The gentle softness of the Let's Polka Mon Amie paper pad just seemed to match perfectly.

I stamped my image out onto a few different patterned papers from the same pad, fussy cut the various pieces, and adhered back in place.  I then cut my panels using Mama Elephant's Index Card Creative Card's Die, and my hill using Mama Elephant's Landscape Border Trio Die.  The Clouds are cut from plain white card  using Paper Smooches Curly Clouds Die, and the sun is from Lawn Fawn's Spring Shower's set.

My sentiment is from the same gorgeous 'Comforting Hugs' set, and is stamped in black and clear heat embossed on cream card.  I have embellished with a couple of enamel dots, matted onto kraft card, then the whole thing mounted onto a cream card base.  And there you have it, a really simple but, hopefully, cheerful, bright, and effective card.

As always, everything I have used is linked below.

One last thing before I go...did you notice my blunder?  Take a closer look...I stuck my sun on the wrong way round so the hearts are lying on their side!  DOH!  What a dafty.  Never mind, I'm sure we've all been there!  10 points to whoever spotted it :) 

See you next week.

Jillx