Merry Christmas cards!

A quick photo I did of a few more cards I made for this Christmas......

Have a fab holiday time whatever you get up to!

I'm going to have a little blog candy draw in the new year to mark me getting to my 100th blog post so watch this space.

xx Leo

More Christmas Cards

I haven't found time to post every day like I'd have liked to so I've got a load of cards to share today........ I'm loving these Sassafras papers this year and I've been using loads of glitter card with them too. I've got a pile of this really heavily glittered stuff that I've had for ages I think it came from one of the shopping channels, the one that used to have Alan and Barry on before they got rid of them. I used to love watching them larking about, so funny! It's really glittery anyway and really bright, just wishing I could get some more of it now I'm actually using it!

I've got some more cards done but I've not photographed them yet so I'll have to get them done asap.

I'm nearer my 100th post now, this one is 98 so when I get to 100 I'm defo going to have to do a fun little prize draw.....

Happy 1st of December!

I've not shared many Christmas card designs yet for this year so I thought I'll start sharing some this week.

This one I made for a Jenni Bowlin comp and just used a JB Christmas bingo card as the base then built up the front with micro courrugrated card and a tag decorated with vintage cake decorations, a JB ticket and book print patterned paper, Papermania flocked brads, raffia and a blossom.

I'l l post some different ones tomorrow...

xx

DCM Coffee

Love this weeks coffee inspired dare. I too am another coffee lover although I do try and keep my intake down to one decent cup a day, usually the morning and it has to be very good quality, very black and absolutely no sugar! I'm a big believer in if you are going to have a coffee then you have to have COFFEE lol

Ok so onto card. This isn't one I've made recently I made it a couple months ago but it fits in with the challenge so perfectly I just felt I had to share. Plus I am seriously lacking time to blog now I need to update with something.

I used yummy ribbons from Ribbon Oasis, coredinations cardstock, stamping, chipboard, AC Galaxy markers, October Afternoon rub-ons and Papermania brads.

More coffee inspired goodies I've been making just lately are these cute 'ringaroses' embellies I'm a bit addicted to making these at the mo. I've just mixed fabric with felt, stamping, scrapbook paper and stitching. They're great to stick on gifts or cards or whatever. These ones along with some others are heading in my Folksy shop when I've got 5mins to sort that.

I'll try and update bloggy with some more stuff I've been making soon, I'm almost up to my 100th post too (this one is 97) so I'll defo have to think of something cool to celebrate that, maybe a bit of a give away? Speaking of which I'm still sponsoring the card challenge on UKscrappers, this months caboodle is posted up there (a super lush blingy card kit).

xx Leo

Get your shades on!

The DMC challenge said brights so I did bright!

I actually love working in bright colours but I went especially ott for this one lol.

Used: Creative Imaginations holey cardstock, Love Elsie fabric, Pink Paislee Pop Fashion papers, Doodlebug sugared cardstock, Hambly kraft stickers, ribbons are all from Ribbon Oasis and random buttons from my stash.

If you've got time to make cards this week come and have a go at the card comp on UKScrappers, I sponsor the challenge every month and make up cool prizes so it's worth a go :-D Check it out here, http://www.ukscrappers.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=239390

I'm treating myself to a crafty play this afternoon (so hopefully I'll have more work to share!)because I've been working all weekend and I'm in need of chillaxing. I might stick the Pride and Prejudice DVD in too (BBC one), I got an email this morning to say it's now available in Blueray so it's made me want to watch it again. But it begs the question should I get it in Blueray hmmm... that damp Darcy scene in high definition, I think it defo needs adding to my Christmas list lol.

xx Leo

Daring Card Makers challenge

Kathy's lovely challenge this week was really inspiring so I had to have a play and here is what I came up with.... It's a complete mix up of things that are inspiring me at the mo, mixing new supplies with old and reusing things too. I used some new Bazzill swiss dotted cardstock and the tree is a pretty rub on from a new set by Daisy Bucket called Big World. The old stash is the brown ribbon and letter stickers and then I re-used some vintage lace, pattern paper (diecut and printed the rest of the quote on for the inside) and plastic packaging which I used to make a window in the card and applied the rub on on top of.

Thanks for the inspiration Kathy!

Just got time to share a peek of something that's taking a big chunk of my crafting time up at the mo, the next 'quirky kit' I've been making up. I'm calling this one 'Somewhere in Wonderland' although it has had a few names before that I think I've finally settled on this one. I'm hoping it will be ready at the end of the month. It's very 'quirky cute' this one.......

xx

Been Busy + Latest cards + peeks!

Thought I better get a new post up since there's been some serious blog neglect this month.

I have been crazy busy though making up the Christmas Crafty Templates kit, enjoying the last few dregs of the summer and going through upteen hair colour changes (not my hair I'm just the dope who has to keep applying it!) to name just a few things.

So anyway, some latest cards...

I've been playing around with creating depth and the one of the easiest ways I've found is to use corrugated card to matt embellishments or pieces of paper on, build them up then apply them to the card. It's robust but not heavy so it's not making the card bulky/weighty and therefore tippy! I think it looks cool from the side too, like a hone comb texture, plus it's free if you recycle boxes/packaging so it's all good. :-) I like going off the top of cards with bits too, this one fits a 6x6 envelope, if you pop it under neath your card before you stick on the pieces you can make sure it will fit whatever envelope you want to use.

More cards, these ones I've used nestabilities to cut out shapes from the corrugated card, (I used a Cuttlebug and just ran it through twice to make sure it cut cleanly).

These last two I made with the latest GoGo Greetings kit, I added the Bazzill card and used American Crafts markers for the doodling.

Speaking of kits I have been mega busy getting bits together for the Crafty Templates Christmas card kit and I'm not just saying it because it's mine but it is seriously lush, I'll take a sneaky peak photo soon, can't wait to show it off! It'll be a special bumper kit for October and it'll be perfect to make extra special Christmas cards with, plus it'll be some way to being a little more festive feeling by then, ooo can't wait. :-D

The September kit is a mini one, although it is still generous for a mini kit, I'm just rubbish at sticking to budgets!

I do have a sneaky peek picture of that already,

I got some of the cutest trims for it, the multicoloured one I found in my local haberdashery and I got every bit they had left! There's some of the latest American Crafts papers, Bazzill bling and scalloped card (which folds in half to make a perfect scallop edge card blank!) and I got some more of those little birdie notes. Those are by 'Pink Poison' (aka Marie) her website is very checkoutable if you like cute slightly quirky stuff, http://www.pinkpoison.net/

If you want one of these kits they're going up for sale on Crafty Templates on the 1st of September.

Well I'll try and get a new update soon, I'm booked in for another hair colouring session any time now. Just a warning, I know there can't be many people that are that crazy but don't be as dippy as my mum and try to add dark bits to your hair with 1. false tan and then 2. eyelash dye because you will get bright orange and then bright green streaks in your hair. Now I have to fix it and pray that it works out, wish me luck... lol

xx

Sassafras Lass Mass

So I was browsing the super cute Sassafras Lass blog and saw they're wanting to peek at readers work so because I'm a bit of a Sassa hoarder I figured I should make a contribution and oblige, not that I think my stuff is particularly great but I just want to show some love for their fab 'different' products. I've got a bunch of stuff to share but I've picked out some of my faves past and present.

These are all the latest cards I've made. I really think the Robotics papers are cool because they can be used for both girly cards and boy cards, just by adding in different embellies and mixing up the paper sides.
This is a project I made up for a pin wheel mini book. It's a standing up one so it makes a pretty decoration in place of something like a framed photo. This one is called 'BB's smile book' because it's full of photos of my cat (BB) and all the things that make her (and in turn me!) smile. :-)

I love the Oliver stamps I've had my set for an age and I'm still using them. This is one of my fav Christmas cards from last year...

And a card I made in the spring this year...

So yep again mega versitile!

I can't wait for the new goodies to start arriving I just love the Kawaii style papers and embellies!

TFL xx

Sprinkles

Here's my interpretation of this weeks Daring Cardmakers challenge, to make a card with some kind of 'sprinkles'. Cute challenge :-D It made me think of the many things I have 'sprinkled' around my desk at the mo so I picked up a few of those and gathered them together. I also thought of 'sugar sprinkles' I did those in my last Crafty Goodies kit which funnily enough was called 'Sugar Sprinkles'. Lynn from the Altered Element helped me pick out seed beads and bits that look like sugar sprinkles for the kits so I picked up what I had left in my little bag of those too. So that looked something like this......Then I cuttlebugged some core-dinations card and rubbed it back, glued it to a card blank (it's an A5 one that I cut just short of in half so I could have bits falling off the edge and it still fits in a C6 envie). Tied some tags around the top with some cute floss and then got to the 'sprinkling' bit with all the embellies. I added a bit of extra sparkle with some gems too.....
Thanks for another fab dare!

xx Leo

Christmas in July - CCT

I've been a bit of a manic Crafter these past few weeks, making up samples for my latest Crafty Templates sets but it's not stopped me wanting to have a play for me and because last year I was still making Christmas cards on Christmas eve I figured it could be wise to get just a few cards done a bit earlier this year and stock them up. I do hate {a bit} the idea of making festive cards in summer but I guess these last few weeks it's felt more like winter weather wise so it's not so bad! lolSo anyway this is the card I came up with for this weeks Cute Card Thursday challenge! I'm making a start on my new Christmas templates this week so I decieded to revisit some of the ones I made last year for some inspiration. This one is the 'Cutesy Reindeer' template {you can get him in the complete animal set or the Christmas 07 set here if you want him}.

I made up the shaped card with the template and then printed the head bit on to glitter card and coloured it in with Galaxy markers. The body bit I decorated with Doodlebug paper and core-dinations card sanded and then embossed with the cuttlebug. The little message bit is Cuttlebug diecuts too just layered and stamped then with a handwritten message to finish.

xxTFL

The Great Outdoors

So here's my card for this weeks Cute Card Thursday challenge........

With the theme being the great outdoors I had to use bits from my 'natureific' quirky kit! I also used a cuttlebug folder, the small scallop with the deer was cut with a nestability die and then I used just a bit of ink and a GoGo Greetings stamp. Everything else is straight out of the kit. The deer paper is one of the new October Afternoon ones (that's in the kit) and it's defo my new favourite paper. The tree stamp is a lino block stamp I cut myself. I made one for each of the kits too!
TFL xx

Make a Wish!

I needed a kick up the bum to get this commission card done so I popped on to the Cute Card Thursday blog to see if today's challenge could get me started and it did so thanks guys!

The challenge is to make a card with no patterned paper, so that made me reach for my Bug to make some embossed backgrounds. I picked up some of the Core'dinations Black Magic cardstock I've been playing with this week and used that with the Argyle Cuttlebug embossing folder and the Swiss dots one too, using the black side, sanding it to bring the blue/grey colour through and used the coloured side with the dots and then rubbing over a black inkpad. I needed more polka dottiness so I used my Technique Tuesday Swiss Dots stamp on the paper blossoms and layered those up. I've got loads of offcuts of acetate on my desk so I embossed one of those and used it along the edge of the card so it continued the Argyle pattern.

The Tilda stamp is a mix of watercolouring in and stamping on to Bazzill card then chalking to add dimension. Bit of doodling and a couple of buttons to finish it off, oh the chipboard letters and the swirly bit are Queen&Co I think, they were both in an old kit so I'm not 100% on those. The little stars are out of one of my Crafty Goodies kits, as is the blue card. I'm trying to be good and use up some stuff!

Thanks for another fab challenge, they're so great to kick start my brain!

xx Leo

Another Cute Card Thursday

Here's my card for this weeks Cute Card Thursday challenge! I used some Prima papers and card from my May GoGo greetings kit. The image is one of my Pen Princess Fashion Decades downloads,(you can get them here) this one is the Regency one, (think Pride and Prejudice!). I just printed her onto paper, stuck over off cuts of the patterned paper for the dress and sash. Then I printed her onto white card and the background plum colour card, coloured in the white card bits for her face and hair and then cut it all out and layered it back together again to recreate the image.

I made another one last week I've not stuck on my blog yet. Done in the same way using more Prima papers but with the 50's image this time.

xx Leo

DMC - Crikey that was quick!

I'm not usually good at quick cards - because I kind of like taking time over making a card, not hours and hours but I'd happily spend an hour playing about with ideas and putting a card together. But as the challenge is to make a quick card I figured if I was going to be quick I would be quick. This card from picking out bits to make it to putting it together took literally 10mins.

The papers are freebie ones from this months Crafts Beautiful, those were on my desk and already co-ordinated (tip #1 for quick cards find papers that are already co-ordinated!) the card size was dictated by a pink envelope I had that went with the paper. I tore out two squares of the papers, layered them up and cut the happy birthday bit out of another of the papers and used it as a greeting/boardery bit. The embellie is made from a plastic flower I had on my desk hanging around and I just added the glitter Thickers, those I'd just got through the post so those were hanging around my desk too. The buttons are out of my button sweetie jar, I just fished out ones that went with the papers. Glued it all together, bit of doodling around the edges and it's done! The slowest bit was getting those glitter Thickers off the sheet , I've not had those ones before they're a nightmare! It's annoying because the foam ones are a dream to use so I was assuming these would be the same but nope.

So anyway there we go super quick card. And like I said my top tip is defo find papers that match already and stick with them for picking out your embellies and you can't go wrong. :-)

News Just in!

I just need to make up a couple of samples and then it'll be up and ready for sale. I've had lots of fun putting it together. Lots of the embellishments I've made myself so they'll be unique to the kits, I even had a go at making some tea dyed lace. There's some yummy Japanese fabric pieces too and some mega cool trims and trinkets. Plus some lino block stamps that I made, I'll do a little demo on using them because I'm guessing some people might be stumped with it but I've used klingon on them to make them stamp easier by hand.

Anyway - I'll get the samples done and then share bigger piccys when it goes on sale.

xx Leo

Tagged by Tracy

Tracy I'm doing it on this blog instead of my CT one, hope you don't mind!

OK here goes.......

The "rules" of the game: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

Ten years ago:
I would have been at school and doing my A-levels! I did fashion design, fine art and history. I suppose I would have been doing some kind of mock exams this time of year,yep, I vaguely remember the world cup being on and an England game going on in the common room underneath where we were doing a mock history exam so yep would have been doing that. :-D

Five things in today's 'to do list':
1. Edit website 2. Get food shopping 3. do some card samples and photos 4. Message back my bro about hair cutting 5. Find out why Sky TV stopped working Project cat walk is on tonight! - nightmare. :(

Snacks I enjoy:
Anything! Ice-cream/frozen yogurt is a biggy, I love Ben&Jerry's! The yogurt one that tastes like cheesecake is mega yum!

Things I would do if I was a millionaire:
That's easy, I'd pay my debts off, spend a bit of it on craft goodies and give some to mum and dad for everything they've given me over the years and then give the rest away to the CPL. I wouldn't want to be a millionaire for long!

Places I have lived:
I'd love to say I've lived in loads of cool places but I've lived in the same place for pretty much all my life, in a village in the north of England that was founded by the Vikings and it's still got it's Viking name as far as I'm aware.

I need to tag some other people now so I'll do...
Deb, Lou, Enjay, Kathy and Pat.

:-D

DCM - Vroom!

My go at this weeks Daring Cardmakers dare! I think this is the scariest card I've ever made but it'll suit where it's going. I was going for like a punk rock tattoo look but I'm not sure where it ended up!

The wheel bit as per the dare is the embellie in the center I made it up from different diecuts and embossing with my cuttlebug. The background is one of the newer Cuttlebug embossing plates and I used Coordinations 'black magic' cardstock then rubbed it back. It's not as easy to rub back as I thought it would be, i.e it needed proper sandpaper but it's still quite cool stuff. The rest is from my drawings, printed onto patterned paper and cut out.

TFL

xx Leo

Hodge Heg Card

This is my card for this weeks Cute Card Thursday challenge! The challenge is to use 3 types of embellishments on your card so I picked out ribbon, buttons and a rub on. The hedgehog (or as I call him hodge heg, I don't know why I call them that I just do, same with hang coaters instead of coat hangers!) embellie is from a new set of downloadable images I'm working on called embellish-buddies. I just printed him out on patterned paper, cut the pieces out and reassembled him to make the embellishment. The rub on I added afterwards, that's a Bo Bunny one. I embossed the card blank too with my Cuttlebug, just to add a simple background.

Thanks for another cute challenge!

Quirky Kits

Ok so after some inquiries about me doing a quirky/mixed media style crafting kit I think I'm confusing people making up different places to look for it so I've decided it would be easier if I put the kits here. It'll make it easier for me too!

So I'll do a quick intro for them.....

The 'quirky' kits will be made up of patterned papers, cardstock, fabrics, trimmings, trinkets and found/handmade objects. The idea is they can be used for scrapbooking, art journalling, altered art, card making, well whatever you want to use them for!

The 'quirky' bit just means unusual themes or items etc. Just something a little bit different.

I'm starting it off with a one off kit that will be available in the next couple of weeks then depending on how well that goes down I might start quarterly subscriptions for the kits. Otherwise I might just do them when I find something cool that inspires me!

The first one off kit will be called 'Natureific' (Nature+ific) and here's a sneak peek!

If you want to know when I've done and they're on sale email me (use the button at the side) and I'll email you back when they're ready.

xx Leo

Matryoshka girl

OK so I'm a bit of a shaped card impresario so I had to come up with something mega cute for this weeks DCM shaped card dare. I had a Russian doll shaped card template design already which I liked so I just tweaked it a little bit. I felt the need to play with my new GoGo Greetings kit so that dictated the papers I used but I think the two worked together pretty well.

P.S I'm not into pushing stuff at you on my normal non businessy blog but if you do enjoy your shaped cards I'm kinda thinking you will like Crafty Templates so do pop in a have a peek. I've got literally hundreds of shaped card templates if you subscribe and there's kits to play with and dances you can learn and cake too! Well maybe not dancing and cake but there is everything else, in fact for next months kit I will be making cake, just for pictures but you're welcome to join in with the baking if you like!

xx Leo

Merci! CCT

Hi!

Well it was a complete suprise to win the draw on Cute Card Thursday and this morning the little Tilda stamp arrived! Seemed apt that I use it for a CCT challenge this week so I got stuck in and made a little thank you card or seeing as it's a Paris Tilda a merci card!

The challenge is to use patterned paper so I picked out some Making Memories noteworthy ones, chopped them up to fit the little card blank and did some wetting and rolling of the edges to add some texture. Tilda is also made up of little bits of patterned paper and some water colouring too.

Finished off with a bit of ribbon tied around the middle and a handwritten tag.

So, merci everyone!

xx Leo

Animal Crackers!

I love making animal cards so I loved the sound of this weeks DMC challenge - to make cards with animals on them!

It worked out pretty well too because I was trying to think of an idea for a special card I needed to make this weekend and it got an idea in my head and then I just started sketching...

I copied and printed my sketch out on some Basic Grey paper and cut out to decorate the dress and then printed it on plain card to colour in the rest with pencils and paints. The letters are Basic Grey too.

I made another animal card at the weekend with one of the Debs Designs images Debbie has on my site. They're v-cute.

I printed the yo yo doggy on some Scenic Route, Dream Street and then Bazzill card - cut out the bits I wanted and then stuck it all back together again over another of the images that I printed on a half sheet of Bazzill card then folded it to make the base card. I popped some brads on to decorate his collar and there's some glossy accents on his nose too.

Thanks for another fabby challenge DMCers!

xx Leo

Pen Princess in Paris

I've been making these drawings for the last couple of weeks for my Crafty Templates site and I'm telling you it's addictive! I did a series of bird cards with hand drawings on last year and I got a bit carried away then but these are even funner because they're a bit easier to dress up than a bird! lolThis is Pen Princess, so called because she's just like the little princess icon I sketched years ago for my craftyprincess site and because she came out of a pen! I suppose she could be a Penelope too if you like but I prefer pen :-D. I used goodies from my GoGo Greetings kit to cut out the shapes from after printing her on to patterned paper and Bazzill, then coloured in the rest.

I always draw people like I learned when I did fashion design with triangle bodies and she kind of just stayed stuck with a triangle body! Then I've dressed her up in pretty and funky outfits, the kind I'd wear if I didn't always end up shoving on my jeans. I think I'll have to do a special dress up fashion series to make up like paper dolls - I love paper dolls! Defo have to do that! Anyway I digress so I started sketching this out the other night while watching the Apprentice (why did he not get fired!!!) and weirdly it fitted in perfectly with the cute card Thursday challenge for this week to make a travel themed card! Plus because the peeps on there always give away a freebie it's only fair that I give my Pen away too. :-D

Click here to download Princess Pen in Paris

xx Leo