Sunday, June 17, 2018

Welcome Jett Mark 1

Recently the lovely Di from Pixie's Snippets Playground contacted me to see if I would like to GD for her snippets challenge - which of course I DID, lol - and I thought I'd share a card-in-a-box I made to welcome a friend's baby "Jett"... I made the christening cake for Jett's mum nearly thirty years ago so I like the synergy here :-)  The bonus, from The Playground's point of view is that these cards can (and in this case does) use a LOT of snippets!
I have made a metric version template of this card if you'd like to grab it from my Tutorials, Templates and Other Freebies Page, here's a direct link
The cute image, fussy cut but as one piece, is from Di's Digis... it's called Animal Crew and you can get it here. I coloured Copic markers, with a lot of detail added (like the lion's mane) using Prismacolor pencils. Glossy Accents to the balloon and a die cut sun... from Lawn Fawn's Spring Showers set
The papers I used were snippets from Die Cuts With a View's Animal Crackers pad - it has loads of glitter and, bonus to me, matching chipboard die cuts... these are what I have jiggling around on their acetate stalks.  I didn't realize until I was looking for the name of the pad that I've used this image/paper combo before here  - I obviously like it :-)


The chipboard corners came in the chipboard pack too, the tag with "Jett" on also, the letters for bub's name are wooden ones from my stash.
Like I said there's a lot of snippets on this card, the "frame" around the background (which I actually stencilled clouds onto, though you can hardly see them) IS a frame because I needed a bit more of the dark blue patterned paper to fit one of the outside panels.  I fetched the piece out of the waste basket to make the belly band, can't believe I threw it away tbh, I keep some very small snippets :-)
The little monkey die cut is from that embellie pack too, I have a velcro closure under it to hold the band together
The other side of the outside on these types of cards is where I usually put the jotting panel, as I didn't have a piece of the dark blue card left big enough to make a frame I thought I'd make a pocket to put a tag in instead... that itself is made up of two snippets as I didn't have a big enough piece left of any of the patterns I'd used to do it in one piece :-)  I added a brass eyelet and some baker's twine from my stash and used the plain side to jot my message
That was it for this card, thanks again to Di for asking me to be a Guest in the Playground.  I actually made two cards for this baby, one for my sister and her partner to give... the baby is her partner's daughter's first grandchild - when I did the christening card my sister wasn't his partner... and to make things even MORE interesting, we all met when I went out with him (met through a school friend) when I was 16!!
I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Tuesday Throwdown Tag It - The tag on the front, or the lift-out tag in the back
Cuttlebug Mania, Simon Says Challenge Frame It - The frame behind the image
Fab'n'Funky Challenges Bring me Sunshine
Crafty Cardmakers  For a Man or Boy
As You Like It Favourite Card Base Shape or Fold - I love "different" folds, that add a design element, this is one "favourite" - though I actually make square cards the most!
Die Cut Divas Animals or Pets
I hope you get a chance to join in Di's Snippets challenge... it really is no challenge at all, and a great way to clear out those Bits :-)
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna

Tuesday, June 05, 2018

It's "Allwhite", it's a MEGAPOST

I have a white-on-white card today... something I do very rarely, mainly because I find them so HARD, lol.  Also, after the card I thought I'd share what's been taking a huge chunk of my crafting time recently... I've been working on sorting my craft room (fine tuning the storage really) and I've been working of my dies storge... lots of white card involved there too!  Sooo, this is a very picture-heavy post.  First the card
I made this sympathy card for our friend Gerald on the loss of his lovely wife Thelma... she was such a sweet lady and is sorely missed by us all.
The background paper is a tissue like paper with solid white dots on (hard to see in the pic), I've had some of this paper for years, I have it with white dots and with multicoloured dots on... I only use it on "special" cards, but I do take it out regularly to stroke it - it's very tactile :-)
I cut the oval aperture with a Spellbinders Standard Ovals die, the frame is Spellbinders Floral Ovals die using white card that I ran through a Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder first.
The foliage is a Cheery Lynn die... Fanciful Flourish I think, the butterfly is Memory Box (Vivienne Butterfly?) with some clear rhinestones added to it's body.  Some more of the rhinestones added to the swirls on the flourish
I gave the inside much the same treatment as the outside, with the standard oval sentiment matt being placed on top of the Floral Ovals one instead of going to all the trouble of cutting a frame as for the front.  The sentiment was made on the computer, I printed it in dark grey instead of black so that it doesn't look as harsh.  I did finish the inside of the aperture with a frame like the front, it didn't NEED it, but it does make it look a lot more "finished".  That's it for the card, I'd like to enter in the following challenges:
Cuttlebug Mania Butterflies and/or Birds
Monochrome Magic Monochrome, Opt: No Patterned Paper
Now... you thought THAT was photo heavy, nooo, that part of the post is coming now :-)
I have been slowly doing "the sorting" of my craft room that I promised myself I would do when we stripped the room out and started from scratch...when we did the "new" kitchen - FIVE years ago!!  I am very nearly done now, yay! I'm going to take pics of the room and storage "options" and make a new page for my blog... today we have "Dies Storage 101", lol
I had some of my dies already in CD cases, I have kept my nested sets in CD cases and have now put all my other dies into DVD cases. I've put kraft paper in the covers and cut one of each die to add to that cover. Magnetic paper inside each case keeps the dies secure. 
A Dymo label on the edge lets me see what's what when they are stacked in the CD holder unit I have them in... which is attached to the end of my set of Ikea Billy units as seen above,  Phew!
I used LOADS of my white snippets getting all these dies cut, so I'm going to enter THIS project in Di's challenge over at Pixies Snippets Playground, hope it counts
I had to work out how to get the whole of my big alphabet die sets into one DVD case... I came up with a sort of stacked pocket system for the inside of the case... really works well, though it took several evenings of frustration!
I have a few more dies coming in the mail, but essentially I am DONE, yeehaw! I also have a few oversized ones that I have to work out a suitable system for, but that's a problem for another day.  
I thought, while I'm here, I'd show a few pics of how I keep multiple letters or words in line: First I line the letters up (my trimmer isn't dirty, I covered this one with clear contact as I was sick of the white measurements wearing off!) then I put clear low tack tape over them to pick them up.
Next I add glue (in this case a Zig pen) place them where I want them - rub to adhere, remove low tack tape, voila!  Not rocket science but someone may find it useful.  I cut my script words with double-sided tape on the back, but still get them "straight" on the low tack tape before taking the tape backing off... it stops the fine cuts from "stretching" when you take the backing off too, so bonus
If you've made it this far..... CONGRATULATIONS on your stamina, and thanks for your interest :-)).
I am working now on my clear stamps (in the bottom of my skinny cabinet).  My lace, ribbon, buttons, twines and embellies including every bead I own HAVE been sorted into suitable containers, I just have to tweak the labelling of those... again I'm very happy to be on this side of the sorting process, lol.  I will add pics of all those to my Craft Room Page... when I have pics and page :-)
That's it for today (Do I hear a "Thank Goodness for that"? lol) 
Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna