Those Pretty Leaves

I promised to share how I made the leaves for my roses and I haven't posted a tutorial for like forever! - so here goes....

These are the supplies you'll need:  deckle edged scissors (I don't know why mine are called 'gaspare' but say it with a french accent and they sound really fancy - I love that about them LOL), green cardstock, green or brown inks and a paper crimper.

Begin by cutting or punching squares of green card stock.  These can be perfectly square or eye-balled approximate squares - I'm usually an 'eye-ball' it kinda crafter (too lazy to dig out a punch more like LOL).  Next fold the square in half to form a triangle.

Keeping the folded edge intact use your deckle design scissors to cut a curve.  The triangle shape provides a rough guide where to start, stop and how far you can curve out towards the tip end - see shot below at the shape that's left over once I've cut it out.  You can of course use a pencil line to follow if you find this easier - just make sure you do it on the wrong side so you don't see it and don't have to erase it.

Once you have a leaf shape ink along the folded edge to create a 'spine' and then open and ink around all edges.  I use a much darker shade of ink as a highlight of all those lovely features.  It's also easier to do this part before crimping and then the rest comes later.

Now re-fold the leaf and pass through the crimper at a slight angle.  This puts the ripples (veins) on a diagonal slant which is much more realistic looking.

Now re-open the leaf, lay on a flat surface and pass the ink pad over gently to emphasize those ridges.  Excuse my 'yellowed' fingers - yuk!  Between the brown ink on the roses and the green on the leaves they look horrid - sorry - don't have any of those finger sponges.  I've always wanted some so maybe I should invest huh?

And here's a shot of all those lovely leaves in two shades of green BoBunny dotty cardstock.  Don't they look fab?

And since I've now made several flowers I thought I'd share a few things I've discovered.  These baby's have such depth to them that adding them to a card sounds scary - just how do you add them to a card?  I know Kay uses silicone for hers but I wanted more options and a little less depth so I decided to turn over each section and gently  'poke' in the pointed tip.  You can do this a lot or a little depending on your preference (or not at all even).

Next I turned it back over again and 'squidged' the tip flat - and YES - that is a technical term LOL!

Here you can see all three sections 'squidged' giving me a flatter surface for gluing to a leaf or a project. TIP: this also makes it easier for you to add a small amount of blue tac and temporarily stick the rose to the end of a paint brush or other tool so you can easily hold it to glue and glitter (or spray) the finished roses.

And finally - I even 'squidged' the swirl flower before adding it to the middle of my rose to kinda bend and distress the petals a bit.  Some may bend the wrong direction but just straighten them out when you turn it back over. 

Another TIP:  I add glue into my rose sections and leave to 'tacky up' while I make the small swirl flower and then assemble everything once I have all the sections made for an instant stick.  Then I tip them upside down and lay something on top to hold them while they 'cure' and then make the leaves just to be sure before handling them again.  That way I can glue, glitter, tip them any which way and they can take it all without coming apart but of course a quick drying, tacky glue helps too.

And there you have it - a realistic looking leaf for Kay's realistic looking roses.  Thanks a 'bunch' Kay :-)  Get it?  'A bunch'!

Hope you make some fabby leaves for all those floral creations you make girls - 3D or otherwise.

Enjoy!

Suezie



Computer Generated Text

This week I created a tutorial over on Lasting Memories showing how to create computer generated text for your scrap booking layouts.  Since I ran on and on I promised to share a few pages here on my blog that feature a few more ideas so here goes.

For this first page I decided to trim a 12 x 12 piece of card stock to fit my printer - it can be 12" long but just not 12" wide - I don't have a 12 x 12 printer.  I typed my name aligned to the left on a page in horizontal orientation.  Then I stamped pretty flowers in black ink in the empty space at the right side and added colour using pens.  After layering up my title border strip I also added a few extra words that I thought described Maddycakes to a tee.

In this next page I used my computer to create the journaling block, the large title letters and even the coloured names.  For the large letters and numbers I simply enlarged my font once I had typed what I wanted.  Then I printed on patterned paper.  Next I added a straight pen border roughly around each one making sure to emphasize the differing sizes & heights and then went back with a 'quirky' pen border just inside the first one.  Finally I cut around each letter leaving a bit of additional border and my accent letters and numbers were finished.  For the names I simply used an interesting font that I downloaded and changed the colour of each.  If you are unsure which ones you can trust try http://www.dafont.com/ for absolutely tons of free fonts.

The journaling block is pretty basic and was created in a table format as explained in my tutorial but I left enough room in the left margin so I could add coloured snaps.  I wanted the 'polka dot' theme to run throughout my layout and for me this just finished it off nicely.

This last page features more clever use of text by creating a circle shape.  I repeated a simple phrase 'the TRUE cost of beauty..... the TRUE cost' etc.  I did this so I could place my circle anyway I wanted and you could still read the text.  I printed it on white so it would blend in with my background page - I don't have a 12 x 12 printer remember so you have think smarter to make up for it. 

I added lots of die-cut scalloped and plain circles inside and outside my text circle and finally added alphabet stickers across the centre to finish off the phrase.  The journaling was created in a tall thin table and I left enough space top and bottom to overlap the free stickers we got from the store.  Maddy got stickers but Grandma asked for extra to use on this page.

It's been kinda nice re-visiting these pages.  I've done quite a few over the years but I don't get them out to look at very often and maybe I should.  Next time the grandkids come I think they'd enjoy seeing some of these.  Would be interesting to see if Maddycakes remembers getting her ears pierced!

Quick Paper Pricking Tutorial

I saw this idea recently on the net somewhere (sorry can't remember where or I'd give credit for it) but I figured I would never find plastic canvas easily here in the UK. I was wrong!

I bagged this beauty just today along with some pretty ribbon (and even some brand new fabric from a charity store).

Here's how it works:

Use a punch or die-cut to cut your circle. Place it on a mouse mat or foam pad.

Next position the plastic canvas circle on top and line up as closely as possible to the nearest matching circle size. Begin piercing in each square with a pokey tool.

When you're finished you end up with a perfectly aligned circle of pierced holes. How cool is that? Better still I only paid 40p for my newest piece of craft equipment!

Easiest Box You'll Ever Make!

With Christmas approaching fast I am looking for ideas for my daughter to help the grandkids give gifts. Of course these will have to be handmade in order for her to stay well within her budget (almost nothing) so she plans to let the kids bake cookies and have a fun time doing it. That means she's going to need quick but pretty packaging for presenting them in. THAT'S where I come in - although I hope I get to help bake too.

This is MY version of an easy box which is all Christmassy in Cosmo Crickets papers in bright green and red. I don't know if I've ever met a family of papers I like more than these 'Jolly by Golly' designs!

Here is a bit of a close up shot so hopefully you can see some of the detailing I used.

I just love using brown ink with these papers so I stamped a line of stitches around the top panel. I think this comes from a PTI set. It's permanently out ready to use so I can't recall the name of the set but I'm pretty sure it's PTI. I also used my distressing tool before inking the edges and I inked the edges of the box as well. I used a cardboard colour base which sets the red and green papers off nicely. I have added those fab holly leaves stamped with WM stamps and added red ribbon that I picked up in Tesco's of all places. It was in the Christmas wrap section on a card with a matching bow.

Here you can see the lid lifted off the base. Now I KNOW making boxes isn't exactly 'rocket science' but there is an easy way to make a box either from a square or rectangle without making lots of 'bitty' measurements so I've decided to SHARE. I promise - this will be one of the easiest boxes you'll ever make (minus the decoration of course). Just to show you can still create something nice with much less effort here is the one I created for Vicky and the kids to make.

This is the bow I was tellin you about and there was enough ribbon on the card for two boxes. I think it was about a pound but I can't remember. I pick these things up whenever I see them. Vicky's box uses pre-printed card stock, a simple bit of ribbon and a bow plus a simple tag using a WM stamp.

OK so here's how easy it is to make. Take two pieces of card the same size. For my box I used two A4 sheets cos it was easier and it makes up to a 7 3/4" x 4 1/4" by 2" deep box - perfect for filling with cookies. Whatever size you choose to use you only need to decide the depth of your box. That being said, the larger the depth the smaller the finished box will be so just try to keep it proportionate.

Step 1 - take just ONE piece of cardstock and trim away 1/4" (or a little less for thinner card) from one long edge and one short edge. If using square card stock then two adjoining edges is the same principal. THAT's ALL the adjustments you need make! Let me explain more....

Score both pieces of card stock on all four sides with your desired depth measurement. For my box I chose 2" so I scored 2" in on each side. NOW the trimmed piece of cardstock is the base and the untrimmed card stock the lid. It's as easy as that!

For the base I cut up to the first score line on the LONG edge so the flaps tuck in and secure on the long side of the base. This will most likely be lined with paper so it doesn't matter too much anyways.

For the lid I cut up to the first score line on the short ends so the flaps tuck in at the end. This distributes the 'bulk' evenly on the box as well reinforcing lid and base in two different places making it much sturdier when closed - hey - maybe there is a bit of science in there somewhere?

It also allows you to cut a semi-circle 'notch' out of the long sides to make lifting the lid off easier and besides it looks much neater this way around - you don't really notice the flaps inside the ends of the box so readily.

OK so that's basically it except that I decorated mine. Unfortunately you can't avoid a lot of measuring if you do this but this CAN be avoided if you use a patterned or pretty textured cardstock and 'pretty' it up with ribbon and embellishments.

Whenever you're ready simply add tape on all four flaps (this is the lid), peel backing and secure in place. TIP: you can trim flaps at the slightest angle before securing to make a neater box and avoid uneven edges.

Then you bring in the flaps and secure in place.

I inked the edges of all my paper before sticking it down but then once my box was complete I inked the edges of the box as well.

I think maybe I'll try a square one next. I am supposed to be making some card sets and they would look so pretty in a decorated box. I had actually planned to finish off some sewing projects today so I think that's enough crafting for now. Hope this tutorial makes sense. Enjoy!

From the Heart

I managed to make another quick project this afternoon. I knew I had a stamped and layered heart made with my new set of stamps from Waltzing Mouse just lying on the kitchen table. I also knew I had borrowed a die from Amanada with the intention of making a heart shaped basket. What a perfect pair for a sweet little heart shaped gift basket. I can just imagine a yummy heart shaped cookie inside for gift giving - how cute!

I haven't done a tutorial for a while so I decided to add the instructions for this basket. Do you notice the large tub of delicious red 'faux dewdrops' in the background? I went out to M & W Smith on Saturday to pick up a couple of things for a Christmas package for mom and just couldn't resist getting a tub full. At only £3 a tub there are hundreds or 220g to be exact so I can share loads and still have a life time supply. I don't go there too often so I try to pick up a tub each time and the lovely red just reminded me of Christmas.

I started my basket by cutting a 1" strip diagonally from a 12 x 12 sheet of card stock. This was so I could create the sides and handle all in one go but if you used a smaller length you could punch holes and add a ribbon handle.

Then I cut 2 pieces from the Ellison 'petal card' die on my big shot. I guess if you don't have this die you could score a square, draw half circles on each side and cut it by hand. It would work just as well. Then I trimmed two adjoining sides to create 'tabs' to secure to the handle leaving a perfect heart shape.

Curl the strip to form a loop and secure the ends. Pinch into a point at the join to form the point for the tip of the heart. Add the back panel securing the tabs to the inside and then adhere the front panel in the same way. You can now add ribbons and other embellishments to decorate your basket.

I think I'd like to work on this design a bit more to see what I can come up with. Maybe I need to have a proper dig through my papers and find just the right colour combination, we'll have to see. I have also thought of another way to create this using all nestabilities so I may post a second tutorial some time this week. It's good to have choices. I am leaving these stamps out so I can play some more when I can. I just know there are endless possibilities!

Make 'n' Take

We sadly ran out of time on Sunday's all day workshop to get to the make 'n' take done so I promised I would share it here on my blog for anyone wanting details.




Cut your yellow card stock to 3 1/4" x 6 3/4" and score in from one end at 3 1/8" and then a further 1/2" which should leave a remaining 3 1/8".

Fold on all score lines. Cut your ribbon length in half and secure one to the inside base of the cover and secure post it note on top.

Secure remaining ribbon on the outer front cover and secure yellow scalloped square on top.

Layer up front decoration with a brown 3" square followed by a floral 2 1/2" square and add your daisy, leaf and button embellishments to complete.

NOTE: you can ink and add 3D dimension to any of the elements you wish in this project.

Tie closed to complete.

When I give these as little gifts, (especially if filling a basket with several) I like to use clear celophane to wrap them in and pretty ribbon or twine and a gift tag as a finishing touch. The ease and 'pretty' factor make this a super gift for a ladies group and presented in a basket with several different colours makes choosing one extra nice.

I also have a 'post it note' tutorial here on the blog so check it out for more inspiration.

Mini Card Tutorial

I was slap bang in the middle of a clean up session in my craft room today when I just happened to run across a few scraps, buttons and bits that I thought might look good together. See what you think.

I thought a tutorial was long overdue. Forgive me if you think this is a bit too basic but I know gals who craft yet don't make cards who would love to have an easy project like this.

This is what I began with - a mat with inch measurements, a clear ruler with steel on one edge for cutting against (or you could use a trimmer or old fashioned ruler, pencil and scissors), a craft knife, scissors, a scrap of plain card stock, a scrap of designer paper, a few smaller scraps of paper, a scrap of punched scallop, stamped and hand cut flowers, buttons and embellishments, scrap of ribbon or trim and of course adhesive tape to stick it altogether..

Here's what I did to create this sweet mini card.

First I trimmed my black card to measure 7" x 3.5" and then folded it in half.

Next I took a scrap of my patterned paper (remember this could simply be a trimming off another project) and adhered it across the card using double sided tape and leaving plenty of space top and bottom. Then I trimmed the excess. I do this from the reverse because its easier to see where to cut and to cut straight.

Then I added a scrap of punched border I had to hand.

WHAT to do if you don't have a punch - use a straight edged piece of co-ordinating paper OR use a corner punch to create a scalloped edge (see photo below) OR use decorative scissors OR punch small circles, cut in half and lined up along the lower edge of your scrap OR draw a straight line (on reverse of paper to hide pencil lines) and place a button or penny half on the line, draw around it, move it along, draw around it and so on and so on, then free hand cut a scallop. Any one of these methods should work just as well.

If you haven't yet invested in a corner punch try getting one that has a plastic guide that can be removed. Once removed you can now punch scallops along a straight edge rather than a corner. This allows you to avoid decorative scissors which can sometimes be tricky to line up and gives you 2 effects from one tool making it much more economical too. These can be found at most craft stores but YTOC stock them and will happily show you how to do this technique if you ask when purchasing one.

Using a corner rounder on the edges adds an extra touch to your handmade card. I personally don't like hard lines and harsh edges so I have collected at least a half dozen corner rounders over the years but this yellow one is my personal favourite. The green one is the next size up - I must get that one some time!

Next you can tie a scrap of ribbon around the front and secure into a knot, then trim the ends to neaten. Knots happen to still be trendy but if you prefer a bow tie a knot first; that way you're not fighting to keep the ribbon tight. If you really struggle with this add a thin piece of adhesive tape behind your ribbon to keep it in place whilst you tie.

Now you're ready to add an embellishment of some kind. You can use die cut shapes, pre-purchased shapes or embellishments, punched shapes, stamped images or even hand doodled flowers. An inexpensive set like this (YTOC) has multiple uses for mini cards and at £4.99 is a reasonable investment. Whatever method you choose try using a scrap of patterned paper rather than plain to add further interest.

Here is a flower that I doodled myself. The trick is to go around with the pen twice and it looks better if the lines aren't neat! Note - I also added pen stitches to the pink border instead of ribbon. It really doesn't have to be expensive to craft.

For a 3D element add a button or similar type embellishment to the middle of your flower and your card is essentially done. How cute!

Ok so now you could just stop there but I NEVER give a card without a liner (so unprofessional ladies) so cut yourself a piece of paper measuring 6 3/4 " x 3 1/4". Fold this in half and round lower corners if you used this method on your card.

Add some adhesive tape to the inner crease of the card and gently tuck the liner into the crease then fold the card to secure in place. Now you are completely finished!

I went ahead and made another sample to show you the difference. Yes I like the one that used the border punch and ribbon better but it just goes to show you don't have to have lots of fancy things to create cute cards. The 'love' on the pink card was a cheap and cheerful peel off.

I have an envelope tutorial here on the blog to make square envelopes so check that out too.

Why not make 4 or 6 of these cute mini cards all the same, add envelopes, wrap in clear cellophane, tie with a pretty ribbon and add a tag featuring one of the flowers and the words 'handmade note cards' or 'handmade especially for you' and you have a lovely handmade gift item.

Put together the pre-cut elements into a decorated box, basket or small tin and you have a handmade card kit to give. If you give this gift along with a made up card then the recipient will have a sample to work from. This is great for gift giving to fellow crafters that you know and especially nice for someone just starting out. You could even include a corner punch as part of the kit!

Hope you've found this tutorial helpful. Happy crafting!