TFT - New Years Resolutions

I know yesterdays post was gonna be my last, but I just had to squeeze this cutie in.. on New Years Eve too! :) Now I really have fulfilled a post a day. I am pretty proud of myself. 

Onwards. This is an image from the November release over at Time for Tea Designs. All of Jo's amazing images can be purchased over at her Etsy Shop. 

This girlie is aptly named New Years Resolutions. I totally took my inspiration from Jo when colouring up her dress. Jo is an absolute magician when it comes to ProMarker work! She holds regular Demo Days at Hobbycraft in Sheffield - oh how I wish I lived closer!!

I decided to create another easel card so I had room for a 2014 calendar on the base. This card would be good to keep out on a desk or side table to remind yourself of all the promises you made at the beginning of the year, hehe. I kept the colour scheme in blues, yellows and kraft. I used one of my faaavourite My Minds Eye paper packs which I've been holding on to for a ridiculous length of time.

I was watching.. something on Create and Craft the other night and it spurred me into thinking about my Fimo and the few molds I bought waaay back earlier in the year. I only used them a couple times, and then they got thrown in the drawer and forgotten about. Naughty me!! So, off I went to dig the stuff out.

I knew I'd be using a lot of turquoise, with it coming up to Valentines, and taking a look at the papers in my drawer I knew that it'd be a common theme, so I decided to make up a bunch of turquoise bits and pieces. Afterwards I hit eBay and bought a few more molds, mainly buttons. Can't wait to have a play with those. I also treated myself to a pack of Martha Stewart paper clay. Fun times ahead! 

So I used one clay doodad in the little sentiment/ flower cluster on the card, and another underneath the calendar. I dusted my molds with talc, and some of it stuck to the little flower design, so instead of brushing it off I put them in the oven with the hope that it'd bake into it - result! It looks so pretty.

I added a few Whimsy Stamps Tickets to the design as well as some die cut swirls (both in Kraft cardstock from Papermania) some organza ribbon (anyone know the width of that? 23mm? 25mm? - I need some more in my life. See what happens when I promise myself I'll use stuff up?! Hah!!), some Wild Orchid Craft goodness and a little clock charm. 

I was going to go crazy with buttons too, but I thought with the busy patterned paper I used in the background and the larger image panel, I thought I'd let the things I'd choose speak for themselves without adding more for the eye to take it. 

I think I've learned a lot over the last year about embellishments, their placement and having 'empty' spaces on cards for your eyes to rest. Thanks to a lot of YT and blog hopping. 

So with all this in mind I thought I'd set myself 5 Crafty New Years Resolutions

1. Experiment with my colouring.

Don't worry my little ProMarker buddies, I will continue flying the flag for us, and I hope you will too (yes, I'm talking to you Coops and Donna!!) I want to push myself to create backgrounds, groundings, more intricate clothing, more detailed hair, more shading. The whole whack!! 

Pussssssh myself.

2. Leave more love.

I don't think I've done too badly this year. I have burst of blog commenting every few weeks or so. If I haven't stopped by your blog lately and left you love, I can only apologise.. but I will be there! Soon!!

3. Be more organised in my own personal card making.

So, almost everyone who knows me knows I make my own cards now.. and if they don't receive one for their birthday or anniversary.. or Christmas.. I always feel like I've let them down. So from now on I will have a calendar up above my desk a month a head so I can see all of the cards I need to make in the next month to get sent out. 

Fingers crossed all goes well! ;)

4. Keep a better record of inspiration.

Whatever it may be that I find when browsing the web, or checking FB, or blog hopping - I always seem to.. lose. I might be under the impression that it's tucked away somewhere in the depths of my brain, but when I get sat at the craft desk.. *poof* it vanishes, and I might as well not have bothered spending 4.5 hours searching for said inspiration.

Long story short - make better use of my sticky notes and note pad. 

5. Use. It. Up.

I say this every year, but every year I get even better at it.

I've already mention in previous posts that I think I've found my *hotspots* in my craft area, so every couple months or so I plan on rotating some of my stash, like the stuff that I haven't been using very much will get moved into the areas I dip into all the time. That's the plan anyway.

Who's with me?! LOL! Thanks for stopping by today. 

Best wishes for next year, everyone. Let's hope it's the best yet! :)

2013 Favourites

.. so I tried to limit myself to 10 cards.. it didn't happen. This post has been a long while in the process, and I know that you may not want to read all of my waffle - if not, just have a flick through some of my projects, and if you do - grab a mug of your favourite liquid and join me.. I'll meet you at the end. 

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I realise that as the years go on (this will have been my 3rd Christmas since I started crafting in early December of 2010) - I make more and more cards each year. Whether it be commissions, personal cards, or orders placed by my friends, the number of creations seems to increase each year.

.. and that is no bad thing. It just means this post on the 31st December each year will be that bit longer. Maybe 2014 will see me a little more decisive and choose less for better reasons.

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Let's start.

My Favourite Cards of 2013

#1 - I think this is the first example I have of the ambition to create a 'scene' on my card. I teamed up Some Odd Girl - Renew goodness with some PaperCraft Junkie commissioned pieces and her castle! I also love the colours I used on this card - the mustard yellow dress looks lovely with the aqua flags and torrents.  

#2 - This was the last card I made for my Grandma before she passed away in hospital earlier in the year. She left it on her windowsill the entire time she was in there! :) It was a 'feel better' / 'happy Mother's day' card combined. I love this image from Saturated Canary, all of that hair is a treat to colour, and I used up some of my older My Mind's Eye paper - love that woodgrain.

This card now lives on my mirror in the living room as a happy memory. Loved the bones of that woman.

#3 - This was the first time I ever coloured up a Redonkadoodles image, and I loved it. I added a lot of detail to the area of the shoe with some little flower stamps. The Rendonkadoodles designs are so clean and a dream to colour! :) Highly recommend them. I also picked this card as it's so blingy, girly and in your face. Not my style at all, but I really pushed the boat out and gave the lady what she asked, gold glitter tape and all! :)

#4 - I LOVE creating designs like this. The base of them is just clean and graphic, then I go crazy with embellishments and fonts. I used some Bling card from Bazzill as well as a bunch of WOC goodness, Lawn Fawn alpha stamps, Thickers, The Ribbon Girl ribbon, lace and mesh.. aaaaaaaand a whole load of love. Such a clean colour combo and that diamond embossing will never get old! 

#5 - This Some Odd Girl clear stamp Fairy Magic REALLY spoke to me when I received it in the post from the lovely Kristy. I created this card when I was part of the SOG DT - and I just knew I had to colour her up with blue hair! I went C-RAZY with embellishments on this card, I think it took me over two days to lay it all out in a way I was happy. 

#6 - Where to start? Not 100% sure why I picked this as a favourite - all I know it.. I LOVED making it. I think this may well be one of the first times, if not thee first time I used a huge flower on a card. I'm not certain on the type of flower that large white one is, but it's definitely from WOC and I love it!! This Saturated Canary image is a treat - I LOVE her big hair and that gorgeous bow. The papers from Teresa Collins are too pretty - I gotta use them more next year - if I haven't sickened myself with reds after Christmas.

#7 - This was possibly the first time I posted a card on my blog with a background I had attempted with my ProMarkers. I used to use a sponge and stencil to create a clouded background, but I made a promise to myself to push my colouring a little further this year, and with this, I think I succeeded. It's a given that those clouds are looking a little - flat - it can't be helped. I was doing what I could with the experience given. None. Hah!! 

#8 - Another first on my blog.. I think this card was the first I posted where I showed my attempt at no lines colouring. This card was for my friends little girl who turned 1 earlier in the year. I love the princesses from TGF for little girls cards. :) I used papers from My Minds Eye (love) and I die cut my very own doily using an Xcut die. 

#9 - The layout of this card made me wanna die. If I didn't make OOAK cards, I think I'd just go along with this one every single time. Same die cuts, same flowers, same postage edges - everything. Given, it took me a fair few hours to lay it out how I liked, but I loved it. This card was so well received that the girl who ordered it from me asked for another similar design using different colours for another friend.

#10 - Decoupage? We'll go with that. Said I'd never really be into it. I'm into it!! This was a birthday card for one of my friends and she really loved it. I think designs like this are super impressive. I do love that little squirrel, too. 

#11 - This was another attempt at no lines colouring using an older Sugar Nellie stamp. I created this card for my nieces 18th birthday. I also created my own background with some hills and a beautiful sunset which can just be seen behind the heaps of embellishments.

#12 - Another background, this one was influenced by my boyfriend. He suggested some mountains in the background, so I ran with it. Really love how it turned out - it suits this little dragon from Tiddly Inks perfectly!! I also thought I'd best throw in a male card too. It's not that I don't enjoy making them, I really do like making male cards - it's just that the opportunity never really calls all that much!!

#13 - I've really fallen back in love with Tiddly Inks over the past few weeks - this card is no exception. I crammed so much into this card, yet made sure the image still spoke volumes. I adapted my clouded background a little to include a little more white into the design. I simply outlined the shape of my clouds with my colours for sky - simples. Ahhh, lovely, girly, detailed card.

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I hope I've provided sufficient links where I thought links were necessary, if there is anything you have questions about feel free to email me at loumac03@gmail.com and I'll be happy to help you out. I realise that this post has gone on for an eternity, so I'ma wrap it up around about NOW..

I gotta be honest, I only have a few observations from this year:

-My fear of 6x6" cards has been eradicated. Hallelujah. 

- I'm not as scared of pink as I used to be.

- Embellishment overload? ..and what? I do love my buttons and ribbons and liquid pearls especially.

- Matting and layering is my thing - I never thought it would be.

- I feel myself (eventually) gradually moving away from faux stitching.

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Hopefully.. I will continue to learn and grow throughout the next year. None of those things listed above are necessarily bad things, and I will continue to create in a way which makes me happy - above all else. Of course, that's what we craft for in the first place, right?

Thank you for sticking with me to the end. If you have any New Years celebrations planned this year - ENJOY!! .. and I'll see you all in 2014! xo

Roaring Fire and Marshmallows.

This is such a lovely, warming, scene that I just had to share it with you all before the year was out.

These past few months have been the first time in my card making adventure that I've tried any kind of decoupage, and I must admit I have really enjoyed it. It has taken me time to find decoupage designs that I actually like the look of, and now that I have I think I could branch out into all sorts of things. Including decoupaging my stamped images.

Sitting by the roaring, open fire. With your faithful pooch and a bunch of marshmallows with the Christmas tree as your backdrop. Heaven.

I hope you've had a wonderfully festive Christmas time. 

Merriment to all. xo

Indigoblu Merry Christmas

I created this card a long while back, way back in November (I'm saying that like it was months ago!! LOL!!) with my first ever Indigoblu stamp. 

I used a Versamagic ink pad and stamped onto some Naturals Ivory cardstock from SU! I applied a lot of pressure on the stamp, but I just don't think I inked it up enough and ended up with a bit of a blotchy banner.

Never fear! It adds to the 'handmade-ness'! LOL!!

I added a slice of paper from an older Basic Grey pack, and some new American Crafts Christmas ribbon which I bought from TKMaxx a few weeks ago and the job was a goodun.

I hope to create a few of these more simple cards for next Christmas. I wanna be able to send cards out to most of the people I know, instead of limiting myself to only making special ones for those closest to me.

Take it easy. xo

Joy Wreath

This was a combination of three main things.

Die-namics Winter Wreath

Amy R - Big Christmas Wishes

and Paper Smooches Relections and matching dies.

A super simple card to put together, it'd be easy to get a production line of these going.

Very Cuttlebug intensive. 

Thank you for stopping by today. Not many more Christmas cards left to show you over the next few days, I bet you're glad to hear! ;)

xo