Modpodged Picture Frame Gift

I made these two frames as part of my Mum's Christmas present. Please excuse the reflection of my Christmas lights in the pictures! The frames were bought in the €2 shop (10"x 8") and were horrible plastic black and white things. I got an old French dictionary and inked up the pages with Tim Holtz Old Paper Distress Ink. Then I tore them into strips and modpodged them onto the frame. A few layers of paper and Mod Podge later and I let it dry out. Then I printed out some beautiful flower prints from The Graphic Fairy (free to download), cut them out and stuck them on with another layer of Mod Podge. I find that a sponge applicator is far better than a brush for this kind of thing. I got a great value pack of 25 for €2.99 from Cardz N Scrapz. The prints inside the frames were bought from an Etsy shop called Optic Illusions. I bought the two bird prints for $2.50 and they print beautifully on A4 photo paper. By the way I got the prints for 50% off using the coupon code CHRISTMAS. She has some great printables in her shop and the customer service was fantastic :) So here are a few more pictures. Thanks for looking!

Stamped Candle

I used my new stamp (Early 1900's Music Background Stamp) from Purple Onion Designs to jazz up this candle from the €2 shop. It is one of those ones with an LED light inside. It also has a very thin layer of wax on the outside so you can use the tissue paper and heat gun method on it. I have seen the idea on many blogs but it was Michele's version of the Pottery Barn candles that inspired me to try it. Check out the blog for the full instructions. There are loads of great ideas over there. I have some real candles to try it on next, so hopefully I will be able to improve my technique!

Christmas Bauble Wreath

I saw this bauble wreath idea on Eddie Ross and had to have a go. I used about 70 baubles from Homebase, using two different packs so I could mix up the colours. Think it cost about €7 to make altogether. They recommend using smaller baubles to fill in the gaps but mine are all the same size. I think it looks ok once you wiggle them around to hide the hanger. I just need to get some wide ribbon to cover up the hanger at the top. I love sparkly things at Christmas!!

New Stamp from Purple Onion Designs

I found a new website with these great stamps that look like letterpress posters.It's called Purple Onion Designs. I just love that retro look! I got the Birthday and Thank You stamps and they're great to stamp with. They're quite big so really take centre stage on the card. I made these two with the Birthday stamp.

More Christmas Cards

Just a few pictures of some Christmas cards I finished in the last few days. In the first one I punched out snowflakes using a MS punch. The stamps are Cuttlebug diecuts and the paper is from Payper Box. It's hard to see in the picture but it has an embossed surface.

This one has a Santa stamp and sentiment from Papertrey Ink, downloaded sheet music and gingham ribbon from The Ribbon Girl.

With this card I used scraps of the sheet music from above and an old topper that has been lurking around since last year. The baker's twine is from The Ribbon Girl and the dewdrops are from Papermania.
This one is more or less the same except for the Christmas tree, which I downloaded and printed out. The red dewdrops on the tree are from Papermania and the ones in the corner are from The Ribbon Girl. The "Joy" sentiment is from PTI

Welcome Home and Happy Birthday Card

This card is a "Welcome Home" card for my friends premature baby, who has finally come home after 2 months in hospital :) The plane stamp, sentiment and cloud die are all from Papertrey Ink. The frame is the negative of PTI's notebook die. I am trying to use up everything these days. It seems a nice shape so it seemed a shame to throw it away! The red and white thread is made from twisted wool.

This card is made for a friend's birthday. I HATE making men's cards, but I actually enjoyed this one. I used a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the stars and then stamped stars onto black strips of card for the borders. The sentiment is a Letraset rub-on, which I have had for donkey's years. Never realised it was silver this whole time! The oval and scalloped oval is cut using nestabilities.

Jay Gee's Nook Challenge #2 Entry

This is my entry into Jay Gee's Nook Challenge #2. This is the inspiration picture below.

And here is my effort. The background paper is a free download which I cut up and inked with Antique Linen ink. I stamped and cut out a Christmas tree from PTI, coloured and stickled it, and then wrapped bakers twine around it. The ribbon and twine are from The Ribbon Girl. The card blank is from Hero Arts. And that's it! Thanks for visiting :)

Cardz n Scrapz Challenge

I did a really quick layout tonight for the Cardz n Scrapz challenge. The brief was to include distressing, paper pleating and lace. I had no lace, so I used a MS lacy heart punch. Afraid it was the best I could come up with. I used a Tim Holtz mask and Pumice Stone distress ink around the edges. The jute trim is from Cardz n Scrapz. The picture is of me and my Dad, taken about 25 years ago :)

Challenge Christmas Card

This card is made using a Hero Arts "Collage Season's Greetings" stamp and some gingham ribbon from The Ribbon Girl. It was very quick to put together which is great, seeing as I have a big order of Christmas cards from my mum. I want to enter it into the CPS Card Sketch Challenge #194

Christmas card using my new stash.

I got a great little package of goodies from The Ribbon Girl, such a blast of colour when I opened the envelope! I was really happy with the service I got, from the hand written note on the invoice to the fast delivery time. Not to mention the great value on their products. I ordered grosgrain ribbon, bakers twine in red and aqua, red dew drops and satin ribbon. First of all, I am really impressed with the quality. I decided to make a little Christmas card and after a little inspiration from a friend, I came up with this card. The card blank is embossed with a Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. I wrapped the bakers twine round a piece of red card a few times and stuck it down. The holly wreath is made by punching out little starburst shapes and placing them in a circle. I have had that little punch for years and could never think of much to do with it. Then I glued on the red dewdrops as holly berries. The "Joy" sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I really enjoyed making this card and am looking forward to using the rest of my new stash!

Challenges: Lucy's Cards- Old and New Challenge (Old=punch, New=bakers twine and dew drops)

Crafty Creations Challenge Blog- Christmas Projects

ABC Christmas Challenge- X is for Xmas

Scrapbook Pages

Just wanted to upload a few LO's I've done in the past few days. The first 2 are done using the same Scrapbook kit. The pictures are from Ethan's 2nd birthday.

I put Glossy Accents on all the candle flames on this page. It looks really nice IRL but it was hard to capture on camera.

The paper, chipboard accents and letters are from an American Crafts kit. The fence is punched with a MS border punch. The clouds are die cut from a Papertrey Ink die.

The scalloped edge is punched with a EK Success border punch. The stamped sentiment is from American Crafts.

Yet another thank you!

Another quick card, which is just a variation of the one I posted earlier. Hope I'm not boring anyone!! Exact same stash as before, just smaller size flowers.

You've been so kind!

Lots and lots of thank you cards to make so I am keeping them CAS. The cardstock is American Crafts and the sentiment is Papertrey Ink. The flowers are made of a suedey material and are so old that I have no clue where they're from. I will make my way through all this stash eventually!

Another Thank You Card & a Christmas Card

This first card was made using American Crafts cardstock. The red card is embossed using a Cuttlebug folder. The gems are from a Hero Arts Christmas pack. The "Joy" sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. The fireplace embellishment is from Easycraft.

Challenges: ABC Christmas Challenge : X is for Xmas

The pink card is from AC again. The damask design is from an American Crafts stamp set and the circle and thank you sentiment are both from a Hero Arts set. I embossed these with silver powder as silver ink didn't really show up on the black card.

Close up of stamping and embossing.

Thank You Card

I got loads of bargains in the craft section of TK Maxx on Saturday so I made up a little Thank You card with them. The heart stamp and the sentiment are from an American Crafts stamp set, which I got for €2. The red card is also American Crafts. I got a huge amount of cardstock in the clearance section in lovely tropical and bright colours. I can't wait to start using it. The card blanks were also reduced. It is from Hero Arts and I got 8 card blanks and envelopes for €2. I do love a bargain :) The hearts are stamped in Fresh Snow from PTI. They are a little wonky but I will get them straighter the next time!

Tim Holtz Giveaway

For any Tim Holtz fans, head over to Scrap With Stacy's blog for some great candy.

Wedding Card

This is my attempt to start using up my supplies. I've had these paper roses for about two years and always use them sparingly. I don't know why, because they're super cheap! The punches are all Martha Stewart and are the rose leaf, frond and monarch butterfly punches. The paper is all scraps apart from the card blank. It looks quite clean and is a bit different to what I normally do. I am looking to change things up a bit as my inspiration has gone awol. :)

My husband is turning 30 tomorrow!

I had to make a few cards tonight. One for my husband's 30th and one for my parents to give him. I am trying to use up scraps of paper so I used the DCWV recycled stack for the border and matting. The stamp is from Papertrey Ink and is called Library Card. Then I tied a green ribbon from Smirk called "Grass" and added a few buttons. It looked a bit bare so I did some faux stitching around the edges. It's pretty plain but he doesn't like anything too fussy :)This card is for my parents to give my husband for his birthday. Again it's pretty simple. I thought black and red were a masculine enough combo, but the more I look at it the more glamorous looking it becomes!! I am past caring at this stage though, as I still have a load of baking to do. The red paper is an old scrap pof Basic Grey. The pearls are also Basic Grey and the ribbon is cut from an old dress. The black glitter letters are from American Crafts.
I have to include this card. My 2 year old son made it for his daddy. Whenever I am making cards, he has to be sitting up beside me drawing :)

Moxie Fab World Challenge: Diggin' on Damask

I made up this little gift box for the Moxie Fab World Challenge: Diggin' on Damask. Love the idea for this challenge, I always think damask looks so elegant. Anyway, here is my entry. The papers are from Papermania, I think. They are so old that I'm not too sure! The flowers were lying around and the centre of the flower is Basic Grey bling.I stuck a black satin ribbon around the lid to finish it off. The tutorial for the box is on Splitcoaststampers.

Wedding Card

This is a quick wedding card I made tonight. The card base is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and the image is from Hero Arts. I thought the stamp was so nice that I didn't want to do too much with the rest of the card. The "Celebrate" sentiment is from PTI. I would like to enter this card in the Crazy 4 Challenges "Square Card" challenge and also the Crafty Cardmakers "Dry Embossing" Challenge.

Close up of stamped image.

25th Anniversary Card

I kept it very simple with this one and just focused on the colour silver for the 25 years married. I covered a piece of card in silver embossing powder and layered it on kraft card. The number chipboard letters are from American Crafts. The black frame is from PTI's Framed stamp set, as is the "Celebrate" sentiment.

CardznScrapz Challenge Card

I did up a quick card for the CardznScrapz forum challenge. The brief was "Lady Gaga" so I went with a glam image. The girl is wearing very little, which is Lady Gaga most of the time!! I used a Bombshell stamp and lots of stickles on the shoe. The background paper is from DCWV Rockstar stack, which I coloured with Tim Holtz's Barn Door ink. Thanks for looking :)

Lots of Cards!

I have been so neglectful of my blog, I feel ashamed! Anyway, here is a few of the cards I have completed over the last week or two. The first one is very simple. I got the new PTI Framed stamp set & it's fantastic. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! I also used the PTI Everyday Button Bits for the birds. I really need to get the right sized buttons for these birdies.


Sadly this card was one of many sympathy cards I had to make this month. I tend to stick to browns & dark greens for these kind of cards, but after making so many, I felt they looked dreary. I saw this design in Cards magazine & lifted it. I like the pop of colour and it was a fast card to make.

Here is a close up of the centre of the flower.

Another sympathy card :( I embossed the backing paper with a Tim Holtz flourish stamp & clear embossing powder. It's kind of hard to make out in this photo. The main image is from another Tim Holtz set & is finished with a dark green button & tied with scrappers floss.

Close up of stamped image.

This card was made for my husband's co-worker to congratulate him on his baby girl arriving. I wasn't 100% happy with it (I find it very hard to use pink) but I got a bit fed up! The pearl flourishes are Basic Grey & the word stamps are Hero Arts.


This one is a Christening card. I used PTI Polka Dot Basics 2 to stamp white polka dots on each side of the card blank (again kind of hard to see in this light). The congratulations sentiment is Papertrey Ink as well. Sorry about the terrible photos. It is perpetually dark here in Ireland now and there is never enough light to take a good photo :(