Tuesday Throwdown #236: More Than One Fold

Top of the morning to you, friends! Happy St Patrick's Day ... and .... a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nana Connie, much loved ex-teamie at Tuesday Throwdown. May all your days is blessed with love, happiness, good health and pots of Irish Luck!

Today also sees the start of a brand new challenge.  We have a fun theme for you "More Than One Fold ". Our sponsors - Creations by AR. The company is run by Adela Rossol and she has very generously provided the team with cut files to create fun 3D projects. I chose this super stylish Haute Tote.

This bag makes a one of a kind gift "box". I made 2... well actually, by the time this post goes up, there should be at least 6!

I made the tote bag from one sheet of Doodlebug double sided 12x12 patterned cardstock. (I wouldn't recommend plain patterned paper as it is too flimsy.) I used eyelets to attach the handles. The flowers are from my crafting buddy Snoopy of Snoopy's Homemade Fun. The stitched details make the bag look quite realistic. I'm very happy with how it turned out, nay... I'm thrilled!

The finished project is about 5-1/5" high (excluding handles) and 4-1/2" wide.

There's a little pocket inside to fit a 3x3 note card. How cool is that?!

This is the very first one I made - a simple, no frills version. To my delight, it was so easy to put together, thanks to Adela's clear instructions.

The templates supplied by Creations by AR  are digital downloads which include:
• PDF files (used for printing and cutting by hand);
• SVG files (used on most cutting machines); and
• Step-by-Step Instructions with lots of photos.
You do not need a cutting machine such as a Silhoette, provided you have good pair of scissors and don't totally suck at fussy cutting!  Obviously, the intricate, fiddly designs will be more challenging. This tote bag can easily be done by hand.

Challenges:
Buckwell's Crafty Challenge #6: Flowers
Not Just Cards #15
Craft Your Passion #253: AG
Crafting From The Heart #51: AG
Bunny Zoe Crafts March: Spring Colours
Craft My Life Feb/Mar: AG Non-Card
Lil' Patch Of Crafty Friends: &: AG
Scrappy Hands #34: Blossom

Products used in this project

Now it's your turn to create a project based on this week's theme: "More Than One Fold". For ideas and inspiration, take a peek at what the rest of the DT members have made. Remember to link up your project at the Tuesday Throwdown Challenge Blog by 3pm Pacific / 11pm UK Monday, March 23rd.  And the most important requirement: Have Fun!

Beijinhos!

Polka Doodles #21: Things With Wings

Hello friends! I haven't been blogging much this week. It's been very hectic what with Rosie being unwell and all. But here I am with a dinky little make for Polka Doodle's Things With Wings challenge. This is such a fun challenge I could not stay away.

For my project, I'm using this adorable image and elements from the Fairy Flutterby rubber stamps series. There are 6 fairies to collect and you can buy them individually or as Multipack Set and make huge saving.  

My step card features Meeshelle and she is a joy to stamp and colour. And she is just perfect for girly projects needing a touch of magic.

The patterned papers are from the Bon Bon Belles CD. Extra embellies:
ribbon and some bling.

I coloured Meeshelle with Graph'It (Hair, Skin, Sandals & Bag)  and
Promarkers (Blouse, Pants, Flower & Necklace). I heat embossed the
butterfly with white EP, added some bling and adhered it behind her
head. Also some die cut grassy bits for texture.

Sentiment also from the Bon Bon Belles CD.

Some challenges for little Meeshelle:

I Love Promarkers #220: AG (blouse, pants, flower & necklace)
Fab n' Funky #217: Recipe - 3 DPs + Ribbon + Rhinestone / Pearls
Crafting For All Seasons #77: Things With Wings
Scrapbooker PhD #11: Use Die-cuts - grass
Stampin' For The Weekend: For The Girls
Sister Act Cards #58: AG
Sweet Pea Stampers: Things With Wings

Now it's over to you, my friends. Create a project - it can be any papercraft - based on the theme "Things With Wings" and link it up over at Polka Doodles Challenge blog by Noon (GMT) May 30th. The winner will receive their own choice of 4 Digis from the brand new Work & Play collection. That's not all - the Top 3 Picks will also receive a digi each! The winner will be announced on Friday June 6th. Not to be missed!!! So hurry and get crafting!

Lastly, if you LOVE receiving FREE stash (me! me! me!), then do't miss out on this chance to win £100 PolkaDoodles goodies. Join in our 5th Birthday celebration and take home your dream party favour bag crate.  Details and other secrets found HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today and I look forward to seeing your lovely projects.

Beijinhos!

Polka Doodles #06: Oriental Love

Woohooo! It's Friday and the weekend is nigh. But wait..there's more good news. It's also time for a brand new PolkaDoodles challenge! Yes, ma'am. And we here, in the Polka Doodles sand box we are still playing with the fabu-lush new Dollie Daydream Goes East Download Collection. This week we'd like you to join us and make a "Love Is In The Air" project.

The DT has an added twist and that is: Anything But A Card. This collection is perfect for all kinds of 3D, gift and home deco projects. You must go to the Polka Doodles Blog and check out what the rest of the DT have made. Prepare to be amazed! But before that, take a look at this money / gift voucher wallet I made using this wonderful download collection. You says money can't buy you love?! :-)

This wallet measures 4" x 7" and comes with a belly band.
I decided to go with soft lilac for a modern Oriental look. 

For my project I'm using 1 of 12 dollies that you get with the download
collection. She's called Fan Digi and can also be purchased separately.
I coloured her with Graph It and Promarkers.

Here's a look inside: I layered and placed the sentiment (1 of 30 in this collection)
in the same way as the belly band. As you can see, I adhered Fan Dollie on the belly
band. On the left is the pocket for the gift vouchers, matted with papers from the 
download collection.   

I want to show you how truly amazing the papers are in this collection. I've opened
up the wallet for a full view of the front and back spread. Isn't it just magical! 
This is just one of over 210 enchanting backing papers.... with tons more coordinating 
embellishments, toppers, frames, borders, flowers, envelope inserts, boxes 
.... the list goes on! 

I know for many of you (me included), the mere mention of Oriental conjures up visions of dragons, lions, fire-crackers, garish red, loud drums, chow mien and fried-rice. But this Download Collection takes you beyond mainland China and into Vietnam, Korea and Japan ... into a world of cherry blossoms, ancient pagodas, delicate lanterns, peaceful rivers and more. You will be amazed at all the elegant, enchanting and ethereal elements and images of the Orient Nikky has included in this Download Collection.... very modern and stylish.    

I'm hanging my lanterns over at these challenges:

Word Art Wednesday #118: AG Uplifting
Stamping For The Weekend:  Anything But A Card
Crafty Ribbons #75: AG + Ribbon
Delightful Sketches: AG
4 Krafty Girlz #11: AG
Really Reasonable Ribbon #88: AG + Ribbon
Totally Papercrafts #205: Hey Cutie
Make It Monday #178: AG

I hope you'll be able to play along in this "Love Is In The Air" challenge. Feel free to make any papercraft project but please make sure you link your work over at the Polka Doodles Challenge Blog by noon GMT on 21 February 2014.

Thanks for stopping by today and I'm looking forward to seeing your projects.

Beijinhos!

Thinking Of You

Hello, my sweet friends! I'm bringing you another scheduled post, my friends.  We're still away, but nearing the end of our summer holidays. This is not a DT post - just something for all of my wonderful friends and followers who have been stopping by and leaving such lovely comments. This is me telling YOU that I'm thinking of you!

I made an easel card with papers from PolkaDoodles Sugar Birdies CD. It is probably my favourite collection, and certainly my  go-to CD for sweet paper and images.

The image is from PolkaDoodles Bonbon Belles Double CD Collection. I coloured her with SN and Promarkers. For cuttings and layering, I used Spellbinders Circles and Scalloped Circles dies. To finish, a bow in sheer white ribbon.
 

And some foam tape for dimension and to help the easel stand. 

Challenges for this card:
Make It Monday #155 "Anything Goes"
Word Art Wednesday #95 "Anything Goes" with an uplifting sentiment
Die Cuttin' Divas #130 "Just Because"
Crafty Sentiments "Make It Girly"
Bearly Mine Challenge #101 "Digi days" - digi stamp and papers

And if you are curious about the the image I used on my card, head on over to the Polkadoodles On-line Store and check out this is lovely Bonbon Belles CD.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you are having a lovely day.

Beijinhos!

PolkaDoodles #33: Have a Heart

Hello my crafty friends. This another scheduled post. It should be Friday today and that means time for another week challenge over PolkaDoodles. This week we want you to Have A Heart. Wear your heart on your sleeve and show us some love infused projects for any occasion.

The DT is playing with 3 different themes: Classic Hearts; Heart To Heart and Love Birds. All three are available on one super value CD - Love and Cherish. But if you don't want to buy the entire bundle, each theme is available as separate single collection downloads.

For my project this week, I used papers and elements from the Heart To Heart collection. Although these collections are geared towards love and romance, you don't have to limit yourself to weddings, anniversaries or Valentine's. I made a diaorama card / window card for a friend of over 40 years. I've known her since kindergarden! Sadly, we live on different continents now and haven't met for over 20 years but we keep in touch via phone calls and emails...  and never run out of things to say to each other. I'm sending her this card because some friendship truly stand the test of time... and because she's one of a kind and I want her to know it.

This card squashes down flat - perfect for posting. And because it has to make it's way to Australia, there are no bulky embellishments - just some lightweight sheer pink ribbon and some tiny bling.

To highlight that lovely sentiment I used simple die cuts. For some texture on the patterned paper I dotted some white Liquid Pearls.

Simple colours and simple embellishments make for a lovely card for a special friend. 

Challenges for this card:

Word Art Wednesday #93 "Anything Goes" - with an uplifting sentiment
Make It Monday #153 "Anything Goes"
Crafty Ribbons Challenge #57 "Use 3 Of Something" - 3 blings
Aud Sentiments Challenge "Anything But A Birthday Card"
Crafting By Designs "Anything Goes"
Artistic Inspirations Challenges #54 "Dies and / or Punches"

Now it's your turn! Make a project for someone you love and link it over over at the PolkaDoodles Challenge Blog....and risk winning fabulous prizes. You have been warned!

Thanks for stopping by, my friends. We are still on vacation and I hope you're enjoying your summer too. I'll try and make a few visits when I have the time.

Beijinhos!

Flower Girl

Hello there, fellow crafters! What a gloriously warm Sunday it is. It's not scorching hot over here, just the right amount of heat, a cool breeze and an extra cold G&T! Blissful Sunday!

Just popping by to post a card I made using an this adorable image from PolkaDoodles's BonBon Belles Double CD.  'Tis a gate-fold card to send to a friend's 12-year old daughter who's recovering from having her tonsils removed.

The papers are from Basic Grey's Wisteria Collection. Purple and blue are her favourite colours. Simple embellishments: buttons, sheer ribbon and some bling. For cutting and matting the image I used Spellbinders Ovals and Labels 18 dies.

This image is from PolkaDoodles BonBon Belles Double CD. I used PROMARKERS for her dress and shoes ( Lilac, Orchid and Amethyst),  belt (Lipstick Red and Red),  flowers (Poppy, Crimson and Peach)  and leaves (Pear and Lime). Graph'It pens for her hair ( Chocolate, Cognac and Cajou) and skin ( Cotton, Nude, Skin, Satin).

The sentiment is from WMS Say It Loud set, stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black.

Here are some challenges for this card:
I Love Promarkers #177 "Anything Goes";
Basic Grey Challenge #98 "Flowers";
Paper Take Weekly "Buttons and Bows";
Scrapbook Stamp Society #10 "Use Ribbon and Button";
Crafting For All Seasons #56 "Bingo: Buttons, Digi Image, Ribbon";

Crafting When We Can #49 "Floral";
That Craft Place "It's a Girl Thing"; and
Pile It On #29 "Thinking Of You / Just Because";
Make It Monday #150 "Anything Goes"

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and I'll see you tomorrow.

Beijinhos!

Tutorial: Mini Pop-Up Card

Hello, fellow crafters! It's my turn to host a Polka Doodles Tutorial and I'm going to show you how to make an easy peasy mini pop-up card.  So incredibly simple you'll be churning these out in no time at all. The finished project looks like this:

Cute little owl with a birthday greeting on the outside ...

... and another cute little owl pops up on the inside!

Here's how to make this adorable project:

1. Get an image. I'm using this cute little owl from Polka Doodles Sugar Birdies CD and it measures 1-3/4" wide and 1-7/8"up to his eyes (2-3/4" all the way to the top).  You need to measure your image because the pop-up mechanism has to be smaller than the image so that it's not visible.

2. Prepare the card base. I'm using heavy base weight card stock to make a 4"x4" card.

3.   Make the pop-up mechanism. Based on the size of my image I cut a piece of layering weight card stock measuring 1-1/4" x 5". On the long side, I scored and folded at the following marks on my ScorePal: 3/4"; 2-1/4"; 3" and  4-1/5". ( Each section measures 3/4", 1-1/2",  3/4", 1-1/2" and 1/2").  

4.   The 1/2"  section at the end is the glue tab. Apply some adhesive tape here.

5.   Fold over and glue the tab to the top edge of the strip of card stock. You should have a box without sides.

6.   Apply some glue to the wide surface of the pop-up mechanism and attach it to the pop-up image. You should not be able to see the pop-up mechanism from the front of the image.

7.   Now you're ready to attach the image to the card base. If you want to decorate the inside of your card make sure you do it before you attach the pop-up image. First, apply some glue to the base section of the pop-up image and adhere to the centre inside of the base card. Then push the image flat against the base card, apply glue to the section that will be against the base card (as shown below). Close the base card down on top of the pop-up image. Let the glue dry before opening.

8.   Once the glue has dried, open the card and voila! You have a 90º equal parallel pop-up card.

It really is that simple!  Just 2 little details to bear in mind:
a)  the pop-up mechanism (i.e. the "box" behind the image) must be a little smaller than the image itself; and
b) the base card must be big enough to fit the image when it's folded down flat.


Here's another pop-up card, also using an image from the Sugar Birdies CD.

This card measures 4-1/2" x 3-1/2" ...

... and there's that little pop-up owl. Fabulous birthday surprise!

I'm taking my card to the following challenges: The Cupboard Trilogy Challenge #12 "Birthday"; Tok Bobok #1 "Anything Goes"; Bunny Zoes Crafts June Challenge "Wings"; Creative Stamp Friends #79 "Birthday"; Cards In Envy "Stitched-Up: Real Or Faux";  Nana Vic's Anything Goes; Stampin' For The Weekend "Anything Goes" and Sister Act Card #12 "Anything Goes".

The Sugar Birdies CD is full of cute elements that you can use to churn out quite a few of these dinky little pop-up cards. I hope you'll give it a go. It really is hoot to make! (Sorry ... I couldn't help myself! LOL).

Happy crafting!

Beijinhos,

Male Birthday Mail

Hello my friends! Welcome to the weekend. I hope it's starting well for y'all. Looks like we'll be blessed with a (dare I say) sunny day. All week I've posted soft pastel girly cards .... and all this temple-aching sweetness is getting to be toooo much for me. Time to shake things up a bit. Time for something strong, bold and manly.... well, almost.

I made a tri-fold birthday card for our fave Sushiman. He makes some of the best Japanese food we've eaten this side of Osaka....umami-licious, I tell ya! Anyways, he's invited a few of his loyal customers and friends for a little soiree (at least that's what he calls it) tomorrow and I'm going to show him that I too can do a bit of fancy folding! Here's the card:

The patterned papers are form Papers Crate's Toy Box 6x6 pad. The top panel is just blue CS embossed using Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots folder.

The top panel folds down and tucks into the little "for You" label. For this I used WMS stamp, Memento Danube Blue and Spellbinders Labels 4.  

You lift the top panel to see this. That strip of dp reminds me so much of his bamboo placemats. This panel folds down...

... to reveal the inside. The greeting is from Chocolate Baroque's Birthday Wishes set, stamped with Memento Potter's Clay. 

Here's a close-up of the Birthday Mail medallion. Again, CB stamp, Memento Potters Clay and Spellbinders Circles and Scalloped circles dies. I also added a button and some twine. I cut a semi-circle on the top panel as a window for the medallion.

It's a fun-fold card and I hope you'll give it a go. Just for fun, I'm linking it to Tuesday Throwdown #142 "Fancy Folds" and for challenges I'm going with The Play Date Cafe #177 "Nautical Breezes- Midnight, Aqua, Terra Cotta"; Bloggers Challenge "Emboss Me"; Card Crafters Circle #70 "Die-ing To Impress You"; Aud Sentiments #78 "For a Guy" and Delightful Sketches "Round-up" .

Thanks for stopping by. Have a nice weekend, enjoy the sun! We've going to suit up, get on the bike and go for an exhilarating high-speed ride. No one enjoys these more than Snoopi. Watch out for this cheeky little dog in pink helmet!


TRAGIC UPDATE:
Minutes after this post was published, our sweet darling Snoopi was a victim of a hit and run. We rushed her to the vet but our baby-dog could not be saved. My heart is breaking. She was my constant companion, in the car, on a motorbike, always happy. We didn't have time for that bike ride. Wait for me....I'll see you soon, sweet Snoopi.


 Beijinhos!

Celebrate!

Helloooo there, my friends! Hope you had a grand ol' time over Christmas. Here, we are slowly recovering from the excesses of the past couple of days. As soon as I finished licking the trifle bowl, I called it a day. Our Christmas tradition also includes thinking about a suitable healthy eating program we can both be excited about. Not an easy task since I'm a devout pescetarian and the husband is an fanatical carnivore.... which probably explains why we never really get past the thinking phase. Still, there is one food that we are both passionate about.... cakes...in all shapes and sizes. And that, folks, is how (and why) I chose the theme of my card.

Over at Tuesday Morning Sketches (which I have to say is high on my list of favourite challenges), owner Melissa Craig has vetoed her own final-challenge-of-the-year decision. (It's good to be the boss!) We now have a new Final Challenge #178 and this is a challenge although it's called Anything Goes. No sketch this week but it must be something different, something new, not your run of the mill card.

Here's my chance to have another go at a pop-up card. I made one in the summer with a pop-up gift box and that was a challenge and a half, I tell ya! Following a much needed break and several hours of therapy, I'm ready to "pop-up"again.

While trawling the internet I stumbled upon this wonderful blog called Extreme Cards and Papercrafts. Carol makes exceptional pop-up cards, slice forms and mechanical cards. I'm in awe! My card is based on her work, for which she has so generously provided a template. When I've suitably recovered from the trauma of making this card I'll post a pictorial on how I muddled through mine, with a few modifications to Carol's template to fit my dinky little cupcakes.

Enough chit-chat, here's my card:

I've kept the card front simple. The papers are called Marshmallow and Candy Floss by Daisy & Dandelion. The greeting is from WaltzingMouse's "Compact Sentiments" stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa, cut and layered with cream and pink CS, with the help of Spellbinders Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle dies. Some twine and we're done!

On the inside - that's where all the action is. You can't open the card flat. It stops at a 90º angle and you get to feast your eyes on more than a dozen cupcakes! It's like Christmas all over again!  

A closer look at the cast of characters...

Here's the ariel view. You can see the pop-up mechanism - a series of tables and the cupcakes are adhered to the front of these tables. I've kept the background simple - just some caramel CS with a punched border. The sentiment is from WaltzingMouse's Say It Loud set stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa. And from WMS Nutcracker Sweet set, I stamped the party streamers in Memento Rose Bud. Could not resist adding some bling to the mix!

From the side you can see how I've adhered to cupcakes to the table fronts with some pop dots. When you close the card, they all fold down flat. 

Here's a closer look at the little sweeties. The stamps are by Papermania and I coloured them with SN markers - simple colouring, no fancy blending. Then I fussy cut each cupcake and dabbed some Stickles (Diamond, Icicle and Crystal) to make them shine.

A few tips if you're planning on "building" this card:

1. Make a large pot of coffee

2. Make good clean creases for the "tables".

3. On the reverse side, re-enforce the fold with some Scotch tape. It helps the "table" to stand firm and stop any tearing along the creases. There will be a lot of opening and closing...trust me!
4. Adhere the cakes (or what ever image you use) slightly above the bottom crease. This will prevent the images from snagging when you close the card.
5. Use thick CS for the card base (120lb or 300GSM) and it will help hold up the entire project when left open.
6. When adhering the pop-up section to the card-base allow a little "give". This is a thick project and will not fold flat as a pancake. Practice before gluing down for eternity.
7. Add a shot of something stronger to your remaining coffee and admire the fruits of your labour. Do this before you pass out!

I hope you get a chance to make this card. Admittedly, it's therapeutic ... in a crippling way BUT this project is truly versatile. You can stick just about anything on those tables: presents, candes, pumpkins, flowers, photos etc. and it will be an awe-inspiring Christmas, birthday, Easter, Thanksgiving or any-occasion card. Or if you prefer not to, then just spy on Carol at Extreme Cards and see what she gets up to.

Also taking my card to Charisma Cardz #51 "Anything Goes"; Dutch Dare Card #197 "Celebration"; Little Miss Muffet #51"Anything Goes" and Pixie Gust Studio "Any Celebration Will Do". If you're short on inspiration, hop on over to Make It Monday #121 for an abundance of creative talent.

Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be back tomorrow with that gift basket I promised earlier! Have a great 3rd Day of Christmas.

Beijinhos!

Blogged to:
Ferrerro Roche, Tia Maria and