Happy Hauntings Pop Up Card

Hi All!
With Halloween just around the corner there are naturally a lot of themed challenges this week. I love the Steampunk Spells collection from Graphic 45, but for a more cute themed version I dug out my Happy Hauntings papers to make another pop up box card. As you can see from recent posts - I'm a bit addicted to these cards which fold down to fit in a 6x6 inch envelope!

Anyway, I covered the box panels in the lovely vibrant coloured papers and to inject a bit of 'Spooky purple', I inked two of the panels of paper with Dusty Concord Distress Ink to give a night time feel to this 'Witching Hour' card.

This shows how the card starts to fold down.

I also decorated the back - a great place to write your message.

All the little images and characters are cut from the papers with the owl, the 'Totally Wicked' and 'Witching Hour' sentiments from the Steampunk Spells collection. Finally, I added gold and crystal Stickles and Glossy Accents to highlight the clock face.

Hope you like this fun card! I'd like to enter it into the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Spooky
Creative Card Crew - Sun, Moon or Stars - (I've used a moon and stars)
Try It On Tuesday - Halloween
Simon Says Wed Challenge - Halloween or Halloween Colours
Crafty Creations - Halloween Characters
Cute Card Thursday - Spooktackular


If you'd like to have a go at making these pop up cards, please see my videos below for inspiration and the link to the mechanism tutorial.





Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Best wishes
Karen x

Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore Art Thou...

Hi All!
Just thought I'd share a card I made for the ABC Challenge which this week is 'X for Xtra Special'. My card is for a wedding anniversary and I thought I'd use the lovely Ragged Romeo image from Mo Manning.

I coloured the couple in with my Promarkers and Flexi Markers and layered them up onto a gold mat with a lattice pattern which I cut with my Spellbinders die.

I love Webster's Pages papers but sometimes hoard them as I don't want to use them (LOL! Don't we all!) but I thought that this beautiful rose patterned paper was perfect for this card. I also layered this onto a gold lattice mat before adding matching ribbon and a sentiment and pearls.

A final touch of Stickles added some shimmer to the image and then I decorated the inside of the card using the waste from the die cut mat as a place to write my greeting. The 'With Love' stamp is from Waltzing Mouse - the scroll type script looks great every time and I turn to these stamps again and again!

I would also like to enter this card in the Creative Inspirations 'Anything Goes' Challenge.

Anyway, I hope you like this card. Thanks for looking!
Back soon
Karen x

Steampunk Spells Pop Up Card

Morning All!
Back with another little Pop Up Box Card. In my last post I explained that I had found the fab tutorial for the mechanism here - I then went to town decorating it in my own style.

This time I decided to make a Steampunk Spells version - again with goodies from the online store Absolute Scrap. This collection is great with lovely rich colours and plenty of images to cut out. I glued my bats to wire so that I could have them flying above the other images and popped on a little brass cat charm, orange gems, Stickles and Glossy Accents.

The Halloween border around the base of the box and stripy paper is from the Happy Hauntings collection.

Again, despite all the 3D dimension, this card folds flat and fits inside a 6x6 inch envelope.

I hope you like this version and perhaps have a go at creating one yourself.

 I would like to enter it into the Ali Craft October challenge which is 'Halloween', My Mum's Craft Shop Challenge and the Cards for Men Challenge which are also Halloween, and the Papertake Weekly which is 'Happy Halloween Hues'.

Anyway, thanks for popping by! Hope you like this pop up card and have a go yourself!
Best wishes
Karen x

Typography Pop Up Box Card

Hi All!
Today I'd like to share a card that I have created for the Graphic 45 October challenge which is to make a project using the Typography collection, my latest purchase of papers and goodies from Absolute Scrap.

I decided to make a pop up card and after searching the internet for inspiration I came across a fab tutorial for the mechanism on Monica's 'My Many Passions' blog. I will link her easy to follow instructions here.

I love how you can create a really busy project with Graphic 45 papers and add lots of detail so I went to town, fussy cutting from the papers, adding a sticker from the sticker sheet, glittery ribbon, Stickles, Glossy Accents and a charm.

What is great about this card is that it actually folds down flat and fits in a 6x6 envelope!

If you fancy having a go then follow Monica's tutorial for the mechanism and then just add your images, remembering to pay a little thought to perspective, adding your larger images further back and slightly higher up.

Anyway, hope you like it everyone!
Best wishes
Karen x

Sylvia Zet - Customer Inspiration

Hi Everyone!
Woo Hoo! Sylvia Zet shared one of my cards on her fab 'Wee Stamps' blog today along with a beautiful card made by another lady called Susannah. Why not pop over and have a look at the lovely stamps and digis available and the amazing inspiration from the Design Team and customers alike!

Best wishes
Karen x

Black and White Classic

Afternoon All!

I'm back today with a monotone card I made using my Spellbinders Label 20 dies and matching stamps from Just Rite stamps. I started by stamping and embossing the stamps onto white before cutting them out with my dies. To make the background I embossed the flowery pattern using a Creative Expressions folder and mounted it on to black card. This I then added to my card base using foam pads and created a border of 'pearls' with the Cosmic Shimmer PVA.

 I then layered up my  images and added a sentiment stamped with the lovely Waltzing Mouse stamps - I turn to these sentiments time and time again as they are so pretty!

Finally, I created a double organza bow and decorated the inside to match.

Hope you like it!

The challenge over at Simon Says Stamp this week is to 'use a rubber or clear stamp' whilst the challenge at Papertake Weekly is 'Two By Two'. I have chosen to use 'two' stamps - the sentiment and inside flourishes are from Waltzing Mouse and the main image is from Just Rite stamps.

Thanks for looking!
Best wishes
Karen x

Fly Away Tag

Hi All
Back with another project...this time a tag using some of my Graphic 45 papers from the Olde Curiosity Shoppe collection (and a small image from Tropical Travelogue). I love this line as there is always so much to fussy cut. I was inspired to make a tag after visiting  Tammy Tutterow’s blog, who is the inspiration for the challenge this week over at Simon Says Stamp and Show Monday Challenge.

First I started by making a tag shape from black card, cutting the top edge with a label Spellbinders die. I added a layer of stripped paper which I sprayed with Glimmer Mist and painted between the lines of the pattern with Perfect Pearls for a bit of shimmer...I don't think this shows up that well in the photo but it is there LOL!

I then fussy cut images from the papers and layered them up on foam dots before adding ribbon, pearls and some twine to make a bow. The butterflies and other elements were highlighted with Glossy Accents and some Stickles.

Anyway, hope you like this little tag. I'd like to enter it in this week's Simon Says Monday Challenge and the Creative Card Crew Challenge which is to make a tag.

Thanks for popping by.
Best wishes
Karen x

Bright as a Berry

Hi All
Back with another card today, this time getting Christmassy with this lovely 'Wee Stamps' image called 'Berry'.

I coloured her with my Promarkers in traditional reds and greens and layered her up to add some dimension. In my mission to use up some older papers I used these from the lovely Papermania collection, cutting a border with my Martha Stewart punch and adding some velvet rick rack ribbon before finishing with a sentiment and flowers.

I really enjoyed making this card and am pleased with how it turned out. I hope to enter it in the Moving Along with the Times Challenge and the Papertake Weekly Challenge which this week is Anything Goes.

Thanks for looking!
Best wishes
Karen x

Off the Rails

Back this morning with a speedy post to show you a card I made using the Mo Manning digital stamp called 'The Engineer'.

I really enjoyed colouring this image with my Promarkers and - whilst in my mode of using up old papers from my stash - I layered him up on Papermania papers from the Persimmon collection. I decided on a portrait style card, with no frills, as its a card for a man. All I added were a few silver Card Candi's which were supposed to look a bit like rivets.
Finally I added a sentiment that came free with a crafty magazine and decorated the inside simply to match.

Anyway, hope you like it. I think I'm just in time to enter it into this week's challenge over at Mo's Digital Pencil blog which is 'For the Boys.'

Have a good day!
Karen x

Colourful Kitten

Hi All
Today I decided to be thrifty and use some free papers that came with a Scrapbooking magazine so I teamed them up with a lovely kitten image from Sylvia Zet's 'Wee Stamps'.

I layered the papers, mimicking the patchwork design, added a border punched with a Martha Stewart punch, Stickles for a bit of bling and a few pearly highlights with my Pearl Pen. The image I coloured with my Promarkers, before adding more glitter and finishing with a sentiment.

Anyway, hope you like the mix of colours. I'd like to enter this card in the Crafty Cardmaker challenge which this week is 'Cute and Furry'.
Bye for now
Karen x