Punch craft Flowers!

Look what my beginners to Punchcraft did yesterday!  

Some of my inspiration came from  Jane Gills visit to Japonica last week - I always learn so much from Jane...and my workshoppers then learn from me.  Happy days. 

What do you think to these simple compositions and selection of pretty flowers - mostly made from Woodwares punches?  Well done ladies - you made beautiful flowers. 

MONOCHROMATIC WAYS

I had a very small select class last week to do some Monochromatic designs using some new stamps - and a favourte old stamp too!  Sometimes a challenge of just what you can do with one colour can be very refreshing - I really like lots of shades of a single colour.  All of the  messages were from a clear stamp set of everyday wishes by Woodware Craft Collection.
Here are some of my ideas, I hope you like them.

Hobby Art wooden stamps - Floral Delight & Dandelion with Versafine Deep Lagoon Blue and Imperial Purple - you can rally acheive lovely shading with these inks.

 Stampendous - Twooo Owls, with paper piecing using double sided papers from Woodwares Oslo range.
For this Blue/white card I used Blue vellum with white embossing powder and Versafine Majestic Blue inkpad for printing the background.  I have added some natural parls to dress the flowers a little. Jane Gill had excelled herself with this elegant feminine set of stamps - I love them -don't you?

My visit to FLORIADE, Limberg, Holland.

On EASTER Saturday Mr C and I went to the FLORIADE Horticultural Expo in Limberg, Holland. It only happens every 10 years and it was a great day out. We went with our Dutch family JIll and Jan Van der Meijden who we stayed with for Easter.  This chrysanthemum display was a most colourful crowd of Easter!  These colours are very typical of this time of year aren't they?  Mother nature knows a thing or two!  I love how the lime greens and purples sit so well with the touch of pink and yellow.

 Mmmm1  Can you feel the fragrance?  These are the most delicious of all Spring flowers for me - I just adore this scent.  I cannot imagine Spring with out Hyacinths, can you?







Orchids were abundant at Floriade and amongst the most exotic and extravagant flowers.   I love the shapes and colours of them - but I feel something is missing because they have no perfume!  You can't please all the people all of the time.  BUT they are gorgeous aren't they?

Crows? Here are 3 young students posing as Crows!  They paraded around the Floriade and kept in character all day!  Magnificent - but not my camera work - sorry!

Mr Japonicas birthday!

Ed and I enjoy a break for his birthday. Who would believe Dartmouth in March could be so warm - I hope I packed the suncream!  Bring on the cream tea!

CUTTLEBUG CARD IDEAS

 

CUTTLEBUG is a great tool, but we do need a bit of inspiration don't we sometimes  Here are the latest cards I planned for a CUTTLEBUG workshop yesterday.

I have used 2 gorgeous new DECOUPAGE designs by CRAFT UK for the main designs on these 2 cards, but I have been creative with my embossing folders. 

The Elegant Lady card is on a 15cms square card with 3 panels card to co-ordinate with the colours in the decoupage.  Each of the 3 panels have been embossed with an elegant embossing folder - swirls, flourishes and cottage garden.  These have been layered onto the card, leaving a narrow border in between each panel.  The decoupage has then been added with a message panel (from NEW Dies by Crafts-too) and a gorgeo
us flourish for added elegance!

The decoupage flower design (CRAFT Uk -Polka dot fowers range) has 4 die-cut squares in 4 shades of green -(greens always co-ordinate with flowers don't they?).  All 4 squares have been embossed using leaves or dragonfly designs to compliment the floral theme.  Peel-Off messages complete the card top and bottom.  Voila!

YUMMY CUPCAKES!

 NEW Nellie Snellen fancy dies were used with HOBBY ART Cakes mini clear stamps set. 

The stamped cupcake has been stamped 3 times and the toppings decoupaged for a fine finish.  Colours have been added by Sakura STARDUST pens. Very sugary and sparkly!

FANCY DIES die cut (circle or oval) have a series of slots in them so you then die-cut the flowers and place them in pairs in the slots. 



NEW Marianne Craftables dies were used for this set of 4 cards. 

The colour schemes were created by blending inks colours (Distress & Versamagic inkpads in assorted colours), to match with the mirror card backgrounds -again these were embossed.  The flowers were given shape character using ballpoint tools and a moulding mat.  Some of the edges of petals were "scuffed" with scissors to give a Vintage look too.  

These gorgeous messages are from Jane Gills set "Hours fly By" by Woodware.  Lovely verses such as these really lend themselves to be used on the front of a card in my opinion.  

All of the crafty  ladies in my workshop were very creative with their layouts and most made 3 from this set!  The afternoon hours flew by, especially as the sun shone in on us. 

Happy Crafty days! 

CHAMPION CARD!

I loved this NEW stamp set (No 1 Champion clear stamp set by Francoise Read at Woodware) as it has so much potential for the sporty men in the family!  I used Magenta's Diamond Mosaic self adhesive shapes for the bunting -it ensured it was perfectly straight and was very easy to use.  it comes in white - but you could easily colour it in various shades for a different type of bunting.  Bunting is so in this year isn't it.

WHAT SHALL I DO WITH MY PAPERS?

FIRST THINGS FIRST - sort out your papers into colour themes. 

Punch out squares using a square punch - (I used a 2" for the blue and pink card and a 1 1/2" for the little brown card).  Place pieces together to create a patchwork. 

TOP TIP -I find using the sheet of double-sided adhesive is very useful at this stage, and if you remove the plain backing and leave the grid backing -it helps you with your placement - very easy to do!  

The lavender card and the Thinking of you (browny) card was just piecing together patches of squares and rectangles randomly.  The double sided sheet helped again with placement  and keeping the corners square!  

This was a great way to create some pretty cards and use up a load of papers I had accumulated!  The customers at my demo were very happy and even brought in some of their own creations to show me. 

TO FINISH - Just add a few Peel-off borders/lines, flowers, buttons or ribbons with messages of your choice.