Monday 25 July 2011

White Lace and Promises !

Morning ! Hope you had a great weekend ! Ours was busy but enjoyable and I spent a very nice day on Sunday crafting with a lovely friend who I hadn't seen for a while. Although, I have to say that she achieved far more than I did as I talk rather too much !!! We had a nice lunch out in the garden and it was so good to talk crafting all day !!! It's a girl thing !
I have some wedding inspiration for you today, again very simple but I hope effective. Wedding design can become overly complex and it is so easy to gild the lily rather too much ! The best designs are those that show restraint and are elegant and understated.




This card was made for the lovely daughter ( and her new husband !) of our old next door neighbours; we attended their wedding in Edinburgh over the Easter weekend and it was probably the most romanic wedding ever ! The card features clusters of tiny flowers in a heart shape, punched from different papers and embellished with some ivory and gold pearls. The background is stamped with a simple swirl in a pearlised ink onto a textured paper. I always used really good quality cardstock for wedding cards and invites usually with a textured surface because this type of card needs to be really special !



These are tags I make up as ideas for cards, again they can be used as toppers or as gift tags for wedding gifts.


A simple stamped background and a pretty punched edge with beautiful script is all that is needed ( oh, a a bit of bling ! ).




So, start with gorgeous quality card, keep your design simple and classic and choose a lovely script to enhance your card and your'e done!
I hope you have enjoyed this post, I do make cards and invites for Weddings and Christenings and if you like my style I would be happy to discuss your requirements and give you a quote without obligation. You can contact me via the link on my profile above.

Hope your day is good, do stop by again !
Hugs Jane x

Friday 22 July 2011

Butterfly Card !

Hello ! Just a quick post today as I have to make an anniversary card for hubbie; cannot believe it is twenty eight years and I still haven't completed phase one of the training programme !
I have a little card today that features a butterfly.


This card took no time to make; I've been trying to simplify my card designs because my designs were so intricate that it was taking me around 2 ~ 3 hours to complete a card ! So I've decided to discipline myself and set myself a new challenge to speed up and not be so fussy !!
I started with a scalloped edge card and ran it through my "Big Shot" using an embossing folder which creates a frame on your card. Use a small card that will fit and flap the back of the card out of the way and make sure the embossed side will be uppermost on the front of your card.
This one went over the edge but I quite like that: perfection is not necessary in paper arts ! I then ran an ink pad over the surface to pick up the embossed detail ( I used "Crumb Cake" ink from Stampin' Up, It is fast becoming a favourite of mine ) ! I also inked the edge of the scallops in the same ink .


I stamped a butterfly onto some cream tissue paper and tore around the edge ( carefully ! ) and added some of my signature tiny blossoms and a bit of bling and it was finished!

Here is a quote I console myself with often, but I think there is a lot of truth in this one !

"It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life ".
Barthold Georg Niebuhr.

Have a good day and do visit again!
Jane x

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Baby Dress Cards !

As promised I have a couple of template cards to show you. They are very simple and need just a few embellishments to bring them to life; in this case some little flowers with bling centres and I've edge the little dresses with faux stitching to enhance the shape !


After cutting out my template I stamped the front of the card using a set from Stampin' Up called "Bundle of Love", this set is so versatile as it contains lots of elements and some useful sentiments including a stamp that can be used to make invitations. I used the heart and rattle to create a simple background and added my favourite little bunny stamp from "Little One" ( see my last post ! )


Another slight variation on a theme. The inks used are "Pretty in Pink" and "Pear Pizzaz" and the cardstock "Pink Pirouette" all available from Stampin' Up. 


Two of a kind !
I like Stampin'Up, products because if you are a just starting out in crafting everything is colour co~ordinated; so if putting colours together is a bit daunting the hard work has been done for you ! Also the quality of the merchandise is very high; you cannot achieve professional results if you start with low quality papers, inks and stamps ! 
My contact e~mail address is janegoldman1960@gmail.com ( or you can use the link in my profile ), if you are interested in finding out more about Stampin' Up products please do contact me and I will be pleased to help and advise you. If you do a lot of crafting and like many spend lots of pennies on your stash, you may find it cost effective to become a demonstrator yourself ! Again, contact me and I'll be happy to talk it through with you.

Now for my ( I hope ) inspirational quote ! I am a bit of a Shakespeare fan, can't say I always get it first time but the language is so beautiful and I'm a bit of a romantic at heart, I really love this one ~

"To unpathed waters, undreamed shores......" ~ William Shakespeare.

Thank you for visiting, do come again !
Jane x




Monday 18 July 2011

Welcome Baby Cards !

Morning ! Rather chilly here today and so blustery, still at least my washing is drying well on the line !!!




As promised I have some baby cards to share with you; the template ones are still in production ! I like to put a little stamp design on the envelope of some of my cards, it just is a little extra simple touch. This card is A5 and all in cream and pale sand, it works for boys and girls ! The image is from an old card from the 1960's; I have quite a stash of these as my dear Mum saved them so now I'm enjoying them all over again  ( don't actually remember them first time round to be honest !!! )



It's  a really cute image and that is why I have kept the design quite simple. The bunny stamp from Stampin' Up, is one of four wood mounted rubber stamps, all baby themed and called " Little One ". It's a lovely traditional stamp set and sits nicely on vintage cards. This card is from my "Vintage Baby "collection, but each card I make will be slightly different making them unique !


Another card using "Little One " stamped onto cream lined paper and simply cut out with a plain row of pink braid added.



These cards are tiny so simple is best !


By investing in one stamp set you can achieve so many different looks and with this set I have't even begun to experiment. The bootees could be stamped as a background like a ditsy print, as could the baby bottle also in the set but not shown. The bunny and the pram could be coloured in , embossed, decoupaged.......the possibilities are endless ! I expect you are like me and have stamp sets that you have either never used or only use one or two favourites from !!! Get them out and mix them up; you will be surprised at what you have !
Have a good day and please visit again !
Jane x




Sunday 17 July 2011

Happy Sunday !

Hope your Sunday is going well ! Today I have some " big " flowers for you just to prove that I can do other things ! It's still a flower though I hear you say !!!
I made this card for my lovely daughter; they almost always come out pink ! I love pink and lime green together, it is a timeless and fresh combination of colours which I never tire of using.



I like to use pattern on pattern when it comes to papers; it is so easy to feel that you always have to start with a plain background. There are no rules in paper crafting, just experiment by laying down your components before you commit to glue !


Sometimes it's just nice to stick to a simple layout and design when you are using lots of pattern. This is a really simple card to make but it is large scale and therefore has quite an impact !

I'm busy making baby cards for an order , so look out for those over the next few days. I'll be using some beautiful images from Stampin' Up and some lovely templates to make the cards a little more special

Enjoy what's left of the weekend! Looks like rain here which is a relief really as the garden is starting to look a bit sad and dry.
Hugs Jane x

Wednesday 13 July 2011

A Little Bird Thank You card !

Good Morning !
Another lovely summer day here in Worcestershire, but not too hot thankfully as I have lots to do !
I made this little card for my "upline" Jo and I really look forward to my Stampin' Up journey !


I love to start with an ivory / cream / vanilla piece of cardstock for my base ! I do do use lots of other colours but I like a soft look to my cards. The little birdie was found online, there are lots of free vintage downloads which look gorgeous used as toppers ( do check that they don't have a copyright; usually you are safe with anything over 50years old ! ). I have used my first ever stamp set from Stampin' Up for the background, it is called "Notably Ornate" and includes three other stamps too. I have vintaged the edges by tearing, rolling and inking and added my little flowers.
 Jo thought the card was exactly as she imagined my style to be and she is right it really typifies what I do ! However I do experiment and I do dabble in new things as you will learn !
I also love quotes and will add them in here and there for you perusal ! I like this one by Duane Michaels  very much ~

"Trust that little voice in your head that says ' Wouldn't it be interesting if.....' and then do it ."

Have a wonderful day wherever you are !
Hugs Jane x


Monday 11 July 2011

Tiny Tags all in Pink !

Hello ! Managed to get my first photos onto this blog to share with you ! These little tags are  so quick to make and I keep a stash of them ready to use as card toppers or gift tags. Note the use of the 'petite fleur" ! You will notice this as a recurring theme,  hence the name of my blog and papercrafting business !



I made these by simply colour tinting plain white tags and inking around the edge for definition. Then I used a selection of small scale stamps to stamp and overstamp, making sure I used some darker inks as well as paler ones . This ensures that your tags have some definition even though the general appearance is pastel. Carry this idea through to your accents; I have used little flowers, rose petals ( which I stamped onto), lace and of course a bit of bling !!!



Overstamping is a simple technique but try to stick to two ink colours or it can look too busy. I used a fine tipped marker to add faux stitches around the edge of the tag.



This detail shows the lovely texture of the topper paper which I have torn to give a soft edge.


I am going to try and post this now, so wish me luck and I do hope it works and that you visit again !
Hugs Jane x

Sunday 10 July 2011

Welcome to my brand new blog !

Hello !


This is my very first post on my brand new blog which I have created to share with you some of my papercrafting projects ! I am currently quite bewildered by the complexity of this new experience but I am sure it will all become clear as mud in no time !


I love beautiful papers, stamps and inks and to satisfy this need I have just become a new independent Stampin'Up demonstrator so I can share my love of crafts with friends old and new. I also run a small bespoke card and stationary business making limited edition and 'one of ' cards, invitations and journals.


I am an avid blog hopper and hope I can achieve a beautiful blog like so many of the ones I enjoy following ! Watch this space but don't expect miracles too soon!


Hugs Jane x