Mini Photo Album - Handy Hippo Monday

Hello Everyone ...

... and a Happy Handy Hippo Monday to you all!

And it's a holiday Monday for many of you too - here in the UK folks have been celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I watched yesterday's Thames flotilla on television ... it was a fantastic site marred only by the rain ... such a shame that it didn't stay bright and dry for such a special event. I was glad to be watching in the comfort of my own home as most of the onlookers, and not a few of the participants, were absolutely drenched!

However, the weather looks better today, perfect for the picnic partying and the Jubilee concert at Buckingham palace later today ... again, I will be watching from the comfort of my sofa :)

Right, on to the project for today, a mini photo album. This is going to be a photo-heavy post from here on as there is a lot to show you.

A perfect gift at any time of the year, depending on the papers and embellishments used, this project is an easy made album containing 4 double-sided photo mats - room for 8 photos altogether.

Using one double-sided 12”x12” sheet of a beautiful floral design paper from the K & Company Flora and Fauna pack to create the base and a further sheet (there are two of each design in the pack) for the mats.

A second sheet of 12"x12" DP is used to make the 4 photo mats, two for inside and one for the front and back pockets.

The photo mats tuck neatly inside the pockets.

A close up of the back showing the decorated pocket and mat.


As usual materials used for this project are available from Handy Hippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash. 

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

How the album was made:

Step 1.

Using a scoring board score and taking the first 12"x12" sheet of paper, score at 6" both horizontally and vertically so the the paper can be folded into 6" squares. Next, draw a faint pencil line from the two bottom corners into the central point - now cut out the triangular section formed by inside the pencil lines and retain this - you will need it later. I hope you can see the markings - this was the best shot I could get at the time :(

Step 2.

Here you can see the the base of the card with the triangular section cut out. The cut-out section is then cut in half to form the base of the pockets for front and back of the album.

Step 3.

This photo illustrates how the inside pockets are formed - fold back the triangular shapes left when the inside section is removed. However, before these sections are stuck down the ribbon that will form the closure has to be fixed in place as in the next step.

Step 4.

Use the ultra-sticky tape (the red one) to fix the lengths of ribbon in place. About 12" lengths of ribbon should do it - this will be trimmed down once the bow has been tied. Once the ribbon is in place you can then adhere the pocket pieces in place down the side edges - again using the ultra-sticky tape for maximum adhesion.

Note: the inside edges are not stuck down - they form the pockets ... I know, you're probably thinking that's obvious, but it's an easy mistake to make, believe me!

Step 5.

You can go as fancy or plain as you like when decorating the albums. Here the pocket edges are edged with white cardstock decorated with a Martha Stewart edge punch and ribbon trim in a coordinating colour.

Step 6.

Do the same with the two pieces cut to form the pockets for front and back before adhering them in place, down the side and bottom edge only. All that remains is for you to decorate the front with a selection of flowers and embellishments.

Step 7.

This floral embellishment is made up using a variety of flowers from various sources.

At the base are flittered flower sprays that have been fussy-cut from one of the DPs to be found in the Flora and Fauna paper pack.

The central 'rose' was made by cutting out a circle of coordinating paper, spiral cut and then rolled to form the flower.

The remaining two flowers were made by layering up punched paper shapes, topped off with purchased paper flowers ... these were white to start with but with lots of heat embossing, using a mix of several embossing powders, white, pink, irridescent and clear, the colour has been transformed. (You'll find the EPs used by clicking the Handy Hippo button.)

Even the letter J that has been used to personalise the album is cut from one of the sheets in the Flora and Fauna pack – it has also been embossed using the same mixing technique. Gems and pearls provide the finishing touch.

I did say it was going to be a photo heavy post, but I thought it would be better to illustrate the process of making the album rather than try to explain it all in words. I hope I've succeeded in making it as clear as possible.

Finally, I haven't been around much over the weekend, not because I've been out enjoying the Jubilee jollies and neglecting the craft space, but because my PC has been acting up and proving difficult to simply start up after being closed down overnight. I'm very much afraid that it may need more than my pathetic attempts at troubleshooting ... I might just have to get my techie guru in to take a look at it ... there goes my new stash money for months to come, sigh :(

Anyway, instead of crafting and blogging as I would like, I've been hurriedly ensuring that I've got all my photos and documents sorted out and backed up just in case something dire happens - I'd really hate to lose any of it.

So if my appearance are spasmodic over the next wee while, you will know the reason why :)

After this heavy post, I think a tea break is called for and happily it's lunchtime anyway.

Best wishes to you all, I hope you have a lovely day and happy crafting,

The Pink Panther says MiaoW! - Handy Hippo Monday

Morning Everyone,

A tad late but happy Handy Hippo Monday to you all - I have been having a terrible time with blogger this morning. Trying to put this post together has been a nightmare ... for some reason the edit bar keeps disappearing! So if there are any spelling mistakes, please do forgive ... I can't find the spell check button!?!?

This week's share features another fabulous Penny Black Stickeroo.

It's a fun card, the base of which is a pretty striped cardstock from Nitwits and a polka dots cardstock, again from Nitwits, provides the base to the topper together with the delightful and cheery pink cat. Coordinating stickers from Penny Black’s Whiskers and Tails Stickeroos have been used to embellish the card . A floral paper from Wild Rose Studio’s Spring Fling paper pack has been used for matting, instead of the more usual cardstock, and also for the small heart embellishment.

As usual materials used for this project are available from Handy Hippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash. 

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

This card couldn't be simpler to make - here's how:

• Card base made from the striped card trimmed to measure 11" x 5½" and folded to create a 5½" square
• Edge punch a strip of the green polka-dot card 5½" x 2" to give a scalloped edge
• Edge punch a strip of white card 5½" x 1½" to create a lacy heart finish
• Adhere the white strip to the top of the green strip and then wrap a length of ribbon along the top edge, adhering it securely to the back. 
• Adhere the resulting decorative band to the card approximately 2½" from the bottom. 
• Trim the pink polka-dot card to 4" x 3¼" and the DP to measure approximately 1/8" wider all round.  Round the corners of both pieces with a corner punch and mat the two together.
• Adhere the cat Stickeroo to the centre of the pink polka dot piece, adding the 'MiaoW!' sticker to the top left corner. 
• Using silicone gel to create dimension, adhere the topper to the front of the card - placing it over to the left as seen in the photograph.
• Finally, add the finishing touches - use a small length of the ribbon to create a faux bow; adhere a pink button to the bottom left of the topper; mat a Stickeroo heart shape to small piece of the DP, trim round it and adhere, with silicone gel to create dimension, to the bottom right corner of the card; punch five small hearts from the DP and adhere one to the top left corner and the other four to the inside of the card, as see here in the photo:

And that is my Handy Hippo project again for another week. Hope you like it and will be tempted to take a look at the Penny Black Stickeroos that are in stock - they are proving to be a very useful part of my crafting arsenal, especially when I want to make something quick and easy.


I'm now off to grab me a cuppa and go sit in my little garden for five minutes - it's not as sunny as yesterday but it is still lovely out there. 


I wish you all a wonderful day and hope that you find plenty of crafting time.


Happy Crafting,

Distressed Flowers - Handy Hippo on Monday

Morning Everyone,

Happy Handy Hippo Monday!

Yes, it's Handy Hippo on Monday again this week ... and from now on I'll be bringing my Handy Hippo share on Mondays instead of Thursdays. For all sorts of practical reasons Mondays are better for me so I hope you'll enjoy the change too.

On to this week's share:

A square-shaped card, the background is created using floral peel-offs and distress inks in two shades of pink, after which the peel-offs are removed. The topper is created similarly but the peel-offs are left in place. It’s a simple technique that gives stunning results. The flowers in the sheet of peel-offs used are mixed in style and there are tiny butterflies and even tinier flower heads that are useful as fillers in the whole design. I think this is a technique that is quicker to do than it is to explain in words but I will endeavour to do my best ... so here goes :)

How to make the background:

Before sticking the peel-offs down it is best to pop them on to a tea-towel, or even on whatever you're wearing, to remove some of the tackiness. This will make it easier to remove the peel-offs after inking. It's also a good idea to mix the flowers up a bit, trying not to make it look too perfect and symmetrical, and have some of them falling of the edge, so to speak. 

Top tip: before starting the inking, place a piece of copy paper the size of the card underneath the back of the card - this prevents the back being inked inadvertently as the card is moved around on your craft  sheet - how do I know this, you might just wonder!!! Similarly, have a spare piece of paper/card to hand, use this to cover inked areas as you move round the card ... otherwise you might leave fingerprints on your card.

Starting with the lightest shade of DI, for this card it's Spun Sugar, and starting from the edges sponge - using a make-up sponge - over the entire surface. Don't aim for perfect coverage, it looks better if it has a mix of lighter and deeper areas of inking. Next, take the deeper shade, Victorian Velvet, and shaping a make-up sponge into a little ball shape, sponge the centres of the flowers - again it doesn't have to perfect and it doesn't matter if you go over the lines, it all adds to the desired finish.

Leave the ink to dry for a while and then carefully and slowly remove the peel-offs. Don't throw these away, stick them on to the back of the peel-off sheet, keep them to be used again. 

Finally, sponge just around the edges of the card with the Pumice Stone ink. 

The topper is created using the same method of  inking but using a piece of pink card, measuring 2" x 3½", and instead of removing the peel-offs, leave them in place. Mat the topper on to gold mirri card cut fractionally larger and it's ready to adhere with the silicone glue gel.

For the greeting, stamp it on to a strip of pink card, ink edges with Pumice Stone, cut a 'V' shaped from the right edge and mat on to gold mirri card as for the topper and adhere to the front of the card.

Finish the design off by using a strip of white card punched with a lacy edge punch and sponge edged with Spun Sugar ink, adhered to left side of card. Using the ultra-high adhesion tape, stick two lengths of pink ribbon down on to the punched strip and decorate with white and pink pearls and a ribbon bow. Finally, add pearls to the top right corner and one to the greeting.

As you can see I've added a stamped 'Hello' to the inside - made in the same way as was the greeting on the front. 

As usual materials used for this project are available from Handy Hippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash.

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

Well, that was a bit of a marathon this week - as I said, takes longer to explain how to do the inking technique than it does to actually do it! However, the results are always well worth the effort so I hope you will give it a try.

I'll be back again next Monday with another project to share - hopefully, one that's easier to explain.

In the meantime, have a lovely Handy Hippo Monday and ...

Happy Crafting,

A Springtime Thanks - Handy Hippo Holiday Monday

Good Morning Everyone ...

... and a very happy Handy Hippo Holiday Monday to you all. I thought I'd hold this week's project over until today to celebrate the holiday.

And because it's a holiday, I've created a very simple and easy card that is quick to make but bright and cheerful too.

The papers on this fun card are from Wild Rose Studio’s Spring Fling 6”x6” pack, featuring floral designs in hot pinks and even hotter oranges, with just a touch of vivid turquoise ... almost tropical. The embellishments of cream vintage lace, paper flowers in shades of orange and hot pink pearls compliment the bright and cheerful designs on the papers.

As usual materials used for this project are available from Handy Hippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash. 

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

Here's how I made the card:

• Trim cream card to measure 8½" long by 5½" wide and fold in half to form a tent-shaped card
• To form the panel, first cut two strips of DP, the first measuring 3" wide by  5½" long, the second measuring 2½" wide by  5½" long. It's not essential but the edges of the DP can be inked with a brown distress ink at this point, if wished, then mat the narrower strip with the broader strip.
• Add a strip of ultra high adhesion tape to what will be the bottom edge of the panel, then attach the vintage lace trim as shown in the photograph.
• Adhere the panel to the front of the card.
• To make the flower topper: either by using a scalloped punch or die, cut a circle from cream card. Again, the edges can be inked with brown distress ink if wished. Select three flowers in different sizes and shades of orange and using the silicone glue adhere them together then set them on to the circle of card. Once the glue has set, add a hot pink pearl to the centre. Adhere the topper centrally, to the left side of the panel 
• With a brown fine-tip pen, add a row of faux stitching just above the panel
• Stamp the word 'Thanks', using a brown ink pad, on to a small piece of cream card. Punch or cut this out - I've used a scalloped oval punch, but it would look just as good simply trimmed to form a rectangular shape. Ink the edges with the brown DI and using the silicone glue adhere it, at a jaunty angle, to the right side of the panel.
• Finish off by adding three hot pink pearls to the lower right edge of the panel

This is a card that could be made in double-quick time and adapted for any occasion. I imagine it's also a good design for bulk cardmaking as there is nothing too complicated about it.

As usual, I plan to return with a quite different Handy Hippo project next time ... something a wee bit more complicated in the making :) 

I'm hoping to get a bit  of scrapping done today ... yesterday I had a rootle through a box of old photos and found some that definitely need to be scanned and scrapped for posterity :) It worries me that if I don't get a wriggle on I may never find the time ... and the real tragedy would be that the people in these photos will eventually be forgotten. As it is, I have some photos inherited from my mother that I've not been able to date or give names to the people or the places ... such a shame. 

I hope whatever you are doing today, whether you are having the day off or whether you are working, that it will be a lovely day for you and that at some point you will find time to do a bit of crafting. 

Happy Crafting,

Marigold Thank You Card for Handy Hippo Thursday - Week 12

Hello Everyone ...

... and a very happy Handy Hippo Thursday to you all. I hope you are all well, and to those of you that are not, I wish you a speedy recovery. And I also hope that for many of you, because of the horrid weather we are experiencing here in the UK, it's a day indoors happily crafting away :)

This week's Handy Hippo offering is a quick and simple card based on ... in true Blue Peter style ... one I made earlier. Some of you may have seen the card, posted last Friday, I made using a photograph I took of lilies in flower last summer ... the post is here. From the comments I received it was clear that many of you would like to make cards featuring photographs but may not have a collection of flower pics to choose from. Well, Handy Hippo have the answer with their fabulous Foto Finesse Topper collections. These are sheets of photos of flowers, trees, shrubs, etc in gorgeous eye-catching colours and each sheet also includes several greetings to cut out and use too. Here's the one used on this week's card.

This is the Gold sheet. Here's another to whet your appetite.

Gorgeous! And terrific value too - each A4 size sheet is only 24p at the time of posting.

Tempted? As usual materials used for this project are available from Handy Hippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash.

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

Here's how I made the card:

• Trim an A4 size sheet of white card to measure 10½" by 5¼" and fold in half to make a card base measuring  5¼" square.
• Using one sheet of patterned paper from the Kalahari Dreams paper pack cover the front of the card taking it over to the back as in this photo:

• Trim any excess off.
• Create the topper by cutting out the photograph of the Marigold from the sheet and matting it on to gold mirri card, leaving a narrow frame around the photograph, then do the same with the dark brown card. Adhere the topper centrally, using silicone glue, to the upper front of the card.
• Create a narrow band to fit the width of the card with the gold mirri card and the brown card. Stretch the gold ribbon over the band, adhering the ends to the back of the card. Adhere the band to the lower part of the front of the card.
• Create another topper using the 'Thank You' greeting from the sheet and matting it in the same way as the flower topper. Adhere this to the right on the band with the silicone glue to the ribbon band. Finish this off by adding three green gems to the left on the band.
• Finally, trim two narrow strips, approximately 1" wide, of the patterned paper and adhere them to the inside of the card ... as in this photo:

 And that is the card completed.

Pot Marigolds are one of my favourite annual flowers ... I love the bright and cheerful yellow and orange blooms and they are so easy to grow. A bonus is that the petals are edible too and look great sprinkled on salads.  

I hope you like this card and might just be tempted to make it for yourself.

See you again next week with another Handy Hippo project.

Happy Crafting,

Having a Wonderful Time - Handy Hippo Thursday, Week #11

Good Morning Everyone,

A happy Handy Hippo Thursday to one and all. Here in Scotland the holidays are over and the children are all back in school until the summer. In the meantime, we are all looking forward to lots of Jubilee celebrations nationwide and, unless you are one of the lucky ones that got tickets ... I'm not bitter, not one bit of it ...  lots of TV coverage of the Olympic Games.

So getting into the spirit of things here's the card I want to share with you this week.

The  stamp is of a line drawing of the iconic London Bridge, the detail of which is very clear, and together with the red, white and blue couldn’t be more British. The layout couldn't be easier, the pennants easy to cut out by hand and the embellishments are kept to a minimum.  The fun postcard greeting and sentiment are computer generated. The insert has been stamped with the image too.

As usual materials used for this project are available from Handy Hippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash.

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

Here are the instructions on how to make the card:

• Using whatever software you have on your computer, set up and print 'Having a Wonderful Time!' in black on the lower right corner of an A4 sheet of white card. I've used Serif Craft Artist Professional, but similar results could be produced on any word-processing or graphics programme. The font I've used is Forte, size 28 points, but again any similar font would do as well
• Fold the A4 sheet of white card in half to form an A5 card base
• Cut a strip of the red/white striped card 1¾" deep and trim to the width of the front. Wrap a length of navy blue ribbon along the length of the card, making sure it is firmly adhered to the back. Adhere it securely and centrally across the front of the card
• To make the topper, stamp the image in black on to a piece of white card and trim down. Mat the stamped image, first on to the red card leaving a narrow edge, and secondly with navy blue card, again leaving a narrow edge. Adhere the topper to the left centre with dimensional foam. 
• To make the pennants, draw and cut out a template on white card in the shape of an elongated triangle, as in this diagram.

• Using the template cut out 4 navy blue, 3 red and 3 striped pennant shapes. Arrange them across the top of the card front and then glue them in place. Using a white pen, add faux stitching along the top each pennant. 
• Create a bow from the ribbon and glue it in place. Edge the tips of the white flower with a red ink pad, then glue it to the front of the bow. Add a red gem as the finishing touch to the front of the card.
• The insert is an A4 sheet of copy paper onto which is printed the greeting 'Wish You Were Here' in the same font as that on the front. Fold the sheet in half and trim to fit inside the card. Ink up the image with a grey ink pad, stamping on to some spare paper first, then stamp on to the bottom left corner of the insert. Adhere the insert to the inside of the card.

Once again I hope I've made these instruction clear, however if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me as I'll be only too happy to clarify where necessary.

I hope you like this card enough to make it yourself - it was fun creating it, particularly the pennants, and the Penny Black stamp is great to work with - obtaining a great impression every time.

It's the wee small hours of the morning and I should get to bed. I hope you all have a lovely day and that you'll look out for next week's Handy Hippo project.

Happy Crafting,

Happy Easter - Handy Hippo Thursday! Week #10

Good Morning Everyone,

And a very happy Handy Hippo Thursday to you all wherever you are. Here in my particular corner of paradise it's a bright shiny day, although a tad colder (3°C/42°F) than it's been of late. And this, while the rest of the UK seems to be suffering Arctic conditions! It's such a pity that the warm weather hasn't continued because now we are into the Easter break. Egg hunts are not quite the fun they should be in the snow :(

And talking of Easter, here's my share for today ...

... an Easter card, what else? :)

It's a quick and easy made vertical stepper card in the colours of spring - shades of pastel green and yellow and featuring my favourite, polka dots. On the die-cut topper there's a cute hedgehog and bee taken from one of the very useful Penny Black Stickeroos sheets now available and proving very popular with more than a few of our blogging friends :) They are great when you are short of the time needed to stamp and colour an image. The flowers have been created using a mix of die-cut and punched shapes . The greeting was computer generated.

Here's a view of the inside giving a better sense of how the card is shaped. Even with the flower embellishments on it this shape folds down reasonably flat for posting ... a fact worth considering now that UK postage is going up yet again!

As usual materials used for this project are available from HandyHippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash.

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

Here's how I made the card:

• Trim the polka-dotted paper to measure 5¾" x 11½", fold in half with the pattern to the inside - this is the reverse of what we would usually do. Next fold half the front of the card back on itself to reveal the pattern. 
• Print the 'Happy Easter' greeting from your PC onto the pastel green card, or you could stamp it if you have a suitable stamp ... I didn't so had to improvise. Here it is in PNG for anyone who would like to download it.

• Fit a small labels die round the greeting before cutting and cut another next size up in the yellow for matting.
• Similarly cut the labels in the two largest sizes, one green, one yellow for the topper.
• Note: I've used Spellbinders Labels Nine and Splendid Circles for this project but, in true Sue Wilson fashion, these could be substituted with any other similarly shaped dies.
• Adhere the little PB hedgehog and bee from the Stickeroos sheet to the green label and mat it with the yellow label. Add double-sided foam to the left side of the topper and adhere it to the front flap of the card as in the photograph. 
• Similarly glue the greeting label to its mat and adhere to the bottom right corner of the card.
• Cut two leaf sprays from the green card.
• To make the flowers I've used two sizes of daisy punch together with the two smallest of the Splendid Circles dies. The shapes were cut out several times from the snippets of leftover card, there are even two polka dot daisies - enough to make 6 flowers in various sizes altogether. The daisy shapes have been shaped with a bone folder to turn upwards to create some dimension. I then put the various shapes together, ensuring that the colours alternated, to form several flowers.
• Arrange the leaf sprays and 4 flowers around the front flap, one flower top right inside and the smallest on the greeting label, as seen in the photograph.
• The final touch is to add the pearls to the centre of the flowers.

Once again, I hope these instructions are clear enough for you to follow but if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do my best to answer your questions.

I'm off to try to catch up on the backlog of stuff I have sitting on my desk waiting to be done. I wasn't planning to make any more Easter cards but then realised that I have two babies in the family who should have a card - especially as for one it's her first ever Easter.

Due to the Easter break Handy Hippo Thursday will be taking a break too ... it will, however, be back for Thursday 19th April. In the meantime, I hope you all have a great day and a lovely Easter holiday.

Take care as always and happy crafting.

All in White - HANDY HIPPO THURSDAY! - WEEK #9

Morning All,

A very happy Handy Hippo Thursday to you all on what is another gorgeous day in my little bit of paradise - hope it is for you too.

STOP PRESS

EVERYTHING IN THE SHOP AN EXTRA 20% OFF 

WITH DISCOUNT CODE MARCH20*

*While supplies last, no rainchecks, no back orders. Offer ends March 30th at Midnight

Just a little delayed this morning ... trouble with my Internet connection! How these things happen just out of the blue is a mystery to me but they do, and I was thrown into a panic for a while but all is well now ... I hope :)

Here's my share this week - one with a difference. All-white cards seem to be very popular at the moment so I thought I’d join the trend :)

I've used different materials and embossing techniques to give this all-white card a loft of texture and interest. The base, a scalloped A5 card, has a double-embossed panel (paisley patterned folder and glitter embossing powder) added to give it sparkle. The floral cascade is made up of several flowers stamped, embossed in white on vellum and cut out, together with die-cut leaf sprays, all edged with glitter glue. The finishing touch is a double bow of organza topped with the silver embossed greeting.

As usual materials used for this project are available from Handy Hippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash.

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

Here's how I made the card:

• Trim a piece of white card to measure 5¼" x 7½" - this is to fit the front of an A5 scalloped edge base card. 
• Using the embossing folder emboss the card - this can be done by passing it through once, then repositioning the folder and passing it through once more. 
• Gently rub the VersaMark pad over the top of the embossed card, sprinkle the clear sparkling embossing powder over it and heat emboss.
• Adhere the embossed card to the front of the base card.
• Stamp the flower stamp six times on to a sheet of white vellum and heat emboss with white powder. Cut out all the flowers and curl the petals upwards using a bone folder or similar.
• Die cut six of the leaf sprays from white card. I split the leaf sprays into to two to make it easier to place them around the flowers.
• Using glue gel attach the flowers in a cascade around the left side and bottom of the card. Position the leaves under and around the flowers.
• Using the glitter glue edge the leaves and the flower petals and add to the central stamens - you might find it easier to squeeze a blob of the glitter glue on to your craft mat and apply it with a paintbrush. Add a gem to each centre too.
• Stamp the greeting on a small piece of white card using VersaMark and heat emboss with silver powder. Punch out using a 1¼" circle punch. 
• Finally, fashion a large double bow with the organza ribbon and adhere this with glue gel to the top right, then glue the greeting to the centre of the bow. 

I hope you like this card enough to make it for yourself – I think it would make a lovely wedding card.

I'll be back again next week, hopefully with something different again.

Till then Happy Crafting,

HANDY HIPPO THURSDAY! - WEEK #8 - A Caged Bird Tag

Hello Everyone,

And a happy Handy Hippo Thursday to you all. I hope you are well and having fun.

This week, as promised last week, I've got something a bit different to share with you - I seem to be having a bit of a thing with tags at the moment. They are fun to make and can look lovely hanging up on a wall.

I've used the Sizzix Tim Holtz Caged Bird die as the main feature and two gorgeous sheets of patterned paper from K & Company’s Flora & Fauna collection . The birdcage is cut from gold mirri card and then distressed with white, silver and blue embossing powders to achieve an aged and distressed effect. Butterflies, gems, ribbons and lace embellishments complete the tag. Here's a photo of the back of the tag.

The back is the perfect place to write or stamp a greeting - this one has been left blank until a recipient is decided upon.

As usual materials used for this project are available from Handy Hippo and if you would like to make the same project then simply click on the magic button below and it will take you directly to a shopping cart that contains everything you would need to make it. Once there, you can simply and easily remove any of the items that you already have in your craft stash.

It’s easy to add to your basket any other purchase that you might like and if something is temporarily out of stock you can request to be emailed once it is back in stock.

Here's how I made the card:

• The dimensions of the tag are as follows: height 6½"; width 3½". Cut the base for the tag from white card, and two pieces from two sheets of the patterned paper, one silver blue embossed and the other a blue/brown floral, as shown in the above photograph
• Shape the 'shoulders' on the white card base by marking the length at 5¾" and ¾" in at the top - draw a line between these two marks and cut remove the corner 
• Adhere the first patterned paper first to one side of the white card and trim the 'shoulders', then adhere the second piece to the other side of the base and again trim the 'shoulders'
• Using the Stormy Sky DI sponge around the edges on both sides of the tag, then lightly sponge with the Vintage Photo
• Using the Caged Bird die, cut out the bird cage in gold mirri. Cut two birds, one in white card and the other in the brown reverse side of the blue/brown floral paper. Cut two wings, one in white card and the other in silver embossed blue paper
• Glue the brown paper bird shape to the white card one and, similarly, the blue wing to the white one
• Adhere a clear gem to the bird in the eye position
• To distress the cage, rub VersaMark randomly over it and sprinkle white embossing powder and heat. Repeat the process with the blue powder, and then again with the silver powder. If you are not satisfied with the effect just add more of any of the powders until you are satisfied.
• Whilst still warm from the heat embossing, wrap the cage round something rounded to shape it - I used an empty jam jar and fastened it on with a couple of elastic bands - it's best to leave for an hour or so to get the rounded shape
• Punch out three butterflies from the brown patterned paper
• Attach a length of the extra strong sticky tape to the base of the side of the tag that is decorated with the silver embossed blue paper and then pleat the white organza ribbon on to it and trim.
• Adhere a row of the cotton lace and then a row of aqua ribbon above the organza frill, glue a small bow made from the aqua ribbon in position
• Adhere the bird's body to the tag and then, using silicone glue, the cage in position over the bird. Add the wing in position on top of the cage. Decorate the base of the cage with a selection of blue and clear gems
• Punch a single hole top centre and thread a piece of aqua ribbon through it
• Shape the butterflies wings and then adhere them randomly around the top of the tag

This tag could be made using any of the lovely papers that are available from Handy Hippo - I just happen to like this K & Company Flora and Fauna collection but there is a wide selection to choose from if this isn't your particular style.  

The embossing powders come in a huge range of colours and the Verdigris and Copper shades would give a very authentic rusty look to the cage.

I hope you like the tag and will want to make one for yourself.

See you next week with something different again.

Happy Crafting,