Proud as a Peacock Card

Afternoon Everyone

From a nearly sunny Ayr! Whatever next ... a late summer ... now that would be nice :)

One of the better side affects of our dreadful weather was that the craft room was the best place to be yesterday ... you can see I'm not bitter ...  giving me the perfect opportunity to finish off this card, the beginnings of which can be seen lying on my desk here.

The embossing folder and stamp used to create this card came as a free set with an issue of Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine - the Peacock Collection Embossing Folder & Stamp Set. I did try out the embossing folder on this green card, the reverse side of a 6" square of ColourCore Black Magic Spell Caster, soon after buying the magazine but that was as far as I got. It was then stashed away in my catch-all box and forgotten until a couple of days ago but, now that I have to think about moving stuff out while the craft room is being redecorated, that box has to be emptied. And it just so happened that this piece was the first to come to hand.

Here's how I made the card:

- The first step was to trim the embossed card to fit a 6" square Kraft card base, just a shade smaller than 6" to leave a tiny margin of Kraft visible, and then adhere it to the front.

- I then stamped the frame and peacock image that came with the set on to a snippet of smooth white card using a dark green ink pad - Versafine Olympia Green. I also stamped the sentiment on another snippet of card to match.

- The stamped images were then die-cut using a square die from an X-Cut square set for the main image and an oval die from Spellbinders Sapphire Basic Set A for the sentiment. I then traced round the dies on to a couple of snippets of smooth dark green card (Papermill Direct) and trimmed the shapes out, creating faux die cuts mats for the stamped images. Once they were matted they were adhered, using sticky pads to create dimension, to the front of the card.

- The flower embellishment was created by layering up die-cut flowers in two shades of green - cut from scraps using a Marianne Flower die set - and adding a fern spray and a few tiny leaf sprays (from Tattered Lace's Lavish Bloom Leaves and Mini die sets) found in my box of die-cuts.

- For the finishing touch I added tiny crystal gems in two shades of green to the flower centres and dotted around the embossed pattern.

I'm feeling quite pleased, one piece out of the bits box down and a ton of snippets put to good use. Just a squillion more to go!

I'm off to submit this to Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 188 - anything goes as long as some snippets have been used in the process.

I wish you all a lovely evening.

Happy Crafting,

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 322

Hi Everyone,

Back again this week! And it's the second week in a row I'm managing to participate in What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday ... I'm doing well :)

Still not much going on but I have the start of a card laid out waiting for a flash of inspiration. There's that snoozing kitten again, a roll of Washi tape, used for parcel wrapping and not put away, and a bag of 'twinchie' sized stamps - mostly freebies from Craft Stamper. The stamp on the acrylic block is the one that came with the embossing folder.  I fished the green embossed card out of the box on the left and challenged myself to do something with it.

That box is a catch-all for the various bits and pieces I've stamped, decoupaged, inked, Gelli-printed, etc. Catching them in one place like this would be all very well if I did something with them but often as not these bits just get forgotten. But no longer! This is the week that I've decided the box will be, if not emptied, at least have the contents thinned out, considerably thinned out. There is a very good reason for this surge of productivity - well there would have to be a very good reason. It is that the craft room is going to be decorated next month, at last - we've only been here 20 months - which means that the craft room is going to be emptied of all stash to allow the EM, painter/decorator in residence, to work his magic. My job between now and then is to purge the contents and pack up what is being kept. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

Having said all that, I'm now abandoning the sort out and heading over to Julia's at the Stamping Ground where there's links to a lot more desks, much more interesting than mine, to peek at.

Have a great week.

Happy WOYWW to you all.

Sunday Snippets Make - Have a Wonderful Day

Hello Everyone,

I hope you've had a great weekend as we have here. Yesterday we enjoyed one of our trips out. We headed south, following the sun, and visited the village with the shortest name in the country, possibly even the world, Ae, after which we drove to Ellisland Farm where our national poet, Robert Burns, spent a few years of his life. Today, by complete contrast, has been spent mainly in the craft room catching up and finishing of a gift and card for my daughter's birthday tomorrow. Once that was done, I was left with a wee pile of scraps and snippets and, as I am trying very hard to keep the snippet pile down to a manageable level, I decided to make this card right away.

I've used a ready made Kraft card base. The patterned backing and trims were made by stamping this month's free stamp, designed by Michelle Powell, from Craft Stamper, with Fired Brick distress ink. The red and charcoal grey textured cardstock is from Papermania. The greeting is from Sheena's Only Words - Through The Rain set (stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black). I added chipboard candy coloured with a Ruby Promarker and some red/white Baker's twine for embellishment.

Here's what the pile of snippets looked like before I made the card.

There was only one usable piece of the charcoal grey card left once the card was completed.

That's me done for the day. I'm off to visit my daughter tomorrow, of course, so my contribution to In A Vase On Monday could be late, though probably no later than usual! It all depends on whether it is raining early morning, and how hard it's raining - I don't mind picking flowers in a shower but not if it's a torrential downpour.

Time for bed so I'll wish you all a bonne nuit and sweet dreams.