Happy birthday Dad

Today is my fathers birthday and I really wanted to share the gorgeous card and coordinating jar of liquorice allsorts I made for him with my readers.

I took a regular pasta jar and using my circle dies and punches cut firstly a cardstock circle layered with another circle of DSP.  I used the now retired elegant soiree which I really love and just happened to have a little scrap floating around.    I glued these to the lid, covered with a layer of crystal effects and left to dry overnight.    Once that was all done I layered in the sweets and then finished the jar off with a double bow of crumb cake seam binding.    I just love how easy it is to take simple things and turn them into something spectacular.

Hope you enjoy looking.

Julz

Take one design

And mix it up.     I came across this card by Georgeann Manning somewhere in my websurfing and of course as all good crafters do pinned it to my cardspiration board on Pinterest.   Because I am busy getting ready for a few craft fairs I needed to add to my current stock and it really is smart to be cutting several of the same basic design at once.       Hope you like my take on Georgeann's cards.  Sorry the photography isn't the best, usually hubby helps but I wanted to get these all snapped and then packaged up.


Julz

Funky kids cards

Well at least I think so.

I have two markets coming up this weekend.   The first at Lindale Farm in Kapiti Coast on Saturday and the second on Sunday is a brand new Underground Market at the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt.    I am really looking forward to these markets but at the same time needed to add to my collection of cards on hand.      I absolutely love the Big Top Birthday DSP, especially great for cards for the young at heart.    Hope you like the selection of cards I made today, would love to hear your feedback as to which ones are your favourites.


Julz

Long time MIA again

This blogging thing really is a bit of a challenge for me I must say.    I am trying however, so who knows maybe you will see some more this week.

Last night I went to my sisters 40th birthday party so I want to share with you the gift and card - all made with love by me using SU products.    Please excuse the photography, we were running late to leave for the party so these were taken around 2am back at her house on hubbies Iphone so quality is not brilliant.

Her favourite colours are red and purple so I opted to put Real Red and Elegant Eggplant together with black to come up with this bold combination for her card, with the focal point of the card being the sparkly panel and 40.  

The gift is a recycled can which I wrapped with Black grossgrain ribbon and then finished with a flower made using the blossom punch.   This I filled with hersheys kisses and it contained the two roses in Real Red and Elegant Eggplant - they are actually pens, I fashion the roses to the pens using a combination of tombo and lots of patience.    I love these pens and will be making a whole lot more to sell at the various markets I have coming up.     Anyway, hope you like todays wee projects.

Till next time


Julz

Childrens cards

I have been invited to have a stall at a gala and then a craft fair over the next few months and so have been busily creating new projects and cards in anticipation of this.   I start back at uni in a few weeks so am making the most of my current craft time.

One of the things I have been playing around with is punch art.    I have seen many examples on the net before of the punch art characters and thought I would have a go myself.   I love what I have come up with.     My prototypes aren't perfect but I have been working on mass producing these with a view to being able to put either a magnet back, badge back or clothespin magnet on the back of them after purchase.  

This afternoon after having worked on my mass production line I had the idea that I would make some cards using the same punch art.      They have come up amazingly well I think, would love to hear your opinions.


Julz

Punch art badge/magnets

Cards en masse

Casing - the card makers answer to brain fog

So I wanted to make a few cards for my stash but wasn't feeling overly in the mood to dream up my own design.    Of course this lead me to my stash of swaps from other Paper Divas team members which I have been saving for just this occasion. 

I decided to case (copy and share everything) this card below which was a swap I received from the lovely Rhonda Imrie - you can check out her blog here.

The following two cards are my take on her original.    Hope you like them.



Julz

Happy Valentines Day

Hope you are all having a wonderful day with your loved ones.     My husband and I generally don't celebrate Valentines Day and this year is no different.  However this year my youngest son (14) has himself a girlfriend - a young lady he actually went "out" with in primary school and they have in the last few weeks started going out again.   It is all very sweet and adorable and he thinks rather a lot of her so asked me to help him out with a gift.

I already had the brooch made up and after discovering her favourite colours were in fact purple and black it seemed fitting that this should make up his gift.   He also helped me make her a bunch of flowers and designed the card.    Once he gets home from school any minute he is off to deliver the gifts to her.   I am hoping she likes it.

Brooch

Box

Flowers

Card

Entire ensemble

Would love to hear your feedback as always


Julz

Julz Blossoms

I have been quite busy of late making and creating some really fun projects.    My obsession however for the past three or four days has been making paper flowers.    They have been a lot of fun to make and I am enjoying experimenting with different styles and techniques.


Paper flowers are an amazing way to brighten up the house without the fuss and bother of worrying about anything needing water and dying.

Big bunch of flowers in all sorts of sizes shapes and colours

Close up shot

Smaller bunch of similar flowers in Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight

Hope these brighten your day as much as they are mine.


Julz

JAI entry

For the first time in a long time I have decided to enter over at Just Add Ink where the challenge this week is to case the wonderfully talented Kathy Tanner.

After snooping around on her blog for quite some time I was intrigued by this gorgeous card.    I hope you like my take on it.

Front of card

Inside

Card recipe:  
Lucky Limeade, Melon Mambo and Whisper White cardstock
Cheerful treat dsp (Hostess gift)
Butterflies made using embosslit in Melon Mambo, Concord Crush, Pink Pirouette and Bashful Blue
Glimmer brad, scallop trim border punch

Hopefully be back sooner than the last blog post


Julz

Crafty holiday fun

Hi folks.

Yep been a while again.   No excuses just how it is.

Anyway I had my sister and two nieces over yesterday as my sister wanted to make a couple of cards.   Firstly a baby card and the second is a sympathy card.    Hope you like what we created.

Julz

Birthdays everywhere

Lots and lots of birthdays lately, including my son's yesterday, so I thought I would post his card and another I made for my daughter's friend today.

I have been suffering a little from a lack of inspiration, even though I have new toys to play with.   It may just be burnout from uni, hopefully after a few days of nothing I will find my mojo.   Anyway, I ended up casing myself.   Cards which I have made before that with a few minor changes are easily reproduced and still look great.   

Won't put recipes in here today, they are fairly self explanatory just by having a look at the pictures.


Cheers


Julz

Hospital wishes

Two ladies I know recently had surgery, both one day after the other, and both life altering.    I wanted to send them both something special to let them know I was thinking of them and to offer words of encouragement.   I love easel cards at the moment and came up with these two, quite different in terms of colour schemes but both equally lovely in my opinion.

Hope you enjoy looking at them.

The first:

Card recipe: 
Cardstock:   Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla, Basic Black
Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery
DSP:   Subtles DSP Stack, Newsprint
Embellishments:   Basic Black Grossgrain Striped Ribbon, Organza Ribbon (hand coloured), Smooch Spritz, Basic Pearls, Butterfly embosslits, Scallop Trim border punch, Sentiment printed on computer


The second

Recipe:
Cardstock:  Baja breeze, soft suede, very vanilla, sahara sand, basic grey
DSP:  Elegant Soiree
Embellishments:  Beautiful Butterflies Embosslits, Basic Pearls,  Scallop trim border,Crochet trim lace, sentiment printed on computer,


Both ladies have messaged me and said they loved them so Im really chuffed.

Anyway, hope you like them too


Julz