Aviary with a seam binding rose

Last week I played along with the friendly ladies at Crafty Cardmakers and enjoyed it so much I thought I'd join them again. This week the challenge is 'Make your own flowers' which sounded like fun! Come and see what I made:

I made a background by stamping a design of cages onto a white panel using the Aviary set, then split it before mounting it onto textured Crumb Cake card stock. That in turn was attached to the side of a Crumb Cake card front. And for my flower...

... a rose made from Rose Red seam binding! Seam binding is one of my favourite types of ribbon- it makes fabulous bows and is so pliable that it's perfect for this kind of flower. You start by rolling the end of the ribbon tightly to make the inside and then just fold and twist the ribbon round and round, sewing it as you go. I added two leaves made  by scoring a piece of card stock and punching shapes out with my Blossom Petals builder punch.

I thought this ornate sentiment from Curly Cute worked nicely with the rose and the cages. I stamped it onto white card stock and trimmed it to fit the space in the split panel.

I thought I'd take colour inspiration from CR84FN, another challenge I've been wanting to join in with. I love this week's pink, tan and white colour scheme.

Here's what you'll need to make today's card:

Stamps: Aviary, Curly Cute

Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Basic Grey

Card stock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake smooth and textured

Other: Rose Red seam binding, Blossom Petals builder punch, Stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

Every cloud has a silver lining and the gloomy grey clouds that have been annoying the UK with unseasonable rain lately have been the very thing that my roses like! My little garden is blooming like crazy! Once, a young man who was trying to be romantic, said to me: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's rose?" and I said: "No, because I'm bound to come off worst!" 

Tomorrow I'll have something very different for you. Hope to see you then,

Greenhouse Garden gift presentation

I have been meaning to  join in with Crafty Cardmakers for ages and now seems like a great moment... the challenge there this week is to make anything except a card and I've just made a box for my niece's birthday! I bought her a pretty little polka dot top with a peter pan collar (which I couldn't photograph to save my life!) and here's how I presented it:

I made a box using my Simply Scored using Daffodil Delight for the base and this beautiful tone-on-tone designer paper from the Beyond the Garden range for the lid. I added a matted panel to the lid to give it a bit of strength. Do you want to know my secret for making effortless boxes with my Simply Scored? When using the imperial board, you need to start with a piece of card stock any size for your base and a piece of card stock or designer paper for your lid that is cut 1/16" larger both widthwise and lengthwise. (For example a box base 3" x 4" will need a lid cut 3 1/16" x 4 1/16"). Score both the box base and the lid the same measurement in from the edge all the way round and assemble. The lid will magically fit like a glove every time!

The papers are double sided and this is the other side of the lid. I lined the base with orange tissue paper to pick out the background of the design and folded it over the blouse.

This pretty flower from Greenhouse Garden was stamped onto Whisper White card stock and cut out, then turned into a sticker using a corner of a Multipurpose Adhesive sheet. I've used it to seal the tissue paper closed. This was the moment I was going to show you the top but the photo I took made it look like something from the rag box so I won't! I will show you the tag though:

It's one of the tags from the Two Tags Bigz die which I scored several times before stamping with flowers from Greenhouse Garden and a leaf from my new Bright Blossoms set and decorating with a flower-shaped button. The gift was finished by tying the box up with double ribbon. I always think a box makes a gift so much fun to open!

Here's what you'll need to make today's project:

Stamps: Greenhouse Garden, Bright Blossoms

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery

Card stock: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Other: Beyond the Garden designer paper, Simply Scored, More Mustard grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery 1/8" taffeta ribbon, multipurpose adhesive sheets, orange tissue paper from stash

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you (except the tissue paper) and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

My youngest son has just put my white cushions on the floor - it has been raining all day and people have been traipsing in with wet shoes so I am justifiably miffed. "Please pick those cushions up off the floor!" I said sharply. "Sorry!" he said huffily. "I'm only learning how to do the splits!" What a bad mother I am, quashing his creativity! How on earth is he going to be able to run away and join the circus if I don't let him practise the splits on my white cushions? I have a washing machine don't I?!

Do join me again tomorrow when I'll be here with something dotty!

Hugs,