Three Minute Thursday - using Sweet Pea DP

Welcome to Three Minute Thursday - my weekly post for people with very little time who want to send a hand crafted card NOW... well okay, in three minutes! Today I'm going to show you a couple of cards using the time-challenged crafter's best friend - designer paper. The fact is, designer papers are often so stunning they deserve to be the focal point of a card.

I adore this gorgeous paper from the Sweet Pea designer paper stack in the mini catalogue. And by cutting it carefully to centre the birds, matting the image onto Chocolate Chip card stock, attaching to a Whisper White card blank and stamping a sentiment from Sincere Salutations you have a card ready to send pretty much anyone in minutes!

Here's another card using another paper from the same stack:

I used exactly the same method for this card but had the sudden urge to add a ribbon embellishment. I thought I'd be able to fit it into the three minutes but I confess the ribbon tipped the time over into the four minute mark. I've included it though because if you're looking for a quick card, a minute either way probably isn't going to trouble you! I could've added felt embellishments or buttons to the centres of the flowers in very little extra time but I'm happy with the card as it stands - I'm a 'less is more' kind of girl!

For today's final card, I used another stunning paper from the same pack (only available until the end of September folks - get it while you can!) It's another card that took slightly over the three minutes .

This time I matted the floral onto a fine dotty dp - again from the same incredible pack. The sentiment was stamped onto a scrap of So Saffron card stock and punched out with the word window punch. I added an overlapping circle of dp punched with the 3/4" circle punch which I folded behind the floral paper. The little flower is one of the flowers from the Boho Blossoms punch with a So Saffron brad in the centre. I love the way it sits perfectly in the dotty semi circle and I'll definitely be using this embellishment again.

So there we go - three super-fast cards to send in minutes or use as the basis for something more detailed.  I hope this Three Minute Thursday series is useful - don't forget to leave me a comment to let me know, or if there's anything else you'd like to see on my blog.
Thanks for looking!

FTL 101 using sweet pea felt and paper

Hello! It's Monday and I'm back after a hectic weekend of celebrating my eldest son's birthday. I'll be showing you the card I lovingly made for him tomorrow but today, I thought I'd catch up on the FTL 101 challenge over on the Clean and Simple Stamping site. See this week's sketch above...

... and here's the card I made:

A long time ago, when I was a child (in what feels like a galaxy far, far away!), I remember being in a city at the end of the summer and seeing all the new Autumn fashions being showcased in the shop windows. Pink and brown was the big colour story that year - I had never seen these colours together before and felt very excited about it. This card is dedicated to the little girl I was then.

The central panel is a piece of Whisper White card stock stamped with a Chocolate Chip sentiment and decorated with Sweet Pea felt pieces. I added some faux stitching with a paper piercer and a Pretty in Pink marker. The panel is matted onto a piece of Pretty in Pink card stock, then onto one of my favourite striped papers from the Sweet Pea stack and then adhered to a Chocolate Chip card blank.

Supplies
Stamps: Sincere Salutations
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink (used to sponge edges of card stock)
Card stock: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Other: Stitched felt, Sweet Pea designer paper, paper piercer, Pretty in Pink marker

It's worth mentioning that the Sweet Pea designer paper stack (£19.50 for 48 sheets of double sided paper) and the coordinating Stitched Felt (£6.50 for 52 pieces) are from the mini catalogue, and will only be available until the end of September or until stocks last. So if you love it as much as I do, it would be a good idea to get your order in soon... (Click here to order.)

Thanks for dropping in to visit my blog - I love having visitors! I'm always delighted to read your comments and always reply to them.
See you again soon I hope.

Three Minute Thursday - using Sweet Pea DP and felt

It's wonderful to invest time on a card or other project, but sometimes we just don't have that kind of time. (And I have to confess I'm not a patient crafter - when I get an idea in my head I want to see it NOW!) That's why I've come up with Three Minute Thursday - for people who want beautiful cards in minutes!

Today you even get two cards for the price of one! Both took less than three minutes.

When I first saw these beautiful stitched felt embellishments in the mini catalogue (p.13), they were an absolute must-have for me! You get 52 pieces for £6.50 and you get heaps of cards out of them. Here's how I made this card:

• Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 9 cm x 18 cm, score at 9 cm and fold with a bone folder to make a card blank.
• Cut a piece of striped Sweet Pea DP 7.5 cm square and draw two stems on it with an Old Olive marker.
• Mat it onto a piece of Always Artichoke card stock cut 8 cm square and adhere to your card blank.
• Add felt leaves and flowers to your card front.

Here's the other card I made:

Just as quick and simple:

• Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 9 cm x 18 cm, score at 9 cm and fold with a bone folder to make a card blank.
• Cut a piece of Always Artichoke card stock 7 cm x 9 cm and trim both long ends with the Scallop Border punch. (It should end up being about 7 cm square.)
• Cut a piece of striped Sweet Pea DP 6.5 cm x 6 cm and mat onto the Always Artichoke card stock. Attach to the card blank.
• Add a leaf and two of the large flowers layered together to the front of your card.

I made these as notecards but you could easily add a sentiment to make them work for any occasion. They'd make a lovely boxed set to give as a gift too.

Hope you've enjoyed the speedy cards today.

I'll be back tomorrow with a coordinated birthday gift. Do join me!