Friday 23 May 2014

Personalised Cards...

I have previously spoken about using the recipient photograph on the front of cards, and I really think it is a super idea, especially for hard to please teens! Here is a card I made recently for my 16 year old daughter, using a photo of her as the main attraction - and the main attraction was after all exactly what she was on this long-awaited day :)




I used a Marianne Zipper die to create a zip for the top, and the pull is a Prima Rusty Typo Zipper Junkyard Findings. I really love the look, and this is definiately a die I will be using quite a lot. Looking forward to trying it on a scrapbook layout.

The card is quite large, and as I was using 6"x6" paper (from the Santoro Mirabelle 6x6 pad), I cut one piece diagonally and used a coordinating paper from the same pad to fill the gap. These papers are glittered and glossy, so it's a really nice effect. All the papers used on my card are from the Mirabelle pad, apart from the black base card, which is plain cardstock.

Swirls are cut with a Spellbinders die - D-Lites "Sprigs" set
Paper Roses (some Prima some not, but all available at Charmed Cards & Crafts)
Pearls, mini bow and lace are Mirabelle




Wish ticket is from Tim Holtz's Adage Tickets pad
the "Perfect" lace is Prima lace sticker
Bunting cut from Joy Craft Die


Initially I didn't have the "Perfect" lace on the front, I added that at the last moment. Looks nice either way.



 The inside was decorated to coordinate with the front.




 You wont believe the amount of writing I managed to pack onto that 3" square LOL All soppy mummy stuff :)



Love that Mirabelle range ♥

Sunday 18 May 2014

Charmed Downloads: Holly & Madison

The downloads from Charmed Cards & Crafts were amongst the first to appear on the craft market, and featured in most leading UK craft magazines. We remain best value, with the cost of an average bundle of lots of digital images (plus often backgrounds and sentiments) being around £5 - £7.50, that works out at mere pence per image! Over the next few weeks I would like to feature some of the cards created with these amazing bundles.

The bundle featured today is the first Holly & Madison created by our Lou. Here are past cards created from the bundle, you can see lots more example cards in the shop.

We are giving away a bundle to two people who leave a comment on the Holly & Madison post on our Facebook page today, plus an extra chance if you leave a comment here.


















Saturday 10 May 2014

Santora Mirabelle Inspiration...




Santoro London have a superb range of products, and I think that the latest Mirabelle collection is the jewel in the crown. The adorable characters are complimented with a range of high quality products, such as speciality papers and a lovely range of embellishments. We had these in a while ago, and they have proven to be very popular.  On my example card I used only the 6x6 paper pad from the collection, and cut the image from the front of the pad (ensure you cut around the tape holding the pages together as it will otherwise tear the image), but there are beautiful images in the decoupage pad, the glitter stickers, plus the images come in stamp form too (restock of a few of the designs expected early next week).

The character used here is "Pursuit of Happiness", she is just adorable!


Card size is 7.25" x 6". I used three of the different sheets from the Mirabelle 6x6 pad for my card, starting with a glossy stripey pattern, then layering with a fabric infused paper (butterflies) and finally a glitter paper; a wonderful mix of textures. 

I used a piece from the Graphic 45 Botanical Tea "Hello Friend" as the base for my sentiment, and added some Crystal Glamour Dust to the rose on there. The sentiment itself is a Kaisercraft rub-on.

The lace is just wonderful, it is from the latest Prima releases. The reel comprises 1.5 yards of these beautiful 5-petal flower lace blossom, but that is about 27 flowers, so it really does go a long way. I topped each lace flower with a pink small open rose.  Butterflies and heart are from the Mirabelle Sticker sheet, and the sugar dots are Prima Princess Gems, the crystals are Prima too. Corners are Spellbinders.

The inside was decorated using the same papers to compliment the front:



If you have never decorated the inside of your cards I highly recommend you give it a go. It creates a wonderfully luxurious card and take it up to another level. 



Keep an eye on our Facebook page this weekend, when we will be giving aways one of the 6x6 Santoro Paper pad and a Mirabelle "Pursuit of Happiness" stamp set.
Have a great weekend