Pop up box card.

Last week I bought one of these...

and because of work, as well as my sister's birthday preparations, I wasn't able to get it out of the box until yesterday to have a play.

My friend had asked me to make a 21st birthday card for her god daughter, so I thought i'd see what designs I could get from the Silhouette Design Store.
I found lots of pop up box card designs by designer Lori Whitlock on there and loved the design of them, so decided one of those would make a fun card.

Now, i'm presuming that the problems I had removing the design off my portrait's cutting mat is due to it being brand new, because it stuck there too good, and I couldn't get it off without destroying the design :(
If any cameo/portrait owners out there have any tips, i'd be sooooo grateful.

But, I still needed to make a card for today, so I decided to use my ruler and scissors to replicate the card base design, and then decorate it to make it pretty...

The pretty papers are all by Doodlebug (Hello Sunshine).
I managed to salvage a number 21 from one of my attempts on the silhouette, and coloured it pear-green (promarker) then gave it 2 coats with a Spectrum Noir clear sparkle brush pen. I wish the photo had picked up the sparkle so you could see.
The pretty flowers were cut using the extra dies from Paper Smooches Lattice die set. I gave each a flat back pearl centre.
The leaves were cut using Poppystamps Lorelai Outline Leaf die, and an ash leaf punch by Woodware.
Happy Birthday are both word dies by Clearly Besotted Stamps, and the letters for God Daughter & the pretty scalloped trim are both by Tattered Lace.

It turned out quite pretty I think, and I can use Lori's design another time, once I get the hang of my new toy.

I'd like to enter this at:
Paper Smooches September challenge - Anything goes.
Ribbon Girls September card challenge - Anything goes.

Thanks for looking! xx

Aunty's birthday

This is the card that i've made for my Aunty...

I started with an embossed background. My Aunty likes to play bingo, so the Tim Holtz large bingo embossing folder is perfect.
I die cut the Large Iceland Poppy and added some shading with promarkers before adhereing the flower head together. I slipped the stem through the lettering on the 'for you' scripty die, then glued the whole lot onto the bingo card base. I brushed over the petals of the flower with a clear Wink of Stella pen.
The word 'Aunty' is from a retired stamp set by Clearly Besotted Stamps. I hand-cut the little tag to fit nicely around it.
The strip of paper at the bottom of the card is from Lawn Fawn's Perfectly Plaid paper pad.

I'd like to enter this card at:
Incy Wincy - touchy feely (add texture)
Seize the Birthday - A/Goes (dimension)
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - just us girls
Allsorts - Happy Birthday
Seven Hills May challenge - embossing

Thanks for looking, have a great day xx

Wednesday Inspiration

It's time for another mid-week post for From The Heart Stamps.
My card for today takes inspiration from this weeks I {heart} sketches challenge...

Join in the challenge, and everyone who plays will receive a $1 discount code for the store, and if you are the challenge winner, you will receive a $5 discount code to the store! :)
Remember though, you must use an image by From The Heart Stamps to be eligible, and please include a pic of the sketch in your blog post too, it's in the rules!

I've made a christmas card today. Well, we did have some snow yesterday!

This cutie is Blowing Kisses, and is one of Faith's Project 100 Snowman images.
You can see the others available HERE.

I've coloured the image with promarkers, then fussy cut part of it.
I teamed this with patterned papers from Lawn Fawn (Peace, Joy, Love), and, using the twist too, die cuts from Poppystamps Dies (Frozen Flakes), and Paper Smooches (Lattice).

I hope that you'll join in our challenge too :)

I'd like to enter this card at:
Passion for Promarkers - make it digital (my image)
I love Promarkers - pastel colours

Have a fab day! xx

FTH June 2015 Blog Hop

So sorry for the late post, I have been without internet service all morning.

Welcome to my stop on this month's From the Heart Stamps blog hop.

Our theme this time is "Giggles and Smiles".

As you hop along, please leave a comment on each blog.
One random commenter will be selected on each blog to win an image of choice from the FTHS store.
Additionally, one commenter on the From the Heart Stamps blog will be selected to win a $15 gift voucher to the store!

If you have arrived here from Jessica, you are in the right place. If you haven't, why don’t you start at the From the Heart Stamps blog, so you don’t miss anything. The full hop list is there too.

I've decided to make a Christmas card this time (my first for this year)...

Hehehe, I love that sentiment, it's so clever! :D

For my card, i've used the image and one of the sentiments from Santa Birdbrain, i've coloured the image with promarkers..
The patterned paper is from Lawn Fawn (Peace, Joy, Love).
And the snowflakes were cut away from a border from Poppystamps Dies (Frozen Flakes).

I'm entering this card at:
Christmas Card Challenges - anything goes
Sugar & Bettys - anything goes
CHNC challenge extra - anything goes

Now, please head over to Kathy's blog to see her fantastic card for this hop.

I hope that you enjoy hopping with us today.
The hop will end on Monday, June 8th at 6am, EST (11am UK time).
Winners will be posted on the From the Heart Stamps Blog on Wednesday, June 10th.
Good luck, and happy hopping! xx

Christmas Tweets

Here's the christmas card I have made for my daughter and son-in-law this year...

I've used an image from the Christmas Tweets set by DigiStamp Boutique.
The snowflake border is from a Poppystamps Die (Frozen Flakes), and the paper is by Dovecraft (Merry Magic). The sentiment is computer generated.

I'm entering this card into the December customer competition at DigiStamp Boutique
and also at:
Papertake Weekly - last christmas card of 2014
Creative Card Crew - anything goes
Pennys Paper Crafty - anything goes
Creative Inspirations - christmas/new year
Addicted to CAS - family

I want to thank you for visiting me throughout 2014, and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and that 2015 is a happy and healthy year for you all.
Have fun, relax and enjoy! Cheers! :)

Jo xx

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

How are you today? My husband gave me an early pressie... his cold!  so I am feeling a little poorly at the moment, but it should pass in a few days (hopefully), the persistant cough is the most irritating part.
So, are you all ready for the big day?
Or are you like me and still have cards to make?
Well, if you do, then From The Heart Stamps may be able to help you out there, because today is Mid-Month reminder day, and we have a FANTASTIC image for December's Stamp Of The Month.

If you joined the SOTM challenge in November, you will have received Christmas Spirit Birdbrain via email. 

If you join in this month, you'll get next month's digi for free too.

If you don't have this month's SOTM, you can still play along by buying the image on it's own, or you can still get it for free if you spend $10 in the store and use the code HO-HO-HO

Told you it was fantastic didn't I?
Here's my card...

I've coloured my image using promarkers, and then stamped around the edges with a Bo Bunny holly leaf stamp from their 'Father Christmas' clearly stamp set.
The snowflakes are a Poppystamps Die (Frozen Flakes)
The sentiment is one of FOUR you get for FREE with this great image :)
So, a quick card, letting the image be the star of the show.

I'm entering this card at:
Incy Wincy Designs challenge - anything goes
Simon Monday Challenge - anything goes
Christmas Card Challenges - clean & simple
Sister Act card challenge - anything goes
That's Crafty - anything goes

There's still time for you to play, there's 2 more weeks to get your entry in, and remember if you do, you'll get January's SOTM emailed to you for free! ;)
Thanks for looking!

FTH September Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on From the Heart Stamps blog hop.
If you're a FTHS fan, and especially a fan of the Birdbrains, you're going to want to read about what is happening for our hop this time ;)

Our theme is “For the Bird{brains}” and let me tell you, I am SO EXCITED that we are having a hop dedicated to my favourite little feathery dudes/dudettes! :)

As you hop along, please leave a comment on each entry. One random commenter will be selected on each blog to win an image of choice from the FTHS store. Some Design Team members are also giving away the actual project they create for the hop, too. So, you may win an image and a card or project from some of the blogs!
Additionally, one commenter on the From the Heart Stamps blog will be selected to win a $15 gift voucher to the store!

BUT WAIT! there's more! We are offering another really cool prize on the FTHS blog!
Have you ever had a great idea for a Birdbrain image? Well, this is your chance!
One lucky winner randomly selected from all the comments will be selected to work with Faith to design a Birdbrain image! How AWESOME is that?!

We would like to invite all of you to be a part of our hop this month too.
There is an inlinkz at the bottom of this post, and at every stop on the hop.
Use one of the designer’s tutorials and your favorite Birdbrain image to create a project to play along. We can’t wait to see what you create!
If you are interested in guest designing for FTHS over the next few months, simply add GDT to your entry. We are looking for six people to guest design for two month rotations over the next 6 months. Hope you will print off your favorite Birdbrain and play along!

If you have arrived here from the lovely Imke, you are in the right place, if not, why don’t you start at the From the Heart Stamps blog, so you don’t miss anything. The full hop list is there too.

Here is my Blog Hop project, a simple fold, diorama card...

And here's how I made it. I used the following items:

From The Heart Stamps Mistletoe Birdbrains digital stamp
2 pieces of white cardstock, both measuring 20cm x 15.5cm *
1 piece of white cardstock big enough to make a frame for my aperture
Dovecraft / Back to Basics / Christmas / Vintage (6x6 pad)
oval coluzzle cutting system
Marianne Design Creatables Die Set (Petra's Ornaments)
Poppystamps Die (Frozen Flakes)
large and small heart punches

* The finished card will lay flat in its envelope, So your cardstock can be any size you wish, so long as it fits inside the envelope you want to use.  So if you have a 6" square envelope, then cut 2 identical pieces of cardstock, slightly smaller than the envelope size (e.g approx 14.5cm or 5¾" squared)


I started this card by scoring both pieces of cardstock on the 20cm side at 2cm, 4cm, 16cm & 18cm
(or you can score at 2cm and 4cm, turn and repeat at other end)

Fold your scored cardstock so that the 2 pieces look similar to this:

(You will glue the 2 outer ends together once you have completed the inside of the back piece, and cut out your aperture on the top piece.)

Next, add your designer paper to what will be your top piece. Then either die-cut or punch out your aperture. I used this Marianne Creatables die. I also used the same die again, plus the slightly bigger die from the set, on a seperate piece of white card stock to make a frame for the aperture.

Next I glued more designer paper to the inside of the back piece, then glued down my image, which i'd coloured with promarkers, then cut out using an oval coluzzle . I added some punched hearts to the bottom of the image.

Now all that's left to do is glue the 2 outer ends together and to finish decorating the front of your diorama card. See? I told you it was simple ;)
I chose not to add a sentiment, but I did add the snowflake border die-cuts (Poppystamps die)
I thought it would be nice for YOU to choose your own sentiment, or maybe add the name of the recipient to the front of the card?
That's because I'd like to send this card to one of you lovely people. The randomly chosen commenter can have this card sent 'as is', or, if you'd like me to, I'll add either of the 2 sentiments "Merry Kissmas" or "Meet me under the Mistletoe" and/or a name of your choice too (cut from Die-namics By the Letter dies)
And remember, if chosen, you'll also get to choose an image from the store too :)

So if you'd like me to send this card to you, please remember to leave a comment, as mr random thingy might just pick you ;)

Here's the finished card again...

I'd like to enter this card at:
My Mums Craft Shop - Dies or Punches
2 Cute Ink - Anything goes
Paper Makeup - Anything goes
Fan-tastic Tuesday - Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes

Now, please head over to Kathy's blog to see what she has made for this fun hop :)
Thanks for hopping with us today. The hop will end on Sunday September 14th at 6am, EST. Winners will be posted on the From the Heart Stamps Blog on Wednesday September 17th.

An InLinkz Link-up