Tuesday 30 April 2013

UPDATE ON THE APRIL CHALLENGE, PLUS USING THE NEW DIES AND STAMPS...

We now have 30 superb entries into the April Challenge with just 1 1/2 days to go to link in your entries.  The subject for this Challenge was chosen by Gio and is 'Spring in Fashion' - perfect for the lovely sunny day we have here in the UK today!  Have a look at the entries so far, and treat yourself to a little blog hop HERE.   Don't forget that you are entitled to a 25% discount on our website at www.craftyindividuals.co.uk just for entering - so do email us for your discount code valid for a few days yet.

We released some new stamps and 3 new dies recently.  Daniele, Helen and Lucy have had fun using the new stamps ..



Daniel's card is soooo pretty and uses the new Summertime stamp CI-386.  And Helen and Lucy have both gone for Linda's new stamp design Summer Garden CI-385 to adorn their projects - beautifully...




As mentioned we also released 3 new dies at the same time ...


And I have made a few quickie cards using them - you will find the new dies on our site HERE ...




In all these cards I have used a suitable 'nesting' die to cut an aperture in my card, and then I have used a strip of acetate down the centre of the aperture to hold the die cut or stamped image in place as my focal point - so it kind of 'floats'.  Very effective and easy!  This is a card made in a similar way with our Gilded Cage Die.  I cut the birdcage twice - once in our background papers and once in a plain darker card.  I glued the two die cuts together - but slightly offset, to give a 'shadow' effect.  I then cut extra 'branches' using the same die, and curved these separately around the aperture as you can see.  Add a few pearls and it makes a very pretty card.


My final crafty image for today is another by lovely Lucy.  Lucy has used our new elements stamp Plain Sewing on a hessian background to create this great piece ..


She has also incorporated one of our little wooden trays on the project, which are so very useful for making small shadowboxes with sweet pretties inside - and what's more still only 99p!

As you know we now have a little 'Moodle' puppy, who is just adorable.  As his hair was growing ever longer we took him to the doggy beauty parlour recently, where he had over an hour's hands on beautifying.  So our little 'Boris' went in like this (Malcolm spotted the similarity!):


And came out like this (and smelling beautiful too)!



He was quite happy to pose for the camera - just as long as was necessary (with a doggy treat at the end of course)!

Bye for now, back soon,

Jean x

Tuesday 23 April 2013

SPRING IN FASHION THEME CONTINUES .....

I would like to show you most of the rest of the team's Spring in Fashion projects tonight.  Thanks for the get well wishes all - flu then turned to nasty ear infection, so now on antibiotics and living in a strange semi-silent world, due to my ears being bunged up still!  Sadly it prevented us from flying to Krakow for a few, much needed, days away, so here I still am in sunny UK!

I will try and get as many images on here tonight as possible, as continuing inspiration for our current Challenge, which you will find details about right HERE.  We have had 14 lovely entries linked in so far, but you still have time to join us with your creation! So don't delay, get crafting today!

Carol(Ginger) sent over images of this fabulous book she has created, and then lo and behold I received the real thing in the post.  Just love this, and the cover is sooo pretty - such a divine combination of colours and texture!  Thank you Carol







Lots of CI stamping here - the cover was made using CI-324, and the sewing plate items from CI-328.  If you get a chance to pop on over to Carol's blog tonight you will also be able to access a tutorial she has put together for Craft Stamper for this adorable little canvas.


Next tonight I want to show you a lovely card/folder decorated by Daniele with a springtime fashion feel:






Lovely colours and lots of detail from Daniele - again with a number of our products, all of which can be found at www.craftyindividuals.co.uk.  Nice touch with the real buttons and thread added to the sewing notions!

Paula has made this gorgeous project for us using very pretty fabrics and rubber stamps CI-378, and Love Lovely Life CI-382 snippet - adoring the stitching and felt flower!


Plus we have a superb assortment of colourful creations by lovely Helen Her swooshing project in my last post both here and on Facebook has been much admired by you all we are delighted to say!






Thanks Helen.

Brenda has made a couple of terrific and fashionable tags for us:




And my final treat for you this evening is tag based again - by Effie with humour - you just have to laugh now don't you!  Thanks Effie and everyone for helping us out with your crafting skills for 'Spring in Fashion'.  Don't forget we are just waiting for YOU to join in the Challenge now!






Jean x

Tuesday 16 April 2013

NEW PRODUCTS UPDATE...

My usual post over last weekend just didn't get done - due to nasty bugs again.  Still suffering from fluishness, but determined to at least update you on our recent new product release today, in between coughs and splutters.  Just be thankful that you can't catch it through the ether (hopefully)!!



Last week we released 4 new rubber stamps - 3 Individual collage style stamps:


and an Elements mini plate, with a sewing theme:


I have already had some projects sent over by the team, and very lovely they are too.  Helen's first - she made this one (love, love, it!) by dabbing distress ink pads on a craft mat, adding a little spray of water, I think, and then swooshing a piece of glossy card through the colours on the mat, to pick up.  This makes a great surface to stamp on, and then Helen used a white pen to highlight the grasses and flowers.



Edging is barbed wire from CI-361.  This is a stamp designed by my good friend Linda, and we have now given Linda her own page on our website which you will find Here.  The stamp featured above is CI-385, and very lovely it is too.

Helen has also had a play with the lighthouse stamp CI-384.  Malcolm photographed this 'Grace Darling's' lighthouse when we went out on a boat trip from Seahouses in Northumberland, to the Farne Islands, and then I made it into a stamp:



Brenda has made this adorable 'pocket watch' (Tim Holtz die), with this stamp too - very cool idea:




And she has made a gorgeous tag with CI-385:




I think this is going to be a very popular stamp!!  Brenda also added Hello and the bird from CI-371 which looks perfect on here.

Then Gio has made this very pretty little card with the other new Individual stamp CI-386:


Gio has sprayed over the Butterfly Panel Mask in yellow to create a background to this lovely summery stamp. And as Gio is rather fond of sewing themed stamps (as are lots of you out there!) she has made two lovely altered CD cases into little sewing boxes - how gorgeous are these?!




Well I was going to mention the dies we have released too (which you will find Here), but I've run out of steam now, and need another cup of tea to soothe my sore throat!  So I will finish by showing you another new make by Brenda - who has also using the sewing stamp, and made a little book ..




What a beautiful array of loveliness!

Jean x