Work in progress - Christening Cake

Just thought I would tempt you all with a sneak preview of what I am doing for Connie's Christening Cake.  These are the shoes for the top of the cake (made from sugar).   I thought I would never get to the end of making the little flowers!

Right now to get on and make another 40 flowers (plus spares) for the side of the cake.  I have also got another couple of coats of royal icing to put on the cake, and then the board to ice, and I can start decorating the sides.

I have also got to make some flowers for the sponge cake - so watch this space - work in progress!

A different sort of fold

I tried a different sort of fold today, having seen a card done with it by a crafting friend on FB, who pointed me in the right direction for the instructions.   Fairly easy with my Hougie Board.   Image is from RHS Soceity cd by Joanna Sheen, printed on Conqueror paper and then double mounted on card.  The wavy peel-offs are in fact pink holographic ones. 

                            

Here is a slightly better view of front taken outside this morning, which shows the base of the card a tad better.

                

                           

This is the inside.  Matching insert from the cd, put into publisher so that I could change the colour of the font on the message.  I have also lined the inside of the back of the card with the matching backing paper to the image and added some corner peel-offs.

If I hadn't already printed off the image and paper, I think I might have chosen an art-deco image from Fashion Boutique, as I think the shape of the card lends itself to Art Deco.

If anybody is interested in the fold there is a template and video on the designer's blog: 

http://valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com/  (look under the scor-pal section).   She has some great ideas in other sections too.

I used a different sized card to that in the template - mine is an A5 card.

Messy Rabbit cupcake cake!

Ellie wanted a cupcake cake for her birthday party tomorrow (confession here - nearly forgot to make it as she was away for actual birthday).  Very simple to make - 8" sponge cake, split and layered with jam and buttercream.   Trimmed to shape using template I created.  Ivory sugarpaste rolled with my ribbed roller.  White sugarpaste cut with a wavy edge with template.  1 cherry split and placed at top and name and age cut out of sugarpaste and painted with edible dust.  voila!  (and she loves it!)

You may recognise the design taken from Joanna Sheen's Messy Rabbit cd.  Her invites were made using the cupcake image.  I just used the snapshot tool, imported it into publisher and made it large enough to fit an 8" cake.  Here are the template pieces I used from the image:

30th Birthday Card

Not only is it Ellie's birthday on Valentine's Day, but it is also my future daughter-in-law's birthday too.

I struggled with what to do for her.  Pretty, pretty or simple.  Then laying in bed an idea struck me!  I was going to make her a cake for her Birthday, but she insisted that as she is trying to lose weight for the wedding she really didn't want one!   Thus the idea for this card was born.

It wasn't going to be another easel card, but it sort of happened!  White hammered card stock.  Images from Andy Carolan's Pastimes and Hobbies CD highlighted with sakura stardust clear, and a bought 30.  Tramlines scored along base and a pretty pink holographic peel-off added, and a couple of random tiny heart gems (as it is Valentine's Day).

Base has a sentiment created on computer, using the matching backing paper from cd, which says:  "You said you didn't want me to make you a cake ...."

A couple of bits of ribbon and a butterfly that was in the kit containing the "30" layed between two lines of embossing.  I have also done "honeycomb" embossing on the bottom inch of the card (using my new Hougie Board), and added 3 lines of the holographic peel-off.  Added a couple of star gems and a little heart gem as the stop.

Once again I have mounted the complete card on the easel base, so that I could add an insert.  Used the matching backing paper from the cd, but printed it in "watermark"  and then printed on Conqueror paper the sentiment on the "fly" continues on from the front of the card and says:  ".... but this one is non-fattening!"

             

This isn't photo isn't awfully clear, but have tried to get a close up of the honeycomb embossing! but I think if you click on the photo and look at the bottom right you can just about see it!

ps:  I also made a matching bookmark with a tassel  (yes I parted with one) but forgot to take a photo.

Hunkdory Fairy Card

I bought this Hunkydory fairy image yesterday.  Have mounted it on a Craftwork Cards frame  and added spots of Diamond Dust to the image.   I then stuck some pink spotted paper on to some card and cut out a number 8 using some templates I have  (the spotty paper was a freebie with a craft mag).  Edged the 8 with matching promarker, double embossed it and added some spots of Diamond Dust, and mounted it on clear pads.

The front of the card has been scored with parallel lines on my new Hougie score board, although the photo doesn't show the scoring that well.

                     

The card was then mounted on to more of the same burgundy card and turned into an easel card.  Sentiment from the image sheet, some paper lace, flowers (both from Joanna Sheen) and card candy (Craftwork Cards) added and Ellie cut using cuttlebug, pink foam and Go Kreate's Rome Alphabet.  I scored a couple more lines either side of the paper lace.  (I am liking this new board!).  Finally a small pink jewel added for the stop for the easel.

I then added an insert.  I do find easel cards can be difficult to find somewhere to add a message, so the way I have created the card enables you to put in an insert.   This one was from Joanna Sheen's in Other Words cd.  I liked the sentiment so much, that rather than use the interactive version, I copied the insert into Publisher and added my own greeting to it as well.

                                

Orange Easel Card

I coloured this image from Joanna Sheen's Country life collection stamps, a couple of week's ago.  (Using Promarkers of course!) I thought I would use it on a card for my sister-in-law, but had no inspiration as to exactly what I wanted to do with it.

Yesterday we went to a DoCrafts event locally, and I bought the current "Goody Bag" - everything in it was colour co-ordinated in yellows and oranges.   Not colours I would normally use.  I decided they would be a good foil for my coloured image.

Base card is a cream 6" scalloped card from CraftWorkCards.  I decided to turn it into an easel style card.  I cut out the image with a nestability and also a larger piece of one of the orange papers from the pad in the goody bag.   As there were also matching brads etc in the kit - I used those too.

The base of the card uses another paper from the pad, a piece of spotted orange ribbon, matching ready-made bow, and a couple of flowers with a bronze gem in the centre.   The easel "stop" is a tiny matching orange spotted button - again all from the goodybag kit!

I also bought some rather nice white Happy Birthday peel-offs yesterday - and have used one of these along the ribbon.

As I said earlier not colours I would think of using, or even buy if I saw them on sale,  but it was a pleasure to have all the co-ordinating bits and pieces to hand, and choose what I wanted to use.  I hope any future "goodybags" are colour co-ordinated in this way - it would be a really great idea.

First Easel Card

I made this card for my daughter's birthday and confess it was very last minute, as I have not been feeling well this past week or so.

Not only is it my first easel card, but also my first go at ultra thick embossing!

The image and papers are from Joanna Sheen's "In Other Words" cd. The main topper from the floral toppers section, and the other paper from the patchwork topper/paper section. The base card was A4 plain Burgundy card from my stash.

I highlighted the sweetpea image with sakura stardust pens, applied with a koi water brush, and then did some double embossing using Cosmic Shimmer ultra thick clear embossing powder. The image was mounted on foam tape on burgundy corrugated card, and this was mounted in the middle of a strip of the patchwork paper, and some flora doodles with card candy centres added either side.

I attached a further piece of the patchwork paper, which I punched along the edge with one of my Martha Stewart punches. Two lengths of Ribbon - silver overlaid with burgundy were attached before adding to the base card. Another card candy button holds the "easel" up and a sentiment from my stash added to a piece of card edged with burgundy was placed on the ribbon.

In addition to making this today (her birthday is tomorrow) I also quickly knocked up a joint birthday cake this afternoon for her and her teaching colleague Kirsten. I had felt guilty at not making a proper birthday cake for Dawn - the first time in 36 years - and also for the past couple of years I have made a joint cake for her and Kirsten.

We had been talking about cupcakes last night, and suddenly inspiration struck - I would make a giant "Cupcake". It is not brilliant by my standards, but it is the thought that counts! (I hope). Definitely a case of using what was in the cupboard! Cake is chocolate victoria sponge, topped with fondant - but the mix- it-yourself with water type, as there was a packet in the cupboard!

I then discovered some left-over pink sugarpaste and cut out the numbers and initials, (from a kit I won in my sugarcraft club raffle at Christmas - so another first!) having first rolled a pretty floral pin over the sugarpaste. I then made some roses (what is known in the trade as "marzipan roses" - and probably the first thing I ever learned to do in cake decorating!) The numbers, initials and roses were then dusted with lilac frosted edible dusts! Voila - a 30 minute cake! Not brilliant I know - but it is the taste that counts! (well that's my excuse and I am sticking to it! - at least I have been brave enough to share the photo!)

Karaoke Card

A card for my nephew - although he isn't actually into Karaoke, he is an "internet DJ" (nlo don't ask me I don't exctly understand either), and this was the nearest thing I could come up with, courtesy of Andy Carolan's Pastimes and Hobbies cd.

He is known as DJ Soto, so have added those words to the card to personalise it. The bear , mike, speaker and picture on the wall are decoupaged, and the glass has been highlighted with sakura stardust pens.

The insert has a matching backing paper from the cd, which I created as a "watermark", and then added one of the smaller sized toppers.

I knew there was something wrong with this card when I looked at the picture - I had forgotten a greeting - proves I was feeling under the weather! It now has a "Happy Birthday! in the top right hand corner. I will try and remember to update the photo!

Never Ending Card Instructions

Well I wrote out some instructions, and hopefully if you click on the picture you will be able to see them. If you then right click you should be able to save them.

I used strips of 20 cm by 10 cm (8" x 4") but you could use any size you wanted. Basically you need two pieces of card the same size. One cut in half horizontally and one cut in half vertically. They are then scored at the 1/4 and 3/4 mark of the long side (a bit like a gatefold card).

You lay the two horizontal pieces one below the other. Put some glue in each of the four outer corners, and then attach the other two pieces that have been cut vertically to the corners. Then just keep folding and creasing. The front layer will open like a gatefold card, the next layer will open from top to bottom, and then the last two will repeat this sequence, until you get back to the beginning.
(bit difficult to explain - but do have a play. The result is quite fascinating.)


Have a look at Fiona's never-ending snowman card on: here It is brilliant.

Never-ending card!

I spent the afternoon crafting with my two youngest granddaughters today.

Obviously most of the crafting was done Bea, although Connie would have liked to have got her hands on my Cosmic Twinkles! (won't be long before she is crafting too - she was fascinated by what we were doing! I can see she will have to have her own craft box eventually).

We used her Cuttlekids machine, and Bea learned how to shade flowers with chalks and outline with Cosmic Twinkles, and she did some stamping and painted the images with Lyra Aqua Crayons and a koi brush (I am sure those crayons and brushes were designed with kids in mind!) (You can seen the crayons in Bea's hand).

But the "piece de resistance" was Bea's "Never Ending Card." (I had seen this on C&C in the Lili of the Valley Show, and was as fascinated as Nigel the presenter at the effect). I had a play with a piece of paper first to see if I had got the idea right, and before I left this afternoon I prepared some pieces of card, and found some Mr Men and Beatrix Potter freebies that were in my stash for just such a granddaughter's crafting session. I thought I would be a good idea to supervise to try this new idea with Bea as practise!

The backing papers, toppers and placement of same were all chosen and done by Bea, I was just in charge of the tape pen, and the paper trimmer!

front of card

which opens out to this

which then opens out to this

and then this

and finally back to the front and this picture shows the front slightly open

It was a fascinating thing to make. Shall now attempt to make a "grown up" one.