In the idealised world of social media, it's easy to forget that the finished item we're seeing isn't always the first attempt... or even the second, third or fourth! Even those of us who have been practising our craft for a long time have days when things go wrong. I've decided to start collecting some of the "uh oh" moments that happen in my crafty space so that I can share them with you here. Some I've managed to fix, while others have been filed at the very bottom of the trash can!

This first one is an error of judgement. I thought I'd have plenty of room to stamp out a sentiment on a piece of scrap card, but it turned out I didn't leave quite enough space between my sentiment and the last area I cut from. The result was a couple of bites taken out of my oval! I managed to save it by positioning the edge just under the image panel.

I wasn't so lucky with my second mistake! Not enough pressure on the centre of my stamp resulted in a gap in the design. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot I could do to save this one, but happily, card stock has two sides so I just flipped it over and tried again.

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Garden Fairy

I've made one last card with the cute Fairy Travels image, this time with no sentiment. I cut an aperture from the front of the card with a circle die then decorated around the edge with some punched flowers and butterflies.

Stamps:

Fairy Travels digital stamps

Extra Fries

What's a burger without a side of crispy fries?

Both images have been coloured with Prismacolor pencils on kraft card stock using the no-line colouring technique. I posted a photo sequence of the burger being coloured a few days ago and I also have a tutorial for the basics of no-line colouring using digital stamps in the Everything Papercraft section of the blog. You can find a link at the top of the page or click HERE.

Stamps:

Burger and Fries clear stamps

Burger and Fries digital stamps

Reminder...

Don't forget our March special offer of 20% off the Lovely Lilies digital or clear stamp sets.

Available until the 31st of March (AEST)

No Line Colouring

Don't you just love a big, juicy, flavoursome burger with sweet tomatoes and drippy barbeque sauce? Mmmmm... yum! Sadly, I can't give you one of those, but I can share a photo sequence of a burger image being coloured on kraft card stock with Prismacolour pencils. That's almost as good, right?

Stamps:

Burger and Fries clear stamp set

Burger and Fries digital stamp set

Now... what's for lunch?

Glitter and Sparkle

How could I not create a fairy card that's full of sparkle and pretty colours? Some Kindy Glitz, coloured rhinestones, pretty coloured paper and card stock have done the trick and my card is ready to go.

Stamps:

Fairy Travels

Everything Papercraft - Holographic Paper

Holographic papers, or hologram papers, are smooth and shiny papers that have 3D holographic effects. The effects are created by applying a thin layer of shiny metal or reflective plastic and then embossing to form a relief image. The light is reflected and diffracted, due to the millions of tiny grooves and valleys created by the embossing, resulting in the signature rainbow of colours that sparkle from the surface.

Holographic papers are often used for die cutting, matting or as a base for cards. They’re a great alternative to glitter or mirror card stock.

Combining Images

For all the digital stamp aficionados out there, it will come as no surprise when I tell you that digital stamps can be merged in most photo-editing software. It does take a little bit of knowledge, effort and time, but for those who have the know-how it's a great way to create a little still life or scene for your cards and layouts.

I wanted the fries to appear as though they are sitting behind the burger, which meant I had to place them higher and to one side to give the correct perspective. In traditional stamping, we use a technique called masking to achieve similar results.

Stamps:

Burger and Fries digital stamp set

Coordinating Colours

Welcome to our very first HOT TIP TUESDAY

Hot Tip Tuesdays will feature little tips and tricks to help you with your paper-crafting projects. Not quite enough information for a full tutorial, but still useful enough to share. Feel free to email us with your own little tips and tricks, or add them in the comment section below.

Today's tips are all about coordinating colours. Everyone has a different method for choosing the colours that will go into a project. Some will go for their favourite colour scheme or the favourite colours of the recipient, others look for photo realism. I tend to let my patterned papers and embellishments guide the direction of my colouring.

Downloading and colouring a chart for each of your mediums is a good idea as it allows you to see the colours "in real life". Often the colour on the lid of the marker or the outside of the pencil is not really representative of what you get on paper. Make sure you print the chart on the same paper you will usually colour with. For example, if you're making a chart of alcohol markers, make sure you print on a piece of blending card.

I start by selecting patterned papers that I think will fit my theme. In this case, I'm making a card for one of my teenage nephews so I'm going with papers that I think he would like. Next, I use the colour chart to try and select markers that match the colours in the papers. If you're using several tones and shades, try to match the colour that you'll use most in the image. Choose your embellishments in the same way for a harmonious overall design.

Stamps:

Burger and Fries digital stamps

Burger and Fries clear stamps

Tutorial - Spring Fold Card

A few folds, a couple of cuts and voila!, you have an awesome Spring Fold card. The "spring" refers to the bounciness created by the folds in the centre of the card, which also help it to stand up for display. A nice quick project that folds flat for postage and is relatively simple to make... it ticks all the boxes!

1. Start with a 12" x 6" piece of card stock.

2. Place the card stock horizontally on your score board and score at 3" and 6". Make small marks on either side at 9" with your scoring tool or a pencil.

3. Score diagonally from the 3" score line at the top of the card stock to the 9" mark at the bottom of the card stock. Score again from the 3" score line at the bottom of the card stock diagonally to the 9" mark at the top of the card stock. Refer to the template for correct placement.

4. On the right hand edge of the card stock, measure 3" down from the top right corner. This will be the centre of the card stock. Use a trimmer or craft knife and ruler to cut away each corner, starting at 9" mark and finishing at the 3" mark you just made. Refer to the template and the photos below.

5. Press the card in on both sides at the 6" score line. Valley fold along the 3" score line so that your card base sits up and resembles the photo below.

6. Time to decorate! You can add patterned paper to all the different sections of the card if you wish, but since the centre section stays folded up, I chose to add paper only to the ends.

7. Add an image and sentiment to finish. Make sure you get the orientation right before you adhere anything permanently. I almost ended up with a sideways tartlet!

Stamps:

A Little Sparkle

My little scissors certainly received a workout while creating this card! I fussy cut like there was no tomorrow, separating the different sections of the image to form layers. Some strategically placed foam tape and a handy pair of tweezers and I soon had all the elements layered together for a cute little fairy scene. You can check out the photos below to see my technique.

I started by printing multiple copies of the image, all at the same size. You'll notice there's one at the top that has lots of room around it, that's my base, which I will build on. I printed the images on a piece of blending card so  I could use my alcohol markers to add a background and some shadows.

Stamps:

Fairy Travels digital stamps