Old Boy

A fun card for a family member with a great sense of humour!

Hound Dog

Just an old hound dog stopping by to say "happy birthday!"

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Simply Circles

I've been wanting to try this technique for ages, but always forget about it when I sit at my craft table. It's a simple matter of punching circles of various sizes, cutting them in half, layering them together, and arranging them on either side of a cardstock strip. You can get different effects by altering the positions of the top circles relative to those on the bottom. It's a great way to use up scraps too!

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Watercolour Background

A few months ago, my friend Pete told me about sprinkling rice on wet water-coloured images. I'd only ever heard of using salt, so I thought I'd give her suggestion a go. As you can see, the rice absorbs the colour leaving a very distinct pattern behind, which varies based on how much water is on the paper. Less water results in a clearer, more well-defined pattern, while more water creates a softer look.

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For Someone Special

I dived into my offcuts to create another scrappy background for today's card.

The soft colours are a nice contrast for my two dogs.

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It's a Twofer!

My original plan was to cut the flower stem in half and place each piece on either side of a patterned paper strip. Everything was going to plan until I realised the flower was too wide for the base I'd prepared (right hand side), which meant a quick re-think. I cut a second, narrower strip and created another card with the other half of the flower, then filled in the gaps with individual blossoms.

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Ruff Day

Sometimes a cheery greeting is the perfect remedy for a tough day...

especially if it's accompanied by some decadent chocolate or a pretty bunch of flowers.

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Old Books Easel Card

If you're ever stuck choosing colours for an image, try starting with your patterned paper.

Select pencils, inks or markers that match for a lovely, coordinated result.

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Tutorial - Paper Pieced Pups

Paper piecing is a fun way to add colour and interest to your handmade cards.

All you need is a stamp, a sharp pair of scissors and a collection of coordinating papers or cardstock.

1. Start by choosing some papers. The amount you require will depend on your stamp and how many different sections you'd like. I've chosen four, which means I'll have four different patterns on each image.

2. Stamp the image you're working with on each of your patterned papers.

3. Carefully cut around each image with a small pair of sharp scissors. Try not to cut away too much of the stamp outline.

4. Now it's time to disect the image. It's up to you how many sections you divide your image into, but if you're careful, you can mix and match all the different parts to reform all four images.

5. Prepare some cardstock for your images. If you wish, you can stamp a base image on each piece of cardstock to help you position and reassemble your image.

6. Mix up the colours for a patchwork effect. Secure the paper to the cardstock with glue.

7. If desired, add a little colouring and shading to your images.

8. Now they're ready to become card toppers or embellishments for layouts.

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Thinking Of You

Gold highlights and pretty embossing really help to elevate this simple card. I added some dimension by popping up a couple of the loose blossoms and the die cut sentiment.

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