Oh so cute !

Good morning everyone, well it's a bright and sunny day in Cheshire this morning and I can see from watching Paula's show on Hochanda you are loving the Water colour pencils from Tonic Studios,well I don't blame you as they are lovely to work with I have to say the skin tones are fabulous and lots of colours for all different shades.
Be sure to stay tuned to Hochanda today as Paula has lots of fabulous demonstrations to share with you.

The card was created using:-

Nuvo Water colour pencils

Nuvo Water bush

Craft perfect Water colour card

Craft perfect Luna silver pearlecent card 

Marmalades world stamp sets 

Nuvo Black Hybrid ink pads

Tim Holtz Stamping platform

Wills Hand - Cherish

Marmalades world collection of stamps and dies

Corners from Kings cross case

Border die-Beautiful Buckle

Basic layering die set Camelia

White organza ribbon 

Nuvo blue and white bakers twine

Mini white button

The card is a 7x7 easel card decorated in craft perfect Luna silver      pearlecent  card stock also Nuvo Water colour card and bright white craft perfect card the decorative paper is from my stash  the topper was stamped with Tonic Studios black Hybrid ink and then gradually  the colour built up and blended out with a water brush until I was happy with the results this image was coloured using the hair/ Skin tones sets of water colour pencils.

The stopper for the easel was created using matching polka dot card and cutting the edge with the scalloped outer edge die from the Beautiful Buckle die set and this was added to the card on 2mm foam pads. And then decorated with stamps from Marmalades world .

Materials to make this card:-

White 7x7 card blank 

Green card stock

Craft perfect  water colour card

Nuvo Water colour pencils Hair/skin tones

Pearced  squares die set

Marmalades world stamp sets 

Tim Holtz stamping platform 

Nuvo Hybrid black ink pad

Nuvo Water brush

Marmalades

Cockle shell layering die set

Sew pretty Have a beautiful day Circle frame die set

Special wishes stamped sentiment from Kit 5

The card is 7x7 with mat & layered and the white layer has had the pierced square  die set applied and then I

  cotton thread has been added  to the design and stitched all the way around the edge.

Then for the backing I stuck with the green and white colours and used the cockle shell die set as a backing for the sentiment which was placed on the Tim Holtz stamping platform and stamped with Nuvo Black Hybrid ink  ,the gorgeous wee teddy was stamped again using the platform but onto water colour card and then coloured using the hair/skin tones pencils and blending the colours out with a water brush and just adding more colour bit by bit, remember it doesn't matter how long it takes to colour it's not a race enjoy what you are doing  I find water colouring very relaxing and as I have said before it's a good place to start as water colouring is very forgiving if you go over the lines just apply a little water with a brush and remove the colour .

The card was then finished off by adding  a gingham bow and natural wooden button just slightly inked with   nuvo brown hybrid ink.  And a matching mini bow to teddy.

Thank you for joining me today I have another two cards to share with you later xx

Teddy bears Picnic Birthday

Good morning everyone,wow! Monday already where did the weekend go ,boy time certainly flies when you having fun so I must have been having a blast as it was a full weekend of prep for me and my team mates.
Today i am sharing a card created for Tonic Studios Nuvo Water Colour Pencils launching  this evening at 6pm on Hochanda with the lovely Paula.
The pencils are beautifully presented and contain 12 pencils in each set one set is Skin tones/ Hair and the other set is called Brilliantly Vibrant.
 If you have never coloured before water colouring is the best place to start as it's so forgiving if you go over the lines just apply  a little water with your water brush and take the colour away ,you can add layers of colour getting light and shade and you will really enjoy what you are doing ,i find it very relaxing.

Materials needed to create this card:-

Nuvo Water colour pencils skin/ Hair tones

Nuvo Water colour pencils Brilliantly Vibrant 

Nuvo glitter drops - Aquatic mist

Nuvo Water brush pens

Tim Holtz stamping Platform

Nuvo ink blending sponges

Craft perfect water colour card

Nuvo Black Hybrid ink Pad

Craft perfect Kraft card

Memory album maker die set

Papers from your craft stash

Marmalades world stamp sets 

Happy Birthday Banner & Stamp set

Vintage photo distress ink

Die cutting Machine - Tangerine

Base card stock whit 300gsm

The card base is cut from the largest die in the memory maker album set from the decorative set  you need to die cut two the same size then using a score tool place about 1" score line across the top of your card ,this is going to form the hinge to attach the front panel of your card so you now have a beautiful shaped card blank.then add your layers cutting down in size with craft perfect Kraft card and your pattern papers you will have  ,I was thinking of a teddy bears picnic Birthday when I made this card who doesnt like a teddy bear.

The layer you die cut to stamp  is cut using the craft perfect water colour card this is the perfect card to water colour on.

Now using your Tim Holtz platform or stamping block ,stamp the Teddy stamp from Marmalade's world by gently taking the ink pad to the stamp and gentlly tapping the stamp until the stamp is covered evenly with the ink . Then the next step is to colour the image adding colour as you go and blending the colours with a water brush pen and just keep adding colour until your happy with the finished result,with the vintage photo distress ink distress the edges of your stamped topper by applying a little ink to a nuvo ink sponge  and in a circular motion just ink the edges this is best done on a glass mat.

Marmalades world is a stamp and die set so you need to stamp the rosette and party hat onto the watercolour card then place the die onto the stamped images and die cut then these are coloured with the pencils and added to the Teddy on 3D foam pads.

To finish the card add the Stamped Birthday Banner and add a couple of Nuvo glitter drops.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, I have lots more to share with you,so keep an eye on my blog , don't forget the link to Tonics blog and my team mates is also on the right hand column  of my blog so hop over to Tonic where you will see more information  on the Water colour pencils.

Until next time xx

Here's to you !

Good afternoon  everyone ,and welcome to my blog this sunday afternoon,Tonic studios have a brand new launch tomorrow with Paula on Hochanda at 6pm launching the brand new water colour pencils which are fabulous there are 2x sets available Hair / Skintones & Brilliantly Vibrant beautifully presented in  a case, there are 12 pencils  in each set and water colouring with these pencils couldn't be easier .
If you have never coloured before these are the perfect way to start on the colouring ladder as water colour pencils are so forgiving if you go over the line or your colour isn't right apply water with a water brush  and take the colour away they are really great if you want a pastel effect but if you let each layer dry and go back in and add depth and dimension, added shadow and depth to your work but equally  someone who has coloured for yrs and has experience these pencils are just the  ticket.
I must admit I havnt water coloured with pencils for many years but I had a blast and found it very relaxing and thoroughly enjoyed making some of the  samples for this show.

To create this card you need:-

Nuvo Water colour pencil sets

Nuvo Water brush

Tim Holtz stamping platform

Victorian layering die set

Marmalades world stamp sets

300gsm white base card

Bright White Craft perfect

Oyster grey craft perfect

Craft perfect water colour card

Blossom Pink Craft perfect 

Nuvo Hybrid black ink pad

Nuvo Hybrid grey Ink pad

Congrats -Banner die set & Stamp set

The base card was created cutting two of the largest dies in the Victorian layering die sets and putting a hinge in the back piece of card and using the Nuvo craft  deluxe Adhesive glueing the front to the back then with a pair of scissors just snip the back part of the card at the bottom straight this is So the card can stand on its own but Still the perfect shape to the front of the card. Then add the layeres to the card using wet glue and 3D foam pads to add dimension to the card.

Now die cut the water colour card and place on your stamping platform place the stamp  onto your card where you would like it positioned and then bring the platform lid down and it will then grab your stamp, now gentle tapping to the stamp with the Nuvo Black hybrid ink pad so you have an even coverage to your stamp then bring the platform lid down and press over the area lift the lid and your image should be stamped now don't worry if you don't have an even stamped image you can go back ink the stamp again and go back and repeat until you are happy.

 Now it's time to play by gently shading the elephant I coloured this wee chap with the Hair and skin tones set using Wild mushroom and then for the darkest shading  Heather dusk the pink shades I used strawberry Milkshake and then from the Brilliantly Vibrant set Cotton Candy

I went in with light shades and then went back and added shadow and blended the colours out from light to dark, once dry I went back and added more colour until I was happy with the finished image. The bow was coloured in shades of pink from both sets and blended out then die cut the shape as marmaldes world is a stamp and die set, this was then added with 3D foam pads.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today your support means an awful lot.

Until next time xx

Music in your heart

Good morning everyone,weekend Yay!  ,well it's a busy weekend prepping here lots of Amazing products coming your way in the up coming weeks and months I am blown away almost speechless but my lips are sealed for now but when I say amazing I really mean it. Ok so my first blog post today I am sharing  the Rococo plus music die sets  and embossing folder that were launched a couple of days ago I will be blogging a new product later today launching with Paula on Monday so keep an eye out on my blog later for that.

This card is 8x8 with mat & layering the cream top layer has the  pierced circles die sets and then the basic layering circle die sets all the card used for this card is from the craft perfect range .

The Craft perfect Ivory card stock circle was placed in the music embossing folder and then a little vintage photo was added to the embossed area the flowers were created from Tonic Studios Kit 5 , several layers cut for each flower shaped on a sponge mat and glued together then placed on the card using a hot glue gun and adding leaves, and Nuvo Crystal  drops in light gold to the centres of each flower.

The sentiment was stamped from my stash of stamps using  Tonics Black hybrid ink pad.

The gramerphone has two  dies in the set ,the backing die was cut in Polished gold mirror and then the detail die was cut in Espresso brown car stock the wooden part of the gramerphone  was cut out of Kraft card and distressed with a little orange marmalade ink and then paper pieced the top part of the gramerphone  was paper pieced with again Kraft card that had a layer of bronze mousse added to it to make it look old.

This was then placed on the card with 3D foam pads and then a sentiment from my own stash was also added with the gorgeous flowers from Tonic Studios Kit 5 which are so pretty.

The card base was created using the basic layering Geometric die sets and adding layers using craft perfect card stock French  blue and  bright white the background of the card was created using a smooth sheet of  craft perfect smooth card stock and using the Aqua flow pens adding a few drops of          them and then  with the Nuvo water spray bottles apply water until your happy with the look and either let it dry naturally or dry with a heat gun then once dry place it in the embossing folder and the result you get look fantastic and really sets the card off .

The drums were die cut in craft perfect black gloss card stock for a really dramatic look and then the detail die was cut in craft perfect Silver Mirror card and elements were paper pieced in silver and then cutting the die again in the gorgeous craft perfect Cobalt Velour card stock.the sentiment was from my own stash layered onto the glossy black craft perfect card stock stamped with Nuvo hybrid ink pad and and heat embossed with our Nuvo  black embossing powder.  And then the stopper at the base of the card was cut from a previous tonic music die collection  and added to the card with 3mm thick foam pads.

Spanish Guitar  is fabulous and a great card to send to male or female the card base  is from the fabulous Memory maker album die sets so if you were a lucky one that managed to get hold of that set it makes fabulous cards as well as the albums .The base of the card is cut from cream 300gsm and folded in half to create a  tent fold then the layers were added using the craft perfect card stock in Espresso Brown brown,Ivory , and Kraft card and also gold mirror card the Guitar was paper pieced  and the backing plate was cut in brown and also Polished gold to create a slight shadow with the Polished gold mirror card.

 The backing was a wood effect paper i had in my stash and then music notes where cut from gold mirror card from Tonics previous music launch from a few a couple of yrs ago now but still available in the trade. And to finish the card a sentiment from my own crafty stash was added

Sing Your Own Song

Good morning everyone, welcome to my blog, this morning I am sharing a card created for Tonic Studios Rococo plus music die sets that were launched on Hochanda last night ,lots of shows scheduled today with Jodie,so lots of inspiration and beautiful samples from the team.

The card base and layers are cut from the Victorian Layering die set ,musical note paper from my stash of papers .

The microphone  die has a backing die as these die sets are the Rococo plus which gives you 2x dies to each set this backing layer was die cut in Nuvo Black gloss craft perfect mirror card and then the detail die was die cut in craft perfect silver Mirror card and glued flat to the backing die make sure you only add a small amount of glue as the mirror card will get messy and Mark where the excess glue is, you then need to cut the detail die again in the silver satin craft perfect and then bit by bit paper piece the microphone this is then added to the card with 3D foam pads and then placed on the card.

The card is then embellished a little further by adding a beautiful musical note from a previous music die set from Tonic and a stamped sentiment from my own stash and then finish the card with Nuvo red berry Crystal drops.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today 

Until next time xx

Music & Laughter

Good afternoon everyone, Well a brand new  Tonic Studio's  Launch tonight at 6pm on Hochanda with the Rococo plus music die sets, these dies are a must. There are 6 sets in this launch and also an  embossing folder so a really good set.

To create this card you need an 8x8 card blank in cream  and Tonic Studios Jigsaw die set and stamps, also music notes from an older music collection from Tonic and then the brand new Violin.

The new Music  release from Tonic is Rococo Plus which gives you the detail die but also the backing plate die which is fantastic as you don't need to cut anything with scissors the die does everything and makes life alot easier.

The jigsaw was created using pattern papers and inking the edges with Tim Holtz vintage photo distressed ink and making a frame around all 4 sides slotting the pieces together and stamping different pieces with music &  laughter with Nuvo black ink pad.  leaving the middle cream to show the violin in the centre.

The violin was cut in  Craft perfect Kraft card and then paper pieced placed on the backing die which is cut from Dark brown and gold mirror craft perfect  placed on the card with 3D foam pads then finished adding the musical notes from a previous rococo music die set.

Thank you for joining me today.

Hello Sailor & Singing in the rain

Good morning everyone, well the pin ups have certainly been busy and I am not surprised as they really do make a fabulous project come to life.Today I am sharing Hello Sailor and singing in the rain.

The card is 8x8 with mat and layers using navy craft perfect and some woodgrain paper.

The ring was created using the basic layering circles and cutting the largest circle first and then putting the smaller circle in the centre to make the ring this was done in white card stock and again in cornflower blue craft perfect card you then cut the cornflower blue ring into 4 sections free hand with scissors ,two of these sections are glued to the white ring using wet glue.now using Nuvo bakers twine wrap each section where there is a join of the card and  stick down on the reverse with a little hot glue.

Hello Sailor is cut in white for the backing and then the detail die is cut in grey craft perfect and then paper pieced in navy and red chilli craft perfect ,her face and hair are coloured with the Nuvo Alcohol pens and then she is placed onto the ring the ring is placed onto the card with 3D foam pads the hello sailor sentiment has been made up using the same colours as your lady and then the card is finished with placing 3 white Crystal drops to the ring each side and then red Crystal drops to the opposite corner of your card.

Singing in the rain what a fabulous character and so iconic,the card base is cut from black 300gsm using the bowscale die set and just adding layers to the card in red chilli craft perfect Bright White craft perfect and Black craft perfect really frames the character and makes it pop with colour.

The Kraft card to look like sand was torn across the top from a scrap of card then cut the bottom edge with the same base die set so you have the same finish following through your card being that layer I cut a pale sky blue layer card from my stash.

The character was then die cut onto white card for the backing and then the detail cut with black craft perfect stuck down with Nuvo deluxe wet glue then the character was coloured using the Nuvo Alcohol pens and added  shade here and there and blending the colours out,the card was then finished off by adding the matching sentiment and adding  the rain drops in blue and then going over the top of the sentiment and train drops with the shimmer Aqua flow pen.

Hello Sailor

Good morning and welcome to my blog, today I am sharing a brand new Launch from Tonic Studios which are called pin ups and will be launching on Hochanda at 6pm this evening.
There are 3 different pin up girls die sets one is Hello Sailor which is fabulous I have to say and then singing in the rain which is such an iconic figure she reminds me of Marilyn Monroe and then  Time to drink Champagne  all from a bygone era they remind me of tattoo art back in the  gulf war  the military aircraft had pin ups painted on the body of the aircraft although those images were a bit more revealing. I luv that these die sets are a bit different I can imagine having lots of fun creating a card or project with these images and using speech bubbles for a bit of added humour.
These  die sets are fabulous to paper piece or get your alcohol  markers out or pencils and colour the images they then look like a stamped images.

The card is A5 tent fold card with mat and layers in navy blue  craft perfect and chilli red craft perfect card stock,the sky blue card is from my stash of card stock . Well when I saw this image I knew I had to find a ship it just had to be done but no ship die so I got the pencil and rubber out and drew what I wanted and then cut it all out free hand, I did use a border die from  clematis climber strip  for the waves cut in French blue craft perfect card stock ,the hello sailor is cut in navy craft perfect and then  the backing die which is the outside edge die in white card stock and then she was paper pieced but adding the navy card back into the die cut. where the white areas of  her boots ,shorts and gloves I have slightly shaded with a pale blue Alcohol  pen just to add a bit of definition  and then coloured her face and hair also with Alcohol  pens. I then placed a small piece of red card stock just to where her belt is on the die and ran that through the Tangerine no need to cut the whole die out for a little piece. She was then placed on the card with 3D foam pads.

The set comes with the hello sailor banner and seagulls so the outer edge of the banner was cut in white and then the detail in Navy card stock and then filled some areas with red card stock, the seagulls were cut in white and then a little grey ink was added  to the centre of the birds.

I think I might make this card again for my dad's birthday I think it would be well received.

Until next time

Travels & Memories

Good morning everyone, weekend Yay!! Raining here in Cheshire this morning but a good day for crafting,this morning I would like to share a Memory Maker Album from Tonic Studios I was lucky enough to create 2x albums for the launch if you scroll further down to the larger album I created there are step by step pictures on how to construct the albums,today's album is a medium size case with the largest pages and I went with a travel theme using all the Tonic Studios Rococo Travel Die & Stamp sets for decoration and some travel papers from my stash.

All card stock used is craft perfect apart from the main album which is a 300gsm card as the album will be taking some weight when finished. 

This album could be the places you have visited on your travels,tickets and bits you have collected on your journey ,a special trip, Gap year travelling with friends ,anything you like.

Can not wait to see what you all create when these die sets start to arrive on your door step.

Have a great weekend everyone

Until next time xx

Just to say

Good morning everyone, well not long to wait until Tonic Studios Launch of the Memory Book Keeper Die Sets ,launching this morning at 10am on Hochanda, last night I shared a step by step tutorial with you on how the albums go together  so this morning I would like to share a card I created with the die sets.
The very second I saw these die sets my mind went into overdrive and they screamed at me to create a book on an easel so I went with it .

The book was created using the Memory book Keeper Die set and also the Floral Affections die set with the easel die,also the flowers are from Kit 5 and the sentiment just to say from our collection of fabulous  sentiments.

The book was created by cutting the second largest die in the set in white base card stock something that will hold it's shape 300gsm card was used for this card.

The next layer down with the beautiful lacy edge was cut in Craft perfect Kraft card stock, to shape the pages i used an empty tin foil roll but could easily use the edge of your desk or a rolling pin just to give the book real shape.

You then need to cut a smaller page in white put all the pieces  of card on a score board and make a centre spine for your book.

Stick the two largest layers together using red liner tape or wet glue like the deluxe adhesive and then wrap a length of ribbon around the spine of the smallest layer and stick this to the book.

The flowers are cut from Kit 5 in Bright White craft perfect card stock and then coloured with spun sugar Distress ink then shaped with a ball tool onto a sponge mat the leaves are cut from pistachio  craft perfect then the edges of the pages were distressed with vintage photo distressed inks and the flowers were arranged on the opposite page you need to cut the sentiment in craft perfect Harvest Gold Mirror Card and Craft perfect Black glue together slightly off set to create a shadow effect then to finish add a matching tipple bow and add a button for embellishment.

The easel was cut in 300gsm white card and the detail added in craft perfect  Kraft card from the Floral Affections die set collection.

This is the die set that created the book

Thank you for visiting my blog today

Be sure to pop back soon as I have more to share with you.

Treasured memories

Good evening everyone , Sharing a brand new launch from Tonic Studios , join Jodie at 10am on Hochanda for the fabulous memory Book Maker  die sets these are fantastic dies for your album and card making  so easy to make and great fun to decorate .below I will share some photos of step by step of how I put together the largest album in the set with 6 pages now it's up to you how large you want the album or how many pages you want so the spine is left completely up to you to accommodate  your pages, so let's begin.

This is the largest die set for the albums decorated with all Tonic Studio die set with a love theme and with papers from my stash all card stock used to decorate is craft perfect Bright White and Raspberry and also craft perfect gold mirror card. The base of the album and pages are made from white 300gsm card stock.

This is the cover of the album you need 4 of these two for the outside and then two for the inside to cover up the join of the spine,  this is optional I just like it neat on both sides

Now for this album I have cut 6 pages the pages to the album only cut to 3 sides so make sure you cut them with a length of card at the none cut end as you will need to place a couple of score lines now the best way to do this is line the inside page up to the outer cover then on the edge of the album cover place your first score line , then put a second score line in at 1/2" and then trim the excess card off ,you need to do this on all your pages .

As you can see here  the score lines are in place and the excess card removed.

This is the spine this depends on how many pages you wish to put into your album for this album the card for the  spine measures 5 1/8" x 4 1/2" this has a 1" score line each edge which gives you a spine measuring 2 1/2" 

These are the two outside covers attached to the spine

Now this is the inside finished off by covering the hinge marks by adding an extra layer of the covers this also adds strength to your album as they do get weighty with all the embellishments.

These are what your two pages will look like once your score lines are in place .

The 1/2" tabs glue one on top of the other so you now have 2x pages stuck together with a spine.

This is what 2x pages look like glued together ready to glue into your album try and space them 1/4" apart this gives you room to embellish your pages. 

Now glue the pages to your spine using Nuvo  deluxe Adhesive

This is the first page glued in place and it all lines up just perfectly.

Now you can see 6x pages stuck to the 2 1/2" spine allowing a 1/4" inch spacing inbetween 2x pages.

Now it's time to decorate and have fun

The blank spaces are where I would add a photo

Add little messages on your tags or a special location that means a lot to the person you have made it for to treasure special moments that won't get forgotten.

As you can see the albums were decorated with Tonic Studios dies from Wills Hand to kit 5 Flowers and sweet nothings die sets using tags and mini envelope to add cute little messages .

This could be an album of when you first met or the love of your family but so many ideas the list is endless but a real keepsake to be treasured for many yrs to come.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today if you would like to follow me just click the follow button on the right hand side of my blog you can also click the links to Tonics blog and the DT so you don't miss a thing, be sure to pop back as I  have another album to share with you and some cards I also created with the die sets.