Melbourne elegance with Sue Wilson.

Well 2nd blog post in a week? Somethings strange is going on? 

 This blog post is all about Sue Wilson. If you have seen my posts on my card creations page (www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations) then you will know how much I love sues die collections by Creative Expressions. To me personally, they are the best. So detailed yet easy to use. You can go all out and create a gorgeous card using many of the dies together or you can also create a simple card using 1 die and for it to equally look gorgeous. 

 This card is one that Iv taken idea elements from a card she previously made but I have used the Australian die collection, well the Melbourne die set. I have used a piece of her brand new paper pad in the background too. It's very subtle and discreet in the background but it really helps to add that bit of interest. 

 The centre square has been created using "Yorkshire Dales" Guilding flakes by Indigo Blu and a4 double sided sheet from Stix2. Guilding flakes to me were abit like glitter in the fact I didn't enjoy using them as the slight breeze or breath and they went everywhere. Now, I really do love guiding flakes. The look and effects that you get are simply stunning and indigo Blu produce some of the most stunning colour shades. 

 

 The way I have created this card is as follows;

I have taken a piece of white textured card and cut it to 7 1/2" X 7 1/2". Then Using my fiskars trimmer I have created an aperture in the centre of the White card. Leaving an 1 1/2"'border all around. 

Then I have Matted it onto black card that is 3mm bigger Than the White card and again cut an aperture from the black card leaving roughly a 3mm border on the outside.

I have placed a piece of Sue Wilson background paper on the back of the aperture so it shows through. 

I have placed the guided squared in the centre of the background aperture but used 3D foam pads to create a raised element. 

I have then used the Melbourne dies and cut the black card stock with all the die detail and then used just the outside die to cut the White card, this gives the detailed black die cut a platform to sit on. 

I have then die cut a circle in the middle of the Melbourne die cut to create another circle aperture. You may need to run the die through twice as its 2 thickness of card stock it's cutting. As its a plain circle shape, like mine, it should cut first time.

I have then stamped my sentiment onto white smooth card stock and placed my Melbourne aperture die cut on top using 3D foam pads. This gives the look you are looking into the die cut to read the sentiment. When stamping sentiments I always use Tuxedo Black ink pad by Memento. 

Added a hand tied bow and black and white pearls to compete the card.

Creative Expressions;

Sue Wilson Australian die collection;

 Melbourne die set - CED8105

Sue Wilson 8x8 paper pad;

 Classic Elegance Collection - CEPP0001

John Lockwood Elements stamps, scribble rose - CED712

Stix2;

9mm double sided tape

3D foam pads 

Silicone glue 

Pva glue with metal tip

Masking tape

Double sided adhesive sheets

8x8 card blank

8x8 cello bag

Bazzill basics;

Black smooth card stock

White textured card stock

White smooth card stock

Hunkydory crafts;

3mm white pearls 

3mm black gems

Additional items;

19mm black satin ribbon - Own stash 

"Yorkshire Dales" Guilding flakes - Indigo Blu

Tuxedo black Memento black ink pad

Little bit of Leonie Love.

Can't believe this, I'm actually blogging........again. I know I say each time but I really need to get into the habit of blogging with full details. I do enjoy blogging but like anything in life, it's the sitting the down and doing it. Suppose the good thing this day and age is it can be done not just on a laptop or pc but the trusted iPad and my iPhone come in handy.

 So that being said, what better range and card to start a new season of blogging with other than Leonie Pujol brand new range of Masks and Stencils that have been produced for her by Crafters Companion.   

 I love the idea and concept of Leonie's new range of building a design and/picture to create your projects. It's all about building layers and given definition. 

The first one I chose to use was "Love" mask. I chose to use just 2 sets of stamps and to have the main background colour red - of course red and love go together.  

To create this card, this is what I done;

-  I took a piece of Hunkydory crafts "Ink me" card stock and cut it to 6"x6" in size. 

 

- I placed my "love" stencil in the middle using a temp adhesive by Crafters Companion - Stick and Spray. 

 

- I stamped my design first. Most of which was random but some were specifically stamped in place. 

- When I was happy with how it looked I Placed low tack masking tape by Stix2 round the edges of the card stock. 

- Using a round blending tool, I dabbed the colour over the stamped design, leaving the "Love" mask in place. Most of the colour used is Fire Brick but over the "Love" I have also used some Mustard Seed too. 

- I took my chosen Promarker colours and coloured in certain elements of the design. The colour won't be as bold as the distressed colour underneith with dilute the colour strength. 

- Before removing the "Love" mask I have drawn round it with a grey Promarker pen. This will give it a slight shadow effect. 

- I Then peeled off the low tack masking tape to unveil the finished design. Next, I mattet and layered it onto a piece of Black card stock by Bazzill Basics and added 3D foam pads to the back. 

 

- For the background I chose a piece of patterned paper from a 12x12 paper pad I bought in Michaels store in New York City last year. I trimmed it down to 7 3/4" X 7 3/4"'and matted it onto a piece of black card stock. I then attached it to my 8x8 card blank. 

- To finish off I added a few black gems in the corners.

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I had so much fun making this card and can't wait to get creating again using lots more of the stamps, masks and stencils. They are so versatile and can be used to create simple cards or very detailed cards and projects.

The full list of products Iv used are;

Leonie Pujol;

"Love" Mask & Stencil set

 "Inky Notes" Photopolymer stamps

"Arrow to the Art" photopolymer stamps 

Hunkydory crafts;

 "Ink me" card stock

3mm black pearls 

Stix2;

9mm double sided tape - FPAL2732950

3D foam pads - S57137

Low tack stencil tape - S56994

Non stick craft sheet - S57132

8x8 card blank

8x8 cello bag - K624

  

Promarkers;

Ice grey 2

Poppy

Pastel green

Tawny owl 

Apple cider 

Distress inks;

 Fire Brick

 Mustard seed

 

Additional items;

 "Tattered & Worn" 12x12" paper pad - Recollections - Michaels

Black smooth card - Bazzill Basics 

Stick & spray - Crafters Companion 

Onyx Black Versa fine ink pad

 

Craig X 

Butterfly fly high A5 card

A5 stamped butterfly card

Hello, thanks for popping across to my blog to have a look and a read. It's very much appreciated. This card I have blogging has been made with stamps that came free with the latest Crafters Inspiration magazine. It's the first time I have bought this magazine but it's not often you see a magazine with £50 of freebies and freebies that are actually useful. I dug out my distress inks, Promarkers and masking tape and had fun. 

 The white card stock I have used to stamp and colour onto is one of Stix2 A5 card blank. I cut one in half to the size I needed and matted and layered on yellow and black textured card by Bazzill Basics. 

 It's a vibrant but fresh card to help lift our moods as we come into the Spring & Summer months. 

The products I have used to create this card are; 

Crafters Companion;

Butterfly & sentiment stamp free with "Crafters Inspiration" magazine issue 9 Spring - Crafters Companion.

 

Bazzill Basics;

White smooth card stock 

Yellow textured card 

Black textured card 

Stix2 Anything;

A5 card blank & envelope

A5 card (cut in half)

9mm double sided tape 

Pva glue with metal tip

Masking tape 

Ranger;

Mustard seed distress ink pads - Ranger

Fired Brick distress ink pads - Ranger

Spiced Marmalade distress ink pad - Ranger

Round distress blending tool

Promarker;

Ice grey 2 Promarker 

Pastel yellow Promarker

Pink lobster Promarker

Rose pink Promarker

Additional products;

Tuxedo black ink pad - memento 

3mm black gems - Mei Flower Crafts

 

1- Before matting and layering i placed strips of masking tapes at angles across the White card base and using my blending tools and distress ink I coloured in the strips. 

2- I stamped 2 full butterflies across the coloured strips in each corner of the card stock using tuxedo black ink pad. I then stamped another 2 butterflies but I stamped them off the page. I have also taken 2 of the free sentiments and stamped them along one of the coloured lines. 

3- Then using a grey pen in this case Ice Grey 2 Promarker I have drawn round each of the stamped butterflies. This helps to give an extra bit of dimension and interest. 

4- Now Matt and layer onto your yellow and black card stock before attaching to your card base. 

5- Taken another piece of white card stock, I stamped out 2 butterflies and coloured them in using Promarkers - you can of course colour in with any of your chosen mediums.

6- Add a bit of wet glue to the back of the butterflies body and place directly on top of the 2 full stamped butterflies. Once dried, pull out the butterflies wings up to give dimension. 

7- To finish off, add 3 black gems in each corner.

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www.stix2.co.uk

www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations 

Craig xx

"True Love" lasts forever 8x8 Card.

Thought it was about time I done another blog post. Really trying hard to do more but it can be hard can't it with busy lives. I also post my cards on my Card Creation Facebook page with all the products I have used but I do like to blog them too and to try and include more detail where possible. 

 Now with Valentine's getting closer and closer I thought I would make an 8x8 card solely using Hunkydory Crafts and Stix2 products.

 First of, did you know that Stix2 have their own range of card blanks & envelopes? They come in packs of 6 and are available in white or Ivory. Plus they come in a variety of popular sizes - A5, 8x8, DL and 6x6 to name a few plus they also produce their cello bags to package them in once created and ready to sell, if that's what you do with your cards. It a great way to keep them clean and look professional. Plus the finish of the card blanks are exceptional so exceptional that you can even stamp on them. I can't say if they are also intended for that but I have stamped and coloured on them and the finished outcome looks just as glorious as if you were to use a white stamping card. Keep an eye out as very soon I will be blogging a card Iv made using stamps in which the stamps have been stamped onto Stix2 White card blanks. The other good thing about them is you can print onto them too. When I print my sentiments myself, I print onto white smooth card by Bazzill Basics but I wanted to test out Stix2 card so I chopped an A5 in half and ran it through my printer. The sentiment printed just perfectly on to the card stock, so when you purchase the card blanks you are at least getting 3 uses out of them - card blank, stamping card and printing card.

1 - I chose the Love birds topper to start with then the coordinated background card. I have cut the coordinated card stock to 7 1/2" X 7 1/2" and then matted and layered it onto a piece of light grey adorable scorable card stock and then again onto gold Mirri card. Each layer leaves a 5mm border all round.

 2 - I have taken one of the printed borders and also matter and layered onto the matching grey adorable scorable card and gold Mirri. Then I attached it to the right hand side of the card base. 

3 - I then have attached the layered card base to the card blank. 

4 - I have placed 3D foam pads on the back of the "the love nest" topper and matted and layered onto matching grey adorable scorable card and gold Mirri card. Each layer again leaving a 5mm border all around. 

5 - Attach the matted and layered topper onto your card blank. 

6 - Print out your sentiment or take one that comes with the topper sheet and Matt and layer onto matching card stock/Mirri card. Again leaving a 5mm border all round. Attach to card base using 3D foam pads. 

7 - Tie a bow using 16mm Red satin ribbon (or any colour/sized ribbon) and attach to top left hand corner of topper using silicone glue. 

8 - Add your gold gems to your chosen areas of your card to finish it off. 

This card has been made all revolving around matting and layering. By adding 1 or 2 layers, you can pull the eye into your card design by just following these simply steps. 

The products I have used to create this card are below;

Hunkydory Crafts 

"True Love" Collection

"The love nest" topper sheet 

Coordinated background card

Light great Adorable Scorable 

3mm gold gems

Stix2 Anything

9mm double sided tape - FPAL2732950

Silicone glue - S57100

16mm red satin ribbon - S57209

A5 White card blank - for printed sentiment - 

8x8 card blank & envelope 

8x8 clear cello bag - k624

Additional 

Gold Mirri  card - Mirri Brand

For more information on Stix2 Anything and Hunkydory Crafts products, head across to their websites; www.stix2.co.uk 

www.hunkydorycrafts.co.uk

Also, to keep up to date with all my cards and projects, head across to my Card Creations FaceBook Page;

 www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations 

Thank you 

Craig x

Diamond Delight

Well it's taken a while but here I am, blogging again and my first blog post of 2016. Can't believe we are near the end of January already and heading into February. 

 Lots going on with the lead up of Valentines Day and then Easter, not forgetting sandwiched in-between that is Mothers Day. So will be busy getting cards made for all hear occasions. Not just for sale but samples for Hunkydory Crafts and also Stix2 Anything.

 Earlier this month I was asked by Hunkydory Crafts to spend time with them and Demo for them in their Inspirations shop in Preston. On day one I was demoing Obsession Impression dies and stamps then on the second day I was demoing what was their latest collection "Gentleman's Journey" this was their first day it was available for sale out with Create And Crafts 30 day exclusive time frame. I had a lot of fun and all the staff were very kind and looked after me. Of course I could leave without stocking up on goodies for personal use although I was also given free rein to stock up on products for the samples I make for Hunkydory Craft, so that was very much fun. Between design team stock and products I bought, I had to have it all couriered back to myself - all 3 boxes. 

 One of the products I purchased at Inspirations were one of Sue Wilsons striplet dies. In my opinion Sue Wilsons dies are my favourite, I love them, the style and the versatility of them. The die I purchased was the "striplet stacked diamond die" this is a great die to use as the main focal point as I have done in this blog post or it can be used as a subtitle extra or to even cut up and use elements of it. 

 This 8x8 card Iv made is using the striplet die and using it 3 times. 2 have been matted and layered and the centre has been attached using double layers of 3D foam pads. 

1- I have cut a piece of Adorable Scorable to 7 1/2" X 7 1/2" and matted and layered it onto a piece of Truffle Mirri card and then again onto Silver Mirri Dazzle card. 

2- I have die cut 3 of the striplet dies using the same Adorable Scorable card stock and then backed it using the Truffle Mirri card. 

3- I have layered 2 of them on a piece of Silver Miri Dazzle card using 3D foam pads and then matted and layered onto another piece of Truffle Mirri card. 

4- The centre die cut has been attached using double layers of 3D foam pads. 

5- I have added a printed sentiment to the bottom that's been matted and layered too.

6- In each of the centre points Iv added a colour matching 4mm pearl apart from the centre of the die cuts where Iv added a black pearl. 

The card in itself it quite a straight forward card that revolves around matting and layering aswell as die cutting the striplet dies. It's a card that can be made for a variety of occasions. Simply by changing can match the occasion the card is intended for. 

 The products I have used to create this 8x8 card are below;

Stix2 Anything;

9mm double sided tape - FPAL2732950

19x38x3mm 3D foam pads - S57137

Pva glue with metal precision tip - S56890

8x8 card blank and envelope 

Non stick craft sheet - S57132

A4 die cut release sheet - S57316

6mm ultra strong red liner tape - S57090

Low tack stencil tape - S56994

8x8 clear cello bags - K624

Hunkydory craft;

Light mint Adorable Scorable 

Silver Mirri Dazzle card

Sue Wilson (Creative Expression) Die set;

Striplet Stacked Diamond Die - CED1609

Additional;

Truffle Mirri card - "Mirri" brand

White smooth card stock for sentiment - Bazzill Basics

4mm light mint and black pearls - Mei Flower Craft

www.stix2.co.uk

www.hunkydorycrafts.co.uk

www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations 

Until my next blog post, thanks for reading and feel free to share. 

Craig x

Rudolph the Pink nosed Reindeer & friends.

So we are now into October, how scary! Funnily enough it's the month to be scared isn't it with Halloween round the corner. So with as Halloween is just round the corner, I have decided to make a........girl pink Christmas card! The products used to create this card is 98% all Stix2 products, including the card blank! Yip you heard me right. Stix2 now do card blanks in a range of different sizes, even better, you get the envelopes to. Not all places supply the envelopes, I know that's crazy isn't it. 

 The stamp Iv used is from Woodware, and is called Rudolph and friends. However instead of colouring it with traditional colours to match the design. I have coloured it in different shades of pinks to make it a very girly card. As I always do with most of my stamped images, I draw around the stamped image with a grey pen. The image and the sentiment is actually also stamped onto white card by stix2. I have cut an A5 card blank in half and stamped the image onto that. The card is smooth crisp and clean and is a lovely surface to not only stamp onto but also colour. It holds the coloured ink very well. 

A5 card blank and envelope (6 pack) - S57342.

A4 pink gingham card (each) - A4250PINKSMALLGHIN

White hammered card stock (each) - A4300WHITEHAMMERED

9mm double sided tape - FPAL2732950.

6mm red liner ultra sticky tape - S57090.

Silicone glue - S57100.

10mm X 1mm X 50m 3D foam on a roll - GPAL110310150

16mm Baby Pink satin ribbon - S57210.

Rainbow white iridescent glitter (2 X 8g tubes) - S57304.

Layer perfect metric - S57321

A5 clear cello bags - S57314

Rudolph and friends stamp (FRS320) - Woodware Craft Collection.

Pink textured card stock - Bazzill Basics.

Tuxedo black ink pad - Memento 

Pro markers pens

Pink lobster

Rose pink

Ruby

Pastel pink

Dusky pink

Ice grey 2

- I have matted the coloured image on Pink textured card stock by Bazzill Basic and I have placed 1mm 3D foam from a roll on the back to give it extra dimension. 

 

- I have then taken another piece of Pink gingham card stock and cut so it's 1cm smaller all around than the A5 card blank. 

- Then I have taken a piece of White hammered card stock that's 5mm larger than the Pink gingham (or you can use your layer perfect) and placed a strip of 6mm red liner ultra strong tape all around. Peel the backing off the tape and coat well using the iridescent white glitter. Making sure you rub the glitter into the tape to ensure theirs a full coverage. 

- As double sided tape won't adhere to glitter. Take your Pink Gingam card and place silicone glue on the back and attach to your White hammered card with the glitter edges. Now mat this double layer onto a piece of Pink textured card stock by Bazzill Basics. 

- Before attaching the mats onto the card black, place a stip of 16mm Baby Pink satin ribbon down the left hand size and secure firmly on the back using double sided tape. Now attach to card blank. 

- Take you stamped image that has the 3D foam on the back and attach to your card base. Stamp your chosen sentiment   and mat onto Pink Bazzill card stock. Attach using 3D foam. 

- Tie a Pink bow and attach using silicone glue. 

You could also repeat this process and create a card but for a boy. You could use the Baby Blue gingham card stock, Blue Bazzill Basics and of course colour the image in with blue shades of Promarkers.

www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations 

www.stix2.co.uk

sales@stix2.co.uk

Craig x

Wedding Invitations Featuring Stix2.

When it comes to paper crafting, I spend a lot of my times using collections from companies such as Hunkydory Crafts, or using metal dies from Sue Wilson, Tattered Lace, Spellbinders or even Tonic Studios. I like to make scrapbook pages to help keep the memories alive of times or occasions that Iv celebrated or enjoyed but what I had never done before was make invites or more specifically Wedding Invites. Then a friend of mine Stephanie Chalmers came to me with some ideas she had for her and her husband to be Callum's wedding invitations and asked if I would be interested in making their invitations for them. This was very exciting and such an honour because not only had Steph asked me to make invitations for what will be one of her and Callum's most special days of their lives but Steph knew I had never made invitations before but she still came to me and they both put their trust into me too. They trusted me to come up with an invitation style that could match or come close to what they had imagined in their minds. This can be very daunting as what I come up with and create is one of the first parts of Steph & Cullums wedding that their friends and family will see. To create not just elegance but also excitement in one invitation isn't always easy, actually it's never easy but to also ensure this is carried through into ever single invitation is very hard. 

 One thing in life that can be hard to work through is repetitiveness. This goes for anything when your doing the same thing over and over again. This can make energy levels dip. So when your making invitations and in this case it was 40, I had to make sure I was on the ball and that my energy stayed on level. I know this sounds silly as to some people, I'm "only" cutting car stock. The 40th invitation has to be the very same as the first one. When it comes to certain things in life you may be able to not necessaries cut corners but work slightly different to make what your doing faster without jeopardising the finished product. However when it comes to invitations such as something so special as wedding, "cutting corners" so to speak is simply out the question. Handmade is very on trend and people love to see handmade but that being said, you still want all 40 invitations to be identical. You cant have card stock cut straight and matted and layered perfectly on 37 invites and the other 3 are wonky because your energy level dipped and just wanted to get them completed very quick. Something such as invites or anything your making in batch has to be worked on in my opinion as and when your body and mind are 100% focused on them. This is when you know for sure that you will hand make 40 identical invitation, from the layout, the fonts, the ribbon etc.

 For Steph & Callum's invitations there was 3 elements. You had the invitations themselves but there was also the insert that had all the details for the big day. After creating the look of the insert which was the easy part, the hard part believe it or not was printing them. To print onto such a small piece of paper isn't as easy as it sounds. Because of the size, 90% of the inserts would print at an angle because of the way the card is fed through the printer. So because of this I had to cut them to make sure not only were they straight but each and ever insert was the same size. There was many many times where I would be trimming literally 1mm strip of a single insert over and over again until I had the insert to the right size. Doing that at least another 30-35 times was one of those situations where I couldn't let my energy or focus drop or let my frustrations get the better of me. One solution for this was to print the insert onto A5 card stock then trim to size, this was made easier however there was the trouble of making sure that every insert that I done this way were all the same size. Once done, the matting onto the black card was the easy part. 

 The 3rd element was the rsvp. There was similarly problems with these just like the inserts but it was made a lot easier having the black border where I had a solid line to follow when cutting. 

 Doing all this was worth all the time spend on them. Many nights up till 2/3am working on them getting them right to the way Steph and Callum had  imagined them to be but then to also meet my high standards. 

 The top quality products used to create these invitation made making them easier and fun. Majority of the products used came from one of my favourite  companies called Stix2 who helped me (& Steph and Callum) by supplying myself with all the products in their range that I needed to create the invitation, because of this, this helped to keep the cost down for Steph and Callum. After speaking to Steph she had agreed that as a kind of thank you to Stix2 for supplying myself with the products I needed to create the invites, she allowed myself to post photos and details regarding her invites here on my blog and on my social media pages. 

The Stix2 products I used to create the invites including product codes and links to the products on Stix2's webiste are below;

Blue adhesive tape runner - S56986
http://www.stix2.co.uk/tape-pen-permanent-12m-long?filter_name=S56986

12mm Red ultra strong double sided tape - S57091

http://www.stix2.co.uk/12mmx5m-ultra-clear-tape?filter_name=S57091

Silicone glue - S57100

http://www.stix2.co.uk/silicone-glue-acid-free-50ml-tube?filter_name=S57100

A4 300gsm White Hammered embossed card stock - A4300WHITEHAMMER
http://www.stix2.co.uk/white-hammer-a4-card?filter_name=A4300WHITEHAMMER

6x6 card blanks with envelopes - S57339

http://www.stix2.co.uk/6''-6''-white-card-and-envelopes?filter_name=S57339

162mm x 165mm Self seal bags (fits 6x6) - K89

http://www.stix2.co.uk/162mmx165mm30mm-flap-40-micron-self-seal?filter_name=K89

Photo mounting corners - S57072
http://www.stix2.co.uk/k34-photo-mounting-corners-250-per-pack?filter_name=S57072

Layer perfect - S57321

http://www.stix2.co.uk/metric-layer-perfect?filter_name=S57321

Non stick craft sheet - S57132
http://www.stix2.co.uk/non-stick-crafting-sheet-15-inch-x-18-inch?filter_name=S57132

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Additional products used are below;

12x12 300gsm Black card stock Bazzill Basics

and

12x12 White smooth card stock -

http://bazzillbasics.com

10mm Black textured ribbon - Mei Flower Crafts

http://www.meiflower.co.uk/

White pearl heart ribbon sliders - Mei Flower Crafts

http://www.meiflower.co.uk/
Silver glitter card stock 


Throughout the Invitation, insert, poem and RSVP, 4 fonts were used and all came in as standard in Microsoft Word-
Edwardian Script ITC
Calibri Light (Headings)
Niagara Solid
Calibri (Body)

This photo shows you the inside of the finished wedding invitation and the rsvp slip that was inserted into the envelope of the wedding invitation. 

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These photos above shows a collection of images of the invitations. It shows the invitations once assembled and the silver glitter card, textured ribbon, pearl heart ribbon sliders and the font used.

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The 2 photos above shows the invitations during them being created. It's shows the the blue tape runners by Stix2 that I used to assemble all the parts of the invitations.

-

Steph also wanted a poem to be on the inside of the wedding invitation. Instead of just sticking the poem inside, I thought I'd make it different by creating a tag and attach it to the inside of the invitation with Stix2 photo corners. This enable everyone who received an invitation to take out the poem and keep it on show instead of having the invitations out at all times. 

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If you look close at the above photo, you can just see the texture of the A4 hammered card by Stix2. It also shows the blue tape runner I used to assemble the invitations. 

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Although Stix2 are known for their adhesives, that's not all they produce. In their large range, they have a lovely smooth card blank range. For these invitation, I used their 6x6" card blanks. Each card blank pack comes with envelopes. Although that may sound obvious, not all companies supply the envelopes with their card blanks. The envelopes are a good few millimetres bigger on all 4 sides. This enables you to add extra dimension to the invitation or card you are creating and still fit perfectly in the envelope and not to tight. This is what will cause the card to buckle and also squash your design. 

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The above pictures show the inserts of the invitation. The inserts have been printed onto a very smooth & gorgeous white card stock by Bazzill Basics. If you couldn't tell by now, I love Bazzill Basics and use it a lot. Don't just print onto smooth card stock. Card stock such as the White Hammered  from Stix2 can be printed onto with no bother. This is exactly what I done with the front of the invitation. There is no spots or smudges because of the texture. The full detail of the text can be seen but it also gives you that luxurious feel. It has then been matted and layered onto Black Bazzill Basic card stock before matting onto the card blank inside. 

(Can you spot the spelling mistake? Thankfully this was only on one invitation)

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The poem that Steph had asked to have somewhere on or in the invitation has been typed and printed on to the White Hammered card stock by stix2. As I said above, although the card stock is textured, it still prints onto perfectly without any blemishes but it gives the poem and invitation that touch of luxurious luxury. They have been matted and layered on black card stock by Bazzill Basics. I punched a hole in the tops and fed some black texture ribbon through the top. 

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It really has been a fun and enjoyable time creating these invitations for Steph and Callum. It's given me a taster of what is involved when when it comes to making invitations on a large/larger scale. It's taught me that I have to work differently when creating invitations compared to creating cards and what I would change when it comes to the way I work and create invitation on a batch scale. It can very different from making cards, scrapbook pages and other projects. 

So I think that's it, I hope you enjoyed seeing Steph and Callum's                                              wedding invitations. 

Thank you to both Steph and Callum for given me the opportunity to make their wedding invitation, it has been a real joy and privilege to be part of the lead up to your big day. Also thank you for listening to my ideas and suggestions and allowing me to run with some of these ideas I had. 

Also thank you to Stix2 for everything you have done to help me when it came to the products I needed to make the invitation. Nothing was ever too much trouble. 

www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations

Craig x