Craft Buddy Brand Ambassador

Friday 29 May 2015

8x8 PMD frame rose box



Across at Papermilldirect they have gorgeous 120gsm Ivory pearlised paper on offer this week. There is an ever more gorgeous 40% off. There are 2 options for you while there's stock. You can get an A4 small box of Ivory Pearlised paper for £13.20 OR you can get an midi box of Ivory Pearlised paper for £30.00
If you follow the link below, it will take you straight to PMD blog post where not only will you get a full product list of what you need to create this 8x8 box frame, it also has a step by step guild that I have tried my best to make as easy and as simple as possible. Out off the stamps I have, the rose stamp I have used to create this box frame is by Kanban crafts. when ever I want to attempt to create something stunning using stamps, I always get drawn back to this stamp. Its so pretty and detailed but the amount it can be used in many different ways is quite impressive. I feel this stamp is suited perfectly for 3D decoupage. As you will read in my PMD blog post, you will see I have stamped several times and cut out different elements to create a very striking and detailed 3D decoupage effect.
As iv stated in the blog in more detail, some people find it card to incorporate paper into the crafting, or more their projects. Paper is create as it is less heavy but can be used to create the same effect as card would. The only difference is its not suitable for things such as box making. However there is nothing stopping you from making boxes with PMD Plain White card and then use paper to matt and layer onto the top and panels.
Some can be scared to incorporate paper - more specifically pearlised paper with their dies and electric cutting machine. A wee bit more care should be taken but there is no reason why you cant use paper into all your projects. More specifically PMD paper in all your projects - I have tested all PMD card and paper I have and it does work in all my dies, punches and ScanNcut (using my low tack cutting matt)
So to get your crafty hands on this gorgeous Ivory Pearlised paper, follow the ink below where it will direct you straight to my tutorial blog post for PMD. with in the blog post, it will have a link that takes you to the Ivory pearlised paper page.

However, if you would like to go straight to the Ivory pearlised paper now, follow the link below;

The products i have used are as followed;
Papermill Direct;
Buff smooth card - 260gsm.
Ivory Pearlised paper - 120gsm.
Teal plain card - 240gsm.
Ivory smooth card - 250gsm - 250gsm. (front verse)

Stix2;
Additional items;9mm double sided tape - FPAL2732950.
Silicone glue - S57100.
Pva glue with metal tip (attach butterflies) - S56890.
Layer perfect (metric) - S57321.
Pick up pencil - S57265.
Non stick craft sheet - S57132.

Additional;
Rich Cocoa memento ink pad.
Rose stamp - Kanban Crafts.
Grey Squirrel Promarker pen.
Butterfly punch - Martha Stewart.
8x8 box frame - The RANGE





www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations
www.stix2.co.uk
sales@stix2.co.uk
www.papermilldirect.co.uk

Craig x




Friday 22 May 2015

Wedding wishes with a spark of sparkle.

Who doesn't love a wedding, more so when it's a special loved one. You always want to get the be the present you can and a gorgeous card to match. Wedding cards are lovely to make as you can make it all about love and have embellishments such as ribbon, gems, swirls, acetate etc. However, as much as 2 people want to show the world their love, not all couples are into all the big love and embellished cards that you would "normally" gave. So because of this, I decided to try and come up with a different style of wedding card. A card that was simple, easy and revolves around simply matting and layering. The only exception being the die cut panel in the centre. What gives this card the stand out factor is not only the gorgeous die cut panel but the bright sparkly red glitter back ground. This surrounded by a complete black and white theme card ready makes the die cut panel be the main focus the eye catches not only instantly but at a distance. 
 I matted some PMD White Seal embossed card on to PMD Black smooth card. 
The centre layer is also PMD White Seal Embossed and is 1" smaller than the base layer and has also been matted onto PMD Black smooth card. Before doing this, I have ran it through an embossing folder.
 I have die cut the panel from Sue Wilson and taken a piece of PMD White plain card that is 1/2 cm bigger all the way round. Iv covered it with Stix2 double sided ultra clear sheets and cut off the excess. I then coated it with the gorgeous Festive Red Diamond Sparkles glitter from Hunkydory Crafts.
 I matted and layered the glitter panel on PMD Black smooth card which is 3mm bigger. Then using Stix2 pva glue with metal tip, I placed the die cut onto the glittered panel. 
 I printed a sentiment onto PMD White Super smooth card and matted onto PMD Black smooth card. Added that onto another small matted panel. 
 To finish off, iv added some red gems and onto the card and then some white beads onto the die cut. 
 It's such lovely but different way to create a gorgeous and luxurious wedding card. 

*My cardhas been made using a previous White Seal Embossed card that's no longer available. So I included the line for White Linen card stock. 

The products I have used are as followed;
PMD;
*White Linen card - 255gsm.
Black smooth card - 250gsm.
White super smooth card - 300gsm (sentiment)
White plain card - 250gsm (card blank) 

Stix2;
12mm double sided tape -FPAL27321250. (50 meters)
19mm x 38mm x 2&3mm foam pads - S57137.
Pva glue with metal tip - S56890. 
Silicone Glue - S57100.
Double sided polyester ultra clear sheets (105mm x 152mm) - S56971.
Layer perfect metric - S57321.
Non stick craft sheet - S57132.
Low tack stencil tape - S56994.
Pick up pencil - S57265.

Additional;
Striplet Regal die - Sue Wilson.
Festive Red Diamond Sparkles Glitter - Hunkydory Crafts.
A4 embossing folder - Free with Ebosser version 1.
3mm red gems - Mei Flower.
White beads - Own Stash.
Sentiment - FREEHAND591 BT.


www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations
www.stix2.co.uk
sales@stix2.co.uk
www.papermilldirect.co.uk


Grey Linen 8x8 Birthday

Afternoon. thank you for popping across and having a read of my blog. its been a white since iv blogged so its time to get back on track 
 Across at PaperMill Direct, they have lovely Pale Grey Linen card stock on offer. Its a hefty 300gsm. For £4.40 you get 60 - 65 sheets. Why not do what I done and order 2 lots. Grey is one of those in-between colours where you don't want something to bright, but you don't want something to dark so Grey is that perfect colour to meet in the middle. That is why I tend to use it often. 
 Certain colours, such as Grey can tend to be used for matting and layering all the time. Use it for more than this, use it for the focus or part of the focus on your card. With my card below, you can see that the middle square has been reduced so the outer Pale Grey Linen is seen. This works well and should be done more often. Its a good way to make 8x8 cards if you struggle with then but like to make them. Make a 6x6 card and then chose a coordinated colour that goes well with your design (like i have done with the Pale Grey Linen) and matt and layer it onto an 8x8 card.    
 With this Grey Linen card being 300gsm in weight, it means you can use it as a full card base in itself. If you are making an A5 card, then simply score this card in half and there you will have your full card base in one matching colouring. If you are making a special card for a special someone then it can be extra lovely to have the whole card, front & back coordinate together. 
 The linen look and feel gives it that extra touch of luxury and if you charge for your cards, you can add an extra few pennies onto the cost because of the top quality card stock your using by Papermill direct. 
 Now,die cutting! Sometimes, when die cutting 300gsm card, it can be tricky. Maybe tricky isn't the right word but you need a good few passes through your die cutting machine for the die cut to cut perfectly. You have no trouble with this Pale Grey Linen card. I die cut 2 rosette dies and they both die cut first attempt with no problem. The rosette looks lovely, but with the linen effect, it makes the rosette that bit more luxurious. 

PMD;
Grey linen card - 300gsm -PMD558.
Black smooth card - 250gsm.
White plain card - 250gsm.
White Supersmooth card - 300gsm. (Insert & sentiment)

Stix2; 
12mm double sided tape -FPAL27321250. (50 meters)
19mm x 38mm x 2&3mm foam pads - S57137
Hot glue gun - S57234.
Hot glue sticks - S57235.
Pva glue with metal tip - S56890. (Additional support to card candi foam pad as its on top of glittered elements)
Layer perfect metric - S57321.
Non stick craft sheet - S57132.
Low tack stencil tape - S56994
Pick up pencil - S57265.
8x8 cello bag - K624.

Additional;
8x8 card blank - Craftwork Cards.
Silver and White Card Candi - Craftwork Card.
Desert Bloom 8x8 paper pad - First Edition. 
Rosette Die - Tim Holtz.



www.stix2.co.uk
sales@stix2.co.uk
www.papermilldirect.co.uk

Craig x

Friday 8 May 2015

Say "Hello" A5 card.

I have been having a few difficulties lately on my card creations FB page uploading descriptions etc. the follow card and tag I have writen a description twice and I'm not doing it again lol, the description below is the description I gave PaperMill Direct on our Design Team Facebook page. 
 I have given links where I could. So there is a link for every PaperMill Direct product Iv used and a link for every Stix2 Anything product Iv used. I have even included a link to the Hunkydory page with the "With Love" clear stamp Iv used. 

I love to see cards and tags for gifts coordinate, whether it's birthday cards and gifts or wedding cards and gifts. It's lovely to hand over your gift and card and it all ties in together. 

 First off I have this A5 card using PMD promotion card for this week - bright pink but it is a sort of 2 in one. It is a card but the main focal point on the front of the card is actually a tag that can be removed. So when they open their gift, the tag could be attached to the gift with your message on the back then once opened, they can take the tag and place it inside the front pocket of the card once they have opened their card. I personally like the idea that the card is part of the gift and the gift is part of the tag, it's like a little round circle when it comes to gift giving. I have used 3 main core colours - the new promotional Bright pink card, plain Black card and White hammered card. The main tag is able to stay in place using bookmark plastic holder by Stix2. The main card design has been made using 
Sue Wilsons die collection, 2 of them infact. The background die cut design is from her Scandinavian collection and the sentiment Hello die is a stand alone die. The card has been made as a birthday card but it's a lovely way to just send someone a card to say hello and that your thinking of them. 
 The products I have used are below;

PMD;
Bright Pink card - 160gsm - PMD565.
Grey smooth card - 240gsm (+ insert)
White Hammered card - 255gsm.
White supersmooth card 300gsm - (insert) 
Plain white card - 250gsm - card blank. 


Stix2; 
12mm double sided tape -FPAL27321250. (50 meters)
3mm red liner ultra sticky tape - S57084.
A4 3mm foam pad sheet - S57182
Pva glue with metal tip - S56890.
Clear bookmark sleeve - S57317. 
9mm white satin ribbon - S57202.
Layer perfect metric - S57321.
Non stick craft sheet - S57132.
Low tack stencil tape - S56994
A5 cello bag - S57314.

Sue Wilson ;
Hello, expressions die - CED5401.
Background die, Scandinavian collection - CED4201.

Additional items;
"With Love" clear stamp - Hunkydory Crafts.
8mm Bright Pink satin ribbon - American Crafts.













www.stix2.co.uk
sales@stix2.co.uk

www.papermilldirect.co.uk

www.facebook.com/craigscardcreations 

Craig 














Tuesday 5 May 2015

Turquoise Delight - 8x8 16th birthday card.

Well it's the start of the week again! Where is the time going. Not only the start of a new week but we are into another month already. May time nearly half way through 2015. Scary thinking about it, even more scary for me as next month I'll be turning 30! Eek. I say eek but it actually doesn't phase me atol. Saying that, I won't be here to think about it. I'll be spending the week of my birthday in NYC! I place I have always wanted to go and seeing it's a big year for me, we booked New York last year. The count down is on.
 Another special age to turn is 16 ( I remember that) so with PaperMill Direct new promotional card stock - Turqoiuse at 250gsm where you get a small box for £4.50, I have made not only an 8x8 card for a girl using the PMD card but I have also made a keepsake box which is all made using the same die collection (see below for details) even the box has been made using white card stock from PMD. 
 It's not a typical colour scheme you would think for a girls16th birthday card, but I think it works the combination of White, Black and Turquoise really helps to make this card stand out from the rest on the mantelpiece.
 This card has a lot of die cutting involved and a lot of handling due to it constantly being placed inbetween the die cutting plates. The White die cut background has been run through my Grand Calibur 16 times. It has been die cut 8 times to create the background but I have also embossed it after each run through of the Grand Calibur. What makes this even more spectacular is that I have White Seal Embossed card stock by PMD and the whole texture and embossed look has stayed perfectly in tacked, even after 16 run throughs. You will be able to see in the photos that there isn't any wear and tear, cracks or creases, disfigurement of the card stock - it is perfect and that's the quality of the card that PaperMill Direct produce. You can be rest assured that when ever you purchase PMD card stock whether your regular buyer or a new buyer you will be guaranteed a perfect finished fro. The first die cut to the last die cut.
 The die collection I have used is Sue Wilsons die collection and it is part of her Scandinavian die collection. I am relatively new to Sues collection, infact this collection is the first die collection I have purchased. I have recently purchased others that you will see on previously blog posts. I am in love with them, they are so easy to use and the cut is simply perfect, no wax paper needed and if using the junior spellbinder plates like I do, they nearly cut first time. With the exception of a few occasions. Also when buying a full collection like the Scandinavian collection, they all mix and match with each other. Many of the shapes are the same maybe just abit larger or smaller but the full design is different which means you can mix and match from each collection and mat and layer together to give multiple different looks. 
  To create the box I have used the same colour card stock with the exception of the White Seal card. For the box base, I have used PMD plain white card. For the main lid I have used the Black card stock. Both of which construct perfect. When scoring and bending the card stock, there is no cracks showing, there's no firbers showing there's just perfect creased and scored lines. This shows that PMD card stock works so well when it comes to construction. 
 I genuinely believe and feel that the combination of PMD card stock and Sue Wilsons die collection really do work perfectly together. If you could see the many card samples I have made using these two together, you will see that this is a genuine beliefe I have. 
  The products I have used to create the card and box are as followed; 

PMD;
Turquoise card - 250gsm - PMD542
12mm double sided tape -FPAL27321250.
6mm double sided polyester ultra sticky tape - S56947.
19mm x 38mm x 2mm foam pads - S57137.

Pva glue with  tip - S56890
Silicone glue - S57100.
A4 die cut release sheets - S57326.
Non stick craft sheet - S57132.
Layer perfect metric - S57321.
Low tack stencil tape - S56994.
16mm white satin ribbon - S57212
8x8 cello bag - K624.

Additional items;
Sue Wilson Scandinavian die collection - 
16th die from pop up set - Tonic Studios.
13mm black satin ribbon - American Crafts.
6mm turquoise satin ribbon - American Crafts.
5mm blue tint pearls - Mei Flower.
8x8 card blank - Craftwork Cards.
Font - Freehand591 BT.



Box.
PMD;
Turquoise card - 250gsm - PMD542
White Seal Embossed card - 230gsm.
Black smooth card - 250gsm.
White Plain card (box base) - 

Stix2;
12mm double sided tape -FPAL27321250.
6mm double sided polyester ultra sticky tape - S56947.
19mm x 38mm x 2mm foam pads - S57137.
Pva glue with metal tip - S56890
Silicone glue - S57100.
A4 die cut release sheets - S57326.
Layer perfect metric - S57321.
Low tack stencil tape - S56994.
16mm white satin ribbon - S57212

Additional items;
She Wilson Scandinavia die collection - background die,
13mm black satin ribbon - American Crafts.
6mm turquoise satin ribbon - American Crafts.
5mm blue tint pearls 
Large score board - Crafters companion.








www.stix2.co.uk
sales@stix2.co.uk

www.papermilldirect.co.uk

Craig :-)