Reach for the Stars

 

I've just treated myself to another stencil, this time Reach for the Stars, from Honey Doo crafts

The first card I made was for a graduation - it seemed very appropriate!

And this one is going to a charity that sends cards and packages to sick children in hospital, they want positive and upbeat messages for those who may have long term and chronic conditions.

Latest batch of cards

 This card was made with one of my more older, and favourite stamps from Woodware, 'gone to seed', and has appeared in my blog many times before!

This card was made with a freebie stamp - possibly from creative stamping magazine?

I thought this card would make a nice generic card for any adult.

Before & After

 We all have some images or toppers that we don't like or are not our style in our stash, don't we!

I had these vintage style Hunkydory toppers for ages but didn't like the Lady in the middle - I finally realised I could cover her up and use them!

I don't know why it didn't occur to me before.

Same with this one with the corset, much happier with the finished card.

Distress Oxide Circles

 

I was lucky enough to get some more distress oxide ink pads as part of my Mothers Day present, so have been experimenting with the new shades of beige and green - tea dye & bundled sage.

They go so well with the Kraft card blanks that I have in stock

More soft glows

 

Following on from my last post, here are a few more cards made with blending distress oxide inks behind as small topper to make them stand out.

I also used a softer grey ink (Versafine Clair Morning Mist) for the sentiment, very quick and simple to make.

A Rosy Glow

 

The Picked Raspberry ink pad is probably the one I use the least, so I have made an effort to use it on a few CAS cards to give a 'Rosy Glow' background to a simple topper.

It's quite a bright pink, but makes a nice contrast to the toppers and makes them 'pop'.

Also useful for a 'get well soon' card.

And this layout has helped to use up a few old toppers that have hanging around for ages!

Heat Embossing on vellum

 

I haven't done any heat embossing for over 2 years, in fact I struggled to find my embossing powders and ink pads in my craft room - and I very rarely use vellum on my cards.

However, I did make a lovely card using white embossing powder on clear velum at the recent Honey Doo workshop that I attended and thought it was time to have a go at home. I found some patterned vellum that has been sitting at the bottom of a pile for well over 5 years.  I was pleased how the gold on the red vellum came out  - would look good on a Christmas card too.

The pearly white  leaves on the green was more subtle, but still made a nice texture. I tried to also do some flowers, but that was not a success and they ended up in the bin!

Distressed Oxide Inks

 Well, I must recommend going to a crafty workshop to get you inspired. Since I attended, I have made loads of cards with distressed oxide inked backgrounds, all very different from my usual style.

And using some stamps that have haven't seen the light of day for a long time!

More Honey Doo Cards

 

Still playing with my new stamps and using blended distress oxide inks on cards more!

In fact, I have treated myself to some more blending brushes to get a smoother finish to them

Honey Doo have just announced they are holding another workshop in September, so I'm going to book onto that now.

Honey Doo Crafts Workshop

 I decided to attend a card making workshop that was being held nearby in Ravenwood Hall - it was time to try some out different techniques and materials! 

We made 3 different cards using stencils, heat embossing, vellum and distress oxide inks, using some of their brand new products.

The demonstrations were clear, everyone was very friendly and a lovely lunch was included.

Honey Doo also had their full range available to buy, so I treated myself to new stamps, stencils and inks

Then, of course, had to try them out when I got home to make some more fab cards.

So I can highly recommend their workshops if you have the chance to attend - I'll be keeping an eye out for their next one in Suffolk - although some of the attendees were regulars who had travelled some distance. People on my table had come from Hastings, Milton Keynes and Saffron Walden !

Honey Doo Website

They also attend a lot of craft shows up and down the country.

Another Woodware Stamp

 I also  recently bought this bubble bloom stamp with the 'get well soon' sentiments - always a useful addition to the stock. Filled in the circles with a selection of card candy and Nuvo drops again.

I've also made a couple of  garden bird themed birthday cards,  I'm still using up the watercolour wings topper pack that I bought back in 2019. 

Woodware Bubble Christmas Tree Cards

 

I did NOT need anymore Christmas stamps, but gave in and ordered the Bubble Christmas Tree stamp from Woodware!

I used the excuse that it would use up some of the odd buttons and Craftwork Card Candy that I had hanging around - which it has! I then used different Nuvo drops for the smaller circles

So I've tried it out using different colourways and backgrounds and think it will be useful addition to the stash

Cats Galore

 

It was over 2 years ago that I bought a pack of cute Nitwit Cat Images, and despite making loads of cards with it, I still have at least 3/4 of the pack left!

It's a good job that most of my friends and family like cats!

First Prize at the Village Show

 My Owl birthday card got first prize in the local village show this weekend - first response from family was - was it the only entry! No, it beat off 6 other cards, one of which had some lovely beadwork on it.

My cross stitch picture of the Lion also got first prize. And my husband won an enormous Teddy by guessing its name, not sure what we are going to do with him. At the moment he is sat in the bay window watching the passersby.