All you need is faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust 💕

Hello again.

It’s been a busy half term here but that didn’t stop me playing with the dainty fairy stamps from Craftwork Cards Fairyland kit.

I started off with two cards. The first one used a topper which was backed in black.

The next one allowed me to play with various shades of purple on the background spheres (from Imagine Design Create) before adding the silhouette fairies with plenty of sparkle on top.

Then I moved on to fairy hearts, one of which is a giveaway on the Craftwork Cards Fan Page and the other one is shown here along with instructions on how I did it.

I used the Folklore papers, an mdf heart from The Works, fairy stamps and floral stamps from Craftwork Cards, various shades of Distress oxides and Versafine, star sequins, a quote print and ribbons.

Start by drawing around the heart onto two pieces of paper ( one for the front and one for the back) Cut them out as close to the line as possible.

Next create a mask which is the same size as your quote card or topper. Tape this to the centre of the heart before you start stamping.

I chose these inks for the background flowers

And these stamps to work with

I started by stamping a selection of flowers in various shades around the heart

Before choosing some stronger Versafine inks for the leaves and mushrooms.

Now to add the stars of the show (the fairies) in deep black ink ( archival ink worked well for me ). At this point stick the heart onto the mdf front and add the second cut out to the back.

To make the fairies wings pop and to add sparkle I used a white gel pen. On my heart the light was coming from the top so the white line hit the top side of the wings. Give the centre of the sparkle a slightly larger spot before dotting around it.

Now replace the mask with the quote card or topper and stick with red tape. I also added tiny star sequins between the flowers.

Next I worked with Nuvo drops to add depth to the flower heads and Sparkle Glitter to the leaves.

Finish the heart with matching ribbons if you want to hang it up. I think they make very personal gifts and the fairy stamps add an air of magic too.

I hope you enjoy working with the fairy stamps as much as I have. Until next time.

Much love x Elisabeth x

Beeeeee Creative

Hello again !

Every now and then I come across such a beautiful set of papers, I want to craft in every spare minute of my busy day. This happened the moment I opened up the Tell the Bees papers that have been designed by Hackney & Co and available from the Craft Consortium Ltd

This first card layers up 3 cut outs of the beehive design and 2 of the sweet little bees. I alternated between using mini foam pads and wet glue to add dimension. To create a sheen over the top I added glossy accents.

(Even the front cover of the paper pad makes a fab background)

I wanted to create a honeycomb for the bees to settle in so I cut out several 15mm hexagons in three different papers. My Tonic hexagon dies came in handy for this task. Next I arranged them across a 6 x 6 card making sure to leave a slither of white between each hexagon. The ribbons with this set finish off the card perfectly along with a few hand punched flowers.

Another set of hexagons ( which are slightly larger at 30mm) formed the start of this card. There is a beautiful page of beehives within the set. I made 3 of them the focal point of the hexagons but the other ones were random patterns. Everything matches perfectly! I rediscovered a Tattered Lace die of a bee which just had to be cut out of gold card and added to the card along with a few more tiny flowers.

I was lucky enough to obtain this stunning stamp designed by the talented Julie Hickey of Craftwork Cards. After stamping the design onto card I then stamped three more times onto the design sheets. Each petal was then cut out and paper pieced onto the stamp. There are two layers of petals – the first layer is stuck onto the card. The second layer is gently curled and stuck by the centre tip only. It’s a lovely way to create dimension.

The penultimate card was created for a friend who requested a 60th birthday card for a friend. I cut a square from the centre of the card before layering up a white embossed frame on top. Various sizes of flowers were cut and moulded from scraps of paper. To complete the look I added some Tonic gold drops to the centre of each flower.

Last but not least I would like to show you a tuxedo card that was just a joy to make. I have a template which I use to cut every box side. Then I used a Tonic Apple Blossom die to cut out the bouquet of flowers which are then adhered to slim stalks of paper. I mustn’t forget to tell you that the bees were hand stamped and then cut out before sticking strategically in place. The end result shows the papers off perfectly.

The bonus of this card is that it lies flat for posting!

The Tell the Bees papers are delicate and so beautifully drawn that they are inspiring to work with. If you have enjoyed reading all about the cards that I have created with this stunning collection then please leave a comment below. Thank you.

Much love x Elisabeth x