I am back today with another new collection from Kanban Crafts which has recently been taken over by Katy Sue Designs. This means that we can combine the papers and peelables that are known to Kanban Crafts fans with the boxes and stepper cards supplied by Katy Sue.
The starting point for my projects was the exquisite 12×12 papers which feature different songbirds perching amongst peach coloured foliage and grey/blue nesting boxes. I must admit to humming the wartime tune “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” which my Mama sang whilst working around the house. I am sorry if you now have that as an earworm!
Nightingale Square launches on Create and Craft TV on Thursday 28th April at 4pm and 8pm – with an additional show on Friday 29th April at 8am. After one week’s exclusivity, you can purchase the collection directly from the Katy Sue website. https://katysuedesigns.com/collections/kanban-crafts
Have a beautiful day
I adapted one of the stepper cards to fit inside a 6×6 pre-scored box. Older Kanban dies were incorporated into the design along with hints of mat gold card.
Two-drawer easel box card
Once the boxes have been made, it is relatively easy to form a paper wallet around them in order to stack them up onto each other. The peelables in the corner of the easel card perfectly finish the design.
A Handbag
The box can also be adapted to create a handbag with matching notelets. This particular one was made with the inside of the Covid packaging!
If you would like to see these projects in greater detail then I would recommend watching my latest YouTube video.
If you would like to connect with other Kanban Crafts/Katy Sue Designs fans then ask to join their Facebook groups
A few days ago, I received an email from the team at Graphic45 inviting me to be a Brand Ambassador for their 2022-2023 season! I couldn’t quite believe that my name had been included in the list of talented artists but there it was in black and white. I am thrilled and very humbled to think that my cardmaking skills are worthy of this accolade but I will gladly accept the honour.
Within hours of the email announcement, my Let it Bee video had been viewed two hundred times which for a small channel such as mine is really exciting. New subscribers have joined and new friendships are being formed with the other Brand Ambassadors.
I thank you for following me on my crafting journey thus far and I hope you will carry along the crafting road with me, over the next few months too.
Today, I would like to share a selection of cards that I created, with memories of my Pa. He would be 101 years old in June. Born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England: he returned home from WW2 and studied to become an architect. The Graphic 45 collection “Catch of the Day” would have appealed to him because he loved to be by the sea and the sketch drawings could have been drafted by him. Although, he designed buildings not boats!
Catch of the Day
This pre-made stepper card (from Katy Sue Designs) is perfect for building up a scene. The imagery within the G45 collection is simply stunning and makes it easier to create stylish male cards.
Adventure Awaits
This teepee card is so effective and easier to make than you think. This card will be for my son Ben, who this summer, graduates from university as a Graphic Designer.
Sail the Seas…
This triangular pop-up card would have been perfect for my Pa. The lighthouse scene and the navy blue sketched illustrations would have made him smile.
If you would like to see more of these cards and learn how to make the triangular pop-up card, then watch my latest YouTube video.
During March, I set up an Etsy store for selling a small selection of my handmade cards and personalised labels for cardmakers. As with everything new, it took time to research, trial and error, but I persevered and my simple shop front is up and running.
Now, I am back to creating with the glorious Let it Bee papers from Graphic 45. I am a collector of these beautiful collections and enjoy using them in my family projects. There is something about the artwork that makes them very personal to me. Followers will know that I love creating with bee-themed papers and embellishments, so Let It Bee was very high on my crafting shopping list.
Throughout the years I have made many pop-up boxes in the “portrait style”. They are statement cards plus they lie flat for posting which is always a bonus. My latest video shows how to adapt the sizing of one box to another so that you can use the toppers and decorative papers in a way that suits you best. The video link will be lower down this blog post and you can hear me wax lyrical about Let It Bee in addition to a detailed explanation to make the pop-up box. The next three photos will show you the dimensions that I worked with for each box. Plus I have included dimensions for an over-sized pop- up box to feature the larger 4″x6″ Journal Cards
Please note – I naturally work in metric. However I have included the equivalent imperial sizes in brackets.
LET IT BEE – PORTRAIT
TAG SIZE 7.5CM X 10CM (3″X4″)
2 X A4 CARDSTOCK
1ST – SCORE AT 8CM/16CM/24CM/26CM
(3 1/8″- 6 1/4″- 9 13/8″ – 10 1/4″)
turn SCORE AT 10CM (3 7/8″)
2ND – SCORE AT 8CM/10CM
(3 1/8″- 4″)
HELLO FRIEND LANDSCAPE
TAG SIZE 10CM X 7.5CM (4″X3″)
2 X 24CM X 18 CM CARDSTOCK (9 1/2″ X 7 1/8″)
SCORE AT 11CM – 22CM
(4 3/8″ X 5 1/8″)
turn SCORE AT 8.5CM (3 3/8″)
LIFE IS BEE – UTIFUL (LANDSCAPE)
TAG SIZE 1OCM X 6.5CM (4″ X 2 5/8″)
2 X 24CM X 18CM CARDSTOCK (9 1/2″ X 7 1/8″)
SCORE AT 11CM – 22 CM
(4 3/8″ X 8 5/8″)
turn SCORE AT 7.5CM (3″)
BONUS-OVERSIZED BOX (PORTRAIT)
TAG SIZE 10CM X 15CM (4″X6″)
REQUIRES A3 PAPER
2 x 23CM X 34CM (9 1/8″ X 13 1/2″)
SCORE 16CM – 32CM
turn SCORE AT 11CM (3 1/8″)
In this video, I will show you how to create the Life is Bee- utiful pop-up box and the same instructions can be applied to all the different sizes.
Enjoy crafting with these gorgeous, uplifting papers and please do share your makes with me. Here are my social media links if you want to see more of my creations. Plus I have included affiliate links to Craft Stash (UK) at no cost to you – should you wish to invest in this bee-utiful collection.
Every now and then, I re-evaluate my craft stash, what I have and how I use it. Because of this, I discovered a set of Sizzix products and a few other mediums that I wanted to try out with my collection of stencils. Stencils are pretty reasonable to buy and they have far more uses than one first imagines.
I will leave you a link below to my video which is in the style of a workshop. It is over an hour-long so give yourself enough time to settle down with a snack and a drink then watch it. In the title I estimated 20+ projects but when I listed them out it totalled 28! You can adapt the mediums that you use and the way you use them. The main thing is to try one or two and make better use of the products that you have in your craft room.
Below the video, I will list the different effects you can try and where possible an affiliate link to Amazon so that you can find the products if you want to try them too.
Happy crafting
Love Elisabeth xx
BASIC ONE COLOUR INKING
TWO COLOUR LAYERING
APPLY INK, THEN STENCIL, BLEACH OUT WITH A DAMP CLOTH
SIZZIX DIMENSIONAL PASTE – ADD INK
SIZZIX DIMENSIONAL PASTE – ADD WAX
SIZZIX GESSO PASTE – BLEND IN INKS OR ADD OVER INKS
STAMPERIA GLOSSY GEL
STAMPERIA GLOSSY GEL – BLEND WITH INK
SIZZIX 3D ADHESIVE – ADD EMBOSSING POWDERS
SIZZIX 3D ADHESIVE – ADD GILDING FLAKES
SIZZIX PEARLESCENT MEDIUM – ADD INK
STRUCTURE PASTE – ADD PAINT TO PASTE
SIZZIX LUSTRE WAX – APPLY TWO TONES
HEAT EMBOSSING
GELLI PLATE – STENCIL ON AND STENCIL THROUGH WITH ACRYLIC PAINTS
GELLI PLATE – MASK ON AND COLOUR WITH INKS
STENCIL – AS AN EMBOSSING FOLDER
AIR DRY CLAY – IMPRINT STENCIL
DRAW THROUGH STENCIL AND ZENTANGLE
INK THROUGH STENCIL AND OUTLINE
SPRITZ THROUGH WITH INKS AND BLOT
ADD INK TO CARD THEN STENCIL OVER
METALLIC GILDING POLISH
GELATOS – ADD COLOUR TO CARD THEN STENCIL
GELATOS – ADD STENCIL TO CARD THEN COLOUR OVER AND BLEND
February sped by for me. I have been busy creating and filming new videos featuring the glorious Ink Drops Papers available from Craft Consortium. The Ink Drops form part of their Essential Craft Papers range. They are brilliant for card backgrounds, scrapbook pages and journaling. However, there is so much more you can do with them.
Here are all the names of the Ink Drops Papers:- Earth/Dusk/Vivid/Candy Drops/Ocean and each of the colour ranges are worth having in your craft supplies.
I have filmed two videos to show just how versatile these papers are. The first one focuses on the earlier papers. You will see that you can stamp, die-cut, emboss and create paper projects with them.
The second set of cards features the latest range called Ink Drops Ocean. It is a particular favourite of mine because I love the deep blues and greens.
I am pretty sure these projects will inspire you to make good use of your Ink Drops papers. It would be great to see your projects on the Craft Consortium Network on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/989114164562461
You can still buy these papers in both the 12×12 and 6×6 sizes directly from Craft Consortium.
There are several new stamp sets and die sets featured in the projects which you can find at Craft Stash UK by following my affiliate links. If you would like further information then please comment below.
I have been playing with the new Belle Fleur collection from Craft Consortium which is due to be launched at the end of January 2022. I decided to challenge myself to create a set of cards using one sheet of the stunning 12×12 papers. I picked a page with a smaller design but all the pages in the paper pad would work equally as well.
I used a scoreboard to mark each section before cutting twenty separate pieces with a cutter. I ended up creating eleven cards using one sheet of paper. You could easily make more. The card designs feature all of the lettered pieces plus a few cut out flowers/ leaves and embellishments. The sentiments will be added later, However if you would like to see how to go about adding them, then watch my YouTube video. https://youtu.be/IOa7eM7yZEA
You could easily make more than twenty cards and it is a good discipline to show how many cards can be made from a single sheet of 12×12 paper. I would love to know what you think of this idea? If you try this one sheet CC wonder then please do share your makes with me on the Facebook Group Craft Consortium Network. https://www.facebook.com/groups/989114164562461
Belle Fleur is a stunning collection from Craft Consortium in collaboration with Hackney and Co. It will be available from Craft Consortium on the 30th January
It is available to pre-order from Craft Stash and I have added some affiliate links to the individual products. I am not paid by Craft Consortium to promote their products however as part of their design team I do receive some free products.
I am often asked about my craft space and storage solutions. I have filmed a short video on my YouTube channel in which you will see my much loved and used craft space. There are a few tips on how I store my craft items and listed below are affiliated links to Amazon. I have tried where possible to note when the original items were bought in local stores. The links do not cost you anything to click on however I might receive a few pennies for sharing the products with you. I have been pleased with all of the items I have purchased. Some of them are no longer available however I have listed a similar item.
LIGHTING
Under Cabinet Lights HONWELL 6pcs Wireless LED Closet Light Battery Remote Controlled LED Puck Lights, Brightness Dimmable Stick-on Lights for Kitchen Stairs Cupboard Timer Preset (Unavailable)
Beyamz Magnifying Lamp, with 105mm 5X Magnifier, 3 Color Modes, Stepless Dimming Lights, Heavy Duty Metal Swivel Arms, and Adjustable Clamp (White, for UK only)
N/K Marble Wallpaper Self Adhesive Granite White Grey – 40 cm X 200 cm Granite Gray Self Adhesive Decorative Vinyl Film, Oil-Proof Paper Waterproof Wallpaper
Meiyijia Home Wall Mount Hair Dryer Holder Rack,Self Adhesive Double Hole Hair Dryer Organizer,Rack with Hair Straightener Holder (Grey) (similar to hairdryer/heat tool stand bought in Aldi)
FAPPEN Cell Phone Holder, Phone Holder for Bed Desk, 360° Flexible Articulating Long Arm Clamp Bracket Mount Stand for iPhone 13 12 11 Pro XS Max XR X 8 7 6 6s Plus, Samsung S10 S9 S8 S7 (3.5-6.5”)
Neewer 5 in 1 Portable Round Collapsible Multi Disc Photography Lighting Reflector 24×36 inches/60x90centimeters with Carrying Case for Photo Studio Shooting
RIBBON JARS – 3 Tall and Slim Kitchen Pasta Storage Jars with Victorian Screw top lids by Britten & James. Crystal Clear Food Grade Plastic – Safe, hygienic and Attractive.
STAMP AND DIE BOXES iDesign 75230 Fridge/Freeze Binz Stackable Storage Boxes, Large Kitchen Storage Container for the Fridge and Freezer, Made of Plastic, Clear (similar to original product)
MAGNETIC BACKING SHEETS FOR DIES TMS A4 Magnetic Sheets – Magnets for Crafts, 0.5mm Flexible Magnetic Sheeting for Cutting Dies, Art Folders – Make your own Fridge Magnets for Kitchen, Home and Office (10 Pack) by The Magnet Shop
SWATCH BOOK RINGS 20 Pack Large Metal Book Rings/Loose Leaf Binder Rings 2.5 Inch, Easy to Open and Close, Silver Circular Shower Curtain Ring Loops for Drape Bathroom Office (63 mm)
STICKY TAPES HOLDER Topsky Toilet Paper Roll Holder Stand, Extra Toilet Paper Holder Storage for 3-4 Rolls, Decorative Metal Free Standing Toilet Paper Stand Tissue Holder for Bathroom, Sturdy, Holds Jumbo Size Rolls (similar to holder bought in Dunelm)
I know that I am very lucky to be able to work in a dedicated craft space. It has taken me many years to get to this point so don’t give up on having a craft room of your own.
Happy New Year! 2022 may bring us some new crafting goodies and ideas however I would like to show you an older technique called Iris Folding. I have often admired cards made in this fashion but had never allowed myself time to learn the craft of folding strips of paper in equal widths and layering them over a template. Once you realise that you are working from behind the card it is relatively simple and very therapeutic.
Patina Papers
Before I explain how to set out this card, I must mention the glorious papers from Craft Consortium Ltd. This Patina set is from their Essential Papers Range which is available in 12×12 and 6×6. The colours are incredible!
You will need: 8×8 card blank/ 7×7 card for the front of the card and as base support/chosen paper for folds/large circular frame die/sticky tape or tape runner.
The Patina card was made from one sheet of 12×12 paper. Using a score board – score every 1/2″. Using a paper trimmer – cut at every 1″. Now fold each 1″ strip in half, crease firmly. If a flatter finish is required then stick the strip together.
Take the 7″x7″ card front and cut a 6″ circle centrally. Place this frame on top of the template below with the card front facing down and the numbers facing you. Secure with removal tape.
Copy and paste to your document and scale to the size required.
Take the first paper strip and place it across the line marked 1. Secure the first end down. Leave enough paper to hold the strip in place. Then cut away the excess and stick the second end down. Small pieces of tape or a tape runner work well for this process. Follow the pattern around numerically ensuring that all of the fold lines face towards the centre. Keep going until you reach the centre square.
If required secure the second 7″x7″ square behind the folds to hold them in place. Now remove the tapes and turn the iris fold piece over to reveal the front of the card. If required cut a circle frame to line the aperture because this will neaten up the edges. Add sentiments as required and adhere to the 8″x8″ card base.
Lisa Horton Crafts Papers
This version features papers from the second LHC magazine.
Today’s post includes projects from the newly launched Kanban Crafts UCB called Premium Designers. It includes four popular 2021 collections called Moonlight Forest/Spirit of Japan/Butterfly Garden/Antique Florist.
The images within Spirit of Japan are so striking. It is easy to make a simple card by printing directly onto printer paper and using your dues to layer them up.
Don’t be afraid to cut into the papers and extract the part of the design you like. If it doesn’t work out- simply print another page.
The postcards within the Butterfly Florist collection can also be die-cut and layered up.
You can even turn the A4 background papers into journal covers
If you need further inspiration then take a look at my dedicated Pinterest Board. https://pin.it/3ArGN92
Elisabeth Hogarth Designs 