This past month has been quiet on my blog but that's not because I haven't done any crafting. I made a batch of appreciation cards for some people who have been working under extreme pressure for the past year. Mostly they are cards I've blogged before or variations of them but I hope they brought joy to the people receiving them.
P for Patchwork
The colour options are Pink, Purple and Platinum.
Last year on my way home from a trip to London I bought a set of dies from a charity shop. They were Crafter's Companion patchwork dies and at £1 each for a set of 2 dies I thought they would be useful for my papercrafting so I bought all 4 sets. At the time I had no idea that we would go into lockdown shortly after and that would be my last trip to London for a long time.
I remembered these dies when the theme for this month's challenge came up and decided to use the clam shell die. I collected 5 different patterned paper scraps in pinks and purples and used the die to cut multiple shapes of each one. The purple ones were run through a lace embossing folder, one of the pink papers was stamped with a Crafty Individuals text stamp in Brilliance platinum planet and a small flower was stamped in Versamark onto the lilac shapes and perfect pearls brushed on top.
I worked out how to arrange them and then stuck them down onto a piece of card. Not having thought further than that I looked at the card and couldn't think what to add to it for the focal point. Finally I had an idea - an old Tim Holtz stamp and die set called framed silhouettes. I cut the frame from some card on which I had added some silver sticky back foil. I didn't want to use the stamp that goes with it but wanted to add some texture to the frame which I did with a 3D embossing folder called floral mandala. I added another plain frame at the back for some more dimension. I stamped the portrait in Versafine onyx black and die cut it (I should have just cut it out from black card). Finally I added a die cut word from Tim Holtz script friendship words.
Oh dear we're already halfway through the month and I haven't posted anything in March! That's not to say I haven't been crafting - I'm trying to make progress on a cross stitch scene I started a couple of years ago and I've told myself I need to get it finished before I can start anything else.
I did put my needle down in order to make this 'card' for my great nephew. I've noticed a trend for jigsaw related cards recently and it reminded me that I have a Sizzix Bigz die called Puzzle Maker #2.
I had some snakes and ladders patterned paper from which I die cut 'Happy Birthday', making sure to keep all the small pieces. I stuck this onto a piece of mount board. I used the same die again with some blue card and inlaid the letters. When the glue had dried I used the puzzle Bigz die to cut the pieces.The outer waste made a nice frame which I mounted onto some white card. Our message will be written onto this and it makes a handy tray to fit the pieces into. It came together very easily and was fun to make. The Bigz die cut through the mount board easily and has made me want to look through my Bigz dies to see what else I can use my mount board offcuts with.
I shall send the frame with the pieces removed so that the recipient can put it together for himself.
