Snug as a bug

Storage ideas are one of my favourite reading topics. It is amazing the storage solutions some crafters come up with! I love reading this blog in particular - Crafty Storage; owned by Paula Pascual, it has been revamped recently and the girls in the new team are doing a great job finding storage ideas all over the blog world.
Here's my solution to the "where to keep my Cuttlebug safe and dust free" issue. A very simple one - just a cardboard box from the local Indian take away recycled and decorated! In it I keep the Cuttlebug machine, the Cuttlebug plates and all my Cuttlebug embossing folders. I have the box under my desk, tidied away, but ready to be used at any time.

The best way I have found so far to store the embossing folders is in a transparent album from Paperchase. The album, made of plastic, quite sturdy, costs just over €3 and has 25 pages that are the perfect size for the Cuttlebug embossing folders. Since it is all transparent it is very easy to see and find the folder you are looking for, label it, etc.

So this is how I store my Cuttlebug.

Right now

Have you ever experienced a similar situation or does this just happen to me?

5:05pm

Him: I'd need a birthday card for my cousin X.

Me: OK. When do you need it for?

Him: Well, his birthday was last week and I just arranged to meet him for a drink in 1/2 hour, so I guess... right now.

Me: *%$£*&$*!

5:07pm

Me, myself and my thoughts: "Cousin X - what is he into? What age is he? What materials could I use? What do I have in hand for a quick card? Right, let's see..."

5:15pm

Ta-da! Here's the card, a VERY quick solution to a VERY sudden request :-)

Musical card

This was a card request for a music lover. I apologise for the quality of the picture, which I scanned. It was a couple of years ago and I can't remember where I got the musical vellum. The swirls belong to a collection of foam stamps.

Magnolia stamps

This is a quick card with one of the small Magnolia stamps I bought a few months ago. I love the colour combo in it (lime green/lilac); used scalloped Nestabilites for the oval and Letraset Promarkers to colour the image.

For the other two cards- below, which also feature Magnolia stamps -bigger ones this time, I used orange and blue, another colour combination I seem to be big into at the moment; Letraset Promarkers; orange cardstock; Fiskars punch; and a beautiful lace in one of the cards that adds some softness to the cute image.

I have to say that I find the Magnolia webshop very difficult to browse, so I cannot really tell you the name/code for the stamps that appear in my cards. One day I should find the patience and look for the name...

Congratulations card

Here's another wedding card. The Bride and Groom went for a purple/aubergine colour for their stationery and overall theme, so my card was pretty much following the colour scheme.

Another Bugaboo card

Another cute image from Bugaboo stamps.
The paper was a freebie from Simply Cards & Papercrafts; Fiskars borders; Nestabilites; Letraset Promarkers.

Red again

Three more birthday cards, again in red.

The cute girl is one of the Dovecrafts stamps, Smirk; Cuttlebug embossing folder and red ribbon.

As you can see, I use my dear Cuttlebug quite a lot, both the embossing folders and the die cuts. I have a small collection of them, and find extremely handy the fact that you can also use Nestabilities, Sizzix and other brands with it. Defenitely a great investment!

Hen's party card

Needed a card a bit sexy yet elegant for a hen's party. This one met all the requirements...

PS. Does anybody else have problems uploading images on Blogspot or is it just me?? It sometimes takes up to 3 or 4 attempts to get it on the blog, or to get it right! I just gave up on this one, for some strange reason it would not accept a rotated image...

Pink Petticoat digital stamp

And a very quick card using one of the glamorous Pink Petticoat digital stamps from the Lola Rose collection.

About the blog header...

Just a note to say that the beautiful header that appears on my blog is from Leelou Layouts. The site has lovely backgrounds, headers and layouts to use on personal blogs. Have a look!

Decoupage

I am not a big fan of decoupage, but sometimes this technique provides just the right look, like in the case of this particular birthday card, an order; the softness of the flowers, combined with a lime green background and Cuttlebug manuscript embossing worked quite well in my opinion.

Dream...

I love MO's digital stamps, and this image in particular is one of my favourite.


The quote is anonymous and I think it is perfect for the beautiful young dreamer...

Ingredients: Paper from Papermania, Capsule Collection; Letraset Promarkers; border by Fiskars; pink ribbon and a beautiful silver charm, a gift from my friend Wendy.

Recent birthday cards

Two of my latest creations in birthday cards, both for friends who celebrate their birthday in Feb.

The owl is a digital image from Dustin Pike; coloured with Letraset Promarkers; frames by Nestabilities.

The background manuscript stamp on the second card is from Hero Arts and I adore it. I had been looking for this stamp for ages and was delighted when I finally found it in Simon Says Stamps.

Hope you like the cards

"Getting old" card

Another card using a Bugaboo digital image; coloured with Letraset Promarkers and Sakura Glaze 3D rollers to give an embossed and glossy effect.

Happy St Valentine's Day

A Valentine's book for my lovely Valentine...

A St Valentine's card order.

The digital image is from Mama's Kitchen. Coloured using Letraset Promarkers. The background is my own design.

Flag album

Today was a nice day.
The workshop went very well and the ladies (you know who you are :-)) produced beautiful albums at the end of the session. We also had a good giggle, which is what all is about - having a bit of fun!

Jewellery

Some of my jewellery.

I have a huge collection of necklaces and love wearing them. I find jewellery the perfect complement to any outfit. Silver, colourful and ethnic pieces are my favourite and this is the kind of style I have been designing and making for years, altough not very regularly.

Jewellery making is one of those hobbies that I can take or leave, depending on my mood. When I do take it, I enjoy it immensely and often give pieces of my jewellery to friends and relatives as presents.

I like red

...and I tend to use it quite a lot in cards and in all my crafts in general. I find it both cheerful and elegant; an easy to combine colour, suitable to men, women and children. What's not to like?

More cards

...a few old requests.
Leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thanks!

Congratulations Card

I created this card in October 2007 for D&D, a lovely couple who got married far far away... I often get orders for wedding and congratulation cards and I love making them. This one is yet another example of the style in most of my cards, the "less is more".
Hope you like it.

About blogging

Before taking the plunge and starting this blog a few weeks ago, I had been debating wether to blog or not for a long time - it is not in my nature to talk about me, my family, my relatives or my friends.

So, even if its direction may seem unclear right now, one thing is for sure, I know what my blog will not be about, and that is personal matters. I am a very private individual and the purpose of this blog is not to discuss my life. My intention - and I am sure my posts will improve as I blog along- is to provide a light, a space for my designs and ideas; that's all. After crafting for many years I have come to realise that these days one needs a blog, a website or some sort of public repository to show one's creations. And this is what my blog is about, no more no less.

I hope you find my handmade cards, pieces of jewellery, altered items, scrapbook pages and any of my arty bits featured in this space inspirational. If you do, I would like to ask you not to copy them. You can use my ideas for personal use, but please don't make them your own - link your work to my blog. Thanks