Heat Embossing

I have spent the week experimenting some some heat embossing techniques for a new project I am trying out (I won't let on until I know it's happening) but I thought I would share some of the cards I made with you.

This was my first experiment:

I had a set of silhouette stamps which I hadn't used yet. The thank you was stamped with purple ink and then embossed with clear powder. It doesn't show much in the picture but it gives a shiny, almost wet look to it. It was then cut out and mounted onto a scallop circle and perfect pearl drops were added to each scallop. The flourish at the side was done in the same way onto a pink paper. It's a very simple card and I took the ideas and built on them for the next card:

I had been meaning to use my white embossing powder for a while and the flourish was screaming out to be stamped onto black card and embossed with the white powder, so this is what I did. I re-stamped it 3 times next to each other to create this beautiful black and white background. The topper has been stamped with black ink and embossed with clear powder and then the ribbon and stick on gems were added as a finishing touch.

The next card also builds on an idea that I have tried before: a silver embossed wedding cake.

Previously I had embossed the cake on it's own and mounted onto a white card blank, but it's not been that popular, so I have added to the design. I mounted it onto pink and then silver card and placed on a square card blank which had been covered with pink card and then silver congratulations paper. I embossed the sentiment in the same way - with the silver embossing powder as well as the two hearts. I am very pleased with the result and hopefully this one will sell slightly better than they last version.


The next card is my favourite. I read somewhere that someone had tried embossing peel off's. I had this peel off in my stock and hadn't used it but felt that it was in need of some glitter embossing powder, so that's what I did:

Again, it doesn't show up very well in the picture, but certain areas of the peel off have been embossed with sparkly powder. The same was done with the butterflies and they were then cut out and stuck onto the card. The wings have been slightly bent to add to the 3D look. The flourishes in the corners were stamped and embossed with white embossing powder as well as the sentiment.

And then there is this one, which again is very simple but it looks so effective and pretty.

The topper and sentiment were stamped with blue ink and embossed with clear embossing powder. The border along the bottom was stamped with blue ink and embossed with the sparkly powder. The mirri card which has been used for mounting the topper and sentiment, and for the flourishes, adds a certain sophisticated look to the card.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my cards as much as I have enjoyed making them, and I hope that they will bring inspiration to any who want to try heat embossing for themselves.

Claire

July's handmade cards

I feel like I haven't made many cards recently, but then I look at the pictures I have taken of them all and realise that there are actually quite a lot. I had run out of inspiration for anniversary and wedding cards, which seemed to be the most popular and most requested so when I got some new products through I was very pleased to feel inspired again:

I have also been playing around with the new stamps I got and although I have made a few with them already there were still more cards I could make out of them including this one with the camper vans on it - perfect for both male and female I think:

These cards were made with my new peel off's

These gorgeous little girl stamps were borrowed from a friend.

And this new stamp was used to make a boy's card, which I never get any inspiration for at all!

My obsession with core'dinations cardstock continues and after my attempt at scrapbooking (which I will post pictures of later) I tried some more cards, both with the distressed look and the more sophisticated, neat look to them:

And here are the rest:

My favourite one is the gingerbread people on the engagement card!


Claire

A week full of card making

After a few days with no inspiration at all for card making, my selection was diminishing some what so I had to make some more. Once I had sat down with a few bits in front of me I found that I had more inspiration that I thought and is is what I made:

I had to make Hannah's birthday card first of all and seeing as she was the one who started me off in card making I had to find something that would impress her. I tried a double twisted easel card - it was my first attempt and I thought it turned out very well. She was very impressed

And then I played around with a few other bits and came up with these:

Nothing too exciting there but I have great plans for things to come. I made my first scrapbook page the other day as an example to take to my next workshop and I was quite pleased with the result. I now have a whole load of pictures I want to make scrapbook pages out of now.

I have also been making my own range of backing papers as well and again I am very pleased with the result. They are heat embossed with snowflakes on and will be available in the shop later this month. I hope they are popular and I have lots more designs I would like to try out if they sell well - watch this space!

Claire

Some new cards for the collection

I have been very busy this week making cards to add to the collection. I thought I would try out some new designs and concentrated on some interesting ones for men as father's day is just around the corner. Here is what I have made:

 When I got bored of making men's cards (they're really not very inspiring) I tried my had at some new girly cards.

Here is the tulip bridge stamp used again. Although I like the design I've not had much inspiration with it.

Here is an updated version of the padded cards I made previously, this time it has slightly more colour to it

And this one is very girly, using some vinyl butterfly stickers that I have had for ages and again, not had much inspiration to do anything with until now:

And here is a glittery birthday card to finish off the collection:

If you like what you see then all the cards are available at Prestbury Crafts and Gifts, Cheltenham - while stocks last! Some of them I can only make once but there are plenty more available. Why not pop in for a visit:

Prestbury Crafts and Gifts

8 The High Street

Prestbury

Cheltenham

GL52 3AS

Personalised cards

The requests for personalised cards have been going strong over the last two months. The first one I had a request for was this one:

I did have to change it afterwards though as the lady requested a bike - I thought motor bike but she actually meant a push bike! Silly me, I need to ask more questions in future but seeing as she requested it while her husband was in the shop we had to be a bit discreet!

I now have a regular card requester! The first one she requested was this one for her god-daughter's first birthday. I'm not very good with baby cards but I am very pleased with this one:

There were then another three cards requested - a wedding and 2 birthday cards that were needing to be identical. Here is what I came up with:

I did have to make the birthday card for Jon twice - here is the one I made first but it wasn't quite right (I like it however!)

And then I had to make Spencer (my other half) a birthday card. I fell in love with a clear stamp set when I was pricing them and putting them out so I bought it and made this card. It has certain meaning for us both which made it even more special and now I can make lots of cards with the stamps. It's new from the Tulip range and all their products feature the girl, boy and the dog. They have some elements range which are ready made decoupaged toppers which are ready glittered and have tiny gems on them - they really are gorgeous!

And here is one, that hasn't been made for anyone but I am really proud of it! Again I bought the stamps in my shop (Prestbury Crafts and Gifts) and it's a new range of Papermania stamps design by John Byars. They are designed so they look like sketches and are perfect for the males in your life. One range is cars and the other shows sports and hobbies, including bowling, a guitarist and this one of a hiker. I distressed all the card using shimmer chalks and am really pleased with the outcome:

I know have to work on a bunch of cards for a friend, a 100th birthday card, a new baby card for my regular requester and a holy communion card! So lots to do. If anyone would like anything please email me on claire@prestburygifts.com

Some cards from the collection

Here are some cards from the last few weeks that I've made. They have now all been stamped and packaged up ready for selling. I hope people buy them!

 These cards below are some sample ones I received from a company called Kanban whose products we are going to stock. They are really cute tunnel cards that can be made just how you want them. They are 3D but they fold up flat to go in an envelope - fun and easy to make a quite cheap to buy!

 This card is another Kanban sample card and it measures 8" by 8". It's a lot larger than standard cards so not so easy to go in the post but the results are stunning and if you were not feeling well you would love to receive a card like this one!

This card uses Hunkydory products featuring cats and dogs. Here are 2 of the cat ones I made but I have so much there are going to be lots more on the way.

 I am experimenting with numbers as words cards as well - where the numbers are spelt and decorated. I'm not too sure about this one but I have done a few others which are nicer which will be following soon.

I also now have my own email address and business cards so I feel all important. Now all I need are the keys ......