Competitions, Shows and Make and Takes

Well, as I was sick, when I was talking about the Oscars the other I forgot to mention the competition that Craftwork Cards is running a comeptition to win an Card Oscar. For more info click here.

By the way, the weekend of the 20th and 21st of March is Great Northen Papercrafts Extravaganza, which will be my first time there and I will be doing some inspiring Make and Takes, so if you are a Northerner reader, please come along to say Hello.

And because I haven't posted any card in the last couple of days, here is one using a combination of products: Prima papers and Glitz and Glamour collection, all products available from Craftwork Cards.

Of being sick and Oscars night

I really hate having a cold. I imagine that is not that rare to do so. However, when the time comes, usually once a year, of being sick and tired of being in bed all day I realize how lucky I am to work from home. I can do all urgent work, albeit a bit less intense, and still rest enough.

Now I am on my fifth day of being sick, and I don't like it.

The card above was done in celebration of Oscars months for an article in Cardmaking and Papercraft that featured ideas for this past month. I used Movies Stars stamp from Stampington and for the message I used one of my mixed sentiments. Although I made it a few months ago, it would have been perfect for someone to send it to me today, as I have been thinking about Movie Stars and needed the cheering up.

Yesterday was Oscars night. Did you watch it? I still remember the only two time that I got to watch the whole thing. I forgot when it was except that I know it was in the UK and in the old house, so probably 2003 and 2004. I remember I was so excited to finally see it live, yet I do not remember who won for which movie, not even actors and actresses.

I guess I have grown out of that phase and don't care anymore about movie stars giving thanks to people I have never heard of and making silly crying speeches.

However, I still enjoy the Red Carpet arrivals as it showcases fashion and fab jewels. It is the only time -well at the Oscars and the rest of the Awards season- that we get to see amazing gowns and epic fashion and taste fails. I find Fashion really inspiring for my papercraft work, it is all about design concept, shape, colour and execution. Pretty much the same as in paper crafting.

Hits: Cameron Diaz in Oscar de la Renta, Helen Mirren, Kristen Stewart. Special Mention Gabourey Sidibe, big girls can glam up with the right shape and colour, JLo -one has to be very brave to wear that dress.

Near Hits: Anna Kendrick -perfect dress, bad colour for her-, Elizabeth Banks -perfect colour, not so good design-, Kate Wisnlet -perfect bottom half of the dress, top although beautiful not very flattering -, Miley Cirus -perfect bottom half of the dress very, very poor top half.

Epic Fails: Diane Kruger -Chanel!!?, Charlize Theron -Dior!!?

PS: Thanks for the comments. I do appreciate them very much. I specially like the ones that link to your own blogs, because then it creates a kind of community and I get to know you too.

And also, I welcome comments that can improve my work or the contents of this blog.

Hello

I will let you on a top tip of demonstrators and designers. When we are sent some stash in order to produce samples for any occasion we often get a pack of chipboard alphabet stickers and little else to put a message. As you know, stickers are one use only, so once you use them that is it, and many times this chipboard stickers are originally designed for layouts, ie they are larger than you would expect from a cardmaking point of view.

So, I use a lot of HI and Hello in my cards for samples. They are easy enough to use, and no matter how large the letters are, they always fit even in the smallest card. (This is one of the main reasons why I designed my stamps, so I can use them in this type of occasion, however it is not always allowed.)

By the way, the card featured above is made out of the Origins Cardmaking Kit by Basic Grey, that comes with the chipboard stickers.

Max & Whiskers Card

Still feeling exhausted after Craft Day and Stitches, but I thought I would share this card using Basic Grey latest release, Max & Whiskers.

Stitches: Card

Since I am demonstrating tomorrow at Stitches the Cuttlebug products and Basic Grey new collections, I am posting this card today. I must say, I like this card for a man!

Be loved, part 4!

So, this is the front of the card.

The inside of the card is what is really elaborate.

The last page.

A close up of the inside detail.

Be loved in acetate. part 3

This is another card I taught last Thursday at The Glitter Pot.

As before, I used Be loved papers and Martha Stewart punches.

Since the card is made out of acetate, I needed to cover up any elements
that were glued on the front.

And the inside.

More of Be Loved

Well, since the brief of the class was Martha Stewart Punches, I used some of my favourite ones, which include that amazingly beautiful butterfly.

Of course, the Be Loved papers dictated the color combo.

All the materials are available from The Glitter Pot: Sizzix Die, Papers, Stamps, and Martha Stewart punches, Monarch Large Butterfly, Classic Butterfly, Around the page Eyelet Lace and scallop punch.

My new favourite card?

Well, it does not featured Basic Grey papers, nor mini albums, but as a card, this has to be one of my favorites.

Why? because it features one of my favorite shapes, that fancy scroll edge but also I love this color combo, courtesy from Be loved by My Minds Eye.

I decorated the inside with stamped sentiments from my Wording Stamps set.

You can see here the spine of the card.

I forgot to take a photo of the card flat, because the beauty of the card is that when flat the three pages are spaced in between so you can see all the edges in the different colors.

All the materials are available from The Glitter Pot: Sizzix Die, Papers, Stamps, and scallop punch.

Digital Paper

I have been in love with the Copics or Promarkers for quite a while, and although I had some card and paper that work well with it, it was not perfect. Then, on Monday I saw Julie who gave some sheets of the new digital paper/card from Craftwork Cards.

I expected to like it, but not be wowed by it as it is plain thick white paper. Wrong. It is just so smooth, it's ultra smooth so the stamp detail shows so beautifully, and not too thick, perfect to make stamped and colored panels to add to cards.

To be honest, when I got home I quickly stamped this image (Magenta stamps) and colored in. Cutting took a while and as soon as I started I wished I hadn't as I am not the most patient of crafters.

Window die cutting

I dont think I have shared this card before on the blog, if I have, please forgive me. I am such a mess when it comes to organization of what I have post and what I haven't.

I combined a couple of large Sizzix dies for this one as well as some Basic Grey Stamps from Urban Prairie range. The window is part of the movers and shakers collection from Sizzix.

Punches, punches, punches...

What can i say? I love them.

For this one card I used several Woodware ones plus a Martha Stewart deep edge one.

Large sequins

Simple, quick and easy. You can use die cuts instead of the large flower sequins.

Chipboard Hearts

Quick and easy, that is my motto. And then some Basic Grey papers. And I am happy.

Crate and Butterflies

I did this card last year, still I like it as much now as I did then.

Something different

Sometimes, I really like to push my own cardmaking boundaries. Sometimes, I go maybe too far. Here the opening of the card is not on the right as it is with 99.99% of cards.

I used an old Hero Arts stamp and the message is one of my Circle Essentials stamps.

Sometimes...

My Spanish roots show in my card making. I did this cards a few months a go for an article that never got published, so I thought I would share it here.

I used Dawn Bibby's flourishes.

Yesterday I went on air again at QVC, first to talk about the TSV on the Morning Show, and then at 11:30pm to do the rest of the hour after Dawn did the TSV. This time around I wasn't as nervous as last time, although I still was nervous. I do need to improve so many things, though!

This month in Cardmaking and Papercraft

I have a Designers Challenge article, featuring six cards for the month of February. For this romantic one, I used one of my favorite paper collections from My Minds Eye.

For once, I took ok photos of my own cards.

Recycling Wrapping paper - Part 3

Attach the wrapping paper to chipboard and then die cut it using a Stars die from Sizzix.

Message is part of my Mixed Sentiments stamp set.

Recycling Wrapping paper - Part 2

Emboss it with a Cuttlebug folder and punch some circles out with matching papers.

Message is part of my Mixed Sentiments stamp set.

Recycling Wrapping paper

Use small amounts and glue them to thick card!

Simplicity

Sometimes, my Christmas cards are not very Christmassy. The case in hand above, with this past Christmas cards. I miscalculated my times and left with only a day or so to make all my Christmas cards so i ended up going for extreme simplicity cards. Like the one bellow, which was the one I sent to most people, apologies if you thought it was too simple, but at least it was a handmade card using first rate products: Fabriano card, Making Memories paper and glitter card.

Fabriano Medioevalis is the most gorgeous card, perfect for stamping with a chalk finish ink pad. It used to be available from The Craft Barn, although they do not have it on their website at the moment, so I am not sure if they do still sell it.

When it is cold and snowy outsite

It's the best time to stay in and color in! Using Copics I colored in this Chipboard circle and scalloped framed. The stamp is from Penny Black and the message is one of my Essentials Circles. The main card was a 12 x 12 die cut paper from Yellow Bicycle that is really thick so can be made as the blank card.

By the way, the Fiskars trimmer I reviewed the other week is available online now.

Numbers

I know, this card is not appropriate for a 5th birthday card, but shows the possibilities that numbers can do.

More Letterpress

One of the cards I did for today's show, and bellow a close up so you can see in detail the letterpress effect ink + embossing, although in crafting terms is debossing or impressing.


I don't mean to take such a bad photos of the cards, but I am limited because light issues.

The finished card...

...From yesterday post. As with anything related to die cutting, I would really recomend to play a bit with this set, not to worry making cards at first but experiment with it. Make as many bits as possible and then later assemble the cards.

For someone really special

I made this card, which is a Christmas version of this one. It takes me about an hour an half to make just the one card, so you will understand that I didn't do this one for everyone on my list.

Another Christmas Card

Some of you may get one of this!

Tree card

Featured a few issues back in Cardmaking and Papercraft!

Some of this years Christmas Cards...

Using printed acetate, but I forgot from which company!

Red Snowflakes

Eskimo kisses bubble

I usually buy the Basic Grey Collection Packs, you know the packs that contain one sheet of each plus the patterned stickers and the alphabet ones. Most of times I don't use the letter stickers, so when I can use any of the ones I have I am more than happy to go overboard and create backgrounds like this one that contains different Christmas words.

Did you watch The X Factor final? I didn't, to be honest I hardly see any of those programs live. Usually, I will watch a couple of performances after one of my friends mentions how good or bad someone was. However, I had watched a couple of shows while I was Up North with Dawn and JJ, and thought that Joe was going to win although I kind of preferred Olly as he made me smile. I do think that Joe is much better singer, but Olly is much more of a charismatic performer.

I also watch Strictly on the iPlayer while I work on the computer because I just love dancing. I would love to learn how to dance properly, specially the tango -specially the Argentinian which is for me the proper one- and of course the Paso Doble. Last year my favorite was from the very beginning Tom Chambers, with Austin as a close second favorite, because Tom seem to me the most natural dancer the one who seem to enjoy dancing the most, although maybe not as technically good as Rachel, but good enough. Rachel instead was very good at the coreography but she seem a tad robotic, without any real happiness in dancing. This year is Ricky Whittle for me, technically very good but also very natural, I can see that he is enjoying dancing maybe more than the show aspect of it. I know he is not likely to win, but a second place is for me this year top spot, just because Rafa finished second at the ATP world tour rankings. Last year I was very lucky, all my favorites ended up at number one, so for this year ending at number 2 is not bad either after such an amazing year.

Simple Jack Frost

Finally I got my email and blog account sorted, so I can resume regular postings.
So, I thought I would share a quick and easy card I did for a workshop at The Glitter Pot a few weeks back.