Tuesdays Christmas card !!!

This card is a over the top take on yesterdays .

just to show what else you can do by adding a few extra bits, and adding a bit of colour.

same as yesterday embossed black card cut out holly motif and border this time, i also left the dies over the card when i cut them out and added some antique linen ink to them just to give a slight highlight.

with the bits that you pop out of the motif i had cut it out using green card and added some micro beads on them from a previous card. so i inserted them behind the motif this time just to add a bit of texture,

i added the holly border at the bottom, made a bow in red and added a heart dazzler to it,

Did two peel off borders around the edge in gold and added some gems to the corners and on the holly motif ,and last but not least my faux pearls on the embossed black card and around the edge. 

i stamped the sentiment in the middle of the motif and went over it in a black embossing powder,

i finished the card off by spraying some gold glitter spray (crafters companion) is were the spray is from.

hope you like this second take of the same card style

i like both styles what do you think

as aways leave your comments all will be posted good or bad 

see you all wednesday!!

ttfn xxx

Monday morning and time for another Christmas card!!!

As I said on Saturday a card which uses only 2 dies and an embossing folder.

I like this card as it was so quick and simple to make plus i think it looks quiet elegant and stylish, this card is for the person that doesn't like over the top and im sure we all have some of them in our families.

so blank card to start im using kanban blank cards just in case you did want to know what cards i use.

i got a milk coloured card and embossed it in one of my folders, I picked this one as i could put my faux dots over it.

i cut out a holly motif die and a little oval die for my sentiment,

i inked the oval die while still in the die in a antique walnut ink.

i placed the cut shapes in the centre of my milk card  and before sticking the card down i added a bow at the bottom, i finished the bow off with a dazzlers gem, i added a silver border peel off around my milk card and 4 little dazzlers on each corner added my faux pearls on the milk card and around the edge of the card and that was it .....finished

a simple but elegant Christmas to which i think anyone would be happy to receive...

what do you think?

comments are welcome...

see you all tomorrow 

ttfn xxx

As promised a card using my new spellbinder die shapes,

in this set you get the stocking and Santa hat and a candy cane stick,

so my first card was to use the stocking,and i must say i love it.You can decorate the stocking in so many ways,

Blank card to start, 

I firstly cut out my three stockings, with them all left in the die after embossing i ran over the die with my watermark versa mark pad,i made sure i got all the raised embossed bits.

I then took the die of and sprinkled each shape with white embossing powder, Then i decided i wanted the white bits glittered so with a quickie glue pen,i went over all the white embossed bits,I let the glue get tacky then sprinkled some glitter over i did not do the snowflakes,

I then cut out some mirror board and black card as matts.

I found some dinky pegs in my stash of bits and made a washing line from one side of the card to the other using twine i stuck my pegs in place. i didnt really like the pegs on show so i cut out a decorative rectangle shape to cover them.i stuck the card down onto the pegs. I then found a lovely label die and cut that out in black and stuck a sentiment peel off on to it.

i finished off by putting a holly border christmas peel off around the edge and again my faux glue dots using cosmic shimmer silver, last but not least i went over the whole card with my silver glitter spray 

think you just about see the glitter over the card here.

a simple but nice christmas card which was quick and easy to make 

tomorrow there wont be a post so i will be back on Monday  with yes another Christmas card. a very simple but stylish one, using one embossing folder and two dies

so this will be one everyone can replicate.

please leave a comment always nice to see whose looking at the cards,

but for know folks 

ttfn xxxx

day 3 of the xmas card designs

Good morning to you all, I think its starting to feel a bit frosty now in the mornings in Scotland  so i decided i would show you my frosty looking card, 

this was a card. i tweaked and tweaked and still didn't know were i was going, one of those cards that takes all day to make.

i was fairly happy with the end result and i hope you feel the same.

as always i started with a 8x8 card blank and picked a blue icy looking card from my co-ordinations Christmas pad.this one has snowflakes on so i sanded it a bit just so they came out of the card a little. 

I used a white card and stamped my background onto it this time using a black ink (archival) and before it dried i went over with my ultra thick embossing powder to give a high gloss finish to it. i cut out off black card a elongated flag shape.

i then cut out 2 borders and placed them each side of my embossed card, I then mounted all of that on to my blue card using foam pads to give dimension.

i stamped my sentiment and did my usual faux gems using the blue and silver coloured cosmic shimmer glue.

that was what i thought was the end of the card, then a few hours later i looked at it and thought no its not finished. I reached for my Christmas peel off s and found some melting snow shimmery ones so i added them to the top and bottom of my card were i had embossed. Then added a bow in the similar blue card and that then i thought was finished....

Again a few hours later i still wasn't happy so reached again for the peel offs, this time i used 2 bells again in the shimmery style i mounted them on black card and cut around this time i added them to the bottom corners, i was nearly happy!!!

I went back to my cosmic shimmer glues and decided to place little dots on my embossed card at the end off every swirl and in a few of the snowflakes,

i then just added a dazzlers button to my bow and i was finally happy with the card.....

it was a labour of love ... i have never gone back to card so many times in one day i must have been mad. but you know when something is not right. i feel this has to be one of the most expensive card i have made if you add the materials and time used to create it. but that's what a hand crafted card is all about, and thats the difference between hand-crafted and home-made cards.!!!

i hope you like it and if you do please leave a comment, again i would love to hear your views and comments good or bad!! 

just to mention i have brought some new Christmas dies and i cant wait to use them so make sure you tune in tomorrow as i will be using one of them, i havent even seen sue wilson use these yet, soooooo make sure you come back to see the card.

exciting stuff!!!

so thats it for today take care folks

and 

ttfn xxx

Day 2 Christmas!

Good morning as promised another Christmas card, I know I said I would not use a lot of spellbinders dies but I think this one is cute, I really didn't have any idea were this card was going when i picked the window die but i think the end result is a cute Christmas card, What do you think?

I started with a blank card and trimmed down some milk coloured card,i then cut out my window on the same card and matted it on green co-ordinations Christmas card, I cut out a holly border again using my spellbinders and mounted all on my card,

i stood looking at the card and wondered what else i could do to make it christmassy, so i reached for my trusted peel off's.I stuck two bells on to some green card and cut them out placed them on the window,added a bow to match, I did my usual faux pearls around the edge and on the border, added the sentiment let it snow and i did spray some glitter over the whole card to give it a shimmer but in the picture you cant see it,

I was happy with the end result and my windows do still open , This card is plain and simple and not over the top. 

What do you think i would love to hear your views ?

Please also pop along to my shop click the link and see which special guest has been in contact with me

taylormadecards

also please pop along to

particraft Sue Wilson

to see were I get inspiration from

another card tomorrow what will it be?

take care folks happy crafting and 

ttfn xxxx

wow christmas is coming

hi Christmas is around the corner so there's no better time to start making our Christmas cards
I have so much fun doing these i will be posting one a day over the next week
please feel free to leave comments likes and dislikes
I haven't been using  a lot of spell binder dies in these as I know alot of you haven't got them in fact some of the cards don't use any die so im sure you will be able to replicate them.

This is the first one of many to come , I started with a blank card and used aged mahogany distress ink around the edge,i then took a black piece of card and cut it to size using it as a matt, I chose a piece of Christmas co-ordinations card in red/mahogany and in using my sanding block rubbed over the embossing on it, This card is lovely it has lots of ready embossed christmas themes on it so no need for a embossing machine, i mounted that then on my black card.

i have a stamp  which is from just so stamps which i stamped onto black card using versa mark and embossed over it in white embossing powder, i then did my sentiment in the same way.

i mounted that then onto another piece of black card, i then had some peels off's and stuck those onto black card and cut around them, i placed the baubles over lapping each other at the top with a small bow and the tree on the bottom corner, i finished the card off by adding a few gems were i had stamped my sentiment added a bow and as always comic shimmer pearl glue around the edge to make faux pearls,

i hope you like the card as much as i have like making it,

any questions feel free to leave it 

more tomorrow so for now folks 

ttfn xx

taylormadecardsblog: blog upgrade

taylormadecardsblog: blog upgrade: ok as you can see i have changed the colours of the blog this is the first of many changes i am going to be making,not just here but on www...

blog upgrade

ok as you can see i have changed the colours of the blog this is the first of many changes i am going to be making,not just here but on www.taylormadecards.co.uk so i hope you like it,

You know when you have a plan and it goes to pot well thats what happened with me,

i had planned to upgrade this site and my shop a few weeks back but with one thing and another that plan has gone out the window,

i had so many private requests for cards that i have been snowed under and behind on everything with my shoulder,

so im not going to say the next time im going to do something then maybe i will get something done.

not to say i havent enjoyed making the cards as always i loved it,

its always nice to give someone the card they want,

i have a few more to do then hopefully i would have caught up,

so today im putting up a quickie card i have done it for a male but again it could be for either, 

 I have used a milk coloured card for this with the distress ink called antique linen embossed my card using one of my folders found a striking black and grey card from my stash and made a band to go across, added a small black bow adding a tiny gem to it,

stamped a lovely sentiment cut it out using one of my spell binders dies and i also used a punch on the corners just to take away the blunt edges, distressed it using antique linen put the card together and wolla a really quick and easy card and by just changing the sentiment it could be for anyone,

please feel free to leave a comment as i do like to see what other peeps think of my cards whether good or bad i dont mind 

and its always nice to know someone is looking at the blog,

and if you would like to see a certain card for someone maybe ideas for men, a child or your granny, i dont mind requests if it helps all of you to get crafting 

any questions will be welcomed too,

well thats it for now folks 

take care see you soon 

ttfn xxx

I am Back .....

Well where have I been? I haven't been around much since the last blog as I have had one hell of a time, I trapped the nerve in my shoulder which is so painful,

 I cant even explain how bad the pain is, its still very sore but I am getting there slowly, well at least I can write now!!!

 that's what happens when you twist very awkwardly while decorating lol and no the room isnt finished just yet , I had acupuncture and physio which is helping but been told its going to be a long process and that it may never go away, which sounds wonderful, so we will see how it goes, I must say the acupuncture is working better than the physio and I never thought that looking like a voodoo doll would help but it does, lol anyway 

I promised that so much would be changing on my sites but I just cant manage that now so I will continue to put up cards for you to replicate,

I really like this card in fact i made it as a anniversary card,

I started as always with a blank card i got some milk coloured card and embossed it with the embossibility folder called hearts.I coated the folder in red brick distress ink first then layered my card over then embossed it. once the card came out i had a very delicate colour on my card, I didn't want the ink on the raised pattern I wanted it in the back ground and this is the only way to get this effect.

I stamped my sentiment on plain white card and cut out using my spellbinder die shapes a rectangle die and a oval frame to go round my words,

cut a border die out placed that at the bottom, made a bow red being the wider ribbon and polka dot ribbon to go on top ,used some hat pins on the bow, I used my cosmic shimmer glue to do my faux pearls around the edge, to finish off added some pearls swirls in black.

and that was it a very simple card which again you can adapt to an occasion,

Getting there slowly and only few days of CRAFTfest left so hurry over !!!

I have nearly finished painting my new craft room, but my poor cockatoo (Oscar) really hasn't a clue what's going on, his been moved all around the room bless him .here he is sitting on my hand,im not sure he is liking the new colour scheme lol It maybe a bit bright for him its green lol

anyway I shall be up and creating new cards hopefully from Monday and to be honest I cant wait. I have a commission card to prep for a Golden wedding anniversary that im really looking forward to doing, as its a rather special occasion 50 years married is a great achievement for anyone and I feel honoured to have been asked to do this, so needless to say it will be a rather lovely card,  and I need to put more new cards on the website www.taylormadecards.co.uk as im getting a bit bored of looking at the same ones day in day out,
The cards im looking to do are more anniversary,few more Christmas cards and few themed cards like 50th, 30th etc a mum, dad,, brother, sister card and few wedding ones , just to show everyone that I can adapt to anything as most of the cards on site are non generic and I think people are put off by that so I thought if I showed themed cards then you have a better idea of what I do, well that's the plan.
I will also be sorting out the categories making them more specific to the cards I make. tidying up the site if you like,
Its all a bit higgledy piggledy at the moment as I wanted to get the site up and running as quick as, which wasn't the best idea in the world as now I have a huge process of tidying up. so over the next few weeks hopefully you will see a huge difference.
My new saying is new craft room a new organised me, my hubby was laughing too when I said that lol
the new organised me will be hopefully making one card a day (they do take ages to do) updating website on a Monday and Friday, Blogging more Hopefully now blogger is sorted i can do more cards on here. hopefully on a daily basis. fingers crossed, It may take a few weeks to get organised fully to adapt my times etc but by July I will be sorted ( I do give myself no time to do anything, do I?)

so please stay with me to see the new me arrive with a bang on Monday lol
take care folks

and dont forget only a few days left of the CRAFTfest so please please please make sure you pop along and support all the wonderful crafters who have stalls there
you will find them all at http://creative-connections.ning.com/page/craftfest-home

and look out for me under the cards category 

well ttfn folks see ya soon xxx

CRAFTfest is well under way!!!

well the CRAFTfest is well under way and I have been looking at everyone's stalls, and I must say I love them all,
 I even like looking at the other fellow card maker's, not to steal ideas but just to see how different everyone's style is, its interesting to know that the card stalls that are featuring at the Craftfest are all completely different from each other, which is a good selling point for everyone there,

Im not putting a card up today due to my craft room has been packed up (shock horror)
no I had a plan and it worked lol
I needed more room so I made as much mess as I could (hubby has ocd) lol well he see the room had heart failure and made the gesture of saying I need more space so I can tidy up (perfect) next sentence was
well dear I could tidy up if my room wasn't so cluttered and if I had more cupboard space and then all would be good, well with that he took his tape measure out measured the room decided how many kitchen cupboards would fit in and then asked which colour worktop I would like with that look of looking shocked that he has offered me my new craft room I said well dear just get me the cheapest worktop it doesn't need to be expensive, I was jumping for joy behind his back lol.
so today I have been painting the room ready for my new units which are coming on friday wooohooo the room colour is lime green not all just 2 walls so the next picture on here will be of my nice new craft room at last !!!

so to keep you all busy pop over to the craftfest have a nose at all the stalls and support us by mentioning the craft fest on twitter/facebook and where ever else you know
http://creative-connections.ning.com/page/craftfest-home
paste this link on everything get the word around please

so thats it for now ttfn folks xxx

CRAFTfest is here!!!

Ok im will be putting up a card today but its going to be one thats appearing in the CRAFTfest market, this is a huge event that's happening online,
its a week long event ,in which most of us crafters have a stall,
Its called CRAFTfest,
please support us by popping over ,having a look and if you see something you really like buy it ....
http://creative-connections.ning.com/page/craftfest-home

over at the CRAFTfest you will see things for the home, soap, jewellery,greeting cards, things for weddings,baby and child,health and beauty,fashion, art and supply's

its well worth a visit!!!

this is one of my cards you will find over one my stall, its under the cards category,

please do pop over have a look and support the small business,s that have spent hours putting there stalls together, for everyone to enjoy, You never know you may just find that perfect gift/card you have been searching for ,
http://creative-connections.ning.com/page/craftfest-home


happy hunting folks !!! hope you find something you like,

ttfn xxxx

Queens birthday!!!

Ok with the jubilee in full swing and the Queens Birthday today , its time for another card, I have again kept with the theme of the weekend

I started with a blank shaped card, I used Tim Holtz tape for the back ground this was travel tape, then got a red marker pen and outlined the edge.

then i found a postcard style piece of paper, I added that at a jaunty angle then found 4 blue buttons for corners on the top two buttons I got a piece of twine from one button to the next so making a washing line, i then cut out and made some bunting from union jack paper red white and blue,

found some mini pegs to peg up my bunting I stamped on each piece of bunting a letter spelling out London 

I then added a piece of union jack card slightly straighter on my postcard paper

I purchased some GB ribbon a while back and added that to the bottom with a GB bow

I then stamped a sentiment on card and using my spellbinders stamp die I cut that out backed it with black card and used antique linen distress ink over my sentiment 

Overall I was happy with the way this card came out, as with any card I never know were it will end, I never set out to do a style I make a lot up as I go along, chopping and changing on the way, I have been known to spend in total 3 hours on one card but that's because im so fussy, 

I am sure the queen would have loved to get this card in the post !!!

I hope all you like the card let me know your views leave a comment on here so everyone can see what you think

good or bad honesty is the best policy!!!

and remember you can always shop online at my shop www.taylormadecards.co.uk 

I am open 24 hours a day 7 days a week, If you don't see what you like then give me a buzz I custom make cards for you and your needs too!!!!!

take care all have a great day folks 

ttfn  xxx

OMG so busy!!!

Good morning folks I have been so busy the last few weeks creating my stall ready for 9th June craft-fest
I have also been busy doing more commission cards this time for a holy communion,
unfortunately i didn't have time to photograph them (I forgot) I really must remember to do this in future,
I was a bit stuck on what to do as there were for two girls,anyway after some research I decided to do crosses using my spellbinders and flowers very pale soft colours,the cards turned out beautiful and the customers were very happy with them,
I have also been up to it in decorating, and de cluttering which sounds so easy but becomes a nightmare when you know you don't need to keep stuff but you do anyway just in case. so my de-cluttering didn't go to well,

my life seems to get busier the older I get,

Today's card

As its the jubilee this weekend i thought i would included a very British card
everyone knows Portobello road,
this was such a easy one to do,
starting with a blank card I edged using my favourite glue faux pearls,
I then using a spellbinder die to match the shape of the card cut out a black backing card and ran it through a embossibility folder to give texture
I had some union jack paper and again using a die cut the shape I wanted I kept to the shape of the card
in my stash of paper I found the Portobello road sign backed it again on black card added some gems on the corners and with foam tape backed it on my union jack paper at an angle,
I found a traditional London bus accent added that and made a bow using red white and blue ribbon,added 3 pins to the bow again red white and blue keeping my British theme going. to finish i used some silver peel of borders to edge my black card.

I hope you like the card, I think this could be used for any occasion, male or female,
anyway that's it for today folks visit my shop at www.taylormadecards.co.uk
see all the different cards available on site

I hope you all have a fantastic jubilee weekend what ever you all do to celebrate it,
and I hope you all enjoy your extra days off
that's all for now folks so
ttfn xxx

good morning all

Good morning folks, I think I am getting there slowly with  blogger. It still has few issues but i am hoping they will go away on there own lol

I have been busy uploading ready for the CRAFTfest in June I have a stall there so I am hoping lots of you will pop over and have a look There is going to be lots of stalls selling lots of different items so it is defiantly a date for your diaries 

I also ordered a window cling from http://www.studiocrafts.net/

and I must say its fantastic!!! 

ali did a brilliant job start to finish on the design I was wanting,it was a rather big design to go above my front door with my house name on it, and when she posted it guess what it arrived from Kent to Sutherland (highlands) the very next day now that is service,

as soon as I get the cling up (need a new piece of glass first) I will post the sign on here and on twitter as I think ali's designs and company should be spread around everywhere lol 

you can guess I love it I will also be ordering a rather unusual cling for my husbands car to which im sure she is looking forward to do. and she knows what i mean by that, all will be revealed soon!!!

so i suggest you all nip over to ali's and take a look at her site once you have one cling you will be clung.....

(hooked)

Today's card is using my new dies from spellbinders to which I am loving!!!

again this is another Sue Wilson inspired card so make sure you pop over to her blog to see more ideas 

This again is a simple one to start with as always I have taken a blank white card now I have cheated a bit on the matting and layering as I didn't have enough of the pink and gold card to go around, so all I did was cut thin strips 4 in total and just matted them on to the edge of white card.

 This is a good tip if you are running low.

I then pin pricked around the edge of the white card to add detail and texture

I embossed a cream bit of card  and cut out 2 shapes the same and inter locked them together

to create a nice ornate circle 

I add a Moroccan accent shape to the middle and stamped my sentiment on it dusted with pink distress ink .I added a bow and this ribbon is fab its one of my favs at the the moment , placed a little flower in the middle and added some pins 

and finished off with a few pearl glue drops around the edge 

Again you will find this card on my website for sale at www.taylormadecards.co.uk

be sure to check out the new added category where you will find my new designs

thank you all for bearing with me while blogger has been a beggar hopefully I can get back to normal now

Any questions, comment please leave as I would like to know peeps are following, also don't forget about the blog give away if I can get to a certain amount of members then one random member will get a card of their choice from the website, so join now you have nothing to lose ,

ok folks that's all for now 

ttfn xxx

Who or What Inspires You

Good morning folks, hope your in for having a  fantastic weekend.

I had someone the other day ask me where do I get my ideas and inspirations from to make such different cards, I found this one of the easiest questions to answer,

I started crafting years ago as I have said I was a florist and started making tags for bouquets etc, I have always been a crafter I do calligraphy, glass painting, cards, I make house signs from slate, paint, decorate etc,so the arty bit has always been there,

I started doing cards more serious a few years ago when I purchased a cuttlebug die cutting and embossing machine, I watched demo on it and was hooked, then not so long after I purchased the daddy die cutting and embossing machine, the grand caliba which takes A4 paper/card as apposed to the cuttlebug A5 size.

I was watching create and craft one day as I knew the grand caliba was appearing,and as I settled down to watch the demo's I was fixated to the screen as an american lady called sue wilson came on air, And from that day it was sue that took my card making to a different level,

Now if anyone knows sue wilson you will know she is the queen of spellbinders, what she can do with a spellbinder is amazing, What she doesn't know about spellbinder really isnt worth knowing,
and you can find some of her cards (which is well worth a look at her blog ) at http://particraft.blogspot.co.uk/, she runs little competitions for her members,and posts a different card idea everyday,
Her blog is a must to follow for anyone with a grand caliba or cuttlebug,

you can see her on create and craft to this week as again she is doing some fantastic demos again using a new set of dies from spellbinders (cant wait for mine to turn up)

so the answer to the question what or who inspires you  is a simple one, Sue Wilson is my inspiration,

I will upload a card in a while for some reason blogger is not co operating this morning so make sure you pop back to see another Sue Wilson inspired card....

Other news 
I order a window cling from
http://www.studiocrafts.net/

I have not long moved in to My new home in Scotland the house has been empty for 10 years or so and it needed a lot of work, I am glad to say we are now getting there with a few touches still need doing,
while was I looking around I popped to ali's site I had seen her clings and I really liked them, bright, colourful and some quite sweet,
I was wondering how I could use these on my home, or where I could use them, as I really liked her ideas.
anyway I have a piece of glass above my door and thought I would have ali design a house name cling,
I wanted the name two tone with butterflies as my whole house is filled with them, gave her the brief and wow I am over the moon with the design she has come up with,
its looks so stylish and includes my butterflies and two tone black with gold shadowing,
and I cant wait for it to turn up, and place above my door,
the service I received was second to none, she started work on it straight away, we had three drafts to go with to which I must say was my fault as I kept asking her to tweak this and that, I am a fussy bugger lol
not once did she say no cant do this or that my every  tweak was catered for ,
we spoke on the phone which was lovely she is a genuine lovely hard working lady that deserves to do well, and I for one will certainly use ali and her shop  http://www.studiocrafts.net/ again....
thanks ali for a great service xx

Toilet paper card???

Good morning to you all, as you can see I have now started to build up my blog, its now hopefully starting to look more like a blog.
today's card I am going to give you a technique using toilet paper but when its finished it does not resemble toilet paper at all but an expensive homemade paper,
I can hear you all saying bog roll????
but believe me its a great technique which once you have done you will adapt it in so many ways,
so now to show you the card.

 so now your saying well were is the toilet paper?
well I will tell you
break off about 6/7 squares of toilet and layer them on top of each other.you can half them to layer them or leave full.
once you have your toilet roll layered we now want to dampen it down, now at this stage we can add mica powder or distress inks.
so using a fine mister, spray the paper till it is wet all through (do not soak it) now once damp you will need a embossing folder i have pick a world map one, layer your damp paper onto the folder and roll through your die cutting machine as you would to emboss any paper ( you will get some moisture) so place the machine on a towel) (do not do this if you have an electric one)
run the paper through a few times.now open your folder and before moving it go around the edge to tidy up I usually use my finger just gently breaking the rough edges away.
once done you must now leave this to dry,I usually gently pull away from the folder and place the paper on a radiator, I wont take long to dry,once dried you can do what you want to it. I have rubbed my distress inks over it to give a rustic look, like maybe a old treasure map,
when it has dried and you have distressed it I don't think it looks like toilet paper at all, i even fooled my husband.
to the card now you have done the messy stuff, started with a blank card and rubbed distress ink around the edge. I used a lighter backing paper and added that on not central, i then took a swirl stamp and stamped around the edges added some ribbon and tied a knot in it,
i then added my toilet paper at angle, I stamped a sentiment and distress it with ink i tore around the edge to give a old look then i ultra embossed it to give a shine,
I added my twine and wood chip decors around the edge randomly to finish.
i ultra thick embossed my wood chip pieces too to add shine.
so that's it you might have thought what would she do with some toilet roll but i hope i have given a idea on how to make your own papers, i use this method quiet often and i think its great you don't have to use your expensive bog roll just the cheapest you can get.it will work on any,
you can also make you own paper using all your scrap pieces in your crafty bin, but that's a another technique for another day..
ok I hope you have lots of fun creating this card, would love to know your views so please leave a comment
or a question,

Thats it for today folks, so goodbye till tomorrow

ttfn xx

Another day flies by......

Wednesdays blog posted Tuesday night, 

I know I am not going to have time to post a card tomorrow so thought I had better do it now. the card I have chosen today I like doing, it takes a bit of time and patients but I always love the end result .You can adapt it in so many ways.

chose different colours, designs, flowers etc..and as ever I am back to using my spellbinders,

As always I start with a blank card,

then I chose my colours , silver and black. I do like adding black on a card I think it makes it look more stylish, I got my die cutting machine out and picked a em-bossility board some flower dies,scrolls, a border, butterfly die,and a half circle (if any one wants to know the dies by name contact me and I will look them up for you,but at the moment my dies are all in one big box unnamed) until I get my craft room sorted and my dies in there new home.

I cut all my dies out mainly using black card, apart from the large flower die. I left the butterfly in the die and rubbed over my versa mark and added some embossing powder on it to give the butterfly a bit of dimension and sparkle, I also added glitter to my flowers using a quickie glue pen.

I started with a black mounting card to cover the white,I then took a silver card cut it to size, I then placed my die exactly were I wanted it cut and embossed, so it left me with a filigree window,

I mounted the silver card over my black matting card to which you can now see the filigree window,

I embossed my black card to give texture, I cut two triangles out to fit over the bottom half of my silver card, so that was the base of my card done, I then started on decor,

I took my scrolls and placed them were I wanted and added my flowers, I then added my border on the left hand side,and placed my butterfly on the filigree window,stamped a sentiment,and finished off with cosmic glue faux pearls.

I have done a few variations of this card which can be found on www.taylormadecards.co.uk

again its always nice to get a comment so feel free.

also if you have spellbinder dies and are unsure an what to do with them again leave a note saying what the dies is and I will produce a card using that die and hopefully give you some ideas, I have many spellbinders and if I haven't got it I will still try and help by using one very similar.

that's it for today folks, again any questions, comment or advise please leave and I will get back to you.

I hope you all like this card as much as i enjoyed making it,and again many variations on my shop so nip over and have a look,

see you all tomorrow 

ttfn xx

Home safe and sound!!!

Well I am back, We decided to buy a car from Enfield, London, which may seem ok to the every day folk , The only difference is we live in Sutherland very North East Scotland. so I volunteered to collect it, which I don't mind as I like the south lol.
Got to inverness airport on Saturday, ready for flight all was so good,the flight was brilliant as you can see from my twitter picture stunning blue skies got to Gatwick, met who was meeting me and then got on the M25 omg!!! there was traffic lol being in Scotland the biggest traffic jam I have seen is 2 cars lol I forgot how hectic it was, I hated it, I was already dreaming of home lol.any way got the car which I must say was very nice lol little MG sport thingy lol I only drive the cars don't except me to know exactly what they are I am female lol
visited my old local pub (shocked everyone) then went ofF to my mother in laws for sleeps...
Set out at 9am for my 6 hundred and something journey back home.
All was going so well until I got on M74 boo my car had no accelerator nothing no power stuck in lane 2 great fun, hazards went on got to the hard shoulder, rung hubby and swiftly said ring AA, I have conked out lol
The AA rung me within 5 mins to confirm were I was and said patrol would be 45 mins as she said that I said I think they will be a bit quicker his here now, now that is service ,
He looked at engine see a HT lead had broke replaced it and within 20 mins of breaking down I was off again, Thank god for the AA they are very nice men lol.
I safely arrived back home at 5 past 9pm. after quiet a few stops as my daughter needed a wee every 10 mins lol.
so feeling pretty shattered today, needing lots of coffee to get motivated,
but all in all it was a great journey there and back and I must say the owners of the car bev and lincoln were very nice and I must thank them for the hospitality they showed me and my daughter, they couldn't have been more accommodating,
I will be sending them a card lol,

Which brings me to today's one, this is a thank you card
again this is a very simple card started with a blank white base card, found some green paper to cover the white, used a corner punch for two decorative corners, added sparkly ribbon with bow.
I then cut out a label using the die cutting machine, inked around the edge with a green distress ink, added my favorite faux (glue) cosmic pearls, stamped thank you, and in my stash I had some wooden pieces I just inked them added a few gems to make them sparkle and that was it, a 20 min card done,

simple quick and easy,

Any questions or comments please leave them, I am happy to get positive and negative feedback. Its always nice to hear your views.
anyway pop over to ww.taylormadecards.co.uk if your needing a special occasion card, there are loads on site, if you don't see what you like then contact me i do, do bespoke design too.
In need of more coffee now so I will see you all later,

take care folks
ttfn xx

Packing my bags!!!

Thank you myth for your comment yesterday,
 I agree it could be used for male/female in adding the right sentiment, and maybe slightly lightening the colour, I think cards these days are to formalised and if you look in a card shop you can instantly tell the men section from the girls but sometime girls don't want flowers or teddy bears on their cards, and something different is always nice, when I used to buy cards I would always choose the sentiment/verse first then look at the outside and more often than not the sentiment would be lovely and the card very twee,
today's cards are getting their but they have not quiet made it... I prefer hand made cards to the shop brought, because I think we understand there are men and ladies that want something different and we as crafters can do that,
I think we have a better range now with steam punk papers, Gothics papers etc that we can really play with, for male or female cards....
would be nice to see what everyones views are on shop brought design to hand crafted designs... and do you think us crafters can offer more choice than a shop?
leave your views on the comments...

Today I am packing for my little trip tomorrow, flying from Scotland to London picking a car up,driving to Northampton-shire seeing my mum in law, travelling back to Scotland Sunday ...am I looking forward to this? no is the answer lol its a long old drive it takes me 9 hours, so I may get back home early evening Sunday well that's the plan, considering I have looked at weather forecast around the counties I am  travelling through, and will have to contend with rain wind snow should be fun (not)
so there will be no blog now until Monday...

and if any thing exciting happens I will let you know....

Now back to cards

Today's choice is another card for a male, keeping the theme going as its Father's day in June,
its a simple card,and really its only the sentiment that makes it for a male so in changing that again could easily be for couple or female,
startered with a blank DL card
I used the linen distress ink around the edge I cut a piece of cream coloured card and then ran the card through the grand caliba with m-bossibility folder found a nice piece of black/grey card wrapped that around the embossed piece and stuck it down added a black bow with a gem,
stamped a nice sentiment reading " he didn't tell me how to live he lived and let me watch him do it"
cut it out using one of the small romantic rectangle dies rubbed distress ink (linen) around the edge and stuck it on using foam pads adding depth to the card,

its a very quick and simple card, and again as I have said changing the sentiment it can be for anyone or any occasion,

This card is on my site www.taylormadecards.co.uk for sale so nip over as there are lots to choose from, manager picks sale is still on so 10% off and free delivery..

So that's it folks for today....I hope you like the card,please leave a comment good or bad nice to get view from everyone.
see you all Monday
ttfn xx
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cardsTaylormadecards
we also stock cards on etsy so take a look

Thursday already!!!

omg cannot believe the week has flown by, just when i thought i had caught up with everything wallop another things lands ...
anyway i thought first thing first a blog update, @workymum had won the card and i waiting to hear from her to see if it arrived safely hoping it did!
hoping she will pop to the website www.taylormadecards.co.uk to leave some feedback or here...
would be nice to hear what she says.
we have had mixed weather this week 4 seasons in one day but yesterday was lovely and my son had started to paint the outside of my house, he said the house looks bigger now that  he started and now wishes he hadn't, but he cant stop now...
 only 3 and half wall to go lol
anyway another card i think is due so this is the one I have picked today

its a blokey card so would suit Birthday/Fathers day etc..
and you will be happy to know no spellbinders were used in the making of this card. as I know a lot of people don't have a die cutting machine ( it is a must to get a grand caliba or cuttle bug) so I thought to be fair to them I would put a card up everyone can do,

as always I started with a blank card found some steam punk paper in my stash, I cut out all the dials from this paper, and the numerals, I then found another paper with smaller cogs/dials on it and used that for half the backing,
the bottom piece is not paper or card, its a tape, if you happen to know a kitchen/bathroom fitter they will get this tape to edge worktops, the tape is quiet stiff and comes in many variations this one I have used is beech effect, its very sticky and fixes well, then i stamped out sentiment, which reads " men are only as great as they are kind"
I placed the layout I wanted on the card again before I stuck anything down, once happy I used 3D foam as I wanted depth to the card,I went round the edges with a distress ink and finished off with cosmic glue pearls in gold
I think it is a nice card for a man as they are often very hard to make for, its usually sport, car related cards you find, so doing something a bit different for them is nice,

again any questions remarks comments etc please feel free to leave.
and tomorrow I will be back to a spell binder card

I am forever updating the website www.taylormadecards.co.uk so make sure you pop over and take a look, also i am on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/cardstaylormade so feel free to follow me there as I do hold competitions to win a card of your choice from my website.

feel free to like us, join the group and become a member, tweet us , the more the merrier
don't think there is anything else to update you on 
just that is is Fathers day in June so get your cards early to avoid disappointment and all my cards shown on here are available to purchase on my website which has a manager picks sale on and 10% off till end of April.

okies take care folks a ttfn xxx




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Top of the morning..

Monday morning blues anyone? not here sun is shining on NE Scotland today.
i hope you all had a wonderful weekend ours was eventful as it always is, tried to do bit more of the house and my daughter decided to slice the top of her finger off.
happy to say she is ok, just very sore and she has trooped off to work this morning, she is a tiler so she had to go.
anyway i also announced on twitter the winner of the competition i was running it was to get to a target of 100 followers and one random follower would get to pick a card of their choice of my shop.
Happy to say she contacted me this morning and picked her card, that will be sent of today. Well done @workymum for winning.

ok back to the reason we are here i said i would post a card up and let you know how i did it so here goes, this spellbinder set of dies are the newest addition to my family of dies,i didn't think i would get much use from them but turns out i love them, they are great, i especially love the manniquin and sewing machine, anyway for anyone making a card for a crafty person these are good buy.

nice easy one to start, i used a blank scalloped edged card to start, i laid out all my dies on the card and decided were their homes would be, I found some material looking backing paper (blue) placed it on the black mounting card. and added to my blank card, i have wet embossed the pin cushion, sewing machine, thimble, scissor and manniquin . to do this you cut and emboss using a cuttlebug/grand caliba or any other die cutting machine. then leave the dies in place on the paper and run over with a versa mark pad then take off the dies gently and sprinkle over your embossing powder and heat and the end result is lovely. i used the trendy embossing folder for my 2 swatch squares to give another texture, to the card trying to keep it all as material like as i could, when i cut out the cotton reel i just wound round some twine gluing it in place at the back i stuck them all down in place adding a few buttons,
the sentiment was stamped and embossed first, then cut and i brushed over a distress ink on the card while the die was in place so it didn't stay stark white,  only the edges stayed white. i used a holographic card for the sewing machine thimble and scissors to give a metal look to them,
i finished with some cosmic glue pearls around the edge
i hope you like the card i certainly enjoyed making it..
any questions please ask.
any comments please leave.

This card is for sale at www.taylormadecards.co.uk

ttfn x

Good morning everyone!

Ok now i have started this blog i better do something with it, from Monday i will post a card and add how i made it,i will also be giving away my tips and techniques,

if anyone has any questions etc then feel free to ask

i would like feed back so please if you visit the blog please leave a comment 

www.taylormadecards.co.uk  all my cards i make will be added to the website for sale..

This will be a quick and simple card to make, i will show you how to do it and what materials you will need

as you have properly seen it will involve spellbinders, so for all you die fans this will be the place to be..

happy Sunday all.....have a great day and i will see you tomorrow!!!

First post is up!!!

http://www.taylormadecards.co.uk/

ok im now here too, will take a while to get the blog exactly how i want it but i will be working on it each day,
i will post a new card from the site here each day, and if anyone wants to know how i did it or what materials i use then you can post comment and i will get back to you,
even if its a Technique  i will assist you anyway i can ..
i will put on the woes and joys of the day,new cards,sale times,discount code etc
this is just another platform to keep you informed....

here is a few cards that are already on the website
any questions just ask...

please feel free to leave a comment,it is always nice to get feedback....

My daughters b/day card

Daughter's 17th birthday card
Posted on 10:04am Friday 13th Apr 2012






It was my Daughters 17th b/day on Tuesday so I whipped up a card for her,

she loves micro beads so I have added them to the butterfly isn't the best pic I have taken but I think you can notice the different texture on it,

I liked this card so much I have also included it in the shop,you can have any name, instead of daughter and any colours just add it in the special instruction box at checkout,

my son lost my usb cable so i havent been able to upload any new cards till today...so being Friday 13th I wasnt excepting any deliveries but first thing this morning it showed up

so I have put a few on with more to follow later,

it's the craft fest in june and I will be having a stall there,if I can work out how to do it lol, looking forward to it,it will be a first for me,so im excited

im on twitter would be nice to have some more followers

so nip over and start following me


but if you do see a card you like remember we do cater for your needs,if you want it tweaking etc...

then contact me....

Okies that's it for today

ttfn x