Christmas Fat Pages

I've joined in with another fat book swap on the CM&P Forum, this time the theme is Christmas. I thought this swap was going to be really easy but I struggled to find ideas for the first pages but soon got into the swing of making the pages.

Here are the first three pages:

Hope you like them

Claire

Birthday Card

This is a card I made for a 15th birthday. I was told the recipient was a girly girl who likes pink and anything glamorous. I decided to make another handbag card, obviously in pink. I have added the birthday girls initial in pink gemstones on the front flap.


Claire

Last of the CD's

Here are the last two CD's for the altered CD swap.

This is the back of the CD's, they are all the same and have all my details on them. I made them very quickly in Photoshop but I think they are quite striking.

Claire

Back to CD's

Back to the CD's today. Here are another 2 of the Cd's I've altered for the swap:




Claire

Birthday Card

Here's a card I made a while ago for a girl who was going to be 10. I used a Magnolia image I was very kindly send by a friend. I was told she had always wanted a pet but the family had never had one so animals and pets would be a good theme. I thought about it for a while and decided that the ultimate pet had to be a pony so used the image of Tilda on a horse.


Claire

More CD's

Here are the next two CD's for the swap I'm hosting on the CM&P Forum. They are all very similar but no two are the same.

Hope you like them

Claire

Altered CD swap

I have been hosting an altered CD swap. I keep seeing different things which people have altered, I love the ideas and wanted to host a swap on the CM&P Forum. I tried to think of something which would be easy to swap and also easy to post so CD's seemed quite a good idea. The theme for the swap was 'your favourite theme' after posting the details of the swap I spent ages trying to think of what my favourite theme was and I decided that I love butterflies but also wanted to try something new so my theme is - 'Butterflies and trying something new!'

Here are the first two of the CD's for the swap:

Claire

Anniversary Card

This is an Anniversary Card I made for my parent's last week. It's a very simple card but I still think simple can be elegant and I love the colours I have used, they go together really well and the sentiment/embellishment also compliments the colours.


Claire

Another birthday card

This is the last personalised card I made for the order last week. This one is for a teacher and the chalk board and apple seemed the logical choice when I was trying to decide what to put on the card.

The blue background paper is a bit bolder and striking but looks a little dull in the photo.

Claire

Birthday card

This is another personalised card I made recently. The lady it is for loves jazz music. I had problems finding inspitation for this card but once I had the idea it all came together quite quickly.

The background is made from jazz musical scores which were downloaded free from the internet and the silhouette is cut out from a picture I also found on the internet.

Claire

Halloween ATC's

I know it's a bit early for Halloween but I've joined in with a swap on the CM&P Forum and here's the ATC's I've come up with. These are actually the second set I've made I decided I didn't like the first ones so these are the ones I'm entering into the swap. There are 3 for the swap and 1 for the hostess as a thank you.





Claire

Going away for a while

I'm off down to Devon for a little over a week again. More consultancy work is calling me and I'm going to take advantage and go to the Craft Exhibition at Westpoint, Exeter, while I'm there.

I've scheduled posts for every day I'm away so there will still be something to look at and I'll try to log on to the internet and add any news while I'm away.

Speak to you on the 1st Oct and please enjoy the scheduled posts while I'm gone
Claire

Zentangle ATC's

I've signed up for another swap on the CM&P Forum. This is the September technique swap. Each month a different technique is chosen and you must use it on the ATC's. September is zentangles, well you all know how much I love to zentangle so I was very happy to have managed to find the time to make these. There are five in total four for the swap and one for the host as a RAK.

I can't wait to get the swaps and see some other people's zentangle creations.

Claire

Personalised card

Here's another personalised card I've made. This one is for a lady who loves clothes and shoes - well who doesn't!! I love the stiletto template which I've used on the card, again it's one I've had for a while and hadn't got around to using. The shoe is a light pink which doesn't show up that well in the photo.

What a great motto to live by!!
Claire

Personalised cards

Hope everyone is well, sorry for posting a bit late in the day but once again I've been rushed off my feet!

I've been asked to make a few personalised cards. I have been given names and details of what each person is interested in. Here's the first card I've made, this is for someone who loves marzipan and cakes. I wasn't sure how to portray marzipan on a card so I decided on a cake to decorate the front.


I've used paper from paper mania and a template for a cup cake which I was very kindly given a while ago.

Thanks for looking
Claire

Finally the Final Fat Pages!!

Yay I've done it, I've finished the cat fat book pages! Here are the last three:

As any regular readers of my blog know I love using black, white and red so I thought I'd make the last few fat pages in my favourite colours. The first has another embossed cuttlebug background but this time I highlighted the embossing using a silver ink pad. The second has some cat sequins in the corners, I've used these on some of the other pages but I have no idea where I got them from I just found them in the bottom of a drawer when I was looking through for some inspiration the other day! I've used die cut corners on the last page. I love this die it is a cut and emboss from Ellison/Sizzix and cuts both this and another corner both designs are quite art deco.

Well that's the end of the cat fat pages, back to cards and other stuff tomorrow.
Claire

Yet More Fat Pages

Yes, you guessed it more fat pages, but I'm nearly there only another three to go! I'm actually really enjoying making these and they're giving me a break from all the orders I'm trying to complete at the moment.


I love the brown colours of the first page. I always like working with brown but find it quite a difficult colour to buy. Most brown papers are either too light or dark for my liking. I prefer a real Cadbury's chocolate kind of colour, just wish it were as tasty!!

I've used a cuttlebug embossing folder on the background of the second page. I love these embossing folders and I'd love to have them all although if finances allowed. My only wish is that they were just a bit bigger so you could use it as a background on a 5x7 inch card.

Hope you aren't getting too bored of fat book pages!
Claire

More fat pages!

Well I'm keeping the promise I made to myself and making a couple of these fat pages each day, I need to make 11 in total so there's another couple of days ahead of me yet!

I love the green paper on the first page. It's a wallpaper sample I got quite a while ago just because I liked the paper so much. It's been sitting in my paper drawer ready for use but I like it so much I keep putting off using it. Silly but I'm sure other crafters know exactly what I mean!

Once again the pages have stones on them.

Promise I'll show you something other than fat pages soon!

Claire

Cat Fat Pages

I've made another couple of fat pages this morning. The second has a hand-written 'meow' on the bottom. I'm always a little nervous about writing on cards and craft items as I always think I'm going to make a silly mis-spelling or my writing won't be neat enough. Luckily this one turned out ok. Both pages have small stones stuck on them although they're quite hard to see in the photo's.


I'm off out now to do a bit of food shopping, hopefully the rain will stay away long enough. Hope you all have a good weekend whatever you're up to.

Claire

Finally completed some fat pages

I showed you the backs I'd made for the cat and dog fat page swap last week sometime and as much as I kept promising myself I'd get on and make some of the fronts life took over and I just haven't had the time.

I managed to find a spare hour today and have stamped the images I'm going to use and have also completed a couple of the pages. I bought this stamp in the Range a couple of weeks ago specifically for this swap and have decided to use the same image on each one so I'm afraid my pages are all cats - not a dog in sight!

Here are the first two pages I have completed, they are quite similar and I like the fact that the images are at an angle. This is something I often think about doing but I'm always worried it will look like I couldn't stick straight! So I assure you it was intentional.

The rest will be different and I have decided I will take the time to make 2 a day until I have finished these so watch out for lots of fat pages over the next few days!

Post Soon

Claire

Birthday Card

Here's a card I've made for the birthday list on the CM&P Forum. Not sure who I'm going to send it to yet but I am finally building up a small reserve of birthday list cards. At least I won't have to keep rushing to get them completed every time another birthday comes round!




I like the simplicity of the colours on this card. The image is stamped and heat embossed with white powder.

Claire

Sooooooo busy!

Finally I've got a few minutes to myself, thought I'd pop on here and say hi! Hope everyone is well. I've been working on a few orders for the past week and I've also had a couple of people ask for some rush orders which I don't like to say no to so I've been working all hours.

Anyway thought I'd show you a card I made for an 18th birthday. I put the words I was asked to include in the front pockets. I also made a simple handbag charm to hang on the edge of the card.

Hope you like it

Claire

Christmas is on the way

No I'm not being sarcastic because of the cold weather! I've made my first Christmas card! I know lots of people started theirs ages ago but I refused to even think about it in August. Anyway this card started off as a birthday card but when I got to adding the title I thought 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' suited the card so hey presto it magically transformed into my first Xmas card.


The cream backing paper is decorated with a design I made in photoshop, I still class myself as an absolute beginner in the program but I'm quite impressed with how this turned out. It's not that clear in the picture but it looks like a really old book page. I used a script brush and various textures to age the design.

This card is so different to anything I've ever done before and is not what I would call a traditional Xmas card but I really like it, just hope whoever receives it feels the same!!!

Post soon
Claire

Blog Candy Alert

There's some fantastic blog candy up for grabs over on Allison's Blog. While you are there have a look at all her fabulous creations, well worth a visit and returning often.

Good luck all
Claire

Another quickie today

I've still got loads to do and I've also had another order so I'm getting busier but I mustn't complain. Thought I'd show you another birthday card which I made the other day. I made the backing paper myself, I know it's not very impressive but it's nice when you can say you made the whole card.

Claire

Birthday Card

Yay it's the weekend, let's hope for some nice summery weekend weather.

Here's another birthday card. I haven't decided who is going to receive this yet, I've got two people in mind but only one card!!

Sorry only a quick post today as I've got so much to do!

Claire

Birthday Card

I feel like I had a productive day yesterday. I managed to make a few cards for the birthday list and also for some friends whose birthdays are during September. At last I have a few cards in reserve and am feeling a bit more organised. My to do list is shorter but there's still loads and loads which needs to be done!! I had a few orders today which all need to be done in a relatively short space of time so I guess I'll be very busy for the next few days.

Here's the first of the birthday cards I made yesterday:

It incorporates a silk version of my favourite flower. I have loads of orchids, some of which I've grown from seedlings and should be flowering this year for the first time, I'm amazed that I have managed to keep them alive this long. I also have a few phalaenopsis which are the most common orchids but still stunningly beautiful.

Post soon

Claire

2nd Graduation Card

Here's the second of the graduation cards. This is for a man who has just achieved a Ph D. Another fantatstic achievement which must have taken a huge amount of enthusiasm and dedication not to mention brain power!

The poem on the front of the card reads:

What lies behind us
And what lies before us
Are tiny matters
Compared to
What lies within us

Poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Claire

Graduation Card

I've been asked to make a couple of graduation cards, the first is for a lady who returned to University as a mature student and has just gained a degree in art aged 60. What an achievement not just the degree but having the confidence to go and get what you want in life.

The verse on the front of the card reads:

Live your life each day
As you would climb a mountain
Climb slowly and steadily
Enjoying each passing moment;
And the view from the summit will serve as
A fitting climax for the journey.

A poem by Harold V Melchert.

Claire

Anniversary Card

I've made a card for a 30th Anniversary. I didn't want to do the traditional 'Pearl' coloured card so I've made a fun card but have used some pearl effect paper for the numbers on the heart. This is much the same as a card I made a while ago for another anniversary but I've made it a different size and done the writing slightly differently.




The letters I have used are once again cut out using the Sizzix machine and are the 'Sproutsies' alphabet.


Claire

Been Shopping

I've been shopping today. I went to The Range, Ikea, Craft Buyer and finally food shopping on the way home. Sadly I didn't come home with many goodies. I bought a new stamp in The Range and a couple of chopping boards and a sink drainer in Ikea, not very exciting was it?! I did buy a couple of bits and pieces which I knew the nursery I used to manage were looking for. So that has given me an excuse to go and see everyone and catch up with the children, who I miss a great deal.

The stamp I bought was a cat so hopefully that will give me some inspiration to start the fronts of my fat book pages. I can't really be inspired or get excited by chopping boards but at least I got what I needed!

Post soon
Claire

September already!

I cannot believe how quickly the year seems to be flying by. It's September already, the schools are all re-opening and we've not really had Summer yet.

I know from blog hopping there are lots of people already making and showing their Christmas cards. I've signed up for a Halloween ATC swap and a Christmas Fat Page Swap which makes me feel that the year is definitely on the way out. I haven't started work on either of the swaps as I refused to think about them in August but I guess I'll get on with them now that September is here!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy month ahead
Claire