'A Special Couple'

Hi folks! Hope you are all well and keeping cool. Here is a card I made using Jayne Netley Mayhew's 'Pig' stamp set. I read the sentiment 'A Special Couple' and immediately knew I wanted to use hearts. I used one of the smaller stamps from the set to create the background paper. I stamped onto the purple paper with versamark ink and swirled perfect pearls onto it with a soft brush.

I used my Nestabilities to die cut the heart shape from deeply textured card and the scalloped heart from more purple paper. I tore and pleated lots of white mulberry paper then adhered it behind the heart mats. The image was stamped and watercoloured. I added a large ribbon bow, the sentiment and some self adhesive pearls.

I used the little piglet from the stamp set on the inside of the card.
Ciao for now!
Sandra x

Faithful Friend

Hi folks! Here's another card I made for the launch of Jayne Netley Mayhew's new rubber stamp sets. The Border Collie is such a wonderful and strong image, as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to make a simple card in the shape of a rosette.

I used my Cricut and Gypsy to create the rosette card shape. I covered the front with some red velvet paper and the inside with some stripy patterned paper. I used my Nestabilities to die cut the mats and layers. I stamped, painted with watercolours, carefully cut out and adhered the main image in place with dimensional glue gel.

I finished off the card with the sentiment which was also part of the stamp set and just perfect for the image.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Just to say Thanks! Acetate card

Hi folks! I hope you managed to catch the fantastic shows Joanna sheen had this weekend on Create and Craft... it was sheer stamping and CDrom crafting bliss. I was really fortunate to have lots of my samples shown. My kiddies were squealing with delight every time one of my cards was picked up. This card was one of Leonie's fav's. It showcases the new Jayne Netley Mayhew Hummingbird stamp set.

I did the best as I could with photography... but an acetate card is not the easiest to capture. I used strong acetate for the card base. I used my scalloped heart Nestabilities to create the card corner (see above) Before adhering this inside the acetate I used the sentiment stamp and flower stamps from the set to decorate the inside.

For the outside I punched (Martha Stewart) lots of flowers from pastel pearlescent paper. I stamped the centre of each flower, it didn't photograph too well but it adds all the lovely 'veiny' detail on the flowers in real life. I then shaped each petal with a ball tool, adhered to the card with dimensional glue gel and blobbed some stickles to the centre of each flower. I punched a few leaves (also MS punch) and the swirls are die cut from a Quickutz 4x4 flourish die. The hummingbirds are stamped, watercoloured, cut out and adhered to the card. Not forgetting to add the smaller bird to the inside of the card adding to the illusion of distance between the flying birds. I finished off the card by adding the sentiment to the bottom corner which I stamped, inked, cut out with scalloped scissors and shaped with my fingers before adhering to the card.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Stamp Something - Summery
Crazy 4 Challenges - Paper flowers
Charisma - All bout Bling
Creative card Crew - Thank you

My first OOAK hand sculpted mini baby!!

Hi folks! ....and now for something completely different! Introducing precious little Peter, my very first one of a kind (OOAK) mini baby sculpt.

In April this year I stumbled across OOAK dolls on Ebay and just had to find out more about them. I did a bit of research on the Internet, bought some magazines and found out about the Discover Dolls international show to be held in Peterborough in June.

Reborn Artist and Sculptor Cath Roberts was teaching a class on how to sculpt a mini baby which I just had to attend. My precious little Peter (Peterborough influenced the name) was completed on the day. The class was amazing! I learnt so much and it has really ignited my passion for sculpting. It is something I have always wanted to try. It is truly amazing to see a little sculpt emerging from the clay.

I'm really looking forward to making more babies (tee hee) and having a go at making 'cuties' that are more caricatures which I think will be more my style.

I'll be starting a separate blog for my sculpts to be called 'Tia Nena's Nursery'. I had a long think about what I would call the baby blog and all the cute names I could think of had already been taken. Even suggestions by the mastermind of Mr. Dry! So I decided to use a name that is personal to me. I have always been called Nena by my folks and others in my family. Since the age of 10 I have been an Aunty which is 'Tia' in Spanish. So for more years than I care to remember I have been called Tia Nena by my nephews and nieces. Although it may sound a bit weird... it's still very much me!

I hope you like little Peter. Looking forward to reading your comments.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

'A Quickie'

Hi folks! So sorry I've been away from my pc for so long. Have been working on another project which I will share with you all soon. It's fast becoming my number 1 passion.... don't worry, I won't keep you in suspenders for too long ;o)

Here' a quickie I made using some lovely pink petticoat papers and digi image. I coloured the cute frog with Copic markers. I outlined the flowers on the patterned paper with Cosmic Shimmer Twinkles glitter glue (click on the pic to see the detail). I cut out the black border using a Fiskars border punch and added a large black velvet ribbon bow. The letters are die cut from funky foam using a Quickutz Alphabet set. I finished off the card with 3 tiny punched flowers filled with more of the glitter glue.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Totally Papercrafts - Animal Magic

Crazy 4 Challenges - Colour Combo

Cute Card Thurs - Anything but Square

A Spoon Full of Sugar - Sunshine inspired

Papertake Weekly - Ice-cream flavours

Fairy Wishes

Hi folks! Here's a card I made using one of my favourite fairy stamps. She's from Lili of the Valley. I stamped and watercoloured her, adding glitter and decoupaging her wings and some of the flowers.

I cut the frame using my Cricut, lightly inked and glittered the edges. The beautiful backing paper is from the Tiffany range by 'We R Memory Keepers'. I made the flower by inking a small and a large plain white flower. The middle sized flower I painted with pink Cosmic Shimmer water colour paint. I layered them up and adhered a button to the centre which I had tied a small piece of ribbon through. The leaves are by Prima. I finished off the card by adding the sentiment which I die cut from funky foam using my Quickutz 'dragonfly' alphabet set.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Raise the Bar - Celebrate Summer
Cupcake craft Challenge - Dazzle us
Stamp, Scrap and Doodle - Hand made embellishment
Stamping for the Weekend - Summer/Travel
Charisma Cardz - Flowers
Paperplay Challenge - Flowers & Sparkle
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Floral Delights

Make a Wish!

Hi folks! Here's a card I made using Jayne Netley Mayhew's 'Harvest Mouse' stamp set. The papers are by Cosmo Cricket (still not reached the end of that huge pack)

I die cut the scalloped square with my Nestabilities and just folded a larger square to create the raised folded square layer. The double sided paper is great for this technique. I stamped and watercoloured the image, carefully cut it out and adhered with dimensional glue gel. I added a sheer ribbon bow and popped a stamped and coloured flower (from the Harvest Mouse set) on top. The sentiment is also part of the stamp set. I stamped, die cut and inked it before adhering to the card for a finishing touch.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Matchbook tiny treat holder

Hi folks! This little matchbook is large enough to hold a small chocolate or sweetie. I used a stamp from Joanna Sheen's Country life collection and it's one from the 'Smell the Roses' plate.

The papers are by Papermania. I over stamped the vines (also from the stamp set) on the green softly polka-dotted paper on the inside of the matchbook. I used my rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities to die cut the mats and layers. The tiny plastic flowers are from an embellishment pack the I sourced from 'The Works'. I added some self adhesive pearls to the centres.

The little sentiment is from the Papermania set. I held the little matchbook together with some large brads. I finished it off with some ribbon tied in a knot. The instructions for making the matchbook are here.

Hope you are enjoying this glorious sunshiny day.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Sandra Dry Digi Stamps - Now Closed :o(

Hi folks! It is with a heavy heart I announce that 'Sandra Dry Digi Stamps' is closed and I am stepping down from the 'Dare U 2 Digi Stamp' DT. I shall miss working alongside such talented digi stamp crafters, and am sure that I will join in with future challenges when time allows.

I made this card quite a while ago and never got round to sharing it with you. The sassy Rock Chix Singer (one of my own designs and sadly no longer available) was coloured in using Copic Markers. I made the black background card using the skull and wing stamp (by Inkadinkado and available here) which I embossed using clear powder. I die cut the letters from various Sizzix alphabets and backed some of the negative spaces with some red mesh. I used large star shaped brads in the corners and finished off the design by adding gold glitter to the Rock Chix's belt buckle and chain.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x