Shop My Stash Sunday - Something old, Something New this Christmas

Yesterday the postman dropped my subscription of Cardmaking and Papercraft through the door, so when I opened it and saw the free gift was a Christmas pack which had 6 A5 papers in I thought I would try to use these up before they go into my mass of loose papers, never to see the light of day again!

I used two of the papers to create today's cards and combined them with things from my stash rather than the matching stamps and embossing folder.

As Christmas cards go, last weeks were quite bright as I used a lot of warm tones, so this week I gravitated to the cooler tones, so I picked out a couple of blue sheets from the pack.

And here is what I came up with:

Products Used:

• Cardmaking and Papercraft A5 papers (2014)
• White Lace - The works (2014)
• Cardmaking and Papercraft festive charms (2013)
• Dark blue card - My stash 
• Chipboard sentiment - Cardmaking and Papercraft (2012)
• Outline Stickers - Baker Ross/ Yellow Moon (2005)
• Gold Stickles
• wooden Pieces - Hobbycraft christmas collection (2013)

Hannah x 

Shop My Stash Sunday - It's That Time Again...

Yes that's right it's the time of year where all of us crafters have to start thinking about Christmas! In particular all the christmas crafts we have to get through before we reach the busy festive period!

Seeing as though it's a long bank holiday weekend I decided this would be the time to finally start thinking about my Christmas crafts, I've even have started to plan what I need to bake and table place cards!

Like Normal this weeks shop my stash includes many freebies I have received throughout the years from my Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine which I've not got round to using for one reason or another.

Paper pads are my favourite thing to buy so I made all these designs focus on using patterned paper as the focal point, in hope I may actually use up my first paper pad! Wishful thinking never hurt anyway!

Applogises for the slight fuzz to the images, my camera's been playing up but I thought it was still worth sharing this week!

So this is what I have come up with this week:

Products Used and Date Purchased

• A5 card bases - various sources
• Berry Merry By Jennifer Ellory paper pad - Cardmaking and Papercraft gift (2011/12?)
• Vintage Christmas charms - Cardmaking and Papercraft gift (2013)
• Buttons - My stash button jar
• Wooden embellishments - Hobbycraft's Christmas collection (2013)
• Martha Stewart 'Rings' border punch (2009?)
• Ribbons - My stash ribbon box (tend to be from gifts or flowers)
• Merry Christmas Outline Stickers - Yellow Moon/ Baker Ross Catalogue (2005) 

Hannah x

Shop my Stash Sunday! - Hunkydory Cut Outs

This week I realised I was actually running out of cards as there has been so many reasons to give cards out!

I wanted to make a few cards quick as I was very limited on time. Typically I would stamp images but since being on a mission to be less of a hoarder and more of a user I have been digging out things I do not typically use for one reason or another. So this lead me to to look though my card toppers.

I have a love hate relationship with card toppers, I know they are fast and easy but sometimes I feel they are a lazy and unimaginative way to make cards, particularly for me as I do not make cards bigger than folded A5 or 5x5 so by the time I have stuck the topper on there is no room for anything else.

Nevertheless I receive them as free gifts from time to time from Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine and it would be a shame for them to go to waste as they do produce beautiful cards and gives more space for other craft items in my stash!

All the items I used on these cards (excluding the card base) is from a taster pack which came free a few months ago in Cardmaking and Papercraft. The pack is by Hunkydory and features card toppers and A4 paper selection so I purely just used these to create some simple cards.


If you are interested in these papers and toppers, the collection is the Floral Enchantment.

Sorry about the lighting, the weather is awful and my light box is at work!

Hannah x

Shop My Stash Sunday #4 - Stripes!

Seeing as I had mastered Men's cards last week I thought I'd give myself a break and do some more feminine ones, however I think a couple could be given to men at a push...

I am still using the Docrafts Dots and Stripes collections as clearly these really appeal to me,  I have tons from the collections! 

I found some of the shaped postcard style papers, the sort that have scalloped and curved edges. (Sorry I cannot remember what these are really called and the label has gone walking!) So I got these out as well as the other papers from this collection . 

I also hunted through my embellishment box and found some card toppers so I thought I would try those as well as a Cardmaking and Papercraft Embossing folder (goodness knows how that ended up in the wrong box!)

Add some buttons and Card Candi and your all set!

This is what I came up with!

Hannah x 

Shopping My Stash Sunday #3 - Men!

As I have said a million times I HATE don't like making mens cards! I always end up adding glitter or shimmer or just popping a couple of flowers here and there.

So Today as part of shopping my stash I have focused on making real manly cards. Without bling and glitter and flowers. I know a scary thought!

So I went through my stash. I was given quite a lot from my Auntie who was clearing though her craft room, in this was some outline stickers. I personally have only ever owned words as outline stickers but I think that shapes give the card a very masculine effect, as sometimes I think stamped images are quite typically feminine.

I then found a checked paper pad by paper cellar that I've must have owned for about 4 years so I decided to give it a bit more of a use as it screams masculine.

I also used my new Xcut oval dies, which I am very impressed with they give the same finish as my spell binders round dies but at half the price. (They are also 3 for 2 in Hobbycraft currently).  As well as some solid coloured papers from my stash.

For embellishments I used some Card Candi, some ribbon from The Works and some Paper cellar silver flat backs

This is what I came up with.

Hannah x 

Shopping My stash #2 - Chipboard!

This week I have created 3 more cards. I am still finding items from my 'free gift box'. This is where I store most of the items that are one use items from my Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine.

I really enjoy the content and the ease of reading this magazine, but they also include some great free gifts!

This week I have incorporated many food based embellishments and papers this week, I found some kitchen style chipboards which came in the second issue I ever brought of the magazine so they are a good 3 years old!

I also used some pre printed images from the magazine and incorporated some papers from The Works ( which is my fast favourite for finding gems!) as well as some Do crafts collections.

Hannah x 

For My Dad...

As it was Fathers day this weekend I obviously made my Dad a Card!

Cards for some of the men in my family are not the easiest because they have no real hobbies! And this makes for a car, gardening or golf card to seem quite out of place, so to overcome this I decided this year I would focus on colour!

This card incorporated many bright colours which my Dad enjoys, I had seen a card almost identical to this but in neutral colours online a little while back, but for the life of me cannot remember who created it, so I apologise if it was you and I can't credit you!

I was so taken with the use of rounded corners combined with squared corners and buttons I knew I had to make one myself. I used brighter colours because I feel this was more fitting for the occasion and to what my Dad enjoys!



Products Used:

• 5x5 Base card
• Pay-per Pack Card
• Do crafts Dots and Stripes 8x8 paper in Festive
• Do crafts Dots and Stripes 8x8 paper in Bright
• Wooden button - from my stash 
• Cut out sentiment - from my stash 
• Corner rounder

Hannah x

Shopping My Stash - Brads!

Ever look at your hoard of craft items and think, some of this stuff I haven't touched in years? Well this is what happened to me. Being the sort of person that doesn't like throwing things away I have made it my goal to use these bits up!

So I started with brads.

This is the first 4 cards of the stash shopping. I also used some older papers and some new stamps and Eclips machine, as I found this was the easiest way to use things up is if you experiment with something new!

As I was a little out of my comfort zone but I don't think they are too bad!

Hannah x

11th Birthday Card

I had the challenge this week of creating another boy card! I am terrible when it comes to boy cards but I think I kept the ribbon and glitter under control (maybe!).


This card was for my Dads colleagues son, he was turning 11 and my Dad said he was at their house that day so I told him it would be rude not to take a card! (any excuse to get crafty!) I didn't have much time so I decided to spend more time colouring than paper layering but I think I'm happy with how it looks!

This is what I came up with:

Products Used:

• 5x5 Card base
• Paper Cellar 6x6 pad in 'Checks'
• Party Time Cling stamps in 'Cookie'
• A number of pro markers
• purple Card Candi
• stickles in 'Gold'
• Circles and Scalloped circles nestablities
• Blue Cardstock

Hannah x 

Excel centre craft fair

Last week I went to the craft fair in the Excel centre in london, this was a very daunting prospect for me due to suffering anxiety but when my grandparents invited me I could not pass up the opportunity and I had a fantastic day!

I met so many crafters and jewellery makers like myself and I found the whole thing so inspiring, and of course you cannot go to a craft fair without buying some new crafty things!

A few of the stall holders didn't give me a card so I can't tell you where I got them and even worse I can't repurchase any of these items!

I first brought a large collection of items from Art of Crafts. This included two packets of card candi, a flower die set to use with my cuttlebug, these georgeous owl stamps and then I found the bargain bins! And I couldn't resist, I found a couple of embossing folders, one with stars and one with squares. Then I found a Joanna sheen stamp which I forgot to photo before mounting but it features two boys at the seaside and other small seaside based stamps. 

These are actually nail pens, but these cannot just be used on your nails, they are also marketed to be used on glass, wood, ceramics, stone and fabrics (that you aren't washing). A sucker for a gimmick I brought myself a set and they are the best nail pens I've used the nip deposits the polish even and clearly and can create some quite intricate designs 

Then I was sucked in by the ribbon devil and brought six strips of ribbon for £5 these are lovely quality and are from crafty ribbons.com. I think you'd agree some of the designs are quite unique.

The crafty beggars stall was run by Debbie Moore's sister and as a result all the Debbie Moore CD's were half price, I don't tend to use CD's in my crafting but this Christmas set was £4 and included papers, stamps and toppers as well as the CD and for that price I couldn't turn it down! Even if don't use the CD the pack was good value.

Hannah x

Birthday Fun

This card was made for my Aunties Birthday. Yet again I was shopping my stash, and I came across some almost used up thickers sheets and that led me to see what words I could make out!

This set the theme for the card and the rest fell into place!

Products Used:

• 5x5 Card Base
• Free paper from cardmaking and papercraft magazine
• Thickers (sorry I do not know the name of the font!)
• A really old cat stamp set, yet again I do not know who they are by!
• Promarkers
• Tim Holtz antique linen distress ink.

Hannah x 

New Baby Girl

Second Card of the night, I know they look every similar but once you make one you really like, do you ever feel like replicating it? Well this is what I did and I managed to use more of those thickers!

This card was made for our cousins who are having their second baby which is a girl! Exciting!

Products Used:

• 5x5 Card Base
• Free paper from cardmaking and papercraft magazine
• Thickers (sorry I do not know the name of the font!)
• Something to celebrate cricut cartridge. 

Hannah x 

Guy cards are tricky!

This is a card I made for my boyfriends cousins Birthday, is it just me that finds making guys cards tricky? They tend to end up with a card on them even if they aren't that into cars! Bad I know!

But either way this is what I came up with!

Products used:

• 5x5 card base
• Tim Holtz tiny attacher
• Car outline sticker
• Blue card stock
• Papermania paper -  Spots & Stripes - Festive

Hannah x

Vintage Birds and Flowers

This card I've made for someone in my family,  I wanted it to look delicate and sophisticated, so this is what I have come up with!


Lilacs and creams I think are one of my favourite combinations at the moment, I think you'll agree it does coordinate well!

Products Used:

• Purple cardstock base
• Patterned paper from cardmaking and papercraft magazine
• White and kraft cardstock
• Large lilac brad
• Purple Card Candi
• Sizzix flower dyes
• Nestablilites , circles and scalloped circles

Hannah x 

Christmas cards

Hi all ,

This is a quick post, I forgot to take photos of my christmas cards and theses are the last three I have so as I was writing them I thought I best take a quick snap!

Sorry for the poor quality of photos! 

Happy Christmas!

Hannah 

Using up scrap paper

Today I set a goal for myself, this was to use up some of my 'scrap paper' this is a box I have with off cuts of patterned paper that has come off whole sheets when I've created a past project.

I found a load of scraps from the woodland collection I brought a while back and decided I would just try and use only paper in this card. I have to admit it is not the best but this type of card is completely different to what I normally do, so surely it's ok to have room to improve!

Products used:

• Blue card stock for base card
• Woodland collection paper pack (discontinued)

Hannah x 

A little Gardening

This is a card that I made for my Grans Birthday, she loves gardening and cats so this image was the perfect combination!

I have been trying to use up my free papers that I get in my craft magazine so I'm sorry you can't get hold of them!

Products used:

• 5x5 card base - The Works
• Background paper - Free with cardmaking and papercraft magazine
• Craft coloured cardstock
• Pink twine - Do crafts capsule collection
• pink button - 99p stores

Hannah x

Cat cuddles

This card was made for a close friends 18th Birthday. She is even more of a crazy cat lady than I am! who would have thought!

Products used on this card:

• 5x5 Card base from the works
• Orange card stock
• plantin schoolbook Cricut cartridge 
• freebie paper and printed image 
• Promarkers
• Card candi

Hannah x 

Mothers Day Flowers

As mothers Day is here, today I have a simple card I made for my Mum! I liked this patterned paper so much I didn't want to distract too much.

Products I used:

• 5x5 Card Blank
• Free paper pack from cardmaking and papercraft magazine
• Free hedgehog printed image
• Promarkers
• Corner Rounder

Hannah x 

Owls Birthday Card

Products Used:
Card base
Digital paper set
Brown ink
Pink glitter brad

This Card would be perfect for an autumn birthday, a bird watcher or an animal lover. This fun and quirky design will be perfect for any age


Hannah-Louise x