Quick baby themed cards

I was trying to come up with some cards that would work for baby themed cards which just need the sentiment changing depending on the occasion.



All the designer papers and ribbons are from the Basic Grey "Lily Kate" range. In the picture above, the middle ribbon is actually used in reverse on the card on the right. They look so different and I think I actually prefer the reverse!

Using papers and ribbons from a range such as this takes the hard work out of choosing what works best together.

The babygro (onesie), the booties and sentiments are all Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamps.
SU circle punches used for main image.

The photos aren't great but I didn't want to bore you with 6 separate images.

It's a boy!!!

My friend gave birth to her first baby on Weds, a healthy baby boy whom I can't wait to see!!! So this card is in honour of Marcus, 8lbs 9ozs!
I love new babies and can't wait for a cuddle and a sniff!!!

Stamps: Zoofari (the zebra) from Stampin up. Snap stamps by Karen Foster (now discontinued) :( Boy oh boy by Amuse stamps.
Designer paper - My mind's eye.
Celery grosgrain by Stampin Up too.
Heart pin by Fancy pants.
Scallop cut with Nestabilities scalloped circle die.
Coloured with copics and highlighted with lime stickles.

Let me know if you need a contact for Stampin Up products in N.Ireland and I'll forward Jude's details to you.

Cute as a button!

This is the new sketch challenge released yesterday by Tami and her team at
Card Positioning systems. CPS 57 Part 3.


Here is my take on the challenge but check out their site for lots more ideas!



I had left over scraps of scalloped circles on my desk and decided to halve them for a scalloped border. (Designer paper by My Mind's eye). The wide celery grosgrain is by Stampin Up. I didn't have turquoise buttons but these white ones were easily tinted with my copic pen. I used the same Copic pen to add faux stitching around the scallops. I threaded the buttons with celery coloured embroidery thread by Lasting Impressions.

"Cute as a button" is an old one by Hero Arts that I layered upon layer, stitching the final layer with my Janome mini and adding an embroidery thread bow.

The top half of the card looked bland so I found a brass stencil with tiny baby images (by Paper Mania I think?), and dry embossed some motifs before adding the sentiment panel.

Coincidentally, Papercrafts magazine showcased button projects in their March issue and invited crafters to submit their button projects by 25th March!! I'm too late I know but be sure to watch out for their April challenge. Click HERE!

I've another baby card to share with you tomorrow.

REMEMBER...........

......Babe the "sheep pig" - the pig who thought he was a sheep, WELLL, you remember I introduced you to Daisy the lamb.....

Now meet Daisy the "dog sheep"!!!!!




She is now best friends with Boomer and Oscar and they love huddling up together. The photos aren't brilliant but you get the idea. They love to go across our fields together and Daisy follows them everywhere!
We started by letting her be in with them for 10 mins, then 1/2 hr, then an hour etc. until we knew the dogs definitely weren't going to have her for lunch!!!

All visitors to our backyard do a double take and can't believe a lamb is in the dog pen!

Fisherman gift!

I've been having fun the last few days creating candles and thought I'd share them with you.
For those who don't know, the simplest way is to stamp your image on white tissue paper (the kind from shoe boxes and packaging is fine and good for recycling!!).
Colour the image with pencils. (I used Prismacolor pencils). Take care not to pull holes in the tissue paper - ask me how I know this!!! LOL!

This image is "It doesn't get much better..." which is a Thomas Kinkade image by Cornish Heritage Farms and the sentiment is theirs too "Fishing Poles". Once coloured, trim around the tissue image about 2mm border around it and then place on the candle where you want it to be. You can then cover the image with waxed paper, greaserproof paper or baking paper. I had thought only waxed paper worked but I was having trouble finding it and the others worked equally well and are readily available.
Hold the waxed paper tightly around the image and heat with a heatgun until you see the wax begin to melt. Move the heatgun around the image being careful not to overheat or drips will appear on the candle. Peel back.
Add sentiment in the same way.
Wrap in cellophane and add a ribbon and tag!

This is "Mr Rooster" by Cornish Heritage Farms and is one of my favourite stamps. The sentiment is from them also. I think this candle took all of 5 mins! ( He does have a partner "Mrs Chicken"!!)
The method is the same as before but much quicker to colour.

I also added some copics to the image once it was on the candle including the markings under the rooster's feet.
Keeping with the country feel I added some red gingham - perfect for a country kitchen.

Happy St Patrick's Day!!

I've had a lot of fun playing with these new Riley stamps, my Copics AND my new cuttlebug embossing folders.

Allison on her blog "Stampin when I can" presented the challenge of a card with a boozy theme.

Living in N.Ireland and it being St. Patrick's Day I couldn't not participate!!!

My new St Patty's Riley came in handy and I think he is celebrating with a half pint of Guinness!

St.Patty's Riley, handwritten "Cheers", Designer paper from pack by Hot off the Press, brown grosgrain by May arts and 'swiss dots' cuttlebug folder used over the dp. Coloured with Copics.
White liquid applique for the top of the Guinness!



Clover Riley in traditional Irish colours. Doodles around the main image by hand using Staedtler fineliners. Circle punch for semi circle cut outs to hold ribbon in place. Lime and yellow stickles.
"Floral Fantasy" cuttlebug embossing folder.

Clover Riley, Copics, ~Hot off the press designer paper. The buttons were actually threaded with faux thread. (TIP ~ I trimmed a sliver of brown card with my scissors and threaded it through and adhered it to the back).

I thought I might as well make good use of the stamps now as they'll be put away till next time!

Some of my favourite things........

Visitors to my workshop often ask where I got certain things or what tools would I recommend....... well I decided the other day, camera in hand to photograph a few of my favourite things!

Here are just a few and I'll add to them later!


This rotating stand is actually designed for the kitchen and I bought it at a "Pampered Chef" party. I think I was the only one there wondering what items I could use in my craft workshop as I'm not the world's best chef!!!
It is a great asset but note of course the contents:-

My Copics (I've been told it doesn't matter if they are stored upright!)

Prismacolour pencils - fantastic on their own or used in conjunction with Copics.

Stipple brushes - for softening and inking paper edges.

In the exact centre I have my Copic spica glitter pens.

Of course I can't live without my Spellbinders Wizard die cutter and embosser and my essential dies. (I've eyed up a few of the new die sets now out in the States but due here in April).

I think I use this Japanese screw punch on nearly every project alongside my Marvy cutting and eyelet mat. It is a real workhorse and comes with 5 different sized cutting heads.

I love my Crop-A-Dile for hole punching and silent setting of eyelets and especially because it is pink and comes with a cool storage box and eyelets!

What are your favourite crafting tools???

Riley is here!!

This is one of the cutest stamps I have seen in ages. Riley doesn't actually have clothes when you stamp him/her (not sure of gender??) but I went with female for this one! Anyway, back to the clothes, I used my Copic fineliner to draw in dungarees before colouring with my Copics and spica glitter pens. I used copics to create a shadow around the embossed square and to tint the deckled edges of the card.

Both the stamp (Garden Riley) and the sentiment are from Hanna Stamps which I am now stocking in my shop if you have to have them!

I'll admit when I put this card through my Wizard with the square nestability to emboss it, I had hoped it would be straight when it came out but it is just one of my 'Happy Accidents' and I now like that it is crooked!
This one is Clover Riley and the sentiment is handwritten. The designer paper is Fancypants , Beautify. Brads by Lasting Impressions.

I have 2 more great Riley designs lined up - 1 is a proper St. Paddy's day image with Riley holding a Guiness and the other is Riley in an aeroplane with a banner behind for you to choose the sentiment to put in the banner.

Announcing Miss DAISY!

Announcing sweet Miss Daisy!

Here is the latest addition to our family - she's very cute, soft and snuggly. On the downside I get to make all the feeds and do lots of clearing up!!!!!

She doesn't like going outside - a very spoiled girl already.

If I take her to my craft shop she tries to eat the designer papers and raids the bin! When I barricade her in with cardboard she butts her way out or tries to leap over my makeshift walls.
The alternative is to keep her in the garage but she cries so long and very loudly!

Exciting news!! My new Hanna Stamps arrived today - see below for 3 examples!!
I also received some wood mounted Riley the moose stamps. I'll hopefully get a chance to play and created over the next couple of days......

New shoes!!!

When I visited the show in Birmingham recently , I had the pleasure of having my stand next to the very talented Cathie Shuttleworth.

Cathie is a very talented designer and illustrator and you may have recently seen some of her designs in Crafts Beautiful.

Her latest venture is paper design templates like those shown below.

The little shoes above were created from one of her kits and are simple enough for children and adults. This was my first attempt but I think they would look fantastic in all sorts of designer papers and they would be perfect displayed in a box frame for a baby's room or maybe a christening gift.

Each pack retails at £6.99 but includes the template which can be reused or resized again and again. It also includes tracing paper and the papers and card to create your first design.
All you need is glue, scissors, pencil and embellishments. All the different designs are classed for beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Mary the Fairy (back right purple) is very popular and my favourite is Molly mouse (centre). Their fantastic "hair" is formed from fibres and ribbons.
Please visit Cathie's site HERE and let me know if you would like Mill House Crafts to stock these templates. Samples can be viewed at my shop.

Here are some more designs to whet your appetite!

Some more Rubber Stamp Tapestry

I promise this will be the last Rubber Stamp Tapestry - at least for a week!!! I had been working on some samples for the company's owner but I thought I would share them with you too.

If you visit my gallery at Splitcoaststampers you will see this work and more and a list of the products I used to make them.

You know how I like shoes - well watch for my next post to see how to make the cutest pair of paper shoes!!!!

Spring Offering!

These 2 designs were completed using Rubber Stamp Tapestry's soon to be released "Spring Offering". I loved using the Basic Grey "Lily Kate" paper and purple and yellow theme.

Stamps: Rubber Stamp Tapestry, Spring Offering, Word plate 2, Flourish plate 1.

Paper: Lily Kate by Basic Grey

Ink: Versacolor, evergreen, violet, lilac and Brilliance Sunflower yellow

Accessories: Crop -a-dile, eyelets, purple and yellow stickles, nestabilities and wizard by spellbinders. Prima flowers

Christening card

My niece asked me to make a Christening card and I realised I had baby images but not sentiments suitable for such a card. I got this lovely baby set from Rubber Stamp Tapestry and used their clear alphabet to creat the banner at the bottom.

I really like the little bootees and the babygro (onesie). I chose various shades of lilac and purple inks by Versacolor. I punched out the letters with a Stampin Up punch and raised on sticky fixers.
Ribbons are a mixture from May arts.

Here is another little variation in turqoise and pink. I don't know anyone with a baby girl right now but a friend is due next month so we'll wait and see.

Beautiful daisy jar

This Daisy jar stamp is by Cornish Heritage Farms and I coloured it some time ago and just never incorporated it in a card. The image is mainly coloured with Prismacolor pencils and highlighted with a red Copic pen.

The glossy finish on the jar and flower centres can be achieved with Ranger glossy accents or Judikins diamond glaze.

I used 2 fantastic backgrounders by Cornish Heritage Farms, broad stripe and geometric flowers II. I used Adirondack butterscotch and red pepper ink pads and used an aqua brush to fill in the flowers and soften the stamped image.

The gorgeous flourish and sentiment are by new designer Lesley from the "Rummage Bin" range by Cornish Heritage Farms, stamped in Brilliance graphite black. (now in stock at Mill House Crafts).