This post is all about adding text to your handmade cards. I prefer to make cards without any message because this way any given card can be adapted to several occasions but there are times when you do need to add some sort of sentiment and so this post should cover some of the options available.

If you're new to card making and you want to add text to your cards you can do it in many different ways using:

a) - papers with printed messages

Papers with printed messages can be used as background papers, to make tags and card toppers, etc. For some ideas have a look at these cards I made using my stack of text prints. To see them click here and here.   

b) - peel-offs

Peel-offs are a very easy way of adding a message to your handmade card. However, some types of peel-offs are more difficult to work with than others. I find that the ones that imitate "handwritten" messages are more difficult to apply but if you follow these tips you should have no trouble using them:

   * use the tip of your craft knife to lift the peel-off from its backing sheet. If it's a big word or one in which the letters are formed by very fine lines, as this one, don't try to lift it all in one go.
Work slowly. Start by lifting the beginning of the word, then the end and also a little of the middle.
Some peel-offs also tend to loose their shape when you remove them from their backing sheet. If this happens just leave it stuck to the tip of your craft knife and put it aside for a while. This will allow the peel-off to regain its shape making it easier for you to apply it onto your project.  Also, when you apply the peel-off onto your project just tap it lightly at first and see if you like the way it looks. If you're not happy with the result it will be easy to remove it again with the tip of your craft knife without damaging your card or the peel-off itself.

c) - stamps with whole words/messages or alphabet stamps

you can buy stamps with whole words or messages or alphabet stamps. If you're using alphabet stamps it's best not to try and get your text evenly spaced and straight, instead try to make it look like it's meant to be all over the place. This way if you make a mistake it's easier to "disguise" it.

d) - Alphabet die cuts

The same as above for the alphabet stamps.

e) - Computer and printer

You can also use your PC and printer to print the words/messages you want to use. In this case, you might want to search for some nice fonts on the Internet. You might also want to print your text using a colour to match your design. I usually refer to this list of RGB codes whenever I want to choose a colour for my text.

f) - Confetti words

Confetti words are fun to use too. You can glue them or fix them to your project with thread and a little knot as I did in this card, for instance. You can also use them in shaker cards. If you don't know what a shaker card is have a look here and keep watching this blog as I'll be posting a tutorial on these very soon.

I hope you find these tips useful. Happy crafting

I've been suffering from the above for some time. It's so frustrating to want to create something and not being able to because of lack of inspiration.

Anyway, today I opened my Flickr account and had an invitation to join a private group of crafters. This cheered me up a little although after having a quick look at the said group I don't understand why I was invited! Everyone else's work is light years better than mine.

I don't know if this happens to you (is there anyone actually reading this apart from me?) but most of the time I feel something is missing from whatever I made whether it's a card or something else.

Changing the subject: I have some decoupage sheets that I bought sometime ago and which I don't use. I thought that maybe I could give them away to someone who would actually use them so I'm thinking of a way of doing it, either I'll just upload a photo of the items in question and they will go to the first person that says wants them (EU only as I'm paying for postage. Sorry!) or I'll ask people to leave a comment on my blog saying what they liked, what they think should be improved, tips, etc. and set a date and do it sort of out of the hat or something along those lines. I'll think about it some more and decide how I'm going to do it.

That's it. Enjoy your week end.

Here's a quick tip if you need double sided paper but don't have any: choose two matching or contrasting sheets of paper and make a sandwich with them placing fusible web in between. Iron and let it cool...and you have double sided paper

Today I've uploaded some new cards I made in the last few days. To see them just follow the link with the name My Works which you'll find on the right hand side of this page.
 
I'm trying to go back to my original idea when I began making cards, that is, to make cards without any sort of message so one given card can be adapted to several different occasions and that's the reason why most of my recent cards have no text.

I got the template for this type of flower sometime ago somewhere on the Internet. The ones I saw were made of fabric and I decided to see how they would work in paper. I must say I'm quite pleased with the result.

Below you'll find the instructions to make this card:

1 - Cut 2 larger circles and 4 smaller ones. I used my Sizzix die cuts but you can use a cup, or glass or anything that's round and the size you want for your template.

2 - Fold all circles in half and go around them with your edge scissors.

3 - Make 4 cuts on your 2 larger circles as shown in this photo.

4 - Overlap the 2 larger circles. You can use a small dot of glue to hold them in place.

5 - Fold the 4 smaller circles in half and overlap them as shown in this photo. Again, use a little glue to hold them in place.

6 - Place them on top of your 2 larger cicles and glue. For the centre I used a brad but you can use a button, beads, etc. It's up to you.

7 - Put the paper flower aside and choose the paper you're going to use. I used a lilac handmade paper and the best way to tear it is to use a brush. Wet the brush and then move it along the paper where you're going to tear it. You'll see how much easier it will be for you to tear your handmade paper by hand.

8 - Get a green ribbon and tie a knot at the centre. Now you have the 3 elements you need to make your card. I applied a little lilac chalk inside the petals of my flower.

9 - I used my sewing machine to do the stem. Be careful when sewing the leaves (the piece of ribbon with a knot in the middle) so you don't break the needle of your sewing machine.

And that's it, your card is done. Add any other embellishments you want.

Hope you enjoy this card making project.

As Easter gifts me and my son (he's 8) are going to make some chocolate and biscuit bonbons. However, I wanted to make some sort of boxes to put them in so this is what I came up with.

I made 13 of these using only paper, glue and a stapler. If you'd like to make some here are the instructions.

1 - Cut squares of thick card. Mine measured 21 cm. Draw lines as you see in this photo. I left a 4,5 cm margin all the way around. Don't forget to the corners too.

2 - Fold and score along all the lines. Do the corners last.

3 - Apply some glue on the corners and use pegs or paper clips to hold in place until the glue is dry. Don't use too much glue as the paper will warp.

4 - Meanwhile, cut 8 circles and 4 leaves from crepe paper. For the circles I used a cup as template. Cut the circles using some deckle scissors. The leaves I cut free hand.

5 - Hold the 8 circles you've just cut, pinch the back and staple. Separate the different layers to make it look more like a flower.

6 - Arrange the 4 leaves and staple onto the back of the flower.

7 - Go back to your basket and glue the corners so they face each other as shown in this photo. Hold in place and wait for it to dry.

8 - Cut a strip of paper for the handle and glue the flower and leaves to it. Hold in place using either paper clips or pegs. Let it dry.

9 - Cut a strip of paper long enough to go around the basket and high enough so you can fold it in half and cover all the outside of your basket as you can see in this photo.

10 - Staple the handle to the basket and it's done. Fill in with Easter goodies.

This basket is really fun and quick to make.

Here's the second part of my cross stitch tutorial I hope you've been practicing .

Because Easter is just around the corner I chose this cute little hen.

Let's begin:

1 - The first thing I did was to count the squares that make up my hen both horizontally and vertically to find the centre square. I marked it in pencil on the chart. Then I cut a piece of Aida fabric big enough for my motif and leaving a margin all around, for this I counted 50 holes horizontally and vertically on the fabric. I also applied some slanted stitches to prevent the fabric from fraying and found the centre of the fabric square and marked it as shown on this photo. I also chose the colours I wanted to use.

2 - To begin my motif I counted the squares to the left of the centre square on the chart and then counted the same number of holes in the fabric starting from the middle. I then began my first row using 2 threads of my chosen colour and removed the red sewing thread I used as markings as I no longer needed it. Don't forget to catch the end of your thread under your stitches as I explained in the 1st part of my cross stitch tutorial. Always refer to the chart so you don't miss any row and go up or down as needed.

 Remember: On the right side of your work the needle has to form a diagonal line and on the wrong side of your work the needle only goes up or down in a vertical line.

3 - Keep following the chart. You might need to cross some stitches completely in order to be able to go up or down to the next row.

4 - Here I was running out of thread so I inserted the needle underneath some stitches and then cut the remaining thread.

5 - Start another row as if you didn't need to have threaded your needle again.

6 - Keep following the chart to build your hen. It might be a good idea to cross out on the chart the rows you've already done. Use a pencil so you can rub your markings afterwards and use the chart again.

7 - As you can see, I've reached the last row that makes up the hen's body and I'm going back down crossing all the previous stitches.

8 - Always refering to the chart, finish your motif. I used a little black bead for the eye. This is what the right side of your work should look like...

9 - ...and this is the wrong side looking very neat.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Please, bear in mind that this is my way of doing the cross stitch. I'm sure you'll find many other tutorials on this subject with different methods of going about it.

Here are a few sites where you can find free cross stitch charts:

http://www.cross-stitching.com/
http://www.cross-stitch-centre.co.uk/
http://www.jessica-tromp.nl/embroiderycrossstitchfreepatternschristmaschildrencross-stitchgraphs.htm

If you have any doubts please email me and I'll try to help.

In the last few days I've uploaded new cards to my gallery. To see them you can follow the link on the right called "My Works".

I also received some orders I had placed for craft materials: coloured wood beads perfect to use in accessories for children, key rings to make...well, key rings and my soap making stuff! Yeah, I'm going to try to make soap. This was actually my husband's idea not mine. So we bought the melt and pour base, some moulds, fragances and colours to add to the soaps.

I feel excited and nervous at the same time. Unfortunately I haven't had time yet to have a go at making soap but I hope to be able to do it soon. So, don't be surprised if from now on I start writing posts on soap making too.

Easter is just around the corner so if you're going to buy someone a card why not buy a handmade one? They are so much more beautiful and will certainly be treasured by the person who receives it.

Have a look in my card gallery and if there's any card you'd like here's the link to follow for instructions on how to order:

http://cards-by-paula.blog.co.uk/2008/01/27/handmade_cards~3640854

For some more inspiration, have a look at KimmiKat's cards. She not only uses punched out shapes on her cards to stunning results but she also uses the scraps left over from her paper punching and very cleverly incorporates these in her design.

First, I must admit I don't use my paper punches much which is a shame really so from now on I'm going to try and change that as there's so much you can do with them. For example:

- You can use the punched out shapes on their own to embellish cards, scrapbook pages, etc.

- You can use these shapes as confetti, for instance in shaker cards.

- You can also combine them with other punched out shapes to create new and original embellishments.

- And, you can also use them to create stencils.

Have a look here to see how you can combine your different punches to create flowers, butterflies, etc.

As I said above, you can also use your paper punches to create stencils or border strips which you can then use in many projects. Here are some suggestions.

Get some scraps of paper out and your punches too and experiment. Who knows what interesting shapes you might come up with .

This week end I made this card for a Baby Boy using some of my paper punches. I punched 4 pieces of paper and then cut these into squares (well, sort of squares!). I applied some blue vellum on the back to make the shapes stand out. Have a look here at the finished card.

If you like bargains, the Range is selling some really nice paper punches for 99p and it's buy one get one free. I bought these.

Have fun.

Recently I uploaded some cards I made using the Iris folding technique and thought that maybe it was a good idea to put together a tutorial showing you how I made them. So here it is. I hope you like it and find the instructions easy to follow. These are easier to make than they look and very effective.

Let's start:

1 - Download the template. You might need to resize it depending on the size of the card you're going to use.

2 - I used an A4 sheet of card and I drew the outline of the template on the card. Then using a ruler and a sharp craft knife cut out the shape you just drew.

3 - With the help of some Blue Tack fix the template to the card making sure the outline of the template matches that on the card.

4 - Measure the widest part of the strip.

5 - Cut strips of the paper you've chosen for this project with double the width measured above. Fold these in half lengthwise and apply some glue inside. You can either combine several different patterns or just use one pattern. You can also use ripped vellum or paper. This will produce a nice effect and saves you paper as you don't have to fold it.

6 - Apply double sided tape all around the outside of your template.

7 - Start placing your strips of paper in an alternate fashion following the template. Cut out excess paper.

8 - Keep layering your strips of paper until you finish. You might need to apply small pieces of double sided tape to keep the strips of paper in place.

9 - Carefully detach the template from the card removing the Blue Tack. Turn the card around so you can see the right side of your work.

10 - Choose the material you're going to use for the center. I used fusible fibres but you can use card, fabric, etc. Experiment and see what works best.

11 - Embellish as you want and cut your pattern. Apply on the front of your card.

Hope you enjoy this project.

As promised, here's the first part of my cross stitch tutorial, this will allow you to practice your basic cross stitching before you move on to doing motifs (that will be on another tutorial).

To get started you must have a piece of Aida fabric. It doesn't have to be very big just enough to allow you to practice a few rows using the cross stitch.

Let's get started:

1 - Aida fabric tends to fray, so to prevent this use some sewing thread and apply some slanted stitches all the way around your piece of fabric. You can do this by hand or if you have a sewing machine with a zig-zag stitch you can use it and it's much quicker too.

  Important: The needle for cross stitching must have a rounded point so it doesn't catch the fabric or the tread and is usually short with a large hole for threading.

2 - With step one finished you can start practicing your cross stitching. Take 2 or 3 strands of cross stitching thread and thread the needle.

3 - Start your first stitch as shown in this photo making sure you leave some length of thread loose on the right side of your work.

 Remember:
     Right side of your work -> stitches are done in a diagonal line
     Wrong side of your work -> the needle only goes up or down in a vertical line

My stitches are going from bottom left to top right. At the same time, the end of the thread left loose is being nicely "tucked in" under the stitches.

4 - Keep going until you have a row of stitches and the end of the thread is completely hidden underneath these.

5 - To go up: your needle should be positioned as shown in this photo.
     To go down: the needle should be pointing downwards.

6 - Keep going until you reach the end of that row and turn back. This time your stitches should go from top left to bottom right creating a perfect X . To finish, insert the needle under several of the cross stitches on the right side of your work and cut the remaining thread.

7 - This way you have a perfect right side and a neat wrong side.

I hope you find these instructions helpful.

One of my next tutorials will be on how to embroider a motif using the cross stitch.

Have fun

I just wanted to say a Big Thank You to everyone who has visited this blog. To my great surprise in the first month of this year it had over 500 page visitors and last month that number went up to 951. Also, a special thank you to those of you who took the time either to leave a comment or to add my blog to your bloglist. I really, really appreciate it and hope you keep coming back

I'm working on new tutorials. The cross stitch one is coming along although it has proved to be more difficult than I thought but I hope to post it during this week. I also want to do one on Iris folding as I've had great fun making some cards last week using this technique. Have a look here and see what you think.

Thank you.