Flower Power

Happy Saturday, Louise here,

Let me ask you a question, what would crafting be like if we could never use flowers? I know what my answer would be; an absolute nightmare!

Flowers can be used in so many ways, as a main feature, as a subtle embellishment or as a space filler. They can be pretty or funky and, if you do it right they can even be used on mens cards! Trust me it's true!

But what happens when you look into your flower stash and you just can't find the one you want? Maybe the colour's wrong or it's not the right size... you make your own of course!

There are countless ways to make your own flowers, here are just a few of them......

No flower punches or dies?

Don't pannic, construct your flower from heart shapes!

This one was cut with a Sizzlets die but you could use a punch or even hand cut them. Try inking the edges to give dimension.

The central petals are 'puched out' hearts then there's a felt layer and a button on top.

Another way if you don't have fancy equipment is to cut flowers out of your patterned paper. Try layering them up and adding gems or beads, it's also a great way to coordinte with the paper you've used in your project...Go Wild!
Have a go at mixing and layering lots of different textures, materials, colours, patterns and techniques for a funky look. I've stamped a flower onto some patterned paper, Die cut and embossed another, used a prima for the other then cut a circle of felt for even more texture...

Then just pop it all together!

Spot the button change? LOL
Don't forget, your die cutting machines will cut leather, felt and other fabrics, dont be afraid to experiment......

As you can see with this one, stitching works great too!

Go on have a play! Be sure to come back for tomorrow's challenge because you may just get chance to put this into action! Nudge nudge, wink wink. xx

Camera Tricks!

Yay It's Friday!!!! I can't believe how this week has flown by, crikey it's nearly time for another challenge! I know what it is and let me tell you, you'll LOVE it! Keep those stripey challeng cards coming in though, we're loving seeing them all.


Right then today I thought I'd tell you a bit about effectively photographing your cards because I've seen a lot of questions on forums recently about how to get clear pictures so, although I'm no David Baily I thought I'd give you a few tips.


Firstly if you don't have a digital camera, GET ONE! They're a real must have for photographing your cards. I think if you're going to spend hours making a beautiful card it's a crime not to show it off at it's best. You don't need a really expensive one, just a nice simple one will be fine.
Find a nice bright spot to position your card in but avoid having bright sunlight shining directly onto it. I actually Potograph all of my cards on the side of my fire place.
Do you find it difficult to stop your camera shaking when you press the button? I do too. I spent months and months arranging piles of DVDs to sit my camera on before taking the photo. That works great because it means you don't have to hold the camera, but look at my latest discovery...

This little beauty is tops! I got it from PC World but I can't remember what it's called (sorry). Each of those little knuckles can be moved so you can use it to position your camera at any angle you want- it just screws on the top.

Right then, you have your camera and your card in position, all ready to go. Let me give you a big tip - turn off your flash! I never ever use my flash when I take card photos, the light just bounces off and ruins your image. Also, if you can work out how to do it (you might need your manual) set the timer, this way you don't need to have any contact with the camera at all when the photo is being taken -no shake - no blur!

Now, here's the important part. Your photo is taken, you have it on your computer now you need to open up your image in a photo editing programme - you usually get one with your digital camera. All you need to do now -and it makes such a difference, is alter the brightness and contrast - all programmes will have this option you just need to find it. Play around with it and you'll see what a HUGE difference it makes -It's like magic!

I hope you have found this useful, and I'm hoping to hear that you've tried some of my tips and found that they've made a difference- that will make my day.

Have a lovely weekend.

Louise xx

Tip- If you're in a hurry.....

Good morning all,

It's Louise with a quickie post - I should be on my way to work really.

If you need to make a card and you're in a bit of a rush (like me) or if for some reason you need to stay by the computer have a go at colouring Dottie before you print her! It's really easy if you use your magic wand and your fill tool on a painting programme. I use Photo Studio, it's a nice simple package that came with my scanner. You can do this with either the white or transparent backgrounds so don't panic if you bought white. There's no point in me telling you the ins and outs of it all because different programmes might do it differently. Just have a play, experiment, that's what I did.

This is Cleaning Dottie from the Dottie at work collection. For the download, click the blinkie in the sidebar.

Have a great day,

Louise xx