Tuesday 19 March 2013

Last but not least

Only 1 more day to go until Leann Chivers from Crafters Companion launches the stunning new embossolicious folders.

This is another sample made using the rose Garden 8X8 folder.
I used some green coordinations which went through my GrandCalibur in the folder. This was then lightly sanded and then matted and layered onto some gold mirror card.
I added some ribbon, a flower and a flourish with some gems to finish and there you have it;






Look out for the shows on Ideal World on Wednesday

Cathy xx

Monday 18 March 2013

Embossolicous number 3


Here is another sample made using the stunning new embossing folders from Crafters Companion

These are going to be the pick of the day on Ideal World on Wednesday.

The folder I used here is the 8X8 Rose Garden. I used some silver mirror card and put it through my Grand Calibur and then matted and layered onto some blue card. You can see the amazing detail of the folder and like it says it is a rose garden.

Using some coordinating blue card I used The Ornamental Oval Frame Diesire. I then stamped a sentiment from on of Sheena Douglass Little bit Sketchy Stamp sets.

Some blue paper roses and a few blue embellishments were added to finish;



Remember Leann is launching this new range as pick of the day on Wednesday on Ideal World.

Sunday 17 March 2013

Another little peek


Here is my second sample using the new embossing folders from
This one is again using the stunning Chantilly frame 8X8 embossing folder.
I matted and layered some silver mirror card onto a white card base. Then using some Centura pearl card i ran it through my Grand Calibur. This was then put onto the silver mirror card.

Using one of the Diesire Magic Mirror dies and some silver mirror card i created the base for the sentiment. Again using the inner layer of theMagic mirror die I added my sentiment.
All around the sentiment I added some white pearls.

To finish I used another one of the Diesire dies but this time one of the stunning butterflies.

This just shows what different results you can get from these folders but using different card and techniques.



Happy Crafting and dont forget to keep an eye out for the pick of the day on Wednesday on Ideal World.

Embossalicious sneaky peek


Here is my first sneaky peek at one of the stunning new embossing folders from Crafters Companion that will be launched on Wednesday on Ideal World as pick of the day.

This folder is a 8X8 Chantilly Frame and it was a pleasure to play with.

I got out my trusty coordinations and ran it though the folder using my Grand Calibur. It was then lightly sanded and mounted onto a brown card base. I used some distress ink around the torn edges.

Using a piece of co-ordinating card I used the Oval Ornamental Disire frame. and then stamped on a sentiment from one of Sheena Douglass A Little bit Sketchy stamp sets.

A few paper flowers to finish and there you have it;


Chantilly Frame 8X8 folder

Thanks for stopping by and keep an eye open for the shows on Wednesday on Ideal World

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Party Paws Candle


Some of you may have noticed a candle and box that I made for the Pick of the week and the Blockbuster for Crafters Companion using the Serif Party Paws CD.

The candle was straight forward enough to make but if any of you have any queries about decorating candles please get in touch. cathrumball@gmail.com

Now for the box. I used a medium sized candle for this project that was 6.5cm wide and 23cms tall.

So take a piece of centura pearl card and cut to 24cms X 30cms. The 24 is your height and 30cms is your width.

Now using your ultimate score board and with the 24cms of card facing upwards, score at 7cms, 14cms,fold and burnish and put against edge of ultimate score again at 7cms and 14cms, fold and burnish all these lines.
Using some red line tape put it along the inside edge of the 2cms fold but leave backing on.

If you are lucky enough to have printer that takes Centura pearl card then you can print on any design you like but sadly mine only takes lightweight card so I printed my chosen pattern onto the card and then attached this to the box almost like a wrap but attached with glue or tape. I used the Serif CD which enabled me to put a sentiment on my chosen design.

To create the aperture decide where you would like it to be depending on the design on your candle and cut out a section of one of the panels with a craft knife and the use a piece of acetate to cover the gap. Remember to do this before you stick the box together.




Scoring line 7cm and 14

Adding red line tape to 2cm fold

Sticking together


The finished "tube" (but yours will be decorated)


Once these stages are complete you can remove the backing from the tape and stick your box together.Put to one side.This is now called the "tube"

Now for the top and bottom of the box. You need to measure the width of the box..ie 7cms square and then how deep you would like the top/bottom to be ie 2cms so this means you need a 11cm square piece of card. Using the box lid side of the ultimate score at 2cms all round the card and fold and burnish the lines. Then create a box by cutting sections out of the corners and folding together.Use a wet glue and hold together with paper clips until dry. Repeat again for the other end of the box. (Please note sometimes these can be very tight so you may have to score on the 1.5 cm line instead of the 2cm)








The top and bottom of the box

Once all the pieces were dry I took some more red line tap and put it around the outside of the bottom of the "tube". I then careful attached one of the ends.The one for the top was left loose so that the candle could be removed easily. 
The top and bottom of my box was decorated with a decorative border. For this I took 2 pieces of card 30cms long and 3 cms deep and using one of the Diesire lacey border dies and my Grand Calibur i created a decorative design. This was then added to the top and bottom of the box once they were dry and on the "Tube" using red line tape. I used some gold peel offs  and a few embellishments to finish.
There you have it your completed box 





I hope these instructions are clear enough but if you have any problems you can contact me at the email address above or via the Crafters Companion Facebook page. Happy crafting x

Sunday 10 March 2013

Something Gorjus



Today I thought I would do something a bit different and ended up getting very inky but had a great time.

I had recently purchased some of the latest Gorjus range from Docrafts. The images are great for steampunk type looks.

To help me along the way I had the latest edition of the Docrafts Creativity magazine which is full with some stunning ideas. The first was reusing old cotton/ribbon reels to create a stunning 3 layer artwork.


So here she is.........I had no empty ribbon reels about so made my own using several layers of card in different sizes and then used small wooden cotton reels to build up the layers. The image is from the 6X6 paper pack..this is great as it has all of the stunning papers but also contains images on the packaging for you to use.
The big flowers were made from papers coated grunge paper and a Tim Holtz flower die. I used black soot and red brink in pads to colour the card and flowers.

Side view


I used the small buttons that were free with the magazine and some gunmetal embellishments and charms with paper flowers to finish


The next project was decorating some paper mache boxes which i had lying around in my crafty stash. I painted both boxes 1st with acrylic paint and left to dry.

 For the large purple box I used one of the small decoupage images . I used some of the papers from the 6x6 paper pack and added a few extras from my crafty stash including brass corners and embellishments.

The sentiment is from the Tim Holtz range of tickets.






The blue box was made very much in the same way but just on a slightly smaller scale.


Well thats another days crafting and it was great to do something different for  a change. Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting. Cathy xxx

Beaders and Crafters Companion combo



Hi all and welcome to my 1st step by step post using Beaders and Crafters Companion products.

For the full instructions please go to the Beaders Companion blog here







The completed set



Jewellery set





Gift Box



I hope that this has given you card makers the confidence to give Jewellery making a go and all you beaa go at papercrafting.

Thanks for stopping by Cathy x

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Todays the Day


Well today is the day that you can finally get your paws on the stunning Bamboo collection from Crafters Companion. Sara will be on Ideal World at 9pm tonight launching this fantastic pick of the day so make sure you tune in.



I have made this note book/address book just using one of the toppers from the CD which come in a range of sizes. I printed the image out a couple of times just to add a few layers of decoupage to the image to give it some depth. I used one of the Epiphany images from the CD to match the topper and used The Scalloped Circle epiphany tool.

I used 38 mm book rings to hold it all together and then added lots of ribbon in coordinating colours. This is a great way to use up some of those scarp bits of ribbon that you just cant throw away!



I then found in my very large Beaders Companion stash a key ring which comes in The Accessory Kit. I found another Epiphany image from the CD to add to the key ring and this time I used oval Epihany tool and metal charm.


The perfect gift for Mothers Day.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting and dont forget to tune in tonight x x

Friday 1 March 2013

Sneaky peaks of a cute little panda

Sorry to all my wonderful followers and facebook friends who have been worried about me as I have not posted for a while but I have not been well, have a poorly mom and then lots of design team work to keep me sane!

Here is just one of the projects that I have made for the launch of the great Party Paws Cd by Crafters Companion. Yet another stunner as you will see for yourselves.

The sneaky peek for today is from the early samples that  made for the trade show at the NEC and it is an easel card/gift box. I used 1 of the toppers from the CD and added a few dew drops to look like soap bubbles and a heart epiphany charm to finish


Relaxing in a bubbly bath




Here you can see the full card and box. I popped a lovely bar of scented soap and a flannel inside just in case the Crafters companion girls needed a quick freshen up........lol





I used a Diesire lace border die around the top of the box and then the Grace Frame to make the window aperture.






I hope that you are all looking forward to this great launch as it is yet another must have!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting.
Cathy xx