die-cutting

lavenderhousecreations

May your stocking be full

September 2025 Peace On Earth Challenge #95 which is an anything goes Christmas challenge although there is a mood board for anyone needing a boost for ideas. I had the stocking already done as I was playing with this die a few posts ago, and I decided to use it here.

The stocking is from a small die by Marianne Designs, purchased in the Netherlands and I cut it using different PP so I could paper piece a little to give it more definition. PP is from a Recollections pad. The background layer is actually from a store bought card received last year that I thought would work for something else one day and it works well here I think. The tiny sentiment is from a GKD set, and the star banner is from Scrapbook.com. The lacy piece is a border die from Crafters Companion that was poorly cut. I layered it with another poorly cut piece and decided it would work as a kind of mantlepiece to hang the stocking from. The twine is from my stash and it took me forever to tie it into a satisfactory bow. The threads kept separating but I managed in the end. I added some sparkle to the snowflakes in the stocking as well as some red dots to the leafy area.

This card is a fairly simple one and although there are layers its still flat enough to be mailed as regular postage, although not to the USA, as their regulations have changed and anything that isn’t paper means it has to go as a package, which is becoming expensive.

Thanks for spending time with me today.

lavenderhousecreations

Sweet surprise

Our latest challenge here at Double Trouble is to have an aperture in your design. The recipe is to use 3 layers not including the card base, 2 images of your choice, it can be a die cut or ephemera as well as any stamped image, and last but not least an aperture. If you choose to follow the # 678 sketch at TSOT make sure you don’t post until after that challenge starts else you would be backlinking. My card follows the sketch but isn’t entered due to backlinking.

My Paper is from StampinUP and the aperture die is also from a set by them. In fact the sentiment base is another of the the dies from that specific set, called Everyday Details. The floral image was stamped and is from a new to me set by Inkadoo. I had done this floral some time back and didn’t use it at the time. As it was ready to go I fussy cut it and added it inside the aperture. I deliberately kept this card fairly flat as recently postage has gone up and it is becoming costly to mail anything that is thicker or that has embellishments. It has more than the 3 layers of the recipe but nothing has been popped up on foam tape. I think the little butterfly is also from StampinUP but cannot remember for sure but I definitely used some scrap DSP to die cut from. Sentiment is from a SSS set.

We sure hope to see your creations in our gallery and look forward to seeing them. Above all have fun and enjoy the process.

Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate your time and any comments you may leave.

lavenderhousecreations

fall colours

Yesterday I posted to the As You See It speed challenge and after I had, I realized that perhaps I hadn’t met the challenge properly. The Challenge #355 – Lively Leaves clearly says speed stamping on the image and my card had no stamping on it at all. Given that AYSI is one of my favourite sites to enter I decided I had better make another one and this is it.

I started by using some inks on a plastic sheet and a wet brush and swiped the brush across the panel in curves at the corners and not bothering to be careful. Then I took the Altenew leaf sprig stamp and stamped the leaf over the top. This took several tries as my inks weren’t quite dry. Sentiment is from the same set. Using a new die set from Amazon, I proceeded to cut the layer and then did a second one in gold. Why dies don’t cut properly when we are hurrying always puzzles me, as I had to repeat the cut and then spend more time than I wanted on getting all the bits out of the gold layer. I did take time to add the enamel dots but they were easy compared to poking out the gold piece. Had the die cut properly my card would have been finished in 6 minutes (a record for me) but hey ho, it took more time and I finished the card in 8 minutes and 30 seconds.

I’m not sure I like the end result, as my colours are a bit darker than I wished, but when doing something for speed it is not easy to fix or change.

Thanks for joining me today, I hope your Sunday has gone well. Ours has been so hot being outside was virtually impossible, but we shall do a BBQ tonight and eat on the patio.

lavenderhousecreations

put a bow on it

It has been a while since I had the time to enter into a Sunday Stamp challenge, but today I managed it. SSC367 Put A Bow On It is the theme and because I had been playing the past two days with using kitchen foil, alcohol inks and some leaf printing, in a way this card almost made itself.

I placed the leaf panel into a stitched rectangle unbranded die and cut it to size although it required some replacement of the die to achieve the length I wanted. Yesterday I had added some crumpled kitchen foil to some card stock and earlier today I played with adding inks to it. I quite liked how it ended up so using an Altenew die, I cut the leaf sprig you see here from part of it. After adding foam to the back I added it to my leaf print panel. The little tag is from a set that my hubby bought many moons ago and I didn’t keep the info on the 2 sets he gave me. The sentiment is from a SSS set and I heat embossed in gold. I found the red and gold thread in my box and by pulling the threads apart I was able to combine both and make a bow. A lot of blue air, as my fingers would not cooperate, but I managed in the end. After adding a bit of colour to the tag I attached it and using tweezers pulled a bit of the thread through the hole.

While playing I hadn’t really thought about a design for the finished panel, but I did have the Sunday Stamps challenge open on my computer and when I took another look at it, I realized I had the makings of a card to meet the challenge. As you can see I added a border of some CS that was similar in hue to the colours in the leaf and then using the leftover piece I added it to my card base so it fit the sketch. Once the top layer was added it met the theme perfectly.

I’m pleased with how it turned out and had fun playing with the inks although if you had seen the mess I made of my glass mat and fingers you would laugh. Fortunately a little alcohol on a sponge helped me to clean it all up easily. Many thanks for stopping by, your time and any comments you leave are truly appreciated.

lavenderhousecreations

fall is coming

On a dog walk yesterday I found a beautiful fall leaf that was mostly intact so I brought it home. Not having the time to play with it, I set it aside with a damp cloth on top so it wouldn’t dry out too quickly. This morning I decided to use it and while thinking about it, I also checked out the latest challenge at Double D. They were calling for butterflies so I decided to combine my leaf with a butterfly.

I cut a 6X6″ card then spent some time painting the back of my leaf with colour, which when done, I spritzed slightly before laying it in position on my card. Using the tool I generally use to press stamps in my Misti or Stamping wheel, I carefully ensured it was pressed fully onto the card. I left it for a minute or two and then gently peeled off the leaf and what you see here is the result. I did stipple a little bit of green with a brush. There was enough colour left that I was able to do another much smaller piece for use later. The sentiment comes from a Joy Clair set and my butterfly is die cut using scraps and a StampinUP set. I chose to use some green embellishments from my stash that came from a package purchased at Michaels a long time ago.

My hubby was so enamored with the leaf print that he stole the card from me before I put it together and proceeded to take photos of it. When I got it back I went around the edges with a brown Spectrum Noir marker and then added the rest. I have to say I’m quite pleased with the end result and the leaf sure makes an interesting texture on the card.

Thanks for spending time with me today, I appreciate you and your time.

lavenderhousecreations

dale’s place

above showing card standing upright left side it is lying flat.

Our friend, who is always so generous with her time and talent, has a birthday coming up soon. She is a keen gardener and I wanted to make her a special card. Having done a bench style card for my hubby earlier this year, I had the idea of making another in a garden theme. I returned to Sam at https://mixedupcraft.com/2020/06/13/cute-bench-fold-card/ and this time CASE’d her card. In my case I don’t have a garden stamp set or dies, but I did have some pieces cut from a store bought card that I had saved and with my new Spellbinders kit could make florals and some pots. The gloves, rake and shovel were Internet sourced which I resized, printed and fussy cut. Like Sam I created a tray even including handles and I added some tiny flowers I’ve had forever and incorporated a few die cut leaves as well. The window is an A.I. die and the scene in the window is cut from another item I saved, which I think came from a chocolate box or similar. The wood grain paper is a dollar store product and the counter top is from my stash. I hand made the sign adding some cord and a tiny gem to hang it from. I did the same thing with the gloves and also with the saw hanging on the inside right panel. The planter is from my stash and I cut it down to make it work better and disguised the section where I added the piece together, with flowers. My flowers and leaves were sponged with distress oxides and I coloured the two pots with a copper marker and then some Sakura gel sparkle. I figured out how to add the watering can so the card can still be folded flat although as we see our friend often I’m hoping to give it to her rather than mail it.

When I began the card, I wasn’t really thinking about adding it to any challenges, but after checking a few I found that it does fit into some themes so I’m going to add it to the following:

https://thefourseasonschallenge.blogspot.com/, Colour around birdhouse and pots help my card fit into this challenge

https://secretstamper.com/2025/08/creative-creases-106/#more-47548, Anything goes fun folds

https://dd-tripleb.blogspot.com/, the butterfly in the window and the blooms on the shed.

Thanks for stopping by, your time and any comments you may leave are always appreciated.

lavenderhousecreations

not a flower in sight

As you can see from the above graphic, the challenge specifies no flowers at Seize the Birthday.

Having seen something like this on Instagram recently I wondered if I would be able to create something similar and this card is the result. Prior to adding the angled masking strips I used some tape to mask off an area that would become the sentiment space. Then using Gina K masking strips I masked off each section in angles. With some additional paper to mask as I was sponging, I proceeded to add colour in each space. Even with masking carefully I still managed to mess up a couple of edges, but not badly enough for me to have to begin over. The card I saw, had the artist using markers to fill in colour and then different colours in circles over each area creating a kind of Bokeh effect. In mine I used inks and sponges and then a stencil from TCW called crazy waves and sponged white pigment ink through the sections. Although it was visible I felt it needed a lift so I brushed Perfect Pearl powder in white over the top and the ink caught the shimmer really well. My butterflies are from Scrapbook.com and I used a pale lavender shimmer piece for the bodies with gold mirror for the pattern pieces. I also used a small body die from StampinUp to create the bodies for the butterflies as to my eyes they needed it. I used a Hampton Arts stamp to add the sentiment, masking off the unwanted word before stamping as the sentiment was too long and I didn’t want to cut the stamp. I backed the rainbow layer with foam tape and then added it to the card front. A few small clear gems and my card was finished. The most work was creating the masked off areas before adding colour.

I’m quite pleased with the end result and because I had inks and sponges out I did another slim line piece for a different card you will see in a future post. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time.

We’ve had 48 hours of rain, which has lessened the fire danger dramatically and enabled fire fighters to keep a handle on a bad one burning up island. It has also ensured a lot of the smoke has dissipated which is good for all of us, but in particular people with chest conditions. I feel a sense of relief and although more sunshine is coming it isn’t likely to be as hot as the past couple of weeks have been.

lavenderhousecreations

favourite colour

The latest challenge at Seize the Birthday #310-Use Your Favorite Color. My favourite colour is almost always purple in any variation and I like it paired with yellow and or gold. I wasn’t too sure of what I might make for the challenge so decided to just play around with a few scraps and some dies. This card is the result of playing. I had no real idea in my head, except that I wanted it simple. My card front is from GKD, the dies used are from Essentials Mixed edge rectangle layering basics and a heart shape from Hero Arts infinity dies. I cannot remember which stamp set the sentiment is from as it was one of several I had in my stash of oddments although I suspect it is from a dollar store stamp set. The purple paper is from StampinUP and was sitting around on my desk for several weeks. I didn’t like the patterned side but I love the variation in tone on the purple side. The yellow is what I have in my stash. I cut another heart from gold which I then cut in half and added behind the purple one to give an edge to it. This was then popped up with some foam tape and added after I had glued the rectangles in place.

This is quite a simple card, and I like how it turned out. Using this die set was also a good idea as I’ve had it for some time and not used it nearly enough. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your time and any comments you may leave.

lavenderhousecreations

one for each decade

One of my aunts, is turning 90 soon, and I decided to make this card for her. As a bonus the card fits the current challenge at: The Sisterhood of Crafters – Strips and/or Dots. As you can see, the candles show both stripes and dots, but the PP also has them in its design.

I did consider making a card that incorporated 90 candles, but discarded the idea due to the thickness and cost of mailing one that is oversize. So instead I used the double Z fold technique and added 9 candles to represent 9 decades. The stamp used is an old (very) Hero Arts wooden block and I found it isn’t stamping well so I shall be discarding it. That said I got a good enough impression to use for this card although I did have to use a sharpie to fill in edges. After stamping enough, along with a few extra just in case, I coloured them using pencils, Sakura Gelli roll pens and some Perfect Pearls for additional shine. Took a while to fussy cut, but cutting mostly straight lines isn’t hard.

Using some GKD CS, I had prepared my card base and added some PP, the music panel is from a napkin, the back panel is StampinUP DSP that had a shade of the same colour blue as the card base in the design and the other PP was gifted to me a long time ago and I think is from Michaels. The bottom is the Z fold strip after I had added the PP to it. Glued all the candles down as you see and checked the folding to ensure no errors. Of course I found a big one so a little bit of cursing was in order. I had to get very creative to fix it. What had happened was that I used both sides of the white CS to stamp the candles because the first try didn’t get good results. Figuring mistakes wouldn’t show once they were glued I stamped again on the other side. On a different design this this wouldn’t have been an issue, but I forgot that when the card is folded the backside of the candles shows and it was ugly. Fixing it required stamping another 6 candles onto white CS, fussy cutting and then adding them behind the glued ones. A little bit more cursing to get them glued, but it worked for the most part. I decided not to worry about perfection so while still not pretty, it’s a lot better than it was. If I do another card similar to this I will ensure that both sides of the stamped image are the same. My hands didn’t like the effort though and I’m paying for it now.

With a leftover piece of the blue CS I die cut the sentiment letters using a Scrapbook.com set of alphabet dies and glued them along the bottom deliberately skewing them slightly for a fun look. I felt it needed something on the last piece so I used a Forever in Time dollar store set, stamped the star and fussy cut it before adhering as you see. I’ve created a white piece for the back of the card so I can write a personal message, which will include an explanation for the quantity of candles.

All in all, I’m pleased with the end result and shall be mailing it tomorrow morning. Thanks for stopping by, your time and you are appreciated.

lavenderhousecreations

Sympathy window

Once again I needed a sympathy card, 5th one this month. As Double D Frames Challenge is looking for frames, I figured I might as well make a card that works for that as well as for the friend it is intended for. At the same time it gave me a chance to use part of a Spellbinders die set that came with my kit for the Weekender Retreat. I used just the window arch and interior piece, plus the steps, along with a Gummiapan floral as a small topper, sentiment is from GKD and the background is DSP from StampinUP. Florals were coloured with pencils and because I messed up I had to add an additional flower near the sentiment as well as a fussy cut bird from the DSP to disguise the mess. I guess experience in card making means that we know what to do when we make a mistake. I used my score board to get the lines behind the scene. In the end I quite like the result.

We have heat in a big way, and I am glad that where we live usually means we also have a breeze as it helps to keep the house cool. Down in the town it will be almost unbearable. Tomorrow my dragon boat team are racing in an area that will be even hotter and I am glad that I will not be participating. I tried one race last year, did not enjoy it and decided that racing is not for me. Practices I enjoy as there is less pressure and fortunately the team understand my limitations. My hands sometimes just won’t hold onto the paddle properly which is disastrous if in a race. And if any of you are wondering whether your scissors are sharp, just do what I did and have them slip when cutting something. My finger is now bandaged so I don’t get more blood on anything. All I was trying to do was to cut my sentiment stamp in half so I could use it differently and I didn’t notice that the points of the scissors were going to hit my finger. BooHoo!

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you, your time and any comments you may leave. Have a great weekend.