Rare Earth French Countryside.

The French Countryside stamps are part of the Toile de Jouy collection from Rare Earth, based on historical cloth designs. They feature pastoral scenes and could be used to send cards for a number of occasions. Here are some samples of how they could be used.

I love this beach scene and had fun colouring it in. The background stamp is from a previous Rare Earth collection.

The trees could be part of a scene but I think they look majestic on their own. I used pencil crayons and water colours.

There used to be a lot of windmills in France, playing their part in producing flour. Afterwards I thought I could decoupage the sails and  they could even be made of a thicker card and set up so they could move around.

There is an old watermill close to where my parents used to live so this picture brought back memories for me. It`s the kind of card my Mum would have liked.

A lovely tranquil fishing scene. I used pencil crayons to colour this design and the blackberries are from another rare Earth collection.

The designs are easy to colour because the stamps indicate areas where it needs to be darker such as at the foot of the building.

Rare Earth Toile de Ville

The Rare Earth Toile de Ville stamps are based on classic designs from cloth making. They include village scenes and village people which are be built into scenes. The stamps are very detailed and work well with the load and fold stamping platform. Here are a few examples using the stamps.

 You can see that the stamps are very detailed. I used pencil crayons and water-colour paints. The stamps make you feel like an artist without having the hassle of drawing them yourselves.

I enjoyed colouring the buildings and used some of the botanical stamps from other stamps in the collection as embellishments.

I made the scene using Impossibel card dies from Tattered Lace. I added some flowers fro decoration.

Motivational sayings by rare earth

It is so lovely to have such amazing messages to send to people and I enjoyed using the stamps to make cards and a motivational mini book.

I used the tattered Lace Impossible card dies to create this card. The sentiment "believe you can" can be used on so many occasions. I used embossing powder to help the sentiment to stand out.

This is the cover for my mini book. I used some of the motivational stamps on the front. 

I used a quote on each page and set myself little goals which are in the pockets.

I used some backgrounds I had made with Rare Earth stamps for the pages.

The feather is from the Boho set of stamps.

I had some round metal clips to join the pages together.

I think this sentiment describes my crafting. I have progressed but am far from perfect.

I stamped some of the sentiments and embossed in white and used other stamps to create a background. I wiped over the white with a paper towel to remove any of the background colours clinging to the white.

This card was created the same way. I used portions of stamps in some areas to give different textures.

I think I got a bit carried away with this technique but could`t stop once I got going.

I used the Tattered Lace book stamps for this card. I used several layers to give some depth.

Another example of white embossing.

Another example using the Impossible card dies. The sentiments fit well onto the stand-up portion of the card.

I added some fantasy flowers made with my fleurs Mallow dies.

The sentiment "you can fly" was crying out for a pair of wings. This card winged it`s way to Tattered Lace Towers!

Build a buddy

When I saw the Build a Buddy dies from Crafter`s Companion I knew I had to have them because I used to make soft toys but enlarging the patterns to the right size and cutting them out accurately can be difficult and a lot of hassle. The dies make it easy peasy to cut accurate shapes and I`ve had so much fun using them.

Here is my version of the cat. I prefer hand sewing but used the machine to make the dress. I added the lace at the bottom of the dress and used a few dies from Tattered Lace Tiny Tubs to give the the face more features.

Here is my rabbit. I made the ears a bit smaller by using the die for the carrot as the ears. I used a small pom-pom for the nose.

I have developed some new characters using the Tiny Tubs dies. Here is Mr Fox.

I used some felt already with a tiger print on to make this tiger, Tiny Tubs dies were used to make the facial features.

Here is a smart panda with bow tie and jacket.

Continuing with my jungle theme  I made cheetah.

My dog character is dressed using African cloth.

I made another of the big cats- the lion. I think it is more a lion cub than an adult.

Rare Earth Sweet Traditions

Christmas comes early in the crafting word and these are the Rare Earth Christmas stamps. They feature all the sweet sugary thing we love to eat at Christmas. There are so many stamps that it gives you endless possibilities when designing your cards. I really love these set of stamps and have enjoyed trying them out.

The wreath stamp is lovely and you can personalise it how you wish. I fussy cut the gingerbread men and candy cane to give the card dimension.

I love making z cards as they are so easy to make and very effective. I went to town and added lots of the stamped elements to decorate this card. The gingerbread house is really fun and matches with the other stamps.

I love making pop-up box cards and used the gingerbread standing on top of each other to give some height. Doesn`t it make you feel hungry looking at all these mouthwatering delicious goodies.

I used the Kit n Caboodle Essential Cards and Envelopes Vol. 2 to cut out this penny slider card. The gingerbread man spins around the card as you move it.

Another use of the wreath with the Christmas shaped biscuits this time. Again the biscuits were fussy cut.

The Christmas tree stamp is very detailed and looks beautiful when stamped and give a bit of colour.

I used the background stamps for the pattern behind the tree.

I stamped the mug in red and added clear embossing colour. It makes a strong statement on a card.

I fussy cut the centre of this card and suspended the biscuit bell using thread. The bow is really lovely.

I love Christmas pudding and this one looks really appetising. Oxide inks were used for the background. I drew lines on the card to look as though the decorations are suspended.

There are some wonderful sentiments that come with the set and I love the design and lettering of this one.

Cheers!! by Rare Earth

The new "Say Cheers" stamps by Rare Earth are inspired by drink inspired images. There are also a set of sayings. I had the pleasure of playing with the images which range from non alcoholic to alcoholic drinks.  The stamps could be used for so many situations and are fun to work with. The stamps include drinks that can be found in a coffee shop , drinks for the summer or winter, and drink up which are spirits and a selection of bottles.
Here are the ideas I came up with...

I wanted to make the bottle look as though it wa being poured so I used three different angles. The background is one of the background stamps, embossed in white then ink added to enable the background to show up.

The champagne bottle is fun and  I love the curls which i embossed in green glitter powder.

A more homely scene with tea and cake. I used pencil crayons to colour the designs and cut them out to give a bit of dimension.

I used co-ordinating colours for the cup and background and found some ribbon and button that matched.

I did not really plan this design but it just grew until there was enough alcohol for a party!

This is more of a summery design. You can imagine the drinks at a garden party on a lovely day. I write this on a rainy day in June. I believe the sunshine will come.

I really like the tower of cups with a pretzel and other goodies. 

Some more mouthwatering goodies to eat  to accompany the drinks. Again I used pencil crayons to colour them.

I think the cocktails suit a vibrant background. Again I embossed in white and used inks to highlight the designs.

I made a centre stepper card using the pile of fancy cups.

Another summery drink with orange and cherry for garnish, I could do with one now!

Anyone fancy a cup of tea and a biscuit?  I liked the angle on the cup. I think it works really well with the background.