It's butterflies over at the challenge site !!!!

Yes, for the whole of April you can enter your craft makes that feature butterflies over at our challenge site at Country View Challenges. You can see some fabulous inspirational makes from our Design Team and enter your own! You have a whole month to enter so why not start creating? Click HERE to jump to our challenge site.

Dragonfly bag, tag and card by Chris

If you’re looking for some peace and quiet from the kids then this cheery trio is so simple that you can sit them down with some basic tools and let them get on with it! This beautiful set of dies and stamps from Stephanie Barnard at Sizzix called ‘Dragonfly’ is a useful set that you’ll reach for time and time again. No matter the occasion, birthday, anniversary, get well soon and for any season. A worthy collection for your toolbox and CURRENTLY IN THE SALE at a snip of a price of just £7.99!

The bag uses the flower stamps from this useful set and 4 coloured ink pads – does it get any simpler? You can use any gift bag just tailor the backing paper to suit the size.

You don’t even need a tag die, just cut a rectangle of card and use any corner punch you have to decorate the corners. I’ve stamped some flowers onto shrink plastic and coloured them to create the mini flowers. The dragonfly was stamped onto acetate and glittered.

The card was made to match and features the dragonfly and shrinkie flowers again. Use them for any occasion and this set is sure to put a smile on the face of any friend or family member.

To view, print or download the instructions please click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment and don’t forget to visit our NEW CHALLENGE SITE. Have a great weekend.

Chris xxx

Dragonfly Thank You card by Chris W

If you've got to say thank you for all the Easter eggs and choccies you've been given over Easter then how about making a 'thank you' card? If you've not seen Karen Burniston's 'Pop n Cuts' dies then please take a look, it's a fabulous idea and you can achieve fabulous results in minutes. I've also used this cute dragonfly from the Sissix die and stamp set by Stephanie Barnard - it's in the sale at a snip!

Once you've bought the base tray in the 'Pop n Cuts' collection, which comes with the circle inner, you can add words or images to your pop up inside. There are additional shapes and cut out words such as this 'Thanks' one you can get to add to your collection. A really unique idea and a great set to own!

If you want the instructions on how it's made you can view, print and download them HERE.

Happy Easter all. 

Chris xxx

Recipe Book by Chris W

This is the last Easter post from me using the Easter die and stamp set. Even if you don't bother celebrating Easter this set is well worth having for the brilliantly useful egg dies as you will see!! This make is a little more difficult but still at an 'intermediate' level so nothing too hard.

If you don't have a basket die you can use a decorative oval instead.

Binding the pages with the Bind-it-all or the Cinch makes putting the pages together so easy. Simply wave a ribbon through the binding wires and tie at the top to add some interest.

Inside you can label and decorate the pages however you want to, to personalise to you or for someone else. Writing your recipes on a tag and slipping inside is a kewl way to keep them.

You could also change the orientation of the book if you so wish. Using it this way the book will stand up by itself.

Whether you shabby chic it, glam it, grunge or distress it, it makes a great little present. I know exactly who is getting mine and it's gone into the Christmas box already [g]. If you would like to view, download or print the instructions (with photo's) you can do so by clicking HERE.

Have a happy Easter everyone.

Chris xxx

Chocolate Easter Egg card by Chris W

Another very simple and quick card to make with the same Easter set of dies and stamps from Sizzix as before...

This time I've used the Damask border die by Jen Long-Philipsen. It's quite a large die (this is an 8" x 8" card) and a snip at £9.99. This card can be made in very little time with the most basic of skills so as long as you can turn the handle of a die cutting/embossing machine then you can make this card.

As well as making an egg from craft metal I've used a dark brown card to simulate a chocolate egg too. If you want to view, download or print the instructions you can do so by clicking HERE. Add any greeting you want to personalise it.

Have fun and thanks for visiting.

Chris xxx

Easter ATC by Chris W

Here's a simple little ATC you can make and trade with your ATC friends for Easter.

Using this lovely little Easter die and stamp set it literally took minutes to make. I also used an ATC die to cut the board it's made with. (The Tim Holtz ATC die with corners is in the sale at a snip of a price at £6.99!!!!!) Cover your ATC with paper then cut the chick, the eggs, the grass and the letters. Stamp a couple of chicks onto shrink plastic, colour and shrink with your heat gun. Speckle the eggs using glimmer mists or spray inks then colour the grass with Distress markers. Tuck one of the eggs behind the grass to the bottom left and  glue into place (portrait orientation). Add the other egg to the right and glue into place followed by he chick, centred. The two little 'shrunk' chicks can be placed over the grass to the left. Simply cut your letters using an alphabet die and highlight the letters with a white pen. Hey presto, you're done!

Hope you're having fun making your Easter goodies, please stop by again soon.

Chris xxx

'Which came first?' Easter card by Chris W

The quirky little chick and eggs Easter set of dies & stamps by Stephanie Barnard at Sizzix is very versatile and to prove it I'll be blogging a number of pieces using them on the run up to Easter. The first is this simple Easter card...

As well as using the Easter set, I've used the fabulous Sizzix Harvest Bucket (Originals) die. This has been retired now, which is a great shame, and it's in the sale at the ridiculous price of £4.99. There aren't many left so grab it whilst you can, it's been a firm favourite of mine for years!

The card itself is very easy to make so even the newest newbie can attempt it (click HERE to view, download or print the instructions). Using ink sprays or glimmer mists to 'speckle' the eggs is effective and it's just a case of layering them behind the bucket.

The cheeky little chick just finishes the card off. It definitely reminds me of the saying "What came first, the chicken or the egg", lol.

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to comment if you have the time.

Chris xxx