That is the site I am using, it is good.

(I realy must learn how to type properly ... )

When things settle down here I must have a look at it - the effect of it is very nice.

What is the go with the teabog folding?

Stamping for me, is to messy - although they do look nice, when they are embossed with embossing powder. Never done Tea Bag folding or Iris folding - looks too fiddly!

Changing the name to make this one of the Craft Circle

What I do is try and get a profile on the person that the card is made for and work on their likes.Say for instance they like cats-so I find some cat stickers-BTW-stickers is the main thing I use to decorate my cards but I also use rub ons if I can get them,peel offs are nice on cards,along with Stickles which is a craft glitter glues (I do love adding sparkle to cards)-and anything else they like.
If they like gardening-I decorate my card with gardening related stuff etc and so on.It's great fun
I can just see my new nickname-'Carol the profiler'!! lol

Hi Carol, I think Sue would send you this link so you can learn what it is and how to do it. She sent me a lovely card recently , made with this method. It is gorgeous. You need patience though!
Iris folding

Thanks for the info Ren So that's what Iris folding is!-a friend of mine sent me a card last year with this technique on it-she said it was easy once you know how.In for a bit of fun with this I can see haha

Has anyone tried embossing powder?
I have some here but don't really have a good heat scource ... would waving it over the toaster be any good? (I susupect not, but thought I'd ask )

Copago, I use embossing powder a lot. You can use a toaster - that's what I used at first - but nothing beats the proper hot tool for doing it. Hairdryers don't work, strangely enough.

I love the effect of embossing powder. Whether you want to lash out and buy a hot tool will depend on how much embossing you want to do. I only use four embossing powders - gold, silver, copper and clear. There is no point in buying coloured embossing powder because you can have any colour you want if you use clear. Clear will take on the colour of whatever colour stamp pad you've used.

I learned the hard way, however, that you have to use ink pads with slow drying ink. If you use the type that dry quickly (e.g. Staz-on), they don't emboss well.

I have some embossing powder and have used it. Carole is correct in saying hairdryers won't work, they are too blowy and blow the powder off whereas the heat guns are less blowy but hotter. Mine cost about £10.

Many years ago my daughter was into stamping (if only she hadn't sold all those stamps at a car boot sale!) and back in those days I knew nothing of heat guns and bought her one of those heat trays which is designed to keep food warm. She used to use a couple of small metal spoons to hold the card/paper down and it worked well.

I tried embossing today and what a nice effect! I ended up using a heatgun, the type that you're meant to strip paint off with. Worked a treat. But must remember to put it on a baking dish or something ... or perhaps not lean on the sink after using a heat gun over it. ouch!

A friend lent me some powders a while ago and never had the nerve to play with it. I must ask her if I can buy them off her, she went and got herself a job when her little one started school and barely has time for craft anymore.

I have just made my first Christmas card of the year!

This afternoon I went into town to buy some metallic giftwrap to use on iris folding so here it is.

Edited to update image as I have added some little stars.

Very very good Sue!!! Not done Iris folding before, Me and Mum usually start making our Christmas Cards in August/September even though we always have cards left over from the year before!!

I have a handful of cards on my mantlepiece waiting to be be sent - so many birthdays and anniversaries during the next few weeks. I surprised myself with the variety, only two have similar papers even, both the recipients like pinks and as I was doing one I used the same papers for the other.

There is an iris folded cross for a friend who asked for a birthday card with a religious theme, then there is a teabag folded one, the bright one with a 5 is for a certain little man in Aus so as well it isn't showing well in the photo, then there is the photo of a lotus blossom sent to me by Ren, one using a commercial flower sticker, one using stamping and finally one using a local photo that I took - that one is for my son.

You can see them here

The one with the stamping was a new technique for me, I edged the card with an embossing pen then dipped it in gold embossing powder then heated it.

Oh, Copago, on television the other day they said you can use a paint stripper as a substitute for a heat gun.

They are lovely, Sue!

Today, by chance, I received some embossing powder from an ebay seller and I went with MG's tip of the clear powder and it's working great. So I've had the paint stripper working trying different things out. Much easier to waste my own podwer than a friends!

I find using the powder to be very economical. I use one of those 'tidy trays' and a soft half inch paintbrush to sweep up all the excess.

The other day I tried triple-embossing, that was fun but I think the stamp I tried to use was too intricate and I didn't get a clear impression all over. I will try it again sometime but that does use a lot of powder and ink as you need to build up at least four layers before stamping.

Quote:

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I use one of those 'tidy trays' and a soft half inch paintbrush to sweep up all the excess.

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I don't know exactly what you mean by a 'tidy tray' but I purchased a special tray that has a funnel at one end to make it easy to pour the excess powder back into the jar. I also use a soft paintbrush to brush the last of it down to the funnel.

That is the thing, mine has two 'funnels' of differing sizes you can use whichever fits the container better, each has a screw cover.

What lovely cards Sue, you have been busy. How do you find time to do all those cards and spend time on FT?

I love making them. When I start a card I have absolutley no idea as to how it will turn out.