WOW that looks fabby! Any chance of passing along the template (and crystal clear instructions) Jill??? pwetty, pwetty pwease??? (I'm such a cadger...)

OOoh Jill thats so professional looking! How nice (hint hint)

lol Ren

it's easy as Toni .. forgive if it's a silly question but do you use A4 size in France? It's just one sheet of that.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m161/JillEMac/P9140229.jpg

is a photo of the template - let me know if there's anything else you need ot know.

oh! the closure.
I originally used magnetic sheet bit behind the circle bit but it wasn't strong enough to hold so either velcro or those cicle/string loopy things are good.

OK so I can cut my 30*30 to make it A4, the rest is just in the folding? Cool! I'll have a play at the weekend. Thanks a mil' copago Do you use liquid glue, glue stick or double sided to stick down the various parts of the box?

I'll see what I can come up with for the fastening.

As I really don't make many cards, I'm thinking of using that box for storing rubber stamp images - you know, the character ones like Sugar Nellie and company? . I joined a great site (French) where the girls swap for bits and pieces - flowers, specific paper, stamped images etc. It saves you from having to buy every one that you want to use and it's a bit of fun opening the mail

Having just said that I don't make many cards, I find myself with two to show.

They're for twin sisters whom I know over the internet, it's their birthday today (Monday). I made them matched cards and coordinating fridge magnets.

I'm not too sure whether I actually like the cards, mind you. They're totally different to what I usually make.

Oh the little girls on the fridge magnets are sooo cute. The cards are lovely too Santana.

Those are nice Toni.

This is what eight hours work looks like, my neck aches, my eyes are burning and although I know it really isn't wonderful it will do.

Sue, I think lots of people on here do not really know how parchment work is done. That looks so lovely and maybe you could explain a bit about it?

In another thread then...

Sue that is beautiful. Hope the recipient appreciates all your hard work.

This one is much faster as it isn't parchment. It is called a step card.

That mask, Sue ... sunning doesn't even come close!!!

Love your step card, I must try one some time, they always look great!

Toni - I love, love, love, love your cards! I will have to copy them. Hope I'm allowed.

Sue's parchment mask is stunning, as all her parchment cards (or other cards). I've seen her working with parchment 'live' and it looks impossible, believe me. My eyes would drop out in the first 5 minutes. I'll never be tempted by that technique and I've always admired Sue and any other parchment crafter.

The step card looks great! I'm tempted to try one myself. Love the poppies.

Here's a little digi-stamp fairy I've been playing with recently.

Cute fairy, Denni! Your flowers are gorgeous.

Where do you get your text stamps? (English ones, that is )

Thanks Toni! "My flowers" are ready-made, I just assemble them with brads

The vast majority of my stamps are generous gifts from Sue. I've bought very few myself, ordering them on-line or buying used sets from fellow bloggers at ridiculously low prices.

The text on this card comes from a See D's set I have from Sue (excellent stamps!) - the set is called "Tropicals". All See D's sets have text stamps in them and they are very good quality and easy to use. I recommend them especially as I've noticed they are currently on sale in many places.

Another source of text stamps are Studio G stamps (Sue was the provider of those too ) - these are small stamp sets, not very expensive but very nice stamps and each little set has 'words' in it.


I mostly make birthday, general best wishes, thank you and Christmas cards, so I don't need too many texts, and what I have by now is more than enough for me. (Thank You Sue once again!)

OH I have a couple of Studio G stamps, and intend getting more. As you say they are cheap enough, don't take up much space, and usually are pretty adaptable.

I find it harder to buy word/phrase stamps that will get used more than once as I mainly scrapbook. I don't want to say the same thing on every page now, do I?

It does mean, however, that when it comes to cardmaking I don't have much suitable stuff, and I'd like to build up a selection of the basic 'sentiments'. I'll have a look into some of the suggestions you've made Buying second-hand seems to be a great idea. Kind of hard to 'wear out' a stamp, isn't it?

Although I don't tend to use them, I have some stamps with one letter on each so you can make up your own words.

Yes, alphabets are handy, I have three sets but only use them occasionally. Nowadays I tend to cut out the letters I need using my CB.

I can't do that for a long title, however, as it takes up too much space on the page, same as for individual letter stamps. Having a whole woed in one stamp (when it's the right word) is a great time-and-space saver.

Sometimes I handwrite on strips of paper, then ink the strips and use them as the title or sub title.

I guess I'm just difficult :P and that it pays to have several techniques at your disposal, you can then choose the one which works best under each particular circumstance.

What do you do your cards in mostly, Toni? English or French? or a bit of both?

English, definitely English (It's seen as very chic here in France , and it makes more sense to me anyhow).

I do have a selection of French phrases and words, and a great source if I need more. I just find it harder to find that special English set for Scrapbooking. I do have some stamps, and know one or two other sets which I want to order sometime soon. (Perhaps I can place a largish order for my upcoming 40th and DH will turn a blind eye? )

I do order lots of my stuff from the UK or America (gets costly sometimes). It is handy to have suggestions from others, or to find out the name of a particular collection if a stamp somebody has used is one which appeals to me.

This is a joint effort between Mada and I. She designed the papers and 'topper' on the front and I used her design to produce the paper which is inside. It is a large card.



I scanned the inside with it open on one side, the on the other side and finally took a photo of it fully open but the colour is all wrong in that, but you get the idea of what is like open.

The border is shiny silver, not black or gold!

What a beautiful beautiful card!