Clean & Simple Watercolour Card {Swedish House Crafts}

Hello! Today, I have a 'Clean & Simple' card to share, made with some of my favourite Gummiapan and Crafter's Companion items from Swedish House Crafts.

I started with some Crafter's Companion Watercolour Sheets, adding a little bit of colour in some fresh, citrus shades! Leaving that to dry, I hauled out my dire-cut machine and made a little stack of die-cuts with the Gummiapan - 2 Diamonds Die.

When the watercolour was dry, I stuck the die-cuts onto the watercolour, with the Crafter's Companion Extra Strong Permanent Glue Tape (it adheres like a dream!) then cut carefully around the edge with some craft scissors. I added the bigger die-cut diamond to the card first, then layered on the smaller diamond. 

I cut some Solar White Cardstock down to 6in x 3 in (folded to create a 3in x 3in card) then cut some Printable Vellum to fit inside the card, sticking the top edge of the Printable Vellum into the fold.

Then I used the Gummipan Stamp, 'Shine Bright Like A Diamond' Stamp on the inside of the card, as a matching sentiment. Doesn't the Momento Tuxedo Black Ink look so crisp? (Please note that this lovely stamp is currently out of stock but should be back soon. In the meantime, there's also a companion 'You're A Diamond' Stamp.)

I love this combination of fresh colours with crisp white and am especially loving how easy I am finding it to use watercolours in my crafting now that I have broken them out of their box! 

Swallows & Amazons Layout {Swedish House Crafts}

Hello! Hello! I'm thrilled that, after Guest Designing for Swedish House Crafts last month, I've been asked to join the Design Team! (How cool is that?) So, this morning, I have a soft, little layout to share with you, using some of my favourite items from the store! It's all so lovely!

The colours of the Maja Design, Sofiero, Limited Edition, Complete Collection are so beautiful and I wanted to make the most of the soft, delicate florals by 'showcasing' them in a little layout. I'm normally a little nervous about adding text directly onto cardstock (in case I make a mistake!) so I added my journalling onto some Crafter's Companion Printable Vellum Paper.

I then cut the vellum down to size and layered it onto the cardstock. I left a little bit of the cardstock on show, but the vellum adds a lovely softness to the overall look. I love it!

Once I'd added the vellum, I used a small doily from my own stash, layered underneath my theatre tickets as the central element. To add detail, I raided my Swedish House Crafts stash and added some leaves cut with the Gummiapan Die Set - Twig Rounded underneath some Coral Pink/Primrose Paper Flowers and Vintage White Paper Flowers.

For a little more detail, I used the Gummiapan Die - Twig, Rounded Large to make some slightly larger leaves, to add the bottom of the central element. These dies are so versatile (and I'm not biased, they really are amazing!) 

Now, can a recommend a little visit to the Swedish House Crafts Blog? There's so much to see!

Romantic Altered Matchbox {Swedish House Crafts}

It's time for me to share the first of my Design Team makes for Swedish House Crafts - and I could not be more thrilled! I could not have been happier with the selection of new (to me) collections that I received to work with - lots of romantic colours and textures; new and interesting stamps; amazing dies and some really lovely embellishments!

Swedish House Crafts are UK based, so if Gummiapan, Magnolia Stamps, Maja Design, Pion Design, Reprint and Roxstamps are all new to you, then it's well worth a visit!

The first make I have to share is this cute, little 'Romantic Altered Matchbox'. I used to make these little lovelies *all* of the time, but I haven't made one for so, so long!

The base of the matchbox is covered in one of the small florals from the Maja Design, Sofiero, Limited Edition Collection (shown below.) You can see that I've also used the same floral to cover the inside of the drawer. It's so soft and delicate. I'll be so sad when I have used it all!

Once the base was covered, I started to add embellishments - the best bit! I used more of the Maja Design, Sofiero, Limited Edition Collection with a Gummiapan Die (Rounded Large Twig) to make some leaves, then added a few hand-cut and coloured leaves to add a little depth.

I added some of my own handmade linen and lace flower embellishments, then tucked in some beautiful Coral Pink/Primrose Paper Flowers and Vintage White Paper Flowers to add a little colour.

To finish, I used more of the Maja Design, Sofiero, Limited Edition Collection to make a butterfly embellishment and added a Large Round Brad to the drawer for effect!

I'm so happy to have re-kindled an old love - and I'm sure that I'll share more matchboxes! In the meantime, head on over to the Swedish House Crafts Blog for more inspiration from the Design Team!