Foil Play updates

Cheery Lynn Designs now in stock

2012-01-25T10:39:00.003Z

A selection of these gorgeous intricate dies from Cheery Lynn Designs is now in stock at Foil Play, including delicious doily, ornate butterfly and versatile stacking flower designs.
There is a great selection of videos with hints & tips on how to use the dies on the manufacturer's website here, and lots of inspiration too on the Cheery Lynn Designs blog.

January Bargains!

2012-01-16T10:55:00.001Z

Happy New Year from Foil Play, I hope you are enjoying the year so far.

I've been ruthless and added lots of January bargains to both the Clearance and Special offers sections of Foil Play, to make some room for all the lovely new 2012 crafty goodies, some of which are already on their way, so watch this space!
You'll find bargains galore from top brands such as Kanban, Hunkydory, Craftwork Cards, La Pashe and many more.
I've also revamped the Special offers page, with new featured offers and two extra sections:

special offers & clearance bargains by brand; and
a ginormous selection of decoupage and toppers at just 49p a sheet, this includes all of the die cut designs from G18 / National Crafts too

Enjoy browsing and why not bag a few bargains too!

Kanban Steam Punk Jasper stamps

2011-12-06T13:45:00.003Z

I've finally managed to get my hands on a limited quantity of these sought after Jasper steam punk Kanban clear stamps, I've been told that they won't be released to retail generally, so once they are gone, they'll be gone!

I've also managed to get restocks of the some of the everyday TSV stamps from earlier this year, including the very popular seascape design. All of the Kanban clear stamps can be found here.

As I will be shutting up shop for a break over the festive period on Friday, please don't delay if you'd like to receive your stamps before Christmas!

Christmas break & last posting date

2011-12-05T17:34:00.002Z

As usual, Foil Play will be taking a break over the festive period. I will be despatching orders as usual until Friday 9 December (my last posting date this year), so there is still time to make any purchases you need before Christmas.

The site will be closed then until shortly after Christmas, which means that you will be able to browse as normal, but as the checkout will be turned off, it won't be possible to actually place any orders. When the site is re-opened after Christmas, there will be lots of tempting sale bargains to look forward to! The first order despatch date after Christmas will be Tuesday 3 January 2012.

Thank you very much indeed for your custom during 2011 - wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2012!

Craftwork Cards Frosty & Friends Collection

2011-09-16T16:14:00.004+01:00

As you can see from this beautiful array of cards, a cracking new Christmas collection is hot off the presses from Craftwork Cards!
The Frosty & Friends Collection features a delightful selection of cute Christmas characters with co-ordinating papers and die cut embellishments in frosty blue, winter turquoise and buttermilk colourways.
Frosty the snowman and his friends are of course the stars of the collection, they are depicted in line drawings on die cut toppers, which you could use as they are, or colour in highlights with your favourite colouring medium.
There are two new stunning 'flavours' of Card Candi in the collection too - Frosty and Twinkle holographic silver metallic look alike brads, which are sure to add a touch of sparkle to your projects.
The Frosty & Friends Christmas collection includes:

6 x 6 inch Frosty Christmas paper pack - 24 sheets, half of which are silver foiled;
Frosty & Friends large die cut colour me toppers (three different options);
Frosty & Friends mini die cut colour me toppers;
Top Notch and Elegant die cut embellishments;
Die cut Christmas flowers;
Die cut button messages;
Frosty and Twinkle holographic silver Card Candi.

You can pick and choose which elements of the collection you purchase, Foil Play is selling all of the die cut sheets individually, rather than in packs.
As always at Foil Play, p&p is free on all orders over £5.00.

Dufex individual picture prints

2011-09-11T16:30:00.004+01:00

Dufex picture prints are great for cardmaking, and versatile too - you can either use them individually to make a stunning centrepiece, or if you have more than one of the same design, you can decoupage them to add extra layers / dimension.
Some of the prints have a panel design, so you could if you wish cut them into a number of individual toppers, making them very good value indeed.
Sadly, Dufex has now discontinued the smaller range of prints which were particularly suitable for cardmaking, including series 13, 14 and postcards.
I have stocked up on the remaining prints that Dufex had in stock and have some lovely new toppers listed now, including Christmas and religious designs.
I won't be able to restock the majority of print designs when they sell out, so if there are some that you particularly like, please stock up now and don't miss out!

Craftwork Cards Warren Christmas Collection

2011-09-08T11:08:00.005+01:00

This gorgeous selection of cards has been made using the new Craftwork Cards Warren Collection, which features a beautifully co-ordinated selection of toppers, papers, greetings and other embellishments.

The Christmas Warren collection has proved very popular at Foil Play with some elements selling out already, I have just restocked the collection.

As you can see, you can create a huge selection of beautiful cards, each using just a few elements of the collection.
The Warren Christmas collection includes:

8 x 8 inch Very Merry paper pack;
Warren & friends large die cut toppers (five different options);
Warren & friends mini die cut toppers;
Die cut Very Merry festive bunting;
Die cut Very Merry festive flowers;
Die cut button messages;
Die cut mini foiled messages;
Holly Berries, Very Merry Gold and Very Merry Silver Card Candi.

You can pick and choose which elements of the collection you purchase, Foil Play is selling all of the die cut sheets individually, rather than in packs.

Kanban Christmas POTD toppers

2011-08-29T10:32:00.001+01:00

As you may be aware, Kanban Crafts have recently moved TV shopping channels, from QVC to Ideal World / Create & Craft, and launched a gorgeous selection of new Christmas toppers in a Pick of the Day launch this week.
The POTD toppers are now available in store at Foil Play, so you can buy them individually if you didn't want the whole kit, or perhaps you got the whole kit, but would like to get extra of your favourite designs.
Other delicious new Christmas collections from Kanban are available at Foil Play and proving popular already, including:

Robin's Garden;
Christmas Country Cottages;
Winter Scenes;
Santa's Express;
Christmas Floral Tapestry;
Christmas Paper Roses;
Sentimental Christmas Labels;
Duo textured metallics;
Winter background card - this is a selection of printed background card (example pictured below) designed to co-ordinate perfectly with the POTD toppers.

As always, at Foil Play, p&p is free if you spend over £5.00.

New Dufex & free die cut decoupage offer!

2011-08-08T11:06:00.004+01:00

Dufex have very kindly given me a stash of die cut decoupage sheets to give out as customer freebies. If you spend £5 or more on Dufex products when placing an order, I will include one of the free sheets, while stocks last.
The latest designs from Dufex are now in stock, including a beautiful collection of floral die cut decoupage and a lovely selection of die cut decoupage for Christmas 2011, examples of each are pictured above (please note that these aren't the freebies!).

I've re-stocked many popular designs, including die cut decoupage, traditional decoupage, toppers and stickers. If it isn't in stock now, that is most likely because the design has been discontinued.

There are lots of new bargains to be found in the Dufex section of the website too, including:

stickers at 99p a sheet;
Christmas and everyday traditional decoupage at 49p a sheet;
selected die cut decoupage at £1.20 a sheet;
Christmas pyramex at 75p a sheet;
Floral shimmer cascades die cut pyramid decoupage at 99p a sheet; and
Die cut decoupage kits at £1.99 a pack.

Why not stock up now, while there are lots of bargains to be had, and get a free bonus die cut decoupage sheet too :-) There is no code for the free sheet, I will include it automatically if you spend £5 or more on Dufex products.

Simple cards with Craftwork Cards card candy

2011-07-30T15:13:00.000+01:00

Kanban Easter Bunny project

2011-07-30T14:43:00.000+01:00

Kanban British Birds cards

2011-07-30T14:37:00.000+01:00

Kanban Rosy Posies cards

2011-06-29T15:05:00.000+01:00

Kanban Football Mad cards

2011-06-29T15:00:00.000+01:00

Cards made with Kanban Aphodite ladies decoupage toppers

2011-06-29T14:29:00.000+01:00

Craftwork Cards Sweet Meadow Collection

2011-06-22T15:32:00.004+01:00

These lovely summery cards were made using the new Craftwork Cards Sweet Meadow collection, which is new in store at Foil Play.
The collection comprises a delicious selection of beautifully co-ordinating toppers, papers, greetings, mats and card candy.
As you can see, using just a small section of the papers from the collection will add a touch of luxury to your cards, and several of the designs lend themselves particularly well to decoupaging elements.
The Sweet Meadow collection includes:

8 x 8 inch designer paper pack;
8 x 8 inch embossed & washed paper pack;
Die cut bunting;
Die cut tags;
Die cut elegant square messages;
Ribbon messages;
Skinny die cut messages;
Stitched elegance square die cut mats;
Granny Smiths and Love Me Do Card Candi.

You can pick and choose which elements of the collection you purchase, Foil Play is selling all of the die cut sheets individually, rather than in packs.
The collection will of course also co-ordinate beautifully with many other Craftwork Cards products.

Kanban Carnaby Street elegant ladies cards

2011-06-20T11:06:00.001+01:00

I've just restocked (again!) the very popular Carnaby Street holographic foiled & die cut toppers and co-ordinating card from Kanban.
I made this selection of cards using the Carnaby Street toppers, as you can see they make very striking cards - ideal for stylish lady recipients!
I also used some black & silver greetings banners from Craft UK which co-ordinated well, along with a sprinkling of bling and some Sizzix die cut swirls.
The co-ordinating Kanban embossed bobble dots card in red and black is proving very popular too, a whole selection of other colours is also available to add a touch of texture to your projects.
One of the topper sheets (Bond Street Babes) that I used to create these cards is pictured below.
I've been busy restocking other products over the last week too, including many popular Kanban Christmas toppers - sorry to mention the 'C' word in June, but I know that many of you are already getting ahead of the game with your Christmas cards.

Craftwork Cards Fruit Scoop collection

2011-05-20T16:58:00.000+01:00

These delightfully colourful cards are made from Craftwork Cards' new Fruit Scoop collection, which is now in store at Foil Play.
The collection comprises a delicious selection of beautifully co-ordinating toppers, papers and greetings in a choice of tropical or sorbet colour palettes.
As you can see, using just a small section of the papers from the collection will produce cards to make a real impact!
The Fruit Scoop collection includes:

Fruit Scoop 8 x 8 papers;
Sorbet Scoop 8 x 8 papers;
Fruit Scoop die cut embellishments and accents;
Sortbet Scoop die cut embellishments and accents;
Hot Tropics card candi;
Icing Sugar card candi;
Fruit Scoop die cut retro flowers;
Mini die cut birthday messages;
In Circle die cut birthday button messages;
Perfect Petals template

The perfect petals template has been used with Fruit Scoop papers to make the first two cards pictured.
You can pick and choose which elements of the collection you purchase, Foil Play is selling all of the die cut sheets individually, rather than in packs. The collection will of course also co-ordinate beautifully with many other Craftwork Cards products.

Foil Play Birthday - 10% discount offer!

2011-05-06T16:15:00.003+01:00

It's birthday time again, Foil Play will be seven years old in May!

To celebrate the birthday, and as a big thank you to all my lovely customers, I'm offering a 10% discount off everything (other than gift vouchers and shipping upgrades) in store, if you spend over £10.

To receive the discount, just enter and apply the code BirthdayB when checking out. The offer ends at midnight on Sunday 8 May 2011.

Thank you again for your support over the past seven years!

Website is back online and open!

2011-05-03T17:23:00.002+01:00

The Foil Play website is now up and running again - my sincere apologies for the very long downtime. This was due to failure of the power supply to the dedicated server on which the site is hosted and very unfortunate timing as it failed on a bank holiday weekend.

Once again, I am very sorry indeed that it has taken so long to restore service.

Website down

2011-05-01T15:15:00.003+01:00

I do apologise that the Foil Play website is unavailable at present.

Unfortunately there appears to be a hardware failure on the site's dedicated server which will require an engineer to attend. I've asked for this to be done on Tuesday morning, due to the cost of out of hours call outs, so I'm afraid that the site will remain down in the meantime.

I'm very sorry for the inconvenience!

Update on 3 May - an engineer has examined the server and the problem appears to be that the power supply has failed, this is being attended to now.

Kanban Carnaby Street, Cats & Quilts, Haynes Collection, Gilded Collection & Sweet Shop

2011-04-11T11:04:00.005+01:00

All of these gorgeous cards are made from the new April selection of Kanban goodies, which is now in store at Foil Play.
Firstly, Carnaby Street - a fabulous selection of Yvette Jordan glamourous lady foiled & die cut toppers, with a huge choice of co-ordinating cardstock in red, white, blue and black.
The Cats and Quilts collection of die cut topper sheets is so delightful, that I was very sorely tempted to keep them all to myself and not list any! If you like them, be quick as I suspect they will be very popular.
The Gilded Collection is a gorgeous, colourful selection of bird themed die cut toppers, printed on luxurious reflective card.
There's something for men too, lots of Haynes Manual car themed images printed on golden reflective card, available both as die cut toppers and co-ordinating card.
Last but not least, a truly delicious selection of Sweet Shop toppers and co-ordinating card.
As always, at Foil Play you can pick and choose the designs that you like and will actually use, rather than investing in a huge kit and p&p is free if you spend over £5.00. If you already have a kit, you might like to stock up with a few extra of your favourite designs. Alternatively, get a sheet or two from several collections and you'll have lots of variety without it costing you a fortune.

Kanban Text Girl cards

2011-04-07T12:47:00.000+01:00

I made these four cards from a single die cut Kanban topper sheet, from the All About Her collection, I still have some of the die cut sentiments from the sheet left over.
The sheet contains two large toppers with additional decoupage layering elements which I've used for the first two cards above, and two smaller toppers. The bigger toppers are suitable for large cards - the first card pictured is 10 x 7 inches.
I've used nesties and Go-Create dies to create mats for the toppers.
I also used a selection of co-ordinating ribbons and a couple of Craftwork Cards button greeting sentiments.
The Kanban Text Girl die cut decoupage topper sheet that I used to make these cards is pictured above.

Craftwork Cards Anglomania card

2011-04-05T15:04:00.000+01:00

Angie created this classy card using Craftwork Cards Anglomania die cuts, along with crystal glitter card. The beaded bracelet in red white and blue provides a beautiful splash of colour, a gift perfectly themed to go with the card.
The die cut Craftwork Cards Anglomania sheet used to create this card is pictured below - it is currently at a bargain clearance price of 59p!
Angie has used the die cuts as they are for her classy card, you could of course colour them in if you prefer, using whichever colouring medium you like.

New baby card with Redhotbed toppers

2011-04-03T16:26:00.000+01:00

I made this card using a Redhotbed topper sheet. The toppers are die cut into rectangles, I used more than one and decoupaged individual elements to add a bit of dimension.

I used an 8" x 8" square card as the base card, covered with a sheet of DCWV paper. I added co-ordinating ribbon, embossed & plain mats and a cute Anna Griffin button sticker as the finishing touch. I rounded the corners of the topper & mats with a corner rounder.
The Redhotbed toppers sheet that I used to create this card is pictured above.

Wedding favours using Kanban enamel glazed card

2011-04-01T12:28:00.000+01:00

Angie has been a very busy bee again, creating these simply stunning wedding favours, using Kanban sparkle enamel glazed card and Dufex butterfly toppers.
As you can see, for both types of wedding favour, Angie has used small amounts of the card, so a little will go a long way.
The close up above shows how beautiful this particular card is, in stunning detail.
Angie made the butterflies for the first set of favours by decoupaging them from a sheet of die cut waterfall toppers. Dufex have now brought out a range of stunning die cut butterfly toppers, which are now in stock.
The second selection of pillow box favours is accented with beautiful layered flowers, with gem centres.
The sheet of Italian sparkle glaze Farfalla, lilac card which Angie used is pictured below.
Angie now has her own website, Krafty Pineapple, selling her gorgeous wedding and party stationery and other original craft products.

A short break

2011-03-28T22:51:00.000+01:00

Just a brief post to say that the site is closed at present and will be until Friday 1 April. You can still browse as normal, but the checkout is turned off, so you won't be able to actually place any orders until the site is re-opened, I do apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Orders placed up until this evening will of course be despatched as normal.

Craftwork Cards Warren Collection

2011-03-27T11:51:00.002+01:00

This gorgeous selection of cute cards is from the Warren Collection, now in store at Foil Play.
As you would expect from Craftwork Cards, the collection comprises a delicious selection of beautifully co-ordinating toppers, foiled papers and other embellishments in a colour palette of marshmallow, ice blue and skyscraper.
The 8 x 8 papers have a luxurious pearl foiled finish. As you can see, just using a small section of the papers will add a real touch of luxury to your cards.
The large and small die cut scallops in the collection are perfectly sized, the larger ones for the Warren toppers, the smaller ones for the embossed die cut circle embellishments.
The Warren collection includes:

8 x 8 inch pearl foiled papers;
8 x 8 inch die cut colour me Warren topper sheets;
8 x 8 inch die cut coloured in Warren topper sheets (these have proved very popular indeed, more supplies are on their way!);
Die cut mini birthday greetings & sentiments on sparkling white pearlescent card;
Embossed & die cut cotton white chalk me circles embellishments;
Die cut scallop circles, large and small;
Cotton candy card candi

Many elements of the collection, including the greetings, embossed circles and colour me sheets are suitable for you to colour using the medium of your choice to create a really unique and personalised card. For example, you could use pro-markers, shimmer paints, inkpads, glitter glue, chalks, watercolour pencils, Copic markers or glitter gel pens.
You can pick and choose which elements of the collection you purchase, Foil Play is selling all of the die cut sheets individually, rather than in packs. The collection will of course also co-ordinate beautifully with many other Craftwork Cards products.

More Kanban Classic Butterflies - designs with the easel card

2011-03-23T18:32:00.003Z

Following on from my earlier post, Kanban has just posted an illustrated idea sheet showing a number of ways to make up the Classic Butterflies easel concept card, sheet CON9093 on their Facebook page. The instructions are also available in PDF format.

Kanban Classic Butterflies pop out aperture card

2011-03-23T14:23:00.003Z

I made this pop out A6 aperture card from Classic Butterflies section of the recent Kanban QVC TSV, presently on waitlist only. Individual elements from the TSV have not been released to retail, but they are available to purchase from Foil Play.
To make the card, I used the die cut & foiled A6 concept card (PCT9091) for the base card and elements from the butterfly, birdcage & floral and borders & sentiments topper sheets (PCT1596, PCT1597 and PCT1595) to embellish it.
I sliced off the header of the concept card sheet, then folded it in half to A5 size. The sheet isn't die cut all the way through the centre fold, just the middle section. The card folds so that the aperture pops out and (viewed from above, as in the picture below) there is a square section opening out in the middle. The card also folds flat for posting.

I secured the outer sections on each side of the card together with extra strong double sided tape and left the inner two sections (which form the square) free of adhesive. If you wished, you could decorate the insides of the square (which are white) with co-ordinating paper before applying adhesive.

Web site news

2011-03-21T19:02:00.002Z

Firstly, apologies for being so quiet and lack of blogging recently - I must get back into a routine. I've been busy catching up with orders since my week 'off' - the office re-organisation went very well though, I am much more organised now and have just about completely memorised the new layout.

My hosting company is doing some routine maintenance tonight and moving the server on which Foil Play is hosted, so there is likely to be a brief period of downtime between 00:30 & 02:30 tomorrow morning. The downtime experienced should be less than 30 minutes in total, with the aim to be less than half of that. I do apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.

My webmaster has set up an RSS feed for new products listed on the website, so if you'd like to see all the new items as they are listed, you can subscribe to it. I've also set up a dedicated twitter account @foilplayproduct to tweet the new product details.

A short break

2011-02-17T11:17:00.002Z

Just a quick post to say that I'm taking some time off next week. The site will remain open, but I won't be despatching any orders between 19 - 27 February. I will be using the time to do some major re-organising of my office / other storage areas, which I can't do whilst also processing orders.

I will be despatching orders as normal until Friday 18 February, so if you need anything urgently, there's still time to order.

Craftwork Cards Botanicals Collection

2011-02-15T11:41:00.001Z

This delicious selection of cards is from the Craftwork Cards Botanical Collection, now in store at Foil Play.
As you would expect from Craftwork Cards, the collection comprises a delicious selection of beautifully co-ordinating card, foiled papers, die cut flowers and other embellishments in a colour palette of silver ice, lime and Caribbean sky.
The 8 x 8 papers have a luxurious black foiled finish. As you can see, just using a small section of the Botanical collection paper will add a real touch of luxury to your cards.
The Botanical Collection includes:

8 x 8 inch black foiled papers;
8 x 8 inch black foiled colour me sheets;
Die cut in Circle everyday sayings button messages (gold foil or silver foil on sparkling white pearlescent card);
Die cut flowers;
Die cut notch tags;
Die cut scallop circles;
Die cut scallop rectangles;
Botanical card candy.

Many elements of the collection, including the papers, greetings buttons and colour me sheets are suitable for you to colour using the medium of your choice to create a really unique and personalised card. For example, you could use pro-markers, shimmer paints, inkpads, glitter glue, watercolour pencils, Copic markers or glitter gel pens.
You can pick and choose which elements of the collection you purchase, they will of course also co-ordinate beautifully with many other Craftwork Cards products.

New La Pashe decoupage - Nice and Easel, Trinitage and Build a Blossom

2011-02-05T15:00:00.005Z

Some gorgeous and innovative new decoupage designs from La Pashe are now in store at Foil Play:

Nice and Easel, beautiful floral images, designed particularly for easel format cards, but would look stunning on any large card;
Everyday Trinitage designs, following on from the hugely popular Winter themed designs released last year;
Build a Blossom, enabling you to create beautiful 3D floral toppers for your card and craft projects.

All designs are available to purchase either individually, or in full sets of eight designs per format.

La Pashe has released a series of YouTube videos with step by step guides on how to use the Build a Blossom sheets, I've added them here for ease of viewing:

Craftwork Cards Confetti collection

2011-01-22T10:57:00.000Z

Here's a selection of cards made with the gorgeous new Craftwork Cards Confetti collection, which is now in store at Foil Play.
As you would expect from Craftwork Cards, the collection comprises a delicious selection of beautifully co-ordinating card, pearl and gold foiled papers, die cut flowers and other embellishments in a colour palette of marshmallow, latte and ice cream.
The 8 x 8 papers are available in either a pearl or a gold foiled finish. As you can see, just using a small section of the Confetti collection paper will add a real touch of luxury to your cards.
The Confetti collection includes:

8 x 8 inch pearl foiled papers;
8 x 8 inch gold foiled papers;
Die cut in Circle Birthday button messages (gold foil on cream);
Scalloped die cut doilies;
Die cut petal point flowers;
Die cut heartfelt flowers;
Mini elegant die cut squares;
Chocolate and marshmallow card candy;
Cream square top notch cards.

You can pick and choose which elements of the collection you purchase, they will of course also co-ordinate beautifully with many other Craftwork Cards products.

Kanban British Birds, Vogue Fashion, Cherished Occasions, Doll's Houses and Coffee Shop clear stamps

2011-01-19T11:20:00.004Z

Lots of delicious new Kanban goodies are in store at Foil Play, you may have seen them featured on QVC in recent weeks.
The British Birds collection contains a variety of beautiful die cut toppers and decoupage, suitable for both male and female cards. I have all of the topper designs from the QVC kit, including some not available to retail generally. The Vogue Fashion collection depicts a gorgeous selection of elegant and fashionable ladies in die cut toppers, with a selection of beautifully co-ordinated card.
Doll's House kits are a great new and unusual idea, each pack contains a kit to make a luxury card, designed to be decoupaged on both the outside and the inside.
Cherished Occasions toppers and co-ordinating card are selling fast - the range covers many different card making occasions, including new babies, new home, engagement, wedding, anniversary, Christening and many more. Last but not least, new clear stamps have just been released to complement the very popular Kanban Coffee Shop collection.
As always, at Foil Play you can pick and choose the designs that you like and will actually use, rather than investing in a huge kit and p&p is free if you spend over £5.00. If you already have a kit, you might like to stock up with a few extra of your favourite designs. Alternatively, get a sheet or two from several collections and you'll have lots of variety without it costing you a fortune.

January Sale bargains at Foil Play

2011-01-01T10:23:00.004Z

In the mood for sales shopping? Then why not check out all the January bargains at Foil Play.
I've been ruthless and added lots of products to the clearance section - there are some real bargains to be had, so don't delay in case someone else snaps them up before you!

Reduced products include:

Kanban - selected clear stamps, luxury textile collection & Christmas toppers, ribbons, Simba & Bamboo, Victorian Garden, Zen Garden, Native Americans, Loralie designs, Verona Collection and male and female icons foiled pearl card;
Hunkydory - Platinum collection, A Window to the Heart & Kinetic card kits;
Craftwork Cards - Christmas embellishments, templates and die cut flowers;
Crafthouse Press - Patchwork Kingdom bears and Sports Weenicons;
Twiddleybitz laser cut chipboard
Flock rub on Stickers;
Huge reductions on Smiley Bears and Magic Motifs

There are also new additions to the Special Savings section of the website, including Kanban Alphabet Soup die cut and foiled letters and numbers.
Happy New Year from Foil Play - wishing you all the best for 2011!

Christmas posting dates

2010-12-09T18:06:00.001Z

As usual, Foil Play will be taking a break from posting orders over the Festive period. I will be despatching orders as usual until 14 December, so there is still time to make any purchases you need before Christmas.

The web site will be open for business over the festive period, but no orders will be despatched between 15 December 2010 - 3 January 2011. The first despatch date after Christmas will be Tuesday 4 January 2011. Any queries or questions over the festive period will be answered by 4 January.

Thank you very much indeed for your custom during 2010 - wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2011!

Craftwork Cards Purple & Lime Christmas mini cards

2010-11-25T14:58:00.002Z

I had fun making this selection of mini Christmas cards, which could also be used as gift tags.
The 4" x 4" mini aperture cards are from the Hunkydory Little Tweets collection - the purple colourway co-ordinated perfectly with the Craftwork Cards lime Christmas embellishments.
The card above uses a die cut from the Trim the Tree die cut collection, matted onto the centre from the Hunkydory aperture card.
The other die cuts are Craftwork Cards Trendy Trees die cuts, I've also used a Craftwork Cards Christmas greetings button on each card.
The Hunkydory Little Tweets mini aperture cards that I used are pictured above.

Craftwork Cards Purple & Lime Christmas collection

2010-11-24T14:29:00.001Z

I had fun making this selection of 8" x 8" cards, using papers, toppers, tree die cuts, card candy and greetings from the Craftwork Cards purple & lime Tis the Season and Trim the Tree Christmas collections.
As you can see, the base papers are beautifully foiled, and only needed a few additional embellishments to make gorgeous cards.
Some of the other papers in the set are more suited to cutting and using in sections on smaller cards, so the pack is very versatile.
As you can see, I made co-ordinating pairs of cards, in reverse colourways. The lime has come out more yellow in some of the photos than it appears in real life.
I've used card candy to highlight elements of the background designs, and also to decorate the tree die cuts.
The only other elements needed to complete the cards were matching ribbons and a touch of bling.
The Craftwork Cards Tis the Season set of 8 x 8 foiled papers that I used to make these cards is pictured above.

Craftwork Cards Tis The Season cards

2010-11-23T19:02:00.002Z

I ws organising my stash (as you do!), and after popping out all of the circular die cut greetings buttons from my Craftwork Cards Oh My Word sheets, it seemed a real shame to throw away the pearlescent card leftovers. I used them to make these two co-ordinating Christmas cards, with other elements from the Craftwork Cards purple & lime Christmas collections.
I trimmed the frames to fit two 6 x 6 purple cards (as I didn't have any lime card to hand!) then added some Fizzy Lime card candy, a topper on each card from the Tis the Season die cut sheets and co-ordinating greetings button. When applying the card candy, I took a tip from Dawn Bibby and stuck the foam pads to the card, then applied the candy - much easier than doing it the other way around.
The Tis the Season die cut topper sheets that I used are pictured above.

Kanban Woolly Bears Christmas cards

2010-11-17T12:32:00.004Z

I made these two Christmas cards from the Kanban Woolly Bears Winter Fun die cut decoupage sheet. Rather than using all the layers as decoupage, I saved two of them to use as separate toppers, so I still have a spare bear for another card.
As you can see, the first card is a tent card. This is a great new style of card from Kanban, available in packs of cream & white, or deep colours. You just need to secure one flap with glue or tape, and the card is assembled, simples! The cards fold flat for posting and are easy for the recipient to unfold too.
I used Crafts Too Christmas 6" x 6" backing papers for both cards, rounding the edges with a corner chopper for the tent card. I also managed to part with a couple of snowflake brads to embellish the tent card.
I finished off the second card with co-ordinating ribbon and a Craftwork Cards greetings button.
The Kanban die cut decoupage sheet and blank tent cards that I used are pictured above.

Hunkydory Christmas & Woodland Elegance, Raindrop's Diary & more

2010-11-16T11:36:00.001Z

A huge selection of new Hunkydory products is now in store at Foil Play - you may have seen many of these demonstrated on Create and Craft TV.
New products include:

Christmas Elegance toppers & co-ordinating card;
Other Christmas toppers;
Woodland Elegance toppers & co-ordinating card;
Raindrop's diary die cut decoupage kits;
Christmas kinetic card kits; and
Lots of cardstock & envelopes, including shaped cards and true 6" x 6" square cards (great for using with 6" x 6" paper pads)

Both the Christmas and Woodland Elegance ranges feature a selection of beautiful foiled toppers and foiled and deeply embossed card, in a range of beautifully co-ordinating rich colours.
I have also stocked up on existing designs, including Paper Laughs decoupage, although many of these have been discontinued now.
If you check out the main Hunkydory page at Foil Play, you can browse either by format (e.g. toppers, decoupage, pyramount) or by theme. As ever at Foil Play, p&p is free on orders over £5.00.

Christmas mini book with Kanban Elegance toppers

2010-11-09T11:05:00.003Z

I made this mini Christmas book card using a couple of sheets of double sided 12 x 12 Basic Grey paper and a selection of toppers, including Kanban Elegant Christmas reindeer and poinsettia toppers.
I got the idea for the booklet from a gorgeous card made as part of a recent Halloween card swap on the Craft Telly forum. My much less elaborate version is made from two sheets of 12 x 12 double sided paper. Each has been folded in half, then corners folded in on themselves to make pockets, as in the picture below.
As the pockets were quite large, I used strong double sided tape on the inside, to close them up a little and make them a better fit for the tags. The tags were cut using an Ellison Scalloped tags die from co-ordinating papers, and I decorated them with toppers and ribbons from an Anna Griffin Christmas kit.
The Kanban Christmas Elegance toppers co-ordinated beautifully with the papers, I've used larger toppers in the middle of the book and smaller ones to decorate the second pair of pockets, below.
I don't have a binding machine, which would have achieved a more even finish. I bound the book by punching holes with my cropodile, after placing the binding wire along the back of the book and marking out the placement of the holes beforehand. I closed up the binding wire manually. I realised rather belatedly after making the mini book that it would have been much easier with a larger diameter binding wire.
The greetings panel stickers on the front and back covers of the mini book are also from an Anna Griffin Christmas kit.
The sheet of Kanban Elegant Christmas reindeer toppers that I used is pictured above.

3in1 stacker decoupage from National Crafts

2010-11-08T12:13:00.003Z

3in1 decoupage is a great new idea from National Crafts (G18), now in store at Foil Play. There is a wide range of gorgeous images, suitable for a variety of recipients.
Each sheet is produced on top photo quality 250gsm decoupage paper and contains three beautiful projects:

Project 1: Sepia or Mono corner step stacker (a new and simple three layer decoupage design)
Project 2: Colour corner step stacker
Project 3: Inkable topper created from the original image, for you to fill with colour using your professional markers.

Each sheet also contains co-ordinating banner elements, instructions and diagrams showing how to layer up the corner stacker decoupage. These are traditional decoupage sheets, so scissors are needed!

Christmas stamp themed cards using Dufex Pyramex

2010-11-07T12:58:00.002Z

Angie made these clever and really unusual postal themed Christmas cards, using the Dufex Posting Letters Christmas Pyramex decoupage sheet.
As you can see from the close up of the card above, Angie also used a Craftwork Cards Christmas button greeting.
Instead of layering up the decoupage, Angie has used the layers as individual toppers, thus getting more cards out of the sheet.
The Dufex Pyramex sheet that Angie used to create these cards is pictured above.

Dandelion, Fabulous and Vintage Memories stamps from the Crafthouse Press

2010-11-06T12:19:00.004Z

A versatile collection of new rubber stamps from the Crafthouse Press is hot off the presses at Foil Play!
The collection includes cute Dandelion designs, Fabulous cupcakes, lingerie and shoes, a selection of wedding words and something for men too with the Vintage Memories sport designs.

All of the stamps are ready trimmed and backed with Kling-On, so all you need to do is mount them straight onto an acrylic block. Each stamp also comes in beautiful packaging illustrating how it can be coloured.

Christmas Greetings cards with Kanban toppers

2010-11-05T12:27:00.001Z

I made these cards from the Kanban Christmas Greetings die cut toppers sheet, a selection of beautifully foiled letter blocks, spelling out Christmas greetings.
The squares are quite large, so I decided to use 'PEACE' on an origami card, along with a couple of toppers from the Special Christmas Sentiments topper sheet. I used a selection of 8 x 8 inch Papermania papers to make the card. I blogged about a previous origami card that I made here, including a link to the video tutorial that I followed to make it.
I used a 7 x 10 inch card for 'NOEL', mounting the letters onto Kanban foiled card: Merry Christmas Wrap from the Snow Buddies collection and Merry Christmas Damask from the Winter Wonderland collection. I also used straight border peel offs over the join between the two cards.
'JOY' has been used on an A5 card. I used a HOTP backing paper and another section of the Merry Christmas Wrap foiled card. I finished the card with a Craftwork Cards greetings button and some card candy.
The Kanban die cut topper sheet that I used to make these cards is pictured above. Foil Play stocks a huge range of Kanban Christmas toppers and co-ordinating card and paper.

Craftwork Cards Christmas Die Cuts, flowers, Back2Basics cards and card candy

2010-11-04T13:41:00.002Z

Some delicious new treats are now in store at Foil Play from Craftwork Cards, including the very contemporary purple and lime Christmas collection of die cuts, messages, card candy and co-ordinating 8 x 8 papers.
Foiled elegant and blocks messages have been added to the existing range of Oh My Word Christmas greetings, providing a touch of luxury and elegance for your cards. The new Christmas messages are foiled onto ice white pearlescent cardstock which can be coloured with pro-markers, ink pads or other media to co-ordinate perfectly with your projects.

Craftwork Cards greetings are usually retailed in packs of four sheets - at Foil Play the sheets are available individually, so you can put together the exact selection of your choice.
I have replenished stocks of card candy, and added new Christmas colours, including Holly Berries, Vintage Berries, Winter Blues and Fizzy Lime. If you haven't seen Card Candy before, it is a really clever idea - pearlescent and metallic shaped circles of card which are like brads, but without the legs. They come in a gorgeous array of colour co-ordinated packs with a generous amount in each. Stick them onto your project with either foam pads or silicone glue
Craftwork Cards flowers are die cut from pearlescent cardstock to make beautiful embellishments for your card and craft projects. You can use them plain, colour the edges or the whole flower, stamp onto them, add card candy or brads to centres, curl and shape the petals.
I've also increased the range of Back2Basics cards and envelopes available. The 6 x 6 elegant shaped card design pictured above is already proving very popular. A4 Digital cardstock is also new, perfect for downloads, colouring and stamping.

Floral cards using Crafthouse Press mini collectors cards

2010-11-03T11:04:00.002Z

Angie made these two beautiful floral cards, using Crafthouse Press mini collectors cards as toppers.
The first card also features a beautifully toning ribbon and Swarovski crystal topper.
Both cards have cuttlebug embossed backgrounds, matted and layered with complementary card.
The floral mini collectors cards that Angie used to make the cards are pictured below.
Produced by the Crafthouse Press, a wide array of mini postcards and mini collectors' cards is available at Foil Play, both individually and in sets. They cover a range of topics, including butterflies, dogs, transport, travel, vintage people and Christmas. Some designs co-ordinate perfectly with Crafthouse Press artpapers, also available at Foil Play.

Kanban clear stamps, Mini Shops, Tuscan Vistas, Bunny Hops, Playmates, Cute as a Kitten

2010-11-01T18:00:00.004Z

Lots of delicious new Kanban goodies are now in store at Foil Play, which you may have seen featured during QVC's recent Craft Day.
Mini Shops are a great new idea, each pack contains a kit to make a luxury card, tailored to the occasion or the recipient's favourite hobby.
If cute is more your thing, there is plenty to choose from here, including new Playmates, Cute as a Kitten and Bunny Hops die cut decoupage toppers.
Floral Garden is a beautiful selection of die cut decoupage toppers, with co-ordinating foiled card and die cut borders, while Tuscan Vistas die cut topper sheets depict an array of scenes, to help you to produce simply stunning cards.
Also new in store this month are Tent card and Eco card & envelope packs that you may have seen demonstrated on QVC. I have stocked up on popular products including Christmas toppers too. As we're now in November (where did the year go?) I'm unlikely to be re-stocking Christmas designs when they sell out in time for this Christmas, so if there is a design that you like, please don't miss out.
As well as the gorgeous new Yvette Jordan elegant lady clear rubber stamps, I've also managed to secure another small stash of the stamps from the recent QVC TSV, including the very popular new home, elegant lady, Betsie Bob, bird cage & chandelier, poppies and dress form designs. These stamps are not available 'on the High Street' and stocks are limited, so again, please don't miss out if you don't want the whole kit, but there are individual designs that you particularly like.
As always, at Foil Play you can pick and choose the designs that you like and will actually use, rather than investing in a huge kit and p&p is free if you spend over £5.00. If you already have a kit, you might like to stock up with a few extra of your favourite designs. Alternatively, get a sheet or two from several collections and you'll have lots of variety without it costing you a fortune.

Gentleman's Journey card from Hunkydory

2010-10-24T11:25:00.003+01:00

Continuing on the travel theme (is it really over a week since I last blogged? - slapped wrists for me!), here's a very simple card that I made from the Hunkydory A Gentleman's Journey card kit (pictured below).
The base card is 6 x 6 inches and I've used a Papermania pearlised paper for the background. It's actually a Christmas sheet, but I thought the colours co-ordinated particularly well with the topper.

Bon Voyage card with Crafthouse Press papers & mini postcards

2010-10-16T14:35:00.002+01:00

Angie made this classy collaged Bon Voyage card using a Crafthouse Press art paper background and a selection of mixed ephemera, including a couple of Crafthouse Press mini postcards - wouldn't you love to get a great card like this before a long trip!
The Crafthouse Press vintage maps paper that Angie used is pictured above.

Kanban Winter Wonderland Christmas cards

2010-10-14T12:47:00.003+01:00

I made these two Christmas cards using a Kanban die cut decoupage toppers sheet and background papers from a Crafts Too 6 x 6 inch paper pad.
Both cards are 6 x 6 inches, the snowman card has also been embellished with a scattering of Kanban Bling.
The Kanban Winter Wonderland, Winter Friends, red sheet that I used is pictured above, and the Crafts Too designer Christmas paper pack is pictured below.

New La Pashe Trinitage pop up decoupage

2010-10-13T11:18:00.002+01:00

Eight new La Pashe Trinitage pop up Christmas decoupage designs are hot off the presses and in store at Foil Play! The first selection of eight designs sold out very quickly, I've stocked up on these too.

A template and instructions sheet is included with every purchase of Trinitage decoupage - La Pashe has also made a video showing how to complete these new and unusual cards:

I've also stocked up on La Pashe Framin' Christmas decoupage which is proving very popular too. If you're looking for a bargain, check out the La Pashe Twelve Dames of Christmas decoupage, which have been reduced to clear.

Cards made with Kanban Westie Concept card

2010-10-12T18:22:00.002+01:00

Angie made these two cute Westie dog cards from a Kanban concept card sheet. As you can see, the design is equally suitable for both Christmas and everyday occasion cards.
For the Christmas card, Angie also used Kanban self adhesive greetings ribbons, mitred at the corners. The card is beautifully finished with a bow and a little Christmas greenery.
The paw print ribbon from Angie's stash is a perfect addition to the second card - I wish I could tie bows as beautifully as the one on this card! As you can see, Angie cut the card element of the sheet in two, and used the back part as the background mat for the second card.
The Kanban die cut concept card sheet that Angie made both of these cads from is pictured above - a very similar design is also available with a green tartan background. Both have now been discontinued by Kanban, but I still have some in stock at Foil Play, they are a bargain at only 89p a sheet.

Kanban Native American cards

2010-10-08T13:50:00.002+01:00

I made these two cards from the Kanban Native American collection, which includes copper foiled die cut image and greetings toppers, self adhesive paper ribbons and background card. I used Buffalo Hide card for the background of the card above, and foiled Buffalo Stitch card for the background of the one below.
Both cards are 8 x 8 inches square, and I used 6 x 6 inch Papermania papers as mats for the toppers, edged with thin copper self adhesive strips from the self adhesive ribbon sheet.
The Kanban Warriors and Hunters die cut toppers sheet that I used to make these cards is pictured above.

Kanban Aphrodite & Yvette Jordan Ladies, Classic Cars and English Riviera

2010-10-07T19:51:00.003+01:00

Lots of delicious new Kanban goodies are now in store at Foil Play, which you may have seen recently on QVC. First up are the gorgeous English Riviera die cut topper and concept packs, like the one pictured above. Each pack contains a pack of foiled and die cut toppers and a die cut concept card, which you can either use as a base card or for matting and layering.
There are two new beautiful ranges of elegant lady toppers suitable for use on larger cards. Aphrodite Ladies above (perfectly co-ordinating card packs are also available) and Yvette Jordan designs, below.
There's also a great new selection of Classic Car and Motorbike toppers, with co-ordinating background paper and printed acetate sheets.
As always, at Foil Play you can pick and choose the designs that you like and will actually use, rather than investing in a huge kit and p&p is free if you spend over £5.00. If you already have a kit, you might like to stock up with a few extra of the designs that you particularly like. Alternatively, get a sheet or two from several collections and you'll have lots of variety without it costing you a fortune.

Cute Toreads cards

2010-10-06T12:53:00.001+01:00

Angie made these gorgeous cards featuring cute Toreads, little woodland pixies, which she has artfully embellished with real woodland elements too!
The background of the first card has been embossed using a cuttlebug holly pattern folder. The card has been finished with ribbon, elements snipped from an artificial Christmas tree, a bead garland, pine cones and a Craftwork Cards greetings button.
The background for the card above is from the Kanban Zen Garden collection - demonstrating how just a small amount of beautiful background card can really enhance a project. I particularly love the bark element on this card. Angie also added a sprinkling of crystal ultra fine glitter.
The background for this card is mirri card, embossed with a Crafts Too leafy tree embossing folder. Angie finished the card with organza ribbon, tiny flower embellishments and autumnal leaf punchies.
The Toreads die cut decoupage sheet that Angie used to make these cards is pictured above. The Toreads designs are becoming much harder to track down now and I only have a few sheets left in stock, so if you love these cards, don't miss out!

Kanban Coffee Shop topper cards

2010-10-04T17:45:00.005+01:00

I used delicious Kanban Bella Coffee Shop toppers to make this selection of cards. The first card is an 8 x 8 inch square card covered with a delicate sepia patterned DCWV paper. The side panel is cut from the co-ordinating Bella Damask, Mocha foiled card, which I edged with some scalloped mirri card (cut using a rotary trimmer).
The next two cards are both A5, decorated with paper edged using Martha Stewart punches, swirls cut from gold mirri card and Craftwork Cards greetings buttons. I've also added a touch of bling to the card above.
The next two cards below have mats embossed with Sizzix Texturz plates and embellished with ribbon. They are both larger sized cards, 7 x 10 inches.
I used the tiniest die cuts from the sheet to embellish the corners of each cards.
I used mats on all of the cards cut using scalloped square nestabilities dies, which co-ordinated perfectly with these particular toppers.
Extra scallops feature on the last two cards - I used Craftwork Cards scalloped edge square cards embellished with card candy.
The Kanban Coffee Shop topper sheet (Bella Afternoon Cuppa, chocolate) that I used to make these cards is pictured below. As you can see, I made seven cards from just one topper sheet.
As always, at Foil Play you can pick and choose the designs that you like and will actually use, rather than investing in a huge kit and p&p is free if you spend over £5.00.

Kanban Urban Belles Christmas card

2010-10-02T12:19:00.002+01:00

Angie made this cute contemporary Christmas card using a topper from a Kanban Urban Belles die cut Christmas sheet.
This card comes with a beautiful gift too - a pretty beaded bracelet in matching blue, pink and clear colours.
Angie positioned the Urban Belle die cut on the front edge of the card, and trimmed the inside rear edge with the co-ordinating Merry Christmas blue border from the centre of the Kanban sheet.
The card background was made using a cuttlebug embossing folder and Angie highlighted the snowflakes with glitter. She finished the card with co-ordinating organza ribbon and a gem.
The Kanban Urban Belles sheet that Angie used to make the card is pictured above.

Kanban clear Christmas reindeer rubber stamps

2010-10-01T18:19:00.003+01:00

The first two batches of these gorgeous reindeer Christmas stamps sold out in double quick time - with big thanks to Kanban, I've managed to secure a third and final batch.

These stamps aren't available 'on the high street'. QVC has them in a set of two, which is on waitlist only at present.

Please don't miss out this time if you'd like to rehome some reindeer stamps this Christmas!

Gallery updated and revamped

2010-09-28T17:54:00.004+01:00

I have revamped and updated the gallery at Foil Play, a task that was long overdue! I've included pictures of all the projects that I've blogged and organised them into sections, so browsing for a little inspiration should be much easier now.

I'd love to display your projects in the gallery too - just email a picture to sales@foilplay.co.uk or leave me a link to your blog post in the comments.
Blogging is another task that has fallen by the wayside in September - more posts coming soon!

Amazon - time for a break

2010-09-08T19:24:00.002+01:00

Foil Play has been trading on Amazon for just over three years now. Amazon helped me to grow my business and has always been a fairly fuss free trading platform (something which can't be said of eBay!).

However, as there are only so many hours in the day, I've decided to take a complete break from Amazon, at least for the foreseeable future, to concentrate solely on the Foil Play website.

A big thank you to all of my Amazon customers over the past three years, it would be great to see you in future at Foil Play!

Kanban Christmas Fairy Wishes cards

2010-09-05T15:56:00.002+01:00

Here's a selection of cards that I made from one of the new Kanban Christmas die cut topper sheets.
I've matted and layered the toppers with lightweight pearl card and used papers from K&Co and Papermania as backing, with edges punched using Martha Stewart punches.
I've also used card candy, bling and Craftwork Cards and Card Art greetings toppers.
The Kanban Christmas Fairy wishes toppers sheet that I made these cards with is pictured below. I made one other card from the sheet, which you can see here.
I have just stocked up again on Christmas toppers and many other Kanban sheets. As always, at Foil Play you can pick and choose the designs that you like and will actually use, rather than investing in a huge kit and p&p is free if you spend over £5.00.

Bank Holiday bargain rubber stamps!

2010-08-27T17:04:00.001+01:00

Love stamping? Here's a Bank Holiday bargain offer for you - 25% off all rubber stamps at Foil Play - just enter the code STAMP25 at check out to receive the discount. Offer ends at midnight on Monday 30 August 2010.

I don't have huge stocks of rubber stamps, so if there's a particular design that you're interested in, don't miss out!

Blog Candy winner

2010-08-17T20:16:00.002+01:00

Many thanks to those who entered the Blog Candy giveaway for a set of Urban Belles clear rubber stamps by Kanban!

The lucky winner (picked using random.org) is: Papercraft by Carole. Congratulations, Carole - please email your details to me at sales@foilplay.co.uk and I will get the prize in the post to you.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

2010-08-11T10:19:00.004+01:00

Another messy desk this week, as you can see I've been assembling a few toppers - not all Christmas ones this time though.

I've been trying to be good and use up scraps of card instead of putting them in a scraps box (never to see the light of day again - I'm sure you know how that works!), so I've been cutting out small mats with nesties / Nellie Snellen dies, ideal to fit the Craftwork Cards button greetings. It also means that I've at last found a use for the tiniest boxes that came with a big set of clear storage boxes.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

Blog Candy giveaway - Kanban Urban Belles clear rubber stamps

2010-08-10T13:30:00.000+01:00

So here is my first foray into the world of Blog Candy! I'm giving away this very cute set of Kanban Urban Belles clear rubber stamps.

All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment below and please also link to this post from your blog (or if you don't have one, from Twitter or Facebook).

The Blog Candy is available to anyone in the UK and I'll choose a winner at random next Tuesday evening (17 August). Good luck!

New Home cards with Kanban Concept Cards

2010-08-09T11:12:00.003+01:00

Here's a couple of New Home cards that I made using a Kanban concept card kit. Instead of using the card part of the kit as a base card, I cut it in two to use as separate mats.
I used a beige deckle edged square card as the base for the top card, and an A4 sheet of cream linen textured card folded in half as the base for the second.
The die cut Kanban concept card kit that I made these two cards from is pictured above.

Christmas cards with Hunkydory toppers

2010-08-08T13:35:00.003+01:00

More blue Christmas cards, this time from a Hunkydory die cut topper sheet, both matted onto lightweight pearl card and background mats of toning card cut using Martha Stewart punch around the page snowflake punches.
I mostly use double sided tape as adhesive on my cards, but I added some micro dots behind the snowflake edges to secure them in place. I used deckle edge square blue card blanks as the card base, and added a sprinkling of crystal Bling to the snowflakes on the first card.
The Hunkydory Cosy Christmas Snowy Scene toppers sheet that I used to make the cards is pictured above.

New from Hunkydory: Card kits, toppers and decoupage

2010-08-07T12:19:00.002+01:00

A huge selection of new Hunkydory products is now in store at Foil Play - you may have seen many of these featured on Create and Craft TV.
New kits available include:

Little Tweets - cute bird toppers with co-ordinating embossed and foiled card, mini cards and background papers;
Deco-Flourish - beautiful floral designs available in both die cut and traditional decoupage formats, with beautifully co-ordinating aperture cards;
The Platinum Collection - a classy selection of die cut topper sheets, with co-ordinating shaped, embossed and foiled card blanks;
Cupcake Heaven - a delicious selection of cupcake themed decoupage, card and kit; and
A Window to the Heart - kits to make beautiful keepsake cards with heartfelt sentiments.

There is also a new selection of shaped cards, including kinetic, scalloped and easel cards, to save you the hassle of cutting out your own from a template, along with packs of festive mirri and glitter card.
I have also stocked up on existing designs, including Paper Laughs decoupage.
However, many of the traditional decoupage lines (Golden Oldies, Tipsy Adults, Sporting Blunders etc) have now been discontinued, so I may not be able to restock popular designs when they sell out. If there is a particular design that you like, please don't miss out whilst I still have it in stock.

More Kanban Christmas designs

2010-08-06T17:17:00.003+01:00

Another great selection of new Kanban Christmas toppers is now in store at Foil Play - you may have seen many of these new designs if you were watching QVC's Christmas in July Craft Day, a couple of weeks ago.
The new collections include:

Kanban is renowned for the high quality of its cardstock, so of course there is a luscious selection of perfectly co-ordinating card too.
There is also a new selection of Bling gems in festive colours.
As always, at Foil Play you can pick and choose the designs that you like and will actually use, rather than investing in a huge kit and p&p is free if you spend over £5.00. If you already have a kit, you might like to stock up with a few extra of the designs that you particularly like. Alternatively, get a sheet or two from several collections and you'll have lots of variety without it costing a fortune.

Win a £10 Foil Play voucher - MAWTT challenge

2010-08-05T11:12:00.004+01:00

Foil Play is sponsoring the challenge at Moving Along With the Times this week. The theme is Christmas, so why not enter a card for your chance to win a £10.00 voucher to spend at Foil Play.

MAWTT runs a weekly challenge, starting each Thursday, with loads of great prizes and goodies up for grabs every week. Most weeks there is a sketch or theme or both. This week's challenge is open until 8pm on Wednesday 11 August.
My card for this week's theme was made from the Kanban Christmas Fairy Wishes die cut topper sheet, pictured above.

Kanban clear Christmas reindeer rubber stamps

2010-08-04T17:15:00.002+01:00

The first batch of these gorgeous reindeer Christmas stamps sold out in a few hours last week. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to get any more as they aren't available to retail generally (and available in a set of two from QVC on waitlist only at present), but thanks to Kanban I now have a few more in stock. Please don't miss out this time if you like them!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

2010-08-04T09:52:00.003+01:00

I missed WOYWW last week, but I'm fighting fit again and back in the fold today! As you can see, I'm still in Christmas card mood / mode at the moment. I do have some other cards to make, so will have to force myself to change theme soon.

Like many of my fellow crafters, I have enough paper to wallpaper the house (several times over) here's a peek at my 12 x 12 paper collection - just the odd pad or two...
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

Winter Gorjuss decoupage

2010-08-03T17:24:00.003+01:00

Featured on QVC's recent Christmas in July Craft Day, gorgeous Winter Gorjuss decoupage kits are now in stock at Foil Play. Each pack contains an A4 sheet of die cut Gorjuss step by step or pyramid decoupage and co-ordinating background sheet, there is also a separate die cut toppers sheet.
The kits have been produced by The Crafthouse Press, based on artwork by Suzanne Woolcott. For more information on Gorjuss, check out the Gorjuss website and blog.

Christmas cards from Kanban bauble toppers

2010-08-02T11:36:00.005+01:00

The Kanban foiled & die cut topper sheet that I made these cards from featured in a QVC TSV which made it's debut a couple of years ago - however I'm sure you'll agree that the design isn't at all dated. The kit featured again on QVC's recent Christmas in July craft day and the individual designs remain popular.
For the first three cards, I covered 8 x 8" square cards with sheets of DCWV Christmas themed paper. I highlighted the holly berries on the two largest toppers with a Sakura Quickie glue pen and rubbed on red ultra fine glitter to add a little sparkle.
Blue is one of my favourite colour schemes for Christmas cards. I've used lots of embossed mats (with corners chomped) to add texture.
The first two cards have also been embellished with beautiful Kanban self adhesive glittery snowflakes.
I've used co-ordinating card candy from Craftwork Cards on some of the cards (more stock of this is on the way!).
I've also used Craftwork Cards Oh My Word Christmas greetings buttons on the last two cards.
The Kanban die cut topper sheet that I used to make these cards is pictured above.

Kanban Christmas stamps and toppers

2010-08-01T14:10:00.003+01:00

If you watched QVC's craft day last Saturday, you may have seen lots of delicious new Christmas clear rubber stamp sets from Kanban. Single sets are now available to purchase at Foil Play, including a number of designs (like the Betsie Bob sheet above) that won't be available to retail generally. Once these sell out, I'm unlikely to be able to get any more, so please don't miss out!
I've also re-stocked the recent Christmas TSV toppers, most of the first batch of these sold out within a few days.

Watch this space for many more new Kanban Christmas designs on the way!

More summer bargains at Foil Play

2010-07-24T10:49:00.003+01:00

I have been in ruthless mode again and added lots of new items to the clearance section on Foil Play, to make way for all the new stock that is coming soon!
New bargains include:

Hunkydory pyramount and selected die cut toppers;
Dufex stickers;
DIY decoupage kits and die cut printing paper;
Kanban Smokey Quartz card and selected stacker sheets;
Redhotbed clutter, everyday and Christmas toppers and die cut packs;
Design House decoupage including step by step, pyramid and waterfall sheets

If you're after a bargain, check out the clearance section - but don't hang around too long and miss out, once clearance items are sold out, it's very unlikely that they will be restocked again!

Kanban Christmas Quilts cards

2010-07-22T10:23:00.004+01:00

So here is the first batch of Christmas cards glimpsed in yesterday's post, made from a sheet of Kanban Christmas Quilts die cut toppers and co-ordinating card.
I made a mat with a 5 x 7 inch Cuttlebug embossing folder for the card above, and used Sizzix Texturz plates to make backgrounds for the three A5 cards. The 180gsm pearl card that I have in stock is ideal for embossing, but is disappearing fast!
I cheated and sliced the mats made with the Texturz to stretch them to fit the cards - the gaps are under the bands of co-ordinating card. I also did this with the stripey strips from the topper sheet to stretch them out a little and make them fit the last two cards.
On all of the cards, I accented the nose of each Santa with Glossy Accents, to add a little texture.
I used Craftwork Cards Oh My Word Christmas button greetings toppers on four of the cards, with co-ordinating mats cut from the smallest scalloped circle nesties die.
The Kanban Santa Scenes Christmas Quilts topper that I used for these cards is pictured below.
As you can see, I got plenty of cards out of the sheet and co-ordinating card sheet - I also made a stepper card with some of the toppers, blogged here.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

2010-07-21T10:12:00.003+01:00

It's July, so it must be time to get stuck into making Christmas cards - right?

I'm not the most organised crafter (as you can tell from the usual state of my work table!), but I do prefer to make a few Christmas cards now and then when the mood strikes, rather than end up with lots of pressure in December - although I have been there too! I've been playing with embossing folders and toppers and for once I have actually produced a few cards at the end of it - I'll blog them in more detail over the next week or so.

If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

Foiled swirly bird card

2010-07-20T10:26:00.001+01:00

As this foiled swirly bird is already quite showy, I thought I'd make a fairly simple card base. I mounted it with foam pads onto a couple of layers of pearl card, the top one embossed using a Tim Holz Texture Fades embossing folder and rounded the corners of both layers with a corner chomper.

To make the bird, I covered a fairly thick sheet of A4 card (like the card at the back of a writing pad) with a sheet of double sided adhesive film. I then die cut the card into various shapes, including the bird, using a Big Shot and a selection of dies.

I used copper rub on foil for the legs, and two different turquoise holographic foils for the tail and body. The foiling onto the adhesive film worked well, I did have to touch it up in a few places by filling in with a Sakura Quickie glue pen and letting it dry before going over it again with more foil.

Kidz Got Talent - Music Rocks cards

2010-07-19T11:12:00.001+01:00

More brilliant Kanban Kidz Got Talent cards from Angie, this time ideal for a teenaged boy, using the Music Rocks kit.
Again Angie has used the topper on the inside, and shaped the edge of the card to match the topper.
The extra topper from the sheet has been used to make another shaped edge card, with a birthday themed border from a Super Tiny Heroes die cut ribbon border sheet.
Angie also added a co-ordinating strip of black glitter card to the inside of the card.
The Kanban Kidz Got Talent Music Rocks kit that Angie used to make these cards is pictured above.

Kidz Got Talent - Superstar cards

2010-07-18T13:29:00.004+01:00

These great cards which Angie made using a Kanban Kidz Got Talent kit would be ideal for teenage girls.
For the Superstar card, Angie shaped the card edge to match the girl topper for a really original take on this kit, with as much going on on the inside as on the outside!
A close up of the girl topper with blinged up greeting topper:
Angie used the extra topper from the kit along with the head and extra star elements to make the top card, which has been accented with a denim border and bling on both the denim and the girl's belt. A very simple card, but unusual and really effective, I'm sure you will agree.
The Kanban Kidz Got Talent Superstar kit that Angie used to make these cards is pictured above.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

2010-07-14T18:11:00.003+01:00

Better late than never, here's my WOYWW entry for this week! As you can see, I've had my Sizzix machine out. I use my Big Shot a lot, but for the original small & medium dies, I find it quicker and easier to use the Sizzix. I also prefer using the Sidekick for the Sizzlits type dies. You can see my box of embossing folders towards the rear of the table - so much stash and so little time to play with it!
It was my birthday this week, and I thought I'd include a couple of group shots of the gorgeous cards that I received from friends on the Craft Telly forum. They are all beautiful, and really made my day. If you'd like a closer look at the individual cards, you can see them here.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

Kanban clear rubber stamps

2010-07-09T09:39:00.002+01:00

A veritable feast of Kanban clear stamps is now in stock at Foil Play!
There is a huge selection suitable for a wide variety of occasions to choose from, including:

Little Friends and Special Moments;
Birds of Paradise;
Retro Transport;
Urban Belles;
Damask Divas;
Moulin Divas;
Bamboo and Simba;
Woolly Bears; and
Cavendish Ladies

You will have seen all of these designs previously in the format of die cut topper sheets, now you can have the versatility of stamping with them too.
Kanban Stamps are manufactured with the highest quality acrylic materials. With each element being “easy peel” they provide clean and sharp imagery for the very best results and come with care instructions provided .
At Foil Play you can choose the individual stamp sheets of your choice, they don't come bundled with card or acrylic blocks that you don't need. Stocks are limited, so don't miss out on this delicious selection!

Staf Wesenbeek pyramid decoupage

2010-07-08T20:20:00.004+01:00

Staf Wesenbeek Christmas designs (based on paintings by Dutch Artist Staf Wesenbeek) are now in stock at Foil Play, I've also restocked the beautiful floral, bird and butterfly designs which have already proved very popular.
Each kit contains a pyramid decoupage sheet, printed card and envelope. The main image is mounted inside the printed card and the pyramid is mounted onto the angle cut front of the card (as shown in the examples pictured).

The printed card supplied in the pack has either a textured appearance or back image to compliment the front design and each pack contains an illustrated instruction sheet. This is traditional decoupage, so you will need either scissors or a craft knife to cut out the design elements.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

2010-07-07T10:01:00.003+01:00

Well here we are at Wednesday again and, oh what a surprise, another untidy workdesk! Main activity that has been going on here is bagging up glitter. I haven't done much with my die cuts from last week, apart from some iris folding type filling in of the negative swirly bird die cut. For those interested, the swirl bird die is Bigz Die - Bird, Lovebird by Debi Adams, 655361. I got it in the Ellison sale last Christmas.

Here's a close up of my latest embossing folders - I thought I'd try some of the new larger cuttlebug folders and also couldn't resist some of the Tim Holtz Texture Fades.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

Gorjuss die cut pyramid decoupage kits

2010-07-06T10:54:00.004+01:00

More gorgeous Gorjuss decoupage kits have arrived at Foil Play - this time a lovely selection of oval and twisted pyramid designs. Each pack contains an A4 sheet of die cut Gorjuss pyramid decoupage and co-ordinating background sheet.
The kits have been produced by The Crafthouse Press, based on artwork by Suzanne Woolcott. For more information on Gorjuss, check out the Gorjuss website and blog.

Oriental cards with Kanban toppers

2010-07-05T11:29:00.001+01:00

Oriental continues to be a popular trend in card making, deservedly so when you look at these two beauties with paper flower brooches made by Angie!
For the first card, Angie used an oriental floral paper as the background.
She also added card embossed using a Cuttlebug script embossing folder to the background.
The second card features sumptuous Kanban black glittered acetate on a black card background.
A close up of the paper flower brooch and a touch of pearl bling on the corner of the topper.
The Kanban oriental maiden, blue topper sheet that Angie used to create these two cards is pictured above. A bargain at only 45p, and containing 9 toppers.

Kanban Couture Ladies cards

2010-07-04T12:58:00.004+01:00

Kanban Couture Ladies are a lush selection of die cut topper sheets perfect for larger cards with more than a touch of glamour. If you've been following my WOYWW posts, you may have had a glimpse or two of these cards in the making!
For the first and last cards, I used 7 x 10 inch cards, the middle card is 8 inches square. For the first card, I used two co-ordinating HOTP papers to cover the card, trimmed with die cut borders taken from the Couture Ladies topper sheet.
I used Martha Stewart punches to create borders on the other two cards and added a liberal sprinkling of bling too. On the first and third cards, I've used die cut co-ordinating greetings toppers.
The Kanban Couture Ladies Audrey, red die cut topper sheet that I used to make these three cards is pictured above. Co-ordinating die cut greetings topper sheets are also available.

Denim trim rock guitar cards with Hunkydory toppers

2010-07-03T17:35:00.003+01:00

Angie made these two guitar themed cards using toppers from a Hunkydory card kit, trimmed with denim from the belt of a pair of jeans - aren't they brilliant!
The toppers are actually two layers from a pyramount project, but as you can see, they work perfectly as individual toppers too.
Angie has also used the jean button as the centre of one of the flowers, for a perfectly co-ordinated look.
The Hunkydory Last Night at the Proms collection card kit that Angie used to make these cards is pictured below.
The kit is one of a wide selection of Hunkydory products available at Foil Play. It contains: 2 x 300gsm foiled and die-cut topper sheets; 1 x 300gsm foiled border sheet; 1 x 300gsm pyramount sheet; 2 x 300gsm patterned card blanks and 4 x 350gsm luxury A4 silk-art card sheets and makes approximately 10 luxury cards.

Classy wedding stationery accented with Kanban enamel glazed card

2010-07-02T13:03:00.004+01:00

Another delicious selection of wedding stationery created by Angie, using gorgeous Kanban enamel glazed card.
Angie has used small amounts of the card to accent the wedding invitation and place card, which also feature her beautiful seashell flowers and a sprinkling of pearl gems.
The Kanban Velveteen Rose Olive sparkly enamel glazed card that Angie used is pictured below.
Kanban is renowned for the quality of its card and toppers and Foil Play stocks a huge and very tempting selection of Kanban products!

Kanban Classic transport cards

2010-07-01T16:59:00.004+01:00

I made these two A5 cards using the Kanban Classic Aqua pack of die cut toppers and co-ordinating card.
The Kanban pack that I used is pictured below. It contains a sheet with two die cut decoupage topper projects, greetings and other design elements and a sheet of perfectly co-ordinating card.
The transport range of die cut toppers and co-ordinating card has proved very popular. There are eight designs to choose from:

Classic - aqua and pink;
Mini - red and blue;
Camper Van - orange and lime; and
Vespa - cashmere and olive.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

2010-06-30T07:30:00.001+01:00

It's Wednesday again, so it must be time for a glimpse of my messy desk!

I've been playing with foils, glitter and gilding flakes. I started out covering chipboard die cuts, but although the (Crafty Notions) adhesive that I was using is great for use with gilding flakes, it wasn't producing such a good result with foil. Trying to cover the chipboard with self adhesive film instead proved a bit of a faff. So, I decided to make my own self adhesive die cuts by covering a thick sheet of A4 card (like the card at the back of a writing pad) with a sheet of self adhesive film, then die cutting it (results below). This was a lot easier and provided a much better adhesive surface for foiling.

I have some new stash (Cuttlebug embossing folders) at the top right of the picture - they only arrived yesterday, so I haven't actually embossed anything with them yet. My WOYWW easel is also proudly displayed - thank you Julia and Mr Dunnit :-)
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

Crafty Notions metallic gilding flakes and embellishments

2010-06-28T20:42:00.004+01:00

Foil Play is now stocking another great range of products that you may have seen on QVC, this time from Crafty Notions. The new goodies include high quality Twiddleybitz laser cut chipboard embellishments which can be painted, stamped or decorated in many other ways, adding a touch of luxury to your crafting projects.
Rainbow Drops are small flat-bottomed translucent gem like droplets which add the perfect finishing touch to card, scrapbooking and other papercraft projects. Attach using Craftynotions glazes or other clear craft adhesive.
Gilding flakes, as demonstrated regularly by Dawn Bibby on QVC, can be used in many ways. You don't need to use a texture sponge when applying the flakes to a dry adhesive (such as double sided adhesive film or Crafty Notions craft adhesive) - just apply a tiny amount of the flakes at a time and rub them in gently. Any leftover flakes can be saved again and reused - these flakes will go a very long way.

Luxurious lilac wedding stationery

2010-06-28T20:13:00.004+01:00

Here's another sumptuous selection of wedding stationery created by Angie, using one of the luxurious papers from the Kanban Textile Collection.
As you can see, a little of the paper goes a very long way, teamed with co-ordinating lilac ribbon and beautiful shell flowers, designed and made by Angie.
A slide pocket invitation, with close up of the shell flower.
Wedding favour box, again with gorgeous shell flower. The leaves were created using a paper punch.
This beautiful stationery would be suitable for weddings, civil partnerships or any other posh party.
Angie is currently setting up her own business to produce bespoke wedding stationery, so if you would like her to do all the hard work and produce a beautiful design to complement your special day, contact her for further details.
A Dufex butterfly topper has been decoupaged and added as an elegant accent on the Save the Date card above.
The money card below would be a very welcome wedding gift!
The Kanban lilac Opera paper which Angie used to create these beautiful designs is pictured below.
It is part of an opulent selection of papers, foiled mirri card and die cut toppers in the Kanban luxury Textile Collection.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

2010-06-23T09:42:00.002+01:00

Well here we are at Wednesday again, doesn't it come around quickly! Various rather unco-ordinated things going on on my desk at the moment - I've been playing with some more of of the Kanban Christmas Quilts toppers and doing some embossing with Cuttlebug folders to go with them. I've also coated some chipboard flowers with Crafty Notions glue - I've gilded one and planning to try them with rub on foil & glitter too.

I'll finish off with a peek into my 'bling' box:
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

Kanban Christmas Quilts stepper card

2010-06-18T11:49:00.000+01:00

My first Christmas card of the year - well it is June, after all! I used a Redhotbed single stepper card as the base card, and foiled the edges, using double sided adhesive tape and gold rub on foil.

I filled in the panels using a red check pattern HOTP paper and went to town a bit on the embellishments, using Kanban toppers, DCWV chipboard trees, a HOTP transparency (fixed with brads) and some poinsettia stickers.
The Kanban Christmas Quilts topper sheet that I used to make this card is pictured above.

For many more Christmas card ideas, check out my friend Fabrizio's blog. Even better, join in with his weekly challenge and then you won't be rushing to make your cards (along with me!) under pressure in mid December...