Kool Kitty Musings

Can't see the wood for the trees...

This week on the DCM blog we have a lovely dare from Zuz.

She has challenged us to feature trees on our cards this week and the design team has come up with so many lovely and different ideas. :o)

I decided this week that I also wanted to look to my older stash for inspiration and assistance in completing this task - I also managed to save a tree or two... ok, not quite... by using up scraps from other projects that would otherwise have made it to the bin.

Paper, journaling card and stickers: MME
Stamps: PTI
Other: 3D foam

I really wanted to fill up the white space of that journaling cards with lots of greetings that would go together but weren't OTT. I've hopefully managed that. ;o)

Well, I hope you all have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend if you're in the UK - hoping we shall get a smattering of sunshine as it has been long overdue!

Inkiness

There's a lovely challenge over on the DCM blog this week - Keilly has challenged us to have a play with ink in whatever capacity we choose!

Now, I wanted to use it in a few ways but what worked for my card was a more subtle approach.

Paper: Crate Paper, Echo Park
Chipboard elements: Crate Paper
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI, Memory Box, MFT
Punch: Martha Stewart
Other: Sewing machine, glam paint, distress ink, chalk ink

It's difficult to see, but the shiny green paper is from me coating it with the nearest thing I had to glimmer mist, which was glam paint:

I really must use this on more than just Christmas cards in future. ;o)

Don't forget to stop by and check out the rest of the lovely inky projects by the design team - there are so many different inking techniques and styles on show!

It's a Pink, Mint and Gold kind of month

So it's the first Friday of the month, and that means it's a new colour combo challenge on the DCM blog.

This month it was my turn to pick, and I went with a lovely palette that I'm seeing a lot on Pinterest at the moment - gorgeous spring/summer shades:

Gorgeous eh?

The challenge that faced me though was finding something gold! I got rid of a lot of "gold" bits and pieces ages ago thinking I'd not need them again, well big mistake!

I managed, just, with the aid of an Encore gold pigment ink pad, but it doesn't catch the light very well and is a bit of a dark gold:

Paper: Basic Grey, Echo Park
Dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

Thankfully although it's pigment ink it heat-set rather well. And I know this is a very simple affair from me, but I rather like the look of the greeting as an aperture on 3D foam and nothing else fancy going on.

Don't forget to pop over to the DCM blog and check out the creations from the wonderfully talented design team! :)

A recipe for creative fun

Happy Friday!

This week on the DCM blog the wonderful Kathy has set us a recipe challenge!

We needed to make a card that featured the following:

• The colour blue
• Something beginning with the letter P
• A die cut or punch-out
• An aperture of any sort

Well, I wonder if you can spot my elements:

Paper: MME
Stamps: PTI, MFT
Dies: PTI
Lace and seambinding: The Ribbon Girl
Other: pearls, 3D foam, sewing machine

And as for the elements?

Well the paper contains blue little arrows - who'd have thought such a boyish pad of papers as Away We Go would create such a girly card?

My "something beginning with the letter P" = pearls and well, the colour peach!

There are quite a few die-cuts.

And my aperture is the little heart in the corner which goes right through the front of the card. Not so easy to spot when the wall behind is the same colour as the leaves. ;o)

I must admit a fondness for combining Adirondack Mountain Rose and Salmon, they go so well together in these 2-step stamping sets.

Don't forget to check out the lovely creations from the rest of the team!

Oh to be young again!

This week's dare over on the DCM blog has been set by the lovely Sharon, and she has challenged us to make a card on the theme of Child's Play - so for the youngsters in our lives. :)

Well, ahead of this weekend's Christening I was still needing to come up with a suitable card for my soon-to-be Goddaughter. Ah the perfect inspiration right?

I definitely wanted it to be personalized and special, so I hope I managed to achieve both. Plus I wanted the colours to tie in with another something I have planned. ;o)

So here it is:

Paper: MME
Chipboard letters: Basic Grey
Foam letters: American Crafts
Stamp: PTI
Other: twine, sewing machine, pearls, 3D foam, Stickles

I'm also very relieved I had all the letters necessary to spell Christening and that it thankfully fit on the front! Plus I do think that large "t" has a bit of a cross-like look to it. I really had wanted to include a cross somewhere but didn't have anything that would work...

Anyhoo, I hope they like it. :)

Oh and in other news, Taken 2 - not a crafting distraction. It was OK and allowed me to finish up the task I needed to get done last night without stopping to watch the on-screen action. ;o)

A very apt dare for today

Over on the DCM blog the lovely Miri has challenged us to get creative with the theme of April showers - so rain, umbrellas, rainbows, etc.

I had hoped the weather this weekend wouldn't be too bad considering the dog walking I'd planned, but already after the first walk of the day Lola is looking somewhat filthy and we didn't even go near any mud!

Here's hoping the grey clouds soon pass and the sun comes out!

Here's my card on the matter including an apt greeting...

Paper: MME
Stamp: PTI
Dies: MFT
Bling: Prima
Other: 3D glitter paint, sewing machine, 3D foam

The feeling is very mutual! ;o)

Aqua and coral - it's all the rage

And it's also this month's colour challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog! :)

After a little pondering and stash raiding I determined it was actually the perfect opportunity to play with some of my new stamps that arrived from Papertrey on Tuesday. Again no customs charge - hurrah!

So here's what I made - apologies re the photo, morning/evening light still isn't quite perfect for taking pics:

Paper and cardstock: PTI
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam
Inks: Adirondack - Mountain Rose, Salmon and Willow, Versacolor - Mint, Distress Ink - Tattered Rose

The ink colours are spot on with the colour prompt shades in real life, just so difficult to photograph. I used the Mini Blooms stamps and popped the flowers on the matching dies so they stood out from the green. The font is the new Headline alpha and matching dies and is a lot easier to position and stamp with dye ink than pigment. ;o) It looks like I need some aqua dye ink now! hehe

Don't forget to check out the lovely creations from the rest of the design team - have a happy and creative weekend! :)

Good morning, Good Friday

Well if you are in the "Spring" mood, there's a wonderful dare over on the DCM blog this week. :)

Beckie has challenged us to make a card featuring "springs" in some way.

I decided to cover my bases with this one and include a Spring theme as well as some DIY springs. I wonder if you can spot them:

Papers and printed ephemera: Pink Paislee
Stamps and dies: PTI
Nest: Michaels
Other: paper flowers, seambinding, acrylic paint, 3D foam

Once again I had great fun stamping with the Stitched Sentiments set from PTI and this time I finally used the embroidery hoop - I really love that needle stamp. I think I am also going to have to cave and get the Aida background stamp set too to get a subtle background for these sentiments as I have now seen it in use and well... those cards were lovely and the stamps really added the finishing touch.

So... can you see the springs?

Well, here's my DIY job:

I made little springs out of the stalks of the flower bunches. :)

Don't forget to check out the lovely springy cards from the design team!

Chalkboard heaven

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog it's my turn to challenge my fellow teamies and our blog visitors.

And well, there was one thing that immediately sprang to mind that I thought we'd all enjoy - recreating chalk art on a card.

Now, thanks to the fab tutorial by Betsy Veldman it's much easier than it looks - and it is really fun! And the results? Well, I've only had a go at it a couple of times, but I think the end result is really unique and fun.

One of my favourite chalkboard artists is Dana Tanamachi - what a skill and what a job she has. Truly amazing. I would love a bit of her art on my walls I can tell you. ;o)

Source: tanamachistudio.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

The inspiration for my card came from this particular piece of hers which has done the rounds on Pinterest quite a lot - no surprise why!

Source: shelleysdavies.com via natalie | la designerie on Pinterest

 

I just love the branches that encompass the text in the middle. The closest I could get to it was by using the Stitched Sentiments set from PTI (one of my lovely purchases last month).

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: PTI (Stitched Sentiments and Fancy Folkart)
Die: PTI
Embellishment: Basic GRey
Other: Sewing machine, twine, white pencil, chalk ink (applied with cotton bud and cotton wool)

I applied some old Versa Magic chalk ink (which is a bit drier and so perfect for this technique) using a cotton bud around the stamping then a cotton wool ball for the overall chalky effect. I'm really pleased with how it came out, especially the fontage from the Fancy Folkart set, I sure hope some more greetings get released in that font and style as they are just lovely.

I really hope you'll give this challenge a try and play along. :)

Look at it from another angle...

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers Blog Lythan has been challenging our geometry skills.

It's all about angles!

And as soon as I heard what the dare was going to be I decided it was high to to get using my hexagon stash again before that trend passes me by!

I also needed to get down to business creating some Easter cards.

And this is what was born:

Paper: MME
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Stamps: Just Rite, WMS, PTI
Resin flower: Webster's Pages
Other: hemp twine, 3D foam, sewing machine

Easter should actually be a very calm time of the year, but a little chocolate can really help, especially if you gave it up for Lent! I might make a few more cards in this style with the same greeting because it's not often I get to send "Keep calm and eat chocolate" cards! Got to make those stamps pay for themselves one way or another. ;o)

Just my type of thing

This week's dare over on the DCM blog comes from Leo and is all about using typography on your card.

I must admit to being rather a fan of different typographical styles and well... I have pinned quite a few in the past!

Here are some of my favourites:

Source: rusticweddingchic.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

I love the brush work and painting in the above - and the colours are just lovely. It's lovely enough to frame! :)

Source: instagr.am via Natalia on Pinterest

 

I love the flourishes and shading in this one - and the different sizes of text really make it eye-catching.

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And finally something apt for this time of year - a great quote and some lovely fonts!

Well, with my little PTI delivery this week it arrived just in time for me to make something for this dare with my new purchases.

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI, MFT
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: 3D foam

I finally managed to get the zipper dies that go with the stamps I bought before Christmas - the pull tab is ripped back to reveal the rest of the greeting to "Wishing you...". Obviously can't show you here without ruining the card, but hopefully this will be fun enough to make up for a birthday card being late! The Turquoise greeting is from the new birthday stylish sentiments set and went really well with the challenge and rest of the theme for this card.

Don't forget to check out the cards by the design team, there are some really inspiring ideas for using whatever fonts and alphabets you have in your collection! :)

Key Lime-licious...

Hello first day of March and the route to springtime and hopefully sunshine!

As it's the first Friday of the month we have a lovely new colour challenge on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week, supplied by Sharon!

Last week it was tough going what with all that chocolate temptation, and this week?? Well take a look for yourself:

Key lime biscuits...

Well, thankfully last night for tea Key lime pie made an appearance at dessert so my taste buds have been satisfied. As for this colour combo, here's what I made:

Paper: American Crafts
Stamps: PTI, Waltzing Mouse
Dies: PTI, MFT
Embossing folder: Sizzix
Pearls: Prima
Other: 3D foam

So I switched up the colour balance a little and only used green as a colour accent with neutral and brown leading the way.

I tried out a new neutral-tone colour combination for my Sweet Life roses using Versacolor vanilla, cement, and bisque ink cubes. I rather like the subtle look with the colours for a neutral palette. :o)

This card needed to be a bit more clean and simple as it is destined for an uncle in Poland. Nothing wrong with flowers for men, there are, after all, many avid male gardeners out there and these roses are so realistic looking. ;o)

Don't forget to check out the delicious creations from the rest of the DCM girls! Especially our new Guest Designer Svenja!

Happy weekend!

Chocolate withrdawl has almost kicked in...

And it's all the fault of Kathy over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

So, having given up both chocolate and crisps for Lent this year, just what happens to be the topic of this week's dare... only bloomin' chocolate! LOL

It has been torture seeing some of the really imaginative creations from the design team.

I personally couldn't contemplate the actual stuff for too long when trying to come up with a card as it was making me hungry.

But as the dare allows for favourite centres and chocolate accompaniments I thought back to a lovely bar of either Milka or Rittersport white chocolate I once had with strawberry pieces in it. I don't usually like strawberry creams too much, but this particular chocolate bar was a perfect fusion of my two favourite sweet treats.

So, the theme on my card this week is strawberries!

Papers: Crate Paper, Basic Grey
Chipboard: Crate Paper
Die: MFT
Ribbon: SU
Button: October Afternoon
Other: Sewing machine

A rather summery card for this time of year but I have to say I am looking forward to when fresh and seasonal strawberries are finally available! :D

Don't forget to check out the fab (and most drool-worthy) creations from the rest of the design team. :)

Butterflies are in the air!

This week over on the DCM blog Zuz challenged us to use butterflies on our projects.

Well, I decided to be a very organized little bee this week and got all my cardmaking tasks done at the weekend. This particular card was always destined for a fellow-scrappy friend to celebrate a certain milestone birthday that will remain nameless. I was getting slightly worried when all my attempts to include butterflies were failing badly and it wasn't until everything else was down on the card that I dragged out the Martha Stewart butterfly punches I own for such emergencies and got to work "adding butterflies"! I may have gone slightly over the top... but hey, it's an important birthday after all!

So here it is, the finished number:

Paper: Crate Paper, Basic Grey
Chipboard elements: Crate Paper
Border sticker: Crate Paper
Die-cut cage: Pink Paislee
Dies: Cheery Lynn, MFT
Stamp: Hero Arts
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Punches: Martha Stewart
Other: 3D foam, Corner Chomper

And here are the butterflies in all their glory. What I was really pleased with about this card was how well that chevron paper from Basic Grey mixed in with the rest of the Pretty Party Crate elements. I hope the birthday girl likes it. :)

Don't forget to check out the rest of the gorgeous projects from the talented design team!

Love is in the air this week

...over on the DCM blog.

Come and join us for some pre-Valentines fun!

The theme of this week is all things L-o-v-e!

Well, I was really looking forward to breaking into my lovely new Valentines stash from Sarah's Cards to get my project made for this week's dare.... so many luscious items in my order it was difficult to choose just where to start!

But in the interests of using up "old" stash I made sure to combine the new with the old. :)

Paper: Basic Grey, Elle's Studio
Flower: Prima
Brad and chipboard: Crate Paper
Dies and stamps: PTI
Other: waxed cotton cord, sewing machine

So yes, any excuse for an aqua, pink and red colour combo from me! And I finally used the last flower in that packet from Prima. Had to swap out the brad as for some reason the original one had rusted... go figure!

After this little creative session I am really looking forward to using more of the lovely new Valentines product I picked up, including the sheet of paper that Sarah's Cards are sending through from my order. That's customer service for you - it's just a pain when the one item missing from your order is paper - it's such a mare of a thing to send in the post compared to say a pack of buttons! But never to mind, I will be put to good use when it arrives. :)

And no, I am not planning on turning my craft room into a valentine card sweat shop! The papers I chose are really versatile for so many other projects. But you know me, can't resist a bit of aqua, pink or chevrons!

Tonight it's crop night, but I've had little to no time to pack so it may just be a sorting session at this rate! I do hope to get using some more of the new stash, but we will see!

Don't forget to stop by the DCM blog and check out all the projects from my fellow design team girls. :)

February is the month of....

L-O-V-E....

And with it being the first Friday of the month, you know what Kathy had in mind when she chose this week's colour palette to inspire the Daring Cardmakers!

It's a classy combination of dark slate grey, light cloudy grey, white and cranberry red....

Most stylish!

Here's the card I made:

Paper: Echo Park
Stamps: PTI, WMS
Dies: PTI, MFT
Other: 3D foam, Promarker pen

So I had great plans in my head when sitting down to create this card, but once again the creative part of my brain decided to go on a little holiday... never to mind. I wanted to play with my new Rosie Posie stamps but obviously wasn't channelling the Veldman or other PTI design team ladies who have made such lovely projects with this set and matching dies that they make it look so effortless.

I did want my flowers to zing a little, so I added some accents with a red Promarker pen and the blender pen. And I finally used my MFT Jumbo Fishtail Banner stax dies the way I had intended to when I purchased them - I rather like the look of the greeting at the top hanging down. Will have to do that more in future as it opens up a bit more space on your card. :)

Anyway, don't forget to check out the other lovely creations from the DCM girls!

Ahoy there matey!

This week on the DCM blog the design team were very kindly supplied with some new dies by Xcut from Docrafts that are designed to allow you to create various different scenes to your heart's content on your papercrafting projects.

I got to play with the Nautical set:

And there was plenty of scope for some Pirate fun - arrrrgggghhh!

Here's what I made:

Dies: All from the Nautical set except the banner and "beach" which are MFT
Paper: My Little Shoebox
Stamps: My Cute Stamps
Other: Promarkers, vintage inkers

I added vintage inks to the peaks of the waves to bring them out more, and I rather like how the last wave is curled over onto the beach.

Just a shame I am almost out of this cloud paper - it's by far the best cloud paper in my arsenal as the proportions are just right for "scene" cards and it's such a lovely shade of sky too. :)

Anyway, if you've not already seen the fantastic cards from the rest of the design team you must check them out! There's also a chance to win your own set of Xcut scene dies - see the full details on the DCM blog here.

Happy crafting and good luck!

Emboss or deboss?

Hm... I had a little spree in the embossing folder aisles of Joann's and Michaels while in Florida and I have vowed to make better use of my existing meagre collection and my new purchases on future cards.

And what better excuse than this week's DCM dare which comes from Keilly.

We've been tasked with the challenge of using embossing techniques on our cards this week.

Now, the dilemma was whether to go for dry embossing or heat embossing... I thought it only right to pick a new embossing folder to play with. But I have to confess I rather preferred the reverse debossed side for the card I was planning to make:

Embossing folder: Sizzix
Stamps and dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

From the elements listed it's a very simple card. But this embossing folder really has a regency look to it and I thought was a perfect compliment for the Jane Austen set from PTI. I also stamped the background and used vintage edger inks so it all blended a bit more. And to finish off I scored a couple of lines on the greeting strip just to keep the embossed theme going. :)

Don't forget to check out the other amazing cards from the design team! Happy crafting!

Ahh the Frill of it all...

Hello Friday!

And hello a brand new dare on the Daring Cardmakers blog! :D

Leo is back again to challenge us with a new theme and as the title would suggest, it's all about adding a frill to your card.

I had something immediately in mind, but it kind of meant CASE-ing one of my own cards from last year....

So it may look rather familiar, but the frill is definitely there!

Embossing folder: Cuttlebug
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI, Spellbinders
Other: cupcake wrappers, 3D foam, white chalk ink

It's not so easy to spot, but I used a white chalk ink pad around the edges of the yellow background and to bring out the embossed dots more - just to soften things up a little.

It's also nice to use cake cases on something other than baking since I am not going to be baking for a while now that I have stepped back onto the post-Christmas diet.

However this has been made slightly more difficult now that the Percy Pigs I won on the M&S Facebook pass the parcel game have arrived in the post and are concealed somewhere about the house so that I don't succumb!

We shall see how long I can hold out! 

Don't forget to stop by my Design-teamies' blogs to see their lovely frilly cards! :)

Ahhh... the first Friday of 2013

Which means the weekend is almost upon us!

And with it being the first Friday of a new month, never mind a new year, it's time for the return of our monthly colour challenges on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

This month Leo has picked out a stunning colour palette that includes some gorgeous aqua tones:

Now you have to look closely to spot all the shades in my card, but I promise you, they are there, plus a few additions. ;)

And yes, I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try out the wonderful Chalkboard art technique as showcased amazingly by Betsy Veldman back in November. It's a seriously fun technique that I will definitely be trying again and the effect is quite amazing. And as luck would have it it's also the focus of this week's Make it Monday video too on the PTI blog.

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

I also used this opportunity to try out some of the new Ranger dye inks I picked up in Florida, the combination of Tattered Rose and Dried Marigold Distress Inks plus Adirondack Mountain Rose worked really well together and I am so happy with how they stamp using the Versamark technique. Really great results. Now I just need to try out the other inks I bought!

Don't forget to check out the wonderful cards from the rest of the DCM girls - there are some lovely takes on this colour palette. :D

Happy crafting!

Last Christmas card of the year?

I wonder....

This week it's our last dare of 2012 over on the DCM blog, and it's also rather sad because it's our last dare with our wonderful teamie Rein. She's stepping down from the DT after 4 years of dedicated service and we will really miss her. Good luck Rein with all your future endeavours!

Sharon has chosen a fantastic dare to send off the year, I am sure it'll be one way to use up any scraps left over from Christmas card production, I know that's what I did. ;o)

We've been challenged to create a card that uses paper piecing - well perfect excuse for me to roll out my new MFT hexagon dies eh?

Paper: Basic Grey, Studio Calico
Stamp: PTI
Dies: MFT, PTI
Other: Button, twine, 3D foam

I think I could get addicted to making similar cards with other scraps!

Now, don't forget that there's still time to enter for your chance to win a fabulous prize from The Ribbon Reel - the DCM girls will be taking a break over the Christmas period, but we'll be back with new challenges and inspiration on the 4th of January 2013!

We all hope you have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and holiday period.

Thanks for playing along in 2012! We'll see you in 2013!

Time for a little monkeying around!

Well it is official monkey day today... which is why Samm has set us the challenge of featuring these cheeky creatures on our card projects this week over on the DCM blog. :)

Here's what I came up with:

Paper: Crate
Sticker: Doodlebug
Stamps: My Cute Stamps, PTI, Hero ARts
Die: PTI
Other: White chalk ink and chalk, 3D foam, Promarkers

It's a bit difficult to see in the photos, but I used aqua cardstock for the background and then squished my Versamagic white ink cube around the monkey and branch to create some clouds. I took ages last night looking for a greeting only to realise I still do not have an "It's your birthday..." stamp in my vast collection. Epic fail!

But at least this greeting conveyed the message I hope! ;o)

Don't forget to check out the other fab monkey-cards from the rest of the design team - they really bring a smile to your face!

So long wet and windy winter...

Hello Florida sun!

This time tomorrow I'll be sat in the airport waiting for our flight to Orlando for the 2012 edition of Kirsty's Florida Crop - where 10 ladies of varying age go on a mad crafting, shopping and generally thoroughly hilarious holiday break in the sun. :D

We're just away for a little over a week, but a lot can happen and be bought in that space of time believe me. ;o)

But first, I leave you with my last little craft project for the time-being.

It's for Lythan's lovely Twinkle, Twinkle dare on the DCM blog, and as you've probably guessed she challenged us all to feature stars of any shape or form on our cards this week.

Here's my festive number:

Paper: Studio Calico, Crate, Basic Grey
Stamps: PTI
Dies: Spellbinders, MFT
Trim: The Ribbon Girl
Other: 3D foam, Distress Stickles

I was really surprised how well PTI's Terracotta Tile cardstock went with the red in the background papers, I always see it as being a very orangey red, but it really matched well on this card. And hurrah, I had time for some Distress Stickles action this week and managed to leave it alone long enough to dry!

Hope you have a creative weekend and I'll catch you next month! :D

Just because...

Well, I'm more or less getting over my cold - really hope my hearing and sense of smell return by next week as I will be jetting off to Florida and I need all my senses in full working order. ;)

But I'm back getting something crafty done and just in time for this week's dare on the DCM blog.

Gez set us the challenge of making a card to send just because...

Well, it makes a nice change from Christmas papers and stamps. :)

Here's what I made:

Paper: MME
Stamps: PTI
Dies: MFT, PTI
Resin flowers: 3D Jean
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: felt, 3D foam

I had previously cut and rolled those felt roses for another project but the colours hadn't worked well on it, so the roses made it into my scraps bowl for future use, most handy, as they go perfectly with the colour of those resin flowers.

Have a happy, crafty weekend!

It's colour challenge time...

...over on the DCM blog, it's the first Friday of the month so we have a lovely new colour palette to play with courtesy of Zuz this time:

Now, when I first saw this pic on another computer screen the second shoe looked like it was charcoal black rather than navy blue... So my card is slightly off kilter, but hey, all the elements are basically there. ;o)

Paper: BG, Studio Calico
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI, MFT
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: Stickles, sewing machine, corner chomper, 3D foam

So it's a bit hard to see in the photos, but there definitely is a snowy snowman on that card next to the Christmas tree! ;o)

Don't forget to check by the blogs of my DCM teamies, and of course our lovely DCM friend Miri, who is joining us as Guest Designer. :D

Happy crafting!

Let there be light - of the twinkly variety!

This week's dare on the DCM blog has been set by Kathy - and it's all in the hope of lighting up these dark and dreary autumnal days.

So basically you need to feature anything from candles and lanterns to fairy lights on your card.

The perfect excuse for some more Christmas card making eh?

Here's what I made using more of my Crate stash from last year:

Paper, sticker, chipboard: Crate Paper
Stamp: PTI
Die: Memory Box
Other: Stickles, pearls, pattern wheel

I couldn't resist a Stickles explosion on this one - any excuse for glitter on a Christmas card. It would be rude not to! ;o)

Hope you have a crafty weekend!

Don't worry, be happy...

Words to live by I think - especially considering how pear-shaped my week turned out. ;o)

It was all lovely at the beginning - as I got to dog-sit the lovely Lola on Sunday night through to Tuesday evening. When not out for a good few walkies in my local area (who knew there were so many places to discover around here - and only discovered with the aid of a nosey Jack Russell terrier) Lola spent a lot of time awake like this:

Or in mode number 2 - asleep like this under the covers:

It was really lovely to have her stay, not least because we had great fun traipsing about the place - three outings a day and god knows how many miles.

Really wish I could have a Lola-dog of my own. :o)

But anyway, back on topic and today's happiness comes to you in the form of this week's DCM dare set by Keilly who wants you to make a card with a happy theme.

Well in my relentless efforts to get started with the Christmas cardmaking I went in search of some happy festive stash to fit this theme:

Papers, sticker, rub-on: Crate Paper
Other: 3D foam, Stickles

I thought the colours were rather jolly!

Here's hoping Friday ends on a happier note for me and the weekend is a nice one! :)

The curse of dark evenings...

Well, it looks like it's official now - the evenings are now too dark for me to get decent pics of any craft projects. My craft lamp can only do so much!

This week's DCM dare was to feature spiders on your card. So after panicked phone calls to a Halloween-stash-buddy I ended up going with plan B and making my own feltie spider from scratch. No mean feat for somebody with zero hand-sewing skills!

Here's the pic I managed to get in daylight conditions - much better! And although you can't quite make out the detail on Mr spider, he is a plush feltie filled with cotton wool no less. I made the body from two Spellbinders ovals and the legs are from a mini MFT flag pole die. Very handy I must say!

Paper: Doodlebug
Alpha buttons: Doodlebug
Thickers: American Crafts
Dies: Spellbinders, MFT, Sizzix
Glitter stickers: Doodlebug, KI Memories
Other: Felt, thread, goggly eyes, 3D foam, corner chomper

It was a bit of a battle to fit all the letters on there! And Mr spider also is only attached by the thread so he can swish about a bit.

Hope the birthday girl likes it, must say it is most handy to have someone who has a birthday on Halloween and loves all things Halloween-y!

Well, if I do manage any crafting this weekend then I shall definitely have to get my cards photographed this weekend!

Autumn shades...

...are all en vogue on the DCM blog this week. The lovely Sharon has chosen this colour palette for us to play with:

Well, I set about sorting through my boxes of paper looking for the right shades and combinations but nothing was working for me... I even got my Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg paper pack out from last week, then put it away again and carried on trying to find something different that would work...

No such luck, nothing worked quite like those Cosmo Cricket papers for me... so yep, the retro paper from last week returns for a more autumnal outing. ;o)

Paper: Cosmo Cricket
Stamp, cardstock, felt: PTI
Dies: Spellbinders, MFT
Other: Distress ink, 3D foam, Prima chalk inks, Corner Chomper

I think this must be one of the very few times when Terracotta Tile cardstock and felt has been perfect for one of my projects. Nice to get using it on something. :)

Also I was looking for inspiration to get me kick-started when I made this card earlier this week and I looked up the current sketch on the CPS blog and sketch #285 was the perfect answer. A lovely sketch and I think I will use it again for my Christmas card production!

Have a happy Friday!

Chevrons.... who doesn't like them?

Well... I am sure there are quite a few folks who are fed up of seeing them on projects in the craft world...

I'm afraid I'm not one of them, in fact I was just contemplating a little paper spree to purchase some new chevron papers the other day...

And well, my Chevron fixation has spilled over on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week as it was my turn to set the dare and I challenged the design team and our lovely visitors to make a card featuring chevrons, zigzags or a herringbone pattern. :)

Here's what I made for my dad's birthday:

Paper: Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts
Stamps and die: MFT
Rub-ons: Making Memories (blast from the past stash or what?)
Other: Distress ink, 3D foam, corner chomper

I hope you have time to play along and share your chevron appreciation. ;o)

TGIF

It's a most apt title to this post, as this week's Dare on the DCM blog comes from the lovely Zuz.

She has challenged us to make a "thank you" card... so if there's someone you need to say thank you to here's your chance.

Personally I am just thankful that its almost the weekend. ;o) I am sure I will soon find a few more things to be thankful for, no worries!

Here's my card for this week - I really like these dinky 4x4 card blanks I bought:

Paper and cardstock embellishments: MME
Stamp: WMS
Dies: PTI, MFT
Other: Stickles, 3D foam

The addition of some Stickles on this card really gave it that extra pop in real life without making things too cluttered in such a small space.

Don't forget to check out the lovely cards from the rest of the design team!

Happy Friday folks!

Get rifling in the stash cupboard...

Vellum is back!

And for one week only it's the star attraction of the Daring Cardmakers blog thanks to Sharon's fab dare. ;o)

Well, I may be using it for more than just one week... I've undergone a bit of a rediscovery this summer and have found new uses for vellum on my cards. Good job too as I have quite a lot of plain vellum - not to mention a good few sheets of coloured vellum - that could do with being put to creative use.

My favourite thing is creating sleeves around cards and die-cutting the stuff. It looks so crisp and neat with die-cut edges.

So here's an example of what I mean:

Paper: American Crafts
Stamp: WMS
Dies: Memory Box, PTI, Cuttlebug
Felt: PTI
Other: Vellum, sewing machine

I'm rather fond of using apertures on card fronts to showcase the greeting too - oh and this colour combo I have done before with this American Crafts paper, but I just really love how it looks together. I did the Versamark trick for the stamped greeting as my VersaMagic Pink Grapefruit tear-drop pad isn't quite as inky as it once was. But the stamped image here is really nice and crisp and much more vivid than I remember this ink being.

Don't forget to stop by the other Design Team blogs and see their gorgeous cards! :o)

Happy crafting!

Mellow shades...

What more could you ask for on a Friday? :)

This week sees the return of our monthly colour challenge on the DCM blog and we have had some very subtle and mellow shades to play with thanks to Lythan's pick:

There's also a great photo these colours were picked from that you can see on the DCM blog.

But here's what I came up with - and note the Stickles were still drying when I took these photos... Big mistake, huge.... to quote Julia Roberts!

Paper: Pink Paislee, MME
Dies: PTI, Sizzix
Stamp: Banana Frog
Other: vellum, sewing machine, Distress Stickles, Distress Ink

And the only bit that got Stickled was the centre of the rosette. :) It just needed a little extra something and it's nice that Tattered Rose Stickles match the shade of that MME spotty paper almost exactly. ;o)

So yes, somewhere in this card we have shades of blue with the map and butterfly, pinks in the roses and rosette, some greeny tints, and of course grey and black.

Have a creative weekend!

Flowers galore

Well despite best intentions I didn't quite manage to create a separate card for this week's 52-card challenge using these colours as inspiration:

Source: gracioushome.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

But I did use them as a springboard to my card for today's dare on the DCM blog which has been set by the very lovely Rein.

This week's focus is on flowers... but the flowers have to be the main event on your card.

I went for a full on floral background - any more flowers on this card and you'd need to stick it in the greenhouse:

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamp: PTI
Die: MFT
Other: satin ribbon, flower button, pearl, twine, sewing machine

I've loved the bold print of this paper ever since I got it - but it's one of those papers that just doesn't work so well on cards unless you chop it up small or use it to its full bold glory. I thought it was time to do just that! ;)

I had a bit of a job trying to get a small bow out of this lovely satin ribbon, so in the end I cheated a bit and didn't tie an actual bow just made a DIY one. I tied it on with twine and that little flower button keeps it all nicely held together, there was a dent in the button perfect for a teeny pearl and there you have it...

Have a lovely crafty weekend!

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, beside the sea...

We have a wonderful dare this week on the DCM blog courtesy of the lovely Gez - she has set us the challenge of creating a card with a seaside theme.

And well... I was struggling for a few moments with what to do for mine, so I went a bit off-piste and tried a beach-inspired look and feel approach:

Paper: MME, Crate Paper
Chipboard: Crate Paper
Stamps: Just Rite, Technique Tuesday
Stickers: Crate Paper
Dies: Spellbinders, Memory Box, PTI
Pearl: Kaisercraft
Other: String, sewing machine, chalk ink

So there's a bit of a sea-weathered look to the wood, and sewing, and string, and the pennants blowing in the breeze... or at least that's what I saw. ;)

Don't forget to check out the cards from my wonderfully talented fellow teamies!

Last ditch creativity

Well, for the next few weeks!

This week on the DCM blog Kathy has set us a challenge on the theme of "The House that Jack Built" - so anything homely!

I grabbed some of my favourite Banana Frog stamps from my stash and put them to use on this:

Paper: MME
Stamps: Banana Frog
Dies: PTI, Spellbinders
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: Sewing machine, corner chomper, copics, stickles

Don't forget to check out the wonderful projects from the rest of the design team!

Happy crafting!

An iconic day....

Today's dare on the DCM blog comes from Zuz who wants us to use pictograms or icons on our cards this week.

I knew I had some stash somewhere that would fit this bill - and yes out it came from near retirement. ;)

Paper: American Crafts
Badges: American Crafts

I had originally set this paper and the badges aside for a mini travel album that never got finished - one day... but in the meantime it fit the bill perfectly for this project. For a change I have created something a bit more manly - well it's definitely not my usual soft shades and stitched layers and pearls! lol

Don't forget to check out the rest of the design team's cards on the DCM blog. :D

Not quite arsenic and old lace...

But pearls and lace are the order of the day on the DCM blog this week, as Keilly has set us the challenge of using these much-loved elements on our cards.

Here's the rather simple number I made.

I was going to fuss it up a bit more, but found nothing that went with that lovely patterned paper without totally hiding the rays in the design.

Paper: Pink Paislee, Simple stories
Lace: The Ribbon Girl
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Stamp: PTI
Other: Distress Sticles, sewing machine

I just love the coral colour of that paper combined with aqua - yummy, yummy. I added Picket Fence Distress Stickles to accent the white bits of the paper design - they're not that easy to see here, but they aren't overly glam, just subtly glittery now. :)

July colour challenge on the DCM blog

We have a lovely set of colours to play with this month that Rein has chosen:

Lovely aqua and grey tones with a hint of green.

I ended up making my card whilst watching Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy so it took a bit longer to create than you'd think just by looking at it. ;)

I kept things very simple indeed:

Paper: MME, Pink Paislee
Stamp: WMS
Die: Sizzix (leaves)
Brad: SEI
Other: old sheet music, Distress Stickles, sewing machine

The flower is a DIY job, rather than plain hand-cut wobbly circles I folded into quarters and then rounded the edges to create poppy-like petals. Rather like how it turned out, just a shame the Distress Stickles don't look quite so delicately and perfectly applied as others seem to manage!

Don't forget to check out the DCM blog and see the lovely cards from the rest of the design team. :)

You can never have enough patterned paper....

But it can be a bit difficult to actually cut it up and use it on a project!

Well, do not fear... the right inspiration is here in the form of this week's DCM dare set by the patterned-paper-snipping queen herself, Leo.

The mission she has set, is to make a card using at least 6 different designs of patterned paper...

I managed 7! ;oP

Paper and stickers: Crate Paper
Dies: PTI, Spellbinders
Stamp: PTI
Button: Crate Paper
Other: Glassine envelope, corner chomper

I have actually managed to use a good chunk of all the papers in the Story Teller collection now - just need to get using more of the stickers. ;)

Anyway, here's hoping it's a dry and happy weekend - hoping to get some crafting done so I am ready for my hols, but would love to wave bye-bye to the torrential rain and storms. :)

Sweet temptation...

Friday has arrived once more and that means a brand new challenge on the Daring Cardmakers blog. :)

This week Sharon's challenge is on the theme of "You're so sweet!".

You need to make a card featuring anything sweet, like ice creams, cakes... what ever tickles your sweet tooth. ;)

I went with cake, but not just any cake - the lovely "Eat Cake" stamps from Waltzing Mouse that I bought ages ago with a mind to creating some lovely Birthday cards and well... I used the set for the first time today. Lovely it is indeed. I love sets where you can build up the image with layered effects and different colours:

Paper, journaling spot, border sticker: Crate Paper
Stamps: WMS, PTI
Dies: PTI, MFT
Other: Sewing machine, resin flower, distressing tool

Those teeny banner dies by MFT are perfect for the Mixed Messages set from PTI - I use my Mega Mixed Messages most of the time, but it's nice to add teeny additional greetings too yet still make them stand out some how.

Hope you have fun playing along if you get chance - don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's work on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

TGIF

Well here we are again with another new dare for the week, this time courtesy of Samm. :)

She set us the challenge of creating a card where the negative punched or die-cut image is used rather than the thing you've cut out.

Loved this challenge as I had a few things floating about in my head... but this is what I finally settled on:

Paper: Crate Paper
Dies: PTI
Stamp: PTI
Other: 3D foam, sewing machine

A rather simple card from me this week, but it took a lot longer to make than you may think since the greeting stamp I used went on a little adventure between me taking it out of the CD case and sticking it on the stamping block - around 1 hr later I finally found it and could relax... ah, clear stamps and the stress they put you through when they stick to something else entirely!

Remember to go check out the cards from the rest of the Daring Cardmakers team.

Back to some card inspiration

...or at least I hope so. ;o)

Friday has certainly come round quick again!

I'm setting the dare again this week on the Daring Cardmakers blog and my choice of theme was resin embellishments.

I can't get enough of the little lovelies so want to see you have lurking in your stash and how you use it. ;o)

Here's my card:

Resin cupcake: Melissa Frances
Paper: Crate Paper
Dies: MFT, PTI, Spellbinders
Punch: EK Success
Stamp: PTI
Other: Glassine envelope, sewing machine, corner chomper, 3D foam

This card is only a little 4x4 number so the cupcake isn't quite that huge, but I'm rather happy with how the aperture has worked in the glassine envelope. Good old die collection to the rescue!

And the next nod to the Jubilee...

...is up on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week.

It was my turn to choose the colours for our June colour challenge, and yes, it had to be red, white and blue. Well any shades of this combination even pink, cream, and aqua.

Here's the inspiration photo I chose:

Here's what I made:

Paper: Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, MME
Dies: MFT, Sizzix
Vintage elements: Pink Paislee
Resin frame: Melissa Frances
Stamps: JustRite, PTI
Other: Sewing machine, distressing tool, 3D foam, string

I rather like how this one came together. I didn't have a strip of the airmail paper from Crate long enough to fit the entire Tim Holtz medium rosette die so I just cut the longest strip I had and it has made a lovely little rosette. I am so in love with those Melissa Frances resin frames, I want them all! LOL

I hope you have chance to join in - wherever you are!

And folks in the UK, you enjoy your Jubilee weekend! I intend to. :)

Catching up

I'm a bit late to the party sharing my card for Friday's Daring Cardmakers dare. This week Rein set us the task of featuring locks and keys on our cards.

Well I had the perfect project in mind, I just didn't manage to execute it until the weekend. ;)

And the project?

Well this lovely item arrived in the post this week:

The official invitation to my cousin's wedding in Poland - no doubt designed by himself since he is a very talented graphic designer. :D

It's all getting very exciting now!

So here's the card I made as official acceptance:

Paper: Crate Paper
Chipboard: Crate Paper
Charms: Prima
Stamps: PTI, PSX
Dies: MFT
Seam binding: The Ribbon Girl
Pearls: Kaiserkcraft
Other: Sewing machine, Stickles

I hope they like it. :D

And now, on with making the next card - since the lovely weather seems to have disappeared over night.

Fussy cutting anyone?

Anyone who has seen my cards will know that I don't really do fussy cutting - I tend to leave that look to dies or ready-cut embellishments. ;)

But this week on the DCM blog the lovely Jo Kill has set us the challenge to feature fussy cutting in our cards, either as a background element or an embellishment.

Well, in my mass clear-out last year I did away with quite a bit of paper that would require fussy cutting and I didn't really fancy stamping and cutting - still haven't recovered from that pirate boy I cut out!

So I raided the old Basic Grey stash zone and found my Lily Kate collection kit ready to be used.

It's amazing how difficult it is to feel inspired by old papers when they all belong so strongly to a specific collection. But it was mind over matter, and out came the craft knife and glass mat!

This is the rather simplistic card I came up with:

Paper: Basic Grey
Stamp: Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Dies: PTI
Other: Stickles, foam pads, white pen

And there we have it - a rather spring-ish card to add to my card basket. :)

Two challenges with one card

So I never did quite manage to catch up with the prompt for this week's 52 Cards challenge, instead I have sneakily combined it with this week's colour challenge from the DCM blog. :)

Here's the palette we are using this month chosen by Keilly:

I belatedly realised that these colours were an exact match for the Noteworthy stash I have from Making Memories... shame I didn't remember that sooner!

Instead I have played with some newer bits and pieces:

Paper: MME, Crate Paper
Stamps: WMS, PTI
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI, Cuttlebug
Ribbon and trim: The Ribbon Girl
Chipboard and resin flower: Crate Paper
Other: Mulberry rose, glassine envelope, sewing machine

I had a little play with my new Prima chalk inks at the weekend and I think I have found my favourite turquoise ink - as used on the tiny tag. :D

And for the eagle-eyed - behold the glassine envelope for this week's 52 Cards prompt!

Tags and treats

This week on the DCM blog the design team had the great pleasure of playing with some lovely stash from fellow teamy Zuz's new online shop.

Tea House Bridge sells gorgeous vintage-style buttons, resin, and findings that are just perfect for craft projects.

We got to combine that lovely stash with Gez's dare - all on the theme of tags!

There's also the chance to win some lovely items from the store when you play along with this week's dare. Check out all the details on the DCM blog here.

For my card I was still in the shabby vintage mood, and of course out came my Pink Paislee London Market papers again!

Items from Tea House Bridge: cream resin frame, baby pink resin bird, clear round buttons, white and pink cotton button.
Papers: Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, Echo Park
Label: Pink Paislee
Stamp: Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Pompom trim: The Ribbon Girl
Tag and envelope: Melissa Frances
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Other: heart doily, sewing machine, distress ink, thin silk ribbon

For the centre of the frame I cut a piece of text paper from Echo Park with the smallest scallop oval nestability die I had, and then snipped into each dent to give it a little frill effect when it was stuck down onto the frame. The frame also has a little eye at one end, great for threading ribbon or twine through.

I hope you enjoy playing along this week - the design team have come up with some lovely projects this week. :D

Arrrrgggghhhh, shiver me timbers!

This week's dare on the DCM blog meant I had to get my thinking cap on... literally!

Zuz set us the challenge to create a card featuring some kind of hat, well it's a good job I remembered my little set of Pirate Boy stamps from My Cute Stamps, otherwise I'd still be sat here trying to come up with something. ;)

So here it is:

Paper: MME, My Little Shoebox
Stamps: My Cute Stamps
Dies: Sizzix, Memory Box, Spellbinders, PTI
Brads: Doodlebug
Other: 3D foam, Copics, Distress Inks

Well, this is as good as my close cutting gets, even with a glass mat temporarily borrowed from the kitchen. ;) I can't do that really neat and detailed cutting work that so many others excel at, but it's not so bad I don't think. *Ü*

I am quite pleased with how my waves came out on this one - those scallop edge dies are very useful indeed.

Good Friday = good mood

Well, it has certainly been a challenging week for my nerves, and I have been really looking forward to the 4 day weekend, I can tell you!

But first, something crafty and cheery. :D

This being the first Friday of the month we have a new colour challenge to enjoy on the DCM blog this week.

Leo chose some lovely sorbet fresh colours:

And seeing these colours the first time I knew exactly which stash to use - yep, my dwindling MME Howdy Doody 6x6 pad came out to play!

Paper: MME
Stamp: WMS
Flower: The Ribbon Girl
Dies: Sizzix, Cheery Lynn, PTI
Felt: PTI
Other: Buttons, ribbon, Distress Stickles, cotton thread, chalk ink

This card started out very differently but I'm quite happy with how it ended up - will definitely have to use bitty buttons more on things, they are very sweet. :)

On the non-crafty front I had a nice break from the stress of this week with a day out in Newcastle with Zoe getting some shopping done followed in the evening by a very delicious meal out at our usual Indian - with our usual pickles of course!

Here are my lovely purchases:

Rather uninteresting to some...

But I finally have an oven thermometer which will get tried out this weekend when I attempt to make Easter Malteaser cupcakes.

There had to be at least one Easter decoration - and I loved that little bowl from John Lewis.

Had to have this when I saw it - even if I don't use all the toppers on cupcakes, I could add a few to craft projects. But I just love Meri Meri design and Lakeland had lots of tempting sets, but I could only go for one and this was it!

Fenwick's foodhall is always a must stop place - and how nice to see them have packets of coconut M&Ms at last... and my fave white PB cups!

The main reason for visiting is always to stock up on Kolos rye bread, basically the best rye bread in the world! I bought a little loaf for myself, and two big loaves for the Easter weekend at my mum and dad's - Polish Easter breakfast of course wouldn't be complete without this bread! In fact once I finish up here I will be having some for my breakfast. :D

And finally the last thing I was expecting to buy was some new perfume, but when I saw the new additions to the Be Delicious range (I have quite a few...) I had to try them and to my extreme delight this creamy meringue perfume has a lovely fresh lemon zing to it without being overly sweet and sickly. And for once in the many years I have bought perfume I had a load of free samples dropped into the bag with my purchase. So look forward to trying those out, hopefully they are nice!

Right, I had best get my breakfast and get dressed - later on the menu it's a traditional Good Friday visit to the fish and chip shop plus Hot Cross buns somewhere in there as well. :D