Kool Kitty Musings

DCM - Up, Up and Away

Good morning!

Over on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week, Enfys has set us the challenge to feature balloons as the focus of our cards.

Well, I had an important card to make this week that certainly would work for this challenge.

A christening card for my nephew and soon to be godson!

Paper: Crate Paper - Little You (r), Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Willow Lane (r)
Stamp: The Greetery - PreText Sentiments
Dies: The Greetery - PreText Banners, PTI - Tiny Tags, Lawn Fawn - Oliver's Stitched ABCs, Mama Elephant - Rainbow High (r), The Stamp Market - Presents
Other: Typewriter

I started out by cutting the word "Christening" from blue cardstock in my stash with the Oliver's Stitched ABCs dies from Lawn Fawn - knowing that was the font would work best for what I had in mind and keeping my fingers firmly crossed I'd be able to fit the full word on the front of a card.

Thankfully, a 5x7 card base did the job and I could rest easy with the rest of the design knowing all the text would fit.

I selected some papers from Crate Paper, including some patterns from the Little You collection only to find the blue of the die cut letters clashed a bit with those warmer tones in the paper.

But I persevered and found that once I'd cut some little bows in the same blue to add to the ends of the Mama Elephant Rainbow High balloon edge dies the blue tones evened out a bit and the contrast wasn't so bad.

Before sticking the letters down, I arranged them on my grid mat, so they were all evenly spaced and in a straight line, then used a strip of Press N Seal to grab them ready for sticking down.

I assembled the balloons and added some twine that would weave about in the background.

I typed Henry's name out on my typewriter, then cut it out with the star tag from PTI's Tiny Tags die set.

Finally, I popped some 3D foam tape on the back of the letters while still attached to the piece of Press N Seal, removed the backing, added a bit of Tombow glue to the foam tape before positioning on the card and giving the letters a wiggle until everything was perfectly straight and could be left to dry.

Once dry, I peeled off the Press N Seal, then worked out where to place the final finishing touches like the PreText sentiment banner and sequins.

A little fiddly to make sure everything fit and the glue on the twine was hidden, but well worth it!

There's also a sneak peek of one of Henry's christening gifts in the image... It's a lovely little book, and I gave the same one to my niece for her christening.

Make sure you check out the wonderful balloon-themed projects from the design team here, and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - PreText Sentiments stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	PTI - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Oliver's Stitched ABCs dies Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Mama Elephant - Rainbow High dies (r) Shop at: MISC | SHC
The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Stamp Market - Presents dies Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Willow Lane - Darling paper (r) Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Hemp Twine - Natural Shop at: SBC | SHC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

DCM - January Elemental Inspiration

Good morning!

Well, that's almost the first week of January survived!

The monthly elemental inspiration challenges on the Daring Cardmakers blog are back for another year, and to kick off 2022 Shabneez has picked this image:

I must confess, it was a little difficult to shift gears and exit the Christmas cardmaking mode I'd been permanently stuck in for the previous three months, but I scrolled through some of my projects from 2021 and ideas started to form.

My three elements are kraft/brown, a subdivided frame layout, and foliage.

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script, Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix, The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II
Other: Distress Oxide inks

I started out by cutting the divider frame from cream cardstock twice. I had a stack of the little window pop-outs left over from previous cards, so I cut them all with the pierced insert dies in the set ready for future projects, and selected the textured white cardstock ones for this one, as they provide extra pop against the kraft card base and the cream of the frame.

Once I'd attached the frame and inserts to my kraft card base, I cut the woodgrain frame from left over kraft card and blended over it with the brown dye ink that was left on my brown blending brush. It brings out that woodgrain texture and adds a little depth to the kraft.

Then it was time to make cut and colour the Wildflower Mix die cuts. I followed the video on The Greetery site for inspiration, using Oxide inks and ink daubers for the main colour, then pencils and a black pen for small details. I definitely need a bit more practice with this!

Once they were all dry, I arranged them in the frame and simply added sentiments from the Opposites Attract set.

I kind of wish I'd restamped the blue "Happy" as it looks blotchy in the photo, but it's not so bad in real life. ;)

I'm also using this project as my take on the January card challenge prompt here. I was inspired by the window, stacked elements, and of course the pop of blue!

Make sure you check out the wonderful projects from the rest of the design team here, and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC
The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Blueprint Sketch Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Broken China Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Festive Berries Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Lucky Clover Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mowed Lawn Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mustard Seed Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Salvaged Patina Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Shaded Lilac Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Squeezed Lemonade Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Tattered Rose Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Twisted Citron Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Worn Lipstick Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Blue Jay ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ | EH	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2022 Card Challenge - Intro and January Prompt

Hi everyone!

I'm posting this a little early so that you get a kickstart to your creative plans for 2022!

The handmade card challenge is back for another year - once again with the aid of inspiration found on Pinterest.

Can you believe, this will be the 11th year that I've been hosting this challenge?

Well, by now you know the drill... and this year the added twist of a focus colour for each month will be staying. :)

Here's how the 2022 card challenge will work:

• On the 1st of the month, I'll share a Pinterest prompt here on my blog.
• The prompts will include many elements - you can interpret what you see in any way you like: design elements, colour combos, words, patterns, objects, layout... so many possibilities! Whatever inspiration you take from the image, incorporate it in your card! As always, I will try to come up with a list of what immediately springs to mind when I look at the image to give you a few ideas if you're stumped.
• What about Christmas cards? As we reach the end of 2022 the prompts will become more festive and wintry themed, but there's nothing stopping you from creating a festive card from the images posted each month. In fact, you might welcome the challenge to get ahead!
• How many cards you make is totally up to you, but the more, the merrier!
• All prompts past and present for this challenge can be found here on my blog, and you can find them easily by clicking on the 2022 card challenge tag over there on the left.
• Speaking of tags, if you're also on Instagram then I'll be using the hashtag #2022handmadecardchallenge for any posts related to this challenge, feel free to use this tag on Instagram too!
• You can share your cards by linking them up here on my blog - just add a comment to the relevant monthly prompt - or by sharing them in the dedicated challenge thread over in the UK Scrappers card forum.
• If you are ever stumped about the layout of your card, then definitely check out the sketches I pin to my Pinterest board here, hopefully there will be something there to inspire you!
• What if you don't have time to start now or play along every month? No problem! Just dive in and out of the challenge when you feel like it. :D Do as much as you want or as little. It's always lovely to have lots of people sharing their makes, but real life doesn't always allow for crafty time, as we all know!

Now with all the formalities out of the way, it's time to get on with the show.

The colour focus for January is: Blue

A here's your Pinspiration for January:

{Pinterest pin}

And here are some initial ideas to get you started:

• Texture - whether from an embossing folder, embossing paste through a stencil, a woodgrain look, or even the effect of a knit pattern. There are lots of tactile things features in the image that translate well to a card.
• Splatter - add a splattering of paint, ink, or glitter to the background or as details on the focal point of your card.
• All creatures great and small - cats, birds, butterflies, a whole menagerie of animals, or to keep with the blue theme of January, perhaps you have someone who would love to receive an ocean or nautical-themed card.
• Stacks - how about stacking 3 of something, featuring a number of small apertures to showcase little details, or even using tiny tags as the backdrop to smaller details and sentiments? For a festive take, you could stack strips of paper, starting with the longest at the bottom, to create a Christmas tree.
• Nature - leaves, branches, wreathes, boughs, rather than green and brown, these could look really striking stamped out or die cut in blue tones.
• Slimline - the image with the window/dresser immediately made me think of a slimline card as a card format to mix things up a little.
• Frame it - the window frame is also a great reminder to use your frame dies if you have them - fantastic for making your sentiment stand out or any other details you want to pop.
• Bright vs dark - the lamp photographed against that navy wall makes me think of the effect you can create by blending a night sky as the backdrop to a little winter village die cut from white cardstock, or how you can create a glowing moon in that blended night sky with masking paper.
• Berrylicious - the blueberries remind me of all those berries on wintry foliage and branches, and how they don't all have to be red. ;)
• Quilted/tiled - the bedspread is a reminder of how you can use up scraps of paper/cardstock with small hexagon/square dies to create your own quilted pattern. You can also achieve a quilted look with an embossing folder or cover plate die for a subtle pattern on a plain background.

Here's to a happier 2022 filled with inspiration and creativity!