Kool Kitty Musings

DCM - Have a prickly summer

This week's challenge on the Daring Cardmakers Blog comes from Miri, and it's to feature a trendy summer plant on your card: the cactus!

Paper and stickers: MME - On Trend 2
Stamps: Memory Box - Big and Little Words, PTI - Tiny Tags

 

I still had some Cacti embellishments in my stash from the MME On Trend 2 collection pack and combined them with the 6x6 paper pad from this line. There's quite a bit of gold foiling in this collection and it can make for busy backgrounds, so I'm always happy to calm things down a bit with bold stripes. :)

I kept it simple for the greeting, using a tiny stamp from PTI's Tiny Tags set stamped onto a die-cut that is so old I can't find it online. It was made by QuicKutz back in the day and features 3 tiny tags. I'm so glad I held onto it as it's a breeze to use in the SideKick and often provides the perfect size and shape of tag for adding little embellishments like this.

The main greeting is a new one from Memory Box and is so versatile.

I like how this bit of white heat embossing brings everything together. :)

So, this card well and truly features some "blast from the past" items!

Make sure you check out the other prickly projects from the design team here and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

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Memory Box - Big and Little Words stamps Shop at: SSS	Hero Arts - Charcoal ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS
Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC
MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2019 card challenge - July card

Doing a little bit of experimenting this week. :)

New stamps and some Pinspiration!

I was inspired by the colours of the July card challenge - the aqua teal shades to be exact and the line patterns. A perfect way to combine trying out my new Everything's Rosy stamps and dies from Sunny Studio Stamps and trying a contrast colour technique with this diamond background stamp:

Stamps: Sunny Studio Stamps - Everything's Rosy, The Stamp Market - Diamond Design Background, Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday
Dies: Sunny Studio Stamps - Everything's Rosy, Lawn Fawn - Put a Bow on It, Lil' Inker Designs - Instant Camera, MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX

Granted it may be a bit difficult to make out in the photo - but the diamonds background inside the frame is stamped in blush pink while the rest of the background is in grey.

Two backgrounds stamped and a bit of precision cutting, hey presto!

Also top tip I saw about using Sticky Grid to hold your background panel in place when stamping - yep, works a treat! And they're reusable, so once stamped I apply the backing sheets again and store the piece of Sticky Grid behind the foam insert in my Misti, ready for next time!

I think next time I stamp these roses and leaves I'll start off with lighter shades for the rose but darker shades for the leaves.

But they do stamp fabulously and the layering really provides realistic looking results. :)

 

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Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday stamps Shop at: SSS	Sunny Studio Stamps - Everything's Rosy stamps Shop at: EH | SBC	The Stamp Market - Diamond Design Background stamp Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SSS	Sunny Studio Stamps - Everything's Rosy dies Shop at: EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Put a Bow on It dies Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Lil' Inker Designs - Instant Camera die Shop at: MISC | SHC	MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX dies Shop at: EH	Altenew - Bamboo dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC
Altenew - Blush dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Emerald dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Galactic Stream dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Lagoon dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC
Altenew - Limestone dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Moss dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Mountain Mist dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Olive dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC
Altenew - Parrot dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Volcano Lake dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Altenew - Red Sunset ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC
Altenew - Rock Collection ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Altenew - Sea Shore ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Altenew - Sweet Dreams ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Altenew - Tropical Forest ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Neenah Classic Crest 80 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI creative corners Shop at: EH | SBC
MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sticky Grid sheets Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

DCM - Wedding Season

This week's Daring Cardmakers challenge comes from Ruth. :)

We're celebrating the wedding season! I don't have any upcoming weddings to celebrate, but there is a wedding anniversary on the horizon so I've gone that route.

Stamps: Avery Elle - Simple Sentiments, Neat & Tangled - Foliage Frame
Dies: Neat & Tangled - Foliage Frame, Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Labels
Other: Gansai Tambi paints

My original plan was to try out my new Neat & Tangled Foliage Frame background stamp and pair it with a light watercolour wash.

Well, I was a bit heavy handed, so the light wash is definitely richer and more vibrant than I intended. But it really comes to life when you tilt the card and get that lovely metallic sheen from the Liquid Platinum heat embossing.

With some paint still on my brush after rinsing, I painted what was left on a spare piece of card and used that for the background to the aperture and for the sentiment strip, stamped in dark blue for a bit of contrast.

And I finished it all off with clear Nuvo drop accents and a paper cherry blossom flower.

Make sure you check out the lovely projects on the blog and join in if you can! :)

Happy crafting!

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Avery Elle - Simple Sentiments stamps Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Neat & Tangled - Foliage Frame stamps Shop at: EH | SHC	Neat & Tangled - Foliage Frame dies Shop at: EH | SHC	Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Labels dies Shop at: SSS
Lawn Fawn - Blue Jay ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS
Ranger - Liquid Platinum embossing powder Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2019 card challenge - April card

Better late than never, eh?

In the drama of losing a tiny stamp from my beloved WPlus9 Fresh Cut Florals stamp set when cleaning up after a a recent project and re-ordering the last available set  from Seven Hills Crafts to make sure I'd never be without it, I took the opportunity to purge all the pre-stamped die cuts in the storage pocket that I must have stamped about 3 or so years ago.

They'd been taunting me for a while, but rather than ditch them to make more space in the storage pocket I decided to get them stuck down on a card. :D

One inspired by the April card challenge prompt here.

Stamps: WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals, Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments, Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday, Simon Says Stamp - Diagonal Stripes background
Dies: WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals

I arranged them all with the aid of one of the quilting templates I use in my Misti, once that was done I needed to find a way to include a sentiment.

I have some mixed tags from an old Basic Grey collection called Hillside, perfect for incorporating some mini sentiments.

I also dressed up the kraft card blank with the diagonal striped background stamp from Simon Says Stamp - the Versamark ink I tried first didn't show up too well due to the coating on the card blank so I used Gathered Twigs for a less subtle look. :)

Another card completed for the card basket!

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Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps Shop at: EH | SSS	Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday stamps Shop at: SSS	WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals stamps Shop at: SHC	Simon Says Stamp - Diagonal Stripes background stamp Shop at: SSS
WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals dies Shop at: SHC	Adirondack dye ink - Mountain Rose (r) Shop at: SBC	Adirondack dye ink - Salmon (r) Shop at: SBC	Distress ink pad - Gathered Twigs Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Hero Arts - Charcoal ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Celery stick ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC	PTI - Aqua Mist ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Harvest Gold ink pad Shop at: MISC
PTI - Hawaiian Shores ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Hibiscus Burst ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Lemon Tart ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Poppy Red ink pad Shop at: MISC
PTI - Raspberry Fizz ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Ripe Avocado ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Simply Chartreuse ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Summer Sunrise ink pad Shop at: MISC
PTI - Sweet Blush ink pad Shop at: MISC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	PTI - Soft Stone cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Buttermilk Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

DCM - July elemental inspiration

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, Dawn has picked the elemental inspiration image for July:

When you see my card you may be scratching your head wondering how I went from that photo to this card:

Stamps: WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals, PTI - Graceful Greetings, Avery Elle - Simple Sentiments, Simon Says Stamp - Center Cut Heart background
Dies: MFT - Wonky Stitched Square, Neat & Tangled - Skinny Strips

So where did my inspiration come from?

The blueberries in the photo have been interpreted with aqua blue berries on branches, the square design calls back to the chequer pattern on the jam jar lid, and finally the whipped cream has been interpreted as the cream colour stamped on the background of the card.

I used one of my all-time favourite stamp sets (WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals) to stamp all the florals around my main sentiment, a few fill-in florals and leaves from Graceful Greetings too. The ink colours are all listed below - a great selection for multi-step stamping!

I used the Limestone Altenew dye ink to stamp the Center Cut Heart background stamp on my card blank.

Finally, as always of late, a simple sentiment embossed in white on grey completed the look - plus a pink Nuvo drop accent. :)

Make sure you check out the varied interpretations from the rest of the design team here.

Happy crafting!

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Avery Elle - Simple Sentiments stamps Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	PTI - Graceful Greetings stamps Shop at: MISC	WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals stamps Shop at: SHC	Simon Says Stamp - Center Cut Heart background stamp Shop at: SSS
MFT - Wonky Stitched Square STAX dies Shop at: EH | SHC	Neat & Tangled - Skinny Strips dies Shop at: SHC	Altenew - Limestone dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Lawn Fawn - Artichoke ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Butter ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Carrot ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS
Lawn Fawn - Celery stick ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Cilantro ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Guava ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Merman ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Peacock ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Sunflower ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Altenew - Warm Gray ink cube set Shop at: EH | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS
Simon Says Stamp - Fog cardstock Shop at: SSS	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Bubblegum Blush Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH
EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC