Kool Kitty Musings

DCM - Little Ones

Morning!

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, Miri is challenging us to make a card for the little people in our life or feature little images/letters.

Well, as I am still in my Spring crafting zone, I decided it was time to dig out some Whittle dies from Poppy Stamps for my card.

Paper: Pebbles - Spring Fling (r)
Stamp: Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments (r)
Dies: Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, Poppy Stamps - Whittle Rabbit (r), PTI - Tag Sale #10, The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus

I started out by covering my card base in the pretty daisy paper from the Spring Fling Pebbles collection. For the tag element, I used the kraft gingham paper from this same collection and raided my cardstock scraps for the frame and background to the tag.

I cut the Whittle Rabbit from watercolour cardstock for a little texture, and coloured it in with Copics.

For a pop of spring greenery, I took one of the Eucalyptus branches that I'd cut from green Bazzill cardstock, inked it with some darker green ink, and splattered it with white ink. Once dry, I arranged it behind the tag and assembled the rest of the card elements.

As a finishing touch, I stamped the Springtime sentiment on cream cardstock and cut the bow from bright yellow cardstock in my stash, adding a teeny button for good measure.

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

Happy crafting!

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Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	Poppy Stamps - Whittle Rabbit die (r) Shop at: MISC	PTI - Tag Sale #10 dies Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Spots and Stripes

Good morning!

This week's Daring Cardmakers challenge is all about spots and stripes!

And as my Easter cards won't make themselves, I decided to put the spotlight on some old stash for my next spring project.

Paper: My Mind's Eye - Jack & Jill (r), My Mind's Eye - Mary Mary (r)
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs - Egg & Flower (r), Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs - Dual Stitched Egg & Easter Greeting (r), The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Pinkfresh Studio - Artistic Bows, PTI - Pinking Shears, The Stamp Market - Jumbo Tag

I found some offcuts of paper from some old "Spring" collections from My Mind's Eye, really miss the quality and thickness of these papers. They are so luxurious.

The stripes were quite busy, but work great as a backdrop to the rest of the card. Then another sheet of paper with tiny dots on it was the perfect neutral for the Jumbo Tag from The Stamp Market.

And as my Easter element, I used the now retired Egg stamps and dies from Lil' Inker Designs. I stamped onto the egg and Easter sentiment onto minty blue cardstock and heat embossed the images in white. I then went over the white heat embossing with some Minty Fresh ink and filled in the lettering with a Wink of Stella pen.

I also found some lovely spring yellow spotty paper in my stash of My Mind's Eye that went nicely with the egg. I added a white pinked edge as an extra detail to make the focus of the card stand out more, and I just love a fancy edge on spring and Easter cards.

Finally, I added a tiny sentiment into the layers and finished off the card with a kraft bow and button.

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

Happy crafting!

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Lil' Inker Designs - Egg & Flower stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday stamps Shop at: MISC	Lil' Inker Designs - Dual Stitched Egg & Easter Greeting dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Pinkfresh Studio - Artistic Bows dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	PTI - Pinking Shears border die Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jumbo Tag dies Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Black Licorice ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

50th birthday book-themed card

Well, 2023 is definitely the year of 50th birthday celebrations in my circle of friends, and the next birthday in the calendar is for a good friend and also the host of our now 5-year-old book group.

And as we had arranged some super secret squirrel birthday gifts and surprises, there also had to be a book-themed card to mark the occasion:

Paper: Crate Paper - Emma's Shoppe (r), Crate Paper - Paper Heart (r)
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Birthday Messages, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday,
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Lawn Fawn - Valentine Borders, The Greetery - Bold Numbers

The light wasn't the best when taking photos, but I knew I had some book paper from an old Crate Paper collection that would fit the bill for this large 5x7 card.

Yes, it is mainly juvenile fiction depicted, including a title about Miss Prissy (which thankfully could be obscured with a well-placed label), but we all started our reading journey somewhere. ;)

The ephemera label is also from Crate Paper's Emma's Shoppe collection, which is a good 11 years old! A fine vintage.

The other papers are from a Crate Paper Valentine's release - they have really stood the test of time. I do miss some of those iconic Crate Paper designs.

I used a Valentine border from Lawn Fawn to add a decorative edge to the woodgrain strip of paper, and when it came to adding a sentiment and the all-important birthday milestone, well bling was required!

Out came the gold cardstock for the fancy Bold Numbers from The Greetery, and bling was added to the sentiment from Mama Elephant.

I even managed to fit in a tiny Happy Birthday fishtail banner from The Greetery's Sentiment Suite series.

And to make the presentation of the card special, I made an envelope box - which I got wrong on the first go and had to try again, really wish the WRMK punchboard app was still available, it used to make life so much easier when making envelopes/boxes from scratch for non-typical dimensions.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Valentine Borders dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - March elemental inspiration

Morning!

Well, we've rolled into March and spring is definitely on the way!

It's time for a brand-new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, and Miri has picked this wonderful image for us:

The elements I went with were: spring colours, bird's nest, blossom, and a coiled element

Stamp: Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments (r)
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix, The Greetery - Curio: Spring Findings, The Greetery - Curio: Summer Findings, The Stamp Market - Embroidery Hoops, The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags

This card definitely isn't a quick one, but it can be completed in stages and is a good way to binge listen to an audiobook or podcast while you work.

The first step was to cut out various Curio Spring and Summer Findings from The Greetery that would work nicely for a spring theme. I used a whole host of Distress Oxides to add colour to the elements with sponge daubers. I realised I'd also need some extra floral details from the BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix to add another pop of colour.

Once all the elements were dry, I added detail with pencils, a black pen, and white gel pen.

Next up, I cut a piece of watercolour paper a bit larger than an A2 card base and painted a wash of Saltwater Taffy over most of the area, adding splatters of Wild Honey and Peeled Paint for that spring feel.

Once the watercolour wash was dry, I cut out a background panel with the large diagonal stitched rectangle die from Pinkfresh Studio.

I cut a selection of small tags and a tiny embroidery hoop die from my left over watercolour paper.

I threaded twine through the holes of the tags and coloured the wooden hoop in with a Sharpie pen.

I then took my sweet time arranging all the curio elements on the tags and working out where they would end up.

Once I was happy with the arrangement, I used scraps of cardstock to add dimension behind the tags so that they would really pop.

Finally, I stamped the spring sentiment on white cardstock and cut it out with another of the dies from the Sentiment Suite Basics set.

And tada, card complete!

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

Happy crafting!

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Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Curio: Spring Findings dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio: Summer Findings dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Embroidery Hoops dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC
Distress ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress ink pad - Saltwater Taffy Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress ink pad - Wild Honey Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Aged Mahogany Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Black Soot Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Blueprint Sketch Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Bundled Sage Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Evergreen Bough Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Frayed Burlap Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Gathered Twigs Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Ground Espresso Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Lucky Clover Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mowed Lawn Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Old Paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Prize Ribbon Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Oxide ink pad - Rustic Wilderness Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Salty Ocean Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Shabby Shutters Shop at: EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Shaded Lilac Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Oxide ink pad - Spun Sugar Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tattered Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Twisted Citron Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Wilted Violet Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Arches cold pressed watercolour paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Brutfuner 120 Colouring Pencils Set Shop at: AZ (UK)	Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC