Kool Kitty Musings

2015 card challenge - December

Well done if you have made it this far!

December is upon us and this is the last round of prompts for the 2015 challenge. :)

First up our sketch:

{Pinterest pin}

I like how you could take this one quite literally and create a magic wand for some great birthday card ideas, or just focus on the diagonal stripes in the background, or perhaps instead of a wand have a big Christmas tree with a star on top. Lots of things to contemplate!

And then as for colours this month, nothing says festive quite like red, white and a pop of green!

{Pinterest pin}

And finally, this month's pinspiration:

{Pinterest pin}

Well I think it's obvious where your card can go with this as inspiration - snowflakes or stars all the way! As dainty and delicate or as ornate as you like.

I really like the idea of contrasting white cardstock snowflakes against kraft and vellum and perhaps a wood effect background. But if your brain comes up with anything other than snowflakes, I'd love to see where it takes you!

Thanks to those of you who have played along with the challenge this year and as always, happy crafting!

 

Cuddly creatures

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog it was my turn to set the challenge. :)

I've been inspired by the very many lovely stamp sets that have been popping up in my Instagram and Feedly feeds and well, at least one of them made it to my shopping cart!

Yep, those lovely pandas, bunnies and bears from Mama Elephant, WPlus9 and many other companies just make me smile and I'm sure they'd make whoever receives a card featuring them very happy too. :)

So the challenge this week is to feature cuddly creatures on your card, with extra gold stars if you manage to include a hug on there in the imagery or the greeting.

The design team really came up with some nice cards, and the cuddly creatures don't necessarily have to be your typical kind - Svenja featured some great little monsters on hers.

Me on the other hand.... I have my lovely Holiday Hugs stamp and die set from WPlus9 its first outing. :)

Paper: Basic Grey
Stamps: WPlus9
Dies: WPlus9, Lil' Inker Designs, PTI, Paper Smooches, Sizzix
Other: Copic markers, enamel dots, 3D foam tape

I also finally took out my Basic Grey Juniper Berry papers plus this great grey woodgrain paper from the B-Side collection that goes perfectly with it. Now that image is a happy hug!

Also in a roundabout way, the card layout and composition was very much based as a jumping off point on the November card challenge Pinspiration prompt:

I was inspired by the winter snowglobe look, there's the dotty aqua background, the woodland scene, the bear's scarf like a banner, the mica flecks look a bit like the pink dots of the paper that I used to stamp the sentiment, there's a scallop edge, plus some woodgrain.

Not all that far off, but yep, that image definitely kick-started some ideas in my head that got me to that final card.

Anyway, just one more prompt for November - there's actually I chance I will get all three prompts made this month!

That's it for now, do pop on over to the Daring Cardmakers blog and if you have chance, play along! :D

Happy crafting!

Basic Grey - B-Side - Maybe Paper	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - No Peeking Paper	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - Workshop Paper	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - Balsam Paper
WPlus9 - Holiday Hugs stamps set	WPlus9 - Holiday Hugs dies	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Circles die set	Papertrey Ink - In the Meadow die set
Paper Smooches - Stitched dies	Crate Paper - Wonder - Enamel Dots & Sequins

InLinkz.com

 

You're the apple of my pie!

I recently took delivery of my November card kit from Simon Says Stamp.

And I thought with this change of weather we've just had (hard to believe this time last week it was 16 degrees C and I was wandering around the Metrocentre sweltering in a cardi!) it was time for a little autumnal detour before more Christmas cards.

Along with wanting to make my first card with the kit, I really wanted to use the sketch for this month's 2015 card challenge that I posted on the 1st, here's a reminder of what it was:

My card isn't an exact match, but it was definitely inspired by the sketch:

Paper: Pebbles Inc.
Cardstock: American Crafts
Die-cut ephemera: Pebbles Inc.
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs, Lawn Fawn
Stamp: Simon Says Stamp
Other: white embossing powder, 3D foam tape

 

I had this woodgrain cardstock lurking in my stash and it went so well with the other items in the kit that I had to use it. :)

I also seem to be moving towards using white embossing powder more often - OK, so it's been two cards in a row, but that's more than I made last year with white embossing powder. The one I have is by Personal Impressions and is over 10 years old now so wondering if I need to get a better one that is a bit more white... depends how much I use white embossing powder in the near future I guess!

I also have a few pics to share from Instagram, well I've not been up to much that's exciting and pic-worthy of late, but I did go out for cocktails and lunch a one Monday not so long ago - if all Mondays could be like that I wouldn't mind!

There was also a trip to the nearby illuminations on what had to have been the warmest October evening ever - I kinda wished I'd not been wearing a jumper under my coat.

I suggested a trip on the Ferris wheel.

And although it looked a lot bigger once we were stood in the queue, I didn't think my fear of heights would manifest itself - surely not when I only get uncomfortable when too near an edge or seeing a long drop under me...

Well I am kinda glad I had the view I had and not the one where you see how far you are going up and when you are about to reach the top. I'm happy to report others were much happier with the height, but I will stick to carousels as my adrenalin rush fairground ride of choice!

Also in the land of the bizarre, unicorns seem to be a real fixture in Christmas displays this year as well as Christmas decoration installations you can buy and take home.

This guy was first spotted in TK Maxx:

And I have since seen 3 other similarly life-sized unicorns in other stores since then.

All I was looking for was a new bauble to add to my collection this year (I have found one new decoration so far, after visiting 10 or so stores with no luck of finding something truly new and worthy of the price tag) - Mr Unicorn is no longer in TK Maxx so must have found a new home. I would have loved to have seen how his new family got him from the store to their front door!

Well that's it for now, best get off the PC and zoom round to my mum and dad's for Sunday dinner!

Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month November 2015	American Crafts - 12x12" Woodgrain Textured Cardstock - Chestnut	Pebbles - Front Porch - Breezy paper	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Circles die set
Lawn Fawn - Hearts dies

InLinkz.com

2015 card challenge - November

Morning folks!

Well we are a step closer to the final prompts for the 2015 card challenge.

I'm really glad that some of you have managed to play along even though my contributions have been zero except for prompts!

It's just been such a busy time with other commitments to any craft time I have plus being your own boss doesn't necessarily mean being able to craft whenever you feel like it, sadly!

But as ever I live in eternal hope of this being the month where I do more than just hunt out prompts.

So on with the picks for November!

Our sketch this time round is quite a simple one and in fact when I saw it I immediately wanted to flip it the other way around with the banner at the bottom, but we shall see...

{Pinterest pin}

Then our colours lend themselves nicely to winter/Christmas cards - I've seen quite a lot of greys, pinks, aquas together in current and past Christmas collections against white/cream and I am sure they'd make a lovely combination.

{Pinterest pin}

And finally my Pinspiration pick for this month:

{Pinterest pin}

It might not look like there's a whole lot you can take from this but here we go:

• Shaker card with mica flakes/glitter/sequins
• Winter scenes - you know that Memory Box landscape die I am so fond of? Perfect excuse to use it
• Dimensional cards with elements layered
• Baubles and tags
• Banners for sentiments
• Snow globes
• A wintry sky - whether with stencils and texture paste or Distress Inks and flicked paint/mists
• Circle apertures with scalloped borders
• Bakers twine - it's been a while since I used any, how about you?
• Woodland creatures
• Snowmen
• Pine trees/pine cones/deck the halls/boughs/wreaths

So those were my initial ideas when I saw that image, I wonder if there's anything else you can come up with that it inspires. :D

Happy crafting!

2015 card challenge - October

Well another month is upon us, and at least this time I am a little more prepared!

Here are the prompts for October - enjoy!

The sketch of choice came across my Pinterest feed the other day and I thought it would make for a great challenge this month:

{Pinterest pin}

The colour palette for this month is a study in Pantone Nectarine - so coral through orange to red:

{Pinterest pin}

Feature it as a focus colour, mix it with other shades like neutrals and light blue tones, or just go all out with the nectarine love!

And your pinspiration for this month... well, it had to have a little autumnal flavour to it...

{Pinterest pin}

So where can you go with this pinspiration prompt:

• Autumnal/tree scene - even a wintry setting if you want to get on with your Christmas cards
• Folliage
• Ombre colours/watercolour background effects
• Cozy themes - coffee/hot chocolate/mittens
• Blanket patterns/repeat geometric patterns
• Pumpkins - perfect excuse for a Halloween theme!
• Garlands and wreaths
• Something tied up with string
• Damask patterns contrasting with others

Well, as ever I do hope to be able to join in with at least one card - but my track record has been pretty bad this year! Gah!

But I hope those of you that are able to play along enjoy this set of prompts. :D

2015 card challenge - September

Well, that time has rolled around again!

It's the first of a new month, September no less, so here are the new prompts for the card challenge. :)

This month's sketch could make for a busy card or you could just focus on certain elements:

{Pinterest pin}

Then we have the colour palette for September which combines some lovely bold autumnal tones with a pop of aqua - really reminds me of some of the October Afternoon collections of the past:

{Pinterest pin}

And finally this month's pinspiration is of a shabby vintage nature:

 

{Pinterest pin}

You could feature the following on your card:

• Vintage designs/labels
• Book/text papers
• Seam binding/crinkle ribbon
• Miniature bottles/charms
• Blingy charms
• Crowns/broches
• Lace
• Silver/mercury
• Vintage glass glitter
• Resin embellishments

Plenty of little bits and pieces that fit into these categories. :)

Happy crafting!

2015 card challenge - August

Well, despite the lack of crafting going on in my own life right now - if anyone is still wanting to play along with the 2015 card challenge I have some new prompts for you to work with. :D

So this month's sketch gives some scope for digging out those decorative border punches!

{Pinterest pin}

You can go as simple or as intricate and bold as you want with this sketch. But I really like the idea of the front decorative panel being on 3D foam to really show off a lacy border punch against a bold base colour.

Obviously there are plenty of alternatives to a decorative border punch: dies, real lace, border stickers, decorative paper, stamping, fabric, ribbon...

For the colours this month I was really taken by the shot of purple in this collection:

{Pinterest pin}

Lovely against those pinks and blues - makes me think about floral designs incorporating the purple and pink tones as flowers against navy and aqua in the background. Or mixing these colours together in a word where each letter is a different shade: HELLO, HAPPY, LOVE U, THANK you...

And finally the Pinspiration prompt is all about handmade with love:

{Pinterest pin}

So many little inspiration items here - you could just CASE the design of the card shown, but I really love all the handmade elements, like...

• The little tags with twine
• The ribbon flowers
• The use of unusual buttons
• The felt stitching
• The crochet doily
• Using stick pins

Plenty to work with. :)

As mentioned on Friday, my day job has changed slightly in that I became self-employed yesterday so there's still a lot of stuff I am sorting out in addition to trying to ensure work-work is coming in. Until a more regular balance is found again crafting has kind of had to take a back seat as I just don't have the energy or creative ideas coming to make anything on top of my existing crafty commitments. I think once my very long work-related to-do list shrinks to just a few items I will be there and ready to get back to fun crafty shenanigans. Hopefully it won't be too long!

But in the meantime, I wish you as always some very happy crafting time!

2015 card challenge - July

Hello, hello!

If you have been visiting my blog and seen a total lack of updates, please know it hasn't been abandoned.

I'm just not managing any crafting at the moment and have little of interest to share - my brain isn't in the crafty zone right now and aside from DT projects that's likely to continue until life is on a more even keel.

But in the meantime I will still keep sharing the 2015 card challenge prompts even if I won't manage to make anything for them.

So for July, here are my lovely picks that will hopefully inspire those of you in a more crafty mood!

{Pinterest pin}

The colour palette packs in some cool summer shades!

{Pinterest pin}

And finally the Pinspiration prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

So lots of elements here that you can replicate just with patterned paper, but how about doing a patchwork of papers/designs as the actual card background. Or using that striped border to frame something. There are all those geometric prints you could incorporate.

So many ideas!

Happy crafting!

2015 card challenge - June

Well here we are in a new month already, and at the half way point for this year's challenge!

I have been pretty rubbish at keeping on top of the prompts, but I've not had that much crafting mojo or time of late however I fully intend to come back to the prompts as and when that changes. :)

In the meantime, here are the prompts for June.

Our sketch pick is a good one - simple, yet plenty of stuff you can do with the background, otherwise you can really work the white space!

{Pinterest pin}

Then the colours for June are a sunny affair - if you happen to have purchased any of the new Crate Paper Poolside collection then this colour spectrum fits right in!

{Pinterest pin}

And finally, I was going back through some old photos and June reminded me of the Diamond Jubilee and all things Cool Britannia - including the Victoria Sponge I baked in celebration:

{Pinterest pin}

So on that theme of Cool Britannia I want to see you celebrate anything and everything British from quirky English sayings and red, white, and blue to tea, iconic images, and what makes us quintessentially us. :)

Here's to a crafty June!

Monochrome rainbow

Hi everyone!

Contrary to all evidence I haven't fallen of the face of this earth, things have just been really busy and so no crafty projects to share, oh except filling in a few blanks in my Distress ink chart thanks to a little stamping session last week with a friend's inks. :)

But the experimenting I did set me up nicely for getting my card made for this week's Daring Cardmakers challenge which comes from Beckie. :D

We're tasked with making a completely monochromatic card featuring a colour from the rainbow, and absolutely everything must be a shade of that colour - oh and there needs to be some sort of arc! :D

No problem I thought...

Until I discovered that I have very little in the way of rainbow-inspired monochromatic papers - I seem to have a lot of greys, but no monochrome papers in one colour and free of white!

But I did find something and I deployed my current favourite ink combo for the Vintage Flowers by Altenew - namely Chipped Sapphire and Faded Jeans.

Paper: MME, American Crafts
Stamps: Altenew, MFT
Dies: Altenew, MFT, Avery Elle
Other: enamel dots

I only stamped the first and second detailed stamps for the roses, but for the leaves I stamped the background stamp then the smallest detail stamp. They're all stamped on a scrap of blue paper I had left over from some Dear Lizzy Serendipity projects from last year. I searched high and low for a sympathetic paper to go with the bolder Dear Lizzy stripes and found this star paper in a MME 6x6 pad. The arc is there I promise! I cut the star paper with the arc in the Avery Elle dies linked below - quite a useful set for adding angles and curves to your cards.

And of course, there had to be navy enamel dots featured to bring out all those blue tones!

I'm going to be working this weekend, but I have a special craft project I need to make, so at least there will be a bit of a break from translating. :)

So, I am so behind with the May card challenge prompts, that if I don't manage to the Blue colour prompt I will be using this card as my example for that. I really hope I manage to get the card I had in mind made but free time and having energy enough to craft are not quite on the horizon. ;)

Oh, and I'll be sharing a sneak peek of my upcoming Hey Little Magpie projects that will be coming to the blog tomorrow!

In the meantime definitely head on over to the DCM blog and check out the other colourful cards! :D

American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Serendipity - Love Letters Paper	American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Serendipity - Little Things Paper	My Mind's Eye - Follow your Heart - Be Amazing - 6 x 6 pad	Altenew - Vintage Roses stamp set
MFT - LJD Birthday Greetings stamps	Altenew - Vintage Flowers die set	MFT - First Place Award Ribbon dies	Avery Elle - Custom Panels Elle-ments dies
Distress ink pad - Chipped Sapphire	Distress ink pad - Faded Jeans	Teresa Collins - Family Stories enamel dots

InLinkz.com

2015 card challenge - May Pinspiration

Well, I'm back from our thoroughly delightful crafty break in Whitby this past weekend. :)

I managed to accomplish what I hoped to accomplish which was great. However I am now convinced I cannot scrapbook anywhere other than in my craft room. At crops I always feel that there's some obscure piece of paper or embellishment that is alluding me and can be found ONLY at home. So yeah, unless it's a mini album or something I am just useless scrapbooking on the road so to speak!

I'll stick to mobile cardmaking - that I can still do!

One of the things I'd hoped to do was try out some more ink combos with my Altenew Vintage Flowers stamps - I have yet to play with Vintage Roses, am still holding out for the matching dies to that set and I just love the ease with which you can cut everything out with dies - yes I am that lazy! Fussy cutting is something I avoid like the plague!

But yes, I was looking for an aqua counterpart to the peachy pinks of my favourite ink combo for the rose in the Vintage Flowers set.

And since the Pinspiration prompt for May might just have had 3-step stamping written all over it I'm matching up this card to the prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

The colours are totally different, but the idea is there, oh and I did allude to the wedding theme with an anniversary card. ;)

Paper: MME, Fancy Pants, American Crafts
Stamps: Altenew, Waltzing Mouse
Dies: Altenew, Pebbles Inc, MFT
Enamel dots: MME
Other: 3D foam

So what is this magical combination of minty tones?

Well, despite a few attempts that included borrowing Cracked Pistachio from my equally well-stocked-in-the-ink-department friend Claire, it ended up being another Adirondack dye ink triumvirate that stole the prize, namely - from lightest to darkest layer - Juniper, Pool, and Clover. It has a lovely vintage feel to it and reminds me of the blue roses in a very old Crate Paper collection called Portrait. Happy sigh! That rose paper in the Portrait collection is still one of my favourites...

And yes, I am definitely going to be adding Cracked Pistachio to my ink wishlist, along with more Distress Ink cubes and a few more of the new colours from this year. Just have to wait for a while in order for the bank balance to be replenished before an ink spree can take place! Hopefully before all the Adirondack inks in the world disappear due to their (sob) discontinuation...

And on that note I will leave you so I can once again go ponder what colours are lacking in my repertoire!

My Mind's Eye - On Trend - Awesome - Mini Dots Gold Foiled Paper	American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Serendipity - Very Vanilla Paper	Fancy Pants - Collecting Moments - Potpourri paper	My Mind's Eye - On Trend - Party - Enamel Shapes
Altenew - Vintage Flowers stamps	Altenew - Vintage Flowers die set	Pebbles - Jen Hadfield Cottage Living - Polaroid Die Set	MFT - Die-namics Fishtail Flags STAX dies
Waltzing Mouse - Big Day Additions stamps	Versafine ink pad - Onyx black	Adirondack dye ink - Lettuce	Adirondack dye ink - Oregano
Adirondack dye ink - Pesto	Adirondack dye ink - Juniper	Adirondack dye ink - Pool	Adirondack dye ink - Clover

InLinkz.com

2015 card challenge - May

I'm posting this a little early as I'm off for some weekend crafty capering tomorrow. :)

Hard to believe May is almost here, but it means a new set of prompts for the monthly card challenge.

I've been very inspired of late by the whole water-colouring trend that's happening in cardmaking, plus the popularity of detailed floral images so this month's prompts see a bit of scope for incorporating those trends into your cards.

First up we have the sketch prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

At first glance you may wonder where the watercolouring and florals can be incorporated here - but that background to the aperture is just crying out for a DIY ombré background painted with watercolours (or as I hope to do, using Distress Inks as watercolours). Alternatively it would make a fab stamped floral background with lots of bursts of vibrant colours.

Then again, you could totally ignore those two trends and go with whatever you like! Such a versatile sketch. :)

Now onto the colour prompt for this month:

{Pinterest pin}

It's all about blue hues and tones. :D Make blue your focal colour. Try for a full on monochromatic card. Or try some ombré techniques to bring lots of blue tones to your project.

And finally the Pinspiration prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Well the vintage florals are in full swing here. Here are a few ideas:

• Focus on layered stamping or die-cuts to create details floral accents.
• Create handmade flowers from different materials - why not try tissue paper, paper flowers, felt flowers, organza and other fabrics. Try your hand at a new flower-making technique you've had your eye on. I've always been intrigued by those flowers created by singeing fabric.
• Can you incorporate a horseshoe on your card? Who knows you might have one in some stamp set you bought ages ago...
• Go with a bridal/wedding/anniversary theme.
• Bunting in the background adds to the vintage feel - why not try a vintage style?
• Or, here's the big one, have a go at hand-painting some flowers of your own onto your card or just painting in some way.

So quite a few directions you could go. :D

I hope to be better with my creations this month, I only managed 2 in April - but here's hoping May is more productive! Who knows, I may get a card or two made this weekend for these prompts.

Happy crafting!

2015 card challenge - April inspiration photo

My card for this aspect of the April challenge is going to involve a bit of a leap!

Here's a reminder of the Pinspiration image I picked for April:

{Pinterest pin}

And here's what I made!

Paper: Crate Paper, Pink Paislee, Teresa Collins
Stamps: Altenew (Painted Flowers), PTI
Dies: Pebbles Inc, Altenew
Other: enamel dots, 3D foam

So, how exactly did that Pinterest pin inspire this?

Well it did and it didn't.

I was looking at the colour combos of those pastel tones, and I just had to incorporate some how - the solution? Combine this with another little job I had been wanting to do: trying out some more ink combinations with the lovely Altenew 3-step flowers. The provided the spring board to the rest of the card but I did try and include some dots of the enamel variety! ;)

Oh well, perhaps next month I will be more on the nose! :D

Crate Paper - Love Notes - Sparked paper	Teresa Collins - Nine & Co Foiled Paper - Shine	Pink Paislee - Bella Rouge - Diamond Paper	Pebbles - Jen Hadfield Cottage Living - Polaroid Die Set
Papertrey Ink - Stylish sentiments: Birthday stamp set	Altenew - Vintage Flowers stamps	Altenew - Vintage Flowers die set	Distress Ink pad - Worn Lipstick
Adirondack dye ink - Salmon	Adirondack dye ink - Mountain Rose	Adirondack dye ink - Lemonade	Adirondack dye ink - Peach Bellini
Adirondack dye ink - Willow	Adirondack dye ink - Lettuce	Adirondack dye ink - Meadow	Adirondack dye ink - Pesto

InLinkz.com

2015 card challenge - April sketch

Well, I finally had some time this weekend to attempt to be crafty. Sadly I was in a creative slump as everything I touched seemed to go wrong.

But I did hope to at least tackle one of the prompts from the April card challenge.

Here's the sketch:

{Pinterest pin}

I stuck pretty close to it as it gave me the idea to try out my new Painted flowers stamps by Altenew:

Paper: MME
Stamps: Altenew, WMS
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs, MFT, Mama Elephant
Other: watercolour paper, sewing machine, 3D foam

I quite like the rougher look of the dye inks on watercolour paper - adds a bit of texture. :) I sewed the greeting strip on, not that you can see it very well and added the always handy Mama Elephant bow as a finishing touch.

Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles die set	Altenew - Painted Flowers stamp set	Waltzing Mouse - Compact Sentiments stamps	Mama Elephant - Dainty bow die
Adirondack dye ink - Willow	Adirondack dye ink - Lettuce	Adirondack dye ink - Salmon	Adirondack dye ink - Mountain Rose
Hero Arts Shadow Inks - 4 Colour Cubes - Halloween	Versafine ink pad - Onyx black

InLinkz.com

2015 card challenge - April

Morning folks!

I almost forgot it was the first of the month today! Oops!

But spring is here (well, just about) and so are a new collection of prompts for us to work with.

First up, the sketch for this month comes from PTI and includes a suggestion for how you can interpret it, but there's nothing stopping you from going your own way and seeing what you come up with:

{Pinterest pin}

I'm hoping to use some recent floral stamp purchases on my card for this sketch - as and when I find the time to make it!

Next we have our colours for April:

{Pinterest pin}

I absolutely loved this pin when I saw it - the colours are just so vibrant, but they could be challenging to interpret on a card... However all that watercolour in the actual image might be the way to go. I think I am quite tempted to approach this palette using more subtle shades of these colours. And definitely think there's lots of scope for using grey and cream as neutrals.

And finally, the pinspiration prompt this month is rather seasonal:

{Pinterest pin}

How can you translate it into a card?

• Well, there's still time to go all Eastery!
• Polka dots, polka dots, polka dots!
• Cute critters - if you have Lawn Fawn stamps or anything similar, now's the time to get those sets out to play!
• Birdies
• Pastel tones - include all the colours or just go with a pastel look
• Doodly squiggle borders or doodles in general
• The icing details make me think of hand-lettering - whether in stickers, stamps or dies
• Ovals - how about featuring an oval label or an oval aperture

Hopefully those are enough ideas to be getting on with! I'm hoping for a little play time this Easter weekend, but I need to do a big spring clean at home so not sure how successful my crafting time will be!

As always, all info about the challenge can be found here and past prompts can be found here.

2015 card challenge - March - sketch prompt

Well it's time to share another quick card for this month's card prompts.

I made a clean and simple card for the sketch prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

In fact I stuck to the sketch quite literally:

Paper: MME
Butterfly: Crate Paper
Die: MFT
Stamp: MFT
Button: October Afternoon
Other: twine, 3D foam

Lots of lovely gold foil elements in this card, I was trying out more of my new recent MME paper purchases from the Fancy That 6x6 pad and from the 12x12 On Trend collection. And as luck would have it, that butterfly from the Crate Paper Notes and Things collection also had a smidge of gold foil = result!

My Mind's Eye - On Trend - Party - Confetti Gold Foiled Paper	My Mind's Eye - Fancy That - 6 x 6" Gold Foiled Paper Pad	Crate Paper - Notes & Things - Standouts Layered Stickers	MFT - LJD Birthday Greetings stamps
My Favorite Things - Die-namics - Sentiment strips 2 dies	October Afternoon - Farmhouse buttons	Hemptique natural hemp cord

InLinkz.com

2015 card challenge - March - colour prompt

Well I've managed to make better progress with the March prompts so far this month compared to February!

Here's a reminder of the March colour prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Blush tones and gold! Very on trend at the moment.

And enter the perfect range for blush tones and gold - My Mind's Eye Fancy That and On Trend have lots of gold foil and blush tone papers to choose from!

Paper: MME
Stamps: WPlus9
Dies: Cheery Lynn, Mama Elephant, Lil' Inker Designs
Other: enamel dots, 3D foam

This card was also the perfect opportunity to give my new Pretty Peonies stamps and dies an outing. I used just the outline and main stamp this time, instead of the full 3-step stamping. But maybe next time I'll go the whole hog!

My Mind's Eye - On Trend - Happy - Happy Gold Foiled Paper	My Mind's Eye - Fancy That - 6 x 6" Gold Foiled Paper Pad	WPlus9 - Strictly Sentiments 5 stamps	WPlus9 - Pretty Peonies stamp set
WPlus9 - Pretty Peonies dies	Cheery Lynn - French Pastry Doily die	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles die set	Mama Elephant - Dainty bow die
Basic Grey - Candy Buttons - Red/cream enamel dots	Hero Arts - Charcoal mid-tone shadow ink	Adirondack dye ink - Salmon	Adirondack dye ink - Pesto
Adirondack dye ink - Lettuce	Hero Arts Shadow Inks - 4 Colour Cubes - Just Beachy

InLinkz.com

2015 card challenge - March

Morning!

Hope you're having a nice weekend. :D

It's the first of the month, so time for a new set of prompts for the 2015 challenge to hopefully inspire you into making some cards.

As always there are three prompts.

A sketch:

{Pinterest pin}

A colour prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Blush/rose tones and gold.

And a Pinspiration prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Elemnts that could be included from this image:

• Blooms - whether stamped, a paper pattern or dimensional
• Fancy/ornamental frames
• Burlap/canvas - whether fabric or an embossed texture
• String or twine
• Stationery chic - incorporating buff or kraft tones against other colours
• Journaling cards or labels
• Elegant fonts
• Pouches and pockets
• White text on coloured backgrounds -a colourful alternative to the chalkboard technique?

So there are a few ideas to be getting on with.

I didn't manage to make a card for the Pinspiration prompt last month, but I do already have my first March card made - just need to take a picture so I can share it later. :)

All info about the challenge can be found here and past prompts can be found here.

2015 card challenge - February - sketch and colour palette

I used the February sketch and colour elements as a jumping off board for the card projects I made for Hey Little Magpie this month - the post can be found here.

But first, here's a reminder of the sketch for February:

{Pinterest pin}

And here's the card:

Paper: Pebbles Inc - We Go Together
Dies: PTI, MFT, Lawn Fawn
Stamp: MFT
Other: Enamel dots, glitter card, 3D foam

I loved the strip of pink/white/red that was on the end of the paper, a great accent against the larger patterns and grey tones. :) Also glitter card seems to be my current addition, using it in small doses, but a little goes a long way!

My next card also kinda fits the Feb colour palette:

{Pinterest pin}

I also added a hint of yellow into the mix as the love hearts featured quite a bit of it.

 

Paper: Pebbles Inc - We Go Together
Dies: MFT
Stamp: American Crafts
Other: Enamel dots

Again the border strip on the paper came in handy as a way to finish off the hexagonal edge - this card had started as a portrait card hence the patterns from the die-cut hexagons being a bit more portrait friendly, but after adding the greeting the way I did, it looked better standing up horizontally.

Here are the products used:

Pebbles - We Go Together - Sending Love	Pebbles - We Go Together - Budding Romance	Pebbles - We Go Together - UR Sweet	Pebbles - We Go Together - Hugs & Kisses
My Favorite Things - Just My Type dies and stamps	American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Serendipity - Clear Acrylic Stamps	Papertrey Ink - Limitless Layers: 1 3/4" Circle Die Collection (set of 5)	Lawn Fawn - Hearts dies
MFT - File tab die	MFT - Die-namics Fishtail Flags Layers STAX dies	MFT - Die-namics hexagons	My Mind's Eye - Jubilee - Mint Julep 'Beautiful' Enamel Dots
Basic Grey - Candy Buttons - Yellow/pink enamel dots

InLinkz.com

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2015 card challenge - February

Morning folks, well we have made it through the first month of 2015!

Have you all survived the January blues?

I'm hoping my creative draught will be coming to an end in time for a new month of crafty projects. :)

Here are the prompts for February:

Sketch prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Colour prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Pinspiration prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Here are some for the Pinspiration prompt:

• Postal theme/letters/envelopes
• "Love"
• Polka dots
• Hearts
• Handwritten style greetings
• Geometric repeat pattern
• Something sweet - cookies/cupcakes
• Embossing/debossing inspired by the wax seal

Just a reminder that info about this challenge and how to play along can be found here and all past prompts and card ideas I've shared can be found here. :)

I'll hopefully have some new cards made for these prompts soon! It's on my to-do list for this week.

Happy crafting!

2015 Card challenge - January pinspiration prompt

So I managed to get a card made for each of the three prompts for this month! Hurrah!

Here's my take on this Pinspiration pic:

{Pinterest pin}

Lots of elements to work with and I was originally planning on making it a festive winter village number, but I was too preoccupied with the weather cloud and just weather in general and my mind took me here instead:

Paper: Basic Grey
Stamps: PTI
Dies: PTI, MFT, Lil' Inker Designs
Enamel dots: Studio Calico
Other: coaster, 3D foam

I thought the Mon Ami line and all that rain and rain clouds definitely went with an "Under the weather - get well soon" theme. :D This little set of stamps and matching dies by PTI is just so handy. I've used it loads and it's nice with the stamped images on the dies, or just with the dies sans stamping. Nice and versatile!

Basic Grey - Mon Ami - Pluie paper	Basic Grey - Mon Ami - Nuage paper	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles die set	Papertrey Ink - Heart-2-Heart #6 mini stamp set
Papertrey Ink - Heart-2-Heart #6 die collection (set of 3)	MFT - First Place Award Ribbon dies	Studio Calico - Essentials - Blue and aqua enamel dots	Papertrey Ink - Coasters

InLinkz.com

2015 Card challenge - January colour prompt

Well this card has certainly had a few varied incarnations before ending up in front of the camera. I am still not hitting my creative groove and just totally struggled to convert what was in my mind's eye to what you see here... it's nothing like my original plan...

Here's a reminder of the colour prompt for January.

{Pinterest pin}

Very Me-friendly - I love cream, use it a lot over white... I love emerald tones... well one specific paper design in fact that showcases the exact colour of that plate! Win! And I think gold is a lovely complement to the mix.

How hard could it be?

Apparently very!

Anyway, long moany story short, here's the end result:

Paper: Crate Paper
Embellishment: Crate Paper
Stamp: MFT
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs, MFT
Enamel dots: MME
Other: vellum, 3D foam

It's a bit hard to tell with the sunlight streaming through the back of the card, but the panel in the circle is actually vellum - I was originally going to attach the heart to the inside of the card but it just didn't look right when the card was stood open. Ho-hum... But yay, I did manage to use the three things I'd planned to use from the outset - that green paper, my stitched circle dies, and gold enamel dots. :D

I'm still planning to make a card for the Pinspiration prompt - we'll see how that goes as I already have something in mind for that too - until next time! ;)

Crate Paper - DIY Shop 12x12 pad	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes Flea Market - Standouts layered stickers	My Favorite Things - Just My Type dies and stamps	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Circles die set
My Favorite Things - Die-namics - Sentiment strips 2 dies	My Mind's Eye - Jubilee - Mint Julep 'Beautiful' Enamel Dots

InLinkz.com

Welcome to the 2015 monthly card challenge!

Happy New Year one and all!

What better way to see in the new crafty year than with a new challenge? :D

This year my cardmaking is going to be happening at a more sedate pace - I was suffering a bit of burn-out towards the end of 2014 and I think I'm still good for Christmas cards for 2015! But I really wanted to stick to the basic principles of the 52 cards challenge and how those prompts worked, just providing them on a monthly basis.

Here's how the 2015 challenge works:

• On the 1st of the month, I'll share 3 Pinterest prompts here on my blog.
• The 3 prompts will be: a sketch, a colour prompt, and a Pinspiration prompt.
• Sketch prompt: duplicate the look of the sketch exactly or use it as a jumping off point to your card design.
• Colour prompt: focus on the main colours in the image/colour palette or try and replicate the shades as best you can. Feature at least one or two of the colours in the prompt.
• Pinspiration prompt: this prompt is simply an image with elements that could be interpreted in a card, e.g., design elements, colours, words, patterns, objects... so many possibilities!
• You can create a separate card for each of the 3 prompts, just focus on one prompt, combine all the prompts to create one card, whatever you fancy!
• How many cards you make is totally up to you. You could even create a Christmas card each month based on the same prompts if you want to keep ahead of the game.
• 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 2015 card challenge tag over there on the left.
• 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.
• 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!

So that's hopefully everything covered, but if you have any questions just let me know. :)

Right - time to get started!

Here are the prompts for January:

Sketch prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Colour prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Pinspiration prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

Tips for the Pinspiration prompt:

• New home, new beginnings, neighbours, friends
• Landscape/village scene
• Folk art style
• Hand-cut elements/decoupage/paper piecing
• Clouds/weather

For my first card of the challenge I went with the sketch:

Paper: American Crafts, MME, Crate Paper
Dies: Lawn Fawn, MFT
Stamp: Avery Elle
Enamel dots: Basic Grey
Other: 3D foam

I rotated the sketch for a portrait design, swapped out butterflies for layered and folded hearts and added a greeting. In hindsight I probably should have got the sewing machine out for extra texture and sewed down the hearts, but hey, let's just ease ourselves back into the post-Christmas crafting zone here! ;o)

American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Serendipity - Love Letters Paper	My Mind's Eye - Find your Wings & Fly - Sky's the Limit - Tiled paper	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes Open Book - So Treasured Paper	Avery Elle - Cake & Candles stamps
Lawn Fawn - Hearts dies	MFT - Die-namics Fishtail Flags Layers STAX dies	Basic Grey - Candy Buttons - Red/pink enamel dots

InLinkz.com

I have ideas for the other two prompts and if cards come of them I will share them when they're done.

In the meantime, happy crafting and have a happy 2015!