Kool Kitty Musings

Hey Little Magpie project catch-up - September

Not so long ago I shared some new card projects on the Hey Little Magpie blog using a selection of items from Crate Paper's Wonder collection.

The full details can be found here, but it's time to share those cards here on my blog.

Paper: Crate Paper - Wonder
Chipboard: Crate Paper - Wonder
Ephemera: Crate Paper - Wonder
Enamel dot: Crate Paper - Wonder
Die: Lil' Inker Designs
Other: 3D foam tape

I really liked the idea of using the wood-effect pattern from the 6x6 pad as the background to a full on greeting. The alphas are cut from one of the scaled-down papers from the pad combined with the LOVELY from the chipboard elements set.

One of the things I like about this collection is that you can create some more uplifting kind of card ideas or indeed something that would work nicely as wall art and put a smile on your face like this "dream a little dream" idea I had:

Paper: Crate Paper - Wonder
Chipboard: Crate Paper - Wonder
Ephemera: Crate Paper - Wonder
Stickers: Crate Paper - Wonder
Enamel dots and sequins: Crate Paper - Wonder
Die: Lil' Inker Designs
Other: 3D foam tape

I combined lots of the elements from the ephemera pack, the chipboard and the stickers in particular to put this together, and dotted some of the very handy (self-adhesive) sequins around as a finishing touch.

The next card may be my favourite from the lot.

As soon as I saw the moon and the stars in the chipboard set I knew I wanted to use it on a baby card... but how?

Paper: Crate Paper - Wonder
Chipboard: Crate Paper - Wonder
Ephemera: Crate Paper - Wonder
Stickers: Crate Paper - Wonder
Sequins: Crate Paper - Wonder
Dies: Lawn Fawn, MFT
Other: 3D foam tape

I wanted to create the illusion of a night sky and then incorporate the cute birdies some how - so the night sky has a string of lights like little stars to separate it from the daytime sky and the little birdies are sat on a branch die cut from the papers in the 6x6 pad.

Next up the house paper in the collection got me thinking about a very simple way to wish someone well in their new home - there's not much to it!

Paper: Crate Paper - Wonder
Chipboard: Crate Paper - Wonder
Enamel dots: Crate Paper - Wonder
Die: Lil' Inker Designs
Stamp: PTI
Other: 3D foam tape

There are quite a few little houses in this collection so you could put them to good use on new home cards or even Christmas cards for winter scenes.

But back to the cuter elements in this collection!

Paper: Crate Paper - Wonder, Crate Paper - Confetti
Ephemera: Crate Paper - Wonder
Enamel dot: Crate Paper - Wonder
Die: MFT
Other: 3D foam tape

There are plenty of elements in this collection for kid-friendly cards - I really liked the little masks in the ephemera pack, but they were missing eyes!

So enter a handy sheet of paper from Maggie Holmes Confetti collection:

And speaking of those ephemera animal masks, another one made the cut for another quick card:

Paper: Crate Paper - Confetti
Ephemera: Crate Paper - Wonder
Die: Lawn Fawn
Other: 3D foam tape

I simply popped up the HELLO from the ephemera pack on 3D foam tape and ta-da!

It looks like I will be getting my brain in gear for Christmas projects next month! In the land of cardmaking it's never too early to start!

Crate Paper - Wonder - 6x6 Paper Pad	Crate Paper - Wonder - 12x12" Chipboard Elements	Crate Paper - Wonder - 6x12 Journal & Title Stickers	Crate Paper - Wonder - Die Cut Ephemera
Crate Paper - Wonder - Enamel Dots & Sequins	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles die set	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Circles die set	MFT - Branch with leaves die
Papertrey Ink - Mat Stack 4 Collection stamp set	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes Confetti - Garden Party Paper	My Favorite Things - Die-namics - Sentiment strips 2 dies	My Favorite Things - Just My Type dies and stamps

InLinkz.com

Creative kids

Happy Friday everyone!

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog we've been challenged to create a project for the kids in our lives.

Well, the timing could not have been better!

My god daughter turns 3 tomorrow so I had good inspiration for my project this week. :)

I'm hoping she is still quite partial to owls too...

Paper: October Afternoon
Stamp: PTI
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs, PTI
Other: felt owl, twine, 3D foam tape

I rescued this little owl from one of the lovely birthday cards sent to me by a friend this year - I loved that card and I knew the little felt owl would make another birthday girl rather happy. :) So there she is peeking out of the tree.

Definitely check out the blog to see the other fun and creative ideas from the design team! :D

In other news I have been on a bit of a shopping spree of late and must now do some wardrobe clear outs to make room for new autumnal outfits - timely delivery of some charity bags through the door would be good.And thankfully some of those new outfits will go nicely with my OPI Nordic colours which officially came out of summer hibernation yesterday since autumn is well and truly here:

I have also had some craft-related spending, the first of which was a birthday gift certificate that went towards some lovely new papers from Hey Little Magpie:

Most of the new Elle's Studio Joyful collection is in their - love their designs and colours for Christmas/Winter.

I also added some versatile dot and stripe sheets, plus the wood inlay pattern from the new Jen Hadfield DIY Home line for Pebbles.

And some Festive basics from this year's Simple Stories Claus & Co.

Other craft-related spending was well... impulsive but a long-time coming and in the planning...

I've got a quiet day on the work front before heading out for a hair appointment and lunch with my mum, and depending on how the afternoon goes I'm hoping to be back at my desk not too late in the day so that I can sit down and actually make something.

Busy weekend ahead so got to make the most of any free time today! :D

Have a fun and crafty weekend!

October Afternoon - Weathervane - Crunching Leaves paper	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Circles die set	Lil' Inker Designs - Speech Bubbles die set	Papertrey Ink - Big birthday wishes stamp set
Papertrey Ink - By the numbers die collection (set of 9)

InLinkz.com

Over on the Hey Little Magpie blog - September projects

I shared some new card projects on the Hey Little Magpie blog using goodies in this box!

Full details can be found here - the Wonder collection from Crate is super lush and even nicer in real life if you can believe it!

Aside from a very hectic couple of weeks with work, I've also been out and about for some fun times with the ladies. :)

A week ago on Friday it was a theatre night in Newcastle with Zoe and her girls to see The Sound of Music - which was fantastic!

In preparation for the evening I wrapped up some treats in brown paper and tied with string - there were a few of their favourite (sweet) things inside:

We had time to get a snap in front of the poster:

And here are those packages being unwrapped:

Oh and before we headed of to the theatre there was time for some selfie antics, I didn't take this photo, but the amount of attempts it needed for us to be looking in the same direction was hilarious!

Then last Friday Kelly and I were all set to have a movie/dinner night after an afternoon with my little god daughter who's all set to turn three (where does the time go???) next week. As her birthday party coincides with my dad's 60th this year I wasn't going to make it, so I was all prepared with my gifts and it was another Friday morning spent wrapping up something! hehe

Let's just say there was a lot of time spent in the ELC last week staring at the display and deciding what to go with to build on last year's cash register and shop items! I hope she'll like what I picked!

Well, once Daddy-o was in from work there was time for a quick family photo before Kelly and I went out for the evening:

It ended up being a non-movie movie night as there was nothing on at the local cinema, so we just headed to Frankie & Bennies and ate a few items from the new menu, when we got back in we were too tired to watch a film on amazon as planned and instead watched the rest of Gogglebox before I set off for the drive home. Zzzzzzz...

Hopefully next time there will be some decent film choices out! It's been a tad quiet this month on the film front.

It's fashion week...

..over on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week!

Leo has challenged us all to be inspired by Fashion Week and to create an outfit to feature on our cards.

Well, I had a sheet of very nice paper in mind for my outfit!

The Fancy Free paper from the new Dear Lizzy Documentary line has a lovely floral print to it and the colours are lush too.

If only you could get it as a fabric in real life. ;)

I wanted to create a paper dress to go on a mannequin die and stamp set I have that is much underused but handy for challenges like this!:

Paper: Dear Lizzy, Crate Paper
Dies: MFT, Lawn Fawn
Stamps: MFT, WPlus9
Other: seam binding, pearl

I used this template as a rough guide for my dress and cut the skirt bit down a bit - attached the pieces to the mannequin and used seam binding for a sash and to line the skirt. Necessity is the mother of invention and a handy pearl covers up where the edge of the fold started peeking out from under the seam binding. :)

I am happy to have found this gold foil paper from Maggie Holmes' Confetti line in my stash as it was a nice subtle background against the busy colours of the dress, plus it meant I could add little folded hearts cut from the paper to some of the gold dots.

Don't forget to head on over to the Daring Cardmakers blog to see the rest of our haute couture creations!

Here's the stash I used:

Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes Confetti - Ceremony Gold Foil Accent Paper	Dear Lizzy - Documentary - Fancy Free	MFT - Sew Nifty stamp and die set	WPlus9 - Strictly Sentiments 5 stamps
Lawn Fawn - Hearts dies	Lawn Fawn - Large stitched journaling card

InLinkz.com

Up on the Hey Little Magpie blog tomorrow...

I have a new round of projects to share! :)

I hope you'll pop on over!

Wonderful watercolours

The theme for this week's Daring Cardmakers dare comes from the lovely Sharon - we definitely seem to share a brain when it comes to our shopping tastes and funnily enough as soon as I knew what the dare for this week would be I already had my stamp set of choice in mind!

But Sharon beat me to it, so I decided to show a little love to a set I've not used in a while. But there still had to be that 2-step stamping to create that watercolour look. :)

Enter the Pretty Peonies set by WPlus9:

Paper: MME, Simple Stories, AC glitter paper
Stamps: WPlus9
Dies: WPlus9
Other: kraft label, heart doily, 3D foam tape

I used a mixture of Adirondack dye inks for the flowers and leaves, I still think Lettuce is one of the best greens for foliage! It's not too brown and it's just dark enough for a bit of contrast. I used a water brush on the flowers to blend the colours a little but it's so subtle with these shades of pink.

Well, there are some awesome watercolour card designs from the Design Team - so remember to pop on over to the blog and to join in! :)

My Mind's Eye - The Sweetest Thing - Tangerine - Hello - Wishes paper	Simple Stories - DIY Boutique - Stripes/Green paper	American Crafts - 12 x 12 Christmas glitter paper pad	WPlus9 - Strictly Sentiments 5 stamps
WPlus9 - Pretty Peonies stamp set	WPlus9 - Pretty Peonies dies	Versafine ink pad - Onyx black	Adirondack dye ink - Salmon
Adirondack dye ink - Mountain Rose	Adirondack dye ink - Lettuce	Adirondack dye ink - Oregano

InLinkz.com

DCM September elements

It's hard to believe, but yes, it is once again the first Friday of a new month and that means it's time to play with a new set of elements over on the Daring Cardmakers blog:

Lots of autumnal favourites here.

I had a flick through my more autumnal-coloured items and found some chipboard elements from Teresa Collins' Nine & Co. collection from this time last year. The colours were a bit sombre so my card didn't quite turn out as vibrant and happy as I usually like my cards to look.

I went with woodgrain, leaves, autumnal flora, and berries as my elements:

Paper: Crate Paper
Chipboard: Teresa Collins
Dies: MFT, Lil' Inker Designs
Stamp: Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Other: enamel dots, 3D foam tape

 

I thought the chipboard would make a nice accent around the circle aperture. It's hard to tell in the image but the enamel dots are also woodgrain enamel dots to complete the look. I did debate with using some Glossy Accents on the chipboard to lift the accented areas a bit, but my bottle of Glossy Accents is so old now that the tip isn't as fine as it once was and I could see "disaster waiting to happen" written all over that!

Don't forget to check out the much more vibrant and uplifting creations by my fellow team mates over on the blog!

Have a lovely weekend!

Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes Open Book - 6x6" Paper Pad	Teresa Collins - Nine & Co - 6 x 12" Adhesive Chipboard	Studio Calico - Essentials - Woodgrain enamel dots	Waltzing Mouse - Big Day Today stamps
My Favorite Things - Die-namics - Sentiment strips 2 dies	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Circles die set	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles die set	Versafine ink pad - Onyx black

InLinkz.com

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A little photo catch-up

There's not a lot been happening for me the past two weeks except for a lot of work - but August did feature some of the nicer things in life too:

Some new scents to ease us from summer into autumn thanks to M&S:

The best kind of Sunday morning breakfast:

Summer strawberries at their finest:

A walk down to town first thing Saturday morning - in the sunshine after a week of rain:

A little window shopping:

Very apt these were:

Some online shopping that included some Bath & Body restocks:

Beautiful summer sunsets where the sky stretched as far as the eye could see:

A little browsing in TK Maxx for the perfect notepads - I didn't get this one as it was a notebook, but they had some great stuff in - good job too as I am really using my notepads a lot for to-do lists each day:  

Some birthday-related online shopping:

So L'Occitane offered me a free candle for my birthday if I made a little order... well, I know it wasn't free but the items I got were on my wishlist, postage was free and there was that £25 candle thrown in for good measure:

And most recently, I enjoyed the MOST delicious lemon meringue cupcakes courtesy of my friend Claire and her mum's superb baking skills! Just amazing:

And here we are in September and I have finally finished the big project I was working on solidly the past however many weeks. I am hopeful for a work-free weekend - but there won't be much rest on the horizon as I have a long list of things that should have been done that still need doing! ;)

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!