Kool Kitty Musings

Spring shades

A week or so ago at my crafty meet up with friends I had time to sit and stamp with the lovely Blooms Fill-In background stamps from Concord & 9th that I got for Christmas.

This time I wanted to go with a spring colour palette and well, I'm rather in love!

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Blooms Fill-In, PTI - Embellished Elegance
Dies: PTI - Embellished Elegance, Avery Elle - Scalloped Frames, MFT - Sentiment Strips 2
Other: Nuvo drops, MISTI, 3D foam tape
I have to say I really loved using yellow for more than just floral accents. I never use it as a greeting but things may be about to change.

Here's the list of colours I used for the floral background:

• Aqua: Altenew - Mountain Mist
• Yellow: Altenew - Buttercream, Mango Smoothie, Warm Sunshine
• Grey: - Altenew - Morning Frost, Evening Gray

Sentiments:

• Lawn Fawn - Sunflower
• Altenew - Mountain Mist
• Lawn Fawn - Narwahl

Now it's just a case of coming up with some more colour combos to try as I really do love that floral background, it's just a bit of extra work to stamp the main colour with ink cubes. ;) I'm thinking about trying it with Distress Oxides next! ;)

Until then, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Blooms Fill-In stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC	PTI - Embellished Elegance stamps Shop at: MISC	PTI - Embellished Elegance dies Shop at: MISC	Avery Elle - Scalloped Frames dies (r) Shop at: MISC
MFT - Sentiment Strips 2 dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Buttercream dye ink Shop at: SSS	Altenew - Evening Gray dye ink Shop at: EH | SSS	Altenew - Mango Smoothie dye ink Shop at: EH | SSS
Altenew - Morning Frost dye ink Shop at: EH | SSS	Altenew - Mountain Mist dye ink Shop at: EH | SSS	Altenew - Warm Sunshine dye ink Shop at: EH | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Narwhal ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS
Lawn Fawn - Sunflower ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SSS	Altenew - Four Scoops ink cube set Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	Altenew - Sea Shore ink cube set Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	Altenew - Summer Afternoon ink cube set Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS
Altenew - Warm Gray ink cube set Shop at: EH | SHC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Neenah Classic Crest 80 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Buttermilk Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

Rainbow birthday wishes

THe other week at my crafty night with friends I took along just a few stamp sets and some precut cardstock and plenty of inks!

One of the stamp sets I wanted to use again was the Mama Elephant Brush Strokes stamps:

Stamps: Mama Elephant - Brush Strokes, MFT - Big Birthday Wishes
Die: Mama Elephant - Sew Fancy
Other: Sequins, MISTI

Thank heavens for a stamp positioner eh?

Without it I'd have never got those brush strokes relatively evenly spaced never mind straight! I also had to double stamp a few and I'd have never managed to line the stamps up perfectly a second time.

My quilting template pieces came in very handy for getting the sentiment positioned just right too.

Add a few sequins into the mix and this card was done. :D 

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Mama Elephant - Brush Strokes stamps Shop at: SHC | SSS	MFT - Big Birthday Wishes stamps Shop at: EH | SHC	Mama Elephant - Sew Fancy dies Shop at: SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Carrot ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS
Lawn Fawn - Chili Pepper ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Lemonade ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Mermaid ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS
Lawn Fawn - Peacock ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Sugarplum ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Pretty Pink Posh - Sparkling Clear Confetti Mix sequins Shop at: EH | SSS	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

 

Masked Magic

It's my turn to set the challenge over on the Daring Cardmaker's blog this week and I've chosen a technique that I really enjoyed trying out in the run-up to Christmas when I was making blended backgrounds.

Masking!

Or more specifically in my case, using masking paper!

While I was at it, I even made two cards this week!

First up this one:

Stamps: Winnie & Walter - Sketchy Thoughts
Dies: Sizzix - Animal Portraits, Lawn Fawn - Put a Bow on It, Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles
Other: Glitter paper, 3D foam, Distress ink pads

So I started off by cutting strips of masking paper and stuck them diagonally onto a piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock. I used Evergreen Bough, Cracked Pistachio, Spun Sugar, and Picked Raspberry original Distress Inks to create this diagonal background.

I found the Bristol Smooth cardstock really to blend on, but it doesn't take as much colour as other white cardstock. So if I want a richer tone, I'll use Cardshoppe next time I think!

To complete this card I used the lovely bunny from the Sizzix Animal Portraits set along with the speech bubble stamp and greeting from my lovely new Winnie & Walter Sketchy Thoughts stamps. There had to be glitter somewhere, and this Heidi Swapp Marquee glitter paper fit the bill!

Next up I wanted to use my Distress Oxides with the left-over masking strips I'd cut:

Stamps: MFT - Big Birthday Wishes
Die: Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched dies
Other: Distress Oxides
It's a really simple card - just a matter of blending the inks on and while the masking paper was still in place I spritzed with water and dried everything with a heat tool before removing the masking strips.

I used the large rectangle die from the Lil' Inker's Silly Stitches set to add a bit of texture and finally the greeting from MFT fit perfectly inside the stripes. I used my MISTI to ensure the stamps lined up properly.

Remember to check out the other masking projects from the rest of the design team over on the blog and come join in!

Happy crafting!

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MFT - Big Birthday Wishes stamps Shop at: EH | SHC	Winnie & Walter - Sketchy Thoughts stamps Shop at: EH | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Put a Bow on It dies Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched dies Shop at: MISC | SHC
Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Sizzix - Animal Portraits dies Shop at: AZ | MISC	Distress ink pad - Cracked Pistachio Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Distress ink pad - Evergreen Bough Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Distress ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Distress ink pad - Spun Sugar Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Distress Oxide ink pad - Cracked Pistachio Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Distress Oxide ink pad - Lucky Clover Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Distress Oxide ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Distress Oxide ink pad - Worn Lipstick Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	MFT - Pink Lemonade ink pad Shop at: SHC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Strathmore Bristol cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Simon Says Stamp - Masking Paper Shop at: SSS	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS
MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Ranger - Mini round ink blending tools Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

You're pretty fantastic - keeping it simple!

So I'm currently trying to rediscover my craft collection, which includes the card kits I subscribed to from Simon Says Stamp back in 2015/2016.

The first kit I received had some lovely papers and journaling cards from My Mind's Eye in it and I really want to put them to good use rather than keep getting the kit out and putting it away again after making one measly card.

So clean and simple it may be, here's one of those cards:

Paper and journaling card: MME - My Story
Stamp: Simon Says Stamp - I See You
Other: 3D foam tape

In other news I am really hoping that the items I clocked from Creativation are soon for sale! I am after a Tonic guillotine that cuts 12" - especially for use with thick cardstock as though I love my Fiskars trimmer, which cuts accurately and straight, I prefer my 8.5" Tonic guillotine when making cards and only use something bigger when having to cut paper down to a manageable size, or indeed cardstock. But the cardstock blunts the Fiskars blade handles paper and thin cardstock best.

I'm also going to have to do a little Alex unit drawer reshuffle if a certain bundle of brand new Distress Oxides arrives in time for the weekend! 

Once again, no paper lines have truly captured my attention except for the rainbow 6x6 pad from Lawn Fawn. I think I will definitely be getting that along with the new ink cube set, but is it too much to ask for them to have released Ballet Slippers as an ink cube before Easter??? Sad I still won't have that in my collection for a while.

But yay! Some lovely stuff to add to the wish list. :D

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Simon Says Stamp - I See You stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	My Mind's Eye - My Story - 6x6 paper pad (r) Shop at: MISC	My Mind's Eye - My Story - Journaling cards (r) Shop at: MISC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

 

Black, white and a pop of colour!

This week's Daring Cardmakers dare was definitely a challenge for me - that I didn't realise I'd struggle with quite so much until I actually sat down to craft.

Black, white and a pop of colour - doesn't sound too tricky right? Well.... I didn't think I was such a colour addict until I had to avoid using it.

But inspiration struck when I thought about using my new Blooms Fill-In stamp set from Concord and 9th.

It has a giant floral background stamp in it that would definitely provide lots of black:

So with the aid of some black ink, white cardstock and a few shades of pink inks here's my card:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Blooms Fill-In
Die: MFT - Happy Birthday to You
Spotty paper: Pebbles - Spring Fling
Other: Stripy ribbon

So yes, the MISTI was deployed to stamp the black background cleanly on a sheet of white cardstock late one even, I left it to try overnight while I went to bed then the next evening I set about stamping in the pops of pink colour in the flowers. Once that background was done I trimmed it down ready to use as a card front and decided the best way to feature a greeting would be to die cut into the background panel and use some white dotty paper as contrast.

This colour combo totally reminded me of the first Self-Addressed card kit I subbed to back in the day - it was a December kit I believe, and was filled with lovely light pink, black, grey and white combos of papers and ribbons. In fact that striped ribbon I used may well have come from the kit!

I'm definitely looking forward to using the background blooms fill-in stamp to make some lighter backgrounds now! Perhaps at tonight's crop. :D

Make sure you check out the other creative uses of black and white over on the Daring Cardmakers blog!

Happy crafting! 

 

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Concord & 9th - Blooms Fill-In stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC	MFT - Happy Birthday to You die Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Altenew - Cotton Candy dye ink Shop at: SSS	Lawn Fawn - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Plastic flamingo ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	PTI - Raspberry Fizz ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Sweet Blush ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS
Neenah Classic Crest 80 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

2018 card challenge - January card

I finally had chance to play along with this month's January card challenge prompt where the focus is on wording.

I also managed to combine some "old" and "new" product on this project:

Stamps: PTI - Phrase Play #6, WPlus9 - Big Top Background
Dies: PTI - Phrase Play #6, Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Rectangles
Other: Nuvo drops, 3D foam tape

With these gloomy January days I really wanted something sunny to work on, so I had to employ some rainbow colours! The Phrase Play #6 die has been a little underused simply because it takes a little time for me to cut the various elements I want.

I think my favourite way of using this die is to use contrasting colours together plus it fills most of a card front. But now that I have the Big Top background stamp from WPlus9 to use with it, I think I'll feature it more on cards in future. :)

This card marks the first outing for the Big Top stamp which I bought last year. It's really easy to use so I stamped a few more backgrounds to use on future cards while I was at it!

The yellow I used was Lawn Fawn Sunflower ink - perfect for some sunny rays!

Here's to more crafty times. :)

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PTI - Phrase Play #6 stamps Shop at: MISC	WPlus9 - Big Top background stamp Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	PTI - Phrase Play #6 die Shop at: MISC	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Black Licorice ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Sunflower ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SSS	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Bubblegum Blush Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

January 2018 elements dare

The Daring Cardmakers are back after our relaxing Christmas break.

We're starting the year off with a brand new elements dare:

You need to feature three elements on your card - colours count as one overall element. :)

Here's my take:

Paper: Pebbles, Crate Paper
Stamps: SSS - Look for the Miracles , PTI - Phrase Play #6
Dies: PTI - Tag Sale #10, Lawn Fawn - Valentine Borders
Other: button, twine

I raided my scraps bag of papers from years gone by that need using pronto as they are just small strips or offcuts. My splash of blue comes from the spotty Pebbles paper and there's some woodgrain from a Crate Paper collection where all that was left was that strip! I combined the old with an as yet unused Valentine border die from Lawn Fawn that I knew would be versatile, but is finally making its début on an actual card. The last element is the tag made from a great Tag Sale die set by PTI and I stamped some branches on it in light grey for a little extra interest.

All very simple! :)

Remember to check out the many varied takes on this challenge from the rest of the design team - happy crafting! 

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PTI - Phrase Play #6 stamps Shop at: MISC	Simon Says Stamp - Look for the Miracles stamps Shop at: SSS	Lawn Fawn - Valentine Borders dies Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	PTI - Tag Sale #10 dies Shop at: MISC
Hero Arts - Charcoal ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	MFT - Grout Gray ink pad Shop at: SHC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	PTI - Soft Stone cardstock Shop at: MISC
Sakura - Quickie Glue pen Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

2018 card challenge

Happy New Year!

I hope 2018 will be a wonderful and creative year for you.

I must admit 2017 was not my most creative and crafty year as my head and heart just weren't in it for a number of months. However with the big push to make Christmas cards towards the end of 2017 I started to get back into the swing of things.

I also came to the realisation that I had gone more than a year without purchasing new papers and embellishments save that one lone 6x6 pad of Knit Picky from Lawn Fawn. Birthday money and a few treats earlier in 2017 led to some great stamp and die purchases, however, and I really enjoyed putting these new items to good use, especially on my Christmas cards when old and new stash were happily combined. That whole experience gave me the idea for this year's challenge.

Something old – Something new

• The Old:
  The whole purpose of this challenge will be trying to show some love for your past purchases, whether cutting into papers you have hoarded for that one perfect project that never got made, reacquainting yourself with some stamps you bought years ago, or trying to find a new use for something that has been left behind as design trends have changed over the years like eyelets, brads and more lumpy embellishments - I can see so many buttons, ribbons and other "must have" items that I accumulated over the years that would look nicer on a card than gathering dust on a shelf.
• The New:
  The flip side will be putting new purchases to immediate use before they have time to languish in a drawer or on a shelf.
• The best of both worlds:
  What could be better than making a project where you marry the old and new together?

Here's how the 2018 challenge will work:

• On the 1st of the month, I will post a prompt here on my blog.
• The prompts will focus on a specific design element. They may or may not include a Pinterest image for added inspiration.
• What about Christmas cards? The elements chosen will allow you to be as productive as you like, in fact you will be able to start on your Christmas cardmaking now if you so wish!
• How many cards you make is totally up to you, but the more the merrier! In fact check out the extra little challenge later down this post!
• 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 2018 card challenge tag over there on the left.
• Speaking of tags, if you're also on Instagram then I'll be using the hashtag #2018handmadecardchallenge 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 well know!

An extra challenge for those who want to really get ahead with their crafting:

• I set a personal challenge to myself late last year when the panic set in of trying to make multiples of a Christmas card design in one sitting.
• I have never been a fan of assembly line production for crafting as my brain just can't take it and it's just not the way I enjoy creating. But I found that making 4 or 5 of the same card when I had everything out really helped me catch up.
• I'm hoping to employ this approach for a few crafting sessions this year - especially as I found using a stamp positioning tool and also stamp masking paper with dies really helped me out with this.
• You don't need to share all your multiple makes, but this might be a personal challenge you will enjoy and find rewarding – especially come December if you do your Christmas cards this way or want to make sets of cards to give as presents.

So all that's left for me to do is share our first prompt of 2018 – the January design element is...

Fancy Words

{Pinterest pin}

Fancy words means focusing on text in any of the following ways:

• Pretty fonts
• Stand out words
• Word art
• Extraordinary sentiments
• Inspiring quotes and sayings
• Hand lettering
• Making words the focal point

And on that note I wish you happy crafting in 2018!