Kool Kitty Musings

2022 Card Challenge - December Prompt

Hello all!

I'm posting the final prompt of the year a little early.

As to be predicted, the December prompt is ripe for wintry and festive projects:

{Pinterest pin}

The focus colours for December are: Silver/Gold (even if it's just a smattering of paint or glitter)

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• All things pine - pine cones, boughs and branches, a single Christmas tree, a horizon of pine trees.
• DIY wreath - create a festive wreath which elements such as winter foliage, fruits, and nuts.
• Deck the Halls - feature candles, lights, baubles, and other festive decorations in some form, whether as a border, hanging from a branch, on top of a Christmas tree, around a fireplace or window, the choice is yours.
• Festive words - feature text from a festive poem, story, carol, or song.
• Festive tales - bring a festive tale or Pantomime fairytale to life on a card. The Nutcracker is always a favourite, or perhaps something more recent like Frozen will appeal to the little ones.
• Vintage glitz and glam - feature some vintage style glitter, retro tinsel, or colours reminiscent of 1960s mercury glass baubles.
• Little houses - you know how I love them! It wouldn't be winter without some little houses for a village scene.
• Minimalist chic - keep things simple and make the white space of your card do most of the work. A simple sentiment and a single focal point for your design will tick the box.

Happy crafting!

2022 Card Challenge - November Prompt

Well, here's hoping this works.

Things are still very buggy on my blogging platform, and I'm not sure whether this blog post will go through.

But here's the prompt for November card challenge:

{Pinterest pin}

The focus colour for November is Wood tones

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Wood texture - Let's start with the obvious one! Such a versatile design element, whether with patterned papers, embossing folders/texture plates, or dies such as wood slices. They all provide a great backdrop to a card, embellishment, or sentiment, especially when spruced up with other winter foliage.
• Hygge - Think all things cosy: mittens, scarves, woolly jumpers, knit textures, Nordic patterns, candles, lanterns, etc.
• A cup of cheer - Cocoa complete with marshmallows, a candy cane, and cream, and even a gingerbread man on the side...
• Winter greenery - Pine boughs, pine cones, branches with berries, winter florals, including a wreath.
• Little houses - A wintry village created with little house dies against a stencilled or ink blended background, or perhaps a cabin in the woods or on a mountainside. You could also experiment with "silhouette" techniques, using masking paper to create a street or city skyline on white or black cardstock by blending ink over the masking paper and then removing the masking paper to reveal the silhouette.
• Oh Christmas tree - Why not try some dimensional tree techniques? If you have a symmetrical tree die, cut the die three times and score down the middle from the point of the tree to the base of each die-cut. Then glue the halves of one tree to one half of the another tree and attach to your card. Hey presto, a 3D tree!
• Oh deer - Feature reindeer on your card, whether antlers and other rustic elements or a cute little Rudolph pulling Santa's sleigh.
• Let it snow - Use this or another song lyric as the sentiment for your card, or create a snowy scene.

Happy crafting!

2022 Card Challenge - October Prompt

Morning all!

Welcome to the weekend, and a brand-new prompt.

This month we are focusing on autumnal colours, specifically: orange/brown/kraft

And here are the elements we're working with:

{Pinterest pin}

I've got some ideas to get you started:

• Wooden elements - these work really well in contrast to bright colours like orange or any of the shades in the image. So wood prints on paper, actual wooden embellishments like buttons or cut shapes, wood slices, shiplap style dies to create a background, wooden looking frames/crates/barrels - all very autumnal.
• Harvest theme - think pumpkins, gourds, toadstools, nuts and acorns, wheat, etc.
• Journaling cards - if you purchase scrapbook collections/papers, you no doubt have some of these in your stash. I've never managed to use up all the journaling cards in a collection, but they are very handy for quick cards.
• Plaid - buffalo plaid and other plaid prints, including gingham, work so well this time of year for that cosy feel.
• Mittens - and speaking of cosy, now would be a great time to make a few Christmas cards, even if you're not feeling the full on Christmas spirit, mittens and knit prints/textures would work really well for a seasonal card.
• Pairs/symmetry - the little booties made me wonder about things that come in pairs can be paired on a card, otherwise using elements to create a symmetrical design, a bit like the boughs in the You Make My Heart So Happy image.
• Leaves galore - you can go with intricate leafy backgrounds, garlands, wreaths, autumnal falling leaves, or even succulents and other foliage that will work on your card.
• Geometric prints - do you have geometric stamps or stencils that can be filled in with watercolours/ink blending? I'm sure I have something in my stash from a few years ago when those designs were on trend. Failing that, triangles are such a versatile shape, you can create your own geometric print or stamp/cut triangles in different colours to create wintry backgrounds/Christmas trees.
• Ampersand - feature a sentiment with an ampersand in it on your card. If you have a jumbo ampersand die in your stash, make it the star of the sentiment.
• Posy prints - use a dainty paper print featuring floral elements or other autumnal elements, like a woodland theme.

Well, that's all I have for now – happy crafting!

2022 Card Challenge - September Prompt

Good morning!

Well, September has arrived... the summer sure went quick, but we are hopefully still in for some warm weather before autumn is in full swing.

This month's prompt embraces those end of summer vibes...

{Pinterest pin}

And the focus colour for this month is: Metallic tones

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Rest and relaxation - feature something that you or the recipient enjoys doing to unwind, it could be reading, a coffee date, time outdoors in the garden...
• Seasons of change - let the colour palette of your card reflect the changing environment around you, metallic tones like copper and rose gold go especially well with autumnal shades
• Dramatic skies - in my corner of the world we often get some really dramatic evening skyscapes, a great opportunity to put your ink blending skills to use
• Harvest - feature apples or other fruit and veg on your card, you could even go punny with the sentiment
• Tied up with string - create a tied bouquet, feature twine, or a bow on your card
• Kraft - kraft is such a great neutral to work with and is a great companion to metallic foil or heat embossing
• A window - feature a window or aperture on your card
• Friendship - make a card for a great friend and use the word friend in your sentiment or feature a pet (fluffy or otherwise) on your card
• Reflection - create a symmetrical pattern on your card, or use dies/stamps/stencils that create a mirror image of something on your card design
• Woodland - go to town with a woodland theme, feature iconic autumnal elements like leaves, acorns, toadstools, conkers, etc.

Happy crafting!

2022 Card Challenge - August Prompt

Morning,

I'm sharing the prompt for August a little early.

As you can see from the image, the focus colour this month is: Peach

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There are lots of elements in the image that could work on a card, here are some ideas to get you started:

• On the slant - inspired by image 8, cut/place paper at a diagonal on your card, you can also use it as a guideline for placing your sentiment along a diagonal line or edge.
• Monogram - really personalise your card by featuring the recipient's monogram or monograms (in case of a wedding card).
• Tassels, charms or trim - if you jumped on the tassel trend in scrapbook collections, you may have one that needs using up. It would make a great finishing touch to your card, as would a dangly charm for a vintage style card or indeed fringed trim whether from thread or paper.
• Brushstrokes - the black spots in the background of image 7 look like brushstrokes, a popular pattern in scrapbook lines of late, but also something you could emulate with a stencil/background stamp or even recreate with a wash of paint and using Distress inks.
• Retro fun - those roller boots really take me back, I used to love my white ones with neon pink wheels. Any "retro" element would work well in their place. Or any element that reminds you of something fun.
• A face or person - think of those character stamps that are so popular, a silhouette portrait of someone, a famous face, even Father Christmas...
• No outline - some of the design elements in the image don't have an outline, why not use an image or stamp set without an outline?
• Big floral - big florals whether stamped or on pattern paper are always great fun.
• Busy and bold patterns - bold repeat patterns or geometrical backgrounds can be great for a simple card design as they do much of the work and all you need to do is add a sentiment.
• Owls and other feathered friends - owls were such a big trend back in the day, you may still have them in your stash, making them quite retro... Otherwise, any bird will do!
• Circular element - feature a circular element on your card like a frame, button, aperture, badge, the moon, the sun, etc.
• All caps - do you have a sentiment or font that is in all caps? If so, that'll tick the box of image 3.
• Just peachy - feature a phrase that contains the word peach.

Happy crafting!

2022 Card Challenge - July Prompt

Hello!

Welcome to a brand-new prompt for the 2022 Card Challenge.

With this month's focus colour, we are really channelling the summer sunshine, or should that be trying to entice it out from behind the rain clouds?

Because the focus colour for July is: Yellow

And here is the prompt:

{Pinterest Pin}

 

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Sunshine - feature the word sunshine on your card. If, like me, you have a lot of stamp sets that are rainbow themed, it's more than likely there will be a sentiment somewhere that includes this word, so why not use it?
• The sun - alternatively, feature the sun as a die cut, as some clever ink blending for a beach or sunset scene, as rays of colour projected out from behind a sentiment (I'm thinking of the Pinkfresh Studios Sunburst die/stamp here).
• When life gives you lemons - feature them on a card. Such a popular design element in summer scrapbook collections and stamp/die sets. They can make a really striking background when combined with foliage, branches and blossoms.
• Speaking of lemons... In my neck of the woods, THE summer ice cream is a Lemon Top. A Mr Whippy ice cream with a swirl of bright yellow lemon sorbet on top. Most delicious. Ice cream cones would make a great card theme, especially paired with a sentiment like "Treat yourself".
• Swirls - the lollipop reminds me that I have a loopy swirl border die that still needs using. This would make a great background when cut out multiple times from yellow and stuck down over a contrasting shade like grey... Think of the loopy swirl on an old school telephone, have you got one of those knocking about in your stash of ephemera?
• Polaroid frame - or indeed any frame. Great for really showcasing your sentiment, or you could use lots of different little frames (even mini embroidery hoops) to create a sort of gallery scene featuring little flowers/foliage, etc.
• Wildflowers - speaking of flowers, do you have any stickers or embellishments that have the look of pressed flowers? Perhaps you have dies that can create realistic looking wildflowers like poppies, daisies, cow parsley, sunflowers, etc. You could create a very simple and clean design with just this element and a stamped sentiment on rustic cream cardstock. Or even tie a bunch of flowers with some rustic twine.
• Big blooms - as always, big blooms are still a big trend in scrapbook collections. In a pinch, the right paper can do much of the work for you.
• Retro stems - the mustard stem print reminds me of Sanderson surface prints and to some extent Orla Kiely designs, failing that stems rather than florals could create a great dimensional background, or be used to create a wreath.
• Mesh texture/grid print - the mesh in the last photo on the right reminds me that I have an embossing folder that would fit the bill, and also a red rubber background stamp with a grid print that could be a very subtle background with a bit of selective inking... Not to mention, I'm sure I have grid prints in my box of pattern papers that must be over a decade old now. I think Basic Grey sometimes included a bit of a "grid" print on some of their paper designs.
• By the book - need a card for a book lover? Why not create a shelf of "book spines" using strips of cardstock in different shades, heat embossed with sentiments in different fonts to mimic the book title on the spine. Or if you have any book-themed papers or die sets, it would be the perfect time to use them. Alternatively, you could look at this element from the perspective of a writer, so go old school with a typewriter or other items of stationery. You could even sign the back of your work with "From the craft desk of...".
• Numbers - if it's not numbers you're going to feature (for a 2022 grad), that 1970 t-shirt print in the image could be replicated in your card design by scoring double lines above and below a sentiment to create an embossed/debossed border.
• Beyond summer - if summer isn't your bag, and you are already thinking about cooler September and autumnal times, then there's no reason you can't go with mushrooms, toadstools, leaves, acorns, squash and other elements that work so well with a whole array of yellow tones.

As always, happy crafting!

2022 Card Challenge - June Prompt

Good morning!

I am really hoping that this month's prompt helps usher in some seasonally warm and summery weather! I've definitely been wondering whether I might as well get started on some Christmas cards this past week, what with the chilly temperatures up north, and the almost constant rain showers.

Here's hoping we see some sun and dry weather for the jubilee weekend!

{Pinterest pin}

The focus colour for June is: Rainbow tones

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Rainbows - the obvious way to incorporate rainbow tones is to feature an actual rainbow, but how about interpreting the colours of the rainbow in order by using a separate colour for each letter in a sentiment, a separate colour of cardstock to create a floral/leafy wreath, the separate colours in a row of birthday candles, or create a rainbow coloured background with stencilled stripes or other patterns (or just use paper from your stash that already fits the bill!).
• Confetti - it doesn't have to be in all the colours of the rainbow, but confetti can be incorporated as a shaker card with sequins, die-cut stars/hearts/dots, polymer clay sprinkles and the like. You could even splatter ink or paint on the background of your card in different colours to represent confetti.
• Dots galore - there's plenty of scope for polka dots of all sizes. In addition to dotty patterns with paper or stamps, you could use circle dies to create apertures/frames for different focal points on your card or one main element you want to showcase.
• Pompoms - in the last few years they've been featured in a good few scrapbooking lines as embellishments, so if you have something with a pompom on it and you've wondered when you will ever use it, now's the time! Otherwise, how about looking at your stash of ribbons and trim, and seeing whether there's any pompom trim waiting to be used.
• Party - it's pretty clear from the image that anything party-related will definitely fit the bill - so if you've got birthday cards to make, you can go all out with balloons, party hats, bunting/streamers, a big birthday cake, or even use the word "party" in your sentiment.
• Negative die-cutting - the font for "You light up my world" is missing the insides of letters, it reminds me of one of my favourite fonts, Papercute. You could imitate this style by using alpha or word dies for negative die-cutting techniques, where the dies/word create an aperture for a shadow effect or contrasting background. Really simple and no fiddly gluing of those little bits that need adding back into the word!
• Flora and foliage - the leaves and flowers featured in the image this month are really bold and big, so why not go for a floral design that covers almost the entire front of your card? Or some oversized floral motifs and leaves? I don't know about you, but I have a good few of these in my collection that have been somewhat overlooked.
• Pinstripe - finally, for a little pattern or contrast to dots, there are different pinstripe patterns featured in the image. Dashed lines, stitched lines, whether with patterned papers or using stamps, even a little stitching or crimping detail on layering dies and cover plates would easily fit the bill.

Happy crafting!

2022 Card Challenge - May Prompt

Good morning!

It's a bit of a chilly and wet start to what is typically a warm and sunshiny month in these parts.

A time when the delights of summer can really get underway, with more time spent outside, the winter wardrobe being switched out for brighter summery patterns and colours, and those longer days can be enjoyed to the full.

Here's this month's prompt:

{Pintrest pin}

The focus colour for this month is: Neutral + bold tone

So basically, use white, cream, kraft, or grey as your anchor colour and add in a bold tone of your choice. The image above shows lots of shades that work well paired with neutrals.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Minimalist - keep things clean and simple by featuring white on white elements with just a single pop of colour from an embellishment. For example, a white with little red/pink hearts coming out of it with a simple stamped sentiment below. Clean and simple all the way.
• Kite - feature a kit or elements associated with a kite, such as bows, strung items like bunting, twine, a diamond shaped mat or aperture, a pattern made up of diamonds/triangles in alternating colours.
• Vintage/modern technology - a camera, record player, typewriter, TV, phone, Instagram style frame, text message style abbreviated sentiments.
• Sunburst - the sunburst pattern is a popular one among manufacturers, you may have a stamp, die, or paper with this type of design on it which makes for a great background to your sentiment. The sunburst in the image also makes me think of old school style circus advertising, so any circus theme could work.
• Layering/folding - the design on the cushions could be easily translated to a card with different papers layering over each other diagonally. The origami items make me think of folding, and there are plenty of simple and fancy folding techniques in cardmaking. You can get creative with your scoreboard, and even just use scored lines as a decorative feature. Or as above, a die that makes a mini envelope is another way of featuring a folded element. Or indeed a die that scores an opening like a little window that reveals a surprise image or sentiment.
• Foiling - feature a metallic foiled element, if you have a foiling system then there's plenty of scope to use it for this prompt. Otherwise, foiled papers, foiled ephemera, even some heat embossing with metallic embossing powders would fit the bill.
• In the round - there are circles, dots, and spheres galore in the image, so plenty of ways you can incorporate round things on your cards, even if it's just sequins, enamel dots, or Nuvo drops.
• All lined up - like the pencils and origami items shown, you can line up similar things in a row like 3 pot plants, a row of birthday candles, a grid of hearts.

I hope those ideas have got your imagination going!

Happy crafting!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

To round off my Easter crafting projects for this year, here's the card I made that was also inspired by the April card prompt here.

The focus colour for April was green (I went with sage green) and I was inspired by the big blooms in one of the images and the distinctive bow on the dress in another image.

Stamp: Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments (r)
Dies: The Greetery - BotaniCuts Pussy Willow, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Tulips, The Greetery - Crimped Slimline, The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied, The Greetery - Wood Slices
Other: Distress Oxide inks

There's a lot of ink that went into this project. Everything apart from that green panel is cut from white/cream cardstock and inked with Distress Oxides or dye ink.

Coloured pencils also bring some of the smaller details to life.

Got to love those BotaniCuts dies from The Greetery, they really do capture nature so well.

Once everything was inked, assembled, and positioned just so on my card, I added Glossy Accents to the stamen and added a stamped greeting to the Spring bouquet.

Enjoy your Easter weekend!

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Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - BotaniCuts Pussy Willow dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - BotaniCuts Tulips dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Crimped Slimline dies Shop at: MISC | SHC
The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied dies Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Wood Slices dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Antique Linen Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Broken China Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Ground Espresso Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Kitsch Flamingo Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mustard Seed Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Rustic Wilderness Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Rusty Hinge Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Scattered Straw Shop at: EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Spun Sugar Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tumbled Glass Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Pizza Crust ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Soot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS
Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Brutfuner 120 Colouring Pencils Set Shop at: AZ	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

Easter Greetings

Well, you wouldn't think it looking out the window today, but Easter is fast approaching, and thankfully I had time to get some cards made in the past few weekends, including this one inspired by the 2022 Card Challenge March prompt here.

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday, The Greetery - Print Shop: Spring Mix
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday, The Greetery - Let's Have A Word: Easter

The prompt was the perfect excuse to give the Print Shop: Spring mix stamps and stencils from The Greetery a test drive with a mix of spring ink shades from Lawn Fawn.

I applied the different stencil layers directly to my card base.

Once the stencil layers were done, I just added the stamped details with an acrylic block, which didn't go too badly! I am so reliant on my Misti now that I rarely free stamp anything.

I cut the Easter word die from light pink cardstock and a few pieces of dark grey cardstock to create a shadow effect.

I found the perfect stand-alone "greetings" sentiment in the Opposites Attract Holiday set, and it finished things off perfectly.

I then added some sparkly details to the flower centres and used my Wink of Stella pen on the pink Easter die cut.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Print Shop: Spring Mix stamps and stencils Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday Script dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Let's Have A Word: Easter die Shop at: MISC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Apricot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Butter ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Jalapeño ink pad Shop at: SHC	Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Pinkfresh Studio - Sweet Mustard ink pad Shop at: MISC | SBC
The Stamp Market - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Salmon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS	The Stamp Market - Slate cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2022 Card Challenge - April Prompt

Hi everyone!

I'm posting the prompt for April a little early. :)

Here's the image:

{Pinterest pin}

It may not be obvious from the image, but the focus colour for April is: Green

It doesn't have to be the main colour scheme of your card, it can simply be a pop of contrasting colour (like a button or enamel dot) or an accent colour that brings a colour scheme (like lines of dots above) together. It pairs really well with blues from aqua tones to navy, and can be interpreted with lighter or more sage like shades for spring.

Here are a few ideas to get you started with the images in the prompt:

• Bold (geometric/floral) prints - let patterned paper do the work for you, especially the more eye-catching large prints you might have shied away from in the past. They can be the perfect backdrop to a very simple sentiment strip.
• Heat embossing - heat emboss in clear/white/metallic shades on white for a resist technique where you then go over the embossed image with blended ink, a colour wash, or even detailed water colouring. The ombré effect of the cushion in the prompt could also be incorporated with this technique.
• April showers - feature anything weather-related (even snow at this rate!) that is seasonal - umbrellas, clouds, sun, rainbow, raindrops, wellies.
• Just a note - the row of pens speaks to my love of stationery, you could make a set of notelets to gift to someone for them to use, create a card with the sentiment "Just a note to say...", or even feature anything to do with writing on your card including images of stationery (like an envelope containing happy mail), a desk, a typewriter, even a book.
• All lined up - the pens also make me think of candles on a cake or a collection of items in rainbow colours lined up on your card, such as Easter eggs stamped in different shades.
• Stripes - use strips of cardstock, a stencil, a line stamp, or anything else that comes to mind to create a striped background. Failing that, dig into your patterned paper stash and see what fits the bill. You can't go wrong with diagonal or horizontal stripes!
• Jar - feature a jar as the vessel for design elements such as flowers, branches, sweets, even lemonade.
• Polka dot party - if dots are more your thing, you can keep it small with a petite dot style in white on a contrasting colour, or go large with big spots of different colours. You probably have some pretty dotted ribbon in your stash that would be a perfect finishing touch.

Happy crafting!

2022 Card Challenge - March Prompt

Well, here we are, saying goodbye to February and welcoming in March!

This month's prompt definitely has some spring vibes to it...

{Pinterest pin}

And so rather than have one focus colour this month, we're going to be working with: Pastel Tones

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• The great outdoors - gardens, woodland scenes, the beach and coast, fresh air and sunshine, there's even an Eiffel Tower image on a postcard so perhaps a Parisian theme?
• Bunting, fringes, and tassels - create bunting with scrap pieces of patterned paper, with letter stickers and tags to form a sentiment, or use fringe dies to create a fun background with different shades of cardstock - great for Easter and spring themes.
• Tiled backgrounds - whether a tiled pattern, herringbone print, even a brick wall effect, you can use embossing folders and background stamps to add subtle texture or use smaller dies to cut hexagons, squares, and other shapes. Or why not create a background using strips of cardstock in alternating shades. You could even use a cover plate die that allows you to piece contrasting patterns/colours back into the negative space.
• All things vintage and retro - ephemera, paper prints, flourishy fonts for sentiments, vintage-style findings like button cards and lace. There are some great colour combos in the prompt that provide scope for combining that vintage look with zingy pops of colour. For a 20th Century retro theme, feature a typewriter, telephone, 50s cookware, a record player, roller skates... the list goes on.
• Triangles - the set square reminds me of the humble triangle that is perfect for creating a tree line or repeat pattern for a clean and simple look.
• In the frame - use frames in different colours to frame different elements, a bit like a gallery wall. Small elements like leaves, hearts, stars and mini sentiments are great for this.
• Slimline and tall cards - the tall shelving unit shows how you can divide that space into three and create focal points on your card design.
• When life gives you lemons - use an uplifting sentiment that will brighten someone's day.
• Birds - the ceramic bird can be easily interpreted on a card, you even embrace a spring theme with chicks and ducklings.

2022 Card Challenge - February Prompt

Hello!

Well, that's January out of the way. :D

Here's the prompt for February:

{Pinterest pin}

And the focus colour is: a pop of pink!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Hearts galore - whether in confetti/sprinkle format, as an aperture, on patterned paper, embellishments, dimensional die-cuts, even a heart edge... so many possibilities that you can go full on with the heart theme, or just feature a heart as the finishing touch to a sentiment.
• Shaker cards - create a shaker window as the main background to your card or cleverly incorporated in multiple openings behind the letters of a sentiment or different shaped apertures.
• Something sweet - feature chocolates, cupcakes, cake, ice cream or any other sweet treat on your card.
• Tulips - tulips, crocuses, roses, and hyacinths are a great floral option this time of year and are definitely worthy of the pink treatment.
• Entwined - use twine on your card to attach an embellishment or to tie a bow on a tag, or even to wrap around a bouquet or gift.
• Polka dots - the dotty background can be easily interpreted with patterned paper, stencils, stamps, or even embossing folders for a textured effect.
• Texture - the heart in the top-left corner makes me think of flocking, but also loose glitter. Add a little texture to your card for that tactile feel.
• On wheels - a car, bicycle, pram, train, camper van, roller boots.... so many possibilities

Happy crafting!

DCM - January Elemental Inspiration

Good morning!

Well, that's almost the first week of January survived!

The monthly elemental inspiration challenges on the Daring Cardmakers blog are back for another year, and to kick off 2022 Shabneez has picked this image:

I must confess, it was a little difficult to shift gears and exit the Christmas cardmaking mode I'd been permanently stuck in for the previous three months, but I scrolled through some of my projects from 2021 and ideas started to form.

My three elements are kraft/brown, a subdivided frame layout, and foliage.

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script, Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix, The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II
Other: Distress Oxide inks

I started out by cutting the divider frame from cream cardstock twice. I had a stack of the little window pop-outs left over from previous cards, so I cut them all with the pierced insert dies in the set ready for future projects, and selected the textured white cardstock ones for this one, as they provide extra pop against the kraft card base and the cream of the frame.

Once I'd attached the frame and inserts to my kraft card base, I cut the woodgrain frame from left over kraft card and blended over it with the brown dye ink that was left on my brown blending brush. It brings out that woodgrain texture and adds a little depth to the kraft.

Then it was time to make cut and colour the Wildflower Mix die cuts. I followed the video on The Greetery site for inspiration, using Oxide inks and ink daubers for the main colour, then pencils and a black pen for small details. I definitely need a bit more practice with this!

Once they were all dry, I arranged them in the frame and simply added sentiments from the Opposites Attract set.

I kind of wish I'd restamped the blue "Happy" as it looks blotchy in the photo, but it's not so bad in real life. ;)

I'm also using this project as my take on the January card challenge prompt here. I was inspired by the window, stacked elements, and of course the pop of blue!

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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The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC
The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Blueprint Sketch Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Broken China Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Festive Berries Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Lucky Clover Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mowed Lawn Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mustard Seed Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Salvaged Patina Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Shaded Lilac Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Squeezed Lemonade Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Tattered Rose Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Twisted Citron Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Worn Lipstick Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Blue Jay ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ | EH	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2022 Card Challenge - Intro and January Prompt

Hi everyone!

I'm posting this a little early so that you get a kickstart to your creative plans for 2022!

The handmade card challenge is back for another year - once again with the aid of inspiration found on Pinterest.

Can you believe, this will be the 11th year that I've been hosting this challenge?

Well, by now you know the drill... and this year the added twist of a focus colour for each month will be staying. :)

Here's how the 2022 card challenge will work:

• On the 1st of the month, I'll share a Pinterest prompt here on my blog.
• The prompts will include many elements - you can interpret what you see in any way you like: design elements, colour combos, words, patterns, objects, layout... so many possibilities! Whatever inspiration you take from the image, incorporate it in your card! As always, I will try to come up with a list of what immediately springs to mind when I look at the image to give you a few ideas if you're stumped.
• What about Christmas cards? As we reach the end of 2022 the prompts will become more festive and wintry themed, but there's nothing stopping you from creating a festive card from the images posted each month. In fact, you might welcome the challenge to get ahead!
• How many cards you make is totally up to you, but the more, the merrier!
• 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 2022 card challenge tag over there on the left.
• Speaking of tags, if you're also on Instagram then I'll be using the hashtag #2022handmadecardchallenge 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 all know!

Now with all the formalities out of the way, it's time to get on with the show.

The colour focus for January is: Blue

A here's your Pinspiration for January:

{Pinterest pin}

And here are some initial ideas to get you started:

• Texture - whether from an embossing folder, embossing paste through a stencil, a woodgrain look, or even the effect of a knit pattern. There are lots of tactile things features in the image that translate well to a card.
• Splatter - add a splattering of paint, ink, or glitter to the background or as details on the focal point of your card.
• All creatures great and small - cats, birds, butterflies, a whole menagerie of animals, or to keep with the blue theme of January, perhaps you have someone who would love to receive an ocean or nautical-themed card.
• Stacks - how about stacking 3 of something, featuring a number of small apertures to showcase little details, or even using tiny tags as the backdrop to smaller details and sentiments? For a festive take, you could stack strips of paper, starting with the longest at the bottom, to create a Christmas tree.
• Nature - leaves, branches, wreathes, boughs, rather than green and brown, these could look really striking stamped out or die cut in blue tones.
• Slimline - the image with the window/dresser immediately made me think of a slimline card as a card format to mix things up a little.
• Frame it - the window frame is also a great reminder to use your frame dies if you have them - fantastic for making your sentiment stand out or any other details you want to pop.
• Bright vs dark - the lamp photographed against that navy wall makes me think of the effect you can create by blending a night sky as the backdrop to a little winter village die cut from white cardstock, or how you can create a glowing moon in that blended night sky with masking paper.
• Berrylicious - the blueberries remind me of all those berries on wintry foliage and branches, and how they don't all have to be red. ;)
• Quilted/tiled - the bedspread is a reminder of how you can use up scraps of paper/cardstock with small hexagon/square dies to create your own quilted pattern. You can also achieve a quilted look with an embossing folder or cover plate die for a subtle pattern on a plain background.

Here's to a happier 2022 filled with inspiration and creativity!