Kool Kitty Musings

Always in Bloom

Morning all!

I'm back on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today, showcasing another favourite set that is being retired by The Greetery.

It's the Always in Bloom stencil set and the coordinating stamps. (A die set is also available here for the full look)

I love the symmetrical effects you can get with these stencils just by arranging them in different places on your A2 background panel.

I'm definitely channelling some spring/English garden colour combinations at the moment.

So I grabbed my inks and detail blending brushes and got to work to create this background with a little selective inking.

Stencils: The Greetery - Always in Bloom
Stamps: The Greetery - Always in Bloom, Curio Labels
Dies: The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details, The Greetery - Honey Bees, The Greetery - Nordic Frames

Once the leaves and base colours of the buds and flowers are done, you can go in with the stamp layers.

I used the same ink shades for the pink and blue flowers, but added orange to the peach and yellow blooms.

I also used pencils to add details to the leaves, berries, and flowers and a black pen to add dots here and there. You can really customise the look as much or as little as you want.

Once the background was complete, I cut it out with the largest Nordic Frame die (currently out of stock, but you can subscribe for restock notifications), however any decorative edge will work nicely here.

To complete the garden look, I used the large Honey Bee dies cut from black and white cardstock. I blended a little light blue on the wings and ink smooshed the body into yellow Distress Inks.

The bee fits perfectly in the centre of the card, and I just stamped a simple sentiment from the Curio Labels set on a Curio Divider sentiment label and assembled the card on a pretty powder blue base for a change.

Super simple and easily reproducible – this would even make a nice Easter/Spring card.

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Always in Bloom stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Honey Bees dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Nordic Frames dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Always in Bloom stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	The Stamp Market - Cactus ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Gumdrop ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pale Plum ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peach ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - All White

Morning all!

There's a new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog today where the focus is on white - the more the better!

But, there's only so much I can take without a pop of colour...

Stamp: The Stamp Market - Everyday Greetings
Dies: The Stamp Market - Heart Happy Cover (r), The Stamp Market - Everyday Greetings, The Stamp Market - Pieces of My Heart

I used plenty of white to layer up the Heart Happy Cover die from The Stamp Market.

I was going to just use one focus colour in one of the hearts...

But then I had recently created 16 hearts in rainbow shades with the Pieces of My Heart die set, and that heart fit perfectly with this cover die.

To finish off the look and use a bit more white, I went with a simple greeting from the Everyday Greetings set and some sparkly sequins.

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

Happy crafting!

---

The Stamp Market - Everyday Greetings stamps Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Heart Happy Cover die (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Everyday Greetings dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pieces of My Heart dies Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Bubblegum cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cheeky cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Citrine cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Coastal cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Greenery cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Julep cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Papaya cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Party Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Wisteria cardstock Shop at: MISC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Make a Wish Times Two

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today, trying to channel some sunnier vibes!

I am really getting fed up with this grey weather and a perfect escape is to brighten things up with a bit of stamping.

When I want happy colours, I think of rainbow shades. And when I think of happy pastel shades, I immediately reach for some of the lovely ink colours in the Lawn Fawn range.

I love repeat stamping in rainbow shades, and a great set for this is the versatile and inexpensive Make a Wish stamp set from Concord & 9th.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Make a Wish
Die: Avery Elle - Double Pierced Squares (r)

You don't need the dies to create some fab designs with this set.

I started out by selecting my rainbow pastels:

• Ballet Slippers
• Apricot
• Butter
• Celery Stick
• Kiddie Pool
• Minty Fresh
• Fresh Lavender

I cut a 4x4 piece of white cardstock with a die that creates a pierced edge like the Small Dotted Squares set from Lawn Fawn, currently discounted!

Then I centred the solid candle stamp on the square in my stamp positioner so that I could move the cardstock half an inch in each direction to stamp the three candles either side of the central one.

Everything ends up nice and uniform, and once you add the stripe/and dot details in the same ink shades the background comes together in no time.

I added the flame details in the same way, and simply used a black pen to draw the wick.

Then it was just a matter of stamping the sentiment from the same set in black ink, and mounting the panel on a square card base.

While the supplies were on my desk, I tried another colour palette using darker ink tones from The Stamp Market and mounted that one on a smaller card base covered in Lawn Fawn Let's Polka paper.

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

Concord & 9th - Make a Wish stamps Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Avery Elle - Double Pierced Squares dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Apricot ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Butter ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Carrot ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Celery stick ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Fresh Lavender ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Sunflower ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Fresh Mint ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Island ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Papaya ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Party Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peach ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - Floral Frenzy

Morning all!

The Daring Cardmakers blog has a brand-new challenge on it today, with the focus all on florals!

Carrying on my quest to feature older products on my cards for the weekly challenges, I've gone with some big florals from The Stamp Market today on a large 5x7 card:

Stamp: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday
Dies: The Stamp Market - Just Because STAMPtember 2019, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, The Stamp Market - Big Bloom, The Stamp Market - Lots of Love

I spent the best part of a lazy afternoon listening to an audiobook and cutting and gluing these flowers together using the cardstock shades listed below. I also found the perfect shaped leaf to use on this design from an old Stamptember release.

It wasn't until I selected the Lots of Love sentiment dies that I realised I'd need to supersize this card from an A2 number to something larger.

Once I'd covered the card in fresh mint cardstock, I started arranging the florals so they'd look organic and nicely distributed. I don't know why this stage always seems to take me a long time - or perhaps I'm just procrastinating... ha

But everything came together nicely, and I even had room to fit in an extra sentiment strip.

And of course there had to be some white Nuvo Drops as a finishing touch!

Make sure you check out the fabulously floral creations from the rest of the design team here, and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Just Because STAMPtember 2019 stamp and die bundle (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Big Bloom dies Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lots of Love dies Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Dijon cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Mint cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Greenery cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Salmon cardstock Shop at: MISC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Simply White Shop at: AZ (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Sweater Season

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a fun wintry card.

The other day I was making some cards using the little woolly hats in the Sweater Season dies and stamp set from Concord & 9th and in typical fashion hadn't got round to clearing everything away from my craft desk.

Well, with the now seasonally cold weather having finally arrived and my cosy fair isle jumper on, I thought it would be a good idea to harness the wintry vibes and make another card featuring the same supplies while they were on my desk - this time focusing on the sweater dies in the set.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Sweater Season
Dies: Concord & 9th - Sweater Season, Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched (r)

I started out by impressing some stitched circles into an A2 panel of white cardstock to frame the sweaters and help me create a random layout for positioning them.

If you don't have any dies in your stash that will do this, you can simply cut white circles with a stitched edge or create apertures in your card background.

I then used the following shades of Concord & 9th cardstock to cut all the sweater elements:

• Sweet Pea
• Carnation
• Poppy
• Sunflower
• Aqua Sky
• Oceanside
• Blueberry
• White

I decorated some of the sentiments with the coordinating stamps to add stitched details and patterns.

Once my sweaters were all done, I glued them down in the circles and trimmed around the panel.

I grabbed the Warm Wishes sentiment from the stamp set, and stamped it on grey cardstock and fussy cut it out.

Once all the elements were assembled on the card, I added some gems for a touch of frosty sparkle.

And there we have it, another card added to the 2024 Christmas card collection.

Let's see how well I do at making at least one Christmas card per week this year! Feel free to play along and keep me company, as I am pretty sure it is going to be heavy going come July!

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

Concord & 9th - Sweater Season stamps Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Sweater Season dies Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cobalt ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Dijon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Island ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Party Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Keep it Cozy

Afternoon all!

I don't know about you, but even though I love a stamp/die set and must have it, once it has arrived I sometimes struggle to get in the right creative mode to actually use it.

One of the best ways I've found of overcoming this hurdle is to use another designer's card project (usually from the company's design team) as a starting point - even CASEing a card with full credit if needed.

So, for the Concord & 9th Sweater Season hats, I saw a lovely project by Amanda Rochaix and knew I needed to give it a go as a way to get to know this die and stamp set.

In fact, I loved the colour combinations Amanda used for her card so much that I wanted to use them too! And, thankfully, she listed the cardstock shades she used.

So I pulled out the same shades and enjoyed a session cutting each of the main elements from each colour.

And here are the results:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Sweater Season
Dies: Concord & 9th - Sweater Season, Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched (r)

I arranged the hats on a white panel of cardstock cut with one of the Silly Stitched dies from Lil' Inker Designs and stamped a sentiment at the bottom. And the panel really stood out on a kraft card base.

There were enough other assembled hats on my desk to make another card in the same design.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Sweater Season
Dies: Concord & 9th - Sweater Season, Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched (r)

They both turned out rather well and this colour combo of Concord cardstock is a keeper for wintry but bright designs!

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

Concord & 9th - Sweater Season stamps Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Sweater Season dies Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cobalt ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Dijon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Island ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Party Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	The Stamp Market - Kraft cardstock Shop at: MISC
Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - Just Peachy

Happy Friday!

It's my turn this week to set the challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

With the recent announcement of the 2024 Pantone Colour of the Year, I thought it would be a fun idea to set peach as the colour focus for this challenge.

Stamp: The Greetery - Curio Labels
Dies: The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details, The Greetery - Hoopla Mini, The Greetery - Hoopla Mini Inserts, The Stamp Market - Easter Egg Shaker

Now, as I may have mentioned before, peach really isn't a colour I use all that much.

I love blush pink tones, and sometimes they verge on peach, but generally peach has been a little neglected in my colour choices!

Until now!

I wanted to go bold with my card this week, so I decided I'd use a sheet of peach cardstock as the background to my card, and the perfect shade for the job was Nectar from Concord & 9th. It's lighter than most peach shades in my stash and a great way to dip a toe into the peach world!

And as mentioned last week, I'm using the Daring Cardmakers challenges as an opportunity to put some older (and even retired) supplies back in the spotlight!

This week it's the turn of the daisy and leaf dies in the Easter Egg Shaker set from The Stamp Market.

Those dimensional daisies really pop against the peach background and are the perfect frame around the sweet sentiment, created with the Mini Hoopla dies and Curio Labels from The Greetery.

A clean and simple design that packs a peachy punch!

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

Happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Curio Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Hoopla Mini dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Hoopla Mini Inserts dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Stamp Market - Easter Egg Shaker dies Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK)	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	PTI - Soft Stone cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Aspen cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden cardstock Shop at: MISC
Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

More than Merry Sprigs

Morning all!

I'm back on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with another project featuring a retiring set from The Greetery.

The Merry Sprigs stamp set is definitely not just for Christmas!

Because those sprigs are more than just merry – they are super versatile.

Yes, there are pine branches and even a sprig of holly, but once you change up the colours you no longer see this set as simply "winter florals".

Stamps: The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy, The Greetery - Curio Labels, The Greetery - Merry Sprigs
Dies: The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy Shadow, The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details

Armed with a drawer full of happy ink shades, I wanted to use the Merry Sprigs to create some bright floral background elements within the original Curio Divider and Details frame die.

So I started out by cutting the frame from a rustic off-white cardstock.

I then used a host of ink shades to stamp the various sprigs onto each frame insert, using the berry stamps to add pops of colour here and there where there was a bit too much "white space" for my taste, until I was happy with the coverage.

I glued the frame outline on a dark grey card base, then pieced the stamped backgrounds back into the frame before cutting the Divider frame two more times from light grey cardstock to add dimension.

This card called for a bold sentiment that would really stand out, so I grabbed the All Kinds of Happy stamps and coordinating shadow dies to stamp the "happy" on white cardstock.

To complete the Curio look, I added extra sentiment snippets using the Curio Labels and coordinating sentiment strips from the Curio Divider set.

This card project was a little departure from my usual style, but it was lovely to spend time playing with pretty colours on a dull January day and stretching those stamps!

And come Christmas, I can easily create a similar card with the Curio Divider and Merry Sprigs sets and leave one of the windows blank to also add a festive greeting from the Merry Sprigs set. Win, win!

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Merry Sprigs stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy Shadow dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Altenew - Limestone dye ink Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Aspen ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Minty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pacific ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sage ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sugar Plum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Rock Candy Shop at: AZ (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	PTI - Soft Stone cardstock Shop at: MISC
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - January elemental inspiration

Morning all!

One of my goals this year is to use older and often retired sets in my rather sizable craft collection to create projects for this year's challenges for the Daring Cardmakers blog.

So there is no better time to start than the first elemental inspiration challenge of the year!

Here's the image we're working with:

January is often a strange month for crafting. It's still cold and gloomy, so I often feel like it's a good time to get an early start on my Christmas cards, and well, winter cards are a good alternative too!

The elements that inspired me are the mug of hot chocolate, the cable texture, and the pop of red/pink.

Stamps: Neat & Tangled - Winter Wishes (r), WPlus9 - Cookies & Cocoa (r)
Dies: Concord & 9th - Christmas Cloche, WPlus9 - Cookies & Cocoa (r), The Greetery - PreText Banners, The Greetery - Ribbon Maker Large Scallops, WPlus9 - Snowflake Trio (r)
Embossing folder: XCut - Cable Knit Pattern (r)

I started out by stamping the hot chocolate and cookie elements from the WPlus9 Cookies & Cocoa set - including some white heat embossing on the red mugs.

I knew I had a cable knit embossing folder somewhere, and after spritzing the aqua cardstock with water, I ran it through my Big Shot to get a really deep impression.

Once I'd arranged the elements on the background to my card, I picked an appropriate sentiment from the All Is Calm set and stamped it on a PreText banner strip.

The card was still lacking some details, so I dug about in my bowl of die-cuts left to use up after last year's Christmas crafting and picked out the Ribbon Maker Scallop border.

Then I just added a small bow (from the Christmas Cloche set) and some glittery snowflakes to balance things out.

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

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

Neat & Tangled - Winter Wishes stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	WPlus9 - Cookies & Cocoa stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Concord & 9th - Christmas Cloche dies Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	WPlus9 - Cookies & Cocoa dies (r) Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Ribbon Maker Large Scallops die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	WPlus9 - Snowflake Trio dies (r) Shop at: MISC	XCut - Cable Knit Pattern embossing folder (r) Shop at: MISC
Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC
Memory Box - Delicate Pastel glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Out with the old, in with the new

Happy New Year everyone!

Well, after a nice festive break, I'm back at my craft desk for a new year of creativity and making. :)

Here's hoping I remember how to cut things out and stick them down. ;)

I'm kicking the year off with a new project over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog.

With a new year comes the official retirement of some great products by The Greetery, including one of my all-time favourite sets from The Print Shop series.

The Floral Frame is a particular favourite, as you can create very different looks by combining the stencil and stamp set with the different die options and mixing up your colour combos.

For today's card, I decided to put the focus on the 2024 Pantone colour of the year: Peach Fuzz.

Peach isn't really a colour I use much. I'm more of a blush pink fan, but let's see how it goes!

Stamps: The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy, The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame
Dies: The Greetery - Herringbone Parquet, The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy Shadow, The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame, The Greetery - PreText Banners

I thought the peach shades would really pop against a grey background, impressed with the Herringbone Parquet die.

Before adding the floral frame to the background, I blended some darker grey ink around the edges so that the inside of the frame would be lighter.

For the sentiment, I used the All Kinds of Happy stamps and matching shadow die set, plus the PreText Banners set to cut out the stamped "Birthday" sentiment.

Finally, I went a bit overboard with the Nuvo Jewel Drops around the outside of the frame, but it does mean the text inside the frame can really pop.

And there we have it, the first card of 2024!

Here's to many more!

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Herringbone Parquet die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy Shadow dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Altenew - Limestone dye ink Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Apricot ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Peachy Keen ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Storm Cloud ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peach ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sage ink pad Shop at: MISC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Simon Says Stamp - Fog cardstock Shop at: MISC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Jewel Drops - Grey Mist (r) Shop at: MISC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC