Kool Kitty Musings

Container Garden Wishes

Morning!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a new project featuring the Container Garden set from The Greetery:

Stamps: Mama Elephant - Mini Everyday Messages, The Greetery - Container Garden
Dies: Reverse Confetti - Open Drop Cover Panel (r), The Greetery - Container Garden, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, The Greetery - Jumbo Jar

I absolutely love this set for spring and summer projects. It offers many possibilities for changing up the colours of the flowers and leaves, plus I love that you can cut and use all the coordinating dies in one pass. So no need to pick and choose what you're going to use, just cut and stamp all the elements.

I used some bold colours for the florals, paired with a lovely shade of aqua cardstock for the Jumbo Jar outline.

I cut the detailed jar lid from gold metallic cardstock and stamped a sentiment from Mama Elephant's Mini Everyday Messages on the small tag in the Sentiment Suite Basics die set.

I also went with Alpaca cardstock for the background to my card. It's a lovely heathery grey tone and draws out the purple tones of projects. I attached the sentiment with some coordinating embroidery floss.

The background is cut from the now discontinued Open Drop Cover Panel die from Reverse Confetti, which I managed to snag in a sale. Just a great, versatile background. :)

I've spied some fun new sneak peeks over on The Greetery blog, time to start a new wish list then! ;)

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Mama Elephant - Mini Everyday Messages stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Container Garden stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Reverse Confetti - Open Drop Cover Panel die (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Container Garden dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Jumbo Jar dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Cactus ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Minty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Umber ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Wisteria ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Alpaca Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Simon Says Stamp - Ivory cardstock Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | 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) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

40th Birthday Wishes

It's been a fun weekend here as my little brother celebrated his 40th birthday, much to his stunned realization that he is "old".

Well, there's no telling him age is just a number, but yes, that 40th milestone hits a bit hard. hehe

Anyway, to soften the blow I did make an effort in producing a stylish and bespoke card befitting the occasion.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Playful Patterns, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday, The Greetery - Sparkler Background
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, The Greetery - Takes the Cake, The Greetery - Takes the Cake Stand, Spellbinders - Postage Edge Rectangles, The Greetery - Bold Numbers, The Greetery - PreText Banners

I created the cake from cream cardstock, blending each of the layers with the 4 shades of ink in Altenew's Tranquillity set to create that ombré effect.

I also used the Cloudy Sky ink in this set to stamp the Sparkler background on Ivory cardstock.

There was of course opportunity for a little sparkle using glitter cardstock with the frosting die and then rather than opt for a metallic cardstock for the stand, I used a nice deep navy blue instead.

And to create the candles, I first used the solid stamp from the Perfect Prints set to create a block of blue and yellow colour on white cardstock ready for die-cutting.

Finally, some silver Bold numbers were combined with a fitting sentiment or two, and I assembled all the elements using the Spellbinders Postage Edge Rectangles as the backdrop to the card.

It's definitely been the year for milestone birthdays, that's for sure! I don't think my number dies have ever seen such action.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Playful Patterns stamps Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sparkler Background stamp Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Takes the Cake dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Takes the Cake Stand dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Spellbinders - Postage Edge Rectangles dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Altenew - Cloudy Sky dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Dark Night dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Honey Drizzle dye ink Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Misty Morning dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Nimbus dye ink Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Pocketful of Sunshine ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)
Altenew - Tranquillity ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Simon Says Stamp - Ivory cardstock Shop at: MISC
Lawn Fawn - Silver metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Delicate Pastel glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - June elemental inspiration

Morning!

Well, it's hard to believe it's June already! But as it's the first Friday of the month, there's a new Elemental Inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, and this is the image Kathy has picked for us:

The elements I interpreted were the iron screen over the window (as the cut-out floral overlay over the cake), flowers, and aqua colour inspiration:

Stamps and stencil combo: The Greetery - Takes the Cake
Background stamp: The Greetery - Sparkler Background
Dies: The Greetery - Takes the Cake, The Greetery - Takes the Cake Banner, The Greetery - Takes the Cake Floral Details, The Greetery - Takes the Cake Stand, Spellbinders - Postage Edge Rectangles, The Greetery - Bold Numbers

I started out by stencilling the flowers from the Takes the Cake set on white cardstock and overlaying it over the Fresh Pink cardstock base.

I then cut all the cake details from glitter cardstock and metallic cardstock, and cut the numbers from Wisteria and added a Wink of Stella to the plain cardstock for a touch of sparkle.

The sentiment banner is stamped on white cardstock and inked with the Fresh Pink ink at the edges.

I then stamped the Sparkler background with Tropic Teal ink and layered up all the elements on the Postage Edge Rectangles die from Spellbinders.

Still loving this combination of supplies for milestone birthdays, and I love how you can go all out on the florals or take a more subtle route.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Takes the Cake stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sparkler Background stamp Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Takes the Cake Banner die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Takes the Cake dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Takes the Cake Floral Details dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Takes the Cake Stand dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Spellbinders - Postage Edge Rectangles dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink 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 - Lilac ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Wisteria ink pad Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Wisteria cardstock Shop at: MISC
Lawn Fawn - Silver metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Delicate Pastel glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Honeysuckle Birthday Wishes

Morning!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a clean and simple take on the Honeysuckle Stems set from The Greetery.

Stamps: The Greetery - Honeysuckle Stems, The Greetery - Opposites Attract
Dies: The Greetery - Honeysuckle Stems, The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script, Avery Elle - Custom Panels (r), The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied

There are 3 large stems in this set, with 4 stamp-layering steps for the flowers and 2 for the leafy stems.

I stuck to bright pink shades for the flowers, but am tempted to go off-piste next time I use this set. :D

The raspberry ink for the darkest pink step is also used for the Opposites Attract sentiment.

To tie the stems together, I used the twine die from the Fit to Be Tied die set.

I created a watercolour wash for the background of my card. I like to use A2 panel dies like the one in the Avery Elle Custom Panel set to cut the watercolour panels to the right size. This helps flatten them down again after watercolouring and creates a nice rounded edge for this heavier-weight cardstock.

Finally, I added some pearlescent ivory sequins as a finishing touch for some subtle bling.

Here's hoping the nice weather sticks around for a bit. :)

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Honeysuckle Stems stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Honeysuckle Stems dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Avery Elle - Custom Panels dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Mossy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Raspberry ink pad Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	The Stamp Market - Rusty cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - 4.25 x 5.5 Distress Watercolor Cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ (UK)	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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Seashells on the Seashore

Happy Friday!

We're hitting the beach this week over on the Daring Cardmakers Blog, as Rizwana is challenging us to feature shells on our cards.

Well, I had high hopes of featuring more than one shell on my card, but it didn't quite work out that way! lol

Stamps: Hero Arts - Color Layering Sea & Sky (r), Hero Arts - Color Layering Waves (r)
Die: The Greetery - Curio: Summer Findings

I started out by stamping the Color Layering Waves on white cardstock in Sea Glass, Coastal, and Pacific inks.

I then blended Pizza Crust ink lightly at the bottom of the card leaving some white space and also going in with a light hand with some Kiddie Pool blue ink to make that transition from the waves to white less obvious.

I masked off the sea to start blending Oxide Inks for the sun and sky, and added some platters of water while the sea was still masked.

After a few blitzes of the heat gun and more ink layers, I removed the Post-It tape to add some yellow ink below the horizon.

Popped the panel in my Misti to add the "island" (which is actually the small cloud stamped a few times) and palm tree, and of course a few seagulls for good measure.

I just needed to add my greeting, but between closing the lid of my Misti and inking up the stamp I hadn't realised that the stamp had moved, so it's at a rather jaunty angle, But thankfully the font doesn't make it totally obvious that it was a mistake!

The shell from the Curio Summer Findings is cut from white cardstock and coloured with peach ink tones using a small blending brush.

And there we go, card complete.

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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Hero Arts - Color Layering Sea & Sky stamps (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC	Hero Arts - Color Layering Waves stamps (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Curio: Summer Findings dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress Oxide ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Kitsch Flamingo Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mermaid Lagoon Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Pizza Crust ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coastal ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pacific ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peach ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
3M Post-It tape White Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Happy, happy birthday!

Morning!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts Blog today with a bespoke birthday card for my nephew's upcoming birthday.

His current love at the moment is trains and, of all things, level crossings! But sadly, I had nothing in my stash that fit the bill.

Luckily though, he also really loves his new road play mat from Ikea, and thankfully I still had some rather vintage papers from My Mind's Eye that must be a good decade old now that ticked that particular box!

So, with the papers as my backdrop, I created a little scene for this special 5 x 7 card.

Paper: MME - Abbey Road: Round and Round (r), MME - Quite Contrary: Little Boy Blue (r)
Stamps: Concord & 9th - Make a Wish, Mama Elephant - Birthday Messages, The Greetery - Cake Pops Sentiments
Dies: The Greetery - Cake Pops Banner, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Lawn Fawn - Finley's ABCs, Mama Elephant - Framed Tags - Park Avenue, MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX (r), The Greetery - Bold Numbers

I knew I wanted to add some sentiments as "street names" to the map (à la the Destination series of products by The Greetery), but first I needed to create all the dimensional elements first, so I could arrange everything on my card before stamping the sentiments and then gluing all the elements down.

I created a banner that would fly in the sky behind an imaginary aeroplane using the "Happy, Happy Birthday!" sentiment from Concord & 9th's Make a Wish stamp set.

I used The Greetery's Bold Numbers to cut the 2, then I used a banner from the Sentiment Suite Basics set and some ribbon elements from the Cake Pops Banner set to create a little podium for the 2 to sit on.

I used Finley's ABCs from Lawn Fawn to cut out the letters and arranged them on the card, so I could stamp the "a million birthday wises just for you" sentiment from Mama Elephant's Birthday Messages along the road.

I then added a few short greetings from The Greetery's Cake Pop Sentiments set as additional "street names". These sentiments are already curved in the shape of a banner, and they fit perfectly in the little grassy openings on the map.

And then it was just a matter of assembling all the dimensional elements.

Hopefully he'll forgive me for not giving him a level crossing card this year! ;) But to be fair, that is a rather niche theme. I'm hoping next year's will be a bit easier to reproduce on a card!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Make a Wish stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Mama Elephant - Birthday Messages stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Cake Pops Sentiments stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Cake Pops Banner dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Finley's ABCs dies Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Mama Elephant - Framed Tags - Park Avenue dies Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX dies (r) Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | 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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Sunshine

Good morning!

Well, Friday has come around quick! And it's time for a new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog!

This week Miri has challenged us to feature a sunburst on our cards, so I dusted off the Pop Out Sunburst die from Pinkfresh Studio:

Stamps: The Stamp Market - Eat Cake
Dies: The Stamp Market - Eat Cake, Pinkfresh Studio - Pop Out Sunburst, Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Circles, The Greetery - Bold Numbers, The Greetery - Christmas Pudding

I never seem to go the easy route with rainbow die-cutting projects. I could have just run this die through my machine with white cardstock and inked all the rays separately.

But no, I delved into my pack of Tropical AC cardstock and pulled out 9 colours to run through my Big Shot and then spent much of my Sunday afternoon assembling all the sunburst rays to create 9 card bases ready to be used in future.

For the focal point, I used the Fluted Classes Circles dies from Spellbinders with some Azalea pink cardstock and some white cardstock, which I then splattered with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink.

This provided the background to the Bold Number 9 cut from gold cardstock, and I added a sentiment from The Stamp Market's Eat Cake set, plus a layered up glittery bow from The Greetery's Christmas Pudding die set.

Finally, I went to town with the rainbow sequins I received many moons ago in a Simon Says Stamp card kit. I only have a few of the teeny ones left now, but I wish I could get more, they match rainbow colours perfectly.

The closest I've found are the Studio Katia Crystal Rainbow Fusion sequin mix. I've searched and searched in the UK for this or something similar, but no joy.

Ah well, it's not like I'm short of other sequins. ;)

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

Happy crafting!

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The Stamp Market - Eat Cake stamps Shop at: MISC	Pinkfresh Studio - Pop Out Sunburst die Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	The Stamp Market - Eat Cake dies Shop at: MISC	Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Circles dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC
The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Christmas Pudding die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Hero Arts - Azalea cardstock Shop at: EH	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | 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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Just for you

Morning!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Blog today with a fun new birthday card project.

I've paired up some of the new items from The Greetery's recent birthday release with a couple of versatile sets from Concord & 9th.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Playful Patterns, The Greetery - Tear Strip Tags, Concord & 9th - Paint Swash Turnabout
Dies: The Greetery - Tear Strip Banners, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circles, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles, The Greetery - Crimped Circles, The Greetery - Takes the Cake Mini

I already had a colour palette in mind for this project, so I grabbed the Paint Swash Turnabout set and the new and improved All-in-One Turnabout Jig from Concord & 9th to create an A2 background that I could later trim down to use on my card.

Next, it was time to create the star of my card with the new Takes the Cake Mini die set from The Greetery. There are so many fun elements in this set for creating all sorts of fancy cakes – you've got icing details, layers for rainbow cakes, the little candles, and the cake stand.

I wanted to replicate the look of a fancy marbled/ombré effect on my cake. So I cut the cake from cream cardstock and used a small blending brush to stipple light teal ink over the cake for a mottled effect. I cut the icing from glittery cream cardstock and added some grey shading to the cake stand.

To colour the candles, I reached for a very handy little stamp set that I often use to add blocks of colour/patterns to small die-cuts. I used the solid rectangle in the Playful Patterns set to stamp yellow and teal rectangles one on top of the other on a scrap piece of white cardstock.

There's a notch in the candle die that makes it easy to line up the flames over the yellow, and cutting the candles this way round instead of colouring them later is much less fiddly and also means the colouring is nice and uniform.

The recent projects showcased by Betsy from The Greetery used coloured vellum in some very creative ways. But my stash of coloured vellum from circa 2004 has long-since been donated elsewhere. So I decided to make my own coloured vellum to match the pink tones in the background.

I grabbed a piece of plain Lawn Fawn vellum and rubbed a Saltwater Taffy Distress Ink pad over the vellum, rubbing away the excess with a microfibre cloth between applications until I reached the intensity I wanted. The vellum was also dry to the touch after rubbing with a microfibre cloth, so no need to zap it with a heat gun and potentially warp the vellum.

For extra pop and texture, I snipped into my die-cut vellum circle with a pair of scissors, creating a fringed effect. I then popped the vellum circle on one of the Crimped Circle dies from The Greetery with a blob of glue hidden by the mini cake.

Finally, for my greeting, I combined a sentiment from the original Tear Strip Tags stamp set with the new Tear Strip Banners die.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Playful Patterns stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Tear Strip Tags stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Concord & 9th - Paint Swash Turnabout stamp Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Tear Strip Banners die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circles dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Crimped Circles dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Takes the Cake Mini dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Distress ink pad - Saltwater Taffy Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Citrine ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Island ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lagoon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Vellum Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Delicate Pastel glitter pad Shop at: MISC
Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Concord & 9th - All-in-One Turnabout Jig Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Crowning Glory

Good morning!

It's a brand-new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, inspired by the phrase "Crowning Glory".

Well, what better excuse to give the brand-new release from The Greetery its first outing:

Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Takes the Cake
Stamps: The Greetery - Sparkler Background
Dies: The Greetery - Takes the Cake, The Greetery - Takes the Cake Banner, The Greetery - Takes the Cake Floral Details, The Greetery - Takes the Cake Stand, Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Rectangles, The Greetery - Bold Numbers, The Greetery - Twisted Crepe

I used the new Takes the Cake product suite, which includes stencils, stamps, and various coordinating dies to create all the elements of the cake.

I used glitter cardstock for the fancy icing details, and metallic cardstock for the cake stand and the numbers crowning the cake.

I just love the colour and design possibilities of this product suite. :D

I also used the Sparkler background stamp as the backdrop for the cake, combined with the Fluted rectangle dies from Spellbinders.

As a finishing touch, I added Twisted Crêpe streamers behind the cake.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Takes the Cake stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sparkler Background stamp Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Takes the Cake Banner die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Takes the Cake dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Takes the Cake Floral Details dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Takes the Cake Stand dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Rectangles dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Twisted Crepe dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Cactus ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass 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) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Silver metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Delicate Pastel glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Daisy Days Two Ways

Morning!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Blog today, sharing two different ways to use the Daisy Days product suite from The Greetery.

The first uses the coordinating fill-in-the-blank paper pack. Such a great idea for creating that classy stationery look by just filling in the white spaces with the stencils and stamps in this Print Shop offering:

Paper: The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days
Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days
Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script

To keep the daisies white, I skipped the stencil that fills in the flowers, and simply used a light grey ink for the big stamp that adds all the petal details in one go.

I used Opposites Attract for the sentiments, with Meadow green for the main sentiment and black for the scripty sentiment.

Once they were added, I simply attached the patterned paper panel (which is actually cardstock weight) to a regular A2 cardbase.

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Adirondack dye ink - Meadow (r) Shop at: SBC	Altenew - Limestone dye ink Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Guava ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Hippo ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Manatee ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - No. 2 pencil ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Noble Fir ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Sage Leaf ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Sunflower ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Rock Collection ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days paper pack Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
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) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

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From the clean and simple, to a more vibrant number!

This time I stencilled all the Daisy Days steps on white cardstock and used the matching die to cut out the floral spray.

I really wanted the florals to pop, so used Cobalt blue as my card base and scraps of cardstock to layer up the main die cut, so it wasn't totally flat on the card.

Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days
Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract
Dies: The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days, The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script

I also stamped the larger daisies in two shades of pink and cut them out with the matching dies, so I could layer them over the stencilled background for more dimension.

This time, for the Opposites Attract sentiments, I stamped the main sentiment in black and the scripty sentiment in matching Cobalt blue ink.

For extra pop, I added clear Nuvo drops around the floral spray.

I just love the different looks you can get using the three products in the Daisy Days Suite. You can stick with just the stencils and stamps for a clean and simple look, combine them with the paper to create that classy stationery look, and bring in the dies to accent certain elements or cut out the entire background. So many possibilities!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Breeze ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cobalt ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lagoon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rosy 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) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	The Stamp Market - Cobalt cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - May Elemental Inspiration

Morning!

It's a new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week, and here's the image Shabneez chose as inspiration:

The three elements I went with were citrus fruit, a riff on the colour palette using aqua blue in the background, and a group of three elements (like the bananas):

Stamps: The Stamp Market - Citrus Vine (r)
Dies: The Stamp Market - Citrus Vine (r), The Stamp Market - Jumbo Tag

I started out by die-cutting and then stamping all the Citrus Vine elements using the inks listed below on white cardstock.

I really wanted those lemons to pop and there's a book cover that always catches my eye when I see it recommended on audible, it's the cover for Simple Pleasures by Claire Chambers which features bright oranges against a teal background.

So I grabbed some Tropic Teal cardstock to run through my Big Shot with the Jumbo Tag die. I also cut the sentiment from that die set in the bottom left corner and added some white cardstock behind it and for the hole reinforcer.

The blue really pops against the pink cardstock which matches the pink I'd used for the first ink layer of the flowers, so that's what I used for my base.

And there we go, card done.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Stamp Market - Citrus Vine stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Citrus Vine dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jumbo Tag dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy 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 - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Umber ink pad Shop at: MISC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal cardstock Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | 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) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Happy Anniversary

Morning!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a new card project.

My parents' wedding anniversary is just around the corner, so I grabbed my supplies over the Bank Holiday weekend and indulged in a bit of crafting time.

Paper: Carta Bella - Flower Market (r)
Stamp: Avery Elle - Simple Sentiments, The Greetery - Tagged Elegance
Dies: Altenew - Creative Edges Scalloped Scallops, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle, MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX (r), The Greetery - Christmas Pudding, The Greetery - PreText Banners, The Greetery - Round About Hearts

I wanted to use some pretty papers from an old Carta Bella 6x6 paper pad for the background to this card, the only problem was this much-loved and retired paper pad is running very low on full sheets of paper and I had limited options for which designs I could use.

Thankfully, though, I'd hung onto the left-overs from previous projects and was able to use them up with some creative die-cutting!

I used the Altenew Creative Edges Scalloped Scallops border die to add a little fancy detail to one of the floral strips of paper. I then realised I could create a rosette kind of look to my card if I cut fishtail banners from some of the other paper scraps.

And for the actual "fancy" rosette element, I found that The Greetery's Round About Hearts die worked perfectly. You need to cut this die twice to create a full circle, and once assembled it looks a bit like a doily.

For contrast, I cut the centre of this die from another scrap of floral paper.

I stamped the With Love sentiment from the Tagged Elegance stamp set on ivory cardstock, and cut this with a smaller circle die that I could then mount on another circle of paper.

Top tip: When layering circles on circles, you can add extra interest and texture by using your scissors to create a fringe edge on one of the circles and ruffling the edges.

I was looking for the right fancy bow in my stash to finish off the rosette and found the perfect one in The Greetery's Christmas Pudding die set, of all things!

There is a large 4x2 in. version of this bow available individually - The Figgy Pudding Bow Topper die, which I may need to add to my wish list, as I really do love the style of this bow.

Finally, I stamped the Happy Anniversary sentiment from Avery Elle's Simple Sentiments set on one of the Pretext Banners dies from The Greetery and added Nuvo drops and a mini jewel as a finishing touch.

I forgot how nice it is to play with patterned paper again, all the more so when you are using up some of your scraps!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Avery Elle - Simple Sentiments stamps Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Tagged Elegance stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Altenew - Creative Edges Scalloped Scallops border dies Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Christmas Pudding die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Round About Hearts die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Simon Says Stamp - Ivory cardstock Shop at: MISC
Carta Bella - Flower Market - 6x6 paper pad (r) Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Golden Edge washi tape Shop at: MISC | SBC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Simply White Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | 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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - A bunch of...

Morning,

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers Blog, Joanne has set us the challenge of featuring a bunch of something on our cards... with no lovely coconuts in my stash (that I know of!) I immediately reached for the Modern Layered Floral set from Pinkfresh Studio:

Stamps: Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral (r)
Dies: Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral (r), Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Rectangles, The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied, The Greetery - PreText Banners

This colour palette is a bit of a departure for me, but I wanted to try something new. It was also the first outing for my new set of Spellbinders Fluted Classics Rectangles dies. I only became aware of this design during the warehouse sale, but the rectangles weren't available and that was the set I knew I'd use the most. I managed to track down a set on Amazon and snagged them. They arrived just in time for some weekend crafting. :)

I used the two shades of blue from the bouquet to create a watercolour wash as the backdrop to the bouquet. Then went with Golden Yellow for that Fluted background.

I cut one of the bows from the Fit to Be Tied set from The Greetery from white cardstock and metallic gold cardstock and offset them slightly, tying the bouquet together and adding a droplet accent to the middle of the bow.

The sentiment is from the same stamp set as the flowers, and there was just enough space to add it on a little banner.

And that's it!

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

Happy crafting!

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Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral stamps (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC	Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral die (r) Shop at: MISC	Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Rectangles dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Forget-Me-Not ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Mermaid ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Sunflower ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	The Stamp Market - Golden cardstock Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tim Holtz - 4.25 x 5.5 Distress Watercolor Cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ (UK)	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) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Peaceful Olive Two Ways

Morning!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with two card projects featuring the same set of stamps: the Peaceful Olive stamps from The Greetery.

Yes, you may have spotted that this set was part of The Greetery's festive release in 2022. So you're probably wondering, why am I using it now?

Well, I think it lends itself well to interesting backgrounds any time of the year.

The stamp set actually includes four layering stencils for quickly creating the main background, you then just add the last detail for the branches with the coordinating stamp.

The whole reason I had this set of supplies out on my desk is that I'm trying (and somewhat failing) to make a Christmas card each week, so that I'm not in panic mode come December.

I'll share the festive card I made in a moment, but first is a monochromatic interpretation.

Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Peaceful Olive
Stamps: The Greetery - Everyday Labels
Dies: The Greetery - Handmade Labels, The Greetery - Deco Frames

I was inspired by Delft pottery for my colour palette and stuck to the blue tones and white, with just a hint of black for the sentiment.

After stencilling and stamping the olive branch background, I ran it through my die-cut machine with the largest die in the Deco Frames set and ran it through again with the middle die in the set, so I could create some interesting layers on this card with a frame and aperture look.

A bit more contrast was needed between the frame and middle section, so I cut some vellum with the middle frame and attached it with glue so that it would be hidden behind a sentiment.

I found the perfect sentiment in the Everyday Labels set, as there's a branch motif in this set that echoes the look of the olives.

All those fancy cut marks on the Deco frames and the Deco style of the sentiment label make for quite a striking card.

This design would also work nicely with zingy colours too, and not just a monochromatic look.

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The Greetery - Everyday Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Peaceful Olive stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Handmade Labels dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Deco Frames dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Stamp Market - Cobalt ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Navy ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Lawn Fawn - Vellum Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | TG	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI creative corners Shop at: EH | SBC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
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) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

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The next card is my non-traditional festive take on the Peaceful Olives set.

I went with a colour combo using aqua tones through to jade and peacock, with a hit of hot pink for the actual olives.

I also went the clean and simple route with this card, keeping it minimal and keeping it flat.

Try as I might, I haven't been able to get a great photo of this card, we have returned to some gloomy light conditions here recently and this card looks so much better in real life.

Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Peaceful Olive
Dies: Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles

I toyed with heat embossing the "PEACE" sentiment, but instead I reached for a light grey ink pad and then dark grey for the surrounding text.

Top tip: If you have the coordinating die set which includes the word "PEACE" cut out in individual letters, you can stamp the sentiment in a very light grey as a guide to lining up the die cut letters on your card.

The end result is striking, yet classy.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Peaceful Olive stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Gravel ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jade ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lagoon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Slate ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Umber ink pad Shop at: MISC	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Birds of a Feather

Happy Friday!

It's my turn to set the challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week, and as the name suggests, our cards need to feature feathers or something feathered.

Well, this was a good opportunity for me to dust off my new Jumbo Curiosity Feathers from The Greetery's latest release. A good job, as I see a new release is on its way next week"

Once again, the ideas I had in my mind went a very different way once I got crafting.

Stamp: The Greetery - Curio Labels
Dies: Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder, The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II, The Greetery - Curio: Spring Findings, The Greetery - Jumbo Curiosity Feathers, The Greetery - PreText Banners, The Greetery - Winter Medley
Other: Gansai Tambi watercolours, Distress Oxides, Distress Ink

I started out by cutting feathers with the original Curio Spring Findings set and the new jumbo feathers, which are just bigger versions of those same dies, from watercolour cardstock with the intention of painting them with Distress Ink or even my watercolours.

But then I looked over at my swatch book of Distress Oxides and thought it would be easier to colour them using ink daubers and the ink that was already on them, and that's what I did. Adding lots of black and white pen speckles once the feathers were dry.

But there was still scope for watercolour paint!

I created a wash on a panel of watercolour paper, mainly using Wild Honey, Peeled Paint, and Weathered Wood Distress ink, and drying the paper between washes. But it still looked a bit bland. I remembered I had some Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Sparkles that I bought in a sale last year, and thought this was a good time to experiment with them.

The Pixie Sparkles add an iridescent finish to the wash, but also have clumps of pigment in them that moves with water. It's hard to photograph the end effect, and you can't see much of the background on my card, but it looks very reminiscent of a very early Basic Grey collection that was all graphic washed out prints with a bit of a skateboard/scientific sort of theme on this bleached yellow paper that reminded me of books I got in Poland back in the 80s... 

But I digress, I ultimately chose to use the Curio Divider and Details II die to create spaces to showcase the feathers and other curio elements, plus the odd bit of greenery from the Winter Medley die set.

I gave the little inserts for the Divider die the watercolour treatment too, and added a very liberal splattering of copper paint to each.

There is no shortage of splatter on this project, that's for sure!

After attaching the divider dies to my card base, I added a woodgrain frame using the wonderful set from Honeybee Designs that can be adapted to different card sizes.

Once the frame was in place, it was time to add all the details and finish the card off with some gold paint around the frame and a simple sentiment.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Curio Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio: Spring Findings dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Jumbo Curiosity Feathers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Winter Medley dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Tim Holtz - 4.25 x 5.5 Distress Watercolor Cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Cosmic Shimmer - Pixie Sparkles - Flirty Sky Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ (UK)	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) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Just a Note

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today sharing a couple of cards I made with some DIY stamped backgrounds.

I've seen a lot of wonderful colour combinations recently on social media from various designers in celebration of the new colour line up from Concord & 9th.

One of the colour combos that really caught my eye was from the wonderful Wanda Guess, it featured pinks, an aqua blue, a citrine yellow, and green.

I was immediately inspired to use these colours on a new card project using the Bigger Blooms stamp set from The Greetery to make a big and bold floral background:

Stamps: The Greetery - Bigger Blooms, The Greetery - Curio Labels
Dies: The Greetery - PreText Banners, The Greetery - Scripty Hello

I started out by stamping the largest floral in the set, the big hot pink lilly, as the anchoring element for my background. And then while catching up with the latest episode of Table Manners I stamped all the other elements around this flower, trying to make sure no two identical elements/colours were next to each other.

This is a multi-step stamp set, so to add the details I just used the same ink colours, but you could use darker shades for more contrast.

I also really loved how the original background looked before I went and added all the details.

So before I attached my background to a cardbase, it popped it back in my Misti to use is as a template to position all the stamps again to recreate the background.

I was almost tempted to create a third background to have as a permanent template to file away with this stamp set, but maybe next time!

Once both backgrounds were attached to card bases, it was just a matter of adding a sentiment, I didn't want to cover up too much of that glorious array of florals:

I also wanted to keep these cards relatively flat for posting, so I reached for the Scripty Hello die from The Greetery, which features an outline die too, meaning it won't get lost on a busy background.

As a finishing touch, I stamped the mini "Just a note" sentiment from the Curio Labels set on a couple of small PreText Banners.

I love how these cards turned out, so fun to create, and it reminds me just how nice it is to get inky and creative with larger stamps.

The Bigger Blooms set really is a fab investment for backgrounds. It looks like it's being retired by The Greetery, so grab it while you can!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Bigger Blooms stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Scripty Hello dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Stamp Market - Breeze ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Citrine ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Mossy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Party Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Tombow - Mono Aqua liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI creative corners Shop at: EH | SBC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | 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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Bloom and Grow

Good morning!

It's time for a new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, and this week Dawn is challenging us to feature garden blooms on our cards.

I had something very different in mind for my card, but things took a different turn...

Stamps: The Greetery - Sprinkled With Kindness, The Stamp Market - Handpainted Garden (r), Pinkfresh Studio - Chevron
Dies: The Greetery - Sprinkled With Kindness, The Stamp Market - Handpainted Garden (r), The Greetery - Crimped Slimline, The Stamp Market - Postage Stamp 
Stencils: The Greetery - Mason Jar Fillers

I started out by stamping out all the blooms and foliage in the Handpainted Garden set from The Stamp Market. I am ashamed to say this was the first outing for this floral set, and it is now discontinued. I went with a blend of coral tones for the peonies and aqua blue for the smaller florals.

But once I'd stamped everything out, I found that I only really needed the smaller florals for my card.

I used the watering can from the Sprinkled with Kindness set by The Greetery to hold all the flowers, but before I stuck it down to my postage stamp cardstock panel, I stencilled some of the Mason Jar Fillers florals and leaves on the background to add a bit of depth.

I really couldn't decide what colour background to use as my card base, so in the end I pulled out the rainbow background I'd previously stamped with the Chevron stamp from Pinkfresh Studio and thought it went rather well with the dark aqua tones of the watering can.

Finally, I stamped a sentiment from the Sprinkled with Kindness set on a banner strip that is included in the Crimped Slimline dies from The Greetery and added some more floral details to the edge along with a little gold washi tape.

I finished the card off with some sequins among the stencilled florals.

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

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Sprinkled With Kindness stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Handpainted Garden stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Pinkfresh Studio - Chevron background stamp Shop at: MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Sprinkled With Kindness die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Stamp Market - Handpainted Garden dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Crimped Slimline dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Postage Stamp dies Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Mason Jar Fillers stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Noble Fir ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cactus ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Coastal ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle 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 - Jade ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Julep ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lagoon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Minty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Papaya ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Salmon ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Altenew - Golden Edge washi tape Shop at: MISC | SBC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Garden Goodness 50th Birthday Wishes

Good morning!

I'm sharing a new project over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today, featuring one of my favourite sets in the Print Shop series from The Greetery.

The Print Shop Garden Goodness set just shouts spring and summer to me, and I love using it for bright backgrounds.

My project today just uses the stamp and stencil combo pack, but there are also coordinating dies for the detailed elements as well as the full panel.

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract
Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Print Shop: Garden Goodness
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script, The Greetery - Bold Numbers

What I love about the Print Shop series and other stamp and stencil layering sets from The Greetery is that there's so much scope for combining different colours without having to mask off different areas.

These sets also come with a step-by-step guide with colour suggestions for each layer (there are 6 stencil layers in this case).

That might sound like a lot, but it actually makes for quick work and that background comes together in no time.

The stamped details are also quick to add and really bring those layers to life.

I never really want to cover up too much of this lovely background, so for this card I used sentiments from the Opposites Attract stamp set and the coordinating dies to cut them out.

And a 50th birthday card definitely calls for fancy numbers and a bit of bling. So of course I reached for my staple number dies from The Greetery - the Bold Numbers set, and cut them from Lawn Fawn Metallic Gold cardstock. I cut the numbers a few extra times from white cardstock to layer the die cuts up for extra dimension, and then adhered all the die-cut elements to the front of my card.

As a finishing touch, I added dots of clear Nuvo drops to the berries.

And there we have it, card done!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Garden Goodness stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Julep ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Minty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Raspberry ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	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) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - April elemental inspiration

Good morning!

Over on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week, Dawn has picked the elemental inspiration image for us to work with:

And here are the elements I went with: Toadstools, a woodland creature, banner element

Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame
Stamp: The Greetery - Tear Strip Tag Spring
Dies: The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame, The Greetery - Tear Strip Tags, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Toadstool Garden, The Greetery - Bunny Kisses

I absolutely loved this excuse to get my BotaniCuts Toadstool Garden dies out again, but give them the spring treatment.

I went with a mix of grey tones to blend on cream cardstock and once my toadstools were assembled I added pencil shading and lots of dots using a white pen.

I then got to work on stencilling the Floral Frame with more muted spring shades to go with the neutral background I'd chosen for my card base.

Once all the stamped details were added I attached the frame and toadstools to my card base then cut the new Bunny Kisses die from Ivory cardstock, using a jewel picker to add the nose, cheek, and ear details.

I also added some fluffy stuff to create the bunny's cotton tail.

Finally, for my sentiment, I used one of the new greetings from the Tear Strip Tag Spring set stamped in grey ink on the coordinating tag die.

And there we have it, a slightly different Spring card.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Tear Strip Tag Spring stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Tear Strip Tags dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - BotaniCuts Toadstool Garden dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Bunny Kisses dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Altenew - Dark Chocolate dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Evening Gray dye ink Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Mango Smoothie dye ink Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Hippo ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Sage Leaf ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cobalt ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Warm Gray ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Taffy Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | MISC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Brutfuner 120 Colouring Pencils Set Shop at: AZ (UK)	Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | TG	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	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) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Happy Easter wreath

Happy Easter!

For my Easter cards this year, I've been using a lot of supplies that were released last year and beyond.

I try to make my Easter cards well in advance, but usually am still crafting away until the week before.

Not so this year... although I've definitely not been all that prolific!

The Bunny Hop stamp, stencil, and die combo from The Greetery has become one of my go-to sets this time of the year.

I usually give it the pastel treatment, but thought I'd mix it up a bit today:

Stamps: The Greetery - Bunny Hop, The Greetery - Put a Bow on It
Dies: The Greetery - Bunny Hop, The Greetery - Put a Bow on It, Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles
Other: Distress Ink

I started out by creating a watercolour wash on Distress watercolour cardstock, which has a very textured side. I used Speckled Egg Distress ink for the wash, applied with a nice big round brush that holds a lot of paint/water.

I dried back the ink layers with my heat gun a few time before adding splatters of more concentrated ink as a final step.

Once the panel was dry, I cut it out with a diagonal stitched rectangle die.

Next I used two tones of grey to stencil the bunny wreath plus bolder shades for the greenery and tulips.

I added the stamped details (including using Distress Oxide Tattered Rose ink for the ears) then die-cut the wreath so I could go in with coloured pencils and fine black and white pens.

For my sentiment, I used the Put a Bow on It set from The Greetery stamped in Matcha and Sage tones.

Once the card was assembled, I added Clear Nuvo Jewel Drops as little raindrops around the wreath as the perfect finishing touch to all those layers and texture.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Bunny Hop stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Put a Bow on It stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Bunny Hop dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Put a Bow on It die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	Distress ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tattered Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Carrot ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Manatee ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Gravel ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sage ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Tim Holtz - 4.25 x 5.5 Distress Watercolor Cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Jewel Drops - Grey Mist Shop at: EH | SBC	Brutfuner 120 Colouring Pencils Set Shop at: AZ (UK)	Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | TG	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Hippity-Hoppity Happy Easter

Good morning!

The Easter weekend is just a few days away, and today I'm sharing the cards I made for my niece and nephew, which also mark my first projects as a member of the Seven Hills Crafts (SHC) design team.

I have been a long-time customer of this fabulous store in the UK, you'll have seen me link to SHC in my supplies lists many a time in the past. SHC is also where I am thankfully able to get my Greetery fix. :D So, you can expect many a project featuring Greetery items on a Wednesday when it is my turn to post on the blog. :)

So without further ado, here are the Easter cards I made using a firm favourite from The Greetery at this time of the year - the Bunny Hop stamp, stencil, and die sets:

Stamps and stencils: The Greetery - Bunny Hop
Dies: The Greetery - Bunny Hop, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle, The Greetery - Crimped Frame
Other: Distress Inks

I started out by creating some watercolour backgrounds with diluted Saltwater Taffy and Speckled Egg Distress inks, adding a good splatter of ink speckles for good measure.

Once they were dry, I cut panels from the backgrounds with the largest rectangle die in The Greetery Crimped Frame set.

While my blending brushes were out, I also blended pink and blue ink around the edges of my card blanks and then got to work on the bunny stencils.

The ink colours I've used are all listed below. I chose bright pastel shades for both bunny wreaths and after adding the stamped details I went in with coloured pencils, a black pen for the eyes and noses, and a white pen to add the fluffy bunny tails.

I then die-cut the wreaths with the coordinating die set and cut a large enough circle of white cardstock to fit inside the aperture where I stamped the Hippity-Hoppity Happy Easter sentiment before finally assembling my cards.

I hope my niece and nephew enjoy their Easter Egg hunt! I suspect they will be happier with chocolate than carrots!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Bunny Hop stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Bunny Hop dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Crimped Frame dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Distress ink pad - Saltwater Taffy Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Carrot ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Celery stick ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Lemonade ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coastal ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Brutfuner 120 Colouring Pencils Set Shop at: AZ (UK)
Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | TG	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Happy Spring

Morning!

The spring projects continue...

For today's card I used a lovely aqua tone of cardstock as the backdrop to this little scene:

Stamps: Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments (r), The Greetery - Container Garden, The Greetery - Springtime, The Stamp Market - Happiest of Birthdays (r)
Dies: The Greetery - Springtime, The Stamp Market - Happiest of Birthdays (r), Poppy Stamps - Whittle Eggs (r), The Greetery - Jumbo Jar, The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags

I started by stamping the Container Garden stamps from The Greetery onto white cardstock in my Misti using an array of bright inks.

I then cut out the scene with the Jumbo Jar die from The Greetery, cutting the lid in this die set from metallic gold cardstock.

Then it was time to stamp and cut the bunny from the Spring Showers set from The Greetery.

The Whittle Eggs dies from Poppy Stamps were the perfect size for the bunny to hold.

I then assembled the elements on the front of my card and contemplated how I'd incorporate a sentiment.

Well, the Tiny Tags from The Stamp Market provided the perfect solution, and I stamped a sentiment from the Springtime Typewriter Sentiments set from Memory Box on the thin tag in the die set.

To attach it, I used a little stamped bow from The Stamp market to hide where I'd added glue to hold the thread of the tag in place.

And there we have it, another Easter card made!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Container Garden stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Springtime stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Happiest of Birthdays stamps (r) Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - Container Garden dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Springtime dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Happiest of Birthdays dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Poppy Stamps - Whittle Eggs dies (r) Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - Jumbo Jar dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Moonstone ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Coastal 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 - Gravel ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Umber ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | TG	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | 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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Number It

Good morning!

It's hard to believe we've reached the end of March, the month has flown by for me!

This week, Shabneez has set the challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog and wants us to create a card featuring a number or lots of numbers.

Well, as you know it's the year of 50th birthdays for my circle of friends, so here is the next card I made on my list:

Stamps: The Greetery - Always in Bloom, The Greetery - Everyday Labels
Stencils: The Greetery - Always in Bloom
Dies: The Greetery - Always in Bloom, The Greetery - Cake Pops Banner, The Greetery - Handmade Labels, The Greetery - Bold Numbers, The Greetery - Crimped Slimline

I already had a few ideas in mind for this card, and thought it would be a good opportunity to combine a slimline design with some bright florals.

I started out by cutting the slimline panel using the Crimped Slimline die from The Greetery and then taped it down to my work surface so I could stencil the Always in Bloom background florals on both ends of the panel, leaving a gap in the middle where I would later add the sentiment focal point.

I added the stamped details to the florals and set the panel aside while I worked out what elements I'd use for the sentiment.

Well, of course, it had to be the Bold Numbers from The Greetery cut in gold cardstock again! I am really getting my money's worth out of this number set at the moment. :)

I also stamped some of the Always in Bloom die-cut details in pastel shades to add extra floral details.

Then I had the light bulb moment, I could pop the numbers up on the Cake Pops Banner die from The Greetery and have everything springing out of the Everyday Labels birthday sentiment.

I used bright pink cardstock for my card base and added pearlescent sequins once everything was assembled.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Always in Bloom stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Everyday Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Always in Bloom dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Cake Pops Banner dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Handmade Labels dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Crimped Slimline dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Always in Bloom stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Celery stick ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Cheeky 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 - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy 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) | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Spring Showers

Well, we've definitely had a good few Spring showers of late here!

And that reminded me that I really needed to get a few more Spring cards made.

It was time to show a bit of love to some older items in my stash, namely the Egg Window Cut Away die from SugarPea Designs which is now retired, but still a firm favourite for Easter projects.

It was pastels all the way for this project!

Paper: Lawn Fawn - Spiffy Speckles
Stamps: The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments, The Greetery - Springtime
Dies: SugarPea Designs - Egg Window Cut Away (r), The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments, The Greetery - Springtime, Mama Elephant - Landscape Trio (r), Poppy Stamps - Whittle Eggs (r), The Greetery - Deco Frames

I started out by cutting the Egg Window die and the largest die in the Deco Frames set from The Greetery from this lovely shade of blue cardstock.

I then stamped the elements I was going to use from the Greetery Spring Time stamp and die set and coordinating sentiment banner from the Christmas Time stamp and die set using light Spring shades of ink for these.

I covered my card base and the background to the aperture in papers from the Spiffy Speckles paper pad from Lawn Fawn, using a stitched border from Mama Elephant for the little grassy hill.

I blended ink on some Whittle Eggs from Poppy Stamps for the bunny to hold and then assembled the scene.

And hey presto, card complete!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Springtime stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	SugarPea Designs - Egg Window Cut Away dies (r) Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Springtime dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Mama Elephant - Landscape Trio border dies (r) Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Poppy Stamps - Whittle Eggs dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Deco Frames dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Fresh Lavender ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Moonstone ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Peachy Keen ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Gravel ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Spiffy Speckles - 6x6 paper pad Shop at: EH | SHC (UK)
Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | TG	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Have a Fabulous Birthday

Earlier this year, before my Spring cardmaking kicked into gear, I treated myself to the Whimsical Wings stencils from Concord & 9th as part of a Christmas gift card, and wanted to try them out with the colour scheme that features on the instructions.

Rather than use white or cream, I went with Bazzill Taffy cardstock as my background panel.

Stamp: Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday
Die: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics
Stencils: Concord & 9the Whimsical Wings

All the ink colours used are listed below, and I used a set of detail blending brushes from Amazon for the smaller areas, and used post-its to mask over the larger openings when moving between colours.

Once the panel was complete, I set it aside to dry. I really didn't want to hide all that lovely inky detail, so I set out in search of a small sentiment for the front of the card, and landed on a simple sentiment from the Tiny Words Birthday set from Simon Says Stamp that I stamped on a banner die-cut from The Greetery Sentiment Suite Basics die set.

And there we go!

I'm already wondering about future colour combos for this set of stencils, and it was actually the stencil set that swung it for me, rather than the stamps!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday stamps Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Concord & 9the Whimsical Wings stencils Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Curry ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jade ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lagoon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Papaya ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Salmon ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Taffy Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | MISC	Tombow - Mono Aqua liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Little Ones

Morning!

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, Miri is challenging us to make a card for the little people in our life or feature little images/letters.

Well, as I am still in my Spring crafting zone, I decided it was time to dig out some Whittle dies from Poppy Stamps for my card.

Paper: Pebbles - Spring Fling (r)
Stamp: Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments (r)
Dies: Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, Poppy Stamps - Whittle Rabbit (r), PTI - Tag Sale #10, The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus

I started out by covering my card base in the pretty daisy paper from the Spring Fling Pebbles collection. For the tag element, I used the kraft gingham paper from this same collection and raided my cardstock scraps for the frame and background to the tag.

I cut the Whittle Rabbit from watercolour cardstock for a little texture, and coloured it in with Copics.

For a pop of spring greenery, I took one of the Eucalyptus branches that I'd cut from green Bazzill cardstock, inked it with some darker green ink, and splattered it with white ink. Once dry, I arranged it behind the tag and assembled the rest of the card elements.

As a finishing touch, I stamped the Springtime sentiment on cream cardstock and cut the bow from bright yellow cardstock in my stash, adding a teeny button for good measure.

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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Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	Poppy Stamps - Whittle Rabbit die (r) Shop at: MISC	PTI - Tag Sale #10 dies Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | 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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Spots and Stripes

Good morning!

This week's Daring Cardmakers challenge is all about spots and stripes!

And as my Easter cards won't make themselves, I decided to put the spotlight on some old stash for my next spring project.

Paper: My Mind's Eye - Jack & Jill (r), My Mind's Eye - Mary Mary (r)
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs - Egg & Flower (r), Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs - Dual Stitched Egg & Easter Greeting (r), The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Pinkfresh Studio - Artistic Bows, PTI - Pinking Shears, The Stamp Market - Jumbo Tag

I found some offcuts of paper from some old "Spring" collections from My Mind's Eye, really miss the quality and thickness of these papers. They are so luxurious.

The stripes were quite busy, but work great as a backdrop to the rest of the card. Then another sheet of paper with tiny dots on it was the perfect neutral for the Jumbo Tag from The Stamp Market.

And as my Easter element, I used the now retired Egg stamps and dies from Lil' Inker Designs. I stamped onto the egg and Easter sentiment onto minty blue cardstock and heat embossed the images in white. I then went over the white heat embossing with some Minty Fresh ink and filled in the lettering with a Wink of Stella pen.

I also found some lovely spring yellow spotty paper in my stash of My Mind's Eye that went nicely with the egg. I added a white pinked edge as an extra detail to make the focus of the card stand out more, and I just love a fancy edge on spring and Easter cards.

Finally, I added a tiny sentiment into the layers and finished off the card with a kraft bow and button.

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

Happy crafting!

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Lil' Inker Designs - Egg & Flower stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday stamps Shop at: MISC	Lil' Inker Designs - Dual Stitched Egg & Easter Greeting dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Pinkfresh Studio - Artistic Bows dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	PTI - Pinking Shears border die Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jumbo Tag dies Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Black Licorice ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

50th birthday book-themed card

Well, 2023 is definitely the year of 50th birthday celebrations in my circle of friends, and the next birthday in the calendar is for a good friend and also the host of our now 5-year-old book group.

And as we had arranged some super secret squirrel birthday gifts and surprises, there also had to be a book-themed card to mark the occasion:

Paper: Crate Paper - Emma's Shoppe (r), Crate Paper - Paper Heart (r)
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Birthday Messages, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday,
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Lawn Fawn - Valentine Borders, The Greetery - Bold Numbers

The light wasn't the best when taking photos, but I knew I had some book paper from an old Crate Paper collection that would fit the bill for this large 5x7 card.

Yes, it is mainly juvenile fiction depicted, including a title about Miss Prissy (which thankfully could be obscured with a well-placed label), but we all started our reading journey somewhere. ;)

The ephemera label is also from Crate Paper's Emma's Shoppe collection, which is a good 11 years old! A fine vintage.

The other papers are from a Crate Paper Valentine's release - they have really stood the test of time. I do miss some of those iconic Crate Paper designs.

I used a Valentine border from Lawn Fawn to add a decorative edge to the woodgrain strip of paper, and when it came to adding a sentiment and the all-important birthday milestone, well bling was required!

Out came the gold cardstock for the fancy Bold Numbers from The Greetery, and bling was added to the sentiment from Mama Elephant.

I even managed to fit in a tiny Happy Birthday fishtail banner from The Greetery's Sentiment Suite series.

And to make the presentation of the card special, I made an envelope box - which I got wrong on the first go and had to try again, really wish the WRMK punchboard app was still available, it used to make life so much easier when making envelopes/boxes from scratch for non-typical dimensions.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Valentine Borders dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | 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) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - March elemental inspiration

Morning!

Well, we've rolled into March and spring is definitely on the way!

It's time for a brand-new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, and Miri has picked this wonderful image for us:

The elements I went with were: spring colours, bird's nest, blossom, and a coiled element

Stamp: Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments (r)
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix, The Greetery - Curio: Spring Findings, The Greetery - Curio: Summer Findings, The Stamp Market - Embroidery Hoops, The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags

This card definitely isn't a quick one, but it can be completed in stages and is a good way to binge listen to an audiobook or podcast while you work.

The first step was to cut out various Curio Spring and Summer Findings from The Greetery that would work nicely for a spring theme. I used a whole host of Distress Oxides to add colour to the elements with sponge daubers. I realised I'd also need some extra floral details from the BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix to add another pop of colour.

Once all the elements were dry, I added detail with pencils, a black pen, and white gel pen.

Next up, I cut a piece of watercolour paper a bit larger than an A2 card base and painted a wash of Saltwater Taffy over most of the area, adding splatters of Wild Honey and Peeled Paint for that spring feel.

Once the watercolour wash was dry, I cut out a background panel with the large diagonal stitched rectangle die from Pinkfresh Studio.

I cut a selection of small tags and a tiny embroidery hoop die from my left over watercolour paper.

I threaded twine through the holes of the tags and coloured the wooden hoop in with a Sharpie pen.

I then took my sweet time arranging all the curio elements on the tags and working out where they would end up.

Once I was happy with the arrangement, I used scraps of cardstock to add dimension behind the tags so that they would really pop.

Finally, I stamped the spring sentiment on white cardstock and cut it out with another of the dies from the Sentiment Suite Basics set.

And tada, card complete!

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

Happy crafting!

---

Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Curio: Spring Findings dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio: Summer Findings dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Embroidery Hoops dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC
Distress ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress ink pad - Saltwater Taffy Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress ink pad - Wild Honey Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Aged Mahogany Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Black Soot Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Blueprint Sketch Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Bundled Sage Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Evergreen Bough Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Frayed Burlap Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Gathered Twigs Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Ground Espresso Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Lucky Clover Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mowed Lawn Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Old Paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Prize Ribbon Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Oxide ink pad - Rustic Wilderness Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Salty Ocean Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Shabby Shutters Shop at: EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Shaded Lilac Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Oxide ink pad - Spun Sugar Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tattered Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Twisted Citron Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Wilted Violet Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH