Kool Kitty Musings

DCM - Everything's Coming Up Roses

Morning!

Joanne has a lovely challenge for us over on the Daring Cardmakers blog - to make a card featuring roses.

Well, it was a good opportunity to dig out some older stash and combine it with some of the items I bought a month or so ago in the Spellbinders sale.

Paper: Basic Grey - Hillside (r)
Stamps: Spellbinders - Sending You (r), The Stamp Market - Handpainted Rose (r)
Dies: Spellbinders - Sending You (r), The Stamp Market - Handpainted Rose (r), Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Squares, The Greetery - PreText Banners

I pulled some papers from Basic Grey's Hillside collection to use as the background to the Handpainted Rose set from The Stamp Market.

By trial and error, I found that the best way to use the Handpainted Rose set is to use the same shade of ink for each of the layering steps. Otherwise, there's too much of a clash between the layers. I've now written myself a note as a reminder and popped it in the storage pocket ready for the next time I use this set.

To add a bit of interest, I used the Fluted Classics Squares dies to cut the white and green papers from the Hillside collection.

The Sending You sentiments from Spellbinders are stamped on white cardstock in black and slate grey ink.

I didn't realise until I'd finished gluing all the elements down that I'd glued them upside down on my card base. It's a good deal I'd trimmed down the card base in the first place, as I just trimmed off the card front and stuck it down on a full-sized square card base.

Disaster averted!

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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Spellbinders - Sending You stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Handpainted Rose stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Spellbinders - Sending You dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Handpainted Rose dies (r) Shop at: MISC
Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Squares dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	The Greetery - PreText Banners 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 - Slate 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	Basic Grey - Hillside collection (r) 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	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

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

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

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

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

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!

---

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

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

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!

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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

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

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

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

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
Arches cold pressed watercolour paper 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
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	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
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 - Treat Yourself!

Good morning all!

It's my turn to set the challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers Blog this week, and well I was totally inspired by Donna and Tom on Parks and Recreation, and had to go with the theme of "Treat Yourself!" ("It's the best day of the year!").

The treat featured on your card can be something that is a treat like a donut or other sweet treat, or you can use a crafty item that you have treated yourself to!

Last year I treated myself to the Spellbinders Stitched Petal Frame die set in the full knowledge that I would use it rarely, but I love the end result so much I couldn't pass it up.

And the colour possibilities are endless.

Stamp: Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Encouragement
Dies: Spellbinders - Stitched Petal Frame, The Greetery - PreText Banners

I used Taffy grey cardstock as the neutral colour for my frame, then picked some spring fresh pink and coral tones for the blooms and pretty greens and greys for extra pop.

I used some of my ageing supply of Prima pearls and gems to add extra glitz to the stitched details, and once mounted on a white card base, finished the card off with a tiny sentiment stamped on a cream cardstock banner.

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

Happy crafting!

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Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Encouragement stamps Shop at: MISC	Spellbinders - Stitched Petal Frame dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Taffy Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | MISC	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	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

DCM - Waxing Lyrical

Good morning!

I've been AWOL from my craft desk of late, but I'm back with a card project for this week's Daring Cardmakers challenge set by Joanne.

I went with birthday candles for my wax-related project:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Make a Wish, Pinkfresh Studio - Chevron
Dies: Concord & 9th - Make a Wish, Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles

It all started with the Make a Wish set from Concord & 9th - I stamped the die-cut candles out with Cotton Candy, Cheeky, Citrine, Emerald Isle, and Tropic Teal inks from The Stamp Market, using Golden and Sunshine for the flames and a grey Copic pen to accentuate the wick.

The background panel was one I'd previously stamped in rainbow shades of ink from The Stamp Market when trying out the Pinkfresh Studio Chevron background stamp for the first time. And at long last I had the perfect project to use it on.

I die cut the background panel and a smaller piece of white cardstock with the Diagonal Stitched Rectangle dies from Pinkfresh Studio to add a bit of texture.

Then I stamped the birthday sentiment on the smaller panel and used Press 'n' Seal to help hold the lined up candles in place so I could glue them down relatively straight.

Finally, I added some glitzy gold enamel dots to complete the look.

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

Happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Make a Wish stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Pinkfresh Studio - Chevron background stamp Shop at: MISC | SBC	Concord & 9th - Make a Wish dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SBC
The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Citrine ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy 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 - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Party Pink 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
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	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
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

DCM - February Elemental Inspiration

Morning!

It was my turn to pick the image for this month's Elemental Inspiration Challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, and here's what I chose:

The elements I chose were the knit pattern, pink tones, and hearts.

Stamp: MFT - My Galentine
Dies: The Greetery - Hearts at Home: Sweater, The Stamp Market - Stitched Shaker Windows
Stencils: The Greetery - Knit Wits

I started out by assembling the Hearts at Home Sweater die from The Greetery using various shades of pink cardstock.

Next, I stencilled two shades of pink onto pink cardstock with the Knit Wits stencils also from The Greetery.

I then used the middle Stitched Shaker Window die from The Stamp Market to cut out a frame in the middle of the card that I could then pop up on more die-cuts for dimension.

Before I inserted the aperture of the window back into the frame, I stamped my Galentine's Day sentiment from MFT with my Misti.

Once everything was assembled on the front of my card, I added white hearts from the Heart Bits embellishment set from The Greetery to the sleeves, and a little red heart to the corner of my card.

A very clean and simple number from me this week, but sometimes that's all you need. ;)

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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MFT - My Galentine stamps Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Hearts at Home: Sweater dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Stitched Shaker Windows dies Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Knit Wits stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
The Greetery - Heart Bits Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	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)	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 - Around the House

Morning!

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers Blog, Joanne has challenged us to use household objects to either create our card or to feature them on our card.

Paper: Carta Bella - Our House (r)
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Birthday Messages, The Stamp Market - Happiest of Birthdays
Dies: The Stamp Market - Happiest of Birthdays, PTI - Tag Sale #10

To set the scene for my card, I used some lovely papers from the aptly named Our House collection from Carta Bella.

I just had to use that kitchen paper as the background to my card! And that led to me looking for a baking element to use as the main focal point.

Enter the Happiest of Birthdays set from The Stamp Market, which features a cake and candles. Once stamped, I added some "whipped cream" to the top of the cake in the form of Cosmic Shimmer Fluffy Stuff.

I used the Tag Sale #10 dies from PTI to show off the cake, and found the perfect sentiment in the Birthday Messages set from Mama Elephant.

As a finishing touch, I added some oversized enamel dots (to cover up my failed attempt to use Nuvo drops) and an October Afternoon button to hold the twine. Slowly but surely I am still using those lovely buttons. :)

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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Mama Elephant - Birthday Messages stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Happiest of Birthdays stamps Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Happiest of Birthdays dies Shop at: MISC	PTI - Tag Sale #10 dies Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden 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
Carta Bella - Our House - 6x6 paper pad Shop at: SBC	Altenew - Golden Edge washi tape Shop at: MISC | SBC	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	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	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 - Viva Magenta

Morning!

This week over on the Daring Cardmaker's blog, Rizwana is challenging us to celebrate the Pantone colour of the year: Viva Magenta!

Well, this is not a shade I use all that much, but I thankfully have some inks in my plentiful stockpile in this colour family and I just went to town with the stencils and stamps!

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Print Shop: Spring Mix
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script, The Greetery - Print Shop: Spring Mix
Other: Distress Oxide

I started out by die-cutting the main outline from the Print Shop: Spring Mix die set from white cardstock and then attached it to a sticky mat so that I could stencil all the layers of colour in the ink shades below.

I also die-cut and stamped several of the pink and magenta blooms multiple times, so I could pop them up on cardstock strips for dimension.

Next, I blended Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide on the front of my card, and splattered some gold and light blue paint over it.

While that was drying, I did a bit of fussy cutting to separate the top and bottom sections of the floral background.

For the bottom border I covered up where I had cut with some of the die-cut blooms, and to add dimension to the top I added more pink blooms (including one to cover up a smudge) - always handy when your mistakes can be hidden and a project doesn't go in the bin.

Finally, I stamped the sentiments from Opposites Attract and positioned them between the floral borders, adding a couple more florals for good measure - probably one too many, but who cares. lol

And there we have it, card done!

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Spring Mix 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: Spring Mix dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tumbled Glass Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Noble Fir ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
The Stamp Market - Fuschia ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Orchid ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	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)	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 | 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 - New year, new crafty things

Good morning!

It's time for another new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, and Miri has a great one for us: we need to use a brand new craft supply or one that has been lingering in our stash unused.

Well, before Christmas crafting went into full swing I'd purchased the Picked Posies die set from Concord & 9th and hadn't managed to use it until this challenge came about.

The perfect opportunity to give it a first outing. :)

Stamp: Hello Bluebird - Typed Everyday
Dies: Concord & 9th - Picked Posies, The Greetery - Crimped Frame

I started out by cutting the main florals from existing cut pieces of cardstock I had in my stash from Concord & 9th and The Stamp Market.

I was digging the blue and green tones with a pop of pink for those big florals, and I happened to find a Crimped Rectangle panel ready cut in amongst the cardstock that would really make those colours pop.

I really like the folksy look of these posies, they remind me a bit of Polish papercut florals and also one of my very first Concord & 9th purchases, the Flourish stamp set.

Anyway, once everything was cut and assembled and I'd stamped the typed sentiment onto the banner, I arranged all the elements on the panel and used Press 'n' Seal to hold everything so that I could glue the elements in place, one layer at a time.

As a finishing touch, I added a few sequins to the background and an enamel dot to the banner.

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

Happy crafting!

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Hello Bluebird - Typed Everyday stamps Shop at: EH	Concord & 9th - Picked Posies dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Crimped Frame dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Simon Says Stamp - Ivory cardstock Shop at: MISC	Simon Says Stamp - Slate Gray cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cheeky cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Coastal cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jade cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Julep cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lagoon cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass cardstock Shop at: MISC	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ (UK)
Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	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 - January elemental inspiration

Good morning and Happy New Year!

It's the first Friday of 2023, so we have a brand-new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog with this image chosen by Shabneez as our inspiration:

Here's my take, inspired by the colour palette, floral/foliage elements, and curved lines:

Paper: Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Willow Lane (r)
Stamps: The Greetery - Always in Bloom
Dies: The Greetery - Always in Bloom, The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus, The Greetery - Crimped Circle Tags, The Greetery - Crimped Circles, The Greetery - Loopy Bow Builder

I don't know why making non-festive cards seems to pose such a problem for me in January, it's as though I have totally forgotten how to glue bits of paper and card together and make anything that doesn't have a Christmas tree on it!

But here we are, the struggle is real and will hopefully be overcome soon!

My original plan was to go big with a blue floral print for the background, but I didn't realise I'd end up covering so much of it up later!

I was really inspired by that mustard shade with the blue tone, while I wait for the new Dijon ink (and other new shades) from The Stamp Market to reach these shores, I used a combination of Curry and No. 2 Pencil ink shades for the Bloom sentiment in the Always in Bloom set from The Greetery.

I really should have blasted the Curry ink with a heat gun before stamping the detail image for the lettering, as it kind of blended into the background. Sigh.

Next, I cut and stamped the floral elements to add around my sentiment and cut the crimped circle tag from Vintage White cardstock and a larger crimped circle from Rusty cardstock that I then added Rusty ink to with a blending brush.

I used some of my pre-Christmas Greetery purchases to jazz up the tag with the Eucalyptus branch and loopy bow.

And there we go, the first card of 2023 done!

Here's to easier cardmaking in the future now that that one's out of the way. lol

Make sure you check out the fab creations from the rest of the design team here, and join in if you can!

Happy crafting!

 

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The Greetery - Always in Bloom stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Always in Bloom dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Crimped Circle Tags dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Crimped Circles dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Loopy Bow Builder dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Apricot ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Deep Sea ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Mermaid 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)	The Stamp Market - Curry ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rusty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rusty cardstock Shop at: MISC	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Willow Lane - Sweet Rose paper (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive 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)	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	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 - Believe

Morning!

It's the last challenge of the year over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

And the theme word for this week is BELIEVE.

So, into my stash of supplies I dove and found something that would work perfectly for this challenge:

Paper: Crate Paper - Hey Santa (r)
Stamp: Mama Elephant - Holiday Messages
Dies: Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, The Greetery - Crimped Frame, Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Santa Add-on (r), Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Starter Set (r)

I started out by creating a Father Christmas focal point using the Surface Tag sets from Waffle Flower.

For extra pop, I coated the beard element with Cosmic Shimmer Fluffy Stuff and puffed it up with my heat gun.

Thankfully, there was just enough space to fit in the sentiment from Mama Elephant on the Crimped Frame from The Greetery for a little contrast against the foiled background paper.

As a finishing touch, I added a little festive greenery and Nuvo Drops.

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

Happy crafting!

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Mama Elephant - Holiday Messages stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Crimped Frame dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Santa Add-on (r) Shop at: MISC
Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Starter Set (r) Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Crate Paper - Hey Santa - 6x8 paper pad Shop at: MISC | SBC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Oyster Grey Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
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 - Gift

Morning!

The theme word for this week's Daring Cardmakers challenge is: Gift

While I had my Christmas paper storage box out from a previous cardmaking session, I spied this yet-to-be-used gift paper patterned paper from an old My Mind's Eye collection called Christmas on Market Street.

It provided the background for my card:

Paper and journaling cards: MME - Christmas on Market Street (r)
Stamp: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Pinkfresh Studio - Essentials Blanket Stitched Oval, WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe

I used some of the journaling cards from this collection as the other elements for my card - including that Christmas tree, and simply jazzed them up using dies and my trusty WRMK corner rounder.

To add a little pop to the Christmas tree, I dotted the baubles with Glossy Accents and added a festive red bow to the frame.

Finally, for my sentiment, I stamped one of the Sentiment Suite Christmas stamps on a coordinating die cut and tucked it behind the other layers.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Pinkfresh Studio - Essentials Blanket Stitched Oval dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe dies Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ (UK)
Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	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) | 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 - December Elemental Inspiration

Well, well, well...

December certainly has come around quickly.

With it being the first Friday of a new month, we have a brand-new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

There were several elements for this image that sent me down a rabbit hole of Christmas cardmaking, and I made 8 similar cards in total (apologies for the less than perfect photos, but the light has been a real challenge this week).

The elements that inspired me were the winter foliage/florals, a round element (wood slice in my case), and a sentiment in black ink:

Paper and stickers: Crate Paper - Peppermint Collection (r), Basic Grey - Jovial (r), Echo Park - Everybody Loves Christmas (r)
Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas, The Greetery - Merry Sprigs
Dies: The Greetery - Merry Sprigs, Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX (r), Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Mini Holiday Greens, The Greetery - Wood Slices, WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe

My little crafting Odyssey started out with me stamping each of the eight floral elements in the Merry Sprigs set from The Greetery in various shades of ink, using Fern, Forest, and Greenery ink from The Stamp Market for the leafy elements and the various other shades listed for the berries and florals. Must say Altenew Morning Frost is a great shade for "white" when stamping on white cardstock. :)

When all the florals were dry, I added clear Novo drop details to the berries and flower elements.

I had some great papers in some older collections that would work with these florals without hogging the limelight. I always love a bit diagonal pink/red and white stripe this time of year:

There was even some old Basic Grey paper among my snippets that worked well with the warmer green and red tones:

But back the proces... I cut lots of foliage from the Sizzix and Hello Bluebird sets listed above, using Forest cardstock from The Stamp Market for the warmer pine look.

And Jade cardstock for the cooler pine tones.

Before my big assembly session started, I matched up the greenery to the florals I wanted to use, then got to work creating the Wood Slices.

I cut the wood slices from brown and beige cardstock in my scraps folder, then blended the inner slice with Pizza Crust and Doe ink from Lawn Fawn.

I then added the foliage elements to the wood slices, and put the assembled slices in my Splat box to give them a splattering of white paint.

Once the slices were dry, I adhered the floral elements and finished them off with a red bow from an old set of dies from WPlus9 - it was just the right shape and size for this purpose. I love it when old purchases get a new lease of life like this.

With all eight wood slices assembled, it was now a matter of time of working out what to do with them.

Enter the very vintage collection of Christmas papers I have.

I needed something neutral that would allow the florals to pop.

Well, there was a sheet of paper in the Peppermint Collection from Crate Paper that went perfectly with the jade and fern tones of the foliage. Thankfully, I had enough of this blue paper to cover six card bases and found some Basic Grey and Echo Park offcuts in my stash that would work for the remaining two cards.

The white and pink fishtails are also cut from old Crate Paper festive collections.

I stamped each one with the sentiment from Hello Bluebird's Typed Christmas set and assembled the cards using snippets of scrap cardstock to add dimension rather than foam squares.

The cards looked nice but were missing a little contrast - so I cut a strip of this October Afternoon striped paper also in my stash to finish off the top edge of the cards, adding a border sticker where needed to cover a join, and a strip of the blue paper to finish off the pink card.

And there we go, all cards complete.

They really are much prettier in real life - the colours pop so nicely against those papers.

I love it when "assembly" style card production isn't a fiddly chore. I easily get bored when it is and just want to get everything finished.

But a clean and simple design like this one was quick to complete over a few evenings.

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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Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Merry Sprigs stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Merry Sprigs dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC
MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Mini Holiday Greens dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	The Greetery - Wood Slices dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe dies Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Morning Frost dye ink Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Black Licorice ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Blue Jay ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Pizza Crust ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Papaya ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Altenew - Warm Gray ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Forest cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jade cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red cardstock Shop at: MISC	Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SHC (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive 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)	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 | 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
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 - Shine

Good morning!

It's a brand new one-word-inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog today, and our focus word is "Shine".

Well, to make my card shine, I relied on metallic cardstock, glitter cardstock, and some gems - real Christmas staples:

Stamp: Lil' Inker Designs - All The Christmas You'll Ever Need (r)
Dies: The Greetery - Christmas Pudding
Stencils: Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly

I started out by stencilling the holly wreath on a panel of white cardstock using various inks from the Concord & 9th mini ink cube set.

While my panel was drying, I cut the Christmas pudding elements from a mix of plain cardstock, glitter cardstock, and metallic cardstock in my Sidekick.

Before I assembled the pudding on the card front, I first stamped the sentiment to match the Figgy pudding theme in my Misti so that it would be close to straight(!).

Finally, with the pudding in place, I added some frosty crystal gems from my very large and almost antique selection of Prima pearls and gems.

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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Lil' Inker Designs - All The Christmas You'll Ever Need stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Christmas Pudding die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly stencils Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Soot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Concord & 9th - Ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)
Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: EH | MISC
Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ (UK)	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive 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)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Yoseng 8 Finger Ink 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 - White

Morning!

This week's one-word prompt over on the Daring Cardmakers blog is: WHITE

I went with using white for a silhouette technique to create a wintry scene:

Dies: Concord & 9th - Christmas Cottage (r), Simon Says Stamp - Season's Greetings
Other: Distress inks

I started out by using various shades of Distress Inks to create a blended wintry sky on Bristol cardstock. I splattered the background with pearlescent Gansai Tambi paint and white bleed-proof paint.

For extra sparkly details, I cut the moon, chimney smoke, snow on the roof, and window details from glitter cardstock in the Festive glitter pad from Memory Box.

I created two cuts of the sentiment, so I could layer it on the background for a little extra pop.

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

Happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Christmas Cottage dies (r) Shop at: SHC (UK)	Simon Says Stamp - Season's Greetings dies Shop at: MISC	Distress ink pad - Black Soot Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress ink pad - Mermaid Lagoon Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Distress ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress ink pad - Wilted Violet Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Strathmore Bristol cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: EH | MISC	Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Craft 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 | 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
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 - Holly

Morning!

Things are hopefully returning to normal here on my blog, and just in time!

We've got a fun new "Christmas countdown" running the rest of the year over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

The focus word this week is "Holly" and you can interpret it any which way you want, doesn't even need to be a Christmas card.

Well, I went diving into the annuls of time and scrapbook collections of Christmases past.

My card features some very vintage Crate Paper from the 2012 Sleigh Ride collection no less...

Paper: Crate Paper - Sleight Ride (r)
Tag: Crate Paper - Hey Santa (r)
Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas, The Stamp Market - Eat Cake
Dies: The Stamp Market - Eat Cake, Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, The Greetery - PreText Banners, The Stamp Market - Fringe Borders

It all started with the cheeky Santa tag in the Hey Santa paper pad from a few Christmases ago.

I really wanted to pair it with some "naughty or nice list" reference, and spotted the ledger paper in my bag of Sleigh Ride left-overs.

I added some contrasting minty teal paper to the bottom half of the card, then die-cut a frosty white fringe border from glitter paper and some pine boughs from the Holly and Pine die set by Hello Bluebird.

I glammed up the Santa with twine and a button, and stamped out the Holly Jolly sentiment from the Typed Christmas set on a sentiment strip from The Greetery.

Once everything was assembled, I added a festive sequin and a little bow (stamped with Matcha ink) that had been sitting on my desk as it didn't get used in the original project I'd intended it for. It worked with these colours, so on it went!

I suppose I really should have added a sprig of holly somewhere, but I'm sure more holly is on the horizon... ;)

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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Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Eat Cake stamps Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Eat Cake dies Shop at: MISC	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Fringe Borders dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Crate Paper - Hey Santa - 6x8 paper pad Shop at: MISC | SBC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive 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)	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 - November Elemental Inspiration

Morning!

It's the first Friday of a new month, so we have a brand-new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

And as you can see, Christmas is in full swing...

The elements I went with were trees, creatures, and a lyric as the sentiment:

Stencils: The Greetery - Stencil Scapes: Winter
Stamp: Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas
Dies: Pinkfresh Studio - Essentials: Ornate Banner, The Greetery - Frosty Pines, The Greetery - PreText Banners
Other: Distress Oxides

When I saw this image, I immediately knew I'd be reaching for the Winter Stencil Scapes set from The Greetery, plus the accompanying Frosty Pines dies.

I used various dye inks to blend the backgrounds, with some selective masking to add even more colours into the mix.

I added Rock Candy glitter as highlights to the snowy scene and set the background aside to dry.

I cut the Frosty Pines dies from white cardstock and used Distress Oxides and daubers to bring them to life. A splattering of water added that snowy look, then I added the additional "snow" by cutting the trees from white glitter paper and adding these details.

When the background panel was dry, I used the Ornate Banner set from Pinkfresh Studio to create a window and pop up the frame for added dimension.

I added the die cuts of the bunnies and layered over the pine trees to frame the scene.

Finally, I stamped the lyric from White Christmas on a banner die-cut and nestled it behind the tree trunk of one of the pines.

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

Happy crafting!

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Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	Pinkfresh Studio - Essentials: Ornate Banner dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Frosty Pines dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Stencil Scapes: Winter stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress Oxide ink pad - Ground Espresso Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Hickory Smoke Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Pine Needles Shop at: EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Rustic Wilderness Shop at: EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Blue Jay ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Chili Pepper ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Cranberry ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Hippo ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Jalapeño ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Manatee ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Narwhal ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Noble Fir ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Sage Leaf ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Soot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Storm Cloud ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Glitter - Clear Rock Candy Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	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 | SHC (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Yoseng 8 Finger Ink Blending Brushes Shop at: AZ (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) | 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 - Big on Backgrounds

Morning!

This week, it's my turn to set the challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

And it's all about backgrounds this week, backgrounds you've created yourself.

Well, Christmas card production had to start sometime, and I've used this challenge as the kick up the bum I needed to get in gear.

Stamps and stencils: The Greetery - Banner & Bough
Dies: The Greetery - Banner & Bough
Other: Distress Oxides

I love a stamp and stencil combo, and the Banner & Bough set from The Greetery is really versatile as you can let the stencils (including a masking stencil) do most of the work and just add a few details with the stamps, or you can also make certain elements or the entire stencilled design pop by using the matching dies.

The masking stencil allows you to go in with inks and splatter after you have stencilled the main image. And that's exactly what I did.

The dye inks I used for the stencilled and stamped elements are listed below.

I then used some light grey gravel dye ink over the edges of the mask, before increasing the intensity of the blended inks with blue Distress Oxides, getting progressively darker to Black Soot around the edges.

While the mask was still placed over the main image, I added a spritz of water, followed by pearlescent white and copper Gansai Tambi paint.

Once everything was dry, I added the banner with 3D foam squares for a bit of pop, then applied Glossy Accents to the berries and Droplets to the middle of the blue florals.

And the first Christmas card of the year is complete.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Banner & Bough stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Banner & Bough dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress Oxide ink pad - Black Soot Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Chipped Sapphire Shop at: EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Faded Jeans Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Prize Ribbon Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Bubblegum 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 - Gravel ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sage 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
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Clear droplets Shop at: EH | MISC	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive 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)
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | 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	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 - October Elemental Inspiration

Morning!

It's the first Friday of a new month, so it's time for a brand-new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

Here's the image Sabneez has chosen for us:

The elements I went with were: Toadstools, textured surface, foliage, round aperture

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script, The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Toadstool Garden

I started out by die-cutting the Toadstool Garden dies from Neenah 80lb cardstock and blending various Distress Inks and other dye inks on the die-cuts to create those vibrant pops of colour. I also splattered the colourful tops of the toadstools with white and brown Gansai Tambi paint.

While the toadstools were drying, I stencilled and stamped the Floral Frame with inks from The Stamp Market in autumnal shades. When I die cut the frame, I set aside the middle aperture and later blended over it with some Distress Oxide ink already on my blue blending brush to look like sky.

I used a neutral woodgrain pattern from the new Grain and Grunge paper pad by Honey Bee Stamps for the background to my scene.

I popped up the floral frame on some scrap strips of cardstock, and then fit the aperture back into the centre.

Then it was just a matter of placing the toadstools in and adding a sentiment from the Opposites Attract set to complete my card.

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - BotaniCuts Toadstool Garden dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Antique Linen Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress ink pad - Iced Spruce Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress ink pad - Rustic Wilderness Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Distress ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress ink pad - Weathered Wood Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tumbled Glass Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Chili Pepper ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Lobster ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Merman ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Pinkfresh Studio - Sweet Mustard ink pad Shop at: MISC | SBC	PTI - Terracotta Tile 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 - Mossy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pacific ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Papaya ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peach ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rusty 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
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Neenah Classic Crest 80 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | MISC | SBC	Honey Bee Stamps - Grain and Grunge - 6x8.5 paper pad Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive 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)
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | 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) |