Kool Kitty Musings

Here's hoping practice makes perfect

The other week I received delivery of something that has been on my wish list a while but which I left of buying until the price came down further on amazon:

Namely the 36-pan set of Gansai Tambi Japanese watercolours.

Oh they are very lush indeed.

But my painting skills leave a lot to be desired.

Before I did anything I painted each of the pans on the colour swatch that is included inside the lid. Then to get started I thought it would a good idea to do a simple watercolour wash + white embossing technique on a card to try things out:

Paper: Dear Lizzy
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp
Other: white embossing powder, Versamark, Gansai Tambi paints

My brush action definitely needs some work but I'm really happy with how the intense pinks came out inside the embossed heart. Oh and the Misti was great for making sure my sentiment was nicely lined up and stamped properly on the watercolour paper. I might need to invest in some new white embossing powder as I've had this Personal Impressions one for over 10 years now and it doesn't seem overly white, but we'll see!

I also snagged some of the Ranger pre-cut watercolour cardstock along with my paints from amazon and the piece I used is simply stuck onto the front of a 5x7 card.

It appears I might be needing practice in other areas involving a brush:

I finally got round to opening my lovely Naked Smoky palette by Urban Decay - still trying to perfect that perfect smoky eye! And also the fab set of blushes by Benefit - a blush for every occasion. I also got a pen liner in with my Christmas cosmetics and I am just no good at applying it. Practice makes perfect they say, but I just have not got the knack of it!

Oh well, I will persevere but think my Bobbi Brown gel liner is as close as I will get to a dramatic eye-lining look.

In other news, I had a doggy house guest this week. Little Cassie came to stay with me for the first time and we made the most of the park being rather quiet during the day time:

When not walking, Cassie slept while I worked:

But yes, the walks in the park with just us and the squirrels...

...hopefully helped to counteract some of the joys of "Fat Thursday" Polish style - aka lots of donuts!

Yum!

American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Fine & Dandy - Let's Party Paper

Simon Says Stamp - I See You stamp set

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese watercolour paints (36 colour set)

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February elemental inspiration

Morning folks!

It's the first Friday of a new month, and that means a new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog. :)

This month Leo has picked our image:

I was all set to focus on the animal prints, until I realised I didn't have any of those patterns left in my paper stockpile, so instead I went with nature/tribal style prints that I knew I had from October's Simon Says Stamp card kit:

Paper and journaling card: MME
Dies: PTI, Lawn Fawn
Other: 3D foam tape, enamel dot

So in addition to the prints, I went for the featuring hot pink in a bold way with the die-cut congrats, plus using text inside a heart. :)

Remember to pop on over to the blog for more inspiration from the team and our lovely guest designer Bev - and to join in!

Happy crafting!

Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month October 2015 HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU CKOct15	My Mind's Eye - My Story - 6x6" Paper Pad	My Mind's Eye - My Story - 3x4" Journalling Cards	Papertrey Ink - Limitless layers: 2 1/4" heart die collection
Lawn Fawn - Scripty Congrats die

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Happy adventuring!

The other night I was out for a surprise dinner to wish a lovely friend a great time on her upcoming epic adventure.

The occasion naturally called for a card! :)

Paper: Crate Paper
Chipboard and stickers: Crate Paper
Die: Mama Elephant
Other: enamel dots, 3D foam tape, alpha stamps

I combined lots of lovely Crate Paper elements including some items from the Wonder collection that fit the adventure/travel bug theme. :)

Happy to report the card and presents went down really well!

Crate Paper - Notes & Things - Honest Paper	Crate Paper - Notes & Things - Journal Paper	Crate Paper - Wonder - 6x6 Paper Pad	Crate Paper - Wonder - 12x12" Chipboard Elements
Crate Paper - Wonder - 6x12 Journal & Title Stickers	Mama Elephant - Dainty bow die

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Learn from my crafting mistakes

So I managed to recently play with some new additions to my craft tool stockpile.

Namely the masking paper sold by Simon Says Stamp... well, I now know that if you are using this to mask out your final project, make sure your stamped images are all properly dry before applying your adhesive mask as otherwise the adhesive pulls up the top layer of your image and leaves you with a fuzzy surface when you try to remove the mask. Serendipitous on this occasion, but something to keep in mind next time!

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: PTI
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs, Cheery Lynn, Mama Elephant
Other: Wink of Stella Clear pen

After I'd stamped the roses on the background I really should have zapped them with my heat gun to make sure they were totally dry before sticking the mask down so I could stamp the leaves. Hopefully next time I mask off some stamping this will definitely work and I won't have the top layer of the image come away all fuzzy. It was a pretty texture for this card, but rather unexpected! My wink of stella pen did a fine job added glitter to the mix. :)

Papertrey Ink - The Sweet Life stamp set	Papertrey Ink - Graceful Greetings stamp set	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes Styleboard - Blissful paper	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles die set
Cheery Lynn - French Pastry Doily die	Mama Elephant - Dainty bow die

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Balloons galore!

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog Leo has challenged us to feature that ever-popular celebratory accessory, the humble balloon, on our cards.

It can be in stamp, pattern, die format, you could even use a real balloon in some very imaginative way, or why not go for hot air balloons?

I had chance to break out another lovely Christmas present or two for my card this week:

Paper: Dear Lizzy
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp
Die: Avery Elle
Other: Promarkers, Wink of Stella pen, 3D foam tape

Aren't these little guys so cute? As soon as I knew what this week's challenge was, I was determined to use this stamp set and have one of these little creatures sporting a balloon.

I used my MISTI to get all the stamps lined up OK. The scalloped border is from a set by Avery Elle, also a lovely Christmas present and it simply cuts into the card, it doesn't cut out a frame around the scallops. Looking forward to using this set more, especially with say flourishy greetings or watercolour backgrounds.

For extra balloons I chose a left-over piece of paper from the Dear Lizzy Fine & Dandy collection which has many happy colours and birthday-appropriate patterns in it. :)

Don't forget to pop on over to the Daring Cardmakers blog for more balloon inspiration and to join in the challenge with us!

Happy crafting!

American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Fine & Dandy - 12x12" Paper Pad

Simon Says Clear Stamps - BABY PARTY ANIMALS stamp set

Avery Elle - Scalloped Frames dies

ZIG - Wink of Stella clear brush pen

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Hey Little Magpie project catch-up - January

I recently shared some ideas for gift tags with a difference over on the Hey Little Magpie blog using the True Stories die set by Shimelle.

All the details can be found here in that blog post, but I'll share the pics below. :)

I made a set of gift tags using the pocket die from coordinating papers from the Dear Lizzy line - I wanted a tag for almost every occasion:

And here they are on their own:

Accented with chipboard candles from the corresponding Thickers set from Dear Lizzy.

I had to include a little heart on one of the balloons on this one.

My trusty flower dies collected over the years came out to add a little floral accent to this get well tag.

Making rosettes with mini cupcake cases is still something I love the look of!

I doubled up the label dies in the True Stories set as a background to the sentiment for this one.

And with a sentiment like this one, I had to get my trusty Lawn Fawn sunshine die out.

And inside the tags?

Well, there was room to write a nice little message that only the recipient would see.

I cut a label from grey and pink cardstock, but used the To:, From:, and heart dies from a Mama Elephant embellished tag die set to prep the tag for use.

It was back to the cupcake wrapper trick for this one, complete with a 3D heart and banner cut from the die set.

The Lovely die looks great when popped out against contrasting backgrounds.

I also like the idea of using the pocket die to conceal little notes in packed lunches or for your kids. Very cute when combined with 6x6 paper designs like this one. :)

And finally, there had to be a card right?

Paper: Pebbles Inc., Heidi Swapp
Dies: American Crafts, Pebbles Inc., Lil' Inker Designs, Spellbinders
Other: vellum, 3D foam tape

I used these lovely subtle papers from the Jen Hadfield DIY Home collection by Pebbles and combined the "Lovely" banner from the True Stories die set with the "hello" and heart from the Jen Hadfield Cottage Living die set.

 

American Crafts - Shimelle True Stories - Dies	American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Fine & Dandy - 12x12" Paper Pad	American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Fine & Dandy - Accent & Phrase Thickers	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - Reindeer Games Paper
Basic Grey - B-Side - Shine On Paper	Basic Grey - B-Side - Stellar Paper	Papertrey Ink - Beautiful Blooms II #1 die set	Papertrey Ink - Happiness In Bloom leaf dies
Lawn Fawn - Spring showers dies	Hey Little Magpie Enamel Hearts - Rainbow Colours	Crate Paper - Wonder - Die Cut Ephemera	Crate Paper - Wonder - 6x6 Paper Pad
Crate Paper - Wonder - Enamel Dots & Sequins	Heidi Swapp - Marquee Love - 8.5" x 8.5" Glitter Paper Pad	Pebbles - Jen Hadfield Cottage Living - Polaroid Die Set	Pebbles - Jen Hadfield DIY Home - Ivory Inlay Paper
Pebbles - Jen Hadfield DIY Home - Soft Blue Classic Paper	Pebbles - Jen Hadfield DIY Home - Soft Classic Pink Paper	WPlus9 - Written On Ribbon stamps	American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Neapolitan collection - buttons
Mama Elephant - Dainty bow die	Mama Elephant - Embellished Tag die set	Papertrey Ink - Tag Sale #10 die set	Papertrey Ink - Phrase Play #6 stamp set

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Fool's Gold

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, it's Sharon's turn to set the dare and boy has she gone on trend with us!

She wants us to focus on gold and ideally rose gold.

Well, I went with the gold I had to hand - sadly plain old gold, but I had lots of rosy blush pinks to work with too:

Paper, journaling card, ephemera: My Mind's Eye - Fancy That
Dies: Simon Says Stamp, Lawn Fawn
Other: enamel dot, 3D foam tape

So I used paper from the 6x6 pad for the main background of my card, then I went through the journaling cards I had left over from a mini album project and this one fit the bill nicely. The arrow banner is from the ephemera pack and I cut a small heart and folded it to pop over the grey heart for a bit of contrast. The die cut sentiment is cut from a strip of black paper from a coordinating 12x12 design. And finally I added a small heart enamel dot to the "i" in birthday. :)

I hope you get chance to play along with the dare this week - head on over to the blog to see more wonderfully golden ideas from the Design Team!

Happy crafting!

 

2016 card challenge - January card

So I managed a little playtime today and decided to have a go at the January card challenge prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

I took inspiration from the black and white stripes, the pink flowers, fancy font, and a touch of gold:

Paper: Crate Paper, Dear Lizzy
Stamps: Altenew, PTI
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs, Altenew, PTI
Other: sequins, 3D foam tape

This was another outing for my Misti tool trying to see how it did with lining up 3-step stamps - not bad at all! Also very handy for stamping accurately on the Happy Birthday die-cut. All the inks are PTI colours - love the pink hues against the dramatic black and white stripes. :)

Crate Paper - DIY Shop 12x12 pad	Crate Paper - Craft Market - Craftsman Paper	American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Serendipity - Very Vanilla Paper	Lil' Inker Designs - Instant Camera die
Altenew - Vintage Flowers stamps	Altenew - Vintage Flowers die set	Papertrey Ink - Graceful Greetings stamp set	Crate Paper - Wonder - Enamel Dots & Sequins
Papertrey Ink - Graceful Greetings die set

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Leaf it alone!

It's Jo's turn again to set the challenge this week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog!

And this time, as the title suggests, it's all about giving love to the humble leaf.

Used more often than not as an accessory to flowers on cards, this week leaves are taking centre stage.

I put my new MISTI to work on this one on it's maiden outing - I really wanted to go for something where I could stamp a wreath of different leaves in a circle around the greeting, but sadly, things didn't go that way!

I did get the sentiments straight though! A first on my stamped cards...

Paper: Pebbles Inc
Stamps: PTI
Die: Paper Smooches
Button: Dear Lizzy
Other: twine

So this card ended up being a more simple number, but at least I managed to include a good few leafy elements on, including the little leaves on the "Happy". ;)

Do pop on over to the blog to see the lovely leafy creations from the rest of the Design Team! :)

Papertrey Ink - Embellished Elegance stamp set	Papertrey Ink - Turning a New Leaf stamp set	Pebbles - Front Porch - Bare Foot paper	Paper Smooches - Stitched dies
American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Neapolitan collection - buttons	Hemptique natural hemp cord

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2016 card challenge - January Christmas card

Well, I'm off to a reasonable start keeping up with the challenge. :)

I wanted to make sure I definitely got a Christmas card made while all my Christmas craft stuff is to hand!

Here's a reminder of the January Christmas prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

And here's my interpretation:

Paper: Basic Grey
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs
Other: 3D foam tape, bells, twine

I went with the whole bells, twine, and a sprig of greenery theme! Once again my Lil' Inker tree has had a 3D outing and it always fits perfectly in the Lil' Inker frame die I love so much.

One card down, plenty more to go!

Lil' Inker Designs - Holly Jolly dies	Lil' Inker Designs - Instant Camera die	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - Holly Jolly Paper	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - Rooftop Paper
Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - No Peeking Paper	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - Lump Of Coal Paper	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - Balsam Paper	Basic Grey - Juniper Berry - Good Cheer Paper
Hemptique natural hemp cord

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January photo inspiration challenge

The DCM challenges are back in 2016!

Up on the blog today Jo has chosen our elemental inspiration for January and there are some lovely elements to choose from. :)

Though my card is a simple one and sadly did not photograph well as it has been soooo dark during the day this past week I have taken 3 elements from the image and included them on my card:

Paper: Dear Lizzy
Dies: Neat & Tangled
Stamp: PTI
Other: cupcake case

So I went with the blue and mint colour combo, a star and a cupcake case which a transformed into a handy rosette. I also used my new Scored Shapes die from Neat & Tangled which probably works better on paper but I really like how easy it is to fold these already scored shapes without spending time doing the job yourself. ;)

I'm thinking of doing some dimensional 3D shapes with them too as they all look to be symmetrical.

Anyhoo, a very clean and simple card to kick of 2016 but I might as well ease myself back into the crafting groove. ;)

Do pop on over to the DCM blog to see the other interpretations of the elements from my fellow DT girls and join in if you get the chance!

American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Fine & Dandy - 12x12" Paper Pad

Neat & Tangled - Scored Shapes dies

Papertrey Ink - Phrase Play #6 stamp set

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