Kool Kitty Musings

Christmas countdown - Bring on the Merry

Morning all!

Today's card comes with an earworm warning...

I always associate the festive image of a little red car with a tree on the top with Chris Rea's Driving Home for Christmas.

So if that tune is now in your head, you're welcome!

Paper: Crate Paper - Bundled Up (r), Crate Paper - Snow and Cocoa (r), Elle's Studio - Joyful (r)
Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas, The Stamp Market - So Mini Hellos (r)
Dies: The Stamp Market - So Mini Hellos (r), Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles, Mama Elephant - Landscape Trio, MFT - Stitched Arch STAX (r), MFT - Tall Snow Globe (r), WPlus9 - Snowflake Trio (r)

It's another delve into my dwindling collection of "vintage" Christmas papers. I sure hope more Crate Paper Christmas releases are in our future, otherwise I am going to have to start buying the digital papers from past releases that I still love and will print what I need.

The So Mini Hellos stamp and die set have been retried by The Stamp Market, but this is a set I will be using for Christmases to come. :)

I created a snowglobe scene for my little red mini and added some Fluffy Stuff to create a snowy look.

I had the "Bring on the Merry" sentiment from Hello Bluebird already embossed on the snowglobe base from previous crafting sessions, so put it to use here.

As a finishing touch, I cut a small snowflake and used up a scrap of patterned paper rather than putting it in the bin. And there we go, card made!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - So Mini Hellos stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - So Mini Hellos dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Mama Elephant - Landscape Trio border dies Shop at: SHC (UK)	MFT - Stitched Arch STAX dies (r) Shop at: MISC	MFT - Tall Snow Globe dies (r) Shop at: MISC	WPlus9 - Snowflake Trio dies (r) Shop at: MISC
Gina K Designs - Obsidian Amalgam ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SHC (UK)	Crate Paper - Snow & Cocoa - 6x6 paper pad (r) Shop at: MISC
Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Figgy Pudding

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with another festive number!

This week, I thought I'd take a break from my usual US A2 card format and go square!

Also, if you're getting short on time, this card is definitely a quick and simple make and is a good one for using up scraps and for making multiples.

I started out by creating the backdrop for my festive focal element.

Stamps: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas
Dies: The Greetery - Christmas Pudding, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Avery Elle - Double Pierced Squares (r), Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Squares
Stencils: Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly

The Boughs & Holly stencil set from Concord & 9th contains two styles of greenery, one being a wreath that cuts down perfectly to be used on a square card and only involves a couple of steps with two shades of green ink, two shades of red/pink ink for berries, and brown ink for the twigs.

I then cut the wreath panel to size with a square die that has a pierced detail around the edge, similar to Lawn Fawn's Small Dotted Square dies (currently in the Bargain Basement so grab it while you can!). The die I used cut the square to 4 inches, so the wreath fits nicely inside. The Large Dotted Square dies are also still in stock here if you'd prefer a wider border.

One of my favourite things to combine with the wreath stencils is the Christmas Pudding die from The Greetery (which also features a nice fancy bow!).

It's not often we see US companies come up with something that seems to be so quintessentially British, but a Christmas pud is definitely a Christmas staple round here!

I cut the main pudding from kraft cardstock and blended brown inks over it, with a splattering of water between ink layers.

It wouldn't be Christmas without a bit of glittery sparkle, so I cut the sauce on the pudding and bow from scraps of left-over glitter card and presented the pudding on a gold platter befitting the occasion. And of course, the pudding had to be finished off with a sprig of holly!

Next up, I grabbed the Sentiment Suite Basics dies and used a sentiment from the Sentiment Suite Christmas set that would fit on the pierced banner die.

The pierced edges on the wreath panel and the sentiment strip bring the look together, and I just needed some festive candy cane stripes for a finishing touch.

The Diagonal Stripes stencil from MFT will achieve a similar look if you don't have any patterned paper in your stash, and of course will make nice backgrounds all year round!

Until next time, 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	Avery Elle - Double Pierced Squares dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Spellbinders - Fluted Classics Squares dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC
The Greetery - Christmas Pudding die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly stencils Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Aspen ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Begonia ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cranberry ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Gumdrop ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Ranger - Mini Mister Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Christmas countdown - Nutcracker Wishes

Morning all!

As I may have mentioned elsewhere on my blog earlier this year, I set out to make at least one Christmas card per week in 2023 to ensure I'd have enough cards to go round this festive season.

Well, some weeks I made none and others I made multiples of the same design.

But today is the day I'm kicking off my festive countdown.

We're starting off with a fun return to Christmas paper collections of the past. This time the paper I've used is from Crate Paper's Hey Santa 6x8 paper pad (including the tag) and I've paired it with ephemera from an even older Crate Paper Christmas line called Merry Days.

Paper: Crate Paper - Hey Santa (r)
Ephemera: Crate Paper - Merry Days (r)
Stamp: The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments
Die: The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments

I trimmed the Nutcracker figure to fit inside the ephemera frame and used scraps of cardstock to pop up various elements to add some dimension.

Finally, I stamped a sentiment from the Christmas Time Sentiments stamp set from The Greetery on the coordinating die and finished off my card with some twine and a button from October Afternoon.

Yes, plenty of those lovely October Afternoon buttons still to use! Thankfully!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Christmas Time Sentiments dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK)
Crate Paper - Hey Santa - 6x8 paper pad (r) Shop at: MISC	Crate Paper - Merry Days - Ephemera (r) Shop at: MISC	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tombow - Mono Aqua liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK)
Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - November elemental inspiration

Morning all!

It's the first Friday of a new month, so we've got a new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week.

But it's not just any elemental inspiration challenge, this is the first challenge in our new series leading up to Christmas.

You can make whatever you want in these Christmas countdown challenges: tags, cards, boxes, decor, whatever you fancy, as long as it's inspired by the challenge theme.

And here's the image to get us started this week.

For my three elements I went with a bow, fair isle pattern, and a mix of a bold and scripty sentiment.

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday Script, The Greetery - Big Beautiful Bow
Stencils: The Greetery - Fair Isle

It wasn't going to be long before I used the Big Beautiful Bow from The Greetery on another card... it was just too tempting to pair it with the Fair Isle stencil set to mimic a pile of PJs or Christmas jumper tied up ready to go under the tree.

I blended the stencils on cream cardstock for a softer look, but stuck to the festive reds, greens and a hint of light pink and aqua.

For my bold sentiment, there was no option but to use the Opposites Attract Holiday set.

Everything was then mounted on a red card base and the card was 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 Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday Script dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Big Beautiful Bow dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Fair Isle stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Aspen ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Mint ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Gumdrop ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red ink pad Shop at: MISC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	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) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Big Beautiful Bow

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today sharing a couple of cards with the oh so popular Big Beautiful Bow die set from The Greetery, which was restocked just yesterday along with a few other festive favourites.

If you watched the Intro video that Betsy created for this die set, you'll have seen that you can easily make two cards in one go by cutting the bow elements from two coordinating shades of cardstock and swapping over the layered details when you assemble the bows.

I chose forest green and fern green for my bows and found a great colour to pair them with: pale pink.

Stamp: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas
Dies: The Greetery - Herringbone Parquet, The Greetery - Big Beautiful Bow, The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Juniper

I ran the two pink panels through my die cutting machine with the Herringbone Parquet die and splattered the background panels with copper metallic paint for extra sparkle.

For a touch of greenery, I grabbed the Big Branches Eucalyptus dies (released last year) and the new BotaniCuts Juniper dies.

Any of The Greetery's Big Branches would work perfectly here. They were originally designed with festive gift wrapping in mind, but the larger size is great for filling the white space on cards, and you can cut the branches to the length you need to pop behind the bow.

Stamp: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas
Dies: The Greetery - Herringbone Parquet, The Greetery - Big Beautiful Bow, The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Juniper

For each card, I cut two of everything in the greenery sets I used.

I blended some green ink on the eucalyptus branches and splattered them with white paint.

For the juniper branches, I found a nice and dark pine green cardstock in my stash and splattered the branches with pearlescent white paint. I cut the berries from cream cardstock and added Clear Rock Candy glitter for a touch of wintry sparkle.

Top tip: Save time by cutting and prepping all the greenery first, so that the paint splatters, glitter and glue are all well and truly dry before you start assembling everything.

The tags from the Big Beautiful Bow set are cut from cream cardstock and stamped with sentiments from the Sentiment Suite: Christmas stamp set, which I find super handy for little tags like these.

The tags have silver thread tied to them and are attached under the knot of the bow.

And there we have it, two cards with a slightly different look - but full of festive charm.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Herringbone Parquet die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Big Beautiful Bow dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Big Branches Eucalyptus dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - BotaniCuts Juniper dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	The Stamp Market - Fern cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Forest cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Glitter - Clear Rock Candy Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Christmas Cloche

Morning all!

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

This year's festive line-up from Concord & 9th includes something for snowglobe addicts like me!

The Christmas Cloche die set and matching stamps can be used to create various Christmas scenes - I just love it when you have plenty of options in one set!

For the first outing of this die and stamp combo, I decided to make an aperture window to frame a wintry scene reminiscent of a snowglobe I saw in a shop the other day.

Stamp and dies: Concord & 9th - Christmas Cloche

I often find with these types of projects that once you work out what elements and colours you want to use, it's much easier to prepare everything before starting on the actual assembly of your card.

Here's the full list of supplies I used:

• Concord & 9th Christmas Cloche dies and stamps
• Concord & 9th cardstock from the Assorted pack in the following shades: Tidepool, Juniper, Sweet Pea, Artichoke, Wheat, and Nutmeg
• Lawn Fawn metallic cardstock in gold and silver
• Hero Arts White embossing powder for the stamped sentiment (I reach for the handy Versamark ink cube to emboss smaller detailed sentiments like those in this set)

Plus:

• Coordinating inks to add some shading to the bow, pine boughs, tree, and deer
• White paint for snowy splatter
• White glitter cardstock for the ground
• Silver thread to attach the bells
• Patterned paper for the backdrop
• White gel pen to add highlights to the deer's nose and back

Assembly steps for the aperture:

1. Cut the large cloche from a panel of Tidepool cardstock.
2. Cut the gold cloche frame by taping the two cloche dies together to run through your die cutting machine.
3. Cut the smaller cloche from a piece of white cardstock that is smaller than the Tidepool panel.
4. Attach the gold frame around the white cardstock aperture, leaving the bottom unglued so that you can still stick the base under it later.
5. Attach the Tidepool panel to the white panel so the frame is nested inside.

Then it's just a matter of piecing in the elements at the bottom of the cloche by adding the base under the bottom edge of the cloche frame and also building up the layers with scrap cardstock on the reverse to create all the dimension.

The scene soon comes together and the dimension from the aperture creates the illusion of depth, without all the bulk of using foam pads or tape.

You could of course create a similar look with an acetate shaker window and mica flakes, sprinkles, or sequins for snow. The possibilities are endless!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Christmas Cloche stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Christmas Cloche dies Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SHC (UK)
Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Silver metallic cardstock Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: MISC
Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - Alphabet Soup

Morning all!

It's my turn to set the challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers Blog this week, and what better way to grapple with one of my crafty pet problems.

I don't know about you, but I'm always a sucker for a lovely font whether in stamp or die form. I always have great ambitions to use alphabet sets to do more than just personalise the odd card here and there. I fancifully think I'm going to create loads of striking sentiments and greetings with them, when the reality is that I simply overlook what I have.

Numbers I have no problem using, alphabet sets... hm... I need to dig them out and use them more.

So that's the theme for this week's challenge - get your alpha stamps or dies out to create the main sentiment for your card.

Here's my take with, of course, a couple of retired alpha sets from Pinkfresh Studio:

Dies: Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, Pinkfresh Studio - Heather Lowercase (r), Pinkfresh Studio - Lea's Ornate Uppercase (r), The Greetery - Big Branches Pine, The Greetery - Wood Slices
Stencils: The Greetery - Fair Isle

I used the combination of alpha dies to make that sentiment pop against the Wood Slice die and that rather non-traditional colour palette... Well, maybe it's not that non-traditional... there's some red and green... and a whole lot of brown! I was originally inspired by a more muted version of a colour palette that Betsy used for the Fair Isle stencils. I'm thinking blue tones are next on my list.

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 - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	Pinkfresh Studio - Heather Lowercase dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Pinkfresh Studio - Lea's Ornate Uppercase dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Big Branches Pine dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Wood Slices dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Fair Isle stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Old Paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Manatee ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Cactus ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Dijon ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sage ink pad Shop at: MISC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK)	Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: MISC
Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Cheer Mobile

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a festive project featuring a few favourites from The Greetery's 2023 Holiday release. :D

Oh, there is nothing quite as fun as festive crafting - my favourite season!

Stamps: The Greetery - Cheer Mobile
Dies: The Greetery - Cheer Mobile, The Greetery - Crimped Circle Tags, The Greetery - Loopy Bow Builder
Stencils: The Greetery - Fair Isle, The Greetery - Frosty Flakes

One of my absolute favourite images on a card is a little red car with a tree on the top. Not that I've ever transported a tree like this or seen many folks in the UK strap their tree to the roof! But it is an image that is quintessentially Christmas to me.

I started out by creating a background on cream cardstock with the Fair Isle stencil set with pink and aqua shades, and ageing it up with some Old Paper Distress ink.

Then I stamped the car and tree from the Cheer Mobile set (nicely lined up with the help of the wonderful Waffle Flower grip mat) and, once assembled, I added some white paint splatter for a real wintry touch.

I grabbed the Crimped Circle Tag ties and cut the large one from cream cardstock. I masked off the "ground" and then created a snowy background by ink blending and using a snowflake stencil. While the ground was still masked, I added some more white paint splatter for good measure.

Once the background was dry, I added the car, the stamped sentiment from the Cheer Mobile set, and some white puffy paint below the wheels.

The Loopy Bow Builder dies provided the perfect festive finishing touch. The next time I create a card along these lines, I may add some twine to the tag, as it almost looks like a bauble hanging from a branch.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Cheer Mobile stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Cheer Mobile dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Crimped Circle Tags dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Loopy Bow Builder dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Fair Isle stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Frosty Flakes stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Old Paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Black Licorice ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Hippo ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Narwhal ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
The Stamp Market - Cheeky 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 - Island ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
3M Post-It tape White Shop at: AZ (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - Fun and Games

Morning!

There's a fun new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog today - Joanne has chosen the theme of Fun and Games, and well, in my quest to make more Christmas cards I went with all the fun of a wintry snow day:

Paper, sticker, ephemera: Crate Paper - Bundled Up (r)
Stamps: Flora & Fauna - Holiday Word Party, Flora & Fauna - Holiday Word Party 2, Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas

And I had the perfect paper still in my stash for that. I think this is the last cut of the Crate Paper Bundled Up paper I have featuring these snowy antics.

I also used a sliver of book paper from the same collection, plus ephemera and that border sticker.

Before I stuck down the patterned paper, I used sentiments from Flora & Fauna and Hello Bluebird to customise the paper. Thankfully, the couple of free-hand stamping attempts turned out OK, but I used the Misti for the longer sentiments.

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

Happy crafting!

---

Flora & Fauna - Holiday Word Party 2 stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Flora & Fauna - Holiday Word Party stamps Shop at: MISC	Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Merry & Bright

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a festive project I've been wanting to make for a while.

I always love the look of 3D cards, but am not very good at taking a break from my usual cardmaking style to give them a go.

Plus, with the cost of postage these days, I really want to keep bulky cards to a minimum.

One simple way to add pop is to use cardstock to make "springs".

Stencils: The Greetery - Stencil Scapes: Winter
Stamp: The Greetery - Ornament Box Top Vertical
Die: The Greetery - Ornament Box Top Vertical

I absolutely love a festive wintry scene, and the StencilScapes Winter stencils from The Greetery are a real favourite.

There are 6 steps to build the scene.

You can use one colour per stencil just like the printed guide shows, or mask off areas on the stencil layers/use detail brushes to bring in more colours.

For example, I wanted a pink sky but also wanted to keep the frosty blue for the frozen lake and I wanted the little skaters to stand out with bright blue coats - all possible with a bit of selective ink blending and masking.

Once I'd finished the scene, I went in with some glue to add Rock Candy glitter to the tree branches, the rooftops, and other areas that needed a touch of frosty sparkle.

Then it was on to creating my frame.

The Ornament Box Top Vertical stamp and matching dies were originally intended for the Curio Attic Ornaments, but they are perfect for framing wintry scenes like this one.

I went with a festive red for the box and once it was cut out, I just needed to make the springs that would make the frame pop up.

For this A2 frame, you need two strips of white cardstock that are 7/8ths of an inch wide and 5 and 3/8ths of an inch long (so a touch shorter than the length of the frame). Score the strips at 1/4 in. then another 1/4 in. leaving 3/8ths of an inch. The 3/8ths part of your frame spring is the one you attach to the back of the Ornament Box frame so that the first fold is always on the outside of the frame. This keeps the 1/4 in. folds to the edges of your card, and they're not easily visible when the card is displayed.

When you come to stick the frame onto the background panel (with liquid glue for wiggle room), it's a good idea to trim the panel down slightly so that everything lines up easier. I also trimmed down my usual A2 card base and stuck that on at the end. It's much easier to do all this before assembling, rather than when things are stuck in place and something is still sticking out a bit somewhere.

You could achieve a similar framed look for this scene with The Greetery Arches dies or other frame dies, but this Ornament Box really adds an extra festive touch.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Ornament Box Top Vertical stamp Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Ornament Box Top Vertical dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Stencil Scapes: Winter stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Chili Pepper ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Manatee ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Storm Cloud ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Wild Rose ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cobalt ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Glitter - Clear Rock Candy Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - October elemental inspiration

Morning all!

I managed to do a little crafting last weekend, still no major improvement with the trapped nerve in my hand, but Christmas crafting is a-calling, so...

It's the first Friday of a new month, and that means a brand-new elemental inspiration challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog!

Here's the image that Shabneez chose:

Well, I went with a bit of left-field thinking and interpreted the elements as follows: Something that hibernates, flora (trees), blue tones

Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas, WPlus9 - Holiday Hugs (r)
Dies: Hello Bluebird - Winter Woods Overlay, WPlus9 - Holiday Hugs (r)

I'm not totally happy with how the colouring on this card came out, I used Distress Watercolour pencils and really should have stuck to using watercolour paper. But I went with Bristol paper that has usually been great for colouring with pencils and watercolour detail.

But anyway... a good learning experience!

Inspired by the tortoise I featured a hibernating creature with the lovely Holiday Hugs set from WPlus9, love using this set every festive season.

I paired it with a really simple background.

I recently purchased the two new sets of Holiday Distress Mica Stains, and tested all 6 colours out on background panels of cardstock.

This is the Juniper Berry spray, and it doesn't look all that festive in a flat lay photo, but once you tilt it to the light you really see all the sparkle and more wintry splatter.

I also added sparkle with a Wink of Stella pen to the coat and boots on the little girl and to the bear's nose.

To frame this scene, I grabbed the Winter Woods Overlay and Typed Christmas sets from Hello Bluebird.

Make sure you check out the other interpretations 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	WPlus9 - Holiday Hugs stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Hello Bluebird - Winter Woods Overlay die Shop at: MISC	WPlus9 - Holiday Hugs dies (r) Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Jackdaw Express - AM440 - White Ivory Bristol Board 335gsm Shop at: AZ (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Distress Mica Stain Set 5 Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Distress Watercolor Pencils - Set 1 Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Watercolor Pencils - Set 2 Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Watercolor Pencils - Set 3 Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | 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) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Tiny Houses

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a couple of card projects featuring a new take on a real festive favourite.

It's pretty well known among my crafting friends and those on my Christmas card list that I have a slight obsession with tiny houses and winter villages.

Well, one of my absolute favourite die sets to use when in the festive making mood is the Tiny Houses set from MFT.

It's a retired set, but luckily still in the store if you missed it the first time around.

Paper: Crate Paper - Snow & Cocoa (r)
Stamps: Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays
Dies: Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays Stacks, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle, MFT - Grounding Elements (r), MFT - Tiny Houses (r), The Greetery - Hoopla Round

For this year's outing, I wanted to create a little wintry scene inside the smallest of Hoopla Round dies from The Greetery.

When I'm not using US A2 compatible dies, I usually reach for my favourite card blanks from Papermania - the white A6 pack in this case.

The white is just the perfect tone, not too cool or grey. Just a fresh, clean white.

The Tiny Houses are great for using up scraps and off cuts - including small pieces of that all too precious glitter card!

Once the wintry scenes were created, I grabbed some coordinating patterned paper for the background to my cards and then used some lovely sentiments from the Home for the Holidays stamp set from Concord & 9th.

I really could do with more sentiments in that Papercute font - if anyone's listening. ;)

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays stamps Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays Stacks dies (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MFT - Grounding Elements dies (r) Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)
MFT - Tiny Houses dies (r) Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Hoopla Round dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Crate Paper - Snow & Cocoa - Rosy Cheeks paper (r) Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: MISC
Memory Box - Majestic Hues glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | 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) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Wildwood

Morning everyone!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with an autumnal make featuring some recent releases from The Greetery.

I'm a real sucker for multi-step floral stamp sets. Just love them. But I especially love it when a set also features some nice foliage elements to fill in the space around the florals.

The Wildwood set from The Greetery has loads of these elements. You can keep things simple by picking out a few choice elements, or go the whole hog and use each element to create the focal point for your card.

Stamps: The Greetery - Wildwood
Dies: The Greetery - Aida Cloth, The Greetery - Wildwood, The Greetery - Wildwood Sentiments, The Greetery - Hoopla Oval

I picked some warm autumnal tones to contrast with the grey inks I wanted to use for the stems and foliage.

To frame the floral spray, I grabbed the large embroidery hoop from the Hoopla Ovals die set. I just love the woodgrain detail on the frame and embossing on the screw. These little details add a nice touch of realism.

Once all the floral elements were arranged and stuck down, I added one of the sentiments from the stamp set cut out with the separate sentiment die set.

I definitely needed some maximalist pop to make that frame and the Wildwood florals stand out.

So I reached for some jade cardstock, added texture by scoring lines outwards from the midline every 3/4 of an inch, blended some darker jade ink around the edges of the panel, and finally added some much-needed gold splatter with watercolour paint.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Wildwood stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Aida Cloth texture plate Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Wildwood dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Wildwood Sentiments dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Hoopla Oval dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coral Reef ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Dijon ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Gravel ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jade 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 - Slate ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Umber ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Silver metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: 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) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Hang a Stocking

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a couple of festive makes, combining some brand-new supplies with some old favourites. :)

The latest Concord & 9th festive release hit the store last week, and once again there was plenty of temptation and a lot of scope to use new sets like the Stocking Stamp & Stitch set with some older items.

I must confess, that's one of my favourite things about making Christmas cards – pulling out favourite supplies from previous years and using them with my new additions.

For the backdrop to my card today, I figured the Concord & 9th Boughs & Holly stencils would be the perfect place to start.

This set of 6 stencils creates a wreath background and a greenery background.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Stocking Stamp & Stitch
Dies: Concord & 9th - Stocking Stamp & Stitch, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles
Stencils: Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly

Since I had my inks out, I decided to stencil the greenery background onto white cardstock, and the wreath background onto a rustic cream cardstock to make two cards in one go.

Once the backgrounds were done, I trimmed them down slightly so that the panels could be mounted on a solid cardstock background. I even got the Corner Chomper out for the cream background for extra flourish!

Then it was time to cut the stocking elements and do a little stitching.

The stitching is super easy and adds a lovely finishing detail with that texture. I've got a fair bit of felt in my stash, so I may also try some felt stitched stockings down the line.

I added a sprig of holly to the cuff detail and some Glossy Accents on the berries.

Finally, I needed to add a sentiment somewhere, so I grabbed the Joy stamp from the Stocking set and stamped it on one of the banners from The Greetery's Sentiment Suite Basics die set and nestled it behind the stocking.

I also stamped the heart from the Stocking set on the small tag from the Sentiment Suite Basics set and tied it with silver thread so that it would dangle from the stocking. It just adds that perfect finishing detail.

~~~~~

With the wreath stencil background, I mixed things up a little and went a little retro.

Stamps: The Greetery - Tagged Elegance
Dies: Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles, Simon Says Stamp - Eliza Snowflake, WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe
Stencils: Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly

I needed a sentiment that would fit inside the wreath, and I immediately thought of the Tagged Elegance set from The Greetery.

I cut a slightly larger circle of aqua cardstock to mount the sentiment on, but first I snipped all around the edge to create a fringed look.

I then grabbed some snowflakes and a bow that I'd cut for past Christmas projects but hadn't used yet and arranged them behind the sentiment.

I think this combo turned out rather well, and I do like the warmer tone of those same ink colours on cream cardstock.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Stocking Stamp & Stitch stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Tagged Elegance stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Concord & 9th - Stocking Stamp & Stitch dies Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Simon Says Stamp - Eliza Snowflake die Shop at: MISC	WPlus9 - Under the Mistletoe dies Shop at: MISC
Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly stencils Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Jade ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Julep ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Raspberry ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - Azalea cardstock Shop at: SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Simon Says Stamp - Fog cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Jade cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy cardstock Shop at: MISC
Memory Box - Delicate Pastel glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Pinkfresh Studio - Glitter Drops: Champagne Shop at: EH | MISC	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)
Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: 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) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

With Sympathy and Love

Today I have a special card to share, which I made in late August.

Sympathy cards are never easy projects, but I think the personal touch goes a long way when sending sympathy and love to a friend.

The light wasn't great when I took these photos, but I used a mix of grey and purple tones:

Stamps: Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral (r), Simon Says Stamp - Sketched Flowers, The Greetery - Just Mason Around
Dies: Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral (r), The Greetery - Just Mason Around, Spellbinders - Postage Edge Rectangles

The Sugarplums ink set has some lovely muted purples in it. They look a bit warm-toned in the photos, but they are nice subtle purples that work well with grey tones. The Pinkfresh Modern layered Floral set is discontinued, but I think it pairs so well with the Just Mason Around set from The Greetery.

I created an ink wash on watercolour paper with Wisteria ink, added some splatters, then cut it with the matting die from the Spellbinders Postage Edge Rectangles set.

Once I'd worked out the placement of the jar and florals, I stamped the sentiment from the Sketched Flowers set then cut the large Postage Edge die from Alpca cardstock (it's like a heather-toned grey).

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Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral stamps (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC	Simon Says Stamp - Sketched Flowers stamps Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Just Mason Around stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral die (r) Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - Just Mason Around dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Spellbinders - Postage Edge Rectangles dies Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Altenew - Amethyst dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Grape Agate dye ink Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Industrial Diamond dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Limestone dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Pale Mauve dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Plum dye ink Shop at: MISC
PTI - Winter Wisteria ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Rock Collection ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Sugarplums ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Alpaca Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Jackdaw Express - AM440 - White Ivory Bristol Board 335gsm Shop at: AZ (UK)	Jackdaw Express - AM534 - Premium White Watercolour Card 300gsm Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

You're in my thoughts

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a project featuring some items from the new Harvest Fest release from The Greetery.

The first thing I wanted to try as soon as I unpacked my order was the Round About Fall Foliage die, as I'd recently ordered all 3 sets of Distress watercolour pencils with my birthday money.

It seemed like the perfect time to give them a go.

Stamp: The Greetery - Wildwood
Dies: The Greetery - Wildwood Sentiments, The Greetery - Round About Fall Foliage, The Greetery - Shiplap Builder

I cut the Round About die twice from watercolour paper, then used various Distress Watercolor Pencils to lay down colour and went back in with more layers and then regular pencil for some extra detail.

The new Herringbone Parquet die may be currently out of stock, but I was still determined to create a woodgrain background for the frame, so I pulled out an older set from The Greetery: the Shiplap Builder dies.

This die cuts 6 planks in one pass. I cut them from watercolour paper and then blended them with a few shades of Distress Oxide before spritzing with water to get that aged look.

Once they were dry, I glued them on a piece of brown cardstock with the planks arranged like floor boards. The design I used features all 6 planks cut with that one pass. You'd probably be able to fill the whole card front with just 12 planks if arranged this way.

I used PTI rustic cream cardstock for the backdrop to my card, and splattered it with metallic copper paint. I also painted the frame in copper too.

Finally, I needed a sentiment that would fit inside the frame but wouldn't conceal the woodgrain background strip. This is when a close-cut sentiment comes in handy, and it grabbed the separate sentiment dies that coordinate with the Wildwood stamps and cut them all in one pass, so I could stamp them together and decide which one fit the space best.

I'm still tempted to add some subtle sequins or enamel dots, but we'll see...

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Wildwood stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Wildwood Sentiments dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Round About Fall Foliage die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Shiplap Builder dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Distress Oxide ink pad - Frayed Burlap Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Old Paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Vintage Photo Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Jackdaw Express - AM534 - Premium White Watercolour Card 300gsm Shop at: AZ (UK)	Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36-pan watercolour set Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Brutfuner 120 Colouring Pencils Set Shop at: AZ (UK)
Distress Watercolor Pencils - Set 1 Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Watercolor Pencils - Set 2 Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress Watercolor Pencils - Set 3 Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Ranger - Mini round ink blending tools Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: 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) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Magical Birthday Wishes

Morning all!

Sadly, I'm having to go light on the crafting at the moment, as I've trapped a nerve in my left arm and can't do much with that hand for long due to the numbness and discomfort.

It's very hard to rest it (who knew your non-dominant arm got used for so much?), but it could be several weeks or months until it resolves itself. So keeping my fingers crossed, at least on my other hand, that it recovers sooner rather than later.

But there's a very special birthday around here, and that's my niece's much awaited 7th birthday - so a handmade card was still on my list.

As I can't do much die-cutting right now, I needed a clean and simple project, and thankfully I remembered the Magical Unicorn set from Pinkfresh Studio would still fit the bill. Tigers are "out", but unicorns are still "in" - according to my niece.

I also needed inspiration, and well this beautiful card by Caly Pearson looked totally doable on the hottest day of the year and with limited mobility. So I shamelessly lifted it!

Here's my take:

Stamps: Pinkfresh Studio - Magical Unicorn (r)
Dies: Pinkfresh Studio - Magical Unicorn (r), Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles

I started out by blending Lawn Fawn Grape Jelly ink around the edges of an A2 panel of Neenah. Thankfully the last time I'd used this set I'd stamped and embossed a few of the unicorn horns with Liquid Platinum embossing powder, so could skip that step this time, and I just needed to cut the ears from white glitter cardstock, then 2 large flowers from aqua cardstock, 5 small flowers from pink cardstock, and 7 leaves.

I used darker shades of ink to stamp the details, then took coordinating lighter shades to add some blending with mini blending brushes.

I added crystals to the pink flower centres, and droplets to the large flowers.

Before I stuck anything down, I trimmed the panel with an Infinity Rectangle die.

Then it was time to stick all the elements down.

I stamped the eyelashes and sentiment and, as a final touch, added some blush pink ink for the unicorn cheeks and the stamped stars at the top.

Then I adhered the panel to an A2 card base and ta-da! Card complete. :)

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

Pinkfresh Studio - Magical Unicorn stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Pinkfresh Studio - Magical Unicorn dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Blush dye ink Shop at: MISC
Lawn Fawn - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Grape Jelly ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Jalapeño ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Merman ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Peacock ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Plastic flamingo ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Memory Box - Festive glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Ranger - Liquid Platinum embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: 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) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Hello Autumn

Good morning!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a more seasonal project than my last one.

Yep, no Christmas cards today, but a nod to the changing of the seasons.

Stamps: The Greetery - Curio Labels
Dies: The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower, The Greetery - Crimped Frame, The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details, The Greetery - Garden Tub, The Greetery - Garden Tub Filler

I started out by cutting The Greetery's Garden Tub and Garden Tub Filler dies from watercolour paper, so I could colour the foliage in with watered down Distress Inks and use ink daubers to colour the tub with Distress Oxides and add some ageing with by spritzing water.

I also used some of the blooms from the BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix set to decorate the foliage with some late summer/early autumn florals. I added some details with white and black pen, and also white Nuvo drops to some of the flower centres.

As you can see, the tub and foliage fill up most of the front of an A2 card, so I simply cut the large Crimped Frame from watercolour cardstock and created a wash with Distress Inks in subtle autumnal shades for the background.

Finally, I used the Curio Labels stamps to add a sentiment to the tub and the "hello autumn" up in the corner of the card. The Curio Labels set is so handy, and of course it coordinates with the Curio Divider and Details die set. But the stamps will fit on any sentiment strips.

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Curio Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Crimped Frame dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Garden Tub die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Garden Tub Filler die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Antique Linen Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress ink pad - Carved Pumpkin Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Distress ink pad - Crushed Olive Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress ink pad - Forest Moss Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress ink pad - Kitsch Flamingo Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Distress ink pad - Mustard Seed Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress ink pad - Rustic Wilderness Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress ink pad - Saltwater Taffy Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Distress ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Distress ink pad - Twisted Citron Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress ink pad - Wild Honey Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Black Soot Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Ground Espresso Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Hickory Smoke Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Rusty Hinge Shop at: SBC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Jackdaw Express - AM534 - Premium White Watercolour Card 300gsm Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Simply White Shop at: AZ (UK)	Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ (UK)
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: 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) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - September elemental inspiration

Morning!

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

This month, it's my turn to pick our inspirational image and I went for something with a few autumnal vibes but still plenty of signs of summer:

The elements I went with were embroidered flowers, a hint of lace (in the background), and woodgrain/frames.

Paper: Honey Bee Stamps - Grain and Grunge
Stamps: The Greetery - Curio Labels, The Greetery - Embroidered Background
Dies: Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder, The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details, The Greetery - Embroidered Blooms, The Greetery - Hoopla Mini, The Greetery - Hoopla Mini Inserts

I started out by blending In the Buff ink on the front of my white cardbase and then stamping the Embroidered Background stamp in Old Paper Distress Ink for a very subtle pattern.

I grabbed the Curio Divider Details die to work out which Hoopla Mini frames I could use.

Then it was time to grab my cardstock scraps and cut lots of leafy bits and florals to fill the frames and openings.

Once I'd got the rough layout arranged, I created the wooden frame with the Honey Bee Wood Frame Builder dies and stuck everything down.

All that was left to do was add a sentiment with the coordinating Curio Labels stamp set.

The card looks quite dimensional in places, but as there's no foam tape used it's flat enough to mail with a normal stamp. :)

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

Happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Curio Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Embroidered Background stamp Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Embroidered Blooms dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Hoopla Mini dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Hoopla Mini Inserts dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Old Paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
MFT - In the Buff ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK)	Jackdaw Express - AM440 - White Ivory Bristol Board 335gsm Shop at: AZ (UK)
PTI - Melon Berry cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coral Reef cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Kraft cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Leafy cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Mossy cardstock Shop at: MISC	Honey Bee Stamps - Grain and Grunge - 6x8.5 paper pad Shop at: MISC | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

'Tis the Season...

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with what might seem a rather unseasonal card, but having a late August birthday has usually coincided with Christmas arriving in the retail world.

And well, I'm woefully behind on my plan to make a Christmas card each week in order to avoid panic nearer December.

So, I set to work making a total of eight cards using the Avery Elle Santa Tags die set and coordinating stamps.

Papers: Crate Paper - Falala (r), Pebbles - Cozy & Bright (r)
Stamps: Avery Elle - Santa Tags
Dies: Avery Elle - Santa Tags

Unfortunately the stamps have just gone out of stock, but for this project it's easy enough to draw on the eyes, nose, and smile with a black pen, and add some blush to the cheeks. Or for a really fun Santa, you could always add goggly eyes.

The die set also includes sentiments that can be used to cut into the tags for a negative die-cutting effect, or to cut out the words and stick them onto your tag or card.

What really brings this Santa tag to life is adding something like white puff paint or Cosmic Shimmer Fluffy Stuff above the face.

I didn't want it to be totally obvious that this Santa was originally intended as a tag, so I punched some 1/4" circles from white card, stuck them over the tag holes, and added more Fluffy Stuff to look like the bobble on his hat.

This Santa tag works great with festive papers, and I even managed to match the 'Tis the season to be jolly! sentiment to some Fa-la-la-la-la background paper.

Christmas card production is back on track and as we enter autumn you can expect to see me ramping up my Christmas projects. ;)

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

Avery Elle - Santa Tags stamps Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Avery Elle - Santa Tags dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Blush dye ink Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK)	Crate Paper - Falala - Festive paper (r) Shop at: MISC	Pebbles - Cozy & Bright - 'Tis the Season paper (r) Shop at: MISC
Pebbles - Cozy & Bright - Merry & Bright paper Shop at: MISC	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Picked Posies - Just for You

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a card that's fit to bursting with florals.

Still inspired by The Greetery's recent Handiwork release, I wanted to make a floral card featuring the Hoopla Oval die set.

The Embroidered Blooms die set may be sold out right now, but there's another die set from Concord & 9th that is a perfect partner for the embroidery hoops.

And that set is Picked Posies.

Stamp: The Greetery - Tear Strip Tags
Dies: The Greetery - Aida Cloth, Concord & 9th - Picked Posies, The Greetery - Tear Strip Banners, The Greetery - Hoopla Oval

It can be used as a stand-alone set or combined with coordinating sentiment stamps.

Once I'd assembled the embroidery hoop (including adding some detail with the Aida cloth texture plate), I grabbed some cardstock and cut out everything I'd need.

I did some ink blending on all the die cuts to add depth and interest. This technique is especially effective on lighter shades of cardstock like the pink buds.

Then, it was time to arrange all the die-cuts and stick them down.

There's no foam tape used here, just liquid glue – so the card is still flat enough to post, even though it looks like it has more dimension.

As for the greeting, I found a perfect folksy sentiment in the Tear Strip Tags stamp set and cut it out using the Tear Strip Banners die.

For a final finishing touch, I added some white Nuvo drops around the frame, and there we have it – card complete.

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Tear Strip Tags stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Aida Cloth texture plate Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Concord & 9th - Picked Posies dies Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Tear Strip Banners die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Hoopla Oval dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Cactus ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Dijon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Minty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Raspberry ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK)
The Stamp Market - Cactus cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Gumdrop cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Raspberry cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass cardstock Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Simply White Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: 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) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - Pearls

Morning all!

There's a brand-new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, all on the theme of pearls.

Sadly, I've not had much time to craft this week, so my card is definitely on the simple side as far as the pearls go!

Paper: The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days
Stamps and stencil combo: The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days
Stamp and die combo: The Greetery - Little Labels

Time was of the essence last night, so I grabbed the Daisy Days stamp and stencil combo from The Greetery and used one of the fill-in cards from the coordinating paper pack to fill in some of the white space with the leaves and florals stencils.

I left the main daisies white and just added grey stamped details for them.

I was all set to add pearl drops to all the little berry details, but didn't manage it while the ink was still drying from my stencilling.

So instead, I added some Prima pearls to the Little Label stamp and die combo, and the end result looks a bit like the front cover of the nice notebook. :)

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

Happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Little Labels stamp and cut combo Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Slate ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Print Shop: Daisy Days paper pack Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: 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) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Just for you

Morning everyone!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a bit of a mix and match project.

I've been inspired to try out some new "late summer" colour combos for some background stamping, and well I just had to reach for the Bigger Blooms set from The Greetery for this.

Stamps: The Greetery - Bigger Blooms, The Greetery - Written in Ribbons
Dies: The Greetery - Aida Cloth, The Greetery - Written in Ribbons, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle, The Greetery - Hoopla Round, The Greetery - PreText Banners

I just love how fast backgrounds come together with this set and 5 shades of ink. There's no need to add the detail steps for the flowers, just the base images will do to create a retro-style floral print.

Once my background was complete, I grabbed another oldie but goodie set from The Greetery: Written in Ribbons.

This set combines the look of calligraphy for the main wording of the sentiment and a clean font for the rest of the sentiment.

I used the same green tones as my background for the Just for You sentiment, and then stamped the other sentiment on one of the PreText banners.

To create the focal area for the sentiment, I used the smaller of the Hoopla Round dies and backed it with some cream cardstock that I'd run through with the Aida Cloth texture plate.

And there we have it, essentially a clean and simple card design where you can really ramp up the look with a contrasting background.

Until next time, happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Bigger Blooms stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Written in Ribbons stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Aida Cloth texture plate Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Written in Ribbons dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Circle dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Hoopla Round dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Pizza Crust ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coastal ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sage ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Neenah 80 lb smooth Desert Storm cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
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	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 - All Taped Up

Happy Friday!

There's a brand-new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog this week, and Joanne has us digging about in our Washi tape collections. :D

I don't really have much in the way of Washi tape, just a roll for sealing birthday envelope and a set of Christmas Washi from Crate Paper, which sadly doesn't do a good job of actually staying stuck on envelopes!

But, I remembered that I had a roll of jumbo Altenew Washi tape for covering large surfaces such as card bases and thought now was the time to get it out!

Washi tape: Altenew - Calming Bouquet
Stamps: The Greetery - Floral Sampler, The Greetery - Stitched Sentiments
Dies: The Greetery - Floral Sampler, The Greetery - Hoopla Oval
Texture plate: The Greetery - Aida Cloth

So I started out by covering my card base with the Washi tape, then decided I needed a focal sentiment.

The perfect excuse to grab some of my new supplies from The Greetery's Handiwork release (listed below) and found some ink cubes (in more or less the right colour family) from Altenew.

A bit of stamping, a bit of die-cutting, even the Aida cloth texture plate got some action - and there we go, card made. :)

Make sure you check out the other creative uses of Washi tape from the rest of the design team here, and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

---

The Greetery - Floral Sampler stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Stitched Sentiments stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Aida Cloth texture plate Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Floral Sampler dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Hoopla Oval dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Altenew - Grape Agate dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Plum dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Rubellite dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC
Lawn Fawn - Storm Cloud ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Simon Says Stamp - Ivory cardstock Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Altenew - Calming Bouquet washi tape Shop at: MISC | 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

Embroidered Thanks

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a new project featuring some new supplies that I've been dying to get my hands on ever since the sneak peeks were shared!

Yes, The Greetery's Handiwork collection is in the house! At least some of it. ;-)

My little haul arrived last week and I finally had time at the weekend to play.

Stamps: The Greetery - Floral Sampler, The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Embroidered Background
Dies: The Greetery - Floral Sampler, The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Hoopla Mini, The Greetery - Hoopla Mini Inserts

For my first project with this collection, I was determined to use the Hoopla Mini dies and co-ordinating Inserts to set the scene for my card.

So I started out by cutting the frames from brown cardstock and the inserts from watercolour paper.

I added some ageing to the frames with Distress Oxides and then went over with a detail blending brush with brown dye inks. This brings out the woodgrain texture a bit better in real life. Especially as my Ground Espresso Oxide ink tends to go super chalky as soon as it dries, so I tried to bring those frames back to a nice brown shade.

I water coloured the insides of the inserts with some diluted Speckled Egg Distress Ink for extra contrast and a bit of pop.

Once I'd assembled all the little hoops, it was time to decide what I was going to use them with.

I created a tone-on-tone background with the Embroidered Background stamp (Fern cardstock with Matcha ink - I may try Versamark next time to see what happens).

Then I grabbed the Floral Sampler stamp set and matching dies to create all the floral details. Those are all stamped on ivory cardstock for a softer look, and some of the foliage is stamped on Forest cardstock to add some contrast.

The guide included with the stamp set provided some nice colour suggestions, so I tried them out. I'm rather pleased with this mash up of sage green tones and warm pinks and peaches.

Once I'd arranged all the florals on the hoops, I just needed to add a real stand-out sentiment. So, of course, I reached for my trusty Opposites Attract stamp and die set.

And there we have it, my first project with the Handiwork collection. I'm looking forward to many more!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Floral Sampler stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Embroidered Background stamp Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Floral Sampler dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Hoopla Mini dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Hoopla Mini Inserts dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Distress Oxide ink pad - Ground Espresso Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	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: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coral Reef ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Dijon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peach 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	Simon Says Stamp - Ivory cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest cardstock Shop at: MISC
Arches cold pressed watercolour paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Gold metallic cardstock Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	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

It's a Wrap!

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with a clean and simple-ish card project featuring an unlikely pairing.

Paper: Carta Bella - Summer Market (r), Jen Hadfield - Reaching Out (r)
Stamps: The Greetery - Curio Labels, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, The Greetery - Crimped Circles, The Greetery - It's a Wrap Mini Posy Pocket, The Greetery - Winter Medley

Christmas in July may be over, but it doesn't mean that your Christmas and winter supplies can't be put to good use all year round.

The It's a Wrap Mini Posy Pocket die from The Greetery has been languishing in the "New Supplies" bin on my craft desk far too long. I had great intentions of using the pocket die with some of the Botanicuts Wildflower florals, but they were just a bit too big for this mini version of the larger It's a Wrap die. 

So, when I also spotted the Winter Medley dies in my "New Supplies" bin, I got to wondering... would they be the right size for the mini posy pocket?

And the answer is a resounding YES!

In fact, they may just be the perfect pairing!

The great thing about the Winter Medley die set is that it provides a good amount of greenery to build up your bouquet. And as you can see, the flowers are really neutral - they will work for all seasons.

I cut some of the leafy branches from dark green cardstock to bulk out the bouquet and to contrast against the branches and stems I cut from white cardstock and coloured in with the foam daubers that I use with my Distress Oxide inks.

The flowers were also cut from white cardstock and are just coloured in with the dye inks that were already on some of the detail brushes I use for stencilling.

You can add dimension to the flowers with a rounded stylus and detail with Nuvo drops, black and white pens, or pencils.

I needed a neutral background to let that bouquet sing, but also a pop of colour to add contrast. So I cut a piece of watercolour cardstock using one of the Crimped Circles dies and added some blue watercolour and splatter.

Once that was dry, I stamped a sentiment from the Curio Labels set on the crimped circle.

I finished off the card with another stamped sentiment, this time from the Sentiment Suite Birthday stamp set, and cut it out using one of the labels in the coordinating Sentiment Suite Basics die set. Such a handy die set that works with loads of sentiments, not just the Sentiment Suite series.

And there we have it - card complete!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Curio Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Crimped Circles dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - It's a Wrap Mini Posy Pocket die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Winter Medley dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Distress ink pad - Speckled Egg Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Jen Hadfield - Reaching Out - Over the Rainbow paper (r) Shop at: MISC	Arches cold pressed watercolour paper Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Duck Egg Blue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SHC (UK)	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Simply White 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	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

Little Rainbow Wishes

Morning!

Earlier this summer I had a few crafty sessions that involved making multiples of a card design because the rainbow dies I used left me with enough die cuts to make several cards.

The Little Rainbow die from The Stamp Market was the next rainbow on my desk:

Paper: MME - Sky's the Limit (r)
Stamps: Flora & Fauna - Everyday Word Party
Dies: Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Squares, The Stamp Market - Little Rainbow

For a change from my usual A2 cards, I mounted these rainbows on square cards combined with typed sentiments from Flora & Fauna and Hello Bluebird. I also used some old shimmer cardstock with the diagonal stitched dies to contrast with the patterned papers I picked out. :)

Always love how these little rainbows turn out - and I am always happy when I remember to back the cardstock with Stick-It before running them through my die-cutting machine!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Flora & Fauna - Everyday Word Party stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Hello Bluebird - Typed Everyday stamps Shop at: EH	Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Squares dies Shop at: SBC	The Stamp Market - Little Rainbow dies 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 - Golden cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Julep cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Minty cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy cardstock Shop at: MISC
Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Stick It Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	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

Floral Frame wishes

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog this week with a card project featuring one of my most-used Print Shop sets from The Greetery.

The Floral Frames stamp and stencil set.

I love combining this set with the coordinating dies, or simply using the floral frame as the border to a statement sentiment.

In all the time I've had this set, I don't think I've used it on anything other than a white background, so thought I'd mix things up a bit and try it out on pale pink cardstock.

Stamp and stencil set: The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame
Stamp: The Greetery - Everyday Labels
Die: The Greetery - Handmade Labels

The stencil lays down the base colour for the floral elements. You can use just one colour for the stencil or use different colours, like I have done for the pink and minty florals.

Then there's a large stamp to add the leaves and a large stamp to add the berry elements, before going in with the layering details for the florals.

So the floral frame comes together very quickly and is great for making multiples of your card design.

For my sentiment, I chose another favourite combo: the Everyday Labels stamps and coordinating Handmade Labels dies.

Once I'd added my sentiment, I went a bit OTT with the white Nuvo drops, but they definitely add that extra pop!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Everyday Labels stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Handmade Labels dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy 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 - Julep ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Minty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sage ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Simply White 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)	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

Garden Goodness wishes

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today revisiting one of my favourite Print Shop sets from The Greetery: Garden Goodness.

This time, I've paired the wonderful stamp and stencil set with the coordinating layering dies.

I started out by selecting the ink colours I wanted to use for the 6 layering stencils in the set.

The instruction sheet that is enclosed makes it easier to select your ink colours and get them arranged in order on your desk ready to start blending.

Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Print Shop: Garden Goodness
Stamps: The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy
Dies: The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy Shadow, The Greetery - Print Shop: Garden Goodness Layers, The Greetery - PreText Banners

I decided to make two identical backgrounds while I had this set out to create two different looks. I also cut the Garden Goodness Layering dies from white cardstock and used the stencils to colour them in as I went along.

Once all the stencilling was done, it was just a matter of adding the stamped details to the background and layering die-cuts.

I found the perfect set of sentiments to combine with the Garden Goodness set, so that the design wouldn't be covered up.

The All Kinds of Happy stamp set from The Greetery can be combined with the All Kinds of Happy Shadow dies and Pretext Banners dies.

There's a good selection of fonts for the five different "Happy" statement sentiments, and if you'd rather cut the "Happy" from cardstock, there is an All Kinds of Happy die set that then layers on the All Kinds of Happy Shadow dies.

I finished off the first card with some Glossy Accents on the berries and a few glittery dots in the centre of the small flowers.

~~~

For the other background, I kept things simple and flatter:

Stamp and stencil combo: The Greetery - Print Shop: Garden Goodness
Stamps: The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy
Dies: The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy Shadow, The Greetery - Bold Numbers, The Greetery - PreText Banners

For this card, I went with a different font for the "Happy" that would enable me to customise the card for a milestone birthday with the Bold Numbers die set from The Greetery.

Once everything was glued down, I added Glossy Accents and glittery dots for extra pop.

And there we have it!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Garden Goodness stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - All Kinds of Happy Shadow dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Garden Goodness Layers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Bold Numbers dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cheeky ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Dijon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Matcha 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	Pinkfresh Studio - Glitter Drops: Champagne Shop at: EH | 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)	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

Rainbow Skies

Well, looking out my window, Mother Nature is certainly embracing the "rain" aspect of the card project I'm sharing today!

Not much sun on the horizon right now, but hopefully there'll be some rainbows later, a bit like this card:

Stamps: The Greetery - Tear Strip Tags Birthday, The Stamp Market - Eat Cake (r)
Dies: The Stamp Market - Rainbow Card Cover, The Greetery - Tear Strip Banners, The Stamp Market - Eat Cake (r)
Stencil: Simon Says Stamp - Clouds For Days

I've actually made 5 versions of this card, as the Rainbow Card Cover die from The Stamp Market needed to go through my Big Shot five times to create one rainbow, so you may as well make multiples with the rest of the die cuts.

Once the rainbow was stuck down on the front of my white card base, I used the Clouds for Days stencil from Simon Says Stamp to add the cloud details with Sea Glass ink, which really lifted the rainbow to a new dimension.

For my sentiments, I used the Eat Cake set from The Stamp Market (it's discontinued now, but I love how closely the dies cut around the text) and one of the Tear Strip Tags Birthday banners from The Greetery.

As a final sparkly touch, I added a few crystal sequins and gems.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Tear Strip Tags Birthday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Eat Cake stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rainbow Card Cover die Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Tear Strip Banners die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Stamp Market - Eat Cake dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Simon Says Stamp - Clouds For Days stencil 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	Simon Says Stamp - Ivory cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Melon Orange cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Minty cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy cardstock 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)
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 - Christmas in July

Morning all!

Well, Dawn has finally unleashed the festive spirit over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, because it's time for a Christmas in July challenge!

I know making festive projects in the middle of summer isn't for everyone up here in the Northern Hemisphere, but needs must.

And despite me setting myself the goal of making 1 Christmas card per week to keep on top of my Christmas card list, I fell badly behind over the Spring and have had some serious catching up to do over the summer months, so I brought out the big guns!

That's right, a tried-and-tested design that I could also use to make a dent in my rather vintage Crate Paper festive patterned paper collection.

Paper: Crate Paper - Bundled Up (r)
Stamps: Flora & Fauna - Holiday Word Party (r), Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas, SugarPea Designs - You're My Type (r)
Dies: SugarPea Designs - You're My Type (r), The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, MFT - Tall Snow Globe (r), Neat & Tangled - Skinny Strips (r)

Fair warning, most of the supplies for this project are now discontinued, but I love using these supplies every year.

I started out by sorting through my bag of Colour Crush cardstock scraps from The Stamp Market and pulling out shades that would work for festive cards to cut with the You're My Type dies from SugarPea Designs.

Then over the course of a few evenings I prepared all the elements I'd need to make close to 20 cards.

• Step 1: cutting all the typewriter elements
• Step 2: assembling the typewriters minus the paper
• Step 3: stamping the "Dear Santa" and "Just a note" text on the inserts and attaching them
• Step 4: cutting all the vellum and brown cardstock pieces with the MFT Tall Snowglobe dies
• Step 5: stamping Flora & Fauna's Holiday Word Party (merry christmas) and Hello Bluebird Typed Christmas (bring on the merry) sentiments on sentiment banners from The Greetery and Neat & Tangled respectively
• Step 6: creating the finished typewriter snow globes ready to stick on the card front

Once all those steps were done, it was just a matter of creating the card bases with a mix of 6x6 and 12x12 papers from the Bundled Up collection that Crate Paper released in 2013. This step only took an afternoon into the early evening. And it was time well spent on this project.

The cards are all relatively flat and can be easily posted, which is always a plus!

So I'm now back on target with my Christmas cards - well, until I inevitably fall behind again, that is!

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

Happy crafting!

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Flora & Fauna - Holiday Word Party stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	SugarPea Designs - You're My Type stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	SugarPea Designs - You're My Type dies (r) Shop at: MISC
The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	MFT - Tall Snow Globe dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Neat & Tangled - Skinny Strips dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Vellum Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	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