Kool Kitty Musings

2022 Card Challenge - August card

Well, if you may remember, back at the start of August I shared the prompt for this month's card challenge, where the focus colour was peach.

And for a change, I actually made my card a few weeks ago, but totally failed to photograph it, until today!

So I can now finally share the end result:

Paper: Simple Stories - Sunshine & Happiness (r)
Stamps: The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday
Dies: The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, The Greetery - Honey Bees

For my peach element, I used some patterned paper from Simple Stories as my background, which was also a great match for the peach ink tones I used for the Print Shop: Floral Frame set from The Greetery.

All the ink colours are listed below. :)

For the focus of my floral frame, I used the largest bee from The Honey Bees die set from The Greetery, adding a little Sea Glass ink to the wings.

The sentiment is from the Sentiment Suite: Birthday set and is stamped onto a sentiment strip from the coordinating die set.

I used 3D foam tape for the bee and sentiment, but the floral frame is popped up on a few pieces of scrap cardstock.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Floral Frame die Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Honey Bees dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Breeze 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 - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pacific ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peach ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rusty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

DCM - Stencil it!

Morning!

Long time no card post!

Well, my little heat-related break from my craft desk is now over as the weather has returned to typical British summer temperatures.

And it's well-timed, as this week it was my turn to set the challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog!

This week's theme, is stencils... whether as part of a stamp and die combo (my fave!), stand-alone use with different media, or a DIY stencil created from a coverplate or other dies.

I am still very much loving my Print Shop stash from The Greetery, as this series uses stencils to lay down the main colours, then you go in with stamps to add details, and can also cut out the whole thing or elements with dies for extra pop.

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

The entire background is created with the Print Shop: Garden Goodness stamp and stencil set, for my colour inspiration I channelled the yellow focus colour of the July card challenge prompt here as well as the whimsical floral/leafy backgrounds patterns in that prompt.

I used a mix of inks from Altenew and The Stamp Market for my ink blending and stamping, plus the Dove ink cube from the Concord and 9th set for the grey stamped elements on the lighter leaves.

And of course for the Opposites Attract sentiments, I reached for my trusty Onyx Versafine pad that is now over 20 years old and still has never been reinked! One of the best investments ever made. ;)

To add a little dimension, I just used snippets of the waste cardstock from die-cutting the sentiments. I'm still trying to cut down on my use of foam tape and this has also meant less waste in my bin after a project too.

Every little helps!

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Print Shop: Garden Goodness stamps and stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Altenew - Buttercream dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Industrial Diamond dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Mango Smoothie dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Morning Frost dye ink Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Silver Stone dye ink Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Golden ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Slate ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sunshine ink pad Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Altenew - Four Scoops ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Rock Collection ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Altenew - Summer Afternoon ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)
Altenew - Warm Gray ink cube set Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

2022 Card Challenge - May card

I can't believe it has taken me almost an entire month to share the card I made for this month's prompt, as seen here.

The prompt inspired a retro theme, so of course out came my beloved typewriter set from SugarPea Designs.

Paper: Simple Stories - Dream Big (r)
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Birthday Messages, SugarPea Designs - You're My Type
Dies: SugarPea Designs - You're My Type, The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, Mama Elephant - Framed Tags - Madison Avenue

I am making a concerted effort to use up my stash of pre-scored card blanks, as these days I tend to make my bases from Neenah 8.5 x 11 cardstock so I can use US A2 dies on my cards.

And well, you can't go wrong with kraft, so that was the "neutral + bold tone" part of the challenge sorted!

It goes so well with these bright, rainbow patterns and designs in the Dream Big collection by Simple Stories.

I wanted to keep things simple, so just showcased the orange typewriter with a fun frame and added a couple of sentiments.

And hey presto, card made!

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Mama Elephant - Birthday Messages stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	SugarPea Designs - You're My Type stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	SugarPea Designs - You're My Type dies Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Mama Elephant - Framed Tags - Madison Avenue dies Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC (UK)
Simple Stories - Dream Big - 4x4 Elements paper (r) Shop at: MISC	Simple Stories - Dream Big - Dream Big paper (r) Shop at: MISC	Simple Stories - Dream Big - Chipboard stickers (r) Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Thank you for your kindness

I managed to snap a few projects at the weekend after I'd

Here's another take on the April card challenge prompt:

Paper and chipboard: Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Garden Party
Stamps: Concord & 9th - Banner Builder
Dies: Concord & 9th - Banner Builder, Mama Elephant - Oval Scallop Frames, Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles

I wanted to go to town with patterned paper and green as the focus colour. So in came the Garden Party collection from Maggie Holmes. It includes lots of floral prints, including a lovely one on black that reminds me a little of the flower characters in Disney's Alice in Wonderland. There are also more subtle floral prints (as used for the banner die).

Plus, there's a great pop of green in the collection.

It's definitely a full on busy card, so the only finishing touch needed was a "bow" - or bow-like butterfly from the chipboard set. :)

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Concord & 9th - Banner Builder stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Banner Builder dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Mama Elephant - Oval Scallop Frames dies Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SBC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | MISC	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Garden Party - Blooming paper Shop at: SBC	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Garden Party - Garden Friends paper Shop at: SBC
Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Garden Party - Garden Greens paper Shop at: SBC	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Garden Party - Happy Growing paper Shop at: SBC	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Garden Party - Sown paper Shop at: SBC	Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Garden Party - Cardstock stickers Shop at: SBC
Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Garden Party - Chipboard Shop at: SBC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | EH | SBC

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

To round off my Easter crafting projects for this year, here's the card I made that was also inspired by the April card prompt here.

The focus colour for April was green (I went with sage green) and I was inspired by the big blooms in one of the images and the distinctive bow on the dress in another image.

Stamp: Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments (r)
Dies: The Greetery - BotaniCuts Pussy Willow, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Tulips, The Greetery - Crimped Slimline, The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied, The Greetery - Wood Slices
Other: Distress Oxide inks

There's a lot of ink that went into this project. Everything apart from that green panel is cut from white/cream cardstock and inked with Distress Oxides or dye ink.

Coloured pencils also bring some of the smaller details to life.

Got to love those BotaniCuts dies from The Greetery, they really do capture nature so well.

Once everything was inked, assembled, and positioned just so on my card, I added Glossy Accents to the stamen and added a stamped greeting to the Spring bouquet.

Enjoy your Easter weekend!

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Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - BotaniCuts Pussy Willow dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - BotaniCuts Tulips dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Crimped Slimline dies Shop at: MISC | SHC
The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied dies Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Wood Slices dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Antique Linen Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Broken China Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Ground Espresso Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Kitsch Flamingo Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mustard Seed Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Rustic Wilderness Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Rusty Hinge Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Scattered Straw Shop at: EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Spun Sugar Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tumbled Glass Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Doe ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Pizza Crust ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Soot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Walnut ink pad Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS
Ranger - Glossy Accents Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Brutfuner 120 Colouring Pencils Set Shop at: AZ	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

Easter Greetings

Well, you wouldn't think it looking out the window today, but Easter is fast approaching, and thankfully I had time to get some cards made in the past few weekends, including this one inspired by the 2022 Card Challenge March prompt here.

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday, The Greetery - Print Shop: Spring Mix
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday, The Greetery - Let's Have A Word: Easter

The prompt was the perfect excuse to give the Print Shop: Spring mix stamps and stencils from The Greetery a test drive with a mix of spring ink shades from Lawn Fawn.

I applied the different stencil layers directly to my card base.

Once the stencil layers were done, I just added the stamped details with an acrylic block, which didn't go too badly! I am so reliant on my Misti now that I rarely free stamp anything.

I cut the Easter word die from light pink cardstock and a few pieces of dark grey cardstock to create a shadow effect.

I found the perfect stand-alone "greetings" sentiment in the Opposites Attract Holiday set, and it finished things off perfectly.

I then added some sparkly details to the flower centres and used my Wink of Stella pen on the pink Easter die cut.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Print Shop: Spring Mix stamps and stencils Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Holiday Script dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Let's Have A Word: Easter die Shop at: MISC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Apricot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Butter ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Jalapeño ink pad Shop at: SHC	Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Pinkfresh Studio - Sweet Mustard ink pad Shop at: MISC | SBC
The Stamp Market - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Salmon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS	The Stamp Market - Slate cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Morning Dew (clear) Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

DCM - January Elemental Inspiration

Good morning!

Well, that's almost the first week of January survived!

The monthly elemental inspiration challenges on the Daring Cardmakers blog are back for another year, and to kick off 2022 Shabneez has picked this image:

I must confess, it was a little difficult to shift gears and exit the Christmas cardmaking mode I'd been permanently stuck in for the previous three months, but I scrolled through some of my projects from 2021 and ideas started to form.

My three elements are kraft/brown, a subdivided frame layout, and foliage.

Stamps: The Greetery - Opposites Attract
Dies: The Greetery - Opposites Attract, The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script, Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder, The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix, The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II
Other: Distress Oxide inks

I started out by cutting the divider frame from cream cardstock twice. I had a stack of the little window pop-outs left over from previous cards, so I cut them all with the pierced insert dies in the set ready for future projects, and selected the textured white cardstock ones for this one, as they provide extra pop against the kraft card base and the cream of the frame.

Once I'd attached the frame and inserts to my kraft card base, I cut the woodgrain frame from left over kraft card and blended over it with the brown dye ink that was left on my brown blending brush. It brings out that woodgrain texture and adds a little depth to the kraft.

Then it was time to make cut and colour the Wildflower Mix die cuts. I followed the video on The Greetery site for inspiration, using Oxide inks and ink daubers for the main colour, then pencils and a black pen for small details. I definitely need a bit more practice with this!

Once they were all dry, I arranged them in the frame and simply added sentiments from the Opposites Attract set.

I kind of wish I'd restamped the blue "Happy" as it looks blotchy in the photo, but it's not so bad in real life. ;)

I'm also using this project as my take on the January card challenge prompt here. I was inspired by the window, stacked elements, and of course the pop of blue!

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Opposites Attract stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Opposites Attract dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Opposites Attract Script dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Honey Bee Stamps - Wood Frame Builder dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC
The Greetery - BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Blueprint Sketch Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Broken China Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Festive Berries Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Lucky Clover Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mowed Lawn Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Mustard Seed Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Salvaged Patina Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Shaded Lilac Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Squeezed Lemonade Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Tattered Rose Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Twisted Citron Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Worn Lipstick Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Blue Jay ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ | EH	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Sponge daubers Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

DCM - Baubles, Boxes, and Bows

Good morning!

It's the last of the Countdown to Christmas challenges over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

This week's theme is baubles, boxes, and bows... and well my card contains all three!

It also uses up lots of cardstock scraps and marks the festive return of Stickles glitter glue in abundance:

Stamp: The Greetery - Ornament Box Top Vertical
Dies: The Greetery - Ornament Box Top Vertical, Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles, The Greetery - Curio: Attic Ornaments, The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II
Other: Distress Oxide

I started out by stamping the Ornament Box Top Vertical red rubber stamp from The Greetery on Bristol cardstock in Cherry Kisses ink. I find the smoothness of Bristol cardstock to be very forgiving when stamping detailed red rubber background stamps, as it just sucks up that ink in a crisp way.

I then stamped areas of the background stamp on a scrap of Bazzill Marshmallow cardstock in contrasting colours, ready to cut out with the matching die for this stamp set.

Once the background panel was dry, I cut it out with the largest die in the Hero Arts Infinity Rectangles. I could have done this with a ruler and knife, but I really like the neat cutting edge from a die, and any white bits showing can easily be inked over the with ink pad you used to stamp the box.

Next, it was time to delve into my bag of cardstock scraps from The Stamp Market and try and cut a load of bits that would work together using the Curio Attic Ornaments dies also from The Greetery.

Once I'd assembled a few things, the Stickles made their Christmas outing and glammed up these ornaments.

I left them to dry overnight (there have been too many times when crafting at night a Stickles accident has occurred - I've learnt my lesson!) and the next morning it was time to start assembling the box.

I cut the Divider die from white cardstock several times, and the top layer is from cream cardstock that looks a bit more rustic. One of the white cardstocks I used to cut this die is actually a corrugated sort of texture, so I used the cutouts from the frame in the background of the card for added interest. After the layered frame and inserts were all glued in place, I used some Antique Linen Distress Oxide ink to add some more vintage age.

I then placed all the elements where I thought they'd work best, using the Holly & Pine dies from Hello Bluebird for some sprigs of winter foliage.

I used a white pen to add some details to the wreath and the (slightly menacing looking) deer.

And hey presto, the card was finally made!

It might not be the quickest project to make, but it can definitely be simplified if that's the way you want to go.

I'm also using this card as my take on the December card prompt, since I also had that in mind when I was creating it and choosing the colours. :)

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

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Ornament Box Top Vertical stamp Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Ornament Box Top Vertical dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
The Greetery - Curio: Attic Ornaments dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Curio: Divider and Details II dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Antique Linen Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Peony ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Strathmore Bristol cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Memory Box - Majestic Hues glitter pad Shop at: EH | MISC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

DCM - Awesome Autumn

Good morning!

We're welcoming the season over on the Daring Cardmakers blog by focusing on all things autumn this week.

Stamps: Mama Elephant - Mini Everyday Messages, The Stamp Market - Little Lovelies
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Woodgrain cover-up (r), Lawn Fawn - Hearts, The Stamp Market - Embroidery Hoops, The Stamp Market - Mini Autumn Leaves, The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags

I was also determined to use kraft for this card, so it would also tick the boxes for the kraft-focussed October card challenge prompt here.

Kraft is definitely a great backdrop for colourful autumnal tones, and I love pairing it with my stitched woodgrain cover die from Lil' Inker Designs.

I've been inspired by the Curio designs recently shared by The Greetery, and used lots of mini dies from The Stamp Market to create little Curio tags.

I used many cardstock scraps to cut the leaves (always satisfying to make a dent in your scraps!) and stamped the embroidery hoops with stamps from the Little Lovelies set, also from The Stamp Market.

It wasn't the quickest card to make and took some faffing about to get the layout right, but I was also listening to an audiobook at the same time. So time well spent. ;)

I found a sentiment that would fit on the smallest tag and added a bright enamel dot as a finishing touch.

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

Happy crafting!

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Mama Elephant - Mini Everyday Messages stamps Shop at: EH | SHC	The Stamp Market - Little Lovelies stamps Shop at: MISC	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Woodgrain cover-up die (r) Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Hearts dies Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Embroidery Hoops dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Mini Autumn Leaves dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Slate ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Neenah 80 lb smooth Desert Storm cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Bubblegum cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Citrine cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Gravel cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Melon Orange cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peach cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rusty cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2021 Card Challenge - July cards

Well, since I was in assembly mode, I made some more cards that fit the bill for the July card challenge prompt, where the focus colour is yellow.

They all feature yellow inked backgrounds that incorporate painterly effects, some with a splatter stamp, there are a few nods to the colour combos in the prompt image, the sentiment is a typewriter font, and the pot plant has been interpreted as a bouquet in a mason jar. :)

Here's the first card:

Stamps: Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral, SugarPea Designs - You're My Type, The Greetery - Just Mason Around
Dies: Reverse Confetti - Stitches Cover Panel, Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral, SugarPea Designs - You're My Type, The Greetery - Just Mason Around, The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags

I used a rather alternative but bold colour palette for the floral bouquet - I rather like the blue tones in the mix.

The background was created by blending Sweet Mustard ink from Pinkfresh Studio on Neenah cardstock and then spritzing randomly with a little water and using a paper towel to blot the water droplets so they'd be more obvious.

Once the background was dry, I ran it through the Big Shot with the stitched cover plate.

The sentiments used for all three cards are designed to be used with a typewriter die in the same set, but they fit perfectly on these mini tags from The Stamp Market.

 

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Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	SugarPea Designs - You're My Type stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Just Mason Around stamps Shop at: MISC	Reverse Confetti - Stitches Cover Panel die Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC
Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral die Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Just Mason Around dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Maple Yellow dye ink Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Misty Morning dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Pure Graphite dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Sea Breeze dye ink Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Carrot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Forget-Me-Not ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Guava ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Pinkfresh Studio - Sweet Mustard ink pad Shop at: MISC | SBC
PTI - Harvest Gold ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Orange Zest ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Altenew - Deep Blue Seas ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC
Altenew - Rock Collection ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Altenew - Summer Afternoon ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Altenew - Tranquillity ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS
Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Ranger - Mini round ink blending tools Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

 

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Next up, it was time to combine Distress Oxides and go full on aqua and blue as the contrasting colours:

Stamps: Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral, SugarPea Designs - You're My Type, The Greetery - Just Mason Around, MFT - Brush Splatter Background
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched dies (r), Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral, SugarPea Designs - You're My Type, The Greetery - Just Mason Around, The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags
Other: Distress Oxides

The blended background uses just two shades of Distress Oxide. I find Fossilized Amber such a versatile shade - the denser the blend the more orange the results, but with a light hand you can get a lovely midtone shade too.

Once again there are lots of water blotches dabbed away with a paper towel, and for extra splatter I stamped the MFT background stamp in Lawn Fawn No. 2 Pencil ink.

I didn't mention earlier, but all the jars are stamped with the same ink colour for all three layers. Cloudy Sky from Altenew is a lovely shade of blue that layers up nicely to provide those darker tones.

When the background was dry, I used a stitched die from Lil Inker Designs to add a little more interest around the edges to frame the project.

I rather like this mix of yellow and aqua tones for the bouquet.

 

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Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	SugarPea Designs - You're My Type stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Just Mason Around stamps Shop at: MISC	MFT - Brush Splatter Background stamp Shop at: EH | SHC
Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral die Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Just Mason Around dies Shop at: MISC	Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Cloudy Sky dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Moon Rock dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Mountain Mist dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Volcano Lake dye ink Shop at: MISC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Squeezed Lemonade Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Apricot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Carrot ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - No. 2 pencil ink pad Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Sunflower ink pad Shop at: SBC | SHC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Altenew - Rock Collection ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC
Altenew - Sea Shore ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Altenew - Tranquillity ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ
Ranger - Mini round ink blending tools Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC
Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

 

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Finally, we have another Distress Oxide background showcasing the bouquet:

Stamps: Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral, SugarPea Designs - You're My Type, The Greetery - Just Mason Around, MFT - Brush Splatter Background
Dies: Waffle Flower - Diamond Texture, Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral, SugarPea Designs - You're My Type, The Greetery - Just Mason Around, The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags
Other: Distress Oxides

This time it's just Fossilized Amber doing all the work - with some subtle water splatters and stamped splatters.

I used another striking shade of blue ink for the jar - Dusk from Altenew.

It feels very autumnal with the pink/yellow florals against that amber background.

This time the cover die is from Waffle Flower and adds to the radiating effect of the blending.

And I think that's it for now. :)

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Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	SugarPea Designs - You're My Type stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	The Greetery - Just Mason Around stamps Shop at: MISC	MFT - Brush Splatter Background stamp Shop at: EH | SHC
Waffle Flower - Diamond Texture die Shop at: EH | SHC	Pinkfresh Studio - Modern Layered Floral die Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	The Greetery - Just Mason Around dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Buttercream dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Coral Berry dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Dusk dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Frosty Pink dye ink Shop at: MISC
Altenew - Honey Drizzle dye ink Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Moon Rock dye ink Shop at: MISC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - No. 2 pencil ink pad Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Altenew - Pocketful of Sunshine ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Altenew - Rock Collection ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Altenew - Summer Afternoon ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC
Altenew - Tranquillity ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: EH | SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Ranger - Mini round ink blending tools Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2021 Card Challenge - May Card

Hello!

Well, I seem  to have found myself back at my craft desk and in the mood to play...

So I thought I'd start off by creating a card for the May card challenge prompt here.

Stamp: Mama Elephant - Mini Everyday Messages
Dies: The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied, The Stamp Market - Poppy Silhouette, The Stamp Market - Postage Stamp, The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags

So my focus was on featuring a colour palette with blush pink tones as the main pop of colour and the other elements in the image, which included some florals.

And that reminded me that I still needed to use the Poppy Silhouette die from The Stamp Market, which is made up of lots of cut elements that form the final poppy.

I cut the dies from watercolour cardstock so that I could use the inks below from The Stamp Market to ink blend and also watercolour the petals, going back in to add more detail as the layers of colour dried.

The stem and leaves weren't blended, just straight in with the watercolour effect.

I also wanted to combine the blush with a warm neutral (Rustic Cream cardstock from Papertrey Ink, which has speckles in the natural paper fibres) and navy blue C&9the cardstock as the background that essentially frames the main panel.

The circle in the prompt image kind of reminded me of a tag, so I added my sentiment (in a clean print font also inspired by the prompt image) on a tiny tag and attached it to the flower with embroidery thread, using The Greetery twine die cut from kraft as an added detail.

I definitely need to replenish my card basket with some birthday cards.

Roll on the next project!

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Mama Elephant - Mini Everyday Messages stamps Shop at: EH | SHC	The Greetery - Fit to Be Tied dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Poppy Silhouette dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Postage Stamp dies Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Tiny Tags dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Bubble Gum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	The Stamp Market - Kraft cardstock Shop at: MISC
Tim Holtz - 4.25 x 5.5 Distress Watercolor Cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ
Taylored Expressions - Blender Brushes Shop at: MISC	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2021 Card Challenge - February cards

Well, just in the nick of time I managed to get a few photos of the set of cards I made for the February prompt several weeks ago!

Back in early February I spent most of one rainy Saturday die-cutting the Pieces of My heart small die 16 times to get a full rainbow of colours and another 16 times to get the white outline.

Well, four of those hearts have now made it onto these fun little cards.

Stamp: Hello Bluebird - Typed Everyday
Dies: Avery Elle - Double Pierced Squares, Lawn Fawn - Hearts, The Stamp Market - Pieces of My Heart

They are 4x4 in size and the bases are created from 8x8 DCWV cardstock that I've had for ages. These two shades are so happy and bright in real life.

I assembled them by sticking the white heart outlines on squares of card cut with the dotted Avery Elle dies, then pieced in the cardstock segments that already had Stick-it applied to them.

The sentiment is from Hello Bluebird – I figure these cards can be sent for many an occasion. :)

As a finishing touch I added a little heart from Lawn Fawn in the centre for extra pop.

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Hello Bluebird - Typed Everyday stamps Shop at: EH | SSS	Avery Elle - Double Pierced Squares dies Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Hearts dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pieces of My Heart dies Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	The Stamp Market - Bubble Gum cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cactus cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cobalt cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Coral Reef cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cotton Candy cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Curry cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Party Pink cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Peach cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Peony cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass cardstock Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal cardstock Shop at: MISC	Stick It Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI creative corners Shop at: EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2021 Card Challenge - January card

Well goodness, the week has flown by, but with it some rather gloomy weather has flown in.

I've only just managed to get a photo of my project for the January card challenge prompt (a reminder here) as we finally have had a day without constant rain and gloomy skies.

For my inspiration from the prompt, I went with a star as my main focal point plus a mustard-ish/gold yellow - oh and the word "wish" does feature (three boxes ticked!):

Paper: Cocoa Vanilla Studio - Daydream
Stamps: PTI - Stylish Sentiments: Birthday (r), The Stamp Market - Gift Giving Greetings, The Stamp Market - Simply Stripes
Dies: Mama Elephant - Sew Fancy (r), MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX (r), Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles, PTI - Seeing Stars

Sadly I couldn't get a metallic colour to work with this design, the yellow tone just looked so much better in the end.

So no shiny gold star for me this month, just a big yellow one. ;)

But on with the details...

I created the background using all four inks in the Altenew Tranquillity set - the Simply Stripes set from The Stamp Market features various looong stripe stamps, and this is the thinnest one. You can manipulate the stamp on a stamping platform to create some freestyle curvy designs like this one. It's quite a mindful project to just ink and stamp the colours in order to create a pattern.

I cut out the striped background with the largest diagonal stitched rectangle from Pinkfresh Studio and then got to work creating the big yellow star.

The Daydream collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio has some lovely muted tones in it and plenty of versatile paper designs. I cut the largest Seeing Stars die from PTI and scored all the points to create the dimensional effect.

While the star was drying in place, I stamped a mini sentiment on a fishtail banner for the top corner, and added some more blue detail in Nimbus ink.

The main sentiment is from the Gift Giving Greetings set from The Stamp Market, and uses up a little scrap of white cardstock I had on my desk.

I blinged it up a little with the stitching detail from Mama Elephant's Sew Easy die set, and some matchy-matchy yellow enamel dots.

Here's hoping I manage to get a card made for each month of this year's challenge. ;)

Until next time, happy crafting!

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PTI - Stylish Sentiments: Birthday stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Gift Giving Greetings stamps Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Simply Stripes stamps Shop at: MISC	Mama Elephant - Sew Fancy dies (r) Shop at: MISC | SHC
MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Pinkfresh Studio - Diagonal Stitched Rectangles dies Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	PTI - Seeing Stars dies Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Cloudy Sky dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC
Altenew - Dark Night dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Misty Morning dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Nimbus dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Altenew - Tranquillity ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Cocoa Vanilla Studio - Daydream - 6x8 paper pad Shop at: MISC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2020 Christmas countdown - Day 6 (O Christmas Tree)

Today's card is more of a pared back affair.

It's also my take on the February card challenge prompt which features hot pink and some lacy layers. ;)

I wanted to try making my own stamped background on a card blank with generational stamping and just a small selection of colours – and only acrylic blocks for stamping.

It's by no means my best card, but it turned out OK in the end and was saved from the bin. ;)

Stamps: Flora & Fauna - Mini Bottle Trees, Flora & Fauna - Mini Pine Branch, Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas, The Stamp Market - No Peeking
Dies: PTI - Tag Sale #10, Waffle Flower - Lacy Layers 2 (r)

I used Emerald Isle and Party Pink inks from The Stamp Market for the background stamping with the Mini Bottle trees set from Flora & Fauna.

The dot in this set also fits inside the "baubles" of the Christmas tree on the tag which is very handy for bringing the colours together.

I have lots of buttons in my stash, and I was determined to use one from the PTI mix Holiday Mix. I find these buttons a bit hit-and-miss for projects. The right colour will be in the wrong size and super lumpy, otherwise the right size is the wrong colour for your project. LOL Can't win.

It's probably why I usually reach for my jars of October Afternoon buttons. Those shades are more forgiving and even the larger buttons aren't super lumpy.

Anyway, a plainish and experimental card today... onwards and upwards to the next one!

 

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Flora & Fauna - Mini Bottle Trees stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Flora & Fauna - Mini Pine Branch stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC | SSS	The Stamp Market - No Peeking stamps Shop at: MISC
PTI - Tag Sale #10 dies Shop at: MISC	Waffle Flower - Lacy Layers 2 dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Party Pink ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS
PTI - Aqua Mist cardstock Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Hemp Twine - Black Tie Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2020 Card Challenge - June card

It's time for yet another clean and simple card. :D

One inspired by the June card challenge prompt as shared here.

I was inspired by the graphic and multi-coloured word art, thinking it was about time I used some of my alphabet stamps and dies:

Stamps: WPlus9 - Whimsy Alpha
Dies: WPlus9 - Whimsy Alpha, The Stamp Market - Modern Motif Cover

The Whimsy Alphabet from WPlus9 has been much underused by me. But recently looking at colour combos for my inks from The Stamp Market I decided I should get it out and use it with these bright and vibrant inks.

I've had good results stamping with these inks in particular on Bristol Board paper. I had a pad of the 250 gsm paper from The Range and although the weight is a bit thin for my taste as a cardstock, I have found it much easier to get clean impressions with this coated paper that is similar to Stampin' Up Whisper White and will probably buy more in a heavier weight if I can find it rather than get more 80 lb Neenah.

Anyway, yes, once I'd got the order of the colours sorted I mounted them on aqua cardstock ready to showcase with a cover plate.

And well, that Modern Motif cover die from The Stamp Market is one I will be using a lot when I just want some white-on-white texture.

I wanted to continue the pops of colour, so used a large solid shape stamp to add colour to the cutouts. It worked quite well and saves having to cut the cover plate from cardstock shapes to get this contrast.

I wondered about adding sequins, but when I tried to work out where to put them it really made things look a bit busy.

So I just left it at that on this occasion. ;)

 

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WPlus9 - Whimsy Alpha stamps Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	The Stamp Market - Modern Motif Cover die Shop at: MISC	WPlus9 - Whimsy Alpha dies Shop at: EH | SHC	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Bubble Gum ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Citrine ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Party Pink ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Peach ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	PTI - Aqua Mist cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2020 Card Challenge - May card

Time for a little card challenge catch-up. :D

Only half a month late, but you may remember the prompt for last month here.

The hazy pinks and aqua tones of the prompt along with the floral accents inspired me to recreate a hazy pink background with Distress Oxide inks in order to showcase the sentiment.

Stamps: The Stamp Market - Floral Diamond, Pinkfresh Studio - Floral Diamond background
Dies: The Stamp Market - Floral Diamond, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles
Other: Distress Oxides

I used some newer items in my stash for this.

I've had the Floral Diamond stamp set from The Stamp Market for a while but hadn't managed to get the die to go with it until it was recently stocked in the UK.

I also purchased the aptly named Floral Diamond background stamp from Pinkfresh Studio recently and well, why not use them all together? :)

I added a touch of aqua with the watercolouring using reinkers from The Stamp Market and by stamping the aqua solid diamond in the middle.

And as a final touch, sequins of course! :)

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The Stamp Market - Floral Diamond stamps Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	Pinkfresh Studio - Floral Diamond background stamp Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Floral Diamond dies Shop at: MISC | SBC	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Picked Raspberry Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Spun Sugar Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Worn Lipstick Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	The Stamp Market - Citrine ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Party Pink ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Pretty Pink Posh - Sparkling Clear Confetti Mix sequins Shop at: EH | SSS	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Marvy Jewel Picker Shop at: AZ
Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC
MISTI stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Cosmetic blending brushes Shop at: AZ	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Royal Langnickel - Zen watercolour round wash brush set Shop at: AZ
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2020 Card Challenge - April card

Hey there!

Could this be a first?

I've completed a card challenge prompt in the same month it was issued! Granted I made this card a few weeks ago and failed to photographt it... but still, two days left in the month and my card is made!

For a reminder of the prompt, head over to the blog post here.

Paper: Pink Paislee - Hello Sunshine (r)
Sticker: Pinkfresh Studio - Felicity (r)
Stamp: Neat & Tangled - Scandinavian Prints Christmas
Dies: PTI - Limitless layers: 2 1/4" heart, Neat & Tangled - Scored Shapes, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles

I was particularly inspired by the rainbow triangles and the faceted geometric print in the prompt. So I got out one of my favourite triangle sets - Neat & Tangled's Scandinavian Prints Christmas to create the beaming heart.

I actually used a 4 x 4 inch piece of white card for this. I measured the centre point and then aligned the striped triangle stamp in the wreath builder template from Gina K, so I could do 2 impressions in 2 colours at a time. It worked rather well, but I wish I'd used colours more on the pastel end of the spectrum.

Once that was done I used a heart die from PTI to create an aperture in the patterned paper I'd picked out (a favourite collection from Pink Paislee!).

Once all my layers were down I die cut a heart with the scored shapes set also from Neat & Tangled and added a sentiment strip from Pinkfresh Studio's Felicity collection.

And that's it!

Until next time - happy crafting! :D

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Neat & Tangled - Scandinavian Prints Christmas stamps Shop at: SBC | SHC	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Neat & Tangled - Scored Shapes dies Shop at: SBC | SHC | SSS	PTI - Limitless layers: 2 1/4" heart dies Shop at: MISC
Lawn Fawn - Carrot ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Chili Pepper ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Forget-Me-Not ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Jalapeño ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC
Lawn Fawn - Juice Box ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Lemonade ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Mermaid ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Plastic flamingo ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Gina K Designs - Wreath Builder Templates 3 3/4" and 4" Shop at: SSS
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2020 Card Challenge - Feburary card

Well there's nothing like a pandemic lockdown for you to catch up with your list of card projects you need to make.

Problem is I've also been a bit lazy in photographing said projects!

But finally, here is my card for the February card challenge prompt:

Paper: Carta Bella - Our House
Stamps: Ink Road Stamps - Bazinga, My Cute Stamps - Cat's Meow (r)

I went with the full-on pink theme - and the enamel dot inspired by pearls. And that's about where the inspiration ended!

Really, I just wanted to use that pink cat paper... that was it.

And the cat paper meant I could use a stamp from my Bazinga! Big Bang Theory inspired stamp set by Ink Road Stamps.

And as for the little kitty - well once again my vintage stamp library came to the rescue. I loved My Cute Stamps back in the day and their Cat's Meow mini set has been great for cat-themed projects.

Until next time!

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Ink Road Stamps - Bazinga stamps Shop at: SSS	My Cute Stamps - Cat's Meow stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	MFT - Fishtail Flags STAX dies Shop at: EH	Gina K Designs - Obsidian Amalgam ink pad Shop at: EH | SSS
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Carta Bella - Our House - 6x6 pad Shop at: SBC	Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2020 Card Challenge - March card

Slowly but surely I've been working on some projects behind the scenes.

I'm almost caught up with where I want to be in the actual making of them, but still need to start my Easter cards at some point!

One of the items on my to-do list was a card for the March card challenge prompt. If you cast your mind back, this prompt was all about totally embracing the colour green, but also had some great spring floral elements and interesting background patterns.

Well, here's my take:

Paper: Crate Paper and Pebbles
Stamps: Agateria - Napisy na każdą okazję, MFT - Fall Florals (r), PTI - Gran's Garden, The Greetery - Just Mason Around
Dies: MFT - Fall Florals (r), PTI - Gran's Garden, The Greetery - Just Mason Around, Cheery Lynn - French Pastry Doily, PTI - Round Off Edgers, Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Labels

 

This project gave me the opportunity to use some old items in my stash together with some brand-new additions, namely the Just Mason Around stamps and dies from The Greetery, PTI's Gran's Garden stamps and dies, and I also used my Stamp Market inks for some direct stamping with blocks rather than the Misti for all those multi-step florals and leaves. :)

They turned out really nicely, and it's always been quicker to stamp these sorts of things direct onto the die-cut for sets where there's no open matching die. It's nice to have an ink that doesn't require double stamping for this too. :) I got solid impressions first go with those inks.

For the mason jar I used Altenew Sea Glass, Lawn Fawn Merman, and Altenew Lagoon. If I'd been really dedicated I'd have stamped some mock stems in the jar but I loved how the jar turned out as is.

And there we have another card in the card basket ready to go!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Agateria - Napisy na każdą okazję stamps Shop at: MISC	MFT - Fall Florals stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	PTI - Gran's Garden stamps Shop at: MISC | SSS	The Greetery - Just Mason Around stamps Shop at: MISC
MFT - Fall Florals dies (r) Shop at: MISC	PTI - Gran's Garden dies Shop at: MISC | SSS	The Greetery - Just Mason Around dies Shop at: MISC	Cheery Lynn - French Pastry Doily die Shop at: AZ
PTI - Round Off Edgers dies Shop at: MISC | SSS	Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Labels dies Shop at: SSS	Altenew - Lagoon dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Altenew - Sea Glass dye ink Shop at: EH
Hero Arts - Charcoal ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Merman ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	The Stamp Market - Citrine ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Fresh Pink ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Leafy ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Melon Orange ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Mossy ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Party Pink ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Tropic Teal ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Altenew - Cool Summer Night ink cube set Shop at: EH | SHC
Altenew - Sea Shore ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2020 Card Challenge - January card

Evening all!

Apparently today is blue Monday, so it's quite an apt time for me to share the blue-inspired card I made at the weekend for the January 2020 card challenge prompt:

Stamps: The Stamp Market - Just Because STAMPtember 2019 stamp and die bundle (r)
Dies: The Stamp Market - Ready To Bloom Card Cover, Mama Elephant - Framed Tags - Park Avenue
Other: Distress Oxides

This whole card started off life with the background. It's hard to see I know, but it's from a Distress Oxide on glossy paper ink smooshing session. You can see the ink colours used below, I have to say I really liked how it turned out and it's helping a little to keep me away from the temptation of alcohol inks! ;)

I was also inspired by the cherry blossom in the prompt and remembered that I had a new blossom cover plate to try from The Stamp Market that I picked up in a sale. But how to incorporate it without it looking odd against the background? 

With a frame from Mama Elephant also cut from white cardstock. Rather than 3D foam I layered up areas of the frame and blossom cover with layered pieces of cardstock, and that's worked really well at adding dimension without too much bulk.

Finally, I needed a focal point and sentiment that would bring everything together. Another new product outing was the STAMPtember bundle from The Stamp Market. I used one of every die cut in the bundle on the card and combined pink shades for the leaves with Stormy Sky Distress Ink for the flower – a really nice muted blue as it turns out.

And that's it for this project! :D

 

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The Stamp Market - Just Because STAMPtember 2019 stamp and die bundle Shop at: SSS	The Stamp Market - Ready To Bloom Card Cover die Shop at: EH | MISC | SBC	Mama Elephant - Framed Tags - Park Avenue dies Shop at: EH | SHC	Altenew - Blush dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC
Distress ink pad - Stormy Sky Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Chipped Sapphire Shop at: EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Spun Sugar Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tumbled Glass Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Hero Arts - Soft Granite ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	MFT - Pink Lemonade ink pad Shop at: SHC	MFT - Tickled Pink ink pad Shop at: SHC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Altenew - Red Sunset ink cube set Shop at: EH | MISC | SHC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Ranger Gloss paper Shop at: AZ | SSS	Tim Holtz - Distress Micro Glaze Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2019 card challenge - December card

So, I've finally had chance to try and photograph the cards I've made for this month's card challenge prompt. :)

I was immediately inspired by the trees in the image and pale pink.

It was the perfect opportunity to try out a few new supplies, namely the Mod Trees background stamp from Simon Says Stamp and the Joy, Love and Peace die from MFT to make four cards from one sheet of pink card.

First up it's (Altenew) blush pink on pink to make a shaker card.

Stamp: Simon Says Stamp - Mod Trees Background
Dies: MFT - Joy, Love, and Peace, Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles

Before constructing the shaker element, I die-cut the stitched frame on the front panel.

It's a bit hard to tell in the photos, but there are silver seed beads in all the letters, but the icons also contain small sparkly sequins for extra interest.

To keep the elements separate I cut the die from 7 or 8 pieces of white cards and built up the layers. I then mounted Butter Mint cardstock behind the panel as that went nicely with the blush pink tones.

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Next up another experiment of pink on pink:

Stamp: Simon Says Stamp - Mod Trees Background, The Stamp Market - Candy Cane Christmas
Dies: MFT - Joy, Love, and Peace, The Stamp Market - Candy Cane Christmas, Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles

This time I wanted to try the bubblegum pink for a darker look, but I had trouble getting a solid result so had to stamp it several times - the trees are darker than I'd have liked originally, but they still work with this Mod tree style.

Before mounting on my card blank, I cut the panel with a Hero Arts Infinity rectangle die.

I finally added silver glitter paper and stamped the holly and berries from The Stamp Market Candy Cane set to add a bit of extra festive cheer.

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For the next two cards I first clear heat embossed the background stamp on the pale pink cardstock and then it was time for some blending experiments:

Stamp: Simon Says Stamp - Mod Trees Background, The Stamp Market - Candy Cane Christmas
Dies: MFT - Joy, Love, and Peace, The Stamp Market - Candy Cane Christmas
Other: Distress Oxides

This card mainly uses Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide with a little Spun Sugar in places. I needed to keep some cards flat for postage, so the extra pop comes from the white glitter paper peeking through and the sprig of holly.

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I went with warmer pink tones for this background:

Stamp: Simon Says Stamp - Mod Trees Background, The Stamp Market - Candy Cane Christmas
Dies: MFT - Joy, Love, and Peace, The Stamp Market - Candy Cane Christmas
Other: Distress Oxides

It's the same process as the previous card, but this time I used Worn Lipstick around the edges and Tattered Rose in the middle for a little colour variation.

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The Stamp Market - Candy Cane Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	Simon Says Stamp - Mod Trees Background stamp Shop at: SSS	The Stamp Market - Candy Cane Christmas dies Shop at: MISC	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	MFT - Joy, Love, and Peace die Shop at: EH | SHC	Altenew - Blush dye ink Shop at: EH | MISC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Spun Sugar Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Distress Oxide ink pad - Tattered Rose Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Worn Lipstick Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	The Stamp Market - Bubble Gum ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	The Stamp Market - Cactus ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC
The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: EH | MISC	Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ | EH	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Crafter's Companion heat-resistant acetate Shop at: AZ	Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH
EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Cosmetic blending brushes Shop at: AZ
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2019 card challenge - April card

Better late than never, eh?

In the drama of losing a tiny stamp from my beloved WPlus9 Fresh Cut Florals stamp set when cleaning up after a a recent project and re-ordering the last available set  from Seven Hills Crafts to make sure I'd never be without it, I took the opportunity to purge all the pre-stamped die cuts in the storage pocket that I must have stamped about 3 or so years ago.

They'd been taunting me for a while, but rather than ditch them to make more space in the storage pocket I decided to get them stuck down on a card. :D

One inspired by the April card challenge prompt here.

Stamps: WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals, Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments, Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday, Simon Says Stamp - Diagonal Stripes background
Dies: WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals

I arranged them all with the aid of one of the quilting templates I use in my Misti, once that was done I needed to find a way to include a sentiment.

I have some mixed tags from an old Basic Grey collection called Hillside, perfect for incorporating some mini sentiments.

I also dressed up the kraft card blank with the diagonal striped background stamp from Simon Says Stamp - the Versamark ink I tried first didn't show up too well due to the coating on the card blank so I used Gathered Twigs for a less subtle look. :)

Another card completed for the card basket!

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Memory Box - Springtime Typewriter Sentiments stamps Shop at: EH | SSS	Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday stamps Shop at: SSS	WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals stamps Shop at: SHC	Simon Says Stamp - Diagonal Stripes background stamp Shop at: SSS
WPlus9 - Fresh Cut Florals dies Shop at: SHC	Adirondack dye ink - Mountain Rose (r) Shop at: SBC	Adirondack dye ink - Salmon (r) Shop at: SBC	Distress ink pad - Gathered Twigs Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Hero Arts - Charcoal ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	Lawn Fawn - Celery stick ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC	PTI - Aqua Mist ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Harvest Gold ink pad Shop at: MISC
PTI - Hawaiian Shores ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Hibiscus Burst ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Lemon Tart ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Poppy Red ink pad Shop at: MISC
PTI - Raspberry Fizz ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Ripe Avocado ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Simply Chartreuse ink pad Shop at: MISC	PTI - Summer Sunrise ink pad Shop at: MISC
PTI - Sweet Blush ink pad Shop at: MISC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	PTI - Soft Stone cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Buttermilk Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC
Tonic Studios Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

2018 card challenge - October card

This month's card challenge is all about pen and ink and here's my take:

Paper: My Mind's Eye
Stamp: Lil' Inker Designs - Have a Nice Day
Die: MFT - Wonky Stitched Squares
Other: Distress Oxide inks, rose gold embossing powder

For this card I had the opportunity to borrow some lovely product from my crafty friend's stash - the wonderful Have a Nice Day greeting is from Lil' Inker Designs, and I just love the hand-lettered style of it.

It looks even more glorious in real life with the rose gold embossing powder (also a borrowed item for this project). ;)

It's such a simple combo for creating custom card designs: just some neutral background paper (my stash of this design by MME is slowly dwindling, but it has been so versatile and the perfect warm grey for lots of projects), a square cut from white cardstock, a few Distress Oxide inks to paint that watercolour background and the heat-embossed greeting.

Oh and a few splatters of Lawn Fawn bubblegum pink ink for good measure!

Clean and simple! :D

Whatever your plans this weekend, have a great one!

I'm hoping to get crafty again!

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MFT - Wonky Stitched Square STAX dies Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	Distress Oxide ink pad - Fossilized Amber Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Distress Oxide ink pad - Tattered Rose Shop at: AZ | SBC	Distress Oxide ink pad - Worn Lipstick Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Lawn Fawn - Bubblegum ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS	My Mind's Eye - Find Your Wings & Fly - Sky's the Limit - Layered Ephemera paper (r) Shop at: SBC	EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC

 

2018 card challenge - September card

Just popping in to share the birthday card I made in response to this month's card challenge.

My niece turned 2 this month so it was definitely time to go cute!

Paper: Lawn Fawn, Elle's Studio
Ephemera: Crate Paper - Little You
Dies: Mama Elephant - Madison Avenue; PTI - By the Numbers; Lawn Fawn - Grassy border; Lawn Fawn - A Birdie Told Me
Other: 3D foam tape, typewriter

I even dusted off the typewriter to make this card as I just didn't have a greeting that would fit neatly on the front and still leave room for a number.

Typewritten notes are kind of a theme with my niece I realised.

The inside was also stamped with a greeting from the PTI Big Birthday Wishes stamp set:

I'm happy to report she had a lovely birthday. :D

And now that we're almost into October, I really need to get started on my Christmas card making! :oO

 

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PTI - Big Birthday Wishes stamps Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - A Birdie Told Me dies Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC	PTI - By the Numbers dies Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Grassy border die Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC
Mama Elephant - Framed Tags - Madison Avenue Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: EH | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Really Rainbow 6x6 pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC
Crate Paper - Little You - Ephemera - Girl (r) Shop at: AZ | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

Santa! I know him!

So today's post is in part my response to a couple of the colour picks for this year's Pantone card challenge. One is Greenery (our April colour) and the other is Grenadine (our November colour) and both shades are wonderfully festive and brought to mind two figures I could easily incorporate on my Christmas cards.

Buddy the Elf and Santa!

So first up, my Buddy the Elf cards.

I must admit to finally getting my hands on the Waffle Flower Surface Tag die set and Santa Add-on as I have been coveting it for a while and now that I have some Buddy-related sentiments in my collection thanks to Lil' Inker Designs and the All the Christmas You'll Ever Need 2 stamp set well the time was right.

Paper: Lawn Fawn - Knit Picky
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs - All the Christmas You'll Ever Need, Lawn Fawn - Deck the Halls
Dies: Waffle Flower - Surface Tag and Santa Add-on, PTI - Sending You dies
Other: 3D foam tape, Distress Ink

I used a mix of sentiments from different stamp sets for these cards, they can all be found at the very end of this blog post. But the main attraction is of course the Elf tag. Candy Apple Bazzill cardshoppe is a great match for the Buddy shade of green, and I used Peeled Paint Distress Ink to add a little dimension to the placket down the front. The collar is actually cut from two "leaves" from a die set by PTI and those Knit Picky papers really do offset the tags nicely.

Inside I stamped the following quote from Elf:

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear

So, four Buddy cards added to the Christmas card tin, and next up Buddy's friend Santa:

Paper: Lawn Fawn - Knit Picky
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs - All the Christmas You'll Ever Need, Lawn Fawn - Deck the Halls
Dies: Waffle Flower - Surface Tag and Santa Add-on
Other: 3D foam tape
I did two different designs for the tags this time. This one has a longer beard and a different sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Deck the Halls stamp set.

Then the other has the Lil' Inker Designs sentiment I also used for the fronts, plus the shorter beard to fit in the buttons:

Really easy to put together and again my Bazzill Cardshoppe cardstock offered up the perfect festive shade for the suit.

The sentiment inside the Santa cards reads:

It's all fun and games 'til Santa checks the naughty list!

Most appropriate for a few people on my Christmas card list. :D

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Lawn Fawn - Deck the Halls stamps Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Lil' Inker Designs - All The Christmas You'll Ever Need 2 stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	Lil' Inker Designs - All The Christmas You'll Ever Need stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC	PTI - Stylish Sentiments: Holiday stamps Shop at: MISC
WPlus9 - Merry & Bright stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	PTI - Sending You dies Shop at: MISC	Lil' Inker Designs - Stitched Mats: Rectangles dies Shop at: MISC | SHC	Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Santa Add-on Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC
Waffle Flower - Surface Tag Die: Starter Set Shop at: AZ | SBC | SHC	Distress ink pad - Peeled Paint Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Chili Pepper ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Jalapeño ink pad Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS
Lawn Fawn - Noble Fir ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Knit Picky 6x6 paper pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Ranger - Mini round ink blending tools Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

 

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Better late than never! August Pantone challenge card

I'm trying to catch up a little with the projects I've shared on Instagram but not yet blogged.

Back in early August I actually managed to make a card for the August Pantone pick of Navy Peony.

Stamps: Altenew - Vintage Flowers, PTI - Graceful Greetings
Dies: Altenew - Vintage Flowers, PTI - Graceful Greetings, Lawn Fawn - Put a Bow on It
Other: Tonic Nuvo Crystal Drops, 3D foam tape

I had a fun time combining my various Distress inks in blues and grey inks to try out an alternative colour palette for this rather beloved stamp set! Makes a change from the usual green leaves, eh?

I paired the stamps and dies with some Pebbles spotty grey paper I had in my stash and the tag die-cut that I cut at a crop earlier in the year when borrowing a friend's dies. As always those PTI Graceful Greetings stamps and dies are just the perfect font, size and style to add a pretty sentiment that doesn't cover up all your hard work of stamping those flowers.

I really love the finishing touch the oyster Nuvo drops provide. So subtle.

 

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Altenew - Vintage Flowers stamps Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	PTI - Graceful Greetings stamps Shop at: MISC	Altenew - Vintage Flowers dies Shop at: EH | SHC | SSS	PTI - Graceful Greetings dies Shop at: MISC
Lawn Fawn - Put a Bow on It dies Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Distress ink pad - Chipped Sapphire Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Distress ink pad - Faded Jeans Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	Distress ink pad - Stormy Sky Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Hero Arts - Charcoal ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Hero Arts - Soft Granite ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Black Licorice ink pad Shop at: EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	Simon Says Stamp - Slate ink pad Shop at: SSS
Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ | EH | SHC | SSS	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Marshmallow Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS	PTI - Enchanted Evening cardstock Shop at: MISC	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Oyster Grey Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: AZ | EH | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SHC | SSS	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: AZ | EH | SBC | SSS

 

For the Bride and Groom

I've currently got some building work happening at home so haven't been able to access my office/craft space easily to share the card I made for my cousin's wedding in Warsaw almost a week ago.

I had to of course use some of my favourite wedding stamps, which happen to be by Waltzing Mouse Stamps and sadly are no longer available - but if you have these in your stash count yourself lucky! :)

Paper: MME - Fancy That
Stamps: Waltzing Mouse - Big Day Additions and Cameo Creations
Dies: Lawn Fawn, MFT, Spellbinders
Other: MISTI, vellum, Nuvo Drops, 3D foam tape, resin flower and crown, heart gem

So I really went to town with those grey, blush and gold tones for this card. I'm also including it as my entry for the May Pantone challenge which was for Pale Dogwood. Here's a reminder of the prompt:

Not only did the colour fit, but I also included some of those 1920s style geometrical prints.

Anyway, the wedding was a wonderful event by all accounts and I hope the happy couple liked their card. :)

Not sure if I will have any crafting spirit left in me this weekend as the upstairs is a bit chaotic to say the least right now, but if I do, I guess I'd best start on the Christmas cards - especially with the weather being as cold and grey as it is right now! ;)

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Waltzing Mouse - Big Day Additions stamps (r) Shop at: AZ	Waltzing Mouse - Cameo Creations stamps (r) Shop at: AZ	Lawn Fawn - Large cross-stitched square stackables Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	MFT - Fishtail Flags Layers STAX dies Shop at: SSS
MFT - High Tea Doily die (r) Shop at: AZ	Spellbinders - Nestabilities - Classic ovals large Shop at: AZ	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: SSS | EH	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Bubblegum Blush Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | AZ | SBC	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | AZ | SBC
MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ | SBC

 

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Pink Yarrow inspired

It's hard to believe I originally drafted this post on July 4th, but have only just managed to take a photo of the actual project!

Back in early July I tried to do a little catch up with the 2017 Pantone colour challenge.

June's colour was Pink Yarrow - a lovely hot pink shade!

Here's a reminder of the prompt.

{Pinterest pin}

I really liked the idea of the navy stripes in the background and using the pink for a burst of colour with floral stamps.

Here's what I made:

 

Stamps: Mama Elephant - Brush Strokes, WPlus9 - Spring Blooms, PTI - Graceful Greetings
Dies: Mama Elephant - Sew Fancy, WPlus9 - Spring Blooms, PTI - Graceful Greetings
Other: MISTI, 3D foam tape

Plastic Flamingo from Lawn Fawn is a great shade of pink for this challenge. I paired it with Fresh Cut Grass green ink and that lovely aqua tone that is Peacock. This was also the first outing for my Brush Strokes stamp set from Mama Elephant - I used the two longest stamps in the set and my MISTI to stamp the background so that it was roughly straight and even but not perfect! :)

I toyed with adding some enamel dots or sequins but thought it was nicest left as is in the end to make the greeting and flowers really stand out.

Here's hoping I'll be much quicker to take photos on my next project. ;)

 

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Mama Elephant - Brush Strokes stamp set Shop at: SHC | SSS	PTI - Graceful Greetings stamp set Shop at: PTI	WPlus9 - Spring Blooms stamps Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH	Mama Elephant - Sew Fancy die set Shop at: SHC | SSS
PTI - Graceful Greetings die set Shop at: PTI	WPlus9 - Spring Blooms dies Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH	Altenew - Desert Night dye ink Shop at: SHC | SSS	Lawn Fawn - Freshly Cut Grass ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Peacock ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH	Lawn Fawn - Plastic flamingo ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: SSS | EH	Ranger - Multi-Medium Matte adhesive Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ | SBC
3M Scotch double-sided foam tape Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | AZ | SBC	MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ | SBC

 

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Sending you birthday wishes

Here's my card for July's Pantone colour challenge inspired by Ballet Slipper pink!

Happily Lawn Fawn has some great ink colours that fit this challenge - the aptly named Ballet Slippers and Minty Fresh along with the other shades I've used...

Stamps: WPlus9 - Freehand Florals, Winnie & Walter - Sending You, PTI - Phrase Play #6
Die: Avery Elle - Custom Panels
Other: MISTI, post-it tape, sparkle tape, enamel dots

So my plan was to use an alternative colour palette for the lovely Freehand Floral stamps from WPlus9 - rather than a traditional green for the leaves I wanted to use mint and aqua tones to contrast against the pink florals. For a contrasting neutral tone I used two shades of grey for the flower spray stamps and peach tones for some of the larger blooms.

This was my first go at using post-it tape to mask out the area where you want to add a sentiment - it did do OK, but as the inks being stamped over the top were stamped multiple times it got a little wet and the ink did seep through a little in places but it is hardly noticeable. I think next time I mask off an area like this for stamping I will use blue painter's tape or a second layer of post-it tape. :)

I really like the end result for separating the white space and stamped background.

I paired the Sending You stamp from Winnie & Walter with the "birthday wishes" sentiment from PTI. That Phrase Play #6 set is a really handy one for mixing with this Winnie & Walter set.

Finally when mounting my stamped background on a card I used some Sparkle Tape from Darice to add a little pop of glitter and the ballet pink enamel dots from Crate Paper's Little You Girl line bring it all together.

Here's a reminder of the original prompt for this challenge:

{Pinterest pin}

 Now I just need to start on the backlog of cards from previous months!

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PTI - Phrase Play #6 stamp set Shop at: PTI	Winnie & Walter - Sending You stamps Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH	WPlus9 - Freehand Florals stamps Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH	Avery Elle - Custom Panels dies Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | AZ
Hero Arts - Orange Soda ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | AZ | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Ballet Slippers ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Black Licorice ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Hippo ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Manatee ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Merman ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Minty Fresh ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Peachy Keen ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Wild Rose ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | SBC	MFT - Coral Crush ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS	MFT - Peach Bellini ink pad Shop at: SHC | SSS	Neenah Classic Crest 80 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ
Crate Paper - Little You - Mixed embellishments - Girl (r) Shop at: AZ | SBC	Darice Sparkle Tape - Silver Shop at: SSS | AZ	3M Post-It tape White Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SHC | SSS | EH | AZ | SBC
MISTI precision stamping tool Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer Shop at: SSS | EH | AZ | SBC

 

Wrap it up!

This week over on the Daring Cardmakers blog, Enfys has set us the challenge of reusing the packaging from grocery or household items to make a card rather than it going straight in the recycling box!

I was really pondering what I could take out of the recycling and put to good use, until a certain new reed diffuser was purchased in Next that had the most lovely design on the box:

In fact, it's such a nice design I really think they should have used it on some kitchen towels or table mats... they would have gone nicely in my home!

But hey ho, the yellow graphic print and the grey linen effect of the box from the diffuser on the left made a great backdrop for my card:

Card: Next reed diffuser packaging, Bazzill Cardshoppe, Distress Watercolour paper
Dies: Lawn Fawn, Lil' Inker Designs, MFT
Flower: Wild Orchid Crafts
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh
Other: 3D foam tape, needle and thread

With such a busy print and the colours being so bold, I didn't really want to add too much else to the card other than the greeting and a focal accent. The mulberry paper flower needed to stand out a little more so I used the larger Silly Stitches circle die to create a little border around it and also attached it to the card by hand sewing it in place.

The card I made is also my interpretation of the Primrose Yellow colour palette for the April Pantone card challenge prompt:

{Pinterest pin}

I was definitely inspired by the above image when combining the elements for my card. :)

Hopefully this card will brighten someone's day as it's extremely gloomy out there right now! Make sure you check out the other inventive projects over on the Daring Cardmakers blog!

On a separate note, the lemon and bergamot fragrance is just lovely for spring into summer. ;)

Here's to a sunnier weekend!

Next - Lemon & Bergamot diffuser	Tim Holtz - Distress Watercolor Cardstock	MFT - Die-namics Cause for Celebration dies	Lawn Fawn - Stitched scalloped borders
Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched die set	Mixed color mulberry paper cherry blossom stem flowers	Pretty Pink Posh - Sparkling Clear Confetti Mix sequins	3M Scotch double-sided foam tape

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2017 Pantone card challenge - Niagara

Well, just sneaking in before the 11th hour and the clock ticks into February to share the card I made for January's Pantone card challenge prompt focusing on Niagara:

{Pinterest pin}

I ended up combining Niagara with white and green, plus I had to still include a little of January's alternate Pantone colour: Island Paradise.

The solution to finding the right shade in my stash can often be found in my ink drawer! :)

Sadly, this last day of January was a gloomy one so the photographs are a bit darker than I'd like, but you get the gist!

Paper: Cocoa Vanilla Studio
Stamps: Concord & 9th, PTI
Die: Essentials by Ellen
Other: HA, PTI, MFT, Lawn Fawn, and Distress inks

The lovely Flourish set from Concord & 9th is perfect for assembling your own colour palette - my MISTI came in very handy here for getting some even coverage with some ink cubes that were drier than others and it's always nice to see the splotchiness of dye ink stamping even out when it is finally all dry.

So all that remains is for me to go and prepare for t