Cottage Flowers, Ribbons

Scraps on the desk

Catherine

So today’s card was made with scraps that were just sitting on my desk.

If you recall I made a card using the larger die from the Cottage Flowers dies and I wasn’t entirely sure how useful this die would be if you didn’t get the dsp from the Abigail Rose suite. Well I had some bits from that project still sitting on my desk and I realised I could just use the bits that don’t coordinate with stamps to create my own little cute spray of flowers and leaves…

I stuck them onto a piece of dsp that wasn’t on the desk … then stamped the sentiment onto a scrap of white. Decided to use foam to lift the Sweet Sorbet panel up and used a scrap of navy ribbon to sit behind it.

I decided I might as well use the leftover Sweet Sorbet cardstock to create the cardblank…. jobs a good’un!

So maybe this die might get used again after all! Still looking for other ways of using it as although the dsp on super pretty I just don’t need it so trying not resist buying it.

Happy crafting !

Catherine

Biggest Wish, Cottage Flowers, Cottage Rose

Playing with Dies and stamps

Catherine

When I get new stash I like to play with it before I search for how others have used it. Clearly I’ve seen pictures initially that prompt me to buy it in the first place but I’ve usually forgotten by the time I actually get to play.

This Cottage Rose bundle has a large die that cuts out bits of a floral arrangement… four parts of which coordinate with stamps but the rest don’t so it had me stumped. So I decided to create a background panel, put dsp behind it and then add the stamped elements on foam at slight angles so it still exposed the dsp…

I tore the edge of the white panel to expose the dsp and sewed the sentiment into place (always my go to sentiment stamp set … Biggest Wish)

I then went and looked at the catalogue to see how it is meant to work and it looks like it cuts dsp, but of course I hadn’t bought that!

Ah well… I like how I’ve used it. To be honest I ended up fussy cutting the flowers out as they were so easy so can’t imagine using the die for those bits so it is likely not to get used too much unless I go and get the dsp (and seriously I am not a person who needs more dsp in her life right now!)

Any other ideas on how to use it greatly appreciated.

Entering this in the Use flowers challenge at Get Creative Challenges

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Natural Prints, Nature's Prints, Painted Texture

Nature’s prints first play

Catherine

I have another stamp and die bundle that I’ve just bought … Nature’s Prints … and I couldn’t wait to try it out… especially that gorgeous wreath die.

I also love love love the Parakeet Party colour… it is so zingy and fresh.

So I die cut the wreath from white and then added water and the ink in Parakeet Party, Mint Macaron and Old Olive.

I then stamped the main image in Parakeet Party and die cut that. I decided I wanted a textural background so cut a panel of the white and embossed it with the Painted Texture.

I then wanted more of the zing of the Parakeet Party so swiped the ink across the cardstock, dried it and die cut the label panel. I then stamped the sentiment using Mossy Meadow to keep to the green theme!

I raised both the textured panel and the main image up on foam and then added rhinestones for some bling!

Love this and I can image using that wreath a lot. Wondering whether it would work with the retired Arrange a Wreath dies too or not… or maybe the Merriest Moments embossing folder? More experiments required! Lol!

Entering this into the Crafty Calendar challenge

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Biggest Wish, Cottage Flowers, Cottage Rose, Natural Prints, Promarkers, Letraset

Another cottage rose hello!

Catherine

Went for some gentle colouring using soft colours for this card by doing lots of stamping around the edges of the white panel using Sahara Sand.

Used promarkers to then add the colour but kept the tones soft.

I mounted the panel onto foam and then onto Cinnamon Sugar cardstock and then die cut the lab from Mossy Meadow and the pretty die cuts from some random brushed gold cardstock I had in the scraps folder. I then decided to add the Biggest Wish script sentiment which I stamped onto cardstock I had coloured with the promarkers used in the background colouring. Very much an experiment card playing with the promarkers and the scraps to hand.

I did add wink of Stella to the backgrounds but as usual the camera doesn’t pick them up!

A lovely little hello card … Happy with how it turned out.

Adding this to the challenge of Say it with flowers at International Art and Soul blog

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Distress oxide ink, Embossing Folders, Indigo Blu, Lacy Brocade, Merriest moments, Old Paper, Pierced Blooms, Ribbons, Sheena Douglass Embossing Folders, Stampin Blends alcohol pens, Stitched framelits, Tim Holtz

Kendra’s card challenge #3

Catherine

Yet another batch of Christmas cards made using the templates and guides from Cards by Kendra. This time I used the one for challenge number 3. You can find all the details at Kendra’s blog.

This particular template makes 16 cards from base of 6 pieces of 6×6. I used papers from the Indigo Blu magazine kit I got last year, admittedly they are double sided so for some of the card layouts I chose to turn over the paper and use the reverse. It definitely gave me more options when I was designing how to finish the cards.

I learnt from last time to not add too many other pieces of cardstock too so I could reduce the weight of the cards.

Here is the full lot…

I used a few different shades of cardstock in the pale blue and greens along with the shimmer vellum in Evening Evergreen. I mainly used images from the magazine kit of stamps or those printed on the paper kit. Occasionally I added die cuts either as part of the sentiment or leaves for the flowers.

I chose to use the die cut snowflake embellishments on quite a few too … sometimes the iridescent side, sometimes the matt side. They worked well with the papers and the feel of the cards I think.

I did a lot of embossing too… this added texture and worked well with the grungy nature of the papers. Especially when I chose to add ink too.

Thoroughly enjoyed putting these together, the whole set took a good few separate sessions over the course of a few weeks. I particularly enjoyed colouring those Holly leaves and berries, although the fussy cutting less so!

Creating these also made me want to do more with the Merriest Moments embossing folder and get the dies and stamps out for that bundle too… so maybe that will be the next set of Christmas cards …. unless another set of papers and one of Kendra’s challenges tempts me first.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Inchies and Twinchies, Sweet Strawberry, Very Versailles

Inchies for swaps

Catherine

I’ve been on a bit of a mission to use up scraps off the desk and give some love to stamps I don’t use often so decided to join in with the UK stampers forum inchie swap this month as a result of having 2 bits of weirdly shaped white card left over from another project.

One piece I stamped some of the Very Versailles stamps, these are perfect for backgrounds. Then cut them into little squares but took the corner off too to give it some interest. Then I edged them with the Just Jade ink.

Next I adhered them to white 1 inch squares so they had a border.

Then using the Crisp Canteloupe ink I stamped the flower from the Sweet Strawberry stamp set and punched it out.

I then grabbed some Funky Fossil word stamps and stamped smile onto the remaining scraps and added this to each of the inchies. Next some stickles to add some glitter to each of the inchies.

Love how these came together and from pieces that were too strangely shaped or awkward to use for much else.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Claritystamps, Heartwarming Hugs, Peace & Joy, Stampin Blends alcohol pens

#sheetloadsofcards template May 2022

Catherine

Howdy! Stumbled across a template for making 6 cards using 3 pieces of 6×6… #sheetloadsofcards by CALL ME (CRAFTY) AL … and I had to play along… so here are another 6 Christmas cards done and dusted!

Used the fabulous Creative Stamping magazine stamps I’ve had for ages but LOVE! Lots of colouring in done! Lovely and chilled.

I chose to cut down some of the Heartwarming Hugs dsp into 6×6 and then teamed it with Mossy Meadow cardstock and real red. Chose to mix a Claritystamps sentiment with the Peace and Joy stamps to finish off.

Added either glossy accents or some stickles to finish off.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Biggest Wish, Collage, Designer Series Paper, Tim Holtz

Selling stash and using up scraps

Catherine

I decided it was time to have a bit of a clear out and sell some of my craft supplies I’m not really using (so i can buy new stash!)

And then it turned into a fun playtime of using up scraps off the desk and making little thank you collages for the little brown paper bags I had got to put sold items into.

I kind of got a little obsessed all afternoon making up these little bags … and of course forgot all about the tidying up!

Here are 12 of the many I made up (I didn’t take pics of all of them!

Such fun to play and just create little collages from scraps.

Now must get back to the tidying and sorting at some point!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Joy, Merriest moments, Paper Pumpkin - Joy to the world, Peace & Joy, Ribbons, Sheena Douglass Embossing Folders, Stitched framelits, Tidings and Trimmings, Tidings and Trimmings, Tidings and Trimmings

Kendras card challenge #2

Catherine

I enjoyed making the cards for challenge #6 so decided to make another set using an older template… template #2.

I chose the Tidings and Trimmings papers and stamps and dies for the main focus… but ended up adding other bits and pieces in too like the shimmery vellum and the sparkly speciality paper… I can never resist going a little mad with those fab Peace and Joy stamps and dies either and felt a big word was perfect as the focus of a few of the cards.

Here they all are…

I make the cards in stages…. cutting, then putting the pieces into labelled envelopes, next the layers of cardstock are cut and added to the envelopes. Then I stamp and cut lots of embellishment pieces so I have a little pile to use. Then I start to assemble but not always finish the card topper (I make these as card toppers first before I add to card blanks/make card blanks). Sometimes I just add layers to the paper pieces and add a few bits into the envelope and come back as I know I want an additional element like a ribbon, or sometimes it comes together immediately with everything to hand. But at least this way I get to just do them a bit at a time and 14 cards isn’t too overwhelming to deal with!

As the template is for US sized cards I did have to fiddle a little with the sizing of the final layers to make it fit the UK size cards but it worked fine. I made the card blanks out of Cherry Cobbler cardstock as I had loads of it and then inside added a white panel and some more dsp strips or panels and a little stamping. They were all different but only took one pic of the inside…

Envelopes again I kept simple with some little banners of dsp leftover from the inside panels and that was all!

So another 14 Christmas cards made. Must admit these were a little heavy because of all the extra cardstock so maybe need to remember this and try to gut the layers a little next time.

Happy crafting!

Catherine