Author: Catherine

Hello!

How is it Friday already? Well I have another Christmas card project to share with you. I decided to use a sheet of digital stamp images that I had already printed off and made myself a rainbow of snowmen! Definitely a change in style from the last few Festive Fridays!

The image is from All Dressed Up although I did cut apart the image as it comes with snow and a sentiment in the original. I decided to just use the actual snowman image for my card instead.

I chose different alcohol markers to colour the images and then fussy cut them out. I had in my head the size of card I was making so knew six would be perfect for the width of the card!

I die cut seven trees out for the background and then I cut a panel to go on the slimline card front. I used my blue ink blending brush to add some blue behind the trees but without adding any ink to the brush so it is quite subtle.

I then started glueing down the trees. I had them overlap a little and at slightly different heights. Then I added the snowmen in a vague rainbow order! I love a rainbow 🌈

As the snowmen didn’t totally cover all the tree trunks I then added a bank of snow which I hand cut. I used the blue ink blending brush to edge it and give it a little definition and then stuck that down too.

Then I edged the whole panel with the blue again. At this point I decided it needed some sparkle – so I went to town with the Kingston Crafts glitter glue in clear. I added it to the snowbank edge, to the tree boughs and to the noses of the snowmen! I also added to the edge of the panel too.

I then left it to dry overnight so it wouldn’t get smudged! I know what I am like for wanting to prod at glitter glue before it is dry! Always best to move it totally out of arms reach or leave it overnight!

I then added to the card blank. I decided it didn’t need a sentiment – there is so much going on with the card I didn’t want to add anything else.

So quite a detailed card and I am really happy with this!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Hello! Another design team contribution to share with you today for Creative Knockouts. I used the image Mushroom Girl from Star Stampz who are sponsoring this challenge.

I used a distress oxide background I had made last year where I thought the colours would work with this kind of image.

I printed the image onto cream cardstock as thought that would work well. I then coloured the image with my promarkers.

I edged the image panel with green ink and then the same with the inky panel. I then grabbed lots of die cut leaves and flowers from the pouch of ready die cuts!

I also grabbed some brown waxed thread and added that under the main image panel which I raised up on foam adhesive.

I added the panel straight onto the cream card blank.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

I made a tag for this months swap over at UK stampers forum which started with me just glueing some scraps of cardstock that I had on the desk after a different project…

… when I had added the first few strips I then went through the warm coloured cardstock bits in the scraps pouch and started cutting and adding those as strips too.

This created a fun and bright background.

I added some stamping to the background … the little butterflies from a Concord & 9th set and then the little Hello sentiment. I also added a random text stamp too.

I then inked the edge with black to frame the tag.

Next I chose a digital stamp image from the pouch of those already colored and ready to go and this Octopode one with the reds looked great against that background.

Then I took some yellow cardstock and added the stencilling for the butterflies and die cut them out and the little ones too which I added some subtle inking to as well.

I added the main focal image and the bigger butterflies with adhesive foam for dimension and then the other butterflies I just stuck down with glue.

I had a little hunt in the ribbon stash and found the orange ribbon and a bit of the striped twine for finishing off!

A fun tag for this months swap!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Yesterday we celebrated my aunties birthday and here is the card I made for her…

I videoed the process and something went disastrously wrong towards the beginning of the make …

… but I did rescue all the cardstock I had got ready at this point. So please check out the full process video on YouTube..

I tore all the strips and then embossed and sanded them all – it was all Kingston Crafts cardstock so perfect for exposing the white core once embossed and torn.

I added the gorgeous Splendid Bouquet set from Altenew – this time I chose to add watercolour with inks to colour it – whilst the card I used wasn’t watercolour so it sort of adds dots in the watercolour effect but this just made it look like a bit of stargazer lily! so I call that a win!

I then die cut the sentiment three times from the remaining pink cardstock and stacked it up with a bit of inking on the top level to give it some depth.

Love how this card came out especially seeing as the start of the crafting was such a disaster!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Back with a second post today because it is Saturday and so a Scrapping Saturday post!

This is the final page I made at the crop a couple of weekends ago using scraps left from a couple of page kits where I thought they still worked well together. I also used the template that Sarah had provided for one of the kits (that I had totally ignored on my version of that kit).

I used some embellishments that were in the February Hey Little Magpie embellishment kit.

I added some stencilling in the background before adding the heart shape and the banners.

I love all the puffy fabric hearts and wooden hearts I added from the kit and the mixed sequins.

I added the wooden camera and the perspective from Bramble Fox when I got home after the crop as I hadn’t taken them with me!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Back with another patterned paper project using up those Making Cards magazine papers I’ve had in the stash forever!

This time I took one of the final mandala papers and this time added in some other bits and pieces where I thought the colours worked.

I started with a teal green base and then added the mandala paper. Next I mat the hip hip hooray panel on the same cardstock and added that too.

I added the ribbon down one side. This was something that was on the desk as I ended up not using it.

I chose the digital stamp image that was in the stash for ages and then coloured with promarkers. As it was already done and ready to go it was easy to use. I then added adhesive foam under the image and then added it to the top.

I also added in the peach banners and the Altenew enamel dots!

I then embossed the Altenew sentiment and die cut it out so it would sit nicely over the plait for the image of the girl.

Inside the card I added the leftover papers including another sentiment topper to finish off!

Love these colours – so pretty! Quite pleased with these!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Hello!

I went back to raiding the digital stamp images that I used last week and for the DT earlier this week for today’s Festive Friday and decided it was time for this gorgeous gnome from Mirtillamente stamps to get his moment!

I coloured him using my Stampin Blends and then used white gel pen to give him some highlights. Then I cut him out so I could then choose what to do with him!

I ended up plumping for a bold colourful background using a panel I had added strips of cardstock to from the scraps stash. I thought this colour combo worked quite well with the colours I had chosen for the gnome.

I embossed the panel to give it some snowflake texture and then grabbed a piece of green and embossed that with a snowy background and sanded it lightly to expose the core which makes it look even snowier!

I adhered it all together onto a white card blank and then grabbed one of those Pink Fresh studio sentiments I had previously embossed and die cut and stacked to add the Joy to the top left of the image.

I decided to add more blue into the image then with the blue glitter glue from Kingston Crafts clear- so he got a sparkly rim to his hat!

Hope you like the textural and sparkly finish to this card – I think it’s pretty cute!

I’ve really enjoyed using these images over the past week – to the point where I am tempted to print them off again! But maybe it is also time for me to pull something new to play with so you don’t all get bored seeing the same style! 🤣

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Hi all!

Back to my self inflicted challenge of making masculine cards as I really struggle with cards for boys/men and the hope is by the end of the year I might have managed at least 12 cards of different styles suitable for the males in my life and then I don’t need to make any after that for a while as it might last me a while! That’s the plan anyway!

My plan is also to try and do all of these as videos – I managed it this month so please check out the process over on my YouTube channel.

This month I’ve gone with CUTE! Because boys can be cute too! I also went back to the pack of magazine papers I am trying to get through this year in my patterned paper challenge at the start of the month and grabbed some focal images and then some papers from the stash!

And so I ended up making what are very much cut and stick cards – simple!

Really like them though!

What a cool skateboard dude this one is!

I layered all the papers onto cardstock to separate them out and then added the simple stamped and embossed sentiment up on foam for a little dimension.

I added silver mirror card candi for this one as the embellishment.

This second one I added white card candi and also the yellow card as a pop of a different colour on the mat for the vertical stripes paper and the sentiment.

Just so cute!

So a fun pair of cards for my Make it Masculine challenge!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

For today’s ATSM design team contribution I decided to grab one of those digital stamp image I already had printed off from Mirtillamente and use that for the focal point on this cute Christmas card.

I coloured the reindeer with promarkers and then added some white gel pen accents.

I cut him out and then worked on die cutting elements for the background.

I started with the dark red piece and used a Waffleflower die for the pierced snowflakes.

Then I die cut two different greens for the wreath using the oldie but goodie wreath builder dies. I then added some snowflakes which I already had die cut out.

I then used a sentiment I already had embossed and die cut – they are sat in a pouch all ready for using.

Once I had assembled all the elements I then added the finishing touch of those spotty card candi which work so well with the browns of the reindeer.

Loved putting this together and so good to get another ready printed image used up!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Last week I went to a crop and made this page from the leftovers from the page kit I had made.

I love these kinds of strips layouts – such fun to make and always feels good to get scraps used up!

I added in stickers that had come with the page kit.

And the gold title was from a sticker set leftover from a different page kit I had with me.

The photo I mat with paper from that second kit and then I had a little splurge in the Hey Little Magpie pop up shop and bought the sparkly gems I scattered on the page.

In the background I had added some stencilling using a Bramble Fox stencil and some distress oxide.

I love the gentle nature of this and the way it came together so easily.

I had some more leftovers from the two page kits so I managed to make one more page – but I’ll share that another time!

Happy crafting!

Catherine