Author: Catherine

Hello! Here is my DT contribution for the Any Occasion challenge over at Addicted to Stamps and More.

I decided to make up another Spellbinders stitching die flower focal point. I die cut the main flower from orange and added extra ink to give it dimension but decided not to sew that part. I decided instead to stitch the base of the flower element instead.

I made two flowers and I cut off the leaf on one stem to make it different and then had to decide how to use them.

I went with one of the less patterned gelli prints where I used torn paper to just print part of the panel.

The greens on this worked well with the flowers and I just glued them straight down. The sewing makes the die cut pieces quite bulky already so didn’t need much dimension.

I decided a hand drawn border would work well with the handmade look of the card.

I added the sentiment with thread sandwiched beneath (really like this effect) and then the card Candi to finish off.

Inside I added a white panel with another hand drawn border but otherwise kept it plain.

Love how the sentiment means it can be used for Any Occasion – so perfect for this challenge!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

As the title says last card using the papers I pulled out for the challenge at the beginning of the month.

This time I added over the top of the patterned paper a die cut cover plate using the purple cardstock I had left over. Then a panel of white to ground the big focal feature of the stitched floral die.

The purple die cut adds interest but also tones out the pattern on the pink so it becomes less of a feature. The eye is then drawn to the flower because of the white panel.

I die cut the leaves from the left over dark grey and then the flower from the pink paper.

I then die cut the stem from black.

For the leaves I decided against the stitching and instead added glossy accents to the holes. For the flower I actually added the stitching using purple for the thread.

Love how this flower immediately finishes off the front of the card and makes it special!

I added a white embossed sentiment which I fussy cut and some card Candi to finish off!

I think this is the first time I’ve die cut these stitching dies from patterned paper – it won’t be the last though as I think it worked well!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Happy bank holiday weekend everyone. I’ve got a busy day ahead with a non-BBQ with the parents (typical bank holiday weather means I’m not cooking outside!) so no crafting planned. Instead I’ve got a post from a project I did a while ago.

I had a scrap of wallpaper sample that I had been hoarding … so you know the score … must use or ditch it! So notecards made!

Kept them really simple with the embellishment of roses cut from another piece of dsp and then some stamped, embossed and die cut sentiments.

Oh and also some white sequins to embellish!

Love the texture of the wallpaper and the torn edges with those beautiful watercolour floral images.

Simple project … feel satisfied I put the wallpaper sample to use … and no longer hoarding it! I mean how ridiculous was it to hoard it in the first place? But if you are a crafter I am sure you are just like me in having lots of random stuff around that just needs using or binning!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Nearly finished with all the pages I made back at the beginning of May when I played with the Hey Little Magpie Facebook group and completed a few challenges … this one was to use multiple photos on my layout.

I used four in total and kept the whole page fairly simple with some dies cuts and card Candi as the main embellishments.

It was good too that I was able to get that cute umbrella paper used. I know there won’t be many opportunities to use that sort of paper so was good to get some used and for a relevant reason!

And just like the others I recorded the process and have now uploaded it onto YouTube.

I’ve not made any other pages since the beginning of the month but have a week off work coming up so hope to fit at least one crafting day in to get some more pages done plus it’s 30 days of sketches in June starting soon so maybe I can play along with some of that too!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Another using up those inky backgrounds Festive Friday project. This time I really wanted to use the Claritystamps word chain stamps as I love the font on these but ended up combining with a few other stamps too to create the embossed stamping over the top of the inky background.

I chose white embossing and love this as it brightens the background. I also added a posca paint doodled border to frame the panel as it almost covered the whole card base.

I did end up trimming a bit and mounting on white but think you can see the little bit of Mossy Meadow poking out the edge.

Once I had finished up the background I went delving through the stash to decide on a focal point. And then remembered the first spellbinders stitched die I got … this fabulous tree.

I die cut it from green, stitched in green and then die cut the sentiment from a different green to finish off!

Well I say finish off except I felt it needed bling so some holographic snowflakes added around the focal image and then inside two strips of the inky paper added with some white to make sure inside was done too!

Probably should have also stamped the word chain sentiment too … maybe I will go back and do that now I have thought about it!

Another background used and another festive Friday card done! Pleased with this green inky card!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Hello!

Todays challenge at Creative Knockouts is an anything goes but when I was making it I thought it was Fun Folds! So made an easel card!

I got given the image from Beccy’s Place of the gorgeous flowers and I coloured them using a waterbrush and distress oxides.

The left over oxide ink on the desk I smooshed onto the spare cardstock that then became the background panel.

Once the background was dry I embossed it with ink on the embossing folder to create the beautiful wood themed background.

I cut the image out and then stuck it to the background.

I decided to keep the embellishment to a minimum with a bow from pink silk thread.

I created the easel card base and then created the sentiment panel.

I stamped the sentiment and then layered up two pieces of white cardstock and then the green so it gives something for the front panel to stick up on.

Love that flower image and the wooden pastel background!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Hello – another of the layouts from the weekend of challenges at the Hey Little Magpie Facebook group for (inter)national scrapbooking day – this time the challenge was to use hexagon shapes. Once again video up showing the process over on my YouTube channel.

I teamed this with the #30dscbl14 sketch 25 from Kirsten Hughes too …

I chose some old dsp which has hexagons as I had no other hexagon shaped stash. Just love this paper so although it was a challenge to cut into paper I have been hoarding for years!

I loved putting this together – but it did go through a few different ideas as I put it together – want to see? Check out my YouTube video of the process.

I loved scratching the coordinations background with sandpaper when I remembered that was an option!

I also love all the sewing I did on the layouts to add some additional hexagon shapes and the little cameras I cut from the Lollipop box club kit stash.

So another fab page and pleased I could join in with the challenge with my one piece of hexagon stash!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Still catching up with the sharing of everything I made during the (inter)national scrapbooking day celebrations at Hey Little Magpie Facebook group.

For challenge number four it was Helen’s challenge to pick 5 from the list she gave …

I went with 3 patterned papers, twine, stamping, stencilling, banner and just for good measure a sixth option of distrssed edge!

I chose to scrap some pics of the day we loved my parents to their new home!

I added stencilling to the base panel of blue, lots of distressed edges, some cute house themed papers and lots of Lollipop Box club bits and pieces for the title and embellishments.

I added the die cut hearts (I used these a lot when doing these challenges) to finish off!

Loved making this – and even though I started worried that because I’d chosen two not three photos I might not do them all – but then managed to do six of them!

Once again I captured the process on video so please do check out my YouTube channel for this and my other makes.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Some years ago I went to a workshop run by Marlene and had a fab time – of course I also bought some stash. Roll forward many years and art journalling no longer floats my boat and the images and papers aren’t ideal for the usual cardmaking I do… but I’ve held onto them just in case. Well no more! I’ve been in a ruthless get rid mood the past few months but inspired by the little notecards I’ve been making with scraps I decided to do the same with this stash and create little notes for enclosing in with any crafty stash I sell! My thought being that crafty peeps will enjoy the bit of fun!

90 mins later I had made these nine notecards. Lots of glueing and doodling and a few additional sentiments added where I couldn’t find the right sentiment in the Art by Marlene die cuts.

Just love how colourful and fun they are … and of course how simple to make.

Most had around three pieces of the collage paper glued down and then doodled outlines and then went to town with die cuts … most of which I fussy cut after taking them out of the sheet to give them a smaller white frame.

I had a few of those “I see no reason…” sentiments already stamped and embossed so added those and also a few Hello sentiments stamped and die cut … all in all simple!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Another gloriously sunny day here today and so we are planning bbq burgers this afternoon – until then a few chores and little sits outside the sun!

Third challenge for the Hey Little Magpie celebration of (inter)national scrapbooking day and this time challenged to use my border punches… hmmmm… I only have one border punch – but I made it work!

I was inspired for this page by two layouts that Sarah Davies had shared …

The first one with the rainbow and black and the second one with using scraps … so my page I chose black and white papers with pops of colour … but I think you can see how Sarah’s pages were the jumping off point!

As with the others I did video the process so please check it out on YouTube.

I created strips from the papers and punched them along one edge and then tore the sides. I then grabbed scraps for each colour for the rainbow effect.

I then used a piercing tool to create the three hearts and stitched them with black thread. This was fun and quite relaxing to do on the sofa as a break from sitting at the desk.

I then added lots of die cut hearts across the page which I doodled onto.

I decided not to add journalling as such – I just added the date, venue and the title and then lots of little word stickers from old Lollipop Box Club kits.

Was delighted with the final page and this was the third in the one day … so here is the collection of the three …

Happy crafting!

Catherine