Category: Art and crafting styles

It’s the first of the month so time to play with patterned paper and this time I cheated and actually made these months ago at a crop where I took along the pouch that had a few remaining pieces of the True Love dsp along with a few other bits of paper from the Expressions in ink papers.

I had fun colouring in the flowers with the Stampin Blends and then made up several card fronts using the stash I had to hand. Will share others later this month as they had a different thing going on!

Because I had the flowers already cut out and the panels I kept quite simple these were easy cards to make. I’d also die cut and stamped all the sentiments already too so that made those really simple to pick out and adhere!

I liked keeping it simple at the time because of the fact that I had very few supplies to hand (although I had packed a lot of stuff to take with me!).

When I got home I finished them off with gems and adding them to card bases.

I’ve loved this paper and although it is sad to see the final pieces of it being used it is also good news —- means I might eventually get around to buying new papers because I am making a small inroad into using up what I have!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Today I have two cards I made using up those backgrounds I made in a big session of crafting whilst watching the fabulous Tim Holtz on YouTube. During the session I made lots of colourful background panels …

But those two black and grey ones on the top were the ones I actually chose to play with.

The one on the left hand side was a background made using Hickory Smoke and black soot direct to paper and then used the greetery stencil to add the pattern with more black soot distress ink. The one on the right hand side was using the ink left on the stencil and making a print with it onto white cardstock! So a two for one type of effect!

I trimmed down the panel and edged it with more black soot to create the frame and then used a black sticker that I found a stack of in my bits and bobs box to make the label for the sentiment.

I had a few of the rub ons left in the Christmas stash box in the white and used them to embellish around the panel and also near where I added the sentiment.

The white rub ons are quite subtle but work well in adding another element to the card.

The sentiment is a Tim Holtz Sizzix die and I already had them die cut and glued together ready so perfect for these cards. Whilst a white card blank might have worked better for the black and white theme I decided to make it a little different with the cream card base instead.

The second card with the print of the stencil I teamed with purple colours.

The two purple colours create both the card blank and the mat and also the panel for the sentiment to sit on.

I then added the purple sequins to embellish.

Really pleased with both of these and also these were the last panels I made in that crafting session of making backgrounds but the only ones I made specifically thinking of Christmas cards so it was good to make them into something at last!

Of course still plenty of backgrounds left to play with so who knows how many more will turn into Festive Friday projects?!

Happy crafting!

Catherine

I’ve made the decision to join in with Daisy Yellow Index Card a Day again … I’ve managed to complete it twice before but had at least three failed attempts to finish previously … let’s see how 2024 goes.

Don’t think I will follow the prompts but rather just make a pledge to create an index card daily. I was definitely inspired by @craftytrog to join in (thanks Alison)

Here is my cover card done and dusted. Probably won’t blog most (maybe do a round up every week or so) so please do check out my instagram @inkyfingeredcat_crafting

Who else is joining me for ICAD?

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Had a play with distress inks and new stencils to create this card for my friend who has recently moved home.

Yes I bought two circle themed stencils at the same time … Tim Holtz and Aall and Create.

Made a blue and green panel and then a red, orange and blue panel and played with the stencils on both and then stamped the little house out of the red panel before using my stampin blends to add some definition to the image.

The stamp itself is a Craft Stamper magazine one and it’s so cute and quirky!

I also added some stamping to the blue panel with black for the cup stain to add something a little different in the background.

I edged panels and doodled round edges and then added the sentiment and gem after adding it to a green card blank.

Pretty sure my arty friend enjoyed this bright and fun card I made.

Happy crafting!

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