Category: In Bloom

Design Team, Gorgeous Grunge, In Bloom, Masks/Stencils, Oh So Ombre, Pierced Blooms, Playful Alphabet, Ribbons, Very Versailles

DT: Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies challenge

Catherine

Hello!

Today I have a Happy Little Stampers Design Team contribution to share with you. I will admit I made this quite some time ago but stored it ready to post now as it was such a special card I didn’t want to just blog it on its own.

So the card is for the Anything Goes with Dies challenge and boy did I use a lot of dies!

So the card is one I made for my cousin to celebrate receiving her OBE. She was awarded it quite a while ago but as a result of Covid restrictions had to wait quite some time for the actual ceremony. Again due to restrictions (maybe they have always done this though I am not sure) only one guest was allowed to accompany her and my Uncle was the one who picked the name out of the hat so he got to go with her.

Anyway, the weekend after it happened I made this card, inspired by her pink and navy outfit.

Now the card came together after I had sat and turned lots of scraps of cardstock into pretty flowers and leaves. I do this quite often, save my scraps up and then have a massive die cutting session. This time I concentrated on the Pierced Blooms die set as these flowers and leaves always come in handy as embellishments. I ended up (after 2+ hours diecutting) with a big pile and a sore arm!

So I chose from the pile a selection of pink and purple flowers and pale green leaves that I could use to make a special card. I knew I wanted a bigger card so I chose a 7×7 card blank from the stash.

I cut a piece of white linen cardstock into a 6.25″ square and started creating a background. I used the gorgeous text stamp from Very Versailles, some of the splatter stamps from Gorgeous Grunge and also splashed some ink too. I then grabbed a leaf stencil, masked off some areas and added some leaf images to the background with the fabulous blending brush. I also edged the panel with the blending brush too.

Next I started inking the die cut leaves and flowers to add some depth to the colour. I also added some stamped splatters to the green.

Then started adhering them so that there would be a less populated area for me to add the sentiment.

The sentiment I went for the Playful Alphabets dies and die cut CONGRATS out twice from each colour. I stacked the dies and then using a ruler to line them up I added them so they were off the edge of the strip of cardstock I had prepared. I also added a very thin strip of Oh So Ombre paper to the panel. I stacked a few layers of cardstock behind the panel to lift it up and then added the navy ribbon behind it to frame the sentiment. I added wink of Stella to each of the letters to give them some shimmer.

When I stuck this in place I thought the background needed a little blue so added some splashes of ink. I also added the pink ribbon bow to finish off to sentiment strip.

I decided to go a bit mad with lots of pearls dotted around … but hey… it was a very special card after all!

Inside I took the sentiment from the In Bloom stamp set and added some panels of the Oh So Ombre paper to create some interest. I also added a flower and leaf cluster… after all I had got LOTS already die cut. This finished off the inside of the card.

I know I normally do something with the envelope too but this time I didn’t remember to do it, plus it was being posted to Scotland so I didn’t want loose bits getting caught in the post office machinery.

So there you go… my special OTT card for my cousin. So proud her achievements have been recognised.

Now off to see what everyone else has been up to for the Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies challenge.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

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Alcohol Inks, Art Alchemy paints, Canvas and Mixed Media art, Ellen Vargo, Emma Godfrey, Honey Bee, In Bloom, Kim Dellow, Lin Brown, Love you More, Oh So Ombre, Pierced Blooms, Raggy Dolls, Ribbons, Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap, Washi tape, YouTube video

Mixed media Monday ATC flipbooks

Catherine

I decided to make some cute ATC flipbooks for my raggy doll sisters as a little treat to send through the post. It took me a few different sessions to put these together so bear with me with the many pics of the process.

Session 1…

I started with ATC cut from amazon packaging and made lots of layers of paint, paper and stamping.

I used a lot of different supplies and had lots of fun creating these (there are 8 of us in the group so I made one for me to keep too!).

Next I made page two …

Side one (awaiting finishing touches) and side two…

Again it was fun to just play with supplies I had to hand and make some cute ATCs.

Next session I played with alcohol inks on slightly shiny card and created these cards… after playing with the alcohol ink, I stamped and embossed a grungy background stamp from the stash, added back washi and then stamped the Bee onto some French bookprint.

The reverse I used the same alcohol ink but more of a blended finish and added some stamped leaves, die cut flowers and a sentiment with a fun resin centre for each of the flowers.

I also worked on the back card which I also made from corrugated card and added more of the neon pink paint.

This time I added it after adding some Tim Holtz tissue wrap with matt medium and also added some black gesso round the edge. I then used some art alchemy paint in black for some sparkle (it doesn’t really show in the photos unfortunately). I then used black gesso to paint the wooden Love word and glued them into place and added a sparkly gem and some dots of black enamel to finish off. They were still drying in the picture so not the best pics but you get the idea.

I kept the back really simple with scrapbook scrap paper and a stamped and sticker date. I later signed my name but that didn’t make it to the photo archive! Also the odd one out here was the one for me as I ran out of the paper I had been using for the rest!

I did add a couple more pages but didn’t photo them whilst unattached … plus included little messages for my friends. I did however make a little flip through video and share it on YouTube.

Then I punched the top of each card with my cropadile and used a colourful book ring to fix them together.

I then went mad with ribbon scraps adding little colourful bits of trim to each of them… here they all are on my floor ready for packing.

I hope you liked this little project, I certainly had lots of fun making them and thinking lovely thoughts about my friends, whom I got to know 10 years ago this year.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

Forever Flourishing, From all of us, In Bloom, Tap tap tap, Whale of a time

Stampin Up Sunday – Whale of a time Dsp

Catherine

OK confession time… I actually made these during the craftalong zoom session I had a few weeks ago and have saved them up for a Stampin Up Sunday blog.

I was using the Whale of a Time dsp I had been given and I’ve nearly finished using it up… probably got enough for another 2 or 3 cards max.

I decided to fill the backgrounds on the cardblanks and then layer up panels before adding the fussy cut whales/ turtles and some dies cuts and a sentiment.

There are just so cute! Love how they all came out and they were super simple to make.

I have to admit I would never have bought this paper but it is gorgeous and fun to play with and because of the ones you can cut apart to create the focal points you don’t need to also have the coordinating stamps to work with it!

Entering this into the Anything Goes challenge at Crafty Creations

Happy crafting!

Catherine

In Bloom, Pierced Blooms

Tag Thursday… Pierced blooms tags

Catherine

Hi… well these tags were actually my first play with both the Pierced Blooms dies and also the In Bloom stamps and I made them a few weeks ago, but they only went out of my house yesterday and wanted them to be received before I blogged about them.

I used some white card which I had on the desk from other projects to create the tags, hence the difference in sizes… it was just what was to hand! Of course I used the Scalloped Tag Topper punch to create them!

Then I went to town die cutting the flowers and leaves using all sorts of scraps from off the desk and the piles of bits and pieces I saved for die cutting tiny bits from!

Once I had a decent stash of bits to work with I chose some of the tiny stamps in the set to create backgrounds on the white tags using colours I thought would work with the colours in the die cuts.

Then I created the cluster of flowers and leaves and glued them into place.

Next I chose a sentiment (from the Waterfront stamp set) that worked for the reason I was making these (for my zoom crafting friends) and stamped that and then cut up the sentiment into little strips. I edged each strip and then adhered them down. I love doing this with stamps so I can place the sentiment in different places.

Finally I finished with wink of Stella which I added to each of the flower centres.

Love how they turned out… they did need some ribbon to finish them off but forgot to photograph them at this point so you are missing that on the pics!

Still not sure if Tag Thursday will be a weekly thing or just random throughout the year… we will have to see how I get on?

And now for a slice of life as its been a few days since I included one in a blog… well sleep has not been good the past week with two terrible nights of very little sleep, not good when it’s busy at work and I have to be alive and use my brain! I am also super obsessed still with journalling … a bit of bujo and a lot of making junk journal signatures and I’ve started filling my first one. I’m also currently obsessed with Ms. Paper Lover on You Tube and could watch her create all day!

In other news I’m trying my hardest to reduce calorie intake but still enjoy my food…. mixed results on how well I am doing with it to be honest, but happy that I am at least trying even if not always succeeding!

That’s it for now folks. Thanks for reading my blogs. I really appreciate it.

Happy crafting!

Catherine

In Bloom, Pierced Blooms

Happy New Year!

Catherine

Dear blog readers, thank you for joining me for a new year of crafting and sharing creativity at my blog.

Well it has indeed become a new year, although I suspect it will feel very similar to the end of last year for a few months at least. But I live in hope. I live in hope of hugs, social gatherings and travelling. But for now I am going to use my word of the year to keep me going … SMILE. Smiles can do so much… they are infectious and can clear away clouds. Magic! So even if we have to hide them behind masks, smiles will work for ourselves too and people can see smiles in our eyes… so I am going to keep smiling even when I think I don’t want to … and I suspect magic will happen and I will start to feel like smiling!

OK… so after that ramble… yesterday I played with new goodies and videoed it… link

I made the following card and wanted to share it on my blog too.

I used the new (released 5 Jan) In Bloom bundle … first the stamps for the background and then the Pierced Blooms dies for the additional focal images.

Love how it turned out.

Happy crafting!

Catherine