Monday 18 March 2024

Butterfly Birthday

I made this card using lots of snippets and the colours from the Butterfly Challenge.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics', My Favorite Things 'Fishtail Flags' , Lawn Fawn 'Happy Birthday Border' and Creative Expressions ''Finishing Touches - Dainty Butterflies' dies
     Crafts-Too 'Dandilion Time' embossing folder
     Snippets of dark green, dusky pink, daffodil and damson textured card and white matt card  (one piece of white card isn't shown in the photo as it was a last minute decision to emboss the background)


I embossed a piece of white matt card with the 'Dandilion Time' embossing folder, trimmed around the edge and attached it to the front of the card blank.  I die cut the three circles from the dark green, dusty pink and daffodil textured card using the stitched die.  These were layered and then cut in half.  I die cut the fishtail flag from a snippet of white card - cutting the first half and then moving the die to the other end of the flag so I could get a 'V' in both ends.  I die cut the sentiment from dark green textured card and attached it across the centre of the flag.  I placed the half circles onto the upper part of the card front - leaving a small gap between the two pieces so the sentiment banner wouldn't cover too much of the inner circle.  To ensure the banner lay flat across the card I trimmed another snippet of white card and inserted it in to the gap between the circles before attaching the banner across the centre.  To finish I die cut two small butterflies from the damson card and attached them above and below the sentiment banner.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Butterfly Challenge - D for Decoupage/Die Cuts (I have chosen the first option and have used four colours from the colour wheel together with die cuts and my butterflies)
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 4
76

Kath x

Sunday 17 March 2024

Spring Lambs

I have a drawer of various Hunkydory card snippets and toppers, they're always perfect for quick cards and our families like the cards I make with them.  I used these oddments to make my mother's Easter card.  

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory green foiled backing card, lambs and sentiment toppers (as these were in my oddments drawer I don't know the name of the collection)
     Snippet of gold mirri

I trimmed the green foiled card, layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the card blank.  The lamb topper was attached in the centre of the card with the 'For You' topper attached to the top corner.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Cardz 4 Gals - Use Some Green
     Daisy Chain Challenge - Animals
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Make my Monday - Spring, Flowers, Weather, etc (I have chosen Spring lambs)
     Try It On Tuesday - Spring

Kath x

Thursday 14 March 2024

Penguin Love

I made this card for the Christmas Crafts All Year Round 'Arctic/Antarctic Animals' challenge.  At first I didn't think I had any suitable images, but then came across a cute Christmas card in my 'upcycling box' which has penguins on it.  Although they are flightless birds, some of the design team have used penguins so I guess they will fit the challenge.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Upcycled Christmas card
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Snippets of white hammer card and white matt card

I cut a piece of white hammer card and white matt card so they were slightly smaller than the front of the card blank and die cut the stitched square from the middle of both pieces of card.  These were layered and attached to the front of the card blank.  The Christmas card was a large 3D card, but I took it to pieces and die cut a square of the backing card and inlaid it into the aperture.  I then die cut around the base of the penguins (they were already fussy cut around the top) and inlaid them into the base of the aperture.  

I am entering the following challenges:
     Christmas Crafts All Year Round - Arctic/Antarctic Animals
     Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Christmas
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Kath x

Saturday 2 March 2024

Hello

I made this card to send to Jo for the February Card Chain Challenge.  I used the Colour Option (Lemon, Lime and Sky Blue), the Theme Option (Flowers and Friendship) and the Technique Option (Stencil).

I've used my new Sizzix stamp and die set I bought with gift voucher I won in the Snippets Playground in January.  There are lots of options with this set and I can see it becoming a favourite this year.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Sizzix Framelits 'Floral Hello' stamp and die set
     Funky Fossil 'Woodgrain Background' stencil
     Versafine Vintage Sepia and Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue inks
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Yellow and green Promarkers
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white matt card, green and blue textured card

I die cut the 'hello' square from green textured card and the lower section from blue textured card and set them aside.  I used blue ink and the woodgrain stencil on a snippet of white card before trimming it so it was slightly smaller than the green 'hello' square.  I layered the green square onto the stencil background and attached it to the centre of the card blank.  I trimmed around the blue 'hello' and attached it over the green panel, offsetting it slightly.  I used brown ink to stamp the flowers onto a snippet of white matt card embossed them with clear embossing powder.  The flowers were cut with the coordinating dies before being coloured with yellow and green Promarkers.  To finish I attached the flowers to the 'hello' frame and highlighted them with a Wink of Stella.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Spring (the colours remind me of Spring)
     CAS on Friday - Hello
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Anything Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     NBUS - Challenge 60 (I have used my new Sizzix stamp and die set)
     

This is the lovely card Linda sent to me:

Kath x

Friday 1 March 2024

Steve's Anniversary Card

It's our wedding anniversary next week and this is the card I made for Steve.  The lovely green paper has gold foiled swirls and hearts and was in a wallet of mixed craft papers I bought in a charity shop last year, unfortunately it doesn't show too well in the photograph.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Classic Hearts' and Crafter's Companion 'Gemini Expressions - Husband' dies
     Snippets of green and gold heart paper, gold mirri and white matt card

I trimmed the white card to a 5" x 5" square and die cut the heart from the centre before embossing the edge of the heart with my tan embossing mat.  I layered the panel onto a snippet of gold mirri and attached it to the front of the card.  I die cut the heart from the green and gold paper before embossing the edge and inlaying it into the aperture.  I die cut the husband background from a tiny snippet of gold mirri and husband from a snippet of the green paper - these were layered and attached to the bottom of the heart with a narrow strip of foam tape.

I am entering the following challenges:
     As You Like It Challenge - Feminine or Masculine (and why) - I normally prefer making feminine cards but I enjoy making cards for my OH - making masculine cards takes me out of my comfort zone!
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Anything Goes
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Celebrate
     The Male Room - Valentine/Use a Heart

Kath x

Wednesday 28 February 2024

Santa

This is another quick Christmas card made with an image that has been upcycled from one of last year's Chriatmas cards.


To make this card I used:
     5.5" x 4.25" kraft card blank
     Upcycled Christmas card
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics' and Creative Expressions 'Festive Collection - Season's Greetings' dies
     Snippets of dark red card

I used the stitched rectangle die to cut the front of the card, moving the die to ensure I had Santa, the rabbit and present on the die cut panel.  This panel was then layered it onto a snippet of dark red card and attached it to the card blank.  To finish I die cut the sentiment from a small snippet of dark red card and attached it to the top of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Christmas with the Cuties - Santa and/or Snowman
     Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Use Kraft Card


Kath x 

Tuesday 27 February 2024

February Rudolph Day

I'm so pleased to see the Rudolph Day Challenge will continue as Helen has kindly taken over the reins from Maureen - so, it's time for the second RD of the year.

I like to have a theme for my RD cards and this year I've chosen a colour theme - all my cards will be green and gold.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Creative Dies 'Partridge in a Pear Tree' and My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics' dies
     Funky Fossil ''In To The Blue' paper
     Snippets of white matt card, gold shimmer card and bright green mirri

I trimmed the white card to 4.25" x 4.25" and die cut a circle in the centre.  I layered the panel onto a piece of green paper and attached it to the front of the card.  I die cut the partridge from a snippet of gold shimmer card and attached it inside the aperture with Artist Tac.  I die cut the partridge again from snippets of green mirri and inlaid the pears, leaves and partridge details into the front of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Things that Fly
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Out on a Limb
     Rudolph Day - February Challenge
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 474
     
Kath x

Saturday 24 February 2024

Retiform Christmas

I was so pleased when my Snowman Cross Stitch Card was a winner in the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown 'Sewing' challenge and thank you to the team for inviting me to be a Guest Designer on their Retiform challenge.  This is a new technique for me, but thankfully there are plenty of tutorials available online!  The technique took me right out of my comfort zone, but after several practice attempts I was reasonably happy with the final result.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 5" white matt card
     Hot off the Press 'Christmas', Making Cards 'Essential Christmas Stamps' and Uniko 'Rustic Wreath' stamps
     Versafine Spanish Moss and Vintage Sepia inks
     Snippets of white matt and brown textured card

I trimmed a snippet of white matt card to 6¼ x 4¼".   I used a scrap of card and post-it notes to mask various parts of the card before using the green ink and a blending tool to create the grid.  Once I had made the grid I wiped the blending tool across the rest of the card to lightly colour the background.  I used various small stamps and brown ink to stamp the images - masking the areas around the grid so I could stamp some of the images over the edge.  Once I had finished the grid I layered the panel onto brown card before attaching it to the card blank.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Stamping Sensations - Animals, Birds or Creatures (my card has a reindeer)

Kath x

Thursday 22 February 2024

Chloe Stem Birthday

I was over the moon when my Happy Birthday Butterfly won the Seize the Birthday 'Kraft and Another Colour' challenge.  Thank you to the team for inviting me to be Surprise Party Guest on the latest challenge 'Use Red as the Main Colour'.




To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Memory Box 'Chloe Stem' and Creative Expressions 'Mini Expressions - Stacked Happy Birthday' dies
     Xcut 'Small Polka Hearts' embossing folder
     Red sparkle card and white matt card

I embossed a piece of white card with the Polka Hearts.  This was trimmed, layered onto red sparkle card and attached to the card blank.  I die cut two Chloe Stems and one Happy Birthday sentiment from snippets of red sparkle card.  The flower stems were attached to the left side of the card with the sentiment in the lower right corner.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Birthday Challenge - Hearts
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Add a Heart
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - All Occasions
     The Flower Challenge - Add a Heart 


Kath x

Wednesday 21 February 2024

Pink and Red Heart

This lovely heart stamp was a cover gift with Craft Stamper magazine several years ago and is perfect for a CAS anniversary card.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Craft Stamper 'Heart' stamp
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Versafine Satin Red ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Pink Promarker
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white matt card and red sparkle card

I put a snippet of white card into my MISTI and stamped the heart several times with red ink to ensure a good depth of colour.  I then embossed the image with clear embossing powder before colouring the heart with a pink Promarker.  I die cut the panel, layered it onto a snippet of red sparkle card and attached it to the centre of the card blank.  To finish I added lots of Wink of Stella to the pink heart.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Pink
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Add a Heart
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     Moving Along With The Times - Love Hearts
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Love/Have a Heart
     Sparkles Monthly Challenge - Hearts and Flowers
     We Love Stamping - Romance

Kath x 

Tuesday 20 February 2024

21st Birthday Card

I made this card for one of the young men in our family for his 21st birthday.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Turned 21' stamp
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of Lili of the Valley 'Antebellum' paper, dark purple mirri card and thin white card

I attached a snippet of paper onto a piece of thin white card and placed it in my MISTI so I could position the stamps as there are two separate stamps in this set.  I stamped the image several times with purple ink to get a good depth of colour and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I then cut the image with the largest stitched die.  I layered the card onto a snippet of purple mirri and attached it to the centre of the card blank.  To finish I highlighted the small '21' with a Wink of Stella.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Anything CAS Goes + Optional Twist: Birthday
     CAS on Friday - Male/Boy
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
     We Love Stamping - Anything Goes


Kath x

Monday 19 February 2024

Jenny Bear Birthday

As part of my frugal crafting year, I'm determined to use everything in my oddments box and this lovely Jenny Bear image was at the bottom of the box - my last image from an old LOTV Art Pad.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley 'Jenny Bear' precoloured Art Pad image
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Oval STAX Die-namics' and Creative Expressions 'Mini Expressions - Stacked Happy Birthday dies
     Lili of the Valley 'Antebellum' paper
     Snippets of green texured card

I trimmed the lovely pink Antebellum paper and layered it onto green textured card.  I die cut a stitched oval from the left side of the panel before attaching it to the front of the card blank.  I die cut the Jenny Bear image and inlaid it into the panel.  I die cut two 'Happy Birthday' sentiments, layered them and attached them to the lower edge of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Pink
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Daisy Chain Challenge - Flowers
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
     

Kath x

Thursday 15 February 2024

Blue & White Opulent Bauble

I made this card with the colours of the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge.  This embossing folder, die and stamp set was a cover gift with a magazine ages ago and is still one of my favourites for quick CAS cards.


To make this card I used:
     6" x 4" white matt card blank
     Practical Publishing 'Opulent Baubles' embossing folder and stamps
     Versafine Majestic Blue ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Snippets of white matt card, white paper, blue paper and blue textured card

Snippets of white matt card, blue paper and blue textured card

I embossed a piece of white matt card, trimmed around the edge so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and attached it to the front.  I attached the blue paper to snippets of white printer paper to make it the same thickness as the embossed card.  I used blue ink to stamp the bauble onto the blue paper and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I then used the die from the embossing folder to cut the bauble before inlaying it into the front of the card.   I stamped the bow onto a snippet of blue textured card using blue ink and then embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I fussy cut the bow and attached it to the top of the bauble with a small foam pad.

I am entering the following challenges:
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown - White & Blue
     Christmas Craft Creations - Stencils or Embossing Folder (I have chosen embossing folder)
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Out on a Limb
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 473

Kath x

Wednesday 14 February 2024

Christmas Cats and Dogs

I made this card for the ABC Christmas Challenge 'C for Cats and D for Dogs'.  One of my friends likes cards with cats and dogs so when I received this card at Christmas last year I kept it to upcycle into a card to send her next Christmas.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" cream hammer card blank
     Upcycled Christmas card
     Lawn Fawn - Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Gold mirri

To make this quick card, I cut the front of the card with the largest stitched square, layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the centre of the card blank.  

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - C for Cats & D for Dogs
     Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Christmas
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Kath x

Thursday 8 February 2024

Sparkle and Shine at Christmas Time

I made this card using one of my 'old favourites' - a Woodware stamp my OH bought for my birthday in 2014!  The card uses the colours from the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Woodware 'Bubble Bloom - Festive Tree' stamp
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Promarkers
     Glossy Accents
     Snippet of white hammer card     

I trimmed a snippet of white hammer card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and placed it into my MISTI.   I used brown ink to stamp the tree and sentiment before embossing them with clear embossing powder.  I used red, gold and turquoise Promarkers to colour the baubles on the tree before attaching the panel to the front of the card.  To finish I added Glossy Accents to the baubles to make them shine.

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - A for Anything Goes
     As You Like It - Digi or Physical Stamps (my favourite is physical stamps - partly because my printer isn't very good at printing digis but mainly because I love to use my MISTI and inks to stamp and emboss images, like on this card)
     CAS Colours & Sketches - Colour Challenge (Poppy Parade, Crushed Curry & Tahitian Tide)
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Out on a Limb
     Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Krafty Chicks - Christmas
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

 
Kath x