It's Always Gin O'Clock

One of my friends reckons 'it's always gin o'clock' so I thought this design would make a perfect birthday card for her.

To make this card I used:
     6.25" x 5.5" white matt card blank
     Durene Jones 'It's Always Gin O'Clock' cross stitch chart
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics' die
     White 14 count aida
     DMC threads
     Snippet of bright blue textured card

I stitched the design and measured it so I could make the frame for the front of the card.  The rectangle die was the right width but too long for the completed stitching so I die cut the first half in a snippet of bright blue card and then moved the die to stitch the second half so it was the right size.  The cross stitch was then attached behind the frame and then onto the front of the card blank.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Try It On Tuesday - Feeling Blue
     
Kath x

Pretty Flowers

I made this card for the As You Like It 'Favourite Paperbrand' challenge.  My favourite is Lili of the Valley as I love the quality of the papers, the beautiful designs and the 8" x 8" size - I just wish they were still available.  For this card I have used a couple of snippets of paper from one of my favourite paper pads and one of my few remaining LOTV Art Sheet images (also sadly not longer available).

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lili if the Valley 'Pretty Flowers Art Sheet' precoloured image
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics' and Creative Expressions 'Mini Expressions - Stacked Happy Birthday'  dies
     Hole punch
     Snippets of Lili of the Valley 'Antebellum' paper, white matt card, brown matt card and brown ribbon

Before cutting into a full sheet of my precious LOTV papers, I always check my snippets envelope and found two snippets of paper that just needed a little trim to fit the card blank leaving a small border around the edge.  I glued the papers onto a snippet of white card and trimmed around the panel.  I die cut the LOTV Art Pad image with the largest stitched circle die before die cutting the same size circle from the panel.  The panel was attached to the card blank and the circle topper inlaid.  I die cut the sentiment twice from dark brown matt card, layered the two die cuts and attached the sentiment to the lower corner of the card.  To make the tag I took the circle that had been die cut from the panel and cut a smaller circle from the left side before punching a hole in the top and adding a snippet of brown ribbon.  I die cut another sentiment from dark brown card and attached it to the tag.  

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Matching Pairs
     As You Like It - Favourite Paperbrand (Lili of the Valley as I love the quality, designs and size of the paperpad)
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 497    
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Blooms & Butterflies (I have used blooms - no birds or butterflies, but there is a bee!).

Kath x

Winter Woodland

I was delighted when my Sweet Nature Note Card was the winner on the CAS on Friday Sketch Challenge and the team invited me to be Guest Designer on the 'Winter' Challenge.  I made this card using one of my favourite winter dies which had been a cover gift with a magazine many years ago.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Creative Dies 'Woodland Scene' and My Favorite Things ' Inside & Out Stitched Square Stackables STAX Die-namics' dies
     Snippets of white matt card and blue paper

I used the largest stitched square die to emboss a square on the front of the card blank.  I die cut the Woodland Scene from a snippet of white card and removed the small tress from in front of the deer as it made the scene look a little too fussy.  I then cut the scene again with a stitched square die to match the embossed border.  I trimmed a snippet of blue paper, attached it behind the Woodland Scene and then attached the panel to the front of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Anything CAS Goes
     ABC Christmas Challenge - A for Anything Goes
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Add a Die Cut
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     The Male Room - Clean and Simple
     Try It On Tuesday - Feeling Blue

Kath x

Gem of a Plant

I've recently won this lovely AALL & Create stamp at the Allsorts Challenge.  I've also been having a 'play' with some preloved Distress Inks I bought before Christmas - I know I'm a bit late to the party but I've only just discovered the joys of crafting with Distress Ink.

To make this card I used:
     DL white matt card blank
     AALL & Create 'Gem of a Plant' stamp
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics' die
     Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade & Ripe Persimmon
     Versafine Onyx Black ink
     Snippet of white matt card

I stamped the Distress inks onto my craft mat, spritzed them with water and laid the card on top to pick up the colour.  I let the panel dry and then placed it into my MISTI before stamping the flower a couple of times to get a good depth of colour.  I used the largest stitched rectangle die to trim the panel - moving the die three times to cut the top, middle and bottom of the panel.  The panel was then attached to the front of the card blank.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Daisy Chain Challenge - No Design Paper
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Something Old, Something New (I used my old MFT die and my new stamp)
     We Love Stamping - Anything But Square

Kath x

Rudolph and Friends

When I made my Rudolph Says Hello card last year, I stamped and die cut several more Rudolphs and then never used them.  I came across them in my oddments box and thought they would be perfect for the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown 'Sketch challenge'.  As I had several Rudolphs in the oddments box I made a matching tag for the the Allsorts 'Matching Pairs' challenge.

To make this card and tag I used:

     C6 white matt card blank
     Clearly Besotted 'Let's Prance' stamps and coordinating dies
     Clearly Besotted 'Cheerful Christmas' stamps

     Creative Expressions 'Pierced Tags' die
     Versafine Onyx Black ink

     Promarkers
     Snippets of white matt card, red textured card and red twine

I put white card into my MISTI and stamped the sentiment across the top.  The panel was trimmed, layered onto red textured card and attached to the card blank.  The reindeer had been stamped in black ink and cut with the coordinating dies before being popped into my oddments box.  I chose three different reindeer and coloured them with Promarkers.  To make them stand out on the card I layered the coloured reindeer onto a plain die cut and then attached them across the card under the sentiment.  I used a snippet of white card to cut the pierced tag and attached another Rudolph to the tag and some red twine.

I am entering the following challenges:
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Sketch
     AAA Cards - Flies in the Air (Rudolph flies with Santa!)
     Allsorts - Matching Pairs
     Christmas Crafts All Year Round - The Christmas Song (I have used 'To see if a reindeer really knows how to fly)
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Add a Die Cut
     Cut It Up - Anything Goes
     Stamping Sensations - Hand Coloured Image
     We Love Stamping - Anything But Square

Kath x

Best Wishes to You

I made this card for a friend's birthday using a preloved stamp I've recently bought as it's perfect for paper pieceing.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Bold Blooms - Vivian' stamp
     Versafine Onyx Black ink
     Lili of the Valley 'Heartfelt' paper
     Snippet of white matt card

I put a piece of white matt card into my MISTI and stamped the flower onto it before setting it aside.  So I could ensure the leaves (which are separate stamps) were in the right place, I cut a scrap of paper to the same size as the white card and stamped the flower again and then stamped the leaves.  When I was happy the leaves were in the right position I removed the scrap of paper and replaced the card into my MISTI to stamp the leaves.  The panel was trimmed, layered onto green paper and attached to the card blank.  I stamped the flowers onto a snippet of pink paper and the leaves onto a snippet of green paper.  These were fussy cut and paper pieced onto the card.  I stamped the sentiment onto a small snippet of white card, stamping a couple of times to get a good depth of colour.  This was trimmed and attached to the card with foam tape.  

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Birthday
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Something New (my new Woodware stamp)
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Blooms or Butterflies (I have chosen Blooms)

Kath x

Happy New Year

I made this card for the CAS on Friday 'New Year' challenge using an old Woodware stamp that was one of the first stamps I bought when I started to make cards many years ago!  I thought it would be perfect to give to Steve at the start of 2025.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Champagne Celebration' and Clearly Besotted 'Cheerful Christmas' stamps
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Promarkers
     Diamond Stickles
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white matt card and red mirri card

I stamped the champagne glasses onto a snippet of white card with purple ink and then added the sentiment to the bottom of the card.  I coloured the hearts and ribbon with a red Promarker and the champagne glasses with a cream Promarker.  The panel was trimmed, layered onto red mirri and attached to the card blank.  I added Diamond Stickles to the champagne bubbles and a Wink of Stella to the hearts.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     CAS on Friday - New Year
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - All Occasions
     Little Red Wagon - New Beginnings
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     The Male Room - Clean and Simple

Kath x

Thanks

As the year ends, I wanted to say 'Thanks' to everyone who has commented on my blog over the past year.  Also many thanks to the Design Teams who have chosen my cards as Top Picks and those who have invited me to be a Guest Designer.  This card is for all of you!

 To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Durene Jones 'Thanks' cross stitch chart 
     DMC threads
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Snippet of brown textured card

I trimmed a snippet of card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and die cut a stitched square from the centre.  I mounted the completed cross stitch behind the aperture and attached it to the card blank.

I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Kath x

Hello

I've made another note card for my card box - this one uses lots of snippets of textured card.  Steve bought me the Papermania card pack several years ago and I'm now reduced to a box of snippets which I'm trying to reduce - without much success!

To make this card I used:
     C6 white matt card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Fishtail Flags' and Altenew 'Simply Hello' dies
     Snippets of white matt card. Papermania textured card and white printer paper

I die cut lots of fishtail flags from different colour textured card using the smallest die.  I attached these to a piece of paper using glue so I had a little 'wriggle room' to line up the strips.  When they had dried I used the largest fishtail flag to cut the top and bottom of the strip.  The die wasn't quite the right size to fit across the card so I cut one side of the strip, removed the die and lined it up on the other side before die cutting the rest of the strip.  This panel was then attached to the front of the card blank.  I die cut 'hello' twice from a snippet of white matt card, layered the two sentiments and attached them to the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Use Your Dies
     Cut It Up - Use More Than One Die Cut
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 496

Kath x

Just Wanted to Say ...

When I made my Hello card I had stamped and die cut a few spare flowers which I've used on this note card following the sketch at the AAA Cards Challenge.

To make this card I used:
     C6 white matt card blank
     Sizzix Framelits 'Floral Hello' stamp and die set
     My Favorite Things 'Fishtail Flags' die
     Hobby Art 'General Greetings' stamp
     Funky Fossil 'Stacked Lines' stencil
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Distress Ink - Old Paper
     Promarkers - Orange & Gold
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white matt card

I placed the stencil on the left side of the card and masked around the edge before using the Old Paper Distress Ink to colour the lines.  I stamped the sentiment onto a snippet of white card and cut it with the fishtail flag die before snipping the end from the die cut and attaching it to the lower edge of the card. The flowers had previously been stamped with brown ink and embossed with clear embossing powder before being cut with the coordinating die.  I used Promarkers to colour the flowers - orange for the petals and gold for the centre.  The flowers were attached to the card with foam pads and a Wink of Stella added to the petals to make them sparkle.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards Challenge - Sketch
     Allsorts - Lots of White
     Cut It Up - Use More Than One Die Cut
     Simply Clean & Simple - Anything Goes
     The Flower Challenge - Add Sparkle

     

Kath x

Sweet Nature Note Card

I still have a few oddments of Lili of the Valley Art Sheets (I wish they still sold these as the quality is so good and they're also precoloured) and have used one of the Spring images to make this note card.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley 'Sweet Nature' Art Sheet
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics' and Memory Box 'Wicker Panel'  dies
     Snippets of white matt card, lilac textured card and green textured card

I trimmed a snippet of green card and attached it to the lower part of the card blank.  I die cut the Wicker Panel from a snippet of white matt card, layered it onto a snippet of lilac textured card and trimmed the ends so it was slightly smaller than the card blank.  This strip was attached to the top of the green panel.  I die cut the precoloured LOTV image and attached it with foam pads.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     CAS on Friday - Sketch
     Cut It Up Challenge - Use More Than One Die Cut
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes

Kath x

Mum

Now I have finished all my Christmas cards I've had a tidy up of my craft drawers and set aside lots of oddments and snippets I want to use for some quick cards to get ahead for the start of next year.  This card uses a Hunkydory Deco-Large topper and some snippets.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Hunkydory 'Sunflower Surprise Floral Deco-Large' topper
     Crafts-Too 'Mum' die
     Snippets of white hammer card and gold mirri card

I trimmed the white hammer card, layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the front of the card blank.  I removed the sunflower layers from the carrier card, then layered them with foam pads to give lots of lovely layers and attached the topper to the left side of the card.  To finish I die cut 'Mum' from another snippet of gold card and attached it to the top corner.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Birthday Card Challenge - Lovely Layers
     Allsorts - Lots of White
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Triple B Challenge - December Challenge (I have used Blooms)
     

Kath x

Upcycled Pengins

As always, my final Christmas card of the year is the one I've made for Steve.  Whenever he buys me a card he chooses one that he knows I'll upcycle.   Last Christmas he sent me a lovely tunnel card with cute penguins.  I've made this Christmas card for him using the image from the card but inserted the layers into a die cut frame.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Upcycled Christmas card
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' and Crafter's Companion 'Gemini Expressions - Husband' dies
     Snippet of white hammer card, thin white card and gold mirri

I cut the snippet of white hammer card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and die cut the stitched square from the centre.   As I was going to insert two layers of card into the aperture and wanted the bottom layer flush with the front of the card, I cut a snippet of thin white card so it was slightly smaller than the panel and die cut a square from the centre.  These panels were layered and attached to the centre of the card.  I die cut the snow and sky panel from the original card and inlaid it into the aperture.  I then die cut the penguin image and inlaid it into the lower section of the aperture.  To finish I die cut 'husband' from a snippet of white hammer card and the frame from gold mirri.  These were layered and attached to the lower corner of the image.

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - Z for Zoo Animals (my cute penguins)
     As You Like it Challenge - Anything Christmasssy
     Cardz for Guys - Christmas Card
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Christmas
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Christmas
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     The Male Room - Anything Goes

Kath x

Hello

I like to keep a few notecards in my card box and this Sizzix stamp and die set is perfect for making quick cards from my snippets mountain.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Sizzix Framelits 'Floral Hello' stamp and die set
     Sizix 'Dots' embossing folder
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Gold, orange and green Promarkers
     Snippets of white matt card, brown pearlescent card, green textured card 

I die cut the 'hello' square from brown pearlescent card and attached it to the centre of the card blank.  I die cut the'hello' square from white matt card and embossed it with the dots embossing folder before inlaying the pieces into the topper.  I die cut the lower section of the square from green textured card and snipped it from the frame before attaching it onto the brown 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 gold, orange and green Promarkers.  To finish I attached the flowers to the 'hello' frame.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 495

Kath x

Geometric Christmas Tree

I made this card with my new Uniko Ink & Flip Stencil, this is it's first outing together with some preloved Distress Inks I've recently purchased.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'Ink & Flip Layering Geometric Christmas Tree' and Funky Fossil 'Funky Circle' stencils
     Distress Inks - Pine Needles, Mowed Lawn and Antique Linen
     Snippet of white matt card

I stencilled the circles onto the front of the card blank with Antique Linen ink.  I used Pine Needles to stencil the Christmas tree onto a snippet of white card.  I cleaned the stencil and flipped it to stencil it again with Mowed Lawn ink.  I fussy cut the tree and attached it to the left side of the card with foam tape.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - If it's Christmassy, Link it Up
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Christmas
     Make My Monday - A CAS Winter Card
     NBUS - Challenge 69 (my Uniko stencil and Distress Inks)
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Christmas
     Uniko Christmas Linky Party - Christmas Card

Kath x