Diamond Anniversary

I made this cross stitch card for Steve's parents' Diamond Anniversary using a design by Jackie of justxstitchcharts.  

After stitching the design I made a grey pearlescent frame using my Spellbinders Nestabilities square die and elongating it to make a rectangle.  The cross stitch was mounted behind the frame and attached to the front of the card.

Kath x

Hugs and Kisses

I had stamped and die cut a lot of heart when making some cards last year and popped the extras into a box to use 'one day'.  As part of my continuing mission to use up all my 'odds and ends' I thought I would make them into this CAS card.

To make this card I trimmed a piece of white card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and used my Hougie Board to emboss two lines along the length of the card.  I used red ink to stamp 'Hugs and Kisses' below the bottom line before embossing it with clear embossing powder and attaching it to the card.  The hearts had also been stamped with the same red ink, embossed with clear embossing powder before being die cut with the coordinating die.  To complete the card I attached seven hearts across the card using small foam pads.

To make this card I used:
     DL white matt card blank
     Clearly Besotted 'With All Your Heart' stamp and coordinating die
     Immediate Media 'Make Special Cards' sentiment stamp
     Versafine Satin Red ink
     Cosmic Shimmer clear embossing powder

I am entering the following challenges:
     Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies - January Challenge
     Less is More - In a Row

Kath x

With Sympathy

I needed a sympathy card to send to a neighbour so made this CAS card for him.

I placed the card blank into my MISTI so I could line up the seed and sentiment stamps.  I stamped these a couple of times with purple ink to ensure that I had a good depth of colour before embossing them with clear embossing powder.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Going to Seed' and Clearly Besotted 'Fancy Sayings' stamps
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - One Layer + Silhouettes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Kath x

January Rudolph Day

For the past few years I've had a theme for my Rudolph Day Cards.  In 2017 I used images from a LOTV Art Pad, in 2018 my cards were 4" x 4", in 2019 all cards had a Christmas tree on them and last year I made cards with wet and/or dry embossing.  As we are having a thrifty 2021 I have chosen 'Upcyling' as my Rudolph Day theme this year.

To make this card I used:
     5.5" x 4.25" white hammer card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics', Memory Box 'Lydia Ornament', 'Traditional Ornament' & 'Crisp Bows' dies
     Kars tan embossing mat
     Snippet of white hammer card
     Blue glitter paper (from inside a Christmas card) and dark blue card with glitter spots (from the front of a Christmas card)

I am entering the following challenges:
     Christmas Crafts All Year Round - Something that Starts with A and/or B (I have used B for Bauble)
     Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - No Sentiment
     Fezzwig's Festive Frolics - Anything Festive Goes
     Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies - January Challenge
     Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
     Rudolph Day Challenge - January challenge

Kath x

Orange Tree Notebook

This beaded orange tree was my final assessment for the Cross Stitch Diploma and I've attached it to the front of a notebook for a cross stitch swap.

I cut a piece of gold 'watercolour' paper so it was slightly smaller than the notebook, rounded the corners and attached it to the front.  I trimmed the orange textured card, rounded the corners and die cut a stitched oval in the centre.  The sentiment was stamped in dark brown ink along the lower edge of the panel - this was embossed with clear embossing powder.  

I trimmed the cross stitch and attached it behind the aperture.  I placed a piece of white card behind the aida as the yellow watercolour paper made it look a bit grubby.  The finished panel was then attached to the front of the notebook with foam tape.

Kath x

Reindeer and Stacked Lines

This card was made using another new stencil from Funky Fossil.  The stencil  has four stacked lines but I used just one to make a band across the bottom of the card.

I trimmed a piece of white card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and stencilled the stacked lines across the bottom.  I placed the card into my MISTI before stamping the reindeer and sentiment.  The reindeer had got snowflakes on his back which allowed the stripes to show through, so I used a fine paintbrush and black ink to paint the snowflakes so they blended with the back of the reindeer giving a clear silhouette.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Hot off the Press 'Reindeer' and Clearly Besotted 'Cheerful Christmas' stamps
     Funky Fossil 'Stacked Lines' stencil
     Versafine Onyx Black and Deep Lagoon inks
     White card

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Up to One Third
     CAS Christmas - Silhouette
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Such a Deer
     Happy Little Stampers Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes
     Perfectly CAS - Stencils
     The Male Room - Animals

Kath x  

Zen Mandala

Last week I was very lucky to win some stencils on the Funky Fossils Facebook Group.  I had three stencils of my choice and Sara also enclosed a lovely birthday stencil too.  I don't often use stencils, probably because I only have a couple of small flimsy ones, but think I'll be using them a lot more now I have these new ones.

I kept this card simple as I wanted to show the lovely Zen Mandala stencil.  I used pink pearlescent ink to stencil the design onto a piece of white card, trimmed the edges, rounded the corners and attached it to the card front.  I die cut the sentiment twice from dark purple card, layered the two die cuts and attached them across the centre of the mandala.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Funky Fossil 'Zen Mandala' stencil
     Crafts-Too 'Happy Birthday' die
     Brilliance Pearlescent Orchid ink
     Snippets of dark purple pearlescent card and white matt card

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Birthday Card Challenge - A Stencil Background
     Allsorts - Something New (my new stencil)
     Happy Little Stampers Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes
     Moving Along With The Times - New (my new stencil)
     NBUS - January Challenge (my new stencil)

Kath x

A Rosy Posy

I made this card for my mum's birthday using a Hunkydory Flourishing Florals Deco-Large kit.  Although it's not her birthday until next month I can post it now as she doesn't read my blog!

I trimmed the plain side of the base layer sheet to make a square 1cm smaller than the card blank (I'll make another card with the floral bouquet from the other side of the base layer).  The images are already die cut so I popped them from the carrier sheet and removed a few small 'pips'.  I attached a floral strip across the bottom of the card before layering the panel onto gold mirri and attaching it to the card blank.  I used Pinflair glue to make the decoupage layers and attached the image to the centre of the card.  I attached one of the sentiments to the top corner of the card and added a die cut 'Mum' to the bottom.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 7" white matt card blank
     Hundydory 'Flourishing Florals Deco-large - A Rosy Posy' kit
     Crafts-Too 'Mum' die
     Gold mirri

I am entering the following challenges:
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Something beginning with 'P' (I chose Posy)

Kath x

Cross Stitch Foxgloves

This card is another one that I have made using a kit from the Carolyn's Meadow collection by Serendipity Designs.  After stitching the foxgloves I attached the stitching to the rear of a green frame and attached it to the card.

I was also very pleased to sell the card within two hours of posting it on Folksy!

Kath x

Blog Candy Winner

 Thank you to everyone who left a comment to win the Bumbleberry Papercrafts gift card.  The winner is:

Liz

Congratulations Liz!  Please email me (kmbuckell@btinternet.com) with your email address as Bumbleberry Crafts will need it to send you the gift card.

Kath x

In the Pink

I made this card for a friend's birthday using a Hunkydory Deco-Large floral kit - 'In the Pink'.

I trimmed gold mirri card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank.  I trimmed the floral backing card slightly smaller than the mirri and cut it so I could inlay a strip of patterned card.  These pieces were then layered onto the mirri and attached to the card.  The images were already die cut so I popped them out of the carrier sheet and carefully removed the small 'pips'.  I used Pinflair glue to build the decoupage layers and attached the panel to the left side of the card before attaching a sentiment to the upper corner.  To finish I die cut two small butterflies from gold mirri and attached them to the floral panel.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 7" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory 'Flourishing Florals Designer Deco-Large - In the Pink' kit
     Tattered Lace 'Mini Butterfly' die
     Gold mirri

I am entering the following challenges:
     Butterfly Challenge - Spin the Wheel with the letter G (I have used one colour 'Gold' with my butterfly)
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Something beginning with P (I have used the colour Pink)

Kath x

Elegant Reindeer

It's time for my first Christmas card of the year - a CAS card made for a few challenges.

I trimmed a piece of white card so it was slightly smaller than the front of the card blank, rounded the corners and die cut a stitched circle from the centre.  The panel was attached to the centre of the card.  I die cut a stitched circle from a snippet of paper and inlaid it into the circle.  The 'Elegant Reindeer' was die cut from black card and attached to the lower corner of the card.  The swirl on the reindeer's body was die cut from a tiny snippet of red card and inlaid.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Inside and Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics'  and Creative Dies 'Elegant Reindeer' dies
     Snippets of white matt card, Lili of the Valley 'Classic Christmas' paper, black matt and red textured card

I am entering the following challenges:
     CAS Christmas - Silhouette
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Such a Deer
     Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Feature a Creature
     Fezzwig's Festive Frolics - Anything Festive Goes
     Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge 394

Kath x

Winter Flowers

Another cross stitch card using a small kit I've recently purchased as part of a 'job lot' of kits.  The kit had a patterned card blank but I felt the front was too fussy for me to use.  As I liked the background colour of the card blank I trimmed the back panel to a square, rounded the corners and die cut a circle from the centre.  I attached the cross stitch behind this frame and attached it to a small 4" x 4" card blank.

Kath x

Butterfly Post

I needed to make some small notecards to send with a few items I'm giving away on a Facebook group so made several of these cards.

I used a stitched square die to emboss the centre of the card blank.  I stamped the image onto a snippet of white card and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I cut around the edge of the square before colouring it with Promarkers and adding a Wink of Stella to the butterfly.  The topper was then attached to the centre of the card with a foam sheet.

To make this card I used:
     4" x 4" white matt card blank
     Craft Stamper Magazine 'Butterfly Post' stamp
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Kars tan embossing mat
     Versafine Majestic Blue ink
     Cosmic Shimmer clear embossing powder
     Promarkers
     Wink of Stella

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to CAS - Emboss (I've used both wet and dry embossing)
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Something beginning with 'P' (I have chosen Post)

Kath x

New Baby

I'm on a mission to try and use lots of oddments that I've come across whilst clearing my craft area.  This card uses a Lili of the Valley precoloured topper which I'd already die cut and embossed, a sentiment that had been stamped and die cut and a snippet of paper left over from another project.

I trimmed the paper so it was slightly smaller than the front of the card blank before die cutting and embossing the aperture.  I rounded the corners and attached it to the card.  The precoloured topper had already been die cut and embossed so I inlaid it into the frame.  I had previously stamped and die cut several sentiments so I layered two of them and attached them above the baby.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley Art Pad (I'm not sure of the name of the pad - it may have been 'Babies & Toddlers')
     Clearly Besotted 'Modern Calligraphy' stamps and coordinating dies
     Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Labels One' die
     Kars tan embossing mat
     Mememto Gray Flannel ink
     Snippet of blue patterned paper

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Make it Cute
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Moving Along With The Times - New (I've chosen New Baby)

Kath x

Baby Joy

This card was made with a Lanarte cross stitch kit.  The design had a yellow border, but I chose not to stitch it as it made the design too big for me.  After stitching 'Baby Joy' the cross stitch was adhered to the back of a dark blue panel with a scalloped aperture.

Kath x

Happy New Year and Blog Candy

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone has enjoyed the Christmas holiday and is ready for what will, hopefully, be a better year for all.  

To start the New Year on a positive note, I'm giving away a £10.00 gift card for Bumbleberry Papercrafts to one of my followers.  If you would like a chance to win, please leave a comment below before Friday 15 January.

All comments will be put into a pot and a winner drawn at random.  Good Luck!

Kath x