Christmas Teddy

I stitched this cute Christmas Teddy when we were away last year.  I have a box of completed designs waiting to be made into cards and this one was perfect for the 'Real Stitching' challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.

I made a frame from two stitched dies and then trimmed the stitching so it was slightly smaller than the outer edge of the frame.  I attached the stitching to the back of the frame and then to the centre of the card.

To make this card I used:
     4" x 4" white hammer card blank
     Cross Stitch Card Shop 'Christmas Teddy' cross stitch kit
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Snippet of white hammer card

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - A for Anything Christmass
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Real Stitching
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Kath x

Have a Gorgeous Day

I was lucky to win one of the prizes in the Snippet's Playground Grand Draw (two lovely Uniko stamp sets).  Di sent pretty notecards with the prizes and challenged the winners to upcycle the front of the card. 

As the card is so pretty I didn't want to cut away too much, so just trimmed the edges. I stamped the sentiment (Lil'inker Designs 'Modern Mehndi) in the lower corner with Versafine Deep Lagoon ink.  It looked a bit too dark to match the turquoise matt layer so I stamped over the top with Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue ink.  As the ink wasn't drying well I was about to sprinkle it with embossing powder when disaster struck and I smudged it!   So out came my Tombow Sand Eraser (a prize a few years ago in the Snippets Playground) and I managed to remove the smudge, dabbed the missing inky section with a Versamark pen and then embossed it with clear embossing powder.  To finish I layered the panel onto the turquoise pearlescent card before attaching it to the card blank.

Thank you Di for the pretty card and the sand eraser!

Kath x

January Rudolph Day

It's time for the first Rudolph Day of 2022!  For the past few years I've enjoyed working to a theme for my Rudolph Day cards.  In 2017 I used images from a Lili of the Valley Art Pad, in 2018 my cards were 4" x 4", in 2019 all cards had a Christmas tree on them, in 2020 I used wet and/or dry embossing on my cards and last year I used something that had been upcycled on my cards.  This year my cards will all use something that has been a cover gift with a magazine.

This month's card uses a 'Nativity Bauble' die that was a cover gift with Die-Cutting Essentials magazine. I trimmed a piece of white hammer card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and rounded the corners.  I die cut the Nativity Bauble from the centre of the panel before attaching it to the card.  I die cut the bauble from dark blue pearlescent card and inlaid it into the aperture.  I attached a snippet of gold patterned paper onto a thin piece of card (so it was the same thickness as the aperture) and die cut the bauble before inlaying the background.  To finish I die cut the star from gold mirri and attached it to the top of the bauble.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white hammer card blank
     Practical Publishing 'Memory Box Nativity Bauble'
     Snippets of white hammer card, dark blue pearlescent card, thin white matt card, gold mirri and gold patterned paper

I am entering the following challenges:
     Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge - Anything Goes
     Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Rudolph Day - January challenge
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 420

Kath x

Joy

I've used this 'JOY' die many times but I think the silver and gold combination (for the CAS Christmas challenge) is one of my favourites.

I trimmed a piece of white hammer card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank, rounded the corners and attached it to the card.  I die cut the 'JOY' letters from silver mirri and embossed them.  The embossing gave me a 'happy accident'.  My embossing mat is scratched and I usually put a piece of paper between the card and mat to eliminate marking the card, but forgot to do that so have got a lovely textured finish to the letters!  These letters were then inlaid into the card, together with the white middle of the letter 'O'.  I die cut the fancy 'JOY' from gold pearlescent card and attached it over the top.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 4" white hammer card blank
     Creative Expressions 'Festive Collection - Joy' dies
     Woodware 'Corner Rounder' punch
     Snippets of white hammer card, silver mirri and gold pearlescent card

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - A for Anything Christmas
     CAS Christmas Challenge - Silver and Gold
     Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge - Anything Goes
     Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes

Kath x

Happy Birthday Butterfly

When I made my previous 'Happy Birthday' card I stamped lots of butterflies in different colours.  I'm using this purple one for the AAA Birthday Card Challenge as two of my favourite colours are purple and pink.

I die cut a frame from white card using the two largest stitched dies.  I placed the card blank and frame into my MISTI so I could see where to position the sentiment.  After removing the frame I stamped the sentiment a couple of times in purple ink to get a good depth of colour before embossing it with clear embossing powder.  I attached the frame with foam tape in the centre of the card.  I coloured the butterfly with purple and pink Promarkers and attached another butterfly shape to the rear to cover the marks where the pen had bled through the card.  To finish I attached the butterfly along the body so I could shape the wings over the frame.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Card Making Magic 'The Best of Card Making Magic' butterfly stamp and die
     Clearly Besotted 'Fabulous Fuchsias' sentiment stamp
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' dies
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Cosmic Shimmer clear detail embossing powder
     Promarkers
     Snippets of white card

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Birthday Card Challenge - Two Favourite Colours (I've used purple and pink)
     Butterfly Challenge - Spin the Wheel with Letter T (I have used Thistle and Tickle Me Pink + my butterfly)
     Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes With Dies - January Challenge
     Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge - Anything Goes

Kath x

Make a Wish

I stitched this card with a design by Catkin and Lillie.  After finishing the stitching I trimmed a piece of green textured card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and die cut a square from the centre.  I then attached the stitching to the rear of the frame.

Kath x

Happy Birthday

I made this card for a friend's birthday using one of the sentiments from a new set of Clearly Besotted stamps I bought in their half price sale.

I trimmed a piece of white card so it was slightly smaller than the front of the card blank and used a zig-zag die to emboss a pattern across the top.  I stamped the butterfly in dark blue ink onto a snippet of white card and cut it with the coordinating die before colouring it with grey and blue Promarkers.  I placed the embossed panel into my MISTI and laid the butterfly onto it so I could see where the position the sentiment.  The sentiment was stamped in dark blue ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.  The panel was then attached to the front of the card.  As I had coloured the butterfly with Promarkers the colour had bled through the card, so I die cut a butterfly from a piece of scrap paper and glued it to the rear before attaching the butterfly to the card and shaping its wings.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Card Making Magic 'The Best of Card Making Magic' butterfly stamp and die
     Clearly Besotted 'Mini Calligraphy' stamps
     Creative Expressions 'Clean and Simple - Zig Zag Border' die
     Versafine Majestic Blue ink
     Cosmic Shimmer clear detail embossing powder
     Promarkers
     Snippets of white card

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Moodboard (I have picked the colours Blue and Grey)
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     NBUS - Challenge 34 (my new sentiment stamps)
     Seize the Birthday - Blue and Gray'
     We Love Stamping - Wings

Kath x

Sorry You're Feeling Under The Weather

I made this card for a friend who's not feeling too good at the moment.

I used two stitched square dies to die cut a frame from a snippet of white card.  I placed the card blank and frame into my MISTI so I could see where to position the stamps.  I removed the frame and stamped the umbrella and sentiment with black ink before embossing them with clear embossing powder.  I stamped the umbrella onto three small snippets of patterned paper (the outer sections onto pink paper and the middle section onto purple spotty paper).  I fussy cut them just inside the stamped outline and then paper pieced them into the umbrella.  I used a purple pencil to colour the umbrella handle.  To finish I attached the frame with foam tape.

    To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Crafter's Companion 'Sweet Florals' stamps
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Versafine Onyx black ink
     Faber-Castell coloured pencil
     Cosmic Shimmer clear detail embossing powder
     Snippets of white card and pink paper and purple spot paper

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     CAS on Friday - Feel Better
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 419

Kath x

Cardmaking Magazine Winner

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my post last Saturday.  The names have gone into a pot and the winner is:

Congratulations Tina Z.  Please email me (kmbuckell@btinternet.com) with your postal address so I can pop the magazine in the post for you.

Kath x

Happy Anniversary

I made this card for my in-laws' wedding anniversary using one of the decoupage images I assembled on our last campervan adventure.

I trimmed the patterned card, layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the card blank.  I layered the flowers and hearts with Pinflair glue to give dimension and attached them above the floral image on the card. To finish I attached a small coordinating topper to the top of the card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory 'Deco Large Flourishing Florals' card and topper
     Snippet of gold mirri

I am entering the following challenge:
     Love to Craft - Challenge 66

Kath x

Happy New Year and Blog Candy Giveaway

Happy New Year to everyone!   

For lots of reasons I was glad to see the back of 2021 and am hoping for a better year in 2022.  To start the year on a positive note I'm offering a blog candy giveaway - 'Essential Cardmaking Techniques' magazine. This magazine has lots of projects to try as well as 'how-tos' to learn new techniques in the New Year..

If you would like a chance of winning the magazine, please leave a 'Yes please' (or similar) on this post.  All comments must be left before 09:00 GMT on Saturday 8 January 2022. 

All comments will go into a pot and I'll ask my OH to draw the winner's name - I'll announce the winner later the same day.

Good Luck!

Kath x