April Rudolph Day

It's the fourth Rudolph Day of the year and another card using die cuts (die cutting is my RD theme this year).  I used a poinsettia die and lots of snippets to make this CAS Christmas card.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white hammer card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Square STAX Die-namics', All Occasion Dies 'Small Poinsettia' & Memory Box 'Mini Holly Leaves'
     Snippets of red pearlescent card, white hammer card and gold mirri card

I die cut a square from white hammer card, layered it onto a slightly larger square of red pearlescent card and attached it to the centre of the card blank.  I die cut and embossed the three different size poinsettias from red pearlescent card, layered them and attached them to the centre of the square.  To finish I die cut holly berries from gold mirri card and attached them to the centre of the poinsettia.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Alphabet Challenge - P for Poinsettia
     As You Like It Challenge - Clean & Simple or Fussy & Fancy (it's always CAS for me - if I try a fussy card it always seems to look messy)
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Positively Poinsettias
     Rudolph Day - April Challenge
     Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Christmas Foliage

This is my last post for a few weeks as we're off on our travels on Sunday.  We're starting with a visit to our families, then a couple of days at Portmerion before heading to Angelsey for three weeks.

Kath x

Cross Stitch Red Poppy

This lovely RTO cross stitch kit was another charity shop fine - a 75p bargain!   This is the first RTO kit I've bought but it was a joy to stitch as it was very good quality and contained Zweigart fabric, DMC threads and John James needle.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     RTO 'Poppy' cross stitch kit
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Square STAX Die-namics die
     Snippet of white hammer card

After completing the stitching I washed it to remove the creases in the fabric and set it aside.  I used the stitched square die to cut an aperture in the front of the card blank.  I trimmed the fabric and attached it to the inside of the aperture.  To finish I used a snippet of white hammer card on the inside of the card front to cover the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Little Red Wagon - Make it Sew (I've used cross stitch and a stitched die)

Kath x

Get Well Wishes

I've been having a play with my new Uniko Flower Power stamps and made this Get Well card for a friend who's not feeling too good at the moment.  These Flower Power stamps are currently my favourite stamps as they suit my CAS style - the sentiment stamps also stamp really well, even on hammer card.

To make this card I used:
     5.5" x 4.25" white hammer card blank
     Uniko 'Flower Power #4' & 'Flower Power #6' stamps & coordinating dies
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics' die
     Versafine Vintage Sepia, Olympia Green and Habanero ink
     Snippets of white hammer card and white matt card

I green ink to stamp the leaves onto a snippet of white matt card and cut them with the coordinating die.  I used brown ink to stamp the flower outline onto another snippet of white matt card and then stamped the solid flower onto the top with orange ink, before cutting the flower with the coordinating die.  I die cut a snippet of white hammer card with the largest stitched rectangle die and placed it into my MISTI.  I placed the sentiment along the lower edge of the panel and the flower outline in the top corner before stamping them with brown ink.  The panel was then attached to the front of the card blank.  I attached the leaves to the card and then used a foam pad to attach the flower.

I am entering the following challenges:
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     Stamping Sensations - Animals, Flowers and Birds
     Uniko April Challenge - Flowers
     We Love Stamping - Favourite Stamps 

Kath x

Happy Anniversary

I've used a lovely Uniko 'Ink & Flip' stencil to make this anniversary card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'Ink & Flip Geometric Heart Layering Stencil'
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Hobby Art 'General Greetings' stamp
     Distress Inks - Ripe Persimmon & Worn Lipstick
     Versafine Onyx Black ink
     Woodware 'Heart' punch
     Snippets of white and black matt card

I used Ripe Persimmon ink to stencil the heart onto a snippet of white card.  I cleaned the stencil and flipped it to stencil it again with Worn Lipstick.  I then fussy cut the heart and set it aside.  I cut a snippet of white card with the largest stitched die and placed it into my MISTI before laying the heart onto the panel so I could see where to place the sentiment.  I removed the heart and stamped the sentiment with black ink.  The panel was then attached to the centre of the card blank.  I attached the heart above the sentiment with foam pads.  To finish I punched two tiny hearts from black card and attached then to the stencilled heart

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Die Cuts and/or Stencils (I've used both)
     Allsorts - Stencils/Masks
     Alphabet Challenge - H for Heart
     As You Like It Challenge - Clean & Simple or Fussy & Fancy (my favourite is always CAS with lots of white space on my cards - if I try to make a fussy card they always seem to look messy)
     CAS on Friday - Use a Stencil
     Krafty Chicks Challenge- CAS
     Simply Clean & Simple - Anything CAS Goes

Kath x 

Merry Christmas Tree

I've had this Christmas tree die for a while, but this is the first time I've used it.  I thought it would be perfect for a quick CAS Christmas card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" kraft card blank
     Impression Obsession 'Merry Tree' die
     Snippets of kraft card and white matt card

I trimmed a snippet of white matt card to 5" x 5" and then a snippet of kraft card to 4.75" x 4.75".  I die cut the Christmas tree from the kraft card before layering it onto the white card and then attaching it to the card blank.  I die cut the tree again from a snippet of white card before inlaying the white tree and the small infill snippets of kraft card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Kraft and White
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Die Cuts and/or Stencils (I've used die cuts)
     Alphabet Challenge - C for Christmas Tree
     As You Like It Challenge - Clean & Simple or Fussy & Fancy (my favourite is always CAS - if I do make a fussy card I'm never happy with it as they tend to look messy!)
     Christmas Crafts All Year Round - Rockin' around the Christmas tree
     Cut It Up Challenge - Starts with a 'C' (I've chosen Christmas)
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     NBUS - Challenge 73 (my new, to me, Christmas tree die)

Kath x   

Framed Floral Card

This is the first time I've used this lovely Spellbinders die that I won earlier in the year and I can see it becoming one of my favourites.  I've used my new die with some snippets to make a small notecard.

To make this card I used:
     5.5" x 4.25" white matt card blank
     Spellbinders Designer Series 'Framed Floral Card Front' & My Favorite Things 'Fishtail Flags' dies

     Sizzix Framelits 'Floral Hello' stamp
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Snippets of white matt card and Lili of the Valley 'Antebellum' paper

I used both the floral panel and the frame to cut a snippet of white paper.  After removing all the small pieces from the panel I attached a snippet of turquoise paper behind the panel and attached it to the front of the card blank.  I used brown ink to stamp the sentiment onto another snippet of white card and then cut it with a fishtail flag - moving the die so I could shorten the length of the flag.  The flag was then attached to the top of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Die Cuts and/or Stencils (I've used two dies)
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Daisy Chain Challenge - Not Square
     NBUS - Challenge 73 (I've used my new Spellbinders die)
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 504

Kath x

Merry Christmas Poinsettias

I enjoy stitching small designs and have a drawer with lots of small pieces of cross stitch waiting to be made into cards. I've spent a few hours today making some of them into cards.

To make this card I used:
     5.5" x 4.25" white matt card blank
     Christmas Cross Stitch Favourites 'Poinsettia' cross stitch chart by Debra Page 
     Snippet of aida
     DMC threads
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics' die
     Snippet of white matt card

I used the chart in the magazine to stitch the lovely poinsettias.  To make the frame I used the rectangle die on a snippet of white card  My rectangle die was the correct width (one block wider than the stitched frame) but was too deep so I cut the top half of the frame and then moved the die so it was the correct depth before cutting the lower half.  I then trimmed the frame so it was slightly smaller than the card blank.  The stitching was attached to the rear of the frame and then to the centre of the card blank.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Cute or Floral (it's definitely floral for me as I love flowers and floral designs are my favourite to stitch)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Positively Poinsettias
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Christmas Foliage

Kath x

Sending Hugs

I was lucky to be the winner of the Uniko 13th Birthday Linky Party and received an eGift code. I chose to spend my prize on two sets of Flower Power stamps and coordinating dies.  The pretty flower and lovely sentiment were perfect for this notecard for a friend who's having a difficult time at the moment.

To make this card I used:
     4" x 4" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'Flower Power 1' (sentiment) and 'Flower Power 6' (flower and stem) stamps and coordinating dies
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Square STAX Die-namics' die
     Versafine Spanish Moss and Habanero ink
     Snippet of white matt card

I used the stitched square die to emboss a frame in the centre of the card blank and then placed it into my MISTI to stamp the sentiment in green ink in the lower corner. I used orange ink to stamp the flower onto a snippet of white card and the green ink to stamp the stem and leaves.  These were cut with the coordinating dies.  I attached the stem onto the lower corner of the embossed frame and attached the flower with a foam pad.

I am entering the following challenges:
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Any Occasion
     Allsorts - Spring Flowers
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Feminine
     Simply Clean & Simple - Anything CAS Goes
     Stamping Sensations - Flowers

Kath x

Big Birthday Wishes

I needed another male card and used my 'go to' die for masculine cards - I also used lots of tiny snippets, including my last piece of this lovely blue and gold pearlescent marbled paper.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" kraft card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Big Birthday Wishes' die
     Snippets of kraft card, cream matt card, gold pearlescent card and blue and gold marbled paper (sorry, but I forgot to take a photo of my snippets!)

I trimmed the snippet of kraft card so it was slightly wider than the die and cut the large sentiment from the centre before attaching the panel to the front of the card blank.  I attached the snippet of marbled paper to cream card and die cut 'BIG' before inlaying the letters into the front of the card.  I die cut the rest of the sentiment from gold pearlescent card and inlaid them.  I then inlaid the small pieces of kraft card into the letters.  To finish I trimmed two narrow strips of gold pearlescent card and attached them down each side of the sentiment panel.  

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Birthday
     Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 503

Kath x

Iris' Card

Although I've not done much papercrafting over the last few weeks as we've been away in our campervan, I have stitched a lot of small designs which will be made into cards.  I always take a few of these small designs away with me for when I want a change from reading a book!

The lovely floral design is from Carolyn's Garden by Serendipity Designs - another of my charity shop finds - and will be a birthday card for my friend Iris.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Carolyn's Meadow 'Iris' cross stitch kit
     Small piece of white aida 
     Extra DMC threads to match colours in kit
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Snippet of white hammer card

The kit has been started but the stitching didn't look like mine, so I used a small piece of white aida and some extra threads to stitch the design from scratch.  After completing the stitching I mounted the fabric behind a stitched square aperture that had been die cut in the front of a 6" x 6" white hammer card blank.  A piece of the same card was attached inside to cover the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Cute or Floral (I love to make floral cards - whether stamped or stitched - mainly because I love flowers and gardens. - although I do make cute cards for the small people in my family)     
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Kath x

March Rudolph Day

I've not had much crafting time over the last couple of weeks as we've finally got our campervan back after lengthy warranty work so have been away to make the most of the lovely spring weather.  I made this quick card for the third Rudolph Day of the year using a die cut (die cuts are my RD theme this year).  

To make this card I used:
     C6 white matt card blank
     Creative Expressions 'Festive Mini Expressions - Stacked Happy Christmas' die
     Xcut 'Swirls' embossing folder 
     Snippets of white matt card and dark red mirri card     

I embossed a piece of white card with the 'Swirls' embossing folder, trimmed around the edge and attached it to the front of the card blank.  I die cut the sentiment from both white matt card and red mirri card, layered the red onto the white sentiment and attached them to the centre of the panel in the embossed frame.  Quick and easy and another card for my Christmas box.

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - E for Embossing & F for Focal Sentiment
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Rudolph Day - March Challenge

Kath x

Cheers

I've recently stitched this design as a birthday card for a male member of the family and have used a lovely cross stitch chart from Lucie Heaton.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lucie Heaton 'Cards for Him' cross stitch chart
     14 count white aida
     Oddments of DMC threads
     Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Classic Squares Large' die
     Snippet of orange textured card

I stitched the design onto white aida, although I did change the colours slightly as I was using oddments of threads for the design.  I trimmed a snippet of orange textured card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and die cut a square from the centre.  After finishing the stitching I trimmed the aida so it was slightly smaller than the frame and attached it to the rear using double sided tape.  The panel was then attached to the front of the card blank.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Monochrome or Colourful (I like to make both monochrome and colourful cards and choose colours based on the design - I enjoyed stitching this colourful card and then matching the orange colour to make a frame)
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     
Kath x

Happy Birthday to You

I needed a  card for a forthcoming male birthday, so have used some snippets and one of my favourite Lawn Fawn dies.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Lawn Fawn 'Giant Happy Birthday to You' die
     Snippets of silver mirri card and turquoise card

I trimmed the snippet of turquoise card to a square and die cut the sentiment from the centre.  The panel was then attached to a slightly larger square of silver mirri card and attached to the front of the card blank.  I die cut the sentiment twice from more snippets of silver mirri and inlaid them to the front of the card blank, together with the small pieces of the turquoise die cut.  To finish I attached the turquoise sentiment, offsetting it slightly to create a silver shadow.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Birthday Card Challenge - Masculine
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     Cut It Up - Happy Birthday
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Kath x

Thank You So Much

I made this 'Thank You' card for a friend who has gifted me some craft magazine and books.  I thought this Sizzix stamp would be perfect as she likes spring flowers and yellow is her favourite colour.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Circle STAX Die-namics'  and Tattered Lace 'Mini Butterfly' dies
     Sizzix 'Floral Hello' stamp and coordinating die
     Clearly Besotted 'Fall Flowers' sentiment stamp
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Promarkers
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white, brown and yellow matt card

I used brown ink to stamp the flowers onto a snippet of white matt card.  I embossed them with clear embossing powder before cutting them with the coordinating die.  I used a ywllow Promarker for the flowers, bright green for the flower centres and a darker green for the leaves.  I die cut a stitched circle from a snippet of white matt card and put it into my MISTI before placing the flowers onto the circle so I could see where to position the sentiment.  I then removed the flowers and stamped the sentiment with brown ink before embossing it with clear embossing powder.  The circle was attached to the centre of the card blank and the flowers attached to the upper edge with foam pads.  I die cut two tiny butterflies, one from yellow and one from brown matt card.  These were layered with the yellow butterfly on top and attached above the sentiment.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Anything CAS Goes
     Allsorts - CAS
     Flower Challenge - Add Circles
     Stamping Sensations - Hello Spring
     Triple B - Birds, Blooms and Butterflies (I have used Blooms and a Butterfly)
     Try It On Tuesday - For a Lady
     We Love Stamping - Hello Spring

Kath x

Sparkling Tile Christmas Tree

This Memory Box die is one of my favourite CAS tree dies and is perfect for colour challenges as it looks so different each time I change the colour combinations.

To make this card I used:
     C6 white hammer card blank
     Memory Box 'Sparkling Tree Tile' die
     Snippets of white hammer card, grey textured card and pink pearlescent card

I trimmed a snippet of white hammer card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and die cut the tree from the centre before attaching it to the front of the card blank.  I die cut the tree from a snippet of pale grey textured card and inlaid the pieces.  I then used a couple of small snippets of pink pearlescent card to die cut the tree again and inlaid the circles into the card. 

I am entering the following challenges:
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Pink, White & Grey
     AAA Cards - Anything CAS Goes
     ABC Christmas Challenge - D is for Die Cuts
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Christmas
     Allsorts - CAS
     Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Not the Norm (no red, green or gold)
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 501

Kath x

     

Everyone Needs a Friend Like You

This is the card I made to send to Brenda for the February Card Chain Challenge.  I used the Colour Option (Cherry, Butter & Sage), the Theme Option (Hearts and Flowers & Friendship) and the Product/Technique Option (Embossing Powder & Die Cutting).

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Bubble Bloom Jeanie' and 'Stamps for All Occasions 'Sentiment' stamps
     Sizzix 'Floral Hello' heart die
     Versafine Olympia Green ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Promarkers - Pear Green and Pastel Yellow
     Glossy Accents
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white matt and red matt card

I trimmed a snippet of white matt card to a 5" x 5" square and placed it into my MISTI.  The flower stamp was too upright for the card, so I snipped between the leaves so I could bend the stamp onto my card.  I then placed the sentiment in the lower corner of the panel.  I stamped the flower and sentiment with green ink before embossing them with clear embossing powder.  I coloured the flowers, leaves and 'YOU' with Promarkers.  The panel was layered onto a slightly larger square of red card and attached to the card blank.  I die cut two small hearts from red card and attached them on each side of the sentiment.  To finish I added Glossy Accents to the yellow flower bubbles and a Wink of Stella to the leaves and 'YOU'.

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Anything CAS Goes
     Allsorts - CAS
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Stamping Sensations - Hello Spring
     We Love Stamping - Hello Spring

This is the lovely card I received from Michaela:

Kath x

February Rudolph Day

I was so pleased when my January Rudolph Day card was a Top Pick in the January challenge and Helen invited me to be Guest Designer on the February Rudolph Day challenge.  My RD theme for this year is die cutting and I've used a Nativity Bauble die for my card.

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white matt card blank
     Memory Box 'Nativity Bauble' dies
     Snippets of white matt card card, dark blue pearlescent card, gold mirri and Funky Fossil 'In To The Blue' paper

I trimmed a piece of white matt card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank.  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 then die cut the Bauble again from the snippet of Funky Fossil paper and inlaid it into the bauble.  To finish I die cut the two stars from gold mirri, layered them and attached them to the top of the bauble.

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - D is for Die Cuts
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     Allsorts - Shades of Blue
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     Little Red Wagon - Winter Blues

Kath x

Isabella Birthday

I made this card for the CAS on Friday Sketch challenge using some pretty BoBunny papers.  For my first attempt at this sketch I used several different papers but I felt it was too fussy and un-CAS, so I opted to make it in just two colours - grey and pink.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Creative Expressions 'Pierced Tags', Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Standard Circles Large, My Favorite Things 'Fishtail Flags' and Creative Expressions 'Finishing Touches - Dainty Butterflies' dies
     Clearly Besotted 'Modern Calligraphy' stamp and coordinating die
     Versafine Smokey Grey ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Snippets of white matt card and BoBunny 'Isabella' papers

I attached a snippet of grey flower paper to a snippet of white card and die cut the largest label.  I then attached more snippets of the same grey paper to white card and die cut two fishtail flags - cutting them in two sections so I could make then the right length.  The fishtail flags were attached across the bottom of the card.  I attached the label to the left side of the flags, using foam pads at the top so it lay flat on the card.  I  attached pink paper to another snippet of white card and die cut the circle and embossed around the edge, this was attached on top of the label.  I used grey ink to stamp the sentiment onto a snippet of white card before using the coordinating die to cut 'happy' and trimming around 'birthday'.  These were attached to the pink circle.  To finish I die cut a small butterfly from another snippet of grey paper and attached it above the sentiment.

I am entering the following challenges:
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     CAS on Friday - Sketch Challenge
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - CAS
     Daisy Chain Challenge - Layer It Up
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Kath x

Cross Stitch Anemone

I made this card to send to a neighbour for her birthday - she is the person who has gifted me lots of cross stitch items so I always stitch a card for her.  

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white hammer card blank
     Carolyn's Garden 'Anemone' cross stitch kit
     Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' die
     Snippet of white hammer card

I used the stitched square die to cut an aperture in the centre of the card blank.  After stitching the flowers I mounted the fabric behind the aperture and then added a piece of white card on the inside of the card blank to cover the back of the stitching.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Feminine or Masculine (I always prefer making feminine cards, especially cross stitch cards as I love to stitch pretty flowers)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes

Kath x

Birthday Gift Tag

I was so pleased when my 'Floral Anniversary' card was a Top Cut for the Cut It Up 'Something New' challenge.  The team invited me to be Guest Designer on the 'Tie It Up' challenge and I decided to make a gift tag for a friend's birthday present.

To make this tag I used:
     Creative Expressions 'Pierced Tags' & 'Mini Expressions - Stacked Happy Birthday' and Tattered Lace 'Mini Butterfly' dies
     Sizzix 'Floral Hello' stamp and coordinating die
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Promarkers
     Wink of Stella
     Snippets of white and brown matt card, Lili of the Valley 'Antebellum' paper and white ribbon

I attached the Antebellum paper to a snippet of white card and die cut the largest tag before using my embossing mat to emboss the edge of the tag.  I used brown ink to stamp the flowers onto another snippet of white card, these were then embossed with clear embossing powder before being cut with the coordinating dies.  I coloured the flowers pink, the flower centres gold and the leaves green.  I die cut the sentiment and small butterfly twice, once from white card and once from brown card.  I layered the white die cuts onto the brown ones, offsetting them slightly to give a shadow effect.  I attached the sentiment to the bottom of the tag with the butterfly above it.  The flowers were attached to the top of the tag with a foam pad and then highlighted with a Wink of Stella.  To finish I attached a snippet of ribbon to the top of the tag and then tied a small ribbon bow around it.

I am entering the following challenges:
     A Cut Above - Anything Goes with a Die Cut
     As You Like It Challenge - Feminine or Masculine (my favourite is feminine as I love to use flowers and pretty colours - in fact I struggle for inspiration with masculine cards!)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies & Blooms (I have chosen butterfly and blooms)

Kath x

Mother's Day

I made this card to send to my mother on Mother's Day using a pretty Hunkydory kit that I've recently been gifted.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 7" white matt card blank
     Hunkydory 'Wildflowers - I'm So Excited' topper and cardstock
     Creative Expressions 'From the Heart - Female Relations' die
     Gold Mirri

I trimmed the plain section of the cardstock to a 6" x 6" square (saving the patterned section for another card), layered it onto gold mirri and attached it to the card blank.  I removed the topper and frame from the backing sheet, snipping the 'pips' and attached it to the centre of the card blank with foam tape.  I used a snippet of gold mirri to die cut 'Mum' and attached it to the lower corner of the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     As You Like It Challenge - Feminine or Masculine (definitely feminine for me as I love to make pretty floral cards - I always struggle with masculine card probably because I don't make many!)
     Beautiful Blossoms - Anything Floral Goes
     The Flower Challenge - Feature the Colour Pink
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies, Blooms (I've opted for blooms)

Kath x

Big Birthday Wishes

I made this card for a friend's 'Special Birthday' using one of my 'go to' dies for male cards.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     My Favorite Things 'Big Birthday Wishes' , Memory Box 'Classic Numbers' and Xcut 'Star' dies
     Snippets of white matt card, dark, medium and pale blue textured card

I trimmed a snippet of white card to 6" x 4" and die cut the sentiment from the centre before attaching it to the card blank.  I cut two narrow strips of dark blue card and attached them down each side.  I die cut 'BIG' from dark blue card and inlaid the letters.  The rest of the sentiment was die cut from medium blue card and inlaid into the panel.  I die cut the stars from dark, medium and pale blue and attached them to the card.  To finish I die cut '70' from pale blue card and attached it to the dark blue star.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Shades of Blue
     Cardz 4 Guyz - Clean & Simple
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 500 'Celebrate'
     The Male Room - Monochrome

Kath x

More Delightful Dangles

I've had this stamp set for many years and it's still one of my favourites - it's perfect for the current 52 Christmas Card Throwdown colour challenge.

To make this card I used:
     C6 white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Delightful Dangles' stamp
     Versafine Onyx Black ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Pentel Hybrid Dual Metallic gold pen
     Snippet of white matt card

I trimmed a snippet of white matt card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank before placing it into my MISTI.  I used black ink to stamp the tree in the centre, stamping a couple of times to get a good depth of colour.  I embossed the image with clear embossing powder before attaching the panel to the card blank.  To finish I used the gold pen to colour the 'dangles' on the tree.

I am entering the following challenges:
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Black, White and Gold
     As You Like It Challenge - Favourite Stamping or Digi (stamping is my favourite as I love to heat emboss images, plus my old printer doesn't print images well!)
     Cardz 4 Guyz - Clean & Simple
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Christmas
     Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
     We Love Stamping - CAS

Kath x

Have a Wonderful Birthday

I made this card for the Uniko 13th Birthday Celebrations challenge using my new Uniko stencil and stamp set.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Uniko 'Sentiments Outlined' stamp
     Uniko 'Ink & Flip Geometric Butterfly Layering Stencil'
     Distress Inks - Seedless Preserves and Spiced Marmalade
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Bruynzeel orange pencil
     Snippets of white matt card

I used Seedless Preserves ink to stencil the butterfly onto a snippet of white card.  I cleaned the stencil and flipped it to stencil it again with Spiced Marmalade.  I then fussy cut the butterfly.  I trimmed another snippet of white card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and put it into my MISTI.  I placed the butterfly onto the panel so I could see where to position the sentiment.  I removed the butterfly and stamped the sentiment in purple ink before colouring it with an orange pencil.  I attached the panel to the front of the card blank before attaching the butterfly along the body and slightly shaping the wings.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Make Your Mark (I've used Distress Inks, Versafine ink and a coloured pencil)
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Love to Craft - Anything Goes
     Moving Along With The Times - Things With Wings
     NBUS - Challenge 71 (I have used my new stencil and stamp set)
     Triple B Challenge - Birds, Butterflies, Blooms (I've opted for a large butterfly)     
     Uniko - 13th Birthday Celebrations
 
Kath x

Flourish Reindeer

I've recently bought a collection of Impression Obsession dies (I do like IO dies as they always cut so well) and this lovely reindeer was amongst them.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Impression Obsession 'Flourish Reindeer' and Creative Expressions 'Festive Collection - Season's Greetings' dies
     Joy Crafts 'Earth Bloc' paper
     Snippets of brown pearlescent card and bright blue shiny card

I trimmed the paper, layered it onto brown card and attached it to the card blank.  I die cut the reindeer and sentiment from brown pearlescent card and attached them to the lower edge of the card.  To finish, I die cut the reindeer's eye from a tiny snippet of bright blue card and inlaid it.

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - D for Die Cuts
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Cardz 4 Guyz - Clean & Simple
     Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
     NBUS - Challenge 71 (my new Flourish Reindeer die)
     The Male Room - Monochrome

Kath x

Love

Whilst looking through my 'Antebellum' snippets I came across a heart I had die cut but not used.  As it's got music on it, I thought it would be perfect for the Allsorts 'Romance and/or Music' challenge.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Classic Hearts' and  Lawn Fawn 'Scripty Love' dies
     Snippets of white matt card and Lili of the Valley 'Antebellum' paper

I trimmed the white card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and die cut the heart from the centre.   The Antebellum paper had been attached to a snippet of white card before the heart had been cut.  I inlaid the heart into the panel and attached some washi tape to hold it in place.  I then die cut 'love' from the lower edge of the heart.  The panel was then attached to the front of the card blank.  I die cut 'love' four times from more snippets of white card.  I layered the four white sentiments with the one cut from the panel on the top.  These were then inlaid into the card front.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Die Cuts and/or Stencils
     Allsorts - Romance and/or Music
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Hearts
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Love is in the Air
     Simply Clean & Simple - Love and/or Hearts
     Try It On Tuesday - Romance
    
Kath x  

You are the Love of my Life

I've had this Tattered Lace die for a while and thought it would be perfect for this month's Love, Hearts and Valentine challenges.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Tattered Lace 'Floating in the Air Love' and Lawn Fawn 'Outside In Stitched Square Stackables' dies
     Snippets of red pearlescent card and red glitter card

I used the largest stitched square die to emboss the front of the card blank.  I die cut the heart panel from red pearlescent card and attached it to the embossed panel on the front of the card.  I used lots of snippets of red glitter card to cut the hearts which were then inlaid into the panel.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Addicted to Stamps & More - Die Cuts and/or Stencils
     Allsorts - Romance and/or Music
     CAS on Friday - Valentine
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Hearts
     NBUS - Challenge 71 (my new Tattered Lace die)
     Pearly Sparkles Challenge - Love is in the Air
     Simply Clean & Simple - Love and/or Hearts
     Snippets Playground - Challenge 499
     Try It On Tuesday - Romance

Kath x

Darling Friends

I received a lovely card from Linda for the February Card Chain Challenge last year which had this cute cat in a hot air balloon and a sun.  After keeping the card for a year, I thought it was time someone else could enjoy Linda's lovely colouring so I carefully removed the hot air balloon and sun from the card to make this birthday card for my great niece.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Upcycled Simon Says Stamp 'Darling Friends' images from Linda's card (Linda had coloured the images with Copics and a white gel pen and added a gem decoration)
     Impression Obsession 'Hills' and 'Clouds' dies
     Clearly Besotted 'Modern Calligraphy' stamps and coordinating dies
     Versafine Smokey Gray ink
     Cosmic Shimmer Clear Detail embossing powder
     Snippets of blue and green textured card and white matt card

I trimmed the blue card so it was slightly smaller than the card blank and attached it to the front of the card.  I die cut two of the hills from green card, using darker green for the background hill and a brighter green for the front hill.  These were attached to bottom of the blue panel.  I attached the hot air balloon to the front of the card using foam pads behind the balloon to give some dimension to the card.  The sun was attached to the top corner of the sky.  I die cut the small and medium clouds from white card, the medium cloud was tucked behind the hot air balloon and the small one attached above the hills.  I used grey ink to stamp the sentiment onto a snippet of white card before cutting 'happy' with the coordinating die and trimming around 'birthday'.  These were then attached to the card.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Anything Goes
     Little Red Wagon - A for Anything Goes
     Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Kath x

Decorative Cat

I made this card to send to Michaela for the January Card Chain Challenge.  I used the Colour Option (Walnut, Lavender & Jade) and the Theme Option (Cats & Friendship). 

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Decorative Cat' stamp
     Versafine Vintage Sepia ink
     Faber Castell coloured pencils
     Wild Rose Studio 'Bluebell' paper
     Wink of Stella
     Snippet of white matt card

I placed a snippet of white matt card into my MISTI and stamped the cat and 'meow' with dark brown ink.  I coloured the flowers and leaves with shades of walnut, lavender and jade.  The panel was trimmed, layered onto lavender paper and attached to the card blank.  To finish I highlighted the flowers with a Wink of Stella.

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Anything Goes
     Ally's Angels - Anything Goes
     Little Red Wagon - A is for Anything Goes
     Krafty Chicks Challenge - Anything Goes
     NBUS - Challenge 70 (I won the cat stamp in the Snippets Playground last year and this is the first time I've used it)
     Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
     We Love Stamping - CAS

This is the lovely spinner card I received from Gail.

Kath x