Sunday, 9 March 2025

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

Saturday, 8 March 2025

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
     

Sunday, 2 March 2025

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

Tuesday, 25 February 2025

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

Monday, 24 February 2025

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

Saturday, 22 February 2025

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

Friday, 21 February 2025

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


Thursday, 20 February 2025

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

Sunday, 16 February 2025

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

Friday, 14 February 2025

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

Thursday, 13 February 2025

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

Wednesday, 12 February 2025

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