HOC Week 18

 Hi!

Welcome back for another week of the Heart Of Christmas Blog Hops. We are up to Week 18, can you believe? Tomorrow it will be November!

I used the March 2021 Sheetload Of Cards template this week. I liked the simple design and thought that it would work well with the tree paper from the Celebrate Everything Host DSP pack.

I liked the rounded corners on the front of the card, and couldn't resist carrying it over to the inside of my card. The outline portion of the tree was also used - I can't bear to waste the extra bits, especially when they can be put to good use on the inside.

The circle dies from the Stylish Shapes pack were the perfect choice to frame the Christmas To Remember sentiment. There's another four cards added to the stash!

That's me finished for tonight, but please do continue your way around our blog hop. There's plenty more Christmas inspiration to be seen, starting with the fabulous Cathy Proctor.

As she does every week, Sharon Davern has done a marvellous job keeping us all organised this week. If you run into any problems with links, just jump on over to her blog, where you'll find a list of all of this week's participants to help you get back on track.

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC 390: Santa's Express Colours

 Hi!

Thanks for joining me for a new CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. We like to get inspiration from CASEing projects from the Stampin' Up! catalogues, and we hope that you do too!

This week we are asking you to CASE the colours of the Santa Express DSP. I didn't CASE a particular card in the Mini Catalogue, I literally just used some of the colours in the papers.

I started by cutting three pieces of Whisper White that were 4 x 2 3/4". I used Blending Brushes to apply the colours in pairs on the cardstock, creating an ombre effect. I used Mint Macaron with Evening Evergreen, Petal Pink with Poppy Parade, and Granny Apple Green with Shaded Spruce. Some water was splattered over the top before I used my Spruced Up Outline Dies to crop the smaller Christmas Tree shape twice from each piece. Thankfully, I remembered to put some Adhesive Sheet on the back first!

I used the leftover pieces to layer under my Whimsical Woodland 3DEF embossed card, and the cropped trees over the top. I added some Daffodil Delight stars too, and a sentiment from Christmas To Remember.

The inside of my slimline card was decorated using the outline parts of the cropped trees, more stars and another sentiment from Christmas To Remember.

We'd love for you to play along with us this week and every week! Do you have some favourite colours amongst those in the Santa Express DSP? Maybe you'd like to stretch yourself to use a less favoured colour. Either way, we'd love to see your card in our Facebook Group.

Please continue your way around our blog hop tonight before you dash off to get inky! We'd love for you to play along, but first check out Rachel Palmieri's blog for her gorgeous card using the fabulous colours of the Santa Express DSP.

Bye for now,

Tina

HOC Week 13

 Hi!

Can you believe we are up to the thirteenth week of the Heart Of Christmas Blog Hops? Time is flying by, crazy fast! Tonight I have another set of four cards to show you that have gone into my stash, ready for sending in December.

This is one of the more simple designs of the Sheetload Of Cards templates, and it's from September 2021. I decided to let the Gold Foil in the Lights Aglow SDSP do all the hard work. I also used that gorgeous circle die from the Labels Aglow Dies to highlight the Gold Foil layer on the card.

My sentiments are from the Christmas To Remember stamp set. I really love the hand written style fonts for a Christmas card that is slightly less formal.

Here's my group of four cards. Unfortunately it was a gloomy day when I took the photo, so you don't get the full effect of the Gold Foil. You'll just have to imagine it!

That's all from me for tonight, but the hop continues on, starting with my lovely friend, Theresa Gerrard. 

If you run into any problems with links on tonight's hop, jump on over to Sharon Davern's blog. She'll have a list of all of tonight's participants, and you can get yourself back on track.

Bye for now,

Tina

HOC Week 4

 Hi!

Monday evening means that it's time once again for the new  Heart Of Christmas Blog Hop. Hooray! I've used many of the same products as I did last week to create another four cards for my stash.

The Celebrate Everything Host DSP has some unusual colour combos for Christmas papers, but I'm really liking them. The black DSP really makes the bright colours pop.

I also used my Spruced Up Outlines Dies again. The solid tree was perfect for the front, and the bonus outline tree was put to use on the inside. These outlines make me think of those shaped rubber bands that were all the rage about 10 years ago. Did your kids get into them? I remember Ada having Disney Princess bands!

Here are my group of four cards, made using the August 2021 Sheetload Of Cards template. Aren't they cheerful and bright? The sentiments on my cards are from Christmas To Remember.

That's all from me on tonight's blog hop, but there's plenty more inspiration to be found! Jump on over to the lovely Catherine Proctor's blog, where you're bound to see something gorgeous.

If you run into a problem, Sharon Davern is our fix-it lady! Pop on over to her blog, where you'll find a list of all participants to help you get back on track.

Bye for now,

Tina

HOC Week 3

 Hi!

Thank you for stopping by on your way around our Heart Of Christmas Blog Hop. It's the third week in this series, and I finally have some Christmas DSP to play with! I've used the Host DSP from the Mini Catalogue, called Celebrate Everything, on my cards. It's very bright and fun!

I used the April 2022 Mini Slimline Sheetload Of Cards for my cards this week. I was intrigued by the idea of mini slimline cards - they measure 6 1/4 inches by 3 1/4 - and the shorter front, which allows the DSP on the inside to peek through to the front. The sentiment on the front is from the Love, Santa Tag Kit. 

On the inside I've use my old favourite set, Christmas To Remember. How can you not be holly and jolly with those bright baubles on your card?

Here's my group of four cards. The bauble on the front is from the Spruced Up Outlines Dies. I popped some Adhesive Sheet on the back of some Pacific Point, Polished Pink, Granny Apple Green and Crushed Curry cardstock and ran the bauble and snowflake dies through my machine. I then just mixed and matched the pieces to create the baubles. The snowflake was cut from the bauble inner, so that the recreated bauble all lies flat.

Well, that's all from me for tonight, but you'll see me again next week on the hop! Please do finish this week's blog hop, by continuing on to see what Amie McElroy has created.

Sharon Davern is the lady in the know, if you run into any issues. Jump on over to her blog, where you'll find a list of all of tonight's hoppers so that you can pick up your trail.

Bye for now,

Tina

HOC Week 1

 Hi!

With the start of the new July-December Mini Catalogue, it's also time to kick off the Heart Of Christmas Blog Hops for 2022. Each week on a Monday night we will provide plenty of Christmassy inspiration for you, and we are all very excited to get started! For most of us, starting our Christmas card making in July means that we are ready to send our cards in December, and avoid the rush of having to make a heap of cards at the last minute.

I'm once again looking to the Sheetload Of Cards templates for my cards this year, as it worked so well for me last year. Tonight's cards use the June 2022 template, and are a double card fancy fold. I don't yet have any current Christmas DSP, so I've used the Annual Catalogue Host DSP, Design A Daydream. They aren't typical Christmas colours, but I think that the pinwheels look a little like the peppermint lollies (if you squint a bit!).

The card opens to the left first, and then to the right, to reveal the writing panel. I've used Christmas To Remember for the sentiment here, as a second sentiment from Jingle Jingle Jingle would take up too much of the writing area!

Here's my group of four cards together. I'm off to a flying start with my stash of Christmas cards!

Please continue hopping your way around our Blog Hop. The next stop is my lovely friend, Catherine Proctor.

If you run into any trouble, jump on over to Sharon Davern's blog. She'll have a list of all participants on her blog.

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC 376: CASE The Mini Catalogue

 Hi!

Thanks for stopping by for the new CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. We have had two new catalogues go live this week, which are going to provide many weeks of CASEing inspiration. We are starting with the new Mini Catalogue though.

This week we'd like you to CASE any project from the July-December Mini Catalogue. You don't need to have the actual products in the sample you choose, you may be inspired by the layout of the card, or the colours, or even a technique. As long as we can see how the original card inspired you, anything goes!

The only stamp set that I have from the new Mini is the Jingle Jingle Jingle set, so I chose to CASE some cards featuring the stamps. I sort of mixed these two cards on page 26, as I liked the repeated background stamping on the left card, and the framed sentiment panel on the right side card.

I started my card by stamping the image of the Christmas lights all over the background. If you're very clever, you can line the stamp up just so, and it will look like a continuous line of lights. I then used the little filler stamp to colour all of the lights using Poppy Parade, Granny Apple Green, Orchid Oasis, Daffodil Delight and Pacific Point inks.

I used the same colours as fillers on the jolly stamp. I don't own all of the colour markers, so I had to mask, ink and stamp each letter individually. A lot of effort, but worth it, I think!

A couple more rows of lights finished off the inside. Often the images I stamp on the inside are near the bottom of the card, so it's fun to switch and stamp the lights at the top. The inside sentiment is from Christmas To Remember.

Do you have a favourite project from the new Mini catalogue yet? If not, it's a great excuse to sit and have another flip through the catalogue. When you've found your favourite, CASE it, and add a photo to our Facebook Group. We'd love to see your card!

Before you go, please do finish tonight's blog hop. The next stop is the lovely Julia Quinn. I wonder what she'll CASE?

CTC 372: CASE The All Occasions Section

 Hi!

I hope yo've had a wonderful weekend. It's been wet and miserable here in Adelaide, but that generally means more crafting time for me! I managed to complete one QAYG block and two cards. What better way to finish it off than with the new CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop?

This week we are asking you to CASE the All Occasions section from the Annual Catalogue. It covers pages 12-45, so there's plenty of cards and projects to inspire you.

I found this sweet Christmas card towards the back of the All Occasions section. I liked the colours and the simple stamping. I'm a big fan of red and pink together, so this card ticked a few boxes for me!

Despite not having several of the key products in the catalogue sample, I kept my card very similar to the original. I used Poppy Parade ink to stamps the Forever Ferm images on the Blushing Bride cardstock. I added some more using Mossy Meadow ink, and some splatters in Blushing Bride.

Tailor Made Tags was a fabulous substitute for the dies that I don't own. I stamped a few more leaves in Soft Sea Foam, and the sentiment from Christmas To Remember in Poppy Parade. I think that twine is Mossy Meadow - it was a scrap that I found floating on my desk and thought it looked to be the right colour!

I used Forever Fern again to do some coordinating stamping on the inside of my card, with another Christmas To Remember sentiment. I loved this stamp set last Christmas, so I was pleased that it carried over to the new Annual Catalogue. 

Wow, my first Christmas card for 2022 is done! Will you choose a Christmas card to CASE from the All Occasions section, or will you go for something different? Post a photo of your card in our Facebook group when you've decided.

The next stop along with way in our Blog Hop is Peta Stephen, who has CASEd a gorgeous card from page 27. Her version is equally as gorgeous - you won't want to miss it!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 582: Just Add Inspiration

 Hi!

Hooray for Friday and the start of a new Just Add Ink Challenge. Rachael has found this fabulous Christmassy photo for our Inspiration Challenge this week.

What catches your eye in the photo? The colours, the theme, perhaps one of the elements? For me it was the stockings hanging from the mantle. I don't have much current stuff that includes Christmas stockings, so I reached for my retired Tag Buffet Project Kit and the stocking element it included.

It was a lot bigger than I remembered! I started by using a Blending Brush to apply some Pool Party ink to the card base, under where I wanted the stocking to sit. I then randomly stamped the little 'merry' stamp from Christmas To Remember all over the sponged area.

The tag was popped up over this, with the sentiment also popped up. A sweet bow, using metallic twine from the same kit, was the finishing touch.

I used a little more of the twine on the inside, just to finish off the stocking here. It was fussy cut from the Sweet Stockings DSP and glued over some more brushed ink. I didn't notice until. took the photos that I'd forgotten to stamp another sentiment on the inside - I will fix this before sending it out.

Please pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll find the rest of this week's Design Team cards. It's been interesting to see what inspires them from the photo - there are lots of things to grab your attention and spark your creativity. You can also link up your card for our challenge once you've finished it. I can't wait to see what you make.

Bye for now,

Tina