CTC #306: Bring The Bling

 Hi!

Phew! Where did that week go? I swear it was only a day or so ago that I was writing last week's CTC post! This week we are asking you to Bring The Bling - or in other words, to CASE a sparkly project!

There are lots of sparkly things in the Jan-June Mini, including the new Gilded Leafing,  Specialty Acetate, embellishments and Foil papers. I chose this card from the Bundles section of the Mini, as it has Gold Embossing.

I really loved how the images was stamped and chopped and put back together again. Whoever made this card is a very patient person! I am not, so I cheated and gained a similar effect by using a die cut over the chopped up background.

The Sunflowers Dies had the best outline image in my collection for this sort of card. I cropped the outline from Basic Black cardstock and layered it over the top of my chopped up background. The word 'friend' was cropped four times and stacked to give a more dimensional sentiment.

You might be saying 'but where's the bling?' The background paper is the new Pearlescent Specialty Paper. It has a gorgeous, subtle shimmer, but is very hard to photograph! The centre of the sunflower is also cut from the paper. 

I had a couple of sunflower leaves that I'd also cut from Basic Black cardstock that I'd planned to try to use on the front of the card. I didn't like the look, so I used them on the inside instead. I'm not sure what I'll use this card for - it's probably more of a 'thinking of you' card than a birthday card.

Our challenge is run through our Facebook group. All you need to do is make your bling card, take a photo and add it to the group. Done!

But please do continue on with this week's Blog Hop before you dash off to get creating! Next up is the wonderful Rebecca, who has made a gorgeous card using a sparkly product that I considered using too.

Bye for now,

Tina

AWH January Creative Showcase: New Catalogues

 Hi!

Thanks for joining me for the first monthly AWH Creative Showcase for 2021. This month we are focussed on the two new catalogues: The January-June Mini Catalogue, and the Sale-A-Bration Catalogue. There is a wealth of inspiration and gorgeous product in both. 

A couple of months ago, when I first saw the catalogue, my eye was immediately caught by the new Ice Cream Corner Suite. It's rare that I buy a whole suite, but I couldn't resist this one. I especially like the cute Ice Cream Corner Sprinkles. They aren't sequins, but more a tiny rubbery disc. They look cute glued on as sprinkles on an ice cream, but I wondered how they'd go in a shaker card.

Wonder no more - they are great! They don't have the static issues that a lot of other shaker 'fillers' have. To create the opening for my shaker element, I punched some of the ice cream shapes and used temporary adhesive to hold them to my Thick Basic White Cardstock. I used my electronic cutting machine to scan the shape and then cut it out. If you don't have a machine, you could trace around the shape with a pencil and use your Snips to cut it out.

The trickiest part was getting the ice cream and the cone I'd stamped and punched for the back of the shaker lined up with the opening. This is where liquid glue is very handy, as it gives you time to adjust the position of the piece. I finished the front with a die cut from Well Written Dies. You may see that I tried it first in Blackberry Bliss, but I didn't like it so I just adhered a Bermuda Bay die cut over the top. The Blackberry layer is a bit like a shadow.

Hehe, I couldn't help but use this combination of sentiment and sprinkles on the inside. It was just too cute to resist!

That's all from me for tonight, but please pop on over to Rachel's Blog, where you'll find the rest of the links for this months' Creative Showcase. There's lots of wonderful ways to see the new products used.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #532: Just Add A Sketch

 Hi!

Hello, and welcome back to the new Just Add Ink Challenge. This week we have a cool sketch, designed by Patrice.

My oldest son graduated High School recently. Due to a new COVID 'circuit breaker' lockdown in Adelaide, his formal was cancelled. We did a little celebration for him at home, which included strawberry cake and red and gold star shaped balloons. Can you tell what his favourite colour is? LOL! I decided that I would make him a card to mark this huge occasion in his life.

I stuck with the red and gold stars theme, using my Stitched Stars Dies and Red and Gold Foil to cut the starry flourish and large star for the front. The word 'congratulations' is from Well Said, and is cropped using my Stitched Rectangles Dies.

You can see that I've also used my Dainty Diamonds EF on the background. I thought that it worked well with the stars without being too girly.

I cut a few smaller Red Foil Stitched Stars for the inside, and complimented them with the Gold Foil stars that popped out of the flourish on the front.

You can join in the fun over on the Just Add Ink Blog. Once you've checked out the rest of the DesignTeam cards, you can add your card to our linky. I can't wait to see what you do with this sketch!

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC #290: CASE The Colours of Plaid Tidings DSP

Hi! 

Thanks for joining me on a Sunday evening for the new CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. This week we are CASEing the colours of the Plaid Tidings DSP.

There are a lot of colours in the DSP, so there are plenty to choose from! I decided to go with some of the more jewel-like colours of Mango Melody, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and Pretty Peacock.

I created a template from a piece of Window Sheet by die cutting a couple of circles from the sheet. I used the retired Circles Dies, as the smaller circles were the size I was after. I then just used blending brushes to apply the ink to the cardstock through the template. It's really interesting how the colours interacted where they overlapped.

I cropped three of the 'birthday' dies, from my Well Written Dies, and stacked them to give them depth. I made sure I added a piece of Adhesive Sheet to the back of the Pretty Peacock cardstock before cutting so that I could layer them quickly and easily, without the fuss of liquid glue.

I created the inside at the same time as the front so that I didn't have to keep cleaning the template. I can be a really lazy (or is it efficient?) crafter at times! The stamped sentiments (both on the front and inside) are from Well Said.

EDIT: I was asked about the Window Sheet template that I'd made to use in the creation of my circles. I just used circle dies to cut holes in the Window Sheet, and then applied the ink through the openings. I then shifted the template to add more circles, cleaning between each colour that I used. I hope that helps to explain a little better!

Our weekly challenges are so easy to enter - you just need a Facebook account. Make your card, join our Facebook group if you haven't already done so, and add your photo to the group. Done! We'd love to see what you make each week for our challenges.

I'm officially the last stop on the blog hop this evening, but if you've started part way though you can go back to the start to see what the lovely Siobhan has made. If I'm the last stop for you, go get creating!

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Grey Granite

 Hi!

Thanks for joining me once again for the new Colour Creations Showcase. This week (I lose track of the week number) we are looking at Gray Granite. I want to say grey, but SU has said it's gray - it must be one of those colour/color, mum/mom things! Either way, it's a lovely soft grey that is a fabulous neutral.

I was all set to make a masculine card with Gray Granite, but somehow it morphed into a very feminine card!

I really love the soft grey paired with Whisper White, and so I didn't even consider using anything else this week. I've seen houses painted in this combo, and I absolutely adore it. I started with the split panel under the daisy. It was noted last week that my Granny Apple Green card didn't use an embossing folder, so I have made sure I used on this week. Subtle is fabulous for either masculine or feminine cards. I embossed the whole panel and then cut it into four pieces, adhering each to a Whisper White layer. You will have to trust me on the four pieces - one is hidden under the daisy.

The daisy has six layers- three of each of the two different punched shapes. I much prefer the fuller look. The petals are slightly curved up, and I've finished it off with some Silver Glimmer Paper. The leaves were cut using the Poppy Moments Dies. I flipped one over and cut from the back side of the Glimmer Paper so that it would curve in the other direction. This suited my layout a little better. A sentiment from Well Said finished off the front.

I couldn't decide on a sentiment to go on the inside, so I have left it blank for now. I can easily add one (or not) when I decide to use the card. I had one last die cut leaf, so that will do for decoration for now.

The lovely Catherine is once again hosting the Colour Creations Creative Showcase. Pop on over to her blog to find the rest of this week's Gray Granite links.

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Cinnamon Cider

Hi!

Welcome back to another week of the Colour Creations Showcase. We are up to Cinnamon Cider this week, which is one of the newest In Colours. It's what I'd call a caramel brown, perhaps. I'm still deciding if I like the colour or not - brown is not particularly a go-to colour for me. I definitely don't hate it though. I paired it with Very Vanilla for tonight's card.

The Stitched Triangles Dies were one of the very first things I ordered from the new Annual Catalogue, but it's taken me until now to crack them open. Thanks for the nudge, Christine! I started by using the third largest equilateral triangle die to cut five Cinnamon Cider triangles. I then embossed them with my Subtle Embossing Folder, all in random directions. I then adhered them across the front of my card, which is also embossed with the Subtle folder.

The Playful Alphabet dies were used for the' Happy' part of the sentiment. The new Adhesive Foam Sheets pop them up nicely, without any fuss. The rest the sentiment was stamped using Well Said, and cropped using my new Banners Pick A Punch tool.

The Stitched Triangles Dies have this fab die, which cuts a line of triangles in your cardstock. I though it was the perfect compliment for the front of my card.

To see the rest of this week's Cinnamon Cider cards you will need to head on over to Catherine's blog, where you'll find all the links. I wonder if I will finally decide if I like Cinnamon Cider after seeing them? I'm sure that I will!

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Bumblebee

Hi!

Thanks for joining me once again for the new week of the Colour Creations Showcase. This week we are up to Bumblebee, the first of our new In Colours. It's been around for a little longer than the other new In Colours, as we got access to it with the early release of the Ornate Garden suite. It's what I'd call a dirty yellow - maybe dusty yellow is a nicer description though!

I started this week's card by sponging some Bumblebee ink onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock, making it darker at the bottom and lighter at the top. I then stamped some of the reeds from Friend Like You on either side of the sponging, followed by some dragonflies.

To create the top layer, I die cut an oval window into the cardstock and then embossed it with my Subtle 3DEF. I used the reeds die from the Friendly Silhouettes Dies to crop a piece of Basic Black card, which was adhered to the back of the window. The whole piece was popped up over the sponged piece. The sentiment panel and a couple of popped up dragonflies (thank you Foam Adhesive Sheets!) finished off the front.

I created a similar scene on the inside by sponging and stamping before adhering the die cut over the top. I quite like the look of the dragonflies flitting among the reeds! Hopefully the Bumblebee sky looks a little like a sunset.

Please head on over the Catherine's blog, where you can find the rest of the links for this week's Showcase. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has done with Bumblebee, as it's a colour I haven't really used yet.

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC #247: Holiday Catalogue Punch Project

Hi!

Welcome to this week's CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. This week we are asking you to choose a punch project from the Holiday Catalogue to CASE. Did you see Michelle's gorgeous butterflies on her blog, which is before mine in the hop?

I don't actually own any of the Holiday Catalogue punches, so my choices were a little limited! This pair of tags caught my eye, especially the repeated sentiment on the punched shapes, and so that's what I CASEd.

I started with a happy, bright colour combination of Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay and Mango Melody. The stars are from the Family Party stamp set, and the Happy is from Well Said. I stamped it in each of my colours and then cropped it with my Classic Label punch.

The punched shapes were popped up over the top of some retired Melon Mambo ribbon. I also used some retired Bermuda Bay Enamel Dots to finish off the front of the card.

The present on the inside is from the Family Party set too. I love that it's photopolymer so that the two layers are easy to line up.

That's it from me! Do you have any of the punches from the Holiday Catalogue yet? I have my eye on the tree punch, so keep on the lookout for that on my blog in the future. In the meantime, you can head on over to the CASEing The Catty Facebook group to add your card to the challenge.

Before you go, don't forget to finish the hop. Next you're off to see what the lovely Rebecca has made. She's got the tree punch that I am coveting!

Bye for now,

Tina

Blueberry Peacock

Hi!

Do you ever buy a craft product just for one part of a pack? Maybe it's a set of dies that you purchased for one die, or a stamp set? This time, for me, it was one pattern in the Noble Peacock SDSP. I really loved the Blueberry Bushel paper in the pack, and bought it just for that! Although, I think once I get into Christmas card making, the Pretty Peacock sheets will be just as appealing!

I made this card as a class sample to show off the gorgeous foil DSP. I paired it with plain Black Foil, with some Black Glittered Organdy Ribbon for a touch of glitz. After I'd glued it all down I looked at it and wished I'd embossed the plain black foil with the Subtle Embossing Folder. My class ladies all went for this option, and it looked fabulous.

I cut the 'Happy' from Black Foil using the Merry Christmas Dies. I love that the 'Happy' works equally well on a birthday card as it does on a Christmas card. I layered it over some vellum that I'd cropped using a Stitched Nested Labels Die. The Classic Label Punch was the perfect choice for the 'Birthday' part of the sentiment, as it mirrors the Labels Die shape.

A little strip of the DSP finishes off the inside. I like occasionally doing a vertical strip rather than horizontal, just for something different. In this case it ties the inside layout with the front layout, so I think it was a good decision.

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC #239: CASE A Layout

Hi!

Welcome back to a new CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. It's been another busy week in my household, so I just squeaked into the end of the list for the blog hop, after Monique.

This week we are choosing a card from page 103 of the Annual Catalogue to CASE, but with an extra twist - we need to change the theme. So if the card you choose is a thank you card, you need to make anything but a thank you card. Easy!

I was in a bit of a rush to get my card done, so I went for the Crumb Cake card at the top of this photo. In my rush I assumed it was a new baby card, as it's in the Kid's and Babies section. What's the opposite of a new baby card? A sympathy card. I always seem to need them for my stash.

It's funny how 'I need to get a card made in a hurry' morphed into 'I'll just do some colouring with my Blends', which I can never do in a hurry! I stamped the flower from Best Birds three times, masking each one as I went. Once all three were masked I stamped the leaves over the top. They were coloured with my Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green and Daffodil Delight Blends.

The bird was then stamped and coloured using Daffodil Delight, Balmy Blue and Light Night Of Navy Blends, with Light Crumb Cake for the ground. The sentiment is from a Paper Pumpkin set I got while I was in the USA. I think it's Birds Of A Feather.

When I cut the card for the inside I was kidding myself that I'd only stamp one flower and leaf combo. As soon as I stamped the first flower I knew I had to do the whole trio - it wouldn't look right with just one. Sigh. Luckily I'm quicker at the photo editing and blog post writing than I am at making a quick card! LOL!

That's it for me for this week. Don't forget to join our Facebook group so that you can play along with our challenges each week.

In the meantime though, you're hopping off to see what Julia has made this week.

Bye for now,

Tina