WWC256 - Kath's Challenge: All About Occasions

This week's challenge came along just as I was in the middle of sorting through products which haven't been opened yet (yes, I admit to being one of THOSE people).

During the 2019 Stampin' Up! Sale-a-bration, one of the freebies one could earn was the Precious Parcel Card Kit.  This kit could be used for a variety of different occasions but with Valentine's Day looming closer and closer, I decided that it would be perfect, especially combined with the fun Music From the Heart stamp set.  Although there was white twine included with the kit, I chose to use the retired white and red foil twine.

On the tag which fits beautifully into the pocket on the front of the card, I've used the Music From the Heart set for the sentiment as well as that single musical note.  I love the way the kit included the small copper coloured paper clips as well as the little pre-stamped, pre-cut "postage stamps".

On the inside of the card, there is a white area onto which I'll happily write my greeting and message to my Valentine.  On the opposite side, I've adhered a pretty heart from a retired set, cut from the gorgeous (but retired) Grapefruit Grove foil sheet.  I love the way the foil picks up so many colours.  In the centre of the heart, I've added a stamped pair of musical notes.

The kit also provides envelopes, which works beautifully since the decoration around the perimeter compliments the same decoration which is around the tag.  I also added three Grapefruit Grove foil hearts to the envelope to compliment the three I added to the card.

I love the way it turned out and hope you do, too.


I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've linked this card up to the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #112 - Anything Goes

Crafting Happiness Challenge #33 - Anything Goes (Optional Twist "Love")

Crafty Creations Challenge #405 - Anything Goes

Teddy Bears at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #237 - Teddy Bears, chosen and hosted by Julie.

Please check out the blog for details and also to see the wonderful samples by the Design Team.

I've had this Baby Bear stamp set for several years and this challenge is finally its christening.  Yay!  After stamping this adorable image, I fussy cut it out and then mounted it on a piece of Very Vanilla which I had first embossed with one of my retired folders.  I backed it with a very narrow black matte and then mounted it to the card.  My base is the Heavy Very Vanilla with a very narrow matte showing of the black and then a pretty patterned paper.  I also fussy cut the adorable little bow tie from a piece of patterned paper from the same package.  I love those indigos, don't you?

I hope you enjoy my card as much as I enjoyed creating it.  Have fun with our challenge!

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Crafters Challenge #24 - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams January Challenge - Anything Goes

WWC255 - Marsha's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Masculine Twist

One of my favourites from the Stampin' Up! Mini Catalogue is the Parisian Beauty bundle.  I can think of so many ways to use this lovely set.  With our Watercooler Wednesday Masculine Challenge this week, I decided to use the stamps in conjunction with the retired Traveler stamp set.  I have to say, that's one set I am very glad to have kept.

I decided to create a vintage-look sepia card this time.  The old-fashioned images just seemed to ask for that and I think it worked out very well, don't you?  I used the Heavy Very Vanilla for my base.  Then I cut a slightly smaller panel in Early Espresso and another slightly smaller than that from the retired Share What You Love Specialty DSP.  Before attaching either piece, I used my distressing tool to distress all four sides of each piece.

I cut a narrower piece of Soft Suede and ran that through the Big Shot with the Hammered Metal 3-D embossing folder.  Rummaging through some of my pieces of older, retired DSP, I found some Newsprint and cut three narrow strips, adding those randomly across the layered card.

Finally it was time to begin stamping and, on a piece of Very Vanilla, I first stamped the suitcase from the Traveler set using Soft Suede.  I masked that image and then stamped the globe (also from that set) and the postmark from the Parisian Beauty set.  To finish up, I stamped the sentiment (also from that set) diagonally above the images.

After splattering some Soft Suede ink on the stamped piece, I tore the edges and then used a sponge to add more Soft Suede around the perimeter.

I love the way it turned out and hope you do, too.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've linked this card up to the following challenges:

Brown Sugar Challenge #297 - January 2020 Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #405 - Anything Goes

WWC254 - Tristan's Challenge: All About Occasions

I am forever hunting around for Birthday cards.  Yes, I make cards and so technically should never be without cards, right, but it doesn't turn out that way.  It seems as if a lot of the cards I make are for all sorts of other occasions.  This year I intend to make at least one feminine and one masculine birthday card each month and, hopefully, the problem will be solved.

For my last Stampin' Up! order, I included those stamps and dies which I knew I could happily use from the Mini Catalogue.  One such bundle was the Timeless Tropical which has so many images that "speak" to me.  I love the hibiscus flower in particular.  What a beautifully detailed stamp that is, and it has lovely leaves as well as the accompanying dies.  I went online to search out hibiscus blossoms and was blown away by the variety of colours.  I finally settled on the yellow/pink version but am determined to try my hand at some of the other gorgeous colours with future cards.

One thing you'll notice about my card is the layering of patterns.  I didn't want to use any patterned paper but instead turned to some of my current and retired embossing folders.  The background pattern is the debossed side of the Hammered Metal 3-D ef.  After embossing the cardstock, I used a sponge and some Cajun Craze ink to pick up the raised pattern.  I used a second embossing folder, the Stone 3-D ef, for the retired Galvanized Metallic paper.  It has a duller sheen than the silver foil, but I think it compliments the silver embossing in the sentiment perfectly, don't you?

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've linked this card up to the following challenges:

Just Us Girls Challenge #518 - Trend Week: Create Dimension

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #111 - Always Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More #372 - Make Your Mark

CAS at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #236 - Clean and Simple, chosen and hosted by Chris.

Please check out the blog for details and also to see the wonderful samples by the Design Team.

I've been meaning to use my new kitten stamps for a while and this CAS challenge feels like the right fit.  I love cats of every colour but this one just "cried out" to be a marmalade.  Don't you just love the little orange kittens?  This one has very distinctive colours while some are very softly marked.  I chose to use the deeper Cajun Craze ink for the stripes and then added a very soft Pumpkin Pie for the contrast.  And because so many of these kittens have bits of white, I made sure to add some around the eyes, on the muzzle and those tiny paws.  

For my sentiment I used one from the Stampin' Up! Nine Lives set.  In the case of kittens and pups, True Love really does have four paws.  

I hope you enjoy my card as much as I enjoyed creating it.  Have fun with our challenge!

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Inkspirational Challenge #204 - Word Prompt "Fauna"

Crafty Catz Challenge #488 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist "Animal"

WWC253 - Karen's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Oh my!  It's a brand new year!  Time has flown by, hasn't it?  Last time I was here, I was getting ready for Christmas.  Welcome back to our challenge and to my blog. 

A new year brings changes.  One positive change in my life is that I've chosen to leave Stampin' Up!  It was time.  There is so much to explore in the world of art and crafting, and I couldn't do that fairly while tethered to a company.  Mind you, that doesn't mean you won't see some of SU!'s terrific products here.  I bought them and I'm using them.  Why not, right?

If you've seen the new Mini Catalogue from Stampin' Up! then you'll have seen the sweet Grace's Garden stamp set.  It comes as a bundle but I chose to buy only the stamp set.  I know myself and I would not have used the dies very much.  You can see from the details of my card that it is, for the most part, simply stamping and watercolouring.  I've masked the hollyhocks before stamping the gate, but I've kept the masks I fussy-cut for future use.  The little cat?  Yes, I've fussy cut it as well.  But I prefer the lack of white border and so I probably would have felt compelled to cut that away if I had the die--a waste of effort, really, but I love clean lines.

If you look carefully at the watercoloured sky, you will see that I've used some 3-D gloss gel to stencil in clouds.  They're subtle but they show up better in person, as does so much that we create.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've linked this card up to the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown TT448 - Something New (the stamp sets from the new catalog)

Dream Valley Challenges #216 -Something New (stamps and 3-D gloss gel)