#CTC191 - Nature's Poem

Check out pages 142-153 for this week's challenge, then play along with the link on the right

I had reason to be creating a special card for my aunty this week, using the challenge to get me started. The person in mind enjoys travelling which led me to the card on the right of page 146:

A bit of pondering about which fancy fold to make ended up becoming a Joy Fold card. I started with a sheet of Rich Razzleberry cardstock and because she is an avid gardener, I knew I wanted to use Petal Promenade DSP. Although this colour isn't listed as a co-ordinating colour, I think it worked with the design I chose. I matted each layer with Mossy Meadow to give it a bit more appeal. The finished size of the card is 6" square. I have also used one of the smaller designs from Petal Promenade with the olive branch wreath as the background for my Gold foil and Rich Razzleberry (retired) large numbers. I didn't want a lot of bling but the foil tied in with the gold heat embossing I used for all the images on Whisper White cardstock.

Now you can see where the CASE card came in! As you open the top layer, the two scenes meet your eye. I chose not to add any colour to them as I liked how the gold made them pop anyway

As you open again, the greeting appears, a Berry Burst die cut Happy Birthday, along with a third image from Mediterranean Moments. Also appropriate because she likes cats! I've intentionally lowed this image as my personal greeting will be added to this page.

I'll pop the measurements further below if you are interested in making a card this size yourself. Time for you to pop over and see what Megan has designed for the hop:

Measurements used:

Rich Razzleberry: a) 10" x 6" scored at 4" mark; b) 8" x 3 3/4" scored at 4" mark

Mossy Meadow: a) 5 3/4" x 5 3/4"; b) 2 x 5 3/4" x 3 3/4" c) 3 x 3 3/4" x 3 1/2"

Whisper White: a) 2 x 5 1/2" x 3 1/2"; b) 2 x 3 1/2" x 3 1/4" 

DSP: a) 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"; b) 3 1/2" x 3 1/4"

I did use a magnet on the front (which caused a few problems because it was a little small for all my layers so I had to rejig and in the end it was popped under the two scene images!) You wouldn't need a magnet if you made a smaller top card and used a dimensional embellishment to tuck the top layer under. If you search for Joy Fold cards you'll get the idea.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to anyone this may apply to. Had to wait until today to post so no spoilers for recipients who may have been loitering around my blog - haha...

I have been enjoying some time out with a load of other mothers at a scrapbook retreat this weekend. Thanks Christine and Cathy for organising such a great weekend.  

My card was entered into the CASEing the Catty Sunday Challenge #CTC126 "Mother's Day", and although not a winner (there were only two entries!), I was chosen for the Crew Pick for the colouring in my case of pg 24 of the Occasions catalogue.

I stamped the lady image from Beautiful You, then masked her and white embossed an image from Mediterranean Moments then sponged the colour on. I used the watercolour pencils for the lady and umbrella. The dsp backgrounds are from the soon to retire Serene Scenery - I matched each with the same colour base card. The greeting is from Crazy About You and was embossed with Gold onto vellum. Popped a half doily under the mat and finished with a little clip and baker's twine bow.

View from a Window #CI01

Today's inspiration comes from the first official challenge from a new Facebook Group, called Colour INKspiration.#CI01 is already providing loads of inspiration! 

I have used all six colours but we only needed to use at least three: Mint Macaron for my wallpaper and leaves, Tempting Turquoise for my Hearth & Home Window frame and backing mat, Blushing Bride table, Sweet Sugarplum Vase (Pretty Kitty) and tablecloth (Delightful Details), So Saffron, Peekaboo Peach along with Whisper White for the Botannical Builder flowers and a few of these colours for the Mediterranean Moments scene out the window.  The greeting is from Bella and Friends. Hoping to play along with this group some more in the future and thanks for the motivation.

Love a Challenge

After leaving for holiday, I learned we could apply to be an onstage display stamper in April, and the challenges continue!  I thought it was something I could try for and reading in a hurry, thought I had a few days up my sleeve, but thankfully checked again yesterday and had until today to post...  this is what I came up with:

The cards were kept clean and simple (if you know me, you'll know I struggle doing that!), so I stuck with a similar colour scheme, Night of Navy and Whisper White, Card 1 used a patchwork technique with the Stitched Shapes square, and the Floral Boutique DSP, the greeting from Dragonfly Dreams and tied off with Night of Navy Baker's Twine. Card 2, a Night of Navy dragonfly over some Falling in Love DSP, with a greeting from Beautiful You and the dots from Avant Garden.  Card 3 is the So Detailed Thinlits cut from Night of Navy and pieced onto Whisper White, the greeting from Avant Garden was cut with an oval from the Stitched Shapes Framelits, and backed with a Night of Navy diecut from Tags & Labels. I opted to tie a knot in each side of the greeting for this card.

The scrapbook page was totally inspired by the place I am lucky to be relaxing for a few weeks, Cromwell in Central Otago, NZ.  I chose the Tip Top Taupe floral design from  the 2015-17 In Colour DSP stack, but sponged over with Sahara Sand to blend in with the summer colours in the area, the crisp white would be ok for winter perhaps.  I then trimmed a sheet of the daisy design from Falling in Love DSP to finish the base. The title, using Large Letters, was die cut from another sheet from the same DSP and I used the negative for the first word.  The next word was cut from both Blushing Bride and Sahara Sand, and all were layered.  As were the dragonflies.  The map is hard to see in the photo but shows the area location on a map of NZ, along with facts on how long it will take you to travel here!

The 3D items were a little harder for me with the supplies on hand, so I opted to go with the tissue paper on a candle idea, along with a small calendar.  Beautiful You and Watercolor pencils, which I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas, teamed nicely with the new Delicate Details from Sale-a-bration. The relevance of the doily?  Check out the top of the candle, I trimmed one of the new lace doilies and inked with Night of Navy. (If I were to gift this, I would be mindful to ensure the recipient removed prior to igniting).

The calendar, I did have with me, and I constructed a backing and stand from the scrap card out of the DSP packs.  Floral Boutique DSP helped make the image and calendar stand out.

My final project was a trio of framed prints.  I found these frames in the back of the cupboard and they screamed Pacific Point and Mediterranean Moments at me... so thanks again Susan Nygaard, loving this set.  I only had 3 frames, but managed to use all images from the set, coloured with the same watercolor pencils, and just a light spritz with my Stampin' Spritzer.  Not enough to wet the thick Whisper White I had stamped on, but it made my colour soften just a tad...

Thanks for staying with me til the end...

Mediterranean Moments

A set that jumped out of the new catalogue at me was inspired by $Million sales achiever, Susan Nygaard.  We also saw Liz Collett demonstrate some great ideas using this set at #onstagelive. Of course, once I started, I wanted to use all my samples, and another item showcased here is the Stitched Shapes Framelits which have proven so popular they will not be able to be ordered after tomorrow due until sometime in the future, but they will be in the new catalogue in June.  

First up a card to satisfy the Global Design Project sketch challenge #gdp062.  I have gone monochrome, using only Soft Suede against Whisper White.  The spots on the Fancy Frost Specialty DSP were made using Soft Suede refill dropped into water, then dipping my aqua painter in and flicking lightly.  Of course, I couldn't waste the coloured water, so see below for what else I did.  The image was stamped then diecut with the oh so versatile Stitched Shape Framelits.  The sketch was landscape, but I have gone portrait, and hope it still fits the rules.  The greeting from Jar of Love has been layered onto Soft Suede which I also diecut from the same framelits, just a little bit of tweaking along the way...

Next up, a card for a friend who has just purchased her first home after a change in circumstances - I hope it makes her smile. Greeting again from Jar of Love and diecut with the Tags and Labels framelits, Bow from Pretty Pines Thinlits and a few rhinestones to finish.

Something calming about this picture, so again you don't need to to put much behind your card as the picture says it all. Image diecut from Stitched Shape Framelits and layered onto scallop from Layering Squares. Greeting from Jar of Love and just a couple of plain strips of Basic Black cardstock for the background. 

Most people think of the vibrant blues and reds (along with terracotta) when thinking of the Mediterranean, so this card was a bit of a play on that. I believe it is called Spotlighting Technique, and my spotlights were again diecut from the Stitched Shape Framelits.  My blue is Island Indigo backed with Real red.  Greeting - yes, you guessed it - Jar of Love.

The last card to show you was using the leftover water I referred to from the first photo.  I watercoloured a piece of Whisper White card, and thought the colour wasn't intense enough, so I just tipped all the water onto it.  Of course, that meant waiting for it to dry.  So I sped it up with the heatgun, and like how the ink started to separate so it had a soft yellow haze around the edge.  I stamped it with my image in Archival Black, then ran it through the Big Shot with Petal Burst TIEF, then I actually shifted it a smidge and ran it through again.  I layered that onto Basic Black and now have a fun no occasion card ready to send, or I could pop a greeting on when called for...

Here they are all together.  Hope you love this set as much as I do, although sorry that you have to wait until January to order it.