CASE-ing the Catty - Love, Thanks & Support

Hi there

This week the CTC Crew are taking inspiration from the Love, Support & Thanks section on pages 104-125 of the Annual Catalogue. There are lots of fabulous samples in this section and it was hard to choose just one. I love having cards in my stash that I can send to people when they need a bit of extra TLC and who doesn't want to feel the love from receiving a beautiful handmade card in the mail.

You may have come from visiting Rebecca's blog, but if you are visiting me, you can start your journey here and continue by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the post. 

I've taken my inspiration from the cards on 106, that use the Petal Promenade Suite. I've cropped out the card above from the image so you can see it more clearly. This card uses one of the rectangular floral frames that come on one sheet of the Petal Promenade Designer Series Paper. There are also similiar smaller square floral frames and wreaths on the same sheet.  

I've chosen soft and pretty colours to pair with my floral frame as the green border in the sample doesn't do it for me! I cut right on the edge of the frame and then used my Blushing Bride marker to go around the edges and take away the white core,  before matting onto Gold Foil. I popped up the floral panel onto the gorgeous new Rose Glimmer paper as I find this the most reliable way to adhere to glimmer paper as well as adding dimension. The finished panel was layered onto the thick Whisper White base card. When using a pre-sized panel such as the floral frames from Petal Promenade, I recommend you start from the centre and layer outwards and make any adjustments required to the size of the base card. I had to trim the length slightly to keep my card symmetrical. 

I picked out the darker pink of the small flowers as I think it makes the image pop. The narrow flagged banner in Berry Burst sits on a stitched circle in Gold Foil. I stamped the frame from the 'Label Me Pretty' stamp set and heat embossed it in gold and then added the greeting from the 'Darling Label' stamp set in Berry Burst ink and punched it out with the Pretty Label punch. It is popped up over the banner and Gold Foil circle. I finished it off with a trio of pearls either side.

 

For the inside I have used Gold Foil to mat the writing panel, which has a strip of the coordinating designer paper at the base, topped with a thin band of Rose Glimmer paper to finish. 

The glimmer paper is hard to photograph, but it is very pretty  in real life!

Project Details
Stamps	Label Me Pretty, Darling Label
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Berry Burst, Gold Foil, Rose Glimmer Paper, Petal Promenade DSP
Ink	Versamark, Berry Burst
Accessories	Basic Jewels Pearls
Tools	Stitched Shapes Framelits, Big Shot, Gold EP, Heat gun, Dimensionals, Pretty Label punch

 

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Peta has to inspire you this week. 

We would love you to join us with your CASE this week, using our Facebook group. Click on this link or the image below to go there. The first time you will need to click on the 'Join Group' button at the top. Once you have been added to the group, you can go ahead and post your creation and you do not need to have a blog. 

 Thanks for visiting today!

CASE-ing the Catty - Holidays

Hi there

This week we're taking inspiration from the Holidays section of the Annual Catalogue on pages 92-103. This is perfect timing for Christmas in July and will be my first Christmas cards for the season. 

You may have come from visiting Kathryn's blog, but if you are visiting me, you can start your journey here and continue by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the post. 

I've taken my inspiration from this card on page 101 using the new 'Stylish Christmas' stamp set. I've added a bit more detail and dimension to my card, but stayed fairly close to the design in the sample. The poinsettia and leaves are DistINKive style stamps where you get amazing depth from a single stamped image.

I have used the new 'Call Me Clover' green for the base card and paired it with Real Red for a bright take on the traditional Christmas colours. For the main panel, I loaded up one plate of my Stamparatus stamping tool with the two greetings and leaves and stamped them all at once in Call Me Clover ink. This makes it a great design for creating multiples as you can quickly stamp a lot of panels and then assemble them in production line style.  On the second Stamparatus plate I had the flourish, so you would stamp and emboss all the panels with the top positioning and then change to the bottom and stamp and emboss them.

Finally, I stamped the poinsettia in Real Red ink on a smaller piece of Whisper White and then adhered it to another piece of Whisper white before fussy cutting. This makes the image more robust for popping up on foam pads over the leaves. I added some gold pearls from the new Metallic Pearls to the centre of the poinsettia. You can see the detail in the stamped images in this closeup pic.

I've kept the inside simple; gold embossing a small section of the flourish in the corner and adding a strip of Call Me Clover spotted designer paper at the bottom. It is fabulous having a matching designer paper for every colour of card stock!

While I was playing around with my prototype, I decided to try out the flourish in Real Red as another variation. I really like it, as it adds more brightness to the card. I'm sure there are other great colour combos to use with this stamp set. Which option do you prefer? 

Project Details
Stamps	Stylish Christmas
Card stock & Papers;	Call Me Clover, Real Red, Whisper White, 6 x 6 2018-20 In Colour DSP
Ink	Versamark, Real Red, Call Me Clover
Accessories	Metallic Pearls
Tools	Stamparatus, Gold EP, Heat gun, Dimensionals

 

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Monique has to inspire you this week. 

We would love you to join us with your CASE this week, using our Facebook group. Click on this link or the image below to go there. The first time you will need to click on the 'Join Group' button at the top. Once you have been added to the group, you can go ahead and post your creation and you do not need to have a blog. 

 Thanks for visiting today!

CASE-ing the Catty - Kids & Babies

Hi there

This week the CTC Crew are taking inspiration from the Kids & Babies section of the Annual Catalogue on pages 80-91. 

You may have come from visiting Peta's blog, but if you are visiting me, you can start your journey here and continue by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the post. 

I've taken inspiration from this card on page 87. I love the extra dimension you get with the recessed background as well as all the little details that have been included in this card. I'm not overly fond of foxes, so I decided to ink up the cute bear from the 'A Little Wild' stamp set for the first time, using Stampin' Blends to colour him.

I've stayed fairly close to the layout of the sample by using the Layering Circles framelits to cut the circle in the Balmy Blue layer. I spritzed the front of the card stock and then embossed it with the 'Subtle' embossing folder. I love the linen-like texture that results. You do get a more defined and even result if you spritz with water first, so I highly recommend that.  I chose Balmy Blue for a sky background so I added some clouds with Shimmery White embossing paste and the mask from Pattern Party Decorative Masks.

For the background behind the circle, I cut a piece of Whisper White slightly larger and then sponged it lightly with Sahara Sand ink to soften the stark white. I stamped the leaves from the 'Foxy Friends' stamp set and the toad stools from the 'Hedgehugs' stamp set to add interest.  Foam pads were closely spaced around the circle on the reverse of the Balmy Blue layer and then positioned over the background. The tree stump, bear, bee hive and greeting were then placed in position. I added more foam pads around the edges of the Balmy Blue layer and adhered it to the Crumb Cake Base card. This close-up gives you a good view of the dimension and the details.

For the inside, I have a Balmy Blue mat for the writing panel and I stamped some grass, the bee hive and bees at the base and finished with a strip of the striped Crumb Cake designer paper. 

Project Details
Stamps	A Little Wild, Foxy Friends, Hedgehugs, Itty Bitty Greetings
Card stock & Papers;	Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Balmy Blue, 6 x 6 Neutrals DSP
Ink	Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Granny Apple Green
Accessories	Silver Baker's Twine
Tools	Layering Circles Framelits Dies, Subtle Dynamic TIEF, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Stampin' Write markers, Stampin' Blends, Shimmery Embossing Paste, Pattern Party Decorative Masks

 

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Bronwyn has to inspire you this week. 

We would love you to join us with your CASE this week, using our Facebook group. Click on this link or the image below to go there. The first time you will need to click on the 'Join Group' button at the top. Once you have been added to the group, you can go ahead and post your creation and you do not need to have a blog. 

 Thanks for visiting today!

CASE-ing the Catty - Birthdays

Hi there

I'm pleased to be back with the Crew, case-ing the fabulous new Annual Catalogue. This week we are taking our inspiration from the Birthdays section of the catalogue on Pages 66-79

You may have come from visiting Rachel's blog, but if you are visiting me, you can start your journey here and continue by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the post. 

I've taken inspiration from the square shaker card on the bottom of page 68. I don't have this set of products, but it was the frame itself that inspired me as I thought it would form a nice base for the lovely rose from the new 'Healing Hugs' stamp set. I love that we now have a stamp set with sentiments to send get well wishes. The rose image is one of the new DistINKtive type stamps that create amazing depth with just a single stamped image.

 

I started with a base card of thick Whisper White and added a panel of the new Balmy Blue card stock embossed with the new 'Tufted' Dynamic embossing folder. I love this clear blue that reminds me of the long retired Bashful Blue. The embossing folder adds a lovely diamond pattern that is still quite subtle and perfect for background interest. I created a multi-layer frame using the squares from the Stitched Shapes framelits and added some of the striped designer paper from the new 6" x 6" stacks in each of the colour collections to the reverse of the smallest frame. I'm really happy we have a matching designer paper for every colour again.

I stamped the gorgeous rose in Berry Burst ink and the leaves in Garden Green ink and fussy cut them on edge of the images. I don't often do this, but I liked it better without the border. Go around the edge of your image with a coordinating marker (from the reverse side) to cover the white core. I used a single colour this time, but you can create lovely effects by layering on additional colour with a sponge dauber to create shaded and variegated roses. I white embossed one of the greetings on the new Blueberry Bushel card stock and added a flagged end. This is also a gorgeous clear blue. You can see some of the details in this closeup.

For the inside, I created a border at the base of the writing panel with two of the other images in the 'Healing Hugs' stamp set. To add a bit more pop, I added a 3mm border of the Berry Burst striped designer paper at the top and bottom. 

Project Details
Stamps	Healing Hugs
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Berry Burst, Balmy Blue, Blueberry Bushel, 6 x 6 In Colour & Subtles Designer Series Paper
Ink	Berry Burst, Garden Green, Versamark
Accessories	Pearlized Doilies, Basic Jewels Rhinestones
Tools	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Layering Squares Framelits, Tufted Dynamic TIEF, Big Shot, White EP, Heat gun, Dimensionals

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Kathryn has to inspire you this week. 

We would love you to join us with your CASE this week, using our Facebook group. Click on this link or the image below to go there. The first time you will need to click on the 'Join Group' button at the top. Once you have been added to the group, you can go ahead and post your creation and you do not need to have a blog. 

 Thanks for visiting today!

I'm Back! Plus Updated Resources

Hi there

I've returned from our wonderful 7 week holiday in Europe, to the very chilly weather of Melbourne in Winter. The cold has been such a shock after the warm weather of the northern hemisphere spring/summer. We try to celebrate our anniversary every 5 years with a nice holiday overseas and this year was our 35th anniversary. Not sure where all the years have gone, lol.

I hope to have some cards for you shortly as I reboot my crafting mojo with the fabulous 2018 Annual Catalogue. Sooooo many lovely products available and a fabulous updated range of colours. I have spent a couple of days cleaning and tidying my craft room and organising my new supplies in preparation. However, today I have a couple of updated resources for you.

Sponge Dauber Box Insert

If you use one of these boxes for your sponge daubers, then I have an updated insert with the new colours, for you. 

I use a labelling machine to add a robust label to each dauber and then store them in their colour collections in this box. I have a second box for In Colours and retired colours. If you want to update your dauber box with the new insert, then use the link below to download it. I print it on Whisper White card stock, then laminate it (or cover with clear adhesive film) and trim right on the edge of the border and it fits snugly in the lid of the box. If you want more details about the box and where to buy it, then you can see it here. 

Download Sponge Dauber Box Template_2018.pdf (23.0K)

Download Sponge Dauber Box Template_2018_InColours.pdf (20.5K)

 

Colour Chart - HEX/RGB & Copic Matches

I have an updated chart for you with the colour codes to use for printing text with your computer and printer as well as matches with Copic markers. For the first time, Stampin' Up! have provided the actual HEX colour codes for the 50 colours, which are fabulous for use online. However, if you want to print Stampin' Up! colours using your computer, then you need the RGB colour codes. My updated chart has the Stampin' Up! Hex codes and the RGB codes so you can print colour matched text for the re-vamped colour collections and In Colours. You can use the link below to download it. I print this on Whisper White, laminate it and keep it handy to my craft desk.

Download 2018_ SU_RGB_Hex_Copic_Colours.pdf (86.3K)

Stampin' Up! now have the fabulous Stampin' Blends alcohol markers available in 22 of the 50 available colours. Using these markers for your colouring will provide you with an exact match with other Stampin' Up! products. These are definitely my preference as you have a light and dark shade for each colour, making it so easy to add depth to your colouring.

However, if you have a stash of Copic alcohol markers or want to use a matching colour for the other 28 Stampin' Up! colours, then I have provided my best match for the Copic colour. Additional Copic colours are released each year, so better matches may become available over time.

I hope you find these resources useful.

See you soon.