CASE-ing the Catty - Sketch Challenge

Hi there

Welcome to CASE-ing the Catty for this week. 

If you've just come from looking at Lauren's lovely project, then welcome! If you're visiting me, I appreciate you stopping by today!  You can continue your journey to see the other inspiring creations from the CTC Crew by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the post. 

This week, we are CASE-ing the layout of the Koala card in the photo above. 

Here is the card converted into a sketch so you can easily see the key elements, which are 3 panels and a sentiment. There is lots of scope to get creative. This is also a great layout to use your designer paper in the background, with your decorated panels over the top.

Well, I couldn't help myself, lol, I just had to CASE the Koala card because it is so darn cute!  I wanted to make my card distinctly girly though, so I have used a different colour combo. My card base is Pool Party and I've added a layer of the icecream designer paper. My stitched panels are die cut from Grapefruit Grove card stock for the background of the Smoky Slate Koalas. 

These Koalas are set to party, with the first one holding a triple scoop icecream, fussy cut from the designer paper; the second with the party hat holds the birthday greeting from the Label Me Bold stamp set, stamped in Bermuda Bay and the third is holding a bunch of balloons I stamped and fussy cut.  Did you notice the cute banner? No, you didn't miss this design in the paper pack; I have stamped the small square image multiple times in a row and then die cut the banner from it. The So Saffron metallic twine (that is more like Daffodil Delight) from the Sale-a-bration Metallic Baker's Twine & Sequins Combo Pack  was used for the cute bows.

I have kept the inside simple, with a panel of Whisper White and I have hand cut the row of birthday candles at the base. The greeting is from the Bonanza Buddies stamp set and I've added another banner  across the top using the same square stamp, this time in Mango Melody. 

I'm really happy with how this card turned out. It looks the similiar but so different from the sample, which is the great thing about CASE-ing!

 

Project Details
Stamps	Bonanza Buddies, Label Me Bold
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Pool Party, Grapefruit Grove, Birthday Bonanza DSP
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black, Bermuda Bay, Smoky Slate, Mango Melody, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana
Accessories	Rhinestones, Metallic Baker's Twine & Sequins Combo Pack (Sale-a-bration), Assorted Pompoms
Tools	Stitched Rectangle Dies, Bonanza Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals

 

I had in mind another card and this time I turned the sketch on its head, literally!  Yes, you can do that! Let your creativity be inspired by, but not limited to what you see in the sketch. 

This time I have a soft and pretty card, perfect for an engagement, wedding or anniversary. I started with a Thick Whisper White card base in a portrait orientation and added the panel of Petal Pink and Champage Foil accented designer paper from the Parisian Blossoms Specialty Designer Series Paper that I had layered onto Champagne Foil.  The 3 panels were die cut from Champagne Foil with the Stitched Rectangles Dies and positioned horizontally to form the background for the cherry blossom spray from the Forever Blossoms stamp set. 

I've coloured the large cherry blossom image with Petal Pink and Mint Macaron Stampin' Blends Alcohol Markers for a soft look and cropped it with the coordinating die from the Cherry Blossoms Dies. I have cut the cherry blossom branch in two and inserted the greeting from the Here's A Card stamp set and added some extra leaves and a bud to soften the edge of the greeting banner.  The Petal Pink Metallic-Edge Ribbon is tied around the bottom panel to finish in a bow at the bottom of the floral spray. I have coloured, fussy  cut and popped up the 2 flowers with the Champagne Rhinestone centres for added interest and texture.

For the inside, I have a Petal Pink mat for my writing panel and the greeting from the Forever Blossoms stamp set in the centre. At the base is more of the Petal Pink Metallic-Edge ribbon and the top section of the cherry blossom image.

This card is so soft and pretty in real life and I hope the recipients love it too.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Forever Blossoms
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Petal Pink, Parisian Blossoms Specialty DSP, Champagne Foil
Ink	Memento Espresso Truffle,
Accessories	Champage Rhinestones, Petal Pink Metallic-Edge Ribbon
Tools	Stitched Rectangle Dies, Cherry Blossom Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Stampin' Blends (Petal Pink, Mint Macaron)

 

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

We would love you to join us with your CASE of the Koala sketch over the next 2 weeks, 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 me today!

• Shop my Online Store 24/7
• See the latest Stampin' Up! Promotions
• Request a FREE Catalogue
• Check out my Tutorial Store

IDEAS Blog Hop - Sharing Love

Hi there

I'm back with the IDEAS (International Demos Exciting Artistic Stampin') team this month to share more fabulous projects. We are a group of international demonstrators who create a Tutorial Bundle each month to give you, our customers and readers a heap of inspiration for your crafting. This month it's all about Sharing Love - letting friends and family know they are loved and appreciated! We don't 'do' Valentine's Day so much here in Australia, but showing love and appreciation is something you can do ANY day. We have 10 fabulous tutorials in this month's bundle, each including a 3D project. 

If you've come from looking at MaryKate's sweet projects, then welcome! If you're visiting me, I appreciate you stopping by today!  You can continue your journey to see the other inspiring creations from the IDEAS Team by clicking on the NEXT button at the bottom of the post. 

This month I've created a cute heart-shaped basket to fill with treats. It has an optional stand, as shown in the photo above. 

I've also have 3 designs for note cards - one for friendship, one for Valentine's Day and one that would be perfect any time. These are great to tuck into a gift or bunch of flowers.

I've used the Meant To Be stamp set and coordinating Stitched Be Mine Dies from the Annual Catalogue for these projects. If you are in Australia, you can purchase these products from my Online Store right now. 

There are lots of other fabulous tutorials in the bundle too, you won't be disappointed!

Would you like a copy of the instructions for these projects for your personal use, or even to use in your classes? 

There are 3 ways you can get the January 2020 Tutorial Bundle.

1.  Place an order with me for $50 or more using the current month's Host Code (shown in the side bar on the right) and you will receive the tutorial bundle for FREE. I will email you the PDF file within 24 hours of your order being confirmed.  Don't forget that with Sale-a-bration now on, you can earn a FREE product with a purchase of $90 or more.

2. You can purchase the tutorial with Instant Download through my Etsy store by clicking here. You can pay with a credit card or PayPal and you DO NOT need to sign up to Etsy to make a purchase. Check out as a guest if you are not a member.

3.  Join my team and you will get this bundle of tutorials for FREE every month to use for your personal crafting or for classes. You can see all the details over on the Join My Team page. 

Once you have received the tutorials, please remember not to share or distribute the printed or electronic copies of these bundles. We have worked hard to provide these exclusive projects for your use. If you know someone that would like to purchase the bundle, please direct them to me to obtain their copy. Thanks for your support.

Now it's time to hop over to Odette's Blog to see her lovely projects.

Thanks for visiting today!

• Shop my Online Store 24/7
• See the latest Stampin' Up! Promotions
• Request a FREE Catalogue
• Check out my Tutorial Store

 

CASE-ing the Catty - Succulent Garden

Hi there

It is Sunday again and the CTC Crew are taking inspiration from the Succulent Garden Suite (pages 20 - 31) in the Occasions Catalogue this week.

You may have come from looking at the gorgeous project  on Tricia'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.

This week I have chosen to case the layout of this card at the top of page 20 of the Occasions catalogue. 

  

I've kept fairly close to the layout, but have added a few more layers to my card and placed the greeting banner at the top instead of the bottom.  I stamped out a bunch of the 'Oh So Succulent' images onto water colour paper using Basic Gray Archival ink. I like the slightly softer effect of this ink when colouring. I Googled images of succulents and was surprised to see the variety of colour combinations so I got out a pile of ink pads and got busy with my Aqua Painter. It is fabulous that there are coordinating framelits to crop all of the images. 

I love layered cards and Rich Razzleberry and Sweet Sugarplum are a match made in heaven (IMHO!). I used the 'Hardwood' background for a garden feel, stamping in Sahara Sand on Sahara Sand card stock and sponging around the edges with Crumb Cake. Instead of the succulents hanging from the top of the art piece, I have chosen to use a bowl. I cut a circle from Cajun Craze card stock, trimmed off the bottom and sponged around the edges. It provides a bold colour contrast for the succulents. In case you're wondering, I used the largest of the square Stitched Shapes framelits to create the rectangular base of my art piece.

 
  

You can see in this closeup pic, that the succulents are layered at different heights for dimension and I added a very light shadow under the pot to 'ground' it. 

 

For the inside, I have used some of the Sweet Sugarplum washi from the Playful Palette set and layered a few of the leftover succulents in the corner. 

Project Details
Stamps	Hardwood, Oh So Succulent, Dragonfly Dreams
Card stock & Papers	Rich Razzleberry, Sweet Sugarplum, Sahara Sand, Cajun Craze Whisper White, Succulent Garden DSP,
Ink	Basic Gray Archival, Versamark, Cajun Craze, Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Sweet Sugarplum, Smoky Slate, Mint Macaron, Wild Wasabi, Old Olive, Watercolour paper
Accessories	Lace Doilies Rhinestones Basic Jewels
Tools	Stitched Shapes Framelits, Succulent Framelits, Big Shot, 2" Circle punch, Dimensionals, White EP, Heat gun, Aqua Painter

If you purchase the 'Oh So Succulent' bundle and a pack of Lace Doilies from my online store, you will quality for a FREE product from the Sale-a-bration brochure. From Tuesday, 21 February the gorgeous Glimmer Paper Assortment pack that coordinates with the 'Oh So Succulent' bundle will be one of the options! Don't miss out, get your order in on Tuesday.

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see the lovely project Elizabeth has to inspire you today. 

 

                             

We would love you to join in with your CASE of the Succulent Garden Suite on pages 20-31 of the Occasions Catalogue using our new 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.

You can see the full list of the CTC Crew participating this week over at the CASE-ing the Catty blog.

Thanks for visiting today!

Special Anniversary

Hello

I don't know about you, but I love a stamp set that is versatile for multiple occasions. This time I am referring to the 'Your Perfect Day' stamp set from the Occasions Catalogue. It is obviously intended as a wedding set, however, the main 'Congrats' greeting is perfect for engagement, anniversary, pregnancy and new baby.

My card using 'Your Perfect Day' is for my lovely friend Kayleen and her husband Sean who are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary today. I have used the beautifully subtle 'Something Borrowed' designer paper and the matching Sahara Sand card stock with Blushing Bride for the accent colour. 

I attached the designer paper to Whisper White card stock to make it more robust before punching out the circle to let the Blushing Bride show through and provide the background for the numbers.

I have used the gorgeous Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper on the mat and numbers to add some subtle bling, but the photo doesn't do it justice.

For the inside I have used the circle wreath and greeting from the 'Memorable Moments' stamp set.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Your Perfect Day, Memorable Moments
Card stock & Papers	Sahara Sand Textured (retired), Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer,
Ink	Versamark, Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand
Accessories	Sahara Sand Lace Trim, Basic Jewels Pearls
Tools	1 3/4" Circle punch, white embossing powder, Heat gun, Timeless Type Alphabet Sizzlit dies (retired), Big Shot, Stampamajig, Dimensionals

Have a great day!

30 Years On

Hi there

I'm back home after a lovely 2 weeks away visiting family and friends in Western Australia.  It was warm and humid there, so I was a bit shocked to come back to Melbourne's chilly Autumn weather.  It is wonderful for sleeping at night, but it will take a while to get used to the day time chill.  

I haven't had much time to create since I've been back as there were lots of household chores to catch up on.  However, I did make this card to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary this week.  I was married 5 days after my university graduation, so I'm not really that ancient!

My Mum informed me that this is a 'Pearl Anniversary' in traditional terms.  I still remember our first anniversary which is 'paper' in traditional terms, when I made a huge paper banner using our work computer (yes, there were mainframe and mini computers back then!) on continuous computer stationery.  Thirty years later, I'm still playing with paper, although it is much more colourful and fun to create now. 

We celebrated with a lovely dinner and rather than pearls (although I love them), we will be spending 8 fabulous weeks in Europe during August and September to continue the celebration.  The 'Sent with Love' DSP and stamp set seemed very appropriate for my husband's card. 

Project Details
Stamps	Memorable Moments, Sent with Love
Card stock & Papers	Bazzill White, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Real Red, Whisper White, Sent with Love DSP
Ink	Island Indigo, Real Read
Accessories	Pool Party Bakers Twine
Tools	Labels Framelits, Square Lattice Embossing folder,  Big Shot, Pennant punch, 1/2" Circle punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, 7/8" Circle punch (not SU), Owl Builder punch (small heart), Dimensionals, Tombow glue, Computer & printer

Thanks for looking.