IDEAS Blog Hop - 'Painted Seasons' Mother's Day Projects

Hi there

Welcome to the blog hop for the IDEAS (International Demos Exciting Artistic Stampin') team. 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. There will be a theme for each month and this month it is Mother's Day/Father's Day/Friendship. We have 12 fabulous tutorials in this month's bundle, many including multiple projects.

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 have a Mother's Day gift set for you, comprising a card and coordinating gift box and tag. The card also includes a gift card holder, so you can spoil Mum with a gift card for her favourite store. However, these projects would also be perfect for a birthday, thank you or friendship gift with a change of greeting.

I have used the pretty Gingham Gala Designer Series Paper with the Painted Seasons stamp set.  My tutorial has step by step instructions to make the card (with gift card holder) and coordinating gift box and tag shown in the photo above.  Plus, I have included instructions and photos showing you how to get the extra pop in the centre of the flowers without losing the detail.

You will receive another 11 detailed, step by step tutorials with more ideas for Mother's Day/Father's Day/Friendship occasions as part of the bundle. You can see a preview of all of the projects in the bundle as you move through the hop.

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 April 2019 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. 

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. Stampin' Up! has a fabulous joining special during Sale-a-bration, until 31 March 2019. 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 Laura's Blog to see her gorgeous Friendship projects.

Thanks for visiting today!

CASE-ing the Catty - Gingham Gala

Hi there

This week the CTC Crew are taking inspiration from the Gingham Gala section of the new Occasions Catalogue. This is definitely one of my favourite suites in the catalogue.

If you've come from looking at the lovely project on Monique's blog, 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. 

There are just 3 weeks left to earn FREE product when you make a purchase of $90 or more between now and 31 March 2019. You can see all of the Sale-a-bration products that you can choose from in my Online Store. Don't forget the Sale-a-bration Coordination - all those fabulous dies to crop the images from your favourite Sale-a-bration stamp sets. They are only available until 31 March.

This week I've taken my inspiration from the card above, which I've cropped out of the banner photo so you can see it more clearly. This layout is such a great way to use up leftover strips of designer paper, especially from the 6" x 6" paper size. It is also a great layout for using bold designs, as they are not so overwhelming in a smaller piece. I have a few samples using different designer papers.

This first sample uses the  Painted Seasons Designer Series Paper and I have laid my 1" strips onto a background of Poppy Parade card stock. The spacing creates a slightly wider strip that I have left bare to use for my greeting. I added the 'thanks' greeting from the Well Written Framelits that was cut in Sparkle Glimmer Paper and some of the cute wooden shapes from the Butterfly Elements to finish. The finished panel was popped up onto a Whisper White card base.

Project Details
Stamps	Painted Seasons
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Painted Seasons DSP, Sparkle Glimmer paper
Ink	Poppy Parade, Call Me Clover
Accessories	Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots, Butterfly Elements, White Baker's Twine
Tools	Well Written Framelits, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Tombow Liquid Glue

 

This sample uses the succulents design from the Painted Seasons Designer Series Paper. I have added some of the Lemon Lime Twist Gingham and spotted Pool Party paper to complement the design. In the  space, I have a flagged banner in Sparkle Glimmer paper for my layered round greeting to sit on. I finished it with a double bow in white/silver Baker's Twine and some rhinestones. I'm really going to miss Lemon Lime Twist when it retires at the end of May 2019.

Project Details
Stamps	Dear Doily, Painted Seasons
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party, Painted Seasons DSP, Gingham Gala DSP, Subtles DSP, Sparkle Glimmer paper
Ink	Pool Party
Accessories	Rhinestones, White/Silver Baker's Twine
Tools	Stitched Labels Framelits, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Tombow Liquid Glue

 

My final sample uses the bold Happiness Blooms Designer Series Paper, with the strips layered onto a Night of Navy background. I have heat embossed the greeting from the Perennial Birthday stamp set in white and added a lush bow in Calypso Coral Satin ribbon at the top. To finish I added some coordinating Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots and a wooden butterfly from the Butterfly Elements pack. 

The same layout has resulted in 3 very different cards, but all are bold and bright. I hope you get out some of your leftover strips and give this layout a try.

Project Details
Stamps	Perennial Birthday, Happiness Booms
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Night of Navy, Happiness Blooms DSP
Ink	Versamark, Call Me Clover, Calypso Coral
Accessories	Calypso Coral Satin Ribbon, Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots, Butterfly Elements
Tools	White EP, Heat Gun, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Tombow Liquid Glue

 

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Lauren 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. 

I hope you've enjoyed my project inspired by the Gingham Gala Suite and 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

Art With Heart Sale-a-bration Blog Hop

 

Hi there

Tonight the Art with Heart team are sharing creative projects using products available for FREE when you make a minimum purchase during Sale-a-bration. For every $90 (AUD) you spend before postage, you can choose FREE products from the brochure.

 

• If you spend $90, you get one free level 1 product.

• If you spend $180, you get one free level 2 product, OR, you can choose two level 1 items.

• If you spend $270, you have the option to choose three level 1 items or one level 1 item and one level 2 items.     

 

The sale-a-bration promotion is current now until 31 March 2019. Be sure to request your copy of the brochure today if you don’t already have one. Sale-a-bration is also a great time to join our fabulous team - just ask any of the girls on the blog hop for more details! 

 

Butterflys are a big part of the FREE Sale-a-bration products, so I've I have a project to show you how you might use them. I have one of my favourite square cards, using the beautiful Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper. This is a fabulous pack with lots of sheets of butterflies that you can punch out with the Butterfly Duet Punch, plus coordinating patterns and even sheets to colour. 

 

My base card is Whisper White and I have a Gorgeous Grape matte for the Highland Heather floral design from the Botanical Butterfly DSP pack.

For the centre embellishment I have used one of the outline butterflies from the Butterfly Elements pack. I've stamped a butterfly from Butterfly Gala stamp set in Gorgeous Grape ink, coloured it with Highland Heather Stampin' Blends and added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. It was cropped with the Butterfly Duet Punch and placed into the wooden butterfly frame and adhered it over the Highland Heather ribbon that is from the Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack. I have used a cake decorating stamen for the butterfly antennae and then the smaller butterfly in Gorgeous Grape was popped up over the top and finished with some 2mm rhinestones. The greeting is from the Part of My Story stamp set, which is also one of the Sale-a-bration products that you can choose. It is very sparkly in real life!

For the inside, I have kept the same layout, using one of the Rectangle Stitched Framelits double cut into a square for the writing panel. I added a small butterfly in the corner to finish.

Here is a view from the top.

Project Details
Stamps	Butterfly Gala, Part of My Story
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape, Botanical Butterfly DSP
Ink	Gorgeous Grape
Accessories	Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Butterfly Elements, 2mm Rhinestones
Tools	Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies, Big Shot, Butterfly Duet Punch, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Stampin' Blends (Highland Heather), Glue Pen

 

Now it’s time to hop on over to our next participant, the very talented,  Catherine Proctor.    

Here is a full list of participants in case there are any issues.

Sue Madex

Tina Gillespie
Ros Davidson
Kathryn Mangelsdorf
Rachel Woollard
Rebecca Jacovou
Caroline Manwaring
Claire Daly
Kate Morgan
Judy May ----------> You are here!

Catherine Proctor

 Thanks for visiting today! 

CASE-ing the Catty - Sale-a-bration!

Hi there

Welcome to another week of CASE-ing the Catty. It's a scorching Sunday here in Melbourne. I'm lucky to be able to escape to some air conditioning in my craft room. Northern Australia is facing unprecedented flooding rains and I know many readers in the northern hemisphere are facing their own extreme weather events, too. So where ever you are, I hope you are safe from the worst of what Mother Nature is delivering us at the moment! 

If you've come from Peta's blog, 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. 

We are taking our inspiration from the Sale-a-bration Brochure again this week. Don't forget that you get to choose a FREE item from this brochure, when you make a purchase of $90 or more between now and 31 March 2019.  Plus, NEW Sale-a-bration products will be released in mid-February and NEW products that co-ordinate with your FREE Sale-a-bration items will be released for purchase on 1 March 2019. Stay tuned for more details!

I'm taking a break from the feminine, floral creations to go a little bit country this week. My inspiration comes from the project in the photo above, on page 10 of the Sale-a-bation brochure. I was taken with the copper embossing on the copper tin; such a great idea and I would love to try it. As I don't have the copper tins, I've gone with the next best thing - copper embossing on Copper Foil. 

It was really difficult getting a good photo that does justice to the copper embossing, with the reflection coming off the foil. I used the Stamparatus and the 'hinge stamping' technique to stamp the grasses in Versamark across the bottom of the Copper Foil and then heat embossed with the lush copper embossing powder.  I was really happy with how it turned out and you need to see it in real life to appreciate the lovely texture that it adds to the foil. You do need to be careful with the Stamparatus magnets on the foil, as it marks very easily. Next time, I would place a small piece of Whisper White card stock underneath the magnet, so that it doesn't scratch the foil when you remove it. Don't forget the embossing buddy before you stamp to prevent stray particles of embossing powder.

The embossed foil was adhered to an Early Espresso card base. The Coastal Cabana and Crushed Curry design from the Tea Room Specialty Designer Paper pack reflected the colours in my rooster and I think it works well with the copper, too. These green tones were everywhere in my country childhood. I adhered the DSP to Coastal Cabana card stock to give it some body and then shaped it into the tag.  I used the long retired Slot Punch to add the opening at the top. A Very Vanilla Lace Doily was added to the right edge and then the embossed Bermuda Bay greeting banner was positioned over the top.

The majestic rooster from the Sale-a-bration Home to Roost stamp set was stamped in Early Espresso ink on Very Vanilla card stock and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I wanted to preserve the detail in the rooster image and thought that embossing would achieve that. Clear embossing over normal ink is more subtle and is great for water colouring too. Stampin' Blends Alcohol Markers were used to colour the rooster and then he was fussy cut and positioned over the banner. The ground and his legs are flat on the banner and then I've popped up the rest of him over the doily.

I've continued the country theme on the inside, using more of the Coastal Cabana DSP as a background to the Very Vanilla stitched rectangle writing panel. I added the off-cut of the doily under the writing panel to balance out the length.  The little vase from the Vibrant Vases stamp set was stamped in Coastal Cabana ink on Coastal Cabana card stock to give more depth to the shading and then cropped with the Vase Builder Punch. The little bunch of flowers was stamped, coloured and fussy cut and positioned under the popped up vase.

I finished off with a bow in the Braided Linen Trim at the top of the tag and a trio of clear epoxy droplets that I coloured with the Bronze Stampin' Blends marker.

Project Details
Stamps	Home to Roost (Sale-a-bration), Beauty Abounds, Vibrant Vases
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Copper Foil, Tea Room Specialty DSP
Ink	Versamark, Early Espresso, Coastal Cabana
Accessories	Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets, Lace Doilies (retired), Linen Braided Trim
Tools	Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Big Shot, Stamparatus, Stampin' Blends (Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay, Cajun Craze, Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Bronze), Dimensionals, Ivory EP (not SU), Heat gun, Vase Builder Punch, Slot Punch (retired)

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Lauren 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. 

I hope you've enjoyed looking at Home to Roost and 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

CASE-ing the Catty - Floral Romance

Hi there

This week the CTC Crew are taking inspiration from the Floral Romance section of the new Occasions Catalogue. There are lots of lovely samples in this section to get you inspired! 

If you've come from looking at the lovely project on Sandra's blog, 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. 

Don't forget that you can earn FREE product when you make a purchase of $90 or more between now and 31 March 2019. If you don't have your own copy of the Occasions Catalogue and Sale-a-bration brochure yet, then leave your details on the Free Catalogues page on my blog and I'll pop one in the post for you.

This week I've taken my inspiration from the card above, although you will see that my finished product does not really resemble it at all. I saw the lovely Lace Dynamic embossing folder and started with that, although I went with a white card base and a white embossed panel in a landscape orientation.

I have used Petal Pink as an accent colour in the flowers, the die cut oval and the variegated ribbon. I have to say when Petal Pink was released in the colour refresh, it honestly did not float my boat! However, the Floral Romance Suite of products has changed all that with the beautiful vellum in the coordinating Floral Romance Speciality Designer Paper that I have used for the background in my photo. 

I've stamped the main floral image from the Wonderful Romance stamp set in Mememto Tuxedo Black ink and used Stampin' Blends Alcohol markers to colour. The large leaves are in Mossy Meadow and for the smaller spray of leaves with the flowers, I used Granny Apple Green to provide some contrast. The flowers are coloured with Petal Pink and a touch of Light Calypso Coral. The flowers were stamped, coloured and then fussy cut and popped up for extra dimension and a little pearl added to the centres. 

For the inside, I have embossed the scallops from the Lace Dynamic TIEF on each side of the writing panel. I was going to leave it at that, but thought it looked a little insipid, as one of my crafty friends would say! I added the die cut spray from the Well Written Framelits Dies and used Grapefruit Grove to add a better of extra colour for the flowers. I'm not sure that I really like it though.

Project Details
Stamps	Wonderful Romance
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Granny Apple Green, Grapefruit Grove
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black, Early Espresso
Accessories	Basic Jewels Pearls, Petal Pink/Whisper White 5/8" Variegated Ribbon
Tools	Wonderful Floral Framelits, Lace Dynamic TIEF, Butterfly Beauty Thinlits Dies, Well Written Framelits Dies, Big Shot, Stamparatus, Dimensionals, Glue Dots,  Stampin' Blends markers

 

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. 

I hope you've enjoyed my project with the Floral Romance Suite and thanks for visiting me today!

CASE-ing the Catty - All My Love

Hi there

This week the CTC Crew are taking inspiration from the All My Love section of the new Occasions Catalogue. There are lots of lovely samples in this section to get you inspired! 

If you've come from looking at the lovely project on Julia's blog, 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. 

Don't forget that you can earn FREE product when you make a purchase of $90 or more between now and 31 March 2019. If you don't have your own copy of the Occasions Catalogue and Sale-a-bration brochure yet, then leave your details on the Free Catalogues page on my blog and I'll pop one in the post for you.

This week I've taken my inspiration from the pretty, narrow note card above that features the beautiful climbing roses image from the Climbing Roses stamp set. It is a set of 9 cling stamps with 5 lovely greetings and 4 images. It coordinates with the Rose Trellis Thinlits dies, which cut that lovely big rose image on the card, plus it has a number of extra pieces including a lovely lattice frame and label that will work with many projects.

When I saw the sample above, I thought the 'V' shape of the roses would make a lovely flap for a special card. I went ahead and made a prototype in copy paper first to make sure it was feasible and came up with my combined card and gift card holder. 

It looks pretty much like a regular card from above, with the roses overlapping a panel of the lovely Highland Heather Gingham paper that has been topped with the Lemon Lime Twist Ombre ribbon. I added the greeting from the Cake Soiree stamp set,  cropped with the 1" Circle punch and sitting on a narrow banner and popped up on an Old Olive mat. I added a tiny sparkly heart that I covered with glue (using a glue pen) and then sprinkled on Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

The roses were stamped in Mememto Tuxedo Black ink and then partially die cut. I cut away the excess card stock and created the curve on each side up to the score line. The roses were coloured with the Highland Heather Stampin' Blends alcohol marker and I added the highlights with the Gorgeous Grape watercolour pencil for a soft effect. The leaves were coloured with the Granny Apple Green watercolour pencil for the same reason. These colouring media work well together, so experiment for different effects.

When you lift up the rose flap, which is held in place with tiny magnets, the bottom flap folds down to reveal the writing panel. I have added a mat of Highland Heather for the writing panel and another strip of Lemon Lime Twist Ombre ribbon at the bottom. The greeting from the Varied Vases stamp seemed appropriate and it was stamped in Gorgeous Grape ink. I have coloured the small rose image that is also included in the Climbing Roses stamp set and popped some dainty greenery from the Wonderful Floral Framelits underneath.  

The middle panel provides a pocket for a gift card. I added a layer of Highland Heather and the white pocket that was edged with the cute stitching and scallop finish using a die from the Be Mine Stitched Framelits. More of the Highland Heather gingham paper was added under the stitching and I finished it with 2 more of the little coloured roses.

You can see the flap created by the roses more clearly in this photo and I also used the Subtle embossing folder on the 2 panels of the card before adding the extra layers.

Thank you to my lovely mother-in-law Betty, who gave me this fabulous bundle of products for Christmas. Well actually, she gave me the money and this is what I purchased with it! I know I'm going to get a lot use from it. I see the opportunity for a wedding version of this card and I'm looking forward to trying that idea too.

Project Details
Stamps	Climbing Roses, Cake Soiree
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Highland Heather, Old Olive, Gorgeous Grape, Gingham Gala DSP Stack
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black, Gorgeous Grape
Accessories	Lemon Lime Twist Ombre ribbon, 2mm Rhinestones (not SU), Heart Epoxy Droplets, Dazzling Diamonds
Tools	Rose Trellis Thinlits Dies, Wonderful Floral Framelits, Be Mine Stitched Framelits, Big Shot, Stamparatus, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, 1" Circle punch, 1 1/8" Circle punch (not SU), Stampin' Blends markers, Watercolour pencils, Glue pen, 1mm Neodynmium Magnets

 

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Sandra 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. 

I hope you've enjoyed my project with the Climbing Roses Bundle and thanks for visiting me today!

CASE-ing the Catty - Festive Farmhouse

Hi there

Welcome to another week of CASE-ing the Holiday Catalogue! This week the Crew are taking inspiration from the Festive Farmhouse section on pages 12-17. Don't forget, if you are in Australia and don't yet have your own copy of the Holiday Catalogue, then please get in touch as I'd love to pop a complimentary copy in the post for you.

If you've come from Angela's blog, 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, I'm taking my inspiration from the card above, on page 17 of the Holiday Catalogue. I've cropped the image, so you can see it more clearly. I'm taking a break from Christmas cards this week, so I've used one of the lovely all-purpose stamp sets that are in the Holiday Catalogue. By that I mean, it is one that is not holiday specific, called Country Home. 

 

I've incorporated a number of other new products as well, to create a country feel to my card. The card base is Gray Granite and the next layer is also Gray Granite and embossed with the lovely Tin Tile Dynamic embossing folder. I'm old enough to remember pressed tin (as we called them) ceilings, which were much more interesting to look at than our modern white plaster (IMHO!). The banner  has been stamped in Pool Party ink with the Buffalo Check background stamp. With this stamp you can create your gingham in any colour you want. Unfortunately, I wasn't brave enough to get the sewing machine out and go around the embossed panel, but I think it would have made it pop, as it did in the sample.

The focus image is the lovely jug of flowers from the Country Home stamp set. The stamp set also includes a milk churn, another floral image to mix and match with the jug and a variety of large and small greetings. I have stamped the jug first and then the flowers on top, using Early Espresso ink which is perfectly fine to use with your Stampin' Blends if you want an alternative to black. The stamps are photopolymer, making it very easy to line them up. I've fussy cut the image and then popped it up on foam pads on the largest stitched oval which has a mat of Calypso Coral. The greeting is from the Darling Label stamp set and has been cropped with the stitched label from the Stitched Labels Framelits.

For the inside, I have stamped part of the floral image in the bottom corner of the writing panel and coloured with Stampin' Blends.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Country Home, Darling Label, Buffalo Check
Card stock & Papers	Gray Granite, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Pool Party
Ink	Early Espresso, Pool Party
Accessories	Pearls Basic Jewels, White Baker's Twine
Tools	Stitched Labels Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Layering Ovals Framelits, Tin Tile Dynamic TIEF, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Stampin' Blends (Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Granny Apple Green, Highland Heather, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody)

 

I'm at the end of the line this week, so click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Liz 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 - Graceful Glass

Hi there

This is our last week (for now) in the Annual Catalogue, as we will be starting to look at the fabulous new Holiday Catalogue from next week. This week however, we are taking inspiration from the Graceful Glass section of the Annual Catalogue on pages 164-179.

If you've come from Sandra's blog, 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. 

I have been busy for the last few days prepping and running a class, so I left it to today to make my card. I had selected the card above for my inspiration, but it led me on a merry dance. I do not have the Bouquet Blooms Bundle used in this sample, but had in mind exactly what I would replace it with. Well, I got there eventually and I'm reasonably happy with the final product. Unfortunately I ran out of natural light as the afternoon became very gloomy in Melbourne.  We've had our allocation of sunshine for now, it seems. So here it is:

The base card is my favourite Balmy Blue and I've stamped the leaf from the 'Share What You Love' stamp set on 2 sides in Balmy Blue ink. For the art panel I have used thick Whisper White and embossed it with the 'Subtle' embossing folder to add interest and texture.  I added the cute scallop trim from the Bouncing Baby Framelits to the edge.  Next came the die cut wreath in Crumb Cake, using the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits.

I've used the 'Beautiful Bouquet' stamp set and coordinating Bouquet Bunch Framelits to stamp and die cut my cluster of flowers and leaves and arranged them on the right side of the wreath, popping them up at different heights.  I cut a few strips of whisper white and using the Stamparatus, stamped a set of flowers in each colour, so I could play around with the placement. The greeting from 'Varied Vases' stamp set was popped under the flowers. I added some tiny rhinestones to the little blue flowers and popped the silver and white twine bow underneath one. 

For the inside I have a double mat, with a strip of Crumb Cake striped designer paper at the bottom. I've added a little cluster of flowers in the corner, from the leftover bits and pieces.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Beautiful Bouquet, Varied Vases, Share What You Love
Card stock & Papers	Balmy Blue, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green
Ink	Balmy Blue, Pineapple Punch, Highland Heather, Melon Mambo, Early Espresso
Accessories	Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Silver & White Baker's Twine
Tools	Swirly Scribbles Thinlits, Bouquet Bunch Framelits, Bouncing Baby Framelits, Big Shot, Dimensionals

 

I hope you found some inspiration in my card and now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Angela 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 - Tranquil Textures

Hi there

We are still in the Artistic Expressions section of the Annual Catalogue and this week the CTC crew are taking inspiration from Tranquil Textures on pages 154-163.

If you've come from Mel's blog, 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. 

I'm channelling spring today, with my inspiration coming from the card above, on page 161 of the Annual Catalogue with the pretty blossom flowers. It has been a very cold winter in Melbourne this year and blossom trees herald the arrive of spring. It can't come soon enough for me! I get to enjoy this gorgeous blossom tree that is in the neighbour's front yard to give me hope that the warmer weather will arrive soon. I even managed to get some blue sky in the photo during the sunny break today.

 

I started with a piece of Shimmery White paper and used my aqua painter and Balmy Blue ink pad to create a soft wash of blue for the background. I then stamped the branches from the 'Colorful Seasons' stamp set and mounted it onto the Blushing Bride mat. The blossoms were stamped in Blushing Bride ink with Soft Suede for the centres and then cropped with the coordinating dies from the Seasonal Layers Thinlits.

I chose to use a different sentiment from the same stamp set which I think works well with spring being a time of renewal. I embossed it in Early Espresso on vellum card stock. You can do this with any colour by inking your stamp in Versamark first and then in the ink colour of your choice and stamp onto the card stock. Sprinkle with clear embossing powder and heat. I attached it with narrow double sided tape on the left because it was going to be under the linen thread and the blossom flower on the right.

I used my bone folder to slightly curve the petals upward for some extra dimension and popped them up on the branches. I finished with the double row of linen thread down the side and a scattering of pretty pearls. A strip of wood grain designer paper was added to the left edge of the Crumb Cake card base and the finished art panel was popped on foam pads

For the inside I have a mat of Blushing Bride for the writing panel and at the bottom is the die cut branch from the Seasonal Layers Thinlits in Soft Suede card stock and I've added a few more blossoms and pearls to finish.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Colorful Seasons
Card stock & Papers	Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Shimmery White, Vellum, Wood Textures DSP
Ink	Balmy Blue, Soft Suede, Blushing Bride, Versamark
Accessories	Linen Thread, Share What You Love Artisan Pearls
Tools	Seasonal Layers Thinlits, Big Shot, Clear EP, Heat gun, Dimensionals, Aqua painter

 

I hope you found some inspiration in my card and now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Megan 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 - Nature's Poem

Hi there

This week the CTC crew are taking inspiration from Nature's Poem on pages 142-153 of the Annual Catalogue. All of the projects in this section are about nature and the outdoors. I got a bit ahead of myself with last week's project, but never mind, there are lots of lovely projects left to choose from.

If you've come from Simone's blog, 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, I've taken my inspiration from this card (above) on Page 144 of the Annual Catalogue. I was really taken with the Blackberry Bliss designer paper in this sample. I think I'm a bit obsessed with the purple tones at the moment, but I'm sure I'll move on soon, lol. This card provided me with the opportunity to ink up the 'Rooted in Nature' stamp set for the first time. The skeleton leaves are one of my favourite images from this set and are perfect for making your own beautiful designer backgrounds as well.

When I opened the pack and saw the Blackberry Bliss paper, it was actually much darker than shown in the sample, so I wanted to lighten it up a bit. I heat embossed the sentiment from 'Ribbon of Courage' directly onto the designer paper and then adhered it to the Copper Foil mat and onto my thick Very Vanilla card base, leave some vanilla showing on each side. I did consider using copper embossing powder, but I don't think it would have shown up as well. Instead I've used an ivory embossing powder (not Stampin' Up!) and it looks lovely in real life. 

I decided to go for a 'less is more' approach to the embellishment by adding a shorter strip of Burlap Ribbon on the right hand side and then adding my stamped skeleton leaves in a random arrangement using glue dots. I added the bow in Fresh Fig 1/8" Sheer Ribbon, which works well with Blackberry Bliss and finished with a copper leaf from the Leaves Trinkets as an alternative to the tag in the sample. You can see the details in the leaves and the lovely copper trinket in this closeup.

For the inside, I have a double mat of Copper Foil and Blackberry Bliss card stock and then I've added some more of the smaller stamped and fussy cut skeleton leaves at the bottom of the writing panel to finish. There is a coordinating die for the skeleton leaves, but I wanted a closer cut and they are very quick to fussy cut.

I found this card very hard to photograph and I'm not sure I've done it justice. However, the colour is much closer to real life than the sample!

Project Details
Stamps	Rooted in Nature, Ribbon of Courage
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Blackberry Bliss, Copper Foil, Nature's Poem Designer Paper
Ink	Versamark, Blackberry Bliss, Cajun Craze, Grapefruit Grove, Mint Macaron
Accessories	Burlap Ribbon, Fresh Fig 1/8" Sheer Ribbon, Leaves Trinkets
Tools	Ivory EP (not SU), Heat gun, Glue Dots

 

I hope you found some inspiration in my card and now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Liz 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!