Welcome to my crafty blog... a "garden" of colourful cards, quilting, sewing projects, knitting...and what ever else happens along the way!!


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Papertrey Ink November 2015 Blog Hop

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I'm finally getting organized enough that I can participate in 
this month's  Blog Hop at Papertrey Ink.  
After we returned from my son's wedding in October, 
I spent time working on lots of projects around the house 
and let my crafting and blogging slide! 
This month's photo inspiration gave me the incentive 
to try a few ideas for Christmas cards and tags.

Blog Hop Inspiration


I tried a variety of techniques, stamps and dies to create 3 projects:

Shaker Tree Ornament: 
I liked all of the baubles in the inspiration photo, so I thought 
I would create a decoration using the Shaker Ornament Set of dies. 
I didn't have any "Simply Chartreuse" sequins in my stash, so I 
used a different green along with teal and silver star and circle sequins.
I smooshed Hawaiian Shores and Tropical Teal inks onto an 
acrylic block and then added water before applying it to 
the white die cut ornament. 
I dipped the die cut into Versamark and then added 
Clear Sparkle embossing powder.
The sentiment (Rustic Wreath) the tip and upper hanger 
of the ornament were embossed with silver EP
Originally I was going to use this on a card, but decided to finish off 
the back and use it as a real Christmas Tree Ornament. I stamped the 
backing with Hawaiian Shores and Polka Dot Basics. 
The Oval Frame (Framed Out #8) was created using the same smooshing technique; stamped with a star (Framed Out #7) and Tropical Teal ink 
and then heat embossed with the same sparkle EP as I used on the front. 
The sentiment is from Rustic Wreath and the date from Tinsel and Tags.


Tag
My second project did not come together the way I wanted it to. 
The tag image (Tinsel and Tags) was embossed with silver EP 
but it wasn't as clear as I had hoped. I die cut and stamped 
the house to add to the top of the circle image.
I added a Tropical Teal Doily (Doily Details) 
and  tag (Tag Sale #4) stamped with Simply Chartreuse, 
Hawaiian Shores and Tropical Teal confetti (Birthday Style).


 This was my least favourite project, 
but I thought I would include it, 
since it gave me some ideas for my card. 
Since I had all of my supplies out from 
Tinsel and Tags Kit, I made one final project.

Card:  
This was my third project and the one that I like the best.

Ink and Paper: 
Simply Chartreuse, Tropical Teal, Hawaiian Shores
Additional Inks: 
 Soft Stone, Kraft
Stamps and Dies: 
Tinsel and Tags Kit; Square Shaker - Confetti Die;
Other Supplies: 
Stamper's Select White Card Stock; Striped Impression Plate;
 copic marker; Silver Glitter Gel pen

Thanks for staying with me until the end!! Enjoy the rest of the Blog Hop!!
Karen C.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Papertrey Ink August 2015 Blog Hop

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It's time for this month's blog hop challenge at Papertrey Ink.
The inspiration photo is all about colour and textiles:  
August Blog Hop Inspiration

I was drawn to the row of yarn and a 
rainbow of colours to create this birthday card:


I started by die cutting rows of holes with the Stitching Lines die on Stamper's Select White card stock.
The sentiment (Purls of Wisdom) was stamped with Dark Chocolate Ink.
Extra texture was added with the Canvas Impression Plate.
Seven colours of embroidery floss were stitched in rainbow order along the stitching lines.

The needle and thread from Stitched with Love was stamped with Raspberry Fizz ink. The needle was stamped with Versamark onto a separate piece of card stock, then heat embossed with Silver Embossing powder, fussy cut and glued over the original stamped image
I die cut the spool and heart (Stitched with Love) and stamped them with Kraft and Raspberry Fizz inks. Before applying the heart to the spool, I covered it with Versamark and heat embossed it with Clear Embossing powder.
The front panel was adhered to a Classic Kraft card base.

Thanks for visiting today. Enjoy the Blog Hop!
Karen C.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Another Star Birthday

If you saw this post, you will recognize one of these cards!!
I made the motorcycle card for my brother's birthday using a water coloured panel cut with the Star Cover Plate (Papertrey Ink) After making this card, I had a leftover black panel and lots of aqua water coloured stars, so I used them to make birthday card for my son.


It came together quickly since most of the pieces were already cut!! 
The sentiment panel was made with a strip of Aqua Mist card stock cut with the Double-ended Banner die. The 'birthday' Swoosh die was also cut from Aqua Mist several times and stacked to create dimension.  The sentiments (Swoosh) were stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black ink. A variety of star sequins add some extra colour and shine!

The  sentiment was stamped with 
black ink using  Stylish Sentiments: Birthdays.
Colourful star sequins accent the sentiment.
Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Motorcycle Birthday

My brother's birthday is coming up at the 
end of the month, so I pulled out Rev Up the Fun 
motorcycle stamp (Stampin'Up) to make his 
birthday card. I don't have a lot of 
"masculine" stamps, but this is often 
used for my motorcycle riding brother!! 

I started by creating a water coloured card front 
using Aqua Mist and Hawaiian Shores inks. 
I was going for a 'smooshed' look, but it really 
didn't turn out as I expected. 
I definitely need more practice!! 
I decided to cut the aqua panel using the  
Star Cover Plate and adding some black and 
red stars to make the card front.

After stamping and fussy cutting the motorcycle, 
I realized it needed a background panel before 
adding it to the (very busy) card front. 
I stamped the rectangle frame (Label Basics) 
with Aqua Mist ink, cut it out and then 
mounted the motorcycle with foam dots.
I didn't have a plan for this card when I started, 
so it took some trial and error to find a way 
to add the sentiment. Sketched Stars dies and 
Postmarks stamps came to the rescue!!
I cut one of the Sketched Stars twice  
(Smokey Shadow and Aqua Mist); then 
layered onto a piece of Linen Vellum 
card stock that I cut a little larger 
than the original star. These were added 
to the card front with two layers of fun 
foam to create dimension. 
A sentiment and star (Postmarks) were stamped 
onto white card stock; then cut with a circle punch 
and added to the center of the larger stars.

The inside sentiment (Stylish Sentiments: Birthdays) 
was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black.
A splotch of ink got onto the left side of the card, 
so I covered it up with a black die cut star and 
added the dotted image (Rev Up the Fun) with 
Aqua Mist ink. In order to make it look like I 
planned this "addition" two more stars were included!!

Supplies (PTI, unless noted)
Stamps - Postmarks, Label Basics, Stylish Sentiments: Birthdays; 
Stampin'Up: Rev Up the Fun
Inks - Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Pure Poppy; Versafine Onyx Black
Papers - watercolour paper; Stamper's Select White, Smokey Shadow, 
Pure Poppy Patterened Paper ( bitty dots), Linen Vellum card stock
Dies - Cover Plate: Stars; Sketched Stars
Other - fun foam sheets; foam dots; Sakura Gelly Roll clear glitter pen; circle punch; red marker

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Papertrey Ink July 2015 Blog Hop

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I was able to finish and photograph a card for 
this month's blog hop at Papertrey Ink. 
I love the colours and designs from the inspiration photo: 
butterflies, browns and pinks and that create a vintage look.
 http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c64e753ef01b7c7b3d24b970b-pi

I started by creating a mask so that I could stamp Text Style  
with Kraft ink onto the center of a white card base.  
In order to "frame" this circle, I cut a larger circle and 
used the negative on the outside and the circle mask 
over the text. Using Kraft ink, I sponged a 1/4"  frame.
The Canvas Impression Plate was used on the card front. 
Two corners were rounded and Vintage Tea Dye ink (Chamomile) 
was sponged around the edges. I wish I had used the Kraft ink 
along the edges instead, but I will know the next time I use this colour combo!!
The sentiment (Fillable Frames #4) was stamped in Dark Chocolate ink.

The butterfly (Butterfly Dreams) was stamped onto 
white card stock with Memento Rich Cocoa ink 
and then coloured with copics. I fussy cut the butterfly, 
covered it with Versa Mark ink and then clear embossed 
it twice to get a shiny effect. I then mounted it onto a 
Beautiful Dreams die cut from white card stock. 
Brown embroidery floss was added behind the butterfly 
to create the antennae. Three brass adhesive dots were 
added over the body of the butterfly. 
I cut the die 3 more times from Kraft card stock, 
coloured the edges with a copic marker and then 
layered them over the text circle. The coloured 
butterfly was added on top with a thin strip of 
foam tape so that the wings would curl out.

Thanks for visiting today. Enjoy the Blog Hop!
Karen C.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Rainbow Birthday

The Comic Strip Cover Plate from Papertrey Ink 
is such a fun way to use lots of different 
elements to create birthday cards. Each section 
can be used to highlight a variety of colours 
and/or designs. Here's a bright and playfulful 
design using a rainbow colour scheme!


The Cover Plate was cut from Blueberry Sky card stock to create the frame. The individual panels were cut from Rustic Cream card stock; stamped and embellished before adding them to the framed card front.
Bottom Left - Background (Cross Stitch Mini);  Sentiment (Clip Tips)
Gift Box (CTMH: Everyday Celebrations) 
Bottom Right - Candles (Polka Dot Parade #12 stamps & dies)
Colours from left to right: Holiday Red, Orange, Summer Sunrise, New Leaf, Blueberry Sky
Center -  Clothesline & Bows (Heart-2-Heart #5); Clouds (Heart-2-Heart #6);
Birthday Sentiment (Four Square); Happy (Polka Dot Parade Alphabet stamps and dies)

Top Left - Confetti (Birthday Style)

Top Right - Background (SAF 2014: 1940's); Circle (Postmarks)
Number (Polka Dot Parade Number stamp and die)
This bright and colourful card will be heading off to 
my grand nephew who will turn 5 this summer!!

Supplies PTI (unless noted)
Stamps - Polka Dot Alphabet, Heart-2-Heart #5, Heart-2-Heart #6, 
Polka Dot Parade #12, Birthday Style (confetti), Postmarks, Clip Tips, 
Four Square, Cross Stitch Mini, SAF 2014: 1940's; CTMH: Everyday Celebrations
Inks - New Leaf, Blueberry Sky, Spring Rain, Summer Sunrise;
CTMH: Orange, Holiday Red; VersaMark
Papers - Rustic Cream, Stamper's Select White
Dies - Comic Strip Cover Plate, Polka Dot Alphabet & Numbers, 
Polka Dot Parade #12 (candle)
Other - Canvas Impression Plate; Cuttlebug Swiss Dot Embossing folder;  
Clear Embossing powder; 7/8" EK Success Circle Punch; 
copic markers;  foam adhesive tape

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Floral Gift Tag

When I purchased a gift for my brother and sister-in-law's 
anniversary the store packaged it in this pretty Gift Bag: 
a Kraft background with lime green flowers and 
white accents. I love the fresh look of this colour scheme!!

It didn't come with a gift tag so I 
made one using my "collection" of craft supplies.

I started by die cutting Tag Sale #3 from Kraft card stock. 
The large flower (Rosie Posie) was stamped with Limeade Ice 
onto white card stock and then fussy cut!! 
A copic marker to was used to create shading on the petals.

The center of the flower (Simple Sunflower) was made 
using a circle of Kraft card stock, stamped with VersaMark, 
then heat embossed with white embossing powder.
The flower was attached to the tag before adding the final details.

The sentiment (Swoosh) and dots (Harvest Berries) were also 
heat embossed with white embossing powder and the 
little bow (Tinsel and Tags Kit) was stamped with Dark Chocolate ink.
   
Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Father's Day Cards

I wanted to make a few Father's Day cards earlier 
this month, but didn't have too much time, so I turned 
to a paper pad (Recollections: Bold Basics Patterned Paper) 
with a variety of 'masculine' colours and designs 
to complete 2 quick and easy designs.

Father's Day 1
Card Base: Classic Kraft
Sentiment Panel: 
Phrase Play #1 die;  
Stylish Sentiments: Birthday (stars), Wet Paint
 Rustic Cream cardstock;
Recollections: Bold Basics Patterned Paper Pad; 
Tropical Teal ink; foam adhesive panel


Father's Day 2
Card Base: 
Stampers Select White; 
Recollections: Bold Basics Patterned Paper Pad
 Sentiment Panel: 
Get Lost; Wet Paint Alphabet
Pinefeather and Orange Zest inks
Sketched Star die; Spiral Notebook die; 
Orange Zest, Pinefeather and white card stock

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Papertrey Ink June 2015 Blog Hop

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It's time for another Blog Hop Challenge at Papertrey Ink. 
The simplicity of these gray stripes paired with cream and 
orange flowers just speaks volumes in regards to card inspiration. 
Experiment with stamped flowers or die-cut florals.  Add stripes 
using delicate Sheer Basics striped vellum overlays or cover plates.
Blog hop inspiration

I used these colour and design details to create my card:
Card Base:
Stamper's Select White; Canvas Impression Plate
Stripes:  
Distressed Stripes with Soft Stone ink
Sentiment Frame Panel: 
Pretty Peonies stamp and die; 
VersaMark; Gold Embossing Powder
Sentiment: 
Spring Hills; Kraft ink

Flowers:  
from my stash; copic markers
Leaves: 
Simply Chartreuse card stock; 
MFT Leafy Flourish die

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Thank You Notecards

I've been busy with a few projects for my 
son's upcoming wedding in October. 
My future daughter-in-law asked for a set of cards 
for wedding gift thank-you notes. 
Here's the final set, packaged up and ready to use.
 

I made a total of 60 (3 1/2" x 4 7/8") 
A1 cards using a variety of stamps.

The wedding colours are blue and rust , so this was
my inspiration. A floral image from Vintage Vogue (Stampin'Up) 
 was stamped with Moonstruck Blue (Close To My Heart)
stamped again with VersaMark and 
then heat embossed with Clear Embossing powder. 
The floral center was stamped with Canyon Clay ink.

The green lines were added with Simply Chartreuse ink 
using an image from Button Boutique
The sentiment (Star Prints) was stamped with blue ink 
and VersaMark and heat embossed as well. 
It is a simple and clean look that was important 
since I was making so many cards.

A small blue box from the Dollar Store was a perfect fit for 
two stacks of cards and matching envelopes. 
I'm going to add a pen and some stamps, so the busy couple 
will have everything they need to write their Thank you notes.

I added a tag using Tag Sale #11, cut from 
Canyon Clay and white card stock. The floral image 
and sentiment was added to the white panel. 
The small circle was created by stamping '60'  
(Mini Scrapbooking:Tabs) and 'cards' 
(Moments Inked: Planner Banners)
I punched this out using a circle punch, 
then inked the edge before adhering it to the tag.

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Comic Strip Classic



The Comic Strip Cover Plate from Papertrey Ink 
has become a favourite for birthday cards. 
Each little compartment allows for different colours, 
patterns and design. This is one I made using a 
classic colour scheme of red, yellow and blue!
Stamps and Dies: 
Zappy Birthday, Comic Strip Cover Plate
Inks: 
 Pure Poppy, Blueberry Sky, Harvest Gold
 Papers:  
Pure Poppy &  Lemon Tart Patterned Papers,
Comic Strip Pattern Paper Collection, 
Blueberry Sky, Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold,  
Enchanted Evening, True Black, 
Stamper's Select White
Other: 
copic markers; foam adhesive tape; 
Cuttlebug Swiss Dot Embossing folder
Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Anniversary Hearts

I recently ordered Hearts Cover Plate from 
Papertrey Ink and decided to make an 
anniversary card for my brother and sister-in-law.

The cover plate was cut from Stamper's Select 
White and then mounted onto a white card base.
Before inserting the hearts into the cover plate, 
they were stamped with Hibiscus Burst, 
Lemon Tart and Crystal Blue (Close To My Heart) 
using Background Bitty Blocks and Just for You.



Framed Out #11 was cut several times from 
Stamper's Select White, Hibiscus Burst and Vellum.
One white inner heart was stamped in Lemon Tart 
with gingham Bitty Background Block; 
then a vellum heart was layered over this.
 Three adhesive pearls accent the inner heart.
The larger heart frame was made with several layers: 
Top layer - stamped with Framed Out #11 and Hibiscus Burst. 
Bottom Layers - Hibiscus Burst card stock

ANNIVERSARY: Wet Paint & Grey Wool ink (CTMH)
happy: Wet Paint Word die cut several times with 
Smokey Shadow and Stamper's Select White. 
The top layer was coloured with copic markers 
to match Grey Wool; then positioned over the 
darker die cuts onto the card front.


Card Interior
Wishing you: Grey Wool ink and Sans Alphabet (CTMH)
love + joy: Hibiscus Burst; Grey Wool & Crystal Blue inks,
               Wet Paint and Wet Paint Alphabet.


Supplies (PTI unless noted)
Stamps - Background Bitty Blocks, Just for You, Framed Out #11, 
Wet Paint, Wet Paint Alphabet, Sans Alphabet (CTMH)
Inks - Hibiscus Burst, Lemon Tart and Crystal Blue (CTMH)
Paper - Stamper's Select White, Hibiscus Burst, Smokey Shadow, Vellum
Dies - Hearts Cover Plate, Framed Out #11, Wet Paint Word die
Other - copic markers; adhesive pearls;

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Thank-you Bitty Bouquets

Bitty Bouquets is such a sweet set. 
I used the stamps to create a simple 
(almost one layer) card. I stamped one of the 
bouquets onto Confetti White card stock (SU), 
using Berry Sorbet, Lemon Tart and Spring Moss inks.
In order to highlight the floral image, I stamped 
a frame (Label Basics) with Kraft ink. 
The sentiment (Swoosh) was stamped with 
Dark Chocolate and Kraft inks. 
In order to create the swoosh across the card, 
I masked the frame, stamped the sentiment, 
then added the swoosh on the left side. 

Before attaching the card front to the Kraft card base, 
texture was added with the Canvas Impression Plate.

Supplies (PTI unless noted)
Stamps - Bitty Bouquets, Label Basics, Swoosh
Inks - Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Berry Sorbet, Lemon Tart, Spring Moss
Paper - Kraft; SU: Confetti White
Dies - Quilted: Spring, Canvas Impression Plate
Other - Canvas Impression Plate
Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.