A Crafty Weekend of Watercolour, Florals and Sweet Little Wings

It’s been a wonderfully crafty weekend here. On Saturday afternoon, Grace, Florence and Kieran came round, and naturally Grace wanted to head straight to the craft room. We played with watercolour powders and each made a background before Grace spotted a panel I’d created with Altenew’s Dreamy Daylilies.

I embossed a panel for her with the folder, then she set off with the stencilling. She did such a beautiful job of ink blending, using pinks with three colours on each petal. And lovely soft greens for the leaves. I only wish I had taken a photo of her finished project! I did find a frame for her panel, which made it feel extra special. After she left, I managed to make one Christmas card too, but I’ll share that another day.

Today I headed back into the craft room and decided to join a few challenges. My first card was intended for Time Out Challenge #391, which asked us to use two ideas from a list. Somehow, I misread the theme and only used one, so that card will have to wait for another post!

Once I realised my mistake, I changed track and chose three ideas from the list instead: monochromatic, stitching — faux stitching in my case — and floral.

The pink background is part of the watercolour panel I made yesterday. I die cut it with Gina K Master Layouts 2 to create the stitched panel, then die cut Simon Says Stamp Iceland Poppies from white card.

For the colouring, I used the leftover ink on my blender brushes in shades of pink, with just the tiniest touch of green — hopefully that still counts! I arranged the flowers on the panel and finished the card with pre-printed sentiment strips.

This second card is for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge for August: “Anything Goes” with the optional theme of "Things with Wings" 

I have a few older Penny Black stamps from when I first started card making, so I pulled out Hedgie Friends, a stamp set from 2012.

I stamped one of the images — Hedgie with a butterfly — along with two of the sweet little dragonflies, then used my Scan’N’Cut to cut them out. The colouring was done with Altenew Woodless Watercolour Pencils. For the background, I chose a pretty teal patterned paper, then added a white strip across the card with the sentiment from the stamp set.

To finish, I layered the circle panel over the strip, added the little dragonflies, and included a few white dot embellishments. It was such a lovely weekend of simply playing, experimenting and enjoying time in the craft room.

A Festive Tattered Poinsettia Christmas Card

I can’t believe it has been 11 days since I last posted! I have still been crafting away behind the scenes, getting cards finished for upcoming design team work, but today gave me the perfect chance to sit down and make something festive just for the joy of it.

This afternoon I came home early from work because some rough weather was on the way, and I managed to beat the heavy rain home. With a little unexpected time on my hands, I decided to make another Christmas card using poinsettia dies. Last week I used my Spellbinders poinsettia die set, but do you think I can find where I put it? Of course not!

While hunting through the craft room, I came across a very old Sizzix/Tim Holtz Alterations BIGZ die called Tattered Poinsettia. I haven’t used it for a long time, so it felt like the perfect opportunity to bring it back out.

I started by die cutting the BIGZ die from kraft paper, and it cut beautifully in my Spellbinders Platinum 6. To add colour to the three layers, I used Distress Inks in Mowed Lawn, Rusty Hinge, and Gathered Twigs. The combination gave the poinsettia a warm, rustic look that worked perfectly with the kraft base.

For extra texture, I ran the die-cut pieces through the Gina K Tapestry embossing folder, and the result looked incredible. I then used a ball stylus to shape the leaves before layering everything together. A few pearls in the centre finished off the poinsettia beautifully.

For the background, I chose a digital Christmas music sheet image and printed it onto more kraft paper. I trimmed it to a 4 ¾-inch square, matted it with brushed gold card, and added it to the card base.

To finish the card, I added a hot-foiled sentiment from Spellbinders Yana’s Christmas Sentiments that I already had in my stash. It had been silver foiled onto white card, so I rubbed black ink over it to create a silver-on-black effect. It was a simple change, but it tied in beautifully with the rest of the design.

I’m really pleased with how this card turned out, especially considering it started with a search for a completely different die set. Sometimes the best makes come from rediscovering something tucked away in the craft room. Sad to say, I still haven’t found the other poinsettia dies… they must be in there somewhere!

Sweet Stampin’ Challenge: Stripes or Chevrons

Hi there! Can you believe it’s already the 1st of August? This year is absolutely flying by. Today I’m sharing my latest card for the Sweet Stampin’ Challenge, where this month’s theme is “Stripes or Chevrons.”

I started by looking through my patterned paper stash for something that would suit the theme, and I found a chevron paper that immediately sparked the idea for this card.

To build the design, I trimmed a panel of the chevron paper and placed it across the centre of the card front. From there, I chose the focal image and sentiment. Lucy from Peanuts was the perfect fit, and the sentiment from the Peanuts stamp set finished everything off beautifully.

I stamped Lucy onto white card, die cut her with an oval shape, and coloured the image with alcohol markers. I added a black lacy mat for contrast, then white embossed the sentiment directly onto the patterned paper. I love how the bold chevrons work with the classic character image to create a fun, cheerful card.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll join us at Sweet Stampin’ and share your own striped or chevron-inspired creation!

Waffle Flower Christmas in July at Die Cut Divas

It’s the final day of the Die Cut Divas Christmas in July challenge, and I’m back with a couple of festive cards featuring our wonderful sponsor, Waffle Flower.

For my first card, I used one of my favourite Waffle Flower dies: the Postage Collage Die.

I die cut three of the top “stamp” shapes so they would all be the same size, then used the poinsettia from the Christmas stencil to add colour with Distress Inks.

To create the centre panel, I found a free Christmas sweater pattern image online, printed it out, and trimmed it to fit. Once the panel was ready, I added the three die-cut “stamps” on top. I finished the card with a Scrapbook.com die-cut sentiment, cut from red card that I had spritzed with Sparkle Spray. It came together quickly and has such a fun Christmas feel.

For the second card, I had a little “oops” moment. I originally cut the “stamps” slightly larger than the stencil, which meant they didn’t fit quite as planned — but I decided to make it work.

To give myself more room, I chose a mini slimline card base. I made the base in red, then added a dark green panel embossed with a Cuttlebug folder for texture. After arranging the three die cuts across the card, I finished everything with a Spellbinders foiled sentiment.

I love when a creative mishap turns into another finished card. It’s a good reminder that sometimes the best projects come from simply adjusting the plan and carrying on.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope these cards inspire you to join in with the Die Cut Divas Christmas in July challenge and have some festive fun with your dies, stencils, and favourite holiday supplies.

A Fun 3-2-1 Card Challenge

Over at my local swap group, Carol set us a great challenge: 3-2-1. That meant using three different patterned papers, a two-word sentiment, and one focal image. I had such fun with this one, and it was a lovely way to play with colour, pattern, and a few favourite supplies.

For the three patterned papers, I chose a selection from a Uniti paper pack and cut them into ¾-inch strips. I angled one end of each strip and laid them side by side to create the background. For the two-word sentiment, I used a new Waffle Flower sentiment die, cutting the words from black card and the shadow from vellum. The focal image is a lovely flower from the Altenew Peony Bouquet layering stamp set, inked with Altenew Dried Petals inks.  Finished with some tiny die cut gold hearts. 

Even though I’ve had the Peony Bouquet set for a long time, I still can’t seem to get the layers quite right — but I’m happy with how it turned out, and the flower still looks great. My card made its way slowly to Maxine in the end. NZ Post is very slow these days, but I’m glad it arrived safely.

I'm entering this into Darnell's NBUS challenge as my sentiment was used for the first time on this card. This month's NBUS challenge is a thank you to all the wonderful companies out there that ensure we can make great cards.  

Christmas in July with Waffle Flower Cardinals

 It’s time for Christmas in July at Die Cut Divas, and I’m excited to share a festive card project featuring our fabulous sponsor this month, Waffle Flower.

When I was down at the Tauranga Create and Craft event, I picked up the Waffle Flower Cardinal Duo Christmas die. A card I spotted on the Waffle Flower website sparked the idea for today’s project, and I decided to pair the cardinal with the Waffle Flower Poinsettia Frame die that was already in my stash.

I started with a dark green top-folding card base, then cut the Poinsettia Frame die twice from light green card. Because I only wanted to use the corner sections of the frame, I did a little die-cut surgery and trimmed each one into two parts.

For the details, I cut the separate poinsettias from white card, the berries from red card, and the flower centres from yellow card. I also created a white frame using two dies from the Simon Says Stamp A2 Nesting Stitched Rectangles set.

Before assembling everything, I stamped a sentiment from the Waffle Flower Star Snowflake Sentiment set and heat embossed it in white. Once the frame was in place, I added the poinsettia frame corners, then layered on the white flowers, berries, and centres to build up the festive arrangement.

Next, I die cut the cardinal and used the matching stencils to colour it with Altenew inks. I was just about ready to attach it when I realised I had cut the bird facing the wrong direction! So, back to the die-cutting machine I went. I cut the other cardinal, coloured it up, and this time he was facing exactly the way I wanted.

Of course, that first cardinal wasn’t going to waste, so it led me to create a bonus card.

For this one, I used the other sections of the Poinsettia Frame die that I had cut away for the first card. I die cut the flowers again and added a subtle touch of Pink Crystal ink, then cut the berries from red card and added a few extra green leaves.

I gave the pieces a generous spritz of shimmer spray for a bit of sparkle, then cut a smaller white frame and added another sentiment from the Star Snowflake Sentiment set. A few white acrylic paint splatters finished the background before I added the cardinal. This one was coloured in slightly lighter shades than the cardinal on the first card, giving the bonus card its own softer look.

I love when a little crafting mishap turns into a second project. The Waffle Flower cardinal and poinsettia dies work beautifully together, and both cards have such a cheerful Christmas-in-July feel. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope this inspires you to join in the festive fun at Die Cut Divas.

As my Cardinals had there first outing today, I'm entering into Darnell's NBUS challenge.  This month is all about appreciating the companies that help us make our cards. 

Fun Fold Christmas Card Inspired by Day 2 of the Card Makers Success Summit

Yesterday was Day 2 of the Card Makers Success Summit yesterday and I enjoyed watching a number of the presentations. One of the projects that really caught my eye was a fun fold card shared by Lisa from Queen B Creations.

For the base, I used a piece of red card measuring 10 ¾” x 5 ½”. This size works beautifully with a 6 x 6 sheet of patterned paper, which makes it a great design for using up those smaller papers in your stash.

I found a quarter sheet of 12 x 12 patterned paper that was just right for the front and inside panel. My Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities were perfect for cutting the 3” circle from the front panel, along with the white inner circle.

The focal image is an ornament stamp I rediscovered in my Christmas stamp stash — a magazine freebie from years ago. I stamped it in Catherine Pooler Eucalyptus ink, then added touches of gold with a Posca pen and a few gold dots for extra sparkle.

The sentiment comes from the same stamp set as the ornaments and is stamped onto a die-cut Simon Says Stamp banner. I love how the simple banner shape keeps the focus on the ornament while still giving the card a finished look.

This was such a fun card to make, and it was a great reminder to revisit older stamps and supplies. Sometimes a forgotten stamp, a scrap of patterned paper, and a little gold shimmer are all you need to create something festive and fresh. 

Card Makers Success Summit - Day 1 - Inspired by Erin Reed.

Friday, my time, marked the first day of the Christmas-themed Card Makers Success Summit, and what a lovely way to kick off the festive crafting season! I managed to watch a few of the presentations, but the first project I sat down to make was inspired by Erin Reed’s presentation.

Erin shared a fun fold she calls a Narrow Fun Fold, and I really enjoyed trying it out. Her class included a digital printout with patterned papers, poinsettia images, leaf clusters, and sentiments, but I decided to put my own spin on the design using supplies from my stash.

For my version, I used patterned paper from a paper pack I already had, along with some pearlescent card for a little extra festive shine. I cut one kraft and one gold leaf cluster using Pinkfresh Studio Curvy Leaves, then created the poinsettia for the front of the card with the poinsettia and leaf dies from the Waffle Flower Poinsettia Frame die set.

The sentiment is from the Altenew Holiday Flower stamp set. I white embossed it onto black card and cut it out with an Altenew Featured Sentiment die, which gave it a crisp finish and helped it stand out beautifully against the softer Christmas florals.

I’m so pleased with how this card turned out. It’s always fun to take inspiration from a class and then make the project your own, and this Narrow Fun Fold was a lovely way to start my summit crafting. I’m looking forward to seeing what else the event inspires me to create!  Day 2 wrap up email has just arrived so more inspiration to check out!