A Festive Poinsettia Card Inspired by Crafting with Donna

I recently discovered the lovely Craft with Donna channel on YouTube, and one of Donna’s beautiful cards immediately caught my eye. Inspired by her design, I decided to create my own version—and I’m delighted with how it came together.

 

I started with a lovely poinsettia die set that includes extra branches and berries. To give the flower a fuller look, I die-cut the poinsettia several times from white card, layered the pieces, and added a gold glitter centre. I cut the branches and berries from green and gold card, then cut additional berries from red card. After a little fussy cutting, I layered the red berries over the green ones for a festive pop of colour.

I loved the square format Donna used, so I made a 5¼-inch card base—slightly smaller than hers—with a 5-inch panel. I stamped a fine-line sentiment from the Rosie’s Studio Hearth + Home stamp set, then arranged the poinsettia, branches, and berries around it. A scattering of gold glitter dots added the perfect finishing touch.

I love how this card turned out, and I’m already planning to make a few more using poinsettias in different colours. It’s a simple way to give the same design a fresh new look each time.

Pastel colours - Two cards

Today I’m sharing two cards I’ve made over the past few days, both featuring a soft pastel colour palette.

First up is a card inspired by the Faux Batik tutorial from Splitcoaststampers.

This is such a fun and easy technique. All you need is a stencil and a white wax crayon. Place a sheet of thin paper or card over the stencil, then rub across it with the crayon to reveal the pattern. Add a little ink blending, and the background is done! I die-cut the finished panel and layered it onto green card. I used printer paper, which was slightly too thin and warped a little, but I think that only adds to the batik effect.

To finish the card, I added black die-cut leaves using the Pinkfresh Studio Curvy Leaves die, along with a black Couture Creations sentiment layered over a vellum circle.

 My second card was inspired by a YouTube video from Jo Simons.Jo is the queen of embossing, with so many fabulous techniques to share, and this one is especially pretty.

 

The technique involves applying watercolour pens to the inside of an embossing folder before running it through the machine. I used Altenew’s Whimsy Motif 3D embossing folder with Fabriano Mixed Media card, which can handle the amount of water needed to create that lovely soft effect. Once dry, I cut the panel with a stitched rectangle die.

I scribbled Zig watercolour markers across the inside of the folder, spritzed it with water, and then ran it through my Platinum 6. When the panel came out, I gave it one more quick spritz before setting it aside to dry. A Spellbinders Must Have Sentiments sentiment was the perfect finishing touch. I loved the beautiful softness of the result, so I decided it didn’t need any further embellishment.

 I also had a lovely Saturday afternoon when my granddaughters came to visit. Grace and I spent a couple of hours together in the craft room, where she looked through some of my cards and decided to CASE three of them. She used the same products but changed up the colours to make each design her own. She did a wonderful job—with a little help from Nanny on some of the fussier bits and pieces! The weather was cool and wet, so it was the perfect way to spend time together.

Sweet Stampin’ Challenge: Inspired by Autumn Colours

It’s time for the latest challenge at Sweet Stampin’Challenge, and this time our theme is Autumn.

Here in New Zealand, autumn arrives earlier in the year and we’re now heading into spring, but I still love that rich autumn/fall colours: reds, oranges, browns and golds. Those warm tones became the inspiration for my card.

On Friday, I was browsing my local stationery store when I spotted an older paper pack from a magazine on sale for around $9. It included 21 sheets of 8” x 8” paper, along with lots of pre-printed elements, sentiments and banners. One of the beautiful autumnal papers immediately caught my eye, so I chose it as the main feature for this project.

The paper really is stunning, so I wanted to let it be the star of the show. I cut it with a Gina K Master Layout 2 stitched die, then matted it onto another patterned paper from the same pack. To add a little touch of glamour, I ran a gold pen around the edge of the panel.

For the sentiment, I used the Altenew Classic Sentiment stamp and die set. I embossed the sentiment in gold onto white card, then lightly ink blended over it with my orange brush to tie it back to the autumn colour palette. A few sparkle gems finished everything off with just the right amount of shimmer.

I hope you’ll come and join us at Sweet Stampin’ Challenge with your own autumn-inspired projects. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Recycle, Re-use, Re-purpose at Die Cut Divas

Today I’m sharing a fun card I made for this month’s challenge at Die Cut Divas. Our sponsor is Art Impressions, and the theme is a fantastic one: Recycle, Re-use, Re-purpose.

For my recycled element, I used part of a tissue box for the background. The design was too pretty to throw away, so I die cut it with a Pinkfresh Studio Essential Mini Slimline die to make the most of the pattern. For the focal point, I used the Laughing Girlfriends stamp set from Art Impressions. I stamped the image, coloured it with alcohol markers, and fussy cut it before adding it to the card.

The sentiment is from another Art Impressions set, Loungers, and it paired perfectly with the image. I did a little die surgery so the die cut would fit neatly around the sentiment, and I’m so pleased with how it all came together. It turned out just as I had imagined!

 

The sentiment is from another Art Impressions set, Loungers, and it paired perfectly with the image. I did a little die surgery so the die cut would fit neatly around the sentiment, and I’m so pleased with how it all came together. It turned out just as I had imagined!

 

Craft Roulette #337 - Penguin inspired card,

This week’s card was inspired by my friend Linda W, whose adorable penguin card for Craft Roulette #337 immediately sparked an idea. She used penguins with a blue gingham-style background, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had the perfect die set waiting in my stash.

Even better, the die set was getting its very first outing, which made this project feel extra fun. I love when a challenge gives me the perfect excuse to use something new.

I started by searching through my paper stash for the right blue check pattern, but nothing quite matched what I had in mind. After a quick search on PNGWING, I found a lovely blue tartan checked image, resized it, and printed it as an A2 panel. I then die cut the panel with Gina K Designs Master Layouts #2.

The print was a little brighter and whiter than I wanted, so I softened it with a quick blend of Altenew Eastern Skies ink. Once the colour felt right, I matted the panel with some paler blue patterned paper to tie everything together.

For the die-cut sentiment, I used soft blue glitter cardstock from Crafters Choice for the top layer, then added a slightly offset black layer behind it for extra definition and dimension. The penguins came together from scraps of coloured paper and black cardstock, which made them a great way to use up little leftovers from my stash.

To finish them off, I added Clear Glossy ink to the white parts of the hats for a little shine.

Since the die set was making its debut, I’m also entering this card in Darnell’s NBUS challenge.   It always feels good to give something new a proper first outing!

 

I'm also entering the Merry Little Christmas Challenge - #70

A little life update and two Reindeer cards

Life has been full over the last little while. Between a weekend away, coming down with a horrible head cold, and then flying down to Wellington to spend a few days with my dad, crafting has had to take a bit of a back seat. I came home still coughing, spent a couple of days tucked up in bed, and then eased back into work.

By Tuesday afternoon I was finally feeling a little more human, so I spent a couple of happy hours in the craft room. I had reindeer on my mind after seeing this month’s challenge at Christmas Kickstart, and that was all the inspiration I needed.

For the first card, I started with a digital image from my files: a Bugaboo image called Reindeer Trio. I printed it out, pulled out my alcohol markers, and enjoyed colouring this adorable little trio.

Once the colouring was finished, I die cut the image with a Gina K Master Layout die, using a little partial die cutting to get the panel to the right size. I found a Craft Concepts sentiment stamp in my stash that fitted perfectly in the open space and stamped it to complete the focal panel.

For the background, I used some lovely red music paper and added the coloured panel on an angle for a playful look. I really do think these three reindeer are just adorable.

My second card took a very different direction. I found a sweet reindeer stamp in a Rosie’s Studio set called Hearth + Home and stamped it onto a white panel with Memento Toffee Crunch ink. I added the bow in Catherine Pooler Peppermint Scrub ink for a cheerful touch of colour.

To build the frame around the image, I used an older Hero Arts woodblock stamp, Pine Bough, stamping around the edges with Distress Oxide Evergreen Bough ink. I then blended a little of the same ink around the edges to soften everything and bring the panel together.

The sentiment, from the same Rosie’s Studio stamp set, was stamped in VersaClaire Nocturne ink. I masked the words and deer before splattering white acrylic paint over the panel, then finished the card with a dark green mat on a white card base.

I'm adding this one to the CAS Christmas Challenge -  Woodland Critters 

It felt so good to be back in the craft room, even just for a short time. Sometimes a couple of hours, a few favourite supplies, and a pair of reindeer cards are exactly what is needed.

Christmas Cardmaking with Poinsettia Sticker Tape

 A quick creative update from me today: over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working on a festive set of Christmas cards using some Poinsettia Sticker Tape I recently purchased.

I made four cards in this set, combining the poinsettia tape with die cuts and a little stamping to add extra detail and dimension. The tape gave each card an easy festive starting point, while the die-cut pieces helped to create a more finished handmade look.

It was a lovely way to play with a new product and put together a coordinated mini collection of Christmas cards. I always enjoy projects where a few simple supplies can be mixed and matched to create variations that still feel like they belong together.

I’ll share the finished cards here, along with a few notes on how I used the tape, die cuts, and stamping. 

First up - Peace

Using Hero Arts Peace die and stamp set.  

Next-

This one used a large Joy die - the "O" made with the sticker tape.   Added a little stamped sentiment die cut and ink blended. 

Next -

Used an oval die from Gina K Master Layout with the scalloped backing layer in dark green and a gold die cut sentiment and finished with three little gold dots. 

And finally -

For this one I used a large die cut sentiment and some stitched rectangles from a Gina K Master Layout die. 

Have you started your Christmas cardmaking yet?

 

White on White with One Colour: Heartfelt Wishes.

It’s the last day of August, which means it’s time to share my card for the Die Cut Divas August Challenge. This month’s theme is White on White with One Colour, and our wonderful sponsor is Birch Press Design. If you enjoy intricate and elegant die cuts, their website is full of beautiful inspiration.

For my card, I reached for a lovely Birch Press flower set called Star Flowers Contour Layering Die.

It was the perfect starting point for this challenge, giving me a delicate focal image while still leaving plenty of room for that soft white-on-white background.

I began by die cutting the flower die twice from white card. Using a selection of pinky-red Altenew inks, I blended colour onto the flower pieces and layered them together to create two large flowers and two small flowers. For the white-on-white background, I embossed a panel of white card with the Craft Concept Leavy Flourish embossing folder, which added just the right amount of texture and interest. I then created a die-cut frame using two dies from the Hero Arts Infinity Arches set and adhered it to the embossed panel. The flowers were arranged with three in the bottom left-hand corner and one in the top right-hand corner, giving the card a balanced yet graceful look. To finish, I stamped the sentiment in the same pinky-red colour using a Hero Arts stamp from the  All Occasions (retired) set, then die cut it and added a few white pearls for an elegant final touch. All in all, I’m really pleased with how this card came together—it feels soft, pretty, and fitted the challenge theme perfectly.

I hope you’ll join us at Die Cut Divas this month and share your own White on White with One Colour creation. We can’t wait to see how everyone interprets this elegant theme!  Just remember to use your die cut machine to cut or emboss.