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.

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?

 

Use a Die: A Festive Christmas Card for Sweet Stampin’ Challenge

It’s my team’s turn to share some inspiration at SweetStampin’ Challenge, and this fortnight’s theme is one I always enjoy: “Use a Die.” I absolutely love dies and die cutting. I’ll admit I probably have far more dies than I need, but somehow, I still can’t resist adding more to my collection.

For today’s card, I used a die set I picked up from my local stationery store. They carry a small range of dies at very reasonable prices, and over the past few months I’ve collected a few Christmas designs. This card gave me the perfect excuse to use one of them.

I started by cutting the full die from red card. Then I cut the smaller pieces —the trees, stars, and topper — from green card and gold glitter card, before piecing everything together. To keep the die cut as the focal point, I created a simple background using white card embossed with the Altenew Dotty Circles 3D embossing folder.

The sentiment comes from an LDRS Christmas Stack and coordinating all-in-one die. I had already stamped and die cut the full stack, so I now have plenty of extra sentiments ready to use on future festive projects. To finish the design, I added a few red glitter dot embellishments for a touch of sparkle.

Once the main panel was complete, I cut it into a square, matted it with red card, and added it to a top-fold card base. The result is a bright, textured Christmas card with the die cut taking centre stage.

I hope this inspires you to get out your favourite dies and join us at Sweet Stampin’ Challenge. We’d love to see what you create!

White on White with One Colour: My Die Cut Divas Challenge Cards

It’s time to share my cards for this month’s challenge at Die Cut Divas, where our theme is “White on white with one colour.” We’re lucky to have Birch Press Designs sponsoring the challenge this month, and if you love beautiful dies, they have some wonderful designs to explore.

I don’t have a large collection of Birch Press Designs products, but I do have their String Art Hot Foil Plate. It took me a little while to work out how best to use it for a white-on-white card, but in the end, I decided to emboss a white panel with it. The subtle texture gave the background just enough interest while keeping the card elegant.

For the focal image, I used an already stamped and cut Couture Creations Ringing Bells image, which I had cut with my Scan’n’Cut. I coloured the bow and clappers with red pencils, then added Star Dust Stickles for texture and sparkle without introducing another colour. The sentiment came from the LDSR Christmas One and Go stamp and die set, which has left me with lots of extra sentiments ready for future cards.

While I had the hot foil plate out, I also cut some red foil and created another card panel.

For this card, I wanted the focal point to stay white on white, so I die cut the Spellbinders Poinsettia and built it into a layered flower. A small red glitter dot in the centre tied it back to the one-colour theme, and I stamped a Merry Christmas sentiment in red ink before clear embossing it. A few more red glitter dots finished the design beautifully.

I really enjoyed finding ways to add texture and interest while keeping the palette so limited. White on white can be such a lovely challenge, especially when that single pop of colour is used thoughtfully.

Do come and join us at Die Cut Divas this month with your white on white with one colour projects. Just remember to use your die machine to cut or emboss.  We’d love to see what you create!

Crafting with a friend- fun afternoon of creating.

One of the best things about paper crafting is sharing it with a fellow crafter, and yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with my friend Suna at her home in Orewa. It's about a 30-minute drive from my place, and it was well worth the trip.

I arrived around midday and we got straight into crafting. After about an hour of creating (and chatting!), we took a break and walked to a local café just five minutes from her apartment for lunch. After a delicious lunch, we headed back for more crafting before I left for home at 4.20 pm.

Despite spending over three and a bit hours together, I only managed to complete two cards. Then again, there may have been a little too much chatting happening!

My first project was a Christmas card featuring some recently purchased poinsettia-themed sticker tape.

I placed a strip of the tape across the centre of my card panel and then used two dies from the Spellbinders A2 Curved Borders One set to divide the panel into two sections. I chose a stitched border for the top section and a plain border for the bottom, adhering both pieces back onto the panel while leaving the decorative tape visible in the centre.

The sentiment is from Rosie’s Studio Hearth & Home and was stamped onto the lower panel using Nocturne Versafine Clair ink.

To finish the design, I created a poinsettia using a new die set. Although the set includes three layers, I felt the largest layer was too big for this card. Instead, I cut two of the smallest layers from red cardstock and layered them together, then cut the middle layer from green cardstock. For the flower centre, I used white cardstock coloured with a yellow Posca Glitter pen. The set also includes foliage dies, which I cut from green cardstock.

I'm really pleased with how this card came together.

My second card also showcases a new die set featuring an arched panel and a flowering branch.

I cut the branch twice from white cardstock. For the base layer, I coloured the branch using a grey-green Spectrum Noir marker (thanks to Suna and her pens). On the second die-cut, I coloured the flowers with pink Altenew ink and then carefully fussy-cut them out. The die design makes this process surprisingly easy, with cut lines that clearly define the flowers and buds.

Once everything was layered together, I adhered the floral branch to the white arched panel. For the background, I added a piece of blue watercolour paper from a Scrapbook.com paper pack to the card base. The die set also included a couple of extra floral elements, so I created a small cluster in the top corner. After that, I decided the card didn't need anything else. Sometimes the simplest finishing touch is no extra embellishment at all.

The cards were fun to make, but the real highlight of the day was spending time crafting with a friend. We shared stamps, dies, ideas, and plenty of conversation. There's something special about being able to bounce creative ideas off one another while working on projects side by side.

I'm entering my second into Darnell's NBUS challenge.  All the dies used from the one set are having their first outing.  

Christmas Cardmaking: Silver Sparkle and a Festive Poinsettia

Over the weekend I managed to create a couple of Christmas cards. The first one started out as an entry for a Time Out Challenge, but I soon realised I had not read the theme quite correctly. The challenge was to choose two items from a list, and I had only chosen one: monochromatic. Even though it did not quite fit the brief, I was still really pleased with how elegant the card turned out.

I was inspired by a YouTube video I watched on the Altenew channel, where Erica created cards in white and silver. I loved the elegance of that colour combination and decided to try something similar.

I had recently purchased a Christmas die from my local stationery store, which included a snowflake edge die and an ornament. Using Altenew Stirling Glitter cardstock, I die cut both pieces, then added the snowflake edge down the left side of the panel and placed the ornament on the right.

For the sentiment, I used one from Rosie’s Studio Home & Hearth set and embossed it with Altenew Antique Silver powder.  I used some holographic card to mat the panel.  To finish the card, I used some of the tiny stars left over from the snowflake edge die cut as embellishments. They were perfect little details and tied the whole design together beautifully.

My second card was a quick one I made on Saturday. I am still trying to find my missing Poinsettia die set, but while searching I came across my Hero Arts Woodblock Antique Poinsettia stamp and the matching dies, so I decided to put them to use.

I stamped the poinsettia twice on red card and once on green shimmer card. The coordinating dies include three pieces, which made it easy to cut the layers and build up the flower. Once assembled, I added a gold gem to the centre for a little festive shine.

For the background, I embossed a white panel with a Christmas folder and added a scrap of music paper that I had used on another recent project. I matted the white layer onto red card, and in the end, I decided the design did not need a sentiment.

It was lovely to get a little festive crafting done over the weekend, even if the first card did not quite work for the original challenge. I now have two more Christmas cards ready to go, and both have a very different feel: one elegant and sparkly, the other traditional and warm.

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. 

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!

Christmas in July with Sweet Stampin’ Challenge

I must confess: I completely forgot to make my card for the latest Sweet Stampin’ Challenge theme — Christmas in July!

To make things a little more interesting, I was away all weekend too, which meant I only had this afternoon to pull together something quick and easy. I had headed down to Tauranga, about a three-and-a-bit-hour drive south, for the Craft and Create event. I managed a quick half-hour visit on Friday after arriving, then went back on Sunday for another few hours.

Let’s just say I spent far too much — but came home with some amazing goodies, so I’m not complaining!

For this card, I used some gorgeous AALL & Create washi tape called Purry Christmas Surprise. I added the tape to white card -   cut it into strips and layered them together to create a panel. It is such a fun and easy product to work with, and it made the card come together really quickly.
Once the panel was finished, I trimmed it down and matted it with red card before adding it to a white panel and then onto the card base. To finish, I stamped a Rosie’s Studio sentiment from the Hearth and Home stamp set.

I hope you’ll come and join us at Sweet Stampin’ Challenge with your own Christmas projects. 

Craft Roulette #325 - Diamond Flip Fold Tartan Christmas Card

I had some time today to get creative and make a card for Craft Roulette #325. After watching the replay yesterday afternoon, I did a quick search for Flip Fold card ideas and found plenty of inspiration for different card bases.

For my project, I decided to try a Diamond Flip Fold card. This was my first time making this style of card, and I followed a helpful YouTube tutorial to guide me through the process: 

I found some free tartan patterned images on Pinterest and printed a full A4 page, then cut the paper into panels for the card. The tartan pattern worked beautifully with the flip fold design and gave the card a cosy, festive feel.

For the front diamond, I used a sentiment from Rosie’s Studio – Hearth & Home. The inner sentiment is from Catherine Pooler Designs – Wonderful Time of the Year, and the word “TIME” also fits my Element parameter. To finish the card, I added a tartan bow cut with the Poppy Stamp Grosgrain Bow die, along with some little tartan dot embellishments that I die cut.

I really enjoyed making this card. Since it was my first time trying a flip fold design, I was pleased to find it much easier than I expected. It’s a card style I’d be happy to make again!

Celebrate with Two Cards for Die Cut Divas

It’s the last day of the month, which means it’s time to share my card for the final day of our challenge at Die Cut Divas. This month’s theme is Celebrate—a wonderfully open prompt with so many creative directions to explore, from birthdays and weddings to milestones and holidays.

Our wonderful sponsor this month is Poppy Stamps.

For today’s post, I have not one but two cards to share.

First up is a Christmas celebration card.

For this card, I chose a cream card base and matching panel. I have a few small edger embossing folders, and one of them features this sweet snowflake design that decorates the top of the panel. The ornaments were created using the Poppy Stamps Clarissa Ornament Outline die, cut from shiny silver card. Because I don’t have the matching background die, I adhered the ornaments to blue cardstock and then fussy cut them. I found the perfect sentiment in a Rosie’s Studio stamp set called Hearth + Home and heat embossed it directly onto the panel in silver. To finish, I used a fine silver gel pen to add the ornament strings. There’s just something so lovely about a blue and silver Christmas colour combination.

 My second card celebrates a birthday.

For this card, I used the Poppy Stamps Intricate Leaf Square Frame. I first cut the frame, then used a Spellbinders square die to create an aperture in the card. Behind the aperture, I added patterned paper and layered the frame over the top. I also used a die set from an old magazine to cut two decorative elements, which I backed with the same patterned paper before fussy cutting them. The finished panel was mounted onto a 4.75” square card base, and the sentiment comes from a Woodware stamp set.

Come and join us at Die Cut Divas with you Celebration card - just remember to use your die cut machine

Catching up!

I’ve still been finding time to craft, but blogging has definitely taken a back seat lately. Today, though, on my non-work day, I finally found some time after lunch to head into the craft room, get creative, and catch up on sharing what I’ve been making. I have three cards to show you today, each with its own little story.

The first card is what I’d call a “Mesk” card — made from the bits and pieces that were sitting on my messy desk waiting to be turned into something useful.

I had a 3.75-inch strip of 12x12 patterned paper left over from making an envelope, so I trimmed it down to fit a white panel and rounded one side for a softer look. I added another scrap of patterned paper along the side, then went digging through my container of saved bits and found a sentiment I’d pre-cut awhile ago. A scrap of vellum became the circle tag, and I finished everything off with a few little gold hearts from my die-cut embellishments. This one actually came together earlier in the week, and I love how it made good use of leftovers.

The next card is a Christmas card, also made earlier this week. Back in March, I picked up some non-branded Christmas dies from my local stationery store, and they turned out to be such a great buy.

For this card, I die cut the pieces from green and red cardstock, then used scraps of gold and dark brown for the star and trunk. After that, it was simply a matter of piecing everything together to create the tree. To give the design a focal area, I used an old embossing folder to create a border around the panel and softly ink blended around the edges. A few gold dots on and around the tree finished it off nicely.

And finally, today’s make — another Christmas card.

This one came about while I was putting some of my stash back where it belonged. As I tidied up my Tim Holtz Bigz dies, I came across the Christmas Cardinal die and knew it would be perfect for the Christmas Kickstart Challenge — Season’s Tweetings.

I die cut the design — it’s an all-in-one die — and then used Tri-Blends alcohol markers to colour each section. For a snowy touch, I added White Nuvo Crystal Drops to the branch. To really let the die-cut image shine, I mounted it on a 5-inch square panel embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. The sentiment is from an LDRS Creative stamp set and was die cut with the coordinating Sentiment Stack II die.

And card #2 is being entered into Darnell's NBUS May Challenge 

Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end. I really do appreciate every one of my readers and commenters.

Happy crafting!

Dreaming of a PINK Christmas

 The January challenge at Christmas Kickstart is Dreaming of a PINK Christmas.  

Today 26th January is a holiday - to celebrate Auckland Anniversary Day - so the last day of 4 days off for me.   It's been very un-summery weather all of the last week or so and today was no exception.  Spend a little time in the craft room and made this card for the challenge

I started with some ombre paper - from Uniti.  Picked out the pinkest part of the paper and embossed it with a snowflake folder (from a magazine from a few years back) Ran some white pigment ink over top of the raised areas.   I used a Gina K stamp set called Playful Penguins to stamp and die cut the pair of penguins.  I stamped and fussy cut the sentiment.   I used some cheapo watercolour paint pens to add colour to my sweet pair.   Added some glossy accents to the beaks and boots and some kindyglitz sparkle glue to the ear muffs, pompom and the centre of the snowflakes. 

First Christmas card for 2026!