Summer Leaves

A bit of watercolour stamping for you today using a beautiful set called 'Summer Leaves' by Stampendous (I've had these for over 10 years but bizarrely not made much use of them).

I find I get the best results with this technique if I stamp once onto scrap paper and then spritz the stamp with water before stamping onto my project.

Stitched Leaves

Hello lovely peeps, I do hope you are well.

First, sincere apologies for my absence. I started a new job in June with many more hours than I was doing previously and I was rather optimistic about the amount of time and energy I'd have left for crafting and blogging.

I was up at the crack of dawn this morning (ok, so it was only six o'clock but it's Sunday so it felt like the crack of dawn :D ) so I've just time for a quick post before I head off to work.

I still have quite a few Craftascope makes left to share with you, this is one of my favourites using the Retro/Floral collections.

Willson Wood Pop and Twist

Hello lovely peeps, and welcome to my new follower :o)

We did Pop up and Twist Panel Cards at Cardmaking Club on Thursday, here's the one that I made using the Tales from Willson Wood collection by Docrafts and Kraft card.

There is a great video here by Srushti Patil that shows you how to make these. I adjusted the measurements slightly for mine, making the panels 7cm wide instead of 6.5 cm

The owl and greetings came already die-cut but I cut around the trees/branches myself and layered them up on cream linen textured card.

For the front I cut down one of the A6 card blanks and a panel using a couple of the papers. The fabric leaves are from the matching embellishment pack, glued on with Pinflair glue gel.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-
 Pile It On  #129 Interactive card and/or birthday
Crafty Catz #366 Anything Goes optional twist Animals
Crafty Animals  Anything Goes
Fussy and Fancy #185 Fancy Folds/Shaped cards
Aud Sentiments Challenge #177 Birthday/number 7
Fairy Tale #166 More than one fold

I'll be back on Wednesday morning with a card that I made with Leonie's Typography collection, hope you can join me then.

Katrina x

Little Birdie for Leonie

Hello lovely peeps

This is one of the cards that made an appearance on the Leonie Let Loose show last Wednesday.
I started with a square of Sheena's stamping card and coloured it with Distress Inks

I built up a scene with Leonie's stamps and black Archival ink  - starting with the branch from the Branching out set

To make it extend off the side I turned the branch around and stamped it again.
The large and small paisley stamps from the Inky Notes set make the bodies of my birds.

'Paint' the inside of the paisleys with water and blot with kitchen towel to remove the colour.
I drew in legs and beaks with a fineliner pen

and added black pearls for the eyes

Add on leaves (also from the Branching out set) :-

I matted and layered it on black card and a Prima paper (Paper Firefly)

 To finish off I printed a sentiment from my computer, cut it up and outlined it. I doodled on a couple of musical notes and added feathers cut with a Joy Crafts die

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-
 Cardz 4 Galz # 21 Include a Button or 2 or More
Fussy and Fancy #163 - Birthdays
Kitty Bee Designs #71 - Girly Cards
 The Crazy Challenge #222 – Three layers or more
Pile It On  #107 - Garden Creatures
The Ribbon Girls May card challenge
Crafty Friends Challenge #31 - In the Garden
Through The Craft Room Door - Always Anything Goes
A Gem of a Challenge #168 Favourite Colour Combination - I love pink, orange and yellow together, especially now we're approaching summer
 As You Like It Challenge Favourite Patterned or Embossed papers (And WHY) - Patterned papers win hands-down - with the right colours and/or pattern they can really finish a card off perfectly.


For more ideas do visit the blogs of the other design team members
 Nick - http://nickinbarnsley.blogspot.co.uk
Jane - Isleofcraftycreations.blogspot.co.uk &
Elaine - Cakecoffeecraft.blogspot.co.uk 

and of course Leonie's own blog  http://leoniepujol.blogspot.co.uk/
 
Thanks for stopping by,

Katrina x

It's raining leaves

Hello peeps. Hope you are all well.

This is my first Design Collective card for October.  

I love this time of year -  there are piles of leaves lying around everywhere and the child in me just cannot resist kicking up a few :D

The stamp is 'April' from the LOTV Fairy Calendar range, which was released in the summer. As you can see from my teamie Karen Oliver's lovely card, she's usually playing in the puddles after some April showers.

To prepare her for a bit of leaf-kicking I have given her sleeves and coloured her in Autumnal colours (mostly with Graph'Its)

Skin: 4115, 4155, 4170 and 4145
Hair: 3255 and 3280
Dress: 3210 and Ivory Promarker
Boots: 2150, 2180, 3130
Wings: 9500, 9501 (and glitter)

I've covered up the puddles with some tiny leaves which I cut from some paper scraps using my CraftRobo. The sentiment was stamped with one of the stamps in the Pretty Grungy - Good Times set, also LOTV.
I've inked the edges of the main panel with Pumice Stone Distress Ink and roughened the edges of my layers with scissors, to give the card a slightly grungy look.

I made a second version of this card to send to my lovely crafty buddy Sue.
This tags on this one were stamped with the Everyday Sentiment Tags stamp set from LOTV.
I can't make up my mind which version I like best. What do you think?

I would like to enter the top card in the following challenges:-
DRS Designs #197 Fall-ing for You!
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge #103: anything goes with a twist ... use some leaves
Crafty Cardmakers #150 Autumn Colours
Creative Inspirations #332 - Anything Goes + Option of a Sketch!
Mod Squad Challenge  - FLIP FLOP
Addicted to Stamps #112 THINGS WITH WINGS 

Polka Doodles Add Sparkle, Bling or Glitter
Penny Black - Autumn colours
Stamping Sensations - Colours of autumn
Whimsy Stamp Challenge #87 Fall Colours or Christmas 
Crafty Boots - Autumn and Halloween
Crafting From The Heart - #83 Anything Goes
Craft your passion - #285 Anything Goes

Well, that's all from me for now.
Except to say go and kick up some leaves if you can, it's one of life's little pleasures.

Katrina x

Autumn Owl

Hello lovely peeps, hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Today's card features no stamps whatsoever (I know, I was stunned too).

First I covered the front of a 7x7 card with wood patterned paper and die cut a large circle in the middle. 

The owl was cut using the Sizzix Bigz Owl#2 die, from various scraps of paper that I've been hoarding. The heart and wings were red card that I embossed with a dotty embossing folder.

 The leaves were die cut from an old book* using a Cuttlebug die and then swooshed through inks that I had dabbed onto my craft mat and spritzed with water. I've also added some Antique Linen Distress Stickles on them for a bit of sparkle & texture. 

The clear gems are from Inklylicious and the buttons and ribbon are from my stash.

*Cutting up books really goes against the grain for me as I would rather leave them for someone to read, so for this purpose I buy books from charity shops that no-one else would buy (eg. biographies of Z list celebrities, tourist guides that are 30 years out of date, etc. )
 

I haven't done much on the inside, but he did need something to sit on so I cut a branch from Kraft card using an Anna Marie Christmas robin template. Also, because there's not much room left to write anything inside, I have hand-written my greeting along the bottom of the branch (verrrrry slooowly :D )

I would like to enter this in the following Challenges:-
Crafting From The Heart - #81 Anything Goes

Craftin Desert Divas Photo Inspiration (Autumn)

My Time To Craft #306 autumnal colours

 Fan-Tastic Tuesday - #107 anything goes with a twist ... Autumn colours

Crafty Friends#16 Use Gems and/or Pearls (clear gems)

Creative Card Crew 98 Ribbon

Fab'n'Funky challenge #277 ~ Make it Square

Scrap & Craft Inspiration #14 Colours of Autumn

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Die-lirious and Punchy

Crafts Galore - Halloween or make a card for October

Catch The Bug - Bingo (Border, Ribbon, Fall theme)
Hiding In My Craft Room #221 - Favorite Cutting Tool! (eBosser from Craftwell)
Alphabet Challenge Blog - R for Ribbon 
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #20 Anything Goes
Crafting With Friends #8 - Anything Goes

As you like it - Monochrome or Colour (& why)! -
 I love colour, and Autumn colours are my absolute favourite (as a quick look in my wardrobe will attest!)

Always Playing With Paper #46 The colours of Autumn

I'm off to the bat cave now to tidy/craft (mostly the latter)

Thanks for stopping by today,

Katrina x