Thursday 28 December 2023

Birthday card for the Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop


Hello and welcome to my blog. Today I am delighted to be taking part in the Ink and Inspiration blog hop for December.


For our inspiration this month we are using this sketch.

Sketches are a great starting point for a card, the structure is there and all you have to do is add the detail! At work I share my birthday with a collegue which, for a relatively small working environment, is quite surprising. Today is our birthday!


I've made two versions of the same card from one pack of Designer Series Paper. The cooler version was sent for a birthday celebrated yesterday, and the floral version is for my collegue.
They are both made using the Softly Stippled papers which will be available as a Sale-A-Bration choice from 4th January.

To make the card I adhered strips of DSP to a layer of Pebbled Path and then embossed the whole layer using the Timeworn Type folder. Next, I stamped a frame from the Heartfelt Hexagon set on to Pebbled Path and used the coordinating punch to cut it out. I stamped the frame a second time on to Pool Party (or Petal Pink card depending on the version!), but this time I took my Snips and fussy cut along the thick, solid line to remove the dots and the edge. Layering the two pieces together creates a framed piece to stamp the sentiment into. I used celebrate from the Softly Said set.


I also used a couple of stamps from the new Notes of Nature set to add splatters and a grid using coordinating ink. The images were stamped off first to add extra depth to the background. The cards are finished with coordinating ribbon, twine and either Rustic Metallic dots or Brushed Metallic dots. Here you can see my cards together to  celebrate the birthdays that fall in the lull between Christmas and New Year!


I hope that you are inspired by my cards today and that you will continue along the hop to see what the others have created too - click on the names below to enjoy their  projects. We would love to hear from you and so if you have been inspired, please leave a comment.

Blog Hop Index


Do you need any of the products used on today's cards? If you live in the UK please take a look in my online Stampin' Up! shop. You can follow the link or click on the pictures below of the products I have used today.

Stay safe and as always, happy crafting,


If you would like to order any supplies, and you live in the UK, I would love to be your demonstrator.
Remember to use the current hostess code (December 2023 code: 3NCXD39U) to get some free product (it will follow in the post after the end of the month). If your order is over £150 do not use the code as you become the hostess and get the rewards. To place an order please visit my online shop HERE

If you would like to join my team, you can choose your starter kit HERE and if you have any questions, please contact me at furrycatdesigns@gmail.com

All Star Tutorial Bundles

All Star Tutorial Bundles have 12 AMAZING video tutorials to inspire you each month. This month we are featuring the Garden Walk Suite from the September to December Mini Catalogue.


Click HERE to purchase.

FREE with a purchase from my online store.
 
 
 Today's Project

Click on the images of the products I have used today to purchase them in my online shop:

Rembember to use the current hostess code.  

December 2023 code: 3NCXD39U

Monday 11 December 2023

Painted Lavender Thanks


Hello and welcome to my blog! Thank you for joining me for the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Training Program Monthly Blog Hop. We are a group of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators from around the world, sharing our card creations based on the theme of Thank You or Congrats for this month.
 

I am delighted to welcome you here whether you are a regular visitor or if you have hopped in from another blog. You will find the blog hop list at the bottom of this post so that you can see all of the posts today. 


If you place an order with me during December you will receive one of these cards as a thank you for your purchase together with a video tutorial bundle from the All Star Design Team, featuring the Garden Walk Suite, as a gift.

I am mixing an old favourite stamp set with one that is sure to become a favourite from the new Mini catalogue. The Biggest Wish set has brilliant sentiments and I've used it so many times. It is a stamp set that has worked very hard for me! This time I have chosen the loopy, handwriting style thanks and stamped it into a crisp neat frame.


I had to have the Perennial Lavender Suite from the upcoming Mini Catalogue - I adore lavender and purple is one of my favourite colours! The lavender flowers and stems from the Painted Lavender bundle are stamped and die cut separately, which allows you to group several sets of blooms together without masses of stems. I used Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather and Orchid Oasis for my flowers and mixed and matched them to create a natural looking hand-tied arrangement. Some of the images were stamped using a second generation of ink which produces a lighter shade of the same colour - the more variety the better!

The butterflies and stems were stamped using Pretty Peacock and Lost Lagoon which complement the background. Instead of using the Designer Series Paper from the Suite, I chose to dip into two of the packs that'll be available as a Sale-a-bration offering in January. The soft, earthy colours make a great backdrop but I couldn't resist using some of the new Purple Fine Shimmer Gems to add a touch of sparkle!


Thank you so much for visiting today, I hope you have been inspired! As mentioned at the beginning, this is a blog hop so make sure you hop ar0und to see the other amazing projects on the hop! Click on the links below to visit them.


If you want to purchase any supplies, please take a look in my online Stampin' Up! shop. You can follow the link or click on the pictures below of the products I have used today.

Stay safe and as always, happy crafting,


If you would like to order any supplies, and you live in the UK, I would love to be your demonstrator.
Remember to use the current hostess code (December 2023 code: 3NCXD39U) to get some free product (it will follow in the post after the end of the month). If your order is over £150 do not use the code as you become the hostess and get the rewards. To place an order please visit my online shop HERE

If you would like to join my team, you can choose your starter kit HERE and if you have any questions, please contact me at furrycatdesigns@gmail.com

All Star Tutorial Bundles

All Star Tutorial Bundles have 12 AMAZING video tutorials to inspire you each month. This month we are featuring the Garden Walk Suite from the September to December Mini Catalogue.


Click HERE to purchase.

FREE with a purchase from my online store.
 
 
 Today's Project

Click on the images of the products I have used today to purchase them in my online shop:

Rembember to use the current hostess code.  

December 2023 code: 3NCXD39U

Saturday 9 December 2023

Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop - Theme Challenge


Hello and welcome to my blog! Today I am taking part in a blog hop with some fellow enthusiasts who love sharing their creative talents using their Stampin' Up!® products.


This month we are taking our inspiration from the sounds of the season as we have a theme challenge for the Stamping Inkspirations blog hop. To me the Merry Melody embossing folder was a must for today's card, as was the musical designer Series Paper from the Joy if Christmas pack. So, while I have no particular song in mind for my cards, I feel that I have still embraced the theme!

I have used plenty of the Joy of Christmas DSP on my cards this year, but most of them feature the gorgeous foliage. These cards feature the reverse side of the paper, which is somoetimes neglected. Two of the reverse sides feature a musical score; one is in Pecan Pie and the other is in Pebbled Path and I challenged myself to create with both.


The strip of Pecan Pie DSP is cut to the same width as the layer of card which has been embossed with the Merry Melody folder. The top and bottom edges of the DSP are ripped to add another layer of interest to the tone on tone piece.

The holly leaves are coloured with Blends in Shaded Spruce and added to the card together with a selection of die cut elements. The Tidings of comfort & Joy sentiment is stamped in black on an off cut of DSP before fussy cutting and adhering it to the card. A trio of gold Bloommg Pearls were added as the final touch.

For my second card I created a wreath by stamping and die cutting three of the spray images from the Joy of Noel bundle.


Again, I used Blends to colour the images but this time I also used Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler in addition to the Shaded Spruce.
To assemble the card I used glue dots to secure the trio of foliage into a circle behind which I attached a length of gingham ribbon. The sentiment, left over from a previous card, is white heat embossed, fussy cut and mounted on a Cherry Cobbler label which then hides the hole in the centre of the wreath. Rustic Metallic dots complete the card.


I hope that you are inspired by my cards - similar, but different! 


Continue along the hop to see what the others have created - enjoy their projects. We would love to hear from you and so if you have been inspired, please leave a comment.



Angie McKenzie  ●  Leonie Stuart

Jan Musselman   ●   Mo Rootes

Aurélie Fabre  ●  Karen Henderson

Tricia Butts  ●  Danielle Kassing

Teri West    Kim Fee

Do you need any of the products used on today's cards? If you live in the UK please take a look in online Stampin' Up! shop or click on the pictures below of the products I have used today to add them to your collection.

Thank you for joining us today! Looking forward to seeing you next time. 

Stay safe and as always, happy crafting,


If you would like to order any supplies, and you live in the UK, I would love to be your demonstrator.
Remember to use the current hostess code (December 2023 code: 3NCXD39U) to get some free product (it will follow in the post after the end of the month). If your order is over £150 do not use the code as you become the hostess and get the rewards. To place an order please visit my online shop HERE

If you would like to join my team, you can choose your starter kit HERE and if you have any questions, please contact me at furrycatdesigns@gmail.com

All Star Tutorial Bundles

All Star Tutorial Bundles have 12 AMAZING video tutorials to inspire you each month. This month we are featuring the Garden Walk Suite from the September to December Mini Catalogue.


Click HERE to purchase.

FREE with a purchase from my online store.
 
 
 Today's Project

Click on the images of the products I have used today to purchase them in my online shop:

Rembember to use the current hostess code.  

December 2023 code: 3NCXD39U