Creative Crew October Challenges - Creative Focus

Welcome back! Today's project is CCREW1013CF - Creative focus: Celebrate Sweetest Day (19th Oct) by creating a card for your Sweetest using products from the Etcetera Suite found on p96-109 of the Annual Catalogue.

For this challenge I began with picking two stamp sets from the Etcetera Suite and deciding what technique to use to combine them. I stamped En Francais and the swirl from Creative Elements on to a piece of daffodil delight cardstock using Versamark ink and clear embossed. Then I swiped my whisper white ink pad over the whole piece and wiped off the excess ink using a tissue - this has the effect of muting the brightness of the daffodil and making the embossed stamps stand out.

Choosing an oval to compliment the rectangular shape of the card, I stamped the swirl again with my sentiment and added some butterflies. These were first stamped using the butterfly stamp from Creative Elements so I got the lovely delicate pattern, then punched smaller with the itty bitty butterfly punch and beautiful wings embossing die. Add a touch of bling, some ribbon and a button and there you have it!

Materials used:

• stamps - En Francais, Creative Elements
• card - marina mist, whisper white, daffodil delight
• other - ovals framelits, Big Shot, dimensionals, marina mist satin ribbon, subtles button, white bakers twine, itty bitty butterfly punch, Beautiful Wings embossing die, rhinestones

Tomorrow I'll show you the Holiday Focus project. Meanwhile, pop over to the CC gallery and look at all the other fabulous inspiration. The link is HERE.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Butterflies in Flight

For the first time in ages, today I got to sit and make a card just for FUN! Not for DT work or classes or  for Christmas preparation - just for the pure enjoyment of creating - and I loved it!

I was inspired by an embossed and sponged panel I saw on a card, so I ran with that idea and ended up with some butterflies in flight - take a look:

Materials used:

• stamps - Creative Elements, All a Flutter, Kindness Matters
• card - midnight muse, whisper white, gold
• other - gold embossing powder, dimensionals, blender pen, sponge, gold pen

I embossed the gold swirls first, then sponged with tempting turquoise, island indigo and midnight muse. My "flutterbies" were coloured with perfect plum, calypso coral, tempting turquoise and lucky limeade. The most awkward part was sticking those little beauties on! We're talking TINY amounts of dimensional here! LOL!

Anyway, now I've got to get back to my To Do List - there's more Christmas cards to make and a graduation card for DD20 that won't create itself! Back with those next week!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Floral Feast

Today is the last class for the year and my ladies chose a veritable feast of pretty, feminine flower cards to make. Here's the group:

You've seen these two before, which both use Parlour Prints in the background:

Fabulous Florets, coming soon in the Summer mini.

Field Flowers, a gorgeous 2-step set.

And this one is a re-working of this card, made to fit a standard size envelope.

With the sun back out at last after more than a week of grey skies and endless rain, the floral cards are just right to get us back into Spring mode!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

The Geese Are Getting Fat

Well, if you hadn't caught up with the news yet (or have been studiously avoiding it in a mild state of panic and denial) - Christmas is getting close! There's no way we can put it off forever on the basis of "it can't be Christmas already" or "didn't we just have Easter?" So there's nothing for it but to embrace that hectic lead up to the Big Day and go all out with Christmas craft!

At home we always have a decorating theme and this year DD19 picked a colour combo of cherry cobbler, gold and white. I modified that slightly (because she was in a whole other state and I thought I was safe!) to make it a vintage Christmas theme with those colours predominating but others allowed too. I am the person making all the decorations, after all, LOL!

To start you off here's a little something made from the petal cone die:

After I had cut out my two petal cones I gold embossed them with the swirl from Creative Elements. Next I attached my striped papers to the flaps and then the pleated lace underneath. The stamped label is coloured with markers and the lovely chipboard poinsettia finishes it off. So far I meet DD19's criteria of plenty of cherry cobbler and gold plus I hope it looks suitably vintage!

Materials used:

• stamps - Tags Till Christmas, Creative Elements
• card - cherry cobbler, very vanilla, paper from Kaiser
• other - decorative label punch, markers, dimensionals, Victorian lace, gold embossing powder, Big Shot, petal cone die, heat tool, chipboard poinsettia from Scrapmatts, gold brad, sticky strip, cherry cobbler brads

I hope you find time to make a start on your decorations too! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Beau Elegance

Well, inspired by my Beau Chateau gift box, I have ventured once again into the realm of shabby chic and tried out my new Established Elegance set for the first time. Much trial and error went into this one as I left my comfort zone and there were some last minute additions which luckily didn't completely ruin the whole thing!

The front tag was sprayed with champagne shimmer mist, so it has a soft, subtle sparkle which looks nice IRL. I tried to cover up as many roosters as I could - roosters, for goodness' sakes?!!! - but still leave the other gorgeous details of the dsp to show through.

Materials used:

• stamps - Established Elegance, Creative Elements
• card - soft suede, marina mist, whisper white, Beau Chateau DSP
• other - marina mist satin ribbon, pearls, Two Tags die, Big Shot, non SU flowers, Designer Frames EF, sponge daubers, dimensionals, shimmer paint

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Spotlight on Inspiration

I made this card yesterday and a friend suggested it would be perfect for this week's Less is More challenge. I don't often do a card as minimalist as this one, but it just seemed right at the time.

So, in a thorough departure from my usual style, here is my card:

I've used one of the new Designer Frames textured impressions embossing folders and if you are having trouble with this one, here's the Big Shot "sandwich" that worked for me: multipurpose platform with both flaps open, premium crease pad, embossing folder with card in, second premium crease pad on top. That's right, no cutting mats at all.

My colour combo was inspired by a display of bathroom towels I saw recently at my local Spotlight store - I thought they looked stunning together, so that's what I've used! Just goes to show you can find inspiration anywhere!

Materials used:

• stamps - Creative Elements
• card - island indigo, cherry cobbler, whisper white
• other - designer frames embossing folder, dimensionals

Hope you find some inspiration around you today.Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Antiquing Technique

Today's craft weekend project card is a bit of a misfit really. It's a combination of a number of techniques - I've used faux mother-of-pearl, sponging, distressing and vintage style - so I've decided to call it the antiquing technique! I was inspired by Sage Kimble's glorious distressed wallpaper technique. A couple of stamp sets have been amalgamated too - I've got French Foliage in there with Creative Elements and a non-SU crackle background. I also wanted to use light colours so picked perfect plum, Baja breeze and whisper white.

Here's a close up of the shimmer from the faux mother-of-pearl:

Thanks for dropping by and going antiquing with me! (LOL)

Cheers
Kez