Welcome to my crafty blog... a "garden" of colourful cards, quilting, sewing projects, knitting...and what ever else happens along the way!!


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Papertrey Ink July 2012 Blog Hop Challenge

 Blog-hop-logo



It's been really quiet around my blog this summer. I just can't seem to get my 'ducks in a row' to get pictures and blog posts done. Must be the summer heat!! I really wanted to participate in this month's PTI Blog Hop, but really had some difficulty with the inspiration photo. 
 Blog-hop-inspiration
Originally I wanted to create a 'bouquet of flowers' using the rose from Year of Flowers Collection, but after stamping and colouring five flowers in different colours I ended up just picking one of them to use on my card. Here is my very  "Berry Sorbet"  card with the marigold image:


I stitched a piece of dotted paper to the Vintage Cream card base. Tag Sale #4 was cut with Berry Sorbet card stock and adhered with the tag opening at the bottom of the card. A 2.5" circle was cut from Vintage Cream and then embossed with the Swiss Dot folder. Some Lemon Tart ink was rubbed over the dots to add a bit more colour and dimension to the background panel.

The marigold was stamped onto Stamper's Select White card stock and then coloured with copic markers and fussy cut. 

I actually took one of my lighter coloured marigolds (also fussy cut) and glued it to the circle, being careful not to glue the leaves down. The second marigold was added on top using foam dimensionals. The leaves were then 'curled' up.


Two pieces of  cream ribbon were added to the tag at the bottom; the sentiment (from Spiral Bouquet) was stamped with Berry Sorbet ink and three green pearls were added to the top right side of the sentiment. All of the edges were sponged with Berry Sorbet.



Card Details (PTI unless noted)
Stamps - Year of Flowers Collection, Spiral Bouquet
Inks - Memento Tuxedo Black; Berry Sorbet, Lemon Tart
Papers - Stamper's Select White, Berry Sorbet; My Mind's Eye: Follow Your Heart - Be happy
Dies etc. - Tag Sale #4, Limitless Layers: 2.5" Circles; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder
Other - Copic markers, foam diomensionals, 1/16" cream ribbon; sewing machine.

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy the Blog Hop!
Karen C.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Happy Hexagon Mail

"Summer time .. and the living is easy"  .... 

This phrase sums up my motto this month!! I haven't updated my blog since July 1st!! My son and his girlfriend were visiting from the East Coast and left early this morning, so things might get back to my regular routine!!
I've been doing some crafty projects, but just haven't taken card pictures or written blog posts for a while. I made this card a few weeks ago, and decided to enter Hooked on Hexagons Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

I had so much fun stamping and organizing the little hexagons using the  
Cover Plate: Hexagons and the stamp set: Happy Hexagons.


I used Nichole Heady's Colour Planning Chart  (from this post), to create the arrangement of 5 coloured hexagons. It made the whole process so easy!!

I made a Colour reference sheet for myself using:
  
    A: Orange  
    B: Harvest Gold
    C: Sweet Leaf
    D: Crystal Blue
    E: Raspberry Fizz


* Although the Happy Hexagon set comes with a large variety of stamps, I kept it simple by using the same design to stamp all of the colours. I used Linen Vellum for the stamped hexagons as it resembles fabric. The turquoise card stock was from a paper pack I purchased from Michaels, but it is very similar to SU's Tempting Turquoise.

* After finishing all the cutting, stamping and assembling, I didn't want to cover up all the pretty little designs. I opted for a sentiment from the Happy Hexagons set, stamped onto a white  card stock square that was stamped with Bitty Background Blocks and impressed with the Canvas Impression Plate. The sentiment was stamped with SU's Tempting Turquoise ink. 


* The heart was die cut several times from the Flip Flop Die collection, so they could be stacked together ... this gives added dimension. (The top layer is stamped onto  the Linen Vellum with Raspberry fizz ink).
* The sentiment panel was mounted onto the turquoise panel (cut with Button Card: Fabric Swatch die) and then mounted to another Harvest Gold square. 
* The pink bow and mini pearl finish the sentiment panel. This allows the 'patchwork' pattern to really take center stage.
 
* The inside of the card uses more Happy Hexagons as a border along the bottom and a sentiment from Up, Up & Away Sentiments.

Card Details  (PTI unless noted) 
Stamps - Happy Hexagons, Bitty Background Blocks, Up, Up & Away Sentiments.
Inks - Raspberry Fizz, Harvest Gold; CTMH: Orange, Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue; SU: Tempting Turquoise
Paper - Soft Stone, Harvest Gold, Stamper's Select White, Linen Vellum; Recollections: Turquoise
Dies/Plates - Cover Plate: Hexagons, Canvas Impression Plate, Button Card: Fabric Swatch, Flip Flop Die Collection; Nestabilities: Large/Small Classic Squares
Other Supplies - Offray 3/8" Shocking Pink Satin ribbon; CTMH: Bitty Opaques; foam dimensionals

Thanks for visiting today!
Karen C.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Papertrey Ink: Make It Monday #72

Hope everyone is enjoying a sunny and relaxing week-end. 
It's July 1st - Canada Day here and we're celebrating with family ... a bar-b-que on the deck and viewing the city fireworks later this evening. 

I just wanted to pop in with a quick entry for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday #72. You can view the video here. Dawn McVey challenged us to 'Step-it-Up" by creating embellishments that use something "extra". Since I got the Lovely Layers stamp and die set last week-end, I couldn't resist giving it a test run.

I used the photo from the PTI June Blog Hop as the colour inspiration for my card:  inks, papers and pearls in a combination of Lemon Tart, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise and Aqua Mist and a little bit of Hawaiian Shores. 

* Dimension was added by using the Vineyards Impression Plate (on the Harvest Gold Nestabilities layer) and a Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder on the Aqua Mist layer and the two Rick Rack Border die cuts across the bottom of the card. I used Versamark on both the IP and the embossing folder before running the card stock through the Cuttlebug. This darkened the colour of the paper a little, but it also highlights the embossed images.

* Machine stitching around the patterned paper and Harvest mat die.

All of the lovely layers!!
* Harvest Gold card base
* Grid patterned paper (My Mind's Eye)

* Aqua Mist and Harvest Gold Card stock
     - die cut with Nestabilities Label #1

* 2 sets of leaf  dies (Lovely Layers)
     - stamped with Aqua Mist and Hawaiian Shores

* 2 sets of  die cuts from Lemon Tart card stock 
     - stamped with Summer Sunrise

* Large flower
     - stamped with Aqua Mist and Hawaiian Shores
 
* Flower center
     - stamped with Aqua Mist and Lemon Tart

* Pearl - Coloured with copic markers (Aqua Mist)


 A sentiment from  Say It In Style  (Close To My Heart) was stamped with Aqua Mist ink and yellow and aqua pearls were added on either side.
I'm not sure what I will use this card for, so I kept the front sentiment very simple and will add appropriate details to the inside when I'm ready to use it!





The inside of the card was finished with the dies and stamps from Back Pocket Basics - using Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold and Canyon Clay inks.














Card Details: (PTI unless noted)
Stamps - Lovely Layers, Back Pocket Basics; CTMH: Say It In Style
Inks - Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Lemon Tart, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise; Canyon Clay; Versamark
Paper - Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, Harvest Gold, Soft Stone; My Mind's Eye: Follow Your Heart.
Dies - Lovely Layers Die Collection, Rick Rack border Die; Back Pocket die collection; Nestabilities Label #1
Other Supplies - Vineyards Impression Plate; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder; pearl adhesives; Copic Markers; foam dimensionals; sewing machine.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great Day!
Karen C.