Masculine card with Life in the Forest

Rather conveniently, my Canadian cousin’s birthday is just a few days after her husband’s, so I can send them in the same envelope and save a little on postage. 

Masculine cards often present a problem to stampers, but I don’t worry about them too much. I think, as long as you steer clear of the flowers, glitter and ribbons, you’re fine. 

I wanted to use Life in the Forest as I’ve only recently ordered it, but was stumped when it came to colouring it with my new Blendabilities. I have the Skin Tones collection but the brown was just too dark. Eventually I settled on one of the skin tones - it’s near enough. At some point I’ll get the Crumb Cake and Pumpkin Pie markers, which will make things easier!

Eagle-eyed surfers will probably notice that some of the cardstock on this card is textured; I was simply using up some old supplies. 

If you buy nothing else from this card, get the Hardwood stamp - it’s so versatile and very lovely!

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A little mouse with Something to Say

Still recovering from a very busy weekend, which was packed with nice things, including stamping with some of my crafting buddies. (I don’t think I actually completed a project that day, but took advantage of our hostess’s stamp collection to stamp out some choice images for future use!)

I’ve been waiting for the right time to post this card as I made it for my Canadian cousin’s birthday and I didn’t want it to appear before it reached her; she’s the reason you’re looking at my blog, because she set me off on this stamping obsession!

If you’re hunting for new products, you’ll see some fabulous new paper. As you can probably tell, it’s still too new to use, so I’ve just put a hint of it on this card. This is my favourite sheet from the pack, which is a little odd as Garden Green is not a colour I particularly like usually. In fact, at one point, I recycled all my scraps because I mistakenly thought it had retired! Oops. 

There’s also a hint of Blendabilities, although I have to confess I struggled with the colouring. I’m still getting used to alcohol markers and a tiny image like this one is not a good place to start. I’m finding them really easy for larger images, though. And the Crumb Cake pens are on my list to get soon. 

And on of my new favourite products is pretty prominent here, too. Can you guess what it is? 

It’s the new 12x12 Kraft cardstock. Much as I love Crumb Cake, I am delighted that we now have a proper Kraft, which is warmer in tone. I can see me getting through a lot of this cardstock this year!

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Caturday: like mother, like daughter

This is Bella and one of her beautiful kittens, Betty. Aren't they gorgeous? If you’re in the area tomorrow, please do drop by the cat shelter fundraiser – apparently they have gazebos galore so you won’t get wet!

All details are here.

Right, gotta dash!

What goes with... our new In Colors?

Five new colours, five great personalities which complement each other brilliantly. But what if you want to combine them with your existing supplies? I’ve put together a set of combinations, using In Colors and core colours. Apart from the key colour, I’ve tried to keep the In Colors out of the mix, but I’m afraid a few slipped in as they were too perfect to leave out!

These are sized to fit on a piece of A4 cardstock, cut in half vertically, in case anyone wants to print them out. Scroll down a loooong way for the full set!

Playing with Blendabilities alcohol markers

I can’t find the third Make & Take from the weekend, which is odd as there were two of them. It was just a simple bookmark showcasing the In Colors, but I’ll post it if it turns up!

Meanwhile, here’s a set of cards I made using the new Blendabilities. These are great fun and I have it on good authority that they are a LOT easier to use than the more famous brands, so they are perfect for those who, like me, have never used alcohol markers before. 

They come in sets of three different shades of one colour, the middle shade representing the “true” colour. There are LOTS of different ways to use them, the best thing to do is experiment to find the best method for you. I find that I prefer to shade from dark to light. 

Just like you can’t use water-based ink pad with water-based markers, you can’t use Stazon with these pens as it will run. So use a water-based ink, such as the Memento ink pad. 

The colour WILL run through to the other side of your cardstock, so these little notecards will all need lining; I just wanted to have a play with the new pens without having to worry too much about card design and I really like the clean look. 

This stamp set is perfect for using the pens and it’s a gorgeous one, too. It has birthday and sympathy sentiments, which is really useful. But you can only get it by holding a party as it ’s one our our lovely hostess sets. I really think SU have excelled themselves with the hostess sets this year; do take a look and then check your diary before contacting me to book your party!

Oh, and shout up if you fancy a Blendabilities class, as I’m planning one for later in the summer (everybody’s holidays permitting!)

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Nuts about these coffee cups

This is the second Make & Take project from my launch party at the weekend. We made three projects, all using the new In Colors; the third project was a bookmark showcasing all five colours, which people can keep in their catalogues. 

I love these cute little coffee cups and I think the ladies did, too. We filled them with monkey nuts to make a fun little gift or party favour. 

They’re really simple to cover - you simply remove the ridged kraft cover and use it as a template to cut the DSP. The cups came from eBay - search for “paper coffee cups 4oz” and remember to order lids as they are separately. 

The outer is made from a 2" strip of Hello Honey cardstock, cut from a sheet of 12"x12". Score at 5" from each end before cutting both ends with the Scallop Tag Topper Punch. The base is covered with a piece of Mossy Meadow cardstock, with the edges fringed to represent grass. 

I know I shouldn't say it myself, but I LOVE this project!

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