Whimsical Wings & Things Wednesday

Welcome to another edition of Whimsical Wings & Things. Love channeling my inner child with this theme! 

Taking a break from Christmas cards to play along with the Just Us Girls “Celebrate” word prompt. #JUG800

 

I had some leftover Tie Dye background from yesterday’s technique Tuesday so wanted to show how it can be used with other products so pulled out my Beautiful Butterfly Stamps & Dies.

So pretty! 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love 

Be Totallyawake4-life

Technique Tuesday - Tie Dye Watercolor

Today’s technique Tuesday fun is Tie Dye Watercolour. This is a fun background technique but can also be used with stamped images if you heat emboss your image to help your watercolour stay within the raised embossed edge. 

Card designs inspired by Global Design Project #523 create with a BRRR COLD theme. 

The Snowflake Kisses Dies were perfect to pair with the GDP523 challenge as well as the tie dye technique. 

Colour palette used is Coastal Cabana, Petunia Pop and Gorgeous Grape. Bright colours were inspired by over at Festive Friday challenge #FF0197 along with making my own patterned paper with my technique and using the Greetings for All ephemera for my Happy Christmas sentiment.

Also using some silver twine and rhinestones for the bling bling!

The Tie Dye technique is really easy. 

• Cut your watercolour paper to desired size
• Prepare your colour palette with reinkers - I find it easiest to just use my lids to hold reinker. I am using Petunia Pop, Coastal Cabana and Gorgeous Grape.
• Wet your paper with clear water - I am using aqua painters but a paint brush would work too.
• Then pick up ink with your brush and dab onto watercolour paper and repeat and add other colours until you get your desired look. 
• Allow paper to dry completely- you can speed this along with a heat gun. Make sure to heat from both sides to help prevent curling of paper.
• Once completely dry complete your card design. 

Love how they turned out. This was such a pretty colour combo. 

I ended up making several more of the same designs as once I got playing with the tie dye I just couldn’t stop and I love the craftherapy of mixed media and giving up some of the control of an outcome to the medium itself. 

While I had the Snowflake Kisses materials out also decided to play along with the Clean and Simple Holiday challenge over at Paper Players #PP764 with a favourite holiday image and while I love to drive in it I do love the beauty in freshly fallen snow! 

I also played along with Tic Tac Toe challenge #tttc283 with a diagonal of snow, gold and Christmas Sentiment for the win! 

Clean and simple isn’t always my wheel house but love how this one turned out! The White on White with pops of gold is gorgeous! It’s hard to pick up in a photo but my card front mat is a piece of retired iridescent white glitter paper - the glitter is so pretty just like snowflakes reflecting the colours around them. 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Masculine on Monday

Welcome to Masculine Monday - challenging myself to make more cards with a masculine vibe as it’s so easy to be drawn to the Feminine and Floral in my stash. 

Today’s design was inspired by playing along with Colour INKspiration challenge #199 to use Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce and Pecan Pie colour palette. 

Over at Stampin’ Up! Only Challenges and their mood board challenge #SUOC389 had me pulling out a stamp set with trees in it. 

I’ve pulled out my Country Living for the truck and Encircled in Nature for the trees and branch dies. Paired these with current products Everyday Arches, Greetings for You ephemera sentiments, Traditional Sequins Dots and my Stampin’ Blends in the colour Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce and Pecan Pie colour palette 🎨 

Nothing says it’s the holiday season like bringing home the Christmas tree!

Are you a real Christmas tree fan or do you prefer the reusable artificial tree?

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Slimline Sunday

Welcome to another edition of Slimline Sunday!

I’m playing with the Christmas Tags & More DSP, Christmas greetings Mix & Match Specialty cards & envelopes, Greetings for You ephemera, Traditional Christmas sequins and the new online exclusive triple banner punch.

It turned out adorable - the plaid just gives me such warm holiday memory vibes! I’ve used one of the Mix & Match specialty cards & envelopes for my background layer. Added a gold foil banner using the triple banner punch. Made a collage using the circle punches to layer gold foil and white circles under the bell from the Christmas Tags & More DSP ephemera with some of the Holly leaves. I used my Cherry Cobbler blender pen to colour some of the white holly berries to have some more pops of red on my design. Added some gold twine and red sequins dots for added bling! 

While I had the materials out took a little extra time to keep playing and made a couple extra cards as the ladies at work are eagerly wanting some Christmas cards donated to our the Everyday Dreams fundraiser so they can make another donation and get some Christmas cards as a thank you. Love knowing that the cards will do double duty of making not only the receivers of the cards happy but are helping to raise funds for help those we support have some of their everyday dreams come true. 

I need a card for this afternoons Stamp2Cr8 team meeting and this old Gloval Design Project is the inspiration we were given to be inspired by: 

Quick and easy no stamping required designs but that still pack a punch of WOW 🤩 love the 3D Forever Plaid embossing folder for holiday cards as it gives me Christmas plaid vibes! 

Fussy cutting can be so therapeutic - focuses the mind on the task and helps quiet unwanted thoughts. I’ve made a bonus card today playing along with Tic Tac Toe challenge #tttc283 for left line win of ornament, red, Christmas sentiment.

I fussy cut this design and mounted on the 3D exposed brick embossing folder. 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Socially Scrappy Saturday

Welcome to another edition of socially scrappy Saturday.

Today’s two photo sketch was inspired by Sketch N Scrap’s Monthly challenges November Crop Challenge 1.

I’m playing with the Christmas Tags & More DSP, Christmas greetings Mix & Match Specialty cards & envelopes, Greetings for You ephemera, Traditional Christmas sequins and the new online exclusive triple banner punch. 

Love how it came together. The garden green base with gold foil strips and Soft Seafoam. I used one of the pretty green and gold plaid cards from the Mix & Match cards & envelope for my strips in the design. Made little collages with the ephemera pieces from the Christmas Tags & More DSP paper. The title and subtitles are from the Greetings for You ephemera sentiments.

Carried the theme over to the pocket pages where I can add four 6”x4” photos. Love the little cardinals from this set. 

I have some adorable photos from our family winter hikes where we can stop and feed birds right from your hand and there are hoards of Cardinals there - it’s such a great grounding experience with nature. 

Happy Scrappin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Fun Fold Friday - Star Pop Out

Welcome to another edition of Fun Fold Friday! Today I am playing with a Star Pop Out card that initially caught my eye on Instagram from Katharina Tarta and adapted a bit to mount on an A2 card front. Tooting my own horn but love now it turned out!

This is another easy visual tutorial of creating this fold from YouTuber ‘Bunch of Memories’ because I can’t insert video links from Instagram.

I am playing with the Traditional Christmas DSP and the Greetings for You Mix and Match ephemera pack with some gold foil paper and Exposed Brick 3D Embossing folder for this stunner of a no stamping required card! 

Katharina has provided the measurements for her version on her Instagram  - I trimmed each side and the score lines down a wee bit to fit about an 1/8th inch on a A2 card front. 

Measurements and score lines for the original version are:

Even with the helpful measurements I would definitely suggest trying with copy paper to get it perfect as the angles of the score lines can be a little tricky and then once confident in your template move to using the pretty paper! I made myself a template out of card stock for future cards to make it quicker to measure and cut and score.

Finished star folded mounted on a card front.

To open the star you gently pull on the two corners.

Inside has a second sentiment and design. Could hide a small treat or money in the star as well for an extra surprise when popping open!  

What do you think? Will you try this fun fold yourself? 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Throwback Thursday

Welcome to another edition of Throwback Thursday. Playing with some ole favourites and showing them some inky love. 

Today’s card features the retired Poinsettia Petals stamps and dies. I’ve paired it with the current Exposed Brick embossing folder and Greetings for You ephemera sentiments.

My layout was inspired by the Just add Ink 

Sketch challenge #JAI773 

Such a stunning design done in the Petal Pink with gold embossing and gold twine and pearls. I will definitely be trying this design in other pretty poinsettia colours! 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life