Freshly Made Sketches & National Tartan Day...

Good morning, crafty friends.

This post is a little late for the celebration, but last Thursday, April 6th, was National Tartan Day in Canada. It's not an official holiday, just an observance, and has been in effect since 2010. It commemorates the signing of a document of independence in Scotland in 1320. People of Scottish descent can celebrate and wear their family tartan!

I've been playing around with plaid lately, with water colour paint and with alcohol markers. This is a paper version of the clan Macdonald tartan. It's much more beautiful in real life!

 The inspiration this week over at Freshly Made Sketches was all about squares.

Plaids and tartans are definitely all about right angles!  I decided to feature a piece of water-coloured plaid, with some of the stripes done with  opalescent gold paint.

 All squares were cut with Lil'Inker Designs' Stitched Mats square dies, then attached to a 5" square card-base. Along with the water-colour panel, I cut squares from Close to My Hearts' fundamentals collection. These papers have white designs on one side, with embossing on the other. The sentiment is from Catherine Pooler Designs' "Hello World" stamp set. Pretty easy card to put together!

Make sure to check out the amazing submissions over at Freshly Made Sketches.

Fare ye weel!

Caroline

Cross Canada Hop: Bonjour/ Hola/ Hello!

Bonjour / Hola / Hello
Welcome to our March Blog Hop featuring Close To My Heart stamp sets that are available in FRENCH, SPANISH and ENGLISH. When you flip through the catalogue these stamps are identified with a world-globe icon. You can also use THIS LINK to see images of the multi-lingual stamp sets. I find these stamps very useful for the card-making workshops I host. People really appreciate being able to create cards in the language of their choice.

We have an amazing group of talented ladies all across Canada participating in this hop, and they would love to hear from you, so before moving onto the next person, please take a moment to leave a comment telling us about what you loved about their work.

If you've arrived from Sue Mallory at Sue's Sparkly Stampin then you are in the right place!  If you'd like to start at the beginning of the hop and continue from East to West Coast, make sure to visit Michelle Stewart at My Creations with Michelle. If you get lost along the way, head to Michelle's blog; she'll have the full hop-list posted.

I created three cards using different stamp sets.

A1192F: I loved this font as well as the message: You make my heart happy!
I used CTMH Thin-cuts dies (on sale this month at 25% off) to cut a heart-shaped opening into a water-coloured panel, and mounted it above the sentiment, using foam-tape for some added dimension and shading. The Thin-cut features a skinny border, which helps to frame the message.

C1660F: This next card features mix-and-match sentiments for any celebration. I created an embossed background this time, inking the embossing folder to transfer colour to the de-bossed area and swiping a darker ink-pad over the embossed confetti to make it stand out. The balloons were cut from CTMH glitter paper and I coloured the balloon and sequin with a turquoise Shin-han Twin-touch alcohol marker, to match the rest of the design.

C1605F: This last card features the very versatile "Happy to be Friends" stamp set. It also includes multiple sentiments which can be combined to wish a happy birthday or anniversary, express sympathy, or "just because." I combined the sentiment "Bonne Fête des Mères" with the March Stamp of the Month "Tea-riffic!" to create a cozy little card. The patterned floral paper is from the "Dreamin' Big" paper pack. I stamped the flower image onto the tea-cup  and I coloured it to match the paper with alcohol markers.

Complete supplies are listed at the end of this post.
To purchase any of the items seen in today's blog hop, contact your local CTMH consultant to place an order.

Your next stop on the Cross Canada Hop is Dominique Groulx at of Fun2Cre8 with Dominique.

Thanks for hopping along with us - we hope we were able to inspire you to get creative using some of the designs, products and techniques seen along the way.
We hope you will join us again next month when we will be featuring creations using the ShinHan Touch Twin Markers. So mark April 15th on your calendars for more creative inspiration.

Happy crafting,

Caroline

Supplies:

A1192F:  "Happy Heart" stamp set in French; White Daisy and Cranberry card stock; watercolour paper; water-colour paints Z3132 & brushes Z3188 from CTMH; Thin-cut hearts Z3260; Black ink-pad; gold sequins

C1660F: "Happy for You" stamp set in French; White Daisy and black card stock; Sea Glass, Lagoon and Black ink-pads; Glitter paper in White Z3237 and Silver Z3239; Confetti embossing folder Z3118; ShinHan Touch Twin Turquoise Blue alcohol marker Z2465; Balloon die-cuts from Lil'Inker Designs.

C1605F: "Happy to Be Friends" stamp set in French; "Tea-riffic" stamp of the month S1703; White Daisy, Saffron, Poppy card stock; Dreamin' Big paper pack X7218B; Archival Black and Slate ink-pads; Slate ribbon (discontinued); gold sequins; ShinHan alcohol markers; quilted die cover-plate, Lil'Inker Designs.

Merry...Wednesday :)

Happy hump-day, crafty peeps!

Just three more sleeps until World Card-Making Day!

Which is also the launch of this year's Caring Hearts Card Drive.  More details on that on Saturday.

In the meantime, I'm adding to the Christmas card stash, playing along with this week's Merry Monday challenge:

using the non-traditional colours of dark & light pink and grey or silver.

I used a cut-away card design I say on Stamp Nation's latest blog hop, by  Ingrid Blackburn.

A portion of the card is cut-away, and the top and bottom parts are connected by some silvery snowflakes.  The pink watercolour dot paper is from the new Close to My Heart Whimsy Fundamentals paper pack. I thought it looked like softly falling pink snow! The card base is Raspberry cardstock. Snow flake dies by My Favorite Things.

Inside message appropriately sparkly, from Winter Greetings stamp set by Lil'Inker Designs.

Still lots of time to link up with the Merry Monday Challenge #215! 

See you there,

Caroline

FMS #255

Post #2 for today.

It's been quite awhile since I played along with any challenges. 

I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch #255, to consume some more supplies for ever-growing stack of Christmas cards.

The big rectangle in the sketch seemed perfect for some festive plaid paper (old SU), and I've been wanting to play with those cute little gingerbread people (Lil' Inker Designs) for quite some time. Adding a little Copic marker around the edge of the kraft paper made them nice and "crispy."

Finding a font which would fit between the parts of the sentiment (also LID, currently on sale!)) was tricky. The word JOY was cut with an old set of Sizzix alphabet dies. Their wonky angles inspired the cart-wheeling gingerbread men.
There's still a few hours to play along with FMS this week!
Caroline

Supplies:
All cardstock: Close to My Heart
Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up
Die and stamp set: Lil' Inker Designs
Liquid Pearls, Wink of Stella Pen, Versamark & white embossing powder, Copic markers 

Happy & Fabulous in 2016

Big smooches to you, my fabulous crafty friends!

My first posting of the New Year. It's been a busy month so far. My job as a speech-language pathologist ended just before Christmas, but this semester, I'm teaching a course on stuttering. I was a last-minute replacement, so I've been scrambling to get the materials ready.

But I couldn't resist this week's sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.

Cindy's original design was for a gate-fold card, so I decided to go with that to create invitations to my neighbours and sisters for a ladies' pampering evening later this month.

Here's my version:

And here's what the card looks like as it opens up.

I used an older Stampin' Up set with FABULOUS images to create the right-side design, repeatedly stamping the lipstick image in subtle CTMH Slate ink,

I coloured one of the images for the inside, using Copic markers.

The smooch is a Lil'Inker Designs stamp, inked in CTMH Pomegranate, and embossed with clear shiny powder for some shine. The sentiment stamps are LID, as well.

Hope your New Year is off to a FABULOUS start.

Stay crafty,

Caroline

Now for the Pineapples...

So where were the pineapples in my last post?

I decided to do a whole 'nother one, to give this card it's own space.

I used the current sketch from Freshly Made Sketches:

And the new November challenge from One-Layer Simplicity: A Multitude of Gratitude

which is to make thank-you or gratitude cards.

The Pineapple Panache stamps are a Lil'Inker Designs product. There is a matching die, but I couldn't use that for the One-layer Challenge. I used a mixture of Close to My Heart (Creme Brulee and Pear) inks and Distress inks for the layers of the pineapple. Then I added some splatters and softened the edges with a water-brush.

Thanks for visiting!

Caroline

And so the Magic Begins.... Caring Hearts Post #2

 

Hello my crafty friends!

Well, the postal delivery person (aka the mailman!) dropped off the first batch of cards for the Caring Hearts Card Drive today. Sooo exciting to see the beautiful handiwork of kind and talented people! I love that the cards come from as far away as Quebec and Alberta.

 Receiving them has given me the impetus to get my own card-making underway. I spent last night drafting and cutting to get some samples and kits ready to go. I hope to host a few workshop sessions in my home over the next few weeks, inviting friends to join in the fun.

Here's the first card.

I'm trying to use up existing supplies and tools as much as possible, and I'm starting with my stamps and dies from Lil' Inker Designs.  This is a pretty direct CASE from one of the samples on their website. But with the addition of a strip of black suede paper from Paper Wishes (wonderful rich texture) and a line of silver using...a Sharpie! Who knew something so ordinary could add such a nice accent? The diagonal lines were made using a REALLY OLD Texturz Plate from Sizzix. Remember those? You had to layer the black plates, rubber mat, etc, etc... So glad the world now includes embossing folders, right?

Just in case you'd like to support the Caring Hearts, here are the details on participating.

 

• The card drive will continue until November 28, 2014. We need to receive your cards by November 28, 2014.
•  Please make cards for Christmas or Holiday Wishes. Anyone can send a card, your children, church group, scout troops, etc.
• All cards need to have a seasonal message inside. This can be stamped or hand written.  
• All cards must also be signed by the maker, including your name and  and where you are from. 
• Please include an envelope for each card and please don't seal the envelope.
• Please stick to standard-sized cards:  A2 or 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"
• And please don't use any pins (for safety reasona). Glitter and bling are most welcome!
• This is totally optional, but, if you'd like to include $1 or $2 to help with shipping, it'll be much appreciated. We cover the shipping costs ourselves, with no sponsorship, so any donation toward shipping would help tremendously.
• You can mail the cards to:

          Vera Yates, 109 N. Post Oak Lane Ste. 430, Houston, TX 77024                              
          Card Drive, c/o Tina Schrof , P.O. Box 75,  Springboro, Ohio 45066 
             Linda Langes, c/o Gilston State School, 588 Worongary Road, GILSTON QLD 4211
             Piney-fine, Attn: Anita, P.O. Box 30,  Piney, MBR0A 1 K0, Canada

          Caroline Bredeson, 7 Brown Street, Ottawa, ON K1S 1L9, Canada 

So, get crafting, my friends!
Caroline

Feeling Thankful...

Hello crafty friends :)

Thanksgiving weekend is coming up, here in Canada, and I was able to celebrate the joy of creating with the Recreation Therapy department again, at the rehabilitation centre where I work.

We held a "thankful" card workshop on Tuesday evening.

I usually work up three demo cards, and pre-cut all the materials, so the participants can stamp, ink and glue to their hearts' content. I love it when they take my ideas and run, making a creation all their own. 

So here are the samples, which will be sent out to my family tomorrow! Hopefully Canada Post cooperates...

One great big Hero Arts maple leaf stamp, inked with Distress inks and spritzed, then stamped onto small white card-stock squares. No two alike!

Started with a piece of white watercolor paper, smooshed on distress inks in three colours, then stamped the leaf images in black. The leaves are from Newton's Nook Designs. The sentiment stamp is Close to My Heart.

 

Falling leaves punched from one more distress inked panel. The sentiment is the same Newton's Nook Design. The side-stitched rectangles are from Lil Inker Designs.

To all my Canadian pals, enjoy the long weekend. To my American friends, see you in November!

Make some cards for the Caring Hearts Card Drive!

Happy crafting,       

Caroline

P.S. A few more examples, but BAD photos...

Thanks for the support!

Thank you, QueenB!

I found a new blog to follow while hopping through Pretty Pink Posh's latest blog hop.

Barbara, aka QueenB at The Buzz is also participating in Kathy Racoosin's 30-day Coloring challenge.

Anyway, these cards are direct CASEs of ones Barbara created HERE. Same stamp set, same technique, same card design. Why improve on perfection?

So I made up a big 8x10 sheet of watercolor paper with the black-line emboss-resist image and used watercolor pencils on the flowers and leaves (Inktense) and then a wash of Distress Ink marker (Tumbled Glass) for the sky. I love that you can scribble with a marker on the watercolor paper, and still wash it out. It flows, rather than sinking in.

Then I cut up my panel and created half a dozen 4-bar cards. Cream card base, black stitched mat (Lil'Inker Designs), white-embossed sentiment, done!

I made a couple more cards with the left-over watercolor pieces:

These cards are intended for all the kind folks who sponsored me in the recent 10km race I ran here during the Ottawa Marathon weekend. I was raising funds for stuttering treatment.

My friend Erika and I wearing our team shirts on race day.

Thank YOU for reading!

Happy crafting, 

Caroline

We go together like...

Good morning, crafty friends!

Bit of a hiatus in creating there for a while... I had a busy time at work: running a stuttering intensive clinic (rewarding but exhausting) and coordinating a fund-raising team for the Ottawa Race Weekend, plus training and running a 10km...not a lot of energy left-over.

However, I did carve out some time to play with Create A Smile's first paper-crafting kit, "Sending Sunshine."  I had my heart set on it, as soon as I saw the sneak peek of the stamp set: lobsters and starfish and jellies, oh my!  The perfect accents for any scrap-booking related to our time in our cottage on Canada's east coast paradise, Prince Edward Island. I set my alarm for 2:00 a.m. on the day of the release, to make sure I got a copy...

So this card was made to celebrate my wedding anniversary. 28 years to the same great guy!

I used the bubble stencil included in the stamp set to create a gradient of ocean colour with Distress Inks. Then splotched some water drops over that. Once it dried, I used another Create A Smile stencil, Waves, to apply a layer of translucent embossing paste, to give it a more watery look along with great touchable texture. You can see the effect better in the first photo.

The sentiment comes from a Lil'Inker Designs set, Perfect Pairs. The original images are of peanut butter and jellly, but I added the words "Jelly & Jelly" on the inside, "sticking together for 28 years and counting..."  It was a big hit with the DH.

The jelly fish (which are actually kind of purplish on PEI) were coloured with Copics then coated with Liquid Glass to give them a glossy finish. The coloured enamel drops from the Sending Sunshine kit were the perfect accent.

I am linking this card up with Pretty Pink Posh's Watercolor Blog Hop:

And Kathy Racoosin's 30-Day Coloring Challenge:

I seriously DOUBT I'll be able to keep up with Kathy, but even a little colouring is therapeutic.

Speaking of which, my father-in-law, who has dementia, is colouring up a storm with my Inktense watercolor pencils. I ordered some adult colouring books from www.DoverPublications.com. He particularly loved the Frank Lloyd Wright book, full of architectural masterpieces.
I ordered one for myself from Paper Wishes: Steampunk for Colorists. The perfect little project to take on holiday...


Happy Sunday!
Caroline

Birthday Cards

I've been following the newest Online Card Class: Stretch Your Dies.

Lots of great ideas! They inspired me to get caught up on my family birthday card stash. Don't worry, the intended recipients do not read my blog!

Here's the first:

Beautiful Bokeh background with Distress Inks and white pigment ink, plus home-made circle stencil. Then, those lucious-looking letters! These were inspired by Jennifer McGuire. The letters were white card-stock, cut with Avery Elle alpha dies, coloured with Distress Markers and inks to match the card, glossed with Wink of Stella, then covered with Liquid Glass for that shimmery, shiny effect.

Next up, one for my niece. This card is a shameless CASE of Laura Bassen. I used my rubber embossing mats to make the Polaroid impression with a Lil' Inker's die.  I masked off the edge, and stamped a photo-bomb scene, using Paper Smooches Chubby Chum Pals. Those were coloured with Copic Markers.

For the sentiment, I blended two Copic colours from the scene above, then die-cut the letters from Paper Smooches Sassy Script.

I tried a couple different colour combos before deciding on the blue and brown. Lining the dies up with washi tape helped keep them straight, even when using the magnetic platform.

One more view:

I am linking these up to:

And the Online Card Classes' gallery.

Have a crafty week!

Caroline