For Babies & Children CTC#134

Welcome back to another round of CASE-ing The Catty Blog Hops. If you're a new visitor, I'm waving hello from Melbourne, Australia. You may know that blog hops are called that because you hop from one blog to the next, via the link buttons at the end of the post. We do hope you will visit everyone on the crew, and please leave a comment if you are impressed, inspired or excited by something!

I'm a little bit besotted with this cute pink porker, and thought she was an ideal candidate to use when CASE-ing the card on the bottom left of those four pictured above. From that layout I've borrowed the central banner with a circular element, containing the feature piece. The patterned back ground was swapped for plain, and the banner became the patterned piece. I also used linen thread tied around the banner in a bow, just like the catalogue sample.

This one came together so quickly, I had time to CASE another card from the same section, and this time for a wee baby girl. I could hardly wait to order this bundle, it is so cute! There are the three 'wild' animals (bear, lion & elephant) who look so sweet and cuddly, as well as some other cute pieces and sentiments. Then there are the dies which really add such value to this set.

The animal tags cut the front and back of the animals out, joined, as in a tag, but they are easy enough to snip apart, and who says these cute creatures can't have their backs to the audience?

Once the flower was added above Ellie Elephant's ear, it was clear to all that she is a little lady. Super, super easy to do as I stamped onto Smokey Slate, die cut and snipped the back off and she was ready to go.

Those stems of leaves (?) which I've cut in pink add a lovely texture to the card. Because there is more layering with designer series paper and cardstock on this card, this card is more for the person who papercrafts semi-regularly.

The secret to a neat card, is accurate and straight cutting. My personal crafting style is 'clean & layered' so I often don't remember to add embellishments, but I love a couple of layers. It makes it quite a challenge for me to make a single layer card, but they are a bit easier for someone just beginning their card-making journey.

This is a single-layer card for the beginning stamper. Your stamping is all done on Shimmery White card, and die cut afterwards. You can pick the best image to die cut, and with the words, make sure they are straight and centred by moving the die around. I'd love to introduce you to the fun of stamping if you haven't taken the plunge yet. You can come for a "Quick & Easy Class" or a more extended session. There are more details under Classes.

This fabulous adhesive sheet really makes these fiddlier pieces so easy to handle. It is item #144106 on page 203 of the Annual Catalogue, or see it here in my online store. There are 12 sheets in each pack measuring 6 inch by 12 inch, which you can cut as required. You might also be interested in Vellum which is super thick and can add a layer of interest.

And now you can head off to my friend Julia's blog

Happy crafting

Rachel