Floral Butterflies or Christmas? CTC54 Colour Challenge

WE don't often have colour challenges at CASE-ing The Catty, but this week is an exception and we're mixing Mossy Meadow, Pool Party and Real Red together. I'm sure it will be lots of fun to circle the blog checking out what the design team has thought to produce with this colour scheme.




Have you come from admiring the Christmas ornaments lovely Kathryn in South Australia made, or did you join in here with me? Either way, a big welcome, and keep on blog hopping!


When I first saw the picture above, I thought the Mossy Meadow was overwhelming. It really hasn't been a favourite of mine, but in different (=smaller) proportions, it is a very useable combination. I began with a Christmas card, because the red and green spoke to me of Christmas. Recently I ordered  Sparkly Seasons stamp set and Seasonal Frame Thinlets Dies as a bundle and was keen to try them out. The 'Falalala' is part of the Seasonal Frame Thinlets Dies. One was cut in gold glitter paper, the other in the red. They're stunning!

I stamped onto watercolour paper and experimented a little with the colouring. Finally, I decided my preference is for ink squeezed into the stamp pad lid and applied lightly with an Aqua Painter. You do need to take care not to get the paper too wet and have the colour 'run' outside the lines. Another option would be to use the Shimmery White card instead of watercolour paper. On the Pool Party card, I've used the Hardwood stamp for a background and stamped Mossy Meadow onto card the same colour for the snowglobe stand and it looks soft & velvety, like suede. It was the cute snowglobe images which made me buy this stamp, I can see some sweet scenarios using another of the images, a cute, little ballerina when a young lady in the family becomes a tiny bit older, and {maybe} becomes a dancer.She looked very sweet today at her cousin's birthday party wearing a green tutu.

Inspiration for the other set of cards came while I was still creating the Christmas card. I decided the colours would be perfect for the Floral Wings Hostess stamp set. I have an order from a customer for a half dozen thank you cards and I know she likes butterflies, so although I will also use Butterfly Basics, I thought I would make her a couple from the Floral Wings too. I've made a couple of cards the same, and then I also made another with a vase of roses. I'm thrilled with how they've turned out.

The Hello You Thinlets have cut the 'thanks' and its so much easier now I have the Precision Base Plate. You can see it demonstrated here on Youtube.The Bold Butterfly Dies cut like a dream with the Precision Base Plate, as does the much more intricate Butterflies Thinlets. The other great new addition to the Stampin' Up!® range, introduced in the Holiday Catalogue, is the Fine-Tip Glue Pen. It has a needle which slides down the tip after use of the glue pen to seal it shut properly, so it doesn't clog up and you can easily place the right amount of glue on the back of  very fine die cuts.
 Our Hostess sets are at the end of the catalogue and you can earn them by hosting a party, hosting a catalogue party with your friends, or even by buying all the goodies on your own wish list, and once you pass $250, you will have $25 Hostess Dollars to spend (and Floral Wings will only use $18 of those Hostess Dollars).Have I confused you? You can call 0417 500 681 or email rpalmieri5@bigpond.com and ask questions.

Now it's time for you to hop on over to  the amazing Rebecca's to check out her fabulous project for the colour challenge.

Cheers

Rachel

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Gift For A Gardener Case-ing Gift Packaging CTC#40

This week the CASE-ing The Catty Crew are CASE-ing the section of the catalogue titled Gift packaging, pages 55-66. You may be starting here with me, or perhaps you have come from Rebecca's blog, Mommiedom.
If you've started here, you can continue to blog hop your way right around for plenty of CASE-ing The Catty inspiration by clicking on the link at the end of my blog. If you happen to get lost along the way, you can get back on track at Case-ing The Catty.




I was absolutely sure that I didn't need the Gift Bag Punch Board even after trying it out at Convention. After all, I can make a gift bag without it. Then I had another think about it and ordered, because it is fairly inexpensive at $32.00, and when I need to make multiple gift boxes for Easter or Christmas gift-giving, this is going to be much quicker. I'll have more time for decorating the boxes!

The Gift Bag Punch Board arrived in my last order along with lots of other goodies that I've use to make this Gift Bag. After having a couple of practice runs, I had memorised the steps, it was easy-as and super-quick, so I'm hooked.

In the same order I received Stake Your Claim stamp set, Floral Wings Hostess stamp set and the Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Brick Wall.  This bag was inspired by the pretty pink bag with a piece of Embossed Butterfly decorating it, on page 58, so pretty and it uses Oh My Goodies bundled with the Deco Labels Collection Framelits. Before I assembled the box, I stamped it with Sahara Sand ink and the Hardwood stamp. Looking at it in the pictures, it might have paid to have stamped that with Tip Top Taupe, it's quite subtle. I was inspired to emboss the wall onto Sahara Sand card, but you wouldn't know that now as I went nuts with a sponge and Tip Top Taupe, Cajun Craze and Delightful Dijon inks to give it warmth and texture. The grout lines of this folder are very deep, but it doesn't break the card. I've seen it used with either side as the feature too. Also, it is a BIG 6" X 6" and still fits through the Big Shot!

Gently tearing the bricks along the grout lines gave it the rustic, tumble-down look and before I adhered it with Tombow, I stamped two meandering vines, from Floral Wings. I might go back and add some flowers to that vine. I suspect it is a climbing rose, madly out of control, judging by the fowers in Floral Wings!!! I had a bit of fun die cutting the plant pots and trowel out of scraps. I had the Handpicked Framelits  already,from the Occasions Catalogue but you can still purchase it because now Stake Your Claim is the co-ordinating stamp set. That's where the 'birthday' stake is from. It was stamped in Rose Red, 2nd generation as I've heard some call it. That means it's been stamped once and then stamped again with out re-inking.

You can see the first stamping of the stake in front of the box here, I was concerned that the colour was too bright for the bricks etc., but later, after filling the Gift Box with hand and nail care products, it has brought a bit more of the pink into the picture, This was such a fun project to put together, I think I might just run a gift packaging class later this year.

If you need any of these products, the product list takes you right to that item in my online store, and the Hostess Code is 6J7FYB24. I'm closing this 'party' at the end of July, and it has already reached the hostess dollars mark, so you will be awarded 10% of your order in product - sharing the love of Stampin' Up!

My inspiration, page 58

Now you're off to the next blog on the hop, Alison is bound to have something super to share,
Cheers
Rachel

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog