25 Days of Christmas Tags with Casual Fridays Stamps

Today, CAS-ual Fridays Stamps are sponsoring Tracey McNeely's wonderful event, 25 Days of Tags!

The Ink Squad have been busy creating their own holiday themed makes and we're celebrating with some fantastic offers - as well as a new Short & Sweet Mini Set - Most Wonderful. It's such a cute, little set and, between November 20th - 26th it's free if you spend $50 (including shipping!) at the Casual Fridays Store. As if that's not incentive enough to head on over, all of the Hanukkah and Christmas stamps and dies are on sale!

So, here's my make for the celebration. I wanted to keep it fairly simple, and used some non-holiday sets to make a little shaker. I've used the Heartboard Fri-die, Mistletoe Fri-die and Fun-fetti Fri-dies!

CAS-ual Fridays New Releases: Pear Tree Fri-Dies

It's time for the brand new releases from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps - and I'm so excited to share them! Over the last week, we've shared all of the new releases over on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog, along with some amazing projects from the Ink Squad!

The last of the new releases is the fantastic set of Pear Tree Fri-Dies, which co-ordinates with the Partridge In A Pear Tree Stamp Set.

To start, I embossed the main illustration in black, then hefted out my watercolours. I used a combination of colours on the tree, then used a silver colour to fill in that adorable little birdie! 

I had a little leftover section of watercolour, with a blue and silver splatter, and decided to make the most of it by turning it into a cute little tag. I used the main die to cut the water-coloured illustration, then moved it around on the base until I decided on where I liked it best. 

As it's a fairly small 'canvas' I didn't have a lot of room to add a sentiment, so I sectioned off one of the sentiments to read 'with love' and added it to the corner. 

You can see that I only used smaller sections of the sets, but I love that it almost feels like a different set! 

If you can't handle the excitement, you don't have to wait until the end of the week to see all of the new sets. Head on over to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and have a little sneak at the New Releases. 

CAS-ual Fridays New Releases: Naughty'isms Stamp Set & Naughty Fri-Dies

It's time for the brand new releases from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps - and I'm so excited to share them! You can see more projects from the Ink Squad over on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog.

Can we have a little chat about how cute the Naughty'isms Stamp Set & Naughty Fri-Dies are? I love them so much. Just a little bit of snark :)

I wanted to make a nice, but neutral card, so started with a white card base and black ink. In the test run, it looked a little flat, so in this version, I added some scored lines - and I love the subtle effect. I used a combination of the sentiments from the Naughty'isms Stamp Set, then added some twine - with a cute, little bell! A few, little white sparkles finish off the card nicely! 

If you can't handle the excitement, you don't have to wait until the end of the week to see all of the new sets. Head on over to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and have a little sneak at the New Releases. 

CAS-ual Fridays New Releases: Merry Christmas Fri-Dies & Happy Hanukkah Fri-Dies

It's time for more of the brand new releases from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. If you haven't been to visit the CAS-ual Fridays Blog, then you are missing out on some inspirational projects - and some amazing prizes!

Next in the fantastic new releases are the Merry Christmas Fri-Dies & Happy Hanukkah Fri-Dies. I love the font on these dies. It's so pretty and the sentiments turn even the most basic cards into something really special!

For the first of my cards, I've used the Merry Christmas Fri-Dies to create a cut-out sentiment in some cardstock (it reminds me a little bit of a blizzard!) and then backed it with some Rinea Gold Foiled Paper. It so shiny!

I left a little strip of the Gold Foil on show at the top edge, then layered some more cardstock behind it, to add some colour. Finally, I added some cute little heart stickers that have been in my stash *forever* and I'm so happy that I waited for that one 'Perfect Project' to use them on!

My second card shows how fantastic the dies look with even the most basic techniques! I used some matt black cardstock, backed with Rinea Gold Foiled Paper to set off the Happy Hanukkah die, then mounted it onto a white card base. The addition of some black, shiny sequins and a few little sparkly dots finished it off wonderfully!

If you can't handle the excitement, you don't have to wait until the end of the week to see all of the new sets. Head on over to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and have a little sneak at the New Releases. 

CAS-ual Fridays New Releases: Mistletoe Fri-Dies

It's Day 3 of the brand new releases from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. Over on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog, we're sharing all of the new releases, along with some inspirational projects from the Ink Squad!

Our next release is the Mistletoe Fri-Dies, which co-ordinate with the 'old favourite', Mistletoe & Holly Stamp Set.

This is such a lovely little illustration and, happily, it's really easy to combine the stamp and the die, so no need for fussy-cutting! Fussy cutting really is not my favourite! 

First I embossed the mistletoe onto some white cardstock, then coloured it with some of my favourite watercolours. It's a new technique for me, but I am starting to enjoy the way that the colours combine. Whilst the mistletoe dried, I used the same watercolours to create a wash, then used that to back a section of my teeny, tiny card.

Inside the card, I've stamped the 'Merry Kiss-Mas' sentiment.

Finally, I mounted the mistletoe to the front of the card and added some little sequins!

If you can't handle the excitement, you don't have to wait until the end of the week to see all of the new sets. Head on over to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and have a little sneak at the New Releases. 

CAS-ual Fridays New Releases: Dashing Stamp Set & Snow Fri-Dies

The second of the brand new releases from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. Over on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog, we're sharing all of the new releases, along with some inspirational projects from the Ink Squad!

Next up, the new Dashing Stamps and coordinated Snow Fri-Dies. I know that I'll have lots of fun with these sets - I love how the sentiments in the stamp set combine - and can't wait to use them in my December Daily album!

Inspired by the idea of falling snow, I used a few different shades of blue watercolours, to create a splattered effect on some cardstock. Then, once the watercolours had dried, I added an embossed sentiment in a silver tone, to create a little shine! 

If you can't handle the excitement, you don't have to wait until the end of the week to see all of the new sets. Head on over to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and have a little sneak at the New Releases. 

CAS-ual Fridays New Releases: Big Hope Fri-Die

It's time for the brand new releases from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps - and I'm so excited to share them! Over the next few days, we'll share all of the new releases over on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog, along with some amazing projects from the Ink Squad!

The first of the New Releases is the Big Hope Fri-Die. I love this die so, so much. It's such a beautiful sentiment that I wanted to make sure that it was the focus of my card, so I went with a classic colour combination and a 'chilled out' easy, layered look. 

To make the sentiment stand out a little more, I cut the die three times, then layered it to create a bit of extra dimension. A few little sequins finished off the card nicely!

If you can't handle the excitement, you don't have to wait until the end of the week to see all of the new sets. Head on over to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and have a little sneak at the New Releases. 

Little Love Card

Hello! Hello! I'm back with a 'Little Love Card' for CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. At the end of each craft session, I like to make sure that my desk is clean and today (I know, I know!) and ready for the next session. But, isn't it more fun to use all of those little leftovers, than to sort them and stash them away?

I like to use them on smaller, 3x3 sized cards, and often use this basic idea to make several cards in advance - stamping, and adding, the sentiment, whenever I need a quick card. Here I've used Tin Roof* as a base, then I've added little sections of cardstock in a similar colour scheme to the bottom of the card. Then, I added a bit of machine stitching for some texture. It's like my signature move ;)

For my sentiment, I used a favourite from Bushy Tailed. I love little sentiments that are suitable for several occasions - and this set is so versatile. To finish, I added one of my beloved enamel dots. All done!

* Tin Roof and a some of our other, older sets are soon to retire. Head on over to see the Retiring Sets and buy them before stocks run out. You can use the code CLAIRSENTME at any time, for a 15% discount! 

Geek Girl Layout

Sneaking in one last, little layout made with last month's kit from The Wild Hare Kits before we reveal our new kits tomorrow.

I found this lovely notebook at Wilko and decided to start an 'old school' scrapbook for some of my current favourites. I loved the splatter effect in the notebook and chose colours to work with them - isn't the epoxy flare beautiful?

Absolutely adored this kit, but can't wait to share my new kit tomorrow! 💕

'Last Minute' Cards & Process Video

Hello lovelies! I'm on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog today with a tutorial for an easy way to make last minute cards, without too much time, effort or mess!

You can make these in a few minutes and it's easy to 'batch make' the bases (so all that's needed later on is the sentiment.) Use different colours and/or sentiments to vary the look! The tutorial covers basic blends and my method for 'sectioning off' areas of the card base!

You can use my discount code CLAIRSENTME in the CAS-ual Fridays Store at anytime, for a 15% discount! Enjoy!

Best Birthday Layout

This month The Wild Hare Kits DT at have chosen another member of the DT to scraplift - it's such a fun way to find out more about each other and learn to appreciate new styles! I lifted a lovely layout by Kelly Barron. There were a lot to choose from, as I love Kelly's style - and it seems that we share a love of stitches on our layouts!

Of course, my layout does look a little bit different. Kelly works in 12x12, while I've moved to 8.5x11. This means that I've clustered all of Kelly's elements into the centre, and I've had to add some extras at the base, and across the top, of my layout to make sure it balances well. 

I loved the Heidi Swapp Hawthorne Stamp Set that was included in my Wild Hare Kit this month - and used one of the smaller sentiments on my layout. It's semi-circular but, because it's thin, it's fairly flexible and I was able to 'straighten' it for a different look!

One of my favourite elements on the finished layout is the little row of enamel dots, mirroring Kelly's row of hearts. I normally use them in clusters (like those spread across the layout) but I think I've found a new way to add more of them to my projects!

CAS-ual Fridays: ATC Vellum Shaker Card Tutorial

Hello lovelies! I have a video tutorial on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog today, with an overview of how to make these ATC (Artist Trading Card) sized shakers!

I've used a wide selection of CAS-ual Fridays stamps and dies to make a little set, so head on over for more details! 

CAS-ual Fridays: Thinking Of You Card

Hello lovelies! I'm over on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog, with a little card for all occasions. I love to have some cheerful cards on hand, in case I need to send a friend a little note to let them know that I'm thinking of them; or to offer some encouragement when times are tough! 

To make this floral themed card, I've used the  beautiful Peaceful Garden and Garden Fri-dies sets, both available from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. Head on over to see more details!

You're welcome to use the code CLAIRSENTME to save 15% on all stamps and dies - at all times!!!

Clean & Simple Watercolour Card {Swedish House Crafts}

Hello! Today, I have a 'Clean & Simple' card to share, made with some of my favourite Gummiapan and Crafter's Companion items from Swedish House Crafts.

I started with some Crafter's Companion Watercolour Sheets, adding a little bit of colour in some fresh, citrus shades! Leaving that to dry, I hauled out my dire-cut machine and made a little stack of die-cuts with the Gummiapan - 2 Diamonds Die.

When the watercolour was dry, I stuck the die-cuts onto the watercolour, with the Crafter's Companion Extra Strong Permanent Glue Tape (it adheres like a dream!) then cut carefully around the edge with some craft scissors. I added the bigger die-cut diamond to the card first, then layered on the smaller diamond. 

I cut some Solar White Cardstock down to 6in x 3 in (folded to create a 3in x 3in card) then cut some Printable Vellum to fit inside the card, sticking the top edge of the Printable Vellum into the fold.

Then I used the Gummipan Stamp, 'Shine Bright Like A Diamond' Stamp on the inside of the card, as a matching sentiment. Doesn't the Momento Tuxedo Black Ink look so crisp? (Please note that this lovely stamp is currently out of stock but should be back soon. In the meantime, there's also a companion 'You're A Diamond' Stamp.)

I love this combination of fresh colours with crisp white and am especially loving how easy I am finding it to use watercolours in my crafting now that I have broken them out of their box! 

Counterfeit Die-Cuts {Forgeries On The Fourth}

I had a lot of fun with my (soon to be revealed) mini-kit for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge. At the end of the frenzied crafting session, where I used it all in one sitting, I decided to use the last few remnants to emulate some of the die-cuts, stickers and embellishments in the Main Kit. 

I used stamp sets from Heidi Swapp and Neat & Tangled, both of which have a wide selection of smaller, adorable icons and sentiments. I think the envelopes are my favourite - and I can see them featuring in a Pocket Letter soon! 

Head on over to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge for more Forgeries On The Fourth. It's full of inspiration this month!

Spring Garden {February's Counterfeit Kit Reveal}

Hello! Hello! This month, we've made some small amendments to how we're setting up the kit 'reveals' for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge and to our standard set of challenges (so if you haven't started at the main Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog be sure to visit for the low-down.)

One thing that won't change is that when it's the first of the month, it's time for a new inspiration kit! This month, it was my turn to choose the kit (as well as our lovely Guest Designer, Lisa-Jane.) So exciting!

I chose the Little Things In Life Kit from ScrapDelight, because I almost never see lavender as the main focus of a collection or kit. It's so different from other kits I've seen recently - and I loved how fresh it felt - especially with the little hint of sunshine that the Little Things In Life Cardstock 'add on' lends to the overall feel. The kit is such a lovely transition between winter and spring.

Having said all that, I was really nervous about my creating my own kit. I rarely choose lavender (or any purple shade) when buying stash, because it's not usually a colour I love. But, once I started to sift the stash, I found a lot more than I was expecting. I unearthed some very small bits of some really old cardstock, which must be from when I started crafting. I have no idea when or where it's from, it's *that* old. (You'll see them in use when I share my Forgeries On The Fourth.)

I also found what must be a co-ordinated set of 6x6 double-sided cardstocks, which are now the main focus of my kit. These were in my 'Summer Crop Gift Set' from my local craft crop (there's usually cake, wine and a little 'something, something' to take home) and I can't now understand why I dismissed them and left them to one side. I love them!

I'm intending to use the kit in my Project Life Album for 2017, so I haven't included many dimensional embellishments. Instead, I've focused on including some smaller die-cuts, labels and stickers. I've also added in some small alpha stickers from Simple Stories (which I realised I needed *after* I took all of my photographs!)

You'll see that I've also included a small sheet of acetate, which emulates the camera sheet in the main kit. I'm happy to say that I broke out some of my stamps to make this myself, using the same method I used in my Stamped Planner Dashboard Tutorial. (Go make one. It's fun.)

I adored the beautiful Little Things In Life Stamp Set 'add on' which includes some banners, florals, wreaths, arrows and small sentiments; and I found the most amazing match for them in the 'Folk Sentiment' Stamp Set from DoCrafts. I've not used this set much, so I'm really happy to be breaking it out!

I also loved the Little Things In Life Journalling Cards 'add on' but I didn't have any suitable matches. Instead, I went hunting in my stash and then made my own from a selection of 'leftovers'. I'll be sharing the tutorial for the cards in Forgeries On The Fourth.)

I love how inspired I've been by this kit - and how it's broken me out of my comfort zone. Now, I'm excited to see how the rest of the team have interpreted the kit, so I'm making myself a cuppa, then I'm off to visit Kelly, Lisa and Margie.

Thankful for Counterfeiting {November's Counterfeit Kit}

Hello! Hello! It's so wonderful to be back with the Counterfeit Kit Challenge after taking a little break over the summer. Life has been devoid of scrapbooking for several months (what a sad state of affairs) so it's fantastic to be playing with pretty paper once more!

If you've been following the blog-hop from the Counterfeit Kit Challenge you'll already have seen the inspiration kit in it's full autumnal glory. Rather than counterfeit the kit exactly, I wanted to recreate the 'feel' of the kit and opted for a mix of autumnal colours as a base (and included a lot of kraft, which isn't seen in the inspiration kit.)

I've echoed those colour choices in all of the embellishment choices that I've made, adding in a variety of kraft coloured die-cuts and envelopes; blue lettering; burnt orange inks and cords; and some washi tapes in blue, grey and teal. And, can I mention these amazing stickers from Love Elsie's Jack & Abby Collection? (Um, remember when Elsie Larsen was a scrapbooker? It's so, so long ago, that no-one remembers!) And those stickers have been in my stash that long. About time that I used them, right?

Balancing out those ridiculously old stickers are some new stickers, die-cuts and stamps from Elle's Studio. There's a mix of colours included, but I felt the emphasis on thankfulness and family would be wonderful for November scrapbooking (or holiday prepping!) and I was thrilled to find these little diamond stamps which are reminiscent of the red diamonds in the inspiration kit.

And that's me! It's so lovely to be back with the Counterfeit Kit Challenge. I cannot wait to see how the other members of the Design Team have been inspire, so I'm making myself a cuppa and then I'm heading on over to see Lesley's version at Oh Blog It!

That Messy Inbetween Stage {What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday #352}

Well, hello there What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday folks! Unusually, I have an 'inbetween' shot of my desk looking messy this morning, because I haven't had chance to catch up (or clean up) after working on several things at once over the weekend.

On the left-hand side there's two new little binders, which I use to store all of the leftovers from my counterfeit kits and behind them, a small stack of scraps which have been stamped on. I'll be taking those to my local scrapbooking club in a week or two! I find that stamping onto my scraps at the end of a crafting sessions means that I use up the smaller scraps more effectively - and cutting them out at the crop means I can be productive but still have a nice old natter with the ladies!

In the centre is a small kit box, containing the kit that I made up for my article 'Creating A DIY Planner Kit From Your Own Stash' which is now live on the Planner Squad. I've been using it this weekend, so check back later in the week when I'll be sharing how I've used it!

Behind the kit box, is a stack of chocolate wrappers (I ate them all and they were delicious!) which I'm saving for 'something' because I hate waste and, finally, on the right-hand side is my tool box - which currently appears to be sat *on* all of the tools, instead of keeping them all in one place!

I'll need to clear everything off the desk before I can start on new stuff this week - I'm really looking forward to making a start on my March Counterfeit Kit. What are you looking forward to working on this week?

Visit Stamping Ground for more information on What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Ready For Spring (February's Counterfeit Kit Challenge Reveal & Blog Hop)

Hello! Welcome to The February Kit Reveal & Blog Hop for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge! If you've been following the reveal blog hop (which starts on the main blog) you will have arrived from Susanne's blog, Snaps and Snippets and will have seen lots of inspiration along the way. If not, read on and I'll make sure you find your way. 

This month our inspiration kit is the brand new, February Kit from Mind The Scrap which includes a selection from the beautiful new collections by Amy Tangerine and Maggie Holmes - and some super-cute (and exclusive) arrow embellishments!  

I think the first thing that anyone will notice is that my kit looks nothing like the original - at least when comparing it to the main kit 'sneak' - but it really is based on it! 

I started with a list of the colours and elements that appealed to me, then went to start sifting and sorting through my collection. Obviously, the 'softer' elements stuck with me (and it's unashamedly pretty) but there are nods to the black and navy in the original kit too. (These softer elements are easier to spot when checking out the individual patterned papers, because they are all on the other sides!)

I hadn't realised that the Dear Lizzy Alphas would work so well with the silver-grey patterned papers, but was so pleased to find out that they did! I then added some smaller alphas in mint and turquoise that match some of the florals.

The large gold 'sequins' are actually counterfeited using my trusty circle punch and the leftover cardboard from a bottle of Chambord Liqueur! (Happy Christmas!) and I've saved the rest of the box as well, in case I can make some magic happen with the framed sides.

To complete the kit, I've added in some extra embellishments including; doilies, paper-clips, charms, stamped phrases, some pocket cards, buttons and a striped paper bag. Oh, and let's not forget those delightful resin roses! It's all a bit random, but I like the way it's worked out. Clearly, I am 'Ready For Spring'.

 

I can't wait to see how the rest of the team have interpreted the Mind The Scrap Kit, so I'm heading over to see Jemma at Just Jimjams which is the next stop on The February Kit Reveal & Blog Hop.