Welcome to Week 13 of the Art With Heart Team Colour Creations Blog Hop! This week we’re celebrating Cajun Craze, one of Stampin’ Up!’s rich, earthy colours that works beautifully for masculine cards, autumn projects and vintage-inspired designs.
For my project, I created an Accordion Z Fold Card with a Card Within a Card. Yes… that’s quite a mouthful! But it’s also a really fun interactive fold that has plenty of wow factor.
I made this card for my brother’s birthday and chose the gorgeous bicycle pattern and striped pattern from the Waterside Retreat 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper as my starting point.
I loved pairing it with the adorable bicycle stamp from the June “Bikes & Blooms” Paper Pumpkin Kit—it was the perfect match.
Here’s what the fancy fold looks like from above…
Here’s what it looks like laid out flat…
And here’s the “Card Within a Card” inside the accordion fold!
One of my favourite details on this card is the shiny foil on all of the sentiments. If you noticed those little glints of metallic shine, that’s thanks to my new Stampin’ Up! Hot Foil System!
I used the Sweetly Sentimental Hot Foil Dies, and I’m absolutely loving the elegant finish they add to a project.
This fold is surprisingly easy to make and gives you plenty of space to decorate both inside and out, making it ideal for special birthdays and other milestone occasions.
Take a look at some more Cajun Craze inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
Week 12 of our Art With Heart Colour Creations Insta hop is all aboutBubble Bath, one of those beautifully soft pinks that works for almost any occasion. Delicate without being overpowering, it’s perfect for creating elegant floral cards with a subtle, feminine feel.
For my project I’ve created a monochromatic birthday card, using different shades, textures and layers to add interest while keeping the colour palette beautifully simple.
The floral arrangement was created with the Lovely Arrangements Bundle, with the flowers stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and coloured using both the Light and Dark Bubble Bath Stampin’ Blends. Using the two Blends adds subtle shading and depth while keeping the card beautifully monochromatic.
The leaves were stamped onto Vellum Cardstock using VersaMark Ink and white heat embossed. The translucent vellum softens the foliage, allowing it to sit behind the flowers without competing for attention, while the crisp white embossing adds an elegant finish.
The Happy Birthday greeting on the front was white heat embossed on Bubble Bath card stock before being die cut using the thin sentiment die from the Lovely Arrangement Dies.
I embossed the background using the Lazy Daisy 3D Embossing Folder, adding plenty of texture while allowing the soft Bubble Bath colour to remain the star of the show.
To break up the background, I added a strip of Beach Boardwalk 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper, layered over a slightly wider strip of Basic White cardstock. This simple layering technique helps frame the floral arrangement, introduces a subtle pattern and adds another layer of interest while keeping the overall design soft and elegant.
Take a look at some more Bubble Bath inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
This week the Art With Heart Team is celebrating Blueberry Bushel and my original plan was to use the Scenic Coast 6″ x 6″ (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper, but as it’s currently out of stock I thought I’d showcase another option.
Instead, I’ve chopped up one of beautiful card fronts from the Painted Skies Kit to make a double vision card. My dad’s birthday is next week and he has always loved nature scenes, so this dramatic sunset over the water was ideal.
The artwork in the Painted Skies Kit has such a similar painterly style that I’m convinced it was created by the same artist. If you love scenic landscapes, the kit is a wonderful substitute for the Scenic Coast 6″ x 6″ (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper.
The Double Vision effect looks complicated, but it’s actually very simple.
To create the illusion:
Cut your image into equal-width strips, keeping them in order.
Attach every second strip directly to the card base with liquid glue.
Add the remaining strips using foam strips.
Alternate the glued and raised strips across the card.
The alternating heights create a wonderful dimensional effect that changes depending on the viewing angle.
The Happy Birthday greeting on the front was white heat embossed on Blueberry Bushel card stock before being layered onto a strip of Basic White card stock for extra contrast.
Inside the card, I stamped Let’s Celebrate You in Blueberry Bushel and added candles from the Words & Wishes stamp set to frame the sentiment.
Both the front greeting and the inside sentiment are from the Simply Said stamp set, which has now retired, but I still love reaching for it whenever I need a clean, classic sentiment.
A Blueberry Bushel card stock base provides the perfect bold frame for this colourful sunset and really makes the artwork pop.
Take a look at some more Blueberry Bushel inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
Welcome to Week 10 of the Art With Heart Team Colour Creations Blog Hop, where we’re working our way alphabetically through the Stampin’ Up! colour collection. This week we’re celebrating the rich, elegant shade of Blackberry Bliss.
This week’s card is especially meaningful because I made it for my lovely Aunty Robin, who celebrates her 90th birthday this month. Reaching such a wonderful milestone deserves a special handmade card, and the beautiful new Begonia Belle stamp set was the perfect choice.
After creating a card base with the Blackberry Bliss card stock, I added a layer of Basic White card stock and then another layer of Blackberry Bliss card stock stamped with the pattern stamp from the Begonia Belle stamp set using Blackberry Bliss ink.
The tone-on-tone effect is hard to capture in a photo, however in real life it adds texture and interest without competing with the focal flowers.
I wanted the flowers and leaves to really pop against the rich, dark, Blackberry Bliss card stock, so I used the following colour combination:
Blackberry Bliss
Fresh Freesia
Bubble Bath
Old Olive
Mossy Meadow
Basic White
Basic Black
Gold Foil
The large flowers and leaves were stamped using the two-step stamping technique. I love how layering the images creates extra depth and detail while still keeping the design soft and elegant.
After stamping, I carefully fussy cut each flower before outlining them with the Dark Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Blend. This simple trick helps define the edges and makes the flowers stand out beautifully against the background.
The front sentiment is from the Begonia Belle stamp set, stamped in Versamark ink and white heat embossed.
Because this card was for a 90th birthday, I wanted the sentiment to be a little more personalised. I used the Words & Wishes stamp set to stamp “happy” and “Birthday” and a simple masking technique to isolate the small “th” in the “birthday” stamp, allowing me to create the 90th sentiment.
I love how the soft pinks balance the richness of Blackberry Bliss, while the touches of Gold Foil add just the right amount of elegance for such a special birthday.
Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope this project inspires you to pull out your Blackberry Bliss cardstock and inks and create something beautiful.
Take a look at some more Blackberry Bliss inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
Welcome to Week 9 of our Art With Heart Team Colour Creations Blog Hop, where we’re working our way through the Stampin’ Up! colour collection in alphabetical order. This week we’re celebrating the rich, vibrant Berry Burst.
Berry Burst is one of those colours that always makes a statement. Bright, cheerful and full of personality, it pairs beautifully with florals, making it the perfect choice for this feminine birthday card and matching custom envelope.
For this project, I created a Double Gatefold Card featuring the gorgeous Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape. If you haven’t tried this washi tape yet, it’s such a fun product to work with. Simply adhere it to Basic White card stock before die cutting with the coordinating Extraordinary Flora Dies, giving you beautifully detailed floral embellishments in minutes.
My card features:
Berry Burst card stock base
Moonlit Flora Designer Series Paper on the front gatefold panels
Garden Poetry Designer Series Paper for the inside panels and matching custom envelope
Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape adhered to Basic White card stock and die cut with the coordinating dies
Framed All Around Stamp Set sentiment
Layered Stylish Shapes Dies circles with a Berry Burst mat
Berry Burst embellishments to finish the floral clusters
Normally I make cards in metric measurements to make the most of our Australian A4 card stock bases, but because this design uses more than half a sheet of A4 card stock and because I wanted to make a perfectly fitting custom envelope, I followed a US tutorial using imperial measurements for this project.
Start with an 11″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Berry Burst card stock and score at:
1-1/4″
3-3/8″
7-5/8″
9-3/4″
Cut Designer Series Paper for the four front panels and adhere to the card stock base.
Front panels: 1-1/8″ x 5-3/8″ (Moonlit Flora DSP)
Inside flaps: 2″ x 5-3/8″ (Garden Poetry DSP)
For the inside panel cut a piece of Basic White card stock and adhere to the card base: 4″ x 5-1/4″.
I created a 1″ belly band to hold the card flat, covering the front join with layered stitched circles with a Berry Burst mat. The front sentiment is from the Framed All Around Stamp Set.
This video shows how the card opens up.
Take a look at some more Berry Burst inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
