CATchy MEWsic Card

Posted on February 23, 2019 by dannscraftingwhims

Hello and thanks for your patience! I’ve been out sick again, but finally got back in the saddle with a really fun card I needed to make up for a friend. I used the current challenge prompts from A Blog Named Hero: Love is in the Air with a color palette:

Now that I’m on my computer, I see that third color is fuchsia… on my phone it looks red. I figured out it’s the phone… I took a screen shot from the pone and put it on my computer and it looks just like the one above. Crazy! Oh well, it’s close enough and still perfect for the theme. Next time I know to check the computer for truer colors!

From the minute I saw this Dancing Music Notes die, it was almost exactly what I’ve long had in mind for my Taking Note poem about the people in the symphony of our lives. I wanted the poem written across a flowing staff with pictures of people’s faces in the notes. I have tried and tried to fit it in, but it just looks too crowded…

I guess I’ll have to just print it out in a pretty font on the inside of the card… unless I can talk Hero Arts into making this into an 8×10 die and printing my poem on a stamp, too! lol! For this card I specifically wanted this lovely sentiment on the inside:

At least my other idea for this die worked… having cats playing across the music staff… so fun! My favorite is the white kitty in the lower right who’s resting with her paw linked through a musical rest symbol! To get the reverse image of the dangling kitty I stamped him off on a flat rubber stamp and stamped that onto paper. Since the impression was light, I traced over it with an ultra fine pen. I didn’t worry about the umbrella piece showing… It just looks like part of his paw. I may have gone a little overboard with the hearts, but to me they represent their fabulous musical purrs. The sentiments seemed a little lost after I added the hearts, so I outlined them with the black ultrafine marker. If I could have put my hands on a paw-print stamp, I’d’ve probably put one in each note, and then it would’ve been WAY too busy, so it’s a good thing I couldn’t find one handy.

Supplies used:

Hero Arts Dancing Music Notes Confetti Die
Hero Arts Raining Cats and Dogs stamps and dies
Hero Arts MMH04-18 & Cinco de Meow stamp sets (feel the MEWsic)
Die-Versions My Micro Font 1/4″ die (CAT-chy!)
CAS-ual Fridays Big Treble stamp set(inside)
Tsukineko Memento dye ink: Tuxedo Black
Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils (cats): Cadmium Orange, Dark Cadmium Yellow, Warm Gray 1 & 3, Ivory, Pink Carmine, Rose Carmine, Light Red Violet
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks (blended background): Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Barn Door
Hero Arts inks: MMH 01-18 Passion Flower (sentiments) & MMH04-18 Fiesta Red (hearts)
Sakura Microperm 01 ultrafine pen
Core’dinations cardstock: white & purple; card base: Parisian Nights
Simply Defined permanent adhesive runner and ‘Stay-Put’ glue

Thanks for stopping by to CATch this MEWsical little number! I hope it made you smile!!

~D.Ann

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Adventures with Marabu Easy Marble Marbling – Purrfectly Marbleous!

Posted on October 24, 2018 by dannscraftingwhims

Ok, it’s time to break away from card and try a different craft for the Cat Lovers Hop which is 1/2 over already! Wahhhh!

Warning… This post will be extra long, so I won’t be offended if you just scroll through. I’ll put the cat stuff first. To dangle a little catnip…For those of you who hang in there until the end, there will be another giveaway. : )

My crafty pal Mary and I got together recently to try out the new-to-us Marabu Easy Marble paints. Talk about addictive! Once we got the hang of it, we wanted to marble everything in sight. Lol!

As promised, I’ll start with the cat items I wanted to marble. I had a ceramic toilet brush holder (Tuesday Morning) a plastic soap dispenser (Burlington Coat Factory) a pen (the Dollar store) and a wooden tape dispenser that Mary had given me.

These paints are as smelly as nail polish (containing acetate and a bunch of other strong, stinky chemicals), so you need a well ventilated room, for sure. You will also want to use gloves. I used cheap latex gloves that I could easily toss for another pair when they got too much paint on them so I didn’t smudge what I was dipping.

It’s so simple to do: drop a few drops on top of a tub of water deep enough to submerge what you’re going to marble. (When I searched for videos on Marabu marbling, I saw someone marble an amazing guitar in a bathtub!) I preferred to use cheap little plastic basins I could throw away as some paint would build up on the sides of them. (However Mary cleaned them up so well that we saved them for future projects.

Next, drag a pick of some kind through the paint to make your swirling designs. (I used metal tweezers that I’d used for holding the paper I marbled) Don’t over-do it or it will start sticking to your pick You have to work fast as the paint will start to dry and glob up in only a minute and a half or so. Then you submerge your item. Try to find a place to hold the item that won’t need marbling. This is easy for glasses, open containers and this brush holder… just put your hand inside. For paper, it’s good to have a tweezers… make sure to clean them after each dipping lest the paint build up on them. You’ll also want to have a place set aside for drying. The paint tends to dry quickly, but porous materials like paper need more time to dry.

As you can see, my basin wasn’t quite big enough so I had to dunk him twice.

The results are ever so fun! (Yes, I added regular paints (Martha Stewart Crafts Metallic acrylics and Prima Art Alchemy Opal Magic) to define some of the features afterward, such as the eyes, noses, etc.) The paint will scratch off, so I sealed it with a clear acrylic paint sealer when dry.

Of course I HAD to work on some other home decor items… like my Bygel containers from IKEA for my Raskog cart

If your paints aren’t mixing well, you probably need to clean the water. We learned that you definitely want to clean as much of the paint off the water as you can before the next dip. for larger amounts of leftover paint, use a tag or scrap of paper. To get the scum and little bits off, drop a paper towel on the surface, then push the corners down and toward the middle, catching all the scum in the paper towel, pull out of the water and squeeze out the water.

A little goes a long way with these! I used the Aqua Green, Turquoise and Gold on most of these items for my house and still have about 1/2 a bottle of each left!!

There is a difference between how the colors show up on white and on dark surfaces as you could tell by the cats and by these papers:

You can also marble paper, cloth (the leaf) and acetate:

The paints even work on candles:

The colors don’t mix, so you can use as many as you like without making mud! I added some amethyst to the turquoise, aqua green and gold here:

For my final project, I did a silver picture frame from the Dollar Store using aqua green, turquoise, aubergine, amethyst and black:

And used it for a picture of Mary’s mom’s cat, Charlie (See more pics of this cutie-pie Maine Coon cat HERE)

Yep, playing with these left me feline pawsitively marble-ous! I’ll definitely be doing more of this in the future!

***** Giveaway now closed *****

Thanks for hanging in until the end! Check out this little package (#3) of feline goodies I’ll be giving away to one of you:

Hip, Hip Purray! Cat knee-highs, a color in cat card, a magnetic bookmark, sticky notes, washi tape, cat eraser, kitty tissues, and even an adjustable cat ring! Pawsome!

What do you have to do to be eligible to win my prize package #3? If you’re interested, just leave me a comment using the word “catatonic” somewhere in your comment.

Bonus entry option #1: Be a follower of my blog and leave me another comment.

For a second bonus entry, follow me on Instagram (@d.ann.c), like and comment on the post featuring this project. (It doesn’t have to be a long comment, just a heart will do.) Come back here and leave a comment letting me know that you did it and your Instagram name.

Bonus entry option #3 (for a total of 4 possible entries): Follow me on Pinterest(@dannscrafting) and re-pin any one of my cards or projects that you like. (If you don’t like them, you don’t have to pin any. lol!) Come back here and leave a comment letting me know your Pinterest name.

You will have until Midnight, Eastern Standard Time, October 28, 2018 to get your comments in. Sometime after noon Eastern Standard Time on Monday, October 29, I will publish a post listing all winners from giveaways on my blog from this hop (chosen using Random.org). Winners will have 48 hours to claim their prizes so, if you’re not subscribed, be sure to check back later that afternoon for that post!!

Next up I will have something that reminds us what everybody wants to be…. can you guess what the song says that is? >^.^<

~D.Ann

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Spellbinders Purrfect-ly Elegant Cats Anniversary Card

Posted on October 23, 2018 by dannscraftingwhims

Hello and welcome to day two of the 2018 Cat Lovers Hop!

Today I have another fab giveaway for you, so be sure to read to the end. I thought this lovely pair of cats would make a sweet anniversary card for my feline-loving friends. Entwined tails are definitely a hallmark of ktty antics, perfect for the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

The heart was originally gold, too (somehow I lost the pic), but it seemed overwhelming, so I broke it up by using a Copic marker to change it to red. I like that it kept its shine.

For the inside and the envelope, I just embossed the dies. In the picture you can see the embossing on the card a little better because I highlighted it a bit with some chalks. In real life, the tactile feel of the embossing adds elegance to the card.

Supplies:

Spellbinders Purrfect, Pawing Around & Bella Rose Lattice Layering Frame dies
DCWV chalkboard & shimmer stacks
Recollections 110# cream cardstock
Spellbinders Platinum Pack 3 poster board – gold
Copic marker R29
Pebbles, Inc. Pearlescent Chalks Jewel Tones
Simply Defined Double Sided Adhesive & Stay-Put Glue
Misc. Ribbon

I’m playing along with the following challenges – click on any one of them for more information on how you can join the fun:

***** Giveaway now closed *****

Now for the special surprise you’ve been waiting for! The generous folks at Spellbinders have kindly allowed me to offer one of you a $25 gift card (store credit) to their online store! (Credit will not cover shipping costs, duties or taxes.) Thank you, Spellbinders!

What do you have to do to be eligible to win this prize? Let’s start by showing the kind folks at Spellbinders some gratitude… First, go to their Facebook page HERE, like it and leave them a message thanking them for sponsoring the generous giveaway for the Cat Lovers Hop on DAnnsCraftingWhims blog! Then come back here and leave me a comment that you did so. Easy peasy.

Bonus entry option: On Sunday, October 28, 2018 go back through all of my posts for the Cat Lovers Hop and find out how many different Spellbinders dies (just their dies, not poster board or stamps) I used on all of my projects for the 2018 Cat Lovers Hop (Starting with the first post HERE). Send me an e-mail with your answer (d.annscraftingwhims [at] gmail.com).

For a second bonus entry (up to three entries per person total), follow me on Instagram (@d.ann.c), like and comment on the post featuring this card. (It doesn’t have to be a long comment, just a heart will do.) Come back here and leave a comment letting me know that you did it and your Instagram name.

This giveaway is open worldwide. You will have until Midnight, Eastern Standard Time, October 28, 2018 to get your comments in. Sometime after noon Eastern Standard Time on Monday, October 29, I will publish a post listing all winners from giveaways on my blog from this hop (chosen using Random.org). Winners will have 48 hours to claim their prizes so, if you’re not subscribed, be sure to check back later that afternoon for that post!!

Ok, that’s it for this post – best wishes to all… Now, on with the hop!

~D.Ann

p.s. any ads on this page are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

Meet Charlie, the Maine Coon Cat

Posted on August 15, 2015 by dannscraftingwhims

I thought I’d switch up to something different today… Let’s meet my friend’s Maine Coon cat, Charlie! I spent a couple of days visiting Charlie recently, and this adorable young kitty just kept posing for pictures like a runway diva, so I thought I’d share some with you.

Maine Coon cats are known for being social and outgoing – Charlie loves to be where his peeps are!

He also loves to hang out on his kitty tree for quick catnaps.

No matter how quietly you sneak up on him, he always seems to sense you’re close and open his eyes with a mischievous ‘I’m ready to play now, are you?!’ look.

Well, almost always. : )

Charlie loves to play with his stuffed animals and will drag them across the house in his mouth. (He chose not to show that off when I visited tho.)

One of the identifying characteristics of Maine Coon Cats are the Lynx-like tufts of hair on the tips of their ears. Males weigh, on the average, 13-18 pounds – around twice the size of the average 8 pound cat. Verismo Leonetti Reserve Red holds the 2006 Guinness World Record for length. He was measures at 48 inches from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail and weighed in at a healthy (for his frame) 35 pounds. From 20010 to 2013, a cat named Stewie beat this record length, measuring 48.5 inches!