Ice Cream Solves Everything Kitty Cone Cards and Key Chains with Newton’s Nook Designs

Hello, there! I’m so glad you could stop by as I have some cool summer fun to share with you today! Go grab some ice cream, this is a long one. Just sayin’!  For some reason I couldn’t get my brain to work on saying things succinctly. (Plus there are 4 cards this time.) So I won’t be offended if you just take a quick scroll through the pics. : )

First let me start with a story. A long time ago our family developed a code word for ice-cream. It seems someone in the family was always getting flowers when they were sick or needed cheering up and one day they finally admitted… ‘I sure would be cheered up a lot more if it was ICE CREAM instead of flowers!’ So, from then on whenever this person was sick we’d ask, ‘would FLOWERS cheer you up?’ and if they said ‘yes’, they got ice cream. Now the whole family uses FLOWERS as code for ICE CREAM. It really does make us feel better! Of course if you get BOTH… that’s just a win-win! : ) When I saw this ‘Ice Cream solves Everything’ sentiment I KNEW I had to make up a card for you-know-who! Who knows, maybe it’ll catch on and some day Mirriam-Webster will have a footnote under ‘flowers’ that says “n. – slang for ice cream in the early 21st century’ Hahahaha!

Of course now that I’ve told the story I see that I should have made a sliding sentiment that said FLOWERS solve everything on top and pulls out to say ICE CREAM! Per usual, I have 20/20 hindsight!! Next time!

The card was based on a sketch from the Inky Paws Challenge #77: 

Too bad I finished the card the day AFTER that challenge closed = I needed ice cream to ease the disappointment! Just look at these two darling kitties sharing a yummy ice cream cone!

(card #1 above) I have always wanted to do one of these backgrounds where part is colored and part is b&w, so decided to try that. I find it daunting to try to randomly stamp a background, but I tried a couple on regular paper until I got one that I liked and put it in the MISTI and laid my stamp on top of each place I’d stamped, picked it up and restamped it. I was able to crank out 4 copies in relatively quick time.

I didn’t want to cover up too much of the background, so, to make the kitties licking their ice cram cone stand out, I cut out some black paper just a bit larger than they are and put it behind them (I had already put the foam underneath them to pop them up, so the black shadow is down on the card base, making it ever more shadow-y.) Glossy Accents and Liquid pearls help the ice cream look more realistic.

Since the current Monday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp is Sprinkles & Splatters,  I really wanted the sprinkles to pop, so added Nuvo Drops to them and to the kitty noses, tongues (love those cute little lapping tongues!!) and paws. To get Mrs. Calico Kitty’s tail in reverse, I just traced the back side of the stamped image on a light box.

Making the kitty cone: I was in JoAnn Fabrics when they had their 75% off sale and found these cute beads… I thought looked like kittens (they say they’re mice so I added a more kitty-like nose and mouth with a Sakura Identi pen, which stayed on the ceramic (whereas the Sakura Pigma Micron whisker extensions I’d done wiped off the next day), and some pink to the inner ears with a Copic) They reminded me of the kitty cones on my card, so I went looking for something that would look like a waffle cone. I found a Utility Cotton Fabric called, amazingly, Waffle Weave! I drew a semi-circle on a piece of tagboard from a cereal box and cut it out, then cut the fabric slightly larger, and then glued it to the tagboard, folding the edged over and gluing them to the back side. Then I curled it into a cone and glued it together. Once dry, I colored in the debossed waffle squares with a Copic marker. Using a headpin, I made a loop at the top of the kitty and hot glued it in place and hot glued the kitty snuggled inside the ‘waffle cone’. I added some pearlescent seed beads to make the kitty cones hang lower than keys and added a couple of pawprint charms and they were good to go.

I recently told my friend that I remembered after my first day of school, mom would always take me to DQ and that gave me something to look forward to all day… Yep, ice cream solves the tedium of that interminable long first day of school! So I decided to make another card and keychain for my friend’s daughter for her first day of school this week. They had ice cream cones after her first day of school, too! A great tradition has started!! That fits perfectly with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for this week: Back to School.

Back to School is also the theme for the current MarkerPoP! Challenge #138  This time I used fancier beads on her keychain and another I made for someone else:

Aren’t those kitty cones just darling? I love that they match the stamps!!

The CURRENT Inky Paws Challenge (#78) is Summer/Beach.  

Since I had more backgrounds with my summer ice cream, I kept on doing cards with that same layout from the previous Inky Paws Challenge. As I’d used the new Finesse alcohol-proof dye ink by Spectrum Noir to stamp the backgrounds, I wanted to try using alcohol inks on them and decided to try Spectrum Noir basics and Copics. FYI, they both worked fine and the Finesse ink didn’t bleed at all.

The Spectrum Noir sheet was a bit darker than I wanted, so I decided to use vellum over most of it. To take a break from coloring, I left this kitty white.

(Card #2 above) Can’t quite place that tag die? I wanted a nice fishtail tag, but the only one I had (Spellbinders Decorative Swallowtail Tags) was too tall, so I snipped it down and ended up with a leftover decorative accent for another project…

For the Copic background, I die cut it and an uncolored sheet together at the same time so they’d be cut exactly the same and made two cards with the partially colored technique…

(Card #4 & 3 above) These will make nice little gift sets!

On the inside and backs of each card, I used a light ink nearly matching the cardstock for a watermark stamp. It’s so light the camera can barely pick it up, but it can be seen IRL. That said, I will admit that the first one I got so enthusiastic in writing that I wrote over the stamped image forgetting it was there, so it is VERY light. lol! I think next time I’ll do it a smidge darker! The inside has a kitty with a giant 4 scoop cone and says “You make life sweet!” I hesitated to show you this but now it’s a funny story so here we go…

Yeah, I don’t blame you if you can’t see it! The back has two kitty cones and says: “This card was handmade by” leaving room for my signature logo. (I really need to get that made into a stamp some day!)

I saved the best for last… I’m hoping my coloring on this pair reminds you of two famous kitties… can you guess their names?!

Hint: >^.^< N—–   and >^.^< H—– (btw: I love how the light hits that cone making a white streak… Note to self: next time draw in a white line just like that!)

Supplies – Cards:

• Newton’s Nook Design Cat Treats & Newton’s Summer Treats stamp sets
• Spellbinders Card Creator A2 Matting Basics A dies (first card)
• Spellbinders Decorative Swallowtail Tags (second and third cards)
• Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles (third and fourth cards
• My Sentiments Exactly Back of Card Set
• Spectrum Noir Finesse Alcohol Ink Proof Dye Ink – Flagstone
• Spectrum Noir Aqua Blend Pencils (first card only): Agean Blue, Anthracite, Asphalt, Beeswax, Black Umber, Cantaloupe, Chrome Orange, Fossil Grey, Honeycomb, Hyacinth. Persimmon, Petunia, Plum Red, Primrose, Sky Blue, Sorrel, Tobacco, and Watermelon
• Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops – Gloss: Crushed Grape, Ebony Black, Ripened Pumpkin (first card only)
• Tonic Studios Nuvo Glow in the Dark Drops – Neon: Apple Sour, Banana Split, Shocking Pink (first card only)
• Spectrum Noir Basics (second card only): Blush, Bright Orange, Canary, Cerulean, Emerald, Hydrangea, Ivory, Muted Brown, Natural Brown, Red
• Copic Markers (fourth card only): B02, 24; C5, 7;  E00, 11, 23, 25, 74; G05; R29; RV02, 20; V15; Y13; YR07
• Tsukineko Versarmark Ink
• Stampendous Beach Set: Sky Embossing Powder (all except third card)
• Inkadinkado black embossing powder (third card only)
• Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents
• Ranger Liquid Pearls – Dark Chocolate
• Core’dinations cardstock: Black, Blue & White
• Scotch adhesive roller
• Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue
• Misc. foam adhesive squares (first card); sequins & vellum (second card)

Supplies – Keychains:

• Darice Ceramic Mice (JoAnn)
• Joann Fabrics Utility Cotton Fabric: Waffle Weave
• The Jewelry Shoppe Ball Point Headpins
• Beadalon Satin Silver 7 Strand Stringing Wire & #2 crimp beads
• Misc. iridescent seed beads (first two)
• Various beads, including: Millifiore glass beads, Czech glass cathedral beads , Seabreeze glass donuts, and Hematite rondelles…
• Copic Markers: E31 & RV34
• Sakura Identi pen – red
• Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue
• Hot glue gun
• Misc. Cereal Box tagboard

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

• Newton’s Nook Designs Inky Paws Challenge #78 – Summer/Beach Theme
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Sprinkles & Splatters
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Back to School
• CropStop Linky July Party #42: Anything Goes (Aleene’s Core’dinations, Ranger, Scotch, Spectrum Noir, Spellbinders, Tombow, Tonic & Tsukineko)
• MarkerPoP! Challenge #238 Back to School

Thanks again for the kind comments you guys always leave… it’s always a tread to read them!

~D.Ann

.

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

p.p.s Owning yet another oops… the back of one card managed to get into some of that Liquid Pearls Chocolate and Glossy Accents splattered and smeared across it. I just added a note around the stains: “It wouldn’t be realistic without a little chocolate stain and cat spit, would it?!!” : )

 

 

Synchronized Swimming Purr-maids in a Shell-Shaped Card With Spinner Tutorial

Hello from the sunny see-side! Well, yes, I AM by the SEA (which many people use interchangeably with the ocean). But here in my blog, you get to sit by my side and SEE what I’ve been working on. (I can hear you audibly groaning!) Enough of the bad puns… let’s get to today’s project, SHELL we?!

I wanted to do a pair of mermaids swimming in a shell for the current Newton’s Nook Inky Paws Challenge #78: Summer/Beach. 

Since this week’s Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is Distress It,  I chose to use Distress Oxides to make a blended seashell card base.

I got my color inspiration from the Lion’s Paw shell (Lyropecten nodosus) that I have. It starts from a light orange and goes to mauve. I decided to got to red instead…

I LOVE the easy blending of the oxide inks!! And the ridge design of this die is so very similar to real shells, it makes for a beautiful card front! This week’s Simon Says Stamp’s Monday Challenge is Sprinkles and Splatters,  so I spritzed the oxide inks hoping for a wet water look as the inks react with the water… fair, but I’ll Make them stand out more in a little bit…

 

Meanwhile, how about a tutorial for the spinner on the inside of the card? The included circle dies (probably meant for a ‘pearl’ make making a spinner super easy! You could use the small circles from any basic circle set the same way…

1. Cut the smaller circle in the middle of the bottom inside shell (110#). It is helpful to have your circle for the spinner already cut so you can choose where to put the center hole. Cut 4 additional (110#) small circles. The edges have an embossed ring around them… follow the embossing line and cut to make them slightly smaller than the opening in the card.
2. Cut a piece of 3mm foam with the inner shell die. (note: It would probably be better to already have your double sided adhesive on both sides the foam… I got ahead of myself and had to cut the adhesive to fit afterward.) Cut a circle out of it in the center using the larger circle die. cut about 1/8″ around the circle you just cut… the goal is to have the hole in the foam slightly larger than the larger circle. If you don’t want the edge of the foam showing, now would be a good time to run a sharpie that matches your card along the edges of the foam.
3. Cut two copies of the larger circle out of 110# cardstock.
4. Adhere the foam to the bottom shell INSIDE. (Note, you only have to color a small bit of the edges of this that will be seen. I wasted a lot of ink coloring the whole thing. I thought of that with the second one and just ran a marker around it before closing it up.)
5. Adhere the stack of smaller circles to one of the larger circles. Make sure this will fit in the ‘hole’ in the middle of the foam with some wiggle room and that the smaller circles fit it the small hole of the cardstock with some wiggle room.
6. Here is the secret ingredient: BABY POWDER! I like to put a little dash of baby powder on the edges of the stack of small circles to make sure there’s no adhesive that might cause them to stick to the card and not spin. Having done that and sealed up the card I found it wasn’t spinning smoothly, so I went back in and added a pinch of baby powder into the ‘hole’ with my tweezers and that solved the problem. So I recommend you just save that trouble and put a little UNDER the larger circle in the foam side ‘hole’ just so there’s a little extra in there.to keep it smooth, not enough to fall out and dust the recipient, making them sneeze and reactivate the oxide inks if you didn’t seal them! LoL!! : )
7. Now, hold the stack of small circles so they’re poking through the hole you see in the cardstock. The larger circle will keep them from going all the way through. Take the other large circle and adhere the small circles to it on the other side of the shell (what will be the inside of the card. This will keep it from falling back down. Adhere the shell to the foam.

• Adhere your already decorated large spinner circle to the circle that’s in the middle of the shell making sure no adhesive sticks to the shell card itself. I used a scalloped circle to make it easier to have something to catch with your finger.

I’ve been wanting to try Finnabair’s Art Alchemy Opal Magic paints on both light and dark paper to compare them, so I grabbed the Blue-Violet for the purr-maids’ tails and tops and the results were delightful! On the black cardstock this gorgeous shimmery paint is more purple with hints of blue and on white cardstock it’s more blue with hints of purple (how does it know?! LoL!)… Truly magical!!

To finish, I used the seashells stencil with Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide… it was interesting to see that it blended a little with the background colors, becoming more green at the bottom and more blue at the top. I love that Distress Oxide inks can layer without becoming mud!

I had been worrying that, since they stay reactive to water, if the card were to get wet in transit or the recipient were to spill water on it, it would move the ink wherever it got wet.  I just watched the video on Jennifer McGuire’s new blog post (HERE) where she used Design Master Clear Finish Matte spray to seal her AMAZING Distress Oxide project and it looked fine… soooo, I rooted through my supplies and found Plaid’s FolkArt Cearcote Acrylic Sealer, Matte Finish and decided to give it a try.

 

BTW – I don’t know if you can read the stamp on the back, but it cheekily says: “If it was a Hallmark, it wouldn’t look this good!” : )

The before pics are on the left and the after are on the right. It seems to have made the colors a little more vivid. It didn’t seem to reactivate the inks (phew) and they do have a slightly shiny matte photo finish.

Note: I posted that question on Tim Holtz’ Facebook page and he just replied. He suggested using Distress Micro Glaze. I will have to try that next time and compare. Thanks, Tim!

 

Now, to finish off the water droplet look I wanted on the front. I have a hard time being random when adding water droplets, so it was perfect to have the spritzed discolored areas to follow as a guide for some truly random glossy accents droplets.

I close with a video of the spinner in action. (just click in the middle of the picture below or on the arrow in the middle to start it)

View this post on Instagram

Synchronized swimming purr-maids spinner shell card now on the blog – 8/13/18 post (Link in profile.) #honeybeestamps #newtonsnook #newtonsnookdesigns #Rangerink #distressoxideinks #primamarketing #finnabairproducts #artalchemy #sssmchallenge – Sprinkles & Splatters #ssswchallenge – Distress It #spinnercard #finnabair #opalmagic #opalmagicpaint #diecutting #synchronizedswimming #seashellcard #spinnercard #papercrafts #papercrafting #cardmaking #handmadecards #liveinthesunshine #swiminthesea #plaidcrafts FolkArt #clearcote #seashells #mermaids #liveinthesunshineswiminthesea

A post shared by @ d.ann.c on Aug 13, 2018 at 8:32am PDT

Supplies:

• Newton’s Nook Designs:
  • Purr-maid Newton stamp set
  • Paradise Palms stamp set (sentiment)
  • Seashells Stencil
• Honeybee Stamps Seashell Card Honey Cuts die
• Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles – Small
• My Sentiments Exactly Back of Card Set (that ‘Hallmark’ sentiment)
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks: Abandoned Coral, Candied Apple, Carved Pumpkin, and Peacock Feathers
• Tsukineko Versamark Ink
• Judikins Extreme Peacock embossing powder
• WoW! Metallic Silver Sparkle embossing powder
• Spectrum Noir Metallic markers: Pewter, Pink Quartz, Silver Ingot
• Prima Art Alchemy Opal Magic Acrylic Paint – Blue-Violet
• Recollections 110# cardstock & 65# white and black cardstock
• Worldwide Papers Caribbean Colors – Ocean cardstock
• The Fine Touch gold poster board (the outer shell pattern)
• Foamies 3mm foam sheet
• Simply Defined Double Sided adhesive 2.5″
• Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue
• Plaid FolkArt Clearcote Acrylic Sealer Matte Finish
• The secret ingredient: baby powder

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

• Newton’s Nook Designs Inky Paws Challenge #78: Summer/Beach Theme
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Sprinkles & Splatters
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Distress It
• CropStop August Linky Party #42: Anything Goes  (Aleene’s, Core’dinations, Prima, Ranger, Spectrum Noir, Spellbinders, Tsukineko, WOW!)

It makes my day to read your comments… thanks for taking the time to leave some love!!

~D.Ann

.

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

Let’s Be Purr-Maids 3D Collapsible Tunnel Card

Hi, all! I’m excited to show you today’s project!! I have a friend who loves cats and she likes mermaids, too… in fact she and her husband like watching some of the Australian mermaid shows. So this card was just purr-fect for her. The timing was also perfect as the current Inky Paws Challenge #78 is: Summer/Beach Theme.

Here we go….

I know, right?!! CATs as mermaids… everyone has dreams! I love the ombre blues leading back to that fabulous wave. (which, together with the sun and birds fits the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – Make Your Own Background.) All the layers made it easy to stack in a tropical coconut drink,, sand dollar, starfish and a crab in a fishing net to give the scene added depth. I even stuck a cat’s paw shell on the front, along with a baby scallop shell.

The current Emerald Creek Dare is The Great Outdoors #27-40, and this fits perfectly since in Florida the Great outdoors is definitely at the beach! For the mermaids’ tails, I used Rita Barakat ‘s new Magical Mysteries – Mermaid Fin embossing powder by Emerald Creek Craft Supplies in Canada. (Watch THIS page for them… coming soon! (Not wanting to wait, I got mine from Rita’s shop.))  I did the tail diving into the water first and was disappointed that a lot of it came out clear (but it was still nifty)….  Seems I hadn’t mixed it up well enough and the second one looks just fin… I mean fine! : )

Look carefully at the angle of the tail in back diving into that fabulous wave…  now turn the card around to the back for the surprise….

There she is coming out the other side! : )  By the way… my friend AND her husband loved it! In her thank-you note she said: A. immediately put it on display in our family room, which is high honor from a guy who won’t let anything extra sit out to clutter the room!

The other cool thing is that this card is collapsible and can fold down flat for shipping:

Supplies:

• Newton’s Nook Designs stamp sets:
  • Purr-maid Newton (kitty mermaids, seahorse and purr-maids sentiment)
  • Aloha Newton (tropical coconut drink)
  • Paradise Palms (sun & birds)
  • Tranquil Tides (starfish, sand dollar, crab, bubbles and Seas the Day sentiment)
• Newton’s Nook Designs Hibiscus Die Set
• Emerald Creek Magical Mysteries – Mermaid Fin embossing powder by Rita Barakat (coming soon HERE)
• Spellbinders 3D Vignettes by Becca Feeken Grand Cabinet 3D Card dies
• Spellbinders Palm Trees & Belly Band 2 dies
• The Ton Wave stamp set
• My Sentiments Exactly Back of Card Set
• Recollections 110# cardstock Ocean & Blue Skies packs
• Recollections  65# cardstock: white, green, tan & gray
• Colorbox The Paper Company mulberry paper
• Hero Arts dye inks: Aquatic, India Black, Pool, Soft Granite
• Hero Arts pigment ink: Unicorn
• Hero Arts embossing powders: White Puff & Sand
• Tsukineko Versamark Ink
• Ranger Inkssentials embossing pen
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide – wild honey
• WoW! Pearl Gold Sparkle & Vintage Peacock embossing powders
• Judikins Extreme Peacock mbossing powder
• Spectrum Noir Metallic markers: Burnished Copper, Gold Nugget, Gold Plate
• Copic Markers E23, 71, 97, G02, 82 YG17
• Sakura Pigma Micron 01 black
• Ranger Stickles: glam pink, pink taffeta
• Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue
• Misc. foam adhesive and seashells from Sanibel Island, FL

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

• Newton’s Nook Designs Inky Paws Challenge #78 – Summer/Beach Theme
• Emerald Creek Dares: The Great Outdoors #27 – 40 (using Mystery Magicals Mermaid Fin)
  • Update: So honored to be chosen in the Top Three!!

• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Make Your Own Background
• A to Z Scrapbooking August 2018 Challenge: Anything Goes (Hero Arts inks & embossing powders)
• CropStop August Linky Party #42: Anything Goes (Aleenes, Pigma, Ranger, Spectrum Noir, Spellbinders, Tim Holtz, Tsukineko, WoW!)

I always enjoy reading your comments… thanks for taking the time to leave ’em!

~D.Ann

.

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

Newton’s Nook Kissing Kitties Slider Card Lights Up with Chibitronics

Hooray! The day has finally arrived for the annual Cat Lovers Hop! I’ve been excitedly bouncing around like Tigger the past couple of days! I know we all look forward to this annual hop and I think it’s appropriate to start off with a special thanks to Janis over at HerPeacefulGarden for all the hard work she puts into this special event! Let’s give her a big round of aPAWs!! Be sure to check out her link up page (HERE) for all the details and for the aMEOWzing list of sponsors she lined up!

If you’ve been watching on Instagram you know I have a lot of fun stuff in store for you… Thankfully, I’ve had a year to prepare! On my blog, there will be cards, calendars, home decor, jewelry, a guest designer, sci-fi cats, games, giggles and more – all featuring those dear, precious critters we all love… cats! I’m working on a giveaway, too, so you’ll want to stay tuned for that.

I’m going to start off with my first ever light-up card. It’s a slider with an adorable pair of kissing kitties anniversary card made with stamps from hop sponsor Newton’s Nook:

When you pull on the heart tab, the romantic kitty slides over to plant a smooch on his sweetie – at which point the heart lights up and the words oh-la-la! are revealed!

Here’s a video of it in action (roll your mouse over the picture and click the white arrow):

View this post on Instagram

Coming to the blog tomorrow!!! Details on this sweet slider that lights up when the kitties smooch will be on the first blog post of 10/23/26. (Link in profile.) #CatLoversHop2017 #newtonsnook #chibitronics #spellbindersdies #spellbinders #slidercard #interactivecard #lightupcard #anniversarycard #catcard #catlovers #chibilights #papercrafting #papercraft #papercrafts #cardmaking #handmadecards

A post shared by @ d.ann.c on Oct 22, 2017 at 12:19pm PDT

Confession: I cannot believe that I engineered the placement of wiring for the light and the slider on the inside just so, but I was so excited to try it, I turned it over and sealed it up, found out it worked and THEN reached for my camera. DUM-DUM want GUM-GUM?! lol! Guess you’ll have to wait a while until I do another one to see the inner workings. Sorry!

Wondering where I got that aMEWsing beret? It came from the Newton Dreams of Paris set… I just fussy cut it off that kitty (who’s not looking in the right direction for this kiss), snipped the lines on both sides of his ear and it tucked perfectly around.

Here’s a better pic of the card with the heart lit up from the smooch:

It just makes MY heart go pitter-patter! … I’ve done it so many times, I hope I haven’t used up the battery before my recipients get to play with it!

Materials used:

• Newton’s Nook stamp sets: Newton’s Antics, Newton’s CCuddles, Newton Dreams of Paris
• Spellbinders Exquisite Labels Eleven dies
• Lawn Fawn Slide On Over Lawn Cuts dies
• The Cat’s Pajamas Heart Trio die
• Tsukineko Memento dye inks: Rose Bud & Tuxedo Black
• Copic Markers: B21,24; R32; RV02,04; YR02,21,24
• Black Sharpie marker
• Sakura Pigma Micron pen 005 brown
• Pebbles, Inc. Pearlescent Chalks Jewel Tones
• Faber Castell Texture Gems: Gold
• Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops: Gloss Carnation Pink
• Recollections 110# cardstock: Ballerina pinks and white
• Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue
• Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Crafty Foam Tape
• Chibitronics lighting kit
• Misc. Vellum

I’m entering this card in the following hops and challenges – Want to play along? Click on any one for more details:

• Cat Lovers Hop
• Simon Says Stamp Work-It-Wednesday Aug/Sept 2017- stamps
• CropStop Linky Party #33 – anything goes (Aleene’s, Pebbles, Pigma Micron, Spellbinders, Tonic, Tsukineko)

Thanks for stopping by!

I will be back later on today with more feline fun.

~D.Ann

.

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

I close with this apropaw meme:

Newton’s Nook Find Your Paradise Tropical Kitty Card

Hello, and welcome back!

It’s hard to believe the Summer 2017 Coffee Lovers Hop is more than half over!

  

Simon Says Stamp’s Monday Challenge is Stencil It and Newton’s Nook Inky Paws Challenge #49 is a sketch challenge:

Here’s what I came up with:

Yep, when I imagine paradise, I’m definitely going to want a hammock!! Of course, I’ll want a jaguar or bobcat to cuddle with, too! >^.^< Can’t wait until they’re peaceful critters again!

I like how the embossing of the Art Deco diamond die kind of looks like sun rays! The shimmering cardstock looked more of a golden-orange-yellow on its own, but I still like the cool accent.

A couple of small details:

     

I love the shine of that BoBunny embossing paste on the fun Ocean Spray stencil! And the Flower Soft on the anthers of the Hibiscus stamens adds a little dimension. Did you notice kitty’s claws have snagged that cup, but are loosing their grip? At least it’s not going to spill on him!

Materials used:

• Newton’s Nook Designs: Aloha Newton, Newton Loves Coffee, and Paradise Palms
• Spellbinders dies: Art Deco Ritz Decorative Elements & Card Creator A2 Valiant Honor
• Die Cuts and More (DCAM): Ocean Spray stencil
• Memento dye inks: Bamboo Leaves & Tuxedo Black
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Peacock Feathers
• Copic Markers: C3; E11,23,25,33,51,74; G24,99; R20,22,24,29,32; RV02,17; Y13,15,28; YG61,67; YR02,04,24,31; W1
• BoBunny Caribbean glitter paste
• Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops: Morning Dew
• Flower Soft: Daffodil
• Simply Defined 80# Heavyweight Cardstock
• Core’dinations white cardstock
• DCWV Shimmer Stack
• 3m aluminum oxide 150 grit sandpaper
• Tombow Xtreme permanent adhesive
• Simply Defined “Stay Put” All Purposed Liquid Adhesive
• Therm-o-Web Zots Medium clear adhesive dots
• Misc. ribbon

I am playing along with the following hops and challenges… click on any one of them for more information on how you can join the fun.

•  Summer 2017 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
• Newton’s Nook Deisgns Inky Paws Challenge #49
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Stencil It
• Cropstop June Challenge Linky Party #29: Anything Goes (Core’dinations, Flower Soft, Ranger, Spellbinders, Tombow, Tonic Studios)

This will probably be my last post for the Coffee Lovers Hop as I’ve caught up with my pre-made cards for this hop and probably won’t be able to make up any more. Y’all TRY to have fun without me. Wink-wink, I KNOW you will! Craft til you drop is the real theme of the hop! Thanks again for stopping by and for all your sweet comments!

~D.Ann

.

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

One last bit of humor before I go:

Newton’s Nook Spring Coffee Lovers Friendship Card & Post-It Cube Gift

I’m glad you’re here for another day of the Spring Coffee Lovers Bloghop!

This time I decided to make a sweet little gift set using Newton’s Nook Stamps. Their Inky Paws Challenge this month is to use this sketch:

Here’s the gift set I made:

Stamping the cube of Post-It notes wasn’t too difficult… just had to grasp them firmly so the individual pads wouldn’t slide apart! (they did separate just a little when I attached them to my background. Since I used an ultra strong adhesive, They’re not budging now!

    

I still giggle at the joke of ‘If friends were COFFEE (instead of FLOWERS), I’d pick you’! FYI, the backboard die cut is out of 2000# cardstock and I only put the cutting plate up to the edge of the die right before the pattern started again, so it wouldn’t cut the bottom. Then I took a paper cutter and cut straight on down 4 additional inches to wrap it behind and under the stack for stability.

Supplies used:

• Newton’s Nook Designs stamp sets: Aloha Newton, Beautiful Blossoms, Beautiful Wings, and Newton Loves Coffee
• Spellbinders Divine Eloquence dies
• Post-It note pads (6)
• Core’dinations Parisian Nights A2 pink card and green and white cardstock
• Memento dye inks: Bahama blue, Bamboo Leaves, Elderberry, Rhubarb Stalk,Rose Red, and Tuxedo Black
• Papertrey Ink dye ink: Orange Zest
• Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens: 021, 026, 028, 040, 041, 044, 045, 047, 050, 052, 056, 070, and 081
• Darice Foamies 3mm sheet foam
• Simply Defined ‘Stacey Tape’ 2.5″ wide double sided adhesive
• Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L EZ Dots, 3D foam squares and Crafty Power Tape
• Misc. rainbow twine

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

• Spring Coffee Lovers Bloghop (card and cube (via IG))
• Newton’s Nook Inky Paws Challenge #43 – Sketch Challenge
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Things with Wings (card and cube (via IG))

I appreciate all my visitors, especially those who leave such kind comments… Thank you!

I’ll see you again real soon.

~D.Ann

.

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

Newton’s Nook Inky Paws Challenge – Cozy Plaids Purrfect Party Thank You Card

Good evening and thank you for stopping by!

I have a quick card to post (I HAVE to make it short as I promised it’d be like a Manx’ tail!)

I needed a Thank You card and this one is dedicated to our hop hostess, Janice, and today’s special guest, Hobbes and the Newton’s Nook gang!

Love that warm and cozy fall plaid! I added some extra faux pearls (colored with Copic Markers to match the color scheme, buttons and sparkle to bling it up…

Materials used:

• Newton’s Nook stamp sets: Newton’s Antics, Newton’s Bday Bash, Newton’s Sick Day (part of the sentiment only)
• Spellbinders Ornate Squares die
• Memento Rich Cocoa dye ink
• Copic markers: E000, 11, 25, 29, 33, 74, W1, R22
• Crayola pencil – orange
• Pebbles, Inc. Basic Bright chalks
• Crafter’s Companion Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens – clear
• Core’dinations kraft cardstock
• My Mind’s Eye Magnolia paper & Vintage Card pack
•  Coats & Clark Metallic decorative thread
• Recollections button stickers and faux pearls
• Papertrey Ink Canyon Clay ribbon
• Tombow Xtreme adhesive

I am entering this card in the following hops and challenges. You can click on any on for more info. :

• Newton’s Nook Inky Paws Challenge #37 – Cozy Plaids
• Cat Lovers Hop
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Autumn
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Something has come up for tomorrow and I may not get a post in, but I’ll be back as soon as I can with the last two interviews for the hop.

~D.Ann

.

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

DIY Newton’s Nook Kitty Kiddy Games + Interview with Hobbes + Blog Candy!

Oh, I am so excited to share all the fun stuff in today’s post for the Cat Lovers Hop!

I can’t believe it’s already half over! Are you having fun yet?!!! Can you tell I’m a ‘litter’ bit excited?!! You’d better grab a cuppa as this post will be MUCH longer than my average post. For those of you who persevere and make it all the way to the end, there may be some extra special blog candy waiting for you. (wink-wink!)

Many of you are familiar with one of our generous sponsors, Newton’s Nook and the famous cat for which they’re named. (If you’re not, you can read Newton’s story HERE.) Did you know there’s another feline in the family named Hobbes?! If you’re one of the nearly 3k followers of Newton’s Nook on Instagram, you’ll see pictures of them both, but a quick scroll through reveals Newton about 20x more often than Hobbes. Who can blame him – what with the company named after Newton and all. So I thought we needed to get to know Hobbes a little better and he graciously answered a few interview questions for us.

• If it’s not too personal, can I ask if you were named after Calvin’s best friend?
  • Yes I am! My owner, Jeff, loved Calvin and Hobbes cartoons and has all the books so when they adopted me he wanted to name me after his favorite cartoon tiger. 
    • I love how Calvin’s Hobbes always pretended to be a stuffed animal when other people were around, but went back to being a tiger with Calvin! lol! Believe it or not, I still have their books, too! I found these cartoons about Calvin’s crafting skills that might give crafters a chuckle: 

• What’s it REALLY like living with Newton?
  • Newton is a great big brother. We like to snuggle and nap together when it’s cold outside. Although sometimes we do argue over who gets to sit in an open window or sunbeam!
• Do you think Jen will ever do a Hobbes stamp?
  • I don’t think so. I’m too shy to be in the spotlight! But I have seen Jen color the kitty images to look like me on some of her cards! 
• Do you have any crafts you enjoy getting your paws into?
  • Sometimes I like to chase bits of bakers twine when Jen is crafting! But mostly, I just like to keep her company and sit on the chair beside her while she creates or walk across her creations! 
• What is your favorite thing to do with paper?
  • Chase it, of course!! Or sit on it!
• Do people often send you and Newton cards or hand-made crafts? What are some of your favorites?
  • We do sometimes receive handmade cards from our fans and the whole family loves to see what everyone creates! Cards with cats colored to look like the card creators pets are my favorites! 

Thank you, Hobbes, for taking some prime sunbeam time to chat with us! You look so dapper in your bow tie!! (Bow ties are cool!) Here’s a parting truism from Calvin & Hobbes:

Speaking of Calvin & Hobbes… If you’re a fan, you might enjoy checking out Disney artist Brian Keesinger’s Instagram account for some fun Little Hahn and Chewie mash-ups reminiscent of Bill Watterson’s work. (… like this one HERE… or THIS ONE… and THIS ONE… ok, I’ll leave you to find more that you like!  No… wait! One more just for the Cat Lovers Hop… the C.AT-AT — HERE.)

Well, now, back to the crafting. In honor of Hobbes visit, for today’s project I put together a couple of DIY kitty kiddy games. You know those little containers you get with take-out sauces or dressings in them?

The lids can be easily up-cycled to make these fun little games. (I also use the cups to mix and briefly store paints.)

I tried my hand a coloring one for Hobbes and one for Newton. My apologies to both of you as I’m not the greatest color-er. I’ll have better pics here in a minute… meanwhile, here’s a quick video of one in action:

View this post on Instagram

DIY kitty kiddy games coming up on the blog a later today! Stay tuned! (Details will be on the first post of 10/26/16. (link in profile.) Made with upcycled lids from take-out dressing pots. #newtonsnook #sssmchallenge #ssswchallenge #copicmarkers #copiccoloring #diykidsgame #diykidsgames #diygame #diygames #kidstoys #diytoys #papercrafting #upcycle

A post shared by @ d.ann.c on Oct 26, 2016 at 9:43am PDT

I used some fall-colored cat paper and, since there was an outer ring, I poured in some fall-colored beads for a shaker effect, too. – Hey! You could add a handle and make a baby rattle and if you see your baby master the game, you’ll know you have a genius! Just kidding! lol!! They probably present a choking hazard, so best not to give to anyone under 5 – and no kitties, either, ok?!

 I’ve long looked at the basket of the hot air balloon in Newton Dreams of Paris and thought it looked like a Rubik’s cube, so I turned it into one. I’m sure Hobbes is smart enough to sort that out once he wakes up!!

And, of course, the nerd in me HAD to put Newton’s game on a Newton’s Cradle for the photo! (for the non-nerds among us, this is a device named after Sir Isaac Newton that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy.) If this was for the coffee hop, I’d’ve put grounds and brown beads in the shaker part. : )

Tips and lessons learned:

• Punch the holes  in the game board BEFORE you put the backing paper on! Can you guess how I know?!!
• Using cardstock to cover the cardboard on both sides adds strength to the base.
• I used E6000 adhesive for the outer edge of the lid as it was so thin I needed something to sit on the edge without running down the side. Plus it doesn’t dry too quickly, allowing me to take a flat toothpick and drag it along the edge at my slow pace and then put the Krazy glue on the inner part and still have it sticky when I was done. Also, it is strong enough that I regularly use it on jewelry, so I knew it would hold well. Once dry, I noticed that I’d missed a couple of spots, but that was easily  remedied by putting some E6000 right up against the edge. Alternately, you could run a bead of decorative hot glue around the edge.
• I used Krazy glue on the inner flat ring as it would spread easily and not leave streaks when dry. After using the glues, I could relate a bit to this Calvin & Hobbes comic… (I think glue has a life of its own as it always manages to get somewhere that I didn’t put it!!)
• Check that your beads will move around freely once the backing is on BEFORE you glue the top down. : ) Can you guess how I know?!!
• I pricked the holes with a paper piercer, then enlarged them a bit with that tool with a round ball that you use to shape flowers (senior moment) and finally smoothed it out and widened it a bit more with a ball point pen.
• Turn the plastic lid upside down and fill it with your beads, put the glue on the edges and lay your backing on top of the lid without turning it over until it dries. Place a paperweight on top to hold it down for a tight seal. This will keep your beads from sticking to any excess glue. Can you guess how I know?!!  There was, indeed,  a little bit of trial and error with these, but I like how they turned out.

Materials used:

• Newton’s Nook stamp sets: Newton Loves Coffee & Newton Dreams of Paris
• Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink
• Core’dinations white cardstock
• American Crafts The Color of Memories cat paper
• Copic markers
  • Hobbes: C3; E00, 02, 11, 23, 25, 29, 31, 33, G9, R89, RV29, Y13, YR07
  • Newton: C1, #00, 02c G09, YR21, 24
• Sakura Pigma Micron 005 black pen
• SMS Simply Defined “Stacey Tape”
• E6000 Industrial Strength Adhesive
• Krazy glue
• Misc. Cereal box for cardboard, take-out dressing lids, beads.

I am entering these projects (Hobbes from this blog post and Newton from Instagram in some cases) in the following hops and challenges. You can :

• Cat Lovers Hop
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Autumn
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Whew! Congrats!! You’ve made it all the way to the end of this post. Now what?!!

*****      *****      *****      *****      *****      *****      *****      *****      *****      *****      *****

• ***** Edited to add: giveaway now closed*****

Hobbes whispered something to Jen after his interview and she generously offered to donate a surprise stamp set of the mischievous Newton as blog candy for someone today! AND she said it was open to anyone – international or USA! Woot-woot! Want to see which set she is offering? You can see it by clicking HERE, and while you’re there, you might want to go check out the other fab and fun goodies in her store, ok?!!

If you would like to be in the running to win this Newton’s Nook blog candy, pay close attention to the rules:  Leave ONE comment on this post before 11:59 pm Pacific, Sunday Oct. 30, 2016, using the phrase “CALVIN & HOBBES” somewhere in your comment. If you don’t have the words “CALVIN & HOBBES” in your comment, I’ll assume you’re not interested in the blog candy (and won’t be offended!).  Also, if you are (or become) a follower of this blog, you may make a SECOND comment telling me so for an additional entry. You may also receive an ADDITIONAL entry by becoming a follower of Newton’s Nook’s AND my Instagram accounts (@newtonsnook and @d.ann.c). If you do follow both of our Instagram accounts, come back here and leave comment with your Instagram user name. Duplicate comments will be deleted. There you have it… you may have up to three chances to win. FYI: This particular giveaway is only open to anyone world-wide.

On October 31, 2016, I will use Mr. Random org to draw a winner from the comments that qualify and will try to announce it here on the blog some time before noon EASTERN time. Please come back and check to see if you’re the winner. The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their snail-mail address or another winner will be chosen. I will then forward your address to Jen who will send your prize directly to you.

Phew! It took me a green tea frap and a pumpkin spice latte just to get through it all! I promise the rest of my posts for this hop will be MUCH shorter…. Like if this post was comparable a Main Coon cat’s tail, the rest should be like Manx tails, ok?! lol!! Thanks to you all for your patience and for your kind words of encouragement in the comments. They mean a lot to me!

I’ll be back again real soon… do try and stop back by!!

~D.Ann

.

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

Clear & Sheer Class – Day 1 – If Friends Were Flowers Watercolor Cards

What a week it’s been. After battling a severe allergic reaction and being 3 days without internet, I’m glad to be back with you again. I was tickled pink to be given the Clear & Sheer Online Card Class by a dear friend.

In case you’re interested, it’s all about using vellum and acetate on cards and there have been many ultra cool techniques that made the class totally worth the small price!

Day 1 was all about attaching vellum… it’s often a challenge to hide the adhesive since vellum is transparent. I’ve been wanting to try a watercolor technique the talented Kelly Latevola showcased on the Newton’s Nook Blog a while ago. You can see her video HERE. I had also received some of the Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens and I wanted to compare them to my Tim Holtz Distress Inks. I’ve been excited by the vibrancy I’ve been seeing in projects using the Zigs. My results were surprising…

The more vibrant card on the left was done with Distress Inks and the softer colors on the right were the Zigs. Perhaps they’re lighter because it was done as a watercolor technique and not direct to paper. To attach the vellum sentiment, I wrapped the strip around to the back and secured it with adhesive. It still wanted to lift up a bit, so I stuck a drop of blue near the sentiment and covered it with a sequin. The vellum butterflies had enough embossed design on the body to cover any adhesive and the wings float free.

A couple of other things inspired this card –

One was this month’s Newton’s Nook challenge to use this sketch…

Well, my project is roughly divided into three sections, but I took huge creative license and put a butterfly in the middle instead of a tag…. I’m hoping Newton and Hobbes won’t complain too much, but a tag just didn’t look right. : )

Another influence on this card were Verve’s April Diva Inspiration Challenge colors:

Materials used:

• Newton’s Nook: Beautiful Blossoms and Beautiful Wings stamp sets
• Canson Cold Press Watercolor paper
• Versamark Ink
• Inkadinkado Linen White embossing Powder
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks:
  • Mowed Lawn, Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry, Shabby Shutters, and Spiced Marmalade
• Copic Markers:
  • BG13; C1, 3, 5; E29; RV34; Y32; YR02, 04; V09
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen – clear
• Foray Transluscent Inkjet Vellum 30#
• Recollections Neon Pink Opaque embossing powder
• Recollections Detail embossing powder – Ebony
• Recollections Shimmer card
• Craftin’ Desert Divas sequins – Sweetness Mix
• Tombow: Xtreme permanent adhesive and mono liquid glue

Materials used:

• Newton’s Nook: Beautiful Blossoms and Beautiful Wings stamp sets
• Canson Cold Press Watercolor paper
• Versamark Ink
• Inkadinkado Linen White embossing Powder
• Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens:
  • 025, 031, 041, 050, 070
• Copic Markers:
  • BG13; C1, 3, 5; E37; RV34; Y32; YR02, 04; V06
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen – clear
• Foray Transluscent Inkjet Vellum 30#
• Recollections Neon Pink Opaque embossing powder
• Recollections Detail embossing powder – Ebony
• Recollections Shimmer card
• Craftin’ Desert Divas sequins – Sweetness Mix
• Tombow: Xtreme permanent adhesive and mono liquid glue

 

I’m going to enter one or both of these cards (either linked from here or Instagram) into the following galleries and challenges – You can click on each one for more information:

• Online Card Classes – Clear & Sheer – Day 1 Gallery
• Newton’s Nook Inky Paws Challenge #31 Sketch
• Verve April Diva Inspirations Challenge
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday April 2016 – Use Some Flowers
• Crop Stop Linky Party #15 Anything Goes

Barring further Internet issues, I’ll be back tomorrow with some cool projects from day two of the Clear and Sheer class!

G’nite for now!

-D.Ann

.

p.s. Any ads you may see are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.

I Love Hanging Out With You + Blog Candy

Welcome back to another day of the Winter Coffee Lovers Hop! They say today is National Hot Cocoa Day… What DON’T they have a day for? Incredible! I guess Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t hear of it because there were no free offers like on National Coffee Day. lol!

I’m bringing back Newton the cat, who really loves his cocoa.. (And, unlike his breathing feline friends, he can safely have it.)

How do you like my Flour Sack Towel with those lovely cups? More on that in a bit. Meanwhile, let’s look inside this card, since I rarely decorate the insides…

Those Graphic 45 papers make great household decor, don’t you think? I love that these two stamp sets of Newton match perfectly for front and back pairing! Did you notice the picture of young Newton on the wall? >^.^< The scenery out the window is a picture I cut out of Florida Design’s Art Galleries Magazine. “That Day in the Glade” by Henry Von Genk III. It looks like a true winter’s day in South Florida.

Materials used:

• Newton’s Nook Naughty Newton and Newton Loves Coffee stamp sets
• Graphic 45 Raining Cats & Dogs Collection paper, banners, tags
• Spellbinders Tranquil Moments and Labels 11 dies
• Copic Markers: C5, 7; E11, 23, 33; R24; YR02, 24; W5
• Tombow Xtreme and Mono Permanent Adhesives, Adhesive dots
• DCWV card

I’m playing along in the following hops and challenges:

• Coffee Lovers 2015 Winter Blog Hop: http://wp.me/p5K3PQ-4w
• And my colors fit Verve’s  A Cup of Kindness challenge  http://vervestamps.blogspot.com/p/inspiration-challenge.html

***

***********    giveaway now closed    ***************

Since you’ve been so patient with my many posts of late, I figured today was a good day to offer my kind commenting readers some blog candy. Did you like my Flour Sack Towel with cups on it? Well, I have a brand new one to give away:

If you’d like to have a chance at winning this cute kitchen towel, pay close attention: Leave ONE comment on this post telling me: Which hot beverages do you put in your cups? Coffee? Tea? Cocoa?  before 8 am EASTERN time, Sunday, December 20, 2015. If you don’t tell me what hot beverages you put in your cups in your comment, I’ll assume you’re not interested in the blog candy. If you are (or become) a follower of this blog, you may make a SECOND comment telling me so for an additional entry. On December 20, 2015 I will use Mr. Random org to draw a winner from the comments that qualify and announce it here on the blog some time before noon EASTERN time. The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their snail-mail address or another winner will be chosen.

Thank you again for all your kind support!

-D.Ann

.

p.s. Any ads you may see are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed by me.