Spring Scene with Cute Animals

Hi everyone! It's Anja here and this is my first post on the Cottage Cutz blog. I'm very honored and happy to be able to share my work with you for the next six months.

For my first post I decided to combine a few different dies and made a spring scene with some cute animals.

I used:

- Cottage Cutz dies (Forest Critters, Kitty with Spring Chicks, Stitched Rounded Square Set, Spring Bunny w/ Flowers, Hollow Tree w/ Forest Friends, Lighthouse w/Clouds)

- white card stock base (13x34 cm, folded at 8,5 cm and 25,5 cm)

- white card stock strip (4x36 cm, folded at 8,5 cm and 25,7 cm)

- white paper for die cuts

- Distress Ink pads: Peeled paint, Mowed lawn, Barn Door, Shabby Shutters, Stormy Sky, Spun Sugar, Squeezed Lemonade, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo, Weathered Wood, Tea Dye, Pumice Stone

- patterned paper (12,6x16,6 cm, 2x 12,6x8,3 cm)

- white and black pen

- paper glue

First I cut all the little elements from white paper.

Then I colored them with Distress Inks and glued them together. I made the eyes with black pen and bunny and mouse ears and nose with white pen.

I then folded the white card stock base at 8,5 and 25,5 cm and glued on some patterned paper. I applied some Peeled Paint Distress Ink on the edges of patterned paper.

Then I colored the sky and grass with a sponge and Distress Inks. And glued all the pieces together.

In the end I made a strip that holds the card closed. I cut tree stitched squares and decorated them with the cute little snail that goes well with the patterned paper.

Cottage Cutz dies I used:

Thank you for stopping by. I wish you a beautiful Sunday!

Anja Z. 

~Nautical Scene + Brayer & Sponging~

Hello Scrapping Cottage friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit today. It's Mary Marsh here bringing you the Wednesday edition of the Blog.

It has been so hot and humid in the Eastern U.S. that my mind keeps going back to our vacation at the beach a couple of weeks ago. So today for your viewing pleasure, I am featuring a beach themed card using dies from the March Nautical release.

You can create amazing cards with a combination of dies, stamps and some background sponging. So lets get started with the details on what I did today using my brayer and sponge daubers.

Royal Blue Card Base: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Image Panel: 4" x 5 1/4"

Brayer Tips: When you brayer, use dye based ink not a pigment ink. A pigment ink stays wet and lays on your paper. If you try to brayer over with another color ink, you will get a muddy look. Dye ink dries fast and the colors stay true.

I used a soft rubber brayer and a smooth white cardstock. Don't use textured paper fro this technique. the brayer will hit only the peaks of the paper and you will get a spotty look.

When you ink the brayer roll it in one direction. If you roll back and forth, you won't ink the entire brayer. To start the brayer, roll right next to the paper and then move the brayer onto the cardstock in a back and forth motion.

Starting the sky: I used the brayer and light blue ink for my sky. I rolled the brayer about 1/3 of the way down this cardstock - approximately 1 1/2".

Sponging the sea: I created 2 masks for this part. The first one to create the horizon line and the 2nd one I tore slightly to create the shore line. I used a medium blue ink and sponged in my sea.

 

 

Sponging the Beach: I used my sponge dauber with kraft ink to create the sand. I used a beach stamp to create the sand grains and stamped with the same kraft ink. I used painters tape and masked off the part of the stamp I didn't want ink on. 

 

 

 

Masked the stamp again to create some waves in the water.

 

Once the background was completed, I began cutting and adding the nautical dies. I stained the sky background with kraft ink somehow (grr!) and had to redo my background. It turned out slightly different at the shoreline but it's still the same technique as I described above.

 

My perched pelican is cut with the CotttageCutz Pelican die. Both the starfish and the fish in the water are dies from the Paddles & Rope die set. I used the Lighthouse w/clouds die and cut some clouds and birds to finish this part of the card.

To complete my card, I stamped a sailboat on the water and my sentiment on the sandy beach.

And that is my card for this week. Hope it gave you some inspiration. Let me know your thoughts, I read all of the comments you leave. Also, don't forget about our current challenge. It's all about greenery and you can get more info here. Until next time........inky hugs.

 

Fancy Pocket Plus Father's Day Card

Hello Scrapping Cottage friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit today. It's Mary Marsh here bringing you the Wednesday edition of the Blog.

Today for your viewing pleasure, I am featuring a new die set from the May release. I have used the Fancy Pocket Plus die along with dies from the March Nautical release and created a Father's Day card. This big day is approaching quickly so time to get busy making a card for your Dad, hubby, sons etc.

I started my card this week with the idea of using the Fancy Pocket Plus die and from there my Father's Day card developed. So let's get started with some card details.

Once I decided on a nautical theme, I looked through my patterned paper stash to see what would work best. I already had my color scheme somewhat figured out.  Then I found this great paper that had a map on it and one of the colors I wanted to use. This was a good start.

Card base: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Patterned paper: 4 1/8" x 5 3/8"


 

Once the base and layer panels were cut, I started on my pocket. This new fancy pocket plus die makes it so easy to create a pocket for your card. No more measuring and scoring, It's all figured out for you with this die.

Once it's cut all you have to do is fold on the score lines and then tape together. Easy Peasy! I used Scor-tape to secure it. It's a strong double sided adhesive so you don't have to worry about the pocket coming apart.

 

assembled pocket

Now that I had my pocket assembled, I cut more of the patterned paper to make an insert for the pocket. This piece is 2 1/4" x 3 3/8". I decorated this with the lighthouse w/clouds die and stamped a Father's Day sentiment. 

 

The outside of the pocket is adorned with the pelican die and some starfish cut with the paddles & rope ladder die. I added a small clip to the insert to make it easy to remove from the pocket and for added interest.

 

 

I taped this pocket to the front of my card base along with a sailboat. Used the sailboat large die and cut with a deep red cardstock to complete the front of my card.

 

 

Stamped another sentiment on the inside and also decorated it with the rope from the paddles & rope ladder die and a crab using the crab die.

 

 

And, that's it for me for this week. But wait, last week I promised a giveaway if you left me a comment with other ways to use the garden friends die set. I liked the idea that Karen Briguglio gave me. She suggested using the dies as a topper for canning jars. She would make some trail mix and give it to someone going camping. Creative idea!

 

Well, Karen I will be sending you the extra set of card elements I cut out last week. Get in touch with me at mrmarsh917@msn.com and give me your mailing address. I will get it out to you in the mail.

 

So friends until next time........inky hugs!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pelican

Hi, Janja here!

I'm glad that spring is here, and even more, I am looking forward to summer. This year so much that we already booked our holidays. Since the holidays are still far away, my dreams are being realized with cards.
So let's get started ...

For the card we need:

• white card base: 8.5 x 5.5" (21,5 x 14 cm) folded
• blue and white cardstock: 4 x 5.2" (10 x 13,2 cm) and 3.7 x 4.9" (9,5 x 12,6 cm)
• scraps of colored cardstock
• Distress inks: Broken China, Faded Jeans, Vintage Photo, Wild Honey and Pumice Stone
• blue ribbon
• glue and adhesive pads

I printed the inscription in Word and painted the background with Distress inks, water and a brush. Before painting paper was wet with water for more beautiful flowing.

For the pelican I used a CottageCutz die. All cutouts are shaded with the Distress inks. With shading we achieved look of depth. 

I applied adhesive foam pads to the back of my pelican and attached it. 

With scissors, we draw around the edges of the cardstock. At the lower end of the cardstock I glued a ribbon, bound in a knot. 

When card was completed, I added some seagulls and fish.

List of dies used:

Have a nice day.

Janja