Sweet girl card by Kim

Hello everyone, today I have another CAS card for you and to go with the baby card for a boy from last week, here is one for a sweet baby girl.

Instructions:
Making use of the PEACE ON EARTH stamp set I started by stamping a set a baby feet onto the cardbase.

A handcut sentiment was added on top of the feet with some pop dots for dimension and a few pearls added.
As just the stamp and sentiment looked so lost on the card, I added a layered butterfly die to create a balance.


Supplies used:
Cardstock - Papermill
Sentiment - Bella Blvd
Ink - Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx for Clearsnap
Butterfly Die - Donna Salazar for Spellbinders
Pearls - unknown

Congratulations - Card by Kim

Lately I have been in the mood for very Clean and Simple (CAS) cards, so for February I am going to continue with this technique. Odd thing is that sometimes I find a simplistic card can take you so much longer to finish than a layered embellished card.
Have a guess how long it took me to complete the following card?

Did you guess two hours? Yup, that's right it took me a whoopin' two hours to complete this card, crazy!

Instructions:
Making use of the PEACE ON EARTH stamp set I wanted to create a card to welcome a baby boy into this world.

First I hand cut a tag from plain cardstock and stamped a pair of feet on the bottom

I then added a sentiment, which comes from the FANCY DOILY set, fussy cut around the outline and adhered it to the cloud for dimension.

And there it was - a simple card which took forever to complete
But the outcome was so worth it, don't you think?

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Papermill
Paper - Donna Salazar for GCD Studios
Ink - Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx for Clearsnap
Pearl, Chipboard Cloud - unknown

Congratulations card by Kim

At the end of January what else could we have on our minds but Love, Love Love? What with Valentine's Day being just around the corner, hearts will be plentiful in the coming weeks. But can you really make use of the CRACKLE PAINT stamps for a lovey-dovey card?

Judge for yourself:

Instructions:
Spray a piece of chipboard with some Smooch Spritz for a glitz look and stamp right onto the now coloured chipboard once the mist has dried. Sprinkle some embossing powder on top and set with a heat gun.

Now ink a chipboard button with some Mixed Media Inx in Chiffon and once dried attach this to the heart with an organza ribbon.

Add a sentiment, which comes from the FANCY DOILY set and stamp with the same colour as used for the embossing and colouring of the chipboard button.

There you go, a simplistic, love-infused card

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Bazzill
Mists - Donna Salazar Smooch Spritz for Clearsnap
Ink - Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx for Clearsnap
Embossing Powder - Donna Salazar for Clearsnap
Pearls, Ribbon - unknown
Chipboard - Crate

Home Layout by Kim

Hello everyone, this is Kim with you again sharing another layout which makes use of the wonderful CRACKLE PAINT stamp.

Instructions:
This time I wanted to achieve a kind of brick look and first stamped onto a kraft tag with Mixed Media Ink - a slow drying ink from Donna Salazar Designs, which actually stays wet long enough so you can add embossing powder!
After I set the embossing powder with a heat gun, I sprayed over the whole tag repeatedly with Smooch Spritz in red berries. Once this tried, I took a baby wipe and wiped over the surface of the tag. The embossed areas will repel the ink and the stamped image will be a crispy white, therefore giving the look of old brickwork.

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Donna Salazar Artistic Papers for GCD Studios
Mists - Donna Salazar Smooch Spritz for Clearsnap
Ink - Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx for Clearsnap
Journaling Spots - Sassafras Lass, Elle's Studio
Stickers - American Crafts, Dymo
Pearls - Want2Scrap
Other - Embroidery Floss, Blossoms

Best Wishes card by Kim

Today I would like to share a quick card with you, making use again of my current favourite stamp - CRACKLE PAINT

Instructions:

Stamp twice directly onto the card base. After I stamped the left hand side first, I rotated the stamp by 180 degrees to ensure that the end of the crackle lines match up as best possible. I LOVE the effect this stamp gives to any background

Cut a strip of patterned paper the length of the card and a width of about 2" and run a border punch along the top and bottom edge. Adhere this to the background.
Add a sentiment, such as this one which comes from the FANCY DOILY set and adhere to the paper strip.

I also love to experiment with embossing powders and I after I sprayed two flowers with some mists, I sprinkled some random embossing powder onto the leaves.

And here is the complete card again

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Bazzill
Papers - My Minds Eye
Mists - Donna Salazar Smooch Spritz for Clearsnap
Ink - Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx for Clearsnap
Embossing Powder - Donna Salazar for Clearsnap
Pearls - Want2Scrap
Border Punch - Martha Steward
Flowers - unknown

Big Hair layout by Kim

I love to create crackled backgrounds on my projects but I always found it such a long winded process to first coat the background with some paint, then a layer of crackle medium and afterwards another layer of paint.
Thankfully with the fabulous CRACKLE PAINT stamp, all you need is an ink pad at the ready

Instructions:

Stamp anywhere on your background and while the ink is still wet, sprinkle a few bits of embossing powder randomly onto the motif. Once you set the embossing powder with your heat gun, this will make for an interesting two tone/two textured look.

I also made use of the flower stem from the ONCE UPON A TIME set to enhance the cluster of flowers and leaves

And here is the complete layout again - it was a breeze to create it when you don't have to wait for layers of paint and crackle medium to dry.

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Donna Salazar Artistic Papers for GCD Studios
Mists - Donna Salazar Smooch Spritz for Clearsnap
Ink - Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx for Clearsnap
Journaling Spots - Sassafras Lass, Elle's Studio
Stickers - American Crafts, Dymo
Pearls - Want2Scrap
Other - Embroidery Floss, Blossoms

X-Mas '72 layout by Kim!

I don't know about you, but I am terribly behind with the scrapping of my older Christmas pictures. The other day I came cross one, which showed me and my baby brother on his first Christmas - way bank in 1972.
Yup, I think I desperately need to catch up somehow!

What better way, to make use of the stamp set "Christmas Wreath" to incorporate in the overall design of the page.

Instructions:
Using a Versmark inkpad, I stamped the sentiment "Happy Holidays" and the wee "Floral" on the side of my layout. Then I sprinkled some white embossing powder over the area and tapped the excess power back into the pot. Using my heat gun, the sentiment and image quickly set.
I actually like the effect when the embossed are is not perfectly covered with the powder - it gives a more vintage-distressed look, don't you think?

Supplies used:
Papers - My Minds Eye, Simple Stories
Inks - Clearsnap
Other - Embossing Powder, Dimensional Paints
Stickers - Jenni Bowlin

Happy Holidays - Card by Kim

So, are you all organised for the holidays or could you do with a little more inspiration for quick last minute card? Good, because I have one more for you making use of the new stamp set HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Instructions:
First I inked the edges of some paper scraps and layered them on top of each other. Stamping the "Wreath" onto some white cardstock, I coloured the image with various shades of green and added a little clear glitter glue to some areas, for a frosted look.

The sentiment "Happy Holidays" was stamped onto a strip of masking tape and added to the top of the card.
For the final touch, I used a border punch to avoid too much white space at the top and added a few drops of clear dimensional paint.

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Mad About Cards
Papers - Authentique
Inks - Stampin' Up, Clearsnap
Other - Glitter Glue, Dimensional Pints
Tools - Martha Stewart border punch

Merry Christmas card by Kim!

Today I would like to showcase another Christmas card with you, which was created within the matter of about 10 minutes. I can sometimes spent hours on getting just one card finished but the gorgeous new stamp set Christmas Wreath makes creating cards a doddle!

Instructions:
I started stamping the tag with the "Merry Christmas" sentiment first and then added the little "Swirl" to the corners of the tag. Previously I stamped the "Holly" twice to a sheet of white bleed proof paper, coloured it in and hand cut the image, adhering it to the tag with the aid of some foam dots.

To add a little more interest to the "Swirl", I adhered a red flat backed pearl to the lower part to compliment the berries from the "Holly" image.

Finally I added the tag to my card base with a double helping of adhesive foam pads, to raise it off the red background and allow me to tuck some punchinella behind the tag.

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Mad About Cards
Papers - Donna Salazar Designs
Tag- WH Smith
Inks - Stampin' Up
Other - Bakers Twine, Punchinella, Button

Happy Holidays card by Kim!

I don't know about you all, but I am SOOOOO ready for Christmas and the fabulous new stamp set HAPPY HOLIDAYS had me super excited to get started on my Christmas cards!

The detail of the wreath is the best I have even come across and looks awesome just left as it is or coloured in. For today's card I have chosen to get out my ProMarker pens and colour away...

Instructions:
First I stamped the image onto some bleedproof white paper and then added various shades of green all across the wreath, adding a few bits of red for the berries. I hand cut the wreath from the paper and added it to the background with some adhesive foam dots.

I also wanted to feature the totally cute little bow, and after it was stamped and coloured it, I hand cut the bow and added it to the bottom part of the wreath. As a final touch, a piece of bling was added to the bow

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Mad About Cards
Papers - Bo Bunny, Authentique
Punch - Woodware
Inks - Stampin' Up
Pens - ProMarkers

Have a Magical Day!

Even though I loved using this month's brand new set ONCE UPON A TIME to create embellishments and backgrounds for layouts, I just could not help myself and whipped up a very quick and easy card making use of the "Princess and Unicorn" stamp.

Instructions:
Stamp your image to a piece of white cardstock (or bleedproof paper) and colour with pens.
Then tear a piece of patterned paper into a rectangle shape and run an inkpad along the edges for a distressed look. Take another smaller piece of paper and cut along the edges with a pair of decorative scissors (or use a border punch).
This piece of paper will be the base for you image. When you adhere it to the background, make sure to leave a little space to enable you to tuck a journaling card behind paper and image.
For the final touch, adhere the image to the background using adhesive foam dots to raise it slightly. Then you want to add a sentiment of your choice to the card and you are done.

Told, you it was quick and easy

Supplies:
Cardstock - Poundland
Papers - American Crafts
Journaling card - Belle Blvd
Pens - ProMarkers
Ink - Clearsnap Chalk Ink

Building Sandcastles - Layout

I had lots of fun this month creating my own background with the "Fairy Castle" stamp of the brand new ONCE UPON A TIME set to create this layout, showing yours truly digging away at the beach to create my very own sandcastle.

Instructions:
First I used a generous helping of walnut spray and spritzed it randomly over an 8.5 x 11 sheet of white cardstock. While the spray was still wet I sprinkled a few pieces of white embossing powder over it and set my heatgun to work. I love the effect the white embossed areas give to the overall look of the page.

I then decided where I wanted to place the photograph and stamped the image around the area in a slightly offset fashion.

All I needed to add now, were stickers and tags to add my journaling and the title.

Supplies used:
Cardstock - Poundland
Inks - Stampin' Up
Stickers - Jenni Bowlin, Making Memories
Tags/Journaling spost - Bella Blvd, My Minds Eye

Summer Fun Layout!

If, like me, you do not have children you may wonder sometimes on how to make use of specific stamp sets that are geared towards kids' pages or cards.

During November I hope to show you that cute sets like the brand new ONCE UPON A TIME can be used in so many ways and are certainly not restrictive at all.

As soon as I saw the set I was taken by the gorgeous flower stem and knew immediately that I wanted this to become an important feature of my layout. I just LOVE fussy cutting images and the flower stem is perfect to be turned into an embellishment.



Instructions:
I tucked each of the hand cut stems underneath the papers edge and adhered them to the background with the aid of some adhesive dots, to get some dimension by raising the images.
As you have probably noticed, I love to layer papers and embellishments on my layouts and thought that adding the sentiment "One Upon a Time" from the set, would look really cute tucked underneath one of the background papers.



Supplies used:
Papers - Authentique
Stickers - American Crafts, Jenni Bowlin
Vellum Butterflies - Jenni Bowlin
Inks - Stampin' Up
Other - Gesso, Punchinella, Walnut Spray

Meet Design Team Member Kim!

We're still getting to know the new team and today it's all about Kim Sonksen here on the blog!  Leave her some love or just say hello!

I am Kim, a 47 year old German National living, loving and working in the United Kingdom for over 12 years, having become completely britified by now.

During the day I work as a Customer Relations Executive for the biggest cruise line company in the World, which is one of the most exiting jobs I have ever had. Papercrafting is therefore my artistic vent to relax after a stressful day at work and many of my projects do feature photographs of my travels on board Queen Mary 2.

I started papercrafting more seriously in 2004 when I dabbled more in cardmaking but soon crossed over to scrapbooking, and my proudest moment had to be when I was voted Best New Talent 2006 by the UK print magazine Scrapbook Inspiration.
Stamping has always featured heavily on my projects, as there are so many possibilities. You can use your stamps to create background, embellishments, layer the images, emboss the images and so much more.

I am so excited to call myself a Gel-a-tina and hope that you will enjoy looking at my projects as much as I enjoy creating them. If you would like to see more of my work (papercraft and crochet), please feel free to pay me a visit on my personal blog: http://kimsonksen.blogspot.com/