Hey there, friend!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today for all the excitement for the Zen Garden Release! I tell ya, every Catherine Pooler Designs release gets better and better!

I stamped the chevron image in light ink on to a 4.25 x 5.5 inch piece of Catherine Pooler Designs Premium white cardstock and then colored in the image with my Copic Spica Glitter pens. You wouldn't believe the amount of shimmer that these markers give!  I stamped the "thank you" sentiment in black ink and then trimmed down the panel before gluing it on to a a black piece of cardstock. I then glued that finished panel on to a cut and scored 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base.

Are you ready for another card?! This one uses one of the word dies from the new release. Are you swooning over this font yet?! I mean....SERIOUSLY!! It's the perfect size to carry a horizontal card. And now you're gonna want to buckle your seatbelt cause it's TIME FOR THE INKS.

 You guys, I know you know. I know you know how awesome the CPD inks are, but again....the shades just keep getting better and better. There are some blues and greens in this collection that are just dreamy, plain and simple. So I took my ink brayer and just did a simple rolling technique and applied stripes of color on to a cut and scored 4.25 x 5.5 card base. I cut several layers of cardstock using the "thanks" word die and then glued them all together before adhering the stacked sentiment on to my card.



So in case you didn't notice, this card doesn't take a master's degree to put together. That's why I love bold and beautiful word die cuts like this one, because it takes the work out of designing an eye catching card.

Now, it's time for a deep breath.

Cause, I'm venturing into cross stitch territory, and lemme just tell you--THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. So grab your coffee and possibly your tranquilizers so you can stay calm if you attempt to combine cross stitch with this stamp set.



So I stamped the same Chevron Cheer set on to my CPD cardstock, and then I spent a RIDICULOUS amount of time poking holes into my cardstock to create the cross stitch holes. Drop the dumbbells, cause you won't need any arm workout for the rest of the week if you do this. After you poke the holes, you'll want to just choose some thread color that you like and stitch away!



Stamp the sentiment in black ink and then slap some foam tape on the back of your cross stitched panel before placing it on your cut and scored 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base. I added some coordinating washing tape to the sides just to help the cross stitched panel jump off the card base a bit.

All right, people. For those of you who are just in it to win it, let's get on to the details of the blog hop!


Catherine Pooler Designs is giving away 2 complete sets of Zen Garden inks on each day of the Blog Hop! Just hop along to all the blogs and leave a comment on each post for a chance to win!

Here is the complete list for Day 1 of the Blog Hop:

1. Catherine Pooler  
2. Kristie Goulet
3. Ardyth Percy-Robb  
4. Ilina Crouse  
5. Justine Hovey  
6. Kelly Martin>> You are here!  
7. Jen Carter  
8. Susan Powell  
9. Ingrid Blackburn
10. Dana Joy  

Hey Crafters!

Today's the day you've been waiting for! The January 2018 Stamp of Approval release is live in the Catherine Pooler Designs shop! Find it here.



To celebrate the release of this fabulous collection, I'm sharing a card with you that reflects one of my loves: travelling! Where is your most favorite place you've ever been? I'd love to hear about your travel adventures, so leave a comment and share your stories! Y'all wouldn't BELIEVE some of the crazy stuff that has happened to me while going abroad. Seriously....you can't make this stuff up!

You'll want to reach for the stamps and dies from the Bon Voyage set and various Catherine Pooler Designs inks. I also pulled in one of the stamps from The World Awaits stamp set--don't you love to challenge yourselves by combining stamps from different sets?



Cut and score a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base and set it aside. Do yourself a favor and use Catherine Pooler Designs premium white cardstock, because it's PERFECT for card bases. It's thick and sturdy! Stamp the suitcase images on some cardstock scraps, because you'll be die cutting them. Also, can we just take a minute to complain about the fact that there is a DEPRESSING lack of cute luggage on the market that does not also cost 1 skillion dollars? I feel like my expectations are low...give me something relatively cute and that won't require me to take out a 2nd mortgage on my house to own. Unreasonable?! I think not.



Back to the card base. Use a second generation stamping technique to stamp the faded compasses on the background and then double stamp the sentiment in the center of the card to create the focal point. Use the heart/arrow images on either side of the sentiment to create the look of movement.


Glue the die cut suitcases on to the card base as well, and then finish off the card by stamping the border image on the bottom.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you're inspired to do some fun creating with your Stamp of Approval collection! We are having TONS of fun over at StampNation gabbing about the release. Now is a perfect time to join us as a member! Find out more information about StampNation here

Bon Voyage,
Kelly

Hey Stampers!

Oh my goodness, can you FEEL THE EXCITEMENT???? We crafters are nothing, if not reeeeeally skilled at stringing out a moment, you feel me?!?! You've come to hear about the Stamp of Approval collection, so climb aboard the crazy train and let's go!

But before we get to the card, let's talk about the Stamp of Approval Collection. If you aren't familiar with it, the Stamp of Approval collection is an exclusive collection of crafting goodies that are boxed up in a fantastic package to keep you crafting for weeks and months on end! The items in the collection are designed exclusively for the package and are not available individually for many more months after the collection is released. Find out more about the Stamp of Approval collection here, and be sure to subscribe to the wait list to be notified of the sales link, because the collections sell out VERY quickly! AND....spoiler alert: Surprises!



Existing on this earth are only two kinds of people: Those who love surprises, and those who are wrong. And that is all there is to say about surprise items in the SOA collection. But back to the cards...

The first card uses the Suburst Die from the collection. Look at this die and tell me you don't immediately think of fireworks?? After cutting and scoring a 4.25 x 5.5 inch piece of CPD premium white cardstock for a card base, you'll want to set it aside and then cut a panel with the same measurements.


Don't you just love using old faithful card-making techniques like ink smooshing? Techniques like this will save your bacon every single day. You'll want to use a mystery goodie in the box along with your favorite Catherine Pooler inks for the background. Smoosh the inks on to an acrylic block, spray the block with water, and then use the block to smoosh the ink around on your card panel. Heat set the panel and then repeat the ink smooshing and heat setting process all over again until you get the layers you want.



Then, grab your Sunburst die to cut several pieces from Catherine Pooler premium white cardstock. Layer them up around the panel to create your faux fireworks. BONUS: These fireworks are so safe, even a baby could handle them! ☺Now take a deep breath cause the hardest part is over!
Use a few stamps from The World Awaits stamp set in the collection to create the sentiment panel. If you prefer a bolder sentiment, double stamp the sentiment and then die cut it with one of the small dies from the Postage Stamp die set in the collection. And now here's your chance to use up some odds and ends in your scrap drawer! I chose random enamel dots that matched the ink colors, but you could use sequins, Nuvo drops, or anything else that strikes your fancy! Adhere the panel to your scored card base.



Bear with me while I swoon over these hot air balloons!!! Have you ever been on a hot air balloon ride? Definitely a bucket list item for me. For the second card, pull out the Love Is In The Air stamp and die set. You'll want to grab your favorite Catherine Pooler inks again, too!



Cut and score your 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base and then cut a panel of the same dimensions. You'll want to mask off the bottom portion of the card and then use an ink blending tool and your favorite blue shade to create the sky. Then, stamp the hot air balloon images, die cut them out, and glue them to the panel. Die cut the clouds from the same cardstock and glue them to the panel as well, tucking them behind some balloons and then leaving them in front of some balloons. This will give you depth and variation to the panel. Choose a sentiment from the set and stamp it in the masked off bottom portion, and then finish off the card by gluing the panel to your card base.






Thanks again for stopping by for the hop. Be sure to hop along to the other designer's blogs and leave a comment at each blog for a chance to win the entire Love Is In The Air Stamp of Approval Collection, or a $100 gift certificate to Catherine Pooler Designs if you've already purchased your collection. One winner will be randomly chosen each day from that day's blog posts. The blog hop started January 6th and ends today, January 8th. The winner will be announced on Catherine Pooler's blog on January 10th. Here are today's posters:

1. Catherine Pooler
2. Lydia Evans
3. Cynde Whitlow
4. Laurel Beard
5. Lisa Harrolle
6. Kelly Martin--you are here!
7. Ashlea Cornell
8. Maureen Merritt

Good luck and happy creating!

Kelly