After I masked off the sentiment area, I used the Cozy Borders set and alternated the images and inks to create this background pattern.




Once I was finished with the background stamping, I stamped a sentiment and then added a small image from the Festive Trimmings set.

For a finished edge, I laid down a small strip of double sided tape right above the sentiment and then applied some foil over the double sided tape, using a bone folder to rub in the foil on to the tape strip.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you're heading over to the Catherine Pooler shop RIGHT NOW to go get your collection before they sell out!

Kelly

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Holiday Mix, Cozy Borders, Festive Trimmings
Inks: Peppermint Scrub, Eucalyptus, Midnight, Sand Castle
Accessories: Thermoweb Deco Foil in Platinum

Welcome, Friends!

Thanks so much for joining me today as we take a look at the newest Stamp of Approval collection from Catherine Pooler Designs.

Every release keeps getting better and better--and this one is no exception!!

First a couple details about the Stamp of Approval collection. This is an exclusive collection and the products were designed specifically for the box. The items in the box are BRAND NEW, and they won't be available separately to purchase for several months. You'll need to subscribe to the waitlist first so you can get the notification to get first dibs on the sale. And these collections usually sell out VERY quickly, so don't delay! Get on the waitlist here.

Let's get to the cards!

I love clean and simple cards. I'm telling you guys--these make such an impact with minimal effort.



Start out by stamping the images from the Festive Trimmings set on to white cardstock. Cut them out, (using the matching dies), and then glue them on a card panel in a wreath pattern. To add further dimension and variation to the wreath, choose some pieces to glue flat on the card and then others to mount with foam tape before placing them down on the card panel.

After the wreath is finished, stamp a sentiment in the middle of the wreath to finish off your panel.



Now it's time to assemble the card. Cut and score a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base made with Sand Dunes cardstock. Trim down your wreath card panel on the long sides by just a bit and glue on to the middle of the card base. For an added "finished" look, trim down two small strips of white cardstock, and cover them with red ink. Glue the strips on to the card, placing them up against the white panel that has the wreath on it.

Now we're on to the next card, and please--try to keep your stomach from growling as you look at this card. I DARE YOU!!



Start out by cutting and scoring a white piece of cardstock down to a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base.

Use the Christmas Cookies die set to cut out the round cookie pieces from white cardstock. Cover the circle pieces with Sand Castle ink and then use a sponge dauber to apply Over Coffee ink to the edges of the cookie pieces, giving them that "baked to perfection" look.

Choose some of the cookie images and stamp them on to white cardstock and use the matching dies to cut them out. Glue those cookie images on to the brown cookie pieces and then mount them with foam tape before placing them on the card base.

Stamp the sentiment in the lower right hand corner, using the matching Over Coffee ink from the cookies.



Now, you can choose whatever image you want to fill in the empty spaces on the card! I chose the holly berry images from the Festive Trimmings set.

On to the blog hop details!

Thanks for joining me today as I showcase these ridiculously fun products from the newest Stamp of Approval Tropically Yours collection! You can find the new collection here.


Confession: I have never really been crazy about flamingoes. I think my problem is that I start following a trend approximately 5 years after it's reached its peak of obsession. What can I say? I was always a late bloomer, so that's my excuse.


Anyway, flamingoes seem to be very on trend these days, but I've never really gotten hooked on them.


Until this SOA collection.


These flamingoes are just so stinking cute! I had so much fun coloring the images after I stamped them out. I colored them with my copics and then used the coordinating dies to cut them out.







I also stamped the water and grass images from the same set, die cut them out, and then set them aside as well.


I trimmed down a card panel to be 4 x 5.25 inches, and then adhered all my images to that panel. I also added the sentiment and then set off to create the card base.


I cut and scored a card base to be 4.25 x 5.5 inches, and then I used the border image from the stamp set to create the border on the left edge.


I then trimmed down my card panel with my flamingo images a bit more...I think I ended up trimming off about .25 inches from the right side of the panel.


When you're creating a card and you feel like it's falling a bit flat or looking a little boring, you can pull out the same secret weapon that I do--coordinating borders/edges. I used one of the copic markers I used to color my flamingoes to color the right edge of my card base. This gives a finished edge and brings the whole card together!






I mounted my card panel with fun foam and then glued it on to my card base to finish everything off.


Thanks so much for stopping by today and happy crafting! You don't want to miss this fantastic collection because the awesomeness *literally* cannot be contained sometimes. (That means that the collection sells out quickly!). Your wallet might scream but GO ON!! You can do it!


Kelly


Supplies Used:
Stamps: Stand Tall
Dies: Stand Tall
Inks: Grass Skirt, Fiesta Blue, Midnight
Coloring Medium: Copic Markers

Welcome, Stampers!

It's a great day to be a papercrafter, isn't it? This newest Stamp of Approval collection from Catherine Pooler will NOT disappoint!

So let's get right to the cards, cause these products are just fantastic!

For the first card, I used some products from the Leave Me in Paradise stamp set and the Good Vibes Border stamp set. To start off, I cut a card panel of 4.25 x 5.5 inches. I then stamped out the border images at an angle to create the look of patterned paper. Confession: I'm obsessed with stamp sets like this because they are SO versatile and I love using various images with various colors to create some really unique looks.



Next, I stamped some of the leaf image from the Leave Me in Paradise set and then used the matching die set to cut them out.

Here's where I had to think ahead a bit. I knew I wanted to mount my leaf images with foam tape and pop them up off the card, but I was concerned about being able to stamp my sentiment with enough room and in a straight manner, so I went ahead and did the sentiment at this point. A lot of times, I'll leave the sentiment  for the last step, but I figured this would be a better plan of attack!



I stamped the sentiment in the new ink color and then assembled my leaf images, alternating the position. I glued some of them flat on to the card panel and then mounted some of them with foam tape and arranged them around the left side of the panel. I adhered the panel on to a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base and called it good!

For the next card, I was so inspired by the beautiful sunsets I saw while on my vacation to the beach, that I just had to incorporate that feel into a card! I used the Fearless Pursuit dies and the Tropically Yours stamp set for this card.



I masked off a bottom area of a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card panel and then used several Catherine Pooler inks (Party Dress, Tiki Torch, and Flirty Fuschia) and a ink blending brush to create the sky. I then switched my mask to the top part that I just ink blended and then used Aquatini and All That Jazz inks for the water.

I then cut a piece of scrap paper and covered it with black ink before gluing it on to my panel for the look of an island. I used the palm tree die and a piece of scrap paper to create the tree. I covered it in black ink, and then decided to step up the palm tree just a bit!



I covered my palm tree in a layer of shimmer pen and then applied a thick coat of glossy accents to the top. I then stamped a sentiment from the Tropically Yours set before gluing the panel on to a cut and scored 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base to finish things off!

Hey there, Stampers!

Welcome to my blog!

I'm excited to share today's cards with you as part of a collaboration between Catherine Pooler Designs and WOW.

If you're not familiar with either the Catherine Pooler Designs products or the WOW products, you can head here to check out Catherine's shop and here to check out the WOW shop.

Today's cards feature a previously released Stamp of Approval collection from Catherine Pooler and some fantastic embossing powders from WOW.

I thought it would be fun to create a notecard set for today's project, so I trimmed down some white cardstock pieces to be a little smaller than a 4-bar size.

I stamped the images from The World Awaits set in Versamark ink on to my cardstock, and then used various colors of WOW Embossing powder. I heat set the images until the powder melted and then set them aside to let them cool.



To give some fun interest to the notecards, I used the Postage Stamp Dies to cut out my cardstock panels. I then cut a few standard 4-bar size cardstock mattes, and used an ink blending tool to apply various Catherine Pooler inks to the edges. I chose inks that coordinated with my embossing powders, and check out the match?!?! Couldn't have planned it any better!



I used a gray copic marker to outline and blend out the edges of my embossed images to make them pop off the card a little more. This is a great trick to have in your arsenal if you feel like your card is falling a little flat. Adding a cast shadow with your copics can step up the entire card quite a bit.



I then used the same inks and stamped a sentiment from the same set on to a cardstock strip and cut a "v" shape into the end, creating a banner. I popped that sentiment banner up with foam tape and adhered it down to my card. For the bright yellow card, I used a blank ink because I knew the yellow would be just a bit too bright with everything else going on in that card!


I glued the embossed card panels on to my larger ink blended panel, and then glued that whole assembly on to a cut and scored 4-bar note card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! We have a some fun prizes lined up for you, so here are the details!



The winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on all the posts of this blog hop. Find out the details of when the winners will be announced over at Catherine's blog.

Welcome to my blog!

Today is such an exciting day, so I hope you're ready for another really great release! The newest Catherine Pooler products are available for purchase now! You can find the entire release here.

For our first card, I couldn't wait to break out that BEAUTIFUL patterned paper! Can we just take a minute to realize that I JUST CAN'T EVEN with this paper and the fact that it coordinates with CP Inks!! When I opened the package, I seriously said out loud, "You just shut your face with this stuff, Catherine." The products just keep getting better and better.



When you've got patterned paper that you're not quite sure what to do with, my advice is to go clean and simple--and that's exactly what I did for this card. I cut some square pieces of the patterned paper, mounted them with fun foam and then glued them down on to my 4 x 5.25 inch card panel. I then chose a sentiment and heart image from the Bon Voyage Stamp set (an item in a previous SOA collection also being released!) and stamped it in Grape Crush, one of the coordinating ink colors. I cut a 4.25 x 5.5 inch piece of the patterned paper and glued it flat on to a cut and scored 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base to finish it off.



For the next card, I incorporated one of my favorite techniques--foiling! I used some transfer gel on the Twisted Sunburst Stencil and then ran it through my laminator with a piece of foil once the gel had dried. I trimmed it down to 4 x 5.25 inches and then adhered it on to a cut and scored 4.25 x 5.5 inch card base.



I stamped some of the images from the Say It In Diamonds set with Grape Crush and All that Jazz inks and then trimmed them down. I also created some matte pieces to go behind the images by cutting out some scraps slightly bigger than my diamond images and applying the matching inkes on to the edges. I then popped the assembled piece up with fun foam and glued them down on to my card panel.



Now, on to the PRIZES!

Comment on each stop along the blog hop for a chance to win TWO free ink pads (and free shipping)! Winners will be announced Friday evening, June 22 on Catherine Pooler's blog.

Here is the lineup for today:

1. Catherine Pooler 
2. Josefine Fouarge
3. Jen Carter
4. Ashlea Cornell
5. Melissa Miller
6. Kelly Martin (you are here!)
7. Karen Baker (go here next!)
8. Illina Crouse

Thanks so much for stopping by and happy crafting!

Kelly


Supplies Used:
Stamps: Say it in Diamonds, Bon Voyage
Stencil: Twisted Sunburst
Inks: Grape Crush, All That Jazz, Midnight
Paper: Catherine Pooler Premium white cardstock, Paisley and Peacocks Patterned paper
Miscellaneous: Thermoweb Deco Foil in Platinum, iCraft Deco Foil Transfer Gel

Hello!

Welcome to another blog post that is shamelessly flaunting the awesomeness that IS the new Stamp of Approval Collection from Catherine Pooler! You can now purchase the release here.

Today's card has a fun and vintage/shabby chic feel to it, and I incorporated one of my favorite techniques--watercoloring!

Did you know that the Catherine Pooler inks are awesome for watercoloring? Once you stop you won't be able to stop so consider this your enabler warning! In order to do a watercolor wash, you'll just need to pounce some ink on to a slick surface (I used an acrylic block). You can use a water brush or a paintbrush and get the same result with either.



Cut and score a 4.25 in x 5.5 in. card base and set it aside. You'll also want to trim down a piece of watercolor paper to 4 in. x 5.25 in. Take your water brush or paintbrush and apply clean water to the paper. Next, just take your water brush or paint brush to your slick surface and then drop in the color on to your wet watercolor panel. Move the color around, add more water, or add more color until you achieve your desired affect.

Stamp some images from the I Eat Cake stamp set on to your white Catherine Pooler Designs cardstock (The CP inks stamp like a dream on this cardstock!). Trim down those pieces until they are small enough to fit all across the cardstock panel. I mounted mine with foam tape to have them pop off the card panel, but you don't have to. Choose a sentiment to stamp and then adhere your watercolor card panel on to the cut and scored card base that you created earlier.



Now, step back and try not to eat the card you've just created because....for real....these cake images are just a little too realistic for my own comfort level. I'm gonna be suggesting scratch and sniff inks to Catherine soon, so you just push the save button on that thought and maybe it will become a reality. Edible cards can surely be a thing, am I right?!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Kelly

The next card was inspired by the Pioneer Woman dishes line. Have you seen them???? They are just so beautiful and I want to buy all of them. I wanted to make a bright and cheerful card because teapots are lovely and feminine, and that is totally my style!

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