Kat Scrappiness Blog

Tag: cynthia fahlgren

  • “You Nailed It!” Congratulations Card

    Hello, crafters!  Thank you for joining me today for this fun card featuring Kat’s “Dad’s Tools” Stamp Set and Stitched Fishtail Banner Dies.  After walking you through the basic steps of this card, please be sure to watch my YouTube video for a detailed look at my process.  So let’s get started.

     

    For my card base I’m using a top-folding A2 size card, which is the standard 4.25 x 5.5.”  I cut two pieces of patterned paper, layering the polka dot piece over the tiled piece and then tearing a diagonal strip along one edge.  This is such a pretty effect and is really quite easy to do, as long as you tear slowly and keep a good hold on the paper.  This paper has a white core, so the torn edge is highlighted nicely.

     

    After a bit of experimenting, I came up with the idea to create a focal panel of nails.  I used a square die with a stitched edge detail to cut the panel, then stamped and heat embossed the nails with silver embossing powder.  I stamped my hammer with two brown inks for the handle and more silver heat embossing for the hammer head.  I chose to pop up the hammer on foam tape for a little dimension.  This stamp set is so cute, don’t you think?

     

    I chose the “You Nailed It!” sentiment, which fit perfectly in the second smallest Stitched Fishtail Banner die.  This pretty blue paper is the backside to the polka dot paper so it was a perfect match to my project (thank goodness for double-sided papers!)  I heat set it again with that bright silver powder, then hand cut a white mat for the banner to attach to.

     

    And that is my finished card!  I hope that you enjoyed following along with me for this project, and that you give this stamp set a try.  Although it’s a layering stamp set, you can simplify the steps as much as you’d like, or go all-out and create realistic images!  I encourage you to get yourself those banner dies, too.  They will fit MANY different sentiments from tons of different stamp sets, and are such an easy way to add a sentiment to your card front anywhere you’d like it.  Be sure to check out my video to see the entire project from start to finish.  Happy crafting!

    My YouTube Video

  • Spring/Summer Coffee Lover’s Blog Hop!

    Welcome to the Kat Scrappiness Design Team’s contribution to the 2018 Spring/Summer Coffee Blog Hop!  Today we have some great coffee related projects to share with you.  But first let me share the goodies we are offering today!

    First ,we are having a SALE to celebrate the Coffee Hop!  Everything at Kat Scrappiness is 10% off through June 1st using coupon code:  ILOVECOFFEE!  You can click HERE to shop the main store or HERE for our coffee lover’s  section!

    Next, we are offering three prizes to three lucky hoppers!  We are giving away two $25.00 gift cards to the Kat Scrappiness store and….one lucky winner will win Kat’s New Layered Coffee Cup and our “got coffee?” dies!

    Now, let’s take a look at our designer’s coffee projects!  (Just click on the images to view the designer’s blog post with more information about each project!  The links will open in a new window so you won’t lose your place on this post)

    Each of our designers used the new Kat Scrappiness Layered Coffee Cup Die along with our “got coffee?” die to create their cards.

    Caren Bartholomew

    Jana Melton

     

    Heidi Randazzo

    Heidi Randazzo

    Kel Acopan!

    Lisa Schneider-Golzbein has FOUR projects to share with you today!

    Lisa Schneider-Golzbein 

    Cynthia Fahlgren

    Cynthia Fahlgren

    Maria Russell

    Hannah Rubenstahl

    Jess Gerstner

    Jess Gerstner

    Thanks for stopping by!  Don’t forget about our SALE to celebrate the Coffee Hop!  You can visit us at Kat Scrappiness.

    The coupon code:  ILOVECOFFEE will take 10% off your entire order through June 1st.

    You can click HERE to shop the main store or HERE for our coffee lover’s  section!

  • “Happy Birthday” Flag Banner Card

    Hello, crafters!  I hope that you’re all having a lovely day today.  Today’s blog entry will focus on the birthday card I created using the new Kat Scrappiness Stitched Flags Die set.  This die set is extremely versatile, and I encourage you to look through this month’s blog entries from the entire team – you’re sure to get inspired by everyone’s creations!

     

    Since you can never have enough birthday cards on hand, I knew right away that I wanted to make one.  I went to the cut files in my Silhouette Cameo and found this cute grouping of presents.  I decided to print & cut them because I liked the colors so much, then laid them out in a pattern that I liked.  Aren’t they cute?  I wonder what’s inside…..

     

    I decided that I wanted to add my letters on top of my banner flags, so I cut out a bunch of little circles from white card stock.  Using a nice chocolate brown ink, I stamped each letter out with one of my alphabet stamp sets.  This particular set is Harold’s ABCs from Lawn Fawn.  They offer multiple styles and sizes of fonts, and I love how easy they are to place on my stamping block.  When I add them to my flags, I will pop up each circle on a bit of foam tape for added dimension.

     

    I turned to my vast patterned paper horde and found a 6×6 pad that contained all the colors that were in the little presents.  I selected three different papers and cut out my flags, enough of them for each of my thirteen letters.  I just love that stitched detailing, don’t you?

     

    Before I secured anything permanently, I took a little time to carefully lay out my flags so that they were centered and had a slight curve as if they truly were “hanging” from a line.  I’ll admit that I was pushing my limits a bit with the word “birthday,” but I think it worked out in the end.

     

    Now that all my flags are taped down to my card front, I cut a few pieces of neutral twine to “hold” my banners.  It looked too bulky when I tried to run it behind the flags, so I simply glued them down on top and tied little knots at the ends.  I just used a nice, thick, white glue that dries clear for this.  If you have a jar of the Ranger Multi Media Matte it would work perfectly.

     

    To finish off this card, I sponged the edges of my white panel with some of the same chocolate brown ink I used for the letters.  This is an easy way to add the look of dimension to a project while still keeping things flat and gives it a little extra “pop.”  I then added a rectangle of some beautiful aqua blue card stock to the back for a pretty mat.  This pop of color really helps liven things up and tie everything together.

     

    And that’s the finished card!  I hope that you had fun following along with me this time, and that you’ll try making some banners of your own.  If you are a scrapbooker, adding an adorable banner for your title is an AWESOME way to incorporate them to your layout.  To get these flags for yourself, be sure to check out the Kat Scrappiness store for these dies and many more.  Have an awesome day!

  • Star Shaker Card with DT Member Cynthia

    Hi, crafters!  Cynthia here with a new video on how I made this Star Shaker Card.  I was very inspired by Kat’s Breezy Summer sequins mix to make something colorful and fun, so I reached for the Kat Scrappiness Swatches stamp set and pulled out the solid star stamp.  I am a BIG fan of making my own background panels, and this stamp set makes it super quick and easy.  I selected two yellow inks and a soft blue (to match the sequins colors), then decided to add some shiny silver embossing.  I found a small, solid circle stamp to include in my panel, which really helped fill in any small gaps between the stars.  I encourage you to take a look through your own stamp set collection and see how many of these small accessory stamps you might have.  They are the perfect way to add little details to your projects!

     

    I don’t know about you, but I used to be very intimidated by making shaker cards.  Yes, there are multiple steps to the process, but it really isn’t anything to be worried over.  My favorite way to make them is to create them as a separate element that I can attach to the front of my card.  You can make any shape that you would like to use – even a star!  I actually used my Silhouette Cameo 3 machine to create a star that was exactly the right size for my card front, but you could easily use dies to do it as well.  The “sandwich” of layers I used (from bottom to top) is as follows:

    • Yellow card stock star
    • Foam tape layer
    • Sequins mix
    • Acetate piece
    • White card stock star frame

     

    The final touch was to add a sentiment.  I used the “congratulations” from the Everyday Brush Strokes stamp set, heat embossed in the same shiny silver as the polka dots.  The adorable stitched banner is a little sneak-peek of more Kat fabulousness to come!  (Shhhh, don’t tell the boss!)  I really hope that you like this card as much as I do, and that you give shaker cards a try if you haven’t already.  Please watch my video (linked below) to see my entire process from start to finish.  Thank you so much, and I’ll see you all again soon!

  • Hello My Crafty Friend

     

     

    Good morning, crafters!  Today, as I struggle with a nasty cold and cough, I really felt like some bright and happy colors would cheer me up.  Luckily, I have enough patterned paper on hand to last two lifetimes, so it was easy to find this cute teal colored plaid paper from Doodlebug.  I knew I wanted to use that wonderful heart stamp from the Kat Scrappiness Swatches stamp set, and I decided to make the image pop by using some turquoise embossing powder.

     

    After cutting my paper to 4×5.25 inches, I used a pencil and ruler to find the center of the piece and add faint lines for a guide.  I knew I wanted to create a “burst” pattern of hearts and wanted to keep things well-spaced.  I then dusted over the paper with my anti-static tool and reached for my favorite sticky embossing ink, VersaMark.

     

    The stamping might look complicated, but it’s really quite easy!  I just stamped 4 hearts in the center, keeping the bottom points and top dimples on those pencil lines.  I also left a little space around each heart so they wouldn’t look crowded.  I added my first round of turquoise embossing powder and melted it in, heating the paper from behind to smooth the powder out nicely.  The second round of hearts was first done by adding another 4 hearts right in line with the first 4, then adding angled ones between.  Don’t forget to gently erase all traces of the pencil lines when you’re all done heating!

     

    For my sentiment I am using Kat’s awesome new scripty word die Hello My Crafty Friend.  I love that the words are already arranged for you.  To take advantage of that, I cut the die out of black card stock cut to the same size as my patterned paper.  Now I was able to use that as a template for my words.

     

    To make sure nothing shifted, I lightly taped the template in place with some low-tack tape.  I cut the words from a piece of 100-lb white card stock and added small dabs of glue to the back with my glue pen.  It was very easy to just snuggle the words right into the template, and I then waited about ten minutes for the glue to set before gently lifting away the template.  Perfect!

     

    And that’s my project for this week.  I hope that you enjoyed this card, and that it inspires you to start using word dies in your own creations.  Stay tuned for more beautiful projects from our Design Team using all the new items for the April release.  Happy crafting!

     

  • Birthday Card with Everyday Brush Strokes

     

    Hello, crafters!  I hope that you’re all having a great day out there.  My project for the end of this month features the Kat Scrappiness Everyday Brush Strokes stamp set, which I use to create a fun birthday shaker card.  This stamp set is really wonderful for “thinking outside the box,” and stretches the way that you think about shapes.  What ideas do you have for these stamps?

     

    After cutting a piece of white card stock to 3.75×5″ I selected one of the medium sized stamps and repeatedly stamped it across the bottom third of the panel.  I chose some primary colors in red, blue, and purple to match the Kat Scrappiness Rainbow Splash sequins I plan to use.  I also varied their heights just a bit to add to the whimsical feel of the card.

     

    Using a bright yellow ink, I stamped the smaller of the two “splatter” stamps to give the illusion of glowing candle flames.  These little shapes are so versatile!  You could use them as splatters, stars, flowers, snowflakes….just about anything you could think of.

     

    Since I have Copic markers on hand, I decided to pick two different shades of orange to give my flames depth.  I just pressed the brush tip down to my card stock and flicked up – so easy!  If you’re looking for a little bit more realism, you could easily use a black fine tip marker to create little wicks for your flames to sit on, and even outline your “candles” to refine their shape.

     

    My next step was to cut out an opening to create my shaker.  You can make any size or shape that you would like – I decided on a square.  I selected the “Happy Birthday” sentiment from the stamp set and stamped it in my favorite VersaFine Onyx Black pigment ink.  It’s a very rich black and stands out very well against the colorful candles.

     

    I attached a square shaker pouch to my window, carefully sealing the entire perimeter with a strong double-sided tape.  Then I sprinkled in a good amount of the Kat Scrappiness Rainbow Splash sequins.  You want to make sure there’s enough in there so that it always looks full, but not so much that the sequins can’t move freely.  This is also a good chance to throw in some pretty glitter if you’d like – I’m always looking for ways to add sparkle, aren’t you?  To seal my shaker window, and add another bit of decoration, I cut a square of orange polka dot patterned paper and taped it down over the opening.  Now is the time to adjust the amount of sequins in your shaker if you need to.

     

    I cut a piece of red card stock to 4×5.25″ and attached my panel to it for a pretty frame.  To help tie in the black ink in the sentiment, I decided to add some black and white baker’s twine.  I pierced a little hole in each corner of the shaker window, then threaded the twine through them with a tapestry needle, tying a little bow in one corner.

     

    And that’s the finished card!  This one was so much fun to make, and could be customized in any different color combination you’d like.  I hope that you get yourself one of these stamp sets and start playing around to see what you can come up with – you just might surprise yourself!  Take care, and I’ll see you all in a few weeks for some more Kat Scrappiness fun.

     

     

  • “You’re Too Sweet” Card

    “You’re Too Sweet” Card

    Hello, crafters!  Today I will be sharing a card with you that I made using the new “Punny Snacks” stamp set.  This stamp set is full of adorable food images and funny sentiments to go with them.  I chose to use the ice cream cone and put the You’re Too Sweet sentiment with it.  I am a big fan of creating my own custom backgrounds, and the ice cream stamp is the perfect size to use for this.  I cut a panel of white card stock to 4×5.25″ and stamped the images repeatedly in a random pattern, using VersaFine Onyx Black ink.  This is my favorite black ink to use, and it lends itself beautifully to heat embossing (I used Ranger Clear powder for this project.)

    There are many different ways to color your card projects, but I decided to do a little watercoloring with my aqua brush and some Zig markers.  With only 2 shades of brown and 1 pink, I was able to get some pretty shading because of the water added with my brush.

    Once my background panel was done, I used the Kat Scrappiness Double Stitched Circle Dies to create a focal piece.  The great part about these dies is that you get a stitched detail on the piece you cut out (in this case my polka dot paper), and stitched detailing around the edge of the cut-out (my custom background.)  To give the background just a bit more pizzazz I decided to dry emboss it with one of my embossing folders (I used polka dots, but any uniform pattern would do.)

    For my focal piece, I stamped the ice cream cone and put the sentiment beneath it, again using VersaFine ink and Clear embossing powder.  I added a watercolored ice cream cone with some foam tape so that it would really stand out against the polka dot paper.  These images are really easy to cut out by hand!

    Finally, I popped up the focal piece with some foam tape and placed it over the circle opening of my background panel.  And there it is, my finished card!  I hope that you enjoyed this project and will give it a try for yourself.  If you’d like to watch a video of the full creation of this card, I’ve included a link below.  See you all soon!

     

    “You’re Too Sweet” process video