Stampin' Up! Bokeh technique with Butterfly Basics,

To mimic the bokeh technique, first you have to sponge the background in patchy colours, then using a mask with random circles of different sizes, sponge white craft ink over the image.

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Bokeh technique with Butterfly thinlits & Butterfly Basics stamp set

The effect is amazing and so easy to achieve!

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Bokeh technique with Butterfly thinlits & Butterfly Basics stamp set

The darker the background/more heavily sponged and coloured, the greater the effect!

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Bokeh technique with Butterfly Basics Stamp Set

I used a lot of Daffodil Delight with highlights of Old Olive, in the sponging...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Bokeh technique with Butterfly Basics Stamp Set

The butterfly and fern fronds are from the set Butterfly Basics...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Bokeh technique with Butterfly Basics Stamp Set

The background was sponged in Daffodil Delight, Smokey Slate, and Garden Green, the fern fronds stamped in Basic Grey...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Bokeh technique with Butterfly Basics Stamp Set

The butterfly is both stamped and die cut in Denim Dapper...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Bokeh technique with Butterfly Basics Stamp Set

The effect is not only stunning but so easy to achieve.  There will be a couple more posts demonstrating both sponging and the bohek technique.  If you live in Australia and wish to purchase sponges, inks or any of the stamp sets used, please go to my online shop or contact me for personalised service.

Yours in paper craft, 

Stampin' Up! Butterflies

To showcase Stampin' Up! new 2017-19 In colours, I decided to make a picture frame like so many I've seen on pinterest.  The layout is another KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetheart) but two layers - a base card and mat of the same colour, to give it depth, not really caught by my photos...


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies, Layering Squares, Stitched Shapes

The colours above are (left to right) Tranquil Tide, Lemon Lime Twist, and below Fresh Fig, Berry Burst and Powder Pink...


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies, Layering Squares, Stitched Shapes

The idea came from Pinterest, Mary Brown but I mixed it up a little, using the stitched shapes and vellum.
From one layer of the butterflies to two and mixing up the matting....


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies, Layering Squares, Stitched Shapes

Fresh Fig with Sweet Sugarplum with Whisper White... the leaf created from velum with the leaf die out of the Stampin' Up! set Flourish Thinlits (141478)


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies, Layering Squares, Stitched Shapes

The codes for many of the products I have used are in brackets.  If I can help you with anything paper craft please contact me.  If you live in Australia, I would love your custom - and you can shop 24/7 with me via my online shop.  Just click the link

Thank you for joining me,
Yours in paper craft,

Stampin' Up! Monochrome - Black and White Cards

Monochrome & Stampin' Up! dies...a purrrfect marriage, and simply a stunning way to present a best wishes, thank you or more...


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Monotone x Marion Herzig

Black and white is nothing short of stunning and I used this layout to show case Stampin' Up! thinlit dies in particular Butterflies Thinlits (141    Detailed Dragonfly thinlits (142749) and the May Flowers Framelits (140276)...


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Monochrome - Butterflies Thinlits, Blooms & Wishes

The card consists of a base of Whisper White and a Whisper White mat on which is mounted the black strip and then the stitched shapes square that is the backing for the dragonfly chain from Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits (142749)...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Monochrome - Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits, Eastern Beauty.

The idea came from Lady Bug Designs, on Pinterest! but I just had to keep on playing...
Detailed  Dragonfly Thinlits (142749)...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Monochrome - Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits, Sunshine Sayings

The same can be created with such thinlits including May Flowers Framelits (140276) and more... Stay posted to see what I have created using other thinlits.  Remember you can shop with me directly or you can shop online with me if you reside in Australia, just click on the link!

Yours in paper craft,

Stampin' Up! Butterflies

Butterflies, who doesn't love a butterfly - very few of us I believe and for good reason.  Stampin' Up! have a beautiful set of Butterfly dies at the moment and if you love butterflies, then please take the time to look at this post.  The die is used to cut out the creature from the coloured layer of card which was then embossed and adhered to the Basic Black base card.


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

 The cards were created in Pacific Point, background embossed in Softly Falling...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

 Rich Razzleberry embossed with Stampin' Up! Woodland...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

 Real Red embossed with Stampin' Up! Fluttering...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

 Calypso Coral embossed with Stampin' Up! Brick Wall...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

 to give someone a beautiful collection...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

 The A Crafty Cat team created these using DSP behind their butterflies...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

 Am loving Calypso Coral!

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

love the colour combo of Mint Macaroon and Bermuda Bay...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Butterflies

to this, Water Mellon Wonder on Whisper White

This is another example of a KISS layout, but how lovely are these creations!  Stay close, see you at the next post.

Yours in paper craft,

Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grunge meets Butterfly

Stampin' Up! has a several beautiful butterfly dies and when combined with Stampin' Up! stamp set Gorgeous Grunge, in portrait style, this is what I created for class as samples.

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

In Melon Mambo, this is a very cute and simple card.

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

I created the card by choosing a base card, (above Melon Mambo) cutting a Whisper white card front, 1/8 to 1/4 inch smaller than the base card front and using the solid butterfly thinlit die to cut out two windows for the coordinating, detailed butterflies to sit in.
In between the two butterfly windows I stamped the gorgeous grunge lines and backed the windows with coordinating DSP.
I then cut out two detailed butterflies in melon mambo and one in whisper white.
I sponged the Whisper White butterfly from the centre with a dauber dipped in Melon Mambo.
I mounted the three detailed butterflies with glue dots.
I stamped the sentiment and adhered  the completed card face onto the Melon Mambo base card.

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

I created this card using the colours of Whisper White and Bermuda Bay.

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

Hope you are having a purrrfectly crafty good day
Yours in Stampin' Up! demonstrator,

Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grunge meets Butterfly KISS

Stampin' Up! set "Gorgeous Grunge" has an array of splatters that are just purrrfect to set of the back ground of any card.  Today's post showcases one of the KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetheart) catalogue launch projects using one of my favourite dies, the butterfly. To highlight the background, we used Gorgeous Grunge in coordinating colours to match the use of card stock and the Designer Series Paper (DSP) backing of the butterflies.

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

Real Red and Whisper White made for a stunning Thank You card...

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

Daffodil Delight and Basic Black on Whisper White...

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

I created the card by choosing a base card, (above Delightful Daffodil) cutting a Whisper White card front, 1/8 to 1/4 inch smaller than the base card front and using the detailed small butterfly thinlit die to cut out two windows for the detailed butterflies to sit in.
I backed the windows with coordinating DSP, cut in a long rectangular strip.
I then cut out one detailed butterfly in Basic Black and a solid small butterfly in Delightful Daffodil.
I mounted the detailed black butterfly on its cut out of Delightful Daffodil.
I stamped the Whisper White card diagonally with the splatters from Gorgeous Grunge in Basic Black.
I mounted the three detailed butterflies with glue dots - white, black, white, the white ones nesting in their windows, with glue dots.
I stamped the sentiment and adhered  the completed card face onto the base card

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

This was created by one of the crafty cat team... in Daffodil  Delight, Whisper White and Basic Black.

A Crafty Cat: Stamping' Up! Butterfly thinlit die

I want to create these in a rainbow of butterfly colours, I think this is so cute and thanks to Pinterest I was able to case the layout.

Hope you are having a purrrfectly crafty good day!

Yours in paper craft,

Stampin' Up! Water Coloured Butterflies KISS

Stampin' Up! Bold Butterfly and Butterflies Thinlits have been a hugely adored in my classes.  This post is another of my KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetheart) layouts where the background of the butterfly has been water coloured.


A Crafty Cat; Stampin' Up! Water colour Butterfly thinlit die

Mary Coloured this one in stunning Night of Navy and wow, loved it so much I had to case it, thanks Mary...


A Crafty Cat; Stampin' Up! Water colour Butterfly thinlit die

The cards were created by choosing a base card and in this case, a Whisper White card face, cut 1/8 to 1/4 inch smaller than the card base.
Using the detailed thinlit die image of the larger butterfly, I cut out the butterfly and removed it so there was a window left.
On a rectangular piece of Stampin' Up! water colour paper or Stampin' Up! Shimmer White cardstock, cut larger than the butterfly, but smaller than the card face, I positioned it under the butterfly window and marked where I was going to water colour.
I then got a plate and a couple of drops of reinker colour that coordinated with the base card colour, in the above case, Night of Navy.

A Crafty Cat; Stampin' Up! Water colour Butterfly thinlit die

Using the aqua pen I picked up some reinker and worked from the outer edge of the markings to the centre, allowing the ink to lighten as I came into the centre.  Once I had covered the butterfly area, I allowed the card to dry and positioned it and adhered it to the back of the butterfly window ie card front using sticky strip.


A Crafty Cat; Stampin' Up! Water colour Butterfly thinlit die

I then stamped my sentiment in the coordinating ink colour and adhered the card face onto the card base.


A Crafty Cat; Stampin' Up! Water colour Butterfly thinlit die

The effect is warm, crisp and simply stunning...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Water coloured Butterflies thinlit die

Loving our KISS projects created for the new Stampin' Up! catalogue launch? Then please come by again to see more...Have a purrrfectly crafty day,

Your Stampin' Up! demonstrator



Stampin' Up! Accordion Fold embellished with Botanical Blooms and Butterflies

The Accordion card fold is such a fun 3 dimensional card fold to decorate and with Stampin' Up! Botanical Blooms and Botanical Builder Framelits dies, embellishing could not be easier.  This is what I created to inspire for an up coming class...


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Accordion Fold

Yes I had to add butterflies and I love the monarch butterfly, hence the colours of Tangerine Tango and Pumpkin pie in the background.  The blossoms are in Whisper White with centres of Blackberry Bliss and Gold.   The foliage was cut in colours of Wild Wasabi and Always Artichoke, sketched on and sponging done in Old Olive...

A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Accordion Fold

A card in blue for a special lady who supports us HEAPS...


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Accordion Fold

 The butterfly had 3 layers, Basic Black on Velum (coated with Wink of Stella) on Daffodil Delight


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Accordion Fold

The flowers were in Cherry Cobbler, Melon Mambo and Pink Pirouette with Daffodil Delight and Basic Black centres, highlighted with Rhinestones...


A Crafty Cat: Stampin' Up! Accordion Fold

There is a lot of work in the cutting out of flowers, leaves and stamen, but the effort is worth it.  These are magnificent cards, ones I'm proud to pass on.

Yours in paper craft,