EZ-Lights Creating Bright Days with Catherine Pooler

Hello friends,

Welcome to the Catherine Pooler Designs x Pear Blossom Press Collab Hop! We're sharing fun, interactive cards to brighten your day! They feature awesome new stamps and dies from Catherine Pooler Designs, and with help from Pear Blossom Press, they all really light up! Be sure to hop along with us for loads of inspiration; our designers have come up with some brilliant cards.

We got to play with Pear Blossom Press EZ-Lights with the new Catherine Pooler Bright Days stamp and die set. I think they are a match made in crafty heaven! I created a mini slimline for the hop. I started by stamping the light fixture and light switch out using Midnight Ink on to Catherine Pooler Premium Paper.

Next, I used a Tombow Blender Pen to watercolor the light fixture using Limoncello ink for the light bulb, Cove Blue ink for the top and bottom pieces of the fixture, and Tranquil ink for the glass. The light switch was also colored with a Tombow Blender Pen, for the plate I used Sea Glass ink, for the switch I used Bay Breeze ink. I added some of the illumination lines from the Bright Days stamp to the light bulb and the wall in the Limoncello ink.

I used the light fixture die to cut a hole in the Happy Hearts Patterned Paper that I selected, I wanted it to look like it could be a wall and I thought the pretty diamond grid pattern could be used for that. Once the hole was cut, I fit my colored piece into it and flipped it over to add my EZ-Lights. I used the Narrow Double Thick Foam Tape carried by Pear Blossom Press to create a pocket around the lights (which I gathered at the center of the light bulb) to trap the light in the area I wanted it to be seen. I added the foam tape all over the back of the card, using washi tape to wrangle the wires and glue dots to adhere the lights to the paper.

I added some light blue glittery ribbon to the bottom of the card where I wanted to place my sentiment, then adhered the card front to my card base. Then I got to start building the card front! I added the light switch over the power button for my EZ-Lights, I thought it was clever. The final piece was the sentiment, I selected the yellow hearts Happy Hearts Patterned Paper to stamp on. I love the sentiments in this stamp set and selected the "thank you for brightening my day" to stamp in Bay Breeze ink and used a die cut from my stash to cut in out in a pretty shape. I popped this up on a thin foam tape and centered it over my ribbon.

Here is a short video showing my card "in action".

Every good hop has prizes, right? So Catherine Pooler Designs, and Pear Blossom Press are each giving away a $25 store credit! Comment on this post by June 25, 202 to be entered to win. Winners will be announced on June 28th. Be sure to continue hopping for additional inspiration and entries into the giveaway!

Your next stop on the hop is:

Ilina Crouse

Here is the full line up if you missed anyone:

Catherine Pooler Designs

Cassie Trask

Ashlee McGregor

Laura Volpes

Chrissie Tobas

Marcia Caradinta

Allison Cope

Jen Carter

Rachel Winn (You are here)

Ilina Crouse

Ali Farmer

Karen BakerPear Blossom Press (Mona Toth)

Thank you for stopping by today!

Until next time,

R. Winn

The Purrfect Slimline Knots Birthday Card!

Hello again friends!

It's Rachel, back to show off a fun little take on the new Slimline Knit, Knots, and Stitches die set. I focused on the Knots die, which to me, could be used in a variety of ways... but mostly reminds me of donuts. I couldn't think up a way to showcase it AS donuts though, so I went with a party banner or streamer instead.

I started by cutting out a mini slimline card base (3.25"x6.25") in a bright, fun green. Then, I cut down a 6"x6" sheet to add start my background. The Slimline Knots die came next, I cut this out twice using a playful, deep pink. I wound this back and forth on my card, the pattern wound up go back and forth three times.

Our Purrfect Birthday stamp set seemed like a fun item to pair with the background that I had created. I stamped out the cat and the mouse onto XPress It Copic friendly cardstock, then colored them up! The sentiment was also from the Purrfect Birthday stamp set, I stamped onto the same green that I had used for the card base, this I cut using the small banner die from the Rosette Ribbon die set. This I mounted in the center of the larger banner from the Rosette Ribbon die set, which I cut out of a balloon patterned paper.

I finished the card off with some cute little enamel hearts as an embellishment.

Head over to i-crafter to get the new Slimline Knit, Knots, and Stitches die set, and check out the other wonderful new release items too! Be sure to join the i-crafter Facebook Fan Club, then follow us on Instagram, and Pinterest too! We love seeing all of your creations using the i-crafter products.

Until next time,

R. Winn

Slimline Fun with i-crafter

It's release day at i-crafter! I am showing off 2 ways to use the new i-crafter Slimline Windows die set. I wanted to play with some alcohol inks because I have so many mediums that just don't get enough love! Since the Yupo paper that I have is too short for a slimline card, I used glossy photo paper instead. I picked a Brea Reese Slate ink, then Tim Holtz purple and green inks. I was trying to create a dark contrast, it's definitely not perfect, but it worked beautifully when cut out using the Slimline Windows die. I used a dark teal paper for the frame, again cut from the i-crafter Slimline Windows die. I added the alcohol ink rectangles and squares to the teal frame.

Next, I cut the "Hello" and "Friends" dies out 3 times, two backed with the i-stik adhesive sheets. I stacked the cut outs and created some depth on the card. I went over stacks with a black Wink of Luna brush pen and the words have a nice shimmer to them!

Next, I cut out the cute little heart die, 3 times. I used a bright white and a hot pink for the hearts. These, I popped up with foam tape. Finally, I finished the card off with 3 of the arrow dies from the Slimline Windows die set, this was cut out of scraps of silver glitter paper.

Next, I used the Slimline Windows die set to create a fun coffee themed shaker card. I am trying to used colors that I don't normally reach for, and picked a mustard colored cardstock for the background, then a grass green for the frame. I backed my frame with acetate. 

Next, I used a skinny foam tape to back the frames and create a solid space to put my shaker bits. I decided to do 3 of the square windows for mini shaker sections. I used some coffee themed shaker bits in the squares, then took the coffee mug die from the Slimline Windows dies set and created one more shaker section at the bottom of the card with 3 of the mugs.

I finished the card off with a white "Hello" from the Slimline Windows die set, this I glued on top of the acetate in one of the rectangles.

Head over to i-crafter to get the new Slimline Windows die set, and check out the other wonderful new release items too! Be sure to join the i-crafter Facebook Fan Club, then follow us on Instagram, and Pinterest too! We love seeing all of your creations using the i-crafter products.

Until next time,

R. Winn